15 Chapter 15: Registered Adventurer and Sofiel Fiulaera

A few days have passed and today is an off for the restaurant.

I didn't let the chance pass and planned to have myself registered in the Guild. I've made an arrangement with Sofiel to help me with the registration. I heard he's been an adventurer for some years though he didn't tell me the specific date.

I'm now on my way to the Guild after helping a bit with the cleaning in the house. Anya told me to not mind them and go but I insisted. It's almost 1 in the afternoon based from the sound of the bell tower. It's still summer so the temperature has risen now that the sun is just past its peak but today has a lot of clouds forming in the sky so it's not that hot. Well, there's the chance of a summer storm so that explains this cloud formation.

I checked my status once again while walking.

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]

I haven't done anything to increase my status points since I've already exchange the rest of the monster crystal in the Guild the other day so instead, I now have a few pocket money. I tried giving the money to Ceres but she didn't want it because she's not the one who hunted them, or so she said. She really can be stubborn at times. No… All the time.

My status points and skill levels are the same but that will change today. I'll be registering as an adventurer and hunt monsters in the dungeon!

H: "Heya, everyone!!"

I forcefully opened the door and yelled out my greetings towards the people inside.

Adventurer: "…"

Well, that has to be expected.

All of them have blanks stares like something unbelievable just entered. I can't help it, okay?? I'm just excited, damn it!

All: "Oooohhh!!"

Then cheers erupted all of a sudden after the silence.

Adventurer: "Someone has lot of guts, eh??"

Adventurer: "You're quite energetic, are you a traveler? I haven't seen your face!"

Some of the adventurer's gathered around me. The other one have bulky build with a huge sword on his back and asked me while letting out a hearty laugh. He kinda resembles Dan.

H: "Yeah. I was a traveler before coming here. I'm registering as an adventurer starting today."

Adventurer: "There have been a few people registering as an adventurer so this is good!"

Adventurer: "Oho! A fresh meat!! Good luck, future comrade!"

He patted my back with force that I almost felt my joints falling off while some others cheered up for me. I guess I did not end up being a weirdo in their perspective. That's good.

After having a few casual conversations with the other adventurers, I went my way and look for Sofiel inside.

H: "This is the second time I came here, but still it's a sight to behold for me…"

While looking for him, I found other adventurers doing their businesses. I found some gathering in front of the bulletin board. I think that's where the quests are posted for the adventurers to be taken. There're also some having their meal just beside the reception. I see there's something like a cafeteria here as there are few seats and tables that are arranged neatly, where some are staying at and chatting.

There are also just standing in one side and based from their conversation, it seems like their talking about the quest they will be taking. There's the other one being recruited by a party and some are drinking beers.

A lot of different kinds of people are gathered here, I can't imagine myself getting tired of observing them. Even some of them are Faunalians.

They really are all small, huh…

A: "Ah, Hans~~"

H: "Oh, Anya. Wait… Did I just leave you guys cleaning…? And now you're already here…"

A: "Eh? That was already 2 hours ago…~"

H: "Ah…"

I guess I enjoyed my conversation with the other adventurers and didn't notice the time. Hmm… It's really inconvenient when you don't have a clock.

H: "What time is it?"

A: "It's 2:31~"

H: "Huh? You know the exact time?"

A: "There is a clock there~ See? But aside from that, all receptionists here are given clocks when working. It's one of the necessities for work here~"

H: "Oh… I see."

A: "We need to record the time of the adventurers that go on a quest. Of course that includes the time when they finish them. But there are also situations where a party of adventurers haven't come back yet even after the estimated time for the quest to be finished. That means, something must have happened and we the receptionists have to alert the other adventurers to issue a rescue party for them."

H: "Hmm… Having a receptionist is also a big part of being an adventurer, huh."

A: "Yup~ We assist the adventurers to the best that we can~ But I'm just working here part time though. Fufu~"

H: "You still do your part even with only that. You help the adventurers in your free time. I'm impressed."

A: "Fufu~ You should only do that to Ceres, you know~"

H: "Hm? Why did Ceres' name pop out from there?"

A: "Nothing~"

Anya is always smiling away but I can't seem to understand what she's thinking behind her smile. But one thing that I already know is she's doing everything to be of help to Ceres. She really does love her sister.

