106th Episode
What did I gain from this Dortmund episode?
First, the Divine Beast Frikkanrisk.
I’ve formed an unbreakable contract with this beast who shies away from human contact.
Just as she served as a shield defending me against Salecius in this war, she will be a tremendous help in the great war years later.
I won’t bother mentioning why I chose Frikkanrisk over Craine; the difference is so stark that stating it would be akin to insulting the deceased.
Second, the Holy King’s plaque from Dortmund.
Each branch’s Holy King and the Central Church’s Holy Emperor possess a plaque. When this is granted, the person can choose one item from the ‘main warehouse’ of the Central Church.
Because of this, it’s rarely awarded, and the number given is extremely limited. I’ve received it for my achievements in Dortmund.
The plaque can be seen as the key to success.
It’s the most distinguished warehouse among the greatest treasure troves of the ruling group in this world.
Just imagine how diverse and mysterious the treasures inside will be. Picking anything from there to sell could easily ensure a lifetime of comfortable living.
In the original story, Liam reaches this warehouse in his third year, first semester. I’ve pulled it forward by two years.
‘I wonder what I should take.’
I haven’t decided yet what relic or treasure to grab.
The sword Liam chose in the original story does intrigue me, but it wouldn’t suit me. I’ll craft my weapon in another way.
I have to look for something that matches me perfectly.
Third, the Central Church’s reward.
This goes separately from the plaque.
The range of rewards given by the church is somewhat predetermined.
Land, titles, gold, silver, treasures, and relics.
Usually, it falls within this scope, and naturally, the value corresponds to the worth of what the person has achieved.
If I assume… that I’ll receive a relic, it’ll likely come from the main warehouse, not some random storage.
I’ve already decided what I want to receive as a reward from the Central Church. If they suggest something different, I plan to refuse and negotiate.
And lastly, reputation.
Personally, I have no desire to elevate my reputation or receive praise from people, but nothing beats its utility.
Given the scale of this incident, wherever I go now, just mentioning my name could spark feelings of goodwill.
I even have the Schugenharz family backing me up, which will amplify the effect.
Just imagine how terrifying that is; for instance, if I gave bread to a starving homeless person on the street and it spread as a rumor.
I’d be hailed as the hero of a noble family who saved Dortmund and this time aided another starving soul!
I saved a person who was starving to death!
That’s how it spreads.
As if it’s a grand act of generosity.
Achieving that substantial feat is challenging, but once the framework is in place, the flesh attaches in an instant.
The backlash from committing evil deeds may be significant, though.
Even if it’s a double-edged sword, there’s nothing more effective when you want to do something through public sentiment.
There are a few other trivial things, but aside from those, these four are the ‘tools’ I’ve acquired by stepping up this time.
Let’s skillfully combine and utilize these.
When I say I’m going to draw, what I’ve gained this time is not the result, but the tools.
Paint, brush, palette…
The foundation for a picture that will one day be completed.
Now I just need to gather them.
One by one, let’s collect these, dip the brush in paint, and draw on the canvas.
Of course, for a masterpiece to be born, the skill of the artist must back it up; that’s common sense, and I won’t remain stagnant either.
I’m still far from achieving my goals.
I can’t afford to stop, not even for a moment.
*
For the past few days, I’ve been solely focused on training.
Helion’s solo lessons were closer to a free-range method than a Spartan style.
At first, he’d leave several hints to solve problems and answers and then wait for the student to figure it out.
After showing the dual fusion, Helion hasn’t demonstrated any magic since. It seems he’s not even interested in checking my progress.
There’s not even a deadline.
Those who want to slack off will do so until they’ve slacked off enough. In this regard, it seems he considered my personality. He probably believed I’d manage just fine.
After all, he was busy too, and I personally didn’t want excessive interference, so it seemed like a good match.
On the morning I was headed to the Central Church.
After sleeping for about an hour at dawn, I was training my newly acquired Chimera Familiar.
It was piled up heavily on a purple magic circle, although the spirit wasn’t broken.
How brave and adorable it is!
Even if its birth was a tragedy, I want its remaining life to be a comedy. We… we… ah, speaking of which.
“I haven’t named you.”
The original owner, Craine. I’d rather not inherit the tasteless name he’d probably choose.
Anyway, since I had no clue what it was called anyway, I needed to make a new one.
Chimera… Craine… hmm.
As I muttered softly, I saw the little one react to the name ‘Craine.’
“Craine… Craine.”
Seeing the child looking like it can’t forget its previous owner tugs at my heart. It doesn’t even know it can never meet again…
Ah, a good idea sprang to mind.
I gently stroked the Chimera’s magnificent mane. It tried to refuse but struggled to resist due to being pinned down.
“Your name from now on is ‘Kry.’”
I intentionally made it confusing with the names.
Partly because it’s the only word the child responds to, but also to replace Craine’s position.
Someday, Kry will remain while Craine fades away.
If Craine finds out about this, he would surely be happy while wandering the border between life and death… or maybe not.
Knock knock—.
“Vargan, we must depart now.”
Finn announced the time from outside the door.
This is why you can’t let familiars and time slip away carelessly. Time flies by before you even know it.
“I’ll be out shortly.”
I send Kry, still growling and on guard, back with a reverse summon. I wave my fingers to erase the purple magic circle etched on the floor.
Kry, who was on high alert, was sent back with a reverse summoning. I waved my fingers in the air and erased the purple magic circle that was inscribed on the floor.
As the magic circle vanished, the dim morning sunlight flooded into the room. Dust, which had been floating in the air, began to settle calmly.
“Hm.”
Having finished my preparations, I stepped out with Finn, who had been waiting.
As we stepped outside the lodging, we spotted Helion’s group and Yannick’s team. They seemed to be here to bid farewell.
