Chapter 8: Face to Face

Chapter 8:
Face to Face

 

“BROTHER DEAREST?! Whatever is the matter?!”

I was barely hanging onto consciousness, but somehow, I made it home. It was already pitch-black as I collapsed at the front door, perhaps from the relief that I was finally back.

“Oh… Hey, Alice.”

“Y-your arm—ngh! Everyone, come quick! Our dear Noir needs help!”

My parents, Tigerson, and Olivia all came running. They were all at a loss for words. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen my father look so serious. Maybe never. But Olivia, who had many battles under her belt, remained calm. She looked at my wound and used some kind of skill. Warm light emitted from her hands as she healed me.

“What were you thinking, Noir? When you lose a limb, you need to stop the bleeding right away. Lots of people die from exsanguination.”

“Please go easy on me. I’ve never lost an arm before.”

“Well, if you can talk back to me, you’re gonna be fine. I’m not very good at healing, so this won’t do anything crazy, but it should keep the wound from getting infected.”

“Thanks. It feels a lot better already.”

“Ms. Olivia,” said Alice. “Please save my dear brother. Take my life to save his if you need to!”

“O-or mine!” said my father. “But I’d prefer a solution where we all remain alive!”

They’d both completely lost their composure.

<Calm down,> said Tigerson. <We ought to take Noir to a healer first.>

“Yeah! Exactly!”

Alice and my father tried to put me on Tigerson’s back, but Olivia stopped them.

“None of the healers in town can do much for him.”

<Then what shall we do? I cannot stand by and watch as the light drains from my friend’s eyes.>

“Chill,” said Olivia. “It’s not like I want him to die either. But Noir’s the only one with the power to help himself.”

I’m the only one with the power… Did she mean by creating a skill?

“You’ve been working hard to earn LP lately, haven’t you?” she asked. “How much do you have not?”

“About fifty-three thousand.”

“Would you look at that!” She flashed a bubbly smile and placed one finger on my chest. “Try making a skill to regrow your arm.”

“Y-you can do that?”

She must’ve done it herself at some point in the past.

Regrow Left Arm — 20,000 LP

I trusted her, so I produced the skill. Once I told her I’d done it, she flashed an “okay” with her fingers.

“You could edit it to speed up the regrowth rate,” she said. “Or just make the skill faster to begin with, but it’ll bump the cost up a lot. Either way, it should grow back after a good night’s rest.”

I was grateful for the advice, but it didn’t really matter how long it took. Olivia and my father helped me to bed, and Alice brought me some water. Everyone stood over me as I laid my head down on my pillow and felt the strength leave my body. My eyelids grew heavy. I really hoped that my left arm would grow back the same as before…

 

***

 

My mind was fuzzy, but I could hear voices.

“We should turn him down this time.”

“But honey, he’s a valuable customer.”

“I will keep an eye on our dear Noir. His condition seems stable, and his arm has grown back. And Ms. Olivia is here too.”

It was my parents’ voices. And Alice.

Wait, did she say my arm grew back?

I sat up and checked. My left sleeve was missing, so I could clearly see the limb growing out of my shoulder. I touched it gently, then started to get more excited. It really was my arm, just as it had been before!

“Ooh, you’re up.”

“Oh, Brother, my dearest Brother, are you well?!”

“Yeah. At least, I think I am. I’m a little shocked that it actually grew back. It doesn’t hurt or anything.”

Everyone gathered around me, looking relieved. I’d have been lying if I said I wasn’t tired, but that was probably just because of how intense the fight had been. Olivia and Tigerson were in the living room, so I headed downstairs.

<Oooh! Your arm grew back!>

“I told you so,” said Olivia. “Sometimes I do tell the truth!”

“Thank you,” I said. “Both of you. I wouldn’t have managed without you.”

“It’s not done yet,” said Olivia. “You should rest for another day or two.”

It seemed it was going to take a little time for my sensation and grip to return, although I could probably shorten the recovery with rehab. For now, I needed to eat. Over the table, my parents explained what they’d been talking about earlier. Apparently, one of the regulars at Stardian Rarities had invited them to dinner. He owned quite a lot of property and bought a lot from us. My father said he was holding a dinner party tonight.

