《Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyou Survival》


 Volume 1 - CH v1 - ss

    ¡¸¡­¡­Aria. There is one thing that I want to say to you.¡¹


    ¡¸What, Viro?¡¹


    Inside a forest at the side of highway, a man and a girl was sitting around a bonfire in their campground. The man said such thing to a girl who was slurping soup from a warped bronze bowl. He was drinking the same soup while making a grimace like he had bitten a sour grape before placing the bowl on the ground where he was sitting cross-legged.


    ¡¸Weed ain¡¯t food!¡¹


    That girl Aria encountered the adventurer Viro in a town of a baron¡¯s territory. Now she accompanied him in order to help with a job that he accepted.


    Viro had accepted a job of guarding a noble. His client gave him an additional request to bring a kid who could work. It became an absurdly suspicious job offer where he couldn¡¯t tell about the job¡¯s detail or where it was located because of the sensitivity of the task, but even after hearing that Aria accepted because she thought that the skill of a self-proclaimed rank 4 scout like Viro was something necessary for her.


    Even so it didn¡¯t change the fact how suspicious the job offer looked. It couldn¡¯t be helped that Aria was still vaguely looking at him with suspicion.


    ¡¸Are you listening? ¡­¡­Wait, you got a really bad look in your eyes Aria.¡¹


    ¡¸I know.¡¹


    Although Aria too wasn¡¯t that overly worried. Even from the perspective of a child, Viro looked like a hopelessly irresponsible and no good adult, but Aria too understood that Viro was unexpectedly good natured and wasn¡¯t a bad person.


    ¡¸This isn¡¯t weed. Hora grass contained nourishment that can even make great Kalf goat to survive just from eating that even in dry season. There is simply nobody else who will eat it other than goat because it has a lot of fiber and taste bitter.¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s almost no different than weed!¡¹


    By the way, there was a record from fifty years ago that in the war against the demon race, some soldiers mixed the grass with wheat porridge and ate it, so it wasn¡¯t inedible for human. Viro had beans and wheat grains stored in his space expanded bag, Aria thought that his diet would be unbalanced with just that and put in the grass without asking.


    The street urchin Aria started giving such explanation while flipping the pages of a small book with a scholarly expression. Viro stared at her with a dubious gaze that seemed to say ¡ºWhat¡¯s with this kid¡» while gulping down the remaining porridge in his bronze bowl in one go.


    Viro was also an adult male. It was pointless to get irritated against a kid. He changed tack to the method of praising a kid to make them grow.


    ¡¸Aa¡­¡­you know, this ingredient is tasty. It feels like, it¡¯s melting in your mouth.¡¹


    ¡¸Aa, that¡¯s, it¡¯s the larva of black beetle that I found in the hollow of that tree over there¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t wanna hear anymore than that!¡¹


    The night grew late like that©¤©¤


    ¡¸Aria. I decided that I¡¯m going to train you intensely.¡¹


    ¡¸? Roger.¡¹


    The next morning, Viro declared that while standing imposingly with his arms folded. Aria consented to him despite not really understanding what he meant.


    In this continent, the culture of eating bug also existed, more or less. People normally ate insects at Melun Confederation at the north and at Carlfan Empire that was in a desert area, but in Claydale where the forest¡¯s blessing was bountiful, eating bug wasn¡¯t common.


    Viro explained to Aria about that, but Aria who had strange knowledge lectured about the validity of eating bug using difficult words like nutritional value and the like that the scholars at the capital would use. Viro thought that wasn¡¯t what he meant even while giving up in persuading her.


    What he said just now came from the thinking that if he couldn¡¯t persuade her, then he would train her so hard that she wouldn¡¯t even have any energy leftover to cook. This decision was the result of the immaturity of Viro who got too worked up against a child. In addition Viro too needed to train Aria so that she would become useful when they arrived at their destination. Aria herself was also greedily seeking strength, so in the end both of them had no problem with this arrangement.


    And so©¤©¤


    ¡¸Try hunting a goblin if it comes out.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    The adult Viro started asking for the unreasonable right off the bat. The kid Aria replied affirmatively to that without any objection.


    It was a very strange scene, but in Viro¡¯s thought, if it was only against something like goblin then he could just step in anytime to prevent the worst from happening. Aria herself was also thinking that she wanted to increase her real battle experience, so there was no discord between the perceptions of the two of them.


    Goblin wasn¡¯t anything threatening in strength, but they had high reproductive power so they were famous monsters that quite often got witnessed at the countryside highway. But although they were said as weak, if they attacked with weapon or rock then sometimes the average people would lose their life.


    However when they actually encountered three goblins in the highway, Aria normally pulled out her knife and challenged them into a fight. It made Viro reflexively grabbed her shoulder to stop her.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Those are goblins you know?¡¹


    ¡¸They are goblins aren¡¯t they?¡¹


    ¡¸Their combat strength is higher than yours you know?¡¹


    ¡¸I know.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Well, it¡¯s fine I guess.¡¹


    Seeing Aria replying so unconcernedly made Viro somehow felt complicated. He became reckless and told her try hunting them by herself then. For now he would see how it went.


    But in fact, Aria managed somehow. As expected she changed her mind seeing that it would be dangerous taking on the three of them simultaneously and finished them off one by one, but what Viro was worried about, that Aria would hesitate to take the life of a living thing didn¡¯t happen. She calmly killed the three goblins under his watch.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Viro tried to recall his first time killing. Was he also able to kill his opponents at that time with complete acceptance like this?


    Viro became an adventurer when he was ten years old. Both his parents were adventurer. His father a warrior and his mother a scout raised him in this way of life.


    He had been travelling to many places since his childhood. His rank 3 mother trained him hard recklessly. He also met his current party leader around that time. That kind of parents told Viro something incomprehensible like ¡ºWe¡¯re going to meet a strong guy¡» and vanished when he was twelve years old. Since then Viro became a slightly peevish person.


    In a sense Viro had grown up with special education as adventurer, even so he remembered feeling extremely nervous when taking life for the first time. How did someone raise a kid to become this kind of ¡ºstrange fellow¡» like this? It made Viro inadvertently asked his question.


    ¡¸You, aren¡¯t you scared getting into a fight where you might die?¡¹


    Toward that question, Aria wiped the blood from his black knife while muttering dispassionately.


    ¡¸Fear will make your eyes clouded. I, won¡¯t waste the lives that are making me stronger.¡¹


    ¡¸Are you man among men huh-!¡¹


    What¡¯s with this kid! The thought crossed Viro¡¯s mind, but setting that aside, Viro had been aware from early on that despite how hardboiled she was, Aria was just a girl who was dressing up as boy.


    She was just a child so at first even Viro didn¡¯t notice, but commoner children wouldn¡¯t wear something like underwear until they were around ten years old. And so it was pretty easy to find her gender because Aria was walking around with such fluttery outfit.


    It was also problematic to always make such small girl with not much stamina camped outside. From how she behaved, Viro guessed that she was around ten years old, but she simply had a small build because she was a street urchin who didn¡¯t have enough food to eat.


    Even so only when it came to foods that could be obtained inside the forest, if he let his guard down Aria would pick strange ingredients based on her strange knowledge, so although it wasn¡¯t the main reason, it played a part in his decision to periodically stop by at villages and towns to resupply their food supply and the like.


    Viro too, although he was used with camping outside, being used to something and liking it were two different matters.


    If possible he wanted to sleep on a bed in an inn. Cooking his own food was also troublesome. He also wanted to drink alcohol and smoke. And if there was good woman to embrace then he wouldn¡¯t have any complaint.


    Even so his student (to be) Aria said something fugitive-like that staying inside the forest where there was nobody was more calming for her rather than in the middle of a city. Her attitude was plainly troubling for Viro.


    He decided to camp outside most of the time rather than stopping by in human settlement throughout this trip due to various reasons like shortening their travel time, but in part it was because he thought that Aria was a town street urchin and so he would teach her the harshness of being adventurer through this trip. And yet, Aria was too stoic the whole time like a mountain ascetic from somewhere. Because of that right now it felt like it was Viro who was more looking forward to stop by in town or village.


    By the way, some villages had inn and some didn¡¯t have. In rough estimate, when a village populace was more than five hundred than most of the times that village would have a bar that doubled as a cheap inn. The village that they stopped by yesterday was a big village with population nearly one thousand and it was ruled by a knight.


    Viro recalled the story of the knight that he heard at that time. In some part because of Aria¡¯s behavior at that time too, he was considering making use of what he heard in order to ascertain Aria¡¯s capability soon (because it was getting troublesome for him).


    Yesterday afternoon, they stopped by in that village for food resupply and other things like alcohol.


    There Viro and Aria parted. Viro would go to the knight¡¯s mansion to obtain information about the surrounding area, while Aria would replenish their food from the village¡¯s merchant.


    Viro was uneasy to entrust the food replenishment to Aria, but as expected they couldn¡¯t exchange their roles. Besides as expected even Aria would surely not do something like digging for worm instead of buying dried vegetables and dried meats. He wanted to believe that¡­¡­.


    ¡¸¡­¡­You¡¯ll be fine right?¡¹


    ¡¸Leave it to me.¡¹


    Viro saw off Aria with an expression of a mother asking her small child doing an errand for the first time. Then he asked for a meeting with the knight using his standing as a high ranked adventurer. With that he was able to obtain information about bandits who appeared near here.


    It seemed the bandit leader was a former mercenary or soldier with some smart in his brain. It seemed the knight had also tried subjugating the bandits using his servants and the village¡¯s militia, but the bandits had erased their trace skillfully and the subjugation failed.


    But, in the first place they should find the bandits¡¯ hideout first if they were going to dispatch a subjugation squad. If the hideout hadn¡¯t been found then the standard practice was making a request to the adventurers, but scout with some skill who could defeat ten or more bandits had mostly headed to the baron territory that was close to the monster habitat, so it seemed that the hideout hadn¡¯t been found yet.


    A quest of this difficulty level was something that Viro could clear by himself, but the knight was reluctant to pay the fee to hire a rank 4 adventurer, so while talking about the information of this area, the knight would also send glances at Viro while making small talks like ¡ºIt¡¯s really a pinch. What a problem this is¡».


    None of the information he obtained was interesting and they were insufficient to make Viro took action, but he kept it in mind thinking that perhaps he could use it as Aria¡¯s training and left the knight¡¯s manor.


    .


    It should be time for Aria to finish shopping soon wasn¡¯t it? It was a large village, but in the end it was just a village, so this place wasn¡¯t selling things like potion or weapon. Aria only went to buy dried vegetables and salt, so there was no way there would be any problem, but Viro got a bad premonition and walked toward the direction of the inn with a fast pace. There as expected, there was some kind of commotion occurring.


    The morning of farmer was early. Sometimes there would be also be farmer who finished the manual labor quickly and left the other works like weeding and the like to the children while they went to drink alcohol. When Viro observed the situation, just as he thought, there was a man there who seemed to be drunk already even though it wasn¡¯t evening yet.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Ha?¡¹


    It seemed there was a drunkard acting violent, but the one who standing in front of a young waitress who got picked on to protect her was a familiar face¡­¡­or rather, that was definitely Aria.


    Viro had warned her to not get involved with trouble, but here she had already poked her nose into something troublesome. He was exasperated with her, even so he wondered if this could also serve as training for her? Thinking that he decided to remain as a spectator, but he changed his mind once more when he saw Aria¡¯s face.


    Although the drunkard had no combat skill, his status seemed to be high from doing manual labor every day, so his combat strength surpassed Aria. Normally he would think that this man would serve as a good test for his capable favorite pupil (candidate), but the small Aria showed not a slightest fear even when facing against such large man. Her gaze toward the man was as though she was looking at a goblin. Seeing those eyes, Viro hurriedly cut in between the two because at this rate blood might get spilled.


    ¡¸You there, wait a second. A large man like you threatening a woman and a kid like this, that¡¯s unsightly yeah.¡¹


    Viro rushed in while acting cool. His speech caused the onlookers around them to watch dumbfounded. Aria who should be the one receiving help was looking at him like he was looking at a goblin.


    To be honest, the biggest reason for Viro to interfere with this commotion was because the waitress was a beauty. She looked like she was at her early twenty perhaps? She was a beauty with a little strong look that was just how Viro preferred it. It was rare to find a woman like this in a countryside village. If things went well, then perhaps he would be able to make a good memory tonight. Such thought crossed his mind briefly.


    Speaking from the result, a drunkard who didn¡¯t even have any combat skill had no way of defeating a rank 4 adventurer. Viro easily beat the man unconscious and entrusted him to a nearby villager before returning to the waitress. There he saw beauty sporting a bright smile and a slight blush on her cheeks.


    ¡¸Thank you very much.¡¹


    The beautiful waitress said that and shook the hand of Aria who was dressed as a male while blushing from her handsome guy action. Viro watched that going on with a dumbfounded look. It was then the beautiful waitress finally noticed him and gave him a wide business smile.


    ¡¸Allow me to thank you too as the father of this child. I¡¯ll treat both of you with the delicious cooking of my husband in our inn, so please come.¡¹


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­I¡¯m still 35 years old.¡¹


    ¡¸I had heard that before.¡¹


    Viro had been complaining the whole time since they left the village. It was unknown whether it was being called a father that bothered him or because he was dejected that the woman how he thought as a waitress was actually a newlywed proprietress. Aria simply replied to him dispassionately without agreeing or disagreeing and also without getting angry or anything. If other people saw this, perhaps they would see a master and disciple with good relationship in a sense. ©¤©¤Many people would surely get such misunderstanding.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    From a child¡¯s perspective, this man was really a hopeless adult, but from Aria¡¯s perspective, this didn¡¯t lower her evaluation of Viro.


    He wasn¡¯t looking down at her just because she was a kid or a female which was something that an adult tended to do. Viro was interacting with her as a fellow human from equal standpoint. It made Aria respected him.


    But telling him that might make him get carried away and acted annoying, so Aria kept it a secret in her heart and lightly patted the shoulder of Viro who was walking trudgingly.


    ¡¸A human¡¯s life seems short but long. One day the right person will definitely appear for you.¡¹


    ¡¸O-ou¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    For some reason Viro even recalled things that he didn¡¯t want to recall, but considering the information that he heard from the village and the grit that Aria showed him, and then from other things like the battle against the goblins that she showed him just now, it made him say something that would be too reckless if he said it to a normal child.


    ¡¸The village¡¯s chief told me that there are bandits appearing around here. Tonight we¡¯re going to hunt those bandits for your training!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    .


    Like that the trip that was full with recklessness where the impromptu master and student were destroying each other common senses continued before Aria arrived at the territory of Margrave Dandall where she would have a fateful encounter.

 Volume 1 - CH 1

    Survival


    ¨C Surviving under harsh environment and condition.


    Otome game (date-sim)


    ¨C Romantic simulation game


    .


    ¡¸FOOUND YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-¡¹


    ¡¸Tsu!?¡¹


    My encounter with that woman happened in a back alley of the small rural town where I was living.


    That woman was wearing a pink dress that was usually worn by young woman that came from the city. The dress was strangely worn out. Coupled with her slightly dirty and messy hair, it made her looked like an old woman.


    Her hollow cheeks and bloodshot eyes made her looked terrifying like a ghost. While I was frozen in fear, that person threw away the baggage she was carrying on her back and assaulted me.


    ¡¸N-noooo!¡¹


    ¡¸You brat-, don¡¯t resist-! ¡­¡­Fufu, so this is it.¡¹


    ¡¸Nooo, give it back-!¡¹


    ¡¸Shut up-!¡¹


    She took away the talisman pouch hanging on my chest violently as though to tear my chest. Then the woman took out something from the pouch even though I was told that the pouch must never be opened no matter what. After that the woman laughed out shrilly.


    ¡¸Aha¡­¡­ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah! As I thought-! There is no mistake-! This is the world of ¡º¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡»! Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!¡¹


    That laughing voice was filled with madness. I was so terrified that I couldn¡¯t even move.


    .


    I was living with Otou-san and Okaa-san until I was four years old. I was happy at that time¡­¡­.


    In the morning I would wake up from the scent of soup that Okaa-san made. When I went to wake up my sleepyhead Otou-san, he would hug me and rubbed his still unshaven beard on my cheek. When I complained, Otou-san would lift me up high to put me in a good mood. I would easily get a better mood with that and laughed before Okaa-san scolded us with a face that didn¡¯t look scary at the slightest.


    But, such happy days would never return anymore¡­¡­.


    In that day three years ago, a lot of monsters attacked the town where we were living in. It was a great outbreak of monsters that occurred every several dozens of years. Otou-san who was a soldier of the city said that he would protect. He fought bravely and never came back. Even so the monster couldn¡¯t be repelled and they entered the town. Okaa-san also died in order to protect me from them.


    I didn¡¯t know how did the battle with the monsters ended up. A surviving soldier picked me up who was crying in the middle of rubbles where corpses of monsters and humans were scattered. After that I was put into this orphanage that was located in this distant town.


    Otou-san¡¯s big back. Okaa-san¡¯s gentle smile¡­¡­. After losing all of them, what was left to me was only the ¡ºtalisman pouch¡» that Okaa-san gave me. Without understanding what would happen to me from there on, I was exposed to the harshness of the world without even any time to grieve for losing my parents.


    The orphanage was an old church. There were around ten new orphans who were put into there. All of us were crammed together into a small room that looked like a barn. We were only given thin ragged cloth as substitute for bedding and thin soup with only salt and vegetable scraps for food, but even those things were taken away by the older orphans.


    The old hag who was managing the orphanage only gave us hard black bread and salt soup to us every day without doing anything else. She made the orphans did everything else for managing the orphanage. Drawing water, washing, cleaning, taking care of the garden, gathering firewood, moving baggage, and even other works that were unrelated with the orphanage were undertaken by the old hag and she pushed them all on us. We had to do all of them since even before the sun rose and we still wouldn¡¯t finish when night came. The older orphans who learned to slack off forced all the works on the younger children. A boy who got his food stolen once nibbled a potato in the food storage, but then the old hag beat up that boy with a rolling pin until he puked blood. The next day his body was turning cold on his bed.


    I¡¯ll be killed¡­¡­such thought had crossed my mind for more than once or twice. But even the adult of the towns couldn¡¯t be relied on. There was nobody who would try to get involved with the dirty and thin orphans. There was also nobody who wanted to adopt such orphans. Furthermore that old hag, she would hand off orphans with nice appearance to the nicely dressed adult who sometime shoed up and received a lot of money in return.


    I didn¡¯t want to stay in this kind of place. But I listened to the words that Otou-san and Okaa-san said to me and endured.


    ¡ºThere isn¡¯t anyone who is bad from the bottom of their heart. That¡¯s why become someone who can smile and forgive others.¡»


    The violent old hag was just irritable. The older orphans who stole from the younger children were surely acting like that only because of the bad environment. That was why I¡¯d become someone who could smile and forgive them. ¡­¡­Thinking like that, I endured for three years without never stopped smiling while doing my best so that at least my talisman pouch wouldn¡¯t get taken away.


    But¡­¡­was what I did a mistake? The old hag said that there would be an important guest tomorrow and told me to wash my body at the well.


    I despaired. I hated the way those adults looked at me. And then I became unable to endure the life in there anymore with how revolting it was¡­¡­that day, I ran away from the orphanage.


    It was fine and all that I ran away, but in the end someone like me who didn¡¯t have anything got hungry and could only sit down hugging my knees in a back alley from how disheartening my situation was. It was then, that woman suddenly appeared before me.


    .


    ¡¸Fufufu, you don¡¯t need to feel scared, ¡ºAlicia¡»¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Tsu!?¡¹


    That woman suddenly said my name. I jerked and trembled. How did she know my name?


    ¡¸I have been watching you all this time since the day before yesterday you know? I only know your name and age¡­¡­and also your hair and eye color, so it was really troublesome searching for you¡­¡­¡¹


    That woman was looking down on me with a twisted smile while caressing the hair and eyes of the scared me with her finger.


    ¡¸You are really dirty. But it¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll make you clean right away. Besides, you are so thin like this¡­¡­¡ºGrandfather¡» will be shocked when he come to pick you up. You need to eat properly¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Grand¡­father?¡¹


    When I muttered that word, the woman¡¯s bloodshot eyes moved glaringly.


    ¡¸That¡¯s right, you¡­¡­no, ¡ºmy¡» grandfather. ¡­¡­Hey, are you listening? When I regained the memory of my previous life and realized that this is the world of ¡º¡ù¡ù¡ù¡ù¡», I was trembling in joy¡­¡­and despaired. Because the ¡ºmain character(heroine)¡» will only enroll into the academy that is the main stage of the scenario dozens of years later. At that time I will be an old lady already. I won¡¯t be able to get involved with the story no matter what. That was why I thought that if I can at least become a teacher there. For that I became an adventurer, learned magic, and also studied a lot. But it was no good. Only noble can become student or teacher in the academy¡­¡­that¡¯s why, you see¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Hih¡¹


    The woman clutched my neck and took out a knife and pitch black ¡ºstone¡» from her waist.


    ¡¸I decided, that I¡¯ll become the ¡ºmain character(you)¡»¡­¡­¡¹


    The woman¡¯s smile was distorted abnormally.


    ¡¸Hey, do you know about ¡ºmagic stone¡»? A living creature that absorb magic element more than a certain amount will have a stone called magic stone created in their heart through the intermediary of the blood in their body. The magic stone then will produce magic power inside the body. Not only the magic stone will store high purity magic power in it, the element and even the nature of the living creature that act as the base of it will also remain in it even though only slightly. Fufu¡­¡­I was excited when I found this method in an old literature. Because if I can use this method, I can imprint ¡°memory¡± and ¡°personality¡± into a magic stone and transfer them into other person!¡¹


    Magic stone? Magic power? The woman was using difficult words and continued speaking as though she was drunk.


    ¡¸The magician who researched it stop his effort at the animal experiment stage, but I¡¯ll surely be able to complete it if it¡¯s me-! It¡¯s no good if you use other people¡¯s magic stone! I have extracted my own blood so many times and pour my magic power into them, then I gathered the solidified composition from them with great perseverance for five years before I finally completed my magic stone-! It was so hard¡­¡­so painful¡­¡­but¡¹


    The talkative woman smirked smugly while showing off that pitch black stone.


    ¡¸If I implanted this magic stone into your heart, I¡¯ll be able to discard this old body and become ¡ºthe main character(you)¡»!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­hih¡¹


    Mad. She was insane. Even if she succeeded in doing that, the result would only be a different person that simply inherited her memory and personality wouldn¡¯t it? This woman didn¡¯t even realize such thing that even a child like me realized. The woman brandished up the knife.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t struggle okay. It¡¯ll be over quickly.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­N-nooooo-!¡¹


    I reflexively swung my hand in fear. It touched the knife and my palm was slightly cut. When my hand that was soaked in blood touched the magic stone that the woman was pinching with her fingers, strange thing flowed into my head.


    ¡¸Ah!¡¹


    The magic stone got slapped away by my hand. The woman¡¯s focus got diverted toward the tumbling magic stone.


    A strange sensation that felt like cold and also hot was flowing in from my wounded hand. I felt something as disgusting as that woman from what was invading inside me. I forgot everything else and gave my all to reject it. Because of that only everything else other than the disgusting part was settling inside me. My emotion that was only feeling fear for this three years coldly submerged to the bottom of my heart.


    Suu¡­¡­I narrowed my eyes and realized a part of myself that ws calmly thinking ¡ºI have to counterattack with this opening¡». I moved only my gaze while my body was still being held down by the woman to search my surrounding. I found a rock of an appropriate size and grabbed it. Then I smashed it at the woman¡¯s forehead as strongly as I could.


    *Thump!!*


    ¡¸GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?¡¹


    The woman tumbled to the side while holding her head. The knife in her hand fell on the ground. I picked up that knife and held it with my right hand while my left hand propped its pommel. Then I leaped at the woman as though to tackle her.


    ¡¸Gah, hah¡­..w-why, you¡­¡­¡¹


    The knife that was thrust horizontally slipped between her ribs and gouged her heart. The woman¡¯s eyes were in disbelief over what they were seeing. The cold and emotionless face of ¡°me¡± was reflected there.


    The woman¡¯s hand reached out toward me even though her heart was being gouged. I put even more strength into the knife and gouged without even being perturbed by that. A lot of blood overflowed from there and the light of life was vanishing from the woman¡¯s eyes.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    My hands were slightly shaking. My fingers froze while still clutching the blood soaked knife. I peeled them off from the knife bit by bit using my similarly shaking fingers.


    Now, I understood. What flowed into my head was the fragmentary ¡°knowledge¡± of the woman.


    I didn¡¯t understand what was this woman thinking that she did something like this. Even so from the knowledge, I at least understood that had spent effort in blood and sweat for dozens of years just for the sake of this so called ¡ºotome game¡».


    The world of sword and magic, Ciel. In it there was Thurs Continent and the biggest major nation in it was Claydale.


    Geography and history. Magic knowledge. Fighting skill. The common sense of this world¡­¡­there were also a lot of things that were too technical and I couldn¡¯t comprehend but, I was able to obtain the minimum amount of ¡°knowledge¡± required to live in this world.


    I took back the talisman pouch that was taken from me and the ring inside it from the woman¡¯s cooling corpse. Then I carefully struck the disgusting ¡ºmagic stone¡» that fell beside the woman over and over while taking care to not touch it at all. I threw away the remains that I couldn¡¯t completely crush into the gutter.


    After that I rummaged the woman¡¯s pockets and stole her knife¡¯s sheath and wallet. Then I lifted up the bag that the woman threw away.


    I had no business anymore with this kind of place. But¡­¡­there was just one thing remaining that was left undone.


    .


    While carrying the bag on my back, I returned to the orphanage that I escaped from with a different way of walking from before that wasn¡¯t making any sound. I didn¡¯t enter inside and observed the situation of the orphanage while taking care to not be found. Then inside, the old hag who finally realized that I was gone was yelling and ranting to the other orphans.


    I quietly entered the orphanage¡¯s ground, hid myself in the garden¡¯s darkness, and held my breath like an animal in hiding.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Sleepiness abruptly assaulted me because I had no stamina, but I held it back by nibbling on the hard black bread inside that woman¡¯s luggage. Although I was feeling drowsy, I waited until there was no more sound coming from the orphanage. The light was turned off from the detached building where the old hag¡¯s room was located. After one more hour passed, I quietly started moving inside the darkness.


    My eyes had gotten used to the darkness. Even the faint light of the stars was enough to show me the old hag¡¯s location.


    There was no room that had lock in this old church that was serving as an orphanage. I slowly pushed open the door and sneaked into the detached building where smell of alcohol wafted from. The old hag was snoring. I patiently waited until she turned over in her sleep and the moment her back was turned toward me, I lightly pushed a towel that was nearby on her neck, and from above I used my whole body¡¯s weight to stab into the old hag¡¯s brain.


    ¡¸©¤©¤¡¹


    A small groan slipped out from the old hag. Her body jerked. I pushed the towel so that no blood spurted out while slowly pulling out the knife so that the blood was wiped on it. I slowly breathed out the breath that I was holding. I unraveled my stiffened fingertips and returned the knife into its sheath, then I tucked it on my waistband.


    With this I had no more grief here. In that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±, the director of this orphanage where I lived would be replaced by a kind old priest. Perhaps with this, that priest would replace this old hag as the person in charge of this place quicker. With that the number of orphans who got abused or sold would surely decrease.


    But©¤©¤


    ¡¸¡­¡­What nonsense¡­¡­¡¹


    Whether it was this old orphanage, or the shrewd orphans, or this greedy old hag, or the citizens who averted their gaze even knowing about the abuse that happened here, or the feeling that woman harbored, or even that so called ¡ºotome game¡», all of them were nonsense.


    Don¡¯t tell me, that I was born just for the sake of such nonsense?


    Did Otou-san and Okaa-san died just for the sake of such nonsense-!!


    I rummaged through the old hag¡¯s room and the storage room beside it. I quickly put on leather sandals and changed my ragged cloth that was dirtied by blood spurt with a slightly better cloth.


    After that I spread out a sheet, stuffed some clean clothes, the coins that the old hag hid, the good quality foods and water flask the old had kept for herself, and other things into it, then I sneaked away from this worthless town like a thief.


    I rejected that ¡ºotome game¡».


    .


    ¡¸I¡¯ll survive by myself.¡¹

 Volume 1 - CH 2

    First I sorted my ¡°knowledge¡±. It seemed that this world greatly resembled the otome game that was called ¡ºFalling in Love on the Silver Wings¡»©¤©¤or more commonly abbreviated as ¡ºSilver Love¡».


    Otome game¡­¡­I didn¡¯t really understand it but, it was a game that was like an illustrated story. In that game world, it had a story of the main character supporting or getting supported a man or even several men simultaneously to ensnare them. I couldn¡¯t believe that such person could really exist, but according to that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±, that ¡ºmain character(heroine)¡» was ¡ºme¡».


    Alicia¡­¡­it was my name and also the name of the heroine of the game. In the game she had a family name but it changed after she was adopted by a noble house. It seemed Okaa-san was a noble¡¯s daughter. She fell in love with Otou-san who was a knight apprentice and eloped with him. That was what the ¡°knowledge¡± was telling me.


    That was why a noble¡¯s blood was flowing inside me and I had noble relatives, that was why if I felt like it then I might be able to live a better life than now. If it was the me from before who didn¡¯t know anything, I would feel scared against nobles who were like an out of reach existence to me, but I would also hold a longing to live like a princess.


    But¡­¡­I had obtained ¡°knowledge¡± now. In my opinion, the way nobles lived made me felt terrified rather than longing, and more than that I perceived them as a troublesome existence. And even before that, I had no intention of living a live that was controlled by the ¡°fate¡± of the so called otome game that was greatly admired by that woman.


    It seemed that woman completely believed that this world was a ¡ºworld of game¡», but from where I stood, such world felt impossible realistically.


    I am ¡°I¡±. I¡¯m not a game character. I¡¯m a human living in this world.


    I¡¯ll oppose fate and survive till the end even if I¡¯m alone. I also had obtained the necessary ¡°knowledge¡± for that.


    Actually I believed that I should confirm the content of that otome game to some degree in order to not get involved with it too. But, perhaps I wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain that part of knowledge unless I implanted the magic stone where that woman¡¯s knowledge and personality were copied into my heart, because the knowledge regarding that woman¡¯s ¡°previous life¡± was vague in my mind.


    Perhaps when I gave my all to reject that woman, I unconsciously repelled the part that was intrinsic to that woman, and perhaps that was why I was unable to obtain the knowledge in that field. But, even if I wanted to obtain that knowledge now, I had already broke that magic stone and threw it into a gutter. And even if it wasn¡¯t broken, I would never wish to touch that thing ever again.


    Even so when I tried compensate for the vague game knowledge with the knowledge of other stories to make sense of it, I was able to imagine the story although only roughly.


    The cheerful, kind, and hardworking ¡ºheroine¡» was actually the daughter between a noble¡¯s daughter and knight apprentice who was born after they eloped. After her parents died from monsters¡¯ rampage, she lived in church as an orphan.


    Various things happened and she got found by noble, then she enrolled into the academy where the noble children went to, got close with the prince or his followers, then got bullied by the ¡ºvillainess¡» who was the prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, but the heroine would receive divine protection from dungeon or went in an adventure, and after going through this and that there would be a happy end. It was a very nonsensical story.


    ¡­¡­What a nonsense. Human could live even without becoming noble or marrying with the prince.


    I would never admit to even god that I was born for the sake of ¡ºsuch nonsense¡».


    For the time being I decided to head to the neighboring town that was in that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±. In that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±, it seemed this world was called Ciel and we were located in a major nation called Claydale that was located somewhere in Thurs continent. This region where I lived was a baron territory located at the northernmost of Claydale Kingdom, but that woman didn¡¯t remember the minor details like this region¡¯s name.


    I was thinking to travel to the neighboring town because this town where I lived until now was like a ¡ºlarge village¡», so if I went to the neighboring town where the feudal lord the baron lived, I believed there would be a lot of places there to hide for someone like me who had murdered people.


    Actually I also wanted to get away from this baron territory before I got found out by noble, but a small child like me wouldn¡¯t be able to go to a long trip. Living in town would be suitable for me, but I would need to pay one silver coin as tax to enter into a large town that was surrounded by wall.


    I would also get taxed if I left the baron territory and passed through other territory, so normally commoners would never go to a trip. But there was also method to avoid paying that toll price.


    If you properly paid the suitable amount of annual income tax to the feudal lord, you would be able to obtain citizenship and became able to travel to anywhere within the territory. You could also buy peddling right from the merchant guild. A merchant would also get discount when going to other territory.


    And then there was the adventurer guild. If you registered there and climbed to high rank, it seemed that you would be able to travel freely within the country. Of course there was no way to suddenly become a high rank adventurer from the start, but even the beginner ¡ºrank 1¡» would be able to freely enter and exit the town where they were registered to.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Adventurer?¡¹


    What was adventurer? When I thought that, knowledge floated up inside my head. ¡ºAdventurer Guild¡» was an organization that was derived from the mercenary guild that received support from the merchant guild at the beginning. ¡ºAdventurer¡» was a mercenary that specialized in exploration who investigated ruin or unexplored land while eliminating monster or the like solo or with a small group.


    But currently they were just outlaws that simply vandalized the ruins or miners that supplied the town with magic stones that could be obtained from monsters. They had completely become what you called ¡ºjack-of-all-trades¡», even so high ranked adventurers who were elites who could defeat powerful monsters with few numbers were treated favorably.


    Magic stone stored magic power and could be used like ¡ºbattery¡». In that regard, adventurers who were supplying those magic stones could be considered as a necessary existence. But, to register in the adventurer guild, it seemed that at minimum you needed to have rank 1¡­¡­¡ºcombat skill¡» at level 1 or above.


    ¡­¡­Skill? Level? I tilted my head in puzzlement again at those terms that easily floated to the surface of my mind while I was thinking. Until now I was just an orphan who didn¡¯t have any knowledge or wisdom, so I didn¡¯t know anything about ¡ºskill¡» or ¡ºlevel¡», but I didn¡¯t have time right now so I put off confirming them for later.


    For now my objective was to raise a combat skill to 1 and became an adventurer, any skill was fine. The adventurer guild was located at the neighboring town. If it was in that town, there would be hiding place, but there would also be problem if I headed to there just like this.


    First right now I was just a seven years old child. Even if I was able to enter the town, there was a high possibility that I would get tricked and sold or killed by bad adult. That was why before entering the town, I needed at least the strength to be able to escape from the likes of thugs. It would be great if I was able to obtain combat skill in the process, but it was uncertain whether I would be able to learn one by just relying on knowledge.


    First I should ascertain what the current me was ¡ºable¡» and ¡ºunable¡» to do. That was why I was considering to hide somewhere at the road that was connecting this rural town and that neighboring town.


    It seemed that using horse carriage, you could reach the neighboring town at evening if you departed from early morning. In that case, it would take two days or less by walking. If there was that much distance, there should be a place like a camping site somewhere on the way for sure. In such spot it was highly possible there would be a watering place nearby, so that place would be my first destination.


    .


    *Goon¡­¡­goon*©¤©¤the sound of bell came twice from the town¡¯s clock tower. I was awakened from my half sleep.


    That bell was sounded every four hours. It rang once when it was midnight, so the bell just now told me that it was four o¡¯clock in the morning from how it rang twice. The people who worked at farm would wake up from the bell just now, and the citizens would also start working when the bell rang at eight o¡¯clock. The orphans in the church would start work from four o¡¯clock in the morning, but the old hag only woke up when it was eight o¡¯clock, so there should be a bit more time until her death was discovered. I confirmed that the horizon was getting brighter and got out from the forest near the town where I hid. Then I started walking on the path that was heading to the neighboring town.


    I didn¡¯t know how far the distance was until the campsite, but surely I would be able to reach it at midnight even with my short legs¡­¡­that was what I thought, but I underestimated the lack of a child¡¯s stamina too much. I had been walking for four hours since I started¡­¡­even so I believed that I had worked really hard with this. When the sky was becoming brighter and I heard the bell ringing three times from far away, I finally reached my limit and sat down on the ground.


    Thinking calmly, there was no way a kid who had never even gotten fed properly and didn¡¯t have enough sleep could keep walking for many hours. My sight was hazy and there was dull pain pounding inside my head. As expected I judged that this was bad. I let go of my tension and slapped my legs to move and hid myself inside a forest that was several meters away from the road.


    I hid myself behind a tree so that I couldn¡¯t be seen from the road, then I took out the leather water flask from my luggage. The water smelled like leather, but my dry throat gulped it down greedily, but then I choked violently, perhaps because of the fruit wine that was mixed with the water to prevent it from going bad.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Geho, gehoh¡¹


    I calmed down my breathing once more and put the water into my mouth in small sips. With that my mind regained clarity. At the same time it reminded me of my empty stomach. I took a white bread from among the old hag¡¯s foods that I brought with me. Thinking that I better ate this before mold grew over it, I nibbled on it. Then a nostalgic taste that reminded me of the past with my family came from it.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Soft white bread was a high class item. Even when I lived with my family, I could only eat it when there was a celebration, but the me who was even younger than now always looked forward to it eagerly. Otou-san who worked as soldier always apologized to Okaa-san that we couldn¡¯t eat white bread every day, and then Okaa-san would smile and shook her head. I always thought of that exchange as strange, but if Okaa-san was a noble just like in that woman¡¯s knowledge, then I could understand why Otou-san apologized like that.


    I felt a bit lonely. To divert my mind from that, I bit off the bread and washed it down with the water from the flask. I felt alive again when my stomach bloated up.


    ¡¸¡­¡­ouch¡¹


    When I calmed down, I noticed the pain on my feet and grimaced. All the children in the orphanage were barefoot. That was why this was my first time wearing sandal. I wasn¡¯t used to it and my skin chafed. Blood was flowing.


    It hurt¡­¡­but it wasn¡¯t scary. I checked that the wound wasn¡¯t horrible, then I took out a clean cloth from my luggage. I cut it with my knife and created a bandage. I also treated the wound on my hand from my struggle against that woman. I had given it a simple treatment last night, but I took this opportunity to wash it with the fruit wine in the flask before wrapping it with the bandage I created.


    ¡­¡­Even though I should be able to do it in the ¡°knowledge¡±, a child¡¯s fingers were unexpectedly clumsy and it took a lot of time to finish the treatment. But more importantly.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I don¡¯t have much water.¡¹


    I also used water for the treatment, so my remaining water had decreased a lot. Perhaps because I was concerned with my remaining drinking water, it roused that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡± to surface. A kid with small body had to drink a lot of water. Perhaps I would be reduced to the state before this again if I didn¡¯t drink enough water. When I pondered what should I do then, it felt like it would be good if I obtain water together with sugar and ¡ºvitamin¡» from fruit.


    What was this ¡ºvitamin¡»? Even that woman didn¡¯t really have a deep understanding of it, but surely it was something important. But where could I find that fruit from this forest? Then the ¡°knowledge¡± surfaced again. When I tried searching around for a bit by relying on that, I found a shrub that reached around my chest with black fruits growing from it.


    It was a type of berry. It could be found anywhere in the southern part of the continent where this country was at.


    ¡¸¡­¡­sour.¡¹


    I picked one, peeled the skin, and licked the juice. The sweetness was thin, the sourness was strong, and it was somewhat astringent. It seemed that the fruit was normally eaten as jam or dried fruit. Even so it wasn¡¯t like it couldn¡¯t be eaten raw. I checked that there was no snake nearby and used a nearby large leaf¡­¡­toesol grass? I used it as a plate and started picking the berries.


    After I finished picking berries, I sorted out my luggage before eating.


    The luggage that I brought from the orphanage consisted of several clothes and fabrics, foods, and several coins. The simple cloth I was wearing right now was what usually worn by commoner children. There was no difference between male and female, so it was a bit too big for me, but for the time being it was fine like this.


    As for the foods, there was one white bread remaining, then other than that there was dried meat and a block of dried cheese, so if I divided them and ate them bit by bit, I believed they would last for three days. As for the money, including that woman¡¯s possession, I had fifteen silver coins, eight small silver coins, and thirteen bronze coins. The food that I could buy from shop or food stall would cost several bronze coins, and a single silver coin could be used to stay in an inn for three days, so this was quite a lot of money.


    The problem was, when I checked the inside of that woman¡¯s bag, there was a bundle of withered grass and two pots that seemed like potion. And then at the bottom there was a small book that looked like a notebook.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Curious.¡¹


    I got that impression from my ¡°knowledge¡± when I saw that book. Book was expensive but wasn¡¯t that rare. According to my knowledge, in the past book was made using animal¡¯s leather that was processed to be parchment in this continent at the past, but it was replaced with plant paper since 120 years ago and now such book was becoming the mainstream.


    The raw material for that paper was the toesol grass that I used as plate replacement just now. This grass had big leaves and short hairs like downy hair. It was very elastic and since the past it had been used to wipe hands after using restroom. In fact, I once also used it like that, but it was also said that it had no other use than that. This leaf was soft but its fiber was long and even animal wouldn¡¯t eat it other than goat.


    A noble in the past hated to use leaf for wiping and ordered an alchemist to research the leaf. That was considered as the beginning of plant paper. When this toesol grass was heated, it would lose its color and became a paper with a faint tinge of yellow remaining. After dozens of years its quality had been improved at the current time. A book that could cost more than ten gold coins in the past had turned cheaper until ten percent of the original price now.


    And the reason why I thought this book was ¡ºcurious¡» was because this book was made from parchment. It seemed to have been reread a lot of times until the parchments were eroded and turned flimsy, but the inside was written with detailed description of medicinal herbs, poisonous plants, and also mushrooms and minerals that could be used as medicine. They were even thoroughly accompanied with illustrations.


    I wondered if that woman had that kind of side to her, but apparently she stole this from the personal property of the master she studied magic under. ¡­¡­That woman, she was really beyond any help.


    But I was honestly happy for finding this. I had ¡°knowledge¡± and I could understand letter when I saw one, but practice was required for writing and reading sentence. This would become a good studying material for me.


    The other two potions were apparently also something that woman stole from her teacher. They were healing medicine with very good quality. It seemed that woman planned to use these to heal me after implanting the magic stone into my heart.


    Then there was the bundle of withered grasses. The grasses were medicinal herbs. But this one wasn¡¯t anything really great. They were grasses that could be found growing anywhere and often used by ordinary household as common medicine. I took one of them and chewed it in my mouth. It really smell like grass but I endured it and kept chewing. Then I smeared it on my wounds before bandaging them once more.


    When I realized, the sun had climbed really high above my head. I felt that I would reach my limit soon in keeping hold of my consciousness, so I stored back my things into the luggage and carried it on my back. Then I used my knife to cut off my hair that I had grown long by that old hag¡¯s order because she wanted to sell it.


    .


    I greedily devoured the berries that I picked, then I hid myself in a tree¡¯s shadow like a wounded beast trying to heal its wound and silently closed my eyes.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I was scared of ¡ºdarkness¡» before all these. I was scared of¡ºpain¡». I was scared of¡ºhunger¡» and ¡ºloneliness¡». But I was scared of them because I didn¡¯t know of any way to survive.


    My eyes cracked open slightly from a faint sound, and swung down my knife on the head of the snake that had approached until my feet. The snake whose head was stabbed wriggled for a while. I continued to stare at the snake that was slowly turning unmoving without any ripple in my emotion.


    I felt scared because I didn¡¯t know anything. But, I didn¡¯t fear small pain anymore. Because now I could understand the ¡°knowledge¡± of how much I could endure and still not die, there was no more reason to feel fear anymore.


    I came to think like that because I obtained dozens of years of knowledge from that woman. But, I didn¡¯t think that I stopped being myself because of that woman¡¯s fault.


    I am ¡°I¡±. I am¡ºAlicia¡» and nobody else.


    I was thinking of such thing while having a light sleep just for a bit to recover from my body¡¯s fatigue while staying on guard against the surrounding.

 Volume 1 - CH 3

    In the end, I was able to reach the campsite that was my destination at the afternoon the next day.


    My food stock had decreased. My remaining foods were only a white pan and a piece of salty dried meat. In my calculation, my foods would only last for three days even if I scrimped on them. Thinking of the distance until the neighboring town, I would need two more days, and I also had to devise some kind of fighting method.


    There wasn¡¯t anybody at the campsite. I approached while being on guard against the surrounding, then I touched the remaining ash of bonfire there with my hand. The ash was new but there wasn¡¯t any heat remaining from it. I didn¡¯t have anything to lit fire, so it would help if there was any live coal or the like remaining here, but it was pointless to ask for something that didn¡¯t exist.


    I grabbed a handful of the bonfire¡¯s ash and smeared it on my head. I had cut my long hair, but my pinkish blonde hair was very conspicuous. It would be a bit easier for me if my hair didn¡¯t attract attention by doing this.


    I hid my luggage in a shade of tree near the campsite before searching for a watering place with only a knife and flash in hands. I tried searching because I thought that there would definitely be one, and I found a watering hole welling up from under the road that had been hardened from the steps of the passerby.


    Fundamentally river water should be cleaner at the upstream, even so I judged that it was dangerous to drink the water without even boiling it first. I wet a cloth and only wiped my body. It wasn¡¯t like I was fussy about cleanliness but, it would be stupid if I ignored my sweat and grim and got discovered because of my smell.


    I couldn¡¯t prepare water and also fire. This was because in that orphanage, the older orphans used ¡¾daily life magic¡¿ to start fire. I never saw any flint in the orphanage.


    There was ¡ºmagic¡» in this world. And what was generally used was called ¡ºsorcery¡».


    The difference between the two was that ¡ºmagic¡» was something primitive that had existed since the past. Magic that had been academically analyzed and turned into something that could be used by relatively a lot more people was called ¡ºsorcery¡». For example, a carriage that you created from zero starting from its blueprint would be ¡ºmagic¡» while the carriage that was sold in the market would be like ¡ºsorcery¡», something like that. There was no question which one of them would be easier to learn until you could use it.


    It seemed that woman was a sorcerer and she had a lot of knowledge in that field, but she was lazy in learning things that were outside her scope of interest. There were a lot of dubious parts in her knowledge. ¡­¡­Troublesome.


    Magic had six type of elements which were light, darkness, earth, water, fire, and wind. However, to be more precise there was also non elemental magic that had no element at all, so it could also be said that there was seven types. Human could use sorcery with the element that suited them if they had a certain amount of magic power. There was no convenient technique or tool to investigate which element they could use, so it would take quite some time to investigate. It seemed that the majority of commoners gave up in using sorcery at that stage.


    It seemed that woman imagined that there would be convenient tool where one could understand their element just by holding their hand over it, then she felt indignation when she learned that reality wasn¡¯t as sweet as that. ¡­¡­It was only unnecessary knowledge that she was remembering well.


    One day I also planned to learn sorcery, but what I needed right now was ¡ºdaily life magic¡». Daily life magic was classified as non elemental. You could make fire or create water with that, but it wasn¡¯t really generally understood why it wasn¡¯t classified as elemental magic then.


    That woman¡¯s teacher taught her important things that seemed to be related with the world¡¯s root, like the difference in the amount of magic power used, or principle of causality that interfered with space, and the like, and yet that woman didn¡¯t really remember them because she was disinterested with the topic.


    There were six types of daily life magic and even most commoners were able to use them if they were adult. But not all of them. Even people who could use daily life magic could only use one or two. That was what the ¡°knowledge¡± told me, but that woman¡¯s teacher made her to at least learn all six types to be an accomplished sorcerer.


    .


    Creating a light source that was as bright as a candle, ¡¾Light¡¿


    Erasing Light and blocking off lamp¡¯s light, ¡¾Dark¡¿


    Solidifying earth element object and hardening it for an hour, ¡¾Hard¡¿


    Making small fire on a fingertip, ¡¾Fire¡¿


    Creating a water that filled a glass, ¡¾Water¡¿


    Making breeze to the direction you chose, ¡¾Wind¡¿


    .


    Among these six types, the one that was learned the most was Light. The second most was Fire, then the third most was Water, but there was almost nobody who learned the other three. That was why if you asked whether it was impossible to learn all of them, that wasn¡¯t the case. It was simply that learning all of them was troublesome. ¡­¡­But, weren¡¯t these magic the basic of the six elemental magic?


    Even commoner could use this daily life magic, because of that no magical analysis was ever performed to simplify them. It seemed that normally you could learn them accidentally after watching them performed several times.


    As the basic of sorcery, you needed to ¡ºchant¡» for using elemental sorcery, but daily life magic that was non elemental magic could be used simply by using the ¡ºinvocation word¡» that consisted of only a single syllable as long as you could imagine it properly.


    That woman was made by her teacher to learn them despite her reluctance, so she remembered the training method clearly. But, I stumbled in the stage before that. It seemed that you first had to sense the magic power inside yourself in order to do that training method, but I couldn¡¯t really feel my own magic power.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Can¡¯t be helped.¡¹


    For now, I tried searching for things related to magic power inside that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±.


    First as a premise, all living creatures in this world possessed ¡ºmagic power¡» without exception. That was because there was ¡ºmagic particle¡» that was the foundation of this world. Magic particle filled not only the air, but even the water and the earth. There were various theories like it magic particle existed thanks to the spirits or the souls were creating it, but in short, it seemed that by breathing, drinking water, eating the blessing of earth or animal meat, magic particle was accumulating in the body.


    What turned that accumulated magic particle into a state that could be used as energy was magic power. When someone had a certain amount of magic power, it seemed that ¡ºmagic stone¡» that could produce magic power on its own would be formed inside the body, but I set aside that matter for the time being.


    In other words there was also magic power existing inside me without any doubt. But perhaps because magic particle was also filling my surrounding, I didn¡¯t understand which was my own magic power.


    Magic stone was formed from magic particle through blood as the intermediary. In that case magic power should also be flowing inside the blood. I placed my finger on my wrist and felt my blood vein. *Thump, thump*¡­¡­I felt my blood flowing. I closed my eyes and focused to sense the magic power that should be flowing inside my blood. Faintly¡­¡­there was something©¤©¤


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­No good huh.¡¹


    The result, that faint sensation, I didn¡¯t understand whether it was really magic power or just my imagination.


    It was pointless even if I was feeling impatience, but I had no leeway to be leisurely so my concentration was straying. But there were a lot of things that I had to do, so for now I searched for a safe place to hide my luggage while studying the surrounding¡¯s terrain. I also picked some black berries while repeating drawing the image of absorbing a lot of magic particle through breathing.


    But in the end, I was unable to sense magic power. Perhaps there was a need for me to change my way of thinking. It was difficult to sense water in air, but it was easy to do so in rain. That was why I guessed that it would be faster to have someone pour a lot of magic power on me so that I could directly sense it, but such method wasn¡¯t realistic for me while I was avoiding people like this.


    I went upstream the small river for a bit and found a crack between rocks. I hid myself there and washed the berries in the small river. I ate them while sorting in my head what other things I had to do other than learning magic. I should train to be able to use knife. That woman was a sorcerer, but she also had ¡ºshort sword skill¡» which was a skill to handle short sword.


    .


    Let¡¯s have rehearsal about ¡ºskill¡» that I had been putting off.


    Skill referred to the skill or technique that human possessed. It wasn¡¯t really anything special. That woman thought of skill as special ability(cheat), but the world wasn¡¯t such an easy place. As usual, she arbitrarily felt indignation when she learned that. Special ability really existed after a fashion, like the ¡ºdivine protection(gift)¡» from spirit, but that was different from skill.


    That woman¡¯s teacher said that skill was the ¡ºprinting¡» of ordinary ability. It seemed that when you consciously performed an action many times over, that action would react with the magic power inside the body and a phenomenon where that action was ¡ºprinted¡» into the soul would occur. Such phenomenon was generally called skill in this world to describe it in an easier to understand way.


    That was why even without possessing the skill, you would be able to do the same thing. However by printing it into the soul as skill, it would become harder for the skill to fail and you wouldn¡¯t be able to forget the skill.


    For example, it was said that when training in swordsmanship, you would need to train for three days to regain what you lost from skipping a day of practice. But with skill you couldn¡¯t forget the technique that you learned, so the training efficiency became better and it became easier to master even more technique. Even when your health was in a bad state or when you were flustered, you could still subconsciously do the action that you could do consciously, so skill made it easier for the people in every kind of field. But skill wasn¡¯t something that could be obtained easily, and even more training was required in order to raise the ¡ºskill level¡».


    Skill had level according to the person¡¯s proficiency level and technical experience. There was a technique to investigate someone¡¯s skill and verbalized them. It also quantify the skill into ¡ºskill level¡» to make it easier to understand.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to raise your skill level. Far from that, even just learning the skill itself was generally difficult. Learning skill level 1 wasn¡¯t so easy that it could be done just from memorizing martial art form. You couldn¡¯t obtain skill unless you repeatedly performed the correct movement accurately over and over.


    In that woman¡¯s case, because she only did it grudgingly, it took her until three years to obtain short sword skill level 1. In contrast, she obtained fire sorcery skill in just several months. Rather than a matter of talent, wasn¡¯t it simply being a matter of her preference of like and dislike?


    That woman was a¡ºrank 2¡» sorcerer. By rank 2 it meant that she had ¡ºtwo levels¡» in skill that was related to combat. That woman¡¯s skills were fire sorcery and water sorcery level 2 and short sword skill level 1 I think? She also had other skills but they were just general skills so the memory about them was hazy.


    An owner of skill level 1 was a beginner but wasn¡¯t an amateur. It seemed that in the common sense of this world, reaching level 2 meant that person had finally became fully fledged in that field. Becoming level 3 would make that person called an expert in that field and such person would even be hired by noble for their expertise. When one became level 4, they would get invitation from nobles and even countries, and becoming a level 5 would make people respect you and came to you for teaching. They were typically called as ¡ºmaster¡» in that field.


    But there was still a level above that. People in level 6 had surpassed the framework of human. Such people would be the head royal sorcerer or knight order instructor of a major nation and they would have title like ¡ºsword saint¡» for example. They were an unreachable existence above the clouds.


    According to an uncertain information, skill level could reach until 10, and it seemed when you reached such level, you wouldn¡¯t be ¡ºhuman¡» anymore and became something like ¡ºdemigod¡» or something. Though that was just a fairy tale.


    It looked like that woman felt dissatisfied because skill wasn¡¯t a special ability(cheat), but I was relieved that skill wasn¡¯t ¡ºcheap power bestowed by god(other person)¡» like that woman dreamed of.


    Because, if that was the case then that didn¡¯t that mean that such uncertain existence like ¡ºgod¡» was having complete control over yourself?


    A special ability(cheat) that was easily bestowed might also get easily erased by the whim of the existence that granted it to you in the first place. Such anxiety would constantly reside in my heart.


    That was why I had no interest to something like a powerful weapon that was only one of its kind in the world. Because Something like strength that would be gone if it was snatched away from you couldn¡¯t be said as your own ¡ºtrue strength¡».


    The surrounding was growing slightly dark while I was thinking that. I wasn¡¯t feeling really hungry from eating berry, but I had gotten really worried by the remaining amount of water in my flask. The berries were rehydrating me, but it wasn¡¯t enough with just that, so if I was unable to learn the daily life magic, my only choice would be to drink the river water even knowing of the risk from it.


    Even so it wasn¡¯t something that could be learned that quickly, so I decided to consider about the magic power more after it got dark and tried to practice with knife as much as possible before night came.


    I tried practicing from the knife handling form that I found in that woman¡¯s memory about short sword skill. It seemed that since I stabbed that woman, I was able to at least subconsciously hold the knife properly.


    ¡¸¡­¡­-!¡¹


    I took a form where only one side of my body was facing to the front to reduce the surface of my body that could be attacked while thrusting the knife forward with one hand.


    But it was slow. Even though this was my first time using the knife properly, my movement was too sloppy. There were various forms that I could try but stopped that. First I¡¯d practice just this thrust.


    I repeated the thrusting form over and over until the sun set and I couldn¡¯t see my surrounding clearly because of the darkness. I sighed. I had been concentrating too much until the surrounding had been enveloped in darkness when I realized. There was only the sound of water flowing nearby that echoed inside my ears extremely clearly.


    I guess I¡¯ll practice to sense magic power just for a bit before going to sleep. As I thought that, I caught glimpses of scarlet light blinking inside the darkness far away.


    There was someone at the campsite? I still wasn¡¯t planning to come into contact with other person, but if it was bandit or the like over there, it would be better for me to get away from here quickly.


    Thinking that, I secretly tried peeking at the campsite from a bush without making any sound. I could see the back of a man grilling a skewered meat near the bonfire there. That back was so large that I unconsciously stared intently to it, then that man suddenly raised his voice.


    ¡¸Who¡¯s there!? Come out-!¡¹

 Volume 1 - CH 4

    I was found out!? The big man whose back was turned toward me grabbed the large sword beside him and stood up without making any sound. I couldn¡¯t really see the man¡¯s face because of the backlight, but his sharp eye glint made me thought that he wasn¡¯t an ordinary person.


    ¡¸Are you a monster? If you don¡¯t come out, I¡¯ll smoke you out from there.¡¹


    He unsheathed his large sword and declared that with a low voice. The moment I felt the ¡°something¡± that he radiated, my body turned cold and my limbs started to tremble. Could it be this was what they called ¡°killing intent¡±? What a blunder. Even though I should run away immediately the moment I was found out, the strong aura that I felt for the first time paralyzed my heart for a moment despite the knowledge I had about it.


    ¡¸¡­¡­tsu¡¹


    I hit my legs that were still shaking and quickly turned around and started running. There was still a chance for me to escape. Unlike me who had been lurking in the darkness this whole time, the man was sitting in front of the bonfire so his eyes shouldn¡¯t have gotten used to the darkness yet.


    I crossed my arms in front of my face so the shrubs wouldn¡¯t hurt my eyes and run through the forest at night while keeping my body low to the ground.


    ¡¸Tsu!¡¹


    I heard the sound of the thickets being scattered apart and branches snapping from behind me. That man was coming after me. In contrast with his strong presence, I couldn¡¯t hear his footsteps at all.


    My heart was becoming frightened again, but I pushed down my emotion deep inside just like when I killed that old hag and breathed out.


    I spurred on my legs that were screaming in pain to turn direction perpendicularly. The sound of thicket rustling that got slightly louder told me of the man¡¯s bewilderment. I changed direction once more while the man¡¯s bewilderment still hadn¡¯t settled down. I hid my body behind the trees while running through the forest with stifled footsteps this time.


    If that man was still coming to chase me again after this, that meant he held a clear killing intent toward me. That man¡¯s electrifying presence was getting distant. I reduced my running speed as I erased the sound I was making and held my breath. At that moment, there was the sound of air being sliced and a hand axe loudly stabbed the trunk of the tree where I was hiding.


    ¡¸Tsu!?¡¹


    That man¡¯s presence wasn¡¯t getting distant. He was suppressing his presence as he was searching for my position.


    The man realized that he failed to kill me and fiercely dashed through the forest. Fast-! More than that my immature body didn¡¯t have any stamina. I judged that I couldn¡¯t escape and aimed for the single moment where the man raised up his large sword to make a large swing. I leaped forward with my knife reading to thrust forward.


    ¡¸Kuhah!?¡¹


    But before my blade reached his leg that was thick like a log, the man immediately hit me with the large sword¡¯s pommel.


    There was a sound of something hard breaking and the man¡¯s shocked voice. The air in my lung was forced out from the impact. My body was sent flying like that and rolled through the forest. I listened to the man¡¯s footsteps running toward me with my hazy head while my consciousness was sinking into the darkness.


    .


    ¡¸My bad boy-. You were too agile so I thought that you were a kobold and chased you!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Right now I was sitting in front of the bonfire at the campsite together with that man. A kobold was a type of low ranked monster with the form of a dog that was standing straight. I didn¡¯t expect that I would be mistaken as such thing.


    This man was apparently an adventurer. He thought that it would be dangerous for the travelers if there was a monster wandering at the road of this territory, so he chased after me, but because I was running around too much, he got obstinate and attacked.


    ¡¸Here, I guess this isn¡¯t enough as apology but for now eat, eat.¡¹


    The man urged me to eat the skinned and chopped snake that he had been roasting on the fire until just now to me. I never ate a snake before, but I once heard from someone that some older boys who couldn¡¯t endure the plain food of the orphanage went to the forest and caught snake to eat.


    There were many green snakes in this area. They only had weak paralyzing poison that wasn¡¯t fatal. It wouldn¡¯t attack large animal unless to protect itself. The me right now didn¡¯t feel disgusted with snake like a normal girl. The smell of roasted meat tempted me to take a bite, and then a light taste that contained a lot of juice spread inside my mouth.


    Honestly speaking, the taste was thin and it wasn¡¯t really delicious. But because of my empty stomach and the long time I spent only eating bad food, I devoured the meat hungrily and drank the water that the man gave me before I finally felt alive again. The man who was watching me eating waited until I finished before opening his mouth.


    ¡¸So, boy. What is a kid doing in this kind of place? Where is your parents?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The man nicely misunderstood me as ¡ºboy¡» due to my short hair and the ash covering it. It seemed that he was a good person at heart despite his stern face¡­¡­no, perhaps I should call him a simple soul instead? Seeing me keeping quiet toward his worried and sensible words, he might be thinking of me as an orphan without any parents and changed the topic with a light sigh.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Does it still hurt?¡¹


    I shook my head slightly at his question to me. The man healed me with the sorcery of ¡¾heal¡¿ which was a level 1 light sorcery. Even so there was a faint bruise remaining between my chest and left shoulder. It would feel painful if I touched it, but it wasn¡¯t to the degree that I couldn¡¯t endure.


    When I lightly reviewed my knowledge about light sorcery, the level 1 of light sorcery consisted of ¡¾Heal¡¿ and ¡¾Cure¡¿. Heal restored stamina but it could only closed a wound while the pain wouldn¡¯t vanish completely. The other one Cure could heal wound and restored it like before, but its effective range was small and it would also take time until the treatment was finished. It would also conversely reduce the stamina.


    Even Heal could treat a wound completely without leaving behind a scar if it was just to the degree of a cut and it was used as soon as the wound was created. Its effective range and healing speed was also high so Heal became the common medical treatment sorcery. The usage of Cure was limited only to certain case, like when an unmarried girl got a large injury that would leave behind scar. Because of how troublesome the sorcery¡¯s construction was, even people with aptitude for light sorcery had the tendency not to force themselves to learn it.


    Even my bruise would get quickly healed if Cure was used, but this man said that even he couldn¡¯t use it. While I was silently sorting out my thought, I sensed that the man was getting impatient. I too had a lot of things that I wanted to ask, but I still couldn¡¯t open up myself to this man and looked down. There I saw my knife that was snapped from the large sword¡¯s pommel lying on the ground.


    ¡¸Aa~, sorry. Your knife got broken. But that thing isn¡¯t suited for combat you know? It might be a short sword that a noble daughter usually keeps for suicide when in a pinch. It only has sharpness going for it with thin blade that might chip just from hitting a rabbit¡¯s bone.¡¹


    The man became talkative as though to make an excuse for the broken knife. But it wasn¡¯t like I was blaming him. It would be troublesome to not have a knife, but this was also the result of me pointlessly running away, and without this knife there was a possibility that my bone might broke and my wound wouldn¡¯t be healable with the man¡¯s Heal, so I thought that it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    When I shook my head slightly to indicate that I wasn¡¯t blaming him, the man behaved in a way that seemed to be lacking in composure before he held out the knife on his waist toward me along with its sheath.


    ¡¸Use this as replacement. It¡¯s too big for a kid, but I used this for dismantling monster so it¡¯s really tough-¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The knife was pushed on me. When I took it out of its sheath, the knife looked was somewhat old but its steel blade had been carefully polished. It wasn¡¯t as thin as my previous knife so it would be difficult to stab deeply with it, but it also wouldn¡¯t chip if it hit the bone. It wasn¡¯t a knife that was simply made from pouring iron into a mould, but a knife that was made from steel that tempered and forged properly. It should be quite an expensive product. For him to easily hand such thing to an orphan like me even if his guilt was playing a part in it, this person was too good natured that it made me felt stupid to put up my guard against him.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Thank you, uncle.¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m still 21 years old.¡¹


    I thought that he might be around thirty years old, but he was unexpectedly young. When I observed him more carefully once more, it was only his face that was stern but his skin was youthful. I couldn¡¯t see it because of his unshaven beard, but it wasn¡¯t like he had an ugly face. I could feel even feel amiability from his face that was sulking in a way that was befitting his age that I too unconsciously smiled.


    ¡¸Ou, you finally smile. Kid look the best when they smile.¡¹


    His hand boisterously rubbed my head. I pushed away his hand and stared fixedly at him with my face returning to serious once more.


    ¡¸Hey, teach me the way to use magic power.¡¹


    ¡¸W-what¡¯s with that, so suddenly¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s inconvenient not being able to use daily life magic.¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t really get it but¡­¡­in the first place it wasn¡¯t like I learned it after someone taught me.¡¹


    The uncle said that when using daily life magic, he felt a ¡°flow¡± inside him that was different than usual, and from there he understood that it was magic power. In other words, in my case I was trying to learn magic in a reversed order.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    At this rate it would be difficult for me to learn magic while time passed in vain. As expected, I got the feeling that the fastest way to learn would be for me to feel strong magic power of other person.


    ¡¸Hey, can you use strong magic power?¡¹


    ¡¸Well, yeah. My sorcery isn¡¯t really good, but if it¡¯s body strengthening than it¡¯s using quite a lot of magic power you know?¡¹


    ¡¸Can you, do it now?¡¹


    ¡¸I can but¡­¡­well, it¡¯s fine I guess. It¡¯s dangerous so step back.¡¹


    ¡¸Hm?¡¹


    Dangerous? ¡¾Body Strengthening¡¿, if I got it right it should be a skill where warrior type fighter poured magic power throughout their whole body to strengthen their physical ability. Why would such thing dangerous? I got really puzzled and took several steps back from him, then I felt like a surge of strength was filling his whole body. The bonfire¡¯s flame was greatly flickering.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Amazing.¡¹


    So this is ¡¾Body Strengthening¡¿. I was feeling power that was overwhelming me just from watching him. I was taken in by the sensation and carelessly approached him to touch his arm. Uncle opened his eyes in surprise when he felt my touch. In that moment, there was a snapping sensation and my hand that was touching him bounced away. My body tumbled backward together with that.


    ¡¸Boy!¡¹


    Uncle hurriedly ran toward me. I wasn¡¯t injured, but there was a small pain like paralysis remaining in my hand. He scolded me while I was in a daze from what just happened.


    ¡¸I told you to step back! Nothing will happen if you can use magic power, but a kid who isn¡¯t familiar with magic power will get impacted hard like just now!¡¹


    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­that was shocking.¡¹


    I was shocked and felt a bit of pain, but it wasn¡¯t to a degree where I couldn¡¯t move. I grimaced just a bit while standing up. When I moved my hand to unravel my numbed fingers, uncle watched me with an exasperated face.


    But that was¡­¡­no, this was magic power huh. Inside my blood, it was only slight but I felt the same kind of power like when I touched uncle. As I thought, my assumption that magic power was also contained inside the blood wasn¡¯t mistaken.


    Using that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±, when I focused to the blood vessels that were flowing through my whole body and the capillary vessels stretching through my whole body, I became able to clearly feel the faint magic power that was focused in my blood flowing all over in me.


    When the magic power gathered in my heart together with the blood from all over the body, it became just slightly stronger together with the heart¡¯s beating. When I circulated it to my whole body again, I got the feeling that my body was becoming just slightly hotter.


    ¡¸Boy-! Is that Body Strengthening!? No, it¡¯s still not taking shape though¡­¡­¡¹


    It seemed that by circulating magic power along the flow of blood, I entered a state that mimicked what Body Strengthening did. With this I¡¯d also be able to learn daily life magic, and I might also be able to learn elemental sorcery. My morale rose and I circulated my magic power even further, but then I suddenly got dizzy. Uncle¡¯s arms caught me and kept me steady.


    ¡¸Oi, stop that already. Body Strengthening is also consuming magic power even if only bit by bit. You¡¯ll faint.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­¡¹


    Although that woman had short sword skill, she wasn¡¯t using Body Strengthening. That was why my knowledge for that was spotty. When I obediently nodded to uncle¡¯s words, for some reason he let out an exasperated sigh while watching me.


    ¡¸Uncle?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m not uncle. Just call me Feld. ¡­¡­Well, I guess it will be alright even if my return get delayed by a day.¡¹


    Uncle, or rather Feld stood up and looked down on me. He made a fierce smile that might make a normal child started crying.


    ¡¸For the whole day tomorrow, this Feld-sama is going to strictly teach you the basic, so prepare yourself boy-¡¹


    ¡­¡­What did he say?

 Volume 1 - CH 5

    It seemed this good natured big man Feld would spend a whole day to beat the basic into me.


    I didn¡¯t understand how he reached that conclusion. I more or less trusted Feld, but the fact that it didn¡¯t feel like I would be able to escape with how strong Feld was and my uneasiness in regard to close quarter combat just by relying on that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡± made me decided to obediently accepted his offer.


    We woke up together in the morning of the next day. Feld shared his black bread with me and we lightly toasted it over the fire before having breakfast. The children in the orphanage often complained ¡ºBlack bread is hard and taste bad so I want to eat white bread¡». Certainly black bread was so hard that it felt like you were biting a leather sandal when nibbling on it, but I didn¡¯t really hate it.


    It didn¡¯t have softness like white bread, but the inside was sticky and it had proper taste when you bit into it. If it was made from properly grinded flour and baked carefully, the result wouldn¡¯t be that bad. Black bread tasted bad usually because of the fault of the maker because they used bad quality black wheat flour and cut corner in the cooking. ¡­¡­Even then the black bread at the orphanage was the worst though.


    ¡¸First boy. Have you ever seen your status before?¡¹


    Feld stood up imposingly after breakfast. I shook my head at his question. In the first place I couldn¡¯t instantly understand the term ¡ºstatus¡» and I only finally understood it when the information surfaced from the ¡°knowledge¡±.


    It seemed that status didn¡¯t exist in that woman¡¯s so called previous life, but in this world there was a convenient technique to display your ¡°strength¡± in numerical value based on your life force, magic power, ability, etc.


    Status was the information of your personal capability that could be seen through ¡¶Appraisal¡·.  But there wasn¡¯t anybody who could do such thing near that orphanage, and I also had no memory of having my status checked when my parents were alive.


    But according to that woman¡­¡­or rather according to the lesson from that woman¡¯s teacher, the commonly used Appraisal wasn¡¯t any great sorcery that connect the mind to the information of this world or peeking at the information of the opponent¡¯s soul, but something that sensed the opponent¡¯s strength through the user¡¯s sight, smell, skin, and magic power, revised the information, and converted the information to numerical form. That was why what Appraisal could find out was only the opponent¡¯s current magic power, stamina, and their overall combat strength in numerical value.


    Other than that it seemed there was also Complete Appraisal that could perfectly read the opponent¡¯s information, but that woman¡¯s teacher told her that even if by some chance she got the chance to learn it, she absolutely mustn¡¯t do so. The reason was that taking a peek at the information of other person¡¯s soul and the world would put a burden to those who had limited length of life. It seemed the cost of performing Complete Appraisal for such person would be their ¡°life span¡±. One couldn¡¯t such skill properly unless they were dragon or high elf who possessed eternal life span.


    It seemed that in the past there was someone who obtained such appraisal ability through ¡ºDivine Protection¡», but that person held strong suspicion toward other people and he didn¡¯t tell anybody else about his ability. Because of that it seemed his life span was decreasing pointlessly without he himself realizing it.


    Convenient ability that could be used without any visible compensation that needed to be paid in exchange for it¡­¡­especially the special ability(cheat) that woman was longing for. When facing something like that, it would be better to think that there was definitely something hidden behind it.


    ¡¸Can Feld use it?¡¹


    ¡¸Yeah, not long ago I finally became able to use it as skill. This is your capability from my perspective. Can you read letter?¡¹


    Feld said that while writing on the ground using a wooden stick.


    .


    Magic Power : 8/13   Stamina : 22/26


    Overall Combat Strength : 21


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­Well, you¡¯re just a kid so it¡¯s only this much. Have you memorized the numbers?¡¹


    It seemed that my numbers were really weak. I compared the letters with my knowledge and adjusted while nodding with a conflicted expression. Then Feld threw something at me.


    ¡¸¡­¡­This is?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s called ¡ºAppraisal Crystal¡». It was created by processing a special crystal that reacts to magic power. By peering using that, it will assist you in reading and quantifying a living creature¡¯s strength and magic power. After you use that many times, you will naturally become able to use Appraisal by yourself, but for now peer at your own body and think ¡ºI want to see strength¡». It should be good for around two more uses, so use it while firmly imagining your own numbers just now in your head.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    A tool to assist you in appraising huh. I did as I was told and peered at my own hand using the crystal while wishing to appraise, then some kind of letters and numbers floated in the crystal.


    ¡¸Compare the numbers there with the numbers from before. ¡­¡­Are you  able to match them successfully?¡¹


    .


    ¨‹ Alicia   Race : Human


    ¡¾Magic Power : 8/13¡¿¡¾Stamina : 21/26¡¿


    ¡¾Strength : 3¡¿¡¾Endurance : 4¡¿¡¾Agility : 5¡¿¡¾Dexterity : 5¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 21¡¿


    .


    After I nodded saying that ¡ºIt matched¡», Feld suddenly activated his ¡¾Body Strengthening¡¿ while telling me to Appraise him next.


    .


    ¨‹ Feld   Race : Human


    ¡¾Magic Power : 177/210¡¿¡¾Stamina : 354/370¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 1378 (During Body Strengthening : 1764)¡¿


    .


    ¡­¡­The difference was too wide that I couldn¡¯t even grasp how strong he was. Was it Feld who was strong or was it me who was too weak? Even while being dumbfounded, I read up the numbers before he silently nodded.


    ¡¸Well, the numbers are mostly matched. There will be minute differences in the number between each person depending on how they read the numbers, that crystal I¡¯m using should be engraved with ¡ºthe commonly used way of reading in this continent¡» that the adventurer guild decided on, so if you remember it then it should be easier for you to do a comparison with other people.¡¹


    I stared at Feld¡¯s numbers for a while before the letters vanished. Then the appraisal crystal also lost its radiance.


    ¡¸How many times you need to use this before you can learn Appraisal?¡¹


    ¡¸Let me think¡­¡­it was around 60 times for me, but well, normally you can¡¯t learn it until you use it a hundred times.¡¹


    ¡¸You can buy this?¡¹


    ¡¸Usually one of it can be used for around ten times. Its market price is around three silver coins per piece.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    So expensive. No, perhaps I should consider it as cheap if you could see how strong the opponent was with this. But, a silver coin could be used to stay in a normal inn for three days with breakfast provided, so I guessed that the average adventurers would rarely use this.


    ¡¸With this you have learned the basic of using appraisal crystal. Also based on your combat strength, it looks like you don¡¯t have any combat skill at all. Well, that¡¯s just what I expected. We are going hunting next.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­eh¡¹


    Feld suddenly carried his large sword on his back and charged into the forest. I hurriedly followed after him.


    .


    ¡¸Crouch. Don¡¯t make any sound.¡¹


    Feld who was going ahead suddenly crouched down inside a bush. I had to give it my all just to follow after him. It felt like I almost lost sight of him for an instant when he crouched down in the blink of eye and his presence thinned down.


    ¡¸This is¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Lower your voice too. I¡¯m also not specialized in stealth, even so I have experience huntin in the forest so I have stealth skill in level 1. Also don¡¯t use body strengthening okay? A sensitive prey will sense you. I¡¯ll teach you the way to use magic power later, but first sense the ¡°magic particle¡± that the forest is teeming with.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    Perhaps, there was the prey that Feld mentioned nearby. I also calmed down my breathing that had gotten slightly ragged to not make any sound while focusing to sense the magic particle in the surrounding.


    ¡¸Use the magic particle to feel the flow of the wind. Sniff the scent in the air. It¡¯s fine even if you¡¯re unable to do it right away, just focus. Your learning speed will be very different depending on you focusing or not focusing.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    For now I just nodded, but I was unable to really understand what he said. I had become able to sense my own magic power somehow, but I could only sense the magic particle at the surrounding hazily. I couldn¡¯t differentiate between the plant¡¯s magic power and the animal¡¯s magic power.


    ¡¸Feel the difference between your own magic power and the magic particle of the surrounding. The animal will notice you if you simply move silently. Match the nature of your magic power with the surrounding magic particle. Your presence will grow faint if you match the flow and size of the surrounding magic particle.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Understood.¡¹


    Was he really planning to beat the basic into me in one day? I noticed that the day would end with me still being unable to do anything if I just stayed in a daze, so for now I focused in trying to sense the magic particle of the surrounding. I read the wind using the flow of magic particle. Did it mean that magic particle was filling what was called ¡ºatmosphere¡» like in that woman¡¯s knowledge? In that case rather than reading the wind using magic particle, was the magic particle flowing within the atmosphere the flow of wind itself?


    I focused my mind trying to sense the magic particle moving at the surrounding. It felt like I was sensing something moving, but I still didn¡¯t feel it clearly. I followed behind Feld even while concentrating and desperately advanced inside the forest.


    ¡¸Stop boy. Look over there. Can you sense that something is there?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Perhaps he was pointing at the bush ahead, but I couldn¡¯t sense at all whether there was something there.


    ¡¸As long as there is no obstacle then plants will grow spreading to the side. If there is sunlight then branches will grow with the leaves turning to that direction. With that in mind, can you see whether there is unnatural branch here?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Ah.¡¹


    Certainly when I looked closer there was a branch that was bending unnaturally. After I noticed that, the unnatural parts within the forest became noticeable to me.


    ¡¸If you notice then look at the movement of the leaves. There is a part that¡¯s different from the wind¡¯s flow.¡¹


    The wind was flowing and leaves were swaying from right to left like a wave. When that flow ended, there was a branch that was making a slightly different motion.


    ¡¸The prey is there. Can you feel it? The sensation is like when you performed Appraisal.¡¹


    ¡­¡­He was asking for the unreasonable. But after he told me that something was ¡°there¡±, certainly I got the feeling that something was there.


    ¡¸It¡¯s a rabbit. We¡¯re going to hunt that first.¡¹


    Suddenly Feld readied his hand axe and threw it into the bush. A faint cry entered my ear. Feld immediately headed to there and I followed behind him. There we found a rabbit that died instantly from the axe that was embedded deeply into it.


    ¡¸We¡¯ll process it before heading to the next.¡¹


    .


    After that we spent the morning hunting continuously in the forest without paying attention to my understanding and stamina. Feld hammered various lessons into me despite my bewilderment, like bleeding and skinning the prey, or how to remove the organs.


    ¡¸Oi, boy! We¡¯re going to roast the meat-¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    I stood up while frowning. Rather than because of the fatigue I was feeling, I was frowning because of the bad nutrition balance of eating only meat since yesterday.


    ¡¸Fire¡¹


    Feld¡¯s daily life magic lit the dry leaves on fire. After that he burned some small branches on it before tossing in thick branches next. He could use sorcery but it wasn¡¯t his main expertise. He could only use Fire, Water, and Light.


    I arranged the skewers around the bonfire while staring at the flow of the daily life magic¡¯s magic power that I had never seen from nearby until now. That woman¡¯s teacher made her continuously watched burning fire while single-mindedly kneading magic power as training for Fire. She done it for many hours every day until she even saw fire in her dream when sleeping.


    Was this the same with what Feld said about reading the flow of magic particle? The existence of spirits was tightly connected with the physical phenomenon of this world. The believers of spirit faith claimed that fire was burning because there was fire spirit at that place, and in fact flame could burn by consuming only fire magic particle.


    Putting aside whether there was really spirit there or not, physical phenomenon was also related to magic particle. Could it be that magic particle that was non elemental at the beginning became ¡ºelemental magic power¡» by coming into contact with creature or object that possessed element, and became the fuel of that elemental magic?


    Did human who possessed element converted the magic particle they absorbed into their own element? That was why¡­¡­could it be that perhaps, the daily life magic that someone learned would grow to become that person¡¯s ¡ºmagic power¡¯s elemental attribute¡»? ¡­¡­No, that woman was able to use all six daily life magic, more or less. That woman¡¯s teacher also said that learning all six types of daily life magic was a requirement to be an accomplished sorcerer. From that, was it a mistake to think that daily life magic was connected to ¡ºmagic element¡»?


    But the sorcery that Feld could use was light sorcery and fire sorcery. It was almost exactly the same with the daily life magic that he could use. Perhaps magic power¡¯s element was merely a matter of affinity, you could still use magic outside of your element, only that it was harder to learn.


    Fire was the one that woman learned first. It was the one that she spent the most time and effort to learn. And then the sorcery that woman could use was fire and water, so perhaps that was simply because it was the sorcery that left the most impression in her. But¡­¡­why was there only few people who could handle multiple elements? There were also people who had interest to all elements, even if their affinity was bad and it was harder to learn, there should be people who persevered and attempted to learn multiple elements.


    Could it be¡­¡­, by possessing a lot of magic power ¡ºmagic stone¡» of that element would be formed in your heart. But by possessing multiple elements, it might cause some kind of harmful effect that even that woman didn¡¯t know about.


    ¡¸It¡¯s cooked already boy. Eat, eat.¡¹


    My thought was interrupted by the skewered rabbit that Feld held out to me. I accepted it. Honestly speaking I was too tired that I didn¡¯t have the slightest bit of appetite, but there was no guarantee that I would be able to obtain proper food after this so I forcefully ate it even if I had to wash it down into my stomach while searing the movement of magic particle inside the burning fire into my eyes.


    .


    ¡¸Get up boy-! We¡¯ll start with the next training-¡¹


    Feld¡¯s voice roused me as I was dozing off with full stomach.


    It seemed that he was going to teach me the way to use weapon next. He asked me what kind of weapon I wanted to use and I answered him that it was knife. Hearing that Feld pondered for a bit before nodding in understanding.


    ¡¸Right. That¡¯s not a bad choice because you can learn the level 1 of spear skill or short sword skill relatively quicker. The skill I¡¯m using is sword skill, but the Battle Skill will differ depending on the type of the sword so I can¡¯t use the Battle Skill of one handed sword. It¡¯s said that sword skill and short sword skill are separated from each other despite both of them being bladed weapon because the handling of short sword is even more different than great sword and one handed sword. But, it¡¯s only the Battle Skill that is outside of my reach. I can still use knife or baton to some degree.¡¹


    In other words, even though Feld only had sword skill, it didn¡¯t mean that he was an amateur in using baton.


    The skill you could use was seared into your soul, so if you were powerful to some degree, even if your weapon wasn¡¯t the weapon you specialized in, you wouldn¡¯t be reduced into an amateur in battle. To be more specific, if you had level 3 in sword skill, you could also handle weapon that had similar way of usage with the proficiency of level 1 at least.


    ¡¸What is Battle Skill?¡¹


    If the ¡°knowledge¡± was accurate, Battle Skill was the ¡°special move¡± that was used by warrior type combatant. But that woman didn¡¯t have any Battle Skill despite possessing short sword skill.


    ¡¸You will be able to use it with an application of Body Strengthening. Battle Skill is considered as non elemental magic with one monosyllable chant. There are also monsters that can use Battle Skill with their roar so I don¡¯t really know about it in detail, but Body Strengthening and Battle Skill are pretty much treated as advanced level non elemental sorcery that rivaled element magic.¡¹


    ¡¸How do you learn it?¡¹


    ¡¸H~m¡­¡­recently you can ask to be taught Battle Skill at adventurer guild if it¡¯s just rank 1. You will need to pay though. Other than that the only way is to take lessons from someone who can use it or becoming a disciple at somewhere.¡¹


    ¡¸Hm~m¡­¡­¡¹


    So it was the same like magic, you needed to learn it from someone else¡­¡­troublesome. After that Feld instructed and corrected my knife holding form, my slashing form, my thrusting form, blocking form, etc. From there I understood how that woman¡¯s short sword skill was pretty half-baked. I got impressed instead that she was able to acquire short sword skill with that.


    He taught me of several basic forms while correcting my movement by hitting my arms or waist. But there wasn¡¯t any time for me to perfectly learn them, so after seeing that I had become able to move somewhat properly, Feld trained my hard through practical training.


    I was using the knife while Feld was only using a wooden stick, but in the end my knife couldn¡¯t even snap the stick. After that I got thrown many times to learn the way to fall safely. Feld himself was teaching me with earnestness, but was it really alright to train a seven years old child in this way?


    .


    After continuously training with everything I had, I became unable to move again from fatigue. Felt poured water on my head with Water and forcefully recovered my stamina using Heal.


    ¡¸Originally it isn¡¯t good to use Heal too much like this in training because you won¡¯t build up your stamina this way, but we have no time, so it¡¯s fine I guess. You are really determined boy so I think that you will be able to become quite strong. After you learn the short sword skill, if you also learn Body Strengthening¡­¡­wait, you can use it already aren¡¯t you? Anyway just be careful of running out of magic power.¡¹


    ¡¸What will happen if your magic power run out?¡¹


    ¡¸You will simply faint. Normally your magic power will recover after sleeping for a night, but if you faint from running out of it, you won¡¯t wake up for half a day. Besides you will get starved if your magic power decreases until rock bottom. If you¡¯re unlucky you might even die from emaciation while you are unconscious, so never use all your magic power unless it¡¯s really an emergency.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Understood.¡¹


    Certainly that was dangerous. Especially in my case, there was a risk of getting killed by wild animal while I was unconscious. I should be careful of that if there was even the slightest risk to my life.


    After that I was taught of the way to use Body Strengthening and the points that I should be careful with. Originally you would naturally become able to circulate magic power to your whole body in the process of obtaining close range combat skill level 1, and from there you obtained Body Strengthening.


    Also, Body Strengthening would consume 1 magic power for around every count of one hundred, though there would be some degree of variation depending on the individual¡¯s proficiency in controlling magic power, so I was taught to bodily learn how long I was able to fight. In my case I was already able to do the basic of body strengthening, so it seemed that I would be able to learn short sword skill relatively quickly if I was able to perform the forms properly.


    I seriously trained so that I could remember every single thing that Feld taught me. Feld also seemed to feel my earnestness and treated me not as a mere kid but as a person. Perhaps¡­¡­both of us was sensing that the time of parting was approaching.


    .


    ¡¸Well, I only taught you the basics of the basics and it was in a rush on top of that, but I think that I¡¯ve at least crammed the minimum into you. I need to get back onto the road already, boy. Stay in good health-¡¹


    Feld said that when he ran out of time with the evening approaching. He shouldered his luggage on his bag.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    It was a sudden encounter and harsh training. But, there was kindness and warmth of an ¡°adult¡± that I never felt since I became an orphan from his words and large hands. I looked down because the ¡°kid¡± side inside me felt slightly lonely, then Feld rubbed my head that was covered with ash and sweat roughly.


    ¡¸Bye. Be stronger the next time we meet.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    With such parting words, Feld turned his large back on me and started walking toward the direction of the town before night came.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The good natured and kind large back¡­¡­. Seeing that back, the figure of Otou-san who I thought of having the largest back overlapped with it. I saw off that back until it was completely gone from view under the evening sun. I took a deep breath and swallowed the loneliness of my heart into myself together with it.


    Normally nobody would bother with an orphan. But even though it was only for a short time, Feld had taught me the way to live. I held nothing but gratitude for him. I held the rabbit meat wrapped in leafs that Feld left behind for me and stamped out the bonfire before another traveler came. Then I hid myself inside the forest.


    I checked whether the food that was hanging on a branch had gotten swarmed by insect or small animal, then I climbed on a tree and focused my hearing to the sound of the small river¡¯s flow nearby from on top of a thick branch.


    I had put out the bonfire so that nobody could find me, but I already didn¡¯t need it anymore.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Fire¡­¡­¡¹


    I held my hand forward and chanted the daily life magic. A small spark lit although it was still crude. And then I listened to the water¡¯s flow while chanting Water. I slurped at the water that dripped from my fingertip. To regain my stamina and magic power, I had a light nap while every few minutes I would be on guard against the surrounding that was growing dark.


    A certain ¡°incident¡± became a hot topic in the town where the orphanage that Alicia was living in was located.


    In this country, influential nobles with the rank of count and above would act as caregiver that managed some dependents, which were nobles with the rank of viscount and below who were possessing territory in some distance around them. One of them was Count Taurus. There were two murder incidents that occurred in a town in his territory that was governed by Baron Horace that was located at the north near the border.


    One of the victims was a woman who seemed to be an adventurer sorcerer. Looking at how her possessions were stolen, the murder was thought as a robbery crime.


    The territory of Baron Horace was located at the countryside, but there was a forest at the north where monsters lived in large scale there. The area around here was bustling with a lot of adventurers. It was rare for those adventurers to visit this small town. Even so for the citizens who were aware of the temperament of wandering adventurers, they considered this incident simply as a result of a quarrel between adventurers and didn¡¯t pay much attention to it.


    But, it was a different story when the victim was a citizen of the town, which was the old woman who was managing the orphanage. It wasn¡¯t because the citizens looked up to the old woman, but because she was a necessary person who undertook the troublesome job of taking care of the orphans while only getting small sum of donation. Because of that even when the old woman went a bit too far when disciplining the orphans, the adults of the town would pretend to not see anything.


    With the murder of the old woman, the mayor who was governing this town investigated the orphanage. There he found proof that the old woman was selling children as sex slave to fill her own pocket. The mayor suspected that perhaps the old woman was murdered with the involvement of a slave trafficking organization, so he tried investigating where the children were sold to, but he couldn¡¯t even grasp how many of the orphans had been sold, so in the end the incident was treated as an unresolved case.


    Baron Horace who received the report from the mayor asked his caregiver Count Taurus to introduce him to someone who could manage the orphanage. Until that person arrived, it was the baron¡¯s servant who took care of the orphans. Their temporary caretaker assigned the orphans to do voluntary labors for the town.


    Among them, a seven years old girl who was assigned to clean out the mud from a ditch picked a half chipped ¡ºmagic stone¡». Her eyes sparkled as though she was mesmerized by its bewitching radiance.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes. I¡­¡­, want to be the ¡°main character(heroine)¡±.¡¹

 Volume 1 - CH 6

    That day no other traveler came to the campsite and morning arrived like that. Even so when noon came, there was a possibility that a horse carriage of merchant or the like would stop by there to have lunch. The average adult would be on their guard when they saw an orphan, thinking that they might be a thief. The shrewd adult might use the chance to steal the belonging of the kid using this spot on the road where there wasn¡¯t any guard nearby. It would be better to think of Feld as a special exception and not trusted other adult so easily.


    Even so I wouldn¡¯t progress just by hiding forever. That was why in order to survive I went around picking wild blackberries again while starting to diligently practice magic.


    I could sense my own magic power now, so I could use Fire and Water even if they were still shoddy, but my usage of them still wasn¡¯t in a practical level and I also couldn¡¯t use other daily life magic. Light would be the most convenient magic to learn next, but I intentionally planned to learn Hard first.


    Hard was a magic to harden the ground. It was commonly used in construction job to shorten construction time by hardening a mud wall so the workers could do other work while waiting for it to dry¡­¡­.apparently.


    I entered the forest, dug a ground that looked soft using a branch, grabbed a lump of soil in one hand, and then I was at a loss. What did it mean to ¡ºharden¡»? When I clutched the soil inside my head, it looked like it had been solidified, but when I touched it, the lump easily crumbled. It could be called as ¡ºhardened¡» like this. After clutching and crumbling the soil several times, the soil turned yellow from its originally dry brown color. It wouldn¡¯t solidify even when I strongly clutched it.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Water.¡¹


    I chanted Water which also served as practice. Water dripped from my fingertip. Its amount had increased slightly compared to last night. The water drips were absorbed by the dry soil. It could solidify again with this. But this time it became mud because of too much water. A dry soil would become powdery like sand. To solidify something like that, you needed something like water to tie the soil grains together.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Hard¡­¡­¡¹


    When I chanted while imagining the magic power tying the soil grains together, the earth lump inside my hand became hard while its shape was still the same.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I did it?¡¹


    Did I learn Hard with this? To check, I threw the lump to a nearby tree to see how hard it had become. Then the earth lump easily broke when it collided on the tree. The magic power dispersed and the lump returned to be a normal soil again.


    I thought that I was able to use it but it wasn¡¯t perfect. The practice that woman¡¯s teacher made her was also to knead a lump of soil barehanded. But what was different? The soil that woman used had a color that seemed to be grey.


    .


    I stopped the magic training for now and returned to the stream for a meal. I ate the blackberries as breakfast. Then using a wet cloth, I wiped my body and washed my sweat and the ash covering me because it would feel unpleasant if I left them any longer than that.


    After the ash was washed off, my pink blond hair that was the same like Okaa-san was sparkling. I couldn¡¯t feel calm like this. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t use only ash, I wonder if I can use the grey colored soil at the riverside as substitute¡­¡­wait, this is? I found a soil layer with grey color at the ground near the riverside. I took a pinch of that soil and rubbed it with my fingers. Then the ¡°knowledge¡± taught me what it was.


    ¡¸Clay?¡¹


    I tried pouring magic power into it while chanting Hard. But the clay didn¡¯t really harden. It felt difficult to harden it compared to normal soil. Did I do something wrong? What was the difference between soil and clay? I was trying to fill the gap in the clay by pouring magic power but¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Ah, I see.¡¹


    From rubbing the clay between my fingers, I noticed that the clay was so fine it was as though there wasn¡¯t any gap at all between it. And then that woman¡¯s knowledge taught me that clay was made from particles that were even finer than normal soil.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Hard.¡¹


    This time I poured in magic power not to tie the particles together, I held the image of making the magic power permeate into the particle¡¯s gaps to fuse the particles together.


    The clay became really hard. When I flicked it with my finger, it made a sound like porcelain. When I tried throwing the clay at a tree hard, the tree¡¯s trunk got scratched while the lump of clay didn¡¯t get a single dent.  Furthermore the magic power didn¡¯t disperse even when it left my hand. The lump was still keeping the magic power and hardness.


    So this was Hard¡­¡­. Perhaps I wouldn¡¯t be able to learn it without that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge from previous life¡±. After that I picked up that clay in order to ascertain how long the hardness would last.


    I also wanted to learn the daily life magic, but I could do magic training even at night. I looked at the sky and took out that handwritten medicinal herb dictionary from my luggage while the day was still bright. It didn¡¯t only contain various medicinal herbs, if it was something that could be used in medicine, even mushrooms and minerals were described in great detail with illustration attached.


    But the me right now was unable to make the ¡°knowledge¡± wholly mine despite having it.  I had to learn to read by observing words letter by letter. For now it would be difficult to differentiate mushroom even if there was illustration of it, so I spent time searching for wild grass that seemed to be edible and then I searched for its description in the book. I read the writing letter by letter and ascertained the plant¡¯s safety.


    .


    I collected plants and studied for a while before I suddenly realized the smell of bonfire that was drifting from far away.


    ¡­¡­It was already noon. There must be a merchant carriage stopping by so they could have lunch. If you were unable to arrive at this place at this time, even with a carriage you would be unable to reach the town before evening.


    I returned to a hollow near the stream where I placed my luggage while gathering dry branches. When I turned my focus toward the campsite, I strongly felt the smell of burning wood. Feld told me to feel the magic power of the surrounding and sniff the flow of wind and smell. I backed away one step at a time ascertained the smell. I felt the increase and decrease of the smell. When I compared the magic particle that I felt at the surrounding and the flow of that smell, I got the feeling that I could see the movement of the magic particle for just a bit.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Wind.¡¹


    I chanted and poured my magic power to match the movement of that smell and magic particle. Then the smell dispersed, although only slightly. I was doing training to feel the magic power of the wind, so I thought I would learn this quickly, but I managed to learn it easier than I expected. I planned to hide in the forest if a traveler came, but I changed my plan because I could use Hard now. I began to collect clay.


    After that I was focusing on kneading the clay without thinking of anything else when the smell of burnt wood drifting my way vanished. It was unexpectedly fun toying with clay, but it wasn¡¯t like I was just playing around.


    I finished preparing. I took the rabbit meat that was wrapped in leafs and a bit of food from my luggage, and also the dried woods and wild grasses that I collected from the forest before carefully heading toward the campsite. There wasn¡¯t a human presence remaining there anymore.


    ¡¸Hard.¡¹


    I applied Hard on the crooked clay bowl that I prepared to harden it, then I used my knife to chop the rabbit meat and threw it there together with the wild grasses that I had cut, then I poured water from above using Water.


    ¡¸¡­¡­uu¡­¡­¡¹


    I staggered slightly. I had used too much magic power today. I shouldn¡¯t enter a starving state if I used magic just one more time.


    ¡¸Fire.¡¹


    I put the clay bowl beside the new bonfire and lit fire to it. Sparks crackled and smoke faintly rose from the dry leaves. It would be hard for me to use Fire one more time, so I breathed out while tossing in completely dry leaves bit by bit into the fire. I sighed in relieve seeing that fire was burning well.


    My magic power status was 13. With this I had used daily life magic eight times today. It seemed that daily life magic consumed one point for each use, so my remaining magic power was five now. Perhaps this was the bottom line. I sensed the magic power amount that was remaining inside my body and engraved this sensation deeply into my memory.


    I only placed the bowl beside the bonfire, so I thought that it would take time until the wild grasses were cooked completely. But clay that was hardened with Hard could only last for around one hour. I was wishing that the grasses would finish cooking before that while using the free time to start shaving a wooden branch that I picked to make a spoon.


    After some time the wild grasses looked very well boiled¡­¡­in appearance, so I used my spoon that looked like a crooked spatula and tried eating it together with the rabbit meat that was also boiled together.


    This was¡­¡­bad. The side that was close to the fire was cooked, but the other side was only half-cooked. The wild grasses¡¯ astringent taste also remained behind strongly. It was painful to eat this. I also put in dried meat that was preserved with salt, so the food had some taste, but it wasn¡¯t so effective in erasing the astringent and weird taste. I learned with my stomach that it was no good if I didn¡¯t strictly select the type of wild grass to be used in cooking.


    This time I was experimenting with cooking for the first time in order to cook the foods that I had left for a whole day inside the forest. The foods were more or less preserved, but I was scared of eating them as they were without cooking them first. My cooking resulted in a failure, but I got a slightly better understanding of what I should do next time for better result, so I believe this was quite a worthwhile experience.


    The wild grasses soup tasted worse than even the salt soup the orphanage¡¯s old hag created, but it wasn¡¯t poisonous so I ate it all. Thinking again, both tasted bad so it wasn¡¯t really any different. But it had been bothering me that I was eating nothing but meat lately, so eating wild grasses somehow calmed me down.


    .


    Like that I finished the meal that was unkind to my stomach and tongue. I gathered some new ashes and wrapped them in a leaf before returning to the forest. There I started training with knife which didn¡¯t use magic power.


    Originally I should secure some food, but setting aside wild grass or blackberry, I didn¡¯t have any method to secure meat. That was why other than practicing knife forms I also practiced with ¡ºknife throwing¡» at the same time.


    Originally it was inefficient to practice multiple things while you still hadn¡¯t obtained skill that memorized your state of ability acquisition, but the me right now had very scarce amount of methods in order to ¡°survive¡±, so I wanted to have a trump card no matter what it was.


    First before I forgot it, I repetitively and carefully traced back the knife forms that I was taught yesterday. Feld said that skill acquisition would be quick as long as I was able to at least use the forms, but I couldn¡¯t be that optimistic, so I was thinking to repeat the forms that were taught to me many times to quicken my skill acquisition as quickly as possible.


    In the first place skill wasn¡¯t something that could be obtained easily. If skill could grow quickly like weed in the field just from training for several days, even civilian should be able to obtain a lot of combat skills before they grew into adult.


    Then, how great a ¡ºskill level 1¡» actually was? Although that woman was ill-informed about close quarter combat, her ¡°knowledge¡± at least knew about the common sense.


    For example if you asked how great ¡ºsword skill level 1¡» actually was, a child who went to a swordsmanship dojo in a town for several years would finally be able to learn it when they were around twelve or thirteen years old.


    To become level 2 from that, they would need be diligent in doing practical combat training and obtaining the ability to work in occupation of fighting where they put their life at risk. Becoming level 3 would put someone at the level of career soldier or knight who had done their duty for more than ten years. When someone reached this level, they would be able to call themselves a ¡ºwarrior¡» and no one would be able to refute it.


    But this level was a domain that the average people could arrive at by doing their work normally. To go even further than that, it was said that they would have to go through training that demanded them to make sacrifice with their private life, and they also needed to have talent in that field.


    Ordinarily there was nobody below 10 years old who had level 1 skill, and there was also nobody who became level 3 at around 20 years old. That was why for a small child like me to obtain skill, I couldn¡¯t just simply train frantically. It was necessary for me to train my forms perfectly and accurately to a degree that was impossible for a kid.


    I sharpened my mind and repeated my revised forms accurately over and over.


    A child had unexpectedly high degree of focus. A normal child tended to get bored quickly, so they couldn¡¯t continue it for long, but I ¡°understood¡± that this was a necessity for me to survive, so my focus was unwavering.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Fuu.¡¹


    I continued the short sword skill training for around two hours. Then I felt fatigue welled up inside my body and sighed.


    I should replenish my water when I became able to use Water during the morning. When I pondered about the remaining amount of magic power that I could use today, the necessary information surfaced in my head from the ¡°knowledge¡±.


    Even if I consumed my magic power, in this world that was teeming with magic particle, my magic power would recover for about ten percent in one hour. If I was sleeping, it seemed I would recover twenty percent. In that case even if I consumed my magic power until the very limit, it would fully recover if I took five hours of sleep.


    The last time I used magic power might be around two hours ago, so I who had the magic power capacity of 13 should have recovered around 2 or 3 magic power.


    First I¡¯d wash my hand in the stream, threw the water that smell like leather from my water flask, then chanted Water to fill the water flask bit by bit while paying attention to my remaining magic power amount. With my current training, the amount of water I could produce with 1 magic power was only around a single cup. Thinking that I might be able to do a bit more, I used Water once more and my head turned dizzy.


    But, with this I became convinced that ten percent of my magic power recovered in one hour. It seemed that magic power would increase bit by bit after obtaining sorcery skill and using magic power, but the magic power that I could use right now was too small that my training couldn¡¯t progress as I wanted it to.


    Then was there no way to quicken the magic power¡¯s recovery? ¡­¡­Let¡¯s think about it later.


    .


    I drank water and recuperated my willpower, then next I trained in knife throwing.


    In knife throwing, there was the method of throwing it straight and throwing it with rotation. To hit a close target it was better to use straight throw while rotating throw was used to target a slightly further target¡­¡­apparently. Knife throwing¡¯s distance limit was ten meters even if you used body strengthening. It would be more efficient to use bow normally to aim further than that.


    First I tried to target a tree trunk that was two meters away. The way to hold the knife wasn¡¯t different whether you threw it straight or with rotation. The only difference was in the way you swung your arm and the timing to let go, so I tried throwing the knife straight.


    *Bam*


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The knife hit the ground without even hitting the tree. I tried to throw using my elbow and below, but what should I do so that the knife could fly straight? Well, the only thing I could do was practice, but after repeating it many times, I understood that a seven years old child¡¯s muscle power was just insufficient for this.


    Change of plan. I gave up in knife throwing for now and tried stone throwing. I was fixated to knife throwing because that action required ¡¶Short Sword Skill¡· and ¡¶Throwing¡·. I could practice both of them at the same time with that.


    Stone throwing only required ¡¶Throwing¡· skill so even I should be able to use it. As I pondered of how I should throw the stone, the knowledge of a throwing weapon called slingshot surfaced in my mind. It seemed it could be easily made if you just have string and cloth or leather.


    Change of plan again. It seemed that even a child could produce relatively high damage with slingshot, so I decided to make it. It seemed that woman also hunted rabbit with that when she was a child, so I also understood the way to make it.


    I noticed that I didn¡¯t have string as I made that slingshot. Should I cut a cloth thinly to be used as replacement? Would it have enough resilience? I would also need a part for the slingshot to hang on my fingers so I felt that using string would be better but¡­¡­as I rummaged through my luggage while thinking that, the hair that I cut off came out. I kept it because I thought that perhaps I would be able to sell it, but it had a length of around 30 cm, so perhaps I would be able to use it as string replacement if I intertwined them together.


    First I tried braiding them together by tying up the ends of several hairs together. The result was really twisted. They would come apart when I strongly pulled them. After that I kept trying many times before I finally became able to neatly tie them together. It was already evening at that point. ¡­¡­Let¡¯s go picking some berries.


    .


    It had become really dark when I finished picking up blackberries, so I hurriedly returned to the usual tree where I slept.


    I guessed that my magic power should have recovered slightly too. I dried some of the wild grasses that I picked during the morning on a rock near the stream. They had withered quite much, so I bundled them together and used Fire to lit them up slightly.


    It was written in that book that this grass repelled insect, so I tried using it. I didn¡¯t know whether this was the right way of using it, but I placed it below the tree and surrounded it with rocks. A fire this weak shouldn¡¯t catch any attention at all so I believed that it would be fine.


    I climbed on the tree and it still hadn¡¯t gotten completely dark, so I created the slingshot before eating only blackberries as my dinner. Inside the forest that had grown dark, I could see the light of bonfire from the direction of the campsite, but of course this time I didn¡¯t go to check the place. I slowed my breathing and hid my presence. ¡­¡­But I got slightly curious and turned my focus toward the campsite. Could I use this as training to feel the magic particle in the air and detect presence like Feld told me?


    I focused my eyes toward the direction of the campsite and sharpened my senses to feel the magic particle at the surrounding. As I strained my eyes to sense the magic particle, I got a feeling as though there was something.


    Did I become able to sense the presence of small animal? Or perhaps there was ¡ºfairy¡» or ¡ºspirit¡» like what I heard from fairy tale?


    It was as though such thinking became a stimulation that pushed a certain ¡°knowledge¡± to surface in my head.


    It seemed that it was said that the magic particle in this world was created from the spirits. In that case then perhaps there were really small spirits around here¡­¡­but, eh? There were several types of fairy based on their element. If magic particle was converted when they touched some kind of elemental object just like I assumed, was it the spirit that was the source of the converted magic particle? In that case which spirit created the magic particle that was teeming in this forest?


    We were in a forest so was it earth spirit? Or water? Right now it was night so perhaps it was the darkness spirit that generated the magic particle. When I pondered that, strangely I got the feeling like darkness spirits were overflowing inside the forest. There was moonlight tonight so I could at least see the outlines of objects around me, but perhaps because my thought reached such place, a particularly darker spot inside the forest entered my eyes. Was that spot looked even darker because of the bonfire¡¯s light entering my sight?


    ¡­¡­Was that really the case? As I got curious by that, the darkness looked as though it was different when the rest of the place. If that was the power of darkness spirit©¤©¤magic particle of dark element, what was the other parts? The tree parts looked especially different, so was it magic particle of water or earth element over there?


    If darkness had ¡ºblackish color¡», what color water and earth had? In my imagination I pictured that water had ¡ºbluish color¡» while earth was ¡ºyellowish¡». Then light was ¡ºwhitish¡» while fire was ¡ºreddish¡», as for wind¡­¡­what kind of color it had? Perhaps the remaining color, faint ¡ºgreen¡» was its color.


    As I was thinking such thing, I imagined that the magic particle around the tree was ¡ºyellow¡» and ¡ºblue¡» and strained my eyes. Strangely a pattern with yellow and blue mixed together appeared over the tree trunk. And then it felt like I could see red color around the light of the bonfire that was far away.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Strange.¡¹


    I faintly felt green color from the breeze that was shaking the tree leaves. When I strongly held the image of ¡°color¡± in my mind, the inside of the forest that was only filled with pitch black darkness instantly felt like it was colored all over. Perhaps it was just my imagination. It might be a hallucination that my mind was showing me at this time. But if this was really happening for real¡­¡­.


    I took a deep breath to take in air along with the magic particles at the surrounding that I could see. When I matched the ¡°color¡± of my own magic power with the magic particle I inhaled, my existence that was standing out from my surrounding until then felt like it was suddenly melting into the forest.


    .


    The next morning I woke up together with the morning sun again. There should be people still staying at the campsite. When I focused my sight to there, it felt like I could see red color. It was harder to distinguish the color in the day rather than night, but my perception that was seeing elemental magic particle as ¡°color¡± last night was still persisting. It seemed this wasn¡¯t my imagination. It looked like my brain was really ¡°perceiving¡± magic particle as something that had color.


    But Feld and also that woman¡¯s teacher said to ¡ºfeel¡» the magic particle. Then perhaps ¡ºseeing¡» was abnormal. Currently my limit in sensing magic particle at my surrounding was several meters, but with ¡ºseeing¡» then I could detect magic particle until a bit further away.


    I got the hunch that this would become my ¡°weapon¡±. If I trained this sense to feel magic particle a bit more, the range I could see magic particle with my eyes might widen. Let¡¯s strongly focus on this perception right now and trained to be able to look at the colors clearly.


    .


    I focused on ¡ºseeing¡» the ¡°color¡± of magic particle and ¡ºfeeling¡» it with my senses while starting to do my daily routine of picking wild grasses and blackberries. My food situation was really dire. My dried meat and cheese would run out tomorrow, so I perhaps I should head to the town soon.


    Midway I stopped by at the upstream of the small river and washed the blackberries and ate them before washing my face too. I rinsed my mouth thoroughly and rubbed my teeth with a stalk of medicinal herb that I had shaved. It was like a habit that my parents always told me to do when they were alive.


    At the end I replenished the water in the flask with Water while pondering about the last thing that I was able to do last night. I became able to see the colors of magic particles, then by focusing on the surrounding colors and inhaling them as particles, and matching the color of my magic power with them, it felt like my presence was melting into the forest. If that wasn¡¯t just my imagination then it would be very advantageous for stealth.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    When I strained my eyes while keeping in mind that magic particle had color, the surrounding scenery got faintly colored and even places that I couldn¡¯t see became ¡°visible¡±. I recalled the sensation from yesterday while absorbing magic particle through my breathing. Then I dyed the transparent non-elemental magic power inside me with the same ¡°colors¡± of my surrounding.


    Even though my surrounding was overflowing with elemental magic particles, why was it my own magic particle was colorless? I would enter a starving state when using too much magic power was because the organism of this world was absorbing magic particle as one of their nourishments too. In that case did the body only absorbed the magic particle¡¯s elemental attribute as nutrient?


    I stopped thinking that for now and checked whether I was successful in my camouflage. I observed the surrounding magic particle while absorbing each of the earth¡¯s yellow, the water¡¯s blue, the wind¡¯s green, and the darkness¡¯s black in small amount, but in exchange I absorbed a lot of the light¡¯s white.


    I couldn¡¯t completely became the same with my surrounding. Rather than because of the rate of the particles that I absorbed, it was more because of my magic power control that was too immature to fine tune that rate of absorption. Furthermore just by moving a little, the rate of magic particles at the surrounding would change, so I would need to fine tune the magic power again each time. ¡­¡­I had to use this continuously the whole time while in stealth?


    Feld also said to read the flow of the surrounding magic particles and match yourself with that while during covert action. The flow of magic particle¡­¡­perhaps he was telling me to match the density of the magic particle and to match the elements unconsciously.


    It was extremely troublesome¡­¡­but well, there was no other choice but to do it.


    .


    I trained in matching the color of magic power while resuming my gathering of the wild grasses. I learned a lesson the hard way yesterday with the edible wild plant, so what I picked today was mainly the medicinal herbs that looked like they could be used as medicine.


    The medicinal herb that was used in the average household as household medicine was growing relatively anywhere. It seemed the herb could suppress the propagation of bacteria in wound, when eaten it could heal stomach ache from light food poisoning, and it was a type of antidote that had disinfection effect.


    It was then, a green snake suddenly appeared from a nearby bush. Green snake was a meek snake that wouldn¡¯t attack a prey that was bigger than a wild mouse. Even so it would attack if there was danger. If it bit me, I would get paralyzed and unable to move for one hour.


    It would be alright if it was in human settlement, but I didn¡¯t want to get paralyzed in this kind of place.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    But, the green snake didn¡¯t notice me who was right beside it. It didn¡¯t realize I was here because I was matching my magic power with the surrounding? In that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±, it seemed that snake was able to sense a living creature¡¯s body heat. In that case was it possible to trick even heat detection by matching your magic power with the surrounding? No, perhaps the snake of this world wasn¡¯t detecting a creature¡¯s heat but their magic power instead. Either way, I was honestly happy that I was able to perform camouflage in a level that could deceive wild animal in such short time.


    I pulled out my knife while matching my movement with the flow of wind around me. Without pause I swung down the blade at the green snake¡¯s head. The green snake struggled and tried to entangle me. In respond I slowly stabbed deeply without panic, after that I severed its head and bled it out by wringing it in order to eat it later.


    .


    At afternoon I practiced with my knife and the slingshot that I just created. With my knife, I was only tracing the short sword skill¡¯s forms accurately. Sometimes I would also use Body Strengthening while being careful with my remaining magic power amount. Fundamentally it took a lot of time to obtain close quarter combat level 1 because the person hadn¡¯t learned Body Strengthening and martial art which were the basic of moving your body. That was why if I practiced while also mixing Body Strengthening with it, I predicted that my acquisition of the skill would be faster compared to other kids.


    For the slingshot, I practiced throwing stones that I picked from the stream to a tree trunk over and over. At first the stone wouldn¡¯t fly straight, but my accuracy improved somewhat after continuing for an hour. Even so my limit was at 3 meter if I wanted to be able to hit my target properly, so even more practice was required in order to improve my hit rate.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Eh?¡¹


    But then, I noticed a mysterious phenomenon. When doing the slingshot practice, I was also doing the training of pouring magic power to my whole body at the same time, then suddenly it felt like my hit rate increased.


    Was I unconsciously performing Body Strengthening¡­¡­but did Body Strengthening have such effect? Even when I investigated my knowledge, I didn¡¯t find any memory like that. I poured magic power to my whole body once more and shot the slingshot. There my magic power was flowing to the slingshot, or more accurately only to the string that was made from my hair, although only slightly.


    Even after it was cut from me, my hair still had my magic power slightly remaining in it. It reacted to my magic power and adapted so that the magic power flowed into it. I who was able to perceive my own magic power poured it along the flow of my blood. I thought that Body Strengthening was magic power flowing on its own through the blood flow, but perhaps it was my will that was moving the magic power itself.


    In that case, there was a possibility that I was unconsciously moving the hair string as an extension of my body and it slightly compensated for my accuracy. If I poured my magic power while perceiving the slingshot as an extension of my body, then perhaps my accuracy would increase even more.


    I felt like this could be used as a new ¡°weapon¡± for me. I began creating a ¡°new weapon¡± using my severed hairs while the day was still bright. And then©¤©¤


    ¡¸¡­¡­This might be usable.¡¹


    Under the evening sun, I tried using the newly created item. It was only barely usable¡­¡­the premise was that my opponent didn¡¯t have their guard up against me, but considering that my fighting method had increased with this, let¡¯s move to the next stage and headed to the neighboring town.


    .


    I replenished the water and sorted my luggage before the day was over. I stuffed the minimum amount of luggage and half of my money into the bag of that woman who attacked me, then the next morning, I departed at the same time when the sky was getting brighter.


    From this campsite until the neighboring town, an adult would usually arrive around evening if they departed from early morning. Then a child like me should need around fifty percent longer to arrive at the city. That assumption shouldn¡¯t be too far from the actual answer wasn¡¯t it?


    I trained to sense the ¡°color¡± of magic particle while walking. Sometimes I also mixed body strengthening in it. I could only rely on my body clock and the angle of the sun to know the passage of time, so I was especially careful to not overuse my magic power.


    Even so if it was something that I could do then I¡¯d do it as much as possible. I also used this time to practice with the remaining daily life magic that I hadn¡¯t trained until now, Light and Dark.


    Light was a magic to lit a light that was as bright as a candle, while Dark¡¯s effect was to block light. It could also extinguish the effect of Light. The reason I put off learning these two was because I didn¡¯t understand the principle behind them, unlike the others.


    If it was water then I just needed to imagine gathering water vapor from the air. After I became aware of the particles¡¯ ¡°colors¡±, I became able to produce a lot of water by focusing to gather water element magic particle. Then perhaps I could do the same by gathering light¡¯s white magic particle to use the magic.


    ¡¸Light.¡¹


    A small light was lit on my hand after I chanted. The light was so small that I wouldn¡¯t notice it was there if I wasn¡¯t already aware of it. The light vanished the moment I lost focus.


    Was it no good by simply gathering light element?


    If the Light succeeded, then the light should continue to shine for around thirty minutes. Come to think of it, it felt like the Light that I saw in the orphanage was attached to other object. I severed my magic power from myself. That magic power would get consumed bit by bit to maintain the magic itself¡­¡­if I consumed it as fuel like how oxygen served that role for fire¡­¡­.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Light.¡¹


    As a test I tried applying Light at the tip of my knife. A dazzling light spread out.


    ¡¸D-Dark!¡¹


    I hurriedly gathered the darkness magic particles and threw it on the light. The Light¡¯s light and the darkness offset each other and vanished.


    The strong light just now, was it because of my image of it burning with fuel? I got the feeling that the magic power I cut off wasn¡¯t dispersing but burning up in the blink of eye. I wouldn¡¯t be able to use this properly without training. But I was able to use Dark immediately so let¡¯s be satisfied with this.


    .


    I would enter the forest when there was carriage or traveler passing by and waited until they passed through. While waiting I picked some berries and used small fire to roast my last dried meat and cheese to fill my stomach. My remaining foods were only the blackberries and wild grasses that I picked from the forest. I still couldn¡¯t hunt rabbit using my slingshot. I could also search for snake, but I prioritized going to the city.


    Evening came and the sun was starting to set. While I was worrying whether to use Light and kept advancing or lurk in the forest to wait until morning arrived, I suddenly noticed a change in myself.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I can see in the night.¡¹


    It was just two days. But as the result of using that time to strengthen my ¡°perception¡± that magic particles had the color of elements, I became able to differentiate the plants, ground, and sky based on their element, although it was only faintly.


    When I focused even deeper, I felt like I could even see the position of animals that didn¡¯t have any element. I could sense clearly for around a radius of fifteen meters I guess.  But I could walk even at night if I could sense that much.


    I entered into the forest first and searched ¡ºblue¡» water element and picked blackberries that contained a lot of that element. Let¡¯s continue walking as long as my stamina permitted for today. The fatigue that I was feeling was still faint, perhaps because of my frequent usage of body strengthening.


    After I finished with my small meal and break, I matched my magic particle¡¯s size and color with the surrounding magic particles to erase my presence while walking through the road. After that I took several breaks in between while advancing through the road at night. When it was late at night, the large wall of the neighboring town that I saw for the first time finally entered my sight.

 Volume 1 - CH 7

    I finally arrived at the neighboring town when it was late at night. That town was covered by a stone wall with height that reached the roof of a two storied building. The gate of that town was already closed. But even if the gate was opened, a ¡°street urchin¡± who was slightly dirty all over from exploring and training in the forest like me wouldn¡¯t be able to enter easily. Why was it difficult for a street urchin to enter a town? That was because the action of people in this country was limited based on their social status.


    According to my ¡°knowledge¡±, the countries of this continent seemed to classify people into four social statuses broadly speaking.


    First, the ruling class, the ¡ºnobles¡». They could travel anywhere if it was within the country. They could also go to other country if they had compelling reason for it.


    Next was ¡ºcommoner¡». They were people who paid tax as citizen. They could travel anywhere within the territory of the noble where they were registered¡­¡­in the case of this area, it was the territory of a baron. But to go to the territory of another noble, they would be charged with a toll of one silver coin as tax.


    The people without any house who were called as ¡ºfree folk¡» had social status below them. They didn¡¯t pay tax, but in exchange they were levied with limitation anywhere they went. They had to pay one silver coin as toll every time they entered a city.


    The lowest social status was ¡ºslave¡». In other words they were people who sold themselves. It might be easier to understand if I said that they were commonly known as serf. They tilted the field under their master and received pay depending on the amount of harvest. They could also have family within limit, but they had no freedom to stop doing their work. Just like how that orphanage¡¯s old hag sold orphans, there were also nobles and wealthy people who kept illegal slave as lover, but that wasn¡¯t a common thing so they were the exception.


    My current status was a ¡ºfree folk¡». I would be levied with a toll of one silver coin to enter the town. Furthermore free folk who wasn¡¯t registered and wasn¡¯t even a citizen was in a risk of not receiving help from the guard even when they became a victim of crime. If I unluckily encountered a troublesome guard, it was even possible that I would be robbed from all of my money and sold as slave just by claiming I was just a street urchin.


    I wanted to enter the town even if I had to brave such danger wasn¡¯t only for food resupply, but because I wanted a weapon that even I could use and a ¡°certain thing¡±.


    By joining one of the four guilds of adventurer guild, merchant guild, sorcerer guild, or alchemist guild, even free folk that didn¡¯t have any freedom would be able to at least obtain a treatment almost like ¡ºcommoner¡» depending on their rank. But even to join the adventurer guild where registering was relatively easy, you needed to have combat skill level 1, so it was impossible no matter what for me right now.


    Returning back to the topic, unlike the rural town where I was living at before this, entering this large town where its feudal lord a baron was living in right from the front gate was difficult. But, that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡± taught me a trick to enter the town.


    .


    I took a nap on a tree at a nearby forest. Then I investigated the outer side of the wall when the dawn was nearing. I finally discovered my objective when it was getting brighter.


    There were two silhouettes walking at the forest near the outer wall. ¡­¡­Were they children? They were picking wild grasses inside the forest, caught a snake skillfully, then they returned toward the wall again. Those children observed their surrounding first before entering a bush near the wall. Then they vanished.


    I also erased my presence while heading there. When I tried checking inside the bush, I discovered a hole with a size that a child could pass through. The hole was hidden by covering it with a plank. ¡­¡­As I thought. That woman knew that in a large town that had slum quarters, the residents there would have a method in order to leave the city.


    I covered my head with the ash that brought to erase the glossiness of my conspicuous pink blond hair. After that I wrapped a cloth around my neck to hide half of my face. I slowed my breathing and quietly infiltrated into the town.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    After I passed the hole that a small child could pass through by crouching, I quietly lifted up the plank at the entrance and peeked outside. Sure enough, it seemed that it was the slum quarters at the other side. I confirmed that there wasn¡¯t any sign of people around and got out of the hole. I returned the plank to its former position and erased my tracks.


    Now then¡­¡­I wonder where I could find a shop that would buy even from a street urchin. I guess that kind of shop wouldn¡¯t be located at the main street, but inside the slum quarters or the area for low-income earner that was near the slum quarters. After I confirmed that the glossiness of my hair had been properly covered, I matched my presence with the surrounding magic particles while starting to explore the surrounding.


    It seemed that this area was an old residential district. When I tried peeking inside a building through rotten and crumbling door or window, I smelled a sour scent like when some food went rotten. There was almost no human presence inside, but there were signs of people living there. Right now there didn¡¯t seem to be anyone here. I didn¡¯t know whether it was because they only returned here at night, but more importantly inside the city magic particles with element were less compared to inside the forest. It was a pain to erase my presence here.


    There were a lot of inorganic substances here and few nature. It wasn¡¯t like nature was completely nonexistent, but it felt like light element and dark element and non-elemental were occupying the majority of the area here. It wasn¡¯t just the element, I had to match myself with the magic particles¡¯ size if I wanted to erase my presence well.


    I would need a different kind of training than in the forest for this¡­¡­. I got slightly fatigued mentally as I looked around, then I found a well so I thought to take a bit of water from there. I didn¡¯t want to use magic when I was mentally fatigued. That well wasn¡¯t dry and it had proper water in it, but it looked slightly murky so I only used it to wet a cloth to wipe my sweat. Then I felt a faint presence approaching me as I did that.


    ¡¸Oi, you, who permitted you to use the well huh-!¡¹


    That voice came from a slight distance away¡­¡­a child? I slowly turned around. Over there I found a boy around ten years old and a girl around the same age as me wearing slightly dirty plain clothes.


    ¡­¡­Aa, they were the children who I caught sight of outside the wall. They had similar hair and eye color so they were most likely siblings. The voice of that boy that was filled with a threatening tone reminded me of the older orphan who took away my food and pushed his work on me, so I reflexively glared back. The boy and girl slightly flinched from that.


    ¡¸T-this place is our turf! You have to pay for using the well-!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    A town¡¯s well shouldn¡¯t be a personal property of someone though? I had no reason to go along with that kind of street urchin logic, but I rethought it that the minimum rule always existed anywhere. I flicked a bronze coin to the ground near the boy¡¯s foot before turning around to leave, but then the boy raised his voice again.


    ¡¸You-! If you got money then hand over more-!¡¹


    ¡¸N-Nii-chan-¡¹


    The boy¡¯s greed must have won over seeing me giving out money so easily. The little sister beside him tried to stop him by pulling the boy¡¯s sleeve, but he shook her off and headed toward me.


    *Bash-!*


    ¡¸Uwah!?¡¹


    I didn¡¯t wait for him and circulated magic power to my whole body while striking his leg to push him down. I straddled the fallen boy and looked down coldly on him while taking out my knife and brandished it up.


    ¡¸S-stoppp!¡¹


    Seeing the knife, the girl jumped to collide on me. I immediately rolled to avoid her and got back on my feet while taking a stance with my knife. But the girl only clung on her brother and cried. I couldn¡¯t feel any intent to attack from her. The boy too had already lost his fighting spirit. He was staying flat on the ground with pale face and shaking body from getting almost killed by me.


    When I approached with the knife still held in a stance, the boy twitched with a fearful expression. Even then he hugged his sister who was clinging on him to protect her.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Where is a shop that will buy even from street urchin?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­T-there¡­¡­two blocks ahead¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Is that so? Thanks.¡¹


    This was tough¡­¡­. Anyway I learned what I wanted to know, and I had no plan to kill or get involved with them now that they had lost their will to fight, so I walked away. It was then, I heard an adult¡¯s voice from behind.


    ¡¸Oi you brats! What the hell are ya doing there! I told you to pay money if you want to use this well-!¡¹


    I got a bit curious and looked back. There a slightly dirty man with red face was swinging up a wine bottle to threaten the siblings on the ground. Aa, I see. This man was wangling money from street urchins who were using the well.


    ¡¸W-we weren¡¯t using it-!¡¹


    ¡¸Shaddup, who care-! I don¡¯t give a damn, just pay the money!¡¹


    ¡¸Nooooo!¡¹


    The man tore away the little sister from the boy and snatched the bronze coin in his grasp.


    ¡¸Tsk, just bronze coin. You¡¯re damn broke huh.¡¹


    ¡¸D-don¡¯t take that old man-! I¡¯m going to use that to buy bread for Shuri©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸Then go steal or whatever, get me the damn money!¡¹


    The man swung down the bottle on the children. Even that kind of thing could easily kill if it hit a child in a bad place.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    In that moment©¤©¤the face of that old hag lifting up a rod to beat up the orphans flashed in my mind.


    *Hyun-!*


    ¡¸Gyah!?¡¹


    A rock grazed the head of the drunkard. The man screamed and held his head.


    The shocked faces of the boy and girl entered my eyes. But the one who was the most surprised here was myself who instantly threw a rock from my slingshot even though I should have decided to not get involved.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yo-, y-y-you damn brat-!!¡¹


    The man was instantly infuriated when he realized I was the one who threw the rock.


    *Crunch-!*


    The man smashed the empty bottle on the well and changed it into a wicked weapon. The man was drunk. But even though he was drunk, there was no way a child who had only trained for several days could win against an adult head on.


    ¡¸Ah, wait-!¡¹


    That was why I quickly turned my back and ran away.


    The drunkard chased after the feeling me. I hoped those siblings used this time to run away, but right now I was the one who was in far greater danger. The man seemed to be very angry. He persistently chased after me. I took out a certain thing from my waist band before turning on the corner of a building and laid in wait.


    Was I the one in the wrong here for being the one attacking first? But I would never quietly wait to get killed. The moment the pursuing drunkard showed up from the corner, I swung it down with all my strength.


    *Gan-!*


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­a¡­¡­¡¹


    The drunkard was struck on the top of his head. He staggered before falling face down.


    It went well¡­¡­. What I used was my new weapon, a cord with length around one meter that I created from intertwining my hair together and a cloth filled with weight attached at its end. The weight I used wasn¡¯t a rock but around ten bronze coins. Proper bronze was heavier than even iron. Furthermore coin was acutely angled in part. The impact that was strengthened with centrifugal force and magic power exploded not from ¡°flat surface¡± but sharp ¡°point¡±.


    I immediately unsheathed my knife and got on top of the man. I dealt the finishing blow by stabbing deep into the fallen man¡¯s brain. I would only leave behind a troublesome seed of trouble for the future if I left him alive. I pulled the fabric of his collar and pulled out the knife while wiping it with the cloth so that blood wouldn¡¯t spurt out. Then I scavenged the man¡¯s belonging to make it looked like a robbery.


    There were three small silver coins and five bronze coins inside his dirty wallet. While I was counting, the boy came to check the situation with a pale face. It seemed he didn¡¯t run away. I threw the wallet filled with the man¡¯s coins to him.


    ¡¸Deal with the corpse using that. You know how if you are a slum¡¯s resident right?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    After I said that, the boy took the wallet and nodded many times wordlessly.


    The life of slum residents was cheap. That was even truer if you didn¡¯t belong to the mafia. Even these street urchin siblings¡­¡­and even ¡°I¡± were the same.


    That was why in order to ¡°survive¡±, no matter who my opponent was, I had no intention to be merciful to them if they were my ¡°enemy¡±.


    I didn¡¯t say anything more and sent a cold gaze to the fearful siblings before turning my back on them. I immediately left that place and walked toward the direction where the shop that I was told about was located.

 Volume 1 - CH 8

    I tried going to the¡ºshop that would buy even from street urchin¡» that I heard from the boy. The money I had from the old hag¡¯s hidden saving and that woman¡¯s money amounted to 15 silver coins and eight small silver coins. I didn¡¯t count the bronze coins because I also used them as the weight of my weapon. I left behind half of them with my other luggage at the campsite, so I only had seven silver coins and eight small silver coins in hand right now.


    That shop was located in the middle between the slum quarters and low income earner residential area. It didn¡¯t seem like there would be much danger if I was here, but sometimes I would feel an unpleasant stare, so I kept my guard up.


    When I entered inside the shop, there were few foods placed at the right shelve. The left shelve was filled with sundries, and at the back was an old man with unpleasant look in his eyes glaring at me.


    ¡¸Look what we got here, an eerie brat with unpleasant look in his eyes.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    What he said could also be applied to himself. Even so, perhaps because I was erasing my presence or perhaps because he sniffed the ¡°smell of blood¡±, he didn¡¯t chase me away, but he seemed to be on his guard.


    ¡¸I want a small blade that can be used for throwing.¡¹


    ¡¸I only have those things lined up on the shelve there. Go order to blacksmith if you want something else.¡¹


    He pointed with his chin. The shelve there had kitchen knife and iron blade for dismantling animal lined up. There was also smaller size of those blades, but they were a bit heavy for the current me to throw.


    ¡¸Also do you have appraisal crystal?¡¹


    The biggest objective of me coming to this town right now was to obtain appraisal crystal to check my status.


    I had to use appraisal skill dozens of times to learn it, but even more important than that was appraising myself to have a grasp on my own strength right now. For that, I judged that I needed appraisal crystal even if I had to use my limited amount of silver coins to buy it.


    ¡¸Four silver coins per piece.¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s more expensive than the market price.¡¹


    Feld told me that the market price was three silver coins.


    ¡¸This is that kind of shop. If you don¡¯t want it then go buy it in a proper shop.¡¹


    I see. So this was that kind of shop.


    ¡¸Then do you have scrapped crystals?¡¹


    The shop owner scowled when I asked that. So he had them as I thought. New appraisal crystal was transparent and they would turn murky bit by bit as they got used. Most crystals could be used for around ten times, but what happened to the half used appraisal crystals of adventurers who died in their work?


    Ignoring the proper adventurers, if adventurers who lived like day laborer every day picked up such thing, they would gather it without using it and sold it wouldn¡¯t they?


    Even in that woman¡¯s memory, she once gathered the appraisal crystals she picked and sold them. It was unknown whether such scrapped crystals could still be used, so a normal shop wouldn¡¯t sell them. And so I wondered if perhaps people who wanted to learn to use appraisal would purchase those crystals in this kind of shop, and it looked like I was right.


    ¡¸They are in the box lying over there. If you buy them all then it¡¯s eight silver coins. If you only buy some of them, then it¡¯s one small silver coin per piece.¡¹


    ¡¸Can I choose?¡¹


    ¡¸Do you have money?¡¹


    ¡¸I have.¡¹


    I took out a silver coin from my pocket and showed it to the shop owner. He still didn¡¯t trust me after that, but he permitted me ¡¸Do whatever you like¡¹ to choose from among the scrapped products.


    In the case of scrapped appraisal crystals, faulty items that couldn¡¯t be used even though they still had slightly remaining magic power in them were mixed in. There should be jackpot among them that could be used for more than three times. There were around a hundred scrapped crystals inside the box. It would be a jackpot if I bought them with eight silver coins and managed to get a use of fifty appraisals from them, but if I was unlucky, it was also possible that all of them were a miss, so I had no intention of making such bet.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Normally it was impossible to judge the remaining faint magic power in the crystal. That was the reason why they were sold for cheap, but I chose twenty scrapped crystals from among them without hesitation. I brought them to the counter and lined them up there in front of the shop owner.


    ¡¸I also want a strong shoulder bag, do you have one? They will be to store these too.¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t come complaining to me even if they all don¡¯t work. It¡¯s two silver coins for all of the crystals. For the shoulder bag, it¡¯s eight silver coins for one made from leather.¡¹


    ¡¸I won¡¯t complain. I¡¯m fine with the goods and price. I¡¯ll also take a small bronze flask, the preserved food and salt here, also whetstone and¡­¡­this one too please.¡¹


    ¡¸Iron skewer huh¡­¡­¡¹


    There were three slightly thick iron skewers lying around, so I also bought them. Was a cook who got fired stole them from his workplace and sold them here? They had soot clinging on them, making them pitch black, but perhaps they were made from steel.


    Certainly only a cook or someone who camped every day would have a use for that, but why were you surprised it was sold even though you were the one selling it? After that I bought a small bag of salt, a chunk of dried deer meat, and a bag of dried vegetables. They all cost four small silver coins. The small bronze flask cost slightly expensive, seven small silver coins. The skewers and whetstone cost two small silver coins.


    ¡¸Here, four silver coins and one small silver coins.¡¹


    ¡¸You can count even though you¡¯re just a brat?¡¹


    Since obtaining money, I also started using the ¡°knowledge¡± to practice counting. I could only do addition and subtraction for now, and I would need to write on the ground to count for counting further than that, but I was able to count the price of my shopping in my head and gave that amount of money. The shop owner weighed the silver coins¡¯ weight with a scale while muttering.


    ¡¸What can you buy from me?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll buy anything, but don¡¯t bring me medicinal herbs that grown anywhere like the brats around here. Just go hunt rabbit or something outside. I¡¯ll buy it for one small silver coin if you properly process it.¡¹


    ¡¸Understood.¡¹


    I stuffed my purchases into my shoulder bag before moving to exit the shop, but then the owner called at me with a displeased voice.


    ¡¸Oi, ¡°ash smeared¡±. If you want to get a proper weapon then go to the dwarf blacksmith at the end of this street. He is an eccentric old man, but if you tell him that the general store old man is the one who tell you to go there, he will make you a weapon as long as you can play.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    Ash smeared¡­¡­did he mean me? Besides about this dwarf, if even this old man called him an eccentric, then how eccentric he could be?


    ¡¸¡­¡­What?¡¹


    Those siblings were waiting for me when I got out of the shop. Did they still have business with me? When I glared at them, the big brother made a somewhat fearful face.


    ¡¸I-it¡¯s that, I have properly threw it away so-¡¹


    ¡¸Right.¡¹


    So it was about that.


    ¡¸A-also, ¡­¡­we won¡¯t say anything to anybody.¡¹


    ¡¸Right.¡¹


    ¡¸A-also-¡¹


    Was there still more? The boy was looking around restlessly. Then the little sister tugged at the sleeve of her indecisive brother.


    ¡¸I-I am Gil! Remember that-!¡¹


    ¡¸Hm?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m Shuri-¡¹


    The little sister said that from behind her flustered big brother. What¡¯s with the sudden self introduction? Could it be that they wanted to know my name? I didn¡¯t understand why these two were approaching someone who had threatened them like that this insistently, but if these siblings didn¡¯t have any intention to do anything strange, I guessed it would be fine to at least tell them my name.


    ¡¸I¡¯m A¡­¡­¡¹


    No, it would be better to not use my real name I guess. Perhaps there were children who remembered my name in that orphanage, and it would be a drag if a noble who claimed to be my relative got involved like in that so called ¡ºotome game¡».


    ¡¸I am, Aria.¡¹


    It seemed to be really sloppy to use that name, but if I used a fake name that was too different from ¡ºAlicia¡», I wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize myself, so it would be better to not change my name too drastically. When I told my name, the big brother Gil muttered ¡¸It¡¯s like a girl¡¯s name¡­¡­¡¹ while the little sister Shuri kept hiding behind her brother while nodding up and down with blushing cheeks.


    ¡¸¡­¡­?¡¹


    Why did she turn red? For some reason Shuri¡¯s gaze at me was sparkling. It made me felt strangely awkward. ¡­¡­Well, it didn¡¯t matter I guess. I wouldn¡¯t get involved with them too deeply anyway.


    .


    After that, I checked what kind of shops could be found at this area. I bought a smallish chunk of black bread from a stall that was selling bread. It was heavy despite its small size. But it would last for a while with this.


    Perhaps because the slum quarters were nearby, I felt some gazes coiling around me when it became clear that I was a child and furthermore I had money with me. Unlike that drunkard, it was still impossible for me to fight an adult who was planning to attack me from the start. When having money, staying inside a town was far more dangerous than staying inside a forest. There were a lot of necessities that could be obtained in town, but perhaps it would be better for me to keep staying in the forest and trained until I became stronger.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡­¡¹¡¹


    Even while I was doing such thing, those siblings were following me from slightly behind me.


    Could it be that they wanted to have a street urchin comrade? I might considered it a bit if I could trust them and they could fight, but the current me already had my hands full with just taking care of myself so I could only ask them to give up. I consciously erased my presence and shook them off, then I immediately went outside the city from the hidden hole. There I was finally able to take a breather.


    Perhaps using this area around here as my temporary base would be fine, but there was a possibility of monster appearing from the north of this town, so as expected, it would be better to return to the campsite where it was near the road and few dangerous creatures would appear. It also had a stream nearby.


    But before going back, let¡¯s do something first. I put down my shoulder back for the time being and took out one appraisal crystal from there. I could only feel a faint magic power from the half used crystal. But my ¡°eyes¡± were able to see the ¡°color¡± of the magic power that was leaking out from there.


    The twenty appraisal crystals had ¡ºthick colors¡» that radiated multiple elements. They might be still usable for three or four more appraisals. I felt sorry for the shop owner, but there was no idiot who would intentionally buy defective product when they could actually discern the good product, so I asked him to let me chose.


    I would have to use appraisal dozens of times until I could learn it as skill. If possible I was planning to learn appraisal using only the crystals here. And then I peered into the crystal once more while thinking ¡ºAppraisal¡». Then my current status was displayed inside the crystal.


    .


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human


    ¡¾Magic Power : 37/45¡¿¡÷ 32 UP¡¾Stamina : 23/32¡¿¡÷ 6 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 3¡¿¡¾Endurance : 4¡¿¡¾Agility : 5¡¿¡¾Dexterity : 5¡¿


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·NEW¡¡¡¶Magic Power Control Level £±¡·NEW


    ¡¶Stealth Level 1¡·NEW¡¡¡¶Night Vision Level 1¡·NEW¡¡¡¶Search Level 1¡·NEW


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 23¡¿¡÷ 2 UP


    .


    ¡­¡­Surprising. As expected I hadn¡¯t learned even one combat skill but, my skill that should be completely nonexistent was suddenly increasing by so many. Most likely by becoming able to see magic particle¡¯s element as ¡°color¡±, the magic power type skill like Stealth, Night Vision, and Search were liberated in me. If I learned short sword skill next, it would make me look like a thief or assassin apprentice¡­¡­.


    My stamina was still not full like before. I didn¡¯t have any injury, but perhaps it was because my current life style didn¡¯t allow me to fully recover from fatigue. My magic power had increased drastically might be thanks to the daily life magic and magic power type skills. Perhaps when skill was ¡ºseared¡» into the soul, the ¡ºfoundation¡» on where magic power could be accumulated also got expanded by that much. That was my hypothesis.


    But it was just the right time for my magic power capacity to increase. If I had 45 magic power amount, I should recover around 4 MP each hour. With this much MP, I would be able to increase my training in magic power type skill.


    The day was approaching noon. I shaved the dried meat with knife and nibbled on a bit of black bread, then I shouldered my luggage and began to move while also training my body strengthening. As expected the luggage was heavy, but I was able to somehow return until the campsite using the same amount of time when I was departing.


    I¡­¡­was growing little by little.

 Volume 1 - CH 9

    Two weeks had passed since I began my survival vagabond life. By the way, in this continent one week was called as ¡ºspirit week¡» that was divided into seven days of light, darkness, earth, water, fire, wind, and void. The day of light was used as holiday. People got into work again at the day of darkness. It was the clich¨¦d gag of the old men to lament ¡ºDarkness has visited the world¡» when they had to get up to work at the day of darkness. Originally darkness that was governing over rest was used as the holiday, but the holy church forcefully switched the holiday to the day of light.


    I had gotten used to life in the forest after spending two weeks here, but this country was located at the southern part and the climate was warm, so I could somehow manage here, but if the season was late autumn or winter, there was a possibility that I would have dropped dead unceremoniously.


    Due to what I did to the old hag and also that drunkard, I had been on my guard for these two weeks, but there wasn¡¯t any pursuer coming after me.


    I was continuing my usual training and basic training of magic power control. During that time, I showed myself in the city once more to resupply for things that I couldn¡¯t get in the forest. I caught sight of those siblings during that time, but perhaps because I handed them the drunkard¡¯s wallet at that time, it seemed they were able to eat properly and their complexion seemed to be better.


    For now my relationship with those two was more than stranger but less than acquaintance. For some reason the big brother Gil was considering me as rival, but the little sister Shuri would smile broadly and waved her hand when seeing me.


    I had tested many times my discovery of the phenomenon of using magic power to move my hair as an extension of my body. As the result I found out that I could move it for just several centimeters when I swung it around. As I thought the world wasn¡¯t that easy. Even so when I tried experimenting a hundred times, I got the feeling that my accuracy increased by twenty percent while the power also rose slightly.


    The bigger problem was how I created the cord just by tying up my hairs together to lengthen the length, so the cord would become frayed after using it dozens of times. Perhaps the cause was my low dexterity, but my dexterity had increased by one thanks to me continuously braiding my hairs into cord.


    .


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  ¨C Rank 0


    ¡¾Magic Power : 43/52¡¿¡÷ 7 UP¡¾Stamina : 28/36¡¿¡÷ 4 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 3 (4)¡¿¡¾Endurance : 4 (5)¡¿¡¾Agility : 5 (6)¡¿¡¾Dexterity : 6¡¿¡÷ 1 UP


    ¡¶Non-Elemental Magic Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·¡¶Magic Power Control Level £±¡·


    ¡¶Stealth Level 1¡·¡¶Night Vision Level 1¡·¡¶Search Level 1¡·


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 24 (With Body Strengthening : 26)¡¿¡÷ 1 UP


    .


    I still hadn¡¯t learned short sword skill, but in exchange I obtained non-elemental magic level 1. I also still hadn¡¯t learned appraisal skill, but I got the feeling that its precision increased quite a lot because I used it with concentration.


    Non-elemental magic that had skill level was Body Strengthening and combat art. Body Strengthening originally should be learned together with close quarter combat skill, but I ended up learning it first.


    Looking from the increase of my combat strength, it seemed that body strengthening level 1 strengthened you by ten percent.


    ¡­¡­That meant, Feld¡¯s body strengthening was level 5¡­¡­in other words he could use close quarter combat skill level 5 which was the limit ordinary person. No wonder he was strong.


    I only learned magic power type skill because my body was still small and couldn¡¯t handle physical type skill. That was my guess. It was said that learning close quarter combat skill would be quicker if you had body strengthening, but even if I could possibly learn a skill that usually took two or three years to learn in just six months, the me right now didn¡¯t have any leeway to spend that much time.


    Was it no good to just trace the forms accurately? Perhaps there was some kind of trick to learn it.


    My magic power increased must be thanks to my magic power training and learning body strengthening that was a non-elemental magic. But my stamina increased not only because I got used to live in the forest, I thought it was also because of the pain that came from my leg joints.


    At first I thought that this sudden pain in the legs that I felt for the first time was caused by excessive training and fatigue, but the ¡°knowledge¡± inside me taught me that it was ¡ºgrowing pains¡».


    It seemed such phenomenon would occur when human body rapidly grew. But that should occur when I was over ten years old and my body got bigger. Then why was such phenomenon occurring in a seven years old like me? It made me anxious and I tried to investigate it in the ¡°knowledge¡±. Then an information about magic power surfaced.


    It almost never happened with commoner but, it seemed that the children of nobles who trained their magic power since their childhood would grow quickly. Noble had fast growth and slow aging. That was because the nobles were the ruling class who were chosen by god with noble blue blood flowing in their body¡­¡­a part of the nobility seemed to say that about themselves, but according to that woman¡¯s teacher, it seemed to be a phenomenon that occurred simply because they had a lot of magic power.


    Certainly my magic power right now was a lot more than some random adult. But, according to my ¡°knowledge¡±, even among nobles children whose growth already quickened when they were seven years old should be few in number. Perhaps, rather than because of the influence of the number of skills and combat training, it was because there was no children who would train this desperately when they were still just seven years old.


    In other words, my conclusion about this current situation was that because my magic power had grown to rival an adult, my body went through a rapid growth and caused my joints to be in pain. That was why the pain wouldn¡¯t vanish even if I rested my body, therefore it wasn¡¯t a reason for me to stop training. Even so as expected the efficiency of training in this condition was bad, so for now I was prioritizing training in ¡ºmagic¡».


    But before that, what kind of magic should I learn I wonder.


    Before thinking about what to choose, it should be more important to ponder about what type of ¡ºmagic user¡» I wanted to become.


    First was the type that I had been considering all this time. Becoming a ¡ºsorcerer¡» who used my own magic power to interfere with the surrounding magic particles and used elemental sorcery. This was the most common ¡ºmagic user¡», and this style could be used in any condition so it was convenient to use.


    The second was ¡ºspirit user¡» who employed the power of spirit by ¡ºmaking request¡» to the spirits at the surrounding using their own magic power as ¡ºcompensation¡». The consumption of your magic power could be curbed if you increased your affinity with the spirits. Conversely, if the spirits got into a bad mood then the magic¡¯s power would decrease, and the area would limit your option, like how you couldn¡¯t use earth element on stone paving or couldn¡¯t use wind element inside a cave. You would get hated by water spirit if you used fire inside a forest.


    The third was ¡ºsummoner¡» who used magic circle to summon their contracted spirit or monster. It seemed similar with spirit user, but in this case once you formed a contract, your summon would obey and fight for you every time unless there was some great extenuating circumstance.


    You would need to focus your mind when summoning, but once the summon came, the caster could also fight as a warrior or sorcerer which was an advantage. To form a contract with the summon, you would need to subdue the target or made it took a liking to you. Also while the summon was out your magic power would be consumed, so it seemed that it was normal for high ranked sorcerer to learn self-defense. There was nobody who could pick this route as a beginner.


    Because of that if I was to learn magic, my only choice from the start could only be ¡ºsorcerer¡».


    Sorcery had six elements. A sorcerer would use sorcery of the element that suited them. ¡­¡­That was the common opinion, but I was suspecting that perhaps an individual¡¯s element was simply based on their like and dislike that was affected by their experience, preference, and the environment around them until then. And then by using that element many times, that element¡¯s magic power would form ¡ºmagic stone¡» inside the body. Perhaps that was the case?


    But, did all the magicians until now fail to notice something like this that even a child like me could think of? Perhaps they had noticed but they still were unable to learn many elements simply because they lacked the time to train so many elements.


    Let¡¯s assume that the element that was your forte©¤©¤that was your preference could be learned by training ten times, while it would take a hundred times of training to learn an element that you disliked. Setting aside a race like elf that had eternal life, if a human wanted to master sorcery then it should take them dozens of years just to do so with one element. That was why it was more efficient to abandon the elements that you weren¡¯t good with and focused on the element that you were good with.


    And even elf who specialized in magic couldn¡¯t use fire element if they were wood elf who lived in a forest. This must be because they were unconsciously avoiding ¡ºfire¡» that could burn the forest.


    Also¡­¡­there might be a catch to this matter just like with ¡ºdivine protection(cheat)¡». For now training in multiple elements would be inefficient. And if by some chance a catch really existed, then it would be better if I limited the element that I learned to just one or two.


    Then first, I shouldn¡¯t test all the elements to see which one I was good with. I should consider of the fighting style that I wanted to adopt before my interests and preferences could solidify and only chose based on efficiency.


    If I simply considered battle, then fire magic would be the most optimum. Fire was effective against most living creature, and you could expect the damage to spread wider if the fire kept burning. If I had to list its weak point, it was that spreading damage might also come to hit myself, and flame didn¡¯t have physical weight, so emission type fire sorcery tended to be slow.


    For example, with the spell Fire Arrow, it only had a speed that was equal to a rock that a boy threw with all his strength, so any proper fighter would dodge it easily. With earth sorcery¡¯s Stone Bullet, it had physical destructive power and you should be able to obtain a speed that was around the same with a slingshot used by adult, but Stone Bullet that had low magic power could be blocked easily by hard armor or shield.


    With water, if you could create ice arrow then it would have speed and also quite a strong power, but water sorcery had a lot of spell that was for affecting living creature so their physical destructive power was low. With wind sorcery, it was difficult to discern it with naked eyes, so it was hard for the opponent to detect it and it was also fast. But its effect against living thing or object was lower than other elements.


    Light sorcery could recover stamina and healed wound. It also had convenient spells like for curing poison, but it had very few method to attack. Darkness sorcery had a lot of spells for illusion and support. If you became an expert in it, it seemed that you would even be able to learn space type spell or teleportation, but you wouldn¡¯t be able to use that kind of spell unless you were at the level of royal court sorcerer. And like light sorcery, darkness sorcery also had very few method to attack directly.


    Every single one of them had their own weakness and advantage. From that point of view, fire sorcery had a power specialized for attack, water sorcery could also cover wound and do simple treatment, so that woman who could use both might be ideal as a common sorcerer.


    In the first place, what was I looking for from sorcery?


    I wanted a ¡°weapon¡± as a method to survive, and even though my magic power had increased somewhat, the amount was still only around a normal adult. I got the feeling that it would be dangerous for me to rely on attack sorcery that would consume a lot of magic power.


    Besides I could just train in short sword skill and throwing if I wanted attack power, so I should learn the type of sorcery that could assist with that.


    ©¤©¤*Hyun-!*


    The skewer I threw stabbed the ground. During these two weeks, I had trained my throwing using the iron skewers.


    The skewers were scorched and rusty and pitch black from the soot clinging on it. I spent two whole days grinding them with the whetstone and as I thought, they were made from steel. It would be hard to use them as they were, so I tried grinding the tips to be sharp like a blade. It took time until they became usable, but I was really glad that they were steel. I didn¡¯t know what I would do if it turned out they were just casting after spending this much time.


    But although my throw could pierce the ground, it still couldn¡¯t stab a tree trunk. Perhaps that might seem to be completely no good, but being able to throw the skewer completely straight was already a very great improvement.


    Light Sorcery and Darkness Sorcery would be good for assisting in close quarter combat and throwing. If I had these two, after a close quarter combat I would be able to treat my wound by my own and my small stamina could also be recovered.


    I had also learned stealth, so it should have a particularly good affinity with darkness sorcery¡¯s illusion.


    I wouldn¡¯t force myself to fight head on. I¡¯d outwit the enemy, laid trap, and ran away if it was no good. I¡¯d just leave fighting fair and square to the honorable knights or muscle monster like Feld.


    Then let¡¯s practice sorcery immediately¡­¡­that was my plan, but even though that woman should have done the general training to investigate her element, she had completely forgotten everything about darkness sorcery.


    No, she wasn¡¯t interested to it at all, so there was also a possibility that she was listening to the lesson of her teacher from the start¡­¡­.


    In exchange, she had a lot of knowledge about light sorcery. When I pondered why was her knowledge that polarized, it seemed the ¡ºme¡» in the ¡ºotome game¡» was using light magic, so she became desperate to study it.


    If asked why she didn¡¯t manage to learn it even though she was that interested in it, it was because she managed to learn fire sorcery and water sorcery easily. It seemed that she had so much fun with them and got bored with learning light magic. ¡­¡­From this I learned how important it was for a sorcerer to have concentration.


    Now then, let¡¯s train in light sorcery. When it came to learning sorcery spell with skill level 2¡­¡­or in sorcery term, second rank sorcery or above, usually people would became an apprentice of a master and learned from them like that woman, or joined the sorcerer guild and paid to be taught the sorcery that they wanted.


    The exception was the nobles who entered the sorcery academy. They would be taught the fundamental sorcery there. Then how did the ordinary people who didn¡¯t even know their element learned the basic of sorcery? The sorcerer guild had written a book about the level 1 sorcery, or first rank sorcery into a book and sold it in order to increase the number of sorcerer, so it seemed they learned from there.


    The training of that elemental magic started from accurately memorizing the spell and chanting it accurately.


    You also had to learn the meaning of the incantation at the same time. The spell wouldn¡¯t activate unless you understood how the meaning of the incantation influenced the world¡­¡­that was what that woman¡¯s teacher said.


    First was the ¡ºspell¡». The spirits used the language called ¡ºspirit language¡» to interfere with the world. The ancient elf simplified that language so that even human could use it¡­¡­well, to be blunt spell was like the degraded version of the spirit language. Even though it had been simplified so that even human could use it, it was originally the language of a being that possessed different way of thinking, so to understand it human would need several months¡­¡­in the worst case it could even take several years. That woman only had vague recollection for the meaning of spells, even for her own spells that she was using, but the meaning of light sorcery¡¯s spell was the only one that she remembered (though she couldn¡¯t comprehend it).


    The first rank light sorcery was Heal and Cure. I lightly reviewed them.


    Heal recovered your stamina and also forcefully made the body¡¯s wound to heal naturally. That was why when people without knowledge used it, incidents like bone getting healed while still bending the wrong way or terrible scars remaining behind could happen.


    Cure wasn¡¯t natural healing. It was closer to regeneration. It completely healed wound with not even a scar remaining, but its range was small and took time. If it was forcefully used to heal deep wound, it seemed there were cases where the spell consumed the person¡¯s stamina and drove them to the verge of death.


    Common injury could be treated with just Heal, so there were people who didn¡¯t learn Cure like Feld. That was the actual state of affairs.


    Heal¡¯s incantation was©¤©¤


    ¡ºRiteiiwaa Rusutori Zahiikaa¡»


    Its meaning was ¡ºHeal that target¡». ¡­¡­The spell was strangely long. Even though it was so short in human words, was there some kind of meaning to it? It was the result of making spirit language into words that human could use, so perhaps that caused excess to show up?


    Cure¡¯s incantation was©¤©¤


    ¡ºRiteiishuwaa Ruborudean Osutooriisuten¡»


    The meaning was ¡ºTurn the body back to before¡». ¡­¡­Both spells were strangely hard to remember. In that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±, it seemed there were times when her pronunciation was subtly different so the sorcery didn¡¯t activate. It seemed there were tricks like it was easier to activate the sorcery if you rhymed when chanting, but in the end I thought that the correct answer was what that woman¡¯s teacher kept preaching on.


    ¡ºUnderstand the meaning of the spell correctly and chant the spell accurately.¡»


    For now let¡¯s try chanting it once. Fortunately¡­¡­or perhaps not so fortunately, I never lacked for small wounds because of living in the forest.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Riteiwaa Rusutori Zahikaa¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡­¡­It was a bit different? Sure enough the effect that I hoped for didn¡¯t activate. Even when I tried checking with appraisal crystal, my magic power hadn¡¯t decreased at all. Normally people would chant Heal at the end, but Heal wasn¡¯t a spirit language but common language. It wasn¡¯t a part of the spell but just an activation word. In other words it was something that people chanted in order to make their image clearer. There wouldn¡¯t be any problem even if that word was omitted. Even so apparently most people couldn¡¯t activate magic unless they said the activation word. It was the same with Battle Skills that were non-elemental magic where people had to said the activation word, with the exception of body strengthening. Perhaps it would be better for me to use the activation word while I was still starting.


    My first chanting failed. Perhaps it was because my pronunciation was bad or my understanding of the meaning was lacking. After that I kept trying while changing the pronunciation bit by bit, but I was still unable to see any sign of the Heal sorcery activating.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I tried searching that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡± a little. The Heal that woman¡¯s teacher used and the Heal that Feld used were the same thing, but when I tried recalling back, I got the feeling that my impression of their pronunciation was somewhat different.


    Feld said that it took him half a year until he was able to use it. It seemed that during that time the only thing he did was practicing spell chanting by repetition. How was he became able to use it with that method? As I thought, was he learning the correct pronunciation by repeating the pronunciation? There was only a vague recollection, but I tried recalling the heal that woman¡¯s teacher used and compared it to the Heal that Feld used.


    ¡­¡­It was slight but there was a difference¡­¡­or so I thought. In fact, the spell that was chanted by that woman¡¯s teacher felt like it was somewhat shorter in some parts compared to the spell that woman memorized.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Could it be¡¹


    ¡­¡­The spell was shortened? The sorcery could activate even with that?


    I tried forming a hypothesis. Even with the common language of mankind that I was using, there would be some differences depending on the region. People would shorten their words and the like during their livelihood. But even though they talk not using the official words, if both the talker and the listener understood the correct meaning, even shortened word would still carry the correct meaning.


    That must be why there was a need to ¡ºcorrectly understand the meaning¡» in chanting a spell.


    Perhaps, the spells that had been passed down by the ancient elves should be considered as the ¡ºproper style¡». Why was it shortened¡­¡­surely because it was originally too long.


    To be more accurate, it was a drag how long it was so it was shortened. It might be through that process the ¡ºproper style¡» had fallen out of use like how it was with human¡¯s ancient writing, but that wasn¡¯t all bad things. There were people who remembered wrong even the words of the modern common language. The meaning of modern words were getting harder to understand, conversely people who knew about the correct meaning would find it difficult to understand the meaning of the modern words and as a result the ¡ºconversation¡» might fail, but if they could understand the meaning of the modern words properly, the modern words should be able to convey a lot more than the ancient words.


    Sorcery had evolved and degraded like that until now. Spell was getting harder to understand and easier to misunderstand, conversely once you managed to properly understand it, it should become easier to use it compared to the primitive sorcery.


    My hypothesis until here was based on that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±. From here on it would be just my assumption.


    Spell too originally should be a ¡ºsentence¡» at the beginning. What kind of change it went through until now?


    For example in the common knowledge the spell was ¡ºTreat all the injuries on the body of that person and heal them¡»©¤©¤that would then became,


    ¡ºTreat the injuries on that person and heal them¡»©¤©¤and then,


    ¡ºTreat and heal that person¡¯s injuries¡»©¤©¤then became,


    ¡ºHeal the injuries on that person¡»©¤©¤the meaning here became harder to understand,


    ¡ºHeal that person¡»©¤©¤and at the end it became like that.


    ¡­¡­It felt like an extreme logic even if I said so myself, but I believed that what happened was something similar to that.


    The meaning would just barely get through depending on the situation and pronunciation. But in the first place if you didn¡¯t even understand the meaning, then even just a slight accent would make the sentence ended up as a mere ¡ºsound¡» without any meaning.


    ©¤©¤That was the hypothesis that I tried to build up, but I wondered how accurate it could be.


    Of course there was also a method like Feld where he remembered the spell, and on top of that he also learned the meaning and effect instinctually by repeating the spell over and over. But I felt unsure of trying that method. Because it was unknown whether words that even I myself didn¡¯t understand the meaning of could possibly get through to the other side.


    I needed strength in order to live. I was a girl and furthermore a child. If I did the same thing like normal¡­¡­like Feld, a man who was blessed with powerful body, then surely sooner or later I would be defeated in the crucial moment.


    I wouldn¡¯t be picky with my method. I would become strong. Even if I had to take a slightly roundabout way for that, I wanted to obtain true strength with my own power.


    Let¡¯s start analyzing the spell for real from now.


    Assuming that Heal¡¯s incantantion©¤©¤¡ºRiteiiwaa Rusutori Zahiikaa¡» was a sentence, it should be divided into several words. Perhaps there was also word that got shortened even more among them. It might also be possible for a word to get mixed with the word after it.


    If I knew of other spell, I would be able to research them and searched for some points of similarity, but that woman only knew spells of light and fire and water until the second rank. I wished to say that it was splendid how she managed to remember that much, but I couldn¡¯t praise her because she didn¡¯t remember the spells that she didn¡¯t use much.


    Then let¡¯s change the way I practiced spell. First I¡¯d search for the ¡ºsingle word¡» that was mixed in the spell. Although, I wouldn¡¯t know whether I was right or wrong even if I chanted haphazardly, so I¡¯d search for the word that definitely existed in the spell©¤©¤the word ¡ºheal¡». The spell which was a ¡ºdegraded spirit language¡» wouldn¡¯t have any effect from simply getting chanted. Not only you had to understand its meaning properly while speaking it, you also had to put magic power into your voice.


    When I tried doing it, it turned out to be not that difficult. Perhaps it would be difficult for sorcerer who had only just start practicing, but to put it simply, I just needed to stimulate the magic power in my body. Doing that would cause magic power to fill into your action itself.


    In my case, the state of body strengthening was close to that. I believed that at the final stage, I would need to be able to stimulate my magic power even without doing body strengthening, but for now I was searching for the single word in the spell while training my body strengthening and fighting skill at the same time.


    I tried picking out a part of the Heal¡¯s incantation that seemed to be a single word and chanted it while thinking¡ºHeal¡» in my head.


    Even if I failed I paid it no mind and kept repeating my attempt over and over. However in order to not let my combat training became half-baked from doing that, I paid attention while moving my body carefully. At the same time I kept speaking while thinking ¡ºheal¡».


    There wasn¡¯t any result at all in the first day. I never thought that I would find it that easily in the first place, but concentrating your mind while training your body at the same time put a heavier burden than expected on myself, so I slept like a log that day.


    There was also no result in the second day. I was only guessing but, perhaps there was insufficient character in my pronunciation. Like perhaps I was only speaking ¡ºhea¡» from what should be ¡ºheal¡», so I tried mixing various sounds into my speaking.


    At the third day, there was zero result just like before. However my stamina decreased slightly and my maximum stamina amount increased by 1.


    The fourth day, I got used to do both trainings simultaneously. There was no result, but I noticed that I consumed just slightly more magic power than usual.


    The fifth day, I searched for word that consumed magic power. Perhaps because I was constantly using magic power, it felt like the efficiency of my body strengthening and daily life magic increased.


    The sixth day, I got anxious whether it was really possible to search for the word with this way.


    In the first place other sorcerer would have found the word already if it was that easy wouldn¡¯t it? Perhaps because I was thinking such thing, I got my fingertip cut by rabbit bone. It hurt.


    The seventh day©¤©¤


    ¡¸Riteiru Hiikaa¡¹


    When I made that ¡ºvoice¡», light element magic power shined slightly from my hand.


    ¡­¡­I had a mistaken idea. The word heal didn¡¯t exist in the incantation of Heal.


    I was under the impression that Heal was a medical treatment sorcery. I guessed that most sorcerers would also think so too. But that wasn¡¯t it. When I tried recalling Heal¡¯s effect, it was recovering the body¡¯s stamina while at the same time gradually closing the wound.


    Yes¡­¡­this was  a recovery spell. The wound was simply healing naturally from the process of the stamina returning back.


    ¡ºRiteiru¡» and ¡ºHiikaa¡»©¤©¤it was only slight, but those words consumed my magic power. There were still other similar words but, the effect that was like magic only got activated when I combined these two words.


    This was only my guess but, these two words combined would become the word that corresponded to ¡ºheal¡». But that wasn¡¯t the accurate meaning. It had more different meaning. If Heal¡¯s sorcery had recovery effect, did the word had the meaning of ¡ºstamina¡»? Or perhaps ¡ºlife force¡»? If there was word that made use of that term then¡­¡­it might be ¡ºreturn¡». ¡ºReturning¡» the ¡ºstamina¡»?


    ¡­¡­From the feeling that I got when chanting, it might be ¡ºRiteiru(return)¡»¡ºHiikaa(stamina)¡».


    After that I kept repeating my training while changing the pronunciation bit by bit and changing the words with something that seemed to be similar in meaning. Because the attempts were steadily consuming my magic power, I became unable to train my body using magic power but, right now I was focusing to sorcery training.


    .


    And then two days later©¤©¤


    ¡¸Riteiru Waarusutoriza Hiikaa¡­¡­Heal¡¹


    My hand slightly shined when I chanted that incantation. The small wound on my finger that I got several days ago was vanishing.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I did it!¡¹


    I still didn¡¯t get the meaning completely, and the effect of the sorcery was also weak, but the Heal was certainly activated. My status also had Light Sorcery level 1 added when I looked using the appraisal crystal.


    .


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  ¨C Rank 1 ¡÷ 1 UP


    ¡¾Magic Power : 24/65¡¿¡÷ 13 UP¡¾Stamina : 32/37¡¿¡÷ 1 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 4 (5)¡¿¡¾Endurance : 5 (6)¡¿¡¾Agility : 7 (8)¡¿¡¾Dexterity : 6¡¿


    ¡¶Light Sorcery Level 1¡·NEW¡¶Non-Elemental Magic Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·¡¶Magic Power Control Level £±¡·


    ¡¶Stealth Level 1¡·¡¶Night Vision Level 1¡·¡¶Search Level 1¡·


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 26 (With Body Strengthening : 28)¡¿¡÷ 2 UP


    Claydale Kingdom was a major nation even in Thurs continent. It annexed Dandall Dukedom 150 years ago, then it also annexed Melrose Dukedom 120 years ago. But it wasn¡¯t a peaceful annexation. Before it Claydale Kingdom continuously applied political and economic pressure on both countries before at the end they applied military pressure. That was how Claydale Kingdom ¡ºinvaded¡» both countries.


    Those two dukedoms©¤©¤Dandall and Melrose¡¯s royal families weren¡¯t crushed or killed. They were left alive as ¡ºmargraves¡» that consolidate the northern and southern area.


    The two royal families being left alive was a political problem. Claydale Kingdom surpassed those two countries in every field, but it didn¡¯t have military power that was sufficient to invade them with brute force and manage the countries after that. In order to suppress the dissatisfaction of the people and nobles in those regions, the power and ¡°name¡± of the old royal families of Dandall and Melrose were necessary.


    ¡¸What am I going to do¡­¡­this place, it¡¯s the world of ¡ºSilver Love¡».¡¹


    In one of those old royal families, the youngest daughter of Dandall House, the first daughter of Margrave Dandall¡¯s legitimate child was an eight years old girl. She was tormented by high fever for several days, and then she was different from before when she woke up. She had regained the memory of her ¡°previous life¡±.


    The memory and ego of herself who lived until this age of eight years old were also still remaining. They got mixed with herself from her previous life and her mind went through chaos before she finally understood her situation.


    Clara Dandall, eight years old, a daughter of Margrave Dandall House. She would enroll into the sorcery academy at 13 years old, then the prince who was her fianc¨¦e would annul their engagement at the graduation party. After that she would either get banished to other country, or in the worst case she would get ¡°executed¡±. She was the ¡ºotome game¡¯s villainess¡».


    The former high school girl Clara who understood that she was that ¡ºClara¡» started writing her game knowledge in a note behind her maid¡¯s back. She was wracking her brain for several weeks for a way to avoid the worst result. In the end she drew a single conclusion.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Perhaps there is no other way than to kill the heroine.¡¹

 Volume 1 - CH 10

    I finally learned Heal and obtained Light Sorcery After spending ten days training.


    It felt like a long time but, ten days were astonishingly quick based on common senses. It really wasn¡¯t a normal speed when the one doing it was a kid learning from zero.


    However, it was worth it. My rank increased from zero to one. Your rank was based on the level of your highest level elemental sorcery or combat skill. With this I had cleared the minimum requirement to join the adventurer guild, but I had no intention to join immediately. Because if I didn¡¯t obtain a level 1 close quarter combat skill at minimum, a child like me might immediately become a prey of the other adventurers.


    I was continuing with my close quarter combat training, but I still hadn¡¯t learned the skill. Should I continue with the combat training more, or should I investigate the meaning of Heal¡¯s spell and raised my sorcery¡¯s precision¡­¡­. I also wanted to learn the other spell Cure, but my supplies would decrease to dangerous level soon, so I made up my mind to go to the town after so long.


    Originally I planned to gather things that could be sold for money before I went to the town next time, but I was occupied with my sorcery training and couldn¡¯t gather too much. The old man of the general store told me to bring him rabbit, but I would eat the rabbit myself if I managed to hunt one, and my dismantling was also still unskillful, so I didn¡¯t think that I would be able to get a skin in a state that could be sold.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Can¡¯t be helped.¡¹


    I was bringing the unique wild grasses that I found during my life in the forest for these three weeks. I wouldn¡¯t be paid even if I brought detoxifying herb that was growing anywhere and used as household medicine or bug repellant grass that could be found relatively easily. It wasn¡¯t like that they didn¡¯t have any worth at all, but I would only get several bronze coins for a jute bag that was stuffed full with those grasses. It wasn¡¯t worth it.


    I was reading the handwritten medicinal herb book that woman stole from her teacher. At first I couldn¡¯t read it unless I drew out vocabulary from my knowledge like searching a dictionary, but now I had become able to read if I was doing it slowly.


    I managed to find a ¡ºmagical fragrant fruit¡» by relying on that knowledge. This was a fruit that grew from a shrubbery that lived in a region with few magic particles. The flesh was only two or three millimeter thick and it was astringent, so it wasn¡¯t suited for eating, but this fruit had the trait of storing magic particles in its seed in order to survive in a harsh environment.


    Using this seed, ¡ºmagic potion¡» to recover magic power could be created. The medicinal herb book also had the basic of alchemy written in it. I myself planned to start studying alchemy one day but right now I couldn¡¯t do anything.


    It was a stroke of fortune that I could find this magical fragrant fruit. There was only one tree of that type growing on a mountain¡¯s cliff and it only had a few of the fruits that could be taken. But it would be better for me to sell them rather than just keeping them like this. Only the seed of this fruit had any use so I could keep them preserved for a long time, but it would be seen as a fresh product if the fruit part was still there and it could be sold with higher price.


    .


    I finished eating before departing. The dried vegetables and dried meat that I bought before were almost gone completely already. I used the last remaining scraps of the dried vegetables and dried meat to make a soup that was seasoned with only salt and drank it up.


    The bowl and pot were something that I got from hardening clay with the daily life magic Hard and then burning it. It wasn¡¯t good enough to be sold, but during these several weeks I became able to create something that was quite usable. The soup I created wasn¡¯t delicious, but I felt like vitality was slightly welling up inside me when something warm entered my stomach, and in the first place I had resistance against frugal meal.


    After that I took off my clothes at my base that was located at the upper stream of the small river and washed my body. An appearance that was completely like a street urchin wasn¡¯t desirable. The other party would take advantage of me if they sized me up based on appearance, and street urchin that didn¡¯t receive protection from the feudal lord was an easy target for robbery. That was why sometimes I would also wash my clothes, but perhaps I should buy new clothes soon?


    My outfit was old clothes with relatively good quality, but it was getting frayed from my life in the forest. Furthermore due to my growing magic power, my body was also rapidly growing. My clothes that only reached until above the knees had become too short for me. It now only reached until halfway of my thighs. It wasn¡¯t like it bothered me even if it got seen, but the troubles might increase if I got found out as a girl. I didn¡¯t really understand why that would happen, but the ¡°knowledge¡± told me that was how it was, so I should be careful.


    Now then, let¡¯s depart. When the sun was starting to set, I shouldered my bag and left the campsite. With my social status right now, the soldiers patrolling the road were the most troublesome factor for me. It would be troubling if they took me into custody because I was just a child, and I had no confidence that I would be able to run away if the soldiers turned out to be evil. However if it was night, I had night vision skill even if it was just at level 1, so I thought that I would be able to manage somehow.


    It was an ability that I obtained by seeing color in magic particles, but its precision was definitely increasing through my life in the forest for these three weeks. The soldiers were troublesome but, they were also removing dangerous creatures like wolf for me, so night was safer for me.


    I used body strengthening and started walking on the road without making any sound. I trained to match my magic particle with the surrounding to erase my presence while also training to move without any sound at the same time. What I learned from trying it out was that in order to erase sound, it wasn¡¯t enough to just move slowly and quietly. I noticed that muscle strength was also important. If I used the muscle in my legs and my whole body to soften the impact, then the sound I created from moving would naturally get smaller. And then if I moved by matching the flow of magic particles around me, I would blend to the surrounding even more.


    I used the body strengthening not to speed up, but to erase my sound by suppressing the impact from walking while walking through the path heading to the town faster than usual.


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­fuu¡¹


    A normal carriage would take half a day to travel from that campsite until the town. By walking you could reach the town at night if you left the campsite at early morning.


    The first time I headed to the town, I left at morning and arrived at the town late at night the next day when it was nearing dawn. This time thanks to my increasing magic power, I became able to maintain my body strengthening. Perhaps it was thanks to that I was able to arrive to the town in around the same time with the first time though I left at night.


    Even so I got really tired, so I slept until morning in the surrounding forest to recover my magic power and stamina. I should be able to become able to move immediately if I used Heal, but Feld said that it would become harder for my stamina to grow if I used magic to recover, so it would be better to not use it as much as possible during my training.


    I slept on a tree and woke up when the bell rang out three times. It was eight o¡¯clock in the morning. I infiltrated into the slum quarters from the usual place. I erased my presence by matching myself with the surrounding magic particles and also erased my walking sound with a way of walking that didn¡¯t use my heels.


    Thanks to obtaining stealth skill and search skill, fewer residents of slum quarters noticed me. But despite the ¡°knowledge¡± that I had, I had few actual experiences so it would be better if I didn¡¯t let my guard down.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I felt something¡­¡­a presence. What was this¡­¡­I didn¡¯t really understand. It wasn¡¯t a presence that was easy to sense like Feld¡¯s surging aura. To be more accurate this was a bit different from presence¡­¡­should I call it an out of place feeling instead?


    It wasn¡¯t that there was something, this out of place feeling, it was like something that was always there wasn¡¯t there now.


    ¡­¡­Was it just my imagination? Even while thinking that, I fastened my pace a little and got out of the slum quarters. It didn¡¯t feel really good, so let¡¯s immediately left from this town after I finished shopping.


    ¡¸So you¡¯re here again huh¡­¡­¡±ash smeared¡±.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    When I passed the general store¡¯s door, the old shop owner glared at me.


    ¡¸Preserved food again?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, do you have¡­¡­something nutritious that can be kept for a long time?¡¹


    ¡¸Nutritious? You know about strange word even though you¡¯re just a brat. I don¡¯t know any food like that, but if you want something that can make you feel full then I have nuts.¡¹


    The owner scowled with irritation, even so he still went to the back of the shop and brought a smallish jute bag.


    ¡¸It¡¯s filled with some nuts. Five bronze coins.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­They are charred.¡¹


    The nuts were already roasted to make them lasted longer, but quite a lot of them were charred or cracked.


    ¡¸I told you this is that kind of shop. Go to a proper shop if you want proper things.¡¹


    Perhaps this was leftovers that were gathered from stall or cart. Their appearance was bad and the taste was also bad. That was why they couldn¡¯t be sold to customer but rather than throwing them away, it would be better to sell them even if the price was dirt cheap. Also there was also people like me who would buy even something like this as long as they were cheap.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Give me some extra.¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll give you extra if you buy a bit more. Got any more order?¡¹


    ¡¸Can you buy this kind of thing?¡¹


    I took out the magical fragrant fruits that I had from the bag I shouldered. The old shop owner¡¯s eyes slightly widened, then he glared at me again.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Where did you get them from?¡¹


    ¡¸I picked them from inside the forest. I can¡¯t explain where because there is no landmark.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­I see.¡¹


    What he saw from me seemed to convince him. After the shop owner understood that I wasn¡¯t stealing them, he stared fixedly at the fruits before making a thinking gesture for a bit.


    ¡¸Do you know what they are?¡¹


    ¡¸Of course.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­They aren¡¯t that bad but they are uneven. And it looks like it has been some time since you picked them, so they are starting to spoil already. Taking into consideration of the time I¡¯ll need to search for a buyer¡­¡­I won¡¯t be able to buy them with the regular price y¡¯know?¡¹


    ¡¸No problem. This shop is that kind of shop after all.¡¹


    When I said that, the shop owner grandpa smiled slightly.


    ¡¸There are six of them huh. Then I¡¯ll buy them all with three silver coins. If you don¡¯t like it then go to somewhere else.¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m fine with that.¡¹


    I obediently nodded at the grandpa¡¯s words. Perhaps it was half the price of the regular price. Most likely, even if I brought them to other shop, the chance was high that they would also size me up and reduced the price. Besides this grandpa, despite his fierce glare and curt attitude, I could feel his sincerity for business even when he was just facing a kid like me.


    I also bought beans, dried meat, and also salt and sugar crystals even though they were slightly expensive. Perhaps buying dried vegetables would be cheaper from a street stall, but as I was thinking about what I should do, the door behind me opened and small silhouettes rushed in.


    ¡¸You brats, don¡¯t make a noise-!¡¹


    The two silhouettes that rushed in cowered from the grandpa¡¯s angry yell. Children? As I turned around in puzzlement, one of them raised her voice before I could confirm their identity.


    ¡¸Ah! Aria-!¡¹


    It was those siblings. The little sister Shuri yelled my name and hugged me. She had completely forgotten that they had gotten yelled at just now. The big brother Gil was looking alternately at me and Shuri and the shop owner in fluster. Then his gaze settled on me to run away from the grandpa¡¯s sharp gaze.


    ¡¸A-Aria, just where have you been huh-¡¹


    ¡¸Outside, why?¡¹


    It wasn¡¯t like they were my comrade, and we also weren¡¯t friend. I pushed away Shuri from me while casually answering him. Gil closed his mouth with a flinch before he suddenly remembered something and took out a sack.


    ¡¸Even I can go outside-. I come here to sell the rabbit that I hunted outside yeah-¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Won¡¯t it be better to eat it yourself?¡¹


    It looked like he had hunted rabbit outside the town, but perhaps it had taken him more effort than expected. The rabbit¡¯s skin was ragged and its blood hadn¡¯t even been drained out. When I calmly turned my gaze to the shop owner, the grandpa was sighing in irritation seeing the rabbit¡¯s condition.


    ¡¸Aria, have you grown taller?¡¹


    Shuri who was watching the exchange between Gil and me interrupted. I noticed it because of the increase of my magic power and the ¡°growing pains¡±, but Shuri noticed because her eye level that was about the same with me when we met for the first time was lower now.


    ¡¸By the way, why were you two in a rush like that just now?¡¹


    It would be a pain to explain it, so I changed the topic. That made Gil recalled what happened just now and clung on that topic.


    ¡¸That¡¯s right-! There is this strange uncle outside! He was sighing after staring hard at Shuri and me. It was unpleasant so we ran away here.¡¹


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­¡¹


    A strange uncle? Was it Feld? While I was thinking of such rude thing, the shop owner grandpa who seemed to be listening to our talk raised his voice.


    ¡¸I heard recently there is an unfamiliar man hanging around in this area. From the way he is dressed and his stature, there is a rumor that he might be a thief. You brats, don¡¯t get yourself kidnapped out there.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    Thief huh¡­¡­troublesome. For me right now, such opponent would be several levels more troublesome than some unskillful soldier. Thief wasn¡¯t just a mere robber or thug, they had Skill for the sake of stealing. Perhaps they also had some way to fight. They were managed by a criminal organization called Thief Guild that was like mafia. They wouldn¡¯t do anything flashy that could cause the country to take action, but in the end they were people who only moved for the sake of money, so it couldn¡¯t be predicted what kind of act they might perpetrate.


    The feeling that felt like ¡°presence¡± that I sensed when coming here might be that man. If that wasn¡¯t just my imagination and he was really there, I felt that he was someone with skill that was far beyond the reach of the like of me.


    ¡­¡­Let¡¯s leave this town right away.


    My shopping was only half finished, but I shouldn¡¯t risk the danger, so I immediately headed toward the hole in the wall surrounding the town as soon as I left the shop. I used my stealth to shake off the siblings who were trying to follow me again and arrived in front of the exit. There I noticed the ¡°presence¡± that I felt when I just arrived here.


    To be more accurate it wasn¡¯t a presence. But there was just something that was too conspicuous in its nonexistence that I felt something was out of place. If I assumed that ¡ºthe skilled thief¡» was there, then perhaps this was ¡¶stealth skill¡· at work. My mind made that kind of connection.


    When I quietly moved my gaze around, I noticed there were magic particles with unnatural ¡°color¡±. If I tried to sense the magic particles, I wouldn¡¯t notice because this out of place feeling was blending with the surrounding. But that strange magic particle color looked like ¡°human shape¡±. When my gaze stopped there, that human shaped magic particle suddenly swelled up.


    (Body strengthening!?)


    I wouldn¡¯t understand if I hadn¡¯t directly felt Feld¡¯s body strengthening before. No, it was mostly just a coincidence that I could arrive at such thought. The moment I thought that, I had leaped to the side almost unconsciously. A moment later, an iron blade stabbed the spot where I was standing on just now.


    ¡¸Hoo¡­¡­¡¹


    A man appeared with his human presence registering in my senses. It seemed that his stealth had been removed. The man threw a manly smirk at me who had just dodged his throwing knife.


    ¡¸Looks like I¡¯ll be able to enjoy this a little.¡¹

 Volume 1 - CH 11

    A man pointed his blade at me in a corner of the slum quarters where there was nobody around. He looked to be around his early thirty. He had medium build and height, brown hair and eyes, and he gave an impression as though I would lose sight of him right away if he blended into the crowd. The man put on a masculine grin and let out his ¡°killing intent¡±. The instant I felt that, I activated my body strengthening in full force and ran away.


    The man¡¯s stealth skill was several levels above me. Most likely there was an incomparably vast gap of fighting skill between us. That was why I abandoned the option of fighting or hiding and chose to run away with all my strength.


    The hole that led to outside the town couldn¡¯t be passed through by adult male. I believed that I would be able to get away if I entered there and started running without looking back. Then I heard the sound of something slicing through wind and a sharp blade grazed the tip of my nose.


    ¡¸Oi oi, don¡¯t run.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The man¡¯s killing intent was slowly leaking out. Cold sweat trickled on my back. He was playing with me¡­¡­. The difference of strength between the man and me allowed him to do so. This man, he wasn¡¯t just a thief. There was no opening for me to use appraisal crystal on him, but the pressure that I felt from him was close to Feld, although it was a different type of pressure and his wasn¡¯t as strong as Feld.


    Would I be able to escape from this man? Even so it was far better than choosing the option of ¡°fighting¡±. I started running the instant I decided that. The man immediately chased after me. But that was because the man underestimated me as a kid. If not he would have already ended this by throwing a blade into my back.


    *Shu-!*


    ¡¸Oh!?¡¹


    The man raised his voice from the skewer that I threw behind at him while running.


    I had been practicing but I still hadn¡¯t obtained throwing skill. I still couldn¡¯t stab a living creature deeply with that weapon. But the man still felt like playing around. I didn¡¯t think that he would chase me too deeply when there was a risk of getting injured.


    *Kin*, the skewer was easily deflected by the man¡¯s blade. However because of that his focus was diverted for an instant from me. I gathered magic particles of light around me using that opening and forcefully dyed my magic power with the color of light.


    ¡¸Light-!¡¹


    I forcefully combusted the magic particles all at once and emitted a strong light just for a moment.


    ¡¸Ooh!?¡¹


    The man¡¯s surprised voice resounded. I wouldn¡¯t let the opening that I created with much effort to slip away. I turned at the corner with a leap in that instant. But then man muttered something in that moment.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Noise(Auditory Hallucination).¡¹


    ¡¸Tsu!¡¹


    Sorcery-? In that moment I heard the sound of that man stepping on the ground from the direction I was heading. I immediately leaped to the side.


    My sight was also imperfect due to the light, but I should have taken away the man¡¯s sight. I didn¡¯t know the true identity of the sorcery just now, but when I tried to break away from that spot by relying only on the color of magic particles and my senses, my head suddenly got grabbed strongly from behind.


    ¡¸Got you.¡¹


    ¡¸Tsu!?¡¹


    The man who should be in front of me was behind me. Furthermore he was knowing where I was accurately even though his sight should have been blinded. Why? I put off thinking about that for later and pulled out the knife on my waist almost reflexively. *Clang* A hard sound rang out and the knife in my hand was deflected and sent flying.


    ¡¸Fuh!¡¹


    With an exhale I deeply suppressed my shaken heart. I endured the pain on my scalp and forcefully changed my stance while striking the wrist of the man¡¯s hand that was grabbing me with my elbow. The man¡¯s hand slightly slackened and I forcefully slipped off from it. I rolled on the ground and took some distance from him and looked up to the man while on all four.


    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹¡¹


    So this was real battle¡­¡­. The man narrowed his eyes that were still slightly blinded. He frowned from the ash that got stuck on his hand while displaying a fiendish smile that bared his fang.


    I wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from his grasp if it wasn¡¯t for the ash that I put on my hair to hide its glossiness. The opponent wasn¡¯t being serious so I could still endure, but my body was trembling from this overly wide gap of strength and the pressure that the man was radiating. It wasn¡¯t like the situation was turning for the better just because I had gotten away from his grasp. Perhaps I wouldn¡¯t be able to get away from him. He also wasn¡¯t an opponent who I could fight and win against. But©¤©¤


    ¡¸Fuuh!!¡¹


    I sucked in the surrounding magic particles to erase the fear that was swelling up in my heart while dying the magic particles inside me in light once more. I focused my mind to recover my stamina while breathing like a cat.


    There was no opening to use Heal. But, after obtaining Light Sorcery Level 1, I got the feeling that I would be able to obtain the effect just from focusing to it. When I concentrated, perhaps it was just my imagination, but vitality really returned slightly to me.


    I wouldn¡¯t run away anymore. I switched my mind from escape to battle. It felt like something clicked inside my head and the gears were moving in harmony.


    Surely I couldn¡¯t win against this man even if I fought him. But I wasn¡¯t giving up on living. I¡¯d grasp for life inside the jaw of death. I¡¯d struggle to the death and show this man what I could do as I tore into him.


    I pulled out a skewer from my waist band and held it between my teeth. My strength was lacking. My speed was also lacking. I understood that I couldn¡¯t get much speed with just the muscles of my legs, so I activated my body strengthening in full force and grasped the ground not with just my legs but also with my arms clawing on the ground. I tightened my whole body to the limit like a bow that would launch myself as an ¡°arrow¡±.


    The man¡¯s expression changed when he sensed the clear change in atmosphere. I¡¯d make you regret playing around while attacking me. Even if I couldn¡¯t win, I¡¯d leave behind a wound that made you regretted this no matter what. If that wound became the cause of defeat for this man in the future, that would become my victory.


    (Now¡­¡­diee!!)


    Just as I was about to unleash an attack with all my strength at the risk of my life, in that moment©¤©¤


    ¡¸Uwah!? Wait wait, time out-!!¡¹


    The man yelled in panic and held up his hands in surrender while throwing away his short sword. What was he scheming? The man raised his voice even louder when he saw me still planning to continue.


    ¡¸Wait wait, it was my bad, I¡¯m sorry! I was just looking for a slum kid who look usable for a job!!¡¹


    ¡­¡­Ha? What did he say?


    .


    ¡¸Haha, really sorry for that-!! It was the first time a brat saw through my stealth, and the way you ran away was just too splendid that I reflexively ran after you-!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The man sat on the ground and pressed his hands together to show that he had no intention to fight. I was using Heal on myself while glaring at him with a narrowed gaze. This again-! It was this kind of adult again-! It happened with Feld and then with this man, was I producing a ¡°smell¡± that caused this kind of men to chase after me-!?


    If I trusted everything that this man was saying, it seemed that he was looking for a kid that he could make to do a work. I wondered if a kid could really be entrusted with any work, but I guessed there was a lot of uses for them, like fighting in a cramped place or making an adult let their guard down. Then when I asked why a skilled man like him was doing something like that, it seemed that he was going to test the kid and if it seemed like they were useful, he was going to secure the kid with hope that the kid would grow to be someone who could be continuously entrusted with works in the future.


    ¡¸Ooh, you can also use Heal even though you¡¯re just a brat. Where did you learn that?¡¹


    ¡¸Who cares about that. And¡­¡­what does a thief like you want to make a kid do?¡¹


    ¡¸I ain¡¯t a thief! Despite appearance I¡¯m actually registered with the adventurer guild. You are looking at a fully fledged awesome scout here. Don¡¯t lump me together with that kind of unrestrained bunch. Here here, look at this.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Got it.¡¹


    The man enthusiastically shoved his guild tag that also served as an adventurer¡¯s ID on my face to show it.


    Rank 4¡­¡­just as I thought, he was someone really skilled. I believed that there were some thieves who also registered themselves in the adventurer guild, but thief who was this skilled including in combat aspect too should be really rare.


    Ordinary people often confused thief and scout together, but they were actually really different from each other despite some similarities.


    Thief put importance to not being found rather than getting into combat. They were criminal who trained in stealth, detection, and things like lock picking. In the end they were people who couldn¡¯t win against their own desire, so the capability of the bottom feeders in the thief guild wasn¡¯t that high, but they were surprisingly good in the matter of cunning.


    Scout was similarly putting importance in stealth and detection, but they prioritized being able to find rather than avoiding being found. They would find traps in ruins or dungeons and remove them. Or gathered information and handed the profitable information to their client. Originally adventurer was mercenary that specialized in investigating ruins and brought back information, so even now it seemed that there were many scouts with high combat power who registered with the guild.


    ¡¸So, do you get it now?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    The man talked about his own work proudly. He gave off the smell of a ¡ºslightly troublesome adult¡» just like Feld. Perhaps that was why this man¡¯s presence reminded me of Feld¡­¡­.


    ¡¸So, uncle.¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t call me uncle. I¡¯m still 35. Call me Viro.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    That was already the age of ¡°uncle¡±. At the very least he was even older than my father.


    ¡¸¡­¡­So Viro. What do you want to make me do? Is it adventurer guild¡¯s work?¡¹


    I still hadn¡¯t believed him fully, even so with Viro¡¯s strength, it should be far more profitable for him to investigate a ruin rather than tricking a child and selling them. Even so that still didn¡¯t mean he could be trusted fully, but for now I lowered my guard by a level.


    ¡¸It¡¯s not a guild¡¯s work. There is this client that originally hired me through the guild, but right now I¡¯m in a personal contract with them. This job is something that they are contracting me to do.¡¹


    ¡¸I won¡¯t do anything bad. But¡­¡­is it something that I can do?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s not anything criminal. Well, the job is to help out with security. Besides there won¡¯t be any problem if it¡¯s you. ¡­¡­Kuku-¡¹


    Viro seemed to recall something from my question and slapped his own knee while laughing.


    ¡¸I couldn¡¯t find anything other than the normal brats around here. Even the slum brats will take time until they become usable. But while I was getting disappointed from my find, a good pick like you showed up. You have good senses, and you can also use sorcery even though it¡¯s still crude. Also, what¡¯s with that killing intent at the end there huh! That wasn¡¯t a killing intent that a brat should be able to make. For a second I thought I was facing a cornered demonic wolf there.¡¹


    Viro described the aura of my desperation like that. Killing intent¡­¡­I didn¡¯t really get it but, I had murdered three people, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange even if I had killing intent but, how did I actually obtain that? Was it because of my training to put my will into spell, so my killing intent was seeping out together with my magic power?


    I wanted to ponder a lot of things, but right now I focused on my talk with Viro.


    ¡¸What will you do if I refuse?¡¹


    ¡¸Hm? I¡¯m not gonna do anything. It¡¯s pointless even if I force someone unmotivated to do a job.¡¹


    When I tensely asked what he would do if I refused, Viro said that with a harmless expression.


    ¡¸¡­¡­What¡¯s the work is about? What do you mean by helping with security?¡¹


    ¡¸Ou-. There is proper task that I want to leave to you, but before that I¡¯m planning to work you like a gofer as test to see whether you can really be of use or not. I¡¯m going to see whether you can properly understand what you are told, whether you will make any stupid blunder, and the most important thing, is whether you have the ¡°guts¡± to be entrusted with something dangerous or not.¡¹


    ¡¸Hmmm~¡­¡­¡¹


    If it was about guts, then I might have more compared to the average children.


    ¡¸You are a bit hardcore but, it¡¯s praiseworthy how you fully focused on running away the moment you realized that you aren¡¯t a match against me. There is nothing to criticize about your guts. In that case, perhaps it¡¯s fine if I skip forward a bit and test you directly.¡¹


    Viro¡¯s gaze on me sharpened. ¡­¡­Ah, this, it was the same gaze that Feld made when he declared that he was going to train me. It seemed that he had acknowledged me, but I got the hunch that things would become a bit troublesome.


    But, my answer was already decided.


    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­understood.¡¹


    ¡¸Oo, that¡¯s great. No, you really saved me. After all my client is going to scowl at me if I don¡¯t bring someone back soon.¡¹


    Viro sighed in relieve and massaged his own shoulder like an uncle. It wasn¡¯t like I trusted him, even so I felt that staying at Viro¡¯s side would be beneficial for me.


    Viro was an adventurer and a scout. He was like the completed superior version that I aimed for. I¡¯d stay at his side to observe his stealth and combat skill and made them my own. I believed that would be a shortcut for the current me to grow stronger.


    ¡¸Yosh, then let¡¯s go to the guild right away.¡¹


    After it was decided so, Viro who was sitting on the ground stood up without making any sound.


    ¡¸Guild¡­¡­you mean adventurer guild? Why?¡¹


    Did he have something to check there? Then what should I do while he was doing that? As I pondered that, Viro made a puzzled face for some reason.


    ¡¸What do you mean why? Of course it¡¯s to register you as adventurer.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Haa? I don¡¯t have any combat skill you know?¡¹


    Certainly I had learned light sorcery, but I got the feeling that the problem that I would get from registering as adventurer with just that would be greater than the benefit. When I explained that, it was Viro who made an exasperated face this time.


    ¡¸What are you saying huh? You were able to fight like that complete with body strengthening when you are still just around ten years old like that, so there is no way you don¡¯t have any combat skill right?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­Eh?¡¹


    I couldn¡¯t understand what he said for a moment. When my mind caught up, I hurriedly took out an appraisal crystal and tried checking myself. Then¡­¡­I found the short sword skill that I couldn¡¯t obtain until now had been recorded in my status together with an unknown skill.


    .


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  ¨C  Rank 1


    ¡¾Magic Power : 33/70¡¿¡÷ 5 UP¡¾Stamina : 29/52¡¿¡÷ 15 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 4 (5)¡¿¡÷ 1 UP¡¾Endurance : 5 (6)¡¿¡÷ 1 UP¡¾Agility : 7 (8)¡¿¡÷ 2 UP¡¾Dexterity : 6¡¿


    ¡¶Short Sword Skill Level 1¡·NEW¡¶Martial Art Level 1¡·NEW


    ¡¶Light Sorcery Level 1¡·¡¶Non-Elemental Magic Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·¡¶Magic Power Control Level £±¡·


    ¡¶Pressure Level 1¡·NEW¡¶Stealth Level 1¡·¡¶Night Vision Level 1¡·¡¶Search Level 1¡·


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 36 (With Body Strengthening : 38)¡¿¡÷ 10 UP

 Volume 1 - CH 12

    How was I able to obtain combat skill that I didn¡¯t manage to learn until now?


    Furthermore it wasn¡¯t just Short Sword skill that I had been training for. I also obtained the skill Martial Art at the same time. In addition I also obtained Pressure¡­¡­could it be, that time.


    I must have obtained Pressure from when I directed ¡°killing intent¡± toward Viro. In that case, it would make sense if I also obtained the other skills at that time too.


    I had been training in short sword skill all this time, but I was able to obtain martial art skill must be from all the practices of falling safely and the way of moving my body that Feld taught me. For all of them to bear fruit simultaneously like this¡­¡­perhaps experiencing a real battle where I risked my life had given a strong impact into my soul.


    ¡¸Come on, don¡¯t just look dazed over there, we¡¯re going to the guild.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    Viro lightly tapped my shoulder and started walking ahead. I hurriedly followed behind him while continuing my thinking for a bit.


    Skill wasn¡¯t something that could be obtained that easily. I knew that I had knowledge that rivaled adult though it was unbalanced to certain aspects and better foundation than the average children to obtain skill, but although obtaining short sword skill was just to be expected, being able to obtain martial art too was too much of a result. But according to the ¡°knowledge¡± of that woman, it seemed there was a story ¡ºBeing able to cut down a man with a sword is to have the skill of dan one¡». I didn¡¯t know whether in that woman¡¯s previous life, dan one was equal to level 1 or not, but I obtained the skill might be because I went through such fight that pushed me to the limit.


    Well, Viro wasn¡¯t serious at all in that fight though, but being captured by a thief would be the same as being death or worse, so I was also desperate at that time.


    However I got the feeling that it was slightly different with the case of Pressure. Certainly my fight against Viro served as the impetus, but a normal kid¡­¡­no, even a normal adult couldn¡¯t learn Pressure easily.


    A battle that put your life at risk. A clear intent to kill your enemy. And then¡­¡­experience I guess. A normal commoner would never emit something like killing intent. And a child who was able to emit killing intent and learn Pressure might be a very odd existence from the perspective of ordinary people.


    ¡­¡­It would be better if I didn¡¯t expose my hands to much until I became a bit stronger.


    .


    I followed behind Viro outside the slum quarters and came out to the main street.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I believed that I had cleaned up myself somewhat, but I felt a little dirty again after going through that fight.


    I cleaned myself partly so that I wouldn¡¯t be ¡ºsized up¡» when making a deal, but the biggest reason was because I didn¡¯t want to stand out. More than three weeks had passed since I killed the old hag, so it was hard to imagine that there was still pursuer searching for the culprit, even so surely there were still people in this city who remembered that such incident had happened at the neighboring town.


    The clothes she was wearing was somewhat worn out, but it was a simple type of clothing that most people worn, and her hair was sprinkled with ash so that her originally ¡ºpink blond hair¡» didn¡¯t stand out. ¡­¡­And yet, I felt ¡°gazes¡± from several people being directed to me as I walked on the street.


    Was it because they were thinking of me as a resident of the slum quarters? Nobody said anything because right now I was together with an adult, but if I was alone here there was a possibility that I would get dragged into some kind of trouble. While I was thinking such thing, I turned my gaze to the adult in question Viro. It was then he looked back with a slight grimace and met my gaze.


    ¡¸¡­¡­What?¡¹


    ¡¸Aa~¡­¡­you know, if you want to hide your face, how about you use something more proper to wrap around your neck? I¡¯ll buy it for you over there.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­It¡¯s fine I guess.¡¹


    I see, the ragged cloth that I wrapped around my neck to hide my face was standing out. This fabric was just a makeshift scarf that I got from cutting ragged clothes that I didn¡¯t use anymore with a knife and wrapped around my neck simply to hide my face. I had washed it, but certainly its appearance was still not good.


    ¡¸Oo, I see. Theen¡­¡­oh, over there.¡¹


    Viro looked relieved for some reason and looked around before he found a stall and headed there. I also followed behind him toward where he was looking at.


    ¡¸Yes, welcome-!¡¹


    The auntie who seemed to be the stall owner called out to Viro cheerfully. It seemed this stall was selling cloth, but it also sold some simple clothes that served as example of the clothes at the same time.


    ¡¸Do you have something like muffler to be wrapped around the neck? One that can hide your face.¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t have muffler in this season, but if it¡¯s a thin shawl then I got some over here.¡¹


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­I don¡¯t really understand what you want so you can choose yourself.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    I didn¡¯t really get it but I wouldn¡¯t hold back if he was buying for me. But, this country was located at the south part of the continent, so they basically only had thin clothing for protection against cold. And so I chose something long with pleasant texture on skin. When I took off the ragged cloth wrapped around my neck, I heard a small commotion for some reason.


    ¡¸Oh my¡­¡­¡¹


    The auntie slipped out an astonished voice. I looked around wondering what was going on and found a girl around ten years old staring at me with a face that was as red as Shuri. I wasn¡¯t used of getting seen with that kind of gaze, so for now I wrapped the new black shawl around my neck. When my face was covered I heard faint sighs from around me.


    ¡¸¡­¡­?¡¹


    I couldn¡¯t understand and turned my gaze to Viro. He was pressing his head with one hand as though he was enduring a headache and sighed.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Let¡¯s just go.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    I didn¡¯t know what happened, but it seemed that Viro was prioritizing heading to the guild. Once more I followed behind Viro who started to walk away. Viro was muttering ¡¸That makes you stand out even more ain¡¯t it¡­¡­¡¹ with a small voice.


    .


    ¡¸And this is the adventurer guild-!¡¹


    For some reason Viro spoke loudly in self-abandonment with a voice that reverberated through the street.


    Viro entered inside with a walking pace that got slightly faster. I also followed slightly behind him. Although I had knowledge, this was my first time coming here. I didn¡¯t know what this place had. As I entered inside while being slightly on my guard, I felt the gazes from several adventurers inside on me, but I couldn¡¯t see any sign of anyone trying anything, perhaps because Viro was together with me.


    As I looked over the inside of the guild, I saw a board that had many papers pinned on it and several counters with receptionists behind them.


    The adventurer guild was derived from mercenary guild. It was a support group for mercenaries that specialized in exploration. Their sponsor was the merchant guild, and in exchange the merchant guild was prioritized for buying the monster materials and finding from ruins and other places that the adventurers obtained. At the beginning when the guild was just formed, adventurers also received request from the country to investigate undeveloped region that would be developed and so on. Even at the present situation where adventurers were working like magic stone miner, high ranked adventurers who could deal with requests like capturing dungeon or dealing with high level monster would be able to obtain pretty great benefit.


    ¡¸Newcomer registration for one person please.¡¹


    Viro said that at one of the counters. The woman at her late twenty who was sorting out documents at the other side of the counter raised her face. Her almond eyes slightly widened when she saw Viro and me who was behind him.


    ¡¸Is it for that pretty gi¡­¡­cough, for that kid? She looks really small, does she has any combat skill?¡¹


    ¡¸Yeah, she has. It¡¯s short sword skill.¡¹


    I nodded slightly to confirm Viro¡¯s words. When the receptionist saw me nodding, she smiled as though she was being healed for some reason, then her gaze return to being a glare toward Viro.


    ¡¸Then let¡¯s carry out the test. Is it fine to do it right now?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s fine but¡­¡­you, your attitude is too different between both of us.¡¹


    ¡¸Test?¡¹


    The two looked at me simultaneously when I muttered.


    ¡¸Yeah, in order to check that you really have the fighting skill that correspond to rank 1, you will have to demonstrate a Battle Skill. You can do it right?¡¹


    Viro lightly asked me that, but I quietly shook my head.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I can¡¯t use Battle Skill you know?¡¹


    ¡¸What-!?¡¹


    It seemed that the fact that I didn¡¯t have skill until just now had slipped out of his memory.


    ¡¸You can¡¯t use it even though you can fight that much and also use body strengthening-? ¡­¡­Damn.¡¹


    ¡¸If you don¡¯t mind, how about receiving a short course of Battle Skill for short sword level 1? Though it will cost you. The fee will be five silver coins.¡¹


    ¡¸There is that but¡­¡­in that case I can also borrow a place and be the one teaching her.¡¹


    ¡¸Is that so? Then it will cost you one silver coin to use the underground training ground for one hour, will that be fine?¡¹


    ¡¸I think that way will be faster. ¡­¡­Wait, that¡¯s right, you can use Heal¡¯s spell aren¡¯t you?¡¹


    Viro recalled that and asked me with a small voice. Then the receptionist who heard that showed a surprised expression and lowered her voice too.


    ¡¸She can use light sorcery in that age¡­¡­? In that case you can also pass the test by displaying Heal. We can ask the adventurers around here, there must be some of them who have injury on their body right now. ¡­¡­No, please wait for a bit.¡¹


    The woman thought of something and headed toward another staff behind her. They talked about something before returning immediately.


    ¡¸My apologies. In case of young sorcerer©¤©¤especially when their element is light, there is a risk that some unscrupulous adventurers will work them like a slave before throwing them away. It will be a different story if you are joining this person¡¯s party, but if you are also going to work solo sometimes, it will be better if your information isn¡¯t being spread out for a while.¡¹


    ¡¸My party isn¡¯t active right now after all¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Then, we will have to wait until a trusted adventurer arrive before giving the test¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Viro. I want to learn Battle Skill.¡¹


    The two of them turned toward me at the same time again when I spoke out once more.


    ¡¸If it¡¯s just the room usage fee, I¡¯ll pay.¡¹


    ¡¸No, I can pay for just that amount as a necessary expense. Certainly doing it that way will leave fewer problem for later.¡¹


    ¡¸Then, if you have decided, can I take a look at your tag first? Also please write the age and name of the person who will be registered.¡¹


    ¡¸Age¡­¡­ten years old.¡¹


    ¡¸Is she ten years old? It feels like she is younger than that though.¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s just a difference of one or two years right? And name¡­¡­you, what¡¯s your name?¡¹


    From Viro¡¯s perspective, it seemed that I looked like eight or nine years old right now. Also he only noticed after this late that he never asked me my name until now. He raised his head from the paperwork and looked back at me.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Aria.¡¹


    ¡¸Ou, I see, I see.¡¹


    The receptionist who was watching our exchange was looking at Viro with a very stern gaze while muttering.


    ¡¸How can you not even know her name¡­¡­. You aren¡¯t kidnapping that child aren¡¯t you?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Don¡¯t be rude. Take a damn good look at the person¡¯s face properly first before making your judgment.¡¹


    After being told that, the receptionist stared fixedly on Viro¡¯s face.


    ¡¸¡­¡­You aren¡¯t kidnapping that child aren¡¯t you?¡¹


    ¡¸Hell no-!¡¹

 Volume 1 - CH 13

    ¡¸©¤©¤Thrust ©¤©¤!¡¹


    The impact of the Battle Skill that was thrust out from my knife gouged the log that was one meter ahead.


    Battle Skill was a monosyllabic non-elemental magic. It was like a special move for close quarter combat occupation that was activated through weapon as the medium. Magic power was consumed by its usage and with that you could unleash an attack with power that was several times the normal attack.


    However, in exchange of being easily usable, there was limitation in its usage. The higher the skill¡¯s level was, the more it would consume magic power and the harder it was to handle. And then there would be a slight lag time to the body right after you unleashed the Battle Skill. Magic particle would also pile up in the muscles which felt like heat. If you forcefully used your muscles while the heat hadn¡¯t cooled down, you would injure your muscles. The injured muscles could recover using Heal, but the pain wouldn¡¯t recede immediately, and it seemed that if you forcefully kept using Heal, you wouldn¡¯t be able to lift your arm for several days.


    The rank 1 Battle Skill of short sword skill was Thrust. It was used by thrusting a knife with one hand, then the impact would be fired to the front with double the power. The range would depend on the user¡¯s technique. It could reach further than one meter, which compensated for the weaknesses of short sword which was its low power and short reach. This Battle Skill was really useful.


    I didn¡¯t have deep knowledge about Battle Skill so I thought that perhaps it would be difficult to learn it, but Viro taught me the form and showed me an example. After that I became able to use it without the scheduled one hour had even passed.


    Thrust was a ¡°magic¡± that only launched non elemental magic power in the shape of blade. I kept in mind that it wasn¡¯t a sorcery but magic, and in order to reproduce the flow of magic particles that Viro showed me, I used the image of extending the blade instead of firing magic power. My experiences of learning all the daily life magic although crudely helped with this. But I believed that it would take longer for me to learn the Battle Skill if I hadn¡¯t learned magic power control.


    *Clap clap clap¡­¡­.*


    ¡¸Very good Aria-san. That was a wonderful display of Battle Skill. With that I welcome you as a rank 1 adventurer of the adventurer guild.¡¹


    The receptionist who also acted as my examiner sent me an applause before handing me the tag that was already finished. It seemed that originally I would have to wait for a while to get this after the examination was over, but it seemed that she had created this first because I could become an adventurer already with no problem due to my capability to use light sorcery. The receptionist smiled kindly and handed the tag to me. Then her gaze changed completely into a stern gaze that was directed to the man behind me.


    ¡¸Viro-san, the total amount of fee for the training ground usage and registration are two silver coins. Please pay them fully okay?¡¹


    ¡¸Your attitude to Aria and me is too different-!¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s only natural for someone¡¯s attitude to change between a young and cute child and an uncle?¡¹


    ¡¸Shit-, I can¡¯t argue against that-!¡¹


    ¡­¡­Was that alright? Well, I¡¯d just consider it as them having good relationship.


    ¡¸Aria, let¡¯s move on to the next.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    Viro walked with loud footsteps to display his dissatisfaction. I also followed behind him and left the adventurer guild. When I glanced back, the receptionist noticed me and waved her hand.


    Come to think of it, in that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±, it seemed there was a tradition of an event where beginner adventurer would definitely got into a quarrel with bad natured adventurer, but thanks to Viro coming with me, it seemed that kind of event was getting postponed for a bit.


    .


    For now I walked while thinking back on the ¡°work¡± that Viro was going to make me do. In his plan, he was going to make the kid he picked to do several short-term errands. From there if he judged the kid to be useful, Viro would personally trained them in combat, and then if he thought that the kid could be trusted, only then he would introduce them to his client where the kid would be given the work.


    Just like how I didn¡¯t trust Viro fully, he too still hadn¡¯t evaluated me completely. And so he still wouldn¡¯t tell me who was his client and what kind of work I was going to do there.


    But¡­¡­was it possible that his client was a noble?


    As expected I didn¡¯t think that a noble would give a work to a child and a street urchin on top of that, but even if it was really a noble, the current me had grown up slightly taller, so I didn¡¯t think that I would immediately get found out as the child who vanished from the orphanage.


    Besides, there was a slight change in my mental state that was on guard against noble. The current me wanted to become strong in order to live, but seeing Feld and Viro, I realized that being strong would also make me quite conspicuous. Perhaps there would be occasion where I got involved with noble when I became strong. At that point, my life from there on would greatly change depending on whether I chose to run away from all those occasions or tolerating them to certain degree while still hiding my true identity.


    That was why, I thought that being able to come into contact with noble while having a patron like Viro to act as middleman was a good chance. Besides, even if the client was a noble, then perhaps that noble shouldn¡¯t be that influential seeing that they were making use of street urchin to do some jobs. Besides, thinking back, if at the end I was able to obtain strength that could enable me to escape to other country by myself, then there wouldn¡¯t be any problem even if I got found out.


    And then, I got the hunch that in order to ¡ºbecome strong¡», doing Viro¡¯s job would be the fastest way.


    ¡¸Then, I¡¯ll train you to be able to do the minimum so that you can carry out the job.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Understood.¡¹


    For a moment, the memory of training that was definitely not for a kid that Feld gave me surfaced at the back of my mind.


    But, it seemed that Viro would pay for the living expenses during that training, and not only that, he would also give me one small silver coin as daily allowance. From the perspective of normal commoner, it was a cheap amount, but for a street urchin from slum quarters, it was an excessively favorable treatment so there was no way I had any complain.


    ¡¸Also¡­¡­Aria. Show me your knife.¡¹


    ¡¸Hm?¡¹


    I felt uneasy handing my weapon to other person, but there was no meaning even if I tried to oppose someone with Viro¡¯s skill level. Viro took the knife that I handed to him and he frowned a little with a conflicted expression.


    ¡¸¡­¡­This knife, did someone give it to you?¡¹


    ¡¸Hm? That¡¯s right¡­¡­¡¹


    Viro lightly sighed after hearing my reply. Then he returned the knife to me.


    ¡¸Only use that for dismantling or as reserve weapon. No matter what you use it for, it¡¯ll immediately get dull from clotted blood.¡¹


    ¡¸But, what am I going to do for fighting?¡¹


    ¡¸The biggest reason I came to this town is because I have business with a blacksmith here. I¡¯ll buy something that suits you. That knife is too heavy for a brat, and its handle is too big for you.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    Originally it belonged to a large man like Feld so its handle was also big. I myself was aware of that, so I¡¯d happily accept if he wanted to buy me a new one.


    ¡¸Also¡­¡­put this on too.¡¹


    ¡¸Hm?¡¹


    What Viro handed to her was a short pants. Perhaps it was something that caught his eyes and bought from a stall, the size was a bit mismatched but it wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t wear it. But, why did I need to wear that? I tilted my head in puzzlement and looked up to Viro. Viro frowned and roughly rubbed my head.


    ¡¸Your cloth flap around too much when you fight!¡¹


    Viro said those incomprehensible words and started walking again. I also followed behind him. I didn¡¯t understand why, but perhaps it would be better if I didn¡¯t touch this topic too much.


    ¡¸Come to think of it, did you use sorcery when you fought Viro?¡¹


    Viro chanted something like a sorcery in the middle of the fight, after that he was behind me even though he should be in front of me. That might be his sorcery. When I asked him about that, Viro seemed to recall it too and looked back across his shoulder at me while walking.


    ¡¸Aa, that one. I can use Darkness Sorcery you see. It¡¯s only level 1 and I can only use one spell, but that¡¯s a sorcery to produce ¡°sound¡± at a place that you picked.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Darkness sorcery.¡¹


    I seem so it was an illusion from darkness sorcery. It sounded like the effect of making a sound somewhere didn¡¯t sound noteworthy at all, but it seemed like it would be useful in many situations in the hand of scout like Viro or me.


    ¡¸Teach me darkness sorcery.¡¹


    By some chance I managed to find someone who knew about darkness sorcery that I didn¡¯t have any knowledge about, so there was no way I¡¯d let this chance go. When I said that, Viro stopped walking and looked down on me while showing a thinking gesture for a bit.


    ¡¸Sorcery huh¡­¡­. I don¡¯t know whether you have aptitude for darkness element, so I can¡¯t guarantee that you¡¯ll be able to learn it you know? I also don¡¯t know how to teach it so I can only teach you its incantation¡­¡­are you fine with that?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s plenty.¡¹


    In the first place nobody had ever taught me. As long as I knew the incantation and meaning, I could just spend time and analyze it bit by bit again.


    We were walking through the main street while having such talk. Then Viro headed to the direction of the residential district for the low-income earner that was near the slum quarters. If I didn¡¯t remember wrong¡­¡­that general store grandpa¡¯s shop was located around here wasn¡¯t it? Come to think of it, that grandpa told me about an eccentric blacksmith dwarf. Then perhaps we were heading toward that dwarf blacksmith.


