Thank you to our sponsors Jacob N. L. ($10), Lisa R. ($85), P. T. W ($100), and David R. ($5). We greatly appreciate you and all past and future sponsors.

Two days after the sermon, Simon was outside the city.

How many years had it been since he left the city of Morksi? He had received numerous requests to repair the walls that protected the city, so perhaps it hadn"t been that long, if one were to count that.

But he felt as if it had been over ten years. The cold winter wind felt good. Each time he felt the snow that had fallen yesterday crunch underfoot, he remembered those days.

The scent of blood in the air and the sight of the lifeless corpse lying on the ground in front of him was incredibly pleasant.

"That"s right, I can still do it. I"m not finished; even if I have only one arm, I can at least kill Goblins!" Simon shouted with a maniacal laugh as he struggled to wipe the blood from the thick-bladed sword in his right hand.

These days, his pocket was warm with the funds that he received from running errands for Vandalieu. The quant.i.ty and quality of the monster parts handed to him for sale at the Adventurers" Guild increased with each pa.s.sing day. There had only been the parts of Rank 1 and Rank 2 monsters on the first day, but his second errand had even included a body part from a Rank 4 Kobold General.

That one part alone had been worth a week"s pay from doing day jobs, but the bag had contained multiple body parts from Rank 3 monsters such as Orcs and Goblin Leaders as well.

Even back when he was an adventurer, his party had never hunted this many monsters in a single day. He thought it was incredible.

Simon had received half the pay from selling these parts just for carrying them to the Adventurers" Guild. He had been paid far too much for a task that involved no great labor and no danger. He considered himself lucky.

But for Simon, it wasn"t just lucky.

Every time he entered the Adventurers" Guild, unpleasant looks were directed his way.

Simon had regularly visited the Adventurers" Guild to accept day jobs. Each time he did so, his one-armed body would receive looks of pity and sneers.

It was during his third year as an adventurer, in his later teenage years. He had finally purchased some decent equipment, pa.s.sed the examination to ascend to D-cla.s.s, and his whole life was ahead of him when he lost his dominant arm at the shoulder.

The shock of this loss was great, but Simon had not given up immediately. There were skilled alchemists in Morksi, so he and his party members had done their best to see if there was a way to acquire a Magic Item artificial arm.

If he had a Magic Item artificial arm that functioned well, he could not only live every day without any inconveniences, he could return to being an adventurer.

But Magic Item artificial arms, even those that did not function particularly well, cost over ten times what Simon had expected.

As Simon had only just become a D-cla.s.s adventurer, he didn"t have a large amount in savings. Even if all of his party members sc.r.a.ped together all of their wealth, it still wasn"t enough for even a down payment.

Even if he went to the Guild for a loan, they could not loan a large amount of money to adventurers who had just become D-cla.s.s.

Still, Simon struggled hard and did not give up. He trained to use his sword with his left hand, and even tried training to become a shield-bearer and learning magic to change his role in the party.

But this hadn"t gone well, and Simon had left his party so that he wouldn"t hinder them. His companions had left Morksi after that, and he hadn"t heard their names since, so he didn"t know what had become of them.

Perhaps they had died before becoming famous, or perhaps they were moderately active as C-cla.s.s adventurers in another duchy, or perhaps they had given up adventuring and taken up other professions. Perhaps the Guild would have told Simon if he asked, but he hadn"t even tried asking.

Left in this city on his own, Simon had continued living out of force of habit. At first, he had worked as a baggage carrier for other adventurers, attempted jobs in production industries - he believed that he had done his best to live as a respectable person.

But before he knew it, his alcohol consumption had increased, and he had gone from living in a cheap inn on the main street to a dilapidated house in the slum district, and he had stopped caring about his appearance past the bare minimum that was socially required.

The sword and armor he used in the past had been sold for living expenses, and he had truly become an outcast who had settled into the slums.

He couldn"t blame currently-active adventurers for pitying and sneering at him.

Despite that, Simon had brought parts that served as proof for having exterminated monsters. This drew unavoidable attention. News quickly spread that there was a Dhampir boy, a Tamer but not an adventurer, who was hunting monsters for meat to use at his food cart, and Simon was being hired to sell these parts for him.