Oh… They're not related, aren't they? I sometimes forgot about that fact. Since they're really close enough for someone to mistake them for sisters.

S: "Hans! I finally found you. *pant* *pant*"

Thinking that, I heard a girl's voice coming from behind.

H: "Sofiel? Isn't our date still later at three when the bell rings?"

It was Sofiel. Though I understand that he's a guy, I really can't remove the doubt I have in my head. If some hadn't looked at the source of the voice, I can say without hesitation that they will think it was a girl calling for them. No. Even if they look at the source of the voice, they would still think it came from a girl. A cute one to top it off.

S: "Ehehe… I just thought I'll come earlier. I got a bit excited. And it's not a date!"

He pouted while contorting his brows into a frown. Even his gestures and expression is that of a girl.

Though I think no one can blame me for thinking so, since he normally wears a dress. A long shirt reaching down above her knee and is layered with a brown short sleeved leather jacket vested for his top. The brown boots reaching just below his calf complements his knee length denim pants that fits him perfectly.

H: "Why not? You really look cute with your outfit today."

S: "Really…? Ehehe…~ Thank you."

He then flashed a bashful smile while fixing his hair.

H: "… For goodness sake, let's make it into a date."

I couldn't help myself but say my inner thoughts.

S: "Eh?? Two men can't go for a date!"

A: "Hans~! That's no good~!"

Anya joined in the conversation.

S: "Tell him too, Anya…!"

A: "You shouldn't make your date look for you~!"

S: "Anya!!!"

As expected of Anya.

H: "I see. That was my bad, Sofiel. Let's go? For our date."

S: "It's not a date!! I'm helping you register!!"

Like so, my day with Sofiel has now begun.

But really, it's fun teasing Sofiel.

…

We entered the inner most part of the Guild which is connected from the main lobby.

I found myself in a room half the size of the lobby where a counter is fixed. I see a few people seating on the benches wearing simple clothing all different from the adventurers.

S: "They're also here to register."

Sofiel answered the question in my head. I guess I stared at them too much.

H: "So it's not just me, huh. Well, it's a rest day today for most."

S: "That is right."

But even if I say there are others registering for today, there's only a few of us. There're actually only 5 of us so the process of the registration went by in swift. A lady in the counter smiled and told me to place my hand inside some sort of a machine. The machine then closed and locked my hands up past my wrist. The metal that seems like it's buzzing from its mechanism is cold to the touch.

Receptionist: "Can I have your name, please?"

H: "Hans Schmidt."

Receptionist: "Your full name please. The machine detected an incomplete name. We have to confirm your credibility first by giving us your honest information. There were times when people registers with a fake identity and indulge themselves with the benefits from the Guild."

H: "I see."

Receptionist: "So the Guild devised a lie detector using the mana of the person to judge if the person is lying or not."

They're serious with the security too. That's great actually.

H: "Hans Alius Schmidt."

Receptionist: "Confirmed."

The lady asked all sorts of information while writing them on a piece of clean paper with blanks.

Receptionist: "Sir, what class are you planning to take?"

H: "Class?"

It showed up in my status display too. But it says 'None.' How should I go with this?

Receptionist: "It's the classification you want to be. There are, for starters: Swordsman, Rogue, Magius, Hunter, and Cleric. Swordsmen are users of different kinds of blade like short swords, long swords and broadswords. Rogue uses their dexterous hands to set and unlock traps and also uses their speed to attack. They also have the skill to open treasure boxes. Magius are masters of spells. They use different kinds of offensive spells to attack enemies. Hunters uses bows to strike the enemy from afar and like rogues, they can also have the skills to set traps. And lastly, the Cleric. They are the healers and can use supportive spells that are a must have when you go inside a dungeon."

H: "I see."

They all have their own uses. A swordsman may serve as the one in front to protect those in the back. A rogue can be useful in a dungeon exploration as they are more likely the only one to move inside without triggering troublesome traps. Magius are great attackers from the rear, same with the Hunters. And the Clerics are a must have, more especially when facing a powerful monster, just like the time when Ceres and I met the party who encountered the Queen Ground Arachnia. If I think about it, they had a balanced party.

Receptionist: "If you rank enough up. You can change your class into a more powerful class and can learn stronger skills."

Skills. I guess it's really not just me who have the ability to use skills.

