Prologue

TL: This is the start of volume two, so it begins with a recap. Dont get too
annoyed by it.

Having lost a duel with my sister, Celes, and having been kicked out of my
own House, I, Lyle Walt, was sitting around a table with two women.
(I-I cant taste anything.)
While we ate a slightly-late dinner, I started to worry about just how we got
into this situation.
By the heir of the Counts House, I was thrown out with nothing.
I lost everything, and so, I thought I would become an adventurer for the time
being, and left my homeland.

My former fiance,Novem Forxuz, had continued to follow me after I had

lost my worth. She was the second daughter of a Baron House and an
acquaintance from my childhood.
She was a well-put-together former fiance, and also one I couldnt think of
myself as on equal terms with.
It wasnt that she was scary, or evil, or anything.
She sold off all the furnishings she had prepared for her wedding to me and
used the funds for my sake.
She even looked after me when I proved too oblivious to face the world.
She was kind, and yet, so beautiful.
Her bright-born hair was done in a side ponytail, and right now, she was
quietly eating. The spoon touched her light pink lips.
Her violet eyes were locked on the food she made herself. Soup and bread, as
well as some cheap grilled meat, was set atop the table.
Lyle-sama, is it not to your taste?
Perhaps noticing me staring at her, Novem directed a worried look.
T-that isnt the case!
Saying that, I returned to my meal.
And I also looked at the woman sitting across from Novem.
Red hair that grew to her back, where the tips of it curled out of habit. Her
violet eyes didnt seem to be able to settle down, as they incessantly moved
around.

Aria Lockwarde was a woman driven out of her home.

Of course, her reason was fundamentally different from mine.
It was because her father had connections to a bandit troupe. The bandits that
drifted into Dalien made a stronghold in a nearby abandoned mine, and a few
of them infiltrated the town.
The one who aided them in all of that was her father.
She was from what was once a Viscount House, and a notable family which
held a managerial position in government.
This girl Arias father was able to crush all that history in his single
lifetime.
What was more, he even sold off the family heirlooms.
Having been tasked with subjugating those very bandits, I played the part of a
foolish son driven out by his family and received funding from Daliens lord
before venturing out to reclaim that heirloom.
Ah, this is good.
As Aria said that, Novem looked happy.
With a smile, she went into an explanation about the dish.
I used sake when I tenderized the meat. Im happy it is to your taste.
Take it from me, by no means did I assist Aria because I had fallen for her.
That was definitely wrong.
There was also a deep reason as to why she was in my and Novems house.

Arias father, who sold a Gem that contained multiple Skills to the bandits,
was currently in the feudal lords custody.
And she was forced to vacate the house she was using.
Originally, the path of a harlot had been prepared for the girl. But somehow,
it ended up that I had defeated the bandits because I had fallen for her
Its better than when I make it
When Aria looked a little sad, Novem consoled her.
If youd like, Id be more than happy to teach you.
I-Ill leave it to you.
The feudal lord Ventra-sama didnt want to deal with her, so he pushed her
onto me.
(Like this, arent I looking like trash!?)
Novem prepared the necessary funds to turn me into a first-rate adventurer
and even looks after me now.
Even so, the situation suggested that I had found another girl I liked and let
her live in our house.
Of course, I didnt save Aria out of a guilty conscience or anything.
I had a prim and proper reason.
When the situation came down to this, I confessed my feelings to Novem.
But it wasnt just Ventra-san who recommended that I take Aria in.
Novem also expressed her approval.
Right after I had finally resolved myself to confess
I am truly grateful for your feelings. But if I were to get married to Lyle-
sama, I do not think this will become a comfortable place to live for Aria-san.
By the time Lyle-sama becomes a first-rate adventurer, if you receive us
both
She said something like that.
(Even when my confession succeeded, why am I back at the starting point?
And wait, I never imagined Novem would be recommending a Harem!)
It looked like that trigger for that were my words as well.
When I was leaving my homeland, I said them to make Novem return to her
home.

Im going to become an adventurer, make a harem, and live a life of

leisure.
I ended up saying something like that.

And from that, Novem derived that An adventurer that can properly manage
a harem must be first class. And to live a life of leisure, they have to be the
very best of the best.

As such, my goal must be to become one of the greatest adventurers. was

how she understood it.
That was a mistake.
She was usually quite a perceptive girl, but I cant even comprehend how she
made a mistake there.
(I thought that if I made her think I was a useless man, she would give up and
go home. Even so, she followed me served me, and took my words to
heart.)
Even when I had forgotten them, she faithfully remembered.
But if I may, Id like to say it
I really have no such intentions.

(Right, I have these guys this Jewel)

A Jewel was what could be called the complete form of a Gem.
A gem was a tool that recorded the Skills which individuals only possessed
one of.
They werent the main trend nowadays, but it seemed that by recording Skills
like that, they would become complete upon recording eight.
From a gem, it would become a Jewel.
My own Skill, whose effects I have yet to determine, and the seven other
ones from the past members of the Walt House were recorded over the ages
by the blue Jewel .
However, the problem was

Aria-chan sure is cute She was tormented by her shitty old man and
driven out of shelter. What a poor child.
An audacious voice emanated from the Jewel.

It was the voice of the Walt Houses founder, Basil Walt.

How about you look in a mirror! Youll see the face of another shitty old
man reflected right back!
A voice as if to pick a fight with the First Generation Head rose up.
It was the Walt Houses Second Generation, Crassel Walt.
Wearing the garb of a hunter, the Second Generation was quite a plain
existence in the Walt Family history.
The First Generation led a force to reclaim land and raise a village, where he
became a feudal lord and a provincial noble. Thus started the Walt House.
Then the Third Generation spread his name by letting the retreat of the kings
army succeed in a war with foreign powers.
What was more, he even died in the process, so even now, when stories about
those times were brought up, the Third Generation Sleigh Walts name
often pops up.
Being stuck between the two of them, the Second Generation was inevitably
quite plain.
But the truth differed.
Haphazardly expanding his land, the First Generation persuaded barbarians to
join him with his fists.
And the Seconds unreliable-looking, aloof son only gave a light reaction to
everything.
Forced in between the two, the Second Generation went through quite a bit of
trouble to harden the foundations of the Walt House.
Even so, it was a little pitiful that he was never evaluated by history for that.
( The Seconds being especially hard on the First today.)
When it became a Jewel, the recorded Skills developed a personality.
Those were based on the recorded memories of the ancestors that used them.
When my own Skill manifested, and the gem turned Jewel, the ancestors also
opened their eyes as Skills for the first time.
But, this Jewel was

They sure are energetic today, that First and Second Generation.
The one who happily looked over their quarrel was the Third.
But the fact that I could hear them meant the Jewel was being put to use.
Meaning my Mana would be expended.
Even when I couldnt use their Skills!
(Cant you guys just be a little more docile)
Perhaps because the Skills had developed wills, the Skills could put
restrictions on themselves.
Because of that, I had listened to Arias request in order to become able to
use one of them.
Why was there a need to help Aria, you ask?
It was because Aria resembled the First Generations first love.
What was more, he kept calling her that girls living likeness.
That led to me defeating a Bandit Brigade.
I became able to use the First Generations Skill, and while it may be
temporarily, I was able to use the other ones as well.
However, the Thirds and Sevenths were still impossible for me.
Because of the reasoning that my body wouldnt be able to handle it, they
were restricted.
(These guys definitely arent a family treasure. This has to be a cursed item
or something.)
Even if I thought that, the things that I couldnt do anything about just keep
coming, and gradually, my evaluation of the Jewel continued to fall.

I did end up accepting Aria, but naturally, what we needed on our team was
fighting power.
For that, we ended up having her become an adventurer.
The individual herself said that she would feel bad if we just supported her,
so she gave her acknowledgement.
She gave it, but
Well then, your party registration has been completed. While you have
added Aria-san to your forces, you cannot extend Zelphy-sans contract, so
please keep that in mind.
Shaved red hair, brown skin, and a muscular build. The guild receptionist
Hawkins-san, spoke to us, and Aria seemed nervous.
His appearance was grim, but his work was done tidily and politely, so he
was quite a proficient one in Daliens adventurer guild.
Y-yes!
After Aria accepted her guild card, our advisor Zelphy-san called out to her.
Dont be too nervous. Youve got your standin to worry about, so Ill be
droppin the honorifics on work time. Are you fine with that, Lady Aria?
Having formerly served the Lockwarde House, Zelphy-san acted as our
advisor under a request from the guild.
For us, who had left our homes, and were lost and confused, she taught us the
foundations of being adventurers.
In preparation for her impending marriage, she left her own party and was
currently taking guild requests to train adventurers.
Was her public facade.
The marriage part was apparently true, but in the back, she was an adventurer
with ties to the feudal lord Ventra-sama.
In Dalien, a town nice on newcomers, she was also one of considerable skill.
Now then, youve got three members on you, but it looks like I have to
teach your recruit from the basic stuff. Ill be training Lad Aria in the guild
conference room, so Ill be havin you two take on some odd job requests.
Hearing that, I put on a blatantly reluctant face.
W-were still doing that?
Novem looked at my face with a slightly troubled expression.
To encourage me, she spoke up.
Lyle-sama, lets do our best.
Zelphy-san was all smiles as she looked at me.
I mean, we tricked a bit of money out of her employer. It seemed he worked
Zelphy-san quite hard, so perhaps she wanted some revenge.
Naturally. Well, theyre requests you should finish by the end of the
mornin. Once youre done, Lyles goin to have to get his equipment in
order. Your reserve sabre became unusable, right?
Yes.
When I was fighting the Bandit Leader, I ended up ruining my own weapon
of choice, my sabre.
The enemy had a red gem one that contained Skills that specialized in
close quarter combat with him, so my spare sabre ended up no good as well.
I thought they would be reusable with a bit of repair, but the blacksmith I
brought up the request with told me to buy another one.
You got some money on you. Youll probably be able to get quite a nice one.
Well then, Aria and I are goin up a floor. Boss, Ill leave the request
explanations to you.
Zelphy-san led Aria off.
Hawkins-san took out the request forms for the jobs we were scheduled to
take.
Odd jobs again?
As my shoulders dropped, Hawkins-san tried to cheer me up.
Lyle-kun, dont feel so down. Its important to accumulate these sorts of
requests as well. If you change your home, they look at records like these to
determine your disposition.
Dalien is only our temporary stay.
Once we build up our abilities, I think our home the town well use as our
area of operations will change.
Thats right, Lyle-sama. Honest effort is important. Lets try our best
together.
Novem directed a smile at me.
And Hawkins-san spoke.
Ah, Novem-san has secretary work in the guild until noon. Lyle-kun has
physical labor outside, so youll be separated.
T-that cant be! Please put me on physical labor as well!
As Novem said that, voices came out of the Jewel.
Having been heavily cared for by Novems family, the Forxuz House, the
First through Fourth Generations showered the girl with favoritism.

Novem-chan on manual labor? Youve got to be bloody kidding me!

As the First said that, the Second continued on.

Lyle, its time to show your manliness.

The Third as well

Novem-chans a good girl. Now Lyle, go say something.

The Fourth was

You wont let Novem-chan do something like that, right, Lyle?

Threatening me in a low voice.
( These guys Ive had it)
Fifth Generation onwards didnt have any special feelings for her.
Of all things, they thought of her as nothing but one from a vassal household.

Putting a girl on manual labor is none too efficient.

As the Fifth said that, the Sixth as well

Right. Well, shell probably be in the way if she was there.

The Seventh Generation My Grandfather was

Making Lyle do physical labor or the like even when hes supposed to be
one with royal blood.
Quite sad for me. He was a grandfather quite soft on his grandchildren.
I looked at Novem.
I-Im fine. Lets go shopping together in the afternoon.
Hearing that, Novem still seemed a little worried as she spoke.
Please dont push yourself too much, Lyle-sama. Then, lets finish the
paperwork.
Because the Jewel used up my Mana like there was no tomorrow, those
around me were under the belief that my constitution was quite weak.
The reason for Novems worry was that fact that Ive collapsed numerous
times.
( For some reason, this doesnt sit right with me.)
I wanted to shout out that none of that was my fault.
Growth

As always, I sweated during physical labor, received an evaluation, and

returned to the guild.

The verdict of Bwas filled out on the form.

Perhaps because of the time of day, the second floors receptions were
heavily crowded.
Even at Hawkins-sans usually-vacant table, a line had formed. Looking
closely, I couldnt see the aunty who was previously processing work at an
extraordinary pace.
At the desk, a clerk I hadnt seen before was hurriedly doing work she didnt
seem used to.
I inclined my ears to the surrounding voices.
Did you hear? Its the third labyrinth.
If thats true, itll be hell. The feudal lords troops were dispatched to clear a
different one, right?
So thats why the guilds so busy. Thereve been quite a few lately.
From what I gather from the adventurers around me, it looked like a new
labyrinth manifested.
If they were left alone, labyrinths would continue to grow in size. They were
nests that continued to spew out monsters.
Even though major problems wouldnt arise from them spitting out a single,
troublesome monster, if they were left alone for long enough, they would
splurge up a large quantity, and the labyrinth itself would collapse.
There were also towns out there that existed solely due to the treasure
obtained by defeating the monsters that managed the labyrinths.
But towns like that only have the know-how on how to manage them.
They cooperated with some organization like the guild and were made to
exercise the greatest of caution.
Normally, though, labyrinths were subjugated the moment they were
discovered.
If you cleared one, the guild and feudal lords paid out rewards, and your
evaluation as an adventurer rises.
Adventurers that cleared labyrinths were the aspiration of children.
They may just take applications and head straight to clearing it.
Im curious about the treasure in the deepest parts of it.
I hope it doesnt become a match of snatching and killing one another,
though.
While they talked about such ominous subjects, the adventurers were smiling.
But in truth, it wasnt an uncommon story.
In the most inner room, there was a final guardian defending a treasure. They
protected the item that could be considered the labyrinths core.
There was no doubt it was gold, or perhaps precious stones. There were cases
where it was a rare metal as well.
But regardless of what it was, it contained the magic birthed by the labyrinth.
A strange metal containing such magic was a rare and expensive item.
They were precious ingredients to the production of Magic Items as well.
(If sold, its an instant path to luxury. Even in labyrinths that are easy to clear,
if you sell the treasure, I heard you could do absolutely nothing but play
around for two to three years.)
As I thought that, I heard the Seconds voice from the Jewel.

In the past, they were places to train ones self and experience Growth,
though. So they use groups to subjugate them these days
The Fifth popped up.

When attempted individually, or in a party, the efficiency level was low. If

played poorly, one would be defeated, surrounded, and used for the
labyrinths growth. If you think about efficiency, its most secure to use a
group, and take it out in one fell swoop.
Hearing that, I wondered if that was really the case.
The thoughts on the presences called labyrinths were ones that changed by
the times.
What I was taught no, what I read in a book was that while labyrinths were
able to give birth to valuable materials, they were also dangerous existences.
I never heard of the notion that they were places to train yourself.

If the Fifth was still hunting monsters, then does that mean the routine I
left behind was still passed down?
When the Second said that, the Fifth confirmed.

So the Second decided it? Well, mobilizing people and going up against
monsters proved to be a good experience.
They both started into a talk about the difficulties of their first battles.

But what I was curious of was the Growth the two occasionally spoke of.

The feeling varies by the person, but its a sort of, you know the sensation
of opening your eyes? The first time I experienced it was, as I thought, from
when I started fighting monsters. When I experienced Growth, I often tried
doing unreasonable things, and I often failed, though.
It sounds like the Fifth had a similar experience.
Im pretty much the same. Well, it was around the time when I had just risen
to being a viscount, so I was fighting criminals more often than monsters. But
you can experience Growth against human opponents too
I get the feeling theyre talking about a definition apart from the growth I
know of.
Is there something besides having your body become bigger or maturing
mentally?

Even at latest, you should have experienced it once or twice by your early
teens. It feels quite different than usual. Seeing me, my family made a face
like, Ah, so hes experiencing a growth and it was quite irritating, you
know.
As the Seconds voice lowered, the Fifth laughed a little.

Its an intuitive thing. At minimum, a human experiences it at least twice in

life, it seems.
Hearing that, the Second was slightly shocked.

It can be that low? At the very least, I felt it nine times. I get the feeling I
wasnt fighting every day, and the first was around when I was twelve, I
guess.

Thats too high.

I was listening to the ancestors conversations, but for some reason, I felt a
little anxious.
( Um, I havent experienced whatever it is youre describing even once,
though)
As I thought that, I heard Hawkins-sans delighted voice call out to us as
always.
Next in line, please. Oh, so it was Lyle-kun?
Y-yes, Ill be in your care.
We handed him the documents, and he happily processed them.
Perhaps being busier than usual was actually a joy to him.

Having finished lunch outside, Novem and I went to purchase equipment

with the money we had on hand.
The reason it was mainly my equipment was because my sabres were ruined
in my bandit fight.
In the weapon shop Zelphy-san introduced us to, we looked at sabres.
Theres less selection than for the other items.
As I said that, the shopkeeper told me there was no helping it.
The male dwarf shopkeeper had a large, reddened nose and a scraggly beard
on top of his characteristic short build and muscular body.
The sabre doesnt have much popularity here in Dalien. Its more or less
popular with the nobles, but here, people go out fighting often and move their
weapons around a lot. When it comes down to that, sturdier swords hold up
better. Oh, but the knights say that spears and blunt weapons, or perhaps
axes, are more effective, you know.
Hearing his words and looking over the store, I definitely saw more of those
sorts of weapons.
As I thought, it was natural for the preferred weapon selection to differ from
place to place.
I had come to buy a sabre, but perhaps I should really change my weapon
preferences.
What place deals more in sabres? I dont care if its not within the city.
As Novem asked the shopkeeper, he put his hand to his chin and looked up.
I think the capital Centralle has a selection, but perhaps the store that have
ones fit for actual battle are few to be found. I do have an acquaintance who
set up shop there, but hes specialized in armor.
Excelling at handling metal, the dwarves often achieved success in fields like
blacksmithing.
Naturally, even if you werent a dwarf, it wasnt like there was anything
preventing you from becoming a skilled smith.
I can research and pin it down, but I think that looking it up for ourselves
would be most to your benefit. If youre going, I can even write you up a
letter of recommendation.
Being told by the storekeeper, I thought for a bit.
The sabres in the store were all crude, mass produced ones.
If I wanted the best, there would be no end to it. Since they were, at least, of
better quality than the ones I had on me before, reserve included, I ended up
buying two of them.
(I mean, Ive come here using sabres all the way, and its alright for me to be
a little obstinate in something like this.)
The first weapon I ever received was a sabre.
Both Father and Mother were happily waiting for the day where I held up my
blade and fought as a man of the Walt House there was a time like that as
well.
What are you going to do with your previous ones? Theyre in quite a bad
state, so if you want me to buy them, I can only pay you for the cost of the
metal, though.
I left the sabres I had wielded before to the dwarf and said that it didnt
matter as I accepted his money.
Still, these are in a horrendous state.
Looking at the sabres I used, he said as such, so I apologized.
I mean, even if they were mass produced, they still had a maker.
No, Im not saying youre at fault or anything. Its just that I havent seen a
swordsman to use them like this anywhere around these parts for better or
worse, this is a town kind on beginners. I could count the amount of skilled
ones on my hands. If they grow up, they immediately flow out to somewhere
better.
He handed out the change, so I accepted it.
I turned to Novem.
Are you sure you dont need a replacement, Novem?
Hearing that, she smiled and shook her head.
Mines still usable. I already bought a knife as well. Even for protective
gear, any more than this has been deemed unnecessary for now by Zelphy-
san.
I see thats right.
And to combat a slime, I doubt wearing metal armor would do anything to
change the pain.
A shield and spear of wood were more than enough to defeat them.
Accepting the sabres from the storekeeper, Novem and I left the store.

On the way back.

I suggested we go down a road with less pedestrian traffic.
Hey well its about money, but I doubt this is enough to buy back your
dowry still, I want to return it to you.
What I had on hand was around sixty gold coins.
It was the money left from the aid the lord gave us during our bandit
subjugation.
Of course, after hiring people, getting food, and other expenses, it was mostly
gone. What I have right now was mostly from liquidating the treasure the
bandits had piled up.
When you thought of how our original funds were two hundred gold, we
were clearly at a loss.
On my proposal, Novem, who was previously wondering what to cook for
dinner, made a serious expression.
She shook her head and refused to accept the money.
I am happy for your feelings, Lyle-sama. But that money is something that
will be necessary to you from here on. I cannot accept it.
No, still
If there is no helping it lets see, it doesnt really matter when you do it,
so please return it once youve become a first rate adventurer, Lyle-sama.
I was hesitant over how to answer her.
I mean, my will to actually succeed as an adventurer was relatively low.
G-got it someday, just like when you bought them, no Ill become able
to buy things even more extravagant. Its a promise.
As I said that, Novem smiled a little.
Then Ill be waiting.
Hearing that conversation, the First spoke.

What a good girl.

Following that, the Second onwards also added in their comments, but I
elected to ignore them.

It makes Lyles hopelessness stand out.

And wait, isnt Lyle on the winning side by the very fact he has Novem-
chan.
Shes different than the women I knew.
You(The Fourth Generation) just pampered mama way too much. Because
of that, I got around to calling her nothing but mama.
Lyle, you have to keep your verbal promises. If you break it, youll lose
something valuable as a person.
The Forxuz House sure is succeeding in raising their kids. Despite that, the
Walt house is
As I let the ancestors opinions slide, the house came into sight.

That night.
To ask what had been bothering me, I ended up using the Jewels conference
room.
Novem and Aria had both fallen asleep, and as I laid down, as if my
conscious was being sucked into the Jewel, I passed out.
A round table occupied the center of the room, and the room itself was
similarly circular.
Behind the splendid chairs around it, the doors to the ancestors rooms were
visible.
All over the place, crystals like the blue jewel were embedded around
in varying sizes.
That was the space we called our conference room.
The facilitator, the Fourth Generation, asked for the reason I had gathered
everyone.

Weve opened a conference by our proposal, but it looks like you have a few
things you want to ask. What do you want to start with?
The glass-wearing Fourth Generation corrected the position of his spectacles
with finger as he looked at me, and immediately ventured into the topic of
discussion.
And so, I
No, well, there are a few of the finer details I was wondering about, but
before that, there was one thing that caught my interest.

Whats that?
Being told that by the Fourth, I remembered the conversation of the Second
and Fifth as I asked.

Well its about Growth, but

As I said that, faces full of curiosity were directed at me.
The First started talking as if to cut me off.
Ah, right, Growths! Lyle, how many has it been for you? I mean, your Mana
and your Staminas a bit questionable. The other parts of you barely get a
passing mark, but physically how should I put this?
The First threw the conversation off to the Second, who was close by. The
Second clicked his tongue before answering.

Your basic physical specs are low. From what I see by your magical
competency, and sword skills, youre the type that lives solely by technique.
I was being called a technical type, but I didnt think of myself as such.
The Third continued on.

I thought about it when you pulled out both sabres, but could it be that your
Growth is one that specializes in skill? Look, like that type that only focuses
on a single point. They arent rare.
The Sixth nodded.

Yep, they exist. People of that type increase their strength in their fields of
expertise and become quite amazing, so if Lyle kept heading in that
direction
The conversation started going towards what sort of type I was, so I raised
my voice.
Please listen to what I have to say! In the first place, what are Growths,
anyway? Even if you call it a sensation, I cant understand that. Is it really
any different from bodily and psychological growth?
Hearing that, everyone stared at me in mute amazement.
My grandfather, the Seventh, grabbed both of my shoulders and confirmed it.

L-Lyle!
Yes?
Youre fifteen, right? Your Skill has yet to mature, but it definitely
manifested. So let me confirm this, but up until now, youve never once
experienced Growth? Like when you woke up, your intuition was different,
or the sharpness of your movements was clearly better, or try
remembering! Like being reborn, that sort or peculiar sensation!
Being told that, I did try to remember, but up until now, Id never felt
anything like being reborn anew.
The First also confirmed it with me.

No, like even when youre just carrying out life like usual, that sort of
bang! That sort of feeling comes up, right? I mean, it felt like that for my
third and fourth time.
All of them had expressions as if they were observing something
unbelievable.
But I never had such an experience.
Never.
The Seventh opened and closed his mouth.
The Fifth asked in a level-headed tone.

Lyle, I heard that you were ignored at age ten and onwards, but to what
level was that? You still received a proper scholarly education, right?
I gave an honest answer.
Yes. I made sure to read through all the books they gave me.
Hearing my response, everyone in the area flew into a panic.

Wait a gawd daaaamn second!!

Eh, what? Lyle, you used magic like that!? And wait, you can even use
magic!?
How exactly should I assess this!?
N-not happening an education of just handing him books definitely aint
happening
We were nave. Everyone here was. Lyle included. I guess this means we
never got a proper grasp on the situation.
Until I could use magic at Lyles level, I went through at least two
growths.
If only my son was here to send flying a few times
As I looked around at everyone, I inferred that I was in quite a bad situation.
All ancestors concerned sat back down on their seats and asked for a more
precise explanation of what I had been through up until now.
The Fourth took lead once more.

Lyle, how about you tell us just how did you live?
I spoke of whatever I could remember.
From around the time I was ten, I was generally alone.
My meals were generally brought to my room.
I generally had no conversations, and the teacher only handed me books
After I had spoken to that stage, I held both of my hands to my head.
W-what? Wait, thats supposed to be strange isnt it?
Everyone nodded.

Quite. If you lived normally up until that point, it was something you should
have noticed, though
As the Fifth began to think aloud, the First spoke.

Is it the monsters handiwork? Does a monster that can change the

atmosphere and state of affairs of its surroundings mean its something like
this? Still, isnt it still strange for Lyle to have never undergone a Growth
before? Even if youre just living life normally, once or twice is
Once or twice.
Apparently, in the time Id been alive, it was a normal amount.
The Fourth Generation sighed.

Lyle let me append my statement on you having low Mana. More

importantly, you had some other things you wanted to know, right? Lets get
those out of the way first.
Hearing the Fourths words, for now, I decided to talk.
No well
The Second was wary as he watched me.
A sort of face, as if to say, Is he going to be dropping a bomb again?

W-what is it this time.

Just what
Just what is it that I should aim for?
All the expressions around me seemed relatively amazed.
Level Up

On the morning of my break day, I set foot into the guilds reference room.
To adventurers with guild cards, it was a room anyone could use.
In it, there was information on the monsters around Dalien and various other
materials to be browsed through.
There were also books with the essential knowledge for adventurers
recorded.
Ah, here it is.
What I picked up was a heavy book.
The one who was put in charge today, the Second Generation, gave some
orders from the Jewel.

