“You didn’t kill them?”

To my question, Hyx shrugs as his gaze wanders around. “Didn’t think I need to,” he answered. We are now in the cottage having our lunch. Needless to say, it is fruits and vegetables again.

Now, I’m certainly surprised. I never took him for someone being reserved in taking a life.

“Are you sure we should be letting them live? What if they came back? Or worse, they bring their friends the next time?” Nilin asked.

Senna cast a worried gaze at her husband, “what exactly happened to the bandits, dear?”

“I tied them to a tree somewhere in the forest.”

“Oh my…” Senna covered her mouth.

“Wait,” I paused just before I put a berry into my mouth. “You tied them to a tree in the middle of the forest— a forest that’s a hunting ground for all kinds of monsters?”

“Pretty much,” he shrugs again.

I take it back. He’s not reserved. He’s just passing the baton. “Isn’t that just manslaughter?”

He stuffs a slice of orange into his mouth, “good riddance, then.”

Unbelievable.

“Don’t worry, I did interrogate them beforehand.”

That’s not what I’m concern about.

“So dear, what were those bandits’ aim? Are we being targeted?” asked Senna, her hand rubbing her slightly bulged stomach. I still can’t believe it’s only a month of pregnancy. That’s way too fast.

“Not specifically. We just happened to be in their sight.”

Nilin clicks her tongue, “they’re not that bright since they targeted us. We are seriously being underestimated here.”

“Actually, they don’t normally take such risk. They don’t target adventurers or people who even looked remotely capable of combat.” Hyx added.

“Then why did they target us?” I asked.

Hyx lets out a smirk, “here’s where it gets interesting.”

Feeling the atmosphere around Hyx turned serious, I decide to hold off my meal. Senna and Nilin did the same but Kirin and Cormac are nonchalant regarding the whole thing. Not that they aren’t concern but they are just still a little too juvenile to fit into the conversation. Citra and Indara are just watching us since they also can’t follow the conversation and they didn’t need to eat. No, maybe I phrased that wrong. Citra does need to eat— but she only needs to eat twice a day since she still has a small body. Djin on the other hand has been silently standing guard behind Senna. I’m not sure if he’s really doing any guarding but his stance sure reminds me of a guard. Hyx had told me of his telepathic connection with Djin, so it didn’t matter if Djin was part of the conversation. He’s probably here to fill the room.

Of course, Lucy is by my side. Till now, she remains awfully silent. It seems she still distrusts Hyx and his companions. I can understand why. I’m only open to them because Hyx was from Earth after all. But that doesn’t mean she hates them. If anything, she looks more fond of Hyx and co than the empire.

“These bandits,” Hyx begins. “They have a quota to be met. Their plunders and exploits, a portion of them goes to the shot caller.”

“Shot caller?” Senna tilts her head.

“It means the one overseeing the operations. They were nearing the deadline and they were desperate. So they went off their usual routine to meet that quota. Which is why they deviated from their usual victims. We just happened to be in their sight.”

I see, so that’s how it is. This cottage is located deep within the inner layer of Bluebell Forest but there’s still quite a bit of distance from where the Q’nu is located. For the bandits to wander in so deep, they must seriously be desperate. But, there’s something odd about this. “So you’re saying there’s a vast underworld organization here that’s pulling the strings of all this outlaws and criminals?”

“From what I can interpret from their subtext, this underworld organization might be on a nationwide scale or even more. They really held out against spilling the beans. They looked more afraid of what this organization would do to them than what I would do to them.”

Well, you even looked younger than me after all.

“Would this organization be a problem?” asked Senna.

“For now, no. We aren’t on their radar yet but I can’t say the same for the anvil here. She may not be well-known to the masses but those in power, they most likely are keeping track of anything that could be potentially shift the world.”

Son of a bitch. Did he just made a rude comment about my chest? Even Senna is trying to hold back her laughter. I look around and see only Senna is the one who got the meaning besides me.

Hyx notices my sharp gaze. “Don’t worry, they most likely know you’re in Bluebell but not your exact position. Unless they have a scout or spy that’s high spec enough to hide from our detection abilities combined.”

“I know but that’s not why you’re getting this death glare.”

He just smirk and shrug as he continues on.

“But anyways, that is not something we need to be worried about at the moment. If anything, it’s the Blood Moon Festival that we should be concern about. This festival is huge and in order to provide for this festival, some hunters expand the range of their game. Which means, they might accidentally stumble here. And unlike the bandits, we can’t exactly give them exactly the same treatment we give to those bandits. Best thing we could do is try not to get seen.”

