13 Chapter 13: Blood-stained Hands and Recognition and the Power to Protect

Leader(?): "Thank you very much. You guys really saved us."

H: "Don't mention it. Thank Ceres here. She's the one who rushed in to help."

Leader(?): "I see. Ms. Ceres. Thank you very much."

The party leader placed his right hand on his chest and slightly bowed down. It looks like that's how they express their gratitude and express respect in this world.

The situation have calmed down and the magician is peacefully sleeping. The stress in her body accumulated so fast that after waking up earlier, she fell unconscious again. It was a bit hectic to reassure the safety of the magician to the other members but it still ended up well.

As for me and Ceres, we're now staying with them in the wide room for a while. We tried to go ahead but we were stopped by the party, insisting on thanking us properly.

C: "Yeah."

Leader(?): "Eh? Ah..."

It seemed like the part leader was baffled by Ceres' curt reply, making him wear an expression of unease.

H: "Haha. Don't mind her. She's shy around people."

C: "Don't explain things as you please, slime. Hmp!"

H: "Ack-!"

Ceres kicked my feet with all her strength. She really just can't take a joke. On the other hand, the party leader is kind of bewildered by our exchange but recomposed himself and faced me again.

Leader(?): "Still. I want to thank you both. Mr. Slime. Thank you very much."

Rogue(?): "Thanks a lot. Slime!"

Merchant(?): "Mr. Slime. Thank you."

Cecilia: "U-Uhm! Thank you very much, Mr. Slime!"

Uh... I know they're not doing it out of ill will... It still kind of hurts to hear someone call me 'Slime' while flashing a bright smile on their faces.

H: "… Look at what you've done, Ceres."

C: "Hmph."

And with that blunt 'hmph', Ceres turned the other way like a snob. Well, anyhow, I just have to correct the misunderstanding. It's no big deal.

H: "Ah… You guys. My name is actually Hans."

Leader(?): "I see. I apologize for that. I am Edgar. Edgar Randhound. This is our thief, Lark."

Saying that, the party leader, Edgar, pointed to his party members one by one for an introduction.

Lark: "Yo!"

He looks like a carefree guy. His hair is long which is tied to a ponytail at the back, with the front parted in the middle. He gives off an aura of freedom.

Ed: "This one here is our healer as you've already known, Cecilia."

Cec: "N-Nice to meet you! You were awesome earlier!"

Cecilia appears to be the same as Tia, so i found my self treating her the same way as Tia. I guess if there's a chance that i would have a sibling, I'd choose a little sister in a heartbeat. But of course, a big sister is also nice.

H: "Nice to meet you. Thank you. You did a good job too."

I smiled at her childish expression and pat her head out of habit with Tia.

Cec: "Ah… Eh… Yes… *blush*"

Ed: "This one here is our merchant, Tardis."

Tar: "Nice to meet you. I may look small like this, but I'm a genuine 20 year old young man."

Tardis bowed while holding on to his hat.

H: "For real…?"

My eyes widen from what I've heard.

Tar: "Yes."

I was surpised by his remark because no matter where and how I look at him, he only looks like a child to me.

Tar: "I'm a Faunalian, you see."

H: "Faunalian?"

I heard what are Faunalians from Anya, but seeing another one is still a fresh feeling for me.

Tar: "Yes. Here."

Tardis removed his hat and revealed an animal ear protruding from his head. So that means Faunalians are small by nature? Hm… What about Tia? Don't tell me she's actually very old… Ugh… I felt shivers run down my spine. But still, I can't ask her. Age is a delicate topic for girls, after all.

Ed: "Excuse me, I want to ask something to Mr. Hans."

H: "Hans will do. Go ahead, Edgar."

I can already guess what he's going to ask but I still let him word it.

Ed: "What did you do earlier? Is that some form of Gift?"

H: "No. It's not."

I then explained to them how I conducted the CPR.

They listened to me intently without voicing a single word or question. Even Ceres who has her eyes closed listened.

Ed: "I see… It's a form of first aid in your country."

I just went with that as my excuse.

H: "Right. It is used when the heart started beating irregularly or if the breathing stopped. But that's just the first aid. The use of electricity is actually what did things."

