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Table of Contents

Table of Contents ................................................................................ 2

Prologue: A Villain’s Divine Blessing .................................................. 14
Chapter 1: The Veronian Galley ........................................................ 18
Chapter 2: How to Catch a Kind High Elf ........................................... 58
Interlude: Youth 45 Years Ago .......................................................... 93
Chapter 3: Assassins and the Assassins Guild.................................... 97
Interlude: The Story of the Exiled Queen Misphia .......................... 157
Chapter 4: Conflicting Goals............................................................ 167
Chapter 5: Wolf Rit and a Moonlit Night ......................................... 186
Epilogue: Lilinrala’s Resolve ............................................................ 205
Afterword ....................................................................................... 215
Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Yen On. ............. 221

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 Copyright

Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the
Countryside, Vol. 6
Zappon
Translation by Dale DeLucia
Cover art by Yasumo

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and

incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used
fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons,
living or dead, is coincidental.
SHIN NO NAKAMA JYANAI TO YUUSHA NO PARTY WO
OIDASARETANODE, HENKYOU DE SLOW—LIFE SURUKOTO NI
SHIMASHITA Vol. 6
©Zappon, Yasumo 2020
First published in Japan in 2020 by KADOKAWA CORPORATION,
Tokyo.
English translation rights arranged with KADOKAWA CORPORATION,
Tokyo through TUTTLE-MORI AGENCY, INC., Tokyo.
English translation © 2022 by Yen Press, LLC
Yen Press, LLC supports the right to free expression and the value of
copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and
artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without
permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you
would like permission to use material from the book (other than for

Page | 10
review purposes), please contact the publisher. Thank you for your
support of the author’s rights.
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First Yen On Edition: June 2022
Edited by Yen On Editorial: Jordan Blanco
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The Yen On name and logo are trademarks of Yen Press, LLC.
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that
are not owned by the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Zappon, author. | Yasumo, illustrator. | DeLucia, Dale,
translator.
Title: Banished from the hero’s party, I decided to live a quiet life in
the countryside / Zappon ; illustration by Yasumo ; translation by
Dale DeLucia ; cover art by Yasumo.

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Other titles: Shin no nakama ja nai to yuusha no party wo oidasareta
node, henkyou de slow life suru koto ni shimashita. English
Description: First Yen On edition. | New York : Yen On, 2020.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020026847 | ISBN 9781975312459 (v. 1 ; trade
paperback) | ISBN 9781975312473 (v. 2 ; trade paperback) | ISBN
9781975312497 (v. 3 ; trade paperback) | ISBN 9781975312510 (v. 4
; trade paperback) | ISBN 9781975333423 (v. 5 ; trade paperback) |
ISBN 9781975343248 (v. 6 ; trade paperback)
Subjects: CYAC: Ability—Fiction. | Fantasy.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.Z37 Ban 2020 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020026847
ISBNs: 978-1-9753-4324-8 (paperback)
978-1-9753-4325-5 (ebook)
E3-20220519-JV-NF-ORI

Illustration: Yasumo
Design Work: Shindousha

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Page | 13
Prologue: A Villain’s Divine Blessing
All living beings in the world, except the Asura demons, were granted
a Divine Blessing at birth by almighty Demis. Divine Blessings
bestowed strength in the form of levels and skills, allowing frail
creatures like humans the ability to fight giants and monsters on
equal terms. Were it not for Divine Blessings, people would have
perished long ago.
That was what the village priest said to the kids gathered in the little
holy church. Children were struggling to sit still and listen, and every
once in a while, one would poke the person next to them and start
messing around. Among the restless kids, Ruti and Gideon sat quiet
and proper.
Rather than thinking them well-mannered, the priest felt unnerved
by their maturity.
A charming young boy named Tapp raised his hand. “Mr. Priest! Why
do monsters have Divine Blessings? Aren’t they bad?”
Monsters came in many forms, and to say that all were evil was an
over-generalization. Still, it was true that the majority of them were
harmful, and many savage monsters attacked people for sport, not
survival. What’s more, there were beings with blessings that could
truly be called wicked—demons. Undoubtedly, everyone had
thought at one point or another that humans and elves would be
better off if evil beings didn’t possess Divine Blessings.
The priest, whose Divine Blessing was Adept, had asked the same
question in this very holy church when he’d been a child.
“The answer to that lies in our own Divine Blessings, Tapp.”
“In ours?”
“Divine Blessings grow when a bearer kills another with a blessing.
But if there were only good and righteous people in the world, then

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whom could we slay? God wishes for us to live more righteously by
fighting evil. That is why God gave the wicked Divine Blessings.”
Tapp nodded at the priest’s answer, seemingly understanding. The
young boy who had connected with his Fighter blessing proudly
declared, “I’m gonna kill even more monsters!”
His blessing was level 3. He already regularly went out with adults to
hunt monsters with his spear and bow.
“Excuse me…,” a voice called as a small hand rose in the air. It was
soft, yet it still carried a strength to make itself heard, despite the
rambunctious kids. Other children quieted down and cautiously
looked at the girl that had spoken.
“What is it, Ruti?” The priest recoiled slightly. It was the first time
that mysterious girl had ever posed an inquiry.
“What is the reason for impulses?”
“Hm, ah, yes. That’s a good question.”
The priest patted his chest as he breathed a sigh of relief. The
purpose of impulses was self-evident, tautological. It was akin to
teaching that one and one made two. It comforted the priest to
know that Ruti was fairly normal on the inside, even though she was
odd.
“As you all know, Divine Blessings have urges. My Adept blessing
motivates me to protect everyone’s peace of mind and to use my
magic to aid the suffering. It was those impulses that led to my
becoming a priest.”
His blessing also discouraged new thinking and prioritized
conservative ideals, but the priest decided there was no need to
mention that part.
“The Divine Blessings that God has granted us bestow tremendous
strength. Our impulses keep us from using that power recklessly and

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guide us along the path we should walk in life. Obeying your
blessing’s urges grants a sense of security in your heart. That is the
key to living a happy, righteous life.”
Hearing that, Tapp clenched his fists with determination. He would
later go on to beat down all the boys in the village who liked to fight,
becoming their tyrannical leader. It all started with what the priest
had said.
Undoubtedly, the priest’s words had a strong influence on all the
children.
Ruti’s expression remained placid, however.

Time passed, and Gideon and Ruti were now fighting on their own.
Villagers were being evacuated in the face of an attack by the demon
lord’s army. At present, Ruti was resting at the feudal lord’s manor.
An inauspicious feeling struck the girl, and she picked up the magic
blade that her brother had given her. A single large bat was hanging
from the ceiling. Ruti immediately pointed her sword at the creature.
In response, the bat grinned and dropped to the floor.
There it transformed into a human and bat hybrid, with bat-like wing
membranes extending from its arms. This was an animal
transformation skill, but that was not what surprised Ruti.
“You’re…human?”
Her opponent was neither an orc nor a demon. It was a human with
an Assassin blessing.
Ruti had never fought against another human before during her
journey to stop the demon lord’s army.

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The hired killer wielded a sinister, twisted shortsword. It was a brutal
weapon that magnified the pain of those cut by it, though to Ruti, it
just looked challenging to wield.
A grin formed on the half-bat’s face.
“Pretty girl, those red eyes of yours will make an excellent addition
to my collection.”
Ruti didn’t reply, instead listening coolly to the assassin’s little
speech.
His present state was undoubtedly a result of the impulses of his
Assassin blessing blending with his own desire to imbue his work
with a sense of artistry. This man took pleasure in killing people.
Thus, he was an enemy who had to fall.
Ruti readied her sword, determined to fight.
The battle ended with her killing the one who had come to take her
life.
That day, the Hero’s level rose by 1, for a total of 10.

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Chapter 1: The Veronian Galley
A day had passed since the solstice festival.
I headed to the plaza in front of the city gates to go fishing like I’d
promised Tanta and the others.
“It’s fishing time!” Tanta said.
“Yeah!” I raised my rod in reply.
Rit, Ruti, Tisse, Tanta, and I had all gathered.
“Hm? Where’s Gonz?” I asked.
“Uncle Gonz drank too much at the festival yesterday. He said he’ll
pass for today. I think he’s sleeping off the hangover.”
“It was his idea to go fishing in the first place.”
“He took your medicine, so I think he’ll be all right by lunchtime.”
Sheesh.
“Fine then, guess we’ll just go ourselves.”
Tanta nodded excitedly. “Okay!”
Perhaps he’d been worried that the trip would be canceled because
of Gonz? He laughed as I patted his head to reassure him.
“I’ve got food for everyone, too,” Rit said as she held out the large
basket she was carrying. Numerous foods had been packed into it. I
had made them all, of course. “So, where are we going?”
“I was thinking we could maybe rent some horses and ride to the
sea,” I replied.
“In that case, Rit and I can summon some spirit beasts,” Ruti stated.
“Is that okay with you, Rit?” I asked.
“Of course!”

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With that settled, we ventured beyond Zoltan’s gate. We’d set out
from town on a journey to the Wall at the End of the World a few
days ago, but it was for a far more relaxed trip this time.
Once we were out of the town, Rit summoned a pair of spirit dire
wolves, and Ruti conjured two spirit steeds. Rit’s wolves rivaled bears
in size, and Ruti’s horses had beautiful white coats and came
equipped with saddles and reins.
Tanta looked shocked initially, but he quickly settled down. One of
the wolves carefully grabbed Tanta’s clothes with its mouth and
lifted him onto its back.
“So cool!” Tanta was petting the spirit beast’s fur excitedly.
Evidently, he was enjoying himself.
“I guess you’re good there then. I’ll ride with you.” I hopped up onto
the wolf’s back, sitting behind Tanta.
“Are you sure? Wouldn’t the horse be better since it has a saddle?”
Rit questioned.
“We’ll be fine,” I assured her.
The dire wolf snorted in response to Rit’s worrying, as if to say,
“Leave it to me.”
Tanta grew even more excited at that. His eyes were sparkling as he
clung to the wolf’s neck.

Simply put, fishing was profound.

Of all the skills in the world, there were only three related to it—the
common skills Fishing and Angling, and the inherent skill Advanced
Fishing. That last one was only available to blessings like Fisher and
Angler.

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I’d taken the Fishing skill and raised it to level 3. Doing so granted me
Improved Visibility Through Water. The effect was pretty self-
explanatory. It let me ignore light diffraction and allowed me to peer
through the cloudiness of the water for a clearer view. It was likely
intended for spotting how many fish were beneath the surface.
The common skill Swimming granted some maneuverability and a bit
of battle aptitude in the water, but it did nothing for your eyesight.
Aquatic Combat also provided access to Improved Visibility Through
Water and was the superior skill overall. While it was available to the
vast majority of fighting-oriented blessings, it was still an inherent
skill, which meant I couldn’t get it.
Battling while submerged was difficult. Armor became a hindrance
that kept you from moving properly, and swinging weapons was all
but impossible. Thrusts were the only halfway usable attacks with
swords. The best choice was to avoid underwater combat if you
could help it. Some situations left you with no other alternative,
though. There were countless monsters dwelling beneath the
surface, just like there were up on land, and both fishing and
shipping over the water were necessary aspects of our lives.
One of the reasons it was difficult to navigate around the Wall at the
End of the World by sea was because storms frequently plagued the
waters to the east of Zoltan. A more significant reason, however, was
because that region was infested with giant sea monsters.
Krakens, deep sea serpents, great whites, and luscas all prowled the
region. Even worse, there were Sea demons, familiars of the
legendary Leviathan demon, which were capable of changing shape
into giant aquatic dragons.
If a ship were attacked from below, there’d be no recourse but to
dive into the water and dispatch the creatures on their terms, which
was all to explain why I had the Angling skill and was pretty good at
fishing.

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“All right, got another one.”
I was dropping the fish I caught into a container filled with seawater,
one after the other. I had landed six so far.
“Ghhh.”
Rit was glaring at her bobber floating on the surface.
Skill or no skill, if you allowed your intentions to leak out that much,
no fish was going to approach.
We were on a jetty not far from Zoltan. It was a small port used to
offload goods from merchants who traveled around coastal villages.
There were fees to use Zoltan’s docks, so the traders who went
around peddling day-to-day necessities loaded and offloaded their
boats here.
“Ruti.”
“What?”
“Throwing your hook into the water and hitting a fish with it isn’t
Angling.”
Ruti already had more than thirty fish in her container. She wasn’t
baiting her line at all. Instead, she cast the hook so that it landed in
her target’s mouth and pulled it out.
It was an absurd brute force method, but effective nonetheless. Ruti
was reeling in fish from the seabed, fifty meters down. She hadn’t
missed yet, so I couldn’t fault her method, but it could hardly be
called fishing.
“But it’s faster this way.”
“I mean, yeah, but…”
Ruti looked at me incredulously. She’d never done this before, so I
wasn’t too surprised.

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“Okay, I’ll teach you how to fish,” I decided, standing up. “When you
take a day off to go fishing, the goal isn’t to catch anything; it’s to
have fun.”
“How so?”
I adjusted Ruti’s rod, then picked a blue worm for bait. The little
things were easy to come by, and fish liked them. Some people
didn’t like the way blue worms wriggled, though. I threaded a bobber
and sinker onto her line and then hooked the blue worm.
“This is the basic method for baiting your line. Generally speaking,
it’s best to make sure it’s snug on the base of the hook,” I explained.
Ruti nodded earnestly. “Okay.”
“You don’t have to throw it too far away. Just toss it close by and
then wait patiently for the fish to come.”
“Really?”
“If you throw it with too much strength, the worm might come free,
and the fish we’re dealing with here aren’t that big. Threadfish can
pick bait clean off the hook, so you’ve got to check your line
occasionally. For now, just toss it right in front of you and take it
easy.”
“Fishing is so much work.”
“That’s just part of the fun.”
Ruti took the rod back and cast again. The bobber floated gently atop
the waves. A bird cawed overhead.
“The weather’s nice.”
“Mhm.”
The colder months made the ocean frigid, but beautiful.

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When winter came to Zoltan, the winds from the Wall blew out to
sea, and the surface water would shift from the coasts toward the
open ocean. Conversely, deeper water rose to the surface.
Even without my skill, the water appeared a clear blue. It was easy to
spot the red fish swimming around. Knowing the reason behind this
phenomenon did nothing to mar its allure.
“Such an amazing thing to see,” I muttered as I looked out at the
ocean.
Rit and Ruti, both struggling for different reasons, gazed upon the
lovely vista with me.
“Zoltan is great.”
“It sure is.”
They both had tranquil smiles on their faces.

“How about we take a break for lunch?” I suggested.

Tanta was the first to respond. “Yay! I was starting to get hungry.”
“Gah, it’s not like I was going to catch up to you anyway,” Rit pouted
playfully.
Turning to my sister, I asked, “What about you, Ruti?”
She stared at the bobber floating on the water before reluctantly
reeling it back in and setting her rod down.
“It was fun.”
Ruti had only reeled in two fish the proper way. Honestly, that was
exceptional for a beginner. Still, I had been slightly worried that the
more laid-back nature of proper Angling would bore her. It was a
relief to see she’d enjoyed herself.

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Initially, she’d seemed perplexed at not getting many bites, but she
settled into the pleasure of kicking back and waiting.
On that point, Tisse was something else. She’d only caught a single
fish, but it was so big that it couldn’t fit in her container.
Tisse had paid no attention to the small fires and had set her sights
on the big score. At first glance, it may have seemed she was only
casually casting her line, but she was truly proficient.
We gathered around the picnic basket.
“What did you make?”
“All sorts of things.”
Inside the basket were sandwiches, a tomato salad, omelets, roast
beef, ground steaks, and milk to drink.
“Ohhh, it’s all so colorful.” Tanta immediately went for some roast
beef.
Rit took a ground steak, while Ruti and Tisse started with some of the
salad.
““““So good!””””
My effort in the kitchen this morning had all been worth it to see
their smiles.
When we had nearly finished everything, Tanta suddenly pointed out
toward the water.
“Look over there! It’s a ship!” he exclaimed.
Following the direction of his finger, I spied a galley with two square
sails being rowed systematically by oars that looked like countless
legs extending from its sides.
“That’s a warship.”

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And not a Zoltan one. Zoltan’s armed forces only possessed three
caravels with triangular sails, so there was no mistaking it.
“…A vessel from Veronia or thereabouts, I’d guess?”
Observing it closely, I noticed that the uppermost of the three layers
of oars had noticeably fewer rowers than the lower tiers. Such a
design was unique among galleys from southern nations like Veronia.
Its deck was set higher than most other ships’ so that when it lined
up alongside an enemy boat, they could fire a volley of arrows from
on high. Veronia had designed this model around eighty years ago
for dealing with pirates who primarily relied on melee combat.
However, Veronia had converted their old-style galleys into large
sailing ships in more recent times.
“They aren’t pirates, right?” Tanta asked nervously.
“It’s certainly possible, but raiders around these parts wouldn’t have
such massive boats.” Plus, Danan had supposedly sunk no small
number of pirate ships on his journey here. The buccaneers would be
lying low for a while. “There’s no way a galley will survive the eastern
passage’s storms. I wonder what they want in Zoltan.”
I chewed on a sandwich as I watched the Veronian warship sailing in
the distance, and I pondered what it might be up to.

“We should probably start heading back soon,” Rit said.

I glanced up toward the sun starting its path down in the sky. “Yeah…
I guess it’s about time to go.”
“Awww. But we can keep going!” Tanta whined.
“If we don’t head out now, it’ll be dark before we get back.”
“Fine… We should do this again, though.”

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“Yeah, we should all do this together again,” Rit agreed.
“Are you okay with that, Ruti?”
“Yes. It was fun. I want to try it another time.”
In the end, Ruti caught fewer fish than Tanta once she started
actually fishing. Yet it was clear from her reluctance as she packed up
her gear that she had enjoyed today.
I was glad that I’d agreed to do this.

On the morning of the next day, Ruti awoke when she always did. No
matter how late she stayed up or how early she went to bed, it was
always the same.
“I was able to sleep again.”
Ruti’s eyes sparkled as the morning sun shone through the window.
The simple human action of resting at night was moving to her. Red
and Tisse were probably the only ones capable of noticing how
excited she was, though.
She rinsed her mouth out with water from the pitcher and then
drank from a glass. Then she stripped down and wiped down her
body with a damp washcloth. After changing clothes, she started into
some light exercise—a loop around the room while doing a
handstand. Next, she gripped one of the ceiling beams with her toes.
Finally, she hurled a ball out the window, striking a tree in the yard
with enough force that the ball bounced back to her. She did this one
hundred times with each hand and foot. This was Ruti’s daily routine
to make sure she was still fit.
“Mhm.”
All told, the exercises generally took fifteen minutes.

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Ruti did everything at a tremendous speed. Because the Hero
blessing always kept her in peak physical condition, the idea that her
reflexes might dull, and even the act of warming up, were fresh
experiences.
Ruti did not break a sweat through all of it. Her cheeks were ever so
slightly red, but that was only because the next thing she had
planned for the day was breakfast at Red’s place.
Fortunately, no one else knew about the absurd things she
considered warm-ups.

Basking in the morning sun, Ruti and Tisse were walking along the
Zoltan streets, headed toward Red’s shop.
Tisse had a shortsword concealed beneath her clothes, a carryover
habit from working as an assassin. Ruti was not carrying anything.
She always left her blade at Red’s shop. When she would go out for
an adventure, she would make a point of stopping by his store first
to get her sword.
Obviously, it was just a clumsy excuse to see Red, but no one seemed
to mind.
The neighborhood was a bit rowdy today. People were gathering
around the well or in the back alleys, looking concerned as they
discussed the latest rumors.
Probably about that warship from yesterday.
The galley would never be able to navigate the stormy eastern
passage. That meant it was bound for Zoltan.
What could the crew of such a vessel want in the middle of
nowhere?

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“It was delicious.”
“Indeed.”
After finishing their breakfast at Red’s shop, Ruti and Tisse headed to
their medicinal herb plantation in the North.
Their meal had incorporated their catches from yesterday: cabbage
and fish stewed in tomatoes, an onion and fish marinade, refreshing
lemon water, and fluffy white bread.
Both Ruti and Tisse were amazed that Red could throw together so
much food so early in the morning.
And also…
“This is the fish you caught yesterday.”
When Ruti thought back on how Red had said that to her and eaten
the tomato soup with such gusto, she couldn’t help but grin.
The manor she and Tisse were living in was on the southwest side of
downtown. They’d chosen it to give Ruti easy access to Red and Rit’s
apothecary, which was nearby. Conveniently, Oparara’s oden cart
was situated at the edge of the harbor district to the west, making it
an easy walk when Tisse wanted chikuwa.
Ruti’s farm was a fair hike to the north, but neither she nor Tisse
seemed to mind.
Upon arriving at the plot, the pair had a look around. Ruti’s medicinal
herb plantation had normal fields and two greenhouses. The latter
had glass ceilings and walls on their southern sides to increase the
temperature within them.
“There are sprouts, Ms. Ruti.”
“Oh. You’re right.”

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Page | 29
Little green seedlings were peeking out from the soil. The nigh-
expressionless pair glanced at each other. They were both incredibly
moved, but an outsider would never have realized that. Ruti and
Tisse shared a deep enough friendship to recognize each other’s
feelings, however.
“That’s fantastic.”
“Mhm.”
The girls smiled ever so slightly.

Come noon, Ruti and Tisse were carefully giving the plants just a bit
of water, as Red had taught them. They were nearly done with the
work. Ruti and Tisse would surely be busy dealing with weeds and
pests when the plants began sprouting bushy green leaves.
Fortunately, Red had told them that their crops had been cultivated
from wild plants, so they should be fairly resistant to such nuisances.
In fact, the girls would probably need to keep a close watch on the
lines between fields to make sure nothing encroached on other
areas.
“That’s all for today, right?”
“Yes.”
The pair discussed what they’d do for lunch while stowing their tools.
“Pardon me!” a loud voice called out.
Glancing in the direction of the noise, the girls saw Megria from the
Adventurers Guild. She must have hurried over, because she was
sweating. Had another request from the guild come in?

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“Ms. Ruhr! There’s something we’d like to ask you to do!”
Ruhr was the alias that Ruti was using in Zoltan. It was a rather
shoddy moniker since the full name she used was Ruti Ruhr. Still, it
allowed people she was close with to call her Ruti while she went by
Ruhr to all others.
It was absolutely critical to Ruti that her older brother, Gideon,
address her by her real name. That was something she refused to
budge on. Not even God himself could change her mind.
Fortunately, the name Ruti was uncommon enough in Avalonia that
anyone would realize the Hero was in Zoltan.
Tisse’s alias was Tifa Johnson, and she used Tisse as a nickname.
Ruti wiped her dirty face with a towel and hurried to Megria, who
was looking pale.
“What is it?”
“Prince Salius of Veronia has come to Zoltan with a warship.”
“Mhm.”
Megria was shocked when Ruti nodded calmly at the revelation.
“That’s Ms. Ruhr for you. So then you already knew?”
“I saw the galley yesterday, though I didn’t know Prince Salius was on
it…” Ruti thought back on that name for a moment. “If I recall, Prince
Salius is…the eldest son of the Veronian king, but he is the son of the
current king and the previous king’s elder daughter and was dropped
to lowest in succession when the first queen disappeared, right?”
“Yes, that is what I’ve heard. I’m not particularly well informed on
the details, though…”
Megria was just an employee at the Adventurers Guild and couldn’t
respond confidently. Veronia was a major power, but it was still a

Page | 31
far-off nation. The ins and outs of the country’s political situation
were useless in Zoltan—until yesterday.
“So then, what does the Prince want?”
“He insists we share the holy church registers of Zoltan and the
neighboring settlements.”
“The holy church registers…”
Holy church registers were written records of the births, deaths,
marriages, and notes of residents moving in or out. The documents
also listed each entry’s Divine Blessing. Clergy used this information
to collect taxes for kings and lords while receiving a percentage of
the take.
It was required to update the registers for significant life events.
Even residents who disliked their taxes put up with it without
complaint because the holy church was involved.
A given lord might also keep their own register separate from the
holy church’s to track the territory and wealth they controlled. The
holy church register was only for keeping tabs on people, so it could
be used for a per head tax, but not for a wealth-based one.
From time to time, arguments arose among clergy about changing
how the records were kept. However, the main goal of the registers
was ultimately to assist holy church members, not to collect taxes, so
there were currently no plans to change how the records were kept.
“The registers detail our residents’ Divine Blessings. The Zoltan clergy
were quite indignant at Prince Salius’s demand,” Megria explained.
Even if they assisted with taxation, the holy church didn’t turn over
the registers themselves to kings and lords. Salius’s request was an
outrageous affront.
“I’m surprised he would be so brash. After all, the holy church has a
presence in Veronia,” Tisse remarked.

Page | 32
The holy church was a tricky organization to deal with, even for the
Assassins Guild. Its intelligence network spanned the continent, and
it had been a significant obstacle to many a hired killer before.
Megria replied, “Perhaps he thinks word of his action won’t reach
back home. Veronia and Zoltan are far from each other, after all.”
There was something about that that did not make sense to Tisse.
The holy church was united in its faith, regardless of national
borders. Would the organization truly forgive the prince’s insult
simply because it happened out on the frontier?
Tisse felt it was unlikely.
“Why does the Veronian prince want Zoltan’s holy church records?”
Ruti inquired.
“Supposedly…he’s searching for someone.”
“Who?”
“He refuses to say.”
Ruti’s eyebrows twitched a little.
“I see. So then it’s something unrelated to Zoltan?”
“Yes.”
“Then what if we refuse?”
“…Nothing. However, he intends to remain on the water outside
Zoltan until he finds the person he’s seeking. We were also informed
that we need not worry ourselves about their supplies because
they’ll handle that themselves.”
The prince was effectively threatening Zoltan with piracy if the holy
church records were not turned over. It was an act outrageous
enough to justify a declaration of war. However…

Page | 33
“It goes without saying, but Zoltan’s navy is no match for that
vessel.”
Zoltan’s navy consisted of three small caravels, each capable of
carrying twenty people. They couldn’t stand against the Veronian
war galley carrying three hundred soldiers when it came to combat
ability. And even if Zoltan did manage to win, there was a distressing
difference in power between a major power like the Kingdom of
Veronia and a tiny little backwater city-state like Zoltan.
Ruti couldn’t imagine that Veronia was plotting to attack Zoltan, but
if it did come to war, Zoltan had already lost.
Even if they pled for help with another of the major powers like
Avalonia, they had their hands full dealing with the demon lord’s
armies. They would not have the capacity to spare on a war with
Veronia.
In other words, Zoltan was in a situation where they had no choice
but to accept the prince’s demands.
“Eeep?!” Megria shrieked as Ruti looked at her.
Ruti frantically tamped down her emotions. “Oh, um. I-I’m sorry.”
Megria felt the gaze of some giant monster on her for a split second,
but after blinking her eyes, she saw that the only other people
around were the members of the ever-reliable B-rank party, Ruti
Ruhr and Tifa Johnson. She placed a hand on her chest to calm her
racing pulse and took a deep breath.
“…”
Ruti was surprised at how much Megria’s story had bothered her.
She wanted to force her way onto the Veronia ship right that instant,
split it in two, and send it to the bottom of the sea.
“What did you wish to ask of me?”

Page | 34
For the moment, Ruti did her best to remain calm and figure out
what the Adventurers Guild wanted.
“We’d like for you to participate in the ongoing discussions among
Zoltan’s leadership.”
“Me?”
“Currently, you are Zoltan’s strongest fighter. Were a battle with the
army out of the question, then Zoltan would have no choice but to
rely on your individual strength. That’s why we want you to
participate in discussions on how to proceed, and we’d be grateful
for whatever thoughts you might have, too.”
“Okay,” Ruti responded immediately.
Megria looked surprised, but answered, “Th-thank you very much.
Many adventurers hate these sorts of councils, so I didn’t expect you
to accept immediately.”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
During Ruti’s time as the Hero, she had frequently been a part of
military councils. This was nothing new for her.
Seeing Ruti so at ease filled Megria with respect and awe.
“Where is the meeting being held?”
“At the Zoltan Assembly.”
“I see. What is the status of the council?”
“Bishop Shien of the holy church is opposed to acquiescing. Galatine
from the Adventurers Guild agrees. Moen, the head of the guards, is
on their side as well, and is resolved to fight if necessary. On the
other side, Mayor Tornado and Lord William, the head of Zoltan’s
army, believe a battle is foolish.”
“Shien, Galatine, and Moen. They’re the old B-rank party,” Ruti said.

Page | 35
“Indeed. Perhaps they feel the way they do because they’re heroes
themselves.”
“Thank you. I’d like to listen to what everyone has to say. Let’s go.”
Megria followed after Ruti as she strolled off gallantly. At some point
in their exchange, her fear and dread at dealing with a threat like
Veronia had faded away.
What a mysterious person.
Zoltan’s newest B-rank adventurer was quiet, rarely showed any
emotion, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking. Her
strength was undeniable, though. Even in the direst of
circumstances, she and her partner Tisse resolved everything
immediately.
At first glance, Ruti appeared less reliable than Rit, Albert, or Bui, but
her might far surpassed them all.
Curiously, that didn’t feel unnatural or frightening to Megria. When
she looked at Ruti, she instinctually believed that the girl would be
able to help.
“I hope Ms. Ruhr will stay in Zoltan…”
Megria blushed as she realized that she had accidentally spoken her
thought aloud.

The Zoltan Assembly stood at the center of town.

Mayor Tornado. Baron William, Zoltan’s general. Moen, the captain
of the guard. Harold, who was the leader of the Adventurers Guild,
and Galatine. Bishop Shien from the holy church. These well-known
local figures had assembled in a single room with a few leaders from
various other guilds.
“Pardon me,” Megria said as she led Ruti and Tisse into the chamber.