Though Vandalieu was merely doing it for the meat, the fact that he was acquiring the meat on his own was not a pleasant situation for the Adventurers" Guild.

It was possible that potential clients who didn"t understand the situation would wonder why they needed to pay such large fees for monsters to be exterminated when a child who was not even an adventurer could do it.

Even without such thinking, Vandalieu"s cutting into their profits was no joking matter.

But naturally, Vandalieu didn"t visit the Adventurers" Guild himself, so everyone"s discontent was directed at Simon, the one running Vandalieu"s errands.

In any case, people had asked Simon to tell Vandalieu to either make requests for meat at the Adventurers" Guild or register as an adventurer himself.

The gazes of active adventurers towards Simon had changed from looks of ridicule to looks of contempt. They thought he was b.u.t.tering Vandalieu up, milking him as much as he could.

… He was indeed milking Vandalieu, so he couldn"t say anything back, however.

But over the past ten years, Simon had become fully accustomed to receiving ridicule and scorn. He found it unpleasant in the moment, he didn"t really think much of it, but… after hearing Darcia"s sermon, he had started thinking.

As long as people continued to live, they could redo things. So then, perhaps he could try becoming a respectable adventurer again, one that wouldn"t be subjected to such treatment.

Before he knew what he was doing, Simon had found himself taking his money not to a bar, but to a weapons store. There, he had purchased a sword, then began to move his weakened body.

Today, he had left the city at a timing where he wouldn"t run into Vandalieu, looked for a lone Goblin wandering around outside a Devil"s Nest, and hunted it.

Simon chuckled. "At this rate, in less than a month… I"ll even be able to take on Rank 2 monsters. Then, if I can regain the senses I had back in the day and become able to fight with my left arm… even Rank 3 monsters aren"t an impossible dream."

It was hard to make a living as an adventurer without hunting monsters that were at least Rank 3. Hunting Rank 2 monsters would be enough to continue living in the slums, but there would be no point in devoting himself to a dangerous profession with a handicapped body only to live the same lifestyle that he had been living up until now.

Feeling like he was moving forward towards the goal that his eyes were fixed upon, Simon laughed, but there was sweat on his forehead and his shoulders heaved up and down as he breathed heavily.

Years of an unhealthy lifestyle had reduced his stamina more severely than he had thought.

In this world, there was a Status System and Skills. Skills were effective for the rest of one"s life after acquiring them.

But that did not mean that Skills were always as effective as their Levels would suggest no matter what the condition of the user"s body was.

If one"s muscles atrophied, the speed and strength of their sword swing would decrease, and if their senses grew dull, their parrying abilities would dull as well.

But Simon did not dwell on his current state; he cut off the Goblin"s ear and, with clumsy movements, began dismantling the corpse.

"Never would have thought that I"d be going through the effort of taking Goblin meat back home with me," he chuckled to himself. "And I"ll make that bra - Vandalieu-san, realize that I"m not just some gofer -"

Suddenly, Simon leapt away from the Goblin corpse and raised his sword. He found himself facing a pack of wolves.

"Wolves… s.h.i.t, they were lured here by the smell of blood, huh," he muttered.

They were ordinary wolves, not monsters. This pack of wolves, which roamed outside the Devil"s Nest, had been drawn here by the Goblin corpse that Simon had been dismantling.

There were just under ten of them, and all of them looked somewhat thin. It was likely that they hadn"t been able to hunt enough to eat properly this winter. They were looking to take the leftovers from the monster that Simon had defeated.

The odds are against me… I have no choice but to back down, Simon decided.

He slowly stepped backwards away from the Goblin"s corpse, glaring at the wolves.

They weren"t monsters, but if one were to put a Rank on them, they would be Rank 2, and there were nearly ten of them. They were not adversaries that Simon could fend off.

But fortunately, as they were not monsters, they were not fixated on killing humans. Simon would almost certainly be able to get away without fighting as long as he gave them the Goblin"s corpse.