"Ed: I see. For you to do that, you must be a doctor. But even doctors only use operations and healing magic when dealing with patients… And not just that. You two defeated the [Queen Ground Arachnia] in just a matter of minutes… Who in the world are you?"

H: "I'm just a free lodger at Ceres' house."

I answered casually to prevent anymore suspicion, implying to them to restrain from prying more. They somehow bought my excuse and stopped asking about me furthermore.

H: "By the way, what happened here before we arrived?"

Ed: "Right. We were actually in a quest to exterminate the [Ground Arachnias] that have been nesting around here. Their population have increased to the point of overflowing outside the dungeon."

H: "You mean they go out using that gate?"

Ed: "No. Ground Arachnias can dig through the dirt and find their way outside the dungeon even without exiting through the gate. It has been a problem for the villages around Florensia."

H: "Hm. And after exterminating a number of them, comes the queen, is that what happened?"

Ed: "Yeah. We were ambushed by the queen that is nesting above this room and without a moment's notice, it grabbed Maya and that's where you came in."

I looked up and saw the ceiling full of webs stretching from a huge ball of web. Maybe that's where the Queen Ground Arachnia was nesting. It's quite dark here even with the light from the glowing crystal that are scattered from here and there. Ceres told me earlier that they are the formation of mana fusing with rock crystals and are called Glow Crystals. What a straightforward naming.

Ed: "What about you two? Did you come here on a quest, too? Speaking of which, we saw you entering the dungeon before us earlier."

H: "Yeah. But we are just here to gather materials. But we're almost done. And that's when we heard your friend's scream."

Ed: "We'll be waiting for Maya here to wake up before returning to the surface. And we still have to take care of the nest. Oh right. What are you going to do about the [Monster Crystal]?"

H: "Monster Crystal?"

Ed: "They're the spherical object that the monster drops inside dungeons."

H: "Oh you mean these?"

I showed them a pouch of the beads I was collecting along the way. So these are called Monster Crystal…

H: "What about it? Wow… This one's huge."

I picked up the Monster Crystal that was lying on the floor where the carcass of the Queen Ground Arachnia dissolved. It is the same size with a basketball. The ones I've been picking up is only the size of a marble.

Ed: "You can exchange it for money in the Guild. These can also be the proof that you defeated the target monster in a quest."

H: "I see. Then shouldn't you take it then?"

Ed: "No. It was you guys who defeated it. You should be the one receiving it."

H: "What do you think Ceres?"

C: "… Do what you want."

H: "Hmm…"

Perhaps it's their way of thanking us so rejecting their offer may only come off as rude instead. I guess I should just honestly accept it.

H: "Got it. I will take it."

Ed: "Alright."

H: "We'll be taking our leave here then. Let's meet again sometime."

Ed: "Yes. Gladly."

Ceres and I went on our way to gather the rest of the mushrooms and danberries we need and not long after, we took the route out of the dungeon. Ceres was quite all the while and since I didn't have something to say anyways, I also stayed quiet for the rest of our way.

…

We passed by the Guild and meet up with Anya before going home.

A: "Did you get the ingredients~?"

C: "Mm."

A: "…? Ceres?"

Noticing something strange about the short reply of Ceres, Anya tilted her head in puzzlement.

C: "It's nothing. I'll be going first."

Ceres turned around and went on her way without looking back.

A: "Did something happened~?"

H: "Well, there was a bit of an accident."

A: "Accident?!? Did something happened to Ceres?!"

Anya stood up from her seat in the reception desk and was about to grab my collar in the process. I held her shoulder and push her down back to her sit as I reassure her.

H: "R-Relax… It's not her. We met a party inside the dungeon. They encountered a Queen Ground Arachnia so we helped them. Then after that she became silent all the way here."

A: "I see…~ I'll ask her later then~"

Anya had a sullen expression on her face but instantly reverted back to her usual refreshing smile.

H: "Yeah. By the way, where's Tia?"

A: "Here she is~"

Anya pointed to her side.

The reception desk has a seat long enough to look like a bench. And there I saw Tia sleeping like a log with her head on Anya's lap. Her hand is tightly gripping Anya's hand with the other on her chest.