Lyle, our knowledge is fundamentally old. Its not that we couldnt teach
you, but you should definitely check a modern reference book first. And wait,
it would be bad if you didnt.
What the Second Generation spoke of was something I was painfully aware
of.
I mean, after I woke up and asked Novem about Growths, she dropped all the
plates she had on hand.
It was good that they were made of wood. But still, since it made her look
like she wanted to cry, I wanted to stop pressing her in various senses of the
phrase.
(Just what was she thinking of to get that teary?)
The reason the Second was here to teach me about it was because he was the
one who molded the Walt Houses customs.
At the same time, the Second, Crassel Walt, used the information he got from
the Forxuz House as a base to form the foundations of the true provincial
noble Walt house.
In order to facilitate Growth, his son and grandson and the rest of his
descendants were given a custom of going out monster hunting, it seemed.
The reason I said seemed there was that I had never partaken in such a
custom.
Defeating monsters to encourage Growth. That was a sort of superstition.
The reason it was thought of as that was because Growths happened when
carrying out life normally as well.
There were large gaps based on individuals, and this was concluded to be
based on the sort of talent one had.
The Walt Houses Fourth Generation and predecessors understood the notion
of monster hunting as learning to move people and polishing the coordination
and ability or troops for war.
Of course, Fifth onwards only stuck their hands into the basics and started to
trend towards leaving the rest to their subordinates.

I never thought the Third Generation, Sleigh, would fail to hand down an
important part of it.
A large portion of the Walt Familys Growth-related wisdom was, when the
Third died in battle No, it was passed on in form alone it seemed, with the
most important part, the contents, omitted.
Becoming the Head at a young age, the Fourth Generation, for arguments
sake, upheld it because it was a custom.
I sat on a nearby chair, laid the book on a table, and opened it.

Pertaining to the Connection of Growth and Slaying Monsters it seems

theyve gathered quite a few case studies there.
In it were examples gathered by the guild, followed by an interpretation by
the author.

Sudden changes in ones senses or physique were known as Growth, and it

seemed the study of them has continued from times old.
As I flipped through page after another, the Second halted me.

Stop! Lyle, youre a little fast. Actually, Im surprised you can even read at
that pace.
I looked around, and made sure no one was watching before I responded.
It didnt look like there were all too many adventurers using the resource
room.
Well, my life was pretty much reading inside and practicing magic and
swordsmanship outside.
I mean, that really was my life since I started to be rejected.
Thinking back, it was as if I was locked inside the mansion.

Theres quite a bit of beneficial information put down, but based on my

experience, its a little different.
Hearing him say it was slightly different, I offered an explanation of what I
had just learned about Growth.
The current established theory was that humans stored up various life
experiences, and those bloomed in a phenomenon called Growth.
For that sake, fighting monsters was a single, large type of experience, and
not what facilitated Growth in itself.
That was a bit convoluted, but pretty much, it wasnt that defeating monsters
caused one to experience Growth, but that Growth was the result of
accumulated life experience. Apparently.
Is there a problem in that?

No, thats not wrong, but its definitely possible to accelerate the process
by monster hunting. I mean, in just what I can recall, I felt Growth at least
nine times.
Nine, when a civilian would go through one or two, was quite irregular.
A majority of the adventurers guilds backbone went through it four to five
times.
Grandfather the Seventh had quite some experience on the battlefield, did
he not?
The Second expressed his theory.

I think you can accumulate experience like that too, but the efficiency with
monster hunting is different. Especially against ones stronger than me, it felt
much faster.
Stronger ones, is it?
By battling against stronger and stronger enemies, Growth can accelerate,
according to the Second.

Of course, if you defeat enough small fries, itll happen eventually too.
Back in my day, I went through quite a spot of trouble having the soldiers go
through them during group battles. That was back when I made records and
worked earnestly.
Without any useful knowledge, having suddenly received the seat of family
head from the First, the Second was surprised having learned the state the
reason was in.
What was more, the Walt Familys rule was held together by nothing but the
Firsts charisma.
Despite his barbarian style, among other things, the First was quite respected
by those of the same sort.

Even if you get in experience of the same quantity, the speed of personal
Growth and Growth rate varied. There were some who experienced them at
the same time, but within them, there were some times when only a portion
of them did. Besides, in their worst fields, I felt quite a bit of Growth from
some.
It wasnt like youd yourself rapidly change.
Just that there was a wall you were never able to go past, and you finally
surpassed it. That sort of sensation.
That was Growth.
What about my type of person?

Individuals can grasp it intuitively, so I cant really say anything about

that but you should be able to recognize a change within yourself. The fact
that you hadnt experienced one was shocking, though.
Starting with the Second, the ancestors had listened to my words in surprise.
In any case, it was a phenomenon that everyone experienced.
Children experienced one in the first half of their teens, or even before ten if
early. Adults confirmed that and imparted their surprised children with their
knowledge on Growths.
That was common sense. General knowledge
(But I didnt know that.)
I thought, as I continued to turn the pages.

Its just that therere a lot of superstitions and lies about stories like these.
Back in my day, there was a trend called a power stone that was supposed to
speed up Growth, but it wasnt effective at all
I see you tried it.
The Seconds tone had gone dark, so I was able to comprehend he had
actually tried using and testing it.
Whats more, according to him, it was something intuitive, so finding
evidence that he had been fooled was quite difficult.

In the end, it ended up that their sale was prohibited on Walt territory. Good
grief, those were some severe expenses, you know.
With the Second, I continued all the way to the end of the book. There was
still some time left until the designated meeting time with Novem and Aria,
so I picked up another one.
There was one book that had caught the Seconds interest.
I returned the thick guide to its former shelf, took the interesting book in
hand, and returned to my seat.
What sort of book is this?

No, I just found it interesting due to its age. Lyle, can you read that book?
Hearing that, I tried to read it, but perhaps because of the changing of times,
or the authors way of expression, it was much different from modern tongue.
Its a bit difficult, but I can manage.

Really? Then I guess thats it

When I voiced my lack of understanding, it seemed the Second was able to
understand something, and he told me it was alright if I put the book back
already.

Well then, you cant leave the Ladies waiting. Lyle, how about we arrive at
the meeting point early?
Understood (Just what was he trying to learn from that?)
I was curious, but it didnt seem like the Second was in the mood to answer.

The meeting point was a space a little removed from the guild with good
public order.
For better or worse, the guild contained quite a few ruffians.
Within all of that, meeting the two of them may invite a bit of trouble.
In order to avoid something like that as much as possible, we set a well-
patrolled area as our meeting point.
Before it became noon, I arrived at the space.
I was a little early. Our set time was in the afternoon.
Around me, nice smells emerged from a food cart, tickling my nose. I turned
my eyes to it, and saw something being taken out of a saucepan filled with
oil.
So it was something fried.
The First Generation reacted to that.

Oy, Lyle. What sort of food is that?

There were some people I occasionally saw around me, so I put my hand to
my mouth and responded in a small voice.
Looking at the nearby cart, it looked like he became curious.
It looks like something made of potato fried in oil.
As I said that, the First showed his admiration.
I see, so there are things like that as well. My time had none of these
things
The First said the time he lived in was one where the chaos finally died
down, and where they went through quite some stress getting back on their
feet.
It seems weve an incomparable abundance of resources than the world he
saw two hundred years ago.

Its a good era.

The Third said that, and the Fifth opened his mouth.

I think that flowed in during our time. They could be cultivated, even in the
wastelands, so I remember we were able to bring in quite a harvest.
The Sixth was the same.

Those were nice. Because of them, the percent of the fief not troubled by
hunger increased.
From that conversation, the First gave a subdued whisper.

I see then my goal is

There, I heard another voice.
Lyle-sama.
It was Novem.
She came leading Aria by the hand, and in her other hand was a bag of paper.

Okay, Lyle take their bags. Also, be cautious with your choice of words.
Youve noticed that both of their clothes are different than usual, right?
The Fourth gave me some advice.
I suddenly noticed, but both of them really had changed clothing.
Ah, that looks heavy. Ill carry it.
As I took their bags, I found they really did have some considerable weight.
Thank you, Lyle-sama.
Eh, well Im fine with my own.
As Aria refused, Novem whispered something into her ear.
And Aria presented her baggage to me. She seemed a little troubled, but it
didnt look like she was threatened, or anything.
(What did she tell her? More importantly)
Unlike when I saw them in the morning, the two of them were wearing
prettier attire than usual.
(H-how am I supposed to praise them!?)
As I stared at them, Aria spoke.
W-what? I-if it doesnt suit me, then just say it
After she said that much, the First called out.

Lyle! Compliment! Now! Aria-chan no, complement both of them to high

heavens!
But the Second gave a cold reaction.

Did you ever even compliment my mother?

Before things would become a mess, the Fourth issued some orders.

For now, tell them that it suits them. The reason you were silent for a while
was because you were surprised about their change in atmosphere. Say it.
On the Fourths advice, the Fifth laughed a little.
As expected of mamas bootlicker.
Fu those clothes suit you. Well, your atmospheres were slightly different,
so I was just a little surprised. Yeah, youre lovely (On the Fourths advice, I
left the money to them, but I think Novem can manage that herself.)
I complimented them while thinking that, and Arias face was tinted red.
U-um thanks. I didnt really have any money, and borrowing it felt a little
awkward, so
As the air turned delicate, Novem added on a follow up.
Aria-san, from here on, we are comrades in the same party, so if you just
return it when the time comes, thatll be fine. Ill be waiting.
Y-yeah.
While I looked at Aria as she stubbornly restrained herself, I turned to the
skirts both of them had put on.
They usually wore pants that were easier to move in, so it felt somewhat
fresh.
In times past, Novem was usually wearing a dress when I saw her, so seeing
her wear casual clothing was relatively refreshing in itself.
(She seems to be stubborn, but Im glad she was forcefully pulled into buying
it, I guess. It looks like in order to get Aria to buy it, Novem had to buy
something for herself, which is nice in itself. I see. So thats why Novem,
whos even more restrained, bought one as well.)
Before I left the house, I told them to go shopping on the Fourths advice, but
I somehow felt peace of mind now.
The one who casually occupied himself with matters like these was the
Fourth.
Aria had little luggage, and she was also troubled about a change of clothes.
Using that, I sent her out to buy herself clothing, and Novem accompanied
her.
Due to her restrained personality, I told Novem she could indulge herself and
buy whatever she wanted as well.
(Ill have to thank the Fourth.)
It was just that the other ones generally had problems with women.
Despite whatever they said about me, it wasnt like they were anything great.
It was generally the earnest Fourth Generation that gave me advice on female
relationships.
(And wait, since our house was under the Forxuz clans care, its not like Im
especially looked after by Novem, right?)
Around the Firsts time, they helped him as a House in the neighborhood, and
they faithfully served Fifth and onwards.
The Walt House was always left reliant on the Forxuz House.
(Isnt it strange for them to only be condemning me for that?)
As I thought that, the three of us went to get a slightly late lunch.

Night.
I was called, so I headed to the Jewels conference room. There, I saw the
same faces as always.
At times like these, what sort of greeting should I give?
As I gave a slightly off-track question, the Fifth said it didnt really matter.
The Fourth started the meeting.
Well then, Lyles here, so lets begin on our next objective. Is what I wanted
say, but what weve decided on is something much too simple to require a
meeting.
Simple?

Right, simple.
As the Fourth nodded, the Second stood and began explaining.

Lyle, for now, just go outside and fight monsters. Itll be terrible if youre
left never having experienced a Growth even once. And wait, perhaps theres
a problem with you.
A problem with me.
A constitution that didnt experience Growth, or perhaps some fatal flaw.
Thinking that made me anxious.

Well, there are some who require some extreme experiences for Growth. If
we think of you as that type of person, if you experience it from here on,
youll get some reprieve from your stamina and mana problems.
Hearing that, I was relieved.
But there was something I was curious about.
Um, so about how many times do people with slow Growths have them?
Definite numbers, please.
I had looked through the book, but it only went as far as to say there were
personal differences.
The examples it presented as well didnt go into record of people with
exceptionally slow Growths.
At best, it said that ones with slow growth would feel it in their mid-teens.
The Second put his hand to his chin as if to remember, and he unraveled the
worst example he could think of.

In my time, there was one who got his first Growth in his twenties.

For real!?
The First was surprised, and the others as well.
I was the same.
Eh? So that means you guys are going to be harassing me about it for that
long?
On my words, the Second was about to nod, but

Wait a second, did you just say something that sounded like we were
harassing you? Oh, so you thought of us like that!?
The Second said that, and it sounded like the Fourth was of the same opinion.

Its that. Its that so-called training sort of problem. See, if you dont use
your muscles or magic, they wont build, right? That sort of thing.
To the Fourths excuse, I directed a suspicious look.
Then you could have just explained it that way from the start. Since you
didnt, that meant you either thought it up right now, or it was an excuse.
How dubious.

Id like it if you didnt doubt me so. Hey, look at our faces. Do these look
like the eyes of liars?
Hearing the Third, I looked in his eyes. Those were truly clear pupils.
T-truly, there may be some sort of effect like that, but
As I was about to be satisfied with that, the First spoke.

Huh? Did someone say something like that?

The First disclosed the truth.
It looked like everyone here wasnt really caring about it as they spoke. Their
spiel on Magic and so forth was something they thought up on the spot.
Y-you guys!!
As my shout resounded through the conference room, everyone made off to
their private rooms with a smile.
The Third

Hahaha, sorry, sorry.

The Second also gave an excuse as he opened his door.

No, sorry bout that. See, I never thought you hadnt experienced Growth
before. I thought you were just the type whose Mana didnt grow much.
The Sixth probably felt a little sorry, as he offered an apology.

I thought you were a technique type, and that you had put a burden on
yourself to you could patiently train your body. Thats what I did.
The Seventh

So you all plan on running!? Im sorry, Lyle!

A majority of them fled.
At the end, the Fourth brought it to a close.

Well then, lets bring it to a close here.

Saying that, he excused himself and escaped through his door, before
vanishing.
J-just what is this!?
As I looked around the room, I noticed a grinning First Generation had
remained.
What is it? Is there still something you want to say?
While I insulted his attitude, the First seemed delighted.
It was an unexpected reaction.

Well, youve got quite a bit of spirit in you there, kid! The first time you
came here, your eyes looked like those of a dead fish, and I couldnt get
myself to like you, but youve become quite decent.
Hearing about my dead fish eyes, I scratched my face.
I didnt think it was that bad, but Ill bet it was at least to a certain extent.
After being driven out and losing everything, I could do nothing but put up
some bravado to show to Zell.
Since Novem was here, I was able to come this far in the end.
Otherwise, there was no doubt I would have acted without any decent
planning.
T-that isnt the case. Its just that I was a little depressed back then.
Hearing that, the First nodded.
Perhaps he was just in a good mood today.

That so? And about that so what did you think of for what youre going to
do from here?
When he had brought up Celes earlier, I remember him telling me to think for
myself.
At that time, I didnt really care what happened to me.
It was just that Novem was there, so I thought I would give it a little of an
earnest effort.
Even now, it wasnt like I was actually aiming to become a first-rate
adventurer.
I dont really know.
I thought the First would definitely resent me, but his reaction was
surprisingly light.
He folded his arms,and prepared his next question.

What do you think of Aria-chan?

Im calling her by name on Novems recommendation, but essentially, shes
someone whos living with us.
To be honest here, I was fine as long as Novem was by my side.
I put out the notion of a harem as mere lip service, and Id never actually
thought about it.
I just wanted someone to look at me. I just wanted someone to stay with me.
I think you have a bit to ponder over regarding Aria, Founder, but I have
Novem. To be honest I think it would have been fine if it were just me and
Novem.
Together with Novem, I would go somewhere nice, quit being an adventurer,
and live a modest life.
Perhaps that would be nice.
After I voiced such a weak statement, I was sure the First wouldnt forgive it.
But even here, his reaction differed.

Well, do whatever you want. Its your life. What I hated was your dead fish
eyes and your feminine personality. Ah, Ill add on that I hate how conscious
Aria-chan is of you.
I kinda understand what he meant by conscious of me.
But I had no intentions of answering to that.
I had Novem.
Well thanks for that. My face is surprisingly on the better side, it seems, so
perhaps Im quite popular? Unlike you, First Generation.
I gave him a sarcastic line.
The First glared at me

Y bastard! So youve gotten to be able to say it, havent you!

He shouted, before bursting into laughter.
Whats with you today? Usually, it would end with you shouting.
(Saying my own face is good is somehow embarrassing, I was never really
that conscious of it. And wait, is he really in a good mood, today?)
As I asked what I was wondering about, the First traced his face with his
finger.
With a vague response, he dodged the question.

Well, Im just in that sort of mood. Ah, also, I wont tell you to get around to
liking Aria-chan, but please look out for her. The glasses that lives around
here should be knowledgeable about something like that, so ask him if you
have to.
Glasses the Fourth Generation.
Restraining the smile that had started to form, I answered.
Well, if thats all, I can do it.

Hey, were you just about to smile?

I suddenly became panicked upon the First hitting the mark.
(This mans instincts are sharp, or how should I put it He really isnt a bad
person. Though his personalitys quite barbaric.)

Oh, bullseye?
 Well, the impression of his glasses truly are a bit strong, that Fourth
Generation.

Right!
On that day, I talked and laughed with the First Generation for the first time.
Aria Lockwarde

TL: Im not really sure how to translate , what Im currently translating

as Magic Stone. Its literally magic stone, not any specific ore or anything,
and its the word FF has as Magicite in English, BTW. Thats trademarked,
Im pretty sure.

Leaving the city of Dalien, and walking to a spot around an hour away, we
Novem, Zelphy-san, Aria, and I took on monsters.
From the space close to the forest, the forms of monsters who were settled in
the area emerged.
It was dangerous to enter the forest to fight, but in a clearing with few
obstacles, the four of us well, in all actuality, the three of us, could manage
some way or another.
Lyle, the preparations are complete.
Novem finished her preparations, and I slashed at the approaching goblin
with my sabre.
Its right arm, which had been clutching a club, was sent fluttering in the air,
as it jumped back to retreat.
Do it, Novem!
As I gave the order, Novem activated her magic.
Ice Spear!
From the ground, needles manifested one after another and rained down on
the Goblins.
We entered the forest to purposely incite them. Like that, we provoked and
led out the forests monsters.
We would fight as a group against the monsters that came out. But for this
purpose, we needed someone to act as bait. This goes without saying, but
Zelphy-san wasnt going to lend a hand.
As an adviser, she would step in if we ever tried to do something beyond our
power.
And if our lives were ever in any danger, she would lend a hand. That was
Zelphy-sans job.
The role of bait was accepted by me.
Usually, I would enter the forest, make an adequate amount of noise, and
draw them out however, I had my ancestors Skills.
The Fourth Generations was plainly amazing.
He began to go into an explanation of his own Skill.
For some reason, an image of him pushing his glasses up descended on my
mind.

Its a simple elevation of movement speed, and its normally quite user-
friendly. Its one that requires a lower amount of Mana than the others, and
for the current Lyle, the burden isnt that much.
The Second looked at my battle and offered some advice.

You can time your use of Full Over, to temporarily gain access to the Fourth
Generations Speed its painful that you cant use other Skills
simultaneously while you do that, though.
If I tried using it with the Fifths Skill, my Mana would plummet.
With some breaks here and there, I searched the area for enemies, and
dragged out goblins that seemed easy to defeat.
The forests insides were rough for me, but using the Fourths Skill, escape
was possible. Even in an unfamiliar environment, it put out ample movement
speed to elude enemies.
With the bad footing of the place, it was quite a life-saver.
On top of that, when inside the forest, I could take on individual monsters
alone.
For now, rather than gathering materials, I wanted to defeat Monsters to
experience a Growth as soon as possible.
The battle ended, and I looked around.
Novem, you should rest. Ill leave lookout to you, Aria Ill go around and
collect the materials.
The only thing that could really be retrieved from goblins was the equipment
they had on hand and their magic stones.
Ive heard tales of manufacturing things with their skin, but there are some
psychological limitations I have to dismantling a monster of human form.
That was also proof that we were not yet used to this job.
Looking at one of our work cycles, Zelphy-san offered some applause.
Youve become quite skilled, havent you? Youve got a magician and
healer in Novem, but thats quite an important role. The fact that you have a
vanguard to protect her is also major.
Zelphy-san praised Aria, but the individual herself was directing her eyes at
the ground.
She probably understood who it was that was having the easiest time here.
Your movements have gotten better than before, so lets proceed like this for
now. Normally, wed store up some funds around this time and prepare for
our next job, and that was the original plan, but you guys are a little rich.
We can wait a little more before proceeding forward.
The richness she was talking about was from extorting the Lord and beating
the bandits.
By turning their savings into money, we secured some funds. At present, we
could actually live without working temporarily, but as you would expect,
that was no good.
As it was, I was called the useless noble Lyle in the city of Dalien.
(While I did intentionally cause that, its quite irritating.)
I was tolerating the name, but it would be infuriating if even my actions
turned to those of a useless noble.
I approached the Goblins that had been torn up by the Ice Spears in order to
collect their stones and equipment.
But as I did that, Aria tapped my shoulder.
Ill do it, so Lyle, go stand guard.
Eh? But
As I looked at her, I saw that perhaps she hated her own ineptitude, so she
wanted to at least handle collection.
Zelphy-san scratched her face and gave an attitude as if to leave it to me.
Similarly, Novem just looked at me.
Just do whatever you want, was what they probably meant.
At that time, I thought I would hear an outburst from the First of, Dont
make Aria-chan push herself! but his voice didnt come from the Jewel.
In its place

Lyle, keeping watch is also an essential role. When the time comes to it, you
should keep Aria, who still has enough energy to move to her fullest, on
lookout. Once youve collected those magic stones, you can also go on rest,
Lyle.
That was the Seconds response.
As I earnestly looked at her face and hesitated to speak up, the Second
continued.

When she cant even perform a lookout job satisfactorily, dont be letting
her take up even more roles. You gave her an important job, and shes telling
you to change because shes unsatisfied there, isnt she? The leader of this
party is neither Novem nor Zelphy. Its you. If you dont get a firm grip on it,
youllll become inept before you know it.
Feeling satisfied with his opinion, I left lookout to Aria.
Ill do the collecting. Ill leave you to keep watch, Aria.
As I said that, the individual herself made quite a despondent face.
The Third Generation spoke up.

I can understand where shes coming from! That sort of feeling of wanting
to work hard, but having nothing to run on. I dont think she particularly
despises lookout, though.
But the Seconds stance didnt change.
Even if he had a favorable attitude towards Novem, the Second harbored no
such emotions towards Aria.
I didnt think he hated her or anything, but he wanted her to fulfill her role.
Aria.
As I called out to her, she let out a whisper of affirmation and returned to her
post.
After taking a deep breath, I started on the job I had yet to become
accustomed to of removing the magic stones from goblins.

Having entered the forest as bait again, I confirmed my surroundings.

Activating a Skill, I was able to sense responses from several enemy
monsters.
There are a lot of Goblins. Also horned rabbits, I guess? Those are the most
abundant near here.
As I said that, the First and the others tones of voice changed.

Horned rabbits, you say!? Kill them! Exterminate them. Slaughter them
without a single one left remaining!
The Second was the same.
The space between trees was narrow, and while I was cutting away the weeds
with a dagger to proceed forward, he shouted.

Exterminate those harmful pests! Dont leave any one standing! There is no
sympathy kept for their ilk!
The Third didnt give off his usual aloof impression.
The maliciousness he would occasionally show was covering his entirety.

HahahaLyle, to protect the fields, leaving even one alive is too much. Be
happy, Lyle, youve found some food for your Growth. The peasants will be
happy because their fields wont be ravaged. Yep, its all positives here.
Having ventured forth as bait, I was alone, so I could let out my voice..
You guys are acting a little scary. Do you really hate horned rabbits that
much?
The First stepped forward as a representative to answer.
Just how much damage do you think our fields received because of those
things!? If you discover them, then chase them to the ends of the earth do
deliver the finishing
But there was a single existence out there with a differing opinion.
Unexpectedly, it was the Fifth.

Isnt it fine? You should just let them off. See, unless you attack them,
they wont try to assault you or anything.
I was a little taken aback from that surprising side of the fifth, but the others
were different.
Especially the First, Second, and Third who looked after fields. Their rage
was amazing.

Oh right, you find them cute, do you!? When I see their soft and fluffy fur, I
do get the urge to peel it all off!!
Right! Just how much pain do you think those things caused us!?
Search~ and Destroy~!
On the threes anger, the Fifth turned back to me.

Dont screw with me! That isnt related to Lyles Growth at all! Lyle, go
find another monster immediately!
The Jewel was getting noisy, but I had recovered a bit of Mana during my
break.
However, it wasnt infinite.
Id like it if you all get over it already. If I collapse here, Im surely going to
die, you know!
I complained to shut up the ancestors, before searching for enemies in the
area again.
It was just that as before, the ones giving off the most signals were horned
rabbits.
My Manas been wasted on a useless ruckus.
Nearby, I found a white and fluffy horned rabbit.
As I approached it with dagger in hand, it noticed me and tried to intimidate
me with its sharp teeth.
Its size was about slightly larger than a baby, I guess? The look in its eyes
was sharp, and I couldnt relly call it all that cute.
Remaining alert against me, it leapt forward.

Dodge to the side and slash at it. Your opponent can change position in the
air.
The First gave the orders, and I carried them out.
It put out its sharp horn and jumped at me, so I stepped to the side and cut at
it as it passed. As I drew a single line with my dagger, the white pelt was
stained with blood.

NOOOOOOOOOO!!
I heard the Fifths emotional screaming voice.
(At first he gave off quite a cold impression, but animals? Or perhaps he likes
cute things?)
If he screamed any longer, I felt I would run out of power in the middle of the
forest.
Determining that I had done enough for now, I confirmed the rabbit had died
and put its corpse into a leather bag before exiting the forest.


I left the forest and went towards the meeting point to find Novem standing
up and waving her hand.
But for some reason, her attitude was strange.
As I approached with the leather bag in hand, Aria was moved to tears.
What happened?
I asked Novem, but Zelphy-san was the one who answered.
Ah~ Its because I said Aria could play a little more of an active role. Just a
little.
It seems that as an adviser, Zelphy-san had scolded her.
Something probably happened in the time I was away, but Zelphy was acting
quite awkwardly.

Scolding a former superiors daughter must be rough.

