Ravi burst into Elfin’s room, which was three doors down in the same inn.
Bang!
In her rush, she couldn’t control her strength properly, and the door swung open with a loud noise.
The sound echoed through the room, making Elfin, who had been resting while sharpening her dagger, jump in surprise.
“Oh my god!!! You scared me! I almost cut my finger… Ravi?”
“Haa… haa…”
Seeing Ravi panting with a flushed face, Elfin tilted her head in confusion.
Ravi, who hadn’t stepped out of her room even once while nursing Alvis, had suddenly barged in, leaving
Elfin momentarily unable to grasp the situation. But then, she thought of a possibility and quickly asked,
“Alvis?! Is he okay?”
“……”
“Ravi?”
“Huh? W-what did you say?”
Even though her conversation partner was right in front of her, Ravi’s eyes were blankly staring into space.
She hadn’t even been listening properly and couldn’t recall what Elfin had just said.
“I asked if Alvis is okay.”
“Ah, A-Alvis?! Y-yeah! He’s fine… Oh! He regained consciousness! Since his treatment was already finished, he doesn’t seem to have any problems moving his body, and he’s mentally alert… And his lips too…”
“Lips?”
At that moment, Ravi’s rabbit ears shot up in shock.
“Eek?! D-did I say lips?! A-ah, y-yeah! Lips! Um, his c-color! His lips looked really healthy! That means he’s in good shape, right?!”
“Ravi, you’re acting a little weird.”
“H-huh? A-am I? N-no way! I’m completely fine! Ah, right! Sleep! I think I’m just sleep-deprived from taking care of him! Elfin! Can I sleep here today?”
“Huh? Oh… The bed is big enough, so I guess it’s fine.”
“Thank you, Elfin! T-then I’ll go wash up!”
As she grabbed a towel and hurried into the bathroom, Elfin tilted her head again.
“What’s up with her…?”
Meanwhile, as Ravi washed herself, she recalled what had just happened.
Ravi and Alvis’ lips had touched, and for a brief moment, she was lost in a daze, silently savoring the sensation.
A much softer feeling than she had expected covered her lips, and in that instant, she felt an unfamiliar sense of satisfaction.
Just as their hands touched while kissing, Ravi snapped back to reality and jerked away in shock.
“I-I-I just kissed Alvis…?!”
She had never even imagined such a thing happening—not even in her wildest dreams.
No, it wasn’t just that.
The possibility had never even crossed her mind.
But now, as she realized that she had kissed Alvis under the moonlight streaming through the window, her face burned with embarrassment to the point of exploding.
“S-sorry, Alvis! Y-you should rest today! I-I’m going…!”
Without waiting for Alvis’ response, Ravi bolted from the room, running straight to Elfin’s.
Even while washing, every time her thoughts drifted, she found herself recalling the feeling of Alvis’ lips.
Warm, softer than expected, and slightly moist…
“Eek?!”
Her rabbit ears shot up again, and her face heated up once more.
She felt like her own body was generating more steam than the hot water she was using.
“T-there’s no way I like Alvis…! My heart belongs to Bryden… B-but my first kiss was… So does that mean I’m the type of woman who kisses someone she doesn’t even like…? No, that can’t be me! W-wait… Then, does that mean I do like Alvis…? Huh…?”
Lost in chaos, Ravi mindlessly continued washing herself, convincing herself that she still liked Bryden and that the kiss with Alvis was just an accident—or simply the result of the moment’s atmosphere.
The next day, I gathered Ravi, Elfin, and Lenis in my room.
Ravi aside, Elfin and Lenis still occasionally shot me disapproving looks, but after everything that had happened, the hostility in their eyes had lessened considerably.
If I had to rank their attitudes towards me, it would be something like: Ravi > Elfin > Lenis.
“What’s this about? Calling us over right after recovering means it’s something important, right?”
“Yeah.”
Nodding at Elfin’s words, I reached for the spoils of our last battle, which I had left by the window next to my bed.
The Miracle of Life Boots for Elfin, the Purified High Priest’s Winged Staff for Lenis, and the Ancient Knuckles for Ravi.
The items perfectly suited each of their fighting styles.
“You’re giving these to us…?”
“Well… It’d be rude to refuse, I guess.”
“Thank you, Alvis.”