    .


    After that we walked through the low-income earner residential district for a while before I heard the sound of metal being struck from far away. That might be our destination. Viro entered the alley with complicated structure and walked through for a while with a familiar gait. Then we arrived to a workshop made from stone that had slightly bigger size.


    ¡¸Galbas, you there-!¡¹


    Viro let out a loud yell. After a bit of time passed, a loud voice that sounded like a gong rang out from inside the workshop.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t yell in front of someone¡¯s house ye bastard!!¡¹


    I reflexively covered my ears from the voice that stung my eardrums, then a dwarf old man appeared from inside. His body was small but with even wider width than Feld, and white beard growing on his face. He was¡­¡­an old man right? I too only knew about dwarf from the knowledge, but this was my first time actually meeting one so I didn¡¯t really understand.


    ¡¸What, it¡¯s the youngster Viro huh. Do you come to bring me alcohol?¡¹


    ¡¸Stop calling me ¡°youngster¡± already. I have gathered the thing that you asked me before, so I came here with it. Here, the magic stone of fire breathing lizard. It¡¯s a quality good y¡¯know?¡¹


    ¡¸Oo, so ye finally got it. My hearth¡¯s heat won¡¯t rise up with that. I¡¯ll try using it right away!¡¹


    ¡¸Oi oi, pay me for it at least. It was hard work getting my hand on it.¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t be stingy. Show me the short sword that I made for ye before. I¡¯ll make it look brand new again.,¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Can¡¯t be helped.¡¹


    I didn¡¯t really understand their conversation, but it seemed they were really close with each other. I was also watching with great interest about how he would fix the weapon. It was then the dwarf Galbas finally noticed my presence.


    ¡¸Viro, is that yer kid? ¡­¡­No, the kid got a nice face. Yer disciple then?¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t insult me so casually like that¡­¡­well, she is like my disciple. I want to make her use knife so, do you have anything suitable for that?¡¹


    ¡¸I got no weapon for this kind of brat! ¡­¡­Is what I want to say but, pick one that ye like from the box over there. I¡¯ll put it into Viro¡¯s tab.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­You are going to charge me even though you aren¡¯t even paying me for the magic stone?¡¹


    Galbas ignored Viro¡¯s muttering and threw a part of the magic stone into the hearth, then the color of the flame that was burning in the hearth changed noticeably. Intense heat surged out. Galbas gulped a mouthful of alcohol from a bottle and sprayed it into the hearth. The heat that was scorching to the skin flickered even more fiercely as though it was dancing.


    Surely it wasn¡¯t just a normal alcohol. Perhaps thanks to the fire breathing lizard¡¯s magic stone and that alcohol, the vivid ¡°color¡± of the magic particles dwelling in that flame was too enchanting for me and my voice slipped out.


    ¡¸¡­¡­pretty¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Galbas caught my muttering. He raised his face from the hearth and stared at me fixedly.


    ¡¸Ye, do ye understand the ¡°color¡± of this fire?¡¹


    ¡¸The color is¡­¡­¡±red¡± without any impurities.¡¹


    When I answered that unconsciously, Galbas stared fixedly at my face while stroking his white beard. Then he slowly nodded.


    ¡¸That hair¡­¡­ye¡¯re the ¡°ash smeared¡± that eccentric old man from the general store mentioned before huh.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    So both of them were calling each other ¡ºeccentric¡».


    ¡¸Oi, ash smeared. Yer weapon, ye are using a knife?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    ¡¸Alright, got it. Oi, Viro!! Don¡¯t just look at that kind of trashes that I left there for stupid guys to buy!! Answer me this, do ye still have time until tomorrow-!?¡¹


    Viro who was choosing short sword with a serious face from a box that was placed at the corner of the smithy looked back with a surprised voice from Galbas¡¯s voice.


    ¡¸You made your customer bought trash weapons-!? Well, I have time until tomorrow I guess¡­¡­what¡¯s the matter?¡¹


    Galbas nodded at Viro¡¯s reply and headed to the back of the smithy. After a while he returned with a thin black knife and handed it to me.


    ¡¸It¡¯s a knife that I made in the past. Ash smeared, I¡¯ll remake it to fit yer grip.¡¹

 Volume 1 - CH 14

    ¡¸Galbas-! That knife is made from magic steel ain¡¯t it-!¡¹


    Viro raised his voice when he saw the knife that Galbas brought. Magic steel¡­¡­? The moment I thought that, a fragmentary information flowed into my head from that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±. Magic steel was a metal that was refined from magic iron. Magic iron was an iron that turned black from staying in a place with thick magic particles for long. It was extremely hard and the price was extremely expensive. ¡­¡­The information was lacking. That woman¡¯s interest toward weapon was only limited to their price, so in a sense this was only natural I guess.


    ¡¸That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a ¡°garbage¡± that I made when I was young.¡¹


    Garbas scowled while calling the pitch black knife that apparently he made himself as  ¡ºgarbage¡».


    ¡¸At that time I planned to create something good, but I got carried away and mistakenly thought that I would be able to create something good if the material is high class. In the end what came out from it is this thing.¡¹


    Galbas looked at the black knife with a look as though he had bitten something sour. Then he lightly waved the knife.


    ¡¸This thing is only sharp but lacking in ¡°might¡±. I made it while only fixated at appearance without even considering what this knife is gonna cut. But, it¡¯s light with how thin it is and it¡¯s tough because it¡¯s made from magic steel, so it can repel blood clot to some degree. This weapon is just right for a brat like ye.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The length of the blade was around 30 cm with width around 3 or 4 cm. It was a straight sword with single edge that was growing narrower to the tip. This black knife was certainly made from a tough material that was the magic steel, even so I got the feeling that it wasn¡¯t suited to inflict damage by cutting open hard object or tough muscle. Even so for the current me who had weak physical strength and fought with the style of attacking only the opponent¡¯s weak point, this weapon really felt just right.


    ¡¸What the hell do you mean with ¡ºmagic steel weapon¡» that is just right for a kid huh¡­¡­? Leaving that aside, it¡¯s really unusual that you are giving your own work for a kid.¡¹


    ¡¸Who said that I¡¯m giving it for free! Oi, ash smeared. I¡¯m selling ye this garbage for one gold coin! Pay me back before I croaked! Now, let¡¯s do this. Ash smeared, ye help out too! Go draw water from the well at the backyard!¡¹


    Galbas one-sidedly said that with rapid talking before walking to the hearth with loud stomping. He said to pay him before he died¡­¡­I thought that a dwarf¡¯s lifespan could reach until around 300 years though. While I was thinking of that in a daze, Viro approached me without any sound and secretly told me.


    ¡¸Something like magic steel knife is priced five gold coins at the very least. Even if this knife is an early work of Galbas and a badly done one in his perspective, its price should still be more than twenty gold coins. Well, I don¡¯t know what make that eccentric old man take a liking to you but, just take the knife thankfully.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    I ran away from the orphanage after deciding to oppose my fate. There wasn¡¯t just that old hag of the orphanage and that woman who tried to replace me, this world was also filled with many horrible adults in the slum quarters who would target me for what little money I had even though I was just a child. Even so, there were also people like Feld, the grandpa in the general store, Viro, and Galbas who would give something to a street urchin like me who didn¡¯t have anything.


    Fundamentally I wouldn¡¯t open up myself to other people. There were also adults who would sacrifice children in order to protect their own livelihood, like the citizens of that town that pretended to not see the abuse on the orphans.


    That was why I wanted to become strong. In order to repel the malice of other people.


    That was why¡­¡­I was thinking to treasure this encounter and repaid this favor as much as possible when I became strong.


    After that I drew water from the well at the backyard, carried the charcoal for the hearth, and when I was free I took lesson from Viro about the martial art that was used by scout. Viro got bored at the middle and went to a bar, but I stayed behind in that place and helped Galbas while practicing short sword and darkness sorcery.


    When it was midnight, Viro returned back with alcohol and food that he bought from the bar. I ran out of stamina and fell asleep before I noticed. When I woke up at the morning on the dirt floor of the smithy, Galbas handed the black knife that he had adjusted to me.


    ¡¸Ash smeared. This is your weapon.¡¹


    Originally it was a light knife for an adult to use with one hand, but its handle had been modified so that even a kid could grab it with both hands.


    ¡¸If one day the grip doesn¡¯t fit ye anymore, come here with alcohol-. And bring money properly too next time-! Gahhahah!!¡¹


    ¡¸Yes. I¡¯ll come again. Absolutely¡­¡­¡¹


    The black knife was slightly longer than Feld¡¯s knife but the blade was thin and it was surprisingly light. It was slightly too big for the current me, but the handle fit into my grip nicely. It seemed that Viro¡¯s silver colored short sword had also been fixed, so after receving that, we left behind the smith of the sharp tongued and eccentric dwarf¡­¡­who was also slightly soft on kid.


    Before leaving, Galbas also said©¤©¤¡ºIf ye ever go to the capital, try going to the armor shop that my little bro opens. He is an oddball but if ye tell him that I¡¯m the one telling you to go there, he might give you some discount¡».


    After an eccentric it was an oddball next¡­¡­. I didn¡¯t know whether I¡¯d ever have the chance to go to the capital, but I wondered what kind of armor would be created by an oddball dwarf.


    .


    ¡¸Then Aria. Prepare to leave this town. I¡¯ll train you a lot while we move.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    We went to the main street and began to prepare to leave this town for real. But, where would we go? It seemed that monsters were living at the north of this town, so would we go there to train to face monster?


    I ran away from the orphanage and lived in the forest, but I never went to a proper trip. But if wasn¡¯t mistaken, half a day should be enough to arrive at the northern part where monsters came out.


    ¡¸Then first let¡¯s head to Count Taurus¡¯s territory. We aren¡¯t going to use carriage so keep that in mind.¡¹


    ¡¸We aren¡¯t going to north?¡¹


    When I asked that question, Viro stroked his stubble that had grown longer than yesterday and grinned.


    ¡¸Do you think we¡¯re going to hunt monster in a ruin just like a proper adventurer? Even I can hunt monster by myself to some degree, and even you should be able to hunt monster at goblin¡¯s level. But, at your level it¡¯s still too early for you to go to monster¡¯s inhabitant. It will be just a waste of my time if you die easily right? I¡¯ll drill some degree of skills for scouting into you before that.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Roger.¡¹


    There was truth to what he said. Monsters would come out in a deep forest even in this country. But those were weak monsters like goblin or kobold. Even the strongest would be demon wolf or hobgoblin at most.


    Goblin was an ugly monster with low intelligence and small build like human child. In a very loose definition, it seemed that goblin was also a type of ¡ºdemi human¡», but they were also called ¡ºbeast demi human¡» by some to differentiate them from intelligent demi human like elf or dwarf. Well, calling goblin like that was insulting to the beastmen, so in the end they were classified as ¡ºmonster¡».


    According to Viro¡¯s explanation, it seemed that goblin¡¯s combat strength was around 30 until 50. It was a combat strength that equaled to an armed ordinary person. Even goblin that was called as the weakest monster had higher combat strength than me who had obtained short sword skill, so I felt just a little bit dejected. Viro taught me the meaning of combat strength when he saw me like that.


    ¡¸Combat skill at level 1 doesn¡¯t really affect your combat strength. The obvious difference will only show up from level 2 and above. But, don¡¯t overly trust the ¡ºoverall combat strength¡» that you see in appraisal. Your combat strength is low because you¡¯re still a kid and your status is low. Bluntly speaking, even the adults that you can find anywhere has higher combat strength than you, but if you fight them, you will be able to influence the battle to be in your advantage. Skill is also important in battle, but the most important thing is the ¡°experience¡± to control the skill and the ¡°wisdom¡± to make use of it. Just think of combat strength as simply a rough estimate in the end.¡¹


    ¡¸Understood.¡¹


    Combat strength was just a rough estimate. But as expected, it would be better to run away if there was a difference of ten times in combat strength.


    The combat strength of adult in town was around 40. In order to have a rough estimate, I asked Viro to be allowed to appraise him.


    .


    ¨‹ Viro   Race : Human  ¨C Rank 4


    ¡¾Magic Power : 170/190¡¿¡¾Stamina : 278/310¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 900 (During Body Strengthening : 1094)¡¿


    .


    He was strong just as I thought. He had combat strength that was undeniably twenty times of mine, so my decision to immediately run away before this wasn¡¯t wrong, but I understood that even running away was difficult with this much difference in combat strength between us.


    I used the front gate for the first time when leaving the town. I entered illegally until now, but when I showed the tag of adventurer guild, the guard only checked it slightly before easily allowing me to pass.


    But I was able to come and leave using the tag of rank 1 only at this town where I registered. If I remembered right, we would need to pass several noble territories until we arrived at Count Taurus¡¯s territory. A free folk like me would need to pay the expensive amount of one silver coin every time I wanted to enter a large town, but it seemed that Viro didn¡¯t plan to stop by in town much.


    ¡¸If we are just passing a noble¡¯s territory, we should be able to pass using my tag with you acting as my companion. If not then a party that consist of members of different rank won¡¯t be able to go to an expedition. As expected that way won¡¯t work to enter a town with rampart, but even though we are going to mainly use the main highway, I¡¯m planning to stay at the inn of small village or town along the mountain road. Well, most of the time we are going to camp out though, but you won¡¯t have any problem with that right?¡¹


    ¡¸Of course.¡¹


    When I heard that we were going to head south, I was wary thinking that we were going to pass that town where the orphanage was located, but that town was more at the southeast rather than at south. It didn¡¯t seem like it was connected with the main highway.


    In this Baron Horace¡¯s territory, there were only two towns with rampart where they would charge a silver coin to enter, the town we just left and an inn town that was nearby the territory of another noble. Even to reach that inn town, with our legs we would arrive there at evening if we left in the morning. But Viro said that we would head directly to another noble¡¯s territory without stopping by there.


    But, would our food supply be alright if we went through that kind of forced march? It would be fine if we could hunt animal in the forest, but our journey would slow down if we had to take time doing that and my training would also get delayed.


    ¡¸You don¡¯t need to worry about food.¡¹


    Viro said that and lightly tapped the bag that he carried on his back. Its appearance was a bit ragged, but it looked tough and made from an expensive looking leather. But its size wasn¡¯t that different from the bag that I was carrying.


    ¡¸That bag doesn¡¯t seem to have much in it.¡¹


    ¡¸Aa, you don¡¯t know? This bag has space sorcery applied to it. The inside can be filled with five times the amount then its appearance suggest, and the weight is also reduced. This thing is outrageously expensive just so you know.¡¹


    ¡¸Space sorcery¡­¡­¡¹


    The moment I muttered that, the lesson from that woman¡¯s teacher surfaced from the ¡°knowledge¡±.


    Space sorcery was a type of darkness sorcery. It seemed that by interfering with space, you could do things like changing the weight of object or increasing the capacity of the inside of a bag like what Viro had. However, the sorcery wasn¡¯t as easy as it sounded. Doing anything practical with it would need very high level sorcery, like the ¡¾teleportation¡¿ that I recalled just now. You would need at least level 4 or above to do something like space expansion. You would need level 6 to do something like teleportation that sent human to jump to somewhere.


    I had asked Viro to teach me the spell of darkness sorcery Noise, but I still didn¡¯t see any sign of being able to activate the sorcery successfully. What did I do wrong¡­¡­. I got the feeling that most likely it was because my image about ¡°darkness¡± was wrong.


    Space sorcery. Illusion sorcery. Sorceries that didn¡¯t seem like they were related with darkness if you thought about it normally were classified as ¡°darkness sorcery¡±. I got the feeling that this fact would become the key.


    .


    Just as Viro declared at the start, the rampart of the inn town came into view when it was nearing sunset, but we only circled around the rampart outside and entered the next viscount territory. This viscount territory was smaller than the previous Baron Horace¡¯s territory, but the big village and other places there that we stopped by on the way looked like they were more prosperous compared to the small town where my orphanage was located.


    Like that three days passed since we left the town we originally departed from. After we left from the village that we stopped by at, I was told to defeat three goblins that showed up while we walked. I defeated them one by one. Seeing that Viro stroked his stubble while making a masculine smile that was mixed with exasperation.


    ¡¸Guess there is no problem if you can fight this well. Aria. That village¡¯s chief said that there are mountain bandits in this area. We¡¯re going to hunt those bandits tonight for your training.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Another sudden real battle training huh¡­¡­as I thought, this man wasn¡¯t soft with kid.

 Volume 1 - CH 15

    Hunting bandit. It came out of nowhere for me, but it seemed that from the start Viro had planned to break down bandit or brigand group, or perhaps attacking the dwelling of goblin and the like to be ¡°used¡± as my training. It was a very harsh training.


    Bandits and thieves were somewhat different. There was also the difference in their location of appearance, but the biggest difference was that bandits weren¡¯t managed by an organization like thief guild like the thieves.


    Thieves were people like orphans of slum quarters who didn¡¯t have any other way to rise in the world and lost their hesitation to commit crime. Because of that scouts of the adventurer guild like Viro hired orphans of slum quarters also in order to prevent the members of thief guild from increasing.


    But bandits were often consisted of villagers who were troubled for food. In places like farming village¡­¡­especially poor farming village, the villagers often had a lot of children in order to use them as work force. But because they were poor, there was no field for the second son and below to inherit. It would be find if they could find work at the village or nearby town, but the villagers who failed in even that would either become thief wannabe in town and got caught, or became bandit outside the town. But this Claydale Kingdom was a country where it was relatively easy to live if you simply wanted to survive. The tax and expenses here couldn¡¯t be said as that cheap, but the climate was warm and the forest¡¯s blessing was also abundant, so the adults wouldn¡¯t go hungry unless there was a very extenuating circumstance.


    In other words, the majority of people who became bandit were people who lost to their greed of wanting to have it easy by stealing from other people. Furthermore, the thieves of thief guild had the inclination to avoid murdering civilian in order to prevent the scale of incident from getting bigger, but the bandits wouldn¡¯t hesitate in murdering traveler. They wouldn¡¯t attack anyone who had guards like nobles and only targeted the weak, then they would kill them to silence them so that their existence wouldn¡¯t be discovered by the feudal lord and the like.


    There was none of them who had the guts to take merchant hostage and demanded ransom. Perhaps because they were originally villager, they feared that their crime would get found out ¡ºbecause they were coward¡» and killed their victim.


    .


    ¡¸That¡¯s why, when bandits are discovered, the priority is to subjugate them rather than capturing them. Even if you capture them it will be hard to drag them until a town that has soldiers. And even if you hand them over, the prize money for bandit that isn¡¯t in the wanted list is negligible. And they will be sent to a mine to be worked to death anyway, so there is also no meaning in treating them mercifully. Do you understand?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    We were inside a forest that in a distance several days away from the nearby village. We were roasting the meat of a wild bird on a bonfire while Viro was talking. I silently nodded to him.


    Bandit had no human right. They were doing as they pleased in place where the feudal lord¡¯s law didn¡¯t reach, so naturally they also weren¡¯t protected by law. In that regard, I could still understand the way the thief guild operated. In order to do as they pleased, they created a large power in the form of the guild and protected themselves until now by keeping to the rules of the criminals.


    That was why the existence of ¡ºbandit¡» was just right to be ¡°used¡± for my training.


    ¡¸¡­¡­We should be going.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    I stood up when Viro said that. I poured water on the bonfire using daily life magic Water and stamped on it to extinguish the fire. I shouldn¡¯t consume too much magic power before getting into action, but if it was just 1 MP that was consumed then it would recover after several minutes.


    The sky at the far away was still faintly bright, but the inside of the forest that was far removed from the highway was already enveloped in the darkness where you couldn¡¯t see anything at all. Viro¡¯s presence was lessening inside that darkness and he started walking. I also erased my presence and followed behind him.


    I had night vision skill that could be used even within this darkness where nothing could be seen. Viro too naturally had that skill.


    Viro was suppressing his stealth so that I could still follow behind him, but if it was a child of slum quarters who didn¡¯t have night vision skill or search skill, what was he going to do?


    Just like Feld, Viro also had the tendency to think that what he could do wasn¡¯t anything special at all. Normally people would notice ¡ºKid couldn¡¯t do something like that¡» through the interaction, but after seeing me lighting up bonfire inside the forest normally and moving around without any problem even within the darkness, Viro was gradually losing his prudence toward me.


    Although he was suppressing his stealth, most likely he was unconsciously keeping it to the level that his usual adventuring party members could detect. It felt like he didn¡¯t have any consideration toward a child (me).


    Even so it seemed that he remembered that this was for my training, so he taught me various important things.


    ¡¸Bandits are different from the members of thief guild. They don¡¯t really have any specialized skill. The bandit gang this time has a somewhat smarter guy among them and hide the path leading to their hideout, but the camouflage is getting sloppy to make it easier for them to carry their loot.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    There was a path that looked like animal trail when we slightly veered away from the highway. But the path was too wide for animal to pass through.


    ¡¸Look here. Perhaps there was rain several days ago. There is footstep remaining on the hardened and dried ground. Can you differentiate how many types of footsteps there are here?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­I can¡¯t see that clearly.¡¹


    ¡¸You have night vision skill right? Try focusing to strengthen your senses in the same way when you strengthen your body. You should be able to see the shape with the flow of magic particles. Human can only obtain night vision until level 1 due to our racial limit, but you will be able to see this much if you focus your eyes.¡¹


    I see¡­¡­so that was how you used the normal Night Vision skill. As I thought, it seemed that differentiating the sight using magic particle¡¯s ¡°color¡± like me was abnormal. The original night vision skill didn¡¯t only strengthen your sight, by perceiving presence and the flow of magic particles as ¡ºreflection¡» and then matching it with your sight, you could visualize the actual sight inside your brain.


    I was also still continuing my training to detect presence from the flow of magic particles. My night vision was working by matching that with the color of magic particles. The limit of human race¡¯s night vision skill was level 1. Surely other races like beastman or dwarf had higher level than human because of the difference in fundamental physical ability. According to my ¡°knowledge¡±, rock dwarf that lived underground apparently had night vision skill from birth. But, if it was me who obtained the skill from a different way than usual, then perhaps I would be able to increase this skill¡¯s level more if I could obtain the normal night vision too.


    For now I tried pouring magic power to my eyes in the same way when I used body strengthening. Then I could sense the unevenness on the ground though only slightly. But I couldn¡¯t see clearly with just this, so I tried visualizing the sight too with my night vision inside my brain. With that I certainly became able to see the footprints.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Five, or six people?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s a bit more than that but their number won¡¯t reach ten people. These two footprints are similar but this one is slightly deeper. I guess they weighed heavier or they were carrying baggage¡­¡­the footprint is slightly disordered so I guess this belonged to the latter¡¯s underling. This method can also be used to specify the number of monsters when exploring a ruin. ¡°Imagine¡± the opponent¡¯s form from their way of walking and stride.¡¹


    ¡¸Understood.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Stop.¡¹


    Viro suddenly raised his hand and stopped walking.


    ¡¸Look there. There is an unnatural spot away from the trail. Do you know what is there?¡¹


    When I focused my gaze, certainly there was a spot where the direction of a branch looked unnatural. There was a snapped branch above, and when I ¡°imagined¡± what was attached there¡­¡­.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Trap?¡¹


    ¡¸Correct. Most likely rather than for countermeasure against intruder, it¡¯s more a bear trap for countermeasure against animal. Someone with small body like you will get a wound that can¡¯t be healed completely with Heal so be careful.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll remove the visible trap just in case. Watch and learn the way to do it without making sound.¡¹


    As we advanced through the forest while removing the traps, I came to see faint magic particles of ¡°fire¡± and ¡°light¡± from the gap of the forest at the other side.


    When I wordlessly pointed at that direction, Viro also focused his eyes to there before nodding slightly. He instructed me to ¡ºadvance¡» with only his finger¡¯s movement.


    We headed there and found an open space. I had the image of bandits living in a cavern, but Viro taught me using only his mouth¡¯s movement that it was a deserted village.


    I didn¡¯t know whether they were the original inhabitants of that village or they settled down there later, but when I silently peeked at that small village, there were desolated fields and several rotting houses there. And then at the center there were relatively better houses. It looked like the bandits were sitting around bonfire there while drinking alcohol.


    ¡¸¡­¡­There are a bit many.¡¹


    Viro spoke with his voice after confirming the location. I also nodded to him. The number of footsteps was less than ten. We assumed that there would be more than ten bandits if we included the ones staying behind in the hideout, but just the bandits that were visible from here already numbered more than fifteen.


    There were around ten people around the bonfire at the center. There were also several men drinking alcohol on the rooftops some distance away from there where they also acted as lookout. Near them there was a carriage that had conspicuous blood splashes on them. That seemed to be where they kept their loot. It convinced me that those people were definitely bandits instead of mere villagers or travelers.


    ¡¸We¡¯re going to reduce them bit by bit. If you¡¯re scared then you can stay here if you want?¡¹


    ¡¸No.¡¹


    Viro grinned when I shook my head. ¡­¡­No, it would be troubling if you treated me like a kid after bringing me this far, but at the same time, did you actually remember that I was still just a kid?


    .


    Viro who had completely erased his presence started moving smoothly along the flow of the atmosphere¡¯s magic particles. Although I knew that he was right in front of me, the best that I could do was following the ¡°human shaped¡± magic particle¡¯s color.


    This was ¡ºStealth Skill Level 4¡»¡­¡­huh. I followed behind him while burning his movement into my eyes.


    Unlike me with my Stealth level 1, Viro was terrifyingly fast when he got serious. He soundlessly sneaked toward a man who left the circle with tottering footsteps, put his arm around the man¡¯s neck, then with a movement that made me felt like I could hear the sound *crack*, the man¡¯s neck was snapped before Viro laid him down soundlessly behind a deserted house.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll deal with the lookouts first. You watch those guys. Come tell me if they start moving toward the lookout.¡¹


    I nodded. Viro patted my head once before he started moving. Then he was completely gone from my vision when he was dozens of meters away from me.


    Surely Viro wouldn¡¯t get any problem just to take care four or five lookouts. A normal child would get anxious if they were left alone in a place that had bandits nearby, but I took out an crystal in order to do my own job and started observing the bandits in order to do my own job. I only had few remaining appraisal crystals, but I still hadn¡¯t obtained appraisal skill. Perhaps there was some kind of trick for it. I¡¯d ask Viro about it later.


    The combat strength of the bandits was around 40 until 70. There was one person who stood out above the rest, but the others weren¡¯t that different from normal villager. But thinking about it, unlike thieves and adventurers, bandits were originally villagers so surely only a few of them had skill. There was no way farmer had sorcery or search skill, at best they would have sword skill or bow skill level 1.


    After a bit of time passed, I saw another man from the circle around the bonfire walking to this way.


    This was a bit bad. I didn¡¯t know whether he came this way to pee or to search for the man just now, but if he made a ruckus after seeing the corpse, Viro would have to take on all the bandits simultaneously.


    Should I notify VIro, or should I do something about the man¡­¡­I was pressed to make a decision.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I suppressed my emotion to the depth of my heart and silently narrowed my eyes. I roughly wiped the ash on my head with my shawl, gathered anything unnatural and hid them among the grasses, and hardened my resolve before walking out.


    ¡¸Mister.¡¹


    ¡¸Hm? Whaaat? A braatt?¡¹


    The slightly dirty looking man was at his thirty with a hand axe hanging on his waist. He looked clearly drunk, so he carelessly approached a suspicious child who suddenly appeared at this kind of place.


    ¡¸Are you a boyy? A girll? I can¡¯t decideee. If you¡¯re a girl then I might get a high price selling you.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Is that so? Mister. Look at this for a bit.¡¹


    ¡¸Hm? Whattt?¡¹


    The man nonchalantly approached to peer at the left hand that I held out toward him. Then I poured magic power into the weighted cord that I made from my hair and swung it down.


    *Gon!* There was a dull sound and the man whose head was struck by the weight fell behind unconscious. I quickly pulled out my black knife and straddled the man. The man slightly regained his awareness from my weight.


    The man¡¯s hazy eyes shook in fear seeing me holding a knife above him. Before his throat could let out a scream of terror, I stabbed the tip of the black knife from below the man¡¯s jaw into his head.


    ¡¸¡­¡­uga¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The sight of the man¡¯s scared gaze turning emotionless like when I killed that woman was reflected in my eyes. As the man slowly reached out with trembling hand, I pulled out the knife with a twist. Blood flowed out and the man¡¯s hand fell on the ground.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Fuu.¡¹


    It seemed I felt slightly nervous. I let out my breath and wiped the clotted blood on my knife on the man¡¯s clothes.


    There was no problem now with this. If another man came here before Viro finished taking care of the lookouts, I just needed to take care of them. I had no leeway to feel hesitation in an exchange of life, so I didn¡¯t hesitate when taking life.


    Even so the sharpness of this knife was amazing. The black blade had recovered it luster just from me lightly wiping the blood, so I realized once more that this knife was really a quality item.


    .


    After a while when I turned my gaze toward the lookouts, the light was turned off and I couldn¡¯t see the human shaped magic particles anymore.


    It seemed that the lookouts had been dealt with. The battle until now was done with assassination, but there were six people at the bonfire. Surely I would be able to witness the fight of ¡ºadventurer scout¡» versus a group after this.


    I had no intention of joining in such group battle. It would be a different matter if the opponent was unaware, it was still too dangerous for me to face multiple opponents from the front. I might simply become a hindrance for Viro if I carelessly tried to help.


    I decided to keep watch from slight distance away. If someone ran away, I¡¯d track his location, or if it looked like I could defeat him then I would do so.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Six people?¡¹


    Strange. If I wasn¡¯t mistaken, there should be nine people around the bonfire. Viro and I had defeated one person each, so there should be seven people remaining. Where did the other one go? As I looked around at my surrounding in panic, a voice entered my ears from the darkness.


    ¡¸You there, what are you doing here!¡¹


    When I turned around, there was a slightly dirty man wearing hard leather armor pulling out his sword warily.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Viro still hadn¡¯t started the battle. If I caused a commotion here and he called for help, Viro would have to enter the battle with a hindrance dragging him down.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped¡­¡­. In order to buy time until Viro finished his fight, I pulled out my black knife.

 Volume 1 - CH 16

    ¡¸Just when I wondered what was the noice I heard¡­¡­you brat, was it you who killed that guy?¡¹


    The man found his comrade¡¯s corpse inside the darkness and pulled out his sword. He glared at me who was lifting up my knife into a stance.


    Perhaps the sound when I killed the man was heard. Either way, it looked like it was impossible for me to once more act as a child to make him let his guard down, so I also pointed my black knife toward the man.


    If I didn¡¯t count the goblins that I killed as my training with Viro, this would be my first real battle. Even so I had experienced Feld and Viro¡¯s killing intent, so although the killing intent the man radiated was making me nervous, it didn¡¯t scare me that much that I needed to curl into myself.


    Hard leather armor and long sword. The equipments themselves were old, but they were the general equipments of a ¡ºwarrior¡». The man seemed to be at the middle of his thirty. There was a bandit that was stronger than the other bandits with combat strength that reached nearly 100, but if it was this man, then I guessed he wasn¡¯t a bandit or a villager but a deserter or adventurer has been. Even at the great monster outbreak that killed my parents, I heard there were several soldiers who had ever faced human before ran away from the fight against monsters.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    If he was a deserter, then Otou-san might still be alive if only this man didn¡¯t run away. I knew that in the end it was just an opinion based in hindsight, but my gaze toward the man unconsciously turned cold. The man blatantly scowled in respond.


    ¡¸¡­¡­You¡¯re an eerie brat. As I thought, you are the one who killed that guy.¡¹


    Even I thought that a child who appeared deep inside the forest like this and didn¡¯t look scared even when a sword was pointed at her would be eerie, but I too had no intention to withdraw from here. I wouldn¡¯t hate this man even if he was a deserter. But, chilling killing intent dripped out in place of anger. The man held his breath when he felt my Pressure.


    It was still easier to handle a wary opponent rather than an opponent that charged forward in anger. If he had around 100 combat strength then he must be a rank 2 warrior. With his combat strength, most likely he had sword skill level 2 and defense and martial art skill around level 1. If I remembered right his magic power was around 50. If his magic power was only around that much in his age, I judged that he hadn¡¯t learned any sorcery.


    For projectile weapon, if he was a former soldier then I guessed he could use bow at most, but bow skill was a skill that could be used independently even without throwing skill, so I kept in mind to keep my wariness toward projectile weapon like knife and the like together with sorcery from this man to minimum.


    I analyzed the situation with calmness that surprised even myself while both of us radiated killing intent to each other and readied our weapon. We moved our position in clockwise rotation slowly.


    This man¡­¡­for now I¡¯d temporarily call him bandit chief. I probed his fighting method.


    If the bandit chief¡¯s combat skill was really short sword level 2, the small me would be blown away just from exchanging blow with him. I wouldn¡¯t fight him head on. I also didn¡¯t let my guard down. My sense of judgment was getting strange because of Feld and Viro, but even this man¡¯s combat strength was a great threat against me.


    *Shun!*


    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹


    The bandit chief dodged the skewer that I threw suddenly at him in an exaggerated way. Most likely he had been drinking alcohol. He must be thinking that even in his drunken state he would be alright if the opponent was just a child, but that was because his ability to make judgment had been lowered thanks to the alcohol. Even though the skewer that was thrown by me who didn¡¯t have throwing skill would get deflected by his armor, I was able to break his balance thanks to him being overly cautious toward me.


    Using that opening to attack¡­¡­I didn¡¯t do anything stupid like that and leaped backward to open up the distance.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t think you can get away!¡¹


    After the distance was opened, I turned around and started running normally. The bandit chief also chased after me.


    I considered what was going through the bandit chief¡¯s mind right now. He was wary toward a kid who could kill his comrade and radiate killing intent and pressure. However, I was just a kid, so he couldn¡¯t do something shameful like calling his comrades for help, and he convinced himself that I ran away because I was a kid who got scared seeing him holding a sword. He intended to be careful even when his opponent was just a kid, but his pride as the bandit leader was holding him back from that.


    That was why the bandit chief chased after me without hesitation toward a place where the bonfire¡¯s light didn¡¯t reach.


    There was no need for me to win against this man. It would be my victory if I could buy time until Viro arrived. For me, the biggest problem would be if he caused a commotion at that place and dragged the other bandits into a chaotic melee.


    There was a difference of speed between adult and kid, but surely there was no difference now between me who had put down all my baggage and him who was wearing armor with his weapon unsheathed. The bandit chief followed my expectation and chased after me, his speed was clearly dulling down as soon as we entered the forest where the moonlight didn¡¯t reach. He got slightly tripped by a tree root and became unbalanced.


    ¡¸Shit, ¡­¡­Light-!¡¹


    The bandit chief chanted a daily life magic and lit a small light that was just slightly brighter than a candle at the tip of his sword.


    ¡¸Dark.¡¹


    I fired magic particles from a distance to that light and easily neutralized it. The forest was enveloped in darkness once more.


    ¡¸Shit-!¡¹


    Additional information of the enemy. The bandit chief didn¡¯t have night vision skill.


    ¡¸Light-!¡¹


    ¡¸Dark.¡¹


    The bandit chief tried chanting Light several more times after that. I extinguished it with Dark every time. The magic particle of darkness element would automatically neutralize the light within its range, so erasing the light itself wasn¡¯t difficult.


    The magic power capacity of the bandit chief was around 50. In contrast my magic power capacity was around 70. Not only that, the bandit chief had been using body strengthening all this time since he pointed his sword at me. Around ten-odd minutes had passed since the battle began. Body strengthening consumed around one magic point for every 100 seconds, more or less, so the bandit chief¡¯s magic power kept decreasing even during this.


    In the first place I didn¡¯t even use body strengthening other than when in battle, so the bandit chief finally gave up using Light in this magic power consumption competition that showed no sign of ending.


    ¡¸This damn brat! Fight me fair and square!!¡¹


    A mature adult was demanding such absurdity from a kid. And then one more additional enemy information. He couldn¡¯t even detect my location since we entered the forest, so it seemed that the bandit chief didn¡¯t even have search skill.


    Even so he must be able to detect presence. When I moved, he swung his sword toward the direction of my faint footstep.


    ¡¸Slash!¡¹


    The Battle Skill of sword skill level 1, Slash cut through the darkness beside me. As I thought, sword skill level 2 wasn¡¯t a level that I could afford to underestimate. Sweat damply covered my palm because this was the first time a Battle Skill was directed toward me.


    Both sides didn¡¯t have any decisive move. I wouldn¡¯t be able to inflict damage without taking advantage of an opening. But there was a decisive difference between the bandit chief and me. The difference was that ¡°I¡± was the one holding the initiative to attack.


    The bandit chief who was in the defensive couldn¡¯t afford to cut off his body strengthening. My objective was to buy time, so I could preserve my magic power without getting impatient. But before the time limit where it seemed that Viro would be finished with his fight had arrived, perhaps the bandit chief¡¯s magic power had hit the limit for overusing Light, because his body strengthening vanished and his gait staggered slightly.


    ¡¸Shit¡­¡­¡¹


    The bandit chief finally noticed the disadvantage he was in. He grimaced while breaking into a run toward the village. Even though he was stronger than me without even using body strengthening, he was overly cautious toward me and used up all his magic power, and in the end he ran away even though he didn¡¯t need to.


    His judgment was bad. He had no ¡°resolve¡± despite having pride.


    But, there would be no meaning to my ¡°training¡± if I just quietly let him go.


    I leaped from behind a tree¡¯s cover. The bandit chief reacted to the faint sound and swung his sword to behind him. But his sword¡¯s movement was clearly dull. Not only he became unable to perform body strengthening, the bandit chief whose former occupation was a soldier was shriveling in hesitation because he was forced to fight in a state without body strengthening that should be the fundamental of combat. Even then the speed of sword slash from level 2 sword skill was still sharp, but even me who only had martial art level 1 could evade it if it was within the darkness like this.


    ¡¸Guah!?¡¹


    My knife shallowly cut the man¡¯s leg. Although my knife was sharp, my muscle strength was insufficient to deeply cut an adult¡¯s muscle, but that wasn¡¯t a big problem.


    ¡¸This brat-!!¡¹


    The bandit chief yelled in fury to threaten me, but I wasn¡¯t scared of you. On the contrary, the fear of getting cut within the darkness was rapidly making his swings too wide that even his sword skill couldn¡¯t compensate for it anymore.


    ¡¸Dammit!!¡¹


    .


    After that I took my time to cut the bandit chief¡¯s leg many times when I saw an opening. I aimed for his legs partly to not let him get away from the forest, but partly it was because with my height, I wouldn¡¯t be able to reach an adult¡¯s upper body without stepping in deeply to the opponent¡¯s bosom. I myself had the impulse of wanting to test my battle skill, but battle skill was an attack with large movement. It would be wiser to act prudently at this stage.


    The bandit chief was stronger than me. That was why I would immediately take distance from him after each time I dealt damage. That was why I absolutely wouldn¡¯t let him escape from this darkness. None of the wounds I dealt on him was lethal. There were many spots on his legs that I had slashed and now his lower body was soaked in blood, but I still hadn¡¯t nicked any of the important organ.


    However the situation that I feared finally occurred at that moment.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Ha, hahah! I finally find you, you brat!!¡¹


    The morning arrived. The slightly shining in sunlight made my pink hair to twinkle because the ash covering it had been removed.


    ¡¸It¡¯s over for you now, you shitty brat!!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    So I ran out of time. My ¡°training¡± was also over already.


    ¡¸HAAAA-! ¡­¡­Ga, ¡­¡­wha-?¡¹


    The bandit chief tried to slash at me after he finally found me, but he collapsed on his knees at that spot. The sword also slipped off from his hand. I turned my gaze toward the bewildered face of the bandit chief that was turning deathly pale.


    ¡¸It¡¯s morning already you know? How many hours do you think have passed since then?¡¹


    I was aiming for ¡ºbleeding to death¡». That was why I intentionally held back from getting in too deeply and only dealt wounds that cause bleeding. I applied Heal on myself to regain the stamina that I lost throughout the night, then I kicked away the long sword that the bandit chief dropped and carefully approached with my knife raised in position.


    ¡¸Do you still have any way to fight?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸I see. Then, sayonara.¡¹


    I received his half scared and half glaring gaze head on while coldheartedly cut the bandit chief¡¯s neck to the side with my knife. I continued watching blood gushing out from the wound with a fixed stare and my knife still held in defensive form until the end when the light of his life was dyed in despair and vanished.


    I returned to the deserted village under the light of the morning that had become completely bright while dragging the long sword that was my spoil of war. There I found the unharmed Viro lightly raising his hand in greeting while drinking fruit wine from his flask beside the corpses of the bandits that were piled up at the center of the open space.


    ¡¸Yoo, you are late. Was your opponent strong?¡¹


    ¡¸Perhaps, he was the bandit leader? This is his weapon.¡¹


    I thought it would be better if you were worried a bit more for me though? Viro accepted the long sword that I handed to him and narrowed his eyes as he inspected it.


    ¡¸This is a low-priced good that nobles usually order. There is the insignia of Baron Horace on the handle¡­¡­I¡¯m amazed you won. Well, the background of the dead bandits doesn¡¯t matter I guess.¡¹


    ¡¸I guess¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸More importantly, lit the fire for me. I have poured oil on the corpses, but the fire of my tinderbox died out and I can¡¯t even lit my cigarette.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger. ¡­¡­How about you stop smoking?¡¹


    After making sure that the fire I lit wouldn¡¯t spread, Viro who was enjoying his smoke and I who was nibbling on a dried bread immediately left the deserted village.


    ¡¸Fuwaa¡­¡­as expected staying awake all night is tiring. Let¡¯s book a room in an inn when we arrive at the next town. The bandits have quite a lot of loot. I¡¯ll give half to you, so pay for your own room.¡¹


    ¡¸Thank you¡­¡­¡¹


    .


    Like that we continued our journey and three days later, we arrived at the big city of this area that was the territory of Count Taurus.

 Volume 1 - CH 17

    Two days had passed since we arrived at the biggest city in this region, the city of Count Taurus. But it seemed that I had accumulated a lot of fatigue. I got a fever as soon as we arrived and slept for a whole day.


    In a sense it might be just natural because I went to a trip and fought throughout the night with a childish body like this¡­¡­. After I recovered my stamina and used appraisal crystal on myself when the fever receded, there was a small change to my status.


    .


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  ¨C  Rank 1


    ¡¾Magic Power : 47/77¡¿¡÷ 7 UP¡¾Stamina : 52/55¡¿¡÷ 3 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 4 (5)¡¿¡¾Endurance : 5 (6)¡¿¡¾Agility : 7 (8)¡¿¡¾Dexterity : 6¡¿


    ¡¶Short Sword Skill Level 1¡·¡¶Martial Art Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Light Sorcery Level 1¡·¡¶Non-Elemental Magic Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·¡¶Magic Power Control Level £±¡·


    ¡¶Pressure Level 1¡·¡¶Stealth Level 1¡·¡¶Night Vision Level 1¡·¡¶Search Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Simple Appraisal¡·NEW


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 39 (With Body Strengthening : 41)¡¿¡÷ 3 UP


    .


    I finally learned Appraisal. Perhaps that was why my magic power also increased and my combat strength also increased a bit.


    The only miscalculation that I made was that unlike the appraisal using crystal until now, the Appraisal skill consumed around five MP. That was the reason my magic power decreased even though I had just woken up.


    It wasn¡¯t really anything concerning as long as I was careful in its usage, but what bothered me right now was that when I tried standing up, I noticed that my body had been cleaned and I was wearing a thin pajama that commoner girl usually wore.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    My reflection was reflected on the bronze mirror that was inside the room. There I saw me looking like a normal girl that could be found anywhere in the town. But, as expected the look of my eyes was bad. The bed had a softness that I experienced for the first time and a clean sheet. It seemed this inn was quite a high class inn where high ranked adventurer like Viro would stay.


    It seemed that Viro paid money to a waitress to take care of me. The waitress appeared when I woke up and gave me proper clothes that were used by her little brother in the past. The simple clothes that I had been using until now had become very battered and it was torn when it was washed. The girl asked me ¡ºCan you tell your father sorry for damaging your clothes?¡», could it be the setting here was that Viro and I were parent and child?


    I felt hungry because I hadn¡¯t eaten for one whole day. When I tasted ¡ºproper human food¡» that consisted of vegetable soup and bread after so long at the first floor¡¯s dining hall, Viro who seemed to have just returned from outside found me and asked the waitress to boil him tea while he headed to the table where I was sitting and sat down himself.


    ¡¸Ou, you¡¯re fine already?¡¹


    ¡¸morning, dad (monotone).¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m still 35 years old.¡¹


    That¡¯s why, that age was older than even my father.


    ¡¸We¡¯re departing as soon as you¡¯re fine. Can you go now?¡¹


    ¡¸No problem.¡¹


    I was still feeling somewhat lethargic, but I had no problem with moving. Guessing from Viro¡¯s expression and tone, this also must be doubling as a test to see whether I could be introduced to the client and be entrusted with work.


    ¡¸Even so¡­¡­that really stands out.¡¹


    ¡¸Hm?¡¹


    After I stuffed the remaining bread into my stomach, Viro pointed at my pink blond hair.


    Aa, I see¡­¡­. Until now I had covered the luster of my hair by sprinkling ash on it, but perhaps because I had been bathed properly after so long instead of simply wiping my body with wet cloth, my pinkish blond hair felt like it was even more lustrous than before.


    ¡¸Can I ask for some ashes from the hearth?¡¹


    ¡¸Aa, I¡¯ll try asking later. But still¡­¡­I think the luster of your hair is also affected by the increase of your magic power. Before long you might not be able to cover it up with just ash.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­I see.¡¹


    I sprinkled ash on my hair so that I wouldn¡¯t stand out and get dragged into danger. Right now I had Viro with me so there would be no danger to myself, but if I was going solo later, I would have to search for something to replace the ash.


    ¡¸In that case you should learn this. If you have the elemental attribute, you might be able to use ¡°Illusion¡± to disguise that in the future.¡¹


    Viro handed a piece of paper as though to tease me who was falling into my thought.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Darkness sorcery¡¯s spell?¡¹


    On that paper, other than the incantation of Noise that I asked him to teach me before, there was also the incantation of Weight that was the other level 1 spell of darkness sorcery written on it.


    Darkness sorcery level 1 Weight seemed to be a sorcery to change the weight of an object.


    The incantation was¡ºMobasaoo Iaa Niderekuresu¡»¡­¡­as expected, it was subtly difficult to memorize. The general meaning of the incantation was¡ºChange the weight of that thing¡».


    According to Viro, this spell was similar to Cure of light sorcery in that there wasn¡¯t many user of this spell. When you used this spell, it seemed that you could change around ten percent of the weight of an object the size that you could hold with both arms for several minutes. ¡­¡­That was certainly tricky. The other spell Noise was also just a spell to create sound, so I got why the user of darkness sorcery was so few.


    However, by learning about this spell¡¯s existence, it felt like the question about darkness magic that I had been holding all this time was slightly answered. I was just guessing but¡­¡­the magic particle of darkness element was different from actual darkness.


    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind it. Also take this too. You were using skewer, but that thing isn¡¯t suited for throwing, so it¡¯s difficult to learn throwing skill with that.¡¹


    Viro pushed something that was wrapped in a cloth on the table. When I opened it, there were several knives inside. Their blades were ten cm long, seven cm wide, with pommels that were seven cm long.


    From the three skewers that I used for throwing, only one remained now after I used them several times in battle. I myself had been considering to replace them with something else, but it seemed that Viro had been closely observing the weapons that I was using. This kind of throwing weapon was classified as ¡ºhidden weapon¡» that could also be used for assassination, so no normal shop was selling them. Viro went as far as the specialized shop to buy them for me, so I thanked him again, but he just waved his hand lightly saying that this was a necessary expense.


    It seemed that several golden coins were hidden in that bandit stronghold, so I received the reward of three golden coins as my share. When leaving the inn, I entrusted a silver coin to the waitress who took care of me as thanks for the clothes. If this was a cheap inn then there was a risk I might get embezzled but, surely there would be no such thing in this inn that cost two silver coins per night. ¡­¡­I also carefully put away one golden coin in order to pay back Galbas.


    .


    ¡¸Then let¡¯s hurry ahead.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡­¡­Several gazes followed me around again when we left the inn. When I checked the sources using only my gaze, I also saw several young men looking at me. Was my hair color that unusual?


    Or perhaps I looked like woman now that my hair¡¯s luster returned?


    No, it had been one month since I cut my hair, so my hair had also grown by several centimeters, so perhaps my boyishness had faded. It felt like the growth of several centimeter was a bit too long even though only one month had passed, but perhaps my hair¡¯s growth was also getting faster similar like my body¡¯s growth.


    For now I entered an alley and sprinkled ash on my hair. After that the number of gazes decreased. The impression of prosperity in this count territory¡¯s city was quite strong, even so I felt quite a lot of unpleasant gazes when entering an alley.


    The darkness would also deepen in a place with strong light. Although this was a remote region, this was still the territory of Count Taurus, and yet even this place was in this state. If I wanted to go somewhere far away, I would have to become very strong in order to achieve that.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Hey, will you tell me where we are going already?¡¹


    We exited the city from the front gate and began walking toward the east when I asked that. Then Viro pondered for a bit before he unexpectedly told me easily.


    ¡¸I guess it should be the right time to tell you. The place we are heading to is the territory of Margrave Dandall that is located east from here. There is a summer retreat there where a certain noble will visit incognito to recuperate. Our job is to be in charge of a part of the security of the surrounding area.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Noble¡¹


    As I thought it was involving noble¡­¡­. Furthermore if the noble had to travel incognito for recuperation, it was possible that the noble was quite high ranked. Certainly this was undoubtedly dangerous for me, but I had to tolerate getting involved with noble to some degree in order to gain strength.


    Even so I was amazed that Viro told a street urchin with unknown background like me about something really important like this. I too didn¡¯t think that Viro was a bad person, but did Viro also think that a street urchin like me could be trusted?


    ¡¸But, why does a kid like me needed for that?¡¹


    ¡¸About that, it¡¯s a request from the client. Well, I have some guesses about the reason of that¡­¡­. Perhaps it¡¯s because this noble who will come for recuperation is a ¡°child¡±¡­¡­maybe.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Hmm~¡¹


    As expected he still wouldn¡¯t go as far as telling me the name of the client, but if the noble here was a child, they shouldn¡¯t be my relative who was searching for me, so I felt slightly relieved. If my blood relative found the current me, I would be turned into a noble forcefully. And then I might end up like the ¡ºmain character(heroine)¡» in that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±, a human who led around various men by the nose and caused misfortune for various people.


    I understood that it was dangerous to get involved with noble while I was still powerless like this. But I felt that the event this time was a wall that I had to overcome no matter what. If I ran away from that too, then I would surely become someone who continued to run away for my whole life.


    I would obtain the strength to overcome fate.


    After that Viro and I passed several noble territories as we headed east. There were also the likes of bandits and goblins that attacked us seeing an adult travelling with a kid, but all of them were turned by Viro into ¡°nourishment¡± for my training.


    My rank was still 1 and my combat strength also hadn¡¯t changed at all but, I was definitely growing in the aspect of ¡°experience¡±.


    .


    And then a week later©¤©¤


    ¡¸This is, Dandall¡­¡­¡¹


    A plain with gently sloping hills stretched until far away with cool wind blowing. This territory of Margrave Dandall was the place where my accepted the first work as ¡°me¡±.


    And then in this place¡­¡­I would encounter with the girls who would be called ¡ºvillainess¡» and get involved in my life.

 Volume 1 - CH 18

    Heroine Survival Vol 1 Chapter 18


    ¡¸Did her highness manage to depart from the capital without any problem?¡¹


    Inside a room of the palace in the capital of Claydale Kingdom, a large country that was located at the southern part of Thurs continent, the man who was the owner of that room asked that question to a young butler. The butler quietly opened his mouth in reply.


    ¡¸In regard to her highness the first princess, she didn¡¯t particularly mention anything about her body¡¯s bad state of health and was able to depart from the capital today. If there isn¡¯t any problem on the way, her highness will be able to arrive at the territory of Margrave Dandall two weeks later just as scheduled.¡¹


    ¡¸I see. Her highness Elena¡¯s selfishness in this palace was troubling, but when she arrive there, we will be able to entrust her to her grandfather Dandall and leave the rest to him.¡¹


    The owner of this room, the prime minister of Claydale Kingdom, Margrave Belt Fa Melrose had been acquainted for long with Margrave Dandall since they were still academy student. He recalled his friend¡¯s face while leaning deeply on his chair.


    This Claydale Kingdom was three countries in the past. The old royal families of Dandall at the north and Melrose at the south were left alive as the margrave in those areas. Originally the role of margrave was to mediate between the nobles in that region, but due to the political problem from the unification at that time, in order to suppress the dissatisfaction of the nobles and people of the former Dandall Dukedom and former Melrose Dukedom, a tradition was made where the head of the two houses would be given important posts of the kingdom.


    Dandall was entrusted to be in charge of the military matter. For generations, a family member of the head of Dandall House would be the one taking the position as the head of the knight order that also acted as the field marshal of the military.


    Melrose was in charge of the domestic affairs. For generations a family member of the head of Melrose House had always been assigned as the prime minister.


    More than a hundred years had passed since the unification. The ill feeling between the nobles of the old royal families had faded and they considered themselves as people of the same country, but it was difficult to change a tradition that had taken a deep root after this late, so the two margrave houses were still monopolizing the two important posts.


    The first princess Elena that became the topic here was born from the second queen who was a princess of Dandall House.


    At that time there was no noble lady of suitable age from the duke houses. Originally that princess of Dandall House was the only one worthy to be the first queen with her pedigree and beauty, but the young man who was the crown prince at that time instead chose a viscount daughter as his first queen. That lady of viscount house was his classmate in the sorcery academy and her name wasn¡¯t even listed among his fianc¨¦e candidates.


    That viscount daughter who became the first queen safely gave birth to a son who became the crown prince of this generation. At the next year, the margrave daughter who became the second queen gave birth to Elena.


    The second queen whose beloved fianc¨¦e was snatched away from the side at that time became desperate so that her child could be the next king at the very least, but because the child that she gave birth to was a girl, her hope was almost completely crushed.


    But the second queen was unable to give up completely. She gave Elena special education for gifted children with an abnormal zeal since she became aware of her surrounding. As the result, Elena reached the level where she possessed four elements, but her body lost its healthiness due to the excessive amount of magic power that she possessed. Everything was for the sake of surpassing the prince that the first queen gave birth to. But ironically, the one who got concerned with Elena¡¯s weak body and became her mental support was the prince that the first queen gave birth to.


    The young Elena was showing affection to her half-brother to a degree that was unthinkable for a normal brother and sister. The king who felt that Elena¡¯s affection was going a bit too far decided to separate her from the crown prince temporarily by sending her to the parent¡¯s house of Elena¡¯s mother the second queen for ¡°recuperation¡±.


    Currently at Dandall, there was Lady Clara Dandall who was one of the fianc¨¦e candidates of the current crown prince.


    It was worrying whether it would be alright for the first princess who harbored affection to her big brother to approach her brother¡¯s fianc¨¦e, but Elena and Clara were cousins and they had been playmate with each other since they were little. Elena too had never bared her fang toward Clara, or rather, perhaps as the result of the gifted education that Elena had received, as long as her brother wasn¡¯t right in front of her, she was actually an extremely brilliant girl with calm personality.


    ¡¸Belt-sama isn¡¯t going to head there too?¡¹


    ¡¸Ozu¡­¡­how can I go there when I¡¯m the prime minister? Although her highness¡¯s recuperation isn¡¯t made public, someone from the dark side is taking control of the security at the recuperation resort right?¡¹


    ¡¸My elder sister Sera is in charge of the security there, so I believe there will be no problem.¡¹


    Melrose House that was in charge of the domestic affairs also held the additional post as the chief of the ¡ºdark side¡», an organization that was in charge of gathering information, protecting VIP, and removing any dangerous individual from behind the scene.


    This young man called Ozu was also a descendant from a retainer family that had served Melrose House since they were still a royalty. He was a butler of the prime minister but he was also a knight from the dark side.


    At present the king¡¯s children were only the crown prince, the first princess, and then the second prince who was just born. Although the king himself was also still young, that number of children was clearly too few for a nation of this scale.


    Because of that a part of the high class nobles was secretly maneuvering to send in a concubine for the king. The crown prince and Elena had also gotten their lives targeted several times by the people who desired to obtain a part of the interests, but they were all removed by the dark side¡¯s knights who were constantly guarding their surrounding without the knowledge of anybody else.


    Currently Melrose¡¯s territory was being governed by Belt¡¯s eldest son as feudal lord representative, but Belt who was holding multiple duties even now glared at Ozu asking if he intended to increase his work any more than this.


    Belt was a noble with a lot of magic power, so his outer appearance was still that of a man at his mid forty, but his actual age was already at the late fifty.


    Belt himself wanted to live like the previous king who had already handed over the throne to the current king and indulged himself in travelling with his wife the empress dowager for a comfortable retirement or the head of Dandall House who passed his position as the field marshal to his son and lived in his territory surrounded by his grandchildren. But his surrounding wouldn¡¯t allow him to retire at all.


    (¡­¡­Grandchild huh.)


    That muttering of Belt didn¡¯t come out as spoken voice, but Ozu guessed from his expression and raised that topic.


    ¡¸But, there is also a report that the young miss was found at the territory of Baron Horace that isn¡¯t that far away from Dandall¡­¡­¡¹


    Ozu¡¯s sentence made Belt who slightly indulged in a nostalgic thought to raise his eyebrow slightly.


    Belt had two sons and one daughter. Belt really doted on his daughter who was the youngest child and also his first daughter. His daughter was even considered as a fianc¨¦e candidate for the current king.


    But his daughter was secretly building a romantic relationship with an apprentice knight of all people. Belt who didn¡¯t want his daughter to go through a life of hardship was unable to recognize their relationship. His daughter who was at a loss from that then ended up eloping with that apprentice knight around ten years ago.


    From the rumor it was thought that his daughter and the young apprentice knight drifted to the northern part of the country. When their whereabouts came to light, his daughter and the young man who worked as the soldier of that place got dragged into great outbreak of monsters that attacked the town and died.


    However there was a girl who was born between the two of them as their only child.


    The¡ºmoon rose(Melrose)¡» that was the family crest of the old Melrose royal family¡­¡­its other name was ¡ºAlicia¡». It was thought the girl who was given that name also got dragged into the monster attack and died, but a report that a girl whose appearance met the descriptions was found in an orphanage of a small town in Baron Horace¡¯s territory came in. But©¤©¤


    ¡¸¡­¡­I¡¯ve heard about that from my subordinate. But, the girl¡¯s hair is dark blond that is closer to be red hair unlike my daughter¡¯s hair color. Her eye color is also blue that is closer to black. And from the description of the person who saw the girl, I don¡¯t think that her face is also similar with my daughter.¡¹


    ¡¸However, it¡¯s possible that is an influence of the blood of the knight apprentice who was that girl¡¯s father isn¡¯t it?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­All the women from my family¡¯s lineage has pinkish blond hair is the same color with the¡ºmoon rose¡». It wasn¡¯t just my daughter, my elder sister and my aunt were also the same. Then why is it that girl they discovered is the only one who differ?¡¹


    The women from the direct lineage of the old Melrose royal family all had pink blond hair. But, strangely when the woman came out from the Melrose House and wasn¡¯t considered as direct descendant anymore, that characteristic hair color would be gone from within several generations.


    But, although Belt¡¯s daughter ran away in elopement, she was still registered as a member of Melrose House. Therefore Alicia who was born outside was also considered as a ¡ºprincess¡» from the direct lineage of Melrose House. It seemed that girl who was discovered introduced herself as ¡ºAlicia¡» and said that her mother was a daughter of a southern noble. That testimony wouldn¡¯t be enough for her to be considered as Belt¡¯s granddaughter but, certainly it was too rushed to decide that she wasn¡¯t based only on her hair color.


    ¡¸In regard to that girl, send someone from the dark side as caretaker of that orphanage for several years to ascertain that there is no inconsistency from her testimony. If it¡¯s actually true that there is no falsehood from her words¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Is Melrose House going to adopt her then?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­No, I¡¯ll send her to other house until she become of age. Let¡¯s see¡­¡­a branch family like viscount house of Mercis might be a good place. The viscount¡¯s talent is average but his character can be trusted.¡¹


    ¡¸That person who is managing a personal territory of Melrose House is certainly qualified. And, what will Belt-sama do?¡¹


    Ozu was someone who Belt had known ever since he was born. He frowned at his question. Ozu too also knew about Belt¡¯s personality very well.


    ¡¸¡­¡­If I¡¯m not mistaken, the retired Hosu knew how my daughter looked isn¡¯t he?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, me and my elder sister weren¡¯t really acquainted with her, but if it¡¯s grandfather who worked as the butler in the main mansion, I believe that he definitely remembers about her.¡¹


    ¡¸Then send Hosu to there as the orphanage¡¯s caretaker. Go ahead to take a look at that girl¡¯s face then head to Dandall. I¡¯ll listen to the report directly over there.¡¹


    Viro and I had arrived safely at the territory of Margrave Dandall. Margrave Dandall was a powerful noble who owned a territory at the northern part of Claydale Kingdom and forty nobles as his dependents. On paper the peerage of margrave was equal to the rank of count but in practice the rank was equal to a marquis. Especially when it came to the two margrave houses in this Claydale, it seemed that they possessed financial and political strength that surpassed the duke houses. As expected it seemed that great noble wasn¡¯t the client, but it seemed that request came from the noble who borrowed the recuperation resort in this land.


    The city where the margrave lived was a metropolis where more than one hundred thousand people lived, we stopped by at the adventurer guild there only to give a report and then we immediately headed to the recuperation resort at the south without even staying for a night here. I watched the cityscape that was made from stone and the huge castle that looked like a fortress far away. ¡­¡­I wanted to look at that castle for a bit.


    After walking for around the whole day from Dandall¡¯s capital, I could see a lake from the gap in the forest. We walked around the very big lake and then a smallish castle that was built at the bank of the lake came into sight. I thought that was our destination, but Viro didn¡¯t head there and knocked the gate of a three storey white mansion that was located beside it.


    ¡¸I¡¯m Viro of Rainbow Sword who accepted the request. Please tell of my arrival to the butler Castro.¡¹


    Rainbow Sword¡­¡­? I presumed that was the nickname that the other adventurers called Viro with or perhaps it was the name of the adventurer party that he belonged to?


    ¡¸Rainbow Sword¡­¡­tsu. Understood, I¡¯ll check immediately so wait there.¡¹


    One of the guards made a slightly surprised face and headed toward the mansion. From the guard¡¯s reaction, I could feel that his surprise wasn¡¯t from Viro personally but from ¡ºthe Rainbow Sword that Viro was connected with¡».


    A while after that, a tall and lean btler appeared from the mansion together with the guard. He seemed to be in his thirty with a face that looked slightly ill natured.


    ¡¸Yoo, Castro. Are you in good health?¡¹


    ¡¸Viro, you¡¯re late.¡¹


    That man didn¡¯t even pay any mind to Viro¡¯s casual greeting. He turned his gaze at me who was behind Viro.


    ¡¸So it¡¯s that kid. She is smaller than I expected¡­¡­is she usable?¡¹(TN: I don¡¯t know whether this guy has realized that Aria is a girl or not, but I¡¯ll use she anyway.)


    ¡¸I¡¯ve given her the minimum training. Besides, it¡¯ll be better if you don¡¯t group her with the random brats around.¡¹


    Viro grinned. The butler, Castro grimaced slightly.


    ¡¸For you to say that much¡­¡­. Viro, show yourself to Sera-sama. You kid, come with me.¡¹


    After saying that Castro started walking toward the mansion. I turned my gaze to Viro. He shrugged and smiled wryly.


    ¡¸That guy has a bad look and he is also unfriendly, but he is simply an inflexible person so don¡¯t worry. For now we¡¯ll part temporarily here. Have that guy tell you about your work.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Understood.¡¹


    Which part of what you said just now could serve as a factor to reassure me? I would separate from Viro from here and be alone. Even so he too should be assigned with security work in this place, so there was a chance that I would meet him again for sure.


    For now I too followed behind Castro who was walking ahead and headed to the back of the mansion. Just from looking at his back and his way of walking, I could feel that he was quite powerful.


    .


    ¨‹Castro Race£ºHuman¡á


    ¡¾Magic Power : 123/130¡¿¡¾Stamina : 244/260¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 355¡¿


    .


    But not at Viro¡¯s level. He was dressed as a butler, but he might be a scout with rank around 3. I was guessing that his combat strength would be more than 400 if he used body strengthening.


    ¡¸tsu!¡¹


    The moment I caught up to Castro, he threw something without even showing any preliminary movement. I who was on my guard against him jumped away to dodge that. There stabbed on the ground was a thin knife.


    My eyes stopped at that only for a moment before I kept my posture low while my hand reached toward the knife on my waist. Then the faint killing intent that was leaking out from Castro vanished.


    ¡¸Hoo¡­¡­ even Viro¡¯s nonsense doesn¡¯t seem like a lie.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­What¡¯s your intention?¡¹


    Was he testing me? But, even if he wasn¡¯t serious, that knife would have pierced my foot if I was just a normal kid.


    ¡¸If you got injured from just now, I¡¯d use it as an excuse to dismiss you right away. But, it¡¯s just as Sera-sama said, there will also be times when it will be useful to have a child as lookout. Viro is the one taking you here so we will hire you but, let me tell you just one thing before that.¡¹


    Castro slowly turned around and glared condescendingly on me.


    ¡¸I don¡¯t trust a slum dweller like you.¡¹

 Volume 1 - CH 19

    ¡­¡­What did this guy want to say?


    I kept my hand hovering over the handle of the knife on my waist while meeting Castro¡¯s piercing gaze. It seemed that even that attitude of mine was displeasing for him. He slightly raised a single eyebrow before speaking as though to spit out.


    ¡¸People at the slum are humans who behave like a spoiled child due to the environment where ¡ºthere is nothing¡» and lose their mettle to live a proper life. That¡¯s why they can dirty their hands with crime as naturally as breathing and betray other people just from a small greed even when they are given work. How can you possibly believe that kind of human?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Seeing me not reacting and also not averting my gaze from him after he said that, Castro slightly clicked his tongue inside his mouth and turned his back on me.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll only give you that needle dagger and a work. Your workplace is over here.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Understood.¡¹


    The thin knife that Castro threw¡­¡­needle dagger? I pulled it out from the ground and then I followed behind him.


    Among the slum residents, there were also those like the siblings Gil and Shuri who had no parents and had no other choice but to live there. Similarly there were also hopeless adults living there like the drunkard who ripped off their money.


    An aspect of the slum was as a receptacle for people who couldn¡¯t live normally. You couldn¡¯t understand the truth if you only looked from one side, you had to look at it from many angles. I didn¡¯t know what happened to him in his past, but I was just a street urchin who didn¡¯t even live in the slum, so it was bothersome for me if he expected some kind of reaction.


    Castro led me to inside a forest that was located to the west direction from the back of the castle. As I wondered what I was going to do in this kind of place, Castro pointed toward even deeper into the forest.


    ¡¸The area ahead from here is a woodland that doesn¡¯t belong to any noble. There is the recuperation resort here so there are forest guards who will periodically patrol this area, but in a very rare occasion, there will be animals like stray wolf and the like entering here. Your work is to watch over this place. Viro has boasted so much like that, so you can at least chase away a wolf right?¡¹


    The content of the duty was very crude. Even a child could do a work like watching over a place, but I imagined that a normal child would run away within several days if they were told to do something like that.


    ¡¸¡­¡­The time period?¡¹


    ¡¸One month at the very least. There should be foods at the guard cabin inside, use them as you please.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Roger.¡¹


    Castro really told me just that before leaving me inside the forest and returned back to the mansion. It seemed he didn¡¯t have the intention to give a proper work to ¡ºa slum kid that couldn¡¯t be trusted¡».


    Guessing from what Viro and he told me, the intention of the actual client was to hire a child because the protection target was also a child, so a guardian with the same point of view with them was necessary. A selfish child might be unable to understand the danger that might befell them and sneaked away from the adults¡¯ supervision to run away. The client seemed to anticipate that kind of situation, but apparently Castro was denying that. No, that wasn¡¯t it. What he was denying was using ¡ºslum children¡».


    Well fine. For me this kind of work made me more at ease rather than getting involved with noble. For now I tried heading to the direction where Castro said the so called guard cabin was at. There I found a half rotting shed that was a cabin in name only.


    ¡¸¡­¡­keho¡¹


    When I opened the rotten door that couldn¡¯t fulfill its purpose anymore, the inside was covered in dust with empty wine bottles carelessly scattered around. The sign showed that it hadn¡¯t been used for many years. Most likely there was a proposed budget under the pretense of storing reserve foods and so on for the use of the guards patrolling this area at night, but perhaps that budget was actually embezzled. Naturally there was no way this place had any proper food remaining. Even if there was, at most it would be moldy dried meat that had been gnawed by insects. Such thing wouldn¡¯t be edible at all.


    ¡¸¡­¡­No other way.¡¹


    I put down the baggage on my back and checked what I had on hand.


    My weapon was the black knife and a steel knife for reserve. I had six knives for throwing, and one skewer. Other than them there was only the weighted cord made from my hair, and the slingshot that I previously made. There was also that needle guard, but I didn¡¯t really know how to use it. It had thickness but without blade at its sides, so perhaps it was a weapon specialized for thrusting.


    The food that I had in hands were a bit of dried meat, one black bread, small amount of nuts in a pouch, and a bit of sugar and salt.


    Other than them, there was the small wild grasses book that woman stole from her teacher¡¯s place and two healing potions, but I didn¡¯t think that there would be any use of them.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Water.¡¹


    For now I washed my dusty hands and face with daily life magic and wet my throat, then I lifted up my baggage again.


    ¡¸First is securing a base and food I guess¡­¡­¡¹


    .


    This cabin wasn¡¯t suitable as a base. Its defensive power was nonexistent, and its location was highly visible. Furthermore it was full of dust.


    After that I looked around the area and confirmed that there was no other watering place than the lake, then I decided a tree that was around fifty meter away from the cabin to be my temporary base. I used martial art skill to climb the tree and hid my baggage there before strolling around the forest. I found what I was looking for and pulled out my knife from my waist.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Thrust©¤©¤!¡¹


    When I unleashed the monosyllabic non-elemental magic, a Battle Skill of short sword, the young tree with height nearly three meters fell with cracking sound.


    I tried using the Battle Skill also for training. It consumed around 10 MP. It seemed few but, it wasn¡¯t something that could be used that many times when you were using it while using body strengthening too. It looked like it would be better to keep my usage of it to the maximum of two times until my magic power increased more. Even so I cut around three young trees, cleared their branches, and brought them back. I tied up the young trees that I had turned into poles with diameter around five cm using vines and pulled them up above the tree. After I laid the three wooden poles across the tree¡¯s braches and tied them up with vines, a simple sleeping place was completed.


    It would be a bit more comfortable if I increased the poles more later on. Just in case I tied the branches that I lopped off and hid my sleeping place. Then I smoked the spot with bug repellent grass while having a meal of black bread and water. After that I started looking for food.


    This area had a lot of large trees. I didn¡¯t see many shrubberies of the blackberries, but in exchange I found nuts with black shell and deep purple fruits growing from vines.


    I also tried throwing my knife at the green snakes that I sometimes saw for practicing my throwing, but I who hadn¡¯t obtained throwing skill couldn¡¯t hit a small target.


    Time passed like that and night came without Castro even coming to check my situation. Far from that, I didn¡¯t even see any soldier patrolling. I returned to my base through the dark forest using my night vision and stealth. I wiped my body with a wet cloth before having meal on the tree. I more or less was assigned a duty to watch the area, so I thought it wouldn¡¯t be good to lit fire at night. I only had nuts and fruits as my dinner and took a breather. Sleep immediately came to me, perhaps because the fatigue from my trip had caught up to me.


    .


    The next morning, I woke up due to the slightly strange quality of the air before the morning sun rose.


    I fundamentally never slept deeply. I couldn¡¯t say that I had a proper rest, even so because around here there was no ¡ºother human¡» which was the biggest danger for me, I was able to wake up refreshed. Even after the sun rose, there wasn¡¯t any sign of anybody coming here, much less a wolf. In the first place it was strange that a child was ordered to watch an area alone without anybody else to take turn watching, even so if I actually allowed a wolf to escape my watch, would Viro¡¯s evaluation drop because he was the one introducing me to this work?


    At the morning I also only had nuts and fruits as breakfast before looking around inside the forest. I did that for patrolling the area, but mostly it was for training, because as someone who was still only level 1, everything could be a training. Right now was the time for me to increase the skill that I could use. If I was allowed to be greedy, I wanted to make my skill to reach level 2 regardless of what skill it was, but perhaps that would be impossible.


    It was rare for ordinary commoner to become level 2 before they reached twenty years old. Most likely the cause of that was because physically it was somewhat impossible for them rather than because of the matter of their skill proficiency. Currently the rapid increase of my magic power was making me grow to a degree that was more than my actual age, even so physically I was still nothing more than a child below ten years old. Even that growth was returning to normal perhaps because my magic power hadn¡¯t grown drastically anymore. In that case should I prioritize training to increase my magic power?


    That day I was able to hit a rabbit with my throwing knife. I couldn¡¯t use fire at night, so I grilled the rabbit inside the forest while the day was still bright. I noticed it once more but, a knife that was too sharp wasn¡¯t suited for skinning.


    I picked a slightly strange wild grass on my way back. If my memory was right, this wild grass should become cardiotonic drug if it was mixed with alcohol. However, in great amount it could also become poison that caused heart attack. Could I use it for something? Let¡¯s also think about using poison soon.


    I returned to my base above the tree slightly early. I bit the remaining grilled rabbit meat while starting to ponder about darkness sorcery.


    I still hadn¡¯t learned darkness sorcery. Perhaps it was because I was still unable to have a clear image of ¡°darkness¡± rather than a matter of incantation or its meaning.


    Light had clear energy just like sun. But darkness was simply a ¡°shadow¡± where light didn¡¯t shine. There was nothing existing there. That was why I thought that the actual darkness and magic particle of darkness element was something different.


    Even so spirit of darkness could be summoned from inside the dark and magic particle of darkness could become darkness element. ¡­¡­Perhaps, darkness element was a term that referred to magic particle itself that sprang forth from darkness.


    Shadow wasn¡¯t created because there was light, perhaps darkness element itself was a physical energy that blocked light? In that case¡­¡­I might be able to treat darkness as particles and enveloped thought©¤©¤sound and image with them and sent them out. No, maybe projecting darkness particles themselves was how ¡ºillusion¡» worked.


    Light particles were pure energy, so it was possible to convert them into life force. And then darkness element didn¡¯t have shape like the other elements. The inside of Viro¡¯s expanded bag was pitch black and nothing could be seen. Exactly because darkness didn¡¯t have any shape that depending on one¡¯s imagination, it was possible to increase the capacity of the bag. But, perhaps¡­¡­there wasn¡¯t even any need to be fixated with shape like a bag for expanding space?


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    At that time, it felt like the ¡°color¡± of magic particle at the corner of my sight moved. My limit was thirty meter if I wanted to perceive the colors as scenery with clear shape, but if it was just looking at the simple movement of the magic particle, I could see within double that range.


    It wasn¡¯t a wind¡¯s movement. Was there really a wolf showing up here? Or was there finally soldier appearing here to patrol?


    ¡¸¡­¡­No.¡¹


    The moving objects were five, no six. They were gradually coming this way. By focusing my mind, their shape was gradually getting clearer.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Goblin? But¡­¡­¡¹


    There was just one among them with bigger size. Goblin was a low ranked monster with body the size of a kid. Even so they had combat strength around 40 that rivaled the average adult. Even I could defeat a goblin. ¡­¡­But what was that one?


    When I used appraisal to that thing without regretting the amount of magic power that it consumed, the true identity of that thing surfaced from the ¡°knowledge¡±.


    .


    ¨‹ ?? Goblin


    ¡¾Magic Power : 66/68¡¿¡¾Stamina : 332/340¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 101 (With Body Strengthening : 116)¡¿


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­Hobgoblin?¡¹


    Hobgoblin was a higher class of goblin. It was a rank 2 monster. Was it a stray monster? I didn¡¯t know why it was in this kind of place, but it was too much for me. However it was troublesome. The hobgoblin and goblins were slowly approaching my tree looking for prey.


    The goblins had approached until less than five meters below me. I was waiting for them to pass with a held breath, then I noticed a small light walking toward the guard cabin. A soldier¡­¡­no? This silhouette was a maid? Just alone? A small girl carrying a small lantern and a small box was approaching in the darkness with unsteady footstep. If I called out to her from here, both of us would get found out. But if I stayed quiet, it was very likely that the girl would get discovered by the goblins.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    It couldn¡¯t be helped¡­¡­. I sighed in my heart and quietly suppressed my emotion to the bottom of my heart.


    I pulled out the needle dagger that had high penetration power instead of the black knife. I matched my movement with the flow of magic particles to kick the branch soundlessly and descended right above the hobgoblin while firmly holding the knife with both hands.


    *Gakin-!!*


    ¡ºGUGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?¡»


    The dagger couldn¡¯t penetrate its skull. It slid off and gouged the monster¡¯s face before stabbing the bottom of its neck. The hobgoblin screamed. Blood spurted up and dyed me dark red.


    For now die.

 Volume 1 - CH 20

    ¡¸Has anyone seen Meena anywhere?¡¹


    When the sun set, a maid with light brown skin was giving instruction to the other maids inside the mansion located beside the castle. However she noticed that there was one girl who wasn¡¯t here.


    The lake shore castle was one of the guest houses that belonged to Dandall. The royal family borrowed it for the sake of the first princess¡¯s recuperation. Although it was called a castle, it wasn¡¯t really that big. The soldiers, servants, and the common maids were given boarding room at the mansion beside it. The palace also dispatched their own maids, but they couldn¡¯t just send out dozens of maids, so dozens of maids were sent from Dandall and other noble houses that were their relatives to help out.


    That girl called Meena had only just turned of age. She was one of the maids sent by other noble house and her background was a daughter of a merchant house who was working as maid to learn etiquette. She was a hard worker but she was somewhat lacking in worldly sense. She had an unpredictable side to her like how she gave her lunch to stray cat and so on, because of that this maid paid a close attention to Meena.


    That woman was a high ranked maid who worked in the palace to serve the royal family. Her gaze looked around searchingly. Then one of the maids who was posted in the mansion raised her hand fearfully.


    ¡¸U-umm¡­¡­Sera-san. If it¡¯s Meena, the perhaps she is bringing food for the child who had just arrived¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Child? Is it a child who someone brought here?¡¹


    ¡¸The adventurer who came the day before yesterday brought the child¡­¡­though I didn¡¯t see it myself.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Viro is it?¡¹


    Previously Sera had asked the people she trusted to introduce her to a quick witted child.


    A noble retainer brought a nine year old kid to her. It seemed that the kid was the child of a relative. He was quick intelligent to some degree, but he never did any servant work before and resigned when he reached his limit several days after that.


    Then someone from a merchant house brought her a ten years old child. The child was intelligent and would do any work happily, but it seemed the child¡¯s parent had whispered something into his ear. The child was obviously scheming to come into contact and make connection with high ranked noble. The introducer noticed that and apologized before bringing the child home.


    Sera asked for a¡º child¡» partly because she wanted a guardian that had the perspective of children, but she also had the intention of securing manpower that could be used in the future starting from now. If she just wanted a guardian, then Sera¡¯s son that she brought here with her would be sufficient. She was making this plan in consideration for when the crown prince became the king, thinking that it would be nice if her child could obtain a reliable coworker, but it seemed that finding a ¡ºuseful child¡» younger than ten years old was harder than she thought.


    Sera was a ¡ºdark side¡¯s knight¡» under the direct service of Margrave Melrose. The total number of the dark side¡¯s knight was 427, but most of them were spread out throughout the country rather than at the capital. They replenished their personnel by recruiting from Melrose¡¯s subordinate clan and their branch family, and also scouts or people of similar professions that they got acquainted with through trusted connections like the military, even so their job was to collect information from all over the country¡­¡­and also from other countries. Because of that they were still very lacking in manpower.


    Sera was still in her late twenty and she got reassigned as support in the rear after marrying, but she had to return to the actual scene like this and took command. That was just how insufficient the manpower of the dark side¡¯s knight was¡­¡­especially for personnel like Sera who could do ¡°combat¡± to directly corner the enemy.


    And then around two days ago, the adventurer Viro arrived here just barely within the time limit with a child in tow.


    The adventurer party Rainbow Sword was a rank 5 party that was famous even in this country. Several of the members had been replaced, but Melrose House had been in friendly relationship with Rainbow Sword since more than a hundred years ago. Currently Rainbow Sword was in a hiatus state, but Viro had accepted the request to take charge of the security of a part of this area as an individual.


    When making that request, Sera whimsically asked him to introduce her to a usable child without really expecting anything to come from it. And when Viro arrived, he also didn¡¯t say anything to her about it, so Sera too had forgotten about it until now.


    The former adventurer scout Castro was the one in charge of the introduced child. Viro was also the one who introduced him to her. Castro was an inflexible man with a difficult personality, but he was diligent and could be entrusted with behind-the-scene work.


    Where did that Castro placed that child? After two days had passed, he should have given a report to her even if he found out that the child was actually useless, but he hadn¡¯t heard anything from him. In addition there was also something that was worrying her. Around several days ago, there was a goblin subjugation carried out at the neighboring territory. She got the report that several goblins had managed to escape from the subjugation.


    There would be no problem if the child was assigned to work within this residence but¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Call Castro here. Right now.¡¹


    ¡ºGUGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?¡»


    The needle dagger that should pierce the skull was deflected and ended up gouging the hobgoblin¡¯s face before stabbing the bottom of its neck. The hobgoblin screamed in agony from that.


    ¡­¡­Surprise attack failed. I instantly made that judgment and immediately kicked on the flailing hobgoblin to take a distance from it. I designated one of the goblins that was still dumbfounded and unable to grasp the situation as my target. I rolled horizontally and pulled out the weighted cord from my waist band and swung it down.


    *Gagonn!*


    ¡º¡­¡­Gugaa¡­¡­¡»


    I had increased the weight by putting in fifteen bronze coins inside. The lump of coins hit the crown of its head and easily reaped its consciousness. My training showed result. When I poured magic power into the cord that was knitted from my hair, the weapon could hit an unmoving target with a sure certainty. I dealt a lethal damage to the falling goblin by stabbing its throat with the needle dagger before rolling away to distant myself from the goblins.


    ¡ºGugagagah¡»


    The hobgoblin was pressing his hands on its face to endure the pain, but it was directing eyes of anger and hatred toward me from between its fingers. The remaining three goblins also finally realized that there was an enemy. They hurriedly readied their rusty short sword.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Even so its skull was too thick¡­¡­. My lack of power also played a part, but it was a miscalculation that I failed to kill it with a surprise attack from right above using my whole body weight. Furthermore the impact from the failed attack made my hand to be a little bit numb. It wasn¡¯t to the degree that would hinder my movement, but it diverted my focus just a little bit. If my opponent was a human, just the neck wound would already be lethal, but as expected from a monster. Its vitality was strong.


    .


    ¨‹Hobgoblin   Rank 2


    ¡¾Magic Power : 63/68¡¿¡¾Stamina : 214/340¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 96 (With Body Strengthening : 111)¡¿¨Œ5 DOWN


    .


    But its stamina was considerably reduced. Its left eye was also crushed when I gouged its face, so its combat strength was also reduced. But, looking closer the needle dagger¡¯s tip was bent. I thought it was steel but was it just cast iron¡­¡­. What now? The current me couldn¡¯t find a way to kill the hobgoblin while also taking on the goblins.


    ¡ºGUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!¡»


    ¡ºGugya¡»¡ºGyagya¡»¡ºGyagah!¡»


    The hobgoblin kept pressing one hand on its face as it pointed its finger at me. Then its subordinate goblins screamed while attacking. But that action of the hobgoblin allowed me to see a small chance of victory inside. If they all attacked simultaneously, my only choice would be to run around until my stamina ran out. But surely there was a reason why the hobgoblin didn¡¯t move by itself.


    Several possibilities surfaced from the knowledge in my head. I instinctually chose the most likely reason from among them, then I turned my back on them and started running. Seeing that the hobgoblin screamed in anger and only the goblins chased me. ¡­¡­Perhaps, I was right?


    There was no way its brain was alright after receiving the impact that numbed my hand and bent the dagger¡¯s tip. Surely the hobgoblin was having concussion right now. To prove that, it slightly staggered when it stepped forward because it wanted to chase me. But I couldn¡¯t focus at the hobgoblin alone. Although the ones chasing me were only goblins that were called as the weakest monster, they still had combat power that was equal to mine.


    I had fought goblin several times before. When we got attacked by three goblins at the highway, Viro told me to kill them alone one by one as training. The number here was the same like before, but this time I needed to face the three of them simultaneously.


    The combat strength of a goblin was about the same with a city adult, but just as Viro said, in the end combat strength was nothing more than a rough estimate. Combat strength would increase when magic power increased. But in the end that only increased the number of times you could use Battle Skill, made it easier to maintain body strengthening, and heightened your capability to continue fighting, but it wouldn¡¯t increase your attack power unless your occupation was related to magic. In the case of goblin, they were stupid but they had cunning and cruelty. They would target your weakness without hesitation, but that could also become an opening to be used.


    ¡ºGugya?¡»


    I ran while throwing the slightly bent dagger like a friendly toss to the forefront goblin. That goblin dodged the dagger in an exaggerated way. That happened in one second. Seeing that its gaze was definitely absorbed toward the dagger, I threw a throwing knife toward its throat that became wide open.


    ¡ºGyah¡»


    The knife pierced its shoulder instead of the throat, but I stepped forward in that instant and swung down the weighted cord.


    *Gagon!* The weight made a dull sound when it directly hit the goblin¡¯s head. It slightly shifted from my target. I confirmed that the goblin was still conscious and moved to my next action. A goblin approached before I could finish off that goblin. Seeing that I showed a hesitating gesture whether I should pick the dagger or not. The goblin grinned seeing that and threw away its rusty short sword and picked up the dagger with splendid appearance before assaulting me.


    *Zaku-!!*


    ¡º¡­¡­Guggya¡»


    The goblin swung the dagger like it was swinging a normal short sword. When it hit my shoulder, my black knife lunged out and tore the goblin¡¯s neck. Blood spurted out from there.


    Goblin was said to be nocturnal, but it didn¡¯t mean they had night vision skill. They could only see light at the same degree with other wild animal. This goblin didn¡¯t even notice that the dagger didn¡¯t have any sharp edge at its sides.


    Experiment over. I thought that there might also be goblin that had night vision due to individual difference, but there was no sign of that.


    The goblins¡¯ number had decreased just as planned so I erased my presence and blended into the tree shadows. The third goblin was bewildered when it suddenly lost sight of me. I sneaked behind it and stabbed my knife diagonally toward his heart to avoid hitting the bone.


    ¡º¡­¡­Gu, gugya¡­¡­?¡»


    It was then the first goblin finally recovered from its damage. It saw its dead comrades and looked around for me, but it couldn¡¯t find me who was hiding with stealth. But I didn¡¯t let my guard down and approach it needlessly. I took out several throwing knives and carefully fixed my aim.


    ¡ºGyaah!?¡»


    The throwing knives stabbed the goblin¡¯s shoulder again. Where to aim to take away its combat strength with one attack? Where to stab to kill it in one attack? There was no better training than actual battle. The riskier the battle to your life, the higher the result should be.


    My next knife stabbed its arm. The rusty knife the goblin was holding fell into darkness. And then the goblin finally started running away. When I threw my knife at its back, it flew beautifully just like I wanted it and pierced the goblin¡¯s spine. Could it be¡­¡­I had learned it?


    I was curious but there was no time for me to relax and appraise myself. I hurriedly picked up the throwing knives. When I finished, the hobgoblin that finally became able to move again caught up with me.


    ¡­¡­Its wound already stopped bleeding. This was why monster with strong vitality was troublesome.


    ¡ºGUGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!¡»


    Perhaps because its subordinates were killed or perhaps because it found me who wounded it, the hobgoblin raised a howl that was filled with anger. I watched it with a cold gaze.


    Why are you angry? You are an enemy right? What¡¯s the problem with enemies killing each other?


    The hobgoblin howled angrily once more as though it heard the voice of my heart.


    (Good¡­¡­)


    The annoying numbness was also almost gone completely. I moved my fingers to check while observing the hobgoblin.


    Even though the neck wound should be lethal for human, its bleeding was already stopping. However it was a really deep wound so its stamina was halved, and because its left eye was crushed its overall combat strength was still lowered. Even so its combat strength was more than twice of mine. Normally it wasn¡¯t an opponent that I could fight head on and win, but there wouldn¡¯t be another good chance like this where a stronger enemy was wounded and wasn¡¯t used with only having one eye.


    The hobgoblin found me while I was in stealth. And so it could be assumed that it had either night vision or search skill but¡­¡­it didn¡¯t detect me when I was above the tree, so most likely it was the former.


    There was also the possibility that it detected me from the smell of goblin blood on me, but the hobgoblin was also covered in blood so that possibility seemed low. ¡­¡­But in that case, if it had night vision, as expected I would be found out with my stealth level 1 if it was aware of my existence.


    Its weapon was¡­¡­hand axe? It was like an axe that woodcutter usually used, but it only looked like hand axe when it was the large hobgoblin using it. Hobgoblin was a rank 2 monster, so I assumed that the skill it had was axe skill level 2.


    There were also monsters that had Pressure depending on their race if they were high ranked, but I didn¡¯t feel any pressure from it even after it was raging that much, so it must really didn¡¯t have it. If it had other skill than it would be defense and martial art at most. It seemed there was also a type of goblin that could use elemental sorcery, but its combat strength should be a bit higher if it could use sorcery.


    It had night vision but it was blinded in one eye just now so it wouldn¡¯t try to throw axe or stone in that state. Conversely if it threw at me then it would also become an opening that I could use. For now let¡¯s kept my alertness toward sorcery and long range attack at low level.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­fuu¡¹


    I slowly inhaled and then exhaled to wipe away the slight fear in me. I¡¯d settle the fight with it here. I understood that running away was wiser and the correct choice but¡­¡­you, became nourishment for my strength.


    ¡ºGugaa¡­¡­-!¡»


    Perhaps it felt my resolve to fight and kill it, the hobgoblin also became vigilance toward me even through its feeling of impatience. It readied its rusty hand axe in its right hand while slowly closing the distance. I also raised my black knife while moving to my right to circle into the blind spot of its crushed left eye. There was no more need for stealth. If I split my focus for that, my attention would be slightly diverted and my mobility would decrease. ¡­¡­Let¡¯s train that if could survive this.


    I paid attention to my footwork and used body strengthening in full strength while throwing a knife from its blind spot without showing any preliminary movement just like Castro did.


    ¡ºGugah!¡»


    The hobgoblin noticed that something was thrown toward it and immediately blocked the knife with its left arm. Unlike the bandit chief, this thing was decisive. It wasn¡¯t an opponent that I could let my guard down against since the start, but seeing that I raised my vigilance a step higher.


    ¡ºGaaah!!¡»


    The hobgoblin vigorously stepped forward and swung down its hand axe. I leaped to the blind spot at the right side to dodge that. Originally it should be able to cut me down while my posture was unbalanced like this, but the hobgoblin still wasn¡¯t used to only have one eye and couldn¡¯t catch up to me who ran to its blind spot.


    ¡ºGaah!¡»


    Even so it swung its axe haphazardly toward its blind spot. I would obviously die if I got hit even once. I pushed in my emotion that was getting scared even deeper to the bottom of my heart and calmly continued to circle to the blind spot to evade the attacks.


    Offense and defense were exchanged back and forth where even a moment of carelessness would lead to death. I needed to settle this before it could get used to fight with one eye. But to defeat it, I could only rely on Battle Skill. But, if I couldn¡¯t defeat it in one attack of that, I would easily lose my life even if it only counterattacked weakly because my body would be locked up after using Battle Skill. I would be able to see a chance of victory if I could crush its remaining eye, but as expected the hobgoblin was also wary toward that. It carefully deflected my knife that aimed at its eye.


    Was there some way¡­¡­no¡­¡­there was just one way. However, I would be cornered to even greater predicament if I messed up. But, perhaps that would be better compared to recklessly charging forward or allowing my stamina to keep getting reduced like this.


    Live or death. Now, let¡¯s decide it.


    ¡ºGugaaaaaaaaaaaah!!¡»


    I ran backward while still facing it to escape to the darkness of the forest behind me. The hobgoblin could see me clearly with that and gave a chase.


    My plan was to make this guy used night vision skill. Unlike my night vision that saw ¡°color¡±, the normal night vision was a skill to ¡°see¡± by visualizing inside the brain the ¡°reverberation¡± of magic particles filling the air that was caused by the movement of wind and living things. Viro taught me that human could only learn night vision skill until level 1 because our basic sensing ability was low compared to demihuman and monster. As a monster this thing must be used to use night vision regularly. That was exactly why my plan would be effective.


    Just as planned, I entered into the dark forest where night vision was necessary and immediately used stealth while focusing to cast sorcery.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Toon Pure©¤©¤¡¹I used the words that meant ¡ºat that place¡» that I found in the incantation of darkness sorcery Noise. After that I could only rely on my imagination, magic power control, and my sense to see ¡°color¡± of magic particle.


    I breathed in only the darkness magic particles that filled the surrounding and dyed my own magic particles in darkness color. I ejected that magic power with magic power control and sent it away to the place I designated. Doing that made my magic power decreased drastically and I staggered.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡»


    The hobgoblin saw that my movement stopped for an instant and caught up. It saw the chance to win and brandished up its axe high above its head.


    Most likely it was axe skill¡¯s Battle Skill, Break. The axe was swung down together with magic power. Shockwave was radiated from it and the space where I was at was pulverized. If a kid like me got hit with a level 2 Battle Skill, I would literally get pulverized. But see©¤©¤


    *Gats-!*


    ¡ºGah¡­¡­!?¡»


    The hobgoblin swung around its arms in confusion when it suddenly got stabbed with a blade from the side. I who was right at its side was blown away.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I endured the pain from getting blown away even while standing up and spat up the blood that pooled up inside my mouth from my cut lip. The hobgoblin didn¡¯t attack me during that time. It was unable to.


    Because the hobgoblin¡¯s face¡­¡­its remaining right eye had a skewer stabbed deeply into it. I had completely taken away its sight.


    ¡ºGUGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡»


    The hobgoblin whose sight was imprisoned in darkness howled in the night.


    The ¡ºme¡» that you slashed was my ¡°human shape¡± that I created from darkness magic particles. It would immediately get exposed if we were in a bright place but, the more familiar someone was in using night vision the more they would be deceived by this trick. Darkness magic particle was a particle and shapeless. Therefore most thing was possible depending on your magic power and imagination¡­¡­that was the hypothesis that I formed. I¡¯m glad it worked well.


    But, this was a ¡ºsorcery¡» and also ¡ºmagic¡» at the same time, so it consumed my remaining magic power until it was just one step away from the limit. I felt a slight feeling of hunger that was close to the sensation of magic power exhaustion. I licked the hobgoblin blood that spurted on my face. The taste of blood made me felt slightly high strung.


    ¡¸Now then¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡ºGugaa¡­¡­-¡»


    When I muttered, the hobgoblin heard my voice and its body jerked fiercely. It raised a growl like a cornered beast. I already had no remaining magic power to use Battle Skill and body strengthening. I had no more strength to defeat you. But you were only unable to see but still had strength remaining to fight right?


    Struggle and put your life on the line in order to survive.


    Because I¡¯d accompany you till the end¡­¡­until you died.


    ¡¸Meena!!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Ah, Sera-san!¡¹


    When Sera found Meena in the darkness, the girl sank down on the ground in relieve.


    When Sera questioned Castro in the mansion, it seemed he left that child to keep watch over the forest that was the boundary of this territory. Castro was born in a slum. Due to the weight of the sin that he committed in the past, he loathed people who also came from the slum like him. She didn¡¯t know what happened in his past, but because of that Castro loathed those who betrayed their comrade and would never tolerate such people. It was because he was such person that he could be trusted in some respect, but to think that he would direct that feeling of him even toward a child, she never even thought that he was actually that twisted.


    Furthermore there was a possibility of goblins straying into the forest where that child was stationed. That information didn¡¯t reach until Castro¡¯s level. When they imagined the airheaded Meena bringing food for the child there and two people became casualties if they were unlucky, as expected even Castro turned pale from that.


    There the two of them hastily went to search for the two in order to secure them into safety in a hurry.


    ¡¸Calm down Meena. What happened?¡¹


    ¡¸T-that¡¯s¡­¡­I keep hearing the roars of multiple monsters from the forest. I¡­¡­was scared and ran away, but, there is a child there so¡­¡­but¡­¡­but¡¹


    Her testimony made Sera and Castro to exchange glance, wondering if there were really goblins showing up here.


    ¡¸I understand. Castro, send her back and then return here with Viro. I¡¯ll search for that child.¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll do it-!¡¹


    Castro too had no intention of making a child died. He only wanted to drive away the slum kid that he loathed. Was it regret that surfaced on his face¡­¡­but, Sera shook her head at him.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll decide how to deal with you later. Follow my instruction right now.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­As you say.¡¹


    This time Castro obediently withdrew. Perhaps he was aware that he almost disobeyed order. Sera entrusted Meena to him and dashed as though she was blending into the darkness while readying two thin knives made from mythril that she hid in her sleeves into her hands.


    If it was a child that Viro brought then perhaps she could defeat at least one goblin. However a youngster that was proud of their own strength rushing to face enemies in a number that they couldn¡¯t win against only to have the table turned on them was something that often happened. If the enemy had number that was impossible to win against then one only needed to run away. But¡­¡­what would happen if it was a situation that one couldn¡¯t run away from?


    Meena heard the voices of several monsters. Then they should be very nearby. And if there was yell then it was also possible there was a battle going on. Who was the one fighting? Why was Meena able to escape even though she was that close to it? And then if it was that child who fought, what was the reason she couldn¡¯t escape?


    (Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡­)


    Castro said that the child was a slum resident from her appearance. But much less a child who lived in slum, even Sera and her son who had been trained since childhood as a clan of the dark side couldn¡¯t so easily challenge an opponent that they couldn¡¯t win against in order to save someone else.


    If that was what happened, then perhaps that child wasn¡¯t alive anymore. In the worst case, she would have to show that child¡¯s corpse to VIro who brought her here. Sera¡¯s feeling turned heavy when she imagined that.


    .


    Sera sniffed the smell of blood inside the forest and soundlessly changed the direction she was running.


    She immediately found the trace of blood. But there was only the corpse of a goblin there. She couldn¡¯t find the other monsters or the child.


    Sera used her level 4 Search skill and followed the track of blood. And then she found something in the darkness at the other side of the forest©¤©¤


    (¡­¡­There is something.)


    Sera reflexively stopped running from the sharp killing intent that was radiated from the other side of the darkness.


    This kind of killing intent wasn¡¯t something that a goblin could emit. There was a rank 2 monster there¡­¡­at the worst case the monster might be the equivalent of rank 3. Her equipment was a bit lacking to face a monster that was rank 3 or above, even so Sera readied her knife and stepped forward without hesitation.


    ¡¸¡­¡­This is.¡¹


    Over there was three goblins lying dead on the ground. There was also a monster corpse that was clearly hobgoblin with countless wounds carved on its whole body. It told her of the fierce battle that occurred here.


    And then¡­¡­in front of the corpses of those hobgoblin and goblins, a blood soaked child was radiating a cold killing intent like ice while standing with her knife still held in a fighting stance like a wounded beast.

 Volume 1 - CH 21

    ¡¸You are¡­¡­¡¹


    When Sera called out to the blood soaked child, the wary killing intent that felt chilling like ice slightly softened. Even so the sharpness that was unthinkable for a child still didn¡¯t vanish. She was continuing to be alert with her knife held in a fighting stance.


    Sera suddenly realized when she saw that. This child didn¡¯t trust other people¡­¡­she didn¡¯t trust ¡°adult¡±.


    ¡¸¡­¡­That girl is safe you know?¡¹


    When she called out once more by saying that, it seemed that the girl finally judged that she wasn¡¯t an enemy. Her remaining killing intent vanished as though it was melting into the night. That child finally turned her gaze from right in front of her toward Sera. As expected, this child threw herself into a reckless fight in order to draw away the monsters from Meena. And then she even defeated a rank 2 monster like hobgoblin until she became battered like this.


    Even though this child didn¡¯t trust other people, she still wasn¡¯t distorted as a ¡°person¡±.


    (¡­¡­She is similar.)


    That child¡¯s eyes that were staring at Sera right from the front felt like they were similar to Sera¡¯s superior, his excellency the margrave, both in eye color and also in strength. Who was this child? Her mettle and killing intent were unbelievable for a child. She even felt that they surpassed even her son who had been training in combat since he had gained awareness.


    When Sera unconsciously took a step forward in search for the answer, that child tried to take some distance away from her as though to run away, but her body wavered and fell down as though she was fainting.


    ¡¸Tsu!¡¹


    Sera closed the distance of several meters in an instant. She caught the child¡¯s body just before her head hit the ground.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The child¡¯s body was really thin and small. This kind of child fought a hobgoblin. She must have used up all her mind and spirit for it. The child looked just like an adorable kid when she fell asleep. Sera who had a child who was the same age with her wiped the blood dirtying her cheek like a mother.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Let¡¯s return.¡¹


    She picked up the knife and equipment the girl dropped. Among them she found a weighted cord that was made from hair. The cord was almost coming apart from its seam. Something about it caught her attention and she put it into her pocket.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I was in an unknown room when I woke up¡­¡­if I remembered correctly¡­¡­I fought a hobgoblin until it died¡­¡­what happened? I didn¡¯t really remember things from the middle, but I felt like I saw someone who seemed to be a maid at the end.


    ¡­¡­Well, it didn¡¯t matter I guess. I saw a dream of Okaa-san after so long for some reason. It made me felt slightly good.


    My body felt slightly sluggish but there was no serious injury remaining, so I was relieved. Or rather, there was no injury remaining at all on me. Putting aside the scars from the past, all the wounds that I got within this month had vanished without any trace.


    Perhaps someone had used Cure on me very thoroughly.


    For now, I checked my own situation. My blood soaked cloth had been taken off from me and a simple cloth that could be bought from anywhere and usually used as night wear was put on me. My body felt clean, but not fully like when I had just taken a bath. Even though the small dirt had been removed, large filth like mud was still slightly remaining, so perhaps the dirt on my body was removed using some kind of magical mean.


    There was no weapon around me. Were my weapons left on that place¡­¡­. I wanted to at least recover Galbas¡¯s black knife and Feld¡¯s knife, but I guessed I should count myself fortunate that I at least still had my life.


    But there was something that weighed in my mind more. The quality of my magic power¡­¡­that wasn¡¯t it. It played a part, but it was the magic power¡¯s flow itself that felt excessively smoother inside me. When I tried using Appraisal on myself, I found that my status had become something outrageous.


    .


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  ¨C  Rank 1


    ¡¾Magic Power : 107/112¡¿¡÷ 35 UP¡¾Stamina : 48/60¡¿¡÷ 5 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 4 (5)¡¿¡¾Endurance : 5 (6)¡¿¡¾Agility : 7 (8)¡¿¡¾Dexterity : 6¡¿


    ¡¶Short Sword Skill Level 1¡·¡¶Martial Art Level 1¡·¡·¡¶Throwing Level 1¡·NEW


    ¡¶Light Sorcery Level 1¡·¡·¡¶Darkness Magic Level 1¡·NEW¡¶Non-Elemental Magic Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·¡¶Magic Power Control Level 2¡·¡÷ 1 UP


    ¡¶Pressure Level 2¡·¡÷ 1 UP¡¶Stealth Level 1¡·¡¶Night Vision Level 1¡·¡¶Search Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Simple Appraisal¡·


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 58 (With Body Strengthening : 63)¡¿¡÷ 19 UP


    .


    ¡­¡­What¡¯s this? I already got the feeling somehow that I learned Throwing.


    But¡­¡­what was this Darkness Magic Level 1? It wasn¡¯t darkness sorcery? Was that why my magic power control became level 2? My rank was still 1 but, my magic power had also increased drastically and my combat strength also went up.


    And then for some reason even Pressure also leveled up. I didn¡¯t understand the reason.


    The quality of my magic power increased¡­¡­somehow I understood why from seeing my status. I was just guessing but, the ¡ºmagic stone¡» of darkness element had been formed inside my body. Even though I thought that the magic stone wouldn¡¯t be formed unless I used sorcery of that element many times, it actually could be formed from something like this too¡­¡­. When I tried using Dark as a test, darkness element magic particles flooded out from inside my body even though I didn¡¯t even dye them.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Well, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¹


    It wasn¡¯t like it was something bad. The flow of magic power inside my body became smoother, perhaps because of the magic stone or perhaps because of my magic power control. It made me felt like my body was in a better state than before.


    (¡­¡­Hm?)


    It was then, my Search detected the presence of someone approaching. The vibration from this careless way of walking¡­¡­where it also felt like the person was subconsciously erasing his body weight¡­¡­.


    *Slam!*


    ¡¸Yo, are you awake-¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­As I thought, it¡¯s you Viro.¡¹


    What were you going to do if I was still asleep? No, this was Viro, so I guessed that he had noticed I was awake on his way to here. That was why he let his presence be known in exchange of greeting.


    Viro entered as he pleased and sat on the chair beside the bed as he pleased. He was sending me a gaze that looked exasperated but also teasing.


    ¡¸I heard you defeated a hobgoblin? Pretty reckless of you there. Normally you will die if you take on a hobgoblin and four goblins with your combat strength.¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll do better next time.¡¹


    Viro¡¯s face became even more exasperated when I said that without any emotion of excitement and introspection.


    ¡¸¡­¡­What¡¯s that?¡¹


    Viro¡¯s hand was holding a box that was giving off a nice smell. When I pointed that out, Viro remembered and opened the box¡¯s lid.


    ¡¸Aria. You fell asleep for a whole day again. I thought that you are going to be hungry, so I asked for your portion too when I had breakfast. Eat it, eat.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Meat¡­¡­¡¹


    Even though I thought that it was the morning that came after last night, it looked like it had been the next day instead. But, the ¡ºbreakfast¡» that Viro had with him consisted of boiled sausages and thickly cut hams. There was also grilled lamb meat with bones still attached. It was a meat only menu right from the morning. Perhaps it was a menu that was to be expected from a bachelor adventurer, but a slightly lighter menu would be better for a stomach that hadn¡¯t been filled with anything for a whole day. However¡­¡­.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I¡¯ll eat.¡¹


    Perhaps because my magic power had almost run dry once, my body greatly desired food. Besides I didn¡¯t know when was the next time I would be able to eat, so I¡¯d eat if it wasn¡¯t poison. Even so the oily taste made me felt like something was rising from my stomach, so I nibbled on the ham bit by bit like a squirrel while asking Viro for necessary information.


    It seemed those hobgoblin and goblins were actually ¡ºstray monsters¡». They got away when their nest at the other territory got wiped out and wandered until this area. It seemed Dandall who got that report dispatched the knights yesterday to subjugate the monsters in this area with Dandall knight order¡¯s pride on the line.


    ¡¸¡­¡­And, what happens with my job now?¡¹


    I defeated a hobgoblin, but if I prioritized my duty, I should only give a warning to that maid that I found and prioritized giving a report back to the mansion rather than the maid¡¯s safety. But I didn¡¯t do that. Furthermore I fainted after that and skipped my work for a whole day, so it was unthinkable that slum child hater Castro would let me off just like this. When I asked Viro that about that, Viro washed down the lamb meat he bit off into his stomach with fruit wine (right from the morning) while folding his arms in thought.


    ¡¸About that, I heard that there is going to be a new work for you?¡¹


    ¡¸A new work?¡¹


    ¡¸Ou, ¡­¡­oh, nice timing. You can hear about it from the person herself. Is that you Sera? You can come in.¡¹


    The door was knocked at the same time when Viro called out to behind him. Entering from that door was¡­¡­an astonishingly beautiful maid with light brown skin?


    It seemed Viro noticed her but, I was unable to detect her approach.


    .


    ¨‹ Beautiful Maid   Race : Human


    ¡¾Magic Power : 178/220¡¿¡¾Stamina : 245/260¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 929 (With Body Strengthening : 1126)¡¿


    .


    ¡­¡­She wasn¡¯t just a maid. She had combat strength that was almost equal to Viro. She was absurdly skilled.


    And this skin color¡­¡­a Cruzian? That word naturally floated in my mind. The related knowledge also surfaced.


    Just like how there was ¡ºdog race¡» and ¡ºcat race¡» beastmen among the demihuman, there were also various types of human race based on their race.


    For dwarf, there was ¡ºmountain dwarf¡» that specialized in woodworking and handiwork, and ¡ºrock dwarf¡» that specialized in blacksmithing. For elf, there was ¡ºforest elf¡» and ¡ºdark elf¡».


    And then in the human race¡¯s case, there were two races in this continent. Cruz people who had light brown skin were the original inhabitant of this continent. They weren¡¯t really good with elemental sorcery, but I heard that they were a race that specialized in combat with high agility and dexterity.


    The other race was called ¡ºMelsenian¡», the white skinned people like Viro and me. It seemed that we were descendant of people who migrated here from the northern continent around a thousand years ago. This Claydale Kingdom was made up of 70% Melsenian, 20% demihuman, and 10% Cruzian.


    This Sera who seemed to be a Cruzian was sending a piercingly chilling gaze at the ¡ºbreakfast¡» that Viro brought with him. Then she opened the dome shaped lid from the metal tray that she was carrying.


    ¡¸Why are you giving something like that to a child who have just recovered? You there, eat this. I brought you a milk porridge.¡¹


    After she said that, she held out the porridge that had slightly sweet smell toward me. She was unexpectedly pushy and forcefully made me accepted the porridge, but this dish was far better than meat, and to be honest I didn¡¯t have any fixation with what I ate as long as it would settle down in my stomach.


    ¡¸You can keep eating while listening to me. First here is your equipments that I recovered from the scene. I¡¯m returning them back.¡¹


    Sera watched me starting to eat in satisfaction. Then she pushed Viro aside and sat down on the chair before putting my equipment on the bedside. ¡­¡­Additional information. Viro was weak against strong-willed woman of marriageable age.


    ¡¸This magic steel knife is a quality weapon. Other than them there is also money that I found, so I kept them in my safekeeping. Please check whether all of them are here.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­And the weighted cord?¡¹


    Everything other than the black knife was replaceable, but other than the throwing knives and the spare knife, there were only the bent bronze coins. I couldn¡¯t find the cord that was knitted from my hair.


    ¡¸That cord was damaged greatly and I decided that they couldn¡¯t be reused anymore, so I threw them away on my own discretion. There is no problem with that isn¡¯t it?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    It couldn¡¯t be helped if it was unusable. Even so, the remaining hair in my baggage wasn¡¯t enough to knit a new cord. ¡­¡­I had to think of something to be a new replacement weapon.


    I finished eating the porridge while thinking of that, then Sera put away the bowl before facing me once more.


    ¡¸Then let¡¯s get into the main topic. I have prepared a new job for you. You are rank 1, but I heard that you are more or less and adventurer, so this is a request that I¡¯m making directly to you and not through Viro.¡¹


    ¡¸Request?¡¹


    Sera nodded at my reply and explained the content of the request.


    ¡¸Will you work under me as a maid apprentice and go through ¡ºcombat maid¡» training?¡¹

 Volume 1 - CH 22

    ¡¸¡­¡­Combat maid?¡¹


    I unconsciously muttered the words that I had never heard before. Sera who said those words to me slowly nodded. She said maid¡­¡­as I thought, she found out that was a girl. Viro also didn¡¯t show any reaction to this, so he must have noticed too.


    ¡¸Before I explain¡­¡­tell me what is your name. Also how old are you right now?¡¹


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­seven years old.¡¹


    ¡¸Whatttt!?¡¹


    ¡¸Aria, you are still seven years old?¡¹


    Viro was surprised for some reason. It made Sera sent a cold glance at him.


    ¡¸Why are you that surprised? I was also around seven years old when I began my apprenticeship as a maid. That¡¯s the normal age when a child begin to help out with their parent¡¯s work isn¡¯t it? Viro¡­¡­you were the one who brought her here and yet how is it possible that you didn¡¯t know her age?¡¹


    ¡¸No no, as expected I wouldn¡¯t do something like making her killed goblin by her lonesome or brought her to exterminate bandits if she is still seven years old. ¡­¡­She is pretty gutsy for a kid, so I completely thought that she is a ten years old with a small body for her age¡­¡­¡¹


    I see¡­¡­. No wonder Viro didn¡¯t really treat me like a small child.


    ¡¸That¡¯s what usually happened with a slum orphan who lived in malnutrition, but if you look at this child¡¯s magic power capacity, you should be able to realize that her growth is quickening.¡¹


    ¡¸Certainly it¡¯s just like what you said, but still¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸What is the decision?¡¹


    I interrupted the conversation of the two adults. Sera returned her gaze at me in respond.


    ¡¸We still haven¡¯t finished talking haven¡¯t we? If we are talking about you accepting the job or not, I won¡¯t force you if you decide to refuse. We don¡¯t need any half-baked personnel after all.¡¹


    Sera declared with a cold sentence that was slightly provoking. She displayed a thin smile and continued speaking.


    ¡¸Are you satisfied with a strength that can just barely win against a hobgoblin?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I went along with Viro¡¯s invitation and planned to accept the job here even knowing the danger of getting involved with noble in order to obtain ¡°strength¡± that could overcome even that kind of danger. Training to become this combat maid would surely get me involved even deeper with nobles or important people. However, the strength of this Sera in front of me and the potential strength that I could obtain by this training felt close to the strength that I sought.


    ¡¸I accept.¡¹


    ¡¸Very good. Then allow me to introduce myself. I am Sera Leyton. I am in charge of coordinating the maids in this mansion and the neighboring castle as well as the security from behind the scenes. Introduce yourself next.¡¹


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­just an adventurer without any relative.¡¹


    Sera who guessed the meaning of my self-introduction deepened slightly.


    ¡¸I have high expectation for you. If it¡¯s you, then perhaps one day you will be able to fulfill the role of ¡ºcombat handmaid¡» like me.¡¹


    .


    Since that day I started working in this mansion as a maid apprentice. I got separated again with my guardian Viro because of that, but either way that man was too hands off that there was no meaning in him being my guardian.


    Originally the workplace of the maids was at the castle beside this mansion, but it seemed that a street urchin who hadn¡¯t received any education and didn¡¯t even know the way to do work couldn¡¯t be allowed appear in front of a noble. A normal maid apprentice would accompany other maid and made to help with works that were outside of the public view, but I was a ¡ºcombat maid apprentice¡», so I was acting under the direction of my direct superior Sera.


    Sera Leyton. From her conduct and position, I guessed that she might also be a noble. Perhaps that question showed up in my face because she easily read the inside of my heart.


    ¡¸I¡¯m just a wife of an insignificant baronet who doesn¡¯t even have a land of his own and only rule a provincial town at the countryside.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    There was no way a mere wife of an insignificant baronet could have a combat power that was more than 1000¡­¡­.


    So this was combat handmaid¡­¡­. She called herself a combat handmaid. Normally Sera¡¯s comrades mainly did the work of security or gathering information as combat handmaid or combat maid who were assigned to guard important people. They would use their own body to shield important people from attack or poison, but Sera said that only a few of them had the skill to corner the attackers and deal with them in combat.


    I didn¡¯t think that I would be able to carry out such role, but Sera seemed to think that one day I would be able to become like that. Though before that, right now I didn¡¯t even know whether I would be able to do the normal maid duty.


    ¡¸Continuing the explanation, in the case of normal maid, there are times when they have to add ¡ºsama¡» when addressing nobility, but in case that person is the leader of your workplace, you use ¡ºsan¡» instead. If that person is your coworker, you call their name without any honorific regardless of their background. But, it¡¯s fine for you to call my name without any honorific when in front of guest.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    ¡¸You should say ¡ºYes¡» or ¡ºCertainly¡» just now.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    ¡¸Also¡­¡­Meena-. Are you here Meena-¡¹


    ¡¸Yeess¡¹


    When Sera called that name while she was walking through the mansion¡¯s corridor, a slow sounding voice came from a room somewhere and a girl who was in the middle of her teenage appeared. Her eyes widened slightly seeing me together with Sera.


    ¡¸Sera-san, could it be¡­¡­she is that child?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Meena, you can leave your work for today. Wash this child, choose a uniform that suit her size, then teach her the way to wear it and about this mansion. I¡¯ll assign her room to be in the empty room near yours, so please show her the way.¡¹


    ¡¸Yeees, I understanddd¡¹


    ¡¸Aria. Your work will start from tomorrow. Please learn the minimum common sense before that. Come to the backyard when the sun rise tomorrow wearing your uniform.¡¹


    .


    It seemed the girl called Meena was the maid who I saw in that forest. She was told that I was the one who saved her, so she taught me various things happily.


    ¡¸Handmaids like Sera-san can use the warm bathtub, but common maids like us will wash ourselves using their leftover warm water. We have to wash ourselves every day no matter how tired we are or else Sera-san will scold us, so be careful.¡¹


    ¡¸Right.¡¹


    I didn¡¯t really understand the difference between handmaid and maid but, maid¡¯s role was like a housekeeper so to speak. Their role was fundamentally different from handmaid who was serving nobility.


    Leftover water that was as warm as human skin was poured on my head, then I was washed all over with something like a soap. Due to the washing, my pink blond hair that had grown slightly longer regained its original shininess and clung on my cheeks.


    ¡¸Yes, you are cleaned. Let¡¯s choose a maid uniform next.¡¹


    The maid uniform that Sera was wearing was a long dress with only black color. I had extremely small exposure that covered even until her neck and wrist. But the maid uniform that Meena and I were wearing was a white blouse with long dress worn over it. It seemed that we would also wear apron dress and cuffs with them. Was there also a maid uniform for a child like me¡­¡­I questioned that, but it seemed that due to the additional maids that were called to help out here, uniforms of various sizes from small for ten year old child until a big sized one had been prepared for them.


    ¡¸Aria-chan, don¡¯t wear the shoes directly. Wear these socks first before that.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Right.¡¹


    Until now I had been barefooted or wearing leather sandal. This was my first time wearing socks in my life, but there were a lot of troubles when I dressed up. The maid uniform for ten years old child was slightly too big for me. Meena said it looked cute on me, but I wondered if the cuteness that she said was similar with making a pet wearing clothes.


    After that we looked around inside the mansion. I was roughly told what kind of items there were and where they were placed, and what kind of works the maids were doing. The meals were cooked in the dining hall from early at the morning until late at night. The maids could go there freely to eat stew and bread when they had free time from work.


    ¡¸I came from a commoner¡¯s merchant house, but there are also relatives of nobles among the maids so be careful with them. Because there are also some of them who will get offended if a commoner enter the bath or eat first before them.¡¹


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­¡¹


    It seemed that it would be better to carry weapon with me.


    After that Meena lightly taught me about the way to speak and behave. We basically mustn¡¯t run or make noise. Even when walking our back had to be ramrod straight with our gaze looking straight to the front and not shaking our head needlessly. Maid must not talk to noble directly. You should go through a handmaid when you had business with noble, but if the noble or guest was the one ordering you then you had to prioritize that.


    Everything that I was taught was something that I only knew for the first time, but that kind of information also existed in the ¡°knowledge¡± so I felt like I would be able to manage somehow. To compare, it was like someone who had only ever used spoon until now, but because they had ¡°knowledge¡±, they wouldn¡¯t bewildered about the way to use knife and fork.


    The maid¡¯s work would end when night came and the sun had set completely. There were also maids that worked until later at night when the time zone shifted, but you wouldn¡¯t make progress with your work without light at night so it inevitably became like that.


    ¡¸Then, rest well Aria-chan. Let¡¯s work hard from tomorrow.¡¹


    ¡¸Right. Thank you, Meena.¡¹


    My room was beside Meena¡¯s. The room was around 4¡Á3 meter with a bed and closet inside. There was also a small table and chair for writing.


    It looked like we would be supplied with candle if we asked, but it was unnecessary for me. I took off the maid uniform and changed into plain clothes, then I rolled the blanket on the bed into something that resembled a human shape. Then I sat at the corner of the room while holding my black knife. There I suppressed my presence and fell asleep. With that the day was over.


    .


    The next day, the air that was characteristic of the time before the sunset woke me up.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Light.¡¹


    I used daily life magic to lit up a light in order to wear the maid uniform that I was still unfamiliar with. I took off my night wear and wore the white blouse. It was also my first time buttoning a shirt, but perhaps this way would be faster than wearing a belt on my waist if I got used to it.


    The blouse was white, but it was easy for collar and cuffs to get dirty, so they were made to be detachable. The chest part was baggy with empty space. Meena said that this was so that the chest ¡ºwouldn¡¯t get grazed¡», but it felt like a chest protector would be necessary for large chest like hers. After that I wore the socks and shoes and a black dress that reached until near my ankle. With that my appearance became like a maid.


    ¡­¡­But where would I hide my weapons. The throwing knives were fine but, my body was still small so they were too big to be hidden in my sleeves. I tried hiding them on my chest but I had nothing to fasten them there. They would also be too conspicuous if I hid them in the apron.


    ¡¸¡­¡­There is only this place.¡¹


    I used my knife to take the leather cords from the sandal that I used before. I tied the black knife and throwing knives there. Because of that, the I couldn¡¯t wear the baggy ¡ºdrawers¡» that was given to me yesterday anymore and I threw it to a corner of the bed.


    After I changed into maid uniform, I sneaked out from the second floor¡¯s window and used stealth while heading to the temporary base that I hid in the forest. I only had few baggage but the money and wild grasses book were important. I could still hide the other things there, but I took the wild grasses book and potions. Just in case I smoked my things with bug repellent grass before heading to the backyard that Sera mentioned.


    .


    The backyard that I arrived at was in a position that was invisible from the mansion. It was easy to detect anybody coming there so it looked like a good place for training to hide.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Even though I arrived at the backyard ¡ºat the same time when the sun rose¡» just like instructed, Sera still wasn¡¯t there. I thought that I was a bit early, but I recalled that I wouldn¡¯t be able to detect Sera if she used stealth. Perhaps this was also a part of training. When I used Search and carefully searched my surrounding, I found a small ¡°presence¡± inside the forest.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Hee. So you sense me.¡¹


    I heard a voice when I turned my gaze to there. Then a silhouette that was smaller than me showed itself from inside the forest.


    ¡¸Looks like you¡¯re quite good. Are you the rumored ¡°newcomer¡±?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Who?¡¹


    Light brown skin and black hair. ¡­¡­This boy was also a Cruz person? The boy¡¯s face was outstandingly handsome. His bluish gray eyes were sparkling in curiosity as he stared scrutinizingly at my whole body. He didn¡¯t answer my question and approached with a smile of mischief.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t get full of yourself just because you get recognized by the adults okay? After all even I surely can defeat something like goblin. There are also attacks that you don¡¯t know about in this world.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­For example?¡¹


    ¡¸Let¡¯s see¡­¡­¡¹


    Was he a staff here? I didn¡¯t feel killing intent from the boy who mentioned something about attacks. The boy was grinning while approaching with a casual stroll, then he suddenly vanished from my sight.


    ¡¸Something like this perhaps©¤¡¹


    *Basaa!*


    An unexpected movement and an unexpected attack. I thought that I would be able to react if my life was in danger, but that attack that wasn¡¯t an attack where the boy instantly crouched down flipped up my skirt completely.


    ¡¸Tsu!?¡¹


    The boy¡¯s eyes opened wide in shock. Most likely it was because he had seen the throwing knives and black knife that I attached on my thigh and calf.


    The boy¡¯s movement stopped in confusion. I fully activated my body strengthening in that instant. I instantly stepped forward and kicked the boy¡¯s jaw. I bent over the boy who fell face up and pointed the black knife that I pulled from my calf on his throat.


    ¡¸¡­¡­im sorry, please forgive me. that wasnt my intention at all. ill take responsibility really¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I wouldn¡¯t kill him if he wasn¡¯t an enemy though¡­¡­.


    The boy was prattling for some reason when I stared at him glaringly. His light brown skin was also dyed bright red for some reason as he averted his gaze from me and covered his face with both hands.

 Volume 1 - CH 23

    ¡¸¡­¡­What are you doing?¡¹


    I suddenly heard Sera¡¯s voice while I was holding down the Cruzian boy and pushing my knife on his throat. I couldn¡¯t hear her footstep or feel her presence like always. Even so I guessed that she was still several meters away from the volume of her voice. As I was still holding down the boy without putting down my knife, the boy raised his voice ¡¸Kaa-san!¡¹ to ask for help.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    So he was Sera¡¯s son? ¡­¡­I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t carelessly kill him. The current me would have a certain death waiting for me if I made Sera my enemy. To show that I wasn¡¯t hostile with Sera, I pulled away my knife while slowly taking distance from the boy. Then Sera asked me instead of her son.


    ¡¸Did something happen?¡¹


    ¡¸He flipped my skirt.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­I see.¡¹


    Sera looked at her son who was still blushing red and frowned slightly in puzzlement. Then she lightly sighed and looked straight at me before bowing her head.


    ¡¸It can¡¯t be helped if my son has done such inexcusable act toward a girl. I apologize as his mother.¡¹


    ¡¸No problem.¡¹


    ¡¸Then, let¡¯s set aside this matter with this¡­¡­Seo, stand up already. We are starting the training.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Kaa-san.¡¹


    Sera was strict with her son¡­¡­. That son of Sera, Seo was standing up while looking a bit peevishly at his mother. But he blushed again when he looked at me and averted his gaze.


    ¡¸It looks like you two have finished your ¡°self-introduction¡± with each other. This is my son Seo, and this is Aria who become a maid apprentice here. Seo will continue with his usual training, as for Aria, I shall instruct you in the minimum requirement so that you can show yourself in the presence of a noble for the sake of your monitoring duty toward the ¡°protection target¡± who is scheduled to arrive in ten more days.¡¹


    Monitoring duty on a child¡­¡­it seemed that would be my job.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Instruction? In etiquette?¡¹


    ¡¸There is also that, but you will learn that at night after the normal duties end. At morning you will train in martial art together with Seo.¡¹


    ¡¸What about sorcery?¡¹


    With Sera¡¯s magic power capacity, she should have mastery in some kind of sorcery. Even if it wasn¡¯t Sera who healed my wound, if possible I wanted to learn about light sorcery. That was why I asked the question. Then Sera stared fixedly at me in evaluation.


    ¡¸I didn¡¯t plan anything for that because we have no time but¡­¡­you, do you understand about your own element?¡¹


    ¡¸Light and¡­¡­darkness.¡¹


    ¡¸So you have two elements. Did you learn darkness sorcery from Viro? If it¡¯s light sorcery, I can use it until level 2 so I¡¯ll teach you if there is time.¡¹


    ¡¸As I thought¡­¡­was it Sera-san who applied Cure on me?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s right. If you can use light sorcery then please learn Cure no matter what. With the nature of our profession, we will get wounded sometimes, but there is a need for bodyguard maid to show themselves in the presence of noble, so it will stand out if they have wound on a visible part of their body. There will also be times when you have to change clothes during work. Please endeavor to erase your wounds as much as possible.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    ¡¸I can also teach you wind sorcery you know-!¡¹


    Suddenly Seo drew near me and interrupted. I see¡­¡­when he flipped my skirt, he was able to do it from outside my range because he also used daily life magic Wind in conjunction. But.


    ¡¸I don¡¯t use wind sorcery.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­oh¡¹


    ¡¸But, I want to practice how to face against wind sorcery.¡¹


    ¡¸Yep, leave it to me Aria-!¡¹


    ¡­¡­He became attached to me after I kicked him and held a knife against his throat? In this world there was a lot of strange boys huh.


    ¡¸Aria, looking at the way you walk, I can see that you have trained to some degree with your own style, but I¡¯ll correct it. Specifically, it¡¯s a footwork of a unique martial art used by ¡ºbodyguard maid¡» so that they can fight even while wearing a skirt. I¡¯ll show it to you a little.¡¹


    After saying that Sera¡¯s body slid to the side soundlessly without any change in her gait.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I don¡¯t get it.¡¹


    ¡¸Of course, it¡¯s not that easy. I¡¯ll show you my feet so don¡¯t miss it.¡¹


    Sera lifted her skirt that reached until her ankles to the level of her knees and then she showed me the same movement. Shuffling feet, crossing, acceleration and deceleration¡­¡­it was a very advanced and complicated footwork. If I could master this then it would be useful for stealth and battle too. This kind of movement didn¡¯t exist in the ¡°knowledge¡±, so I burned the movement into my eyes hungrily.


    ¡¸Originally when training a child, I¡¯ll hammer our movement into you starting from the basic like with Seo, but Aria has groundwork and real battle experience to some degree, and we also have no time, so I won¡¯t teach you with great detail. Learn it by watching. In a sense I¡¯m treating you the same like Viro and his kind but, you don¡¯t mind don¡¯t you?¡¹


    ¡¸No problem¡­¡­ma¡¯am.¡¹


    ¡¸Very good.¡¹


    ¡­¡­All the adults I knew were strict with child. But, learning by practice with only knowledge was nothing new for me. I recalled what I was told and used polite language. Sera smiled just for a little for the first time to that.


    ¡¸Also we will provide you with weapon. A common maid is forbidden from owning weapon and the like, but we are allowed to carry the minimum amount of weaponry just like soldier. Even so outsider has to leave their weapon in custody when entering the mansion, but in your case you are permitted to bring weapon with the permission of Viro of Rainbow Sword and me as your guarantor.¡¹


    After saying that Sera handed an object that was wrapped in cloth to me.


    ¡¸If you do anything suspicious with that weapon, Viro and me will be the one who have to clean up after you so please be careful.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    I would definitely lose my life if that happened.


    ¡¸Also¡­¡­where did you keep the black knife just now hidden?¡¹


    ¡¸I tied it on my calf with leather strap¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll permit it if it¡¯s just that. Pay attention so that it won¡¯t be found out by other people.¡¹


    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹¡¹


    On my calf¡­¡­Seo who had seen the throwing knives tied on my thigh looked like he wanted to say something at that point, but I stopped him with a glare. It was better to have as many usable weapons as possible. I didn¡¯t have any intention to do anything unnecessary but, I would use them without hesitation if there was danger to my life. Especially when wearing this kind of fluttery outfit. My fighting style would be mostly focused on throwing like this.


    The weapons that were supplied to me consisted of two thin knives and four knives for throwing. I could tie the thin knives at the opposite calf of the black knife. Even so carrying two would weigh me down so I¡¯d keep one as a spare.


    For the throwing knives¡­¡­my leg wasn¡¯t thick enough to have enough space to tie up all of them there. The knives were thinner than the knives Viro gave me, so could I hide one of them each in my sleeves? And sooner or later I would have to buy or order a specialized holder for them.


    .


    After that, other than footwork and the way to fight using the thin knife, I was also taught how to fight in maid outfit and also martial art to perform throw and lock. Furthermore to familiarize myself with that martial art, I was also made to have hand to hand mock battle with Seo whose physique was close to me.


    ¡¸A-Aria? You mustn¡¯t use kicking you know!?¡¹


    ¡¸I know.¡¹


    For some reason Seo was bothered with my skirt. Sera also said that it would be better to keep kicking technique as last resort in order to make use of the long skirt that was hiding the movement of your legs.


    Seo was six years old, one year younger than me. He was tall for a six years old. It must be because his growth was also quickening like me due to magic power.


    My skill in fighting against human opponent was lacking. Only two months had passed since I actually began training so it was only natural that I was lacking, but I ended up eating dirt many times when facing Seo who had gone through formal training in an exchange of skill head-on.


    ¡¸The morning training will end soon. Both of you come here, I¡¯ll remove the sweat and dirt on you.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­?¡¹


    I approached near Sera while wondering what she was going to do, then she started muttering something and light magic particles began to gather toward her hands.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Clean©¤©¤¡¹


    The smell of sweat vanished from my body when the light touched me. The slight dirt on my maid uniform also vanished.


    ¡¸This is¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s level 2 light sorcery Clean. Originally this spell is for purifying miasma and the like, but it also can remove small stains and smell that got attached on your body like this. It¡¯s impossible for it to work on large trash though¡­¡­how do you feel?¡¹


    ¡¸I want to learn¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸By all means please do so. Only a few people who can use this in our line of work, so I have high hope for you who have light element.¡¹


    The level 2 spells of light sorcery was Clean and Treat. This was my first time seeing it but, Clean removed filth that was visible, while Treat removed miniscule amount of foreign substance inside the body. From my perspective they were very useful spells.


    But from what Sera said, both spells needed the caster to comprehend the ¡°filth¡± that they wanted to remove. Even when using it to remove harmful gas, you needed to understand that it was a harmful gas you were dealing with.


    It seemed Treat also couldn¡¯t remove poison unless you knew what kind of poison it was. Because of the inconvenience in its usage, it seemed that only healer or adventurer would learn it. There was also medicinal herb for light poisoning, and you needed specialized knowledge in order to be able to use the spell well, so perhaps that was the reason why there was only few light sorcerer with high level.


    ¡¸Also Aria, drink this every morning from today.¡¹


    At the end of the training, Sera handed to me a porcelain bottle filled with potion.


    ¡¸¡­¡­What¡¯s this?¡¹


    ¡¸Say ¡ºWhat could this be¡». Also this is a ¡°poison¡±.¡¹


    She explained to me that it was a special mix of weak poison. It wouldn¡¯t make you feel pained, but apparently consuming it would make your stamina to be reduced by ten percent for a whole day. ¡­¡­Why was I given such thing¡­¡­as I thought that, Sera explained that apparently there was a possibility you could obtain the skill Poison Resistance by continuing to consume it. It seemed that bodyguard maid had to serve as their master¡¯s poison checker, so I had to drink this diligently if I didn¡¯t want to die. ¡­¡­As I thought, this person was strict with her subordinate.


    .


    It was breakfast after the morning training. I ended up eating together with Seo.


    It seemed that there were also other child apprentices than us before this, but they quitted quickly. I didn¡¯t know if that was why but, a part of the maids were looking at me with wary gaze. But, I wasn¡¯t bothered by something at that level anymore at this point. I would be bothered if it was a killing intent at a hobgoblin¡¯s level at the very least though¡­¡­I thought that while turning my gaze to the maids. For some reason they averted their gaze from me.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Aria, the look of your eyes is bad you know?¡¹


    ¡¸I know.¡¹


    After the breakfast, it seemed that Seo had work as butler apprentice and we parted from each other. When we parted, he blushed again and said something like ¡ºilltakeresponsibility¡», but did he have some kind of involvement with my work?


    During the morning I followed Meena and helped with collecting bed sheets and washing them. There were also things to take note of when cleaning and washing. In that regard, it seemed that woman was lazy even when she lived at her teacher¡¯s place, so her ¡°knowledge¡± wasn¡¯t useful at all.


    Even so I slowly and thoroughly learned what I was taught. I did it at the same time with my martial art training. The first step was learning the technique thoroughly. I could work with increasing the technique¡¯s speed and power later.


    The lunch consisted of the same menu like breakfast. According to Meena, the cook created the stew all at once in one big pot, so the menu wouldn¡¯t change until it ran out. But for me who ate snake and rabbit every day, it wasn¡¯t any concern. At the morning it wasn¡¯t Meena, but my direct superior Sera who I followed. We looked around and she taught me the points of importance of the security inside the mansion and around the castle.


    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹¡¹


    I was reunited with Castro in the middle of that. His mouth opened while he looked like he wanted to say something when he saw me, but in the end he only bowed his head to Sera and left without saying anything.


    ¡¸Although he looks like that, he is feeling guilty to you.¡¹


    ¡¸Hm~mm¡­¡­¡¹


    To be honest, I had forgotten about that man until we met again just now.


    After that it became evening and I ate again. Perhaps my body was growing again because of the increase in my magic power, I was feeling quite hungry so I silently ate.


    At night Sera constantly supervised me to teach me about etiquette. She corrected my way of walking and posture, and she also showed me the correct way of bowing. In my case I had ¡°knowledge¡± so I already had the foundation but, actually learning it was still a hardship.


    The way to speak and act toward noble was drilled into me thoroughly. Even after the bell that chimed every four hours rang out six times, I was made to learn in the darkness how to write letters, and the names and territories of the nobles in this northern region.


    .


    At night I had my own personal business to do.


    It was my training of darkness magic. Not darkness sorcery, I instead learned darkness magic inadvertently. Perhaps because of that, I became able to use the Noise spell that I couldn¡¯t use before this.


    The MP cost of level 1 sorcery was around 10, but when I somehow reproduced that spell using darkness magic as a test, it consumed more than 20 MP. Unlike sorcery, magic was applicable to various things but, its ease of use was bad. As expected there was a reason why magic became obsolete with sorcery taking its place.


    For example, rather than making a stew starting by gathering and preparing the ingredients, it would be cheaper and tastier to eat stew from a stall as long as you weren¡¯t fixated with your taste preference. Even so, wasn¡¯t there a recipe that could be made far easier and cheaper if you cut down on the meat and spice quantity?


    There was no need to make the spell had both strong ¡°power¡± and ¡°effect¡±. What was demanded from sorcery was versatility and so a completed product was created, but with darkness type illusion magic there wasn¡¯t even any need to create something perfect. It would be enough if it could trick the enemy just for an instant like what I did with the hobgoblin.


    ¡¸¡­¡­What should I ¡°trick¡±?¡¹


    There was sorcery to trick eyes or ears. What else was there other than sight and hearing? Smell? Taste?


    ¡¸Touch huh¡­¡­¡¹


    I muttered while chewing just a bit of dried medicinal herb that had the effect of stimulating the heart to fight off the drowsiness and training my poison resistance at the same time.


    In order to make the faint idea of ¡°something¡± that I got to take shape, I continued training darkness magic in my temporary base at the forest until my sleepiness hit the limit, in preparation for my chance meeting with the ¡ºnoble¡» that was steadily approaching.

 Volume 1 - CH 24

    ¡¸Haa~¡­¡­¡¹


    A young girl was sighing while drinking aromatic black tea in the living room of Dandall Castle late at night.


    ¡¸What¡¯s up Clara? You are sighing.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Onii-sama.¡¹


    Clara Dandall who had memory from her previous life smiled to the boy who talked to her and shook her head.


    ¡¸Elena-sama will arrive soon, so I¡¯m looking forward to it. That¡¯s all.¡¹


    ¡¸Her highness and Clara are really close with each other after all. I¡¯m also looking forward to be able to meet with our royal cousin after so long.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes Onii-sama.¡¹


    Clara was watching with conflicted emotion at her big brother of this life who was laughing heartily.


    Her memory of the previous life¡­¡­according to that, she was an existence that was called as ¡ºvillainess¡» of an otome game. This big brother before her who was one year older than her was also one of the ¡ºcapture targets¡».


    Rockwell Dandall. He had the same red hair and grey eyes like Clara and a shockingly handsome face.


    His personality was sincere and upright. And yet he had a merry personality that he was loved not only by Clara, but by the whole Dandall House. But Rockwell would fall in love for the first time from his encounter with the ¡ºmain character(heroine)¡» and became unable to see anything else other than her. Even when the heroine got together with the crown prince, he would continue to wish only for her happiness with straightforward earnestness. At the end he would even punish his little sister Clara based on a weak evidence.


    It might not be the case if it was with other noble, but a prosecution from her biological brother who was the heir of Margrave Dandall might be sufficient to be considered as official evidence. And then in the case she got punished, the Clara in the game got sent off to an extremely cold monastery that was located at a northern foreign country where her life would end without being able to see the outside world ever again.


    She refused to end up like that. In her previous life she live an ordinary life and died young. Now she finally got a chance to be reborn like this, so what was wrong if she sought for an ordinary happiness for herself? Clara in the game had unpleasant personality that was ¡°befitting for a game¡±, but the current Clara had good relationship with Rockwell, so there was a possibility that he wouldn¡¯t condemn Clara even if the heroine got together with the crown prince. However, if Clara became the official lead fianc¨¦e of the crown prince, the heroine and the crown prince would be able to get together as long as Clara didn¡¯t get down from the stage.


    There was also the option of her not opposing the heroine and became friend with her, but even if Clara didn¡¯t do anything, if by some chance the other noble daughters who were jealous with the heroine did something, there was a high possibility that they would offer a justification that ¡ºit was for the sake of Clara-sama who is the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦¡» and got set up as the ringleader without her knowledge.


    She also considered withdrawing herself from the position of fianc¨¦e candidate, but due to her aunt being unable to become the first queen, her big brother who was Clara¡¯s father, the head of all the knight orders and his wife were getting worked up in making their daughter Clara to be the next first queen.


    Also Clara herself feared the ¡°charm¡± of the main character(heroine) that could twist even the conviction of this kind big brother above all else.


    It would be fine if the heroine chose other capture target. Even if she chose her big brother, perhaps Clara would only end up getting banished to other country at worst.


    But this wasn¡¯t a ¡°game¡± where she could have a retry as many as she wanted. This was ¡°reality¡± where there was only one chance.


    (Failure won¡¯t be allowed¡­¡­)


    The game¡¯s heroine was a viscount daughter, but it was only when she got together with the crown prince that her background as a daughter of Melrose House would come to light. According to a story that she heard from her grandfather, it was an unconfirmed information but it seemed that Melrose¡¯s princess whose whereabouts was unknown had been found.


    To learn the truth of that situation, Clara also used the spy of Dandall to investigate it under extreme secrecy, but according to the spy, it was Melrose House that was in charge of this country¡¯s dark side organization and that to investigate anymore than this would need the resolve to take on the whole dark side of Claydale Kingdom as opponent.


    And most of all, the head of Melrose House and her grandfather the previous head of Dandall House were friends since their time as student in the academy, so from the beginning it was impossible for her to take the initiative to against a princess of Melrose House using Dandall House¡¯s manpower.


    She needed some kind of connection. A connection unrelated to Dandall House that could remove the heroine. Clara had to obtain such connection no matter what before her enrollment to the sorcery academy which was the time when the game event began.


    There were three villainesses in the game. One was the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e Clara, while the other one was a count daughter whose father was the head of palace magicians, and the last one was the first princess Elena who was heading here right now.


    But, although Elena was categorized as villainess, the most that she would do was scolding the heroine from jealousy because she got involved with her brother the crown prince. But through some events, her positivity level toward the heroine would increase and at the end she would recognize the heroine and became her ally, so in reality the main villainesses were Clara and the count daughter.


    Clara began to seriously consider that if that was the case, perhaps she should make Elena removed the heroine.


    ¡¸Very good. With this you have become able to at least perform the footwork at minimum level. But it¡¯s still nothing more than the elementary level. Don¡¯t slack off with your training.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    At the morning training, I finally received a passing mark from Sera. At the ninth day of my training as bodyguard maid apprentice, I finally learned the basic of the footwork through experience just barely before the arrival of the monitoring target. Although it was only at the level where I could somehow use it for a few steps if I focused. It was still difficult to use it in battle.


    But, from what Sera said, someone less than ten years old who could use this footwork even just for a little only numbered several people even in the record of her organization.


    ¡¸By the way I too could use it when I was seven.¡¹


    ¡¸I too am only six years old but I can use it-¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Even Seo will be seven soon.¡¹


    I was continuing my training with Seo although only at the morning. Seo who was a year younger than me was using more advanced technique than me, so I thought this was the norm but, it seemed that although Seo had the talent, he had a somewhat unmotivated personality until now. Apparently he only got serious with doing the training since I joined the training, so Sera secretly thanked me. ¡­¡­I didn¡¯t do anything though.


    Other than that I managed to learn the incantation of the other level 1 spell of darkness sorcery, Weight. Weight was a sorcery to increase the weight of an object the size of what you could hold in your arms by around ten percent. Its incantation was ¡ºMobasa Ooiaa Niderekuresu¡»©¤©¤it meant change the weight of that object.


    I also began learning this incantation by searching the single character word in it so it was a pain, but by obtaining darkness magic skill, I also became able to detect the faint sign of activation so I was able to manage to learn it in several days.


    When I decompressed the shortened incantation, I found two words, ¡ºOptional(Iaani¡» and ¡ºDirection(Direkuresu)¡». I confirmed that this spell wasn¡¯t a sorcery of ¡ºchange the object¡¯s weight¡» but ¡ºmove the object¡».


    From there I learned that there was no word of ¡ºWeight¡» in the incantation and I was finally able to activate the spell of Weight. ¡­¡­Who was the one who made this kind of sloppy liberal translation?


    Just as could be seen, this too was a sorcery with bad utility, but I noticed with perception of my dark magic that the effect still slightly remained even when the object left my hand, so in the end I became able to increase the flying distance and accuracy of my projectile weapon if I focused and used it.


    The illusion of ¡ºtouch¡» using darkness magic that I envisioned was also slightly taking shape. Right now its effect was still weak, but I would be able to make someone who got hit with this illusion for the first time got their attention diverted for an instant.


    .


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  ¨C  Rank 1


    ¡¾Magic Power : 111/115¡¿¡÷ 3 UP¡¾Stamina : 55/64¡¿¡÷ 4 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 4 (5)¡¿¡¾Endurance : 5 (6)¡¿¡¾Agility : 7 (8)¡¿¡¾Dexterity : 6¡¿


    ¡¶Short Sword Skill Level 1¡·¡¶Martial Art Level 1¡·¡·¡¶Throwing Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Light Sorcery Level 1¡·¡·¡¶Darkness Magic Level 1¡·¡¶Non-Elemental Magic Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·¡¶Magic Power Control Level 2¡·


    ¡¶Pressure Level 2¡·¡¶Stealth Level 1¡·¡¶Night Vision Level 1¡·¡¶Search Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Simple Appraisal¡·


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 62 (With Body Strengthening : 66)¡¿¡÷ 4 UP


    .


    My status didn¡¯t really change but, I was growing in the small details of my skills, so I got the feeling that my martial art and stealth would level up when my body grew up.


    There were only monsters at my surrounding so my growth seemed slow compared to them, but it was already astounding that a kid below ten years old had a level 2 skill. In fact my combat strength was higher than Seo. Even so it was difficult for me to win against Seo in our sparring, so it made me keenly realized once more just how important the basic was.


    But I was still unable to learn the light sorcery spell Cure. I had asked Sera to teach me the meaning of the spell as much as she knew, and when I chanted it there was sign of activation, and yet it didn¡¯t show any effect.


    I had found the words ¡ºRegeneration(Ridiisu)¡» and ¡ºProper Form(Osutoorii Suten)¡», but perhaps I was still lacking something.


    There was some kind of trick for it. But I didn¡¯t know what this ¡°trick¡± could be.


    I wanted to take my time to thoroughly investigate and research the sorcery, but it was already the time when the ¡°honorable guest¡± could arrive anytime now, so the maids including an apprentice like me were getting very busy.


    I too had been made to learn etiquette although it was only the bare minimum, so I was given work at the castle instead of the mansion. But, from what Sera told me my etiquette level was truly still at the minimum level, so fundamentally what I needed to do was only standing silently as long as a noble didn¡¯t address me directly. My work was only consisting of behind the scenes work.


    But Seo told me that in this castle there was a scary high ranked butler who was also a colleague of Sera. This high ranked butler was the one in charge of coordinating the butlers. I had a chance to see him from afar just once. He was a black haired butler who looked to be around his forty. I felt a dangerous atmosphere that made me felt it was a danger even to just approach him until a distance where I could cast appraisal.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Even at night I trained by myself until late at night, so I would get sleepy if I was standing doing nothing.


    Right now I was doing a work of sewing a frayed linen sheet in a room alone. I knew how to sew from the ¡°knowledge¡± but this was my first time actually sewing for real, so it took a lot of time even with Meena teaching me.


    ¡¸¡­¡­tsu¡¹


    I felt sleepy for a moment and pricked my finger with the needle. It seemed to prick deeply that a glob of blood oozed out. As I pondered whether to stop the bleeding with Heal or used Cure for training, the blood started to trickle and the unbleached string got dyed red.


    ¡¸Haa¡­¡­¡¹


    I didn¡¯t concentrate. I didn¡¯t know what would happen so I had no leeway to let my guard down. It couldn¡¯t be helped, so I cut the part of the string that got dirtied with blood. When I was about to put the string in my pocket to throw it away later, the string suddenly moved.


    ¡¸¡­¡­This is¡¹


    My magic power was flowing into the string through the blood, just like with my hair?


    .


    And then, the noble child who would be the monitoring target finally arrived.


    A carriage arrived with multiple knights riding horses arrived. Butlers and maids lined up at the right and left to welcome the visitor. I also lined up with them at the end of the line of the maids. I kept my head bowed while strengthening my eyes with magic power to observe the situation with a sidelong glance.


    A knight opened the carriage¡¯s door and a pretty red haired girl got down with the help of a butler.


    Her age was around ten years old. If she was also growing because of magic power then her age wouldn¡¯t be that different from me. So this girl was the monitoring target¡­¡­when I thought that, a girl with beautiful blonde hair wearing even more gorgeous dress appeared from behind her.


    There was no particular reason but, I understood that this girl was the ¡°monitoring target¡±.


    The blond haired girl who was escorted by a high class butler walked forward with the red haired girl following behind her. The blond haired girl looked like she was going to directly go into the castle, but she suddenly stopped in front of me who was bowing. She gracefully looked around before her voice that was like chiming bell softly flowed into the wind.


    ¡¸You there. You have a pretty hair. Can I have this girl?¡¹

 Volume 1 - CH 25

    ¡¸We should arrive at our destination soon, Elena-sama.¡¹


    ¡¸I prefer the downtown though¡­¡­¡¹


    Going back slightly in time, inside the carriage that was heading to the lake shore castle which was one of the guest houses owned by Dandall House. Two girls with attire and attitude of a daughter of a noble¡­¡­a very high ranked noble at that were having a conversation.


    The red haired girl was Clara, the princess of Dandall House because she was the biological and legal daughter of Margrave Dandall. Even though she was still a child, the intelligence in her eyes and her calm atmosphere gave a hint of the beautiful look like a flower that she would grow into in the future.


    The girl who was addressed respectfully by that Clara was a blond haired girl with beautiful face that wasn¡¯t inferior at any way compared to Clara, but her face was displaying dissatisfaction. It made even Clara who was a friend and also a cousin of this first princess Elena to smile wryly.


    The first princess Elena idolized her big brother the crown prince Ervan. Because her behavior was getting too much, she got sent to Dandall territory that belonged to the family of her mother the second queen. There she was supposed to ¡°recuperate¡± by keeping distance from her big brother temporarily so she could cool her head.


    However although Elena was selfish she wasn¡¯t a fool. Elena only forgot herself when it came to her brother, outside that she would always display a dignified appearance of a royalty. Her physical condition became unhealthy due to her mother¡¯s special education that was like torture, but that education had granted Elena an intellectual mentality that was unthinkable for a seven years old.


    That Elena wasn¡¯t showing a princess¡¯s dignity but dissatisfaction in her face even if only slightly because there was only Clara who was her cousin and also her friend in this place. She must have dissatisfaction that she couldn¡¯t meet with her brother, but she understood that she was making her father the king and the first queen worried for her.


    Clara looked like she wanted to say something seeing Elena¡¯s behavior. She let out a faint sigh.


    (How should I broach the topic here¡­¡­)


    Making one of the villainesses Elena to remove the heroine. Other than wanting to have a talk with her cousin after so long, Clara also had that kind of intention when she arranged to make Elena and her to be alone in the carriage from Dandall¡¯s castle until here.


    In the otome game, Elena was jealous with the heroine who caught the attention of the crown prince. She would send complaints to the heroine and also played some pranks to her, but as the story progressed and the heroine entered a romantic relationship with the crown prince, she approved the heroine and became her ally in the end. At this stage, Elena wouldn¡¯t become the ally of the heroine who hadn¡¯t become the crown prince¡¯s lover, but it also would be difficult to direct Elena¡¯s hostility to the heroine who wasn¡¯t in contact with the crown prince.


    If she made a poor lie, the clever Elena would immediately notice that something wasn¡¯t right. That was why she needed to bring up this topic very carefully.


    (But there is still time. If I can make her harbor ill feeling for the heroine during this recuperation¡­¡­)


    While she was thinking something like that, Elena looked at her as though she could hear the voice of Clara¡¯s heart.


    ¡¸Clara? You are really quiet today. Do you have something weighing your mind?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­No, it¡¯s nothing at all.¡¹


    The carriage kept running toward the destination as the two stayed quiet for a while inside it. The two of them got along really well with each other like true sisters before, but since Clara recalled her previous life, a slight gap was starting to form between them.


    Elena looked outside the window inside that awkward atmosphere. She raised her voice when she saw the lake that was coming into view.


    ¡¸Clara, is our destination that castle?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, that castle is the guest house where Elena-sama is going to stay.¡¹


    Clara remembered her standing when the castle came into view and she observed the surrounding from the window. They were cousins and playmates since they were small child, but she was also shouldering the role as a margrave daughter welcoming the first princess.


    As the castle was gradually approaching, the servants who were prepared by Dandall and the prime minister were lining up orderly along the path from the gate to the house entrance. The palace and Dandall were also dispatching their personnel, but as expected they had to depend on other noble houses to reinforce the insufficient number of maids and servants. Many among the relatives of the nobles who filled the spot as servants here wished to work in Dandall House or the palace, so sometimes they would act in an overly motivated way¡­¡­or putting it in a bad way, they would act ambitiously.


    (¡­¡­Eh?)


    A boy with light brown skin color who seemed to be a Cruzian was standing quietly at a nook of that line so that he wouldn¡¯t stand out, but he still caught Clara¡¯s eyes. She was familiar with his face. Seo Leyton¡­¡­he was still a child but, that boy when the heroine enrolled into the sorcery academy, he was a ¡ºcapture target¡» who accompanied her as her butler.


    His true identity was a knight of the dark side who protected the heroine who was a princess of Melrose from the shadow. At first he wouldn¡¯t do his duty to protect the powerless heroine diligently, but he got inspired by the way the heroine put in effort steadily, and after going through several events, he would go through an awakening for the sake of the heroine who he fell in love with.


    She never thought that she would encounter him in this kind of place, but she could also understand why if he was related with the dark side.


    But what truly shocked Clara wasn¡¯t just him. At the opposite side of him who was a butler apprentice, at the end of the line for the maids, she saw the ¡ºpink blond hair¡» that she had seen many times in the game and gulped.


    (Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡­the heroine!? No, there¡¯s no way that¡¯s the case. The heroine should still be in the orphanage right now. And that maid is also still a child but, she is around ten years old, surely it¡¯s just some kind of mistake¡­¡­)


    ¡¸Clara¡­¡­? Is there someone here who caught your eyes?¡¹


    ¡¸N-no, it¡¯s nothing at all.¡¹


    ¡¸H~mm?¡¹


    Elena sharply noticed Clara¡¯s strange state and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. She looked across the sight that Clara was seeing from the curtain¡¯s gap and the corner of her lips rose slightly.


    ¡¸Come, it looks like we have arrived. Clara, I¡¯ll count on you to show me around.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­As you command, Elena-sama.¡¹


    And then Elena got down from the carriage. With her power of observation she found a girl at the direction where Clara was looking at and said that she wanted her.


    The blonde haired girl who I should be observing from the shadow said that she ¡ºwants¡» me.


    From my perspective, I could somehow understand her getting interested with someone around the same age with her, but Sera and others who had noble common sense seemed to never imagine that a noble would want a person who couldn¡¯t do any work. Sera and those two high ranked butlers were continuing to try to persuade the blonde haired girl.


    ¡¸That person is still in the middle of training. Even here she will only be assigned with menial works. There is no way she can be entrusted with a very important work like serving as your highness¡¯s personal attendant.¡¹


    ¡¸If she manage to finish her training and we judge that she has the aptitude, we promise that we will send her to the palace to work as a maid apprentice there. Until then I beg your highness to rethink whether she is really necessary for your highness¡¯s need or not.¡¹


    ¡¸Even children at the street will begin their apprenticeship starting from ten years old correct? I too am not planning to suddenly make such young maid to carry out the role of a handmaid. However that girl¡¯s appearance pleases me. She can at least standby nearby and convey my message to the handmaids right?¡¹


    In one of the living rooms inside the castle, I was told to stand at the corner of the room while waiting for them to decide my position.


    The other handmaids and butlers inside the room also listened to the conversation without any change in their expression, however there were also maids from good family who wanted to form connection with the royal family and the margrave house waiting at corners of this room too. They were glaring at me with eyes like ogre.


    I didn¡¯t feel anything at this point of time even if I was glared by some young ladies who didn¡¯t even have any battle experience. More importantly, they called that girl ¡ºher highness¡». Did that mean she was a royalty? I still wasn¡¯t strong enough to be able to run away to other country by myself, so please spare me from something troublesome like this.


    After that the exchange continued back and forth many times before the high ranked butler let out a sigh of resignation.


    ¡¸This person is still just a child who can¡¯t even speak in polite language yet. If your highness still doesn¡¯t mind even knowing that, then I shall assign her as one of your highness¡¯s room attendants only during your highness¡¯s stay in this castle. That is the greatest compromise that we can possibly make.¡¹


    ¡¸Of course, I don¡¯t mind that. And then if by some chance I take a genuine liking to her instead of just a whim, send her to the palace after her education is over to be an official handmaid apprentice there. That is also the biggest compromise that I shall make here.¡¹


    ¡¸As your highness command.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Aria, come here to give your greeting.¡¹


    It seemed that my position had been decided without taking my own wish into account at all. I mentally prepared myself to run away if I ever got into danger even if I had to become a wanted person at the end because of that. Right now I should just accept the situation positively. This way I would be able to do my monitoring duty easily. With that I obeyed Sera and stepped forward.


    The current me was not only unable to match Sera and the high ranked butler, I wasn¡¯t even a match against one of the knights protecting her. I swore in my heart that I would catch up to them one day as I bowed my head in front of the blond haired girl just like how I was taught.


    ¡¸I am a maid apprentice Aria. Please treat me well.¡¹


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­hm. Call me Elena.¡¹


    .


    ¨‹ Elena   Race : Human


    ¡¾Magic Power : 120/120¡¿¡¾Stamina : 33/35¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 50¡¿


    .


    This was the first time I saw a child with higher magic power than me who had learned light sorcery and darkness magic.


    From her stamina point, she didn¡¯t look like she had close quarter combat skill, so most likely she had multiple sorcery type skills. She was speaking in a haughty way which was typical to noble that was in my ¡°knowledge¡±, but her tone wasn¡¯t as severe as her words. However, the red haired girl behind her wouldn¡¯t approach me any closer while sending me a sharp gaze that was like a glare.


    ¡¸Aria, your monitoring duty is still just for supporting us in the end. There is no change to that, but I¡¯ll have you act as our contact personnel too from here on. Do you understand?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    ¡¸Also I will give you additional information now that you have become a room attendant. Elena-sama is one of the royalties of this country. The other person is the young lady of Dandall House, Clara-sama is her name. These two are our monitoring targets, but Elena-sama¡¯s safety has higher priority. Remember that well.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    ¡¸And then there is a report that with the two of them staying in this castle, people from a faction that doesn¡¯t harbor pleasant opinion toward one of the targets or perhaps both of them has appeared to observe their activity. We don¡¯t think that they will try anything overt, but if by some chance they play some kind of hand, you also have to act to protect them or at least her highness because you will be nearby.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    ¡¸Also, her highness has personally permitted you to call her name directly, so remember to call her Elena-sama instead of her highness. As for Clara-sama, address her as Ojou-sama.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    Sera nodded slightly after she finished confirming the plainly long list of change with me. Then together with Sera we returned to the garden where the monitoring targets were starting to take a stroll.


    Nevertheless, it didn¡¯t mean that I had anything particular to do. If this didn¡¯t happen, I would be doing weeding work or chores while considering from a ¡ºchild¡¯s perspective¡» if there was a chance the girls would suddenly disappear or not. That¡¯s all, but by becoming a room attendant, standing still and watching behind the other maids became my new work.


    ¡¸Aria, come over here.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes, Elena-sama.¡¹


    But it seemed Elena wouldn¡¯t allow that. I didn¡¯t know just what about me pleased her, but she placed me at her side even though I wasn¡¯t able to wait on her like waitress or anything else.


    When I approached, the young lady of Dandall moved away as though she was scared to be near me. And when I spoke Elena¡¯s name, the other maids who weren¡¯t allowed to do the same directed their gaze at me with emotion that was close to hatred. Elena noticed that and her lips formed a smile of delight. ¡­¡­She had quite the twisted personality in her.


    ¡¸You have a very nice personality aren¡¯t you Aria. Is it your personality to not be bothered by other people¡¯s opinion?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Embarrassing as it is, it¡¯s as Elena-sama say.¡¹


    It seemed that Elena and I were two of a kind. Of course our personalities were different, but just like me, she seemed to have a guts of steel to carry her on in the carnage of noble society.


    Her behavior wasn¡¯t like a kid. That kind of child must looked odd from the perspective of adult, but that way of living made her just slightly more likable for me.


    The maids would leave the room when they finished their business. The handmaids also wouldn¡¯t approach more than necessary unless there was business to take care of.


    The princess of Dandall sometimes would also leave the place when I was there, so after several days passed, often I would become the only one who was staying nearby to Elena.


    ¡¸Really¡­¡­Okaa-sama too is too weak hearted. The person who became the first queen is a kind persona, but in the end she is just a viscount daughter who never received education to become a queen, so without my mother the second queen, the government of this country won¡¯t be able to function properly you know? She should just use that opening to create her own power base inside and outside the country¡­¡­don¡¯t you think so?¡¹


    When there was only me nearby, Elena would start expressing her complaints with a small voice that only I could hear. ¡­¡­Was she really a kid like me?


    I heard that Elena was given an abnormal gifted education from her mother. It made me thought that she too was using the ¡°knowledge¡± she had accumulated to struggle desperately in order to survive.


    ¡¸I can¡¯t give any judgment about that.¡¹


    ¡¸You are really cold Aria. But, you really resemble me by acting that way. I¡¯m going to the city tomorrow for shopping, so you come along too.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    When it was only the two of us talking, Elena wouldn¡¯t scold me even when I used casual way of talking. A clever person like her also matched my way of talking for me. But we weren¡¯t ¡°friend¡±. She never removed her standing as a master interacting with a maid toward me, and I too never closed my distance with her any more than necessary. Surely I would never serve her. But, I didn¡¯t really dislike this atmosphere that we had between us right now.


    Elena was enjoying the aroma of tea on the white table placed at the terrace as time was passing quietly. Sometimes her clear blue eyes would turn toward the lake that had the same color with her eyes.


    I wondered what she had seen and felt until now with her accumulated ¡°knowledge¡± that was just like me. What was currently being reflected in her eyes right now? I too was standing diagonally behind her as I turned my eyes toward the same scenery. As the two of us stayed like that silently for a while, Elena suddenly opened her mouth.


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­I wonder what can you see from here?¡¹


    Elena asked me that while staring at the scenery. I kept my gaze fixed at the lake as I slowly formed a sentence.


    ¡¸Surely¡­¡­it¡¯s the same thing like you.¡¹


    .


    A week had passed since Elena arrived in this castle. She left the castle and went to the castle town of Dandall Castle. Even so her presence here was kept secret from public, so she only had three knights guarding her at the open. Other than them there were only three handmaids, one butler, and four maids accompanying her. I was also included among those four maids, but I didn¡¯t see Sera and the high ranked butler among the handmaids and butler.


    The reason was because the work in the castle would stagnate if they left the castle unattended, but the biggest cause was because they knew that Elena would feel annoyed if two nitpicky people like them came along. So the high ranked butler suggested that he would blend in the crowd to protect Elena secretly. With his strength, there would be no problem even if we came under attack. Not only that, several of Sera¡¯s colleagues were also blending with the crowd and acting as security, so I shouldn¡¯t have any part to play as long as nothing major occurred.


    Originally the princess of Dandall had to participate in this outing too, but it seemed that she felt under the weather (when she heard that I was also coming) and she was resting.


    ¡¸As expected from the biggest city after the capital. There are a lot of shops selling clothes in the price range that even commoners can afford. Aria, how about I buy something for you too?¡¹


    I silently shook my head at Elena¡¯s offer. In respond she looked at me and narrowed her gaze smilingly.


    ¡¸I guess so. For Aria it¡¯s more fitting for you to obtain what you want with your own strength.¡¹


    .


    We arrived at one of our destinations, a high class boutique.


    One of the knights circled around to the back of the shop, one took position beside the entrance, and the other one went inside to accompany Elena. This boutique had been reserved for today and there was no other customer. Perhaps this boutique had been investigated many times. Other than the owner, there were only three other female staffs inside. Even my search skill couldn¡¯t feel any other presence inside.


    ¡¸It¡¯s a great honor to receive your visit today. Please take your time having a look at what we have.¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll do just that.¡¹


    Elena exchanged some trivial greeting with the owner before looking around at the displayed fabrics and scarves.


    Perhaps someone overheard Elena¡¯s offer to buy me something. The maids who were unable to ride together with Elena in her carriage were looking at Elena wistfully. But, it was the handmaids¡¯ job to look around together with her, so the four maids including me could only watch from some distance¡­¡­but,


    ¡¸¡­¡­One of isn¡¯t here.¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t know anything.¡¹


    I noticed that one of the maids was gone and asked the others, but another maid who was a relative of a noble and treated me with hostility looked aside standoffishly with that reply. Her attitude was bad, but even they should know better than going off somewhere as they pleased. I got a bad feeling and tried to search with more attentiveness. Then the presence of Elena who entered into the dressing room for measurement vanished.


    I hurriedly moved toward that room¡¯s door, but one of the knights stopped me.


    ¡¸Even you who are permitted to serve as her highness¡¯s attendant isn¡¯t permitted to enter inside as you please.¡¹


    ¡¸I can¡¯t feel Elena-sama¡¯s presence. This is an emergency. Also there is a weird smell.¡¹


    ¡¸What are you¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Understood.¡¹


    One of the handmaids who was standing by outside might have heard about my ability from Sera. She immediately moved and knocked the door. She then opened the door when no reply was forthcoming.


    ¡¸Your highness-!¡¹


    When I entered inside behind that handmaid, a faint scent of drug pierced my nose. Elena wasn¡¯t inside the room. There were only two handmaids collapsing on the floor unconscious. They had no visible wound. They might have been drugged.


    ¡¸Where is her highness-¡¹


    ¡¸The staff who entered inside with them is also not here!¡¹


    ¡¸There¡¯s a hole on the floor over here!¡¹


    The butler¡¯s voice said that. I turned over there and peered from behind a knight. There was a hole opened in the floor. A child or a slim woman would be able to pass through a hole of that size.


    ¡¸Underground!¡¹


    ¡¸Where is the stair!?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll go ahead.¡¹


    Everyone began to search for a stair. I slipped through between them, folded my skirt like an umbrella, and then I jumped into the hole in the floor.


    I dropped down for several meters. I used body strengthening and landed while using my legs like a spring to absorb the impact.


    I immediately checked the surrounding with night vision. I saw disturbance in the magic particles at the corridor ahead and moved to that direction. I didn¡¯t find Elena even there, in exchange I found the noble relative maid who was gone from her post.


    ¡¸What are you doing here? Where is Elena-sama?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­I, I didn¡¯t know anything. I, ¡­¡­that staff said that she will give me money if I just leak a bit of information to her¡­¡­but I didn¡¯t know that it will become like this¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Where¡¯s Elena-sama?¡¹


    ¡¸Hih¡¹


    I lightly pressured her and she returned to her senses. Even though she got scared, she pointed at a small tunnel at the corner of the underground room.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    So a boutique staff was the culprit¡­¡­. I used a charcoal that I was supplied with to write the necessary information for the knights on the plaster wall, then I entered that small tunnel and chased after the kidnapped Elena.


    Stay safe¡­¡­Elena.

 Volume 1 - CH 26

    I advanced through the small tunnel in pursuit of the kidnapped Elena.


    Although that maid had leaked information, the culprit shouldn¡¯t have time to dig a hole this long beforehand. Most likely the kidnapper was a user of earth sorcery.


    So even though Sera¡¯s colleagues were standing watch, they didn¡¯t investigate the underground¡­¡­. In the first place they were lacking manpower, so they were using even a child like me. Only the maid who listened to my words was Sera¡¯s colleague who was accompanying Elena this time, but even she wasn¡¯t skilled in stealth and search. I heard that she only had several knight skills in order to become meat shield for the princess. There was no way all the members of the organization had high level scouting skills like Sera. The majority must be people like spies who focused in gathering information.


    But right now Elena was more important than those things. Even if they managed to contact the high ranked butler outside, it should take him more than ten minutes to catch up. Until he arrived I would need to find Elena and held back the kidnapper by myself.


    The culprit was able to travel through this kind of cramped tunnel that only a child or slim woman could pass while carrying a child. The opponent might be a scout, thief, or¡­¡­.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Assassin huh.¡¹


    An assassin using sorcery was the worst opponent that I could imagine. Even so I had to catch up. But that wasn¡¯t because this was a ¡°job¡± that I had undertaken.


    After passing through a distance that seemed to be around the same with three houses, the tunnel suddenly changed into a shaft. I used stealth while applying body strengthening. I pushed my fingers on the earth wall while climbing up the hole smoothly. Then I peeked outside while searching for any presence in the surrounding. There I see a dirty looking man preparing to escape in a rush.


    So the culprit didn¡¯t operate solo and had an accomplice. Or perhaps he was just a robber, but I had already decided to attack either way.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Feel¡­¡­¡¹


    When I chanted the sorcery inside my mouth, the man turned around in surprise toward the entrance. I leaped out in that instant and threw the tow knives hidden in my sleeves.


    ¡¸Gyah!?¡¹


    The man was stabbed by two knives on his back and lost his balance. I kicked his leg to make him stumble, then when he lied face down on the ground, I put my knee on his back hard and pointed my black knife on his neck.


    ¡¸Where is the woman and the girl she has with her?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­W-what the hell with you! I don¡¯t know a¡­¡­gyaah!¡¹


    The man tried to play stupid, so I slashed him from his neck until his back before pointing the knife on his neck once more.


    ¡¸I have no time, so I won¡¯t torture you in a way that can be healed with Heal.¡¹


    I slid my knife while pressuring him. When his neck was cut, the man¡¯s face instantly turned pale.


    ¡¸I-I was only paid to stand guard! Spare me!¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s not what I ask.¡¹


    ¡¸Gyaaaaaah!¡¹


    This time I stabbed my knife into his back and twisted. The man couldn¡¯t endure the pain and started talking.


    ¡¸That woman carried the child and turn right©¤©¤no, left! There is a carriage there!¡¹


    When I twisted the knife further when he spoke too smoothly, the man realized that I was serious and changed his words in panic.


    ¡¸Any other accomplice? I¡¯ll come back and kill you if you lie.¡¹


    ¡¸N-nobody else! She said that her comrades are waiting outside the city! I¡¯m not lying!¡¹


    ¡¸Got it.¡¹


    *Go-!*


    ¡¸Gah¡­¡­¡¹


    I strengthened my hands and knocked out the man by striking his head with my knife¡¯s pommel. It was pointless to ask him anything more than this. Besides if I left him alive, Sera¡¯s comrades who came chasing this way would be able to interrogate him.


    I collected my throwing knives and went outside. I came out in a narrow alley where there wasn¡¯t anybody else.


    The man said that they went left, but he said right at first. To make sure I lowered my face until it almost touched the ground and strengthened my eyes. Certainly there were footprints going to the right, but I found the faint trace of erased footsteps to the left. I started running to that direction.


    It was my first time using Feel in real battle but I was able to confirm its effect. This was illusion magic that I constructed with darkness magic, I specified the location with darkness sorcery and applied only the effect with darkness magic. It was a combination of sorcery and magic.


    Its effect was only something simple to grant the sensation of ¡ºbeing touched¡» at the ¡ºoptional location¡» of the living thing that I targeted. In fact there was nobody touching the target, so this magic could even move a single leaf, but as the result of cutting down the construction as much as possible, I managed to keep the magic power consumption to just 5 points.


    Magic had to be constructed inside the brain, so it was still difficult to use it immediately. But it could be used effectively in this kind of situation, and its MP consumption was low so there would be many situations where it could be used if I got used to it.


    ¡¸¡­¡­It¡¯s this way.¡¹


    I continued my pursuit while checking for the footprints sometime. There was only one set of footprint. The culprit was walking skillfully in a way that didn¡¯t leave footprint, but there was a faint footprint remaining as though she had stopped for a moment to fix her hold on what she was carrying. I didn¡¯t know whether it was because Elena was heavy or because she had regained consciousness and struggled, but even if I assumed that the culprit¡¯s gender was woman, I felt that her physical strength wasn¡¯t that high.


    I was pursuing while doing what Viro taught me. I imagined the figure of my enemy. I assumed that the enemy was an assassin, but why didn¡¯t she kill Elena?


    Sera hypothesized that the enemy was someone who was dispatched by a hostile faction. If that was true then the objective of the kidnapper was to bring Elena back alive and used her for political means. If that was the case, there was no need for the culprit to be assassin. From the lack of physical strength of the opponent, was she a thief variety of scout whose main specialty wasn¡¯t fighting?


    Then she wouldn¡¯t go as far as taking Elena¡¯s life. It was fine to assume that, but I should discard any naive thinking and assumed that she would kill Elena if she was cornered. My winning conditions were first, Elena¡¯s life, then second was retaking her back. My objective wasn¡¯t to defeat the enemy. It also wasn¡¯t my objective to investigate the enemy¡¯s identity. It would be dangerous if I mistook the order of priorities.


    Even if the enemy a scout who wasn¡¯t a fighter type, most likely she would be a formidable enemy who was stronger than hobgoblin. Then, why was I chasing alone l like this to brave such danger¡­¡­I asked myself.


    I wondered when did it start¡­¡­I realized that the pressure in my heart lightened when I was together with Elena.


    Elena was ¡°light¡±. In this twisted and cruel world, she was the only ¡°same kind¡± who appeared before me and faintly illuminated the dark and solitude path that I had continued to walk on until now.


    I did this not because of work. I¡­¡­just didn¡¯t want Elena to die.


    After running through the back alley, I saw a carriage that was usually used by individual peddler parked in a slightly open space.


    ¡¸Found you.¡¹


    There was one slim silhouette outside the carriage. I also confirmed blond hair fluttering from inside the carriage. I ran while swiping my skirt to pulled out the knives tied on my legs.


    When Elena started to grow awareness, her mother started giving her education for gifted children. She never felt any motherly warmth from her. The baby Elena continued to accept the harsh education only to seek for that warmth. As the result, she obtained four sorcery elements and knowledge that could put adult to shame, but as the compensation, the elements and powerful magic power that she obtained at four years old gnawed into her body. Her body was reduced into one that couldn¡¯t run around like a child her age should be able to.


    This wasn¡¯t something that was widely known even among the nobles, but when someone obtained a lot of elements, the caster had to pay with their lifespan as the price of obtaining strong power. In Elena¡¯s case, if she was able to grow until she had adult body, she would be able to live normally even though it would be difficult for her to have children. But such defect was vital for a royalty. Elena¡¯s mother quickly lost interest with her.


    Elena who failed to obtain a mother¡¯s warmth and also lost her healthy body was only supported by her brother the crown prince who was born from the first queen. He was a gentle and kind brother who could understand other person¡¯s pain. Elena idolized him and she was so fixated with him that it looked like her brother was the only one who she could rely on¡­¡­that was how Elena made herself appeared to be to other people.


    If she continued to follow whatever her mother told her to do, the country would be divided between the royalty faction and noble faction one day and conflict would break out. A part of herself had also been saved by the kindness of her big brother the crown prince, and she personally harbored affection to him as a little sister, but the ¡°kindness¡± that her brother possessed wasn¡¯t a ¡°strength¡± that was capable to unite a country that was torn apart into two.


    With how young Elena was right now, it would be hard for her to ignore the words of the noble faction. That was why there was a need for Elena to show to the external and internal side that she belonged to royalty faction that she even went as far as acting to be ¡ºobsessed with the crown prince¡».


    At present only her father the king, her grandparents the previous king and the queen mother, and a small number of close associates including her wet nurse who knew about this fact. In case the crown prince was judged to be too ¡ºweal¡» to be the next king, she would take on the role of ¡ºqueen¡» as the king¡¯s representative and ¡ºeducate¡» the crown prince¡¯s child until they grew up. Like that Elena continued to receive ruling education without her mother the second queen¡¯s awareness.


    The result of the education that the second queen gave in order to snatch away the throne from the son of the first queen had given Elena the ¡°knowledge¡± that could make her think of the country¡¯s peace that she even betrayed her own mother for it.


    .


    The recuperation in Dandall this time also wasn¡¯t to cool down Elena¡¯s head that was going too far with unhealthy obsession, but a ¡°rest¡± that was suggested by Elena¡¯s father in his concern for her who had to adjust the internal balance of the kingdom even in her age of seven years old.


    Other than for that rest, Dandall  was chosen because Elena¡¯s cousin Clara was also there. Clara was living in the capital when she was three years old until six years old. During that time she was always visiting the palace as Elena¡¯s playmate.


    The one year older Clara never acted servile or coarse like other children and possessed gracefulness as the princess of Dandall. Elena looked up to her as though she was her real big sister. That was why Elena went as far as this place for her recuperation, but Clara who she met after two years was slightly different from before.


    Perhaps she should describe it as there was this faint ¡°discomfort¡± coming from Clara. Clara still had calm disposition like before and now she also had knowledge that even Elena didn¡¯t know about. At first Elena was rejoicing that she finally found someone who could talk at her level, but as she continued talking with her, she got the feeling that she was talking with a ¡°different person¡±.


    Her eyes when looking at Elena was changing from the previously pure affection in the past to a wary gaze at the present. ¡°Something¡± happened to Clara during these two years. And Clara was hiding that ¡°something¡± from her.


    In order to ascertain what it was¡­¡­or to be more accurate, wanting to return their relationship to be like before, she forcefully poached a maid who Clara was looking with the same kind of wariness like when she looked at her. She had no firm basis behind her action. It would be fine even if she was wrong. That pink colored hair was the same color with the hair of the queen two generations before that Elena saw in a portrait when she was even younger than now. She was secretly harboring a longing that pink haired color was better than golden hair.


    The name of that pink haired girl was Aria. She didn¡¯t ask her age but if she was a commoner than should be around ten years old. Her appearance wasn¡¯t that different from the current Elena who had grown quicker due to her magic power. Aria¡¯s eyes left a deep impression in her¡­¡­even Elena who was used to seeing beautiful and gorgeous people considered Aria to have a lovely look, and yet her jade green eyes were containing powerful strength that was opposing something.


    At the inside Aria was also different from the normal children. She possessed a calm and coolness that were unthinkable for a child, and yet she looked at other people with great attentiveness. She would immediately notice when Elena wanted something and approached her.


    Perhaps this feeling was sympathy. Aria¡¯s way of life that could even be called aloof gave her a feeling of relief to Elena who had continued to fight in solitude, that she wasn¡¯t alone by any means.


    There was that one time when another maid dropped something. Aria instantly moved to protect Elena. It made her thought that perhaps Aria was a bodyguard maid of the dark side that she heard from rumor.


    And then about Clara, it seemed that her guess that it was Aria who was bothering her was right, but before she could ascertain Clara¡¯s reaction, Clara was the one who distanced herself away from them. Did she have trauma with Aria¡¯s hair color? But, she thought that she didn¡¯t mind it even if that was the case. Right now rather than the matter of Clara, Elena wished to be together with Aria who was the only one in this world who had the same point of view with her.


    That was why she got the idea to go outside by her own initiative after so long. But, no matter how smart she was, Elena was still just a child. The emotion that she couldn¡¯t control became carelessness that came to bit her.


    .


    Elena who should have become a part of the royalty faction was still considered as the hope of the noble faction. At the same time her existence was nothing but a hindrance for noble house that wanted to raise a new symbol to unite the noble faction.


    Using some kind of drug, the handmaids in the dressing room fainted and even Elena had the freedom of her body taken away. The culprit was the staff who should be measuring her body. That woman put the unmoving Elena on her shoulder, moved aside a furniture, and easily took her outside from a hole in the floor.


    Where did the information of Elena¡¯s visiting place leak from? None of the servants hired should be related to the noble faction, but she saw one of the maids while she was taken away and guessed that she must be the one leaking the information. When their eyes met, she glared at the maid to express that she would never forget her face. At the same time Elena produced light magic particle from the magic stone in her heart to attempt neutralizing the poison by flooding her whole body with it.


    ¡¸Oh, you can move already? As expected from the princess who is rumored to be excellent.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­You aren¡¯t going to kill me?¡¹


    She was able to neutralize the poison somewhat, but her body still couldn¡¯t move. Elena had learned light sorcery until she was able to use level 2 at her age, even so she couldn¡¯t fully remove the poison even using Treat unless she understood what was the poison used.


    Even so, if the kidnapper realized that she could move, then it would be better for her to gather information rather than staying quiet.


    ¡¸This is the request of my client. In the first place if it¡¯s a murder request, then I won¡¯t accept it even if the request comes from the guild.¡¹


    The female staff was unexpectedly talkative. She even grinned cheerfully with her unimpressionable face while winking to her. She wouldn¡¯t kill her. There were only two types of people who took job through guild. Either they were adventurer or©¤©¤


    ¡¸¡­¡­Thief?¡¹


    ¡¸Exactly. Even though we are scouts who become pet dog that wag our tail to a country or feudal lord, we are different from the uncivilized assassins who know nothing except killing. I am a proud thief who have polished my technique until the level of art.¡¹


    She said that a noble made a request to the thief guild. Unlike adventurer scouts who fought with monster or even assassins who polished their skill in facing other human to the extreme, the thieves polished their skill in infiltration and stealing. People like them were perfect for kidnapping mission.


    ¡¸It¡¯s fun talking with a clever and cute girl but, stay quiet until we get out of the city okay? I¡¯ll give another dose of poison to you now but you can also struggle if you want? I¡¯ll really hurt you in that case.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­kuh¡¹


    Considering her capability, it would be pointless even if I struggled. But, at this rate she would get handed off to a noble somewhere. Most likely she would be forced to sign something and had all information squeezed out from her before getting disposed.


    Her tongue felt slightly numb and she didn¡¯t know whether she would be able to activate magic. She couldn¡¯t do anything, even so Elena glared at the female thief. The woman made a delighted face seeing that and just as her hand was about to touch Elena©¤©¤


    *Kan-!*


    ¡¸¡¸!!¡¹¡¹


    A knife slid between the two of them and pierced the carriage. The female thief deflected another knife with her short sword. Elena and the female thief¡¯s gazes instantly turned toward the direction the knives came from. The figure of a girl with pink blond hair wearing slightly loose maid uniform was reflected in Elena¡¯s blue eyes.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Aria-!!¡¹


    I threw a knife to interrupt the female staff¡¯s hand movement, but I couldn¡¯t even scratch her even though it was a surprise attack. However I confirmed Elena¡¯s safety hearing her calling my name.


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­I thought I still have a bit more time until someone catch up to this point but, could it be you dived into that hole to chase me until her?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I didn¡¯t reply and took a stance with my black knife. Far from getting angry, the female staff clapped her hand while laughing happily instead.


    ¡¸A maid-chan, nice-! I never thought that I would be able to meet two uncommonly cute girls with this kind of work-! This is why a job from noble is interesting-¡¹


    I observed the strange woman while gathering the necessary information. Her age seemed to be around the middle of her twenty. She had darkish red hair and brown eyes. She seemed to have a nice look, but the impression that I got from her on the whole was that she seemed forgettable if I took my eyes off her. She wasn¡¯t that tall and her body build was slim just as I expected. She must have stopped with her acting, if she moved then it would be obvious from even over her boutique uniform that her body was covered with supple muscles.


    Judging from her traits, as expected she must be a scout or a thief. The kidnapping this time too, had they been watching that shop the whole time since before? Or else, had they positioned people with forgettable look all over the place to make it easier to replace them?


    The woman looked like she was doing this alone, but considering all the information, I guessed that there was an organization behind her. In that case I couldn¡¯t allow the woman to get away from here. If she managed to get out of the city, it would be impossible to follow her track. Who was this woman? She felt overly brazen to simply be a kidnapper aiming for money.


    ¡¸This woman is someone from the thief guild-, she is using poison so be careful-!¡¹


    When Elena exposed her true identity, that female thief smiled wryly and looked at Elena. She shrugged with a dramatic gesture. ¡­¡­I see. So she was a thief who specialized in kidnapping, here because of a request from a faction that was Elena¡¯s enemy.


    .


    ¨‹ Female Thief   Race : Human


    ¡¾Magic Power : 174/180¡¿¡¾Stamina : 155/170¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 388 (With Body Strengthening : 440)¡¿


    .


    It was better than facing an assassin, even so she had higher combat strength than Castro. Certainly her combat strength was high, but judging from her magic power, it wasn¡¯t that high. If I remembered right, from what Viro told me, thief had high stealth type skill and martial art type skill, but there wasn¡¯t that many of them who specialized in battle. If this female thief was also someone like that, and from the degree of increase from her body strengthening¡­¡­I predicted that her close quarter combat skill was equal to level 2.


    If she had short sword skill level 2, depending on how I fought then she wasn¡¯t an opponent who was completely beyond me. However, if she had combat strength this high with close quarter combat skill level 2, then perhaps¡­¡­it might be better to assume that she had level 3 in earth sorcery that she used to dig hole.


    A rank 3 thief¡­¡­normally she was an opponent that I wouldn¡¯t fight, but I couldn¡¯t possibly withdraw from here. It seemed Elena was safe but she couldn¡¯t move. Her speech also sounded a bit strange, so she must have her freedom of movement taken away by a drug and she also couldn¡¯t use sorcery.


    ¡¸I won¡¯t chase if you let Elena-sama go.¡¹


    ¡¸You plan to negotiate with that? You¡¯re a kid as expected¡­¡­is what I want to say but, I don¡¯t feel like going along with your attempt to buy time. My principle is to not kill in work but¡­¡­sorry if I fail in holding back okay?¡¹


    ¡¸Tsu!¡¹


    The female thief¡¯s left hand slightly blurred. I felt something like a killing intent for an instant and dodged by bending back. A thin knife passed away right before my eyes. I couldn¡¯t see any preliminary movement from her just like with Castro. I had also trained but the number of times I could use such movement well could be counted including the time I used it against the hobgoblin.


    But, I didn¡¯t even have any time to ponder like that. I sensed earth colored magic particles rose from the female thief. The female thief unleashed her sorcery at the same time when I dodged.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Stone Bullet ©¤©¤¡¹


    The instant I heard those activation words, the earth colored magic particles spread to the surrounding. Several pebbles shot from the ground toward me.


    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹


    I used body strengthening and martial art to twist my body and dodged the pebbles. Then I backed away even further and crouched with one hand on the ground.


    ¡¸Coolll, I didn¡¯t expect you to dodge them all-¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    A trickle of blood flowed from my forehead to my cheek. ¡­¡­I couldn¡¯t dodge all of them completely. At the very least my forehead was grazed and my shoulder was also hit. My stamina also decreased but I still didn¡¯t use Heal.


    So this was attack sorcery¡­¡­this was my first time actually seeing it but, I might be rendered unable to fight in one attack if I was hit fully. She might use throwing weapon to hold back the opponent and give herself time to chant, or chanting while fighting. I studied her way of using sorcery in battle while memorizing the enemy¡¯s sorcery usage pattern at the same time.


    My shoulder that got hit by a pebble also could move¡­¡­the blood on my forehead also didn¡¯t enter my eyes, so I ignored it and took a stance. The female thief thought that I was going to attack and hugged her own arms while her body was shaking as though she was holding something back.


    ¡¸Nice, so nice-, maid-chan. The bright red blood flowing on your pretty cute face¡­¡­this is why I¡¯m not suited with killing. Anguished face excited me more than killing that I subconsciously ended up tormenting my opponent¡­¡­especially with a cute kid like you.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡­¡­I see, she was a pervert. I heard that thief wouldn¡¯t kill civilian, but it seemed some among them were simply unsuited for killing. But there wasn¡¯t a single factor that reassured me after knowing that. In fact Elena was turning so pale she couldn¡¯t make any voice.


    ¡¸Now, how about we begin?¡¹


    The woman pulled out a short sword and moved to the right with a movement that looked like she was sliding on the ground. With a knife in hand, I also matched that movement and began walking to the same direction soundlessly. Perhaps because of her deviant hobby, the female thief seemed to hope for a close quarter combat and didn¡¯t use sorcery.


    This was far better than her using level 3 sorcery, but there was a chance she would hold me back with direct attack and used sorcery like before, so there was no way I could let my guard down.


    Even if she only had around rank 2 combat strength in purely close quarter combat, her combat strength wasn¡¯t just for show. Because she would be able to kill me in one attack if she used it as a trump card.


    ¡¸¡¸-!¡¹¡¹


    *Gakin-!*


    The two of us who were slowly closing the distance leaped forward at the same time. The blades that lunged at the same time scattered sparks from the clash.


    But, I stepped back for several steps as though I got flicked away due to the difference in skill level and body build. The female thief didn¡¯t let go of that opening and slashed. Matching that I also threw a throwing knife with my left hand, but the female thief had also predicted that and changed the trajectory of her short sword to deflect the knife.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Dust©¤©¤¡¹


    The female thief used sorcery. She might have chanted the spell while moving. Dust was blowing toward me.


    This was bad. For me who was looking at magic particles from their color, having my sight blocked would sharply reduce my detection capability. I hurriedly took distance but the sorcery¡¯s range was wide. I closed my eyes to cover my face with resignation that it couldn¡¯t be helped even if I got hit by an attack. Then at the next moment, I felt an impact on my abdomen and my body was blown away by several meters.


    ¡¸Aria-!¡¹


    I heard Elena¡¯s scream. However I couldn¡¯t move immediately after getting my stomach kicked.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Gehoh¡¹


    I rolled on the ground while reflexively choking from the pain. The footsteps that were approaching soundlessly got slightly louder.


    ¡¸Nice, niceee! I¡¯ll carve you up properly this time-!¡¹


    That voice taught me the location and distance of the female thief from me.


    *Hyun!!*


    ¡¸Wha-!?¡¹


    The thief sounded surprised. I also stopped the Heal that I was chanting during the combat and poured magic power into the string in my hand to reel it in while opening my eyes and throwing the ¡°blade¡± at the end of the ¡°string¡± toward the female thief.


    ¡¸What is, this-!?¡¹


    The female thief couldn¡¯t comprehend my ¡°attack¡± and took some distance away in panic. However my attack couldn¡¯t be avoided just by taking distance halfheartedly. I reeled the string once more and threw the second blade in a large arc. When the female thief¡¯s attention was diverted to that, the knife that I threw at her stabbed her arm.


    ¡¸Tsuu!¡¹


    I quickly reeled in the blade and hid it in my sleeve. The female thief opened the same distance like at the start and this time she faced me vigilantly. However, the female thief didn¡¯t sport a ridiculing smile at me like at the beginning.


    ¡¸¡­¡­What¡¯s that just now? Your sorcery?¡¹


    ¡¸Who knows?¡¹


    The weapon I used just now was the new weapon I made to replace the weighted cord. I soaked cotton threads of unbleached cloth with my blood, bundled several of them together, and by sending magic power into them, I became able to move the cord to some degree like with my hair.


    I asked a servant of the castle who could do forging to melt several of the copper coins that were bent after I used them as weight in the weighted cord and fused them together into one lump. After that I patiently hammered the lump, shaved it, and polished it until it became a blade. My lack of sleep was mostly caused by this, but thanks to that, it became a weapon that moved in high speed using centrifugal force, making it difficult to perceive the blade. Its damaging power was low but it wasn¡¯t so light that the opponent could simply ignore it. This weapon was just right to hold back an enemy.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Not bad.¡¹


    The first attack left a shallow wound on the female thief¡¯s cheek. Her expression changed together with that flowing blood. The female thief threw away her red hair wig and from below it appeared shortly cropped dull silver hair that glistened under the sun.


    As I thought, she was disguising herself using thief¡¯s technique. I didn¡¯t know whether it was sorcery or a skill, but even though her facial look didn¡¯t change at all, she was able to look like a completely different person just with cosmetic and changing her gesture. Even the thief type skill couldn¡¯t be underestimated.


    Anyway, the opponent finally got serious. Normally it would be better to make the opponent underestimated you, but it was harder for me to face an opponent that I couldn¡¯t measure. I¡¯d draw out all the information of her after making her got serious and calculated the steps to reach victory.


    When I fixed my grip on my knife with such thing, the female thief slightly narrowed her eyes.


    ¡¸I already thought that you aren¡¯t just a mere kid but¡­¡­what are you?¡¹


    There was no meaning to give information to your enemy. However I gave a frivolous reply instead in order to make her focus on me.


    ¡¸I am¡­¡­just an orphan, and just an adventurer.¡¹


    I turned my gaze just slightly toward Elena who was watching me fixedly, then I quietly held my black knife in a stance.


    ¡¸I¡¯m just a ¡ºcombat maid¡» who is given the job of protecting her and killing the enemy.¡¹


    The way the female thief looked at me slightly changed from those words.


    I heard that the definition of ¡ºbodyguard handmaid¡» was to constantly stay at their master¡¯s side to protect them even if they had to use their own body as a shield. And then, someone like Sera who cornered her master¡¯s enemy and annihilated them mercilessly was called ¡ºcombat handmaid¡».


    From the female thief¡¯s reaction, the maids and handmaids protecting nobles and important people must be the symbol of hate for them.


    I still wasn¡¯t strong like Sera. However in order to take back Elena, I intentionally called myself a ¡ºcombat maid¡» instead of bodyguard maid.


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­a combat maid, eh¡¹


    *Tann!!*


    ¡¸Kyah!?¡¹


    Suddenly the female thief threw her knife to the carriage while keeping her gaze on me. Elena¡¯s scream came from behind the wooden plank that was stabbed by the knife. I could see magic particles dispersing from that place.


    ¡¸What a tomboy princess. I can hear your spell¡¯s rhyme even though you suppress your magic power and voice you know? The next time you try something again I¡¯ll use sorcery to©¤©¤¡¹


    *Hyun!!*


    ¡¸Tsuh!¡¹


    When I threw the blade attached string from my side using centrifugal force, the woman whose focus was distracted for a moment bent back to dodge it.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t look away. Your opponent is ¡°me¡± right?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­This brat¡¹


    The female thief¡¯s focus returned to me. I shook my head slightly at Elena who was looking this way to tell her ¡ºDon¡¯t do anything¡».


    ¡¸You¡¯re right¡­¡­there is also no time, let¡¯s end the game here.¡¹


    The female thief said that and flung away her boutique uniform. Her look changed to a leather suit that clung tightly on her body.


    Certainly it was harder to move in a loose cloth. I also felt my movement was getting hindered when I still wasn¡¯t used with the maid uniform, but this kind of outfit also had its own advantage.


    The female thief threw away the short sword she was using and pulled out two new daggers. They were giving off an unnatural luster. Most likely it was ¡°poison¡±. Even poison had types, but if it was a poison that was used by this female thief, I got the feeling that it would be bad even if I just got grazed by it.


    *Hyun!*


    ¡¸That attack again-!¡¹


    The female thief leaped away when she sensed the attack. I controlled the string to hold back the female thief from putting me into her range. The female thief too, even though she didn¡¯t know the true identity of the attack, she had guessed that it was a projectile weapon and dodged just from its presence.


    My trump cards right now were only this string and illusion magic. I wanted to inflict some kind of damage when using one of those trump cards, the string for the first time, but in the end I could only use it to hold the enemy at bay without any other effect.


    But, even though I was aware of her poison and keeping my distance, this female thief had sorcery. Right now she was still unable to see through the centrifugal force¡¯s speed, but if the true identity of this weapon got exposed, she would immediately deal with me using sorcery.


    Even so I had no other way. My only option was to continue attacking with the weapons I had in hand to create an opening.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Snare©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸-!¡¹


    The female thief used sorcery in order to escape from the string¡¯s blade. A hole was suddenly opened under my feet and I lost my balance. Even then I rolled and dodged that sorcery, but the female thief didn¡¯t let go of that opening and threw a dagger.


    I was on my knee without being able to stand up, so I used my knife to deflect the dagger. But the female thief charged forward at the same time when she threw the dagger. She showed a big preparatory stance by drawing back her knife to the back, and then she unleashed a ¡°thrust¡±.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Double Edge©¤©¤!!¡¹


    It was short sword Battle Skill level 2, Double Edge. Its range was no different than a normal thrust, but the skill gave an explosive increase at the thrust¡¯s instantaneous force and speed, and it made it possible for you to launch two consecutive thrusts.


    I couldn¡¯t dodge this attack while I was unbalanced like this. But©¤©¤


    ¡¸Wha-!?¡¹


    My body that was crouching low on my knee slid right to the side. The female thief¡¯s Battle Skill only tore my skirt. Normally I wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge. But the female thief was anxious because she had little time left. I had predicted that rather than using spell that took time to activate, she would rely on Battle Skill that had attack power. That was why I kept my feet hidden behind the widely spread long skirt and used the footwork that I learned from Sera so I could dodge the attack.


    Although I sad predict, half of it was based on instinct. But, there was no option of letting go of this opening where the female thief had missed with her Battle Skill.


    I firmly supported my body by solidly planting my knee on the ground and twisted my upper body while pulling my hand to behind me. The female thief¡¯s face slightly twisted when she realized what I was going to do.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Thrust©¤©¤!¡¹


    I only used Battle Skill when an opening that would allow me to land a finishing blow with certainty appeared. If the enemy intentionally gave me such an opening, there was no reason for me not to use the Battle Skill.


    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹


    But, the Thrust that I thought would land was dodged when the female thief bent her body to the side.


    The information that there was a skill called ¡ºFlexible Body¡» surfaced in my head from the knowledge, but it was outside my expectation for it to be used to dodge in a weird way like this. Even so the female thief couldn¡¯t completely dodge and my Battle Skill shallowly tore her flank. Then the female thief continued falling aside as she let out a sharp kick from that posture.


    The table was turned. I who had just performed a Battle Skill couldn¡¯t move. With an instantaneous judgment, I intentionally allowed my floating waist to be kicked and opened a distance while using the momentum to spring back on my feet.


    But, at that moment the female thief also got back on her feet and began chanting spell. I judged that she was planning to use a powerful sorcery from the amount of magic particles. I swiped my skirt and pulled out a knife to throw, but the female thief finished her sorcery a moment faster.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Rock Skin©¤©¤¡¹


    *Gin* There was a hard sound. The throwing knife was deflected by the female thief¡¯s leather suit. It wasn¡¯t an attack sorcery but defensive one. When I threw my string blade to ascertain the effect, the female thief grinned and swiped away the blade with bare hand.


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­. A blade attached on a string¡­¡­a pendulum? Looks like you¡¯re using something interesting, but this kind of shrewd attack won¡¯t work anymore on me.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Was it sorcery effect just now¡­¡­. The female thief¡¯s appearance didn¡¯t change, but her whole body was being covered with earth element magic particles. Perhaps it was a sorcery armor guessing from the effect.


    ¡¸It¡¯s already over. Really¡­¡­I never even dreamed that a rank 1 kid will give me this much trouble. You even made me used my trump card, so let me hear a pretty cry at the very least. I¡¯ll hurt you a lot!¡¹


    The female thief sported a twisted smile while starting to chant a spell again. I threw my string blade to hinder her, but the female thief didn¡¯t even dodge and the blade bounced back when it hit her cheek. I didn¡¯t know what kind of magic it was, but I started running to make it harder for her to target me. It was then the female thief finished her sorcery at the same time.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Stone Bullet©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸-!¡¹


    Several small stones shot out from the ground. I crossed my arms to protect my head and leaped aside to dodge, even so some of the stones hit me directly and I tumbled on the ground.


    ¡¸Kuh¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸You are really persevering for a kid¡­¡­fufu¡¹


    My stamina was still remaining, but the wounds on my body and stamina were two different things. Even if my stamina ran out, I would only faint and became unable to move, but I wouldn¡¯t die immediately. But conversely if my heart was stabbed, then I would die even if my stamina was full.


    The Stone Bullet inflicted blunt damage, so it wouldn¡¯t give me serious damage as long as I protected my vital parts. Even so it was difficult to dodge that many stones. And if even one of them hit my vital spot, the next one would take my life for sure. I wasn¡¯t at a state to buy time anymore. None of my attack did anything, while the opponent could kill me easily using a single dagger or any kind of sorcery.


    ¡¸I wonder if you have run out of trick already? You fought well for a child, but you seem like someone who will be a massive pain in the future, so I¡¯ll kill you here.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I had one more ¡°trump card¡±. However, the condition to use it still hadn¡¯t been fulfilled. In order to use it too, I continued to analyze the enemy¡¯s ability without giving up.


    There wasn¡¯t really any information in the ¡°knowledge¡± regarding sorcery armor, even so when I gathered any scrap of knowledge about it, it seemed that such sorcery would either cancel damage within a certain degree, or reduce the amount of damage within a certain time limit. Most likely the woman used earth element so I thought her sorcery operated in a way of the former. The person said that it was her trump card so it was a level 3 sorcery and she should have absolute confidence in it. That was why I believed that must be making her careless. I continued to shave off the sorcery armor even while enduring the pain in my whole body.


    ¡¸Ahaha, pointless, pointless!!¡¹


    The knife that I threw and even the string blade that she called pendulum were all bounced back by the female thief¡¯s skin.


    The female thief charged forward without putting up any defense. I tried enduring using martial art if my weapon didn¡¯t work, but my damaged body was unable to move like it should. The female thief¡¯s dagger grazed my shoulder.


    ¡¸Tsu, ¡­¡­aAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡¹


    A terrible pain assaulted me from that shallow wound. When I reflexively screamed from that pain, the female thief¡¯s face warped in pleasure.


    ¡¸Aa¡­¡­you finally chirped. But don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t die right away from this poison but¡­¡­this poison really ¡°hurt¡± right?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­kuuh¡¹


    The wound itself wasn¡¯t deep and yet I groaned from the sharp pain.


    My muscles convulsed from the terrible pain and I couldn¡¯t even breathe well. A normal child would cry or faint from this but, I couldn¡¯t allow myself to lose consciousness here.


    ¡­¡­Just a bit more¡­¡­


    The female thief laughed condescendingly while kicking me who was unable to move properly.


    I rolled on the ground, then I bit my lips while glaring at the woman and holding back my scream. The female thief shivered with an expression of ecstasy seeing that. Then she stepped on me who was lying face up.


    ¡¸That¡¯s so great, maid-chan. I want to play with you more¡­¡­I want to hear you cry more. Even though I have to kill you quickly, even though there is no time¡­¡­aa, even though I want to torment you more-!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Aa, that face is so lovely! Let me hear your cry more-!¡¹


    The female thief raised up her arm with a yell and drove the poisoned dagger into my stomach deeply.


    ¡¸AAAAAAAAAAH!!¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s right, cry and chirp more! Show me that face twisted in agony more-! It hurt right? It¡¯s agonizing right? Ahahahahahah!¡¹


    ¡¸-!!¡¹


    It hurts, painful, ¡­¡­but I couldn¡¯t faint here. Because¡­¡­I finally finished preparing.


    That was why¡­¡­I¡¯ll give it back to you.


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­Pain¡­¡­¡¹


    .


    When my darkness magic activated, the female thief made an astonished face for an instant. Then at the next moment, her face twisted horribly and she screamed like a slaughtered pig.


    ¡¸Hiiih!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! GYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡¹


    Perhaps because she was a sorcerer thief who never really got into battle, she didn¡¯t look like she had that much endurance for pain. The female thief who was standing in superior position until then was now rolling around on the ground while screaming madly without caring of her appearance.


    Illusion type sorcery couldn¡¯t reproduce something that the caster didn¡¯t know about.


    For example, with Noise I could reproduce any sound that I knew, and with Feel I could recreate the sensation that I had felt with my skin.


    With Pain that I used, it was darkness magic that worked by filling darkness magic power with ¡°pain¡± that I knew and firing it to make the target ¡°hallucinated¡± a ¡°pain¡±.


    But, in order to use it, I needed to know of the pain coming when just barely holding on life. This magic didn¡¯t deal physical damage although it granted pain. And even though the magic¡¯s structure wasn¡¯t that different from Feel, reproducing pain consumed more than 20 MP so it also couldn¡¯t be used consecutively.


    Even so I expected its effect to stop the enemy¡¯s movement for several seconds, but the female thief¡¯s mind was thrown into chaos because she didn¡¯t even know where the intense pain that wasn¡¯t hers came from. The magic even caused the effect of her nerves convulsing because of the trick of pain.


    *Clang¡­¡­.*


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­tsu¡¹


    The dagger that stabbed my stomach fell. I also endured the same pain while putting strength into my trembling legs to stand up. My mind wasn¡¯t strong against pain by any means. Even though I was feeling the same pain, the ray of light of hope that I finally saw uplifted my spirit and gave me the strength to endure the pain.


    ¡¸Hiii, gaaa, sto, stop¡­¡­don¡¯t come..I can¡¯t move¡­guaaah¡¹


    The female thief seemed to recover from her panic bit by bit. She was speaking haltingly while crawling away to take distance from me. But, perhaps she couldn¡¯t put strength into her convulsing body. Her movement was slower than me whose stomach got stabbed and walking by dragging my heavy body.


    I¡¯d settle this here before the female thief¡¯s nerve got used to the ¡°hallucination¡± of pain. The female thief¡¯s body was still covered with the sorcery armor. Blade and blunt weapon couldn¡¯t damage her. But©¤©¤


    ¡¸Hih¡¹


    I wrapped a string around the neck and jaw of the female thief who tried to push me away. I wrapped the string over and over to fix it in place. I pushed down on her neck with my knee and then pulled the string with all my strength. Because of that blood spurted out from the stab wound on my stomach.


    ¡¸Hia¡­¡­sto, stop¡­¡­help¡¹


    ¡¸None of that, you¡¯re going to die here.¡¹


    I also mustered my last remaining strength. Using body strengthening and my knee, I pulled the string with the principle of leverage.


    ¡¸Agaagagaaagagagaaaaah!!¡¹


    ¡¸©¤©¤!!¡¹


    Even flexible body had limit. The female thief tried to endure with her neck¡¯s strength even while convulsing against me who was exerting all my strength. I used my magic power control that became level 2 to pull the string with body strengthening on my whole body. The neck of the resisting female thief began to twist. That neck that was slowly getting twisted was©¤©¤


    *Snap¡­¡­!*


    Turning backward together with the sound like a piece of dried wood wrapped in wet cloth snapping.


    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹¡¹


    The female thief¡¯s face that was stiffened in terror was staring at me dumbfounded. The radiance of life in those upside down eyes was quietly sinking into darkness with my expressionless face reflected on them.

 Volume 1 - CH 27

    The female thief whose neck was snapped crumbled down. I saw the sorcery armor dispersing from her body. I cut her throat with a knife to completely finish her off.


    ¡¸¡­¡­cough-¡¹


    Blood spilled out when I coughed a little. Perhaps my internal organ got wounded when my stomach was stabbed, or perhaps the poison had circulated inside my body. I fell on my knees and fell backward when I heard a scream.


    ¡¸Aria-!!¡¹


    When I turned only my gaze slightly to there, I saw Elena crawling to where I was. It seemed that the poison¡¯s effect to her had lessened considerably, but she was still unable to move properly. ¡­¡­Elena was safe. I also didn¡¯t see any visible injury on her. I took a breath after seeing that my mission was complete, even so I used Heal to regain stamina even just for a little in order to keep my dying body struggling till the end.


    Considering all the sorceries and Battle Skill I had used, my remaining magic power was around half. By using Heal on top of that here, I guess I only had around 30 or 40 remaining now. That amount also showed my ¡ºremaining life¡».


    ¡¸Aria-, what a horrible injury¡­¡­¡¹


    Elena who reached my location turned pale seeing my wounds.


    ¡¸¡­¡­You safe?¡¹


    ¡¸Think about yourself rather than me-! It¡¯s impossible for Heal to treat a wound this deep. I¡¯ll quickly use Cure to¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸No¡­¡­need. Rather than that¡­¡­can you use¡­¡­Treat?¡¹


    ¡¸I can but¡­¡­but it¡¯s impossible-! Without knowing what kind of poison it is, I can¡¯t remove the foreign substance-!¡¹


    Elena shook her head with a white face knowing that I was inflicted with poison.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Kilg grass¡­¡­venom gland of rock snake¡­¡­Sakuar fruit¡­¡­flower of autumn rain tree¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­eh?¡¹


    ¡¸Perhaps¡­¡­the poison¡­¡­use some of them.¡¹


    I had read the handwritten wild grasses book that woman stole from her teacher¡¯s place over and over in order to learn how to read and write letters. I planned to learn alchemy too someday, so I kept reading it thoroughly even until the detailed explanations and memorized them.


    According to that book, those four poison materials could be obtained around this country to make a poison that was accompanied by this kind of pain. There were also other ingredients, but looking at how the female thief spread the poison on her daggers so that she could use it anytime, I believed that she wasn¡¯t using rare ingredients that were hard to obtain. Her poison was using one of the materials that I mentioned or perhaps multiple of them. Perhaps, she also mixed in other ingredient to increase the effect, but if the fundamental poison ingredient was erased, the rest should vanish on its own with time.


    ¡¸I-I know about Kilg grass and Sakuar fruit. But, I never see something like rock snake¡¯s poison gland or the autumn rain thing-!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Then¡­¡­imagine Sajua seed and lavender¡­¡­to use the sorcery. That¡¯s them ¡­¡­counter ingredient¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­where, did you get that kind of knowledge¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Quick¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸I-I understand. But, even if I erase the poison your wound¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Look at¡­¡­pouch¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Yours? Is it this¡­¡­¡¹


    Elena took out two potion bottles made from porcelain from the pouch on my waist.


    ¡¸The pretty¡­bottle, is cheap stuff¡­¡­the old bottle¡­¡­strong potion¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸I just need to use them on you right?¡¹


    Those too were things that woman stole from her sorcery teacher. I thought of returning them if I could but, I wouldn¡¯t be able to if I died. Elena tore the seal with a shaky hand, then she pulled out the cork that was fixed in place with a wax. I felt a sharp pain and unconsciously let out a groan.


    ¡¸You won¡¯t heal with just this potion-! As I thought first I should use Cure¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Elena, you use¡­¡­Treat. I¡¯ll¡­¡­use Cure.¡¹


    Healing potion¡¯s effect was closer to ¡°healing¡± rather than ¡°regeneration¡±, so I never expected to be healed with this from the start. I still never succeeded in using Cure sorcery, even so the only way I could survive in this situation was to have Elena erasing the poison while I was using Cure on my own.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Treat©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Cure¡­¡­¡¹


    Elena chanted the spell and used Treat on me. I too used the pain to keep my hold on my consciousness that almost slipped away and chanted the spell to use Cure. It only gave of a faint light before vanishing immediately.


    Elena looked at me anxiously. However I shook my head and made her continued using the sorcery Treat.


    Treat wasn¡¯t a sorcery that immediately showed effect. Concentration was needed to comprehend the foreign object and erase it. It would take even more time especially in a situation like this where the foreign subject wasn¡¯t specified.


    Since I failed the previous time, I had been thinking why Cure didn¡¯t activate¡­¡­and why there were only a few people who could use it. The meaning of Cure¡¯s incantation was generally known as ¡ºreturn the body to before¡». But, when I tried unfolding the incantation, the words ¡ºregenerate¡» and ¡ºtrue form¡» were hidden inside it.


    Most likely I was lacking knowledge. Furthermore it was the knowledge of biology.


    This was only my hypothesis but there was degree of difficulty in Cure. Although Elena said that she could use it, I guessed that she most likely could only regenerate the part that she could see. As for the part that she couldn¡¯t see¡­¡­for example the internal organs inside my body, wouldn¡¯t she need specialist knowledge to heal that?


    That was why I couldn¡¯t use it. I only used Heal to treat normal wound. I failed in healing unseen part because my knowledge about it was vague. I guessed that I couldn¡¯t use it unless I understood human¡¯s vital parts like Sera. That woman had also learned about the body structure of human at the school in her previous life, but that didn¡¯t mean she knew the precise location of internal organs.


    I couldn¡¯t fail anymore considering my remaining amount of magic power. But, the current me had the method to supplement that knowledge.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Feel©¤©¤¡¹


    The original way to use this sorcery wasn¡¯t to shoot out magic particle to ¡ºgrant the sensation of being touched¡», but to ¡ºobtain the sensation of being touched¡» at where I shot the magic particle. I grasped the position of the internal organ that I felt from the reflection and identified the injured part. The injury was at¡­¡­the stomach and liver parts.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Cure©¤©¤¡¹


    My fingertip slightly shined when I chanted. The sorcery finally activated and my internal organs started to regenerate back to its unwounded state.


    I recalled the function of stomach and liver from the ¡°knowledge¡± and aimed Cure at the accurate location. With that the pain started to soften and my consciousness was sinking into darkness as I listened to Elena¡¯s voice calling my name.


    When I opened my eyes next, I was lying down again on the bed of the room that also doubled as sickbay.


    It seemed that three days had passed since then. My injury had also healed without any trace, even so because my internal organ got injured, I was told to rest for a while from Viro who came visiting while bringing meat again.


    I got praised and scolded by Sera. It seemed that female thief was famous around here. Apparently she was a thief who specialized in kidnapping noble and had the nickname as ¡ºThe Kidnapper¡». It was good that I detected the kidnapping and stopped it, but rather than challenging an opponent who I had little hope to win against, but apparently the correct action I should take was to leave behind signs while continuing to pursue until the high ranked butler arrived.


    Even so I was still an apprentice, and it was the high ranked butler who allowed the princess¡¯s shopping to happen, and yet he didn¡¯t realize the underground tunnel¡¯s existence despite having changed the security detail. So he was the one who got asked to take responsibility while I was given cash reward without any reprimand.


    This time there was no skilled scout placed at Elena¡¯s side as her guard in consideration for her feeling, so in a sense this incident could be considered as inevitable, but apparently it wasn¡¯t that kind of problem. In reality, an encircling net had been expanded from the moment Elena got kidnapped. No matter how skilled that female thief was in kidnapping noble, it seemed that the high ranked noble had the mean to rescue the princess.


    That was why I was given cash reward this time wasn¡¯t because I risked my life and rescued Elena, but because I resolved the problem before it got any bigger and prevented Margrave Dandall from taking the blame and responsibility because he was the one in charge of the security on the surface. Viro told me that secretly.


    However the reason Sera highly evaluated my performance because my action kept the burden on Elena¡¯s weak body from this kidnapping to the minimum. But I got scolded by Seo who did it while crying because my recklessness made me injured. However I was still alive in the end, and it looked like Elena and Sera had erased the scars of the injuries, so I thought that there was no problem in the work that I did though¡­¡­.


    I was unable to meet with that Elena since that day.


    Although she was travelling incognito, Elena was the princess of this country, and I was nothing more than a maid apprentice who was formerly a street urchin, so there was no reason that she had to be concerned about me or me having to meet her at all cost.