As the Second said that, I thought of Zelphy-sans feelings when she put
Aria in the party anyways to look out for her.
(I wonder if she couldnt abandon her. I mean, the feudal lord Ventra-sama
did say she worked to let the Lockwarde House stay in Dalien, or something.)
Zelphy-san was an adventurer who carried the will of the feudal lord Ventra-
sama.
Usually, she adventured as she made reports about the situation of the city
and the guild.
It wasnt only a bad thing, and it was actually something that indicated
Zelphy-sans competence.
When we had just come to Dalien, the guild wasnt able to leave ones that
stood out as much as us alone, so they introduced an adviser.
At the time, two suspicious noble children was how we were recognized by
them.

She was fifteen or sixteen, right? Its hard to deal with them around that
time, but her backgrounds quite clear, and the only ones she can rely on are
Lyle and Zelphy. If you plan to become first-rate, then shell be a valuable
fighting force, though.
On the Seconds opinion, the First didnt interject this time.
Recently, the Firsts outburst frequency has become much lower than
before.
(Has he recognized me a bit?)

Even so, this is bad. The individual is beginning to think her efforts are
fruitless. How about we give a follow-up for Novem.
The Second threw his opinion out there carelessly, but I thought that perhaps
the women had gotten together and said what they wanted to say.
Well then, what will you do for today, Lyle?
Perhaps to change the mood, Zelphy-san asked for my opinion.
There, Aria requested a renewal.
Ill take up baiting next! So lets continue. I havent really done anything
today, and
Hearing her opinion, the Second gave some orders.
Not as an adventurer, but one who had experience leading people, Ill bet.

Lets return. I can see fatigue showing on you and Novem. You cant think
of the advisor Zelphy as part of your forces, and the impertinent Aria is out of
the question. Whats more, you seem to have completed your one days
quota.
The Second looked at our forces and told me to return.
My personal opinion was the same.
Of course, that was because my own fatigue was quite severe.
(If they didnt start acting up along the way, Id probably be fine for another
run, though.)
Going over those regretful memories, I ordered our return.
Lets go back. Our earnings are plenty for the day.
As I said that, Zelphy-san looked a little relieved.
Perhaps she thought I would propose us to continue forward.
Novem showed no opposition.
She didnt show her tiredness, but perhaps due to the tension of battle, her
movements were a little dull.
However, Aria was a separate issue.
Wait! I can still go on. Ill take on the luring role!
Zelphy-san let out a deep sigh, and the Second spoke up.

Lyle, you declared a retreat. Go make Aria satisfied with that.

(You do realize this is my first time with something like this, right)
Even if I didnt want to, there was no helping it.
Any failures resulting from fatigue would affect our future actions.
Also, if we returned completely worn out, it will be hell if we encountered a
monster along the way.
Novem and I are at our limits. Well probably be completely exhausted by
the time we get back. So I want to return and prepare for tomorrow.
As I said that, Aria sunk into silence.
She likely understood it was impossible for her to continue on alone.
She understood, but I saw her unsatisfied expression.
Hey, lets start movin already. Confirm your belongings and make haste!
Hurrying on Zelphy-sans words, we immediately went into preparations to
return to the town of Dalien.
There, I heard the First whisper to me.

Lyle, drop by for a little today. I have something to talk about with you.
It was surely about Aria. Thinking that, I touched the Jewel hung around my
neck to give a reply.
Looking around, I saw that Novem was directing her eyes at Aria
occasionally.
She wasnt glaring or anything, but she simply looked at her for a little,
before returning her field of vision to her purse.
It looks like she was preparing to leave.
(Just how does Novem view Aria?)
I was simply curious about Novems feelings.
Blue andRed

In the room that connected my psyche to the Jewel.

It was as if I was seeing a dream.
The conference room within the gem was that sort of real world of dreams.
In that room, I faced the First Generation. Today, the Third was also in
attendance.
Only he was just sitting there, and he wasnt participating in the conversation.
What did you want to talk about regarding Aria?

Right. How do you view Aria-chans impatience?

I could understand her impatience.
She wanted to become a first-class adventurer no matter what. Therefore, she
continued going in circles. Unlike me, there was no doubt she was
overflowing with aspirations.
The current me did have the desire to experience a Growth as soon as
possible.
But how was I going to live henceforth? Even now, I was troubled over that.
Shes going around in circles. I think she could calm down a little.
To put it bluntly, I wasnt really counting on her as that great of a fighting
force.
She gave us a numerical advantage, and it was a relief to know she has got
my back.
To me and Novem, she wasnt one who would cause harm.

I want you to resolve that. Can I leave it to you?

 Eh? I will?
Hearing his request, I crossed my arms.
She was a comrade, so it wasnt like I was unwilling.
If it could be resolved easily, then even Id be the one requesting for it. But
the Third looked at me and shook his head.
On the contrary, the First was overjoyed at me accepting that.

Good answer! If we dont dispel the worried of Alice-sans living likeness,

Aria-chan, Ill never be able to calm down.
From my point of view, what I didnt understand was the reason why she was
trying to hurry things.
Right now, it was the time for us to earnestly and steadily build up power
under Zelphy-sans direction. If she recklessly got herself injured, there
would be no point.
The time when we receive teaching was limited.
(I wonder if I should really ask for an extension.)
Those were the feelings I held.

Well then, that makes matters fast. Lyle, go fight Aria-chan. Of course, with
her using her Gem. You are prohibited from using Skills.
Eh?
On the Firsts proposition, it ended up that I would be fighting Aria.

The inside of the Jewel after Lyle had left

Are you sure about this?
The Third spoke as he looked up at the First, who was sitting on the table.
He had perceived the Firsts intentions of making Lyle and Aria fight, but he
didnt think everything would proceed as planned, it seemed.

You know, Im not really that smart.

On the Firsts words, the Third nodded.

Yeah.

Hey, at least deny it a little! Youre my grandson, arent you!!?

The First screamed at his cold treatment from the Third, and the Third broke
out into a smile.
Their personalities differed, but to the First, he was his grandson. Compared
to the other ancestors, it looked like he knew how to deal with the man.

Im not smart, so I can only think of doing it in this way. If it were you, you
could probably think of as many better ways as you wanted.
The Third ceased smiling, and disinterestedly unraveled the alternate method
he had thought up.

Aria-chan I think its a good way for her to gradually build up confidence
in herself. She could use the Gem and rack up some achievements battling
monsters. Those around her would praise her, and Lyle would just have to
provide a follow up. Well, Lyles also abnormal, so he probably wont look
out for her that much. Those sort of niceties should be left to Novem-chan, I
think.
It wasnt like everyone could grow immediately.
The Third wanted to keep the long term in mind and gradually improve the
relationship of the three to get the party to take a good shape.
The other heads of history had similar opinions.
The Second despised those who found dissatisfaction with the jobs they were
assigned. It seemed like he would propose something more severe.

Ill bet that would be fine. Steadily build their relationship, and the three of
them will hit it off well. Thats right. Theres no doubt we can handle it
cleverly.
By getting Lyle and Aria to fight, both of them would learn the areas they
were lacking in. That was the plan the Third had caught on to.
For Aria, her own lack of ability
For Lyle, the strength of human will and desire
He wanted to get them to understand they were both at fault. Of course,
starting with the First, the others were waiting for Lyle to get motivated for
himself.
Even so, feeling that the First was being impatient, the Third oversaw their
discussion and bore witness to it.

So do you hate shrewd methods?

Cant stand them. But perhaps that sort of way would have a better success
rate. It took quite a while for me to realize that, though.
The First Generation had quite a frank personality.
There were some unexpectedly delicate sides to him, but he was the one who
headed the pioneering corps, cut down the forests of monsters, and expanded
fields of his own.
A normal person would give up after understanding the difficulty of that, or
make the appropriate preparations for it.

If its your guys ways, itll probably tie itself up nice and pretty. But in
that case, theyll start to rely on one another.

Theres no mistake to be had for relying others in areas where youre

lacking yourself, though. Its just that I truly do feel Lyle needs to find a little
more motivation.
The First stared intently at the Third, who was usually quite carefree.

When you say it, its got no persuading power, man.

Of course~.
Saying that, the two of them smiled, but the First stopped and made a serious
expression.
If he was but a simple fool, the pioneering corps would have been
annihilated, and eaten up by monsters. His extreme instincts and perception
made him someone the Third was poor at dealing with.
But he also understood that some senses were needed sometimes.

Lets let them clash, and if that doesnt work, then Ill be satisfied with that.
If its that persons descendants, I dont think her feelings will lose to Lyle.

So youre saying theres no way Lyle will lose as a whole? Well, he

probably wont.
There was quite a gap in ability between the two.
Aria was the daughter of a noble. She could probably use magic. Looking at
her stance while holding her spear, it could be understood that she was
trained as the daughter of a warrior.
But compared to Lyle, she fell short.
Even to Lyle, who had never undergone Growth before, Aria fell short. Just
like the boy, she didnt have the necessary aptitude as an adventurer yet, but
more than that, she didnt understand herself.
She was just squirming around recklessly and meaninglessly.

Lets leave the healing to Novem-chan and just have them go at each others
throats for once. Well, its a nice way to resolve things, fitting of me, isnt
it?

So exchanging blows to deepen friendship? No, is it affection in this case?

Lyle still hasnt accepted that, though
The Third seemed to be having fun.
In truth, the scene of Lyles troubled figure after Novem approved of a harem
was quite interesting to him.

That part included, I want them to collide. Lyle isnt looking at Aria-chan at
all. I want him to recognize her. Even when he knows the pain of being
ignored, that bastard is
The First let out a sigh.
The Third got the feeling that the First felt Lyle overlapping with himself.

Are you sure you arent talking about the you of the past?
Hearing the Thirds words, the First glared at him, but he soon shook his
head and took a deep breath.

Perhaps youre right.

For a while, the two stayed there, lost in thought

Morning.
After finishing my meal, I told Novem to go out and call Zelphy-san to the
house.
I told Aria I had business with her to let us talk.
(Its the Firsts request, so I guess well fight.)
I didnt know his aim, but I had a good idea of it.
It was probably something like getting Aria to learn her ability level, or
something like that.
We walked into the yard, and I turned to her.
You have your familys gem, right?
At my question, she tilted her head and took out the red pendant she had
turned into a necklace from under her clothing and showed it to me.
Of course I have it. In order not to lose it, I always carry it on me. What of
it? Were going out to subjugate monsters today, right? What are you
planning, even calling Zelphy over?
As I thought, because of her impatience, she wanted to finish the preparations
and go hunting already. From my point of view, we should put some breaks
in with moderation and systematically set out to defeat monsters.
There was no point if you pointlessly got yourself injured, and it wasnt like
we were short on money or anything.
When the two of them get here, theres some vacant land over there, so
wont you fight me?
On my proposal, she seemed bewildered.
Why should I? If you dont like me, then you just have to say it!
I wasnt sure what was going through her mind, but it seemed she thought I
didnt like her.
I didnt have any recollection of having treated her especially cruelly, so I
didnt get where these accusations were coming from.
Its not like I dislike you or anything. If you have a gem, then you should
know how to use it, right? Then you have a need to test it out, dont you?
Hearing me bring up the gem, her face stiffened.
Perhaps she was remembering what happened to the large man from the
bandit brigade.
From an overuse of Skills, blood erupted from all over his body. His muscles
tore and blood oozed from his mouth and eyes. It wasnt a good sight for the
eyes.
Of course, we were able to treat it with medicine, but I wasnt sure about his
internal bleeding.
The irregular use of Skills
The compensation for that was large. I mean, it wasnt the Skill you
manifested yourself, so when you tried to use someone elses Skills, the
burden was quite large.
Using the past heads Skills, I understood the difficulty of that first-hand.
Even the Skills linked to me by lineage were ridiculously hard for me to
control.
If I didnt put some moderation on my usage, I would have destroyed my
body just like the large man.
Are you scared?
I-Im not scared! If I used this, Ill definitely be injured, so I dont want to is
all!
Looking at Aria hiding her fear, I thought to myself, so you dont care if Im
injured.
I did measure her strength, but as I thought, even if she was using Skills, Aria
was probably weaker than that large bandit.
It wasnt because she was a woman, but that she had an overwhelming lack
of experience. Having only learned magic and spearmanship in theory, she
couldnt reach the level of the large man who practiced on monsters.
If youre worried about injury, then theres no problem. Novem will treat
you, and if it gets dangerous, well stop.
Perhaps out of anger for my tone of speech, Arias expression changed.
She was clearly angry.
Whats with that? Do you think Im no worthy enemy of you? I admit that
you really are strong. But we wont know something like that unless we try!
To Aria, who began to show determination, I proposed that if that be the case,
why dont we just fight?
Then when Novem and Zelphy-san arrive, well start. Im fine with a
wooden sword.
Just use your regular sabre! Even Ive practiced to use Skills!
Hearing that, I found it a little surprising.
Oh really?
Not pleased with my impression, she glared at me. I had no idea just what Id
done to attract such a scowl.
I mean, they were my frank and honest thoughts.
Look down on me all you want. Youll be the one getting hurt!
Aria turned her back to me and left the area in long strides. I saw her off and
let out a sigh. I was going to be fighting her at the Firsts request, but I was
starting to wonder whether or not this was really alright.
I got the feeling I had made a fatal mistake as a member of the same party.
Since there was no one around me, the Third spoke to me.
His tone was fed up.

Lyle, have you ever seen your own face in a mirror?

What are you talking about? I see it every morning when I wash my face.

That was sarcasm, you know. Anyways, that aside, theres clearly a problem
with your current attitude.
Hearing about a problem, I tilted my head.
An irritated Fourth spoke in a low voice.

Taking that attitude against a girl is one thing, but I wonder if you really
should be fighting. More importantly, you really are dense, Lyle. Or could it
be youre doing all this on purpose?
I couldnt comprehend.
I was unable to understand just what it was the Third and Fourth were trying
to tell me. In order to let Aria know her current skill level, and to get her to
have a taste of what it felt like to use her Skills. That was why we were
fighting, was it not?
The Sixth, who didnt speak up often dropped by for once.

Youre not noticing any of it? Lyle, you

The Seventh let out a remark, as if to pressure me.

That attitude right now was certainly rude. Still, Lyle, I also think you need
to look at yourself and reflect on it.
If I had to pick a side, the Sixth and Seventh usually supported me, but still
they said I was in the wrong.
As I tried to recall whether I had said something bad, the Fifth entered the
conversation.
If you didnt notice, then thats where it ends. Well, youre young, so I
guess there are some things we cannot help. Look, its about time you start
preparing yourself as well. Also, just as with Skills, dont use magic.
While the Fifth said that, I didnt have such intentions from the beginning.
I wont do anything like that. I dont want to injure her or anything.

Dont want to injure her, is it? Well how grand of you.

The Fifth also sounded fed up.
I returned to the house and started preparing. I hung my sabre at my waist
and decided to carry my spare as well.
Perhaps because Aria had left first, there wasnt anyone in the house.
At times like these, I start to remember my lonely days back at the manor.
Its really quiet. Just like at that time.
Saying that, I looked around the room. Normally, Novem was doing
housework, and Aria was trying to assist her. That was the scene as of late.
It was only recently that I started to take in that imagery as if it were normal.
Before that, Arias presence was always slightly unsettling.
(As I thought, harems and me are two separate things. Also, I dont think that
sort of thing will be pleasant.)
It was mainly the expectations of my surroundings, and the Firsts request
that led me to taking in Aria.
But perhaps that was a mistake. I thought.
From the start, I didnt think too much of her. I never even tried to think of
how it was I thought of her.
As I absentmindedly stared at the ceiling, I heard a voice.
Zelphy-san and Novem were in front of the house.


I headed to the vacant lot to find Aria waiting for me.

Likely because she had finished warming up, she was sweating a little.
Perhaps because of determination, the eyes glaring at me harbored quite a
strong will.
Due to the redevelopment of the area, many evictions were carried out and
houses were demolished, creating a lot of empty space.
In one of such places, the girl with a red orb hanging from her neck, Aria,
faced me.
The sun hadnt even started to rise yet.
(Thisll end before noon, wont it?)
In my head, I made plans so as to end my fight with Aria before noon came.
You sure look calm.
It sounded like she was provoking me, she let out those lines as I had a break
in my concentration. Without a doubt, Aria was mad.
Looking at that, both Novem and Zelphy-san seemed fed up.
Yesterday they were fed up with Aria, and today, it seemed they were fed up
with me. Their eyes were clearly trying to tell me something.
Id like it if you notified me of a change in plans a day in advance. I mean,
Ive got my schedule to keep too. Well, Ill follow my client. It probably
wont be a complete waste. But Lyle, are you even motivated at all?
Zelphy looked at me with doubtful eyes, and Novem was the same as she
stood beside her.
Lyle-sama, please concentrate. Youre being rude to Aria-san. At this rate,
youll be gravely injured.
I nodded to a worried Novem, pulled out my Sabre, and took a stance.
Aria also held up her lance. Her temper seemed impatient, and she was
putting a lot of needless power into her stance.
Ill be going at you seriously.
As Aria declared her serious intent, I nodded.
Be careful not to injure yourself.
At that moment.
Aria took a large step and suddenly started repeatedly thrusting out her lance
as if to impale me.
It was a Skill the large man displayed.
I turned half my body to avoid it and used the hilt of my Sabre to repel it.
Having her stance destroyed, she fell forward, and I jumped aside.
With one hand on the ground, she raised her head with her eyes wide open.
And she angrily gritted her teeth as she glared at me.
Why didnt you attack me?
She stood up and corrected her posture. On the contrary, I was confused.
Eh? No, I mean Itll be over soon enough
As I stated my true and honest feelings, Arias expression became more and
more grim.
Looking at that expression, my heart suddenly started to hurt.
(What is this?)
Aria swung her lance, and a shockwave shot at me. Its output wasnt as high,
nor was its blade as sharp as the one the large man displayed before. I
dodged.
Returning the pole she had swung in a large arc back to her body, Aria looked
out of breath.
She forcibly used a Skill, and it looked like she was exhausting her stamina.
She had neither the technique nor power to use her Skills consecutively. The
proof was in the pudding.
However, with her sweat pouring out and her breath cut short she
continued to come at me.
Not yet!
Her weapon let off a faint light, but she just stabbed it at me normally. I took
the blow with the sabre, but the feel was different from before.
Petrification
This was likely a Skill as well. As I dodged the next two blows, she likely
realized I had seen through her movements.
If I thought about the remaining Skills, there was that muscle strengthening
as well. It didnt feel like she was using it, so perhaps she wasnt used to it
yet.
I dodged her thrust spear, stepped close to her, and grabbed the shaft with my
left hand.
Ku!
She struggled to make me let go, and I was about to tell her the match was
over already. But I couldnt let out my voice.
(Why)
Aria thrust out her weapon to create distance and glared at me.
Whats with that posing If Im really that weak, then just end me
already!
Out of breath, and with a despaired expression, tears began to flow down her
face.
Looking at that, I was able to slightly comprehend what the ancestors were
trying to tell me.
(I see, so the attitude I showed Aria was the same as Celess.)
I got the feeling I knew the source of the pain in my chest.
I understood the ancestors intent.
I could grasp the reason for Novems and Zelphy-sans eyes.
I could even nod at Arias mortified face.
I see. So I was never really looking at you, was I.
I get the feeling that the figure of the girl mortifyingly holding up her spear,
about to burst into tears, had overlapped with mine own.
The Birth of a Skill

(This person I wonder just what sort of person Aria is.)

I faced the girl letting out tears as she held her spear aloft.
All I knew was that she was the female successor to the Lockwarde house.
She lived along with her father in Dalien, and when she thought her red
family heirloom gem was stolen, she tried to rely on one formerly related to
her household, Zelphy-san.
I knew much too little about her.
I never assertively talked with her.
Since I had Novem with me, I had naturally created some space between us
within the house.
Perhaps I was simply trying to avoid facing her.
Looking down on me Even I Even I!
She probably has something she wants to say.
There must be various thoughts and feelings going through her head.
And yet, I
I hold up my sabre, and take a deep breath.
Looking at the girl in front of me, I readied my blade.
Due to her fatigue, shes full of openings. Shes shed a considerable amount
of sweat. With the consecutive use of Skills, both her stamina and mana are
reaching their limits.
(Why was it that I did exactly what was done to me to Aria?)
Wanting someone to see them.
Wanting someone to hear them.
Even so, just thinking of her as a burden pushed onto me, I avoided her. I
mean, she probably had things she wanted to say as well.
(Is that what the ancestors were trying to get me to notice?)
I could never understand why I had to take Aria under my wing.
But right now, I get the feeling Ive become able to understand it just a little.
I I was turning myself into Arias Celes.
The next ones going to be a serious blow.
As I said that, Aria made a surprised expression. But with her tears streaming,
she made a serious face, and nodded.
The ones watching us, Novem and Zelphy-san seemed a little relieved.
(Even if you know you cant win, there are things you have to challenge.
Wanting to be recognized unable to forgive it. Unable to bear the pain.)
After waiting for Aria to collect her breathing, I broke into her stance.
As I closed the distance, she swung her lance horizontally at me so as not to
let me get a hold onto it.
I kicked the ground, and she looked up at me as I approached her from the
air. As I swung down with me sabre, Aria used her lance to take the blow.
But just through the difference in power, her knees were forced to the ground.
I started to hear a creaking sound, but to lock her onto the ground, I
continued to increase the force I exerted.
Even with this gap in power, why wont you use the Skill that supplements
your own?
On my question, a pained expression distorted her face.
So thats her answer.
You cant use it? If thats the case, the bandit brigades large man was a
more skilled wielder.
I retract my sword, and kick the lance away. Aria rolled across the ground
with it. She immediately stood, but she was covered in mud.
Having been released from my hold, she corrected her stance, and stabbed at
me. More than before compared to when the fight had started, her
movements were duller.
I continued to dodge her lance, and stepped into her stance, bufore hitting the
hilt of my sabre into her stomach.
If I gave a serious blow, Aria would really be in danger.
Having been hit, the air was forcibly expelled from her lungs, but with
tottering steps, she took some distance.
You wont use magic? Not that Ill be using any.
I tried some provocations, but it looks like she wasnt in a state for something
like that. Her face was pale, and she was sweating heavily.
Only the eyes that continued to glare at me hadnt lost their light.
(So shes resolved herself.)
The difference in skill was clear as day. But Aria never dropped her weapon.
Seeing that situation, the ancestors inside the Jewel, who had been quiet for a
while, offered me some advice.
No, perhaps it wasnt something like advice.
The First spoke.

Watch closely, Lyle. Witness the moment where a Skill is born. Strong will,
and individual ability. Born from emotions, the weapon granted unto
mankind.
This may sound natural, but Skills had a bit of a history to them.
For the humans who were born weak, and didnt hold the power to fight
against monsters, it was one of the graces afforded to them by god.
The Skills that emerge differ based on the person.
To fight monsters, god granted a single possibility.
Thats what Skills are, Ive been told
The red gem hanging over her chest started to radiate light.
The moment a skill is born, is it?
The red gem she possessed made it easier for Skills with direct relation to
direct combat to manifest.
Just as the blue gem that was passed through the Walt Familys heads of
history encouraged Skills from the Support Class to surface, Arias clan had
one that encouraged Vanguard Class Skills..
With this!!
Aria took a strong step, and came at me with speed greater than before.
I dodged the spear that suddenly came before my eyes, but she immediately
swept it at me horizontally.
I heard the Fourths voice.

I guess it resembles my Skill. But in battle, it temporarily allows for

extreme acceleration, it seems.
They looked similar, but he assured me it was different. But she really did
accelerate temporarily to get in a greater amount of moves than before.
Without time to evade, I pulled out my spare sabre, and used ot to take the
blow.
Sparks flew from the clashing of metal.
But Arias attack hadnt ended.
More!
Thrust, sweep, and cut.
I dodge various attacks of the sort, and began to be forced into a defensive
battle.
If I lost focus, I would lose. My situation changed in an instant.
The Second spoke.

Vanguard Class Skills generally give these temporary explosive

strengthenings. Theyre quite troublesome.
(TL: Lyles are all perpetual passives (if he had the mana))
If I dodged a lance from the right, another would soon come from the left.
Against consecutive blows like that, my two swords were put to the defense.
Sparks scatter, and the sabre blades I had just bought were starting to chip.
But at the same time, I was certain that the battle was already settled.
Its the end.
I relax my posture, and looked down at the girl out of breath.
She was kneeling on the ground, her lance stabbed into it. Using it in place of
a cane, she was somehow able to prevent herself from collapsing.
The burden of all the consecutive attacks she executed came down on her.
Temporarily raising speed to explosive levels to initiate a series of attacks.
Its probably something like that; Arias Skill.
Perhaps because she couldnt concentrate any power to her legs, her body
was shaking. Because her own Skill had suddenly manifested, she had
continued to use it recklessly.
When I tried looking at my sabres, the blades was quite worn out.
(Ill have to repair or replace it.)
Thinking that, I stabbed them into the ground, and started off towards her
side. The surrounding earth had been level, but now it had been beaten
uneven.
While thinking she overdid it, I considered coming later with the appropriate
tools to correct it.
But right now
That was an amazing Skill. I was surprised.
As I call out to her, she looked up at me.
Its not like it would let me win or anything. I already know. Im inferior
to you! But it was mortifying. Just when I had become free, I found I
couldnt be of any use at all I didnt ever want to return to that life again. I
just wanted to become able to sustain myself!
Seeing her burst into tears, I didnt know if it was right for me to have called
out to her here.
Thats just proof that I dont know her at all.
Novem ran over, and started applying healing magic to her. As the light
enveloped her, she gradually stopped crying, and like that, as if she had lost
consciousness, she collapsed on the ground.
Zelphy-san went up to her, and propped up her body.
That wasnt really a method I should be praising you for.
As she directed accusatory eyes at me, I put a finger to my face, and thought
of what so say in the end, I couldnt return a response.
Lyle-sama, can you help me carry Aria-san? Her stamina and mana
expenditure are more severe than they look, so I want to let her rest quickly.
Novem spoke in her usual tone, and I nodded as I approached Aria.
Should I shoulder her, or lift her up normally
And as always, starting from the First up

I think you should go with the princess cradle.

Just Carry her on your back normally.
How about putting her over your shoulder! You know, like a fireman!
Gently hold her in your arms, and bring her to the bed.
If shes unconscious, then theyre all the same.
How about you get Zelphy to help as well? Get her to lend a shoulder or
something.
Well, you are going to be putting her on her bed, so how about embracing
her?
Their opinions werent aligned at all.
Just how free these guys are, I thought, as I lifted her in my arms.
Seeing that, Zelphy-san started to whistle teasingly.
Novem smiled, and
Im a little envious.
Saying that, she walked ahead of me, headed to the house, and began
preparing the instruments to nurse Aria.

Night.
As I was moving my body around in the yard, I heard the Thirds voice.