Page | 36
A few present raised questioning eyebrows. That was more because
Ruti was still wearing the clothes she had been while working out in
the fields, however.
Baron William made no effort to mask his scorn, but Ruti remained
unbothered as she sat in the seat Megria guided her to.
“My name is Ruti Ruhr, and this is Tifa Johnson. Thank you for having
us. What is the current situation?”
“Thank you for joining us, Ms. Ruhr.” Baron William’s vexation only
deepened at Ruti’s introduction. It was Mayor Tornado who replied
to the girl with a smile. “Right now, we are debating how Zoltan
should react to the Kingdom of Veronia’s demand.”
“Have you reached a decision?”
“Unfortunately, it’s a rather difficult topic. Typically it would be
unheard of for a government to intrude into the holy church’s
domain, but Veronia seems very determined to find whoever they’re
searching for. Agreeing to their request would be the best course for
maintaining amicable relations between our two nations…”
“Mayor!” Galatine interrupted, staring Tornado down with a twisted,
terrifying glare that was better suited to a high-ranking member of
the Thieves Guild. “To demand without explanation that we hand
over the holy church registers is nothing less than a diplomatic slap
in the face. It’s an insult!”
Several of the other participants in the council recoiled at Galatine’s
intensity, but Tornado remained calm. Harold, on the other hand,
was breaking into a nervous sweat.
“Galatine, tell me, can honor protect our country?” the mayor asked.
Baron William nodded in agreement. “As the leader of Zoltan’s army,
let me be clear, if it comes to war with Veronia, we have no hope of
winning. Dealing with that single warship out on the water is only

Page | 37
barely within the realm of possibility. Were there a second waiting
on the sea, I’d suggest we surrender immediately.”
“Be that as it may, a demand to turn over our registers is unheard of.
That is something the holy church cannot accept. We should request
that Father Clemens at the Last Wall fortress make our complaints
known to Veronia proper.” Bishop Shien’s tone made apparent his
belief that this was not something he would budge on.
Tornado furrowed his brow and heaved a sigh. Bishop Shien was
known for his mild-mannered appearance, gentle personality, and
tolerant and forgiving nature. It seemed to trouble the mayor that
Shien was having such a difficult time agreeing to turn over the
registers.
The Last Wall fortress, huh?
That made Ruti a little bit nostalgic. She had met her comrade
Theodora there. At the time, the Hero’s party had nearly been
declared heretics conspiring with the enemy, thanks to the
machinations of the demon lord’s army. It had almost come down to
a battle with the monks of Demis.
Fortunately, Theodora had believed in the Hero and her allies,
ignored Father Clemens’s orders, and gone with them. Her aid led
them to uncover the conspiracy and resolve the incident.
Oh yeah, wasn’t there some secret shrine deep inside the Last Wall
fortress that no one had ever entered? We had nothing to do there,
though, so I never saw it…
“As stated before, as far as the holy church is concerned, be it the
Kingdom of Veronia or anyone else, we have no intention of turning
over our records.”
While Ruti was reminiscing, Shien had explained that the holy church
stood separate from the authority of the secular world and
reiterated that his position on this matter would not change.

Page | 38
“I see…” Ruti nodded.
She had a fair grip on the predicament now. Tornado and the
majority of Zoltan’s leadership believed that they should turn over
the records, while Shien, Galatine, and the holy church were
adamant about not giving in. Moen had not voiced any opinion, likely
because his superior officer, Baron William, was present. From the
look on his face, he seemed to be in support of Shien’s side.
“I understand the situation. I’d like to comment.”
“Ah, Ms. Ruhr. As one of the current B-rank adventurers, I would
love to hear your thoughts. You are an adventurer, but please don’t
let the guild’s presence hold you back. I assure you that whatever
you say won’t hurt your standing,” Tornado replied.
“The Adventurers Guild would never do such a thing…” Harold, the
head of the Adventurers Guild, wiped the sweat from his wrinkled
brow and waved his hands, as if to dismiss the very notion. Then,
seemingly experiencing a bout of stomach pain, he took some
medicine from his pocket and drank it with a cup of water.
Ah, that’s Big Brother’s remedy.
The Adventurers Guild was on the north side of Zoltan. Harold
wouldn’t have gone all the way to the opposite end of town just to
buy medicine. One of the local doctors who bought wholesale from
Red had likely prescribed it. Harold appeared a rather unreliable sort,
but Ruti felt a little goodwill toward him now that she knew the man
used one of Red’s curatives.
“First of all, we don’t have enough information,” Ruti stated.
“Information?” Mayor Tornado repeated.
“Their goal, I mean. Who are they searching for, and why? They must
have a reason for keeping that a secret.”

Page | 39
“We asked, of course. But they’ve no intent on telling us,” Baron
William responded.
Tisse grimaced at that. If a party’s refusal to answer were always
sufficient, there’d be no need for diplomats. For the people of
Zoltan, lack of an answer was sufficient, though.
At most, all the Zoltan army dealt with were small bands of thieves
or monsters. Actual war was entirely outside Baron William’s
experience.
“I’ll investigate,” stated Ruti.
“You will? How?”
“Prince Salius believes that he will learn what he wants from access
to the holy church’s records. The registers track names, birthdays,
current location, job, parents’ names, Divine Blessing, and the date
of immigration. Among those, names and dates of birth can be faked.
If that were enough to determine what they wanted, they wouldn’t
need to ask for the holy church’s accounts. Current location, job, and
parents’ names aren’t necessary when searching for someone. That
must mean the one they’re after can be identified by date of
immigration or Divine Blessing.”
“I—I see.”
“However, if they know enough to identify this person simply by
their date of immigration, they would not need the holy church
registers. The prince could simply insist the government hand over
their records. That would be far simpler than making an enemy of
the holy church. Which would imply that Veronia only has an idea of
when this person arrived in Zoltan, but they need to identify them
via Divine Blessing to narrow it down.”
“Still, can something like that really be deduced with a blessing?
There are plenty of people with the same blessings, and there are

Page | 40
some who have not reported theirs to the holy church at all,” Baron
William responded.
“And that makes it possible for us to surmise who they’re looking for
as well,” Ruti said, nodding. “It can’t be a common blessing, and I
don’t believe it’s one that’d go unreported, like Manslayer or Ripper,
either. It must be a rarer, upper-tier blessing. The Champion, Sword
Saint, Archmage, Hierophant, Crusader… Someone with a powerful
blessing that isn’t the sort you’d keep secret.”
“I see…!”
Limiting the scope to those who’d come to Zoltan rather than natives
would significantly narrow the list, too.
“Also, if possible, I’d like to meet Prince Salius directly to glean what I
can. I suspect that he might not be acting as an official
representative of Veronia.”
“Why is that?”
“Right now, Veronia is isolated and separate from the rest of the
continent. King Geizeric managed to make Veronia a world power in
a single generation, but he’s ninety years old now. The nobility and
common citizens are uneasy about their nation’s stance of neutrality
toward the demon lord’s armies. Making an enemy of the holy
church could spark a major insurrection. Could there really be
someone in Zoltan who’s worth that tremendous risk? It’s hard to
believe Veronia would gamble by refusing to explain its actions.”
“When you put it that way, it is certainly odd.”
Mayor Tornado, Baron William, and the various guild heads listened
intently to Ruti.
The young woman was by no means eloquent, but her words carried
the experience of her many battles. Even without knowing her past,

Page | 41
the dependability she exhibited removed the doubts of the
assembled officials.
Typically, Ruti struggled when it came to communication, but in
situations like this, there was no one more reliable.
Tisse was reminded of how incredible her friend was.
“I’d also like to see the official letter bearing Prince Salius’s request
to see whether it really has the seal of the Veronian royal family—”
“There isn’t one,” Baron William cut in.
Ruti went stiff for a moment. “What do you mean there isn’t one?”
she asked.
“Exactly what I said. Prince Salius made a verbal demand for the
records. There’s no mistaking that Prince Salius is who he claims to
be, however. One of my subordinates was an adventurer before
settling in Zoltan. He’s seen Prince Salius before and confirmed his
identity.”
For the first time since arriving, Ruti looked a bit troubled. After
taking a moment to consider, she replied, “I’ll investigate concerning
that point as well, then. In ten days’ time, I’ll report my progress, so
please stall as best you can. Claim that the mayor is working to
persuade the holy church. Bishop Shien, please gather together a list
of all the things that the holy church wants to ask and have it sent to
Mayor Tornado tomorrow. The guard should be on watch for the
townspeople getting on edge and take care to prevent any rumors
from spreading. Baron William, you should keep your knights at the
ready and train them in evacuation procedures to ensure they can
get the villagers out of town at a moment’s notice in case the prince
decides to attack. With the water routes blockaded, trade by land
will become all the more crucial, so the guilds should seize the
initiative and start preparing the necessary infrastructure.”
“U-understood.”

Page | 42
“That’s something I can do! Leave it to me!”
The deadlocked council leaped into action at Ruti’s words. Now that
they knew what they should be doing, the various guild heads were
no longer hesitant.
“Wow, I never would have guessed you to be so skilled in these sorts
of matters, too. It’d be a weight off my shoulders to know that
someone as capable as you might stand among Zoltan’s leaders
someday.”
“Indeed. If you ever want to join the army, we would gladly welcome
you immediately at the level of a squire. Or, if you would like, I can
lend you some soldiers to reclaim the lands being held by the hill
giant Dundach, and you can become a noble. I’d gladly endorse your
request for a grant of peerage as the guardian of those lands.”
Both Mayor Tornado and Baron William readily pitched their offers
to Ruti. However…
“I don’t need that. I have my herb farm.”
She turned them both down without so much as a polite smile.
The two were silent for a moment before forcing grins to escape the
awkward mood. Then they insisted that Ruti come to them should
she need anything.

With the meeting over, Ruti and Tisse left.

“So then, where should we begin?” Tisse asked.
“I need a dose of big brother,” Ruti responded bluntly.
“Huh?”
“It’s been a long time since I had to endure a serious talk for so long,
so I need more of him to recharge.”

Page | 43
At first, Tisse thought Ruti was joking, but her face was deadly
serious.
“W-well, you do need to get your sword, I suppose.”
Tisse could not help breaking into a smile at seeing Ruti say
something like that with such a genuine expression.
For the two of them to protect Zoltan, Ruti needed to see her
brother, and so they did.

“So that’s what was going on.”

“Mhm.”
I served up a couple of plates of tomato and cheese pasta I had
thrown together with what was available while listening to Ruti.
“Sorry it’s just leftovers.”
Ruti and Tisse had been called to the meeting right as they were
getting ready to break for lunch, so they hadn’t had anything to eat
yet.
Obviously, Ruti could reactivate her blessing’s skills that gave her
immunity to hunger and fatigue, but she elected not to.
After finishing off the pasta, she sighed contentedly.
“Your cooking is always so delicious.”
Seeing her happy face, I broke into a smile, too.
“Happy to please.”
My little sister had cleared her plate perfectly. Not even the tiniest
bit of tomato remained. She looked pleased as she wiped her mouth
with a handkerchief.

Page | 44
I started to clean up the dishes, but Tisse stopped me with a polite
gesture.
“I’ll take care of that,” she said before standing up and gathering the
tableware herself. “You and Rit should talk with Ms. Ruti.”
“Got it. Thank you, Tisse.”
“It seems like there’s a bit going on under the surface with this
incident,” Tisse added before leaving to wash the dishes.
That was true. This could easily become the most significant incident
since the founding of the Republic of Zoltan.
Hopefully, it would resolve peacefully before it got to that, however.
“What do you think, Big Brother?”
“Hmmm… I agree with your line of thought. Given that there isn’t
any official diplomatic message, it’s hard to believe that Prince Salius
is acting under the direction of the Kingdom of Veronia itself. He’s
threatening Zoltan even though Avalonia has recognized it as an
independent state. With the war against the demon lord’s forces,
Avalonia won’t go to war with Veronia to protect us, but there will
be diplomatic upsets. Even if Prince Salius were the future king, it’s
incredibly risky to do something like this on his own.”
“He’s not even very high on the succession list, right?” Rit asked.
“Yeah. Prince Salius is the king’s eldest son, but his mother, the king’s
first wife Queen Misphia, disappeared, so he dropped to third place.
The children of the king’s second wife Queen Leonor moved ahead of
him. Prince Yuzuk is first, and Prince Silverio is second.
In Veronia, the primary successor inherited everything, with some
land and wealth being allotted to the remaining brothers afterward.
Given Salius had dropped in the order, Yuzuk could use his actions in
Zoltan as an excuse to cut him out of any inheritance or provision,” I
replied.

Page | 45
“That’s…pretty substantial. That would affect more than the prince;
it’d destroy his allies as well.”
“Whatever he’s after must be important enough to gamble
everything.”
There was plenty I could guess at, but I’d never met Prince Salius
before.
The Kingdom of Veronia had once been a potential enemy to the
world. Even now, it remained neutral in the war with the demon
lord’s armies. During my time in Avalonia, all I ever heard of Veronia
were biased claims based on peoples’ disapproval of the other
nation.
“If it were you, what would you do next, Big Brother?”
“Hrmmm.” I thought a bit before continuing. “Well, going to Veronia
to investigate would be the best, but…”
“With the airship, it would probably be half a month for a round
trip,” Ruti said.
My eyes went wide. “Wow! It’s that fast? But the airship would draw
too much attention.”
“Mhm.”
A one-way voyage would take over two months by sea. If airships
were ever mass-produced, the world would change pretty
dramatically.
“The holy church will need to share whatever they know regarding
the current political situation in Veronia. We can likely entrust that
task to Bishop Shien. Our goal should be deducing who Prince Salius
is seeking,” I stated.
“I’ve already asked Bishop Shien to look into any people with
notable, rare blessings using the holy church’s records,” Ruti
responded.

Page | 46
“All right, so let’s focus on what you and Tisse can do, then.”
“Mhm.”
“At least one person in Zoltan already knows who Prince Salius is
after.”
“There is?” Tisse asked, having returned from cleaning up after our
lunch.
I smiled. “Of course. The person he’s searching for would know.”
“I guess that’s true…”
“No one in Zoltan knows what Prince Salius’s goal in all this is. That’s
why we’re all shocked and having discussions like this one,” I
explained. “However, if there were someone who was aware of the
prince’s aim, they’d have an entirely different reaction. It might be to
hide or run away. See what I mean?”
“Ahh.” Ruti nodded in comprehension. “So we should keep an eye
out for any who are behaving differently.”
“If it were me, that’s probably how I’d start.”
“Thanks, you really are reliable, Big Brother.”
Ruti stood up and leaned over the table to hug me.
“Do you need any more help?” I asked.
“No, it’s fine. You have your slow life.”
My sister released me, and, with a smile, she grabbed the goblin
blade she’d left in my shop.
“This is my slow life.”

The next morning.

Page | 47
Riding one of the Zoltan navy’s ships, Mayor Tornado headed out to
the warship where Prince Salius was staying.
Calling it the “Zoltan navy” sounded nice, but the members were all
sailors from trade and fishing vessels without any maritime combat
experience. An unease was quickly settling over the boat as it
approached the galley, and conversation died down.
“Can’t blame them for getting nervous.”
Mayor Tornado himself was doing his best to keep from being
intimidated by the enormous warship that seemed to grow larger the
nearer he got to it.
He knew little of boats and had to assume that the sailors, who were
more knowledgeable on the subject, were dreading this even more
than he was. They understood just how easily they would all be
killed—how little they could do to resist—if the looming warship
decided to go after them.
In truth, however, Veronia would be the side to regret any open
hostility. For on the boat with Mayor Tornado was the Hero and one
of humanity’s strongest Assassins.
“It’s reassuring to have the two of you accompanying me,” Tornado
admitted to the pair of women standing beside him. “Tifa and Miss
Ru—Erm, I suppose I should go with Miss White Knight?”
“Mhm.”
Tisse had her standard light armor, shortsword, and hidden throwing
knives, but Ruti was wearing a different outfit than usual. Today she
was clad in full plate armor and a helmet with a visor that concealed
her face. Her chest plate bore a lion crest—the emblem used by
masterless knights who traveled the lands in search of self-
improvement and glory.

Page | 48
 I’ve never been to Veronia, but the royalty of a major country might
well know my face from somewhere.
Red had been wary of being targeted by the demon lord’s army ever
since he and Ruti had embarked on their quest, and he’d been
careful that there were no pictures of his sister’s face. Thus, despite
Ruti’s fame, only people who had met her in person knew what she
looked like. It was quite unlikely that Prince Salius would recognize
her, but Ruti had donned the armor just to be safe.
She and Tisse were accompanying Mayor Tornado under the guise of
protection, but they also wanted to see Prince Salius for themselves
and hear what he had to say. They still did not have enough
information to negotiate with the prince, though, so this trip would
only be for the purposes of sizing up the person whom they were
dealing with. Neither Ruti nor Tisse had any intention of speaking
during this meeting.
Finally, the little Zoltan sailing ship pulled up alongside the giant
Veronian warship.
The galley’s characteristic long oars loomed overhead, not unlike
guillotines waiting to fall.
A ladder was lowered from above, and Mayor Tornado, Ruti, Tisse,
and three soldiers climbed up to the warship’s deck.
The Veronian sailors wore chain mail vests. It was light armor, but
anything heavier would make it difficult for them to swim. They had
daggers and long cutlasses at their waists, and bows and quivers on
their backs. Each of them had a shabby shirt over their armor to keep
it from getting hot from the sun.
They looked more like pirates than a true navy, or at least that was
the impression Tisse had.
“Ahoy, my dear Zoltan friend. It’s only been a day, hasn’t it?”

Page | 49
A smiling, well-tanned man who looked to be in his late thirties
appeared from the door into the ship. Ruti had heard that the prince
should have been pushing fifty years old, though.
“Standing around on deck in winter is poison for the body. Please,
come inside.”
Standing three steps behind this man was a beautiful woman with
silver hair gathered into a side ponytail. Her ears were long, and she
wore an eyepatch over her right eye. Ruti could see a scar poking
from above and below the bit of cloth.
“Lilinrala of the Elven Corsairs,” Tisse murmured.
The strange band of pirates led by a high elf whose infamy had
spread far.
Crueler than humans and unaffected by the passage of time,
Lilinrala’s fearsome deeds had earned her a place in legends the
world over.
When Geizeric betrayed and overthrew the previous Veronian king,
Lilinrala’s crew had sided with him and destroyed the country’s navy.
After the battle, Lilinrala and her pirates became the new navy, and
had served King Geizeric ever since. Their longevity meant that even
though their liege was getting on in years, they were still hale, and
sat at the heart of Veronia’s government.
It’s possible she’s a body double, but that wound matches the
stories of Lilinrala. Which means one of Geizeric’s allies, the head of
Veronia’s entire maritime fleet, came all the way out to Zoltan… Why?
Tisse quietly explained about Lilinrala to Mayor Tornado, who
blanched. In Zoltan, Tornado was considered able, skilled, and bold,
but the current situation had pushed the man entirely beyond his
limits. He started to pull back uneasily.

Page | 50
“It’s okay,” Ruti assured from behind her visor. “No matter who
we’re up against, our goal remains the same.”
“R-right.”
There was no hint of nervousness in Ruti’s voice. Mayor Tornado
took heart in that, and reassumed a demeanor befitting Zoltan’s
leader.
The Republic of Zoltan was nothing more than a city-state
established on the frontier by pioneers. Still, it was an independent
entity. There was no denying that Zoltan paled in comparison to
Veronia’s might, but Mayor Tornado could not be abasing himself
before a prince.
“By all means, please lead the way.” There was a tremble to his
voice, but the mayor flashed a grin as he responded to Lilinrala.
Prince Salius, Lilinrala, and Mayor Tornado sat around a table.
There were two high elf guards behind the prince. The scars and
burns on their handsome faces attested to the fact that they were
experienced sailors who had survived more than their share of
combat.
“So then, do you bring good news?”
There was a friendliness to the prince’s tone, but also an arrogance
in his gaze that was almost as if he were addressing a retainer.
Tornado furrowed his brow ever so slightly in discomfort, but his
smile did not slip.
“Unfortunately, the holy church is rather vehemently opposed. As
you are undoubtedly aware, your request is unprecedented. I am
currently in the process of persuading the bishop, and I believe the
results will be to your liking, if you would be willing to give me just a
little bit more time. The bishop surely recognizes the reality of the

Page | 51
situation. He merely wishes to take all steps necessary to assert that
he did his best to defend the holy church’s prerogatives.
It won’t be an issue. With just a little time, it will all be resolved. With
regard to your highness’s request, the upper levels of Zoltan are all in
agreement that we should cooperate.”
Having said that much, the mayor wiped away the sweat on his
forehead with a handkerchief.
Partway through, the grin had vanished from the prince’s face and he
stared straight into Tornado’s eyes without expression. The mayor of
Zoltan felt a dull ache as his heart raced from the tension, but he bit
his lip, refusing to show weakness.
“I see, so the holy church refused.”
“I’m doing my best to persuade them.”
“And you say you require more time.”
The prince’s tapping finger echoed through the room. It was clear
from his expression that he was irritated. Ruti watched him in
wonder.
There’s no way he didn’t anticipate opposition from the largest
organization on the continent. As prince, he has been immersed in
politics for decades now. Surely, he’d understand that much. This can’t
be more than a façade to increase the pressure.
Ruti was staring at the prince from behind her visor.
I don’t get it…
She had always struggled with those sorts of things. When it came to
working out what other people were thinking, she just could not
seem to get the hang of it. Ruti screwed up her face in frustration.
Because of the Hero blessing, Ruti had grown up without knowing
many human emotions, leaving her overwhelmingly inexperienced

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when it came to empathizing with others. This was why she had
unintentionally intimidated Tisse so many times in the past. Her
natural difference in mentality likely had something to do with it,
too.
That quirk and the fact that she only had eyes for her older brother
were why Red had handled all critical negotiations when they’d
traveled together. Until recently, Ruti had not even realized that she
was actually a terrible communicator.
It’s fine, though, because Big Brother understands me.
Having quit being the Hero and settled down in Zoltan, Ruti had
started to feel the need to better express herself. However, she was
also glad that Red had no problem comprehending her, tempting her
toward a turn for the worse. Ultimately, she decided to leave it all up
to Tisse, this time.
Fine, fine, I’ve got it.
Tisse flashed a slightly troubled smile, as if to indicate she had known
it would come to this and observed the prince in Ruti’s stead.
It feels like he’s impatient.
Salius looked on edge, even though he was clearly in the superior
position. It wasn’t as though he’d been unable to get his desires
across; he’d done a fair job of pressuring Zoltan without doing so
outright. By Tisse’s assessment, he was by no means a master
negotiator, but he certainly seemed as skilled as the average
member of a royal family.
Which means that whoever he’s searching for is just that
important. It also suggests some kind of time limit.
All that, combined with what Red had mentioned the day before,
was helping Tisse piece things together. The only thing that remained
was to test whether her conclusion was correct.

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Page | 54
 …!
Just then, Tisse felt a chill down her spine.
Lilinrala was silently staring daggers at her.
That was a whole lot of bloodlust out of nowhere. I guess that’s a
former legendary pirate for you. No, maybe she still is a pirate?
Lilinrala’s gaze felt less like the well-honed blade of a famed sword
and more like that of a blood-drenched cutlass that had robbed
untold people of their lives.
It’s still nothing compared to when I first met Ms. Ruti, though.
A slight grin crossed Tisse’s lips as she thought back on that. She
quickly braced herself, but the discussion came to a close without
incident.
No matter how impatient Prince Salius was, this was not a place
where he could resort to force. The holy church’s opposition was
predictable, and the administrative forces in Zoltan were doing what
they could. That was already more than conciliatory enough for the
current stage of negotiations.
Lilinrala agreed with the mayor’s idea of a two-week deferral before
meeting again for further discussions, and though he seemed
dissatisfied, the prince had accepted this as well.
For now, Zoltan had gained some time to search for whoever Salius
was after, which was what Ruti had wanted.
As the Zoltan group climbed down the ladder back to their boat, a
small shadow hopped down onto Tisse’s back.
“Nice work.”

Page | 55
Tisse thanked her little partner, who had been off investigating the
ship on his own.
Mister Crawly Wawly waved both his front legs gently, as if to say, “It
was nothing.”

There was a sound of boots walking across the wooden floor.

Lilinrala was pacing slowly back and forth in the cabin.
“Who is that girl?”
Lilinrala bore the Divine Blessing of the Pirate and was a natural born
buccaneer, taking to her blessing like a fish in water. She had
acquired her own ship, formed the Elven Corsairs, and sailed all
around Flamberge, Veronia, and Avalonia, building her fame and
carving out many bloody legends in the process.
She was confident that her blessing level, forged in decades of battle,
was second only to the Pirate King Geizeric’s in all of Veronia. Her
skill Strong Impression hit targets with an intense bloodlust that
instilled terror and robbed them of their judgment.
No one in some backwater place like Zoltan should have maintained
their composure in the face of her ability.
“But that girl… Not only did she keep her calm, she even smiled.”
The discussion today had been the equivalent of testing their blades
on each other. The young girl serving as the mayor’s guard had faced
Lilinrala’s haughty strike and parried it deftly. Lilinrala was loath to
admit that of an enemy, but it was true. There was a hint of
frustration in her astonished sigh.
Lilinrala had only agreed to Zoltan’s proposed two-week extension
because she recognized that the situation would not be as easy to
deal with as she’d first anticipated. She felt it necessary to

Page | 56
investigate the heroes of Zoltan more closely and devise how best to
deal with them.
“It was careless not to research what these people have been
keeping here. As a pirate, I’m ashamed of myself.” Lilinrala’s face
twisted into a ferocious expression she had not worn in years. “Fine,
bring it on.”
She began to rework her plan for raiding the town, considering her
minions and the man she had hired.

Page | 57
Chapter 2: How to Catch a Kind High Elf
Three days had passed since the meeting with Prince Salius and
Lilinrala.
“I’m back.”
I had just gotten back to the shop after a meeting at the Merchants
Guild.
Rit smiled. “Welcome back.”
“The trading ships have all been wiped out, apparently.”
They hadn’t actually been attacked. However, all of them were
avoiding Zoltan because of Lilinrala’s warship.
Trade with Zoltan wasn’t exactly a big profit driver to begin with. It
was just a convenient place for traders to hawk whatever leftovers
they had. A small profit like that wasn’t worth risking your life.
“But Zoltan is basically self-sufficient, isn’t it?” Rit took my coat and
put it away.
“Yeah. Food, salt, clothes, firewood, and things like that will just be a
little on the short side, and the upper crust won’t be able to get any
luxury items, but it won’t have a big impact. But there’s a problem.”
“A problem?”
“With that huge boat out there, no one’s going out to fish.”
Even the hardy fishers who would challenge a sea monster armed
with nothing but a harpoon were scared of the giant warship.
“Ahh, that. Yeah, your seafood stew is delicious. It’s a shame not to
be able to have that anymore!” Rit responded indignantly.
“When you combine that with the lack of trade ships, a big issue
arises.”

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“Which is…?”
“Oil.”
“Oh. Right.” Rit nodded. “The oils used in Zoltan are either imported
vegetable ones or those from fish caught at sea.”
Zoltan exported sugar and imported olive oil and canola oil. Locals
produced fish oil, but it had an unpleasant odor, which meant it
didn’t see much use in Zoltan. The surrounding villages bought it,
however.
This meant the production base for fish oil was small, and there was
little inventory. And because larger merchant ships didn’t visit Zoltan
very often, the imported vegetable oils generally came in smaller
quantities. So the stock was low there, too.
All of Zoltan’s oil reserves would run dry before long. That had been
the biggest concern at the Merchants Guild meeting. The higher-ups
had pleaded with everyone to do something, but the only thing that
could be done was to buy up all of the oil, place it under guild
management, and limit sale and distribution to ration what was left.
“An army fights on its stomach. When supplies run out, morale will
follow quickly,” I said.
“Yeah.” Rit had experienced that much for herself during the siege of
Loggervia. She knew firsthand just how much the lack of everyday
necessities could make everyone uneasy. “So you won’t be able to
use oil in your cooking… At this rate, my spirits are going to hit rock
bottom.” Rit’s expression looked grave.
Wait, that’s your problem?
“Yeah, no cooking oil will definitely be an issue. It’s a reminder of just
how far we’ve come from eating nasty food every day.”

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“Also, that means no more soap, either, since oil is used to make
that, too! And after I went to all that work for silky smooth skin for
you!”
Oh. That’s pretty bad.
“Ah, your face suddenly got really serious, Red.”
“Is there anything we can do?” I wondered.
The two of us sat down next to each other and started thinking.
“In Loggervia, we made oil using olives.”
“There aren’t any olive trees around Zoltan, though.”
“Figures. What about trade by land?”
“Oil is relatively cheap for its volume, so trade by land would be
rough.”
We bounced a few ideas off each other, but none of them really
stuck.
“What about using the fat from monsters to make oil?” Rit
suggested.
“Anyone who could fight monsters is busy right now protecting
Zoltan.”
A sudden reduction in the monster population came with its own
problems. Other monsters would expand their territory to fill the
gap, which might lead to even stronger monsters near Zoltan
settlements.
“Yeah, I guess that’s no good…”
I brought out some tea and cookies so that we could take our time to
consider the issue. We both sipped pensively from our cups.
“Delicious,” Rit remarked with a sigh. “Weren’t these tea leaves
imported, too?”