    Elena would stay in this place for two more weeks. I too thought that I would recover my stamina and be able to get back to work in several days, but that monitoring target of my job Elena had become completely obedient, so I was told to spend the remaining time to rest.


    I would be lying if I said that I wasn¡¯t concerned about her, but I resolutely accepted that there was nothing to be done about it and focused myself to my training and repairing my damaged tools. But then Sera handed me a memo. She ordered me to burn it immediately after I finished reading.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    .


    The night before Elena returned to the capital, I climbed the castle wall while still wearing my maid uniform in order to head to my destination.


    The designated time was at midnight when the clock tower¡¯s bell rang once. I twined my pendulum¡¯s string on the terrace¡¯s handrail at the same time when the bell rang, then I strengthened the string with my magic power while getting down to the terrace. Seeing my entrance, the girl in pajama who was sitting beside the terrace¡¯s table looked slightly surprised before she smiled gently.


    ¡¸I come¡­¡­Elena-sama.¡¹


    ¡¸Right in time. Welcome, Aria.¡¹


    That memo was an invitation from Elena. It ordered me to come meet her from outside at midnight tonight without being discovered by anyone. I could feel the presence of Sera¡¯s colleagues outside, but they let me passed without doing anything.


    I didn¡¯t feel the presence of anyone from Elena¡¯s room. Perhaps someone like Sera was hiding there, but there would be no end to it if I started getting bothered by that possibility, so I put it out of my mind.


    ¡¸Aria, first thank you for saving me. Thanks to you, I was able to spend my time here till the end without falling sick.¡¹


    ¡¸No problem. It¡¯s my job.¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s just like you.¡¹


    For some reason Elena smiled. She stood up from her chair and moved to stand beside the handrail just like me. She touched the handrail, then we faced each other with a distance longer than our reach between us, as though to show our respective position.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Aria, who are you?¡¹


    My figure was reflected on Elena¡¯s serious eyes. The me who was reflected there shook her head slightly.


    ¡¸I¡¯m just an orphan, just an adventurer, just Aria.¡¹


    ¡¸Right¡­¡­¡¹


    She looked slightly lonely. Perhaps she was expecting some kind of reply.


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­won¡¯t you work under me?¡¹


    ¡¸I have no intention of serving anyone.¡¹


    ¡¸Even just as a guard?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m just an adventurer.¡¹


    A gust of wind blew. Elena¡¯s blonde hair and my pink blond hair that was starting to grow fluttered.


    ¡¸Aria, we aren¡¯t ¡°friends¡±.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m a princess, and you are just an adventurer. We can¡¯t stand on the same standing no matter what.¡¹


    ¡¸I know.¡¹


    ¡¸Then-¡­¡­¡¹


    Elena¡¯s voice got slightly louder, then she fell silent while searching for words. The usually mature and dignified girl was gone, and in her place was Elena with watery eyes wavering like a normal girl her age. I opened my mouth in her place before her lips could choose words that didn¡¯t match her standing.


    ¡¸We are the same kind.¡¹


    ¡¸Same kind¡­¡­¡¹


    Both of us possessed bizarre knowledge that didn¡¯t suit our age and continued to fight against our fate and solitude. But, we weren¡¯t alone by any means. Even if our path was different, our feeling was always at each other¡¯s side as we were heading to the same direction.


    Did my meaning came across to her? The next moment, Elena¡¯s face turned into the face of the ¡ºprincess¡» who commanded this country and her clear blue eyes gazed straight at me.


    ¡¸Then, my fellow kind Aria. As the princess, I swear that no matter how your standing become in the future, I will become your ¡°ally¡± with all the strength that I have just for once.¡¹


    ¡¸In that case, I swear to my fellow kind Elena, no matter who it is¡­¡­even if it¡¯s the ¡°king¡±, I shall stake my life just once to ¡°kill¡± who you asked me to.¡¹


    We swore an oath not to anybody else, but to each other and ourselves.


    Elena¡¯s words were an oath to help me just once even if it would bring her to rebel against the king and caused herself to be disposed. That was why I swore that if she wished for it, even if it cost me my life, even if the opponent was this country¡¯s king or the demon king, I swore that I would absolutely kill her target.


    We¡­..weren¡¯t alone.


    ¡¸Just tell me one thing¡­¡­tell me your real name.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­If you allow me to call you without any honorific then¡¹


    When I replied like that, Elena smiled just a little saying ¡¸Asking that at this point¡¹.


    ¡¸Alicia.¡¹


    When I breathed my real name into the wind, Elna nodded solemnly nodded to carve that name inside her.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Farewell Aria. And my only Alicia.¡¹


    ¡¸Sayonara¡­¡­Elena.¡¹


    .


    Elena turned her back to me and vanished into her room without looking back even once. I saw her off silently before also disappearing soundlessly by jumping down from the terrace.


    The next morning, Elena got into the carriage still with the expression of the princess. I too saw her off from the end of the line of the maids as one of the apprentice maids. I wonder if we would ever meet again. However both of us were fellow kind. Even if we were separated, the ¡°oath¡± was living inside us.


    Like that the work that Viro brought me for met its end, but after that for some reason I was called by the high ranked butler instead of Sera.

 Volume 1 - CH 28

    ¡¸Aria, your new job has been decided.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    After Elena returned to the capital, the ¡°job¡± that Viro brought me here for should have ended, but for some reason a new job had been decided for me when I was summoned by the high ranked butler.


    .


    ¨‹ High Ranked Butler   Race : Human


    ¡¾Magic Power : 185/190¡¿¡¾Stamina : 332/350¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 1216 (With Body Strengthening : 1550)¡¿


    .


    He was strong just like my first impression of him, but most likely this man was a perfect example of what Viro said, that combat strength value couldn¡¯t be relied on. He only trained in scout type skills and his magic power capacity wasn¡¯t high, so his combat strength was inferior to Feld, but the strength that I felt from him wasn¡¯t inferior in any way compared to Feld.


    Perhaps the high ranked butler noticed that I used Appraisal on him. His gaze on me narrowed slightly.


    ¡¸Her highness the princess has personally told us to allow you to be free. But, we can¡¯t possibly allow you who know about us to roam free unchecked. And so we shall give you the same position like Viro, an adventurer who is a ¡ºcollaborator¡» with us.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Understood.¡¹


    I felt somewhat dissatisfied that he decided this as he pleased. But if I refused, this man surely wouldn¡¯t let me off even if doing that would cause the princess to deal with him. However, if I thought of this as being able to obtain client and connection while keeping my position as a free adventurer, this wasn¡¯t that bad. The problem was¡­¡­my involvement with nobility would increase.


    Even so I chose to face the nobility instead of running away. That was why in order to prepare myself for when the time of ¡°oath¡± came, I couldn¡¯t be picky with my choice in order to obtain the strength to oppose what was in my way even if I was alone.


    ¡¸What is the request for me?¡¹


    ¡¸Your task is to infiltrate a noble house as maid and resolve the problem that is currently occurring there. The time period is one month at the site. This isn¡¯t a task with high importance. This task is for me to ascertain whether your trustworthiness can be relied on just like Sera said or not. Even if you failed only one noble daughter will die as a result, so it¡¯s not that important of a matter for the country.¡¹


    The death of a single noble daughter wasn¡¯t important¡­¡­?


    ¡¸Roger, ¡­¡­boss?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m not the boss of this organization. If it¡¯s turn out that you can be trusted, then we will have a chance to meet again. Just call me Grave.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger, Grave-san. And the location?¡¹


    It wasn¡¯t like I wanted to join the organization, so I wasn¡¯t interested with who the boss was, but the pressure from speaking with Grave was too strong that it was tiring, so I finished the conversation quickly.


    I didn¡¯t have any intention with poking my nose into noble¡¯s problem, but I didn¡¯t plan to do half-assed work. And then after hearing where the location was, I got just slightly motivated to do this task that was imposed on me.


    The work location was Baron Seylace¡¯s territory. That place was where the sorcery teacher who taught that woman lived.


    .


    The problem that occurred in Baron Seylace¡¯s territory was the ¡ºmonstrous person¡» that started to appear since half a year ago.


    Although it was called as monstrous person, it wasn¡¯t a type of monster. It was thought that it might be a ¡°person¡±. This monstrous person seemed to be infatuated with the baron¡¯s daughter and appeared near her room night after night. It seemed that it left ¡ºbloody handprint¡» in her room without getting detected by the guards. ¡­¡­Was the culprit really human?


    There was no effect even when a maid was stationed there at night. The lady was extremely scared by the happenings. The baron was scared that a strange rumor about his unmarried daughter would spread due to this case, so he couldn¡¯t make a request to knight and adventurers. The greatly troubled baron then secretly asked for help from his caregiver Margrave Dandall. This request got bounced from place to place until it got foisted on me.


    The request¡¯s detail was to ¡ºsolve the problem¡», but it seemed that Grave was thinking that it couldn¡¯t be helped even if the problem couldn¡¯t be solved. It seemed this kind of work wasn¡¯t the field of Sera and Grave¡¯s organization, but in the first place I still hadn¡¯t been told just what kind of organization they belonged to. ¡­¡­Though I had my guess about it.


    With Elena¡¯s return to the capital, the gathered servants and helpers were starting the removal and dismantling work, but I ended up departing to here immediately without helping out with them.


    It didn¡¯t take that long for me to prepare. I went to my temporary base in the forest, stuffed the money that I hid there, the dried poisonous grasses and medicinal herbs into my bag, then I appraised my own ability before departing.


    .


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  ¨C  Rank 2 ¡÷ 1UP


    ¡¾Magic Power : 130/135¡¿¡÷ 20 UP¡¾Stamina : 67/80¡¿¡÷ 16 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 5 (6)¡¿¡÷ 1UP¡¾Endurance : 6 (7)¡¿¡¾Agility : 7 (8)¡¿¡¾Dexterity : 7¡¿¡÷ 1UP


    ¡¶Short Sword Skill Level 1¡·¡¶Martial Art Level 2¡·¡÷ 1UP¡¶Throwing Level 1¡·¡¶String Control Level 1¡·NEW


    ¡¶Light Sorcery Level 1¡·¡·¡¶Darkness Magic Level 2¡·¡÷ 1UP¡¶Non-Elemental Magic Level 2¡·¡÷ 1UP


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·¡¶Magic Power Control Level 2¡·


    ¡¶Pressure Level 2¡·¡¶Stealth Level 1¡·¡¶Night Vision Level 1¡·¡¶Search Level 1¡·¡¶Poison Resistance Level 1¡·NEW


    ¡¶Simple Appraisal¡·


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 98 (With Body Strengthening : 111)¡¿¡÷ 36 UP


    .


    My overall combat strength had increased quite a lot and I finally became level 2. My magic power capacity increased and I obtained several new skills, but as expected what increased my combat strength was thanks to my increase in status. Especially dexterity that directly affected combat skill, so there was quite drastic difference with my combat strength even with dexterity increasing just by one.


    Did my status increase because my Martial Art rose to level 2? No matter how much my magic power grew, I never even dreamed that my close quarter combat skill would become level 2 before I turn ten years old.


    Even Darkness Magic also turned into level 2. Rather than saying that it was the result of me continuously analyzing the structure of magic instead of sorcery, it might be because the magic Pain that I used that time was equivalent to level 2 magic.


    The new skills that I learned were String Control and Poison Resistance. I had trained Poison Resistance since some time ago, but the direct cause that made it gave birth to result was the poison that I fully experienced in my fight against the female thief.


    The String Control might be because of the pendulum. It looked like I learned the skill easily, but thinking back, I had been manipulating the weighted cord all this time for several months, so rather than saying I learned it easily, it was more like finally.


    There was nothing particular to do before I departed. I would be able to meet with Viro again anyway in the future if I kept doing this work. I also wanted to learn more about adventurer¡¯s movement, but he had taught me the minimum so I¡¯d learn the rest somehow with my own effort. Similarly I should also have chances to meet Sera in the future. However Seo took the trouble to come meet with me when he heard that I was going to depart first.


    ¡¸Aria, I¡¯ll also go to the capital when I turn 12. And then I¡¯ll come for you. I have something to tell you then.¡¹


    ¡¸You can¡¯t say it now?¡¹


    ¡¸Yep, at the very least I want to be taller than Aria as a man before I tell you-!¡¹


    What was it? Was there something that would happen when he turned 12? I didn¡¯t really understand Seo¡¯s behavior but, even at that orphanage before someone got sold, orphans who were close with each other would cry saying that they didn¡¯t want to part with each other, so other children surely could also act like that. Seo ran away with bright red face. As I saw off his back, I too was feeling slightly sad that I had to part with my little brother.


    .


    I quickly sorted out my belongings and left this mansion where I had lived for one month with only a small trunk.


    If there was a problem then it was about my outfit. The old clothes that I wore had gotten worn out from the battle against the hobgoblin, so I didn¡¯t have any personal clothes. When I tried to borrow Seo¡¯s clothes because I had no other option, Sera allowed me to bring maid uniforms with me. There was no guarantee that there would be work clothes that suited me at my destination, and if I took off the apron dress and changed the blouse inside with cheap thing, it would like I was wearing a casual outfit.


    If I was going to travel, it would be easier if I dressed as a man, but my body grew again due to my magic power and now I didn¡¯t look like ¡ºten years old with small build¡» anymore, my appearance had completely become ¡ºten years old girl¡». My hair had grown so fast that it was unpleasant until it reached my shoulder, so I wouldn¡¯t look like a boy anymore unless I hid my hair.


    It was troublesome so I wanted to cut my hair, but Sera admonished me because it would be convenient to have longer hair seeing that I would disguise myself as maid. And for some reason I was made to promise Seo that I wouldn¡¯t cut it, so I departed with my appearance as it was.


    I was wearing an unbleached blouse and a black dress that reached until my ankles over it. My feet were wearing high laced boots. My weaponries were hidden under my skirt and my sleeves, so I shouldn¡¯t look like someone armed from the outside.


    The small trunk was a farewell gift that I got from Meena. It was a small thing that already got full after it was filled with my maid uniforms and blouses for change of clothes, but its making was solid even though it was old, so in the worst case I could use it like a shield.


    It would take three weeks by walking or two weeks using carriage from this place that was located at the edge of Dandall until Baron Seylace¡¯s territory. I was more or less told to arrive as quickly as possible, but it seemed that the baron house had been notified three days ago that I would arrive in one month, so I still had some leeway.


    A normal traveler usually only had one option when travelling. They had to travel with horse carriage that had guards against monster, but the market price for transportation until Baron Seylace¡¯s territory was five silver coins. And there was also additional cost where the carriage passenger was forced to stay at the inns that partnered with the carriage. I had received fifteen silver coins as my payment as maid apprentice and five gold coins as hazard pay and cash reward, but I wouldn¡¯t be paid for the next job until the case was resolved, so I didn¡¯t want to waste money too much.


    I arrived at Dandall¡¯s capital after walking for half a day from the lakeshore castle. Normally a traveler would stay for a night there if they arrived at evening, but I had no intention of staying in an inn. I only replenished my supply with portable food and a bit of salt from the city¡¯s food stall before leaving immediately.


    Midway, I was finally able to see a huge castle of Dandall that was like a fortress from nearby. Was the Ojou-sama of Dandall House that I didn¡¯t see at all from around the third days in that castle? Unlike Elena and me who only had knowledge, that girl was unnatural with how she was acting like a real adult.


    I had caught the genuine wariness toward Elena and me from her eyes. And yet she was acting scared like a victim which irritated Elena. When she stopped showing herself, the handmaids who were troubled by the awkward atmosphere seemed like they were relieved at the inside.


    I should be wary toward her. Perhaps¡­¡­she would become Elena¡¯s ¡°enemy¡± by some chance.


    The soldier at the gate tried to stop me when I tried to leave the city at the evening after I finished my shopping because I was a child, but when I showed my adventurer guild tag, he gave up and let me passed.


    Someone who was only a rank 1 adventurer like me had to pay one silver coin when entering the city, and I would get investigated when going out.


    But this time I had letter of introduction from the high ranked butler for Baron Seylace, so I would be treated like a semi noble until there and didn¡¯t need to pay the toll. But, it would be better that I didn¡¯t really rely on this kind of thing in the future. Needless trouble might come visiting if other people found out that I was close to nobility, and in the first place setting aside Sera and Seo, it was impossible for me to completely trust that organization.


    One day¡­¡­the time that I had to fight that high ranked butler might also come. I had to become as strong as possible until then.


    ¡¸¡­¡­fuu¡¹


    I reflexively breathed out when I finally got out of the city. I wasn¡¯t good staying in a place with too many people. Even though I was wearing this maid uniform in a way that made it looked like personal clothes, its fabric had good quality and didn¡¯t really look like the belonging of a commoner, so it attracted the attention of the citizens. Surely among them there were also people who simply felt worried for a child like me, but there were also adults who wouldn¡¯t hesitate to prey on children, so I couldn¡¯t let my guard down.


    I passed several travelers and carriages at the outskirt of the city, but the sky had become completely dark after I walked for around one hour and there was nobody around anymore. In exchange I could hear the sounds of animals faintly. After I walked for one more hour, it had completely become night and I finally erased my presence to blend into the darkness where I began to run.


    As I thought perhaps because my body was getting bigger, it felt like my running was getting faster than before. My stamina was also increasing so I thought that I could continue running for several hours if it was with a jogging pace, but I recalled that it wasn¡¯t like I was in a hurry, so I kept my pace to a degree that wouldn¡¯t make me sweat. I felt more comfortable travelling only at night like usual, but travelling only at night through a route that I was passing for the first time brought a risk of me taking the wrong path.


    I only intended to run lightly, but I was still sweating some. I confirmed that there was no danger around me and wetted a cloth with Water and wiped my body ¡®s sweat. I only had a few change of clothes, so it wouldn¡¯t be good if I sweated too much. Considering that, it made me wanted to learn Clean quickly. Even Elena was able to use level 2 light sorcery, so I too should be able to learn it.


    I climbed a tree in a forest and slept on a thick branch tonight. Perhaps because I had been eating good food recently, the area around my waist felt slightly heavy. It wasn¡¯t to a degree that bothered me, but it made me felt that there was a slightly soft part forming there, so I only ate black bread and water tonight before going to sleep.


    .


    The next morning I also woke up a moment before the morning sun rose. Just in case I tried sniffing my body¡¯s odor, but I judged that it wasn¡¯t at the level where I needed to change yet. I only wiped my body with a wet cloth again and left it at that.


    Ahead from this area wasn¡¯t the territory of Margrave Dandall. It was just a forest that wasn¡¯t a territory of any noble.


    Knights and soldiers were patrolling until this area, but this area could be called as a lawless zone until I entered the next noble territory. It was safer to travel inside the forest, but it would be problematic if my good quality skirt got frayed. Besides monster might appeared in this place. It would be fine if it was only something like goblin, but it would be better to be in a wide place when dealing against unknown monster.


    ¡¸¡­¡­There is something.¡¹


    As I walked through the highway and some time had passed since the morning sun rose, I heard a sound of conflict from the front. But that wasn¡¯t what attracted my attention. When I stopped walking at the middle of the highway, three dirty men hurriedly appeared from inside the forest with unsheathed swords.


    ¡¸Oi, you girl©¤©¤¡¹


    *Hyun!!*


    A throwing knife that was hidden in my sleeve stabbed the throat of the man in the distance. His life was easily snuffed out before he could finish speaking and he crumbled down.


    ¡­¡­Two more people.


    ¡¸O-oi!?¡¹


    The remaining two men spoke with a flustered tone seeing the man suddenly collapsed.


    Both of them had combat strength around 60. Looking at the situation and their equipments, these guys must be bandits. Of course it was also possible they might be something else, but they were lying in ambush at the side of highway that was far away from the city like this. They also approached a girl with weapons unsheathed. From there I judged that they were hostile.


    ¡¸H-he¡¯s dead!¡¹


    ¡¸What did you say, is it this brat who killed him-!?¡¹


    ¡¸W-wait, something is wrong with her!¡¹


    One of the men ignored his friend¡¯s warning and charged forward. But©¤©¤


    (¡­¡­Slow.)


    His movement was dull. Didn¡¯t he have any skill for fighting? The current me could make my bodily experience of the flow of time to be twenty percent slower using body strengthening, but even before that, this man who couldn¡¯t even do a decent footwork felt very ¡°slow¡± to me.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Feel©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸Gyah!?¡¹


    The man who should be heading toward me brimming with anger suddenly dropped his short sword and pressed his hands on his eye. There was no pain or damage, the man only suddenly felt that his ¡ºeyeball was touched¡». It confused him and made him stop charging. I leaped forward at that moment and my black knife tore the man¡¯s neck with a caress.


    One more left. I slipped beside the man before blood spurted out from his wound and approached the last man.


    ¡¸W-what the hell is this bratttt!?¡¹


    The last man screamed in confusion because his two friends were killed in the blink of eye. He threw away his rusty axe and ran away without any concern of appearance to the direction ahead where someone was fighting.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I was going to throw a knife to his back but stopped in the middle. With my throwing skill, the furthest I could hit where I aimed was five meters. Any further than that and the damage would be light even if it hit.


    I collected the throwing knife from the man that I killed first and wiped the blood clot on the man¡¯s clothes before rummaging the belonging of the men. I confirmed that they didn¡¯t really have anything to show their identity before chasing after the fleeing man.


    Normally I wouldn¡¯t chase after a fleeing bandit. Even if I was at the advantage at the start, it was possible that the table would be turned depending on the enemy¡¯s comrades who were waiting at where the bandit escaped to.


    I didn¡¯t let my guard down. I also didn¡¯t get conceited. I¡¯d kill with certainty when it was possible to do so. But, the comrade of the man was fighting ¡°someone¡± ahead from here. It was unrelated with me, but from the perspective of those people, it would look like I chased away an enemy and pushed him toward them. There would be no problem if they were strong, even so it also wouldn¡¯t be desirable if it made them felt resentment toward me or they got defeated and all the enemies became pointed at me.


    ¡­¡­It couldn¡¯t be helped. I chased after the fleeing man so that no other problem would occur later.


    There were three young men who became adventurer in this spring. The three of them came from a family that was serving as a servant of a certain baron house. Because they weren¡¯t the eldest son, they gave up trying to become servants and ran away from their birthplace before they could get driven away from home.


    Even if they remained there, they would only become the baron¡¯s soldiers at best. They had also received combat training since childhood for that, but they grew impudent when they obtained combat skill at fourteen years old before they became adult. In the end they chose the path to become adventurer. But, there was no work for green adventurer at Dandall that was the biggest metropolis at the north. Even if there was, all of the works were only some kind of chores. The young men thought that they couldn¡¯t make use of their strength like that and departed toward the noble territory along the border that was close to the monster habitat to hunt monster.


    Young people like them had no experience of killing people although they had received combat training. Even so they thought that they would be able to easily route enemies like bandits if they were attacked. But reality wasn¡¯t as nice as they expected.


    The combat strength of bandits that were made up of former villagers who went hungry didn¡¯t even reach 60. The young men¡¯s combat strengths were nearly 100, but the bandits had three times their number and they had stamina from doing farm work their whole life. The fierce attack of the bandits was gradually cornering the young men.


    The number of the enemies increased again in the middle of that fight. That bandit who was acting as lookout looked terribly panicked, but when the bandit leader looked back at the direction the lookout came from, he grinned vulgarly seeing the person who was walking to this way. The young man among the three who was the only one capable using Appraisal felt disappointed seeing the person¡¯s appearance and combat strength.


    That person was wearing a good quality dress like a noble¡¯s servant. She was still a young girl.


    Her appearance looked like she was around ten years old, but looking at her composed bearing, she might be a bit older than that. But, what attracted the interest of them and the bandit leader was the ¡°atmosphere¡± the girl was clad in.


    The girl had a good look that could be called beautiful and a languid air. She strangely ¡ºhad an atmosphere¡» around her. It made them thought that she would definitely become a beauty in the near future just from a glance.


    The bandit leader grinned because he thought that he would get a good price if he sold her. As for the young men, they were disappointed not only because the girl¡¯s combat strength couldn¡¯t be counted on, they thought that he would only become a burden in this battle.


    The girl¡¯s combat strength was around 100, the same like the young men, but most likely she was a sorcerer. She was travelling on the highway alone so she must have confidence in her skill, but low ranked sorcerer who was a rich person that trained only to kill time often wasn¡¯t useful in battle. Furthermore her outer appearance was that of a lovely girl who didn¡¯t seem like she could even kill an insect, so the young men who hoped for help to come were completely disappointed.


    The young men and bandits thought based on their own standard, held expectation on their own and got disappointed on their own too. But the action that the girl took smashed the common sense that they all held.


    .


    Nobody could comprehend what was going on at the start. The girl only lightly swung her hand, but with that the fleeing man started spurting out blood from his carotid artery and fell.


    Everyone¡¯s movement unconsciously stopped. Amidst that only the girl alone was continuing to walk and swung her hand again. With that the necks of the nearby bandits were torn. Seeing the blades that were lodged in their eyes when they were falling, they finally realized that the ¡°attack¡± came from the girl.


    ¡¸K-kill that brat-!!¡¹


    The bandit leader yelled angrily. It pushed the bandits to start moving disorderly. But, the bandits who were as angry as the leader could be counted in one hand. The majority of them were getting cold feet. After all the like of bandits were only failed farmer who lost their living place. They were fellows who didn¡¯t have the guts to live properly and strayed to the easy way. There was no way such people could move as one. They were scared by the unknown girl who killed people while walking without any emotion.


    ¡¸UAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡¹


    A bandit charged forward while shouting and pointing his short sword at the girl. The girl bent his upper body to dodge the blade and took out a black knife from her leg. She then rose up and at the same time slashed the neck of the man who lost his balance from overreaching.


    The girl stepped forward before the man finished falling and muttered something. Then a nearby bandit pressed his hands on both his eyes in surprise. The girl moved and stabbed her knife from below his jaw until his brain.


    What was terrifying was how the girl hadn¡¯t broken into a run at all. Even though it only looked like she was walking calmly, she dodged the bandits¡¯ attacks glidingly before instantly moving forward and cutting them down.


    After getting beaten up that badly, two bandits finally tried attacking at the same time. But the girl¡¯s skirt fluttered softly in that instant. When the gazes of the men were drawn three for a moment, the two men had their eyeballs and throats pierced by throwing knives and they fell. The girl was watching that going on with a questioning gaze.


    It was as though she was asking ¡ºI don¡¯t understand how can you die with just this much¡» with her look. The young men¡¯s complexion worsened when they noticed that.


    The young men couldn¡¯t even try to assist since the girl appeared. Honestly speaking they found the girl terrifying and unable to get close to her. How was she able to kill human easily? Was human something that died this easily? Even though the girl¡¯s combat strength should be around the same with them, there was no hesitation in the girl¡¯s blade. She was easily killing the bandits where they were unable to kill even one just now.


    The young men feared that their lives would be reaped as easily as the bandits.


    ¡¸¡­¡­u, UaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?¡¹


    ¡¸I didn¡¯t sign up for this!!¡¹


    When the number of the bandits was reduced to four, they finally realized their disadvantage. Two of them started running away.


    ¡¸You bastards, wa©¤©¤¡¹


    *hyun-!!*


    The next moment, throwing knifes were buried into the backs of the two bandits. They fell on the ground and screamed.


    When they looked toward the direction where the knife flew from, her spread out skirt was in the middle of gently falling down. Without even any time to comprehend the meaning of that, the girl tore the neck of a nearby man who was standing dumbfounded with her knife.


    ¡¸Y-you¡­¡­¡¹


    Only the bandit leader who was around fifty years old was remaining in this place, but he fell on his butt from fear.


    This man was only a bandit leader because he had his men with him. He was domineering when amidst the former farmers turned bandits, but when in the presence of a real warrior who was stronger than him, he forced himself to make a ingratiating smile to butter up the other side.


    *Hyun!*


    Everyone thought that the girl wouldn¡¯t kill someone who had lost their will to fight. But the girl tore the bandit leader¡¯s neck with her knife without any change in her expression.


    The girl didn¡¯t even glance at the bandit leader who was slowly falling aside. She silently picked up the trunk that she dropped before walking toward the young men. But when she turned her gaze to the young men, she suddenly made a puzzled face again.


    The young men were unable to even make any sound from fear. The girl didn¡¯t do anything to them and walked passed them, then she finished off the bandits who was moaning in pain from the knives on their backs.


    The girl immediately walked away from that place. The young men saw off her receding back and then they stayed unmoving there for several hours, surrounded by the corpses of the bandits before they finally got back on their feet sluggishly.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Let¡¯s go back to our hometown.¡¹


    The young men who had learned the real thing immediately changed direction back to their hometown. After that they never thought to pick up their sword anymore.


    ¡¸Hosu. What do you think of that girl from your perspective?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Allow me to present my report.¡¹


    Two days after Aria departed from the lakeshore castle, this country¡¯s prime minister and the leader of the dark side Margrave Melrose arrived. He was receiving a report from Hosu, Sera¡¯s grandfather in a room inside that castle.


    ¡¸That girl certainly has ¡°memory¡± about a woman who sounded like Ojou-sama. Her information has a lot of similarity with our own investigation. In that respect, I judge that there is a high probability that she is the daughter that Ojou-sama left behind.¡¹


    Margrave Melrose, Belt received a report that his daughter who eloped with a knight apprentice to who know where before getting attacked by monsters and died had a child and that child had been found. In order to ascertain whether that girl was his true granddaughter©¤©¤¡ºAlicia¡» or not, he sent Hosu who knew the face of his daughter who was that girl¡¯s mother to confirm it. He received the report for that not at the capital or at the scene directly, but at this halfway point Dandall because if it became widely known that the girl was the real thing, she might got targeted by relatives who were aiming for the headship of Melrose or by his political enemies.


    ¡¸I¡¯m not coming directly to meet you just to listen to that kind of report. It¡¯s because it¡¯s you that I want to hear your impression that you felt from that girl.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­To be honest, she is a very pretty girl but the impression that I got from her is very different from Ojou-sama. Besides her hair color is blond that is closer to red. It¡¯s not the ¡ºpink blond hair¡» that the women of Melrose are crowned with.¡¹


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹


    When the gathered information was combined, the result was gray that was closer to white. But, based on Hosu¡¯s impression, it was gray that was closer to black. There were circumstantial evidences that could designate the girl as the real thing as long as the house head recognized her, but Belt was feeling something that was holding him back in his heart.


    Was it his instinct? If that girl had the ¡ºring¡» that was possessed by Belt¡¯s daughter, it would only be natural to decide her as the real thing, but conversely speaking it meant there were only circumstantial evidences and no physical evidence at all. It made Belt hesitated even more.


    ¡¸Will my lord meet her directly?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s still too soon¡­¡­¡¹


    Belt shook his head at Hosu¡¯s question and moved his gaze at the pink cord that was placed on the table.


    That was a cord that a certain girl knitted from her own hair. The girl¡¯s eyes reminded Sera of Belt and there was also this hair color. That was why she told the girl that she had thrown away the cord and brought it to Belt while telling him of her impression about the girl.


    The hairs had become really frayed and they also had lost their luster, but the color was certainly very familiar with the hair color of Belt¡¯s daughter in his memory. Furthermore the girl¡¯s age of seven years old also matched. But how did she able to obtain strength that enabled her to defeat hobgoblin and rank 3 thief by herself when she was just seven years old? There was no way a girl who lived a normal life with a housewife mother and soldier father could have such strength. Considering that, even her claim that she was seven years old was suspect.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Hosu, continue observing that girl as the orphanage¡¯s caretaker just as planned. Also, send a skilled agent to the girl who owned this hair cord. Check whether she has a hidden possession or not.¡¹


    ¡¸Should I send Sera?¡¹


    ¡¸No¡­¡­flaws will start showing in the security of the queen¡¯s palace if she is absent from the capital any longer than this. Even so that doesn¡¯t mean we can send someone untrustworthy for this¡­¡­¡¹


    Belt spoke until there and fell into thought. Even Hosu who had retired from the front line also wracked his brain and he recalled a man. That man was somewhat lacking in flexibility in some aspects, but even his extreme behavior that he was showing during his youth had calmed down as he aged. That person couldn¡¯t be said as the right person to contact a child, but there was no doubting his loyalty to the country. There should be no one more skilled than him in this area.


    ¡¸Then¡­¡­how about we ask Grave to undertake this task before he return to the capital?¡¹

 Volume 1 - CH 29

    I spent a total of three weeks since I left Dandall territory to arrive at Baron Seylace¡¯s territory that was located almost at the northern most of Claydale Kingdom.


    During the travel itself there were only several cases where I got picked on, but there wasn¡¯t any incident that was particularly bothersome. However, it felt like it got easier to get involved with both bad and good people when I was looking like a little girl compared to my time as a dirty street urchin. I was still unable to judge the good and evil intention of other people accurately. Because there were also people who even though they looked normal at first, they would attack suddenly when they saw an opening.


    That was why at the latter half of my travel, I purchased a male shirt and loose short pant to hide my hips measurement in a city that I stopped by in the middle to disguise my gender. Let¡¯s consider the expense of one and half silver coin as a necessary expense.


    The weather would become summer soon. Snow wouldn¡¯t fall even at winter here in Claydale Kingdom, but it was quite hot at summer. Even so I was at the north region right now, and there was a river flowing in the middle of the city that separated the city into southern and northern parts. Perhaps that was why the wind blowing in this city felt slightly cool.


    ¡¸A big city¡­¡­¡¹


    The territory itself was smaller than Baron Horace¡¯s territory where I lived, but the majority of the towns and villages here were built along the river that was flowing from the mountain at the north that was visible even from here. Perhaps that was why, the whole area got lumped like a big city. Baron Seylace was living in the city at the center of that. It felt like this place had more vitality than Baron Horace¡¯s territory.


    The river was quite big. It was used for item transportation and large ships could also be seen. However fishing ships and small ships that should be common in waterside city like this couldn¡¯t be seen anywhere. The flow of the river was faster than I thought, so that might be why there was no small ship here. When I asked about that to a shop owner where I bought preserved foods, he told me that the water volume was great because it often rained in this season. There was no fishing ship because the river was flowing from the monster habitat, so sometimes monster would appear from the river.


    Water monster rarely came out. Even so each year there would be several hunters who were catching fish at the river became victim, so it seemed that swimming in the river was considered suicide.


    When I tried asking around for a bit before starting the work, I found that most people knew about the story of ¡ºmonstrous person¡» that started appearing in this city since half a year ago. But there were many conflicting rumors. Some said that the person was male, some said that it was female. Some said it was an old man or a kid, there really was no consistency at all.


    I also tried investigating the situation outside the city. In this area monsters also appeared around the city. Besides if the city was this large, the circumference of the city also became vast. There was a chance of bandit group hiding at the surrounding.


    That woman¡¯s sorcery teacher was living at the outskirt of the forest outside this city. It was far from here so I still hadn¡¯t headed there, but I was thinking to create a base in a safe place somewhere in the forest. I would hide things that would trouble me if I lost them there, like the medicinal grasses book that I was going to return to that teacher.


    I couldn¡¯t investigate too thoroughly, but the forest along the river that wasn¡¯t too far away from the city seemed like a good place for me. If I passed along the river where not many people approached, there would be no need to pass the gate and paid one silver coin. There was a risk of encountering water monster, but if it only happened several times each year than the probability was low, and the current me should be able to run away using stealth.


    ¡¸¡­¡­This place looks good.¡¹


    I made a large tree in a spot that seemed to receive good amount of sunlight in the forest as my temporary base. The reason I searched for a well lit place not to make it easier for living, but because monster didn¡¯t really approach that kind of place. I cut down several straight young trees, laid them across a thick branch on the tree and tied them with vines. Just in case I also smoked the place with bug repellent grass and smeared the sap of poisonous grass that wild animals hated on the tree. With that there was no worry of rat munching the medicinal herbs. ¡­¡­Perhaps.


    I searched the surrounding before the sun set for medicinal herbs. Now that I had learned Heal and Cure, medicinal herbs weren¡¯t really necessary for me. But, even though I had no alchemy skill, some poisonous grasses could be expected to be effective to some degree just by grinding them into powder, so I harvested some of them and hanged them on the tree branch.


    When the sun set, I wiped my body with a wet cloth before climbing the tree. I lied down on the wooden poles that I laid across the branch. I finished my dinner with only blackberries and black bread and looked up to the starry sky that was visible from the gaps of the leaves.


    I was still lacking strength. Certainly I was able to defeat rank 2 opponents like bandit chief and hobgoblin, and even defeated higher ranked opponent like the rank 3 thief. But, in all those fights I only won just barely. I still hadn¡¯t arrived at the strength that I sought.


    Short Sword Skill that became my main fighting strength.


    Martial Art that I used for hand to hand combat and evasion.


    Throwing for long range attack.


    String Control to manipulate pendulum.


    Light Sorcery to heal the body.


    Darkness Magic that controlled illusion.


    Non-Elemental Magic that was used for body strengthening and Battle Skill.


    Magic Power Control that managed all of that.


    Stealth and Night Vision to slip and act in the darkness.


    Search to discover enemy and avoid ambush.


    Poison Resistance that was indispensable for me who used poison.


    I had obtained the skills that were the foundation of the way of fighting that I envisioned.


    I¡¯m a girl and still a child, so I would be inferior compared to man in close quarter combat no matter what, even so that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t win. Even if other people had the same skill, the way we used it and our proficiency would cause differences to come out. Right now I would train up these skills and polished myself into a single ¡°blade¡±.


    I woke up the next morning before the sun rose. I confirmed that there was no other presence around me before getting down from the tree. Then I used daily life magic Water and soap to wash my hair meticulously. Then I wiped my body with a cloth before tidying up my equipment.


    I wore thin socks and high-laced boots, attached the black knife and a thin knife on each of my calf, and fastened eight throwing knives with a leather cord on my thighs. I wore a blouse over my bare skin before wearing the long black dress over it. After that I hid a throwing knife and a pendulum each inside my sleeves.


    I arranged my hair like how Sera had done for me many times, tidied up my disheveled clothes, then stuffed all my stuffs until then into my bag and hid it on the branch. I stuffed the minimum necessary luggage into my trunk and started walking toward the city.


    When I entered inside the city, my figure that was coming from outside and walking straight without my head swaying at all gathered some attention. As expected I couldn¡¯t possibly knocked on the gate of a noble house without dressing up myself suitably so I changed into this outfit, but sure enough this appearance was quite conspicuous. Even so I somehow managed to arrive at the residence of Baron Seylace and showed the letter of introduction from Dandall House to a man who seemed to be the gate guard. The man¡¯s eyes lightly widened seeing it and he hurriedly ran toward the mansion entrance. After I waited for around 200 counts, the gate guard returned with an elderly butler following him.


    ¡¸We have read the introduction letter. There is no problem because the introduction came from Dandall House. Now, please come in.¡¹


    ¡¸Excuse me.¡¹


    When we entered inside the mansion, several of the servants sent me a conflicted gaze. I was showed in without even understanding the meaning of their gaze. First I was guided into the room that seemed to be the baron¡¯s office to be introduced to the family member. The butler knocked on the door and then entered inside. There a middle aged man welcomed me with a look that was lacking composure. He seemed to be a person who wasn¡¯t strong willed.


    ¡¸The letter from Dandall House mentioned to hire you for a certain period. It told me to put you as one of my daughter¡¯s caretaker. Could it be that you are¡­¡­¡¹


    I was given a setting that I was just a young maid who had been serving Dandall House since my tender age.


    I was still just a child, so even if I said that I was sent here by a mysterious organization to solve a problem, I would only be looked at with suspicion normally. That was why the arrangement was for me to infiltrate as a normal maid and resolved the problem secretly from the shadow, but the baron had sought help from Dandall House and then I was the one who was sent here. It looked like he was vaguely suspecting my true identity. ¡­¡­No, perhaps the information that was leaked to him was arranged to arouse such thought.


    If from the start I claimed to be a personnel who was sent here for that, the baron would harbor doubt toward a child like me, but he wouldn¡¯t doubt a conclusion that he arrived at by himself. Then I too should act suitably with such setting.


    ¡¸Baron-sama, I beg you to refrain from any needless inquiry.¡¹


    ¡¸R-right, of course I understand-. Now, I¡¯ll introduce you to my daughter Maria.¡¹


    The baron seemed satisfied with my answer. He ordered the butler to call for his daughter with a fidgety attitude. ¡­¡­Shouldn¡¯t I be the one who went there to meet her?


    Maria-ojousama who came into the office would be twelve years old this year, but her outer appearance wasn¡¯t that difference from her actual age. Perhaps she didn¡¯t have that much magic power. She only looked like a thirteen years old commoner at best. She seemed like a gentle and adorable person, but as expected the way she looked at me was just a bit scared, perhaps because of her worry with the monstrous person problem.


    ¡¸Please take care of me, Maria-ojousama. My name is Aria.¡¹


    ¡¸Y-yes. Please take care of me.¡¹


    For now my job was to help the auntie who was taking care of Ojou-sama¡¯s need. This housemaid seemed to be the wife of the butler just now who were a family serving this house.


    I was shown around the mansion and greeted the servants. Then I finally understood the reason why they seemed to be acting strange.


    The servants of this mansion consisted of that husband and wife and two maids, four people in total. There were three people who were in charge of manual labor while also taking the roles as gardener and gate guard. There were also two cooks, but there were really nobody else than them. I only knew about the ¡ºprincess¡» who needed nearly a hundred servants and guards just for staying in recuperation, but it seemed this number here was the norm for noble house around the rank of baron at the countryside.


    The daughter of Margrave Dandall must be similar like Elena. Although I was a child, I was ¡ºintroduced by a high class noble house¡» to here. The people in this house were scared that they might get scolded by me if they acted like a country bumpkin.


    ¡­¡­Well, it didn¡¯t matter. Perhaps my lack of expression was also a cause of their fear, but it would make it easier for me to move if they didn¡¯t interfere needlessly with me.


    As I investigated the mansion while helping out with the housework and pondering that, I sensed a presence that was suddenly approaching me.


    ¡¸Oi, you maid over there! So you¡¯re the one making big sis scared huh-!¡¹


    When I turned around toward that voice, a boy around ten years old who looked really similar with the baron daughter Maria was standing there. If I assumed that he was Maria¡¯s little brother, that meant he was also a noble, but this is¡­¡­his kneecaps that were visible from the short pants he was wearing were covered with scratches all over. His cheeks and noses were also scratched. If he changed into another clothes, than rather than looking like a noble¡¯s son, he would look no different from the naughty brat in the area.


    ¡¸Oi, say something, don¡¯t just keep quiet!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Are you by some chance Maria-sama¡¯s little brother?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s right-. Big sis and everyone have been acting strange since you came here! If you¡¯re a bad guy then I¡¯ll beat you up!¡¹


    ¡¸Are you confident in your skill?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s right-, after all I¡¯m the boss of this neighborhood-. Even Chiko and Harry can¡¯t win against me in a fight!¡¹


    ¡­¡­Who were they? Well, I could imagine his background somehow. Although he was a noble, there was no other noble child around here in this countryside. Even if there was, there would only be the children of knight or baronet governing a town or village nearby, even so it would already be many if there were even ten of them. In that case this boy¡¯s playmate would be the children of this house¡¯s retainers or soldiers. At this countryside the distance of this mansion with the streets and town was much closer. Perhaps in this environment he was close to the commoners and played with the neighborhood kid in a rough way?


    But in that case it was simple. Currently I was feeling troubled because even though I wanted to ask around about the internal situation here, not only Ojou-sama, even my fellow maids were keeping a distance from me. A boy who wouldn¡¯t complain even if he was treated somewhat roughly was just right.


    ¡¸Oo, what, you want to have a go huh-¡¹


    When I turned to face him right from the front, the boy clenched his fists and took a fighting stance. I paid it no mind and gestured with my fingertip to him to follow me as I turned my back on him and started walking.


    ¡¸Come with me. Show me the way.¡¹


    ¡¸Eh¡­¡­ha? Wai¡¹


    It seemed his brain couldn¡¯t catch up when I ordered him coarsely. The boy let out an inarticulate word before he came back to this senses and hurriedly chased after me who walked ahead.


    ¡¸Y-you, even though you¡¯re just a maid-¡¹


    The boy¡¯s hand touched my shoulder. But, I smoothly dodged his hand before it could grab my shoulder and I lightly pushed his chest to corner him to the wall©¤©¤


    *Don-!* My palm hit the wall beside his face while I peered into his eyes from close by.


    ¡¸You want to save your sister right? Work with me if you want to do that.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I glared at the boy who was about as tall as me with only around ten centimeters of distance between us. For some reason his eyes snapped wide open while his face turned bright red. Then he nodded up and down many times.


    .


    ¡¸Then, you don¡¯t know when this monstrous person will appear?¡¹


    ¡¸Yeah. Sometimes they will come in three days, but there are also times when they didn¡¯t come for nearly a month. That was why, before we had also tried asking other noble to introduce us to a sorcerer as guard once, but then they didn¡¯t show up at all at that time¡­¡­¡¹


    For some reason the boy suddenly became cooperative and told me about the when the monstrous person showed up.


    The boy¡¯s name was Rodi. He was the eldest son in this house. As a noble who grew up quickly, his outer appearance was around ten years old, so I thought that he might be around the same age like me, and yet apparently he became nine years old this year. ¡­¡­I thought he was a rascal but he was actually older than me. Even so I too would become eight years old in several more months so we were about the same.


    I thought he was similar with her big sister Maria that their bodies weren¡¯t growing much for a noble, but it seemed that the cause was that both of them didn¡¯t have any magic related skill at all and their magic power capacity was low.


    When I pondered why there was this much difference between the nobles, a new information surfaced from the ¡°knowledge¡±.


    Whether it was education or sorcery, the right environment was needed in order to learn them. An orphan like me couldn¡¯t obtain education because I wasn¡¯t in an environment where I could learn education that was unnecessary for my livelihood. The priority for an orphan was to survive and the next priority was seeking wealth. But, orphans that never received education were unable to realize that education was necessary in order to become wealthy. That was why preparing environment to get education became low priority for them.


    In other words, ¡°wealth¡± was necessary in order to obtain education. Only those who were able to prepare that environment would obtain wealth even in the next generation. In this country only the high class noble was able to obtain even more strength. ¡­¡­That woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡± even included this kind of information, in that case she too should study properly rather than living like she had done.


    Seeing me walking inside the mansion with the baron¡¯s heir made the other servants to look at me with complicated looks again.


    This baron house didn¡¯t have maid uniform for children, so in the end I dressed myself for a while with only the dress and apron dress that I brought with me. It was a maid uniform for serving the princess so naturally its quality was different from the maid uniform of a baron house. Perhaps that was also one of the causes why the other kept their distance from me.


    ¡¸Rody, do you know why Maria-sama got attacked?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Why am I the only one who don¡¯t get honorific?¡¹


    ¡¸Speak.¡¹


    ¡¸I-I get it¡­¡­¡¹


    Rody said that the monstrous person appeared in this city half a year ago. There was still no death, but the people who got attacked got injured and there were also some who got seriously ill.


    It was from three months ago that monstrous person got fixated with Maria. Since that day they would leave behind ¡ºbloody handprint¡» when night came but, she herself still hadn¡¯t been harmed yet. But that handprint was gradually getting closer, so the baron house was really worried of when Maria would get attacked. And it seemed the culprit was a human, so at this rate this situation might also cause various problems for her betrothal.


    Grave was considering that it was fine even if this problem went unresolved because this wasn¡¯t his organization¡¯s jurisdiction, but if I was going to resolve this then the faster the better it would be. If possible I wanted to settle this at the next attack.


    But before that, I was bothered by the monstrous person¡¯s ¡°objective¡±. Why didn¡¯t they attack Maria right away even though they had attacked the citizens?


    There was no consistency with the citizens getting attacked and the interval of the monstrous person¡¯s visit, but was that really the case?


    If I understood the enemy¡¯s objective it would be easy to predict their action, and I also would be able to guess their weak point and true identity. But, until now many officials and sorcerers had investigated, but the culprit¡¯s true identity and objective were still completely unknown. Various humane reasons like grudge, political motive, or simply the culprit was in love with Maria had been considered but, there was no proof at all to specify which was the culprit¡¯s real motive. In that case I should investigate from a different perspective than those. ¡­¡­In the first place I didn¡¯t understand about the subtlety of human relationship anyway.


    The sorcerer who investigated here discovered trace of magic power at the left behind hand prints. So it was thought that the monstrous person was also a sorcerer.


    None of the servants witnessed it, but Maria said that she saw a ¡ºfat man¡». Some of the citizens also gave testimony that they saw a fat man or an old man, so at present it was thought that the monstrous person¡¯s true identity was a darkness sorcerer with at least level 4 who could transform their appearance with sorcery, or multiple people carrying out an organized crime.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    But was that the case? If the culprit consisted of multiple people, it would make it easier for evidence like belonging or footprint getting left behind. Even sorcerer, if they could use sorcery that powerful, there should be trace of it remaining. If they used elemental sorcery, the magic particles of that element should linger behind. The trace of level 1 or 2 sorcery would immediately vanish, but the earth element magic particles from that female thief¡¯s sorcery were remaining for a while at the site of scene. With my eyes I could also ¡°see¡± the element of the residual magic particles. But, from what I observed, it didn¡¯t feel like there was that many darkness element magic particles here.


    ¡¸Tell me your family¡¯s magic power elements.¡¹


    ¡¸My dad is wind and mom is water, but big sis and me still can¡¯t use it you know?¡¹


    ¡¸What about daily life magic?¡¹


    ¡¸Err¡­¡­then big sis is water I guess?¡¹


    It matched my investigation. There were a lot of wind and water magic particles remaining in this mansion.


    Even if someone¡¯s magic power capacity wasn¡¯t big, just by living their daily life a lot of that person¡¯s elemental magic particles would remain behind. And then based on what I saw, water magic particles were strongly remaining in this mansion. This was¡­¡­perhaps I¡¯d have to reinvestigate the city too.


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­I heard that you are investigating for my sake.¡¹


    Five days since I worked in the baron house. Maria who had been avoiding me during that time said that to me while I was changing the bed sheet in her room.


    ¡¸Did Ojou-sama hear that from Rody¡­¡­sama?¡¹


    ¡¸It looks like that boy has really taken a liking with you. He told me to keep it a secret before telling me happily.¡¹


    Perhaps her fear to me vanished seeing her little brother opening up to me. Maria was smiling happily. But, this wasn¡¯t a ¡ºsecret¡» at all. Boy had their pride, so I guessed that he wouldn¡¯t tell anyone that he lost against me, but would he get attached to me again if I threatened him¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Can I¡­¡­be saved?¡¹


    ¡¸Ojou-sama will be saved if luck favors you. If Ojou-sama has a god that you believe in then pray to him.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Is that so.¡¹


    Maria muttered that to me who intentionally talked coldly like that. She raised her gloomy face and smiled softly.


    ¡¸Then I¡¯ll pray to the same god like yours.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹


    .


    That night too I used daily life magic Water and poured it into the drainage channel in the mansion, just like yesterday. Yesterday was no good. But the water of Water that I poured last night should flow through the drainage channel and reached the location of the ¡°fellow¡±.


    I looked around inside the mansion to search for location where a lot of water element magic particles remained.


    This mansion had a lot of magic particles. I thought that might be why the cloth items in Maria¡¯s room had to be changed every day, but that wasn¡¯t the case. It became like that not because there were a lot of water element magic particles here, but because Maria¡¯s water element was strong.


    Maria¡¯s magic power capacity wasn¡¯t high. That was why nobody noticed. But  who could see the ¡°color¡± of magic particle noticed that Maria was enveloped in water magic particles with extremely thick ultramarine color.


    Most likely if she enrolled into the so called sorcery academy from next year, that talent would bloom immediately. But, the magic power remaining in this mansion didn¡¯t come from just her.


    The monstrous person¡¯s appearance was happening irregularly, but from the testimonies it was certain that they always appeared at ¡ºdark night¡». Dark night¡­¡­the night when the moon and stars were hidden. That fellow appeared in the day when it was cloudy or humid. Everyone who was attacked all had water element.


    The river flooded half a year ago when the monstrous person started appearing. It seemed at that time a simple barrier to suppress that water¡¯s spirit power was put on the river. The barrier itself wasn¡¯t put up for a long period of time and it immediately got taken down, but as the result that ¡°fellow¡± got separated from water and went mad.


    The monstrous person was seeking water element magic particle. Thanks to Maria having thick water element, the monstrous person would go back just from obtaining the residue that piled up from her living for many years in this mansion. But the residual amount of magic particles that came from Maria who only had small magic power capacity was gradually becoming insufficient that the monstrous person was getting closer to Maria herself.


    Now that fellow was hungry because the rainy season had passed. That was why that fellow would be lured and came here where I had been continuously trickling Water.


    ¡¸There-¡¹


    When I threw a rock on the drainage channel, ¡°something¡± leaped to dodge it and clung on the wall. The veil of water hiding their figure was dispelled.


    A completely soaked fat man was clinging on the wall. His figure was bloated like a drowned body. Water and blood were dripping out from the tears in his fleshes at several spots of his bodies that looked like they were ruptured from the inside.


    He wasn¡¯t a living person. He also wasn¡¯t an undead. This being was using a corpse like a shell in order to protect themselves from evaporating, their true identity was most likely©¤©¤


    ¡¸¡­¡­A mad water spirit¡­¡­¡¹


    When I muttered that, the bloated drowned corpse that had its true identity seen through turned its cloudy eyes glaringly at me.

 Volume 1 - CH 30

    Perhaps the true identity of the monstrous person was a ¡ºmonster¡» instead of a human? I hypothesized that based on the residual magic particles and situation, then I bought information from the adventurer guild. From there I thought that the culprit wasn¡¯t the water monsters that appeared around here but a mad ¡ºwater spirit¡». It was a guess that I hoped was wrong if possible, but the worse a prediction was the bigger the chance it came true it seemed.


    .


    ¨‹ Low Ranked Water Spirit


    ¡¾Magic Power : 337/503¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strenght : 371/533¡¿


    ¡¾Status : Madness¡¿


    .


    Even low ranked, a spirit was still a very troublesome opponent. Normally opposing a spirit that governed the principle of the world was just not done, but in a case like this where the spirit went ¡ºinsane¡» because it was cut off from its base element or its summoner died and it became unable to return to the spirit world, it would start attacking human and living creature in order to take away their magic particle.


    In the case of normal low ranked spirit, they had overall combat strength around 500. Monster with such combat strength would be considered as rank 3 or above, but in the case of spirit, the difficulty of its subjugation would be considered as rank 4. The adventurer guild would also recommend that the party taking care of it had a rank higher than 3 and included two sorcerers among their number.


    It was because physical attack was mostly ineffective against spirit that wasn¡¯t a creature of the material world but a spiritual life form.


    Even so with the willpower and mental strength of the attacker to ¡ºdefeat¡» the spirit, it was possible to deal around ten percent of how the damage should be to the spirit, even so the spirit¡¯s magic power that also functioned as their stamina would recover by 1 point each few seconds, so warrior type fighter had no way to oppose a spirit.


    Even using elemental sorcery, sorcery with the same element of the spirit would be completely neutralized and it would even strengthen the spirit¡¯s magic power. Therefore when fighting a spirit, it was necessary to gather sorcerers who could use attack magic with different element from the spirit and settled the battle decisively with brute force in a short period of time.


    That was why I didn¡¯t plan to involve the soldiers of this city into this battle. Even if they could deal ten percent of their usual damage to the spirit, a low level attack wouldn¡¯t give any damage. Perhaps they could be used simply as a meat wall, but doing that would allow the spirit to regain its magic power by attacking the soldiers even though it was already hard to shave off its magic power. And it would be troublesome if the soldiers moved around in panic disorderly and destroyed my trap. Even so defeating the spirit would be manageable somehow if I could gather enough number, but the baron house didn¡¯t want this matter to be blown up out of proportion for the sake of Maria¡¯s engagement, so I didn¡¯t want to gather too many people and for the battle to result in many injured people.


    I also didn¡¯t want to proactively challenge this kind of opponent. But, I was able to check the spirit¡¯s magic power capacity and confirmed that its magic power wasn¡¯t recovering just as I thought. It went as far as attacking someone else because it wanted their magic power, that must meant that it couldn¡¯t recover magic power in the amount that surpassed the amount it used to maintain its existence. In that case even I who couldn¡¯t use attack magic had a way to fight it. Because as long as the opponent¡¯s true identity had come to light and I had more than one day, I could make a lot of preparation.


    ¡º©¤©¤©¤©¤!¡»


    The water spirit fired out water strongly from the mouth of the fat drowned corpse it was hiding in.


    Perhaps it was the magic version of the level 1 water sorcery Splash. It had mid level speed and its attack power had both physical and magical properties. It was easy to use it only had attack power at the level that could be blocked by the tree that I immediately hid behind.


    Against spirit that had powerful resistance against physical attack, I whose fighting method was focused on sorcery and illusion and healing had no way to damage it. But I had the ¡°knowledge¡± and the ¡°intelligence¡± to use what was in my possession.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Hard©¤©¤¡¹


    I applied the daily life magic Hard to a clay knife that I hid under a shrubbery and threw it.


    ¡º©¤©¤©¤©¤!¡»


    The water spirit also noticed what ¡°it¡± was. It manipulated the drowned corpse clinging on the wall and left behind bloody wet handprints on the wall while dodging it. Seeing it dodging the rock that I threw at it at the beginning and the clay knife too, I became convinced that this ¡°attack¡± was effective.


    There was the philosophy of ¡ºfive elements¡» in the knowledge of that woman. Water erased fire, fire melted metal, metal cut wood, wood¡¯s root gouged earth, and earth kept back water. It wasn¡¯t wholly applicable to this world, but even in the world of sorcery, the opposite element of fire was water, and like how it was said that light and darkness opposed each other, I hypothesized that it was possible to inflict damage to the spirit even with a little magic power if I used the opposing element of water.


    I didn¡¯t learn earth element sorcery, but I could use the daily life magic Hard. If I used clay weapon with earth element that I had strengthened, I should be able to shave off the water spirit¡¯s magic power bit by bit even though Hard¡¯s activation time was short.


    I picked up a clay knife, applied Hard on it, and threw it. The water spirit that was locked in the flesh shell couldn¡¯t dodge the knife at midair. The water spirit fired Splash once more after its existence got whittled by the knife, but I rolled to dodge it.


    Don¡¯t hurry. Don¡¯t chase too deeply. Don¡¯t enter the opponent¡¯s range too. Unlike facing human sorcerer who would use tactic, the water spirit was only shooting water in monotone pattern. As long as there was distance between us, I could dodge its attack magic just barely.


    When I looked with appraisal, the insane water spirit¡¯s magic power had decreased by nearly a fourth. The magic point that was whittled by the clay knife was around 5 points. Even if I made the water spirit used magic, it only consumed around 10 points, even so it wasn¡¯t an unreachable number.


    ¡º©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤!!¡»


    Powerful magic power was radiated from the water spirit¡¯s whole body. I sensed magic power that rivaled the time when the female thief used level 3 sorcery and took distance. At the same time the water spirit launched its magic.


    A water sphere with diameter around 2 meters was fired. The garden¡¯s shrubberies that were tidily lined up got mowed down.


    It didn¡¯t hit me directly, but I got swallowed by the splashing water torrent and washed away for several meters.


    Was it the water sorcery version of Fire Ball from fire sorcery? It had no wide range damage like Fire Ball, but the ground was turned into a quagmire instantly which hindered my movement.


    ¡º©¤©¤©¤©¤!¡»


    ¡¸©¤©¤Hard©¤©¤!¡¹


    The water spirit fired Splash at me who couldn¡¯t move. I immediately hardened the ground under my feet with Hard and dodged the water even while being covered in mud.


    I was steadily getting damaged. There was almost no outer wound on my body, but feeling wise around twenty or thirty percent of my stamina had been whittled down. The clay knives that I created also vanished into the mud. However, the water spirit should have its magic power reduced until only half remaining after using such large magic.


    My skirt was clinging wetly on my legs, so I tore it vertically from above my thigh until the bottom. I checked that there was no pain in my body¡¯s muscles and tendons while hardening my foothold to escape from the quagmire. It was then I heard multiple voices coming from the mansion.


    ¡¸What¡¯s with the ruckus!¡¹


    ¡¸The garden¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Aria-!¡¹


    That water magic¡¯s sound was louder than expected. Not only the gate guards, even Rody was coming here. Although this place was the likeliest spot that I could lure the spirit into, we were found out faster than I expected.


    I had told Rody to not come here, but it might cause the opposite effect to happen instead. If possible I wanted to weaken the spirit a bit more before other people discovered us, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. It was a bit early but I moved on to the second phase of my strategy.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Water¡­¡­¡¹


    When I used Water with shortened effective time to make the water element around me thicker, the drowned corpse that was heading toward the intruders turned toward me. Everything would come to nothing if Rody or Maria got attacked here. I climbed up the wall while trickling water. Then I turned around just for a moment and shook my head at Rody to tell him ¡ºdon¡¯t follow me¡». Right after that I showed off water particles as I climbed over the fence. I sensed the water spirit¡¯s presence chasing behind me.


    .


    I went around the completely dark city late at night and climbed to a roof at an area where there was no people. I gulped down a magic power recovery potion. Since my fight against that female thief, I decided to always bring at least one bottle of magic power recovery potion with me, but one bottle of this cost three silver coins, so I didn¡¯t want to gulp it down. Even so by drinking this, my magic power should steadily recover for around one hour.


    I cut off my skirt from the area above the knee because it was dirtied by mud and became heavy. It was then the water spirit¡¯s drowned corpse caught up.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Hard©¤©¤¡¹


    I threw away the skirt¡¯s part that I cut off to the drowned corpse that climbed up on the roof, obstructing the magic it was going to fire. There was no need to destroy its ¡°shell¡± the drowned corpse. The drowned corpse kept the water spirit¡¯s magic particle consumption within limit, but at the same time it also held back the water spirit¡¯s movement as a prison that prevented it from running away.


    ¡º©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤!!¡»


    The water spirit let out a wordless scream. I couldn¡¯t comprehend whether it was a scream of rage toward me or a scream of hunger, I also had no intention to try to understand the feeling of non living thing when I couldn¡¯t even comprehend human¡¯s feeling.


    But at the very least, if you were struggling in order to live, I¡¯d accompany you till you died.


    The water spirit finally noticed that I dodged the Splash and used Water Ball once more. It had wide range and hard to dodge. Such magic would definitely deal damage to me, but that judgment was a bad move. What did it think the reason I climbed up on the roof?


    The two meter water sphere was fired, but when it was that big it was slower than Splash due to the water¡¯s weight. Also there was a chimney made from brick on the roof. I could avoid direct hit if I hid there. I also wouldn¡¯t get washed away, and the overflowing water would also immediately flow down the roof.


    This was the limit of an insane non living thing that couldn¡¯t assess the situation. No matter how overwhelming the magic power and magic it had compared to human, it wasn¡¯t that much of a threat if it had no battle experience and situational assessment.


    But as expected, I too couldn¡¯t get away unscathed from this battle. At this rate even if the water spirit used up its magic power from firing powerful magic in succession, it would also give me greater damage, so I started my counterattack.


    The clay knife that I created together with Rody had vanished into the mud. But I still had another weapon.


    *Hyun!!*


    The pendulum I threw grazed the forehead of the drowned corpse. The earth element and water element magic particles shaved off each other.


    Hard¡¯s effect on the pendulum that was created from a lump of bronze was weak. But I had baked clay into a ceramic blade and replaced one of the two blades with it.


    Even clay that had been baked could still be affected by  Hard. Even the ceramic blade that would break easily if it collided on something hard would become a weapon with the toughness of iron if Hard was used on it.


    ¡º©¤©¤©¤©¤!!¡»


    I reapplied Hard on the pendulum while shaving off the water spirit¡¯s existence.


    The water spirit also fired magic in order to survive. Sometimes it would even tackle at me.


    The magic power of the water spirit should also have decreased until around thirty percent, but my stamina and magic power had decreased until nearly half. If I got hit by even a single attack of the water spirit, I would definitely become unable to fight.


    Don¡¯t let your guard down. Don¡¯t get greedy too. Simply calmly and methodically continue to shave off the enemy with strictness. There was my only way to win. But, it was then©¤©¤


    .


    ¡¸©¤©¤Vorpal Blade©¤©¤¡¹


    .


    A sword attack of light suddenly surged out. The Battle Skill that I didn¡¯t know tore apart the water spirit¡¯s drowned corpse into pieces.


    The drowned corpse fell down from the roof while leaking out great amount of water from the cut surfaces. From the darkness behind it, a man wearing travelling clothes and holding a one-handed sword that was tinged with magic power, Grave appeared before me.


    Why was a high ranked butler like him here? From his personality, it was unthinkable that he appeared here as reinforcement. ¡­¡­No, more importantly.


    ¡¸That was my ¡°enemy¡± though?¡¹


    ¡¸I see. But, just leave something like that to the adventurer guild or wherever.¡¹


    Grave answered without care at the dissatisfaction that I uttered to him. He pointed his sword straight at me without sheathing it back.


    ¡¸Aria. ¡°Who¡± are you?¡¹

 Volume 1 - CH 31

    There was a man called Grave in the dark side organization of Claydale Kingdom.


    Originally he wasn¡¯t a person of this Claydale Kingdom. He was born as a child in a baron house of Fandora Principality, a religious nation located at the north of Claydale. He was raised as a member of a deeply faithful family, but one day a political enemy held his father in contempt and ousted him from his position as a head priest. Not only that, he ended up dead in prison.


    After that Grave¡¯s mother left the country with the still small Grave in tow. Through a harsh journey, they drifted to Claydale Kingdom. But, due to that harsh journey the body of Grave¡¯s mother broke down and she also ended up following his father. Grave who was left alone to live in an unknown land would do anything if it was for the sake of surviving. He survived while resenting this world and the nobles who gave his family and him this kind of destiny.


    But it was also noble who saved Grave from his predicament. That man was a Cruzian called Hosu. It seemed his father and him were friend. Hosu apologized to the small Grave for his inability to save his father and mother and welcomed him as a member of his family from his livelihood as criminal in the slum quarters.


    But Grave refused to become the adopted son of Hosu who was a noble. He chose the path of fighting as a subordinate of Hosu who was a knight of the dark side.


    The upper echelon of Fandora Principality was rotten even though it was a religious country. Surely there were also rotten nobles in this Claydale Kingdom. But, he learned that there were proper nobles remaining here like Hosu without getting crushed. He came to think that this difference came from the strength of the country¡¯s upper echelon©¤©¤the royal family. If the royal family held their authority correctly, the nation wouldn¡¯t fall into chaos. Grave harshly disciplined himself, trained in martial art and sorcery, and sometimes he even crushed any ¡°evil¡± that had the possibility of disturbing the country with action that was just barely within the acceptable limit.


    Grave particularly hated when people who were capable but had no clear background got close to the royal family. When he heard that Sera would use a child in the security for the princess, it was also him who assigned Castro, someone who hated those who came from the slums to be in charge of the child.


    For Grave, anyone who showed contempt to the power of the royal family that consolidated the country was ¡°evil¡±, even if it was a member of the royal family itself.


    Even the weak-willed crown prince who was raised by the first queen who lacked any sense of responsibility, because he was still a child right now he didn¡¯t consider of removing him, but if Princess Elena who was raised by the twisted second queen and became a seed of conflict revolving around the throne¡¯s inheritance tried something, Grave wouldn¡¯t hesitate to remove her even if it would cause him to get executed.


    There was a maid apprentice who became that Elena¡¯s favorite. Even though she was a slum kid who Viro brought, she possessed magic power that surpassed noble, and she could even defeat a goblin by herself. It made Grave kept a watch over her. To test that maid apprentice, he even overlooked Elena¡¯s kidnapping intentionally to observe her reaction, but the girl defeated even a rank 3 thief by herself.


    It was impossible that there was a child like that. He had no intention to allow such child to enter the palace just because she was Elena¡¯s favorite. He wouldn¡¯t tolerate such danger.


    He had no intention to overlook anybody who could disturb the nation¡¯s peace, even if it was just a small bud. He was planning to chase her to the countryside by giving her some work while waiting for the right time to dispose of her, but then the dark side organization gave him an order to check whether there was a certain ¡ºornament¡» in the child¡¯s belonging.


    Even the reason for the mission was kept secret. He was only told to check the child¡¯s belonging and not permitted to hurt her at all. From that there was a possibility that this child was a noble¡¯s illegitimate child whose background wasn¡¯t allowed to be exposed.


    (Dangerous¡­¡­)


    That child¡¯s existence was too abnormal. She might become an existence that dragged even the royal family and shook this country.


    If she really had an ornament and an illegitimate child of a noble, then no matter what her background was, Grave would judge the girl as ¡°contamination¡± that he had to remove.


    ¡¸¡­¡­What do you want?¡¹


    On the rooftop of a city at a night without moon. The high butler Grave who was also my employee suddenly appeared and cut down my enemy. He pointed the magic sword in his hand toward me.


    ¡¸Answer my question.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­You know ¡°who¡± I am already right?¡¹


    With unbelievable muscular strength, the tip of the sword that was held with one hand wasn¡¯t shaky at the slightest. His body that looked like in a relaxed stance was enveloped in dangerous atmosphere that stated how he would cut me down if I did anything strange.


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­. The unknown child who Viro brought, an abnormal brat who killed a hobgoblin alone and even mercilessly killed a stronger thief.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸There is no way such brat can exist. How did you obtain that strength? How can you kill human without hesitation in that age? Did you kill that thief to prevent her from talking? What are you hiding? Why is a noble holding an interest for you? I ask you once more¡­¡­¡¹


    Grave¡¯s sharp gaze pierced me.


    ¡¸Who, are you?¡¹


    His killing intent shook the air. I deeply pushed down my heart that was getting scared from that.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Who knows.¡¹


    How much did this guy know? There should be no one who knew that a noble blood was mixed in me. Was he simply holding doubt because of my combat strength? But to explain that it would be unnatural if I excluded the part about my background. If the existence of the ¡ºring¡» inside my talisman pouch got found out, I would get dragged into the gear of fate once more. This ring that my mother found me was what that woman used to confirm that I was ¡ºme¡».


    I tried to calmly analyze the situation, even so I was still feeling slightly uneasy that I unconsciously touched the talisman pouch hanging on my neck from over my dress. Grave found fault at my action.


    ¡¸You¡¯re hiding something just as I thought. Hand it over. If you are related with a noble©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸©¤©¤Pain©¤©¤¡¹


    Grave stiffened for an instant from the Pain that I instantly casted. I kicked on the roof using that opening and began my escape. My chance of victory was thin even if I fought against Grave who had combat strength more than ten times of mine. For the current me, far from winning, even escaping was difficult, but if he was hit by my trump card Pain, then an opening should be created even if just for an instant.


    ¡¸Tsu!¡¹


    A killing intent, or rather a bad hunch drove me to leap aside. A knife shallowly cut my shoulder before it pierced the rooftop. At the same time I heard the sound of something cutting through air so without pause I rolled to dodge. Grave¡¯s approaching kick smashed the thick rooftop bricks into pieces.


    ¡¸You¡¯re related with nobility just as I thought. No matter who you actually are, there is no way I can allow a dangerous existence like you getting closer to the royal family. I¡¯ll deal with you here.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Why are you going to kill me?¡¹


    Grave endured the intense pain from Pain and immediately chased me.  had thought that some high ranked warrior might be able to endure it, but still he recovered too fast. When I talked to him in order to buy time for forming my next plan, Grave conscientiously answered me.


    ¡¸Just in case. I¡¯m crushing any possibility that might disturb the country¡¯s peace just in case. Just like the princess that you¡¯re intimate with.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Elena was¡­¡­so that was why I thought her security felt undermanned¡­¡­.


    ¡¸You die.¡¹


    I pulled out my knife with my right hand and threw it at the same time as my left hand threw pendulum. Grave took a step back full of composure to dodge the pendulum¡¯s blade while deflecting the knife with the sword in his hand.


    ¡¸Nuh?¡¹


    I had thrown a second knife so it was hidden in the shadow of the first knife. It grazed Grave. During that time I took out a small bag from my pocket and threw it. Powder scattered to the surrounding.


    ¡¸Poison huh-¡¹


    Grave instantly saw that through and covered his mouth while charging. As expected he had poison resistance. Even so when I threw one more small bag, Grave finally stopped moving.


    ¡¸Cheap trick-!¡¹


    The first bag was filled with powder of poisonous grass and could be resisted with poison resistance, but the second bag wasn¡¯t poison. It was a stimulant that I made by grinding the mustard seeds that I found in the forest. Grave dodged that while throwing a knife. I deflected it with my black knife and started chanting inside my mouth while jumping down from the rooftop of a three-storey building.


    ¡¸You won¡¯t get away.¡¹


    Grave also immediately jumped down in pursuit. I fell while chanting Weight to shift my falling direction. Just before I fell on the ground, I entwined my pendulum on a window¡¯s handrail and ran up the wall using the centrifugal force. I passed the falling Grave while leaping back on the rooftop I was just on.


    I had no confidence that I would be able to perform this kind of acrobatic move one more time, even so I¡¯d use this time I had bought effectively.


    I scattered my last mustard powder at the spot where I thought Grave would climb at to buy as much time as possible. Then without pause I started running on the rooftop without even looking back when a knife that flew from behind grazed my shoulder.


    He already climbed up. But with this much distance, I shouldn¡¯t get seriously wounded even if his throwing knife pierced me. Of course it was also possible that he would hit my vital spot, but I could only leave that matter to luck.


    I threw around the weapons that I had in hand as disposable tool to hold back Grave while running through the dark rooftop.


    I already ran out of poison and even my last throwing knife was dodged.


    The string of my pendulum was also severed and its blade had flown away to somewhere. When the only weapon remaining on me became only the black knife, I had been cornered until the large pier along the river.


    ¡¸You¡¯ve been a real pain running around all over the place.¡¹


    Grave finally cornered the suspicious kid named Aria until the river.


    Acrobatic movement and various poisons that caused abnormal condition. Throwing knives and a strange weapon of blade tied with string. And then there was that sorcery that caused intense pain, this kid had learned a lot of strange skills.


    All her techniques looked strange in a glance, but all of them seemed to be skills that were learned with the assumption of fighting a stronger opponent alone. Especially that sorcery, even Grave who had familiarized himself with pain through intense training was stopped from moving for an instant. If Aria had the strength of rank 4 or above, even Grave might get killed if it was used on him while he was unaware.


    (This kid is dangerous just as expected¡­¡­I¡¯ll kill her here before she can turn her blade at the nation.)


    She gave him a harder time than expected but it was over with this. Aria didn¡¯t have any more weapon. She took a fighting stance with her last remaining weapon the black knife while steadily getting cornered until the edge of the pier.


    ¡¸Are you going to challenge me one last time knowing that it¡¯s useless? Or are you going to sever your own life with that knife?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Aria didn¡¯t reply at all. Her sharp gaze glared at Grave while searching for even the smallest path to survive.


    He didn¡¯t hate those eyes. He felt like he understood just a little now why Sera and Viro paid attention to her and trained her personally like she was their favorite student.


    ¡¸I¡­¡­have no plan dying by your hand.¡¹


    Aria¡¯s foot kicked on the edge of the pier. Her small body floated in the air.


    Grave could also throw a knife at her in that moment. But, he was entranced by those powerful eyes that were struggling desperately to cling on life. He saw off Aria¡¯s figure vanishing into the rapid torrent of the pitch black river.


    ¡¸So in the end, she chose to end herself huh¡­¡­¡¹


    If possible he wanted to collect what she was hiding and found out her true identity, but it was enough as long as he could dispose of a future disaster. Those eyes of her that he saw at the end still showed a strong fixation to life, but it was unthinkable that she would survive by jumping into this kind of raging stream that was inhabited by monster in the dark night where nothing could be seen.


    With night vision that saw by using magic particle¡¯s reflection, it would be mostly ineffective within this raging stream. Aria couldn¡¯t use the sorcery of breathing in water. Within this water where she wouldn¡¯t even be able to understand where was up and down, the probability of her surviving would be lower than fighting Grave and escaping.


    Grave wondered if her action was her last harassment to her. He had cornered many people to their death until now, but many of the smarter opponents took that kind of action at the end in order to erase the proof of their existence.


    Most likely the chance that he would be able to collect her corpse was despairingly low. He didn¡¯t know how far she would get washed away with this river¡¯s stream, and even if she got washed away until downstream, her corpse should get disposed by getting eaten by hungry monster.


    ¡¸¡­¡­It¡¯s time I guess.¡¹


    Until now he had been taking action carefully so that he wouldn¡¯t get suspected, but now he had ignored an order from the dark side and killed a non-target, so he couldn¡¯t return to the organization anymore.


    Perhaps he would be able to make excuse by saying that Aria fell into the river and died in an accident, but he originally affiliated himself to the dark side only to obtain information from them, and it felt like he was starting to get suspected by Sera and some others recently, so he judged that there was already no benefit for him to remain in the dark side. Far from that because of his standing there at present he was unable to deal with his targets as he wanted. Grave felt that it was troublesome.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    For some reason he felt uneasy and looked toward the dark raging stream once more.


    There was no way she could survive. But, if she survived¡­¡­.


    ¡¸At that time Aria¡­¡­I¡¯ll recognize your worth.¡¹


    Like that Grave melted into the darkness of the moonless night and vanished. He erased his figure from the front stage.


    The threat of monstrous person that assaulted the territory of Baron Seylace quietened down and the maid girl who became the last victim went missing. The incident was resolved with such view.


    .


    And then©¤©¤


    Inside the downstream water where the flow of the river was slightly weakening, a rank 1 monster, a huge snake that was making that area as its residence sensed the presence of meat in the flow of water.


    Normally it had fish and the like as food, but the corpses of animal and human that very rarely flowed here were the greatest feast for the water snake.


    It long body that reached several meters wriggled and advanced inside the water. Its jaw spread out so widely that it could swallow something at the size of a lamb whole as it laid in wait. Then suddenly a sound that was like a ¡°voice¡± rippled from the existence that it thought as meat. The surge of magic power slashed the water snake¡¯s head.


    If there was still consciousness in the head of the water snake that was washed away by the river stream, it would surely notice the headless corpses of several water snake that was flowing behind that existence.


    That existence grabbed the tail of the water snake that lost its head and got washed ashore at the shoal. The face of a girl with pink blond hair popped out from the water surface with a black blade bit between her teeth.


    Like that she swam until the bank and dispelled Hard from her mud covered maid uniform that she used as replacement of a life buoy. She used her freezing fingers to hold the knife in her mouth and turned her gaze to the direction of the city.


    Her life was targeted just because of an unsure suspicion. And even that assassin¡¯s dagger was going to be pointed toward Elena©¤©¤


    .


    ¡¸Grave¡­¡­I¡¯ll definitely kill you.¡¹

 Volume 1 - CH 32

    My father¡¯s hair was blond. My mother¡¯s hair was red. When I was born, my hair was blond.


    Was that why? When mother looked at me, my face wasn¡¯t reflected in her eyes¡­¡­.


    I wonder when did it start¡­¡­? When ¡ºI¡» became ¡ºI¡».


    .


    Mother never told me that she loved me. When I first became aware of my surrounding, the oldest saying of mother that I remembered her saying to me was¡­¡­¡ºbecome a splendid king¡».


    Mother never smiled at me. Even though there was a smile in her face, to me it didn¡¯t look like a ¡°smile¡±.


    Some kind of education had been instilled into me even before I became aware of my surrounding. Noble¡¯s common sense, etiquette and manner, general education, the history of this country and continent, politic and economy, understanding human¡¯s heart, self-defense, sorcery, and the way to kill your heart¡­¡­.


    Mother would smile when I was able to do things well. Even though I wasn¡¯t reflected in her eyes, I only sought for mother¡¯s warmth and continued to study while crying.


    As the result, if the average people had 1 or 2 magic power, I managed to have 4. I was able to display powerful magic power and excellence in capability, but the immature me was unable to endure the burden of powerful magic power and magic stones in my heart. I lost the robust body that was necessary to become a king and mother too lost her interest for me.


    Mother had father who was her most beloved and the position that she loved the most taken away from her at the same time. Taking away the throne from the child of the woman who stole them from her was the only way she could maintain the calm in her heart.


    I lived in sorrow after my mother abandoned me. The one who consoled me at that time was the first prince, my brother who was born from a different mother, a former viscount daughter who mother hated, and the one who mother wanted to steal the throne from. My one year older brother was a very kind person. He approached the crying me and told me fun stories, brought me to a lot of new places, and showed a new world to the isolated me.


    She was a very kind and lovely prince. Seeing such big brother, I had this thought.


    ¡ºThis person¡­¡­what a ¡°happy person¡± he is.¡»


    In that instant, the incomprehensible ¡°knowledge¡± that was simply accumulating pointlessly inside me intertwined with each other like the leaves and branches of a big tree, granting me ¡°intelligence¡± unbefitting of my age.


    By losing the qualification necessary to become a king, it became a certainty that this big brother would be chosen as the crown prince.


    This big brother would become the next king? This big brother who didn¡¯t even know anything about the heavy pressure and the meaning to become king? This big brother whose awareness was only at the level of the heir of a mid level noble or a third son of a count?


    But, it would be unfair to only blame him. Because he didn¡¯t even know the meaning of becoming the next king due to the fault of the first queen, the former viscount daughter who took away his chance for education for the reason of wanting to raise him freely. Because of the fault of the first queen who forced her will for that, this country got divided into the royal family faction and the noble faction that were in dispute with each other. The big brother¡¯s kindness that tried to save his pitiful little sister couldn¡¯t possibly become ¡°strength¡± to consolidate that kind of unstable situation.


    That was why I asked to have a meeting under absolute secrecy with my father the king, used the ¡°knowledge¡± that I had to compile what I could do for this country and presented it to him.


    Fortunately father wasn¡¯t a fool. No, he was a foolish father who still loved the first queen and the prince despite regretting drowning in love and throwing the country¡¯s internal condition into chaos. His only choice was to accept my suggestion.


    And then, I even involved my grandparents the previous king and the queen dowager. For the sake of if my big brother was ascertained as unsuitable to become the next king, I even went as far as falsifying myself to trick my big brother and the nobles. And so the queen education for ¡°me¡± that was kept secret from even my actual mother began.


    I¡¯m sorry oh pitiful Okaa-sama. I who obtained intelligence thanks to you couldn¡¯t become your puppet. (TN: At the beginning Elena referred herself with watashi, but now she referred herself with watakushi. The ¡°I/me¡± that I put in italic refer to watakushi)


    .


    The power of the nobility was increasing rather than the royal family. For the noble faction that prioritized the profit from free trade with the neighboring countries rather than the domestic demand, I was someone who was suitable to be a convenient ¡°puppet¡±.


    For the young me, it was difficult to continue to refuse the invitation of high rank nobles from the noble faction who approached me with their silver tongue. That was why I pretended to be obsessed with my big brother to show that I was with the royal family faction. Seeing me adjusting the balance within the country in my age that was still less than seven years old, my father his majesty told me to take a rest under the pretense of recuperation. In fact I myself had been feeling tired mentally, so I agreed.


    I was alone. Father and grandfather and grandfather were all kind to me, but in the end I believed that they only saw me as a useful royalty.


    The handmaids and butlers who had been at my said since I was born were the few people who I could trust, but in the end my relationship with them was also nothing more than that of a royalty and servants.


    My heart wasn¡¯t connected with anyone. There was nobody who knew of the real ¡ºme¡». A person who could understand me in the truest sense of the word didn¡¯t exist in this world.


    But¡­¡­a ¡°girl¡± appeared before me then.


    She was a maid apprentice who also doubled as maidservant, one among many who were gathered by Dandall and the palace for the sake of my recuperation. At first I wasn¡¯t even aware of her. But, my cousin Clara who was one of my purposes for coming to this place had completely changed like she was a different person from before. That Clara turned a scared gaze toward this girl. I thought that if I put this girl at my side, I would be able to learn something.


    However, I was surprised as I watched that girl from close by.


    The portrait of my great grandmother, the queen of two generations before was still remaining in the palace of the royal capital even now. The hair color of that maid apprentice was the same with great grandmother, a blond hair that was tinged with pink color that I yearned for when I was small.


    The girl¡¯s name was Aria. This encounter would change her and me¡­¡­and also a lot of people. She was a girl who made me felt a little bit of expectation and premonition for that.


    .


    I was slightly forceful in order to put Aria at my side. By wearing my mask as ¡ºthe selfish princess¡» and my status as royalty, I was able to appoint Aria as one of my attendant maids.


    At first it was her appearance that I took a liking to. Aria¡¯s face and figure looked even more well-featured than nobles who were born by gathering generally ¡ºgood blood¡» in their lineage. Seeing that she was allowed to appear before the presence of a royalty although she was still an apprentice made me thought that she was at least ten years old, but she looked even more mature than ten years old because of her adorable looks that could be categorized as baby face and her lack of expression. I was slightly surprised when I heard later that her actual age was the same like me.


    But what surprised me the most was Aria¡¯s behavior. In the case of servant from commoner background, they would almost never appear before me, and even if they showed themselves in my presence, all of them would similarly shrink in fear and couldn¡¯t hold a coherent conversation with me. Even some of maids who were related to nobility would also shrink in fear while the rest would act like sycophant. In the end the only people I could hold a proper conversation with were only nobles who managed to graduate from the royal sorcery academy that was exclusive for nobles.


    But Aria was different. She didn¡¯t act fearful or flattering toward me. I sensed a definite intelligence and ¡°will¡± from her words that contained no emotion or amiability.


    I never met a child like this. Even noble children who were raised with strict education couldn¡¯t be like that.


    Clara¡¯s big brother and the prime minister¡¯s grandson were quite mature even among the high ranked nobles, even so they were still within the category of children. Conversely the current Clara had lost her childishness from before, but I could see some glimpses of ¡°fear¡± from her now, as though she was just a lower middle class commoner.


    Drawing a line between oneself and other people, and choosing by one self of what one should do and then took action to carry it out.


    There was no way such eerie child could exist. ¡­¡­Other than us that is.


    That must be why I was drawn to her. That was why we were drawn toward each other. Something like time didn¡¯t matter. Aria¡¯s existence was a ¡°light¡± that appeared on the dark path of me who was continuing to fight against fate by myself.


    When I got kidnapped by a thief who was hired by the noble faction, Aria fought with her life at stake and rescued me.


    Seeing Aria fighting until she became battered all over, I wished that she would just abandon someone like me and escaped. Even though her opponent was someone that no child could possibly win against no matter you looked at it. ¡­¡­And yet, she was risking her life to save me, someone who she had only known for several days. It was so stupid that I even felt irritated.


    Even I had the resolve to kill myself rather than getting used by others. Even Aria, if she claimed that protecting me was her job, then she could just run away if it looked like she was going to die.


    If was going to die for my duty as a royalty, at least I wanted to die for your sake. Aria who saved me from that saved not only my body, but even my ¡°heart¡± too.


    .


    No matter how great her existence had grown inside me, the day of our parting had finally arrived.


    I was able to stay in this place only for one month. Any longer than that and I would be forced to return to the capital.


    I also couldn¡¯t meet with Aria who was seriously injured. Even though she was my maid who the dark side sent as my guard, my standing didn¡¯t allow me to personally go just to visit a mere maid.


    The dark side¡¯s high ranked butler Grave also pointed out that to me. I could only stay obedient until the day I left this lakeshore castle arrived. But, the high ranked handmaid who was also from the dark side Sera secretly told me that Aria had recovered.


    Surely Aria would never come to work under me, If I forcefully tried to bind her, one day she would tear off her chain and vanished to the unknown.


    We weren¡¯t equal. That was why there was a need for some kind of reason for the two of us to be together. While I was thinking of such thing, Sera whispered with a small voice that only I could hear.


    ¡¸Does your highness wish to meet with that girl one last time?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    One last time. ¡­¡­She must mean to allow Aria and me to talk alone. Aria wouldn¡¯t come under me. I just wanted to see her in a healthy condition. However I nodded pleadingly at Sera¡¯s offer with my last wish filling it.


    .


    ¡¸I¡¯m here. Elena-sama.¡¹


    ¡¸You are right in time. Welcome, Aria.¡¹


    Aria lightly landed on the second floor¡¯s terrace at the specified time of midnight. I felt relieved seeing her entrance because there was no after-effect from her wounds. I felt like I was going to cry seeing her looking slightly thinner, even so I put on a smile on my face.


    ¡¸Aria, first thank you for saving me. Thanks to you, I was able to spend my time here till the end without falling sick.¡¹


    ¡¸No problem. It¡¯s my job.¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡­just like you.¡¹


    If it was Aria then she obviously would answer like that. She didn¡¯t boast of her accomplishment. Her tone was the same when we talked with just the two of us. The distance between us had also shrunk. Even so I felt the distance between our standings from that. I headed toward the handrail to close that distance unconsciously and faced Aria.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Aria, who are you?¡¹


    I had wanted to ask her that question all this time. But I couldn¡¯t ask. Because I got the feeling that you would vanish if I asked you.


    ¡¸I¡¯m just an orphan, just an adventurer, just Aria.¡¹


    ¡¸Right¡­¡­¡¹


    I felt that was the way of living that Aria decided for herself. The two of us couldn¡¯t be together. That was why words subconsciously slipped out from my mouth.


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­. Won¡¯t you work under me?¡¹


    ¡¸I have no intention of serving anyone.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Even just as a guard?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m just an adventurer.¡¹


    For us to be together, one of us had to give up on our own path. But, we had chosen to walk on a thorny path even as young as we were. That was why we couldn¡¯t get off from that path by our own will.


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­we aren¡¯t ¡°friends¡±.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m a princess, and you are just an adventurer. We can¡¯t stand on the same standing no matter what.¡¹


    ¡¸I know.¡¹


    ¡¸Then-¡­¡­¡¹


    I know. Even I know! We weren¡¯t equal. We couldn¡¯t stand on the same standing. We couldn¡¯t become friend. It was painful just to say those words that I had already known. Even I know! But the ¡ºseven years old me¡» who I pushed to the bottom of my heart with my accumulated knowledge and covered up under the guise of princess was crying in loneliness.


    ¡¸We are the same kind.¡¹


    Aria softly spoke out before the immature me could break my princess¡¯s mask.


    ¡¸Same kind¡­¡­¡¹


    I digested the meaning of those words. We were continuing to walk bare footed on a thorny path that was leading into darkness where we couldn¡¯t see what lie ahead. Even if the paths we walked were different, we weren¡¯t alone by any means.


    Once more Aria saved my heart that almost broke. That was why I¡­¡­put on the mask of the ¡ºprincess¡» who could stand on her own feet, at the very least when I was in front of her.


    ¡¸Then, my fellow kind Aria. As the princess, I swear that no matter how your standing become in the future, I will become your ¡°ally¡± with all the strength that I have just for once.¡¹


    If it was you then surely you would be able to oppose most difficulties. That¡¯s why please¡­¡­at least remember me when true difficulty is approaching you. Because ¡ºI¡» would protect you at the cost of my life.


    ¡¸In that case, I swear to my fellow kind Elena, no matter who it is¡­¡­even if it¡¯s the ¡°king¡±, I shall stake my life just once to ¡°kill¡± who you asked me to.¡¹


    I gulped hearing those words. I never talked to her about my big brother or the precarious state of the royal family. However Aria swore an oath as though she had seen through that it would become like that in the worst case.


    Both of us¡­¡­weren¡¯t ¡°alone¡± anymore.


    ¡¸Just tell me one thing¡­¡­tell me your real name.¡¹


    It wasn¡¯t that I had noticed the falsehood. I simply, wanted to know the real you.


    ¡¸¡­¡­If you allow me to call you without any honorific then¡¹


    ¡¸Asking that at this point.¡¹


    Really, it was pointless to ask that at this point that I smiled wryly.


    ¡¸Alicia.¡¹


    Alicia¡­¡­that was the true you. If you were living by hiding that name, then I would be the only one to remember the real you.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Farewell Aria. And my only Alicia.¡¹


    ¡¸Sayonara¡­¡­Elena.¡¹


    This wasn¡¯t an eternal parting. However those were words of determination where we would walk a different path. I turned my back toward Aria, because I wanted you to remember only the strong me.


    This would be the last time I cried. I said farewell to the childish me together with this drop of tear. In order to save this country, I put on the cracked mask of princess once more.


    Sayonara, Aria¡­¡­until the day our thorny paths crossed once more¡­¡­.

 Volume 1 - CH 33

    Soon three months would have passed since I changed from Alicia to ¡ºAria¡».


    I was hired as the princess¡¯s bodyguard as well as watcher. I learned combat technique from Sera and then I got seriously injured from rescuing my protection target Elena from a thief who was a kidnapping specialist. Because of that I was taken off from the guard duty in the remaining time for rest.


    However, my body was already recovering. My body that had Cure thoroughly applied on me from the princess¡¯s personal light sorcerer didn¡¯t even have a single wound anymore. My internal organs still hadn¡¯t fully healed, but there should be no problem if it was only this much even after getting poisoned so severely like that.


    ¡¸Aria-chan, what are you saying!?¡¹


    I was going to be able to move soon, so I changed clothes in order to do my servant work. It was as I was doing that my caretaker Meena found me.


    When I told her what I was thinking, I was scolded and returned back on the bed.


    There was no problem with me stamina wise. But, from the perspective of a commoner like Meena, my wound seemed to be shocking. It seemed she had also been ordered by Sera so she wouldn¡¯t listen to my request.


    .


    Several days passed after that before I was finally given the permission to get out of bed.


    Even so I still wasn¡¯t allowed to get back to work completely. Right now I was exempted from manual labor. I didn¡¯t think that there was no work here that was easy, but not only I wasn¡¯t allowed to do works like carrying heavy things or drawing water, I was also forbidden from work that had no rest for the whole day like being the princess¡¯s attendant.


    I was allowed to at least do something like cleaning or bed making, even those works would finish during the morning and Sera told me to rest for the afternoon.


    I could participate in the early morning training, but my training partner Seo was treating me too carefully that he couldn¡¯t serve as an opponent. Since my fight against that female thief, my martial art skill had leveled up and I also learned string control skill, so I wanted to adjust my senses in one on one mock battle, and yet¡­¡­nothing went as I wanted it.


    In some part that was why I used that free time to give maintenance to my equipments.


    The equipment that I had to repair the most was the pendulum. Perhaps because it hit the sorcery armor many times in the battle against that female thief, the sharpened blade was crushed and now it was simply a blunt lump of metal.


    Originally it was just bronze coins that were melted and combined together. Bronze was heavier than iron, but it was far softer so I guessed that it could be sharpened to some degree if I hit it with rock, but I felt that it would be faster to remake it to use it as a proper weapon.


    However, the castle¡¯s smithy that created this pendulum seemed to be busy with repairing and sharpening all the bladed tools of this castle as the preparation of cleaning up this castle because there were only two weeks remaining for Elena¡¯s stay here, so it really wasn¡¯t the atmosphere where I could make a personal request to there.


    That was why even if I wanted to maintain my equipments, I could only whet the blades or dismantled and cleaning them, but the knife made from magic steel had the property of repelling blood clot, so it didn¡¯t take much effort to take care of it.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Can¡¯t be helped.¡¹


    At this rate my body would only grow dull. Due to the magic particles¡¯ influence, skills were accumulated in the soul so my ability wouldn¡¯t diminish just from sleeping in for several days, but it felt like a waste for someone who was still weak like me to do nothing with my time.


    Seeing no other option, I decided to review the movements that I learned from Viro and Sera from the beginning.


    In my case, I learned the basic of fighting from that good-natured large man who used great sword as his main weapon, so if I didn¡¯t focus, I had the habit of swinging with brute force.


    It had been greatly fixed thanks to the correction of my two teachers, even so there was time when I put too much strength in the heat of battle. The Battle Skill that I used when that female thief showed an opening too, if I prioritized whittling away her combat strength rather than killing her, I should have some leeway still even when she dodged it.


    In short I was still lacking in training. To aim for a certain kill against a stronger opponent after enthusiastically claiming to be a combat maid like that, I was really lacking in everything.


    That was why in a sense this could also be said for a good chance to get back to the beginning and restart from the basic.


    I grasped the black knife and repeated the basic over and over.


    I familiarized my body with the footwork that I learned from Sera mixed with my leveled up martial arts. I made my body remembered it as though to carve it into my soul.


    I slashed at a tree¡¯s trunk with a rotation of my body and kicked it while also using the backlash to take a distance.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Thrust©¤©¤¡¹


    My Battle Skill ripped apart the leaf that fell from the impact of my kick.


    But, the leaf wasn¡¯t cut but it looked like it was half smashed as it was ripped apart. That was because I was still executing my Battle Skill with brute force.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Fuu¡¹


    I felt something heavy in my internal organs after I trained for around half a hour. I took off my maid uniform¡¯s white apron and collapsed under a tree¡¯s shadow.


    I was lying face up and reflexively narrowed my eyes from the sunlight that was visible from the gaps between branches.


    I had regained around eighty percent of my stamina, but it looked like the poison¡¯s damage was still remaining inside my body.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I rolled while thinking about Elena just for a bit.


    Since then, I was unable to meet with Elena. I was just a maid who came from commoner background and she was a princess, that was why originally we wouldn¡¯t get to know each other if not for this work.


    Since then Elena had become completely obedient.


    She had seen someone died in front of her although that person was a thief, and she saw me almost died, so in a sense her behavior was normal.


    Even though there was no need for her to bother about someone like me¡­¡­it was difficult to tell her that. Although she had grown to have the physique of a ten years old due to her magic power just like me, she was still seven years old like me. No matter how much knowledge had been crammed into her mind and gave her a thinking pattern that didn¡¯t befit a child, the death and life of human were still something that one needed to get used to.


    But¡­¡­I thought that she was fine like that.


    It wasn¡¯t something that I could say but, I didn¡¯t want Elena to get dirtied with blood.


    This was my selfishness. It was enough that I was the only one who dirtied my hands.


    Although our birth and upbringing were different, strangely there was this ¡°sympathy¡± between us. With her inherent excellence and composure, Elena would surely fight the giant beast called a ¡ºnation¡» from here on.


    A seven years old child. By herself alone.


    If possible, I wanted to protect Elena¡¯s heart from her side from here on too. I had such feeling.


    However, a part of me thought that I couldn¡¯t do that.


    I was¡­¡­weak. I still couldn¡¯t protect Elena. Most likely I would face even stronger enemy than before if I stayed at her side. I might die if I stayed as I was and left behind a scar in her heart.


    I wanted to be strong.


    So strong that I could overturn fate.


    Under the sunlight filtering through trees, I stretched my hand toward something unseen inside the light.


    I would become strong. That was why, just a little bit more¡­¡­until I obtained the ¡°strength¡± to cut open my own fate¡­¡­I couldn¡¯t be at her side.


    I wanted to be strong.


    So that Elena would be able to smile inside the ¡°light¡± that I discarded©¤©¤.


    .


    ¡¸©¤©¤Nyaa¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I suddenly heard a cry. I turned my gaze to the side while still lying down. There a cat was staring at me with eyes that were filled with a mix of wariness and interest.


    Why was there a cat at this kind of place? I unconsciously stared still at the cat. The cat also stared still at me.


    It was still young. Perhaps around three years old? It was a striped cat with light brown fur and stripes of darker brown color. Its vivid orange eyes were wavering with curiosity.


    Aa¡­¡­come to think of it, there was a stray cat that Meena sometimes fed.


    I never raised a cat during my time in the orphanage, and even when Otou-san and Okaa-san were still alive. Otou-san said that cat was cute because they hunted rats and bugs.


    Come to think of it, when I was crying from hunger at the orphanage because my meal was stolen, a stray cat that sometimes I caught sight of once put a dead bug in front of me. At that time I didn¡¯t understand why it did that but, that cat shared its food with me.


    Perhaps I was feeling slightly faint-hearted. I got strangely curious with this cat that suddenly appeared.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Nyaa¡¹


    For some reason, I tried splitting a cracker snack in my skirt¡¯s pocket and threw it at the cat.


    ¡¸Nyaa!¡¹


    *Pyon*, the cat leaped backward and dashed away. ¡­¡­It ran. Ah, it stopped midway.


    It slowly got closer. It was extremely wary despite approaching me from its own initiative.


    I cut a thin grass with pointy head attached that grew nearby and lightly swayed it.


    ¡¸Nyaa!¡¹


    The cat raised its face in surprise. It alternately looked at the swaying plant head and the fallen cracker.


    It looked like it had a very strong curiosity. But human was scary. It also wanted the cracker. It was also curious with the swaying plant. The cat looked at me, at the cracker, and then it gradually closed the distance again slowly. It glances a lot at the swaying grass while leaping at the fallen cracker before running away immediately with the cracker held between its mouth.


    ¡­¡­Nn? It didn¡¯t run until far away. Several meters away from here, it ate the crunchy cracker while its eyes were shaking following the swaying grass.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Nyaa¡­¡­¡¹


    Once more the gazes of the cat and me crossed once more with distance between us.


    ¡­¡­I see. If the cat lover Meena was in my place right now, she would surely be able to guess what the cat wanted and gave it something to fulfill its hope.


    But, it was hopeless for me. I couldn¡¯t understand the cat¡¯s word even with the ¡°knowledge¡± that I got from that woman.


    When I lifted up my body that was lying down on grasses, the cat warily leaped a step back.


    ¡¸Fuu¡­¡­¡¹


    The cat growled slightly to threaten. But my heart was unshaken by a threatening of that level.


    I quietly swayed the grass. The cat¡¯s eyes shook in unison with it. However the cat was still wary and wouldn¡¯t approach. It seemed that although this interested the cat, it wasn¡¯t what it wanted.


    I took out my last cracker that was wrapped in a handkerchief from inside my pocket.


    ¡¸Nyaa!¡¹


    So this was its aim. But, don¡¯t think that you can get food that easily from me.


    I stood up without making any sound and slowly crouched down while shaking the handkerchief to show the cat that this was the last cracker.


    You must understand too. This was the last. I pinched the cracker with my fingers and didn¡¯t throw it. I only shook it before the cat¡¯s gaze.


    ¡¸Fuu!¡¹


    The cat¡¯s wariness shot up. Its eyes seemed to be criticizing me. But, what you were looking for was here. Would you endure the hunger with the pride of the wild, or would you throw away pride to survive, that all depended on you alone.


    I kept crouching without moving at the slightest. I only waved around the cracker between my fingers. The cat¡¯s eyes were slightly wavering and it took a step forward with one foot. Then it looked at me and drew back its foot again.


    The cat¡¯s heart was wavering. I needed something to give a push on the cat¡¯s courage so it took one more step.


    What could that be©¤©¤


    I suddenly put the last cracker between my lips.


    ¡¸Nyaa!¡¹


    The cat¡¯s agitation was clearly conveyed from its cry. But I only held the cracker between my lips and didn¡¯t chew it. To show that I used my lips to wave the cracker. It agitated the cat even more.


    To deal even more blow, I put my hands on the grasses and brought my face closer to the ground to match my gaze¡¯s height with the cat.


    ¡¸Fuu¡­¡­¡¹


    The cat also made the same stance and glared back. It seemed the cat also finally made its resolve. It started to gradually approach me who was waving the cracker between my lips.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The cat spent dozens of seconds to gradually close the distance. Then it finally came until right before me and snapped at the cracker between my lips.


    *Pakin©¤©¤*


    The cracker snapped and the cat snatched around seventy percent of it. Then it ran away as fast as its legs could carry it.


    I enjoyed the saltiness of the remaining cracker in my mouth while swallowing it. Then I laid face up under the tree¡¯s shadow and closed my eyes with a sense of accomplishment. I was feeling the wind caressing my cheeks like that for a while before I felt something wet that wasn¡¯t wind touching my fingertip.


    ¡¸Nyaa¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    When I realized the cat was licking my fingertip. What? I had no more cracker you know? Or perhaps it came here to lick the remaining salt on my fingertip?


    When I sent a gaze filled with that question toward it, the cat picked something between the grasses with its mouth and got up on my chest.


    ¡¸Nyaa¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    It dropped a small grasshopper.


    I stared at that on my chest and gently caressed the cat¡¯s back, the cat rolled around while purring and rubbing its body on me.


    I see¡­¡­. It looked like it had recognized me not as ¡°human¡± but as its ¡°same kind¡±.


    ¡¸Aria-chan, what¡¯s the matter?¡¹


    That day Meena, a maid who came from a merchant family opened the door of the room of the girl who he was told to look after by Sera, the head handmaid who attended the princess. She tried peeking inside and found Aria changing into her spare maid uniform even though the day had just passed noon.


    It seemed she got involved with a carriage incident and got injured. She was told not allow Aria to do too much work, but was there something that she needed to change uniform for?


    ¡¸Nothing.¡¹


    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹


    Aria replied with a tone that was unlike a kid like usual.


    While thinking that she was really like a cat with strong vigilance, when she looked closer, she noticed that on the table there was a maid uniform that was just taken off. It was covered all over with fur.


    ¡¸Eh? Did you get that kitty jumping on you? Sorryyy, that cat, it¡¯s a coward so, did it get surprised and struggled on your clothes?¡¹


    There was a stray cat that Meena had been secretly feeding, but even though that cat would eat the food, it wouldn¡¯t get attached on Meena. Even so she had been thinking many times of wanting to hug it and tried luring it with food, but every time she tried the cat would struggle and run away.


    Meena naturally thought that Aria too accidentally got close to the cat during work and the cat got surprised and jumped on her.


    ¡¸Aria-chan is diligent after all, so unlike me there is no way you will do something like playing around with a cat. Are you injured anywhere?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­No problem.¡¹


    ¡¸Right. Then, don¡¯t force yourself okay?¡¹


    If there was no problem then all were well. With that Meena exited the room. Midway she inadvertently turned around and looked at Aria. For some reason she looked like she was turning red until her ears.

 Volume 2 - prologue

    (¡­¡­Depressing¡­¡­)


    It was a corridor with ornamented high ceiling. The sunlight was  pouring from the wide window. The girl was being led by a maid through  that corridor while sighing inside her heart. Several months had passed  since Princess Elena¡¯s recuperation was over. This time it was the young  lady of Margrave Dandall, Clara who headed to the capital to visit the  palace.


    There were some problems that happened during Elena¡¯s recuperation  and Dandall House almost got asked to take responsibility, but the royal  family also didn¡¯t want to publicize the fact that an unmarried  princess almost got kidnapped, and it was also a fact that the attempt  was foiled before it succeeded, so the matter wasn¡¯t pursued any further  through political adjustment with the royal family¡¯s side.


    Even so, although it couldn¡¯t be said that it was related with this  case, a ¡°gap¡± that was like an unseen crack was created between Clara  and Elena.


    The two were really close as though they were biological sisters  before this, but then Clara regained the memory of previous lives and  learned that this world was the world that became the base of the otome  game Falling in Love on the Silver Wings. She realized that she was a  villainess who appeared in the game and that Elena was also a villainess  like her. Because of that she was on her guard against Elena which was  realized by the sharp Elena. As the result it was Elena who kept her at  distance.


    Even so the greatest cause must be the maid who had the same pink hair color like the game¡¯s .


    There was no proof that she was the heroine. But because there was  just too much similarity, it caused Clara who had avoidance toward the  heroine to react with rejection toward the maid. It was unknown whether  that played a part or not, but after that the maid got sent to the  territory of Baron Seylace that was even more remote than Dandall. In  the end the maid¡¯s whereabouts became unknown after she fell into the  hand of the ¡ºmysterious person¡» that caused a ruckus there.


    Clara felt bad for the girl, but she felt relieved at the inside that  the girl had vanished. That must be why she got careless. She had a  chance to meet Elena before this, where during the flow of the  conversation she gave her ¡°condolence¡± because Elena¡¯s favorite maid was  died, Elena suddenly flew into a rage like a raging fire.


    ¡ºIt¡¯s impossible that Aria will renege on her promise with me-!¡»


    Since then it was like Elena was ignoring her. Clara got severely  scolded by her mother because of that. She then got told to repair her  relationship with the princess.


    But, this time Clara visited the palace not for that. Three girls  among the fianc¨¦e candidates of the crown prince had been selected to be  the official fianc¨¦es, including Clara. She came to the capital in  order for the fianc¨¦es to be introduced with each other.


    But, why did that introduction was ¡°depressing¡± for her?


    .


    ¡¸The margrave¡¯s daughter, Lady Clara dandall has arrived.¡¹


    The heavy door was opened along with the voice of the butler who had  guided Clara until here. As she stepped inside one of the palace¡¯s VIP  guest room, Clara saw that it seemed she was the last one arriving. The  other two fianc¨¦es were already inside and relaxing.


    A girl with faint silver hair was relaxing while drinking tea on the  nearest table. She smiled gently and nodded at Clara when she noticed  her. Clara knew about this girl because she had talked with her several  times in events like noble party and the like.


    She was Patricia Fudale, a daughter of Fudale House. She was born  from the second wife of Duke Fudale. She was two years older than Clara  and the crown prince, but apparently the first wife didn¡¯t have a  daughter of suitable age, so the duke house squeezed her into the  candidate list at the end.


    The three ladies who became the fianc¨¦es all had equal standing with  each other. That structure wouldn¡¯t change until the crown prince  graduated from the magic academy. Until that time the three would be  evaluated in their disposition before they got their standing decided.  But even if they couldn¡¯t become the main fianc¨¦e who would become the  first queen later on, the remaining two were promised the position of  the second queen and third queen.


    Because of that it was required for the fianc¨¦es to be friendly with  each other, but in the case of the current king, because he made a  daughter of a viscount house who wasn¡¯t even a candidate to be his first  queen, the main fianc¨¦es only became the second queen. From there, it  became possible that the other fianc¨¦es would only become concubine who  wouldn¡¯t get involved with the country politic and even the children  that they gave birth to would have the lowest rank in the order of  succession, because of that two fianc¨¦es of the previous king withdrew  from their position.


    In such situation, there was no way the two queens could work  together with each other. The king thought of how to repair that  relationship, and as the result, it caused the number of king¡¯s children  who currently held the right of succession to be few.


    If the crown prince fell in love with the heroine this time too, it  would possibly lead to the same result. At that time Clara too would be  condemned as a villainess so such thing shouldn¡¯t matter to her but, she  would become unable to do anything if she acted so pessimistically.


    She would have no problem getting along with the daughter of Duke  Fudale as fellow fianc¨¦e. She was someone who didn¡¯t even show up in  game. In the first place she was never fully given the education to  become queen seeing that she was just a daughter of a second wife, so  even her family shouldn¡¯t really expect her to become the first queen.


    But, the other fianc¨¦e¡­¡­the daughter of Lester House, a count house  that had produced head royal magician for generations, the girl who was a  year young than Clara and the same age with the heroine possessed all  six elements and vast mana in the game. I the end she would definitely  become the greatest enemy standing in the heroine¡¯s way.


    (So that¡¯s¡­¡­the worst, the most wicked villainess, Carla Lester¡­¡­-)


    .


    Darkly wavy jet black hair that looked like it swallowed the sunlight.


    Sickly white skin. Eyes that were surrounded by black circles that  made her eyes looked like they sunk in. That girl©¤©¤¡ºlast boss¡» who was  considered as the equal of the demon king in the otome game was staring  back with a fixed gaze toward Clara with fiery purple eyes.

 Volume 2 - CH ss - 2

    I wonder how much time has passed since I, a dark elf drifted to this country.


    I¡¯m being called as an evil race by the mankind, so various things happened before I settled down here, but now I¡¯m thinking that even all those things were good things.


    There is a child who is calling even someone like me as master. When I was with the evil race army, I only thought of myself and couldn¡¯t do anything for the youngsters there, but I managed to get some pupils after coming to this country.


    Well, I don¡¯t want to call one of them a disciple of mine though. He was a son of the leader of the troublesome guild that became troublesome and he strangely got attached to me after I taught him sorcery.


    There is also my health condition, so I took up residence in this forest at Baron Seylace¡¯s territory, but after that, that idiot disciple suddenly showed up. At that time she was a woman who had just come of age, so I think she was slightly older than even the guild leader¡¯s son.


    At first I was wary with her. Even though I had only just settled down in the forest, how did she manage to learn of my location? Sooner or later I was planning to inform a respectable merchant who I got acquainted with from the assassin guild¡¯s work, but at that time it was only the guild leader who knew of where I am.


    That woman said this with a smug face while I was wary like that.


    ¡ºYou¡¯re a sorcerer from the evil race right? I know all about you. You¡¯re going to help the heroine some dozen of years from now and teach her magic, so teach me too.¡»


    ¡­¡­I can¡¯t describe how did I feel at that time. Did she never consider me killing her from exposing my identity as evil race¡­¡­. She was too idiotic that I pitied her from just how idiotic she was that I unthinkingly accepted her as disciple.


    To be honest, I couldn¡¯t understand anything about the ¡ºotome game¡»and ¡ºheroine¡» things that she talked about but, she was really motivated¡­¡­though it was all just wasted efforts. She was bad at studying, even though at first she demanded me to teach her light magic, she only learned things that she was good at, thinking that she was going to die if I let her go out there like this, I also taught her short sword skill but, it took me five years to make her learned the skill to some degree.


    She complained saying that she wanted to have ¡ºadventurer debut¡» while she was still a teenage but, I didn¡¯t give a damn.


    After that she left to be an adventurer, and yet she would return when she got difficulty with money, and she continuously took the potions I made without permission. Well, I wouldn¡¯t mind if it was just several potions but, when I pointed that she was still single no matter how much time passed, that idiot disciple said some incomprehensible excuse like ¡ºI¡¯m a mojo after all¡». (TN: Mojo=unpopular woman)


    She was able to create that kind of thing with just some passing knowledge, so she should be able to achieve great success as a sorcerer if only she put serious effort, or even if she couldn¡¯t she should at least be able to become a fully-fledged researcher though¡­¡­.


    But, that fellow was gone because of that passion of hers. In exchange she sent that child to my place.


    .


    ¡¸Master, I finished drawing water.¡¹


    ¡¸Next is chopping wood. We¡¯re going to train after the meal, so finish it in one hour, surly disciple.¡¹


    Aria. She is a pitiful kid. Not only that idiot disciple twisted her, she even tried taking over her body and sent her destiny into disarray in the end. ¡­¡­Well, that child has come to term with it so easily, to a degree that is unthinkable for a child though.


    The person herself isn¡¯t thinking of the hardship as hardship at all. At first I thought that she was influenced from seeing the memory of that idiot disciple but, that¡¯s not the case.


    I think originally she would become a strong and serious child, while her heart still remained pure. But she came to term about the adult memory as ¡°knowledge¡± and she abandoned the pure child aspect of herself.


    That child is strong with her objective of becoming strong. Children normally will have their attention distracted toward new matters because of their ignorance while learning things bit by bit, but that child is taking the initiative to step on a thorny path without giving attention to any other things.


    That aspect differed from that idiot disciple who somewhere in her heart underestimated the matter of living despite having the same knowledge.


    Really¡­¡­she was an idiot disciple.


    In that regard, Aria is serious to an excessive degree, but she is lacking in a lot of things thanks to her skipping over her cultivation of aesthetic sensibility. When I noticed I also started correcting her deficiency but, that child is someone who can simply do most things after being told, so the adults around her often forgot to treat her like a kid.


    A normal child can¡¯t possibly do something like filling a water jug fully with daily life magic. Even wood chopping will exhaust a normal child completely midway. I too at first told her to do various things with the assumption that she wouldn¡¯t be able to do it, and yet she completed all of them without letting out a single complaint.


    Well, that¡¯s alright. It¡¯s a good thing after all. But this child conversely can¡¯t do normal things.


    In regard to food, she understands completely what her body required in order to grow, and she eats properly in accordance to that. It¡¯s a good thing. But she doesn¡¯t have any fixation with food ingredients.


    I¡¯m making homemade alcohol from medicinal herb in my house but, I almost screamed when she showed to me the alcohol jug was crammed full a lot of carnivorous bees, claiming that it¡¯s good for my body¡­¡­.


    But well, there are problems but she has gotten better recently. At the beginning, even though she was the one who came here asking to be a disciple, her wariness toward me was like a wounded stray cat.


    I made her used the idiot disciple¡¯s room as it was but, I never that she would always sleep at the corner of room wrapped in blanket even though there is a normal bed there. Furthermore, I could sense her waking up just from me passing in front of the room. Just how bad the environment she was living in until now?


    ¡­¡­Now then. Let¡¯s eat the creative cuisine of the surly disciple again today.


    .


    ¡¸Then, we¡¯re going to train inside the forest today. Follow me surly disciple.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Roger.¡¹


    Aria¡¯s reply came slightly slower when I talked about going into the forest. I never told her about it but, that child has noticed that my body is unfit.


    As one¡¯s magic power grow bigger and they become able to use elemental sorcery, ¡ºmagic stone¡» based on the element will form in the heart.


    Animal that has magic stone in their body is generally called monster. The bigger their magic stone, the bigger the monster¡¯s body will become. Monster also instinctually know that they will become stronger by strengthening their magic stone, so they ended up seeking human with magic power to become their prey.


    Even if monster doesn¡¯t has element, they can obtain great magic power by fattening their magic stone and body simultaneously. But such monsterification never happened to human. So human can¡¯t obtain more magic power pass a certain degree if their magic stone has no element. Human¡¯s magic power is increased by obtaining elemental magic stone. That¡¯s why human is thinking that obtaining a lot of elements is a proof of excellence, but the magic stone will swell up each time the magic stone increase its elements which caused a pressure to the heart.


    It¡¯s fine if a human has one or two elements. Even three won¡¯t pose a problem if the owner isn¡¯t a warrior type. But, having more than four elements will cause the owner to be unable to do any strenuous activity. And if a magic stone with four elements is formed during childhood, some might die just from that.


    If someone do a stupid thing like getting all elements, they will surely have a short life where they are constantly in pain. Even I who has four elements ended up in this state where I can¡¯t fight for long thanks to continuously fighting for dozens of years in the battlefield.


    ¡¸What¡¯s with that face? I¡¯m alright so look sharp-¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    I won¡¯t have any problem if it¡¯s just hunting low ranked monster inside a forest.


    When Aria came here, she already had the strength to defeat a rank 2 monster by herself. She compensated for her small body and low status with intelligence and sorcery. She also fought in a way that wasn¡¯t like a child using her childlike body.


    She is strong for a kid but, as expected there is a limit to it.


    It seemed Aria managed to get some proper meal in the place of that princess who she considered as ¡ºthe same kind¡», even so she is thin compared to children her age. Her increased magic particles acted as nutrient in the place of the nutrition she lacked until now to make her grow rapidly, even so she was still as light as the slum children.


    Perhaps because I told her to always use meat when cooking, her thinness has improved considerably since coming here. Right now I¡¯m only making her to do nothing but the basic, but her body should grow even more when her skill in sorcery and close quarter combat leveled up.


    The reason why human can grow rapidly when their magic power increase during childhood is still not understood but, perhaps it¡¯s the same reason why monster is enlarged when their magic stone swelled up.


    Animal that turned to monster will have long lifespan, so human with high magic power being able to retain their youthful look might be because the body of human who obtained magic power turned to something close to an elf like me.


    Aria is saying that her body is getting heavier from getting some meat in her body and her center of gravity changing. I think that¡¯s most likely because her secondary sex characteristic is starting to grow from her body obtaining sufficient nutrient other than just magic particles.


    For these several months, her shoulders and waist has gotten much more rounder. I¡¯m a dark elf so I don¡¯t understand in detail how much the body of human race should grow but, isn¡¯t that child growing too quickly?


    It¡¯s said that normally a human child can grow from magic power to have an appearance of three years older at most. But, just like how there can be difference in growth between different children but, she looked like a boy when she first came here, but I think that she might look completely like a girl when she have her next growth spurt.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I¡¯m a bit uneasy now¡­¡­.


    I only ever had raised my young little sister. And even that little sister was entrusted to my clan until now, so I don¡¯t know the right way to raise a girl who is growing mature.


    In this first place, this child has skipped over learning a lot of things that a mother would usually teach her daughter, so she has no girl common sense. It seems she has the ¡°knowledge¡± that came from the experience of that idiot disciple, but I don¡¯t think she can comprehend it fully, and I also can¡¯t imagine that idiot disciple had gone through a decent period as a girl.


    What should I do so that this girl can have the ¡°feeling of shame¡± of the average people?


    Perhaps after she has her next growth spurt, the people around her will look at her as a young woman even though she is eight year old in the inside. Even though her way of thinking is far from a normal year old and instead like a bloodthirsty veteran mercenary, her heart to feel shame is no different than a toddler!


    Furthermore, this child, she is really pretty in the standard of human right? If that kind of girl carelessly exposed her arms and legs, the brats who are still in the cusp of manhood will easily go off track of their life path won¡¯t they? Physically-.


    I can¡¯t just dismiss this concern just because she is still a kid. This child has something that draws everyone¡¯s eye to her.


    But well, perhaps it¡¯s a good thing in a sense. After all if she grew up innocently like she originally was, she might cause the young nobles to get crazy in the head with her appearance¡­¡­.


    I already became like a doting parent toward her even though I have only met her for several months. It made me laugh.


    .


    ¡¸©¤©¤Master.¡¹


    Oops, I got distracted there. Aria¡¯s whispering voice dragged me back into reality.


    Aria who is in front of me used hand signals that meant ¡°front¡±, ¡°enemy¡±, and ¡°caution¡± to call my attention.


    These hand signals are used by adventurer scouts. Due to its convenience, not only the adventurer guild, even mercenary guild, thief guild, and assassin guild are also using it.


    The adventurer who taught Aria about it only taught her the simple signs, but I have been teaching her the signs for more practical battle.


    Well, that means I¡¯m the superior teacher here compared to that adventurer.


    ¡¸Surly disciple, go.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    Aria reacted to my voice and soundlessly leaped forward.


    The opponents are two demon wolves. Perhaps they are parent and child or mates¡­¡­anyway there isn¡¯t any presence of their children that I can sense within my detection range. Most likely they are individuals that strayed from their pack to make child.


    Demon wolf is a wolf that turned into monster from magic particle, so they are two sizes bigger than normal wolf. They got bigger in proportion to their strength and brutality, but their mode of life itself isn¡¯t any different from when they were animal. They are rank 2 monster.


    ¡ºGrowl¡»


    One of the demon wolf let out a growl. It might heard the faint sound of grass being stepped on. Aria threw her hidden weapon in that instant. The demon wolf growled and dodged, but the hidden weapon changed its trajectory and slashed the demon wolf¡¯s leg.


    ¡ºGAAAAA!¡»


    The other demon wolf noticed that they are under attack and immediately assaulted Aria.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Feel©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡ºGyain!¡»


    The demon wolf¡¯s physical ability is superior than Aria. But, the demon wolf that leaped as fast as an arrow felt the sensation of its eyes being touched by Aria¡¯s magic and it faltered for a moment. Aria put her hand on it as though to pinch its nose as she rolled on its back to dodge while putting string around its neck.


    From there Aria strangled its neck while riding on its back and her hand stabbed the demon wolf¡¯s neck with her black knife©¤©¤


    ¡¸©¤©¤Pain©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡ºGyann!¡»


    The first demon wolf that was about to leap from the side got hit by Pain. Aria leaped at the frozen demon wolf and swung her knife in a large arc.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Thrust©¤©¤-¡¹


    The Battle Technique of short sword that Aria unleashed lopped off the demon wolf¡¯s head.


    Not even a minute has passed since she initiated the fight. It was a rational ambush and annihilation. Aria has fought powerful enemy despite still a kid. The bloodshed that she had survived is different.


    ¡¸¡­¡­How is it?¡¹


    ¡¸Well, good job. If there is anything to correct, at best it¡¯s only about the way you use Feel. I¡¯ll teach you other spot that you can aim with that magic. Dog species¡¯s nose is more sensitive than their eyes. You should study about each monster¡¯s trait.¡¹


    ¡¸Got it.¡¹


    Aria nodded with a composure that is unbelievable coming from a kid who has just fought two monsters. I drew back the magic power that I was pooling in my hand back to my body. Guess there wasn¡¯t even any need for that.


    The hidden weapon and string that Aria used are something that I had in my house and told her to use after hearing about her ability. The string was made from a spider monster, but its conduciveness for magic power isn¡¯t really good. It will be better if I procure a specially made string for her. It will also serve as training if I made Aria hunt for the material.


    Really, her performance was truly too excellent for a kid. Aria has no strength. Her reach is also short. Even just a single blow might kill her. Even her only strong point, her speed is only at the level that just barely matched an adult.


    Even so she compensated for those with intellect and sorcery, and her guts that enabled her to suppress her emotion to defeat a superior enemy.


    If it¡¯s Aria then she will be able to do it. Not just sorcery, I¡¯m also hammering bit by bit into her the technique of ¡°War Demon¡± that I had tempered in the battlefield for more than a hundred years. Right now she is still unable to make the technique her own but, when Aria¡¯s competency reached rank 3, she should become able to fight even me if it¡¯s just in close quarter combat.


    I was unable to master martial art thanks to the magic stone in my heart. But, if Aria can keep growing at this rate, she should be able to realize the ideal in my mind. The genuine ¡°War Demon¡± who possessed both high level sorcery and martial art.


    And then, she might even be able to finally combine ¡°light¡± and ¡°darkness¡± that I was incapable to achieve.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Surly disciple.¡¹


    ¡¸What?¡¹


    ¡¸I won¡¯t let you bring back the wolf¡¯s meat even if you stare that hard at them.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Got it.¡¹


    .


    Even Aria who was like a stray cat and didn¡¯t feel like a kid at all has gotten really used with the life here.


    This feeling of achievement is the same like when you have finally managed to tame a wild animal by feeding it. Even though at first she never gotten into a deep sleep, recently it seemed she has finally managed to feel assurance. She became able to sleep soundly when I¡¯m there.


    I approached the sleeping Aria and sat down beside the bed. She is a kid who isn¡¯t like a kid, even so as expected she is a kid in the end.


    Actually she is still in an age where she should be pampered by parents, but Aria was living by pushing down that loneliness to the bottom of her heart and put a lid on it using ¡°knowledge¡±. I heard that the princess who is the same kind with Aria is also like that. The noble society really is a harsh world for children.


    I gently caressed the sleeping Aria¡¯s hair. Then Aria clung on my hand that is caressing her hair although she is still not awake.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I can¡¯t hope to have children. But¡­¡­perhaps this is what a mother who has daughter feel¡­¡­.


    I¡¯m feeling apologetic to Aria¡¯s actual mother for feeling like this but¡­¡­can she forgive me at least just for now?


    ¡¸Rest well¡­¡­I won¡¯t let anyone hurt you while you are here.¡¹

 Volume 2 - CH extra 1

    Within the dark, da~rk darkness, where there is no end in  sight¡­¡­however, on the path that is leading to a certain death , you  appeared like a silver winged angel.


    ¡¸If that¡¯s what Carla wish for, I¡¯ll kill you.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Aa, how lovely. If I¡¯m going to die one day, then I want to die from being killed by Aria.¡¹


    .


    The house of Count Lester is a famous house of sorcerer that has existed since the era of the old Claydale Kingdom until now.


    Mother told my big brothers and me that our father, and grandfather,  and even great grandfather were all the head of the royal sorcerers of  Claydale Kingdom. She raised us while telling us all the time to become a  splendid noble and sorcerer.


    I who was born as the youngest daughter of that count house©¤©¤Carla  Lester had been imposed with sorcery training together with my three big  brothers since I became old enough to be aware of my surrounding.


    My father was strict but elegant. My mother was pretty and graceful.  My big brothers were overflowing with talents¡­¡­however, I wasn¡¯t as  talented as my brothers. Even after turning three years old I could only  make a small fire.


    But, my brothers were kind. A lot of the servants in the mansion also consoled a failure like me.


    Father and mother were also strict, but brothers and the servants  consoled me saying that it was because they had high expectation from  me, so I was able to endure the strict training.


    But, I was wrong. Everyone¡¯s kindness didn¡¯t have that kind of meaning.


    ¡¸Carla¡­¡­I¡¯m going to give you an operation.¡¹


    Father suddenly said that and began using me for various experiments.


    I was made to drink various medicines that were created with alchemy.  There were even magical seals applied on my scalp and organ that  weren¡¯t visible from outside. In that state, the servants who were  father¡¯s disciples showered me with magic power as a sorcery training.  When I was at the death¡¯s door, I was healed so I at least didn¡¯t die  under the name of light sorcery experiment.


    Even among all those, father¡¯s main interest was to find out what would happen to a human who obtained all elements.


    I desperately grappled with that training. As my magic power  continued to increase day by day, no matter how painful, sad, and  difficult it was, I desperately clung on my believe that my family still  loved me.


    As the result, I obtained all elements of sorcery when I was four  years old. Father smiled slightly at that experiment result but, he was  also disappointed at the same time.


    Because in exchange of obtaining all elements, my body was in a state  where it was unclear whether I would be able to stay alive until I  became adult. With that I also wouldn¡¯t be able to be used as bargaining  chip for marrying to other house and obtained political connection  between nobles.


    ¡¸Hmph, so you are useless now, Carla. Even so that¡¯s fine, the  experiment is over. Even if you can¡¯t have any child, I¡¯ve decided to  send you to the royal family as the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e to form a  connection with them. Your last role is to survive until the crown  prince¡¯s other fianc¨¦e can give birth to his child at the very least.  Don¡¯t disappoint me anymore than this.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­yes¡¹


    Everything, was wrong. Everything that I felt was just make-believe.


    Father wasn¡¯t someone with strict personality. He simply held no  interest to anything else than sorcery and the prestigious Lester House.


    As I turned into someone who often slept in bed due to my broken  body, with my skin turning horrible and dark circles forming around my  eyes like sick person, mother would scowl when she saw me as though she  was looking at something ugly. She stopped giving me a hug anymore.  Mother only wanted talented and pretty child as the head of royal  sorcerers, to be an accessory to decorate herself.


    Inside the painful and difficult agony that wouldn¡¯t heal where I was  only ordered to live, I only sought how to die comfortably and ended up  shutting myself inside the mansion¡¯s library.


    Inside the library of an ancient house like Lester, there were  thousands of books regarding sorcery. Although I was seeking death, I  immersed myself in reading all kind of book to avert my eyes from the  approaching death.


    Father¡¯s disciples, the servants stopped showing smile to me after I  lost my worth. They only continued to give me food to me who was  shutting myself in the library as though they were just taking care of  livestock.


    And then after almost a year passed since I shut myself in the library¡­¡­.


    .


    ¡¸Yo, Carla. You¡¯re really in this kind of place huh.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Bro¡­¡­ther?¡¹


    A hoarse voice came out from my lips that had almost forgotten of how  to talk. It had been so long since I last met my eldest brother. The  servants gossiped that he was in his last year in the sorcery academy  that was attended by the noble youths and that he was the most talented  person there.


    ¡¸Bro¡­¡­the¡¹


    *Slap¡­¡­*


    My hand that reached out toward my kind brother was heartlessly slapped away by his hand.


    ¡¸Can you please not touch me with that dirty hand? You look ugly. Even an orphan from slum still has a better look than you.¡¹


    ¡¸W¡­¡­hy?¡¹


    ¡¸Are you confused? This is only natural for us though. We can¡¯t gauge  our own talent if there isn¡¯t a failure like you among us siblings  right?¡¹


    The kindness of her brothers wasn¡¯t genuine from the start. But, did  he intentionally come here just to say that to his dying sister?


    ¡¸Father said to keep you alive but, even if you¡¯re going to die  sooner or later, you will be at the crown prince¡¯s side as I become the  head of royal sorcerers during his generation. I can¡¯t possibly bear  lowering my head to the like of you¡­¡­. And so, I¡¯m thinking to make you  Carla as my sorcery¡¯s practice target. That will be your final role.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­ah¡¹


    In that moment©¤©¤¡±something¡± inside me completely broke.


    There was nobody who loved me in the family that I loved. Something like that didn¡¯t exist from the start.


    That¡¯s right. It was written in that book. It was also written in  that book. Several books called banned books that were in that hidden  shelves also had that written in them.


    This world, was just an ugly and horrible place.


    At that time, the ¡ºhuman Carla¡» inside me died.


    ¡¸I was able to learn level 3 sorcery even before turning adult. The  teachers said that it has been dozens of years since there was such  brilliant achievement but, it¡¯s only natural. After all I¡¯m the eldest  son of Lester House, the family that is famed for its sorcery. Father  might be angry if I kill you Carla but, surely I¡¯ll be forgiven if I  tell him how indispensable someone talented like me is. Now, look, this  is my sorce©¤©¤¡¹


    Brother pointed his hand at me and started chanting his sorcery. Fire  Javelin©¤©¤it was a level 3 fire sorcery that could kill human easily.  But©¤©¤


    ¡¸©¤©¤What-!?¡¹


    The Fire Javelin that brother shot was stopped by the magic power that was released from my hand.


    Why¡­¡­? Is that it? Why can you only form this kind of shoddy sorcery structure?


    Even though everything has been explained in the writing of the  books. Even though you should understand everything after experiencing  the sorcery with your body.


    The pain of burning skin. The anguish of being chilled to the bone. Sloppy healing that is accompanied with intense pain¡­¡­.


    The terror of your own body breaking.


    The despair of your loved ones brushing away your hand.


    Even though you can understand everything if you get hit by sorcery yourself¡­¡­.


    Just what have you been studying until now brother¡­¡­?


    Even though breaking someone is as easy as flipping a book.


    Even though the banned books contained a lot of sorceries solely to torture and kill human.


    Aa¡­¡­my lazy and adorable brother. I love you even with how pathetic you are.


    It must be painful for someone pretty like you to live in a world this ugly and filthy right?


    I¡¯ll teach you the ¡°lesson¡± that I received, just for a bit.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Fire Javelin©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸Hih, GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?¡¹


    The Fire Javelin that I fired without chanting swallowed brother¡¯s fire sorcery. Brother was turned into a living torch.


    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry brother. It¡¯s my first time, so I can¡¯t adjust my strength.¡¹


    To burn alive like this, it must be really painful. I held back  because I don¡¯t want to destroy this precious library, but I couldn¡¯t do  it well.


    ¡¸But, you¡¯re also in the wrong brother. It was so adorable how you  chanted choppily like that. It made me unconsciously worked up. Please  forgive this unskilled sister of yours.¡¹


    Brother has been burned until his lungs and he can¡¯t make any voice  anymore as he writhed around. I watched him with a warm smile.


    ¡¸What are you doing? You will burn to death if you don¡¯t cover your  whole body with magic power you know? If you can¡¯t make any voice, you  will feel nothing but pain unless you use sorcery without chanting you  know? Even this talentless little sister of yours can do them, so my  talented must be able to do better¡­¡­I wonder if you can¡¯t hear me  anymore?¡¹


    Even though I only burned him slowly without rushing, what a hopeless  brother. I kept watching over brother while smiling until he can¡¯t move  anymore. Then I stepped down on his head that has become ash.


    ¡¸Then, fare thee well, brother. I want to become your sister again in  the next life. Let¡¯s have a continuation of today at that time. Surely  it will be fun.¡¹


    Right after I muttered that¡­¡­I wonder if they heard brother¡¯s voice. I heard multiple footsteps running toward this library.


    *Bam!*


    ¡¸What¡¯s going on-!?¡¹


    ¡¸Corpse!? This shoes!¡¹


    ¡¸Young master!? You, did this-!¡¹


    To be able to identify the corpse from the remaining ankle, what  capable servants. But, it¡¯s a minus point for calling your master¡¯s  daughter ¡®you¡¯ rudely like that.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Dust   Stone Shot©¤©¤¡¹


    I created two compositions inside my head at the same time and fired  them. I blocked their sight for an instant and then smashed the  servants¡¯ heads with stone bullets as they stopped moving.


    ¡¸It¡¯s great isn¡¯t it? With this, father won¡¯t scold you anymore no matter how bad of a servant all of you are.¡¹


    I¡¯m glad their blood doesn¡¯t touch the books. I picked up my scorched  brother and got out to the blood soaked corridor. Then I began to look  for mother and my other brothers who should be in this mansion.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Guillotine©¤©¤¡¹


    There isn¡¯t any change to the outside of the library even though it¡¯s  my first time coming out after so long. Even so the scenery that I can  see is different since I started growing from magic power.


    ¡¸Or perhaps, the world is looking a bit bright because I have changed? You are also thinking the same right?¡¹


    I asked so to the servant who is only a head now after he attacked me when we bumped with each other.


    But, even though I¡¯m taking the trouble to meet with mother, I¡¯m  dirtied with soot and blood right now because of brother and this  servant.


    Even though I had cleaned myself with Clean because I was dirty, what  am I going to do now? No, her daughter had gone through the trouble to  go meet her while bringing some toys, so surely I¡¯ll be forgiven.


    ¡¸Now, let¡¯s go, brother.¡¹


    I started walking through the corridor again after talking to brother and the servant¡¯s head.


    And then I arrived at the courtyard while carrying brother and the  servant like flower bouquet. Mother who was enjoying tea at the gazebo  let out a shrill voice seeing her daughter that she hasn¡¯t met for so  long.


    ¡¸Y-you-¡¹


    It¡¯s a nice timing. My two brothers are also there. My youngest big  brother is cute like a girl, so he is mother¡¯s favorite. But, youngest  big brother? It¡¯s really pitiful for oldest big brother and the servant  that you¡¯re looking pale just from this much. I think mother will also  feel sad if you look like that.


    That¡¯s why©¤©¤


    ¡¸©¤©¤Ice Lance©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸©¤©¤Gih¡¹


    The face of youngest big brother is gone due to the ice lance. Seeing  brother losing his head, mother and middle big brother froze in a  strange posture. Do you want me to lend the head of this servant in its  place? I won¡¯t mind.


    And then, mother looked down on the head with a stiff movement like a  doll. The next moment, she let out an improper scream that echoed  through the mansion.


    .


    ¡¸My, father, welcome back.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Carla, you-¡¹


    Someone among the servants must have notified father. Father who only went home once every three days rushed home in panic.


    That father, he looked toward mother whose complexion is so bad, even  worse than me¡­¡­or not, perhaps it¡¯s only about the same? He looked  toward mother who is leaning on a chair and middle big brother who is  nursing her with a pale face. Then father glared at me strongly.


    Middle big brother finally can glare at me with father¡¯s return here,  but he stiffly averted his gaze when I smiled at him. Oldest big  brother is gone now, so middle big brother will be the next head now.  You¡¯re happy right? You can become the only son of our beloved mother,  so it should be fine even if you rejoice more¡­¡­perhaps he is a shy  person? This is a new discovery.


    ¡¸Carla¡­¡­why, did you do something like this?¡¹


    ¡¸My, father. Even though you are the one who raised me to be like this. Fufu.¡¹


    I laughed elegantly while covering my mouth with my hand just like a lady, but father¡¯s complexion turned dark red in fury.


    ¡¸You-¡¹


    ¡¸Is it alright?¡¹


    I called out like that when I felt magic power gathering in father¡¯s hand.


    ¡¸¡­¡­What?¡¹


    ¡¸If father is going to dispose me here, I¡¯ll kill brother first.¡¹


    Killing brother before father killing me first is possible you know?  The half unconscious mother opened her eyes wide when I said something  with such meaning. Brother¡¯s complexion also changed to ashen color  splendidly.


    ¡¸Father want to marry me to the crown prince as your pawn right? Are  you going to restart from zero again after losing your pawn and heir at  the same time here?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­What do you want?¡¹


    Father¡¯s face turned utterly red from my words. He is gritting his  teeth so hard they might break, even so he spoke with a growl.


    ¡¸For now, can you allow me to do as I please? Don¡¯t worry. I swear  that I¡¯ll properly marry the crown prince and carry out my duty as a  noble lady splendidly.¡¹


    ¡¸Where did you obtain the knowledge for that?¡¹


    ¡¸What are you saying¡­¡­? Obviously it was from ¡°studying¡±. The only good point of someone talentless like me is my diligence.¡¹


    After all I properly learned after I studied so hard like I¡¯m going to die, literally.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Do as you please.¡¹


    ¡¸My, how delightful.¡¹


    Father loved Lester House and keeping appearance in the society. I  thought that he would definitely agree. He is wearing a very heavy frown  but, I wore a heartfelt smile from the bottom of my heart, thinking  that it will give father solace.


    Now then¡­¡­.


    ¡¸I want to take a bath. Someone¡¹


    After I said that and looked around, the pale looking servants  simultaneously stepped back. Now there isn¡¯t any servant who acted  rebelliously but, how rude of them¡­¡­how can they look at me like looking  at a bloodthirsty killer. They should be able to make a small joke at  least.


    ¡¸Milady Carla. I¡¯ll prepare the bath for you.¡¹


    Then one old butler stepped forward from among them.


    If I remember right¡­¡­he is the steward Joseph I think? I remember  him. Among the servants, he was the only one who ever urged me to return  to my room and eat.


    Joseph who doesn¡¯t have long to live must be trying to take the place  of the other servants as a sacrifice, but with how pale he looked, even  his short remaining life will decrease even further. But, it¡¯s fine.  Because I think I¡¯ll be the one to die earlier than him anyway.


    ¡¸Show me the way, Joseph. Also I don¡¯t care about their background,  just gather some usable servants for me. Train them well beforehand  okay?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Very well.¡¹


    I followed behind Joseph and left that place while the gazes of  everyone who is trembling in fear and father who kept standing still  stabbed my back.


    I need to become stronger¡­¡­. If father, a rank 5 sorcerer seriously  think to remove me, I¡¯ll die for real. Dying is my wish but, I can¡¯t die  without killing father first.


    I¡¯ll kill my family, the servants, and everyone involved with Lester House.


    Especially father. I need to have him die in the middle of despair  from seeing his very important Lester House vanishing and gone.


    I¡¯ll die. There is no changing that. But, those who toyed with my  life, my beloved family, and this Claydale Kingdom that approved it,  I¡¯ll have them accompany me in death.


    Aa¡­¡­I can¡¯t wait. I wonder how many people I can kill before I die.  If possible I want to slaughter the whole country including all the  people in it but, what should I do so I can do that I wonder?


    But¡­¡­if possible, I don¡¯t want to die by anyone¡¯s hand.


    Especially by some disgusting fellow who tried to kill me in the name  of justice or whatever. I absolutely don¡¯t want to be killed by someone  like that.


    That¡¯s why as I lie down on my tidy bed that is giving off the smell  of death, I made a wish to the star, praying so that my prince will  appear.


    ¡¸I wish, that one day, someone lovely will kill me¡­¡­¡¹


    Believing that someone will surely stop the insane me¡­¡­.


    .


    Three years after that¡­¡­I carried out the minimum amount of  responsibility as noble lady while continuing to dive into the large  scale dungeon possessed by the royal family in Lester territory.


    I can¡¯t dive until deep floor because I can¡¯t party with anyone, even  so my way of using sorcery has improved remarkably. It will be a bit  easier if I can become rank 4 but, it¡¯s difficult with my eight years  old body even though it has grown from magic power.


    I¡¯m diving into dungeon partly because I want to meet the dungeon  spirit that is said to be able to grant a wish at the lowest floor.  Perhaps the spirit can even change my fate¡­¡­.


    I had also met this country¡¯s crown prince, my fianc¨¦e, but he was a  really cute person. To think that a boy whose head is filled with flower  field like that will be the next king, it¡¯s like playing house.  Compared to someone like that, the princess who has the same age like me  is still going to be better as the king.


    Even so, the chance of being able to dirty such cute prince terribly  in the future gave me an incentive to keep living from here on too, just  for a bit.


    Even so, he isn¡¯t my ¡°prince¡±.


    Because someone like him won¡¯t be able to stop me no matter what.


    One day for sure. The prince only for me that I wished to the star will surely appear.


    At that time, with the burning capital as the stage, we will kill each other.


    Surely my prince will appear.


    Surely¡­¡­.


    And then¡­¡­at the adventurer guild that I visited in a whim, I encountered my destined one.


    .


    ¡¸Hey, how about I show you around inside the dungeon?¡¹

 Volume 2 - CH extra 2

    I wonder how much time has passed since I, a dark elf drifted to this country.


    I¡¯m being called as an evil race by the mankind, so various things happened before I settled down here, but now I¡¯m thinking that even all those things were good things.


    There is a child who is calling even someone like me as master. When I was with the evil race army, I only thought of myself and couldn¡¯t do anything for the youngsters there, but I managed to get some pupils after coming to this country.


    Well, I don¡¯t want to call one of them a disciple of mine though. He was a son of the leader of the troublesome guild that became troublesome and he strangely got attached to me after I taught him sorcery.


    There is also my health condition, so I took up residence in this forest at Baron Seylace¡¯s territory, but after that, that idiot disciple suddenly showed up. At that time she was a woman who had just come of age, so I think she was slightly older than even the guild leader¡¯s son.


    At first I was wary with her. Even though I had only just settled down in the forest, how did she manage to learn of my location? Sooner or later I was planning to inform a respectable merchant who I got acquainted with from the assassin guild¡¯s work, but at that time it was only the guild leader who knew of where I am.


    That woman said this with a smug face while I was wary like that.


    ¡ºYou¡¯re a sorcerer from the evil race right? I know all about you. You¡¯re going to help the heroine some dozen of years from now and teach her magic, so teach me too.¡»


    ¡­¡­I can¡¯t describe how did I feel at that time. Did she never consider me killing her from exposing my identity as evil race¡­¡­. She was too idiotic that I pitied her from just how idiotic she was that I unthinkingly accepted her as disciple.


    To be honest, I couldn¡¯t understand anything about the ¡ºotome game¡»and ¡ºheroine¡» things that she talked about but, she was really motivated¡­¡­though it was all just wasted efforts. She was bad at studying, even though at first she demanded me to teach her light magic, she only learned things that she was good at, thinking that she was going to die if I let her go out there like this, I also taught her short sword skill but, it took me five years to make her learned the skill to some degree.


    She complained saying that she wanted to have ¡ºadventurer debut¡» while she was still a teenage but, I didn¡¯t give a damn.


    After that she left to be an adventurer, and yet she would return when she got difficulty with money, and she continuously took the potions I made without permission. Well, I wouldn¡¯t mind if it was just several potions but, when I pointed that she was still single no matter how much time passed, that idiot disciple said some incomprehensible excuse like ¡ºI¡¯m a mojo after all¡». (TN: Mojo=unpopular woman)


    She was able to create that kind of thing with just some passing knowledge, so she should be able to achieve great success as a sorcerer if only she put serious effort, or even if she couldn¡¯t she should at least be able to become a fully-fledged researcher though¡­¡­.


    But, that fellow was gone because of that passion of hers. In exchange she sent that child to my place.


    .


    ¡¸Master, I finished drawing water.¡¹


    ¡¸Next is chopping wood. We¡¯re going to train after the meal, so finish it in one hour, surly disciple.¡¹


    Aria. She is a pitiful kid. Not only that idiot disciple twisted her, she even tried taking over her body and sent her destiny into disarray in the end. ¡­¡­Well, that child has come to term with it so easily, to a degree that is unthinkable for a child though.


    The person herself isn¡¯t thinking of the hardship as hardship at all. At first I thought that she was influenced from seeing the memory of that idiot disciple but, that¡¯s not the case.


    I think originally she would become a strong and serious child, while her heart still remained pure. But she came to term about the adult memory as ¡°knowledge¡± and she abandoned the pure child aspect of herself.


    That child is strong with her objective of becoming strong. Children normally will have their attention distracted toward new matters because of their ignorance while learning things bit by bit, but that child is taking the initiative to step on a thorny path without giving attention to any other things.


    That aspect differed from that idiot disciple who somewhere in her heart underestimated the matter of living despite having the same knowledge.


    Really¡­¡­she was an idiot disciple.


    In that regard, Aria is serious to an excessive degree, but she is lacking in a lot of things thanks to her skipping over her cultivation of aesthetic sensibility. When I noticed I also started correcting her deficiency but, that child is someone who can simply do most things after being told, so the adults around her often forgot to treat her like a kid.


    A normal child can¡¯t possibly do something like filling a water jug fully with daily life magic. Even wood chopping will exhaust a normal child completely midway. I too at first told her to do various things with the assumption that she wouldn¡¯t be able to do it, and yet she completed all of them without letting out a single complaint.


    Well, that¡¯s alright. It¡¯s a good thing after all. But this child conversely can¡¯t do normal things.


    In regard to food, she understands completely what her body required in order to grow, and she eats properly in accordance to that. It¡¯s a good thing. But she doesn¡¯t have any fixation with food ingredients.


    I¡¯m making homemade alcohol from medicinal herb in my house but, I almost screamed when she showed to me the alcohol jug was crammed full a lot of carnivorous bees, claiming that it¡¯s good for my body¡­¡­.


    But well, there are problems but she has gotten better recently. At the beginning, even though she was the one who came here asking to be a disciple, her wariness toward me was like a wounded stray cat.


    I made her used the idiot disciple¡¯s room as it was but, I never that she would always sleep at the corner of room wrapped in blanket even though there is a normal bed there. Furthermore, I could sense her waking up just from me passing in front of the room. Just how bad the environment she was living in until now?


    ¡­¡­Now then. Let¡¯s eat the creative cuisine of the surly disciple again today.


    .


    ¡¸Then, we¡¯re going to train inside the forest today. Follow me surly disciple.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Roger.¡¹


    Aria¡¯s reply came slightly slower when I talked about going into the forest. I never told her about it but, that child has noticed that my body is unfit.


    As one¡¯s magic power grow bigger and they become able to use elemental sorcery, ¡ºmagic stone¡» based on the element will form in the heart.


    Animal that has magic stone in their body is generally called monster. The bigger their magic stone, the bigger the monster¡¯s body will become. Monster also instinctually know that they will become stronger by strengthening their magic stone, so they ended up seeking human with magic power to become their prey.


    Even if monster doesn¡¯t has element, they can obtain great magic power by fattening their magic stone and body simultaneously. But such monsterification never happened to human. So human can¡¯t obtain more magic power pass a certain degree if their magic stone has no element. Human¡¯s magic power is increased by obtaining elemental magic stone. That¡¯s why human is thinking that obtaining a lot of elements is a proof of excellence, but the magic stone will swell up each time the magic stone increase its elements which caused a pressure to the heart.


    It¡¯s fine if a human has one or two elements. Even three won¡¯t pose a problem if the owner isn¡¯t a warrior type. But, having more than four elements will cause the owner to be unable to do any strenuous activity. And if a magic stone with four elements is formed during childhood, some might die just from that.


    If someone do a stupid thing like getting all elements, they will surely have a short life where they are constantly in pain. Even I who has four elements ended up in this state where I can¡¯t fight for long thanks to continuously fighting for dozens of years in the battlefield.


    ¡¸What¡¯s with that face? I¡¯m alright so look sharp-¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    I won¡¯t have any problem if it¡¯s just hunting low ranked monster inside a forest.


    When Aria came here, she already had the strength to defeat a rank 2 monster by herself. She compensated for her small body and low status with intelligence and sorcery. She also fought in a way that wasn¡¯t like a child using her childlike body.


    She is strong for a kid but, as expected there is a limit to it.


    It seemed Aria managed to get some proper meal in the place of that princess who she considered as ¡ºthe same kind¡», even so she is thin compared to children her age. Her increased magic particles acted as nutrient in the place of the nutrition she lacked until now to make her grow rapidly, even so she was still as light as the slum children.


    Perhaps because I told her to always use meat when cooking, her thinness has improved considerably since coming here. Right now I¡¯m only making her to do nothing but the basic, but her body should grow even more when her skill in sorcery and close quarter combat leveled up.


    The reason why human can grow rapidly when their magic power increase during childhood is still not understood but, perhaps it¡¯s the same reason why monster is enlarged when their magic stone swelled up.


    Animal that turned to monster will have long lifespan, so human with high magic power being able to retain their youthful look might be because the body of human who obtained magic power turned to something close to an elf like me.


    Aria is saying that her body is getting heavier from getting some meat in her body and her center of gravity changing. I think that¡¯s most likely because her secondary sex characteristic is starting to grow from her body obtaining sufficient nutrient other than just magic particles.


    For these several months, her shoulders and waist has gotten much more rounder. I¡¯m a dark elf so I don¡¯t understand in detail how much the body of human race should grow but, isn¡¯t that child growing too quickly?


    It¡¯s said that normally a human child can grow from magic power to have an appearance of three years older at most. But, just like how there can be difference in growth between different children but, she looked like a boy when she first came here, but I think that she might look completely like a girl when she have her next growth spurt.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I¡¯m a bit uneasy now¡­¡­.


    I only ever had raised my young little sister. And even that little sister was entrusted to my clan until now, so I don¡¯t know the right way to raise a girl who is growing mature.


    In this first place, this child has skipped over learning a lot of things that a mother would usually teach her daughter, so she has no girl common sense. It seems she has the ¡°knowledge¡± that came from the experience of that idiot disciple, but I don¡¯t think she can comprehend it fully, and I also can¡¯t imagine that idiot disciple had gone through a decent period as a girl.


    What should I do so that this girl can have the ¡°feeling of shame¡± of the average people?


    Perhaps after she has her next growth spurt, the people around her will look at her as a young woman even though she is eight year old in the inside. Even though her way of thinking is far from a normal year old and instead like a bloodthirsty veteran mercenary, her heart to feel shame is no different than a toddler!


    Furthermore, this child, she is really pretty in the standard of human right? If that kind of girl carelessly exposed her arms and legs, the brats who are still in the cusp of manhood will easily go off track of their life path won¡¯t they? Physically-.


    I can¡¯t just dismiss this concern just because she is still a kid. This child has something that draws everyone¡¯s eye to her.


    But well, perhaps it¡¯s a good thing in a sense. After all if she grew up innocently like she originally was, she might cause the young nobles to get crazy in the head with her appearance¡­¡­.


    I already became like a doting parent toward her even though I have only met her for several months. It made me laugh.


    .


    ¡¸©¤©¤Master.¡¹


    Oops, I got distracted there. Aria¡¯s whispering voice dragged me back into reality.


    Aria who is in front of me used hand signals that meant ¡°front¡±, ¡°enemy¡±, and ¡°caution¡± to call my attention.


    These hand signals are used by adventurer scouts. Due to its convenience, not only the adventurer guild, even mercenary guild, thief guild, and assassin guild are also using it.


    The adventurer who taught Aria about it only taught her the simple signs, but I have been teaching her the signs for more practical battle.


    Well, that means I¡¯m the superior teacher here compared to that adventurer.


    ¡¸Surly disciple, go.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    Aria reacted to my voice and soundlessly leaped forward.


    The opponents are two demon wolves. Perhaps they are parent and child or mates¡­¡­anyway there isn¡¯t any presence of their children that I can sense within my detection range. Most likely they are individuals that strayed from their pack to make child.


    Demon wolf is a wolf that turned into monster from magic particle, so they are two sizes bigger than normal wolf. They got bigger in proportion to their strength and brutality, but their mode of life itself isn¡¯t any different from when they were animal. They are rank 2 monster.


    ¡ºGrowl¡»


    One of the demon wolf let out a growl. It might heard the faint sound of grass being stepped on. Aria threw her hidden weapon in that instant. The demon wolf growled and dodged, but the hidden weapon changed its trajectory and slashed the demon wolf¡¯s leg.


    ¡ºGAAAAA!¡»


    The other demon wolf noticed that they are under attack and immediately assaulted Aria.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Feel©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡ºGyain!¡»


    The demon wolf¡¯s physical ability is superior than Aria. But, the demon wolf that leaped as fast as an arrow felt the sensation of its eyes being touched by Aria¡¯s magic and it faltered for a moment. Aria put her hand on it as though to pinch its nose as she rolled on its back to dodge while putting string around its neck.


    From there Aria strangled its neck while riding on its back and her hand stabbed the demon wolf¡¯s neck with her black knife©¤©¤


    ¡¸©¤©¤Pain©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡ºGyann!¡»


    The first demon wolf that was about to leap from the side got hit by Pain. Aria leaped at the frozen demon wolf and swung her knife in a large arc.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Thrust©¤©¤-¡¹


    The Battle Technique of short sword that Aria unleashed lopped off the demon wolf¡¯s head.


    Not even a minute has passed since she initiated the fight. It was a rational ambush and annihilation. Aria has fought powerful enemy despite still a kid. The bloodshed that she had survived is different.


    ¡¸¡­¡­How is it?¡¹


    ¡¸Well, good job. If there is anything to correct, at best it¡¯s only about the way you use Feel. I¡¯ll teach you other spot that you can aim with that magic. Dog species¡¯s nose is more sensitive than their eyes. You should study about each monster¡¯s trait.¡¹


    ¡¸Got it.¡¹


    Aria nodded with a composure that is unbelievable coming from a kid who has just fought two monsters. I drew back the magic power that I was pooling in my hand back to my body. Guess there wasn¡¯t even any need for that.


    The hidden weapon and string that Aria used are something that I had in my house and told her to use after hearing about her ability. The string was made from a spider monster, but its conduciveness for magic power isn¡¯t really good. It will be better if I procure a specially made string for her. It will also serve as training if I made Aria hunt for the material.


    Really, her performance was truly too excellent for a kid. Aria has no strength. Her reach is also short. Even just a single blow might kill her. Even her only strong point, her speed is only at the level that just barely matched an adult.


    Even so she compensated for those with intellect and sorcery, and her guts that enabled her to suppress her emotion to defeat a superior enemy.


    If it¡¯s Aria then she will be able to do it. Not just sorcery, I¡¯m also hammering bit by bit into her the technique of ¡°War Demon¡± that I had tempered in the battlefield for more than a hundred years. Right now she is still unable to make the technique her own but, when Aria¡¯s competency reached rank 3, she should become able to fight even me if it¡¯s just in close quarter combat.


    I was unable to master martial art thanks to the magic stone in my heart. But, if Aria can keep growing at this rate, she should be able to realize the ideal in my mind. The genuine ¡°War Demon¡± who possessed both high level sorcery and martial art.


    And then, she might even be able to finally combine ¡°light¡± and ¡°darkness¡± that I was incapable to achieve.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Surly disciple.¡¹


    ¡¸What?¡¹


    ¡¸I won¡¯t let you bring back the wolf¡¯s meat even if you stare that hard at them.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Got it.¡¹


    .


    Even Aria who was like a stray cat and didn¡¯t feel like a kid at all has gotten really used with the life here.


    This feeling of achievement is the same like when you have finally managed to tame a wild animal by feeding it. Even though at first she never gotten into a deep sleep, recently it seemed she has finally managed to feel assurance. She became able to sleep soundly when I¡¯m there.


    I approached the sleeping Aria and sat down beside the bed. She is a kid who isn¡¯t like a kid, even so as expected she is a kid in the end.


    Actually she is still in an age where she should be pampered by parents, but Aria was living by pushing down that loneliness to the bottom of her heart and put a lid on it using ¡°knowledge¡±. I heard that the princess who is the same kind with Aria is also like that. The noble society really is a harsh world for children.


    I gently caressed the sleeping Aria¡¯s hair. Then Aria clung on my hand that is caressing her hair although she is still not awake.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I can¡¯t hope to have children. But¡­¡­perhaps this is what a mother who has daughter feel¡­¡­.


    I¡¯m feeling apologetic to Aria¡¯s actual mother for feeling like this but¡­¡­can she forgive me at least just for now?


    ¡¸Rest well¡­¡­I won¡¯t let anyone hurt you while you are here.¡¹

 Volume 2 - CH 1

    ¡ºSHIGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡»


    Inside a gloomy forest¡­¡­under the light rain falling from the sky, a  Giant Spider that made its nest in a rocky area that was untouched by  rain threatened the ¡°enemy¡± that appeared before itself.


    A Giant Spider had a large torso that reached a meter in size, and if  the length of its legs was added, then its huge size could reach nearly  three meters. Its ecology wasn¡¯t really different from a normal spider,  but it had extremely developed muscle and tough shell in order to  support its huge size. It sometimes even devoured goblin or kobold using  its powerful sticky string and paralyzing poison.


    *Gashan!*


    A jar of unglazed pottery that was made thinly using livelihood magic  Hard was thrown. The jar broke and its inside was splashed over the  spider¡¯s nest.


    ¡ºSHAAAAAAAAAH!¡»


    The Giant Spider was enraged by that and shot its sticky string, but  that ¡°enemy¡± ran around inside a delicate distance where it was possible  to dodge, threw several jars that had been prepared beforehand, wetting  the spider web even more. Finally the Giant Spider¡¯s legs slipped off  the wet strings.


    That ¡°enemy¡± knew from her ¡°knowledge¡±. Originally living thing like  spider or insect couldn¡¯t possibly grow this big. It could support that  huge body on the ground only because it was a monster that strengthened  its body and string using mana.


    Even so, it still felt unnatural that thin strings that were laid out  midair could support that heavy body. That ¡°enemy¡± noticed from  investigating the spider¡¯s old lair. A normal spider¡¯s web used non  sticky web for the spider to walk on it and sticky web to capture prey,  but the all the strings that Giant Spider produced were sticky.


    That ¡°enemy¡± observed the Giant Spider she discovered and realized  that the Giant Spider didn¡¯t go out hunting when it was raining. The  content of the jars was just ¡°water¡±, but the sticky strings that got  splashed by that water would have its stickiness drastically reduced©¤©¤


    ¡ºSHIGYAAAAAAAAH!¡»


    The Giant Spider finally became unable to support its giant body and  fell from the web to the ground that was wet from the drizzle.


    The ¡°enemy¡± didn¡¯t miss that chance and launched a strange throwing  knife that had diamond shaped blade attached on a small ring. It stabbed  the Giant Spider¡¯s body. The Giant Spider swung around its legs  threateningly when it realized it was attacked, but unlike a small  spider, a Giant Spider¡¯s legs had heavy weight. They snapped to the  wrong directions due to the falling impact.


    The ¡°enemy¡± noticed that and attempted a close quarter combat. The  Giant Spider also responded to that and fired its sticky strings, but  the strings that were fired from the ground with its posture half broken  flew to the wrong direction. Even so there was just one string that  flew accurately at the ¡°enemy¡±. It was blocked by the wet cloak the  ¡°enemy¡± wore before she quickly discarded it.


    Her pink hair that was covered in ash got wet by sweat and rain. It glittered like silver wings.


    The ¡°enemy¡± quickly leaped forward at the same time when she  discarded her cloak. Without stopping she stabbed her black knife deeply  into the Giant Spider¡¯s head.


    ¡ºSHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡»


    Even so the Giant Spider still bared its poisonous fangs toward the  ¡°enemy¡± even with its head stabbed. But the ¡°enemy¡± calmly pulled out  the knife while gouging the wound on its way out while taking distance©¤©¤


    ¡¸©¤©¤Thrust©¤©¤¡¹


    Battle Skill was unleashed in that instant. The Giant Spider that  possessed this area as its turf got its head cut off and its life  dispersed.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Fuu¡¹


    The battle was over. The girl sighed under the light rain to cool down her flushed body.


    The girl managed to defeat the Giant Spider just as planned. She  needed time to prepare to fight this monster for the first time, but she  was able to defeat a rank 3 monster without any serious injury. It was a  fine job.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Water¡­¡­¡¹


    She washed off the sticky web that was clinging on his cloak with  water while tearing it away. He rolled the sticky string around a tree  branch and put it inside a specialized bag that she carried. If this  sticky string was processed with alchemy, it would become high quality  glue that could be used when creating book for example. However what the  girl needed was the spider¡¯s head and torso.


    The Giant Spider¡¯s fangs contained paralyzing poison. It was a  dangerous substance that would render anyone unable to move for several  minutes even if they only got a bit of it injected, but that poison  would become usable after being processed by applying it on weapon.


    The girl stuffed the Giant Spider¡¯s head into another bag. She then  tied the spider¡¯s torso with straw rope, wrapped it with her wet cloak,  and lifted it up.


    The spider¡¯s torso weighed more than 20 kg, but it didn¡¯t surpass the  limit that she could carry if she used her Body Strengthening that had  reached level 2. She traversed the familiar forest¡¯s undulating ground  step by step for almost an hour before a small house made from mud with  small field around it came into view inside the forest.


    She put down the Giant Spider¡¯s torso outside the entrance, washed  her cloak with water from the well and dried it outside, then she opened  the door with her two bags. A faint medicinal smell entered the girl¡¯s  nose as a young woman¡¯s voice called out to her.


    .


    ¡¸, don¡¯t enter the house while being covered in mud-¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m back, .¡¹


    .


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  ¨C  Rank 2


    ¡¾Magic Power : 158/160¡¿¡÷ 25 UP¡¾Stamina : 92/105¡¿¡÷ 25 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 5 (6)¡¿¡¾Endurance : 6 (7)¡¿¡¾Agility : 7 (8)¡¿¡¾Dexterity : 7¡¿


    ¡¶Short Sword Skill Level 1¡·¡¶Martial Art Level 2¡·¡¶Throwing Level 2¡·¡÷ 1UP¡¶String Control Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Light Magic Level 2¡·¡÷ 1UP NEW¡¶Darkness Magic Level 2¡·¡¶Non-Elemental Magic Level 2¡·


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·¡¶Magic Power Control Level 2¡·¡¶Pressure Level 2¡·


    ¡¶Stealth Level 2¡·¡÷ 1UP¡¶Night Vision Level 2¡·¡÷ 1UP¡¶Search Level 2¡·¡÷ 1UP¡¶Poison Resistance Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Simple Appraisal¡·


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 128 (With Body Strengthening : 144)¡¿¡÷ 30 UP

 Volume 2 - CH 2

    Heroine Survival Vol 2 Chapter 2


    ¡¸Looks like the spider doesn¡¯t manage to have a bite of you, surly disciple. Did you deal with it properly?¡¹


    ¡¸I did it just as instructed.¡¹


    I showed master the spider¡¯s head and sticky string that were stuffed into the bags. Master frowned a bit seeing that.


    ¡¸You crushed one of its eyes. Couldn¡¯t you defeat it more cleanly?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll do better next time.¡¹


    Master grinned when I answered like that obediently. She then patted my head roughly.


    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s a good job no matter what if a rank 2 can hunt a rank 3  monster. We¡¯re going to process the torso first, so wash your dirty feet  first before bringing it to the processing spot at the backyard, surly  disciple.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger, master.¡¹


    Master went to the back of the house with the two bags. I returned to  the entrance and washed my dirty feet before lifting up the spider¡¯s  torso. The season had changed and four months had passed since I tumbled  into master¡¯s place. Now I¡¯m eight years old and have grown a bit  taller.


    Who is this person who I called master? Why am I living deep inside  the forest like this? I need to go back to four months ago after that  fight in order to explain it.


    I jumped into the strong current of the river¡¯s rising water in order  to shake off Grave¡¯s pursuit. I used Hard just moment before I entered  the water, changing the dirty maid uniform to be an improvised life  buoy. But I still couldn¡¯t rest easy. I curled my body and dived deeply  without resisting the strong current¡¯s flow. I continued suppressing my  presence desperately until I gained some distance.


    My chance to survive was low. I managed to to turn my uniform into  life buoy, but I lost direction of which was up or down inside this  darkness of the night. The strong current toyed with my small body and  mercilessly robbed me of my stamina.


    And then most likely there were monsters inside the water. There were  few high ranked monster that would approach the bank and attacked  people, but the inside of the water must be teeming with low ranked  monster. I didn¡¯t know whether monster could do activity inside this  violent current, but I would be helpless if I got attacked in my current  state.


    I sharpened my mind and focused in using Stealth. I used my Search  and Night Vision in full force to at least learn my direction. The Night  Vision that used the reflection of magic particle was hard to use  inside this violent current. The Night Vision that was looking using  color was also incomprehensible because I was inside water where  everything was blue colored. That was why I used both Search and Night  Vision to at least gaze inside the dark water the whole time. Then while  I was in the verge of choking and put between the interstice of life  and death, my vision suddenly opened and I managed to grasp my  direction.


    My face broke out the water surface for just a moment and I sucked in  air. If I became able to differentiate magic particle¡¯s ¡°color¡± even  inside water, then I should be able to ¡°see¡± the living thing swimming  in the water. I expanded my Search¡¯s range and accuracy while keeping  that in mind, felt a presence that felt like a snake approaching me from  the fish swarm swimming at the bottom of the river, and immediately cut  it down with Battle Technique, Thrust.


    I could fight even inside water. I could also take a breath if I  understood my direction. In that case the only problem left was my  stamina to keep enduring until the river¡¯s flow slowed down.


    Fortunately the effect of the mana recovery potion was still  remaining inside my body. I squeezed out light mana from the magic stone  in my heart and suppressed my stamina¡¯s exhaustion and the decrease of  my body temperature as much as possible.


    I wouldn¡¯t give up. I still couldn¡¯t die. There was a chance that  Grave might harm Elena in the future. So I had to obtain the strength to  surpass and defeat him without fail.


    Even while I rejuvenated my body with light magic particles, I used  mana control to cover my body¡¯s surface with water magic particles and  attempted to camouflage myself as much as possible. How much time had  passed since I was carried by the water flow¡­¡­. When my mind turned hazy  and my concentration was almost cut off, the river¡¯s flow finally  turned gentler together with the sunrise. I cut another snake that  attacked me and carried its corpse with me as I managed to get back on  land after several hours staying in water.


    My body was freezing. My stamina and mana were also mostly exhausted.  I would easily lose if monster or animal attacked me in this state. I  dragged my powerless body and hid myself inside a thicket. I used  Stealth while single-mindedly waiting for my stamina and mana to  recover.


    During that time, if I didn¡¯t circulate the little mana in my  possession to strengthen my internal organs, I would surely die from  cold. A few hours later, I used Heal on myself using my slightly  recovered mana, made fire, grilled the water snake¡¯s corpse, devoured  the meat, and then focused myself completely on recovering my body.


    .


    A whole day passed before I finally could move my battered body properly.


    My mana had recovered earlier than my stamina and I healed all the  wounds on my body with Cure. ¡­¡­I thought it was Sera who told me to  never leave any wound remaining on my body.


    I wondered if my life was targeted by the order of that organization  or if it was just Grave¡¯s arbitrary decision. Either way, it didn¡¯t  matter as long as Grave was in that organization. I chose the path of  separation from them.


    I¡¯d become strong and kill Grave. If anyone got in the way of that, I  resolved myself to turn my blade toward them, even if it was Sera or  Viro.


    But, what should I do from now on¡­¡­. As long as that organization  that was connected to the nobility existed, it felt like it would be  dangerous to enter a large city. At best I could only stop by at a  village or small city¡­¡­even so I should avoid other place than the  countryside. The same with the adventurer guild, I couldn¡¯t use them  until the heat on me died down, so it was necessary for me to grope for a  new way of living.


    Right now I was near the border, so perhaps going north from here and  crossed the border was a feasible choice. However, I still had a single  prospect left.


    First I checked my condition before taking action. Perhaps because of  my battle against Grave and my struggle against death inside the water,  my Throwing, Stealth, Night Vision, and Search skills had leveled up to  level 2.


    Throwing must had leveled up because of the fight versus the water  spirit and because recently I had kept using only Throwing. Putting  aside Stealth and Search, human should only be able to obtain Night  Vision until level 1. It became level 2 light be the result of me  combining the original method of night vision with my unique color  sight.


    I almost got killed, but I should just consider it as good thing that it became a ¡°nourishment¡± for me to grow.


    First, in order to hide myself and prepare, I used my leveled up  Stealth and Search while running through the forest along the river. I  headed toward the simple base that I previously created in the forest.


    When I arrived at the simple base in the forest, I discarded my maid  uniform that was in tatters and washed off the remaining mud on my body.  After that I changed into the tunic and trouser that I was using during  my travel to here, and for the last I wrapped a shawl around my neck to  hide my face.


    I had lost all of my weapons except the black knife, the other thin  knife that I received from Sera and the steel knife from Feld were in  the simple base. I stored them on my waist band and my boots.


    I didn¡¯t have throwing knife, but if it was now that my Throwing  skill had become level 2, I should be able to manage somehow. With that  thinking, I threw the steel knife as a test. It stabbed into the tree  trunk without problem.


    The money that I was hiding, the salt and portable food, the dried  medicinal grasses were put into the bag where I stuffed my clothes and I  shouldered the bag.


    My destination was two days of walking through this forest from here.  At the end I used Hard and boiled water in a clay jar. I put salt into  it and drank up the hot water to replenish the water and salt in my  body. Then I started running soundlessly inside the forest that was  starting to turn dark.


    Stealth, Night Vision, Search, then livelihood magic. With them I  wouldn¡¯t find too much difficulty even inside a forest. I also  encountered goblin and wolf midway, but there was no high ranked monster  that could discover me when I was hiding.


    .


    Two days later¡­¡­at that location that I headed toward based on that  woman¡¯s memory inside the ¡°knowledge¡±, I discovered a single ¡ºhouse¡»  that was made from wood and stone and mud.


    The garden had become slightly bigger compared to that woman¡¯s  memory. The weeds were somewhat increasing but there was no mistake that  this was the right place. I tried knocking the door lightly, but there  was no reply from inside. I dismantled the trap on the door using the  information remaining in the ¡°knowledge¡± and stepped inside©¤©¤


    *Tan-!* There was such sound as a strange shaped knife pierced the door.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Who¡¯s there? Entering someone else¡¯s house without permission like this, you really don¡¯t know any manner aren¡¯t you brat.¡¹


    From the table located at the back of the house, a woman wearing a  robe that looked like the picture book description of a magician toyed  with a strange shaped knife while sending Pressure at me.


    ¡­¡­Strong. I can¡¯t accurately analyze her because her figure is hidden  by the hood, but even just from the feeling of paralyzing pressure, she  should be stronger than level 3.


    ¡¸I come to return this.¡¹


    With a minimum movement so as to not provoke her, I showed the hand  written her book in my hand by waving it around. Seeing the book, the  Pressure that was placed on me vanished. In exchange that woman¡¯s magic  teacher emitted a faint anger while scoffing.


    ¡¸Hah, are you that stupid disciple¡¯s acquaintance? How is that stupid  disciple who stole money and potion from my place doing? Has she died  already?¡¹


    ¡¸I killed her.¡¹


    I answered her calmly with a dispassionate tone. The anger vanished for an instant from the woman and silence filled the room.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I see. It must be a very idiotic way to die. I¡¯ll give that book  to you. It should fetch you some money if you sell it. Go home already.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    It seemed that she held a bit of feeling as a teacher toward a  disciple even for that kind of woman. Originally I only planned to  return this book but, right now I have a more important business with  this woman.


    ¡¸I want to learn sorcery from you.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­I told you to go home right? Nothing good even will happen if you  get involved with this kind of old hag living this far from human  settlement and can only raise a stupid disciple.¡¹


    Her voice still sounded like the voice of a young woman. And yet she  called herself an old hag. That woman knew really well the reason for  that.


    ¡¸Is that because you are a demon?¡¹


    Silence fell once more in that instant. The next moment, a killing intent that froze my body is thrown at me.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Who told you that? Did that stupid disciple blab at you? I don¡¯t  remember raising her to be that stupid though¡­¡­what do you think I  should do to someone like you who know about that?¡¹


    If I didn¡¯t have any experience of feeling the killing intent of high  ranked person from Feld, Viro, and Grave, I would surely faint or lose  my fighting spirit.


    But, I¡¯m not scared although I¡¯m trembling. I¡¯m feeling threatened but there is no fear.


    ¡¸I want to learn sorcery from you.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­You, who are you?¡¹


    When I stared straight at that woman¡¯s teacher and said the same  words again with the same dispassionate tone like before, the killing  intent slackened and her atmosphere changed into a faint astonishment.


    ¡¸It will be a long story. Various things happened after your disciple attacked me.¡¹


    When I hinted that I wasn¡¯t the aggressor but the victim, that  woman¡¯s teacher let out a deep sigh and stood up from her chair. She  seemed to accept my words.


    ¡¸Come over here and tell me everything. I¡¯ll at least brew you some tea.¡¹


    That woman¡¯s teacher said that while taking off her hood. She looked  like she is still in her thirty. Now I can see her lustrous skin that is  black like obsidian, her silver hair, and long ears that stretched out  from her hair.


    Dark elf¡­¡­. It is said that their skin color came from selling their  soul to the evil god of darkness. The dark elves who are living at the  west coast of this continent are called as the evil race in this  continent.


    ¡¸Call me Serjura. What¡¯s your name?¡¹


    ¡¸You can call me Aria.¡¹


    The large scale war was already over, but even now the evil race is  still in a continuous state of dispute with the southwest countries that  are centered around human race. Why is this woman who is a dark elf  living in Claydale that is located at the southeast edge of the  continent? Even that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡± contained no information about  that. But, such thing doesn¡¯t matter for me. I only wanted even more  knowledge and the strength to overturn fate, nothing else.


    .


    I talked about how that woman attacked me in order to take over my  body. Then how her knowledge accidentally flowed into me from the magic  stone that had been grafted with that woman¡¯s mind.


    To be honest, the thing about this otome game whatever isn¡¯t  something that I myself really understand so I can¡¯t explain about it,  but when I revealed how I feel, that I want to avoid following the odd  fate of becoming a noble, Serjura seemed like that she also has some  ideas from the past about that woman¡¯s action. She nodded deeply and  fell into thought before she leaned back on her chair while pointing her  thumb at the passage behind her.


    ¡¸For now, you can use the room back there. It was that stupid  disciple¡¯s room and right now it¡¯s half turned into a storage but, you  understand if it¡¯s you right?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Hm?¡¹


    I tilted my head a bit to show that I don¡¯t understand. Serjura grinned in respond.


    ¡¸I¡¯m saying that I¡¯ll train you. I¡¯ll make you strong just as you want so prepare yourself, surly disciple.¡¹

 Volume 2 - CH 3

    When I got outside from the entrance, the falling rain is stopping.


    I carried the Giant Spider¡¯s torso that is tied with straw rope on my  shoulder, passed the garden that is planted with few vegetables and  various types of herbs and carried it until the processing place.


    ¡¸Surly disciple, put that on the table. I¡¯ll only teach you the method, but you¡¯ll do it yourself.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger, master.¡¹


    ¡¸First is the legs.¡¹


    I placed the Giant Spider¡¯s torso on the table, then I cut off the  from their joints using the knife for dismantling. Master nodded after I  cut off the first leg, then she also entrusted me to deal with the rest  while she took out the Giant Spider¡¯s head from the bag. Then she began  the work of taking out its eyeballs. It seems that the spider¡¯s  eyeballs can become a powerful neurotoxin if it¡¯s allowed to ferment,  but I haven¡¯t learned until that far so I¡¯m not getting involved with  that work.


    Master is a sorcerer, but she said that her true occupation is an  alchemist. Until now I have been doing things like boiling medicinal  herb or poisonous grass by imitating her, but I¡¯m also learning the way  to create potions bit by bit.


    Also I misunderstood but, it seems that there is no skill for  alchemy. To be more precise, the skill of Mana Control is necessary  because mana is used to refine the medicine, but I was told that the  most important thing for alchemy is the amount of your knowledge and  precision.


    By the way cooking is in the same category. It looks like there are  skills for cutting ingredient and judging ingredients, but they are only  useful to make it harder to fail in cooking. What decide the cooking¡¯s  tastiness is the ingredients and the sense of the cook.


    ¡¸Have you finished with the preparation?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    After I nodded, master cut open the Giant Spider¡¯s stomach with a  cleave and put in the chemical that had been prepared beforehand at the  mucus that is the base for forming the string inside the body.


    This mucus will turn into string the moment it touched air, so from here it has to be processed quickly.


    ¡¸Now.¡¹


    With that signal I made a small cut on my palm with my knife and dripped that blood into the spider¡¯s body.


    My blood and chemical reacted and the yellowish white string base  changed to red. After that I patiently stirred that mucus using a wooden  stick. After a while the stick¡¯s tip became dyed dark red and a lump of  fiber is finished.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Well, good work. The result is also good because of the fresh ingredient.¡¹


    Master said that after she inspected the lump of fiber. I too sighed in relieve hearing that.


    Other than my circumstance, I also told master about my fighting  style. Master¡¯s appearance is of someone at the middle of her thirty,  but as a dark elf who is called as evil race, it seems that she has  actually lived for more than 300 years. She hasn¡¯t told me the reason  why a dark elf like her is living in this country like this, but master  said that not only she can do sorcery and alchemy, she can also fight as  a scout.


    Even that strange shaped knife that had small ring with diamond  shaped blade attached on top of it was something that master used at the  past. She is lending around ten of them to me.


    Type wise, it was something similar to the ¡ºkunai¡» in that woman¡¯s  ¡°knowledge¡±. But there was almost no part for holding with that knife.  It seemed that the way to use it is as a hidden weapon by putting your  finger through the ring part and hide the blade in your palm.


    But, as expected the field of combat that master specialized in isn¡¯t close quarter combat, but ¡°sorcery¡±.


    It seemed that she is level 4 in light and darkness. And she has  obtained as far as level 5 in fire and wind. Furthermore master is using  ¡ºmagic¡» instead of ¡ºsorcery¡» as though it¡¯s only natural.


    I thought that sorcery is widely used and magic is an old skill that  has become obsolete, but according to master, apparently anyone who  research sorcery will one day arrive at magic. Most likely it¡¯s only one  among several hundred sorcerers, but a ¡ºmagician¡» definitely exist  among that number.


    I¡¯m glad I was able to learn that at this point of time. If I don¡¯t  know, it might become a fatal blunder for me when I¡¯m facing a magician.


    After being taught that much, I can¡¯t keep saying that I can¡¯t expose  my hands to her. On the contrary, I should display all the weapons in  my possession to her and beg for her teaching.


    My weapons that drew master¡¯s interest were illusion and pendulum.  She was especially interested with how I mixed blood with string and  manipulated it with mana. She then said that I should carefully selected  what kind of string to use.


    And so in the end I decided to use a string that is made from the  material of spider monster. But, the best kind of material to use in  that case is apparently Arachne, however such item rarely appear in the  market. And so this time I ended up using the string of Giant Spider  that is living around here as the material. As a material, Giant  Spider¡¯s string is moderately good, but when processing monster string,  master taught me that the ingredient¡¯s freshness is more important than  the monster¡¯s type.


    All the strings that Giant Spider shot out is sticky, but it could be  processed to be a tough string without stickiness if a chemical is  mixed with it while the string¡¯s base is still inside the spider¡¯s body.  However although monster string is tough, that¡¯s because the monster¡¯s  own mana is flowing inside it. It seems that mana will get in my way if I  try to manipulate the string with my own mana. I¡¯ll be able to control  that string to some degree if I mix my blood to that ingredient, but  I¡¯ll need a cauldron worth of blood for that.


    There master thought up an idea. The idea is a brute force technique  of mixing my blood into the monster mucus during the processing time so  that the material will get familiarized with my mana. Furthermore that  method will be difficult if it¡¯s not done within several hours of the  monster¡¯s death. I spent more than one month to search for a Giant  Spider and finally hunted it successfully.


    ¡¸After that you will pound that fiber with a stick while unraveling  the string bit by bit by yourself. If you also pour your mana into it  during that time, the flow of the mana will become even better so don¡¯t  slack off-¡¹


    ¡¸Got it.¡¹


    ¡¸Bring the string to me when you finish making it. I¡¯ll process it to be fire resistant with alchemy.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    ¡¸Now then, let¡¯s eat first before that-. Obviously it¡¯s the disciple¡¯s job to prepare meal, so prepare it quickly.¡¹


    Master like to nag but I don¡¯t really hate it. On the contrary, she  accepted suspicious people like that woman and me to become her  disciple, so I thought of her as a softhearted person instead.


    I don¡¯t believe other people. But¡­¡­I¡¯m thinking that it¡¯s fine to also trust master just like how I trust Elena.


    .


    ¡¸©¤©¤Clean©¤©¤¡¹


    I cleaned up the processing area and began preparing the ¡°ingredients¡± at the kitchen.


    During these four months, I too had finally learned the spells of light magic level 2, Clean and Treat.


    As expected as someone who is researching sorcery, master knew a lot  about sorcery vocabulary. I learned the vocabulary for light and dark  element until level 3, then I was given the task to compose the sorcery  myself. Through that I finally became able to use the spells until level  2.


    A sorcery¡¯s composition is something like a sentence that is created  from a completely unknown language with only its vocabulary and the  meaning taught to me. The sentence¡¯s meaning will become completely  different just from different ordering of the vocabulary, so in order to  create new sorcery, the only choices are to create a short sentence  using few words, or spending a lot of time to diligently research, but  this time I somehow managed because there was the base sentence.


    But it seemed that master is dissatisfied that I¡¯m just memorizing  it. As an additional task, I was ordered to shorten the sentence if I  understood the words¡¯ meaning. I still can only omit one or two words,  I¡¯m able to shorten the sentence only a little after one month working  on it.


    As the result my light sorcery¡¯s level increased and changed into  light magic. But that isn¡¯t caused solely by shortening the light  sorcery¡¯s spell, but also because I correctly understood the sentence¡¯s  meaning.


    Unlike sorcery, my close quarter combat skills haven¡¯t increased in  level except for Throwing. I think it¡¯s not only because I have been  using nothing but throwing, but also because my body growth is  insufficient. Even though my body is growing from the increase of my  mana capacity due to my sorcery related skills, I still haven¡¯t reached  that phase yet.


    There are still various problems with my sorcery and close quarter  combat, but right now I should prioritize preparing the ingredients  rather than thinking that.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Treat©¤©¤¡¹


    In this world, there isn¡¯t a  way of thinking that sickness is caused  by microbe that cannot be seen by naked eyes like in that woman¡¯s  world, even so it¡¯s considered that ¡°dirt¡± is producing unseen poison  that become the cause of sickness. That knowledge was spread by the holy  church several generations ago. Now even the commoners knew to wash the  ingredients and their body to prevent sickness.


    I don¡¯t only use Clean but also Treat to finish the preparation. Then  with a stupidly huge kitchen knife that looked more like a hatchet, I  began dismantling that ingredient¡­¡­the Giant Spider¡¯s leg.


    I split the outer skin that was like a shell and took out only the  muscle part. I swung down the kitchen knife to cut it apart into bite  sized parts, then I boiled them with a strong fire together with ginger  and herb root.


    I added water several times and made it boiled over while adding even  more herb after the smell had been reduced to some degree. After  boiling it for around one hour, I replaced the broth, added medicinal  herb alcohol with strong sweetness and chopped root vegetables, boiled  them all until they became soft, adjusted the taste with salt and pepper  while at the end I added a bit of lard. With that the stew of spider  meat is done.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Surly disciple. We have deer meat right? Why are you using the spider?¡¹


    Master murmured with a heavy tone when she saw the finished stew.


    ¡¸It¡¯s a waste not to use this. It¡¯s all the same as long as it¡¯s nutritious right?¡¹


    ¡¸Perhaps I need to teach you about the common sensitivity of human  from the beginning¡­¡­. That stupid disciple was really stupid but, she  could at least make a decent meal.¡¹


    ¡¸I cooked it properly based on the method in my knowledge but, the boiling wasn¡¯t enough.¡¹


    The precious protein source cannot be wasted. Master sighed deeply seeing me biting off the sinewy meat with force.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­You¡¯re going to practice light magic after we finish eating, so finish it quickly.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    .


    Master taught me two new unique magic. It¡¯s a level 2 light magic and a level 3 dark magic.


    The dark magic is the sorcery that I thought up and master  reconstructed for me after she checked it, but as expected with my  current skill and mana capacity, I still can¡¯t use level 3 dark magic.  As for the light magic, I somehow managed with the learning itself with  the application of dark magic, but this magic¡¯s ¡°usage¡± is far more  difficult than learning it.


    ¡¸Let¡¯s go. Block this properly. ©¤©¤Fire Arrow-¡¹


    I got out to the garden and took my stance. Then Master fired Fire Arrow at me without chanting.


    It¡¯s a level 1 sorcery, but fire sorcery has high attack power. It¡¯s  even possible for it to kill instantly if it hit somewhere bad. But I¡¯m  not allowed to avoid this attack. I pointed my palm forward the instant  the Fire Arrow was fired. I focused my mind while constructing the  magic¡¯s composition.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shield©¤©¤¡¹


    This magic converged light particles with the same principle like  dark magic. It formed a shield of light with the shape of a round plank.  Master said that this is an original magic that was taught to her from  her teacher.


    This Shield can block attack magic that the enemy fired. But, its  flaw is that it only produced a shield with the solidity of a glass  because it used light particles to form the shield, it will break if it  blocked sorcery with physical destructive power like earth or ice  element.


    *Pashi-!*


    Master scolded me the moment she saw that the Shield that I created deflected her Fire Arrow.


    ¡¸The mana that you put into it was too big-, feel the sorcery¡¯s capacity and adjust your strength-¡¹


    Another Fire Arrow is shot. I matched the Shield¡¯s mana with it. this  time the Shield is annihilated with the sound of breaking glass.


    ¡¸If you sense that the mana you put isn¡¯t enough, parry the magic by diverting it-¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    This sound of glass breaking isn¡¯t an actual sound but an auditory  hallucination that only I heard. I could hear it is the proof that the  mana I poured into the magic was insufficient.


    It¡¯s a level 2 magic, but theoretically it can defend any kind of  sorcery depending on the amount of mana you put into it as long as it¡¯s  not against physical type magic. But, with my current skill and mana, it  can only defend against level 1 attack sorcery at best. Against level 2  attack spell, not only the Shield will get smashed, I¡¯ll also receive  damage.


    If it¡¯s impossible to block than the only way left is to parry. In  fact the Shield has the actual physical defensive power of a glass, so  if I tried then perhaps I¡¯ll be able to parry something like a knife  with this, but to do that I need the skill of parrying magic itself  using shield or sword to do such feat.


    Focus the mind in constructing the magic. Ascertain the type of magic  that the enemy fired and its amount of mana instantly, put the  appropriate amount of mana, and change your method of defense. Just  doing one step of that process is already difficult, but here I have to  do all of them simultaneously. It¡¯s something next to impossible to do.  Furthermore maintaining the Shield after it¡¯s invoked also consumed  mana, so I need even more training to be able to use it skillfully in an  instant.


    Even so if I can use this perfectly, it should become a formidable weapon in battle against sorcerer.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Study it yourself later. Good grief, it¡¯s really tiring to keep up with a brat.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­You alright?¡¹


    Master ended the training when my stamina and mana have decreased until below half.


    It¡¯s not because she is being considerate to me, but because master¡¯s  stamina consumption rate is fast despite her high stamina value.


    ¡¸A brat shouldn¡¯t be considerate with adult-. Also, the sorcery on  your hair is unraveling. You should remember its effective time with  your bodily sense.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    The ash that is smeared on my hair in order to hide its conspicuous  pink color isn¡¯t real ash, but ¡°illusion¡± that was made with dark  sorcery.


    It was just as Viro feared, the luster of my hair increased along  with the increase of my mana. A normal ash can¡¯t hide my hair¡¯s shine  anymore. When I consulted to master about that, she taught me several  sorcery words and gave me the task of changing my hair color with  illusion.


    I had completed the sorcery to change hair color more or less, but  the words¡¯ ordering apparently didn¡¯t form a proper sentence so its mana  consumption was too big and the effective time became short. And so I  gave up on changing my hair color and performed an illusion of directly  showing ash using darkness particles. With that I succeeded in  lengthening its effective time and suppressing my hair¡¯s luster.


    The result strayed from the task that master assigned on me, but she  gave me a barely passing score because apparently that kind of  improvisation is important for magic.


    .


    The training ended and night came. Under the light of the magic lamp  that is using magic stone to function, I pounded the spider string¡¯s  fiber with a stick while unraveling it to turn the lump into string.  Master is drinking a homemade medicinal herb alcohol in small sips while  talking to me about that woman who attacked me.


    ¡¸That stupid disciple first came here when she was sixteen years old I  think¡­¡­. She was already stupid right from the start. She suddenly came  here one day and asked me to teach her sorcery because I have the ¡ºrole  to help the hiroin(?) when fighting the evil race¡». Can you believe  that? She asked that to me who is from the evil race you know?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    So that woman was already like ¡°that¡± from the past¡­¡­or rather, from the very beginning huh.


    ¡¸To be honest, I couldn¡¯t understand almost all of that stupid  disciple¡¯s nonsense. But, she was just too delusional while acting so  full of confidence. That excessive stupidity made me pitied her. That  was why I made her my disciple against my better judgment.¡¹


    ¡¸Did she train seriously?¡¹


    ¡¸She did it seriously. That was her only good point. But you see¡­¡­her  fickleness was so horrible that in the end she was only half-baked in  everything. But, to think that stupid disciple managed to create such  odd magic stone using the failed method of a past sorcerer to make a  toad learn art, she might actually had real talent.¡¹


    ¡¸Frog¡­¡­¡¹


    So she tried to steal other person¡¯s body using such vague method¡­¡­.


    But whether it was a coincidence or not, she managed to create a  magic stone that was imprinted with her own mind based only on such  vague information, so her talent¡­¡­no, her ¡°obsession¡± must be out of the  norm. However it was a misfortune for that woman that the directions of  her efforts were all directed toward the wrong ways.


    Time is passing slowly inside this peaceful forest.


    There are things that I have to do. However, my life with  master(Serjura) here made me felt the warmth like a family that I hadn¡¯t  felt since my parents died.


    I trained in sorcery and magic, learned alchemy, hunted monster, and trained my close quarter combat skill.


    One more month passed as I lived such life. Then, a mysterious  ¡ºvisitor¡» appeared at this house inside a forest that no ordinary people  should know about.

 Volume 2 - CH 4

    That day, the spider string was finally finished after I spent a month to process it.


    Its thickness is around 1 mm with a total length of 40 meters. Such  amount might feel a lot, but a single pendulum will use around eight  meter of string. I have two pendulums. Taking that into consideration, I  only have the spare for three times replacement, so I can¡¯t waste this  string even for a little.


    When I didn¡¯t have String Control skill, manipulating the string only  gave me a ten percent increase in accuracy at best, but my accuracy had  increased from obtaining the skill. The modifier was around twenty  percent increase using string that had been familiarized with my blood,  but with this monster string I should be able to obtain even greater  accuracy.


    And then more importantly is the toughness of monster string. With  just cotton thread, Grave could easily see through it and cut it no  matter how much it had been strengthened with mana. Of course even this  monster string can¡¯t block a blade, but it should be really difficult to  cut this string when it fluttered in the air.


    Master taught me while I processed the monster string to be preserved  from decay and be fire resistant. At the end I tied hidden throwing  knife on the string in exchange of the blade that I lost. Then suddenly  master raised her face and turned her gaze toward the entrance. I also  followed her gaze.


    ¡¸I sense someone.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Erase your presence surly disciple. For now you go hide at the back. I¡¯ll go meet this person.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger¡­¡­master.¡¹


    During these five months, no one had ever visited this place. But now a presence that seemed to be ¡ºhuman¡» appeared.


    According to master, she has an acquaintance peddler who showed up  here only once a year to deliver items like salt or material, but it¡¯s  still not the time yet for that.


    Furthermore this person outside managed to approach unnoticed until  this house¡¯s surrounding even though both master and me have searching  skill of scout. Skill as a scout doesn¡¯t equal as being strong but¡­¡­this  person isn¡¯t someone ordinary.


    I obeyed master¡¯s words and entered the room at the back. There I  erased my presence while quietly peeking outside from the door¡¯s gap.


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­Come in.¡¹


    After master(Serjura) called out to the other side of the door, it  opened soundlessly. A tall man around thirty showed himself with the  light outside behind him. The man has dark blond hair and shallow smile  that looked refreshing. He bowed his head with a gesture that looked  like an actor.


    ¡¸Long time no see, my beloved teacher. Are you well?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­I never thought of you as my disciple. What are you here for, Dino.¡¹


    Master spoke coldly. The man she called Dino shrugged with an affected air.


    ¡¸I have become the head of northern frontier district¡¯s assassin  branch guild, so I came here to give my greeting and also with a  slightly troublesome job in this occasion. I¡¯m thinking to ask for help  from my beloved teacher Serjura.¡¹


    ¡¸Are there so few decent people at your place that you need to use a recluse like me?¡¹


    ¡¸There won¡¯t be any need for this if the opponent is normal, but this  time the target is a skilled adventurer wannabe. The damage at our side  will also be big if we try doing this job head on. And so I wish to  make a ¡°request¡± to you.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­I already washed my hand from the ¡°assassination¡± business you know?¡¹


    It seems that Dino is someone from assassin guild. What kind of  relationship master has with that kind of organization? Why is Dino who  is the head of an assassin guild called master as his teacher?


    The reply master gave must be within his expectation. Dino lightly  nodded with composure and spoke of words that sounded like something he  has prepared beforehand.


    ¡¸War Demon Serjura of evil race¡¯s army, eastern frontline. If it  become known that you are still alive even now, then surely the knight  order will mobilize in full. For someone of your level, a mere rank 4  adventurer party should pose no problem at all shouldn¡¯t it?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Dino threatened master with a smile. This is something that I never  heard about but, from what Dino said, master must had killed a lot of  enemies in the battlefield a long time ago.


    I don¡¯t know the reason why master left the evil race army. But, most  likely master joined the safest place that was the ¡ºunderworld¡» in  order to escape the evil race¡¯s notice.


    ¡¸Also¡­¡­there is one more person here correct? Looks like this person  isn¡¯t that strange woman who lived here before but, you took another  disciple didn¡¯t you? As a senior disciple, it¡¯s practically my duty to  look after my junior.¡¹


    ¡¸Dino!¡¹


    Dino even tried to drag someone uninvolved into this matter. Master  released her killing intent in respond, but his smile that is like a  mask doesn¡¯t waver.


    Most likely Dino knew that master can¡¯t afford to make the assassin  guild her enemy. Master should be stronger strength wise, but this  person is the guild¡¯s leader regardless of anything. Even if by some  chance master got violent here, he must have at least prepared something  to escape beforehand. And then if he got away after master has bared  her fang, assassins will be dispatched not only after master but also me  her disciple.


    The way of fighting of sorcerer and assassin is different. Their  position would become reversed if the assassin managed to get away.


    No matter how overwhelming an ¡°individual¡± could be, master is  already unable to continue fighting for long against an ¡°organization¡±  as an opponent. Knowing that, master glared at Dino while gritting her  teeth.


    ¡¸¡­¡­This is the last one. Do you understand?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, but of course. I will never ask for the unreasonable for my  beloved teacher anymore. Then, about the target¡¯s information¡­¡­¡¹


    Dino sported a distorted smile as though he has obtained pleasure. He began to talk. But, he stopped there.


    .


    ¡¸¡±I¡± will listen to that talk.¡¹


    The two¡¯s eyes opened wide seeing ¡°a child(me)¡± suddenly coming out of the room and interrupted the adult¡¯s talk.


    ¡¸Surly disciple! Back off from this-!¡¹


    Master raised her voice because I disobeyed her words and got out of  the room. However I too have no intention to back off here. I¡¯m the one  who is at my limit because my existence is being used as shield to  threaten master.


    I ignored master¡¯s words and stepped forward. I placed the whole body  of the man called Dino inside my field of vision while talking to  master.


    ¡¸Master, you can¡¯t fight anymore right?¡¹


    ¡¸You¡­¡­¡¹


    Master became at a loss for words at what I said. Dino narrowed his eyes with interest at our conversation.


    ¡¸Hoo¡­¡­? So you are my junior. Are you a male, or female?¡¹


    ¡¸Is that important? If it¡¯s just a job of killing adventurer, than I  should be more suited for it rather than making master brute forcing it.  I¡¯ll do the job in master¡¯s place.¡¹


    ¡¸What are you saying!?¡¹


    Master instantly forgot that Dino is here after hearing my words. She pressed me.


    ¡¸A brat shouldn¡¯t poke their nose at adult¡¯s talk! Do you understand  what¡¯s going on!? This man came here with a request to ¡°kill people¡±-¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s just a matter of probability.¡¹


    Master never said anything but, most likely her body isn¡¯t in the  state that can fight properly. Master is stronger than me or even Dino.  But, master can¡¯t fight for a long time. Even if master succeed in  defeating the target, as someone who can¡¯t openly enter inside human  city, the chance of her coming back alive is lower than if I¡¯m the one  fighting. That¡¯s my evaluation.


    ¡¸If the opponent is a ¡°person¡±, then I¡¯ll be more likely to survive  rather than master who is in this state. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡¹


    ¡¸A brat like you is saying that you can do something like  assassination!? Rank 4 adventurer can¡¯t be compared with some random guy  that you can find anywhere-!¡¹


    Certainly a rank 2 like me defeating rank 4¡­¡­furthermore more than one of them will be difficult.


    Dino is trying to make use of master also because assassin will have  bad compatibility facing adventurers who are strong individually and  also in a party where they will cover each other¡¯s weakness and won¡¯t  let their guard down.


    The possibility is high that I¡¯ll have the table turned on me even if  I go. But a child will be able to lure the opponent to let their guard  down with their appearance, and a child also has their own way of  fighting. Besides©¤©¤


    ¡¸I¡¯ll still become stronger.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Master turned speechless from my words that I said as I met her gaze straight.


    Although I¡¯m a kid, I have obtained quite the ¡°experience¡± and  slipped through ¡°bloodshed¡±. Knowing that, although master can¡¯t accept  it emotionally, rationally she understood that I¡¯ll have the higher  chance to survive because if the opponent is human, I¡¯ll be more capable  to make them let their guard down compared to her. And exactly because  she knew me that she also knew that I¡¯m still in the middle of growing.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Can you kill a person?¡¹


    Dino who had been staying quiet until now while listening to our  conversation looked at me with a gaze of doubt. However, I felt like I  can see the muddy black joy that is slumbering at the depth of his eyes.


    Good¡­¡­he surely wouldn¡¯t doubt if he is this distorted.


    ¡¸No problem.¡¹


    I won¡¯t die. I also won¡¯t let master die. For that, I have resolved  myself that I¡¯ll even lay my hand on ¡°unrelated people¡± if it¡¯s  necessary.


    ¡¸All right-. In that case, I shall entrust this job to you brother as  a fellow pupil. However, do you mind if I have you kill someone else  before that to obtain experience?¡¹


    Just as I thought, Dino easily agreed and looked at me with a smile of joy.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll kill if it¡¯s my ¡°enemy¡±.¡¹


    I won¡¯t hesitate to kill if someone became my enemy. But, will the  assassin guild make me do a stupid job like killing an innocent citizen?  ©¤©¤When I sent Dino a gaze of scorn that expressed that, Dino noticed  that meaning and made a shallow smile.


    ¡¸Rest assured. We aren¡¯t homicidal maniac. We choose our target  strictly. Besides, all the jobs that had been requested to my beloved  teacher Serjura were targeting non-virtuous people. I shall ask you her  favorite disciple to deal with the same trashes like her.¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll judge that myself.¡¹


    People who the assassin guild got requested to kill would either be  an irredeemable trash or an extremely good person. I don¡¯t think that  there can be an adventurer who is a virtuous person, but apparently  master too would never accept that kind of request from the start.


    ¡¸Then, please take this. Come to the place that is written here  before the appointed day. Well then, my beloved teacher Serjura, let¡¯s  meet again at another chance.¡¹


    Dino handed a paper scrap that is used as memo to me. It¡¯s written  with brief location and time. After that he said farewell to master and  returned unexpectedly easily.


    .


    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹¡¹


    Dino¡¯s presence vanished completely and there are only the two of us  in the living room now. There master looked at me with a conflicted  expression.


    The way master talked is like a bad person, but she is actually a  good and soft-natured person. She must be regretting of getting swept by  the flow and didn¡¯t stop a child like me to get sent to such danger.


    Someone who doesn¡¯t know anything would think that I would definitely  die if they thought normally. But I have no intention of dying. If it¡¯s  impossible right now then I just need to get stronger. For that I  decide that I¡¯ll even use the malice that Dino directed at me to get  stronger.


    That¡¯s why there is no wavering in my heart. I simply stared back  straightforwardly. Master sighed in resignation seeing that before  vanishing into her own room.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    It would just trouble me even if we brought up the matter again at  this point so I¡¯m glad. I also returned to my own room and changed to  the travelling attire that I wore previously. Then I stuffed the knives  and new pendulums in my possession into my bag along with the poisons I  had been creating.


    It will be evening soon, but I guess there is no need to easygoingly  eat dinner before departing. In the first place I was just a rootless  street urchin. I was always prepared to fight anytime so it doesn¡¯t take  me much time to prepare.


    I exited my room with my stuff. There I found master who should be shutting herself inside her room waiting for me at the table.


    ¡¸Surly disciple. Talk with me for a bit.¡¹


    ¡¸Got it.¡¹


    I sat on the table while keeping up my guard just in case. Master  sighed deeply again seeing me like that and lined up several items on  the table.


    ¡¸I won¡¯t stop you at this point. You aren¡¯t a kid that needs to be  protected. From here on Aria, I¡¯ll respect your will as a ¡°human¡±.¡¹


    After saying that, master started talking about herself.


    Master seemed to be born in a family that had quite the high standing  even among the evil race. Her parents died in war against human race  and master became the evil race army¡¯s assassin in order to keep her  young little sister alive.


    After that she continued to fight for dozens of years, learned  powerful sorcery, and became feared by the human race and also the evil  race. At that point, master suddenly realized in a battlefield more than  fifty years ago, that she ¡°had nothing¡±.


    Even the faceless enemies had their own family and life. She  remembered that she herself had family. From there master learned the  meaninglessness of her act that continued to kill enemies just because  she was ordered without even understanding that.


    At that point when she had raised my achievements, she was able to  entrust her little sister to a proper family. In order to not let her  little sister follow the same way of living like her too, master feigned  her death in a battlefield and left the evil race army.


    It must be because master had such past that she sympathized even toward suspicious people like that woman and me.


    But, although master could escape from her meaningless fate, no race  would accept her because she was an evil race, and so her only choice  was to live in the ¡°underworld¡± where might made right without regard of  what kind of race they were.


    Assassin guild is a part of the underworld. At that time, Dino was  the son of the leader of the northern frontier district¡¯s branch and  master once trained him in sorcery.


    ¡¸Listen well, because this is important. I became unable to fight for  long not only because I had been fighting for a long time. It was  because of this.¡¹


    Master poked at the area where her heart is located.


    Master has four mana elements. It¡¯s widely considered that the more  elements someone has, the more outstanding they are. But looking at  history, most of such heroes didn¡¯t live long. It wasn¡¯t because they  got killed by someone because they became hero, but the heroes died  because magic stone was formed in their heart. That was what master  said.


    There won¡¯t be any big problem if someone only has three elements.  But, for great people who are overflowing with talent, the more elements  they possessed, the bigger their magic stone would swell up and their  body would get ruined and became unable to live until old age. Master  who has four elements also became unable to fight for long anymore  because she had forced herself in fighting too much.


    If I remember right, Elena also has four elements. She said that her body broke down because her mana was too powerful.


    But if master¡¯s story is true, wasn¡¯t the true cause was that her  undeveloped heart couldn¡¯t endure her enlarged magic stone? Perhaps,  human body goes through rapid growth from the increase of mana is an  evolution in order to reduce the burden for the heart. That¡¯s what I¡¯m  thinking.


    If it¡¯s just four elements, then it feels like the owner can still  live with respectable lifespan as long as they don¡¯t force themselves,  but more than that and they will die quickly. But it seemed there is a  magician lineage that even knowing that still forced their children to  have a lot of elements in order to display the excellence of their noble  house.


    Similar to that, Gift that is obtained from dungeon and the like is  also a power that originally too much for human body, so apparently  using such power excessively will reduce the lifespan drastically.  Master said that even I have a chance to obtain such thing, I absolutely  must not reach for it. ¡­¡­As expected, any story that sounds too good to  be true must have something ¡°hidden¡± behind it huh.


    ¡¸Also, a parting gift.¡¹


    What master gave me as a parting gift is the equipments that she used  in the past. The equipments that were made from cloth had become mostly  unusable in these fifty years, but her short boots and hand guard that  were made using monster leather regained their luster just from being  wiped with cloth.


    ¡¸They¡¯re a bit too big for you but bear with it. They are made from  the skin of a monster called Night Stalker so they have excellent sound  absorption property. Also a leather of high ranked monster can gradually  regenerate using water moisture and the wearer¡¯s mana even if they¡¯re  damaged to some degree. Look, the opposite side of the boots is also  regenerating right?¡¹


    That¡¯s not all, the boots also contained several gimmicks. I think  they¡¯ll be useful for close quarter combats. Other than them there are  also a hand guard only for the left hand that has magic steel inserted  inside it, and a small crossbow that can be hidden on the body though  its range is short. After that master handed me potions and deadly  poisons from her stock along with a poach made from monster skin that  she used in the past.


    ¡¸Survive no matter what and find your own meaning of life, surly disciple.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­master.¡¹


    (¡­¡­Target, confirmed.)


    A young man closely observed the child who came out from the house.  He was observing Serjura¡¯s hideout inside the forest from among the  trees. This man was an observer from the assassin guild. His combat  strength was low, only rank 2, but he had level 3 Search skill and level  1 Far Sight skill. He was specialized in observing target.


    His task this time was to observe whether Serjura as well as her  disciple would flee or not. Although even if Serjura escaped, as a dark  elf she was unable to slip into human society, but this time it was her  disciple who accepted the job. This man¡¯s main duty was to observe  whether she would do anything strange or not.


    Dino didn¡¯t trust Serjura and her disciple right from the start. He  didn¡¯t think that Serjura would oppose the assassin guild. But, he  considered it was possible that she would secretly let her disciple  escaped.


    (¡­¡­What?)


    The figure of the child who came out of the house suddenly vanished.  His level 3 Search skill was faintly sensing her existence, but the  man¡¯s monitoring could only display its true value when combined with  his Far Sight skill, so his accuracy decreased when she vanished from  his sight.


    Even so the man¡¯s Search skill sensed that the child wasn¡¯t following  the animal track that was heading to human settlement, but to his  direction.


    (Don¡¯t tell me, she noticed my presence here?)


    The target must be on her guard due to Dino¡¯s visit, but it should be  difficult for a normal Search skill to find him when he was hiding  inside a dark forest from this much distance.


    The man held his breath and waited until the child¡¯s presence veered  away from his location and he sensed her to be several dozen meters away  from him. He felt relieved that it was just his imagination and sighed.  It was at that moment he noticed the ¡°blade¡± that headed toward him.


    ¡¸©¤©¤!?¡¹


    He quickly lifted up his face and dodged the blade. But, the next  moment, the string that was attached to the blade he dodged entwined  around his neck. He then got dragged behind and fell from the tree.


    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹


    The man fell head down and stretched out his arm to land on the  ground. Just a moment before his hand touched the ground, his arm was  kicked from behind and he landed on his head.


    *Crack*¡­¡­the sound of neck and bone breaking resounded in the man¡¯s  brain. He fell face up and looked up to the sky with his neck still  bending at the wrong angle. His eyes were reflecting a child looking  down on him with a cold gaze.


    Why was she here? What was that presence that passed through him  before? As the man who was heading toward his death pleaded for such  questions to be answered with his eyes, a knife tore his neck without  mercy. The child©¤©¤Aria confirmed his death. After that her voice leaked  out chillingly into the darkness without any wavering in her expression.


    .


    ¡¸Now all of you are my ¡°enemy¡±.¡¹

 Volume 2 - CH 5

    As I thought¡­¡­. Dino had left behind an observer here just as I predicted.


    Master can¡¯t go against the assassin guild. Part of it is because she  can¡¯t fight continuously for long, but mostly it¡¯s because a dark elf  like master will find it very hard to obtain a safe place in this human  country. Perhaps escaping is possible for her, but for that she will  have to rely on the underworld society again.


    But I¡¯m different. A human like me can escape to anywhere, or I can  blend into a settlement somewhere and hide there. That was why Dino  ordered his man to monitor this place. It wasn¡¯t to cut off the choice  of escape for me and made me do the work, but to make me a hostage for  tying down master.


    Dino had never put his expectation on a child like me from the start.  That was why, Dino easily accepted me to be master¡¯s replacement  because he was planning to tie me into the assassin guild as hostage  against master.


    Dino is harboring a distortion in his heart. I could see inside his  eyes, the happiness he was feeling from using me to corner master  mentally.


    Although he is that distorted, at that time Dino was too  understanding. Even I wouldn¡¯t believe that a child could do something  like assassination even if that child is a disciple of a sorcerer. That  was why I thought that Dino was definitely placing an observer here, and  as I thought, there was one here.


    It was a pain to locate him because he seemed to be someone  specialized in observing, but if I knew that someone was definitely  ¡°there¡±, it was possible to search him for someone like me who could see  mana particles in color.


    Just in case I used an illusionary image©¤©¤Shadow to make him let his  guard down while approaching him with Stealth, and used pendulum to  finish him off. I expected that he wouldn¡¯t be a combatant, but I was  lucky that I could finish him before he made a ruckus.


    I am hostile against the assassin guild. I still don¡¯t want master to know about that.


    I only collected money from the man¡¯s corpse, bled the corpse to  lighten its weight, then carried it until an area where wild animals  lived and dumped it there. After that wolf or the like should clean it  up, bones and all.


    Let¡¯s depart. I have spent five months in this forest and the early  summer season now has become the end of autumn. I have become eight  years old and my height has grown again. Now I have the appearance of an  eleven years old child. The girth and weight of my body are still  lacking but, at least my speed is approaching an adult. If it¡¯s now I  should be able to fight an adult better than before.


    Not only my body, my hair has also grown really long, but I never cut  my hair short other than when master tidied up my hair for me. I  braided my long hair and wrapped it around my neck so that it won¡¯t get  in the way.


    ¡¸Later¡­¡­master.¡¹


    I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯ll be able to go back here again. There is  also no guarantee that I¡¯ll be able to return. That¡¯s why, I had already  finished my farewell with master. Even so I only said those words at  the end before shouldering my baggage and started running to the  direction where I previously made my simple base.


    I¡¯m not heading directly to human settlement. Five months has passed  so I think the monitoring of the organization that Grave belonged to  must have been relaxed, but it will be better if I don¡¯t let my guard  down yet.


    But there is still just one thing left for me to do before I departed from this territory.


    It will be winter soon, but Claydale Kingdom that is located at the  south won¡¯t become so cold that snow will fall. Even so now it have  become the season where it will be harsh to not make fire when camping,  but those who can use body strengthening won¡¯t fall sick even then.


    I ran through the forest for two days while using Stealth and Night  Vision and Search, then I arrived at the simple base in the forest that  I¡¯m feeling nostalgic about. More than half of it is almost buried under  dry leaves, but it¡¯s better than remaking it from zero. I used a tree  branch to sweep away the dried leaves, replaced the rotten sticks, and  kindled bug repellent grass.


    During that time I headed to near the river and gathered clay before returning to the base and started making something.


    .


    The next day, I walked inside the city at night while hiding my face  with a shawl. I checked for a rumor with a peddler outside the city and  confirmed that I properly made it in time.


    I¡¯m glad that I made it in time before the season turned dry in  earnest. Master had also guessed that there is still around half a year  of time extension but, it¡¯s also possible that she guessed wrong.


    That thing should be unable to move in order to heal itself. Even  though its existence had been whittled until the very limit and  tormented with extreme hunger, that thing should be struggling in its  state of apparent death in order to live.


    But if the air began to dry, then even that effort would reach the  limit. I have guesses of where it is right now based on my experience  last time. It will attack again in order to regain its strength.