Doing the same things, or perhaps coming to resemble the person you hate,
you loath, isnt an uncommon story.
We put Aria to bed, so today we didnt go out, and treated today as a break.
While swinging practice wooden swords in the yard, I conversed with him.
You want to say Im just the same as her, right? I noticed it for the first time
when I was fighting Aria.
Saying that, I swung the two weighted swords with all my might.

So you noticed? But what I really wanted you to notice was feelings.
Feelings
I get what hes trying to say. Right now, I lack desperation.
I cant say being impatient, and going around in circles like Aria is the way to
be. But there must be a problem with having no emotion behind my actions
as well.
But its not like earning my meals as an adventurer is all there is to life.
Right!
I swing the two swords, and get in an attack on my imaginary enemy. No
matter how sharp my swings are, they dodge them all, and defend against
them.
I suddenly started breathing faster.
No matter how much I polish my technique, I remember the fear of turning
my blade on an opponent it would never reach.
I drop the swords, and touch my chest to get my hastened breathing in order.

Just who were you imagining when you swung your sword? Want me to
take a guess?
No thank you. More importantly, about that topic from before.
Suddenly remembering, the Third continued the topic.
Right, right! Feelings, it is. Yep! Lyle, youve also manifested a Skill. You
were near the blue gem were sealed in when it happened, so its likely a
Support Class. Its just that the reason its still unclear to you is a matter of
feelings.
My Skill, is it?
Theres no doubt I have one. The ancestors also told me there was no doubt
about a reaction from the Jewel.
But I have no idea what sort of Skill is it.

The things called Skills are largely effected by your personal emotions.
Right now, it may be natural that you cant activate it.
Hearing it from the usually carefree third, I also felt the same.
Looking at Aria today, I was able to comprehend.
Strong feelings are what mold the shape of Skills.
But perhaps the current me doesnt have nearly enough of such feelings.
After continuing to pursue, from the moment I learned I could never hold
anything in my hand, it felt like a hole had been opened in my chest.
Ive tried to forcibly fill it in, but as of yet, I cannot.

I can understand you not having motivation and all, but right now, you have
Novem-chans and even if you may be reluctant, Aria-chans futures in
your hands.
The reluctant wasnt a mistake.
I never said I would take charge of her, but talks proceeded arbitrarily
without my input, and she suddenly was put at my side.
It was arbitrary. Ridiculously arbitrary.
Even so, Novem ended up approving.
Am I in the wrong? Was my objective of living a leisurely life with Novem
wrong?
On my inquiry, the Third gave a response in his normal light tone.

Youre the one to decide that, Lyle. None of us have the right to choose. I
mean, youre reluctantly accepting the current state of affairs, so if we were
to settle everything with our orders would you be satisfied, Lyle?
Satisfied perhaps I would be.
As if he had seen through me, the Third spoke.

Being swept along with the flow may be nice and easy. Thats how I was.
Before I knew it, I was being called a righteous general, and a loyal subject,
and all it was actually quite troublesome. You know, I never had that sort
of intention.
The person I heard he was from the stories passed down were too far
separated from the individual himself.
My breathing was back in order, so I collected the swords, and sat down on a
nearby rock.

Have you still not decided on a goal, yet? Or could it be you really want
to live quietly with Novem somewhere far away?
Im starting to not know myself.
Is it really alright to kick out Aria after she was trying so desperately?
She was placed on me as a reward, but if I were to thrown her out here, I
wonder if she would be able to make a living for herself.
My amount of worries has started to grow.
As I was mulling over them, the Sixth came out.

It seems youve got a lot on your mind. Worry all you want. When you look
back on it, youll always feel like a fool asking yourself why you worried
over something like that.
Human troubles
As I looked at the sky, the stars were glimmering quite beautifully.

The next day.

Aria had opened her eyes, but she was left in a state where she couldnt
move.
She had pushed herself to use Skills, and as a result, she placed too much of a
burden on her body. Because of that, Novem ended up looking after her.
That being the case, naturally, the only one who could go out and work was
me.
I went to the guilds reception counter, and together with Zelphyy-san, I
chose a request to accept.
They were all physical labor intensive jobs, so I wondered if Zelphy-sans
payback was included somewhere in there as I looked at the request forms
lined up on the table.
Choose whatever job you want. Ill bet youll be working alone for a while,
Lyle.
The one who acted of their own volition, and left Aria in a state where she
couldnt participate in the party for a few days, was me.
To Zelphy-san, who grinned as she pointed at all the tedious requests lined
up, I had no words to return.
Looking at our exchange, Hawkins-san came to my rescue.
Zelphy-san, youre an advisor, are you not? I do think theres a problem
with your request selection being influenced by your personal sentiment.
Zelphy-san shot back.
Dont be so cruel, boss. With that, youre making it sound as if I chose
nothing but intense requests to get some petty revenge. Even when I selected
these ones keeping Lyles sake in mind.
On her obvious theatrical tone, Hawkins-san seemed amazed.
But from the sheets lined up, I chose the one that looked the hardest.
Seeing that, Zelphys eyebrows twitched a little.
So youre not going to complain today.
In the past, I always offered some complaints when I took on odd job
requests. Zelphy-san surely remembers.
I uninterestedly signed the documents, and handed them over to Hawkins-
san.
Even like this, Ive got the livelihoods of two others on my back. I cant
really go around not working.
So you say. Even when you still have the sum the feudal lord afforded you.
As Zelphy-san said that, I waved my hands, and departed from the receptions
desk.

The receptions desk after Lyle had left

Well hes gotten quite reliable. When he first got here, he didnt look like he
knew his left from his right.
Hawkins relected on the first time Lyle stopped by the guild.
The advisor, Zelphy, stuck her elbow on the desk, and rested her head on her
hand.
I thought he was just some pampered noble kid, so my job was getting
closer to observation than guidin. But he turned out to have quite an amazin
side to him. Well, becoming reliables a good thing. I mean, he aint a noble
anymore.
Hawkins began to process the documents he accepted, and he smiled as he
remembered Zelphys past.
Its as if hes a certain someone. Zelphy-san, remember you used to
complain whenever you accepted a request as well?
As Hawkins brought up the past, Zelphy got sulky.
The me of that time was still oblivious to the world! Back at home it was
always housework and etiquette. The world was completely different.
A fallen noble turned adventurer is set to go through quite a bit of trouble.
ITs because their sense of values and common sense didnt get through on a
fundamental level.
I understand it was quite a bit of trouble for you. They hire adventurers as
well, so I often hear about the troubles those adventurers went through
regarding etiquette when working under them.
The worlds they lived in was truly different.
It would be nice if Lady Aria was able to make it.
On Zelphys true feelings, Hawkins organized the paperwork as he gave a
response.
Even normal people go through trouble upon becoming adventurers, and
they lose their lives as well. I cant say itll all be alright, but perhaps Lyle-
kun will do something about that.
Zelphy directed a doubtful gaze at Hawkins high evaluation of the boy.
Lyle? His reputations the worst in Dalien, you know.
When he had subjugated the bandit brigade, Lyle had repeated quite a few
hopeless actions. Because of that, Lyles popularity was quite low within the
city.
For an adventurer using Dalien as their area of operations, that was a fatal
mistake.
Well, its true that he received taxpayer money from the lord, and gathered
more than a hundred people to do the job. Of course, its not mine to say
whats going through his head.
Hawkins confusion on the matter was understandable.
Without any motivation, the one who continued to rely on his party member
Novem was Lyle.
But when the bandits did show themselves, he personally took action, and
resolved the problem.
As the two of them were talking, one of Zelphys acquaintances lined up in
the neighboring desk, manned by an older woman.
After her documents were swiftly processed, she called out to them.
Yo, if it isnt Zelphy!
To the middle aged face ridden with scars, Zelphy made an unpleasant
expression.
So you were still alive. How bout retiring sometime soon?
The man smiled at her sarcasm, and the young adventurers behind him made
troubled faces.
So youre also an advisor?
As Zelphy said that, the man nodded.
Of course. These younguns are the hope of Dalien, so I thought Id go out
on a bit of a long trek and impart em with some competence.
As an adventurer, he had more experience than Zelphy.
Having done work with him numerous times, Zelphy felt a little jealous at his
words.
Well, Im happy it seems to be all fine and dandy on your side.
The man looked at Zelphy, and burst into a grin.
More importantly, I heard it. .Youre off protecting some idiotic noble son,
aint cha? You sure dont have any luck in ya, Zelphy-chan.
Having a chan added to her name, a blue vein began to emerge on Zelphys
forehead before Hawkins cleared his throat.
The other man raised his hands to around shoulder level, and Zelphy clicked
her tongue.
Domestic strife is prohibited in the guild. Also, as an adventurer, you have
to make sure not to cause trouble to others. More importantly, youre both
advisors, so I would appreciate it if you set a better example.
As Hawkins sighed, the man gave off a bitter smile.
Dont be so stiff, boss. I was also at fault, but this sort of thing is like a
standard among adventurers.
Zelphy glared at him before leaving the counter. She was probably off to
check how Lyle was doing.
Good grief. Still, a long trek, is it? Are you sure it isnt too soon?
Hawkins looked at the youths who had employed a veteran adventurer to
advise them.
It was a party of five, and from a glance, it looked like quite a balanced party.
There were three on the vanguard, and a hunter with a bow for the rear.
The last one was likely a magician by the staff in his hand.
Going small scale doesnt suit my style. I want to get them to be able to rake
it in on their own soon.
He was a different sort of adventurer than Zelphy, but he was thinking of his
employers in his own way. From the start, the adventurers chosen as advisors
were those that were good at looking after people.
In a similar way, Zelphy-san said quite a few things, but she never threw out
a job, and had quite a diligent side to her.
Is that so? Well, please exercise the utmost caution. The important thing is
to return alive.
As Hawkins offered a suggestion, the veteran adventurer took his troupe, and
left the desk.
At the empty reception desk, Hawkins turned his eyes to the adjacent
counters.
In the back, a young beauty had formed quite a long que.
A majority of them were young male adventurers.
Next to her, a middle aged lady was finishing up work swiftly.
The main body of adventurers knew their work would be finished swiftly, so
they had made a line there. Both had formed a line, but the flow was
completely different.
In the beautys line, the flow was slow, and many complaints were thrown
around.
The other one disinterestedly completed her work quietly, so the line moved
quickly.
Even so.
And today as well, no ones going to come to me
Hawkins let out a sigh.
Day Off

To adventurers, one of the important things to remember was taking a break.

Naturally, you cant just go out and fight monsters every day.
Similarly, there arent any adventurers that keep on taking on odd jobs every
day.
Resting the body is important, but equipment also needs periodic
maintenance.
If you hold high-class equipment, then the maintenance costs are likely just
as high. But such maintenance costs a bit of time.
Its troublesome if equipment doesnt pull through when it comes to it.
For that sake, Zelphy-san ordered us to take breaks in moderation. Her policy
was that if we were going in over our heads, she would stop us.
If we werent doing something essential, she would point it out. And in
advance, she would give an explanation of what was needed.
That may sound immensely obvious, but if you asked, among the people
employed as adventurers, there were many who just polished fighting skills
in actual combat.
Thinking it was better off if such people didnt become advisors, I started to
read a book in the resource room I had periodically started to commute to
whenever it became a break day.
But today, I wasnt alone.
What?
With the only desk in the entire narrow resource room in between us, I faced
Aria.
From that previous matter, she was also trying to keep some distance from
me.
But today, here she was, facing me in the resource room. When I thought
about how I should have delayed a bit, and came at a different time, I realized
that we lived under fundamentally the same cycle, so my free time, and hers
usually overlapped.
Its nothing. And wait, did you really read all that?
Aria pointed at the mountain of books to my side. She also opened the book
that Zelphy-san had suggested she read.
It was mainly about the roles of people in parties.
In comparison, I didnt really have anything I wanted to find out, so I
randomly picked out some books to read, and repeated that cycle.
Of course I did. I happen to like reading.
I like immersing myself in stories.
And of all things, you can get by without thinking too many needless
thoughts. From ten onwards, the time I could read was the time I could
escape from reality.
And wait, why are you even reading one on agriculture? I doubt thats one
that was kept in the guild.
On Arias question, it wasnt me, but the Second that answered.
However, unlike with Novem, his treatment of her was rough.

Based on the situation, you might be sent to assist in another villages

farmwork. Since Daliens gotten larger in scale, that sort of request may be
few to be found, though. And wait, you dont even know something that
simple!?
Due to the growth of the city, such requests had stopped coming to the guild.
But still, the books alone were left in the reference room.
I softened up the Seconds words, and transmitted them.
Ill bet it was necessary in the past. I mean, even Daliens guild had a time
where it accepted these sorts of requests, right?
In truth, the agricultural book I had on hand was slightly old. But the Second,
and the book-loving Third were full of interest in it, so they had me flip
through it for them to read.
The cheerful Third Generation looked at it, as he signaled me to flip to the
next page.

Looking at this technological progress really makes me jealous. If there was

a method like this back then, then perhaps our times would have been better
ones. Technology sure is important Lyle, please flip the page.
Perhaps reading books was my hobby.
But the ancestors were different.
They wanted to see just how different their eras were from modern day, and
they were interested in new technological advances.
From that part of it, I see they really were feudal lords.
Do you plan to stick your hands into farming next?
Keeping her eyes on her own book, Aria posed a question. Since the time she
became able to move, this was the first she ever started up a conversation
with me.
No, I was just a little curious.
Ive already read up on the applications of magic pertaining to agriculture.
Using magic, it wouldnt be a misconception to say the technology to make
life more abundant is constantly being polished. But there, there was a single
unspoken rule.
Never use nothing but magic to complete a single job, or so it was decided.
It may sound like a needless rule, but my opinion is that they were taking
mana consumption into account.
To magicians especially people who use nothing but magic as their
weapon, drying up their mana reserve was a matter of life or death.
This sort of specialized magic was likely used by people who specialized in
it.
I thought the rule was decided based on that, but it seems there was another
reason.
(I guess there are some things you cant learn just in books.)
After actually going out and living life, I often felt that was the case. But I
still dont think its a waste for me to be here reading books like this.
In comparison, it didnt seem that books were quite compatible with Aria.
She made a difficult expression as she looked at the pages.
Its not that she cant read, but perhaps that it doesnt suit her personality.
Her garments are one thing, but shes quite a lively girl for a Noble Lady.
Do you hate reading?
I dont hate it. Its just my weak point. I was often made to read a lot in the
past, but until recently, I didnt have such time.
Father and daughter. I heard that the father didnt decently work, and lived a
liquor-soaked lifestyle.
In a family environment like that, Aria likely had her hardships.
Even now, she has yet to bring up her past, but I could imagine how such a
conversation would turn out.
To a girl like that, the First offered his sympathy. In general, the only one
who sympathized with her was the First Generation

So you went through a lot, Aria-chan.

The second gave a cold response to his opinion.

I can sympathize with the part about her being put through a lot because of
her father. No, empathize.
I really cant feel anything but coldness from the First and Seconds
relationship.
When I carelessly asked just what had happened between them, the Seconds
emotions exploded out, and my mana went down the drain in large quantities,
so I decided not to bring it up again.
After that, a while of silence ensued.
A while after our conversation had been cut off, I finished reading my book,
so I placed it up on the mountainous stack of books.
I had read all of the ones in the pile.
Looking at its height, its about the right time for me to return home.
Im going to return, but what about you?
In order to return them to their original places, I stood, and took them in my
hands.
Aria hadnt finished reading yet, so she took a quick glance at me before,
turning her head to one side.
Im not done here, so you can go ahead. Tell Novem that, um Ill be late.
I received her message, before putting away the books, and exiting the room.


The Guild was as busy as ever.
Even if we were on break, there are still adventurers normally completing
their work. I left the reference room, and passed by the receptions desks on
the second floor to see todays lines.
As always, only Hawkins was short.
(He does his work neatly, and hes a nice person, though.)
Brown skin, and close-cropped red hair. On top of that, his armor of muscle
was clearly visible from over his shirt.
His body was also large, and he looked out of the league of any of those
standard adventurers out there.

In truth, quite a number of veteran adventurers refer to the man as Boss out
of endearment. Or perhaps because they knew they couldnt oppose him
From their behaviors, it was apparent that the newcomers were too scared to
approach.
Even when he handled people politely with a smile, the newcomers drifted
away.
In comparison, the beautys line was as amazing as ever.
A majority of the ones lined there were young men.
Some of them were lured in by her looks, and others wanted to impress her
with the dangerous jobs they were going to undertake.
The Second gave a sigh of disappointment.

Why do they go through such pointless effort. From her attitude, you can
tell shes likely got a man or two.
I cant really say anything due to my general disinterest in love affairs, but
with that appearance, she does probably have a male attending to her.
From what I can see, shes in her later teens, I guess?
If you think about marriageable age, it doesnt sound strange if she were
already taken.
(No, the commoners had a different age standard for that.)
The Noble age of marriage is said to be early, so I recalled that normal
women generally married later.
Ive even heard that through advances in healing magic, the average lifespan
of humans is increasing. Because of that, the average age of marriage is also
getting later and later, or so I read in a book.
And so

Wait, is it too late for her if shes not married at that age Shes probably got
quite a few problems to her, that one.
On the Seconds harsh evaluation, the Seventh responded.

Isnt that age normal in these times? I mean, the times have changed.
Having come from an era more recent, the Seventh said there were no
problems if the beautiful receptionist wasnt married off yet.
In truth, there was a gap of over one hundred years between the Second and
Seventh.
Their sense of values were quite different.
Growing tired of absentmindedly staring at the desks, I started off towards
the stairs.
There, I saw a party of three ascending it.
The mixed-gender party had two men with a sword and spear. They were
probably the front line.
And they had a robed magician carrying a staff. It was a party with good
balance.
Ah, I should throw in, For a party of three, that is.
They had been ascending lined up alongside each other, so I pushed myself to
one side.
Oh, sorry. I was so caught up in the conversation, I didnt notice.
The man with a sword hanging at his waist was a little older than me.
Looking at the hilt, I could tell the weapon was well-used, and his standing
figure and walk hinted that his skills were also high.
Similarily, the tall man holding a spear seemed to have quite a bit of strength.
Be careful there. If you keep flirting like that, youll run into and bother
people. Sorry there wait
The man with the spear looked at my face, and seemed a little troubled.
There, the woman with the staff shouted out.
Youre Lyle, arent you!? With that blue hair and eyes, theres no mistake.
Youre Idiotic Noble Son Lyle, arent you!
Hearing that, my eyes turned doubtful.
I heart a laughing voice from the Jewel.
It was the First.

Gahahaha, it looks like your plan was a complete success! Why not rejoice,
Lyle!
Thinking he should really consider my feelins a little more, I nodded.
The swordsman covered the womans mouth, and offered an apology.
What do you think youre saying! I-I apologize. Shes not a bad person, but
her lips are a little bit loose, or how should I put it sorry.
I told him I really didnt mind, as I accepted his apology.
You should really think before opening your mouth.
The spearman also seemed a little fed up with her.
I-I mean Im sorry.
It was a party of people that seemed to be two or three years older than me.
Perhaps because they had built up a considerable amount of experience, they
had an atmosphere unlike the other young adventurers.

ImRondo. The one there with the staff is Rachel, and the one with the
spear is Rahu. Nice to meet you.
They gave an introduction, so I also offered my name.
Im Lyle. I hope we get along.
As I said that, the spear wielding Rahu-san put his hand to his chin, and
looked over me. He inspected me from head to two, and smiled.
Your impression is completely different from the rumors. It looks like you
have some skill on you.
Hearing that, Rondo-san folded his arms, and nodded.
Certainly. That being the case, does that make the rumors baseless? Oh,
right, we also had a job. Sorry, but well be parting here. It would be nice if
we could have a nice talk sometime later.
The three of them headed off to the desks, and in the end, Rachel gave me a
slight wave.
Later.
It doesnt look like theyre bad people. Adventurers carry a strong ruffian
image, but it looks like diligent adventurers do exist.
The Third gave his evaluation from the conversation.

Its nice they didnt swallow the rumors whole. Well, it means there are
some people out there wholl evaluate you with their own eyes, Lyle. Good
for you.

(No, I was moving just as you guys said, and got the Idiotic Nobel Son
title per your words not that it matters.)
Ocassionally, there are some adventurers who turned mocking eyes on me,
but there are also people like Hawkins-san and that Rondo-san from before
out there.
When I think of that, my thoughts get slightly lighter.

Im back.
As I returned to the house, Novem appeared from the kitchen to greet me.
Welcome home, Lyle-sama. Ah, so Aria is coming back separately?
By the apron she was wearing, she was probably preparing lunch.
As I told her that ria would be late, my stomach began to grumble from the
smells wafting in from the kitchen.
She said that it would take her some time, so she would be late. That aside,
thiss quite a nice smell.
I looked towards the kitchen, and Novem laughed to herself, as she said
lunch would be done soon enough, and returned.
While I wondered what it would be, the Fourth gave me a severe assessment.

Lyle.
Since novem wasnt close by, I answered in a quiet voice.
What is it?

That was absolutely no good. I was going to try keeping quiet, but that was
simply too horrendous. Why did you leave Aria-chan behind? And where are
your thanks for Novem-chan making lunch? Just be a little more mindful of
yourself! Simply looking at you is irritating me!
Lately, Ive been able to feel that this man probably went through many
hardships for his wife.
Perhaps if he didnt do this much, something terrible would have happened to
him.
Hes saying that, but whats your take on the matter, Fifth?
As I asked, the Fifth gave a condescending reply.

Dont mind it. Pops(The Fourth Generation) has a bit of an illness. He

cherished mama too much, and gave her a princesss treatment because of
that, I also went through hell.
Each generation had various problems.
As I went off to wash my hands, I heard Novems voice along the way.
Lyle-sama, were you able to make up with Aria-chan?
By her question, it seems she was worried about mine and Arias relationship.
At the same time, I get the feeling I know why Aria was in the reference
room today.
No. But we were able to talk a little. Im sorry to be worrying you about it,
Novem.
As I said that, she gave a wry smile.
So you figured it out?
Of course Id understand if she suddenly struck up a conversation with me
like that. I knew that something had happened.
Novem removed her apron, folded it, and placed it on a nearby shelf.
I think Aria-san has her share of troubles as well, so please pay some mind
to that.
I averted my eyes from her, nodded, and immediately went off to wash my
hands.

At the guilds reception desk, the work for the day had finished, so
Hawkins stretched his body.
Looks like today ended safely.
The middle aged woman working next to him patted her shoulders as she
answered.
Finally. I wonder why they all come around to me. Still, it looks like theyve
started to line up with you as of late.
I think it would be fine if a few more came to me, but its not going as I had
hoped.
The woman who praised Hawkins smiled, and stood up before beginning her
preparations to leave.
The beauty on the far side had left early, so she wasnt there anymore.
Perhaps she was being treated to a meal by some adventurer. Hawkins sighed
as the thought crossed his mind. He started to tidy up the documents and
tools at his station.
Once work ended, cleaning up his desk his counter was Hawkins
standard procedure.
The staff member who had taken over from the beauty had been troubled
upon inheriting all the work that hadnt been processed yet, it seems.
Hawkins called out to them.
Whats the problem?
Ah, Hawkins-san the truth is, that some documents I never heard about
popped up when I took over the post. Its a little troubling.
Again, is it?
With a good face and figure, she was the reception desks eyecatcher. It
would be accurate to put it like that, but in truth, there was a problem with
her work ethic.
To the adventurers lined up gunning for her, a small problem or two would
actually create a chance for a longer conversation with her. It was something
to celebrate.
But from the point of view of the other receptionists, she was nothing but
trouble.
Of all else, the girls father was a higher up in the guild.
Hawkins was also told by his boss to look out for her, so if a problem
cropped up, hed lend a hand if possible.
But it seems that such an environment was a bad influence on her.
I was sure I told her to hand over her post properly.
Youre not at fault, Hawkins-san. The other staff members just tell her
something like, this much is fine, and try to console her. The individual
herself seems to think its fine as well.
Recently, she had started to hate how Hawkins gave out detailed instructions
pertaining to work. She stopped coming to talk to him very often.
The middle aged female worked hated the beauty from the start, or perhaps
she didnt have any intentions of looking after her.
The troubled ones should be the adventurers, but anyways, what sort of
documents are they?
Saying that, Hawkins accepted the documents. His eyes suddenly turned
serious.
Im sorry, Im a temp, so I wasnt able to understand the meaning behind
them.
Normally, one of the ones working out back would take over for the
receptionists.
Even if they could handle a majority of the work, there were many things
they didnt know. At times like that, Hawkins or one of the others gave a
followup.
If it was this form, she should have been able to process it by herself.
Thinking that, Hawkins became a little anxious.
Where did you find this document?
It was with the other documents I received upon taking post.
The temp opened a drawer, and took out a cluttered binder with numerous
documents shoved into it.
(It looks like she forcefully shoved them in again Im sure I taught her to
handle documents with care, though.)
Letting out a sigh, Hawkins began to check and see if any of the other forms
had any problems.
Ill check all of the documents within here. Also, can I ask you to check and
see if any of out management are still around?
Y-yes!
Noticing that Hawkinss attitude had changed, the staff member ran off.
Sitting down in the chair, Hawkins took out all the relevant papers from the
drawer.
Come to think of it, I havent received a report that they had returned
yet.
The advisor man who had called out to Zelphy came up in his mind.
He wasnt the ones who had processed their forms himself, so he hadnt
heard the time interval of their departure. But his instincts were telling him it
wasnt strange if they had returned by now.
Its not like Hawkins manned the desk every day.
At times, he would take a break, and have another staff member take up his
post.
A bad premonition in mind, he started going at the documents.
So those sorts of premonitions can be on the mark sometimes.
There, was a form listing out an overdue return.
They hadnt returned, or perhaps they were put in a situation where they
couldnt. Hawkins immediately circled around to the back rooms of the guild,
and searched for the other copies of the guild cards kept there.
For the advisor, and the five young adventurers who were following him, he
searched for the six cards.
While they were checked in times of emergency, the guild card copies were
usually kept where they wouldnt see the light of day.
But it was just as he thought.
As he took the six cards in hand, he confirmed the names.
Theres no doubt about it.
With a stern expression, he gripped the card that had a dark horizontal line
extending over the name
Comrade