“Why not?” said Nilin. “They know the risk when they come out hunting. Even if it’s not us or monsters, they would meet their end in some other end anyways. We’re just one of the many options, that is all.”

I took Nilin for an airhead Tsundere but she sure has a grim side to her. Probably because of her race or age, or both.

“You and I need to have a private talk after this.”

Although Hyx firmly told Nilin, she’s genuinely oblivious to the grimness of her words.

But Blood Moon, huh… I have heard about from pretty much everywhere. It’s a really big deal but with Valuma being the focus lately, I kinda forgot about it entirely. This festival rivals the scale of the Thanksgiving back on Earth. Once a year on one night, the moon turns red. No one really knows why it does that. A lot of theories surround it but nothing concrete. Although I spent a lot of time on reading, I never did got into topics of beliefs and superstitions. So I have no idea why is there a festival celebrated out of something so grim.

I thought he was finish but he then turns to me.

“Farmas Kingdom soldiers are here,” Hyx said but why is he looking at me?

“And…?”

“They are looking for you.”

Huh? But why?

Perhaps interpreting my subtext, Hyx continues on. “This town, on paper, is independent but they are something like a vassal state to the Farmas Kingdom. Much like what Blubell is to Farmas Kingdom, The Zerogian Empire has a vast range of influence— well, calling it influence would be an understatement but you get the point. And Farmas Kingdom, are one of the factions dangling on the empire’s strings. Since you kinda went AWOL on them, they are now using a proxy to look for you. Capisce?”

I doubt that anyone understood the last word except for me.

To my surprise, Djin begins explaining to the others who are lost. I keep forgetting Djin probably knows as much as Hyx does since he’s mindset uses Hyx’s as the foundation. I’m glad he’s not annoying like his creator. And yes, Djin is a “he”.

“But that doesn’t answer my question, why? Why is the empire searching for me? I thought they will just shove this whole thing under and called it “good riddance”. I don’t believe they think I’m worth the trouble.”

Receiving my honest perspective, Hyx smiles which kinda throws me off. “You are not as hated by your former party members as much as you think. No worries, I eavesdropped on one of the higher-looking officials. Apparently, the empire is searching for you on the behest of the Hero known as Shin. Word is, he’s making a big deal of your disappearance. Something about taking you for granted or something, at least that’s what the soldiers are whispering among each other.”

“Shin?” I blurted out. “That goody two-shoes idiot?”

“Maybe he’s a Kouki[1]? You know, maybe he actually likes you but he’s keeping it to himself due to his environment and surroundings?”

I don’t know what he meant by “Kouki” so I ignored that part. “Why makes you think he likes me?”

“Why won’t he? You are kinda beautifu—” His words stop abruptly.

A menace leaks from his right, from his wife, Senna.

“What’s wrong, dear? Why did you stop?” the Nephilim asked, sounding as innocent as possible while wearing a smile that didn’t spread to her eyes.

“I’m sorry?” Hyx tries to apologize but I think that only made it worse.

“For what?” She’s still smiling, that devilish smile.

“You’re angry?”

“Why would I be?”

“Because I called someone else beautiful. And it’s someone I have spend more time with than my wife for these past few days?”

Why the fuck did you say that!? Stop being so honest! See! Even Nilin is shaking her head like she’s looking at the biggest idiot in the world. Even Cormac is looking away like he’s not part of the whole thing.

“Oh my[2]? Is that so?”

“W-why are you more angry at me for lip-servicing an acquaintance than the time I cheated on you?”

… Oh my god. You poor bastard… Why would you say that?

Nilin is on the verge of bursting out with laughter and Cormac is slowly sinking into his shadow.

“Am I?” her smile shrunk.

Djin moves to pick up Kirin who’s watching the two with great interest. Together with everyone else besides me, Hyx, and Senna, they give us the room, taking their meals with them. No, to be more precise, they were just escaping the Shuraba. Even Lucy left with a can’t-be-helped regretful look. That little traitor.

“C-can I leave too?” I timidly asked. My plate has yet to be empty but I rather leave now.

“Stay,” came the firm voice of the bona-fide S-rank Nephilim.

Before I could voice my objections, Hyx had move to in front of me with his hand on my shoulder. Next thing I know, I’m outside the cottage, in the forest. Surprisingly, Talia is by my side, her blade planted in the soil. Looks like as long as I’m “equipping” Talia, we are treated like a set which is why she’s dragged along in the teleport.

