Chapter 3: Hero
Chapter 3: Hero
One month had passed since Efil had joined my party. As planned, she’d registered with the guild and together we had cleared quest after quest as she grew accustomed to her new life. Today, we were happily in the middle of another monster subjugation.
“It’s quite far off, but can you see them?” I asked Efil from the bottom of the tree she was perched on.
“Not a problem, Master. There are three Elder Treants and two Blood Mushrooms.”
“That lass’s eyesight never ceases to amaze me. I can’t see a thing.”
Yep, I can’t see anything either. Our party was currently in the deepest part of Sangria Forest, a Rank B dungeon. The heavily overgrown region had a thick canopy that blocked almost all sunlight, giving birth to a dim and eerie place beneath. Thanks to that, our field of view was extremely limited. Efil, the eyes of our party, had already risen to Rank C as an adventurer. Although there was a lot that had confused her in the beginning, once she’d gotten the hang of things she had shot up through the ranks in the blink of an eye.
“All right, Efil, start us off here.”
“Understood, Master.”
The weapon that Efil had ultimately chosen for herself was the bow. The morning after I’d told her to think it over and choose her skills, she had come down to breakfast with Archery and Farsight already raised as high as possible with the Skill Points that she’d had on hand. Thanks to those new abilities, she’d quickly grown comfortable with her new weapon — a bit too comfortable, some might say. During her very first practice session at the guild’s archery hall, every one of her arrows had hit the bullseye. And yes, that was the first time she had ever fired a shot. I was dumbfounded, as were the handful of adventurers who had happened to be around and were spectating on a whim.
“Clo-chan, ready?”
Sitting on Efil’s shoulder was Clotho, who had made itself smaller than my palm. Despite its size, its strength was unchanged. It was absolutely perfect as a guard escort.
“Here I go.”
Efil drew her bow, then released it. In spite of the poor visibility, and although she was several hundred meters away, her arrow flew true, almost as if it had been sucked straight in by its target.
“Gaack!”
The huge log that had been an Elder Treant just moments before fell heavily, an arrow sprouting from the middle of its forehead. The other treants warily scanned their surroundings, but were unable to spot Efil.
“And while wearing a maid uniform, no less. You youngsters nowadays...”
“It’s not like you don’t know she retailored the outfits herself. She crammed pretty much every enchantment she could into those things.”
“Tailor-made by a maid, eh?”
“You said it, not me.”
What Efil was wearing at the moment was one of the many outfits she had received from Clare-san, albeit with numerous improvements to make it much more suitable for fighting in. My original plan had been to acquire the Sewing skill and do it myself, but to my surprise, Efil had vehemently objected.
—
Master, please let me be the one to get Sewing!
—
Apparently, the image of the “ideal maid” that Efil was going for also needed to have a mastery of sewing. True to her word, she had used the Growth Points earned from her subsequent level-ups to acquire the skill, up until she could make the clothes that she was wearing now. This was actually the third version of her outfit. Every time we got our hands on higher-grade materials, and every time she raised her skill rank, she would upgrade her clothing little by little. Her current wardrobe was the end product of all her efforts so far.
Confident that I could leave the sewing to her, I had decided to acquire Smithing instead. I had started to feel the limitations of the equipment that could be purchased in Parth, which had prompted me to decide (rather simplistically), “Well, then I’ll just make the weapons and armor for us all!”
Purchasing the skill was easy, but I immediately found myself facing the problem of where to get my hands on smithing tools and, more importantly, where to practice the craft.
Thankfully, a short word with Guildmaster Rio proved to be all that was needed. Using the influence of the guild, Rio had managed to help me borrow a place, and had also hooked me up with a smith who was willing to teach me. Between his guidance and my new skill, I eventually got to the point where I could call myself a passable blacksmith. After that, it was only a matter of practice, practice, practice. By now, I was capable of making a decent range of things.
“Aaauggh!”
While Gerard and I were busy bantering, the third monster fell dead. The combination of Archery with Farsight was so formidable that many of our fights could be resolved by relying solely on Efil.
“There is one Elder Treant and one Blood Mushroom left.”
“My king.”
Following Gerard’s gaze, I saw several thick and sturdy-looking roots erupt from the ground. Apparently, the last Elder Treant had discovered where we were located. I guess its Rank B status isn’t just for show. But no matter...
“It’s all over,” I murmured as both opponents suddenly found themselves smashed down into the earth. Under the overwhelming torrent of air pressure, even Rank B monsters were unable to take a single step. My spell gradually grew in intensity, until our enemies had been crushed into paste on the ground.
“What am I supposed to do while you two keep hogging the spotlight?”
“Don’t worry, we’re so close now that the boss of this forest could be just around the corner.”
Sure enough, we didn’t have to walk much farther before discovering an open, empty clearing with a gargantuan tree towering over the middle. Its height greatly surpassed that of its neighboring flora, and its deep purple bark looked ominous enough to evoke fear and awe in all who laid eyes on it.
“So this is the Evil Sage Tree...”
“Given how poisonous it looks, I would prefer not to touch it, if possible...”
“Stop complaining and get out in front, Gerard. Efil, permission to use Blaze Arrow granted.”
“Yes, Master!”
The target of our quest was the boss of Sangria Forest, the Evil Sage Tree. Supposedly, it was a treant several thousand years old, which had Evolved.
“Gugegogogobagogah!”
The moment it spotted us, the Evil Sage Tree started moving while letting out a hair-raising cry. Ugh, look at it sprouting those disgustingly thick arms. Why is “sage” even in its name?
“We don’t understand what you’re saying!” shouted Gerard, leaping into the air and chopping off the monster’s newly grown right arm with a quick swing of his sword. For added effect, he even unleashed Agito upon landing. The tree roared out in what sounded like pain, bringing its left arm to bear.
“Aaugh, it’s oozing poison from its bark. And it’s also regenerating quite fast.”
The right arm that had been chopped off only moments before had already nearly grown back.
::Gerard-san, my Blaze Arrow is fully charged!:: warned Efil through Clotho. ::Please back up!::
In addition to being a great bodyguard, Clotho was also capable of maintaining a simple mental connection with Efil that, in effect, granted her access to the Follower Network. Clotho, what a terrifying child!