    I slipped into the darkness of night while using Water at the  waterway near Seylace residence to pour water filled with mana into it. I  can sense it detecting the mana and approached here rapidly.


    ¡¸I¡¯m here to settle things¡­¡­¡±Water Spirit¡±.¡¹


    .


    ¨‹ Low Ranked Water Spirit


    ¡¾Magic Power : 135/503¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strenght : 148/533¡¿


    ¡¾Status : Madness, Weakened¡¿


    .


    ¡º©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤!¡»


    It¡¯s alive as I thought. Grave¡¯s Battle Technique broke its shell  that prevented its evaporation, but spirit wouldn¡¯t perish that easily.  ¡­¡­Grave really acted unnecessarily.


    The water spirit is possessing a corpse of stray dog that died from  drowning. The corpse is bloated up. It controlled the dog corpse to  attack me, perhaps because it doesn¡¯t have any spare strength to use  magic.


    ¡º©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤!¡»


    ¡¸©¤©¤Hard©¤©¤¡¹


    I used martial art to dodge the water spirit¡¯s attack and used a small slingshot to launch a sphere that had Hard applied on it.


    ¡º©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤!?¡»


    What I used this time is a ¡°ball¡± made from clay with size around 2  cm. In the battle last time, I learned that I just needed to whittle  down the water spirit¡¯s mana. There is no need to be fixated with  weapon.


    I dodged the water spirit¡¯s attack while accurately firing the balls  at the water spirit, whittling down its existence. Its movement is slow.  It¡¯s weakening¡­¡­as I thought, I wanted to finish the fight with my own  hands at that time. But, I can¡¯t possibly leave this water spirit alone  and exposed those siblings to danger. Besides I also have a reason for  defeating it with my own hand.


    I said that I¡¯m not fixated with using weapon, even so I made just one small clay knife.


    My combat skills had grown drastically from real battle where I put  my life on the line. I had continued training during these five months  and even defeated a Giant Spider, but none of my skill leveled up,  however©¤©¤


    ¡¸I¡¯ll have your life as my ¡°nourishment¡±.¡¹


    I put away the slingshot and held the clay knife in my right hand. Then I met the water spirit head on.


    I had seen that ¡°technique¡± several times with my eyes. I saw when  Viro used it to defeat mountain bandit. I directly tasted that attack  when that female thief used it.


    I poured mana in order to engrave that technique that is engraved in  my eyes into my soul. I don¡¯t falter against the water spirit that  rushed me from the front and activated it, believing that I definitely  can use it.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Double Edge©¤©¤¡¹


    The level 2 Battle Skill of short sword skill, Double Edge activated  and smashed the drowned corpse¡¯s fangs before piercing its forehead.


    ¡º©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤!!¡»


    The Battle Skill smashed the water spirit¡¯s defense, and the mana of  Hard that has earth element pierced its core. It raised a voiceless  death throes and a lot of water overflowed from the drowned stray dog  corpse. The water spirit¡¯s mana dispersed and at the end a glittering  magic stone fell like a drop of tear.


    .


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  ¨C  Rank 2


    ¡¾Magic Power : 112/165¡¿¡÷ 5 UP¡¾Stamina : 92/110¡¿¡÷ 5 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 6 (7)¡¿¡÷ 1 UP¡¾Endurance : 6 (7)¡¿¡¾Agility : 8 (10)¡¿¡÷ 1 UP¡¾Dexterity : 7¡¿


    ¡¶Short Sword Skill Level 2¡·¡÷ 1 UP¡¶Martial Art Level 2¡·¡¶Throwing Level 2¡·¡÷ 1UP¡¶String Control Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Light Magic Level 2¡·¡¶Darkness Magic Level 2¡·¡¶Non-Elemental Magic Level 2¡·


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·¡¶Magic Power Control Level 2¡·¡¶Pressure Level 2¡·


    ¡¶Stealth Level 2¡·¡¶Night Vision Level 2¡·¡¶Search Level 2¡·¡¶Poison Resistance Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Simple Appraisal¡·


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 143 (With Body Strengthening : 162)¡¿¡÷ 15 UP


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    With this can the water spirit returned to the spirit world¡­¡­. I  grasped the mysterious magic stone that the water spirit dropped while  looking up to the night sky. I won this battle and obtained Short Sword  Skill level 2.


    Short Sword Art level 2 will be a necessity in the battles ahead.  There was a need to obtain it without waiting for my body to grow, but  the level wouldn¡¯t go up if I just faced ordinary opponent. That was  exactly why I forcefully increased Short Sword Skill to level 2 by  ¡ºcutting¡» a special existence like a spirit and unleashing the Battle  Skill with a desperate resolve.


    Originally it was difficult to obtain close quarter combat skill  level 2 when you are less than ten years old, but I finally got my hand  on it. However, I can¡¯t keep basking in the achievement forever.  Although there is a bit of distance, my use of mana and Battle Skill  drew attention. I can hear voices coming from the direction of Seylace  House already.


    I immediately used Stealth and hid myself in the darkness of night.  As I turned my gaze just a little, I saw the siblings, Maria and Rody  peeking out anxiously from the terrace of Seylace mansion¡¯s second  floor.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Although I thought that they should be okay, I¡¯m glad that I can  confirm it with my own eyes. When I decided to leave this place because  all my worries here has been taken off, I could hear Rody¡¯s voice  whispering ¡ºAria¡».


    I left the city of Baron Seylace while it was still night and headed  toward my destination. I did my best to not pass through the highway. I  avoided travelling during the day as much as I can and traveled during  the night. I went back the path that I passed on my way here half a year  ago from Dandall, and after ten days I arrived at the territory of  Count Heydale.


    Count Heydale has two large cities. One of them is a city where Count  Heydale¡¯s residence is located and the city is booming with commerce.  The other city is booming with industry where a lot of craftsman are  living. The important facilities like adventurer guild and merchant  guild are located at the city where the count is living, but my business  is with the other city where the craftsmen are living.


    This city¡¯s trait is how it¡¯s neatly divided between the sout side  where the cratsmen are living and the north side that is the industrial  zone. The morning and evening are pretty lively with craftsmen all going  and returning from work, but the city is unexpectedly filled with  silence and tranquil during the noon.


    A part of it is due to the presence of the chapel located at the  boundary between the residence district and industrial district. This  chapel is the largest building even in the north frontier district. That  chapel is the only building that soared high in this city where there  are only short buildings lined up. It¡¯s radiating a certain kind of  conspicuousness.


    That chapel is none other than my destination. It can also be called  as the headquarters of northern frontier district¡¯s branch assassin  guild.


    Looked only from outside, it made me doubted whether this place is  really related with the assassin guild, but it matched the memo that  Dino gave me and what master told me.


    I had heard directly from master about this place, but the memo from  Dino doesn¡¯t tell me about the place directly, but the method to contact  a guide.


    I¡¯m hiding my face with shawl but I don¡¯t really use Stealth inside  the city. Because using Stealth in a situation where I don¡¯t know where  the people are and what organization they belonged to is like walking  around while announcing your own identity.


    I spent a day looking around the city, then the next day I visited  the area that is selling food and daily life necessity. I tossed a  silver coin at a beggar in a back alley there.


    ¡¸¡±Guide¡± me.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Until ¡°where¡±?¡¹


    The beggar caught the silver coin that I threw really fast with one  hand. He slightly raised his dirty eyebrow and replied with that ¡°word¡±.


    ¡¸Until the


    ¡°graveyard¡±.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Come.¡¹


    The beggar soundlessly stood up and walked ahead. I followed several steps behind him.


    This beggar is the assassin guild¡¯s ¡ºguide¡». Most likely he isn¡¯t  just a guide, but he also doubled as the lookout of this area. He has  the combat strength around level 2.


    ¡¸The leader told me about you. You¡¯re really just a kid huh.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­You won¡¯t check?¡¹


    ¡¸The feudal lord here won¡¯t catch us. Even if you are a spy from  other territory, it will be you who get dragged to the execution stand  if you do anything suspicious.¡¹


    ¡¸I see.¡¹


    ¡­¡­So the feudal lord is also in cahoots.


    ¡¸We¡¯re here. You go alone from here. It¡¯s the sixth of 88.¡¹


    That place is a huge underground cemetery that we reached by going  down the stair beside the chapel. I walked inside the darkness that is  only illuminated faintly by a cheap tallow lamp. I entered a small room  that has 88 written on it and opened the sixth coffin. There I found a  stair that continued to further underground.


    I went down from there through a cramped passage that felt  suffocating until I found an open space at the end. When I stepped into  there, a young woman wearing strange black dress turned toward me and  grinned with crimson lips.


    ¡¸I¡¯ve been waiting, dark elf¡¯s little apprentice.¡¹

 Volume 2 - CH 6

    What greeted me at the assassin guild underground the chapel is a girl in strange dress, sitting on a table that seemed to be created from scraped rock.


    She seemed to be at the middle or the late of her teenage years. Her skin is surprisingly white with well-featured face. Her long black hair are arranged to look like a spring at both side of her face. The black dress she is wearing has over the top decoration. It¡¯s really similar with what is called as ¡ºgoth loli¡» in that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±.


    ¡¸You are that evil race¡¯s disciple right? It looks like you have quite the amount of mana, as to be expected from a sorcerer¡¯s disciple but, I wonder if you can kill with combat strength of that level. Though it seems like you can at least serve as a knife throwing target.¡¹


    Just like how I¡¯m observing this goth loli woman, she seemed to have analyzed me and insulted me with her crimson lips.


    ¡¸Who?¡¹


    ¡¸You senior, sweet rookie. Be careful with the way you speak. I hate a brat who don¡¯t know their place, so I might kill you by accident you know?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    .


    ¨‹ Goth Loli Woman   Race : Human


    ¡¾Magic Power : 115/120¡¿¡¾Stamina : 173/177¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 242 (With Body Strengthening : 297)¡¿


    .


    She is strong despite her appearance. With this value, it feels like that she should at least have one element in sorcery, but I assumed that her fighting style is that of a rank 3 light equipment warrior or weapon thrower. Normally it¡¯s rare for someone who isn¡¯t twenty years old yet to become rank 3, so if she has this much combat strength at this age, she must be very skilled.


    But, this is the guild¡¯s assassin¡­¡­?


    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong? Is the dark elf¡¯s disciple can¡¯t even give a ¡°greeting¡± properly? You, it seems that your appearance is not that bad, so I don¡¯t mind to make you my pet if you¡¯re to my liking you know?¡¹


    The shape of the goth loli woman¡¯s grinning lips distorted. She kept sitting on the table as she pointed her well polished black leather shoes toward me.


    Is the ¡°greeting¡± that this woman meant refer to ¡ºlick my shoes¡»? Of course I don¡¯t plan to do anything like that, but after that I¡¯ll definitely get into conflict with this woman. ¡­¡­No, perhaps that¡¯s her intention from the start by provoking me like this.


    I think, I can¡¯t win against her if I fight her head on. Perhaps I¡¯ll be able to win if I used all of my tricks but, I don¡¯t want to expose my hands right now. Now then, what to do¡­¡­. This kind of person would only get even more carried away if I acted humbly. Even so I don¡¯t want to cause a problem in my first day just because of that¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Keira, what are you doing over there?¡¹


    A voice suddenly came at that timing. The goth loli woman turned around slightly toward that voice. I too turned my gaze toward that direction while still keeping my attention to the goth loli woman.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Dino, I¡¯m not doing anything.¡¹


    ¡¸Then, what are you doing in this place?¡¹


    ¡¸I got nothing to do, so I thought of giving some pointers to the newcomer, that¡¯s all. Fufu.¡¹


    ¡¸Is that so.¡¹


    The one who appeared was Dino who became the leader of this branch assassin guild. From their talk, this goth loli woman©¤©¤Keira seemed like she came here whimsically knowing of my my arrival in order to meddle with me.


    Apparently even though this is an assassin guild, not all of its members are taciturn professional. Keira¡¯s expression kept changing frequently with whimsy before the pressure that she was radiating until now vanished. She then smiled sweetly.


    Impression wise, this guild seemed similar with other guilds where carefree people gathered, but the people here seemed excessively strong willed compared to adventurer.


    Dino slightly frowned at Keira¡¯s attitude. He might be thinking that it would be pointless even if he questioned her any further. He avoided pressing at Keira and turned his gaze toward me once again.


    ¡¸Welcome, my fellow apprentice. The assassin guild welcomes you, Aria.¡¹


    Dino spoke a welcoming sentence with an exaggerated gesture like a stage actor.


    ¡¸Then the job?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­You are so stoic for a brother disciple of mine. Well, I¡¯ll have you gradually relax more as time passed. First I¡¯ll show you around this place. At this time there should be other guild members being present here too.¡¹


    ¡¸You can just let me do that in your place instead~¡¹


    Keira cut in from the side with an ingratiating voice while smiling at me. But this woman, she had been directing faint killing intent that only I could feel several times since Dino turned his attention at me.


    Assassin¡­¡­or rather, she is more like a murderer for pleasure. Why is someone like this in the assassin guild? Could it be, this kind of murderer is more common here compared to professionally trained assassin? ¡­¡­Annoying.


    ¡¸Both of you, stop quarreling. Private quarrel is forbidden inside the guild. There will also be punishment if you draw out your weapon toward fellow member, so be careful both of you.¡¹


    ¡¸Yee~s¡¹


    It seemed that Dino noticed Keira¡¯s provocation. Keira only gave a casual reply when she was rebuked for that. She hopped down from the table as though she was only going for a stroll©¤©¤


    *Shu-!*


    She came swinging with a knife that came out from her sleeve along with the momentum of her drop from the table.


    It¡¯s a playful strike that isn¡¯t even using body reinforcement. I dodged it with the minimal movement of averting my face.


    I didn¡¯t even have a drop of trust for Keira from the start. There is punishment meant that there are people who would do something like that. All of this woman¡¯s action and words can¡¯t be trusted, but she is ¡°reliable¡± in a sense because of that. I ¡°believed¡± that Keira would try something.


    I made several predictions based on the knowledge that something is coming. Keira¡¯s knife grazed my cheek slightly, at the same time I also left a shallow graze on Keira¡¯s cheek using my hidden weapon.


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu!¡¹


    She must not have expected that counterattack. As both of our bloods scattered in the air, Keira leaped back to take distance from me. I kept her within my sight vigilantly while talking to Dino.


    ¡¸You aren¡¯t going to claim that I¡¯m in the wrong here right?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­It can¡¯t be helped.¡¹


    As expected Dino can¡¯t give the order to not counterattack when getting attacked. He sighed in exasperation.


    ¡¸My¡­¡­my face, is scratched¡­¡­¡¹


    Keira moaned in a low voice. Killing intent oozed out like thick mud from her whole body.


    ¡¸This ¡°ash covered¡± shitty brat-! How dare you against this me-!!¡¹


    Keira brandished her knife in a blurring speed.


    ¡¸Keira-!!¡¹


    But, Dino¡¯s angry yell stopped Keira who is about to attack me again.


    ¡¸If you¡¯re still going to continue, then your opponent will be me you know? You have been making problematic actions since some time ago but, if you¡¯re going to cause another problem, you will become a purging target next.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­tsu¡¹


    Although she looked furious, as expected she is still not crazy enough to go against the assassin guild. Even so Keira doesn¡¯t give any reply to Dino¡¯s statement and kept glaring at me wordlessly with eyes that are filled with hatred.


    Dino sighed again seeing Keira like that and turned once more toward me.


    ¡¸Aria, you also shouldn¡¯t answer the provocation of others. Well then, I¡¯ll give you a light tour of this guild before talking about the job.¡¹


    ¡¸Got it.¡¹


    I wiped the wound on my cheek with my hand and started walking deeper into the guild following Dino who said that he will show me around. Behind me, Keira¡¯s hatred filled gaze kept clinging at me until our figures vanished from view.


    .


    In the end I caused a problem but¡­¡­that woman was really troublesome. I wondered if her face was really that important for her but, I guess just the fact that her important face was wounded by a kid like me must have injured her arrogant pride.


    It will be really troublesome if there is only that kind of people in this guild, but during the light tour, I almost saw nobody else.


    ¡¸There isn¡¯t really anybody here.¡¹


    ¡¸Please don¡¯t group this guild with adventurer guild or thief guild where even beginner can join easily. We are different from the hypocrite adventurer scout or the foolish thief who is driven by their greed.¡¹


    ¡­¡­Surely the scout and thief will also say the same thing about the others.


    Based on the job characteristic of assassination, only people who have received special training can become assassin guild¡¯s member. Special technique. Special ability. Only people who can kill their fellow human can reach the gate of the assassin guild, Dino said.


    The number of adventurer in this Claydale Kingdom is tens of thousands including the rookies. As for thief guild, if beggars and criminals in the slums are included then the number will be even greater than that. But, for assassin guild, it seemed that even in this whole country there is no more than several hundred of them due to the peculiarity of the job. The assassin guilds also have observers and cooperators in every city that are hired by money but, those people who never killed will never visit this guild.


    But, there is no accurate number of assassin. There are also freelancer killer out there, and there are also assassination squads that the nobles raised on their own. But, the biggest cause why their number can¡¯t be grasped accurately because there are some who hid themselves after finishing and surviving a job and some who died for real.


    According to master, the number of branches of this country¡¯s assassin guild can be counted with two hands. It seems that this northern frontier district branch is also in charge of the assassination of the area including Dandall, but according to Dino, even this branch doesn¡¯t even have a hundred of people who can be called members who will show up in here.


    Even in a guild with this few member, if you searched then perhaps you will be able to find someone who can use Cure to treat Keira¡¯s face, but even I can¡¯t heal her wounded pride, nor do I have any intention to do such thing.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    There are few people here but, even so I¡¯m feeling a few gazes from the darkness as I¡¯m walking.


    I¡¯m being watched. They are trying to evaluate me. Am I really useful? Can a kid do something like assassination? What is my weapon? How much is my combat strength? And then can they ¡°kill¡± me. I¡¯m feeling such gazes evaluation me.


    ¡¸Is something the matter, o brother disciple of mine?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s nothing¡­¡­¡¹


    Dino¡¯s lips slightly smiled. ¡­¡­I already knew but, this person really has bad personality.


    ¡¸Is that so? Then, let¡¯s talk about the ¡°request¡± that I originally was going to ask our beloved teacher to do.¡¹


    After going around for a lap, we arrived at a place that seemed like a break room with chairs in it. There Dino started talking about the job after we are seated.


    The assassination target is a party of four adventurer pretender, the Mercenary of Twilight. I heard that they are a rank 4 party, but actually the rank 4 is only the leader while the remaining members are rank 3. Those guys are called as adventurer pretender because they aren¡¯t proper adventurer, but recidivists of embezzlement.


    Adventurers sometimes received request to gather precious material or item. But these guys, in case the requested items has greater value than the request fee, they would claim that they failed the request before absconded with the items.


    But this time they tricked the wrong person. Their client this time is a noble. Apparently these guys collected the family heirloom that the noble requested before running off with it. I thought that the noble should just persecuted them as criminal and asked the adventurer guild to take care of this matter, but it seemed the collected item itself is a kind of item that will be bad if it become known by public. In respond, the noble client requested the assassin guild to recover the item as well as their assassination for revenge.


    ¡¸First, just as I said at the beginning, I¡¯ll test you to see whether you have the capability to complete this request or not. I¡¯ll put my trust in you if you can assassinate them. But, if you fail or run away, I will ask Serjura to take responsibility in your place you know?¡¹


    ¡¸What¡¯s the test?¡¹


    Dino threatened me slightly with words and pressure. Even so my expression is unchanging before that and I asked back dispassionately. Dino made a theatrical shrug seeing me like that.


    ¡¸The client is a former adventurer. The assassination target is a trio of adventurers, but it has come to light that their actual profession isn¡¯t adventurer. They are members of thief guild.¡¹


    That former adventurer got attacked by those thieves in a certain place. He got into a trap and his lover who was his childhood friend got killed. In order to catch the culprits, he pleaded his case to the city guards, but due to the peculiarity of that place, they judged that there was not enough proof and the culprits weren¡¯t charged.


    The client, the former adventurer despaired toward the surface world and made a request toward the assassin guild even if he has to be burdened with great amount of debt. He wished for the death of those thieves.


    That place is a place that nobody will approach and it won¡¯t be strange for anyone to die there¡­¡­. Those thieves are a band of robbers who specialized in ¡°rookie hunting¡± inside a dungeon.

 Volume 2 - CH 7

    My first job from the assassin guild is the assassination of the ¡°rookie hunter¡± thieves who disguised themselves as adventurers¡­¡­their party name is Fang of Blade.


    Before when master is still working with the assassin guild, she had an agreement with the previous guild master that she wouldn¡¯t accept any request from bad people, so it seemed that similar type of job is also passed to me. But, Dino kept this agreement because he must disliked the effort that he would have to spend to erase me in case I failed to assassinate some innocent commoner, got caught, and leaked information.


    I would be captured if I failed in killing a commoner. I would be killed if I failed in killing bad people. As someone who is responsible for keeping the organization¡¯s secret, what Dino will choose is obvious.


    ¡¸This is a test but you will be paid for it. I will give you ten times the reward if you safely accomplish the request. This is the advance payment.¡¹


    Dino flicked with his fingers several coins. I caught them from the air. ¡­¡­The advance payment is three golden coins.


    A single golden coin is the same with a month¡¯s salary of a youth who has just started working. A young couple with child can live for a month with two or three golden coins, so thirty golden coins are big money that is the same of a yearly earning of commoner, but that amount feels dubious when I considered the need to stake my life against three thieves for it.


    But, considering that the guild is taking half of the request fee, that means that the retired new adventurer must have taken a very large amount of debt in order to pay for this request.


    ¡¸Also there are weapons at the right room at the back. They are things that were left behind by past members and collected equipments that still looked usable. You can use them freely if you can make use of them.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    .


    It seems that this underground assassin guild is formerly a coal mine that had been remodeled. Its size is quite vast. Also the chapel on top of it was apparently built for the people who died in mine accident several hundred years ago. Currently it¡¯s also a bit popular as tourist attraction.


    The air of underground coal mine tended to stagnate, but I¡¯m feeling a faint air current so there must be some vents at several locations here. I see almost no light like lamp inside here. Perhaps it¡¯s to prevent the air from stagnating, but perhaps also because most of the members have Night Vision. ¡­¡­Though I think there must be another reason.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Light.¡¹


    When I arrived at the room where weapons are stored, I cast Light to look around.


    Certainly there are weapons here, but this place is more a storehouse rather than an armory. Most of the weapons being kept here are covered in dust with rust on their blades. I guess this is the best that I can expect from the memento of dead assassins. There isn¡¯t anything decent here, even so there are throwing knives and metal stick that functioned like whetstone here, so I¡¯m taking them. Then a voice suddenly called out from the room¡¯s entrance.


    ¡¸Yoo, there ain¡¯t anything there except junks right? Are you the ¡°ash covered¡± rookie?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Who?¡¹


    I¡¯m feeling a presence approaching. But, the presence is approaching really boldly, so I¡¯m waiting on the spot for it instead.


    ¡¸Me? Call me Guy. Nice to metcha, ash covered-¡¹


    .


    ¨‹ Guy   Race : Human


    ¡¾Magic Power : 90/95¡¿¡¾Stamina : 255/270¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 251 (With Body Strengthening : 294)¡¿


    .


    A Cruzian youth with tanned skin is there, giving me a friendly smile with his white teeth exposed.


    His age is around twenty I think? His combat strength isn¡¯t that much different from Kiera, but if his combat strength is that high with this mana value, then his physical ability must be simply high instead of his battle continuation capability. In that case, although his combat strength itself isn¡¯t that high, his strength in real battle must be equal to a high class rank 3.


    Even so, Guy¡­¡­huh. It¡¯s a name for male that is common even in this country, so although it feels like it¡¯s easy to remember, it also feel hard to remember. But more importantly¡­¡­.


    ¡¸¡±Ash covered¡±?¡¹


    ¡¸You got into a quarrel with that Kiera right? I could hear her voice even from here.¡¹


    So Kiera¡¯s voice when she yelled ¡ºash covered shitty brat¡» reached until here.


    It¡¯s not like I¡¯m offended from being called ¡°ash covered¡±¡­¡­or rather, it¡¯s possible that Guy who introduced himself with a name that can be found anywhere, and perhaps even Dino and Kiera are using fake name instead of their real name.


    This man called Guy is giving me the impression of a decent person in this guild. I don¡¯t know whether he is actually decent for real or not, and it¡¯s impossible to call someone as ¡°decent¡± when they are doing work like assassination, but putting aside whether he can be trusted or not, he is surely a better person than Kiera.


    ¡¸And, what is your business here Guy?¡¹


    ¡¸I was wondering what kind of fellow this rumored disciple of Serjura. Though I didn¡¯t expect that you would be this young¡­¡­. I think you¡¯ve noticed already but, there are few decent people here. Especially the Sage and Goudo, don¡¯t come near them. After all many of our comrades until now had fallen victim to them.¡¹


    ¡¸Sage¡­¡­¡¹


    Guy told me various things when I unconsciously muttered that name that is obviously not a person¡¯s name.


    The Sage is an old forest elf whose age is nearly 500 years old. He is a shaman who is researching curse. He had put curse on guild members before under the pretext of experimentation and drove a number of people to death without leaving behind proof.


    And as a forest elf, he apparently considered master who is a capable dark elf sorcerer with hostility. There seems to be a possibility that he will harm me who am master¡¯s disciple.


    Curse huh¡­¡­. Master¡¯s lesson also contained that topic. It¡¯s a type of sorcery that can harm the target or restraining their action from afar by carrying out complex ritual. According to master, she said that it¡¯s ¡ºan impractical field¡» that doesn¡¯t worth the effort for preparing it for the result.


    ¡­¡­I see, this is why master is harboring such revulsion. I had also heard from master that there is a shaman in the assassin guild. There is no way master can like sorcery that specialized in inhumane method. Both of them must hated each other for their way of using sorcery.


    Other than that, Guy also told me about other people who I should be careful with in this guild.


    The dwarf battle junkie, Berserker Sharga.


    The assassin who used darkness sorcery, Shadow User Radha.


    Misleading with lies and beautiful face, Kiera the Delight.


    The old elf shaman, Sage.


    But the most troublesome person is the one whose name came out together with that Sage, the Condemned Goudo.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Can¡¯t you hear the faint growling ¡°voice¡± even from here?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I thought it¡¯s the sound from the vent holes. But, after being told that, certainly, it can also sound like a creature¡¯s ¡°growling¡±.


    ¡¸He isn¡¯t a human but beast. He doesn¡¯t have the intellect for proper assassination but, that guy only came out for purging a guild member¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­¡¹


    I see¡­¡­Kiera easily backed off after being threatened with purging was because of such reason.


    ¡¸Well, there won¡¯t be any problem as long as you don¡¯t get near¡­¡­come to think of it, have your job been decided already?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Rookie hunter thieves.¡¹


    ¡¸Oo, there is also that kind of job isn¡¯t it. It¡¯s a troublesome job and yet the fee isn¡¯t that high, so such job often get put off but¡­¡­are you going to be okay? I¡¯m not making fun of you but, it¡¯s a difficult job for a kid¡¯s first mission right?¡¹


    ¡¸I won¡¯t know unless I try.¡¹


    ¡¸Well, I guess. Be careful so that you won¡¯t die right at your first job okay? In assassin guild anybody useful will be used even if it¡¯s a kid. After all even just a single nail can kill an adult as long as they let their guard down. But in this business, the highest mortality rate is at the first job so be careful out there.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Got it.¡¹


    Guy left behind those encouraging words along with a friendly smile. He left the weapon storage with a light footstep while whistling.


    I don¡¯t really get him but, thanks to him I learned most of the general knowledge of this place. I don¡¯t know how accurate his information is but, I¡¯ll use it effectively as basic information.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Dino has prepared my personal room in this guild, but right now I¡¯m still not planning to use it. Even while I was conversing with Guy, the observing presence and the suspecting hostility toward me never ceased.


    Death will always coil around me just by staying here. Besides this underground base has a slightly unpleasant smell. I went out of the assassin guild that very day and departed to the destination without meeting anyone.


    .


    Currently my target, the thieves Fang of Blade are located one week east from the territory of Margrave Dandall. It seems they are using the city of Count Sentrea¡¯s territory that has a dungeon as their base.


    Dungeon huh¡­¡­. There is information about it in the ¡°knowledge¡±, but it¡¯s my first time visiting one so I sorted the information inside my head.


    Originally the word dungeon meant underground prison on the underground of a castle, but in this world the word meant ruin or labyrinth that is haunted by monster. Being haunted by monster doesn¡¯t meant that a monster settle down in the dungeon, but that a monster literally haunted and fused with the ruin.


    It¡¯s said that this monster is an ancient hermit crab that was transformed into monster by magic particles. Just like how a hermit crab put on shell to protect itself, the monster used cavern as its ¡°shell¡± and invited living things into it so it can live by taking those living things¡¯ mana and life force.


    In order to obtain mana and life force efficiently, the monster needed to make the living things inside it to fight and lose their life. For that apparently dungeon evolved until a stage where they even absorbed knowledge from the residual thought of dead living thing, skillfully draw monster with low intelligence, and refined items that interested human using ore and the like.


    And when it came to the three largest dungeons in this country, it¡¯s said that the residual thoughts of humans there had grown to become spirit that would bestow Gift to those who reached its deepest level, but that kind of place is being managed by the country so it¡¯s difficult for thief to approach there. Because of that they generally used medium scale dungeon as hunting ground like this time.


    I visited a city and purchased the necessity before heading to the territory of Count Sentrea.


    My route is going south for a bit from this territory of Count Heydale and enter Dandall territory. From there I¡¯ll head to the east and travel for a total of ten days. I think I can arrive in around one week if I hurry but, I¡¯ll also train during the travel so this is my limit.


    My strength is still insufficient. I trained in the fundamental under master, but my ¡°experience¡± so that it got reflected on my skills and status are not enough.


    In master and my schedule, I would train intensely in the basic until I turn ten years old, and gradually made it become reflected in my status and skill after that, but then this unexpected situation arrived and I could only leave the forest while still weak.


    But I shall consider this as a good chance.


    By stumbling into master¡¯s place and putting myself under her protection, I became able to get a proper sleep for the first time since several years. But that was a ¡ºspoiled attitude of a child¡». Without me noticing I was getting dependent on master¡¯s good will like a normal child.


    Master got a bad mouth, but she noticed my condition and put a child like me under her care. But, that was no good. I finally noticed that it was no good. During the five months of me getting spoiled by mater, my growth was clearly slower compared to the first three month at the beginning when I couldn¡¯t even get a proper sleep.


    Let¡¯s put myself in an extreme situation once more, mind and body to retrain myself. In order for a mere child like me to oppose Grave and protect my important people, I have to go through training so intense that eroded my mind and soul.


    Thanks to master I also managed to patch up my knowledge that was full of hole to some degree. She also taught me the required technique and weapon.


    I¡¯ll save master. I¡¯ll save Elena. I¡¯ll obtain strength so I don¡¯t need to run away from fate. To accomplish that, I have to continue going forward without stopping for even a step.


    Fortunately, the assassin guild is providing me with things that are scarce to find in that forest. Powerful ¡°enemies¡± with capability to kill me. They can be used for my training.


    .


    I rushed through the forest at night while suppressing my presence. I¡¯m not going through road of stopping by at city.


    The forest at night is a training ground. There are animals and monsters with higher status than me here. I hid myself, searched for enemy¡¯s presence, ascertained them with my discernment, saw through the darkness, used all my physical abilities and dashed through the darkness, polishing the techniques that my body learned.


    ¡ºGugyah¡»


    A hobgoblin suddenly appeared. I encountered it right in front of me inside the dark forest. Both of us were surprised for an instant before I pushed down my emotion to the bottom of my heart before the hobgoblin can come to its sense.


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu¡¹


    I let out my breath and struck the jaw of the hobgoblin with the palm of my glove that had magic steel inserted. I vanished from its field of vision, even so the hobgoblin turned around. I slipped under its arm and put the string of the pendulum that I launched at the same time around its thick neck.


    ¡ºGah!?¡»


    I can¡¯t let it catch sight of me. I tightened the string around the hobgoblin¡¯s neck. The hobgoblin panicked from feeling the pain that it can¡¯t comprehend inside the darkness. After I circled behind it, I pulled the string while kicking the back of its head with the heel of my boots. Without pause I made my body floated and tightened the string with my whole body weight.


    ¡º¡­¡­gu¡­¡­gah¡»


    The hobgoblin suffocated and fell. Then I finished it off by stabbing the black knife from its ear until its brain.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I don¡¯t hold any grudge at you. You were my enemy because of this encounter. That¡¯s all there is to it.


    .


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  ¨C  Rank 2


    ¡¾Magic Power : 158/170¡¿¡÷ 5 UP¡¾Stamina : 123/130¡¿¡÷ 20 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 6 (7)¡¿¡¾Endurance : 7 (8)¡¿¡÷1UP¡¾Agility : 10 (12)¡¿¡÷2UP¡¾Dexterity : 7¡¿


    ¡¶Short Sword Skill Level 2¡·¡¶Martial Art Level 2¡·¡¶Throwing Level 2¡·¡¶String Control Level 2¡·¡÷1UP


    ¡¶Light Magic Level 2¡·¡¶Darkness Magic Level 2¡·¡¶Non-Elemental Magic Level 2¡·


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·¡¶Magic Power Control Level 2¡·¡¶Pressure Level 2¡·


    ¡¶Stealth Level 2¡·¡¶Night Vision Level 2¡·¡¶Search Level 2¡·¡¶Poison Resistance Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Simple Appraisal¡·


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 171 (With Body Strengthening : 190)¡¿¡÷ 28 UP


    .


    Master taught me. That combat skull doesn¡¯t grow from physical ability only.


    The precise location of blood veins and internal organs. What is the correct position and what kind of attack to neutralize the enemy. If you understand those, it will become easy whether to kill or let your opponent alive.


    Skill doesn¡¯t grow only from technique, but also from ¡°knowledge¡±. That was the reason the immature me could obtain skill and became able to fight in just several months.


    While I¡¯m moving, I continued to train my mind and body the whole time. Ten days later, I arrived at the territory of Count Sentrea that is located at the east side along the coast.

 Volume 2 - CH 8

    ¡¸¡­¡­Welcome.¡¹


    *Cling*¡­¡­the bell that was attached on the door rang. The middle aged shopkeeper frowned slightly at the appearance of the entering customer.


    This place was a apothecary that was ran by an alchemist. Although this place was called an apothecary, it didn¡¯t only sell medicine to treat human¡¯s wound and sickness. It also sold herbicide or poison to kill mouse, and it also sold things like alchemy ingredient although not much.


    That customer was wearing a worn out cloak that covered their whole body. The hood was also covering their face, but some customers occasionally also came here to buy dangerous medicine or substance, so the shopkeeper thought that this customer also that kind of customer.


    No matter how suspicious the customer was, the shopkeeper couldn¡¯t afford to be picky. Especially the type of customer that came with their face hidden, in some case they might be a servant of a noble who intentionally wore dirty outfit to disguise themselves, so the shopkeeper was scared that carelessly driving them away would cause retaliation to him later.


    ¡¸Are you selling monster material here?¡¹


    ¡¸Well, I do but¡­¡­I¡¯m not selling anything other than alchemy material you know? If you want something rare, go to the adventurer guild or merchant guild.¡¹


    From the voice the customer might be a young girl. She shook her head at the shopkeeper¡¯s words and ordered materials that weren¡¯t rare in this city and materials that were rare but still sold even in this shop.


    ¡¸You look young, but are you an alchemist? That¡¯s a really unusual assortment of item you are asking for. If you don¡¯t mind, can you tell me what are you going to use them for?¡¹


    The shopkeeper took out the ordered items from the back of the shop before he asked due to his curiosity as a fellow alchemist. The customer who was walking toward the door after paying the cost stopped for a bit and turned around a little.


    ¡¸They are just for ¡°exterminating bugs¡±.¡¹


    The territory of Count Sentrea is a main road on the route that connected the capital until the neighboring country Gordor Dukedom. The territory¡¯s capital is very thriving although not at the level of Dandall. Is it because it¡¯s near the sea? There is a faint strange smell from the city. I realized that it¡¯s the smell of salt from my ¡°knowledge¡±.


    My travelling outfit and cloak has become very dirty due to my training on the way here. Normally I¡¯d infiltrate the city from the slum district or some other spot, but this time I¡¯ll also stop by at the adventurer guild so I cleaned my body with Clean and entered the city from the front gate by paying a silver coin.


    I guess I¡¯ll need to change my clothes too before long¡­¡­. Even after cleaning my attire, the city guard at the gate still looked at me funny. That¡¯s just how tattered my outfit has become. Either way I need to dress up a bit better in order to lay the ¡°trap¡±.


    First I pulled down my cloak¡¯s hood low to cover my eyes and looked around at the condition of the city. Most of the city¡¯s main facilities are located  along the main street. And then the adventurer guild will be at the side of the merchant guild no matter the city.


    My targets are thieves who hunted the rookies. Most of their crimes are carried out inside the dungeon, so I need to obtain the dungeon¡¯s information from the adventurer guild, but there is something that I have to do first before that.


    To kill time until then, I buy things like soup and the like from food stands while also talking to the stall owners. From the m I learned that there is only one dungeon near here and bug monsters are living there.


    ¡¸Even if you call it a dungeon, there is nothing there that can become a local specialty here from hunting bugs like that.¡¹


    ¡¸There isn¡¯t anything good there?¡¹


    ¡¸No, not completely. I heard you can harvest medicine ingredient from the bug¡¯s organs. It¡¯s disgusting but it made medicine¡¯s price to be cheaper so that helps. It can¡¯t be considered as local specialty though!¡¹


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­¡¹


    In this world, living thing that is strengthened by magic particle won¡¯t get sick easily. Even so the commoners can still get sick quiet easily, but most sickness generally is treated by drinking nutritious tonic and sleep.


    That means, such ingredients can be harvested from the insects of this dungeon. In that case perhaps there are usable insect materials here. I asked at a shop of an alchemist that can be trusted and headed toward that direction too.


    .


    After buying alchemy materials, I slipped into the city at night and waited until it became dark. I arrived at my destination just before the ¡°first bell¡± rang to signal that it¡¯s midnight.


    It¡¯s the biggest church in this city. The place is opened for the whole day. I entered inside the empty confession room and sat on a wooden bench. There I waited for the time.


    *Gooooon*¡­¡­.


    The clock tower¡¯s bell rang once. I confirmed the faint sound of a magic tool¡¯s key being unlocked. I crouched and lifted the seat that shouldn¡¯t be able to open. I collected the paper bundle inside and left behind several silver coins as the information fee. Then I returned the seat back to its original position before leaving the church immediately.


    This is a big city so there are still people even at this kind of time, like in the bar, but there is nobody that can be seen around this area where the church is located. I stared at the street that should be empty and let out a small voice.


    ¡¸Hmm~¡­¡­¡¹


    I erased my presence and entered the slum. I found an abandoned building and read the document that I collected in there.


    This document contained the target¡¯s information that was investigated by the contacts here. The last date of the document is two days ago. If it¡¯s just that long then this information can be considered as the latest.


    The rookie hunting thieves, the Fang of Blade had down themselves in the adventurer guild here from the dungeon that is located two days from here.


    Their cycle of ¡°work¡± is rotating around a week where they would dive into the dungeon for three days and resting for three days, including the travel time. They would search for their next prey during that break time. The requirements of their prey are low ranked adventurer who doesn¡¯t number more than two. They would steal money and equipment from the nicely dressed targets while those with nice appearance would get kidnapped and sold as slave with the intermediary of the guild.


    However, even if they are unable to find any prey that fulfill their requirements, they won¡¯t overdo themselves by targeting any random person. In that case they will do the activity of normal adventurer so that the people around them won¡¯t suspect them as thief.


    Even so because of this time¡¯s client accusation toward them, their evaluation in the adventurer guild has worsened. Even so there is no definite proof so they don¡¯t get punished, rather some of the rowdy adventurers even sympathized with them thinking that they got suspected by the wrong accusation of cocky beginners who took on more than they could chew. That¡¯s what written in the document.


    Because of the adventurer guild suspecting them, there is a chance that the Fang of Blade will change their base of operation, so it¡¯s desirable if they can be taken care of quickly¡­¡­hm.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Fire¡¹


    I burned the paper before leaving the abandoned building.


    I have decided what I¡¯m going to do to some degree. The rest depended on whether I have the strength to carry it out or not. I also found one other thing that I have to deal with but, in order to settle things including that, I sneaked into the shed of a private house and began making something.


    .


    The next day, after I cleaned my body with Clean, I visited a second hand clothes shop that seemed to be good that I found during my stroll around the city yesterday. I entered inside as soon as it opened.


    ¡¸Welcom¡­¡­¡¹


    A young woman who seemed to be the shopkeeper froze seeing me entering the shop as soon as it opened while wearing slightly dirty cloak to hide my appearance.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Err, this is clothes shop for girl you know?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m a girl more or less.¡¹


    When I pulled down my hood and showed my face to the slightly bewildered shopkeeper, she blinked repeatedly. I¡¯ve erased the illusionary ash on my hair. It seemed that in this state I at least looked like a girl and the dubious looking shopkeeper finally smiled again.


    ¡¸Are you a traveler? I thought you are a street urchin because you¡¯re dressed like that. If you want the same type of outfit like what you¡¯re wearing right now, then we also have clothes for boy here although we don¡¯t have that many of them. Look around as you please¡­¡­or that¡¯s what I want to say, however there is still no other customer here so I¡¯ll help you look.¡¹


    After realizing that I¡¯m a child, the shopkeeper changed her speaking tone to match by speaking informally. I myself am not really knowledgeable about clothes so her offer really helps me, but it¡¯s not like I want to buy kiddy clothes.


    ¡¸Do you have clothes that can make me look feminine?¡¹


    My purpose for buying clothes is to dress as woman. Describing it like that sound strange because I¡¯m woman by nature, but this time I¡¯m planning to especially dress up femininely.


    There are two types of second hand clothes shop. Shop that resold cheap clothes worn by commoner, and shop that sell moderately good second hand items from wealthy merchant or low ranked noble. This shop is the latter and they have quite a lot of merchandises.


    With the shopkeeper¡¯s recommendation, I chose a stylish light green dress that is easy to move in. To match that I also chose high laced cloth boots and a new cloak. Although the shopkeeper grimaced at the tattered clothes that I¡¯m wearing to here, she allowed me to change inside the shop. When I came out of the dressing room, the color of the shopkeeper¡¯s eyes changed.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Can I, fiddle with your hair for a bit?¡¹


    ¡¸I guess¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Do you also want to try some make up, just a little is fine¡­¡­?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The female shopkeeper is breathing roughly for some reason. I got handled a lot by her and it took an hour after that when I finished with my shopping. I¡¯m feeling slightly tired, but for some reason the shopkeeper is smiling in satisfaction toward me.


    .


    When I entered the adventurer guild after finishing all of my ¡°preparations¡±, the slightly noisy atmosphere quiet down and gazes of the type that I also felt on my way here are directed toward me.


    The majority of this city¡¯s adventurers will either hunt monsters outside the city or head to the dungeon in order to obtain magic stones and materials. Even so the guild is also providing manual labor work at the harbor that pays quite well and bodyguard job, so many adventurers showed up at the guild in the morning to check the request.


    But, only adventurers with good reputation can accept the profitable job. The low ranked adventurers accepted dangerous jobs in order to obtain reputation and died. The adventurer guild also doubled as a meeting place for adventurers who lost their comrade from such event or those who wanted to search for member to form a new party.


    Previously, when I entered the guild together with Viro, the atmosphere felt like some adventurers would pick a fight with me if only Viro wasn¡¯t at my side, but this time the type of gaze toward me in different from that time.


    ¡¸Welcome to the adventurer guild. Do you want to make a request?¡¹


    ¡¸I want to register as adventurer. I¡¯m a level 1 ¡°light sorcerer¡±.¡¹


    The receptionist¡¯s face slightly twitched at my statement. The sound of commotion is spreading through the guild.


    One of my reasons to visit the adventurer guild is for ¡ºfake status and name¡». There is a risk of Grave¡¯s organization looking for my previously registered adventurer name. They should be thinking that I¡¯m dead but, it¡¯s better for me to keep vigilant, and I can use the false name and guild card from here as disposable thing.


    And then the other reason is to lay the ¡°trap¡±.


    The reason the receptionist¡¯s face twitched because the number of sorcerer among commoner is few and there is a risk of young light magician to be treated as disposable by other adventurers, but that¡¯s exactly why this will become a ¡°bait¡± for my trap.


    ¡¸Please come over here.¡¹


    The receptionist said that quickly with hard tone and grabbed my arm to drag me to the back. As expected, she lectured me for announcing my ability inside the guild and the danger that would follow me because of that, but it¡¯s already too late.


    ¡¸I understand. Then please give me the examination.¡¹


    ¡¸Y-you-¡¹


    I understand that she is worried for me but, I also have a reason why I can¡¯t withdraw here.


    When I asked for the examination with a conduct that I learned from my maid training, the receptionist looked like she wanted to scold me again but, as a guild staff she can¡¯t refuse my request. After that I used Cure to heal a guild staff¡¯s waist pain and I became rank 1 light sorcerer Anya without incident.


    From the start even Aria is a fake name but, I won¡¯t be troubled no matter how many fake identity I have. For adventurer who want to become famous, registering multiple times is simply pointless but, using fake name is only natural for people of the underworld.


    .


    ¡¸Then please wait for around nine hours.¡¹


    The slightly displeased receptionist told me that. To wait until the tag that will serve as my guild identification to be finished, I¡¯m looking at the wall where there are only heavy manual labor works like road building and the like remaining. As I¡¯m doing that, there are scrutinizing gazes that felt like they are licking all over me being directed at me.


    Right now I¡¯m wearing light green dress and high laced boots with a thin cloak like a mantel covering me. My hair is down and I¡¯m holding an old staff that is used by sorcerer. There is a knife hanging on my waist and a leather bag hanging on my shoulder. With that the appearance of a ¡ºbeginner magician who is ignorant of the world¡» is completed.


    My height has grown even more and I have the appearance of an eleven year old child. Thanks to the shopkeeper of the second hand clothes shop working hard for some reason, she gave me her seal of approval that I looked like a twelve years old or a thirteen years old who is at the small side.


    I used one golden coin for this disguise but, I¡¯ll be able to use it again for later, and the shopkeeper also gave me a large discount so let¡¯s just consider it as a gain for me.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    There are these persistent gazes on me, but there is no sign of anyone approaching me. I tried to have the appearance of a young lady of a low ranked noble but, perhaps I should dress more roughly than this? But, I already registered with the guild and gathered this much attention, so I can¡¯t dress another way at this point, so perhaps I¡¯ll need to wait for several days¡­¡­as I¡¯m preparing myself for such possibility, a hesitant voice called out to me from behind.


    ¡¸H-hey, you-, are you by any chance alone?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes?¡¹


    When I turned around toward the voice, I saw that it¡¯s an adult¡­¡­no, a young man who might be younger than that. He is perhaps around fourteen or fifteen and accompanied with other people of his age.


    ¡¸We, started being adventurer since this summer. But, all of us are vanguard and none of us can do any sorcery¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Y-yep-¡¹


    ¡¸If you want, how about joining us¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡­¡­A miss.


    ¡¸My deepest apologies.¡¹


    They aren¡¯t my target. I faced them fully and lowered my head to apologize so as to not cause any offense¡­¡­but, there is no respond. I wondered what¡¯s the matter and lifted my head. There the young men are frozen with red faces.


    ¡¸¡­¡­?¡¹


    ¡¸N-no, that¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹


    Really, just what¡¯s the matter with them? When I tilted my head quizzically, the young man who called out to me first started to look flustered and gathered the attention from other adventurers too.


    ¡­¡­Did I anger him perhaps? Perhaps I immersed myself in the young lady role too much and acted too politely? But there©¤©¤


    ¡¸Oi brats! You are bothering the lady there-¡¹


    The one who said that and rebuked the young men are three adventurers who looked to be in the middle of their twenty. One of them put himself between me and the young me. The other two grabbed the shoulders of the young men and dragged them away from me.


    The first young man looked overwhelmed facing the adventurers who clearly looked stronger than his group, even so he doesn¡¯t back down.


    ¡¸W-we are, proper adventurers-¡¹


    ¡¸If you are adventurer, don¡¯t try making that kind of strange pass with the girls, go outside and hunt some goblins-¡¹


    One of the adventurers lightly glared at those young men and drove them away. They went away reluctantly while looking back several times, even so they went out of the guild quietly. After seeing them off, the short haired man who spoke up first made a reassuring smile and spoke to me with a tone of consideration.


    ¡¸Miss, that was a disaster huh. It¡¯s dangerous for a pretty girl like you to be alone.¡¹


    ¡¸But, it¡¯s fine now. We have chased them out.¡¹


    ¡¸Not all adventurers are like them. Those guys are also still young so forgive them.¡¹


    The remaining two also smiled really nicely and used nice sounding words even while ¡°psychologically leading¡± me to think that being alone is bad.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Thank you for the help.¡¹


    I quietly bowed my head and showed them the business smile that I learned from Sera. I¡¯m not really good at making this smile, but it seemed the men interpreted my awkwardness positively as me still feeling scared.


    ¡¸Are you nervous? It¡¯s alright, there is no need for that anymore.¡¹


    ¡¸But, those guys, they looked like they were really fixated with this young miss. Is she going to be okay?¡¹


    ¡¸Yeah, they might ambush her again outside.¡¹


    One of them spoke reassuringly at me even while the other two were talking worrying things as though they were having idle conversation.


    ¡¸Is that so¡­¡­¡¹


    I slightly frowned to look as though it will be troubling if what they are saying is right. Then the first man made a refreshing smile and gave me a suggestion with a line that sounded like something that he has prepared beforehand.


    ¡¸Then if you like, how about coming with us for today and tomorrow at least? We don¡¯t mind even if it¡¯s only until you can be really sure that you¡¯re safe.¡¹


    ¡¸Aa, nice idea, that one.¡¹


    ¡¸We ourselves won¡¯t need to worry to death in that case.¡¹


    The three smiled cheerfully as they said things that are convenient only for me. I pretended to think for a bit before nodding a bit with an apologetic look.


    ¡¸¡­¡­If that won¡¯t be a bother then, can I ask that from you misters?¡¹


    A short haired man with one-handed sword and a shield.


    A red haired man with a hand axe and a bow.


    A man with shaven head carrying two short swords.


    Their features matched with what was written in the ¡°document¡±.


    ¡­¡­I hit the ¡°jackpot¡± this time.


    The three people that made up the adventurer party Fang of Blade had become famous in the adventurer guild. Of course not in a good way.


    All of the young adventurers who got involved with them became missing in the dungeon. Death was always right nearby inside the dungeon, and there were many beginners who lost their life there due to carelessness, so the adventurer guild also couldn¡¯t question the matter too much, but a young man who once partied with another young woman accused the Fang of Blade of attacking them in the dungeon, so the situation changed.


    Even so no corpse remained in the dungeon after the monsters got to it. With no proof, they couldn¡¯t be charged but, in exchange now the adventurer guild was suspecting them.


    ¡¸To think that man could reach the adventurer guild with that injury¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Things were going too well for us until now. WE should just kill them and take only their money without getting too greedy thinking to sell the woman.¡¹


    ¡¸In the end that woman also died to allow that man to escape. Guess it¡¯s time for us to leave this city soon. We¡¯re going to get purged by the thief guild if we stand out too much yeah.¡¹


    The three were thieves who belonged to the thief guild despite being adventurers.


    They weren¡¯t being undercover or anything, their membership was legit in both guilds, but their main profession was thief. But, their thief type skill was meager and so they were just low ranked thieves. That was why they weren¡¯t doing robbery in the city where skill was necessary, but got the idea of hunting rookies in the dungeon to get money.


    Thief generally didn¡¯t kill ordinary people because the thief guild disliked when a case got too big. Even so it was a gray zone when the crime scene was in a dungeon and the victim was adventurer, but this time the thief guild was also keeping its eyes on them because they got suspected in their crime.


    ¡¸It will be better if we move to somewhere else but, do we have enough money to keep us going until things get back on track?¡¹


    ¡¸You spent too much money. Are you still paying the guild¡¯s share?¡¹


    ¡¸Either way, it will be hard unless if we earn a bit more¡­¡­¡¹


    To change location and start doing ¡°work¡± from beginning again, it would be necessary to pay money to the branch of the thief guild in that area. Such expense would be painful for low ranked thieves like them. In order to earn the required money, they decided to do several more jobs here but, a different problem came up with that choice.


    The number of job they could do in this place was only one or two more times at best. The amount of money they could get from killing rookie adventurer didn¡¯t amount to much. In order to save enough money, the best way would be to kidnap girl but, their skill was insufficient to capture someone without harming them.


    Until now they didn¡¯t really care even if the amount of money they got from selling to the guild was lowered because their kidnapping victim was injured to some degree. But if they wanted to earn some amount of money in short time, they couldn¡¯t give injury that would leave scar to their victim. But, their combat strength was only around rank 2. If an adventurer resisted them seriously even if she was a woman, it was possibly that they would have to kill the woman like before.


    But, one night while they were worrying about that, a ¡°thief¡± called out to them as though he knew about their difficulty.


    ¡¸You guys, do you want some sleeping drug?¡¹


    It was a Cruzian man with tanned skin. They never saw him around here before but, that man showed them the symbol of thief guild. It seemed that he didn¡¯t have enough money for the offering to this area¡¯s guild branch, so he asked them if they wanted to buy his drug. He would sell it for cheap.


    The cost of three silver coins was painful to their wallet but, it was far cheaper compared to the deduction to their payment for the doctor¡¯s bill to treat their victim¡¯s wound that would leave behind scar. They ascertained the effect just in case, and then they thought that they were going to use this drug, then they would have to pick a prey that could definitely sell for a high price. The next day they visited the adventurer guild for the sake of looking around and found a girl there.


    .


    That girl was a rookie sorcerer who came to register with the adventurer guild. Furthermore she was a light sorcerer who was rare to find outside the holy church and she also had a nice appearance. She instantly gathered the attention of the adventurers inside the guild.


    No, she was already naturally drawing people¡¯s eyes from when she entered the guild. She was still too young to be called a woman but, even so she was a girl with ¡ºatmosphere¡» that caused people to follow her with their eyes.


    It was understandable for those young men to be captivated by her. Most likely this girl was from a well-to-do family. Although she was wearing a cloak and carrying an old staff, they could feel her good lineage oozing out from her conduct.


    Looking from her attire, she seemed like she had money on her and her look was also nice. She was still too young to do that kind of job but, educated young girl could be sold expensively to noble of certain taste. Her price would jump even higher if she could also use light sorcery.


    Perhaps she was really ignorant of the way of the world just as her appearance suggested. After they helped her from the young men who hounded her and gave her consolations that were nice to listen, she fell for their honeyed talk and agreed to accompany them for several days just like a stupid little girl.


    The girl¡¯s name was Anya, twelve years old. They asked her to show them the tag of adventurer guild that she had just received and confirmed her name and her status as a beginner sorcerer.


    Seeing someone with bad reputation like them approaching her, the guild¡¯s receptionist apparently warned her but, it seemed that ignorant little girl had gotten into some kind of discord with that receptionist at the beginning. They somehow made use of that opening and successfully brought Anya with them outside.


    .


    ¡¸You must have an interest with the dungeon if you chose to become an adventurer right? Want to try entering there?¡¹


    Rookie adventurer couldn¡¯t easily enter inside a dungeon. Because other than knowledge, things like lantern, portable food, blanket and the like for staying the night were also needed. A chance to enter a dungeon with the accompaniment of senior adventurers to guard them was something rare that might never come again. When they gave her such invitation, Anya hesitated for a bit before she nodded slightly.


    (¡­¡­So cute.)


    It wasn¡¯t like they were lolicon. But seeing Anya nodding without saying anything much, perhaps because she was feeling embarrassed from being treated like a princess by several older men, it caused a natural smile to form on their face despite being kidnappers who were going to kidnap and sell her.


    The distance from this city until the dungeon was around half a day of walking. It was still noon but, they would arrive at the evening if they departed now. At that point Anya wouldn¡¯t be able to ask to go home. And thinking of the risk that a pursuer from the adventurer guild might follow, they decided to hire a fast carriage to carry them until the dungeon.


    This looked like they were running away from the adventurer guild while taking her away, so they might not be able to do any more job in this city after this but, even after paying the carriage fee, they should be able to earn enough if they sold someone like Anya.


    The ¡ºatmosphere¡» that this girl had was enough to make them thought like that. It seemed that from the start Anya wasn¡¯t a girl who liked to talk much, she often only stared at the scenery outside even inside the carriage, but her face seen from the side that was giving off an ephemeral atmosphere made them hesitated to even call out to her. She looked like a single flower that was blooming at high place beyond their reach.


    She looked adorable but she didn¡¯t have a dazzling beauty like a beautiful princess. Her personality was quiet and she also wasn¡¯t acting particularly charming. Even so the mysterious atmosphere around Anya made adults like them to be unable to tear their eyes away from her for some reason even though they knew that this girl was still just a child. This girl was hiding an enticing ¡°devilishness¡± inside her.


    If the girl kept maturing like this, how many men she would lead astray in the future who would sought for her hand even if they had to discard their fianc¨¦e and status for that? Such thinking crossed their mind for an instant and sent chills to their back.


    The three were staring wordlessly in fascination at the way her sparkling pink tinted blond hair fluttered by the wind. When Anya suddenly turned her gaze toward them, her jade green eyes caused their heart to jump inside their chest.


    ¡¸Are we there yet?¡¹


    ¡¸A-aa, just a bit more¡­¡­¡¹


    .


    Their destination, the medium scale dungeon came into view. It was thought that this dungeon first appeared around 300 years ago. It still only had thirty floors constructed, it was a dungeon that was relatively suited for beginner.


    It seemed that it was originally a natural cavern, but its transformation into dungeon caused the passage to be wide and flat, and the rock surface shined faintly. The structure was becoming easier for human to enter and for monster to settle down. Most of the monsters that appeared here were insect type like caterpillar and the like. The monsters had no attractiveness other than their magic stone or organ that could be used as medicine, but conversely, there were still unexplored parts here and there were also a lot of blindspot that no one wouldn¡¯t visit.


    ¡¸Anya, over here.¡¹


    ¡¸There is a good hunting place here.¡¹


    ¡¸Keep it a secret from anybody else okay-¡¹


    In order to put the girl into the trap, they passed the first floor of the dungeon where there were many witnesses and guided the girl deep into the second floor.


    It was difficult for people with meager combat strength like them to capture their target unharmed, but this time they had sleeping drug. They were putting the drug into her drink bit by bit during break time and meal time. They didn¡¯t put the drug in all at once because there were cases when the target died when they were given the sleeping drug too much at once.


    But, although they had mixed the drug once at the lunch and in her tea when they took a break, there had been no change at all with Anya¡¯s condition from the start.


    (¡­¡­Did he put in too little?)


    The short haired man glanced at Anya who was following behind him without any vigilance at all.


    The red haired man who used bow was the one in charge of administering the poison. He was a playboy but, he shouldn¡¯t be a man who was interested with kid or a man who blundered in his job because of that. But the way the red haired man kept talking t Anya as though to attract her interest irritated the short haired man.


    (Don¡¯t tell me, he isn¡¯t getting ¡°serious¡± with her isn¡¯t he¡­¡­?)


    He wondered if the red haired man was getting too concerned with the girl and failed in administering the sleeping drug.


    How serious that man was getting with this girl? The girl was still a child¡­¡­but, if only he met this girl ten years ago¡­..no, five years ago, then perhaps he would be walking the path as an adventurer under the sunlight instead of being a trivial thief like this.


    The man unconsciously averted his gaze from the girl when such thought settled inside his chest, then he saw that the man with shaven head was also making a frown in displeasure while watching the red haired man.


    (Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡­this guy too!?)


    The short haired man shuddered at Anya¡¯s ¡°devilishness¡±.  Could it be, that the two might be thinking of not selling the girl but monopolizing her for themselves?


    Ten years ago¡­¡­the three who had just left their rural town were overflowing with hope. They were looking toward the future just like those young men who hounded Anya in the guild. However before they realized it¡­¡­they had given up in living a decent life and preyed on other people.


    If those young men could form a party with Anya, they might be able to go to a radiant adventure. But such thing wouldn¡¯t possible anymore for them. Even if dirty people like them stayed together with Anya, a bright future would never come to them.


    But was that true? Was that really the case¡­¡­? It was hopeless with the three of them. But, if it was just one of them?


    It still wasn¡¯t too late¡­¡­it was possible to start over if it was just one of them. Rather than handing Anya to these men who could be so easily led astray by her devilishness, it should be better if it was him who got the chance to start over with Anya.


    (Aa¡­¡­)


    When he looked at Anya, his eyes were dazzled by that radiance. His chest tightened painfully just from looking at her. When he looked at nothing else buy Anya inside his hazy thought, the red haired man who was looking at Anya in the same way like him suddenly fell on his knee before falling unconscious.


    (What¡¯s wrong¡­¡­? That guy, did he get punished from having wicked thoughts in his mind?)


    The man with shaved head walked toward that red haired man, but he too fell on his knees when he took his first step and his body pitched forward.


    (I see¡­¡­so this guy also got wicked thoughts in his head.)


    The short haired man thought that with his hazy mind. These dirty guys tried to monopolize Anya for themselves so they got punished. The god was watching. The god was giving him the chance for a start over.


    His chest felt painful as though it was constricted. His field of vision turned dark and he could see nothing else but her. Amidst that, Anya who was shining inside the light reached out with her hand toward her. The short haired man fell on his knees as though to pray to god.


    (Wh¡­¡­at?)


    Like that the short haired man fell. He couldn¡¯t comprehend why he was falling. Did they step on a dungeon¡¯s trap without noticing? But it¡¯s fine. With Anya who can use light sorcery here, she would be able to heal him even if it¡¯s poison.


    The short haired man stayed down on the ground while reaching his hand toward Anya, looking for help. But, reflected in his eyes wasn¡¯t an angelic smile that would grant mercy. It was her looking down on them expressionlessly with a chilling gaze as she unsheathed a sharp black knife.


    Inside a small room in the dungeon, I finished off the three men who can¡¯t move from poison by slitting their throats.


    To prove the completion of the request, it should be enough to hand the three¡¯s tags to the client. It looked like I was able to finish them off surprisingly easily, but the cause was that they let their guard down against me. I dressed like this in order to make them careless but, I wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat them this easily if they suspected me even for just the slightest bit.


    These three led me to a place where no other adventurer would come on their own, so I can just leave it to the monsters of the dungeon to take care of their corpses. Now then©¤©¤


    *Hyun-!*


    A blade was thrown at me from behind. I bent so low as though to crawl on the ground to dodge it. The crescent moon shaped sword passed above me and stabbed into the earth wall of the dungeon.


    ¡¸¡­¡­How about coming out already?¡¹


    I stood up while calling out to the darkness. There the air slightly wavered and a man appeared as though he was oozing out from the darkness.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Strange. I was really confident with my Stealth but, since when did you notice me?¡¹


    The one who appeared was the Cruzian youth who taught me a lot of things in the assassin guild, Guy.


    Most opponent could be killed easily if they were targeted the moment they were ¡°careless¡± when they finished their job. I could dodge that attack easily because I was on my guard against it from the start.


    ¡¸From the church last night.¡¹


    ¡¸So it was from the start huh-! Uwaa, I don¡¯t have any confidence now.¡¹


    ¡¸You can be confident. You were hiding properly.¡¹


    Even so it wasn¡¯t at Viro¡¯s level. Besides because he was skilled with it, the ¡°shape of human¡± was properly visible to my eyes.


    ¡¸Even if I¡¯m told that by a kid¡­¡­¡¹


    Guy scratched his head somewhat in frustration while looking at me with a cold gaze.


    ¡¸And, how did you sense my attack just now? Even if you noticed me, was it really possible to suddenly dodge after getting abruptly attacked like that?¡¹


    ¡¸Forget about that. What¡¯s your intention?¡¹


    What was thrown at me from behind was a weapon called scimitar that Guy had. I managed to dodge it but, I would die if I was unlucky.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me, it was ¡°in exchange of greeting¡±¡­¡­you aren¡¯t going to say that right?¡¹


    ¡¸No way.¡¹


    Guy grinned and pulled out a second scimitar from his waist. He twirled it on his hand.


    ¡¸It¡¯s a request from Keira. She told me to give you a painful experience. She can¡¯t move because Dino is keeping her eyes on her, so I¡¯m here in her place.¡¹


    As expected, he isn¡¯t thinking of going as far as killing me seeing that I¡¯m a ¡°hostage¡± against master. No, if it¡¯s Keira then she might try to do so but, that¡¯s why Dino is keeping his eye on her.


    ¡¸What, ash covered. You ain¡¯t surprised? I was acting as a ¡ºfriendly older brother¡» really well right?¡¹


    ¡¸Guy yourself aren¡¯t surprised aren¡¯t you? Did you notice my gender?¡¹


    ¡¸Ou, you¡¯re completely different when you dressed the part eh. I too would be totally fooled if I didn¡¯t know. Well, ordinary people might not notice it but, even if it¡¯s a kid like you, but when you have grown until that big, those who are sharp enough will still notice. The position of the waist between man and woman is different.¡¹


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­¡¹


    I didn¡¯t know that. I¡¯ll use that as reference.


    ¡¸Even so, you finished the job too damn easily there. It seemed they were also poisoning you, and yet it was them who got killed with poison. Hopeless.¡¹


    Guy approached and kicked the thieves¡¯ corpses. He stopped moving just a step away from my range, with the corpses lying between us.


    ¡¸Even though I gave them really expensive sleeping drug that has no smell and taste, these damn incompetents¡­¡­-¡¹


    With Poison Resistance you can endure poison to some degree, and if it¡¯s sleeping drug then I can guess what is its ingredients somewhat. I wondered how could these guys had such strong poison but, if it was because of Guy¡¯s involvement, it gave me a glimpse at just how serious Keira was.


    ¡¸Well, you ran out of luck because you are too capable like this. It was your misfortune that you caught Keira¡¯s attention. Even she will be satisfied if you got a big scar on your face, so just quietly let yourself get scarred. Just remember from now that a brat shouldn¡¯t put on air too much. You wanna live long right?¡¹


    Guy took a stance with his scimitar and gradually let loose his killing intent. This man¡¯s mana was low, but his status was purely high. He was a troublesome opponent to get into a head-on confrontation with.


    ¡¸I don¡¯t care about that but¡­¡­I haven¡¯t mentioned the reason why I wasn¡¯t surprised and could dodge the surprise attack just now right?¡¹


    ¡¸Hm?¡¹


    Guy stopped moving for a bit from my words while taking a stance where he could attack any time.


    ¡¸You see¡­¡­¡¹


    I strengthened the magic that I have been using the whole time since several minutes ago.


    ¡¸That¡¯s because I ¡°believe¡± if it¡¯s that woman, she absolutely will try something.¡¹


    ¡¸Haa? ¡­¡­A? A!?¡¹


    Guy was about to take a step forward while making a puzzled face when he fell on his knee and raised his voice in confusion.


    ¡¸W-what? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡­poison!?¡¹


    Guy glared at me with a bewildered gaze because his feet suddenly can¡¯t move.


    ¡¸Since when? You shouldn¡¯t have any time to use this kind of powerful poison-!¡¹


    Guy too must at least have Poison Resistance if he is an assassin. Even so poison should still work on him if it¡¯s a powerful one, so he should be on his guard against me who used poison. Powerful poison also has strong smell or taste, so it can¡¯t be mixed with food. It¡¯s possible to smear it on weapon, but Guy hasn¡¯t gotten attacked yet.


    That was why Guy misunderstood that I gradually administered the poison to the rookie hunters with a way like mixing it into their food.


    ¡¸Why is my feet can¡¯t move¡­¡­shit-¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s the nerve poison that master created. It¡¯s really effective even though you have Poison Resistance right?¡¹


    If he has no Poison Resistance, his mind will also become hazy just like the rookie hunters and even his internal organ should stop functioning. Conversely because he has Poison Resistance, Guy couldn¡¯t notice the poison at its early stage.


    ¡¸If it¡¯s poison then I have been using it the whole time.¡¹


    I threw the porcelain jar that I brought with me as spare. The thinly created jar broke in front of Guy.


    ¡¸This is-!¡¹


    ¡¸You realized? It¡¯s an insect¡¯s scent gland, but you have experience of sniffing it right?¡¹


    This liquid has bad smell but with a faint sweet scent mixed in. I purchased it from the alchemist¡¯s store. It was an item that was made from processed scent gland of a monster caterpillar that it used for marking its turf. In this dungeon, this smell can be found anywhere. Diluted it can become agricultural chemical and undiluted it can also become monster repellant.


    I used this monster repellant to avoid the monsters that could get in the way of the assassination. And then©¤©¤


    ¡¸If there is a smell this strong, then even poison with strong smell won¡¯t be noticed if it¡¯s spread out thinly¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Ash covered¡­¡­you, don¡¯t tell me¡¹


    Guy noticed what I did and opened his eyes wide.


    ¡¸You are saying that you were spreading poison even knowing that you would also get poisoned!?¡¹


    Master¡¯s poison is powerful. It¡¯s not something that can be endured even if you have Poison Resistance. But I know about the poison¡¯s substance.


    Even now I have been using Treat the whole time. It won¡¯t have any effect if I don¡¯t understand the poison¡¯s ingredients, and its effect is a weak one that can only erase the poison gradually, but it¡¯s possible for it to treat the effect of a vaporized poison if it¡¯s used immediately. Even so I would get violated by the poison if my focus wavered, and it also caused me to be unable to fight properly, but I staked my life into this gamble and won.


    Guy realized that and glared at me in astonishment.


    ¡¸Haha¡­¡­are you sane? Using poison that also affected yourself, are you touched in the head huh?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m aware.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Oi oi, are you serious? You are seriously going to kill me? I was just going to hurt you a little and then consider everything to be water under the bridge you know? Do you know what gonna happen to Serjura by doing something like this?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Just like how I¡¯m a ¡°hostage¡± against master, master is also a ¡°shackle¡± that binds me. That¡¯s why Dino and Guy are thinking that master and I can¡¯t go against the assassin guild. But©¤©¤


    ¡¸Guy, you¡¯re an assassin, and yet you¡¯re¡­¡­na?ve huh.¡¹


    ¡¸What¡­¡­¡¹


    I threw another jar at Guy. Thinking that it¡¯s poison, Guy swung his sword with his upper body that can still move. He tried to repel away the jar without breaking it.


    *Gashan-!*


    ¡¸Kuh¡¹


    The tip of the pendulum that I threw at the same time with Guy¡¯s sword damaged the jar. It then got smashed by Guy¡¯s sword and the content is scattered.


    ¡¸It¡¯s not¡­¡­poison? What¡¯s, this smell?¡¹


    ¡¸The poison I spread in this room should disperse soon. I can add more but¡­¡­there is no more need for that.¡¹


    ¡¸Tsu!¡¹


    Guy might notice something too. I don¡¯t attack Guy and backed away deeper into the room. I pressed my back on the dungeon¡¯s wall, used Stealth and folded my arms while watching. Guy panicked and began to struggle.


    Ten seconds¡­¡­thirty seconds¡­¡­I don¡¯t need to count until one hundred when I heard the sound of ground rumbling. The short-tempered monsters couldn¡¯t even wait until the poison dispersed and approached near.


    ¡¸Ash covered-! Are you, insane-!? If you do something like this, you¡¯ll seriously turn the assassin guild into your enemy!¡¹


    Guy desperately tried to escape from the point where the chemical was scattered, but he couldn¡¯t even take three steps away.


    What I first scattered was monster repellent that was collected from monster caterpillar¡¯s scent gland, but scent gland doesn¡¯t just produce scent to drive away external enemy. It will be only at a certain season but, the female also use this scent gland to call for male.


    When this liquid that was created from female¡¯s scent gland is mixed with the monster repellant, it will produce an intense pheromone type scent. And then it should call for the males in the dungeon.


    This is my ¡°trump card¡± that I created knowing that this is an insect type dungeon.


    ¡¸Die in this place.¡¹


    It¡¯s pointless even if he used Stealth. It¡¯s only a little bit, but that liquid has definitely gotten stuck on Guy. A lot of monster caterpillars appeared and flooded into the room. They found Guy and he fought back with his scimitar.


    Although his legs can¡¯t move, someone as strong as Guy won¡¯t be troubled by mere monster caterpillars even if there are several of them. But, what if dozens of them appeared? Furthermore the poison will circulate even more inside his body the more he moved. The monster caterpillars are also attracted by the smell and rushed closer one after another.


    ¡¸ASH COVEREDDDDDDDDD-!!¡¹


    At the end Guy raised a scream of resentment and threw his scimitar at me. I dodged it and it stabbed on the wall. I used it as a stepping stone and jumped until the ceiling, away from the floor that is going to be crammed with insects soon. I stabbed my hidden weapon on the rocky wall and clung at the corner of the ceiling.


    ¡¸©¤©¤©¤©¤¡­¡­Raa¡­¡­©¤©¤¡¹


    At the end Guy reached out with his blood covered hand and muttered something¡­¡­.


    While grotesque noise of bone and flesh breaking is resounding, I turned toward Guy and answered his last question even though I don¡¯t know whether he still has any consciousness or life remaining or not.


    .


    ¡¸From the start my ¡°prey¡± is all of you.¡¹

 Volume 2 - CH 9

    ¡¸Dear grandfather, I wish to discuss something with you. Can you by any chance give me a little bit of your time?¡¹


    The royal capital of Claydale Kingdom. In the prime minister¡¯s office  in the palace, the room¡¯s owner Belt Fa Melrose glared at his grandson  who visited suddenly.


    Ahead of his gaze was a young boy with strawberry honey blond hair  that was faintly tinged red. He didn¡¯t even flinch against the gaze of  his grandfather who was the current prime minister. He put on a smile  that was as sweet as his hair color.


    Mihail Melrose. He was the first son of Melrose House¡¯s heir and this  year he would become ten years old. Perhaps because of his strong mana,  for these several years he had grown until he looked like he was  thirteen years old if he was a commoner. With his sweet look that he  inherited from his grandmother and charming smile, he was becoming a hot  topic among the young maids who were working in the palace.


    The heir who was Belt¡¯s son and Mihail¡¯s father was ruling the  territory of Margrave Melrose in the place of Belt who couldn¡¯t leave  the capital because of his work as the prime minister. Mihail was in the  capital even though he wasn¡¯t even in the age to enroll into the  sorcery academy was because he had the ¡°friend role¡± for the crown  prince as a candidate to be his aide in the future.


    Just like how the young lady of Margrave Dandall, Clara filled the  role as the playmate of the first princess Elena, several children from  good social standing were also gathered around the crown prince as his  playmates so he could form solid connection with them as the future  king. But even among those children, it was talked that Mihail together  with Rockwell Dandall who was the eldest son of the supreme knight  commander and also the big brother of Clara were in especially good  relations with the crown prince.


    ¡¸You¡¯re really a slippery fellow¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m used to dear gradnfather¡¯s glare after all. In the first place  the people of Melrose House also don¡¯t have the trait to be considerate  to others too much.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­I guess.¡¹


    Belt understood that he himself and his big sister who married to  Carlfan Empire were also like that. His lips frowned while he wetted his  lips with the tea that was brewed by his butler Oz.


    The people of Melrose House that was formerly a royal family of a  country had such side to them for good or bad. Because of that they  could also offer their opinion to the royal family without hesitation  but, such side sometimes also made them to become liked by the royal  family just like with Belt and Mihail.


    ¡¸Come to think of it, she was also like that¡­¡­¡¹


    Thinking back now, his daughter eloping without any consideration of  her standing might also because such trait of Melrose House came out  thickly inside her.


    At the very least he was aware that his daughter wasn¡¯t suited to become the queen.


    ¡¸Are you talking about the dear aunt that I sometimes heard came up  in talk? The old servants mentioned that she was a beautiful person, and  I also once saw her portrait that was remaining in the mansion. ¡­¡­There  is also a rumor, that a girl who might be my cousin was found?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Where did you hear that from?¡¹


    Mihail spoke of a ¡°rumor¡± that was only known by very few people  including the royal family. Belt glared at him, but he only smiled  gently and dodged the question.


    Most likely he had his own information network even at this age.  Taking that into consideration, he might be more suited than Belt¡¯s son,  his father to become the prime minister when the crown prince became  the king, but Belt sighed at his grandson who was maturing too quickly.


    ¡¸We will observe for several years more to see about that. ¡­¡­And, what do you want to discuss with me?¡¹


    ¡¸Before that, I want to tell about this matter to dear grandfather¡¯s ear only.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Got it. Oz.¡¹


    ¡¸As you command.¡¹


    Oz who was standing by at a corner of the room bowed his head to Belt  and Mihail before leaving. Even he who was a knight in the dark side  couldn¡¯t hear this talk, just what could it be?


    .


    ¡¸Is it fine now?¡¹


    ¡¸Thank you very much, dear grandfather. I think you have guessed already but, this is about his highness the crown prince.¡¹


    Mihail talked that the crown prince recently seemed to have interest  toward life in the streets. That interest itself wasn¡¯t anything bad  but, apparently the crown prince wished to look around the capital not  in his capacity as crown prince, but ¡°stealthily¡± together with his  friends including Mihail.


    There were guard posts everywhere in the capital to maintain the  public order. The guards were also patrolling, so there would be no  danger unless in some unusual circumstance. With such good public order,  it was possible to even see young lady from house at the level of count  to go shopping in the city, although as expected she wouldn¡¯t be alone.  But they could do so by bringing only three guards at minimum and a  maid.


    But, the crown prince wouldn¡¯t be allowed to do that with his  standing. Even though it was at the royal capital, the crown prince  would at least need to bring around ten of the royal guards with him and  reserved a high class establishment just to go shopping. Wanting to  look around stealthily meant departing to the city without even being  accompanied by decent amount of guard. This must be the influence of the  first queen who was formerly a viscount¡¯s daughter who liked to behave  with abandon.


    (¡­¡­Really, what a troublesome person.)


    Setting aside the official function, the first queen was said to be  still relying on the second queen for the political duty. Belt grumbled  about her inside his heart. Mihail also sensed his grandfather¡¯s mood  and continued with the story in order to end it quickly.


    ¡¸As expected even I can¡¯t allow that. I made his highness agreed to  bring several guards with us. But he had apparently heard from somewhere  about the case that happened during her highness the princess¡¯s  recuperation. Although it was ended only as an attempt, but the  abduction was still allowed to happen. Because of that his highness is  feeling disapproval for guards from the dark side outside the palace.¡¹


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹


    Certainly that was a blunder in the dark side organization¡¯s part. No  matter how short of hands they were, high ranked knights of the dark  side like Sera had checked the background of anyone around the royal  family, and only trusted people accompanied the royalty, but after the  case was investigated, it was found out that Grave who had worked for  nearly thirty years for the royal family had changed the personnel  assignment and intentionally loosened the security around her highness  the princess.


    When he was young Grave had a radical side in him to a fastidious  degree, but it was thought that it was because of his devotion toward  the royal family. In fact for more than these ten years his radical side  had quietened down. Nobody could understand why someone in the royal  family faction like him would do what he did.


    (No, ¡­¡­guess he went out of control because of that fastidiousness of his.)


    Grave even abandoned the mission of confirming the identity of the  pink haired girl that Belt ordered him to do and vanished. There was a  report that girl was attacked by a monstrous person and went missing.


    Belt was feeling discomfort with his ¡ºgranddaughter¡» who was just  found. He sent Grave to his mission because he wanted a material to  confirm his suspicion but, he had no way to search for a child whose  life and death wasn¡¯t even known.


    Sera¡¯s grandfather Hosu was also capable, but perhaps his eyes were  clouded when observing Grave because Grave was the orphan that his  friend left behind. Mihail made Oz left also because he didn¡¯t want to  criticize Oz¡¯s grandfather in front of him.


    ¡¸Mihail¡­¡­if it¡¯s you then you should also can remonstrate his highness right?¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t know about that. Besides as someone who I will serve in the  future, it¡¯ll be troubling is his highness is raised in sheltered  upbringing and is ignorant of the world.¡¹


    ¡¸You impudent kid. And, what do you want?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes. His highness has also known the faces of all the capable dark  side¡¯s knights. And so, I want to ask dear grandfather for permission to  have a tour of the royal capital, and it will also be great if you can  lend us several guards who are knowledgeable about the city and doesn¡¯t  belong to the dark side.¡¹


    ¡¸Knowledgeable about the city huh¡­¡­¡¹


    They could also order capable knights to serve as guard, but the  royal guard that had a lot of high ranked knights couldn¡¯t be said as  knowledgeable about the city. And with ordinary knights, although they  might be knowledgeable about the city, it would be troubling if they  brought the crown prince and his friends to suspicious place like bar  for example.


    (¡­¡­Come to think of it, those fellows said that they would return to the capital shortly.)


    Belt recalled that and rang the bell near his hand. He called out to his subordinate outside the door.


    ¡¸Someone, send a messenger to the guild. Make a request for the adventurer party Rainbow Sword.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­You are faster than expected. Although low ranked, assassinating three thieves should take longer than this.¡¹


    It seemed that a month is far faster than expected. When I returned  to the headquarters of the branch assassin guild of the northern  frontier district, the branch head Dino showed a surprised expression at  me.


    Although he knew of my combat strength, I¡¯m just a child in the end,  so he must be thinking that I would either take much time or fail. But  in reality I finished the job in three days after arriving, so I could  return even faster if I wanted, but seeing that I was in a dungeon  already I went hunting monsters for a bit there.


    In that dungeon, rank 3 monster would appear individually starting  from around the fifth floor. Fighting rank 1 or 2 monster at this point  wouldn¡¯t really serve as training for me in spite of the danger. That  was why I purchased the map of lower floors from the guild and  forcefully advanced to the fifth floor using Stealth and Search.


    A dungeon is a ¡°monster¡±. The inside is a place that doesn¡¯t conform  to the rule of the surface. The inside is filled with stronger magic  particles than the outside. Thanks to those magic particles the monsters  could keep active even if they only eat the minimum amount, but perhaps  that¡¯s why they are always hungry and monsters that have tasted human  will become extremely aggressive.


    I¡¯m lacking in fighting experience. I had somehow survived fighting  stronger enemies until now, but in fact the number of battle I had  experienced can be counted in two hands, so I dived into dungeon alone  and accumulated battle experienced there until the very limit of my  stamina and rations in order to become stronger.


    I stopped at fifth floor because going any lower will force me to  face multiple enemies at the same time, and because rank 3 that operated  solo wouldn¡¯t come near me anymore.


    I didn¡¯t mention anything about that to Dino here, but in order to  make Appraisal¡¯s result on me to be vague, I covered my whole body with a  cloak. Dino looked at my appearance with suspicion while letting out a  light sigh. He then took out a small leather bag from his pocket.


    ¡¸Well, it¡¯s fine. Here is the promised payment. Also you have nice  timing. An information about the aforementioned Mercenary of Dawn had  just come from our contacts, so I¡¯ll also hand it to you.¡¹


    Dino handed the payment thirty gold coins and the target¡¯s information to me.


    I had used up most of my money so this is a nice timing. I fought  really recklessly, so I bought another clothes and cloak for replacement  until my remaining money had decreased to several silver coins only.


    I put the leather bag of golden coins in my pocket and checked the  document that I had just received. I flipped the bundle of unbleached  papers, skipped the individual information and looked at their current  situation¡­¡­.


    ¡¸¡­¡­The capital?¡¹


    ¡¸Some times has passed since then, so they have left this north  frontier and headed to the capital. Most likely they are planning to  hide in the large dungeon near the capital until the heat on them cooled  down.¡¹


    ¡¸Another dungeon again¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸They are adventurers after all. Pure assassin isn¡¯t really good with that kind of place.¡¹


    Dino was implicitly saying that this is the reason he asked master to do this job, so I should just give up.


    ¡¸If possible it will be better if you can finish them off while they  are in the capital, but that will be hard to do in the capital where the  security is tight. We have no contact there, so perhaps we should send  one or two people to there¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸There is no assassin guild in the capital?¡¹


    The assassin guild is one of the branches in this country. If there  are branches that means there is the main one. I vaguely thought that it  must be in the capital, but it seems that I¡¯m wrong.


    When I asked that question, Dino shrugged with an exaggerated gesture.


    ¡¸My beloved brother disciple. That is a troublesome matter. Although  we the assassin guilds are the same organization, we are not a monolith.  It¡¯s not like we are hostile with each other, but our relationship with  each other are more like ¡°worthy rivals¡± with the same objective.¡¹


    ¡¸I see now¡­¡­¡¹


    Each branch isn¡¯t fighting each other but they are still competing to  get works. No, perhaps it feels closer like when a large company helped  a long term employee to establish a branch of the same shop with  separated management, where in the end the branch got estranged from the  main store.


    The adventurer guild also feel like that somewhat, but with the  assassin guilds they aren¡¯t even sharing information with each other. It  feels stupid to me, but this is a welcome news for me.


    Now then, the talk is over. I put the documents in the inner pocket  of my cloak and turned around. But Dino seemed to still have a business  left and called out to me at the end.


    ¡¸By the way, Guy left several weeks ago and he hasn¡¯t contacted us even until today. Did he show up at your place?¡¹


    ¡¸There is no way I know anything about that.¡¹


    ¡¸Guess so¡­¡­¡¹


    Dino said that and shrugged before leaving. I stared fixedly at his leaving back.


    Am I being suspected¡­¡­? Most likely the fact that the observer that  was watching over master also hasn¡¯t been contacting back also  influenced it. But Dino knew about my combat strength before this. He  should be thinking that I can¡¯t possibly beat Guy. In addition many  assassins are egoistic individuals who often goes off on their own. It¡¯s  possible that Guy just suddenly vanished on a whim. Dino must be unable  to interrogate me too excessively and simply asked a leading question.


    The people of this guild should have also Appraise me when I first  arrived. That was the reason why I obediently followed Dino when he  showed me around, to show that.


    Normal human wouldn¡¯t grow rapidly in just several months. Doing  Appraisal also consumed mana and mental strength so usually nobody would  use Appraisal on the same person again unless something drastic  happened. ¡­¡­That¡¯s exactly why it can become an ¡°opening¡± that I¡¯m  taking advantage of.


    .


    My business in this guild is already over, but I have no intention to carelessly rest in my room here.


    I checked it just in case but, there must be some kind of contraption  there anyway, so I looked around inside the guild here one more time  before leaving.


    I¡¯m not sensing people really clearly inside the guild, but that¡¯s  because almost all of them have Stealth skill. But, if Search at the  level of mine can still sense them, there shouldn¡¯t be that many people  who can sense me when I¡¯m using Stealth seriously.


    Even so when living in this kind of environment, your Stealth and  Search will get trained whether you want it or not. That must be the  reason why even though even though there is nobody here who looks  visibly strong with high combat strength, there are people with great  skill.


    Amidst that, I didn¡¯t feel the presence of Keira inside the guild.  Perhaps she is outside or doing work. She is a troublesome person to  encounter, but it¡¯s troublesome because her being out of sight like this  also feel ominous.


    The other troublesome opponents inside the guild are the Shadow User  Radha, the Berserker Sharga, and the shaman the Sage, I guess.


    From her title, I think it will be hard to find Radha. Conversely  Sharga isn¡¯t even hiding his violent presence and give off a strong  presence. I feel that it will be dangerous to approach his attack range  without any countermeasure, but in order to confirm his appearance, I  quietly stole a glance at his back figure from a distance.


    That place looked like a canteen with wine cask and food scattered  every which way. At the back, there is a dwayr clad in full body armor  that seemed to be made from magic iron, silently gulping down wine while  keeping a tight hold to a halberd made from magic steel.


    His appearance made me think of a wounded beast that would bare its  fang to anyone who got near. Nobody will be able to approach him like  that. Nobody will ever think that someone like him is an assassin, even  so Dino and the previous master kept him as member here. That goes to  show just how high his combat strength in close quarter.


    I left that spot before Sharga could find me. Then I stopped walking  just before I stepped inside a certain spot inside the guild.


    There is something¡­¡­. That place is different from the other places.  The color of magic particles that my eyes can ¡°see¡± is strangely mixed  with each other. It¡¯s showing a chaotic coloring that sent my heart into  anxiety.


    (¡­¡­An unpleasant feeling.)


    I muttered inside my heart while my face unconsciously grimaced. Is  this¡­¡­a ¡°curse¡±? While I¡¯m standing still without being able to step any  further, I noticed there is an old man wearing robe, staring fixedly at  me from the darkness of the passage ahead.


    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹¡¹


    We stared at each other wordlessly with a distance of ten-odd meters between us.


    Then the strange color of magic particle slowly approached toward me.  When I also backed away to keep the distance, the old man who seemed to  be the Sage slightly narrowed his eyes. When I continued opening the  distance, the ¡°curse¡± doesn¡¯t come any closer and returned back to its  original position.


    I see, so the Sage¡¯s fighting style is passive. It¡¯s enough for now  to just understand that. Without stopping I left that place and after  confirming that nobody is following me, I wiped the sweat on my forehead  and sighed.


    ¡¸¡­¡­So elf can also grow old.¡¹


    Having narrowly escaped death, I muttered something trivial as I  immediately walked toward the deepest part of the former coal mine that  is the branch assassin guild of the north frontier district now.


    As I got deeper, I can hear the low growling voice that sounded like a beast, mixed with the wind that blew from somewhere.


    I knew even before approaching there. My legs don¡¯t want to go there  and became heavier. Surely nobody will draw near here. Because they can  feel that ¡°death¡± is waiting if they get closer.


    Someone who can¡¯t even notice that won¡¯t have the qualification to be  here. I pushed down my heart that is about to get scared to the deepest  part inside me and walked forward step by step. Then I found a ¡ºbeast¡»  in chain at the end, locked behind thick bars that are as thick as a  woman¡¯s arm each.


    ¡¸The Condemned¡­¡­Goudo.¡¹


    Goudo raised a low growl at my murmur and lifted his face.


    .


    ¨‹ Goudo   Race : ???


    ¡¾Magic Power : 167/186¡¿¡¾Stamina : 531/546¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 1381¡¿


    .


    He is nearly three meter tall and long distorted arms that are nearly two meters long.


    His whole body is wrapped in bandage that is stained with filth.  There is fiendish light dwelling in his yellow cloudy eyes. He suddenly  tried to assault me.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡»


    *Gagan-!*


    The chains that are fastened to the rock surface are stretched until  the limit. Goudo collided on the thick iron bars so hard they almost  bent as his claws cut through the air a few centimeter in front of my  nose.


    The chaotic mana that I saw at the Sage¡¯s area is clinging on Goudo¡¯s  whole body. Most likely the Sage is binding Goudo¡¯s freedom with his  curse. This man isn¡¯t just a mere ¡°animal¡±. He might be insane but, I  caught a glimpse of the ¡°Skill¡± that is burned in his soul from his  movement.


    Most likely he is reduced to this from drug and sorcery and curse¡­¡­.  When I tried to touch the fingertip of his arm that he stretched as  though looking for something, he got shocked instead and pulled back his  arm.


    Nobody will approach near you.


    Nobody will look straight at your appearance.


    Nobody will ever think of touching you.


    I stared straight into Goudo¡¯s cloudy eyes while speaking to him with a small voice.


    .


    ¡¸Wait there. I¡¯ll prepare a worthy ¡°stage¡± for you.¡¹


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  ¨C  Rank 2


    ¡¾Magic Power : 162/180¡¿¡÷ 10 UP¡¾Stamina : 132/145¡¿¡÷ 15 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 6 (7)¡¿¡¾Endurance : 7 (8)¡¿¡¾Agility : 10 (12)¡¿¡¾Dexterity : 8¡¿¡÷ 1 UP


    ¡¶Short Sword Skill Level 2¡·¡¶Martial Art Level 2¡·¡¶Throwing Level 2¡·¡¶String Control Level 2¡·


    ¡¶Light Magic Level 2¡·¡¶Darkness Magic Level 2¡·¡¶Non-Elemental Magic Level 2¡·


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·¡¶Magic Power Control Level 2¡·¡¶Pressure Level 2¡·


    ¡¶Stealth Level 3¡·¡÷ 1 UP¡¶Night Vision Level 2¡·¡¶Search Level 3¡·¡÷ 1 UP¡¶Poison Resistance Level 2¡·¡÷ 1 UP


    ¡¶Simple Appraisal¡·


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 213 (With Body Strengthening : 236)¡¿¡÷ 42 UP

 Volume 2 - CH 10

    The rank 4 adventurer party, Mercenary of Dawn.


    The members that formed it are a rank 4 warrior, Dagget. Male, 31 years old. Blue eyes and red hair.


    Rank 3 heavy warrior, Randy. Male, 29 years old. Brown eyes and thinning blonde hair.


    Ran 3 scout, former hunter Dankan. Male, 30 years old. Blue eyes and black hair.


    Ran 3 sorcerer, Grinda. Light and water elements. Female, 26 years old. Black eyes and brown hair. Dagget¡¯s lover.


    They are my targets. They embezzled the requested item that they  should collect and ran away with a necklace that is a family heirloom.  The noble that they tricked requested the assassin guild to assassinate  them and recover the necklace.


    ¡¸Family heirloom huh¡­¡­¡¹


    I unconsciously touched my mother¡¯s memento inside the amulet pouch on my chest.


    If I¡¯m in opposition against the assassin guild, there is no need for  me to do this work, but with a contact of the guild coming to keep  watch, I can¡¯t slack off.


    ¡­¡­I¡¯m glad that they are scoundrels.


    The Mercenary of Dawn headed to the large scale dungeon near the  capital because although their party has few members for their rank,  they have good balance and depending on their equipment, it will be  possible for them to stay in the dungeon for a long period.


    It will be difficult for me to chase after them alone if they dived  until the deep floor. To deal with them safely, I should deal with them  in the capital or in the city at the south where the dungeon is located,  but if I can¡¯t catch up to them there, then my only choice is to aim  when they return for resupply.


    Even so as expected, the most solid plan will be to do it inside the dungeon.


    The public order in the capital is too good, so it will be dangerous  in a different sense there. But if it¡¯s in the dungeon, my life will  also be at risk, but the same will also apply to my targets. An opening  will show more often the more dangerous it is.


    It¡¯s my bad habit to think too much about a lot of things. But, if I  imagine various situations and prepare countermeasure beforehand, I¡¯ll  be able to take action immediately when things actually happen.


    Even so right now I should take action first rather than thinking too much about things that are still far off in the future.


    My assumption and hypothesis will change completely depending on the  environment and situation at the actual site. I need detailed  information in order to heighten the precision of my thinking and  assumption too.


    .


    I stayed in the neighboring city of the northern frontier district¡¯s  branch for three days to prepare using the adventurer guild and the  shops in the city before departing to the capital.


    I couldn¡¯t find out who my contact will be even after investigating  during those three days. I think they will contact me at the actual site  but, what I wanted to know is ¡°how many contacts there will be¡±.


    As long as they are there, I won¡¯t be able to take any strange  action. Even if I dispose the contact, but if there is more than one  contacts and I let them get away, my betrayal will be exposed. I can  only pray that at the very least the contact is someone who I can defeat  easily¡­¡­.


    There are two routes to go to the capital from this territory of Count Heydale.


    First is passing through the main route along the sea from the  territory of Count Sentrea where I worked last time. It¡¯s the relatively  safer road that Elena used before. And then the other route is going  straight to the south from Dandall, through the valley of a mountain  district. It¡¯s dangerous but I can arrive faster with this path.


    If I used exclusive high speed carriage like Elena, I might be able  to arrive faster using the main road along the sea. But, I will take one  month by walking and riding the stagecoach stationed along the way.  It¡¯s not like carriage can¡¯t pass through valley but, even so ordinary  carriage and traveler doesn¡¯t pass there because of the bird type  monsters¡¯ frequent appearance in the valley.


    Only a major company guarded by Dandall¡¯s garrison guards will pass  through there once a month. Even commoner can come along if they buy the  ticket that is issued by the merchant guild, but it¡¯s really expensive.  If one doesn¡¯t care about the required time, normal traveler usually  will use the safe route.


    But, the route I¡¯ll use is the dangerous valley. I intentionally  choose the dangerous path in order to become stronger in short time.


    After that I spent another ten days and passed through several  territories of nobles who are the dependents of Margrave Dandall and  went south. Then I arrived at a territory of a baron that is close to  the mountain district.


    Even a free person like me won¡¯t need to pay that much money to enter  a city unless it¡¯s a big city. Even so I paid one silver coin as the  passing fee at the last city and entered inside. There I purchased food  and other necessities.


    After that I asked for information of monsters in the adventurer  guild of that city. The guild here is a desolate place where there are  only hunters bringing in monster material when they defeated monster by  some chance. The staff who taught me a lot about the monsters here also  grieved that this city only has few dedicated adventurers.


    There are several types of monsters that appeared in the valley, but  as expected a subjugation force will be dispatched right away if high  ranked monster like griffon appeared, so its appearance hasn¡¯t been seen  for these ten years. In the first place griffon will target horse. It  should prefer to hunt something like deer rather attacking walking  traveler.


    When passing through that valley by food, the small and medium sized  monster will become the problem. There are falcon type monster named  Wind Bird that tore apart its prey with outrageous speed before preying  on it, and crow type monster Giant Crow that like to catch traveler and  bring them back to its nest for food. Those two types of monsters  frequently appeared.


    The small Wind Bird is a rank 1 monster, while the medium sized Giant  Crow is rank 2, but according to the adventurer guild¡¯s hypothetical  difficulty level, the Wind Bird is categorized as rank 2 while Giant  Crow is rank 3.


    The reason for that is simple. That¡¯s because the location is at the valley where there are a lot of obstacles and open sky.


    It¡¯s difficult even for adventurer with rank 1 or 2 bow skill to hit  them. Even rank 2 or 3 warrior can¡¯t attack unless the monster come  down. To have a proper hunt, sorcerer who can use offensive wind sorcery  is necessary, and even then it¡¯s difficult to hunt the monsters unless  with a party that can prepare shield for protecting the sorcerer.


    ¡­¡­¡±Normally¡± that is.


    .


    Early morning in the next day, I avoided people¡¯s gaze and stepped into the valley while the sky is still dark.


    I¡¯m passing the bottom of the valley, but its width is only around  ten meters at best. The steep cliffs at both sides are around fifty  meter high. The place is a bit dark even when it¡¯s afternoon.


    But, it¡®s safer to walk here when it¡¯s dark as long as you have a way  to conquer the darkness. The enemy are monsters so they will attack if  they feel my presence, even so perhaps because of their bird eye, their  search range narrowed when it get dark.


    On my way until here, I travelled while training my darkness magic,  but it¡¯s still difficult to activate it and I¡¯m still training even now  while I¡¯m walking through the valley. A monster finally found me when it  became noon and the sun shined down on the valley from directly above  me.


    ¡¸¡­¡­It came.¡¹


    I heard a faint sound of something slicing through wind, then an  instant after that my Search skill caught the presence of something  small approaching.


    I reflexively twisted my body backward and dodged while swinging my  black knife as the thing passed me, but that presence¡¯s owner also  rotated to dodge the blade and swiveled to the sky mockingly.


    The falcon type monster©¤©¤Wind Bird attacked human not on its own by in swarm.


    As expected it¡¯s hard to hit flying opponent with knife¡­¡­. If it can  move like that, then hitting it even by throwing knife will depend on  luck.


    While I¡¯m thinking that, the second Wind Bird attacked from the side.  Its speed is like arrow. It will be hard to sense them with sight if I  fight them properly, but Wind Bird¡¯s speed will drop only for an instant  when they attack.


    I focused my Search so that I won¡¯t miss that instant and threw my ¡°blade¡± to the Wind Bird when it attacked again.


    The Wind Bird rotated in the air to dodge that blade, but I matched  its movement and controlled the string of the pendulum that I threw.


    ¡ºGugyah!¡»


    The Wind Bird whose wing is cut by the pendulum¡¯s blade crashed on  the ground like arrow. I didn¡¯t inflict a lethal blow, but it won¡¯t be  safe after falling to the ground with that speed.


    I also threw a pendulum from my left hand in a curving trajectory  instead of straight. It cut apart the wing of another Wind Bird that  attacked me.


    I don¡¯t stay in one spot and dodged the Wind Birds¡¯ attacks with  complicated footwork and taking them down with the pendulums drawing an  arc through the air.


    I paid no mind even when my aim missed. It¡¯s good enough if my  blade¡¯s hit accuracy reached thirty percent. But, even if the blade is  dodged it¡¯s meaningless if they also don¡¯t dodge the string I  controlled. The Giant Spider string that I strengthened with my mana  can¡¯t be cut even by the Wind Bird¡¯s claws.


    I cut their wings or entangled them with string. I took down nearly  ten Wind Birds in several minutes. With that the rest stopped  approaching me and circled around on the sky. One of them fired ¡°wind  colored¡± magic particles at me.


    The name Wind Bird isn¡¯t just for show. These things can use level 1 wind sorcery Wind Cutter.


    Wind type sorcery has good speed and they are also invisible, so it¡¯s  hard to dodge, but my ¡°eyes¡± that can see the color of magic particle  can dodge as long as there is enough distance.


    With the magic power value of Wind Bird, they can only fire once or  twice at best. If they fired twice, they will run out of mana and their  speed will drop drastically, so Wind Cutter can be said as the Wind  Bird¡¯s trump card.


    One Wind Bird ran out of patience seeing me continuously evading and attacked me while firing wind sorcery from close range.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shield©¤©¤¡¹


    A shield of light around thirty centimeter in size is created on my  left hand. I made the Shield came into contact with the thickest part of  the approaching green colored magic particles and parried it by holding  the Shield diagonally.


    Without pause I cut the wing of the Wind Bird that came straight at  me with my black knife. Then the remaining Wind Bird flew away to the  sky to escape.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡»


    The next moment, as though to replace the Wind Birds, a piercing cry reverberated through the valley.


    It¡¯s unknown whether the Wind Bird escaped from me or got scared  because ¡°this¡± came. I heard the cry together with the sound of wings  flapping. A black bird with huge body that reached four meters with its  wings spread out swooped down as though to cut through the darkness of  the sky.


    .


    ¨‹ Giant Crow   Race : Large Bird ¨C  Difficulty Rank 2


    ¡¾Magic Power : 69/73¡¿¡¾Stamina : 212/215¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 145¡¿


    The Giant Crow caused a gust of wind with its wings while heading straight at me.


    I threw the pendulums in my hands in order to meet its charge. But,  the pendulums¡¯ blade only grazed its black wings a little. The  intelligent Giant Crow saw that and directed its sharp talons toward me  in ridicule.


    ¡ºGua!?¡»


    In that instant, I took out a new pendulum on my palm and dodged the  talon while winding the pendulum around the Giant Crow¡¯s wing.


    The Giant Crow flew to the sky in panic. I controlled the string with String Control and hindered it.


    ¡ºKUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡»


    The Giant Crow shrieked angrily and flapped its wings to drag me to the sky along with the pendulum¡¯s string.


    But, I don¡¯t let it. I pulled the string even stronger to hinder its  wing¡¯s flap. I also quickly knocked the heel of my boots together so  that blade shot out from it. Then I kicked it on the ground like a  wedge.


    The boots that I received from master is something that she used in  the past. It has a mechanism in them. If they got impacted from a  certain direction, small blades will come out from its front tips and  the heel.


    I fixed myself on the ground with the heel blades and pulled the  string with my body reinforcement in full power throughout my whole  body.


    My rank on the whole is still rank 2, but several of my support  skills has reached level 3. Using Magic Power Control level 3, I  circulated mana through my whole body, and with Pressure level 2 I  stopped the Giant Crow¡¯s movement for just a moment©¤©¤


    ¡¸TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡¹


    ¡ºKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡»


    Even though I got dragged across the ground through the inertia that  left the ground gouged, I used all my strength and slammed the fearfully  screeching Giant Crow on the ground head first.

 Volume 2 - CH 11

    The death throes of the Giant Crow that was slammed on the ground echoed through the valley. The Wind Birds that are still in the sky above flew away like baby spiders scattering away.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I can take a breather with this.¡¹


    I fought head on without using anything like illusion in order to give a ¡°warning¡±.


    Monster tends to have higher intellect than normal animal. Because I¡¯ll need several days to pass through this valley, even if I¡¯m hiding using Stealth and some other tricks, there is a risk that I¡¯ll be discovered while I¡¯m sleeping or eating.


    That was why I showed the monsters that ¡ºit¡¯s dangerous to attack me¡». Thanks to that, the presences of the stone rats that wanted to get the ¡°leftovers¡± from the winner of the fight between the crow and me also vanished.


    I used my dismantling knife to gouge out the magic stone from the chest of the Giant Crow whose head is smashed.


    The material from this crow won¡¯t make much money. The giant sharp feathers can be sold as material for feather pen, but even that will only sell for around one small silver coin per feather.


    The beak and talons also can¡¯t be sold. Because of that only its magic stone can be sold for decent price, but in the end it¡¯s just a rank 2 monster despite its rank 3 difficulty, and it also doesn¡¯t has any element so the magic stone is also non elemental and can¡¯t be sold for high price. At best it will only fetch me one silver coin.


    The Wind Bird has element, but perhaps because it¡¯s just rank 1, or perhaps because of its size, they only have small dreg of magic stone so I gave up collecting it.


    Even so I still picked several of the Wind Birds that fell on the ground because I want their meat. The crow¡¯s meat is hard and smelly so it¡¯s not suitable for eating, but the Wind Bird¡¯s meat can be eaten without any problem although the texture is a bit parched.


    .


    I used Daily Life Magic Fire to lit fire and grilled the Wind Bird¡¯s meat whole before wrapping it in a large leaf and put it into my bag.


    Originally I should use the Darkness Magic that I had trained until now here, but I¡¯m still not used to it and with my total magic power value I¡¯m still not in a stage where I can use it practically.


    *Hyun¡­¡­!*


    I unreeled the spare pendulum string that I fastened beforehand, grasped it and made it vanish.


    This technique that I used against the Giant Crow isn¡¯t some kind of sleight of hand, but a fully-fledged dark magic.


    Viro had a bag with its internal space expanded using dark sorcery. With study and experiment, I learned that the magic particle of darkness isn¡¯t real darkness but ¡ºparticle with dark color¡» that with the caster¡¯s thought and precise magic power control, it can be changed into various shapes and have effect added to it to a certain degree.


    Its application is with illusion or space sorcery. The first step of space type sorcery, Weight isn¡¯t about adjusting weight but enveloping a substance with dark magic particles and then moving it along with the magic particles.


    In other words, the basic of space sorcery lies in enveloping object with dark attribute magic particles.


    In the case of internally expanded bag, the sorcery worked by fixing dark magic particles at the inside of the bag, it created a fixed space and then widening its inside.


    The level of dark sorcery to create an expanded bag is 4. That¡¯s because fixing magic particles at the inside of the bag, making it possible to take and put in things freely, creating a function to absorb the excess magic power of the owner in order to maintain the sorcery are processes that required immense amount of magic power, so such high level is required. That was what master said.


    From there I got an idea that I discussed with master. Master said that it¡¯s an interesting idea and helped me with thinking together about the sorcery¡¯s structure.


    The idea is to make my own body itself to be an expanded bag. A human body will definitely create shadow without even really doing anything. There is the gap between the clothes or inside the mouth, and of course the inside of the body also has shadow.


    By assuming that as a space of darkness and making the shadow into extremely small space of magic particles, if I expanded that space with magic power, I should be able to obtain the same effect like an expanded bag.


    I won¡¯t need to cut loose the magic particles away from me and I¡¯ll only circulate my own magic particles. With that I was able to omit a part of the troublesome structure.


    And for taking in and out object too, by using magic power each time to the darkness on the surface of my body, the required structure to fix the exit and entrance is also shortened.


    Because of that the sorcery¡¯s structure has become one that can be used by a level 3 at least, but for me whose dark magic is still at level 2, I have to split my focus constantly in order to maintain the dark space. With my current amount of total magic power value, the best that I can do is to only maintain a space for putting in my spare pendulum.


    Because of that, it¡¯s an experimental dark magic that is still not in a practical stage, but there is a reason why I want to store my grilled meat into there.


    In my ¡°knowledge¡± of general magic, living creature cannot be put inside a space that is expanded by dark sorcery. But this isn¡¯t correct. To be more accurate, living creature can¡¯t live inside a space that is formed by magic particles of darkness and they will die there.


    This is just my hypothesis but, the inside of the expanded bag is filled with magic particles instead of air. In a sense, the state of the space inside is nearly like a vacuum.


    There is misinformation how the time of the item that is put inside the expanded bag is stopped so food won¡¯t go bad inside there, but the truth is inside that space the small creatures that made food rot©¤©¤what is called germ in that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡± will die, causing the food to obtain the same effect like bottled food that is used by sailor or canned food like in that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±.


    However, there is also problem with this. If you put fermented food like cheese inside, even the good germ will die and it will stop being a preserved food.


    Well, in short, it will be best if I consumed this grilled meat before two days.


    I put the grilled meat inside my baggage and immediately started walking through the valley toward the capital.


    .


    As expected I had fought showily as an example, so after that no monster attacked me. Even the stone rats that were peeking at me are currently absorbed in swarming the remains of the Wind Bird and Giant Crow that I left behind, so they won¡¯t show themselves again for a while.


    I grilled all the meats together so that I won¡¯t need to use fire again when making camp. Bird type monster can only find me when the sun is still up in the sky. It¡¯s still winter so normally it¡¯s dangerous to not use fire when camping, but if it¡¯s me who can use light sorcery to vitalize my body, it won¡¯t be that painful and my need to lit fire is lessened.


    It will take around five days of merchant carriage to pass through this valley, but for me who walk without even carrying heavy luggage, I can pass through in three days if I hurry.


    When sleeping I¡¯m burning wild grasses with slight effect of repelling animal and shut my eyes in the gap of rocks. I¡¯m already able to use Stealth even while sleeping, so even if the darkness is a danger for merchants, it¡¯s a safe place for me with no malicious enemy like human around.


    A Giant Crow attacked again at the last day, but this time I have no need to make an example, so I secured my safety with illusion and poison while finishing it off.


    I believed that I¡¯m used with camping in a dangerous place to some degree, but perhaps I¡¯m still feeling nervousness even then. My body has become stiff when I came out of the valley, and I stretched my back to loosen up.


    For me who lacked experience even though I have ¡°knowledge¡±, putting aside flattened path like city road or highway, places with uneven ground or bad footing caused my body to unnaturally put too much strength and caused fatigue to accumulate.


    Until now I avoided the problem by learning Viro¡¯s way of walking and also strengthening my body with magic, but from here on I should train to grasp the terrain¡¯s shape even while walking normally.


    Fortunately I was able to obtain Night Vision level 2 that surpassed the limit of human race, so depending on my training I should be able to sense my surrounding as good as beastman.


    .


    After I finished my simple meal by eating my last meat, I resumed my travel toward the capital. Although, there won¡¯t be that much danger if I enter a noble¡¯s territory. In the first place I avoided public eye and didn¡¯t even pass the highway, so I didn¡¯t even encounter bandit.


    My Stealth that had become level 3 easily hid me from wild animal. As expected monster with rank higher than 3 can possibly discover me, but that kind of monster should be very rare in the noble¡¯s territory that is close to the central.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I encountered a monster not long after I thought that. Previously when I passed through a forest, I also encountered a hobgoblin but, guess that means what happened once can possibly happen for the second time.


    That monster¡¯s height is two meters. It¡¯s a humanoid monster with firm muscles and wide girth, but its head isn¡¯t humanoid but shaped like a wild pig.


    .


    ¨‹ ???  Beast Demi Human ¨C  Rank 3


    ¡¾Magic Power : 108/110¡¿¡¾Stamina : 343/413¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 374 (With Body Strengthening : 430)¡¿


    .


    ¡­¡­It might be an orc. They are born warrior, lived by forming a settlement, and attacked human in group. A dangerous monster. I didn¡¯t expect for it to appear in this kind of place, but from the state of its stamina¡¯s decline, I guess it¡¯s another stray monster that drifted here from somewhere.


    In this sudden encounter, the distance between the orc and me doesn¡¯t even reach five meters. But the orc still haven¡¯t noticed me who is using Stealth and located right behind it.


    I instantly strengthened my body to the max and accelerated my thought. This is a good chance. Even though the opponent is higher ranked, he isn¡¯t an absolutely strong opponent with my current combat strength.


    If I fight it head on, then I will be in disadvantage due to the difference in our latent strength, that¡¯s why I¡¯ll use all the techniques I can use to deal with it. My tactic will be an assassination with surprise attack©¤©¤an ¡°instant kill¡± with all my strength.


    I concluded my thinking in five seconds since I discovered the orc, wrapped a pendulum around a tree¡¯s branch, and leaped on a tree using the momentum of my movement.


    ¡ºBuo?¡»


    Although I gave no presence, the weak flow of wind from my movement caused the orc to turn around.


    But, it doesn¡¯t find me there. I created the shape and sound of a rabbit hiding inside a bush using dark magic. The orc¡¯s capable senses allowed it to instantly detect that and made it let its guard down.


    At that moment, I leaped even higher from the tree¡¯s branch. And then I don¡¯t used the usual black knife that is made from magic steel, but pulled out the thin knife that I fastened on my boot.


    It¡¯s the only remaining slender knife that I received from Sera. It¡¯s a mass produced blade made from steel and not suited for slashing, but it excelled in piercing power.


    The orc is covered with muscle armor over its whole body, but in the end that¡¯s only with the assumption that its flesh is strengthened with body strengthening. I stabbed the neck of the orc who is distracted, its guard down, and relaxing. The stab from midair using my whole body¡¯s weight pushed in the slender knife until the hilt.


    ¡ºBUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!?¡»


    With the sudden intense pain, before the orc¡¯s brain can grasp that it¡¯s being attacked, I let go of the knife and circled to its blind spot to erase my figure. Then I slashed its neck from the opposite side using the black knife.


    The orc¡¯s stamina value dropped down drastically, but the black knife stopped midway due to the muscle holding it back. I once more let go of the knife that is held down by the muscle and pulled out the steel knife that I received from Feld from my waist.


    All this time it¡¯s a reserve knife that I had been using only for dismantling corpse, but this knife itself has really good quality and if it¡¯s just in pure strength from a single attack, it rivaled even the black knife.


    I circled behind the orc¡¯s back and swung the steel knife in a big swing believing that it will definitely turn around.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Thrust©¤©¤!¡¹


    And then the orc that finally realized that it¡¯s being attacked turned around, at the same time the Battle Skill of short sword that I unleashed avoided its thick skull and pierced into its mouth until its brain.


    I spent two weeks travelling since I encountered the orc and finally arrived at the capital of Claydale Kingdom.


    I didn¡¯t really collect any material from the orc and took only its magic stone. It seemed that woman was under the impression that orc¡¯s meat is high class ingredient, but in reality the meat of monster that ate bizarre things has bad smell and won¡¯t sell. Its skin can be used as material for armor and the like and can be sold, but it would take time for me to dismantle that huge body so I gave up.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Next person.¡¹


    My turn finally came while I¡¯m running my mind.


    The admission gate for ordinary people in the capital is one of the places with the strictest security in this country, but even the guards are just human in the end, so if I show my tag from the adventurer guild together with my childish appearance, I¡¯m able to enter inside without really getting suspected.


    The tag¡¯s name also isn¡¯t Aria, but Anya so it looks like there is no problem. Perhaps there is also a chance of me being suspected because ¡°Anya¡± is the name of rookie adventurer who vanished together with the rookie hunters, so perhaps it will be better if I also reregister in the capital.


    Compared to the tag of Anya that is mostly brand new, the tag of Aria that has gone through many training and battle is in a very worn out state. Looking at it made me felt the flow of time.


    It was the beginning of winter when I left master¡¯s place, but I¡¯m also feeling the sign that spring will come soon. It already nearly one year since I ran away from that orphanage. I¡¯ll be nine years old in half a year.


    Until now I have avoided exposing my true identity as much as possible, but my action will also be hindered if I spend too much effort just running around trying to escape. Taking that into consideration, remaking my tag in the adventurer guild of the capital is an option.


    Either way, I also need to visit the guild in order to obtain information about the Mercenary of Dawn. Also¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Galbas said that his eccentric little brother is also in the capital too¡­¡­¡¹


    Let¡¯s try searching for him if I have time¡­¡­while thinking of such thing, the streets of the capital that I¡¯m seeing for the first time is more thriving than even Dandall that is called as a metropolis.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­?¡¹


    As I¡¯m walking while watching the streets of the capital that is filled by so many people, I¡¯m feeling a bit of unpleasant gaze on me.


    There are also the usual curious gazes but, this is different from that. Having said that, I don¡¯t think that this is the contact from assassin guild or thief guild member.


    In this city that is said as the safest city of the country, there shouldn¡¯t be any ¡°pro¡± who would try doing such foolish interference. In that case, I guessed that this gaze came from some stupid thugs who are aiming at country bumpkin who visited the capital for the first time or a traveler¡¯s children for extra money.


    I can just leave it alone but¡­¡­this is troublesome. I can also try reporting to the guards, but I¡¯m still not attacked yet, and I don¡¯t know if they will take the words of a free person like me seriously. Well, perhaps this is a nice chance. They are someone who I can hurt in order to obtain information of this city.


    I walked away from the main street and entered a back alley. The unpleasant gaze also followed me.


    ¡­¡­Three or four people? Considering the roughness of their footwork, perhaps they aren¡¯t even thugs but just teenage delinquents. ¡­¡­I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll have any worthwhile information. This is a miss.


    I passed through a place that seems like a street of bars with such mood and headed to a place with even fewer people. When there is completely nobody else in the surrounding anymore, the footsteps following me became a small jog.


    Four people as I thought¡­¡­all of them looked to be around the middle of their teenage until late teenage. They are grinning seeing me stopped walking while approaching. The young man who seemed to be the leader pulled out a small iron knife as though to boast of his strength. It¡¯s at that timing©¤©¤


    ¡¸You guys, what are you doing there-!¡¹


    Another person¡¯s voice resounded from the entrance of the back alley where they came from. The silhouette of a familiar man with tall and solid body came out from there.


    This voice¡­¡­.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­Feld?¡¹

 Volume 2 - CH 12

    ¡¸What do you want old man-!¡¹


    ¡¸This ain¡¯t your business old man-!¡¹


    ¡¸Go away old man-!¡¹


    The city¡¯s delinquents got cocky because they have greater number even after looking at the big man who seemed obviously strong. They showed off their iron knives.


    ¡­¡­This is Feld right? One years has pssed so I can¡¯t be absolutely certain but, even so I never forgot him. That person who seemed to be Feld formed a brutal smile that is clear to see even with the backlight behind him after hearing the young men¡¯s words.


    ¡¸I¡¯m not an old man-!!¡¹


    ¡­¡­Aa, he is undoubtedly Feld.


    Feld threw his punch at the young men. The combat strength of the young men is around 40 to 50, so perhaps they have Martial Art skill level 1 at least but, for Feld whose combat strength is more than 1700, it doesn¡¯t matter whether he has weapon or not.


    The self proclaimed 20 years old¡­¡­is he 21 right now? Anyway Feld is Feld regardless of how he look, so he doesn¡¯t need to be that bothered about age or appearance doesn¡¯t he?


    Without anything special happening, the delinquents are beaten up with bare hands. Perhaps that made him felt refreshed, Feld finally noticed me who was watching the scene silently and raised one hand with a nice smile.


    ¡¸You there, you alright?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­¡¹


    I should leave this place before getting dragged into anything troublesome. Even so this reunion with him who acted kindly to a street urchin who he met for the first time and taught me my first skill in order to live made me felt a bit reluctant to leave.


    My flat reaction might make him felt something from me. He let out a smile that bared his fangs.


    ¡¸As I thought, you look really skilled despite being so young. I thought that you would have no problem even with this bunch picking a fight with you, but they told me to help you out.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡­¡­As I thought, he doesn¡¯t remember a street urchin who he accompanied only for a day huh.


    Besides my appearance right now has changed drastically from the thin seven years old kid before. Although my appearance has only grown for around three years older due to my magic power, because I have grown a lot taller than average, I should look like a twelve years old if it¡¯s just from appearance.


    My clothes that consisted of largish shirt and short pant that made it difficult to differentiate whether I¡¯m male or female must also played a part. But¡­¡­if he doesn¡¯t remember me then there is no need for me to go out of my way to remind him.


    It¡¯s enough with him simply saying that kid who couldn¡¯t do anything in the past is now strong. It¡¯s fine with just me alone remembering of my debt to him. There isn¡¯t any need for me to show it in my attitude.


    ¡¸Them?¡¹


    ¡¸Those boys.¡¹


    When I turned my gaze toward the direction that Feld is looking at, I found two boys looking toward here at the back alley¡¯s entrance. They seemed to be at the first half of their teenage with extremely well ordered features. Behind them there is also someone who seemed to be a woman wearing a hood, but looking at their appearance, I guessed that person is like the two boys¡¯ bodyguard.


    They are dressed like commoners who are children of wealthy family but, for them to need guards¡­¡­their good upbringing that made me felt the necessity of them bringing guards is palpable. I don¡¯t know what kind of people they are, but they are still giving off such presence even while dressed in the style to blend into the city, so it¡¯ll be better if I don¡¯t get involved with them too much.


    ¡¸Yaa, you there. Are you alright?¡¹


    One of the boys, a boy with glossy blond hair that is tinged red came nearby with a sickly sweet smile.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I¡¯m fine.¡¹


    ¡¸Can you thank him if possible? After all he was really worried.¡¹


    When I turned my gaze due to those words, I saw the other boy also approaching with a gentle smile that must be making him popular with many people, so for now I should say my thanks.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Thank you.¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s fine, no need for thanks. It¡¯s my duty to protect the people.¡¹


    As I thought they are noble children huh¡­¡­. I remained her due to my reunion with Feld but, as expected I should just leave.


    ¡¸No, I¡¯m really thankful.¡¹


    I said my thanks once more with inoffensive words and tried to leave there right away, but the first boy with reddish blonde hair secretly whispered to me as I passed him.


    ¡¸You¡­¡­you are dressed like that but, you¡¯re a girl right?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I unconsciously stopped just for a moment due to the unexpected words. Then he moved in front of me to block my way and peered at my face that is hidden by the shawl.


    ¡¸You see, I¡¯m interested with strong girl.¡¹


    The boy with reddish blond hair grinned.


    ¡¸The one who saved you directly said that you¡¯re apparently strong enough to not need to be saved. I wonder, what is the reason for someone like that to dress like a boy and enter this kind of back alley?¡¹


    It looked like the blonde haired boy genuinely wanted to help me, but this boy interacted with me because he found me suspicious.


    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, Mihail?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s nothing, Er. For some reason this kid doesn¡¯t feel like a stranger to me.¡¹


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­now that you mention it, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s his hair color but, somehow, it feels like he has similar atmosphere with you Mihail.¡¹


    Perhaps those words that were said by the blond haired boy©¤©¤Er drew interest. Feld and the indifferent hooded woman also approached.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Troublesome¡­¡­. It will become a hindrance to my work after this if I tried to forcefully break through them.


    And then if I got suspicion placed on me, not to mention Feld, the hooded woman behind her will also surely make it really difficult for me to escape. The strength that I¡¯m sensing from them convinced me of that.


    I¡¯m indebted to Feld. I don¡¯t plan to be Feld¡¯s enemy but, I¡¯m also not feeling like opening up myself to all the people around him. While I¡¯m looking if there is a way to get away from here peacefully if possible, Feld talked to me casually again without even knowing my feeling.


    ¡¸You are still young, but you¡¯re an adventurer right? Your clothes and also your equipment are worn out. Won¡¯t it be better if you fix them?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes. I¡¯m looking for a dwarf armorer in the capital.¡¹


    Not only my adventurer tag, the equipments I¡¯m wearing are the items that master used a hundred year ago without any modification, so putting aside the leather and metal parts, the parts that are made from cloth are at their limit.


    It¡¯s not to the degree that has to be fixed right away but, Feld is bringing up a topic that is just right in nice timing, so I¡¯m making use of it. Either way I¡¯m planning to go to the shop of Galbas¡¯s brother if I have time, so I¡¯m not lying.


    But, I was only told that his brother has equipment shop in the capital and don¡¯t know about any further detail. I said that I¡¯m looking for this armorer because the blacksmith where I bought my weapon before introduced me before trying to leave, but then the hooded woman who hasn¡¯t said a single word until now suddenly spoke up.


    ¡¸I know the location if you¡¯re talking about a dwarf armorer.¡¹


    That person said that while pulling down her hood and showed her face. She has soft looking brown hair and the ears of wood elf that is said to have bad relationship with dwarf.


    .


    From what I inferred based on their conversation, Feld and the wood elf woman are serving as bodyguards for the noble boys who are secretly visiting the city.


    Well, that was what I thought the moment I saw them, but for some reason those two boys together with Feld and the elf woman all ended up heading to the dwarf¡¯s shop too.


    I really don¡¯t understand how things ended up like this. I thought that I would find some suitable reason and separated from them midway but, that boy with reddish blonde hair©¤©¤Mihail strangely won¡¯t let me get away.


    Because of that the other boy, Er also got interested with me and now I¡¯m walking through the street with the two boys at my sides. What a bind.


    Both their attire and their look were good. I don¡¯t want to stand out for standing between such two people, and yet I¡¯m completely standing out.


    ¡¸You¡¯re really untalkative. Why are you so on guard like that?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­There are this many ¡°people¡± around us.¡¹


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­so you noticed?¡¹


    The reason I can¡¯t take the risk to run away from them because other than them, there are also several other people blending among the crowd protecting them.


    If they are noble, I thought that the people guarding them might be the people from Sera¡¯s organization and I was on my guard, but their bodyguards can¡¯t even erase the sound of their footsteps. These two are being followed by people who fought by wearing heavy armor and weapon.


    Most likely these bodyguards are knight or soldier. I don¡¯t understand why these two aren¡¯t accompanied by people from the proper organization for this kind of job, but perhaps that¡¯s why they are putting people like Feld to act as the bodyguard on the surface.


    Anyway, the act of running away from these boys forcefully is like announcing by myself that I¡¯m suspicious.


    ¡¸Mihail, what are you talking with him? It¡¯s rare for you to be that interested with other people.¡¹


    ¡¸I already said it just now right? He just doesn¡¯t feel like a stranger for me.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I don¡¯t know what is Mihail thinking but, Er said that he and me are similar.


    Something like impression can change depending on the time so it can¡¯t be counted on, but the reason Mihail said that I don¡¯t feel like a stranger is actually something that I too can understand a little.


    It seemed that Mihail and Er are friends, but I¡¯m feeling a ¡°sense of distance¡± from him where he is drawing a line in his relationship with other people. I got the feeling that the way he put a distance with other people like that is somewhat similar with me.


    It seems that Er doesn¡¯t notice that I¡¯m a girl, but Mihail who noticed that felt like he is wary toward me and probing for my true identity. The two who are following right behind us too, Feld is surely not paying it any attention at all but, with the way the elf woman are watching me scrutinizingly, she might have noticed that I¡¯m a girl.


    ¡¸Hey, what kind of work a young adventurer like you do?¡¹


    Er paid no mind to the awkward atmosphere and talked to me with a smile. It¡¯s not like I have any duty to answer him but, Mihail¡¯s amused gaze weighed my mind, so I helplessly opened my mouth.


    ¡¸Goblin hunting and collecting medicine ingredient.¡¹


    ¡¸Goblin huh¡­¡­I also want to try fighting it though, I wonder if it¡¯ll be possible for me?¡¹


    Most likely he isn¡¯t talking about his strength but about if he is allowed to fight with his standing or not. But I pretended to not realize that and simply concluded the talk with the fighting aspect.


    ¡¸It doesn¡¯t matter who. Anyone should be able to kill if they have the willingness for it.¡¹


    Something like a fight in the end simply boiled down to the matter of whether you could kill your opponent without hesitation or not.


    No matter how strong you are, no matter how overwhelming your strength is, if you don¡¯t have the resolve to kill your opponent, that will become ¡°weakness¡±. Not killing your opponent where your life is at stake is just ¡°arrogance¡± if I have to say.


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­¡¹


    I heard Mihail¡¯s amused voice and turned my gaze to him. There I saw not just him and Er, but even Feld and the elf woman are staring still at me in puzzlement.


    Perhaps¡­¡­I spoke a bit too much.


    .


    After that the atmosphere turned awkward again, but fortunately we arrived at our destination, the dwarf¡¯s armor shop before long.


    That shop is away from the main street. It¡¯s a street where there are also other shops like outfit shop for commoner and general store. The building is a normal private house made from white stone and mortar. There is only a plank attached on the door to show that it¡¯s a shop, so I might not notice that it¡¯s a shop if I passed through here without knowing.


    Although I said about a dwarf¡¯s armor shop, there must be more than one person who fit such description in this capital. There is no guarantee that the owner of this shop is Galbas¡¯s little brother, but if it¡¯s a dwarf doing the same kind of work then it¡¯s also possible the person here will know about the eccentric armorer.


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­¡¹


    It might be their first time coming to this kind of shop. The young masters Er and Mihail are staring at the outer appearance of the small shop with curiosity. In contrast the wood elf has a faraway look for some reason, which really left an impression.


    She who seems to be familiar with this shop opened the door. I followed behind her and entered and saw that the inside of the store is filled with a lot of light clothing¡­¡­equipments intended for female are lined up. where there are equipments that only looked like a dancer outfit.


    But they aren¡¯t just clothes¡­¡­they are, ¡ºarmor¡».


    There are a lot of metal armor, leather armor, even items that contained magic power perhaps because they are made from rare metal or monster leather. Although it¡¯s not my business, seeing this made me worried if it¡¯s alright for such precious items to be left in the open unguarded like this.


    ¡¸Gelf, are you here?¡¹


    The elf woman called out to the back of the shop. Then several seconds later, a powerful and thick male voice that seemed to belong to a middle-aged dwarf came from the back.


    ¡¸Oh my~, isn¡¯t this Mira-chan. You are bringing such cute children with you, just what is the occasion I wonder?¡¹

 Volume 2 - CH 13

    I understood from a single glance. This dwarf who is wearing leather top and bottom with large opening on the chest part opened, and posing with feminine gesture is the eccentric little brother of Galbas who gave me weapon.


    Gelf is a man who is a woman in the inside. It¡¯s my first time seeing it but, I know from that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡± that this kind of person existed.


    Although the elf called Mira knew about this beforehand, Feld seemed like he didn¡¯t know. He froze for some reason just like Er and Mihail. I stepped forward through them, took off the hand protector on my left hand and placed it on the counter.


    ¡¸It¡¯s an old thing but, can you fix it?¡¹


    ¡¸Oh, cutie pie, you bring a really rare item with you here. It¡¯s using monster leather that I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen before but¡­¡­what monster it came from I wonder?¡¹


    ¡¸I heard my boots were made from Night Stalker but, I don¡¯t know about the hand protector. The toughness and elasticity are different so I think it was from different monster but, although the leather is still good for use, the other parts are reaching their limit.¡¹


    ¡¸Aamazi~ing, that¡¯s a really rare monster from the west. But, the leather part also has to be cared for you know? Even though it¡¯s said to regenerate from the water and magic power in the air, there is a limit to it. I can fix it but¡­¡­I have a small request for you, so can you come with me to the back?¡¹


    ¡¸Hm? Got it.¡¹


    ¡¸W-wait a second!¡¹


    Gelf pulled my hand to go to the back, but Mihail hurriedly caught my other hand and stopped us.


    ¡¸¡­¡­What?¡¹


    ¡¸You ask what¡­¡­you, after looking at¡­¡­him? Aren¡¯t you thinking anything about it!?¡¹


    Mihail should be wary and suspecting me whose identity is suspect. And yet why is he this panicked and even grabbed my hand to stop me from being dragged away?


    ¡¸If you¡¯re talking about Gelf¡¯s appearance then, I know from ¡°knowledge¡± that this kind of person exist. It isn¡¯t really meaningful to bother about it that much if you know about it right?¡¹


    When I said such thing, Feld and the elf Mira opened their eyes wide in surprise. Gelf who seemed to be used to hear similar words like what Mihail said was watching us with amusement and he spoke in admiration after hearing my words.


    ¡¸You, you are really manly despite being so cute aren¡¯t you¡­¡­¡¹


    And then, *pon* Er hit his hand with a face that looked like he has found an answer to his question.


    ¡¸Aa, I see. Mihail, you kept talking to him because you are concerned and worried for him huh.¡¹


    After being told something like that, Mihail who has been making a composed smile all this time made a sulking face as though he is a kid.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Got a problem with that? This guy is a reckless guy who will enter a dangerous place without a care, there is no way I can just leave him alone.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    What? Could it be his action and words that seemed like probing at me until now were actually because he was worried for me? Perhaps I had done and said something dangerous without realizing it but¡­¡­what a troublesome man. He should just say it openly.


    ¡¸My my, you don¡¯t need to worry like that, I won¡¯t kidnap your ¡ºprincess¡» to somewhere. I¡¯m an armorer. There is just this armor that I want this cutie to wear for a bit, so please wait here for a little.¡¹


    Gelf winked one eye with long eyelashes heavily. It made Mihail stiffened. Gelf dragged me to the back of shop with that opening. Er and Feld¡¯s muttering overlapped and reached my ears at that moment.


    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡­Princess?¡¹¡¹


    .


    I was dragged forcefully but, I didn¡¯t resist because, it¡¯s strange for me to say this but, it might be because I felt something like ¡°motherhood¡± from Gelf who is a male¡­¡­.


    ¡¸You are really a child with nerves of steel. Even Mira-chan became tearful with convulsing expression when she first met me you know? No wonder Galbas took a liking to you.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­How do you know?¡¹


    Galbas told me to try meeting his little brother, but I haven¡¯t mentioned about it at all to Gelf.


    ¡¸That knife on your waist, it¡¯s the one that Galbas made in the past right? It looked like the person himself didn¡¯t like it but, he is actually really attached to it. For you to receive it is the proof that he took a liking to you greatly.¡¹


    ¡¸I bought it¡­¡­after a fashion.¡¹


    I still haven¡¯t paid the price though.


    ¡¸It¡¯s the same. Galbas won¡¯t even sold it if not to someone who he liked. Well, that¡¯s why I¡¯ll give it my all and do my best-¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­With what?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­W-well, it will be fine. He is an eccentric but, he isn¡¯t a bad person at all.¡¹


    The elf Mira gave that reassurance that wasn¡¯t reassuring at all.


    It seemed that she had been in the care of this armorer ever since she was still a low ranked adventurer, but she didn¡¯t sound persuasive at all even if she said that while wiping the cold sweat on her face, Mihail thought with a frown.


    The warrior Feld and the spirit user Mira were adventurers that Mihail¡¯s grandfather introduced to serve as the crown prince¡¯s bodyguard. They were the members of adventurer party Rainbow Sword.


    It was a famous adventurer party that his grandfather was friendly with since his youth. The members other than the dwarf leader and the elf Mira had changed several times, but due to the party¡¯s achievement and reliability, even Melrose House had asked them to do many requests until now.


    Currently the party members numbered four people since the party¡¯s sorcerer retired several years ago and so the party was refraining from doing any full-scale work, but the three members other than the scout who was searching for a new sorcerer had started doing activity together again since around a year ago because the efficiency was bad when they all moved around individually.


    And then this time the dwarf leader didn¡¯t join with the work this time as a guard inside the city. Only these two served as bodyguards.


    The city field trip this time began from the wish of the crown prince Ervan Fon Claydale, but that wish was realized because of Mihail setting it up, because he wanted to show the ¡°reality¡± to Ervan who was somewhat lacking in tension similar like her mother the first queen who was formerly the daughter of a viscount.


    Mihail and Ervan were friend, but their way of thinking as noble was different. Mihail was trying to determine whether Ervan was a suitable person to be the next king.


    Mihail fundamentally didn¡¯t trust other people. He trusted his family but he thought that only his grandfather was worthy of faith. It would be a different matter for trusting someone as a noble but, if he learned that Ervan wasn¡¯t worthy for his trust as someone to serve in the future, Mihail would abandon Ervan and supported the second prince who was still young or the first princess who descended from the lineage of genuine high ranked noble. He would consider such act as something that couldn¡¯t be helped.


    This city field trip began from such thinking but, Mihail encountered ¡°her¡± in the middle of that.


    She was blending with the crowd inconspicuously. However, his gaze was drawn to her for some reason.


    When he was a child, Mihail liked to see the portrait of his ¡°aunt¡± who left the house before he was born. She was a beautiful woman with dignified aura but gentle smile. The feeling that Mihail felt at that time might be similar to a first love.


    ¡°She¡± was dressed in male attire but he knew that she was a girl from a glance. She had similar atmosphere with the woman in the portrait, so his gaze was drawn to her the instant he saw her.


    When Mihail unconsciously followed that figure with his eyes, the adventurer Feld also noticed the girl for a different reason and told him that ¡°he¡± was being targeted by some delinquents.


    The girl looked even younger than Mihail, but ¡°he¡± looked like he was quite strong despite her age so there would be no problem even if they left this alone, Feld explained and asked what they should do.


    The usual Mihail would just ignore it but, Mihail hesitated just for a moment and it was at that timing the sheltered Ervan said to save ¡°him¡±, and that was how Mihail ended up getting involved with ¡°her¡±.


    The dense Feld and Ervan didn¡¯t noticed her gender, but Mihail felt irritated at her lack of vigilance that was like a ¡°child¡± who lacked common sense.


    Why didn¡¯t she realize that she had an appearance that attracted people¡¯s gaze? Because of that she was even drawing needless troubles to her. Mihail should be someone who drew a line that separated him from other people, but he couldn¡¯t understand why his heart was disturbed to this degree toward this girl that he even ended up saying unnecessary cutting remark to her.


    He sulked when Ervan pointed that out. He was made to realize of his childish part that he had forgotten along with the growth of his body, and the girl was dragged away by the eccentric while he was in astonishment.


    .


    ¡¸Oka~ay, sorry to make everyone waitt?¡¹


    The eccentric dwarf Gelf returned. He couldn¡¯t do something like peeking due to his pride as a gentleman, but when he turned his gaze to check whether the girl was alright¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Uwah, as expected from Gelf¡­¡­¡¹


    Mira sounded like she had expected of what to come. Mihail only heard her voice, but all the men including him couldn¡¯t say anything from surprise.


    ¡¸Gelf¡­¡­it¡¯s a bit hard to move in.¡¹


    ¡¸I wonder, if it¡¯s still too big for you?¡¹


    Her appearance was completely different from before. The girl was wearing leather short boots and knee-length skirt of leather dress. Her two arms that extended from the sleeveless shoulders and the white calves that extended from the skirt looked dazzling. Mihail unconsciously averted his gaze with embarrassment.


    Even so what drew his eyes the most might be her face.


    With the boorish shawl that hid her face removed, the untied hair with the ash dirtying it vanished hanging down on her shoulders, the ¡°pink tinged blonde hair¡± that looked shiny and vibrant jade green eyes, they were really similar with the portrait of the woman that Mihail admired and harbored a feeling toward that was like first love.


    ¡¸You¡­¡­are a woman?¡¹


    Compared to that line of Feld who didn¡¯t read the atmosphere at all, the attitude of Ervan who was staring with reddening face beside him was more irritating to Mihail for some reason.


    ¡¸It¡¯s the prototype that I created previously for temporary sewing but, I¡¯m glad it can match your size with just simple adjustment. Use it for now until the repair of your equipments is finished. Then the next time you come you can tell me how does it feel wearing it.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    It seemed that this outfit that I was told to change into is lent to me as replacement until my equipment¡¯s repair is finished. ¡­¡­But, I can¡¯t understand why I¡¯m given full body equipment to replace hand protector and boots. Furthermore Gelf even saw through the illusion of ash on my hair instantly, dispelled it, and even combed it.


    ¡¸That attire, originally I should be the one wearing it but, I prioritized shape and function too much that it became impossible to wear for me.¡¹


    Even though he is a dwarf, he wanted to wear this kind of thin and fluttery thing huh¡­¡­.


    But, he said that it was for temporary sewing but, it seemed this equipment is properly using real leather. Although thin, its defensive power is considerable and it also provided softness and elasticity to some degree.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Also, take this with you too. Wear it properly okay? No matter what okay-!?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    At the end Gelf pulled something from the shelf where he put thin fluttery clothes and made me grasped it.


    What¡¯s this¡­¡­he was completely shocked when I changed but, is this thing related to that? More importantly, I was told that this attire is made from normal leather so I won¡¯t stand out but, am I really more inconspicuous like this?


    I don¡¯t want to stand out because after this I¡¯m going to work. I dressed as man for that but, Gelf told me that soon I would be unable to hide my gender by dressing as man.


    He persuaded me that if that was the case, it would be better if I didn¡¯t use male clothing but attire like cloak to hide my body and made my age and gender ambiguous and wore equipment that prioritized function. He told me that this is the normal attire for female adventurer recently but¡­¡­Feld and others are looking at me with dumbfounded face, so it made me felt somehow anxious.


    Perhaps that¡¯s why even though what Gelf did is the same like Galbas who gave me this black knife, I¡¯m feeling a bit reluctant to thank him honestly.


    ¡¸You¡­¡­you are a woman huh?¡¹


    As expected it¡¯s obvious with this appearance. I received such puzzled impression from Feld, but for some reason such inconsequential comment made me felt a bit gloomy.


    The atmosphere is getting awkward, so let¡¯s leave this place right away. I can ask more about this equipment and my equipment that I entrusted to Gelf later when the repair is finished.


    At this rate it feels like they¡¯ll also go with the flow and accompany me until the adventurer guild, so I go outside first, pointed behind me at the nearby person who seems to be a knight that they are still inside, and then without stopping I blend with the crowd and vanished. Then I heard from afar the voices looking for me.


    After that I checked the item that Gelf put in my grasp before parting. This thing, in that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡± it¡¯s called an underwear. It¡¯s a small thing made from cotton and it¡¯s the type that is tied at the sides with string.


    .


    Originally I¡¯m going to head to the adventurer guild from here to investigate about my target, the Mercenary of Dawn, but it¡¯s possible that Feld and others will also head to the guild, so I should wait for several days before going there.


    Even so I still need to obtain information. Because I shortened my travelling time to here, it¡¯s possible that my contact from assassin guild still hasn¡¯t arrived to the capital. But, if it¡¯s not a contact, but a ¡°watcher¡± with some level of strength, then it¡¯s possible that they also used the same path like me.


    Nothing happened at that day. But, when at the next day I did the same thing like yesterday, killing time by sitting on a wall at a back alley near the capital¡¯s cathedral while using Stealth to deceive the eyes of normal citizens, after around two hours passed a voice called out to me from the ¡°shadow¡± of the tree a little bit of distance away.


    ¡º©¤©¤¡±Ash covered¡±, there is something that I want to ask you.¡»


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    As I thought, someone from the guild contacted me. But, instead of saying ¡ºI have information¡», it¡¯s ¡ºthere is something I want to ask¡» instead. What¡¯s the meaning of that?


    I jumped down from the wall and started walking to the opposite direction of the voice.


    ¡º¡­¡­Oi¡»


    The voice just now called out to me again from inside a different shadow, but I¡¯m not planning to stop.


    ¡¸I don¡¯t have anything to say to someone who won¡¯t say themselves.¡¹


    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡»


    The watcher fell silent at the words that I muttered. Several seconds later, a cat beastman with her long hair fluttering behind her appeared from the gloomy alley in front of me.


    ¡¸I want to ask you something. ¡°Ash crowned¡±¡­¡­what did you do to Guy?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    No way¡­¡­Shadow User Radha huh.

 Volume 2 - CH 14

    ¨‹ Shadow User Radha  Race : Beastman (Cat)


    ¡¾Magic Power : 233/235¡¿¡¾Stamina : 240/240¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 855 (With Body Strengthening : 1017)¡¿


    ¡­¡­This woman is most likely Shadow User Radha.


    I¡¯ve roughly memorized the general ¡°peculiarity¡± of the presence of  people in that assassin guild northern frontier district branch, even  the ones who were hiding from me.


    Stealth isn¡¯t something for the sake of hiding, but for the sake of  not getting found out. Even if someone tried to hide perfectly, if I  understand that they are ¡ºdefinitely there¡», it will become an out of  place feeling, and if it¡¯s too perfect than a ¡°peculiarity¡± will form  there, and if I can just memorize that peculiarity then seeing through  Stealth also become possible.


    Among them, the only presence that I couldn¡¯t find despite knowing  that there was an existence there was only the Shadow User Radha. I¡¯m  guessing from the information I have and the trait from their nicknames,  and this woman is the only one who isn¡¯t registered in my memory, which  mean she is Shadow User Radha.


    Radha is glaring at me. In respond to her question, I pushed my emotion to the bottom of my heart and tilted my head slightly.


    ¡¸Guy? Dino also asked me about him but, there is no way I know anything right? I was away from the guild for a job.¡¹


    I disposed Guy¡¯s corpse together with the rookie hunters so that not a  trace of him remained behind. There shouldn¡¯t be any proof at all about  me murdering Guy, but Radha is suspecting me. I wonder why.


    ¡¸Keira said that she requested Guy to attack you. Did he appear at your location?¡¹


    The sharp glint and pressure that are unique to cat beastman pierced  me. My heart almost leaped for a moment. I suppressed my heart even  deeper and narrowed my eyes without a single change in my expression as I  stared back at Radha.


    ¡¸Please stop with all the accusations. Even if he came to where I was, he might be dead from the dungeon¡¯s monsters.¡¹


    I didn¡¯t expect that there was such strong horizontal connection  between the members of assassin guild. Besides it was surprising that  Keira was leaking information that was disadvantageous for herself but,  is there a ¡°reason¡± for her that made it fine to talk if it¡¯s with  Radha¡­¡­.


    ¡¸¡­¡­There is no way Guy will lose against some random monster-. That  child has the strength to fight equally even against me if it¡¯s in a  head-on fight. ¡­¡­There is no way Guy can lose. Unless someone set up a  dirty trap for him¡­¡­-!¡¹


    In that moment, dark colored magic particles mixed with killing  intent surged from Radha¡¯s whole body. I also unleashed my magic power  at the same time with that and took out throwing weapon using the shadow  of my palm as the intermediary.


    Radha and my killing intents clashed. The presences of the small animals at the surrounding vanished as they scattered away.


    Is she planning to kill me in the middle of city at noon like this? I  accelerated my thought and constructed several fighting patterns in my  mind, but Radha suppressed her killing intent and threw a bundle of  paper on my feet.


    ¡¸¡­¡­We will talk again after the job is over. The information from one  other contact who was following and investigating the Mercenary of Dawn  is written there. Let me see how someone at your level is going to  fight against ¡°rank 4¡± adventurer.¡¹


    Radha spat out those words before she began backing away without showing her back at me.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡±What¡± is Guy to you?¡¹


    When I asked her that before she vanished, Radha turned her eyes that  were filled with anger just for an instant, then she left behind a last  whisper while vanishing into the alley¡¯s darkness.


    ¡¸He is my precious¡­¡­¡±little brother¡±.¡¹


    Radha and Guy were raised in an orphanage of a small city at the north.


    Both of Radha¡¯s parents were beastman adventurer. The two of them  left the beastman country trying to strike it rich. They dived into  dungeon many times before one day, they didn¡¯t return home and left the  young Radha alone.


    There were quite a number of demi human even at Claydale Kingdom that  was a human country, but as expected there was subtle prejudice at the  remote region. There were not many who had regular occupation. Radha who  was left alone was entered into the orphanage by an adventurer who was  acquainted with her parents, but Radha who was a beastman who wasn¡¯t  even a legitimate citizen was already really lucky just from being able  to enter the orphanage.


    Even so she couldn¡¯t get close with the human children and was  isolated. When she was five years old, a Cruzian baby was sent to the  orphanage.


    Even Cruzian who had different skin color was rarely discriminated,  but in the end that was only between adults. In the case of uneducated  children, they would exclude those who were different from them to a  cruel degree.


    The older orphans were tasked with taking turn to take care of the  baby, but the orphans disliked looking after that baby who was named  Guy. They pushed the task to Radha who was still five years old.


    ¡ºThe black baby should be looked after by a ¡°black cat¡± like you.¡»


    Black eyes and black hair. She was teased as black cat because she  was the only beastman in the orphanage. Radha got the task pushed on her  together with those heartless words, but while she was at a loss of  what to do, Guy grasped her hand with his small hand and smiled. That  sight made the young girl decided.


    ¡ºThis boy¡­¡­I¡¯ll protect him.¡»


    She changed his diaper with clumsy fingers, patiently gave him goat  milk, protected him desperately from the other orphans and cold. It made  Guy idolized her as his elder sister, while Radha also loved Guy as a  little brother.


    The two sought each other to heal their loneliness. When Radha and  Guy became twelve years old and eight years old respectively, the two  stole food and money from the orphanage that was cold against foreign  thing and ran away.


    ¡ºGuy, if the people of this country called us ¡ºblack¡», let¡¯s live in the ¡ºshadow¡» then.¡»


    ¡ºYep, Radha. Let¡¯s show them our strength.¡»


    Radha received instruction of combat and dark sorcery from her  adventurer parents in the past. Guy also had the high physical ability  that was unique to Cruzian people. They gained strength in the blink of  eye.


    The two hid themselves in the slum district, attacked drunken people  or old man in moonless night and killed them, stealing lives and little  money. That act naturally provoked the anger of the local thief guild,  but they were discovered by someone else before the thief guild could.  The one who called out to them was a member of assassin guild.


    .


    ©¤©¤After that several years passed. Radha grew more skilled until she  got called as Shadow User due to her stealth type skill that was  characteristic of cat beastman and her talent in dark sorcery. As for  Guy, although he was only evaluated as rank 3, he had grown to become a  warrior that was acknowledged even within the guild for his head-on  battle skill.


    That Guy one day went out to follow a rookie child and didn¡¯t come back.


    It wasn¡¯t rare for a task to last until several months in the  assassin guild. Radha too wasn¡¯t anxious although she was feeling  slightly worried, but then Keira came to talk to Radha which was unusual  for her.


    Radha and Keira¡¯s relationship wasn¡¯t good or anything. The number  they talked could even be counted because of their difference in  personality, but Keira confided that he requested Guy to hurt the new  member.


    ¡ºHey, Radha. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange, Guy taking this much time just for that simple job?¡»


    Radha guessed from those words. Most likely Keira knew of her  relationship with Guy and she was trying to direct Radha¡¯s ill will  toward that child.


    She knew that there was a quarrel between that child and Keira. She  also felt anger toward Keira who dragged her into such nonsensical  matter, but Radha prioritized Guy and avoided making trouble inside the  guild. She then volunteered to head the capital where that child should  be at as a contact from the guild.


    Her task also included being a ¡ºwatcher¡» in case the contact this  time made a blunder like allowing that rookie to escape or getting  themselves captured. At that time it would be her duty to clean up the  mess.


    And then when she arrived at the capital and met that rookie for  real, that child possessed abnormal nerve and combat strength that were  unthinkable for a kid¡­¡­and most of all, seeing those eyes that were cold  like ice made her convinced, ¡ºthis girl might be able to kill Guy¡»©¤©¤no,  she was convinced that ¡ºshe killed him¡».


    ¡¸Ash covered¡­¡­tsu, I¡¯ll torture you to death with this hand.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Little brother¡­¡­huh. Did she mean that figuratively? I felt Radha¡¯s  existence vanished completely from the shadow she disappeared into  before I finally let out a long sigh.


    She is still suspecting me but¡­¡­well, forget it. Radha gave me a lot of information from that short exchange.


    About my contacts, one is following the Mercenary of Dawn, while the one who got dispatched from the guild is Radha.


    Even if they weren¡¯t related by blood, Radha chased me until the  capital and even considered killing me. If she thought of Guy by that  much, than that was an important information.


    Radha is strong. Even so if she lost control of herself from anger,  there will be an opening no matter how strong she is. And if I  understand her reason, I¡¯ll also be able to estimate how much anger she  is harboring. Scaring the weak and angering the strong to create an  opening is an old trick.


    Also it was just something that she said casually but, with the way  Radha emphasized saying rank 4 adventurer, I think Radha herself is also  a rank 4.


    From the magic power and combat strength of Radha that I saw using  Appraisal, and if what she said that the rank 3 Guy was equal to her in  close quarter combat despite her being rank 4, what made Radha to be  worthy of being rank 4 must be her dark sorcery.


    Furthermore Radha made a mistake. She might be underestimating  because I¡¯m a child, or perhaps she lost control of herself from anger  even though she was pretending to be calm, but she had shown the way she  activated darkness sorcery to appear from the shadow and vanish into  the shadow in front of me who can see magic particles as color.


    From what I felt, it looked like she can travel from inside a shadow  to another shadow but, spatial teleportation should be impossible for  someone of her level even if it¡¯s just for a short range, so I  hypothesized that most likely it¡¯s a similar technique with my spatial  storage that made the darkness of my body as intermediary.


    She must be covering her whole body with dark magic particles to make  it possible to ¡ºtravel¡» from shadow to another shadow that is connected  to the original shadow by shadow or by magic power. A space that is  isolated by darkness magic particles is in a state like vacuum, so  living thing can¡¯t live in it but, most likely, it¡¯s possible if it¡¯s  just for several seconds like how human can dive into water.


    But, there is a weakness with this ¡ºshadow crossing¡». If she is  hiding in the darkness like diving into water, in case she is hiding  herself for more than several seconds, she definitely should be opening a  hole to the isolated space of darkness.


    And then, the most important information that I obtained from the chance meeting this time is how I managed to perceive Radha.


    Radha¡¯s stealth ability surpassed mine, so I couldn¡¯t grasp her  presence perfectly but, at the very least I was able to sense the ¡°out  of place feeling¡± when she entered and exited the shadow.


    Just like how I became able to designate a person to some degree with  their presence, Radha was able to identify me even after I changed my  outfit and erased the ash on my hair must be because she is also  remembering my presence.


    It seems like I¡¯m at a disadvantage with how Radha can identify me  while I can only sense Radha vaguely through an out of place feeling,  but the fact that I know that has become an ¡°advantage¡± for me.


    A fight between dark sorcerers is a fight of deceiving and confusing  each other. Combat strength isn¡¯t that important in such fight. What¡¯s  important is your power of observation and insight to grasp the  opponent¡¯s state of mind and hidden information.


    Shadow User Radha was the worst opponent for me affinity wise. In  case my betrayal against the assassin guild is revealed and she is  hostile against me, my survival rate will drop drastically is Radha  whose presence I can¡¯t read is still remaining.


    That¡¯s exactly why, I¡¯m really lucky that Radha came here as my contact.


    ¡­¡­Radha. As a fellow dark sorcery user, I¡¯ll defeat you and become stronger.


    ¡¸Die and become my ¡°nourishment¡±.¡¹

 Volume 2 - CH 15

    After parting from Radha, I headed to one of the areas under the  direct control of the royal family, where a large dungeon exists and I  was told that¡¯s where my assassination targets this time are staying.


    Although, Radha should be watching me from somewhere. There is no  guarantee that the information I received from Radha is accurate, but  even if Radha falsified it to be convenient for herself, I have no  intention to check it in detail.


    There should be one more contact, so I don¡¯t think that Radha would  be able to do any major falsification, and in the first place she  shouldn¡¯t be so foolish as to do a falsification that can be found out  just from several days of investigation.


    And then most of all, if the information is convenient for Radha,  Radha too will take action in accordance with it. As the result I¡¯ll be  able to predict Radha¡¯s action.


    I purchased salt and spices that I will need in my travel, and bought  chemical ingredients that I¡¯m lacking from multiple alchemist shops and  stalls. I¡¯m also taking the chance to buy one cloak that was created  from monster material.


    The protector that was made from monster material is just like the  boots and hand guard that I received from master. It can regenerate  small damage using the wearer¡¯s magic power and water moisture in the  air. The degree of regeneration is affected by the monster¡¯s rank, so I  can¡¯t expect much effect from the cloak that was created from the  material of low ranked monster, even so apparently it protected the  wearer from heat and cold far better compared to normal cloth or  leather.


    .


    ¡¸Gelf, sell me a comparatively cheap cloak.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­You are the only customer in my shop who ever asked me to sell a cheap thing without care of the design.¡¹


    Two days after my encounter with Feld¡¯s group, I visited the dwarf¡¯s armor shop once more.


    I waited for two days to avoid meeting Feld¡¯s group once more. A part  of me also wanted to meet again with Feld but, I wanted to avoid  getting involved with the noble boys who looked at me strangely.


    ¡¸Well, okay. I¡¯ll choose something with the appropriate price, just ¨C for ¨C yo ¨C u.¡¹


    Gelf winked his eye so heavily it felt like I could hear the sound of  his eyelashes snapping. I nodded quietly and pinched the leather skirt  that he lent me in the place of my equipments.


    ¡¸Is my equipments¡¯ repair finished? I want to change into them if possible.¡¹


    ¡¸You, aren¡¯t perturbed at all aren¡¯t you¡­¡­. I have finished repairing  your equipment but, you don¡¯t like what I lent you? It¡¯s not made from  monster leather but I didn¡¯t cut any corner when making it you know?¡¹


    Gelf sighed for some reason. I shook my head to him.


    ¡¸No, it¡¯s thin and light and comfortable to wear. It also made the  gazes on me increased somewhat but, it also doesn¡¯t really matter if I  warp my head with my shawl.¡¹


    ¡¸In the end you covered your hair with ash again eh¡­¡­. If you are  applying illusion, it will only make you stand out unnecessarily if you  do more than applying it lightly just to cover your hair¡¯s glossiness  you know?¡¹


    ¡¸I see, I¡¯ll try it.¡¹


    ¡¸And, why do you want to change?¡¹


    ¡¸Hm? Isn¡¯t this just a substitute until my equipment¡¯s repair is finished?¡¹


    I was confused why it was necessary for me to have a total makeover  just for repairing my boots and hand protector, but did Gelf plan to  hand over this whole set of equipment to me?


    Even though I¡¯m someone who Galbas introduced to him, he shouldn¡¯t  need to be so dutiful to go that far for me. Then Gelf taught me why he  has been so good to me.


    ¡¸I¡¯m creating equipment in order to wear cute equipment you know-.  But, I can¡¯t wear them well with my slightly chubby body-! That¡¯s why, I  have been searching for a cute girl to wear them in place all this  time-!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Got it.¡¹


    I understand the words but, I don¡¯t understand the meaning. To be  honest, I can¡¯t understand that passion but, it must be something  important for Gelf. Even in that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±, the category of  cuteness is too vast that I don¡¯t really get it but, I think that if  it¡¯s Gelf¡¯s creation then it then there won¡¯t be any problem with its  functionality.


    Then I should at least pay the fee but, just like Galbas, Gelf will  only accept one gold coin. Just that much should only cover the price  for the cloak though.


    ¡¸You can pay me when you have grown. Just accept them for now. Come  here again later okay? There are still a lot of things that I want you  to wear.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Thank you.¡¹


    In the end I only returned the substitute boots and I equipped the  boots and hand protector that has been repaired. Both the boots and the  hand protector has become more comfortable to equip. It¡¯s like they are  different things than before. With this I¡¯ll be able to move freely even  in the dungeon.


    At the same time, I asked a certain gimmick to be placed at the inner part of the hand protector.


    ¡­¡­Hmm. It looks like I can use this.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Now then.¡¹


    I left Gelf¡¯s shop. The tall palace that can be seen at the far distance from the capital¡¯s street entered my sight.


    I wonder if Elena is there? Is she fighting the force inside the palace that is trying to make use of her by her lonesome?


    Elena promised that she will become my ally just once no matter who  is it I¡¯m facing. But, it¡¯s still not the time for that. Because I¡¯m  still not strong enough to be able to kill her ¡ºenemy¡».


    Besides, I¡¯m not planning to rely on her just for something like this.


    See you¡­¡­Elena. I¡¯ll go meet you when I become strong.


    .


    According to the information from the assassin guild, that town of  Erd where the large scale dungeon is located is an area under the direct  control of the royal family, but apparently the one managing it is  Count Lester whose territory is adjacent to it. Although that¡¯s not the  full reason, the influence of sorcerer guild and adventurer guild in  that town is strong. It seems that the town has a different atmosphere  from a normal town.


    The time needed to travel from this capital to that place will take  around four days using carriage that passed through some inn towns. I  don¡¯t need a carriage just from such distance, so I chose to use a route  that cut through inside a forest. It¡¯ll also serve as a test of whether  I can hide myself from Radha¡¯s monitoring.


    I left the capital and at the midnight of the first day, I was  feeling a subtle discomfort from my back, but it disappeared after I  kept running inside the forest, so perhaps I was able to shake off Radha  there.


    As expected it was a good choice to purchase a cloak made from  monster material. With this no matter how excellent Radha¡¯s Search  ability is, I¡¯m able to deceive her to some degree using the magic power  covering myself.


    Like that I arrived at the town of Erd where the dungeon is located.  Just as rumored, it¡¯s different from normal town due to the vitality  that is flooding the place.


    Because there is a big dungeon here, the main industry here is  creating things using monster material, but the biggest reason of the  vitality is because there are a lot of adventurer and sorcerer here, and  there are a lot of shops here to serve them. If it¡¯s here then I won¡¯t  really stand out even if I act somewhat strangely, and unlike the  capital, even if I cause a ruckus here it will be harder for it to  become a problem.


    First I bought cheap food like boiled vegetable from the town¡¯s  stall. I asked where the location of the adventurer guild is and headed  there. The dungeon is the center of the city. A high wall was built  around its entrance where several soldiers controlled the flow of people  coming in and out while watching so that no monster will come out.


    It seems like it¡¯s dangerous to have a dungeon inside the town, but  from the start this town was forming from a settlement around a  discovered dungeon, so it seems there are no normal residents around  there. The adventurer guild is also near the dungeon and it¡¯s bigger  than any other guilds that I had seen until now except the one at the  capital.


    I arrived at the guild at afternoon. It¡¯s a time where there is  generally few adventurers but, when I opened the door and entered  inside, I can still see more than ten adventurers. Perhaps because of  the local trait that this place has a lot of adventurer, nobody paid  attention just from someone coming in or out, but the people of certain  senior age frowned slightly when a child like me visited.


    It¡¯s not rare at the countryside for children to become adventurer.  They have reason where they can¡¯t live unless they do so, so they became  adventurer in order to live, desperately learned skill in order to earn  money, and then they died due to their skill composition that has bad  balance.


    But, the adults here frowned not because they pitied the children who  got such fate. It¡¯s because they felt displeased that a kid like me  stepped into a large scale dungeon that is a battlefield for veteran  adventurers.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Guessing from the presence that I sensed from them, I think they are  around rank 3 but, I¡¯m feeling puzzled that people who are said to be  mid-level adventurer can¡¯t measure someone¡¯s true strength from their  presence and footwork. The female thief who kidnapped Elena was still  better than them in that respect, but perhaps this is just how things  are with rank 3 whose fighting experience is mainly against monster¡­¡­.


    I completely ignored that complicated atmosphere and headed toward  the guild¡¯s receptionist. I chose a staff who looked friendly and  addressed him.


    ¡¸How many adventurer parties can be requested to show around inside the dungeon?¡¹


    When I announced that I¡¯m looking for a party who can guide me to a deep floor, the friendly looking uncle told me amicably.


    ¡¸This dungeon is famous, so you can make request for a guide until  the lower floor but, it will be difficult to find a guide until the deep  floor. I think even rank 3 party will do if it¡¯s until floor 10, how  about it?¡¹


    ¡¸Is it impossible to go until even deeper?¡¹


    ¡¸That will be difficult unless you hire a rank 4 party. Currently  there are three rank 4 parties in this town but, whether they will  accept the request or not will depend on the negotiation.¡¹


    Most of the adventurers in this area came here not to do request but to dive into the dungeon.


    Dungeon contained¡ºtreasure¡» that stimulated human¡¯s desire. Anyone  who discover it can possibly even strike it rich in a single night, but  something like that only appeared once every several years, so the  majority of adventurers are earning their daily wage by harvesting  monster material and magic stone.


    This dungeon is famous because it¡¯s a dungeon where beast demihuman like goblin and orc appear frequently.


    Other than powerful treasure, in some cases dungeon also produced  metal weapon and the like. The beast demihuman who lived in dungeon  sometimes found those weapons and took them into their possession, so  the adventurers can obtain them as extra earning.


    But, the danger level of a monster with weapon will shot up. This  dungeon is recognized as a dangerous place but with good pay, so the  guild can¡¯t act as intermediary for a guide to dive into the deep floor.


    For the time being I asked the staff about the request¡¯s market  price, and the names of the parties that might accept such request. One  of the parties that the staff mentioned is the Mercenary of Dawn that is  my target this time. From the staff I confirmed that their plan of  returning next time will be two days later.


    Two days later huh¡­¡­in that case Radha will catch up and resume her  watch over me. The timing will be just right. While I¡¯m thinking that  I¡¯ll check the inside of the dungeon before that, I noticed a presence  following me from the guild.


    Is it rank 2 adventurer that listened to my conversation at the guild  and came to offer their service to me? Or perhaps it might be someone  who underestimated me as a child and wanted to attack me.


    Either way it will be annoying. If it¡¯s just someone offering, this  dungeon will also be the first time for me, so I might take up the offer  to show me around the low floor, but what should I do if it¡¯s an  attack¡­¡­.


    I felt two weak presences. Also¡­¡­there is one really strong presence.


    I left the main street where the guild is located and continued walking toward the back alley where there isn¡¯t anybody.


    I don¡¯t know where I can find an area with nobody around but,  regardless of the intention that these people might have, they will  surely call out to me when I reach a place that is convenient for them.


    .


    ¡¸Yoo, ¡°ash covered¡±. You want a guide for the dungeon right? We will take it up.¡¹


    A pair of adventurers who looked to be at their earlier twenty called  out to me in a dark alley. Even so, I believed that I had reduced the  amount of ash on my hair after Gelf¡¯s warning but, I¡¯m called like that  again even here.


    ¡¸You can just pay us with all the money you bring with you. Well,  even if you refuse we¡¯re still going to drag you to the dungeon after  this though.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I see, it seemed they came both for making an offer and attacking.  But, can they give any tour guide when the two of them only has around  100 combat strength? Such trivial though floated in my mind.


    But, where did the other strong presence went to?


    ¡¸Oi, don¡¯t keep quiet. Speak up, ash covered-¡¹


    The man irritated me while I¡¯m searching for the presence. I reached out toward him.


    ¡¸Annoying.¡¹


    I took a step forward while hitting the man¡¯s jaw with my palm. The  fifty cm arrow that shot out from the gimmick installed inside the  protector pierced the man¡¯s jaw until his brain.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Eh?¡¹


    The other man let out a dumbfounded voice seeing his friend suddenly  falling. Right in that instant, I jumped back to get away from that man.


    ¡¸©¤©¤©¤©¤!¡¹


    The next moment, the man¡¯s whole body is enveloped in burning flame.


    ¡¸¡­¡­As I thought, you¡¯re strong.¡¹


    The man couldn¡¯t even scream with how strong the firepower is and crumbled. A lighthearted voice of a girl came from behind him.


    ¡¸Hey, how about I show you around inside the dungeon?¡¹

 Volume 2 - CH 16

    Pure white robe and wavy long black hair.


    Skin that is so white to a sickly degree. Deep dark circles around  her eyes. The girl who saw me killing a man is smiling with innocence  that is unthinkable from someone who has just killed.


    Her age seemed to be similar with me. From the amount of magic  particles surrounding her, her body must have grown from magic power  just like me.


    If I have to describe her in one word, it will be¡­¡­dangerous¡­¡­I guess.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Who?¡¹


    ¡¸Who cares about something like that¡­¡­is what I want to say but, I¡¯ll tell if it¡¯s you. You can call me Carla.¡¹


    .


    ¨‹ Carla  Race : Human


    ¡¾Magic Power : 375/395¡¿¡¾Stamina : 31/45¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 323¡¿


    .


    Immense amount of magic power and stamina value that is like a little  kid. Powerful sorcery that can turn a single human into ash and the  abnormality to think nothing of it. ¡­¡­She is dangerous. Can I kill her?  With her stamina value, it feels like she will die easily if just a  single hit land on her, but my ¡°instinct¡± is screaming at me that it¡¯s  dangerous to carelessly make a move against her.


    I killed for the sake of living but, Carla¡­¡­it¡¯s strange to describe  it like this but, it feels like she ¡ºkilled for the sake of killing¡».


    ¡¸As I thought, you¡¯re nice¡­¡­. You¡¯re different from some random humans(trashes). Even after witnessing my strength, your thought is only filled with the question of ¡°can I kill her¡±.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­That¡¯s the reason you came talking to me?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s right. You have off a ¡°bloody scent¡± that differed from other  people. Or else, are you also someone who likes to prattle about the  preciousness of life?¡¹


    A bizarre pressure oozed out from Carla who is still smiling. For her  she doesn¡¯t need any reason to kill but, depending on my answer, her  reason for ¡ºnot killing me¡» might vanish.


    ¡¸Regardless of the reason, it doesn¡¯t matter at the slightest for the one who get killed right?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Fufu, you¡¯re nice just as I thought. I want to kill you and yet I  don¡¯t want to kill you, don¡¯t you think that¡¯s lovely just like a  romantic tale in a story?¡¹


    As expected she is that kind of person. Watching her, I stopped  applying body strengthening on my body even while I¡¯m still keeping  vigilant against her.


    ¡¸Hey, tell me your name.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Aria.¡¹


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­the name really suit you. I was the one who asked but, what made you decided to tell me your name?¡¹


    I took anything that can be used to identify the corpses and threw  them down the drain while sending my gaze for just a bit toward the girl  who is smiling in enjoyment.


    ¡¸I realized that I also don¡¯t have any reason to kill you.¡¹


    The instant I gave that answer, Carla broke out laughing so hard that  she choked. Her low stamina value decreased even more by three points.  Her purple eyes are shining fierily with me reflected on them. I don¡¯t  know the reason but, it seems that I have passed Carla¡¯s muster. ¡­¡­At  the very least, she is thinking that it will be a waste to kill me right  away.


    I felt that because I¡¯m also feeling the same.


    I have no reason to kill Carla. Carla has obtained a reason to not kill me.


    She is an abnormal and dangerous fellow but, for some reason I can  understand a single-minded way of thinking more easily than thousands of  lip services that are lined up by the decent sort. Perhaps she is also  the same. Her talking distance with me has been shortened by half a step  compared to the beginning.


    ¡¸I¡¯m planning to dive into the dungeon after this. I had been doing  that alone this whole time but, if it¡¯s with Aria then I want to try  exploring with a party.¡¹


    ¡¸Can you dive into a dungeon with that kind of stamina?¡¹


    A kid the same age like me is saying that she has been diving into  the dungeon. The dungeon is a dangerous place. Even I who am a scout who  has trained my Stealth skill will die immediately if I got ambushed.


    That will be even truer for Carla. She doesn¡¯t even look like she has  Stealth skill. I can only consider it suicidal for her to dive into  there alone, but I also don¡¯t think that she is lying.


    Carla is the same like Elena and me. I thought that she is struggling  desperately in order to live with the strength that was stuffed into  her. I have a reason to become strong and the meaning of fight, while  Carla also has a reason to become strong even if it endangers her life.


    ¡¸It¡¯s fine. If I die, father will grimace from losing his pawn but, I think mother will rejoice from the bottom of her heart.¡¹


    Carla laughed cheerfully while saying such thing.


    Her offer to dive into dungeon must be nothing more than just a topic to talk to me at first.


    From the perspective of a normal person, they would be in disbelief  by the girl¡¯s action and they should also feel terribly uncomfortable.  But¡­¡­the way she was acting so free without deceiving herself was worthy  of trust far more than the like of Dino who was all talk and approached  with fake smile and pretty words.


    Carla was honest only to her own principle.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll leave you behind if you collapse.¡¹


    ¡¸Of course. I¡¯ll be happy if Aria also die together with me at that time.¡¹


    ¡¸Die on your own.¡¹


    .


    We were having such conversation while ending up challenging the  large scale dungeon that is said to be a dangerous place by ourselves.


    Although we have grown bigger physically due to magic power, compared  to adult our appearance is still childish. When such pair tried to  enter the dungeon, decent soldiers who guarded the entrance tried to  stop us, but a knight who came out from the guardroom saw Carla and  opened the path in fear.


    ¡¸So rude. He looked like he had seen an indiscriminate murderer after looking at me, unbelievable.¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t you have any mirror at your home Carla?¡¹


    ¡¸Mother is someone who is only interested in herself, so we have a  ton of them. You are so pretty Aria¡­¡­surely you will be pretty even when  covered in blood. Whether it¡¯s with your own blood, or other people¡¯s  blood.¡¹


    Apparently Carla is a noble lady, but she can wander around without  even any guard must be because she is a ¡ºdangerous person¡» with both  strength and influence.


    ¡¸This is a dungeon of beast demihuman you know. There is a rumor that  it has a hundred floors but, the official number of conquered floor is  only around fifty.¡¹


    ¡¸Official?¡¹


    ¡¸It happened once in the past where a noble used money lavishly to  brute force going through the dungeon with outrageous amount of  casualties and reached until the deepest floor. You must have heard.  There is a spirit of the dungeon at the deepest part of an ancient  dungeon.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­You mean Gift.¡¹


    I had heard about it. A spirit is residing at the deepest part of  ancient dungeon. The one who arrived there will be granted a Gift that  they wished for as reward.


    Is that the reason Carla is diving into a dungeon alone? According to  master, you can obtain powerful power that is accompanied with a very  troublesome limitation that way. It looks like Carla is unhealthy, but  she might be planning to heal herself with that Gift.


    ¡¸Only goblin or kobolt came out at the first floor. Look, they¡¯re coming.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    She didn¡¯t even need to say. I sensed three presences approaching us.


    ¡¸Aria, show me how you kill them.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    She ¡°asked¡± as though she is coaxing someone to pick some flowers for  her. I silently pulled out a hidden weapon from my waist and threw it.  One goblin that came right from the front got its throat hit and fell  backward. It died right away after that.


    ¡ºGugyah!?¡»


    The remaining two stood still because they can¡¯t comprehend what  happened. I used Stealth while closing the distance silently. The  instant the goblins noticed, I cut the two¡¯s necks simultaneously with  my black knife and stiletto, ending their lives.


    ¡¸Just as I thought, you¡¯re pretty Aria¡­¡­¡¹


    When I returned from reaping lives, Carla narrowed her eyes in ecstasy like a girl admiring a plucked flower.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t make someone else do all the works.¡¹


    ¡¸Certainly, perhaps I¡¯ll do the next one.¡¹


    When two goblins appeared next, they ate the Fire Arrow and Wind Cutter that Carla fired simultaneously and died.


    Double Spell huh¡­¡­Carla mentioned that she can use sorcery until  level 3. The sorceries she used were level 1, but their power is  incomparable compared to the sorcery that woman used.


    If it¡¯s Carla, I got the feeling that she can kill her opponent even if they¡¯re level 4.


    .


    It seems that Carla is genuinely intending to show me around. She  chose the shortest course and taught me the path until third floor.


    ¡¸Hey Aria. Why do you think the dungeon¡¯s trap doesn¡¯t harm monster?¡¹


    Carla is unexpectedly talkative. When there is no battle, she will  talk to me about a lot of things, whether it¡¯s a meaningful talk or  meaningless talk.


    A dungeon is a monster. In order to obtain vitality and magic  particle from living things that wandered into it, it drew humans and  monsters and made them killed each other but, there are cases where  ancient dungeon that has obtained intellect put traps.


    The traps aren¡¯t that complicated. Pitfall that drop you to lower  floor, wall that will cause the ceiling to crumble when it¡¯s touched,  and so on. There are traps with simple mechanism, but in exchange it  will large size and easy to cause harm.


    ¡¸Trap doesn¡¯t activate against monster?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s right. For some reason monster won¡¯t get caught by trap. It¡¯s  not because they know the trap¡¯s location, but apparently it¡¯s the trap  itself that doesn¡¯t activate. That¡¯s why it¡¯s said that it¡¯s the  intention of the monster which is the dungeon. That¡¯s why don¡¯t just  charge recklessly. It won¡¯t be pretty if you get crushed and died.¡¹


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡­¡­An interesting information.


    ¡¸Hey, Aria, will you listen? I have a ¡ºfiancee¡», and just the other day I met him for the first time.¡¹


    ¡¸Hee¡¹


    The topic changed again. I still wanted to hear about dungeon, but I  don¡¯t think she will change the topic back, so I stopped saying anything  more.


    ¡¸So indifferent. Well, it¡¯s alright. That person was really adorable. He is to my liking in a different sense with Aria.¡¹


    ¡¸I pity him.¡¹


    ¡¸I didn¡¯t do anything so horrible with him you know? I wonder if that  person has ever even killed a bug. He is someone whose head is filled  with flower field. I can¡¯t wait until the day come he got defiled and  dirtied. Ah, but, I¡¯ll be patient until we marry. It will be more fun  when he can¡¯t run away from me anymore don¡¯t you agree?¡¹


    ¡¸If only your partner can also enjoy it.¡¹


    ¡¸My, I won¡¯t let him die so easily. Despite appearance I¡¯m someone  who dreams of keeping an adorable thing as pet. But, that person also  has other fianc¨¦es than me. But it¡¯s alright. I think I won¡¯t be able to  have a child anyway, so I¡¯ll let them live until they give birth to a  heir.¡¹


    ¡¸I see.¡¹


    ¡¸But, I won¡¯t let him cheat anymore than that. I hate it when other  people touch my toy. That¡¯s why you see, if that person look at other  woman than us his fianc¨¦es, I¡¯m thinking of having that woman die in  front of that person¡¯s eyes.¡¹


    ¡¸It can¡¯t be helped if they have an affair.¡¹


    ¡¸Right? You also think so aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m really looking forward to that time that I can¡¯t bear it.¡¹


    Multiple fianc¨¦es huh¡­¡­. Perhaps Carla is from a noble house with  really high status. In that case she might also has involvement with  Elena.


    ¡­¡­If she become Elena¡¯s enemy©¤©¤


    ¡¸Don¡¯t get too wild. It¡¯ll be troublesome if I got a request to stop you.¡¹


    Carla seemed to feel something from my words. She stopped walking and looked straight at me.


    ¡¸Are you saying, that if it¡¯s you, you can stop me Aria?¡¹


    Carla¡¯s eyes pierced straight at me. Her purple eyes looked a bit  lonely and a bit delighted. I too stared back straight into those eyes.


    ¡¸If that¡¯s what Carla wish for, I¡¯ll kill you.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Aa, how lovely. If I¡¯m going to die one day, then I want to die from being killed by Aria.¡¹


    .


    The dungeon tour ended when Carla¡¯s stamina can¡¯t be maintained  anymore even by recovery medicine or magic. In fact Carla¡¯s complexion  is already like a corpse. Her stamina value also only has ten remaining,  but Carla¡¯s parents won¡¯t be so worried if she can die so easily.


    Why is Carla diving into the dungeon that she went until this far?  It¡¯s not just because she want to kill. It¡¯s only because there is  something that she want to kill even at the cost of her life that she  could obtain her strength. That¡¯s what I felt.


    It had become evening when we came out from the dungeon. There is a  luxurious black carriage waiting outside for Carla at that time. Perhaps  it¡¯s her daily routine.


    I parted with her there. I noticed the butler that came out from the  carriage to pick up Carla and took a moderate distance from her. There  Carla made an innocent smile and secretly whispered to me.


    ¡¸Say, Aria. It looks like you are being targeted.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­I know.¡¹


    This faint out of place feeling¡­¡­it¡¯s Radha. I don¡¯t know whether she  is able to sense it but, I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s strange that she can.


    ¡¸Want me to help you with the killing?¡¹


    I quietly narrowed my eyes at her teasing and let out my pressure.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll kill you if you lay your hand on my prey.¡¹


    Carla¡¯s strength isn¡¯t a match against Radha. But, if Carla said that she is going to kill her then she will definitely do so.


    ¡¸Fufu¡­¡­that sounds like it will be fun too, but I¡¯ll stop for now. Then see you later, Aria. Don¡¯t die until you kill me.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Carla left behind those ominous words and vanished into the black carriage.


    A part of me want to train for a bit more in the dungeon but, there  is no need for me to expose my hands to Radha who is watching me.


    Besides my Dark Magic skill will reach the limit soon. I stayed in an  inn near the adventurer guild in order to make Radha let her guard  down, diligently trained in the fundamental of short sword skill and my  mind, and two days later©¤©¤in order to meet Mercenary of Dawn that should  be returning from the dungeon, I headed towards the adventurer guild.

 Volume 2 - CH 17

    The Mercenary of Dawn returned to the surface once every several days.


    They ran away with a family heirloom that they were requested to obtain and angered a noble who was their client. They took advantage that the heirloom is something that a noble can¡¯t show around in public and chose to escape to a dungeon until the heat died down, even so in order to resupply their consumable items and rest their body, they have to return to the surface periodically.


    Even so, I only know about their periodical return because they told the guild about it, but there is no guarantee that they will really return on that day. However when I checked at the adventurer guild, I found a party who seem to fit the description exchanging magic stones and materials for money.


    It¡¯s a group of four that consisted of three men who seem to be around their thirty and a woman. The red haired warrior among them has combat strength that surpassed 700, so that guy must be the leader of Mercenary of Dawn, the rank 4©¤©¤Dagget.


    .


    ¨‹ Dagget   Race : Human  ¨C Warrior Rank 4


    ¡¾Magic Power : 155/155¡¿¡¾Stamina : 326/380¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 733 (With Body Strengthening : 918)¡¿


    .


    While his appearance and equipment fitted my information about Dagget, I tried using Appraisal on him. In case there is a mistake with my prior information, it¡¯s possible that he has a skill that I can¡¯t sense, but currently I¡¯m not seeing any major difference.


    I was told that his three comrades are rank 3, but it feels like their combat strength is higher than the average rank 3.


    .


    ¨‹ Randy   Race : Human  ¨C Heavy Warrior Rank 3


    ¡¾Magic Power : 121/121¡¿¡¾Stamina : 378/423¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 442 (With Body Strengthening : 504)¡¿


    .


    ¨‹ Dankan   Race : Human  ¨C Scout ¨C Hunter ¨C Rank 3


    ¡¾Magic Power : 125/125¡¿¡¾Stamina : 250/286¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 403 (With Body Strengthening : 468)¡¿


    .


    ¨‹ Grinda   Race : Human  ¨C Sorcerer Rank 3


    ¡¾Magic Power : 212/248¡¿¡¾Stamina : 179/217¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 541 (With Body Strengthening : 570)¡¿


    .


    The Simple Appraisal that I¡¯m using doesn¡¯t read the information of the opponent¡¯s soul, but the information from their outer appearance¡­¡­the build of their muscle, the way they move, the balance of their height and weight, the amount of life force and magic power that I can sense from them, etc. From there my skill estimated the opponent¡¯s strength, and coupled with my skill Search where I can also see magic particle in color that has become level 3, I should be able to read someone¡¯s strength more accurately than anybody in this guild.


    The three other than Dagget have higher combat strength than the average rank 3 must be because they have multiple skills just like me. Even within the same rank, there will be a clear difference in magic power value and stamina when someone obtained multiple combat skills. In other words those three aren¡¯t just completely reliant on the rank 4 Dagget. All of them had trained themselves in order to be worthy to be a member of a rank 4 party.


    Conversely Dagget¡¯s combat strength is lower than Viro and Sera is because his low magic power value¡­¡­in other words, he is leaving other aspects of combat to his comrades while he only focused on improving his close quarter combat. This is the result of such division of role. That¡¯s my hypothesis.


    Certainly, this target will be too much for Keira or Guy. Even Radha will have a hard time to defeat them solo.


    It¡¯s troublesome but not surprising. I think they are still safe until now even after making their client angry at them because they are really good with making crafty plan or they have the strength that correspond to it.


    If such people formed a party, for me these people will become an utterly higher ranked opponent for me almost for the first time.


    I had faced higher ranked opponents in battles even before this, but my opponents were alone. I would lure them using my young age to make them let their guard down and took advantage of their weak point to barely grasp victory. But, with an adventurer party, each member is making up for their comrades¡¯ shortcoming and they can display strength that surpass their true strength by making a good use of their respective forte.


    It¡¯s likely that this battle will become a divide for me. Will I become an assassin wannabe that only rely on petty tricks, or will I become an adventurer who is in possession of assassin skill. I felt that I¡¯m standing on a crossroad.


    I blended into the surrounding using Stealth that is adjusted only to make me appear natural so that I won¡¯t gather attentions from other to me.


    Just in case, in order to cover up my objective for coming to the adventurer guild, I went to exchange the magic stones that I obtained from diving into the dungeon with Carla. There the staff who I talked with before this seems to remember me. The friendly uncle came until the exchange counter.


    ¡¸You there, nice timing. The rank 4 party that I told you before has returned. ¡­¡­But, it looks like you already went into the dungeon by yourself huh.¡¹


    ¡¸A kind girl helped and guided me for free.¡¹


    In order to escape the gazes that gathered on me due to the staff talking to me, I hid my face with my shawl while giving that answer. Then the uncle nodded with a gentle smile.


    ¡¸That¡¯s great. Perhaps because this city has a dungeon, there is almost no young adventurer here, so the old timer staffs and adventurers are concerned. Did you form a party with that girl in the end?¡¹


    Putting aside the young people, the veteran adventurers are looking at me like that¡­¡­? I won¡¯t say anything bad about that, as someone who is hiding her true identity, such attention might be more troublesome compared to simply being picked on.


    ¡¸She is a noble¡¯s daughter. I think it will be impossible to form a party with her again.¡¹


    The uncle¡¯s complexion changed when I casually said that.


    ¡¸That person¡­¡­could it be a girl with long black hair and a sickly look?¡¹


    Carla is being considered as a person to be wary of in this guild. The uncle won¡¯t tell me the detail but, it seems that she is also being suspected for some other things too, like the disappearances of some adventurers during these several years.


    As I thought, Carla seems to be a daughter of a high ranked noble. Apparently she is an existence whose information I can¡¯t ask about even in the guild. I¡¯m being strongly advised to not get involved with her as much as possible.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t spread it around but, a pair of young adventurers also just disappeared several days ago, so be careful okay? I suggest that you form a party with someone as quickly as you can.¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll consider it.¡¹


    The pair that Carla and I killed also got blamed on Carla¡­¡­. It can¡¯t be helped I guess, after all she didn¡¯t seem like someone who will bother with hiding the evidence.


    .


    I saw the Mercenary of Dawn leaving the Guild from the corner of my eyes, so I also left the guild after thanking the uncle.


    They already vanished from sight when I got out, but it seems that the heavy warrior Randy and the sorcerer Glinda don¡¯t have stealth type skill. They are a bit far but, I managed to follow their presence just barely.


    When I followed their track while they are still out of my sight, they visited a general store and drug store for adventurer in order to resupply their consumable, and then they immediately disappeared into a moderately nice inn near the dungeon.


    If they follow the same pattern like before, they will dive into the dungeon again after staying for a night there. From the way they bought consumable, they should still be wary of retaliation from the noble, so I also continue to stand watch with that assumption.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Even while I¡¯m doing this, I¡¯m regularly sensing the ¡°out of place feeling¡± that denoted Radha¡¯s existence.


    I think Radha is moving inside the shadow or doing other things like eating when I can¡¯t sense that out of place feeling.


    Radha is also a human. She needs sleep and food too. If I move during that time, it¡¯s faint but I became able to sense her moving, so I¡¯m memorizing that sensation.


    Radha didn¡¯t attack me even when I was alone. Radha should be thinking that I killed Guy, there should be a reason why she isn¡¯t attacking me even then.


    Although the connection between assassin guild branches is severed, perhaps it will cause a problem of honor if she caused a big problem in other territory. That might be the reason.


    Besides Radha was that enraged by Guy¡¯s disappearance. She must be thinking of choosing a place to kill me where she can take her time to prolong my pain. Radha is thinking that I¡¯m taking action based on the data she handed to me. In that case the location where she is going to attack is¡­¡­inside the dungeon.


    Radha was observing the kid who was called ¡°ash covered¡± from inside a shadow.


    It was likely that ash covered was the one who killed Guy. It was the nature of assassin business that a lot of people were suddenly gone. Apparently the guild leader Dino planned to not question it any further, but Radha was convinced that the ash covered was the culprit as the result of her interaction with her.


    There was no proof. But, from her experience as an assassin, she sniffed the ¡ºscent of blood¡» from the ash covered.


    When she first used Appraisal to her at the assassin guild, the girl¡¯s combat strength hadn¡¯t even reached 200, but if she used despicable method as befitting a disciple of a demon race, it would be possible for her to make Guy let his guard down.


    But even Radha couldn¡¯t kill the ash covered right away.


    The leader of the northern frontier district branch Dino called the ash covered as his fellow disciple and acted like her guardian. Most likely he did it as a warning to them because he was planning to keep the girl alive if possible in order to use the ash covered¡¯s master as a pawn too.


    If the disciple died, it was possible to direct the demon¡¯s anger to the targets. But that would be like a bomb that could only be used once. If they were careless, that anger might possible got directed toward the guild after the demon dealt with the target.


    Similarly Radha too wouldn¡¯t hesitate to make Dino and the demon into her enemy if it was for the sake of taking revenge for her little brother¡¯s murder, even so she was feeling indebted to the previous guild master who picked Guy and her. She couldn¡¯t take the initiative to do anything that could be considered as a betrayal to the guild.


    The ash covered was an eerie kid even from the eyes of Radha who had been killing since she was a girl.


    At the outside she looked older because of the growth from magic power, but her actual age must be ten years old at best. And yet, she easily accomplished the assassination of the rookie hunters when it was thought that her chance of success was less than fifty percent, displaying an abnormality that was unthinkable for a kid.


    But the eeriest thing from her was her ¡°atmosphere¡±.


    Even though her external appearance was nothing more than a twelve years old child, the people at the city who noticed her appearance would unconsciously follow her with their gaze. In a sense she possessed an ¡°alluring¡± atmosphere.


    It seemed the ash covered herself didn¡¯t notice but, perhaps, it was also possible that even Dino and Guy were bewildered by that atmosphere. Right now her childish appearance still stood out more, but if she kept growing at this rate into adult, the sign of how she would mislead a lot of people in the future could be glimpsed even from her current appearance.


    Radha felt more terrified than angry for her little brother¡¯s murder. If she couldn¡¯t kill her here, in the future that girl might become an existence that brought great trouble to the guild. She was feeling that with a slight cold feeling.


    .


    It seemed that the ash covered would carry out the assassination of the target, the Mercenary of Dawn inside the dungeon just as planned.


    The data that Radha handed to the ash covered had been subtly altered by her. There was other guild contact, so Radha avoided murdering the ash covered inside the city. She set things up to carry out the assassination inside the dungeon.


    Even so she didn¡¯t alter any information about the Mercenary of Dawn. It wasn¡¯t because she thought that the ash covered could assassinate them solo, but because she wanted to see the girl¡¯s hidden trump cards.


    Radha wasn¡¯t underestimating the ash covered. Putting aside her combat strength, she thought that the girl was using a despicable method that she learned from the demon. But at the same time, Radha was also thinking that even though she might get seriously wounded if she let her guard down, it was impossible for the ash crowned to kill her with such low combat strength.


    It was said that using ingenuity, a human could fight an opponent of one rank higher than them at best. When the rank differed by two, even dodging a blade would become difficult, and it also became impossible for the lower rank to resist against the higher rank¡¯s sorcery.


    Radha was vigilant, even so she hadn¡¯t given up killing the ash covered by her own hands. She also didn¡¯t wish for the ash covered to get the table turned on her by the assassination target and died. She would crush the girl¡¯s trap, and when she got cornered by the target and despaired at the end, she would kill her herself.


    .


    Mercenary of Dawn dived into the dungeon again just as expected. The ash covered also followed their track and disappeared into the dungeon. Radha also used shadow to infiltrate the dungeon without getting found out by the guards protecting the entrance. Then while Radha monitored the ash covered who was tailing Mercenary of Dawn, she felt a faint discomfort.


    (¡­¡­What?)


    She was aware that the ash covered was skilled in Stealth for a kid. But that was ¡ºfor a human¡». Large differences would show up in scout type skills like Stealth, Search, and Night Vision depending on the race.


    For a cat beastman like Radha, there was positive correction with her Stealth and Night Vision skills. Dog type beastman got positive correction to their Search skill. Human was especially bad at Night Vision type skill, so it also affected their Search. Because of that there would be a small difference even when they had Stealth skill of the same level. That should be the case, but for some reason Radha almost lose sight of the ash covered several times since entering the dungeon.


    (¡­¡­The distance between the ash covered and the targets feel strange. Just what¡¯s going on?)


    Radha was confident with her sorcery Shadow Walker, even so it had its flaw.


    Due to the peculiarity of dark sorcery of space teleportation variety, the effect wouldn¡¯t activate unless she was completely isolated from outside world with darkness magic particles. And while she was completely isolated, information from outside couldn¡¯t reach her.


    Space that was isolated with dark sorcery like with expanded bag and the like would cease being an environment where living creature could survive. Radha too could only maintain the isolated space for several seconds while she was crossing the shadow. Normally she was only hiding inside the shadow by opening a part of the isolated space, even so she was isolated from outside information during that several times when she was moving.


    The distance between the ash covered and Mercenary of Down was shrinking. How could she stay hidden from rank 4 adventurer when she was that close?


    When they went down to the dungeon¡¯s fifth floor and no other adventurer was around, Radha didn¡¯t understand the situation and started to feel impatient. She approached them until nearby using Shadow Walker in order to obtain information.


    (¡­¡­What¡¯s, this)


    At that spot where she dispelled the space of isolated shadow, a small black ¡°shadow¡± was floating in front of Radha. The usual Radha should immediately realize what it was. But, she was in the darkness because she was lurking in the shadow, and her mind that was starting to get impatient was delayed by a moment before she realized the true identity of it.


    In that instant, something flew out from that small shadow. She couldn¡¯t even dodge immediately and the hidden throwing weapon pierced Radha¡¯s throat.


    ¡¸¡­¡­tsu!?¡¹


    She couldn¡¯t make any sound. Blood flooded her trachea and she couldn¡¯t breathe. Her mind was in chaos because she didn¡¯t understand what happened. Radha prioritized jumping out from the shadow first in order to escape from the attack, then iron arrow and Ice Javelin suddenly came flying and pierced through her defenseless torso.


    Radha involuntarily fell on the ground. Then as though to finish her off, a small ¡°shadow¡± appeared on the floor once more. The blade that flew out from there pierced Radha¡¯s right eye.


    (This is the ash covered¡¯s knife? Then this small ¡°shadow¡± is her sorcery-!?)


    That sorcery was really similar with Radha¡¯s specialty, Shadow Walker.


    She was feeling the flame of her life was dying while her remaining left eye used Appraisal at the ash covered who was standing among the Mercenary of Dawn. With that she realized that they had been deceived from the beginning.


    .


    ¨‹ Ash Covered Race : Human  ¨C Estimated Rank 3


    ¡¾Magic Power : 135/210¡¿¡¾Stamina : 141/148¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 374 (With Body Strengthening : 432)¡¿


    .


    What did Aria do to Radha? Why was she together with Mercenary of Dawn? To understand that one needed to go back to this morning.


    The members of Mercenary of Dawn left the inn around noon and immediately headed to the dungeon.


    The heavy warrior Randy and the scout Dankan apparently stayed in the same room, so they ate together at the morning in the first floor of the inn that doubled as a bar, but Dagget and Glinda who were sleeping in the same room woke up late, so as the result they came out at this time.


    They arrived at the dungeon after walking for a bit, then they bought food that could be immediately eaten from a nearby stall, then they entered the dungeon right away. They won¡¯t come out for several days once they entered, but their luggage looked too few for that. From how Dankan put the food that they purchased into a bag, I learned that they possessed a bag with expanded space.


    In that case, my tactic will change depending on what the bag contained. Because even if I gradually wound them bit by bit or poison them, if they have high class recovery medicine inside their bag, all my efforts will come to naught.


    It won¡¯t be pointless to exhaust them using all those methods but, they also aren¡¯t an opponent who I can afford to treat that leisurely. In my tactic, I thought that perhaps I should neutralize Glinda the sorcerer first, but it seems that I¡¯ll need to change the order of priority.


    But that¡¯s something to consider only after I deal with Radha who is following behind me.


    ¡¸I want one with cheese between them.¡¹


    ¡¸Thanks for the business-, it will be three bronze coins.¡¹


    In order to avoid suspicion, I bought black bread with cheese and pickled vegetable as its filling from a different stall and spent some time. I watched the Mercenary of Dawn entering the dungeon with a side glance while confirming that Radha is also following me. Then I too paid the stall owner with bronze coin and headed toward the dungeon¡¯s entrance.


    Previously I was stopped because I¡¯m a kid. I could pass because of Carla¡¯s face, but this time I can enter inside because the guard is a young soldier.


    Naturally Mercenary of Dawn has gone out of view already when I got inside, but I erased my presence and started running straight forward without hesitation.


    It was written in the information that Mercenary of Dawn used a safe area around the tenth floor as their base. With their actual strength, they should be able to dive into deeper floor but, their objective isn¡¯t for earning money in the dungeon, but to kill time until the heat die down and it became safe for them.


    In that case I believe that they will head directly below without stopping by anywhere. I had investigated the shortest route to there when I came here with Carla.


    .


    I ran through the dungeon¡¯s passage for several minutes without even really encountering any monster before I caught sight of Mercenary of Dawn cutting down several kobolts at some distance in front of me.


    Kobolt is a rank 1 monster that looked like a stray dog standing on two feet. Their height is also only a bit taller than goblin, and sometimes they also carried weapon but their danger level really isn¡¯t that different from an actual stray dog. There is no way such low level monsters can have any hope against a level 4 party, so the three men dealt with the kobolts easily in front of Glinda who is only watching while yawning.


    They headed deeper inside without even collecting the rank 1 magic stones. I tailed them while maintaining a certain distance from them while carefully heading deeper.


    Normally, it¡¯s said that even through the shortest route, it will take around one hour to pass the first floor of this dungeon, but they are a bit faster than that. They are already going down to the second floor in less than forty minutes.


    The second floor is also not that different. There are only rank 1 monsters appearing, and very rarely there will be rank 2 hobgoblin showing up alone.


    At the third floor, the appearance rate of rank 2 monster increased just slightly. At fourth floor, rank 3 high kobolt will also appear rarely.


    At fifth floor, rank 1 monster almost cannot be seen. Mostly there are only hobgoblins or high kobolt walking around on their own.


    This place is the limit for low ranked adventurer. Conversely speaking, even low ranked adventurer can come as far as here, but they won¡¯t be able to earn anything from here, so it became inevitably considered that only rank 3 party or higher will challenge this floor.


    After coming this far, there is no more other adventurer around us. Because if they are going to leave the dungeon at the same day, they won¡¯t come until this deep, and if they plan to explore for several days, they will go hunting at floor below floor 10 where orcs will appear in multiple amount.


    I haven¡¯t fought until this point. Because rank 2 or 3 monster that came out alone isn¡¯t a match against them but, let¡¯s see¡­¡­I guess this area is just right.


    I took off the cloak that I was wearing in order to hide my gender, bundled it behind my waist, removed the illusion of ash on my hair, then I walked forward and closed the distance with them bit by bit.


    (¡­¡­1, 2, 3¡­¡­)


    I closed the distance and gauged the timing. Then in that moment, the scout Dankan noticed my presence and warily turned around.


    ¡¸Wait, there is something-!¡¹


    ¡¸Please wait-, I¡¯m not a monster.¡¹


    At the same time when Dankan raised his voice, I used the sign used between scouts that master and Viro taught me.


    When I signaled ¡ºAlert¡»¡ºAttack¡»¡ºForward¡» with my hand, Dankan made a surprised face and whispered to his comrades ¡¸Keep walking forward¡¹.


    ¡¸A girl¡­¡­? A child at that?¡¹


    Dagget looked back only for an instant and muttered with a small voice.


    I took off my cloak in order to lower down their wariness and make them let their guard down. Recently it became more often that people didn¡¯t let their guard down against me because I had gotten taller but, a woman can also make other people lower their guard in her own way.


    I gauged the timing at first also because I aimed for the instant Radha vanished into her shadow so that she won¡¯t notice but, the scout of Mercenary of Dawn read my intention accurately because he is a skilled one.


    ¡¸Randy, make loud footsteps. You girl, is there something coming from behind?¡¹


    Just like how I followed them while keeping distance of dozens of meters between us, there is also around the same amount of distance between Radha and me, so there won¡¯t be any problem if we talk with a small voice. Dankan understood the situation and made his comrade walked loudly. He kept looking forward while asking me with a small voice. I also nodded a little in respond.


    I used that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡± and talked them with a moderate acting.


    ¡¸Yes, something lurking in the shadow is following me. At first I thought that it¡¯s targeting me, so I used Stealth and hid but, it kept following even then, so I thought that it might be targeting your group. That was why I called out.¡¹


    ¡¸You¡­¡­you were following us?¡¹


    ¡¸I-I¡¯m sorry. It was from the middle but, I wanted to come to the fifth floor¡­¡­. I only have a bit of money, but I¡¯ll pay-¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t be loud. Forget about money¡­¡­what now?¡¹


    ¡¸This girl¡¯s combat strength is just 200. There is nothing she can do even if she trick us.¡¹


    Glinda apparently used Appraisal on me. She whispered that to Dagget.


    ¡¸How is it, Dankan? Is there really something following us?¡¹


    Dagget asked dubiously. Dankan showed a focused expression.


    ¡¸There is nothing¡­¡­no wait, there is really ¡°something¡±.¡¹


    You will notice the out of place feeling if you know something is there, even so it¡¯s not easy to find Radha¡¯s presence when she is hiding in the darkness. He is really skilled¡­¡­not just him. All of them immediately raised their guard, read my intention accurately, and swiftly took action.


    I shuddered from witnessing the true strength of a rank 4 party. At the same time, I¡¯m also impressed by Dino¡¯s discernment that saw how the guild would also be harmed from taking them on as opponent and decided to ask master to deal with them.


    ¡¸Perhaps this is the pursuer from you-know-who? In that case it¡¯s our enemy.¡¹


    Randy whispered while making loud footsteps. Dagget nodded lightly and I sensed that he is lowering down his wariness against me.


    ¡¸Seems so. How can we doubt a cute little miss like this.¡¹


    I don¡¯t really understand about my own appearance but, as expected people can¡¯t really be wary against a woman and a child at that. Dankan and Randy smiled slightly at Dagget¡¯s joking tone while the lone woman in their party Glinda lightly glared at me with a sulk.


    Even my shoddy acting was interpreted really nicely because ¡ºI¡¯m a child¡»¡ºI¡¯m a woman¡» to them.


    ¡¸Then what now?¡¹


    ¡¸Let¡¯s see¡­¡­Dankan, can you detect where this pursuer is hiding?¡¹


    ¡¸No, I still can¡¯t sense them clearly. What about you?¡¹


    Dankan recognized me as a scout and asked my opinion.


    ¡¸This enemy is lurking in the darkness and sometimes their presence vanish completely, but I can somehow sense when they came out. Should I try attacking with sorcery?¡¹


    ¡¸You are a sorcerer huh¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Then let¡¯s try leaving it to her. Glinda, Dankan, prepare yourself.¡¹


    Dagget immediately decided their course of action. After he instructed the rest with a small voice, Glinda gripped her staff and Dankan readied his bow.


    They are really skilled. That¡¯s why I can prepare a trap for Radha like this without her realizing it.


    ¡¸Then, I¡¯ll count until ten¡­¡­here I go.¡¹


    I chanted the spell of dark sorcery while focusing my mind with more than half of my mental capacity assigned to construct dark magic.


    It¡¯s my first time using it but, I have checked its structure many times and I also had tried activating it until midway. Even so I didn¡¯t activate the sorcery until the end because I was restraining my ¡°skill level from going up¡±.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shadow Snatch©¤©¤¡¹


    Blade crossed the shadow, the shadow took away life.


    The magic that I chanted while walking created a small ¡°darkness¡± from the shadow of the palm that I clenched. I threw it to make it float behind me, measured the timing, and after I counted to ten while walking, I threw a hidden weapon to the shadow on my feet.


    This is a magic that used the application of Shadow Walker, the dark sorcery that Radha is using. Radha¡¯s Shadow Walker is a powerful sorcery, but it has lethal flaws from my perspective. One of the flaws is its great consumption of magic power. Radha is keeping it within limit by using the sorcery in standby state, but because of that she became unable to use any other sorcery at all.


    And then the biggest problem is that while traversing shadow, the caster is cut off from outside information.


    There won¡¯t be any problem when you use it for assassination by surprise attack, but in a direct fight like now, that state of being isolated from information for several seconds is lethal. If her timing of coming out and her location got pinpointed, it will become a big opening.


    That¡¯s why I limited my use of the magic by sending only my weapon through the shadow in order to avoid consuming a lot of magic power and being isolated from information. Thanks to that the level 4 dark sorcery became Shadow Snatch that is the equivalent of level 3 sorcery. The magic power consumption can also be suppressed until only a tenth from before.


    ¡º©¤©¤!?¡»


    I did my best to aim, and the hidden weapon successfully hit around Radha¡¯s throat. Radha fell into confusion from receiving a surprise attack while she is in her absolute safe zone that she leaped out from her ¡°safe areashadow¡± in order to avoid further attack.


    At her current state even I can land my attack on her, but I yielded the chance to the people behind me for the sake of laying more ¡°trap¡±. Then Glinda¡¯s sorcery and Dankan¡¯s arrow pierced Radha¡¯s torso.


    It¡¯s still difficult for me to control Shadow Snatch, even so I can maintain it if it¡¯s just for several seconds. I made the ¡°shadow¡± that is still remaining to slide on the floor and threw another hidden weapon to below my foot. It pierced Radha¡¯s face from right below.


    ¡¸©¤©¤©¤©¤¡¹


    Radha who is lying on the ground opened her eyes wide in shock as she looked at me.


    She is still alive¡­¡­. But, Radha. You die here.


    Dankan fired another arrow. It stabbed Radha¡¯s head and finished her off. I erased the shadow after confirming that and I felt something growing inside me with my magic power and strength increasing.


    .


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  ¨C  Rank 3 ¡÷1UP


    ¡¾Magic Power : 135/200¡¿¡÷ 20 UP¡¾Stamina : 138/148¡¿¡÷ 3 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 7 (9)¡¿¡÷1UP¡¾Endurance : 7 (9)¡¿¡¾Agility : 10 (12)¡¿¡¾Dexterity : 8¡¿


    ¡¶Short Sword Skill Level 2¡·¡¶Martial Art Level 3¡·¡÷1UP¡¶Throwing Level 2¡·¡¶String Control Level 2¡·


    ¡¶Light Magic Level 2¡·¡¶Darkness Magic Level 3¡·¡÷1UP¡¶Non-Elemental Magic Level 3¡·¡÷1UP


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·¡¶Magic Power Control Level 3¡·¡÷1UP¡¶Pressure Level 3¡·¡÷1UP


    ¡¶Stealth Level 3¡·¡¶Night Vision Level 2¡·¡¶Search Level 3¡·¡¶Poison Resistance Level 2¡·


    ¡¶Simple Appraisal¡·


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 374 (With Body Strengthening : 432)¡¿¡÷ 161 UP


    .


    My skill level went up just as I expected. The level of Magic Power Control also went up along with Dark Magic, and with that the level of Martial Art that controlled the flesh also went up. ¡­¡­I can do it with this.


    When Radha stopped breathing, the men sighed in relief, while the sorcerer Glinda approached me in excitement.


    ¡¸What was that sorcery-!? That was the first time I saw something like that-! How did you do it? Teach it to me a little-!¡¹


    ¡¸Ah, yes. ¡­¡­Err¡¹


    On her bouncing large boobs, I saw a necklace with greenish gem attached on it. I understood that it¡¯s the Spirit Tear that I was looking for. Its size is different but, the water spirit that I defeated also dropped the same thing, so there is no doubt about it.


    Glinda realized that my eyes are staring at the swaying necklace on her chest and grinned proudly.


    ¡¸You¡¯re also a girl aren¡¯t you? The men at my place just don¡¯t get it but, this is really nice right? It¡¯s really pretty, and it looks like this also has the effect of strengthening your sorcery you know? But forget about it, teach me the sorcery just now please, if it¡¯s the necklace then I¡¯ll show it to you later-!¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, I don¡¯t mind.¡¹


    I smiled sweetly at the ¡°stolen item¡± swaying in front of me and pointed my right palm toward Glinda.


    Originally it¡¯s a taboo to ask other adventurer about their trump card. But these people who are relieved after repelling an ¡°assassin¡± ignored Glinda¡¯s action and only smiled wryly at her.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Shadow Snatch¡­¡­¡¹


    I activated the dark magic and created a small ¡°darkness¡± on my palm. Glinda peered into it with interest.


    ¡¸How can you attack with something like©¤©¤¡¹


    *Shupa-!*


    ¡¸©¤©¤Ah?¡¹


    The small crossbow gimmick installed in my left hand protector fired a short arrow at that moment. The arrow was sucked into the shadow and pierced the eye of Glinda who was peering into the ¡°darkness¡± and reached her brain. Her remaining eye reflected my expressionless face while she quietly crumbled.


    ¡­¡­Three people left.


    .


    ¡¸Eh, what¡¯s wrong?¡¹


    Glinda died instantly without making any sound. I swiftly caught the crumbling Glinda and spoke to her body. The three men of Mercenary of Dawn directed their attention at me.


    ¡¸What, what¡¯s wrong?¡¹


    ¡¸Oi oi, Glinda, you¡¯re too exci¡­¡­¡¹


    The scout Dankan was still unwary, relaxed. He carelessly approached with an exasperated look.


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu!?¡¹


    In that instant, he seemed to see something when he met my gaze. Dankan¡¯s tension instantly rocketed up. I pushed Glinda¡¯s corpse at him.


    ¡¸Wha-!?¡¹


    Nobody is thinking that Glinda has died at this point. Dankan immediately caught Glinda¡¯s body that I threw at him, then without delay I pulled out my black knife and brandished it far behind me.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Double Edge©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸Guoh!¡¹


    Dankan twisted his body while still holding Glinda¡¯s still warm body to dodge the short sword Battle Technique that I unleashed. But, although he dodged the first attack of the two consecutive attacks, because he unconsciously tried to cover for Glinda, Dankan got hit by the second attack and it left a large gash on his right arm.


    ¡­¡­I failed to finish him off. They are really capable.


    He must have noticed when he looked at my eyes. Battle had broken out after I only managed to finish off one of the targets. I¡¯m still far away from master¡¯s level.


    ¡¸What-, what¡¯s going on-!?¡¹


    ¡¸Dankan-! How is Glinda-!?¡¹


    ¡¸Glinda isn¡¯t moving-! That little girl is enemy-!¡¹


    The members of Mercenary of Dawn are in confusion. Even so they readied themselves to fight from Dankan¡¯s words. I threw a knife at Dankan at that moment, but the leader Dagget immediately cut in and used his large sword to deflect the knife.


    ¡¸Dankan, heal yourself and Glinda with potion-!¡¹


    Dagget raised his voice while readying his sword to protect the two.


    But I know. The sorcerer Glinda held the healing role in this party. The tank Randy can also use light sorcery to some degree but, he should only be able to use Heal just like other adventurers in general.


    Furthermore the majority of the healing potions that are generally sold has weak healing effect and intended for recovery more, so even though the potion can close the wound, the arm that has been deeply wounded won¡¯t be able to regain its full function.


    In my plan I would defeat Dankan and snatched the expanded bag where their potions are stored, but thing doesn¡¯t go as planned.


    I let out a small sigh while lightly swinging my knife to remove the blood on it. I pointed my palm up and made an inviting gesture with my fingers as provocation.


    ¡¸¡­¡­You bitch-!¡¹


    Randy is enraged by my obvious provocation.


    ¡¸Stop Randy-! Something is strange with her-!¡¹


    Dankan stopped Randy while holding his seriously wounded right arm.


    Dankan is wary against me after getting hit by my attack. As the party leader, Dagget chose to protect the wounded in order to calmly ready themselves. But Randy lost his senses seeing his comrades wounded. He ignored his comrade¡¯s caution and headed toward me with sword unsheathed.


    This is the adverse effect of ¡ºadventurer party¡» that I thought.


    The adventurer guild recommended to adventurers to form a party instead of going solo in order for comrades to combine their strength so they can make up for each other¡¯s shortcomings while making use of their own strong point, heightening their survival rate.


    However, adventurers got largely divided into two kinds from there. The commander type who kept the benefit for the whole party in mind while depending on the situation they could abandon their individuality for the sake of the whole, and the worker type who have come to a decision to only focus on their own role.


    I¡¯m not saying that it¡¯s bad to be a worker type. They can display a performance that surpassed their actual strength under the leadership of the commander type. But, Randy who have been engaged only in his role as tank in this party from the beginning found it difficult to display his actual strength when he abandoned that role.


    ¡¸You won¡¯t get away-!!¡¹


    I broke into a run deeper into the dungeon. Randy followed behind me.


    ¡¸Randy-!¡¹


    Even Dagget¡¯s voice that called to him to stop doesn¡¯t reach him. In this situation the best plan would be to wait until everyone is healed before the whole party gives chase by following the track, or choosing to withdraw. But Randy doesn¡¯t choose that. The first ¡°trap¡± that I laid out is in effect against that.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t think you can run away with only 200 combat strength-!¡¹


    My combat strength when entering this dungeon at first was only slightly above 200. The combat strength that is visible with Appraisal skill differ somewhat from each person based on the individual¡¯s sensing ability. That¡¯s why after Glinda told her comrades that my combat strength was around 200, Randy is under the impression that I¡¯m only half as strong as him.


    But, my dark magic¡¯s level has gone up and the magic power¡¯s path that is flowing through my whole body has expanded. With that my body strengthening and martial art have also improved. My current combat strength has increased to a point that it¡¯s even close to Dankan or Randy.


    Even so this isn¡¯t opponent that I can be careless against. My Short Sword Skill is still level 2, perhaps because of my body stature. And in the first place, short sword specialized in cutting skin and flesh. It¡¯s difficult for such weapon to wound a fully armored opponent who carried a shield like Randy.


    I sensed the presence of the pursuing Randy while reloading my hand protector¡¯s gimmick with arrow.


    This gimmick is something that I requested Gelf to install my hand protector with the part of small crossbow that I received from master. A sorcerer like master used this crossbow for holding back enemy in close quarter combat. It was made from a Treant¡¯s wood, with mythril as its core, and flying dragon¡¯s tendon as its bowstring. Even when it¡¯s left in a state of arrow loaded inside, the string will regenerate from the user¡¯s magic power and won¡¯t turn loose.


    This gimmick can also be reloaded with one hand. It¡¯s easier to use than throwing knife in close quarter combat.