“He invited us all, including Tigerson and Ms. Olivia.”

“Well, please, don’t worry about me,” I said. “I still need rest, but I’m not in any danger.”

It’d be good for business if they went. I promised I’d be good and rest, so my family agreed to go. It was already past five in the afternoon, so they all got ready and headed out right away. Apparently, I really had slept for a long time.

When I was alone, I lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling, thinking things over. I’d spent a lot of LP regrowing my arm, but I still had about thirty-three thousand left. If I wanted to reach my hundred thousand target, I’d have to keep at the Item Conversion grind. There were probably still some useful things left on the seventeenth floor. I was still curious about the three sets of stairs too, but I’d solve that soon enough.

“Wait! I had plans with Emma today!”

I’d promised to have her over for dinner, since her parents were out of town, but everyone had gone out to that party. While I was trying to figure out what to do, Emma showed up.

“Hiya! I’m here!”

She was full of cheer, but she seemed disappointed to find the house empty.

“Huh? Where’d everyone go?”

“So, about that…”

I explained the situation. Emma’s disappointment didn’t last long.

“All right, then,” she said. “Why don’t the two of us go out to eat?”

“Yeah, that sounds good to me.”

“Yay!”

And so, we left the house.

“Sorry,” I said. “I know how much you were looking forward to dinner.”

“It’s totally fine. You guys are dealing with your own stuff,” Emma said.

I couldn’t help noticing her clothes. The outfit was much more reserved than the one she’d worn for the King of the School Year Competition, but it was still revealing. She was probably hoping I’d notice, so I mentioned it.

“I guess it is a lot of skin…” she said. “It was just so hot out.”

“You should wear whatever you like. I’m just concerned about that serial killer.”

He was attacking women in attention-grabbing clothes, and some adventurers had been seriously injured, so I had reason to be worried. Emma chuckled softly.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Heh heh, thanks for worrying about me.”

“Of course I worry about you. Maybe you should spend the night tonight.”

“I’d love to.”

“Then it’s settled.”

I told her she could use my room. I’d sleep in the living room.

We strolled around until we found a place to eat. We picked a restaurant famous for its delicious soup and bread.

“Congratulations! You’re our hundredth customer today!”

We lucked out. The place was having a campaign, and the hundredth customer ate free. We happily took our seats. While we were waiting for food, I overheard the people talking at a nearby table.

“That new weapons shop is opening soon.”

“Think they’re gonna have a big opening sale?”

“I wouldn’t hold my breath. They’re a famous chain from another kingdom. I have a friend from there, and apparently all the top-class adventurers and soldiers use their products.”

They had to be talking about Santage Arms and Armor. They weren’t even open yet, and people were already talking. It was a good sign for their business. Emma noticed it too.

“Mira’s family sure is famous, huh? That girl’s impressive—in more ways than one.”

“Well, she uses enchanted items and she’s high level. I dunno if it’s just her genes or because she’s been handling them since she was a kid.”

“Either way, we should try to make friends with her,” said Emma.

That was a good idea. Mira could be difficult, but she wasn’t a bad person. Plus, getting a discount at their shop would be a huge bonus.

After dinner, Emma stopped at a bar to pick up some alcohol on our way home.

“You wanna drink?” I asked.

“Honestly, after that night at the bar with Mira, I kinda got hooked,” she said bashfully.

I was a little worried. “Just make sure you don’t become an alcoholic.”

“I just wanna drink with you, Noir.”

I couldn’t really argue with that. We bought some snacks to go with our drinks and headed home. As we drank together, Emma started growing weary.

“Noooir, you know, I, Emma Brightness, have something to ask you.”

“You know you can ask me, the Noir Stardia, whatever you like.”

“Let’s take a bath together!”

That was…a little surprising. I was confused, but then Emma pulled something out of her bag. It was a bathing suit.

“You were planning for this?” I asked.

“Eh he he he! We always used to bathe together as kids! You gotta respect your roots after all!”

I didn’t think that wasn’t what that phrase meant, but I kept that to myself. Besides, she was right—we had taken baths together when we were kids…

“I’ll wash your back!” Emma said. “Let’s gooo!”