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“It’s a blend of foreign leaves and ones I gathered up on the
mountain.”
“Losing this would be awful. The tea goes so perfectly with sweet
cookies.” Rit caressed the cup.
“The price of sugar should drop at least.”
“But that’s just sugar… I’m the kind of person who prefers sweet
food combined with a drink that isn’t sweet,” Rit pouted. “I know!
Why don’t you just create a recipe for making a new kind of oil!”
After saying that, though, she collapsed onto the table. “I guess
that’s impossible.”
But…
“I wouldn’t go that far…”
“Wait, so you can?!” Rit suddenly sat up straight. “Is there anything
my Red can’t do?”
“No, I can’t say for certain that I’d be able to do it.”
I scratched the back of my head apologetically for getting Rit’s hopes
up.
“So which is it, then?”
“Zoltan’s sugar is made using sap from coconut trees, right?” I said.
“Yeah. We used beets in Loggervia. I was surprised to find out you
could use tree sap to make it.”
“The villages that make the sugar also eat the coconuts, and I’ve
heard they also make fishing nets from them, but that’s about all,
currently.”
“Are you saying they can be used as a source of oil, too?”
“Yeah. It should be possible… At least I think so.”

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Zoltan had started as a pioneer town. It wasn’t like anyone here was
particularly well-versed in uses for coconuts. When it came to things
like that, the locals weren’t any more knowledgeable than your
average person in Central. However, the people of the south seas
allegedly considered the coconut to be a wondrous thing that could
provide everything humans needed. A single coconut tree gave you
water, food, cloth, rope, a ship, and oil—everything needed for
sailing the seas.
“…Or so I’ve been told,” I explained.
“That’s amazing! If you knew that, you should have said something
sooner.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. Remember, that’s all I’ve got. I know that
you can get oil from a coconut, but I don’t really know the process,
or if there’s anything that needs to be added to make it work.”
Rit slumped back in her chair a bit. “Ahhh, I see.”
“I don’t think there’s much I’ll be able to do this time,” I admitted.
“Okay, I’ll go to the Mages Guild and borrow some alchemy tools real
quick!”
“Huh?”
“My Red truly is amazing!” Rit was in high spirits as she grabbed my
hand. “If we know that much, all that’s left is to experiment, right?
I’ll buy a bunch of coconuts, too.”
She was right. If I didn’t know the answer, we could just employ
some trial and error.
Rit was always showing me the way forward.
“All right, let’s give it a shot.”
“Yeah!”
Rit dashed outside while I stayed behind to watch the shop.

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Sales had been high the past few days because of the unease caused
by the battleship, but everyone had already stocked up by now, so
there weren’t many customers today. I was just watching the store
by myself.
Without Rit there, it was quiet and a bit lonely.
I spent my free time considering ways of getting oil from coconuts,
but I couldn’t bring myself to focus on the matter.
“Hmmm.”
I didn’t want to figure out how to make coconut oil so much as I
hoped to find the answer with Rit.
“Hm, I’ve really gone soft.”
I chuckled wryly to myself before setting that aside. Fighting and
worrying were things for the city’s higher-ups to deal with. I was just
an apothecary.
My life with Rit was the most important thing to me.

“That’s our Rit for you! Zoltan’s hero, even in retirement!”

“To think there was a way to make oil like this! There’s truly no
substitute for the knowledge gained from traveling the world!”
“Please register with the Merchants Guild! We would love to have
you as an honorary adviser!”
The traders crowded Rit, showering her with an avalanche of praise. I
was standing outside the throng, clapping from the side.
We had experimented in the workroom for two days. At first we had
tried just wringing the oil out like with olives, but that hadn’t worked.
When I’d begun wondering whether to try heating it, cooling it,

Page | 63
melting it, drying it out, Rit had said, “Just do it all.” She got so into it
that she even used her Power of Bear enhancement magic.
Seeing her so fired up had motivated me, too, and we’d worked
through the night, attempting everything we could think of. And
fortunately, our efforts had yielded results.
“Take the coconut meat, smash it up, add a little bit of flame grass
powder, leave it in a bucket for one hour, take the semisolids that
rise to the surface, then put them into a pot and heat until they
become a translucent oil. After that, all that’s left is to strain away
the dregs. There weren’t any issues with the recipe. Our alchemists
were able to follow the instructions without any issues,” one of the
merchants said as he looked at a document.
The Merchants Guild operated so smoothly, despite Zoltan’s typical
laziness, because of men like him, who were quick and eager.
“The only part that requires a skill is making the flame grass powder.
Anyone can handle the actual oil production. There may even be a
species of coconut that’s better suited for making oil, removing the
need for the flame grass,” I remarked.
“Further improving the method is an intriguing proposition, but the
very fact that coconut oil production is feasible is wonderful. To think
it would be this simple to acquire what was a scarce resource…” The
merchant nodded in marvel and then extended his hand with a
smile. “Thank you very much, Red. Our guild is lucky to have
someone like you in Zoltan.”

There was a warmth in my heart that I hadn’t felt in a while, and I

couldn’t help breaking out into a satisfied grin as Rit and I made our
way back to the shop.

Page | 64
Despite having developed such a crucial new product, we’d
admittedly sold off the method rather cheaply. With trade cut off,
merchants were the ones hurting for income, not me. And we had
been entrusted with the oil production and distribution; that would
be enough.
Plus, as a reward for our contributions, the Merchants Guild had
waived my member fees for five years, and the loan I had taken to
get the shop open had been written off, too.
“I’m perfectly satisfied with this. You don’t need to get so worked up
about it.”
“Hrmph.” Rit looked miffed. “You were the amazing one, but all they
did was praise me… I don’t like it!”
“There were people who acknowledged me, too. It’s fine.”
“You should make more of a point of selling just how great you are
sometimes!”
“The whole point of my coming here was not to stand out too
much.”
“But I want people to congratulate us together!”
So that was what was bothering Rit. She was upset that we weren’t
getting shared credit for what we had done as a pair.
“It makes me happy to see everyone holding you in such high
esteem.”
“I just wish they’d understand how amazing you really are!”
“Ah-ha-ha, sorry, sorry. You understanding is enough for me,
though,” I assured her.
“Ugh.” Rit covered her mouth with her bandana as she glared at me.
Her cheeks were turning a little bit red. “Saying stuff like that to
make me happy is not fair.”

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Rit held out her hand, and I took it in mine.
“It’s the truth, though,” I replied.
“I know it is, but…argh.” Rit smiled in resignation. “Fine, I’m going to
keep fawning over you by myself.”
She blushed after saying that, and we continued home, hand in hand.

It was nearing evening the next day, and Rit and I were working in
the shop.
“Shall we call it a day a bit earlier today?” I asked when customers
started to get few and far between.
“I don’t mind. Did you have something to do?”
“I was thinking of going to meet Yarandrala to see if she had any
advice about gathering coconuts.”
Until now, Zoltan had only used the sap of coconut trees for making
sugar. The villagers in nearby settlements either ate the coconuts or
made nets from them. Making oil required a lot of the fruit, so I’d
wanted to ask an expert on plants about how best to harvest them
while being careful not to overdo it and run out.
“Oh yeah, she was coming by to hang out every day at first, but she
hasn’t stopped by since after the festival,” Rit remarked.
“I had actually been wondering about that, too. Considering her
personality, it seems weird she hasn’t stopped by every day.”
“Then let’s get our work finished up quickly.”
Rit started quickly checking over our sales. She was a practiced hand
at that, so I left her to it. Back when she started, she’d been a lot
more awkward.

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We had met again near the end of summer, and we were pushing
toward the end of winter now. Both of us had gotten much more
comfortable with running an apothecary.
“I’m done over here.”
“I’m almost finished, too.”
And with that, work was complete for the day.
“Good job, Rit.”
“You too, Red.”
We double high-fived, then hugged each other and spun around.
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
“I’m coming with, obviously. Yarandrala’s a friend, after all. I’m going
to change real quick, so just wait a minute.” Rit grinned and then
dashed over to the bedroom.

For a small place like Zoltan, the harbor district was the one window
to foreign lands.
“There are a lot of ships.”
It wasn’t that there’d been a sudden rush of arrivals. Rather, all the
vessels that would typically be out fishing were still docked.
“I guess trade and fishing really are going to be a problem.”
“Zoltan’s never seen such a big warship before, after all,” Rit
responded.
We couldn’t see it from where we were walking, but if we took a ship
out into the water just a little bit farther toward the river, the
Veronia galley would surely be there.

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It was an old-style design from eighty years ago, but it was still a
combat-ready powerful sea vessel. It was on a whole other level
from the small modified merchant ships that pirates around these
parts used.
“Even if they haven’t come to declare war, they could easily capture
or sink any Zoltan vessels if they felt like it. Anyone would feel
uneasy with that thing nearby.”
After a short stroll, we heard the drunken singing of jobless sailors
hanging out at a bar. They weren’t very good, but it made for fair
enough background noise as Rit and I walked. The red sun setting
over the river was lovely, and despite the recent trouble, it still felt
like a peaceful scene.
The inn where Yarandrala was staying was on the other side of the
tavern where the sailors had gathered.
“It’s the first time I’ve been around here,” I commented.
I was a little bit surprised by how quiet it was. As if the usual
boisterous harbor bustle had all been a lie.
A small creek burbled, and the trees rustled. It was almost like a little
park. There were three lodges lined up there.
“This is housing for spirit users,” Rit explained. “It’s pretty common
for people with blessings that let them sense spirits of the sea or
storm to become sailors.”
“That’s right, there was someone with a Wind Druid blessing who
was a privateer captain back in the capital.”
As I recalled, he’d been a slender guy, and he said his hobby was
playing a lyre in the forest for the songbirds on his days off. But that
delicate-looking man was a commodore at the head of a fleet of
forty large corsairs. According to one of the crew, he was merciless
and cruel out on the seas, and had no qualms about ordering

Page | 68
someone to go to a nearby village to kidnap people to make up for a
shortfall in crew.
I never dealt with him that much, but the army had viewed his
cruelty as a problem.
Rit had a comfortable smile on her face as she looked around,
perhaps because of her Spirit Scout blessing.
Evidently, the forest had been maintained here so spirit users could
be at ease.
I walked through the trees and opened the door of a lodge that felt
like a little cabin in the middle of the woods.

“I can’t believe she wasn’t there,” Rit said. “Yarandrala moved

without even telling us.”
Rit and I were resting under a tree, eating some apples we had
gotten at the inn. They were crunchy, with a nice texture and a
delicious mix of sweet and sour.
Yarandrala was nowhere to be found. Apparently, she had moved
out the day after the festival. The woman running the lodge didn’t
know where she had gone.
Rit tossed an apple core into the trash. “What should we do?”
“I was thinking of going looking for her,” I responded, tossing my
core into the trash as well.
It was strange for Yarandrala to vanish without so much as a word.
“Did she get dragged into something?” Rit wondered aloud.
I thought for a moment before responding.
“That seems unlikely. If she had, I’m pretty sure she would have
come to tell us.”

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“Maybe she just didn’t get a chance to.”
“With her abilities, even if she couldn’t meet us in person, she’d find
a way to let us know.”
Yarandrala’s blessing was Singer of the Trees. She could
communicate with plants. From the timbers around us all the way to
the nameless blades of grass on the side of the road, they could all
be Yarandrala’s messengers. That was how powerful her ability was.
“Maybe she stuck her nose into something she ought not to have,” I
suggested.
“Even so, she would tell us she was moving,” Rit answered.
“Yeah, she’d definitely make a point of letting us know and telling us
not to worry, but…”
“But…?”
“Well, suppose this was a personal matter. In that case, I bet she’d
rather keep it quiet and solve everything on her own so as not to
trouble us.”
“Aww.” Rit grimaced slightly, and then murmured, “I would have
preferred if she talked to us about it.”
“Me too. But either way, I was thinking of going to look for her.
Whether we end up helping out or not is one thing, but we can
provide emotional support, at least.”
“I can understand not wanting to trouble friends, but I do worry
about her. And I want to see her again.”
“Yeah. Want to look for her together?” I suggested.
“Do we have any idea where to start?”
“Hmmm… Nothing but asking around blindly.”

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If Yarandrala had left the lodge while making a point not to leave any
tracks, even Rit, with her Spirit Scout blessing, wouldn’t be able to
track her. My Guide wouldn’t be any use, obviously.
“Fortunately, she has only been in Zoltan a little while, and she
doesn’t have many acquaintances here.”
“True, that’s probably a good place to start.”
“All right… Why don’t we start by paying Mogrim a visit.”
I stood up, getting ready to head over to the blacksmith’s shop back
in our neighborhood.
Before we could leave, three men approached us. One of them
caught my eye in particular. He had savage, drake-like eyes.
“Evening.”
The drake-eyed man glared at me before nodding slightly and
walking by. He and the other two headed toward the building we’d
just left.
“Rit, what do you say we rest here a little longer?”
“That’s fine with me… Who are they?”
The suspicious group opened the door to the lodging and went
inside.
“They have high-level Assassin blessings. Each is probably over level
40.”
“Assassins over level 40?! That’s way stronger than Albert or
Galatine!” Rit kept her voice low, but she couldn’t hide her surprise.
“They definitely aren’t from Zoltan. Probably came in from the
outside.”
“From the Assassins Guild?” Rit questioned.

Page | 71
“People with Assassin blessings were typically recruited into the
guild, but that’s not the case for all of them, so it’s difficult to say,” I
answered.
“I guess so. Hmm… Do you think they’ve got something to do with
the Veronian galley?”
“Hard to say without knowing more, but the arrival of an imposing
ship and three people with high-level blessings so close together is
too strange not to think they’re connected.”
“We can’t forget that those three are searching the place where
Yarandrala was staying,” Rit reminded me.
“It might all be connected. Anyway, it doesn’t seem like they’ve
come to cause a fuss at least…”
I was watching carefully, but there didn’t seem to be any sign of a
fight in the lodge. The rough-looking trio appeared to be talking
peaceably. I’d opted to stay and watch in case violence broke out,
but fortunately, it seemed to be wasted effort.
“Looks like they are leaving,” Rit whispered as she held out her hand.
I took it, and we walked out of the small grove together, playing the
part of lovers coming to enjoy the forest scene. Well, it wasn’t
exactly an act, so we pulled it off quite naturally.

Page | 72
Page | 73
Rit and I could have tried speaking to the three, but without
understanding the situation, it was too risky. For now, our best
option was checking with the people who knew Yarandrala.
Thus, we made our way to Mogrim’s shop.
“If it ain’t Red and Rit. Come on in.”
Mogrim was sitting at the counter. He broke into a smile when he
saw us.
It was outside business hours, but still during the time when Mogrim
stayed around in case someone needed something sharpened or the
like. His customers weren’t exclusively adventurers and soldiers.
Mogrim also helped lots of carpenters and crafters who came to get
their tools mended after work was finished.
“What brings you here? Did your sword break again?”
“Saying it like that makes it sound like I’m always destroying it! I was
just wondering if Yarandrala had stopped by recently,” I replied.
“Hm? That stubborn elf, huh?” Mogrim grimaced in disgust. I had
thought they had maybe started to get along a bit after traveling
together, but high elves and dwarves really did go together like oil
and water. “As if that high elf would ever come ‘round to see me!”
“What makes high elves so bad? Dwarves don’t seem to have any
issues with half-elves,” I said.
“Half-elves don’t have the same disgusting arrogance and irritating
irresponsibility. They’re practically the same as humans.”

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True. On a personality level, half-elves tended to be no different
from humans. The vast majority of elves in Zoltan were half-elves, so
I hadn’t ever heard of them having issues with the local dwarves. The
few high elves living in Zoltan probably didn’t use the dwarf-run
smithies.
Gonz looked the handsome elf, but he was just your average middle-
aged guy on the inside.
“Okay, so she hasn’t come by, then…”
“Aye, she hasn’t… But…” Mogrim muttered, as if suddenly
remembering something. “Godwin mentioned he had spoken with
Yarandrala and Mistorm at the Adventurers Guild.”
“Godwin and Mistorm?”
And just like that, two more names from Yarandrala’s small pool of
acquaintances popped up.

“All right, you better not oversleep tomorrow, you guys!” Godwin
said.
“Got it!” Three tough-looking laborers nodded vigorously.
Evidently, they were preparing to leave when Rit and I arrived.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Godwin apologized.
“Don’t worry about it. Apologies for coming by all of a sudden while
you were working.”
“It’s no problem at all.”
Godwin smiled, not looking bothered at all. I couldn’t help but smile
to see him like that.
“Already getting ready for your trade route?” I inquired.

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“Yep.”
We were at a warehouse on the north side of Zoltan.
Godwin had been working into the night packing a horse-drawn cart
full with bags of glass. The trade between Zoltan, the zoog village,
and the gem giants was gearing up.
“I was worried you wouldn’t be able to get together enough guards,
what with the situation with Veronian galley and all,” I said.
“Actually, more than half of the adventurers who were supposed to
help me had to pull out, and I had to rush around some to keep
everything together. I ended up contacting some old friends in the
Thieves Guild who were on the outs lately and managed to recruit a
few of them.”
“The remnants of Bighawk’s group? Can you trust them?”
“They’re all real pieces of work without any moral code, but so long
as I pay them, it’ll be fine. They can tell as well as I can that they no
longer have a future in the Thieves Guild. Working for me is a much
better deal.”
Godwin looked far more energetic and lively than when he’d been
under Bighawk’s thumb. Given Godwin’s personality, I doubt he felt
guilty working for the Thieves Guild, but something had happened
recently that changed his values.
“Anyway, we wanted to ask you about Yarandrala and Mistorm,” Rit
began. “We’re looking for Yarandrala and heard you had her and
Mistorm at the Adventurers Guild recently. Could you tell us what
you know?”
Godwin cocked his head to one side. “Wait, so now you guys are
looking for her? Wasn’t she the one looking for you just the other
day?”

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“Yarandrala moved without telling us. We were thinking that maybe
she’s been caught up in something unpleasant.”
“Can’t think of any trouble in Zoltan that’d be too much of a problem
for her. There’s that whole Veronian warship, but I’ve been busy
getting ready for my trip, so I don’t know much about that.”
“Ruti, Tisse, and Mister Crawly Wawly are investigating that one.”
“Well, if they’re on it, then there’s nothing to worry about!” Godwin
flashed a relieved grin. “Honestly, I only just caught a glimpse of
Yarandrala at the Adventurers Guild.”
“Is there anything you can remember? Anything at all?” I implored.
“I saw her the morning after the festival. But it wasn’t in the hall area
of the guild where adventurers hang out. I went there to see about
hiring a few people for my business. Master Mistorm put in a good
word for me, so I had a meeting with Harold, Galatine, and Kevin, the
second in command of the Zoltan guard. Pretty sweet how three of
the big hitters were there for my meeting, huh? Heh-heh. Anyway,
our meeting was in one of the guild’s office rooms, though all that
talk ended up being pointless in the end.”
“And that was where you saw Mistorm?” I questioned.
“Yeah,” Godwin replied. “ Around when things were mostly
hammered out, a worker rushed in looking flustered. He said that
Master Mistorm had arrived. The report was really only for Harold
and Galatine, but everyone in the room heard. After that, the two of
them got up and left.”
“That was still during the morning?”
“Yeah. I didn’t have a clock around to say for sure, but I’d bet it
wasn’t even ten yet.”
Rit and I had gone fishing the day after the festival. We had spotted
the Veronian galley that afternoon. Prince Salius had apparently

Page | 77
made contact the next day. Word of a giant warship approaching
Zoltan was surely cause for Zoltan’s bigwigs to call an emergency
meeting. They probably would’ve rescheduled Godwin’s trade
meeting had they known about the galley already, so word couldn’t
have spread until later in the morning at the earliest.
“Anyway, since I owed my whole business to Master Mistorm, I
figured I should make a point of saying thanks, so I left with Harold
and Galatine, too. Then everyone else started following suit, hoping
to speak with Master Mistorm. Galatine got really pissed.” Godwin
grinned as he recalled the scene. “Let me tell you, even Kevin
cowered a little beneath his gaze. Anyway, I used that opening to
hurry Harold out of the room and headed over to see Master
Mistorm.”
“I see.”
“Yarandrala was with Master Mistorm when I found her, which was a
bit of a surprise. Honestly, that elf scares me a little, so I hesitated for
a moment. Then Galatine ran over and had a quick chat with Master
Mistorm. Yarandrala and the two of them ended up heading out
somewhere together.”
“Mistorm, Yarandrala, and Galatine?”
Apparently, the Adventurers Guild was involved, or Galatine himself,
at least.
“I guess the Adventurers Guild is our next stop, then,” I stated.
“Ah, wait a sec,” Godwin called. “If Tisse and Mister Crawly Wawly
are getting involved with the Veronia thing, then could you pass on a
message for me?”
“What is it?”
“I heard a bit of unpleasant news while rounding up some of my old
Thieves Guild buddies.”

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“Oh?”
“There’s rumors that some of the Zoltan bigwigs who think we
should give in to Veronia have been gathering all the ruffians who
worked for Bighawk.”
“Assembling thieves, huh?”
“I know Mister Crawly Wawly can handle himself, but just to be safe,
could you let him and Tisse know for me?”
I guess Godwin was worried about them. He really had changed.

Northern Zoltan was primarily expansive farm plots.

The northern district was the largest one, but there were few people
living there. Most of the land was just fields for vegetables and
wheat. Ruti’s herb farm was on some land she and Tisse were renting
up in that area.
Part of the reason the Adventurers Guild was in the northern district
was because there were so many requests for dealing with
agriculture-related issues. Zoltan’s walls were more like a
suggestion—fences that could easily be jumped. The guild had been
placed in the North so it could respond to monsters and animals that
hopped the wall and went after crops and farmers.
Perhaps the storms that rolled through made it difficult for the
monster population to grow. Whatever the reason, the average level
of monsters around Zoltan was pretty low. They grew in strength
through survival of the fittest battles with other creatures. Monsters
were born with sturdy bodies and powerful special abilities, and their
levels rose based on how many living things they killed. However, in
areas where natural disasters culled the local fauna population, you
either wound up with an immensely mighty individual creature
capable of overpowering whatever the world threw at it or got what

Page | 79
Zoltan had—a relatively peaceful region where monsters barely
survived hurricanes and the like.
Since Zoltan was so tranquil, the real reason the Adventurers Guild
was up on the north side might well have been so it would be easier
to hire additional help when farms were busy.
“Oh, if it isn’t Miss Rit! It’s been a while!” the woman at the counter
called out excitedly.
“Hi, Louise. How have you been?”
“I’ve been good! But ever since you retired, we’ve been struggling
with getting people to take more difficult quests. Mr. Bui disappears
regularly and for long periods, and Ms. Ruhr and Ms. Tifa are more
focused on agriculture, so they don’t take the more involved jobs.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Ah, no, I’m sorry for bothering you with my complaints. This is just
the norm. You were kind of the exception.”
Louise had a heated look in her eyes as she looked at Rit. She must
have been a fan of Rit the hero.
“Oh, so what brings you by today, Miss Rit?” Suddenly remembering
herself, Louise’s face turned red.
“I was hoping to meet with Galatine. Is he here now?”
“I’m incredibly sorry, but Mr. Galatine has gone to the cathedral.”
“The cathedral. Bishop Shien’s?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Had he gone there for a meeting about Prince Salius?
No, more importantly… Maybe…
I was standing behind Rit and sinking deep in thought. Louise leaned
forward with a knowing look on her face.

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“Are you perhaps looking for him about a quest to deal with the
Veronian warship?”
“Hm? No, no. I’m just trying to find a friend.”
“I see… It would have been reassuring to have Rit the hero on the
case.” Louise’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.
“Sorry. However, if Ruti needs us, Red and I will be there to help.”
Louise’s face suddenly brightened. “Thank goodness! I was honestly
really worried. Pirate King Geizeric is infamous, even here in Zoltan.
Just imagining what sort of scary people might be on that ship… But
with Ms. Ruhr, Ms. Tifa, Rit the hero, Mr. Galatine, and the rest of
the old B-rank party, I’m sure we can overcome whatever danger
might come our way!”
Rit blushed at Louise’s excited volume.
“Did you say Galatine and the rest of the old B-rank party?” I asked.
“Ah, Mr. Red, the man who stole Miss Rit away from us.”
“Huh? Uh, I guess… Umm, so does that mean Galatine and his
companions are assuming the role of adventurers for the situation?”
“Hm? Ah, yes! He’s left the guild matters to Harold. Mr. Galatine,
Bishop Shien, Captain Moen, and Master Mistorm have reunited! It’s
a secret, apparently, but I’m sure it would be okay to tell you, Miss
Rit!”
“Mistorm, too?”
She was old and retired, but Rit and I both knew that her strength
made her Zoltan’s most powerful mage. It made sense that Zoltan’s
retired heroes would rise up in the town’s time of need, but…
Rit and I glanced at each other.
“It doesn’t really make sense.”

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“Yeah.”

It had started getting dark, and the sun was almost past the horizon.
Rit and I were walking together along a street in the central district.
“What do you think about Mistorm coming back as an adventurer?”
Rit asked.
“A hero doesn’t depart to save their homeland covertly. They raise
their sword and move in the open to make it clear to all that they are
taking action, like how Ruti attended the assembly. Becoming a pillar
of support for your allies: That’s what a champion of the people
does. Whatever Mistorm’s doing, if it’s something she has to keep
under wraps, then it feels like there’s some ulterior motive.”
“True.”
Rit was a hero who had saved her country. She understood precisely
what sort of role she had filled then far better than I did.
“You know…,” I muttered as we walked along the well-kept road.
“Wandering all around looking for something brings back memories.”
“Memories?”
“From when I was traveling with Ruti. I did this a lot back then, going
from place to place, following leads, tracking down information.”
The Hero’s journey hadn’t been all glorious battles. Particularly at
the outset, a lot of people laughed off the very existence of the Hero.
Ruti and I had to earn trust by resolving local issues. Occasionally, the
demon lord’s forces sent in spies to disrupt humanity’s alliance
against them.
Our party was specialized for battle, so when it came to gathering
information, our only choice was to do so head-on, from the ground
up.

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“After Yarandrala joined, we did things a little more like a proper
Hero’s party. We’d solve mysteries quickly by talking to plants and
other amazing things like that,” I explained.
Rit’s expression turned wistful. “Right, you mentioned that
investigation wasn’t your forte in Loggervia.”
Ah, back when we were investigating the mountain village.
“I’d like to have some of that preserved food you made back then
again.”
“Maybe I’ll make some more again.”
Rit smiled nostalgically.
“Loggervia was tough, but it was far from the worst we went
through. At least you acknowledged Ruti’s strength, Rit, even if you
and your people wanted to protect your nation alone. When we
were just starting out in Avalonia, local lords would openly decry Ruti
as a false hero who’d tricked the king.”
“Ugh, that sounds rough.”
“It really got me down. Ruti never wanted to be the Hero, and she
was still called a liar by those she fought to protect.” My voice grew
softer as memories of the old days surfaced in my mind. “I felt bad
that she had to endure all that.”
“It wasn’t that bad.”
“Ruti?!”
My sister had appeared out of nowhere and leaped into my arms.
Although flustered, I caught her nonetheless.
“I don’t mind what other people say about me. Back then, I was
happy that you got mad at them for my sake. Those recollections are
precious to me.” Ruti gave me a big hug and smiled. “Thank you, Big
Brother.”

Page | 83
“It was my pleasure. If it was a nice memory for you, then that’s
enough for me.”
“That makes me even happier.”
Ruti squeezed me one more time and then reluctantly let go.
“What are you doing around here?” I questioned.
“Looking for Moen. I heard he was at the cathedral, so I was heading
there.”
“I see… Rit and I are actually searching for Yarandrala.”
“Yarandrala?” Ruti parroted.
I explained what had happened.
“Ah, so then we’re all going to the same place.”
“If Moen is there as well, then maybe what we heard about the old
B-rank party getting back together is true,” I remarked.
Rit furrowed her brow. “It’s unnatural for both Galatine and Moen to
be out of contact during an emergency situation like this.”
“True. And they were both against giving in to Veronia. It doesn’t
make sense that they would leave their leadership positions to take
up arms.”
“Speaking of,” Rit said, looking around before her gaze landed on
Ruti. “Is Tisse not with you?”
“I asked her to go to the Thieves Guild to ask for some help looking
for any Veronian spies who may have already infiltrated Zoltan. Also,
to make sure they know not to get too ahead of themselves and
cause problems for anyone who actually is unrelated.”
“That’s my sister for you.”
“Yay. Big Brother praised me.”

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Rit and I smiled at Ruti’s blushing, though most people wouldn’t have
noticed her change in expression. Ruti seemed to be enjoying her
freedom of emotion.
Smiling, flushing, getting angry on occasion, and smiling again.
Ruti was growing into a cute young woman.

The cathedral in the central part of Zoltan.

We passed through the imposing arch doorway of the cathedral in
central Zoltan. Ahead, one of the local priests was speaking to a
group of anxious townsfolk.
A young monk softly called out to us upon noticing our arrival. “If it
isn’t Ms. Ruhr and Miss Rit. Oh, and Mr. Red as well. Have you all
come to offer a prayer to Lord Demis?”
“No, we heard Moen and Galatine were here.”
“Ah, I see. Very well, I’ll show you in.”
The monk bowed slightly and led us to a door on the left. Rit looked
a little bit uneasy.
“This works out fine for us, but should he really be doing this? Is it
okay not to let them know we’re here?” she asked.
“It’s standard practice for the Zoltan holy church not to reject
anyone who enters, so I guess there isn’t a habit of asking Bishop
Shien or Galatine whether it’s okay. If they get annoyed at the monk,
we can cover for him,” I replied.
“Hmm… Okay.”
We left the main nave, crossed a courtyard, took a passage into a
small monastery area where the monks went about daily routines,

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and finally entered the holy church’s office building, where the
meeting rooms and such were located.
Unlike the cathedral, which had been an expensive project built by
an architect and craftsmen called in from Central, this building had
been designed by Gonz’s great-grandfather. Thus, it resembled most
other Zoltan edifices.
We followed the monk two doors down from the primary conference
room. Then he knocked on a thick, sturdy oak door.
“Bishop, Ms. Ruhr, Miss Rit, and Mr. Red have come to see you.”
I could sense a disturbance in the chamber. Unsurprisingly, it seemed
like those inside were taken aback by our unexpected visit.
“…Really? Please, let them in,” a voice called out from inside.
The young monk opened the door with both hands.
It was a small, windowless room. A plain round table stood in the
center, encircled by four chairs. There was also a small altar and mat
for meditation. Magic potions sat on a shelf pushed up against the
wall, and both weapons and tools for maintaining them had been
placed in a corner.
Looking to the side, I saw a lead sheet on the back of the door. I
assumed the same material lined the interior of the walls. It was a
countermeasure against abilities that made it possible to peer
through solid objects and divination techniques.
“I see, so this is your old headquarters,” I remarked.
Galatine nodded. “Indeed. It’s been a while since we’ve used it, but I
clean it every day, so it shouldn’t be too musty.”
“It does look well-kept. Though I imagine it gets hot in summer,”
replied Bishop Shien.
“Hah-hah-hah. Moen always complained about that.”