    ¡¸I caught you-!¡¹


    Dagget will catch up if I take too long. I judged that this distance is the best and lowered my speed after moving for thirty meters. Randy came charging like an iron cannonball.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Pain©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸GUGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?¡¹


    The illusion of intense pain that I fired stopped Randy¡¯s movement as he groaned like a flattened frog.


    The effect of pain should be weak against Randy who is a tank specialist. But, Randy¡¯s guard was down because he never expected to feel pain this intense from a weaker opponent like me.


    ¡¸Goh!?¡¹


    I didn¡¯t let go of that chance and made use of my martial art and body strengthening that have become level 3 to leap at Randy¡¯s chest, struck up his jaw from below with my lunging palm, and then I planted a knife deeply into his exposed defenseless throat.


    A tank can only display their real worth when they have comrades as support. Your cause of defeat is because although that heavy armor is suitable for blocking heavy attack, you didn¡¯t notice the demerit of you fighting alone.


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu¡¹


    Randy¡¯s eyeballs rolled back. I pulled out my knife before his muscles stiffened. I jumped over Randy who is falling backward and without pause I dashed toward the former location of Dagget and Dankan.


    ¡­¡­Two people left.


    .


    ¡¸The little girl came back!¡¹


    ¡¸Randy!?¡¹


    ¡¸I saw him falling but I don¡¯t know anymore than that-!¡¹


    When I returned to the previous location, they have laid down Glinda¡¯s corpse. Dankan who sensed my approach is holding a short sword with his left hand while his wounded right hand is dangling down limply.


    Dagget is taking a stance with his large sword to protect Dankan who is in that state, but then he pointed his palm to me as I approached.


    ¡¸Wait-, you are sent by that noble right! Do you know what those guys had in their possession!?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Dagget raised his voice at me who returned.


    There is no point slowing down here. As time passed, they will regain their composure from their confused state and they will make a plan to fight. But, I noticed that they have readied themselves to some degree and so I stopped. The corner of Dagget¡¯s lips slightly rose up seeing that.


    ¡¸Looks like you¡¯re going to listen¡­¡­. Those guys had Spirit Tear which is a forbidden item. That is a magic stone from a spirit, something that is forbidden by the holy church of Fandora Theocracy to possess.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­What does it matter?¡¹


    It¡¯s unclear what is the requirement for it to drop, but a spirit that is a spiritual life form can leave behind a magic stone that look like jewel in a very rare case.


    Because the magic stone that water spirit dropped has water element, it wasn¡¯t really beneficial for me, but not only it contained powerful magic power as a magic stone, it seems that it also strengthened the element of sorcery although only a little. And then, because of its beauty that is like a jewel, it seemed there was an era where humans intentionally summoned spirit to kill them for their magic stone.


    Spirits are important existences that governed the nature and magic particles of this world. The holy church can¡¯t tolerate the item that drive human with greed to hunt those spirits.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t you get it? I don¡¯t know what you have been told that you attacked us, but it¡¯s that noble who is in the wrong! If you consider yourself to be in the side of justice then take my hand-!¡¹


    ¡¸Dagget-!?¡¹


    Dagget suddenly tried to win me, his enemy over. It caused Dankan to look at him with objection.


    ¡¸She is the one who killed Glinda! Even Randy¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Look at the reality Dankan-. In the first place it was because of Glinda¡¯s selfishness to own the Spirit Tear that we ended up getting into a quarrel with a noble-. We need a strong comrade.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Tsk, I get it.¡¹


    Their theft of the Spirit Tear was only because of Glinda¡¯s selfishness. Dankan nodded reluctantly after Dagget admonished him like that. He turned his gaze toward me and approached while covering his right hand that can¡¯t move.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I think I know how strong you are even without using appraisal crystal. If you¡¯re just being tricked by that noble, then please listen to what we have to say.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Got it.¡¹


    When I nodded a little, Dankan smiled slightly. He put away his weapon and offered his left hand to me for a handshake.


    ¡¸Then, first©¤©¤¡¹


    *Clang-!*


    In that moment, the knife that Dankan was secretly holding with his right hand collided against my black knife. Sparks illuminated the dungeon¡¯s darkness.


    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹


    Dagget charged at that timing and attacked. I changed my position to use Dankan as a shield.


    ¡¸This girl-¡¹


    Dankan who is used as a cover tried to get away, but I pressed his right hand that isn¡¯t at its best condition and closed the distance until our body touched. I fired my crossbow¡¯s arrow into Dankan¡¯s mouth.


    ¡¸Gah!¡¹


    ¡­¡­One more person.


    .


    ¡¸Dankan-!¡¹


    I rolled to dodge the large sword swinging down and took some distance. Dagget caught Dankan who crumbled while convulsing. He then looked at me with a face that is distorted with anger.


    ¡¸You¡­¡­how, did you notice?¡¹


    ¡¸Why do you think I wouldn¡¯t?¡¹


    In the first place I have heard that the noble requested the assassin guild instead of soldier because the item in question is something that can¡¯t be showed around openly.


    Besides the request is to collect the heirloom and dealing with the thieves, so no matter what kind of reason they have, from the start I had no intention to lend my ear and go along with the nonsense of people who stole family heirloom due to greed.


    In the first place, commoners and adventurers who rarely had the chance to watch a play might get tricked but, for me who have that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±, it would be strange if I got tricked by such third rate farce.


    Dankan too, I knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to use his right arm to that degree unless he used a high class healing potion.


    ¡¸It would be hard for me to deal with Dankan with you protecting him. It was a big help that you allowed him to approach me while his fighting strength was lowered.¡¹


    ¡¸Y-YOU BASTARDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!¡¹


    Perhaps Dagget felt that I was ridiculing him when I spoke my honest feeling. He angrily tossed away Dankan¡¯s corpse.


    ¡¸You little girl-, I¡¯ll never forgive you-!¡¹


    Mercenary of Dawn, its last member©¤©¤the rank 4 warrior howled inside the dungeon.


    Now, it¡¯s the main event from here.


    ¡¸UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!¡¹


    Dagget readied his large sword and slashed at me while screaming.


    The attack even made me felt wind pressure from it. I sensed its presence with my skin and dodged it just barely that several strands of my hair almost got tore apart while throwing the hidden weapon from my waist.


    As expected from a rank 4¡­¡­even I might not be able to dodge that attack just now if my Martial Art that affected my evasion didn¡¯t level up to level 3.


    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹


    Dagget tilted his head to dodge the hidden weapon that was thrown to his face from point blank range.


    In that instant I threw a pendulum from the ¡°shadow¡± on my palm. The pendulum flew in an arc. Dagget bent backward to dodge the blade and immediately stepped back to take some distance from me vigilantly.


    With my Dark Magic reaching level 3, Storage that took me all my effort just to activate has expanded until a stage where its usable for me. Even so, it¡¯s only to the degree of a small bag where previously it was already full just from several knives, but I intentionally don¡¯t keep my main weapon there and stored hidden weapons and pendulum instead.


    ¡¸¡­¡­What are you planning?¡¹


    Dagget looked at me with suspicion when I don¡¯t continue attacking.


    I understood from the exchange just now. No matter how fast the sword of a rank 4, I can still fight even at my level if the opponent is Dagget whose attack is simple due to his anger.


    But¡­¡­I¡¯m troubled if he is in such state.


    ¡¸Come at me seriously.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­What?¡¹


    Dagget¡¯s eyes widened from my mutter.


    But this is the only thing that I can¡¯t give up on. I played so much tricks to kill Radha and the other members of Mercenary of Dawn were for having a one-on-one fight with a rank 4 adventurer.


    After this I¡¯m going to fight an organization, the assassin guild as my enemy, although it¡¯s just a single branch. But among them there are rank 4 like Dino and the Sage¡­¡­and then there is also someone like the Condemned Goudo whose combat strength is nearly rank 5.


    In order to gradually whittle down the assassin guild¡¯s combat strength while I myself is growing stronger, I even misrepresented my combat strength to buy time, but if even Radha fail to come back then as expected I¡¯ll get suspected.


    If I finished off Mercenary of Dawn, I think I¡¯ll be able to buy time until I return to the guild. But, if my combat strength got reexamined again when I return to the guild, the suspicion on me will surely turn into conviction.


    I¡¯ll entrap them before their suspicion change into conviction. That¡¯s the only way I can win.


    That¡¯s why, before that I want to experience fighting a rank 4 warrior head on no matter what. At first I decided on Radha for that, but even though she was a rank 4, her main fighting style is with stealth and surprise attack. As long as I understand Shadow Walker¡¯s mystery, her direct fighting ability is no different than an upper rank 3.


    That was exactly why in order to fight against the rank 4 Dagget who has direct combat skill, I used Mercenary of Dawn as bait to defeat Radha, then used Radha¡¯s death as bait to kill the members of Mercenary of Dawn.


    That¡¯s why, I¡¯ll be troubled if I have him fighting me in this state where his anger made him forget himself.


    Dagget¡­¡­you aren¡¯t that kind of compassionate person right?


    Even after his lover Glinda died, he tried to trick me by going as far as insulting the dead.


    He tossed away Dankan¡¯s corpse from anger after his trap failed.


    Calm down and look at me. The one who killed your comrades is an assassin who can kill even rank 3 adventurers even though she is just a little girl. Display your full strength. Fight with everything you have, die, and become my ¡°nourishment¡±.


    In exchange, I¡¯ll give you my life if you win.


    ¡¸¡­¡­You damn brat, what the hell with those eyes.¡¹


    Dagget¡¯s lips warped with undisguised emotion from my fixed gaze on him.


    Dagget¡¯s head cooled down after a beat passed. He fired up himself with fighting spirit instead of anger and gripped his sword.


    ¡¸¡­¡­A brat like you won¡¯t really get it but, in this world, there are people who you mustn¡¯t get involved with no matter what.¡¹


    Dagget suddenly started talking. I also listened to his words while calming down my breathing that had gotten slightly hard from the consecutive fights.


    ¡¸That kind of people are broken somewhere inside. Even monster will be scared when facing an enemy stronger than them, and yet those guys will easily bet their own life without blinking if it¡¯s for winning.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸I won¡¯t think of you as a little girl anymore. You¡¯re a monster. I¡¯m going to kill you as my greatest enemy from here on!¡¹


    In order to match my speed, Dagget held his large sword¡¯s handle shortly while sidling up toward me with his toes. I also readied my knife and hidden weapon and moved to the side with sliding feet to get out of that range.


    *Dan-!*


    ¡¸UOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!¡¹


    ¡¸HAH!¡¹


    Dagget kicked on the ground, at the same time I also threw my hidden weapon. Dagget titled his head again to dodge it, while keeping his momentum and swung down his large sword diagonally at me.


    Most likely I¡¯ll be crushed by the attack even if I blocked it. I made that judgment instantly and stepped forward in order to dodge that attack and leaped into Dagget¡¯s chest.


    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹


    Dagget whose target has left his range immediately swung his large sword¡¯s handle downward. I blocked it with the protector of my left hand, but I got sent flying due to the difference in strength. Dagget saw that as his chance of victory and instantly decided to drop his large sword on the ground and pulled out two short swords behind his waist. He slashed at me with them.


    Although I had gotten hit with an attack and received damage, in order to kill me with surety when I¡¯m faster than him, the speedy short swords are perfect. But, that correct decision is also a bad move.


    Even if Dagget¡¯s Sword Skill, Martial Art, and Defense skills are level 4, is his Short Sword Skill that is his spare weapon has also reached level 4?


    *Clang-!*


    I understood the moment I blocked it. His ability with short sword isn¡¯t that much different from me. Even so due to the difference in physique and the damage from just now, my knife that blocked the attack got slightly parried to the side.


    ¡¸Die-!¡¹


    When fighting in close combat or facing a formidable opponent, Battle Technique won¡¯t be used in order to keep the opening at minimum. Dagget doesn¡¯t miss the chance to kill me with certainty and performed a quick thrust.


    ¡¸Fuh!¡¹


    I let out the breath I was holding and stepped forward without fear.


    Dagget¡¯s short sword that I just barely avoided left a shallow cut on my side.


    It¡¯s a foolish thing to do to fight a stronger opponent head on, even so I don¡¯t quit.


    A rank 4 warrior is fighting me on my ring. I¡¯m fighting him in order to surpass him. How can I quit here-!


    *Clang! Clang! CLANG!!*


    I held the black knife on my right and the steel knife on my left. I clashed against Dagget¡¯s two sword style head on.


    Whether it¡¯s physique, or strength, or skill, or experience, everything is in Dagget¡¯s favor. My attacks don¡¯t even graze him. And even if some land by fluke, his hard leather armor deflected them. My stamina got shaved off just from a single attack from Dagget. My shoulders and arms are getting wounded bit by bit.


    ¡¸As expected it seems you¡¯re at your limit!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Generally  it¡¯s said that you can¡¯t reach level 3 with close quarter combat skill before growing into adult. That¡¯s because a child¡¯s body can¡¯t endure that skill.


    The same apply even to me who has grown from magic power. Although I have grown taller, my muscles are still weak compared to those who have grown normally to early teen.


    But is that really true? Normally¡­¡­doesn¡¯t that mean that there is ¡°exception¡±?


    For an instant, the black haired girl who I encountered in this dungeon crossed my mind. Her complexion was pale like a sick person. She felt like someone who was born just for the sake of killing other people. I felt a strong will from her who won¡¯t hesitate to even thrown away her life if it¡¯s in order to obtain that strength.


    What is different between me and her? I had fought until now by compensating my lack of stamina and strength with technique and ¡°knowledge¡±, and by putting my life on the line.


    Strain your eyes. Comprehend your opponent¡¯s movement.


    I can¡¯t match him with strength. My stamina can¡¯t possibly hope to compare against him.


    Use your intellect if you don¡¯t have strength. Parry his attack with technique if you don¡¯t have stamina. If something is lacking then put your life on the line to compensate.


    Look forward. There is ¡°technique¡± to learn from right in front of your eyes. There is a warrior who have continued to fight for more than ten years there. Steal his technique. Block his blade and study it.


    I¡¯m just going to die if I can¡¯t do that right now!


    ¡¸Muh!¡¹


    The moment I blocked his attack, I twisted my wrist, redirected the strength with my upper arm and upper torso, and softened the impact with my legs and waist.


    I parried the second and third attack, gathered strength like drawing a bow from the attack I blocked, and unleashed an attack back with that. That attack finally cut up Dagget¡¯s leather armor.


    ¡¸What-!?¡¹


    In that moment, ¡°something¡± changed inside me.


    *Clang-! Clang-! CLANGGG!*


    The sounds of knife blocking the attacks changed from the sound of iron clashing to a clear sound.


    Even so it was only to the degree of my attacks finally reaching the same level of Dagget. But, Dagget who had been enjoying the advantage until now showed a faint anxiety in his expression. He held aloft his short sword by the push of that emotion.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Cyclone©¤©¤!¡¹


    Dagget unleashed the level 3 battle technique of Short Sword Skill, Cyclone.


    It created pseudo wind blades using magic power so the user can attack even from distance. Its advantage lies in the fact that it¡¯s an ¡°area attack¡± of magical type.


    He didn¡¯t use low level single shot type Battle Technique but relied on area attack skill instead. That must be because he feared his attack got dodged in this close fight. But, although it¡¯s difficult to dodge, it¡¯s not something to fear in close range combat as long as you have the resolve.


    I radiated magic power from my whole body and resisted the magic. Even though the wind blades tore my skin, I rushed toward Dagget who stiffened for a moment from using Battle Technique and threw my steel knife.


    ¡¸Tsu!!¡¹


    Dagget too understood that his neck or face will be targeted if it¡¯s throwing attack. Dagget who had just barely recovered from his stiffening tried to tilt his head again to dodge the knife flying at his face. But©¤©¤


    ¡¸©¤©¤Gah!?¡¹


    I had seen that evasion several times. The pendulum¡¯s blade that I threw from my palm¡¯s shadow at the same time with the steel knife cut Dagget¡¯s neck using the steel knife as bait.


    ¡¸Gugah!¡¹


    But it¡¯s still shallow. It¡¯s still not lethal. I brandished the black knife far at my back toward Dagget whose balance crumbled after his neck got cut.


    ¡¸Tsu!¡¹


    Dagget too must be thinking that I¡¯ll use Battle Technique. He discarded his short swords without even hesitating, and even while losing balance, he pitched forward while scooping up his large sword with one hand, and then without stopping he leaped and mowed his sword horizontally.


    But from the start I didn¡¯t have the intention to use Battle Technique here. I used the momentum of swinging my knife behind me to fall backward and dodged the attack that rushed into the opening that I intentionally created.


    I quickly tapped my heel. Dagget¡¯s neck is defenseless because his body flowed forward from the momentum of his attack that cut through empty air. I jammed the blade that came out from the boot¡¯s front tip with a kick into there.


    ¡¸Gugaah!!¡¹


    Blood spurted out from his carotid artery. Dagget vomited blood from his mouth, even so his eyes still aren¡¯t dead.


    So this is a rank 4 warrior¡­¡­you yourself is quite a monster.


    Dagget¡¯s hands reached toward my neck as he collapsed forward. Most likely I won¡¯t be able to stop him with a knife. With those thick arms, he should be able to muster his last strength to at least snap my neck to drag me to hell together with him.


    But that¡¯s no good.


    Go die alone.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shield©¤©¤!¡¹


    I threw away my knife and created light shields on both hands with all of my magic power.


    It¡¯s a shield for resisting sorcery but, perhaps because the shield is materialized particles of light, it has the hardness of a thin glass. Because of that it has the adverse affect of sorcery with property of physical attack being able to destroy it, but I bet everything into that slight physical defense.


    If I use them just as they are, the falling Dagget will break them without me being able to defend. But, I¡¯m not making the Shield into something with surface, but as a horizontal ¡°line¡±.


    ¡¸-!?¡¹


    The Shields that are anchored in the air tore Dagget¡¯s thick neck until halfway due to his falling momentum and weight. I heard the auditory hallucination of glass breaking as the Shields dispersed.


    In that moment I grabbed Dagget¡¯s face with my left hand. Dagget is still conscious. He is looking at me with an expression of someone who is looking at a real monster. I thrust my straightened fingers into his neck with all my strength.


    ¡¸©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤!!¡¹


    Dagget let out a voiceless death throe. He fell on top of me and vomited a lot of blood that dyed me red.


    Dagget lied down with his breathing having stopped completely. I laid his head on my lap and looked down on him while softly whispering to see off the warrior.


    .


    ¡¸My gratitude¡­¡­I became stronger again thanks to you.¡¹


    .


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  ¨C  Rank 3


    ¡¾Magic Power : 92/210¡¿¡÷ 10 UP¡¾Stamina : 84/170¡¿¡÷ 22 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 7 (9)¡¿¡¾Endurance : 8 (10)¡¿¡÷1UP¡¾Agility : 12 (15)¡¿¡÷2UP¡¾Dexterity : 8¡¿


    ¡¶Short Sword Skill Level 3¡·¡÷1UP¡¶Martial Art Level 3¡·¡÷1UP¡¶Throwing Level 2¡·¡¶String Control Level 2¡·


    ¡¶Light Magic Level 2¡·¡¶Darkness Magic Level 3¡·¡¶Non-Elemental Magic Level 3¡·


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·¡¶Magic Power Control Level 3¡·¡¶Pressure Level 3¡·


    ¡¶Stealth Level 3¡·¡¶Night Vision Level 2¡·¡¶Search Level 3¡·¡¶Poison Resistance Level 2¡·


    ¡¶Simple Appraisal¡·


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 443 (With Body Strengthening : 514)¡¿¡÷ 69 UP

 Volume 2 - CH 18

    ¡¸Geez Aria-chan, how can they become like this in just one month-!?¡¹


    When I showed up at the dwarf armor shop in the capital, inside the  shop that has no other customer like usual, Gelf screamed like a maiden  with a throaty voice when he saw my equipments.


    I defeated the Shadow User Radha and Mercenary of Dawn, then fought  the rank 4 Dagget head on in order to accumulate experience. I managed  to win just barely but, the damage I bore myself was also great. I spent  two days to heal my injury.


    It was also the same with my protective equipments. They got hit by  Battle Technique and some attacks, and my leather dress got showered in  blood spurt that it became soaked in blood. I washed them with water  many times in order to remove the bloody scent and even used Clean on  them. Perhaps that¡¯s why the surface felt starchy unlike before.


    ¡¸Fixable?¡¹


    ¡¸You¡¯re really following your own pace Aria-chan! In this state, it  won¡¯t be able to return back to before even if I overhaul it using  special chemical¡­¡­¡¹


    Gelf sighed while looking at the state of the equipments. My current  equipments were given to me by Gelf, but for an artist type craftsman  like him, he should harbor some attachment for his work.


    ¡¸Sorry¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Aah, geez, you don¡¯t need to look like that-. After all they are things that I pushed on you of my own accord.¡¹


    ¡¸But, sorry. Can you at least fix them to the best of your ability?¡¹


    ¡¸I have something better for that you know? Fufu. I¡¯m glad you remember to show yourself here again.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Hm?¡¹


    Gelf pulled my hand and dragged me to the back of the shop again.


    ¡¸I have attachment to them but you don¡¯t need to feel bothered about  them. They are prototype model for pattern example. That¡¯s why you can  just wear the ¡°real thing¡± now that it came to this!¡¹


    ¡¸This is¡­¡­¡¹


    My eyes unconsciously widened seeing what Gelf took out. It¡¯s a knee  length dress with no sleeves. Although it has the same shape like the  prototype I wore, the  ¡ºcompleted product¡» that is creted from monster  leather has even its size matched perfectly with me.


    Not only that, Gelf even made thin tights that are fastened with  garter belt and a knife holster that will be attached on my calf for me.  He also considered of how to pull out the knife and added a deep slit  at the left side of the skirt.


    I can also properly equip the boots and left hand protector that I  received from master. And in addition, all of them are completely black  without any luster, so I don¡¯t feel anything out of place from its  appearance.


    It¡¯s easier to move in more than I thought. When I made the skirt  whirl to ascertain the feel of it and pulled out throwing knife, Gelf  who was watching with a serious expression let out a sigh of relieve  from the bottom of his heart.


    ¡¸Looks like you¡¯re wearing it properly aren¡¯t you¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Hm?¡¹


    Aa, that thing huh. I also remembered after Gelf mentioned that.


    In this country, the thing called drawers that I saw previously is  the mainstream female underwear, but one year ago new types of underwear  started to get popular from that Dandall. There is one that looked like  drawers that is shortened to the extreme and have frills added, an  underwear made from small cloth and tied with string at the sides, etc.  The new underwears were like the underwears in that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±.


    Right now they are also gradually spreading in the capital. The young  lady of this generation and female adventurers with strange taste took a  liking to them and even Gelf is habitually using them, he said.


    I don¡¯t understand the necessity for them even though I have that  woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±, but I guess it¡¯s necessary if Gelf say so. And so I  bought several of them for spare.


    ¡¸Can you also service the gimmicks in my hand protector and boots just in case?¡¹


    ¡¸Okay~. They aren¡¯t too damaged, so I think I can finish them in one day.¡¹


    I myself can maintain them to some degree but, as expected it¡¯s more  reassuring to ask an actual expert to do it. If it¡¯ll take one day,  let¡¯s do what I can do in the capital. Also©¤©¤


    ¡¸I want you to sell me a moderately good necklace and, can you lend me your tool for a bit?¡¹


    .


    I left Gelf¡¯s shop after finishing my business and headed toward the commercial guild.


    The procedure of assassin guild¡¯s work started from the client  requesting an assassination through the underworld, and if there won¡¯t  be any problem with the nobility for taking the job, an assassin will be  dispatched after the money is paid.


    The assassination deadline is around half a year to one year since  the payment. If that deadline is breached, the request will be  considered unfulfilled and the money will be returned along with penalty  for the breach of contract.


    The procedure is unexpectedly professional, but this kind of business  is involved heavily with the nobility, so assassins regarded trust with  more importance than even some random underworld company. How ironic.


    After the assassination is carried out, the assassin will provide the  proof of accomplishment to the guild. If the request is carried out  nearby then the assassin themselves will carry the item until the guild  but, this time the request is carried out near the capital instead of  the area under the responsibility of the northern frontier district  branch, so I ended up handing the proof to the guild contact and only  said that the request has been carried out.


    I placed the necklace along with the adventurer tags that I took from  Mercenary of Dawn into a safe deposit box of the commercial guild just  as instructed by the document Radha gave me.


    When the time came the other contact will collect them and told the  assassin guild of the request¡¯s accomplishment using some kind of  method, and then the contact should bring back the items until the guild  to also make their report. With this the guild won¡¯t be suspicious even  if Radha doesn¡¯t contact them for several weeks until the contact  return.


    If I stand guard here then I might be able to see the contact¡¯s face,  but I don¡¯t think that it will be really meaningful to do that. There  is n guarantee that the one who come to collect the items here will be  the contact. It¡¯s possible the contact will hire an ordinary person who  doesn¡¯t know anything. Furthermore I¡¯ll be troubled if the contact  doesn¡¯t report the request completion to the guild unsuspectingly. I¡¯ll  be able to make the assassin guild lower down their guard in that way.


    They will let their guard down after the information reaches them.  Even so there will also be people who get wary when Radha don¡¯t return  back at the same timing with the contact.


    The contact should return using the normal route, so it should take  them around one month. I can shorten that time to half month if I pass  through the valley shortcut. I have to calculate the way to defeat the  assassin guild branch there during that half a month.


    After that I resupplied myself with items that can be bought in the  capital like throwing knives, portable food, etc. I put a part of them  into my Storage together with the real necklace.


    I heard that the necklace owner is Baron Norf whose territory is next  to Dandall. If possible I want to return it to him right away, but I  can only have him wait until I¡¯m finished with this. Returning the  necklace to him will take time, and if the heirloom return to the  baron¡¯s hand, it¡¯s possible that the assassin guild will detect that I  have returned until nearby.


    Mercenary of Dawn also had other convenient items like the spatially  expanded bag, but I left it behind in the dungeon. Even though they were  criminals in the underworld, they were adventurers with considerable  achievements on the surface, so I couldn¡¯t bring their items with me in  order to make it look like their death was an accident.


    Perhaps someone else would pick the bag as their own but, at that  time that person would simply become the main suspect. I had observed  the adventurer guild of that town just in case but, there wasn¡¯t any  sign that the death of Mercenary of Dawn was known. I also didn¡¯t meet  that strange kid¡­¡­Carla again.


    That girl said something like that in our parting, but will I really be able to reunite with her again¡­¡­.


    .


    The next day, I accepted my equipments in Gelf¡¯s shop and departed from the capital.


    I mustn¡¯t let the assassin guild realize that I returned earlier than  scheduled. I need to hide my existence completely in order to ensnare  all the guild members into trap.


    The assassin guild is different from adventurer guild and thief  guild, it only has few regular members, even so they have spies that  blended in the streets. But they aren¡¯t even members of the guild. They  are only under the guild¡¯s patronage. Among them there should also be  some commoners who are living normally without even realizing that they  are involved with the assassin guild.


    They aren¡¯t my target but it will be troublesome if they reported me.  That¡¯s why before entering the territory of Count Heydale where the  guild is located, I used my Stealth that has become level 3, hid myself,  and infiltrated the town with the chapel.


    I napped inside the forest when it¡¯s afternoon, and at night I  slipped into darkness and headed toward the town bit by bit. After  entering the town, I hid in an abandoned building when it¡¯s noon and  erased my presence. I¡¯m creeping toward the chapel slowly.


    It will be a lonely fight for me from here. I held my breath and  erased my presence, doing nothing but waiting for the time to come as I  polished my fang inside the darkness.


    I won¡¯t get thirsty with daily life magic Water. With level 2 Night  Vision I won¡¯t be inconvenienced even when I¡¯m inside complete darkness.


    I finished my meal with pills that I made with alchemy before coming  here. This is something created from the ingredients to make potion, but  they aren¡¯t boiled to extract essence liquid, but grinded into fine  powder and kneaded together with salt, honey, and magic power. The  recovery rate from it isn¡¯t as good as potion, but it last long and if I  eat ten of them per day, I¡¯ll be able to maintain my stamina and health  for about a week. It¡¯s not delicious but, I¡¯m already used to plain  food and hunger since my time in that orphanage.


    I spent three days to infiltrate the place that normally could be reached in the same day after entering the city.


    Even level 3 Stealth skill can display an effect that surpassed level  4 if combined with the Night Vision of seeing color to choose a spot  where there is nobody. In fact I wasn¡¯t noticed even when I passed  beside the ¡ºlookout beggar¡» who has Stealth skill level 3.


    I¡¯ll have it far easier for this time if I have level 4 skill, but  there is no guarantee that I¡¯ll be able to become level 4 in the future.  Unlike level 3 which is the ¡ºlimit of ordinary person¡» that can be  reached as long as you spend time on it, level 4 can only be obtained by  those who have genuine talent. There is a large wall blocking the way  to there.


    Even so, looking from how I was able to defeat the rank 4 Dagget, I  understood that rank and combat strength are nothing more than a  yardstick of strength. True ¡°strength¡± depended on ¡°how you use¡± the  strength that you obtained from your level. I obtained the confidence  that you can fight even the assassin guild depending on my method.


    Right now my destination is the underground graveyard of the  cathedral where the guild is located, but I won¡¯t infiltrate from the  entrance naively.


    When I returned to the guild last time, I looked around the  underground until its every nook and cranny. That guild is using an  abandoned mine, so it¡¯s vast inside with complicated path, so several  vent holes are prepared in several spots.


    I also considered pouring poison from there, but they are also pro.  If they felt that something is out of place, they will immediately work  together to run away with heightened vigilance. That¡¯s why I need to  infiltrate inside unnoticed in order to not allow them to work together.


    I investigated the distance using my sense of direction from  detection skill and number of steps and memorized the approximate  location of the vent holes. When I slipped into darkness and thoroughly  investigated the corresponding locations in the underground grave, it  took me two days but I¡¯m finally able to find all the vent holes.


    In the process I discovered an escape hatch that I thought was  definitely somewhere. There is no sign that it has been used for dozens  of years, but I think that it¡¯s alright for me to ignore it and only set  a simple trap there.


    That¡¯s because it¡¯s located at the deepest part of the coal mine and  the risk of mine accident to occur is high there. Even infiltrating it  is dangerous. If things happen like I predicted, then the mortality rate  there will be the highest.


    I sneaked into the stone room with number 21 written on it where one  of the vent holes I discovered is located. I removed the stones around  the fist sized vent hole, used night vision, and dug the soil. I don¡¯t  want to use weapon for something like this but, I can¡¯t take too much  time with this. Five days has passed since I entered this city. There  are only around ten days until the contact arrived at the guild.


    The soil is unexpectedly soft and I spent three more days to widen  the hole before I finally succeeded with infiltrating inside the  assassin guild.


    The stone at the ceiling fell completely and the hole connected to a passage.


    The sound might be heard if it¡¯s at another place but, this is the  only place where I¡¯m not worried about that. I knew that there is nobody  else here other than ¡°him¡± in here.


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­GUAAAAAAA¡¹


    When I entered that room from the narrow passage where the vent hole  is, that grotesque shadow behind iron bars as thick as adult arms  growled warily.


    I quietly smiled at the muddy eyes looking at me.


    ¡¸The Condemned Goudo¡­¡­I¡¯m giving you ¡°freedom¡±.¡¹


    I¡¯m finished with all the preparations that I can do.


    Several days after I infiltrated the headquarter of the assassin  guild branch of the northern frontier district located at the territory  of Count Heydale¡­¡­I left the city once more and entered it again from  the front before heading to the cathedral.


    On the way, I bought a food that is made from dough of baked millet  flour with vegetables put between it and ate a proper meal after so  long.


    The state of the city is no different from where I first saw it. A  lot of people flowed since early in the morning from the residential  area toward the craftsman district where they will return at evening.  The voices of children and mothers scolding them can be heard from far  away at the residential area. The sound of hammers hitting metals is  resounding ceaselessly from the craftsman district.


    A peaceful city¡­¡­but underneath it, one of the assassin guilds of  this country existed, and thanks to its existence, the people who knew  about it are in fear and that peace can be maintained. None of the  smiling commoners in this city are aware of it.


    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹¡¹


    My eyes met with the gaze of the lookout beggar sitting near the  cathedral. I flicked a silver coin with my fingertips to him. The beggar  caught it midair and he grinned from the silver coin¡¯s weight.


    ¡¸How generous, ash covered.¡¹


    ¡¸Business is a bit good.¡¹


    The beggar looked a bit surprised because the usually taciturn me is making a small talk.


    For the people living in this city and involved with the guild¡­¡­and  the people who are benefited from that unknowingly, I am their potential  enemy.


    From where they¡¯re standing, I am a ¡ºdestroyer¡» who threaten the  peace, an ¡ºevil¡». I won¡¯t say that they¡¯re wrong. They have their own  reason to fight, and if they made me their ¡°enemy¡±, I¡¯m prepared to  fight all of them.


    The assassin guild has become my enemy. I¡¯ll kill all my enemies.


    That¡¯s what it meant to oppose a huge organization.


    .


    I went underground from the side of the cathedral and entered inside  from the regular entrance that is camouflaged as a tombstone.


    I can¡¯t see anyone inside. But I knew that there are many people inside the guild with their presence erased.


    My quarrel with Radha wasn¡¯t pointless. I¡¯m now able to sense the out of place feeling from them erasing their presence.


    I continued going further inside, knocked the door of a room, then  the voice ¡¸Come in¡¹ came from inside the room that contained no presence  at all with only a faint ¡°out of place feeling¡± inside.


    ¡¸Ooh, my beloved brother disciple. I have learned the news from the  contact. Not only you truly dealt with all the targets without any  injury on your own, you even collected the Spirit Tear¡­¡­as expected from  the favorite pupil of my teacher.¡¹


    ¡¸No problem.¡¹


    Even after hearing the report from his contact, he surely still  didn¡¯t seriously believe that a kid like me could defeat a rank 4  adventurer together with his party.


    I would defeat one or two at best, and then when it looked like I  would lose, Radha would use me as bait to finish off Dagget and his  comrades, rescuing me who was in the brink of death and made master  indebted to him. ¡­¡­After I combined all the information until now, that  was most likely the plan that Dino was building in his head.


    He is looking surprised not because I have returned this quickly, but  because I returned in perfectly good health without any serious injury.  Dino also didn¡¯t hold any doubt from receiving the report that I had  also properly collected the requested item, the Spirit Tear.


    ¡¸How very astonishing. Also, this is your reward for the request this  time. Originally it should be given to you only after the contacts  bring back the proof and requested item but, there won¡¯t be any problem  if it¡¯s you. But just in case, I ask you to stay here until the two  return back. The weather is unusually a bit humid since yesterday but,  please take a good rest to recover your stamina.¡¹


    ¡¸Got it.¡¹


    I accepted the small leather bag and lightly shook it to feel the size and weight.


    From the feel, I guess there are twenty large gold coins inside.  Nearly half of the request fee is to be given for the people doing the  job, so that means the original request fee is more than forty large  gold coins.


    It¡¯s an amount that can be paid because the client is a noble¡­¡­. Most  likely it¡¯s an amount of money that surpassed even the price of the  regained Spirit Tear but, that¡¯s just how precious this heirloom is for  the client¡­¡­that noble must really treasure his family.


    Well, it¡¯s a different story whether it¡¯s a suitable compensation for defeating a rank 4 party or not though.


    ¡¸Even so, I¡¯m amazed you are able to return this quickly. How can you return quicker than your two contacts?¡¹


    Dino spoke to me again just as I was about to exit the room after  receiving the reward. But one of them wasn¡¯t a contact but a ¡°watcher¡±  right?


    ¡¸I passed the valley south of Dandall.¡¹


    ¡¸That place is difficult to traverse even for a balanced adventurer  party though¡­¡­you were able to cross it with that combat strength?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    He appraised me just as expected. I¡¯m wearing a contact to cover it  up as much as possible but, it¡¯s not impossible to roughly estimate my  combat strength when I¡¯m this close and the one doing it is someone as  experienced as Dino.


    ¡¸It¡¯s only natural to get stronger if you fight, right?¡¹


    ¡¸Looks like you had gone through some extremely dangerous fights.  ¡­¡­Aria-san. I hope that we can continue our good relationship from here  on too.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Is he telling me to keep lending hand not just for this request only,  but from here on too, or is he warning me not to think of doing  anything stupid¡­¡­.


    At the very least Dino is slightly suspecting me for killing Guy.  Even so, he isn¡¯t asking anything about it because he thought it can¡¯t  be helped due to my discord with Keira, and because it¡¯ll be more  beneficial for him to have a trump card against master at his side.


    But, the reason Dino trusted my word is because I obediently handed  the request item to him. He thought that I¡¯m still a ¡°usable¡± pawn.


    However it¡¯s already too late. My ¡°trap¡± is already starting to move.


    .


    I left Dino¡¯s office and headed to the room assigned to me through  the underground that is slightly ¡°smelly¡± like usual. There is no need  for me to carelessly move around and increase the number of people who  realized my actual combat strength. Besides the inside of this guild is  already in a ¡°dangerous state¡±.


    When I returned to my assigned room, the sign I placed is already  gone and there is a trace that someone has already entered here. I  placed nothing that could be stolen inside but, it¡¯ll be troublesome if I  entered carelessly and there is actually a trap inside. But, before I  can leave that place after thinking that, the person inside came out of  their own initiative.


    ¡¸Oh, welcome back, ash covered-chan. What are you doing just standing there?¡¹


    ¡¸What are you doing inside?¡¹


    The one inside is the goth loli woman who was the first person I met in this guild©¤©¤Keira.


    Dino should have isolated her from to avoid a quarrel from breaking  out, but it seemed she was lying in wait for me. She smiled thinly and  licked her crimson lips in respond to my question.


    ¡¸I was thinking to console you when you ran back like a beaten dog  but¡­¡­I wonder if you didn¡¯t meet Radha? Even though I had gone through  the trouble of setting the table. That woman is more useless than I  thought.¡¹


    Keira shrugged theatrically and stepped back to open a path into my room.


    ¡¸How about entering inside for now? It¡¯s a dirty room but today is  hot, so it¡¯ll be better compared to just standing here right?¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t want to enter a dirty room.¡¹


    It must be your fault than an unused room is dirty. Keira showed an  irritated expression just for an instant when I bluntly refused.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Just shut up and enter you shitty brat. I only placed some  pranking toys inside, so you don¡¯t need to be that scared you know?  Look.¡¹


    When Keira stepped on the trashes she scattered, an arrow flew out  from what seemed to be a crossbow set in a shelve right in front of the  door. It grazed the side of my head and stabbed the wall behind me.


    ¡¸Go in without worry. Or perhaps you¡¯re that scared of me?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I sighed and muttered inside my mouth as I stepped inside the room.


    In that moment©¤©¤


    *Dan-!* There is a small sound and a crossbow fired an arrow right  above me. Before this¡­¡­the me who had only just arrived here would be  helplessly hit.


    It¡¯s generally said that a level 4 Martial Art skill will allow you  to dodge a fired arrow, and level 5 Martial Art skill will allow you to  catch a fired arrow.


    I¡¯m still just level 3 but, if it¡¯s the current me who have obtained  multiple close quarter combat skills, I can ¡°react¡± as long as I can  guess the timing of the shot and where it aimed.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shadow Snatch©¤©¤¡¹


    I caught the crossbow arrow with Shadow Snatch that I had decided to materialize on my forehead from the start.


    Space type dark sorcery has to cover the target with darkness element  magic particles. Radha¡¯s Shadow Walker covered herself with darkness,  while my Shadow Snatch enveloped the target with a thin membrane like  magic particles when it went through the darkness, teleporting it to the  shadow that is connected by my magic power.


    I wouldn¡¯t be able to react if Keira targeted a non vital spot like my stomach or limbs.


    Even if my prediction was right, if my timing slightly missed, I  might get an arrow planted into my head, but the timing wasn¡¯t that  difficult as long as I conquered my fear of death.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Eh?¡¹


    Keira who got hit by a crossbow arrow in her stomach from right below looked at her stomach and at me with an astonished face.


    Keira is really easy to understand. You are the one who absolutely  won¡¯t betray my ¡°trust¡± how there is nothing that can be trusted from  you. That was why I connected my magic power to Keira¡¯s shadow after she  gave me such a transparent provocation.


    I thought that she is a troublesome and dangerous fellow when I first  met her but, I had encountered a genuinely ¡°dangerous person¡± inside  that dungeon. Compared to her, something like Keira¡¯s dangerousness only  felt like lukewarm water.


    ¡¸H-how did you dodge¡­¡­why is the arrow in me? ¡­¡­Why¡­¡­why, is your, combat strength©¤©¤gah!?¡¹


    Keira tried to shout, but I used the walking style I learned from  Sera and the striking method I learned from Viro to quickly crush her  throat with a cat paw strike.


    It seemed she used Appraisal and finally realized my combat strength.  If only she learned the habit to be a bit more thorough with her  observation, she would roughly understand my strength even without  something like Appraisal.


    Keira is really the same like before. Whether it¡¯s her character or  strength, and her arrogance in looking down to her opponent, nothing has  changed at all.


    ¡¸©¤©¤uh!¡¹


    Keira let out knives from her sleeves in panic. I already saw it  before and cut the wrist tendons using the hidden pendulum that I took  out from the shadow of both my hands.


    Without pause I circled behind Keira and put the pendulum¡¯s string  around her neck and tightened it to snap her neck so that she won¡¯t be  able to make any sound.


    ¡¸©¤©¤! ©¤©¤!¡¹


    Keira struggled to remove the string on her neck, but she can¡¯t hope to do that with hands that have their tendon severed.


    Keira looked back with eyes that are begging for her life. My  expressionless face as I¡¯m choking her neck is reflected on her eyes.


    The people who are called as ¡ºthe strong¡» in this world are too arrogant. Too careless. Too na?ve.


    Why do they think their enemy will be merciful?


    Why do they think that they will be the only one to escape death?


    Why do they intentionally hold back in order to boast about their superiority?


    Why don¡¯t they think that an opponent they had once provoked won¡¯t constantly aim to kill them?


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu!?¡¹


    Keira showed an expression of terror at the end when I snapped her neck. Then I gently laid her on bed without making any sound.


    It¡¯s time. After this¡­¡­I¡¯ll dispose all the members of this assassin guild.


    ¡¸Where is Radha?¡¹


    Several hours after Aria returned quicker than expected, the guild  member who was assigned to be the contact returned back. But, Shadow  User Radha, a member who was one of the powerful even in this guild, who  was dispatched in order to monitor Aria still hadn¡¯t returned.


    The contact who had just returned after finishing his job looked confounded by the questioning gaze of the guild leader Dino.


    ¡¸I didn¡¯t meet with Radha after the ash covered finished her  assassination. Guild leader, you didn¡¯t hear anything from ash covered?¡¹


    ¡¸No¡­¡­¡¹


    Although this contact¡®s combat strength was low, his detection skill  and stealth skill were excellent. He could even eavesdrop conversation  from distance using wind sorcery. This person was high ranked in this  guild when it came to intelligence activity.


    Radha was there to take care of the combat aspect, so Dino dispatched  him to focus with gathering intelligence but, he couldn¡¯t enter inside a  dungeon alone because his combat strength was only rank 2.


    What happened inside the dungeon where the assassination took place?


    Certainly Aria¡¯s combat strength had gone through a shocking growth  compared to when he first met her. Even Dino felt it was abnormal for a  kid who was still around ten years old to increase her combat strength  by that much in just four months, even if she was a disciple of that  demon race woman.


    But, with just combat strength of 500 at best, it should be difficult  to face a rank 4 party without luck playing a large part of it. Dino  planned for Radha to lend her help to defeat the targets but, could it  be that the targets managed to turn the table on Radha in the dungeon?


    But, if that was the case then it was strange for Aria to not report  it. In the first place it was difficult even for Dino to detect Radha  when she slipped into darkness.


    If the opponent was a rank 4 party then certainly there was also a  possibility of her getting discovered, but that should be difficult  unless someone hinted them of Radha¡¯s existence.


    (¡­¡­Betrayal?)


    Someone was a betrayer. Assassins who lived with the principle of  individualism often acted as they pleased. Anyone had the potential to  turn traitor but, Dino and his father the previous guild leader borrowed  the strength of the Sage to deal with that, by creating the ¡°shackle¡±  called the Condemned Goudo.


    Exactly because they were individualist that assassins were fixated with their own life.


    They joined the guild also because here they could obtain safety and  money simultaneously. The guild leader Dino was the one who knew best  how all of the members didn¡¯t have any sense of belonging with the  guild.


    But, that was exactly why the assassins wouldn¡¯t go against the guild  in order to protect their own life. Because there was no benefit for  them to do that.


    Sometimes fellow members would also get into quarrel and kill each  other but, even in such case, this contact had no reason or skill to  kill Radha. This contact was a veteran who knew about Radha¡¯s importance  for the guild.


    In that case, assuming that Radha was dead, what was the objective of the person who killed her?


    The guild members had no need to oppose the guild because they were  all self-serving. They knew the risk of going against someone powerful  like Radha and how killing her wouldn¡¯t give them any benefit.


    There was only one person in the guild who Dino knew wouldn¡¯t give a damn about that.


    ¡¸Hey, guild leader. For now just take this thing off my hand first.¡¹


    ¡¸Y-yeah, give it to me.¡¹


    The contact who was ignored by the pondering Dino spoke to him sullenly. Dino got dragged back into reality and nodded. But©¤©¤


    ¡¸Adventurer tags and¡­¡­this is, the requested Spirit Tear?¡¹


    ¡¸Yeah. This is also my first time seeing the real thing but, it  matched the characteristic I heard. ¡­¡­Is there anything strange with  it?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­No.¡¹


    He heard that it was a magic stone from mid class spirit. But, wasn¡¯t  it a bit small? The necklace itself was also something moderately good  but, he felt that it wasn¡¯t fitting at all to decorate a magic stone  that worth dozens of large golden coins.


    Was it replaced intentionally by someone? But the spirit magic stone  itself was genuine, that was why the contact also reported to Dino that  he had secured the requested item.


    There was no point replacing the real thing with another real thing.  If there was anyone who actually did such thing, ¡°who¡± could it be?


    Dino knew of one person who wouldn¡¯t consider any cost-benefit in opposing the guild.


    The ash covered assassin, Aria.


    Dino took Serjura and Aria as hostage for each other. He threatened that brother disciple of his to cooperate with him.


    With her combat strength it should be possible for her to trap Radha.  When he noticed her growth, he warned her by reminding her of the  hostage against her, but setting aside her small quarrel with someone  like Keira, what could be the reason for her to harm Radha and opposed  the guild when her teacher Serjura was taken hostage against her?


    To begin with, there was no human who would dare to go against the  guild because after that they would have to live in fear forever while  on the run from assassins. In the past there were also statesmen who  tried to crush the assassin guild itself but, even then the assassins  hid in the darkness and even if it took some time, they killed those  statesmen in the end.


    There was no fool who would go against a huge organization that was the assassin guild.


    It was impossible to completely subdue the assassins who lived in the  darkness using the power of the surface world. That was exactly why the  nobles also had no other choice than to coexist with them even while  fearing their existence.


    That was why, no matter how suspicious the circumstance was, common  sense wise it was impossible to think that a small kid whose teacher who  was like her parent was taken hostage against her would dare to bare  her fang against the guild.


    Even though Dino was living in the assassin guild which was an  irrational world in a sense, he was still looking at Aria with the  framework of common sense that he had lived with since he was born until  now.


    Dino didn¡¯t know. That just because of a single woman who had the  memory of her past life granting a chance to a girl to obtain knowledge  due to her self-serving action, it resulted in the birth of a ¡ºmonster¡»  mentality-wise in this world who considered it right to slaughter all  the ¡ºenemies¡» who disturbed her and her important people¡¯s peace©¤©¤.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll check.¡¹


    Dino left his room in order to ascertain Aria¡¯s true intention. If  from there he saw a will to oppose the guild from Aria just as he  thought, he would eliminate her on the spot personally.


    But, his decision was just a bit too late.


    In this world there weren¡¯t that many people who could be called as ¡ºthe strong¡».


    Combat type skill level 1©¤©¤Rank 1 could be obtained even by a child  in their early teen if they trained for several years. Rank 1 was  generally a beginner but they weren¡¯t amateur. Rank 1 was sufficient for  new recruit, and several of them could even deal with rank 2 monster.


    Even soldiers who had served for several years in the army mostly  consisted of rank 2. If they could become rank 3 then they would be  promoted to become commanding officer and be considered as someone  actually strong.


    Even the adventurer guild whose members were almost all ¡ºfighter who  could fight solo¡» consisted of rank 1 and 2 for nearly 80% of them.  Surely it could be seen just how rare the strong was after taking that  into consideration. And for those who reached rank 4 and above, even in  Claydale Kingdom that had the population of nearly ten million people,  the number of those people should be only around several hundreds.


    Even the assassin guild wasn¡¯t an exception. Unlike adventurer,  assassin wasn¡¯t required to overdo themselves and fought someone  powerful. What was required from them was gathering information and the  discernment to kill the target with certainty even if they had to spend  time for it. Similar with the thief guild, few people in this business  could boast about their individual might.


    Even in this northern frontier district branch, the powerful rank 4  like the elf shaman the Sage, the dwarf berserker Sharga, the beastman  shadow user Radha were feared as ¡°extraordinary¡± even within the guild,  but even rank 3 like Keira and Guy were rare in the guild. They were  considered as powerful because most of the members were thief type scout  who focused in stealth type ability.


    Many of the members of assassin guild northern frontier district branch were blending and living in the city.


    Putting aside the citizens who were being used as informants without  even knowing of the guild¡¯s involvement, there was a certain number of  members who were usually doing normal work as average citizens, and they  only returned to be assassin when there was assassination request for  ordinary person.


    But they didn¡¯t take work on their own. They didn¡¯t even know the  face of other members. As long as there was no request then they were no  different than ordinary person.


    Managing all those was also the guild¡¯s job. The members who were  currently inside the guild were the managers who assigned the necessary  works to the members who didn¡¯t even know each other¡¯s face and  consolidated the guild¡¯s intelligence, and the top notch assassins who  had combat strength over the standard. These people could be said as the  ¡°core¡± of the northern frontier district branch.


    Currently the northern frontier district branch had nearly eighty  members. They knew that the demon¡¯s disciple, the child called ash  covered had become a new member and the child¡¯s combat strength was  nearly 200.


    For them whose combat strength was around rank 2 and 3, they knew  that information was weapon. That was why they understood that the ash  covered was only strong for a kid, but generally speaking the child was  only as strong as a skilled rank 2.


    That was why they let their guard down.


    Although a child could throw a tantrum, she wouldn¡¯t be able to cause anything big because she was just a child.


    Because she was a child, she could go wild but she still wouldn¡¯t be able to match other strong people.


    Because she was a child¡­¡­she wouldn¡¯t be their business as long as  they didn¡¯t get involved with her. And so they made a lethal negligence  as assassin.


    Easy to understand skill level and numerical amount of combat value  became cause for the weak to thoughtlessly fear the strong, and that in  turn became a fatal ¡°arrogance¡± for the strong.


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­Hm?¡¹


    That middle-aged man tilted his head after feeling something out of place for an instant.


    The man¡¯s role was to accept assassination request from the guild  contacts everywhere, gathered information, assigned the difficulty rank  to the requests, the distributed them to the guild members. He was one  of such ¡°mediators¡±.


    He had five subordinates in the guild. Sometimes they would head out  to the field to gather information, so all of them had some kind of  stealth type skill, so the man thought that someone had just passed  nearby while still using stealth skill.


    ¡¸¡­¡­It¡¯s hot today.¡¹


    Even inside the guild that was located underground where it was  relatively cool, the temperature could still sometimes become humid due  to the season. Perhaps because of the heat, his head felt slightly hazy,  and so he found it hard to focus. The instant he decided to head to the  sofa inside the room©¤©¤


    ¡¸Gah!?¡¹


    The man couldn¡¯t even walk properly. He fell on the hard stone floor face first.


    (What¡¯s going on!?)


    Could it be that he had gotten dosed with poison? But the man had  poison resistance skill. Even poison that could instantly kill an  ordinary person should be noticeable to him before it could fatally harm  him.


    The smell inside the guild was also no different from usual. There  was also tasteless and scentless poison but, that kind of thing needed a  lot of time until it showed effect, so even if he got dosed by such  poison, he thought that he could treat himself if the poison had delayed  effect.


    ¡¸¡­¡­kuh¡¹


    The man crawled toward the shelves where the medicine was stored. He  would manage somehow if he could reach there. Believing that the man  grasped the floor and dragged himself, but then he noticed a slight  presence entering this room behind him.


    Was it one of his subordinates? His body shook as he unconsciously  thought of asking for help, but then he felt the ¡°coldness¡± of a blade  sinking into his neck without any killing intent accompanying it. His  consciousness sank into darkness where it wouldn¡¯t return anymore.


    I poured poison inside the guild. I only learned the basic from  master¡¯s lesson, so the mix was practically my original, but it seemed  that it worked well.


    This poison showed effect even with someone who had Poison Resistance skill.


    In the first place Poison Resistance isn¡¯t a skill that  unconditionally resisted every kind of poison. Master told me that it¡¯s a  skill that prevented the body from absorbing anymore poison the moment  the body detected the poison. I also verified it myself by drinking  poison to ascertain it.


    Poison Resistance skill won¡¯t activate against harmless substance to  the body. If that¡¯s not the case then the skill will prevent even potion  and food to be absorbed by the body.


    This time, the poison I created is a mixed poison. Just one of them  will only act as ¡ºmedicine¡» that relaxed tense nerves. I had  continuously mixed this ¡°medicine¡± in minute amount into the drinking  water here since I infiltrated one week ago. I spent time making the  guild members consumed it.


    Once the body absorbed the substance, even Poison Resistance would  become unable to deal with it until the chemical got decomposed by the  internal organs. After that I scattered the second medicine in front of  the room of the people that I¡¯ll eliminate. The people who inhaled the  substance would have the poison generated inside their blood.


    It¡¯s not so poisonous that the victim will die instantly, but this  nerve poison lower the internal organs¡¯ function, and disturb the blood  flow. Like that people became unable to move and I gave each of them the  killing blow carefully one by one. After a while the inside of the  guild is gradually getting noisy.


    .


    ¡¸They found out already¡­¡­¡¹


    It¡¯s faster than I thought¡­¡­. I intentionally scattered poison after I  returned so that I can scatter the poison quickly even if I¡¯m seen.


    I wanted to scatter the poison with the smallest time difference as  possible so that I wouldn¡¯t be found out, but perhaps, I was found out  not because the people I killed got found, but because the second poison  I scattered was dispersed and the poison showed half baked effect even  at the places that I hadn¡¯t visited.


    Even so this is within my expectation. Nearly half of the members  should already be killed or can¡¯t move, so from now I¡¯m going to  proactively kill those whose movement has been dulled.


    I erased my presence with Stealth and took out pendulum¡¯s blades from  the shadows of my hands. I rushed through a passage smoothly without  any sound.


    ¡¸You©¤©¤¡¹


    I threw a pendulum at a woman who I don¡¯t know as I encountered her.  The woman immediately moved to dodge, but I saw that her movement is  dull from poison. I slashed her neck as I passed her by.


    I broke into a run once more while using pendulum or Dark to erase  the lights from lamp or sorcery lighted all over the place. Most of the  members should have Night Vision, even so there are still lights lit  inside the guild because human can only use Night Vision until level 1.


    Even so they shouldn¡¯t lit new light as long as the darkness doesn¡¯t  hinder their fighting capability greatly, Because that is their common  sense, they¡¯re thinking that the darkness is their ally.


    They are still unable to imagine the ¡°form¡± of their enemy. They  aren¡¯t even considering that the opponent is more familiar with darkness  than themselves. It¡¯s working slightly to my advantage.


    *Hyun-!*


    ¡¸Guah!¡¹


    ¡¸You-!?¡¹


    With their movement slightly dulling and their head fuzzy from  poison, although they understand that they are under attack in reality,  the darkness is slightly delaying them from perceiving me as enemy.


    It¡¯s just for a moment¡­¡­one second or even less. That slight opening is enough to kill.


    I¡¯m scattering clothes that has been soaked with the medicine to  change into poison while killing the guild members I¡¯m encountering one  after another. I¡¯m also taking the time to finish off the people who  can¡¯t move inside the rooms.


    There are also those who pretended to be unable to move, but there  won¡¯t be any problem if I immediately attacked them with pendulum from  the start. Against those whose combat strength seem quite high, I used  Shadow Snatch and shot their brain from their ear.


    .


    *DOGOONN!!*


    The wooden boxes and wine casks at further back of the passage were  smashed. A dwarf appeared while mowing down the wrecks with a huge  halberd. As soon as he saw me and the dead guild members around me, he  let out an angry scream with a bloodshot gaze toward me.


    ¡¸SO YOU ARE THE TRAITORRRR-! ASH COVEREDDD!!¡¹


    .


    ¨‹ Sharga   Race : Rock Dwarf  ¨C Rank 4


    ¡¾Magic Power : 135/150¡¿¡¾Stamina : 393/450¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 825 (With Body Strengthening : 979)¡¿


    .


    Berserker Sharga¡­¡­as expected I was found out after I came this far.  It¡¯s a bit earlier than I planned but, my betrayal got announced  throughout the guild by his voice.


    Sharga charged forward. His charge scattered the wreckages on his  way. I pulled out a knife unseen behind my cloak and threw it. Sharga  swept it away with his halberd¡¯s handle.


    He is dexterous despite his large weapon. But, more than that he is a  coward. As expected the poison¡¯s effect on rank 4 warrior is weak. So I  decided to stop crossing sword with him more than this and started  running until the arranged spot.


    ¡¸You won¡¯t get away, ash covered!¡¹


    I¡¯m not so capricious that I¡¯ll exchange blows head on against  someone stronger who is wearing full body armor and carrying a huge  weapon.


    Sharga is chasing after me. The color of his eyes changed and the pressure he directed at me increased.


    It¡¯s said that a berserker would suddenly begin to rampage like mad  and continue to fight until they die with a strength that surpassed the  limit of their flesh body. Most likely that¡¯s Sharga¡¯s trump card.  Certainly he must be able to fight even against rank 5 with that much  strength. But in exchange of that, his vigilance against his surrounding  became slippy.


    Sharga is strong. But why do you think there is no other member in this place?


    Now, I have brought ¡°your¡± enemy here.


    *Mishi¡­¡­-!*


    After I passed through, the corridor¡¯s wall creaked and countless cracks ran through it all at once.


    *DOGOOONN-!*


    In that moment, a ¡°grotesque thing¡± with thick limbs smashed through  the earth wall. The thing collided on Sharga who was chasing after me.  Metallic sound rang out loudly.


    ¡¸Goudo-!?¡¹


    ¡¸GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡¹


    The ¡ºCondemned Goudo¡» who was released from his shackle let out a  shout that shook the guild that was formerly a coal mine. He attacked  the Berserker Sharga.


    *CLANGGGG-!*


    Godou¡¯s claws and Sharga¡¯s halberd clashed and played a fierce clashing sound.


    ¡¸Goudo-! Shit-, Sage! Calm down this guy-!¡¹


    Godou¡¯s attack was like the blow of a giant hammer. Sharga handled the attack while yelling to the corridor.


    But, that voice doesn¡¯t reach anyone. Even in this emergency  situation, there is no one who will approach the area where Goudo is  imprisoned.


    I had been concealing myself here the whole time since I infiltrated the guild.


    Other members won¡¯t approach this place. This is the perfect place to  hide, but that wasn¡¯t my only reason for hiding here. My primary  objective was to free the Condemned Goudo.


    Despite his grotesque appearance, I believed that Goudo was a human  in the past. Most likely the Sage used curse and drug to remake him into  something like a chimera.


    Goudo was violated by drugs until his brain and got reduced into  animal. I don¡¯t know whether he still has his memory and emotion when he  was human. The Sage stole even his freedom to think with his curse,  changing Goudo into animal for the sole purpose of fighting. The Sage  did that not only because it was a demand from the guild, but it must  also be because of his feeling of rivalry toward master.


    Even so, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m feeling sympathy for Goudo¡¯s condition. But©¤©¤.


    Aren¡¯t you frustrated that you are ordered around by this kind of people? Don¡¯t you hate it?


    I whispered such words to him while spending time to dispel Goudo¡¯s  curse bit by bit. I also neutralized the drugs that were administered to  him as much as possible.


    Of course that wasn¡¯t an easy task. From what I learned from master¡¯s  lesson, a curse is implanting a simple spirit language that is written  by your own magic power into a specific magic particle, and then by  making the magic particle contact the magic power of the creature that  is your target, the effect is activated. Compared to other sorcery it¡¯s a  technique with bad efficiency and it has started to decline, but as  long as it activate successfully, the curse will be active forever using  the magic power of the cursed target.


    To dispel the curse, I need to read the order in the magic particle  that is written with the curse and neutralize it with the opposing  spirit language. That¡¯s the only way. What I could do was throwing  opposing magic particle at the cursed magic particle that is enveloping  Godou¡¯s body, neutralizing the curse bit by bit.


    I couldn¡¯t erase the curse itself, even so the command binding spell that was binding Goudo should be almost neutralized.


    After that I only needed to provide a ¡ºbait¡» so that he would smash through the slightly remaining shackle.


    That bait is¡­¡­¡ºa hated target¡».


    That was why I lured a high ranked member of the guild who could serve for that role.


    ¡¸GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!¡¹


    ¡¸GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡¹


    Goudo has a huge body that is nearly three meters tall. The dwarf  Sharga is only half as tall as him, but his muscles swelled out greatly  as he blocked Goudou¡¯s attacks.


    Both Sharga and Goudo possessed rank 4 combat strength, but Goudo has  a status that approached rank 5 due to the drugs and curse on him.  Sharga also increased his strength due to his berserker state, but  Sharga¡¯s face is gradually getting filled with the color of anxiety.


    Sharga¡­¡­that¡¯s ¡°wrong¡± isn¡¯t it?


    ¡¸Nuoh!? You bastard-!¡¹


    My pendulum¡¯s blade that changed direction with my string control  slashed at the skin of Sharga through his armor¡¯s gap while he is  fighting Goudo.


    ¡¸What¡¯s the matter Berserker? You will die at this rate you know?¡¹


    Sharga¡¯s eyes widened from my words and his anxiety deepened further.


    That¡¯s troubling if you keep that up. After all I need you to get serious.


    He got the title Berserker because there was something in this dwarf¡¯s past.


    Sharga is clearly not suited to be assassin. Someone as strong as him  should have countless other places that can make use of his strength  even if he can¡¯t stand in the public anymore, like becoming a bodyguard  for mafia for example.


    And yet Sharga is holing up himself in this kind of cave and drowned  himself in alcohol without ever taking off his full body armor and  letting go of his weapon while keeping up his wariness toward his  surrounding. Surely that¡¯s because he is a ¡ºcoward¡».


    Although he has strength, he can¡¯t fight because he is a coward.  That¡¯s why, he can¡¯t protect himself other than rampaging like a  cornered rat driven by anger.


    But even while being driven by his anger, he is always saving aside  some of his sense at the last step. The proof is that his mind is still  working even now despite fighting furiously. Even just now, why did he  sought help from the Sage first rather than prioritizing defeating the  rampaging Goudo?


    It¡¯s only because Sharga feared death that he surrendered himself to  rage. It¡¯s only because he feared that that he didn¡¯t cross the last  line. But©¤©¤


    ¡¸Now, what are you going to do? You¡¯re really going to¡­¡­¡±die at this rate¡±.¡¹


    Sharga was a rock dwarf who was born in human settlement.


    From his childhood, his toughness was the only thing that he was  confident with. He became an adventurer with his human childhood friends  and he played an active role as the shield of his three friends.


    But, at that time they were still young and got cocky. They stepped  deep into a dungeon and encountered a powerful monster. Even so they  might be able to come back alive if they combined their strength. But,  their combat experience against strong monster was lacking. And because  Sharga was skilled, that was the first time his human childhood friends  got exposed to mortal danger. They tried to run away leaving behind  Sharga who was holding back the monster alone.


    That would be the end of it if Sharga was a normal adventurer. But,  in that moment, the extreme fear of losing his life became a blazing  rage of being betrayed inside Sharga. Without hesitation he threw the  weapon in his hand to the back of his comrade who was his friend.


    When Sharga regained his sanity, one of his comrades had died from being torn apart by monster.


    His last memory was the monster attacking his friend who got his back  split by his axe, and he picking up the axe that he threw himself.  After that his memory was cut off.


    Berserker phenomenon. Those who lost their senses in battlefield from  fear or anger would remove every limitation of their body and rampaged  until death according to this phenomenon.


    Sharga was able to regain his sanity must be because he was a rock  dwarf who was tougher than human. Sharga got scared from killing his  childhood friend and ran away from the dungeon with his tattered body.


    But, what was waiting for him outside was his two friends who ran  away ahead. They saw Sharga throwing his axe to their dead friend, and  despite being the first one to abandon him, they blamed Sharga as friend  killer.


    Sharga was scared. From killing his friend. From being blamed about  that by his friends. And then Sharga, he only knew of one way to escape  from that fear.


    .


    After slaughtering his friends, Sharga fell to the underworld in order to escape.


    He worked as bodyguard for thieves or bandits. He murdered even the  innocents in order to protect himself. If the organization he belonged  to showed any sign of cutting him off, he would slaughter them all  without even making sure first.


    Even if he fell into darkness¡­¡­no, exactly because he had fallen, Sharga couldn¡¯t tolerate an act of betraying comrade.


    But while he was doing that, he became targeted by the underworld  too. Sharga who was a wanted man even at the surface world finally  drifted to assassin guild that wouldn¡¯t inquire about its members¡¯  background as long as they were strong.


    But, there was also no peace for Sharga there.


    One day, a man who was thought to be a spy from the kingdom was  captured. Then by the hand of the guild leader and the Sage, torture and  modification that were too repulsive to even talk about were applied on  the man. Sharga who witnessed that became terrified against the  assassin guild too.


    The spy had a brave and praiseworthy character even from Sharga¡¯s  perspective. And yet his dignity was trampled and he was changed into an  animal even while he was crying and screaming like a child. He couldn¡¯t  maintain his sanity after witnessing something like that.


    Since that day Sharga shut himself at the back of the canteen. He  could only protect his heart by drinking alcohol while being unable to  even take off his armor or let go of his weapon.


    ¡¸©¤©¤uaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡¹


    Human reasoning finally vanished from Sharga¡¯s eyes by the last push. He let out a war cry that sounded like a scream.


    ¡¸GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡¹


    Sharga yelled as though he is howling. He swung around his huge  halberd like a windmill. He pulverized even the surrounding walls while  sending Goudo¡¯s huge body flying.


    ¡¸GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡¹


    ¡¸AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡¹


    *GOOOOOONN!*


    They made sounds of enormous irons bashing against each other. Sharga  and Goudo hit each other without even putting up any defense while  destroying the surrounding walls.


    That¡¯s good. But, it¡¯s still not enough.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Weight©¤©¤¡¹


    I dashed toward their location and activated dark magic.


    Weight was only thought as a level 1 dark sorcery that could only  change ten percent of something¡¯s weight, but it¡¯s actually a sorcery to  change the direction of the weight to the direction the caster¡¯s  choose. Its effect is improved by ten percent each time my dark magic¡¯s  level increased by one.


    There won¡¯t be that much different even if I change something¡¯s  weight by thirty percent. But, it¡¯s a different story when I also have  Martial Art skill of the same level.


    ¡¸UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!¡¹


    The instant I approached, Sharga who sensed hostility with his instinct threw a hand axe from his waist.


    The hand axe approached with a buzzing sound in this narrow corridor.  It¡¯s impossible to dodge it by moving to the side, so I ran up the wall  and even on the ceiling and slashed from above the two who are still  fighting.


    ¡¸NUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!¡¹


    ¡¸GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡¹


    My blade only injured the two a little. But, that small attack pushed me up onto the ¡°stage¡± of the two¡¯s battle.


    I changed position by jumping over them, then I threw a knife at the  two while running back through the path I originally came from. And then  Sharga and Goudo also chased after me while still fighting to keep each  other in check.


    .


    Like that I led the two and returned to the first hall that got its  door destroyed by Sharga. There I encountered several members who were  looking for me the traitor.


    ¡¸You bastard, ash covered!¡¹


    ¡¸Goudo-!?¡¹


    ¡¸Even Sharga!¡¹


    The members don¡¯t only noticed me, but also the two I led here. Their eyes widened in surprise as they gulped.


    ¡¸DOORYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡¹


    ¡¸GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡¹


    The two madmen continued to fight without giving a damn to the guild  members. Goudo¡¯s huge body and the huge halberd clashed. The several  guild members who got dragged into it were sent flying with their neck  or spine snapped.


    The poison has circulated throughout the whole guild, dulling the movement of the members.


    I slipped through the members, and killed them if there is an  opening. The approaching Sharga and Goudo mowed them down like dry  grasses.


    When the battle is this chaotic, nobody will be able to continue  targeting just one person. In this battlefield where one¡¯s life will be  scattered if they lose focus just for a moment, I finished off several  members who are weakening from the poison. That man appeared at that  timing.


    ¡¸ARIAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡¹


    *GAKINN!*


    I pulled out my black knife in respond to that yell that was filled  with hatred and the killing intent. Brilliant red sparks scattered when  that man swung down his silver short sword.


    ¡¸You¡¯re late, Dino.¡¹


    ¡¸You have really done it now¡­¡­-¡¹


    Our blades are locked with each other while making metallic sound. On  the other side of the locking blades, a growl of deep resentment leaked  out from Dino when he heard my words.


    ¡¸You bastard¡­¡­don¡¯t you care of what I¡¯m going to do to Serjura¡­¡­!?¡¹


    Dino¡¯s eyes trembled and warped with hatred. My cold gaze is reflected on there.


    ¡¸There won¡¯t be any problem if I kill ¡°everyone¡± who might try to use master.¡¹


    When I spoke out that simple answer, Dino looked at me with eyes that  looked like he is looking at a lunatic after he understood my meaning.


    ¡¸You¡¯re planning that¡­¡­from the start?¡¹


    ¡¸Obviously.¡¹


    I pulled the string wrapped around my pinkie and fired an arrow from  my hand protector¡¯s crossbow. Dino dodged it in a hair¡¯s breadth and  exchanged a kick with me. We leaped away from each other with that and  glared to each other from distance.


    Five months ago, when we first met, there was different path than this that we could take.


    But, our path was decided the moment you tried to use master(Serjura).


    .


    ¡¸Dino¡­¡­. You are my ¡°enemy¡± from the start.¡¹


    Dino joined the assassin guild when he was ten.


    He was born between his father who was the guild leader of the  northern frontier district branch and a bar waitress. Before joining he  was living together in the city with his mother, but he was handed to  his father by his mother due to a certain circumstance.


    His father¡¯s occupation wasn¡¯t something respectable by any means  but, his mother never talked about his father¡¯s true occupation to her  still young child. He was only told that his father punished bad people  in order to earn money.


    The young Dino idolized his father. He grew to become someone who  talked down bad people©¤©¤those who had differing opinion from him with  sound argument, and wielded violence toward those who couldn¡¯t  understand his ¡°justice¡±. But, his justice antagonized other children  which resulted the young Dino to be beaten down by even greater  violence.


    That was the time when Dino started to become warped. He started  working hard to become strong for the sake of his justice, at the same  time in order to vent his anger, he became someone who wielded excessive  violence against ¡ºevil that was weaker than himself¡».


    At first he kidnapped the pet dog or livestock of those who beat him,  and killed the animals by torturing them. It was him clearing up his  grudge while at the same time giving judgment on his own way toward  those who couldn¡¯t understand his justice.


    As he grew, his action intensified. He killed kids who did mischief.  When his mother saw the warped smile on her son¡¯s face, she finally  handed him to his father as though throwing him out.


    When Dino learned that the true form of his father¡¯s justice was the  assassin guild, his own justice wavered and Dino became even more  warped.


    But he realized that the justice in his mind wouldn¡¯t be recognized  by the majority, instead he affirmed the assassin guild to be a carrier  of justice that brought down punishment to the evil even if went against  the law. Dino then devoted himself to the organization.


    The previous guild leader harbored no interest toward his son. As a  father, he would give anything Dino asked, even so he never really  looked at Dino closely, and so nobody noticed Dino¡¯s warped nature.


    .


    When Dino was twenty years old, a woman of dark elf species that was called as the demon race joined the guild.


    Serjura was a beautiful woman. But more than her beauty, it was her  strength that Dino looked up to. Serjura left the evil demon race and  became assassin of justice. She was the ideal ¡°justice¡± for Dino.


    Dino requested his father to become her disciple. With that he sought  the strength to enforce his ¡°justice¡± and also the woman he looked up  to.


    Although done halfheartedly, it was still a teaching from Serjura. In  less than a year Dino managed to learn wind and earth sorcery. But, his  talent was nothing more than average.


    Although it was sufficient strength for most people, from the  perspective of a dark elf like Serjura, Dino was lacking in talent. She  gave up on him and gave him a pitying gaze. To Dino it felt like  ¡ºcontempt¡». He got warped in proportion to the strength of his  admiration toward Serjura. After that he became even more fixated toward  Serjura who gave him ¡°pain¡±.


    He wanted to make Serjura who possessed the strength he yearned for to yield to him, to give her pain¡­¡­.


    That obsession©¤©¤brought ¡°ruin¡± to the assassin guild.


    ¡¸ARIAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡¹


    Dino finally understood ¡°me¡±. He yelled my name with the intensity of vomiting blood.


    .


    ¨‹ Dino   Race : Human  ¨C Estimated Rank 4


    ¡¾Magic Power : 145/180¡¿¡¾Stamina : 223/290¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 795 (With Body Strengthening : 933)¡¿


    .


    *Gakiinn!*


    The sparks from the clashing sword illuminated the assassin guild that is wrapped in darkness like fireworks.


    ¡¸Stone Bullet-!¡¹


    Several stones rained down from the exposed rock surface of the former coal mine.


    I who could see the ¡°color¡± of earth type magic particle from Dino  immediately leaped away. I dodged by jumping over the stones as multiple  screams rose from behind.


    ¡¸Gyaah!?¡¹


    ¡¸Guah!¡¹


    I knew the earth sorcery¡¯s timing from my experience fighting the  female thief. With that, I dragged the bunch watching for the moment I  let my guard down into the attack and slashed their necks with my knife.


    Most likely Dino¡¯s sorcery is also level 3 like that female thief,  but although his activation is faster than that female thief, his firing  speed is inferior. If it¡¯s just his activation speed, then I want to  praise him, as expected from my senior disciple but, his sorcery is  lacking in ¡°power¡±.


    ¡¸Dammit-!¡¹


    Dino groaned from hitting his own allies. He directed his blade of hatred toward me. But, for him to hit his own allies meant¡­¡­


    ¡¸You lost control from anger. That was your blunder.¡¹


    ¡¸ARIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡¹


    I provocatively pointed out Dino¡¯s fault. It made Dino lost even more of his composure.


    I had scattered poison to whittle down the combat strength of the  people here, made Sharga and Goudo to fight each other and brought chaos  to the battlefield, but that doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m in advantage. The  surviving assassins who managed to endure the poison are gathering here.  There are only around ten remaining but, among them there are also  beastman like Radha who have better night vision and detection skill.


    Although their movement is dulling from poison, most of them are rank 3 like Guy and Keira.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I pushed down my emotion to the bottom of my heart to harden my resolve. I narrowed my eyes to pressure the surrounding.


    Truthfully this kind of plan that leave things to luck isn¡¯t my  favorite. But, such resolve is necessary when merely a single child want  to fight against an organization.


    Come out.


    You¡¯re watching right?


    You have been wanting to kill me right from the start since I came here right?


    After all you hate everything that is related to master©¤©¤


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shield©¤©¤!!¡¹


    The instant I ¡°saw¡± it, I activated the magic shield while dodging by jumping back.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t think you can run away-!¡¹


    ¡¸Die, ash covered-!¡¹


    Two assassins reacted instantly by throwing a knife and shooting a  bow. The projectiles grazed my arm and shoulder, injuring me quite  badly, even so I kept opening the distance. Then at the next moment©¤©¤


    ¡¸Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?¡¹


    ¡¸Hiiiih!¡¹


    ¡¸Guaaaaaaah!¡¹


    Several assassins at the back got dyed black. Their body became unable to move and crumbled like leaves drying up completely.


    Even while that¡¯s going on, disgusting magic particles with complexly  mixed colors are approaching. I blocked them with magic shield while  dodging. Even so a ¡ºcurse¡» that I failed to block completely hit my  cloak. It weathered and crumbled down at the same time as I took it off  and threw it away.


    ¡¸¡­¡­So you dodge it. This accursed disciple of that annoying dark elf.¡¹


    From the deepest part of the darkness, the old wood elf wearing dark  colored robe©¤©¤the shaman ¡°Sage¡± showed himself and looked at me with a  dark gaze.


    Curse¡­¡­Curse sorcery is an inefficient technique but, as long as you  ignore efficiency and choose the right time and place, it has the power  that surpassed other sorcery. In the first place master won¡¯t give me  lecture and lesson about it if it¡¯s just a trifling art. That¡¯s why the  one who I¡¯m feeling the wariest against isn¡¯t Goudo, but this Sage.


    ¡¸Sage-! What are you doing-!¡¹


    Looks like he also managed to dodge. Dino expressed his fury toward  the Sage whose attack also hit the guild members. But the Sage only  glanced and scoffed at him.


    ¡¸You greenhorn¡­¡­do you believe a mere human like you is above this me?¡¹


    ¡¸Wha-¡­¡­¡¹


    For the Sage, this guild is just a research place. Although he will  spend effort to maintain that place, the people here aren¡¯t any comrade  of his.


    The Sage ignored the speechless Dino and only saw me in his sight.


    ¡¸How did you dodge, dark elf¡¯s disciple?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­I thought that you will definitely do that.¡¹


    Dark elf and wood elf. While the two are the same race, they hate  each other. But more than that, master denied the ¡°curse sorcery¡± that  the Sage has devoted half of his life to master. He absolutely couldn¡¯t  forgive master.


    That was why I was waiting for the Sage to launch his attack.


    Although I was convinced just like with Keira that he would attack,  it was a gamble whether his attack would also hit other people or not.  The elves regarded pride as something important, including master. The  elves who came out of their forest aren¡¯t actually that prideful, but  this is just how strong the Sage¡¯s hatred to master is.


    But, the Sage¡¯s obsession of wanting to kill me even if he hit his  allies in the process has neutralized almost all of the guild members in  the way. There are still some who lived, but if they haven¡¯t showed up  in this place, they must be those who aren¡¯t confident with their  fighting skill or those with strong wariness.


    ¡¸GUAOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡¹


    I heard a death throe from somewhere.


    He must have gotten affected by the curse just now. Berserker Sharga  has one of his feet dyed black. Goudo¡¯s claw pierced his heart and he  crumbled.


    ¡¸GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡¹


    The victor, Condemned Goudo noticed the Sage who was the one binding him with curse and let out a shout of anger.


    But Goudo himself isn¡¯t unharmed. He had just fought Sharga  seriously. His whole body is filled with deep lacerations. Not just  that, his right arm also got hit by the curse and turning into black  dust.


    ¡¸¡­¡­So it also won¡¯t accept ¡°order¡± huh. You¡¯re truly annoying, dark elf¡¯s disciple and also your teacher-¡¹


    *Pekin-*


    The Sage realized that I was the one rewriting Goudou¡¯s curse and  grimaced. He pinched one of his fingers that looked like withered branch  and then snapped it himself.


    ¡¸¡±Prostrate¡±¡¹


    ¡¸GUGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡¹


    Goudo tried to leap at the Sage, but he got flattened on the floor while vomiting blood.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Compensation style curse huh.¡¹


    Master thought that its efficiency is the worst even among the curse  sorcery. Most likely this was the cause of the enmity between master and  the Sage.


    Sorcery is a technique to cause a ¡°phenomenon¡± by paying with the  caster¡¯s magic power as compensation, but in case of curse, the ratio of  that ¡°compensation¡± is bigger. A curse sorcery demand ¡°magic power¡± and  the ¡°time¡± needed to set it up but, when it¡¯s taken even further, the  compensation can develop to offering ¡°yourself¡± to spirit life-form like  devil and the like.


    It¡¯s said that elf race can¡¯t become old, but that¡¯s because they  often die by disease or accident before they turned old. A wood elf like  the sage has the appearance of an old man most likely because he has  been using his ¡°life force¡± as compensation.


    By leaving the¡ºlast compensation¡» for that kind of curse sorcery  unpaid, he could activate the curse after paying the last compensation  by injuring himself, breaking his finger.


    His remaining fingers¡­¡­there are still nine. If he can launch attack  of the same scale by repeating his self-injuring action, my chance to  defeat the Sage by fighting him fair and square is small.


    Besides there is also still Dino. Right now he found it hard to make a  move from fear of facing him and me simultaneously, but if he saw that  the sage isn¡¯t hostile against him although he also isn¡¯t his ally, he  will take action to cut off my path of escape.


    I¡¯m still in disadvantage. But I have no intention of running.


    Besides¡­¡­, soon the last ¡°trap¡± that I risked my life for will activate.


    ¡¸©¤©¤?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­This is¡¹


    The Sage slightly scowled and looked back. Dino noticed that and turned his gaze toward the entrance.


    When I entered this guild from its regular entrance, I also played my last ¡°gambit¡±.


    It was hot for some reason today right?


    It was humid for some reason today right?


    That was because I destroyed all the vent holes in this underground guild.


    This place was formerly a coal mine. An accident several hundred  years ago produced a lot of victim and a huge cathedral and graveyard  were built here. When I investigated that accident, I learned that it  was an accident of natural gas coming out from the rock surface and a  torch¡¯s fire lit it up.


    Even now small amount of gas is gushing out. The usual faint smell  was because of that. Even so it wasn¡¯t to a degree that could affect  human¡¯s health. As long as vent hole is created at the point where the  gas leaked out, there won¡¯t be any problem even if fire lamp is lit  here.


    Even so there were only few lamps here. It wasn¡¯t just because  everyone has night vision, but because the predecessors who built this  guild feared the gas from accumulating again.


    I closed the vent holes several days ago so that gas gradually  accumulate inside the guild. There should be those who got dizzy from  that too. But they had gotten used to the smell of gas from living here  in many years and couldn¡¯t perceive it as something dangerous.


    And then I scattered poison, Sharga and Goudo went into rampage, and  the Sage used curse indiscriminately. Naturally such chain of events  would make ¡°someone¡± without combat strength to run away.


    It won¡¯t activate only by someone entering inside from the entrance.  But, the moment someone tried to go outside from that entrance, the  string I set up will snap and triggered some oil to be lit up.


    This smell of scorch that has reached even my nose must meant that  the fire has spread around the entrance. I didn¡¯t use this method right  from the start because, if I used this right from the start, then no  matter how individualistic the assassins are, it¡¯s possible that all of  them will work together as one to escape. But, it¡¯s too late now©¤©¤.


    ¡¸This place is a coffin for you guys.¡¹


    When I muttered that, the few surviving people looked astonished.  Dino who realized that it was me who lit fire in this underground guild  staggered backward.


    ¡¸¡­¡­You¡¯re mad¡¹


    I wouldn¡¯t be able to even fight against you guys if I don¡¯t go that  far. The time remaining for everyone in this guild is only until the  fire spread and lit up the gushing out gas.


    All of you shall die here.


    ¡¸You bastarddd-! YOU BASTARDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!¡¹


    *GAKIINN!*


    Dino rushed forward with a terrifying speed. When my black knife met his short sword, they created an intense metallic sound.


    ¡¸How dare you-! Against ¡°my¡± guild-!!¡¹


    ¡¸Is that so¡¹


    I curtly replied while we exchanged blows for two, three times.


    For someone like Dino, ¡ºorganization¡» must be like a ¡ºstatus¡» that  symbolized himself externally. In order to maintain it, he brought  together unique people as the ¡°leader¡±, gathered capable people like  they are his collection, and like that he even meddled with master¡¯s  peaceful life.


    The guild that you treasured so much is in a dire strait now.


    But, let me say it even then.


    ¡¸You reap what you sow.¡¹


    ¡¸AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡¹


    *GAKIN-!*


    I leaped back from the severe blow that Dino did with the intensity as though he is spitting blood.


    Dino¡¯s short sword is most likely made from mythril. Viro was also using the same thing, so I know its characteristic.


    Mythril is formed from silver vein underground being exposed to thick  magic particles for a long period of time. Its hardness is slightly  inferior compared to my knife of magic steel, but it has good magic  power conductivity, and similar with magic sword, it can also deal  damage to spiritual life form.


    In the current situation the difference in weapon is the same as  nonexistent, but my knife focused on sharpness and it has low power, and  my own combat level is inferior compared to Dino, so there is a limit  in how long I can continue blocking his attacks.


    ¡¸You¡¯re a nuisance, Dino-!¡¹


    *Pekin¡­¡­.*


    The Sage snapped his own finger. Magic particles with disgusting and chaotic ¡°color¡± flowed from him again.


    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹


    Dino sensed the ¡°curse¡± even though he can¡¯t see it. He rolled on the  ground to dodge it and opened the distance. Thanks to the warning, I  also managed to use Shield while barely escaping to a safe range.


    ¡¸You bastard¡­¡­-! Are you able to see my curse!? That shield too, you  bastards who are connected to that dark elf are really annoying!¡¹


    The Sage hurled abusive words after seeing me successfully dodging his curses in succession.


    Perhaps he was only doing it unconsciously but, the Sage was  hesitating to hit Dino together with me because he still needed the  guild which is his ¡ºresearch place¡» to remain. Thanks to that I can  fight against these two rank 4 like this, but that too won¡¯t last long  in various meaning.


    The flame burning from the entrance has continued to spread until its  heat can be felt even from here. Black smoke is starting to flow until  this place that is almost at the center of the underground.


    I pulled up my shawl that has been soaked with antidote until my eyes.


    If that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡± is accurate, this place also won¡¯t last  long. But, they should be even more anxious than me. Right now their  hatred toward me is still greater, so they are prioritizing fighting,  but they should notice that their life is in danger when they become  calm.


    Human will lose their composure when they are ruled by hatred, and when they regain their composure then next anxiety will form.


    That¡¯s why I¡¯ll finish this before their sanity return.


    ¡¸Dino, just go secure an escape path! You¡¯re in the way-¡¹


    ¡¸Shut up! Don¡¯t order me around-!¡¹


    ¡¸Rest assured, with this hand, this dark elf¡¯s disciple shall©¤©¤¡¹


    *Hyun-!*


    ¡¸I won¡¯t give you the time.¡¹


    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹


    When I threw two pendulums with curving trajectories, Dino hurriedly  dodge one of them but it still left a shallow cut on his neck.


    My basic tactic is outlandish scheme and surprise attack. For that I  almost never showed the pendulum and illusion in front of them. But,  this is the time to stop holding back. I¡¯m using everything here to hold  them back here until it become impossible for them to escape. I¡¯ll  definitely do it.


    *Pekin¡­¡­.*


    ¡¸¡±Rot¡±!¡¹


    Another curse came from the Sage. Perhaps because he noticed that I  was dodging the ¡°curse¡± with sight, the Sage prioritized range for this  curse instead of power.


    If I got hit fully by the Sage¡¯s curse, it will be instant death for  me if I¡¯m unlucky. Curse is a terrifying technique as long as all the  conditions are cleared and you choose the time and place for it, even so  it has weakness.


    In the end curse is unrivaled only when it¡¯s ¡°passive¡±. It¡¯s lacking speed when used for face to face combat like now.


    Also this only apply to me but, you have shown your curse that should be a sure kill too many times to me.


    ¡¸What!?¡¹


    The magic particles with chaotic colors complexly entangled with each  other. I ran while dodging them, at the same time I matched my magic  particles with the magic particles that I can see and threw it to them  to neutralize the curse.


    Earth against water, water against fire, darkness against light¡­¡­it¡¯s  impossible to match all the particles complexly entangled with each  other to form the curse, but if it¡¯s only for a small range that I can¡¯t  completely dodge¡­¡­if it¡¯s just for a moment, by using Daily Life Magic  with my Magic Power Control that has reached level 3, I can erase a part  of the magic particles that form the curse, neutralizing that small  area. This is the fruit from steadily dispelling the curse on Goudo.


    ¡¸ARIAAAAAA!¡¹


    The expanded range of the curse reached even Dino¡¯s location.


    As I approached near, Dino hesitated for a moment, between  intercepting me or dodging the curse. In that instant, I casted the  ¡°trump card¡± that I have been saving.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Pain©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸Gugaah!?¡¹


    Even Pain that has weak effect against stronger opponent can stop them for a moment if they have no prior knowledge about it.


    I slid on the ground under Dino and cut his side with a knife as I  passed him. The instant I passed him by, the Sage¡¯s curse rotted Dino¡¯s  left arm and left leg.


    ¡¸GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?¡¹


    He let out a scream that sounded like a death throe. Dino fell limply. Even so©¤©¤


    ¡¸AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡¹


    Dino¡¯s rage and hatred drove him to brandish his short sword with his  right arm even while he is dying. It¡¯s too close that I can¡¯t dodge.  But, a faint sound reached me at that time.


    *Clang¡­¡­-*


    A familiar necklace fell from Dino¡¯s pocket and it rolled until under  my feet. The Water that I immediately chanted caused a lot of steam to  burst up due to the surrounding heat and the power of the water spirit  stone.


    ¡¸©¤©¤!?¡¹


    ¡¸HAA!¡¹


    The short sword thrown by Dino whose sight is blocked flew passed my  side. I stepped forward and tore Dino¡¯s face vertically. Seeing that,  the Sage grabbed several fingers and snapped them all at once.


    ¡¸You dark elf¡¯s disciple-!¡¹


    Three types of curses came attacking as the expression of the Sage¡¯s  fury. I leaped out from the steam and dashed through the guild as the  curses cornered me.


    No matter how slow curse is, I can¡¯t dodge them with this timing.


    But you know¡­¡­why do you think I destroyed all the ¡°lights¡± before I came until here?


    ¡¸What!?¡¹


    The figure of ¡°me¡± vanished as the three curses enveloped it.


    I still took the time to destroy the lights even knowing that there  are beastmen and elf with strong night vision here wasn¡¯t just as  countermeasure against human. The humanoid illusion that I used in the  battle against gobhobling to trick its night vision©¤©¤Shadow, using that,  I made that humanoid magic particles only to run away from the cover of  the steam.


    Even if the elf¡¯s night vision is level 2, he can be tricked once in this situation. That was my aim.


    ¡¸Gubooh!?¡¹


    I took advantage of that moment and two pendulums came flying from  unexpected directions. They pierced the Sage¡¯s neck diagonally. But©¤©¤


    ¡¸NUOOOOOOOO!¡¹


    It should be a fatal wound no matter how you looked at it, even so  the Sage found me who is lurking in the darkness even while blood  spurted out from his throat and mouth. He grabbed his finger to unleash  his curse.


    ¡¸Fuuh!¡¹


    I won¡¯t be able to dodge the next one in this range. I instantly  judged that and took off my stealth. I squeezed out the air in my lungs  and decided to meet it head on.


    I¡¯m impressed by your tenacity. Then in order to face it head on, I  swished my skirt and pulled out the throwing knives attached on my  calves with both hands.


    Within the slowed down time due to my body strengthening, the Sage  tightly grasped his own finger to activate his curse, while I threw my  knives.


    With this timing we will take down each other©¤©¤


    *Zashu-!!*


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yo¡­¡­you bastard¡­¡­¡¹


    My knives pierced the Sage¡¯s throat and chest. The Sage¡¯s curse doesn¡¯t reach me¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Gaaaa¡­¡­¡¹


    The executed curse was blocked by a huge body that cut in front of it, blocking it completely.


    ¡¸Goudo¡­¡­¡¹


    Goudo blocked the curse as my shield. With his remaining left hand on  his battered body, Goudo grabbed the Sage¡¯s neck that was like a  withered tree.


    ¡¸Th, is¡­¡­DAMN GUINEA PIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!¡¹


    ¡¸GAAAAAAAAAAH!¡¹


    Goudo¡¯s tenacity outdid the Sage. His hand crushed the Sage¡¯s neck and tore off his head.


    Godou stood still after finishing off the Sage. In his eyes, it was faint but, there was a light of ¡°reason¡± there.


    ¡¸Goudo¡­¡­it¡¯s your ¡°win¡±.¡¹


    You¡­¡­managed to regain your ¡ºself¡» in the end.


    He looked back at the words that spilled out from my mouth. My figure  is reflected on his eyes. As his body crumbled down from the curse, it  felt like he is smiling just a little.


    .


    *DOOOONN!!*


    Suddenly, an explosive sound came from the back. The overflowing gas caught fire and swallowed Goudo and the Sage.


    Most likely there was someone who tried using the escape route at the  deepest part, where the gas accumulated. That person opened my last  trap. I can hear the death throes of still surviving guild members from  afar. Nobody can escape anymore. It¡¯s over for this guild.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Are you¡­¡­satisfied?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Dino.¡¹


    Dino is still alive even with half his body violated by curse and his face torn vertically.


    Inside the hell that is dyed crimson by the spreading flame, I and  the unmoving Dino who is lying face down on the ground stared at each  other. He is wearing a slightly cynical smile.


    ¡¸¡­¡­For the guild to be crushed by a kid like this¡­¡­are you satisfied  that you can safe Serjura? But this is also the end for you. No one¡­¡­can  escape anymore. Aria¡­¡­you won but, our beloved teacher will surely live  in regret for eternity from losing you.¡¹


    Master is someone with deep compassion, so she will surely feel sad.  That¡¯s why Dino laughed sadistically, claiming that I don¡¯t win.


    You¡¯re twisted till the end huh¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Is that all that you want to say? Then, sayonara.¡¹


    I dispassionately loaded an arrow into my crossbow gimmick. Dino¡¯s  face gradually twisted more and more as he watched me. His widely opened  eyes reflected me who is looking down coldly on him and the arrow I  fired. With this he will never move again.


    ¡¸Go to the other side by yourself.¡¹


    *GODOOOOOOOOOOOONN!!*


    *GARAAAAAAAAAAAANN!!*


    There must be accumulated gas in the underground far deeper than even that coal mine.


    The explosion that reverberated in the underground shook the bedrock  and the huge cathedral made from stone. The bell fell down from the  spire that is enveloped in flame and crumbling. The toll of the bell  ringing from the falling rubbles struck the ears of the dumbfounded  citizens watching the spectacle.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I¡¯m staring at that scene from the shadow of a distant building.


    I was able to escape from the underground where nobody should be able  to escape. It was also a gamble for me but, I was quite confident in my  chance of success.


    What saved me was Shadow Walker that Radha used.


    It¡¯s a level 4 dark sorcery but, by recomposing it into Shadow Snatch  and familiarizing myself in using it, I was able to activate it just  barely although I ended up using all of my magic power.


    Shadow Walker can only traverse to shadow that the caster¡¯s magic  particle is connected to. In order to do that, when I blocked all of the  vent holes, I left behind several ¡°strings¡± filled with my magic power  at several spots.


    From there I used Shadow Walker and managed to move until the  graveyard¡¯s burial chamber, but my magic power ran dry from using  sorcery that surpassed my level and I almost dead from fatigue.


    But, it was fortunate that I was constantly a magic power recovery  potion because of my previous lesson. I recovered until I can move my  body somehow and managed to escape from the cathedral that also crumbled  along.


    The assassin guild¡¯s northern frontier district branch is destroyed. I  don¡¯t know how the other branches and the involved nobles will act  because of this. But©¤©¤


    .


    ¡¸I¡¯m prepared for that.¡¹


    .


    I gave a last glance at the crumbling cathedral before vanishing into the darkness.

 Volume 2 - CH 19

    It was the beginning of winter when I left master¡¯s house. The season has turned into early summer after the spring passed away. I¡¯ll turn into nine years old after one more season passed.


    I spent five months to crush the assassin guild. I left at the same day from the territory of Count Heydale where the northern frontier district branch was located and headed to the territory of Baron Norf that is a neighbor of the territory of Margrave Dandall.


    That noble is the client whose heirloom was stolen by Mercenary of Dawn that I assassinated. It¡¯s not like I have awakened to the calling as assassin after this late but¡­¡­¡±heirloom¡±¡­¡­for me whose parents died in an accident, something like that felt special for some reason. If possible I want to return the item to its family.


    *Clatter¡­¡­*


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I took out the heirloom necklace that I was storing inside my Storage so that it wouldn¡¯t be lost and stared at it.


    Spirit Tear©¤©¤it¡¯s a spirit¡¯s magic stone that spirit who is erased from this world will rarely drop. This stone is also considered as gem. From the start it¡¯s a magic stone with high purity, so it can also function as amulet if simple magic circle is carved into it.


    Because of that it¡¯s expensive and there were people who summoned spirits to hunt them, but many people got the table turned on them and died, and just the act of hunting the spirits who controlled this world¡¯s principle is seen badly by the holy church©¤©¤due to Fandora Theocracy that is the headquarters of the religion, it was decided that not only trading, but even just possessing Spirit Tear is a sin.


    It¡¯s not like that decision has any compelling force but, many of the light element sorcerers belonged to the holy church, so there is no statesman who opposed the decision openly.


    I¡¯m not interested why Baron Norf can have something like this in his possession. He paid a great amount of money, forty large gold coins to regain this item. Even in the past, this item shouldn¡¯t worth that much. Then he must harbor a great ¡ºfeeling for family¡» that pushed him to pay that much money for this.


    Just in case I didn¡¯t stop by any large city. I passed through forests and small cities, taking around one week to arrive at the town where Baron Norf lived, but I didn¡¯t encounter any remain of the assassin guild.


    Was I too cautious? ¡­¡­No, I think there were only a few people who noticed that I destroyed the guild, but there is nothing better than being careful.


    The cloak of monster leather that I bought in Gelf¡¯s store was destroyed in battle, so right now I¡¯m wearing a normal cloak that I purchased from a normal store. With my current appearance, there should be nobody who followed me based only on my appearance.


    .


    I paid one silver coin to enter the town, ordered a soup from a stall and ate it while asking around about the state of the town and the feudal lord. The portly female stall owner seemed to have free time and told me a lot of things.


    ¡¸You can see that mansion on the hill over there right? That¡¯s the lord¡¯s mansion.¡¹


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­¡¹


    I can see that mansion even from the street. As expected from a place that is close to a metropolis like Dandall, it looks even more splendid than the mansion of Baron Seylace where I previously went undercover as maid.


    ¡¸It might look small to the visitor who came from large city like Dandall, but this place isn¡¯t that bad you know? Though the tax has gotten higher in these several years.¡¹


    ¡¸Did something happen?¡¹


    When I lowered my voice¡¯s tone and asked, the owner who seemed like a gossip lover brought her face closer to me and lowered her voice in a whisper.


    ¡¸I think it was around two years ago¡­¡­the lord¡¯s previous wife got attacked by bandits when she was travelling to another territory in a carriage. She died from that.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Previous wife? Bandits?¡¹


    ¡¸Oh, so you also don¡¯t know about that? The current madam is the second wife you know? And then, after that the lord gathered a lot of people like the knights and the adventurers to form a large scale subjugation force. They took down the bandits but, it looked like the lord really overdid it. Apparently he borrowed money from a company with a bit of bad reputation.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Sounds bad.¡¹


    At that time the heirloom got stolen by Mercenary of Dawn, and in order to pay the request fee to the assassin guild, he might have borrowed money from that company.


    ¡¸I don¡¯t know how much of that is true okay? But, after that the merchant¡¯s daughter lived in the mansion as the lord¡¯s second wife you see. And after that the tax got raised, so it became a rumor that the lord is unable to go against his current wife.¡¹


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Well, this town isn¡¯t that bad, so if you¡¯re also an adventurer little miss, work hard to make this town prosper okay-¡¹


    The female owner said that and laughed heartily. ¡­¡­But.


    ¡¸You know that I¡¯m a ¡°woman¡± ma¡¯am?¡¹


    ¡¸Even though you¡¯re dressed like that, it¡¯s obvious from a glance when you¡¯re that pretty little miss.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I¡¯m wearing a cloak that covered me until my ankle just in case. Half of my face is also hidden behind a shawl. And yet I still completely looked like a woman?


    Putting that aside, the baron¡¯s reputation isn¡¯t bad based on the information I obtained. Nobody is talking bad of him even after he raised the tax somewhat. His government must be that good until now.


    Was the tax increase because he was made to do it by his second wife in order to collect the money?


    Although the company¡¯s reputation is bad, it¡¯s only natural for a company to seek much profit after lending that much money with bad prospect of payment, so it doesn¡¯t bother me. It was the baron¡¯s decision to borrow money from a company with bad reputation and making request to the assassin guild, so it all depend on the baron of what he will do after this.


    I¡¯m simply coming here to return the ¡°heirloom¡± to settle things.


    Other information said that the baron has a single daughter, so perhaps it will be easier to hand the heirloom to that daughter rather than to the baron himself.


    .


    For now let¡¯s go check this baron¡¯s mansion first.


    I entered the town as an adventurer, so perhaps I should show up to the adventurer guild, but perhaps there will be a record of me visiting here if I came to the guild even if I used fake name, so it will be better if I don¡¯t drop in this city anymore in the future.


    Even though I came to return a heirloom, I didn¡¯t knock the front door and waited until it became night. Even using my eyes, I cannot see any magical protection over the mansion. Looks like it will be easy to sneak in.


    I¡¯m thinking of such thing while deciding to leave this place temporarily. It¡¯s at that timing a voice suddenly addressed me from behind.


    ¡¸Are you perhaps, an adventurer?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    The one who called to me is a young woman wearing a dress that looked somewhat worn out. I noticed her approaching me but, the way she walked and also her presence aren¡¯t any difference from ordinary person, so I ignored her thinking that it would look unnatural if I paid attention to her.


    ¡¸Aa, as I thought. Your atmosphere is different even though you¡¯re this young, so I thought that¡¯s the case.¡¹


    After I nodded, that woman clapped her hands cheerfully and she laughed merrily.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Who?¡¹


    ¡¸Ah, I¡¯m sorry-, that was rude of me. I am the daughter of this land¡¯s lord, Nora.¡¹


    ¡¸The feudal lord¡¯s¡­¡­lady daughter?¡¹


    I never expected of encountering my objective this easily¡­¡­.


    I unconsciously muttered seeing Nora¡¯s cheerful atmosphere turned one eighty and she displayed an aristocratic courtesy. But then her atmosphere immediately returned to before and she waved her hand around in panic.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind it, although I¡¯m a noble, I¡¯m just a daughter of a minor baron, err¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸And, what is your business with an ¡°adventurer¡± like me?¡¹


    ¡¸Ah, yes, right¡­¡­I was thinking that I want to try speaking with a female adventurer if I encounter one. If you don¡¯t mind, can you lend me a bit of your time?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Got it.¡¹


    By all rights I shouldn¡¯t get involved with her. But, for some reason I felt something like anxiety in her tone when she said ¡ºwant to speak¡», so I ended up agreeing.


    But I forgot. Although Nora is a daughter of a baron of small territory and she herself is someone amiable who doesn¡¯t act like a noble, she is still the young lady of a baron house that ruled over a population of more than ten thousand.


    There is no way a ¡°talk¡± with such noble lady would end up with just standing around at the side of road.


    .


    ¡¸Sorry that I can only give you tea that I brew myself.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­no problem¡¹


    Nora personally brewed tea for me in a room inside the mansion that seemed to be a living room.


    I had no choice other than entering the mansion. Let¡¯s think positively. More importantly why is she brewing the tea personally instead of telling a servant to do it?


    It¡¯s not impossible for a baron¡¯s daughter to do such thing if she has experience of serving as a maid for the royalty or the like, but her outfit that is unbefitting for a nobility and the way she was gone to an outing alone without anyone accompanying her might have something to do with it.


    ¡¸You see¡­¡­I¡¯ll have to marry soon. I¡¯m a noble¡¯s daughter, so I¡¯m not objecting of being married to someone who my parent decided for me but¡­¡­I¡¯m feeling a bit fainthearted now. So I wanted to hear a story from adventurer who has gone to a lot of places.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­What do you want to hear?¡¹


    I talked to her as an ¡ºadventurer¡» about some harmless things just as she asked me, then Nora too started to talk to me about herself bit by bit.


    It seemed that she already has a fianc¨¦e since she was small. Her fianc¨¦e is the third son of a baron house who planned to marry into her family. Both of them don¡¯t dislike each other but, last year, it seemed her fianc¨¦e was changed because of some reason.


    ¡¸It seems he has also talked with his parents but¡­¡­it¡¯s no good. Both of us are noble. We can¡¯t go against our family¡­¡­¡¹


    Nora said that brightly¡­¡­she made a lonely smile.


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹


    I don¡¯t understand the subtleties of romance. But, I somehow understood that Nora is still thinking of her fianc¨¦e from before.


    ¡¸Nora-san, what are you doing?¡¹


    It was then, the door opened without the person even knocking first. A woman who seemed to be at her late twenty with gaudy outfit entered the living room.


    ¡¸Step mother¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Oh, you have a guest.¡¹


    That woman¡­¡­perhaps she is the second wife who came from the company that I heard in the rumors.


    That woman is wearing a well-tailored dress unlike Nora. She saw me who had taken off my cloak and sitting on the sofa. After she realized that I¡¯m an adventurer in a glance, ¡¸hmph¡¹ she snorted and continued talking to Nora while ignoring me.


    ¡¸Have you finished with your errant to the company? You are engaged with my little brother after all, surely you have greeted him properly haven¡¯t you? Linus will become the next baron, so you will regret it if you don¡¯t start buttering up him starting from now.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸What are you doing with that kind of little girl in this¡­¡­¡¹


    The second wife¡¯s voice stopped while she was in the middle of talking.


    I¡¯m not doing anything. Far from talking, I¡¯m not even letting out any pressure.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    But, that woman who turned her gaze at me might have seen something in my ¡°eyes¡± as I stared fixedly without saying anything to her. She slightly stepped back and fear ran through her expression.


    ¡¸H-hmph, you brat lack manners-!¡¹


    *Bam!* The woman slammed the door close and left with rapid footsteps.


    ¡¸¡­¡­S-sorry for that.¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind it.¡¹


    Although she was surprised by the second wife¡¯s attitude, Nora apologized apologetically and I shook my head lightly in respond.


    She really doesn¡¯t need to mind it. After all I also don¡¯t mind it at all.


    I parted from Nora and left the baron¡¯s mansion. From there I sensed the presence of several people tailing me for a while.


    Two people¡­¡­this is too hasty timing wise even if that second wife arranged it right after our encounter. But, their number decreased by one for a short while before increasing once more into four people after a while. At the end their number has increased until around ten.


    ¡¸How about coming out?¡¹


    I intentionally entered a back alley and called out when I arrived at an empty place. The men showed a bit of sign of surprise before showing themselves.


    ¡¸Well well, as expected from someone like you. You are the ¡°ash crowned¡± aren¡¯t you?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Who are you guys?¡¹


    The people who appeared are dressed like inconspicuous commoner who can be found anywhere, but their atmosphere is telling me that they aren¡¯t ordinary people.


    The number of people who knew my true identity and called me ¡ºash crowned¡» is limited. But, they gathered this many people just to contact a lone girl like me show that this won¡¯t be a ¡°peaceful¡± conversation.


    Among them is a man at the middle of his twenty who is the only one wearing a better outfit than the rest. He is the one who called out to me. He bowed his head with a pretentious gesture like someone playing in being a noble. Then she displayed a worm-like smile.


    ¡¸We are your pick up from the thief guild.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Why are people from the thief guild here? What does he mean by picking me up? In the first place how did they know about me?


    There are a lot of things that I want to know but, that answer came from an unexpected place.


    ¡¸Wha-!? What do you mean by that, Linus-!¡¹


    A man behind them raised his voice. The young who addressed me at the beginning called Linus turned around with a grin.


    ¡¸Aa, we are really thankful for your information you know? After all, not only we were able to learn an important information like the destruction of the assassin guild¡¯s northern frontier district branch this quickly, you even brought the information about the key figure who accomplished that.¡¹


    ¡¸That was because, you guys said that you will help me to take revenge-!¡¹


    ¡¸Fufu, did we say that?¡¹


    Linus¡­¡­I knew that name.


    More importantly, the voice of the man at the back is also familiar. When I looked toward there, I saw a man whose face and body are wrapped in blood soaked bandage. He is looking at me with a gaze filled with burning hate.


    Aa, this man is¡­¡­.


    ¡¸The ¡°beggar¡± huh.¡¹


    ¡¸¡±Ash crowneddd¡±!!¡¹


    The one tasked as lookout outside the guild as well as guide. I see, so this man survived.


    ¡¸The contact for you and Radha in the capital ran outside covered in flame. He told me of your betrayal before his death-! The guys outside the guild who headed into the guild also got crushed by the cathedral¡¯s destruction! It was all your fault!¡¹


    ¡¸I see.¡¹


    ¡¸YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-!!¡¹


    When I replied emotionlessly like that, the beggar got enraged and pulled out a short sword.


    It seemed the one who activated the trap I set up at the entrance was the male contact who I had never even met. If the information of me leaked outside from him, it was my miss for not putting up a trap that instantly killed the victim.


    Even so the information that almost all of the members who were outside also died and the fact that I¡¯m the culprit who crushed the guild had been spread is something that concerned me. I¡¯m glad I¡¯m able to learn it.


    ¡¸Guboh!? Wha-¡­¡­you-¡¹


    The lookout beggar suddenly vomited blood from his mouth. From behind him, one of the thieves had stabbed his stomach with a blade until it pierced through.


    ¡¸We are thankful to you but, it¡¯s a bother that you interrupted the talk like this. Do it.¡¹


    When Linus snapped his fingers, several people around the beggar stabbed his neck and chest with bladed weapons. The beggar reached out his hand at me at the end before light vanished from his eyes.


    ¡¸Thief isn¡¯t supposed to kill isn¡¯t it?¡¹


    I sent a glance at the murdered beggar before muttering that. The thieves¡¯ attention returned to me and Linus brushed off his front bang pretentiously.


    ¡¸You know a lot. But that¡¯s only applied toward the ordinary people. Besides this result is only natural seeing that he tried to lay his hand on you.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    To me it only looked like you guys dealt with him because he didn¡¯t have any other use for you though.


    ¡¸How did you know that I¡¯m here?¡¹


    ¡¸Before that, do you have the Spirit Tear with you? Originally we were going to purchase it from the Mercenary of Dawn. Can you hand it to us? Of course, I shall pay the reward that should be paid to them completely to you in exchange.¡¹


    I see, so their aim is ¡°this¡±.


    The beggar must have learned it from the contact. I nodded a little and showed the item just for an instant from my Storage like a magic trick. Linus¡¯s eyes sparkled seeing the item.


    ¡¸The reward?¡¹


    ¡¸Thirty large gold coins. I¡¯m also going to give you an extra ten coins if you sign a contract with us.¡¹


    It seemed that he felt there is a chance for the negotiation to go smoothly seeing me asking for the reward. A vulgar smile formed on his lips just for an instant before Linus mentioned the word contract.


    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹


    ¡¸Fufu, isn¡¯t it only natural that we want to have someone skilled like you at our side? Although you have crushed an assassin guild, the other branches are still going strong. The survivors of that branch will also continue to aim for your life. But, there is this secret pact of non-interference between the thief guild and assassin guild. There isn¡¯t really any point to the pact for the individuals but, if you become our guest, the assassin guild also won¡¯t be able to try anything with you so easily. How about it? It¡¯s not a bad offer I believe?¡¹


    ¡¸I see now¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡­¡­So it¡¯s something like that.


    He must be planning to tie me down under the pretext of protecting me while setting me up as an exclusive assassin of the thief guild seeing that they don¡¯t have many combat expert in their ranks.


    ¡¸I don¡¯t think that this necklace is that expensive though?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s because it¡¯s forbidden to sell it that there are people who want it even more. It looks like you are also trying to sell it directly to the baron but, too bad. Even that baron house doesn¡¯t have any saving anymore, and even if the baron manage to obtain it, it will still end up in our possession one day, but if that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be anyway isn¡¯t it better for you to hand it to us right away?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Linus said to hand the necklace to them and they will pay a lot of money for it.


    So they were lying in wait for me here thinking that I¡¯m going to sell this necklace to Baron Norf. Well, I guess it¡¯s only natural for a thief whose only purpose is money to think like that.


    I have obtained almost all the pieces of puzzle. But there is still one more thing. What is the reason that this heirloom will still fall into the hand of the thief guild even after it has been returned to the baron?


    I accelerated my thinking speed with body strengthening and restructured the information I obtained and pondered it.


    Aa¡­¡­I see.


    ¡¸¡±Linus¡±¡­¡­the new fianc¨¦e of the baron¡¯s daughterNora.¡¹


    Linus¡¯s eyes widened slightly when I muttered that.


    ¡¸¡­¡­So you have learned until that much. Fufu¡­¡­as expected. That¡¯s exactly why you¡¯re worthy to be one of us-. It¡¯s just as you guessed, the baron house is already within the grasp of the thief guild. Now, take my hand-!¡¹


    Linus held out his hand toward me with a refreshing smile. I also responded to that with a step forward.


    But I don¡¯t take Linus¡¯s hand and immediately slashed Linus¡¯s neck with the hidden weapon I took out from the Storage on my palm.


    ¡¸GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?¡¹


    It was a bit shallow. Because there was a bit of space between us, it gave Linus a chance to dodge. My blade only ended up cutting Linus¡¯s face.


    ¡¸W-what are you doing-!? Without the thief guild¡¯s protection, you¡¯ll-!¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m not looking for anything like that.¡¹


    The fianc¨¦e of Baron Norf¡¯s daughter, Nora. The little brother of the second wife who came from the company that lent money to the baron.


    Most likely, that company itself is affiliated with the thief guild. Did the company pulled strings in order to obtain the Spirit Tear without fail? Or perhaps they made use of the baron¡¯s first wife¡¯s death in order to obtain the baron house itself?


    Perhaps it was both. Even the bandit attack to the first wife was likely arranged by the thief guild. It¡¯s also more natural to consider that the Mercenary of Dawn was already connected to the thief guild from the start.


    In that case, the misfortune that assaulted Baron Norf this time was schemed by the thief guild from the start in order to obtain money and status both.


    I¡­¡­absolutely won¡¯t join hand with you guys who killed Nora¡¯s mother for the sake of your own greed.


    ¡¸K-kill her-! The opponent is just a single brat!¡¹


    Linus¡¯s thin veneer broke and his true vulgar nature came out as he yelled. The eight other thieves pulled out their blades and took their stance.


    Some among them should be feeling dissatisfied by the plan of welcoming a kid like me as guest, especially with my age and appearance. The thieves easily pulled out their weapons with their underestimation toward me completely transparent on their faces.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The combat strength values of the thieves are around 150 with 350 as the highest. Most of them are rank 2 including Linus. Only three of them are definitely rank 3. One of them must be a sorcerer based on his stamina value and magic power value.


    Among them is a young man with the lowest combat strength staying at the very back. He looked at me with knife in hand and his expression convulsed.


    Most likely this man had used Appraisal or appraisal crystal to see my combat strength. But he reacted too slowly. It¡¯s pointless if he doesn¡¯t warn his friends right away after he realized.


    ¡¸Be careful, that fellow-¡¹


    ¡¸©¤©¤Pain©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸Gugah!?¡¹


    I shut up that man with Pain before he could say anything unnecessary. Then the knife I threw stabbed between the eyebrows of that stiffened man.


    ¡¸Wha-!? Be on your guard-!¡¹


    ¡¸Shut up-!¡¹


    The thieves who were looking for an opening got serious after one of them got easily killed. They rushed to attack without caring of appearance.


    ¡¸Stupid idiot-! Don¡¯t think you can win against this many people, ash crowned-!¡¹


    One man charged with an expert knife handling. But, he is just too slow.


    No matter how high his combat strength is, no matter how high his rank is, in the end he is just a thief. Their strength is nothing more than a skill to threaten ordinary people and throw their weight around.


    I didn¡¯t avert my gaze from the man¡¯s knife that lunged at me and tilted my head to dodge. Then I cut the man¡¯s neck as he passed me.


    Seven people remaining©¤©¤


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shadow Snatch©¤©¤¡¹


    I dropped a fistful of ¡°shadow¡± on the ground and an arrow punched from below into the crotch of the man who leaped over it.


    ¡¸Higuh!?¡¹


    I immediately stabbed a pendulum¡¯s blade into the man¡¯s throat. The blade that I quickly pulled out is accompanied by a mist of blood spraying in the air. That blade tore the face of a young man who is dumbfounded from his friend¡¯s murder. And then I leaped in that timing and pierced his brain with my black knife that stabbed from his lower jaw.


    Five people remaining©¤©¤


    ¡¸©¤©¤Fire Javelin-!¡¹


    The man who seemed to be a sorcerer fired Fire Javelin. But, he is obviously too panicked. Even I will die instantly if I got hit by it but©¤©¤


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shield©¤©¤¡¹


    *Crangg-!*


    The Shield I chanted smashed with auditory hallucination of glass breaking from the insufficient magic power. But against a sorcery with this kind of sloppy structuring, the Shield lasting just for an instant is enough.


    ¡¸GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡¹


    The Fire Javelin that was diverted by the magic shield directly hit the thief who was approaching using Stealth behind me.


    The man rolled around on the ground with flame covering his whole body. I jumped over him and threw away my cloak that is burning from the attack¡¯s blast to block the sight of the sorcery that is starting to chant his next spell.


    ¡¸Wha-!?¡¹


    When I threw several knives to there, I heard a stifled scream. When the cloak fell on the ground, the sorcerer¡¯s corpse with a knife piercing his throat tumbled down.


    Three people remaining©¤©¤


    ¡¸This damn little girlll-!¡¹


    ¡¸DIEEEEEE!¡¹


    The remaining two rank 3 lost their senses from rage and charged forward.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Weight©¤©¤¡¹


    I chanted Weight and ran up a wall, jumped over the man in front, and then fired dark magic at the one behind him.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Pain©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸Gih!?¡¹


    I threw a knife at that man who stopped moving from pain, taking away his fighting capability. Then as I landed, the man who I jumped over leaped at me from behind with his face red from anger.


    ¡¸DON¡¯T SCREW AROGYAH!?¡¹


    That man didn¡¯t notice the pendulum¡¯s string I set up when I jumped over him. His neck is strangled by his own momentum and weight. I circled behind him in that moment and kicked the back of his head as I pulled the string©¤©¤


    *Snap¡­¡­-!*


    There is a sound of bone breaking and the man¡¯s neck snapped.


    .


    There is nobody standing anymore when I looked around. The last one, Linus has vanished without me noticing.


    ¡­¡­So he ran. But that¡¯s also within my expectation.


    I kicked the jaw of the man writhing from Pain and the knife stuck in his stomach. I took out a poison from my waist poach and sprinkled it on the man¡¯s wound.


    ¡¸GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?¡¹


    It¡¯s the imitation poison for intense pain that female thief used. Various kinds of liquids trickled out from all over the man¡¯s face. He kept shaking his head in convulsion, unable to belief the situation he is being put in.


    Now, I¡¯ll have you tell me a lot of things.


    There is no need for you to comprehend anything. But, just remember this one thing.


    I crushed the assassin guild because they became an enemy of master and me. And then©¤©¤


    .


    ¡¸You guys have also become ¡°my enemy¡±.¡¹


    ¡¸Hii, hiih¡¹


    Linus pressed his hand on his blood soaked face while running through a back alley. He wondered how things turned out like this.


    He wasn¡¯t a man who should smolder in obscurity in this kind of rural territory of a baron. Linus always harbored such feeling in his chest. Together with his big sister who was also born in the slum, they always talked about their dream and groped for a way to climb up the ladder for many years.


    It was fortunate that the thief guild leader of this town thought that they had talent and picked them up.


    Linus and his sister learned that the baron of this land possessed a rare gem called the Spirit Tear. He brought that information to a high ranked noble that wanted it and obtained a connection with him. With that he made a scheme to obtain money and status simultaneously. He not only made his big sister as the second wife of the baron, he also planned to obtain the baron¡¯s daughter for himself. That must be the manifestation of Linus¡¯s sense of inferiority.


    The plan was perfect. It was someone under the control of the thief guild who introduced the adventurer party Mercenary of Dawn to the baron in order to give them the request to recover the Spirit Tear, but it was also Linus and others in the thief guild who lent the baron the money for the request fee to the assassin guild in order to kill them.


    From the start, Linus and others were planning to have the Mercenary of Dawn cleaned up by the assassin guild.


    For the Spirit Tear, whether the Mercenary of Dawn came directly to them in order to sell it after repelling the assassin guild, or even if it returned to Baron Norf through the assassin guild, all of them should fall into their hands one day, but the situation changed outside of their awareness. An unbelievable information dropped unexpectedly on them.


    The destruction of the assassin guild¡¯s branch at the northern frontier district. Furthermore the culprit of that was the girl who dealt with the Mercenary of Dawn.


    Although she was an assassin, was it possible for a child to accomplish something like that? According to the survivor of the assassin guild who brought the information to them, apparently that girl was a disciple of a demon race person. She cowardly scattered poison throughout the guild, and lit fire inside their headquarters to slaughter everyone.


    Furthermore, it seemed the Spirit Tear was now in the possession of that assassin©¤©¤the ¡°Ash Crowned¡±.


    At that time Linus considered it as a good chance.


    He didn¡¯t know what was the reason the child betrayed the guild but, the Ash Crowned who didn¡¯t possess any way to sell stolen item should come directly to the baron to sell it. Even though she was just a kid, if she was capable of performing such cowardly act, she would surely be able to understand the benefit of coming under the umbrella of the thief guild.


    He would hint how the survivors and other branches would want to take revenge on her, and then obtained her combat strength and reputation under the pretext of protecting her.


    He didn¡¯t care even if the actual strength of this ¡°Ash Crowned¡± was actually low. Just the fact that they had the one who destroyed a branch of the assassin guild on their side would make the underworld to respect the thief guild of this town.


    .


    His plan went swimmingly at first. But Linus didn¡¯t realize that the mind and strength of a kid who could slaughter a whole guild was beyond the range of their understanding.


    When he met the Ash Crowned for real, he saw that she was just a pretty girl around twelve years old with a trace of childishness still remaining in her looks. Even after hearing how she crushed the assassin guild, the thieves got a misunderstanding due to her cute appearance.


    It was impossible that a girl like this was ¡°strong¡±. ¡­¡­They thought.


    The ash covered girl suddenly bared her fang at Linus and his men. His comrades got killed one after another instantly the moment they became hostile.


    Although thieves didn¡¯t specialize in violence, that was only ¡ºcompared to adventurer¡». A lot of them were formerly thugs or born in the slum, so they were far more skilled than the likes of mountain bandits.


    Furthermore this time they brought ten people of rank 2 or 3 in order to give her a scare too. But, the fight ended in an instant. Without even a shred of hesitation, as easily as plucking a flower at the side of road, the way she was reaping lives as though she was dancing, it was terrifying but also beautiful.


    In fact, the girl was beautiful. To a degree that he was so entranced that he forgot the pain of his slashed face.


    But, the way she plucked lives without hesitation with that appearance that could even be called as lovely looked like a god of death who didn¡¯t belong to this world. The terror from the approaching hand of death made Linus abandoned his comrades who were being killed and ran away.


    The sun was still high in the sky. If he could run and report to the guards patrolling the streets, Linus who was a company¡¯s head clear at the surface might be saved.


    However, Linus also had a pride as someone who lived in the underworld. If he did something like that in a quarrel between fellow underworld residents, he would become unable to continue living in this world. He also understood that.


    Such ¡°excuse¡± crossed his mind, and so he decided to not to run to the guards. But in reality, somewhere in his heart he realized that ¡ºit was pointless even if he did something like that¡».


    That girl would definitely come to kill Linus.


    If necessary, she would even slaughter everyone on his way to absolutely kill him.


    The instant he saw the Ash Crowned¡¯s eyes, Linus realized that based on his instinct as a dweller of the underworld.


    .


    ¡¸O-open-, open the door-!¡¹


    He returned to the company where he served as head clerk and hanged the back door loudly.


    ¡¸L-Linus-san!? You¡¯re wounded¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Shut up, move aside-!¡¹


    Linus pushed aside the man who opened the back door and ran into the building.


    This company had been used since a long time ago by the thief guild of this baron territory as a cover. The thief guild¡¯s base moved to here when it was decided to ensnare the baron. Right now almost everyone here had been replaced with the thief guild¡¯s members.


    ¡¸Close the shop! ¡°She¡± is coming!!¡¹


    He ordered the shop to be closed in panic even though it was still evening, and chased out the few workers who didn¡¯t know anything. Then he began gathering weapons from the warehouse and prepared to fight.


    Linus was holding his weapon tightly at the back of the store while trembling. He hadn¡¯t even got his wound treated. It made the remaining ten-odd thieves to look at each other in bewilderment.


    Even though they were ordered to prepare to fight, the people who were good at fighting in this company had been taken out to accompany Linus. The remaining members here were only rank 1 or 2 who specialized in stealth or swindling.


    Furthermore Linus wasn¡¯t in the state of mind to explain the situation, so the thieves inside the shop were in confusion. It was then a man in his prime who didn¡¯t wear any clothes on his upper body to show off his muscular build appeared from the back of the shop with half naked women clinging on him.


    ¡¸What¡¯s going on here, Linus-!¡¹


    ¡¸Pops-!¡¹


    That man was the leader of this baron territory¡¯s thief guild. He was also the one who picked the siblings from the slum and acted as their parent.


    ¡¸S-save me pops-! That thing¡­¡­that woman is coming-!¡¹


    ¡¸Womaann?¡¹


    Linus spoke in fear while clinging on him with a scared face that was soaked in blood. The thief guild¡¯s leader sighed in exasperation seeing that.


    ¡¸Looks like you¡¯ve really messed up. ¡­¡­Can¡¯t be helped. Oi, send an errand to gather the adventurer©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Pops?¡¹


    The leader stopped moving the moment he started giving instruction. Linus looked back at him dubiously.


    But, what he saw there, how there were two knives that were stuck in the leader¡¯s throat and the area around his right eye turning black from the short arrow that was lodged there made Linus screamed reflexively.


    The leader¡¯s huge body fell backward and landed with a loud thud. Nobody could comprehend what had just happened from how outrageous it was. Even the prostitutes beside the leader were dumbfounded. Then everyone in that place felt a faint breeze inside the closed area. It tempted them to turn around.


    ¡¸©¤©¤©¤©¤!?¡¹


    Without anyone noticing, one of the roof windows had been opened. Outside of that window©¤©¤with the background of the ultramarine sky that was starting to darken, a girl whose hair was dirtied by ash was looking down on the thieves below with cold green eyes that froze them.


    .


    ¡¸I came to kill you all.¡¹


    A massacre occurred in the downtown of Baron Norf¡¯s territory.


    First nine corpses were discovered at a back alley. Several guards who inspected eight of the corpses said that they belonged to a certain company. When the soldiers headed to that company, they found the shop closed even after morning came. When they entered inside, they found the corpses of more than twenty employees, including the company president and the head clerk Linus.


    The casualties numbered more than thirty in total. It was the biggest murder incident that ever happened in this baron territory but, proof of participation in crime and documents of the company¡¯s involvement with the thief guild were discovered inside the company. And from how almost all of the victims were killed in one attack, the incident was treated as an underworld¡¯s dispute before it could become public knowledge.


    Even if that company was the headquarter of this town¡¯s thief guild, another thieves from everywhere would rush here and built the thief guild again somewhere in the town.


    Among them there should also be a lot of fortunate people who happened to not show themselves at the guild that day. They would say this to the new thieves who came to the town with a fearful expression.


    .


    ¡ºDon¡¯t get involved with the ¡°Ash Crowned Princess¡±.¡»


    Several months after the thief guild in this town was destroyed, the wedding ceremony of the only daughter of the feudal lord, Nora was being held in the mansion of Baron Norf.


    The groom isn¡¯t a company¡¯s head clerk who became her new fianc¨¦e, but her previous original fianc¨¦e, the third son of a baron house with whom they had feeling for each other. With this she finally managed to make her desire came true.


    Because Nora is the only child of the baron, he entered the house of Baron Norf as son-in-law and from here on he would learn how to manage the territory from the current baron as the one who would become the next baron in the future.


    Baron Norf was moved to tears seeing Nora in wedding dress. There wasn¡¯t any wife accompanying him at his side.


    Baron Norf was holding a small portrait of his wife who died several years ago. The second wife who joined the family after that got divorced after the company she came from was closed down. Even before that the woman had been in a state of agitation from fear. She ran away from this territory the moment she got divorced. It was said that she lost her life from a bandit attack in a mountain while she was heading to Dandall.


    In the wedding ceremony, Nora shared a smile with the young man who was her childhood friend. A necklace of Spirit Tear that has been slightly decorated so it can¡¯t be seen what kind of gem it actually has is swaying on her chest.


    According to the servants who I talked with, it seemed that necklace is a memento of her deceased mother. Apparently the grandmother of her mother was a spirit summoner and she received it from a spirit. In other words, it wasn¡¯t an unsavory item that was obtained from killing a spirit like the taboo from the holy church.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I made sure of Nora¡¯s happiness before quietly turning my back on it.


    Because of everything I did in this town, I became troubled of when and how to return to the necklace, but in the end I simply sneaked into her room and left it beside her pillow.


    Just in case, I left behind a note that was written with the words ¡ºYour mother is avenged¡», but thinking back now, I might have done something unnecessary.


    *Clatter¡­¡­*


    My gaze fell toward the scorched necklace on my palm that was the other Spirit Tear.


    It was something I prepared to trick the contact and I managed to retrieve it during that fight but, the Spirit Tear turned into mere stone as though to declare that its role had ended.


    This stone was something dropped by the spirit I defeated. I might gotten burned inside that flame without this water spirit stone. I wonder why that water spirit left behind this magic stone which is supposed to be something very rare¡­¡­.


    Perhaps that spirit was seeking death. But the only one who knew the truth was only that water spirit.


    ¡¸¡­¡­It¡¯s pointless to keep thinking about it.¡¹


    I looked back once more for the last time before leaving this place. ¡­¡­Nora looked happy. The words that I left behind will become a break point for her but, she shouldn¡¯t look behind anymore.


    At that time, Nora looked back with the same timing and our gazes accidentally met. Even though the distance between us is really far, Nora seems to remember me and her eyes widened just a little. Then she waved her hand with a wide smile. I also waved my hand a little before turning back and left.


    .


    I finally turned nine in these several months.


    My body also grew a little bit again, but although I was able to crush an assassin guild and thief guild, I still can¡¯t be said to be truly strong.


    In order to fulfill my promise to some people, my strength is still lacking.


    I also still haven¡¯t paid back Grave who attacked me and might hurt Elena in the future.


    I¡¯m also still separated from the organization that Sera belonged to. I don¡¯t even know whether they are enemy or ally.


    The survivors of the assassin guild are also still attacking me sporadically. Because of that I still can¡¯t return back to master¡¯s place.


    I¡¯m still not strong enough to move aside everything that is trying to tie me down.


    But, I already stopped running away. I also stopped hiding.


    If someone want to kill me then come at me anytime. The stronger you guys are the stronger I¡¯ll also become.


    I¡¯ll fight. For the sake of my promises with master and Elena, I¡¯ll obtain strength so that not even the noble¡¯s ties of obligation can bind me. I¡¯ll become someone who is feared even by the people of the underworld.


    This might be just a wild delusion of a pretentious kid. ¡­¡­But, I¡¯ll obtain ¡°that¡±.


    For that, I¡¯ll live not as an ¡ºassassin¡» but as an ¡ºadventurer¡». Because I want true strength, not just strength against human.


    *Pakin-!*


    I threw the tag with the fake nameAnya to the air and cut it apart.


    I¡¯m the adventurer Aria.


    That¡¯s why©¤©¤


    .


    ¡¸Come out.¡¹


    When I called out toward the highway that has grown dark, a black silhouette oozed out from the darkness.


    Most likely they are assassin from an assassin guild branch somewhere. Because they are covering their whole body, I can¡¯t appraise them accurately, even so I can feel the strength of someone around level 4 from the atmosphere they¡¯re radiating.


    That assassin unsheathed a black one-handed sword. I also unsheathed my black knife, and the blades clashed at the same time.


    .


    ¡¸I won¡¯t run away from anything anymore.¡¹


    In a gloomy back alley of a town, that girl was standing with her long black wavy hair fluttering. Her purple eyes that were surrounded with horrible dark circles like a sick person narrowed gently while looking down on a slightly dirty man.


    That man was rolled on the ground after facing a girl who looked like she was still twelve years old. He opened his mouth with a scared expression while glob of cold sweats trickled down from all over his face.


    ¡¸I-it¡¯s true, I don¡¯t know anything more than that, believe me! I only heard about the rumor of the woman called Ash Crowned Princess from a peddler!¡¹


    The man was a member of the thief guild in the capital. How did that man fall into this kind of situation? That was because the noble daughter before him was looking for information of a certain ¡ºgirl¡». This man was simply unfortunate for knowing about that spreading ¡°rumor¡±.


    The truth of that rumor wasn¡¯t certain. But it was said that girl who was said to be still in her early teen slaughtered the members of an assassin guild branch on her lonesome, and she also got into hostility against the thief guild on top of that.


    After hearing all that, most people would think of it as simply foolish talk from a drunk, but even though it was a happening from far north, this mere rumor among the peddlers and thieves spread until as far as the capital.


    It was an absurd story, but together with its ¡°fame¡±, it was a fascinating enough topic for the merchants who came from the north to bring up as an idle gossip to draw the interest of their negotiation partner.


    There was still nobody who seriously believed in that story, whether it was those one telling the story or those hearing the story. But, that noble daughter©¤©¤Carla Lester was the only one who listened to it seriously before her gaze wandered to empty space in ecstasy.


    ¡¸As I thought you¡¯re alive. ¡­¡­Aria.¡¹


    If that girl had decided, then she would surely carry it out no matter what kind of obstruction got in her way. In this world that was filled with agony, Aria was the only one who recognized her existence, and gave her a promise to ¡ºkill her¡» .


    .


    Carla saw a dream with her eyes still opened.


    What came to her mind was the graduation party of the sorcery academy where she was brought to by her father for only once when she was little.


    In that party, only nobles with rank higher than baron and their partner got invited to the palace. They were wearing resplendent outfit, took the hand of the partner in their heart with bashful smile, and then danced brilliantly.


    That dreamy brilliant scene was instantly dyed with the color of blood.


    The people inside that scene got replaced¡­¡­by Carla¡¯s fianc¨¦e the crown prince, and the sons of the high ranked nobles. They were all lying face down in the pool of their blood. The castle town that was enveloped in flame decorated the dazzling ¡°stage¡±. There, Carla and Aria in their gorgeous dresses were trying to kill each other with only each other and nobody else reflected in their eyes.


    .


    ¡¸©¤©¤©¤©¤!¡¹


    The thief got his head grabbed with an eagle grip by Carla¡¯s fingertips that were like white fish. Crimson flame surged from the gaps of her fingers and burned the thief. A soundless cream played in the back alley. Carla let out a captivated voice into the darkness, like a girl who dreamed of a prince charming on white horse.


    .


    ¡¸Come to kill me quickly¡­¡­Aria¡¹

 Volume 3 - CH ss - 3

    I¡¯m Shuri. Right now I¡¯m working as adventurer together with my big bro. Sorry, I mean Shun. We are earning money for our daily life as luggage carrier for other adventurer.


    We¡¯re living in a baron territory that was located at the furthest north of the kingdom. I¡¯m still ten years old while big bro is thirteen years old so we have it hard but, we¡¯re managing somehow.


    This place is a remote region and frankly it¡¯s the sticks but, there¡¯re a lot of monsters here so many adventurers came here. Among them there is a big brother who we were acquainted with in the town that we previously lived in, and we luckily got hired by him as luggage carrier instead of getting worked like slave by awful adventurer.


    Actually we wanted to be actual adventurer. Most adventurers are like a group of outlaw who barely made ends meet every day but, our acquaintance¡­¡­Kevin and his party  have a sorcerer who told us how in the past adventurer was mercenary who specialized in exploring undeveloped land. He also told us how even now high ranked adventurer would get hired by noble.


    Well, there isn¡¯t anyone like that around us though¡­¡­that¡¯s a lie. There is just one person. It was because of that person big bro and I thought of becoming adventurer.


    It was because of that person¡­¡­¡±Aria¡±.


    .


    Our encounter with Aria three years ago was something unforgettable¡­¡­it was after a bit of time passed since we got abandoned in this town.


    It was really hard for us at that time. That woman took over the house and field of our departed dad. Even now I wanted to punch her face. No, I¡¯ll definitely do it one day. I never said it because big bro would get worried though.


    Aria was strong. And also so cool!


    At first big bro picked a fight with Aria and almost got killed, but big bro was in the wrong for that. If that was all then as expected even me would never want to get involved with Aria anymore, but then Aria helped us after seeing a drunkard was hassling us.


    I think it was after that¡­¡­big bro and me wanted to become adventurer¡­¡­no, to become ¡°strong¡±.


    To be honest our current living is tiring. We are still children so we can¡¯t carry large luggage, and even though we¡¯re accompanying Kevin¡¯s rank 2 party, we would only receive one small silver coin from one adventure.


    Even so I think that someone like big bro would have become a thug or criminal around this time if we didn¡¯t become adventurer.


    That was just how difficult it was for orphans in the slum to work. Perhaps we would be able to eat at least if we could enter the orphanage, but that time there was a lot of orphans because of monster attack and there was no orphanage at all for abandoned children like us to enter.


    Even so other than being adventurer we also gathered broken blade or almost used up appraisal crystal as our side job to be sold to the blacksmith Galbas or the general store¡¯s old man to make it somehow.


    It was then we heard the rumor about how our birthplace was being attacked by orcs.


    Kevin and big bro were anxious to go there but, the scout in Kevin¡¯s party¡­¡­what¡¯s his name again? Anyway the scout opposed them from going to that town.


    That guy was an unpleasant guy. But, I also agreed with him in regard to that. I¡¯ll just die if I go to a place with a lot of orcs.


    My half-brother who was still a baby when I got discarded would die at this rate¡­¡­I felt slightly¡­¡­just a little bit sad imagining it, even so big bro¡¯s death scared me much more than that.


    But, the one who resolved that problem was Aria who returned to this baron territory after three years.


    ¡­¡­Aria who was  ¡°a girl¡± now.


    She was a girl from the start? I didn¡¯t know that! She was already cool, but now she was also pretty and cute when dressed as a girl. Someone like big bro couldn¡¯t even meet her eyes now that he had realized her gender and became completely conscious toward her, just what¡¯s the deal with that!?


    In the first place how did she become that big? Our height was about the same when we first met wasn¡¯t it? Though certainly she had gotten a bit bigger in just three weeks at that time!


    What¡¯s more she had gotten absurdly strong! Rank 3 she said! Her appearance is around thirteen years old? Somehow she looked mature now, and what¡¯s more she¡¯s super pretty and eye-catching!


    Haaa~~~~~~~¡­¡­sayonara my first love.


    No, wait a second. When someone is this pretty and cool, isn¡¯t it fine even if she is a girl?


    In fact, there isn¡¯t any boy cooler than Aria around here. There¡¯s also no man stronger than Aria. There¡¯s also nobody lovelier than Aria.


    She looked cold hearted but the truth is she is also compassionate, sincere, and won¡¯t break her promise. She¡¯s kind and also smell nice.


    She¡¯s pretty and wearing cool outfit. She¡¯s radiating this strange sex appeal even though she¡¯s still a kid. Even though my outfit is second hand, I had done my best to make it look stylish, but what¡¯s this difference between us!?


    Her breasts also had gotten bigger!? Even though I¡¯m still flat like this!? What can I do to become like Aria!?


    Big bro¡¯s chop fell on my skull when I was getting excited like that. It was simply painful.


    Well, that was just how lovely Aria was. And that lovely girl Aria solved even the orc incident so easily.


    ¡­¡­But I realized then.


    Aria is surrounded by various problems in exchange for that strength. Someone like Aria couldn¡¯t even be seen together with shitty small fries like us.


    That was why I easily said farewell to Aria and since then I started taking action to become strong.


    That¡¯s why big bro, let¡¯s go already-!


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­I think, you might have aptitude for water element Shuri.¡¹


    ¡¸Eh, really!? Hooray!¡¹


    The relatively rational person and a sorcerer of Kevin¡¯s party said that to me while we are resting on our way to the ruin. It made me reflexively clenched my hands to express my happiness.


    The adventurer guild and the feudal lord finally announced that the orcs were mostly annihilated. And so big bro and I could work as the luggage carrier of Kevin¡¯s party again.


    Even so apparently individual or party that couldn¡¯t defeat orc by themselves couldn¡¯t approach the ruin, but Kevin and his party had actual achievement more or less so they were permitted to go.


    Their party is being considered as a party that saved the town that got attacked by the orcs¡­¡­along with the other parties.


    In reality they were like the extra of the other two rank 3 parties that volunteered, furthermore it seemed that it was Aria who slaughtered the orcs, but that Aria exchanged the magic stones of fifty orcs before leaving the town, so the bounty money that the feudal lord had to pay went to those three parties and other related people. The lord also had to pay compensation to the other noble who originally should come as reinforcement, so apparently the amount wasn¡¯t that much, even so it was an amount that I had never seen before.


    But, the majority of the adventurer guild knew what Aria did.


    Err¡­¡­what? Ash Crowned Princess was it?


    Aria¡¯s nickname? Several adventurers who looked like bad guy would jerk each time they heard that name. They might be people who are involved with the thief guild and the receptionist lady told me that we mustn¡¯t get near those people.


    Was the scout of Kevin¡¯s part gone, because of that¡­¡­?


    I got slightly off topic.


    In short Kevin¡¯s party right now is a bit rich. It¡¯s an amount of money that would run out in two months if the party used it to drink themselves silly, but Kevin and others didn¡¯t even waste any of the money and immediately took another quest. He said it was because they met ¡°a certain adventurer¡± in that orc incident.


    Hee¡­¡­is that so¡­¡­.


    I glanced at the side. There Kevin who was in the middle of resting was sitting on a tree stump while enthusiastically saying something to big bro.


    ¡¸©¤©¤It¡¯s not like I feel anything about that fellow but, as a fellow adventurer I got my eyes opened, or rather I thought that perhaps adventurer was originally like that. Ah, I¡¯m not concerned about that fellow at all okay! I just, decided to retrain myself to become rank 3.¡¹


    ¡¸You¡¯re amazing big bro¡­¡­. I also have this super strong acquaintance, or perhaps friend? Anyway I want to be strong enough so I can form a party with that person¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­do your best. If it¡¯s you Gil you can do it!¡¹


    ¡¸Yep. You too big bro Kevin, I hope you¡¯ll reach rank 3 quickly!¡¹


    ©¤©¤They¡¯re making that kind of talk but¡­¡­


    Aren¡¯t they both talking about Aria?


    Don¡¯t tell me, both Kevin and big bro are in love with Aria? No way, that might okay for big bro, but that¡¯ll be bad for Kevin. Aria is still ten years old.


    And so Kevin and others went to adventure and we can also come with them as luggage carrier.


    That scout who aaalways disliked paying us with money isn¡¯t here anymore, so perhaps we would be able to get more than usual this time. Whee.


    I was also inspired by Aria when meeting her in the past, so I¡¯m asking the sorcerer big bro to teach me things like letter or simple math. Big bro isn¡¯t going to study anyway so I need to be dependable!


    And so I asked for teaching too during the break this time, but I was told that I might have aptitude for water element.


    Perhaps that was why I could only use Water among the daily life magic even though I had been taught several of them. I think what caused me to be able to use the daily life magic of water was because of that incident with the drunkard that told us to pay to use the well in the slums. ¡­¡­Aria was really intense after all.


    I got off-topic again.


    And so the sorcerer big bro is becoming my teacher who is teaching me sorcery but, he too might have also gotten inspired by Aria. His attitude is different from before. How should I say it, before this it felt like he taught me only for killing time, but now the way he underestimated me just because I¡¯m a kid has lessened a lot.


    The treatment toward big bro is also the same. Before it felt like big bro got taught how to use sword only for killing time, but now Kevin or the hunter big bro would proactively teach big bro.


    But the things that they taught him, like how to use short sword or how to erase presence, aren¡¯t those things for scout? Perhaps they¡¯re trying to turn big bro into replacement for the missing scout?


    But perhaps that¡¯s alright? Big bro knew that Aria is a scout and what¡¯s more she¡¯s really strong, so it looks like he¡¯s interested in that direction.


    Even if it¡¯s just a temporary whim, I¡¯ll be happy as long as big bro turn into proper adventurer. There isn¡¯t anybody strange in Kevin¡¯s party right now, so I think it¡¯ll be fine.


    But¡­¡­what about me?


    Even if I became able to use water sorcery, I¡¯ll be weak as a sorcerer. The sorcerer big bro is also rank 2, but he said that¡¯s because he can use two elements, wind and earth. Perhaps that much is needed to be adventurer as a sorcerer.


    Unlike the nobles, most commoner sorcerer only has one element. Even just having two elements will make the person look talented. That¡¯s why sorcerer with only one element will also search something else than sorcery to be their ¡°weapon¡±. It¡¯s not like it has to be bladed weapon but, they need other method that they can fight with.


    The sorcerer big bro said that he can also use sword. Why is a sorcerer learning close quarter combat? ¡­¡­When I asked him that, he said that he wanted to become a warrior in the past.


    But¡­¡­what about me?


    I can¡¯t fight in close quarter combat better than the sorcerer big bro. Perhaps I won¡¯t even be able to block the enemy¡¯s sword and died from getting overwhelmed.


    Then what should I do?


    To be honest there is something that I had decided. Because I looked up to Aria too much, it pushed me to train in that obsessively. But I was at a lost because something like that wouldn¡¯t serve as my main weapon on its own, however I might be able to do it if I can use water sorcery.


    .


    ¡¸Be on your guard from here!¡¹


    Kevin cautioned everyone when we got near our destination. Usually big bro and me would wait in a safe place before coming this far, but this time we asked them to bring us until this far.


    The quest that Kevin¡¯s party took was searching for orc and exterminating them. Even if there isn¡¯t actually any orc, if we defeat the monsters around here, we would be able to obtain subjugation fee along with that monster¡¯s magic stone. If we luckily¡­¡­unluckily? encountered an orc and defeated it, we¡¯ll be able to obtain even more reward.


    But well, the feudal lord is also dispatching his soldiers to defeat the leftover orcs, so I don¡¯t think the chance of us being able to encounter an orc will be that great! That¡¯s also why Kevin¡¯s party agreed to bring us until this far.


    .


    ¡¸©¤©¤ah¡¹


    ¡ºBu, BUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!¡»


    ¡­¡­Eh? Something came out!? Is this like the saying of ¡®speak of the devil¡¯!?


    A wild orc appeared. What¡¯s more there is two of them.


    Kevin¡¯s party can defeat one safely. But what about two? If we found two or more orcs, we would decide whether to launch surprise attack or retreat, but for some reason these two orcs appeared suddenly in front of ussss!


    ¡¸A-attack!¡¹


    ¡ºBUMOOOOO!¡»


    An awkward atmosphere almost formed but, Kevin and the orc raised their voice at the same time and battle broke out as a matter of course.


    *Clang!!*


    The party¡¯s heavy warrior and one orc clashed. But, Kevin¡¯s party only consisted of rank 2 adventurer while the orcs were rank 3, so the heavy warrior instantly started getting pushed back.


    ¡¸This bastard!¡¹


    Kevin couldn¡¯t bear to watch and assisted. But, what¡¯s he doing!? Kevin had worked hard since that incident and got stronger. That¡¯s why Kevin should hold back one orc while the rest defeat the other shouldn¡¯t it!?


    No good, I can¡¯t think. There is one more person, the hunter, but that person is the same like the sorcerer. I don¡¯t think he is good with fighting at the front line.


    ¡¸¡­¡­U, UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡¹


    ¡¸B-big bro!?¡¹


    Big bro Gil rushed forward like a man possessed with his short sword. What¡¯s he doing!? You still don¡¯t have any combat skill!


    Perhaps big bro himself knew that he can¡¯t fight. He ran past the other orc in front of its eyes to distract it.


    ¡ºBUMO!!¡»


    The orcs are also seemed to be in confusion. That orc ignored the hunter and sorcerer and began chasing after big bro.


    ¡¸Gil, run around!


    Kevin also noticed and yelled like that. The sorcerer and hunter also wanted to save big bro but, big bro will die if they carelessly attack with sorcery or bow and hit him instead.


    Nii-chan¡­¡­dead?


    ¡¸©¤©¤hih¡¹


    A chill ran through my back the moment I noticed that possibility. I unconsciously grabbed the sling on my waist, just like Aria at that time.


    *Gatsun!*


    ¡ºGAH!?¡»


    The small rock that I threw with the sling hit the orc¡¯s head. But it didn¡¯t deal any damage, and no blood came out. Even so the orc¡¯s fury moved away toward me.


    ¡¸Shuri-, run!!¡¹


    I can hear big bro¡¯s voice. My head almost turned pure white by what I had done.


    Something like orc is a terrifying monster for children like us. I heard that even adventurer can¡¯t face it when they are just rank 1 and would get killed no matter how many of them are there.


    But¡­¡­in that moment, Aria¡¯s face flashed in my mind like revolving lantern. A mere survivor of the orcs that she slaughtered doesn¡¯t seem that horrifying although it¡¯s still scary.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Water-!¡¹


    I used the only daily life magic I can use, Water while backing away. Something like that can¡¯t even serve as distraction. That is even more so when the opponent is an angry orc.


    I threw a small rock at the orc at that moment. I didn¡¯t even have any leeway to use the sling, but the orc that got hit by the rock just now dodged it even though there isn¡¯t any need to do that©¤©¤


    ¡ºBUMOO!?¡»


    Its posture was unbalanced. Its foot slipped by a water puddle and it fell forward.


    Right here-!


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!?¡»


    The skewer that I threw in that moment pierced the orc¡¯s eyeball. It screamed.


    Three years ago, after Aria was gone, I heard from the general store¡¯s old man how Aria used iron skewer as weapon. I kept asking him to procure the same thing for me and since then I had kept practicing with it while keeping it a secret from even big bro!


    ¡¸Now!¡¹


    The hunter¡¯s arrow pierced the orc¡¯s neck at the same time with my yell. Right behind it big bro who was looking deathly pale leaped and stabbed the fallen orc¡¯s neck with his short sword.


    ¡¸We did it!¡¹


    .


    From the result that attack seemed to be almost fatal. The hunter also used a short sword and beat up the orc together with big bro. After that the remaining orc wasn¡¯t even a problem anymore. Everyone surrounded it and finished it off.


    ¡¸Shuri¡­¡­you, since when you became able to do something like that? That was damn reckless.¡¹


    The senior adventurers Kevin and others praised me but, big bro got slightly angry with me. Even though he himself was also reckless¡­¡­. Guess that was why he didn¡¯t scold me too much.


    ¡¸Even I¡¯m going to be an adventurer! Big bro, I¡¯m going to be stronger than you if you let your guard down you know?¡¹


    ¡¸N-no way that can happen! ¡­¡­No way right?¡¹


    Who knows? Even Aria is the same age with me so it¡¯s not impossible you know?


    That¡¯s right. I¡¯m going to become stronger. After all it¡¯s sad that I can¡¯t meet with Aria openly.


    That¡¯s why, wait for me Aria-.


    One day I¡¯ll become strong and go to meet you-!

 Volume 3 - CH ss - 1

    One day, at one time, a ¡°beast¡± was suddenly born to this world from a certain space.


    It didn¡¯t have any father or mother, and in the first place it didn¡¯t even know whether it had gender or not. Even so it at least knew that it ¡°existed¡± in this world even without being taught.


    It was born with powerful body that overwhelmed other living creatures. It had high intellect that could understand something without being taught just from looking at it. Although it had an immature form from being just born, the aura that the young ¡°beast¡± had made the low ranked monsters in that forest to not dare attack the ¡°beast¡± or even got near it.


    The ¡°beast¡± was aware that it was considered among ¡ºthe strong¡» in this world. But, for a creature there should be a meaning to its existence.


    The ¡°beast¡± didn¡¯t know of any beast that was the same species with it. It didn¡¯t even feel the need to leave behind descendant because it was born powerful. It also didn¡¯t need to eat a lot. In the first place it would be alright as long as it absorbed a certain substance that could be found in food. It actually didn¡¯t even need the meat.


    Then what did its fangs existed to tear apart?


    Then what did its claws existed to fight?


    Even so there was an instinct that sought battle inside its body. Was it born to this world just for the sake of fighting? Was it existing simply to hurt other?


    Was it the only individual that was thinking like this? Or perhaps all the other individual was questioning about the meaning of their existence like this and lived with conflicted feeling?


    What was it born for? Seeking the answer of that question, the ¡°beast¡± entrusted itself to the only thing existing inside its body, its ¡°battle instinct¡± and threw itself into an endless battle.


    .


    Its body immediately turned mature right after it began fighting. Its body turned bigger as though it was adapting to battle. Its fur became able to deflect enemy¡¯s attack, its claws and fangs became harder than even iron and could easily tear apart hard shell.


    It was then the ¡°beast¡± saw it for the first time. It encountered ¡°the strong¡± other than itself.


    Its height reached two meters. Its whole size was also a whole size bigger than the ¡°beast¡±. Its upper body was that of a giant falcon while the lower body was the body of lion. That creature even looked beautiful.


    It was a creature with a shape that was impossible to occur normally. The ¡°beast¡± felt that it was an existence with a nature that was close to itself, but although that creature had high intellect, it didn¡¯t have the intelligence of a higher form of life to complement it. It saw the ¡°beast¡± as a threat and attacked without even trying to communicate.


    It was a battle against ¡°the strong¡± that was equal to itself.


    The ¡°beast¡± couldn¡¯t do anything when its opponent flew to the sky. It seemed to be a disadvantage for the ¡°beast¡±, but the whiskers that grew from its ears like feelers was able to generate similar power like the ¡°lightning¡± that flashed in the cloudy sky. Knowing that, the ¡°beast¡± used that power to disturb the enemy¡¯s sense of balance and made it fell on the ground. It defeated the enemy after fighting for a whole day and night.


    High ranked beast could block enemy¡¯s attack with their fur. That eagle lion most likely also had the same ability, but the fur of the ¡°beast¡± was able to defend against that creature¡¯s claws, while the ¡°beast¡± was able to tear apart the eagle lion¡¯s skin. That was the cause of its victory.


    From there the beast finally learned that it was able to train the ability it possessed and that would decide the superiority or inferiority between it and opponents of equal level.


    By repeatedly fighting like that, the ¡°beast¡± was able to become powerful even among its equals. But, the ¡°answer¡± that the beast was looking for still hadn¡¯t come to it. Only the time was passing idly for it.


    .


    After that the planet finished it revolutions several times and many seasons had passed before a single creature appeared in front of the ¡°beast¡±.


    It knew about this creature¡¯s existence. It belonged to a species that was the most prevalent in this world. That species didn¡¯t have any strength to hurt the ¡°beast¡±, its value as food was also not much, it boasted the prosperity of its species only based on their great number, an uninteresting existence. That was how the beast thought of that race.


    When members of that species encountered the ¡°beast¡±, they would either fear it or pointlessly opposed the not hostile ¡°beast¡±. They were simply a frail creature, but this specimen before it introduced itself as ¡ºhuman¡» and attempted to hold a meaningful communication with the ¡°beast¡± which was the first time for it.


    The word ¡ºhuman¡» too was something that it learned from that particular specimen. During that process it also learned that it could communicate using the ¡°lightning¡± that previously it only used to send other creature¡¯s senses into disarray.


    That ¡°human¡± possessed high intelligence regardless of its appearance. The ¡°beast¡± showed interest toward the existence of ¡°human¡± for the first time. It conversed with that ¡°human¡± who called himself as a ¡ºscholar¡» and like that both sides increased their knowledge, heightened their intelligence, and it also learned that it was a mythical beast called ¡ºCoeurl¡» that appeared from other world.


    The ¡°human¡± sometimes also showed unnatural fear or emotion as befitting a frail creature it was, but the ¡°beast¡± didn¡¯t look down of that as weakness due to the human¡¯s race. Far from that, it even grew to harbor a type of respect to the species of ¡°human¡± for possessing knowledge that even itself didn¡¯t know about.


    ¡­¡­But that was nothing more than one side of the species called ¡°human¡±.


    That ¡°human¡± who was investigating about the ¡°beast¡± suddenly poisoned it. Then it called for unknown humans wearing iron shells to its den and of all things to do they attempted to capture the ¡°beast¡±.


    From the start the objective of the ¡°human¡± was to capture the ¡°beast¡± and sold it to other person.


    The beast was enraged. Even if they weren¡¯t equal in status, it was an existence that it could consider as an equal in intelligence for the first time, but then it learned that it was actually a ¡ºwretched creature¡» that harbored a thought this foolish. The beast felt scorn.


    The ¡°human¡± investigated the ¡°beast¡± and made a preparation to be able to capture the ¡°beast¡±. It certainly showed some result however, it was a pity but the short life of ¡°human¡± was completely insufficient to know everything about the ¡°beast¡±.


    At least five more years¡­¡­if the ¡°human¡± spent that much time, he might be able to capture the ¡°beast¡±, or perhaps realize that it was impossible to capture it.


    But, the ¡°human¡± was unable to reveal everything just from one year of investigation. He foolishly used common poison to drug the ¡°beast¡±. The ¡°beast¡± overcame the poison and he ended up getting killed.


    .


    The beast was disappointed by the wretched and sly ¡°the weak¡±. It lost interest to them just like before.


    That was a creature that it had no need to understand. They heightened their intellect not for living but only for their greed. It thought of them simply as a creature that only excelled in crafty plan that they disguised as intelligence.


    Because they were weak, it shall forgive them in exchange of their life. He would allow their existence if they lived without getting involved with the ¡°beast¡±.


    But, the ¡°beast¡± that was disappointed by the race called ¡°human¡± had stopped having any higher expectation than that for them.


    The ¡°beast¡± became alone once more.


    There was no existence that was of the same race like it, all beings that were of equal status to him were enemy, and someone who it thought as intelligence turned out to be entirely foolish.


    The ¡°beast¡± thought once more.


    What kind of being was itself¡­¡­? What was the meaning of its existence?


    Was there any other existence in this world that was equal to it?


    The ¡°beast¡± was lonely. Only the ¡°moon¡± that was floating in the dark night was staring at it.


    The moon was always accompanying this world.


    Would an equal existence that would accompany the ¡°beast¡± just like what the ¡°moon¡± was doing for the world appeared?


    The ¡°beast¡± howled toward the moon.


    It howled in longing. It howled in lamentation¡­¡­.


    The ¡°beast¡± cried to the ¡°moon¡±.


    .


    One day, another sly ¡°human¡± male appeared before the ¡°beast¡±.


    That ¡°man¡± feared not the ¡°beast¡±. And yet he didn¡¯t attempt to communicate with the ¡°beast¡± or even fought, instead he started meddling with the ¡°beast¡± sporadically to provoke it.


    Even from the eyes of the ¡°beast¡±, that man looked strong. Even if they fought head on, it wouldn¡¯t lose against him due to its inherent racial advantage, but it felt that this ¡°man¡± was even more cunning than all the ¡°humans¡± it had encountered before.


    The ¡°beast¡± wasn¡¯t underestimating the race called ¡°human¡±. It also didn¡¯t look down on their intellect. It simply felt really disappointed due to the high expectation it had for them before and lost interest in the end.


    But, that ¡°man¡± managed to obtain that much strength with its frail ¡°human¡± body. Just how much blood and sweat he had shed in his training to reach such height? And why was he doing something like this with that strength? The ¡°beast¡± became interested.


    It wasn¡¯t an interest in good meaning. Even though he had that much strength, why was he able to act in a way that dirtied the honor of other people and himself like this? The ¡°beast¡± couldn¡¯t comprehend it.


    Despite being ranked among the strong, he had abandoned his honor and focused on only seeking result regardless of how it was done. Such action looked unsightly just like that foolish scholar who tried to trick the ¡°beast¡±.


    The ¡°beast¡± was disappointed by the foolishness of ¡°human¡± and lost interest. That disappointment was the flip side of the hope it once held. Even though the ¡°beast¡± had lost interest toward ¡°human¡±, somewhere in its heart it believed that even ¡°human¡± held honor as a living creature. That was why it didn¡¯t look down on human regardless of its disappointment.


    That was exactly why it couldn¡¯t forgive them.


    What was with their ugliness? What was with their foolishness?


    The ¡°beast¡± was enraged once more. It was shown an even deeper ugliness from an existence that it was harboring hope toward in the past. Now it couldn¡¯t tolerate even their existence.


    The ¡°beast¡± gave chase to the ¡°man¡±. It lost its mind in rage in order to erase that ugly existence.


    But, the ¡°man¡± was still among the strong regardless of how low it had fallen. He skillfully dodged the pursuit of the ¡°beast¡± and wouldn¡¯t allow himself to be captured. As the ¡°beast¡± chased after the ¡°man¡± like that, it suddenly encountered a lot of ¡°humans¡± crossing a path of wooden planks.


    The ¡°beast¡± couldn¡¯t differentiate ¡°human¡±. It could only use the slight difference in smell to know whether a human was male or female, adult or kid.


    The strength that he sensed from those ¡°humans¡± it encountered was weak. Even the ¡°beast¡± that couldn¡¯t differentiate ¡°human¡± understood that they weren¡¯t that ¡°man¡±.


    But those frail ¡°humans¡± foolishly attacked the ¡°beast¡±.


    They were most likely startled and panicked from the presence of the powerful ¡°beast¡±. Even small creature sometimes would bare their fangs even against the strong in order to protect their child. But, what were these beings protecting? It wasn¡¯t their beloved child, or even their comrade, but only some rocks and metals.


    The ¡°beast¡± knew how ¡°human¡± sought pretty rocks and metals. Crow and dragon also had that kind of disposition so it didn¡¯t think of that as something strange. But, was something like that really worth their life? The way they risked their life for their greed just like that scholar and his men looked very foolish to the ¡°beast¡±.


    The ¡°beast¡± finally felt anger to the race of ¡°human¡± and slaughtered all the humans that attacked it.


    When it calmly thought  about it later, it realized that it must be a scheme of that ¡°man¡± too. But at that time the disappointment that the ¡°beast¡± felt toward ¡°human¡± was so great that its calm completely vanished and its mind was swallowed by rage.


    Like that the ¡°beast¡± was driven by its fury and continued chasing after the ¡°man¡±. When the ¡°beast¡± was about to regain its composure, the ¡°man¡± would appear in front of it and provoked it again. Such thing kept repeating before one day¡­¡­the ¡°beast¡± encountered a certain ¡°human¡± ¡°woman¡±.


    .


    That ¡°woman¡± boldly stood against the ¡°beast¡± on her own.


    She was still considered immature based on the size of her body and even her fighting strength didn¡¯t even reach half of the ¡°beast¡±. Even so that individual faced it alone. What could her reason be to do something like that?


    Was it to protect her comrade? No, that was an answer that came from only looking at the surface of the truth.


    The ¡°woman¡± trusted her comrades. She trusted her own trained strength. Even if there was a wide gap in strength between them, even if an instant of hesitation could rob her of her life, she believed in her comrades even then and risked her life in the slightest hope in order to grasp for ¡°life¡±.


    With that strong heart, she stood against the powerful ¡°beast¡± without fear.


    Despite her weak strength, the ¡°woman¡± was ¡°strong¡±. She was genuinely strong, unlike itself and that eagle lion who glorified power with only the strength that they were born with, regardless of how powerful they were or how beautiful their furs were.


    Even though she was weak, the way she nimbly whirled inside the withered forest that broke apart just from the touch of the ¡°beast¡± displayed the beauty of ¡°life¡± dancing in the threshold of life and death.


    The ¡°woman¡± made the full use of her intelligence and mustered her courage in order to survive, and then her ¡°fang¡± finally reached the ¡°beast¡±. The two of them were dropped together deep into the bottom of underground.


    The ¡°beast¡± fell on the ground and a fragment of fossilized tree pierced its body. It was unable to escape from its predicament on its own. It might be able if it had time, but it didn¡¯t think that ¡°woman¡± would allow it.


    But that ¡°woman¡± didn¡¯t try to kill the ¡°beast¡± who couldn¡¯t move.


    Even so she definitely would come to kill the ¡°beast¡± right away if it showed the slightest hostility.


    The ¡°woman¡± didn¡¯t kill the ¡°beast¡± right away because she had no reason to kill. The ¡°woman¡± had something ¡°important¡± that she prioritized more than that.


    The ¡°beast¡± sensed ¡°death¡± from very close for the first time since it existed.


    Being weaker or stronger didn¡¯t matter. The difference of species was meaningless. It was convinced that if this ¡°woman¡± wanted to kill, she would definitely kill the ¡°beast¡±.


    The ¡°woman¡± rested her body like a wounded beast while staring fixedly at it with a merciless gaze.


    An existence that could kill it. That was a unique encounter in this world for the ¡°beast¡± with an existence that was ¡°equal¡± to itself.


    The way she sought something without caring of the method she used might be similar with that sly ¡°man¡±. But, that ¡°woman¡± possessed ¡°honor¡± for others and herself.


    That was why the ¡°beast¡± wanted to know about the ¡°woman¡±. That too was an emotion that the ¡°beast¡± felt for the first time in its life.


    It also didn¡¯t hesitate to honestly ask for help because they were ¡°equal¡±. It also allowed other to ride on its back for the first time.


    It was said that each ¡°human¡± had their own name. Until now the ¡°beast¡± didn¡¯t have any interest in symbol to differentiate others, but the ¡°beast¡± wished to know the name of the ¡°woman¡±, and recognizing its own sense of self, it sought a ¡°name¡± from the only person it recognized in order to differentiate itself.


    That person¡¯s name was ¡ºAria¡»©¤©¤she was the only existence that ¡ºNero¡» recognized in this world.


    It wouldn¡¯t cry to the moon anymore.


    Because a ¡°moon¡± had finally appeared beside it.


    .


    ¡º¡­¡­Gaa¡­¡­¡»


    .


    But, the ¡°moonAria¡± that Nero recognized seemed to be a human who was living in great hurry.


    Aria was strong. But, she was still weak. She was an existence that Nero recognized. One day she would surely become as strong or stronger than itself. But, that wasn¡¯t now.


    It would look after Aria until then. But, Nero thought that staying at her side like a ¡°guardian¡± would be an act that dirtied the pride of someone strong like her.


    Aria seemed to find something that she had to do. Nero moved through the forest while secretly following behind her. When there was a moderately strong monster called ogre passing nearby, it secretly crushed it thinking that it might get in her way.


    Where was Aria going? Nero didn¡¯t know. But, as time passed Aria was heading toward an area with a lot of ¡°humans¡±.


    It didn¡¯t hold any interest toward ¡°human¡± other than Aria but, it would become troublesome if the weaklings found it. Seeing that Aria was a ¡°human¡±, it should avoid coming into contact and be hostile toward ¡°humans¡± more than necessary.


    It was necessary for Nero to wait for her somewhere. Then, where should it wait?


    The frail and sly ¡°human¡± had the habit of forming group to protect themselves from other threats. ¡°Human¡± also used their intellect as weapon but, Nero understood that their greatest strength was their number.


    The largest nest of ¡°human¡± around her was surrounded by a wall that even Nero needed to look up to see the top. Outside the wall there was forest, plain, rocky mountain, and so on but, it could see ¡°humans¡± everywhere. There was no place where it looked like Nero would be able to hide at.


    Nero searched for a good place of hiding. Then he found it at the southern part of the forest. The place had a lot of undulations and it was like a natural fortress that hindered monster and even ¡°human¡± to come to.


    Even that place had been touched by ¡°human¡± hand but, only immature ¡°humans¡± were there and it had an excessively vast ground but, the number of ¡°human¡± there was surprisingly little.


    Was this the learning place for ¡°human¡±©¤©¤the ¡ºacademy¡» that it once heard from that sly scholar?


    There were quite the number of ¡°human¡± there but, ¡°human¡± didn¡¯t enter the forest that surrounded the place like a fortress and there was also no external enemy. Nero thought that it was a good spot for hiding.


    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡»


    But, Nero found a ¡°previous occupant¡± there.


    Even though ¡°human¡± rarely entered this place, when this place was being opened up, there were also people who directly went through the forest. In that place, there was ¡°human¡± belonging that could be brought but couldn¡¯t be transported and abandoned midway. They were left behind half rotten.


    Among those there must be also ¡°human¡± who tried to move along with family. Nero had heard how the frail human sometimes kept animal to be used as their livestock. Perhaps there was monster attack or there was accident, it didn¡¯t find any ¡°human¡± corpse but, there was that animal left behind together with the belonging. That animal was dwelling in that place now.


    ¡º¡º¡ºNaa¡»¡»¡»


    That animal was called a ¡°cat¡±. Furthermore there wasn¡¯t just one cat. The cats seemed to have multiply in that place. Several ¡°cats¡± mature and immature were existing there.


    Based on the information it had, Coeurl was apparently very similar with a ¡°panther¡± that was a carnivore that was categorized as feline animal. This ¡°cat¡± was also classified as feline but they were just so small.


    Coeurl wasn¡¯t a feline despite its close resemblance with a large feline species. In the first place it wasn¡¯t even an animal. It was a type of creature that originally didn¡¯t exist in this world.


    Despite the resemblance in their form, Nero didn¡¯t consider these ¡°cats¡± as its relative, but it seemed the ¡°cats¡± didn¡¯t think the same. The immature ¡°cats¡± rubbed their body on the leg of Nero who suddenly appeared there. Even the mature ¡°cats¡± that should be protecting their children didn¡¯t show any wariness or fear toward Nero. They looked at Nero like seniors watching a newcomer and meowed before walking to somewhere.


    ¡ºNaa¡»


    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡»


    A cat stopped walking and looked back and meowed at Nero as though to urge it ¡ºWhat are you doing just standing there?¡».


    What was happening here? Should it follow after them?


    Nero was bewildered by this first time experience. But, it was true that Nero was the newcomer here. Throwing ¡°weight¡± around toward small existences that didn¡¯t harbor any hostility toward it somehow felt just a bit right and also wrong.


    In short Nero was confused. It didn¡¯t know what was going on, even so it got interested by the action of the ¡°cats¡± and Nero followed behind the previous occupants of this place.


    And then the place they arrived at seemed to be the dwelling of the ¡°cats¡±. Apparently the ¡°cats¡± were using the belonging that the ¡°humans¡± left behind as bed.


    The ¡°cats¡± led Nero forward before each of them entered into their own ¡°box¡± that they used as place to sleep. Then they started relaxing inside.


    Even from Nero¡¯s perspective, the ¡°boxes¡± looked small, but most likely the ¡°cats¡± had the trait of liking cramped place. They weren¡¯t inconvenienced at all by the small size, they even looked like they were intentionally choosing the ¡°box¡± that was somewhat cramped for them.


    ¡ºNaa¡»


    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­!?¡»


    There the ¡°cat¡± that guided Nero poked at Nero¡¯s front leg and guided it to that ¡°box¡±.


    There might be something inside that¡­¡­it already decayed from wind and rain or perhaps some wild animal had wracked it until not even its original shape remained but, perhaps there was some kind of magical protection, because one ¡°wooden box¡± among them still retained its original shape.


    Its size was around two meters at all sides. Nero stared fixedly at it as though it was entranced. It took out all the leaves that were piled up inside and threw them to the surrounding, then it felt like an instinct drove it for the first time and it entered into the cramped box and made itself comfortable.


    It was so cramped there wasn¡¯t any extra space remaining with it inside the box. Indeed¡­¡­it actually felt good because of that.


    It wasn¡¯t like it needed to be fixated with this place. But, there was also no reason for it to not be here.


    If Aria was also an immature ¡°human¡±, then one day she should also come to this ¡ºacademy¡» place. With that thinking, Nero decided to wait for Aria¡¯s coming in this place. It didn¡¯t decide that because it lost against its instinct or anything.


    ¡ºGaa¡»


    ¡º¡º¡ºNaa!¡»¡»¡»

 Volume 3 - CH ss - 2

    Month ¡ð¡ð Week ¡÷¡÷©¤©¤


    One day a message from Castro who was working in the black ops suddenly arrived through the adventurer guild.


    I hadn¡¯t met him since the incident with Aria but, I heard that even that guy had a change of heart since then and had mellowed greatly but, ¡­¡­what kind of business does the black ops had with me?


    I and my party were undertaking several requests from the black ops. This was a classified information but, the leader of the black ops his excellency the prime minister had a matter that he would want our party¡­¡­the Rainbow Sword to undertake soon. It seemed that the prime minister personally contacted our party and wanted us to start preparing for an expedition.


    But even he wanted that¡­¡­. Our party still hadn¡¯t recruited any sorcerer.


    I myself were doing request from the black ops right now by myself. I was making preparation in order to subdue Grave but, perhaps there was new information about it.


    ¡­¡­Geh!? I reflexively groaned seeing the content of Castro¡¯s letter.


    I myself had heard since some time about the rumor of a crazy fellow who massacred a branch of the assassin guild and also annihilated a branch of the thief guild.


    Furthermore the rumor mentioned that the culprit was still a kid. I didn¡¯t believe the rumor because if there was anyone who would do something absurd like that then it would only be someone like Aria but, it seemed that Ash Crowned Princess was really Aria. ¡­¡­Seriously?


    .


    Month ¡ð¡ð Week ¡÷¡õ©¤©¤


    Well, I had thought that the disciple of this great me couldn¡¯t possibly die but, as expected she was still alive. A following report from the black ops mentioned that apparently it was Grave who attacked Aria. My guts went cold when I heard that but, if that Aria was actually the so called ¡°Ash Crowned Princess¡±, I could somehow understand how that girl was still alive and also got into hostility with assassin guild.


    That was fine and all but, after that Sera sent an additional request to me. It seemed that I had to contact that ¡°Ash Crowned Princess¡± no matter what.


    What am I going to do if it¡¯s actually a different person and not Aria? For now I got to pick up granny Samantha who I was able to contact. I¡¯ll also search for Aria on the way there if I have time I guess.


    If Aria had gotten that strong, I might be able to use her for Grave¡¯s subjugation. I planned to hold back Grave while granny would defeat him with her sorcery but, the success rate would go up even more if we got a nimble fighter to guard granny wouldn¡¯t it?


    Normally using someone young for this kind of mission would require some caution because they might freeze from fear in real battle but, well, there would be no problem if it was her. ¡­¡­In fact, she had actually defeated a rank 3 thief when she was seven years old.


    Even if that so called Ash Crowned Princess actually wasn¡¯t Aria, she might be growing to be rank 3 soon. But, even if I found her, how am I going to persuade that stray cat to accept the request?


    .


    Month ¡ð¡÷ Week ¡õ¡ð©¤©¤


    Was I someone this unlucky¡­¡­?


    When I arrived at the northern part, I was thinking to request some equipments to Galbas because our party would go into expedition after so long, but then I got informed that a group of orc appeared and I got summoned by the guild because I¡¯m rank 4.


    ¡­¡­Furthermore the orc group also got an orc general leading them. Could I manage somehow with a gathering of adventurers of rank 3 and below? I won¡¯t be able to face that kind of enemy without dragging the whole Rainbow Sword to face them you know?


    I¡¯m looking for a sorcerer because granny Samantha had gone senile and retired from the adventuring business. Well, that granny¡¯s mind had been really out there since a long time ago, so I don¡¯t know whether she had really gone senile or that was just how she was but¡­¡­. If it was for a short period mission like this time with me always watching her than we would manage it somehow, but if we had to face a group of orc, I would get busy with various things like scouting and the like, so I wouldn¡¯t be able to constantly be at the granny¡¯s side.


    My other teammates¡­¡­no good. The members of Rainbow Sword were fundamentally individualist. Without a man of common sense like me at her side, the granny would do as she please and run off somewhere. That was the only future I could imagine waiting in that case.


    There would be no problem if only I could find a sorcerer to recruit but, there was no way a freelance sorcerer of rank 4 or higher could be found that easily, dammit.


    The others said that it would be fine if it¡¯s someone who could at least use rank 3 light sorcery, but a rank 3 wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with us in battle¡­¡­.


    ¡­¡­That scamp Aria, she if I remembered it right she was able to use light sorcery wasn¡¯t she?


    .


    Month ¡ð¡÷ Week ¡õ¡õ©¤©¤


    Lady luck was smiling at me a little. No, the situation hadn¡¯t improved at all presently, and I also didn¡¯t know when the army of the count who acted as caregiver for this area would come, and I still had no idea at all of how to deal with the orcs but, the adventurer guild¡¯s pretty receptionist lady who I had been acquainted with since some time ago, Mary finally got swayed by me.


    This was a super big deal. Well, we would only go for dinner, what¡¯s more she picked the priciest restaurant to go to but, this was a dramatic improvement compared to before. It was worth it for me to visit Galbas once every half a year. ¡­¡­Just why was I so weak against strong willed woman I wonder?


    Guess I¡¯ll just show my face at Galbas¡¯s place tomorrow. It was tiresome being told to hold back the orcs with just rank 3 adventurers until the army came but, my motivation was at different level that there was a good thing happening to me no matter how slight it was yeah.


    All the women I met before this were completely messed up in various ways, like that one who only aimed at my money and splurged like there was no tomorrow, or a woman who was friendly with me from the start but it turned out that she was only trying to invite me into an evil religion, or a woman who I laid my hands on turned out to be actually a mafia¡¯s mistress, but Mary was different from all those women!


    Hahaha, I¡¯m a winner in life too with this. Let¡¯s take a bath!


    .


    Month ¡ð¡÷ Week ¡÷¡ð©¤©¤


    Are you kidding me? That scamp Aria, she massacred more than fifty orcs that included high ranked orcs and also a damn orc general.


    What¡¯s the deal with that!? Certainly her appearance had grown to look like early teen, and her combat strength had gone up like crazy but, you¡¯re still ten years old right!?


    Ha? You secretly poisoned them? You were hiding in the orc¡¯s base for a month? What is your nerve made of!? Your average joe would die in three days if he tried something like that!


    Aa¡­¡­this is why she got no problem with making the assassin guild and the thief guild her enemy at the same time. This might sound strange to say but, those guys were really unlucky. The scariest person was one who would come to kill you in earnest when a fight broke for real. It didn¡¯t matter what their actual experience or skill was.


    After all even the thief guild was sent into chaos from the onsite reports that said things like that girl will come to slaughter everyone, no question asked if we try something with her, or how she can¡¯t be beaten even though she¡¯s still a kid, or how she don¡¯t have any weak point to be taken advantage of, instead she will make use of our own weakness. Because of that they decided to adopt non-interference policy with her for the time being.


    What Aria was doing was extremely reckless and absurd, but it still resulted in them getting goddamned scared of Aria¡¯s retribution and became unable to try taking revenge. Even so the fellows who were fixated with honor would still try something, so this scamp Aria had completely returned to be the prickly stray cat just like when I first met her.


    Only someone like me who could deal with problems on my own could interact normally with this girl. If she joined our party or Sera¡¯s place then it would serve as deterrence against those diehard fellows but¡­¡­.


    But well¡­¡­this was lucky for me I guess? In the end I don¡¯t need to face the orcs anymore, so for now let¡¯s keep that thing a secret while dragging her into Grave¡¯s subjugation.


    .


    Month ¡÷¡õ Week ¡ð¡ð©¤©¤


    I went to pick up granny Samantha. But that damn granny suddenly said that she won¡¯t go because she¡¯s busy playing with her great-great-grandchild!


    I got no other choice, so I asked granny¡¯s grandson (he was older than me) to persuade her. Seriously, please help me¡­¡­granny is absurdly strong, so I won¡¯t be able to defeat Grave without her!


    Eh¡­¡­when are we going to eat? You just eat lunch together with your great-great-grandchild!


    I won¡¯t last like this unless I quickly meet up with that Aria. That girl looked cold hearted, but she was unexpectedly caring and wouldn¡¯t be bothered with doing troublesome work, so I wished that she was here in this kind of time. Even so, I¡¯m still not gonna eat the food that she made no matter what.


    It seemed that Aria was visiting the place of her ¡°master¡± in order to heal her tattered body. Then, perhaps I should contact Sera now while I can¡­¡­wait, that girl¡¯s master is me isn¡¯t it?


    Well, doesn¡¯t matter. Even Aria understood that I was the one who trained her. ¡­¡­She understood right?


    Well, I¡¯ll report to Sera about Aria at the next town¡­¡­no, it will be a waste with that kind of combat strength. It feels like she can become even stronger. I¡¯ll watch the situation for a bit more.


    Say granny, actually I got a disciple who seemed useful¡­¡­wait, eh? Granny, where are you!?


    .


    Month ¡õ¡ð Week ¡ð¡õ©¤©¤


    Granny Samantha vanished from the inn again. When I tried asking the inn¡¯s owner, she handed me the bill from granny¡¯s food and drink.


    Geh. Just what did she eat that made the bill bloated like this? Ha? Seafood? We¡¯re in the middle of mountain you know? You gave her products that were frozen using sorcery!? ¡­¡­This inn is actually that high class? Tsk, well, fine. Send the bill to the black ops.


    No, this isn¡¯t the time for this, I gotta look for the granny.  When I tried asking a group who looked like merchants if they know something, I got told that these days, ¡ºa monster who rampaged through the highway and sprayed sand everywhere¡» would appear when night came, so I gotta be careful if I¡¯m bringing someone with me.


    Haa. Hee. Hoo. So there is something like that around here¡­¡­. Fuck. Don¡¯t screw with me granny. There should be a limit to how senile you can be! Are you seriously senile!? You aren¡¯t doing this intentionally right!? Then the granny had returned when I realized while I was getting enraged on my own like that.


    Granny, where did you run off to!


    Ha? There was a suspicious presence?


    There isn¡¯t anyone more suspicious than you granny around here!


    Haa!? You¡¯re hungry!? Shit, waitress! Give us a sausage platter and a strong drink!


    .


    Month ¡õ¡ð Week ¡÷¡ð©¤©¤


    The granny vanished again when I realized¡­¡­. I couldn¡¯t find her around the inn, so I started searching outside the town¡­¡­ha? Why is the granny fighting Aria!?


    What¡¯s more it¡¯s a real fight where they both aimed to kill in one attack at the other¡¯s vital spot! Stop stop, you two are dragging some strange fellows there into your spat! So these guys are assassins huh! These guys really got no luck at all, getting dragged into the fight of these two of all people¡­¡­shouldn¡¯t the assassin guild start seriously considering of calling an exorcist?


    But more importantly, with this we finally got complete members. ¡­¡­I can leave granny to Aria with this. Haaaa~~~~I¡¯m tired. ¡­¡­I don¡¯t wanna work.


    Also Aria. This granny isn¡¯t a monster but an actual human. More or less!


    But, despite everything, these two were unexpectedly well matched with each other weren¡¯t they? This scamp is handling the granny even better than her own great-grandchild.


    As I thought she could be used. As expected from the disciple of this great me.


    When I tried visiting the adventurer guild just now, there was a message from the black ops about that mission. It was decided.


    I couldn¡¯t read it fully with how much code it had, but it seemed some royalty would go into dungeon. Looks like our job is going to be acting as their vanguard but, there was additional request from Sera to quickly find Aria.


    Is her objective to make Aria the princess¡¯s bodyguard? No, that¡¯s not all. Maybe I should also start making plan to bring her in into our party for real.


    For now, let¡¯s get a move on. With this lineup even travelling at night won¡¯t be a problem.


    ¡­¡­Ha? You¡¯re hungry? Granny, you just ate at the inn! Aria too, where did you take out that meat from!?


    .


    Month ¡õ¡ð Week ¡ð¡õ©¤©¤


    That scamp Aria, just how did she manage to tame the Coeurl¡­¡­. I know there are some people in this world who can use animal but, that thing grew up real quick right after it got born yeah? What¡¯s more you two were plainly trying to kill each other just now right?


    Eh¡­¡­you two came to understanding after beating up each other? You did a damn manly thing again¡­¡­.


    What¡¯s more this scamp, she¡¯s rank 4 now! Do you know how long it took me to become rank 4? There isn¡¯t that many rank 4 people out here you know?


    I still think that I¡¯m not gonna lose when it came to close-quarter but, if sorcery is also used, then perhaps she would be able to fight in equal footing even against someone like Sera?


    At first I was thinking to take custody of Aria in Rainbow Sword as an apprentice scout who could use light sorcery, but if she was a rank 4 dark and light sorcerer who was also a scout who could even fight evenly against Grave, it would be better to recruit her not as an apprentice but as a formal member.


    I was sure that Sera was looking for Aria partly because of her feeling, but she must also be wishing to raise Aria as her successor seeing that Aria was close with the princess and could be entrusted with the duty of protecting her. In fact, if it was Aria then she should be able to immediately replace Sera after staying for five years in the black ops.


    But, too bad! Aria wasn¡¯t Sera¡¯s disciple but mine!


    .


    I too looked young thanks to mana, but I was an expert as adventurer instead of merely being middle ranked. Unlike the long lived demi human race, not many human could work as adventure until they were fifty years old. Even I was confident that I would be able to keep fighting as first rate adventurer for ten more years if I worked hard, but I too wanted to marry already!


    I felt bad for Sera but I¡¯ll have Aria become my successor!


    Now that¡¯s decided, I¡¯m going to put in serious effort to sweet talk Mary!


    I¡¯m going to marry after this job is finished!


    I¡¯ll say this before anyone can make any funny retort, I¡¯m not gonna die no matter what okay-!

 Volume 3 - Prologue

    Lake Mel boasted the biggest size in Claydale Kingdom. The majestic nature and scenery that could be seen at that late was widely known as a very scenic tourist attraction even in the whole kingdom.


    Lake Mel and its surrounding had been under direct control of Melrose House since time immemorial when the house was still a royal family. The branch house Melcis with the rank of viscount was the one that was entrusted with the management of the land. That day, the house welcomed a certain ¡°girl¡± as an adopted daughter.


    ¡¸Lady Alicia, the mansion is coming into view now. Are you feeling tired?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes-, I¡¯m fine-, thank you very much-!¡¹


    Inside a horse carriage that was running on the road alongside the lake, a young man wearing butler outfit talked to the girl called Alicia. She replied to his words with a wide smile.


    She had blonde hair that was slightly tinged red. Her blue eyes looked closer to black. Strong will could be felt from those eyes, enhancing the loveliness of the girl who was still ten years old.


    ¡¸So that mansion will become ¡°my¡± house-!¡¹


    Alicia¡¯s eyes sparkled seeing the large mansion that was standing at the lake shore that was visible from inside the carriage.


    She was wearing a well tailored suit even though it was just a travelling outfit. She seemed to be a noble seeing that she had a maid and a butler taking care of her, but as a noble she looked younger than her conduct suggested.


    If she was a noble, she should have trained in sorcery since childhood and increased her mana capacity. It would cause her growth to speed up, making her look two or three years older than her actual age, but Alicia¡¯s appearance really looked no different than ten years old commoner child.


    But there was a reason why she looked so young.


    Alicia was originally a noble but, she became an orphan due to a certain circumstance. She had been living in an orphanage together with commoner orphans until this age.


    ¡°Alicia¡± whose whereabouts became unknown was finally found. Until it became confirmed that she was the right person, a manager who was dispatched from the noble house stayed in the orphanage and gave her education to some degree, but as expected someone without any basic training couldn¡¯t possibly be given advanced education like sorcery. As the result Alicia only managed to learn the fundamental of sorcery and she was unable to obtain enough mana to make her body grew rapidly.


    ¡¸Umm¡­¡­what¡¯s the matter? Is there something on my face-?¡¹


    Alicia realized that the young servant was looking on her face. She touched her face while peering into his face with an upward gaze. It made the young man smiled wryly.


    ¡¸No, I¡¯m just thinking that Alicia-sama is quite petite.¡¹


    ¡¸Eee-, is that so? Even my current height only came from my recent growth spurt you know-? I was even smaller when I was still in the orphanage-!¡¹


    Because the previous caretaker abused the orphans under her care, the children there had late growth. For her to be able to grow to similar size with ordinary commoner might meant that learning the basic sorcery had some effect for her.


    Alicia scotched closer as though to press her ¡°grown body¡± on the young man inside the cramped carriage. The young man looked troubled and took some distance from her. At the same time the maid who was sitting at the opposite side spoke up to her.


    ¡¸Lady Alicia. A lady shouldn¡¯t come into contact with the opposite sex so freely like that.¡¹


    ¡¸Ee~¡­¡­but, it¡¯s just mister butler.¡¹


    ¡¸It doesn¡¯t matter whether they are butler or servant, they are still male. My lady will become a daughter of Viscount Melcis, so you have to keep a proper distance with the opposite sex. If not my lady will be in trouble when you come out to society.¡¹


    ¡¸Ye~es¡¹


    Alicia¡¯s hands let go of the young man¡¯s arm reluctantly after the maid rebuked her.


    Inside the carriage, there was a maid and a butler other than Alicia.


    Originally with such lineup, a noble lady like Alicia normally should sit beside the maid, but she obstinately demanded to sit beside the young man.


    The siblings who were chosen for the role as Alicia¡¯s servants as well as bodyguards during her travel from the orphanage until this place looked at each other. They communicated using only their gaze while recalling the troubled expression and the words of their grandfather who was ordered to manage the orphanage.


    ¡ºThere were signs of Alicia-sama getting bullied by her fellow girls who were jealous with her lovely appearance. Because of that, she has the tendency to be wary against female and seek protection from male. I want you two to keep that in mind while looking after her.¡»


    Certainly she was a pitiful thing if that was true, but Alicia¡¯s conduct seemed to be more than that. She was giving off an ¡°alluring¡± atmosphere that couldn¡¯t be considered childlike.


    .


    ¡¸©¤©¤It looks like we have arrived.¡¹


    The carriage slowly came to a stop. Alicia got down from the carriage after the butler and the maid exited first. The viscount and his maids had been waiting outside for her arrival. Alicia looked up anxiously to the young man when she was about to be handed over to them.


    ¡¸This is where we will part. The people of Melcis House will take care of Lady Alicia from here on as your family.¡¹


    ¡¸B-but¡­¡­¡¹


    Alicia tried to grasp the young man¡¯s sleeve due to the anxiety of being handed over from familiar people to unknown people, but the maid¡¯s strong gaze stopped her. Her body jerked in surprise.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Is something the matter?¡¹


    The viscount who had especially walked here from the entrance to welcome Alicia asked that. A maid remonstrating a noble daughter who was still young was something common, but because Alicia¡¯s childish appearance provoked the desire to protect, the scene could also be seen like a bullying.


    But, the anxious Alicia immediately changed her attitude the moment she saw Viscount Melcis. She snuggled up to him.


    ¡¸U-umm¡­¡­I, wanted to say farewell but, miss maid won¡¯t let me¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸I-is that so?¡¹


    The viscount was taken aback by Alicia¡¯s behavior, even so thinking that there shouldn¡¯t be a problem with allowing the request of a little girl like this, he looked toward the maid, but then he noticed that the maid was someone really familiar and he gulped.


    ¡¸Y-you are¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Pardon me, Mercis-sama. Please take care of the rest.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes, I understand.¡¹


    Alicia¡¯s face frowned for a moment seeing that exchange between the viscount and the maid, but then she quickly changed it to a wide smile and she clung on the viscount¡¯s arm without even giving any glance at the maid anymore.


    ¡¸Nice to meet you, please treat me well from now on-, dear father-!¡¹


    In that place, other than the viscount, there were also the viscount¡¯s wife and the female servants and maids who would take care of the new child, but Alicia wouldn¡¯t meet their eyes and only had eyes for the new man who appeared before her.


    The maid who had accompanied her until here sighed without saying anything seeing that. She bowed to the viscount, greeted the viscount¡¯s wife too, then she got into the carriage again together with the young man and returned back.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Is this alright?¡¹


    ¡¸Doesn¡¯t matter.¡¹


    When the coachman asked like that, the young man that had been interacting with the girl with a gentle smile the whole time replied with a cold voice.


    Originally they should stay for a day at least in order to observe how their protection target would do in the location where they got delivered to, but it seemed that they wouldn¡¯t do that this time.


    His direct superior the maid also boarded the carriage casually, as though staying together with their protection target throughout these two months of travel didn¡¯t make her feel anything at all. Seeing that, the coachman also gave up asking anything further and drove the carriage away.


    ¡¸Ah¡¹


    Alicia who realized that let go of the arm of Viscount Mercis that she had been clinging on and ran toward the carriage while waving her hand energetically.


    ¡¸Oz-san-! Please come to meet ¡°me¡± again sometimes-!¡¹


    ¡¸©¤©¤That is the end of our report this time.¡¹


    ¡¸Thanks for the hard work¡­¡­Oz, Sera.¡¹


    The head of Melrose House, Belt sighed while giving words of appreciation toward Oz who had just finished giving him a written report for the last two months along with a verbal report that described what happened in general.


    Their mission this time was to escort Belt¡¯s granddaughter©¤©¤the princess from the direct lineage of Melrose House ¡°Alicia¡±to Mercis House, a branch house of Melrose House where she was to be entrusted until she came of age in order to ascertain her personage.


    Although it was for the protection of an important person, the reason why Oz and Zera who held important posts got assigned with that mission was because Alicia¡¯s existence itself was still a great secret. Because of that Belt couldn¡¯t assign a lot of knights in order to guard her. He could only rely on the two people who he could trust the most from among all his subordinates in regard to their loyalty and also strength.


    Sera was one of the people in charge of protecting the queen¡¯s residence and the princess¡¯s residence. Oz served as the butler of Belt who was also a prime minister. With them gone for this mission, many things got affected and he even received many complaints but, there was nothing that could be done about it.


    The dark side had serious lack of manpower. People with suspicious ideology got removed from around the royal family due to the incident with Grave, so the personnel that could be spared for protecting the VIPs were very lacking.


    They couldn¡¯t just recruit anybody to fill the lack of manpower. Even if they wanted to recruit people from among the graduates of the sorcery academy or adventurers, people with clear background and also could be trusted would always be fought over by many departments.


    (If there is at least someone who can be entrusted with protecting the princess¡­¡­no, right now isn¡¯t the time to think about that.)


    Belt looked around at the people inside this room and his gaze stopped on a certain person.


    ¡¸That¡¯s the situation, what do you think about it, Mihail?¡¹


    ¡¸Grandfather¡­¡­¡¹


    Mihail was still twelve years old, but he looked like fifteen years old. His lustrous eyes that had caused the young maids in the palace to be noisy squinted with suspicion as he returned his grandfather¡¯s gaze.


    ¡¸That girl should be sent to the viscount next year  shouldn¡¯t it? Before that we would ascertain first whether she is the real thing or not, but why then you moved it forward by a year?¡¹


    ¡¸Because it was that girl herself who announced that she is a noble¡¯s daughter. It almost became a problem, because of that there was we had no choice but to secure her early.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­A really troublesome girl isn¡¯t she?¡¹


    Mihail sighed after hearing his grandfather¡¯s bitter words.


    Two years had passed since the girl was discovered, but they still hadn¡¯t found any definite proof that the self-proclaimed ¡°Alicia¡± was the ¡°real one¡±.


    If it was only based on the girl¡¯s testimony and the circumstantial evidence, than any other noble houses would recognize her as Belt¡¯s relative, but Belt hesitated to recognize that girl as Alicia because she didn¡¯t have the ¡°pinkish blonde hair¡± of the Melrose¡¯s female line.


    ¡¸Anyway, I¡¯m going to enroll into the academy next month. Even high rank nobles have to live in dormitory for half of the period, so I won¡¯t be able to do anything even if you call me here like this.¡¹


    ¡¸So even you are at that age already¡­¡­. Sorry to bother you then.¡¹


    Belt unconsciously sighed, thinking that time passed really quickly.


    Nobles enrolled into the Sorcery Academy after the harvesting of the crops finished and taxes had been collected. The new school term would begin at the New Year of the next year. Noble children who became thirteen that year were the ones targeted to enroll. Then everyone would graduate at the end of the year when all of them had become fifteen years old. Only then they would be treated as adult noble,


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Belt suddenly called Mihail who was still minor to here and asked her about her impression of the girl was because he was completely at a loss of how to decide. Perhaps even this grandfather who usually could hand down level-headed decision as a prime minister couldn¡¯t help but have his sight clouded when it came to the memento of his late youngest daughter.


    Mihail felt slightly sympathetic to his grandfather who seemed to have grown far older during these several years, even so he told him about his opinion bluntly.


    ¡¸I also feel the same like grandfather. That girl doesn¡¯t sound like a Melroserose of the moon at all even just based on the report. And so, if that girl is going to enroll into the academy, I recommend attaching a watcher beside her.¡¹


    Mihail only said that before leaving his grandfather¡¯s office.


    Oz had left his post until today, so Mihail who hadn¡¯t even enrolled into the academy had to work like Belt¡¯s chamberlain under the guise of ¡ºlearning the prime minister¡¯s work¡», but he felt that it would be troublesome to have his time taken any more than this.


    Usually such experience would be just what he wanted but, right now he was busy with the preparation to enroll into the academy. And Mihail himself had other things that he personally wanted to do or to consider.


    ¡¸¡­¡­MelroseRose of the moon ¡­¡­¡¹


    Mihail repeated once more the word that he used just now.


    According to Melrose House¡¯s old legend, the spirit of the moon praised the nobility and beauty of a woman and bestowed to her a rose of the moon and hair color that looked the same with the rose.


    It was unclear whether the legend was true or not. But that hair color would vanish in several generations when the women of Melrose House married outside the family. It was as though the women who were directly descended from the lineage of Melrose House were really loved by the moon.


    If he talked about it to his friend, Rockwell of Dandall House, he might get teased again as a romanticist, but the figure of a girl came to Mihail¡¯s mind just from him muttering that name.


    The adventurer girl who he met at the capital¡­¡­. Her hair color had the same color with the moon rose that only bloomed in the night when there was a moon in the sky.


    It attracted his eyes since the first time he saw her. She even had a beautiful bearing that was truly fitting to be called ¡°aloof¡±. She was very similar with the woman inside the painting that Mihail had idolized since his childhood.


    If the girl called Alicia was really alive, then wouldn¡¯t she look like that girl? Mihail felt something like a connection with that girl that made him thought like that.


    But circumstance-wise, it was impossible for that girl to be the one. If she was Alicia then she should be around eight years old at that time. Even if her appearance at that time was because of her mana somehow, how could such girl possibly obtain strength that a first class adventurer would recognize?


    Even if in the worst case he got rid of that girl from the orphanage and replaced her with that pink haired girl, there would be no one who suspected anything wouldn¡¯t it?


    ¡¸¡­¡­No good.¡¹


    Mihail rejected the thinking that he thought up himself. It might be possible to do something like that with Mihail and Melrose House¡¯s power. But, doing that would cause the girl¡¯s life to go off the rail. Mihail hesitated to do that.


    If she was working as adventurer in the capital, then perhaps there would be another chance for him to meet her¡­¡­thinking that, he had visited the adventurer guild several times but, it was only a complete waste of time without him being unable to be reunited with the pink haired girl. When Mihail enrolled into the sorcery academy after this, it would surely become difficult for him to go searching for her like before.


    He didn¡¯t think that this feeling of him was ¡°love¡±. ¡­¡­But, Mihail was definitely feeling that an emotion that couldn¡¯t be dismissed as simple curiosity was growing inside him.


    ¡¸Will we¡­¡­meet again I wonder.¡¹


    ¡¸Then, I shall take my leave.¡¹


    ¡¸Thanks for the hard work, Sera.¡¹


    ¡¸No, that is also ¡°work¡± after all.¡¹


    A while after Mihail left, Sera who had been refraining from saying anything until then bowed as she said that. Although they had known each other for long, Sera simply dismissed the words of appreciation from the head of the house Belt saying that it was just her ¡ºjob¡». Oz felt an unseen pressure from her big sister and cold sweat trickled from his forehead.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Sera pretended to not realize her little brother¡¯s reaction and left her master¡¯s office. Then she let out a long sigh while keeping silent.


    The majority of her sigh came from mental fatigue. Because of the dark side¡¯s serious lack of manpower, even the retired Sera had to return to active duty. Furthermore she was sent out for something else than her actual duty and it even took several months to finish. Because of that various problems had cropped up everywhere just as she expected.


    But the main reason for her fatigue wasn¡¯t only because the of piling up works that couldn¡¯t be handled by her subordinates alone. Staying together for two months with the daughter of the main house¡­¡­that ¡°Alicia¡± who was the cause of her getting taken away from her post had whittled down her spirit far more than she expected.


    The girl couldn¡¯t follow etiquette which was reasonable seeing that she was previously an orphan. Even then she had been reeducated by Sera and Oz¡¯s grandfather, so she could still be considered better as a commoner.


    But, the tendency that girl sometimes showed, how she would cling only on male and ignored female, it was just too abnormal even after taking into consideration that she was still a kid. To be honest, when she imagined that she would have to keep interacting with that girl as a daughter of the main house, it made her wanted to support her master and Mihail for doubting that girl¡¯s identity.


    And then, after this she also would have to take care of Princess Elena who was in a bad mood.


    Since the princess learned that the whereabouts of her favorite ¡°maid apprentice¡± became unknown and how that maid apprentice belonged to the ¡ºdark side¡», she would always get into a bad mood when she saw Sera and other members of the dark side.


    Elena who was wise beyond her age understood that the dark side¡¯s mission was accompanied with danger. Because of that, she wouldn¡¯t do anything childish like avoiding her guards from the dark side, unlike the impulsive crown prince.


    Even so as expected her emotion was a different matter. No matter how wise Elena was, she was still ten years old. Because the only existence who she acknowledged in this world went missing, the idle passing of time without any new information worsened her mood exactly because she believed in that existence.


    What was worse was that the mission that caused the disappearance wasn¡¯t actually that dangerous. Instead it was possible that the disappearance was caused by the betrayal of Grave toward the dark side. Sera herself was seething with anger toward Grave for erasing the excellent ¡°disciple¡± who she thought might be worthy to become her successor.


    Currently the dark side wasn¡¯t the only one looking for Grave. Sera herself had personally requested the adventurer party Rainbow Sword to search for Aria and Grave, but there still hadn¡¯t any result from it.


    If that girl was still alive and returned as a combat maid apprentice of the dark side, Elena¡¯s mood would also improve, but nothing good like that had rolled her way.


    .


    ¡¸Mom-!¡¹


    Sera sighed again when she heard her son¡¯s voice. It seemed that he had been waiting for her on her way toward the princess¡¯s residence.


    ¡¸Have you find Aria!?¡¹


    ¡¸I went to the north, but it was to a different direction. I didn¡¯t find her.¡¹


    Sera¡¯s son Seo was still continuing to chase after Aria¡¯s shadow.


    He had grown rapidly, physically and mentally. Now he looked like twelve years old but, it seemed that his meeting with her left a deep impact in his childish self. Even when she told him of the possibility that Aria had died, Seo wouldn¡¯t accept it just like Elena and he continued training, believing that he would meet her again.


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹


    Although he hadn¡¯t given up, Seo also thought that it wouldn¡¯t be that easy to find her. He suppressed his depression and smiled at his tired looking mother.


    ¡¸Mom, welcome back.¡¹


    ¡¸Isn¡¯t it too late to say that?¡¹


    Although she said that, Sera hugged him tightly to feel his growth. Seo also hugged his mother¡¯s back to feel her safe return for real.


    ¡¸I went to pick up the young lady of the main house. She¡¯s going to be entrusted to Melcis House as an adopted daughter there for a while, but when she enrolled into the academy, you would likely get assigned to look after her as a combat butler.¡¹


    Rather than a situation report, it was more like a mother sharing information with her son. Seo looked at her with some exasperation, even so his face scowled just a little. Perhaps he was recalling about that young lady.


    ¡¸¡­¡­The rumor that I heard about her isn¡¯t really good though?¡¹


    ¡¸You shouldn¡¯t say something like that loudly.¡¹


    Seo let a wry smile slipped out on his face seeing her mother not denying what he said despite scolding him.


    ¡¸I¡¯m going back to my task as butler apprentice now. Let¡¯s train together again later.¡¹


    ¡¸Understood. Work hard.¡¹


    Sera smiled with a motherly look. Seo gave her his best smile before parting from her in a corridor. He walked quickly while speaking his oath once more.


    ¡¸Aria will leave me in the dust if I just relax. ¡­¡­I won¡¯t give up.¡¹


    .


    Sera saw off the back of her son and felt slightly better. But then another voice called out to her just as she was about to head to the palace.


    ¡¸Sera-sama, welcome back.¡¹


    ¡¸Castro¡­¡­is something the matter?¡¹


    It was Castro who previously assigned improper job to Aria and exposed her to danger. He had also gotten removed from his post as a bodyguard of the royal family because of him being an acquaintance of Grave. But it seemed that he had also taken a lesson from everything that had happened. Now he had stopped discriminating people based on their background and environment.


    It also affected him outside work. Sera had heard about how Castro was personally making effort in searching for the missing Aria by gathering information from Viro or other adventurers who he knew from the past.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Could it be, there is a development?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, over here.¡¹


    Sera¡¯s eyes scanned the paper that Castro handed to her. Her eyes widened slightly as she read, then she sighed slowly before looking at Castro once more.


    ¡¸If this ¡°rumor¡± is true¡­¡­Castro, go contact Viro.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes-¡¹

 Volume 3 - CH 1

    The territory of Marquis Kendras that was located at the northwest part of Claydale Kingdom. At the west that area, there was Condo Mine where the biggest ore vein of the southern part of the continent was sleeping. Presently its possession was being fought over by the neighboring country Ils Dukedom and Solhorse Kingdom. Both countries held each other in check even while the mining of the mine continued. The area was known as a buffer zone.


    Because of that, Marquis Kendras refused the national army to be stationed there for fear of provoking the neighboring countries. Because of its rejection toward the military strength of the capital, it also managed to repel any political intervention and obtained great profit from mining and metalworking.


    When there was light there was darkness. Behind the prosperity of Kendras territory that managed to repel the intervention from the capital, there were several organizations secretly maneuvering to indulge in that profit.


    The slave guild that was an illegal organization of the underworld. The intelligence agency of neighboring country or crime syndicate. There was also the thief guild that boasted the greatest scale in the northwest frontier district. Their evil influences were spreading behind the scene.


    Because there was a mine, a lot of rock dwarves who were good with mining and smithing were living there. There were also a lot of adventurers who came visiting for the weapons created by those dwarves. The number of bars for dwarves and adventurers also increased, but due to that the supply from the mining and the alcohol brewing couldn¡¯t meet the demand.


    The thief guild got their eye on that. They worked together with the slave guild to buy up orphans from everywhere and captured children from the slums for slavery trade in this land.


    Kendras territory also had its own knight order and the marquis also hated the secret maneuvering of the criminal organizations in his territory. He tried to remove them, but it was difficult to completely remove an organization that lurked inside a city with population of tens of thousands. Also because the marquis had received retaliation from the thief guild many times, he was letting them go almost unchecked at this point.


    One of the causes of that was because the thief guild of this area was known as a collection of formidable fighters, especially its leaders the four Galga siblings. All of them were skilled level 4 and had killed many knights. They were feared in the underworld.


    .


    ¡¸The slaves¡¯ quality has dropped recently hasn¡¯t it? You aren¡¯t trying to trick us siblings aren¡¯t you?¡¹


    In a clearing inside a forest that was a bit far from the city¡­¡­under the sky where the sun was starting to set, a slave delivery was being carried out in the usual place and time.


    The eldest child of four Galga siblings, the chief of Kendras territory¡¯s thief guild Lamia intentionally threatened her business partner. In respond the chief of the slave guild shrugged his shoulders theatrically.


    ¡¸You think there¡¯s anyone in this area who dare to go against you? We just got a little problem, but we even went until far away to gather the products in compensation y¡¯know? They aren¡¯t lively from getting stuffed on the bottom of carriage, but they¡¯ll perk up if you just give them some food scraps.¡¹


    ¡¸Fuu~hn?¡¹


    The children were all looking sick from being forced to go through a very long trip. Light had also gone out from their eyes when they thought of what they would be forced to do after this. They all trembled in fear when Lamia stared at them.


    It was rumored that her age was about to enter forty, but she still looked youthful like someone at the early thirty. Because of her beauty and cruelty, she got called as Lamia, the name of monster who sucked blood in order to maintain its beauty.


    The slaves that were delivered here this time were all children. There were thirty of them. They weren¡¯t all human, a lot of them were also demihuman because when wandering dwarves or beastmen died, few orphanage wanted to accept their children.


    ¡¸If you¡¯re bringing me demihuman brats, can¡¯t you at least bring me some elves?¡¹


    ¡¸Oi, don¡¯t be unreasonable Lamia. Ain¡¯t no way those elves gonna let their brat get out of their village. Even adult elves are mostly adventurer, it just not worth it to try taking them.¡¹


    It would be a different matter if they were talking about half elf, but elf children who take very long time to grow up almost never went out of their village. Even so Lamia still sought them out because elf race¡¯s appearance was excellent, they stayed young for long, and so they were in high demand among a lot of people.


    Even half elf could be sold with the price of ten times the normal price. But, the haughty elf rarely would allow themselves to marry human, and getting their orphan as slave was something that happened very rarely even for the slave guild¡¯s chief.


    ¡¸And, what¡¯s this problem you¡¯re saying?¡¹


    Lamia asked for more detail about the ¡ºproblem¡» that the slave guild¡¯s chief mentioned just now. In the first place the two guild leaders personally came for a slave delivery like this because the number of products from the previous transaction was insufficient and it almost caused a quarrel with the customer.


    ¡¸Aa, about that, two of our slave hunting teams got crushed you know.¡¹


    ¡¸Haa? In our turf? Did those damn knights of the marquis finally got off their butt to work?¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t think it¡¯s them¡­¡­. From the method used it was most likely the work of someone in the same trade©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸Ooi, big sis! Let¡¯s buy the woman riding on this carriage too-!¡¹


    The voice of her ¡°little brother¡± interrupted the two¡¯s talk. Lamia looked at the slave guild¡¯s chief with a suspecting gaze.


    ¡¸Oi, you actually still have more product there ain¡¯t it¡­¡­? Caith-! What kind of woman?¡¹


    ¡¸She¡¯s still a teen but, she look like someone from a nice family yeah!¡¹


    The youngest of the four siblings called Caith©¤©¤a very gangly man who was at the latter half of his twenties yelled back in respond to Lamia¡¯s question.


    ¡¸That¡¯s what he said, what¡¯s the deal with that?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Whoops, I forgot! We caught a travelling woman on the way here-. She looks like a daughter of a low rank noble. I put her on a different carriage because I want to show her particularly to you¡­¡­hehe¡¹


    The slave guild¡¯s chief turned pale and made excuse when Lamia glared at him.


    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong big sis?¡¹


    ¡¸Did Caith mess up something again?¡¹


    Ramia¡¯s remaining two little brothers came there after hearing the ruckus.


    The eldest son Gigas. He was more than two meter tall with muscles covering all over his body like armor. Used axe.


    The second son Troll. He was the shortest among the male siblings, but he was really obese and boasted the strongest physical strength.


    The third son Caith. He used two short swords and excelled in evasion using his skinny body.


    And last was the eldest daughter, a whip user and a wind sorcerer, the thief guild¡¯s chief Lamia. The four of them formed the four Galga siblings. These four siblings had combined their strength to survive their childhood until now. From that experience, these four always acted together, which was rare for thieves to do.


    The four of them had discarded their actual name and took monster name for themselves. Surrounded by the four rank 4, the slave guild¡¯s chief turned even whiter like a wax.


    ¡¸Say? You were hiding her from me because you want to give me a surprise present to make me happy right? In other words, you want to give her to me instead of selling her right? Isn¡¯t that right?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Y-yeah.¡¹


    ¡¸Yosh, as expected from the slave guild-, we¡¯ll continue being great business partner even in the future. Oi, Caith, bring that woman here-!¡¹


    ¡¸Say, big sis-, give her to me please!¡¹


    ¡¸You like little kid just like usual huh¡­¡­. Even though you always break them right away, just shut up and bring her here already-!¡¹


    ¡¸I get it big sis¡­¡­oi, get down.¡¹


    As expected Caith couldn¡¯t oppose his big sister. He dragged out the woman from the carriage with great reluctance.


    ¡¸Hoo¡­¡­¡¹


    What came down from the carriage was certainly a woman who still hadn¡¯t reached her coming of age. She was wearing a travelling outfit like a lady from a good family. She could still be called a kid with her age, but more than her pretty face, the atmosphere that she was clad in was really eye catching.


    Certainly after seeing her, it was understandable why Caith really wanted her or why the slave guild¡¯s chief tried to hide her from Lamia to sell her somewhere else. Just feeling her atmosphere and seeing the side of her face that was slightly looking down caused even a fellow woman like Lamia to feel her heart skipped a beat.


    That was exactly why she misjudged. She let her guard down exactly because she was a strong person.


    Someone as strong as Lamia could gauge someone else¡¯s true strength to a certain degree even without using something like Appraisal. But, focus was required to us that, it wasn¡¯t something that was done constantly and subconsciously. Just like how Lamia didn¡¯t doubt the actual strength of a child who got kidnapped to be a slave, Caith who was standing close to her also hadn¡¯t tried to gauge the true strength of that ¡°pink haired girl¡±.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Gah!?¡¹


    In that moment, Caith felt a burning pain on his throat and his breath got caught.


    No, his breath didn¡¯t get caught. It was flowing blood pouring into his lungs before getting spouted out through his mouth. With that Caith finally realized that his throat was pierced by the girl¡¯s black knife.


    Caith was a light warrior who focused in speed and specialized in evasion. He had never even considered that there could be anyone else other than his siblings who could possibly wound him. But, the girl before him had casually stabbed a knife into Caith¡¯s throat without even making any gesture beforehand that could hint him about it or giving off any bloodlust.


    And then, he realized from looking at the reflection from the girl¡¯s green eyes, that he was looking at his own face in death. Caith finally realized that he was dead.


    .


    ¡¸Caith-!?¡¹


    Lamia unconsciously shouted seeing her youngest brother crumbling while spurting out blood. Her other little brothers were also staring dumbfounded at that.


    He was killed. Easily. One of the siblings that had climbed until their current position by combining their strength for more than twenty years and swore to each other that they would still climb even higher with the four of them from now on, had died so easily.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­tsu¡¹


    ¡¸You¡¯re lying right¡­¡­Caith, this is just another of your joke right-!?¡¹


    The eldest son Gigas gritted his teeth in anger. The second son Troll yelled asking if this was another joke of his playful little brother. Then at the next moment©¤©¤


    ¡¸Higuh¡¹


    The slave guild¡¯s chief let out a voice that sounded like a crushed frog. His forehead was hit by a crossbow¡¯s arrow. Then the girl who killed Caith and fired a crossbow at the slave guild¡¯s chief immediately turned around and broke into a run to the opposite direction to escape.