Morning as usual.
The only difference was that from the time I fought Aria, this was the first we
would be leaving the city to fight monsters.
I replaced my sabres again, and the weapons storekeeper was quite amazed
when I showed up ordering the same thing again.
He even recommended me to go to Centralle, and purchase a better one, or to
change my weapon preferences.
Rather than being fixated on the sabre, it was the weapon I had become used
to handling, so I think Ill go with them for a while.
We met up with Zelphy-san and headed to the guild to find it in quite an
uproar.
A large bulletin board with the words Emergency Request was posted near
the desks on the second floor.
A majority of the adventurers had their eyes turned towards it, but after
making bitter faces, they headed towards the same boards they always
checked for normal requests.
I wonder what happened.
As Novem said that, we also ended up checking it out of curiosity.
Aria also seemed interested, but Zelphy-sans expression wasnt soft.
The request we found when we went up to the bulletin was for the search for
a party that hadnt returned over their stated duration, and an investigation of
the land.
Ah, if you dont return by your set date, a search party goes out, right
I recalled what Zelphy-san had told me, and she nodded. But looking at the
names written over the paperwork, she began to shake her head.
Youre half right. I taught you our official stance, but in truth, its more of
an investigation into why the party in question vanished. Criminals and
monsters, or perhaps a labyrinth. There are as many reasons out there as you
can think of. Its to make sure the next ones who take their path dont fall
prey to it.
Half right.
The intention wasnt to save them, but to investigate why they had exceeded
their duration.
If you wanted to rephrase it, sending aid to the lost party was the second
priority.
Novem looked at the request formed, confirmed the party members ages, and
seemed to have noticed something.
Did these people perhaps hire a guild advisor?
Zelphy-san silently nodded, before letting out some toxic words.
Thats why I told him. That he should just go retire already after coming
this far, theres no point if you die, is there.
One of the names on the form had a red line running through it.
That was a sign that the one whose name had been carved on the guild card
had received injuries leading to the ceasing of prolonged life activity.
So summarize, death.
Perhaps out of luck, or because they were covered for the five young
adventurers seemed to be alive.
H-hey someones going to go save them, right?
Aria said that and looked around, but while the adventurers passed their eyes
over the emergency request, they didnt seem to have the intentions of
accepting it.
The veteran adventurer that died was a strong one among those in Dalien.
While it may be a town of newbies, he wouldve been considered relatively
strong even within the main force. A man like that has died.
To put it shortly, it would be difficult.
Dalien had an abundance of odd jobs to be found, but the feudal lord himself
took the initiative to subjugate dangerous monsters and clear labyrinths.
While it may be convenient for those that had just joined the trade, there was
some dissatisfaction to be had once they graduated from newbie status.
Should I put it as their focus on local interest? Of course, there are some that
continue to work in Dalien as adventurers, but a large majority of them leave,
and head for a town or city more suited for them.
This is bad. The guild was just requiting skilled adventurers for the
labyrinth that manifested not too long ago. The feudal lords troops have yet
to return either.
A labyrinth emerged, and the guild solicited help in subjugating it.
For that sake, a majority of battle-oriented parties had ventured off from the
city.
(Come to think of it, I did hear something like that.)
Remembering the rumors I heard circulating around the guild, I looked
around
Its probably not that there wasnt a single skilled adventurer here. But since
theyre trying to recruit people for the request in this fashion, I guess there
wasnt any that could take on the job.
I heard that if you take on an emergency dispatch, the guild puts out quite
a reward as well.
Novem seemed surprised that none of the other adventurers wanted to
participate.
There, Zelphy-san spoke.
Survival over loot. There may be some out there wholl take the challenge to
raise their names, but this is troublesome. The place they headed was a
dangerous one. If played poorly, whole parties can get annihilated.
Its not like the entire landmass of Dalien was safe.
For places outside of human inhabitation, there isnt much of an opportunity
for soldiers to head forth and suppress dangerous elements.
As we were looking at the request form close the counter, Hawkins-san called
out to use.
Zelphy-san, can I have a little of your time?
Boss.
Hawkins-san was letting off a sterner atmosphere than usual, as he called
Zelphy-san over.
Did you see the request?
Yep, saw it. But from the contents, I get the feelin it should have been
posted up quite a while ago. Did somethin happen?
It was much too far past the point where it would be strange if they hadnt
returned.
Even so, today was the first time the urgent request hade made an
appearance.
It was a blunder on our side. I deeply apologize.
An apology doesnt clear up the matter, though. It probably wasnt your slip
up, boss, but were all putting our lives on the line here. Has anyone set out
the requests location yet?
Permission to head off to the designated point hadnt been granted yet.
But since the news came late, there may have been adventurers who had set
out for the dangerous area unaware.
Perhaps our luck was good this time. The parties that usually used the area
as their hunting ground have headed off to the labyrinth. Its just that, that
being the case, we cant find any adventurers willing to head over.
Wouldnt it be fine if you went, boss?
On Zelphy-sans joke, Hawkins-san didnt really return an answer.
(Both of them are a little angry.)
From what I can hear from their conversation, it might have been an
acquaintance.
Um, Hawkins-san. So what was the reason you called Zelphy-san over
then?
Novem sought confirmation, and Hawkins-san started apologizing to us.
Its an urgent dispatch from the guild. We might be temporarily borrowing
Zelphy-san. For that time period, the guild will personally cover the
expenses.
It doesnt look like hes counting us in as a plausible fighting force.
(But that may be natural.)
As I thought that, I heard the Seconds voice.

Do the measures taken by the guild in times like these change by the city?
From what I remember, I get the feeling I heard of them forcefully sending
out people against their wills.
The one who answered was the Sixth.

The times change, and the guilds structure changes with it, but Daliens
adventurers arent of the best quality, so perhaps this sort of thing happens
often.
The ancestors sounded quite calm.
Its not like theres a need to panic, but I feel their reactions are a little too
dry.
Zelphy-san was making a reluctant face, but she sighed and nodded.
If its a request from boss, I cant really decline. Its just that I also want to
know what sort of actions the guild is taking on it.
Hawkins-san closed his eyes, and after a while of silence, he opened them
and answered.
The opinion of the higher-ups is it was the mistake of a staff member, but
they concluded that it was something that could happen to the best of us. In
this instance, I doubt any punishment sil be handed down.
Boss, in that case, none of usll be satisfied. I hated that man for his
mouth, but there are plenty of adventurers whove been saved by him. While
I loathed him, hes helped me out twice or thrice. Are you tellin me to accept
this?
The talks seem to have started down a different direction.
The three of us were being left behind.
Zelphy-san is dropping out of our party to fulfill an urgent request, it seems.
In that case, what should we do today?
I began to ponder todays plans.
Odd jobs were fine, but since we had a party of three, I wanted to go out to
fight monsters if possible.
I wanted to experience Growth soon, and more importantly, Ill becoming
needlessly specialized at physical labor at this rate.
(I mean, theyve even started trying to lure me over.)
The site foreman offered that I quite being an adventurer, and come work for
him. I had to give a bitter smile, and refuse.
Its not that I hated it, but the earnings from it wouldnt support two, so it
wasnt plausible.
Aria looked at Zelphy as she spoke.
I wonder if Zelphy will be fine. I mean, a skilled adventurer of Dalien
perished, right?
Novem tried to calm her down.
It may not have been a monster or foe. Its not unthinkable that it was an
accident. I also doubt that theyll be sending Zelphy-san out alone.
There was a party of six, one died, and the rest were missing in action.
The possibility it was an accident was actually quite high.
As I thought that, the First called out to me.

Lyle, you participate as well.

Whats this, all of a sudden? I thought, but the First probably had his reasons.
The Third was of the same opinion.

Perhaps thats for the best. And wait, in a request like this, the efficiency
will generally rise if Lyle joins in.
The Sixth also agreed.

If its mine and the old mans (Fifth Generation) Skills, then finding them
will be simple, and youll be able to avoid danger.
(I see. So if I use the ancestors Skills, the efficiency will be on another
level.)
Especially the Fifth and Sixth. When used together, they were quite an
amazing one.
I can put up a map of my surroundings in my head, and enemy and ally
monster locations and traps can be known to me for a certain extent of
distance.
But if I said I wanted to participate, would Hawkins-san accept that?
The Second was the same as me.

If Lyle said he wanted to join, would they permit it?

The Fifth

What are the merits of him going out for that? Theyre a group completely
irrelevant to Lyle. Also, if he starts making himself stand out, then the
reputation we worked so hard to lower in Dalien would be pointless.
After hearing all their opinions, the First spoke.

Merits? Like hell I know. Its just that if he sees them off, and the
adventurer called Zelphy dies, hell have trouble sleeping at night.
The Seventh let out a fed up response.

Could it be this is for that Arias sake again? I doubt theres a need to go
that far. If she died here, that means that was the extent of her ability.
The Fourth put a close on the disjointed opinions, and posed a question to
me.

Well then, like that, the opinions on the matter are divided Lyle, what do
you want to do?
Having been asked for my opinion, I promptly put my hand on the Jewel-
turned-necklace.
There really isnt much merit in it, but if the First is saying this much about
it, the perhaps it really is that dangerous.
His sharpness of instinct is something I recognize.
(Am I really able to resolve this problem?)
If I used my Skills, the chances of success would certainly improve.
Thats just how useful the Skills I held were.
But in order to participate, I have a need to persuade them. Hawkins-san and
Zelphy-san. Ill have to let Novem and Aria stay behind as well.
After thinking for a while, I came to my conclusion.
Novem, can you wait with Aria in Dalien for a while? I think Ill take up the
urgent request with Zelphy-san.

Oy, get a grip on yourself

Not happening. After you did so much posing, for you to be thrown in this
situation
You even left the convincing to Novem-chan Lyle
There must have been a slightly better way out there. I mean, how could you
draw back there?
It looks like theres a need for you to steadily build up your negotiation
skills.
Well, with all things taken into account, I guess thats just how it goes.
You guys thats all you have to say to my grandson!? Lyle was trying his
hardest! He opposed Novems participation up until the end of it, and in the
end, hes still right here participating in the urgent request, isnt he!?
(Stop it! Please dont stick up for me any more than that,
Grandfather(Seventh Generation)!!)
On top of the horse-drawn cart, I used both hands to cover my face. It had
turned red all the way up to my ears, as I listened in on the Jewels remarks,
First Generation up.
Ive gradually become aware of it, but even if I cover my ears, I can still hear
their voices quite clearly.
From how the surroundings couldnt hear them, I had a hunch they werent
operating by sond, but its really a bother.
The ancestors voices I could hear even if I blocked up my ears
The reason they were somplaining so much was because of the current
situation.
The guild sent out two carts, and they provided money for the necessary
equipment. We were put in a temporary party, and sent off to investigate.
Starting with Zelphy-san it was my same old party. Novem and Aria
included.
On top of that, Rondo-sans three were included in todays members.
The guild also hired a single coachman.
O-oy, are you alright, Lyle-kun?
Rondo-san called out to me in worry, and Novem, who was sitting next to
me, also sounded worried.
Lyle-sama, could it be a cold? You were fine until just now.
In comparison to Novems flustered state, Aria seemed extremely nervous.
She tightly gripped the red gem over her chest.
To her, Rachel-san started up a conversation.
Thats one of those gems with Skills in it, right? A rare find in these times.
How many do you have in it?
U-um, mine included, there are five.
As Aria nervously gave an answer, Rachel-sans eyes began to sparkle.
Amazing! If you made is a Magic Item, itd fetch a price of one to two
hundred gold coins. Since its red, its Vanguard Class, right? Is the
compatibility alright?
Skill compatibility is an important factor.
If you look at the Skills in my possession, the Fifths and Sixths become
something quite amazing when used simultaneously.
But its not like the gem was set to make these sorts of combinations.
For those that it was passed down through, it recorded their Skills without
discrimination.
Im sorry. I dont really know
As Aria seemed apologetic, Rachel-san hurriedly tried to console her.
D-dont mind it! Ive heard that people with gems cant choose the Skills in
them. Even so, if you have five on you, then you have quite a bit of fighting
potential there.
Having been told that, Aria hung her head down even further.
I cant use them all yet.
Hearing that, the spear weilder, Rahu-san let out a sigh.
Read the mood, Rachel. That aside, your partys the inverse of ours. Its
quite a pain if you have more men on you. For me, Rondo and Rachel let off
a pink aura, so Im left feeling lonely on the side So, which ones your
girlfriend, Lyle? Im pretty sure its Novem-chan, though.
It was a time-consuming trip, so Rahu-san tried changing to a topic to ease
our mental tension.
(I-Im thankful. Rather than hearing the ancestors persistant rants, a
conversation like this is)
As I thought that, Novem spoke up.
No, both of us are Lyle-samas
Novem!!
I hurried to cut her off, but I didnt make it in time. Arias downcast face also
turned red.
Rachel
Eh? Thats a joke, right, Aria-chan?
There, Aria
He returned my heirloom for me, and when I was about to be disposed of,
he went as far as to help me and
Say is clearly! Youre inviting in plenty a misunderstanding, so you have to
be clear at times like these!
I hurriedly turned to Aria, but that liberated Novems mouth.
It is no misunderstanding. Aria-san received salvation from Lyle-sama, and
right now, the three of us are living under the same roof.
Novem said that with a smile, and Rondo-san had a cramped smile as he
confirmed it.
Eh, so this a so-called harem-like occurrence?
Novem, quite clearly
Its no so-called harem, its a true harem. For now, we only have two, but
from here on, I expect the numbers will expand considerably.
Seeing Novem let all that out with a bright smile, I opened and closed my
mouth in silence.
I doubt she was unable to read the mood, but theres no doubt shes being
completely serious here.
Rahu-san placed his hand on my shoulder.
While his mouth was definitely curved into a smile, his eyes were smiling by
no means.
Similarily, the shoulder on my other side received Rondo-sans hand.
How about you go a little into the details, Lyle.
Rondo-san was the same.
How enviable that sounds, Lyle-kun. I definitely want to hear just how you
brought that to fruition, but before that, I think I need to have a little talk with
you on how a man must treasure the woman he loves most.
Rahu-san coincided.
Thats right. It wasnt a good idea for me to have started thinking of how to
kill time until we arrived. Im definitely giving you an earful, so prepare
yourself, Lyle.
Novem continued to go on about her future harem expansion plans with a
smile, and Aria and Rachel-san listened on with reddened faces
It looks like there isnt a single savior on this cart.

Zelphy-san, who was driving the cart, heard the voices of young
adventurers from behind her.
She did try shouting at Lyles group after they had suddenly stated their
desires to take up the urgent request, but having been persuaded by Novem,
she finally voiced her consent.
Whats more, she couldnt offer Aria any special treatment, so the girl was
going to be participating as well.
If it was about competence, her personal strength was high.
And in this time, three other strong adventurers were also participating.
They probably wouldnt fail through some reckless actions, but still, she was
anxious.
Good grief, what fun theyre having this isnt a picnic, you know.
She heard the voices of kids enjoying themselves from behind, and
remembered how the lines she voiced were directed at herself, some long
time ago.
They were the words of the departed adventurer.

Zelphy-chan, this isnt a picnic, so how about we calm down a little?

He taunted her when she was nervous, it was only later that she realized he
was trying to ease her.
He was wild, and his mouth wasnt the finest, but he was an adventurer good
at looking after others.
Whenever they met at the guild, they would throw around insults, and they
had held drinking contests against one another at the bar as well.
Come to think of it, he lost his bet, so he owes me a drink.
Zelphy looked up at the sky, as she mourned the loss of her colleague, who
had served many years alongside her as an adventurer of Dalien.
She really did mean it when she said he should have retired already.
It was a dangerous job. If you could get out of it, its best to do so as soon as
you can.
Dammit, theres no point if you die. Werent you the one that said that
Even if they were quick to fight whenever they met, Zelphy still recognized
him as a comrade.
It was precisely because she recognized him, that
Ill definitely settle this.
Zelphys eyes were giving off a sharp light
Humans and Demons are EquallyFavored

TL: I think Ill changing the utterances of dungeon to labyrinth. The word
used is Meikyuu, which means labyrinth or maze, but it is used in a
similar fashion to the term dungeon you would find in a game. As Labyrinth
is a more direct translation, Ill be using it for accuracys sake.

Having arrived at the designated spot indicated by the request, we

dismounted the cart, and looked around the area.
In Daliens remote regions, most areas turned into dense forests.
Apparently, someone tried to raise a village here and there in the past, but
because of monster attacks, these plans ended in failure.
Mysteriously, it was impossible to burn down the monster infested woods.
If you tried cutting them down, more vegetation would immediately grow to
replace it.
For that reason, the speed of the forests spread was also something amazing.
A large amount of researchers speculate that the reason for this lay with the
monsters.
When monsters built up homes, their magic was sucked into the trees, and
this led to rapid growth
From those managing it, it truly was a troublesome phenomenon.
But the opinions of the First and Second Generation were different.
According to the First

If you made a village here, youd be able to sell all the lumber you could
dream of!
The Second also

You could make a killing off the deforestation business. What a waste
back in my day, I lived after a certain someone had already cut down the
monster-infested forest, so I wasnt able to do that.
The views of a truly powerful generation.
The troublesome expanding forest problem was resolved within a single
lifetime. Well, because of that, the Second lamented his loss of a source of
income.
Unloading our luggage, we ended up going out on a survey of the area.
We left managing our baggage to the single coachman, and we divided into
our party of four and Rondo-sans of three to rotate between protecting our
belongings and scouting.
Zelphy-san issued orders to us.
You dont know what sort of monster youll find. No matter what happens,
run, and head to the location I told you of before. Also, there are also some
survivors, make sure you can issue treatment and food rations at a moments
notice.
Perhaps the coachman was used to this sort of thing, as he readily nodded.
Capable people to support parties like these werent too popular of an
occupational choice, but they were essential positions.
Usually, a party of six would have at least one of those sorts.
It was desirable to have two, if possible.
If you took on mercenary work, then supporters logistic support, increased
in numbers.
It was said that rather than the mercenaries fighting on the front lines, the
ones providing support in the back were more numerous.
Should we also get a supporter on us?
As Rondo-san said that, Rahu-san shook his head.
Youre hiring a supporter for a party of three? Our profitsll drop. At least
get four or five of us before you get one for the party, right?
Zelphy-san offered the two a warning.
Dont lose focus. First, confirm the surroundings. Make sure you frequently
rotate your lookout. If an unforeseen event happens, then think and act for
yourselves. Got it?
If you couldnt protect your own life, it was unthinkable to be able to save
anothers.
I got the feeling Zelphy-san said something like that at the beginning.
I turned to Novem and Aria.
Are either of you tired?
Novem shook her head, but Arias face looked pale.
Perhaps she was worn out from the swaying of the cart.
The Second gave me some advice.

Have Aria rest. Shell probably hate it, but persuade her to take up lookout
after resting a while. If you just randomly throw something out like if you
dont rest now, there wont be a second chance, shell likely consent
So eager that she was making a pointless effort. That was the current Aria.
After gripping the Jewel once, I tried persuading Aria.
But before that, the Third threw out his opinion.

Oh, make sure you seek the leaders orders first. Lyle, right now, Zelphy-
sans acting as this partys leader.
He has a point.
I looked at Zelphy-san. She was sending a worried glance at Aria.
(If you were that worried, then you should have taken custody of her
yourself.)
I offered a suggestion.
Zelphy-san, can we put Aria on break? At this rate, it will be a long time
before well be able to rest.
W-wait!
Aria raised an unsatisfied voice and drew closer to me, but Novem raised her
staff to stop her.
The one who will decide is Zelphy-san.
S-still
To a vexed Aria, Zelphy-san spoke.
Its true that if you dont get in some rest now, rotating the watch shift will
be hard, I guess Aria, go take a break. Dont think Im giving you the easy
way out here. When the time comes, Im putting you on lookout. Until then,
make sure you rest up so you can carry out your job properly.
The look in Zelphy-sans eyes seemed to say that objections were not
permitted.
Aria reluctantly consented.
(She surely thinks she was removed from the party because of her
ineptitude.)
The cold was cold to her.

At times like these, consoling her has no meaning. She arbitrarily locked
herself into a mindset she built up for herself. Truly troublesome.
On that opinion, the First shot back with a weaker attitude than usual.

Shes still young, so theres no helping it! Consider the long term here!
The First was frankly in favor of the girl, but if I had my say in it
( Im a year younger than Aria, you know)
There were some things I was dissatisfied with.

For an adventurer to fight monsters, the place with the highest efficiency was
generally the forest.
Even if they go to the forest, it wasnt like they really enter it. They stay in
wait somewhere around the entrance.
They prepared someone like me to lure them out and fought them as a group
when they emerged.
They kept themselves fighting on unobstructed land and ambushed monsters
that were lured out. Quite an efficient style of battle.
But as long as the bait wasnt proficient, then they may end up with
casualties.
After heading to the forest, we started to search for the footsteps of the
missing adventurers.
Nearby, there were traces that a cart had paid the area a visit recently.
There were the traces of a campfire, and we discovered an abandoned cart
missing only its horses.
I used Skills to confirm the surrounding situation.
( There arent any monsters, or anyone else at that matter.)
As I confirmed the insides of the carriage from afar, I found traces that it was
broken into.
There dont seem to be any monsters.
Zelphy-san took a hard look at my face.
What is it?
No, I was just thinking about possibilities here, but could it be that you
possess a Skill? Support Class at that?
During the bandit subjugation, I acted separately from her.
This was the first time I showed her my use of a Skill. What was more, I
never declared I could do anything like that.
According to the Second:

Youre making it quite blatantly obvious. Well, its not like youll be hurt or
anything if it gets out. Just affirm it here. Oh, make sure you make its effect
out to be vague.
Hearing that, I nodded.
Yep, it sure is a Support Class Skill. Its quite convenient.
I wondered what was on Novems mind when she heard that, but when I
turned my eyes to her, she was remaining vigilant of the surroundings.
Zelphy-san simply whispered something like, That so?
Anyways, on to the cart investigations. And wait, there are traces of blood
on the ground.
The three of us approached it, and there, a bloodstain remained.
Novem
Could it be bandits? They were raided here or something?
Zelphy approached and squatted down, before shaking her head.
No, there really is nothing in this area. Theres an especially high density of
monsters here, so settling here would be hard. Some time has passed since
the blood was spilled, so I cant really say anything about it, but it looks
like the horses were attacked here.
There were bones lying around nearby.
The report from the guild said only the adviser had perished.
There was no saying no one died while we were on the way here, but perhaps
they fled.
Zelphy-san simply looked around the area.
Theres no traces of a fight. Whats more, the inside of the cart has been
laid to waste quite terribly.
Something had happened, and the barrels and wooden crates had been
smashed. The contents were taken away.
Since they didnt use a pick or pry and had to destroy them to this extent, the
possibility of it being by human hands was low.
What was more, the monster materials were left alone.
If it were bandits, they would take and sell them off somewhere.
Rather than killing the horses, taking possession of them was more
convenient, and theyd probably actually take the cart in its entirety.
If it wasnt infighting, then monsters seem to be the greatest possibility.
We circled around to see if anything was left behind.
But we didnt find anything.
It seems they stayed put around here and repeated battles by approaching the
forest. But if thats the case, then rather than there having been a battle here,
it looks like only the cart was assaulted.
With her experience as the base, Zelphy-san assessed the scene.
But all of that was but a prediction.
We couldnt deny the possibility of bandits being remarkably stupid.
Novem confirmed our plans hereafter.
What are we going to do now? Should we return, or perhaps set foot into the
forest?
Zelphy-san thought for a little and checked the height of the sun.
Lets go check out the area close to the forest. And return to camp.
To observe the forest from afar, we left the area.
But in the end, even if observed from here, there were no changes in the
forest.
Zelphy-san apparently had come here in the past to hunt often, but according
to her, nothing had really changed.
Just that it had expanded a little more than before.
I used a Skill to check its contents, and I sensed something dreadful.
The Second

Lyle, tell them quickly a labrinth has manifested.

Night.
I returned to the camp site, finished eating, and rested until my shift for watch
was to come around.
Around me, Rondo-san and Rachel-san were lying asleep.
Generally, you didnt hear of too much of a separation of genders among
adventurers.
And wait, there werent too many parties out there who could prepare two
separate tents to facilitate that.
If they had money, perhaps they would do something like that, but beginners
and poor adventurers slept in the same tent regardless of male and female.
(Its my first time camping.)
Up until now, I had never ventured that far out to fight monsters.
Of course, that was probably because I was still thought of as lacking in the
necessary abilities.
There, I heard the Firsts voice.

Lyle, stay how you are, and listen. The ones sleeping beside you are
adventurers. If you let out a sound, theyll likely wake up.
The Third offered an explanation to me on the current situation.

Its not strange for a labyrinth to manifest in a forest. More so, thats the
standard. Forests and caves, and also abandoned mansions and forts, they
store up mana and become labyrinths.
In this case, the cause was probably that the entrance to the forest had
become a labyrinth.
Using my Skills to peek further in, I was able to confirm passageway-like
formations.
Perhaps because not too much time had passed since its birth, the labyrinth
wasnt all too deep.

At a relatively close point, a treasure-filled place labelled Deepest

Chamber appeared.
It was the biggest room, so my ancestors told me there was no doubt about it.
Zelphy-san seemed to be of the same opinion, and she was under the opinion
that some trouble emerged after they had accidentally drifted into the
labyrinth.
The Sixth

My Skill has no meaning if youre not close enough. With your current
level, Lyle, from the outside of the labyrinth, you probably wont be able to
distinguish friend from foe.
I did check it from the outside, but I could only get a vague understanding of
the insides.
It was as if a haze had been cast over it, and I couldnt get a clear grasp of it.
The Fifth also

My Skills the same. From outside, thats the limit. Of course, for you, that
is. Now its about our opinion on the matter.
In the end, the Fourth came forth as usual.

According to the First, theres no doubt theres something bad in there, it

seems. Also, great enough to defeat a veteran adventurer Were fine it if
you want to enter, but I dont recommend you go all the way to the Deepest
Chamber.
Hearing that, I grasped the Jewel.