“Why are we outside?” I asked.

“Because what I’m to say would be something just between me and my wife and dragging you in it doesn’t seem… right. And having you there who has a little hand in the cause of it all might just complicates the whole thing”

Oh, he actually has some sense.

“Plus, the discussion won’t be going anywhere if I don’t resolve this right now.”

Seeing his uneasy and flustered expression, I can’t help but tease. “Looks like that girl is too much for you.”

Hyx chuckles. He’s surprisingly accepting of the truth. “Yeah but it’s a one-eighty in the bed.”

“I do not need to know that.”

“J-just stay put here. You’re welcome to wonder but just… try not to get seen. I’m sure it’s not that hard for you considering your Divine Art.”

He’s unusually nervous. I have always noticed his confidence is just a facade but never have I seen it so faltering.

“Well anyways, just… just loiter around here until I get this misunderstanding resolved. ”

For some reasons, him calling it a misunderstanding pricked my heart. “So you don’t mean it when you say I’m pretty?”

“I said beautiful, not pretty, no?”

“Same difference. So, did you mean it when you said it?”

For the first time, his face turns red.

Oh my god. Who is this adorable little brat? He looks like a completely different person. He looks a genuine fifteen year old who is new to the world of love and sex.

“I-I’ll get back to you on that,” he said and disappeared with the space closing in on him.

Ah, wait. Lucy’s back in the cottage.

Maybe she’ll be fine, hopefully. Since I can tell whether she is in danger or not with Abaddon, I can rest easy. Hopefully.

But now that I’m alone in the woods and the cottage is at least half a mile away, the air feels less tense. Although, the tense air isn’t like the one when I’m in the palace back in the empire. This one’s more of a… familial sense. I didn’t realize until now but I wasn’t tense because I was in a foreign environment but I was tense because it felt too good to be real. These peoples… they didn’t preemptively judge me. They treated me accordingly. Sure, they fight but which families doesn’t? It’s all the more of a testament to how close they are to each other.

This treatment… It’s something that I had never experience in the empire… No, it wasn’t just the empire. Back on earth, they all treated me like a pest when my parents died. So it really has been a long time since I have been in such a familial situation.

“Hey, Talia?”

“Yes, Shizuka?”

“Undo the Arcane Phantasm on my arm, can you?”

If Talia has a face with brows, she'll be knitting them. “May I ask for the reason? These woods are not exactly safe. Undoing Arcane Phantasm on your right arm might put you in a huge disadvantage should a situation arise.”

“I know, Talia. Just do it.”

“Very well,” she complied much easier than I thought. It’s a good thing she isn’t stubborn. I had enough of that with Shin and the rest of them. “As long as you understand the risk.”

The magical right arm of mine, fades away with the magical dust carried away by the wind. The upkeep isn’t bad but it is better to have no upkeep at all. The right side of my body suddenly feels lighter. It’s a little unsettling with the empty feeling but also liberating. Kinda like being big breasted and taking off your bra after a whole day. Not that I actually know how that feels considering my p-poor… chest…

Being released from the strains, I plump down onto the ground and lean against a tree nearby.

Gosh, the air sure is tense back in the cottage. The air of an angry woman, that is. Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn. Just what the hell was he thinking, bringing a girl close to his age into his home, and being more intimate with said-girl than his wife. I’m no professional in love but this doesn’t require professionalism. It only requires common sense.

Maybe he’s just too enthusiastic to finally meet someone from earth.

Well, that ain’t my problem. I’ll just leave it to themselves.

Now that I have some time to myself, I can finally go through my stats.

Name

Hirano Shizuka

Status

Fatigue: Low

Confusion: Low

Contracted: Talia Lox

HP

600

MP

300

Age

17

Class / Job

Scout Hero

Dragon Knight

Gender & Race

Female / Human

Standing

Hero of Zerogian

Arcane Arts

Magic Melee Arts – Lv. 5

Body Strengthening – Lv. 4

Wind Magic – Lv. 5

Spirit Magic – Lv. 2

Lightning Magic - Lv. 10

Water Magic - Lv. 1

Aerial Dance - Lv. 3

Legacy

Dragon Mystic Arts - Lv. 2

Unique

Tempest Wings - Lv. 2

Title & Deeds

Abaddon’s Apostle

Scout Hero

The Elusive One

Demon Slayer

The Audacious One

Resolute One

Mondra's Companion

Dragon Blade

Culling of Serpents

Overall Power Ranking

S

Effective Combat Strength

1990

Attack - 400

Defense - 250

Magic - 340

Resistance - 200

Speed - 600

Remaining Skill Points: 25 (21 ~ 25)

Remaining Ability Points: 21 (17 ~ 21)

Normally I would have checked my stats at least twice a day but I was preoccupied with a lot of unforeseen circumstances.