She’d planned for this, so it couldn’t be entirely motivated by the alcohol. I decided to indulge her. I went into my room and changed into a pair of swim trunks before heading to the bathroom. Emma was already inside.

“M-mind if I come in?” I asked.

“Sure thing!”

“Thanks for having me…” I mumbled. What am I even saying? This is my own home.

My heart pounded as I walked in and saw Emma in her bathing suit. It was a really sexy cut, and not exactly reminiscent of our previous encounters in that room. The bath was already drawn, so it seemed my family had used it already.

“Okay,” she said. “Have a seat. I’ll wash your back.”

“S-sure.”

I sat down on one of the bath stools. I’d never been so anxious in my own bathroom before! Emma worked up a nice lather, then gently applied it to my back.

“Anyfing boddering you?” she asked.

Her drunken slurs were kinda cute.

“Nope, I’m fine.”

“Wow Noir, your back is soooo biiig.”

Something soft squished against my back as a drunk Emma snaked her arms around me.

“E-Emma?”

“I’m feewing kinda sweepy…”

“You can’t sleep here, it’s dangerous. Let’s just rinse off and get out.”

I splashed us with water, rinsing the soap off.

Emma stared at me with glassy eyes. “I thought I’d give you some LP with a hug.”

“Oh, yeah, thanks, but…”

“Yay!”

The hug definitely felt different, now that we were both sopping wet and in our bathing suits.

“Get any LP?”

“Way more than usual.”

“Let’s stay like this for a bit.”

I nodded. It felt a little strange to be hugging in the bath, but it also felt weirdly nice. It wasn’t long before I thought I heard footsteps. And then the door opened.

“Is this where you are, Noir?” my father asked. “Wh-wha-what…is this what I think it is?!”

Crap, everyone’s home!

I was flustered, but he was probably more upset.

“I mean, I guess your mother and I used to…no, well, I guess we still do sometimes…but you’re only sixteen, all right? It’s still too soon for you to explore things like this. Save the bathroom fun times for when you’re older.”

“Emma was just washing my back. See? We’re wearing swimsuits.”

As I frantically tried to explain, I heard Alice’s voice drawing near. I started to despair.

“Father, have you foun… Father, bring me your sharpest blade and join me in the living room.”

“Alice, it’s not what you think,” I protested.

She dragged us down silently to the living room and sat us down on the floor next to Olivia. My master was passed out drunk, and we were still in our swimsuits.

“I would never normally get this cross with you, Brother dearest,” Alice said. “But I simply cannot stand for this. There are two reasons. First, I am your little sister, so I have authority over who you spend the rest of your life with.”

I was at a loss for words.

“I do believe that, eventually, you will marry and have se—ahem, those types of relations,” she said. “However, I…I insist that it be with a person I approve of! And Emma…I still don’t entirely approve of you!”

“Aha,” Emma laughed. “Alice, you’re so silly.”

Oh, no, Emma was still drunk! She was making silly faces and flashing peace signs again.

A vein throbbed on Alice’s forehead. “Secondly, and this is the big one, the bathroom is for the whole family to use, so you shouldn’t be having se—participating in such activities in there. For the sake of the entire Stardia family, I have taken on the unpleasant task of explaining this to both of you!”

The bathroom was a common area, so I understood why Alice was so upset about it. Unfortunately, Emma just pushed her breasts together and cocked her head to the side.

“Huh?”

Alice’s eyes were cold as ice. I frantically tried to cover for Emma.

“Look, I’ll admit we were hugging, but you’ve got the wrong idea about everything else. We really weren’t doing anything like that. See? We’re both in bathing suits. Plus, if we were gonna do it in the bath, then…”

I glanced over at my parents. They were completely down for the count. I silently pleaded with them to rescue me, but Tigerson was the only one who responded to my cry.

<Humph, do humans not court in the bath? I believe I have heard Noir’s parents making flirtatious noises in there.>

“Tigersoooon!” my father said, frantically trying to shut him up. “Don’t I always water your flower for you?! Here, I’ll give you some right now!”

“Now, Alice,” said our mother. “It sounds like there’s been a misunderstanding, and Noir seems remorseful. Why don’t you forgive him?”

“But, Mother!”

“Let’s keep the waterworks in the bath,” she said. “And be happy that Noir’s arm has healed.”