As Finn and I approached, the bear-like hero, Yannick, came over with an awkward smile and said,
“There sure was a lot going on in such a short time.”
“Well, there were some pretty big events happening one after another.”
“True… I’ve relied on you quite a bit.”
He’s a man with a fairly solid belief in heroes.
From what I could read on his face, he seemed embarrassed by Kry’s misdeeds and felt a sense of responsibility for them.
Yannick continued,
“…I may not have the right to say this, but you’ve really done a lot, and you did it very well. Thanks to you, we were able to minimize the casualties in what could have been a disastrous situation.”
“It wasn’t just me; there were many other excellent individuals involved.”
Even with my playful response, Yannick didn’t give a suitable reaction.
I waited calmly for his words to continue.
Yannick carefully opened his mouth.
“Don’t be disappointed in the heroes and the Church.”
He was worried about how he had witnessed the Church’s way of handling things.
To think that far—it shows he’s more perceptive than expected.
Is this a strategy to prevent future talents from becoming disillusioned with the Church and abandoning their roles as heroes? Quite humble of him.
Hmm. So that’s how it is…
“It’s fine. This incident hasn’t changed my perspective on the heroes or the Church at all.”
After all, I had never held them in such high regard. It’s like not expecting anything means you won’t be disappointed.
Yannick’s face brightened slightly, not able to read my thoughts.
“Is that so? Well, I figured you’d say that.”
Yannick extended his large hand.
He intended to greet me with a handshake like the first time we met.
“Whenever you need help, don’t hesitate to ask. For you, as the hero of Dortmund, I’ll come running, no matter how far away I am.”
I took his hand and shook it.
I didn’t forget to wear a light smile as well.
“I’ll take you up on that offer when the time comes.”
Who knows, it might come in handy later on.
With this, an additional line of game dialogue was generated.
…
After exchanging final goodbyes with Yannick’s team, I boarded the wagon with Helion’s group.
Our destination was the Central Church, located at the heart of the continent.
It’s the holiest sanctuary guarded by those ranked within the top 10 of the Hero Ranking, the safest place in this world.
*
As Vargan predicted, the rumors about him spread throughout the continent alongside Helion.
In no time, it reached not only humans but also the Ein, the Twelve Divine Beasts, and even the depths of the Goddess Church.
Thus, it took only a few days for the news to reach Alicia and her party heading south toward the Troa Empire.
“Alicia looks like she’s in a good mood?”
Emily, who had already heard the news about Vargan, casually struck up a conversation with Alicia for no real reason, finding it amusing yet adorable to see her brilliant smile after what felt like ages since her genuine laughter had been heard.
Still wearing a bright smile, Alicia turned around.
Perhaps embarrassed by Emily’s accurate remark, she touched her white cheeks and asked.
“…Can you tell?”
“Yeah. If you don’t know, you’re an idiot.”
“I was so happy to hear the Young Master’s news after a long time, especially since you’ve gained recognition worldwide… Ah, are you back now?”
“No, not at all. Your smile is reaching the sky!”
“What?! N-no way…”
The sight of Alicia, clad in gleaming armor and flustered, was hard to believe considering the battle she had just fought.
They had been assigned a nest-clearing mission with a bishop rank as part of the team of the Hero Charlotte.
They successfully destroyed the nest and defeated the bishop-level threat without any incidents.
Now they were on their way back after completing everything.
“Alicia, you said you work for the Schugenhartz Family, right?”
Charlotte, the Hero with the tousled hair, barged into the conversation between Alicia and Emily, continuing with a grin.
“So you’re serving a proud Young Master?”
“Yes, Young Master Vargan is really something special!”
Alicia realized she had overreacted and let out an “Ah!” while lowering her head.
Her ears turned red.
Seeing this, Charlotte exclaimed, “Kyaa—! My little sister is so cute!”
She hugged Alicia tightly, showering her with affection. Caught in Charlotte’s overwhelming response, Alicia had no choice but to bask in the love.
Before they entered the nest, Alicia shared with Hero Charlotte about her elder sister.
It was a trauma she hadn’t told anyone except for Vargan and didn’t want to speak about, but Charlotte quickly penetrated deep into Alicia’s heart.
Alicia felt no hesitation in revealing her past to her. In fact, she even shed some tears while healing.
Charlotte warmly embraced Alicia and deeply empathized with her. She understood that her own family had also been slaughtered by Altife, sharing the same pain.
Since that day, Charlotte treated Alicia like her own little sister and even called her that.
Although Alicia didn’t call Charlotte “sister” due to the difference in their positions and emotional aspects, she felt gratitude and closeness toward her, who treated her as a real little sister.
What if her biological sister were alive?
She sometimes reflected on Charlotte as if she were her elder sister.
“……”
In the midst of this warm atmosphere, Liam couldn’t smile.
Ever since the end of the first semester exam, Liam hadn’t been able to smile even once.
His lips and the corners of his eyes drooped, as if he had forgotten how to smile.
When Alicia disclosed her past to Charlotte, Emily and Liam inadvertently heard it through her.
It was the first time for Emily, but Liam was already aware of the history.
Vargan probably knew, too.
The current situation was also a result of his manipulation.
Even at this moment, Vargan was smoothly changing the narrative and taking the lead.
What about him, though?
……
Before long, the city began to come into view.
Charlotte, who had been busy admiring every part of Alicia, shook herself awake and stepped forward.
Then she spoke to everyone.
“You all did a fantastic job. With this, our mission has come to a smooth end.”
Her lively voice set the tone for their next agenda.
“Academia’s juniors! You’ve had enough real-world experience, so now it’s time to solidify your foundation!”
Students receiving mentoring from across the continent began their training for further growth.
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