That was what he thought, but it seemed that the wolves decided differently. The pack spread out to surround him, despite the fact that he was slowly trying to back away.

Simon"s face stiffened. "These b.a.s.t.a.r.ds think I"m easy prey!"

The wolves weren"t just after the Goblin corpse; they had decided that the one-armed, fatigued Simon was food for them as well.

As if in response to Simon"s words, the wolves bared their fangs, and one wolf from the back leapt at him to try and knock him off his feet.

"Sh-s.h.i.t, "Instant Response!" "Single Flash!""

Simon activated a martial skill that he hadn"t used for years, improving his reaction speed, and swung his sword at the head of the wolf that had leapt at him.

But he groaned as pain ran through the arm that he used to swing his weapon, and his attack missed the wolf. He immediately tried to avoid the wolf"s tackle, but his leg was caught, and he fell onto the ground.

W-why?! I used my martial skill!

His reaction speed had increased, and he had been able to clearly see the wolf that tried to knock him down.

Indeed, his martial skill had been active. But his arm, which had atrophied and lost its muscular strength, had screamed in pain, unable to withstand the use of "Single Flash," a martial skill that involved a fast swing of the sword. His atrophied leg, unable to keep up with Simon"s improved reaction speed, had gotten caught.

No way! I"m gonna die in a place like this?! Simon thought in despair.

"HEL -" he screamed as the wolf leapt at his throat to end his life.

He heard the low growl of a rat and a yelp of pain from the wolf as it was thrown into the air.

Surprised, he looked up to see an enormous, furry rat with a long tail that had a metallic shine to it.

"Wha - A monster? But it"s a rat, could it be…?"

Simon heard another rat screech.

Before he could get onto his feet, he felt heat on one side of him and cold air on the other side. In the next moment, a ball of flames burned a wolf, then a blast of cold air froze it solid.

Two more rats appeared; one was wreathed in flames and the other was surrounded by a liquid that radiated cold air.

"Three rats means that it"s definitely…" Simon muttered.

As he became aware of who was rescuing him, an echoing, fearsome roar shook the air. The surviving wolves yelped and fled.

"It"s a little late for me to say this, but I"m here to help," said Vandalieu, who was riding on the back of a gray-furred h.e.l.lhound.

Knowing that he was saved, Simon gave a sigh of relief.

It was pure coincidence that Vandalieu had come to Simon"s aid. He had been hunting with Darcia yesterday, so he had gone hunting earlier than usual today to work hard on Fang"s Leveling, and happened to come across Simon on the way home after Fang"s Rank increased.

"I see, so that"s why you were hunting a Goblin," said Vandalieu, having heard Simon"s explanation of the situation.

"Yes, I got rather hot-headed. It"s unbecoming for someone my age…" said Simon, who was sitting on the ground, unable to fight off his fatigue.

Vandalieu was touching Simon"s arm.

"This is embarra.s.sing. Even now, my legs won"t stop shaking… I"m pathetic," said Simon, lamenting his own weakness.

"You"ve spent quite a long time not doing this kind of work, haven"t you? It can"t be helped. And it seems you"re quite fatigued, too," said Vandalieu.

"Yes… But I"m starting to feel better as we keep talking." Simon gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I"m not sure which one of us is supposed to be the older one…"

"That"s just because I"m curing your fatigue," said Vandalieu.

Indeed, he was using "Out-of-body Experience" to put his spirit-form arm inside Simon, examine the state of his body, ma.s.sage his muscles and improve his recovery by fusing with him.

Ordinarily, Vandalieu wouldn"t be able to put his spirit form into Simon unless Simon himself allowed it, or if he were unconscious. But he was able to quietly heal Simon as he was currently in a depressed mental state and didn"t have the willpower to resist.

He hurt the muscles in his arm, and just has a few other sc.r.a.pes. His organs are like this because of years of unhealthy living, Vandalieu observed. His brain is… hmm.

"By the way, this is Fang, and if I recall, Maroru, Urumi and Suruga? Their appearances have changed quite a bit. Did their Ranks increase?" Simon asked, unaware that the inside of his head was being examined while he was being treated.