“You got it!” With the buff from Sonic Boots in effect, Gerard managed to retreat so quickly that even the Evil Sage Tree lost sight of him. Perhaps having felt an impending sense of danger thanks to its many years of experience, the creature raised up extra thick roots from the ground and wrapped them around itself. The toughness of those roots far surpassed that of Earth Rampart, and they were oozing a deadly poison from every inch. What are you, a sage in an ivory tower?
Flames spurted from Efil’s arrow in all four directions, gradually converging on the arrowhead. Blaze Arrow was an original move devised by Efil that combined her proficiency in both Archery and Red Magic. It hardly needed to be said, but Blessing of the Flame Dragon King greatly helped to increase the power of this special move.
Upon release, the arrow screamed toward its target, scattering streaks of scorching heat in its wake. The seemingly impenetrable defense raised by the Evil Sage Tree practically melted before it, opening a clear path towards the monster itself. The attack almost looked like a dragon’s breath from the side.
“Gu, gah!”
The Evil Sage Tree was incapable of regenerating fast enough against the burning arrow now buried in its abdomen, charring it from within. Even so, it did not stop moving. It converted all of its branches into several thousand, no, tens of thousands of razor sharp blades, and threw them at us in a squall of death.
“Gerard, finish it.”
“Thank you for the support, my king!”
With his greatsword enchanted with Vortex Edge, Gerard stepped up to face the oncoming attack. A single swing of his blade dispelled the entire onslaught, granting him the chance to reach the heart of the monster.
“Oowaaagh!!!”
With one last dying cry, the ancient creature finally fell, bringing an end to the fight.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Hey, Kelvin. Finished with another quest?”
While passing through Parth’s western gate on our way back from the forest, I was greeted by the guard on watch.
“You bet! I also got my hands on some really good materials!”
“Hahaha, look at that matter-of-fact attitude of yours. Only to be expected of Parth’s Number One Adventurer!”
Over the past month, partly for Efil’s training, we had taken on a large number of subjugation quests. Among them had been a few particularly powerful monsters — like this most recent one — that Rio had personally requested we handle. After us, the strongest adventurers in Parth were only Rank C, so it didn’t take long for it to become standard procedure to simply pass Rank B quests on to us.
“Welcome back too, Efil-chan. You didn’t get hurt, did you?”
“Not even a scratch. Thank you for your concern.”
“Glad to hear it. There would be a huge uproar if anything happened to you.”
“I was with Master the whole time, so there was no cause for worry.”
We stood around chatting for a while, the guard making a point to include Efil in the conversation. She had quickly grown to fit in perfectly with the rest of the city, having built close relationships with many of the residents already.
“I’m sorry, but we really should be on our way to the guild to make our report. Please excuse us.”
“Of course, of course. Sorry for stopping you guys. Good luck on your next quest, too!”
After parting ways with the guard, we headed straight for the guild.
◇ ◇ ◇
“The subjugation of the Evil Sage Tree has been confirmed. We thank you for your service yet again.” After we made our usual report, Ange-san handed us the quest reward. “This makes your ninth consecutive Rank B quest! You’re almost at Rank A, Kelvin-san!”
“Congratulations, Master.”
“Thank you, but the promotion isn’t quite in the bag just yet.” Wow, we’ve finished that many? I was so engrossed by the quests themselves that I totally lost count.
“The same is true for Efil-san as well. One more quest and you can take the exam for promotion to Rank B!”
“Oh right, the exam.”
“Speaking of promotions, I still feel a little bad for your last opponent...”
“Efil-san’s arrow scored a clean hit on his head mere seconds after the starting signal, didn’t it?”
“That was because he looked so open that I thought he was testing me.”
For her Rank C promotion, Efil had had a one-on-one practice match with a Rank C adventurer who was serving as the examiner. There was no need to actually defeat him, as the purpose of the exam was merely for her to prove that she possessed abilities on par with Rank C.
During the exam, Efil had activated Concealment the instant the starting signal rang out. She had moved into the examiner’s blind spot and shot just one arrow, which had struck the examiner, and the test was over, just like that. “Fast” couldn’t even begin to describe it. Although the arrow was blunted, the examiner had been rendered unconscious. Perhaps he had taken the blow in a bad spot, or maybe there had just been that much force behind the shot. The injury itself had been cause for some concern, but it was his pride that had suffered the greatest damage.
“The adventurer who served as your examiner, Uld-san, is a veteran with years of experience under his belt, all right? It’s you two whose power levels are over the top!”
At the time, Efil had already been strong enough to hold her own in a Rank B dungeon. There was no way a Rank C adventurer could get the better of her, but apparently that was quite out of the ordinary.
“Ah, yes, Ange-san. I found a cute confectionery the other day. Would you like to go there together one day?”
“Oh, really? Let’s go, let’s go! It’s a promise, Efil-chan!”
Ange-san, your work mode has switched off again.
This past month, Efil and Ange-san had grown extremely close. While at work, the two of them did make an effort to keep things professional, but as could be seen, that front easily crumbled at even the slightest trigger.
“A promise it is,” replied Efil with a beautiful smile. This girl really is an angel.
Speaking of heavenly beings, Melfina was currently away on a business trip or something. Supposedly, she was off granting a prophecy to the Oracle who had previously summoned the Heroes. To hear her tell it, the subordinate she had left her duties to had suddenly come to her with an urgent report. With an “I really, really don’t want to go, but I’ve got no choice, so I’ll take care of it in a jiffy...until I get back, make sure to protect Efil, all right, honey?”, she left the Follower Network. Am I misreading this, or is Melfina becoming more and more like Efil’s mom or older sister?
“So then, Master, when would you be free?”
“Hm? Wait, I’m coming too?”
“If you don’t mind, I kind of want to discover what pastries best suit your tastes.”
“Ah, I’m curious about that too! What kind do you like?”
Unable to withstand the urging from both sides, I eventually folded and promised to join them. However, if I was to be honest, the taste of this world’s sweets paled greatly in comparison to those back in Japan. They had no cake with cream on top, with the closest approximation being nothing more than pancakes topped with piles of fruits. As someone who had tasted Japanese pastries before, the sweets in this world felt far from adequate.
In between quests, Efil was learning how to cook from Clare-san. Although she still couldn’t hold a candle to her mentor, she had acquired the Cooking skill and was absorbing Clare-san’s teachings like a sponge soaking up water.