Morning.
Thinking the labyrinth was clearly suspicious, we left the guard of the cart to
Rahu-san.
We ended up with a party of me, Zelphy-san, Novem, Aria, Rondo-san, and
Rachel-san to enter the labyrinth.
If we were left on guard duty, we wouldnt be able to rescue the adventurers
who had become immobilized by something within.
What was more, there was an absolute necessity to take Novem, who
specialized in healing.
In cases where we were immobilized by injury, we could count on her.
As a result, the skilled Rahu-san ended up house-sitting.
He seemed reluctant, but there wasnt another way. If we didnt return in the
set time, Zelphy-san forced the idea onto him to return to Dalien
immediately.
When we set foot into the labyrinth, it was different from a normal forest.
With passages made of lined up trees, it really became a maze.
The unnaturally lined up trunks, and the breadth of the walkway
More than anything, the air felt heavy, and it became harder to breath. We
could still breath normally, but it was stressful.
Rondo-san looked at me and tapped my shoulder.
Get your breathing in order. If you take in that much air, youll wear
yourself out. This is my second time in one, but you get used to it soon
enough. Dont worry.
I nodded and steadied myself.
And I used my Skills.
Full Over.
Map.
Search.
I used the Firsts, Fifths, and Sixths simultaneously.
My raised power from Full Over let me forcibly make use of the other two.
By doing that, I was able to get a clearer picture than when I tried it outside.
As a detailed map of the labyrinth floated up in my mind, I tried to perceive
where monsters were waiting and where the adventurers were.
(Im starting to think this, but combining the Fifth and Sixths Skills is almost
a cowardly move.)
The staff-wielding Rachel-san chanted a spell
And the surroundings became brighter.
Sorry, but if Im doing it alone, Ill need a rest in about two hours. Novem-
chan, can I ask you to rotate with me along the way? It can just be for ten
minutes.
Yes.
The two magicians confirmed how they would be lighting the area.
Novem had a need to perform healing, but if Rachel-san didnt get some rest
in, her Mana wouldnt last.
I told Zelphy-san.
Go straight here and turn left before the dead end.
Hearing that, she put her hand to her chin.
Is that also the power of Skills?
Yes.
I answered with confidence, so she nodded and proceeded forward.
Rondo will take the front with me. Lyle, you give orders from the very back.
Also, the two mages are to protect Lyle.
It looks like I wont be fighting on the front lines.
Understood.
Hearing that, the Second seemed to accept it.

Its because using Skills drains Mana. She probably plans on conserving
your energy. And wait, here, youre giving orders to people youre used to, so
there shouldnt be a problem. Lyle, make sure you use the Skills periodically
to keep a good idea of your surroundings. Well keep ourselves as quiet as we
can.
In that case, the ancestors will probably only speak up if the situation turns
drastic.
Like that, I gave directions and made sure to avoid areas where monsters
were loitering.
The fact that we could sense their positions put us at quite an advantage.
And we proceeded deeper, aiming for the room the adventurers were in.
(The fact that Im getting a response from them means theyre still alive, it
seems.)
We avoided attacks from behind and kept ourselves on favorable conditions
whenever went into a fight.
And what I noticed in all that was the skill level of Zelphy-san and Rondo-
san.
Zelphy-san used magic as she fought, bashed with her shield, and stabbed
with her sword. She even sent enemies flying with magic, quite a versatile
fighting style.

Fly away! Fire Shot!

She pushed back with her Shield, and from there, small orbs of fire were fired
off simultaneously.
The output of each shot was small, but it seems they werent to damage a
point, but to damage the whole.
(Is it a strengthened form of Fire Bullet? If its an original, it may even be a
Skill.)
Within Rearguard Skills, there were some that acted as magic.
I heard the mana consumption and output were different, but I never thought
Zelphy-san would be able to use something like that.
Novem spoke.
Amazing, Zelphy-san. Is that an original magic?
Zelphy-san answered, a little embarrassed.
I just casted what came to my head. Its just a Fire Bullet with a little change
in shape. Terrible, right? But its quite user friendly.
It seems it wasnt a Skill.
So you can use magic. You acted like it was something beyond you before.
As I said that, she sheathed her sword.
All I can use is that one back there and Fire Bullet. Even if thats all I can
do, its embarrassing to say that I can use magic.
So if you could only use one or two spells, could you not name yourself as a
magician?
Aria looked surprised.
Could you use it back at the mansion? Then even a governmental position
would be
Zelphy gave a bitter smile.
It was after I became an adventurer. More importantly, I cant recommend
loiterin in a place like this for too long. That goes for peoples pasts as well.
Rondo-san nodded.
Similarily, he was also amazing.
He only had a sword on him, but his sword skills were quite something.
Aria was looking at his blade.
Is that a Magic Tool?
Hearing that, Rondo-san nodded. After battle, he remained vigilant of his
surroundings and got his breath in order. We were taking a slight rest.
We also had conversations like these.
Though in exchange, Novem or I had to keep watch. Right now, Novem was
lighting the area in Rachel-sans place.
Its an heirloom and my partner. It has three Skills in it, so even if Im the
one holding it, this is what you get. However, dont be spreading this
information around outside.
Rondo-san said that as he winked in Arias direction, before he received a
prompt staff to the shin from Rachel-san.
Ow!
Dont flirt right in front of your girlfriend. Look, your breaks over. Novem,
lets rotate. Thanks for all this.
No problem.
Rachel-san glared at the swordsman before thanking Novem for letting her
rest with a smile.
Novem also had a wry smile on her face.
Zelphy-san posed a question.
Now then, about how much further?
I confirmed the locations of the room.
If we defeated the troublesome monsters on the way there, it looked like we
would be able to avoid any battles when we were making our escape.
In the deepest chamber, a large presence remained immobile.
And it seemed to be guarding whatever treasure laid in the room.
If we turn there, we should already be at our destination.
I pointed to the entranceway we could see from the passage, as I confirmed
that five presences were indeed beyond it.
Okay, lets go.
Zelphy-san hurried off towards it.

Having reached the room, we checked the five that had collapsed there.
They were all covered in blood, but they still had breath.
However, they looked to be in quite a weakened state.
Theyre alive! Theyre still alive!
Rachel-san raised a delighted voice, as she immediately ran over to them
with the light.
Of the five, a single one of them noticed our approach and opened his eyes.
Oy, what happened?
Rondo-san ran over, took out his water flask, and slowly let the man who
opened his eyes drink from it.
I also approached them and assessed their injuries.
Its mainly blunt force trauma. There are some broken bones.
As I said that, Novem began her healing magic.
While their wounds would heal, it didnt seem that the weakened five would
rise.
After he calmed down from the water, the beaten down adventurer opened his
mouth.
B-because of us, our adviser was
Hearing that, Zelphy-san came closer. She appeared to be making sure she
didnt let any information slip by.
We were able to handle the monsters around here, and when we said we
wanted to go further in, he refused. We wanted to become first class as soon
as possible, so
Looking over the crying man, Zelphy-san clicked her tongue.
That idiot oy, what sort of enemy was it?
She made a regretful face as she asked for the particulars on the culprit.
An orc. It was emerald It had a large cudgel on it.
While it sounded a little hard for a beginner, it wasnt an enemy that couldnt
be beaten with the right numbers.
For the boss of a small labyrinth like this, it was surprisingly standard.
But Zelphy-san didnt seem satisfied with that answer.
Youre telling me that bastard was done in by a nothing but a Orc!? You
guys wanted the treasure to yourself so you
Y-youre wrong. It was just an orc, but we couldnt even lay a hand on it
by the time he came to save us, we were already worn out and he told us to
run ahead.
The adventure shed tears as he spoke, but those tears were few.
It seems he was trying his hardest to hold onto his consciousness.
Novem informed Zelphy-san that the treatment had finished.
Everyone has been treated. But Im not sure about their stamina.
Zelphy-san stood and ordered us to shoulder them. But we noticed a change
in our surroundings.
Aria spoke.
Do you not hear something? I also feel some vibrations.
Rondo-san pulled his sword.
It seems that its noticed us.
I also heard a loud voice from the First within the Jewel.

Lyle! Check your surroundings immediately! Also a big ones coming.

I hurriedly activated the Skills and opened my eyes wide.
Novem noticed my attitude and called out. At the same time, perhaps sensing
something, she held out her staff.
Lyle-sama?
I swallowed my spit and drew my sabre.
Its coming. The innermost boss is coming all the way here.
There wasnt a single response from the deepest chamber. And the bosss
signal was gradually approaching us.
What was more
Its fast.
As I muttered that, Zelphy-san unsheathed her sword and took a stance.
Ive never heard of a boss leaving its room before! Wai, everyone stand
down! Even if its a boss, its just an Orc.
As if to cut off Zelphy-san, the worn out adventurer screamed.
Theres no way that things normal! None of our attacks had the slightest
effect on it! Because of that, that man as well thats definitely no normal
orc!
The adventurers cry shocked us all.
Attacks didnt work.
Or so he said.
Just whats that supposed to mean!?
Right as Rachel-san shouted out, the entrance to the room was blown away,
and a single monster showed itself.
Looking at it, I muttered.
This is the first Ive seen an orc, but its much bigger than I thought, and
is it not red?
I think there was no helping me saying that.
Emerald skin and thick limbs. It had the image of an orc, equipped with
nothing but a loincloth, but the orc standing before me was definitely red.
It wasnt just the loincloth. Bristle grew from its arms and wrapped around its
body like a pelt.
The hair on its head had grown long enough to cover its back.
The tusks protruding from its jaw were sharp, and its breathing was rough.
Oy, oy, that looks nothing like a normal orc to me.
Rondo offered a light quip, but his tone was definitely nervous.
Aria couldnt raise a word, it seems.
Zelphy-san immediately rushed to the front.
I looked at the weapon in the red orcs hand.
It looked like it was simply wielding a sword, but if a human were holding it,
it would definitely be one of the largest variety.
Zelphy-san glared at the enemy.
So you stole the bastards weapon? Some courage you got there I had a
debt to him, and a drink to reclaim. Ill be defeating you to make it even.
I gripped the Jewel once.
If that monsters strength only went as far as its appearance, then I didnt
think it would be impossible to defeat.
But I felt something ominous from it.
It wasnt on Celes level, but it was a bizarre sensation, as if it had something
special on it.
My answer came from the Second.

It defeated an adventurer and experienced a Growth. Whats more, it

looks like its a Skill Carrier. Good grief the old mans (First
Generation) intuition is ominously accurate about these sorts of things.
The Seventh gave me a warning.

Lyle, consider retreat as well. If it comes to it, dont hesitate to cut off those
immobile five and prioritize the other surviving members.
Correct.
He was quite correct.
I turned my eyes to the collapsed five adventurers behind me.
(If I leave them, theyll definitely all be killed. Also, will we even be able to
get away?)
If I used a Skill, Im certain that I alone could escape.
I knew. I knew, but I didnt want to have to choose that option.
The Seventh spoke.
Lyle, there are times when you must become heartless. Otherwise, youll
end up losing much, much more.
He saw through my worries.
As I hung my head, the First burst into laughter.

Gahahaha, you all are underestimating the boy.

(Founder?)
As I was struck with wonder, the First issued orders.

This is your(the Second Generation) Skills turn, is it not?

As the First said that to the Second, I heard the click of a tongue.
Ive heard that the Seconds Skill only held meaning in conjunction with
others.

Its too fast, isnt it? I wanted to wait a little longer for Lyles Growth.
While I was being confused, the Fifth bursted in.

Thats all fine and dandy, but confirm the surroundings. Theres such an
irregular existence right here. I wonder how the rest will move.
As I checked with Map, I saw red, luminous points coming towards us.
Zelphy-san, Monsters are starting to gather.
Everyone reacted to my words.
They were probably certain that my Skill was a Support Class that let me
pick up detailed information on the surroundings.
Well youre quite the bringer of bad news today. How about a little pleasant
notifications sometimes?
I wasnt exactly sure about how to react to Zelphy-sans tired voice.
The Second seemed laid back.

Well then, its about time I taught you mine.

From my point of view, I never thought I would be being taught a Skill the
moment before I had to use it where it counted.
I never thought I would be told to just go use it without the slightest bit of
practice.
The First spoke to the Seventh.

Looks like he cant run anymore.

Ku, Lyle, do whatever you need to survive this. With the Seconds Skill,
that may be possible.
(No, even if you tell me something like that)
As I thought that, the information on the Skill started flowing forth from the
Jewel.
(This Skill is)
I casted my eyes down in a daze, and Zelphy-san shouted towards me.
Lyle, get a grip! If you dont show some drive here, then when!? Youre the
one who said youd participate!
The orc before me raised a roar.
After hanging my head, I raised it.
The one to notice my change was Novem.
Lyle-sama?
I guess it really doesnt have any meaning when used alone. Still, I wish
you had just told me about it earlier.
I leisurely pointed my sabre at the orc.
The First Generations Weapon

The Seconds Skill was, to put it simply, the ability to give others the rights
to use your own Skills.
The specifics get a little more complicated, but a simple explanation would
be that allies within a certain range of me could use the Skills in my
possession.
The Firsts Full Over.
The Fourths Speed.
One that created a condition where others could use their Skills whenever
they wanted That was the Seconds All.
Its just that, the mana I needed to expend to use it was considerably low.
I mean, it just let others use your own, and long as they werent using
anything, it was a very slight expenditure on my part.
But the Skills strongest characteristic was its ability to differentiate enemy
and ally within a set range.
The space where the trees had lined themselves up, and made a room-like
area.
The entranceway large enough for a person to pass had been blown away, an
in the scattered chips of wood, stood the Boss that should have been in the
Deepest Chamber.
Even as an orc, it had red skin, and its hair was thick. Its hair grew to mask
its back.
The ogre-like orc swung around the large sword that had once belonged to
the adventurer it killed.
When wielded by the beast, it simply seemed to be a normal sized sword.
Perhaps trying to threaten me as I raised my sabre towards it, the monster let
out a roar.
Around me were the comrades I challenged this labyrinth with. Novem, Aria,
Zelphy-san, Rondo-san, Rachel-san the five of them flinched for a moment
upon hearing the war cry.
I mean, it was just that loud.
Now that the orc was in it, the room that had a bit ow width to it started to
feel exceedingly narrow.
But I was able to comprehend the orcs current condition to some extent.
(I can see why the Seond hesitated to let my use it. In a sense, this is truly too
powerful.)
To put it bluntly, its original effect of being a Skill to allow others the use of
Skills was a lesser power than its indirect effect.
As if they were summoned forth by the red orcs scream, the monsters
loitering around the dungeon began to gather around the room we were in.
Zelphy-san stood up in front of me.
No, she was holding up her shield, so she was probably taking on the role of
a Shield for the entire party.
Its just that in order to oppose this red orc, I dont think Zelphy-sans power
is sufficient.
Ill take on this red one. You guys take care of the other ones pouring into
the room.
As I said that to all, Rondo-san raised his voice.
Do you know what youre saying!? That enemys not normal. It would be
best if we all went at it at once!
While that definitely was a plausible opinion, this wasnt the time to be
delaying action against the monster in front of us.
Yeah, Id love that too, but we dont really have the time look, theyre
coming!
As I said that, Goblins started to enter the room.
As they sprung up from behind the orc, Novem used her magic.
Wind Bullet.
The Goblins were sent sprawling in the air, and they collided with a wall.
At the same time, I pulled out my spare sabre, and started running off
towards the red orc.
It lifted up the blade in its hands, and lowered it at me.
It really is quite a Skill.
Using my momentum, I leaned down and leapt. The falling blade pierced into
the ground behind me.
I ended up in the space between the orc and its weapons.
Using the sabres in both of my hands, I cut at the red orcs knees.
Too shallow? More so that I thought no.
As I was considering whether the orcs skin was harder than I had expected, I
saw his knees healing before me.
I immediately jumped to his left, as his left fist hit the ground where I was,
and gouged it out. A small crater was formed.
As I rolled to stand from my lunge, a voice called out to me.
Lyle-kun!
It was Rondo-sans voice.
Seeing the goblin coming at me from my back, he quickly raised his voice.
Without turning around, I stuck my sabre behind, and stood.
Goblin blood starts raining down on my head.
Ah, I cant see.
As I muttered that, a few reacted by rushing over to me.
It was Novem, Aria and Zelphy-san.
Also, seeing a good opportunity, the monsters around started to aim at me.
I swung my two swords, and turned as I moved around the room.
Every time I swung my swords, blood spattered onto the ground.
As I finally used my sleeve to wipe my eyes, I was able to confirm the
situation.
So even when blinded, I can do this much?
Using my blades, I had dodged and cut down the monsters that came at me.
Where everyone was, and what sort of condition they were in that was the
Seconds Skill that could let me perceive all my surroundings. It differed
from the Fifth and Sixths Skill in an essential point.
The Fifth spoke with some nostalgia.

I was under this Skills care quite a bit, but as I thought, the side effect is the
more amazing part of it. My Skill gives you a much larger view, and its not
suited for these sorts of melee battles, though.
The Sixth agreed.

Right. Its plain, but quite proficient. There were quite a few campaigns I
lived through simply because I had the First and Second Generations skills.
Im sorry if you wanted to reminisce a little, but Id really like some advice
on how to defeat the enemy in front of me right now.
I heard that attacks dont work, but it looks like its healing. If you
continued attacking it, itd eventually run out of Mana and collapse, but it
feels like my stamina will run out first.
If it were only me, I think I would manage one way or another, but right now,
I have comrades.
The first ones to collapse will probably be Rachel-san, who was keeping the
room light, or Novem, who was using offensive magic to support me after
having healed all the adventurers herself.
After that, Aria will probably fall, and then perhaps Zelphy-san.
Finally, maybe even Rondo-san wont be able to defeat this orc.
(Because it defeated a veteran adventurer to experience a growth, its gotten
even more troublesome. So monsters can grow, and get Skills as well was
the fact that it was a grace from god to man a lie?)
I lowered my eyes to the sabres in both of my hands, and retreated back. In
front of me, the orcs sword was lowered.
It looks like it doesnt know how to handle a sword.
With this, it may have actually been better if it kept the cudgel.
The chipping on the sabres is quite bad. My weapons will be ruined first. If I
were to take it out in one blow, would magic strengthened by Skills be best?
I tried to reach a conclusion in my mind, but I felt it wasnt quite sufficient.
Since the others were taking on the monsters flooding into the room, itll take
some time before Ill be able to seek help from them.
Since it was taking me on, the red orc wasnt attacking the others. If someone
did come to my assistance, perhaps it would change its target.
I really hate gambling, though well then, how should I take it out
With my strongest attack, I have to somehow take down this monster in one
strike.
I need to determine what Skill it has, and I can perceive a majority of my
surroundings with the Seconds Skill. Stamina and Mana Since I can sense
those sort of things intuitively now, my fighting style has to change to match
that.
The First

Hey, isnt your (The Second Generation) skill a bit too cowardly?
The Second shouted out.

The hell you mean by cowardly!? Its a convenient Skill! It was so

convenient that he might start relying on it, so I didnt let Lyle use it yet is
all!
It felt like I had ganed some new senses, but it feels like using them all will
take too much time.
I felt that not my Mana, but my mental fatigue would catch up to me.
I continued to dodge the reds attacks, as I thought.
There, the red orc ominously retreated a step. It raised its voice, and from the
rooms walls the gaps between the trees, a normal emerald-skinned orc
appeared.
This one summoned allies!?
Aria raised a surprised voice, and Rondo-san approached Rachel-san in order
to protect her.
Zelphy-san also stood in front of Novem and Aria.
Lyle, how long do we have to hold out!?
Hearing Zelphy-sans voice, I looked up, and thought for a moment.
It will be over soon, so please withstand it for a little while.
I said that.
Hearing my words, the First raised a loud laugh.

nice going there, Lyle! Right. At times like these, men have got to look
cool! Good! Ill teach you something special
On the Firsts remark, the Fifth seemed a little agitated.

Oy, what are you thinking? Its much to soon, isnt it?
For the two orcs that had appeared at the red ones sides, I temporarily
activated Limit Vurst, and threw the sabres in my hands at them.
They spun in the air before landing in their skulls.
The two orcs opened their jaws at the impact, before collapsing on the
ground.
Seeing me lose my weapons, the red orc roared.
I wonder if I can take it out with magic just barely, perhaps.
I think it was possible, but just barely. There was also the possibility it wasnt
enough, so Id have to bet it all on one hit.
(If I cant beat it then, I can try striking it barehanded, I guess.)
For a moment, I found it terribly strange for a First-like thought to be running
across my mind.
(What is this feeling it isnt bad.)
While I was thinking something like that, the First spoke.

Oy, clench the Jewel.

What are you saying?
Those around were busy fighting monsters, so they probably wont hear my
conversation with the First.
Ill teach you something fun. Itll be some good news for the current you
I mean, youll be able to use the trick the Seventh personally went and set
up.
The Seventh my grandfather?
I put using magic on hold, and gripped the Jewel as told.
The Seventh began yelling at the First.

Why did you tell him!? Its too soon! With Lyles Mana, he really will only
be able to maintain it for a few seconds!
The First shot back.

Seconds? Thats more than enough, aint it!? You guys, to this one whos
the one that said Lyle was amazing!? I approved of him! No ones going to
be getting in my way! Now lets go, Lyle!
The Jewel gave off a blue light, and the chain wrapped around my neck was
arbitrarily undone.
The silver ornaments enveloping the stone started to cange shape in my hand.
This is
It looks like the others were curious about my situation as well. With a blast
of magic from Novem, the area was covered in smoke.
Feeling a weight like never before from the Jewel, the item that it once was
no, I gripped the silver ornaments I thought to be nothing bur accents to grace
the Jwewl.
I gripped the handle in both hands, and the silver blade let off a pale light. A
guard with the blue stone embedded in it the Jewel shined.

My sword skills are none too splendid. So these sorts of striking weapons
are best for me.
What my hands had grasped was a thick silver sword.
The First cried out.

Theres no time, right!? On with it already!!

As if the voice was pushing me forward, I dashed forward, and took a large
jump. I turned my body to avoid the red orcs lowering sword, and used the
weight of the large sword in my own hand to rotate from the momentum.
With the centrifugal force as my ally, I used my Skills to momentarily raise
my power output to its limit.

This is my final Skill its Full Burst!

Perhaps through the Firsts support, as I activated the Skills, a power greater
than usual surged up from within my body.
I took control of the spin, and lowered the maximized power onto the red
orcs head.
With this
My voice overlapped with his.
Its the end!!
Its the end!!
The orc tried to sacrifice its left arm to survive, but the arm it used as a Shield
was cut clean through.
My blade pierced deep into the ground, and the caved in earth around the
impact spoke to the blows power.
Hah hah how brutal.
After I confirmed the two parts of the orcs body slowly fall to the ground,
the silver sword changed itself back to a simple ornament.
(He said the Seventh had it specialy made, but come to think of it, Zell did
say it had a rare metal put into it.)
Recalling the words Zell imparted onto me when I was driven out, I started to
wish that they had just told me about it sooner.
But through a sudden depletion of Mana, I couldnt put any power into my
body.
My knees hit the ground, and the one propping up my body Novem was
there.
Lyle-sama!
Novem clung to me, and perhaps out of her genuine worrt, she was squeezing
quite strongly.
Ahahaha, sorry I pushed myself a little.
Zelphy-san also ran over, and sought confirmation from me.
Just what was it you did? And that glowing weapon oy, wait! Dont
collapse in a place like this!
Zelphy-san was quite rowdy, but that was the same as always, so I felt a little
relieved. Nearby, I saw Rondo-san had been injured, but Rachel-san was busy
treating him.
Aria looked to be out of breath, but she had used her Skills to defeat the
monsters.
Please quiet down! Lyle-sama, lets get out of here quickly. Do you think
your consciousness can hold on for that long?
So we either took a short break here, or get out immediately.
But if I feel the same as always, it doesnt look like I underwent a Growth.
I hated that.
I wanted to show some obstinacy.
Im fine. If I rest for a little, Ill soon be able to stand Novem, thank you.
Dont worry about it.
Novem seemed relieved, but she continued to support up my body. To Aria,
who drew closer, I spoke.
So you were able to win against monsters. Are you a little more confident,
now?
I tried teasing her a little, but she gave a surprised response.
You were watching?
Perhaps she took it as praise, but she was unexpectedly happy.
(Aria, perhaps youre the type that gets fooled too easily. You should be
careful more importantly)
I looked at Rondos group.
Im sorry for arbitrarily taking action on my own.
Rachel-san let out a sigh. Rondo-san had his injuries wrapped with bandages,
but he was smiling.
That was amazing. I never thought you would be able to do that much.
Idiotic Noble Son doesnt suit you, Lyle.
Looking at his unrelenting smile, I thought that perhaps he was quite a
broadminded person. He directs a smile to the younger adventurer that went
off on his own.
But Rachel-san was different.
Youre way too free-willed. It turned out fine this time, but just look at
yourself. Be more conscious of the fact that you have people wholl weep for
you if you died, and wait, I wanted to say this, but I didnt get the chance, so
let me give you an honest apology here. Thank you.
I honestly didnt get the feeling that I was actually receiving thanks, but I
guess she was showing consideration in her own way.
I smiled sarcastically.
Zelphy-san told me not to put up a front, and to worry about myself.
We were saved because of you, Lyle, but please trust the others a little more.
What they are and arent capable of, if you had taken that into account,
perhaps you could have moved more efficiently. I can understand your
feelings of wanting to conceal your Skill, but please give out at least a little
information on it.
Thinking about if that was really the case, I started considering whether or
not to bring up the ancestors.
(First, I have to tell Novem. I have plenty of things I have to let her know.
Like about the First Generation)
A Barbaric man who didnt worry about the details. Who moved on instinct,
and stirred up his surroundings.
But he was the reliable founder of the Walt House.
(I wonder if hes recognized me.)
I gripped the Jewel as I thought that. Novem opened her eyes wide.
The gem is shining this is
As Novem said that, the others also gave a surprised reaction.
What floated up in my head was the name of a Skill.

Experience.
It wasnt just the name that came up.
Just what sort of things it could do, and how it could be used.
They all came to me at once.
Since it first manifested, it took quite a while for my Skill to take definite
shape.
Wait, that means you, just how many Skills can you use?
Aria was astonished, but more than that, it was the contents of the Skill that
shocked me.
I mean, my Skill was Support Class, and it seems it was perpetually active.
I thought the reason I was getting fatigued so easily was because of the
ancestors, but it seems that one of the contributing factors was my own
incomplete Skill.
(A Skill that lets you obtain a lot of experience? Whats more, its
perpetually active, so that means its constantly expending my Mana.)
When it was still incomplete, it looks like it didnt display its intended effect,
but it still drained up my Mana regardless.
And here, I finally was able to learn its effect, but
(Isnt my Skill just a little to vague!!?)

After the break.