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“Can we save the stories from when I was an impertinent brat for
later? Or never?”
Moen smiled awkwardly at Bishop Shien’s teasing. Galatine was
sitting at the table with them.
The conversation was congenial, but there was a sharpness in the
trio’s eyes. They couldn’t mask the uneasy air now that a group of
uninvited guests had come by.
“I’ll excuse myself now.” The young monk smiled and bowed before
heading back, seemingly unaware of the discomfort.
Bishop Shien sighed.
“Please don’t be upset with him. Given that Rit and Ruti are with me,
I’m sure he thought we’d been called here for your meeting,” I said.
“His ignorance is my failure as his teacher. His mistake will be
corrected, but I won’t scold him just to make myself feel better.”
Bishop Shien smiled gently. “Welcome to our old haunt. It’s a
pleasure to host the current generation’s heroes.”
Rit shrugged slightly at the greeting. “There’s no reason for us to be
walking on pins and needles around each other. We’re all just Zoltan
adventurers here, right?”
“True enough. We all share the same goal, after all. So then what
brings you here today?” Bishop Shien questioned.
“I came to discuss guard deployment and to devise plans for training
maneuvers,” Ruti answered, looking over at Moen.
“I see. Well, I left my second-in-command, Kevin, in charge of those
things…”
“Kevin isn’t ready. He still lacks knowledge and experience. You
should be leading the guards yourself.”
“Kevin has had plenty of training…”

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“It isn’t enough.” Ruti fixed Moen with a stiff gaze. The man was
quickly overwhelmed by it, and his agitation became apparent. “It’s
more than that, however. Kevin is uneasy because you have left your
post amid this unprecedented crisis. It’s not just him, either. All of
the guards are on edge. The loss in morale is dramatic.”
“I—I see…”
Unable to provide an adequate response alone, Moen looked to
Galatine and Shien for support. Galatine grimaced as he nodded.
“Ruhr is right. You may be the youngest of us, Moen, but you’re the
head of your organization. The captain of the guard is a cornerstone
of Zoltan’s defenses. We’re just going to have to do this without you,
I’m afraid.”
“Wh-?! Wait just a minute, Galatine!” Moen frantically tried to
argue.
Seeing that confirmed what I’d been suspecting.
“So the one Prince Salius is after is Mistorm.”
At my statement, the three men’s expressions shifted.
Seeing Galatine’s fists clench, Rit took a half-step back, dropping into
a stance where she could use her legs at a moment’s notice if
needed. Galatine’s reaction was tantamount to admitting I was right.
This time, it was Moen who sighed.
“Wait, Galatine. Should a leader of the Adventurers Guild really get
into a fight with one of his adventurers?”
We had gotten close with Moen after the incident with Ademi, so
while he was on guard, he did not show any hostility. He seemed
intent on keeping things civil. Naturally, I hoped for the same.
“Why do you believe that Prince Salius is searching for Mistorm?”
Shien inquired, eyeing me closely.

Page | 88
“Moen would only leave his post for his family or his old comrades.”
“I see.” Shien smiled with resignation. “Red, I’ve heard about you
from Galatine and Moen, and Mistorm as well. They’ve suggested
that there’s something about you that stacks up even when
compared to Rit the hero or Ruhr. It looks like I have no choice but to
agree with them.”
“Sorry for putting you all on guard,” I apologized. “Rit and I are only
here because we’re looking for our friend, Yarandrala.”
Shien raised an eyebrow. “Ms. Yarandrala?”
“It sounds like you’ve met her before, then,” I said.
“We only first spoke with her yesterday. I see… So that’s what led
you here.”
“It was never our intention to get involved in your affairs. We owe
Mistorm a debt, after all,” I assured.
“You all went to the Wall at the End of the World together, right?
Hearing about it after she got back was quite the shock. I’d thought
she’d retired long ago, yet she trotted off on some perilous journey,”
Shien responded. Then his voice dropped low. “Honestly, she should
have asked her old friends to come with.”
“She was always like that, though,” Galatine added, breaking into a
smile.
It was clear that these old adventurers cared deeply for their friend.
I’m sure Yarandrala would have appreciated their feelings toward
Mistorm if she were there—I certainly did.
“At the very least, I can promise you we don’t betray Mistorm,” I
stated.
“You have my thanks. Hearing that is enough for me,” Shien said.
Then he glanced over at Galatine and Moen. The two of them
nodded.

Page | 89
I breathed a sigh of relief.
These were Mistorm’s comrades, heroes who had protected Zoltan
throughout the years. I was glad we’d settled things without making
enemies of them.

Long before Albert came to Zoltan, a different B-rank adventurer

party protected the city. Led by Mistorm, this group fought for
decades, resolving many issues plaguing the region.
At first, there had only been three members. Moen joined later on,
bringing the total up to four.
Mistorm the Archmage.
Galatine the Fighter.
Shien the Cleric.
Moen the Armored Knight.
Mistorm, in particular, had a powerful Divine Blessing that was rarely
seen in Zoltan, and was subsequently incredibly popular.
When she was still active, she had even been hailed as Mistorm the
Guardian of Zoltan.
Incidentally, Galatine was known as Galatine the Goblin Calamity;
Shien had been Shien the Holy Wall; and Moen was referred to as Big
Suit Moen.
Apparently, Moen disliked his less-than-spectacular nickname and
complained about it sadly whenever it was mentioned.
These four were Zoltan’s heroes. Curiously, there were no stories of
Mistorm before she became an adventurer. People knew how
Galatine had been bullied for being small as a child, and that his
parents had made sure that he never went without food, even

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though they were poor. Moen was the illegitimate son of a Zoltan
aristocrat who left home and entered the guard.
But there was nothing about Mistorm.
Her name only appeared the moment she formed a party with
Galatine and Shien.
“It all started with the great panic caused by Goblin King Mulgarga
fifty-one years back. The remnants of his crew attacked Zoltan forty-
five years ago. Just when things were looking grim, a beautiful
Archmage appeared. She was a champion who rallied the frightened
people and led them to finally crush the remnants of the goblin
army. There are no records or rumors from before that, though,” I
said.
“Because people in Zoltan don’t pester others about their pasts. I’m
sure there aren’t many people who have inquired about yours either,
Red.”
“True enough. And I don’t have any intention of prying into
Mistorm’s history, either. Rit and I are only trying to locate
Yarandrala. But Ruti is the one tasked with resolving the current
problem. Doesn’t she at least deserve to know more?”
“I can understand how you feel. But even if we are her old
comrades—in fact precisely because we are her old comrades—we
can’t expose her secrets.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I can understand that stance. That’s why I’d like you
to tell us where Yarandrala is first. Is she with Mistorm?”
“Yes… Ordinarily, we’d be by her side, protecting her, but we’ve
grown old enough now that we can’t just abandon everything to
fight for our friend… We’re grateful to Yarandrala for her help.”
“So then, where is she?” I pressed.

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Shien pulled a map of the area around Zoltan down from a shelf and
spread it across the table. It was far more precise than the ones
being sold to the public.
“Yarandrala and Mistorm are in a village in the forest,” he said.
“The woods, huh?”
“A group of assassins attacked Mistorm and Yarandrala saved her.
For anything more, you should ask Yarandrala herself.”
“Assassins… Okay, I understand. Thank you for trusting us,” I replied.
Someone whom Mistorm would need help against… It has to be
those three from the docks.
“As for the woods, Galatine and Moen can’t really leave Zoltan, so I’ll
guide you,” Shien stated.
“That would be best,” Ruti agreed. “The guards need Moen to
maintain the chain of command. And Harold, the head of the
Adventurers Guild, believes that Zoltan should give in to Prince
Salius’s demands. Without Galatine around, the guild might switch
sides.”
Galatine looked frustrated at that remark. In terms of
accomplishments and ability, he definitely outstripped Harold, but
this was Zoltan. Harold was older, so until he retired, Galatine would
never run the Adventurers Guild.
“Ruhr’s right. Shien, I’ll leave Mistorm to you,” Galatine said.
“You can count on me.”
Despite Shien’s reassuring response, Galatine and Moen looked
vexed at not being able to rush to their comrade’s aid.

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Interlude: Youth 45 Years Ago
Goblin King Mulgarga, who had united goblins across the continent,
had been defeated by the Bahamut Knights, but remnants of his
forces still rampaged across the land.
After being bested by the Kingdom of Avalonia’s army, the goblins
fled to the frontier lands.
Peaceful Zoltan was no exception, and waves of the monsters poured
in, leading to a spike in banditry and the most perilous era in Zoltan’s
history.
Two adventurers, a young Galatine and Shien, were facing off against
more than a dozen of the creatures.
“Shien! Where are the guards?!” Galatine shouted.
The goblins were armed with spears, swords, and bows and wearing
helmets. They were clearly stronger than the typical ones found in
Zoltan. They had raised their blessings’ levels through years of war
and pillaging and were already strong enough that C-rankers like
Galatine and Shien were having difficulty dealing with them.
“Hyah-hahhh!!!” the goblins cried as they charged.
Galatine swung his war hammer, smashing the head of the first to
draw near. He hit the second with the gauntlet on his left hand. The
third was done in by a blow to the jaw from his hammer.
Unfortunately, a spear-wielding goblin managed to flank Galatine.
Fear of death rooted the man in place as the deadly weapon lanced
for his side.
“Dimension Whip!”
Galatine’s body quivered and vanished, only to appear again ten
meters away.

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“Heed my mantra! Wind of righteous destruction and revelation!
Tornado Cutter!”
Shien hurled a blast of sharp wind, sending the goblins back. Using
that opening, he grabbed Galatine’s hand.
“We should retreat!”
“Ngh!”
The pair were only up against a single squad of goblins. Zoltan hardly
possessed the most accurate data, but by recent calculation, there
were at least one hundred of the monsters lurking about. It was
hardly the time for Galatine and Shien to be taking risks.
“Our home… They’re going to…!”
Zoltan had never seen this kind of threat before. It was supposed to
be a peaceful, laid-back, boring place. Galatine was trembling with
rage.
Even if they were only the remnants of a once-mighty army, these
goblin soldiers had battled Central’s Bahamut Knights. Fighters raised
in Zoltan’s tranquil lands stood no chance.
A previous B-rank party had already fallen to the monsters, and from
the moment the goblins hoisted the party leader’s head as a battle
flag, Zoltan was as good as dead. Surrounding settlements were
constantly being assaulted, but Zoltan’s forces made no effort to
help. People were too scared.
“Galatine. There are no reinforcements coming.”
“Why not?! Elite or not, there are only one hundred of them! Zoltan
is going to fall to a few dozen goblins?!”
“They fought in some of the major battles of our time and survived.
We’re just bit players who won’t make the footnotes in the history
books…”

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Galatine and Shien had left home filled with youthful passion,
planning to gather up the warriors of the villages in order to drive
goblins back long enough for everyone to evacuate to a safe fishing
village.
The goblins did not have boats, so as long as people could flee into
the ocean, they would be all right. That’s what Galatine and Shien
had hoped, anyway.
In the end, however, they only successfully rescued two settlements.
All other times, the pair had no choice but to retreat as they were
now.
“No!”
Shien suddenly let out a cry of despair. Galatine stood staring in
shock.
A village was burning before their eyes. The blaze consumed the
innocents they had bled to save.
“Stooooooooooooop!!!!” Galatine roared, clenching his war hammer
as he rushed in. Fighting now was suicide, yet Shien ran in alongside
his friend. His Cleric blessing demanded he bring an end to the
meaningless loss of life.
The two were surely charging into certain doom, and were quickly
surrounded by goblins for their effort.
“Dammit!”
Galatine was barely an adult. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes
as he glared at his hated enemies. There was no hope of victory
anymore. Each goblin Galatine and Shien were up against rivaled the
two in level.
Yet the pair did not falter, determined to bring down as many as they
could with them.
“Arctic winds, life-stealing chill! Howl and roar! Blizzard!”

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Powerful ice magic extinguished the flames and blew away the
goblins.
Galatine and Shien stood dumbfounded, unsure what had happened
and shocked to still be breathing.
As the frigid storm settled, they were finally able to see who had
come to the rescue.
“Get ‘em!” a woman shouted.
Twenty powerful, cutlass-wielding pirates charged the goblins who’d
been staggered by the ice spell. A sailing ship had landed on the
beach, and buccaneers with bows lined the deck, showering the
monsters with arrows.
A beautiful woman led this band of outlaws. It only took a few
moments before the goblins were running, and the young woman
who was Galatine and Shien’s savior approached them.
“Adventurers of this land! Your valorous struggle is clear from the
wounds you bear!” She held out her hand to the two of them. “I’ve
got experience fighting the goblin king’s army! All I need is some
military support and no goblin in the world will be a match for us!”
“What?!”
“Guide me to Zoltan! I’ll take command! My name’s Mistorm, and I’ll
exterminate every last one of those monsters! I swear by my ship,
the Regulus!”
Mistorm flashed the sort of ferocious grin that was characteristic of
pirates.
The young Galatine and Shien were bewildered and bewitched by
the lovely woman’s face.

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Chapter 3: Assassins and the Assassins
Guild
The young monk who had guided Red and friends into the back office
of the holy church was walking on a side street during the evening.
His steps were quick as he made his way toward the city gate from
downtown.
“Heh.”
A smile crossed his face. Bishop Shien had promised that the holy
church would protect those families of devouts who lived outside of
town.
The monk’s family lived in a small farming settlement about a thirty
minutes’ walk toward the sea from Zoltan. He was on his way there
now.
Their landlord was not a bad person, but with their harvest being
split between the local lord, the landlord, and the holy church, the
monk’s family did not have anything left for themselves. They
managed to get by on potatoes and beans they grew in the small plot
behind their home. The monk was the second son of his family, and
had been born with the Divine Blessing of the Cleric.
When it had been decided that he would join the Zoltan holy church,
his kin celebrated with a delicious stew of potatoes and ground
meat—something he had never had before—along with wheat
biscuits and apple cider.
That night, his mother had apologetically given him warm-looking,
patchwork long underwear.
“It doesn’t look like much, but I was worried you’d catch a cold. Be
sure to wear it at night.”

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The monk had treasured the piece of clothing and had never caught
a chill, even on winter eves.
He dreamed of running a small holy church himself and supporting
his family there so they could live an easier life. The goal was still
very distant, but with the recent crisis, he was allowed to bring his
family to the most splendid building in Zoltan, its cathedral.
Despite the emergency, the monk was glad that, for the first time, he
could actually provide something for his family.
After kicking a pebble, the young devout snapped back to his senses
and looked ahead.
A man was sitting in the middle of the road. There was a large ax
placed on the ground in front of him, glinting with moonlight.
Getting a bad feeling, the priest decided to turn around and take
another route. But two more men were already approaching from
behind. Panicking, he tried to flee down a narrow alley between two
fences.
“Argh!”
The monk found himself knocked to the ground. Yet another person
had been lurking in the alley—a broad-shouldered, well-built man.
The monk recognized his face.
“Y-you’re from the Thieves Guild!”
Bishop Shien had protected a prostitute who had fled from her boss.
This was that boss.
The monk knew nothing of the underworld, but he had heard Bishop
Shien and one of the underlings of the fearsome Bighawk talking
once.
“I think you owe me somethin’.”

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The man had a fearsome club studded with nails in one hand. He
grinned down at the monk.
The young devout had only led the prostitute into the back of the
holy church while Bishop Shien stood in her boss’s way. He had
certainly felt a swell of righteous indignation when he saw all the
scars on her body, but he had not actually done anything to this man
directly.
Obviously, the boss was uninterested in such technicalities and was
looking to vent some frustration.
“Oy, don’t kill him yet. We’re using him to blackmail the bishop,” one
of the ruffians approaching from behind said.
His thief’s blade was colored black to better blend into the night.
“Tch. I know, I know. Don’t go orderin’ me around.”
“What’s that? You talkin’ back to me?”
“Don’t go actin’ all high an’ mighty, mister former candidate for the
big leagues! You’re just a piece of shit like me now.”
“The hell’d you say?!”
Bloodlust swelled from the man with the sword, but the one with the
club displayed no sign of backing down, his rotted teeth showing as
he scowled.
“If you wanna kill each other so bad, just say the word when we’re
done. I’ll gladly end the both of you. Right now, you do what I say,”
commanded the man with the ax, silencing the arguing pair.
“I—I ain’t gonna go against you.” The ruffians all nodded in
agreement with the one who spoke, fear on their faces.
The monk was terrified and couldn’t stop trembling.

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“Don’t kill him, just break a leg. It’d be a pain if he ran,” instructed
the ax wielder. He stood and sauntered over. His weapon was large
enough that it was difficult to imagine a human handling it.
“Eep!”
The monk tried to flee, but the man with the club tripped him,
sending the poor devout tumbling to the ground again. “Heh-heh.
Guess I’ll let you off with just a leg then.” He raised his weapon.
The monk wasn’t accustomed to combat, and thus did the worst
thing he could have: He closed his eyes, leaving himself defenseless.
“Ah?”
Before the brute with the club could strike, someone caught his hand
from the dark.

“W-who’re you?!”
I twisted his arm.
“Owww! Leggo!!”
The club thudded to the ground, and I knocked its owner aside.
“Gah! I’ll fucking murder you!!!”
Enraged, he swung at me with his fist, but I dodged and landed a
solid punch straight to his face.
“Ghck?!”
The man went flying and crashed to the ground. It didn’t seem like
he’d be getting up for a while yet. Blood ran from his nose.
“If you run that way, you’ll be safe. Just keep moving and don’t look
back,” I instructed.
“Y-yes, sir!”

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The young monk scurried off as quickly as his legs could manage.
Trading places with him, I stepped into the street.
“Y-you’re that asshole Red!”
“Now, what could I have done that a thief remembers my name?” I
said.
“Don’t play dumb with me! Whose fault d’ya think it is that we’re
doing shit like this?!”
The brutes drew their swords.
An awkward, knowing smile formed on my face. “Ahhh. Now I
understand.”
The thieves froze with their weapons still drawn.
“I’ve been wondering who was lurking in the dark so stealthily.”
The men collapsed to the ground like puppets whose strings had
been cut. There was a small shadow behind them.
“That’s my line, Red.”
With a concerned expression, Tisse confirmed that the two she’d
dispatched were unconscious.
When Rit, Ruti, and I had left after speaking to Bishop Shien, I’d
noticed an unsavory group was watching the cathedral.
Recalling what Godwin had said, I had Rit and Ruti go home first and
watched the situation from the shadows. When the men started
tailing the monk, I had followed.
“I’ve been on guard because I noticed a presence so faint it felt like
my imagination,” Tisse stated.
“You took the words out of my mouth. I was on edge wondering
what manner of powerful enemy capable of hiding so well was
lurking in the alley,” I replied.

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That was why I had waited until the last moment before helping the
monk. Tisse and I had both been hesitant because we were wary of
each other.
I turned to the one remaining opponent, the man with the big ax.
“So, that just leaves you. That’s a pretty large weapon you’ve got
there.”
The blade of it was about as wide as an adult’s torso.
“Taking your time chatting in front of me… Backwater adventurers
really lack a sense of danger,” the man spat with a sneer. “I’m Bloody
Jack from the Assassins Guild.”
“Did you say the Assassins Guild?”
What was this guy doing introducing himself?
I glanced over at Tisse. Her eyes were filled with disgust.
“This ax here’s called the Giantslayer. A hero once felled a sun giant,
one of the strongest kinds of giants, with this very weapon.”
Why was he introducing his ax, too?
I glanced over at Tisse. She was looking down, as if in shame.
“Hey, Tisse, you think he’s actually a member of the Assassins
Guild?”
“That should go without saying. Please leave this to me.”
“Hm? I don’t mind, but…”
Compared to his Giantslayer, Tisse’s shortsword was like a sewing
needle. At a glance, it didn’t look particularly reassuring. However, I
could feel a tremendous murderous intent coming from Tisse,
though the man she would fight hadn’t noticed yet. Perhaps that was
because Tisse had learned how to mask her feelings as a hired killer.
“What’s that, little lady? You want to fight me by yourself?”

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“Yes. You said that you are from the Assassins Guild, so that makes
dealing with you my job.”
“You got a score to settle with the guild? Heh-heh. Fine by me. I love
killing people who’re out for revenge.”
Everything he said seemed to tick Tisse off. The more he spoke, the
more her fury swelled.
If I was up against her in her present state, I’d run. Yet this guy didn’t
appear to notice his impending demise. He was all smiles as he
pulled a vial from his cloak and downed its contents.
“Nrgh!”
His muscles swelled.
“Power of Gorilla! I have the strength of a great ape now!”
He grabbed his Giantslayer in both hands and swung it up over his
head.
Ahhh, so he needs magic potions to lift his weapon, I thought.
“What do you think, girlie?! My Giantslayer ain’t just for show!”
“It’s unnecessary.”
“What?!”
Tisse stepped forward, entirely unafraid.
“Dumbass! I’ll split you in two!”
The man brought Giantslayer down, splitting the road with a loud
crash. By the time it made impact, Tisse had already vanished,
though.
“An assassin has no need for that clumsy weapon, nor such loose
lips. In fact, I would be hard pressed to find any aspect of you that’s
appropriate for the job.” She had already slipped close enough that

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she could strike with her blade. “An assassin needs only a weapon
capable of piercing their target’s heart. Nothing more.”
The man dropped to his knees, still grinning. He’d probably never
realized he was going to die.

“My apologies.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. He was serious about killing you.”
The young monk had run to Shien, so we left the cleanup of the
incident to the local members of the holy church.
The three thieves had been hurt badly, but they would live. The self-
proclaimed assassin was a different matter, though.
Tisse and I were sitting on a stair by the side of the road, eating some
oden.
She had gone to get the food from the stall we frequented, and while
the flavor was still good, it had gone cold and hard during the trip
back here.
“When he brought the guild into it, it became my job to kill him,”
Tisse explained.
“Part of the Assassins Guild’s code?”
“The guild rules are not as strict as most outsiders think. It’s actually
a similar system to the Adventurers Guild. It’s a strictly offer-based
system, which sets it apart, but it’s up to each assassin to decide
whether to take a job or not.”
“So you don’t have to kill someone if you don’t want to?”
“Yes. And if you take a job, but decide you can’t finish it, you can
pass it off to another. We rescue any comrades who mess up and are
captured, too. Members can retire when they please as well.”

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“Now that you mention it, I remember some assassins escaping
prison back in the capital.”
“There’s no changing the role expected of the Assassin blessing, but
at least we can live decent lives. Those in the guild are never to be
treated as disposable. That’s the entire reason the organization
exists.”
Mister Crawly Wawly was rubbing Tisse’s shoulder gently. Her eyes
narrowed a bit as she gently massaged the spider’s stomach.
“The guild’s formal stance on never carrying out a hit that disrupts
society is just a pretext to protect itself from formal retaliation by
nations.”
“Really? The Assassins Guild is feared just about everywhere I’ve
been. Even in Avalonia…,” I said.
“A useful façade to hide behind,” Tisse responded.
Her changes in expression were still quite minor, but I recognized the
smile on her face. She looked like someone letting me in on a secret.
“The Assassin blessing thrives in situations where its users can
operate at an advantage. If we were faced with an overwhelming
army, we’d have no hope of winning. So then what do we do to keep
from being wiped out? Thoughts like that are always on our minds.”
Assassins went against the laws of society. But the Assassin blessing
was Demis’s will like every other, and some people wanted to live in
accordance with the urges of that blessing. Ultimately, the impulses
of a Divine Blessing were more powerful than mortal laws. Thus
assassins created a guild in order to protect themselves.
That was what Tisse was saying.
The Assassins Guild was the largest organization of hired killers, and
it wielded influence throughout the continent, but there were also
similar, lesser groups.

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In Avalonia, there had been the Band of the Scorpion, who had taken
a job from the demon lord’s army to take out Ruti. Unlike the guild,
which only gathered people with blessings from the assassin line, this
group picked up orphans and subjected them to harsh training,
brainwashing them to become disposable pawns.
Those organizations existed for the purpose of covert killing, while
the Assassins Guild existed to help assassins.
“The Assassins Guild is always at odds with those other hitman-type
groups. It’s a foundational difference in doctrine.”
“Ahh.”
“That’s why the guild dictates that any assassin who misrepresents
themself as a member of the guild must be killed. It hurts our
reputation. And any strays who leave to take jobs the guild
disapproves of cannot be tolerated.”
“I’ve heard rumors about former members facing off against the
guild,” I commented.
“It’s fine to leave if you aren’t going to work as an assassin. The guild
believes that each person is free to choose whether to kill or not. But
taking reckless jobs is unacceptable,” Tisse said.
“That makes sense.”
The guild’s goal was to create a place for assassins among society.
Any who caused trouble threatened that object.
“Tisse… Did you come across something that’s bothering you?” I was
a little unsure whether I should say something. Still, she was my
friend.
Tisse exhaled as Mister Crawly Wawly patted her shoulder.
“Mister Crawly Wawly… You’re right. It’s my problem to deal with,
but…” Tisse paused and looked forward before continuing. “There
are signs of real assassins in Zoltan—strays who left the guild.”

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“Real assassins?”
“I live as Ms. Ruti’s friend now, but they’re still my responsibility to
handle.”
“I don’t know if they’re who you mean, but I saw three people with
Assassin blessings recently,” I said.
Tisse’s eyes went wide. “You did?! Could you please tell me more?”

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Page | 108
“Well, I only got a glance…”
I told her what I knew about the people Rit and I had seen in the
harbor district.
“There’s no mistaking it. Those three are the strays,” Tisse
concluded. After listening to me, she seemed certain. All I had
recounted were their blessing levels and general appearances, yet
apparently, that was enough.
If she was that sure…
“Do you know them?”
Tisse’s expression didn’t change, but Mister Crawly Wawly cuddled
up against her, as though to soothe the girl.
What a nice spider.
“I suppose the simplest way to put it is they were senior disciples
ahead of me,” Tisse replied. “We studied under the same master. We
weren’t close, but we lived together and shared meals.”
“So they were comrades.”
“Unlike with adventurers, it wasn’t quite that level of bond. They
were comrades in the sense that we shared an occupation, but that
connection was gone once it became clear they were taking work
from outside the guild’s system.”
“You’ve made it sound like the Assassins Guild offers a fairly
reasonable environment. Why would anyone leave?” I questioned.
“Evidently, killing whomever they pleased suited their personalities
better. The guild rejects quite a lot of requests.”

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Guild work was not steady, apparently. Those in charge tried to
manage it so that members could get enough jobs to satisfy their
impulses. However, blessings didn’t just cause pain; they also
brought joy. Assassins who longed to kill surely felt limited by the
guild’s methods.
“Anyway, I’ll need to slay those three,” stated Tisse.
I thought about that for a moment.
“…Would you like me to do it?”
“Eh?” Tisse’s expression froze in shock. “I could never. You have your
slow life. There’s no reason for you to get involved.”
“I can’t imagine you want to kill people you know, right? It’s not like I
suddenly became a pacifist when I settled down here. I just don’t join
battles I don’t want to fight.”
“I appreciate your concern. You really are Ms. Ruti’s brother. Still, I’ll
be fine. I call them senior disciples, but I don’t really have any
affection for them,” Tisse responded with a shrug.
As best I could tell, that was how she genuinely felt. Tisse was an
assassin. She wouldn’t hesitate or show any mercy.
“They are targets to be dispatched.” Tisse stood up, signaling the end
of our discussion. “Shall we go back, then? We have people waiting
for us.”
“I guess so…,” I replied. I quickly realized something, however.
“Actually, no.”
“What is it?”
“I feel like having some warm oden. Let’s stop by Oparara’s stand
first.”
Tisse nodded. “That sounds good.”
We set off down the moonlit road together.

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Three hours later, Tisse was on a road on the south side of
downtown Zoltan, having split up with Red. She was holding a bag
with a container of oden as she walked along the road.
Mister Crawly Wawly was hanging from her arm, peeking into the
bag. Within was some food for Ruti: chicken balls, daikon, beef
tendon, and an egg.
There was no chikuwa because the price of fish had gone up.
Chikuwa was made from minced fish meat, and a small stall like
Oparara’s could not afford to keep stocking it now. Oparara tried to
deal with it by selling things like chicken balls, but the taste wasn’t
the same.
“Hahhh. Curse those Veronian fiends…!”
For Tisse, who firmly believed that chikuwa was the pinnacle of oden,
the Veronian galley had become an intolerable presence.
Her investigation over the past few days was reaching its final stage.
Difficult though it was to get news from beyond Zoltan’s borders,
there were still people to ask, from the Veronian sailors to all the
other people who had brought in things to trade from foreign lands.
Tisse also had information from the Assassins Guild, though it was
several months old now.
So the pirate king who conquered the seas of three different
countries now lies on his death bed…
As the ruler of Veronia, King Geizeric couldn’t let his weakness show,
given the delicate state of the world. He attended important
ceremonial functions and gave the utmost care to prevent domestic
political issues. However, there was still no concealing that his time
was almost up. Having faced death countless times as an assassin,
Tisse understood from her intel that the man’s end was near.