What a cute creature she really is.

A: "She was anxious about meeting different people until she fell asleep like this~ I feel like I got a new little sister I'm so happy~"

Anya rubs Tia's golden hair as softly and gently.

In my perspective though, they already look a lot like a mother and daughter.

A: "What are you going to do now, Hans~?"

H: "Hm. For now I'll go around the town. I'll look for something to do then."

A: "Okay~ Take care~"

H: "I'll leave Tia to you."

A: "Yup~"

I left Anya and Tia in the reception and went out of the Guild. Without any objective in mind, I went to the plaza for the time being.

I sit on one of the benches as I see the place have started to get painted with orange. The first stars have appeared and the breeze have gone from warm to cool. One old woman have started closing her store with a satisfied look on her face. The children playing by the fountain are now being called by their mother for dinner. The little boy held the hands of the little girl and ran towards the mother.

Maybe they're siblings.

I released the tension in my shoulders as I relax in the bench. I recalled the happenings inside the dungeon.

We fought a giant monster called the Queen Ground Arachnia. I wasn't aware of it that time because of the urgency of the situation. But seeing that monster made me register the fact that I'm really in another world. The monster that I've encountered so far wasn't violent enough to cause the horrifying sight that I was used to seeing before coming here.

Along with the monster attacking a person who I personally saw where her arm is being crunched by its pincers, I remembered my former comrades who also experienced the same fate caused by the explosions. I was once again reminded by the cruel fate I had when I was a soldier in my former world where I didn't have a choice but to only fight in the battlefield.

H: "*sigh*"

I closed my eyes and digested the experience inside my head.

As far as I can see the things that are around me, I can only see peace. The lives of Anya and Ceres as I perceive them right now is one of the most peaceful interaction I've seen ever since I was a child. Even the people that are walking about the plaza are people who are assured that they are on safe hands.

No.

It's just that peace have long prospered in these lands that people have already forgotten the fear of chaos.

I heard from the explanation of Anya that there was once the invasion of a Demon Lord that caused great destruction all over the lands of the humans. Ultimately, it was called the Cursed Age.

But three centuries have already passed ever since the Cursed Age. If I think about it, it's already the third generation of the people that lived that that time. It's not impossible that the people nowadays have already forgotten about it, or some maybe, haven't heard about it their whole life. Hence, their security of peace.

H: "But…"

But I lived in a world of war.

A world where if you don't fight, you'll get killed. Eat or be eaten. It was a survival of the strongest. All the soldiers I knew would have never dared to imagine a place like this where people go in and out without a fear of what's coming to them next.

The only tomorrow we're waiting for is the next battlefield we'll be joining to fight for something we don't know we could achieve in the first place.

But deep inside, this may be the seen we've desired for the longest of time.

H: "… Still."

Am I deserving enough to witness this peace…?

I've already killed. Stained my hands with blood. Destroyed dreams.

I can go and try to sugar coat what I did but in the end, all I did was steal the dreams the other person had.

A child waiting for her father.

A mother expecting her child.

A wife praying for her husband.

Those people who are waiting for their loved ones.

The ones who dreamed of meeting them again, embracing them again, and holding them again in their arms…

I did…

With these hands…

C: "Hey, slime."

H: "… C-Ceres?"

C: "Anya is already calling for you for dinner."

H "A-Ah… Yeah. Let's go."

C: "… Hm."

I stood up from the bench and reset my mind to act as natural as possible.

I dug deep inside my mind too much and it suddenly crushed my mood and I kind of let it out in my face but I can't let the others feel burdened by my own problems.

Ceres is looking at me with peering eyes and turned around towards the direction of Lunaria.

C: "I don't know what kind of person you are. And what goes in your head, but…"

H: "Hm?"

Ceres suddenly stopped her feet.

C: "But Anya will be saddened if you suddenly disappeared. And… I sort of know now that you're not a bad person… That's why…"

H: "Ceres…"

C: "I… I'll recognize you staying at our house."

H: "Huh?? Then what did you think while I slept in your house yesterday night?"

C: "A bug was sleeping on the couch."