    ¡¸You won¡¯t get away-!!¡¹


    ¡¸Troll! Shit-¡¹


    ¡¸You two!¡¹


    Troll started running after the escaping girl. Even Gigas who was wary against the girl quickly followed behind. Seeing that, Lamia who was dumbfounded from Caith¡¯s death returned to her senses right away and called out to the two¡¯s backs but, the two didn¡¯t stop and continued chasing the girl.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll kill you!¡¹


    Troll didn¡¯t even hear his big sister¡¯s voice and angrily screamed. The two started running almost at the same time, but the obese troll raised his speed to pull ahead of his big brother. Troll looked like a pile of fat, but there were lumps of muscles underneath all that fat and he began to catch up to the girl in the blink of eye.


    The girl noticed the pursuer and glanced back to Troll and Gigas who was following behind. After ascertaining their position, she turned right to lure them into the forest.


    ¡¸You think I won¡¯t be able to move inside the forest with my body? Don¡¯t underestimate me-!¡¹


    Troll used his arms and legs and snapped the small trees and thick branches without care while following behind the girl. Troll was a fist fighter. His bulky fat protected him while his thick muscles smashed the enemy, snapping their body. If that large hand grabbed the girl¡¯s slender body, she would be crushed easily.


    *GAN-!*


    With the girl entering the forest, Gigas threw his hand axe while chasing. It hit a thick trunk and there the girl swiftly threw back a knife.


    ¡¸Hmph!¡¹


    But Gigas didn¡¯t use his favored weapon the axe and deflected the knife simply by tensing his muscle.


    ¡¸Hyahhahah, big bro¡¯s muscles are damn special! You too are gonna die from being crushed by them!¡¹


    Troll clenched his fist and charged from the side. The girl subtly changed her position while constantly keeping the two of them within sight. Astonishingly she headed toward Troll on her own to get away from Gigas. Troll too rushed even further ahead to match her.


    ¡¸Coming to your own death©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸©¤©¤Pain©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸Gugah!?¡¹


    Troll stiffened from the enormous agony, then the girl tossed a jar made from thin baked clay into Troll¡¯s mouth.


    *Pakin!*


    ¡¸¡­¡­GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?¡¹


    ¡¸Troll-!¡¹


    Troll¡¯s shriek echoed inside the forest. Gigas closed the distance in panic seeing that. Right at that moment©¤©¤


    *Baki¡­¡­-!*


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu!?¡¹


    Gigas heard the sound of solid thin porcelain breaking from under his foot while dropping into a pitfall.


    ¡¸GUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡¹


    The hole was two meter wide and two meter deep. He would never step into it unless he got lured there, and even if he fell inside he would only get sprained leg from that depth, but the sharpened stakes that were prepared at the bottom of the hole pierced Gigas¡¯s legs and back.


    The board that was made from thinly spread clay and hardened with Hard before being baked wouldn¡¯t break from something like a wolf walking on top of it, but it couldn¡¯t endure a huge man stepping on it.


    ¡¸¡­¡­B-big bro¡­¡­¡¹


    Troll who seemed to be fed with poison struggled to help his brother with a purple face. In front of him the girl dropped a small fire into the hole, then flame and death throes rose from the bottom of the hole.


    ¡¸AAAAAAAAAAH!?¡¹


    Troll screamed seeing his brother¡¯s death, but the girl jumped and stomped on his face before her black knife stabbed deeply into his skull.


    .


    ¡¸Gigas-, Troll-!!¡¹


    Lamia who caught up at that timing witnessed the deaths of her little brothers.


    ¡¸You bitch¡­¡­you bitch¡­¡­my little brothers¡­¡­how dare you!¡¹


    The girl kept stepping on Troll¡¯s face as she pulled out her knife and swung it to threw off the blood clot. Lamia screamed angrily at her and fired her sorcery.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Hurricane©¤©¤!¡¹


    The level 4 wind sorcery Hurricane rampaged inside the confined forest.


    Lamia knew the characteristic of her own sorcery very well. It might be different for pure sorcerer or adventurer, but a thief like Lamia put more importance in activation speed rather than power. She was using this level 4 wind sorcery to hold the enemy in place.


    Lamia¡¯s sure win tactic was to stop her enemy in place using Hurricane before finishing them off with other wind magic. There weren¡¯t that many people who could dodge invisible blade even if they knew it was coming.


    But the girl also knew that wide range wind sorcery had no strong wounding ability.


    ¡¸What-!?¡¹


    The body of the girl who should be held in place there danced through the air. No matter how thin the girl¡¯s body was, Lamia¡¯s sorcery couldn¡¯t blow away human like that. Even if someone could fly using magic like that, they would never consider getting dragged up by wind inside a forest with trees crowding closely like this.


    The girl cut through the sky using her dress¡¯s train to move without fearing collision against tree. Her eyes were looking at Lamia without even caring of the branches and pebbles that were hitting her. It caused fear to bubble up inside Lamia.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Wind Cutter©¤©¤!¡¹


    Lamia yielded under her fear and fired the wind sorcery she was preparing toward the girl.


    The girl muttered something in respond and crossed her arms to protect her head and blocked the attack. No matter how low wind sorcery¡¯s wounding ability was, that was only when the opponent was wearing armor. It would easily tear apart the girl¡¯s body if the magic hit vital spot.


    The navy blue dress the girl was wearing got torn apart and fluttered in the wind. But a black leather dress appeared from underneath it. Although her exposed arms and legs got wounded, all of her vital spots were protected by ¡°shield of light¡±. She closed the distance with Lamia while brandishing her black knife in preparation for a decisive attack.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Thrust©¤©¤!¡¹


    Lamia watched the black blade slowly approaching her while her mind became filled with images like a revolving lantern.


    Where did they go wrong? There was nothing that they siblings couldn¡¯t do if they combined their strength. At first they just wanted to survive. They siblings simply had strength, so it was easier to live by doing bad things.


    Was that a mistake? Shouldn¡¯t there be a more proper way of living for the siblings to take if they combined their strength?


    But¡­¡­it was already too late.


    The Battle Skill that the girl unleashed tore Lamia¡¯s neck until halfway. Lamia¡¯s sight was filled with the splatter of her own blood.


    Who was this girl? She didn¡¯t Appraise her but the strength that she felt from her should be around level 3. That was exactly why they siblings also thought there wasn¡¯t the slightest chance of them losing as they rushed into the girl¡¯s trap.


    In front of the fallen Lamia, the girl who was wearing an adventurer black dress covered her hair with the illusion of ¡ºash¡». Seeing that, Lamia realized the girl¡¯s true identity and she left behind those words at the end as her consciousness was sinking into the depth of darkness for eternity.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡±Ash Crowned Princess¡±¡­¡­¡¹


    .


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  ¨C  Rank 3


    ¡¾Magic Power : 174/240¡¿¡÷ 30 UP¡¾Stamina : 132/190¡¿¡÷ 20 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 9 (12)¡¿¡÷2 UP¡¾Endurance : 9 (12)¡¿¡÷1 UP¡¾Agility : 13 (17)¡¿¡÷1 UP¡¾Dexterity : 8¡¿


    ¡¶Short Sword Skill Level 3¡·¡¶Martial Art Level 3¡·¡¶Throwing Level 3¡·¡÷ 1 UP ¡¶Archery Level 1¡·NEW


    ¡¶Defense Level 3¡·NEW¡¶String Control Level 4¡·¡÷2 UP


    ¡¶Light Magic Level 3¡·¡÷1 UP¡¶Darkness Magic Level 3¡·¡¶Non-Elemental Magic Level 3¡·


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·¡¶Magic Power Control Level 4¡·¡÷1 UP¡¶Pressure Level 3¡·


    ¡¶Stealth Level 4¡·¡÷1 UP¡¶Night Vision Level 2¡·¡¶Search Level 4¡·¡÷1 UP¡¶Poison Resistance Level 3¡·¡÷1 UP


    ¡¶Simple Appraisal¡·


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 576 (With Body Strengthening : 691)¡¿¡÷ 133 UP

 Volume 3 - CH 2

    ¡¸It feels nostalgic¡­¡­¡¹


    I stared at the small town that was visible from the highway and muttered slightly inside my mouth.


    I moved from place to place after the fight against the assassin guild before returning back to the territory of Baron Horace where that orphanage was located. It had been two years. Although I called it a return, it wasn¡¯t like I considered this Horace territory as my hometown. I think that my birthplace was somewhere in this territory, but I didn¡¯t remember the town and the house where my family lived when I was little.


    Many things happened in this place. It wasn¡¯t a place that I had good memory about¡­¡­. Even so I returned here because I wanted to fulfill a ¡°promise¡± that I made before.


    The small town where that orphanage was located. There wasn¡¯t anybody there who remembered me as I walked through it. I almost never gone outside from the orphanage, and so there wasn¡¯t really anybody who knew me, even so I could only say ¡°for some reason¡± if I was asked why I wanted to walk through this town.


    Based from what I heard at a stall that was selling baked flour (it was filling but not delicious), after that hag was gone a Cruzian priest came to look after the orphanage. After that it seemed that the environment of the orphanage and the orphans got a lot better.


    But even that priest had retired several months ago. The citizens here now took turn to take care of the orphans until the baron sent the next person to manage the place.


    ¡¸You see, miss. We the residences of this neighborhood are all allies of the orphans.¡¹


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­¡¹


    The stall owner was talking just how hard they were working for the sake of the pitiful orphans as though they were saints, but I knew how all of you were pretending to not see the abused orphans before that.


    ¡¸Come again!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    It wasn¡¯t like I was concerned for the orphans.


    I just got a bit interested with how the orphanage was doing after I was gone.


    .


    My memory was vague so I got lost for a bit but, I arrived at the orphanage that I didn¡¯t miss at all without problem.


    Although Claydale Kingdom had warm climate, the night at winter like now was really cold. I remembered how cold the dirt floor was to sleep on with only a thin blanket and not enough food at all.


    When I peeked into the orphanage from the street, I found the orphans who dressed a bit better and looked a bit better were washing clothes and cleaning the yard with listless faces. But then©¤©¤


    ¡º©¤©¤oi, take out the food©¤©¤¡»


    ¡º©¤©¤¡­¡­s-stop©¤©¤¡»


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The voices of boy and girl could be heard faintly from the alley that led to the back gate of the orphanage.


    When I tried peeking there, I saw a young man who looked like he just have his coming of age recently. He was wearing a slightly dirty clothes and a knife on his waist. It seemed he was pestering a girl from the orphanage.


    ¡¸If I give this away then the little kids won¡¯t¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Haa? The brats didn¡¯t eat even when I was still here right-¡¹


    ¡­¡­Aa, I see. I remembered their action and faces.


    The girl was three or four year older than me. She was in charge of cooking in the place of the old hag. And then the young man was an older orphan who liked to steal the food of the little kids and pushed off his work to others.


    No¡­¡­age wise he couldn¡¯t be called an ¡°orphan¡± anymore I guess.


    Originally kids who almost had their coming of age would go out helping craftsman or the like as job training, but that old hag only thought of working hard the orphans or ¡°selling¡± them, so there wasn¡¯t anything like that here.


    Even so there would be quite a lot of things that the orphans could do in the town if they had gotten used to do the chores in the orphanage, but it looked like that man who always pushed off his work to others could only become a thug after he became adult and got kicked out of the orphanage.


    ¡¸¡­¡­What the hell are you looking at, huuuh¡¹


    The man picked a fight with me while I was watching and recalling the past.


    I was erasing my presence somewhat within the natural limitation, but it looked like my presence leaked out slightly from remembering my emotion at that time. The man saw me and noticing that I was a young woman, he walked toward me with a threatening swagger.


    ¡¸You brat, are you an adventurer? Look real neat aren¡¯t you huh. If you¡¯re adventurer with money, then how about leaving some for an unfortunate orphan.¡¹


    ¡¸You don¡¯t look like an orphan.¡¹


    ¡¸Even me is a former orphan you know. That¡¯s why it¡¯s fine for this unfortunate me to take the orphanage money.¡¹


    Orphanage was fundamentally managed using fund from the territory. If an orphanage was in poor condition, it must be because there were those like this man or the old hag who sponged off it¡­¡­.


    While the man was making incomprehensible sophism and telling me to leave behind money, the girl behind him screamed.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t involve a stranger-, I¡¯ll give you my portion, that¡¯s why please-!¡¹


    A faint self-deprecating smile formed on my lips under the shawl hiding them when I heard her words.


    This place wasn¡¯t my hometown anymore.


    ¡¸Haah? Do you think that¡¯s gonna be enough-, you©¤©¤¡¹


    *Gogyugo-!!*


    ¡¸Gyoh!?¡¹


    I instantly stepped forward and hit the man¡¯s jaw with my palm that was strengthened with magic.


    The inner part of my right glove was inserted with a thin magic steel plate so that a blade could be put inside in the worst case. Perhaps that was why I felt the feedback of his jawbone crumpling from my hand. The man made a strange voice while falling backward.


    If it was just this much then he could heal in half a month if he asked for Cure to be cast to him from the hospital. If he didn¡¯t have the money for that then he simply wouldn¡¯t be able to eat solid food for his whole life.


    During these several years, even I now was able to discern that I shouldn¡¯t kill a former orphan in front of an orphan.


    ¡¸Sorry for the bother.¡¹


    ¡¸W-wait-¡¹


    I grabbed the collar of the man who fainted while foaming from the mouth. When I started dragging him away as though to throw away the trash, the girl hurriedly called at me to stop.


    ¡¸Miss adventurer, I¡¯m sorry to drag you into this-. Also¡­¡­¡¹


    The girl stared fixedly at my face, and then she talked weakly without any confidence.


    ¡¸Could it be¡­¡­you also, lived here before?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­It¡¯s just your imagination.¡¹


    I said that briefly and started dragging away the man. The girl didn¡¯t call out to me again, but I could sense her quietly bowing at my back.


    ¡­¡­But, it was amazing that she noticed from looking at my current appearance.


    .


    One years already passed since I crushed the assassin guild branch of north frontier district. I too had turned ten years old.


    As expected the wall to rank 4 was thick. Now I could use illusion without chanting, and some of my skills outside combat had also increased to level 4, but most of my combat skills were still rank 3.


    I had also showed myself at master¡¯s place just once to report. I couldn¡¯t stay there for long because I was being targeted by underworld organizations, but I studied the spells for light sorcery and the light magic¡¯s level increased. Thanks to that my magic power control became level 4, but that was it.


    In the first place human who could reach level 4 was rare. If I had to make an example based on that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±, if there was a large tournament where all countries in the world participated in it, then athletes that could obtain the right to appear in it were rank 4 while those who got first place in each field were rank 5.


    Trying to accomplish that while you were still a teenage would require a training that put your life at risk and also unique ability.


    Even so my body had been sculpted really well in this one year. I was feeling the effect. The number of assassins and thieves who had attacked me until now had been more than fifty I think. I managed to turn the table on all of them.


    I was also proactively crushing those who preyed on children like the thief guild in that marquis territory.


    Real battle was training. And then it was definitely starting to bear fruit.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    But the greatest change that happened with me was my ¡°appearance¡± I guess¡­¡­. The change that happened to me made me unconsciously sighed.


    Perhaps because my mana increased again, or perhaps because of the nutrition management that I did under master¡¯s teaching, my outer appearance was growing together with the increase of my mana and stamina, from looking like thirteen years old previously into fourteen years old now. Being able to look like a man by putting on a mantel to hide the so called secondary sex characteristic in that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡± had stopped working for me.


    My current equipment was also something that I ordered from Gelf to match my current body build.


    It was a sleeveless black leather dress that reached until my knee, made from the membrane of a rank 4 monster Wyvern. The exclusive knife holder to be attached under the skirt on my thigh had also been remade to match my leg¡¯s growth.


    There was a slit at the inner part of the skirt, so I could also unsheathe the knife instantly.


    It was something very excellent with blade and flame resistances. Without this I would receive even more damage in my battle against rank 4 sorcerer, but Gelf wouldn¡¯t take any payment except for the material cost.


    My body shape had also changed. Flesh and fat filled some parts that didn¡¯t exist until now. It was a pain to adjust my balance and posture to account for those parts, but my status also increased together with my body¡¯s growth, so my ability was increasing on the whole.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I got a strange ¡°nickname¡± because of that though.¡¹


    What was strange with my own body was how the thickness of my arms and legs didn¡¯t really change even though my physical strength attribute had grew to rival adult male.


    When I considered this phenomenon by matching it with what master taught me, I was just guessing here but, just like how animal became monster from absorbing too much magic particle and formed magic stone inside their body, human who had formed magic stone also got their body optimized to use magic power more rather than muscle strength. It felt like my body structure was becoming similar with elf race like master.


    Human¡¯s body grew faster because of magic power in order to deal with their enlarging magic stone. But even if that was the case, the human¡¯s aging would slow down and their life span would get a bit longer. Those might also be caused by that.


    But¡­¡­if my thinking was right, the status of someone like Feld who trained even their muscles like crazy might be something absurd.


    ©¤©¤*Bum-*


    Even though the townspeople were looking at me with puzzlement, I discarded the former orphan with broken jaw to a garbage dump. Then I immediately departed to the large town where this territory¡¯s lord was living in order to fulfill my ¡°promise¡± with Galbas.


    Even the distance that took nearly two days before didn¡¯t even take half a day to traverse with my current capability.


    I left the city at evening. Then I ate and took a nap at the forest near the camping ground where I built my first base, wiped my body with a wet cloth, cleaned my body with Clean, then I moved again and reached the neighboring city the next day before noon.


    Previously I entered from a hole in the wall into the slum district, but this time I came while the gate was opened so I entered the town from the front.


    .


    ¡¸An adventurer who registered in this town huh¡­¡­. I never see your face before.¡¹


    ¡¸Because I mainly worked at the capital and Dandall.¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s amazing for someone your age.¡¹


    Adventurer could freely go in and out of the town where they registered. Even so it had been two and a half years since I came here so the soldier questioned me some, but he let me passed without trouble after checking my tag.


    ¡¸You haven¡¯t come here for a long time so be careful of the north ruin. There¡¯s a rumor of a dangerous monster appearing, so ask for more detail at the adventurer guild.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes, thank you mister soldier.¡¹


    An adventurer should have known how dangerous was this place that had a dungeon and a lot of monsters in the area, so why did he tell me something like that¡­¡­? Well, either way I planned to head to the adventurer guild, so I¡¯d ask there at that time.


    Under the sky that was still bright, I entered the area for low-income earner that was close to the slum. At the same time I blended my presence to the surrounding and made myself vanished.


    My Stealth skill had leveled up until level 4. Just like how when I first met Viro I could only distinguish his figure as a ¡°magic particle shape¡±, if the current me seriously disappeared into darkness, a mere level 1 Search skill wouldn¡¯t even feel that there was anything out of place.


    I stopped by at the territory of Marquis Kendras wasn¡¯t for crushing the thief guild there but to buy a certain something. I fixed my hold on that baggage and headed toward my destination, but if it was that person then surely he would be happy if I brought him a ¡°souvenir¡± even though it was still this bright outside.


    ¡¸Galbas, you there?¡¹


    When I called out like that from the entrance, Galbas turned his face from where he was sitting on a long chair away from the forge¡¯s fire. He was just drinking alcohol together with one other man since noon.


    ¡¸¡­¡­You huh.¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯re ¡°ash covered¡±-?¡¹


    ¡¸Long time no see you two.¡¹


    It was the person beside Galbas who called me like that. Inside there was Galbas who gave me the black knife and the old man from general store who introduced me to this smith.


    ¡¸It has been really long¡­¡­wait, you ¡®re a woman¡­¡­?¡¹


    ¡¸Are your eyes just empty hole-! She¡¯s a woman from the start, you blind old man-!¡¹


    ¡¸How can I know the gender difference of some human kid, you goddamn moron!¡¹


    ¡¸What, are you picking a fight, you obstinate geezer-!¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m not gonna be merciful even with obstinate geezer like you-!¡¹


    *Dan-!*


    ¡¸I have a request.¡¹


    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹¡¹


    I placed a special grade strong alcohol that cost me one gold coin for one bottle with a thud. I bought it from a settlement of rock dwarves who gathered as miners in the marquis territory. The two eccentric drunk old men who suddenly started quarreling stopped moving.


    ¡¸Ou¡­¡­bringing alcohol like this when visiting, you really get it even though you¡¯re just a brat.¡¹


    ¡¸What¡¯s more it¡¯s a special grade alcohol¡­¡­it has been a long time since I saw one.¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m fine with taking work from you but, I¡¯m not gonna do it if it¡¯s a boring work y¡¯know?¡¹


    ¡¸First I¡¯m paying my tab.¡¹


    *Cling¡­¡­.*


    First I took out the ¡°promised¡± golden coin from my Storage and put it on the table.


    ¡¸Ou, you¡¯re unexpectedly fast. But, a brat shouldn¡¯t overdo it¡­¡­¡¹


    *Gashan-.*


    Next I dumped all the money in my possession on the table. Seeing that not only Galbas, even the old man from general store looked dumbfounded.


    All the money that I had saved until now. Fifty large gold coins, twelve gold coins, twenty three silver coins, and some bronze coins.


    ¡¸This is everything I have. I want you to make me a ¡°blade¡± to be used exclusively for pendulum.¡¹

 Volume 3 - CH 3

    ¡¸Pendulummm?¡¹


    ¡¸This.¡¹


    Galbas tilted his head. I took out the hidden weapon with string  attached from my Storage and showed it to him by lightly swinging it.  Then Galbas¡¯s eyes lit up like a kid who saw a toy.


    ¡¸Hoo¡­¡­is this a stabbing weapon? Or a weapon tied to string?¡¹


    ¡¸I use it for both. Originally I used blunt weight for it. At times I  swung it around to cut, but its power dropped with that way, so I want  to do something about it.¡¹


    ¡¸The drop in power is due to the problem with the center of gravity.  It¡¯s important to make it balanced so that it¡¯s not too heavy and not  too light. What¡¯re you thinking for its material?¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t have any preference but, something that blood won¡¯t easily stick on will be good.¡¹


    ¡¸In that case it¡¯ll be better to use magic iron as expected. Using  mythril will be too expensive in case you lose it. Magic iron also isn¡¯t  cheap but¡­¡­oi, Victor! Do you have some magic iron ore at hand?¡¹


    Victor¡­¡­? When Galbas shouted that name, the general store¡¯s old man grinned while watching the hidden weapon in amusement.


    ¡¸There isn¡¯t anything in this city that I can¡¯t get-! Ash covered,  this isn¡¯t a weapon from this country huh. A weapon from the west is  it¡­¡­unusual.¡¹


    ¡¸This thing, it¡¯s a weapon from Justa Empire huh¡­¡­oi, ash covered-,  looks like that brat Viro isn¡¯t with you anymore but, do you still have  my knife?¡¹


    ¡¸Of course.¡¹


    I handed the black knife that was attached on my back waist to Galbas  together with the sheath. He pulled out the knife from the sheath and  frowned slightly.


    ¡¸It looks like you¡¯ve been taking care of it but, you must have gone  through some flashy battles¡­¡­. Magic steel weapon ain¡¯t as good as  mythril but, it can regenerate bit by bit using the owner¡¯s magic power  just like monster material. Yet this thing, it got some deep scratches  and even nicks on it.¡¹


    ¡¸Sorry¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Stupid idiot-, it¡¯s a weapon so it¡¯ll obviously get scratched-! This  thing only has sharpness going for it and not enough ¡°power¡±, a  half-baked weapon. From what I see, you¡¯ve gotten really strong ain¡¯t  you? It should be a good time for you to get an exclusive weapon of your  own.¡¹


    ¡¸Exclusive weapon?¡¹


    This black knife was a half-baked product that Galbas created when he  was young. He gave it to me because it was ¡°just right¡± for me. That  was why it seemed he thought that this knife didn¡¯t suit me anymore.


    But, that wasn¡¯t it.


    ¡¸No. This thing suit my fighting style. Even if nobody else can use  it properly, this knife exist to be used by me, and I too have gotten  stronger to be able to use this knife.¡¹


    Even so the knife got nicked because my technique was immature. After  I said that, Galbas placed the knife in front of him and quietly  crossed his arms and closed his eyes.


    It wasn¡¯t in my personality to be fixated with weapon but, this knife  had continued to remain in my hand even though it had been almost lost  several times. It made me thought that it suited me really well.


    Galbas pinched two large golden coins from among the coins that were  scattered on the table and tossed them. Victor caught those coins that  were flying at him.


    ¡¸Victor-!! Get me materials using those-. I¡¯m going to draw the weapon design.¡¹


    ¡¸Ou, leave it to me.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­You¡¯ll make me weapon?¡¹


    I asked the two who suddenly started getting heated up. Then Galbas  only took one more large gold coin for himself and pushed back the rest  to me.


    ¡¸Leave it to me you stupid idiot-, ain¡¯t no way I can do other things when a job this interesting came my way-!¡¹


    ¡¸But, just that much won¡¯t be enough for weapon made of magic iron¡­¡­¡¹


    Viro told me before. A knife made from magic steel cost five golden  coins at the market. He also mentioned that even Galbas¡¯s amateur work  cost more than twenty gold coins.


    ¡¸Kid shouldn¡¯t concern herself with that kinda thing-! Ain¡¯t that right, Victor-¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s how it is. Something like this is like hobby for old me like us. Hahaha-¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Thank you.¡¹


    I bowed to the two. The two laughed in amusement and Victor patted my head as though I was his grandchild.


    ¡¸Ash covered, come here again after one month. Also leave behind that knife. I¡¯ll fix it together with the new weapon.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, got it.¡¹


    One month huh. It seemed fast for making a new weapon and also fixing  a weapon. And so I left behind the black knife with Galbas.


    ¡¸Then, I¡¯ll take a sip of this alcohol for energy¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Youu, you¡¯re going to buy magic iron while drun? I¡¯ll sock your teeth in if you buy me iron scraps.¡¹


    ¡¸What, it¡¯s just a glass. You also want to drink right?¡¹


    ¡¸Well yeah¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Keep it in moderation.¡¹


    I smiled slightly at the exchange between two old men who were like  grandfathers. Then I thanked the two once more before moving to leave  the smithy, but Galbas stopped me in a hurry.


    ¡¸Oi, ash covered-! Are you planning to leave without even bringing  any substitute weapon-? What¡¯re you gonna do for this one month-¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s not like I have anything in particular that I want to use other  than that knife. Besides if it¡¯s weapon that I still have some more  with me.¡¹


    I lifted the slit of my skirt and showed the knife holster attached  on my thigh. When I did that, Galbas and Viktor spewed the alcohol they  drank and they held their heads as though they got a headache.


    ¡¸That equipment¡­¡­Gelf huh. That guy created damn strange thing¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Oi, listen well ash covered. It doesn¡¯t matter for old men like us  but, you¡¯re a young woman, so don¡¯t show your leg so easily in front of  me like that-!¡¹


    ¡¸Nn? Got it.¡¹


    Young women liked to show their legs in the city based on that  woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡± though. I don¡¯t really get it but, certainly a  hidden weapon wasn¡¯t something to be showed off.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Wait for a bit.¡¹


    Galbas held his head again for some reason seeing me nodding with a  quiet expression. He stood up and went to the back, then he handed me an  item that was wrapped in leather.


    ¡¸Take this with you for now. This weapon is just right for the current you.¡¹


    When I opened the leather wrapping, I found a magic steel dagger with strange shape inside.


    The blade¡¯s length was about the same with the black knife. It was a  weapon with only sharp tip for thrusting and no blade at its sides, but  it looked really robust with how it was a thick square at the bottom  which got pointier the further above it went.


    *Byun-!*


    ¡¸¡­¡­Amazing.¡¹


    I tried swinging it a little and then thrusting it with a step  forward. It was slightly heavier than the black knife but, it felt like  this weapon could pierce even the thick skull of monster or the joint  part of armor without turning crooked.


    Galbas looked in satisfaction at me swinging the weapon. Then Victor  who had just finished wiping the alcohol he spewed muttered with an  exasperated face.


    ¡¸What are you saying, you eccentric old man. Isn¡¯t that the thing  that you laboriously created right after you handed that knife to the  ash covered?¡¹


    ¡¸Shut your trap, you drunkard eccentric old man-!!¡¹


    The two started fighting again for some reason. I didn¡¯t say anything and just bow once more to them.


    .


    I equipped the black dagger in exchange of the black knife and then headed to the adventurer guild right away.


    Although this place was a remote region that was near the border, it  was close to monster habitat and also dungeon. The adventurer guild of  this town boasted the biggest scale in this area. It was a guild with a  lot of skilled adventurers.


    The number of adventurers that constantly came in and out was more  than a hundred. Usually an adventurer guild would only have twenty  percent of its members rank 3 or above, but in this town it was said  that thirty until forty percent of its members were rank 3 or above, so  even the baron who governed this territory couldn¡¯t really be forceful  with the guild.


    *Giiii¡­¡­.*


    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡»


    The door opened with creaking sound as I entered inside the guild  while still wearing my hood. There were around twenty adventurers inside  with several men sending dangerous gazes toward me.


    It wasn¡¯t like this was the first time I experienced this. Before  nothing happened because Viro was with me but, if a kid who wasn¡¯t of  age yet was entering here with equipments of considerable quality, there  would be those who weren¡¯t amused by it. Such tendency would be  especially striking the more half-baked of an adventurer they were.


    Based on experience, if I took off my mantel and showed that I was a  ¡°woman¡±, the place¡¯s atmosphere would change somewhat but, either way  some people would still try something with me, it was only their reason  that would be different, so I continued walking until the counter like  that. The receptionist lady¡¯s eyes slightly widened when she saw me.


    ¡¸Oh, you are¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Long time no see. I want to update my registered rank. Change it to close range adventurer ¡°Rank 3¡±.¡¹


    The familiar receptionist seemed to be the woman who processed my  registration as adventurer if I remembered right. It looked like she  also remembered me from seeing my face that was visible from the hood.


    The reason I came to adventurer guild was to increase my ¡ºadventurer rank¡».


    Until now I kept my rank at rank 1 because other people would  pointlessly pick a fight with me if my rank was mismatched with my age,  and also because it was useful to make my opponent let their guard down.  But with my current appearance that had growth to look like a thirteen  or fourteen years old, I judged that the demerit of that outweighed the  merit.


    Rank 1 could come in and out for free only at the city where they  registered. But rank 2 would have the toll fee waived off at any city in  that territory, and for those who reached rank 3, the toll would only  have to be paid when crossing to another territory, but the toll fee for  entering a city would be waived off for any city everywhere.


    But as expected, there was someone here who got offended by that.


    ¡¸A brat claiming to be rank 3!? Keep it low key when you try bullshitting!¡¹


    One of the adventurers who seemed to be in the middle of discussion with another receptionist nearby suddenly yelled.


    .


    ¨‹Male Adventurer   Race£ºHuman¡á


    ¡¾Magic Power£º75£¯75¡¿¡¾Stamina£º£²£±£¸£¯£²£¶£µ¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength£º£±£¶£µ£¨With Body Strengthening£º£±£¸£µ£©¡¿


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Overall combat strength less than 200. Male human at the middle of  his twenty. Judging from his stamina and magic power parameters, he  seemed to be a typical rank 2 vanguard who trained his body  strengthening.


    If his base combat strength was more than 200 it was possible he  could be barely counted as rank 3, but with this number, he must have  worked hard to train up several skills and increased his combat  strength, but he was unable to reach rank 3.


    If this experienced man faced a rank 3 who had only leveled up one or  two skills, then he should be able to fight in advantage. That must be  exactly why this man felt that a child like me reaching rank 3 was  ¡ºcheating¡»  and couldn¡¯t tolerate it.


    But¡­¡­what does it matter for me?


    ¡¸An adventurer¡¯s rank is decided by the guild! Please don¡¯t say whatever you like-¡¹


    The receptionist lady who was dealing with me stood up from her chair and argued like that.


    But that only brought the opposite effect in this situation.


    ¡¸Even I should be a rank 3 if a brat like this is rank 3! The  adventurer guild¡¯s Appraisal is mistaken-, I¡¯ll decide whether this brat  is really rank 3!¡¹


    I myself hadn¡¯t said anything to provoke the man, but when the  enraged man¡¯s hand reached for the sword on his waist, the adventurers  remaining inside the guild cheered and jeered as though a festival was  going to begin.


    These are rowdy adventurers. Something like this happening inside the guild must not be unusual at all.


    As expected it would become a problem if he really pulled out his  sword, even so the other adventurers didn¡¯t do anything to stop him, and  the other staffs except the receptionist lady were backing away with  faces of resignation, so perhaps they were resigned thinking that some  bloodshed couldn¡¯t be helped¡­¡­.


    The man¡¯s teammates also didn¡¯t try to stop him and looked like they  would let him do as he pleased with exasperation. They even surrounded  me so that I couldn¡¯t run away.


    The number of opponents including the man was five people. Based from  their expressions, they might be planning to stop the fight from  devolving into murder as long as the man had vented out, but¡­¡­.


    If the blade was unsheathed and pointed to someone else, then simply  the death of five people should be within acceptable degree wasn¡¯t it?


    *Clink* The metal fitting of my mantel snapped and fell on the  ground. The ¡°ash¡± illusion that was lightly sprinkled over my hair that  was hidden by the mantel¡¯s hood slightly glittered.


    The presences of several people wavered when they noticed that I was  female and furthermore a child. Among them a smirking man who seemed to  be scout instantly turned pale when he saw my face and hair. He started  sweating in abnormal amount from his face.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I, I ain¡¯t involved-!! This guy¡¯s picking a fight on his own! I ain¡¯t related at all with this guy anymoree-!!¡¹


    The scout screamed with a heartbreaking tone before backing away while tossing down his weapon.


    ¡¸O-oi?¡¹


    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong with you?¡¹


    The ghastly pale scout¡¯s teammates called out to him with  bewilderment, but he slapped away the hands that were reaching out to  him and screamed.


    ¡¸Stop-! I ain¡¯t getting involveddd-! I got no animosity with you!  That¡¯s why please, leave me alone-! ¡°Our guild¡± isn¡¯t gonna¡­¡­pick a  fight with the ¡ºAsh Crowned Princess¡»¨C!!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The scout screamed and ran out of the adventurer guild while almost  tripping on his feet several times. Several jeering adventurers inside  also turned pale and ran out of the guild. An awkward atmosphere drifted  in the air.


    ¡­¡­Aa, I see. That scout wasn¡¯t an adventurer of adventurer guild, but a ¡°thief¡± of the thief guild in this baron territory.


    The Ash Crowned Princess thing that scout spouted off was a  ¡°nickname¡± that thief guilds started calling me with since my body grew  to be like the present.


    Normally something like nickname would become inconsequential when  leaving to another area, but I didn¡¯t know what kind of contact network  they had, but the members of the thief guild anywhere would call me with  that nickname. Because of that the adventurer guilds and assassin  guilds were also starting to call me like that recently.


    That scout was acting like that most likely was also influenced by  the destruction of the ¡°militant thief guild¡± of Kendras territory that  was as feared as the thief guild of Dandall even in this northern  frontier.


    Just what kind of wicked rumor was spreading about me¡­¡­. Most likely  that scout didn¡¯t fear just me, but he also feared the purging of the  thief guild in this area that had decided to not ¡ºoppose¡» me. Anyway, it  looked like the thief guild of this area wouldn¡¯t pointlessly pick a  fight with me.


    ¡¸¡­¡­tsk¡¹


    Even though it was puzzling, the male adventurer who picked a fight  with me seemed to be affected by the awkward atmosphere and clicked his  tongue before walking away from me. His teammates also looked at me with  conflicted expressions before hesitantly lowering their heads in  apology and followed behind the man.


    After they were gone from the guild, I heard an apologetic voice talking to me.


    ¡¸My apologies. Can you please forgive him if possible? Actually  something a bit troublesome has happened to his hometown, so he is on  edge like that. ¡­¡­Even so¡¹


    The receptionist lady said that while staring fixedly at me. Then her shoulders dropped.


    ¡¸So you¡¯re¡­¡­a ¡°girl¡±.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    I was dressed like a boy that time, so it couldn¡¯t be helped for her to think that.


    Even so, just what was going on in this baron territory? There was  the warning the soldier at the gate said, and then there was what  happened with the man just now.


    ¡¸I heard a dangerous monster appeared, can you tell me what¡¯s actually going on?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸©¤©¤You, are you Aria?¡¹


    A voice that seemed to come from a boy interrupted our talk. I turned  around and saw a boy who seemed familiar staring at me with a  dumbfounded face.


    Behind him, on all fours on the ground with a face that looked even more shocked than the receptionist lady just now©¤©¤


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­is a girl¡¹


    ¡­¡­was a depressed girl who seemed to be ten years old. Her words  finally made me remembered. They were the orphan siblings who I first  met at the slum when coming to this town.


    ¡¸Long time no see¡­¡­Gil, Shuri.¡¹

 Volume 3 - CH 4

    ¡¸©¤©¤Cyclone©¤©¤¡¹


    I unleashed the level 3 Battle Skill of Short Sword Skill, Cyclone at the adventurer guild¡¯s training ground. The surface of the log that became the target was carved apart.


    The Battle Skill itself was a non-elemental magic, but this Cyclone was filed with wind element, making it a ¡°wide range attack¡± that carved apart the radius of one meter at the direction it was unleashed using wind blades.


    To be honest its power and ease of use were inferior than level 1 Battle Skill Thrust, but this Battle Skill could be used to disperse flame or wind attribute attack sorcery instantly, and it was very effective against a swarm of small monsters.


    I only saw this Battle Skill once when the leader of Mercenary of Dawn Dagget used it.


    It was a pain to become able to use it based on seeing it just once, even so I unexpectedly managed it somehow after burning that sight into my eyes and experiencing the skill with my own body.


    I swung the black dagger once to brush off the magic power¡¯s heat before sheathing it on my back waist, then there was clapping sound and the receptionist lady approached me the same like before.


    ¡¸Splendid. Your body seems to have grown from magic power, but for you to reach rank 3 in that age, did you perhaps have someone very famous as your teacher?¡¹


    ¡¸I guess¡­¡­¡¹


    It seemed that the memory of me coming together with Viro here had been erased from inside the woman¡¯s mind.


    I received training from master who was a famous sorcerer in the underworld, but I learned the basic of short sword skill from Feld, learned Battle Skill from Viro, and then got corrected by Sera, but it was mostly from being self-taught in actual battle by scraping off the useless parts in my pursuit for efficiency.


    When I tried recalling the short sword skill of Viro and Sera, I noticed that there were diverse forms from various martial art schools.


    I wouldn¡¯t say that they were unnecessary, but I who didn¡¯t have the time or experience to become proficient in all of them instead chose to train only in the basic forms to heighten the precision and power of a single attack.


    Any living creature would die if they were stabbed with a blade, regardless of what kind of technique was used. It was my pet theory that if a vital spot was stabbed from the perfect angle without even a millimeter of measurement error, the result wouldn¡¯t be inferior to thousands of technique.


    Besides the tactic of combining illusion and poison became my basic way of fighting.


    ¡¸Then please accept this. It¡¯s the ¡°rank 3¡± tag of adventurer guild.¡¹


    ¡¸Thank you.¡¹


    The common tag of adventurer guild was made from a copper sheet the size of a thumb attached to a thin chain like a pendant. This newly made tag didn¡¯t only show rank 3, it also had magic iron that wouldn¡¯t rust mixed in, so the color was slightly darker.


    If I just wanted to become rank 3, I had considered of showing my light magic.


    Level 3 light sorcery had two spells. One of them was Remove. Something cursed was required for the spell to be used. The other spell High Heal consumed a lot of magic power to use, but it was a sorcery that could heal and recover in short time with great effect. Just being able to use that would gather a lot of attentions from various places, so I gave up that idea in the end.


    I paid three silver coins as the cost for registration update¡¯s fee and returned to the lobby that was still filled with awkward atmosphere. There the siblings from the slum Gil and Shuri were waiting for me.


    ¡¸Ari¡­¡­¡¹


    Shuri was about to call out to me, so I shook my head to shut her up.


    This wasn¡¯t really good¡­¡­. The adventurers who looked like they might be connected with the underworld had left outside before this so it was alright right now, but although the thief guild of this town said that they weren¡¯t opposing me, it wasn¡¯t something that could be fully trusted.


    That was why it was possible that someone could be dragged into trouble later on just because they were my acquaintance.


    ¡­¡­Should I crush them now while I could? But that would be no different from Grave who tried to kill me ¡ºjust in case¡». It rubbed me the wrong was a little. In the first place the difference between Grave and me was in ¡°what we were protecting¡±, but perhaps his way of thinking and mine weren¡¯t that different from each other. But, we got into a murderous relationship just from that single difference.


    Anyway, that was something for later.


    I signaled them with only my gaze, then I left the adventurer guild while ignoring them. Once outside, I entered a nearby alley and then Gil and Shuri came following me after a while.


    .


    ¡¸Is it alright with this? A¡­¡­Aria?¡¹


    The big brother Gil called my name while acting suspiciously. He considered me as a rival previously but, the competitiveness had left him the moment he learned that I was a woman.


    As expected he must be unable to consider a woman as a rival. Even though he would avert his gaze when his eyes met mine, he kept sending glances at me. He might be angry at me for hiding my gender.


    ¡¸Yes. It¡¯ll be better if you don¡¯t get involved with me. It¡¯ll bring you a lot of troubles.¡¹


    ¡¸What do you mean by that¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸You¡¯re so stupid, Nii-chan. Aria is rank 3 you know? Surely she¡¯s doing an important work, so she can¡¯t tam up with beginners like us. That¡¯s what she¡¯s saying.¡¹


    It looked like they wanted to talk to me because they wanted to team up.


    ¡¸I know that. More importantly, are you alright already Shuri? Even though you looked really down like that-¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­A lot of things happened, like Aria suddenly getting this big or that she¡¯s actually a woman but, even if she¡¯s a girl, if she¡¯s this pretty and cool than that too might be ¡°fine¡±¡­¡­fufufufufufufu¡¹


    ¡¸No, that¡¯s not fine you know-!?¡¹


    Shuri¡¯s laugh seemed unhealthy somehow, but she glared back angrily at Gil for his words.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Even though Nii-chan yourself also can¡¯t meet Aria¡¯s eyes now that she¡¯s pretty.¡¹


    ¡¸Wha-, you-!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Is that all you want to talk with me?¡¹


    ¡¸Wa, wait a second-!¡¹


    The talk was starting to deviate to a strange direction, perhaps because they were getting high-tensioned from the reunion after a long time. When I ended the talk, Gil stopped me with an anxious look.


    ¡¸We want to team up with you, actually because there¡¯s a place that we want to go to¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Nii-chan-¡¹


    ¡¸Shuri, even you don¡¯t think that things are fine like this right-¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­You two, talk from the beginning.¡¹


    I ended their incomprehensible conversation and made them talked from the start.


    ¡¸Actually¡­¡­we, weren¡¯t born in this town. We came from a smaller town at the west.¡¹


    Gil and Shuri talked alternately. I consolidated their incoherent talking inside my head.


    The two were born in a small town at the west. Their mother died early and their father married another woman several years later, but even their father apparently died from an epidemic several years later.


    For a while the two lived with the second wife and a little brother who was born from the second marriage, but as expected they had a difficult life. The second wife wanted to leave the family¡¯s field to her own son instead of the two who weren¡¯t connected by blood with her. She then colluded with her own family to chase away the two and abandoned them in this town.


    It seemed I met them right after that happened. It was difficult for two children who had normal life until then to live in the slum where they had no knowledge at all, but surely they made it until now because someone like Victor from the general store watched over them even with all his nagging.


    ¡¸¡­¡­It really helped us that time when Aria saved us and even gave us money.¡¹


    ¡¸Aria was really cool back then, so we also wanted to become strong and now we became an adventurer.¡¹


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹


    I didn¡¯t do anything. I only killed an enemy.


    ¡¸We sold rabbits to the general store¡¯s old man and asked Galbas to sell us weapon-¡¹


    ¡¸Look, it¡¯s this one-¡¹


    The two of them proudly showed a steel short sword and knife to me. Certainly those weapons seemed to be ¡°just right¡± for them right now.


    Even so it wasn¡¯t likely that these two could buy weapons of this quality from selling battered rabbits that they hunted. Surely these were like gifts from those two eccentric old men. ¡­¡­They were really kindhearted.


    After that when Shuri became ten she became an adventurer together with Gil who turned thirteen¡­¡­or not, they still didn¡¯t have combat type skill right now so it seemed they were earning money by working as baggage carrier for other adventurers.


    ¡¸There is a senior here who we knew from when we were living in our hometown. We asked him to become baggage carrier for his party.¡¹


    ¡¸They also teach us how to fight sometimes. They don¡¯t know sorcery at all though!¡¹


    And then one day while they were living like that, they heard a strange rumor.


    ¡¸Orc huh.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    Based from what I heard from that receptionist lady, it still hadn¡¯t been announced but, it seemed orcs were forming a settlement at a location slightly to the west from a ruin that was near to the monster habitat.


    Furthermore that location seemed to be placed in the middle of the ruin and a human town. Apparently several people had already become victims.


    If that was the case I thought that the baron would dispatch soldiers or that town would make a request to the adventurer guild, but when the baron actually requested an adventurer scout to investigate the orc settlement, a terrifying fact came to light.


    In the settlement there were more than fifty rank 3 normal orcs.


    Four rank 4 orc soldiers.


    And then a rank 5 that was commanding them¡­¡­an orc general was confirmed to be present.


    The soldiers of the baron in this town numbered 150. That number would swell into 300 if soldiers from other towns were gathered, but the majority of them were rank 1 or 2. The rank 3 commanding officers only numbered around thirty. Rank 4 knight or soldier numbered very few and they were usually living in the capital or large city in this kingdom.


    There was also system of recruiting ordinary people as militia in wartime, but that was if the opponent was human. Even if there was a thousand of them, the possibility was high that they would be massacred if they faced a group of orc with rank 3 strength at the lowest.


    It might be possible to fight them with just the soldiers if there were only normal orcs or just the four orc soldiers, but with the presence of just one orc general, it was likely that they would have to sacrifice more than half of the soldiers to win. Furthermore some soldiers had to stay behind to maintain public order. Dispatching one hundred soldiers with ten rank 3 as commanding officers would be the limit. The receptionist lady said that the subjugation force would likely be annihilated with such number.


    In that case they should ask for the adventurer guild to take care of it but, it seemed that just to defeat a single orc general would need a party of five where three or more of them needed to be rank 4. And in the end that number was only assuming that the opponent was just the orc general alone.


    But, at present there was not a single rank 4 adventurer in this baron territory and the surrounding area. It seemed that right now the guild was planning to call for someone with such qualification and placed them to lead the adventurers, but that plan also couldn¡¯t be approved right now.


    The baron hesitated to send out his army fearing that they would be annihilated, while the adventurer guild couldn¡¯t forcefully send out adventurers for this kind of situation, unless it was an emergency like the appearance of a lot of monsters.


    Even if the adventurer guild cooperated, there were a lot of things that hadn¡¯t been decided, like whether it was the baron or that town that should pay for the cost, how far should the adventurers deal with the situation, etc. And like that there wasn¡¯t anywhere that could take action.


    Right now that town was still holding by using logs to reinforce the fence that had been there from the start to repel monster, but it was assumed that they wouldn¡¯t be able to hold for long if the orcs got serious.


    ¡¸That town is¡­¡­our hometown.¡¹


    Gil said that while biting his lip. Shuri¡¯s face grimaced beside him.


    ¡¸¡­¡­It doesn¡¯t matter what happen to that town. The woman who abandoned us is in that town.¡¹


    ¡¸Even so, our little brother is also there, and we also have friends there-¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t remember any friend there anymore. Besides someone like that woman¡¯s son¡­¡­isn¡¯t my little brother-¡¹


    ¡¸Shuri-!¡¹


    Gil scolded Shuri. But he was at a loss for words, perhaps because he could also understand her feeling. Then he turned toward me.


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­it¡¯s fine if it¡¯s just me. Can you bring me to that town?¡¹


    ¡¸Nii-chan-, don¡¯t-! Nii-chan might die there-!¡¹


    Even though he had no good memory and had bitter experience there, Gil wanted to help his acquaintances.


    Although at the inside Shuri loathed to let her stepbrother die, she was more scared of Gil dying.


    ¡¸You mentioned acquaintances, what about that adventurer who came from that town?¡¹


    ¡¸It looks like those people are going there. I tried asking them to take me along but, they refused because it¡¯ll be dangerous¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Obviously!¡¹


    Well of course¡­¡­.


    ¡¸I also won¡¯t. I won¡¯t take you two there.¡¹


    ¡¸Aria-¡¹


    Gil took a step forward, but I lightly swept his leg to make him fell. Then I pressed a knife on his neck.


    ¡¸You two will just die even if you go.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­gu¡¹


    Gil groaned from being made to realize how powerless he was, to be so easily swept off his feet by a younger woman.


    ¡¸Besides©¤©¤¡¹


    I threw my pendulum to ¡°there¡± without even looking. The man who was lurking there jumped out.


    I quickly controlled the first pendulum I threw to wrap around the ankle of the man who tried to run away. The second pendulum I threw wrapped around the man¡¯s neck and I pulled him to fall on the ground.


    ¡¸Thief? Or assassin?¡¹


    ¡¸N-no-! I was just checking the situation, I¡¯m not going against the guild¡¯s decision-! I also didn¡¯t saw them-, that¡¯s why©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸Say your excuse at the other side.¡¹


    ¡¸W-wait¡¹


    *Snap¡­¡­!*


    Using the string wrapped around the man¡¯s neck as lever, I twisted and broke the man¡¯s neck to the side.


    ¡¸I¡¯m being targeted by thief guild and assassin guild. That¡¯s why I won¡¯t take burdens who can¡¯t protect themselves with me.¡¹


    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹¡¹


    I tossed the corpse of the thief who learned about Gil and Shuri¡¯s existences to a corner that couldn¡¯t be seen from the main street like it was a trash. The two¡¯s complexions worsened seeing that.


    Even if we were at the same ¡°place¡±, the ¡°world¡± that the two and me were living in were too different.


    This was most likely the best way.


    It was so that the two who didn¡¯t have sufficient strength to fight would survive.


    That was why©¤©¤


    ¡¸I¡¯ll go check that town¡¯s situation. I¡¯ll at least help if anyone want to escape from there, so you two, stay in this town.¡¹


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­¡¹


    Gil muttered in a daze. Shuri rubbed her eyes with her sleeve.


    I walked not toward the main street but toward the dark back alley. Shuri¡¯s small ¡ºPlease¡» voice reached toward my back as I walked away.

 Volume 3 - CH 5

    About the hometown of Gil and Shuri, I could look at its location from the geography information of this baron territory that the guild made available to public.


    More detailed information would be considered as military secret, but there was no problem if I only wanted to know about geography information for the direction to there. Now that I had become rank 3, I could also ask for a bit more detail.


    ¡¸You¡¯re going to that town?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­You¡¯ll stop me?¡¹


    That receptionist lady found me looking at the map and called out to me. I planned to go even if she stopped me but, the lady shook her head a little when I asked her that.


    ¡¸I want to stop someone your age from going but, strength-wise the possibility of you coming back alive if you go alone is higher than other adventurers. But remember to not be reckless. This guild is expecting a rank 3 scout to come back with information from the actual place.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Will you buy information from me?¡¹


    ¡¸Of course.¡¹


    She and I shared a small smile. I received the newest information about the orcs that she expressly brought to me. After that I spent the whole day gathering information before departing from this town the next day.


    I didn¡¯t meet that adventurer who picked a fight with me. I didn¡¯t plan to do anything to him even if we did meet, but if he picked a fight with me outside the town, there would be no need for me to wait until he drew out his blade this time. That¡¯s all.


    .


    My destination was a dangerous area, so naturally there was no stagecoach that was heading there. It also didn¡¯t look like that any merchant would send carriage there, so just in case I purchased supply that worth one gold coin and put them into my Storage and backpack.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Well, I won¡¯t use carriage anyway.¡¹


    Gil and Shuri¡¯s hometown was three days away using carriage from this town where the baron lived. The distance would need five days to travel if by walking.


    If it was me then I guessed I¡¯d be able to arrive in two days. I got out of the town from the north gate and walked on the highway for a while so I wouldn¡¯t attract attention. Then I gradually increased my speed before I broke out running toward the town with around 60% of my full speed.


    When a lot of trees started appearing at the sides of the hgihway, I used Stealth by blending the color of the magic particles inside my body to match the surrounding. I used Night Vision to be on my guard toward the surrounding while erasing the sound I made using my leg muscles that were strengthened with Body Strengthening. This area was close to monster habitat, so a lot of monsters appeared near the border. Even so there shouldn¡¯t be that many monsters at a highway near a town.


    Even in this world where monsters were a threat, places like normal villages could live with only fence as protection because smart and strong monsters had the tendency to avoid human settlement. If that wasn¡¯t the case then monsters and humans would continue to fight until one side vanished.


    Monster with intelligence knew how scary humans were with the way they were living in group and arming themselves with weapons.


    The adventurer guild¡¯s investigation also reported that only monsters like wolf or goblin would appear around this highway¡­¡­in the past.


    ¡¸¡­¡­ah¡¹


    One hobgoblin suddenly appeared from the forest beside the highway.


    I saw it suddenly appearing from outside the range of my detection. I instantly strengthened my body while still keeping my stealth, then using special footwork I leaped over the hobgoblin and kicked the side of its head with my heel.


    ¡ºGHAA!?¡»


    The hobgoblin groaned from the sudden blow. I used the momentum from my kick to pierce its brain from its neck using the black dagger. Then I used its head as a foothold and jumped. I landed on the ground and broke into a run before the goblin fell on the ground.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡­¡­That was a bit surprising.


    A hobgoblin appeared in this area even though it shouldn¡¯t be the case. That should mean two things.


    First, the orc settlement definitely existed and the monsters that were originally living in that area were starting to drift to other area.


    And then, for monster to also appear near the highway like this meant that the soldiers who should be patrolling here hadn¡¯t done their job. Perhaps they were barricading themselves in a place somewhere.


    It must be really chaotic at the baron¡¯s side too¡­¡­.


    It was unknown whether he could exterminate the orcs with only the force he had right now. And so if there was something that the baron could do in this situation right now, it was to seek help from someone like his patron Count Taurus. There were no soldiers around here because he wanted to prevent any loss to his force before reinforcement arrived.


    But, there was no guarantee that it was the correct decision. Even if Count Taurus sent reinforcement, the need to gather soldiers and provisions in this winter season would delay their arrival. They would arrive in this baron territory within two months at the shortest. It was also possible that the count would only dispatch his soldiers when spring came if he thought that this matter wasn¡¯t that important.


    That was the same with the adventurer guild. Adventurers were ¡ºassets¡», workers for the guild. In the current situation where they only had rank 3 adventurers at the highest, the guild was unable to issue an enforced quest knowing that the adventurers sent would only die. They could only wait until the only rank 4 they could find arrive while forming a plan.


    The situation would likely change in several more months. But¡­¡­.


    ¡¸A small town won¡¯t last until then.¡¹


    .


    I had some naps in between while continuing to run through the highway. Two days later I arrived at the town exactly like I confirmed at the adventurer guild.


    Its population was around 2000 people. Most of the townspeople were making their living by farming. From that, this place felt more like a large village rather than a small town.


    There were also farms spreading out outside the wall that was surrounding the town, but they hadn¡¯t been tended on and looked ruined. Perhaps deer and other small animals were coming by because people stopped tending the farms.


    Looking at that town from afar, I could see stone wall that had the height of an average human surrounding it, but even though that wall could defend against goblin attack, it didn¡¯t look sufficient to defend against attack from powerful monsters like orc. That was exactly why the stone wall was being reinforced by logs and stakes, but something like that would only serve to give them a peace of mind.


    ¡¸Oi, you there-, what¡¯s your business here-¡¹


    When I approached, a man who seemed to be a soldier called out from on top of a tower behind the closed gate.


    ¡¸I¡¯m an adventurer. I got a quest from a past resident here to check on the condition of the town.¡¹


    ¡¸Advnturer? A girl like you?¡¹


    ¡¸You won¡¯t let me in?¡¹


    ¡¸A-aa, sorry. I¡¯ll open the gate so come in quick.¡¹


    The soldier hurriedly got down from the watchtower and then the reinforced gate opened slightly with creaking sound.


    ¡¸Sorry but, we¡¯re going to close the gate right away. Come in quick-¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    The gate was only opened until a human could enter just barely. I entered into the town from there before two soldiers immediately closed the gate and placed a thick bolt over it.


    ¡¸Fuu¡­¡­you¡¯re adventurer? You know about this town¡¯s situation right? To be honest we¡¯ll be grateful if you can help protecting this place but¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸I understand.¡¹


    I had taken out some supplies from my Storage before arriving. When I handed it to the soldier who first saw me, his expression brightened seeing what was inside.


    ¡¸Nice-. Merchant won¡¯t come here so salt is in short supply!¡¹


    With the town in lockdown like this, they would have little food to share with traveler who came during this trying time, though it would be a different story if the one coming could help with the fighting.


    When human lacked salt content, their body would seek salt and their sense of taste would change. The salt I handed wouldn¡¯t be enough to be shared with the townspeople too, but the soldiers and the people working to reinforce the wall needed more salt than usual, so I thought that they would lack salt with the merchants stopped coming here. Because of that I bought one gold coin worth of salt before coming here.


    ¡¸And, how¡¯s the situation?¡¹


    I called out to the soldiers who were rejoicing that they would be able to have proper meal after this. Their expression immediately darkened and the two soldiers started talking alternately.


    ¡¸¡­¡­You¡¯re asking about the orcs right? A group of orc came here several weeks ago and the farmers working outside the wall fell victim to them.¡¹


    ¡¸Adventurers who said that they received a quest from the lord also came. They investigated, and when they came back they said there¡¯re really lots of orcs¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸The place the orcs are settling down at might be the village that got abandoned ten years ago. Those guys are omnivore and brought the crops outside the wall with them but, they¡¯ll surely come attacking again if those foods run out. If the lord¡¯s army haven¡¯t come before that¡­¡­hey, how¡¯s it going with the adventurer guild? Is there anyone coming©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸Oiiii!¡¹


    At that timing, four men wearing armor who seemed to be adventurers came from the direction of the town settlement. We stopped talking when we noticed that they were running this way.


    ¡¸Did something happen-!?¡¹


    ¡¸Y-you-!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Those adventurers were the man who picked a fight with me at the guild and his teammates.


    To meet him again at this kind of place¡­¡­. Come to think of it, I heard that this man was originally from this town, but could it be that his party was also the one that was hiring Gil and Shuri?


    As expected the thief who pretended to be scout wasn¡¯t here but, the man who picked fight with me stared at me and questioned me.


    ¡¸You, why the hell are you here!¡¹


    ¡¸Wait wait-! I don¡¯t know what happened between you two but, stop it Kevin!¡¹


    The soldier panicked seeing the dangerous atmosphere and cut in.


    Perhaps my action of handing salt was effective. The soldier seemed to be an acquaintance of this man who was born in this town©¤©¤Kevin. For now it didn¡¯t seem that he would back up Kevin unconditionally.


    Then Kevin¡¯s teammates who had guilty feeling toward me also took advantage of that to remonstrate him.


    ¡¸Yeah, stop that. This little miss is really strong right?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Come to think of it, did you manage to become rank 3?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    I was on my guard just in case while taking out my tag from behind the chest area of my leather dress. Seeing that, they and also the soldiers let out surprised voices.


    ¡¸Ooo¡¹


    ¡¸She¡¯s really rank 3¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s amazing even though you¡¯re this young.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­tsk¡¹


    Kevin clicked his tongue seeing my tag and took a step back from the crowd.


    ¡¸¡­¡­And, what do you actually came here for?¡¹


    ¡¸An acquaintance asked me to check the situation here. It seems he has family and friend here. Rather than that, aren¡¯t the residents going to run away?¡¹


    Kevin¡¯s eyes widened from that question I asked casually.


    ¡¸You don¡¯t understand anything!! The people here have lived here since they were born! They don¡¯t know how to live anywhere but here, and there are also those who¡¯ll prefer to die together with their farm!¡¹


    ¡¸Kevin-!¡¹


    ¡¸I told you stop already.¡¹


    Kevin tried to lash out at me again. His teammates grabbed his arms and stopped him.


    The soldier who I first met seemed to think that the talk wouldn¡¯t progress if Kevin kept butting in every time like this. He sighed before explaining to me.


    ¡¸People who got money or relative at other town had already run away a long time ago¡­¡­. But, just like that idiot said, there¡¯re old people who can¡¯t live anywhere else and sick people here. The families of those people can¡¯t just get up and run. We might manage if we have time but¡­¡­¡¹


    He said that around thirty percent of the townspeople were still unable to evacuate. After saying that, the soldier looked at me with a pleading gaze.


    ¡¸Say, you. How¡¯s the situation at the adventurer guild? Can¡¯t they do something?¡¹


    ¡¸Still nothing. The guild can¡¯t move right now when they still can¡¯t find a rank 4 party.¡¹


    ¡¸I¡­¡­see.¡¹


    He must have guessed. The soldier¡¯s shoulders dropped dejectedly hearing my words.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Do something about this if you¡¯re really rank 3¡¹


    Kevin who was being held back by his teammates spat that out while looking at me.


    I see¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Let him go. I¡¯ll keep him company for a bit.¡¹


    ¡¸Wait, Kevin is just being too on edge.¡¹


    When I said that, one of Kevin¡¯s teammates who was holding him back spoke to stop me. He might be worried for either of us. I paid him no mind and lightly beckoned with my fingertip while looking at him coldly.


    ¡¸Can you only talk? You want to know right? Of ¡°rank 3¡±.¡¹


    ¡¸What did you say-!¡¹


    Kevin was enraged by my provocation and he finally unsheathed his sword.


    ¡¸Oi, stop!¡¹


    As expected the soldiers couldn¡¯t overlook it if this devolved into a bloodshed. They tried to stop us, but I unleashed level 3 ¡°Pressure¡±together with ¡°killing intent¡±.


    ¡º©¤©¤tsu!?¡»


    The soldiers and Kevin¡¯s teammates froze from my killing intent. Among them, only Kevin who stopped just from my killing intent brandished his sword at me even though his expression was convulsing.


    ¡¸¡­¡­U-UAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡¹


    His attack couldn¡¯t be called a sword skill. I slipped past that messed up swordsmanship that was like a kid¡¯s swing and my palm heel struck Kevin¡¯s face.


    ¡¸Gugah¡­¡­¡¹


    Kevin¡¯s head snapped backward and he groaned while falling face up. During that I struck his wrist and made him dropped his sword,


    Then without pause my fist punched Kevin¡¯s defenseless chest and stomach.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Ga, go, gah, gi!¡¹


    Air left his lung from each blow and his complexion was turning ashen.


    I wouldn¡¯t use dagger on you. You should have been swinging sword longer than I had lived. But, your sword was lacking ¡°power¡±.


    Even though you were pointing your sword at me with anger, I couldn¡¯t see the ¡°resolve¡± to kill me in it.


    What do you want to do¡­¡­with that kind of half-baked resolve?


    I mercilessly hit his arms, stomach, chest, face, the positions of his internal organs with speed that his eyes couldn¡¯t follow. I beat him up one-sidedly.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Gu¡­¡­ha¡­¡­¡¹


    Kevin crumbled like a puppet that lost its support when my fist stopped punching.


    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡»


    Kevin was in tatters in less than fifteen seconds. The soldiers and Kevin¡¯s teammates were looking at me in fear. I paid them no mind at all and looked down coldly on Kevin who was lying down face up.


    ¡¸Kevin, who¡¯s your ¡°enemy¡±? What¡¯s the ¡°reason¡± you¡¯re wielding sword?¡¹


    Even so, I didn¡¯t deny him.


    If you were pointing your sword toward me with ¡°your own reason¡±, at that time I¡¯d kill you as a human¡­¡­as a warrior.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­guh¡¹


    Even though he was in tatters, Kevin glared back at me who was looking down coldly on him. He changed his pain into anger and lifted up his body.


    ¡¸I¡¯m¡­¡­going to¡­¡­protect¡­¡­the people here¡¹


    ¡¸Then do that.¡¹


    I walked away from Kevin and faced the people around me.


    ¡¸The adventurers there, escort the townspeople away from here while keeping alert of orcs. The soldier there, how long it¡¯ll take until the townspeople who¡¯re delayed from running away can finish evacuating?¡¹


    ¡¸A, aa, five weeks¡­¡­no, give us four weeks! All the soldiers here¡¯ll manage it somehow-¡¹


    ¡¸Then please do.¡¹


    The soldier seemed to think something from watching the exchange between Kevin and me. There was light in his eyes that wasn¡¯t there before this. If it was them, then I guess they wouldn¡¯t give up even when the situation was despairing.


    ¡¸¡­¡­What are you going to do?¡¹


    Kevin¡¯s teammates looked at me in anxiety. I glanced at Kevin.


    ¡¸He said it right? Do something if you¡¯re rank 3¡­¡­¡¹


    Surely he would be fine now. With this they would manage to evacuate the townspeople somehow even without me doing anything.


    With this I could do ¡°my own role¡±. That was why©¤©¤.


    I unsheathed the black dagger and turned my face toward the direction of the abandoned village where the orc settlement was located.


    ¡¸One month¡­¡­. I¡¯ll buy you that time.¡¹


    .


    Because¡­¡­that was the ¡°promise¡± that I made with those two.

 Volume 3 - CH 6

    I would hold back a group of orc that included a rank 5 by myself for a month.


    Anyone would surely consider me crazy or suicidal if they only heard that sentence. I thought that it would cause some argument in a good or bad sense when I announced that, but perhaps I had threatened everyone too much with my pressure, because everyone there consented instead.


    The number of enemies based on the previously obtained information was more than fifty normal orcs who were equivalent to rank 3 each, four orc soldiers who were equivalent to rank 4 each, and then an orc general who was a rank 5. Militias with no combat skill wouldn¡¯t even serve as meat shield if they fought such group head on. Even soldiers with proper training would need ten times the orc¡¯s number in order to match them.


    Thinking properly, anyone should think that a hundred or more adventurers and soldiers would be needed just to hold back such group of orc.


    ¡­¡­That was based on ¡°proper¡± thinking.


    Perhaps I would be able to find the house where Gil and Shuri were living in if I searched for it but, I had no intention of looking after someone I didn¡¯t know. If Gil and Shuri¡¯s little brother and stepmother planned to run away then I¡¯d at least buy them time to do that. But, it would be their own choice whether to run or stay here.


    I had heard about the general location of the orc group from the guild¡¯s receptionist lady, but the soldier who first talked to me told me about the location in more detail. I then headed toward the orc¡¯s base right at that same day without staying for the night.


    I was told that it was two days distance from here with the average adventurer¡¯s speed, so I should be able to shorten it to around half a day if it was me.


    The location had a village until around ten years ago, so there should be a road for carriage to there, but now that road had been reduced into animal trail now after ten years had passed.


    I tried examining the ground when the road turned into grassy place midway. I found large footprints that had passed through there recently, so it seemed that I wasn¡¯t heading to a wrong way.


    After that I found several more spots that had similar footprints. From there I guessed that the orcs weren¡¯t moving independently but in group of around three.


    Orc¡¯s intelligence was something like above goblin but below human, however higher rank monster had the tendency of getting smarter, so I could catch some glimpses even just from the footprints and trails I found that the orcs were under a leadership.


    I wouldn¡¯t say that I couldn¡¯t defeat a group of orc that consisted of at least three orcs, but the opponents were still rank 3 monsters despite everything. It was possible that they would call for help if I failed to defeat all of them.


    Monster¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t in their flexibility and adaptability from having multiple skills like human, but their brute force from their single skill and high status. An orc¡¯s combat strength was only around half of mine despite also being a rank 3, but I would be in disadvantage if I faced more than one of them due to their high stamina point. I wouldn¡¯t be able to whittle down their stamina completely in a protracted battle.


    Besides even if I defeated some orcs, the other orcs could discover their corpses and learned that they were under attack. In that case they might attack the town as revenge.


    The omnivorous orcs were staling the corps remaining in the farms outside the town, so they weren¡¯t troubled for food until now, but just like human, surely they would get greedy after their basic need was fulfilled and they would want meat next.


    Orc was omnivorous. And they liked meat more than vegetable. I guessed they were also hunting around the abandoned village, but if they ran out of game there, the orcs would definitely attack the small town for ¡°meat¡±.


    ¡¸¡­¡­But¡¹


    I mustn¡¯t misunderstand here. I wasn¡¯t a hero or a saint.


    What I had to do wasn¡¯t ¡°exterminating¡± the orcs. I mustn¡¯t forget that in the end my objective was only to ¡°buy time¡± until the town¡¯s residences escaped. To do that, what I needed to do wasn¡¯t hunting the orcs who were procuring food and driving them into a corner, but maintaining the current situation.


    A self-deprecating smile formed on my lips as I was considering such strategy.


    ¡¸¡­¡­The¡¯s no such thing as ¡°proper¡± strategy at this point of time though.¡¹


    .


    I advanced through the forest while keeping myself hidden. Half a day passed before I encountered orcs walking inside the forest. As I thought they seemed to be moving in a team of three. It was very troublesome but they weren¡¯t beyond my means to defeat.


    .


    ¨‹Orc£¨Ordinary Type£©¡¡Race£ºBeast Demihuman?Rank£³


    ¡¾Magic Power£º72£¯80¡¿¡¾Stamina£º£³£¹£²£¯£´£²£°¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength£º£²£·£¹£¨With Body Strenghtening£º£³£²£°£©¡¿


    .


    It seemed they were equipped with rusty spear or crude stone axe, but I should be warier toward their stamina parameter. It was possible that I wouldn¡¯t be able to finish them off even with surprise attack when their stamina was that high.


    They weren¡¯t carrying any prey with them so these orcs were most likely patrols against external enemy that dared entered their territory. In that case I would only put the orcs in high alert pointlessly if this team didn¡¯t go back. Even if I wanted to target them I could only wait until they were very far away from their settlement.


    After that I encountered another orcs several times. I hid inside a bush to wait them to pass me or crawl on the ground to slip from their side. Then I finally arrived at the abandoned village where the orc group was living.


    It looked like that village originally had logs driven into the ground to act as wall that surrounded it, but some spots had become very damaged or rotten now. The orcs only piled some rocks half-heartedly at those spots to block the hole.


    I returned into the forest temporarily, then slathered my mantel with the soil and mud of the area to cover up my figure and scent. I also slathered mood on my face and hair.


    From here, I couldn¡¯t be discovered by them even once.


    They mustn¡¯t detect me even once until I had finished all my ¡°preparations¡±.


    I had a meal that only consisted of a bit of dried meat and nutrition pills that were made with alchemy. I hid myself by clinging on a tall tree trunk until it became dark at night.


    When I saw that the surrounding had become dark enough, I placed rabbit leather on the bottom of my boots. It was a countermeasure to erase my footstep¡¯s sound. I blended the magic particles inside my body with the surrounding using Magic Power Control that had become level 4. Using Stealth that had also became level 4 thanks to Magic Power Control, I became a ¡°shadow¡± inside the darkness and started moving.


    I didn¡¯t touch the orcs. I didn¡¯t put my hand on them even when there was a chance.


    According to that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±, one should approach from downwind when moving stealthily. But that method was only half correct in this world.


    If it was me who erased my ¡°human¡± scent with sorcery Clean and blended to the surrounding using mud scent, rather than purposefully going against the wind direction and creating an unnatural flow of air, I should instead match my moving speed with the slow night breeze. With that my existence could completely melted into the darkness.


    *Hyun¡­¡­.*


    I wrapped my pendulum around the wall¡¯s rotten log and infiltrated into the abandoned village soundlessly.


    Calculating based on the village¡¯s size and the number of still remaining houses, this village¡¯s population should be around 500 people. The farms that should have been outside the village had been swallowed by the forest, but there were also some places inside the abandoned village that seemed to be a farm with wild grasses covering them. Surrounded by those unattended farms were forty houses at the center, and another thirty houses spread out at the east, west, south. The orcs were using those half rotten houses as they pleased.


    First I investigated the accurate number and positions of the orcs. I checked how many orcs there were in each section. And then I would search the locations of the orc general and orc soldiers. I wouldn¡¯t be able to make detailed plan without first knowing that.


    I investigated those until morning. The result was that at the west there were around 15 orcs and one orc soldier. At the east there were only several orcs who doubled as sentinels. At the south there were less than twenty orcs and one orc soldier.


    At the center there were around fifteen orcs and two orc soldiers. I assumed that the general was also somewhere at the center. I only assumed that because I judged that it would be dangerous to approach that place that was emitting a strong presence.


    I didn¡¯t grasp the accurate number but just a rough count because there were several orcs that were patrolling at night. I couldn¡¯t get the accurate count, but even so my count shouldn¡¯t be that much different from the number of fifty orcs that was the result of the investigation of the adventurer that the baron hired.


    I returned to the forest before dawn came and put some distance away from the abandoned village before I started picking some will grasses.


    I picked herbs that could be used as medicine and poisonous herbs. Some of the plants that grew in this area could be turned into poison when combined with the ingredients that I had at hand. Plants that could be eaten raw would become my food.


    Insects or frogs would be more poisonous when making poison using ingredients from this kind of forest, but it would be pointless if I couldn¡¯t secure the necessary amount, so I limited the ingredients to only plants from the start.


    I also found a rare mushroom that could be used for either poison or medicine, so I gathered as much vines as I could and hung the mushroom on a tall tree to dry it.


    I wasn¡¯t doing just that for the whole day. I also had to observe the orcs¡¯ activity and the movement range of the orcs that weren¡¯t outside for procuring food.


    Letting my guard down would lead to exposing that town to danger seeing that I didn¡¯t know when the orcs would change their action and invaded that town. I felt uneasy with my stamina if this turned into a long haul but, I would manage somehow if I could take multiple naps for that totaled to three hours of sleep per day, with each nap lasting for five minutes at maximum.


    .


    After I continued living like that for one week, I became able to predict the broad action pattern of the orcs.


    There were around ten orcs that would go gathering crops from around the town once every three days. I thought they were the orcs that attacked the town at the beginning but, from the two times I witnessed their departure, they were accompanied by an orc soldier once.


    And every day when morning came, there would around ten orcs that went hunting for animal at the same time, but all of them were small and young orcs with lower combat strength.


    As for me, although I was managing my physical condition using pills, I could only manage my perfect state of health for around one week that way. So I took time to consume the dried meats in my possession and the fruits I gathered inside the forest far from the abandoned village. I unexpectedly managed to find a lot of wild beans and yams, but as expected eating them raw wasn¡¯t delicious at all.


    I had collected all the required information in this one week, so I would begin taking action soon.


    The first step of my strategy was ¡ºhunting animal¡», but it wasn¡¯t for me to eat.


    I understood from my observation that the hunting of the orcs wasn¡¯t going well. They were a race with big body and unsuited for stealth, so even with ten orcs going hunting, there were some days when they couldn¡¯t even catch a single prey. In such day they would grab whole branches of berry in the forest to bring home.


    It was obvious but, the high rank orcs preferred meat rather than beans or vegetables, that was why the orcs were going hunting every day. And so in order to delay the orcs from attacking the town in search of meat, I hunted for rabbits and deers and placed them around the abandoned village.


    Human wouldn¡¯t lay their hand on some random animal corpse unless it was an emergency. They would be suspicious if they found something like that, but the orcs might be misunderstanding the corpses as something that their comrades hunted. The orcs would rejoice when they found the fresh animal corpse and brought them home in high spirits.


    At the same time I was also starting to prepare the ingredients to create a poison that was suitable for the situation.


    It was very difficult to create poisons for fifty targets inside a forest where I had no alchemical tool, so I was doing it slowly for now.


    I dried the poisonous grasses and mushrooms, created a bowl and a pestle using Hard to process them, then used the medicine and ingredients on hand to create ¡°poison¡±.


    .


    It was the second week now but, the orcs still hadn¡¯t made any movement. Perhaps it was because I was continuously providing them meat. All my preparations until now would be wasted if they took action now, so I moved to the second step of my strategy.


    What was important for that strategy was the fact that despite being monsters that attacked humans, the orcs were still ¡°living things¡± that ate food and drank water.


    The well in the abandoned village had been buried by the accumulation of dry leaves that rotted into soil for these ten years, but there was just one reservoir inside the village where water welled up. Even so the water there was dirty and muddy, but monsters like orc could drink it with no problem.


    I split the finished poison into unglazed jars in small portion to preserve them. I infiltrated into the abandoned village when night came and mixed the poison into that reservoir bit by bit.


    I mixed the poison bit by bit, to familiarize the orc with the medicinal ¡°taste¡±.


    Half-assed poison wouldn¡¯t work well against orc that could consume even muddy water or rotten meat. It also wasn¡¯t just a matter of taste, the orcs would be on their guard if I suddenly mix a lot of poison and their physical condition worsened. They would stop consuming the poison like that, so I only increased the amount of the poison bit by bit to a degree that the effect was faint.


    That wasn¡¯t the only thing I did. I also sneaked into the houses where the orcs were sleeping and mixed poison into their scattered foods. Of course I was also gradually mixing poison into the animal corpses I provided them.


    Other than that, I also had a bit of acid. I slathered it on the joining points of the weapons that the orcs carelessly placed outside the houses in order to weaken their weapons¡¯ durability.


    Patiently and thoroughly¡­¡­the ¡ºmalice¡» that was ¡ºme¡» was permeating into the orcs.


    I didn¡¯t do anything foolish like getting impatient and lying my hand on them.


    I wasn¡¯t someone powerful like Feld or Grave. I didn¡¯t overestimate myself so much that I thought I would be able to continue defeating them bit by bit in group of two or three until they all died by my hands.


    My failure would directly lead to the death of many people. If I carelessly took action and the orcs¡¯ action surpassed my expectation for even just a little, that would become the place where I died.


    Failure couldn¡¯t be permitted. I couldn¡¯t give even the slightest chance for the orcs to counterattack.


    That was why facing this large army of the orcs that was like a giant rock, I didn¡¯t use a great sword to split it open or breaking it from the sides using hammer, instead I whittled a hole into it using a needle to pour in ¡°malicepoison¡±.


    .


    But, even that would reach the limit soon¡­¡­.


    The poison that I used wasn¡¯t anything significant. In the first place it was just ¡ºmedicine¡» that couldn¡¯t even be called poison. What I used was just common ¡°medicines¡± like laxative or medicine to treat nasal inflammation.


    There was no need for me to explain what laxative was. It was originally something that was used to eject poisonous substance from inside the body, but it would cause dehydration when it got used for long period and lowered the stamina.


    And then the nasal inflammation medicine had the effect of reducing snot when someone caught fever. However, it would make the throat became abnormally dry as the side effect. And then it would make the orcs drank the water more and more, bringing in more of my malice to gnaw inside the orcs¡­¡­.


    After three weeks passed, almost all of the orcs were starting to get dehydration symptom.


    It was then the orcs finally started to consider that something was causing this. It seemed that they thought the cause came from eating the dropped meats.


    They were half correct because I had also mixed the poison into the meats. There the orcs that were in charge of hunting and made to rest because of the dehydration symptom and the orcs that were in charge of stealing crops from the town were sent outside the abandoned village in order to look for foods other than meat.


    But they soon ran out of food with just that. The higher rank orcs that preferred meat should choose to attack the town after this.


    There was one more week until the evacuation of the residents who could run away was finished¡­¡­I sensed that my effort to buy time in this way would reach its limit soon, so I started with the last step of the strategy, which was me directly stopping them.


    Three orcs were walking inside the forest. They were carrying furs that they used as bag instead of large weapon, so they were most likely planning to gather fruits and wild plants that seemed edible instead of hunting.


    But, their condition was different from three weeks ago. They seemed lifeless and it looked like just walking through the undulating ground of the forest was a difficult task for them.


    ¡­¡­I would manage somehow if it was like this.


    .


    ¨‹Orc£¨Ordinary Type£©¡¡Race£ºBeast Demihuman?Rank£³


    ¡¾Magic Power£º54£¯82¡¿¡¾Stamina£º117£¯39£°¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength£º154/283¡¿¨Œ45£¥DOWN


    ¡¾Status£ºWeakened¡¿


    .


    *Tan* I kicked on the branch and leaped down from the tree where I was looking down on the orcs. I readied Galbas¡¯s black dagger and put my whole body¡¯s weight to the stabbing the blade into the skull of the orc whose combat strength had been halved.


    *Gatsun-!*


    ¡ºBUMOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!!¡»


    Even then it didn¡¯t die instantly and let out a death throe. The other two reacted and yelled in warning. But, their voices wouldn¡¯t reach the other orcs from this location.


    The remaining orcs yelled while attacking me simultaneously with their rusty axe and hatchet.


    *Hyun-!*


    ¡ºBuoo!?¡»


    The blade of the pendulum that I made to circle around grazed an orc¡¯s eye. I kicked up the rotten leaves under my foot to the face of the other one, blocking its sight. I readied the black dagger and a thin knife with both hands and stabbed them together toward their brains from below their jaws.


    ¡ºBuboo¡­¡­¡»


    It was a bit hard but, even I could stab through the relaxed muscle of orc. When I pulled out the blades that pierced the orcs from below their jaws, *blob* blood spilled out as though they were coughing it out and the two collapsed at the same time.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I don¡¯t hold any grudge against any of you.¡¹


    You all had simply, become ¡°our¡± enemies.

 Volume 3 - CH 7

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    After killing three orcs, I pulled out the blade and swung it to shed off the blood clot.


    It would be a battle against time from here. I had two works to do simultaneously here. How much time I could buy for the townspeople to escape by delaying the orcs, and how many orcs I would be able to neutralize before the orc general realized my presence here.


    I moved the minimum required items to my waist poach and my Storage. I chewed on my last remaining rock candy and dried meat from inside my backpack, then I uncorked the stamina recovery potion and mana recovery potion before gulping them down in order to restore my condition that had been exhausted through these three weeks as much as possible.


    ¡¸Fuu¡­¡­let¡¯s go then.¡¹


    The potion¡¯s thick magic element made me let out a heated sigh as though I had just drunk alcohol. I threw away the empty porcelain bottles and my backpack and started running through the gloomy forest where light didn¡¯t reach.


    There were two more orc teams that were wandering to procure food. They always went through the same route every time, so I should be able to encounter them without problem even if their action changed slightly.


    ¡¸Found them.¡¹


    I found the second food procurement team not long after I started running.


    My magic power still hadn¡¯t recovered fully, but I used Body Strengthening even for moving while the mana potion¡¯s effect was still ongoing.


    I used my running momentum to kick on a tree¡¯s trunk and leaped diagonally. An orc instantly noticed my presence and opened its mouth to yell, but I stabbed the black dagger into its mouth until it pierced through.


    ¡ºGugaa¡­¡­¡»


    These guys were really troublesome. This one didn¡¯t die instantly even after I stabbed until inside his skull, and this was with its stamina parameter lowered already.


    The orc reached out toward me. I let go of the dagger and quickly stabbed its throat with two hidden weapons that I pulled out from the Storage before getting away from its body.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAH!?¡»


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOH!!¡»


    The other two finally noticed me with that and yelled angrily despite their confusion. From their perspective, the Stealth level 4 that I was using must made it looked like I was suddenly oozing out from the forest scenery.


    I immediately held back the two orcs by swinging around a pendulum¡¯s blade, pulled out a slender knife from my boot, and tore apart the neck of a still confused orc and driving the dagger deep into its face.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!¡»


    The last one brandished its stone axe high above its head and attacked. But perhaps because its combat strength had decreased, its movement was dull and its focus was lacking.


    I left the slender knife in the face of the orc I stabbed and dodged the stone axe, then I threw Feld¡¯s knife above my head to show it off.


    The orc¡¯s focus was distracted by the knife because of its insufficient concentration.


    ¡ºBuboh!?¡»


    I swiftly hit the orc¡¯s jaw with a palm strike using Body Strengthening at full strength. Then I caught the falling knife midair and planted it deeply into the orc¡¯s exposed lower jaw.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Next¡¹


    The orc that I attacked first had also already died. Even though its life force was originally powerful, its stamina parameter had decreased so it looked like it was beyond any help.


    I collected my knifes from the dead orcs, wiped the blood from them carefully, especially the blood sticking on the steel, then I started running toward my next destination.


    Even though they were in a weakened state and their stamina parameter lowered, it was difficult to kill them in one strike if I missed their vital spot because of their high life force. Normally I would have a bit of a harder time if I was facing rank 3 opponent head on, but in their current condition where their concentration was lacking and their combat strength lowered, I was able to deal with several of them simultaneously even without using illusion or Battle Technique.


    If possible I wanted to use mana as little as possible until the higher rank variant came out. I would be able to defeat them more consistently with just martial art if I had more weight in my body, but there was no point crying for something that I didn¡¯t have.


    .


    I dealt another food procurement team that consisted of four orcs and a patrolling team of three orcs in the forest with surprise attack just like before.


    I had finished off thirteen orcs with this. But I couldn¡¯t take my time leisurely. I started running toward the town in order to also deal with the team that was heading there to steal crops from the surrounding farms.


    I used Body Strengthening to rush out of the forest swiftly.


    When my physical ability was strengthened like this, I could easily surpass the muscle strength of adult male and in agility my parameter could jump up until twice of ordinary person. If such parameter was given to the light body of an early teenage girl, it was possible to run inside a forest faster than a wolf and nimbler than a panther.


    I moved through the forest by jumping from rock to rock, or branch to branch without getting down on the ground. When the effect of the recovery potions ran out, I found the orcs before they could get out of the forest.


    I had one more mana recovery potion inside my pouch, but I really couldn¡¯t waste any mana at all right now to prepare for the fight against the higher rank variant.


    I was able to find this team but¡­¡­was their number a bit higher? Just from a brief glance I could see twelve of them, even so it didn¡¯t change what I had to do.


    I got a bad premonition but, I had no leeway to observe them first. I entwined my pendulum around a thick branch and climbed up the tree. I strengthened my muscle strength and stealth while jumping from branch to branch. Then I jumped down without pause and launched a surprise attack at the rearmost orc.


    But©¤©¤.


    ¡º©¤©¤BUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!¡»


    I got found out-? The instant I was about to land a surprise attack, one orc let out a warning scream that echoed through the forest.


    But the rearmost orc was unable to find me even after hearing the warning scream. I put my weight behind the black dagger and stabbed its skull. It then collapsed on the ground and served as my cushion.


    ©¤©¤Fourteen remaining.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!¡»


    The surrounding orcs also let out a warning scream. The orcs were unable to immediately find me with their lacking concentration while I was still maintaining my Stealth, but with how my first attack was detected like this, I felt a bad premonition and stopped holding back. I allowed myself to use magic with little mana cost.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Feel©¤©¤¡¹


    This magic could give the sensation of touching or being touched.


    I touched the ears of the orcs at the left and right. They instantly got distracted and turned around. I quickly wrapped pendulum¡¯s strings around the two orcs who were currently unbalanced and strongly pulled. The two orcs fell facing upward and I stabbed into their brains from their necks using a dagger and a knife.


    ©¤©¤Sixteenth kill.


    ¡ºBUOOOOOOOOOOOOH!¡»


    A nearby orc finally detected me with that. It swung down its club that was like a log toward me who had just landed and still kneeling on the ground.


    As expected this group¡¯s movement was also dull. I slightly lifted my waist and used footwork to dodge the club, then I used the momentum to stab the orc¡¯s eyes with two blades that I drew out on my hands.


    ¡ºBUBOOOOH!?¡»


    I couldn¡¯t reach its brain because of my bad posture. The orc screamed and covered its face with both hands. Then©¤©¤


    ¡ºBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    A larger orc charged at me in that opening. It moved with terrifying speed with a rusty great sword at the ready.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Tsu!¡¹


    An ¡°orc soldier¡±! A powerful enemy with rank 4 difficulty level. As expected it was fast, but it wasn¡¯t something that I couldn¡¯t deal with.


    I dodged to outside the range of the great sword while also kicking the blinded orc toward its direction. The orc soldier¡¯s great sword bit until halfway into the body of that orc.


    ©¤©¤Seventeenth.


    Seeing the orc soldier¡¯s great sword digging into that orc, I immediately drew out a knife from the slit of my skirt and threw it. But©¤©¤


    ¡ºOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!!¡»


    The orc soldier let out a war cry in respond. It astonishingly lifted its great sword along with the orc¡¯s corpse and used it as shield.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡»


    When I tried jumping over that orc soldier, an orc wearing a leather armor and holding a spear attacked. A second orc soldier!?


    I quickly fired an arrow from my crossbow gimmick. When I also jumped to the side, the orc soldier rotated its spear to deflect the arrow and dashed toward me at the same time when I landed.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Pain©¤©¤¡¹


    I too lifted up all restrictions of my magic usage and casted Pain. But I didn¡¯t target the spear orc soldier with that.


    ¡ºBuoh!?¡»


    I used the Pain on an orc that was just standing around without being able to join the high speed battle. The orc stiffened and I jumped over it to use it as a shield. Then the orc soldier¡¯s spear mercilessly pierced through that orc to target me who was behind its back.


    ¡¸Tsu!¡¹


    I instantly bent backward and dodged the bloodstained spear tip although it managed to graze my shoulder. As I backed away, the spear old soldier swung its weapon to the side at the same time, tossing away its subordinate¡¯s corpse like trash.


    It was merciless even against its fellow orc. But, that was the eighteenth with that©¤©¤.


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu!?¡¹


    *DOGOOON-!*


    I felt increasing mana and killing intent and leaped away. Then the ground where I was standing on just now and the large tree behind me got cut apart by a shockwave.


    When I looked that way, I found a large orc wearing a rusty iron armor and holding a rusty two-handed axe taking a stance once more with the axe that it had just swung down while glaring at me.


    Another orc soldier-! There were three of them!!


    The attack just now was something that even I had only seen for the first time, but I guessed that it was a Battle Technique of two-handed axe, Iron Break.


    There was almost no monster that used Battle Technique even when they were the type to fight in close quarter, so I failed to consider this kind of danger.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!¡»


    That orc soldier let out a war cry to command the remaining four normal orcs. It was most likely that orc soldier who saw through my stealthy approach.


    The sword orc soldier.


    The spear orc soldier.


    The axe orc soldier.


    Even with the majority of the orcs in the settlement getting weakened and put them into a tough situation, I never foresaw that three rank 4 orc soldiers would be assigned to guard the food procurement at the human settlement.


    Most likely their purpose wasn¡¯t just to steal crops. They must be planning to also attack the town directly and kidnapped humans with this much combat strength coming along.


    This was an unforeseen situation that I was afraid of. I had paid attention to hide my existence here until now so that something like this wouldn¡¯t happen at the initial period, but things didn¡¯t go like I wanted¡­¡­.


    The spear orc soldier backed away to regain its footing for the moment, while the sword and axe orc soldiers stepped forward to stand side by side.


    Perhaps I should observe this group first at the beginning even though there was no time¡­¡­. But this result was also due to the time and situation, and even then it was only one orc soldier that ambushed me at the beginning. This would serve as good practice for the future.


    This was something unforeseen for me but, the orc general¡¯s decision to arrange this could be said as correct because in the end someone like me really attacked the group.


    But, even though that decision was correct, whether that decision was ¡°right¡± or not still remained to be seen until the result came out.


    ¡º¡º¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡»¡»¡»


    I got into a glaring match with the orc soldiers while exhaling in order to cool down the heat inside me. Then I quietly held the black dagger in ready.


    It was an unforeseen situation but, it was fortunate for me.


    I was able to stop these three orc soldiers from heading to the town. At the very least I managed to avoid a situation where I had to face the orc general and four or soldiers at the same time.


    You three couldn¡¯t be allowed to proceed ahead. I also wouldn¡¯t allow you three to return to that base. I had no intention to claim that I was fighting for other people¡¯s sake but, you guys had become my ¡°enemy¡±.


    I would become slightly stronger again by defeating you three.


    I switched my way of thinking from attacking to battle. I analyzed the enemies¡¯ combat strength once more.


    .


    ¨‹¡¶Sword¡·Orc Soldier¡¡Race£ºBeast Demihuman?Rank£´


    ¡¾Magic Power£º£±£³£´£¯£±£µ£°¡¿¡¾Stamina£º£²£´£¶£¯£µ£¸£°¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength£º£µ£²£¹£¯£¸£¹£¸£¨With Body Strengthening£º£¶£²£·£¯£±£°£¶£³£©¡¿¨Œ41£¥DOWN


    ¡¾Status£ºWeakened¡¿


    .


    The sword orc soldier had the biggest body build with height that surpassed three meters. It was only wearing bracelet and straw skirt other than the great sword that was almost two meter tall. It must be because even equipment in the size for large human wouldn¡¯t match it.


    .


    ¨‹¡¶Spear¡·Orc Soldier¡¡Race£ºBeast Demihuman?Rank£´


    ¡¾Magic Power£º£±41£¯£±6£°¡¿¡¾Stamina£º£²32£¯£µ2£°¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength£º£µ£²1£¯£¸6£¸£¨With Body Strengthening£º£¶1£·£¯£±£°28£©¡¿¨Œ40£¥DOWN


    ¡¾Status£ºWeakened¡¿


    .


    The spear orc soldier was only a bit bigger than a normal orc. It must be a light warrior type. It was wearing leather armor on its shoulders and chest. Its movement was fast and its attack precisely accurate.


    .


    ¨‹¡¶Axe¡·Orc Soldier¡¡Race£ºBeast Demihuman?Rank£´


    ¡¾Magic Power£º£±£´6£¯£±75¡¿¡¾Stamina£º£²52£¯£µ5£°¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength£º627£¯9£¹£¸£¨With Body Strengthening£º£·74£¯£±181£©¡¿¨Œ35£¥DOWN


    ¡¾Status£ºWeakened¡¿


    .


    The axe orc soldier was two and half meters tall and wearing unrefined iron breastplate and hand protector. This one was the one that I had to be on my guard the most seeing how it seen through my surprise attack and how it used Battle Technique.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    As expected from rank 4¡­¡­if they were in perfect condition, they were powerful enemies that would be difficult to defeat even if I faced them one on one, but their bodies were being gnawed by my poison right now and their combat strength had fallen until around my level.


    Even so it was only their stamina and status that were lowered by the poison. Their combat skills were still level 4 and judging from their movements before this, it would be pointless to expect that their concentration was lowered by their weakened status.


    Other than them I also had to pay attention to the remaining four normal orcs. I didn¡¯t know whether they would get involved into the fight with their combat strength halved like that, but the fight¡¯s situation would greatly changed depending on their action.


    ¡ºBUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!¡»


    The sword orc soldier finally snapped and leaped toward me.


    Its three meter huge body left the ground gouged as it approached. It howled as it swung down its powerful sword. I didn¡¯t choose to dodge and stepped forward instead.


    It would be pointless to dodge for some half-hearted distance against a two-handed weapon with wide range. The sword orc soldier immediately met my approach with its sword handle.


    But I had experienced that kind of interception from Feld. I used a special footwork and stride aside to dodge while aiming at the orc¡¯s knee joint with my black dagger.


    The orc kicked at me with its leg that was like a log when it noticed my attempt.


    I too instantly gave up my attempt and blocked the kicking leg with the bottom of my foot to use it as a foothold. I jumped backward using the momentum and opened the distance between us. Then©¤©¤


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    The axe orc soldier that had been quietly observing rushed forward to take advantage of that opening.


    It had judged that my speed was superior to it and swung horizontally in a large arc using its axe. I used my flying momentum to put my hands on the ground and somersaulted to open more distance. The axe¡¯s wind pressure blew through as the axe grazed my back.


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu!¡¹


    I spun along with my body and used my skirt that was fluttering wide as a cover while pulling knife from my thigh holster and threw it.


    The axe orc soldier that came chasing after me calmly used its iron breastplate to block the knife throw. It then continued chasing after me without stopping.


    I judged that it would be dangerous to approach this orc carelessly. I backed away while throwing my pendulums right to the sides. Then using Body Strengthening in full strength, I pulled on the strings by folding my arms. The pendulums slice through the air loudly and intercepted the axe orc soldier from left and right.


    ¡ºBumoh!?¡»


    The orc was wary toward the pendulums as it was its first time seeing them. It quickly jumped away from that spot.


    I also controlled the strings and changed the pendulum¡¯s trajectory. The axe orc soldier noticed the blades attached on the pendulums and swung its axe in a large arc.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    A flash©¤©¤.


    Axe¡¯s Battle Technique, Iron Break didn¡¯t only deflected the two pendulums. The shockwave also reached and affected me.


    ¡¸©¤©¤kuh¡¹


    I barely avoided direct hit, even so I couldn¡¯t completely dodge the shockwave¡¯s impact and my light body got blown away greatly.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡»


    The spear orc soldier saw my unbalanced posture as a great chance and rushed forward. I parried the spear tip that was swiftly lunging at me, but the orc didn¡¯t stop with that and slammed its body on me, blowing me away.


    ¡¸Guh!¡¹


    I used martial art to spin my body acrobatically while fixing my posture. But the sword orc soldier had approached behind me when I realized it. It brandished its sword toward me.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Pain©¤©¤!¡¹


    The orc froze for an instant from the dark magic I chanted, but it glared fiercely and kicked me away.


    The sword orc soldier must have the resolve to feel pain seeing how it didn¡¯t wear armor. But I managed to put up my guard using that momentary opening. I managed to reduce the impact and regained my balance even after rolling on the forest¡¯s ground that was covered with dry leaves.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡º¡º¡º¡­¡­¡»¡»¡»


    The orc soldiers kept some distance from me to rally themselves. They got into a glaring match with me again after that.


    Seeing the higher rank variants having the advantage in their fight against an opponent that killed their comrades in the blink of eye, the remaining orcs cheered and made a ruckus.


    My stamina had been reduced by more than thirty percent even just in this short time. And yet I hadn¡¯t managed to even land a single blow.


    So this was ¡°rank 4¡±¡­¡­.


    Although their combat strength had decreased, the combat experiences and skills that had brought them until this far hadn¡¯t vanished and still burned inside their soul.


    ¡¸¡­¡­fuu¡¹


    I exhaled out a breath that sounded a bit like a laugh. The orc soldiers kept up their guard warily.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­I¡¯m really a moron.


    I thought that I would be able to fight against three rank 4 just because their parameters had dropped and their combat strength now matched mine. Even though I was aware  that carelessness would lead to death, I had become completely conceited just from getting a bit stronger.


    These three orc soldiers recognized a mere human child like me as ¡°enemy¡±. They were putting in serious effort to grasp victory for their group without letting their guard down.


    And yet, I was filling my mind with the foolish thinking of keeping ¡°spare strength¡± for the next fight even though I was currently facing three rank 4, opponents that were clearly above me.


    I spat out the blood pooling inside my mouth. My body let go of all tensions and I shifted my posture so that only one side of my body faced forward. Seeing that the orc soldiers became even warier and let out threatening growls. They also started to close the distance gradually.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I kept all of them within my sight while asking my own ¡°resolve¡± inside my heart.


    Remember that you are ¡°the weak¡±.


    Remember how have you been fighting until now.


    You had never won against a stronger opponent by fighting head on, not even once.


    You had come very close to death many times in just this one year. How did you survive those until now.


    What I could do was only ¡°my¡± own way of fighting.


    Observe. Lay trap. Not a single one of my ways of fighting included the ¡°proper¡± way.


    Pushed down all your fear and conceit to the bottom of your heart. Simply become a single stroke of ¡ºiron blade¡».


    Let¡¯s show them ¡°my¡± way of fighting that wouldn¡¯t show up in rank or combat strength.


    .


    ¡º¡­¡­Ga¡­GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡»


    The spear orc soldier noticed the change in the atmosphere of battlefield and rushed forward.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shadow Snatch©¤©¤¡¹


    I scattered ten small lumps of darkness around me while I myself leaped back into the forest that was starting to get dark with the setting sun.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡»


    The spear orc soldier chased after me even while staying wary toward the ¡°darkness¡± floating around me.


    I moved inside the dark forest by weaving through the small trees that were spread out at the surrounding.


    The instant our sights on each other were cut off by a tree trunk that wasn¡¯t so thick, the orc¡¯s spear lunged forward and stabbed my ¡°shadow¡± that ran out from behind the tree.


    ¡ºGUGAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?¡»


    I aimed at that instant to circle behind the orc and my black dagger gouged its neck. A pained scream echoed through the dark forest.


    It was too shallow. It wasn¡¯t fatal yet. I sensed the sword and axe orc soldiers approaching this way, so I didn¡¯t continue attacking the spear orc and got back into running through the dark forest once more.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡»


    The sword orc soldier charged forward mowed down a ¡°shadow¡± together with a small tree.


    Even though it was nothing more than a lump of magic element shaped to look like human, it was difficult to instantly distinguish it from me if it took my place inside this dark forest. The sword orc soldier tried to kill me by mowing down everything.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡»


    The orc shoulder instantly became furious when it learned that none of its attacks hit. It caused it to step forward between the trees carelessly. But, a weapon flew out from the ¡°darkness¡± the orc stepped on at that moment. It pierced the orc¡¯s foot through until the other side.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOO!?¡»


    Even though it had the resolve to be hurt, it wouldn¡¯t be able to move properly with a blade getting stuck inside its foot. Even so the sword orc readied its sword and kept up its guard against the surrounding ¡°darkness¡± despite staying in place.


    It then sensed ¡°my¡± presence that was approaching from behind and turned around. But the sword orc judged that it was just an illusion seeing the approaching pitch black shadow. It took off its attention from the shadow to look for the real me. It was then, the ¡°black me¡± in front of it stabbed its crotch with a dagger.


    ¡º¡­¡­Gu¡­gaa¡»


    *Rumble* The sword orc fell on its knees and caused the ground to quake. I also peeled off the ¡°shadow¡± illusion from my skin and sighed.


    The sword orc hadn¡¯t died yet, but I judged that it wouldn¡¯t be able to move. In order to deal with the approaching axe orc soldier, I started running toward the normal orcs who were watching from the side.


    ¡ºBuo!?¡»


    The four orcs raised their weapons in panic seeing me running toward them with the axe orc soldier right behind me.


    Four weapons were swung down. I dodged them all with paper-thin difference while waving through them. Then I scattered the red mustard powder that I took out from my pouch.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOO!?¡»


    The orcs who got their eyes blinded by the stimulants started swinging around their weapons haphazardly due to pain and fear. But all that they accomplished were hitting their friends.


    The rampaging orcs hindered the approach of the approaching axe orc soldier. Seeing that the axe orc soldier attacked with Iron Break that would hit all the orcs together with me.


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu¡¹


    I used the orcs as shield and endured the most of the impact. I hid behind a surviving orc before becoming two pitch black shadows that rushed out.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡»


    The axe orc that had seen me camouflaging myself with illusion hesitated for a bit. But that only lasted for an instant before it started running toward one of the illusions.


    It rushed straight toward an illusion as though it was convinced that the shadow was the real thing. The axe swung through the illusion, erasing it.


    The axe orc soldier smirked that he chose wrongly. It immediately turned around while swinging its axe in full strength toward the other illusion that was approaching silently from behind.


    ¡ºBuoh!?¡»


    But that illusion also got broken by the axe and dispersed easily.


    The axe orc was dumbfounded for a moment before it noticed the small ¡°darkness¡± spilling out from the pulverized illusions around it. The instant it tried to retreat, one of its eyes was pierced by a crossbow arrow that was fired through a ¡°darkness¡±.


    ¡º©¤©¤©¤©¤!?¡»


    In addition I who was hiding myself with Stealth behind it stabbed a black dagger into the back of the axe orc.


    The axe orc who had excellent detection ability let its guard down thinking that it could find me anytime. And then it thought one of the illusions was me when it ¡°heard¡± breathing sound from the illusion.


    But although I was able to land a blow, my blade couldn¡¯t reach the orc soldier¡¯s head due to the difference in height. The surviving normal orc and also the spear orc soldier that had recovered until it was able to move were running toward me who failed to deal a finishing blow.


    ¡ºBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    The spear orc soldier let out an angry howl. It let out a spear thrust with all of its strength toward me.


    It was aiming at my heart©¤©¤.


    It had to kill me in one blow in order to save axe orc soldier that fell into predicament. At least that was what the spear orc soldier thought. The precise attack that was unleashed by a rank 4 who was concentrating its mind to the extreme pierced through my heart without even the slightest bit of deviation in its aim.


    ¡ºGuaa©¤©¤¡»


    That excessively accurate thrust perfectly went through the small ¡°darkness¡± attached on my chest. The spear tip that flew out from one other ¡°darkness¡± pierced through the axe orc soldier¡¯s head.


    I believed in your strength©¤©¤the strength of rank 4. If its precision decreased even just a little bit due to impatience like an amateur, it would be me who died.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    The last normal orc leaped in order to stop me turning from the collapsing axe orc soldier to spear orc soldier.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Noise¡­¡­¡¹


    I chanted a dark magic with a whisper. The last orc attacked me together with the spear orc soldier that showed an expression of fury as it discarded the weapon that killed its comrade and rushed at me with its fist raised.


    The spear orc soldier attacked to keep me on that spot. The normal orc aimed for that opening and brandished its stone axe from behind me before swinging it©¤©¤


    ¡ºGah©¤©¤¡»


    Not at me, but over my head toward the head of the spear orc soldier, crushing its skull.


    The orc¡¯s eyes had stopped hurting from the red mustard powder, but its visual acuity was lower than before.


    In the first place monster had better five senses than human. They could stay active to some degree even when in darkness, but that was exactly why I thought that they would be able to rely on sound to attack even when their eyes were blinded. And so the normal orc relied on the sound from my Noise and its stone axe struck the spear orc soldier¡¯s head.


    ¡ºGUGAAA©¤©¤!¡»


    Even so the spear still didn¡¯t die. It put its arms around the neck of the normal orc and angrily snapped it. When it turned its bloody face toward me, its wide open eyes caught side of me readying the black dagger for a powerful thrust.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Thrust©¤©¤!¡¹


    ¡ºGah¡­¡­¡»


    My Battle Technique was executed, piercing the bloody face of the spear orc soldier right from the front.


    And then©¤©¤


    ¡ºGuaa¡­¡­¡»


    The last remaining sword orc soldier appeared by dragging its bloody legs on the ground.


    Its already weakened stamina was decreasing even more. In addition due to the heavy bleeding, it looked like it was already on its last leg even from the perspective of a human like me. The sword orc soldier saw its comrades¡¯ corpses and raised the sword that it was using as cane.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­BUMOO!!¡»


    The huge three meter body swung down the huge sword. But that blade¡¯s speed was clearly slow.


    I took half a step back to dodge that sword. Then I ran on top of the sword when it sank into the ground and I jumped. I stabbed the black dagger that I held in reverse with both hands between the orc¡¯s eyes.


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­Haa, haa¡­¡­¡¹


    I ran out of mana after killing all the orcs and fell on my knees on the spot. I swallowed a pill before I entered a starving state that was an indication of mana exhaustion, then I gulped down my last mana recovery potion in one go.


    It wasn¡¯t just my mana, I had also overused my stamina. There was also the exhaustion that had been accumulating until now, so my body most likely would be unable to recover completely¡­¡­.


    But¡­¡­25 were now dead with this. Just a half more.


    I ate more pill and chewed, then I put strength into my trembling legs and stood up. I started walking toward the abandoned village where the orc general was residing, in order to hold back the orcs for the remaining several days.

 Volume 3 - CH 8

    Perhaps there was no need for me to go this far by myself.


    I had done this much by myself, so perhaps it was already enough.


    But¡­¡­it looked like I couldn¡¯t live smartly like that.


    There were five more days until the evacuation of the townspeople was finished. I returned until the abandoned village inside the dark forest in order to hold back the orcs.


    I also had an option to return to the town first but, there was a distance around two days from the location where I fought the orc soldiers until the town. If I wasted several days for going and coming back, the orcs would realize that the food procurement team had gone missing and they might start attacking.


    Even so I might be able to replenish my supply if I went back, but I judged it would be better to use my time sleeping rather than for travelling that long.


    But, it didn¡¯t seem like I would even have the time to take a proper sleep¡­¡­.


    When I arrived at the abandoned village in the evening the next day, the orcs were starting to prepare to leave by gathering their remaining food under the command of the remaining orc soldier.


    Based on my observation, they wouldn¡¯t depart right away. I assumed that they would depart at the morning tomorrow after the hunting team that should be gathering food around the forest right now returned back.


    I was just guessing but, the force of orc soldiers that I defeated wasn¡¯t going to procure food but as advance party to attack the town. If that was the case I could understand why that unit contained such extreme force.


    ¡­¡­I just barely made it. It was already impossible to keep the orcs contained here, but I made it in time before they departed.


    I climbed a big tree that was located in a distance where I could observe the movement in the abandoned village. I ate the blackberry and mountain yam that I found on the way here before closing my eyes until it became dark.


    My body was exhausted from being unable to have proper sleep and meal for these three weeks. I forcefully recovered my body yesterday using potions, but the accumulated fatigue made me unable to recover my stamina more than 60% even after a whole day had passed since the battle yesterday because of the accumulated fatigue.


    There was one more hour until the sun went down¡­¡­I consciously slept to recover my stamina and mana.


    When I slept, my mana and stamina could recover in double the speed than when I was awake. I forced myself to sleep also to recover from the accumulating fatigue. Then an hour later©¤©¤the sun had set and the sky became dark when I opened my eyes. It was then I started moving soundlessly and slipped into the darkness of the night.


    .


    The orcs¡¯ action couldn¡¯t be stopped anymore. I wouldn¡¯t have any way to interfere if thirty orcs that included superior variants started taking action. But, there was something that even I could do before they started moving in this current situation when the orcs were scattered throughout the abandoned village.


    That way was¡­¡­¡±assassinating¡± the orcs.


    If the orcs were in perfect health, something like assassinating monster with high life force would be difficult, but it should be impossible right now when they were weakened from poison.


    First would be the orcs that were patrolling around the abandoned village to procure food. They wouldn¡¯t get too far from the abandoned village because the group would depart soon but, in exchange they also stopped moving in group of three and walked around on their own.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I circled to get ahead of a patrolling orc and hid myself on a tree, Then I jumped down on the back of the orc that passed below me while putting a wire around its neck at the same time. I then tightened the wire around that thick neck in a snap using my whole body weight and my falling speed.


    ¡º¡­Gugaa¡­¡­a¡»


    That orc didn¡¯t even realize that it was under attack. It scratched on its neck from the sudden feeling of suffocation. But the spider string that was strengthened with mana wouldn¡¯t snap with just that much. My posture was half upside down, even so I kicked at the back of the orc¡¯s head using my heel and tightened the string strongly to completely strangle it to death.


    What was troublesome about monster was how they could resume breathing again even after this when some time had passed. That was why I used Water on the leaf mold on the ground to make a water puddle before pushing the orc¡¯s face into it to suffocate it.


    This was the 26th¡­¡­right now I still didn¡¯t want to smell of blood, so I didn¡¯t shed any blood.


    I found a second patrolling orc and sneaked up on it. But perhaps this orc was still young and cowardly. It would only walk through an open space.


    It was important to jump down from a tree to gain speed so that I could strangle the orc¡¯s thick neck instantly, so I couldn¡¯t use the same method like before with this one.


    But there was also another way to fight for an open space. I quickly wrapped a spare string on the hilt of my black dagger and threw it in a large arc to hit the orc from right above.


    *Gon-¡­¡­!*


    ¡ºGah¡­¡­¡»


    The orc got hit on the back of its head by the hilt of the dagger that was strengthened with centrifugal force and mana. Its eyes rolled back and it collapsed. I immediately approached and dealt with the orc in the same way like the previous orc. Then I covered the corpse with some rotten leaves to hide it before searching for the next orc.


    Like that I finished off three more patrolling orcs in the same way. With this there was no more orc outside and I moved on to the next step.


    It was thirty orcs with this©¤©¤.


    The orcs in the abandoned village hadn¡¯t seem to realize what I was doing because I had been avoiding to shed blood until now. Just in case I checked the surrounding with my Night Vision that could see the color of magic particles, then I blended into darkness and infiltrated inside the village.


    .


    If I had twelve more hours and powerful sleeping drug, there would be a better way of fighting that I could take, but unfortunately neither of those was something that I could obtain. In the first place powerful sleeping drug could only be gathered from high ranked plant monster, so it wasn¡¯t something that could be prepared easily.


    In the abandoned village there were still orcs that weren¡¯t asleep, perhaps because they would depart soon. For now I avoided the central part where the orc general might be located and chose to crush the western and southern part of the settlement first.


    The western part only had normal orcs and no sign of orc soldier. All the orcs were also asleep.


    I sneaked into a dilapidated house where there was snoring sound and found three orcs sleeping together in a huddle, so I took out a glass jar that was a rarity even in this country from my pouch. I poured its content bit by bit along a string to pour it into the orc¡¯s mouth.


    This wasn¡¯t really a poison. It was alcohol that had been distilled many times to gain high purity for the purpose of disinfection.


    Human wouldn¡¯t get away with just choking if something like this was poured into their mouth, but there was no problem for orc that was a tough creature.


    I did the same thing with the four orcs at another house before returning to the first house. There the orcs that I gave alcohol first were snoring even louder than before.


    While the orc was sleeping soundly, I slowly buried the black dagger that was like a large awl bit by bit into its head while avoiding large blood vein that would cause blood to spurt out.


    The orc jerked and let out a groan at the end but, that orc didn¡¯t wake up nor the other orcs noticed me, so I continued killing the other orcs.


    I didn¡¯t apply poison on my knife during normal battle because poison would become almost ineffective when it became dry. Even if I applied the poison right before the battle started, the poison would degrade just from touching air.


    If it was a weak poison that was difficult to degrade like what the female thief who kidnapped Elena was using, there was exclusive sheath that could be used to preserve the poison. That was what Gelf told me, but that wasn¡¯t what I sought.


    It wasn¡¯t like I was fixated with any particular way of fighting. If it was for the sake of killing an opponent who I had to kill no matter what, I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to use cowardly method.


    But, if I got too focused on poison from continuously fighting by relying on it, it felt like I wouldn¡¯t be able to arrive at the strength that I sought. This was simply my selfishness.


    It was 37 orcs with this¡­¡­.


    There wasn¡¯t any sign of sentry at the east. When I headed to the south next, I only found three orcs that were still awake.


    There should be a lot more orcs at here and the west area, but perhaps it was those orcs who were in the hunting team or the orc soldiers¡¯ team. Perhaps these three here were awake was for taking turns with the patrolling orcs.


    Those three orcs were sitting in a circle while eating something that looked like a long yam. Troublesome¡­¡­I observed them for a while but they showed no sign of moving from that spot, so I carried out their assassination forcefully.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Feel©¤©¤¡¹


    I used Feel to the two orcs at the opposite side. Those two felt like their ears were touched and looked back. I erased my sound and ran toward the back of the one orc who looked puzzled seeing what the other orcs were doing. Then I used my running momentum to stab the orc¡¯s skull with the black dagger until it went out from its mouth.


    ¡ºGoboh¡­¡­¡»


    The two orcs looked forward again hearing that strange voice. I already let go of the black dagger at that time and jumped over the murdered orc. The palm heels of my hands struck their jaws to return their gazes back to behind.


    ¡ºBuoh!?¡»


    The orcs who were unable to catch sight of me were unable to think of the pain and impact as an ¡ºattack¡». I quickly pulled out two knives from my boots and stabbed the knives into their brains from the base of their ears while they still couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. The two of them were assassinated simultaneously.


    It was a total of forty orc killed with this©¤©¤.


    The corpses were letting out a lot of blood. The bloody smell would spread out and it might get noticed anytime.


    The remaining enemies were the orc general at the center, one orc soldier, and then some ten odd normal orcs¡­¡­. But the problem wasn¡¯t the number. After all just one orc general was as big of a threat as fifty orcs.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Fuu¡¹


    I let out my anxiety together with the air inside my lungs. Then I lightly stretched my body to keep it flexible.


    Both my stamina and mana had only recovered around 70%. My body too, although I didn¡¯t have any injury like pulled tendon or bleeding, my whole body was feeling small pain all over perhaps because of the blows I received and the exhaustion.


    ¡­¡­Could I do it in this condition? Even so I had no choice but to do it I guess.


    I moved inside the darkness and ran toward the center of the village where the orc general should be at.


    When I arrived there, I took a lesson from my previous failure and scouted the place first.


    There were eleven normal orcs that I could see just from what looking with my ¡°eyes¡± that perceived magic particle. All of them were gathered at the central square to finish their preparation for attacking the town.


    At the center of that was an orc soldier watching the surrounding vigilantly. It was carrying an unrefined bow that seemed to be made from a bent young tree and bowstring.


    And then¡­¡­the huge orc that was taller than three meter at the back must be the orc general.


    I got down from the tree and climbed to the rooftop of the dilapidated house that was nearest to the orcs.


    I removed the short arrow from the crossbow gimmick on my hand protector and took out the steel short arrow that could fly the farthest from my pouch. I checked it for any scratch or bending.


    Originally the small crossbow that master passed down to me was a weapon for close quarter to keep the enemy within five meter range in check. It had no strength to pierce through a monster¡¯s skull even in such close distance. Even when it was shot toward a wooden plank, it wouldn¡¯t be able to pierce deeply if the distance was more than five buildings.


    Just from looking at the distance like this, I felt that it would be pointless even if I shot at the orc general. Most likely it would be able to dodge long range attack even if it was a surprise attack. Even so the reason I climbed on the roof was for sniping at the bow orc soldier.


    The distance was 40 meters based on my eye measurement. Even the steel arrow that could fly in longer distance couldn¡¯t possibly pierce its skull. That was why I used my ¡°trump card¡± in order to make this sniping worked.


    I took out two small white porcelain bottles from Storage. I carefully removed the lid of one of them and poured several drops on a leaf that I had prepared. Then I closed the lid again.


    I removed the lid from the other jar and dipped the arrow¡¯s tip in it. Then I closed the lid and returned the two jars back into Storage before I finally let out my breath.


    I mixed the tip of the arrow that I dipped into the drug with the drug that I trickled on the leaf. The steel arrow instantly rusted and a strong stink rose from it.


    This was a deadly poison that master created. When separated into two liquids, they were almost harmless but they would change into a powerful corroding poison when mixed. I never used it until now because just inhaling its scent was dangerous. Even the user would be damaged if they used something like this twice in a day.


    Furthermore it was weak against water and its effectiveness would degrade just from coming into contact with the water vapor in the air. I paid attention to not breathe in the fumes or to even blow my breath to it while inserting the arrow carefully into the crossbow. Then I chanted the darkness magic that I built up in my head.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Weight©¤©¤¡¹


    It was the dark magic not to change weight but to direct an object to the selected direction. I called it magic instead of sorcery because I had changed its composition and increased its precision.


    My Archery skill was only level 1 but, if I used it in conjunction with Dark Magic level 3, I could increase its accuracy and range and power dramatically.


    The orc general raised its head at that timing. The bow orc soldier let out a yell of warning while readying its bow.


    The bow orc sensed me, perhaps because of the poison¡¯s scent of because I used magic. It nocked an arrow that might be as tall as me on its bow that might reach two meter wide. It drew the bow powerfully and aimed toward me, but I continued pouring mana into my crossbow while carefully taking aim even then.


    Bead of sweat trickled down my forehead due to my extreme concentration. The bow orc who had level 4 Archery lifted the corner of its lips in a smirk and aimed not at my body but my face.


    *Shpan!!*


    The bow orc fired its arrow. It sliced through air and approached with howling sound. I burned its trajectory into my eye and fired the arrow in my crossbow gimmick too.


    Inside my internal thought that was lengthened by more than thirty percent using Body Strengthening, I had twisted my neck the moment the arrow was fired. The excessively precise trajectory sliced several strands of my hair as it flew past right beside my head.


    The crossbow¡¯s arrow that flew through exactly the same trajectory with the orc¡¯s arrow shot through the left eye of the bow orc that froze in fear for an instant.


    ¡­¡­The 41st.


    You weren¡¯t weak. But, my resolve toward ¡°death¡± was simply a bit higher than yours.


    ¡ºGUBOOGAAAAAAH!¡»


    The bow orc who was hit by the poisoned arrow pressed its hands on its face while shrieking. It then collapsed with half of its face turning bluish black centered on its left eye that was hit by my arrow. It was already losing its life.


    The orcs who were making a ruckus by such gruesome death fell silent. This poison was something that I received from master with very strict warning attached when I returned once at master¡¯s place, but I could understand why seeing its power.


    It would be me who died first before the enemy if I relied on something like that too easily.


    .


    ¡ºGUGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!¡»


    The orc general returned the orcs who were roaring in fear back to their senses. It exchanged glare with me who was standing on the roof.


    He was putting on countless metal rings on its naked upper body as substitute for armor. On its lower body it was wearing a large insect shell as armor. It was a huge orc with height that surpassed three meter.


    The ¡°Orc General¡± considered me as ¡°enemy¡± after I killed the orc soldier.


    .


    ¨‹Orc General¡¡Race£ºBeast Demihuman?Rank £µ


    ¡¾Magic Power£º£±£·£³£¯£±£¹£°¡¿¡¾Stamina£º£³£´£·£¯£·£±£°¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength£º£¹£·£³£¯£±£¶£²£²£¨With Body Strenghtening£º£±£±£·£·£¯£±£¹£¶£±£©¡¿¨Œ40£¥DOWN


    ¡¾Status£ºWeakened¡¿


    .


    Several orcs noticed the gaze and found me on the roof. They threw their crude spears at me like scared children.


    I didn¡¯t dodge and entangled one spear with my mantle to grab it. Then I immediately threw it back. It pierced the neck of an unlucky orc that was looking for something to throw.


    ©¤©¤The 42nd.


    If you possessed combat skills to a certain degree, you wouldn¡¯t be amateurish even when handling a weapon you never used before. I couldn¡¯t use spear¡¯s Battle Technique, but even I could do something simple like throwing it back.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡»


    The orc general let loose its war cry seeing its underlings getting attacked. It swiftly reacted by charging forward. It used the black hexagon pole in its hand to mow down the house I was standing on from below to blow away the building together with me.


    It was a pitch black hexagon pole with length that might be around 2,5 meters. This feeling, it might be made from magic iron¡­¡­far from destroying it, even parrying might be impossible against something like that. But my bad, I didn¡¯t have any plan to fight you head on.


    I was starting to retreat the instant the orc general charged forward. I rode on the pulverized rubble that whirled through the air to leap at the other side of the house. Then I landed using my legs¡¯ muscle strength and joint to cushion the impact.


    *DOGOOOOOOOOONN!*


    ¡ºGUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡»


    The orc general pulverized the remaining wall and closed the distance right behind.


    But ¡°my¡± figure wasn¡¯t there. I had left behind Shadow as bait and left that spot to rush toward the normal orcs. It was as though I was switching spot with the orc general.


    ¡ºGAH!¡»


    One orc looked startled by my approach. I stabbed the black dagger into the orc¡¯s fearfully twitching face using my running momentum.


    ©¤©¤43rd.


    The powerful poison didn¡¯t only kill the target. It also made those watching to be scared.


    I targeted the bow orc soldier first not only because it was higher ranked monster, but also as ¡°example¡± to bind the others with fear by killing that stronger variant cruelly.


    I pulled out the dagger from the orc¡¯s head. At the same time I turned while kicking the jaw of the orc at the side, making its jaw wide open. I stabbed that unprotected spot into its brain.


    ¡ºGa, GAAA!!¡»


    One orc noticed that and charged me with a stone axe.


    But it was hesitant. It was scared of fighting me directly. Your attack wouldn¡¯t hit like that.


    I dodged the stone axe it swung down. The orc lost its balance and fell forward. I planted the black dagger into the orc¡¯s fearful eye.


    ©¤©¤45th.


    ¡ºGUGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡»


    Level 5¡¯s Pressure shook the air together with its war cry. The orc general returned.


    The orc general found me and came running while raising up its hexagon pole. One orc broke free from its fear thanks to that war cry and charged forward with a rusty spear.


    Their distance to me was different but I gauged that they would arrive almost at the same time. I  used Stealth while chanting Dark Magic.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shadow©¤©¤¡¹


    Shadow didn¡¯t work by deceiving the opponent¡¯s sight. It was a Dark Magic that deceived Night Vision.


    The Shadow overlapped with my body before it separated from me as though I was splitting into two. Even so the orc general accurately determined the real me and swung its pole. But that attack smashed the skull of the normal orc that got tricked by the Shadow and cut into the path of the attack.


    ©¤©¤46th.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!¡»


    The orc general roared furiously seeing its subordinates being killed one after another. But I already started running from this open space toward the area that had a lot of houses grouped up which provided a lot of cover.


    A group of orc wasn¡¯t an opponent that could be held back by facing them alone. No matter the situation, the correct choice would be to join the adventurer guild¡¯s recruitment drive or wait for the arrival of the noble¡¯s army.


    But there was also ways of fighting that could only be done when alone. If one could ignore the fear of being tortured to death gruesomely if they got captured, a stealth fighter like me had ways of fighting even by myself.


    One of those ways was by poisoning the opponent¡¯s food from the start. The other way was by using guerilla war.


    .


    I entered into the housing area. At the same time I blended my magic particles with the air around me and used Stealth. I erased my presence inside darkness and blended in. This wouldn¡¯t work in an open space, but even orc general shouldn¡¯t be able to find me easily in this place with a lot of cover.


    *DOGOOON!!*


    I heard a thunderous sound from several houses at the next moment. The neighboring house that was visible from the window had been blown aside. Most likely the orc general was destroying the houses after it lost sight of me.


    I created ¡°Shadow¡± once more and made it ran on the roof. The orc general started moving after it. I threw a knife at its back.


    The orc general heard the faint sound of the knife cutting through air. It turned around while swinging its hexagon pole and deflected the knife, but the other knife that was flying in the shadow of the first knife stabbed into the general¡¯s shoulder.


    I had confirmed that even my knife could pierce its skin. Perhaps it was because it was in a weakened state and its parameters lowered.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡»


    The wall of the dilapidated house where I was hiding got pulverized by the general¡¯s pole.


    I dodged by jumping out of the window just a moment before it. I rolled forward on the ground and stood up, then I leaped into the window of the opposite side without pause.


    *DOGONN!*


    The next moment, the house where I was in just now got pulverized by the hexagon pole. The orc general had lost sight of me when it got out on the street. It destroyed the surrounding houses to vent its rage.


    As expected its skill and senses were in different class despite its lowered combat strength. If I used drug even in the slightest amount, it would surely locate my position immediately even if it wasn¡¯t a poison.


    I took some distance from the rampaging orc general. I sneaked behind an orc who couldn¡¯t concentrate from fear while searching for me alone. I assassinated it by driving the black dagger into its neck.


    ¡­¡­47th.


    In this situation it would be better to deal with the other orcs without taking risk to attack the orc general.


    It was troublesome because I had to use a lot of strength for assassinating orc, but I could see a small chance of victory by continuing to deal with the normal orcs one by one like this and continuously injuring the orc general even if only little by little, ¡­¡­the only thing I could do was believing that while continuing my offensive.


    (©¤©¤tsu!)


    I sensed killing intent and mana in that moment and leaped out from the house¡¯s window.


    *DOOOOOONN!!*


    A tremendous amount of mana passed above my ducking head. My own body also got blown away like leaves being blown by wind. Even so I adjusted my posture to land safely.


    ¡¸¡­¡­kuh¡¹


    What happened¡­¡­? The shockwave passed me by. When the cloud of dust and the noise in my Night Vision cleared up, I saw around ten houses had been blown away with only their foundation left behind. It was as though the area had been turned into a clearing.


    ¡­¡­Perhaps, it was a level 5 Battle Technique of Pole skill that even I didn¡¯t know about. I only knew Battle Techniques until level 4, but they should only have the power of normal attack that got heightened by several times. Was level 5 Battle Technique could be this powerful¡­¡­.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOG!!¡»


    I was kneeling on the ground in an area where there were only foundations remaining. The remaining five orcs vigilantly kept their distance while surrounding me so that I couldn¡¯t escape.


    The orc general was calmly approaching me with its hexagon pole leaning on its shoulder.


    So this was rank 5¡­¡­. I could only run around when fighting Grave who was also a rank 5 but, to think that even weakened, the gap was still this vast¡­¡­.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAA!¡»


    The orc generals commanded its subordinate orcs to attack. Was this the composure of the strong, or it wanted to torture me to take revenge for its murdered comrades?


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!¡»


    ¡ºBUOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!¡»


    The five orcs attacked simultaneously. Even the fear against poison was mostly meaningless with their ruler the orc general staying nearby.


    I parried the rusty spear tip that was thrust toward me with the black dagger. I rolled forward to dodge the stone axe that attacked from behind.


    ¡¸Tsu!?¡¹


    A lump of metal flew at me that moment my posture became unbalanced. I barely avoided it before the metal lump sunk into the ground. An orc took advantage of that opening and approached from behind. Its club sent me flying.


    ¡¸Guh!¡¹


    I managed to quickly used my left hand¡¯s protector to block it, but it reduced my stamina by ten percent.


    The metal lump that came flying at me¡­¡­it was the metal bracelet that the orc general was wearing. It seemed that it didn¡¯t have any intention to let me ¡°fight¡±.


    Should I use Dark Magic? But, would I be able to trick a target using illusion to trick five senses while said target was observing me directly?


    Even if I created multiple ¡°Shadows¡±, I didn¡¯t know whether I would be able to dodge all attacks in a situation where I couldn¡¯t switch with any of them. Not only that, it would also waste my little remaining mana.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAA!¡»


    The orcs attacked once more. I dodged the club that was swinging down at me and pointed my dagger, but the orc general¡¯s bracelet flew at me again in that moment.


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu!¡¹


    I got distracted. I could only dodge both attacks half-heartedly because of that. And so the bracelet grazed my side while the spear that thrust from behind grazed my shoulder.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shado¡­¡­¡¹


    I could only use it even if it would be a waste. But, the orc general¡¯s bracelet came flying the instant I tried to use magic. Another orc had waited at where I was dodging and kicked me. My magic¡¯s composition dispersed.


    Another rusty spear came attacking. I could only roll on the ground to dodge, crawl like a cat, and continue to dodge the attack of the orcs without being able to attack.


    The orcs were sporting cruel smile while surrounding me again. Far from being able to attack, I wasn¡¯t even allowed to stand up anymore.


    ¡­¡­Come to think of it, I was also cornered when meeting Viro for the first time. I was on all fours on the ground, grasping the soil with my claws. Why did I do that again¡­¡­?


    Aa, I see¡­¡­.


    ¡¸There isn¡¯t any need to fixate on standing on two legs.¡¹


    ¡º¡­¡­BUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!¡»


    When I spoke, an orc got provoked and thrust with its spear.


    But, I gave up already on forcing myself to stand up.


    I kicked on the ground with one leg while still crouching down. I changed position using the weight of my waist, then I rotated as though I was sliding on the ground using one hand as pivot to dodge the spear tip. Next I entangled a pendulum¡¯s string on the orc¡¯s leg by moving my hand like a clawing cat.


    ¡ºBUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!?¡»


    The orc stopped moving for a moment seeing the strange movement I displayed. A bracelet came flying from the general but¡­¡­it was too late.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Weight©¤©¤¡¹


    I used magic in that very short opening and pulled the string that was wrapped around the confused orc. My weightless body was lifted up and using that momentum I planted my black dagger between the eyes of the entangled orc.


    ©¤©¤48th.


    The female thief I fought before used her flexible body to dodge and attack in surprising ways. For scout class that had limited destructive power, such way had important meaning of confusing the enemy.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡»


    The orc general leaned forward seeing my suddenly changed movement and threw its bracelet. The orcs were also attacking with their weapons at the same time. I lied down like a cat and dodged them.


    I kept such posture while rotating using my waist¡¯s weight and kicking my foot. I slid using the effect of Weight to change my weight¡¯s direction to slid between an orc¡¯s legs. I wrapped string around its leg while kicking up at the orc¡¯s crothc using the blade inserted inside my boots.


    ¡ºGUGAA¡­¡­¡»


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡»


    The orc general seemed to lose composure seeing the situation. It rushed forward with its hexagon rod in hand and executed a sharp attack. I fell backward and pulled on my string strongly. With that the orc whose crotch got kicked staggered and got its head smashed open by the hexagon rod.


    ©¤©¤49th.


    The general¡¯s leg tried to stomp on me who was crawling on the ground. I pulled the string that was still wrapped around the orc¡¯s leg to slid away. The orc general¡¯s movement slowed from a momentary bewilderment.


    ©¤©¤Now!


    I used Weight¡¯s effect and the stretched string to strain the muscles of my whole body like bow. Then my body got fired in high speed like a single arrow. The speed surpassed the orc general¡¯s kinetic vision©¤©¤


    ¡¸HAAA!¡¹


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAA!!¡»


    I surpassed even the movement of the hexagon rod that tried to intercept me. The black dagger tore the general¡¯s face.


    ¡ºGUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!¡»


    The orc general groaned in pain from its torn face.


    I flew past the orc general. I landed with a thrust into the forehead of the unlucky orc who happened to be there. After that I breathed hard with a feeling of lethargy assaulting me for an instant.


    It was shallow¡­¡­. If I stabbed with the dagger in that speed, even an orc general should get fatally injured, but the general managed to move its face slightly and avoided direct hit even against such speed.


    If it could dodge like that, then using the black knife that was currently under repair might leave more damage than the black dagger, but a knife was lacking as a ¡°finisher¡± in the first place, so it was pointless to hypothesize that.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Rather than that, what was this feeling of lethargy? This sensation¡­¡­was similar like when I used Body Strengthening for the first time. ¡­¡­No, it was a bit different. I felt lethargy and heat accumulating in my muscles like when I used Battle Technique for the first time.


    I was concentrating and circulating mana through my whole body, but what could be the cause of this? I guessed that it was thanks to that I could move faster than expected but, there wasn¡¯t any time to ponder about that right now.


    The remaining enemies were only this orc general and two orcs who were looking at me fearfully. Perhaps there were also still other orcs who were out hunting but, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to leave them alone if they weren¡¯t here.


    .


    ¡º¡­¡­You¡­¡­¡»


    The general glared at me through the gap of its fingers that were pressing on its face, then it spoke with ¡ºword¡».


    This thing¡­¡­I had heard that superior variant had high intellect, but it could talk with human language? Perhaps because orc general had different vocal cords structure than human, the words it let out were halting and slow.


    ¡ºHuman¡­¡­wo, man. Why, attack, us? Why, kill, comrades?¡»


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    From where the orcs stood, I was an ¡°evil¡± who attacked their settlement and killed their comrades.


    What was right and what was wrong would also changed with the change in perspective. ¡°Mankind¡± that consisted of human race and demihuman races wouldn¡¯t always be in the right. Even mankind¡¯s enemy, the demon race should have their own reason why they were hostile toward mankind. There were even good people among such feared demon race just like master.


    But, what meaning such thing had?


    I understood your claim. But I too had a reason why I couldn¡¯t withdraw.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I don¡¯t hold any resentment toward any of you. Even animal will fight with their life on the line to protect their children if someone else enter their turf. You guys had become ¡°enemy¡± ever since you appeared here. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡¹


    In the first place conflict wouldn¡¯t occur if this was a world where everyone could be satisfied. If you came to take things from others than surely you also had the resolve to have things taken from you right? Humans were also the same. That was why conflict would never end.


    ¡º¡­¡­Got it.¡»


    The orc general narrowed its eyes at my simple ¡°answer¡± and seemed to think of something. Its hand left its bloody face and it held the hexagon rod with both hands.


    From its stance I could feel no haughtiness as the strong, and how it recognized me not as assailant but ¡°formidable enemy¡±. The fearful two orcs might have also sensed the general¡¯s feeling. They grasped their weapons tightly and stood at the sides of the orc general.


    ¡ºMy name, Goljaoul. Warrior¡­¡­your name?¡»


    ¡¸¡­¡­Aria.¡¹


    ¡ºI see¡­¡­here I come, Aria-!!¡»


    The orc general©¤©¤Goljaoul roared. At the same time he rushed forward explosively and struck with his hexagon rod.


    I dodged it in a hair¡¯s breadth. I placed a single hand on the ground and kicked on the ground with one foot. I moved flowingly without pause while hand standing and planting the blade in my boot from right below into the jaw of an approaching orc.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡»


    Goljaoul finally got serious.


    Although his body was weakened from poison, there was a large gap in skill between him and rank 3 like me. I could only rival him in speed. My parameters weren¡¯t lowered, but my mana and stamina already dipped below half due to the accumulating fatigue.


    Did I still have a chance to win even in this situation? Until just now I also considered the option of running away in the worst case, but now I had discarded such thinking.


    Goljaoul recognized me as an enemy. He discarded his pride as the strong and challenged me in battle proudly despite his weakened body. If I ran away from Goljaoul right now, it felt like I wouldn¡¯t be able to go up to this ¡°stage¡± anymore.


    The strength that I wished for wasn¡¯t just ¡°power¡±. I would become strong at ¡°heart¡±.


    The orc who got his throat gouged vomited foaming blood while falling down. Goljaoul used that orc as cover as he approached and thrust forward with his hexagon rod. I bent backward to dodge that and opened a distance between us by crawling on the ground.


    Rod had wide range of attack because it didn¡¯t have an easy to understand threat like a sharp edge. It could thrust like a spear, slash like a great sword, and crush like a hammer.


    It looked like I could fight Goljaoul equally because his agility had decreased, but all my bones would be broken if I got hit directly.


    ¡º©¤©¤Shadow Snatch©¤©¤¡»


    I created four ¡°darkness¡± with Dark Magic and scattered them around me at the same time.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡»


    Goljaoul stayed wary toward the ¡°darkness¡± while rotating his rod above his head. Then he grabbed the end of the rod and swung down.


    The distance of more than three meter was instantly closed in by the rod and the arm¡¯s length. I used footwork and slid away while using my own shadow to fire crossbow arrow from the ¡°darkness¡± that was floating beside Goljaoul¡¯s head.


    Goljaoul saw the fired arrow and dodged by sight. His rod smashed the ground and caused fragments to hit my body. But, I opened the distance once more using the opening that was created from that. I was at least able to prevent him from continuing his attack.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I was unable to use magic effectively because of Goljaoul¡¯s cautiousness.


    Shadow Snatch was convenient to use, but it also had weakness.


    An object had to be covered with magic particles in order for the effect of space type Dark Magic to extend to it. With Storage I could take out pendulum outside although it had a bundle of string attached to it, but to make something travel from shadow to shadow, there needed to be a clear separation.


    In the battle against spear orc soldier, I was able to make its spear travel through shadow because I was directly touching it.


    When the sword orc soldier stepped on hidden weapon from the shadow on the ground, it was still wrapped in darkness and completely separated.


    That was why, I couldn¡¯t do something like stabbing blade into shadow to attack at a location far away. I could only send throwing weapon or sorcery using Shadow Snatch.


    But see, Goljaoul¡­¡­you didn¡¯t know the depth of Dark Magic.


    ¡ºGah!?¡»


    One of the ¡°darkness¡± that Goljaoul hit cracked and a sphere of light fell out from inside. It released a powerful light for just a moment.


    Space type Dark Magic contained spell formula and caused various phenomenon. The ¡°darkness¡± just now sustained a daily life magic Light and directly sent it out when it almost reached zero.


    There was also the possibility of light and darkness cancelling each other, but by enveloping Light with non elemental magic particles, the magic didn¡¯t vanish and activate in the end. I rushed toward Goljaoul with all my strength the moment it lighted up and blinded him.


    ¡¸HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡¹


    I used the effect of Weight that was still remaining and Body Strengthening and closed the distance of five meters in a single breath with speed that was twice that of ordinary person. I thrust the black dagger toward Goljaoul who was covering his eyes.


    ¡ºGUGAAAAAH!!¡»


    But that full powered attack pierced the chest of the last remaining orc.


    It was unknown whether it was just a coincidence or it tried to protect Goljaoul even with its eyes burned by light. Either way the dagger went through its breastbone and got buried until the hilt. The moment I tried to pull it out, Goljaoul¡¯s hexagon rod hit that orc together with me while his eyes were still closed shut.


    ¡¸Kahah!¡¹


    I rolled on the ground and vomited out blood. Even so it still wasn¡¯t fatal. Most likely he counterattacked with only his detection without relying on Night Vision, the large body of the orc served as a cushion and I managed to at least avoid a direct hit.


    ¡ºGugo¡­¡­¡»


    Goljaoul narrowed his pained eyes and glared at me. He held his hexagon rod with both hands once more. I too filled my legs with strength and stood up.


    I thought my bones weren¡¯t broken. There also wasn¡¯t anywhere that felt terribly painful in my muscles or joints, even so I was aware that my stamina had lowered down until almost the limit.


    I would be able to restore my stamina and wound if I used Light Magic¡¯s High Heal, but I didn¡¯t think that Goljaoul would give me the time to construct level 3 magic. And even if I used it, my mana would become almost empty.


    If it was Heal that I was used to cast then I might be able to use it after looking for an opening but¡­¡­no, let¡¯s forget it. Rather than wasting mana to give myself small recovery, it would be better to use it for attacking instead.


    Even if I managed to restore my stamina, it would be pointless if I didn¡¯t have any finishing move.


    This was the weakness of scout class. Although this class excelled in surviving unlike sorcerer or warrior class, I had no ¡°finishing move¡±.


    I had somehow made it until now. I thought that anyone would die if I could stab them with blade. That was fine if I was against normal adventurer. But now I realized that alone wouldn¡¯t be enough to face against ¡°the strong¡± like rank 5 or above by myself.


    I needed a ¡°finishing move¡±. A powerful attack, just like what the Battle Technique that Goljaoul used.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡»


    We slowly faced each other. I lowered my waist and raised the black dagger. Goljaoul seemed to feel something and he lowered his waist as though he had resolved himself. He twisted his waist and raised his hexagon rod far above his head.


    That was the level 5 Battle Technique that Goljaoul used. I felt the mana inside his body was heightening while I exhaled and accelerated my thought.


    Remember. The feeling from before. The attack that tore Goljaoul¡¯s face.


    The level of my Magic Power Control had also increased from training my Body Strengthening. The level of my Non-Elemental Magic that was in charge of Battle Technique had also increased.


    Not a single one of them was something complete. It would be no good if even a single one of those three was absent. The Battle Technique in close quarter combat skill was nothing more than an assistant tool.


    When I looked using my ¡°eyes¡± at the mana flowing throughout my whole body when using Body Strengthening, there wasn¡¯t only non-elemental magic particles there. It was slight but, elemental magic particles were also mixing in.


    I paid no attention to that until now. Because I thought that was only normal. But if mana was likened as water, wasn¡¯t that mixed in elemental magic particle something like off-flavor?


    That attack was a result of extreme focus. Until now I absorbed magic particles from the surrounding and blended it into my own mana to use elemental magic, but by concentrating I concluded that I used my own magic particles before they were turned into mana.


    The magic particles inside me were purely non-elemental. Using them in that state had bad efficiency, so they would be refined into mana first but, various elements got mixed in during that process.


    When using non-elemental magic, one should only use purely non-elemental mana.


    In that case this time I should consciously remove any element from my mana. Even if normally that  couldn¡¯t be done, it should be possible using my ¡°eyes¡± that could see the color of magic particle.


    ¡­¡­Concentrate. Threw away the off-flavor with the delicateness that was like pinching iron sand from among the other grains of sand using a pinset. Refined my non-elemental mana to be as clear as a transparent glass.


    ¡¸¡­¡­tsu!¡¹


    My non-elemental mana was visibily becoming even more transparent. The mana that was flowing along the blood inside my whole body was flowing even faster. All my muscles got tinged with heat due to the speed of the mana. This state was like when I was on the verge of using Battle Technique.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡»


    Goljaoul sensed my mana and swung down his hexagon rod. His Battle Technique was unleashed.


    Inside my mind that was accelerated through extreme focus, I was able to perceive the mana of the swung down rod smashing the ground, creating shockwave, and spreading it.


    The mana rushing inside my whole body couldn¡¯t be controlled and became consumed in the blink of eye.


    I kicked on the ground in that instant and rushed forward. My body surpassed even the limit of Body Strengthening. I left behind even the scenery that was reflected in my eyes, jumped over the shockwave that Goljaoul unleashed before it could spread through the ground, and hit Goljaoul whose eyes were wide open in astonishment.


    ¡º©¤©¤!!¡»


    ¡¸©¤©¤!¡¹


    *DOSHAAAAAAAAAAAAA©¤©¤!*


    My body couldn¡¯t endure the recoil and got blown away. I was rolling behind Goljaoul for dozens of meter.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Kahah, kefuh¡¹


    I lied spread-eagled on the ground and immediately got a violent coughing fit. Blood flowed out from my mouth. I could only move my eyes. And what entered my sight at the distance was Goljaoul¡¯s huge body slowly falling backward.


    With my body that became unable to even move after losing almost all stamina and mana, I saw the black dagger that was stabbed deeply between Goljaoul¡¯s eyes. After I confirmed his death, I closed my eyes in a silent prayer and darkness quietly enveloped my mind.


    .


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  ¨C  Rank 3


    ¡¾Magic Power : 4/250¡¿¡÷ 10 UP¡¾Stamina : 7/200¡¿¡÷ 10 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 9 (12)¡¿¡¾Endurance : 9 (12)¡¿¡¾Agility : 13 (17)¡¿¡¾Dexterity : 8¡¿


    ¡¶Short Sword Skill Level 3¡·¡¶Martial Art Level 4¡·¡÷ 1 UP¡¶Throwing Level 3¡·¡¶Archery Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Defense Level 3¡·¡¶String Control Level 4¡·


    ¡¶Light Magic Level 3¡·¡¶Darkness Magic Level 3¡·¡¶Non-Elemental Magic Level 4¡·¡÷ 1 UP


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·¡¶Magic Power Control Level 4¡·¡¶Pressure Level 4¡·¡÷ 1 UP


    ¡¶Stealth Level 4¡·¡¶Night Vision Level 2¡·¡¶Search Level 4¡·¡¶Poison Resistance Level 3¡·


    ¡¶Simple Appraisal¡·


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 612 (With Body Strengthening : 732)¡¿¡÷ 36 UP

 Volume 3 - CH 9

    ¡¸Anything to report?¡¹


    ¡¸Nothing for now. ¡­¡­It¡¯s eerily quiet.¡¹


    A town soldier asked the question. The rank 2 adventurer Kevin who was keeping watch on the watchtower was looking toward the harvested wheat field spreading outside the town and the forest that was visible at the other side with a grim look. The damage wasn¡¯t that serious because the harvest had been finished, but the seeds planting might also get affected if this situation continued. But, that wasn¡¯t the only reason for Kevin¡¯s grim look.


    Nearly one month had passed since the townspeople started evacuating in full scale. Currently the townspeople who could move had finished evacuating, but the sick and their family were still remaining. They were asked to gather at the public hall in the center of the town as countermeasure but, even that would still take several days.


    The lord of this territory, Baron Horace had asked for reinforcement from his caregiver Count Taurus. With that the preparation of 1400 soldiers that also included the army from other noble houses to depart was finally completed.


    The rank 4 scout that the adventurer guild found had also already arrived in the baron territory. Currently they were starting to have discussion with the guild master and other rank 3 adventurers in this territory whether there was a way for them to defeat the orc general.


    The baron felt some relieve after hearing that information and he finally sent fifty soldiers as advance party. Those soldiers were working together with the soldiers in this town right now to evacuate the townspeople.


    The adventurer guild also put up a quest for helping the town after the rank 4 adventurer arrived. Two rank 3 parties took up the quest and they were working together with Kevin¡¯s party to prepare for any unforeseen attack from the orcs.


    There was still no new information about the orcs. It was caused partly because the scouts were hesitant to undertake such dangerous mission, but partly it was also because the rank 3 girl who should be doing that information gathering right now still hadn¡¯t returned.


    ¡¸As promised, it looks like we¡¯ll make it in time with the evacuation of the townspeople who can move. You adventurers also repelled the orcs who came before this.¡¹


    The familiar soldier who previously in charge of keeping watch of the area around the gate climbed up on the foothold created behind the stone wall and looked toward the same direction where Kevin was looking at.


    There had been no movement for more than three weeks but, several days ago, they discovered five orcs trying to take out food from the storehouse. Kevin¡¯s party and a rank 3 party worked together to finish them off.


    ¡¸The orcs weren¡¯t as scary as the rumor made them out to be. We would manage somehow with just ourselves even without that girl going off. She won¡¯t be able to do anything significant anyway, she should just run home right away!¡¹


    ¡¸Kevin¡­¡­you said that, but you¡¯re the one who is the most worried for that girl.¡¹


    ¡¸W-who¡¯s worried, I¡¯m just angry because that girl acted as she pleased!¡¹


    The girl called Aria said that she would buy time until the evacuation of the townspeople was finished and headed to the orc settlement alone.


    Even though she was just a girl who was still in her early teen, she possessed strength that made rank 2 looked powerless before her. Nobody was able to stop Aria from going. Aria had already departed when Kevin woke up from being beaten up until he fainted.


    ¡¸That girl took my words too seriously. This isn¡¯t something she should do by herself¡­¡­¡¹


    Kevin muttered those words with a dejected tone. His acquaintance soldier grinned knowingly.


    ¡¸She was a pretty girl wasn¡¯t she¡­¡­did getting punched made you fall in love?¡¹


    ¡¸S-stupid idiot! Ain¡¯t no way I¡¯ll fall in love with that kind of brat!¡¹


    She was an eye-catching beauty despite the trace of immaturity that still remained in her look. He didn¡¯t notice when he was harboring dissatisfaction toward the girl but, looking back he noticed her consideration in the subtle details.


    The girl didn¡¯t pamper or reject Kevin. She treated him as a warrior from the start. That was exactly why she used harsh words to rouse him up while going to the most dangerous place by herself to practice what she preached.


    A part of the soldiers and adventurers in town were saying in contempt that the girl was already killed or that she ran away from the start, but Kevin was the one who got angry and argued against those detractors the most.


    There was no way that girl would run away. For some reason that was the one thing that he could say with complete confidence.


    Kevin¡¯s behavior toward the girl wasn¡¯t how one treated ¡ºa junior adventurer¡» no matter how others looked at it but, the town soldiers didn¡¯t bring it up and change the topic.


    ¡¸Well, setting that aside, thank god that the orcs aren¡¯t that strong. I heard that orc is a rank 3 monster, but is it really not as strong as what the rumors say?¡¹


    ¡¸You¡¯re mistaken.¡¹


    The scout of the rank 3 party that was staying in this town had climbed up on the stone wall¡¯s foothold without them noticing. He was the scout who investigated the state of the orc force by the feudal lord¡¯s request when the orc was discovered, so he knew just how much of a threat the orcs were. That was exactly why he participated in the town¡¯s defense this time with his party.


    ¡¸Doyle-san¡­¡­what do you mean?¡¹


    The orc that Kevin happened to see before left very strong impression in him, but the orcs that appeared before this got defeated so easily it felt anticlimax. Though perhaps that was also thanks to the help from Doyle¡¯s party.


    Doyle paused for a beat at Kevin¡¯s questioning look before he lit his smoking pipe.


    ¡¸You know how I infiltrated into their settlement right? The condition of the orcs who came before this was strange so I tried to Appraise them. I found out that all of them were in weakened state that halved their combat strength. It was as though they got poisoned by ¡°someone¡±.¡¹


    It wouldn¡¯t be that strange if it was just one or two orcs who were in such state, but it was a different story if all the orcs were in the same condition.


    A veteran scout who was at his later thirty said that as his inhaled the smoke from his smoking pipe. Kevin and the soldier felt the credibility from the story and looked at each other.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡­it¡¯s her?¡¹


    ¡¸She said that she will buy time but¡­¡­¡¹


    The figure of the ash covered girl flashed in the mind of Kevin and the soldier. Doyle had heard about the girl but he hadn¡¯t met her personally. He lightly shook his head.


    ¡¸I¡¯m not saying that. Even I couldn¡¯t enter to the middle of that abandoned village and could only observe from outside. Do you get it¡­¡­? I was ¡ºscared¡». Death will definitely wait for me if I got discovered. If I want to poison that many orcs all at the same time, I¡¯ll need to infiltrate inside the village and stay undiscovered for more than ten days at the very least. ¡­¡­Sorry but, I don¡¯t have the guts for something like that.¡¹


    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹¡¹


    A veteran scout said that it was impossible for him. Then, why was the orcs weakened? What was the reason that the confirmed superior variants hadn¡¯t showed themselves until now? In the first place what was the reason for the orcs to never come attacking here even after more than one month?


    ¡¸Oi, something¡¯s coming-!¡¹


    A soldier who was standing guard in another watchtower yelled. Kevin and others went to the edge of the stone wall and leaned forward until they almost fell to focus their gaze toward the field. Then they saw a small silhouette approaching from away while bringing something like a long rod.


    ¡¸That girl¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Oi, Kevin-!¡¹


    Kevin¡¯s eyes widened and he broke into a run toward the gate. The soldier and Doyle also followed behind him.


    They came out of the gate together with the other gathered adventurers and soldiers. Kevin who was running at the lead yelled the girl¡¯s name when he got near.


    ¡¸Aria-!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Kevin?¡¹


    The girl was wearing a mantel that had become covered in mud and tears like a dirty rag. She was dragging a bag that was made from skin while shouldering a huge rod. She repositioned the rod on her shoulder while turning a tired face toward their approach.


    Kevin gulped feeling her ghastly atmosphere and the dried blood on her cheeks and hair. His acquaintance soldier stepped forward and called out with a nervous face.


    ¡¸What happened to you? What about the orcs?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­The orcs won¡¯t attack again. There might be still several remaining but, the superior variants are already gone at the very least.¡¹


    ¡¸Gone¡­¡­just what¡¯re you saying-!¡¹


    ¡¸Wait Kevin¡¹


    Doyle stopped Kevin who tried to press for an answer and turned his eyes toward the black rod Aria was carrying.


    ¡¸Hey, tell me one thing. ¡­¡­That magic iron rod, isn¡¯t that the orc general¡¯s weapon?¡¹


    The adventurers and soldiers couldn¡¯t understand Doyle¡¯s words and looked bewildered. Aria ignored them and turned toward Doyle.


    ¡¸You want it? I brought it with me but, it¡¯s really heavy.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­No thanks. Let me ask one more thing. Are the orcs already gone?¡¹


    ¡¸They¡¯re scattered through the forest and the abandoned village, so go check it yourself. Can I go already? I¡¯m tired.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Got it.¡¹


    Aria looked really exhausted. Doyle shivered just like when he discovered superior variants of orc in the forest. He unconsciously backed off to open a path.


    ¡¸O-oi¡­¡­¡¹


    Kevin tried to stop Aria, but Doyle grabbed his shoulder and shook his head quietly.


    When that small back vanished into the town¡¯s gate, Doyle spoke to the soldiers and other adventurers with a grim face.


    ¡¸Someone, look for my teammates and tell them to gather in the meeting place. We¡¯re going to go check the forest and the orc settlement after this.¡¹


    Doyle and Kevin¡¯s parties departed within that same day for investigation. Then several days later, deep inside the forest and in the abandoned village that the orcs turned into their base, they found more than fifty orc corpses including the superior variants with magic stone already taken from their hearts.


    After that they return to the town to ask for a more detailed explanation, but the ash covered girl was already gone. Then Doyle recalled a certain information that he heard from the nature of his job as scout, rumors from various places, and people involved with the thief guild.


    It was an information that said how a person who destroyed a branch of assassin guild alone, got into hostility with the whole assassin guild itself, and crushed multiple thief guilds in several cities while slaughtering every single person there was still a young girl.


    Doyle himself only thought of it as a stupid rumor when he heard about those. And even if the stories were true, he made light of them thinking that there must be some exaggeration mixed in for laugh.


    But, a person who happened to actually be present in the scene and luckily survived said that the stories were true with a look of terror. Doyle turned his gaze toward the direction of the town where the baron was living, where that girl must be heading to and muttered in a daze into the wind.


    .


    ¡¸So she¡¯s actually exist¡­¡­¡±The Ash Crowned Princess¡±¡­¡­¡¹


    That day¡­¡­when I woke up after fainting from defeating Goljaoul, the blue sky was spread out in front of me.


    My stamina and mana were reduced to the extreme. If my damage was just a bit more severe, I would enter a hungry state while still unconscious and died from emaciation.


    I couldn¡¯t move my body even after waking up because I used my physical ability passed the limit. The muscles and joints through my whole body were greatly burdened. That was my guess.


    Other than that there was also the recoil from the sudden deceleration when I stabbed the dagger. The bone of my right upper arm broke and my shoulder was also dislocated. I also received damage from blows on several places of my body that also reached my internal organ.


    ¡­¡­Even I was puzzled that I was still alive.


    It was lucky that my head at least didn¡¯t get injured. I would surely never wake up again if my head also got injured.


    With me returning to the land of the living, I confirmed my present situation despite the haziness of my mind. I used daily life magic Water using my slightly recovering mana to create water around my head. Then I supped the muddy water on the ground to regain my energy even for just a little.


    If there was still even one orc surviving, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything in this state and got killed.


    It was a pain because the amount of mana flowing inside my body became irregular. Perhaps the magic power circuit inside my body wasn¡¯t working well. But I adjusted it using my Magic Power Control that had leveled up and repaired my body bit by bit using Cure. With that my hand became able to move while trembling and I grabbed my few remaining nutrition pills and consumed them. Like that one whole day passed before I finally recovered to a point where I could move.


    I had accumulated fatigue and damage. My stamina and mana couldn¡¯t recover for more than fifty percent.


    But it would take time for me to recover even if I stayed here. And so I decided to do what needed to be done before leaving from here.


    I collected the black dagger from the forehead of the dead Goljaoul, then used my steel knife to take out his magic stone from his chest. I was an adventurer. I didn¡¯t kill based on hatred. That was why I wouldn¡¯t waste his death as a monster and used him as my nourishment.


    I found a skin bag that the orcs used for gathering food, went around the abandoned village to collect the magic stones from the orcs, and gathered my throwing knives as many as possible.


    That night I roasted some edible wild plants and yam, and drank boiled water that was mixed with salt. Then I slept like a log until the sun rose after eating warm food for the first time in a month. When morning came, I left the abandoned village and also collected the magic stones of the orc soldiers that I left behind in the forest while walking to return to the town.


    I brought the magic iron rod that Goljaoul used just based on my whim.


    I didn¡¯t plan to call it a war trophy but, it would also displease me if some unknown person used it, so I decided to bring it with me for now, but I regretted it midway because of how heavy it was.


    .


    When I returned to that small town, I only told the adventurers including Kevin and the soldiers that the threat was gone now. I dropped the whole process of clean up to them.


    I didn¡¯t say much because I was tired and it was troublesome to explain, but also because they would surely reach their own conclusion after seeing the actual scene rather than hearing longwinded explanation from me. It was doubtful anyway whether I would be believed if I tried to explain what I did, so this way was less troublesome to convince them.


    I couldn¡¯t see any townspeople other than the soldiers inside the town. It looked like the evacuation in preparation of the orc¡¯s attack had progressed really far.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I should have only bought time, but I did something that far surpassed that plan. But there was no problem because the worst case was averted with this. ¡­¡­Maybe.


    I found an inn that was still open inside that town and entered inside. It seemed to be a place that adventurers or soldiers were using as a station. I borrowed a spot at the corner and wrapped myself in my mantle before catching a sleep.


    Right now I wanted to sleep in a safe place even more than proper food. There was no guarantee that a place with other people around was safe, but it should be better than open space where wild animals and monsters loitered around.


    Perhaps there were only men around. I only found dried cheese and hard bread left on the table, so I washed them down into my stomach with water. After I got enough sleep and woke up, my stamina and mana had recovered until around 70%.


    A soldier returned almost at the same time when I woke up. I asked him some questions and heard how some adventurers and soldiers went to the abandoned village while I was sleeping.


    There was no need for me to wait for them to return. They might want me to explain but, I would have to explain in the guild anyway. I wasn¡¯t interested in giving the same explanation twice, so I immediately departed to the town where the guild was located.


    I had noticed since I started walking on the highway but, although there was fatigue, my body felt sharper than before. It was caused by my Martial Art and None-Elemental Magic reaching level 4.


    My elemental magic and combat skills didn¡¯t level up, so I was still rank 3, but physical ability-wise, I should be very close to rank 4.


    With this I finally got a foot on the stage where ¡°the strong¡± stood.


    I was running when coming here but, I was walking when returning. It was in part because I still wasn¡¯t a full health, but it was also because I was still feeling uneasy with doing Body Strengthening.


    That technique that I used to defeat Goljaoul¡­¡­I thought that it was like Body Strengthening in a rampaging state, but it consumed a lot of mana in one go and also put a lot of burden on the body.


    I never heard about this kind of phenomenon even from master, but perhaps Galbas who was knowledgeable about weapon might know something.


    .


    And then when I returned to the large town after one month, I found the number of guards increasing as countermeasure against orc.


    This state of high alert wouldn¡¯t stop until they confirmed that the threat of orc was already gone anyway, so I paid it little attention and headed toward the gate. I was seen with suspicion thanks to my ragged and dirty mantel, but the guard got surprised by my rank and appearance when I showed my adventurer guild tag and I was allowed inside easily.


    It had been one month since I was here last time, but there wasn¡¯t really anything different. Midway I visited a stall and bought some plants that I had run out of.


    Originally I should head to the adventurer guild first and gave simple explanation to that receptionist lady, but I headed to Galbas¡¯s workshop first before that.


    I used Stealth when entering a back alley like usual and moved soundlessly. I paid careful attention to the surrounding and confirmed that there wasn¡¯t any ¡°eye¡± of the thief guild before lightly knocking on Galbas¡¯s workshop.


    ¡¸Galbas, you there?¡¹


    There was the sound of hammer from inside so I thought that he might be inside, but it seemed that he didn¡¯t hear me because of that. I called out first just in case before getting inside. Galbas who was making something at the forge noticed me and his eyes widened.


    ¡¸Ash covered¡­¡­you¡¯re completely beaten up.¡¹


    The protectors that Gelf made for me were only dirtied, but the mantel that was only made from leather needed to be replaced completely with how tattered it had become.


    ¡¸I got into a fight. Is the weapon finished? Also this, souvenir.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­You¡¯re pretty bad at giving explanation huh. But, this thing¡­¡­¡¹


    I handed the ¡°luggage¡± I shouldered that was the magic iron rod. Galbas took it and stared at it with curiosity before he groaned.


    ¡¸Uumu¡­¡­this is a pretty old thing. It was roughly made but, it doesn¡¯t warped or bent even though it has been used quite often. The magic iron in it got pretty high purity.¡¹


    So he could learn that much just from a glance.


    ¡¸Can you create weapon using this?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s a lump of magic iron, so I can make a lot of things from it but¡­¡­oi, ash covered. Where did you get this from?¡¹


    ¡¸An orc general used it.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Haa!? You said orc general-!?¡¹


    ¡¸Yep. That¡¯s for you so tell me one thing.¡¹


    First I told Galbas the short summary of what had happened until now and then I talked about how my Body Strengthening went wild. Galbas had gone past feeling exasperation and he sighed while holding his head in great perplexion.


    ¡¸You¡­¡­damn stupid idiot-!! It¡¯s unreasonable to tell an adventurer to not be reckless but¡­¡­treasure your own body a bit more!¡¹


    ¡¸Sorry¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­And, about the strange Body Strengthening. I¡¯m only around rank 2 in fighting, even so I believe that I¡¯m pretty well-informed when it come to weapon.¡¹


    Galbas glared at me reproachfully, then he poured alcohol into a cup and gulped it down in one breath before he started talking.


    ¡¸I made weapon with the assumption that the user will use Battle Technique with it. That was why I investigated various things when I was young. The current Battle Technique had only existed for around 2000 years, but it had a predecessor before that. What you used is most likely the ¡ºorigin Battle Technique¡».¡¹


    Galbas said that what I used was a ¡°phenomenon¡± that couldn¡¯t even be called a technique, the thing that became the basis for the current Body Strengthening and Battle Technique before they got systematized.


    The ¡°heat¡± from the rampaging Body Strengthening heightened my strength but, that was a double-edged sword. It seemed that by controlling non-elemental magic so that you could use that heat and then concentrating it to a single point would result in Battle Technique.


    With that, I wondered if I would be able to create my own Battle Technique using that but, it wasn¡¯t something that simple.


    ¡¸After all Battle Technique is something that the spirits created.¡¹


    Galbas said that and drank alcohol again before he taught me more.


    It was said that Battle Technique was a monosyllabic non-elemental magic but, the language used wasn¡¯t spirit language but the common language that human race used. Monsters like orc didn¡¯t even us word and used Battle Technique just by roaring.


    In other words it was no different from ¡°activation word¡± like Fire Arrow or Stone Throw that was used in normal sorcery.


    And yet, if asked why there was a need to use voice, because that activation word¡¯s ¡°meaning¡± itself was the magic.


    When that word that had meaning got recognized by spirit, it became spirit language of this world that had power. Just like how sorcery could activate as magic as long as you understood the right meaning, if you correctly understood the effect of close quarter combat skill¡¯s technique and Battle Technique themselves, that would act as magic composition that could activate Battle technique or magic even just from a monster¡¯s roar.


    Our predecessors had repeated trial and error countless times for many years to do something about the rampaging heat. And the result was the currently existing Battle Technique that was created from the spirit¡¯s recognition.


    Just like how a weapon couldn¡¯t be created just from finding ore, even if I did trial and error repeatedly in my spare time, it would take dozens of years until my effort took shape to become a new Battle Technique. And even if I managed to luckily complete it, I didn¡¯t think it would result in something that surpassed the existing Battle Techniques.


    By the way the Battle Technique that Goljaoul used was so powerful because it was said that Battle Techniques of rank 5 and above were created by spirit for the sake of ¡°hero¡± who guarded the balance of the world.


    In short the current Battle Technique was the stabilized version of the unstable primitive Body Strengthening¡¯s technique. It was said that if you wanted to become strong safely, then using the existing Battle Techniques would be the shortest shortcut.


    The conclusion was I couldn¡¯t create new Battle Technique. But, in that case, would I be able to control the rampaging heat itself¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Ask someone else if it¡¯s about sorcery. Even you got your own sorcery teacher right?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­I¡¯ll do that.¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s important but, I¡¯ve also finished your weapons¡¯ forging and repair. First is the magic steel knife you left with me. Try holding it.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    The knife that I had entrusted my life to for this two and half years returned to my hand. When I tried holding it, its hilt wasn¡¯t slender for a kid to hold with two hands anymore. Its handle had become thicker again to be held in one hand. I was surprised by how it felt like the handle was glued into my hand.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Can I try swinging it?¡¹


    ¡¸Try cutting the charcoal there.¡¹


    I tossed one of the charcoals from the pile to the air before swiftly stepping forward and swung the knife. I split the brittle charcoal as though I was cutting a fruit.


    It was as though the black blade was brand new. There wasn¡¯t any cloudiness in it. the center of gravity was slightly leaning to the front while its sharpness was just like before, increasing its power.


    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­it¡¯s really good. Then, about the dagger I borrowed¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Ou, I¡¯ll service it too. Just wait for a day.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Isn¡¯t it a substitute weapon?¡¹


    The black dagger was something I borrowed as substitute weapon while the black knife was in repair. When I mentioned that, Galbas didn¡¯t answer and pulled out the black dagger from its sheath. He frowned.


    ¡¸It¡¯s this damaged just in one month¡­¡­well, guess it¡¯s only natural if you used it to fight higher ranked orcs¡­¡­. Listen, ash covered. This iron steel dagger is ¡°hard¡± weapon that I created as a pair for that knife. Did you dislike it?¡¹


    ¡¸No, I¡¯d lose without that.¡¹


    I believed that my last attack only worked because I used that weapon.


    ¡¸Then, just keep using it. That knife and dagger are siblings. It¡¯ll be too pitiful for them if you don¡¯t use them together right?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    ¡­¡­This eccentric old man is really softhearted.


    ¡¸Also, take a look at the new weapon you requested-, it¡¯s this-!!¡¹


    Galbas¡¯s eyes shined like a kid who had just gotten a toy. He opened the wrapping of the item he brought.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Four?¡¹


    For some reason the new blade for the pendulum that I requested from Galbas had four types.


    ¡¸You¡¯ll change the way you use this weapon depending on your purpose right? I tried creating various things based on those purposes.¡¹


    Galbas proudly explained with flushed face.


    All-Purpose type©¤©¤Diamond shaped blade with moderate weight. It could be used for cutting, but it was mainly used for stabbing. I should be able to use it in the same way like I had done until now.


    Slashing type©¤©¤It was a circular blade that looked like chakram. By swinging it around to speed it up with centrifugal force, it could tear like razor and slash like axe.


    Sickle type©¤©¤A sickle in the shape of anchor. It could saw off the target by swinging it around just like the slashing type. It made it possible to kill even creature with strong life force with one blow.


    Weight type©¤©¤it had the shape like a thick cross. It would become horizontal by swinging it around. The slightly pointed edges would be able to smash even skull if they were used like hammer.


    ¡¸You look like you understand how to use them. I have made the molds for them so I¡¯ll make some spares for you soon. You also just gave me the material for it, gahahahahah¡¹


    Galbas said that and slapped the magic iron rod.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Thank you.¡¹


    ¡¸Stupid idiot-, it¡¯s still a hundred year too early for a brat like you to act reserved-!¡¹


    Galbas intentionally acted brusquely. It made me to smile a little too.


    ¡¸Also, I want some throwing knives too. It doesn¡¯t matter even if they¡¯re just ready-made things¡­¡­¡¹


    I said that and directed my attention to the shelves where weapons were lined up. It was then I felt a ¡°gaze¡± from behind me, and something ¡°out of place¡± at the entrance. I pulled out a knife from my skirt¡¯s slit and threw it. That presence shifted slightly and dodged the thrown knife.


    I sensed that the presence was very skilled and stood in front of Galbas with my knife raised. It was then the owner of the presence oozed out from the background in front of me and hurriedly raised his voice.


    ¡¸Wait wait-, don¡¯t throw that kind of thing around-! How can you try to kill your ¡°honorable master¡± like that when I finally found you-, Aria-!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Viro?¡¹


    The man who showed up was the rank 4 adventurer Viro who took me away from this town and taught me the skills as scout.


    Why was he here? But¡­¡­just now, he said something about ¡ºfound¡»?


    I immediately activated Body Strengthening in full force and pointed the black knife¡¯s tip toward Viro together with my killing intent.


    ¡¸Was it that ¡°organization¡± that requested it? Or the ¡°assassin guild¡±¡­¡­?¡¹


    Viro hurriedly shook his head when I quietly whispered that.


    ¡¸Listen to my story! I was looking for you because there¡¯s a personal matter that I want you to help out with!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Help out?¡¹


    I wonder why¡­¡­I got another bad premonition that this would become troublesome.

 Volume 3 - CH 10

    ¨‹Viro Dawn¡¡Race£ºHuman?Rank £´


    ¡¾Magic Power£º£±£·£²£¯£²£²£°¡¿¡÷30UP¡¡¡¾Stamina£º£²£¸£³£¯£³£²£°¡¿¡÷10UP


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength£º£±£°£µ£¶£¨With Body Strengthening£º£±£²£¸£±£©¡¿¡÷156UP


    Viro too had his combat strength grew a lot throughout these three years. With his age it should be difficult to experience a rapid growth in status, so I guessed he mainly grew in his sorcery skill.


    With this number he should be able to fight even not weakened orc soldier head on. Furthermore he had combat experiences from many years, so I guessed it would be difficult to win against him fair and square with my current strength.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I returned the black knife into the sheath and attached it on my back waist, then I turned toward Galbas and took the finished pendulum blades.


    ¡¸It¡¯s magic steel even though said that it would be magic iron. Is the way to clean it the same like before?¡¹


    ¡¸Yeah, excellent work aren¡¯t they? You need to mix in just a bit of granite to turn iron into steel, but in magic iron¡¯s case you need to mix some powder of magic stone to turn it into magic steel. If someone unskilled do it then its strength will lower even as its hardness increase.¡¹


    ¡¸Oi? What¡¯s with you two?¡¹


    Viro said something like an explanation when I directed my killing intent to him, but he seemed taken aback and looked alternately at Galbas and me.


    ¡¸It was only a joke just now. You tried to sneak up on a scout, so we¡¯re even right?¡¹


    ¡¸GAHAHAHAHAH, Viro boy, you got outwitted by your student-! This is why you always got tricked by woman-¡¹


    ¡¸Stop calling me boy already Galbas. Also why¡¯re you mentioning woman here!¡¹


    Galbas drank alcohol while slapping his knee. Viro looked exhausted and sat down on a nearby bench. Any job that Viro brought would be troublesome thing in the end, but I at least trust him to not ¡°sell¡± me out and vice versa.


    Besides his relationship with that ¡°organization¡± was simply the relationship of client and adventurer. He also wasn¡¯t someone who would willingly be hostile to his student.


    Viro looked somewhat resentfully at us while frowning before sighing once more.


    ¡¸Even so, Aria. ¡­¡­You have changed too much in these three years, and not just in appearance. What¡¯s with that combat strength? A kid shouldn¡¯t be that strong you know?¡¹


    ¡¸Long time no see. You¡¯ve also gotten stronger Viro?¡¹


    I now looked thirteen or fourteen years old. Now I rarely got treated like a kid although sometimes I was still addressed as a brat. Setting aside the thickness of my body, I had grown to be at least as tall as an adult female.


    For some reason Viro¡¯s face twitched slightly when I let out my honest comment after seeing his combat strength.


    ¡¸Oi, ash covered. That boy retrained himself in sorcery and some other things fearing that he might get overtaken by his student you know? In fact he is about to get overtaken for real though! GAHAHAHAHAH¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m telling you that¡¯s not the case.¡¹


    Viro glared at Galbas before returning his gaze to me.


    ¡¸A lot of things happened even after you vanished. It¡¯s true that ¡°organization¡± is looking for you, but Sera and her son are also worried for you. Then a while after that there were rumors about someone who got called with exaggerated title like Ash Crowned Princess. Rumors like this person getting into quarrel with the assassin guild and thief guild, or that a branch guild somewhere got destroyed. That kind of crazy rumors kept popping out.¡¹


    Viro poured Galbas¡¯s alcohol into a cup without asking and gulped it down.


    ¡¸The underworld seems vast but it¡¯s also small. There it¡¯s possible to unexpectedly run into some guy who has been making waves, so it¡¯s only natural for everyone to be on their guard right? The more someone know about the underworld, the more they will avoid making those two guilds into enemy. ¡­¡­Well, I don¡¯t know any other brat who will do something absurd like that other than you though.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­I see.¡¹


    Other than me, that black haired girl might also be capable of doing the same thing though¡­¡­.


    Anyway, it looked like Viro was practically convinced that I was still alive thanks to the ¡°nickname¡±, or rather the ¡°notorious name¡± that the thief guild assigned to me.


    Viro must be looking for me too, but he said that it was a coincidence that he found me here. He said that he came to this baron territory for an adventurer work and he planned to ask Galbas to create something that he might use for another job.


    Was this ¡°another job¡± the business that he wanted me to help out with?


    ¡¸Galbas, you¡¯ll finish with the dagger¡¯s repair by tomorrow right?¡¹


    ¡¸I guess. I¡¯ll finish by then even with my work of repairing this boy¡¯s weapon. And what¡¯re you gonna do about the throwing knives? I got ten of them if you don¡¯t mind some thin knives.¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll come for them tomorrow.¡¹


    I made that request to Galbas and received the pendulum blades before turning toward Viro.


    ¡¸I have business in the adventurer guild so let¡¯s talk outside.¡¹


    .


    I left Galbas¡¯s workshop together with Viro. I also stopped by at Victor¡¯s general store to let him know that I was alive while also buying some secondhand mantel. I also handed him several silver coins to deliver food and alcohol to Galbas¡¯s place.


    ¡¸Ash covered¡­¡­if it¡¯s you, you should be able to buy a mantle that suit a rank 3 rather than rackety thing like that right?¡¹


    ¡¸In my case, it¡¯ll become scrap in half a month at the shortest.¡¹


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹


    Galbas wouldn¡¯t receive any payment for the black dagger too, so I wanted to pay him with things like this¡­¡­did Viro also has the same reason for bringing things like material or magic stone to Galbas?


    After that we headed toward the adventurer guild. On the way there Viro got interested with the leather bag I was carrying.


    ¡¸Is your business at the adventurer guild related to that sack? You didn¡¯t sell it to the general store¡¯s old man. Did you take some kind of material gathering quest?¡¹


    ¡¸Well, something like that.¡¹


    As expected the adventurer guild that had been taking a lot of actions in regard to the orcs would be troubled if I didn¡¯t hand the orc general¡¯s magic stone to them at laest. If it was that receptionist lady, she would surely help me out.


    ¡¸Well, I also planned to show up at the guild, so it¡¯s nice timing.¡¹


    ¡¸What did you do?¡¹


    ¡¸I didn¡¯t do anything. Rather there is this ¡ºgrave matter¡» currently troubling this territory. The guild want to ask this great me to take command until they can find a party of rank 4 or above. It¡¯ll delay my actual job somewhat but, it can¡¯t be helped this time.¡¹


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­¡¹


    Was there another problem coming up here? Also the words ¡ºgrave matter¡» reminded me of how I was being targeted, so let¡¯s warn Viro just in case.


    ¡¸Ah, also, I think Viro knows already but, you might get dragged into trouble if you¡¯re seen with me, but if it¡¯s you Viro, there won¡¯t be any problem won¡¯t it?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­By that, do you mean that you trust in my skill? Or, it means that you don¡¯t care what¡¯ll happen to me?¡¹


    Viro looked toward me with narrowed eyes. I tilted my head a little.


    ¡¸Both?¡¹


    If it was Viro then even if he got dragged into my trouble, he would surely deal with it skillfully. He grimaced. Perhaps he finally remembered that I was being targeted by the underworld.


    ¡¸Well, I also have something to tell you about that. If you ¡°help¡± me out, I¡¯ll create a situation where it¡¯ll be difficult for the underworld to try anything with you, though it¡¯s impossible to make it completely gone. What do you think?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­In the end, what¡¯s this job about?¡¹


    Viro stopped walking and looked straight at me. He began to talk with an unusually serious look.


    ¡¸This is also something related to you but, even if I don¡¯t manage to contact you, I still plan to do it with one other person. It¡¯ll be really close if I do it myself with just one more person, but the success rate will go up if you also join as support. Listen well Aria, the job this time is©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Viro told me the detail ambiguously because we were still at the side of a main road. Hearing the content made me to grimace too like him just now.


    ¡­¡­As I thought, it was a ¡°troublesome matter¡±. I secretly sighed because I absolutely couldn¡¯t refuse this offer from Viro.


    .


    When we arrived at the adventurer guild, the tension inside was even higher than before and there were also a lot of adventurers with uneasy look. I found that receptionist lady at the counter amidst such atmosphere. She also noticed me and stood up while waving her hand.


    ¡¸Aria-san, welcome back. I¡¯m glad that you manage to return safely¡­¡­oh, you. So you¡¯re here.¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ve been beside this girl the whole time you know-!?¡¹


    The smile that the receptionist lady directed at me turned into a frown for an instant. Viro leaned forward and protested.


    ¡¸My apologies. Aria-san is too radiant that her surrounding becomes shadowy.¡¹


    ¡¸Aren¡¯t you being too cold to me!? I had even treated you to dinner.¡¹


    ¡¸A good man won¡¯t bring up that kind of thing every time.¡¹


    ¡¸Gununu¡­¡­¡¹


    I thought that she had forgotten him, but it looked like they were getting along really well. Someone with her personality wouldn¡¯t even say any complain if she genuinely disliked him.


    ¡¸Anyway, the guild master is waiting for you Viro-san. Ah, in that case I should listen to your report first.¡¹


    The receptionist lady put on her working face and looked toward me with a serious gaze.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Aria-san, how was the situation at the scene? I will report it to the guild master if you have important information.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes. The higher ranked orcs were already gone.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­Yes?¡¹


    The receptionist lady¡¯s business smile froze solid. Viro¡¯s neck moved like a rusty cogwheel and he stared at me unblinkingly.


    ¡­¡­Aa, I see. So the serious incident that Viro talked about was the matter of orcs.


    For me it was already a finished business so I didn¡¯t even really keep it in mind anymore. While I was thinking like that, familiar faces from among the adventurers in the lobby saw me and came running.


    ¡¸Aria-!¡¹


    ¡¸You¡¯re safe, thank god.¡¹


    Those two were the slum orphans Gil and Shuri. ¡­¡­No, I guess they were adventurers now. The two of them were rejoicing in my safety while at the same time showing expressions that couldn¡¯t fully hide their uneasiness.


    ¡¸A-and, how was the town?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­This uncle, is he Aria¡¯s father? You two don¡¯t look similar though.¡¹


    ¡¸Like I keep saying, I¡¯m still 38¡­¡­¡¹


    That was older than even my father though.


    ¡¸That town isn¡¯t under any threat anymore.¡¹


    ¡¸Eh¡­¡­¡¹


    Gil didn¡¯t get it and tilted his head. The receptionist lady also broke free from shock by her own power and leaned forward across her counter.


    ¡¸What do you mean by that? Did the orc general go to somewhere else?¡¹


    ¡¸I brought this with me. Please confirm it.¡¹


    I placed the leather sack on top of the counter and a lot of magic stones spilled out from it. Everyone¡¯s eyes widened seeing the orc general¡¯s magic stone that was the size of an adult¡¯s fist.


    Viro hurriedly grasped that magic stone and observed it with a glare.


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­this, is orc general¡¯s magci stone ain¡¯t it-!¡¹


    ¡¸EEEEEH!? Wait, then, these larger stones are from the higher rank? Orc soldiers!? Other than them there are also fifty stones of the normal orcs!?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    ¡¸Saying yes like that, Aria you¡­¡­¡¹


    Viro was making an exasperated face but, what else could I say?


    Also, it seemed by using Appraisal on the remaining magic power in the magic stone, you could learn where that magic stone came from. So Appraisal could also be used at non-living thing¡­¡­but, thinking carefully it was called Appraisal, so obviously it was originally used to investigate object rather than human.


    The two adults started using Appraisal to the many magic stones. The truth seemed to be too shocking that their voices were getting louder. The other adventurers who listened were starting to make a stir.


    ¡­¡­Troublesome.


    ¡¸Check the truth later. I think a report from the adventurers who are in that town will also come after several days. And, can you buy the magic stones from me?¡¹


    When I told them that dispassionately, the astounded receptionist lady hurriedly nodded her head.


    ¡¸Y-yes, of course. But, if possible please explain to the guild master¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯ll sound unbelievable anyway even if I told the story. You¡¯ll learn what happen when the adventurers from that town return, so I won¡¯t give any pointless explanation. Then, I¡¯ll come for the payment of the magic stones at another day.¡¹


    ¡¸Eeeeh!? You¡¯re leaving!?¡¹


    ¡¸Aria-!? Wait a second-!¡¹


    ¡¸Viro-san, please don¡¯t run away-! I won¡¯t be able to explain this to the guild master by myself-!¡¹


    The receptionist lady grabbed Viro who tried to follow after me and detained him.


    I wouldn¡¯t be believed even if I claimed that I defeated the orcs until the adventurers from the town returned back anyway, so I judged that it would be just a waste of time to stay here.


    I pushed off everything to the ¡°adults¡± before it became troublesome and turned my back on the confused receptionist lady and Viro who got captured by her. As I started walking like that, several adventurers who were standing in the lobby silently moved out of my way.


    I went outside by taking advantage of the chaos like that. Gil and Shuri chased after me only because they didn¡¯t really understand the ¡°adult circumstance¡± and followed me to the back alley.


    .


    ¡¸Aria? I don¡¯t really follow what¡¯s going on but¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸You¡¯re so stupid Nii-chan. Aria had done something with the orcs, isn¡¯t that right?¡¹


    ¡¸Something like that. There might be still several remaining, but they had ceased being a problem.¡¹


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­¡¹


    I spoke clearly to reassure them. Gil¡¯s eyes moistened and he moved to grab my hand, but Shuri slapped his hand down and grabbed my hand with both hands.


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­thank you.¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s fine. More importantly, it¡¯ll be better if you don¡¯t get seen together with me.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­I hope your problem will also get resolved soon! See you later again, Aria-. Come on Onii-chan, we¡¯re going.¡¹


    ¡¸O-oi, Shuri! Aria, thanks! See you-!¡¹


    Shuri grabbed Gil¡¯s hand and dragged him away. The two kept looking back and I too lightly waved my hand back and muttered ¡¸See you¡¹ with a small voice.


    ¡°See you¡± huh¡­¡­I wonder when I would become able to speak normally with them?


    ¡¸¡­¡­Come out.¡¹


    I called out. Then three young men appeared from the darkness of the alley.


    ¡¸Oi oi, this girl, she noticed us yeah.¡¹


    ¡¸I heard the rumor but, she¡¯s really a young girl huh.¡¹


    ¡¸Really, just why are the seniors saying ¡°not to do anything¡± to a little girl like this?¡¹


    They were young adventurers who were at their late teens or early twenty. All of them were wearing slightly dirty leather armor. They looked like a party or light warrior or scout.


    All of them got combat strength around 130¡­¡­rank 2 at the lower end I guess. But, I got an idea of their ¡°true identity¡± from their conversation.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡±Thief Guild¡± huh. The other thief said that they won¡¯t antagonize me though?¡¹


    The thieves grinned condescendingly when I said that.


    ¡¸Oi oi, little girl shouldn¡¯t act tough.¡¹


    ¡¸That ¡°uncle¡± looked strong but, you messed up by going out alone.¡¹


    ¡¸The seniors said not to do anything but, if we can catch and drag you back, we won¡¯t only get accepted as formal members, we might even get promoted to the leadership in one shot-¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I see, they were the thief guild¡¯s grunt¡­¡­no, they were just thugs that were even lower than that.


    Most likely this ¡°senior¡± that they mentioned received order directly from the thief guild¡¯s top brass, but it seemed the grunt only received half-hearted explanation.


    That was why they didn¡¯t understand the danger of going against an order from ¡°Thief Guild¡± and the reason why that guild decided to not antagonize me.


    ¡¸You won¡¯t get hurt if you come with us quietly yeah.¡¹


    ¡¸Throw away your weapon already.¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t ever think of resisting okay? If you try anything, who know what¡¯ll happen to the brats just©¤©¤¡¹


    *Hyun!*


    A horizontal red line opened on the  throat of the man who lifted his face while speaking such thing condescendingly. A lot of blood then spurted out from there before the man collapsed.


    ¡¸Eh¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸O-oi¡­¡­¡¹


    I threw the slashing type pendulum at another man who was bewildered and couldn¡¯t keep up with the situation. His throat got cut open with that.


    ¡¸¡­¡­HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHH!?¡¹


    The last man got showered by the blood that spurted out like fountain and screamed while turning his back on me. The scythe type pendulum flew and grazed his neck. Then when I pulled on the string to pull it back, the blade sunk deeply into his carotid artery and deeply tore his neck.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡­¡­So even this kind of thugs were picking a fight with me.


    I could just defeat anyone who picked a fight with me. That was what I thought before, and that thought hadn¡¯t changed even now but, it wasn¡¯t my intention to expose even ¡°ordinary people¡± like Gil and Shuri to danger because of that.


    If I kept turning the table on all attackers, one day they would think that getting involved me was bad luck and stopped attacking. But that day wasn¡¯t ¡°now¡±.


    Viro promised that he would make a situation where it would be difficult for the assassin guild and thief guild to lay their hand on me if I helped with his ¡°job¡±. But even without that I didn¡¯t have the option of refusing that job.


    It was work for©¤©¤


    .


    ¡¸Assassinating the traitor, Grave¡­¡­¡¹

 Volume 3 - CH 11

    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­youuu, you went back by yourself leaving behind your teacher. After that a scout came back with fast horse bringing information, so I managed to slip in the commotion and escaped but, it¡¯ll be better if you don¡¯t show our face in this town¡¯s guild for a while. Aa, also I got the payment for the magic stone with me.¡¹


    ¡¸Right, sorry. Thank you.¡¹


    As I thought it really became troublesome. Even so I couldn¡¯t possibly just stay silent without reporting, so I only handed the information while pushing off everything else to others, but it looked like the scout in that town was capable and immediately came here to notify the guild about the extermination of the orcs.


    ¡¸It will be hectic for the lord and the adventurer guild after this.¡¹


    ¡¸Oi, don¡¯t act like it¡¯s someone else¡¯s problem. But well, guess this is still better compared to having to face the orcs head on.¡¹


    Baron Horace wouldn¡¯t be able to cancel his reinforcement request to his caregiver and other noble houses based on only report from adventurer. He would have to send his soldiers in great hurry to verify the information.


    If the information was correct than the soldier¡¯s dispatch had to be stopped, but he would still need to pay some reparation even if he stopped it at this point. Well, even so it was just as Viro said, it should still be better compared to having his town getting attacked by a group of orc and his people and soldiers got exposed to mortal danger.


    ¡¸Anyway let¡¯s confirm our plan going forward.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    I was waiting in Galbas¡¯s workshop and Viro also returned there. We coordinated our schedule in there.


    Viro was supposed to take command for the orc subjugation that suddenly got requested, but that problem had been solved. It seemed that he was told to stay here for the time being until the baron¡¯s soldiers had verified the truth, but even that would be finished in around one week.


    I was also not in my best condition, and Viro too wanted to go to pick up one more comrade, so we arranged to meet three months later in the territory of Duke Helton at the west part of Claydale Kingdom.


    It should also be possible for Grave to move on to another place if we took that much time but, in that case Viro said that he would leave behind message to me in the adventurer guild of big cities like at Dandall.


    With this I got time to stop by at master¡¯s place but¡­¡­.


    ¡¸This request, is it from that ¡°organization¡± as expected?¡¹


    When I confirmed just in case, Viro lightly crossed his arms and made an unusually serious face.


    ¡¸Are you still doubting that organization? I don¡¯t know the reason why Grave turned traitor but, at the very least that organization didn¡¯t give any order to kill you. There isn¡¯t even any reason for that, or rather, in the first place even the reason why Grave attacked you is unclear.¡¹


    ¡¸At that time Grave said it was because a noble got interested to me. He also said about me getting too close to royalty. What does he mean?¡¹


    By royalty he must meant about me getting too close to Elena. As for the matter of noble¡­¡­was there still any biological family who was looking for me?


    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡­I don¡¯t know. Perhaps someone like Sera will know but, should I try asking her?¡¹


    ¡¸No need. I¡¯ll lower my wariness but, I¡¯ll continue keeping distance to that organization for a while. Is that alright?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a member of that organization, so I can¡¯t tell you what¡¯s alright or not. After all it¡¯ll also be dangerous if you completely believe them. But, is it alright if I at least tell Sera and her son that you¡¯re alive?¡¹


    ¡¸Hmm¡­¡­that¡¯s fine.¡¹


    Viro made a slightly relieved look when I nodded. ¡­¡­As I thought, it seemed he was also requested by Sera or someone else to investigate about my wellbeing.


    ¡¸Also, if you¡¯re still planning to get involved with the princess from here on, you better prepare yourself to get involved with that organization too. I can tell you now that organization is this country¡¯s ¡ºblack ops¡». Even if you¡¯re planning to live as adventurer, you¡¯ll definitely get involved with them one day when you¡¯re this strong.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Got it.¡¹


    I had assumed that to some degree by the time Elena was involved but, as expected, they were a black ops organization, this country¡¯s intelligence agency huh¡­¡­.


    A black ops that had intelligence network spreading throughout the whole country and also have influence in the open. Making them enemy would be even more troublesome than with the assassin guild. I would have no other option except running away to other country the moment I made them into enemy.


    (¡­¡­So it¡¯ll soon be the time for me to resolve myself huh.)


    I whispered inside my heart and let out a deep sigh as though to let out the thing accumulating inside me.


    I had simply been running away until now but, I decided that I wouldn¡¯t run away anymore. If there the people who were involved with the so called Otome game and the family looking for me tried to drag me into destiny again, I would remove them forcefully.


    If my strength was insufficient¡­¡­at that time, let¡¯s also held the resolve to throw away my life rather than living as controlled ¡°puppet¡±.


    Until then I needed to become as strong as possible.


    My destiny belonged only to ¡°me¡±.


    The other person who Viro would pick up was apparently a former party member who had retired.


    Now that he mentioned it, it felt like I had been told once about a sorcerer retiring and him looking for a replacement. His party must still be unable to find a replacement if Viro needed to pick up that person. Even so¡­¡­that person should be retired due to advanced age, would it be alright?


    .


    First let¡¯s return to master¡¯s place after so long¡­¡­. I chose to return to master¡¯s place partly because my body was unwell, but there were also two other important reasons.


    I made the string for pendulum two years ago but, I had used it in many battles, and now the only string I had left was the ones connected to the two pendulums. Galbas made me four new pendulums so, right now I wanted double amount of strings including for spare too.


    Besides, I also wanted to ask about the last technique I used to defeat Goljaoul©¤©¤the origin Battle Technique. Normally even just using it would endanger my life, but if it was master then perhaps she knew something.


    By going through Count Taurus¡¯s territory and Dandall, it would take me one month to reach master¡¯s place no matter how much I hurried. From there it should also take more than a month to go until the territory of Duke Helton where I promised to meet Viro.


    The place that Viro would go to pick up his comrade was at the territory of Marquis Wankarl that was around two weeks distance from the royal capital, so I didn¡¯t think that they would be late to the meeting place. With that I couldn¡¯t possibly allow myself to be the only one coming late.


    ¡­¡­As expected I needed a method of transportation. With this itinerary I would only be able to stay in master¡¯s place for one week. That was why I decided to pass through a dangerous forest area in order to shorten the time needed.


    In a straight line between this territory of Baron Horace and the territory of Baron Seylace, there was a forest where it deep inside it was adjacent to a ¡°monster habitat region¡± where monsters were prevalent.


    The northern side of the forest was a monster habitat, but that place wasn¡¯t a territory of Claydale Kingdom. But, for the national border to be drawn until that forest in this territory meant that there should be people who explored until there and casted the sorcery barrier that acted as national border.


    Perhaps it was an achievement that was left behind from the era where mercenaries who specialized in exploration, ¡°adventurers¡± were carrying out their original work.


    That was why, it wasn¡¯t an unexplored land because there was national border there. If there were people who went until that far, I assumed that at the very least there was a ¡°path¡± that human could pass through along the border.


    I bought a lot of salt and sugar in the town and also bought spare mantel as substitute for blanket. Viro had also brought the payment for magic stone to me. It really helped me a lot from getting detained in the guild.


    By the way one orc magic stone was equal to five silver coins. The magic stone from orc soldier was four gold coins, and the magic stone of Goljaoul, the orc general gave me five large gold coins.


    In total I got paid nine large coins and some change. It was a lot of money but, I should be able to get twice of this if I could also harvest the materials from the orcs. I didn¡¯t harvest them and just left them there because I couldn¡¯t bring them all by myself and also because I wanted to leave behind some for the other adventurers¡¯ reward. It was that kind of stupid reason.


    Several days had passed but my stamina and magic power still didn¡¯t recover above 70%. But that was enough for now. I wasn¡¯t going to fight, just cutting open a path. I should be able to manage somehow even with my current state.


    Finally I found some good quality dry fruits and roasted nuts in a stall so I purchased them. I stored only the items that looked like they could get moldy into the Storage where things were kept in sterilized state, then I left the city and headed straight to east.


    .


    I started running with 60% of my speed while using Stealth. If I adjusted my mana amount while using Body Strengthening moderately,  I should be able to traverse the same distance like riding a horse without forcing myself.


    But, that was only assuming that I was running on a flat ground. Flat ground was rare inside a forest and my travelling speed would lower dramatically.


    Before that happened I would use Magic Power Control and trained my Body Strengthening.


    I removed the attributes that acted as ¡°off-flavor¡± from the magic particles just like when I used that original Battle Technique and suppressed the magic particles from rampaging using my willpower.


    As long as it didn¡¯t go out of control, Body Strengthening would only exhibit the normal strength but, the training of Magic Power Control skill wouldn¡¯t be a waste.


    The testing I was doing right now was heightening the fluidity of magic particles to increase the efficiency of Body Strengthening by using less magic particles to achieve the same result.


    Even so¡­¡­perhaps because my body was too used to using magic particles, my arms and legs didn¡¯t get thicker despite my height getting taller. It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t have muscle. The muscles in my whole body were properly developing but, I wonder why my stomach wasn¡¯t showing toned abs?


    Even if my muscle structure was ¡°monsterized¡± with the premise of using magic particles, I had seen the orcs and Feld having such bulging muscles all over their body, and yet with my body¡­¡­. Well, my body stayed being light was a good thing. Let¡¯s just keep it at that.


    I went out of the highway and entered into the forest. Just like when I was chasing after orcs, I didn¡¯t step on the ground where tree leaves were lying around and leaped around on rocks and fallen trees.


    I didn¡¯t do anything to any goblin or demon wolf that I found on the way. In the first place the low rank monsters didn¡¯t sense me while I was using Stealth.


    I wouldn¡¯t kill living creature meaninglessly.


    I killed animal for ¡°eating¡±.


    I killed enemy because that was the most ¡°logical¡± way to solve a problem.


    That was why when killing ¡°enemy¡±, I didn¡¯t ¡°feel¡± anything. I didn¡¯t kill other based on emotion and I also had no reason to show mercy to them.


    That was why I didn¡¯t feel hesitation with living.


    .


    I became ¡°shadow¡± and ran through the forest. I only ate fruits that I found and the preserved food I brought with me. When I got tired I would take a short nap on a tree. I didn¡¯t know the precise location of the national border but, I was able to find traces of ¡°people¡± on large rock or cliff while moving through the forest.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Barrier?¡¹


    I noticed that inside the forest there would be spaces that purified magic particles that were laced with negative attribute¡­¡­miasma in each interval.


    Human could live in this world that was filled with monster because the higher ranked a monster was, the smarter they would be. That kind of being knew just how threatening humans were in group.


    That was why stronger monster had the tendency to avoid human settlement. Most likely these purified spaces were from magic stones filled with light magic particles that were buried into the ground, just like in the surrounding of village or city where humans lived.


    That was a warning to monster that the place was where human lived. This was a trace that human had visited this place which formed a ¡°path¡±. And this path was definitely leading to a place where human lived.


    Even so, as expected from this location. I had caught sight of several powerful monsters, perhaps because of the proximity of this place to the monster habitat.


    Beast demihuman race Ogre that was a monster with strength of upper end rank 3. A rank 4 tree monster Treant. Rank 5 mythical beasts Griffon and Troll.


    I managed to avoid the Griffon because I noticed it first but, the chance I died would be higher if it found me first.


    ¡¸¡­¡­There.¡¹


    I passed through that forest where death was always lurking around closely and after ten days, I was able to see a big lake through the gaps of the forest from a rocky place where I was standing.


    That was the lake at the border between the territory of Count Basshu and Baron Seylace that I passed before this too. The only big lake around here was there so there was no doubt.


    I headed straight to the lake from the rocky place and then I headed north from there. I finally arrived at human settlement there and stayed for a night in a nearby town, and then I spent four nights travelling before I finally arrived at the territory of Baron Seylace for the third time.


    .


    The brother and sister of Seylace House might be at the age to enroll into the academy around now. Were the two of them in the royal capital? Perhaps the big sister had come of age and returned here, but either way I had no plan to go meet them.


    The problem of mysterious person who attacked the people here had been resolved, so I had no more reason to meet the two of them.


    Even so this was the place where I fought Grave and lost. This place left a deep impression to me.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Grave¡­¡­you tried to kill me after considering me a danger from getting too close to a royalty. But this time I¡¯d be the one hunting you as an existence that might harm Elena.


    Regardless of what kind of reason you had, I¡¯d deal with you as ¡°my enemy¡±.


    It had been nearly a year since the last time I showed my face at master¡¯s place to report about the destruction of the assassin guild. I arrived at master¡¯s hermitage bringing a lot of salt and spices as souvenir. There I found that field of medicinal herb had grown a bit bigger with the addition of some grasses I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡¸I¡¯m back, master.¡¹


    I entered inside the hermitage that was filled with nostalgic medicinal smell and put down my luggage. Master came out from the alchemy room in the back. She smiled suggestively while lifting up her face that had the characteristic glossy black skin of dark elf.


    ¡¸You¡¯re late, surly disciple. Even though I had been making ¡°preparation¡± because I thought it¡¯s about time you come back, all my efforts would get wasted if you take any longer.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Preparation?¡¹


    It was as though master had predicted my return. She put the potion bottles she was holding into a box without any hurry in her movement. Then she approached me and hugged me inside her arms.


    ¡¸You have grown a bit bigger again. But aren¡¯t you getting a bit thinner? Welcome home¡­¡­Aria.¡¹


    Like this I returned ¡°home¡± to where the only person in this world who I could call family was living.


    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­I¡¯m home, master.¡¹

 Volume 3 - CH 12

    I arrived at the hermitage where master lived. I received additional lesson in alchemy while also spending five days to create the pills and potions that I had spent. Perhaps master¡¯s medicine also worked well, because I managed to get good sleep and my physical condition managed to recover until nearly 90%.


    ¡¸Then, it should be about time soon. Surly disciple, we¡¯re going out, so make your preparation.¡¹


    ¡¸To where?¡¹


    Come to think of it, master said that she was making ¡°preparation¡± because she felt that I would come back soon. I didn¡¯t even have any time to ask her about that before she started teaching me about medicines to recover from fatigue and for nourishment and the like. She also told me to make them. But what should I be preparing for this time?


    ¡¸It¡¯s already nearly two years since the last time you made the string. Shouldn¡¯t it be about time that you run out of ¡°string¡±?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­How do you know?¡¹


    I felt a bit of chill because master¡¯s prediction was just too precise, even so I kept my expressionless look while asking her back. Then master replied casually.


    ¡¸That¡¯s because I know from the size of the spider you hunted Aria, that you would run out in several years with that much. It¡¯s you we¡¯re talking about anyway, you must have gone through some reckless battles haven¡¯t you?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    It looked like master understood just how reckless I am, but as expected I might get scolded if she learned about how I fought an orc general and more than fifty orcs, so let¡¯s not tell her.


    The string of the giant spider I hunted used fresh ingredient so it was well made but, in the end it was just mid-grade item. Few human or monster could cut string that fluttered midair, but there were also those who could do that among high ranked humans or monsters.


    When master saw my combat strength the last time I returned here, she thought that I might also encountered high ranked enemy in the future. It seemed that she used the peddler who came here and the few connections she had to gather information about spider monster for me.


    ¡¸It seems that an ¡°arachne¡± has been sighted since several months ago in a valley with a river passing through it, located around three days north from here. There is still no damage caused by it and there is river, so no adventurer will go through the trouble to hunt it, but we¡¯re going to hunt it before it¡¯s gone.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Roger.¡¹


    Master had four elements just like Elena. Her body couldn¡¯t work too hard because of the enlarged magic stone in her heart. Furthermore master had gone through many fierce battles that she even got called as War Demon in the demon race army because of that. Her body broke down due to overwork and now her body became unable to fight for long.


    ¡ºDon¡¯t force yourself.¡»


    ¡ºYou don¡¯t need to do anything too straining.¡»


    I didn¡¯t say anything like that to master.


    Her life belonged to her alone. But, that was exactly why, I didn¡¯t want to allow what master did for my sake despite her condition to go into a waste at the slightest.


    .


    I was using the boots and arm protectors that master used when she was still in active duty as War Demon, so master only equipped herself with sorcerer equipments. The burden to her heart shouldn¡¯t be that great if she only used sorcery, but just in case before departing I also put master¡¯s baggage near me.


    I too wore the leather dress that Gelf had finished repairing, sheathed Galbas¡¯s black knife and black dagger on my waist, then I wore the secondhand mantel over my body.


    ¡¸Then surly disciple. Tell me what¡¯s the trait of arachne.¡¹


    Master¡¯s lesson immediately started after we departed.


    Master taught me not only about sorcery and alchemy, but also common sense in ordinary life, knowledge about dangerous monsters and creatures in the forest that were useful for my activity as adventurer, and many other various topics.


    Arachne was a giant spider monster with the upper body of a female human growing on top of it. Unlike monster that was originally wild animal that transformed into monster due to magic particle, some people questioned that perhaps such bizarre appearance qualified it as a ¡°mythical beast¡± like griffon or manticore, but there was no definite answer to that.


    There were two types of this arachne. The ¡°normal type¡± and the ¡°rare type¡±. Both of them were the same race but according to master they had differences from each other that it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to call them different species.


    The normal type¡¯s upper body looked like normal woman at first glance, but it was only as intelligent as a goblin and the moment it started moving, its whole body distorted uglily, displaying its real nature as a monster.


    The rare type had lost almost all of its nature as a monster and seemed to have high intelligence. It understood human language and also could use sorcery. It was also said that its upper body would always look like beautiful woman that could even seduce human male.


    In short these two types were the same species but it had differences like how human differed from goblin. If the normal type was a monster, the rare type could be said as an existence that was closer to demihuman.


    Rare type arachne had intelligence and it was possible to communicate with it, but its attitude would be neutral. Some was friendly, but some could skillfully use words to deceive human and devour them. They could also use sorcery and excelled in scheming, so the difficulty level of exterminating a rare type was considered rank 5.


    But this time master and I were hunting a normal type. It couldn¡¯t use sorcery so its rank was lower by one to be rank 4, but its physical ability was superior than the rare type, so in the case of a scout like me who had low attack power, letting my guard down might lead to death.


    I gave such answer while moving through the forest. Master nodded to what I said so it looked like I passed the test.


    ¡¸Master, is there any difference in the string quality of the normal type and the rare type?¡¹


    I tried asking about what drew my curiosity from the lesson. Master made a slightly conflicted look before telling me the answer with a wording that I could understand.


    ¡¸They¡¯re generally considered the same, but monster is also a living thing, so there will be some differences between individuals based on their physical condition or eating habit. Especially with the rare type, they¡¯re paying attention to their hair and skin¡¯s glossiness in order to seduce man, so some of them are paying attention to what they¡¯re eating with even more fussiness than human.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­I see.¡¹


    It¡¯s hard to be a monster huh¡­¡­. By the way the toughness of the rare type¡¯s string was no different than the normal type, but it had good color and luster, so apparently it could be sold for good price to be made into noble¡¯s ornament.


    That day we camped in the forest. If I was going alone for just three days, I would sleep on a tree branch while erasing my presence without making fire, but this time I was with master, so we burned incense to repel monster and made an adequate soup using wild grasses and mushrooms at the surrounding added with dried meat for our meal.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Surly disciple. I always wonder why your cooking is brimming with the charm of wilderness like this.¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s nutritious.¡¹


    .


    After that we traveled for one day and heard the sound of river. From there we climbed a forest slope for around half a day before we could see the summit of a valley that had a river flowing below.


    The merchant guild was using ship through this river to trade with a noble territory that was at seaside, but since some time or another, the bird monsters that would attack any passerby sometimes had stopped appearing. In exchange people started catching sight of a giant spider web at the upper part of the valley and a silhouette of arachne.


    The merchant guild hired adventurers to protect ships, but it seemed the arachne wouldn¡¯t show itself when adventurers were present. If it was possible to prevent any attack with just that, there wouldn¡¯t be any need to go through the trouble of going deep into the forest like this to proactively hunt the arachne, so it was just left alone currently.


    ¡¸Then, I¡¯m going.¡¹


    ¡¸Take care.¡¹


    First I needed to lure out the arachne who should be somewhere in the valley. Rather than using master for that role, it should be easier to lure it for me to go alone seeing that I was female and a child. I started walking alone toward the valley¡¯s chasm.


    Master was rank 5 as a sorcerer, but her close quarter combat skill was rank 3, so right now I was the most suitable to be bait. Besides seen from outside, I should look like a normal traveler seeing that I didn¡¯t bring any visible weapon.


    Of course, it was unnatural for a kid to be alone inside a forest like this but, setting aside the rare type, the normal type with their lower intelligence would only see me as ¡°prey¡±.


    I arrived at the summit of the valley that was about 40 meters wide. I sat on a nearby rock to make it looked like I was resting and killing time. Then my ¡°eyes¡± showed disturbance in the visible magic particles.


    ¡¸Tsu!¡¹


    *Tan-* I kicked on the ground and dodged aside while throwing away my mantel. The mantel blocked the ¡°string¡± that came flying before it instantly got reeled away.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Typhoon©¤©¤¡¹


    Master who was hiding had been waiting for that timing and fired a level 5 wind sorcery Typhoon. The raging storm blew away the arachne targeting me to the air.


    ¡ºGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH!!¡»


    .


    ¨‹Arachne£¨Normal Type£©¡¡Race£ºSpider Monster?Rank £´


    ¡¾Magic Power£º£±£³£²£¯£±£µ£°¡¿¡¾Stamina£º£³£¸£¶£¯£´£³£µ¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength£º£¶£µ£·£¨With Body Strengthening£º£¸£³£±£©¡¿


    .


    A spider around two meter long with human¡¯s upper body growing on it¡­¡­it was definitely an arachne.


    Typhoon¡¯s effective range was large but, if it didn¡¯t hit from close by then human would only get blown away. The arachne was letting out a strange voice from getting blown away while falling on the ground. Its upper body¡¯s face changed from human female to a twisted look like a goblin as it glared to me.


    I already rushed forward at that time and threw a knife. In respond the arachne fired string not from its butt but its head and tied up the knife.


    ¡ºGiigih!¡»


    The arachne spat out something that looked like poison liquid from its human head.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shield©¤©¤¡¹


    I quickly blocked it with magic shield while jumping to the side to dodge the poison. Then master fired Guillotine from behind me and severed one of the arachne¡¯s legs.


    ¡ºGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!¡»


    The arachne screamed while trying to withdraw. I threw the all-purpose type pendulum after it.


    The spider head spewed out string again to entangle the pendulum, but I controlled the string to make it dodge the arachne¡¯s string and left a shallow gash on its neck.


    *Doonn!*


    The next moment, a thunderous sound resounded above me and a huge rock fell down to crush the arachne and me.


    ¡ºGiih!?¡»


    The arachne noticed that and tried to escape, but master who had circled to its side threw three knives that stabbed deeply into its back, stopping its movement.


    I charged through master¡¯s illusion of giant rock that didn¡¯t even make any air pressure from its falling and quickly cut off the confused arachne¡¯s right arm with my black knife.


    But, as expected from rank 4 perhaps. It still wasn¡¯t fatal for it. All the attacks that landed on it also missed its vitals.


    It tried to spit poison again at me who approached while holding a knife and a dagger in both hands, but the arachne sensed master also approaching from behind it. It might sensed the disadvantage it was placed on and suddenly changed its warped face that looked like goblin to become a pretty woman face. It showed a fearful look.


    But, what¡¯s the point of doing ¡°that¡± after this far?


    ¡¸©¤©¤Thrust©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸©¤©¤Slash©¤©¤¡¹


    My black knife and master¡¯s hatchet hit the arachne¡¯s neck from left and right, severing it like a scissor. The ¡°human head¡± that had the look of shock and fear etched on it fell on its own into the valley and vanished.


    It seemed that arachne had two brains in it human head and spider head respectively, but the spider brain had the role of small brain and on its own it could only move its body like actual insect.


    Just in case I also stabbed the spider head. Then master murmured softly.


    ¡¸Do we look like humans who will hesitate just from seeing a woman¡¯s face?¡¹


    ¡¸Who knows?¡¹


    There was no way we would go easy on an opponent that tried to eat us.


    This would take longer if I was alone but, master worked together with me, so we were able to defeat the arachne without much effort.


    So this was how it felt to fight with a party¡­¡­to think that the difference from fighting solo was this striking.


    While I was processing the torso of the exterminated spider, master took out a simple alchemy tool set from inside the luggage she carried with her and handed it to me with a grin.


    ¡¸It¡¯s a match against time now, surly disciple. If you want to get a proper string, try making the chemical to create string with the ingredients here in one hour.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Roger.¡¹


    Master was strict as usual. Even while thinking that, I felt ¡ºnostalgic¡» and accepted the alchemy tool set before hurriedly starting to make the chemical.


    ***


    That day, the three noble ladies who became the crown prince¡¯s official fianc¨¦es met together in the palace of Claydale Kingdom.


    The daughter of Marquis Dandall, Clara Dandall.


    The daughter of Duke Fudale, Patricia Fudale.


    The daughter of Count Lester, Carla Lester.


    The girls weren¡¯t told anything about the reason why they were gathered here today. Ladies from high ranked noble house like them were permitted to bring several servants and bodyguards even when going to the palace, but they were only permitted to bring one servant with them into the room while the others were told to wait in another room.


    (¡­¡­I¡¯m bored.)


    While the other two were looking nervous, the youngest among them all Carla was the only one who was feeling completely bored without any tension at all.


    Carla was experimented by her father since her childhood to obtain all elements. As the result she should have lost any ¡°significance¡± as a noble lady to create connection with other noble house, but her father imposed the task of being the crown prince¡¯s consort as her last task.


    He didn¡¯t have any expectation on Carla whose health was problematic to function as a royalty. He was simply using her as ¡°pawn¡± to strengthen his house¡¯s connection with other influential noble houses within the country.


    Originally once every two generations, a royalty from other country should be welcomed to be the queen. That was the custom of this Claydale Kingdom.


    With that the country strengthened its ties with the neighboring countries and dealt with the political problem with other powerful countries, but the current king who should be strengthening the royal family¡¯s ties with the influential nobles within the country picked a daughter from viscount house who originally wasn¡¯t even a fianc¨¦e candidate. It caused the factional dispute within the country to intensify.


    The previous king attempted to stabilize the royal family¡¯s position by abdicating his position to the crown prince, even so the opposition within the country still didn¡¯t settle down. Because of that they royal family had no choice but to pick the next queen from an influential noble house within the country once more. As the result, it caused friction to form with the royalty of Solhorse Kingdom whose princess had originally been arranged to marry into Claydale Kingdom¡¯s royal family next.


    (I don¡¯t really care¡­¡­)


    Carla didn¡¯t have any opinion about that. She was able to obtain the chance to get a ¡°toy¡± that was the crown prince, so she didn¡¯t give a damn about how the country would turn out.


    She was thinking that she would be able to play until ¡°death¡± by dirtying the innocent crown prince, but after meeting a certain girl, Carla felt like there was color in her life for the first time.


    A coldhearted and merciless angel of death. She felt like that girl was the only one who understood her true self. That girl was the only one who was standing on the ¡°boundary of death¡± just like her.


    The figure of the girl the last time she saw her and her grand way of life that she heard from rumor after that made her felt jealous. Carla was dreaming with her eyes staying open and looking at far away.


    (How lovely it would be if I can die from fighting Aria to the death in a garden with many flowers of blood blooming.)


    That was her aspiration. A desire so strong that it made her felt like vomiting blood.


    She wanted to kill. She wanted to be killed.


    Drowning those who held Carla in contempt and trampling her dignity underfoot into a sea of blood and fire, and then at the end fighting that girl to the death on that greatest stage©¤©¤.


    That fleeting dream of Carla was suddenly interrupted by a palace official¡¯s voice.


    ¡¸Presenting his highness the crown prince Ervan Fon Claydale, and her highness the first princess Elena Claydale-¡¹


    The door of this room opened and this country¡¯s crown prince and princess entered inside.