Fang, sitting next to Vandalieu on standby, gave a bark. The rats were devouring the wolves" organs.

Fang had been a Black Dog, but he was now a Rank 4 h.e.l.lhound. He had grown to about the size of a cow, but the color of his fur hadn"t changed.

h.e.l.lhounds were monsters that were well-known by adventurers. Their ability to breathe flames, and their ferocious and savage nature, were well-known. Thus, they were considered difficult to tame even by skillful Tamers.

But as Fang had started out as an ordinary dog that had undergone multiple Rank increases to become a h.e.l.lhound, he appeared to not be ferocious at all… though his roar had been so terrifying that even Simon had frozen in fear despite knowing that it was Fang.

It was possible that Simon"s legs were still shaking partially because of Fang.

But although Fang had turned from a Black Dog to a h.e.l.lhound, the transformation that the rats had undergone was even more dramatic. Up until yesterday, they had been Rank 3 Murder Rats.

These were considered to be the strongest among known rat-type monsters, which preyed on humans with their sharp fangs, but… Maroru and the others were certainly not Murder Rats now.

As the conversation turned towards them, the rats stopped feasting on wolf organs and gave sly squeaks at Simon… with their mouths stained red with blood.

"Yes, they"ve become Rank 4 like Fang," said Vandalieu. "Maroru is a Flame Rat, Urumi is a Wet Rat, and Suruga is apparently an Iron Rat."

The rats had changed race, and their fur had changed accordingly to their race t.i.tles. Maroru was wreathed in flames, Urumi was surrounded by water and cold air, and Suruga had gained the ability to make her fur itself as hard as metal.

They"d mutated so much that one would never think that they had once been ordinary rats.

"Do you know of these races?" Vandalieu asked.

"No… Never heard of them," said Simon. "Maybe you don"t get them around here… or maybe they"re new races?! If they are, you can get a reward if you report them to the Tamers" Guild or the Adventurers" Guild!"

Considering Simon"s response, it was likely that the rats were of new races. With the exception of Wet Rats, Vandalieu had heard of the other two races as monsters that appeared in Earth"s folk tales, so he hadn"t thought that this was the case.

With that being the case, I suppose I"m the reason for their Rank increase to their current races. Maybe it"s because I went to Earth and gained knowledge there? Vandalieu wondered. If that"s the case, if Fang had a twin, maybe it would have mutated into a Komainu instead of a h.e.l.lhound.

TLN: Komainu are lion-dogs made of stone seen at j.a.panese shrines.

Meanwhile, the treatment of Simon"s arm was finished, and Vandalieu let go of it.

"I think you"ll be alright now. Can you stand?" he asked.

"Yes, I can manage… I"m really sorry for causing you so much trouble. I don"t know if I can say that this is thanks, but please take that Goblin and this as well," said Simon, gingerly getting to his feet and pointing at the Goblin he"d killed.

He also held out his sword and scabbard.

"It"s a cheap sword, but I don"t have anything else on me, so… I haven"t used it much yet, so you should be able to have the weapon store buy it back for some amount," he said.

"Are you sure? Weren"t you going to redo being an adventurer?" said Vandalieu.

"Yes, I"ve learned my place. I"m not cut out to live this lifestyle… I"ll redo things, but for a different lifestyle."

Simon"s mind had been completely broken by this experience of almost being killed by wolves. He had been encouraged by Darcia"s sermon, but it was certainly fate that he had been saved by her son. He tried to convince himself that the G.o.ddess believed he was not suited for the adventuring profession.

Of course, he didn"t have any idea what this "different lifestyle" would be. The current Simon was here as a result of having tried and failed at that in the past.

If he had at least acquired a creation-oriented Job, things would have been different, but… Simon"s current job was "Swordsman," and it was at Level 10. He would need to Level up ninety more times to change Jobs.

On top of that, he had hit a barrier in his development, making it hard for his Level to increase.

His companions from the past had also tried to help him to at least allow him to change Jobs, but he gained almost no Experience Points from anything other than combat, and his Level had increased at a snail"s pace. Unable to bear this, it was Simon who had backed down from this arrangement.