“Humph… I guess you’re right. Brother dearest, are you feeling better?”

I smiled and nodded, thankful that my parents’ intervention had saved me from Alice’s wrath. Of course, after all that, I’d developed a serious curiosity about “bathroom fun times.”

 

***

 

It wasn’t a school day, but the inter-school tournament was taking place soon, so I still had to go to the campus. Apparently, it was just a little meet and greet with representatives from the other school. I reached the teachers’ lounge, and Ms. Elena waved me in.

“Sorry for making you come on a day off,” she said. “It’s just a quick face-to-face today, then we’re done.”

“Are we still waiting for the representatives from the other years?” I asked.

“No, it’s just you today. Ideally, we’d have all three of you here, but the second- and third-year kings have rather…unique personalities.”

It sounded like they were rough around the edges. But apparently, the other school was only sending one representative too, so it wouldn’t cause offense. While we waited for the other party to arrive, I had something to drink and gave Ms. Elena a shoulder rub.

“Ahhhh, Noir, are you sure you don’t want to become my personal masseur when you graduate?”

“I think I’ll have to pass,” I said. “When you eventually got bored of my services, my life would be in shambles.”

“Ah ha ha! That’s a good point! But man, you really are good at this.”

While we chatted, another teacher came to let us know the party from the other school had arrived. We immediately got up to meet them.

Outside the door was an intelligent-looking man, presumably the teacher, and behind him, a girl dressed mostly in white. Her elegant dress had a bow on its chest, she had long, almost white hair, cool eyes, and a small, tense mouth. Her figure was slim but looked mature.

“My name is Torche,” said the teacher, bowing politely. “I am an instructor at the Gifted Institute. We are here to meet the wonderful students and staff of the Hero Academy.”

The girl bowed too. Manners were clearly important at their school. Our teachers returned the greeting, and Torche introduced the girl.

“This is Emilia. She is participating in the tournament.”

“Hello, my name is Emilia Celistage, and I am a third-year student at the Gifted Institute. I am truly humbled to be here in your magnificent school. I am very much looking forward to the tournament.”

Ms. Elena gently tapped me on the shoulder, and I stepped forward.

“I’m Noir Stardia, and I’m a first-year here at the Hero Academy. I’m honored to attend the upcoming tournament and have the opportunity to learn from you.”

Emilia gave me a gentle smile and offered her hand. When I took it, my face twisted in pain.

“Ngh.”

Her grip was so powerful! She was definitely doing it on purpose. I took the opportunity to use my Discerning Eye, but her stats were concealed.

Instead, I forced a smile. “I think you can let go now.”

“Goodness! How rude of me. I am nervous and have behaved quite boorishly.”

I decided to play along with her act for the moment.

“Oh, it’s no trouble,” I said. “I mean, who hasn’t gotten nervous and squeezed too hard before? It wouldn’t surprise me if someone’s even broken some bones that way.”

Emilia’s eye twitched, just for a moment, before her smile returned. She picked up the hem of her skirt and curtsied.

“I look forward to competing with you, Noir.”

“I do too.”

The teachers chatted amongst themselves, and that was that.

“Was she trying to pick a fight with that handshake?” Ms. Elena asked after they left.

“Felt like it. That was no normal handshake.”

“Thought so. Well, good luck at the tournament.”

“I intend to win.”

“That’s the spirit.”

I couldn’t lose. Afterall, the pride of my school was on the line. I headed home, raring to fight. On the way back, I felt someone staring at me. I was sure someone was following me, so I waited until I reached a more secluded area, then turned around.

“What do you want, Emilia?”

There was no teacher this time. It was just her.

“Goodness, you noticed me. I wasn’t quite satisfied with our earlier conversation, so I just found myself following you.”

I took issue with being stalked, but at least we could finish our conversation now.

“What did you want to talk about?” I asked.

“I’m sure you are aware, but I intend to win the tournament. Still, I won’t be in the first round, so I worry that I won’t have the opportunity to meet you in battle, Noir.”

Her smile never wavered as she provoked me. She was implying that whoever they put forward first would take out all three of our representatives single-handedly.

“Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that you’re right,” I said. “What do you wanna do about it?”

“I suggest a friendly sparring match.”