    Carla¡¯s interested toward the crown prince had lessened some, but in exchange she was starting to harbor interest toward the first princess Elena. Her gaze moved from the crown prince who entered the room toward Elena who followed behind him. In respond the princess looked back with a strong and wary gaze toward Carla even though even the other fianc¨¦es avoided meeting Carla¡¯s gaze.


    Before this Elena should be someone who always clinging on the first prince, but since around three years ago, that fixation had calmed down to a normal degree and she started behaving resolutely as a member of the royal family so that the noble faction couldn¡¯t take advantage of her.


    What was the cause that changed her like that? Most people only saw it as her growing up, but Carla¡¯s interest was drawn by that change.


    (It will be a bit better if only she is the crown prince.)


    A short while after that, his majesty the king entered the room with the prime minister and Carla¡¯s father, the head of the royal sorcerers accompanying him.


    What were they planning to talk about by gathering the children of the royal family together with the fianc¨¦es in here instead of the audience hall?


    Everyone except Carla waited with a bated breath and tense posture. Then his majesty the king looked around at the faces of the children and talked to them directly with a dignified demeanor.


    ¡¸One year from now, I shall have all of you conquer the dungeon in an isolated island within Duke Fudale¡¯s territory. I wish for all of you to make a wish to the ¡°spirit¡± there to obtain a Gift and used it for the sake of the country as a member of the royal family.¡¹


    Everyone fell silent for a moment after hearing what the king said. Then they made a stir while in the shadow Carla alone was sporting a thin smile on her lips.

 Volume 3 - CH 13

    The new monster string was completed without any serious problem. The only snag that I could think of was that the spider was bigger than I imagined, so it was a pain to mix the liquid that was the base ingredient of the string, and it increased the amount of my blood that was needed to be poured into the mix. I got a light anemia at the end of it.


    As expected it was impossible to process this amount by myself. Unevenness would appear in the string¡¯s quality if master didn¡¯t help out.


    But it was worth it. The completed string¡¯s length reached a hundred meter, and even though its thickness was thinner than my previous string, it was so tough that even cutting it using the black knife was difficult even while my mana didn¡¯t flow through it.


    With this string, it should be impossible to sever it midair using blade unless the one doing it was a master swordsman.


    I tied the new string to the four new pendulums and tried to use it. The string¡¯s affinity with my String Control skill that had reached level 4 was also great. If it was just 60% than it was now possible for me to change the pendulum¡¯s direction according to my will.


    As for the leftover old string¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Give me that string.¡¹


    ¡¸What for?¡¹


    Master said that to me two days before my departure. Although I questioned what she was going to do, I handed the remaining ten meter of string to her. Then she crated a short shawl that could be wrapped around my neck with it while also combining it with normal string. Master handed it to me at the morning of my departure.


    If I wrapped it around my neck, I think that it could block something like arrow at least. Really¡­¡­I wondered when would the day come where I was able to repay my debt to master for all that she had given to me¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Then have a safe trip, surly discipleAria. I won¡¯t tell you to not be reckless but, don¡¯t try doing something impossible. You should just live in a way that befit you.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, I¡¯m off, masterSerjura.¡¹


    I said farewell to master and departed. I didn¡¯t know whether I would be able to come back here¡­¡­but, I always planned to go back each time we parted as I said  ¡ºI¡¯m off¡» to her.


    .


    My physical condition had also recovered completely. I calculated that I would be able to make it in time to arrive at the rendezvous place with Viro in one and half a month with time to spare.


    I passed through several noble territories from the territory of Baron Seylace to the territory of his caregiver Count Basshu, then I crossed the territory of Count Heydale where the north frontier branch assassin guild that I crushed before was located. The Heydale territory had a lot of craftsmen with lively atmosphere before, but now I caught sight of some people who looked ill-bred in the streets. The town felt like that it had lost its vividness on the whole.


    Perhaps¡­¡­Count Heydale previously had secret agreement with the assassin guild here. With the assassin guild crushed, the financial situation and public order here worsened. He must have thought of improving the worsened situation by inviting the thief guild. The count earned money by acting as intermediary between other nobles and the shady assassins while also obtaining connection with those nobles at the same time through that. He must be loathing me very much that even killing me wouldn¡¯t satisfy him for what I did.


    But at the same time, the count was also someone who knew the strength of the assassin guild more than anyone else. Because of that he wasn¡¯t actively trying to get involved with me who crushed such guild.


    With the influence of a count, he might be able to invent some kind of trumped up charge to imprison me in his territory, but none of the soldier or thief in this area had tried anything with me, not even once.


    It was also possible that he wouldn¡¯t try anything in the open and did something using the thief guild instead, but after I crushed the violent thief guild in Marquis Kendras¡¯s territory, the number of attack that came from thief guild had clearly decreased in number, so perhaps this was also related to that.


    I went south from Heydale territory to the territory of Margrave Dandall. From there, there were two routes that I could use to head toward the territory of Duke Helton where I would rendezvous with Viro.


    I could head southwest from Dandall and passed through a region where Marquis Dans acted as caregiver, or I could head west through a familiar route to Count Taurus¡¯s territory before heading to the territory of Marquis Kendras that had a mine, from there I would head south.


    The latter route was cheaper because the number of noble territory I needed to pass was few, but distance-wise the former was slightly closer so this time I picked that route.


    When I arrived at the region where Marquis Dans was the caregiver, nearly one month would have passed since I departed and the season would change into early summer. There would be more than half a month until the rendezvous schedule, so I should be able to arrive in time with enough leeway as long as nothing happened.


    I had got attacked by thieves and mountain bandits who didn¡¯t know about me sometimes in my travels until now, but rank 1 or 2 wasn¡¯t a problem for me anymore if there were just ten of them.


    Come to think of it, ordinary adventurer usually also worked as merchant bodyguard when they travelled long distance wasn¡¯t it?


    Such ¡°knowledge¡± surfaced in my mind for a moment. Such job seemed perfect for me who was able to skip sleeping in exchange of some naps and whose detection range was wide, but thinking normally, there was no way a merchant or company would hire adventurer like me who looked like a kid. I discarded that option without much thought.


    In the first place I decided on a month and a half for the rendezvous time with the calculation that I would pass through highway and forest using my legs, so from the start I didn¡¯t have any leeway to take it easy by moving in the speed of horse carriage.


    Even so, merchant hired bodyguard because there would be danger in their route. Monster, bandit, and depending on the situation even a pack of stray dog could be dangerous enough.


    .


    ¡¸You appear to be an adventurer. If you don¡¯t mind, can I ask you to guard me until the capital of Helton territory?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Someone asked me that question on the highway right after I entered into the territory of Duke Helton.


    There was still nearly one week remaining until the promised date with Viro. There was also no message about change of plan at the adventurer guild of Count Sandora¡¯s territory that I passed on the way, so I guessed I would still make it in time even I walked normally from here, but the problem was why this person called out to ¡°me¡±?


    He seemed to be a peddler who was travelling with three other people. Certainly it seemed like they didn¡¯t have any bodyguard but¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Why me? You four look strong though.¡¹


    The man who called out to me had tanned skin of Cruz people and looked like he was in the prime of his age. He also seemed to be rank 4 from the way he moved. I also couldn¡¯t Appraise the two near the carriage, but I felt that they were considerably strong.


    At the very least, something like mountain bandit or low rank monster wouldn¡¯t pose any problem even if the man in front of me fought alone. When I voiced my suspicion, the man sighed with a troubled look.


    ¡¸I¡¯m not a person of this country. I came from the west to here with the purpose of cultivating a trade route to sell our commodity. I was formerly a knight of Carlfan Empire and I believe that I¡¯m quite strong but, I happened to hear a strange rumor.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Rumor?¡¹


    The rumor that the man mentioned talked about an ¡ºold woman¡» who was said to make frequent appearances like ghost around here.


    I thought that just an old woman shouldn¡¯t be any problem but, it was said that old woman appeared on the highway at night and she would sprint through the street with inhuman speed while scattering ¡°sand¡±.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Sand?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s right. She run with a speed that is faster than horse while scattering sand as she left¡­¡­. It seems that she has old woman appearance but, it¡¯s unthinkable that she is a ¡°human¡±. Perhaps she is a monster that is disguising herself as human but¡­¡­the problem is that child.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The fourth person in their group. There was a child inside the carriage wearing a cloak with its hood blocking her face from view as she looked toward me.


    ¡¸My daughter is frightened by that rumor¡­¡­. Perhaps she might get distracted from that rumor if there is a young girl accompanying us¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹


    In short he wanted to hire me as babysitter rather than bodyguard. I didn¡¯t think that I could do babysitting work but, that child seemed to be a shy person and I would only need to walk outside the carriage.


    Certainly there was an odd smell from the carriage that was something usual for peddler. Seeing me sniffing the air, the man took out a small bag from his baggage and handed it to me.


    ¡¸We¡¯re selling spices from the west. Please take this if you want to give it a try. From the start our objective with this trip is to obtain customer so no need to hold back.¡¹


    The small leather bag was filled with several small white grains. It was something that could rarely be found around here but, was this white pepper?


    ¡¸¡­¡­If it¡¯s only until the next town.¡¹


    ¡¸Oo, I¡¯m grateful. Perhaps that child will be able to sleep at night with this.¡¹


    The middle-aged Cruz person smiled cheerfully and bowed his head.


    We would arrive at the next town tomorrow evening. It wouldn¡¯t affect my schedule much if it was just that far. There was also something that bothered me, so I accepted that request.


    .


    The request¡¯s content was to protect the carriage and to babysit. The advance payment given to me was three silver coins. It wasn¡¯t that much money, but it was an exceptional amount for an adventurer of my age.


    It was babysitting job so I was walking near the carriage, but that child©¤©¤a girl around seven years old called Sareema would only peek at me from inside the carriage. She never held anything that resembled a conversation with me.


    ¡¸Forgive her, she is a shy girl.¡¹


    The middle-aged man¡¯s name was Naamarud. The slender man was Tahir and the muscular man was Zana. Unlike Naamarud, Tahir and Zana wouldn¡¯t even approach me, so it was pointless even if I knew their name.


    While travelling, I asked about the old woman who became the cause for this request.


    The rumor had only started since several days ago. Not even a week had passed. It seemed the old woman¡¯s sighting was gradually getting closer to the territory capital and the rumor was circulating between travelers. Naamarud was slightly surprised when I told him that I had never heard about the rumor because I almost never stopped by in any town.


    The old woman¡¯s feature was how she looked so old that it was unclear what her age was, and how she could pass through with an unbelievable speed with her posture bending so low and close to the ground. Not only that, a rank 3 warrior once tried to attack the old woman but she easily dealt with him by burying him in sand before running away.


    ¡­¡­Was that really human? Perhaps it was a monster just like Naamarud said, but it felt like I knew about that kind of existence. Did I hear it from master¡¯s lesson, or from adventurer guild¡­¡­.


    In the end I couldn¡¯t recall anything. The carriage continued trudging on until it became dark and we camped at the junction where the highway connected with the highway that led to the territory of Marquis Oars.


    ¡¸We are going to be a bit lavish with our cooking today, so please join us without reservation.¡¹


    The taciturn slender man Tahir started cooking in a pot and the smell of unfamiliar spices that were being used in abundant drifted in the area.


    I was someone who didn¡¯t have any fixation with food, but I got too used with plain food and wasn¡¯t used to taste that was too thick. Even if this strong scent came from ¡°decent meal¡±, it didn¡¯t seem like something that would tickle my appetite but, while I was staring at the stew-like food in the wooden bowl that was given to me, a small silhouette suddenly moved.


    ¡¸Onee-chan¡­¡­it¡¯s tasty you know?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Sareema held out a wooden spoon toward me. It would be too unnatural for me to not eat after they went this far. I accepted the wooden spoon from Sareema¡¯s small hand and scooped the stew into my mouth.


    Hm. I see¡­¡­.


    I put the piping hot red stew into my mouth several times. The others were silently watching me eating.


    Interpreted positively, what they were doing could be seen as them watching with bated breath whether their guest was able to appreciate the foreign cooking or not.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Aria-san, do you like it?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I stopped moving after eating almost half of the stew in my bowl. Naamarud quietly asked me. He lightly sighed seeing me keeping my eyes closed and not replying, and then he slowly stood up and approached me.


    ¡¸Then, good night¡­¡­¡±Ash Crowned Princess¡±.¡¹


    *KIINN!!*


    Naamarud swung down a scimitar without even radiating any killing intent. My black dagger clashed against it in that instant and a high pitched sound rang out.


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu!¡¹


    I kept sitting as my knife lunged out glidingly across the ground. Naamarud deflected it and leaped back.


    ¡¸¡­¡­So the drug didn¡¯t work?¡¹


    ¡¸Who knows? Do you think I¡¯ll answer that question?¡¹


    There was no need for me to go through the trouble of enlightening him. In the first place, I wasn¡¯t so trusting that I would simply eat the meal that was cooked by a suspicious group like this.


    I soundlessly stood up and took a fighting stance with the black knife and dagger in both hands. Tahir who was still barehanded and Zana who was wielding a short sword surrounded me. ¡­¡­As expected they weren¡¯t shaken from just this much.


    An opponent who called me Ash Crowned Princess with this kind of strength and mettle, targeting my life. Naturally their true identity was easy to narrow down.


    ¡¸Assassin guild¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Indeed. We are from the central west branch.¡¹


    Naamarud slightly laughed. The wrinkles on his tanned skin deepened from that.


    I once heard that the central west branch of assassin guild was descended from a desert tribe. A lot of Cruz people lived in Carlfan Empire that was surrounded by sea and desert, so I had guessed it to some degree the moment I saw Naamarud.


    ¡¸As expected from the Ash Crowned Princess¡­¡­. I heard that it would be troublesome to fight you head on and attempted to kill you with trap but, this can¡¯t be helped. Now then¡­¡­Ash Crowned Princess, do you have any intention of joining our branch?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Are you screwing around?¡¹


    What was he thinking, giving invitation for joining after almost killing me? Naamarud slightly smiled while still being on his guard when I turned a narrowed gaze toward him.


    ¡¸I¡¯m not screwing around at all, Ash Crowned Princess. If you¡¯re someone who would die just from that then that¡¯s it. Targeting you is simply a matter of honor for the assassin guild. But there won¡¯t be any problem if you become our comrade.¡¹


    ¡¸You aren¡¯t going to take revenge?¡¹


    ¡¸It doesn¡¯t matter how many are dead when it happened to another branch anyway. We from the central west branch is a gathering of wanderer and people with nowhere else to go. Our unity is solid. If you join us, we will protect you from the other branches. But¡­¡­¡¹


    Naamarud paused there and stared fixedly at me as though he was peeking into my heart.


    ¡¸We will have you assassinate a hundred people as proof of your reliability. Of course the targets will be decided by us. You too are someone who have lost any place to belong aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t you think just that much is cheap to buy trust and a place to belong?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Assassination of 100 people. Most likely they were planning to test me whether I could kill good and innocent people just as ordered. But you know¡­¡­my answer had been decided from the start.


    ¡¸I refuse.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­You¡¯re planning to be hostile toward our branch too?¡¹


    My refusal caused Naamarud and also Tahir and Zana to radiate killing intent.


    ¡¸From the start anyone who get in my way is ¡°enemy¡±, no exception.¡¹


    I easily chose to be hostile toward a branch of assassin guild without any hesitation. I could hear someone gulping for an instant.


    ¡¸This damn fool¡­¡­!¡¹


    In that instant, Naamarud leaped back even further while still holding his scimitar in ready while Tahir who was standing still without radiating any killing intent stepped forward with a smooth footwork.


    ¡¸Shih!¡¹


    Tahir let out a short breath and his fist struck out. When I intercepted the fist that was unprotected by anything, Tahir used his flexibility to move strangely and deflected the flat of the knife with his bare hand.


    Barehanded¡­¡­hand-to-hand combat huh. His fist struck again and I bent backward to dodge while my hand touched the ground behind me, then I kicked that fist with my blade attached boot.


    ¡¸Sareema, step back-¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, Jii-chan!¡¹


    So the shyness was also an act. Sareema nodded strongly at Naamarud¡¯s words and retreated toward the carriage.


    Naamarud withdrew for some reason despite carrying a short range weapon. Then he threw his scimitar at me who was fighting Tahir. It was as though he didn¡¯t mind even if he hit Tahir with that throw.


    Tahir and I dodged the scimitar that approached with whirling sound using the minimal movements. But©¤©¤


    ¡¸Tsu!¡¹


    The scimitar suddenly changed trajectory and attacked only me. I immediately copied Tahir and struck down the scimitar with my right glove that had magic steel plate incorporated in it.


    ¡¸Good job dodging that!¡¹


    Naamarud yelled that and pulled back his arm. The scimitar that had black string tied to it whirled through the air with that.


    It was a weapon with string control just like my pendulum¡­¡­furthermore the range of his control was wider than me. The scimitar whirled through the air without falling on the ground and then it came attacking once more.


    I dodged the two¡¯s attacks while parrying the scimitar with the knife and dagger in my hands. I rolled away from the two while Zana who was just watching simultaneously leaped at me from right above.


    ¡¸Tsu!¡¹


    I intentionally got hit by the fist and used the impact to jump away. Then Zana¡¯s two short swords stabbed deeply into the ground where I was standing.


    ¡¸GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!¡¹


    That man pulled out the short sword that was buried into the ground until its hilt without any trouble and howled like a beast. ©¤©¤No, that wasn¡¯t it. Zana¡¯s face was covered with animal fur. He was transforming into a beast at the blink of eye.


    Lycanthrope¡­¡­a werewolf!


    Zana transformed into a wolf that stood on two legs. He leaped with a terrifying speed and swung his two short swords at me. I also swiftly pulled out a knife and threw it, but the small throwing knife got deflected by Zana¡¯s fur.


    Lycanthrope was a general term for human who could transform into animal shape, but originally it was another name for werewolf. Normally werewolf blended among normal people and lived normally, but they could also change into animal form like this and attacked other people.


    It was said that this phenomenon was caused by curse or by disease but the right answer still hadn¡¯t been found. That animal nature also couldn¡¯t be controlled so they were classified as monster, but to think an assassin guild picked up one like this.


    *CLANG-!*


    Even I could block Zana¡¯s short swords my with my dagger and knife, but his muscle that was strengthened by his beast transformation easily sent someone light like me flying.


    Tahir aimed at that moment and closed his distance with me. Naamarud threw his scimitar from Tahir¡¯s shadow. Before he controlled the scimitar¡¯s trajectory, a crossbow¡¯s arrow flew out from the ¡°darkness¡± of Shadow Snatch that I formed.


    ¡¸Sorcery-!?¡¹


    The arrow was fired from pitch black darkness and from right below, and yet Naamarud still managed to dodge it. This was why a veteran rank 4 was troublesome. It was mostly pointless even when I took them by surprise.


    ¡¸Guh¡¹


    But, Tahir became alone during that time and I deflected his arm while leaving a shallow gash on his side. Zana covered for him and my weapons clashed against his short swords and I got sent flying once more.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Now then, what to do¡­¡­.


    A rank 4 swordsman who used string control, Naamarud.


    A hand-to-hand fighter who was rank 3 but had strange movement, Tahir.


    A werewolf who obtained physical ability that far surpassed me by transforming into a beast, Zana.


    These three should be able to kill even a rank 5. It seemed the central west branch was very wary of me.


    Naamarud and the other two surrounded me from three direction so I couldn¡¯t get away. They slowly shifted position in clockwise direction.


    They weren¡¯t opponents who were beyond my means if I fought them one on one, but taking on the three of them simultaneously would require splitting them up temporarily. I would need some kind of ¡°impetus¡± in order to do that.


    I had laid the groundwork for that. But, it still hadn¡¯t showed any effect. As I started thinking what should I do in that case©¤©¤


    .


    ¡º©¤©¤hihihihihi©¤©¤¡»


    .


    ¡¸¡¸¡¸!?¡¹¡¹¡¹


    A strange ¡°laugh¡± came from the dark highway. A ¡°shadow¡± came approaching from far ahead and diverted the attention of the assassins slightly.


    I should attack in that opening but, I was also slightly taken aback by how abnormal that ¡°object¡± that appeared was.


    There I saw the figure of a small ¡ºold woman¡» running toward us on all fours through the dark highway with immense speed. ¡­¡­So that rumor was true?


    ¡¸Gaaah!?¡¹


    Zana was bewildered from how strange that sight was and threw his short swords. But astonishingly, the old woman easily grabbed them from the air and tossed away the short swords behind her while making an immense sandstorm to blow using bizarre mana.


    ¡¸Tsu!¡¹


    The assassins and I immediately retreated in that moment. But perhaps Tahir was unable to sense mana. He got dragged into the sandstorm and the old woman attacked him.


    .


    ¨‹Old Woman£¿¡¡Race£º£¿£¿£¿


    ¡¾Magic Power£º£³£¶£µ£¯£´£²£°¡¿¡¾Stamina£º£±£·£³£¯£±£¸£´¡¿


    ¡¾Combat Strength£º£±£µ£¹£¸£¨With Body Strengthening£º£±£¹£¹£²£©¡¿


    .


    What was¡­¡­that? The instant I thought that, the necessary information surfaced from that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±.


    An old woman moving in high speed, combat strength and high magic power that were unthinkable for human, and then how it called for sand. Perhaps it was¡­¡­.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡±Apparition¡±?¡¹


    It was an existence that was like in the middle between being a spirit and a monster. In that woman¡¯s previous life, it seemed that she was living in a terrifying world where such monsters were prevalent.


    But even so what I had to do hadn¡¯t changed. I instantly switched my line of thought and used Stealth before leaping into the sandstorm to hide in it. I sneaked behind Zana who was on his guard due to the sandstorm blocking his sight.


    ¡¸GAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡¹


    Zana might have detected me from smell. He howled while turning around and attacked with his fangs and claws in the place of the short swords that he had thrown.


    My knife was deflected by his fur. The black dagger might be able to stab him if I put some force behind it, but I didn¡¯t even need to go that far just to deal with you alone.


    ¡¸Gah!?¡¹


    I created the Storage¡¯s entrance on my palm and dumped out the stew that I pretended to eat. The ¡°door¡± of the Storage could be created as long as there was shadow. The stew that I pretended to eat was stored into Storage from inside my mouth. Now I dumped it into the mouth of the wolf that was opened wide.


    ¡¸Guooo¡­¡­¡¹


    Most likely it got a powerful sleeping drug mixed in. Zana staggered backward and the weight type pendulum that I swung down in that timing smashed through his skull.


    My knife got deflected must be because of the Thrust Resistance that beast type monster had, but with this it should work. But, a werewolf with high stamina and durability didn¡¯t die yet even after that.


    ¡¸Ash Crowned Princess-!¡¹


    Naamarud had finally caught sight of us inside the sandstorm and threw his scimitar to interrupt me. I had seen your technique several times. That was why, good timing¡­¡­I was just thinking that I lacked ¡°weight¡± to kill Zana.


    ¡¸What-!?¡¹


    The string of Naamarud¡¯s scimitar and the string of my pendulum were entangled with each other. The ¡°weight type¡± that had the weight of the scimitar added to it crushed Zana¡¯s skull from right above.


    ¡¸Gah¡­¡­¡¹


    Zana left behind a weak groan and his completely crushed head burst with blood spraying out together.


    ¡¸Damn you-!!¡¹


    Naamarud threw away his scimitar because it was entangled with string and even got used to kill his own comrade. He picked up Zana¡¯s fallen short sword.


    *CLANG-!*


    ¡¸Guh!¡¹


    Unlike me who was only level 4 in String Control, Naamarud was rank 4 even in close quarter combat. He was in advantage here. But, Naamarud¡¯s movement had worsened compared to the beginning that he couldn¡¯t even overwhelm a rank 3 like me from this close.


    It was only because the person himself didn¡¯t notice how his movement had worsened that I won in the battle of String Control skill. I was finally able to overcome even you.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Pain©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸Gigya!¡¹


    It seemed that you guys tried to cover up the smell of powerful sleeping drug using spices but, I myself had mixed in drug into the pot that Tahir used to cook using Shadow Snatch.


    It was a powerful muscle relaxation drug, but it still showed effect even after it was boiled and became vapor. In exchange it took time until the effect showed, but without that, a rank 3 like me wouldn¡¯t consider fighting head on three assassins who had a rank 4 among them.


    ¡¸Guaaaaaaaaaaah!¡¹


    I left a deep gash on Naamarud¡¯s neck until his chest after he stiffened from the intense agony of Pain. But, Naamarud too bent his body slightly even in his current state and avoided getting lethally wounded.


    In that case I just needed to keep attacking if he wouldn¡¯t die just from one attack! I raised my dagger with such intention, but a small silhouette barged in between us at that moment.


    ¡¸Stop-! Don¡¯t kill Jii-chan!¡¹


    The girl, Sareema who retreated to the carriage spread out her arms to cover for Naamarud. The protected Naamarud grimaced painfully in his dying state.


    ¡¸Sareema¡­¡­¡¹


    Naamarud reached out with his trembling hand. In that moment©¤©¤


    ¡¸Eh¡­¡­¡¹


    A knife that was kept in Naamarud¡¯s sleeve shot out toward me. I used Sareema who got my string entwined on her as shield to block it.


    ¡¸You-!¡¹


    ¡¸Onee-chan¡­¡­why¡­¡­¡¹


    Sareema looked up to me in a daze with a knife planted in her back. I looked down coldly at her.


    ¡¸My bad but, I have smelled the ¡°scent of death¡± many times before.¡¹


    The cause of my suspicion to this group wasn¡¯t Naamarud¡¯s race or the behavior of Tahir and Zana. I also used poison without any hesitation only because the ¡°scent of death¡± that I smelled from this little girl.


    Most likely that excessive amount of spices wasn¡¯t just to cover up the smell of poison. It was used to erase the scent of death from this Sareema.


    ¡¸¡­¡­This little girl-¡¹


    Sareema exposed her true nature and her lovely face distorted into an animalistic face as she bared her fang.


    Vampire huh¡­¡­. This was my first time seeing one but I had also learned about them from master¡¯s lesson. They were monster that could live semi eternally by sucking human blood and obtaining the dregs of soul in that blood, but apparently some of them were also being treated as citizens in the country of the evil race.


    A werewolf and a vampire¡­¡­I heard that they were a gathering of wanderer but, this was just too unprincipled, assassin guild.


    ¡¸Die-!!¡¹


    Sareema¡¯s blood colored claws lengthened and she attacked with a speed that was unthinkable for a child¡¯s body. Vampire had strong regeneration power and the wound on his back had already closed too.


    I deflected her claws with my knife while leaping back, but although I had given up on finishing off Naamarud, it didn¡¯t mean I was running away from Sareema.


    ¡¸©¤©¤hihihih©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸Guoh!?¡¹


    The next moment, the ¡°old woman¡± who had beaten up Tahir attacked this way too. Naamarud who was late to escape got hit and sent flying.


    ¡¸Naamarud!¡¹


    Sareema who saw that sight reflexively turned around. I see, what they said about having strong unity seemed to be true. But, was it alright that you took off your eyes from me?


    ¡¸Gih!?¡¹


    I entwined the all-purpose type pendulum around the neck of Sareema who looked away for a moment. Sareema¡¯s eyes opened wide as she got strongly pulled in. She saw the way I held my knife far to the back.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Thrust©¤©¤¡¹


    *Zan!* The Battle Technique that I unleashed lopped off Sareema¡¯s head.


    To kill a vampire, you either crushed the magic stone in their heart or destroyed their head. Even though she had the form of a little girl, I didn¡¯t believe in giving any mercy to ¡°enemy¡±. Even so a vampire with adult appearance would be a threat, but as expected there was a limit with the status of a child.


    ¡¸GUAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡¹


    Naamarud who was blown away by the old woman was flying toward my direction.


    I squinted so my eyes wouldn¡¯t be hurt by the sand while putting my arm around Naamarud¡¯s neck from behind. I snapped his neck. At the same time the old woman also attacked me.


    So she is next¡­¡­really, just what the deal with this old woman?


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shadow©¤©¤¡¹


    I dodged by using a shadow illusion as bait. But, in contrast to the enormous combat strength I saw with Appraisal, that attack¡¯s speed was still within the limit to what I could follow with my eyes.


    The attack strength was low and even Naamarud who got blown away was still alive then, so perhaps, the old woman¡¯s skill in close quarter combat was only Body Strengthening and Martial Art? I assumed that the old woman¡¯s immense combat strength came from her sorcery and took out all-purpose type and sickly type pendulums from the Storage.


    Most likely I wouldn¡¯t have any chance to win if the old woman used sorcery. I¡¯d finish this before she used sorcery.


    ¡¸Haaaaa¡­¡­¡¹


    I expelled the heat from fighting the assassins together with my breath while increasing the killing intent inside me.


    I erased the matters of the assassins and also the mission from inside my head.


    In this moment, I removed all attention to other things and released all of my killing intent solely to kill the old woman.


    ¡¸Hihi!¡¹


    The old woman¡¯s eyes goggled glaringly at my heightened killing intent. In respond she made vast amount of mana to overflow from her whole body.


    I too heightened the mana in my whole body and crouched down like a cat. Then I kicked on the ground and rushed forward while throwing my two pendulums. The old woman also unleashed her mana and met the attack.


    The battle would be decided in an instant©¤©¤with our respective stamina, the one whose attack hit first would take their opponent¡¯s life.


    But©¤©¤


    .


    ¡¸Wait wait-!! Stop, stopp!!¡¹


    A familiar voice and a knife that came flying at the same time made the old woman and I dodged each other¡¯s body and the blade. We passed each other and rolled on the ground to take distance.


    ¡­¡­This voice.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Viro?¡¹


    That man who came running from the highway ahead and forcefully interrupted using that knife screamed seeing the old woman and me trying to killing each other.


    ¡¸You two, why are fellow teammates trying to kill each other huh-!?¡¹


    Teammate? What was that about?


    Viro who interrupted our battle yelled with a tired voice. Then that old woman apparition started laughing normally like a human.


    ¡¸Hi hi hi, you¡¯re late, Viro boy.¡¹


    ¡¸Stop calling me ¡°boy¡±, granny. Geez¡­¡­well, anyway¡¹


    Viro complained to the old woman in exasperation, but seeing the old woman and I had stopped fighting, he suddenly threw a knife to somewhere.


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu!¡¹


    In that moment, Tahir who had gotten beaten up by the old woman and stopped moving leaped up on his feet and started running away immediately. ¡­¡­So he was still alive.


    The corner of Viro¡¯s lips slightly curled up seeing that. He unsheathed his favorite mythril short sword from his waist and rushed forward from his spot.


    ¡¸If you think you can run away from me©¤©¤¡¹


    *Hyun!*


    A black blade flew past his side. The sickle type pendulum left a deep gash from the blind spot on the neck of Tahir whose attention was diverted by Viro and the old woman. A lot of blood spurted out and he collapsed.


    I pulled back the pendulum to my hand to remove the blood on it before turning to face Viro who was frozen on the spot with his short sword still held up in fighting stance.


    ¡¸Viro¡­¡­explain.¡¹


    ¡¸Aria, really you¡­¡­¡¹


    Again? Was it another troublesome thing from Viro-? I didn¡¯t think that I would be able to get away from this old woman, so I resolved myself to meet her attack head on but, if the battle continued like that, I would be the one who most likely got killed.


    This old woman was a teammate? In that case this old woman, was the party¡¯s sorcerer who had retired? ¡­¡­I was amazed that I was able to survive against a rank 5 sorcerer like that.


    Perhaps my feeling was oozing out from my expression. Viro averted her gaze from my unblinking stare with a guilty look.


    ¡¸Well, that¡­¡­you know, this ¡°granny¡± is my comrade.¡¹


    ¡¸I never heard about your comrade being nonhuman.¡¹


    ¡¸She isn¡¯t nonhuman-. She really look monstrous but she¡¯s a human. But, she has gotten a bit senile you see¡­¡­. Even while we were staying in an inn at the town, every day she would yell that she felt a suspicious presence and suddenly ran out to somewhere¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Who¡¯re you calling me senile you lad-! I¡¯m still just 99 years old-!¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s what you have been saying since ten years ago-!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Is she really human¡­¡­? A rank 5 sorcerer who could also fight in hand-to-hand combat with me, it would be extremely dangerous if that kind of person turned senile.


    ¡¸Despite her look, her skill is the real deal-. She retired because sometimes she would act senile like this but, if it¡¯s just a matter of strength then you don¡¯t need to worry at all.¡¹


    ¡¸My name is Samantha Samantha, little girl-!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­I see.¡¹


    How could I not worry after seeing this? The old woman©¤©¤Samantha introduced herself normally as though she had forgotten that we had just tried kill each other not a minute ago.


    Even so I sheathed my knife and lowered my vigilance level from ¡°eliminate immediately¡± to ¡°caution required¡±. According to that woman¡¯s ¡°knowledge¡±, something like senility was something that the person afflicted couldn¡¯t do anything about. It wasn¡¯t logical to keep harboring resentment toward her.


    Certainly there would be no problem in battle if we had someone this strong with us.


    ¡¸You can call me Aria. I never expected of meeting you here but, Viro, what¡¯s our plan from here?¡¹


    ¡¸Let¡¯s see¡­¡­I planned to stay in the inn town nearby for a night but, there won¡¯t be any inn open at this time so I guess we¡¯ll just head to our next destination¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸The duke territory¡¯s capital?¡¹


    ¡¸That place is just the rendezvous location. We will stop by there midway but, our ¡°target¡± is in a baron¡¯s territory along the border.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    I tightened my grip on the pendulum in my hand when Viro said that.


    That guy¡­¡­¡±Grave¡± was there.


    I couldn¡¯t do anything at all when I fought him before. I just barely escaped alive by making an all or nothing gamble.


    Even now there was still a gap of almost double in our combat strength, but I too wasn¡¯t still the same like in the past, and right now Viro and Samantha would accompany me.


    If possible¡­¡­I wanted to deal with him by myself but, killing him was a greater priority than my personal feeling.


    ¡¸Then let¡¯s go, Aria, Samantha. I want to arrive at the town tomorrow.¡¹


    ¡¸Travelling throughout the night like this, just what do you think an old person is-¡¹


    ¡¸It was you granny who ran out of the inn on your own!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡­¡­I felt a bit anxious.


    .


    Samantha who had worked as adventurer for long (almost a century) naturally had the Night Vision skill. Even on highway at night like this, our travel was shockingly fast because everyone could use Body Strengthening level 4.


    ¡¸Come to think of it, why can Samantha use Body Strengthening even though she¡¯s a sorcerer? She doesn¡¯t has close combat skills right?¡¹


    ¡¸Good question there, little girl-!!¡¹


    When I tried asking what was in my mind while running, both Viro and I were naturally erasing our presences but, Samantha paid no mind to that and answered with a loud voice that could be heard by the next three neighbors if we were in town.


    ¡¸A sorcerer¡¯s natural enemy is light warrior who can move fast-! That¡¯s why a sorcerer who has reached a certain level of strength will naturally learn Body Strengthening in order to perform ¡°Thought Acceleration¡±!¡¹


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­¡¹


    Master could also fight in close quarter even though she was a sorcerer might also be because of that.


    ¡¸Granny, even I didn¡¯t know that.¡¹


    ¡¸Young¡¯un these days aren¡¯t studying enough-! Well, the current young sorcerers all only care about making their sorcery¡¯s power greater and almost none of them bother to learn Body Strengthening-! You two remember this-, be careful if you encounter a sorcerer who can use Body Strengthening in this era!¡¹


    ¡¸Got it.¡¹


    I see¡­¡­story from adventurer who was skilled in fighting could be used as reference.


    ¡¸For now granny, keep your voice down a little. You will attract monster like that-¡¹


    ¡¸What did you say boy-, it¡¯s time to eat-!!¡¹


    ¡¸You just eat dinner in the inn two hours ago right-!?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡­¡­Would we really be fine?


    We finished our meal with only portable food that had insipid taste and hurried on with our travel. At noon the next day, we arrived in the biggest city of this region where the castle of Duke Helton was located.


    Samantha and I rented a room in an inn for one night, while Viro said that he would go to the adventurer guild to obtain information.


    ¡¸Aria, stay in the inn together with the granny. Samantha is famous despite her look, and not to mention you yourself. It¡¯ll be troublesome to bring this granny when she¡¯s like this to the adventurer guild. Also the granny can suddenly turn senile even when in the middle of normal conversation so be careful.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    It felt like it would only be troublesome even if I went to the adventurer guild, so I pushed everything related to the guild to Viro.


    The inn that Viro chose was a high class inn that cost three silver coins per night. It was befitting a first class adventurer like him.


    I thought that I would need to take care of Samantha but, she was still an adventurer despite her old age. And this was a high class inn, so the staffs here could fulfill most requests if I asked them. So I wouldn¡¯t need to do anything much.


    *Bamm!!*


    ¡¸Little girl-! Food, we¡¯re going to eat-!¡¹


    Not even several seconds had passed after we entered inside the room that Samantha who should be in the neighboring room kicked open the door and rushed into my room.


    ¡¸I heard that you already ate yesterday.¡¹


    ¡¸Cruel daughter-in-law, there¡¯s a cruel daughter-in-law here!¡¹


    I don¡¯t remember ever becoming your daughter-in-law.


    ¡¸Samantha. You want to eat three times a day even though you¡¯re an adventurer? Then follow me. If you want to eat proper food, there should be a restaurant at the first floor.¡¹


    ¡¸O, ou.¡¹


    For some reason Samantha hesitated for a bit when I said that dispassionately. She accompanied me to the first floor and the inn¡¯s staff led us to a table with six people capacity.


    ¡¸Samantha, what do you want to eat?¡¹


    ¡¸Let¡¯s see¡­¡­meat, I want lamb meat-!¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    I asked her what she liked and called the waitress to place our order.


    ¡¸Lamb meat dish. One whole lamb.¡¹


    ¡¸Y-you want one whole lamb!?¡¹


    ¡¸She keep complaining that she¡¯s hungry every time. Besides we¡¯re adventurers so there won¡¯t be any problem.¡¹


    Viro was a man who ate meat right from the morning even when recovering from injury. His adventurer teammate surely wouldn¡¯t complain if she was also given similar thing.


    The surrounding customers fell silent seeing an old woman and a child silently swallowing down ¡°meats¡± that kept getting brought in one after another without really holding any conversation. Viro returned from the adventurer guild when around two hours had passed with such bizarre atmosphere filling the room.


    ¡¸What, with this amount of meat¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Samantha said that she want to eat.¡¹


    ¡¸This little girl is a cruel daughter-in-law!¡¹


    Viro tilted his head seeing Samantha who had gotten somehow more chubby and greasy compared to when we just arrived to this inn.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I don¡¯t really get it but, well, forget it. Waitress, give me ale. I¡¯ll make my report for now.¡¹


    Viro sat down and ate the meat without asking while he started talking about the information that he got from the guild.


    His talk was hard to understand because he was using the jargon of underworld but, in short this was what he said.


    After failing to kill me, Grave left the organization of Sera and others and covered his track.


    It seemed he stayed quiet for a while after that, but one day assassination incidents started occurring. The targets of these assassinations were nobles from the ¡°noble faction¡±, a faction that tried to weaken the power of the royal family and draw in the force from other countries.


    Three nobles had gotten murdered until now. One of them, a count was particularly someone who claimed that the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e should be a princess from other country. This count was rumored to have a deep relationship with the neighboring country.


    The count was one of the key people of the noble faction, so the noble faction claimed the royal family faction was involved with his murder. They started demanding that the royal family¡¯s sword which was the royal guards and the black ops had to be scaled down in order to reduce the threat they posed to the nation, and not only that, they also started saying that the royal family should take a princess of the neighboring country as wife even if the rule had to be changed to allow that.


    But, there was no way those demands could be accepted with the current state of affairs. The leader of black ops who was suspected unjustifiedly like that investigated the case and finally determined that the culprit was Grave.


    According to the black ops¡¯s investigation, it seemed that Grave was targeting noble houses that were the enemy of the royal family. After investigating several noble territories and narrowed down the possibility, the black ops obtained information that a person who seemed to be Grave was hiding in this Helton territory.


    The two margraves that originally could possibly become the leader of the ¡°noble faction¡± were in the ¡°royal family faction¡± instead. In contrast, Duke Helton who should be in the royal family faction was now known as an anti royal family faction, partly because the interests that originally he should be able to obtain were snatched away by the margrave houses.


    ¡¸Grave is waiting for the duke to leave his castle and go outside. There¡¯s information that a troublesome monster has appeared in a baron¡¯s territory near the border. It looks like ordinary adventurer or knight is unable to defeat it. Well, in short, the duke might go out and lead the subjugation force personally in order to gain popularity.¡¹


    It seemed the possibility was high that Grave was targeting for that opportunity to assassinate the duke.


    Thinking normally, targeting a duke who was being protected by more than a hundred knights would be suicide. Nobody would seriously attempt that thinking that it would be foolish, but if it was that Grave, he would surely think that it would be better to aim for this opportunity rather than when the duke was staying in the castle.


    The duke¡¯s side too was unable to constantly be in a state of high alert against an opponent who they didn¡¯t know when would attack. If the situation was like that, I was sure that if it was Grave, he would surely do it. There was no reason for that surety. I was simply thinking that if it was me, I would also ¡°do that¡±.


    And then even if we informed Duke Helton that there was a danger of assassination, he surely wouldn¡¯t cancel the subjugation just because he feared one person.


    ¡¸We¡¯re going to depart tomorrow morning to that baron territory. What we¡¯re going to do is taking down Grave before the duke arrive at the destination.¡¹


    ¡¸Hi hi hi, there¡¯s no need to wait until tomorrow morning, we can just go now-! Now, boy, little girl, you two should also prepare-!¡¹


    *Pan-*


    Samantha looked like she would rush out immediately. I hit the table and stopped her.


    ¡¸Not yet. We haven¡¯t finished the meats yet.¡¹


    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹¡¹


    Adventurer had to eat when they could. Viro also taught me that, and I had also learned that lesson when I lived in the wild at the start and at the forest where those orcs lived.


    Eat when you can. Endure when you can¡¯t eat. That was why leaving food uneaten was unforgivable. When I stared fixedly to the two with such insistence, the two slowly sat back down and the three of us started eating the meats again silently.


    The next day, we departed from the territory capital of Duke Helton early in the morning and headed toward the baron¡¯s territory where Grave was hiding.


    I would end up having an ¡°encounter¡± in that place.

 Volume 3 - CH 14

    ¡¸Speaking of which, what¡¯s the monster problem that happened to the baron territory?¡¹


    ¡¸I haven¡¯t explained about that huh.¡¹


    When we had gotten close to the baron territory along the border, I asked that question while going through the highway. Viro taught me the information in order.


    First he told me the terrain information. There was a huge lake along the border that was located several days of travel to the west from the territory of Duke Helton. But the problem wasn¡¯t there, the west side from the lake was the buffer zone of this country with the neighboring country Solhorse Kingdom. The problem was occurring at the highway that was leading to Solhorse Kingdom that was located at the marshland north to the lake.


    Because a rocky area that was a monster habitat and a marshland acted as buffer area with the neighboring country Solhorse Kingdom, clash between feudal lords had never happened, but there was a political dispute surrounding the rights for Condo Mine not only with Solhorse Kingdom, but also with Condor Kingdom and Ils Dukedom. It was a political problem between four countries that were still continuing even now.


    That was exactly why marriage between royal families was also indispensable in order to obtain advantage in that struggle of rights, but despite the problem in national level, the relationships between the people of the countries were relatively friendly.


    The interaction between merchants was flourishing, and because there was also a large scale dungeon near the side of Solhorse, a lot of adventurers obtained permission to come and go between countries.


    But, one day apparently a ¡ºblack beast¡» appeared in that buffer area marshland. It started attacking merchants and adventurers. Its true identity was©¤©¤


    ¡¸An ancient mythical beast©¤©¤¡±Coeurl¡±.¡¹


    In legend it was said to be a mythical beast that appeared from another world. It had the large body of panther and two whiskers that grew long and flexible like whips from the tips of its ears.


    It was cunning and merciless. Its intelligence was greater than human and its mighty strength even made it got called as ¡ºBlack Destroyer¡». It was a rank 5 mythical beast and it was said that one who had lived for particularly long could rival even dragon.


    ¡¸¡­¡­A Coeurl.¡¹


    To be accurate it wasn¡¯t a monster but a mythical beast. ¡­¡­If the opponent was a mythical beast of that level, I could understand why the duke would lead the subjugation force personally to gather popularity. In this Claydale Kingdom, the two margrave houses possessed powerful strength both politically and financially. Duke house that was also related by blood to the royal family originally had the role of protecting the nation from external enemy, the territory of Duke Helton didn¡¯t have any special industry and became unable to maintain their authority as a duke house, so they were deepening their relationship with the neighboring countries in the economic front even though they actually should be keeping watch to those countries from trying anything.


    Although the duke house could have it easy now in the financial aspects because of that, their authority within the country still hadn¡¯t recovered. That was exactly why if the duke could personally defeat the mythical beast, although it wouldn¡¯t be as good as defeating a dragon, such feat would still give him a lot of popularity that praised his martial prowess.


    Based from the testimony of the witness that saw the size of the Coeurl, it was assumed that the mythical beast was still young. Therefore it wasn¡¯t as strong as low ranked dragon that was equal to rank 6, but the duke chose to bring more than a hundred high ranked knights that served his house where all of them were rank 3 to face the Coeurl.


    It was uncertain since when that Coeurl was staying in that land. But, a story that there was a black beast living in a mountain near the nearby Condo Mine had been spreading in the village of the miners since a long time ago.


    But¡­¡­.


    What was the reason that Coeurl started attacking human?


    ¡¸Grave isn¡¯t hiding in the town but near the forest of the marshland where the mythical beast is sighted. Aquatic beast demihuman race, lizardmen are also living there but, if it¡¯s him then it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for him. Several agents of the black ops became sacrifice in order to obtain this information. We¡¯re going to settle this before Grave can start taking action.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Roger.¡¹


    ¡¸Just leave it to me-, hi hi hi¡¹


    Rank 2 or 3 agents would simply get detected by Grave and be killed right away without even offering any fight. The result wouldn¡¯t change even if they brought soldiers or knights who were weaker than them.


    Grave could just run away if he was challenged with number. The only way to defeat Grave with little damage was by sending in small number of elites.


    It seemed that Viro and Samantha had rank 5 warrior and heavy warrior as teammates in their party, but Grave who was operating solo just like me could easily escape if we had number on our side.


    That was why after also considering the possibility of surprise attack with assassination and the like, the members of the subjugation force became filled with irregular selections like this, scouts and magician that also included old woman and child.


    Even so it was unknown whether Grave could be defeated with just a rank 4 like Viro and a high end rank 3 like me, so the main fighter would be the rank 5 sorcerer Samantha with us assisting her for the close quarter combat.


    Viro and I would work together to hold back Grave while Samantha would look for opening to defeat him with her sorcery. That was our main tactic for this mission.


    There was a little problem with Samantha¡¯s senility that could come out of nowhere, but each time that happened I would take out from my Storage the large amount of ¡°meats¡± from the inn that in the end we couldn¡¯t finish eating. Seeing how she calmed down from eating made me unable to complain too much.


    ¡¸What if the mythical beast show up?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯ll depend on what the Coeurl and Grave will do but, in the worst case we might have to retreat and prioritize our survival. Aria, you¡¯ll be granny¡¯s guard. You can do it right?¡¹


    ¡¸If there¡¯s no other choice I¡¯ll do it.¡¹


    We obtained the newest information from the surviving agent in the clinic of the baron territory¡¯s town, then we made the necessary preparation and headed toward the marshland at the border.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    If I didn¡¯t make that ¡°oath¡±, then perhaps I¡¯d choose to just cross the border here and leave this country, but I was able to become this strong only because of that oath with ¡°her¡±.


    Grave¡­¡­I¡¯ll kill you here, for Elena¡¯s safety too.


    **


    That ¡°beast¡± questioned its own existence deep inside the marshland¡¯s dark forest.


    The ¡°beast¡± didn¡¯t remember when it was born. But, the ¡°beast¡± had been ¡°strong¡± every since its existence came to be in this world.


    Creatures called ¡°human¡± were thriving in this world.


    ¡°Human¡± feared the ¡°beast¡±, but that was because they were just too weak. For the ¡°beast¡±, ¡°human¡± was just too frail and they also weren¡¯t really suitable to be its food. The ¡°beast¡± didn¡¯t have any interest toward ¡°human¡±.


    The ¡°beast¡± didn¡¯t need a lot of food in order to live. It only needed a specific substance within living creature or fruit and the like as replenishment. For it, hunting wasn¡¯t for obtaining meat but an act to display its strength.


    ¡°Human¡± was weak physically and mentally. That was why they feared the ¡°beast¡± and armed themselves using their shrewd wisdom, but when those ¡°humans¡± tried to erode the mountain where the ¡°beast¡± lived, the ¡°beast¡± still wasn¡¯t interested and permitted that generously.


    But one day, a ¡°human¡± appeared in the mountain where the ¡°beast¡± lived and scattered ¡°poison¡± with disgusting smell at the surrounding.


    The ¡°beast¡± was enraged. It was angry toward the frail and impertinent ¡°human¡±.


    But it seemed that ¡°human¡± had strong power as an individual. Even the ¡°beast¡± couldn¡¯t finish him off and he managed to escape until near the human settlement.


    It realized that it got lured out when a pack of ¡°humans¡± transporting goods across the marsh area launched an attack toward the ¡°beast¡± when it appeared before them.


    The ¡°beast¡± wasn¡¯t interested with ¡°human¡±. Even so it wasn¡¯t so tolerant that it would overlook any attack to itself.


    The ¡°beast¡± couldn¡¯t really differentiate between one ¡°human¡± to another. Even so it felt like the ¡°human¡± that attacked it was a bit different from the ¡°human¡± that scattered poison at the beginning, but the ¡°beast¡± let its anger controlled it and massacred the ¡°humans¡±.


    The foolish and small and frail living creatures called ¡°human¡± irritated the ¡°beast¡±.


    In order to kill the foolish ¡°human¡± who lured it here, the ¡°beast¡± began to attack the ¡°humans¡± passing through this place that felt similar to that individual.


    **


    A man was sitting cross-legged on top of a large rock on a swamp of the marshland in deep contemplation.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Grave was aware that he was a ¡ºcold-hearted madman¡».


    The strength of ¡°powerful royal family¡± was needed to correct this country to its normal state. What should be done for that to happen? The answer of the world could always be found in simple place.


    All obstacles should simply be killed. If there was a fool who threatened the king then that fool should just be killed.


    For the people it didn¡¯t matter who became the king. But, he believed that only the stability of the royal family that wasn¡¯t a fool would lead to the happiness of the people.


    But for that, he had no intention to take roundabout method like before anymore.


    But for that, he had no intention to act rashly like before anymore.


    Before he thought that it was fine to sacrifice anyone including himself if it was for the right thing. But, he finally noticed that this world was filled with stupidity.


    Humans were foolish regardless whether they were noble or commoner. He ended up thinking that to guide this ¡°world¡± correctly, it was necessary for him to accomplish his objective without dying himself.


    He would kill any noble who was a hindrance. If necessary he would even kill a royalty.


    For that he wouldn¡¯t be picky with his method and clung to life tenaciously for the sake of his objective. He learned that from the dangerous maid who he killed before.


    It was only because of that battle that Grave stopped being picky with his method for the sake of his objective.


    At that time he thought that the best thing to do was to kill that girl who got close to the princess, but looking back now, a part of him was also thinking that perhaps that girl might be the only one who could possibly understand his ideal and became his ¡°successor¡±.


    .


    He had worked out multiple plans and placed traps everywhere for the sake of his objective.


    One of those plans, in order to kill Duke Helton in this land, Grave relied on an uncertain information and lured a dangerous monster that was said to live in the mountain to the human settlement.


    The possibility of success for this plan wasn¡¯t high but it wouldn¡¯t bother him even if this plan failed.


    Not many adventurers in this country could defeat rank 5 monster. And that number would be narrowed down even further if the opponent was a beast in a forest. And if that opponent was actually a mythical beast, some of those people would even hesitate.


    That was exactly why, he thought that the duke would dispatch his trump card, the high ranked knights in his employ to take care of that threat. If things went well like that, the security for the duke would become shorthanded and he would be able to kill him, but the duke foolishly decided to personally lead his soldiers, making it easier for Grave to go kill him.


    That was why Grave was waiting near this forest until the duke came to be killed.


    He stayed in this area to provoke the mythical beast and prevented it from giving up and going home. He also made it so the mythical beast attacked the passing merchant or adventurer so that the duke would have no choice but came out.


    But, uninvited guests appeared earlier than the duke¡¯s arrival. He was able to find the other party first before they could find him because of lucky coincidence, but it could also be considered as an inevitability with Grave¡¯s current strength.


    Even Grave knew very well the identity of the man who was stealthily walking through the forest along the highway. It was Viro of the rank 5 adventurer party Rainbow Sword who also had connection with the black ops.


    The party leader, the heavy warrior dwarf wasn¡¯t here. It must be because they thought that Grave would run away if that person also came here.


    ¡¸But, it was pointless.¡¹


    He too wasn¡¯t the same anymore with the past him who Viro knew about. Depending on his method, Grave was confident that now he would be able to assassinate his opponent one by one even if all the members of Rainbow Sword were here.


    But in battle there was nothing absolute. If he wanted to play it safe, he could simply lure them and allowed the mythical beast to kill them.


    If all members of Rainbow Sword were present here, it would be likelier that the mythical beast would be the one that got killed, but if less than half of their members were here, it was unthinkable that they would be able to deal with the mythical beast.


    But¡­¡­Grave recognized the figure of the ¡°girl¡± walking at the very back and his lips expressed a twisted delight. He decided to face them personally.


    .


    ¡¸So you¡¯re alive, Aria¡­¡­-¡¹

 Volume 3 - CH 15

    We chased after Grave and entered inside a forest alongside the highway in a marshland where it was said that Grave is hiding.


    Before this Viro had gathered information in the adventurer guild. It seemed that this area had the lake water flowing into it and the ground was always muddy. There were small swamps dotting the area everywhere acting like invisible pitfall. It was a dangerous place for those who weren¡¯t familiar with the area.


    It wasn¡¯t difficult to stand guard over this place. That too was because of the highway here that was leading to the neighboring country was more like a ¡°bridge¡± that connected the flat grounds and rocks being interspersed in the strategic positions throughout this area.


    Although it was called a bridge, it wasn¡¯t something like in imagination. It was just something simple that didn¡¯t even have any handrail, made from driving wooden stakes into the quagmires and placing thick wooden planks on top of them for people to cross.


    It was just that kind of simple bridge, but some kind of magical or alchemical medicine was used on the woods so that they wouldn¡¯t be worn down. Wood type that was strong against the humidity of this area was also used for the foundation, so this highway that took 30 years to be finished when it was created 100 years ago was so strong that it wouldn¡¯t even waver when a large horse carriage passed through.


    In other words almost everyone who passed through this area would use this highway. The monsters also understood that armed humans used this highway to pass through, so they were avoiding it, making this highway some type of safe area. Someone could just stand watch over this highway to find out everyone passing through this area.


    That was exactly why our party consisted only of agile people by taking that into consideration too. We intentionally didn¡¯t use the safe and convenient highway and advanced through the forest by jumping from tree to tree.


    According to Samantha herself, she only learned Stealth as ¡ºa lady¡¯s pastime¡» so it was difficult for her to travel stealthily but, even if there was someone keeping watch over this area, it should be difficult for them to detect us because there was the existence of the safe highway that would take their attention.


    .


    ¡¸Long time no see, Viro.¡¹


    ¡¸Grave¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    It hadn¡¯t been half a day since we traveled through the forest along the highway that Grave showed himself in front of us. I didn¡¯t know how he found us but, I could only call this a bad luck.


    At this point our strategy to launch surprise attack on Grave had been rendered meaningless. We moved from the forest where the footing was bad to on top of the bridge that was the highway.


    From the start our chance to successfully discover the hiding Grave and caught him in surprise was only around 50%, but the reason why Grave didn¡¯t run and showed himself instead because we didn¡¯t have heavy warrior with high attack and defense power¡­¡­or rather, Grave¡¯s reason was clear from looking at his combat strength.


    .


    ¨‹Grave¡¡Race£ºHuman?Rank £µ


    ¡¾Magic Power£º£²£±£µ£¯£²£²£°¡¿¡÷30UP¡¡¡¾Stamina£º£³£²£¸£¯£³£¶£°¡¿¡÷10UP


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength£º£±£´£²£µ£¨With Body Strenghtening£º£±£¸£´£¸£©¡¿¡÷209UP


    .


    His combat strength had increased drastically since the last time. Just how hard he had trained?


    After someone reached rank 5,  just increasing their status by one point was already a considerable improvement. According to the information that Viro received from the black ops, Grave should be level 5 only in swordsmanship and martial arts, but some of his skills other than those must have already reached level 5 too.


    Grave who was just barely rank 5 before had become a genuine rank 5 now.


    But more importantly¡­¡­Grave¡¯s gaze was directed toward ¡°me¡± rather than Viro and Samantha. It gave me an indescribable chill.


    ¡¸Grave¡­¡­. You know our reason for coming here right? Do you have any intention of surrendering?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s a stupid question Viro. I have something that I must do. Even if the old woman over there is the ¡°Sandstorm Witch¡±, one of the founders of the Rainbow Sword, she isn¡¯t any threat to me.¡¹


    ¡¸Hi hi hi, it has been a long time since I¡¯m called with that name. Do you think that you can win if it¡¯s against the current me?¡¹


    Samantha¡¯s senile act instantly changed into an air of battle readiness after her true identity was seen through.


    Grave didn¡¯t show any sign of retreating even knowing that Samantha was a rank 5 sorcerer. Until now I only fought powerful enemy because I ¡ºcouldn¡¯t retreat¡», but Grave looked like he was intentionally choosing the option of ¡ºnot retreating¡».


    Was his current strength and the reason of his confidence lied in his tempered skills or his conviction¡­¡­the visible combat strength wasn¡¯t something absolute. Just like how I believed in myself and defeated powerful enemies, perhaps Grave also had ¡°something¡± similar.


    Grave¡¯s way of living was mad, but I could understand some parts of it. But after coming this far, I understood that there was a fundamental difference between Grave and me.


    Grave who was talking turned his gaze from Viro and Samantha toward me once more.


    ¡¸Let me ask you this instead¡­¡­Aria. You are a ¡°rabid dog¡± just like me. And like me you won¡¯t be able to become a dog of the government. The current world is too cramped for a human like you to live in. Come to my side. If you do I shall give you a place to belong.¡¹


    ¡¸You©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸Viro.¡¹


    Viro was about to flare up at Grave who was holding his hand toward me before I stopped him. I stepped forward in front of Viro who stood to protect me and faced Grave who was narrowing his eyes right from the front.


    ¡¸I refuse.¡¹


    ¡¸Hou¡­¡­why? Is it due to your sense of duty for the princess?¡¹


    Grave moved only his lips to make a cynical smile at my flat rejection. But©¤©¤


    ¡¸That¡¯s a part of it. But that¡¯s not all.¡¹


    My answer had been decided by the time you laid your hand on her.


    ¡¸Grave¡­¡­you have become Elena and my ¡°enemy¡±.¡¹


    Do I need any other reason to kill you?


    ¡¸Hihhyahhaaaa!!¡¹


    Samantha laughed at that moment while firing multiple Stone Lances.


    Nearly ten stone lances shot at Grave from the sudden surprise attack. Grave used two magic swords that he already held without even showing when he drew them out to parry and crush the stone lances.


    Those magic swords that could deflect sorcery were a threat but, what was even more astonishing was that people with half-baked strength wouldn¡¯t even be able to divert sorcery that powerful and would get lethally wounded. That wasn¡¯t the case with Grave.


    ¡¸So it turn out like this just as expected-!¡¹


    Although he was complaining, Viro quickly reacted and circled to Grave¡¯s side while launching throwing knife.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Pain©¤©¤¡¹


    I also followed along and fired darkness magic. I wouldn¡¯t hold back anything against Grave as the opponent. He had already seen all my trump cards anyway from our previous battle.


    ¡¸HAAAAH!!¡¹


    But Grave exhaled and endured my Pain with a shout of ¡°fighting spirit¡±. He also deflected Viro¡¯s knife with his sword.


    Last time Pain would be able to stop him just for an instant, but now even that single instant was too much to hope for.


    *DAN!* Grave kicked on the highway¡¯s plank so hard his foot might stomped through the wood. With that he leaped toward Samantha.


    ¡¸In your dream-!¡¹


    *GIINN!!*


    Viro got between them to stop him. He blocked Grave¡¯s sword with his mythril knife, but he got sent flying due to the difference in strength and physique.


    ¡¸Shit-¡¹


    ¡¸Move aside boy-!¡¹


    Samantha¡¯s level 4 earth magic Sandstorm was activated. Grave hurriedly dodged at the same direction with Viro and let the magic flew past him.


    I threw my slash type pendulum at him in that moment. Grave jumped down to dodge the blade. Viro who was still lying on the ground slid on the floor and kicked at Grave¡¯s foot.


    Grave seemed to be cautious against me and threw hidden weapon toward me while blocking Viro¡¯s kick with his own kick.


    Samantha didn¡¯t let go of that chance and fired Stone Shot like it was a rain. Grave sensed that he wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge that and held up his swords before unleashing powerful mana.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Vorpal Blade©¤©¤¡¹


    It was the Battle Technique of one-handed sword that was released not with one sword in hand, but with two swords. The dozens of Stone Shots that would be unavoidable if it was me were cut down completely.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Is that all?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    As expected Grave is strong. He fought the three of us head-on while managing to keep the fight even or even advantageous for him. It wasn¡¯t only because of his skill, but he also possessed the courage that enabled him to calmly make the decisions even with death breathing on his neck.


    Grave took a step back to rally himself and stood in the position where he could keep the three of us within his field of vision while taking a fighting stance with his weapons.


    ¡¸It¡¯s not only Viro, even you Aria has become so strong that you¡¯re unrecognizable from before. As expected it will be dangerous to fight the three of you head on like this. It should be the time soon¡­¡­can you hear it?¡¹


    Had he prepared some kind of plan? All of us kept our vigilance toward Grave in respond to his words even while straining our ears. We could hear the sound of something getting closer from afar.


    ¡¸I called it to this land. I have a complete understanding of its action.¡¹


    A violent presence is approaching. Powerful mana gushed out¡­¡­this is©¤©¤


    .


    ¡ºGUAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!¡»


    .


    The roar of a ¡°beast¡± cut through the sky.


    A huge black panther appeared from inside the forest by mowing down the trees on its way. Viro let out a hoarse voice seeing it.


    ¡¸A Coeurl¡­¡­!¡¹


    So this is the ancient mythical beast Coeurl¡­¡­.


    Its figure that was so ominous it looked beautiful stole my attention for a moment.


    I didn¡¯t know whether Grave called it here or that it had a reason why it had to come here. But I could feel something like ¡°anger¡± toward human from its eyes.


    But what I understood here was that Grave wasn¡¯t the only that we had to deal with. This mythical beast was also included. Knowing that, I immediately moved to Samantha¡¯s side to guard her.


    But the mythical beast ignored Samantha and me. It attacked Grave and Viro without hesitation. The two whiskers that grew from its ears attacked like whips.


    ¡¸Kuh¡¹


    Viro immediately blocked the whip with the flat of his knife. Grave hid himself behind Viro to use him as shield.


    Grave just now said that he ¡ºcalled¡» the Coeurl here? In that case the Coeurl¡¯s target was possibly Grave, but for the Coeurl to attack the two males, was it because it was unable to differentiate the subtle difference between humans?


    It could only differentiate between child and adult, or male and female, that¡¯s all. It felt like Grave knew that and tried to focus the Coeurl¡¯s target to Viro using that knowledge.


    It would be bad for us at this rate. Even if Samantha could get away from here just as we planned at the beginning, Viro would definitely lose his life in exchange.


    If what Grave said was true, he must be confident that he would be able to get away from the Coeurl by himself even if Viro got killed.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Fuu¡¹


    I pushed down my feeling that was growing fearful to the bottom of my heart together with a sigh. I fixed the mythical beast¡¯s figure within my steady gaze.


    Then¡­¡­it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ©¤©¤*GON!!*


    ¡ºGUAOOOOOOOOO!?¡»


    The weight type pendulum that was strengthened with centrifugal force and mana struck the Coeurl¡¯s head when it was about to pounce at Viro, diverting its attack slightly.


    ¡¸Aria-!!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­It¡¯s fine.¡¹


    Viro¡¯s voice sounded reproachful. ©¤©¤But this was the ¡°best¡± option at present.


    Viro was stronger than me but, he was an orthodox type of scout and it would be difficult for him to fight the Coeurl.


    Samantha was also stronger than me but, a sorcerer like her couldn¡¯t deal with the Coeurl.


    Then©¤©¤


    I moved. At the same time the Coeurl¡¯s whiskers snapped like whips. I used the mantle I took off as bait while rotating acrobatically to dodge. The weight type pendulum that I tossed from an unseen position struck the Coeurl¡¯s head from its side.


    ¡ºGUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡»


    Mythical beast Coeurl¡­¡­your opponent isn¡¯t Viro.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll draw away this thing!¡¹

 Volume 3 - CH 16

    ¡¸HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡¹


    The weight type pendulum whirled and struck the Coeurl¡¯s head. Then when I targeted its eye with the all-purpose type, it dodged the blade in annoyance and it finally recognized me as an ¡°enemy¡±.


    ¡ºGuaooo¡­¡­¡»


    ¡¸¡­¡­Come¡¹


    The Coeurl let out a low growl and turned its sharp gaze toward me. I also rotated the pendulum provocatively.


    ¡¸Aria-!¡¹


    Viro was about to rush forward seeing me trying to face the Coeurl alone, but Grave got in his way.


    ¡¸Do you think you have the leeway to do something like that?¡¹


    ¡¸Grave-!!¡¹


    Viro was enraged by Grave¡¯s cheap provocation.


    ¡¸Boy-, don¡¯t lose your focus-!!¡¹


    Samantha swiftly used Stone Bullet to hold back Grave while sending her gaze to me who was facing the Coeurl alone just for an instant.


    ¡¸We¡¯re going to defeat Grave while the little girl draw away the beast!! Don¡¯t lose focus and was the time that she¡¯s giving us!¡¹


    ¡¸Shit-!¡¹


    Samantha gave a scolding as though her senility until now was just a lie. Viro regained his composure and spat out while taking a stance with his short sword. Seeing Viro like that made Grave smiled mockingly to instigate him.


    ¡¸I understand your enthusiasm, but let¡¯s be realistic here.¡¹


    ¡¸Shut your trap!!¡¹


    .


    Viro and Samantha wouldn¡¯t lose even against Grave if they got serious. I believed in that and so I would draw away this mythical beast until the two could defeat Grave.


    ¡ºGUAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    *Byubyun!*


    The Coeurl stepped forward and used its two whiskers to attack like a whip.


    Fast¡­¡­but, it wasn¡¯t beyond my ability to keep up with.


    Steel yourself. Don¡¯t avert your eyes even just for a moment. Guess its attack from the movements of its muscles!


    I saw through the trajectory of the whips using my ¡°eyes¡± based on my Magic Power Control that had reached level 4. I bent backward to dodge the whips and used that momentum to somersault backward and opened some distance.


    Since defeating the orc general, I kept practicing to remove the unnecessary magic elements in my mana bit by bit even when I was in a normal state. With that my Body Strengthening was gradually improving in its precision though it was still unstable when running at full strength.


    Even so the improvement was still negligible, but in a fight of this level, even that slight difference could decide my fate.


    ¡ºGuruu¡­¡­¡»


    The Coeurl didn¡¯t immediately charge forward with all its strength because my attack at the beginning was effective.


    I didn¡¯t know whether someone weak like me would be able to cut through a mythical beast¡¯s skin. It was also possible that the Coeurl had resistance against sharp weapon just like the werewolf from the assassin guild. But, it seemed that a blunt weapon like the weight type was quite effective. The Coeurl was clearly on guard against the pendulum.


    High intellect¡­¡­that was an advantage in almost all cases but it could also become ¡°weakness¡±.


    If the Coeurl charged forward using its large body just like it did with Viro, I would definitely be unable to block the attack and got torn apart. But the Coeurl with its high intellect understood that blunt attack could damage even itself and hesitated to get too close to me.


    It was a painful blow that it was on guard against my weight type pendulum when it was my only weapon that could damage it, but it wasn¡¯t really bad in this current situation where I needed to buy time. But that too would only last until it noticed that my own attack power wasn¡¯t that high. After that it would attack me with the resolve of getting hurt.


    .


    ¨‹Coeurl¡¡Race£ºMytical Beast?Rank £µ


    ¡¾Magic Power£º£²£¸£±£¯£³£²£´¡¿¡¾Stamina£º£´£²£¶£¯£µ£±£°¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength£º£²£±£³£¶£¨With Body Strengthening£º£²£·£°£µ£©¡¿


    .


    The Coeurl¡¯s combat strength far surpassed even the orc general. It might be possible for a rank 5 heavy warrior to endure an attack from it, but in my case I could clearly imagine how I would die from it.


    That was why I wouldn¡¯t fight ¡°honorably¡±. I would make it wary against me as much as possible, bought as much time as possible, and drew it as far away as possible from Viro and Samantha.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shadow Snatch©¤©¤¡¹


    The moment the Coeurl showed movement, I created several ¡°darkness¡± of Shadow Snatch. The Coeurl reacted just for an instant seeing that. I threw multiple ¡°darkness¡± to float toward it.


    ¡ºGUAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡»


    It quickly swept away one ¡°darkness¡± with its two whiskers like a whip. I used the easily erased ¡°darkness¡± as cover and pulled out a knife from between my skirt¡¯s slit and attacked the Coeurl.


    *Clang©¤©¤!*


    The Coeurl noticed the attack instantly and its whiskers smashed the knife with a metallic sound. Just how hard they were?


    The Coeurl judged that the ¡°darkness¡± was to blind it and charged toward me while ignoring them.


    I too fired my crossbow¡¯s arrow into my own shadow seeing that. A darkness that the Coeurl was about to pass from the side let out the arrow toward its eye.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡»


    The arrow appeared in a distance of less than a step from its eye, and yet the Coeurl twisted its neck and dodged it. The arrow that aimed at its eye hit its black fur and got deflected.


    For a crossbow arrow to not wound it, as expected it might really have Thrust Resistance. ¡­¡­No, it was also possible for the Coeurl to have the skill¡¯s superior version, the Sharp Resistance.


    The skills Slash Resistance and Thrust Resistance were characteristic skills of monster that had their body protected with fur or shell. Human like us couldn¡¯t possible learn them. There were also people like that werewolf or the very rare beastmen who had similar resistance to those, but even then it wouldn¡¯t be at a level that could deflect arrow.


    Their superior version, the Sharp Resistance neutralized more than 80% of the damage from close-quarter attack skill that had lower level than it. If the rank 5 Coeurl had that skill, its Sharp Resistance¡¯s level would be rank 4 at the lowest.


    My Archery skill¡¯s level was 1, so it couldn¡¯t even be used as comparison but, most likely even my knife and dagger would be mostly useless.


    This was an existence that was already counted as one of ¡°the strong¡± by birth©¤©¤there was an insurmountable ¡°gap¡± between it and human due to its skills and also status.


    But©¤©¤the Coeurl had given me various information from this short fight.


    Even an attack from a weakling like me would deal damage if it landed on its eyes or inside its mouth. Its huge claws and fangs were unsuited to deflect small weapons. It would use its whiskers that had the same hardness like steel to deflect them away. It deflected even my knife that didn¡¯t aim at its eye because it was smart and stayed wary of any strange attack from me.


    What were you wary about? Poison? Or else you disliked getting wounded?


    Laid bare your everything to me¡­¡­.


    I¡¯m going to lay bare your everything, even the ¡°weakness¡± that you don¡¯t know about¡­¡­.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡ºGururuu¡­¡­¡»


    The Coeurl¡¯s wariness grew stronger. Did it see something from my eyes that were staring fixedly at it?


    ¡¸Come¡¹


    In order to use this ¡°sense of distance¡± too, I kicked on the wooden plank to jump backward and lured the Coeurl into the marshland forest.


    ¡ºGUAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    The Coeurl knew that I was provoking it, even so it gave chase without hesitation.


    It gave chase even knowing that it was just a provocation because it prioritized its emotion rather than its animal instinct. This too was the adverse effect of high intelligence.


    I kept the Coeurl within my field of vision while letting the pendulum flew. I jumped from tree to tree through the marshland.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡»


    ¡¸HAA!¡¹


    Its whiskers whipped out, mowing down the small tree that I was going to jump at. The Coeurl¡¯s fangs rushed me as I floated in the air, but I scattered red mustard¡¯s powder at it.


    ¡º©¤©¤©¤©¤!¡»


    The Coeurl averted its face. Its movement dulled a little. The red mustard¡¯s effect was small but it wasn¡¯t zero. In that instant I kicked at the Coeurl¡¯s nose with my boots that got magic steel inserted inside. The recoil helped me flew back while at the same time the weight type pendulum hit the Coeurl¡¯s face from the side.


    ¡ºGUAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!¡»


    But, the Coeurl¡¯s body also spun and dodged the weight type pendulum while hitting away the pendulum¡¯s string with its whiskers.


    As I thought it was on guard. But I managed to take some distance. I left that place and started moving to lure the Coeurl again.


    Ahead from here was a ¡°dangerous area¡± that was even more threatening than the previous place that was riddled with bottomless swamps.


    Ahead from here there was no ¡°water¡±.


    At the surrounding there were dry and weathered ground and bare rocks.


    There were countless huge aquatic trees here. All of them had dried out, and while the tree parts above ground could still be seen, their enormous roots had withered into dust and left behind many gaping wide ¡°holes¡± in the ground like pitfalls.


    This place was also a marshland before, but the water from lake stopped flowing here, the swamp dried out, and now not only human, even wild animal couldn¡¯t pass through here. Now only few small animals and insects could exist in this place that was called as the ¡ºdesiccated forest¡».


    Seeing that I was a ¡°human¡± and the Coeurl was an ¡°animal¡±, the ¡°forest¡± would always be advantageous for the Coeurl as a battlefield.


    But, there was a ¡°reason¡± why I lured the Coeurl to this desiccated forest.


    I used the roots extending from the holes on the ground as footholds and jumped around freely to all directions. The Coeurl used the tree trunks as stepping stones and swung its sharp claws toward me.


    There was no way for me to dodge that while midair. Right now the Coeurl must be very on guard against my weight type pendulum and the red mustard powder. I couldn¡¯t dodge anymore©¤©¤normally.


    My mind was sharpened to be razor edge with my extreme concentration. I grasped the state of my surrounding using not only my Detection skill but also my eyes and my whole body. In that moment I used Weight and Martial Arts to erase my weight and warded off the claw¡¯s power like a feather fluttering in the wind.


    I slipped through the claws in paper thin difference with several strands of my hair severed. The Coeurl¡¯s whiskers whipped out toward me, but I stayed floating in the air while kicking on its shoulder. I used it as a foothold and dodged.


    ¡ºGAAAAAA!!¡»


    The Coeurl let out an enraged roar in respond to my acrobatic way of fighting. Then, the Coeurl¡¯s foothold suddenly crumbled when it was readying itself to pounce.


    *Snaap!*


    ¡ºGUAO!¡»


    The tree root crumbled and the Coeurl became unbalanced. My weight type pendulum smashed its head again at that timing.


    The trees around here had all dried up until they withered. It might not matter to me who had light body weight, but the Coeurl whose weight was dozens of times greater than me couldn¡¯t be supported by the trees here.


    The trees might hold if it was moving quickly, but they weren¡¯t solid enough to be foothold for fighting and launching powerful strike. Fighting here decreased its offensive power and agility sharply.


    If it got careless and overextended itself and fell into the deep holes that riddled this place, even the Coeurl wouldn¡¯t get away unscathed. This was the first idea that came to mind when I heard about this place from the adventurer guild. Originally this was a place that I planned to lure Grave into by myself in the worst case.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shadow©¤©¤¡¹


    I created two Shadows that I also used in the battle against orcs. I switched with them using the cover of the trees. It was hard for this technique to trick an opponent that relied on their eyesight, but the more the opponent relied on Night Vision and Detection skills, the more this technique would affect their judgment.


    The Coeurl was slightly bewildered by the fragile foothold and the Shadows. I threw a knife to the shadow under my feet and fired it from the ¡°darkness¡± of Shadow Snatch.


    ¡ºGUAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    The Coeurl whose high speed movement was sealed deflected the knife with its whiskers.


    But that was fine. I never expected the knife to be effective anyway.


    *GAANN!!*


    ¡ºGAAAAA!?¡»


    In that moment I swung down the weight type pendulum that was my main intention from right above in an arc. This time it landed a direct hit on the side of the Coeurl¡¯s head for sure.


    The Coeurl that got hit on its head again roared angrily to the sky. It was so loud it felt like the whole desiccated forest was shaking.


    ¡ºGUAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    *Bachin¡­¡­!*


    In that moment, small sparks spread from the Coeurl¡¯s whiskers.


    This is, ¡°electricity¡±? The ¡°knowledge¡± inside me told me of the true nature of that phenomenon. I immediately retreated while my two Shadows that were left behind got touched and were dispersed instantly like mist.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­tsu¡¹


    The mental impact that slightly reached me caused my face to grimace reflexively.


    Lightning also existed in this world, and ¡°lightning attack¡± also existed as an advanced combination magic of wind and water, but I got the feeling that what the Coeurl used was something fundamentally different than that.


    Most likely it generated electricity using its tough muscle cells, then using it by combining it with mana and gathered it to its whiskers.


    The effect was dealing shock to the opponent¡¯s nerve using electricity¡­¡­it hindered the use of sorcery huh. By hindering me from focusing my mind, all sorceries that were connected to me got erased. If the electricity attack was used in that way, most sorcery on standby would be neutralized unless it was a sorcery that had instantaneous effect.


    My combat strength would be halved if I didn¡¯t have sorcery. The Coeurl had noticed that I was a light warrior who used sorcery and acted to crush my advantage.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡»


    ¡¸¡­¡­Tsu!¡¹


    The Coeurl that had been staying wary now finally turned serious. Sparks of ¡°electricity¡± came out from its two whiskers while its large body lunged at me.


    Seeing that, I too pushed down my shaken heart to the bottom and resolved myself to meet it head on.


    My illusion sorcery was sealed, while the Coeurl had its attack power and agility drastically reduced.


    The Coeurl had given up dodging. It landed on top of a small remaining rock. There it bent its large body that was flexible like a jet black whip to the limit like a drawn bow.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡»


    I focused all my nerves. In our eyes now there was nothing more reflected other than the figure of each other. We put all our strength into the next attack.


    Compared to the Coeurl¡¯s full strength, my full strength was only about half or even half of it. Even so I didn¡¯t plan to die. I put ¡°everything¡± that I could right now and strongly tightened my hold on my dagger.


    Coeurl¡­¡­you would be the one who died.


    *Crackle*©¤©¤the Coeurl¡¯s whiskers were electrified like static electricity and the dried sand on the surrounding ground was fiercely blown away.


    I purposefully removed elements from the mana in my whole body and accelerated its flowing speed.


    This was my authentic ¡°trump card¡±.


    I pictured in my  heart, that attack that defeated the orc general, Gorjaoul. I fixed the aim of my black dagger toward the Coeurl¡¯s eye and crouched on my four limbs like a cat.


    The Coeurl¡¯s crimson eyes narrowed as it sensed my mana. The muscles throughout its body swelled powerfully, then its huge body shot out like a cannon ball in the same moment.


    *DOON©¤©¤!!*


    The withered rocky place it used as foothold was pulverized. The black beast closed in with a sound as though the atmosphere was exploding.


    I concentrated my mind to the extreme. Inside my accelerated thought, I unleashed the elemental mana that I had removed and stockpiled into ¡°magic¡±.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shadow Walker©¤©¤¡¹


    My figure vanished into shadow the instant I came into contact with the Coeurl. I appeared on the Coeurl¡¯s back with Shadow Walker and grabbed its whiskers with the power of the rampaging Body Strengthening.


    ¡¸Tsu!!¡¹


    ¡ºGUA!!¡»


    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹


    The shock that disturbed my concentration directly flowed into me. It made the rampaging mana went even wilder. I forcefully suppressed it with my willpower while smashing that rampaging ¡°mana¡± through the Coeurl¡¯s whiskers just as it was.


    ¡ºGUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡»


    The Coeurl rampaged around the desiccated forest with me still on its back due to the rampaging mana it received.


    ¡¸GO DOWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!¡¹


    I gritted my teeth as my hands felt like they would be torn off while sending in even more mana. The Coeurl also lost control of its body and tried to shake me off. Like that both of us crashed on a giant tree. The giant tree started to crumble and like that the two of us fell, swallowed into the gaping wide hole under the tree¡¯s roots, into the deep darkness.

 Volume 3 - CH 17

    ©¤©¤*Picha-*


    The sensation of water drop hitting my cheek woke me up.


    The surrounding was so dark that I couldn¡¯t see anything. My mind fell into confusion for a moment before I calmed myself and used Night Vision next. I found that I was at the bottom of a deep hole.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I see¡­¡­I fell into this hole in my battle against the Coeurl.


    I had also planned to drop my enemy into a hole when choosing this place as battlefield, but the tree seemed to be even bigger than I thought. Its roots that had withered into dust left a hole that was very deep. When I looked up I could see a faint light dozens of meters above.


    How much time had passed since then¡­¡­. Was it several hours, or only several minutes had passed? I don¡¯t know.


    ¡¸¡­¡­tsu¡¹


    I stood up on a water puddle under my feet. My face grimaced from the pain in my limbs. As expected that ¡°origin Battle Technique¡± was too much huh¡­¡­. Even so perhaps because I used it more for sending the rampaging mana to the Coeurl rather than in my own body, I could feel the sharp pain was gradually receding.


    I got away with only light bruise after falling into a hole this deep. It might be thanks to this water puddle below me and the Coeurl acting as my cushion.


    Even though the surface was a withered wasteland that it even got called as a desiccated forest, there was this much water underground. It was unthinkable.


    But that conversely meant that you wouldn¡¯t be able to find any water unless you dug this deep. That was no different than this area not having any water. Either way this was still a place that was unsuitable for living thing to live in.


    I stretched my body to loosen up my muscles while checking my body¡¯s condition.


    My eyes could see. My ears could hear. I got some bruises but none of my bones were broken. My stamina and magic power had decreased a lot, and perhaps I had put too much burden on my muscles. It would be difficult for me to move until I got used to the pain.


    The heat of magic power that was generated after using Battle Technique was continuing to accumulate in my body, so I should think of it as being unable to use Battle Technique any more in this battle. Even if I could use it, it would only be one time and I better resolved myself to be unable to move my arm anymore for several days after that.


    I had calculated my chance of surviving but when I made a plan for fighting here, even so I thought that it was thanks to my growth in things related to sorcery that I was able to come out of it with only this much wound and fatigue.


    I had been training in it for some time but, I became able to use level 4 dark magic Shadow Walker must be because I had been accumulating skill experience point to some degree from using ¡°origin Battle Technique¡±©¤©¤the body strengthening using rampaging magic power from my battle against the orc general.


    But, my current fatigue and mana exhaustion was because of using ¡°origin Battle Technique¡± as expected. I really wanted to us this technique as my actual ¡°trump card¡± but, it wasn¡¯t really practical if it reduced me to this kind of state just from the recoil of using it for several seconds.


    More importantly¡­¡­where did the Coeurl go to?


    I couldn¡¯t imagine it dying just because of falling from this height. I didn¡¯t know how the situation had developed, but I lacked the mana to even circulate it through my whole body, so I took out a mana recovery potion from my pouch and emptied it in a single gulp.


    ¡­¡­Perhaps, the Coeurl had already escaped from here?


    Then Viro and Samantha were in danger. Even before that they were already fighting Grave, so I too had to return.


    I calmed down my impatience while trying to use Night Vision to stimulate my mana that had only returned a little. There my eyes met crimson eyes staring at me from the bottom of the darkness.


    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡»


    ¡¸¡­¡­Coeurl.¡¹


    I forcefully circulated mana in my body that still couldn¡¯t move like normal. I took out weight type pendulum from Storage and black dagger from my waist and faced the Coeurl.


    It would be difficult to even dodge the Coeurl¡¯s attack with my body that couldn¡¯t move properly right now.


    In the first place its combat strength was nearly thrice of mine, so I would be the one in overwhelming disadvantage if we fought normally, but after coming this far, I myself didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of quitting.


    ¡­¡­I¡¯ll kill you here.


    ¡ºGuruu¡­¡­¡»


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    When I let out a sharp killing intent, the Coeurl also responded by radiating its Pressure.


    The Coeurl didn¡¯t move at the slightest as it radiated Pressure that would make a timid person to faint. I also kept my weapons raised while we kept glaring at each other with a distance of several meters between us. Then I noticed that it wasn¡¯t that the Coeurl didn¡¯t move, it couldn¡¯t move.


    A large half-fossilized fragment of large tree was deeply piercing the Coeurl¡¯s back until its abdomen like a stake as it lied in the water puddle that reached until the knee.


    The Coeurl didn¡¯t use Pressure when fighting me. It used it now because it was in a very bad condition right now.


    Its powerful claws and fangs couldn¡¯t reach the stake in that position. Its whiskers that grew from its ears could reach, but I could guess that those thin whiskers lacked the strength to destroy or pull out the fragment.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I slowly approached it while staying silent. Then I stopped walking in a position that was outside the range of its whiskers and suddenly swung down my weight type pendulum.


    ¡ºGUAOOO!¡»


    *Splash!*


    The pendulum passed just a hair¡¯s breadth beside the Coeurl¡¯s head and strongly hit the water puddle below it, causing the water to splash.


    ¡¸¡­¡­enough.¡¹


    I muttered that shortly and reeled back the pendulum¡¯s string before turning my back on the Coeurl and sat down on a nearby rock that wasn¡¯t submerged in water.


    There wasn¡¯t any special meaning in my action. Although it couldn¡¯t move, the Coeurl was still dangerous. Its resistance against physical attack was also high, so it would take time to ¡°kill¡± it.


    Also no matter how high the stamina that a mythical beast like Coeurl possessed, it would definitely die sooner or later when its stomach was pierced through like that.


    My objective wasn¡¯t ¡°killing¡± but ¡°victory¡±. Conversely if I could obtain ¡°victory¡± by killing then I wouldn¡¯t be fussy with the method.


    But, I didn¡¯t have any interest in toying with someone who couldn¡¯t resist, wasting time for such activity was meaningless.


    However, you shall wither here and die.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡»


    I who was sitting on a rock and the Coeurl who was lying in the water puddle kept glaring at each other silently.


    I wouldn¡¯t let my guard down until you died. Perhaps the Coeurl could sense that from my cold gaze, it felt like its gaze was slightly wavering.


    I had to regain my stamina in order to escape from here. I felt that my mana had recovered to some degree due to the potion and used Heal to return my stamina and Cure to treat my bruises and other wounds.


    The Coeurl was staring at me with eyes of indiscernable emotion. I couldn¡¯t sumise what it could possibly be thinking but, human couldn¡¯t possibly understand what went in a mythical beast¡¯s mind anyway.


    I managed to recover to a certain degree but, my stamina couldn¡¯t improve passed a certain line because my fatigue still remained. That was something that I learned from the battle against orcs. In order to quicken my mana¡¯s recovery, I was thinking that I should have proper meal instead of just nutrition pills and took out the leftover lamb meats inside my Storage. There were still a lot of them. I sank my teeth into the meat to bite it off.


    .


    An hour passed. The Cure had finished working on me to some degree and I had become able to move a lot better. It was then I started taking action.


    I observed the brittle rock surface while choosing a relatively stable wall and tried climbing, but as expected the rock surface became even more weathered the higher it was. The surface crumbled even just from a touch.


    The result was the same even when I tried throwing pendulum to entwine it around rock or weathered tree root. In the worst case I¡¯d have to wait until night came and climb bit by bit using Shadow Walker but, that would take too much time.


    ¡¸¡­¡­fuu¡¹


    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡»


    I sat down on the rock to recover my stamina and mana while getting into a glaring match with the Coeurl again. There I saw that the Coeurl¡¯s state was a bit different.


    It was still glaring at me. But, the Pressure that it radiated had vanished without me noticing. I noticed that there was a puzzled nuance in the Coeurl¡¯s eyes as it stared at me.


    So this was the normal look of a mythical beast¡­¡­it seemed until now it had lost its senses due to anger and hatred, but it looked like it had finally regained its composure when being faced with its death.


    It seemed the Coeurl still had stamina remaining but, the blood that was flowing out from its wound was shaving off its life force steadily.


    *Bachi-¡­¡­*


    A small electricity spark suddenly crackled from the Coeurl¡¯s whisker.


    Even though the ground was covered with water, the electricity that the Coeurl generated wasn¡¯t so strong that it could be used to attack on its own. I guessed it could use it to shock small fish but, it lacked strength to defeat me.


    But, I finally noticed that the ¡°electricity¡± generated from Coeurl¡¯s whiskers originally wasn¡¯t something for the purpose of attacking.


    .


    <©¤©¤human©¤©¤>


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­?¡¹


    It felt like I could hear a voice for an instant. No, ¡­¡­it wasn¡¯t ¡°voice¡±?


    <©¤©¤woman©¤©¤>


    *Bachi-* Each time the electricity sparked, a signal transmitted ¡°meaning¡± to me like a word. ¡­¡­Was this your will?


    ¡¸¡­¡­Coeurl¡¹


    When I replied, the Coeurl¡¯s whiskers continued sending ¡°signal¡± to me.


    <©¤©¤I©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤save©¤©¤>


    ¡¸¡­¡­Are you telling me, to save you from there?¡¹


    <©¤©¤right©¤©¤>


    Correct huh¡­¡­. To think it would ask me that. What was it thinking? To ask an enemy who had been fighting it just now to save it¡­¡­.


    <©¤©¤I©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤foe©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤thou©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤not©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤foe©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤male©¤©¤>


    ¡¸¡­¡­You¡¯re saying that your enemy isn¡¯t me, but a male human?¡¹


    <©¤©¤I©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤lure©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤male©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤kill©¤©¤>


    ¡¸¡­¡­You want to kill the man who lured you out? That¡¯s why, I should save you from here?¡¹


    <©¤©¤right©¤©¤>


    ¡¸That¡¯s really convenient for you. Then what¡¯re you going to do about me?¡¹


    <©¤©¤I©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤dark©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤thou©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤save©¤©¤>


    Was it saying that it would help me escape from this darkness if I saved it? Certainly it was possible to escape from here with the Coeurl¡¯s physical ability but¡­¡­.


    ¡¸¡­¡­And I should believe you?¡¹


    <©¤©¤right©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤I©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤pride©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤oath©¤©¤>


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­Got it.¡¹


    I stared right into the Coeurl¡¯s eyes. If it swore on its pride, then I would gamble on it, I thought.


    Even I myself thought that it was foolish to believe the words of a beast that had tried to kill me just now but, conversely perhaps it was because we had tried to kill each other head-on that for some reason I wanted to try believing it more rather than the words of human who was sincere only on the surface.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t move.¡¹


    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡»


    I muttered those words briefly and approached closer. Then I climbed on the Coeurl¡¯s back even while both of us were still on guard.


    This was horrible¡­¡­I couldn¡¯t believe that it was still alive. I entwined a string on the rock fragment that pierced the Coeurl¡¯s back several times, then I began to pull out the fragment using Body Strengthening at full power by pulling the string in a posture that was like performing a shoulder throw.


    ¡ºGUAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    ¡¸HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡¹


    The Coeurl roared with a voice that sounded like it was in its death throes from the intense pain. It was accompanied by my yell of fighting spirit. Our voices echoed on the bottom of the hole.


    The fragment was gradually getting pulled out. Both the Coeurl and I were shaking. When the fragment was completely pulled out, the Coeurl stood up so abruptly that I fell down.


    ¡¸¡­¡­oi¡¹


    ¡ºGua¡­¡­¡»


    When I complained from getting dropped on my butt, the Coeurl¡¯s whiskers twined around me and pulled me out from the water.


    <©¤©¤guilt©¤©¤>


    ¡¸¡­¡­No need for apology or thanks, put me down.¡¹


    There was no falsehood in the oath that it made over its pride. The Coeurl listened to me and quietly lowered me on the water puddle.


    The wound on its back contracted and blood had already stopped flowing from it. As expected it wouldn¡¯t heal right away, but from the look of it, it would recover in only several days. Even so the reduction of its stamina was concerning. I didn¡¯t care whether it would die or live, but it would be troubling if it didn¡¯t stay alive until we met Grave.


    ¡¸Eat.¡¹


    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡»


    I gave it all the leftover meat. The Coeurl glared at me for a moment seeing that the meats were leftover from me, but then it devoured the armful of meats in a single bite.


    ¡¸Go anytime however you like. I¡¯ll also just grab on you however I like.¡¹


    ¡ºGUAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡»


    The Coeurl roared after I told it that, and then it leaped up powerfully after tensing all its muscles.


    At the same time, I didn¡¯t even need to hold on, the Coeurl¡¯s whisker twined around me and dropped me on its back. It then finished climbing the height of dozens of meters in zigzag movement like lightning. The rock surface didn¡¯t even have time to crumble. Then without pause it dashed through the ground.


    The sun was already starting to sink. Stars were glittering at the sky that was gradually being dyed in madder red.


    I closed my eyes a little while feeling the smell of the air and the wind on my face. Then I glared at the direction of the battlefield that I would be heading to after this. The Coeurl also turned its face to the same direction.


    ¡¸Let¡¯s go¡­¡­to where our ¡°enemy¡± is.¡¹


    ¡ºGUAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    .


    ¨‹ Aria (Alicia)   Race : Human  ¨C  Rank 4 ¡÷ 1 UP


    ¡¾Magic Power : 152/270¡¿¡÷ 20 UP¡¾Stamina : 138/210¡¿¡÷ 10 UP


    ¡¾Strength : 9 (12)¡¿¡¾Endurance : 9 (12)¡¿¡¾Agility : 14 (20)¡¿¡÷ 1 UP¡¾Dexterity : 8¡¿


    ¡¶Short Sword Skill Level 3¡·¡¶Martial Art Level 4¡·¡¶Throwing Level 3¡·¡¶Archery Level 1¡·


    ¡¶Defense Level 3¡·¡¶String Control Level 4¡·


    ¡¶Light Magic Level 3¡·¡¶Darkness Magic Level 4¡·¡÷ 1 UP¡¶Non-Elemental Magic Level 4¡·


    ¡¶Daily Life Magic¡Á£¶¡·¡¶Magic Power Control Level 4¡·¡¶Pressure Level 4¡·


    ¡¶Stealth Level 4¡·¡¶Night Vision Level 2¡·¡¶Search Level 4¡·¡¶Poison Resistance Level 3¡·


    ¡¶Simple Appraisal¡·


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 916 (With Body Strengthening : 1123)¡¿¡÷ 304 UP

 Volume 3 - CH 18

    The Coeurl and me who was riding on its back escaped from the deep underground together.


    It would be difficult for me to escape from that place by myself, but perhaps because of the fundamental difference in our physical ability, the Coeurl managed to run up that brittle wall before it crumbled.


    The Coeurl didn¡¯t stop there and kept running using a withered tree so big it was as though it was towering to the sky. Using that tree as foothold, it leaped up even higher and from that position I looked around to ascertain the situation.


    The sun was still high in the sky when we encountered Grave, but now the sun was already sinking quite a lot. The blue sky was starting to be encroached by orange color.


    Is the battle still going on? I believe even now that Viro and Samantha wouldn¡¯t lose even with Grave as their opponent, but there was still a possibility that they were in danger even if they didn¡¯t lost.


    ¡¸Over there.¡¹


    ¡ºGAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    The Coeurl responded to my fighting spirit and its killing intent also shot up without restrain. The Coeurl landed on the dry ground heavily that it caused a crack to form before rushing through the desiccated forest while avoiding the holes littering the ground.


    Wait for me¡­¡­I¡¯m going there right now.


    **


    ¡¸You did well hanging on for this long, Sandstorm Witch. Is this due to your wisdom that come from you age?¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t act high and mighty you brat-!!¡¹


    The old woman moved in high speed using level 4 Body Strengthening and Martial Art despite being a rank 5 sorcerer. Countless rock bullets fired at Grave like a stone bombardment.


    It was the earth magic Stone Shot, but in the hand of a skilled sorcerer like Samantha, it boasted a power that was nearly equal to level 3 Stone Lance that was effective against living creature while still maintaining the mana cost of level 2 sorcery.


    As expected it would be difficult to deflect this number of attacks, so Grave leaped to dodge while at the same time Viro attacked from behind. But©¤©¤


    ¡¸©¤©¤Splash©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸Kuh¡¹


    Grave fired water sorcery even with his posture unbalanced. Viro blocked that by using his mythril short sword that had good conductivity for mana, but Grave¡¯s kick that was unleashed in that timing blew him away.


    ¡¸Guhoh¡¹


    Grave not only had swordsmanship and stealth skills, his attack sorcery was also at a level that was practical for real battle. Even so before this his skill in that field was only at level 2 just like his former colleague Sera, but he had trained his sorcery ability until level 3.


    ¡¸Your attack is getting monotone there, Viro. Are you worried about your disciple¡¯s situation?¡¹


    ¡¸Shut your trap-! Dark Mist©¤©¤tsu!¡¹


    Viro too had trained his dark sorcery until level 2 in these three years. His Magic Power Control had also reached level 4 through that training. With that his Body Strengthening had also gotten more precise which increased his combat strength.


    Before he didn¡¯t put that much importance in his individual combat prowess but, perhaps seeing the way Aria fought where she continued to fight powerful enemies alone might have influenced him.


    Even if his reason was something stupid like not wanting to get overtaken by his disciple, in reality it was actually difficult for adventurer of rank 4 and above to constantly harbor the desire to improve like that.


    The dark mist that Viro let loose blocked Grave¡¯s sight. Just before Grave could move to escape from the range of that mist, Samantha casted her sorcery.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Rock Skin©¤©¤¡¹


    Samantha covered herself with armor type sorcery that covered herself with earth element magic particles. The armor would absorb damage until a certain amount. Grave realized that Samatnha came rushing using Viro¡¯s darkness as smokescreen.


    ¡¸So that¡¯s your play.¡¹


    Night Vision didn¡¯t work inside this darkness that was made from magic particles. It would also be difficult to grasp her location using detection.


    Normal attack would be ineffective against Rock Skin. Even though the opponent was a sorcerer, she was a veteran adventurer with level 4 Body Strengthening, so it was possible that an attack from far outside Grave¡¯s imagination would come the moment his attack got blocked.


    He thought that he would be able to cut the Rock Armor altogether with Samantha herself if he used Battle Technique, but if his attack missed inside this darkness, his opponents wouldn¡¯t be so kind to wait until he recovered from his freezing state.


    (I can only back away here.)


    Grave made that judgment and jumped down. At the same time Samantha¡¯s sorcery was fired once more from inside the darkness.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Water Ball©¤©¤¡¹


    Grave knew about this level 3 water sorcery because he could also use it. It was a sorcery with weak power and also slow, but the advantage of this sorcery was that it was an ¡°AoE attack¡± which was rare for level 3.


    ¡¸Kuh¡¹


    Grave got washed away by the surging water pressure. He would be able to hold his ground if he was standing on soil ground, but doing that on a wooden plank would require special equipment.


    Viro aimed for that moment and leaped even while getting hurt by the water pressure too. Their figures crossed and Viro¡¯s blade finally landed on Grave, cutting his side.


    ¡¸Eat that you fucker!¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t let your guard down boy-!!¡¹


    Samantha who came out of the darkness scolded Viro as she stood beside him with vigilance.


    Grave grimaced at the blood that flowed out from his side, even so he glared at the two to keep them in check before using healing sorcery on himself.


    ¡¸©¤©¤High Heal©¤©¤¡¹


    It was level 3 light sorcery that instantly granted recovery and healing effect. Its mana cost was three times greater than Heal, but in exchange tremendous effect could be expected from it.


    Grave had trained himself until he was able to cast this sorcery without chanting. For him sorcery was a tool, although he hadn¡¯t reached the level of changing its composition like magic, he was able to use it with activation speed that rivaled Samantha by perfectly memorizing it.


    Samantha and Viro couldn¡¯t press their attack because of the usage of this magic by Grave.


    When using high level sorcery in a situation where there was no heavy warrior to act as shield and spear, the sorcery had to be successful in rendering the target powerless with one attack in order to crush any chance of the enemy counterattacking. That was because just like with Battle Technique, powerful sorcery would also create an opening after usage.


    It would be necessary to create an opening in order to land the powerful magic without fail. But that chance couldn¡¯t come in a close quarter combat like this. Even though Samantha fired low level sorcery in succession to create opening, medium damage would only get healed because Grave would use High Heal every time.


    Because of that Samantha was also forced to be sparing with her sorcery in order to keep her mana consumption in check. Viro was protecting Samantha who was holding back, so Grave too also couldn¡¯t fully commit into attack in order to leave some spare strength to cast High Heal. Like that the battle between the three was falling into a stalemate.


    But even that stalemate was gradually crumbling.


    ¡¸It¡¯s too bad. If only Aria who can use light sorcery is here, then perhaps you two would be able to put up a slightly better fight.¡¹


    Grave finished the treatment to his wound and smirked mockingly.


    ¡¸You bastard¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Aren¡¯t you a chatty brat¡¹


    Samantha could also use light sorcery better than Grave. But, she might need to fire high level elemental sorcery in order to finish off Grave. Because of that Samantha had to be careful with using light sorcery in order to save her strength. It resulted in Samantha and Viro gradually getting more wounded as time passed.


    If it was Heal or Cure then it wouldn¡¯t consume too much mana, but those two sorceries needed skin contact to work. It was difficult to use them in the middle of battle. Conversely High Heal could be fired like attack sorcery. It had immediate effect due to that trait so it was perfect to be used in the middle of battle.


    The three of them had potions with them but, all of them weren¡¯t so easy as opponent that they would allow their enemy to drink potion in the middle of battle.


    As the result, Samantha and Viro who were prevented from using healing sorcery couldn¡¯t treat their injuries. Grave himself also had his mana getting consumed, but he didn¡¯t rely on attack sorcery like Samantha and mainly used close quarter combat, so he had more leeway than the two.


    The stalemate was gradually crumbling down. Even so Grave wanted to force Samantha to use light sorcery and ran out of mana, so that his victory would be unshakeable, but even that would soon become unnecessary. He decided to go into the offensive.


    ¡¸Allow me to finish this before the mythical beast can come back. You two should also treat your injuries already, if you have the leeway for it that is. Aria too, I thought if it¡¯s her it might be possible that she would be the one coming back but, looks like I had overestimated her a bit too much.¡¹


    ¡¸This son of a bitch¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Don¡¯t think that we will just drop dead that easily you brat.¡¹


    Viro and Samantha emitted killing intent. Grave also poured even more mana into his two favorite magic swords and took a stance of pitching forward.


    Even Grave wouldn¡¯t let his guard down because his opponents were a rank 5 sorcerer no matter her age and a rank 4 scout in active duty, but he had managed to see the ¡°limit¡± of these two to some degree after fighting them for several hours.


    ¡¸It¡¯s over¡¹


    Grave muttered that and prepared to leap, but then©¤©¤


    .


    ¡ºGUAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    .


    The roar of a ¡°beast¡± resounded through the marshland forest. The three looked to the side and saw the figure of the jet black mythical beast Coeurl dashing here from far away with a terrifying speed.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Looks like we have spent too much time.¡¹


    There was a possibility that it wouldn¡¯t come back if it got injured in its fight with Aria due to its uneven temper as a beast, but Grave felt disappointment, thinking that he might have really overestimated that girl too much.


    But, this changed nothing to Grave¡¯s plan. The Coeurl couldn¡¯t really differentiate one human to another. It didn¡¯t even understand the difference between Grave and Viro. He didn¡¯t think that he would lose easily even if he fought against the Coeurl, but it was still a powerful enemy that ought to be feared even for Grave who had trained himself to his current level. At present the Coeurl also wasn¡¯t an opponent that he ought to defeat even at the risk of his life. The best plan would be to run away unashamedly.


    If he used Viro as bait, Viro should be able to buy at least enough time for Grave to escape. Then after Viro and Samantha got killed by the Coeurl, he could return to his assassination plan of the duke leisurely.


    Besides in his pocket he still had the ¡°trump card¡± against beast that he had prepared since the time he decided to lure out the Coeurl.


    He needed to negotiate with a certain group in order to get his hand on this but, it was worth it. It would even be possible to direct the Coeurl to the duke¡¯s knights if he used it effectively.


    ¡¸The mythical beast¡­¡­? Dammit!¡¹


    Viro noticed that for the Coeurl to be here meant it was possible for his discipleAria to have been defeated. He turned an angry look toward the approaching Coeurl.


    ¡¸Back off boyViro!!¡¹


    Grave changed his position to use Viro as bait. Samantha reacted to that and tried to get away from there, but Viro remained there alone. She raised her voice at him.


    But, a faint ¡°voice¡± from the direction of the Coeurl reached the ears of the people there.


    .


    ¡¸©¤©¤No. Not ¡°that¡±.¡¹


    .


    The Coeurl who was about to pounce at Viro nimbly jumped over him in respond to the ¡°girl¡¯s¡± voice.


    Viro looked up at the Coeurl that jumped over his head. His eyes caught the figure of an ¡°ash covered¡± girl who was holding a dagger with her right hand and her left hand in the tight grip of the Coeurl¡¯s tail.


    ¡¸Aria-!!¡¹


    Viro¡¯s joyful yell spread through the battlefield. Aria muttered before that voice faded.


    ¡¸Let go¡¹


    <©¤©¤end©¤©¤>


    Grave held up his sword to respond against the Coeurl that was just a moment away from attacking him. But before he could swing down, the Coeurl stopped rushing as though it had pulled the emergency brake. Aria was snapped away from its powerful tail and flew like bullet. Her black dagger stabbed deeply into the shoulder of Grave who was taken aback in surprise just for a moment by that.


    ¡¸You should just die already.¡¹


    ¡¸So you¡¯re alive, Aria!!¡¹


    Grave displayed a warped emotion that was similar to delight even though his shoulder was stabbed with a surprise attack.


    ¡¸This is unexpected!! FUHAHAH!¡¹


    Grave let out a twisted laugh while swinging his sword at Aria using his still usable hand. Aria too seemed to have predicted that and quickly jumped away, dodging the blade with a somersault while pointing his fingertip at Grave from midair.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Pain©¤©¤¡¹


    A phantom agony that dealt intense shock. But Grave was already aware of that. It wasn¡¯t something to be feared as long as he was ready for it.


    ¡¸Something like that at this point©¤©¤tsu!?¡¹


    The phantom pain that should be endurable gave him a sharper pain that expected. That slight difference stopped his movement just for an instant.


    (Impossible, did she increase her sorcery level in this short time-!)


    But, even that only lasted for an instant. Aria couldn¡¯t continue attacking properly while she was still midair. Viro and Samantha too still hadn¡¯t been ready to get back into the fight due to their momentary confusion.


    Even so, Grave¡¯s enemies weren¡¯t just ¡°them¡±.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡»


    The Coeurl that let go of Aria attacked Grave using its remaining momentum. Grave just barely managed to avoid having his throat getting tore apart, but his left arm was bitten off as the Coeurl¡¯s mouth passed through.


    ¡¸Guooooooooooooooooh!!¡¹


    As expected even Grave let out a pained moan from that. He leaped back to open a distance from Aria and the Coeurl.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Stone Shot©¤©¤¡¹


    Samantha fired her sorcery from a distance and it pierced Grave¡¯s side. A knife that Viro threw also slashed open his right shoulder.


    There Aria swiftly swiped aside her skirt while pulling out a throwing knife and targeted his forehead. Grave could only block that by throwing his remaining sword.


    Then without pause he opened the distance even more using martial art that was unthinkable from someone who just lost an arm. His arm reached toward his the back of his waist while he looked toward Aria with joy that he couldn¡¯t completely conceal.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Impossible, for you to tame the Coeurl¡­¡­. Did you turn fate itself into your ally?¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t talk of ¡°me¡± using that kind of cheap word.¡¹


    Aria turned a cold gaze toward Grave with her pendulum at the ready vigilantly. Grave¡¯s eyes snapped wide open and next he suddenly began to laugh.


    ¡¸Fuhahahahahah, certainly it¡¯s just as you said. I don¡¯t know you. And it¡¯s just as I expected from the start, I¡¯m right to think of you as dangerous.¡¹


    Grave had lost one arm and also his favorite weapons. Even so his eyes were still filled with vigor as he fixed his gaze on Aria. Then he suddenly took out a ¡°sphere¡± from behind his waist and threw it on the wooden highway.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t let Grave get away©¤©¤¡¹


    Viro who saw that rushed forward, but Samantha yelled to stop him.


    ¡¸Boy, get back! That¡¯s poison smokescreen!¡¹


    The smoke with strange smell spread through the area instantly. Even so the Coeurl still tried to chase after Grave, but it couldn¡¯t endure the odd smell and leaped aside to dodge.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    With the field of vision covered up, Aria¡¯s eyes that could see magic particles had their detection ability reduced sharply. Even so Aria still readied her pendulum vigilantly. It was then Grave¡¯s voice came from inside the smoke.


    ¡¸I won¡¯t target small fry like the duke anymore. Aria, I shall recognize your value. You¡¯re my target from now on. Show me how you¡¯ll protect the princess. I¡¯ll definitely come to kill her.¡¹


    Grave¡¯s thin presence vanished completely together with that voice.


    ¡¸¡­¡­He got away.¡¹


    Aria covered her mouth with her shawl while muttering that with a low tone. Grave was a scout type light warrior who could even use light sorcery, so she judged that it would be pointless to give chase.


    Grave declared that he would target Aria even while telling her to protect the princess. His intent must be to limit Aria¡¯s movement by targeting the princess. But putting it another way, as long as Aria stayed at the side of Princess Elena, Grave wouldn¡¯t target anyone else other than her.


    Aria understood that and narrowed her eyes quietly, glaring at the direction where Grave vanished into.


    .


    ¡¸Bring it on, Grave. Next time I¡¯ll definitely kill you.¡¹

 Volume 3 - CH 19

    The lunatic Grave had disappeared to somewhere. Even though he had heavy wound of losing one arm, for human of this world who could strengthen themselves with mana, he would definitely be able to survive, just like how I would.


    To be honest, I wanted to kill that guy here. But, after actually facing him, I realized that we too was lacking in our preparation.


    If it was the previous Grave, Viro and Samantha would be able to defeat him by themselves. But, Grave had continued training himself without getting conceited, grew even stronger, and made preparation in case he got targeted by multiple enemies like us.


    Grave got away. But, that was only for now. I wonder how long it would take him to recover from his wound and get back into action?


    If he could use Cure to regenerate his flesh, even the arm he lost could possibly be regained. To regenerate a whole arm, the treatment would have to be done bit by bit, at least half a year. And if he wanted to be able to use that arm just like before, it would take him one more year on top of that.


    I too would become even stronger before that. No matter how strong Grave got, the next time I would definitely surpass him.


    ¡ºGururuu¡­¡­¡»


    ¡¸¡­¡­Coeurl.¡¹


    As I renewed my determination, the Coeurl that was prowling at some distance let out a dissatisfied growl because Grave got away.


    ¡¸What are you going to do? Chase after him? Or¡­¡­¡¹


    ©¤©¤Are you going to settle thing with me?


    I circulated mana throughout my body as though to ask it that. With that Viro and Samantha who was warily observing this way also radiated tension.


    Most likely the two of them also planned to fight together with me but, even if they didn¡¯t, I was going to accept if the Coeurl said that it would fight.


    ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡­¡»


    Coeurl stared at me quietly with its crimson eyes, then the two whiskers that grew from its ears sparked with electricity a little.


    <©¤©¤ask©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤thou©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤name©¤©¤>


    My name¡­¡­you want to know that?


    ¡¸Aria.¡¹


    ¡º¡­¡­Guruu¡»


    The Coeurl growled after I told it my name as though to murmur it.


    <©¤©¤seek©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤I©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤name©¤©¤>


    The Coeurl¡¯s name¡­¡­? It was asking for a name? What came next from the Coeurl wasn¡¯t a ¡°signal with meaning¡±, but actual image.


    Deep inside a dark forest©¤©¤.


    The black powerful beast, living aloofly inside the darkness without even any companion©¤©¤.


    Was this¡­¡­the Coeurl¡¯s memory?


    The Coeurl had been alone the whole time in its existence. There wasn¡¯t any being that stayed together with it. For the Coeurl, other beings were either enemy or the weak who feared it.


    In that moment, inside the memory that the Coeurl showed me, my figure that was staring at the Coeurl with a cold gaze flowed just for an instant before vanishing.


    The black destroyer. The jet black beast howling alone as it looked up to the moon that climbed up at the black sky©¤©¤.


    Seeing that aloof figure©¤©¤


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡±Nero¡±¡­¡­?¡¹


    <©¤©¤truth©¤©¤>


    That word spilled out from my mouth. The Coeurl understood the word¡¯s meaning and recognized it as its ¡ºname¡». Then it turned its back toward me before vanishing into the forest while leaving behind ¡°word¡±.


    <©¤©¤meet©¤©¤>


    <©¤©¤moon©¤©¤>


    The Coeurl vanished into the forest. I stared at that direction as I muttered its ¡°name¡±.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Nero¡­¡­¡¹


    By ¡°moon¡±, did it mean me?


    Did the Coeurl©¤©¤Nero recognized me as its equal? ¡°I¡¯ll meet you again¡±¡­¡­if that was what Nero said, then we would surely meet again.


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­Aria?¡¹


    Viro quietly called out to me who was staring at the direction where Nero vanished into.


    ¡¸Hm?¡¹


    ¡¸That mythical beast¡­¡­what¡¯s the deal with it? It looked as though it was conversing with you but¡­¡­in the first place how did you end up fighting together with a mythical beast like that?¡¹


    I guess it was only natural for him to not comprehend the situation. When I looked at Viro and Samantha¡¯s expressions, it looked like I had worried them greatly.


    ¡¸There¡¯s no problem. It only wanted to kill Grave for trying to use it. I don¡¯t think it will return here now that Grave has run away.¡¹


    I gave a simple explanation. Viro fell into thought for a bit before letting out a small sigh.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Well, whatever. We managed to prevent Duke Helton¡¯s assassination anyway. It¡¯ll be a pity for the duke cause his Coeurl subjugation effort will end up in vain but, that¡¯s not our problem.¡¹


    Grave was targeting the duke who belonged to the noble faction that was opposing the royal family, but it seemed that Viro¡¯s client was also from the royalty faction and as long as we managed to stop the duke¡¯s assassination, we weren¡¯t required to do anything more.


    Duke Helton was trying to subjugate the Coeurl in order to win fame. Viro¡¯s client would be troubled politically if he died from assassination but, it seemed there was no need to make his attempt to gain fame succeeded.


    That was why, Viro himself looked like he didn¡¯t care about anything else but¡­¡­.


    ¡¸But, Grave escaped. Isn¡¯t it our job to assassinate him?¡¹


    I asked if there would be problem that we were unable to accomplish the request. Viro too looked bitter about that, even so he shrugged without care.


    ¡¸About that, I can only report it to the client including the matter about you and Grave. For now the client should be satisfied if we just show them that guy¡¯s arm and weapon.¡¹


    ¡¸I hope so.¡¹


    The magic sword that was in the grasp of the bitten off left arm had been collected by Grave amidst the confusion, but the other sword that he threw at the end was still remaining.


    We allowed him to get away, so it was impossible to get the full reward, but Grave had declared that he would target the princess and me, so Viro would try to negotiate that we didn¡¯t really ¡°fail¡± by taking that into consideration.


    ¡¸Even though we would be able to beat him if only he didn¡¯t use that strange smoke bomb. It was my first time seeing a smoke bomb that spread that far and also contained poison.¡¹


    ¡¸You¡¯re still lacking study boy!!¡¹


    Samantha suddenly cut into the conversation with a loud voice like someone trying to call at a person in another room.


    ¡¸That was a ¡ºgem¡» from dungeon! I think it might be a type of poison gem but. He was a lucky guy, hyo hyo hyo¡¹


    Samantha laughed like a folklore monster. Viro¡¯s eyes widened hearing what she said.


    ¡¸Haa!? That was a ¡°poison gem¡±!? Seriously? That¡¯s something designated as dangerous substance by adventurer guild! I once saw a gem but, that thing was also one?¡¹


    ¡¸The shape differ depending on the dungeon. If that thing was a real poison gem, all of us including that guy would die. After all it¡¯s something that can massacre a small village on its own.¡¹


    ¡¸So¡­¡­it was a fake?¡¹


    ¡¸No, it only had different use. Originally a gem was something to seal high rank sorcery. It wasn¡¯t a poison for human but, it might be intended for use against animal. After all the smoke had the same color with the smoke of the poison gem I used in the past, so I also got tricked!¡¹


    ¡¸So you once used it huh, granny¡­¡­¡¹


    I see¡­¡­that was why Nero also couldn¡¯t pursue. Luring mythical beast to human settlement alone was an act that made me wanted to doubt the sanity of that man, but it seemed that Grave had prepared such thing as insurance.


    It was said that a dungeon was an ancient hermit crab that turned into monster and turned cavern or ruin into their ¡°shell¡±. They fed on living thing¡¯s mana and life force, read the residual thought of the dead, then used things like ore or magic stone to produce ¡ºtreasures that human liked¡».


    They were just things created by monster, so most treasures found inside dungeon were no different than trash, but there would be items like gold or silver ingot sometimes when the dungeon ¡°got it right¡±. Among them sometimes there were also things like the magic swords that Grave used or special magic item that human couldn¡¯t create.


    The single-use ¡ºgem¡» that Samantha told us about was also one of those. It seemed there was a law in Claydale Kingdom when that kind of thing, especially something dangerous like poison gem was discovered, it had to be reported to the adventurer guild and the country would forcefully purchase it.


    I didn¡¯t know what the country was planning by gathering such thing but¡­¡­it seemed Samantha once used it.


    ¡¸Most likely that was something Grave stole from the palace¡¯s treasure storage when he was still with the black ops, or he did business with some shady group. Boy! Little girl! Don¡¯t let your guard down! He might have other incomprehensible thing with him next time too!¡¹


    ¡¸Uhee¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Anyway there was nothing else to do for now. Grave also wouldn¡¯t be able to move anymore for a while, so our work was over.


    .


    ¡¸Aria. About your reward¡­¡­¡¹


    Viro broached such topic when thing calmed down.


    ¡¸We failed to assassinate Grave right? I don¡¯t really care about it.¡¹


    The ¡°reward¡± that Viro offered me was about keeping the assassin guild and thief guild in check so they would stop attacking me too often©¤©¤in other words, the reward was my safety. It bothered me a little because this current situation was making it troublesome for me to get involved with ordinary people, but my objective was also Grave himself, so I had forgotten about this reward until now.


    Besides if I was seriously bothered by it, I think that crushing the belligerent assassin guild branch of central west district would be the more effective way to keep them in check.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Perhaps I¡¯d be able to crush them when my Short Sword Skill reached level 4¡­¡­?


    ¡¸¡­¡­You, are thinking about something dangerous aren¡¯t you? No, about your reward, even without the request this time, I still plan to talk with you about it if I judge that you are strong enough.¡¹


    ¡¸Strong enough?¡¹


    How did strength got related to the reward?


    ¡¸Hyahhahhah!! There¡¯s no problem at all with this little girl if it¡¯s about her strength! After all her combat strength almost catch up with her useless teacher already-!¡¹


    ¡¸What did you say-!!¡¹


    Viro was shocked by Samantha¡¯s words and he ¡°looked¡± at me.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Ha?¡¹


    Viro¡¯s eyes widened after using Appraisal on me. He took out appraisal crystal from his pocket and appraised me once more. Then he held his head with his hands while looking to the sky. He looked more exasperated rather than lamenting.


    ¡¸Rank 4 huh¡­¡­just how did you do that in this short time¡­¡­?¡¹


    ¡¸In my case it¡¯s just because I focused on sorcery. I still haven¡¯t caught up with Viro in close quarter combat.¡¹


    ¡¸Thanks¡­¡­¡¹


    There was no lie in what I said but, it seemed that it sounded like a consolation in Viro¡¯s ears. His shoulders dropped in dejection. But, it seemed he was able to switch his mood right away and lifted up his face energetically. He grinned refreshingly¡­¡­no it was a fishy smile that was far from looking refreshing.


    ¡¸Yosh, learn all of my adventurer skills in several years. For now just do your best to be at least ¡°useful¡± in one year. First you gotta learn skills that you¡¯re still lacking and how to explore a dungeon¡¯s lower level.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­What¡¯re you saying?¡¹


    Viro suddenly started talking about adventurer and dungeon. I looked at him with distrust, but he continued talking while still smirking at me.


    ¡¸Now now, this is also related to your ¡°reward¡±, and it¡¯s also a request for a new job. According to the newest information that I got before bumping into you, our party got approached with an offer to protect some nobles who will enter into a dungeon. The nobles are also going to bring their own guards, but there won¡¯t be many. For this, it will be best to have a lot of scout joining the exploration, and you can aren¡¯t just a scout but you can also use light sorcery, so we will be happy to have you with us, what do you think?¡¹


    ¡¸Go there by yourself and die on your own for all I care.¡¹


    I instantly answered like that the moment Viro mentioned the word ¡ºnoble¡».


    We were called ¡ºadventurer¡»only because we had the strength to enter a dangerous place like dungeon. I got no intention of protecting some nobles who would enter into such dangerous place just for fun.


    Even Viro became spontaneously turned speechless with how flatly I refused.


    ¡¸Is that all? Then, see you later.¡¹


    ¡¸wait wait wait, wait a second, Aria-! Listen until I finished first!¡¹


    I didn¡¯t need both the new job and the reward, so I tried to leave right away, but Viro came back to his senses and hurriedly stopped me.


    ¡¸You always decide too fast in everything! Just how manly you can be-! Listen Aria. I¡¯m telling you this only because it¡¯s you but, the ¡ºfirst princess¡» is involved with this matter. Do you understand? It¡¯s that princess you¡¯re acquainted with.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Tell me more.¡¹


    Viro said that it was an extremely secret information, was it alright for him to tell me this easily¡­¡­.


    According to Viro, young members of the royal family and their fianc¨¦es would secretly enter a dungeon, so high ranked adventurers were required to act as their vanguard.


    Why was someone with bad health like Elena had to enter into a dungeon? Viro wouldn¡¯t teach me what they were planning inside a dungeon but, in order to guarantee their safety, the black ops recommended Viro¡¯s party to the royal family and the royal family made the request.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸You want to protect the princess right? After reporting this matter about Grave to the black ops, I think that the country will also sound you out about this request but, are you going to refuse getting involved with the princess?¡¹


    This man brought me another troublesome matter that I couldn¡¯t refuse.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Understood. I¡¯ll protect Elena. But, how¡¯s that related to my reward this time?¡¹


    Was he telling me that the country and the black ops would make some arrangement for me?


    I might not be the right person to say this but, the black ops organization was feared by the underworld but, they were also being seen as ¡°enemy¡± who obeyed the nobility as their hunting dog. I was doubtful whether getting protected by an enemy organization would serve as deterrence against them.


    I stared at Viro doubtfully with half-lidded eyes. It seemed Viro finally guessed what I was doubting and spoke of words that I never expected.


    ¡¸What¡¯re you saying? You¡¯re going to enter our Rainbow Sword party to replace this retiring granny.¡¹


    .


    I sighed again after hearing that unexpected words. Troublesome things just kept coming.

 Volume 3 - Epilogue

    ¡¸Clara¡­¡­are you finished with the ¡°preparation¡±?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes Elena-sama. Patricia-sama withdrew in the end, but Carla-sama and I have already finished preparing. The plan is to meet up at the port city in the territory of Duke Fudale.¡¹


    The royalties who would shoulder the next generation along with the fianc¨¦es were ordered to conquer a dungeon. They were making their preparation on their own.


    It wasn¡¯t just the royalties who were forced to enter a dungeon, but also their fianc¨¦es because this also served as a test to their resolve as the next generation royalties. Furthermore it also showed that currently the number of the royal family was not enough.


    Although this dungeon was located in the territory of Duke Fudale, the daughter of Duke Fudale withdrew because it was impossible for her to do so ability-wise and personality-wise. The girl was also the daughter of a second wife, so this meant that Fudale House had pulled out from the struggle for queen position.


    With this Patricia got tentatively fixed to become the third queen. The seat to become the leading fianc¨¦e who would become the first queen would either be obtained by Clara the daughter of Margrave Dandall or Carla the daughter of Count Lester.


    ¡¸The crown prince Ervan-oniisama and I the first princess will also aim to conquer the dungeon at all costs, but the main objective of you two the fianc¨¦es and I will not be ¡ºreceiving the divine protection from the dungeon¡¯s spirit¡», but to make sure his highness the crown prince return alive in good health. Do you understand?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­¡¹


    In this Claydale Kingdom, each generation the royal family would send royalties into the dungeon to obtain Gift that they would use to keep the country stable and protect the country from external threat.


    But, the divine protection of spirit wasn¡¯t something that could definitely be obtained.


    The spirit of the dungeon was called as spirit by people in general, but they were essentially not normal spirit that governed over elements like light, darkness, earth, water, fire, or wind. They were an existence that was closer to ¡ºholy spirit¡».


    ¡°Holy spirit¡± was considered as high rank existence like spirit king or fairy king, but their true form was unclear, they had whimsical nature, and many times they wouldn¡¯t grant divine protection just because someone struggled till the depth of a dungeon.


    In fact the current king and previous king didn¡¯t obtain divine protection and in these few decades it was his majesty¡¯s little brother, the second prince who obtained the divine protection. But he had already died young because the second prince was someone with weak body from the start.


    A royalty¡¯s rank within the royal family wouldn¡¯t change just from obtaining divine protection. All royalties had been educated until they understood that special ability and the ability to rule the country were two different things.


    Because of that, the current king who picked a viscount daughter as his first queen provoked the displeasure of the noble faction and the ill effects from that could still be felt at Clara¡¯s generation.


    The country would fall into ruin if the crown prince died in such situation. It would be possible for Elena to manage the country as a queen for a short term, but it would allow the noble faction to obtain great influence and weakened the power of the royal family.


    Clara too, even if her position among the three fianc¨¦es got fixed in whatever ranking, in the end she would only be a queen of Ervan who was currently still just a crown prince. In case Ervan got reduced into a state where it was impossible for him to ascend to the throne, the second prince who was still an infant would have another noble lady his age chosen to become his queen, while Clara would become unable to ascend to become a queen of the country.


    Regardless of their respective motive, Elena who wished for the royal family to regain their strength and kept the country at peace, and Clara who was burdened with the desire of Dandall House for her to become the first queen, the two of them were in the same page for this matter.


    But¡­¡­even while they were talking to each other without anybody else present like this, the ¡°gap¡± that was formed between the two of them was still remaining as a deep rift that separated the two of them.


    The one who created the gap was Clara who regained her memory from her previous life and became an ¡ºother world reincarnator¡». Since then she was on guard against Elena who would grow to be called a villainess.


    What became the impetus of that gap widening must be the pink haired maid who became close with Elena. That maid had the same hair color with the ¡ºOtome game¡¯s heroine¡» who Clara instinctually felt rejection toward. And then, that maid girl¡¯s whereabouts became unknown and Clara expressed her ¡ºcondolence¡» to Elena. It caused a decisive gap to form between the two because Elena believed that the girl was still alive.


    This time the two of them were meeting like this was also solely because the supreme knight order commander was feeling worried for his daughter who would enter a dungeon and asked his little sister, the second queen to arrange for the two to meet so it could become an impetus for the two to make up with each other.


    ¡¸This dungeon conquering by the royal family is something that is kept secret from other noble houses, so we can only bring the minimum number of bodyguards. Considering the width of the dungeon passage and the marching speed, we shall bring two servants, ten high rank royal guards, three royal sorcerers, and five baggage carriers. In addition a rank 5 adventurer party that consisted of five people. So in total our group will number 30 to conquer the dungeon.¡¹


    Elena dispassionately stated before she took a breather and smiled icily.


    ¡¸Patricia is wise. She understands very well what she can do. Our first priority is the safe return of his highness the crown prince. Second is for the four of us to obtain Gift. And last is for our safe return. Clara¡­¡­do you have the resolve to protect his highness the crown prince for the sake of the country, even if it will cost you your life?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Y-yes.¡¹


    Clara replied with a pale face and hoarse voice. Elena looked at her coldly while quietly getting up from her chair.


    ¡¸Make your resolution soon, whether you will become a queen by your own initiative or simply going along with the flow. Someone-, we have finished talking.¡¹


    Elena called out to the servant who was waiting at the next room, then she left the palace¡¯s drawing room without even giving any glance at Clara who was still unmoving while looking down.


    .


    (What to do¡­¡­)


    Although Clara had knowledge from her previous life, in the end she was nothing more than a normal high school girl who was playing that ¡ºotome game¡».


    Although she felt threatened by the danger of the heroine and her beheading at the game¡¯s ending, she also felt a yearning for the gorgeous world where the capture targets were living. She was also unable to clearly think about her death with clarity of mind.


    She lived a peaceful life in her first life. She had never even thought about ¡°death¡± as something that would happen to her. But, due to this dungeon exploration that never got mentioned in the game and occurred before the main scenario began, she was finally able to keenly understand that she was standing side by side with death. She turned pale and bit her lip.


    The Clara in the game didn¡¯t have any divine protection. The heroine only obtained divine protection in the war event against the evil race, even so that was something that happened only after the game started.


    (I¡­¡­in order to survive among these scary people, do I have to obtain the divine protection no matter what?)


    .


    While Clara was quietly hardening her resolve for her own sake, Elena who returned back to her room while being accompanied by a servant was greeted by a Cruzian maid which was rare in the palace.


    ¡¸Sera, what¡¯s the matter?¡¹


    This high ranked maid was a knight of the black ops. She was also the one in charge of the security in the queen¡¯s palace. The crown prince didn¡¯t really like the black ops, but Elena¡¯s servant and maid was also black ops member and she trusted her because she knew her very well. This time she also wished for her to accompany her to the dungeon this time as one of the servants.


    Sera showed her a refined smile with her glamorous light brown skin, then she bowed and handed a letter to Elena¡¯s bodyguard maid.


    ¡¸I have something to inform your highness and put it in this letter. I recommend your highness to ¡°dispose¡± the letter after you finish reading it.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­I understand.¡¹


    If Sera said that then it must be something important.


    After Sera left, she told her maid to break the letter¡¯s seal to confirm the safety of the letter. Then she ordered the maids to standby outside the room and she opened the letter to read it alone.


    ¡¸¡­¡­tsu¡¹


    That letter contained information about a certain person.


    Elena hadn¡¯t known that person for long. In fact it was only for several weeks, but for Elena who was being forced into a lonely fight in a situation where she couldn¡¯t even rely on her parents, the way ¡ºthat girl¡» lived gave her a peace of mind that she wasn¡¯t ¡°alone¡± even though their status differed.


    Even when Elena earnestly told her father, the one who caused this situation that she was worried about the current state of things, she was only told that the problem wasn¡¯t something that a child like her should be concerned about and she was kept at a distance from politic. Even her big brother with whom she was pretending to idolize didn¡¯t have any sense of danger at all despite being the one placed in the most dangerous position.


    ¡°She¡± was the only one who ¡°understood¡± Elena who was fighting against the present situation. She even risked her life to save Elena who got attacked during her lone battle.


    Even if no one else could understand it, the two of them shared the feeling of being able to understand each other as ¡°the same kind¡±.


    Elena thought that the words ¡°she¡± said that night when she swore her oath could only be said because she had seriously faced Elena¡¯s resolution.


    That was why Elena also made an oath in order to reward ¡°her¡±.


    That was why even when she heard that ¡°she¡± went missing, she believed that there was no way that she had died.


    Alone inside her room¡­¡­.


    Elena pressed the letter on her chest and embraced it strongly.


    .


    ¡¸Thank goodness. ¡­¡­Aria¡­¡­you live.¡¹

 Volume 4 - Prologue

    Dungeon. It was a living structure where an ancient hermit crab that turned into a monster fused with a cave or ruins and used it as their ¡°shell¡±.


    The monster hermit crab evolved repeatedly in order to absorb mana and life force from the living things that wandered into them. They even scanned the residual thought of those that died inside them in order to better lure ¡ºhuman¡» and ¡ºmonster¡», the two living things that they considered as their best ¡°food¡±. That was how dungeon ended up producing things that those two species sought of.


    Suitable environment that monster preferred, precious metals and gems that human liked, and also weapons or magic tools that were created from ores¡­¡­.


    Because the dungeon had never been human before, most of the things that they created were no different from trash, but a dungeon that had existed for a long time and continued to absorb residual thought all along could increase their floor level, recreated their cave into stone passage, and they even gradually became bale to create ¡ºmagic sword¡» or ¡ºtreasure¡» that human couldn¡¯t create.


    And then¡­¡­the residual thoughts that continued to accumulate inside a dungeon for thousand of years would possess an ego as ¡ºa dungeon¡¯s spirit¡» that was different from the spirits of the natural world. This dungeon¡¯s spirit then would grant ¡¾Gift¡¿ to intellectual creature that arrived at their lowest floor.


    ¡¾Gift¡¿©¤©¤A special ability that surpassed mere human strength.


    In the past heroes would seek that power, used that power to overcome numerous difficulties, and guided the human society, countries toward peace.


    Therefore humans sought for dungeon with dream in their heart.


    Even while knowing that what they would find there wouldn¡¯t be limited to just ¡°hope¡±¡­¡­.


    .


    And now the young royalties of Claydale Kingdom would also challenge a dungeon.


    Several hundred years ago, Claydale Kingdom absorbed Dandall Dukedom and Melrose Dukedom and rapidly grew in strength, becoming a powerful country. Naturally such rapid growth caused the neighboring countries to consider them as dangerous. Because of that the next generation of the royal family sought to obtain ¡¾Gift¡¿ in order to oppose the other countries.


    While the crown prince, the first princess, and the noble daughters who were engaged to the crown prince were making their preparation to conquer the dungeon, the head of the royal court magicians, Count Lester were having a conversation with his daughter who would participate in the dungeon exploration this time due to her status as a fianc¨¦e of the crown prince. The conversation that was taking place in the office of his mansion had an extremely cold atmosphere even though they were father and daughter.


    ¡¸Carla¡­¡­I won¡¯t ask you to come back safely. Just don¡¯t let the crown prince to die. That¡¯s the only thing that I¡¯m asking from you.¡¹


    ¡¸Very well, dear father.¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t permit you to bring the servants of this mansion with you. Just choose some people from outside.¡¹


    ¡¸I understand.¡¹


    Those weren¡¯t words that a parent should say toward their child who would be heading to a dangerous place, but even after listening to the words of Count Lester©¤©¤Ignas Lester that he was spitting while frowning the whole time, Carla was only squinting her eyes that had dark circles around them with a sunny smile on her lips.


    She didn¡¯t remember how many years it had been since the last time they had a father and daughter conversation like this. The father treated her daughter like a thing, while the daughter didn¡¯t even consider her father as human. The chasm between them had gone far beyond being a mere irreconcilable difference. The atmosphere among the two of them could even be called as an atmosphere between two enemies.


    In fact, Ignas had attempted to kill Carla before, and not just once or twice. He only left his daughter alive when she was still little because he thought that she still had some use for him, but his daughter¡¯s dangerousness rose up by leapt and bound as she grew older, and currently the only reason why they didn¡¯t kill each other was because of Carla¡¯s status as a fianc¨¦e of the crown prince at the present time.


    She didn¡¯t have long to live anyway. She might die just by a single punch from an ordinary person. But Carla hadn¡¯t died even when she was poisoned by her family.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Begone from my sight. Nothing would make me happier if you become the crown prince¡¯s shield and die. That will be the greatest fidelity you can perform for the royal family as a member of Lester House.¡¹


    The father told his daughter to go die. The daughter laughed in respond to that.


    ¡¸Fufu¡­¡­that sounds like fun but, in that case I¡¯ll need a ¡°shield¡± to use. Is it alright if I bring one of my dear brothers with me?¡¹


    ¡¸You¡­¡­-!¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m just joking, dear father. I forgot that I only have one brother left.¡¹


    She only had one big brother remaining despite having three in the past. Even that last remaining brother had never returned to this mansion for many years because he was scared of getting killed by Carla.


    ¡¸Then fare thee well, dear father. Should I also give my greeting to dear mother?¡¹


    ¡¸Just get out of my sight already!!¡¹


    *BAM-!*


    The thrown ink jar hit the door that Carla closed, leaving behind an ugly scratch and black stain.


    Carla listened to that sound from outside the room while chuckling. Then she began walking through the corridor cheerfully.


    .


    What Carla wished for could be found in the dungeon. And the chance for that had come to her faster than she expected.


    Originally even though it was expected for members of the royal family to dive into dungeon, asking those at their teenage who hadn¡¯t even enrolled into the academy to do such thing could be said as too premature. .This hastiness might be caused by Carla and the first princess Elena.


    Carla became even more fixated toward strength since a certain time period. Her capability as a magician surpassed even the royal court magician. That abnormality of her stood out and the royal family began to consider her as dangerous.


    Elena too had grown even more intelligence since a certain time period and she displayed her qualities as a princess. In order to ascertain that quickly, the royal family chose to compare and contrast her with the crown prince.


    If they wanted to play it safe, then they should wait until the crown prince came of age or at least until the princess enrolled into the academy. Originally Carla too planned to keep training herself diligently until that time came.


    But, what put Carla in a good mood wasn¡¯t because of this chance coming to her this quickly. It might be because of the appearance of a ¡°girl¡± who changed the fate of the two of them when Princess Elena met danger.


    .


    ¡¸I wonder if I¡¯ll be able to meet you quickly if someone die¡­¡­¡¹


    ***


    The royal castle was a place where the king and those who made political decisions were working. The palace that was adjoined to the castle was where the royal family was living at.


    Although it was called a palace, it didn¡¯t consist of just a single palace. The palace at the center was the residence of the king, and surrounding it was the three palaces for the queens. Furthermore there were even more palaces of various sizes surrounding those palaces of the king and queens. The relatively new palace at the east side was the ¡°first princess palace¡±.


    ¡¸The servants who will come with me into the dungeon this time are going to be Sera and Chloe. Sera is one of the people in charge of the queen palace¡¯s security, but from now on she is going to be the one in charge of the first princess palace¡¯s security. I shall be looking forward to your good work, both of you.¡¹


    ¡¸¡¸It¡¯s an honor, your highness.¡¹¡¹


    The two maids elegantly bowed their head in respond to the words of Elena, the master of the first princess palace.


    The dungeon exploration that the royal family would perform this time was being carried out under the veil of secrecy in order to prevent any obstruction from the noble faction. Because of that the number of participants was kept at minimum. Excluding the guards and luggage carriers, each main participant could only bring two servants to take care of their needs.


    The maid named Chloe who Elena chose was still young, but she was a maid who had been taking care of Elena since she was born. Elena held deep trust toward her, and the person herself was also a knight of this country¡¯s black ops, so she had been one of the candidates for participating from the start.


    But as for Sera, there was a reason why she now worked exclusively for the princess despite being someone in charge of the security for both the queen palace and princess palace before.


    Elena¡¯s big brother from different mother, the crown prince Ervan had stopped trusting the guards from the black ops since the failed kidnapping attempt on Elena at Dandall. He refused to be guarded by the black ops member even for the dungeon exploration this time.


    From where Elena was standing, as the one who almost got kidnapped, Ervan¡¯s choice was making her feeling complicated because his action was taken due to his love for his family, but thinking pragmatically, there weren¡¯t that many people who were qualified to serve royalty as servant while also acting as bodyguard. Furthermore that number would become even more limited when taking into consideration whether they could be trusted or not. Ervan would only bring the servants who had been taking care of him in his daily life.


    Although not to the degree of the black ops¡¯ knight, they too should have the minimum capability to fight to be qualified for serving the royal family, but that degree of capability would be useless in the dungeon.


    There his majesty the king made the decision to attach Sera as Elena¡¯s exclusive maid because of her status as a rank 4 powerful warrior even among the security members of the palace. That was the best that he could do in order to protect his two children.


    But, just like how his thought as a king and as a father could differ from each other, the thought of the father and the thought of the daughter were also different.


    ¡¸Our objective is not for me to obtain Gift. It will be great if I can do so but, our foremost objective is for my brother the crown prince to return back safely. To achieve that, all of us shall protect big brother as one with our life on the line.¡¹


    ¡¸¡¸Yes.¡¹¡¹


    Elena made her declaration with unwavering eyes in order to affirm her resolve to sacrifice even herself to protect the crown prince. In respond Sera and Chloe also nodded without hesitation. Elena slackened her grim expression slightly seeing the two¡¯s response.


    ¡¸Forgive me for dragging not only Chloe, but also you Sera into this.¡¹


    ¡¸No, both Chloe and I have made our resolve since the beginning when we joined the black ops.¡¹


    Sera smiled at Elena¡¯s words. Chloe beside her also nodded quietly with a gentle atmosphere.


    This would be a dangerous mission where they might not be able to return back alive from it. Even so, there was strength inside their eyes. Although there was resolve in there, there wasn¡¯t any sadness that could be felt from them.


    ¡¸Seeing that we have come this far, I shall also poached away Sera from dear mother. Are you fine with that?¡¹


    ¡¸It shall be as your highness will it.¡¹


    Sera too smiled just a little, seeing Princess Elena who was displaying such aristocratic haggling that was unthinkable coming from a girl who had just turned eleven this year.


    Although Elena would stake her life in the task this time, she had no intention of dying. She was thinking of what would happen after she returned alive.


    She wasn¡¯t seeking result, but making progress by considering the effect that the result would bring. It was a quality of Elena that the crown prince didn¡¯t possess. Her caliber as a king was surpassing her big brother.


    She possessed four elemental attributes and her body stopped being healthy due to the magic stone in her heart swelling up. Elena wasn¡¯t fit to become king due to her body¡¯s condition but, she hadn¡¯t given up on anything.


    When she was little¡­¡­there was a ¡°girl¡± who never gave up no matter what and saved her.


    Until then Elena had continued fighting alone inside the darkness where she couldn¡¯t see anything ahead, but then the moonlight reached her and illuminated the dark path¡­¡­.


    After that Elena stopped giving up.


    .


    (I wonder what you will think if you can see the me right now¡­¡­Aria)


    ***


    ¡¸Father, please allow me to also go-! I¡¯m Clara¡¯s big brother, and a protector of his highness the crown prince!¡¹


    ¡¸Just give up on that already, Rockwell. Realize that you are the heir of this Dandall.¡¹


    His little sister Clara who was engaged to the crown prince was commanded by the royal family to conquer a dungeon. Rockwell was only informed of that right before the dungeon exploration would be carried out. He wished to accompany the exploration in order to protect his little sister and his friend, but his father Margrave Dandall stopped him.


    Perhaps he would be allowed to go if he asked his hot-blooded grandfather who was fond of Clara, but his grandfather had handed over the headship of Dandall house to his father, so his father was the only one who could make the decision.


    Unlike his grandfather, his father was an intellectual person, because of that the headship and the position as the supreme knight commander were handed over to him in order to weather the current chaotic domestic situation of this country. Unlike the members of the ordinary knight house, Rockwell himself was also an intellectual person, and because of that he was able to understand his father¡¯s thinking. That was exactly why he was unable to take any rash action.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Clara was watching that argument between her father and big brother like it was other people¡¯s business.


    Could her participation be cancelled if she too asked her grandfather? Would she not be required to head to a dangerous place if she earnestly pleaded to her father?


    (It won¡¯t work¡­¡­surely.)


    Clara being the first queen was the consensus of the whole Dandall House after taking into consideration how her aunt who should be the first queen was forced to become the second queen. Her whole family and also the vassals of her house were wishing for Clara to become the first queen.


    Even the past Clara before she regained the memory of her previous life was also wishing to become the first queen because she was a child who didn¡¯t know anything. She was under the impression that becoming the first queen would be the best thing only because that was what her family wished for. There was no way that Clara could say that she didn¡¯t want to become the first queen at this point.


    The Clara of the otome game didn¡¯t have any Gift. Perhaps she simply failed to obtain it in the game but, in the game Clara and the others didn¡¯t enter the dungeon at this time period when they were at such young age.


    In the game there was a dungeon exploration event in order to obtain strength after the demon race event, but perhaps the demon race event was happening early right now.


    The ¡ºotome game¡» started when the heroine reached the age for entering the academy. Even if she was able to get along with the heroine, if Ervan got interested with the heroine and entered a romantic relationship with her, the people around them would become attracted to the heroine¡¯s charm and planned to remove Clara to place the heroine as the first queen.


    She could understand it now although it wasn¡¯t shown in the game. In order to place the heroine who was the princess of Melrose as the first queen, a made up charge was created to remove Clara politically.


    Clara pondered whether the heroine could be removed in order to avoid such future that might spell her death, but here she learned that it was possible she might die even before that. It made her felt like her sight was turning dark.


    .


    (Just¡­¡­what am I doing here¡­¡­)

 Volume 4 - CH 1

    I fought against a threat in the form of a group of orc that attacked the baron territory where I once stayed in the past. There I was reunited with my former teacher¡­¡­well, Viro was quite laissez-faire with his teaching but, he was still my teacher. Together with his teammate the magician Samantha, we went to subdue the traitor Grave.


    I fought against and then together with the mythical beast Coeurl©¤©¤Nero. We were able to drive away Grave but failed in finishing him off. I renewed my determination to have a rematch with him but, Viro brought up a new request for me.


    It was a request to protect the royalty who would challenge a large scale dungeon¡­¡­a request to protect Elena.


    I didn¡¯t intend to refuse to do that. I would protect Elena if she was in danger. After all that was my oath.


    But Viro told me that to do that I needed to enter his adventurer party, Rainbow Sword.


    Viro was smiling at me as though he had just told me something good. It made my eyes automatically narrowed in annoyance to him.


    ¡¸I refuse.¡¹


    ¡¸Haaah!?¡¹


    When I flatly refused like that, Viro looked dumbfounded while croaking in puzzlement because he had been thinking that I wouldn¡¯t refuse.


    ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±©¤©¤if I remembered correctly, it should be the rank 5 adventurer party which was a rarity even in this country. I don¡¯t understand why Viro was inviting me to join it. But, if they needed a replacement for Samantha than they should invite an orthodox magician. Viro too had been looking for a magician all this time.


    Besides I had been acting solo until now, so I didn¡¯t really get how to fight in a party. I wouldn¡¯t say that I couldn¡¯t do so but, with my fighting style that was using stealth and assassination, I judged that I would be more effective in acting independently like with the battle against the orcs.


    ¡¸Hyahhahhah, you got flatly rejected again, boy!¡¹


    ¡¸Granny, don¡¯t talk like I just got rejected by woman! Even I at least have a girlfriend just so you know!¡¹


    ¡¸Another woman is tricking you for your money? You really never learn your lesson¡­¡­¡¹


    Samantha¡¯s gaze was a mix of exasperation and pity. It made Viro angry for some reason.


    ¡¸No no no, it¡¯s different this time! Aria-, you too mustn¡¯t believe granny¡¯s nonsense! No, that¡¯s not it.¡¹


    Viro finally recalled the main topic again. He ruffled his brown hair roughly while turning his gaze at me suddenly.


    ¡¸Viro, you¡¯ll turn bald.¡¹


    ¡¸Shaddup! Now listen to me, Aria.¡¹


    Viro made a complicated expression as though he was enduring a lot of things and explained to me the reason why he invited me.


    Even if the factor of replacing the magician Samantha was taken out of the equation, it seemed that the scout Viro had also started looking for his own replacement.


    Usually adventurer would think about retiring when they reached 40. But, high ranked adventurer with large mana aged slowly. It wasn¡¯t rare for them to stay active even until their 50. Viro too still looked like someone at his later twenty despite being at his later thirty. He was still doing well for an adventurer.


    ¡¸Even I¡¯m not going to retire soon, but ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± with its long history is special. We can¡¯t just accept anyone as replacement, and it¡¯ll also take several years to pass down my know-how to the newbie. Besides¡­¡­my woman said that she want a man with stable job, and the black ops is also inviting me officially to become an instructor for their knights. They¡¯re offering me large salary¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The talk was gradually deviating to a strange direction.


    ¡¸Lass-, you should take the story about this boy¡¯s woman with a grain of salt-! He kept getting into that kind of development once every several years before returning back dejectedly in the end-!¡¹


    ¡¸Understood.¡¹


    Samantha retorted from the side. I too nodded in agreement. Just as thought, so it really was something like that.


    ¡¸What¡¯s with you two! This time is for real! No, that¡¯s not what I want to talk about. In other words I thought that if it¡¯s you then you can also become my replacement later. Besides not just any adventurer can get picked to be the princess¡¯s guard. After all in the end it¡¯s a request for the adventurer party ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±. It doesn¡¯t matter how much the princess is trusting you, the people around her definitely won¡¯t agree to it right?¡¹


    If that was the reason then I could understand. Certainly my standing was only as an adventurer who was formerly an orphan. Even though I had reached rank 4 and got more famous as an adventurer, that didn¡¯t mean that the trust of the society toward me had also gone up.


    ¡¸Think of this as joining a clan instead of joining a party. Even you know how I¡¯m also doing solo work right? We¡¯re skilled individually so we also accept solo request, while we work as party only for big job. Besides, this is you we¡¯re talking about. You¡¯re just gonna skedaddle as you please if you don¡¯t like being in the party anyway.¡¹


    Viro really knew me well. I also nodded quietly to what he said.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I see.¡¹


    I understood that only trusted adventurer party like ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± could accept request from the country itself.


    Previously I was ¡ºa child introduced by the reputable Viro¡», so I was overlooked without too much cautiousness to be the princess¡¯s maid. But the current me had grown somewhat in appearance and I also had gotten stronger. There was no way the people around Elena would allow me to approach her now.


    The black ops was really lacking manpower that they would invite Viro to replace the deserting Grave. Similarly it must have gotten even harder now for someone suspicious to join in.


    About being Samantha¡¯s replacement too, magician was necessary in adventurer, but it wasn¡¯t really indispensable for a party. And even for a party in the caliber of ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±, it seemed there would be problem in their relationship with their employer if they took a break too long for searching high ranked magician to join them. And so it seemed they decided that even a rank 3 light magician would be acceptable for them to resume the party for the royal family bodyguard job this time.


    For the matter of keeping the underworld in check too, the reputation of ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± that had more than a hundred years of history behind it wasn¡¯t just for show. It might be really effective to keep the underworld in check. ¡­¡­But.


    ¡¸Displeasing. It¡¯s like I have no other option but to accept from the start.¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s how dirty adults are. But you know, you realize that you can¡¯t refuse only because you have the smart to understand that. I trusted that you can understand if it¡¯s you.¡¹


    The self-proclaimed dirty adult Viro lightly tapped the shoulder of the indignant me while laughing lightly.


    Well¡­¡­can¡¯t be helped I guess. The royal family must also have proper bodyguards protecting them so I don¡¯t think it will change anything even with me not being there, even so the possibility of Elena returning back will be higher if I protected her.


    ¡¸Roger that, Viro. Allow me to join not the ¡°party¡± called ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± but the ¡°clan¡±. Is that fine?¡¹


    ¡¸Of course Aria. I have high hopes for you.¡¹


    ¡¸Hyahhahhah¡¹


    I decided to join the rank 5 adventurer party, ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±.


    There was merit and demerit for me joining a party, but this time I decided that the merit outweighed the demerit.


    It seemed there were also times like this time when the members acted as a party once a year but, this offer wasn¡¯t that bad if the members were allowed to act individually like how Viro usually was.


    ¡¸Yosh, if that¡¯s decided then let¡¯s talk a bit about the schedule.¡¹


    ¡¸Nn.¡¹


    In summary, first the participants©¤©¤the youngsters of the royal family including Elena who would go to the dungeon four months from now.


    Two of the participants were the same age with me so they had leeway but, the other two protection targets would enroll into the sorcery academy at the beginning of next year, so it seemed the dungeon exploration had to be finished within this year.


    And the dungeon that they would enter was©¤©¤


    ¡¸One of the three great dungeons in this country, located in an island under the direct control of Duke Fudale.¡¹


    The ¡ºthree great dungeons¡» of this country was the dungeon under the royal family¡¯s direct control that I entered together with Carla, and the dungeon in Duke Lacuston¡¯s territory at the southwest area of this country. And then the dungeon that we would enter this time was at the island under the direct control of Duke Fudale.


    The large scale dungeons were managed by the royal family or a duke house which was a cornerstone of the country. Most likely large scale dungeon contained something important that necessitated going that far.


    ¡­¡­Was the purpose to hand down that important thing to the next generation royal family?


    Elena¡­¡­would she be alright?


    Anyway, my next mission had gotten decided. There were still four more months, so I thought of going back to master¡¯s place once but, it seemed I was required to go to the capital once in order to get introduced to the other members of ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±.


    That¡¯s, well, it¡¯s reasonable. Besides I got no time to ask Galbas to look after my weapon, but currently I wanted to ask his little brother Gelf to check my armor, so I¡¯d prioritize that.


    ¡­¡­Because recently it became harder for me to move my waist and chest area. While I was thinking of that, Viro finished giving himself some simple treatment and picked the thrown away luggage before starting the preparation of leaving this place.


    ¡¸Then let¡¯s go back to the capital first. Three weeks should be enough for us two to arrive there.¡¹


    ¡¸You¡¯re really in a hurry.¡¹


    If magical healing was needed than both Samantha and I could do it. And yet Viro looked like he wanted to depart as though running away from something. When I expressed my suspicion about how he acted, Viro¡¯s shoulders trembled slightly.


    ¡¸No, it¡¯s not like¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Hyahhahha, you see, the boy want to get away from here before the duke¡¯s men come here! Even the Coeurl is gone after all, it¡¯ll be like throwing mud at the duke¡¯s face!¡¹


    ¡¸That can¡¯t be helped granny! Most of the nobles who I get along with are in the royal family faction. It¡¯ll be annoying if the noble faction find us. And so we¡¯re going right away, Aria!¡¹


    It seemed that the current royal family was prioritizing domestic demand, so territories with weak industry became destitute and they could only earn money from commerce with other country. This kind of nobles made up the noble faction and they got into hostility with the royal family because they were causing the influence of other countries to spread within this country.


    ¡¸That¡¯s fine but, what about Samantha?¡¹


    ¡¸Aa¡­¡­I got to take care of granny¡¯s reward too huh. The money would be paid through the guild if the mission succeeded but, what¡¯re you going to do granny? Are you going to meet Dalton at the capital?¡¹


    Samantha frowned when Viro addressed her. She found the topic bothersome.


    ¡¸Who want to see the mug of that old dwarf and that quirky elf again! Just tell those guys whatever boy. I¡¯m gonna go home and play with my great-great-grandchild right away.¡¹


    ¡¸Got it. What¡¯re you gonna do about the reward?¡¹


    ¡¸Reward from the black ops is just going to be small change anyway. Buy equipment or something with that money for this lass! Theen, see you again, boy, lass! HYAHHAHHAH!¡¹


    Samantha said that loudly before she broke into a run through the highway just like when we first met without even any time for me to talk to her. She left cloud of dust behind and vanished from view in the blink of eye.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Is she really senile?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m not sure now¡­¡­, she¡¯s definitely behaving ¡°senile¡± though.¡¹


    ¡¸I see.¡¹


    Her compatibility with the straight man Viro should be good. Samantha was human, and yet her age was already over a hundred, but it felt like she would be able to live for one hundred years more. ¡­¡­She really isn¡¯t an apparition right?


    .


    And so Viro and I decided to head to the capital for the time being so that I could be introduced to the members of Rainbow Sword.


    If it was just Viro and me then we could use stealth, ignored monsters, and traveled through wild mountain, but it seemed a city person like Viro didn¡¯t like that and the option of shortening our travel time was rejected.


    ¡¸Come to think of it Aria, other than your combat strength, do you have anything else to prove that you¡¯re level 4?¡¹


    Viro suddenly asked me that along the way.


    ¡¸It¡¯s my dark magic that reached level 4. I more or less know about level 4¡¯s chanting, so I think I¡¯ll be able to use it if I practice a little.¡¹


    Dark magic¡¯s level 4 had ¡¾Illusion¡¿ and ¡¾Confusion¡¿. I had been taught about the chanting and their meaning by master. Shadow Walker was also level 4 after a fashion but, the magic wasn¡¯t really common.


    ¡¸That¡¯s fine then. Go update your rank at the capital¡¯s adventurer guild as requirement to enter ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±. Before this I planned to register you into the party officially only later even if you joined us but, if you¡¯re already rank 4 then it makes easier to register you.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    I needed to join ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± in order to guard the royal family. Even so their impression would be really different depending on whether I was level 3 or 4, so I should update my rank in order to make the surrounding recognize me being Elena¡¯s bodyguard directly. That seemed to be Viro¡¯s idea.


    Not even half a year had passed since I updated my rank to 3. It felt like this would become troublesome again¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Originally we should drop by a small dungeon somewhere where I can pound the minimum required knowledge and protocol into you for this but, if it¡¯s you then there won¡¯t be any problem even if I do that right at the actual scene. Prepare to learn there.¡¹


    ¡¸Got it.¡¹


    His style was laissez-faire like usual but, that method actually suited me just fine so that was why Viro kept using this style of teaching. He was a relaxed person but he wasn¡¯t sloppy.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll talk to the capital¡¯s adventurer guild. If we¡¯re lucky we should also be able to meet up with someone of Rainbow Sword there. The leader Dalton might want to test you though, be careful cause he¡¯s an intense guy.¡¹


    ¡¸Nn?¡¹


    So the leader¡¯s name was Dalton, got it. But¡­¡­


    ¡¸Viro isn¡¯t going to the capital with me? That isn¡¯t like the plan you told me.¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll be going with you until the capital. But you knoww¡­¡­the fact is that Grave got away from us, so it¡¯ll be bad if I don¡¯t report it directly. Pray that they won¡¯t treat this request as a failure.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    Viro looked somewhat annoyed even while behaving with dread. I even smiled a little seeing that.


    But, in that case there was also no need for us to go to the capital together. I was also practicing level 4 dark magic, so it would be bothersome for me to do that in a city, although it wouldn¡¯t be as bothersome as practicing other element.


    After that we stayed together on the road for around ten days where I asked him to teach me about dungeon exploration, and then we parted and I headed to the capital alone.


    With me being alone I didn¡¯t feel any need to stop by at city during my travel other than for replenishing my food supply. I traveled through forest while practicing Illusion in the forest at midnight. It was then I suddenly felt something instinctually.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    There wasn¡¯t any dangerous creature within the range of my detection. My vision and my detection, including the sense to detect danger that I had learned in these three years didn¡¯t catch anything.


    But¡­¡­no. I lifted my head and stared at far away. There at the moon hanging over the mountain summit, the figure of a ¡°black beast¡± was reflected just for an instant like illusion.


    ¡¸Nero¡­¡­are you there?¡¹


    .


    It took me some time, around a total of three weeks for me to arrive at the capital without any problem.


    I heard some rumors along the way. Duke Helton who dispatched a force to subjugate a mythical beast seemed to fail to produce any result, but he then announced that the safety of the highway had been regained and with that the incident was concluded.


    The information spread really quick, but I heard that adventurer guild and merchant guild had magic tool to talk from afar. Most likely there was noble who really wanted this news to be spread that necessitated the use of this tool.


    ¡¸Come to think of it, this will be my first time coming to the capital¡¯s adventurer guild¡­¡­¡¹


    I had come to the capital several times but, I had been avoiding place with a lot of people because I had many enemies, so I never stopped by at the capital¡¯s guild.


    The capital¡¯s adventurer guild was located in the large building right behind the merchant guild at the main street. The building was as large as a noble¡¯s mansion. No matter the city, the adventurer guild was always adjoined with the merchant guild. It was the merchant guild that invested in the establishment of adventurer guild, and this positioning was to make it more efficient for them to purchase the materials that the adventurers brought. The merchant guild was always located in a conspicuous location, so it was very easy to locate it.


    Many adventurers were rowdy, but it seemed that those who came to the capital possessed common sense to some degree, so the place wasn¡¯t as dirty or damaged like in other city. Even so the double door at the entrance was kept open with how many people are coming and going here and also because as expected, the people wearing armor or carrying weapon might cause damage to it when passing through.


    When I entered inside the adventurer guild, there was a lobby with stone floor that was as large as a dance hall. Several tables and chairs for business discussion were lined up. Magical lighting was shining from the atrium above. Further inside there were around ten receptionist counters and beautiful looking receptionist ladies that were hard to find at other city.


    Ignoring the scale and the extravagance, the building¡¯s structure itself wasn¡¯t any different from the typical guild. I arrived when it was a bit past noon but there were ten-odd adventurers inside. They sent a glaring gaze seeing someone young like me entering.


    I surveyed the inside lightly but, there was practically no ¡°youngster¡± here both age-wise and strength-wise.


    Most of the adventurers that came to the capital had polished their skill at other place and came here looking for connection with noble or wealthy people, so they were inevitably older and high ranked.


    Among them there should also be new adventurer who was born in the capital or just passing by adventurer who stopped by here but, setting aside the latter case, I heard that at the capital most of the requests were for high ranked adventurer, so rookie would quickly leave from the capital.


    Almost all of the adventurers here were inevitably rank 3 or above but, those who looked shocked or blatantly averting their gaze after seeing me had most likely used Appraisal on me.


    Conversely adventurer who underestimated me just because of my appearance didn¡¯t need to be feared. Appraisal skill was the ability to convert the opponent¡¯s magic power and strength that they felt from their eyes and with their skin into number. Anyone with a lot of actual battle experience and actual strength would be able to measure someone else¡¯s true strength even if they couldn¡¯t use Appraisal, so I believed there would be few people who would actively pick a fight with me in the capital that was filled with strong people.


    Sometimes the receptionist ladies in the guild were also former adventurer, and naturally they might possess Appraisal skill, so several of the receptionist ladies who ¡°saw¡± me left their seat and replacing them an old gentleman with nice appearance walked toward me from behind the counter.


    ¡¸Welcome to adventurer guild. Correct me if I¡¯m wrong but, are you perhaps the ¡°Ash Crowned Princess¡±?¡¹


    ¡¸I never called myself like that.¡¹


    ¡¸Pardon me, Aria-sama. The rumors has been reaching even the capital, but I never expected that the person in them would be this young. I had heard the story from the members of ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±, and so please allow me to take charge of Aria-sama¡¯s rank update today. The staff who will be officially in charge of interacting with you shall be decided at the later date, so please be content with me for the time being.¡¹


    ¡¸Uh huh.¡¹


    Most likely Viro had contacted here from a guild in other city beforehand. It looked like each guild was gathering information from everywhere using magic tool to talk to afar, even so, I never thought that this ¡°nickname¡± that the underworld arbitrarily spread would also reach until this far that even the adventurer guild was using it normally.


    This old gentleman too, he spoke of that name only as a mere nickname, just like when calling high ranked adventurer with their nickname. He didn¡¯t look like he had any other intention.


    I had no intention of complaining from being called ¡°Ash Crowned Princess¡± after this late. It didn¡¯t please me being called that but I had gotten used to it in a sense because people of the underworld had continuously called me like that.


    But, that name was more well-known in the underworld rather than at the open. I forgot that even among adventurers, there were some that were doing work of the nature that was ¡°close to the underworld¡±.


    ¡¸Oi oi, this little girl is the ¡°Ash Crowned Princess¡± you said?¡¹


    A frivolous looking lightly equipped warrior who seemed to be at his latter twenty called out like that with a smirk. It seemed that he overheard my conversation with the old gentleman.


    ¡¸There are some matters that the guild need to confirm with Aria-sama. Please keep your question to yourself for later time.¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s not going to take long. I just want to ask this little girl who only has that pretty face going for her, what kinda trick she used to crush an assassin guild or join the ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±. It¡¯s really curious yeah.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    He seemed to be around rank 3 judging from his bearing¡­¡­. This man judged me based on appearance and thought that I entered Viro¡¯s party using some kind of trick instead of because of my strength.


    He evaluated his opponent from appearance. He couldn¡¯t measure his opponent¡¯s true strength. He knew my nickname, and yet he thoughtlessly picked quarrel with me, which meant he wasn¡¯t someone from the underworld but he was still a person with violent way of living that wasn¡¯t too different from people of that side. I guessed he was just a thug who luckily had talent. Most likely he had acquaintance in the underworld and heard about me from there.


    You could obtain this much information in less than a minute if you had vigilance. Even without using Appraisal, I didn¡¯t feel any sign of this man concealing his actual strength. This man didn¡¯t worth much, exactly like his appearance suggested.


    Then I had no more business with him. I just sent a single glance at him before walking toward the old gentleman. Then the ignored man¡¯s presence swelled up a little.


    ¡¸Oi, don¡¯t act cocky you little girl. Say something, c¡¯mon.¡¹


    It seemed that I had touched his nerve. Even his proper way of speaking at the beginning was taken off and replaced with a thuggish tone. If I was bothered I could just say something to end it peacefully but, no reason came to mind why I should be considerate about his mood.


    ¡¸Aria-sama, please keep this amicable¡­¡­¡¹


    The old gentleman who had ¡°seen¡± my combat strength sighed and asked politely. He wasn¡¯t worried about me, but the man¡¯s health.


    I too didn¡¯t actually want to cause bloodshed at the first day.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t make the floor dirty.¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹


    My upper body turned back while my left arm rose quickly. The light warrior looked alert just for an instant. But it was too late. My attack couldn¡¯t be blocked unless he had moved to dodge or defend when I raised my arm.


    *Gatsun!*


    ¡¸©¤©¤Gah!?¡¹


    The weight type pendulum came out from my Storage at the same time with my arm moving up. It swung down on the top of the man¡¯s head following the movement of my hand swinging down.


    ¡¸¡­¡­aga¡­¡­¡¹


    The man fell on his knee from the attack. I didn¡¯t plan to kill him but the man was still glaring at me while kneeling. Perhaps I had gone too easy on him. I sighed.


    ¡­¡­Perhaps I should just kill him.


    When I looked at him with such intention, the man¡¯s face twitched slightly and gradually turned white. But just before I carried out my intention, I heard the voice of an unfamiliar woman.


    ¡¸Restrain this man-, quick!¡¹


    ¡¸W-what are you doing, let me goooo!¡¹


    With those words, the guard who was staying still until now pinned down the man and dragged him somewhere else without him being unable to resist satisfactorily after getting his head struck.


    Let alone the guild, usually even guards wouldn¡¯t move to interfere with a quarrel between adventurers. Even if it resulted in punishment, at best it would only be lowered evaluation from the guild. Sometimes it was because there wasn¡¯t anybody who could stop high ranked adventurer, but more than that it was because the life of ruffian like adventurer was far cheaper than the ordinary citizen.


    The guard in the guild was also there for the sake of client who might get dragged into trouble with adventurer, so they wouldn¡¯t move even in a case like this time. Even that old gentleman only tried to stop me, but he didn¡¯t do anything to make the guard acted.


    Was the reason that guard moved because I was involved with ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± that received request even from the country itself, or because it was ¡°me¡± who was here¡­¡­.


    In that case, who was that person who ordered guard around?


    ¡¸Tabatha-dono, why are you here?¡¹


    ¡¸I was afraid that blood would be spilled if thing kept going like that, so please excuse me for interfering like that. I shall take care of this person¡¯s business from now, so you can leave this to me.¡¹


    ¡¸Isn¡¯t this out of your jurisdiction¡­¡­?¡¹


    They should be a fellow staff of this guild, but the old gentleman looked at the woman who gave the guard order with a quizzical look. The woman herself only dodged the question without any change in her expression.


    ¡¸That, is not something that is your concern. Leave quickly.¡¹


    ¡¸Very well¡­¡­¡¹


    After the woman settled the matter with the old gentleman, she turned back toward me and smiled sweetly.


    ¡¸Are you ¡°Ash Crowned¡±¡­¡­Aria-sama?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Uh huh.¡¹


    The woman looked at my hair to check and said that. I replied while narrowing my eyes just a little.


    This person¡­¡­she¡¯s strong. She wasn¡¯t even a receptionist and also not a staff. She was wearing a loose robe so I couldn¡¯t use Appraisal on her accurately but, I felt that she was as strong as Sera who was in the black ops.


    Someone who wasn¡¯t a staff of adventurer guild but in the position of being able to order the staff¡­¡­who is she? That woman seemed to notice my wariness and her smile stiffened a little before she quietly bowed her head.


    ¡¸My apologies, Aria-sama. We are attracting quite a bit of attention here so, can we move this conversation inside?¡¹


    .


    I was shown into a room that seemed to be a reception room and made to wait around half an hour before that woman returned into the room carrying some documents.


    ¡¸Forgive me for making you wait, Aria-sama. ¡­¡­Does this drink not suited for your taste?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m not thirsty.¡¹


    On the table in front of the sofa where I was sitting was a cup of what seemed to be herb tea that the woman brewed before she left the room. It had been left untouched while growing cold.


    ¡¸I see.¡¹


    But the woman didn¡¯t look offended by that and said that while smiling. Then she finally got down to business.


    ¡¸Please allow me to introduce myself once more. My name is Tabatha, the one who happened to be appointed as the inspector for this guild.¡¹


    The woman who introduced herself as Tabatha said that and bowed her head lightly.


    ¡¸Inspector?¡¹


    I automatically muttered from hearing that unfamiliar word. Tabatha might interpret my mutter as a question and she started explaining.


    ¡¸Yes. You might have noticed but I¡¯m not a staff of the adventurer guild. I was dispatched from merchant guild that is also the adventurer guild¡¯s parent organization. Because of that, there are also those who don¡¯t think well of me, which was the reason why I took so much time outside.¡¹


    That was apparently the reason why I was made to wait here.


    But according to the ¡°knowledge¡± inside me, I thought that inspector was a role to monitor and investigate the internal situation within the same organization, but what kind of business someone with that position had with a mere adventurer like me?


    ¡¸I have heard about the matter of Aria-sama¡¯s ascension to rank 4. That in itself is not a problem. Originally a guild staff should verify it and take care of the procedure for becoming rank 4 but¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Is there a problem?¡¹


    Tabatha hesitated a little. She continued speaking after I urged her.


    ¡¸My job as an inspector from the merchant guild is inspecting the financial affairs of this guild but, actually my role also include monitoring whether there is influence of some particular nobles reaching inside the guild or not. Because of that sometimes the person holding this job will also be exposed to danger and it became required for the holder of the post to possess strength to some degree.¡¹


    It seemed that Tabatha wanted to apologize for how her combat strength had made me wary. But it wasn¡¯t like I was bothered by that at this point.


    ¡¸This time the influence of a noble is becoming problematic.¡¹


    Let me try summarizing the talk that Tabatha explained to me.


    When adventurer became first class, a lot of them would also became involved with noble.


    The nobles in this kingdom weren¡¯t monolithic. Even now they were divided into the royal family faction and the noble faction and in conflict with each other over various interests, but if a particular noble became influential within the guild, the information about the opposing noble would leak out and the guild would become impartial. Not only that, it seemed that it would also harm the reputation of the adventurer guild and merchant guild.


    ¡¸I understand that. But, what does that matter for me?¡¹


    ¡¸Those in the know knew that Rainbow Sword is close to a particular noble house. On the paper it¡¯s only a bodyguard request but, the talk that of the rank 5 party taking on a ¡°bodyguard¡± job that required them of going as far as adding a new member caused a higher-up of the adventurer guild to butt-in by questioning whether it¡¯s really fitting age-wise for Aria-sama to be promoted to rank 4.¡¹


    ¡¸Is that person in the side of the opposing faction?¡¹


    ¡¸It is my job to investigate about the veracity of that doubt, but most likely it¡¯s exactly like that.¡¹


    There was still no evidence but, it seemed that noble was trying to get in the way with the bodyguard request by obstructing my joining with the Rainbow Sword that was close to the opposing faction.


    ¡¸You¡¯re saying that the guild is meddling with party¡¯s composition?¡¹


    Although it was a rank 5 party, it was also made up from rank 4 like Viro. I don¡¯t think it would be a problem even if my rank stayed as 3 but¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Normally the guild won¡¯t but, because of Aria-sama¡¯s young age, the guild can also put in limitation using the excuse of protecting a young adventurer. Originally it¡¯s a limitation to prevent young adventurer to be treated like disposable item by malicious adventurer but, it could be misused like in this case.¡¹


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹


    The story of rookie getting worked like slave was something that I had been warned about when I registered in the adventurer guild.


    ¡¸Then it¡¯s not like I need to join Rainbow Sword.¡¹


    ¡¸Eh¡­¡­¡¹


    I said that and stood up. Tabatha looked taken aback for a moment.


    ¡¸My objective is with the ¡°work¡¯s detail¡±. It might become somewhat problematic but, I think the client will make contact with myself directly later.¡¹


    Viro said that the reputation of ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± would be necessary to be a guard for the royal family but, if the one who requested Viro to search for me was Sera, I should be able to participate in the job either way even if it took time.


    ¡¸P-please wait a second, Aria-sama!¡¹


    Tabatha hurriedly called at me to stop when I moved to exit the reception office.


    ¡¸When you said ¡°client¡±, are you referring to someone from the royal family?¡¹


    ¡¸Who knows? Not divulging such matter is also a part of the matter of ¡°reputation¡± correct?¡¹


    In fact, I had only been told about the job of guarding the royal family, so I didn¡¯t know anything about the noble house that was behind the request.


    As someone from the merchant guild, she must wished to confirm the detail about the request from the client of the Rainbow Sword if possible but, I had no intention of talking about something that Viro and his party hadn¡¯t told them.


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹


    Even so Tabatha seemed to be able to guess to some degree about what I was hiding. She fell into thought for several seconds before turning her gaze toward me once more.


    ¡¸Then Aria-sama¡­¡­can you accept a request from the merchant guild?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­What do you mean?¡¹


    ¡¸Allow me to explain about that and more.¡¹


    The request from Tabatha and the merchant guild was simply doing a job from Tabatha. Doing the job itself was the content of the request.


    In other words the actual content of the job didn¡¯t matter. The fact that I did a job that Tabatha requested would be used as evidence that there was no problem with me being rank 4. With my rank increased, my joining into the ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± would be recognized under the merchant guild¡¯s name.


    With that the higher up of the adventurer guild who was influenced by the noble would contact his employer. Tabatha would confirm which noble house it was and dismissed the guild higher up. That was her objective.


    With that I would be able to avoid troublesome matter and got the spot as Elena¡¯s guard¡­¡­but.


    ¡¸How will I prove that there isn¡¯t any problem with my strength?¡¹


    ¡¸Of course, I will confirm it at the field.¡¹


    It seemed Tabatha who was as strong as rank 4 would come with me during the request. Of course that would be more expedient. And conveniently there was a request that the merchant guild would originally send to the adventurer guild. That request would be used for my rank 4 promotion test.


    I don¡¯t know whether the person who belonged to the opposing faction in the adventurer guild would accept that but, I too consented with that method.


    Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped. After all his was just me reaping what I sow.


    .


    The work that the merchant guild requested seemed to be an investigation of a coal mine that had been closed a very long time ago. It was located not that far from the capital.


    ¡¸Anyone should be fine if it¡¯s just for investigating an abandoned mine though?¡¹


    If it was an investigation of abandoned mine that was near the capital, rank 2 adventurer party should be the right sort for taking the request. The guild¡¯s atmosphere was flurried for some reason. We stealthily got out of the building from the rear entrance and got into Tabatha¡¯s carriage. When I asked Tabatha about my question, she nodded without giving any denial.


    ¡¸What I am going to say from here is something that is not known by many people even within the merchant guild, so please keep it to yourself. The closing of that coal mine happened more than a hundred years ago but, a merchant heard from a nearby village that monsters had settled in it and ordered his guard to check it out. It turned out they found that there was a sign of ¡°dungeonification¡± there.¡¹


    ¡¸Dungeon¡­¡­¡¹


    A dungeon was a place that was dungeonificated when an ancient hermit crab that turned into monster possessed the place, but its ecology was still not really understood.


    If it was a new young specimen that possessed the place then that would be fine but, if it was a specimen that had abandoned a ruins that was its shell somewhere else and drifted away to here, it might lure strong monsters to settle inside it. Such case was known to happen.


    We were doing this investigation secretly from the adventurer guild because Tabatha said that the way the merchant guild and adventurer guild would deal with this was different.


    ¡¸In adventurer guild¡¯s case, when a dungeon is discovered near human settlement, they will prioritize eliminating the dungeon itself after it has been investigated. But in the case of merchant guild, we will prioritize evaluating whether the dungeon has any worth or not.¡¹


    In the dungeon, things like minerals that were located deep underground would be turned into ¡°treasure¡±. Even in an abandoned mine where iron or coal couldn¡¯t be mined anymore, the ores underground would surface to a reachable position due to the stimulation from the dungeon. If there was silver there, it was even possible that it would get affected by the dungeon¡¯s mana and turned into ¡°mythril¡±.


    Mythril wouldn¡¯t rust or decay, and it had great strength even when it was thin, so it was suited to become armor. And if it was used as weapon using its nature that could transmit mana easily, the weapon would become able to inflict damage even on evil spirit or spiritual life-form.


    And the mythril itself had beautiful appearance. I had never seen it myself but, there was also myhtril coin that was decorated with beautiful design¡­¡­nicknamed the platinum coin. It had the price of ten times a large gold coin due to its rarity and artistic beauty.


    A dungeon could have that much value depending on the situation. But, there was also a possibility that the nearby village would get destroyed by the monsters the dungeon called. The adventurer guild couldn¡¯t possibly overlook such risk so they would choose to destroy the dungeon, while the merchant guild¡¯s thinking was that they could just move the whole village along with its residents if they got on the way.


    Tabatha and my job was to check whether that place had really gotten turned into dungeon or not, investigated the type and rank of the monsters, and the job also included removing the monsters if they were dangerous even if the place hadn¡¯t turned into dungeon.


    ¡¸What¡¯s your weapon Tabatha?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m a water element sorcerer. I¡¯m not as good as you when it comes to direct attack power, but I¡¯m good with defense so there is no need for you to protect me.¡¹


    Tabatha who was wearing a loose robe to hide her body curve really looked like a sorcerer. She didn¡¯t even have a single knife on her waist, so she might keep another weapon hidden somewhere or that was just how confident she was with ¡°herself¡±.


    .


    After that we arrived in a day at the abandoned mine that was said to be turning into dungeon. We didn¡¯t stop for food or camping and had meal of ready-made food that we bought at the capital, so we were able to arrive at night of the same day.


    It really wasn¡¯t that far away from the capital. It must be a vestige from the distant past that there was a coal mine this close to the capital, but there was still a village nearby even though this mine had been abandoned must be because that village was a wheat producing location to supply the capital with food.


    If a dungeon that called monsters to it was formed at such place, the village would be in danger unless a decision was quickly made whether to destroy or manage the dungeon.


    ¡­¡­That was only if there really was a dungeon here.


    It seemed Tabatha decided to head directly to the abandoned mine instead of stopping by at the village. I still didn¡¯t know how long it would take to investigate an abandoned mine, but there was no guarantee that we would be able to secure a lodging even if we arrived at the village this late, and I myself had no intention of wasting time.


    ¡¸Then, let¡¯s go inside.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    We left behind the carriage driver and entered the mine. There was no lighting but it was unnecessary for those with Night Vision.


    I went ahead with Tabatha following behind. It wasn¡¯t like I was knowledgeable about coal mine but, judging based on my ¡°knowledge¡±, this place seemed like a common coal mine. Even so it seemed like people still entered this place even after it became abandoned. There were some signs that the place had been ransacked like trace of rock surface being scrapped off and the like for several dozen meters from the entrance.


    ¡¸It doesn¡¯t look like there is anything here.¡¹


    If this place was turning into dungeon, there would be signs like the ground turning unnaturally flat, or trash getting absorbed, but I couldn¡¯t really see anything like that.


    ¡¸Perhaps the change is starting from the inside. Let¡¯s try entering further.¡¹


    ¡¸Got it.¡¹


    A dungeon would have a unique atmosphere, a feel like there was mana coiling around in the air, but there wasn¡¯t anything like that in this abandoned mine. That coiling mana made it harder to detect the existence of monster inside the dungeon, but there wasn¡¯t any monster in this place from the start.


    But, I was finally able to see a visible abnormality after getting deeper.


    ¡¸Is this¡­¡­a kobold?¡¹


    Tabatha grimaced seeing the corpse of a monster with dog head inside the darkness.


    It was possible that this rank 1 monster simply got lost into here but, this kobold was killed by a sharp weapon. There was also a rusty short sword lying nearby. And looking closer I could also see a trace of blood as though a fight had happened here.


    ¡¸That¡¯s a trace of monsters fighting each other. This might be a dungeon where humanoid monster gather, just like the large scale dungeon near Lester territory. Aria-sama, let¡¯s go deeper.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Right.¡¹


    A dungeon would have the trait of various places. Bug or animal monster would appear in forest area, bird or worm monster at rocky area, aquatic life form at waterside area. And at a place where human lived, humanoid monsters would appear in great number.


    With that in mind, it seemed that the dungeon here was filled with beastman type monster. Tabatha urged me who was investigating the kobold corpse to go deeper into the dungeon.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Aria-sama, what is that?¡¹


    Tabatha seemed to notice the smell on the way. She showed a dubious expression seeing me scattering liquid from a porcelain jar along the path of the abandoned mine.


    ¡¸Monster repellant. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not poisonous.¡¹


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹


    Perhaps she knew about how ¡°Ash Crowned¡± used poison to annihilate an assassin guild. I didn¡¯t know whether she feared that or she was simply vigilant but, this thing really wasn¡¯t a poison.


    There was another kobold¡¯s corpse when we went deeper. But, there wasn¡¯t any corpse of the monster that defeated the kobold. The kobold corpses also weren¡¯t that many.


    Even so Tabatha and I kept going deeper without hitting any dead end even once. And then there was a crossroad that seemed to double as a place to dump accumulated rock and soil. The instant I stepped into that place©¤©¤


    *Hyun!*


    There was a faint sound of something slicing through the air. I was on my guard and jumped to dodge, at the same time an arrow hit the rock wall behind me with a loud sound.


    I used martial art to dodge the arrows that kept on coming while checking the spots the arrows originated from. ©¤©¤Four, five, six¡­¡­.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shadow©¤©¤¡¹


    A phantom to trick Night Vision inside darkness appeared. The arrows that were fired in turn were diverted to it. I aimed at the moment all the arrows had been fired and rushed forward and swung the weight type pendulum at the spaces where the arrows were fired from using Stealth.


    ¡º©¤©¤!?¡»


    *GAN-!*


    Two presences moved to dodge, while the third presence blocked the pendulum and repelled it.


    I felt the presences panicking and fired arrows once more but, the arrows lacked the precision from before and I planned to rush forward using the phantom as bait, but right at that moment, a ¡°linear¡± killing intent burst from behind me and I somersaulted to dodge.


    There was no new enemy from the entrance. But, you were there.


    ¡¸Is that your weapon? ¡­¡­Tabatha¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Unbelievable. You knew?¡¹


    Tabatha really looked disbelieving while swinging around a thin silver chain with thorny weight attached at the end. A string controlled weapon similar like mine¡­¡­most likely it wasn¡¯t made from silver but mythril.


    ¡¸How can I trust someone who doesn¡¯t turn on ¡°light¡± when investigating a coal mine?¡¹


    It wouldn¡¯t be strange for someone as strong as Tabatha to have Night Vision but, it was just too unnatural.


    Besides you were too vigilance against me. Even if you actually weren¡¯t my enemy, it was impossible to feel heartfelt trust toward someone who was wary like that at me.


    There were also other reason but, Tabatha looked convinced even while still looking disbelieving.


    ¡¸Should I say, as expected from the ¡°Ash Crowned¡±? I already heard but, you¡¯re really a troublesome opponent. You guys, turn on the light! This girl is more dangerous than you guys!¡¹


    Tabatha yelled that. It seemed she thought that the darkness would be advantageous for me. Then fire and magical light lit up around us and the figures of the attackers came into view.


    As I thought, this place wasn¡¯t a dungeon but a place where an ambush ¡°trap¡± was laid out.


    Based on my feeling all of them had combat strength around 300¡­¡­lower rank 3 huh. Six women at the age range of teenage until twenties, wearing blackly dyed leather armor. They were readying their bow while glaring at me as though I had killed their parent.


    No, that wasn¡¯t really a wrong expression. Several of them had trace of burn injury that hadn¡¯t vanished completely.


    ¡¸Remnant of assassin guild.¡¹


    I could feel their nervousness when I let out those words.


    ¡¸Calm down-!¡¹


    But when Tabatha raised her voice with scolding tone, the slight opening that they showed was closed. They readied themselves for any strange movement that I could make while slowly taking position to surround me. All of them threw away their bow and readied short sword or short spear instead.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Really sharp aren¡¯t you, Ash Crowned. It¡¯s just like you guessed, these guys are survivor from the northern frontier district branch. By the way how did you notice that this is a trap I wonder?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Revenge huh.¡¹


    I ignored Tabatha¡¯s question and looked at my surrounding. She shrugged with a casual gesture seeing my response.


    ¡¸That¡¯s their reason. Nearly six years ago, I transferred from that branch to the central branch here, so I don¡¯t have any grudge with you. I didn¡¯t see eye to eye with that Dino¡­¡­. To be honest I laughed when I heard that guy was crushed the moment he became the branch head.¡¹


    ¡¸Big sis-!¡¹


    The young woman from the former northern frontier branch raised her voice hearing those words that mocked her former home, but Tabatha only glared at that woman with annoyance.


    ¡¸Annoying¡­¡­. I took the trouble to make use of you all when you came to me for help in deference of our old friendship you know? Do you understand that?¡¹


    Tabatha sighed in displeasure. She ruffled her hair even while keeping her vigilance toward me.


    ¡¸Well, doesn¡¯t matter. I also have business with you. Can you tell me what is the royal family faction is planning? But, it¡¯s fine even if you don¡¯t answer me right away. Though you¡¯ll get tortured by these girls who hold grudge with you in that case. You all, you know what to do-!!¡¹


    ¡¸¡¸¡¸Yes!¡¹¡¹¡¹


    The first young woman shrunk back from Tabatha¡¯s words while the other women also hurriedly replied back. The women were hiding their face with mask, but just from their reaction it was clear that they were really scared of Tabatha.


    Tabatha infiltrated the adventurer guild¡­¡­no, the merchant guild was to investigate the royal family faction¡¯s movement? Even so there was no way someone from assassin guild could infiltrate easily, so even inside the merchant guild there should be Tabatha¡¯s client, a faction that was under the influence of the noble faction.


    It was obvious what kind of request that the noble faction would pay an assassin to do.


    Assassination of royal family¡­¡­.


    I kept up my guard with just my gaze, in contrast Tabatha took position that blocked the entrance, while the women moved silently to surround me.


    If someone lost their patience and made a move, a gap would be opened there but, the experienced veteran Tabatha had completely controlled the women and didn¡¯t allow such blunder from occurring.


    ¡¸Now, Ash Crowned, surrender obediently. You don¡¯t think that you can win in this situation when you don¡¯t even have a plan right? I might kill you painlessly if you talk honestly you know? That too will depend on them though but©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸©¤©¤Pain©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu!?¡¹


    Tabatha stiffened from the Pain that I casted. But, she must have also obtained information about me. There was the feeling like something was blocking me. Tabatha backed away to take distance from me.


    I too from the start never thought that I would be able to kill a rank 4 like her with one hit. That was why I made her took a bit of distance from me.


    ©¤©¤*Hyun!*


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu!?¡¹


    I threw the weight type pendulum the instant everyone¡¯s focus was directed at Tabatha. It grazed the side of the head of the first young woman. She tried to dodge the knife from me who rushed toward her, but it still tore at the side of her stomach.


    I stopped the rank 4 for an instant. Everyone¡¯s attention was directed to that Tabatha for an instant. If there was that much ¡°time¡±, I could kill at least one person.


    But, I didn¡¯t kill her yet.


    ¡¸Youu!¡¹


    A woman rushed from the side with a look of anger. I blocked her short spear with my dagger. I leaped back and slipped out from the encirclement.


    I never underestimated these women from the start. Even just Tabatha alone was as strong as me. And these six women, although they weren¡¯t as strong as Keira of the assassin guild, with all six of them at rank 3 even though at lower scale, it would be difficult even to just run away just as Tabatha said.


    That was why at the start I intentionally inflicted a heavy injury at the weakest one.


    The woman had her stomach slashed and her head hit. She would definitely die if she was left alone.


    The assassins at the base of that assassin guild branch would most likely abandon her. But, these women survived that situation and harbored strong feeling of fellowship toward each other. That was why they chose to ¡°take revenge¡± despite being residents of the underworld. Such action didn¡¯t befit an assassin. That was exactly why they would be concerned with their heavily injured comrade.


    You guys were elated from having the advantage and gave me too much information.


    ¡¸Stop her!¡¹


    Tabatha recovered from the illusionary pain and yelled. The women rushed at me with their weapon at the ready.


    My close quarter combat skill was still level 3 although I had become rank 4. Although my Martial Art and String Control had become level 4, it didn¡¯t give me overwhelming advantage in this situation.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t face her alone, surround her!¡¹


    *GIGINN!!*


    I blocked the short sword and short spear that attacked from left and right with knife and dagger. Tabatha rushed in at that moment and swung down her mythril weighted chain.


    The thorny weight would rip my flesh. It would cause a lot of bleeding even if I avoided lethal injury. The equipment that Gelf created might be able to block a hit but, I had no plan to test it out.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shadow Walker©¤©¤¡¹


    *GAKIN!*


    ¡¸What!?¡¹


    My figure vanished into shadow in that moment and the thorny weight struck the rock wall. At the same time I leaped out from Tabatha¡¯s shadow and swung my black knife©¤©¤


    *GIN!*


    The knife tore Tabatha¡¯s robe but something underneath it blocked the slash.


    ¡¸You¡¯ve really done it now, Ash Crowned!¡¹


    Tabatha discarded her robe. A chain mail that shined silver appeared below it.


    ¡­¡­That was also mythril huh. I thought that she wasn¡¯t a sorcerer right from the start but, the effect of Pain was weak must be because mythril that could transmit mana easily weakened my sorcery¡¯s effect using Tabatha¡¯s mana in it.


    ¡¸Troublesome brat!¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s my line.¡¹


    I was able to fight in equal footing until here but it still didn¡¯t change the fact that I was in disadvantage. Right now one woman had stepped out of the fight completely to give emergency treatment to the heavily injured woman, but she too would return immediately after she finished the treatment.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t let the Ash Crowned do anything! She doesn¡¯t has any plan anyway!¡¹


    Tabatha frowned seeing two women out of the fight, even so she gave instruction to the remaining women. At the same time she swung her thorny weight. I deflected it with my dagger but I was being slightly pushed back due to the slight difference in our skill.


    The women aimed at that opening and attacked. I couldn¡¯t dodge them all completely and got my arm and shoulder grazed.


    Just as Tabatha said, certainly it would be difficult to handle attacks from five people in a cramped place like this without any plan. But¡­¡­who said that I didn¡¯t have any plan?


    ¡¸Die Ash Crowned!¡¹


    The women attacked with their grudge driving them stronger than Tabatha¡¯s instruction. I escaped to above in order to dodge them. Tabatha¡¯s thorny weight attacked me at that timing.


    ¡¸It¡¯s over, Ash Crowned!¡¹


    I kicked on the air at that moment and dodged the thorny weight using the recoil of that movement©¤©¤


    ¡¸©¤©¤Fire©¤©¤¡¹


    I lit the piece of cloth I took out from my Storage, wrapped it around a throwing knife, and threw it at Tabatha.


    ¡¸You¡¯ve lost your mind!¡¹


    Tabatha¡¯s eyes widened for a moment seeing my evasion, but then she calmly dodged my throwing knife without even deflecting it.


    But Tabatha, what was behind you? You were at the direction of the entrance in order to prevent me from getting away. Over there©¤©¤


    ¡¸What!?¡¹


    Flame burst out from there. It wasn¡¯t a strong fire. But, it would definitely spread if it was left alone. In this narrow passage, the toxin from fire would deal serious damage.


    I could endure it just a little. I would also be able to reduce the toxin I inhaled if I covered my mouth with my shawl that was knitted from spider string. But¡­¡­what about you guys?


    ¡¸Are you insane!? How can you use fire attack even in this kind of place!¡¹


    Certainly I also used fire attack when crushing the northern frontier branch. It wasn¡¯t intentional but I was lucky. The surviving women who still had burn mark on their body was clearly starting to behave oddly.


    ¡¸It wasn¡¯t poison right?¡¹


    ¡¸This isn¡¯t funny!¡¹


    The origin of the fire was the ¡°oil¡± that I scattered on the way here. Fear of fire came from the heat and the poison that was generated from it but, the greatest trap that I laid out was the ¡°anxiety¡± that was caused by the fear of getting dragged into fire.


    Anxiety would reduce one¡¯s strength and dulled their judgment. As proof Tabatha didn¡¯t even notice that the women were slowing down from their trauma. She also swung her thorny weight with a crude movement.


    Your strength was above me if it was in close quarter combat. But we were even if it was in String Control skill. I had the advantage in the current situation.


    ¡¸Wha-!?¡¹


    My pendulum and the thorny weight¡¯s chain fought each other with our respective String Control©¤©¤


    ¡¸©¤©¤Hih!?¡¹


    When the string entwined around the neck of one of the panicked women. In that instant, her neck was strangled because Tabatha and my hand pulled as though to drag a prey to ourselves. Her neck broke.


    With this one down©¤©¤.


    ¡¸You¡¯ve done it now!¡¹


    Tabatha didn¡¯t stop and pulled her chain. Her physical strength dragged the woman¡¯s corpse together with me toward her. While I lost my balance, Tabatha drew out the short sword on her waist and swung it toward me.


    It would be difficult for me to dodge it in my current situation. I made an instantaneous judgment to give up doing counterattack and focused on defending. But suddenly a powerful ¡°pressure¡± burst out from behind Tabatha in that moment.


    ¡¸What-!?¡¹


    ¡¸Tsu!¡¹


    Tabatha and I stopped moving from the intense pressure. There was only the flame that I lit up behind Tabatha. I lit fire in the passage to not allow Tabatha and the women to run away, but it was also to prevent the carriage driver outside who was possibly also Tabatha¡¯s comrade from going in.


    In that case, who was it who entered into this abandoned mine without even caring about the flame?


    The next moment, a large man who was clad in mana and a cloak cut through the flame to rush inside. That man discarded his cloak that got caught in fire and pulled the great sword on his back to disperse the flame.


    ¡¸¡­¡­This is an unexpected situation but, who¡¯s the bad guy here?¡¹


    The person who said that and pointed his huge sword toward us was©¤©¤


    ¡¸¡­¡­Feld?¡¹

 Volume 4 - CH 2

    ¡¸You, I know you¡­¡­¡¹


    Feld seemed to hear my mutter. His gaze moved toward me for an instant and his eyes widened slightly in the middle of speaking.


    ¡¸Aa, I met you before at the capital, the young but strong adventurer! Long time no see¡­¡­what¡¯s more you¡¯ve gotten even stronger now. Even I might be in danger if I don¡¯t take you on seriously¡­¡­and?¡¹


    Feld talked with a lively tone that lacked any tension, even so he kept everyone within his line of sight that narrowed in vigilance.


    ¡¸What¡¯s the situation? It¡¯s insane that the inside of an abandoned mine like this in fire you know?¡¹


    .


    ¨‹Feld¡¡Race£ºHuman?Rank 5


    ¡¾Magic Power : 212/225¡¿¡÷ 30 UP¡¾Stamina : 357/370¡¿¡÷ 20 UP


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 1494 (With Body Strengthening : 1908)¡¿¡÷ 116 UP


    .


    His combat strength had also increased greatly compared to three years ago. Judging from the rate of increase, he must have obtained some kind of physical skill, his sorcery level had also gone up, with his combat continuation capability and status¡¯s average value going up.


    Feld¡¯s appearance hadn¡¯t changed compared to three years ago. From the start he looked older than his actual age suggested, but come to think of it, he was still twenty years old three years ago, so considering his age, I should consider his growth in strength as reasonable.


    But, why was Feld in this kind of place? I think he would understand the situation if I explained to him in detail but, it would be difficult to do that in this situation.


    But, it was then©¤©¤


    ¡¸©¤©¤Tsu, mister adventurer, I¡¯m a guild staff! This woman suddenly set this place on fire and attacked us! Please help!¡¹


    Tabatha evaluated Feld¡¯s strength and put on an act to make Feld her ally. Hearing that Feld glanced at Tabatha and nodded a little.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Certainly, I once saw you at the guild.¡¹


    A faint smile formed on Tabatha¡¯s lips when she hard Feld¡¯s muttering.


    Who to trust in this situation? I too might be able to make him trust me if I brought out Viro¡¯s name here as a member of ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± but¡­¡­if it was me it would be fifty-fifty whether I would trust that or not.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I understand the situation.¡¹


    Feld covered his mouth with a cloth to block the smoke while turning only his gaze toward me. The point of the great sword that was being held with just a single hand without shaking even a little shook slightly as though it was the signal.


    *GOOO!*


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu!¡¹


    The powerful sword blew away the smoke as it attacked Tabatha. Tabatha jumped to just barely avoid the blade of the great sword that Feld swung.


    ¡¸Mister adventurer, what are you doing!?¡¹


    ¡¸Sorry but, I¡¯m not so stupid that I can¡¯t see what¡¯s actually going on.¡¹


    Feld answered Tabatha¡¯s yell. I used Stealth and made my move the moment he swung his great sword. While everyone¡¯s attention was gathered on Feld, I circled behind a woman and snapped her neck by putting my arm around it.


    ¡¸Ash Crowned-!¡¹


    Tabatha raised her voice once more seeing that. Feld sighed with a frown seeing her showing an overreaction when a clearly ¡°suspicious woman¡± wearing all black and a mask getting killed.


    ¡¸¡­¡­As I thought. I received an emergency request from the guild¡¯s vice leader the moment I entered the adventurer guild. It looks like I made the right decision rushing here.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­A request?¡¹


    Tabatha discarded her fake expression and glared. Feld pointed his sword with composure as ¡°the strong¡± toward her without any tension even knowing how strong she actually was.


    ¡¸I was told that the adventurer who is going to become our new party member got led away by a ¡°staff with suspicious behavior¡±. The vice leader said that you might be a spy for a noble or someone from assassin guild. Which one are you?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Tabatha didn¡¯t answer and gritted her teeth like an animal baring her fangs.


    Most likely she was both. Was that old gentleman the guild¡¯s vice leader? He looked like he didn¡¯t hold any good impression toward Tabatha since the start but, he had been suspecting him from the start?


    ¡¸You have been watched since the start. You were also unable to obtain information right? They were waiting for you to make your move. The carriage driver outside has also been captured by the guild staff who came with me. Throw away your weapon and surrender quietly.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­tsk!¡¹


    Tabatha clicked her tongue knowing that her plan had crumbled.


    She was overconfident with her own ability. She thought that using her beauty and good outer appearance, she could even smooth over some unnaturalness in her part¡­¡­. In fact, the adventurer guild was unable to catch her until she made her move despite being under suspicion, so her acting performance was actually not that bad.


    But, being relied on by the survivors of her old haunt and seeing that their target which was me actually showed up at the guild caused her greed in the form of ¡ºconceit¡» to rear its ugly head.


    From Tabatha¡¯s conduct, I felt that she was someone who sought praise and envy from other people. That was exactly why she couldn¡¯t see eye to eye with Dino who had the same nature like her. The way she was strongly controlling of the surviving younger women who relied on her must be also to show that she was the boss in order to satisfy her conceit.


    ¡¸Gohg¡­¡­shit!¡¹


    The blazing flame from the entrance produced black smoke. Although the space inside here was still wide, unlike me who had prepared countermeasure from the start and Feld who came later, Tabatha and her subordinates were already starting to inhale too much smoke.


    ¡¸You guys, how long you¡¯re going to just stand around like that-! We all are going to die without anything to show for it at this rate!¡¹


    Tabatha too knew that they had no time and yelled anxiously at the women without any care of how it made her looked.


    ¡¸Y-yes-¡¹


    ¡¸Ash Crowned, even if it¡¯s just you alone-!¡¹


    Two of the survivor women became desperate after Tabatha¡¯s scolding and rushed forward.


    I narrowed my eyes seeing them like that. Taking revenge for their comrades. Suicide attack in a dire situation. Human would exhibit extraordinary power when they were cornered. I was like that. That was why I didn¡¯t let my guard down. But you see¡­¡­.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Gah!?¡¹


    Without averting my gaze, I dodged the short sword of the woman who charged at me. I stepped in as we passed each other and my elbow caved in the woman¡¯s face.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t try to exchange your life for your enemy¡¯s when you can¡¯t conquer your fear of death.¡¹


    If you treasured your life so much that you would became desperate like that, you should live quietly while holding strongly to that rather than doing this.


    ¡¸Hih¡­¡­¡¹


    Rank 3 meant that they had became skilled in the path they chose. Seeing someone of that rank getting instantly killed because she lacked a little composure made the other woman be overwhelmed with fear and she ran toward her boss Tabatha looking for help.


    ¡¸B-big sis-¡¹


    ¡¸You dare running away¡­¡­¡¹


    *Ga-!*


    ¡¸!?¡¹


    ¡¸You-!¡¹


    Tabatha kicked that woman who wanted to rely on her toward Feld who was blocking the exit. Feld swiftly knocked her down with his great sword. But, Tabatha took advantage of that short opening to dash toward the blazing flame.


    ¡¸©¤©¤VeilWater Robe©¤©¤¡¹


    It seemed that she was honest when she said before this that she could use water sorcery. She covered her body with level 2 water sorcery. That sorcery granted resistance against natural phenomenon like fire or blizzard. Certainly if she used that sorcery and her myhtril chain mail, it was possible she could survive even if she would get burned somewhat.


    Even Feld who was nearby couldn¡¯t stop her. Tabatha who wanted to survive even if she had to abandon the women who relied on her jumped into the flame while laughing mockingly at us who got left behind inside the flame.


    ¡¸Get burned by your own flame, Ash Crowned-! Ahahaha©¤©¤¡¹


    That moment©¤©¤


    The multiple porcelain jars that I threw after Tabatha when she leaped into the flame entered her sight.


    ¡¸Did you think I run out of oil jar?¡¹


    *Pakin!*


    ¡¸©¤©¤aAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?¡¹


    The oil jars that were thrown into flame broke and large burst of flame whirled up, enveloping Tabatha. The amount of water covering her was completely insufficient. She screamed with the sound of water evaporating accompanying it.


    ¡¸There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll let you get away.¡¹


    I never thought that other people wouldn¡¯t be able to do what I could. That was why, I took into consideration that you would run away and prepared for that. I wouldn¡¯t allow a troublesome enemy like you got away.


    I didn¡¯t know whether you could still listen or not in that state but, Tabatha, I was able to prepare my trap this thoroughly was¡­¡­thanks to the information that you gave me at the beginning.


    ¡¸Only someone related to that branch guild before I destroyed it would call me as ¡ºAsh Crowned¡» even now.¡¹


    That alone was enough to be my reason to suspect you. That was why I treated you as an enemy right from the ¡°start¡± when we met at the adventurer guild.


    I didn¡¯t know whether she could hear my words but, Tabatha slowly fell down inside the flame.


    .


    ¡¸Oi, what¡¯re you doing? Even us can¡¯t run away from here like this-!¡¹


    Feld hurriedly took distance from Tabatha who vanished inside the flame. He looked at me with a protesting look. Even someone who charged through flame to reach this spot couldn¡¯t possibly escape when the flame had gotten this large.


    Some of the women might still be alive but, the flame had already spread around us. This wasn¡¯t the time at all to think about finishing them off, after all even our lives were in danger right now.


    ¡¸It¡¯s fine. Grab on me.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­What¡¯re you going to do?¡¹


    Feld must be uneasy with holding on a small girl like me but, he grabbed on my shoulder after a bit of hesitation. I handed to Feld a pendulum that was tied to a string that had been given fireproof treatment.


    ¡¸Oi, what¡¯s this?¡¹


    ¡¸Feld can throw a hatchet right? Throw this with all your strength to the exit. Quick.¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t get it at all but¡­¡­¡¹


    Feld believed on me even in the middle of this perplexing situation. He tied the pendulum on his hatchet and threw it with all his strength toward the exit.


    I had thought of how to escape from the start. It would be a bit heavy with the two of us but, we would make it somehow with my current amount of mana.


    .


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shadow Walker©¤©¤¡¹


    ***


    ¡¸Aria-sama, my apologies for getting you involved in our internal matter.¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t mind.¡¹


    I was able to defeat the troublesome avengers and another separate attacker. It saved me time, and the adventurer guild had also taken the proper action quickly by contacting ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± when they noticed the suspicious activity.


    The adventure guild¡¯s vice leader, the old gentleman told me more about this matter. In summary, that Tabatha was dispatched from the merchant guild, but even the person who recommended her was unclear.


    It was thought as a forceful insistence from a noble house but, it seemed the merchant guild claimed that they didn¡¯t know which noble it was.


    An unknown person was appointed as an inspector, on top of that Tabatha¡¯s own action was also suspicious. And so the adventurer guild assigned a scout that specialized in monitoring to watch Tabatha. It was that scout who led Feld until that abandoned mine.


    From here it was just speculation but, the reason Tabatha infiltrated the guild must be to investigate the movement of the royal family that started taking action behind closed doors. If ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± that was in the middle of taking a break also started moving at the same time period, it was natural for them to suspect that there was relation between the two.


    But, Tabatha set her sight on me who was going to join ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± because of her inability to obtain information due to the adventurer guild¡¯s suspicion on her. Most likely it was just a coincidence that the survivors of the former northern frontier branch relied on her, but with that Tabatha obtained some disposable pawns that she could use.


    In the end, we didn¡¯t learn which noble house was targeting the royal family. Even so there was a large possibility that an assassination plan was going to be carried out toward the royal family.


    ¡¸Viro will inform the black ops about that matter. It¡¯s not a confirmed information but, the black ops too will be on their guard if they know there is a possibility of an attack.¡¹


    Feld who was listening together with me took responsibility for that matter. Viro¡¯s job increased more with this but if it was him then the information should be conveyed well to the black ops.


    .


    ¡¸©¤©¤Illusion©¤©¤¡¹


    At the training ground of the adventurer guild, I chanted a level 4 darkness magic and projected a lot of flower petals whirling around me. The weighted pendulum dispelled those flower projections and smashed a log, then the cutting type pendulum carved a deep fissure on it. The staffs of the adventurer guild let out voices of admiration toward the performance.


    It was a promotion exam for adventurer rank but, apparently even the capital¡¯s guild only held such exam for rank 4 or above once every several years. Many staffs came to observe.


    Feld who was also among them to observe nodded in admiration.


    ¡¸I see, I was curious what kind of person you are because that Viro was unusually proud when boasting of you as his student, but after seeing this I can understand why he acted like that.¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s still hard for me to do this in real battle though.¡¹


    I could only do it when it was in a calm situation, but it was still unclear whether I would be able to do level 4 darkness sorcery and level 4 String Control simultaneously in the middle of battle. If I was able to use these consistently, I should be able to beat Tabatha even without relying on fire.


    Feld¡¯s large back when he walked away during that sunset was my goal. I thought that I had grown a little stronger by becoming rank 4 but, his back was still far away.


    ¡¸I don¡¯t think so but¡­¡­well, it doesn¡¯t matter, I look forward to work together with you, Aria.¡¹


    ¡¸Uh huh.¡¹


    As I thought, Feld was a swordsman of ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± that Viro belonged to. It seemed that he was given an emergency quest when he showed up at the guild right after I left with Tabatha to the abandoned mine.


    The other members of Rainbow Sword were the scout Viro, and then the elf and spirit user Mira who I had met before, and the leader Dalton who was a dwarf. The latter two were the founding members who created Rainbow Sword together with the magician Samantha.


    This party had continued for nearly a hundred years even though it contained both a dwarf and an elf¡­¡­. But what was even more shocking was how Samantha continued to be adventurer literally a hundred year despite being human.


    But as expected, thinking of the roles of the members, the party¡¯s tactic would lack versatility without a sorcerer in it. The challenge would be of how to compensate for that using spirit magic and my darkness magic.


    .


    I talked to Feld about that thinking of mine while walking. He nodded with a pondering look.


    ¡¸Even so, Dalton judged that our party can work if we have a member who can use light sorcery. Because of that I trained my light sorcery to level 1 and fire sorcery to level 2, but there are spells that I can¡¯t use yet, so to be honest, it¡¯s helpful that Aria joined our party.¡¹


    ¡¸Is that so¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Your combat style seemed peculiar for Viro¡¯s disciple but, you also have your own teacher for sorcery huh. Even Samantha couldn¡¯t use darkness sorcery level 4 so I look forward to see what you can do.¡¹


    ¡¸Uh huh.¡¹


    Right now I was walking with Feld on the capital¡¯s street.


    The update to my adventurer rank had finished without any problem. That old gentleman believed that I would return and had prepared beforehand the tag for rank 4 with my name engraved.


    An adventurer¡¯s tag would be made from different material depending on the rank. Rank 1¡¯s tag was made from mere copper with a lot of impurity but, magic iron would get mixed into it bit by bit starting from rank 2 and its color would become blacker.


    Even the rank 3¡¯s tag that I owned had looked quite black to me, but a rank 4¡¯s tag was practically pitch black, no different from the actual magic iron.


    A tag of magic iron wasn¡¯t something that could be created right away, but it seemed Viro had contacted them beforehand to ask for the tag to be prepared. ¡­¡­Viro is really capable. Even though from a kid¡¯s point of view he was a hopeless adult.


    My business was over with the incident taken care of and the rank update finished, but when I said that I would go to Gelf¡¯s shop to adjust my armor after that, Feld volunteered to show me the way seeing that I was still unfamiliar with the capital¡¯s layout. And so the two of us went together.


    Although Feld remembered meeting me at the capital before, he didn¡¯t remember that I was the street urchin he encountered at the highway before that.


    At that time I disguised myself as a boy and now my appearance and age looked completely different so his ignorance was understandable, but I myself also had no intention of bringing it up.


    Appearance wise I had grown up to look like a commoner who had come of age, furthermore I had formally joined his party, so Feld was treating me not as a kid but like an adult.


    Feld was so softhearted that he even taught a kid he didn¡¯t know how to survive without any ulterior motive. I trusted him as a ¡°person¡± just like I trusted master. Perhaps that was why, I might dread being treated like a child again if he learned that I was the kid at that time.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Somehow¡­¡­I was feeling nervous because it had been a long time since I walked with someone on the street.


    I didn¡¯t notice because I had been alone all this time but, perhaps this was what counted as normal? I too had grown bigger but, walking beside Feld who was far larger than me gave me a peace of mind somewhere inside me. It was a mysterious feeling that made me felt shy.


    It was a mysterious feeling but I didn¡¯t dislike it. But, even that stroll of just the two of us through the city didn¡¯t last for long.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Ah, Feld?¡¹


    ¡¸Ou, Mira.¡¹


    Was it a coincidence or an inevitability? I guessed it was an inevitability, because she was also an acquaintance of Gelf who we were going to visit. We ran across the elf Mira who previously worked together with Feld to guard some noble kids.


    ¡¸Eh? That girl there¡­¡­¡¹


    Mira noticed me who was hiding behind Feld¡¯s silhouette. Perhaps she sensed my stare on her.


    ¡¸Do you remember her? She¡¯s that adventurer that we took to that dwarf¡¯s armorer. She¡¯s Viro¡¯s disciple who entered our party, Aria.¡¹


    ¡¸Is that so? But this is great¡­¡­. I became the only girl after Samantha retired, so I¡¯m happy that you joined us. Nice to meet you, you can call me Mira.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes. Nice to meet you, Mira.¡¹


    The spirit user Mira. If I remembered right Mira was her pet name while her actual name was Miranda. All elves who lived inside forest were hunter. It seemed she was also really skilled with bow.


    It might be her sensitivity as elf. It seemed that for Mira, her and also Samantha were still in the category of ¡°girl¡±. She seemed to be genuinely happy that the number of girl had increased, because she was staring at me smilingly after Feld introduced me to her.


    ¡¸And where are you two going? To Dalton¡¯s place?¡¹


    ¡¸Aria is going to adjust her armor, so we¡¯re going to that armorer. Aria too hasn¡¯t come to the capital for a long time, so I¡¯m showing her the way.¡¹


    ¡¸Aa, Gelf¡¯s shop. Then I¡¯ll come together with you two. I also have business there.¡¹


    As I thought it seemed that this reunion was an inevitability. The two of us had no reason to refuse her and so the three of us headed together to Gelf¡¯s shop.


    Mira kept a friendly smile on her face while having some casual talk with Feld and I. Meanwhile the men around us were sending glances toward her.


    Master too had mentioned it about herself. Elf race had big pride and their self-esteem was also proportionally strong with that. But although Mira was from such race, she didn¡¯t give any such cutting impression. A lot of man got their eyes attracted toward Mira who looked like a twenty years old beauty.


    Their captivation might be especially caused by Mira¡¯s appearance that hinted of kindness and gentleness. Surely this kind of woman was the preference of man everywhere.


    ¡¸What¡¯s the matter, Aria?¡¹


    Feld called out to me who kept walking silently without really joining the conversation.


    ¡¸Hm? Just thinking that Mira is pretty¡­¡­Viro¡¯s girlfriend isn¡¯t Mira right?¡¹


    Was Feld¡¯s preference also a woman like Mira¡­¡­I also had such thought and asked the question that was in my mind. In respond Feld shook his head while Mira didn¡¯t notice.


    ¡¸No way, that¡¯s just not possible.¡¹


    Feld denied it with a strange look on his face. He brought his face closer to me who was more than thirty centimeter shorter than him and quietly told me.


    ¡¸Mira look young because she¡¯s an elf but, at the inside she¡¯s the same age like Samantha. She¡¯s different from the elves in the forest but¡­¡­to be blunt, she¡¯s a plain ¡ºauntie¡» at the inside.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­?¡¹


    I tilted my head because I heard a puzzling word for a moment there, but Feld didn¡¯t even notice my reaction and let out a long sigh.


    ¡¸You see¡­¡­Mira treated me and even Viro like children. She often shoved candy or the like into our pocket. And a lot of men came to woo her because of her appearance, but usually they would separate in three days.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Is that so.¡¹


    It seemed that her pleasant temperament wasn¡¯t because she had mellowed from living in human society for nearly a hundred years, but because she had completely turned into ¡ºauntie¡».