H: "How do you acquire skills?"

Receptionist: "You have to purchase them in the Guild from the receptionists. But only the skills of your class can be acquired so please think carefully."

H: "I got it."

That being said, I don't have a class in my status display. I don't know if I can even use magic or healing spells. I can use knives that are a lot closer to daggers but… It's not something I can call my specialty. And there's no way I can use a bow, of course.

Receptionist: "If you would like…"

It seems the lady noticed my uncertainty and followed up an explanation.

Receptionist: "You can just leave it to the machine and judge your aptitude for a class."

H: "Oh. I see. That way I can find which one is best suited for me."

S: "Do you really have nothing you really want to be, Hans?"

H: "Yeah. If I think about it, I don't really know much about the classes here."

Receptionist: "Hm? Is there any difference with your country?"

H: "Y-Yeah. Something like that."

I decided to go with the suggestion of the lady.

H: "Alright. Let's go with that."

Receptionist: "Confirmed. Please wait for a while."

The lady pushed some buttons and after a while, the machine where my hand is inserted glowed and released a magic circle moving in an unpredictable directions.

Receptionist: "H-Huh…? This is weird… It should not act like this…"

H: "Is there any problem?"

Receptionist: "N-No… I think."

'I think'… So there MAY be a problem. Well, I don't feel anything so I'll just let the machine do its thing.

Receptionist: "It's done. You can remove your hand."

H: "Ohh…"

The moment I pulled my hand out, there's already a bracelet that is wrapped around my wrist perfectly. I thought it'll be the same with Ceres and Sofiel's but the feel and the thickness is different. Even the color is different. It's pitch black without any carvings on it. To put it simply, it's just like a black bangle you can get anywhere.

Receptionist: "Huh?! What does this mean…??"

S: "Hans?? Are you okay?? Do you feel any different?"

I was a bit astounded by their sudden raise in voice. Their face shows an anxious and nervous expression while looking at my face and my bracelet back and forth.

H: "Yeah. I don't feel anything in particular…"

S: "Really??"

Receptionist: "Uhm. Sir? Do you really not feel anything? Especially around your wrist…"

H: "Y-Yeah. Do I have to feel anything with this…?"

Just when I thought I had done something wrong…

Receptionist: "It's not that… It's just… This is unprecedented… Is the [Classifier] not working properly…?"

H: "Sofiel. Enlighten me, please."

I say so with a serious expression.

S: "O-Okay!"

It seems like it gave a huge shock to the lady and she's frozen in her seat while muttering something in between her breaths.

S: "You see, when you start as an adventurer, you will receive a bracelet to identify you as one."

I see. So it's like an I.D…

S: "But it's not just that. It also serves as your rank's symbol."

H: "Symbol?"

Receptionist: "Ah… I apologize. It seems like I lost myself there. Let me do the rest of the explanation."

The lady woke up from her daze and proceeds to continue Sofiel's explanation.

Receptionist: "To make it fair for all the adventurers when it comes to taking quests and also to classify each adventurers, the Guild has implemented a ranking system. The lowest would be rank G, which should be your rank right now, making it 8 ranks in all."

Hmm… That explains why this bracelet is so plain. It really looks like a 2 cm think metal wrapped around my wrist.

Receptionist: "The highest rank will be rank S, but only a few have reached that rank."

H: "Ohh… By few, how many do you mean?"

Receptionist: "Only 5, for the whole Kingdom."

H: "I see."

I haven't gotten a slightest clue about how big the Kingdom is and the ratio of the adventurers per rank so I can't really get the whole picture if that's really amazing or not.

Receptionist: "Each rank's bracelet are different. The simplest one is of course that of the rank F. it's called the Stone rank."

H: "Stone… Haha… That's harsh."

Receptionist: "Followed by Bronze rank or rank F, Iron rank or rank E, Steel rank or rank D, Silver rank or rank C, Gold rank or rank B, Platinum rank or rank A, and lastly the Palladium rank which is the rank S. All of them have distinct design along with different applications like when you reach Palladium rank, the bracelet can be used as teleportation device and can transport you everywhere there is a Guild house."

H: "Ohh… Now that's convenient."

Receptionist: "Now the problem is…"

H: "Problem…"

The lady smiled wryly before continuing her explanation.