Many people in this world shared the misconception that technical skills automatically imparted mastery, but that was false. There was even an anecdote about an adventurer with the Sword Mastery skill, who had lost a sword fight against a knight of the same level even though his opponent hadn’t had that skill. In short, skills could only provide correction and support, at best. Even without possessing the corresponding skill, someone who tirelessly practiced a certain craft would retain the full benefits of their training. That was why I continuously worked on my smithing, just as Efil worked on her cooking. Perhaps one day, Efil might even be able to reproduce the cakes from my previous world.
◇ ◇ ◇
In no time at all, the day of my promise to Efil and Ange-san arrived. The meet-up point that we had agreed on was beside the fountain in the central plaza of Parth. This almost feels like a — yeah, who am I kidding. This is a date, isn’t it?
“But why did we have to go to the trouble of leaving separately even though we live in the same inn?”
I had initially planned on leaving with Efil, but she indirectly refused, saying, “I have various preparations to make, so how about you go ahead first?” The smile on her face brooked no argument, so there I was, waiting all by myself.
“Heeyyy, Kelvin-saaan!”
Turning towards the voice, I saw Ange-san hurrying over. Today, instead of her usual guild staff uniform, she was going with a cute boyish style, with dress shorts and an overall energetic vibe. It suited her slim build perfectly.
“Good afternoon, Ange-san. Those clothes really suit you.”
“Thank you,” she giggled. “Hm, where’s Efil-chan?”
“Apparently, she had preparations to make. I haven’t a clue what they are, though.”
“Aww, Efil-chan’s going all out!”
For the next few minutes, Ange-san and I passed the time with cheerful banter until Efil finally joined us.
“I’m sorry for making you two wait.”
There stood Efil in a pure white summer dress that perfectly complemented her skin tone, coordinated with a wide-brimmed straw hat. A gust of wind blew just then, fanning out her golden tresses and prompting her to hold down her hat with one hand. Wh-why is my heart beating so fast? Although it was a scene that I had come across often in manga and light novels, my heart couldn’t help but skip a beat when standing in front of such a cute girl actually pulling it off in real life. I usually only ever saw her in her maid uniform, which was mainly black with a white apron, so her new look practically made her glow.
“U-Um, how...is it?”
“Y-Yeah, it suits you well.”
Efil was looking down, her face bright red. She’s an angel! I’ve had a goddess and an angel beside me this whole time!
“Aw, okay, I admit defeat. Efil-chan, you’re way, way, way too cute!”
“Huh?! Th-That can’t be true!”
A month ago, due to malnourishment, Efil had been extremely thin and unhealthy looking. She had yet to make a full recovery, but thanks to Clare-san’s wonderfully nutritious meals and the stats growth from all our leveling up, she was finally starting to fill out.
“Well then, shall we make our way to this confectionary that Efil’s so highly recommending?”
“Let’s go! But one thing first, if I may. Kelvin-san, I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, but isn’t it about time for us to drop the polite speech with each other?”
“Where’s this coming from?”
“We’ve gotten close enough to hang out like this, right? Keeping up the polite speech makes it feel like we’re still maintaining some sort of distance, so from now on, let’s drop the suffixes!”
“All right then, Ange. Like that?”
“And I’ll just call you Kelvin! Yay!”
Well, there’s no harm in building close relationships, after all. And without further ado, we made our way to the sweets shop.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Well, I’ll be. There is a lot more variety than I expected.”
“From what I’ve heard, they all taste completely different too. Apparently, it’s the large variety that’s made the store so famous.”
With Efil leading the way, the three of us had entered the shop in question. It turned out to be a full-sized café that, aside from selling pastries, was also running a dessert buffet. The three of us were currently seated at one of the tables in the store’s outdoor space, tasting and exchanging opinions about the various delectables that we had loaded onto the plates before us.
“Master, do you want a bite?” asked Efil with a morsel of pound cake on her fork, extending it towards me in the infamous “aaan” pose.
“Hold on, Efil. What do you think you’re doing?”
“What’s wrong? We do this back at the inn all the time, don’t we?”
“Now hold on a moment! Kelvin, you have Efil-chan feed you all the time?!”
Ange, did you really have to shout that so loudly?! Now everybody’s looking at us!
“N-No, of course not. She only does this when she makes me taste her cooking.”
“Mhm, we feed each other all the time.”
That’s only when we’re ALONE in our room! Please notice all the whispering that’s springing up around us!
“Y-You two feed...each other?!” Ange’s shoulders quivered. “I can’t back down after hearing that! Kelvin, here you go, aaan!” she said, grabbing a cookie and thrusting it at my face.
“W-With her hand?!”
“Oh my, are they fighting over him?”
“Isn’t that Ange-san from the guild and the maid Efil-chan?!”
Oh shit, we’re starting to gather an audience. Among them are even a few adventurers that I know personally.
Unable to stand it any longer, I stood up abruptly, causing my chair to rattle. “You two, I have a great idea! How about we take all this to go so that we can enjoy it at our leisure?” I suggested. Please notice the situation we’re in, you two!
“He’s taking them to go?!”
“Whoo! Spring’s come for Ange!”
To my dismay, my plan only succeeded in adding fuel to the fire. Judging from some of the comments I heard, some of Ange’s own acquaintances were in the crowd as well. Oh god, it’s too late...
“Here, Master!”
“How about this, Kelvin!”
“O-Okay, okay, I’ll eat them both...”
Just as I bowed to the inevitable and was about to open my mouth to accept the sweets being offered to me...
“Here I was curious about what such a crowd was gathering for, and it turns out to be something so stupid.”
Our entire table, sweets and all, was sent flying. A loud crash rang out. Just in the nick of time, I managed to grab Efil and Ange and leap out of the way. With the place as crowded as it was, my Presence Sensing had warned me only at the last possible moment.
“What’s the matter, good sirs?” I asked, keeping my words respectful while still exuding a menacing vibe.
The intruders turned out to be a plump man in fancy clothing and three of his toadies. It was one such underling who had kicked over our table.
“Listen up, peons. This is Prince Tabura of the illustrious country of Trycen!” shouted one of the thugs.
Noticing the sour expressions on the faces of everyone nearby, I knew right then and there that this was going to be a major pain in the ass.
◇ ◇ ◇
As mentioned before, my new world was split into two large continents: one in the east, and one in the west. Parth was located roughly at the center of the Eastern Continent, with four surrounding countries sharing it as a border. In the past, there had been a period of several dozen years where all of the kingdoms had been in a state of total war, each one fiercely vying for control. At the end of the war, the remaining countries, their people thoroughly exhausted by it all, had signed a peace treaty and drawn up the national borders that remained in effect to this very day. As a visible symbol of their wish for eternal peace, Parth, the City of Peace, was built at the exact point where all four lands met.