Now, what should I do?

My fighting style is to finish off my opponent as quickly as possible before I exhaust myself but the end-goal here is Valuma. I doubt the fight will be short.

So should I put points into Defense and Resistance? Or do I keep relying on evasion? I don’t have a shield and my small stature as a woman doesn’t exactly accommodate me for something heavy. I should just keep with what I’m comfortable with the most, I guess. I did asked Talia for advise but she gave the same answer to my own decision.

I decide to put ten points into Speed, five points into attack, and six points into Magic. Now these three are respectively, 700, 450, and 400. I’m effectively becoming a glass canon. Maybe I can aim for Evasive Tank then?

Now, for my… Arcane Arts.

God, I feel so sick saying that. Are the ones who coined these terms Chunni or something?

My magic spells are mostly for utility. The only actual offensive spell I have is Lightning Magic. Wind, Water, and Spirit Magic are supportive-oriented. Although, I have been using Wind Magic for offensive more than Lightning Magic. Lightning Magic for the most part, is fierce and volatile. I’m afraid of collateral should I ever lose control but is it really good against something like a Q’nu? I only managed to stood my ground not because of my magic but Talia.

Should I focus on Magic Skills which can be used in conjunction with Talia?

For now, Aerial Dance is just fine the way it is. I leave that alone until a full-on aerial combat happens. As for Magic Melee Arts and Body Strengthening… they are both decent choice but I’ll be going up against an anomaly. These two seemed too… normal to be useful against an anomaly. And that leaves Dragon Mystic Arts and Tempest Wings. I do not want to neglect my other skills and spells but for now, I think these two would be the best choice.

Then, these two it is. I put twelve points into each and leveled them up to level five.

Dragon Mystic Arts: Energy Sphere - Acquired

Dragon Mystic Arts: Dragon Aegis - Acquired

Dragon Mystic Arts: Ashen Flame - Acquired

Tempest Wings: Storm Riposte - Acquired

Oh? I gained three new spells for Dragon Mystic Arts but only one skill for Tempest Wings even though it leveled three times. Don’t tell me the repertoire for Tempest Wings are few.

After making sure no stranger is within distance, I decide to test out my newly acquired spells and skills.

First up is Energy Sphere. It’s as simple as its name states. A sphere congregated of energy which is then unleashed in a similar manner to… hmm… a Hadouken[3], I could say? I believe Abyss Magic has a similar spell but it seems Energy Sphere has different variance corresponding to the Arcane Art it is under.

As for Dragon Aegis, it’s similar to Lightning Aegis but it’s twice the size of the latter. And unlike Lightning Aegis, I can freely move Dragon Aegis around like an actual shield. It’s lighter than I thought but that’s only logical considering it’s made out of magic instead of metal. I can’t account for its defensive power without a sparring opponent but I don’t doubt it having a higher specs than Lightning Aegis.

Now, Ashen Flame. This should be label forbidden. It looks more like a smoke from a large burning fire than actual fire but that’s not what shocked me. True to its name, it turns an object into ashes within seconds. I tried on a stump nearby and not even five seconds passed, the stump was no more, only cinders and charcoal remains. I’m not undermining its destruction capability but this is not something I should be using as the bread and butter. I have to really watch out for collateral with this. On the upside, since the object of target turns to ashes quickly, it doesn’t spread like wildfire. That’s a relieve to know.

“Um… Shizu?” A voice called out to me.

It’s Lucy, holding a plate of half finished fruits. Oh right, that’s mine. I didn’t finish it, did I?

She has come to check on me since I have suddenly disappeared. What surprises me more is that she threw herself into me and buries her face into my stomach. I can even feel her hug being tighter than usual.

“What’s wrong?”

She doesn’t respond.

“Were they mean to you?” I asked, knowing full well that has the lowest chance of being the reason but you never know.

Lucy shakes her head. “No,” she finally said. “They are all nice. Like Shizu.”

Oh, she actually likes them?

“Yes, yes they are.” I responded.

“They’re different from the people back in Zerogian.”

That’s a given. I don’t have a better wording for those people but… they are prideful sons of bitches after all.