Before I could answer, Emilia waved one hand and a giant frog appeared beside her. It was almost six-feet tall, but it was chubby and seemed slow. Still, it definitely packed a punch. Emilia watched my reaction and pulled a sword out from her Pocket Dimension, looking smug.

“You keep a frog in your Pocket Dimension?” I asked.

“Oh, don’t be silly, the frog lives somewhere else. I used two different skills.”

The frog was a summon then, called forth from some other dimension.

“Ribbit, ribbit.”

The frog shot out its tongue. I dodged with a sidestep and managed to avoid it. Still, it had a long range, and it could pull its tongue back really fast.

“Heh, pardon my minion. He wasn’t trying to attack. He just wanted to lick your adorable face.”

“How am I supposed to know what monsters want?” I said. “If he tries that again, I’ll cut his tongue off.”

“Think you can manage that? Garma, eat.”

The frog’s tongue shot out and pulled Emilia’s sword into its mouth.

Huh? Won’t he get cut?

Apparently not. In fact, quite the opposite. As it ate the sword, it transformed. Sword-like thorns grew all over its body.

 

Name: Metamorphic Frog

Level: 127

Skills: Metamorphosis; Regrow Tongue

 

I guess eating that weapon changed its body?

“Garma, get me a lick of Noir’s pretty hair.”

“Ribbiiit!”

This time, its whole tongue was like a sword. It shot toward me.

Kachink!

I raised my own sword overhead, knocking the tongue away. But the frog was a living thing, and its movements weren’t entirely predictable. It attacked again, aiming for my face this time. I twisted away to protect my head, but it did manage to cut a chunk off my bangs.

“I’ll take that,” said Emilia. “You see, my hobby is collecting hair from cute boys.”

As she moved forward to collect it, I fired off a Lightning Strike, but the frog protected her with its tongue.

“Ribbit?!”

It twitched and trembled with the shock, but it didn’t seem to do much damage.

“That must have hurt, Garma. Noir seems strong, so let’s go home.”

“You really are capricious, huh?”

“I beg your forgiveness,” said Emilia. “But I have determined that you are worth fighting. Let us continue this at the tournament. Good day, sir.”

She picked up her skirt and curtsied, and the frog vanished into thin air. Apparently she could treat it just like an inanimate weapon. She walked away, giving me a clean target, but shooting people in the back wasn’t exactly my style.

“I’m gonna beat her fair and square.”

Bring on the tournament!

 

***

 

That morning, Olivia’s house was finally ready for her, so we all gathered around to see her off. She looked each of us over with tears in her eyes.

“I haven’t been this happy in ages. You have to come visit me. Promise you won’t forget poor old Olivia…”

“As if we could forget you,” I said. “Your new place is just a five-minute walk away!”

“Ah ha ha ha! I guess you’re right. Plus, I plan to visit every day.”

Apparently, she’d taken a liking to my mother’s cooking. Despite everything, she felt at home here.

“Ah, the Stardia family. What am I going to do without you all? Well, Noir, let’s get going.”

“You got it.”

I walked her to her new home, not that Olivia needed an escort.

“That reminds me,” she said on our way. “Noir, how much LP do you have now?”

“About thirty-four thousand.”

“I guess you used a lot to regrow that arm, huh?”

“Yeah, but I’m heading back into the dungeon today. I might be able to collect a few more enchanted items.”

“Let’s talk more when I’m moved in.”

“I can’t wait.”

Mr. Domado was waiting at the house to hand over the keys. It was all Olivia’s now. We walked into the big yard, which was far fancier than the one at home, and immediately started talking about the new skills I’d learned. For example, I wanted to know if I could hide in a box of Stone Walls and rain stones down on my enemies.

“It’s not a terrible idea, but I’m not sure you’d be able to hit anyone if you can’t see them.”

“Oh, right. What if I target the areas where my opponent might dodge?”

“I like it. I think it’d work even better if you had Shukuchi!”

It was a skill that would let me close in on an opponent, even faster than Front Step and the like. It was one of Leila’s specialties. It cost me 2,500 LP, and Stone Rain cost me 1,200.