Up in the north was Gaun. It was a country of the beastkin, a race who possessed extraordinary physical capabilities. For generations, the king of Gaun had always been selected — as was to be expected of a race famed for quick fists and hot blood — through a tournament, where the champion took the crown. No exception to this, the current king was a hulking male who had thoroughly thrashed his opponents in the battle royale that had won him the crown. Rumor had it that he possessed strength on par with Rank S adventurers. Basically, Gaun was a country where the maxim “strength is justice” was truly applied. Quite honestly, they were a people that I wanted no trouble with.
To the west was the Holy Empire of Deramis. The head of the country was the Pope, with the Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops in a hierarchy below him. They all worshiped Melfina, the Goddess of Reincarnation, who was known to speak through the Oracle, a special priestess who was also responsible for preserving the knowledge of a unique summoning ritual from generation to generation. It was through this ritual that the current Oracle had summoned the four new Heroes. Another noteworthy point about Deramis was that the sole land connection that existed between the Eastern and Western Continents, also known as Crux Bridge, was located within its territory. However, the relationship between Deramis and the empire that lay on the other side was extremely tense, and security on both sides of the Bridge was always in a heightened state.
Down south was Toraj, the Country of Water. Bordered by Parth and the Sea of Dragons, where it was rumored the Water Dragon King dwelled, this country was famed for its shipbuilding techniques and agricultural advances. The royal family had supposedly descended from peasants, so many of their policies favored the common folk. The fact that Parth had plenty of food was thanks in large part to Toraj. And, to my surprise and delight, I had learned that this kingdom even had a rice-like crop. All right, I’m definitely going to need to pay it a visit someday. If I’m in luck, I might even get to meet the famed merpeople.
Lastly, located in the east was the military kingdom of Trycen. This was the place that had poured the most resources into its armed forces after the signing of the peace treaty. It was a belligerent nation that shamelessly touted human supremacy. Several times, small skirmishes had broken out along the border between Gaun and Trycen. They treated their slaves horribly, and there were rumors that many of those slaves were in fact regular citizens who had been kidnapped from other countries. The current king of Trycen had five sons, all of whom were associated with their own unpleasant rumors as well. Among the four countries, Trycen was undoubtedly the most untrustworthy one.
◇ ◇ ◇
Apparently, it was one of the aforementioned princes from that very untrustworthy country who was currently before me.
“You’re a prince?”
“Indeed! I am none other than the Third Prince of Trycen, Prince Tabura!” declared the chubby man as if hoping to cow everyone who was listening. “And it distresses me greatly to see such indecent acts being displayed in public in broad daylight. I lament how shameless the common people have become!”
“It is as you say, my prince. As one who stands above the common man, would it not be appropriate to teach them a lesson?” suggested one of the lackeys, in what I could only assume was an attempt to instigate a fight. So these chumps around him are his guards?
“Hmm, let me see...oh, those two women have rather fine features!” Tabura looked Efil and Ange up and down in an extremely vulgar manner.
I felt both women jerk slightly against my arms, either from getting goosebumps or as an instinctive reaction. Yeah, okay, this guy’s just a regular piece of shit.
“Hold on, is that elf a slave? That makes things simple, then. You, manservant, if you hand me both women, I will overlook your crime of having made me waste my time.”
“Uh...come again?” What the hell does this pudgy prince think he’s spouting? It made so little sense that my brain actually froze for a moment there, man.
“Are you deaf? Tabura-sama, in his infinite grace and mercy, is offering to grant you forgiveness. Hand over those two women right now!” barked one of the thugs as he approached us.
“K-Kelvin, what should we do?!” asked Ange in a fluster. As she was apparently about to be kidnapped, her reaction was understandable.
In contrast, what I got from Efil through the Follower Network was simply, ::Master, permission to eliminate?:: You sure have gotten tough, Efil...but hold on. Our opponent is the prince of a country, so we can’t carelessly lay hands on him. We need to remain calm and think of a way to resolve this situation in a peaceful man—
“Heh, I’ll make sure to take very good care of both of you, all right? I can’t wait for tonight to come!”
I’ll eliminate him myself, Efil. Stand back.
::Understood, Master.::
I let Efil down and had her fall back behind me with Ange.
“Haah? What do you think you’re doing, peasant?” asked the closest flunkey in an annoyed tone.
“Not much, really. I was just thinking about how to beat you up is all.” I flashed a glance at the adventurers in the crowd of spectators.
“What the fuck you talking abou—”
Before the man could finish his sentence, I unleashed Impact at him. It was so quick that the man had already been sent flying several meters and slammed into a wall before anyone could even register what had occurred. I couldn’t care less what happened to the guy, but it was important that none of the spectators got caught up in this. Thankfully, it appeared that the other adventurers present had caught on to my intentions and were helping to protect the general public.
“What...”
Tabura and his buddies were at a complete loss for words, clearly never having imagined that I would stand up to them.
“These two remaining knuckleheads are what, Rank D, it seems? So then, ‘prince,’ seeing as you’ve picked a fight with me, I can assume that you’re prepared for the consequences, right?”
◇ ◇ ◇
The weather is great today. The location is pretty much the perfect place for a date. In spite of my initial reluctance, I confess that, as a healthy young man in the prime of my years, I was looking forward to this quite a bit. Anyone would hate to be interrupted in the middle of such a nice outing, wouldn’t they? To add insult to injury, this asshole even wants to lay hands on Efil and Ange? Now I really can’t let him walk away in one piece, can I?
“Y-You knave! Do you not know who you are so outrageously insulting?! I am the Third Prince of Trycen!”
“Oh, I know who you are, thanks to you repeating your name several times. And it was your people who...what did you call it, ‘outrageously insulted’ us first, wasn’t it?”
“The only thing we are preparing for is to do some serious violence against you!!!”
I sighed. “If all you can do is spout these second-rate villain lines, I recommend you move on and draw your weapon already.”
Tabura and his guards obliged, finally drawing their swords and preparing for combat. You guys have really been slacking off on the training.
“Count your regrets in the next world, peasant!!”
Two of the bodyguards raised their swords and charged at me. I stepped past them easily, however, leaving their blades to slice through empty air. The looks on their faces made it clear they had no idea what had just happened.