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 I suppose I should get started.
Tisse ducked into a rarely used alley, still carrying the bag of oden in
her left hand as she drew her hidden sword.
“On to us, eh?”
A long-eared man emerged from the dark. It was one of the high
elves on Prince Salius’s ship.
While he was getting fired up at the prospect of a fight, Tisse looked
annoyed and muttered to herself about having to battle twice in one
day.
Unfortunately, the change in her expression was too slight to make
those feelings apparent.
“You’re no ordinary person, are you,” the high elf remarked. He was
holding a trident in his right hand and a folded-up net in his left.
Seems pretty clear he’s got a Gladiator blessing, Tisse surmised.
Exceedingly few blessings specialized in such a unique combination
of weapons. Gladiator favored fighting before a crowd. Naturally, the
majority of its combat skills still worked without spectators.
The high elf grinned. “You’re a strong one. But I’m not here to fight.”
“Then what business do you have?” Tisse pressed.
“We’ve got your comrade. If you want her back safe, then come with
me to the ship.”
“…”
Tisse sunk into thought at that.
“Comrade” would presumably mean Ruti, but there’s no one who
could take her hostage. So Red or Rit, then? Yet even with a low
estimation of their might, it’d take at least ten Veronian warships for
a chance at capturing them… I can’t really think of anyone they would

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have other than the stray cat Ruti and I are feeding. Does he mean
those three assassins? No, that can’t be…
Mister Crawly Wawly and Tisse were both at a loss.
“You seem surprised. I’ve got the Scouter skill, so I know when
someone’s blessing is a higher or lower level than mine. I’m level 39,
and you surpass me. You can count the number of people in Veronia
who outstrip me on one hand, so it’s a shock to find a person like you
in the middle of nowhere out here.”
That’s not too shabby, mused Tisse.
Were this high elf in the Assassins Guild, he’d be an elite, and in a
band of knights, his strength would likely make him a company
leader. His claim about being one of the best in Veronia was no
empty boast.
That’s not to say he was any match for Tisse, though.
“I also know just how weak that friend of yours in the armor was.”
“?”
“There’s no point hiding it. Her level was lower than mine. And my
buddy who was with me has the Slave Hunter blessing. He’s got a
skill that works on enemies weaker than him, and we’re the same
level. Your friend’s got no chance.”
“???”
“Play dumb all you like. I know you’re worried on the inside.”
All I am is confused.
The situation was growing more befuddling by the minute.
Ruti’s level was higher than Tisse’s. There was no doubting she
possessed the highest level in the world. How could that Slave
Hunter’s ability have registered it as lower?
Was it because he sensed New Truth?

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Tisse, Rit, and Red all lacked a way to detect another’s blessing. Red
could guess fairly accurately, but that was only because of his
research. Thus, they’d never known what would happen when
someone with a skill that could analyze blessings tried it on Ruti.
So it picked up on New Truth instead of the Hero. I don’t imagine
someone with the Sage or Saint blessings who can use Appraisal will
come to Zoltan, but Inquisitor and Witch Hunter can identify skills and
blessing levels, too. If someone with one of those ran into Ruti and
learned about New Truth, we could have a problem.
Mister Crawly Wawly leaped up at the gravity of the situation.
They would have to warn Ruti about this later.
“Oy, what are you doing getting lost in thought. Are you really higher
level than me?” snapped the high elf. Tisse glowered indignantly, but
because it did not show in her expression, the high elf continued to
act superior. “I’ll signal for my buddy to haul your friend over, so just
be a good girl until then.”
“I see…”
This guy doesn’t realize how much danger he’s in.
She owed him nothing, of course, but she suspected it was better to
stop him from getting himself killed.
“You should really tell your partner to hurry over as quick as he can.”
“Threatening me, eh? Beating me won’t change a thing. Your friend
is ours, and unless you do what you’re told, she’ll be subjected to
some pretty gruesome torture. The Veronian navy’s not kind. Even
the strongest men end up bawling like babies, begging to die.”
“No, that’s not what I mean,” Tisse stated, but it was no use.
“Plus, I’ve got the Divine Blessing of the Gladiator. I fight best one-
on-one. From the way you dress, I’d guess you’ve got a blessing from

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the Thief tree. Can you really afford to act so calm?” The high elf
smirked.
“She was probably getting ready for bed… Hopefully, she didn’t kill
him without asking questions first…,” Tisse muttered pensively.
The high elf was getting more and more annoyed as the girl he’d
hoped to intimidate continually ignored him.
“What, you one of those Demon-Possessed or Dual Mind types who
can’t be reasoned with?”
After a rude snort, the high elf pirate adopted a battle stance. He
hadn’t intended to fight, but if Tisse had a blessing that kept her
from conversing normally, then he surmised it was equally probable
she could attack at any moment. She might not even care about her
friend being held captive.
The high elf flexed his arm holding the net, ready to move at a
moment’s notice.
“Bgh?!?!”
However, something came flying in from above with tremendous
force, slamming into him before he had a chance to react.
“Huh?”
Even Tisse was shocked and required a moment to register what
transpired.
There were now two high elves in front of her, and they both
appeared in a pitiable state. Fortunately, their high levels had saved
them from death.
“There’s no way…” Tisse nervously turned around. The alley she was
standing in was several hundred meters from Ruti’s place.
She threw him?!

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Everything Tisse knew of the world said that was beyond human
capability. Ruti was no giant.
Wait, she actually tossed a giant one time.
Tisse remembered when the Hero’s party had been attacked by a
bunch of mountain giants. Ruti had not felt like dealing with them, so
she stowed her sword, grabbed the mountain giants attacking her,
and tossed them over a cliff in succession. It had ended with the
giants running from Ruti in a twisted game of tag. That had
happened shortly after Tisse had joined the group, making it a
formative memory of sorts.
If Ruti could hoist such a massive creature, tossing a high elf must
have been simple by comparison.
And she aimed for the other one, too.
Seeing the high elves twitching, Tisse let out a dry chuckle, her face
still as expressionless as ever.
Ruti really is something.

The day after my evening with Tisse, I was dishing out plates full of
pasta salad for breakfast as I listened to her explain what had
happened after we’d split up.
“What did you do with them?” I asked.
“After Ms. Ruti healed the two, we tied them up and threw them in a
room we weren’t using.”
“The oden was cold,” Ruti remarked, picking a rather odd detail to
get annoyed about. Her eyebrows flared slightly as she clenched her
fists in front of her chest in an attempt to convey just how villainous
the pair of pirates were.

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Her definition of wickedness being that the oden had gone cold
because of all the talking was probably why Tisse once claimed that
Ruti’s world was a bit askew compared to normal people’s.
It was a quirk, to be sure. But I thought it was adorable!
“Hm.” Tisse’s lips spread into a bit of an odd expression, as if she had
realized what I was thinking from the look on my face.

Come afternoon, Rit, Ruti, Tisse, Mister Crawly Wawly, Bishop Shien,
and I met at the city gate.
Rit and I only had our shop to deal with, but Ruti, Tisse, and Bishop
Shien had been running all around Zoltan. The ruffians from last
night had been trying to blackmail Bishop Shien, who was the core of
the faction opposed to giving in to Prince Salius. A higher-up in the
Thieves Guild had apparently put them up to it. He had reached out
to the remnants of Bighawk’s faction to stir them to action.
Shien had demanded the Thieves Guild deal with the mastermind,
but he also instructed the members of his clergy not to go out alone
and to stay off the streets at night.
Obviously, it would have been nice if the city guards could help, but
they were already short on staff. Maintaining the peace around town
would probably fall to adventurers.
Moen was holding the high elves whom Lilinrala had sent in his jail.
However, he was still holding back on reporting their capture to the
Zoltan authorities. A decision would be made after seeing how
Lilinrala’s side reacted.
Unfortunately, there was also trouble brewing with the Merchants
Guild, too. It was the organization hit the hardest by the present
circumstances.

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“You’ve been working hard.”
“I have been. Pet me more.” Ruti’s eyes narrowed as she urged me
to keep stroking her head.
During my time in the Hero’s party, I had been the one in charge of
diplomatic matters, yet Ruti had been handling those in Zoltan all on
her own since yesterday.
I was happy to see her growing, but it was also a little sad. Perhaps
that was the fate of all older siblings.
“I’m sad I can’t go with you, but leave Zoltan to me.”
Over the past few days, Ruti had become a big figure in town. Before
this, the bigwigs in Zoltan had relied more on Tisse. The two girls
were similarly stone-faced, but Tisse was easier to understand how
to deal with than Ruti, who did things in such unorthodox ways. All
that changed when the Veronian galley arrived, however.
Ruti had united the panicking people and conducted herself well,
both in her actions and her instructions to others.
“I did it all just like you taught me, Big Brother,” she whispered
proudly.
I was certainly happy to hear that. The Hero’s journey had been filled
with difficulty for Ruti, but it was good to know our time together
hadn’t been for nothing.
My little sister had absorbed all the knowledge I’d learned as a knight
and meshed it with her own abilities. My little sister was perfect…
Other than her communication skills, of course… Everyone had their
weak points, though.
Her deeds had earned her the trust of Zoltan’s leaders, to the point
that they’d listen to her instructions without protest. Ruti had it all
under control, making her capable of accomplishing more in Zoltan

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at the moment than even Galatine or Moen. That’s why she had to
stay behind instead of coming with us into the forest.
“I’m sorry you ended up with all the responsibility, Ms. Ruti,” Tisse
apologized.
Ruti smiled and shook her head. “You are closer to Mistorm than I
am. If one of us needs to stay behind, then it should be me.”
“Ms. Ruti…”
Perhaps my sister’s social skills were better than I thought.
Tisse’s friendship was gradually pushing Ruti to change for the
better. And that filled me with joy.
“All right, shall we head out?” Bishop Shien proposed after checking
the condition of the riding drakes.
The four creatures belonged to the holy church, and had an excellent
shine to their brown scales. They had been well cared for.
“Gyah.”
One of the drakes bumped my head with a horn.
It seemed a little uneasy. Maybe it was a bit finicky?
I massaged around its chin to relax it as I stepped into the stirrup and
swung myself onto the saddle.
“Gyahhh!” the drake roared happily. Its unease seemed to give way
to the excited anticipation of being able to run to its heart’s content.

It was cloudy today.

The colorful grasslands had dulled in color from the cold winter.
“Grrrrr…”
“Don’t get down.”

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The drakes were walking leisurely instead of running.
Mine seemed upset at not being able to stride quickly across the
wide-open plain, its body trembling and nostrils flaring in protest.
I patted the base of the drake’s horns to soothe it.
“Gahh.”
It looked like that managed to help a bit.
“Mistorm and Yarandrala are staying in a settlement hidden from the
people of Zoltan. I’d rather not rush in and draw attention,” Shien
explained as he chuckled awkwardly at our irritated mounts.
“Even so, it can’t be too far, right?” I asked.
“Yes, we should arrive in about an hour at this rate.”
It was nice to have the riding drakes, since we were passing over wild
land with no roads. The beasts didn’t falter once, even on softer
terrain.
“Are there any signs of someone following us?” I asked.
Hearing that, Rit’s ears—wolf ones—perked up and twitched. She
sniffed a few times and then nodded.
“Yeah, it’s fine! There’s no one nearby.”
She was using a spell called Aspect of Wolf. As the name implied, it
enabled the user to adopt a wolf’s senses.
Aspect spells belonged in the category of transformation ones. By
using them, you gained some physical qualities of a particular beast.
There were four categories of transformation magic: power, aspect,
form, and shape.
Power spells granted a portion of the creature’s ability, but the user
remained physically unaltered. So with Power of Wolf, you would
add a wolf’s muscular strength to your own.

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However, the aspect, form, and shape spells all changed your body.
Form of Wolf shifted the caster into a bipedal lupine being. Shape of
Wolf allowed you to become a wolf proper. As for Aspect of Wolf…
“Hmhm ”
There was a bushy wolf tail poking out from under Rit’s skirt, swaying
back and forth as we rode through the field. Furry ears were poking
from her head, too.
That was how aspect spells operated. They granted you a few visible
qualities of the animal.
It was so…cute. I found myself really wanting to pet Rit’s head.
“?”
Seemingly noticing my gaze, Rit turned around.
That’s a wolf’s senses for you. I waved my hand to say it was nothing
and looked away, a little embarrassed.
“Hey, Red.”
“Hm? What is it?”
Rit slowed her drake a bit to ride beside me. “Hup!” She stood up in
the saddle and batted her tail against my cheek.
“So fluffy.”
“Right?” Rit laughed, her wolf ears flitting. “I was surprised, too. It’s
my first time using a wolf spell. I’ve done Aspect of Otter, Bat, and I
tried Elk once before, too.”
I would love to see a round-eared otter Rit with a long, thin tail and
an impish-looking bat Rit.
“…An elk?” I questioned.
“They do well in the cold and don’t get tired trekking over snowy
mountains. It’s a good fit for Loggervia’s climate,” Rit answered.

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I was imagining Rit covered with soft fur, but the spell shouldn’t have
been capable of something that significant.
“When I used Aspect of Elk, umm, my legs got really, really muscular,
so… I’d rather not show that one off.”
Aww.
Aspect magic was certainly intriguing. When things calmed down,
perhaps we could try a few.

A forest grew in the middle of some marshy wetland approximately

thirty kilometers from Zoltan.
Countless thin trees with twisted roots extended from the mud. It
was an uncommonly dark place for Zoltan.
“Hardly seems like a pleasant spot to live,” I commented when I saw
my drake sink all the way to its knees in the soft earth.
“I agree,” Bishop Shien responded. He sounded almost sad.
The hidden settlement where Mistorm and Yarandrala were hiding
lay somewhere in these woods. Since it was a village, that suggested
others resided there, too.
“Woah there.”
I sliced a lesser slime that suddenly dropped from a tree.
Lesser slimes possessed no intelligence, so it hadn’t been aiming for
me. Rather, it had just conveniently dropped when a target was
below. That’s what I thought, anyhow.
Rit’s wolf ears twitched. “There’s something up there,” she said.
A moment later, a shower of lesser slimes fell from above.
Shien wasted no time intoning a spell. “Wind of righteous
destruction and revelation! Tornado Cutter!”

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A furious wind swirled above our heads. The raging gale shredded
the monsters, destroying them all.
“Not good! Not good!”
I caught a hushed voice from above. Monsters that looked like
humanoid frogs were fleeing, hopping from branch to branch. These
creatures were called grippas.
They were skilled at climbing trees using the sticky fluid they
produced from their hands, and they were relatively intelligent.
Grippas were even known to use weapons made by humans that
they found.
Evidently, they were the ones that had dropped the slimes on us. I
guess they’d hoped to catch us off guard while we were dealing with
the barrage.
“Should we chase after them?” I inquired.
“No, our goal isn’t to slay monsters,” Bishop Shien responded. “Also,
the grippas help keep others away from this place,” he added with a
mysterious sort of grin. “As a member of the clergy, I can’t condone
monsters that threaten human safety, but…”
“I get it. Sorry for asking.”
The people of this secluded village wanted their home to remain that
way.
Zoltan was the gathering ground of people who had fled from other
lands. There was a tacit understanding not to pry. This place wasn’t
too different, in a way.
After another five minutes of slogging through the marsh, we arrived
at the secret village.

A single old man was sitting on a tree root.

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“What’s this… You folks get lost and stumble all the way here?”
He looked like hunter. He wore a bearskin, had a staff in his hands, a
bow at his side, and a knife carved out of a deer’s antler at his waist.
There was no trace of metal anywhere on him.
“Gomes. You look to be doing well. It’s me, Shien.”
“Oh, Shien. Nice of you to stop by.”
The old man’s wrinkled face broke into a smile. He could hardly open
his eyes because of how thick his lids had become, but what little of
them was visible was a cloudy white. He must have had some very
serious cataracts. Normally, it would be impossible to use a bow like
that.
“You seem a little haggard, Shien. Have you been eating enough?”
“Hah-hah, I’ve been so busy lately that self-care has fallen by the
wayside.”
“That’s no good. You have to make time to eat. Anything can be
managed on a full stomach. Oh, did you get a new riding drake?”
“Heh, I’ve been entrusting caring for the riding drakes to others,
regrettably.”
“You should know better.”
“Red, he’s…” Rit began.
“Yeah, he’s got the Wind Druid blessing.”
What’s more, he had to be near level 30, high enough to rival a
knight from the capital. Although blind, Gomes must have been able
to sense things via the whispers of the spirits.
“It’s rare for you to bring visitors.”
“Yarandrala’s friends,” Shien replied. “They came because they are
worried about her.”

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“Well now, hmm, I can see an odd color about you. You’re
something.”
“My name is Red. This is my partner, Rit, and my friend, Tisse.”
“And a small spider as well,” Gomes added.
Tisse smiled slightly at that. Mister Crawly Wawly popped his head
out of her bag and waved his right leg in greeting.
“His name is Mister Crawly Wawly.”
“A Mr.… Crawly Wawly?”
“The Mister is part of his name.”
“That’s a pretty unique moniker, but it has a nice ring to it. Yeah,
that’s a good name.” Gomes grinned as he stood. “Well then, let me
show you to the village.”
“Thank you.”
The blind hunter moved slowly at first, relying on his staff.
We dismounted from our drakes to follow, and our boots
immediately sank into the mud.

There was a gathering of small buildings in the gaps between trees.

Unlike the zoog village from our previous trip, a simple human
settlement like this generally used earthen walls and tree trunks to
make little huts.
“Hey Shien, long time no see.”
“Guests? When you’re done, tell us a bit about the outside world.”
“Have you had lunch yet?”
People called out to Bishop Shien in greeting, and they showed an
interest in us, too.

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“They’re all quite elderly,” Tisse remarked quietly.
A few homes looked to have been vacant for a while, suggesting that
no one new was moving here.
“Not only that, they are all pretty high-level,” I responded.
“Really?” Tisse asked.
Nodding, I explained, “Generally in the low to mid 20s, I think,
putting them on the lower side of B-rank adventurers. Age has
probably dulled their strength a bit, but… A group like this in Zoltan
would have made things very different.”
And yet, they’d chosen to remain here.
In Zoltan, they could have become heroes like Albert, yet they’d
elected to hide from the world.
There was a slightly larger structure that stood out from all the
others in the village. The other homes were made of wood from
trees in the marsh, but this one had been constructed from more
solid lumber.
The ground had been paved with magically adhered sand and rock. It
showed no signs of shifting, despite the unevenness of the swamp.
“Young Miss!” Gomes called out.
Young Miss?
“Okay, okay! Sheesh! What do you think you’re doing, calling me
that in front of my youthful friends!”
The door opened, and Mistorm stepped out, and beside her…
“Why did you follow me?”
Yarandrala looked a bit troubled, though there was a pleased smile
on her face.

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“So, care to explain yourself?” I said.
“I could ask the same of you.”
Yarandrala puffed out her cheeks and looked to one side. “You’ve
already stepped away from the front lines. You should leave things to
your reliable big sister.”

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Page | 128
“Big sister, huh?”
It had been a while since I heard that.
Yarandrala had become my friend shortly after I’d arrived in the
capital, when I was still just a boy. Whenever I attempted to help her
with a dangerous problem, she always tried to brush me aside with
that line. Hearing it was pretty nostalgic.
We first met when I was in the Bahamut Knights, back when I was
nine. I was a kid alone in the big city, and Yarandrala was one of the
few people I could speak freely with.
At the time, she really had been something like a much older sister.
Honestly, the title was pretty fitting. Unfortunately, Yarandrala was
only half reliable. The other half was always sticking her nose into
trouble the moment you stopped watching her.
“It feels like you’re thinking something really disrespectful,”
Yarandrala said, narrowing her eyes at me. “Hahhh… Whatever. I get
it. I should have at least let you know.”
“Obviously. If it was something you could handle alone, I would have
still happily supported you. And were it anything larger, I’d pitch in
directly. You would have been really upset if I’d done this to you.”
“W-well, yeah, I guess so. But is this all right with you, Rit?”
Yarandrala inquired.
“Me?” Rit looked a bit surprised when the conversation suddenly
shifted to her, but she quickly fired back, “I’m upset.”
Her face was honestly a little scary. Yarandrala was her dear friend as
well as mine. It was no surprise to hear she was angry that the high
elf had up and vanished.

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“I’m sorry.” Yarandrala finally acknowledged her mistake.
“Now now, don’t give the poor girl too much of a hard time. I’m the
one they’re seeking, so it’s my fault.”
Mistorm had gone to get some tea and returned just in time to
defend Yarandrala.
“That being the case, could you please explain the situation?” Tisse
asked once Mistorm sat down.

“An opponent who pushed you to your limit and managed to escape
from Yarandrala while carrying his wounded friends…,” I muttered.
Apparently, Yarandrala had been looking for Mistorm on the night of
the festival for two reasons.
The first was because Mistorm had cast Demon’s Flare, a spell used
by upper-tier demons in the demon lord’s army. It was a fearsome
spell that transformed magic power into flames and then loosed
them in a terrible blaze. A single mage could change the course of a
fight with Demon’s Flare. It was enough to push back an army of
thousands. When the demon lord’s army unleashed it in battle, our
forces had been wiped out. Even the Bahamut Knights had been
grievously injured. It had pushed us to the brink of a total collapse.
How was Mistorm able to use a spell that powerful? Had I seen her
cast it back when I was a member of the Hero’s party, I would have
investigated. I’d elected not to, though.
However, Yarandrala was different. She hadn’t given up the life of a
hero to take it easy. Mistorm had caught her interest, and she had
investigated.
Because she was on her guard, Yarandrala had noticed the stray
assassins pursuing Mistorm sooner than anyone else. No matter how

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skilled the hired killers were, they weren’t going to slip past a Singer
of the Trees who could communicate with plants. Not unless they
knew she was watching for them beforehand.
And that was the second reason. While Yarandrala had been
enjoying the festival with us that day, she had also been in contact
with the flora, keeping an eye on Mistorm, and she’d rushed to the
older woman’s side the moment she detected danger.
“He was stronger than I expected, though,” Yarandrala admitted with
a frown. “I thought Mistorm would be able to fend off most anyone,
so I panicked a little when she got concerned. I also hadn’t expected
him to be able to escape my magic.”
“Prince Salius’s battleship hadn’t arrived at that point. If you’d
known this was more than some local Zoltan issue, then you might
have guessed someone with a high blessing level was involved… You
could have come to me about this, you know,” I said.
“Mgh.” Yarandrala looked a little pained.
“I would have noticed his level, and if the two of us fought together,
there’s no way he would have escaped.”
“That’s…”
“You can’t protect Mistorm and go after those responsible. That’s
why you’ve been staying here, locked in a stalemate, right? I’m sure
it’s been frustrating.”
“…Yeah. I was actually struggling with what to do next.”
Even if Yarandrala was a great hero who had battled it out with the
demon lord’s army countless times, she was still only one person.
“Next time, please let me know what’s going on. I promise I won’t
butt into things you can take care of yourself. I’m glad you care so
much about our quiet life, but I don’t want you getting hurt over it.”
“That’s pretty selfish,” chided Yarandrala.

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“That’s the whole point—living our lives the way we want.”
We smiled at each other.
“Red.”
Rit suddenly wrapped her arm around me from behind.
“Y-yes?” I replied.
“What was that about ‘if the two of us fought’?”
“Hn? Ah…”
“After you said all that, did you plan on excluding me?”
Rit’s grip on me tightened.
It was lovely to feel her warmth, but it was right on the line where if
she put any more strength into her squeezing, it would really hurt.
“I’m sorry. It was a slip of the tongue,” I assured her.
“Very well, then.”
It truly had been an honest mistake. Mistorm grinned at us.
“You make a good party,” she commented.
“Hah-hah, I must be getting old. It’s almost too much for me,” Shien
added.
Undoubtedly, they were recalling their own youthful days as
adventurers.
A good party…
I had been pushed out of mine and suffered for it. Things were better
now, however. Maybe we really did make a good party. Without
realizing it, I had broken into a pleasant smile. The tranquil mood in
the room ended abruptly, though, as a shout from outside rang out.
“What’s that? I’ll go take a look real quick.”
Bishop Shien stood and headed for the door.

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“I’ll come with you,” I said.
“If you’re going, then I’m coming, too,” Rit declared, and we both
followed Shien.
“You take care of things here, Yarandrala, Tisse,” I instructed.
The little assassin nodded. “Understood.”
An ominous feeling settled into my gut. I rested my hand on the hilt
of my sword.

Stepping outside, we saw two riding drakes running wild.

The old villagers were trying to calm them, but the beasts showed no
signs of stopping.
“What’s going on?”
The riding drakes were the property of the holy church. They should
have been carefully trained, so Bishop Shien rushed toward them
when he saw them behaving oddly.
“Wait, Bishop! Get away!” I shouted.
I sensed a wicked intelligence and malice in the riding drakes’ red
eyes.
“Those aren’t our drakes!”
The creatures leaped into the air and slashed at Shien with their
talons. Yet though Shien had grown old, he was still a hero like
Mistorm, and had safeguarded Zoltan for decades. He protected his
vitals with his left arm and quickly formed a seal with his right hand.
“Tch. What are you? Tornado Cutter!”

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A swirl of magic wind swallowed up the two malicious riding drakes.
It was no small feat to maintain focus and cast a spell while your arm
was being cut.
Such a level of proficiency befit a champion of Zoltan.
Unfortunately…
“What?!” Shien shouted.
The drakes transformed into half-drake, half-human forms and tore
through the Shien’s spell, closing in on him. The magic hadn’t
worked!
Both of our opponents were more powerful than the bishop.
“Not on my watch!”
“Tch?!”
Rit hurled a pair of throwing knives, shouting to draw the monstrous
creatures’ attention instead of hitting them while they were
unaware. They both easily deflected the knives with their claws, but
that gave Bishop Shien all the time he needed to move away.
“Hahhh!”
I used Lightning Speed to race forward, catching the drake hybrids
off guard and tracing my blade across their stomachs.
The scales covering their bodies made them resilient enough that my
bronze sword didn’t manage to cut through to their skin. The two
drake hybrids leaped backward, and their forms twisted,
transforming into humans.
The clothes and swords that had melded into their altered bodies
reappeared. I recognized them as two of the stray assassins from the
harbor district.
“You really got us. To think you would use Shape of Riding Drake to
hide. I shouldn’t have missed that,” I remarked.

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“It’s nothing to be ashamed of. We’ve trained to quiet our minds and
allow the bestial instincts to control our bodies. It’s impossible to see
through without a Sage’s Appraisal skill.”
This pair had studied under the same master as Tisse, but their style
was clearly very different. Tisse was the archetypical assassin, relying
on stealth and blades. However, these two employed skills from the
Assassin blessing that were closer to those found in the Mage tree.
They drew their shortswords and took a stance that resembled
Tisse’s. When it came to the fundamentals of combat, they truly had
learned together.
Did that mean I could anticipate their moves?
I slowly lowered my sword, taking a lower stance as I kept my guard
up.
“You’re a strong one,” one of the men said with a grin. “I like killing
strong guys.”
“How nice for you,” I replied.
Bishop Shien was behind me.
His left arm was bleeding, but that had done little to weaken his
fighting spirit. Still, for someone who had been out of the action for
so long, it was a dangerous wound. He really needed to close it with
magic as soon as possible, but he didn’t know me well enough to
entrust me with defense while he focused on recovery.
“Red, please focus on guarding. I’ll provide support magic…!”
Shien was prioritizing aiding me—a standard decision.
It would take about twelve seconds for Rit to reach us. Until then, I
would have to protect Bishop Shien and the people of the village
alone. It was only twelve seconds, but that was more than enough
time for the assassins to run someone through with a sword.

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I focused on my opponents’ movements while looking for an
opening.
“You can have him, so let me kill the girl back there.”
“First come, first serve.”
“I know, I know. But her ass and legs felt crazy nice. I really wanna kill
her.”
What? Oh, so you were the drake Rit was riding. I see, I see… So you
liked how her butt and thighs felt?
That didn’t sit right with me. A switch flipped in my peace-dulled
mind, and I instantly changed gears.
You think I care whether Bishop Shien sees?
I raised my sword, taking a more offensive stance.
“Mgh…”
Sensing the change, the stray assassins readied themselves.
Unfortunately for them, they hadn’t done so quickly enough.
Clang!
A cry of metal on metal sounded. The assassin was shocked that I’d
closed the distance in a single step, but he managed to defend
himself with his sword.
“Gah?!” he groaned in displeased surprise.
The moment our blades met, I pulled mine back and took another
step past his and slashed again. My sword passed his defenses and
cut into his shoulder deep enough to reach the bone. Even for a
trained killer, it was enough to make him collapse.
“Tch!” The other stray assassin kept his calm as his comrade fell. He
loosed a quick slash while my back was turned to him. I yanked my
blade from the other man’s shoulder as I spun and struck the

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attacker’s fist. I could feel bone shattering. He faltered for only a
brief moment, but that was enough for me to get in another strike.
“Gh…!”
With that, both assassins had been felled.
I slowly exhaled. Once I got heated up, it took some work to calm
back down.
“I heard that you were strong, but to think you were this skilled…”
Bishop Shien was standing there in shock, having forgotten entirely
to use any magic.
Uh oh, I really overdid things.
“Red!” Rit dashed over. “Is everything okay?!”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Phew! After I saw you turn so serious, I worried they might actually
be pretty strong.”
I smiled to help ease Rit’s concern.
“We should return to Mistorm. That was only two of the stray
assassins. There’s still one more.”
As if in reply, a large explosion went off. Fire erupted from the
window of the house where Mistorm and the others were waiting.
The blaze quickly spread over the building, but a giant tree rose from
the ground inside the building without any concern for the flames
around it.
“That’s Yarandrala’s Elder Treant!”
The massive wooden creature reached a hand out toward the blaze
consuming the house. The fire gathered into a single mass and
separated from the house. Within that mass of flames was the final
stray assassin.