Receptionist: "That is… Your bracelet is without a doubt the F rank's design. But…"

H: "But…?"

I'm having a bad feeling…

Receptionist: "The color is different. In the whole history of the Guild is there has not been a single case where a bracelet's rank color is different. Yours should be a rough gray in color like a stone. But it reality, yours is pitch black…"

Now that she's mention it, mine is nowhere near a stone's color it's not even a dark gray at the least. It's so pitch black it can almost suck in the light.

S: "Is there any chance that the Classifier is broken?"

Sofiel asked so with a worried face.

Receptionist: "That is… It is a new one so there is a zero possibility that it is broken. We have already used it twice before you without any problem."

S: "I see."

Receptionist: "Just in case, can you push the button on the bracelet?"

I searched for a button in the bracelet with my fingers and pushed it. Doing that a screen appeared from it like a hologram.

H: "Wow. So it has a feature like this."

Receptionist: "Yes. That is the [Bracelet Terminal]. You can check your identifications there and other information that is associated with being an adventurer. I see, it seems to work just fine... But..."

H: "… That's really high-tech for this world…"

Really… I don't really get if this world's technology is outdated or advanced…

Receptionist: "High… tech…?"

H: "Just talking to myself."

I then looked at the display screen from my bracelet.

[Name]: Hans Alius Schmidt

[Class]: None

[Sex]: Male

[Race]: Human

[Level]: 1

[Rank]: G

[Title]

None

[Quest/s]

(None)

[Party Members/Raid Members]

(None)

It's a lot different than my status screen because of the lack of status numbers. At the top portion, it only shows my name, sex, race, class, level, and rank.

So there's a level system? Ms. Information said there's no level system. So I guess it's just in my case?

By the way, Ms. Information is what I call the voice that tells me things.

Below those is another box section that has the word 'Title' in it followed by 'None.' At the bottom part is a section that says, 'Quest'. Then lastly on the bottom most part is a section that says, 'Party Members/Raid Members.'

Wait…

I can read it…? Or rather… It's the same language with the one in my former world…!

I read it like usual so it didn't occur to me at first but… How did this happen?

Receptionist: "Uhm… Is there any more problem?"

H: "Uh… Not really but, is there any specifications with the language used in the display?"

Receptionist: "Yes. It uses your native tongue as the basis."

So that's why… I mustn't let the others see this or I will raise suspicion.

The class is…

H: "Still 'None', huh…?"

Is there a class called 'None' that I haven't just heard?

Receptionist: "Is that true?? Even with the Classifier… Just what in the world went wrong…?"

H: "Anyways. With this, I'm already a registered adventurer, right?"

Receptionist: "Well… Yes, that would be correct, but… Is that okay with you? I mean your bracelet."

H: "It does its thing and there's no problem so far so, I've no problem with it."

Receptionist: "I see. But I will have to report it to the higher ups, is that okay?"

Well, it is her job so there's no reason for me to stop her.

H: "Sure."

Receptionist: "Thank you very much. Well then, Congratulations, Sir Hans. You are now a registered adventurer. I wish you good travels and explorations. If you wish to know the rules and regulations of the Guild, you can look it up on your bracelet terminal."

H: "Thank you."

S: "That is great, right Hans?"

H: "Yeah!"

I'm now an official adventurer. I nearly can't contain my excitement about this development.

H: "Sofiel! Let's go to a dungeon!!"

S: "… Eh?"

…

S: "Suddenly dragging me here… So? what are we going to do here?"

H: "Continuation of our date of course."

We've arrived at the entrance of the dungeon.

It's the same dungeon with the one Ceres and I went to. As usual and unchanging, we are faced with the huge iron gate that is sealing the monsters and preventing them from leaking out. I dragged Sofiel here like he just said to accompany me for a dungeon exploring. It may be a bit forced but he didn't resist much as I thought he would be.

S: "We are not having any dates, and we're not continuing any. I will go home if you say that again."

Even with his words, I don't see any anger or irritation from his face. Seems like he already gave up when we arrived.

H: "Haha. Now don't say that."

We proceeded with the necessary applications and stuff while leaving the writing to Sofiel then entered the dungeon. It was all the same when I entered with Ceres but now Sofiel is with me.

H: "Oh right, what's your class, Sofiel?"