The prince’s personal bodyguards are this low level? Really?? I sighed again. I had done nothing more than evade them with superior Agility, without using any spells or tricks. The guards had been unable to even follow me with their eyes.
“What — he’s disappeared?!”
Okay, you guys are way too slow. “Hey, you meatheads sure you don’t need to be protecting this fatty over here?”
The guards turned to find me standing behind Tabura, who was unable to move thanks to the knife I had pressed against his neck.
“Y-You lot, don’t do anything careless!”
“You heard the man. Don’t do anything careless, okay?”
Tabura seemed extremely flustered by what was likely his first time feeling so close to death. Let’s try probing a bit before finishing him off.
“Well then, ‘prince.’ What business do you have in our lovely city of Parth?” I asked, softly tapping the tip of my dagger against Tabura’s neck and grinning villainously. The two guards in front of us could only look on helplessly.
“You don’t need to know that, knave. Come now, withdraw th-that thing that you’re holding. If you do so, I’ll pretend this never happened.”
“Shhhh. I’m the one asking questions here.”
Wordlessly, I cast Air Pressure at the two guards, pressing them down to the ground. Somehow, this spell had become my go-to move recently. At full strength, it was powerful enough to squash Rank B monsters to jelly, but I couldn’t very well do that right here in the middle of town. As intended, the guards fell to their knees.
“Wh-What is this...”
“I-I can’t s-stand...”
“Jean! Alba! What’s wrong?!”
Judging from their reactions, I figured these guys had no idea that the Air Pressure spell even existed. I wasn’t sure if that was an indication of their own ignorance or of the general underdevelopment of magic in Trycen.
“If you don’t want me to use this on you next, ‘prince,’ I recommend you answer me honestly.”
“You...you knave!”
“Just so you know, I also possess a skill that allows me to tell if you’re lying. And if you do lie, I’ll flatten you. So keep that in mind and choose your answers carefully.”
“D-Dammit!”
In truth, the idea that I could see through lies was simply a bluff. I didn’t actually possess such a skill, but Tabura appeared to have fallen for it hook, line, and sinker. Through clenched teeth, he muttered a reply. “I came to meet the local guildmaster, Rio.”
“What for?”
“I heard that a highly skilled adventurer recently showed up in Parth and has made it his base. I came here all the way from Trycen to personally evaluate this man.”
“The quality of your guards seems a bit lacking for a prince on such a journey. Isn’t Trycen supposed to be a military country?”
“Hah! In Trycen, ability is everything. It is the talented who stand at the top. My standing back home is nothing. I might as well be dirt.”
“So you wanted to take in a strong adventurer and rack up achievements through him?”
“That’s right!”
Uh...yeah, okay, this guy’s an idiot. His way of thinking is far too simplistic. Maybe this is why people back in his own country treat him with such disdain?
I sighed yet again. “I’m pretty sure that adventurer is me.”
There was nothing wrong with the idea of gathering talented subordinates, but it was hard to imagine anyone with actual talent being willing to sign up with this guy. Even considering the draw of being associated with a royal, those that someone like Tabura managed to gather would likely be of limited ability.
“I-Is that right?! Then by all means, come work for me!”
“Like hell,” I snorted.
At the same time as my retort, I increased the strength of Air Pressure. Tabura and his crew actually sank into the ground like you would see in a gag manga.
“I dare you to mess with us again. Next time, I will crush your heads, understand?”
I wasn’t sure if any of them were actually still conscious, but I had to leave them one final warning regardless. Well then, that’s the trash taken care of.
The surrounding crowd had erupted into cheers the moment the fight (if you could even call that sadly lopsided encounter a “fight”) had ended. Efil and Ange dashed towards me.
“Thank you for taking care of it, Master.”
“You were so cool, Kelvin!”
“I’m sorry we were so rudely interrupted, but that stupid ape is gone now. Want to go pick out new plates?”
The two girls nodded with delight, and amid the friendly jabs and teasing of the other customers, the three of us resumed our date.
◇ ◇ ◇
Later that night, after the date, Efil and I were in our room at the inn. The two of us were in bed together, as we were still in a single-person room. I had asked Clare-san for a bigger room many times, but she always refused me with seemingly random excuses. I had more or less given up at this point.
The day I bought Efil from the slave merchant, we had ended up sharing the bed after all. Although it was meant for one person, it was spacious enough. There was just enough room for two people if they didn’t mind sleeping a bit close together. At first, we were both extremely nervous, but it didn’t take us long to adjust. By now, we slept snuggled together as a matter of course.
I had gotten into bed and was starting to drift off when Efil suddenly broke the silence.
“Thank you for today, Master.”
“Huh? Where’d that come from?”
“Thank you for going along with my request and coming to the store with me, and also for protecting us.”
Oh, that’s what she meant. “You help me out all the time too, don’t you? If there’s ever anything I can do for you, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
Over the past month, Efil had grown by leaps and bounds, both as an adventurer and as a maid. However, although she hid it while we were out in public, she still had a more childish side that matched her age. When we were alone together, she often wanted to be pampered.
“When that prince looked at me, I couldn’t move for a split second. It seems I still need to get much stronger...”
I reached out to hold Efil’s hand, using my other hand to stroke her head at the same time. She really liked having her head stroked, but it was the hand-holding that made her practically melt with bliss.
“Since you’re the type of person who would worry about it even more if I told you not to, let’s just say we’ll get stronger together. Efil, I need you.”
Efil started tearing up. “I’ll follow you for the rest of my life!”
Oh dear, it seems I’ve made her cry again. This takes me right back to the day I dispelled her curse. I guess I’ll just lend her my chest until she calms down.
◇ ◇ ◇
After Efil’s sobbing had subsided, what with the date, the unwelcome interruption, and everything that had happened that day, the two of us were tired and agreed to blow out the candle and go straight to sleep. Our hands were still clasped together, so I could feel her warmth against my skin. It made me feel reassured somehow. I hoped that she felt the same way. Recalling the stunning figure of Efil in a summer dress, I felt myself slowly drifting off into pleasant dreams.
“Umm...Master, are you still awake?”
Efil’s voice jerked me back to consciousness. My eyelids fluttered open and I saw her beautiful emerald green eyes staring back at me.
“What’s the matter? Can’t sleep?”
“No, that’s not...um, am I not attractive as a woman?”