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“I won’t let you get away this time!” Yarandrala shouted from atop
the treant’s shoulder.
She looked utterly sure of herself because they were fighting in her
natural element—the forest.
Mistorm leaped from the house a moment later. She had likely
protected herself with a spell, because there wasn’t even a speck of
ash on her clothes.
“I’ve got my magic power fully recovered this time! Don’t think this
will be as simple as before!” Mistorm turned her staff on the
assassin.
But instead of turning to face them, the hired killer looked in my
direction.
“So you got both of them, huh?” he commented as he gazed at his
fallen comrades. There was no trace of panic in his voice.
“And you’ll meet the same fate soon!” Yarandrala cried.
The treant’s arm stretched out to catch the man. Yarandrala wasn’t
using her signature spell, Thorn Bind, for fear of the fire magic.
Fortunately, the assassin’s flames couldn’t burn down an Elder
Treant.
“Hyahhhhh!” howled the assassin, swinging both of his arms wide. A
storm of throwing knives buffeted the great tree creature, yet it
weathered the onslaught without so much as slowing down.
“Did you really think that would work?” Yarandrala shouted.
“Martial art: Chain Explosion!”
The knives stuck in the Elder Treant’s wooden body exploded in
succession.
“Kh?!”

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Yarandrala’s massive summoned warrior trembled, rocked by the
blasts, and she herself was knocked to the ground. Thankfully, the
treant was fine. It had taken damage, but not enough that it couldn’t
continue.
The stray assassin had seized that opportunity to vanish, however.
“Dammit!”
He’d used a powerful martial art, but it hadn’t been intended to take
Yarandrala down. The man hadn’t even bothered waiting to see if it
had been effective or not.
“But this time, it looks like he didn’t have the luxury to retrieve his
friends,” I said. Behind me, the two I had defeated were still lying on
the ground.
If only the third assassin had come for his allies, we would have been
able to stop him. Regardless, he was gone without a trace now. Were
Ruti here, we’d be able to catch him, but pursuing as we were would
be difficult.
“Wait, where’s Tisse?” Rit asked.
I suddenly realized I hadn’t seen her anywhere during the skirmish,
either.
“Did she chase after him by herself?!” Rit hurriedly started to try to
chase after them, but I stopped her.
“We can’t follow them,” I said.
“But!”
“Tisse didn’t leave any tracks we could follow. That means she’s sure
that she can handle it alone.”
She was planning to settle things alone.

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The last stray assassin—Drog—had transformed into a half-human,
half-drake hybrid using Form of Riding Drake and was running
through the forest at high speed.
That he could do that without leaving any footprints spoke to the
strength of his Assassin blessing. If a mage had tried this tactic, it
wouldn’t have worked.
It was only because the marsh had such muddy ground that made for
poor footing that I was able to pursue. I would have to make sure to
finish him here.
My name is Tisse Garland. I’m Ruti’s friend and an assassin with the
Assassins Guild. I’m currently running along the tree branches,
chasing one of my own who betrayed the guild.
“Tch.”
Drog’s speed dropped slightly when he stepped on a rotten tree
root.
I immediately threw a knife and twisted his body to dodge.
Unsurprisingly, he’d been aware I was after him. Still, he’d had to
slow down dramatically to recover after such an awkward motion.
“Tisse?!” Drog shouted when he saw me already in range to fight.
“To think we would meet again like this! Did you take a job from the
guild to get us?”
“I’m under no obligation to answer you.”
I had not been given any such request. No one could have guessed
that three top-class assassins-turned-traitors would end up in Zoltan.
I’m sure he’d assumed people were onto him to be on the safe side,
though.
And as expected, Drog appeared to be under the impression that if
he didn’t kill me, more from the guild would come.
We ran through the woods, drawing our swords at the same time.

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“The two of us fighting… You were always a genius Tisse, but you
only killed when the guild ordered it of you. I’ll show you how
murdering as I please has set me apart.”
“I see. I take it you’ve gotten a lot of experience chatting, then?”
“You were always stuck up just because the master praised you, but
everyone knew I was best in a real fight!”
Drog leaped into the air, his face warped in a savage scowl as he flew
toward me.
I jumped at the same time as he did.
“An assassin’s blade should bring fear like a star falling to earth.”
“Still faithful to the master’s teachings, even after leaving the guild.”
We both kicked against trees, each aiming to get the high ground.
““Ngh!””
Neither of us shouted. There were only muffled grunts as we crossed
paths in midair. No blade tasted blood.
“Not bad, but I know your moves now… You won’t get another
chance.” Drog grinned as he landed on the ground.
I said nothing, readying my sword.
“Give it up. I’m clearly still on top. Why not join me, Tisse? I won’t
have to kill you, then.”
What?
The offer wasn’t nearly enough to make me question myself, but it
was a surprise all the same.
“It’s boring to live your life bound to the guild. Come with me and kill
as you please. To reign over that which transcends things like good
and evil is what it really means to be an assassin. All the wealth and

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power in the world mean nothing before a silent blade. In the
moment an assassin kills, they become a god.”
His words were disgusting.
“Drog…”
“Ready to give up?”
“Running your mouth before a kill is the sign of a third-rate assassin.”
“So that’s your answer… What a shame!”
Drog leaped again, certain he would win.
“W-what?!”
Instead of jumping to match him, I ran across the ground.
Drog appeared to be caught unaware at that, but he still struck. His
attack used a style of swordsmanship built around pouncing from an
advantageous higher position. It was the best way to take advantage
of the specialization provided by the Assassin blessing. Our teacher
had told us it was the textbook setup for an assassin’s style.
Drog had misjudged our master’s teachings, though. He and I were
biased toward jumping and tended to go higher than necessary.
As a result, Drog believed he understood my skill level, but I had
merely chosen to use a technique he knew, allowing him to see
through it.
Catching the target in a moment when their guard was down was the
key to a swift kill. Pouncing from the air was only one method for
achieving that condition.
And my slash would be lethal. He would not have the time to use any
tricks.
Our second exchange was very different from the first.
“Gah… Hah…”

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Drog crashed into the ground, unable to land correctly. He tried to
push himself up, but he could not gather the strength in his arms.
“You should be able to tell that’s a lethal wound.”
My blade had passed through the gap between his ribs and reached
his internal organs. As Drog lay there bleeding and groaning, I
approached to deliver the finishing blow.
“W-wait,” Drog looked up at me. “Don’t kill me.”
Despite his actions, I couldn’t hold it against him that he was begging
for his life. The thought of dying was scary, even to a hired killer.
There was no way I could allow a stray assassin who tarnished the
guild’s name to escape, however.
“I’ll tell you who hired us… So please, just let me live.”
Any empathy I felt for Drog before vanished after he said that.
Not revealing your client was the bare minimum standard for an
assassin.
Drog had left the guild in order to slay indiscriminately; he had long
since ceased being an assassin. Now he was only a common
murderer.
“…Who hired you?”
I stifled my rage.
Whatever my personal feelings, this was crucial information for
everyone else.
I had a faint hope that this was just Drog bluffing to catch me off
guard. But unfortunately, I was wrong.
“It’s the Veronian admiral, Lilinrala… She wanted us to kill Misphia,
the first queen of Veronia… She’s hiding in Zoltan under the name
Mistorm.”

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“So it was Admiral Lilinrala.”

Page | 144
Page | 145
Apparently, Mistorm’s true name was Misphia—Queen Misphia,
even.
I didn’t know the details, but that would make her the first wife of
King Geizeric, who went missing decades ago. So that galley, Drog,
and Mistorm were all connected.
“I see. Thank you for that information.”
“S-so then!”
“Yes, I won’t finish you off.”
I sighed as I turned away.
Even though I gave Drog a good opening, he made no attempt to pick
up his sword. Instead, he grasped after a cure potion and drank it,
glad to be alive.
I heard him coughing and vomiting up the potion.
“I won’t finish you off, but that wound will kill you anyway. A potion
won’t save you now.”
“Agh… Wait… I can’t… see…”
“You should know the symptoms of blood loss. You’ve witnessed it
plenty of times already, haven’t you?”
I started walking away, not looking back.
Drog had been faithful to the impulses of his Assassin blessing, going
so far as to leave the guild for them. The result was a far cry from the
ideal assassin, however.
It was a mystery.

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“Tisse’s back!” Rit called out in relief.
The girl approached calmly with Mister Crawly Wawly on her
shoulder.
Evidently, she had managed to take out her opponent.
“I’m back.”
“Nice work.”
I passed her a towel and some water that I had ready for her.
“Thank you.”
High-level though Tisse was, chasing after someone fleeing through
the forest and fighting them still took its toll. She slowly sipped the
water and then wiped away her sweat.
“What did you do with the two you defeated, Red?”
“They’re tied up in the shed,” I replied.
“I see…”
“I‘ll explain things to everyone else, so you decide what to do with
them.”
“Thank you.”
Tisse touched the hilt of the sword, and then stopped to look up at
me as though searching for confirmation. I nodded. She began
toward the shed but abruptly stopped.
“…I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” Tisse said.
“Hm?”
“If I check with you, I’m making you take responsibility for my job.”
I was about to brush it off as nothing big, but Tisse’s expression was
more serious than I’d expected.
“Want me to come with you to the shed?”

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I had everyone else head back inside before we went to deal with the
two assassins.
“You know I used to be a soldier, and I’ve killed plenty of people, too.
You don’t need to go worrying about me,” I commented.
“I know…”
Tisse was troubled because she had checked with me whether to kill
the two assailants, and that meant that I had functionally decided to
take their lives. She seemed disgusted with herself for that.
“I don’t regret the killing itself. This is the blessing I was born with,
and this is the life I’ve lived. But I also wish to have a reason for the
act,” Tisse explained.
“An assassin’s job means killing people at someone else’s request, so
that’s natural,” I replied.
“I want more than that.”
The shed wasn’t far away by any means, and we were soon at the
door.
“The stray assassins,” Tisse whispered. “They were faithful to the
impulses of their blessings. Almost certainly far more so than I am to
mine. And yet, as assassins, they were impure and incomplete.
Why?”
“That’s simple,” I responded.
Tisse looked up at me, a little surprised at how readily I answered.
“How so…?”
“All they did was obey their urges. But you think for yourself about
the best course of action. That’s really all there is to it.”
“Maybe. Yet while I don’t submit to my blessing, I’m still an assassin
through and through.”

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“Hm?”
“…You and Ms. Ruti quit and chose to live a slow life. You stopped
being a knight, and she gave up being the Hero. I haven’t renounced
my life as an assassin, but I’m still out here with you both.”
“Ah.”
“There are times when I wonder whether it is really okay for me to
remain in Zoltan.” Tisse looked down.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” I asked lightly. “Ruti enjoys your company,
and you feel the same way about her, right?”
“Yes, Ms. Ruti is someone I can look up to, and also—”
“She’s like a troublesome little sister, yeah?”
“Hah-hah. Yes. It’s a bit rude, but that’s how I feel. She’s
extraordinarily strong and wise, and yet if you just leave her alone,
she gets into trouble… It’s a joy to be with her.”
“There aren’t many people who recognize her charms. Thank you,
Tisse.”
“Eh? There’s no gratitude necessary. I stay with her because I want
to.”
Tisse’s face reddened slightly in embarrassment. I smiled at the sight.
“Seems like there’s no problem, then. Assassin or not, that doesn’t
change the fact that it’s fun to be around your friends.”
“Are you sure it’s all right?”
“You don’t have to deny that aspect of yourself for our sake. You can
remain with Ruti while still being Tisse the assassin. The important
part is just that you are Ruti’s friend.”
“Hmmm.”

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“I don’t think anyone’s interests line up perfectly. But so what? Ruti
and I are your friends because we want to be.”
“That’s…true. I guess it’s been so long since I’ve done proper assassin
work that it got me wondering. Thank you.”
“Look, this is just my opinion, but…” I paused, looking at Tisse, “I
don’t think your way of life is wrong. Can’t you just stay how you are,
an assassin living a slow life?”
“That’s certainly an odd way to put it.” Tisse smiled, and then her
expression changed. “Okay, I’ve got a job to finish.”
“Sure. I’ll be waiting for you.”
There were no sounds, but two of the presences in the shed were
quickly snuffed out.

Tisse and I returned to Mistorm’s house. The interior was blackened

from the fire.
“I’m sorry for not noticing those three until it was too late,” Tisse
apologized.
“It’s fine. Both Shien and my house will recover.”
Bishop Shien had mended his wound with magic, but given his age,
he had to lie down in bed to rest from the blood loss.
“If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s his for not noticing that his own riding
drakes had been switched out. He looks like he’s got his head about
him, but he’s always been prone to messing up in the clutch,”
Mistorm remarked. Then she launched into a few old stories about
Bishop Shien’s previous blunders, which brought a pleasant smile to
our faces.
“Whoops, the water should be ready now. I’ll get some tea and
treats,” Mistorm said.

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“Ah, let me help.”
Tisse started to get up, but Mistorm gently waved her off.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. You’re a guest, so just take it easy.” The old
woman headed off into the kitchen. After a couple of minutes, she
returned holding a tray in her hands. “Help yourselves.”
She set a bottle of rum and some cups on the table. Tisse, who didn’t
drink, looked curious and a bit surprised.
“It’s a joke, dear.”
There was a mischievous smirk on Mistorm’s face as she gave
everyone a cup of black tea. Then she mixed just the slightest bit of
rum into each and dropped in little pieces of butter that floated on
the surface of the dark liquid.
“Hot buttered rum?” I inquired.
“Yes. You know your stuff.”
It was a warm drink suited for cold days. A guy who grew up in the
South had told me about it during my tenure with the Bahamut
Knights.
“In Veronia, sailors would bring home leftover rum, and their
mothers or wives would use it for cooking or cocktails. The taste of
rum became synonymous with family harmony.”
“So you really are from Veronia,” Tisse commented.
“I am indeed.”
Tisse drank a sip of the hot buttered rum and then exhaled.
“It’s delicious.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Mistorm answered with a grin.
Tisse turned her attention to the old hero of Zoltan. “The stray
assassin I fought gave up the client who had hired them to kill you.”

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““What?””
Both Mistorm and I were shocked at that.
“It was Admiral Lilinrala of the Veronian navy.”
“Ahh, so she’s responsible.” There was a mix of surprise and
understanding on Mistorm’s face.
Tisse looked a bit unsure whether to continue, but she did
regardless. “The stray assassin also revealed who you used to be.”
Mistorm took a breath and exhaled before nodding. “If it’s come to
that, then I see no reason to hide it from you any longer.”
“Thank you.”
Tisse looked relieved. She was particularly close to Mistorm, more so
than the rest of us. I’m sure being caught between not wanting to
keep secrets from us and not wanting to out Mistorm without
permission had been stressful.
Mistorm smiled kindly to see Tisse so allayed.
“It may have only been for a short while, but we all traveled together
as comrades, and I apologize for making you worry for me. However,
I wasn’t trying to deceive you. As far as I’m concerned, Mistorm is my
real name. I’ve been called that far longer than anything else.”
True. She had arrived in Zoltan in her late twenties. Mistorm had
been her identity for over forty years. Even if it was an alias at first, it
had long since become her real name.
Eventually, the same thing would happen to me, too. There would
come a day when I had lived as Red longer than Gideon. Seeing the
look on Mistorm’s face, I got the feeling that wouldn’t be such a bad
thing.
“So then, what is your old name?” Rit asked.

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“I was previously known as Misphia, wife of King Geizeric and the
First Queen of Veronia. I was also called the Pirate Princess Misphia,
captain of the Geizeric Pirates’ second ship.”
It wasn’t that crazy of a story that the queen who had disappeared
had ended up in Zoltan, home to all runaways. But even if it wasn’t
unexpected, it was still surprising.
Mistorm appeared to enjoy the look on our faces.
“Well then, where should I start?” Mistorm wondered aloud.
“How about from the beginning?” Yarandrala suggested.
I turned to the high elf. “Do you already know what’s going on,
Yarandrala?”
“More or less. Truthfully, I’m not entirely unrelated.”
“Really? But you didn’t have any contact with Mistorm when she was
queen, right?”
If she had, they would have recognized each other when they first
met in Zoltan.
“Not directly. But I knew Geizeric and Lilinrala.”
“You did?”
“It’s not like they were particularly close friends. I met Lilinrala when
she was a navigator for an exploration vessel. I was the first mate at
the time. My blessing isn’t particularly useful out on the seas, but it is
still part of the Druid tree, so I can sense ocean spirits.”
“Huh, I never pictured you sailing the seas,” I admitted.
“Who hasn’t dreamt of riding the waves in search of an adventure?”
Yarandrala replied.
“Fair enough… Still, you’ve really done a lot.”

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Yarandrala grinned proudly at my comment. “I’ve had a bit of a long
life after all!”
I’d heard a few of her tales, of course, but it seemed there were far
more. Just how much questing had she done?
“Anyway, one day, when we fought off some pirates who attacked
our ship, Lilinrala stole one of their vessels and made off with it.”
“Was there any reason?”
“At the time, there were uprisings and revolutions all across the
continent. A lot of people were captured during the conflicts and
sold into slavery. High elves sold particularly well, and Lilinrala
couldn’t abide that. She became a pirate captain herself and went
after every slave ship she could.
Naturally, she didn’t sell anyone she rescued, but that meant caring
for them. It wasn’t long until her funds ran dry. Left with no other
choice, she turned to stealing from merchant boats, too, and
eventually became a fierce buccaneer who would rob good and
honest people,” Yarandrala recounted.
Mistorm looked particularly interested in the high elf’s story. “You
don’t say. She never really talked much about her past. So that’s how
she ended up becoming a pirate.”
“I couldn’t stand her turning to a life of crime and causing problems
for everyone! So I got my hands on a ship myself and fought it out
with her and the Elven Corsairs!”
“That’s totally like you,” I said. That intensity was definitely one of
the sides of Yarandrala. She was the sort you didn’t want to make an
enemy of. “Is that how you met Geizeric?”
“Geizeric was a slave on one of the ships Lilinrala raided. I couldn’t
tell you why, but she took an interest in him.”

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I raised an eyebrow. “He was a slave? That’s a pretty rough start to
life.”
“Yes. It was bad enough that Lilinrala sent me a letter requesting a
temporary ceasefire because a boy she had picked up was on the
verge of death. I felt bad, so I sent some medicine to help,”
Yarandrala explained.
So then Yarandrala had saved Geizeric, too, in a way.
“Geizeric became a member of Lilinrala’s crew and eventually struck
out on his own as a pirate. I would never have guessed he’d get big
enough to steal a country, though.
Before he made a name for himself, the frost giants started to invade
Kiramin, so I sold my ship and formed a band of mercenaries to help.
After that, I never had any contact with them again.”
“Wait, so you led a band of mercenaries into war? I’ve been through
more than my fair share as a knight and a member of the Hero’s
party, but your life was crazy tumultuous when you were young,” I
said.
“Eh-heh-heh.” Yarandrala blushed like she thought that was a
compliment. “Anyway, if I had defeated Lilinrala and Geizeric,
Mistorm’s life would have been completely different. So it feels like
I’m partly responsible for all this.”
“Life’s an odd thing. Just when I thought I had reached a nice age and
all that remained was to wait for Lord Demis to call me home, new
faces and old friends started to pop up and throw me for a loop.”
Mistorm’s expression appeared very conflicted. However, if I had to
guess, I’d say she mostly felt thankful.

Rit nodded to herself. “Okay, we understand your connection. So

now we can get to the crux of the matter.”

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“I assume you mean why they’re after me,” Mistorm replied as she
set down her empty cup.
“Prince Salius is searching for you, right?”
“I’ve no way of knowing for sure, but I believe that’s the case.”
Mistorm stopped for a moment to shrug. “One option might be to
just give it up and turn myself in for Zoltan’s sake.”
“Mistorm!” Yarandrala fired back sharply.
I thought for a moment before continuing. “But if he’s looking for
you, then why does Lilinrala want you dead?”
“Yeah,” Rit added with a bitter sort of face. “Lilinrala acts as a loyal
vassal to Prince Salius, but their goals are clearly at odds.”
“That’s right. Prince Salius is desperate enough to find you that he’s
pressuring the holy church, yet those assassins knew where you were
and what you looked like,” I said, fixing my gaze on Mistorm. She met
my eyes and gave a slow exhale.
“Before I say more, I’d like to ask, just how deeply do you intend to
get involved?”
“You’re a friend who traveled with us all the way to the Wall at the
End of the World. If you’re in danger, we’re prepared to assist,” I
answered.
“That’s the exact same thing Yarandrala said. Sheesh, it was just one
little trip… Perhaps that’s simply how adventurers are. Seems I’ve
been retired long enough to forget.”
Mistorm looked away and then smiled a little.
“All right then, I guess it’s time for an old story.”

Page | 156
Interlude: The Story of the Exiled Queen
Misphia
Fifty years ago, in the Veronian royal palace, a young Mistorm—
Princess Misphia—was wearing a beautiful dress, dancing in the
hall’s center. Her escort was a blond young man draped in
resplendent aristocratic attire. His elegant manner garnered the
attention of everyone around.
As the dance drew to a close, the young man disappeared, called
away by a butler.
“Oh, sister.”
Now that Misphia’s dance had concluded, another girl was
approaching her. There was a resemblance between the two, but the
other young woman’s eyes were gentler. Misphia’s beauty was the
sort to be renowned far and wide, but the other girl’s was more the
beauty of a flower beloved by all.
“Leonor,” Misphia greeted.
“Lord Pietro is a marvelous dancer, don’t you think? It’s always such
a pleasure to dance with him,” Leonor said.
“He surely is, although a bit lacking in resolution. As a member of a
side branch of the royal family, it would be better for him to
maintain a tad more gravity when dealing with other nobles.”
“Even on days like this, you never forget yourself. A woman’s role is
to raise her man up, is it not?”
“If a successor is not born to Father, then Lord Pietro will ascend to
the throne. What Veronia needs now is a strong king. Is it not the job
of a good wife to support and guide her husband?”
“Oh my! To envision your husband becoming king! Such ambition,
sister.” Leonor raised her voice slightly as she spoke, causing nearby

Page | 157
aristocrats to glance over. “Ah, my apologies,” Leonor said softly, but
her expression was twisted with malicious satisfaction. “I suppose
that aspiration befits a mighty Archmage. A mere Fighter like myself
could never hope to compare. I’m quite content with my blessing,
however. After all, flowers exist to be admired. The inherent skills of
Fighter are simple physical enhancement, and its impulses are minor.
Few blessings would allow one to devote herself to beauty so
wholeheartedly.”
“I would much prefer being a simple herb that cures disease than a
hothouse flower to be ogled,” Misphia responded resolutely.
Leonor smirked behind the fan she held in her hand.
“How splendid. It truly is a joy to chat with you, Big Sister. The
thought of you leaving the palace is so heart-wrenching.”
“I would have liked to be able to share so many more things with you
as well,” Misphia responded.
The king of Veronia rose on stage. Apparently, there was an
announcement to make. Pietro was standing next to him. The nobles
around the platform applauded.
“As king of Veronia and as your sovereign leader, I am pleased to
celebrate this joyous day with you,” the king began, and there was
another round of clapping.
Misphia watched with a mix of joy and melancholy. However, things
quickly took an unexpected turn.
“You who support our beloved Veronia, I asked you here on this day
to bear witness to the vows binding our beloved and faithful
retainer, Pietro de Zaqui, and my beloved daughter Leonor of
Veronia.”
Silence filled the room but was quickly broken by many troubled
whispers.

Page | 158
“M-my lord… Lady Leonor? Not Lady Misphia?”
“Yes. I did not misspeak. Pietro and Leonor.”
Misphia looked on, unable to believe what was happening, but when
she saw Pietro’s innocent smile as he stepped up onto the stage, she
realized what had happened. Her face paled, and she clenched her
fists.
“And…”
A man named Duke Oslo stepped onto the platform, and the
Veronian nobles looked away.
“My m-my most trusted Duke Oslo has great regard for my daughter
Misphia’s talent.”
The king’s voice trembled in mortification that he could not entirely
hide. Sweat formed on his brow, and his eyes were bloodshot. As the
ruler of the Kingdom of Veronia, that was all he was permitted in
protest while praises for Duke Oslo poured from his mouth. “I ask
that all might share in my joy at Duke Oslo taking my daughter
Misphia as his bride. Today is truly blessed.”
“B-but, Your Highness, Duke Oslo already has a wife,” an older noble
nervously interjected.
Those around him all nodded.
Duke Oslo answered in the king’s stead, his blackened teeth showing
beneath his smirk.
“I am delighted to welcome Lady Misphia as a concubine.”
Unwilling to stand by, the older noble loudly objected. “That’s
absurd! Lady Misphia is the first princess of the Veronian royal
family! E-even for a duke, that is an outrage…”
“What’s the problem?”

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Duke Oslo nodded in satisfaction, not even bothering with an excuse,
leaving the old noble dumbfounded.
Other aristocrats were struck by a sinking feeling that this spelled the
end of their kingdom. At present, Veronia was a reasonably powerful
country, but that hadn’t been the case only fifty years prior.
Later, Misphia sat defeated and alone in her room when Leonor
came by. Her eyes shone with the thrill of victory.
“Congratulations on your betrothal. May your marriage be long and
happy, young herb.”

Seagulls cried as they glided past the ship.

The vessel used for Misphia’s bridal procession was a single-masted
old-style sailing boat. Duke Oslo’s emissary had come on the rough,
humble ship to greet Princess Misphia. The boat creaked as it rolled
with the waves, gently rocking the room.
Misphia was wearing an expensive white dress and gazing down at
the floor of her guest cabin in misery.
Nothing assuaged the humiliation of becoming Duke Oslo’s
concubine. If it had been for the sake of her country, then Misphia
would have endured it. But this decision had only marred Veronia’s
reputation. It had done nothing but reveal to the world how weak
the nation had become.
The great Veronia, once a rival to Avalonia, was not long for this
world. Surely, that thought was on everyone’s minds. Misphia did
her best not to cry, biting her lip to keep her heart from breaking.
“Please… Someone save us.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than a sudden clamor
erupted outside. Shouts came from all over, accompanied by the

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clanging of metal. Sensing something was amiss, Misphia grabbed
her staff, which stood in the corner of the room. Not long after, the
door flew open.
“Hohhh.”
A man entered. His face was covered in scars, his gaze sharp and
piercing. A confident expression bloomed on his face. He was a man
of an entirely different sort from the Veronian nobles Misphia was
familiar with.
“Seems I’ve found the greatest treasure on the ship.”
“What business do you have here, pirate? You dare perpetrate this
villainy knowing that a member of the royal family was on this
vessel?!”
“Royal family, huh? Hah, what power is there in a royal family who
would sell their princess off as a concubine to a mere duke?” the
pirate spat, sneering.
“Silence!” Misphia’s face turned red in humiliation. “I will return
Veronia to its glory days. If I must stain myself in shame to do so,
fine! Duke Oslo’s estate is powerful. If he takes an interest in me and
some of my children are able to inherit some of that land…”
“There’s no chance of that for a concubine. He’s just a lecherous old
man. Duke Oslo doesn’t give a shit about that sort of gallantry. All he
cares about is…” The pirate approached Misphia and poked her
breast.
“Eeek!” Misphia covered her chest with both hands.
“That.”
Misphia glared at the man. He whistled in response.
“Is it really so bad to be a concubine? You can live in luxury.”

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“I’m a princess. I live and die for the sake of my country. That is why I
was born!”
“That’s a pretty bold way to put it.”
“As if a thief could ever comprehend.”
The pirate grinned. “Well, as it happens, I’ve got an interest in how
royals live. So, how about it? Why not teach me about your way of
life?”
“What…?”
“You are the greatest treasure of any I’ve seen. Giving you back to
some duke would be a waste.”
“Eeek!”
“I’ll be taking you. I am a pirate, after all.”
“U-unhand me!”
“Don’t worry, you won’t have to give up on your dream… Because I’ll
become king.”
“King…? What are you talking about…?”
“I’ve got the Divine Blessing of the Emperor. That rarest of blessings
the first Avalonian king was said to have had.”
Geizeric took Misphia’s hand and opened the door out of the room.
The sea breeze filled her lungs.
“My name is Geizeric! I have no last name, and I have never met my
parents. I am Geizeric and nothing more! But I will become the king
of Veronia!”
“Um…”
“Princess! I want you to be my right hand! Teach this pirate what it
means to be a king! In exchange, I will raise Veronia such that no
worthless noble can steal its princesses ever again!”

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The Pirate Emperor Geizeric, the future king of Veronia, took
Misphia’s arm in his strong grasp and began to walk. At first, Misphia
staggered a bit, but soon she was able to follow behind him with
sure steps on her own two feet. The pair left the cramped room on
the ship and walked out into the wide open.
The Divine Blessing of the Emperor. The blessing that the first ruler
of Avalonia supposedly possessed. It was even rarer than the Hero.
Avalonians were said to be descended from the vassals of aristocrats
who had been cast out by the ruler of Gaiapolis, the son of a
previous Hero.
At the time, the land that would become Avalonia was undeveloped
and wild. The first king was a champion who gathered people,
developed the untamed region, battled monsters, and established a
new kingdom.
In a world where one’s blessing determined one’s life, Geizeric had
been born for the throne.