If this had been before, Elfin would have immediately accused me, saying, ‘Are you trying to put us in your debt?! Or are these just useless junk?’ But now, though she still looked suspicious, she didn’t say anything like that.
“Hmm… Well, thanks for giving them to us. I’ll take them to an appraisal shop later to check their effects.”
“You don’t need to. I already know what they do.”
“?!”
In this world, whenever someone obtained dungeon loot or monster spoils—especially equipment—it was necessary to get them appraised.
This was one of the reasons why Holy Knight Bryden NX was criticized as a terrible game.
Players mocked it, saying, “What kind of game in this day and age doesn’t let you check item stats immediately and forces you to go to a shop?”
However, thanks to my abilities, I could instantly identify an item’s effects.
Even if I didn’t have this power, I had played that frustrating game enough to recognize these items just by name.
“These boots can temporarily create a green field around the wearer, greatly enhancing their physical abilities. Elfin, last time, you struggled in battle because the land was barren, right? With these, that won’t happen again.”
“Ugh…”
Recalling how helpless she had felt fighting Vector on lifeless terrain, Elfin’s expression hardened.
“…Thanks.”
“This staff significantly boosts mana and reduces the damage others take. It also delays incoming damage, giving more time to react. Lenis, you’ve learned by now that flashy spells aren’t everything, right?”
“O-o-of course…! A high elf like me already knew that!”
Having been directly criticized by Vector for prioritizing appearance over effectiveness, Lenis flinched.
“As for you, Ravi, these knuckles have two abilities. First, they can absorb a single attack and reflect the damage back at the attacker. However, they can’t prevent instant death. Second, they release shockwaves that destroy enemies from the inside. Since you’re already strong and fast, you should be able to use them well.”
“…Yes, thank you, Alvis. I’ll make good use of them.”
Being the kindest of the three, Ravi accepted the knuckles with a smile.
Even now, I couldn’t quite believe that I had kissed such a beautiful woman last night.
Of course, Ravi hadn’t made eye contact with me even once.
“Alvis, what about your share?”
“Me? I already took care of mine. You don’t need to worry about it.”
That was the truth.
But unlike their items, my loot—The Arcane Codex of Radiance—had been absorbed into me the moment I touched it.
Seeing no physical evidence of my reward, the three probably assumed I had given them everything and was just pretending to be fine.
In reality, such skill books weren’t particularly well-regarded in this world.
The knowledge gained from skill books could just as easily be learned through training and guidance from others.
Moreover, since knowledge acquired from a skill book lacked the hands-on experience and know-how that came from direct training and interaction, it was often treated as inferior, almost to the point of being disregarded.
Even in the game, skills obtained through skill books weren’t anything particularly valuable.
They mostly served the purpose of shortening the learning process rather than granting exclusive or rare abilities.
However, thanks to my ability, I could enhance the skill book before absorbing it, making it exceptionally effective.
I was still making good use of Lightsaber, a technique I had gained from just a single skill book.
The moment I absorbed Judgment, I instinctively understood how the technique worked, and it seemed quite useful.
If the opportunity arose, I would make good use of it as well.
Of course, the three people with me had no idea about any of this, so they thought I was practically giving away everything I had.
Ravi jumped up at my words and pushed the knuckles back toward me.
“No way, Alvis! Last time, you only took some worthless skill book while giving everything else to our country, and now you’re doing it again? I can’t just keep taking from you. Alvis, you should keep this! Honestly, we wouldn’t have even won that battle if not for you.”
I pushed the knuckles back toward Ravi.
“I’m a swordsman, not a martial artist like you. I wouldn’t even be able to use them properly. Someone who can actually make use of them should have them.”
“But…”
“If you feel guilty about taking them, then just get stronger and help me out. That works, doesn’t it?”
Ravi hesitated for a moment, realizing that if she tried to give them back again, I would just return them once more.
Eventually, she nodded quietly.
Elfin and Lenis didn’t try to return the items, but they did express their gratitude, thinking I had given up a lot.
“…Thank you, Alvis. I, uh… Ahem. I’ll put them to good use.”
“I should at least express my gratitude properly. Th-thank you. I didn’t expect this side of you.”
“Ah, so you’ve finally realized what a great person I am and fallen for me?”
At my teasing, Elfin and Lenis immediately jumped in protest.
“Who would fall for you?! Me?! That’s ridiculous!”
“Alvis… I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that just now. Never say such nonsense again.”