“Come again?”
I was dumbfounded. What is she saying? Has she never looked into a mirror before? However, Efil’s expression was entirely serious, shadowed by what looked like a trace of sadness.
“It has already been some time since you bought me. Due to your good will, we sleep together in the same bed every night. And yet...” Abruptly, Efil’s face turned bright red so quickly that if this were a manga, a small mushroom cloud would have erupted from the top of her head. Worried about her, I sat up.
“W-When are you going to take me?”
“HUH?!” Caught entirely by surprise, I ended up shouting out loud.
Hold on — no really, hold on just a damn minute! Why is Efil suddenly saying this?! Cool and classy gentleman that I am, there’s a limit to how much even my mind can take!
“Th-That’s what I was taught by the slave merchant...nobody ever told me specifically what it entails, but night duti—”
“STOP! Stop right there, Efil! Don’t finish that sentence!”
You piece of shit slave merchants, what the hell were you telling this pure and innocent girl?! Realistically, it made sense for the topic to be brought up in that sort of place, but the conversation was happening so fast that I was in a state of complete panic. Efil, don’t look at me with upturned eyes! Stop blushing! Don’t pair it with that worried expression!! That’s right, Nerves of Steel! I’ve gotta increase my skill level! Right now!
“I’m...very sorry, Master. The real reason behind today’s invitation was because I wanted to draw Master’s eye. I asked Clare-san to help me choose an outfit and I tried my best, but I guess I’m just not good en—”
“What are you saying?! Of course that’s not true! You get so much cuter every single day, I’m working so hard to control myself each night! Oh god, what am I saying? In any case, you’re the most attractive woman I’ve ever known!”
“Master...!”
Once again, tears erupted from Efil’s eyes as if a dam had been broken. Gosh, this girl is crying a lot today. But good on me for managing to say it! What am I supposed to do now, though?! In the first place, do I even have that kind of experience? M-Melfina-sensei! Oh right, she’s not here right now.
::Zzz...I’ll have the strawberry-flavored one please...::
Wait, she’s still in the Network?! But she’s asleep! S-Sensei! This is no time to be having weird dreams! Dammit, and I disconnected Gerard like I always do when I have alone time with Efil. So I really have no one to rely on? Ahh, screw this, what will happen will happen!
“So yeah, there’s no need to put yourself down unnecessarily, Efil. I just didn’t want to force you into anything simply because you’re my slave. I’m sure you don’t want to do something like that with a guy you don’t even li—”
“I love you, Master,” interrupted Efil, wiping her tears. “As my Master, as my companion, and as a man...I love you. I love you very much. You never once gave me a dirty look for being afflicted with the curse, instead going to great lengths to teach me the warmth of companionship. For you, Master, I...”
I felt her grip my hand a bit harder.
“Are you sure about this? I...probably won’t be able to hold back.”
“Yes, I’m sure. For someone to love me so much that he loses himself for a while...it would reassure me. Truly. Would...would you do that for me please?”
The next morning, for the first time since I brought Efil home, she and I both ended up sleeping in.
◇ ◇ ◇
The Holy Empire of Deramis was the home of the world’s largest religious organization, the Holy Order of Rinne, which worshiped Melfina, the Goddess of Reincarnation. More than thirty thousand believers lived within its borders. Roughly one year ago, the Oracle of Deramis had summoned four Heroes from another world. The leader of those Heroes, Kanzaki Touya, was now standing on a balcony at the Palace of Deramis, lost in thought.
“Touya, what are you doing here?”
“Hm? Oh, hi there, Setsuna.”
When Touya turned around, he found Shiga Setsuna, his childhood friend, standing there beside him. As she had her black hair up in a ponytail and a thin layer of sweat was glistening on her skin, she had likely just returned from her daily training at the practice grounds. Back in their previous world, she had been their school council president. With looks that placed her first or second within the entire school, marks that were consistently in the top percentile for her grade, and such proficiency at kendo that she made it to the nationals every year without fail, Setsuna had commanded enormous popularity and respect from both her male and female peers.
“Colette is in the middle of praying to Goddess Melfina. I’m standing guard to stop anyone from going in.”
In contrast to Setsuna’s upright and unselfish character, Touya was, for better or worse, “sincerity” personified. Although not quite at Setsuna’s level, he had also maintained high grades and was talented at sports. In addition, he possessed a strong sense of justice. His ability to treat everyone, regardless of status, kindly and as equals made him welcome wherever he went. As if that wasn’t enough, he was so handsome that he could easily have become an idol if he’d wanted to. Not once in his life had he ever experienced adversity, and to him, being the center of attention was simply a given. Having grown up in such an environment, he lacked a sense of doubt or mistrust, and sincerely believed everyone to be good at heart. It could be said that while this was one of his strengths, it was most certainly also a weakness.
“Colette is praying again, is she? It’s been almost a year since we were summoned to this world, but so far, the only time we met the goddess was during the summoning itself.”
“Being summoned was rather surprising, wasn’t it? The four of us just happened to be hanging out in the classroom after school, and the next thing we knew, we had been called to another world. With a goddess greeting us, no less.”
“I seem to remember you looking a lot more delighted than surprised, Touya. Your eyes were practically sparkling.”
“Who wouldn’t feel that way?! A goddess needed our help to defeat a Demon Lord. Could there be any greater honor?!”
“An honor...”
Touya’s answer was delivered as a statement of fact, with no trace of uncertainty or hesitation. This only added to Setsuna’s growing apprehension.
It is true that this is an honorable mission...we are here for the sake of everyone in this world. While it’s been smooth sailing so far, though, I can’t imagine things staying this way forever. Touya, do you truly understand that our lives are on the line here? When the going gets tough, will you be able to calmly handle it? When you, who have never known hardship, hit a wall...will we be able to survive? Setsuna weighed the world against her life and the lives of her friends. If he can’t, then I’ll have to do whatever is necessary to protect my friends...
An intense light suddenly spilled out from the cathedral where Colette was praying.
“Wh-What’s going on?!”
“It’s coming from inside! Has Colette done something?!”
“Touya, let’s go!”
“Right behind you!”
The two otherworldly Heroes rushed towards the cathedral.