“I’ll split it evenly, so don’t go filching any!”

“Aye aye, miss!”
Misphia had changed from a dress to a buccaneer’s outfit that was
easier to move in. Magic staff in hand, she was giving orders to the
pirates. Her staff was different from the old one she’d wielded. This
new rod had a narrow and sharp metal point, allowing it to be
handled like a spear. She even wore a scabbard at her hip for
sheathing the staff.
At Misphia’s orders, the pirates started carrying back their plunder
from the enemy vessel.

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“She’s gotten mighty comfortable with things,” remarked a one-eyed
high elf standing beside Geizeric.
“This is Ms. Lilinrala,” Geizeric introduced to Misphia.
“Cut the ‘Ms.’ crap. I’m just Lilinrala.”
Misphia beheld the grinning pair, and the tan young woman quickly
found herself smiling as well.

Geizeric’s crew had attacked a western port on the dark continent

that was filled with dwarves and orcs. The area was rife with armor,
weapons, and monsters that were unheard of on the continent of
Avalon.
Odd weapons like a thin-bladed, whip-like sword, a mechanical
hammer that worked by setting off an alchemic explosive powder to
fire an anchor bolt, a giant’s skull attached to a chain, or a dwarven
mechanical bow that fired arrows one after the other simply by
pulling a trigger.
The pirates sated themselves with combat, running around and
cheering as they carried off treasures.
And as Geizeric escaped to the seas in his boat, several shadows
leaped into the air to follow.
“Hard starboard and full speed ahead!” Geizeric shouted.
Gandor of the Wind’s elite wyvern knights were flying through the
skies.
“Cap’n! Maybe we shouldn’t have tried to steal loot from the demon
lord’s army!”
“What’s a pirate doin’ getting scared of some demon lord!”
There was a brilliant flash and thunderous boom at their backs.

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“Uwaaaah!”
One pirate shouted as another ship was sent to the bottom of the
ocean by a streak of lightning.
“A Storm Javelin spell?! Who did that?!”
“Me.”
A white-haired wind demon astride a wyvern looked down at the
pirates with a bolt of electricity in its hands.
“One of Gandor’s kin! We created enough trouble for an upper-tier
demon general to show up!” Lilinrala shouted.
She had lost her own boat during the fighting, so she had come
aboard Geizeric’s.
The demon summoned another crackling spear.
“Your ship is quite the relic. Did you steal it from a museum? Are you
an outcast of the plains people? Whatever could have possessed you
to attack our warehouse?”
“Who asked you?! No pirate worth their salt would turn their back
on plunder just sitting there in front of them!” Geizeric shot back.
“You call yourself a pirate with a boat like that? Incomprehensible. It
matters not. You’ll be dying here.”
“D-dammit! Quit floating around up there! Get down here and face
me like a man!” Geizeric shouted, waving his saber.
The wind demon showed no signs of acquiescing. Instead, it hurled
more Storm Javelins down.
“Wind Control!”
Misphia formed a seal and activated her magic. The air shrouding the
Storm Javelin dissipated unnaturally, flowing into a powerful tailwind
in the ship’s sails.

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“What?!” For the first time, the demon’s confident expression
cracked.
A Storm Javelin tracked its target, and Misphia’s intermediate arcane
magic spell Wind Control wasn’t enough to stop it. Knowing this, she
had instead used her power to push the boat.
As the spear of lightning drew closer, the ship would accelerate in
response. The boat and javelins moved in tandem, quickly leaving
the demons behind.
“Yahooo!” Geizeric cheered. Unfortunately, the gale carrying the
boat was rapidly growing too intense. The masts were starting to
bend and creak.
“Cap’n! The ship can’t take it! She’s gonna break!” one of the pirates
called out, on the verge of tears.
However, Geizeric just grinned and kicked the mast, laughing off his
crew’s worries.
“She ain’t gonna break! If she wants to call herself my ship, she’ll
show her guts!”
“Don’t be absurd,” Misphia responded, astonished.
“Bein’ a pirate means doin’ the absurd day in and day out! Ga-ha-ha-
ha!”
“I…can’t argue with that.”
Despite the perilous situation, or perhaps because of it, Misphia and
Geizeric laughed together.
“I was plannin’ to get you to teach me how to act like a proper king,
but looks like you learned how to be a proper buccaneer first!”
“And whose fault do you think that is? You better take
responsibility.”
Geizeric’s grin widened at that remark.

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Chapter 4: Conflicting Goals
Mistorm seemed to be enjoying herself as she regaled us with the
story of her early years.
“We rampaged all around the dark continent’s coasts. In the end, we
stole the demon lord’s ship and returned to Veronia.”
“What happened next?” Rit urged her to keep going.
Mistorm’s tale was both a romance of a cast-out princess meeting a
pirate and an epic adventure that spanned the world. To Rit, it must
have seemed an exciting tale.
“The demon lord’s ship employed technology unknown to Avalon. It
was an enormous iron battleship that used steam and magic to
move. Duke Oslo couldn’t hope to match us when we returned with
it. It was around that time that the goblin king was causing panic all
across Veronia. In exchange for helping maintain the peace, Geizeric
was made a noble.”
I knew what came next from history. With the army at his command,
Geizeric led a coup d’état and defeated Mistorm’s father, the king of
Veronia.
“I still see it sometimes in my dreams.”
Mistorm closed her eyes.

Pirates kicked open the door to the throne room.

“Misphia! You are my daughter and a princess! You would bring the
royal line to ruin?!” exclaimed the king.
Misphia did not falter, however, standing firmly by Geizeric’s side.
“Father, a nation must be strong. Royalty who are only used by
degenerate nobles like Duke Oslo, who lose over half of their lands

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from repeated defeats, and who can’t even protect their villages
from the goblin king… What value is there in royalty who cling to
their crumbling authority and bicker among themselves?”
“And what would you have me do?! I am ruler in name only! I
inherited a pitiful royal army that could not best mere bands of
thieves and retainers who embezzled from the treasury with
impunity! What could anyone do in that situation?!”
“That complacency is your sin! Rather than lamenting the
incompetents around you, you should have helped those who relied
on the royal family!” Misphia roared, denouncing her parent.
The king of Veronia hung his head, crestfallen.
“I take it you know what you must do, then.”
“Yes.”
Misphia’s father looked to Geizeric, the next Veronian king.
“You are strong, wise, and brave, Geizeric—wholly unlike myself.”
“…”
“I have but one thing to say to you… Show no mercy.”
“What?”
“Should you leave even one member of the royal family alive, people
will rally to them and resist. If you would be king, you must show no
mercy. Benevolence breeds revenge. Magnanimity leads to blood.
That is what it means to rule.”
Misphia’s father drew his sword and held it to his neck.
“Geizeric, is it true that you possess the Divine Blessing of the
Emperor?”
“Yes.”

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“Then this is only natural. How enviable. Do you know my Divine
Blessing?”
“No, Misphia told me she never learned it, either.”
“Indeed. Because it’s not something to be shared widely. Only a
select few were ever informed. My Divine Blessing is Herbalist. From
the start, I was ill-suited to the life of a ruler… I would have rather
sold medicine in a small apothecary.”
A sad smile crossed the man’s lips as he closed his eyes, pressed the
sword to his neck, and thrust.
The royal aides screamed. Geizeric closed his eyes in a brief show of
respect for the dead king. Heeding the late man’s advice, he then
slaughtered everyone still left alive.

“But we didn’t kill Leonor,” Mistorm said.

“The other princess of Veronia, huh?” I knew Queen Leonor. And the
mention of her brought back an unpleasant memory.
Noticing my expression, Rit asked, “Red?” She looked concerned.
“No, it’s nothing.” I shook my head, urging Mistorm to continue.
I trusted Mistorm, but there was no need for me to say that I had
met her sibling.
“My younger sister… Leonor immediately turned over her husband
Pietro to Geizeric and pledged her loyalty to us. What would the
remaining nobles think if we killed someone who had surrendered? If
they believed conceding wasn’t enough to earn mercy and
forgiveness, then they would’ve had no choice but to fight to the
last. Our forces had overwhelmed all of the aristocrats, but if the
fighting dragged on, other countries might get involved, sensing

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opportunity. To quell the chaos as quickly as possible, there was no
alternative but to send Leonor to a convent.”
Mistorm smiled wryly.
“The best choice would probably have been to have her assassinated
in the cloister once everything was over. Ahh, but I was naïve. Father
was right. In the end, I was forced to leave, and Leonor took the seat
next to King Geizeric.”
“What? But there was more between you and Geizeric than just
personal gain! He loved you, didn’t he?!” Rit argued, unable to
accept it.
Mistorm shook her head.
“Geizeric’s blessing is Emperor. His role is to be ruler. That doesn’t
end with taking the throne. He needed a son—a prince—who would
inherit both Geizeric’s blood and that of the previous royal lineage.
Geizeric was an upstart, self-made noble who began as a pirate. He
required something to legitimize his offspring.”
“Then why not you…?” Rit questioned.
“Three children stillborn. I nearly died with them… I couldn’t bear to
see my babies so terribly silent.”
Sorrowful tears formed in Rit’s eyes.
No… Wait a second! I thought, realizing something.
“Isn’t Prince Salius your child? He dropped in the line of succession
because his mother—you—went missing, right?”
“And that is the root of the problem plaguing Zoltan. The mistake
Lilinrala and I made.”
“You don’t mean he’s…”

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“He isn’t my son. Salius is a child whom Lilinrala brought in when my
third baby was born dead. He was an orphan with the same colored
hair and eyes as Geizeric.”
If word of that got out, it would shake Veronia to its foundation.
“Geizeric had already taken Leonor into his harem at that point,
because he desperately needed a child who would carry on the
previous royal line. If Leonor had gotten pregnant first, Lilinrala and
the faction who remained from our pirating days would have been in
danger.”
“So Lilinrala was disloyal to Geizeric,” Yarandrala stated, visibly
indignant. To a high elf, betraying someone was more shameful than
anything. She couldn’t accept the choice Lilinrala had made.
“She didn’t have any other option,” Mistorm defended.
“I look away for a few years, and she forgets what it means to be a
high elf,” Yarandrala hissed. “I should have finished her off when she
became a pirate.”
She was furious.
“I understand your feelings, Yarandrala, but please don’t go charging
out to her ship to take her on, okay?” I entreated.
“Mrgh.” She crossed her arms and growled.
“Really, I’m begging you here!”
Yarandrala really looked like she wanted to go on a rampage…
“I can’t forgive King Geizeric for being so heartless!” Rit shouted
abruptly. “No matter how strong the impulses, letting Mistorm’s
most bitter enemy into his bed is unforgivable!”
“I get it, but there’s not much point in arguing with Mistorm,” I
replied.

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“If it were me, I wouldn’t consider anyone other than you,” Rit fired
back. I had no idea how to reply to that.
“Look, let’s not get too far off the topic, all right?” I said clumsily.
Mistorm laughed at my reaction.
“Yes, yes, let’s continue the story.” It must have been a painful
subject to revisit, but the old woman’s expression didn’t appear
troubled. Her time in Zoltan had turned her experiences in Veronia
into just memories. “I’ve already covered the biggest point about
Prince Salius and Lilinrala’s relationship. Other than that…”
“Could you tell us why you left Veronia? Your positions should have
been protected with the replacement prince Lilinrala found,” I
stated.
“I don’t know how she caught wind of it, but Leonor knew about
Salius and threatened me, demanding that I disappear. At the time, I
was totally broken. I had resigned myself to the idea that Lilinrala
and I would be executed, but Salius was innocent. Even if he
wouldn’t be king, I still wanted him to live in peace.”
“And that’s why you did as Leonor instructed?”
“Yes, I left Veronia without saying a word. That allowed Leonor to
become Geizeric’s true wife and her children rose above Salius in the
line of succession.”
Mistorm was yet another cast-out who had found her way to Zoltan.
“I see. Now it all makes sense.”
Naturally, I had my opinions about Mistorm’s life, but the priority
was resolving the issue at hand.
There was no doubt that Prince Salius and his Veronian forces were
searching for Mistorm. They knew they were searching for someone
with an Archmage blessing who would’ve arrived in Zoltan roughly
forty-five years ago, so finding Mistorm in the holy church’s records

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would be a simple task. Mistorm’s blessing was rare and high-level—
there was no one in Zoltan with one like it. Prince Salius presumably
hoped to locate Mistorm and return her to Veronia to reclaim his
position as primary candidate for the throne.
It was a dangerous path to tread, but if he wanted to advance
himself, there was little alternative.
“But Lilinrala’s goal is different.”
She didn’t want Mistorm returning to Veronia. Her aim was to
eliminate the old woman before Prince Salius could make contact
with her.
“She’s probably worried that Leonor will reveal the truth about
Prince Salius if you come back,” I said.
“That’s what I think, too, though I can’t say for sure,” Mistorm
agreed.
“Demanding the holy church’s registers to find you without revealing
that he’s searching for a queen. It makes sense on the surface, but
most everyone in Zoltan knows the Archmage Mistorm. Prince Salius
should’ve discovered who you were rather quickly.”
“True,” Rit replied, nodding. “That’s something you could figure out
by looking into normal records. You wouldn’t even have to ask
around.”
“Let’s see if we can make sense of this, then. What if the prince
received a report that the queen might be in Zoltan, so he ordered
Lilinrala to find her? Lilinrala panicked, however, because finding the
queen could ruin both her and the prince,” I suggested. It certainly
explained why she’d chosen a more indirect method. “After buying
herself time, Lilinrala sent those stray assassins to kill Mistorm.”
“Everything starts to make sense when you put it that way,” Rit said.

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“Well, aren’t you something?” Mistorm shook her head in
amazement. “So long as you’re in Zoltan, I can retire without worry.”
I smiled a bit at that. She had said the same thing to Ruti as well.
Feeling like I was comparable to Ruti nearly made me blush.
“All right. So now it’s a question of what to do next,” I stated.
“Mhm.”
“I’ll report back to Ruti, and then my job here will be done.”
Resolving everything wasn’t my job here. It’d be fine to entrust
things to my sister.
“Hah, I see, I see. You’re better at this than I was,” Mistorm
commented with a laugh. “As mayor, I tried to solve everything
myself. With someone like you around, Zoltan’s future looks bright.”
“I’ve got no intention of becoming mayor,” I replied.
“That’s okay. You need only do what you believe is best for your
home. If everyone follows that creed, things will be fine. While I
knew that myself, I still couldn’t help but try to solve issues on my
own in my younger days.”
It sounded like Mistorm still had a few regrets from her time as
mayor.
“You’re all good as you are. I can’t wait to see the sort of Zoltan you
build.”
Mistorm appeared to be in fair spirits, but Rit and I both understood
the underlying feeling. She believed that Zoltan was in good hands
without her, so she could turn herself over to Lilinrala if the situation
began to look like it would take a turn for the worse.
“I don’t want that,” Rit whispered to me.

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“Yeah, me neither,” I responded quietly. After collecting myself, I
said, “All right, that’s all for the conversation regarding Mistorm.
Now Rit and I should take care of our original goal.”
Yarandrala cocked her head. “Your original goal?”
With all the excitement, I’d nearly forgotten about it myself, but we
had originally wanted to consult Yarandrala about harvesting
coconuts.
“I was hoping to get your advice on something.” I started to explain
the situation to Yarandrala. Mistorm smiled, evidently enjoying
herself as she listened.

With the discussion finished, we all took a break.

The sun had begun to sink into the horizon, so the plan was to stay
the night here and head back to Zoltan in the morning.
Mistorm’s house had been scorched in the fighting, but Tisse and
Mister Crawly Wawly were helping the old people of the village to
clean it up.
“Queen Leonor, huh?” I muttered.
Rit and I were relaxing in the guest room.
“There are a lot of nasty rumors about her,” Rit noted.
“She’s at the center of the pro-demon lord’s army faction in Veronia.
Some nobles in Avalonia call her an enemy of humanity.”

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Page | 176
Rit rested her chin on her palm. “An enemy of humanity… Most
people in Loggervia hate her, too, since she’s the architect of
Veronia’s non-aggression pact with the demon lord’s armies.”
“You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who thought well of her in
Avalonia,” I stated.
“But is that really all there is to her? I mean, there’s no mistaking
she’s a terrible woman—she drove Mistorm out of Veronia, after all.
But there are different levels of evil.”
An old memory came to mind, and I grimaced. “Yeah, about that.”
“By any chance, have you met her before?” Rit questioned. She must
have noticed my expression.
“I have. Before I was knighted, when I was still a squire.”
Few non-Veronians had laid eyes on Queen Leonor. She was the type
of queen who focused more on dealing with the aristocrats of her
own country and didn’t take the foreign stage. The best way to
describe it might’ve been to compare her to Lilinrala. One led the
navy, and the other controlled the land-holding vassals.
Six years ago, I had gone to Veronia with the old knight I served.
Our mission was one of diplomacy and investigation.
At the time, the conflict between Veronia and Avalonia had died
down some, and we were moving toward reconciliation. The chief
diplomat of Veronia favored mutual peace, and my knight master
was negotiating with him. Thus, I was tasked with investigating the
situation in Veronia and reporting back. My work was proceeding
smoothly when I ran into her.

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“She looked like a doll. I couldn’t imagine her being older than a
teenager,” I described.
Rit gawked. “Huh?! But she’s Mistorm’s sister, right?! She must have
been nearly seventy!”
“Undoubtedly, she used magic and alchemy to mess with her body
and maintain her appearance. The method consumes heaps of
expensive magical ingredients, however.”
I didn’t know much about the recipe for maintaining youth beyond
that, though. It was a tightly kept secret passed down among a small
group of alchemists.
“She concealed her identity and tried to lure me over to Veronia’s
side. I refused, of course, but…” I trailed off.
“But?” Rit pressed, eager to hear more.
“She was furious. She revealed who she was and broke down the
reconciliation talks. Then she ordered the army to hit Avalonia with a
surprise attack.”
“Negotiations fell apart because she got mad?!” Rit exclaimed.
“Not only that, my superior and I were caught and almost executed,”
I continued.
“What?! Executing a diplomat?! That would cause a lot more than a
minor diplomatic scuffle!”
“I was really nervous. Knowing that a full-on war might break out if
we died, we tried desperately to escape. It was awful.”
“If Avalonia and Veronia had started fighting, the human kingdoms
would have been destroyed in no time once the demon lord’s army
came,” Rit said.
“I only found out later, but Lilinrala had apparently managed to pull
the army back at the border. Unfortunately, Leonor just used that to

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strengthen her own position by spreading rumors that Lilinrala had
become a coward in her old age.”
“Hmm. I can’t tell if she’s brilliant or an idiot.” Rit was royalty, too—
the princess of Loggervia, a nation known for its clashes with its
neighbors. Thus, she understood that there were different levels of
conflict. She knew that as long as neither side went too far,
arguments did not have to end in battle. To Rit, Leonor likely seemed
a fool of a queen who nearly started a war over some tantrum.
“Anyway, it’s a good thing Leonor won’t be coming to Zoltan. She
knows who I am, and she’s not an easy person to deal with,” I
remarked.
Rit narrowed her eyes. “So there are enemies even you have trouble
dealing with.”
“Of course there are. But I was still just a knight in training back
then… I’d like to think I could handle things better now.”
“I want to hear more about that story later!”
“Sure. We can talk it over after we get back to Zoltan and the
situation has calmed down.”
I hadn’t told Rit much about my time with the knights. It might be
nice to reminisce about that with her. I took my bag of medicine and
stood.
“Where are you going?” Rit asked.
“I was thinking of having a look at the people living here. I was a little
curious before.”
“Ah, yeah, it is a hidden village, after all.” Rit rose from her seat, too.
“Okay, then I’ll be Dr. Red’s assistant.”
“Ha-ha, you know I’m not a doctor.”
“Don’t sweat the small stuff!”

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There was no dissuading her when she got like this. Rit flashed a grin,
and seeing her adorable face, I couldn’t help smiling back.

After informing Tisse of what we were going to do, Rit and I headed
outside. A bird was cawing in the night somewhere. I set my sights
on the home I was searching for and knocked politely.
“Just a second.” The door opened, and an old woman we had seen
when we first came to the village appeared. “Oh, if it isn’t the young
miss’s guests. I heard quite the ruckus earlier. Are you all right?”
“Yes, we’re fine, thank you ma’am. If you don’t mind me asking, are
you having difficulty with your left eye?”
She raised a hand to the spot in question and smiled wryly. “You’re
quite observant, dear. It has been giving me some trouble.”
“I run an apothecary, you see. And I brought some medicine that
should help,” I said.
“I’d love that, but even the young miss’s magic couldn’t heal it. Can a
common curative really do anything?” the elderly woman inquired.
“It’s precisely because it’s not magic that it can.”
Healing spells were convenient, but their effects removed the source
of a disease or sickness. Unfortunately, even if the pathogen was
removed, magic didn’t repair the internal damage caused by that
pathogen. That was why it had been so crucial to treat Tanta’s white-
eye early. Restoring any vision loss would require regeneration magic
once the disease had been expunged. There were few people
capable of that feat, however. The Archmage blessing that had the
ability to remove pathogens couldn’t do anything more.

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Medicine was different, though. A body that was unable to function
properly due to sickness could be restored to some extent by drugs
made using herbs and alchemy, though slower than a spell.
“I think the nerves in your eye have been hurt. If I’m not mistaken,
your field of vision has narrowed,” I explained.
Rit retrieved a small vial out of the bag. I accepted it from her and
showed it to the old lady.
“If you use these eye drops, your sight should improve a little, and
the medicine will prevent further deterioration. Regretfully, I can’t
fully cure the issue, but your vision should be as strong as anyone
else’s for another ten years or so.”
“Oooh,” the old woman marveled. “Please, come on in. No point
standing around chatting.”

“Thank you both for the information. I’d like to buy those drops.”
After we had gone over everything, the old woman nodded. She took
the medicine that I handed over and gave me forty quarter payrils.
“I’ll come by with some more when that starts to run out,” I said.
“I’d appreciate that. We don’t get any traveling merchants around
here, so all we can do is have the young miss buy things we can’t
make ourselves.”
“Is there no doctor in the village?” Rit asked.
The old woman shook her head. “We used to have old man Ruy, the
ship’s doctor…but he’s sailing new seas in his next life now.”
“I see.”

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“Oh, since you’re here, could you perhaps take a look at the others?
There’s no one but us old folks here, and we’ve all got some wear
and tear.”
“Sure,” I answered. “I was planning to visit everyone. And I’ll be sure
to come by once a month to sell medicine, too.”
“In that case, it may be easier to gather everyone here. A few folks
are bedridden, however. If you could examine them when you’re
done, that would be lovely,” the old woman said.
“Got it. I’ve got the time, so we’ll make sure everyone receives the
care they need.”
With that, I set to work diagnosing villagers, selling curatives I had on
hand, and taking orders for my next visit.

Speaking with all the villages and visiting those who couldn’t leave
their homes ended up taking quite a while.
“Thanks for your help, Rit. I’ve got plenty of experience tending to
wounded people, but dealing with the troubles of the elderly has its
unique challenges.”
“No problem. I only did what you told me to, though. My knowledge
ends at the basic first aid stuff I picked up as an adventurer.”
“Your assistance allowed me to focus on providing the best care.
Seriously, thank you, Rit.”
“Heh-heh.”
“It was a lot of effort, but we sold a pretty good amount of medicine.
Handling an entire village’s needs will be good for our sales,” I
commented.

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After discovering a new group of customers, Rit and I were in high
spirits. As we were walking together, Rit suddenly asked, “Do you
remember the sales numbers I calculated when we started out?”
“Of course. The day we reunited in Zoltan is an important one to
me.”
“…Our sales since then have been much, much better than I would
ever have guessed. You really are amazing, Red.”
“It’s only because you’ve been by my side through it all. It wouldn’t
have gone nearly as smoothly without you.”
I wouldn’t have solved Zoltan’s oil problem were it not for Rit. My
successes were all because of her guidance.
“Thank you, Red. I’m glad I could support you.”
“You know, I often wonder how to repay you,” I admitted.
“Being yours is enough.”
We were whispering to each other, our shoulders touching as we
walked. As we approached Mistorm’s house, we noticed Bishop
Shien standing out in front.
“Thank you for your hard work, Red, Rit.” He had a gentle smile as he
greeted us.
“Bishop Shien, how’s that wound feeling?” I inquired.
“I still feel a little bit sluggish. I guess I can’t be as reckless as I was in
my youth.” He chuckled wryly. “You two have been examining the
locals, right? You have my gratitude.”
The man who stood at the head of Zoltan’s holy church bowed
deeply in a show of appreciation for two humble apothecaries. I was
at a loss for words, in shock. He raised his head to show that he was
grinning.

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“Because of Mistorm’s secret, we couldn’t tell others about this
village. Still, it hurt to know that we were forcing heroes who once
saved Zoltan to live in such an inconvenient situation. I’m truly
appreciative.”
“Ah, they’re the Veronian pirates who came with Mistorm, then?” I
said.
“Yes. Each is a champion who safeguarded Zoltan from the
shadows.”
Comrades from when Mistorm had sailed with Geizeric. They had
given up everything to follow Mistorm when she could no longer stay
in Veronia and had remained by her side to this day.
“They really idolize her.”
“Naturally. Apparently, Mistorm kicked Geizeric and the rest of the
crew into action when she joined. The ship was teeming with mold,
making it an awful place to live. Mistorm was the one who got them
to clean. She did research and worked with the ship’s cook to
prepare foods necessary for long journeys. Honestly, it sounds like
she did it all. Get any one of these old timers a drink, and they’ll
always talk about how ‘the young miss was the best captain.’”
I smiled at the thought of Princess Misphia transforming into
Mistorm sailing the seas. It must have been a never-ending series of
culture shocks.
“You know… I can hold my own in a fight well enough, but it seems
that heroes are often hidden in plain sight,” Bishop Shien
commented. “Just who are you, Red? Your sister, too, for that
matter.”
“I’m just a simple shopkeeper running a little apothecary, and my
younger sister is just an up-and-coming medicinal herb farmer.”

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“It was tasteless of me to ask. My apologies,” Bishop Shien replied,
closing his eyes and putting his hands together. “That you would be
in Zoltan during its hour of need can only be the work of Lord Demis.
I’m eternally grateful.”
The Lord Demis’s work, huh? I thought. If this really was God’s plan, it
was a pretty twisted one.
I laughed awkwardly to myself at that thought, but I understood this
had nothing to do with any deity’s intentions. It was Ruti, Rit, Tisse,
and I. We were here because of our choices, not Demis’s.

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Chapter 5: Wolf Rit and a Moonlit Night
On the morning of the following day, we left the secluded village.
Three of the riding drakes were gone, so Bishop Shien took the one
left, Rit and Tisse rode the spirit dire wolf that Rit summoned, and I
ran alongside.
I didn’t want people to see me moving this swiftly, so Rit used her
Aspect of Wolf to confirm there was no one else nearby.
We reached Zoltan before noon. Rit and I stopped at home to change
out of our dirty clothes and then went to see Ruti.
“Welcome back, Big Brother.”
For some reason, Ruti was sitting in the mayor’s seat. The actual
mayor, Tornado, was beside her, where the secretary would
normally be, quietly going through paperwork.
What’s going on?
“I had to ask Ms. Ruhr for instructions on so many things that it was
easier for her to deal with issues first while I followed up and verified
things afterward,” Mayor Tornado explained with a smile.
“You didn’t have to change seats, though,” I said.
“This building has been designed to run with the person in the
mayor’s chair at its heart. The secretary’s seat and the mayor’s are
beside each other, but it makes the most sense that I sit here for
now.” Tornado gathered up his paperwork and stood.
“I imagine you’ve got something private to discuss. I can step out.”
“No, I’d like you to be here for it as well,” Ruti stated, stopping the
mayor.
“I see. In that case, I’ll join you,” Tornado replied before sitting down
again.

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He was clearly doing his best to make it easier for Ruti to act, but he
wasn’t blindly entrusting everything to her, either. Mayor Tornado
was considering what was best while supporting Ruti.
My respect for him grew a little when I realized that. In terms of
political ability, Tornado was undoubtedly not as skilled as Prince
Salius or Lilinrala, but he was honest with himself about what he
could and couldn’t do and always gave careful thought to what was
necessary.
If you asked me, the fact that he was mayor was as much a blessing
as Ruti’s presence in Zoltan. And Ruti appeared to agree.
Zoltan was a small frontier region without any military or economic
might, but there were all sorts of people here.
“Prince Salius is looking for Mistorm…,” Rit divulged.
Ruti nodded quietly. The mayor’s face turned red and then paled in
shock. He wiped the sweat that was forming on his brow with his
handkerchief.
He certainly gave the impression of being unreliable. Still, he
remained where he was and listened to the end.
It was natural for strong people not to run, but the mayor was a
small-time, backwater politician. This was a battle far beyond his
capabilities, yet he held his ground.
Zoltan was a good place. It was fortunate I’d chosen to settle down
here.
“What do you think we should do, Big Brother?” Ruti asked once
she’d heard everything.
“About that… If Zoltan is going to protect Mistorm, then I think it
would be best to negotiate with Lilinrala,” I responded.