Lucy continues to bury her face in my tummy. It isn’t rare for her to act this spoil but since we are around strangers, she hasn’t done it for a while… wait… could it be that she felt lonely because I hadn’t been paying her attention lately? Oh geez, how adorable is that?

I receive the plate from Lucy. Although I wasn’t fond of finishing a plate of fruits for lunch yesterday and today, I’m not about to waste the good grace of the host. If someone who has a terrible personality offers me food out of goodwill and I just waste it all, then just what does that make me? At least, the taste is still there and it’s still juicy.

“Shizu…?”

To the strangely timid voice, I answered “Yes?” while chewing.

“Can we not go back to the empire?”

If I was a second slower on swallowing the fruit in my mouth, I would have choked. “W-why?”

“I-I like it here. They are nice.”

“Lucy, we can’t—”

“Do we really need to go back? They would just be mean to us all over again.”

Her words hit me.

Why did I think we should be going back after things here are done?

She’s right. Seeing as how prideful they are, even if I raked up achievements, they still won’t acknowledge me. In fact, they might even despise me even more for proving them wrong. These kind of people hate being wrong more than anything else due to their over-inflated ego. It’s a shame they exist even in another world. All it took to over-inflate an ego is just a little bit of power, and the empire doesn’t just have a little power.

If I go back, I would have to report everything. That would mean exposing Hyx and his companions. Knowing the empire, they would commit the most atrocious acts just to exploit them, me included if my current strength is reveal. I can even imagine it now, Shin will definitely say some misunderstandings that will further complicate the situation but in his delusional mind, he would just be helping me.

“You’re right, Luce.”

Lucy tilts her head at my words, her wolf-ears twitching along. How cute.

“Why do we even need to go back?” I mused.

Unlike before, I can do so much more now. More than those four. I do not need the “protection” of those four nor the empire anymore. Well, a good portion of my stuff is still back in the empire but there’s nothing of significant value to me back there. If I get through this in one piece, I have no doubt I will emerge stronger than ever. If my fortune allows, I would like to stick with Hyx and co for a while before going independent. If I’m really lucky, maybe I’ll be able to become a permanent member.

I wonder what the my handler cum coach driver is doing right now. He’s definitely the one who reported my disappearance.

Ah, what am I saying? I’m just getting ahead of myself here.

Nevertheless, I don’t plan to go back. Even if Hyx won’t take me, any place would be better than the empire.

“So we’re not going back?” Luce gave me a hopeful gaze.

“No,” I rub her head. “We’re not.”

“Yay!” She exclaimed in glee and pushes her head into my palm.

“Say, would you like to spar with me?”

“Yes!” She beamed. “I love sparring with Shizu.”

She then takes some distance from me and prepare her twin short swords. Well, it’s a sword to her size but it’s a long dagger to me. Of course, I’ll be using Avent not Talia. Otherwise, those swords would break the moment it clashes with Talia.

Just then, screams can be heard from deep within the woods. Cries echo in the hollowly for help but screams of agony follow soon after. Needless to say, it’s the bandits. Looks like the monsters finally done them in. I have appraised them and they all have Murderer, Rapist, Bandit, Arsonist, Brute, and the like under their Titles and Deeds. So—

Good Riddance, I guess?

Hirano Shizuka's Status Information

Name

Hirano Shizuka

Status

Fatigue: Low

Confusion: Low

Contracted: Talia Lox

HP

600

MP

300

Age

17

Class / Job

Scout Hero

Dragon Knight

Gender & Race

Female / Human

Standing

Hero of Zerogian

Arcane Arts

Magic Melee Arts – Lv. 5

Body Strengthening – Lv. 4

Wind Magic – Lv. 5

Spirit Magic – Lv. 2

Lightning Magic - Lv. 10

Water Magic - Lv. 1

Aerial Dance - Lv. 3

Legacy

Dragon Mystic Arts - Lv. 5 (Lv. 2 ~ 5)

Unique

Tempest Wings - Lv. 5 (Lv. 2 ~ 5)

Title & Deeds

Abaddon’s Apostle

Scout Hero

The Elusive One

Demon Slayer

The Audacious One

Resolute One

Mondra's Companion

Dragon Blade

Culling of Serpents

Overall Power Ranking

S

Effective Combat Strength

2200

Attack - 450

Defense - 250

Magic - 400

Resistance - 200

Speed - 700

Remaining Skill Points: 1

Remaining Ability Points: 0