As soon as I acquired them, I started practicing. Stone Rain summoned rocks about five or six yards above someone’s head. It didn’t have much range, but once the stones appeared, they just fell. It only took a few seconds. Then I practiced Shukuchi. It took me all morning to get the basics down.

“When you hit 100,000 LP, I’ll treat you to some extra fun training,” she said.

“I’m counting on you, Master.”

For all Olivia’s shortcomings, she always had my best interests at heart. She was probably trying to motivate me to get all that LP.

After lunch, I headed to the hidden dungeon and went straight to the seventeenth floor. I still needed to find the stairs, but I wanted to search for more enchanted items first. After all, the last time I was there, I had been interrupted by the Black Lancer.

I took out the Bell of Perception and walked around. Dealing with the masked men again would have been a pain, so I hid whenever I saw them and waited until they passed. After six or seven hours of searching, I acquired two enchanted items—a cup that could chill water in seconds, and a knife that made your opponent catch a cold. They were both rather unique, but LP was my main priority. Between them, they earned me 5,900 LP.

The bell wasn’t reacting anymore, so I went back to searching for the stairs. I asked the Great Sage for their locations and noted down his response. Then I marked my current location and headed off toward the closest one.

The first stairs were just in between some trees, but when I descended them, my path was blocked by a wall.

“Maybe that’s not it? Or maybe I’m supposed to destroy it? I should try the others first.”

I returned to the spot I’d marked and consulted my notes to find the second spot. They led me to a rock on the beach, with the stairs hidden beneath it. I tried going down.

“Again?”

It was just the same as before: another wall. I returned to my landmarked spot and hurried to the third.

It was located just inside the mouth of a cave. I descended the stairs, feeling a little nervous, but this time something else awaited me there—a long hallway. It was a familiar sight in this dungeon, so it seemed like this was the right one. It was also a good place to leave things for the day, so I headed home.

When I got there, someone was waiting outside for me.

Who would be waiting around in the cold and the dark like this?

When I got closer, I saw that it was Mira. I’d told her where I lived, so I supposed it wasn’t that strange.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Noir.”

“Well, this is sudden. Did something happen?”

“I never fulfilled my end of the bargain, remember? I brought you a weapon.”

She pulled an incredible spear out of her Pocket Dimension. That’s when it hit me: right, I’d won the drinking contest!

“You really did come through!” I said. “I thought that was just the alcohol talking.”

“I always keep my word. Also, you got time to come with me? Daddy wants to thank you. It won’t take long.”

“I guess I can’t say no to that.”

We walked down the dark street together. Mira was brimming with curiosity as she asked what I did with these enchanted items. I explained that I consumed them and turned them into power for myself.

“Oh, but don’t worry,” I said. “I promise I’ll take good care of the weapon you gave me.”

“What are you talking about?! You can do whatever you want with it! Sure, I like enchanted items, but I don’t care how you use them. Honestly, I kinda want to see it in action.”

I guess I’ll have to demonstrate!

First, I used my Discerning Eye on the spear.

 

Reaching Spear

Grade A

Sharp Edge; Extension

 

Spears had the longest reach of any melee weapon, and this one could extend even further. And it was A-Grade too. Mira was so awesome to give me such a valuable item. Converting it would get me…9,200 LP?!

“M-Mira, this is worth a lot. Are you sure you wanna give it to me?”

“Come on! Go ahead and blow it up already!”

It really wasn’t that flashy, but I went ahead and converted it. The weapon disappeared into thin air.

“You didn’t just put it in a Pocket Dimension?” she asked.

“Nope. It’s gone. I don’t even know where they go when I convert them.”

“Huh. I was expecting something more explosive.”

“Ha ha… Well, not much I can do about that.”

She seemed a little disappointed, but it didn’t take long for her mood to improve. It was one of the things I really liked about her.

“Here it is,” she said.

“Wow, it’s so big.”

The store was almost twice as big as I’d imagined, and probably three times the size of a regular weapons shop. It had a strange feel for a weapons shop though: sort of regal and antique.

“A wealthy elderly couple built it to live in,” Mira explained. “But their son decided to sell when they passed. Come on in.”

We stepped inside. They were still remodeling the place, but there were already a few weapons on display. Whoever decorated this place had good taste.

“We’re not quite ready to open yet,” Mira said. “Daddy, Noir’s here.”