◇ ◇ ◇
Constructed at the very center of the Deramis Palace, home of the Pope, was the Great Deramis Cathedral, the largest of its kind in the world. Astonishingly, a large portion of it was coated in silver. One look at the building with its sublime glow, as it reflected the light of the sun, was enough to understand why some called this landmark the holiest place in the world. During the day, it was normally overflowing with believers on their pilgrimages, but the cathedral always closed its doors at dusk. At that moment, in the dead of night, there was but a single young, silver-haired girl passionately offering up her prayers.
“Melfina-sama, I implore you, let me look upon your holy visage once again.”
The girl was Colette, the Oracle of Deramis. She had been ten when she’d taken up the mantle, and had been praying every day since, without fail. The reason the cathedral closed its doors at night was so she wouldn’t be interrupted during her prayers. It spoke volumes about how much weight Deramis placed on the ability to receive prophecies from Melfina.
“Please grant me a prophecy.”
Just before the bell tolled midnight, the statue of the goddess on the altar began to glow. Before long, the glow had spread to envelop the entire sculpture. The awe-inspiring wings of the idol began to flap, each stroke causing the intensity of the light to grow stronger. Before long, Colette found herself face to face with the dazzling figure of the goddess in all her glory.
“M-Melfina-sama!” cried Colette, so excited that she lost all semblance of composure.
Melfina smiled gently in response. “It has been a while, Colette. I last descended when I summoned the Heroes. I believe it has been a year since then?”
“Y-Yes, my Lady.”
Colette was incredibly nervous. In this country, her unique position as the Oracle placed her second only to the Pope. As such, she was no stranger to standing before large crowds of believers. Her current state was a far cry from her usual cool and collected self.
“I am glad to see that you’re well. Let’s get down to business then, shall we? As the day of the Demon Lord’s return draws closer, I have come to check up on our Heroes. They are steadily growing stronger without any problems, I trust?”
Colette nodded. “Please take a look at this,” she said, producing a recording orb from her chest pocket. The blue sphere was a Rank A item capable of preserving anything from voices to videos to Status screens. This particular item had been left in Colette’s care, primarily to record any prophecies that she received. Needless to say, it was an extremely valuable object.
“Let me see,” said the goddess, holding a hand out over the orb.
Kanzaki Touya (18 y/o, Male, Human, Sword Saint)
Level: 53
Title: Otherworld Hero
HP: 753/753
MP: 431/431
Strength: 265
Endurance: 258
Agility: 269
Magic: 264
Luck: 530 (+160)
Skills: Absolute Gospel (Unique Skill), Sword Mastery (Rank S), Dual Wield (Rank C), White Magic (Rank C), Army Command (Rank B), Super Luck (Rank B)
Passive Effects: Blessing of the Spirit of Light, Concealment (Rank B)
Shiga Setsuna (18 y/o, Female, Human, Samurai)
Level: 52
Title: Otherworld Hero
HP: 477/477
MP: 318/318
Strength: 361
Endurance: 219
Agility: 573 (+160)
Magic: 155
Luck: 214
Skills: Iron Cutting Authority (Unique Skill), Sword Mastery (Rank A), Mind’s Eye (Rank B), Sky Walk (Rank B), Danger Detection (Rank B), Acute Reflexes (Rank B)
Passive Effects: Blessing of the Spirit of Wind, Concealment (Rank B)
Mizuoka Nana (18 y/o, Female, Human, Tamer)
Level: 48
Title: Otherworld Hero
HP: 294/294
MP: 589/589
Strength: 143
Endurance: 493 (+160)
Agility: 95
Magic: 347
Luck: 191
Skills: Animal Communication (Unique Skill), Blue Magic (Rank B), White Magic (Rank B), Taming (Rank A), Companionship (Rank C), Iron Wall (Rank B)
Passive Effects: Blessing of the Spirit of Water, Concealment (Rank B)
Kuromiya Miyabi (18 y/o, Female, Human, Black Mage)
Level: 53
Title: Otherworld Hero
HP: 270/270
MP: 810/810
Strength: 105
Endurance: 211
Agility: 204
Magic: 794 (+320)
Luck: 156
Skills: Parallel Processing (Unique Skill), Black Magic (Rank A), Magic Conservation (Rank B), Magic Detection (Rank C), Concealment (Rank B), Magic Enhancement (Rank A)
Passive Effects: Blessing of the Spirit of Darkness, Concealment (Rank B)
“Oh...yes, steady growth indeed...”
“Thank you very much!” Colette felt deeply moved, and her excitement continued to grow. “Melfina-sama, I implore you, bless us with a prophecy!”
There was a pause as Melfina scrambled internally for a moment. “I feel an evil presence from the Rizean Empire,” she found herself saying. “Send the Heroes there. Ensure that they do not mistakenly go in the direction of Parth.”
“I shall do as you wish, Goddess!”
The light that had been given form nodded, then slowly began to fade. “Do not disappoint me, my Oracle.”
Just as Colette had seen off the last particles of light, the door of the great cathedral burst open.
“Colette, are you all right?!”
With Touya at the front, all of the Heroes came charging in.
Colette turned towards them and proclaimed in a sonorous voice, “The Goddess has granted us a prophecy!”
◇ ◇ ◇
“Melfina’s sure taking a while, isn’t she?” I asked, drawing a card from Efil’s hand. We were back in our room at the Fairy’s Song.
“Today is the fifth day. I am getting a bit worried too,” replied Efil, taking a card from Gerard.
“Come now. Princess is arguably the only one who doesn’t need the rest of us to worry about her, isn’t she?”
“Dude, how many times have I told you not to call her ‘Princess’?”
“And, as I keep telling you,” returned Gerard, drawing from Clotho’s hand, “as a knight, how can I not have a princess? Wait, hold on, that was the Joker!”
“Gerard-san, the game loses all meaning if you tell everyone when you get it.”
We were currently gathered together, enjoying a round of Old Maid. I’d done a double take when I first learned that this world had playing cards, but after thinking it over, I realized they had likely been introduced by some other transmigrator before me. The playing cards in this world were nearly the same quality as those found in Japan. Seriously, what’s with these random advances in the weirdest niches?
“Curses! Clotho, you deceived me!”
“You chose that card yourself, didn’t you? Here you go, Clotho, take one from me.”
Clotho obediently plucked one from my hand.
“Oh, look at that, Clotho’s done.”
“Clotho’s the first winner this round, then.”
We had disabled the Follower Network for the moment. If we hadn’t, it would have been like playing with our hands out in the open.
“Aha, I’m done too!”
“Congratulations, Master.”