We took three cycles to take the five injured adventurers out of the labyrinth.
The support person who was acting as our coachman filled our stomachs with
the soup he prepared, and after that, we wandered over to the deepest
chamber.
As long as the core treasure remained in the deepest chamber, the labyrinth
would continue to grow, and monsters would continue to emerge.
To avoid any further danger, collecting the treasure was a necessity.
As we entered the room, Rahu-san noticed a glowing metal stick in the space
between trees.
Isnt that is!?
He ran ahead, and cut away the branches entwined around it, before taking it
out.
As he did that, the harsh breathing conditions were suddenly resolved.
With this, the labyrinth has been cleared. There was only one floor, so it was
easy, but if it had grown to three or four, it would have been impossible with
these numbers.
The metal in his hands looked like iron.
But it was a special iron that had been soaked in the magic of the dungeon.
Ooooh! If you make this into a weapon, it becomes a Magic Tool you can
grant Skills unto, right!
Rahu-san sought confirmation of that fact from Zelphy-san in high spirits,
and she nodded with a bitter smile on her face.
If you bring it to a craftsman in Dalien, you could make a few with half of
that, I think. But make sure you choose a guild certified dealer.
Its none too pleasant if these sorts of metals start flowing along the
underground routes.
Rahu, well have to evenly divide the reward. Since there are seven of us,
should we make seven parts?
Rahu-san drew closer to Rondo-san.
Can I buy off the other portions!? As long as we have this, then well be
able to carry Magic Tools as well. In that case, we can even start challenging
other labyrinths as adventurers!
Rahu looked to be in high spirits as he expressed his desire to turn the
treasure in his hands into a Magic Tool. But looking at the amount of metal,
the amount that could be made was around three to four items.
We dont have that sort of money. Lets build it up steadily.
Rondo-san let out a sigh.
With this amount, just how many gold coins would that take?
As I thought that, I noticed Zelphy-sans eyes were pointed at a corner of the
room.
I looked there as well.
He was an acquaintance, right?
As Zelpht0san called out to her, she mumbled some affirming words.
He was quite the willful bastard. After saying that death was the end of it so
many times, in the end, he threw out his own life to save some newcomers.
Making acomplicated expression, she approached the veteran adventurers
corpse, and began looking through his belongings.
She piled up everything that seemed to have value, and finally recovered his
guild card.
From my point of view, it looked like roadside robbery.
Hey, you guys come closer too.
Hearing that, we me, Novem and Aria, approached the corpse.
Perhaps because he was beaten to death with a blunt weapon, the body was in
quite a bad state.
Novem held her hand to her mouth, and Arias face turned pale as she
assumed a crouching position.
I covered my mouth.
Remember this. The death of an adventurer is something like this. In the
end, everything of value is picked off, and the corpse is cast away. Make sure
you dont forget to collect the guild card, and deliver it to the guild.
An end stripped of all worth.
Saying that, Zelphy-san took out a leather bag she didnt usually use, and she
started carefully putting the veteran adventurers belongings in it.
Zelphy, its not like you have to go that
Aria had a pale face and a shortness of breath, but Zelphy-san didnt heed her
words.
This is my right. I ventured to a dangerous region, and confirmed the corpse.
I even conducted an investigation into what exactly happened here. Where is
the problem in that?
As she glared at Aria, Zelphy-san seemed quite different from usual.
Rondo-sans group didnt say anything.
Well then, the recovery has ended. Lets return, and get some well-deserved
rest. Also big guy over there.
Me?
On Zelphy-sans words, Rahu-san pointed to himself. He was holding the
precious metal under his arm.
My portions settled with this mans stuff. Go negotiate the rest with Lyles
group on your own. Theyre still newbies, so you may be able to cheat them
out of it quite easily.
With those words, Zelphy-san turned to leave. Aria had a sad expression as
she watched her back.
Because of the things that happened in my House, Zelphy-san turned out
like
Seeing the adventurers form, Aria was sorrowful.
I looked after Novem, and handed Aria the water flask for her parched
mouth.
If you die, youre thrown away. Those alive will take everything of value.
She showed us such a precedent.
You two, its about time we left.
As I said that, Aria looked over the corpse.
At the very least, a burial
There, Rondo-san explained.
In a short while, this labyrinth will wither away. Everything here will rot
away, so whether you bury him or not, it will all be the same. Or could it be
you plan on shouldering that corpse all the way out of here?
Aria mournfully looked at the ground.
And Rondo-san continued.
Its better you treasure those feelings. They may be nave, but before being
adventurers, we are all human.
Rondo-san left the area, and Rahu-san tailed behind him. His parting
words
Lets negotiate it out later. Oh, I dont intend on cheating you guys, mind
you. Its just that we simply dont have too much on is sorry, that wasnt
something for me to say at a time like this. At this rate, I cant scold Rachel
for her loose tongue.
It seemd he was going to use the opportunity to say something, but sensing it
was impossible, he left the chamber.
I offered my hands to Novem and Aria, and supported them as we walked.
There, the Fourth
Flanked by two beauties
Spouted out some words filled with hatred. Hearing that, the Third laughed.

Youve got good luck, Lyle. Thats quite an important thing, you know.
And the Sixth spoke.

Hey, lets be off now. That Zelphy just went through great pains to show
you guys a taste of reality. Think about her feelings too.
Hearing those words, I felt the urge to tilt my head.
(Zelphy-sans feelings?)
The Second let out a sigh.

Good grief it seems she really intends to leave this Noble Lady to Lyle.
She even put up those theatrics.
The ancestors said that that display from before was an act, but I wasnt able
to understand their meaning.
(Really intends to leave? What do you mean by that?)
Supporting the two of them, I headed towards the exit to the labyrinth.
Lyles Growth

Inside the swaying cart, my body was tormented by immense physical

fatigue.
My face is probably pale.
In truth, I focused myself on the outside scenery, as I thought of nothing but
how much further there was to Dalien.
The unmaintained roads ended, and the shaking lessened, but the baggage
cart still swayed violently.
It was make quite sturdy, and it was maintained by the guild, so it was
probably well taken care of.
I dont really want to have to ride in a cart again
Perhaps out of my tiredness, the return trip was less sparing than the way
there.
The one who watched me in amazement was Aria.
All of us were quite fatigues, but among us, I was the worst case.
Novem is using the main cart for healing purposes, so she left you to me
but youre really making quite a face there. Please hold on, there isnt much
left to go.
On her tone, I shot back.
Since I was quite fatigued, it wasnt much of a tasteful response.
You were even worse on the way there. You looked like you were going to
throw up time and again.
T-that was because we were shaking way too much! Im already used to it,
so Im fine, you hear!?
Looking at her embarrassed face, the only healthy one among our members,
Rahu-san smiled bitterly.
You two sure get along.
On his statement, mine and Arias replies overlapped.
I dont think we do.
We dont!
While envying Arias vigor, I lied down, and turned my eyes to Rondo-san,
who was by Rachel-sans side.
Even when her state wasnt the best either, Rachel continued to direct
worried eyes at him.
Seeing that, the Fourth began to nag

Lyle, like, you know, cant you carry a little more dignity? You have to
make sure to treat women well. And wait, if you displayed that attitude back
there to Novem, youd definitely be dragged to the conference room, and
lynched.
The Fourth, who was always loud about female relations, said as such, but
right now, I really am tired. Its a feeling of fatigue Ive never felt before.
I cant really muster up this dignity thing right now.
The driver of the luggage cart wasnt Zelphy-san, but the support man.
Zelphy-san was tending to the carriage where the injured were loaded.
Novem was nursing the five, and despite her exhaustion, she was conducting
herself firmly.
Rondo-sans tired face bent into a smile.
Perhaps its coming.
What is? As I thought that, the Second supplemented information.
Lyle, before a Growth, fatigue, or perhaps a strange sensation can
occasionally serge as as a premonition. Mainly when its after you gain a
large amount of battle experience. At times like that, rather than experiencing
a growth during normal life, the changes in the body are greater, so you can
feel it as an extreme tired feeling

Meaning after coming here, the signs of Growth are finally starting to
display themselves.
I want to be happy, I didnt have the mood for that.
Rahu-san was a little despondent.
I wanted to join in. Then perhaps I would experience Growth as well and
wait, its rare for everyone to be showing signs like this all at once.
More or less, its natural for humans to show individual differences.
But all the members who participated in the battle were showing such tired
symptoms.
Rondo looked quite drained, but he remained smiling. Thinking that he could
experience a Growth, he was probably happy.
When we return, well have to rest for a while then. And Lyle-kuns group
did concede the reward to us, so I want to do something to compensate.
The labyrinths deepest chamber
The rare metal we found there, the iron soaked in magic was turned over to
Rondo-sans group.
Zelphy-san took whatever valuable she found on the adventurer as her
reward, and in exchange for the precious metal, we would be getting the full
amount of the request reward.
For taking up the urgent request, and reporting the results of our
investigation, it wouldnt be a small sum.
While we did think of melting down the metal into equipment, it didnt feel
necessary for our current party.
I mean, both me and Aria had gems on us. Even if we had weapons that could
grant skills onto us, there was a possibility the two would clash, and we
wouldnt be able to use them well.
Perhaps Aria would be able to if she got used to it, but for me, the Jewel was
too strong that it was impossible in my current state.
I did mull over whether we should have a staff make for Novem, but she
refused, so the talks proceeded in a direction where we would take the guild
reward.
Well when this fatigue goes away, Ill leave it to you.
As I put all my might into giving an answer, Rondo-san smiled.
Right.
In comparison, Rahu-san seemed to be happily considering what sort of
weapon he wanted, and what Skills to set into it.
(Are we there yet?)
I remained irritated in the swaying cart, and decided to stay lying down up
until the destination.
Aria draped a blanket over me.
Unable to raise a thanks in reply, the Fourth clicked his tongue at me.

Che!!

After arriving at Dalien, our group reported the details to the guild.
But there wasnt a need for all of us to be there to talk, so after receiving the
reward, my party was going to return to the house.
The leader this time around, Zelphy-san, was to stay, and give a detailed
report.
On the guilds second floor receptions desk, I borrowed Rahu-sans
shoulders, as we responded to some adventurers who called out upon seeing
our return.
So you took em down? Good job, all of you!
Looks like the younguns are givin their best as well.
Still, with this, I can finally be relieved.
There were some that clapped their hands, and we got a taste of the feelings
of war heroes making their triumphant return.
This aint bad in itself. Its Daliens good point, I guess.
Rahu-san said that, and and I wondered if that meant the other guilds were
different.
The other places are different?
Yeah, it really depends on the pand. Its temperament, or how should I put
it, local colors still, this feeling aint a bad one. If I could make it here, its
a town I wouldnt hate settling in.
From his manner of speech, it seems he planned on leavin the town, sooner or
later.
As I observed the surroundings, I found the usual faces manning the desks
had changed.
The beautiful clerk wasnt there.
The middle aged woman attendant was explaining various things to a young
male hire.
(The atmosphere is a little strange. Its like the younger adventurers have
questionable looks on their faces.)
Zelphy-san handed over the dead adventurers card to Hawkins-san, before
returning to us.
It sure is lively. Well, in Dalien, I guess its a bit of a rare sight to be
found Well be dispersin here, but if your party cant get over the fatigue,
Lyle, then rest for a few days or so. As it is right now, itll be dangerous to
send you out to work.
I definitely didnt want to do any work like this, so I nodded in response.
Novem was the same.
Only Aria-san hung her head without turning her eyes to see Zelphy-san.
Rondo-san gave Zelphy-san their gratitude.
It was quite a nice experience. I mean, we survived, and all. If it suits you,
call out to us whenever you want.
To Rondo-san, who was eloquent despite his enervation, Zelphy-san nodded.
Though Id like it if you cut me some slack if something like this happens
again. Its just that Ill commit you guys to memory.
Hearing that, the three of them left the guild.
Look, you guys should be off too. Your making some terrible faces there.
With Rahu-san gone, I borrowed Novems shoulder to depart from the guild.

A private room in the guild.

Hawkins faced Zelphy, a table separating the two.
Perhaps due to Hawkins large build, the room seemed narrower, and the
table smaller than normal.
Nice work. Ill be reporting this matter to the higher ups in the guild as
well.
Having finished gathering the necessary information, Hawkins took the
documents laid out on the table, and tapped their ends on the wood twice to
align them nicely.
I really am tired. There wasnt any good part about it, and it ended with me
showing them all my unclean sides. Please spare me from a second time.
Hawkins-san gave a wry smile.
While Zelphy said she was taking the adventurers treasures for her own, he
had a general understanding of the situation.
Do you know where his house it?
Hawkins asked if Zelphy knew his the deceased adventurers house.
I know it. His family consists of his wife, and two children. It really is
detestable I dont really want to have to do this sort of thing too often.
Hearing that she even knew his family organization, Hawkins expression
turned a little sorrowful.
So youre personally taking on your detestable role? Whats more, while
keeping silent to Lyle-kun and the others?
Ill properly do my advisor job. This matter is outside the scope my fees
cover.
Hawkins could imagine what she was going to do with the items she took as
her reward.
The valuables left behind by a dead adventurer did generally go to whoever
went to investigate, or to his comrades.
But when it was quite a recognized adventurer that passed, the ones who
were looked after by them would often leave them to the bereaved family.
Then why not just tell them? Its important if you think about how theyll
carry themselves from here on.
Perhaps unsatisfied with the idea, Zelphy averted her eyes.
My job is to turn them into first-rate adventurers. Ive made them get a feel
for the work, and in this outing, they learned transportation, and camping.
They even learned about labyrinths. Anything more is unnecessary.
She had already taught them the fundamentals.
So there was no problem.
Zelphy ended the conversation there.
While Hawkins was mildly amazed, he had nothing to say against her work
ethic as an advisor.
She definitely was carrying out her job.
She was working as far as her fee covered, and it wasnt her place for her to
say anything about the minor inner workings of the guild.
I guess it fits you. But this time you didnt earn a reward, so it was nothing
but unpaid labor, wasnt it?
The reward was turned over to Lyle, and whatever was found in the labyrinth
went to Rondo.
She was just doing volunteer work.
You could call that a failure as an adventurer.
Well, theres no point in telling that into someone whos going to retire.
This is it for me. Ive a fianc on my hands, and the last thing Id wish for is
an end like him.
Zelphys last job was advising Lyles party.
She stored up quite an extent of success as an adventurer, and was recognized
by the feudal lord as well.
She was able to skillfully carry out her work from both sides.
But during Arias case, her role deviated quite a bit.
It seems you were quite reckless in that matter with Aria-san. You pushed
her ono Lyle-kun If he was actually troubled about it, you planned to take
her in, didnt you?
Zelphy let out a deep sigh.

Hah~ good grief if he couldnt put us with Lady Aria, I had a whole If
you want to save someone, then make sure youre able to look after them to
the end! speech prepared before taking her back. But that oblivious rich kid
seems to be able to overcome whatever you throw at him. That ones going to
rise far higher than I ever could.
Zelphy started to complain about how she had nothing left to teach.
Hawkins played along with her complaints.
Thats right. Ive seen many adventurers in my time, but Lyles group will
surely rise up there. Perhaps he may even become an adventurer whose name
is known across the land.
As Hawkins joked around, Zelphy smiled.
It looks like she didnt think it that far through.
That sounds interestin. In that case, Im the woman who taught the
countrys prominent adventurer! Thats quite the splendid title there if I do
say so myself.
And the conversation shifted to the beautiful staff member.
That aside, boss. What ended up happenin to the beauty?
The look in Zelphys eyes was quite harsh.
 You played your hand before you departed, didnt you. An order came
from the feudal lord for us to give an explanation. In Dalein, that guilds
standing is below that mans. We had no choice but to give in when an
explanation was demanded.
Hawkins face turned pale as he remembered the beauty.
At the same time, it ended up that her father was to leave Daliens
adventurers guild.
Officially, he was to raise a new guild hall, and become the branch chief
there.
But that location was an area where land was to be reclaimed, and a new
village was planned to be built.
It was pretty much an exile notice from the city of Dalien.
As expected of the lord. He moves quite fast. The people can have peace of
mind.
Zelphy was definitely attached to the guild.
But at the same time, she was part of the city of Dalien.
Now that she was considering retirement, which side of would have more
merits to her? It was, without question, the feudal lords.
The guild didnt have any plans on sticking itself into the matter either.
Because of that, itw as hell for a while.
This time, it was Hawkins turn to complain. But Zelphy was smiling.
Well Im happy to hear it. We had our share of troubles, mind you. Its about
time the guild went through a bit of hell.
Good grief, Hawkins whispered. He neatly lifted up the documents, and
stood, before he left the room

The morning two days after our return.

I was feeling quite refreshed.
What an exhilarating morning. Its as if Ive been completely reborn. So this
is Growth!
I stood up on top of the bed, and spread out my arms, as I looked up at the
ceiling.
The ceiling was quite close, and I could see the stains on it quite clearly, but I
didnt mind.
There, I jumped off of the bed, and did a magnificent squatting landing
before leisurely raising myself.
It was as if my senses had widened, and I had gotten bigger, myself.
Im feelin it My Mana is higher than before! Im totally different from
the me who just barely scraped by before! I have been reborn!!
Letting out a loud cry in the room, I truly felt good.
It was as if I was going to run off at any moment.
I was sluggish all the way up to yesterday night, but its as if that time was a
lie.
If its now, even flying through the sky is impossible? No, yes we can!
There isnt a thing to fear in the world! Celes who!? No, it would be nice if I
could win, but
As I remembered Celes, I suddenly grew timid.
I shook my head to forget her, and for now, I just wanted to shout out.
Ive GROOOOOWWWNN!!
There, I heard the sound of hurried footsteps, and the door to my room was
opened with quite some force.
There, Aria, with a face bright red, was standing with teary eyes.
Whats the problem, Aria? Making a teary face like that Did something
sad happen, perhaps? You can always find a friend in me!
I spread both my arms, and covered her cheeks with my hands.
Please dont make any more of a ruckus! Youre making me remember the
me of the past!
Hearing about her past self, I tilted my head.
And I noticed.
What? Did you do something when you first experienced a Growth? Dont
worry about all the way back when you were that small. I mean, right now,
Im beginning to wonder about why I worried about something so small. I
want to take the me of the past, and punch the crap out of him!
I punched the air, and an image of my beating the crap out of the past me
floated in my head as I raised my left arm into the air.
No. Mine were nothing like this. They were normal.
To Aria, who squatted down, and tilted her head, I raised a loud laugh.
Wheres your energy, Aria! Right, lets go see Rondo-san today! Ill have to
give him my thanks from that one time. On top of that, lets do a banquet
with our reward! My treat!
As I acted in high tensions, Arias eyes seemed like they didnt know where
she should be looking.
If you look at me with such lightless eyes, its embarrassing, you know.
Dont stare at me so much youre making me blush.
As I flipped my hair with one hand, and made a pose, Aria silently stood up,
and left.

Dont stare at me so much; youre making me blush.

As the Third Generation flipped his hair, and made a pose, it was as if the
entire table had burst into laughter.
I was digging my face into the table, and I used both of my hands to slam
against it numerous times.
Next, the Third made a motion of pushing out his fists, as if to punch
barehanded.

I want to take the me of the past, and punch the crap out of him!
And once more, the ancestors burst into laughter.
The First Generation held his stomach in laughter, and his legs were kicking
up and down.

Since coming here, this is the first Ive laughed so much! My stomach is
killing me~!
The Second was covering his mouth, and shaking.

So you can fly through the sky, Lyle. Puh!

Dont let out a laugh! As I thought something like that, the Fourth removed
his glasses, and started wiping the tears that had formed from his laughing.

You can always find a friend in me, he said why dont you just put some
stuff like that out there normally.
The Fifth gazed at me with lukewarm eyes.
Dont worry about it. Its something everyone experiences. You feel open-
hearted on your first Growth. Look, Novem watched over you without saying
anything, didnt she? Thats what families are usually supposed to do.
I cried out.
I want to take the me of just now, and beat the crap out of him!!
But the Sixth continued to pursue me.

No, still. That sort of ruckus isnt one you see often. Lyle, perhaps you have
the talent to bring laughter to people.
Even if you say that while laughing, you dont have any persuasive force
there.
In the first place, making people laugh, and making people laugh at you are
completely different things.
The ancestors were teasing me, but my grandfather, the Seventh Generation,
was desperately trying to contain himself.

R-right. Its something everyone goes through. Theres nothing to be

embarrassed aobut, Lyle Bufu!!
Unable to stand it any longer, he broke out. I stared at him with cold eyes, as
I inquired as to what reason I was called out here in the first place.
So, for what reason have you called me out today? If it was just to tease, Im
leaving.
As I said that with an irritated voice, the others continued to laugh, as they
stopped me.
The Fourth recovered first, and

Wait, its actually an important talk. Its just that this times Growth left too
strong an impact, and its no good. Remembering its bringing me to
tears.
Looking at him cover his mouth, I scratched at my face with both hands.
Why did I do something like that?
Why did all those foolish words leave my mouth?
Regretting isnt doing anything.
The Third grinned, as he picked up where the Fourth left off.

Its about your Skill, Lyle, but unlike ours, its a perpetually active type,
right.
Thats right.
As I stared at the Third, intently looking at me, he sighed, and continued on.

Its probably one of the reasons your Mana expenditure was so high, but
once its been activated, its the type that will never stop draining your Mana.
Its effects may be large, but just as before, well have to put a restriction on
your usable Mana.
Since I had undergone a Growth, I did have enough Mana to handle it. But
that doesnt change the fact the Skill was chaining me down.
The Third continued.

At the same time as that, weve given a little bit of thought towards your
situation on our part. And according to the Second over there
Having come to him, the Second opened his mouth.

Youre the type that needs a ridiculously large amount of experience. The
state you were in before the Growth was one thing, but with that as the
backlash, you were able to grow a considerable margin. Youre the type that
amasses a large amount of experience, and grows all at once, but TO put it
bluntly, your case is too extreme. Just think of it as you needing several times
the experience of a normal person.
I started to doubt my own ears.
I had massive Growths, but in exchange, I needed many times the amount of
experience to grow.
Whats more, more than twice.
Is there anything we can do about that? Look, I mean, my Skill has started
displaying its effect, right?
As I said that, the Second shook his head.

Even if youre increasing it with a Skill, in your current state, wouldnt it

just be by twenty to thirty percent? If you think about your next Growth,
youll need even more Experience than for this one.
Meaning?

Keep the time you leave Dalien for good in your field of vision. If you stay
here, it will be several years before your next Growth goes off. If played
poorly, even ten isnt an unreal number.
The Seconds eyes were quite serious. That isnt the face of a liar.
Hes earnestly recommending that I move forward.
Were still in the middle of hiring an advisor.
The Third spoke.

It was just three months, right? Once youve diligently finished with that,
you should separate from Dalien. This may be an easy place to proceed, but
do you intend to stay here your whole life, Lyle? I think that is quite
impossible.
The Fifth supplemented.
Ill bet the feudal lord also wants you out. If you plan to stay here, youll be
placed under his influence. There is no way that would be for your sake.
When it comes to it, that lord can easily cut you aside For both of your
sakes, it would be best if you left.
To Daliens feudal lord Ventra-san, I was a ticking time bomb, where no one
knew when the Walt House would take action in regards to me.
Just me being there was troublesome.
When the advising period ends, Ill leave Dalien. Until then, I should
consider where to move next, right?
As I said that, everyone nodded with serious faces.
And in the end, the First spoke.

On top of that. Theres something I have to say too. Tomorrow or so, come
over here. I think itll take time, so keep that in mind.
To his earnest eyes, I nodded in response.
The atmosphere surrounding the other ancestors had also subsided.
As always, the Fourth Generation signaled the end of the meeting.

Lets wrap it up here. Even so, it seems youve opened your heart to Lyle
quite a bit, Founder.
Thinking back to the start, it was definitely something unimaginable.
I mean, he even told me, quite clearly, that he hated me.
I never even thought it would come to his myself.
The First seemed to be the same.

Still, I recognized him anyways. Lyle had already proven his strength to me.
He saved Aria-chan for me, so Im just answering to that.
For some reason, I was strangely caught up by his words.
The Start of the WaltHouse

Having experienced Growth, and having shown a painful side of myself to

Novem and Aria as well as all of the ancestors, I stopped by the Jewels
conference room as per my promise with the First.
Unlike usual, the First was standing in front of his own room.
And today, the Second was sitting at the table.
How rare, Second.
As I said that, he gave a short reply.

Yeah.
The First was smiling.
I wondered if the two had gotten into a fight like always. That in mind, I
asked what had happened.
Did you get into another fight? What was it about this time?
The First shook his head.

As if all we ever do is fight. We just talked a bit about the past, and said
what we wanted. Now lets go, Lyle. Oh, right.
The First opened his own rooms door, but before he entered, he called out to
the Second.

Ill leave the rest to you, Crassel.

The Second merely dismissed him with his hand. This sort of back and forth
from these guys was quite rare, I thought.
(They usually do nothing but fight. How rare.)
As I thought that, I passed through the door with the First Generation to find
an old townscape extending before me.
There were even some places where the stone pavement was crumbling.
The style was quite old, and the Walt Houses Weihs Territory was much
further developed.
And there were even people walking around, carrying out their daily lives.
But
I cant touch them?
As I suddenly tried to dodge a person that came at me, My shoulder was
pushed against a wall.
But I didnt feel anything.

This is my recollections, or perhaps the inside of my memory. The amount

of things you can touch are limited, and its useless no matter how many
times you try talking to these guys. Hey, cmon, lets go already.
As I watched through the main street that gave off a crude feeling, the First
walked ahead.
It was surely somewhere Id never seen before, but there was no doubt about
it.
(Is this the past of the estate? No, for the Firsts memory, the scale is off. It
may feel a little crude, but the areas scale is on the level of a town or city.)
If you think of the extent of the territory, the Houses land shouldnt have
advanced to this point in the Firsts time.
Following the First, we stepped off the main road to a slightly narrower path.
There, four to five story buildings lined themselves up, as if to make the sky
seem small, and the road slender.
I couldnt smell anything, but the path seemed dirty.
Just where is this?

Ah? Its the Imperial Capital Centralle. About two hundred years ago, I
guess?
Hearing that, I was a little surprised.
Two hundred years!

Dont be so shocked, boy. I was born around fifty years into the kingdoms
history, you know. Right now, were around three hundred into it, right?
Something like that isnt shocking at all.
R-right.
I had never been too far into Centralle, but I wondered if it was this sort of
place as I continued on.
And when we had slipped out of the alley, we reached a residential area,
where houses were lined up.
This is?

My parents home. That back there was a shortcut, so we took it.

Hearing that, I
(So this is where the Capitals Noble Walt House was well, were not
related to them at all anymore, or so I heard.)
I heard that we became independent, and severed all ties.
Of course, with them being imperial Nobles, its not like they could act too
friendly to the provincial Count House, the Walt House.
I mean, I think this Walt House was a knight house in the capital.
Even if you called them nobles, they were the tip of the iceberg, without even
managerial posts.
So what are we here for? Or wait, do you have something to show me?
As I said that, the First silently nodded.
And his eyes were directed ahead.
There, watching a red haired woman Aria, from afar was a young man
carrying a large piece of luggage in his hand.
His age was probably in the early twenties.

Thats me.
N-no way!
I dont think it was wrong for me to be surprised. I mean, his young self
looked like an amiable young man. His hair was put in order, and his face
was cleanly shaven.
There wasnt anything to point to his characteristic barbarian style.