    Come to think of it, even though master still looked young like someone at their thirty, she was calling herself an ¡ºold woman¡» because she had lived too long in human country¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Aria, do you know about dark elf?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    I was startled for a moment, wondering whether I had let my thought slipped out. Even so I nodded without showing it on my face.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t ever bring up the topic of dark elf in front of Mira okay? I don¡¯t know why but, it seems she once got utterly made fun of by an excessively strong female demon in a battlefield of a country somewhere¡­¡­she¡¯s still holding a grudge about that.¡¹


    A strong female demon¡­¡­furthermore it was a dark elf with bad mouth. It reminded me of someone.


    ¡¸That¡¯s what I can tell you about Mira but, why did you suddenly get curious about that Aria?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Because a lot of men are looking at Mira.¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s always like this. But today there¡¯re also a lot of guys who¡¯re looking at you Aria. You also have beautiful look to you.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I sometimes got told that I had nice appearance but, I didn¡¯t really get it myself. But when Feld told me that, it made me felt a bit embarrassed partly because he treated me like adult.


    ¡¸Aa¡­¡­you know, you¡¯ll get lost if you¡¯re lost in thought in this kind of place, so don¡¯t get too distracted.¡¹


    Perhaps Feld also became embarrassed about his own words seeing me falling silent. He scratched his cheek with his finger.


    ¡¸Uh huh¡­¡­¡¹


    The capital was incomparably crowded compared with other city. It looked like my pace had really slowed down, so I reflexively pinched at Feld¡¯s cloth when he warned me of getting lost.


    ¡¸A-Aria?¡¹


    ¡¸Hm?¡¹


    What¡¯s the matter¡­¡­? I looked up at Feld from below while tilting my head asking if something was the matter. For some reason Feld¡¯s gaze wandered around for a bit before he averted his gaze.


    ¡¸¡­¡­No, it¡¯s nothing.¡¹


    .


    Like that I kept my hold on Feld who turned taciturn for some reason and we arrived at the shop of Gelf, the dwarf armorer.


    ¡¸Gelf, you there?¡¹


    ¡¸O~h my, Aria-chan and Mira-chan. And you two are bringing a fine man along with you.¡¹


    Gelf was wearing a tightly fit leather outfit that exposed a lot of skin like usual. He winked his eye that had long and pretty eyelashes. Feld who got called as a fine man took half a step back with twitching expression while Mira was smiling faintly.


    ¡¸Gelf, it¡¯s getting harder for my chest and waist to move in this outfit. Can you do something?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­This girl, your reaction is indifferent like usual. Well, that¡¯s alright, I thought that it was about time for you to grow bigger and already made a new outfit for you. Give it a try okay¡¹


    It seemed that Gelf had anticipate my growth and created new equipment for me. I got dragged to the back of the building again and he handed me the new equipment while collecting my current one.


    ¡¸I gave this equipment proper maintenance before this too but, you had gone through a really harsh fight aren¡¯t you? Even my armor isn¡¯t all powerful so you must take care of your body.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, sorry.¡¹


    ¡¸This new equipment is matched with your looks. The shape isn¡¯t that different from before but, I designed it too look more mature so it¡¯ll increase your ¡°defensive power¡± even more.¡¹


    ¡­¡­What defensive power?


    The shape of the new equipment was still a black dress with stand-up collar and no sleeve, but the material used the membrane of wyvern just like my previous equipment that apparently had its fireproof and waterproof improved to adapt even to harsh environment.


    Its shape was altered in small details to suit the growth of my body. The slit at the side of the skirt became even deeper and the skirt itself had lengthened from above knee to below knee. It was also made to be easy to flip so I could move easier.


    ¡¸Yep, you look great-!¡¹


    ¡¸Uh huh, it¡¯s really great.¡¹


    It was only a little but it had gotten lighter than before and easier to move in. I got the feeling that what Gelf and I were praising weren¡¯t the same, but we both liked it anyway so there was no problem.


    I returned back to the shop after I finished changing. Mira¡¯s eyes sparkled when she saw me.


    ¡¸As expected from Gelf-, Aria, you look really cute-!¡¹


    ¡¸That so?¡¹


    I didn¡¯t really get it myself but if Mira said that then it must be true. When I took out a knife from the slit that had gotten deeper to confirm the ease of its use, Feld averted his gaze a little.


    ¡¸Feld?¡¹


    ¡¸Aa¡­¡­yeah, it looks good I guess?¡¹


    Somehow I felt at ease when Feld said that. I pinched on his cloth before was also because I felt unconditionally safe if it was with him for some reason.


    Ah, I see¡­¡­I suddenly realized.


    ¡¸I feel at ease when I¡¯m together with Feld.¡¹


    When I casually muttered those words, Gelf¡¯s eyes widened, Mira¡¯s eyes twinkled for some reason, while Feld who was being told that had his gaze darting around without any composure.


    ¡¸I-is that so?¡¹


    ¡¸Uh huh¡­¡­you¡¯re like ¡°father¡±.¡¹


    Feld froze when I spoke of my honest feeling. Gelf and Mira pointed their finger at him while bursting into laughter.


    ¡­¡­Did I make some kind of mistake?


    ***


    One month passed since I arrived at the capital. The season had also changed completely into autumn and I turned eleven.


    For some reason I was staying in Gelf¡¯s house instead of an inn while getting my equipments serviced. I also asked Mira to introduce me to an alchemist so I could create medicine and the like. Mira too was well versed in herbs as befitting an elf and it seemed she was the one who created potion and the like with alchemy for the party, but she was really happy when she heard that I could create it.


    I became involved a lot with Mira and Gelf during this one month in the place of Feld who was dejected for some reason. I believed that Mira and I had opened up a lot with each other. ¡­¡­Well, sometimes she surprised me when stuffing candy that was wrapped in paper into my pocket though.


    When Feld recovered from his mysterious dejected state, I trained with him in the adventurer guild¡¯s training ground to confirm each other¡¯s fighting style. It was then I  was finally able to meet with Viro who hadn¡¯t showed himself until now along with the leader or Rainbow Sword, Dalton who seemed to be busy before this with coordinating with the noble for the request this time.


    Samantha had retired so she wasn¡¯t present but, it seemed that it had been several years since all members of ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± had gathered as a party.


    In the capital there was a mansion Dalton owned that was used to store items and the like that they gathered as a party. It seemed that the members of Rainbow Sword could use the mansion freely but, this was my first time getting inside.


    When I entered into the mansion together with Feld and Mira, we were greeted by Viro who looked somewhat tired and a large dwarf who looked clearly strong.


    ¡¸I¡¯m Dalton. Are you Aria, the disciple of this guy?¡¹


    ¡¸I learned the skill as scout from Viro.¡¹


    Dalton was different from the typical image of a dwarf that had small, short, and stout stature. He had an intimidating large body that he used to glare at me appraisingly.


    He was a dwarf, but apparently he wasn¡¯t a ¡ºrock dwarf¡» like Galbas or Gelf who lived in mine, but a ¡ºmountain dwarf¡» that lived in forest.


    The difference wasn¡¯t obvious in a glance like forest elf and dark elf. The difference could be spotted from their place of birth, body build, and personality.


    Most of the rock dwarves that lived in mine and worked as blacksmith didn¡¯t really have flexible mind and stubborn. They had a body build like a mass of muscle because they dove into cave and dug hole. In contrast mountain dwarf that lived in forest and worked as carpenter or jeweler had body build that was relatively similar with human. Many of them were skilled with detailed work and sociable.


    But Dalton who had been active as first class adventurer for more than a hundred years had height that was close to human with body width and muscle mass that surpassed rock dwarf. Even Feld who I thought as a muscular man looked slender compared to him.


    The various equipments lined up in this living room like the mythril full plate armor or giant warhammer would be difficult even to lift by the average warrior.


    Although I don¡¯t think that the average warrior would be able to collect these equipments that had the price that could buy a small castle.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Fumu¡¹


    Dalton stroked his beard that was shortly pruned like Gelf, which was a rarity among the dwarf. He stared fixedly at me while grinning.


    ¡¸I¡¯ve been wondering just how strong you actually are because Viro even boasted about you as his disciple but, I see now¡­¡­you pass if it¡¯s just your combat strength. But, we ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± is a prominent rank 5 party even in Claydale Kingdom and trusted even by noble. Your background or history doesn¡¯t matter but, if you¡¯re going to be one of us, at least show me that your ¡°guts¡± is fitting for that name.¡¹


    *DOONN!!*


    Instantly, ¡°killing intent¡± and ¡°Pressure¡± that even caused an ¡°auditory hallucination¡± of blasting sound burst out from Dalton.


    The pressure that was emitted by a rank 5 heavy warrior made him looked like a giant. Dalton instantly lifted up a warhammer that was as tall as him and swung it down toward me.


    This was the peak of rank 5¡­¡­. My body trembled in fear from that might intimidation. But, I too had faced the rank 5 Grave and mythical beast Nero before. I acted the instant I felt his killing intent by using body strengthening at full strength and rushed like a flying arrow.


    *BUONN!!*


    The air inside the room rattled from the defense and offense that happened in an instant. Wind whirled. Dalton¡¯s warhammer was touching my shoulder, while the tip of my black dagger stopped just several millimeter before Dalton¡¯s left eye.


    ¡¸Anymore than this and I¡¯ll fight to kill.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Ku-ku-ku, Viro, where the hell did you find someone like this? She definitely didn¡¯t study just from you alone.¡¹


    Dalton couldn¡¯t hold back and breakout laughing in front of my knife tip that didn¡¯t waver at the slightest and my pressure. He turned his gaze toward Viro.


    ¡¸That¡¯s insulting. Well, it seems Aria also has other teacher for sorcery, and the black ops Sera also instructed her once in the past, so even you might get ¡°devoured¡± if you let your guard down thinking of her just as a brat y¡¯know?¡¹


    ¡¸HAHAHA-, roger that! When I heard that Viro brought a girl who isn¡¯t even an adult yet, I was worried that you ran that way after getting jilted by mature woman too many times but, this girl is a nice find!¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s even more insulting oi!!¡¹


    ¡­¡­So he had that kind of thinking. It was just a short conversation but, I felt like I could see what kind of position Viro had in the party from it.


    Feld and Viro were breaking into cold sweat from the exchange between Dalton and me, even so they sighed after it was over while Mira whose was the only one in the party with low combat strength in close quarter clapped her hands cheerfully.


    Dalton easily lowered his warhammer and carelessly approached me who was still keeping my dagger unsheathed. He lightly patted my shoulder.


    ¡¸I like you! Welcome to ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±, Aria!!¡¹


    Like this I was officially accepted as a member of ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±. Several days later we departed to the territory of Duke Fudale in order to go to the island where the large scale dungeon was located.

 Volume 4 - CH 3

    We were riding Dalton¡¯s large high-speed carriage to travel to the territory of Duke Fudale from the capital.


    The carriage¡¯s appearance looked like it was a noble¡¯s carriage with its ornaments removed. But, the ornaments were remove in order to decrease the weight and increase the speed. It seemed that the cost of the carriage was about the same with the carriage that the royal family used.


    It had plain appearance but the exterior was processed with alchemy and sorcery it boasted an endurance that could endure even level 5 fire sorcery according to the calculation.


    ¡¸It actually never got hit by anything like that though.¡¹


    It was Viro who said that. It seemed that the carriage would be able to endure such attack but the next attack would put it out of commission.


    The lower part had hollow space around dozens of centimeter where weapons and equipments that couldn¡¯t be brought inside were stored. They could also be taken out from under the floor. The roof part was used as space to store spoils of war. Both spaces had their capacity increased using storage type darkness sorcery and also equipped with the function to reduce weight.


    The space between those two storages were for people to ride, but it had enough room that there was still enough space even after the large Dalton and Feld got in. It should be easy for the carriage to carry ten people.


    There were four horses pulling the carriage, but it seemed that the carriage also had magic tool to move it. It seemed that by using magic stone as fuel the carriage could run on its own to some degree.


    ¡¸Listen well Aria. You¡¯re recruited for your ability to use light sorcery but, we don¡¯t plan to waste your combat style. We¡¯ll have you act as scout most of the time.¡¹


    Dalton explained about my role inside the carriage.


    ¡¸What¡¯re we going to do for recovery during battle?¡¹


    ¡¸Recovery during battle is rare even when we got Samantha with us. Usually we just take care of it with potion after battle. If anyone is bothered with that method then they can learn it themselves just like Feld.¡¹


    I too didn¡¯t use healing in the middle of battle. I could use it if there was a chance but, there was also times when such opening could lead to death.


    ¡¸Aria, you¡¯ll heal only wound that might pose as obstacle for battle. But, all of us are fighters. It¡¯ll be pointless if you waste your mana and can¡¯t fight when needed. After all even with mana recovery potion, it¡¯s possible that its effectiveness will worsen if you keep drinking it several times in a day.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    I could agree with what he said so I had no objection. But, a party wouldn¡¯t be able to move smoothly if the role of each members weren¡¯t clear, whether it was for healing or for teamwork.


    The current composition of adventurer party ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± had this kind of form.


    .


    Heavy Warrior   Role: Tank and Attacker


    ¨‹Dalton Rockwall¡¡Race£ºMountain Dwarf?Rank 5


    ¡¾Magic Power : 250/250¡¿¡¾Stamina : 512/512¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 1940 (With Body Strengthening : 2420)¡¿


    .


    Swordsman   Role: Frontline Attacker


    ¨‹Feld Lewin¡¡Race£ºHuman?Rank 5


    ¡¾Magic Power : 212/225¡¿¡¾Stamina : 357/370¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 1494 (With Body Strengthening : 1908)¡¿


    .


    Scout ¨C Light Warrior   Role: Detecting enemy, removing trap, hit-and-run


    ¨‹Viro Dawn¡¡Race£ºHuman?Rank 4


    ¡¾Magic Power : 220/220¡¿¡÷10UP¡¾Stamina : 320/320¡¿¡÷10UP


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 1056 (With Body Strengthening : 1281)¡¿


    .


    Spirit User ¨C Archer   Role: Attack and defense with spirit magic, detecting enemy, hit-and-run


    ¨‹Miranda Mormor¡¡Race£ºForest Elf?Rank 4


    ¡¾Magic Power : 350/350¡¿¡¾Stamina : 175/175¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 1097 (With Body Strengthening : 1321)¡¿


    .


    Illusionist ¨C Assassin   Role: Healing with sorcery, detecting enemy, hit-and-run


    ¨‹Aria (Alicia)¡¡Race£ºHuman?Rank 4


    ¡¾Magic Power : 270/270¡¿¡¾Stamina : 210/210¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 916 (With Body Strengthening : 1123)¡¿


    .


    Other than combat strength and combat style, we also told each other our special skill and trump card. Adventurer rarely told their trump card to each other but, there would be no point of getting obsessed with that if it might caused Elena getting exposed to danger.


    My trump card was the body strengthening using the origin Battle Skill, but in Mira¡¯s case her trump card was also the weak point of spirit. It really made me felt trusted when she told me that.


    As expected with the rank 4 sorcerer Samantha retired, the overall strength of the party had gone down, but according to Dalton the human Feld and Viro were still growing, so he thought they would still be able at the same level like before depending on Mira and my sorcery. Even so I would replace Viro one day, so the party was still looking for a sorcerer even now.


    Our final destination this time was the large scale dungeon in an island, so this carriage was heading toward a port city in Fudale territory.


    Normally we would pass the relatively safe main highway and entered the duke¡¯s city, from there we would head to the port city at the east but, midway we left the main highway and used the route that passed through a forest. This road was smaller than the main highway, but it was rarely used by ordinary traveler so it was easier for carriage to pass through unobstructed.


    Like that we kept advancing inside the forest and soon the day would turn dark. Just as we started thinking of searching for a camping site, the coachman called out.


    ¡¸Lord Dalton, it¡¯s still far ahead but I heard the sound of sword fighting. I can¡¯t sense who¡¯s being attacked and who is attacking from here. What should I do?¡¹


    This coachman was the butler grandpa who was taking care of Dalton¡¯s mansion. Although his main occupation wasn¡¯t a butler, he was a retired former adventurer and had the strength of a rank 3 scout. His combat strength was decreasing due to his age but, the information that he gathered could be trusted.


    ¡¸Is it a stupid merchant¡¯s carriage getting attacked? Troublesome, but it can¡¯t be helped. You youngsters go out there and take care of it.¡¹


    Dalton gave an instruction even while frowning. He was displeased because he understood that this road was relatively unsafe compared to the main highway.


    Even if things like bandit, thief, or monster like wolf wouldn¡¯t come out, there were many other forms of danger. Even so there would be no attack if the traveler had guard of some capability with them, but being attacked mean that the victim didn¡¯t have sufficient protection.


    Carriage could move fast in a road where no ordinary people passed. Even if there was danger there, one should just hire mercenary or adventurer to take care of it, but stingy merchant who didn¡¯t want to lose money and met misfortune instead could always be found anywhere.


    ¡¸Then let¡¯s go.¡¹


    ¡¸Uh huh.¡¹


    Feld and I got down as Dalton instructed.


    When Dalton said ¡ºyounsters¡», Mira whose appearance was youthful stayed sitting while nibbling on dried fruit, conversely Viro was about to stand up but then his eyes met mine and he seemed to notice that he wasn¡¯t a youngster, so he lowered back his waist on the seat.


    .


    When I got outside, certainly there was the sound of sword clashing from afar. Feld also noticed and looked forward. His face turned just a little grim.


    ¡¸That¡¯s not monster¡­¡­the sound of weapons clashing is loud. It¡¯s a fight between two people trained in combat. Be careful Aria.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    Just in case, we told the coachman butler that information. Then in preparation of melee, Feld held two hand axes in his hands instead of his great sword, while I broke out running through the road that was getting darker without pulling out any weapon.


    I ran at the front seeing that I had good night vision. Feld followed behind me. As expected from Feld¡­¡­. Although he was wearing armor and carried large weapon, it didn¡¯t seem like I needed to slow down for him.


    After running for several dozen seconds, light of sorcery and faint light from torch came into view from the road ahead. The situation became slightly clearer.


    ¡¸The side being attacked is a carriage that seems to belong to a noble. The assailants are also seems to be human.¡¹


    ¡¸Can you identify the enemy?¡¹


    ¡¸Those hiding their face and wearing black leather armor are the assailants I think. And, are we going to help?¡¹


    ¡¸Isn¡¯t it fine to help if the situation is that easy to understand?¡¹


    ¡¸Got it. I¡¯ll go ahead.¡¹


    In that moment I rushed forward with body strengthening. Although Feld and my agility parameter was the same, if it was just running speed than I was faster than him because my body weight was lighter.


    My Night Vision saw multiple carriages that seemed to belong to noble far ahead. The number of bodyguard seemed few for noble but, they seemed to be skilled. They were fighting evenly against assailants that outnumbered them by several times more. ¡­¡­No, looked like the guards were in slight disadvantage.


    Among them there was one knight who was having a hard time fighting against three assailants. Seeing that I quickly moved into action.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Pain©¤©¤¡¹


    I aimed while running and activated darkness magic the moment I was within range.


    ¡¸Gugyah!?¡¹


    One of the assailants who was brandishing a spear screamed from the intense pain of the illusion. The man beside him turned around in surprise. The throwing knives I threw pierced his mask. My scythe shaped pendulum then tore the neck of the man who was freezing from the pain. I didn¡¯t slow down and used the momentum to kick the face of the last masked man with my heel while cutting his exposed throat with my black knife.


    I swung my knife to get rid of the blood while turning around. The knight who was under attack trembled for a moment.


    ¡¸I¡¯m a passing adventurer. Are your side the one that is being attacked?¡¹


    ¡¸T-that¡¯s right-¡¹


    Although he was being questioned right after three black armored men got killed in a flash, that knight nodded vigorously even while being dumbfounded.


    ¡¸Am I being too nosey? If it¡¯s unnecessary then I¡¯ll leave.¡¹


    ¡¸No, my thanks for the assistance. The assailants are more than expected, so I¡¯m worried about the carriage that has gone ahead. But you¡¯re¡­¡­.¡¹


    ¡¸Adventurer, ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±.¡¹


    ¡¸What-, you¡¯re from Rainbow Sword!¡¹


    As expected it seemed the reputation of ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± was known even by noble. The knight¡¯s face turned bright from relieve. In contrast to that, the masked assailants around us seemed to think of me as a hindrance and several of them moved toward me.


    The combat strength of the assailants was around 250¡­¡­they were upper rank 2 or lower rank 3 from this number. It was hard to call them expert but, depending on their resolve they weren¡¯t an opponent that could be underestimated. Even so they were wearing leather armor instead of metal armor, perhaps because they prioritized laying ambush. In that case even I could deal with them.


    I quickly tossed weighted pendulum to the darkness and controlled it to strike the head of the man at the forefront from the side. My skirt flapped as I pulled out and threw a throwing knife from under it to pierce his throat.


    I pulled back the pendulum inside the darkness and with centrifugal force the weighted pendulum drew a large arc and smashed the head of the next assailant who approached.


    ¡¸Shit-¡¹


    A masked assailant noticed that my weapon attacked from the darkness and charged forward while covering his vital spots with his arms.


    In respond I jumped and kneed from above the guard that was protecting the face.


    ¡¸Gugah!?¡¹


    The assailant groaned and lifted his face. My arm snaked through the opened gap in the guard and around his neck before I circled behind him and snapped his neck.


    ¡¸Watch out-!¡¹


    The knight I saved just now yelled. I instantly saw two assailants charging in with sword in their hands©¤©¤, ¡°hand axes¡± flew from both sides of the knight who was about to dash forward to assist. They pierced the two assailants¡¯ face.


    ¡¸Aria, you¡¯re too fast-!¡¹


    Feld complained while catching up. He didn¡¯t slow down and pulled out the magic steel great sword on his back and jumped forward while bisecting another assailant into two.


    ¡¸I-is he your teammate¡­¡­?¡¹


    The knight¡¯s voice turned hoarse seeing how strong the attack was. I lightly nodded to that knight and called out to Feld who was looking for the next enemy.


    ¡¸The carriage that¡¯s going ahead is also getting attacked.¡¹


    ¡¸Got it. Go there Aria. I¡¯ll take care of the enemies here.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Roger.¡¹


    I already knew but, as I thought Feld was strong. Against opponents of this level, even if there were several rank 3 mixed in, he would have no problem as long as he didn¡¯t let his guard down.


    ¡¸Come at me! You masked fellows!¡¹


    It was a bit concerning that he sounded somewhat muscle brained though¡­¡­.


    The assailants hesitated somewhat with Feld¡¯s reinforcement. I slipped through them and dashed away with a speed that nobody in this place could follow.


    When I passed the side of the attacked carriage, I caught sight of a familiar crest from under a plank that seemed to be almost torn off from being hit by an attack.


    (¡­¡­The royal family¡¯s crest?)


    The carriage that Elena rode in at Dandall¡¯s recuperation resort also had the same crest painted on. In that case this group was related to the royal family?


    Dalton told me that the route the royal family¡¯s carriage used was kept secret for safety.


    The possibility that came to mind was that this horse carriage belonged to the crown prince or Elena who was heading to the dungeon, but to think that they only brought this much guard. I didn¡¯t understand why they didn¡¯t use the safe main highway then.


    Viro should have told them about the possibility of attack at the very least but, the royal family didn¡¯t consist of just the two of them, and if they passed through this kind of road then they might simply be in a hurry to transport something. I hope that was the case¡­¡­.


    .


    Further ahead I saw the figures of people wearing black armor and guard knights scattered inside the darkness. I didn¡¯t need to check whether they were still alive or not. With my eyes that could see magic particle, I didn¡¯t even need to use Appraisal to see whether the body had any life force remaining or not.


    Did they kill each other? Or there was still another skilled assailant remaining?


    *HYUN!!*


    A knife flew from inside the darkness of the forest in that moment. I deflected it by immediately taking out the all-purpose type pendulum from the Storage, then I also hid myself behind a tree while throwing the knife that I pulled from behind the slit toward the silhouette that I caught sight of for just a moment.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The knife was most likely dodged. I didn¡¯t know who it was inside the darkness but, I was able to feel the opponent¡¯s strength from the silhouette of the magic particle that I caught a brief sight of.


    .


    ¨‹Unknown¡¡Race£ºHuman?


    ¡¾Magic Power : 182/220¡¿¡¾Stamina : 221/260¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 929 (With Body Strengthening : 1126)¡¿


    .


    The opponent seemed to have sensed my combat strength too. ¡°Killing intent¡± that shook the dark forest surged out.


    ¡­¡­I see. There is an ¡°expert¡± here.

 Volume 4 - CH 4

    Not only their combat strength, based on the way they erased their presence and the Pressure, this opponent seemed to be an expert.


    Judging from the feedback just now and the combat strength, the opponent seemed to be a rank 4 scout type assassin.


    This enemy had no ¡°hesitation¡±. There was no hesitation in their action because they had firm ¡°conviction¡± and strong ¡°will¡± to carry it out.


    That kind of enemy would be more dangerous than their combat strength value suggested.


    Inside the dark forest, both of us only caught sight of the ¡°enemy¡± for an instant. I had lost sight of the enemy, while the enemy knew that I was hiding behind this tree.


    It was disadvantageous that I was a step behind. With that conclusion I threw the scythe shaped pendulum to stick on the branch above me, then used the string to jump on the tree in one leap.


    But, it seemed the opponent also thought the same. Something small flew from the tree somewhere at the same time when I leaped. I could hear the sound of the object cutting through the air.


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu!¡¹


    It wasn¡¯t a knife? I didn¡¯t know what it actually was but I judged that it would be bad to block it. I used my momentum of leaping up to jump to another tree. Then the sound of something hitting resounded from the tree I was just at.


    Unknown opponent and weapon¡­¡­even so I had got a general idea of where the opponent was hiding. I threw the all-purpose type pendulum.


    I controlled the string with my fingertip¡¯s movement and mana to circle around the tree trunk. There was a faint sound of blade deflecting metal and a silhouette flew out from there.


    Although I could ¡°see¡± with Night Vision, the opponent¡¯s Stealth level was high so I could only see an outline.


    But, that was enough in a ¡°battle to the death¡±. I quickly threw the knife I pulled out from the slit of my skirt to that silhouette, then the wind magic particles around the silhouette whirled like air current and diverted the knife I threw.


    But without even any time to feel surprised of that, I felt that something was thrown from the silhouette again. I dodged by using a tree as my shield. I felt how something hard sunk into the trunk¡¯s surface.


    This is¡­¡­¡±Pebble¡±? So this is that attack¡¯s true identity.


    Throwing pebble was weaker than throwing knife but, in the hand of an expert, a small lump of metal with its end sharpened could easily pierce through human¡¯s skin and dug into the flesh. It was a type of hidden weapon that was difficult to use.


    What was troublesome about it was how it could be thrown without any preliminary motion. It was difficult to dodge and gave intense pain if it landed. The bleeding it caused would also be difficult to stop.


    And then what diverted my knife must be wind element sorcery Air Curtain. This was a sorcery to deploy wind barrier around the caster to defend against arrow, but being able to use it needed level 2 sorcery at minimum. I better kept in mind that my throwing weapons other than the pendulum would be neutralized by it.


    This opponent was more troublesome than expected but, there was still a way to fight them if that was the case.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Illusion©¤©¤¡¹


    I jumped from tree to tree while unleashing the level 4 darkness magic, Illusion that I had been forming. With my skill level I still couldn¡¯t make an illusion of living thing that looked natural, but it was a different story inside this ¡°darkness¡±.


    *BUN-*¡­¡­I created the presences of ¡ºbees flying around angrily¡» at the surrounding. The silhouette jumped away at that moment. I kicked on the trunk of nearby tree and leaped toward the silhouette. We crossed at midair where we both exchanged a kick at each other.


    *BASHIN!*


    The opponent¡¯s kick hit my shoulder. My kick sent them flying from landing on their side.


    But, not yet. I could still attack while we both were still floating in the air.


    It was an aerial maneuver that I made based on a snap decision and intuition. I swung my leg strongly on empty air and changed my posture midair.


    ¡º©¤©¤!?¡»


    The silhouette was bewildered for a moment seeing my impossible movement. My martial art was from the direct teaching of masterSerjura. Master was feared as the ¡ºWar Demon¡» and survived the battlefield using her sorcery and this martial art.


    I aimed at the silhouette with my black dagger after changing posture. But, the bewildered opponent also immediately readied their knife and we clashed before bouncing from each other.


    So the opponent became level 4 from Martial Art and Short Sword Skill huh. I too had reached level 4 in Martial Art but I couldn¡¯t overwhelm the opponent with my level 3 Short Sword Skill. The distance was widened once more between us.


    The silhouette fired their pebble in that moment. This time I swung my arms to rotate and dodge. I used that momentum to throw weighted pendulum, added the centrifugal force into its weight and it mowed the surrounding tree branches while breaking through the silhouette¡¯s protection of wind.


    ¡º©¤©¤tsu!¡»


    The opponent let a little breath escaped from their mouth. The silhouette finally fell to the ground.


    ¡­¡­Woman? That possibility seemed high based on the body weight and body shape that I felt when we exchanged kick with each other. I immediately switched to a fighting style that favored speed.


    I also dropped to the ground. The opponent aimed at that moment and fired a pebble. Without any pause I rolled aside to evade while making my weighted pendulum struck again right from above the silhouette.


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu!¡¹


    But the opponent slid to the side with her unstable posture after falling on the ground. She dodged the pendulum and fired magic particles of wind in the shape of ¡°a line¡±.


    Wind Cutter! Gelf¡¯s armor wouldn¡¯t be torn even if I received it head on, but it would make me stunned for an instant. Who knew how the opponent would attack using that opening.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shield©¤©¤¡¹


    I parried the Wind Cutter with Shield that I deployed just for an instant in the timing that matched the wind magic particles that I could see with my ¡°eye¡±.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shadow©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡°I¡± split into two inside this dark forest. It should be difficult to tell apart which one was the real me with Night Vision here. Even so the opponent would be able to tell if she look carefully, but the silhouette was unwilling to waste time making decision and attacked both simultaneously with pebbles.


    The shadow was hit by pebble and vanished. But I slid forward to dodge the pebble and closed in during that instant and lunged with my black dagger. The opponent showed footwork to slide to the side again and dodged my blade. She also swung down her knife in the same motion.


    It was a close quarter combat with the distance so short that our body was rubbing each other. The silhouette and I only aimed at vital spot to kill the other with one attack without even any feint. We both dodged each other¡¯s attack with a paper thin difference.


    I also used sliding footwork to dodge the swinging down knife. I lowered my posture like a cat and kicked the ground before knocking her off her feet using my whole body¡¯s momentum. The opponent¡¯s long skirt fluttered as she cartwheeled to the side to evade while opening the distance once more.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    That movement¡­¡­it was familiar somehow. The opponent seemed to feel the same. Between us one or two seconds¡­¡­an odd ¡°pause¡± was created.


    In that moment, my Detection sensed multiple people approaching.


    ¡ºOver here-!¡»


    Four assailants in black armor¡­¡­nuisance. I kicked the ground the instant I thought that and spun as though I was rolling at low altitude while throwing my scythe shaped pendulum.


    The man in black running at the forefront dodged the blade just barely, but I pulled the string in that instant and the sickle shaped blade tore the man¡¯s carotid artery.


    Without pause I grabbed the ground with both hands and bent my whole body before shooting off. I kicked the leg of another man, rolled, and planted my black dagger between his eyebrows until the hilt, killing him.


    Two men remaining¡­¡­when I searched for their presence, the remaining two men in black were pierced by pebbles and they froze from the pain. The silhouette rushed in that moment and grappled them down, breaking their neck in the process.


    .


    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹¡¹


    Even while using Stealth and putting up our guard toward each other inside the dark forest, we withdrew our killing intent at the same time and observed each other. Then I muttered that ¡°name¡± with conviction.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Sera?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­So you¡¯re really Aria. I thought that ¡°perhaps¡­¡­¡± in the middle there.¡¹


    We confirmed each other¡¯s identity and released our Stealth to show ourselves.


    ¡¸Long time no see¡­¡­Sera.¡¹


    ¡¸Long time no see but, I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯ve become this strong in less than three years¡­¡­¡¹


    It was just for a short period but, Sera not only taught me stealth fighting and martial art, but also various things that were useful for living.


    ¡¸But, why are you here?¡¹


    ¡¸You didn¡¯t hear from Viro? I joined ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± in order to participate in that request.¡¹


    Sera¡¯s eyes clearly widened even within the darkness when I said that. She then let out an exhausted sigh.


    ¡¸I heard about your survival from Viro. But, it looks like he invited you to ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± not to ¡°protect¡± but to ¡°secure¡± you. It seems Viro intentionally concealed your growing strength from us.¡¹


    Viro didn¡¯t tell them about my information completely. It seemed Sera thought that Viro kept quiet in order to secure me but, most likely that wasn¡¯t all.


    There was a distance of several meters between us as though to show that.


    ¡¸Aria, I heard about how Grave attacked you. That¡¯s why, I can also understand why you¡¯re unable to trust us.¡¹


    ¡¸I hold no negative thinking for Sera personally. But, the black ops is a different matter. I harbor no hostility to them, and I¡¯ll also accept request like Viro depending on its content but, I won¡¯t return to there.¡¹


    I think Viro realized that Sera would invite me to black ops again if she knew about my growth. But he invited me to Rainbow Sword not only to secure myself for his own party, but also to give me a reason to refuse the black ops¡¯ invitation knowing that I still really didn¡¯t trust them.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Is that so. Even so¡­¡­¡¹


    Sera let out another short sigh and stared fixedly at me.


    ¡¸To think that you manage to catch up to me in just three years. I could never even imagine it.¡¹


    ¡¸I think I still haven¡¯t caught up in close quarter combat though?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s annoying to know that Viro has snatched you first but, if you¡¯re in the Rainbow Sword then surely you¡¯ll be able to grow even stronger. It¡¯s unfortunate for my son who is trying to catch up to you though¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­?¡¹


    Sera sighed again when I tilted my head in puzzlement. She pressed her finger on her forehead as though she had a headache.


    ¡¸You¡¯ve also grown beautiful. You still haven¡¯t cut your hair huh.¡¹


    ¡¸Because I ¡°promised¡± Sera and Seo¡­¡­¡¹


    I rarely cut my hair and allowed it to grow long because I had made a promise with the two of them.


    It made me realized that I really trusted the two of them¡­¡­. Come to think of it, how is Seo doing?


    When I mentioned the ¡ºpromise¡», Sera¡¯s gaze on me softened and the violent atmosphere from our attempt to kill each other just now was slightly abating.


    But right now shouldn¡¯t be the time for this. Sera also tightened her expression and lightly brushed the dust on her maid uniform. She turned her gaze to somewhere.


    ¡¸There is no time to have an idle talk in this kind of place. I think the assailants who attacked us just now are all of them, but for Aria to be here means that the other members of ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± are also here correct?¡¹


    ¡¸Only Feld¡­¡­the swordsman and I came here to assist. He prioritized annihilating the enemy on the way here, so I think he¡¯ll finish quickly as long as there¡¯s nobody at Sera¡¯s level among the opponents. ¡­¡­Who are these people?¡¹


    ¡¸First, I¡¯m going to confirm the safety of the ¡°royalty¡±, so please come along with me if you¡¯re a member of ¡°Rainbow Sword. I¡¯ll explain a little while walking.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    She said ¡ºroyalty¡», which meant a member of royal family was here just as I thought. But, Sera should mention name if it was Elena who was here.


    Was Elena not here? Even so I couldn¡¯t imagine Sera getting assigned as servant to any other royalty than a queen or Elena. I also couldn¡¯t imagine a queen coming to this kind of place.


    Then who was the royalty who came here?


    ¡¸I¡¯ll explain simply.¡¹


    We moved glidingly without any sound inside the dark forest while Sera explained the situation to me in simple term.


    The current royal family¡¯s capability to act as unifying force of the kingdom was declining due to a certain ¡°reason¡±.


    The surface reason was that the first queen¡¯s origin was from a noble house with low status, so the influential high ranked nobles who belonged to the ¡°noble faction¡± were feeling anxious about that first queen¡¯s son the crown prince becoming the next king and they were harboring animosity.


    In order to stabilize the royal family¡¯s power, apparently the royalties who hadn¡¯t even attended the academy and the fianc¨¦es of the crown prince were ordered to enter dungeon to obtain something from there, but that ¡ºexploration of large scale dungeon¡» that was kept secret from the nobles in general got sniffed out by the noble faction and they schemed to attack the crown prince using this chance.


    The central branch of assassin guild dispatched Tabatha to the merchant guild was a part of the scheme of noble faction that was hostile to the royal family as expected.


    ¡¸We¡¯ve also heard from Viro how the assassin guild was planning to attack. Taking that into consideration, that person suggested using themselves as a bait in order to keep his highness the crown prince safe.¡¹


    It was unknown whether the noble faction planned to assassinate the crown prince so that someone convenient for them could be the next crown prince or to capture him and make him obedient to them, but the royal family that picked up on that plan apparently tried to make use of it to trap the noble faction.


    So that was why the number of guards here wasn¡¯t that many¡­¡­it seemed they had chosen knights with considerable skill to come along but, even that knight who I saved said that the enemy was ¡ºmore than expected¡».


    Even so seeing that this group was travelling incognito, it might be difficult to bring more guards than that¡­¡­.


    ¡¸That¡¯s a pretty reckless plan.¡¹


    ¡¸I reckon the reason the number of enemy surpassed our expectation was because the assassin guild that originally should be trusted with carrying out the plan had washed out their hands of it. The assailants¡¯ number is unexpected, but they are unable to prepare quality, and only managed to prepare quantity with no regard of anything else. That too was most likely caused by you¡­¡­the ¡°Ash Crowned Princess¡± interfering.¡¹


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹


    From the start the central branch of assassin guild didn¡¯t try anything with me. Even so there was still an attack on me. It might be the arbitrary decision of Tabatha who was a former member of the northern frontier branch.


    But because of that it became known that I was being involved and that might be why the central branch washed off their hands from this. Sera too had anticipated that assassins would come attacking and laid in wait with a small number of elite knights, but it seemed that it proved too much for them when the number of assailants was three times more than anticipated.


    ¡¸And, who is that ¡ºroyalty¡» you¡¯re referring to?¡¹


    ¡¸About that, you should meet them directly to ascertain it. Normally it won¡¯t be permitted but, ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± is just that famous of a party.¡¹


    .


    After that we came out to a dark road and saw a large carriage being guarded by several knights.


    The knights warily raised their weapon when we approached but, as we got closer they realized that one of us was Sera and they sighed in relieve.


    ¡¸Mrs. Sera, you¡¯re safe-! What about the assailants¡­¡­¡¹


    That knight ran toward Sera and talked to her. He turned a questioning gaze toward me even while doing that. Sera noticed that and explained to him with a reassuring tone.


    ¡¸This person is a member of ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± that his majesty and his excellency the prime minister requested to join us this time. The assailants at that side has been taken care of with their help. And, how is ¡°her highness¡± doing?¡¹


    ¡¸So she¡¯s from that party-! Pardon me, but you look very young. As for her highness©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸©¤©¤Aria?¡¹


    A girl¡¯s voice lightly called out at that timing. A blonde haired girl who looked similar in age with my current appearance appeared from the carriage.


    ¡¸Elena¡­¡­sama?¡¹


    ¡¸As I thought it¡¯s Aria¡­¡­¡¹


    Claydale Kingdom¡¯s first princess, Elena Claydale.


    Before her body was so weak that she even needed to rest at quiet place, but it seemed that she had recovered greatly in these three years. She had turned eleven like me and now she was growing into the appearance of thirteen or fourteen years old just like me who was growing quicker thanks to mana.


    We both stared at each other¡¯s appearance that didn¡¯t look like little girl anymore. Elena smiled brightly while looking a little bit like she was going to cry. Just as she was about to take a step toward me©¤©¤


    ¡¸Stop Elena-!¡¹


    There was a voice that called at her to stop. Then a man who seemed to be at the middle of his twenties leaped down from the carriage and stood in front of me as though to cover for Elena.


    ¡¸Uncle-¡¹


    ¡¸You mustn¡¯t approach an outsider so carelessly, Elena. She seems to be your acquaintance but, judging from her outfit she must be a thuggish adventurer. You there, what¡¯s your purpose for getting this close-!¡¹


    That man put himself in front of Elena protectively while pulling out an elegant short sword from his waist and pointed it at me.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡ºUncle¡»?¡¹


    Was he a noble from somewhere who was Elena¡¯s blood relative? He had wavy blond hair and deep blue eyes. The features of his face were certainly similar with Elena.


    When I muttered that and turned my gaze to Elena behind him, she sighed and nodded quietly before announcing his identity.


    ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s right. This person is father¡­¡­his majesty¡¯s youngest brother, the royal brother, Prince Amor Claydale.¡¹

 Volume 4 - CH 5

    Prince Amor Claydale.


    I didn¡¯t know much about the royal family, but from what I recalled in the lesson that Sera taught me before, the current king had seven siblings and including the king, four of them were male.


    The female royalties were mostly sent to marry into duke house or other country that had been decided for them and lost their right to the throne. For the males, some of them also went to other country far away to marry, but I was told that the youngest brother didn¡¯t have any fianc¨¦e and remained in the royal family as royal brother due to some reason.


    So this was that person¡­¡­. When I thought back of the present situation of the royal family that I heard from Sera, for the sake of the current king who placed a woman with low social status as his first queen and only had few children, Amor was kept behind as a member of royal family to act as ¡°spare¡±.


    Originally the post of¡ºRoyal Brother¡» was to assist the king in political matter and at emergency he had an authority at the same level of an archduke to take command in the king¡¯s place.


    But, if the situation was like what I imagined, he wasn¡¯t even given an authority that was equivalent to a duke. He was simply in a situation where he was living a freeloading life, kept around only for his status as royalty.


    Considering that, he shouldn¡¯t harbor any fondness for the crown prince who inherited the blood of the current king and the first queen. I guessed that was why he was feeling a twisted desire to protect Elena who was in a similar situation like him.


    That Amor right now was glaring at me as though he was fearing something.


    ¡¸You, don¡¯t just stay quiet, say something!¡¹


    Amol fretted seeing me just standing quietly and pointed his short sword toward me. Sera made a tired look and mildly remonstrated him.


    ¡¸Please stop, your highness. This person is a member of ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± that will be cooperating with us this time. The leader Dalton is also a noble who have obtained the tile of baronet because of his achievements.¡¹


    ¡¸He¡¯s just a commoner noble who can¡¯t even pass down his title to his child. A dwarf noble who is an adventurer isn¡¯t any different froma thug.¡¹


    Was he a slightly obstinate person¡­¡­no, he might be trying to protect his niece Elena in his own way, but from his behavior, I presumed that he was scared that someone would die in this dungeon exploration which made him acted more aggressively than usual.


    But, regardless of what kind of reason he might have, there was nobody who would be happy from getting looked down. Elena seemed to understand that. She made a slightly troubled look and looked at me before nodding stealthily.


    We were able to reunite after so long. There were things that we wanted to talk about but, we didn¡¯t have a ¡°weak¡± relationship where we needed to lick each other¡¯s wound.


    It was enough just knowing that both of us were still alive. After confirming that with each other, I turned my back on Amor who was in an argument with Sera. He noticed that and flared up.


    ¡¸You girl, where¡¯re you going-¡¹


    ¡¸The enemies here are defeated. Sera and the knights are enough to be your guard, so you can do whatever you like. Just in case I will patrol the surrounding while linking up with my teammates. If you have any other complain, say it to our ¡°employer¡±.¡¹


    ¡¸Wha-¡¹


    Amor was speechless by my speech. Originally using that kind of tone would be disrespectful to a royalty but, even Sera and the knights didn¡¯t do anything while Elena looked aside while covering her mouth with her hand.


    I heard that it was this country¡¯s prime minister that made the request to Rainbow Sword. But, our job was to protect the royalties. Although the requester was the prime minister, our immediate employer was his majesty the king.


    Amor was a royalty, but, it would be a defiance to the king¡¯s command if I moved according to his will right now. Sera and the knights understood that, but I didn¡¯t understand why they didn¡¯t do anything about my disrespect. Perhaps it was because the knights who were in the profession of fighting harbored respect toward Rainbow Sword, and also because Amor¡¯s behavior just now was too much and lacking dignity as a royalty.


    Perhaps they also noticed that Elena and I were acquaintance, and the princess was feeling dissatisfied because she couldn¡¯t even have a conversation with an acquaintance that she hadn¡¯t met for a long time.


    In short it was just as I assumed, the knights were prioritizing Elena¡¯s feeling more because she still had the right to inherit the throne rather than Amor who was only being kept like a freeloader for his royal status.


    Then see you later¡­¡­Elena.


    I lightly waved my hand at her. Elena too smiled at me without saying anything back.


    .


    I parted from them and returned to where I came from. There Feld had already finished annihilating the assailants. The knights were restraining the few surviving assailants.


    When I showed myself, Feld who was talking with the knight who I helped at the beginning noticed me and lightly raised his hand in greeting.


    ¡¸Aria, you¡¯re safe. How¡¯s the situation over there?¡¹


    ¡¸Oo, miss adventurer-, you¡¯re alright. Is her highness safe?¡¹


    ¡¸No problem. I¡¯ve also confirmed the target¡¯s safety.¡¹


    Although I had gotten used getting scolded by Viro or Sera, I wasn¡¯t used with someone feeling honestly worried for me, so it made me felt a bit itchy.


    Sera was there with Elena¡¯s group, so I didn¡¯t think that there would be any problem. But as expected this knight was feeling worried for Elena. He sighed in relieve after hearing my report.


    The knights here were royal guards, the elites who were guarding the royal family. Although they were ordered to prioritize annihilating and capturing the assailants, if I returned just even slightly later, the knight said that they planned to leave behind the wounded to check the situation. He was really grateful by my return.


    I left the clean up to them and together with Feld who wasn¡¯t injured or even tired, we returned to our carriage and reported about what happened. After that Viro got out of the carriage.


    Sera who was related with our employer was here, so he must be going to greet her. I got the feeling that Viro would also get into trouble with Amor. As expected it seemed something really did happen when Viro later returned with a scowl. He wordlessly flicked my forehead with his finger.


    As the result of Viro¡¯s talk with Sera and others, our carriage would link up with Elena¡¯s group where we would go together to the port city. But although we called it going together, we would ride ahead to clear the way so we wouldn¡¯t really meet their group face to face.


    In the first place, setting aside Elena, I  think Amor wouldn¡¯t like it to see my face.


    From what Viro heard from Sera, originally Amor was unrelated with the dungeon exploration this time, but apparently he forcefully shoved himself into participation.


    I don¡¯t think that a ¡°spare¡± royalty like him wouldn¡¯t be allowed to do something dangerous like entering a dungeon, but putting it the other way around, that was just how urgent it was for the royal family to quickly obtain definite power that they had to recognize Amor¡¯s participation.


    What was this thing that the royal family was seeking from the dungeon that they were going this far for it¡­¡­.


    ***


    ¡¸Clara¡­¡­as expected, I should also come with you.¡¹


    ¡¸Onii-sama¡­¡­you can¡¯t. Father already told you no before this right?¡¹


    At the port city of Duke Fudale¡¯s territory. Clara smiled wryly at her brother Rockwell who was accompanying her until this far.


    Actually they already had similar conversation like this many times on the way here. An exploration of large scale dungeon by royal family. The elites of the royal guards and a rank 5 adventurer party were assigned to be their guard, even so all of them were still not of age and hadn¡¯t even enrolled into the academy. There was also the possibly of death.


    The royal family also judged that the possibility of the talented Elena and Carla obtaining Gift was high, so they carried out this dungeon exploration plan, but they were predicting that half of the guards wouldn¡¯t come back alive.


    Rockwell became informed of the dungeon exploration plan that was being kept under secret due to his status as Clara¡¯s family, but even after getting chided already by his father Margrave Dandall, he was still insisting to accompany his little sister. That was because of Clara¡¯s exploration that was filled with sorrow from participating.


    ¡¸Rockwell¡­¡­give up already. You¡¯re making Lady Clara troubled.¡¹


    ¡¸But still, Mihail¡­¡­how can I call myself a knight when I can¡¯t even protect my little sister when she¡¯s in danger¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸We have our own role to play. His majesty himself has already declared that we aren¡¯t permitted to participate.¡¹


    Mihail Melrose who was also here to see off the group as a friend of the crown prince began persuading Rockwell again for who knew how many times it had been.


    Mihail were told about the detailed information by his grandfather the prime minister.


    This dungeon exploration was carried out because of the royal family¡¯s need of power and to test the resolve of this generation¡¯s royal family whether they could put their life on the line or not.


    Rockwell wanted to protect his little sister, but Rockwell and Mihail who were the eldest sons of the two powerful nobles of the kingdom were in the position of being protected, not protecting others. It was the job of the royal guards to become shield and die, but Mihail and Rockwell weren¡¯t permitted to do that.


    If the worst case really occurred and the group got annihilated, the two who would become the future prime minister and supreme knight commander would be needed in order to support the young second prince, and so even the king didn¡¯t allow their participation.


    .


    Clara made a dark expression seeing the two¡¯s exchange.


    (¡­¡­Even I want to be protected by Onii-sama if it¡¯s allowed.)


    Clara was just a high school student in her previous life. She didn¡¯t has anything like the resolve to die.


    Before regaining the memory of her previous life, Clara had her pride as a noble even though she wasn¡¯t as perceptive as her current self. If it was the Clara who didn¡¯t know anything in the past, she would be able to die as a noble, but the current Clara couldn¡¯t recall the ¡ºnoble¡¯s pride¡» of that time no matter what.


    ¡¸Clara¡­¡­are you okay?¡¹


    ¡¸Ervan-sama¡­¡­¡¹


    Ervan who was riding in the same carriage with them until here looked at his fianc¨¦e with concern.


    Clara knew him even before becoming his fianc¨¦e. She had also met him often when she came to the castle as Elena¡¯s playmate. Sometimes the three of them would also play together.


    The Clara at that time was a haughty noble lady and she hit it off with the intelligent Elena, but Ervan was raised with freedom like a middle class noble and his sense of duty as a royalty was lacking, so the Clara at that time was looking down on him somewhere in her heart.


    Even after regaining her past life¡¯s memory, she was still looking at him as a child because of her memory of living until her teenage. It caused a bit of distance to be created between her and Ervan as his fianc¨¦e.


    However recently her resolve as a fianc¨¦e of a royalty got questioned and she was also feeling how close ¡°death¡± could be with the beginning of the otome game approaching. She had lost her pride as a noble from recalling her past life and her heart had become incomparably weaker. Clara showing such side of herself caused Ervan to start feeling concern toward her instead.


    The distance between the two was shortened exactly because they both possessed ¡°weakness¡± as a noble. Even though it was just a relationship between two weaklings licking each other¡¯s wound, it was becoming a salvation for Clara.


    Even if she got along with the otome game¡¯s heroine Alicia, if Alicia got involved with the crown prince and became the Saint, the holy church and the people would want her to become the first queen without caring of all Clara¡¯s efforts.


    And for the heroine to become the first queen, the existence of Clara who was a princess of a former royal family would become an obstacle that needed to be removed. Even though in the otome game it was only displayed as a mere condemnation event, there was complicated political bargaining that got carried out behind the scene.


    Clara would definitely become unable to be happy exactly because she had high status and position as the crown prince¡¯s leading fianc¨¦e.


    That was why her only choice to avoid such fate was to kill the heroine. She had made her resolve after worrying herself sick, but the heroine in question was being protected by Melrose House and the black ops. She was still being unable to even approach her.


    (Is there no other way than to rely on ¡°that¡±¡­¡­)


    ¡¸Clara?¡¹


    ¡¸No, it¡¯s nothing. Ervan-sama¡­¡­thank you very much.¡¹


    ¡¸Why are you suddenly thanking me¡­¡­you¡¯re strange Clara.¡¹


    There was something on her mind. But the fear of death tormented her even more the more she thought about it. In such state, Ervan¡¯s smile that wasn¡¯t befitting for a royalty was starting to become the only thing that she could rely on in this world.


    ***


    Several days passed and we along with Elena¡¯s group arrived safely at the port city of Duke Fudale¡¯s territory. There wasn¡¯t anymore attack since then.


    I thought that Elena would need to rest for several days due to her weak body, but it seemed that the other group had arrived, so the surviving assailants were handed to the black ops that were standing by in the port city before we all immediately headed to the ship.


    According to Viro¡¯s report, it seemed the assailants were the underling of a baron house that was a dependent of a marquis who belonged to the ¡°noble faction¡±.


    Most likely that baron got abandoned like a lizard cutting off its tail, but it was unthinkable that a mere baron could gather that many assailants. Further investigation should discover a lot more clue, but it seemed that just being able to grasp the weakness of the marquis who was the caregiver of the baron was already considered a sufficient enough gain.


    The butler grandpa and the carriage stayed behind in the port city¡¯s middle class inn while the rest of us headed to the large ship that would take us to the island. With our arrival it was decided that the ship would set sail two days later.


    That large ship was a military sailing ship that belonged to Duke Fudale. I heard it could be boarded by a thousand soldiers at maximum, but this time it was only boarded by 150 people that were made up from the dozens of people who would enter the dungeon, the knights of the duke territory, and the sailors.


    That day Dalton and Viro went to greet the important people while at the next day there would be a dinner where everyone would meet and greet.


    When the meet and greet was being held in the party hall of the ship, the boy was standing between Elena and Amor who was introduced as the crown prince looked slightly surprised when he saw me.


    I was puzzled by his reaction. It was then Feld who was standing beside me told me the reason.


    ¡¸Do you remember when we first met? That time, the boy called Er who Mira and I guarded was him. It looks like he also remember you Aria.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I remember when I first met Feld.


    I see, so his name is Ervan and it got shortened to become Er. I finally remembered him after Feld told me, but I¡¯m amazed that the crown prince of all people was permitted to go out to the city.


    But, rather than the crown prince Ervan, I was more curious about ¡°the girls¡± who were standing in a line beside Elena.


    One of them was a girl called Clara who was the daughter of Margrave Dandall. Several years had passed since then and her appearance had growth to look like fourteen years old. She had already become a grown-up beautiful lady, but her complexion turned pale the moment she saw me.


    And then the other one¡­¡­when ¡°she¡± caught sight of me, her sickly white face twisted into an adorable wide smile.


    I already thought of the possibility but, as expected, Carla was a fianc¨¦e of the crown prince.


    .


    ¨‹Carla Lester¡¡Race£ºHuman?Rank 4


    ¡¾Magic Power : 440/450¡¿¡÷55UP¡¾Stamina : 29/51¡¿¡÷4UP


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 749 (With Body Strengthening : 1123)¡¿¡÷426UP


    .


    ¡­¡­She had become terrifyingly stronger.


    Only his stamina hadn¡¯t increased as though she was cursed, but if it was just her magic power then it had grown until the same level or even higher than Samantha or master.


    What kind of severe battle and training she had gone through to be able to obtain that much strength¡­¡­. Most likely she had thrown herself into rigorous battles alone but, if Carla and I got into a fight, it would definitely become a ¡°deathly battle¡± that would endanger even the lives around us.


    .


    The dinner of the meet and greet was in the form of banquet of buffet. It seemed that some of the participants also brought relatives with them here, but because the dungeon exploration was kept secret, only the true participants were joining this banquet.


    The majority of the main participants were younger than twelve years old which was the age where they made appearance in high society, so the youngest like Carla and Elena returned to their room quickly after they finished eating.


    I¡¯m an adventurer so the distinction in that area for me was ambiguous, but Viro would turn into hopeless adult when alcohol got involved so I quickly left that place and went up to the deck to feel the night breeze.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The night wind that was starting to become cold caressed my skin. Monster could also come out at sea, but the ship that was still inside the harbor was burning incense to repel monster so there was no danger even if I got out to the deck.


    Even so Elena and others who need to be guarded wouldn¡¯t come out to the deck at night, but I intentionally went up to the deck because I was on guard about the possibility of human attacker and because I had a ¡°premonition¡±.


    ¡¸As I thought, you¡¯re here Aria.¡¹


    ¡¸If it¡¯s you then nobody will care even if you go outside alone¡­¡­Carla.¡¹


    The dangerous girl who I encountered two years ago¡­¡­. She whose outer appearance and also her inside had been sickly since that time had grown without any change to that along with her abnormal mentality.


    Perhaps it was because her weak life force, or perhaps because of the insanity inside her, she pursued her own objective straightforwardly even if nobody understood her. That way of living looked beautiful depending on how you saw it.


    Carla unhurriedly approached me without even hiding her vast mana. She smiled sweetly while her hand was reaching toward me. Her pointy black nail traced along my cheek and left behind a line of wound. I too grabbed Carla¡¯s thin neck with one hand and my finger dug into that white throat.


    ¡¸Are we going to kill each other here?¡¹


    ¡¸Let¡¯s not. This isn¡¯t a worthy ¡°stage¡± for us.¡¹


    My hand let go of Carla¡¯s throat. Carla used a handkerchief to wipe the blood on my cheek and erased the wound with Cure.


    ¡¸You look pretty with blood on you Aria¡­¡­one day I want to dirty you with the blood spurting from my heart.¡¹


    ¡¸Go die on your own.¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯ll be lonely if it¡¯s not you who kill me.¡¹


    Carla pressed the bloodstained handkerchief on her chest like it was a treasure. We walked until the edge of the deck and leaned on the handrail side by side.


    ¡¸Why are you going into the dungeon Carla?¡¹


    ¡¸You still haven¡¯t been told? Our objective of going into the dungeon is to receive ¡°Gift¡± from the dungeon¡¯s spirit.¡¹


    As I thought, the royal family¡¯s objective was Gift.


    It was said that power could even read human¡¯s heart, or manipulate weather, or predict the future. It was also accompanied by limitation and price to be paid, but if the royal family could obtain useful power, it would be possible to develop the nation even more.


    But¡­¡­that wasn¡¯t it.


    ¡¸Carla¡­¡­what¡¯s your objective?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    The smile instantly vanished from Carla¡¯s lips when I asked her that.


    ¡¸My objective is also ¡°Gift¡±. There isn¡¯t any human who won¡¯t seek power when it¡¯s right in front of you.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Do you know the ¡°meaning¡± of that?¡¹


    The Gift that a dungeon¡¯s spirit bestowed had ¡°trap¡± in them.


    It was said that spirit would bestow Gift as reward for arriving at the lowest floor, but a power that was given from spirit, a being with no life span would become ¡°poison¡± to being with life span.


    ¡¸Of course I know. I don¡¯t know about the carefree and adorable Er-sama or Dandall¡¯s ¡°little miss¡± but, ¡°the princess¡± who actually bothered to investigate about it might not refuse to accept the Gift you know?¡¹


    Carla laughed off the older Clara as ¡ºlittle miss¡». I stared at her and talked about the continuation of this topic.


    ¡¸Dungeon¡¯s spirit can grant ¡°wish¡±.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes.¡¹


    I too once heard about it from master and investigated it. Dungeon¡¯s spirit could grant wish but not to everyone who reached its place. The spirit demanded a strong wish¡­¡­someone with a personality that was worthy to obtain the Gift.


    That wish could be granted in the form of Gift but, Gift wasn¡¯t the only way the spirit could make a person¡¯s wish came true.


    ¡¸You aren¡¯t going to ask¡­¡­for your body to be cured?¡¹


    A powerful Gift would destroy its owner. That was because that wish was something self-serving. Human was foolish and that was why they received retribution. But wouldn¡¯t a pure wish be surely granted?


    I didn¡¯t know what Elena would wish for. I guessed that it might be for her to be more healthy, which was also something that I wanted for her, but surely there was also something else that she needed as a royalty.


    I respected Elena¡¯s will. But what about Carla?


    She narrowed her eyes just a little at my question.


    ¡¸It¡¯ll be lovely if I can obtain a Gift¡­¡­surely it¡¯ll allow me to live in a way that befit ¡°me¡±.¡¹


    Carla looked up to the moonlit sky in ecstasy. She turned her head just slightly to look at me with her purple eyes and showed a thin smile.


    ¡¸That moon is like you Aria¡­¡­. That¡¯s why we who are living in the night are reaching our hands toward you.¡¹


    ¡¸If you have a wish, I don¡¯t mind helping you with it.¡¹


    I pushed off my back from the railing and started walking. Carla called out to me joyfully.


    ¡¸You¡¯re alright with me getting healed? Even though I might try to kill you?¡¹


    ¡¸That won¡¯t be any different than now.¡¹


    I lightly turned toward her and replied like that. Carla burst out into a wild laughter and her small stamina value went down again.


    And then dawn arrived. The ship departed to the island that was under the management of Duke Fudale with us aboard. Toward the ¡°large scale dungeon¡± that was said to have a spirit in it.


    ***


    ¡¸They finally depart¡­¡­I hope they will return safely.¡¹


    ¡¸Yeah.¡¹


    Rockwell stared with a worried look at the ship that was sailing out from the harbor. Mihail gave him the appropriate comment but, he himself wasn¡¯t really feeling anything about it.


    They couldn¡¯t participate in the banquet last night that also doubled as a departure ceremony because they were not of age and also outsiders, but they had finished saying farewell beforehand to the crown prince Ervan and his fianc¨¦e and also Rockwell¡¯s little sister Clara.


    Rockwell had built a good friendship with Ervan and he was also close with his little sister Clara, so he was genuinely worried for them, but Mihail had lived until now by drawing a line between himself and other people due to his standing as the heir of Melrose that was leading the black ops.


    But that was only the outward appearance. At the outside he was acting like he was friendly toward everyone and because of that he wouldn¡¯t get involved too deeply with other people, but Mihail was actually compassionate and scared that if he got too involved with someone it would cause him to be unable to make the rational decision. Rockwell knew about that side of Mihail and he sent a concerned gaze toward Mihail who was acting unconcerned despite actually feeling worried for Ervan.


    ¡¸What, Rockwell¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸No.¡¹


    Perhaps he was feeling embarrassed. Mihail unconsciously talked with the tone of a friend instead as a noble. Rockwell slightly smiled wryly and changed the topic.


    ¡¸Come to think of it, are you still looking for that adventurer? This place should also have an adventurer guild. Do you want to try looking around there later?¡¹


    ¡¸Yeah, I guess¡­¡­¡¹


    The adventurer guild that he met just once several years ago. It was just that one time¡­¡­furthermore he was involved with her only for a brief time but, she left a strong impression in the heart of this boy Mihail.


    After that he was searching for the ¡°pink haired girl¡± not only in the capital¡¯s adventurer guild, but to any adventurer guild of the places that he visited, but he was still unable to meet the girl again.


    It was unusual for Mihail to be so fixated to one person. Seeing his expression that was somewhat brooding caused Rockwell to suddenly recall something.


    ¡¸Also this morning I was able to meet with Ervan but, about the adventurers that his excellency requested¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸You mean Rainbow Sword?¡¹


    ¡¸Yeah, that one, he mentioned something about being surprised seeing a ¡°girl¡± he knew among them.¡¹


    ¡¸Eh¡­¡­¡¹


    Those words caused Mihail to turn his gaze back to the departing ship. On its deck for an instant©¤©¤he saw fluttering pink blond hair there.


    ¡¸That girl¡­¡­tsu!¡¹


    ¡¸O-oi¡¹


    Mihail was about to break out running toward the ship. Rockwell quickly grabbed his arm.


    ¡¸Let go Rockwell-! It¡¯s that girl!¡¹


    ¡¸Calm down, the ship already sailed away! We¡¯ll attract attention if we go out there!¡¹


    Both Rockwell and Mihail were high ranked noble. With how the royal family¡¯s dungeon exploration being kept under veil of secrecy they had to be careful even with just seeing off the group at the surface. Mihail remembered that after hearing Rockwell¡¯s words and he had no choice but to stop struggling.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Sorry.¡¹


    ¡¸No, it¡¯s fine. But, the girl that Ervan mentioned, it was that girl?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­I don¡¯t know.¡¹


    He only saw for an instant. Only the pink hair and her face from the side¡­¡­. He couldn¡¯t conclude that she was really that girl just from that, even so he didn¡¯t want to think that he saw wrong.


    Mihail turned his gaze toward the sailing ship and prayed quietly in his heart for the girl¡¯s return.


    (Please¡­¡­come back safely.)

 Volume 4 - CH 6

    Forest monster would come out at forest, desert monster at desert, and sea monster at sea. But, such problem didn¡¯t occur in ship travel.


    It would be a different matter if the ship was small but, large ship that was owned by noble apparently wouldn¡¯t be attacked unless the monster was really gigantic. Besides even small ship had ¡°reverse hooks¡± so that sea monster couldn¡¯t climb to the deck or traditional trick like scattering grass that monster disliked while fishing.


    In the first place there was nearly a thousand years of history since human settled in this land. During that time, although nations fell and rose, the people living there kept doing their best to live. As the result the range that could be traveled with small ships were becoming environment where monster mostly didn¡¯t appear.


    That was the situation so speaking of what I was doing, at most I was training by myself to improve my sorcery and having mock battle against Viro to reach level 4 in Short Sword Skill. Other than that I also talked with the people who were the colleague of the knight that I helped at that time.


    ¡¸M-miss adventurer, can I please have a little bit of your time to talk-!?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Alright.¡¹


    As expected people like knights who chose fighting as their occupation had no prejudice even to adventurer. I too had grown in appearance to look like fourteen years old, almost like someone who was of age, so the knights especially the young ones kept coming to talk to me one after another without even treating me like a child. They asked me about my name or hobby.


    ¡­¡­I could understand why they asked my name, but what kind of reason they could have asking about my hobby?


    ¡¸My hobby is gathering herb¡­¡­?¡¹


    ¡¸As expected from you, a famous adventurer is knowledgeable even about medicine-!¡¹


    Even I had the good sense to not say something like ¡ºI¡¯m mixing poison in my free time¡». Certainly I also learned pharmacy from master, but why would hearing that make them red in the face¡­¡­.


    About those young knights, the knight who I helped at the highway rushed toward us when he saw them crowding me. He bowed his head apologetically to me and dragged them away.


    ¡¸It really help me with Aria-chan here. The number of people coming to talk me is decreasing.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­?¡¹


    Mira placed her hand on my shoulder from behind and said such thing. When I tilted my head in puzzlement, Mira only smiled cheerfully and walked away toward the ship¡¯s cafeteria. It seemed she had no intention to explain.


    The voyage was so peaceful that the knights could let their mind wander like that, even so I didn¡¯t get any chance to talk with Elena even though it had been so long since we last met.


    It was only natural if I thought about it. In the first place a mere adventurer needed an official reason even just to be able to look at the princess¡¯s face, but even without that reason the royal brother Amor wouldn¡¯t allow an adventurer to meet his niece.


    Why do I know that? That was because Elena¡¯s bodyguard maid who knew me told me about Elena¡¯s circumstance when she came to talk to me.


    She was someone who was also present when Elena was staying at that lakeshore castle for her rest. She was someone who Elena trusted very much as someone who had been guarding and taking care of her since she was a baby.


    She also trusted my opinion immediately when Elena got kidnapped. Thinking back now, I got the feeling that it was also her who left the role of being Elena¡¯s personal attendant only to me and arranged an environment where Elena could easily make idle complaint in order to allow Elena to rest her heart.


    That bodyguard maid©¤©¤Chloe also told me about Sera¡¯s son, Seo who was a year younger than me.


    It seemed that even after I went missing, Seo still believed in my survival and focused into his training desperately. He was Sera¡¯s son so it didn¡¯t really surprise me but it seemed he was really talented. He might be able to become rank 3 too if he kept training for several more years. She also said that he was looking forward to be able to meet with me but¡­¡­.


    ¡¸I pity that child¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Why?¡¹


    I looked puzzled because I didn¡¯t understand what she meant. In respond Chloe gently placed her hand on her cheek and sighed deeply.


    Chloe was an attendant of the princess and a knight of the black ops at the same time. She had long black hair and slender body and kind appearance but, despite appearance she was apparently a heavy equipment type knight. She looked young, perhaps she was still in her early twenty, but her actual strength and reliability allowed her to participate as Elena¡¯s bodyguard this time too together with Sera.


    She had combat strength around 400, a rank 3, so Elena should be fine under her protection unless there was something really unexpected. Her equipment was also different from her usual equipment, she was only wearing a loose maid uniform, but it seemed she was wearing extremely fine mythril chain that was weaved into a chain mail. Her defensive strength wasn¡¯t inferior even against the knight of royal guards. I heard she also brought a huge shield and a mace with her but¡­¡­if it was me I wouldn¡¯t even be able to move properly wearing such equipment.


    By the way Sera looked no different than usual but, she prioritized speed like me and wore a maid uniform that was made from monster leather. Underneath it she was wearing a bustier that was created from mythril fiber. ¡­¡­How much such thing cost? It seemed it was also Gelf who created that, so perhaps I should also order something similar if I got enough money in hand.


    There was no problem with this side. Based from what Chloe told me, it seemed there was also no problem with Elena. In that case the problem might be the crown prince Ervan and the royal brother Amor¡­¡­.


    Ervan who was worried for Elena who he saw as a sickly little sister apparently harbored distrust toward the black ops after what Grave did. That was why he refused to have bodyguard from the black ops. This time each participant was bringing two servants at most because the concept of the group was to be a small elite force, but in contrast to Elena who was being protected by elites of the black ops, Ervan was only bringing servants whose combat capacity was only so-so.


    Amor whose participation was decided too suddenly was in an even worse condition. He claimed that he could protect himself and only brought luggage carrier with him.


    Clara was bringing female knights of Dandall with her so her situation was still better than those two but, Sera and Chloe would have to focus completely on defense in order to protect Amor and Ervan, so it didn¡¯t feel like those two could be counted as fighting strength.


    In other words, we could think that the one in charge of offense in this dungeon exploration would be solely our ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±.


    Even if we had the royal guards with us who could be entrusted with the fighting to some degree, considering the situation, it would be better for the royal guards to be entrusted with the defense and us with the offense instead of all of us taking care of offense and defense together.


    With that in mind, I wanted to have a spar with Sera too if possible, but Sera too on paper was a maid so she had no free time like that. And having a spar with Feld or Dalton on the ship¡¯s cramped deck was impossible.


    ¡¸I also want to see Mira¡¯s spirit magic at least once¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Stop, the ship will seriously sink!¡¹


    ©¤©¤Viro suddenly cut in from the side and stopped that.


    When I wondered why he suddenly butted into the conversation, it seemed he was looking for a chance to talk with Chloe seeing that she was a pretty maid of the palace.


    ¡­¡­He mentioned that recently he got a lover didn¡¯t he?


    ¡¸Then please excuse me.¡¹


    But Chloe smiled sweetly and simply turned her back to return to Elena¡¯s side. Viro¡¯s eyes unsteadily followed the swaying of her hip. But then he twitched in surprise when I grabbed his shoulder.


    ¡¸No, you misunderstand okay!? I¡¯m devoted to my current girlfriend, honest! But, that kind of neat and clean beauty is still a sight for sore eyes whether you¡¯re single or not, that¡¯s why I¡¯m looking, just for a bit-¡¹


    Viro started confessing his deed for some reason. I looked at him with a slightly cold gaze while nodding a little.


    ¡¸Then if you¡¯re free, please be my sparring partner.¡¹


    ¡¸Again!?¡¹


    Because of that Viro became my sparring partner most of the times.


    Unlike Sera or me who used multiple weapons, Viro was an orthodox light warrior. Compared to me who specialized in killing enemy in battle against enemy, I could feel the difference in sharpness and variety from his technique.


    ¡¸Your thinking of putting your weight into a simple attack isn¡¯t wrong. But, don¡¯t get too focused in only that. We ain¡¯t ¡°warrior¡± like Feld or Dalton. But if you still want an ¡°attack¡± like a warrior even then, master just a single technique to the extreme.¡¹


    ¡¸Got it.¡¹


    Viro trained himself not to defeat the enemy, what he trained himself in was the ¡°strength¡± to survive in every situation by training his every aspect uniformly.


    In a sense, it was a tactic that was partly similar with master and my tactic to survive by ourselves.


    Because he was someone like that, he was able to survive even in the battle against Grave. I had to learn that lesson from him no matter what. From it I could feel the way of fighting of an adventurer who excelled in group battle.


    .


    We arrived at our destination, the island four days later in the middle of night.


    Based from what my Night Vision saw, it must be a scenic place if it was noon but, although the undertaking this time was found out by a part of the noble faction, as expected it didn¡¯t change that the fact that we were travelling incognito. That was partly because this undertaking was something that the average noble couldn¡¯t know about, but partly it was also because we didn¡¯t know whether the assassin guild that had washed off its hand from this was genuine in their withdrawal or just pretending.


    Although from here we were going to head to the large scale dungeon that was managed by the duke house, it should be dangerous for us to even enter into the city. The citizens would have noticed that some noble was coming by the time this large ship entered the harbor, but just knowing that wouldn¡¯t cause any commotion. But, our group that would enter the dungeon plus the guards and servants that Duke Fudale prepared consisted of great number. We would draw attention when we acted.


    If rumor was formed from that, the other nobles would also realize where the royalties who weren¡¯t seen in the capital had gone to.


    ¡¸It looks like we have a plan for that. There¡¯s a mansion for guest near the dungeon. It¡¯s for the royalty who visit this island. It¡¯s something like the lakeshore castle at Dandall.¡¹


    Viro had quickly obtained information and taught us the plan from now.


    We wouldn¡¯t enter the city and headed directly to the guest mansion near the dungeon. We would make our preparation there and then entered the dungeon early in the morning two days later.


    But the dungeon here was also open for adventurer in general, so even if it was early in the morning, nobles surrounded by more than thirty knights entering the dungeon would draw attention. But it seemed there would be no problem with that too.


    ¡¸The information from here will be extremely classified. Because the royal family is our employer, we have the duty to keep any secret to ourselves. If we divulge information, those we told will be ¡°purged¡± by the black ops, while us¡­¡­well, it goes without saying.¡¹


    To speak of the answer, there was a secret entrance in the dungeon¡¯s here that was exclusive to the royal family. I was just barely permitted to know this but, perhaps Elena and Sera gave their guarantee about my trustworthiness.


    The number of floor in this dungeon was ninety. The deepest level the average adventurer could reach was forty. It was said that in normal dungeon the monster would get stronger the deeper you went, but here I was told that the average adventurer couldn¡¯t go deeper than floor 40 simply because the limit of the time they could dive and their budget.


    It was possible to make a roundtrip in one day until the third floor but, it would take three days to make a roundtrip from floor 10.


    At floor 20 almost all the monsters that came out wouldn¡¯t be lower than rank 3. Just making a roundtrip from there would take two weeks.


    For the average adventurer, that would be their limit no matter how much they prepared. Financial strength became even more important than the rank to go deeper than that.


    This was an extremely classified information but, the dungeon here had been conquered several hundred years ago by the royal family of that time that was working together with the adventurer guild.


    At that time they took a total of one year to conquer the dungeon using a hundred people in the conquest force and several times that number in the support unit. At that time they discovered one of the ¡ºevacuation gate¡» that led to the outside from floor 70. That evacuation exit was successfully fixed in place by the effort of that era¡¯s royal sorcerers¡¯ full effort.


    Enormous amount of budget was pumped each year in order to fix that evacuation gate in place to function as ¡ºentrance¡».


    This entrance was left there in order for the royal family to obtain Gift. The criticism to the royal family would definitely swell up if it became known that the tax rate was increased for that purpose.


    Even so it seemed the option of ¡°not using¡± it didn¡¯t exist for the sake of this country¡¯s stability.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Will the spirit grant its Gift even if we take shortcut like that?¡¹


    ¡¸Who knows. That¡¯s why not everyone can receive the Gift, but perhaps that¡¯s why they¡¯re sending in a lot of royalties like this, hoping some will get lucky and get a Gift.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    It looked like the dungeon¡¯s spirit would still grant Gift even when we used that kind of cheating method, but mysteriously it almost never happened that someone other than royalties and their fianc¨¦es received a Gift.


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of selection standard was used but, if I was the spirit, I wouldn¡¯t grant my gift to human who cheated unless they were someone who sought power with their life on the line.


    Three royalties and the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦es¡­¡­I wonder how many of them would be able to obtain a ¡°Gift¡±.


    Was Elena seeking Gift for the country¡¯s sake? I think she would seek a Gift without hesitation if she judged that it was necessary. That was Elena¡¯s resolve after all¡­¡­.


    But I think, Elena aren¡¯t seeking a Gift. Carla too was fundamentally that kind of person. The two of them believed in their own strength just like me.


    Even so if they wished for a healthy body and it could come true as a ¡°Gift¡±, I¡¯d help them with that.


    But¡­¡­what was the ¡°wish¡± of the other three?


    ***


    In preparation of the dungeon exploration tomorrow, the royalties were resting their body and mind in each room the mansion that was assigned to them.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Uncle is really troubling.¡¹


    Elena recalled Amor¡¯s behavior in the ship and since then until now and sighed with annoyance. Sera was filled with the impulse of nodding along with agreement, but she suppressed it and poured tea into Elena¡¯s cup.


    ¡¸That person too has gone through painful experiences in his own way due to his position. More importantly Elena-sama, is it alright that you don¡¯t meet with that child?¡¹


    It was impossible to do so in the cramped ship but, if it was here Sera could make arrangement to at least sneak an adventurer into this room. Sera brewed tea while asking that. Elena closed her eyes while breathing in the scent of the herb tea that could help with having a nice sleep and shook his head slightly.


    ¡¸It¡¯s fine. After all she and I aren¡¯t ¡°friend¡±. I won¡¯t ask for anything more as long as she is alive¡­¡­and safe.¡¹


    A girl who she met at her childhood. She risked her life to save Elena, and not only that she also protected her heart. In this world she was the only one who she could call a kindred soul.


    The time where they were together wasn¡¯t long by any means. Even so, just knowing that Aria existed had saved Elena¡¯s heart beyond measure. Aria was the moonlight that illuminated Elena¡¯s path of protecting the country, a dark path where she couldn¡¯t see ahead.


    Elena had her own way of living, while Aria had her own way of living. Because they were ¡°kindred spirit¡±, she couldn¡¯t distort Aria¡¯s path just because of her own selfishness.


    ¡¸¡­¡­That¡¯s fine if that¡¯s what Elena-sama wished for.¡¹


    Elena said that they weren¡¯t friend even as she was concerned for her. She had learned to endure as she grew in heart and body.


    The heavy pressure of the ten million of lives in Claydale Kingdom were hanging on her small shoulders. The crown prince who ought to shoulder that burden together didn¡¯t have the resolve for that, while the king was in the way by trying to keep Elena away from politic due to his consideration for Elena¡¯s sickliness.


    Sera began to seriously think whether there was something she could do in order to somehow protect the body and mind of this girl who was fighting a lonely fight.


    .


    Around that time, the young lady of Dandall House Clara was receiving a visit from a boy at night.


    ¡¸Ervan-sama¡­¡­is something the matter?¡¹


    ¡¸No, as I thought your complexion doesn¡¯t look good Clara, so I come to check on you¡­¡­are you alright?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, your highness.¡¹


    Although he didn¡¯t look reliable, a small smile came through on Clara¡¯s lips due to the consideration of her fianc¨¦e for herself.


    What weighed down on Clara¡¯s mind was partly because of this activity that exposed her life to danger even before the main part of the ¡°otome game¡± began, but an even greater part came from the girl who looked very similar to the ¡°heroine¡± that was gradually turning into a trauma for her appearing once more before herself.


    The life of the margrave daughter Clara was shorter compared to the life of her previous self. It wasn¡¯t like she was able to recall all the emotions of her previous life but, as expected the noble¡¯s pride that she had before she regained her memory had dimmed down and now it didn¡¯t feel like she would be able to risk her life even if it was for the country¡¯s sake.


    Even on their way here Ervan had been showing some meager consideration toward such Clara. Although Rockwell and Mihail were also worried for her, those two who were trueborn high ranked nobles were thinking that risking one¡¯s life was only natural, so Ervan¡¯s kindness made her happier than theirs.


    The first queen was a middle ranked noble from a region with comparatively greater freedom. She took away the education as royal family from Ervan. Her mother did that only because she wished to give her love to her son just like how her parents did for her, but she was unable to understand that the resolve and duty of a royalty couldn¡¯t possibly be cultivated with that kind of perspective.


    The otome game¡¯s Ervan sympathized with the heroine who was raised as a commoner and became inspired by the heroine¡¯s growth. With that he became able to look into himself that he was no good as a royalty and grew to become a proper crown prince.


    But, the current Ervan who hadn¡¯t gotten involved with the heroine was still unreliable.


    Although Clara had the mentality of a commoner just like the heroine, she was still a high ranked noble. Doing her best and working hard was only something expected from her. And so she couldn¡¯t take the role of heroine.


    Even so, that weak part of Ervan found ¡°himself¡± inside Clara. Exactly because he was weak that Ervan could see and sympathize with Clara¡¯s weakness.


    Seeing Ervan acting like that made Clara felt like she was able to face him not as a game¡¯s capture target but as a real human being for the first time.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll also do my best, so Clara, let¡¯s do your best too together with me. I¡¯ll protect you to the best of my ability.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­¡¹


    This crown prince had gentle nature©¤©¤which looked like a lack of drive and ambition to the noble faction, but Clara was saved by his kindness and she softly grasped the hand that Ervan held out toward her.


    (Is there something that I can do, for the sake of this person¡­¡­)


    .


    Around the same time©¤©¤at a dark terrace with no light turned on at all, a black haired girl wearing white nightwear was dancing.


    She performed simple dance steps that any noble daughter would be made to learn. Her hands were lifted up while tightly holding the hands of an imaginary person. One may wonder who her illusionary partner might be¡­¡­.


    Carla smiled like a little kid. But that smile looked ghastly coming from her. Her hands reached out toward the moon at the night sky with a wish in her heart.


    ¡¸Quuickly, becomee tomorrow already¡¹


    ***


    The day for us to enter the dungeon finally arrived. Early in the morning, it seemed that ¡ºentrance¡» was located at the garden behind the mansion that was surrounded by high walls, but I couldn¡¯t see anything like that there.


    The more than thirty people who would enter into the dungeon had gathered there. They were radiating enthusiasm, but tension and anxiety that couldn¡¯t be hidden completely were mixed into the atmosphere.


    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹¡¹


    When my eyes met Elena who was being surrounded by the royal guards and Amor, she made a small troubled smile.


    In the first place I accepted Viro¡¯s invitation and participated in this bodyguard mission was to prevent any unforeseen accident from befalling Elena but, there was no way Amor would allow me to get near Elena.


    Elena had conceded the position of crown prince to her brother without any protest because of her poor health. Amor who was being kept as a freeloader in the royal family must be seeing himself in her. I could sympathize with his position but, someone who had their hands full with their own matter was worrying if they got driven into a corner.


    Even the crown prince Ervan who had tried several times to talk to me at the beginning got obstructed many times by Amor. Right now he was occupying himself by looking after the scared looking Clara.


    He was neglecting his other fianc¨¦e Carla, but from the start she was someone who even entered a dungeon by herself. She didn¡¯t bring a single attendant with her and only carried a single storage expanded bag. She looked to be the one most at ease among everyone here.


    Even the royal guards whose role should be including Carla¡¯s protection sensed her dangerous atmosphere and wouldn¡¯t get any closer than necessary toward her. That Carla noticed my gaze and lightly waved her hand at me with an innocent smile.


    ¡¸¡­¡­B-by, the royal command, we shall commence the dungeon exploration now-¡¹


    After a while the dungeon exploration got started by Ervan¡¯s nervous declaration.


    With his words as the signal, the officer knights surrounded the royalties to protect them. Then Ervan pointed a ring that had a crest engraved on it. With that a ¡ºstone door¡» surfaced on a large rock where there was nothing there before. It slowly began to open with a loud sound and when that door opened fully, Ervan stepped inside with the knights protecting him. The other royalties followed behind him.


    ¡¸We¡¯re going too.¡¹


    We nodded at Dalton¡¯s words and followed them.


    We became the last one entering, but after walking forward for some time we entered an open space. There we switched position with the royalties and took the frontline position.


    The area until this point was created by the past royal sorcerers. The color of the walls changed from the way ahead. This area with different color was the interior of the ¡°dungeon¡±.


    .


    ¡¸Let¡¯s go Aria.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    From here on ahead would be the job for us ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±.


    The scout Viro and I went ahead to detect trap and other danger. The dungeon¡¯s trap wasn¡¯t something delicate like mechanical mechanism, but simple things like poison gas spurting out when you stepped on the trigger or the ceiling crumbling. But despite their simplicity a lot of them were lethal in large scale. We had to be especially more careful in this situation where we had a lot of amateurs coming along.


    Viro checked for trap with his instinct and experience. He used his own body to check for the safety while going ahead.


    ¡¸Aria, give it a try.¡¹


    ¡¸Got it.¡¹


    Viro taught me the method and I checked for trap at that place. But the place that I investigated wasn¡¯t the path that we were going to take but the side path. We had to be careful with amateur accompanying us because some of them sometimes could go off on their own somewhere because of a little bit of curiosity or taking care of their physiological need.


    I didn¡¯t learn only from Viro¡¯s teaching but also from watching his technique with my own eyes. I also used my ¡°eyes¡± to check for any unnatural magic particle. And I was checking the side road not only for ¡°trap¡±.


    ¡¸Viro.¡¹


    ¡¸Aa, they¡¯re here huh. They¡¯re heading this way.¡¹


    The group formation would become longer the more people it had. The longer the formation became, the more time it would take to pass through a spot.


    If it was just a single party of several people, they could just pass through without accident, but with our group that took time to pass, it increased the chance of monster appearing from unexpected place.


    ¡¸What do you think it will be?¡¹


    Viro gave me a testing question. I imagined the ¡°enemy¡¯s form¡± just like he taught me before.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Unknown footsteps. The steps are wide and fast and heavy. The footstep of one side is heavier than the other, so they are holding weapon in one hand. They large humanoid monster¡­¡­number estimation is three or four.¡¹


    ¡¸Based on those criterias they might be orc or ogre but, they might be ogre I guess. Ogre isn¡¯t as heavy as orc but their physical ability is high and their footsteps are faster and heavier. ¡ºDalton! Enemy detected, presumed ¡°ogre¡±. Four at least!¡»¡¹


    Viro used the darkness sorcery¡¯s Noise to send his ¡°voice¡± to Dalton and others at the back. It seemed they could hear it. I could hear the commotion from the knights over there.


    This dungeon was apparently a beast demihuman type dungeon, similar like the dungeon near the capital. I had no problem with it because facing humanoid enemy was easier for me but¡­¡­.


    ¡¸There¡¯s no point with us not making sound.¡¹


    ¡¸Well, don¡¯t say that. even knights don¡¯t have that many chance to face high ranked monster, so they¡¯ll calm down after seeing us defeating a few. Look, both are coming.¡¹


    Right after Viro said that, muscular humanoid monsters with height that reached two meters and horn growing from their forehead appeared from the side path.


    .


    ¨‹Ogre¡¡Difficulty Rank £³


    ¡¾Magic Power£º£±£³£¸£¯£±£´£³¡¿¡¾Stamina£º£³£¸£´£¯£´£°£±¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strenght£º£´£¹£´£¨With Body Strenghtening£º£µ£·£²£©¡¿


    .


    Ogre was rank 3 just like orc, but orc was a low rank 3 while ogre could be considered a high rank 3.


    Ogre was really strong but not as strong as an orc soldier. Even so its hide was harder than an orc. I pulled out my black dagger instead of a knife and stepped ahead, but a large hand grabbed my shoulder.


    ¡¸Feld?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s our turn.¡¹


    Feld grinned and rushed forward with his magic steel great sword. Behind him Dalton whose body was wrapped in mithril full plate armor went forward with every step of his creating tremors.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡»


    The ogres also rushed out with only two when they saw that only two humans came rushing at them.


    There was difference in the fundamental status between ogre and mankind like dwarf and human, so the action of the ogres was understandable. But©¤©¤


    ¡¸HAAH!¡¹


    Feld suddenly rushed so fast he looked blurry. The ogre raised up its club to swing it down on Feld. But Feld¡¯s great sword bisected the ogre along with its club vertically.


    *DODON-* The ogre that was split into two scattered blood while falling on the ground loudly. ¡­¡­Amazing. When watching the fight from far, it was as though Feld was the ogre here.


    ¡¸Aa, I see.¡¹


    ¡¸Right? ¡°Both¡± are like ogre right?¡¹


    After having such carefree exchange, Dalton arrived at the battle just slightly later than Feld.


    ¡¸DOORYAAAAA!¡¹


    Dalton sprang forward and bounced back the crude club that the ogre swung with his armor. Then he crushed the ogre like a waxwork with his huge mithril war hammer.


    So this was ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±, the adventurers who were top class even in the whole country.


    The knights who had also caught up from behind cheered in admiration from the view.


    Before this they saw the monsters that appeared in dungeon as ¡ºterrifying monster¡» like in the fairy tale that they heard in their childhood, but now they understood that it was just ¡ºan opponent they could fight¡» and regained their composure.


    Feld and Dalton finished off the remaining ogres in the blink of eye and returned back. The knights let out shouts of joy as though to extol them.

 Volume 4 - CH 7

    Originally conquering a dungeon took a lot of time. Even at the beginning floor, without the map that the adventurer guild had finished, just conquering the first floor would take more than one day.


    That was even truer for the lower floor where the monsters were stronger and the path complicated. There would be traps to evade, monsters to deal with, and sometimes there would also be path that led to the floor above instead to below. There would also be cases where it took multiple days to conquer a floor.


    But, the route to head down from floor 70 of this dungeon was recorded in the document that the royal family owned.


    Normally the objective of entering a dungeon would be to collect the ¡ºtreasure¡» that was created by the dungeon in that floor, but we ignored all of them and simply kept advancing deeper. We took no side trip and followed the route that was written in the document.


    My general impression of dungeon was that I thought the monsters would become more powerful the deeper we went.


    In the upper floors there were only low ranked monsters and they would become stronger the deeper you went, but it didn¡¯t mean that below floor 70 there would only be mythical class monster appearing.


    What changed from there wasn¡¯t the monster¡¯s strength, but the ¡°difficulty¡±. At the middle level the monsters¡¯ appearance was still sporadic, but at the lower level they kept appearing without giving us any time to rest. It made it easier for us to get ambushed.


    The monsters in this area were mostly rank 3 ogre or orc. Furthermore they didn¡¯t appear solo but always in group. What was even more troublesome than that was that the monsters in low level were very aggressive.


    The monsters at the low level were hungry. From the start there wasn¡¯t any food inside a dungeon to fill the monsters¡¯ stomach. But the monsters gathered here because the dungeon was alive and transforming into the optimum environment for them.


    Magic particles could also serve as nutrient. The thick magic particles inside the dungeon could allow monster to survive even without them needing to eat a lot.


    But it didn¡¯t mean that it could satisfy their desire to eat. What the monsters sought was human meat.


    The dungeon were regulating the monsters by guiding their mind to prevent them from devouring each other, and dropping the corpses of human who unfortunately got caught in a trap at the upper level to lower level so that the monsters wouldn¡¯t get too used to being hungry.


    Because of that the monsters in this lower level were constantly aggressive. They would sniff our scent even from afar, followed the track we left on the path we passed through, and attacked through day and night.


    But, not all of the enemies were rank 3. When monsters appeared in great number, not all of them would have high rank. Some of them would come as subordinate of the higher ranked monsters, like rank 2 hobgoblin or high kobold that was just barely rank 3.


    In that kind of situation, the royal guards would also join the fight, but the royal brother Amor showed his disapproval when they went out to fight like that.


    ¡¸What are you doing!? It¡¯s the job of the adventurers to clear out the enemy. You knights have the duty to protect the next generation young royalties like Ervan and Elena aren¡¯t you!?¡¹


    The way he said it was bad but it was a correct argument. We were hired for that duty, and nobody among us adventurers had delicate mind that would feel hurt from hearing such words.


    But, although it was the correct argument, there would still be people who felt dissatisfied if it was said with the wrong tone.


    Wouldn¡¯t the group be able to advance quicker if they also joined the fight? The knights who felt like their chance to show off their stuff got taken away from them were accumulating dissatisfaction. In turn Sera and Elena who were doing their best to quell that down were also accumulating mental fatigue.


    But more importantly¡­¡­Carla was still not making any move even though no one would be able to stop her when inside the dungeon like this. Her silence felt just a little eerie.


    .


    At the beginning everyone still felt somewhat high spirited when they prepared to camp. Even when the royalties ate the modest meal which was a first experience for them, they were still putting on a smile.


    But now, several days after entering the dungeon, people who scowled each time it was time for meal started to appear. Inside here we couldn¡¯t know whether it was noon or night. They had to sleep in fear and even when they woke up, the area would still be dark like before. Gradually dissatisfaction and fatigue were starting to show in everyone¡¯s face.


    ¡¸¡­¡­It¡¯s only us and that young lady who are still energetic huh.¡¹


    ¡¸Uh huh.¡¹


    Viro muttered while nibbling on ration during the break. I also replied noncommittally while glancing at her direction.


    Carla didn¡¯t join the royalties even during break and stood alone. The servants of the royal family feared her and wouldn¡¯t approach near her. Sera and Elena acted tactfully and did things like offering her tea and the like. In respond she would accept what they gave her but other than that she would take out something like a candy from her spatially expanded bag and snacked on it.


    Carla who was used with being inside dungeon looked like she was having fun instead for being given food even if she stayed quiet. I knew because I was the same. I who was used to camp outside alone found the current situation to be not that hard.


    Conversely I thought that someone like Viro who was in the group of wanting to rest in an inn as much as possible during journey would complain for having to eat while standing but¡­¡­.


    ¡¸This is still better than the food you made.¡¹


    We could easily find monster meat everywhere here, so I thought that we could just eat that without touching our precious food store, but I was strictly ordered that I must never touch them, Well, it wasn¡¯t like I wanted to eat the meat of humanoid monster by preference.


    Setting aside Carla, Elena too was eating her food without complaining. Her body was weak so I was concerned that she might not have an appetite, but nobody could complain in this situation. ¡­¡­Other than ¡°him¡±.


    ¡¸Head maid! This meal isn¡¯t suitable for Elena. Isn¡¯t there anything better?¡¹


    ¡¸Uncle, I¡¯m fine¡­¡­¡¹


    He too must be trying to protect his niece in his own way but, it was completely a futile effort and caused a burden instead to Elena who tried to stop him.


    The knights were discontent seeing the frail Elena forcing herself like that, but Amor who got his hands full with himself didn¡¯t realize that there was such atmosphere.


    .


    That delicate atmosphere crumbled when we had gotten down by two floors.


    There was an open space where multiple paths crossed. Several people including Viro and I lifted our face when everyone reached the center of the place.


    ¡¸Everyone-!¡¹


    ¡¸Draw your weapon! A lot of monsters are coming-!¡¹


    The warning pushed us and the knights to draw our weapon. Mira sent the low rank wind spirit she employed to the air.


    ¡¸O spirit of wind, place the protection of wind around us!¡¹


    The protection of wind enveloped the group, at the same time low rank monsters like goblin and hobgoblin surged out from several paths that connected to this open space.


    ¡¸Tsk, a ¡°monster room¡±!¡¹


    The ¡°monster room¡± that Viro shouted was a kind of trap in dungeon. It referred to a phenomenon where a lot of monsters suddenly overflowed in a place that seemed like safe.


    ¡¸Let¡¯s go!!¡¹


    ¡¸We¡¯ll back them up too with our pride as the royal guards on the line!!¡¹


    ¡ºFor the pride of the royal guards!!¡»


    Dalton and Feld rushed forward, at the same time the knights who didn¡¯t get too many chance to fight until now also rushed toward the monsters that were trying to surround us.


    In this situation the priority should be to protect the royalties. But the dissatisfaction of the young knights who had been held back until now had reached the limit and they became unable to even make a normal decision after staying for several days inside this dungeon.


    It became a sudden melee and I also took out my pendulum to give back up. But then a voice stopped me.


    ¡¸Is it alright for you to leave?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Carla?¡¹


    Carla¡¯s voice sounded amused. At the same time a lot of monsters started to flood out too from the direction of the path that we had passed to here.


    ¡¸Wha-, get back here knights! Shit-¡¹


    Amor noticed that and raised his voice, but it didn¡¯t reach the knights who had gotten embroiled in chaotic melee. Clara seemed to keenly feel the danger to her life in that situation and staggered as though she had anemia. Ervan hurriedly caught her in his arms.


    Seeing their masters like that caused the servants of the royalty who didn¡¯t specialize in fighting to begin feeling even more flustered.


    ¡¸Calm down-, first make sure of the safety of his highness and the others!¡¹


    In this situation Sera who had the strength to fight couldn¡¯t move in order to manage them. Then my gaze met Elena who still tried to protect the crown prince even in such situation.


    ¡¸I-I won¡¯t let anything hurt them!¡¹


    Amor raised his voice to shake himself free from the fear and pointed his short sword toward the approaching high kobold.


    This must be his first real battle even though he had received legitimate training in sword. I was impressed with the way he tried to protect Elena and Ervan despite his fear but, that wasn¡¯t your job.


    ¡¸Hih¡¹


    The instant the claws of the attacking kobold was about to tear Amor¡¯s throat, a pendulum¡¯s blade pierced its face.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Wha-!?¡¹


    ¡¸Step back.¡¹


    I stepped in front of Amor who was dumbfounded seeing the monster falling on the ground before him. Then I thrust a dagger on an approaching hobgoblin before slashing the throats of two kobolds.


    ¡¸It¡¯s my work from here.¡¹


    ¡¸Aria!¡¹


    Elena who was under Sera¡¯s protection let out a pained voice toward me who rushed out to deal with the monsters that approached from the rear.


    Perhaps Elena recalled that time when I almost died to protect her.


    But¡­¡­it¡¯s alright Elena.


    I directed a smile just for a moment toward her to reassure her before readying my pendulum and knife.


    The dungeon trap ¡°monster room¡± was an attack by large amount of monster when the victim stepped into a space where there was nothing. It was a highly dangerous trap that was difficult to avoid, but if there was a silver lining to be found was how all the monsters that got drawn by the dungeon¡¯s ¡°call¡± had low rank.


    Even so ¡°number¡± was a threat by itself. Even if each monster wasn¡¯t a threat individually, if a single person got attacked by more than ten, it would become a lethal danger even if the attackers were just rank 1 or 2 monsters.


    Even for Dalton and other members of Rainbow Knight, although they could defeat these enemies in one hit, the requirement that they couldn¡¯t allow the enemies to approach the protection targets and that they had to support the knights made them unable to exert all their strength.


    They were ¡°orthodox¡± adventurer for good and bad. Even though they could slaughter ogre or troll in one blow, their strength and weapon were too powerful to face numerous small fries in the middle of melee.


    ¡¸W-wait! What¡¯s the point of a young girl like you going-!¡¹


    Amor who tried to fight at the frontline despite being a royalty raised his voice in concern for my wellbeing.


    Although his behavior right now was horrible, it could be seen from Elena and Ervan¡¯s attitude toward him that normally he was a good person. That was why he didn¡¯t wish for my death even though I was an adventurer, an occupation that he was unable to stomach.


    Surely someone like him who was only able to believe what he had seen with his own eyes thought that it was impossible for a girl in the same age of Elena to fight at the frontline.


    He tried to go to the forefront himself, perhaps because of his manly pride or noble dignity. I guessed it was admirable but, right now this side didn¡¯t have any proper combatant remaining.


    The knights couldn¡¯t get back because they got caught in a melee. There were still few guards remaining behind but, the duty of these people including Sera was more like ¡ºshield the royalties with your life¡» rather than fighting.


    ¡¸There¡¯s no time. Don¡¯t get in the way.¡¹


    ¡¸Wha-¡¹


    The monsters from the rear had approached close. I radiated pressure for an instant at Amor who was in the way to shut him up, then I lightly waved my hand to Elena and Sera, stood in front of the swarm of monsters that were rushing like an avalanche, and cut my way through them like a knife splitting a wave.


    Open your eyes. I¡¯ll show you the way ¡°I¡± fight.


    ¡ºGOGYA!¡»


    I quickly tapped my heel. Then I jumped and landed a kick with the blade in my shoes. The face of the kobold that was running at the forefront was torn together with its skull.


    I threw a slashing type pendulum from my Storage before I landed and tore the throat of the goblin that tried to slip from my side. My scythe type pendulum deeply split the brain of a hobgoblin.


    ¡ºGIGYAGYA!¡»


    Two goblins attacked me at that timing with rusty short sword.


    The instant I landed, I absorbed the impact using my knee joint and thigh muscle while using the momentum to make my bending leg to kick on the ground. I leaped forward and planted the black knife and black dagger in my hands into the two goblins¡¯ foreheads faster than they could swing down their short sword.


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAA!!¡»


    A high kobold with large build and an orc approached at that moment. They thrust using their rusty spear and stone axe at me.


    My hands let go of the knife and dagger that stabbed into the goblins and bent backward to dodge the approaching blades. Without stopping I kicked up at the jaw of the high kobold from below using the blade at my toes. I dodged the spurt of blood while swinging down the weighted type pendulum to smash the orc¡¯s skull.


    ¡ºGIGYAA!!¡»


    The kobold and goblin that came rushing next had their throat torn open at the same time using the slashing pendulum that had its power increased from centrifugal force.


    ¡¸HAAAA!!¡¹


    I recovered the dagger using the string of the general purpose pendulum and grabbed it midair, planted it into the forehead of an approaching hobgoblin, then I grabbed my other knife in the air and rotated with my whole body to behead a high kobold.


    The high kobold¡¯s freshly severed head flew while spurting black blood everywhere. It made the wave of approaching monsters paused slightly.


    Even though they were called here by the dungeon and in a hungry state, it seemed there was still al ittle bit of sense remaining inside them. But I had no intention of overlooking that opportunity.


    I targeted the goblins at the left and right with the slashing and scythe pendulums. They tore through the two¡¯s necks before I pulled on the strings with all my strength. The two kobolds who were on their path had their throat cut open with a trail of blood spray left behind on the pendulums¡¯ wake. Then I rotated them while rushing to the midst of the monsters.


    ¡ºGUGYA!?¡»


    ¡ºGIII!¡»


    The eyes of the highly spirited monsters were finally filled with fear seeing me killing them in succession without even a moment of pause. Their movement began to dull down.


    Fear caused your body to be stiff. In the battlefield the so called ¡ºmoderate fear with appropriate amount of tension¡» didn¡¯t exist. If you didn¡¯t conquer or overcome it, there would only be ¡°death¡± waiting for you.


    I sidestepped the jerkily moving monsters with paper thin distance while caressing the carotid artery of several goblins using my black knife and stabbing my dagger into the jaw of a petrified high kobold from below until its brain.


    ¡ºGI¡­¡­GYIGAAA!!¡»


    The monsters started moving simultaneously in terror seeing that.


    I ducked to dodge the multiple spears that the monsters thrust, grabbed the stone floor with my hands like a cat, and shot out like arrow using my arms¡¯ muscle strength and my legs¡¯ kick. I slashed apart the throat of a hobgoblin with my heel¡¯s knife while knocking up the jaw of the orc right in front me with my palm heel, then I horizontally cut apart its throat that became completely open with my knife.


    ¡ºGAAAA!!¡»


    I used my left arm¡¯s hand protector to parry the rusty hatchet that a hobgoblin haphazardly thrust. The blade was diverted to a nearby kobold, cutting it apart. I cartwheeled to kick up the arm of a high kobold that attacked me with its sharp claws while directing it to the hobgoblin that attacked me with hatchet. The two crashed on each other and lost their balance before I killed them simultaneously with knife and dagger.


    I dodged the blades of the approaching monsters only using Detection that I focused to the extreme. I crouched like a cat, grabbed on the stone floor to slip through right under the feet of the monsters while killing them in turn starting from the monsters that showed opening.


    No hesitation. Also no fear.


    I killed all the enemies before my eyes.


    I constantly spun to change position while swinging around my pendulums with centrifugal force to cut open the neck of monsters, smashed their skull, and tore through their carotid artery.


    Only half remaining©¤©¤


    ***


    ¡¸¡­¡­What¡¯s¡­¡­this¡­¡­¡¹


    Hoarse voice leaked out from Amor¡¯s throat.


    That adventurer was a slender girl with traces of childishness still remaining in her looks, no different at all from his niece Elena and the fianc¨¦es of his nephew Ervan.


    It seemed she was acquainted with Elena but, the way she acted to her was disrespectful for a mere adventurer in the presence of a royalty. Just like how she ignored the existence of Amor who tried to protect the young royalties and faced the monster swarm on her lonesome.


    Even the royal guards here who had reached rank 3 wouldn¡¯t get out unscathed if they got surrounded by five armed hobgoblins while alone. That was because knights were trained with the assumption that they would have comrades at their side in the battlefield and there would be no need for them to face many enemies alone. On top of that they also had no experience of going through such thing in real battle.


    Furthermore here the opponents weren¡¯t just rank 1 goblin or kobold, there were also rank 2 hobgoblin and orc and high kobold that were rank 3 although only barely.


    Even if the girl was a member of the famous adventurer party ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±, there was no way she would be able to win. ¡­¡­That was what he thought.


    But the girl used strange weapon and martial art to kill dozens of monsters in the blink of eye.


    A life would have been reaped without fail each time the girl whirled as though she was dancing and her black blade glinted. The girl¡¯s ¡°ash¡± covered hair became dyed red from the blood spurt and spray of the monsters. That look coupled with her well-ordered appearance reminded him of a ¡ºrose made from iron¡».


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡±Ash Crowned Princess¡±¡­¡­¡¹


    One of the luggage carriers who also served as guard absentmindedly muttered those words. Amor spontaneously turned toward him.


    ¡¸What¡¯s that¡­¡­, do you know about that girl-!?¡¹


    Amor grabbed at the cloth of that guard. That guard¡¯s expression convulsed even while he nodded his head.


    ¡¸I-I don¡¯t know that much! But¡­¡­if I remember correctly, there was an ¡°ash covered¡± girl who got called like that after destroying many branches of assassin guild and thief guild¡­¡­¡¹


    The man answered based on the ¡°rumor¡± that he remembered some merchants or the like were talking about. Then behind him another servant looked as though he recalled something and raised his voice.


    ¡¸I also heard about it once! There was a rumor that a single girl annihilated a group orc that attacked a baron territory at the north by herself¡­¡­¡¹


    Ervan and Clara also gulped from hearing that statement. Even Elena and Sera who knew about that rumor opened their eyes wide when hearing that coupled with the fierceness of the scene in front of them.


    Clara also knew about that information. After all that assassin guild branch that was annihilated by that Ash Crowned Princess was near Dandall.


    There was also other unbelievable rumors like a thief guild that was made up from fierce fighters getting annihilated by the same girl, but they could only believe those rumors after watching the girl fighting before their eyes. Clar felt like her sight turned dark when she recalled how she was thinking of eliminating such girl.


    As though to seek for salvation, she turned her eyes toward Ervan who told her that he would ¡ºprotect¡» her and continued to hold her hand. There she saw how even though he was also feeling afraid like Clara by the violent scene before them, there was only that ¡°girl¡± being reflected inside his eyes as though he was under her charm. It made Clara¡¯s consciousness slipping away.


    ¡¸Clara-!¡¹


    Ervan caught Clara who fainted and fell down, while continuing to stare and tremble at the girl who he thought as ¡ºsimply a pretty girl¡» when he got acquainted with her before.


    Amor too muttered in a daze after hearing the unbelievable stories.


    ¡¸That¡¯s absurd¡­¡­¡¹


    Impossible. There was no way such things could be true.


    That ¡°common sense¡± got rewritten by the ¡°reality¡± of the girl who killed monsters before his eyes. It engraved ¡°fear¡± into Amor¡¯s mind like a wedge.


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­¡¹


    Seeing the unbelievable growth of the girl who once exchange an oath with her in the past, Elena called her name while placing her hand on her chest as though to ascertain the ¡°oath¡± once more.


    While gazes of surprise, excitement, and fear were directed there, only Carla was staring at the figure of the girl who fought as though she was dancing with ecstasy in her expression.


    Carla kept doing nothing except watching without dirtying her hand until now was because she wanted to saw the figure of the girl killing and getting hurt even more than taking away life with her own hands.


    She let out that twisted passion together with a heated sigh, then she turned a heated gaze toward the girl.


    ¡¸As I thought, no matter whose blood it is, a blood soaked Aria is pretty¡­¡­¡¹


    ***


    ¡ºGU¡­¡­GAa¡»


    *GOKIN-¡­* The neck snapped with such sound. The last high kobold fell down after I loosened up the string around its broken neck.


    It was over with this. The dungeon¡¯s trap ended and around me there were the corpses of more than fifty monsters lying in pools of blood.


    The extermination at the other side had also just finished. The knights who returned back in panic saw the situation here and took a step back in shock.


    There were also the young knights who talked to me on the ship among them, but even they backed away from feeling overwhelmed seeing me soaked in blood. The opened a path for me to walk through.


    I lightly waved my hand at Elena who was among the royalties in the middle of the knights. In respond she sighed with a slightly angry face before finally she smiled just a little, as though saying that it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ¡¸Aria-!¡¹


    I saw Feld and Mira running this way from my path ahead. I too took a step ahead toward the height where they were standing on.


    I became stronger yet again.

 Volume 4 - CH 8

    ¡ºGUAAAAAAA!¡»


    I slipped past the swinging rusty iron mace. The moment the ogre¡¯s balance crumbled, I jumped and swung my knife in a large arc.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Double Edge©¤©¤¡¹


    My Battle Skill launched two consecutive attacks that destroyed the ogre¡¯s eyes.


    ¡ºGUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!?¡»


    The ogre spontaneously dropped its weapon and pressed its hands on its face. I slid to its back and finished it off by thrusting my black dagger into its brain through its ear.


    An ogre¡¯s skin was so hard it was even used to be an ingredient for high quality leather armor. It was difficult to damage it with my throwing knife or normal knife but, it wasn¡¯t an opponent that I couldn¡¯t defeat in one on one battle.


    The leader Dalton judged that I was able to fight better than expected and decided to use me not only as scout but to also take care of monsters within certain level.


    That wasn¡¯t the whole reason. Thanks to my very off the rail fighting style, the movement of the knights would become stiff when I was at the rear near them. The knights could honestly acknowledge the strength of ¡°warrior¡± like Dalton or Feld, but it seemed an existence like me looked abnormal to them.


    I too at first only faced monsters like orc or hobgoblin, but after several days passed the other started to gradually entrust me with facing monster that almost reached rank 4 like ogre.


    This too was also because we had to increase the speed of our travel no matter what.


    ¡¸I¡¯m finished over here.¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    ¡¸Now then, let¡¯s get back to work again.¡¹


    Feld and Dalton returned after defeating two trolls. Viro and I switched with them and moved forward.


    Troll was rank 4 in combat strength, but because they had special regenerative ability that didn¡¯t show in their combat strength from Appraisal, they were considered as low rank 5 in subjugation difficulty by adventurer guild.


    That kind of enemy couldn¡¯t be defeated by small weapon like what Viro and I used if we fought with a normal way, so we left them to the two vanguards who had large weapon.


    ¡¸¡­¡­It¡¯s vexing.¡¹


    ¡¸You shouldn¡¯t compare yourself to rank 5 yeah? Certainly you can¡¯t defeat something like troll right now, but you¡¯ll be able to if your Short Sword Skill reach level 5.¡¹


    Viro told me that in respond to me whisper.


    ¡¸Viro, do you know the level 5 Battle Skill of Short Sword Skill?¡¹


    Serjura could also use short sword but, master couldn¡¯t use that Battle Skill because her close quarter level was 3. I thought that perhaps Viro, a rank 4 might know but, he sighed and shook his head.


    ¡¸I never see it at all. There¡¯re a lot of scouts but, combat type scout like you and I are rare. I can¡¯t teach you because I never actually see it but, I once read it in the guild¡¯s record. It¡¯s eight consecutive attacks using both hands but, I can¡¯t even imagine how to do something like that.¡¹


    ¡¸Hee¡­¡­¡¹


    Eight consecutive attacks huh¡­¡­. But even if you slashed at the opponent, doing it in succession would lower the attacks¡¯ power so I really couldn¡¯t imagine how to perform it.


    ¡¸Well, first you gotta aim to reach level 4 at Short Sword Skill. Even the level 4 Battle Skill is really awesome y¡¯know? Right now that royal bro is a bother, so I¡¯ll show it to you later if we get the chance.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Roger.¡¹


    ¡¸But still¡­¡­¡¹


    Viro frowned when seeing the trolls that Feld and Dalton defeated on our way going forward.


    Even though we didn¡¯t collect any material from all the monsters until now, we at least took the magic stone of the monsters stronger than ogre, but now we had to abandon even the troll corpses.


    Naturally the ogre I defeated also got left behind. Viro too glanced at the ogre he defeated while grumbling in a small voice that only I could hear.


    ¡¸Aa~aa, what a waste.¡¹


    ¡¸We will get extra pay to make up for these too right?¡¹


    The reason we increased our marching speed that we even left behind the materials of rank 4 monster lie in the protection targets behind us.


    ¡¸Let¡¯s stop here for today-!!¡¹


    We kept marching for a while until we found a place that looked relatively safe. Sighs of relieve could be heard from behind when Dalton called out like that.


    We were burning incense to repel low rank monster although it could only serve as mere consolation, even so the knights and guards who were preparing the camp couldn¡¯t feel a peace of mind just from that. Their face was showing color of fatigue that they couldn¡¯t hide fully.


    This dungeon exploration that started from floor 70 had reached floor 80 in one week. According to the story that Mira told me, it was common to spend more than three days just to conquer a single floor when exploring the deep part of dungeon, so our progress right now could be said as astounding.


    But that too was the result of us marching in a straight line without veering off at all using the old document that the generations of royal family had left behind.


    Here we couldn¡¯t see the sun for many days. The knights couldn¡¯t feel any sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. They had even lost any sense of time inside this closed off environment while doing the same thing repeatedly and constantly getting exposed to danger. It started to weaken them mentally.


    Even the knights who sometimes would go out to the battlefield were in such state. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for those like the royalties who had been living in the palace until now to be nearing their limit.


    ¡¸¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹¡¹


    We too crossed through that area in order to prepare to camp. It was then for a second my eyes met Elena who looked tired. She sent me a smile that looked just a little strained.


    Elena was strong mentally. She was prepared to sacrifice even her own life if it was for the country¡¯s sake. If it was her, I believed that she could overcome even this situation.


    ¡­¡­But, in regard to Amor who was sitting near her with dark look while sipping water that a servant handed to him, he was the one who was the most in peril among the royalties.


    He couldn¡¯t possibly even complain because it was him who forcibly joined this exploration. He also said that he reason he was participating was to protect Elena and Ervan. But judging from his behavior, I believed that he also wanted to obtain Gift to change his current situation.


    His true feeling and official stance were getting worn down by the terrible reality and fatigue. He himself must be losing sight of what he ought to do here. He had also stopped interfering after seeing my fight, but he would avert his gaze when looking at me while muttering something incoherent.


    The other main participants still looked better compared to him but, Clara and Ervan had gotten together a lot more often since the incident at the monster room, and Clara¡¯s eyes that had been looking fearful when looking at me before this was also getting filled with hostility now.


    In contrast Ervan looked like he was able to maintain the stability of his mind by paying attention and taking care of such Clara even while he was feeling bewildered by her behavior.


    Among them it was only Carla who looked no different at all than before. She was still ¡°horrible¡± in various senses as usual. Even though she had the lowest stamina among everyone here, she was looking the most cheerful for some reason.


    In a sense she was used to this kind of situation, the same like us. Dalton and Mira who had been active as adventurer for a hundred years looked completely the same like usual, while Viro had the composure to complain that there was no alcohol here.


    Feld had big body so this cramped environment should be hard for him, but he only looked annoyed. As for me, while my experience in dungeon wasn¡¯t much, but I hadn¡¯t lived in a way that would make me feel agonized just from this kind of environment.


    Getting back to the topic, for the sake of them who weren¡¯t used to the dungeon¡¯s environment, Dalton discussed it with Elena and Sera and they decided to increase our marching speed.


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­Feld¡¹


    ¡¸Again huh.¡¹


    When I called at Feld who was nearby, he understood without me needing to say any further and stood up while readying his great sword.


    Viro had already started moving. Seeing that Dalton and Mira also stood up from the ground. Dalton lifted his war hammer and smirked just slightly at the corner of his lips.


    ¡¸Can we eat ¡°meat¡± today?¡¹


    Seeing us moving caused the relaxed knights to raise their voice, which almost sounded like they were screaming. In that timing, there was the sound of ¡°hoof¡± from the path ahead that drowned their voices.


    ¡¸It¡¯s Minotauros!!¡¹


    Someone among the knights yelled. At the same time four Minotauros came running from the path ahead.


    Minotauros was a monster with huge body and cow head and hooves. Its rank was upper rank 3 just like ogre but, its charging power during its excited state was said to be able to murder even an ogre that had the same rank with one attack. It was a powerful enemy with difficult that could even reach rank 4.


    ¡¸Finish them off in one strike-!!¡¹


    Dalton yelled to us when he saw that the knights wouldn¡¯t make it in time to be ready to fight.


    The Minotauros were already in excited state. They came running as fast as a horse with their jet black horns pointed forward. Dalton and Feld leaped to in front of them with their weapon at hands, while Mira started to chant spirit magic.


    ¡¸The left side, Aria!¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    Viro and I who had low attack strength targeted the same enemy.


    ¡¸O spirit of earth! Stitch the enemy in place with indestructible power!!¡¹


    Mira¡¯s spirit magic activated and the stone floor inside the dungeon rose up like clay. It became a huge stake that skewered one minotauros that charged from right ahead.


    The other Minotauros became even more furious seeing that and didn¡¯t stop rushing. They passed through the sides and one Minotauros targeted Mira who stopped moving from using spirit magic.


    ¡¸I won¡¯t let you!¡¹


    Dalton put himself between them. His war hammer smashed the Minotauros¡¯ head like cheese with a thunderous sound.


    ¡¸URAAAAAA!¡¹


    Feld swung his great sword horizontally beside him. He split the Minotauros¡¯ head into two parts.


    ¡¸Aria, make an opening!¡¹


    ¡¸Roger.¡¹


    I charged straight from the front and kicked on the face of the rushing Minotaurus. I used its face as stepping stone and leaped over it from right above. I used my whole body¡¯s weight and momentum to pull at the string that got wrapped around its horn to make it lifted up its jaw, then Viro who believed in me and charged forward swung in a large arch using his mythril short sword.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Critical Edge©¤©¤!¡¹


    It was the level 4 Battle Skill that heightened a single attack¡¯s power by several times when aiming at vital spot. The short sword pierced straight to the Minotauros¡¯s brain from right below.


    This attack would become a normal attack if it missed the vital spot, but with precise aim, it would become a sure kill Battle Skill that unleashed several times the original power.


    In short, it was the perfected and improved version of level 1 Battle Skill ¡°Thrust¡± that I often used because of its ease of use. This Battle Skill needed to aim at vital spot but any Battle Skill fundamentally also had to aim at ¡°opening¡±, so it didn¡¯t change anything.


    Certainly this was a usable Battle Skill. I turned toward Viro as I thought that, but then another sound came from behind.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    Its war cry thundered and following it the Minotauros came running.


    The knights had only just gotten on their feet and they relaxed for an instant seeing the Minotauros were defeated. Few of them would be able to fight immediately. We too had defeated a Minotauros each but, because of that we were still out of position.


    The Minotauros was running straight with its hooves trampling the floor. Ahead of it were the royalties including Elena.


    Sera realized that and moved forward to protect them. With her strength she should be able to defeat the opponent if it was one-on-one battle, but just like Viro and I, Sera wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat it with one strike. She must be planning to sacrifice herself to stop it.


    ¡¸Aria! Go all out!!¡¹


    Feld yelled to me at that moment.


    I turned toward him just for a moment. In my eyes I could see my comrades nodding. They all knew about my ¡°trump card¡±. Then that must be what they meant by ¡ºgo all out¡».


    Without even a moment of hesitation I held the black knife in my mouth and bent forward while my hand grabbed the ground. At the same time I was discarding impurity from the magic particles that I was using to strengthen my body.


    The purity of the magic particles were increasing. At the same time the flowing speed of the magic particles throughout my whole body sped up. It instantly raised the precision of my body strengthening to the maximum.


    ¡¸HA!!¡¹


    *DANN!!* ©¤©¤My fingers pushed on the stone floor so hard as though I was trying to gouge it with my nails. Even the scenery in my sight got left behind as I chased after the Minotauros that was running ahead. Just a moment before it reached the royalties, I used all my strength to lop off its head from right behind it.


    *ZASHU!!*


    The body of the Minotauros that lost its head rolled on the ground. The flying severed head fell in front of Clara and she screamed before falling unconscious.


    I too had consumed almost all of my mana and stamina in an instant. I ran out of strength and tripped. My body rolled on the floor and fell on the torso of the Minotauros that were rolling ahead of me.


    My body became unable to move after using the technique that defeated the orc general¡­¡­


    (As I thought, even though its humanoid, it can be eaten seeing that it¡¯s a cow¡­¡­)


    I was thinking of such stupid thing in a daze.


    ¡¸Aria!¡¹


    Elena who was nearby screamed and ran toward me.


    ¡¸Aria, are you alright!?¡¹


    ¡¸You did something reckless again¡­¡­, can you move?¡¹


    Sera who also came running at the same time asked me that. When I answered her ¡¸I¡¯m fine¡­¡­¡¹, two large hands held my sides and lifted up my body like a kid.


    ¡¸You did great, Aria-¡¹


    ¡¸Feld¡­¡­¡¹


    He ran after me¡­¡­. I smiled a little at Elena to show that there was no need to worry. When Viro who also came running here grinned at me, I too finally relaxed and narrowed my eyes at the sight from my current position.


    So the scenery that Feld was looking at was actually this wide¡­¡­.


    ***


    ¡¸The appearance of the Minotauros is the proof that we have arrived at the deepest area. Only a short distance remain. Put forth all your efforts!!¡¹


    Dalton who had confirmed the safety of the path said that in front of everyone.


    The deep part of this dungeon was the area where Minotauros appeared. The enemy got stronger but, the finish line had finally come into sight. It increased the fervor of the knights despite Dalton¡¯s rough tone.


    Even so that didn¡¯t mean we are going to depart immediately. The journey from here would be even harsher than before. Everyone checked their equipment and prepared for around half a day. They used that time to rest their mind and body.


    I too couldn¡¯t move immediately after using that technique. I used Cure on myself while Sera was also giving me treatment. Then healing magic was casted at me from the side.


    ¡¸©¤©¤High Heal©¤©¤¡¹


    The healing magic that was casted with tremendous amount of mana healed my my injured body. There was still the fatigue so I wouldn¡¯t be able to move right away but, with this I should be able to recover quickly.


    ¡¸Carla¡­¡­¡¹


    Carla healed my body. I didn¡¯t know what kind of whim pushed her to do so. She narrowed her eyes smilingly and quietly whispered into my ear while I was lying down.


    ¡¸You said that you won¡¯t die until you kill me right?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    When I first met Carla¡­¡­I said that I¡¯d kill her if she wished for it. Carla still remembered that promise.


    Would Carla still want to die even if she managed to regain her health¡­¡­?


    And then the half day break was over and we departed to explore the dungeon once more. I too had become able to stand up, but I still couldn¡¯t put strength into my legs. It would be difficult for me to fight. Even so I should be able to walk and I massaged my legs to help with that, but then someone suddenly called out to me.


    ¡¸Excuse me. If possible can you allow us to carry you?¡¹


    The men in front of me were the young knights who talked to me at the ship and put some distance from me after I exterminated the monsters at the monster room.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Why?¡¹


    ¡¸We too were able to understand something important after seeing your fight.¡¹


    ¡¸You¡¯re someone necessary. Your recovery will also quicken if you don¡¯t move. That¡¯s why please let us carry you.¡¹


    I don¡¯t understand their reason but it looked like they didn¡¯t fear me anymore.


    I felt reluctant to let myself be carried by people I didn¡¯t know but, certainly I would recover quicker if I didn¡¯t move too much, so I nodded. The young knights showed gladdened expression at my respond.


    ¡¸Then allow me.¡¹


    ¡¸No, I¡¯ll be the one to carry her.¡¹


    ¡¸No no, it should be me.¡¹


    The knights volunteered themselves as though they were in a competition for some reason. While I was thinking of what to do, a woman in maid uniform appeared from the side and lightly lifted me up.


    ¡¸Aria-san is a girl so I¡¯ll do it. It¡¯s an order from ¡°her highness the princess¡±. Is there anyone who disagree?¡¹


    ¡¸¡¸¡¸¡­¡­No.¡¹¡¹¡¹


    Elena¡¯s bodyguard maid Chloe smiled brightly at the young knights. In respond they unconsciously took several steps back.


    .


    According to Chloe, it seemed that I was ¡ºlighter than the shield she usually used¡». Chloe said that but, she was holding that shield in her hand while carrying me on her back, so I couldn¡¯t even imagine just how much muscle strength her slender body possessed. But thanks to that I managed to return to fighting condition in one day.


    We only progressed by one floor in one day but, compared to the marching before this where we couldn¡¯t see the finish line, there was a world of difference feeling-wise even for the nobles and knights. We were progressing faster than before.


    The number of Minotauros became a lot the deeper we went. They were ferocious, even so we combined our strength and broke through before suddenly at a certain floor the enemy stopped coming.


    ¡¸Is it a trap?¡¹


    ¡¸No¡­¡­we¡¯re close to the deepest part.¡¹


    Dalton answered Feld¡¯s question. We found a stair after walking through a straight passage where no enemy appeared. Then a huge iron door entered our eyes after we went down that stair.


    ¡¸The deepest door¡­¡­¡¹


    Everyone held their breath and fell silent. Elena¡¯s voice flowed like the sound of bell in the middle of such mood.


    Floor 90¡­¡­the lowest and deepest floor of the dungeon. There wasn¡¯t any wall that divided the room there. There was only a huge iron door with fine reliefs that was three meter wide and five meter tall.


    Even though it was said that dungeon was reading the thought of dead human, for there to be this kind of door here told us that there was some kind of existence that possessed ¡°will¡± in here.


    I didn¡¯t know whether that existence was the dungeon¡¯s spirit. But, I had been feeling the ¡°gaze¡± of someone since getting deeper into this dungeon.


    ¡¸Then let¡¯s go!!¡¹


    ¡ºOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡»


    Viro and I checked thoroughly for trap, the Dalton called out to everyone and pushed the door open together with Feld and the knights. The heavy door began to slowly open and when it was full opened, behind it was¡­¡­.


    ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹


    There, three huge humanoid figures were waiting for us.


    The two at the left and right were colored blue and red. They must be superior type of Minotauros. And then the remarkably huge black Minotauros that was almost three meter tall standing between them was©¤©¤


    ¡¸Be careful. It¡¯s a rank 6¡­¡­Minotauros Murder.¡¹


    .


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»

 Volume 4 - CH 9

    We finally arrived at the deepest part of the dungeon. The place was like an area with diameter of more than a hundred meters. Waiting for us there were three Minotauros with atypical form.


    .


    ¨‹Blue Ox¡¡Minotauros Bruto   Monster Rank 5


    ¡¾Magic Power : 180/182¡¿¡¾Stamina : 730/731¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 1587 (With Body Strengthening : 1890)¡¿


    .


    ¨‹Red Ox¡¡Minotauros Bruto   Monster Rank 5


    ¡¾Magic Power : 201/203¡¿¡¾Stamina : 692/694¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 1694 (With Body Strengthening : 2037)¡¿


    .


    ¨‹Black Ox¡¡Minotauros Murder   Monster Rank 6


    ¡¾Magic Power : 250/252¡¿¡¾Stamina : 801/806¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 3240 (With Body Strengthening : 3960)¡¿


    .


    Rank 6¡­¡­! Master had told me about such existence, but I never expected for it to be this powerful.


    Rank 5 was considered as the highest rank that ordinary living thing was able to achieve. Even human would be called as master or hero if they reached that level but, it was said that ¡°something¡± beyond the boundary of race would be necessary in order to rise even higher than that.


    I could hear stifled scream and gulping from the people with Appraisal skill behind me. I also saw Elena¡¯s complexion turning pale among them. It reminded me of what I should do. I pushed down my emotion to the bottom of my heart and began analyzing the enemy¡¯s combat strength.


    First, the Minotauros Murder that was named ¡°Black Ox¡± in my Appraisal. It was an individual with pitch black body that was more than three meter tall and two twisted horns. It was lightly holding a huge two-handed axe that was made from magic iron. A human would find it very difficult to handle such weapon.


    Also looking from their magic power and stamina value, along with its body build and combat strength, the three of them were close quarter fighter but, this Black Ox looked especially well balanced in offense and defense.


    The two others beside it too, they might looked comparatively weaker than the Black Ox, but they weren¡¯t opponents that could be underestimated by any means. Rank 5¡­¡­they were powerful specimen that possessed equal combat strength to the orc general Gorjaoul who I fought before.


    Furthermore the monsters inside the dungeon were maintaining their body in perfect condition. I couldn¡¯t do the same trick like with Gorjaoul where I spent one month to shave his stamina bit by bit.


    The specimen named ¡°Blue Ox¡± was a strength type that possessed blue colored huge body that was more than 2,5 meter tall and abnormally bulging arm muscles. The current me might be able to oppose it with speed, it would be difficult to even approach it if it swung around the two-handed sword made from magic iron that it had. It looked to be almost as tall as itself.


    The ¡°Red Ox¡± was holding two steel halberds like the ones that human would use. Its red body also wasn¡¯t inferior compared to the Blue Ox. The halberd looked like mere hand axe in its hand.


    But what was terrifying from it was that it had higher combat strength than Blue Ox despite having leaner body. Most likely it was a speedy type with status that completely surpassed me in all aspects.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    The Black Ox lost its patience seeing us not moving from the door. It let out a roar that shook the whole arena and the well trained knights were trembling in fear from the ¡°Pressure¡±.


    The lips of the Blue Ox and Red Ox were twisting into a sneer seeing us like that. They started to slowly walked forward.


    ¡¸Can we¡­win?¡¹


    From behind, Elena asked Dalton with a trembling that she couldn¡¯t completely hide from her voice. That tone made Dalton sent an appraising gaze toward her.


    ¡¸I think the ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± can handle it if it¡¯s just the Murder alone but¡­¡­it¡¯s impossible with just us facing all three of them at the same time. Should we return? There¡¯s no guarantee that everyone will be able to obtain the dungeon¡¯s ¡°blessing¡±. It should be fine even if you don¡¯t risk your life here.¡¹


    ¡¸No¡­¡­¡¹


    What was it that the royal family really sought? Aren¡¯t they mistaking the means as the objective here? Dalton¡¯s words asked Elena of that, but Elena shook her head quietly.


    ¡¸Certainly us of the royal family came to this place seeing ¡°power¡±. But, at the same time we¡¯re coming here also to show our resolve for the country and the people. I won¡¯t run away.¡¹


    Elena stated her determination resolutely. The crown prince and Clara gulped seeing her, while Amor was shaking her head a little as though to deny the reality with a completely uneasy face.


    ¡¸We¡¯ll fight!!¡¹


    The knight who I helped when we first met took a step forward with a nervous expression. He turned his gaze toward me just for a moment and nodded slightly. Then the other knights also stepped forward with determined face.


    ¡¸Lord Dalton, please give us instruction. The ten of us royal guards can¡¯t be compared with all of you but, as the shield of the nation we swear that we will hold back the enemy!¡¹


    ¡¸W-we will also fight!¡¹


    Not only the knights, the three royal sorcerers who had only used sorcery for healing until now also stepped forward with a nervous look. Even Dalton nodded quietly seeing their faces.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Umu. Very well!!¡¹


    Seeing their resolve and the Blue Ox and Red Ox who started moving under the Black Ox¡¯s order made Dalton judged that there was no more time. He gave instructions to us.


    ¡¸Members of the royal family, can you see the ¡ºaltar¡» behind the Murder? I think that might be your ¡°objective¡±. I¡¯ll give a signal if there¡¯s an opening. Head there immediately as fast as you can.¡¹


    Elena and others saw the altar near the wall at the furthest end of the area. They nodded at Dalton even while trembling a little.


    ¡¸We¡¯ll take on the red one. You knights draw the attention of the blue one. If Murder come out before we can defeat the red one, Feld and I will face it. Anyone else mustn¡¯t get near no matter what. Mira, back us up. If the red one is still alive at that time¡­¡­¡¹


    Dalton paused there and turned toward Viro and I.


    ¡¸You two got to buy time for us. Can you do it?¡¹


    ¡¸Can¡¯t be helped huh¡¹


    Viro slapped his own face to fire up himself. I nodded wordlessly. There©¤©¤


    ¡¸I¡¯ll assist Aria in that case.¡¹


    *Drip*¡­¡­The voice flowed out like a trickle of muddy liquid. The knights opened a path as though they were overwhelmed by something. The girl slowly walked through there with a smile that looked like poisonous flower on her sickly face.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Carla¡¹


    Calra seemed to hear my mutter and turned a thin smile toward me.


    Originally she shouldn¡¯t be allowed to fight no matter how strong she was due to her position as the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e and one of the protection targets. But, even the servants and her fianc¨¦e Ervan who should be stopping her couldn¡¯t even form a single word due to the abnormal air that she was oozing. Even Sera who was one of the people in charge of the security was unable to stop Carla¡¯s action.


    ¡¸Are you dissatisfied with me¡­¡­?¡¹


    It was more of an anxiety rather than dissatisfaction. But, regardless of her character, ability-wise there was nothing to be dissatisfied or worried about.


    ¡¸¡­¡­You, young lady?¡¹


    Dalton too seemed to have noticed of Carla¡¯s dangerousness, but there was no denying that we wanted all combat strength available in this situation. And seeing that her mana rivaled even Samantha, Dalton could only give his permission.


    ¡¸There¡¯s no problem with your capability. You¡¯re a protection target but if you said that you¡¯re going to show off your resolve as a royalty, we¡¯ll borrow your strength in case it¡¯s needed.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, I don¡¯t mind. After all I have no intention dying against mere rabble.¡¹


    Carla looked at me meaningfully. I looked back at her. Dalton let out a short sigh seeing us staring at each other like in a glaring contest. Then he turned his gaze to the approaching monsters.


    ¡¸Then, let¡¯s go!!¡¹


    .


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    Seeing us started moving, the two Minotauros Bruto that were approaching provocatively also took action.


    ¡¸Over here! Blue Minotauros!¡¹


    Just as planned, the knights fired arrows at the left side to lure the Blue Ox. Then Mira¡¯s spirit magic was casted as hindrance when the two monsters looked like they were going to act in concert.


    ¡¸O water! Seize that one!¡¹


    The water spirit magic was casted preemptively to seize the Red Ox, but the Red Ox jumped with an agility that looked mismatched with its huge body and avoided the magic. Then it rushed to target the sorcerer Mira.


    But Mira too wasn¡¯t a normal sorcerer. She leaped back using her level 3 Body Strengthening and Martial Art to dodge and open some distance©¤©¤


    ¡¸HAAAAAAAA!!¡¹


    ¡ºBUOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    *GIINN!!*


    Feld dashed forward at the same time and his great sword clashed violently with the Red Ox¡¯s halberd. Sparks scattered and illuminated the gloomy dungeon.


    *GAN!*


    ¡ºBUOO!?¡»


    In that moment, the weighted pendulum that I threw struck the side of the Red Ox¡¯s head. Mira who had swiftly switched to her bow aimed at its head and the arrow grazed there.


    But, both attacks got thwarted by the Red Ox¡¯s solid horn and didn¡¯t really deal any damage. The Red Ox glared at Mira and I but, it couldn¡¯t pay attention at other place while it was facing Feld.


    ¡¸UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡¹


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡»


    Feld swung with all his strength. The Red Ox also could only use both its weapons to block the attack. Mira executed Archery¡¯s Battle Skill using that opening.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shadow Bind©¤©¤¡¹


    The level 3 sorcery type Battle Skill sewed the Red Ox¡¯s body on the spot. But, sorcery type Battle Skill had bad compatibility against strong opponent and wouldn¡¯t last long. But, there was no way that man would overlook that opening.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Dark Mist©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡ºBUOOO!?¡»


    The black mist that Viro released covered the Red Ox¡¯s head with precision. Its movement was stopped and its vision blocked. Dalton who had been waiting for that perfect timing swung his huge war hammer toward the Red Ox.


    This was the rank 5 party ¡°Rainbow Sword¡± that was prominent throughout the country©¤©¤even I unconsciously opened my eyes wide in amazement seeing such smooth teamwork.


    But©¤©¤


    ¡ºGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡»


    In that instant, ¡°Black Ox¡± that had been watching quietly let out a howl with overwhelming pressure. Every single one of us got our movement stopped just for a moment.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOO!¡»


    In that moment the blinded Red Ox swung around its two halberds. Dalton and Feld who were prevented from attacking dodge the halberds and opened some distance away from the opponent.


    At the distance the Blue Ox punted away a frozen knight who had the shielding role. Then it swung its great sword to mow down several other knights who were still unable to move.


    The knights at the back quickly moved forward, but the Blue Ox made a twisted grin seeing the ¡°wall¡± getting drastically thinner.


    ¡¸Reform the formation!¡¹


    ¡¸Pull back the wounded!¡¹


    Dalton raised his voice while Elena gave command to the knights. Sera along with the royal court sorcerers began treating the knights with healing magic.


    This happened just from the Black Ox making a small move¡­¡­. Now the sorcerers who had been awaiting the chance to attack had to spend their mana for healing, and we were robbed from our chance to finish off an enemy.


    The Black Ox seemed to judge that the Red Ox couldn¡¯t handle Rainbow Sword¡¯s fierce attack on its own. It stopped watching quietly and headed this way with its huge battleaxe in hand.


    Can we win in this situation? No, unnecessary emotion wasn¡¯t needed. I should only do my job.


    ¡¸Viro!¡¹


    ¡¸Got it. Dalton go!¡¹


    Dalton quickly made his decision after Viro and I moved.


    ¡¸Take care of this, let¡¯s go, Feld, Mira-!¡¹


    ¡¸Ou!¡¹


    ¡¸Understood-¡¹


    We immediately reformed the battle line while Dalton, Mira, and Feld dashed in order to intercept the approaching Black Ox.


    .


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOO!!¡»


    The Red Ox forcefully swept away the shadow binding and dark mist. It noticed how Dalton and others were heading toward the Black Ox and gave chase. But the knife that Viro threw grazed its nose tip in that moment©¤©¤


    *GAN!*


    ¡ºBOOO!¡»


    My weighted pendulum struck the Red Ox¡¯s horn the moment it stopped running. The clash produced a metallic sound.


    ¡¸We won¡¯t let you leave.¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s how it is.¡¹


    I and Viro readied our knife and blocked the Red Ox¡¯s way. It would be difficult even just to hold it back if I was alone, but with Viro the two of us would be able to buy some time although it would be difficult to defeat it.


    ¡ºBUMOOO¡­¡­¡»


    No matter how hard it was, unlike helmet, the horn was connected directly to its skull. The impact of the strike was directly transmitted to its brain. The Red Ox shook its head to get rid of the damage and glared at us in annoyance while readying the halberds in its hands.


    ¡¸Let¡¯s go!¡¹


    Seeing Viro sprinted forward to disturb it from below, I noticed ¡°that¡± and immediately tripped his leg. Viro rolled on the ground.


    ¡¸Ariaaa!?¡¹


    Viro turned toward me to complain©¤©¤


    ¡¸©¤©¤Fire BreathDragon Roar©¤©¤¡¹


    A light voice that sounded like a song reached our ear at that timing. It was accompanied by flame rushing right above our head. Even the Red Ox who hurriedly dodged got its arm slightly scorched.


    It was level 4 fire sorcery. There was only one person who could use it in this place¡­¡­. When I looked back, Carla was there with her finger pointed toward us, sporting a beaming smile on her sickly complexion.


    Viro¡¯s eyes widened seeing that. I hated wasting time and told him the fact dispassionately.


    ¡¸Carla might kill us any time so be careful.¡¹


    ¡¸That little lady is crazy! And be careful how!?¡¹


    Viro reflexively raised his voice, but this was Carla we were talking about so I could only ask him for his understanding.


    She was lending us a hand just as promised, but that help was accompanied by its own danger, even so we still needed Carla¡¯s strength in this situation.


    .


    ¡¸NUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡¹


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    Those voices made me peeked at the direction of the Black Ox. There Dalton in his full plate focused into the shielder role and blocked the Black Ox¡¯s attack. It pushed him back for several meters. Feld and Mira used that time to launch their attack, but they were lacking finishing power due to the wide difference in status.


    That was only natural. Originally even for Rainbow Sword, facing rank 6 would require the whole strength of the party. Dalton was a tough dwarf and equipped with full mythril plate, but the attack of the Black Ox wasn¡¯t something that could be blocked over and over.


    But it was the knights who were in the worst situation. Their formation was sent into disarray by the roar of the Black Ox. There hadn¡¯t be anyone who died yet, but the royal court sorcerers were unable to use sorcery to attack in order to maintain the weakened battle line.


    A single knight whose combat strength was only around 400 couldn¡¯t block the Blue Ox¡¯s fierce attack without their fellow knights¡¯ help. At this rate our battle line would crumble starting from the knights.


    But a chance of victory should appear if the three of us including Carla could defeat the Red Ox.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Carla, can you do it?¡¹


    ¡¸Of course.¡¹


    When I asked her, Carla erased her usual composed smile and she pointed her hand toward the Red Ox.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Dig VoltElectric Shock©¤©¤¡¹


    The combination sorcery of water and win, lightning magic attacked the Red Ox, but it was also on guard against Carla and dodged it by jumping. But the Dig Volt spread out. The lightning attack possessed range that surpassed imagination thanks to Carla¡¯s mana capacity and skill. The Red Ox couldn¡¯t completely dodge and its body got hit by the lightning.


    ¡¸Dammit!¡¹


    Viro was scared of Carla instead of the Red Ox, even so he dashed toward the monster. The Red Ox also quickly swung its halberds but its movement was slightly slower thanks to the lightning attack. Viro slipped through that attack and his short sword grazed the Red Ox.


    ¡¸HAA!¡¹


    I also didn¡¯t just watch quietly. I swung down my weighted pendulum from the opposite side.


    What was terrifying from a high ranked monster wasn¡¯t just their combat strength, but also their huge body and the hardness of their skin. Short blade like what Viro and I used couldn¡¯t deal large damage to them. Our weapon couldn¡¯t reach until their vital organ. Even Carla¡¯s lightning attack just now had been obstructed by the monster¡¯ s skin and couldn¡¯t reach until its internal organ.


    ¡ºBOOOOOOOOOO!¡»


    *GIN!*


    That was why the Red Ox was wary against Carla¡¯s sorcery that inflicted large damage and my weighted pendulum. It immediately used its halberd to block. But you underestimated the man before you too much.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Double Edge©¤©¤!¡¹


    Viro leaped to the bosom of the Red Ox when it left itself open and attacked with Battle Skill. He didn¡¯t use level 4 Battle Skill that was only strong when hitting vital spot, but he was targeting the eyes of the Red Ox in order to follow it up with the next move with certainty.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    But the Red Ox didn¡¯t back away when it realized that it wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge. Instead it intercepted the attack with its head¡¯s horn.


    *GAGANN!*


    ¡¸UOO!¡¹


    For Viro it must feel like hitting a rock. He stumbled backward from the impact. On the other hand the look in the Red Ox¡¯s eyes changed from rage.


    *GANN!*


    ¡ºBUMOO!?¡»


    I already said that his move would lead to the next move. This time its horn had really gotten hit fully by the weighted pendulum. The Red Ox¡¯s huge body staggered considerably.


    I didn¡¯t know whether my Battle Skill would be able to defeat the Red Ox. I turned my gaze toward Carla who had the ¡°deciding move¡± to defeat the Red Ox. There I only found a human shaped shadow that was similar to my Shadow while the girl herself was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡¸Then, let¡¯s meet again later Aria.¡¹


    Carla who should be fighting together with us to finish off the enemy came from deeper in the area.


    ¡¸Carla!¡¹


    Was this your aim from the start? She waited until all the Minotauros came forward and even used us as bait to go forward. She cheerfully waved her hand at me before rushing to the back of the area without pause.


    The altar was located at that direction. ¡­¡­Carla, your purpose of offering to fight together from the start was just to obtain a Gift?


    I wouldn¡¯t call what she was doing as bad. But that wasn¡¯t what mattered right now. Carla¡¯s action caused the people who hadn¡¯t moved until now to make their move.


    ¡¸Ervan-sama, we should go too!¡¹


    ¡¸G-got it¡¹


    ¡¸Big brother, don¡¯t!¡¹


    Seeing Carla heading toward the altar caused Clara who was feeling driven to the wall to pull on Ervan¡¯s hand. The bewildered Ervan just followed her running to the altar.


    Sera who was supporting the knights and guarding Elena couldn¡¯t stop them. Clara and Ervan ignored Elena¡¯s yell to stop. Their servants also panicked and followed them in a hurry. It caused confusion to spread out quickly.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    The Red Ox was angry from Viro and my attack and it fell into an excited state because a lot of people suddenly moved. It ignored us who was right beside it and began chasing after Carla and Clara.


    ¡¸Shit-¡¹


    Seeing that Viro patted my back while he was still lying on the ground. He gave me instruction as the fastest one here.


    ¡¸Go Aria! Don¡¯t let his highness and the others die!¡¹


    ¡¸Got it!¡¹


    Carla¡­¡­is this your wish? I kicked on the ground to break into a dash and chased after the back of the Red Ox that was chasing after those who were heading to the altar.


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­tsu¡¹


    I left Viro behind and chasing after the Red Ox alone. Even though I was using body strengthening in full strength and also gradually extracting the impurity from my magic particles to accelerate, I couldn¡¯t catch up to the Red Ox that was entering a rampaging state.


    At this rate only Carla who was using body strengthening would get away. The Red Ox would catch up to the crown prince and the others before I could catch up.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Pain©¤©¤!¡¹


    I immediately casted Pain to the Red Ox¡¯s back. But in its rampaging state the Red Ox only trembled for an instant without stopping its legs at all.


    I would be able to catch up if I completely removed all impurity and used pure magic particles to perform ¡°that technique¡±, but it was still impossible for me to kill the rank 5 Red Ox in one attack. I made that conclusion within my thought that was accelerated by my body strengthening. Then I casted multiple magic simultaneously to stop the monster.


    ¡¸Shadow! Weight©¤©¤!¡¹


    I made the weightless Shadow to run ahead and cut in at the front of the Red Ox. I also used Weight to increase the Red Ox¡¯s weight.


    Even so each of them could only stop it for a tenth of second. But the precious time that I earned was enough for me to catch up until just barely ¡°within range¡±.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shadow Walker©¤©¤!¡¹


    I connected my magic particle to the Red Ox¡¯s ¡°shadow¡± and jumped out from there before stabbing my black dagger into its thick neck.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    But it was shallow. Its tough neck muscle got in the way. The knife couldn¡¯t pierce through with my physical strength.


    It sent my body flying by swinging its head around, even so I wrapped my pendulum¡¯s string around its horn and acrobatically flew in the air back toward it. Then I made the Red Ox¡¯s nose tip ate my powerful knee strike.


    ¡ºGAAAAAA!?¡»


    The Red Ox bent backward with blood spurting out from its nose. The light of reasoning returned to its eyes a little. But, the Red Ox¡¯s anger was directed fully toward me in exchange.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    It put me in a battle against a serious rank 5, but thanks to that the Red Ox¡¯s focus had been diverted from the crown prince¡¯s group toward me. From the start the plan was to send them until the altar if there was an opening. Because of them I got unexpectedly stuck with fighting solo but, well, no matter¡­¡­.


    Red Ox, I¡¯ll be your opponent.


    ¡ºBUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    ¡¸HAAAAAAAAAAA!¡¹


    I fought with my full strength right from the beginning. I didn¡¯t hold back anything.


    The Red Ox approached with terrifying speed while striking at me using its halberd.


    I heightened the precision of my body strengthening using magic particles that had been purified until a degree that my body could just barely withstand. I dodged the Red Ox¡¯s attack in a hair¡¯s breadth.


    The effect was weak with only this degree of purity, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge a rank 5¡¯s attack without that slight difference.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Illusion©¤©¤¡¹


    I bent light to obscure my form while throwing the weighted pendulum.


    ¡ºGUAAAAAAAAA!¡»


    The cross weight approached in a blur. The Red Ox instantly gave up dodging and it swung its head to deflect the weight with its horn.


    The Red Ox swung its halberd to mow down everything in order to catch me who was using illusion to obscure myself. I dodged by jumping over it before immediately sliding under the Red Ox while pulling out a knife from the slit of my flapping skirt and throwing it to the Red Ox from below.


    ¡ºBUOOOOOOOOO!¡»


    The huge body of the Red Ox that was more than two meter tall lightly danced in the air.


    It dodged the knife by escaping to above. It looked down at me who was sliding on the ground and grinned. It then threw the halberd in its left hand toward me.


    ¡¸HA!¡¹


    In that moment, I used my back to spring up and rolled on the ground while dodging the halberd. I immediately threw my pendulum¡¯s string to wrap around the leg of the Red Ox in the air.


    The Red Ox noticed that and kicked at empty air. The movement flicked the string along with my body to the air.


    Not yet. The string was still tied to the Red Ox.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Shadow Walker©¤©¤!¡¹


    The Red Ox had no shadow while it was midair. But, I slipped into the shadow of the huge halberd¡¯s balde and instantly ¡°crossed¡± to the Red Ox¡¯s back


    ¡¸HAA!¡¹


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOO!¡»


    The Red Ox immediately noticed and counterattacked. Its elbow and my kick crossed. My heel¡¯s blade gouged he Red Ox¡¯s cheek, while its elbow strike hit my left arm¡¯s guard and sent me flying.


    The Red Ox and I fell on the ground at the same time. Even so I received damage and fell on one knee. Seeing that the Red Ox threw its other halberd at me without hesitation.


    I couldn¡¯t dodge©¤©¤but©¤©¤


    *GAKIN!*


    Multiple knives flew from the side and hit the halberd. The impact slightly diverted its trajectory and the halberd flew passed from my side.


    ¡¸Aria, you alright!?¡¹


    ¡¸Viro¡­¡­you saved me.¡¹


    Viro caught up and immediately threw his knife. He came running and stood before me to protect me. When I got back on my feet, the Red Ox had also collected the halberd it first threw and pointed the blade toward us.


    We wouldn¡¯t lose easily with Viro here, even so Viro and I didn¡¯t have any ¡°finishing move¡± to defeat it.


    I was able to defeat the orc general even though just barely because Gorjaoul faced ¡°that technique¡± head on.


    Then what to do? The situation was starting to change drastically before I could answer the question.


    .


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    The Black Ox©¤©¤Minotauros Murder roared thunderously. It left behind Dalton and others and headed toward our direction.


    ¡­¡­No, wrong. The Black Ox¡¯s target was the crown prince and the others!


    ¡¸Is that black guy planning to protect that altar!?¡¹


    Viro¡¯s guess was most likely correct. I don¡¯t know about the Red Ox and Blue Ox, but there was a high chance that the Black Ox was called to here by the dungeon and the dungeon imprinted the order to protect the altar into it.


    ¡¸Viro, Aria! Stop it even if just for an instant!!¡¹


    An order came from Dalton and others who chased after it. It was a very ridiculous command, even so Viro who had known him for long immediately moved.


    ¡¸Dammit! Aria, you hold back the red guy!¡¹


    ¡¸Got it!¡¹


    There was no time to think. The Red Ox moved to chase after Viro who rushed away. I hit the side of its head with my weighted pendulum.


    ¡ºBUOOO!?¡»


    ¡¸Stay here!¡¹


    But would Viro manage to stop it? At the beginning Dalton ordered everyone to not approach except for Feld and himself because there was a risk that rank 4 like us would die instantly from the attack of rank 6.


    But Viro headed toward the Black Ox that was creating tremors on the ground from its charge. He was putting on a shaky grin and took out a fist-sized ¡°orb¡± from his bag before tossing it.


    The Black Ox¡¯s arm swung to sweep it away. But that orb exploded the moment its arm came into contact with it.


    *DOOOOOOOOOOOOONN!!*


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    The Black Ox¡¯s face was burned by the massive amount of flame that surged out and yelled in agony.


    ¡¸How¡¯s that! That¡¯s the taste of dungeon produced ¡°trump card¡± with five large gold coins price tag!¡¹


    Viro loudly yelled toward the burned Black Ox.


    Guessing from his words, that was most likely a similar thing with the ¡ºpoison orb¡» that Samantha mentioned, a rare drop  from dungeon. Individual shouldn¡¯t be permitted to own poison orb, but Samantha said that thing was originally an item that had sorcery sealed inside it, so in that case that item might be something Viro purchased for this quest. What that orb sealed inside was ¡°sorcery¡± and guessing from its strength, it might contain level 5 fire sorcery Fire Ball.


    ¡¸Are you two alright!!?¡¹


    Feld caught up using that chance and struck at the Black Ox with his great sword. Blood spurted out from its back.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Sniper Shot©¤©¤¡¹


    Next Mira also fired her Archery¡¯s Battle Skill. The arrow flew like a beam and pierced the Black Ox¡¯s neck.


    ¡¸UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡¹


    Dalton who arrived last leaped with his huge mythril war hammer brandished, then he hit the Black Ox¡¯s head with all his strength.


    *GAKIN!!*


    One of the Black Ox¡¯s twisted horn was smashed at the middle and it twirled in the air.


    But no¡­¡­it didn¡¯t snap. The Black Ox judged that it couldn¡¯t dodge and decided on its own to block Dalton¡¯s attack using its horn.


    ¡ºGUGAAA¡­¡­¡»


    It was shot with arrow, slashed on the back, and also got its horn snapped, even so it still successfully stopped the main attack. It glared angrily at Dalton with its burned face and sent him flying with an attack from the battle axe in its hand.


    ¡¸Dalton!¡¹


    Feld stepped forward to cover for Dalton, but the Black Ox let out a violent killing intent and a roar as though to blow away everything in its way.


    ¡ºBUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    ¡¸Guh!¡¹


    It swung its battle axe horizontally. Felt immediately used his great sword as shield, but his large body still got sent flying for several meters.


    ¡¸Shit!¡¹


    Viro immediately assisted, but the Black Ox swung down its battle axe the moment he entered its sight. The shockwave pushed him down to the ground.


    I was about to rush forward after seeing that, but the Red Ox that I had been holding back until now attacked to get in my way this time.


    ¡ºBUOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    ¡¸Tsu!¡¹


    *GAKIN!!*


    The dagger that I quickly swung hit the halberd with a loud clang. My light body got blown away.


    ¡¸Aria! Everyone!¡¹


    Mira grabbed several arrows and nocked them together on her bow seeing us in danger. But this mayhem and chaotic battle drew the other monster that was fighting in another place.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    The sight of the Blue Ox mowing down the knights surrounding it and charged this way in excitement entered my sight.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­tsu¡¹


    So the Blue Ox also came at this timing¡­¡­.


    But what to do? Mira was trying to hold back the Black Ox somehow, but both Dalton and Feld were still unable to stand.


    Viro who got hit by shockwave also noticed that and started moving to stop the Blue Ox, but just like me he didn¡¯t have any trump card to defeat rank 5.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I swallowed my blood flavored saliva and gripped my black knife and dagger tightly while hardening my ¡°resolve¡± after seeing the way my comrades hadn¡¯t given up.


    I had been resolved to get hurt or die since a long time ago. But that wasn¡¯t the kind of resolve I meant here.


    ¡ºGAAAAA¡­¡­¡»


    The Red Ox warily stopped moving for a moment. Had it felt my resolve?


    I¡¯ll definitely kill you no matter what. Even if my whole body was smashed and only my head remained, I¡¯d definitely bite off your throat. I hardened my ¡°resolve to absolutely kill¡± the Red Ox.


    ¡¸HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡¹


    I squeezed out all the air in my lungs to raise my voice and circulated purified magic particles within my body while straining my whole body like a bow in order to use the ¡°Origin Battle Skill¡±.


    ¡ºBUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    The Red Ox held its halberd with both hands and took a stance of bending forward for a rush after seeing that.


    But, in that moment©¤©¤


    At the corner of my eye, Carla arrived at the ¡ºspirit¡¯s altar¡». Just before her hand touched it, she turned a kind smile toward me just for an instant.


    The Red Ox and I leaped forward at the same time. Our weapons rushed toward each other¡¯s heart. The moment our blades were about to reach their target, white light suddenly surged out from the spirit¡¯s altar and enveloped the whole arena.

 Volume 4 - CH 10

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    When I came to my senses, I was inside a pure white space.


    There was no end in sight everywhere I looked. It was a pure white world that had nothing at all. It was so empty it felt like I was inside pure white cream.


    My feeling was calm. My mind felt so clear it was unnatural.


    I should be fighting the Red Ox several seconds ago. And yet I was here the instant the light that radiated from the altar enveloped me. Even the heat of battle and my heightened mana also dispersed. The wounds all over my body were gradually vanishing and my mana was also starting to replenish.


    There was no danger here. This place was so full of tranquility that I felt like that.


    ¡­¡­It¡¯s dangerous. I stopped my hand that was unconsciously moving to sheath my knife. It annoyed me that I was forcefully put into a state of calm and that my fight got interrupted.


    What happened with the fighting? Was everyone safe? I remembered that I had to immediately return and strengthened my grip on the weapon. Then suddenly a voice echoed inside my head while I was on my guard toward the surrounding.


    .


    ¡¶©¤©¤It has been a long time. You did well coming this far, o child of ¡°moon roseMelrose¡±©¤©¤¡·


    .


    I couldn¡¯t decide whether the speaker was a female or male, or how old they could be from the voice. The voice echoed inside my head once more when I took a stance warily toward them.


    ¡¶©¤©¤You are very wary, child of ¡°moon roseMelrose¡±. There is nothing that shall harm you in this place. The flow of time here is also different due to the compression of time. You can relax©¤©¤¡·


    ¡¸¡­¡­Child of Melrose?¡¹


    It seemed that the space here was in a state like when my mind accelerated due to body strengthening. I couldn¡¯t be optimistic but if the flow of time in reality was paused then I should prioritize understanding the current situation.


    Also Melrose was a flower that only grew in night of full moon. Master once told me that it could be used either as a medicine or as a poison. There was also a noble house using that name as their family name¡­¡­.


    What did they mean that I¡¯m a ¡°child¡± of that? The ¡°voice¡± responded to my muttering and formed words once more to answer me.


    ¡¶©¤©¤A human girl arrived here around several hundred cycles of this world¡¯s season previously. I bequeathed that ¡°name¡± to her at that time. Your ¡°pinkish blond hair¡± is the prove that the bloodline of that girl is still being passed down even now. Remove that boorish ¡°ash¡± and show the ¡°rose¡± to me©¤©¤¡·


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu¡¹


    The illusion of ¡°ash¡± that I put over my hair was forcefully dispelled. In that moment, my pink hair received the influence of this space¡¯s strong magic particles and sparkled brilliantly.


    ¡¶©¤©¤Once more I congratulate you for coming this far, o ¡°living rose¡± who possess the same ¡°color¡± as my beloved rose. What is it that you wish from me?©¤©¤¡·


    ¡¸¡­¡­What are you?¡¹


    At this point there was only one possible ¡°answer¡±. Even so I intentionally asked them in order to ascertain the information. In respond that presence that I couldn¡¯t sense at all until now started to materialize before me.


    ¡º©¤©¤Then take a look with your own eyes. You should be able to endure it if it¡¯s you©¤©¤¡»


    ¡¸Kuh!¡¹


    The presence that materialized before me took the form of a woman of a marriageable age clad in something like a traditional dress that looked obviously luxurious in a glance. My consciousness blurred for a moment from the tremendous presence she gave off.


    ¡º©¤©¤I am what you humans called as ¡°dungeon¡¯s spirit¡±©¤©¤¡»


    This was completely different from the spirit that I knew. Whether it was her presence, status, or even its way of being.


    A lesson that I once heard from master came to mind after I saw her existence. She said that in case a spiritual life form received powerful thought from special being like a dead hero or something, it was possible their existence would undergo a change and resided in that land like a local god.


    An ancient hermit crab transformed into monster to be a dungeon. It read and accumulated the thought of the dead creatures inside it, and created something like treasures that human sought. But in the process of that there would be many people who died inside it. There should be many exceptional people among those victims. There might be even heroes or saints among them.


    Like that perhaps the thoughts of those great people were gathered and became one, then perhaps it fused with natural spirit or the like and became the dungeon¡¯s spirit? If this being really was an existence like that, then rather calling them a spirit, it would be more accurate to call them as ¡ºHeroic Spirit¡» or ¡ºDivine Spirit¡».


    It felt like my consciousness would be blown away if I relax just for a moment. I gathered strength in my belly and faced the spirit head on.


    ¡¸¡­¡­So you¡¯re the spirit who granted ¡°Gift¡±.¡¹


    ¡¶©¤©¤Indeed. For more than a thousand years, you children of man has taken the challenge to enter deep inside this dark labyrinth. For those who magnificently arrived before me, I invited them to this place and granted them my blessing as their reward. But this gift is not for everyone. After all for these several hundred years there are those who are using improper method©¤©¤¡·


    As I thought, the spirit had also seen through how there was a shortcut created¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Then, why did you call me here?¡¹


    It was Carla who arrived at the altar. After her it should be Ervan or Clara. And yet why was I got called here when I was in the middle of fighting?


    ¡¶©¤©¤You aren¡¯t the only one who I invited. There are four people who I invited here©¤©¤¡·


    ¡¸¡­¡­Four?¡¹


    I couldn¡¯t see anybody else here. Perhaps they were kept hidden from me, or they were in different ¡°location¡±. If it was this existence then surely they were able to do something like conversing with four people in different places simultaneously. That was what I naturally fought from experiencing this presence¡¯s existence.


    ¡¶©¤©¤That number is based on nothing more than my whim. There are also times when I didn¡¯t invite a single one. I invited you and the other two because the ways the three of you seeking power are adorable, while the other one has soul with interesting nature©¤©¤¡·


    Seeking power¡­¡­several people¡¯s faces came to mind from those words. But, what did they mean by the soul¡¯s nature?


    I was attacked by a woman who said she had ¡°previous life¡± and accidentally obtained her knowledge. But it seemed this person that the spirit referred to wasn¡¯t me.


    Then who was that person? But, the spirit stepped forward before I could obtain the answer to that question.


    ¡¶©¤©¤The existence of ¡°human¡± is lovable. I wonder if this feeling came from the feeling of human that created my shape¡­¡­. Now, tell me your wish. I shall bestow to you my ¡°Gift¡±©¤©¤¡·


    The spirit said that they granted Gift because they thought human was lovable. The other three than me¡­¡­I didn¡¯t know whether those people were the same with my guess, but would they obtain Gift?


    Gift¡­¡­it granted to human power that surpassed humanity. But too much power would lead human to ruin themselves.


    Even so there would still be people who sought it if they had something more important than their life that they wanted to accomplish. The royal family of this country had risked their life like that for many generations for the sake of the country and the people.


    If I had such power, I might be able to defeat even the Minotauros Murder¡­¡­.


    But, my answer had been decided from the beginning.


    ¡¸¡­¡­I refuse¡¹


    ¡¶©¤©¤Why? O child of ¡°moon rose¡±. ¡°Human¡± always seek to accomplish something within their short life aren¡¯t they? Powerless human can die easily. What does it matter even if it shorten your life from obtaining power? It¡¯ll only be a few decades of your life span. Even if you hurt your soul in the process, you can just start over from insect in your next life©¤©¤¡·


    As expected between human and spirit, there was a wide gap in our perception toward time and life span. Although they said that they loved human, they gave me the impression like a kid who kept and cared for insects without even knowing how long the life span of an insect.


    Besides the compensation required for the Gift was greater than I thought. By knowing this truth, I could also understand why the past heroes and excellent royalties that I read in history book had short life.


    But that wasn¡¯t the point. The reason I refused the Gift was©¤©¤.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll obtain what I want with ¡°my own¡± strength. What¡¯s the value of something that can only be obtained by using the power of someone else?¡¹


    Power and glory that were given to you by ¡°someone¡± could also be taken away easily on the whim of ¡°someone¡±.


    Even Elena who obtained her position as royalty from her parent sought strength by her own will for the sake of the people. She didn¡¯t only rely on what was given to her, but she put in so much of her own effort that it isolated her in solitude to obtain knowledge and strength.


    And Carla, even though she had lost even her future, she was continuing to struggle desperately for the sake of her wish.


    I thought that the spirit would feel offended by my refusal, but they were listening to my words attentively. They narrowed their eyes in nostalgia like a human.


    ¡¶©¤©¤The girl who I bestowed with the name of moon roseMelrose also said that she doesn¡¯t need an excessive power like a Gift. That was why I felt that her existence was lovable and bestowed to her the name of the rose I loved. If you say that you don¡¯t need anything, then I shall bestow to you too a ¡°name¡± from me©¤©¤¡·


    ¡¸I don¡¯t need it. In the first place what¡¯s with that ¡ºMelrose¡»? Why do you bestow name to human?¡¹


    ¡¶©¤©¤Melrose is just a rose that can be found in the fairy world. It got brought out by the caprice of a Leprechauntrickster to the material world and took route although only in small number. The color of your hair is the ¡°proof¡± of the name that I bestowed. The fairy that appeared in this land feel nostalgia for that ¡°color¡± that is the same with that rose. You too had never fallen sick because of a fairy¡¯s mischief ever since you were small correct? The benefit of that name is only that much but, it was just the right present for that girl who wished for her family¡¯s prosperity©¤©¤¡·


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    So there was that kind of meaning in this pink hair¡­¡­. Certainly the birth rate in a family whose women never got sick would be greatly affected for the better.


    I too had never gotten seriously sick since my childhood. I could also sleep without problem even in the forest at midwinter.


    ¡¶©¤©¤Originally I wasn¡¯t a spirit that took root in dungeon, but a spirit who lived in a place that was near human. That kind of spirit watched over human, and granted ¡°name¡± to the ¡°technique¡± that the fragile humans invented for the sake of fighting so that technique could become Battle Skill. A spirit like me granting a name is something that is more natural than granting my blessing to human in a sense©¤©¤¡·


    Battle Skill was a non-elemental magic that could be activated with just a one or two words. It was said that Battle Skill became usable after spirit became aware of that technique. I felt that it was a bit unnatural, but this spirit said that since the past there had been spirits that loved human just like them.


    ¡¶©¤©¤I too had been watching you since you entered into this dungeon. Child of ¡°moon roseMelrose¡±, you used technique that was named by spirit and also desperately struggled with an incomplete technique¡­¡­. That¡¯s why allow me to grant a ¡°name¡¯ to you too. That girl was like a ¡°moon¡± that illuminated the dark night. You are also like that. That was why I bestowed the name of ¡°moon roseMelrose¡± to that girl. But, unlike that girl, you threw yourself into battle with a strength of heart that is like ¡°iron¡±. The name I will grant you will be an ¡°epitaph¡± that represent you alone, and at the same time it will also be the name that turn your ¡°technique¡± into ¡¾Battle Skill¡¿©¤©¤¡·


    The spirit who took the form of a beautiful woman glided toward me and touched my cheeks lovingly with the white fingertips of their hands.


    ¡¶©¤©¤Now, you can return to your battlefield. Human can only come to me once in their lifetime¡­¡­. We will surely never meet again in the future. I wish that you will stop dirtying that ¡°moon roseMelrose¡± hair with ¡°ash¡± anymore. In exchange, I shall add your ¡°color¡± to the name that I grant to you. Wear the name if you desire power. The ¡°name¡± that I grant to you is©¤©¤¡·


    ***


    ¡¸Aria!!¡¹


    I heard Feld¡¯s voice calling at me. When my sight that had blurred for an instant returned back, I had been sent back to the arena at the deepest part of the dungeon.


    There still hadn¡¯t been any change to the situation. Feld and Dalton were struggling to get back on their feet after getting sent flying, Mira was running around the Black Ox with a desperate look in order to hold it back, Viro was doing everything he could to attract the attention of the Blue Ox. Feld called my name in this situation perhaps because I had vanished from this place for several seconds¡­¡­.


    It was a hopeless situation that was still continuing©¤©¤but, I made it in time.


    ¡ºBUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    The Red Ox that had lost sight of me roared angrily when it found me. It headed toward me like an arrow with its halberd at the ready.


    ¡¸¡­¡­fuu¡¹


    I exhaled as though to eject the anxiety inside me.


    There was nothing that had changed from me. But, my hair that was dirtied with the illusion of ash was returning into ¡°pinkish blond hair¡±.


    My stamina and mana had recovered just a little but, it was no different with my state before I used the ¡°Origin Battle Skill¡±.


    I felt anxiety. And yet my heart was calm.


    But I had the conviction. That I wouldn¡¯t end like this.


    There was no anger or hatred in my heart. It was calm like a lake surface. From the bottom of it, ¡°fighting spirit¡± was seething and welling up.


    The halberd¡¯s blade cut through the air with bellowing sound. It was swung down to slash apart my body diagonally©¤©¤in that moment, I activated that Battle Skill that had the same ¡°epitaph¡± that the spirit granted to me.


    .


    ¡¸©¤©¤¡¾Iron Rose¡¿©¤©¤¡¹


    .


    *GAKIINN!*


    ¡ºBUMOO!?¡»


    The halberd crashed on the ground violently. The Red Ox looked around searching for me who had instantly vanished from in front of it.


    ¡ºGAA!?¡»


    In that moment I had circled to its back and slashed its neck with my black knife.


    It was still shallow. But the knife managed to cut.


    The Red Ox quickly reacted and swung its halberd. It cut the empty air of the location where I was at.


    I dodged the Red Ox¡¯s attack with high speed movement, kicked on the ground to swiftly moved to the opposite side and cut the leg there. Blood spray scattered in the air like flower petals.


    ¡ºBUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡»


    The Red Ox swung around its halberd haphazardly in a state of excitement. I watched its movements with my eyes and dodged them while continuing to move in high speed and slashed its arms and legs.


    The color of my hair changed from pinkish blond to ¡°ashen iron color¡± like a burning iron.


    Vestiges of light scattered in the air from my iron colored hair. They formed a trail behind like comet. I circled to in front of the Red Ox with high speed and jumped over its head using its halberd¡¯s blade as a stepping stool.


    Iron blue comet danced in the air. The vestiges of light spread out like ¡°silver wings¡±. The Red Ox¡¯s face looked scared for an instant. My face and cold eyes were reflected on its eyes in that moment before I slashed it, the reflection and the eye together. The Red Ox¡¯s right eye was split apart.


    ¨‹Aria (Alicia)¡¡Race£ºHuman?Rank 4


    ¡¾Magic Power : 124/270¡¿¡¾Stamina : 159/210¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 916 (With Body Strengthening : 1769)¡¿


    ¡¾Battle Skill : Iron Rose / Limit 124 Second¡¿

 Volume 4 - CH 11

    ¡ºGUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    The Red Ox screamed in agony after it had one eye cut open. It swung around its halberd haphazardly. But I had no time paying attention to you alone.


    Battle Skill, Iron Rose©¤©¤the strengthening technique using pure magic particles that I couldn¡¯t control became Battle Skill after the spirit ¡°named¡± it.


    That Battle Skill¡¯s name was also a spirit approved ¡°epitaph¡± that represented me.


    ¡¸Aria, switch to back up Viro!¡¹


    ¡¸Roger!¡¹


    Dalton who saw my fighting stood up while giving me new instruction. I abandoned the Red Ox and switched to back up Viro who was baiting the Blue Ox by himself.


    The moment I started running, the scenery of the surrounding that was reflected in my eyes blurred away instantly.


    For good or bad, this Battle Skill wasn¡¯t as powerful as that technique that I couldn¡¯t control. But, compared to that technique that had awful balance, this Battle Skill increased all my statuses and even I became able to control it.


    ¡¸Viro!¡¹


    Great, he was still alive. But, he was already in a ragged state after baiting a strength type like the Blue Ox by himself.


    I sped up even more and left a trail of light behind me like a comet. I didn¡¯t slow down at all and kicked at the Blue Ox¡¯s head with the blade on my heel.


    *GAKIIN!*


    ¡ºBUMOO!?¡»


    It made a loud sound when my heel¡¯s blade got deflected by the horn but, the impact greatly jolted the Blue Ox¡¯s head.


    ¡¸Aria!?¡¹


    ¡¸Heal yourself Viro.¡¹


    I landed while throwing a reserve potion from my Storage toward him. Then I immediately rushed off to slash at the Blue Ox with my knife.


    ¡ºBUOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    As expected even with my speed increased, the damage I inflicted was still low thanks to my light weight. The Blue Ox immediately noticed me and swung down its great sword. I crossed my black knife and dagger and blocked the attack head on.


    ¡¸HAAAA!¡¹


    My joints creaked from the overwhelming burden. But I could still bear it.


    I used my whole body¡¯s strength and technique and stepped forward while parrying the attack. Then I landed an elbow strike on the Blue Ox¡¯s approaching forehead with all my strength.


    ¡ºBOOOOOOOOOOO!?¡»


    The Battle Skill improved not only my speed, but also more than doubled my physical strength and endurance.


    Thanks to that I could compete even against the Blue Ox if it was just for an instant, but I had no intention of fighting the Blue Ox with physical strength.


    ¡ºBUO!?¡»


    I vanished from the Blue Ox¡¯s sight and instantly circled behind it. Then I thrust my dagger to its neck with both hands.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    Just how thick its flesh was¡­¡­.


    Even so the Blue Ox rampaged in intense pain. I jumped down from its back and dashed forward while scattering trails of light behind me. I slashed at the Blue Ox¡¯s unguarded hand. It made it let go of its great sword.


    Even I who originally only had the physical strength of an average person could parry the Blue Ox¡¯s great sword with the strengthening. Then if my agility that had been at the same level with the Blue Ox from the start got doubled, even the rank 5 Blue Ox and Red Ox weren¡¯t my match anymore.


    I immediately rushed and kicked away the great sword that was dropped on the ground.


    But the Blue Ox that had fallen into state of excitement didn¡¯t even care of that. It got on all four and lowered its stance in preparation to charge at me with its two horns.


    I also stepped forward in respond to that. I took out two hidden weapons from the Storage and left a trail of light behind me while rushing toward the Blue Ox right from the front with my maximum speed.


    The distance of several meters was shortened in an instant. Just a moment before we crashed, I stabbed the two hidden weapons at the Blue Ox¡¯s eyes. Then I jumped over the Blue Ox¡¯s huge body just a moment before its twisted horn pierced me.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    It stumbled and rolled on the stone floor while howling in agony.


    ¡¸Support the adventurer!!¡¹


    The knights who still could move caught up at that timing.


    ¡¸Viro, take care of this place.¡¹


    I immediately entrusted the role of facing the Blue Ox to them and Viro. Then I immediately left in order to back up Dalton and others.


    .


    ¨‹Aria (Alicia)¡¡Race£ºHuman?Rank 4


    ¡¾Magic Power : 82/270¡¿¡¾Stamina : 159/210¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 916 (With Body Strengthening : 1769)¡¿


    ¡¾Battle Skill : Iron Rose / Limit 82 Second¡¿


    .


    My magic power had decreased a lot. The normal body strengthening generally consumed 1 mana every a hundred seconds, but this technique was consuming a hundred times more mana.


    In full capacity I could use ¡°Iron Rose¡± for 270 seconds, but the actual time I would be able to use it would be a lot shorter than that if I also considered the usage of magic and other Battle Skill.


    Even before that, using this technique just for less than a minute with my still growing body was already causing all my bones and muscles to start screaming in pain.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Even so, it¡¯s not a reason to stop here.¡¹


    .


    I sped up even more and approached the back of the Black Ox that Dalton and others were fighting. I held the black dagger with both hands and without slowing down I pierced the back of the Black Ox¡¯s knee until its kneecap.


    ¡ºGUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!?¡»


    As expected even the Black Ox screamed from the sudden agony.


    It glared furiously at me and swung down its huge fist toward me. My hands let go of the dagger and I kicked on the floor to open up the distance. Then I jumped to the air with the scattered vestiges of light spreading out like wings behind me. I kicked on the face of the Black Ox who staggered down after its knee was pierced.


    But, the Black Ox too immediately used its large horn and tried to strike me down. However one of its horns was already broken by Dalton and.


    ¡ºBUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    My heel¡¯s blade pierced between the Black Ox¡¯s eyes. But the battle axe that the Black Ox swiftly swung rushed toward me with a bellowing sound.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Dark Mist©¤©¤¡¹


    The black mist that I quickly casted clung around the Black Ox¡¯s face. The aim of the battle axe became slightly deviating and I kicked on it to gain distance from the Black Ox. I unconsciously fell on my knee the moment I landed on the ground.


    .


    ¨‹Aria (Alicia)¡¡Race£ºHuman?Rank 4


    ¡¾Magic Power : 43/270¡¿¡¾Stamina : 159/210¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 916 (With Body Strengthening : 1769)¡¿


    ¡¾Battle Skill : Iron Rose / Limit 43 Second¡¿


    .


    My magic power had decreased even more. I just used Dark Mist, but it wasn¡¯t a magic that consumed this much mana. Perhaps the mana consumption of magic also got larger while I was using ¡°Iron Rose¡±¡­¡­.


    ¡¸Great job Aria!!¡¹


    Dalton didn¡¯t miss that chance and rushed in while swinging down his war hammer. He crushed the Black Ox¡¯s right arm and sent its huge battle axe flying.


    ¡¸Leave the rest to us!!¡¹


    Feld also came back at that timing. His great sword cut off the Black Ox¡¯s left arm when it tried to guard its neck©¤©¤


    ¡¸©¤©¤Sniper Shot©¤©¤!¡¹


    The arrow that Mira shot immediately pierced the Black Ox¡¯s neck.


    ¡ºBUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡»


    Even so the Black Ox was still alive. It rampaged in a berserk state.


    Dalton and others dodged that while attacking in return. Seeing that I too dispelled ¡°Iron Rose¡± in order to keep some strength behind before I hit my approaching limit.


    My hair returned from the iron color to its usual pink color. My body suddenly felt heavy and I unintentionally fell on my knee.


    But¡­¡­my battle still wasn¡¯t over.


    .


    ¡ºBUOOOOO¡­¡­¡»


    The Red Ox who was blinded in one eye glared at me with its left eye while dragging its halberd on the ground as it approached.


    Blood kept spilling out from its deeply slashed right eye. The Red Ox looked lackluster due to all the blood it lost from the many wounds on its body.


    But, its fighting spirit was still burning. Its eye was seething with hatred. There was nothing else reflected on it other than ¡°me¡±.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡º¡­¡­BUOO¡»


    I too put my strength into my battered body and stood up. I held the black knife with both hands and faced the wounded Red Ox right from the front.


    Rather than victory, the Red Ox had no more thought other than killing me in its eyes. But the same also applied to me. It was an enemy who I had decided to kill. I¡¯d finish you off with my own hands.


    My concentration erased all the noises and unnecessary sight from the surrounding. We both held our respective weapon with both hands. The moment the sweat trickling on my cheek and the blood dripping on the Red Ox splashed on the stone floor, we leaped forward at the same time.


    *DANN!!*


    In the clash I parried the halberd¡¯s blade and jumped over it, while the Red Ox used its horn to deflect my blade.


    I who was whipping my body to move and the Red Ox in its current state were about equal in speed. Even so I still had the advantage in explosive power output and cut the Red Ox¡¯s wrist. The Red Ox instantly gave up on its weapon and used its horn to aim at my heart.


    Don¡¯t be scared, look and analyze it. I fought by ¡°looking¡± at the enemy.


    *GAKINN!!*


    I didn¡¯t dodge that sharp horn and blocked it by matching its pointed end with the tip of my black knife©¤©¤in that moment it felt like something fitted into place at the deepest part of myself.


    The impact of the collision sent me flying high to the air. I kicked up on empty air to use the recoil for changing my posture, then I pulled my knife far behind me while staying upside down in the air.


    .


    ¡¸©¤©¤Critical Edge©¤©¤!¡¹


    Level 4¡¯s Battle Skill©¤©¤I unleashed that attack almost unconsciously. It sliced into the unprotected Red Ox¡¯s neck until halfway in.


    ¡ºBUMOO¡­¡­!¡»


    A lot of blood spilled out from its neck and mouth. That huge body staggered. It was then I heard a familiar ¡°voice¡± from the distance.


    .


    ¡¸©¤©¤Soul Thorn©¤©¤¡¹


    .


    ¡¸Carla¡­¡­?¡¹


    The girl threw away her sorcerer robe and showed the pure white dress she was wearing underneath. Her exposed white arms and neck now had the pattern of ¡°black thorn¡± coiling and writhing on them. Immense magic power was surging out from there.


    ¡º©¤©¤!!¡»


    The fire sorcery that Carla unleashed rushed on the arena¡¯s floor. Great amount of flame swallowed the dying Red Ox and burned it to ash in the blink of eye.


    ¡¸Taake thiis¡¹


    With a cheerful voice, Carla created more than ten fire balls that were as large as an armful each. They were floating around her.


    Were those Fire Balls!?


    They were level 5 fire sorcery, the same with the sorcery that was sealed inside the magic tool that Viro used, but I sensed that they were filled with abnormal amount of mana. I yelled at the people who were at the end of Carla¡¯s gaze.


    ¡¸Everyone, dodge!!¡¹


    My comrades and the knights realized the situation from my yell and immediately ran away to escape. The many Fire Balls rained down in that moment.


    ¡º©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤!!¡»


    Flame blasts whirled up. The Black Ox and Blue Ox raged inside the flame with their last ember of life before crumbling down. Their surrounding was changed into an ocean of flame.


    I then sensed Carla¡¯s mana swelling up again and dashed toward her.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Iron Rose©¤©¤¡¹


    My pink hair changed color once more into the grey iron color like burning ash. The vestiges of light scattering from my hair trailed behind like comet while I sprinted like an arrow. Without slowing down I jumped toward Carla as she was about to cast another magic and kicked with my heel.


    ¡¸Carla!!¡¹


    ¡¸Aria!¡¹


    .


    ¨‹Carla Lester¡¡Race£ºHuman?Rank 4


    ¡¾Magic Power : ¡Þ/450¡¿¡¾Stamina : 29/51¡¿


    ¡¾Overall Combat Strength : 749 (With Body Strengthening : 2333)¡¿


    ¡¾Gift : Soul Thorn   Exchange / Life Time¡¿


    .


    In that moment, the ¡°black thorns¡± coiling on Carla¡¯s skin let out a great burst of mana. She leaped aside to dodge my kick as though the thorns coiling all over her body was moving her.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Ice Lance©¤©¤¡¹


    Countless ice spears were fired from Carla¡¯s hand. I dodged them with high speed movement while spinning and struck at her neck with a knife.


    *GINN!*


    A thorn shaped ice blocked my blade. Carla fired her Dig Volt in that instant. My hands grabbed on the floor and I sped up to evade while kicking with my heel¡¯s blade. Carla twirled in the air to dodge that. She then laughed while pointing her fingertip at me.


    ¡¸©¤©¤Fire Breath©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸©¤©¤Critical Edge©¤©¤!¡¹


    My Battle Skill cleaved the flame and gouged Carla¡¯s shoulder, while the slashed flame swallowed me. We ignored those damages and danced in the air even more. Carla who controlled her body using the thorns and my kick clashed in extremely close range.


    *BASHIN!!*


    We both dodged while kicking at each other. Our kicks hit each other¡¯s side with the sound of flesh being pounded. I changed my posture midair and landed on a rubble, while Carla landed in the middle of flame. There we faced each other.


    Carla¡¯s face was grimacing a little bit from pain in the middle of flame that was spreading around her. But that expression changed into a wide smile like a little kid who was in the middle of a flower field when she looked at me.


    ¡¸Oh my, Aria. That hair color is also lovely.¡¹


    I too was grimacing from the recoil of using Iron Rose on top of another Battle Skill, even so I glared at Carla quietly.


    ¡¸So that¡¯s your Gift¡­¡­. You didn¡¯t ask to be healed?¡¹


    As I thought Carla also got invited by that spirit. If she wished to have her life prolonged instead of a Gift, she should be able to live at least as long as Elena.


    But Carla didn¡¯t ask for ¡°extension¡± of her life. She wished for even more ¡°destruction¡±.


    Soul Thorn¡­¡­those words that I overheard must be the activation words for her Gift. I felt that Carla was losing seconds of her ¡°life¡± in exchange for the immense mana she was bursting with.


    The black petals scattering from the ¡°black thorns¡± that were coiling on her body looked like Carla¡¯s ¡°life¡± itself disappearing to me.


    ¡¸I don¡¯t need that¡­¡­something like a normal life is unnecessary for me.¡¹


    Carla stood in the middle of flame without getting burned thanks to her immense mana while her fingers played with her black hair as though to state that her own life didn¡¯t matter to her.


    ¡¸Something has to be done to the magic stone in my heart so that my body can be healed¡­¡­if that happens, there won¡¯t be any meaning to my life until now. It will be a waste to all those blood and sweat I had shed to train my magic.¡¹


    ¡¸Carla¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll keep moving forward until my life run out. I won¡¯t let anyone get in my way until everything that drove me mad is swallowed in flame. Yes, even if it¡¯s you¡­¡­Aria.¡¹


    The color of madness looked inside Carla¡¯s eyes. She sported a ghastly but bright smile.


    It was then, the spirit altar at the back sunk down and vanished. A door silently appeared and opened behind it. A small amount of light leaked out from there.


    ¡¸That spirit is unexpectedly considerate¡­¡­it even opened a door to return back after the last enemy is defeated.¡¹


    Carla pinched the bottom of her dress inside the flame and lightly bent her waist. She curtsied so casually as though she was saying farewell to an acquaintance that she ran to on the roadside.


    ¡¸Well then, fare thee well, Aria. Let¡¯s postpone our settlement until a worthy ¡°stage¡± for us has begun. I¡¯m really looking forward to it.¡¹


    Carla arrived at the exit even without getting burned inside the flame. She didn¡¯t even look back at her fianc¨¦e Ervan and vanished into the exit alone.


    By ¡°everything¡±, did she mean everyone involved along with this country¡­¡­even so based on her personality, that time would be the time where we would fight to the death.


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹


    I stood alone in the middle of flame while staring fixedly at the exit where Carla vanished into.


    Carla¡­¡­you couldn¡¯t give forgiveness no matter what huh.


    You couldn¡¯t forgive your family, this country, and everything involved that drove you mad¡­¡­.


    For her living wasn¡¯t a ¡°salvation¡±. It was nothing else than ¡°death¡± that would be her salvation. Carla was seeking destruction so much that she refused to live.


    I recalled Carla¡¯s words when we first met.


    .


    ¡º¡­¡­Aa, how lovely. If I¡¯m going to die one day, I want to die by your hands Aria.¡»


    .


    Most likely those words were earnest words that came from Carla¡¯s heart.


    Fine then¡­¡­if you said that was your true ¡°wish¡±©¤©¤


    .


    ¡¸Alright then¡­¡­Carla. I¡¯ll definitely kill you with my own hands.¡¹

 Volume 4 - Epilogue

    ¡¸Count Lester¡­¡­ quite some times has passed. When do you think we will receive the news from them?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s as you say, your majesty¡­¡­¡¹


    At Claydale Kingdom, inside the king¡¯s office, the king Reinhard Fon Claydale asked that question to the head of royal court sorcerers, Count Ignas Do Lester who came to give a report. Inside his heart Ignas thought that it was even possible that the group had been annihilated after this long without any news, even so he told Reinhard exactly what he wanted to hear.


    ¡¸If things go well, then it will be soon¡­¡­that is my best estimate. Even at the latest it won¡¯t take two weeks.¡¹


    Past that time, the possibility of annihilation would have to be seriously considered.


    Until now the royal family had always sent their youths to obtain ¡°Gift¡±each generation and all of them always returned back alive despite the damages to the royal guards. Taking that into consideration, the possibility of annihilation was low, but the problem was how this task was usually done when the youths of the royal family had come of age. But this time the members of the royal family that were sent were still minor who hadn¡¯t even entered the academy.


    Furthermore the noble faction was gaining strength and there was a concern that they would get in the way, so the number of the knights accompanying them had also gotten limited, even so they had no choice but continuing with the dungeon exploration.


    That was just how much the unifying force of the royal family had decreased. The nobles who received aid from neighboring country increased their influence and the internal state of the country was getting unstable. The royal family faction wanted the crown prince to marry his fianc¨¦es, the daughters of the influential nobles within the country as quickly as possible, so they could draw in the fence sitting neutral faction.


    Ignas was the head of royal court sorcerers, so he belonged to the royal family faction, but he wasn¡¯t as worried as the king about the fate of the dungeon exploration group, because he thought that even if the group was annihilated, they could just set up the still very young second prince as the crown prince despite how troublesome it would be.


    ¡¸My daughter Carla is also participating. She is normally useless but, when it comes to sorcery she is in the same level of a royal court sorcerer. She will surely answer your majesty¡¯s expectation.¡¹


    The king summoned Ignas and consulted him like this was also because Ignas had sent his own child into the dungeon.


    Originally the king should express this kind of whining to his two queens instead of a retainer, but the first queen who was formerly a daughter from viscount house had collapsed from worry after learning the truth of the dungeon exploration, while the second queen had no interest with her own daughter from the start.


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­it¡¯s true that young Carla is very brilliant.¡¹


    It was small, but Reinhard smiled in relief from Ignas¡¯s words.


    Reinhard himself also didn¡¯t have any other choice for the matter this time. It wasn¡¯t his wish to expose children to danger. Ignas also smiled in respond to the king¡¯s words, but inside he was cursing venomously.


    (¡­¡­I hope she would just die there, that accursed ¡°death god¡±.)


    He wanted to vomit just from calling that thing as his daughter. He always boasted about his daughter¡¯s brilliance when in the presence of the king, but he would pray for the death of his daughter when behind closed door.


    The demonic child Carla who slaughtered two of his three talented sons and many of his house¡¯s servants.


    Even now hatred would overwhelm his heart when recalling that time, but at that time Carla still had more value alive rather than dead.


    Although to him everybody was just pawn for the sake of boosting the fame of Lester House, there was a risk that the name of Lester House would be dragged through mud after losing the majority of his sons. In the situation where he had lost two of his sons, he couldn¡¯t also lose the pawn that had become the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e, and Carla at that time was also still someone who he could kill anytime he liked.


    Carla who obtained all elements through Ignas¡¯s experiment was a powerful sorcerer, but the side effect from the experiment had given her a body that could shut down anytime. The healers had even said that she wouldn¡¯t be able to live until twenty.


    It didn¡¯t matter when she died as long as the fact remained that a queen had come from Lester House. Ignas thought that he would only need to bear with Carla¡¯s presence for ten-odd years at the longest, but the growing speed of Carla¡¯s mana surpassed the boundary of Ignas¡¯s understanding.


    Was it possible for a girl who was still five or six years old to keep going into a dangerous place like dungeon repeatedly while even adult adventurers often died there?


    The city with a dungeon in it whose management was entrusted to Lester House by the royal family was known as a gathering place for adventurers who were confident with their own skill, but the report of adventurer¡¯s death there increased since Carla started going into dungeon. There was a high possibility that Carla was involved with their death.


    He never wanted to see his daughter¡¯s face ever again but, her magic power value and overall combat strength would have risen up every time he investigated her. When Ignas finally felt a sense of danger and tried to assassinate her, her strength was already beyond the capability of the average assassin to take care of.


    There was also the bad timing of how the northern assassin guild branch was rumored to be destroyed. A lot of assassins left the capital in order to fill in the hole that was left by that destruction, leaving nobody left who could defeat Carla. He even heard the uncertain rumor that the assassins who left also got the table turned on them by the existence that destroyed the assassin guild branch and got called as ¡°Ash Crowned Princess¡±.


    He felt like there would be no problem even if the whole group got annihilated as long as Carla died with them, even so the words that he spoke at the outside didn¡¯t give any hint of his true feeling at all.


    ¡¸I have also dispatched several excellent royal court sorcerers to go with them. His highness the crown prince and her highness the princess will surely return safely.¡¹


    Actually the royal court sorcerers he dispatched to the group were just second son or daughter of neutral nobles who weren¡¯t involved with the noble faction. It wouldn¡¯t bother him even if they died, but there was no need for him to say that to the king.


    ¡¸I see. It will be great if the fianc¨¦es and the knights can also return back safely¡­¡­¡¹


    .


    ¡¸Everyone was alright. Though I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s still the case even now.¡¹


    .


    ¡¸¡¸©¤©¤!?¡¹¡¹


    Reinhard and Ignas lifted up their face in surprise from that voice that suddenly resounded inside the room. The two bodyguard maids who were also inside the room and stayed quiet so to not disturb the conversation immediately moved in respond.


    ¡¸Who¡¯s there-!?¡¹


    The bodyguard maid with heavy knight skill set moved in front of Reinhard to shield him, while the bodyguard maid with scout skill set sensed the presence of the intruder and leaped with a dagger in hand.


    ¡¸W-wait!¡¹


    But Ignas who heard that voice hurriedly stopped the maid.


    ¡¸Gih©¤©¤¡¹


    But he was slightly late. The bodyguard maid who leaped to attack was frozen into an ice statue.


    While everyone¡¯s face turned white from the extreme coldness and tremendous mana, a sickly looking black haired girl in white dress appeared from behind that ice statue and smiled.


    ¡¸That was dangerous. She might hurt someone if it was someone else than me.¡¹


    ¡¸©¤©¤Carla!¡¹


    How long had she been here? How did she enter outside? Carla ignored her father who called her name and performed a lady¡¯s bow toward the king Reinhard.


    ¡¸Carla Lester, here to report that I have returned back ahead of everyone else.¡¹


    There was no way the outrageous action she just took could be forgiven even if she was a fianc¨¦e of the crown prince or the daughter of the head of the royal court sorcerers. But, the immense mana she was radiating and her violent aura sent a chill that gnawed until deep inside the bones of everyone inside the room. It made them hesitated to even call for the knights.


    Even so there should be knights and butlers standing by outside the office, but they hadn¡¯t done anything at all. Perhaps Carla had done something to them beforehand.


    ¡¸What¡¯s the meaning of this Carla! How dare you use sorcery in this©¤©¤¡¹


    ¡¸Dear father, please don¡¯t cause such ruckus in the presence of his majesty.¡¹


    ¡¸You little-!¡¹


    ¡¸Wait, Count Lester.¡¹


    Reinhard stopped the seething conversation that wasn¡¯t suitable at all to be held between a father and daughter. He looked at the frozen ice statue with a pained look before turning his gaze toward Carla.


    ¡¸¡­¡­First I congratulate your safe return, Lady Carla. ¡­¡­However, tell me the reason why you killed this maid.¡¹


    ¡¸She isn¡¯t dead you know? Not yet anyway.¡¹


    Carla waved her hand. Then the ice on the frozen maid melted and she fell down on the floor.


    ¡¸Count Lester, treat her. I shall listen to your daughter¡¯s report.¡¹


    ¡¸As your majesty command¡­¡­¡¹


    Ignas stood up to apply healing sorcery to the bodyguard maid who was barely hanging on life. Even so he kept glaring angrily at Carla, and yet she only smiled thinly without paying attention to him.


    ¡¸Just now you said that you returned. Can I take it to mean that Ervan and Elena¡¯s dungeon exploration has also finished?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, indeed. I went out of the dungeon ahead of them but, his highness too will surely come out before long.¡¹


    ¡¸And¡­¡­what do you mean that you don¡¯t know about their current condition?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes. I had finished my business down there, so I had no reason to stay any longer there. Everyone else won¡¯t be in any danger if they are lucky.¡¹


    Carla¡¯s smile didn¡¯t change even in front of the glaring gaze that the king himself sent at her.


    ¡¸Carla! You little, how dare you speak like that about his highness toward his majesty! It¡¯s your duty as a subject to put your life on the line to protect his highness!¡¹


    ¡¸How astonishing. I never expected to hear such ¡°humane¡± words from you dear father of all people.¡¹


    Carla looked toward Ignas who interrupted the conversation once more as though she was looking at a bug.


    ¡¸You, accursed god of death-¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m fathered by an inhuman man after all, so it¡¯s only fitting. And, what are you going to do about it?¡¹


    ¡¸You impudent©¤©¤!¡¹


    ¡¸Stop!!¡¹


    Reinhard sharply rebuked the parent and daughter who were starting their quarrel once more.


    ¡¸Lady Carla¡­¡­you just left the dungeon not long ago while the others still haven¡¯t come out yet, and yet you are here.¡¹


    ¡¸©¤©¤tsu!¡¹


    Ignas guessed what Reinhard was trying to say and looked toward him.


    ¡¸Can I see it as you having been successful in ¡°obtaining¡± it?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, your majesty.¡¹


    Everyone¡¯s gaze gathered on Carla when she replied like that. Her pale lips formed those ¡°words¡±.


    .


    ¡¸©¤©¤Soul Thorn©¤©¤¡¹


    .


    Instantly, Carla¡¯s skin that was white like wax became covered with black thorns. Tremendous mana radiated out from there.


    Infinite mana in exchange of the user¡¯s life©¤©¤Ignas¡¯s eyes widened when he ¡°saw¡± that power. Sweat trickled down his forehead.


    ¡¸Should we have a change of head of Lester House right here, dear father?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­You monster¡¹


    There was nobody there who could fight Carla and win. Far from that, it was unknown how many victims there would be even if all the knights in the palace gave it a try.


    Carla would surely die if even just a single hit landed on her. But even if she was threatened with that fact, someone who sought power even if it cost them their life would never beg for their life. There was no way anyone would test how many hundreds of people would have to be sacrificed just to land that one hit.


    If Carla got serious, it could be easily imagined that she would drag the majority of the palace with her to her death.


    ¡¸¡­¡­What do you want?¡¹


    They wouldn¡¯t still be alive if that was her intention from the beginning. Reinhard understood that Carla¡¯s outrageous action before this was to display that power to them, so he asked her. Carla turned her gaze toward him.


    ¡¸Yes, your majesty. I wish to make a deal.¡¹


    ¡¸A deal¡­¡­you say?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll use this power to protect Er-sama. And if you have enemies then I¡¯ll kill them.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­In return, you want us to overlook your outrageousness to some degree?¡¹


    ¡¸As expected from your majesty, you are very understanding unlike this inhuman father. It will only be for as long as my life still hold but, I will put Er-sama into a treasure chest where I shall cherish and keep him safe.¡¹


    It was an absurd behavior. A demand that placed everyone as her hostage.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Very well.¡¹


    ¡¸Your majesty!?¡¹


    But, if he thought about the content of the deal, there was no benefit in rejecting it. Reinhard had no other choice but to accept.


    ¡¸You can go rest for now. I shall send a messenger to you later after my son return and we can talk more about this.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes your majesty. I shall look forward to it.¡¹


    Carla smiled sweetly. She pinched the bottom of her dress and curtsied toward everyone there who couldn¡¯t make any movement at all. Then she vanished from that place. Most likely she was using space teleportation, an advanced sorcery that she forcefully activated using her vast mana.


    What was left behind was only the trace of her outrageous act and the chilling cold.


    Ignas gritted his teeth and hit the floor wordlessly with his fist amidst that atmosphere.


    .


    ¡¸¡­¡­cough¡¹


    The place Carla teleported to was a building inside a forest near Lester House that was used as a hideout. Carla was spinning round and round while dancing with a deathly face pale and blood trickling from her mouth.


    She had obtained unforeseen power just as planned. With this the groundwork to create the ¡°stage¡± that she dearly wished for had been laid.


    Human couldn¡¯t use sorcery that was beyond their level because they couldn¡¯t control their mana perfectly which caused the mana consumption to multiply. But that problem was solved with infinite mana. The current Carla should be able to use sorcery two level above her actual level.


    From the start Carla didn¡¯t trust on anything other than her own strength. She had the confidence that she would be able to learn even level 6 sorcery on her own someday. But Carla lacked the life span to accomplish that.


    That was why Carla wished for an ability that allowed her to ¡°get an advance¡± for the ability that originally she should be able to reach in the future.


    Until now the powerless Carla had turned her hand toward various things in order to create the last ¡°stage¡± that she wished for. For that she had even brought in ¡°thing¡± that human must never laid their hand on into this kingdom.


    But even that ¡°thing¡± had become worthless to her now that she had obtained power. From here on she would be able to accomplish her wish on her own.


    Carla imagined the ¡°stage¡± of the capital being painted in flame and blood while smiling widely with her blood soaked lips.


    ¡¸The weather is nice today¡¹


    ***


    (I have to decide¡­¡­)


    The dungeon exploration was over. Those who obtained result and those who didn¡¯t, everyone of them managed to return back to the surface.


    Nobody died in the exploration this time, but it was wholly thanks to luck. Each person had contributed to reach that result, even so the existence of ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±, the strongest adventurer party in this kingdom played a large part¡­¡­Clara once more thought so after she managed to return to the guest mansion of the duke house.


    (But, that¡¯s not all¡­¡­)


    Perhaps because of the change in the exploration schedule, the most wicked villainess Carla Lester managed to obtain a Gift that was clearly for attacking purpose. It was something that she didn¡¯t possess even in the otome game.


    And then even the pink haired girl who looked similar with the otome game¡¯s heroine also obtained a clearly unique ability. The strength of those two finished off a monster that was in rank 5.


    Without those two there was no guarantee that Clara could survive. But, Clara who regarded those two as dangerous based on her previous life¡¯s knowledge felt like her life span was gradually getting shortened from this development.


    No, in fact her ¡°life span¡± was really getting shortened. Even now the Gift that Clara obtained was running to search for the ¡°optimum solution¡±. The burden from it caused her brain to scream in agony. Intense headache was assaulting Clara constantly.


    The dungeon¡¯s spirit found out that Clara¡¯s soul came from another world and gave Clara a Gift too on a whim.


    What Clara sought was ¡°the power to survive¡±©¤©¤.


    An ability to know the ¡°choices¡± of the future that she could walk on just like in otome game.


    Her Gift, ¡ºForesight¡»©¤©¤it was an ability to calculate the possibilities of the future using all the information in her possession, but the future she could see would change depending on the amount of information she had. The calculation of vast amount of information would also shorten Clara¡¯s life.


    At first she thought that her problem would be solved if she just killed the heroine. But that thought was based on her common senses as high school student in her previous life. Her effort didn¡¯t go well because of the obstruction of this country¡¯s black ops.


    Even trying to get along with the heroine wouldn¡¯t solve the fundamental problem. She finally noticed that the heroine wouldn¡¯t try to harm Clara directly, but as the main fianc¨¦e of the crown prince, Clara¡¯s existence would prevent the heroine from becoming the queen. Because of that the surrounding would hold her in contempt and remove her from the picture. Perhaps her family Dandall would protect her, but she couldn¡¯t even fully trust her own brother as one of the capture target who might fall in love with the heroine.


    She might get banished to the holy mountain of Fandora Theocracy, an extremely cold land where she would grow old and die without being able to see the outside world ever again¡­¡­. But even before that there was a risk that Carla would just get killed.


    She would be able to survive if she wasn¡¯t the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e. But, in the present time Dandall House and her aunt the second queen wouldn¡¯t possibly allow that. And Clara herself couldn¡¯t imagine just stopping being the crown prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e at this point.


    ¡¸Does it hurt, Clara?¡¹


    ¡¸No, I¡¯m fine, Ervan-sama.¡¹


    Ervan was still accompanying Clara even after they had returned to the mansion.


    There was nobody else inside this room other than them. Even though they were engaged with each other, originally male and female of minor age from noble family of high status wouldn¡¯t be allowed to stay inside the same room alone. It should be impossible for them to order other people to leave them alone but, right now the servants who should be stopping them were fast asleep from fatigue, and so Ervan was able to visit Clara¡¯s room without anyone getting in his way.


    ¡¸I¡¯m still not used to the ¡°Gift¡±¡­¡­but, I¡¯ll get better soon.¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry Clara¡­¡­I failed to obtain a Gift. I was just a burden to you.¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s not true! I want to be useful for Ervan-sama.¡¹


    ¡¸Aa, Clara.¡¹


    Clara¡¯s devotion touched Ervan and he called her name, then he gently hugged her. Ervan¡¯s treatment of her made Clara thought once more.


    (I¡­¡­love Ervan-sama¡­¡­)


    If this was the Ervan from the latter half of the otome game, she would simply look up to him as a splendidly mature crown prince and harbored no further feeling to him.


    But, it was exactly because Ervan was weak that he could sympathize with the weak Clara and hugged her close. He was able to earnestly support her.


    Now Clara was able to understand the feeling of the game Clara who yearned for Ervan and tried to harm the heroine. If the same event like in the otome game happened, the current her might do the same thing like the game Clara.


    Not only that, there was even a possibility that the game Clara wasn¡¯t the original Clara who didn¡¯t have the memory of her previous life, but the future of her current self.


    ¡¸Clara¡­¡­please, I want you to call me as simply ¡°Er¡±.¡¹


    ¡¸Er¡­¡­sama¡¹


    The two¡¯s shadows slowly overlapped, and they awkwardly exchanged their first kiss.


    (I¡¯ll do it. ¡­¡­I won¡¯t hand Er-sama to anyone else.)


    If anyone got in the way of her future with Ervan, she would erase them from this world even if it was the heroine or Carla.


    She had obtained the ¡°Giftpower¡± for that.


    The instant Clara resolved herself like that, her Foresight Gift showed her several futures with high possibility. Clara pressed her hand on her face due to the terrible headache, even so she recalled several factors that also existed in the otome game.


    (¡­¡­¡±Evil race¡±¡­¡­)


    The enemy of mankind, the messenger of the evil god, the evil people¡­¡­.


    The game Clara was jealous to the heroine and contacted various forces in order to kill her. And then the other villainess Carla also brought in enemy force in order to harm the kingdom.


    The current Carla was different from her game self. It seemed that she was focusing in increasing her own strength, but Clara was convinced that the enemy force definitely existed.


    The evil race¡¯s force sometimes would withdraw without showing themselves depending on the game¡¯s route, but until then they should be hiding somewhere in this Claydale Kingdom. Clara started taking action in order to contact them.


    ***


    ¡¸How is your arm?¡¹


    Inside a dark place where the sunlight didn¡¯t reach, under the weak light of candle, a lone man nodded quietly in respond to that question that was asked from the darkness.


    ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯ll need to train a little but¡­¡­¡¹


    *Creak creak*¡­¡­the man lifted up an arm of black metal with creaking sound. He punched the stone wall with that arm. The impact shook the air inside the room.


    ¡¸When I get used to it, I¡¯ll be able to use it just like before¡­¡­no, even better than before.¡¹


    That man¡¯s left arm got bitten off several months ago and he escaped to this place.


    An ordinary person would die even before reaching this place. That was just how serious his injury was, but the man survived and instead of spending several years to regenerate his lost arm, he instead sought a new ¡°arm¡±.


    ¡¸¡­¡­As expected from you.¡¹


    Right now just moving the arm caused him intense pain but, the man punched the wall without showing any of that pain at all. The other man inside the darkness was at a loss of words for a moment.


    The men hadn¡¯t known each other for long. Even so they had understanding and respect for each other.


    The man in the darkness and his comrades had slipped into this country from outside in order to inflict ¡°pain¡±. It wasn¡¯t easy even just to infiltrate into this country that was protected by an organization called black ops and surrounded by rocky mountain, sea, and monster habitat, but several years ago, they obtained the ¡°groundwork¡± to enter this country thanks to a certain ¡°black haired girl¡±.


    They were now in a hostile relationship with that girl because that girl betrayed and killed some of them, but the thing that the girl left behind as present became the impetus that gave them a place where light couldn¡¯t reach.


    The one-armed man before him came into contact with their group after that, though he still wasn¡¯t one-armed the first time they met. He was also deeply knowledgeable about the underside of this country and taught them the way to evade the black ops, the biggest intelligence agency of this country.


    But the man¡¯s help definitely didn¡¯t come from something like whim or kindness. The man was greedy when it came to polishing his own ¡°strength¡±. He desired the fighting strength and unique technique that they had. The special artificial arm that they gave to the man also came from their clan¡¯s chief. It was a treasure that came from a dungeon.


    ¡¸We have given you a lot. We will work you to the bone to repay it¡­¡­Grave.¡¹


    They also needed this man¡¯s strength in order to kill the black haired girl who betrayed them.


    Grave who once fought against Aria and a mythical beast and lost was polishing his fang within the darkness. He smiled like a beast with its fangs bared toward the black skinned ¡°evil race¡± who talked to him.


    ¡¸Of course.¡¹


    Grave narrowed his eyes inside the darkness where no light shined through, as though he was staring at something very far away.


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­protect the princess with everything you have. Show me your true worth.¡¹


    ***


    ¡¸Your highness¡­¡­I have brought the aforementioned adventurer girl like you asked.¡¹


    The bodyguard maid Chloe announced that in front of the door. Then a permission came from inside and Sera opened the door to invite me inside.


    That night at the same day when we left the dungeon, everyone in the exploration group was currently sleeping like a log due to their fatigue and relief. Meanwhile Elena who was in the guest mansion summoned me and I came to her room.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Welcome, Aria.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Yes.¡¹


    As I thought, Elena looked tired. She almost stood up from her seat the moment she saw me, but then she sank deeply onto her seat and changed her posture as though to pretend that it never happened.


    ¡¸Come over here¡­¡­Aria. There are only me and these two here, so you don¡¯t need to bother with that half-baked courtesy.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­Roger.¡¹


    Chloe led me inside and I sat down on the sofa opposite of Elena. The scent of the herb tea that Sera brewed drifted inside the room. Elena started speaking amidst such atmosphere.


    ¡¸Forgive me for calling you this late when you must be tired. But, I thought that this is my only chance to speak with you.¡¹


    Right now even Amor who always got in the way to stop Elena from meeting mere adventurer was also sleeping deeply. It seemed that he had also gotten some kind of mental hang up toward us. He was clearly trying to avoid us.


    ¡¸Is your arm alright?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­No problem.¡¹


    Elena was looking with worry at the right arm that I was holding protectively.


    Because I used Battle Skill together with Iron Rose, there was magic power heat accumulating in my right arm, but Iron Rose was different from the original Battle Skill so I estimated that I would be able to use Battle Skill again after half a day passed.


    But, that shouldn¡¯t be the only reason why I got called here.


    ¡¸What about the ¡°Gift¡±?¡¹


    Elena¡¯s eyes widened slightly when I bluntly asked her that question. Then she smiled wryly.


    ¡¸That¡¯s so abrupt. I too was at a loss of what to talk about with you after so long but, certainly¡­¡­that just wasn¡¯t like us.¡¹


    Elena changed her tone to be more casual to show that this was a personal talk. She took a sip of the tea that Sera brewed and sighed.


    ¡¸I refused the spirit¡¯s offer. Perhaps you also did the same Aria. In exchange I asked the spirit whether they can make me healthy but¡­¡­Fire Arrow©¤©¤¡¹


    Elena suddenly pointed her hand at me and spoke the word to activate sorcery¡­¡­but, in my ¡°eyes¡±, even though her mana was moving, I couldn¡¯t see any ¡°fire¡± magic particle in it and that sorcery didn¡¯t activate.


    ¡¸I think¡­¡­my aptitude and elemental skill in fire sorcery has gone. The spirit talked about ¡ºrestoration of soul¡». If I lost one of my elements, the magic stone that is pressuring my heart will also gradually get smaller.¡¹


    If that was true, would Elena really become healthy¡­¡­. But, Elena didn¡¯t look wholly delighted by that, instead she sighed in self-depreciation.


    ¡¸The fire sorcery skill that I had worked hard to increase until level 2 is gone¡­¡­. I was the one who agreed to it but, I can also understand a little about Carla¡¯s feeling that doesn¡¯t wish to become healthy.¡¹


    ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹


    The skill that was engraved in her soul was erased. Was it similar like using Cure to erase a tattoo?


    Elena also mentioned that she ¡ºagreed¡» before her skill got erased. Perhaps adding something to soul was easy, but even a tremendous existence like that was limited when it came to erasing skill that was engraved into the soul.


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­I heard from Dalton that you obtained the dungeon¡¯s ¡°blessing¡±.¡¹


    ¡¸Uh huh.¡¹


    Most likely this was the main topic. Elena leaned forward a little and peered into my eyes.


    ¡¸A lot of people had witnessed your strength. Even if we try to keep it a secret, it will definitely get leaked and some nobles will try to bring you to their side.¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    I noticed. Even if what I got wasn¡¯t actually a Gift, obtaining the dungeon¡¯s blessing had turned me into a special existence in this country.


    I became an adventurer because I refused to get adopted by noble and got toyed by ¡°fate¡±. But now, the nobles were going to approach me once more because of that power.


    ¡¸I have a way to protect you. ¡­¡­But, it¡¯ll turn into a chain on you that limit the freedom that you sought. If Aria really wish for freedom, I think it¡¯ll be better if you go to another country¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Elena.¡¹


    She lifted up her head that was looking down when I called her name.


    ¡¸I won¡¯t run away anymore.¡¹


    ¡¸Aria¡­¡­¡¹


    I understood that it would become like this. Even if I didn¡¯t receive the dungeon¡¯s blessing, if I obtained a strength to oppose fate, someone who would wish to make use of that strength would definitely appear along the way.


    ¡¸You should also be in danger Elena. If it become known that you¡¯re healthy now, a side that want to make you into the queen will definitely appear. And then a side that doesn¡¯t like that might target your life. What¡¯re you going to do in that situation Elena?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡­¡­¡¹


    Elena paused talking for a moment and closed her eyes. Then she immediately looked at me with a strong gaze.


    ¡¸I thought that would be fine if that would make brother open his eyes. But, now I¡¯m also able to make another choice than that.¡¹


    Elena stopped talking there. She stood up and quietly held her hands toward me.


    ¡¸I too won¡¯t run away anymore. I¡¯m going to become the ¡°queen¡±. That¡¯s why lend me your strength¡­¡­Aria.¡¹


    ¡¸Yes¡­¡­Elena.¡¹


    I also stood up and enveloped the hands Elena held toward me with both my hands.


    From here a lot of nobles would approach Elena to make use of her and a lot of enemies would target her. Grave who was targeting me would also target Elena.


    I¡¯ll protect Elena. I had gotten stronger for that.


    Our paths once split apart from each other. But after walking those paths alone, now our paths crossed each other once more into one path that we would walk together.


    A strong willpower was residing inside Elena¡¯s eyes. Those weren¡¯t the eyes of an eleven years old girl, but the eyes of the first princess of a major country. She spoke to me with those eyes.


    ¡¸Adventurer Aria of ¡°Rainbow Sword¡±. I will enroll to the sorcery academy in one more years. I request you to guard me within the academy and eliminate my enemies during my three years of stay there¡­¡­or at the very least until my brother graduate.¡¹


    ¡¸As you command, your highness.¡¹


    Elena requested me as a princess. In respond I kneeled on the spot and accepted. Then our serious expression suddenly crumbled and we smiled slightly to each other.


    Surely Carla would also be at the same sorcery academy that Elena would enroll into.


    I would also settle the matter between her and me.


    I wasn¡¯t going to oppose fate. I would smash it apart.


    The fated stage of ¡°otome game¡± that I avoided and that woman desired. It was finally going to start.