"If I at least had a talent for taming like you, maybe I could have done something even with only one arm, but… this can"t be helped. I"m sorry, but please use me as your gopher, at least for the next little while," Simon said.

"No, if you want to redo things, I"ll help, since you were so inspired by my mother"s sermon that you want to change your life," said Vandalieu, showing no signs of wanting to take Simon"s sword.

"Huh? You"ll teach me the basics of taming?!"

"No, that"s something that can"t be taught even if I wanted to teach it. What I"ll be helping you with is gaining your arm back."

"My arm?! Th-that"s even more surprising… Are you acquainted with a skilled alchemist?"

The truth was that Vandalieu himself was a "skilled alchemist," but Vandalieu didn"t mention that.

"It will all depend on your hard work and motivation," he said. "But if you have those, I promise you that you will acquire the best arm possible."

He had an idea for helping Simon regain his arm. It was… not the use of the root of life, the Lambda version of pluripotent cells that the champion Zakkart had created.

If he used that, Simon"s arm would certainly regenerate. But too much time had pa.s.sed since he lost his arm. His brain had completely forgotten how to move his right arm; the brain cells needed for that were now either gone or serving other functions.

With that being the case, even if Simon were to regrow his arm, a long period of rehabilitation would be required for him to become able to move it. Though he might become able to use it in everyday life again, it would be difficult for him to regain the strength and dexterity needed for battle even decades later.

In the case of Bellmond"s tail, Vandalieu had been able to regenerate her brain tissue as well, but… that was because she was a Vampire with an advanced regenerative ability. It was difficult to achieve the same in Simon, who was a human.

That was why Vandalieu intended to teach Simon the best secret possible for moving an artificial arm.

"It won"t need any special talent or qualities; you only need to believe in my words and follow me until it works. However, I believe that people will be uncomfortable around you or stare at you inquisitively afterwards," he warned Simon.

Simon listened to Vandalieu"s vague explanation. He didn"t know Vandalieu very well, and today was the first time that they"d had a conversation this long. But looking at Fang and the rats, he could tell that Vandalieu wasn"t an ordinary person, and more importantly, he was the son of Darcia, the one who had given him the determination to redo his life.

He was certain that Vandalieu wouldn"t demand anything unreasonable.

"… If I never met you and your mother in the first place, I"d have just continued working day jobs and barely feeding myself, living like a dead person," said Simon. "It might not be of much worth, but I"ll entrust my life to you."

The moment he finished his sentence, a large change occurred inside him.

The weight of his body disappeared, making him feel light, and his head felt clear. His body was filled to the brim with strength.

"O-OH! This is… I feel like I was reborn the moment I decided to follow you! I feel like I could go and send those wolves flying into the air now!" Simon shouted, jumping up and down on the spot.

He had been guided by Vandalieu at that moment.

Darcia"s sermon had left a deep impression on Simon yesterday, but he had still not been guided by Vandalieu at that point.

Darcia hadn"t preached Vandalieu"s values and view of life at the Communal Church; she had preached the teachings of Vida, the G.o.ddess of life and love, that were taught in the Boundary Mountain Range.

But becoming a believer of Vida didn"t necessarily guide one to Vandalieu"s Dark Demon Creation Path. One needed to either decide to follow Vandalieu as Simon had just done, or become strongly charmed by him like the Undead were.

… That was why the food cart owners that Vandalieu had taught how to make Gobu-gobu and steamed Kobold meat had already been guided.

"I"m sure you"re full of willpower. At this rate you"ll be able to work hard in training tomorrow," said Vandalieu, repeating the same words he had said to the food cart owners to play down the guidance"s effects when they found their physical abilities enhanced.

"Of course!" said Simon. "But… We"re starting tomorrow?"

"Yes. I need to prepare some necessary things, and… I need to stock the ingredients tonight."

Vandalieu wasn"t negligent when it came to the operation of his food cart.

Vandalieu and his companions had left their carts where they were and rushed over to help Simon. Thus, they had to go back to get them before returning to the city.

Simon was afraid that other monsters would have ravaged it by now, but that didn"t seem to be the case.