“Oh, you came!” Mr. Stoke came from behind the counter with a big smile on his face. “Thank you for helping us find this wonderful property. We’re already preparing to open.”

“And I hope to be one of your first customers,” I said.

“I hope you will be! As a token of my thanks, I wanted to sell you some of the weapons we can’t use. Mira said you were looking for anything, even defective ones. Is that right?”

“Yes, if you can part with them for cheap, I’d be happy to take them.”

Mr. Stoke took me to an open wooden box in a corner of the shop. Inside was a pile of swords, axes, and all sorts of weapons.

“These are all damaged or poorly made, so we can’t sell them. You’d be doing me a favor if you took them.”

“Thank you very much!”

The front door creaked open, attracting our attention. A fair-skinned man in a black cape walked in. He was quite handsome and gave a little bow before addressing Mr. Stoke.

“My apologies for intruding upon you so late this evening, Mr. Stoke.”

“Did something happen, Mr. Nord?”

While Mr. Stoke spoke to the man, Mira leaned in to whisper in my ear.

“He’s the vice-guildmaster of Shiva.”

“Shiva?!”

Crap… I’d said it out loud, and now he was looking at me.

“Who is that boy over there?” Mr. Nord asked.

“That’s Noir, my daughter’s friend.”

Mr. Stoke introduced me, and Mr. Nord approached with a faint smile.

“Are you a student?” he asked. “Where do you go to school?”

“Um, the Hero Academy.”

The look in his eyes changed. “How wonderful! What class are you in?”

“S-Class.”

“Ahh! What a glorious night! A chance meeting with such a bright young mind! I’m the vice-guildmaster of Shiva!”

It didn’t get any less shocking. I mean, this guy didn’t look older than his late twenties, at most. He had to be incredibly talented to be a vice-guildmaster already. Either that, or he had some great connections.

Mr. Nord swept his arms open dramatically. “I want to scout you. Why don’t you join my guild? Of course, we don’t mind you prioritizing your studies.”

“I’m sorry, as much as I’d love to, I can’t. The thing is…I already belong to Odin.”

An awful feeling washed over me. Moving instinctively, I leapt out of the way and drew my sword. The air was thick with an almost homicidal rage. I could see the hostility in Mr. Nord’s face. I had no idea what was going on, but one thing was certain: this man was extremely dangerous.

“Oh, so you’re one of Odin’s adventurers, huh? Stolen right out from under me. Hmmm, yes, Odin…”

He had a sword at his hip, but he made no attempt to draw it. I tried using my Discerning Eye, but his skills were hidden. Still, I didn’t need to see them to know he was immensely powerful.

“All right, now,” said Mr. Stoke, interrupting the strange atmosphere. “I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s keep this peaceful.”

“Yeah,” said Mira. “Come on, Noir, put that away, will you?”

I sheathed my sword, and Mr. Nord flashed a suspicious smile. There was something terrifying about his pale face and false cheer.

“I’ll take my leave for today. Do take care of the item we discussed. You won’t regret it.”

He raised one hand and headed for the door, then turned around to face me.

“Noir, tell me, did they teach you to draw your sword in the middle of a polite conversation at Odin?”

“Is it Shiva’s custom to direct homicidal rage at someone in the middle of a ‘polite’ conversation?” I asked back.

He looked puzzled for a moment.

“Ah ha ha! I’ve memorized your face and name!” he announced loudly, after which he left the shop.

I was drenched in sweat.

“Noir,” Mira said. “Are you okay? You don’t look well…”

“I guess you don’t get along very well,” said Mr. Stoke.

They both seemed worried.

“We belong to rival guilds,” I said.

“I heard there were several guilds here,” said Mr. Stoke. “I’m sorry, I didn’t really understand the intricacies of that.”

“It’s not your fault,” I said. “You just got here. Don’t worry about it. Let me take those weapons off your hands.”

I stowed them away in my Pocket Dimension and bid them farewell. I was a little exhausted from that encounter.

“Come by again to hang out, okay, Noir?!” Mira said.

“Will do.”

We waved and said our goodbyes.

As I walked home, I was a little scared that I might have attracted another stalker, but thankfully nothing unusual happened.