H: "Urk… Haha…"

C: "Hmph…"

I don't know if she saw me sulking or just wanted to tell me her thoughts. Did she want to cheer me up or just wanted to get rid of something in her mind? I didn't have a way to find out at that time. But the mere fact that she already accepted my stay in their house cheered me up for a bit.

H: "Thanks."

C: "Mm."

…

A: "Tah-dah~ Here's a mattress for you, Hans~"

H: "Huh?"

Short after Ceres and I got home, I was waiting for the dinner she will be cooking and sat on the living room. Anya said she and Ceres take turns in cooking dinner.

A: "You can use this one instead of the couch~ I thought you'll be having trouble sleeping in the couch from now on~"

H: "Wait. I'm only staying here until I find a new place. You don't have to mind me."

Anya brought out a huge mattress thick enough to probably give a good night sleep to anyone who sleeps in it. I'm happy with her gesture, but as I've said earlier, I will only stay here until I find another place to stay.

A: "Muuu…~ Why do you say that~? I've already decided that you can stay here as long as you want~!"

H: "That's why until I find another place to…"

C: "Forget about it, slime. If Anya decided on something. She won't give in no matter what you say."

Ceres entered the living room from the kitchen while removing her apron and placing it in one of the chairs.

H: "But aren't you worried a guy living with you?"

A: "I lived with my father when he was still alive, though~?"

I didn't see any hint of sadness in her eyes but only a refreshing smile. She suddenly said something personal so I was a bit frozen in my place but I guess I didn't have to worry about it in the first place.

H: "A father and an unrelated man is different on a whole lot level."

A: "Even Tia is saying she wants you to stay here~"

H: "Tia?"

I saw Tia clinging on Anya's back with a timid look. It looks like it's just her personality with her being shy and reserved.

T: "I-I also want to… I want Hans to s-stay here…"

A: "Of course, Ceres too~"

C: "Wha-!? I didn't say anything of that sort!"

Ceres stuttered with her words while blushing.

A: "Geez… You don't have to be shy, you know~? You've been saying earlier that you- Mmmffm??"

C: "Sh-Shut up for a while, Anya."

Ceres covered Anya's mouth using both her hands. I didn't hear quite clearly what Anya was talking about but it must be something Ceres doesn't want me to know so I didn't pry any further.

H: "Then… I'll be in your care?"

T: "R-Really…?"

A: "Yippe~! Isn't that good, Ceres~?"

C: "Not really."

I end up giving in from their offer.

It's not like I didn't want to reject it in the first place but I wanted to make sure since up until now, Anya mentioned before when I returned with Ceres in my arms that after she lost her mother six years ago, they're the only one in this house. I was worried of suddenly breaking in their peace just because of my own problems.

A: "Oh right~ You're done cooking~?"

C: "Yeah. Let's have dinner."

Tia have already blended in their circle as she happily hugs Anya while they walk towards the dining table.

H: "Ohhh… So Ceres cooked this…"

C: "What? You have a problem with it?"

The table is presented with different kinds of dishes. From the main dish down to the side dishes and rice. They are prepared with utmost care and most importantly, the fragrance of each dish is exquisite. They all stimulate my appetite.

H: "No, I don't. I just thought as expected of the head chef in this restaurant."

C: "Head chef, you say. But this one is more of a small diner than a restaurant so it's not big of a deal."

T: "Ah… There're are garrots in the stew…"

H: "You don't like carro- I mean garrots, Tia?"

I saw Tia flashing a sour face when she looked at the stew that is in front of her.

C: "If you don't eat your vegetables, you won't grow, Tia."

Ceres pats Tia's head while encouraging her to eat the garrots.

Now that I've taken a good look at Ceres now, it's like she's different than she was when I first met hear until this morning. She's like she's always on guard and have a stern expression. But now she even smiles brightly at Tia which surprised me the most.

C: "… *giggle*"

So she can smile like that…

I never thought I would see her smile because she's always so thorny every time I'm with her. Perhaps, she's let her guard down around me. I don't really know when and why but it really makes me happy anyways.

H: "If you eat your garrots, I'll make you a pudding tomorrow."

She picked up the garrots using the fork and brought it to Tia offering it to eat her.

C: "Here, open wide."