"He used some kind of spell…? He never ceases to surprise," Simon said to Fang, who had been ordered to guard Simon while he waited for Vandalieu and the rats.

Fang barked in response.

Fang knew that the truth was that Vandalieu hadn"t used a spell; he had left Chipuras behind to watch the cart. But he didn"t tell Simon the details… though it wasn"t as if he had become able to speak the human language from his Rank increase.

Incidentally, Fang disliked humans, but felt a sense of closeness and companionship with those who had been guided by Vandalieu, so it didn"t seem that he had any hostility or excessive sense of caution towards Simon.

Fang himself believed that this was because he perceived Simon to now be something that wasn"t a human, though his appearance remained the same.

"I"m not as amazing as you, seeing as you turned into a h.e.l.lhound in just a few days, but I feel like I can change my way of life now," Simon said to Fang.

Fang gave an encouraging bark to his new junior. "That"s the spirit," he seemed to be saying.

But this peaceful conversation was abruptly interrupted.

"So, you"ve tamed a h.e.l.lhound. It seems that you"re a capable Tamer," a voice said without warning.

Fang immediately got to his feet to protect Simon.

The owner of the voice… Randolf, gave an impressed nod.

Despite having received no command, it protects its owner, and yet doesn"t attack. It has been well-trained, considering the ferocious and savage nature of h.e.l.lhounds, Randolf thought.

Indeed, he mistakenly thought that Simon was Fang"s Tamer.

"N-no, I"m not -" Simon began, bewildered by what appeared to be a human adventurer.

"Sorry, but I"d like to make a request. I want you to take these two to the Adventurers" Guild," said Randolf, one-sidedly stating his business without listening to Simon.

He brought forward Natania and Juliana, whom he had made float behind him with wind-attribute magic, and presented them to Simon.

"Wha -?! This is terrible…" Simon whispered.

The two were wrapped in cloths, but he could tell with a single glance that they were both missing all of their limbs. Despite Simon and Fang being in front of her, Juliana showed no response but to look over at them with a hollow gaze.

"It"d be better to take them to a healing mage"s clinic rather than an Adventurers" Guild… No, maybe the Church would be better!" Simon exclaimed, disturbed by their serious states.

"Wait, calm down! Our wounds are fine, so we want you to take us to the Adventurers" Guild! I"m Natania, and this is Julia… Yes, her name is Julia," Natania said hastily. "The truth is -"

She began explaining the situation.

Randolf watched silently. Natania referred to Juliana as "Julia," a woman she had met after being attacked and captured by Minotaurs, and told Simon that she didn"t know anything other than her name.

The Minotaur King incident would be dealt with by the Alcrem family of dukes and the Guild Master of the Adventurers" Guild in the capital, so there was no need to report it to the Guild in the city of Morksi.

Randolf intended to disappear once he saw that Simon thought of them as unfortunate victims of Minotaurs and accepted their request.

But before Natania finished speaking, he felt a chill on his spine, as if someone had pressed ice against it.

This is… The Demon King fragment is reacting?!

Surprised, Randolf checked the small Orichalc.u.m bottle… the Demon King fragment"s seal. It was trembling. The fragment, which was sealed and had not infested any host, was reacting to something.

Wondering if the G.o.d of law and fate had caused another eclipse, Randolf looked at the sky, but that wasn"t the case either.

Then what is it?! I know that there have recently been incidents of Demon King fragments that have infested hosts traveling towards the Boundary Mountain Range, but… this is the Alcrem Duchy! This isn"t close enough to the Boundary Mountain Range for a sealed fragment to be reacting! Randolf thought. Wait, I don"t have the time to think about what"s causing it.

The freshly-applied seal on the Demon King"s oviduct looked like it would hold, but at this rate, it was possible that the older seal on the fragment that the Minotaur King had been using in its ritual would break.

If the seal was broken, it was possible that the fragment would aim to infest the h.e.l.lhound, Simon, Natania or Juliana as its host.

"Hey, here"s the fee for their request," Randolf said, handing Simon a Magic Stone that he had harvested from a Minotaur. "And this is a farewell gift for you two," he said, handing several Magic Stones taken from Minotaur Mages to Natania. "I"ll leave them to you!"