I thought of asking Sofiel his class just in case we would need to fight a powerful monster. In my case, now that I know that I can't seem to get a class myself, I have to rely on him.

We continue to walk while having this conversation at the same time being alert for monsters. We took the route where monsters are usually gathering. That has to be it since my purpose of coming here is to collect monster crystals. Enjoying my new earned title of an adventurer is second to it.

S: "I am a Cleric. I have already gotten all the skills for it too since I have been one for a long time."

Perhaps getting what I implied in my question, Sofiel also told me other stuff about his class.

H: "I see. A healer class, huh. Hm?"

Hmm... But, 'for a long time'?

Based from his looks, I can only guess he's just around 18 years old.

H: "For a long time, by how many years do you mean?"

S: "Hmm… It'll be 56 years this year, I think?"

H: "*pbff!!* 56 years?! U-Uh… If I may… May I ask your age…?"

S: "113 years old. Turning 114 this year."

H: "…"

S: "Hans?"

H: "…?"

S: "H-Hellooo? Hans?"

H: "Ah! That was close… My soul almost traveled the whole universe."

My mind couldn't follow with the sudden revelation and it seemed like my mind wandered outside this world for a moment.

H: "Sorry about that… I was just a bit shocked… I mean, by how you look and all."

S: "Really? I am fairly young within the elven race if I say so myself. But they always say I look much younger than my age, is that why you are surprised?"

H: "Y-Young…"

So he's really one of the elves. Now I confirmed it from him, I guess it's not that hard to take it in. But the age…!

H: "Do all elves look young?"

S: "Hm? Not really. We stop aging after reaching a certain age then continue to age for the last years of our lives."

H: "And that age is…?"

S: "Uh… Usually in our tribe… It is around 700 years old I think?"

H: "… I… See…"

I give up.

If I use common logic in this world, I'll lose my mind even before I can fully enjoy it.

S: "Why are you getting surprised though? This is just common knowledge."

And it's common knowledge. Ugh… As expected from another world… so many… unexpected things.

H: "Ah… I just forgot after travelling for a long time. Aha… Ahahaha…"

S: "Hmm… I see."

We tracked the dungeon without resting while encountering Ground Arachnias on the way. It seems like even after exterminating a nest just a few days ago, they would still strive to survive.

After defeating a monster, I collect the monster crystals that are the same size with those of the Murborrows. We planned to split the gathered amount in half after we got out of here.

S: "Blessings of light… Guard!"

Sofiel uses Astre type skills of a Cleric. Astre is one of the elements in this world that can be manifested by mana manipulation. Cleric skills are all comprised of Astre element that are focused in supporting, healing, and/or reinforcing a person's abilities. And Sofiel can use all of them. He's been using reinforced magic and healing magic to me from time to time, supporting my every battles.

H: "That's it, I guess."

S: "Hans. You are quite strong, huh?"

H: "Hm? I don't really know myself. I just do what I think I could do."

S: "But still, you can fight the Ground Arachnias without breaking a sweat! Usually you have to gather a party of level 1 Rank F's if you want to exterminate them just like you do. I feel like you will do just fine without me here."

H: "Not really. You're helping me here with your support skills. It makes moving easier."

S: "I-I see. Hehe… Thank you."

He grips his mace and placed it on his chest while showing a bashful expression.

H: "… On a second thought, let's make this one a date, shall we?"

S: "Geez! Stop teasing me already!"

H: "Haha… By the way, you mentioned level 1 Rank F's. What's with the levels?"

I remember my status doesn't show anything like levels in it.

S: "Ah. You see a level section in your bracelet terminal right?"

I pressed the button once again and the hologram like display popped up. It showed Level 1 Rank G.

H: "Yeah."

S: "That's the level you are currently in while being in your rank. If you leveled it up to level 50, you can then achieve the next rank. You can level it up by finishing quests and by hunting monsters. Your bracelet will calculate it automatically and convert it to experience points. After filling it up, you will gain 1 level."

H: "Ohh… I get it now."

So if I want to rank up, I just have to level up. That's sort of simple to follow. Or more like, I'm already used to that system when I was a child with my games so it's like I'm just recalling those times.

H: "So you mean these Ground Arachnias are usually strong as a level 1 Rank F adventurer?"