Efil turned towards Gerard, reaching for his cards.
“H-Hold on, Efil. Are you sure you don’t want to pick this card instead?”
“Thank you for your warning. In that case...”
◇ ◇ ◇
“Master, I’ve prepared some snacks.”
“Oooh, is it the stuff we bought from the store the other day? Sure, let’s dig in!”
While we were taking a break from the card game, Efil served everyone the sweets that she had taken out.
“Without further ado —”
::I’m back!::
Agh! Damn, that surprised me!
“Come on, Melfina, you almost made me drop this delicious pastry.”
::Ah, I’m sorry. I came back as fast as I could.::
I reactivated my telepathic connection. There we go, Follower Network back up and running. Efil and Clotho quickly caught on as well.
“Welcome back, Melfina-sama.”
Clotho bounced up and down.
::Mm, glad to be back. I’m relieved to see that Efil and Clotho are well. And Gerard is...all curled up in a corner? What’s happened to him?::
“He’s wallowing in the bitterness of defeat. Don’t mind him.”
“How could I have lost...”
Damn, old man, do you have to be that depressed about losing a card game? Although he was extremely reliable in battle, outside of battle, he was pretty much just a friendly grandpa.
“All right, joking aside, how were the Heroes, Melfina?”
“Oh right, Princess, you still haven’t told us much about them.”
“They’re Heroes, so I’m sure they’re extremely powerful, aren’t they?”
With Melfina having taken off so suddenly, leaving only the telepathic equivalent of a hastily written note, all of us were quite curious about what she had been up to in Deramis.
::It has been almost a year since the Heroes were summoned, so I had to check in and see how they’ve grown.::
“Well?”
Melfina sighed. Hm, she seems a bit glum.
::Here, have a look.::
Several Status windows were suddenly projected through the Follower Network.
“Uh...these are the Heroes?”
“Their levels are not as high as I had expected,” Efil murmured.
“I could probably take on these youngsters with my current stats, don’t you think?” added Gerard.
Clearly, I wasn’t the only one who had misgivings.
::You all feel the same?::
“Frankly, in light of their ‘Hero’ title and all, I had expected them to be around Level 100. It’s been almost a year since they were summoned, right? What have they been doing this whole time?”
::Deramis has an order of Holy Knights. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say they were likely being trained by the order while being nurtured with the greatest care, always with a significant safety margin in place.::
So, heavily protected, then. I can understand where Deramis is coming from, but would these Heroes actually be able to fight on the front lines?
::I confess, I’m also disappointed. Will they actually be ready in time for the Demon Lord’s resurrection? In any case, if they fail, I’ll take care of things myself, so there’s no need for you to worry about this, honey.::
If only it were that easy not to worry about something...
“Just out of curiosity, how strong would this Demon Lord be?”
::There is variation from one generation to the next, but Demon Lords are usually around Level 100.::
“At this rate, it’s gonna take those Heroes several years to get there, isn’t it?”
“Considering they won’t be able to rely on the knights for support after out-leveling them, their rate of growth will probably slow down even more.”
I suppose there’s nothing we can do except pray that whatever advice Melfina gave them pays off.
::On the other hand, it seems that you’ve grown a lot in the five days I was gone, honey.::
“Mhm. We took care of another subjugation quest from Rio again. This time, it was a monster called the Evil Sage Tree. Have a look, I made this with the materials I got from it,” I replied, holding up the staff that I had crafted from the magic-rich wood dropped by the monster. Out of all the gear I had made recently, this was the item that I was proudest of.
::A mid-Rank A monster? To be capable of defeating an Evil Sage Tree already...I am amazed. May I have a look at your Status windows?::
“Sure thing.”
Kelvin (23 y/o, Male, Human, Summoner)
Level: 42
Title: Champion of Parth
HP: 427/427
MP: 890/890
Strength: 83
Endurance: 87
Agility: 261
Magic: 474
Luck: 349
Skills: Summoning (Rank S) [Available slots: 7 (Clotho: 100 MP, Gerard: 80 MP, Melfina: ? MP)], Green Magic (Rank A), White Magic (Rank A), Analyze Eye (Rank S), Presence Sensing (Rank B), Concealment (Rank S), Nerves of Steel (Rank B), Army Command (Rank B), Smithing (Rank A), Double Growth Rate, Double Skill Points, Experience Sharing
Passive Effects: Concealment (Rank S)
Efil (16 y/o, Female, Half-Elf, Battle Maid)
Level: 38
Title: Perfect Maid
HP: 312/312
MP: 570/570
Strength: 159
Endurance: 157
Agility: 329
Magic: 313
Luck: 77
Skills: Archery (Rank A), Red Magic (Rank B), Farsight (Rank B), Covert Action (Rank A), Service (Rank B), Cooking (Rank B), Sewing (Rank B), Double Growth Rate, Double Skill Points
Passive Effects: Blessing of the Flame Dragon King, Concealment (Rank S)
::To grow this much in only a month...honey, perhaps you should rein in your battle junkie side just a bit?::
“I’ve been working hard at smithing lately too!” You strike me deep, Melfina, you really do. “Still, the Heroes’ Statuses make for a good reference. I find it quite impressive that they all have a Unique Skill and a blessing. Efil is the only person I’ve seen so far with a blessing.”
::It’s very rare to meet a blessed person. In the case of the Heroes, they got theirs as part of the bonuses received from transmigrating.::
“Ugh. I know I’m not really in a position to say so, but that does make me jealous.”
::Well, if it bothers you so much...when you finally manage to Summon me, I’ll give you my blessing. How’s that sound?::
“Whoa, seriously? You’re not just pulling my leg, right?!”
::Mhm, seriously. So work hard at becoming powerful enough to Summon me, all right?::
“What is this sudden surge of motivation rushing through my veins?! All right, I’m going to work my ass off!” Before I knew it, I had already clenched my fists in a “guts” pose.
Efil was, for her part, blushing happily while murmuring something like, “If we both have blessings, then we’d be a match...”
I gasped. “Whoa, I kind of lost myself there. All right, returning to the topic at hand, it seems like a good idea for all of us to have at least one boost skill.”
“I might get Acute Reflexes then, Master.”
“My king, I already possess Herculean Strength and Iron Wall.”
“Oh hey, how about I get boost skills for all stats?”
“Please don’t, my king! I’ll lose my role in the party!”
Continuing in this vein, we had fun discussing skills until late into the night.