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“Mhm. I agree. Lilinrala aims to keep Prince Salius and Mistorm from
meeting, which is at odds with the prince’s goal of taking Mistorm
back to Veronia,” said Ruti.
I nodded. “If negotiations proceed smoothly, it should be possible to
keep both sides from getting hurt.”
“But it will be hard to move quickly. If the secret gets out, Lilinrala
will move to get rid of everyone with any connection to it,” my sister
remarked.
“Yeah, that’s pretty likely… In that case, why not just wait and watch
for a little longer?” I suggested.
“Having lost her subordinates and the stray assassins, she should be
getting impatient. It won’t be long before she makes a move
herself,” Ruti stated.
“Let her take her best shot if she wants,” Rit declared.
The first lesson of the sword was not to fear being cut—to have the
will to take a hit and still win.
“Mistorm’s existence isn’t a weakness for Zoltan; it’s a strength. Both
Prince Salius and Lilinrala are bound by her being here. So if we wait,
they’ll have to make a move,” I said.
“Mhm, let’s do that.” Ruti bobbed her head in agreement,
apparently pleased that I was thinking along the same lines as her.
“So we won’t be handing Master Mistorm over, then… Thank
goodness…” Mayor Tornado looked relieved after hearing Ruti’s
verdict.

An emergency the following morning had Ruti hurrying to see me.

I quickly changed, and we took off together toward her farm.

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“Red,” Tisse called, waving from beside their greenhouse.
It was clear from her eyes that the situation wasn’t a pleasant one.
Ruti and I went into the greenhouse.
“What should we do, Big Brother…?”
She grabbed my sleeve anxiously. There was no trace of the girl
fortified by the Hero’s immunities. She was just Ruti, a normal young
woman fretting over the scene before us.
“Hmmm.”
I looked closely at the tiny buds of gray starfish grass lying limply on
the ground. Ruti and Tisse were growing the herb in one corner of
the greenhouse. The sprouts were visibly weakened. Typically, gray
starfish grass had firm roots, and the seedlings sprang up straight.
Yet these ones were wilted.
“Why?” Ruti asked.
“Mold,” I answered, using a trowel to scoop up some of the soil to
show her. Careful examination revealed that the dirt a few
centimeters below the surface had started to turn a yellow shade.
“The soil’s color has changed.”
Ruti and Tisse stared at the soil there on the trowel.
“It’s cold mold. It absorbs heat from its surroundings to grow,” I
explained.
“I’ve seen it in caves and ruins, but it was bigger then,” Ruti
commented.
“It’s only an issue out adventuring when it’s thriving in large
colonies.”
Cold mold was one of the many types of fungi that grew throughout
the continent. It was a unique specimen that absorbed the warmth
of its surroundings to reproduce. When its radius extended past half

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a meter, it was called a colony, and when the radius reached ten
meters, it was referred to as a territory. At that size, any source of
heat—including living creatures—that drew near experienced
sudden heat loss. It was enough that, for people who had a low
blessing level, thirty seconds of exposure could make them faint.
So long as you moved away quickly to get warm, you’d be fine.
However, if you were injured and unable to escape, it could be
lethal.
Examining the soil, I said, “It will hardly ever grow into a colony in
civilized places, but it can reproduce in small quantities in warm soil
like this.”
The cold mold was lowering the temperature of the dirt, causing the
gray starfish grass to weaken.
“How did cold mold…,” Ruti muttered.
“It was probably dormant in the soil. Normally, it hibernates during
winter, and only a small amount remains. The greenhouse must have
revitalized it,” I surmised.
I guess you could say Ruti and Tisse had been unlucky. But it was
almost a given that something unforeseen would happen during the
process of changing the land over to a new crop. Undoubtedly, a few
more problems would also arise during the first year.
“…” Ruti slumped over sadly.
“Since you noticed it so quickly, there might still be time to take
some countermeasures,” I encouraged.
“Countermeasures? The plants can be saved?”
“Yeah, though there’s no guarantee.”
Cold mold was dangerous, but from what I observed, it hadn’t spread
too much. Unlike molds that directly parasitized plants, if you

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removed the cold mold and then raised the temperature of the soil
again, the crops had a chance at survival.
Because Ruti had recognized the issue this morning and come to me
immediately, I believed there was enough time to rescue the herbs.
“We’ve gotta strike quickly. I’ll prepare something to kill off the cold
mold,” I said.
“Okay!”
Leaving the farm to Tisse, Ruti and I quickly went to buy the
ingredients I needed.

After diluting the necessary chemical several times over, we carefully

spread it around the plot and then checked the condition below the
surface. Things appeared to be going our way. Fortunately, cold mold
was not especially resilient. If all went well, it would be gone by the
next morning.
“After making sure the mold is dead from the soil tomorrow, you
should lay out coarse fabric over the ground to warm it up some,” I
advised.
“Got it.” Ruti clenched her fists in front of her chest as she answered.
There was a powerful determination in her eyes. She wanted to save
those medicinal herb sprouts.
Ironically, she’d never displayed that kind of conviction while she
was the Hero.
“You did well to notice it.”
“Mhm.”
I started to reach my hand out to pat her head.
“Whoops.”

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I stopped myself, though. My hand was dirty from working with the
soil. I couldn’t mess up my sister’s clean blue locks.
Ruti pouted when she saw me stop. “Mrgh.” She grabbed my hand
with both of hers, pulling it over and placing it on her head.
“You’ll get dirty.”
“I’ll take a bath after, so it’s fine.”
She pressed her head against my palm, as if to confirm the feel of it. I
couldn’t help smiling at that.
“Fine, I get it. You did great, Ruti. That’s my little sister for you,” I
praised her while petting her head gently, hoping not to get her too
messy.
“Mhm, I’m your little sister.”
The corners of Ruti’s mouth curved slightly as she smiled happily.
I was hit by the urge to wrap her in a big hug when I saw her cute
little gesture. However, I managed to contain myself.

When I departed the greenhouse, I saw Tisse sitting down to feed

Mister Crawly Wawly an insect after she had finished taking care of
the other herbs she and Ruti were raising.
“Thanks for your help… Is everything all right?”
“Yeah. Good thing you two caught the problem so quickly. Some of
the sprouts are probably going to go bad, but the majority will
recover.”
“That’s good.” Tisse breathed a sigh of relief.
Mister Crawly Wawly spread his legs, slumping his stomach to the
ground in apparent relief. I grinned at the sight.

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“Mister Crawly Wawly felt guilty that he didn’t notice the cold mold
sooner. He said he would’ve recognized it immediately had he
walked over the soil,” Tisse explained.
He did seem to be a bit down. Almost sad.
“I see. Getting his help with managing things might be a good idea
going forward,” I replied.
There probably weren’t many farmers who could sense the dirt’s
condition as well as he could.
In apparent response to what I said, Mister Crawly Wawly spun his
front legs as if to declare, “I’ll do my best!”
“Red.” Tisse stood up, looking me straight in the eye. “Before I met
all of you, I would never have imagined such a tranquil daily life
working the land. The old me wouldn’t have been comfortable
spending time like this with an enemy ship so close by. Truthfully, I
may have simply assassinated Prince Salius.”
The words were in jest, but if Tisse ever got serious, that would likely
be a simple feat for her. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly; the
changes in her expression were as minor as always.
“I like this, though.”
“I see.”
Seeing the barely recognizable smile on her face, I grinned, too.
Tisse was a precious friend.

At noon, I left the shop to Rit and went over to see Yarandrala.
“Red!” Spotting me from far away, she ran straight over instead of
just waving. “You came!”

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She didn’t bother to slow down at all, charging straight into a big
hug. I smiled awkwardly as I supported her weight.
“Tch… Red, you jerk…”
The workers nearby glared at me with scary looks in their eyes!
You’ve got it wrong! High elves just get overly touchy with friends!
It isn’t what you think!
My mental excuses floated into the Zoltan sky without reaching
anyone, however.
I finally peeled Yarandrala away and managed to get a look at how
the work was proceeding.
“How are the coconut trees?” I inquired.
“They’re fine,” Yarandrala responded, puffing out her chest. “Each is
brimming with vitality. We’re only harvesting the coconuts to make a
couple of months’ worth of oil. I know the people in Zoltan like to
take it easy, but they’re listening to my instructions and taking
proper care of the plants. So I’ve got no complaints!”
“Great! Thank you, Yarandrala!”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help!”
When it came to caring for the trees we were using to harvest
coconuts for oil, Yarandrala was more knowledgeable and skilled
than the botanists in Central. She had researched how much would
be best to gather from how many trees and had drawn up a plan that
anyone could comprehend.
“Heh-heh,” Yarandrala chuckled happily. “This is the first time you’ve
come to ask me for assistance with plants instead of something
connected to fighting or adventures.”
“Only because my life was nonstop combat until I came here.”

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“I’m glad. Really I am. I always wanted to try growing things with
you.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck, gazed into my eyes, and
beamed.
“When the stuff with Lilinrala is cleared up, let’s raise some flowers
together. I’m sure the ones we grow will bloom beautifully.”
Yarandrala kissed my cheek and then returned to the workers.
“Growing flowers, huh? Seems she’s taken a liking to Zoltan, too.” I
smiled while watching her go.
Being inundated by hateful glares was getting frightening, however,
so I decided to make for the oil refinery.
Despite the name, it was only a gazebo that kept out the sun.
Laborers were extracting oil from the coconuts. They were using the
recipe I had designed, so I looked around and gave a few people
some advice.
“It doesn’t look like there are any problems here.”
Everyone was working hard, even in the chilly air of winter. It was a
rather un-Zoltan-like show of effort.
“If only they were so serious all the time… Nah, that would get too
stressful, I guess.”
“Yes, I agree,” came a familiar voice. Turning around, I saw the trader
I had spoken to at the Merchants Guild. Apparently, the guild had
tasked him with observing the operation. “Folks are working
diligently because the job’s only just begun. Once they get used to it,
they’ll remember to slack off here and there.
Scratching my cheek, I responded, “Ha-ha, that’s a bit of a problem,
though I guess it fits for Zoltan.”

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“We’ve already distributed several barrels, and the response has
been favorable. It doesn’t have the odor of fish oil, so there were
some who wanted to make the switch to coconut oil going forward.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Thankfully, it doesn’t seem as though we’ll have an issue with
supplies, despite that Veronian ship’s best efforts. It would be deadly
for business if the market stagnated, but as long as there is still
something to move, we’ll get by.”
“Income will drop, though,” I commented.
“The guild will manage things with subsidies to keep people from
going under completely,” the merchant assured. The incident had
likely hit him harder than anyone, yet his face remained bright. “This
is all because of you and Rit. You have my gratitude.”
Appreciation for Red the apothecary instead of Gideon and his
sword—I couldn’t explain it, but it made me very happy.

After that, I went back to the shop.

The customers were sparse, so I chatted casually while selling them
whatever medicine they required.
Although worried about the Veronian battleship, the people of
Zoltan retained their “it will figure itself out tomorrow” personalities
and went about their daily lives.
After closing up in the evening, Rit and I had a nice dinner with Ruti,
Tisse, and Yarandrala, and after the three of them left, Rit and I got
into the bath together to wash.
We took our time to get warm, and I made some hot milk while Rit
cared for her hair.
It was just our normal, everyday life.

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After the sun had gone down, I sat under the moonlight and took
care of my sword. The bronze blade was resistant to rust, unlike steel
ones. Most of the time, all it really needed was a quick wiping with a
cloth.
“I just bought a new one, but it’s already nicked.” It had gotten
pretty beat up from the fights with the gem beast and the stray
assassins. Recently, it seemed we’d been up against quite a few
powerful opponents, and the stuff with Veronia hadn’t been
resolved yet. “The core still seems all right, though.”
I wanted to show the sword a little more appreciation, so I pulled out
some whetstones and got a bucket of water. I sharpened the blade
using two whetstones with different coarsenesses.
Tisse’s shortsword was sharp enough that just touching its blade was
enough to cut skin, but my sword didn’t have nearly as keen an edge.
Honing it was really only a minor touch-up.
The process didn’t take long. I rinsed the blade off when I was done,
polished it with the cloth, and then held it beneath the moonlight.
“I’m sure you never imagined going up against enemies like those.”
A weapon like this was meant for rookies just getting started. It was
to be used against goblins and lesser slimes. After half a year, it
would be traded in for a better weapon and then purchased
secondhand by another novice, becoming their first partner…
Sitting there, I swung the sword down once. It cut through the air
with a whistle and caught the pale light from outside.
“It’s not like I’ve gone out looking for battles…but not fighting for my
friends just because I want to live freely feels limiting. Sorry, but I’m
probably going to need you again sometime.”
“Very well. If thou wouldst wield us in a battle that thou dost desire,
we wouldst wish no more,” an echoing voice replied.

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I chuckled at that. “Oh? Who might you be, one who answers my
request?”
“Hah-hah-hah. I am the spirit that dwellest in this sword of bronze. I
recognize thou hast cherished me. Be it for the sake of thy sister and
her companion, thy friends in Zoltan, or for thy most beloved, if I am
of service in protection of them, then use us as thou wouldst.”
“Thank you very much, Sir Spirit.”
The spirit laughed again.
“I have one final counsel for thee.”
“What is it?”
The self-proclaimed spirit of the bronze sword standing behind me
wrapped my head in a big hug.
“Thou shouldst be true to thy desires towards thy beloved!”
Rit squeezed me tight.
“What do you mean ‘desires’…? Huh? Something feels different.”
“Eh-heh-heh.”
Rit felt odd, almost fluffy…
“Are you using Aspect of Wolf?”
“Bingo. Come on. I know you’ve wanted to pet me since the moment
you saw me like this! Or, more precisely, you wanted to get all lovey-
dovey!”
There were bushy wolf ears on Rit’s head, and a fluffy tail was
peeking out from her skirt.
How does that work with her underwear? I wondered. Shape spells
temporarily subsumed the user’s clothes into their body while
transformed, but aspects spells were supposed to leave the clothes

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unchanged. It was too embarrassing to ask, of course, but I couldn’t
help speculating.
“Why don’t you feel for yourself.” Rit grinned as she slipped onto my
lap.
“E-even if you say that…”
Rit wriggled her tail, enjoying my agitation. For some reason, it felt
like she was being particularly aggressive today.
“You’ve been troubled about things a bit lately, haven’t you?”

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Page | 200
“…You noticed?”
“Nothing gets past Wolf Rit’s nose.”
Rit turned, her knees pressing against my stomach as she sat facing
me on my lap.
“I don’t have an answer for your worries about the world or Divine
Blessings. All I can do is tell you that you’ve made the right decision.”
She smiled before pressing her forehead against mine. “I’m glad
you’re here, so this can’t be wrong.”
“I guess so…”
Rit and I were happy.
No matter what life we lived, staying true to that was the right
answer for us.
“So pamper me more now!”
Rit kissed my cheek… Her tongue felt different.
I was a little surprised.
“Uh, ummm…”
“Come on already. You wanted to pet me like this, right?”
Rit looked down, slightly pointing the top of her head toward me as
her wolf ears twitched.
“You’re coming on pretty strong tonight…” Despite what I said, I was
enjoying things, too. I was working hard to restrain myself, however,
because my love was threatening to go wild.
I started out patting Rit’s head gently, taking care not to mess up her
blond locks. However, judging by her expression, that wasn’t enough,
so I stroked her more firmly, like playing with a dog. Rit’s tail wagged

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in response. Her eyes narrowed, and her lips spread into a little
smile.
Aspect of Wolf was magic for battle. It granted a wolf’s enhanced
senses and physical abilities to gain an edge in combat. The assassins
from before had employed Aspect of Riding Drake to fight, too. The
vast majority of magic and skills were for combat.
Yet Rit was using it to cheer me up—to acquire a wolf’s cool,
charming appearance and personality instead of its physical
capabilities. I doubt whatever great mage who first developed that
spell in the distant past envisioned it being utilized this way. That
brought me joy. It was like magic that Rit had created for me alone.
No longer satisfied with just being pet, Rit wrapped her arms around
me, hugging me and rubbing her cheek against mine.
Sitting there hugging each other like that… The sense of closeness
was incredible. I couldn’t begin to describe the swell of emotions,
but it was a wonderful sensation.
All of my worries about fighting seemed tiny by comparison. It felt
like Rit’s body was a bit hotter than usual in Aspect of Wolf mode.
That warmth was pleasant on a cool winter’s night.
“Why not feel how the tail works?” Rit suggested, twisting her tail in
my lap.
“If you’re going to insist, then I guess I have to.”
“Eh-heh-heh. Be my guest!”
Rit clung tighter to me. Looking over her shoulder, I could see the
beautiful curve of her back down to her bottom, and her tail sticking
out from below her skirt. I couldn’t see from my position, but with
the hem raised that much, her underwear had to be showing.
Aspect of Wolf was truly glorious magic, but maybe it was too much
for humans. It was only the two of us, however.

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“It’s okay, I have a wolf’s ears and nose. I’ll know if anyone comes
by,” Rit assured before kissing my cheek over and over.
I couldn’t hold it in anymore and squeezed Rit tight. She returned the
gesture just as powerfully.
It was a wonderful moment.
I reached my hand down to Rit’s tail. My heart started beating faster.
The only way to know how the tail worked was to reach into her
skirt.
How (swish) did (swish) her (swish, swish) tail (swish, swish, swish,
swish, swish)…
“Rit.”
“Wh-what?”
“Your tail is wagging too hard. I can’t get any closer.”
It was moving so much that I feared it might break. Rit’s face turned
bright red.
“No fair!” she cried, and she pushed me down. “It’s not fair. I made
sure you couldn’t see my face, but my tail betrayed me.”
She was rubbing her face against my cheek and jaw. I guess her
emotions were getting a bit wolf-like. The power of the magic must
have been why she was acting forward today.
Rit finally stopped rubbing against my chest and face and pulled back
slightly. She was on top of my chest as I lay down on the ground, her
cheeks flushed. The sight of her there was too cute for me to handle.
“You know, I’ll probably lock myself away in the bedroom from
embarrassment tomorrow,” she admitted.
“Yeah, I can see that happening,” I agreed.
“So…”

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“Uh huh?”
“I want to cuddle with you extra today to make up for it,” Rit said,
grinning.
Her altered appearance was truly too exciting.
“As long as you’re with me, I couldn’t be happier,” I confessed,
letting my feelings spill out offhandedly. That was just how riled up I
was.
Rit beamed, and her tail moved slowly in a wide arc.
“I love you,” Rit whispered.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
Maybe I should ask her if she can use Aspect of Cat some other
time…

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Epilogue: Lilinrala’s Resolve
Birds were chirping outside the window, signaling the dawn of the
following day.
I opened my eyes, coming face-to-face with Rit sleeping beside me.
I was the only one in the world who could see this side of the woman
known as Rit the hero. She was resting defenselessly with such a
tranquil look on her face.
Between half-conscious thoughts like that, a feeling of joy welled up
inside me, and I gently pressed my forehead to hers. The building
happiness spread through my chest.
“Nfgh.”
Rit broke into a little smile, like she was having a pleasant dream.
It seemed the feeling in me had spread to her, and I grinned like a
fool. It was a good thing no one else was around.
I should sleep a bit longer.
After what had happened last night, I wouldn’t be able to cuddle up
with Rit today.
I closed my eyes, and as a result, I could sense her presence against
my skin all the more acutely. I basked in the peaceful moment as I
dozed off.

“Red.”
A voice whispered in my ear.
The pleasant tickle caused me to stir. When I moved, my head
pressed against something soft. It felt good, so I reached out with

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both arms, seeking that warm feeling, and then I slipped back to
slumber again.
“…I guess we can sleep in a bit longer,” a distant voice said.

There was a knock. It was coming from the door to the shop.
Rit and I opened our eyes at the same time.
“G-good morning.”
“Good morning…”
Rit’s large chest, enclosed in her pajamas, was right in front of my
eyes.
At some point, I had fallen asleep with my face in her soft, warm
bosom.
Rit was holding my head, caressing near the nape of my neck.
We looked at each other, cheeks red.
“T-that’s probably Ruti and the others!” she said, frazzled.
“Y-yeah, we really overslept, I guess! I’ll start getting breakfast
ready!” I hastily replied.
I hurried out of the bedroom. I needed to let our guests in.
“Coming!” I called out as I headed to the entrance. “All right, time for
another day’s work.”
I could tell I was still grinning idiotically.

“Okay, what can I make on short order?”

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I crossed my arms in thought while I stood in the kitchen. The oven
wasn’t even hot yet, meaning toasting bread would take a while.
There wasn’t time to prepare soup, either.
“Hmm. In that case…”
I lit the stove and got bread, onions, tomato, cheese, ham, and some
butter.
After cutting the bread, I added sliced onions and tomatoes, and
then put the cheese and ham on top. Black pepper sufficed for
seasoning.
Once that was done, I melted some butter in a frying pan. I put the
sandwich onto the pan and weighted it with a small pot. The smell of
bread toasting made my sleepy body feel hungry. Fortunately, I
wouldn’t have to wait too long.
“That should be about right.”
The bread was a nice toasty brown. I cut it diagonally, and with that,
the hot sandwich was complete. The melted cheese oozed out
slightly from the cut.
“Okay, now to take care of the rest.”
I went about my task swiftly in order to satisfy everyone’s empty
stomachs.
““““Thanks for the food!””””
Ruti, Tisse, Rit, and I were all gathered around the table.
Mister Crawly Wawly put his front legs together and bowed his head
in front of the mosquito he’d caught, too. What a polite spider.
“Mgh.”
The cheese stretched from Rit’s sandwich as she took a bite. She
wound the long strand up and then took another bite. Evidently, she
was enjoying it.

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Tisse was cutting her sandwich neatly with a knife and fork. Her
expression betrayed nothing, but judging by how quickly she was
eating, she liked the food, too.
Ruti was looking back and forth between the two of them, head
cocked in confusion.
“Ruti?” I asked.
“Umm, Big Brother, how are you supposed to eat this?”
“However you want to is fine.”
“Okay.” Ruti stared at her sandwich for a few seconds. “Mph.” She
chose to eat the same way as Rit. The moment it reached her mouth,
her expression brightened like a switch had been flipped.

After Ruti, Tisse, and Mister Crawly Wawly left for their farm, Rit and
I started preparing for the workday.
“…”
Rit’s face had been red for a while, and she hadn’t said anything.
She was likely thinking about last night. Glancing over at me, she
writhed as she covered her mouth with her bandana.
So cute.
“Oh yeah, we have to deliver medicine to Dr. Newman today! I’ll get
things. Can I leave the storefront to you, Rit?”
“Y-yeah, sure. If anything, it would be easier to get over this if I had a
little time to myself.”
“Hah, okay, got it. But first…” I ran over to Rit and kissed her cheek.
“Hyah?!”

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Rit would normally have been able to handle that much, but today
she was blushing madly.
She was so cute.
“All right, the shop’s in your hands!”
“You’re so mean.”
I headed to the storage room while watching Rit dive behind the
counter to hide.

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With Dr. Newman’s note in one hand, I went through our stock to
prepare his order.
“That’s all of our stock of coca leaves. Are there any left in the yard?”
I muttered.
I could worry about that once I got back. Our sales had risen lately,
so ingredients were running low more quickly.
“And the last thing is medicine to help with fevers. All right, that’s
everything.”
I checked one last time to make sure I had everything.
“Okay, Rit! I’m done here! Need help with anything?”
“Check the change, please.”
“Got it.”
Her cheeks were still scarlet, but she handled her job just fine.
We had gotten used to opening together. Fortunately, our frantic
rush ended soon, and we were ready for business at the usual time.
“Let’s have—”
“—another good day. Eh-heh-heh.”
We laughed together as we pumped our fists.
Just like always.

In a room on the Veronian warship.

The high elf Lilinrala, once feared by countless nations as the leader
of the Elven Corsairs, was scowling. The frown didn’t mar her beauty,

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however, even though she had long since passed the point of being
considered a young woman by high elf standards.
“My subordinates were caught, and there’s been no contact from
the assassin.”
Stoic though she was, Lilinrala could not help but worry.
She had deployed some of the strongest people in Veronia, well-
suited for solo fights or group combat. They were capable enough
that they even stood a chance against an A-rank adventurer.
The assassins she’d hired were supposed to be top-notch, too.
Archmage or not, Misphia shouldn’t have escaped unscathed.
I’m worried about the safety of my subordinates, but more
importantly, just who the hell are Tifa and Ruhr?
Lilinrala had gathered information around Zoltan about the two
adventurers over the past few days, but it was entirely unreliable.
What is this place?
When it was necessary to investigate someone quickly, the best
method was to inquire with someone who had done the same
earlier. Normally, if a person who stood out as much as Ruhr or Tifa
showed up, someone would take the time to look into their history.
And yet, Lilinrala’s minions couldn’t find anyone who had
investigated Tifa. Even the Thieves Guild had been a dead end.
It’s possible the locals are wary enough to play dumb…
However, Lilinrala couldn’t imagine that this little city in the middle
of nowhere was home to folks proficient enough to deceive spies she
had gathered to protect King Geizeric.
Ruhr and Tifa are outsiders far stronger than everyone else in
Zoltan. Doesn’t that bother these people?

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In the end, all Lilinrala uncovered was that the two young women
were extremely capable adventurers. Any specifics about their pasts
were shrouded in mystery. The high elf was at her wit’s end.
“Which means this guy is the key, then.”
He was probably the only person in Zoltan who could help her.
Had Lilinrala known about him before her subordinates got caught,
she would have targeted him over the self-proclaimed white knight
Ruhr.
“Red, the apothecary.”
Lilinrala stood, opening a locked box and taking out a pair of dimly
radiant green high-elf steel gauntlets.
“Blood of the proud high elves that flows through my veins, lend me
strength.”
The gauntlets were a magic item passed down through Lilinrala’s
family. By equipping them, the wearer gained all of the sword skills
of their ancestors.
Even a novice became a master with the wondrous objects, but
Lilinrala was a first-rate swordsman in her own right and had a high
blessing level as well. When she wore the gauntlets, she surpassed
the realm of experts and stood on par with legends.
She also retrieved a longsword different from her usual cutlass. Its
sheath was white, adorned with vibrant gold decorations. When
Lilinrala drew the blade slightly, the wind magic confined within
surged out, rustling her silver hair.
The ensorcelled weapon was yet another family heirloom. It was said
that a famed elven smith had forged it using his very life to fuel the
flames. Its name was Elven Sorrow, owing to the blacksmith’s lament
at the many lives the sword would claim.
“I’ll have to go myself.”

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Despite being Ruhr’s older brother and a friend of Tifa’s, Red was
only a D-rank adventurer. Yet reports indicated he was likely hiding
his true strength. There was no mistaking that he was at least on par
with a C-ranker.
Naturally, Lilinrala still had many underlings capable of easily
capturing a C-rank adventurer. However, given the recent failures,
Lilinrala elected to handle the matter herself.
They don’t seem ready to hand over the holy church registers yet,
but I have to finish off Misphia before they change their minds.
Lilinrala readied her magic items as a dark resolve filled her heart.

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Afterword
To everyone who has picked up this book, thank you very much! I’m
Zappon, the author.
Thanks to all of your support, this series has reached its sixth
volume!
I’m so excited to continue sharing this tale with everyone. Hopefully,
it lives up to your expectations.
This book was a bit of a struggle. I fretted over the plot and the
writing, and I rewrote parts of it multiple times.
Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that a story will become better
the harder you work on it, but there is a certain profoundly moving
feeling that comes with completing something after a struggle, so I
have a bit of an emotional attachment to this book. I hope it will be
an enjoyable read for you.
The sixth volume is all about problems that, under normal
circumstances, the Hero would’ve resolved.
With the Hero’s aid, the allied forces would gradually gain the upper
hand. At which point, the next problem would be the Kingdom of
Veronia, which had betrayed humanity and sided with the demon
lord’s army. In order to stop a war between humans, the Hero would
infiltrate Veronia to talk sense into the leadership there.
The old king would be on his sickbed, and an evil queen would be
taking advantage to act as she pleased. The key to resolving the issue
would lie with the previous queen, who disappeared fifty years ago.
That story would see the Hero flying on her airship and traveling
around the continent in search of the lost queen. In that version of
things, Zoltan would just be a town where a villager casually
mentions, “An old woman lives out in the forest to the west of
town.”

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Obviously, Red and Ruti’s tale did not end up like that.
Should Ruti have continued the Hero’s journey? What are the costs
of the Hero electing to live freely? How will people react to Red and
Ruti’s decision? That’s what this story is about.
Tragedy doesn’t fit a slow life setting, so I hope you can relax and
enjoy the tales of Red and his friends’ day-to-day life.
The most important highlight was when Rit used her transformation
for something other than practical combat enhancements, and we
got to see Wolf Rit and Red share a lovey-dovey scene!
By the way, the third volume of Ikeno Masahiro’s manga version of
Banished from the Hero’s Party, serialized in Monthly Shonen Ace, is
also on sale.
It’s releasing at almost the same time as this volume, and it covers
the end of the first light novel. The scene from the climax, where Ruti
snaps and punches Ares, was even more impressive than I had
imagined! She really let him have it!
Please check out the manga as well!
We’ve got the seventh volume coming next.
After her minions and the assassins failed, the high elf pirate Lilinrala
sets foot in Zoltan herself. From Prince Salius to Queen Leonor, little
Zoltan has certainly gotten wrapped up in some high-profile political
intrigue. Plus, there’s that connection between Red and Queen
Leonor, too. Expect a story of Red and his friends’ slow life during the
end of winter and the arrival of spring!
I hope you will continue to support this series when the next volume
arrives.
This book could not have been completed without the help of many
people.

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One of the reasons I wanted to write about a wolf-eared version of
Rit is that I wanted to see Yasumo’s illustrations. Thank you for such
wonderful pictures!
To the designers, proofreaders, printers, and everyone involved in
the actual production, this book exists thanks to all of you. Thank you
very much.
To this series’ editor, Miyakawa, can you believe we’ve reached the
sixth installment?
Seeing the number of light novels published every month, I’ve
learned just how incredible it is to have readers pick up my works
from among all the others. It’s our combined effort that has made
that possible. I hope we can continue that as we push forward!
And finally, it’s the readers who give the most value to a book. If you
got even a little bit of pleasure out of reading this light novel, then I
am satisfied as an author.

Zappon
Swooning from the hectic end of the year, 2019

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