S: "Yes… That's why I'm surprised how you can defeat them one by one so easily."

I guess it's because of my other status. But I can't tell him that of course.

H: "I can say the same thing to you. Even after going this far without rest, I haven't seen you getting tired."

S: "Ah. That's because I'm used to exploring dungeons."

H: "Yeah?"

S: "I am always hired by some parties to go with them when they do not have a healer. Well, that is when I am off from the restaurant."

H: "Wow… You must be quite popular then."

S: "That seems to be the case, I guess? Ahaha…"

He smiled wryly after my compliment.

H: "Hm? By how you say it, are you not happy with it?"

S: "Hrmm… Not that I do not like it. It is just, I am always worried if I am able to reach their expectations or not. I sometimes think maybe they are just keeping up with me. I am only a Level 10 Rank D too."

Rank D?! Ceres' bracelet had the same design with Sofiel's so Ceres is also rank D…?

But hmm… Even with his age and all, he said that he's still young from an elves perspective and now I can see why. He still worries and is conscious of other people's thoughts. He really is still young at heart.

S: "There are even some times when a strong party invites me, they have to slow their pace down just for me to keep up. Maybe they do not really like me in their party and they just do not have a choice so they invite me."

*flick!*

S: "Ow… Ah… Eh? Hans…?"

I flicked his forehead using my finger.

H: "I don't think that's it."

S: "Eh…?"

H: "You're a great Cleric, I've seen it after spending 3 hours in this dungeon. You look at your surroundings closely and warns me whenever there is a monster coming, you heal me whenever I get injured, and even without me asking, you cast reinforcement skills on me to help me fight. That's enough of a proof that you're really doing great already."

S: "Hans…"

Sofiel is listening to me intently while looking to me with upturned eyes. I pat his head as if I was invited to do so by his expression.

H: "And you're really cute, too."

S: "…~!! Do not say that so casually… I will get embarrassed…"

Huh?

H: "… O-Okay…"

Damn it, damn it, damn it… Huh? What was that expression?! I only said it from an objective view but… She's so freaking cute!! I mean 'he'!!

Ah…

Ugh…

Right… He's a guy, for goodness sake. What am I doing having my heart skip a beat from a guy. I'm not that desperate to have a girlfriend even after living with the title of Age = No Girlfriendto the point I'll just go with a guy who looks cute.

H: "A-Anyway. Let's proceed! We'll be eradicating all of the monsters here!"

S: "Ehh?? A-All??"

…

Like so, we ended up diving deeper inside the dungeon while killing the monsters on the way.

But on the way something strange appeared in front of us.

After killing one of the Ground Arachnias, I was about to collect it's monster crystal when instead of a monster crystal which looks like a purple shining bead, a rough crystal like object appeared. Its flaming red color is unmistakably outstanding from the rest of the monster crystal so I asked Sofiel about it as I point out to it.

S: "Ah. That is a [Mana Core]."

H: "Mana core…?"

S: "A mana core is like the heart of the monsters. In the first place, monsters are the manifestation of corrupted mana. If a corrupted mana condenses, it will crystallize and will transform into a monster. It will then become a mana core after some time inside it.

H: "But if that's the case, how come it only dropped from this one? Is it a special monster?"

S: "That is not it. If the monster is still a new born when you defeated it, it will drop a monster crystal. But if after some time and it is still not defeated, the monster crystal will develop and when you defeat it, it will drop a mana core."

H: "Ohh…! I see, I see. Wait… So you mean, those we've been killing since earlier are still newborns? And you were saying they're on the same level of a level 1 rank F adventurer too."

S: "Yes. That's why I'm surprised."

Hmm… I learned a lot of things from Sofiel today. I guess being alive for a long time means a lot of time to learn all sorts of information.

I picked up the mana core from the ground and hear a familiar voice.

Oh? I can absorb mana cores too? I wonder what they do…

For now I'll just put it in my bag and try it later.

So concluding from what Sofiel said, even if how many times we kill these monsters, if there're still corrupted mana around, they will continue to spawn. That answers one of my question since I was thinking, why not just eradicate them all at once. But I guess that will be impossible if they spawn out of mana that is abundant everywhere.

H: "Hm? Then where does corrupted mana come from?"

S: "Ah. That is, wait. Have you already heard of the story about the Cursed Age that happened three centuries ago?"