T: "Muu… A-Aaaahhm… ~~~!!"

Tia shivered while chewing the garrots with an uncomfortable face.

I kept looking at Ceres face while she feeds Tia her greatest enemy. Her face is now relaxed not like it is when she looks at me. She lightly giggled at the expression of Tia and brought her hands to her mouth to hide it.

Now that I took a closer look at her, she really is cute.

A: "Hm~? Hans~? Is there anything you want from Ceres~?"

H: "…!"

A: "You kept looking at her~"

C: "Hm?"

Ceres heard Anya and looked at our direction.

H: "It's nothing. I was just… looking at her."

C: "… Don't look at someone's face without a reason."

H: "Ah, yeah. Sorry about that."

Ceres glared at me but it's somehow different. I can't explain it well but it's like she is now relaxed around me. I now can't feel the tension in the air whenever I talk with her.

I joined in the conversation while stuffing my mouth with Ceres' cooking. It was a nice and peaceful dinner that I had long forgotten ever since I became I soldier.

…

I lay down on the mattress Anya gave me. It has a soft and warm feeling as it already starts inviting me to sleep.

I had the windows open so that the cool breeze of the summer wind enter. The light from the twin moons peeked through it making it illuminated enough to see without any lights on.

As I close my eyes, I recalled the happenings during the day.

Ceres, Tia, and I toured the town and bought stuff for our daily necessities, like things for hygiene, clothes, and stuff that we will be needing for the days coming. Then Ceres showed me around the town where I found out about the Guild.

The Guild is governed by the Guild Master but is also the mayor of this town. I recalled the activities of the Guild where adventurers are hired to do tasks that are requested by the people or merchants.

Later on, we entered the dungeon to gather some materials for Anya that they will be using for the restaurant. We encountered the party that met partway and helped them in defeating the Queen Ground Arachnia. After defeating it, I acquired a new skill, Crush Strike. I haven't tried it yet but it seems like it's an offensive skill. After that, they gave us the Monster Crystal of the monster as thanks.

Wait…

Monster Crystal?

H: "Oh right! I forgot about the monster crystals!"

I hurriedly stood up from my feet and rummaged around my bag that I bought before going to the dungeon. There is the huge monster crystal the size of a basketball and a number of small ones the size of marbles.

H: "I guess I can't exchange them for money in this time…"

I was thinking about what to do about them when something out of the ordinary happened.

H: "Wha…?"

A woman's voice that I've heard before echoes inside my head while I hold the monster crystal in my hands. It's the same as the one with the time when I acquired the Mana Detect and Crush Strike skill.

It asks me if I wish to absorb them…

What does absorbing them means anyway? What in the world will happen if I absorb them? What will happen if I don't?

All sorts of questions popped up inside my head as I try to analyze the situation.

I tried putting down the monster crystal and nothing happened.

H: "Y-Yes."

…

Nothing happened. I guess it only activates when I hold a monster crystal in my hands. But why did nothing happen earlier in the dungeon when I picked these up?

There are still a lot of questions to be asked regarding this but…

H: "This one is the monster crystal from the Queen Ground Arachnia…"

I picked it up once again and as expected, I heard the voice once again.

H: "…"

But if I don't do anything, nothing will happen. It's the otherworld, for goodness sake. It's a chance I will never have the next time. Therefore, I will take this opportunity.

H: "Yes."

<Affirmaitve. Absorbing the Monster Crystal>

After the confirmation of the voice inside my head, the monster crystal glowed in my hands as it slowly fades. The light that it became entered my chest and I feel a warm sensation spreading inside my body.

H: "…"

The light dissipated and the sensation disappeared like nothing happened. I wait patiently for the voice in my head.

H: "Crystals?"

Status? Is it the same with the games that I played before?

I guess the only way to find out is opening it.

H: "Yes."

*beep*

H: "Whoa."

A screen suddenly appeared in front of me and it follows my every movement. It's really like those in the games that I've played when I was a child. It's a bit nostalgic.

The screen displayed a lot of figures and letters but the language is still the language that I use in my former world.