“……”
Meanwhile, Ravi lowered her head and remained silent.
“Alright, now that we’ve divided up the loot, let’s talk about our next plan. The biggest problem we have right now is that we’re running out of money. We’ve gained more people, and since we’ve been staying in the city for quite a while, expenses have been piling up more than expected. So for now, Ravi and Elfin, you should head back to your respective countries to report the information we’ve gathered and reorganize.”
I glanced at them meaningfully and made a small circle with my thumb and index finger.
“And if possible… maybe try to get some financial support. By now, the news of Vector’s territory being wiped out should have spread everywhere, and if those underground worms find out that Vector is dead, they’ll start expanding their search area from there. It’ll be even harder to return later, so try to get as much as you can now.”
“So, you’re saying we should split up and regroup later? What’s the plan after that?”
“We need to find those underground worms. If possible, I also want to meet with Bryden and hear about the Libertá massacre. If those underground worms are hiding all over the world, then there must be people in both the kingdom and the empire who encouraged Bryden’s deployment. We need to investigate them.”
“Alright. Then I’ll head home and let my father know I’m alive—”
“Ah, sorry, but you can’t. Lenis, you’re staying here with me to wait for Ravi and Elfin to return.”
“What?! Why?!”
“Don’t you remember what the innkeeper said in the previous city? And what Vector said back then? The enemy used the excuse of your official ‘disappearance’ to call in the Holy Knights and massacre Libertá. We don’t know what they were trying to gain from that slaughter or why Bryden personally participated, but one thing’s for sure—they want to drench this land in blood.
Now, if word gets out that you’re alive and your location is revealed, what do you think will happen?
Remember how Vector tried to kill you the moment he saw you?”
A chill ran down Lenis’ spine, and she swallowed hard.
“The moment they find out where you are, they’ll probably chop off your head and throw it into the Valentine estate. That way, they can enrage your grieving father and push him into causing an even bigger disaster than Libertá. You’re safer staying ‘missing’ for now. I feel bad for the Count, but this is better for both of you.”
Lenis looked devastated at the idea of not being able to return home despite knowing where it was.
“But… my father…”
“You can go back if you want. If you think you can survive assassination attempts from those underground worms on your own. Do you think you can?”
Lenis, remembering how easily Vector had overpowered her, wanted to protest but ultimately lowered her head.
Even she knew that if an attempt on her life actually happened, she wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Alright, so Lenis stays here. Ravi, Elfin, what about you?”
“I’m all for it. Other than when I was at the academy, I haven’t been away from Arbones this long before. I should at least show my face. And those underground worms probably won’t leave my country alone, either. This is no longer just someone else’s problem. So, where and when are we regrouping?”
“Let’s meet in two weeks at the southern gate of this city. That should be enough time to visit Arbones and the Carat Dutchy, right?”
“Plenty.”
“What about you, Ravi? …Ravi?”
Ravi had been silent for a while.
When I called her name again, she suddenly snapped to attention.
“Y-yes?! H-haha, what?”
“Did you even hear what we were talking about?”
“Of course! We were deciding on the lunch menu, right?”
“……Let me explain again.”
After repeating myself, I sent Ravi and Elfin back to their respective countries to regroup and prepare.
Lenis, looking like she desperately wanted to go home, saw them off.
But once it was just the two of us, she quickly distanced herself from me with a wary expression.
“Alvis! I acknowledge that you played a huge role in the last battle, and I truly appreciate it. And when I eventually go home, I’ll make sure to reward you properly. But just because Ravi and Elfin aren’t here doesn’t mean you should try anything weird with me! If you even show the slightest sign of it, I’ll… I’ll crush your—”
Ravi and Elfin, who had traveled with me for a while, had already gotten used to me and no longer reacted this way.
But Lenis, still new to the group, was behaving just like they did at the beginning, remembering my reputation from the academy.
I grinned and stepped closer to her.
“W-wait! What are you trying to do now that they’re gone—”
“Lenis, don’t start complaining that you can’t handle it later.”
“…What?”
Since the others had taken the travel funds for their return trip, we were now almost completely broke.
That meant that for the next two weeks, we had to work to survive.
And that meant a grueling job that a noble lady like Lenis had likely never experienced in her life.
At the time, I didn’t know this, but that trip home ended up being the final straw that caused Ravi to break ties with Bryden.
I only found out after she returned.
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