And with that, he used the wind-attribute spell "Soar" to take off into the sky.

"Wait! What"s going on all of a su… Ah, he"s gone. What"s wrong with that guy?" Simon wondered.

"… Who knows?" said Natania, staring blankly up in the direction that Randolf had flown in.

Next to her, Fang relaxed his guard.

He had sensed that Randolf was an overwhelmingly powerful individual. He had been so mentally fatigued by his presence that he had not even thought to warn his carefree junior.

"Well, we don"t mind carrying you to the Adventurers" Guild, but hold on for a moment. This guy"s owner, and my… What should I call him? Boss, teacher, master… Yes, my master who is going to train me, is coming," Simon told Natania.

"Master? You"re not the one who tamed this guy?" Natania asked, looking at Fang.

"Yeah, he"ll be back soon - Ah, that"s him!"

As if showing up to replace Randolf, Vandalieu and the rats returned, each pulling a cart with them.

"Hmm? It seems like something happened. Could you please explain the situation?" said Vandalieu.

"Yes, Master! An adventurer I didn"t recognize appeared out of nowhere with these two -" Simon began.

"I see. Natanisan and Juliansan, yes?"

"How do you know my name?!" exclaimed Natania, bewildered.

There was no way that he could have known her name, let alone Juliana"s, which hadn"t even been spoken.

I"m the one who"s surprised. I"ve returned to find that I have even more apprentices, Vandalieu thought.

"I"ll hear the rest of your story while we move, shall I?" said Vandalieu.

"Alright, I"ll tell you what I can. But this person is Julia. Don"t say the name "Juliana" out loud. Please, help us," Natania begged him.

Vandalieu nodded. "Yes, of course I"ll help you… I see. That must have been an ordeal," he murmured.

He was mainly looking not at Natania, but the spirits of what appeared to be knights and village girls that were floating around Juliana.

"Please help Captain Juliana and this girl who persuaded that man not to kill her," one of the spirits said.

"Please, help. Help, help, hel-hel-hel-hel…" said another nonsensically.

"Ah, our G.o.d… Our G.o.d, help…" said a third.

"It"s alright, it"s alright. Please stay calm," Vandalieu told the spirits, nodding to their words.

He had already planned to help Simon. That one person had turned into over a dozen, then multiple dozens. That was all.

The one-armed former adventurer Simon. His Skills are average for a D-cla.s.s adventurer, but due to many years of living an unhealthy lifestyle, his stamina has decreased and his senses have dulled. For this reason, martial skills do not display their full effects when he uses them.

Because he has lived in the slums for several years, he has acquired the "Starvation, Disease and Poison Resistance" Skill, and also the "Mental Resistance" Skill from the despair of losing his arm, giving up his life as an adventurer and living a life where he couldn"t see a future for himself.

The fact that the latter is not the "Mental Corruption" Skill is a testament to his virtuous and positive nature.

A wildcat-type Beast-kin female adventurer. Her adventurer cla.s.s is D-cla.s.s. She has not acquired the "Coordination" Skill because she has worked solo up until now, but she has acquired the skills of a scout instead.

But as she has no arms or legs, she is currently in a state where she cannot use most of her Skills. She has been in this state for a long time, so her brain may lose some functions and she may lose Skills such as "Enhanced Agility."

Incidentally, the reason her missing limbs are displayed as a Status Effect while Simon"s missing arm is not is because Simon"s arm has been missing for so long that it is now considered his normal state.

The youngest sister of the current Duke Alcrem. She has already renounced her right to succeed her family, but she is a member of a respectable house of dukes.

She belongs to a knights" order and had been entrusted with the command of one unit. If her abilities were to be judged with the Adventurers" Guild"s standards, she would be considered C-cla.s.s; there were high hopes for her future.

However, like Natania, she is currently missing her limbs. Furthermore, several of the Minotaur King"s eggs have been planted inside her womb by the Demon King"s oviduct.

The trauma from these events has caused her mind to break, and even if her body were to be restored to its previous state, it is uncertain as to whether she would return to normal.