Name: Hans Alius Schmidt

Race: Human

Class: None

[Status]

Strength: 206/9999

Agility: 82/9999

Intelligence: 75/9999

Defense: 15/9999

[Skills]

Mana Detect Lv. 6/10

Crush Strike Lv. 1/10

Status Lv. 1/1

[Crystal Points: 10]

That sums up the information that the status screen displays.

If I compare it with games, it looks a lot less than it should be. No matter how I operate it, I didn't find any information about a level or something. I guess in this case, I'm not leveling up like in those role playing games.

H: "But then how am I going to grow?"

H: "Ohh… It answered my question."

Let me try to ask another question.

H: "What about levels?"

H: "Hmm… I see. So this crystal points are what I need to make myself stronger if I want to. And the only way to get them is to defeat monsters and absorb their monster crystals."

H: "Got it."

I once again go through the new information that I got.

First, I now have the ability to open my status. It displays my level of strength, agility, intelligence, and defense. It also displays the skills that I currently have and their levels and the crystal points that I have. Second, I can click the arrows corresponding each status when I try to use my crystal points to increase it. But for now, I didn't use them yet. Lastly, I can gather monster crystals and absorb them to gain crystal points to increase my status from monsters.

If I think about it, I can make myself stronger by going to the dungeon every day to gather monster crystals. But there's also the problem if I want to make money. If I absorb the monster crystals that I gathered, that goes without saying that I can't exchange them for money anymore. They disappear, after all.

H: "Hm…"

I picked up another monster crystal from my bag. It was one from the Murborrows.

H: "Yes."

Once again, the monster crystal shines in my hands and started to fade into a light. Then it enters my body followed by the warm sensation that spreads throughout.

H: "Only one?"

I see. The size of the monster crystal is one of the factors that affects the amount of crystal points I gain from these. Or maybe the monster itself is the factor. Since the monster crystal of the Queen Ground Arachnia is bigger than the Murburrows' and is obvious that the Queen Ground Arachnia is stronger than them, the stronger the monster is the larger monster crystal it gives, is what I can guess.

H: "If I were to try making myself stronger, this is will be a long journey for me."

One round trip inside the dungeon only gave me 16 Murborrow monster crystals and 1 Queen Ground Arachnia monster crystal. In total, I only gained 26 crystal points if I absorbed all these. Excluding those that I will need to exchange for money. I can't let myself be jobless forever. I don't want to burden Ceres and Anya any more than this.

H: "But then again…"

I feel another surge of excitement from my core as I ponder what I have just got. Maybe this was the power the Observer was talking about all along.

Looking again at my stats, the Strength shows a number of 206. It's not that strong compared to the maximum status points that I can get but it is clearly way above the other status. That explains the punch that destroyed the tree in one hit and the lightness of my body because of my 82 Agility.

This is awesome. At least I, for now, know what I want to do. I want to get stronger first.

This new ability of mine can help me protect those who are dear to me. If I ever meet that Observer again, I should thank him.

I absorbed 4 more monster crystal and set aside the rest to exchange them tomorrow. I don't know how to explain the monster crystal of the Queen Ground Arachnia to Ceres but at least I can exchange the ones from the Murborrows.

With 11 monster crystal still left, I closed my bag and went to lie on my mattress.

I closed my eyes feeling satisfied as I plan things out about what I will do tomorrow onwards. Earlier, I really felt down by being reminded of my blood stained hands… But now I gained the power to protect.

I don't want to use this hands anymore to kill… I want to use them to protect.

I recalled the faces of Pola, Dan, Frank, William, and Johannes.

H: "I wonder what they're doing now…"

I pray in my heart for their safety once again.

And now what floats inside my mind are the faces of Ceres, Tia, and Anya.

The people I want to protect.

I closed my eyes as I felt the drowsiness leading me to slumber. The surrounding place darkens and another day in my stay in another world have passed.

…

Chapter 13 End

Name: Hans Alius Schmidt

Race: Human

Class: None

[Status]

Strength: 206/9999

Agility: 82/9999

Intelligence: 75/9999

Defense: 15/9999

[Skills]

Mana Detect Lv. 6/10

Crush Strike Lv. 1/10

Status Lv. 1/1

[Crystal Points: 15]

Next chapter