H: "I have heard about the name but I haven't heard the whole story yet."

S: "I see. I'll tell you about it on the way out."

We went our way outside since we've already reached the end of the dungeon.

Then Sofiel began telling me about the story that happened three centuries ago.

S: "Before the Cursed Age, all races have lived peacefully while cooperating with each other. Humans, Elves, Faunalians, Dwarves, and Demons. There is one race aside from those but stays autonomous and it is said that they just do not want to concern themselves with other races."

I continued to listen to him while walking. He speaks without resting but all I see is a smile on his face without a sign of exasperation.

S: "But one day, the Demon's king, the Demon Lord raised up an army and invaded the humans. The Demon Lord's plan was to conquer the world but because of the efforts of the joint cooperation of the rest of the races, the army was defeated and the demon race was pushed out of the continent. They now live in the now called Demon Continent where the corpse of the Demon Lord is said to be buried. But the result of the long war was the devastation of the whole continent, even the dwarves' population plummeted because of it so they're now a rare race to encounter."

H: "Hmm… A lot really happened in the past, huh."

I'm really curious about the dwarves since I haven't seen one after coming to this world. If I have a chance, I would like to meet one.

S: "Yes. But it said that the mana from the corpse of the demon lord is leaking out throughout the world and is corrupting the mana around."

H: "I see. So that's where the corrupted mana comes in."

S: "That is correct. Because of that, after the war, monsters all over the world started appearing and that was the time that the kingdom established the Guild to counter the problem. At first, the number are few so a proper counterplan was not established. But the monster began growing numbers."

H: "Hmm… Now I get it."

S: "I see~"

H: "Then we just have to dig up the corpse of the Demon Lord and burn it down."

S: "Eh?!"

I hate to have the monster disappear because I won't be able to enjoy exploring dungeons anymore, but being peaceful is the best.

S: "What are you suddenly saying?? You can't do that!"

H: "Huh? Why?"

S: "If a normal person other than the demon race got near it, the corrupted mana, or the miasma, will corrupt their mind and die from shock."

H: "Uwa…"

S: "That's why no one dared to go there now."

H: "That makes sense."

But if that is a known knowledge, does that mean someone tried to go near it? What a brave soul…

We got out of the dungeon and find ourselves met by the setting sun. I guess we took our time inside and didn't notice it was getting this late.

We took the carriage that will bring us to Florensia Town and arrived right before the sun has completely set. The slow pace of the horse didn't take much of our time travelling and we arrived without any problems, but it seems like Sofiel got tired and is now sleeping with his head resting on my shoulder.

H: "Sofiel. We're here."

S: "Hn… Hn?"

H: "We've arrived."

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and yawned while still leaned on me. I don't have a reason to push him away so I just let him. It's not because I find it really cute or anything. Really, it's not like that.

S: "… Phew… Hans?"

He looked up and met me face to face.

H: "Good morning. Though it's evening now."

S: "…"

H: "…"

He blinked a few times while what I presume him analyzing the situation.

H: "Good morning."

I greeted him once again to wake him up completely.

S: "Wah?! S-S-S-S-Sorry! I-I am so s-sorry!! I did not notice I dozed off! And on top of that I fell asleep while leaning on your… Waaaah!! I'm sorry!!"

He flailed inside the carriage after all the other passengers left. It's just us now so I enjoy the scene by myself.

H: "Haha. I don't mind. Come on, let's go."

S: "Uuu…"

We got off the carriage with his face still red from the embarrassment. I lend him my hand while he got off, supporting him all the while.

S: "Ah… Thank you."

H: "Don't mention it. Right, it's already dark. I'll walk you home."

I already told Anya that I will be late so I find no problem in doing so. And I can't leave someone alone when I know I can do something for them at least.

S: "Eh?! I-It is fine… I do not want to bother you anymore…"

H: "I'm not bothered the least."

S: "… O-Okay…"

We walk side by side as he guide the way to his home.

S: "*whisper* I think being treated like a girl is not that bad…*whisper*"

H: "Hm?"

S: "N-Nothing!"

… I think I've raised up a flag without knowing it…

…

Chapter 15 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. 9/10

Crush Strike Lv. 8/10

Status Lv. 1/1

[Crystal Points: 15]

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