I-its no lie! Like that, I would occasionally catch sight of Alice-san. I swore
to one day rise up from being the third son of a knight house, and resolved
my heart to come for her one day!
It seems he was surprisingly pure.
And the scene changed.
There, a young First Generation was staring at a recruitment flyer for the
pioneering corps posted on a wall.
And the Young First shouted out.

This is it! With this, I can get promoted, and I can finally go to Alice-sans
side!
He delightedly sprinted off.

It was at that time. I went and bought a discounted blue gem at a bargain.
The other types were expensive, but these didnt have any popularity, so they
were cheap. And wait, there wasnt anything like Magic Tools in my time, so
if you wanted Skills, there was nothing you could do but buy a gem. If you
didnt record anything on it later, there was no meaning to it. Didnt know
that back then.
The reason the Jewel was purchased was because it was unpopular, and
cheap
As always, thats quite a reason there.

Its better than having nothing, right? Still, I really wanted a red one, you
know.
Taking the cheap blue gem in hand, the young First stared longingly at the
red and yellow ones that were labelled at a price far beyond his reach.
The First looked at his own form, and found it loathsome.

Perhaps this was a mistake. Of course, its not like I had a choice. For a
lowly Knight House, without a managerial position, we were a low-return
household living off pension. I hated a house like that. I wanted to become
independent one day, and make it big thats what I thought, though.
The scene changed yet again, and this time, it looked like a few years had
gone by.
In a bar in Centralle, a young First, who looked a little wilder than before,
was crying into his drink.
What happened?

I returned to Centralle for a while. The village was kinda starting to take
shape, so I thought I would go bring a marriage proposal to Alice-san.
The result was just as I already knew.
Arias ancestor Alice-san married into the Lockwarde family.

I was just starting to hate any and everything.

I do get that feeling from you.
The youth drinking liquor before me continued pouring out tears, as he
ordered more, again and again.
In place of his betrothal money, he had converted it all into drinking money. I
heard the First whisper that as he held his head in his hands.
(Thats no good, isnt it? To do that sort of thing all of a sudden. He should
have brought the talk forward first, or stayed in touch and wait, the
difference in their status was still too great, so he wouldve been turned
down at the gate.)
Love across rank.
Without fate lending the slightest of hands, the Firsts first love came to an
end.
And this time when the scene warped, a tranquil landscape extended before
me. It extended, but on it, a heated battle was being carried out.
A barbarian-styled young First Generation was exchanging blows with
another wearing similar pelts.
What is this supposed to be?

Hmm? Ah, its that. The territory of those who didnt follow the rule of the
kingdom from the start, and my territory overlapped. In that case, you have to
decide who it belongs to, right?
No, even if you call talking with your fists the natural way to sort these
matters out ah, you won.
The First pummeled his way to victory, and like that, he raised a war cry, as
the barbarians around him fell to their knees.
Even the man he was fighting kneeled before him.

How nostalgic. Back then, even thinking became detestable, so I just carried
out my job.
Like that, time went forward again, and a First Generation a little more
weathered than before was having a drinking bout outside.
There, he cried out.

Ya see, the wife Im gonna take has to be a beauty! Healthy! And shes gotta
have a good head, and nice skin! I dont got no interest in anything else!
These re the Walt Family Precepts, ya hear!
With the drink as his fuel, he let out some outrageous things.
Looking at his own form, the First sighed.

This time is that, you know I didnt want to have to deal with anything
like marriage anymore. I mean, I couldnt think it possible that there was a
woman out there better than Alice-san.
You really are cruel. Because of this, all the future heads went through hell
to get married, you know.

Oy, did you seriously think I thought my drunken spiel would be taken
seriously?
Thats what the man said, but the people sitting around who heard his
drunken spiel seemed to have taken his words quite seriously.
Hey, whose daughter here fits those conditions?
Ah, my places daughter isnt too smart.
My sisters a little sickly.
They began a serious discussion.
And within them, there was a single decent-looking man. He was older than
the First, and he put his hand to his forehead with a troubled expression on
his face.
His attire was more splendid than the surrounding civilians, and he had some
dignity to him.

Ah, that person theres the old man. He had a territory nearby, and he taught
me quite a bit. In the end, this person relied on his influence to bring a Noble
wife over to me.

By old man, he probably means this generations Forxuz Head.

He looked like quite a decent person to me, so seeing him go through
troubles for the First Generation made me feel a little apologetic.
So you relied on the Forxuz House from back then as well. I wonder just
how far our Walt Houses debt runs with them.

He was a good person, you know.

Having my sarcasm fall flat, I sighed.
When the scene changed, an expanded village was burning up.
The First Generation of his memory wielded a large sword as he confronted
the monster before him with ashen skin, a powerful jaw, and large
forelimbs, a Dragon Subspecies.
The sword in his hand, length alone, was more than that of a single person.
(TL: So that hunk of iron really could slay dragons.)
That sword is
I was instantly able to recognize the similarities it had to the sword that came
out when I gripped the Jewel.

A monster this big came to the village. Even if we got all the men together,
it looked impossible. Thats why I stood up front.
The large sword in hand, the First Generation screamed out his Skill name as
he began fighting the monster.
For the beast several times his size, he relied on the momentum and weight of
the blade, and cut it down.
His figure was truly one of a hero.

Full Burst that was my trump card. I could raise my own abilities from
two to five times over.
Eh? That high? I get the feeling it wasnt that high when I used it? But if
you raise your abilities that high, is there no backlash or anything?

Hah? As if I know! Just ignore the side effects. Ignore them!

On the First-like opinion, I gave a strained smile.

I usually saved up my Mana, and exploded it all at once when I used it. It
raised my abilities in proportion to whatever I had saved up. For me, it would
be around two to three times my abilities in a month, but it will probably be
faster for you.
Between us, the amount of Mana we possessed was too far apart.
With the Fifth onwards taking in the bloodlines of magicians, we became
nobles able to use magic in the truest sense of the word.
While we were talking, the First finally managed to sever the Dragon
Subspecies head, and emerged victorious.
And a single child rushed over to him.
It was probably the Second.

I guess it was around this time. Papas amazing, or something, is what he

got around to saying. Up to then, I couldnt do anything fatherly for him, and
it wasnt easy on my wife. So I wanted to be able to leave something behind
to the two of them.
The child Second Generation seemed to be a boy who admired his fathers
gallant figure.
And the times changed again.
The village had expanded even further, but my impression was
Isnt that completely irresponsible?

The First stayed quiet.

As the First Generation of his memory was doing work in the Fields, a grown
Second Generation shouted at him.

Please give me a break already! Youre irresponsibly expanding the fields so

far because of that, there are some fights breaking out among the people!
Why not think for a second!
And from that scene, time went on even further, and we found ourselves
inside the manor.
The estate the First Generation lived in was ridiculously modest in
comparison to the current Walt Houses.
The First was about to leave with a garden hoe in hand, and he passed by a
silent Second Generation.
The two of them were unable to look each other in the eye.

It was a mistake, right? I just wanted to leave something behind, but in

the end, all I left to the boy were problems with the territory.
His haphazardly expanded fields caused problems among the people, but the
First shut them up with his own charisma and strength.
The one who worked more than anyone else was the Feudal Lord, the First
Generation Basil Walt, and no one would oppose the hero who saved the
village time and again.
But it looks like their dissatisfaction was to be directed at the Second.

I just wanted to let them eat a little more. I cut down the forests, and
expanded the fields by the time I noticed it, I had left nothing but
problems. No one would come complain to me. But those complaints were
directed at that guy.
Founder

Back then, he had ignored me up to the end. Having come here, when he
started complaining to me I was honestly happy. I was only ever able to
have a family shout out with him back when he was a kid, you know.
It seems their usual belligerent attitude was more decent than how the two of
them treated each other before.
Both of them must be awkward people.
And the Scene returned to the Firsts fight with the Dragon, and froze there.

In my time, we were recovering from the chaos, and we were going to make
the times to come more abundant. There were many villages crushed by the
war, so we set out pioneering. Reclaiming the land. However, food was
scarce, and it wasnt rare for there to be a problem with starvation.
I did hear that it was a rough time.
That when the Walt House was reclaiming land for themselves, it was a
relentless era. When my father was still nice to me, he told me such stories.
He also spoke of the greatness of the First Generation who raised a village
like that.
Reasons aside, he truly was a grand person.
Lyle, have you ever been troubled with food?
To be honest, no.
Even when I was distanced from the rest of the House, I was still fed.
Even after I was driven out, Zell and Novem were there, so I never
experienced starvation.
(Hell definitely be mad.)
If you wanted to call it a luxury, it was definitely one.
From the point of view of the food-troubled First Generation, I, who had no
worries of starvation despite being thrown onto the streets, must not be a
good sight to look upon.
Even so, looking at my weakness, and my mulling over nothing, he must be
infuriated.
Never. Ive never starved. Ive experienced hunger, of course, but even in
times like those, I was able to find a meal.
I prepared myself for whatever he was going to say, but when he turned to
me, the First was smiling.

I see. Then its all good. My descendants were never troubled with having
enough to eat. Then all Ive done wasnt a complete waste! Ive heard
something nice at the end!
The smiling First Generation produced the large sword from somewhere, and
presented it to me.
It was the silver one that gave off a pale light from that time
The sword that cut down the red orc in one blow.

Let me teach you my last Skill. You were flapping around when you used it
back then, so Ive got to teach you properly. The Skill name is Full Burst.
It releases all the Mana you normally store up all at once, and it explosively
raises your abilities. Try fighting the one over there.
The First pointed to the dragon subspecies.
It wasnt able to fly, and it was more like a monster that only resembled one,
but a dragon was still a dragon.
Theyre dangerous opponents.
Eh? But I havent stored up Mana or anything.
As I said that, the First put his hand on top of my head. After my head was
violently stirred up, power started pouring into my body.

Even I was able to do it. If its you, then youll do even better have at it!
Saying that, the First Generation hit my back with the palm of his hand.
As I unsteadily stepped forward, the dragon that had been frozen in memories
up until now started to move. Before I noticed it, the First of his memories
had vanished.
Good grief, why does he have to spring these things up so suddenly. Please
think of how I feel being thrown around like this!
As I rushed forward with the sword in hand, I swung it.
No matter how you looked at it, it was a sword I shouldnt have been able to
swing, but perhaps from the effects of his Skill, I could wield it easily.
(For him to be able to use it with no side effects, I can call it nothing but
cheating.)
As the dragon tried to crush me with its fore feet, I retreated back, and used
Magic.

Fire Bullet!
From the tip of my finger, balls of fire shoot out one after another, but each
and every shot was exceedingly powerful.
As they hit the Dragon, they explode, and that large build falters, and even
gets pushed back.
Like that, I led myself into the second magic.
I also wanted to confirm my output. Since my abilities were being raised by a
Skill, just how powerful will it become
Lightning!
As a purple flash of lightning assailed the dragon, the surroundings were
suddenly brightened up.
It was light from the magic, but its elevated power output surprised even me.
It was greater than I had imagined.
This is Ill have to get used to using it.
If played poorly, even my allies could get dragged into it. On the thought, I
broke into a cold sweat. And after running forward, I took a leap.
The black-burnt dragon turned its head left and right in order to find me.
But at that time, I was over its head right above it.
I lower the large sword, and blow away its neck.
The same method the First used to end it.
And as the Skills effects wore off, the sword began to feel extraordinarily
heavy, and it pierced into the ground. While still gripping the handle, I tried
to lift its weight.
As I thought its hard.
While I said that, the First walked up to me. Looking at me, he smiled.

If you can do that much, there wont be a problem! As expected of my

descendant.
Getting my breathing in order, I lifted the sword that had regained its original
weight onto my shoulder.
The First raised his right hand.
Sensing something, I raised my right hand as well. With my left hand, I
stabbed the sword into the ground.
Like that, the First Generation gave me a high five with all his strength.
My hand stung, but the feeling wasnt bad.

Lyle have you decided on your goal yet?

Having been told that, I remembered my conversations I had with the First up
to now. As I stood unable to answer, the First smiled, and muttered, so be it.

Youll have to decide what you want to do. You can even go off, and
become independent somewhere if you want. You can raise a village and
become a feudal lord if you want. Living a quiet life with Novem-chan
doesnt sound bad either. Though personally, Id like it if you look out for
Aria-chan too. Also you can even challenge that Celes if you want, you
know.
Hearing Celes brought up, it felt like something had grabbed onto my heart
tightly.
My fear was being revived.
But to someone like me, the First spoke with a tone full of expectations.

If theres someone out there who could stop her, it may just be you. Well,
just do what you want. Ask the others for whatever comes next.
Eh?

My role ends here. Ive said what I wanted, and itll probably be fine if I
just leave the rest to you. Rather than someone like me, youll be much more
reliable.
I wasnt able to comprehend what he was saying.
No perhaps, I just didnt want to accept it. The fact that the First Generation
was going do dissapear from my life.
And I tried stopping him.
Please wait. I still need the First Generation I still need Basil Walts
advice! Why not save me with your instincts as usual? Your instincts are
incredibly sharp, you know!
My voice sounded like it was breaking down.
But even I wasnt able to understand why it was I wanted to cry.

I have no wisdom, or technique. And also if its instincts, the Second isnt
to be looked down on himself. I mean, that guys my son. Oh, right, youre
also my descendant!
Gahahaha. The way he laughed gave off an impression as if he had no regrets
left behind.

After all, were just memories left behind by Skills. The real ones have died
long ago. Were the Skills in the Jewel themselves once weve transmitted
all our knowledge, thats the end for us.
Once theyre transmitted, theyll disappear. Theyll vanish.
So you knew?
My voice was shaking.

No, its just a hunch. I get it it looks like those guys also have a vague
inkling of it, so you better ask them for the specifics.
I extended his hand to him, and he spoke.
My Skill is already yours now. Use it however you want, Lyle and dont
lose.
Dont lose to what?
I was about to ask that, but before I could let out my voice, the scenery
around me changed.

In the same room as ever in the Jewel, I put my hand on the place where the
Firsts door was once before.
With his feet resting on the table, the Second called out to me.

Dont cry, its unsightly.

Eh?
Being told that, I touched my face, and found I was crying.

He taught you everything. His role in this is over.

S-still! This is a Jewel, right? Then why is it in a form like this!? If its just
teaching, a gem works well enough. I cant understand the meaning of you
guys coming out only to disappear!
On my scream, the second gave a disinterested answer.

A gem cannot pass down everything. Unable to grasp the entirety of the
Skill, all it lets you use is a small portion. We are here in order to teach you
the Skills. Thats why we exist in this space. Did you know? Our memories
end at the last moment where the real ones of us touched the gems. Meaning
we only remember up to the moment where we passed it on to the next
generation.
Hearing that, I was taken aback.
The ancestors exist here for nothing but to teach me their Skills. No, the
Skills were mimicking their forms.

Its also strange that we can even talk to you without a problem. The words
we should be using trace back to two hundred years ago, you know. You said
that that old book was hard to read, and yet like this, youre able to hold a
normal conversation with us. Why do you think that is?
On the Seconds thoughts, I came to an answer.
Because there would be no meaning otherwise.
In order to transmit the Skills to me, the ancestors matched their words with
mine. When the times change, the manner of speech subtly changes as well.
That was more than clear when looking back at writings of the past. Words
that were once popular words that change in meaning, but like this, I was
able to converse without a problem.
And that was solely because the Jewel had a message it wanted to get through
to me.
That was the Jewels role.

Did you notice? Thats right. We exist with no more of a purpose than to
impart you with the Skills. We teach you how to use them, and even their
effective usages.
I noticed that the large sword had left my hand.
And it was floating in the space where the First once sat.
His chair had disappeared, and his door vanished above the table, in the
space he once sat, it simply floated.
A large silver sword, with a blue Jewel embedded in the hilt.
That sword was the proof that the First had recognized me.
Why in that case, why did you if it was just to teach me, then why not
just do that! Why did he get so involved with me, and make it so that I have
to go through such sorrowful emotions like these!?
At the first, I hated it.
He was loud, and there were even times I though of him as nothing but a
pain.
But he taught me various things.
He recognized me.
Even so
As I collapsed on the spot, the Second spoke.

Thats what we would have wanted to do as well. But with our memories,
the damn thing even recorded our hearts. We couldnt just leave you alone.
And the First Generation Basil Walt left you to us now.
Couldnt abandon me, the Second said. I didnt know how I was supposed to
respond.
It was pitiful.
In the end, I couldnt even tell him my goal, and I gave him a pitiful parting.
Will we meet again?

If someone comes to possess the Jewel after you, then perhaps meeting
would be possible. Though at that point, youll be on our side. Still, I doubt
that well have a recollection of the memories were making with you now.
The merits of retaining them are low. Its because all we exist for is to pass
down the usage, and the Skill names.
In the end, I wont be meeting the First Generation again.
Whatever is recorded in the Jewel will be my Skill, and not the real me.
The Second spoke.

In the first place, its a miracle that you were able to meet like this in the
first place. The blue Jewel was passed down again and again, and it made its
way to your hands. Lyle, this is not your place to be sad in fact, be proud.
That person my old man recognized you. Stick out your chest.
Hearing that, I opened my eyes in the world of reality.

Lyle-sama, are you alright?

Novem?
As I was lying down on my bed, Novem looked at me with a worried
expression on her face.
She should have been sleeping in a different room, but for some reason, she
had made her way to mine.
It looked like you were having a nightmare. No, well I heard you crying,
so I came over.
As I wiped my face, I found that it was covered in tears.
I forcibly made a smile, and directed it at her.
Im alright. I just saw a bit of a sad dream. Right now, I feel refreshed.
A sad dream?
Novem tilted her head, as she handed over a towel soaked in water she had
prepared. I accepted it, and wiped my face as I thought to myself.
(If I kept crying forever, the First would be angry with me. Im a man that
Basil Walt the father of the provincial Noble Walt House has recognized.)
Now that I look back at it, he had some barbaric and violent sides to him.
But theres no doubt he was a reliable person.
And ironically, while he hated me the most, he was the first one to accept me
in the truest sense of the word.
(Ive been recognized by that person.)
Shall I prepare a warm drink for you?
Novem looked worried, so I nodded, and left it at that.
Right. Lets go get something to drink together.
Yes.
Novem went off to prepare something, and I called out to her.
Novem thank you.
Novem seemed a little perplexed, but she nodded with a smile.
Whats happened to you today, Lyle-sama?
No, its just something I felt like getting across. Theres no deeper
meaning.
I rose from the bed, and headed to the Kitchen alongside her.
Desiring a Reunion

Since coming to Dalien, about three months had passed.

As Zelphy-sans contract was nearing its end, we were going over the
achievements held under the contract in a private room of the guild.
Hawkins-san bore witness, as I looked over the documents.
We came here to issue an evaluation for Zelphy-sans job as an advisor.

The highest possible evaluation was A, but filling that out would mean
having to pay out an additional reward as well.

No matter how well one does, getting a rank of B was normal.

As we sat with a table between us me, Novem, and Aria turned to look at at
Hawkins-san and Zelphy-san who were sitting within our field of vision.
With a serious expression, Hawkins-san gave me an explanation.
Lyle-kun, just fill in whatever evaluation you believe to be right. If this is to
birth resentment and harm, the guild will hand down a firm punishment, so
please do not worry about that aspect.
Zelphy-san doesnt say anything in particular.
She just sat there.
Aria was in a complicated mental state, as she glared at her.
Even after the urgent request, we remained under her guidance, and gained
all the necessary knowledge and experience of an adventurer.
In this span of three months, sther has never been a moment I thought to be a
waste.

On the form, I filled out this highest grade of A.

 That highest evaluation, is it? You know what that means, right?
As Hawkins-san said that, Novem placed the money on the table.
Inside the small leather bag, was three gold coins.
Hawkins-san accepted it, and confirmed the contents.
Since the amount we paid for the request was quite high, the additional
reward we had to hand out was quite a considerable amount.
Of the three gold coins, one of them would be taken by the guild.
Confirmation complete. Well then, an additional reward of two gold coins
will be transferred to Zelphy-san.
Having accepted the two coins, Zelphy-san stood, and turned to leave the
room.
Good grief, what a pain that job was. I wont be doing it again, you hear
me.
Ever since the urgent request, she had begun to take a curt attitude when
dealing with us.
No, that attitude was mostly directed towards Aria.
Looking at her exit the room, Hawkins-san spoke.
She really cant be honest, can she. Everyone already figured it out long
ago.
Novem agreed.
If we didnt do something like this, she would never accept her wedding
present.
Right.
We all knew why Zelphy-san was taking on such a blunt disposition.
Its precisely because Aria knew that she felt so conflicted.
Zelphy-san was retiring as an adventurer, and marrying a common man.
Our additional reward was also meant as a present to her.
Novem put her hand on Arias shoulder.
Aria-san, I think that Zelphy-san is still close by. Please go have a final talk
with her.
B-but she wont even talk to me as of late.
As Aria became sullen, Novem shook her head, and repeated herself with an
earnest look in her eyes.
If you dont go here, youll regret it. We will be leaving Dalien. Theres the
possibility that you will never meet again go to her.
Being told by Novem, who was using a stronger tone than usual, Aria left the
room.
In order to talk with Zelphy-san.
And Hawkins-san put down a different document from before on the table.
Its a guild change form. And this is the guild card we had kept in our
custody. So you really are leaving right away.
As he made a lonesome face, he made a light joke about how the adventurers
coming over to him would decrease once more.
With one of the guilds top brass gone, Hawkins-sans name was proposed to
fill the hole left behind. I knew.
We wont keep to a long stay. Otherwise to both Zelphy-san and Hawkins-
san and even Ventra-san, we may bring trouble.
The fact that my home, the Walt House hadnt shown any movement thus far
was ominous.
The fact that I didnt know what sort of thing they would do invoked fear.
Also, Ventra-san Daliens feudal lord, if the time comes to it, is a person
wholl likely present me to them. I wont say thats a bad thing.
If you think about protecting the territory, its the natural course of action.
When compared to the Walt Houses land, the scale of Dalien was miniscule.
Theyre level of influence was on par with the imperial capital of Centralle.
It looks like you have some circumstances surrounding you, so I wont
probe too deep into it. But it would be nice if we were to meet again
someday.
That;s right. Hawkins-san, Ive been under your care.
I filled out the forms.
As I submitted the home change request form for me, Novem, and Aria, I
accepted the documents from the guild. They were what we would need to
submit at whatever guild we would make into out base of operations next.
I stood up, and Novem followed suite.
And Novem also offered her gratitude.
Thank you for your assistance. I hope you stay in good health, Hawkins-
san.
Hawkins-san nodded.
I got the feeling my eyes were becoming a little teary, so I left the room.
At the very end, I learned that I was a person quite quick to tears.

A corridor in the guild

Zelphy!
Aria found Zelphy, and ran up to her.
Zelphy awkwardly scratched her face, as she averted her eyes.
What? Im going out to drink from here, you know.
On her attitude, Aria didnt know what it was she should say.
But she had also resolved herself to leave Dalien alongside Lyle.
They had already ben vacated from the House, and had even bought the
tickets for the coupled carriage to Centralle.
Thank you for everything, Zelphy. I was ignorant of the ways of the
world, and I did nothing but cause you trouble also, I never even tried to
know what sort of feelings you were going through.
The words werent coming out properly.
The form of Zelphy rummaging through the corpse of an adventurer, and
stealing his belongings for her own. Aria had looked upon it in despair.
But after that, she heard that Zelphy had visited the departed adventurers
home, and handed over his belongings.
She had begun to corner herself over how she despaired over Zelphy, without
gving it enough thought.
What Aria wanted to tell her was to not worry about her anymore.
Im alright. I think Ill search for some happiness in my own way. So
Zelphy, you should become happy as well.
Aria looked at her face.
Zelphy was crying.
Im sorry. Milady. Im also I couldnt do anything I couldnt do
anything but watch, and
As Zelphys tears started to flow, Aria embraced her.
She called her just as she had when they had played together in the mansion.
Thank you, sis Ill be fine now. Thats why you should also find
happiness for yourself.
Zelphy reciprocated the hug.
Aria confirmed the numerous wounds covering her body.
Those marks were the proof that Zelphys house had gone through many
trouble to live in Dalien after being driven out of the manor.
But even while going through that, Zelphy had taken action for her sake
In exchange for cooperating with the feudal lord, the Lockwarde House that
was exiled from Centralle found safe haven in Dalien.
In places where she wasnt watching, Zelphy had gone through much pain
Zelphy, thank you for everything. Ill be alright now.
Aria remained stuck fast on the one she used to admire as her elder sister.
She was finally able to tell the sister that had always protected her, that
she would be fine.

As I waited in the guild with Novem for Arias return, I noticed the party of
three that had aided us before approaching.
Rondo-san!
Lyle-kun!
Of the adventurers that we had gotten to converse with if ever we met, we
remained on especially good terms with them.
Using the scarce metal found in the dungeon, Rondo-san had gotten himself a
dagger.
Rahu-san had used it in the production of a new spear.
Rachel-san used it in a portion of her staff.
The three of them were all wearing brand new equipment.
Rondo-san had made his dagger with the same hilt and guard of his prided
sword, and a similar design on the sheath. When he first showed it to me, I
remember how delighted he looked.
Did you guys finish the paperwork as well?
As I said that, Rahu-san gave a wry smile.
We came here earlier than your party, but we were held up for quite some
time. The adventurers who have some extent of power are steadily flowing
out of Dalien.
It was also the towns characteristic.
Nice on newcomers, and with plenty of odd jobs to earn from. That was
Dalien.
On the other hand, it was hard for adventurers who werent newbie to find
suitable work.
Since Daliens guild still wanted to secure skilled adventurers for themselves,
it was a problem that caused many a headache.
Are you guys departing now? Wheres Aria-chan? Ah, perhaps she fled?
As always, Rachel-san just said whatever was on her mind.
I shook my head.
Unfortunately, she hasnt run away. She had another matter to attend to, so
were waiting for her. More importantly, are you sure youll make your
carriages departure time?
There, Rondo-san remembered, and raised his voice quite loud.
It looks like we dont have the time to be talking here.
Rahu-san started panicking.
Ah, right! Then I guess well go. Give Aria-chan our regards.
Rachel-san called out to Novem.
Novem, look after Lyle. Hes unreliable by himself.
Novem laughed to herself, and nodded.
Thank you very much. Good tidings to you too, Rachel-san.
And Rondo-san waved his hand at me as he spoke.
If we ever meet again, well make some noise together. Lyle-kun lets
meet again!
As he made a refreshing leave, I also waved my hand.
Yes. Lets meet again!
The three of them left the guild.
Novem muttered.
Theyre quite good people, Lyle-sama.
Right. I want to see them again sometime. For the time when we reunite, Ill
have to become a better adventurer.
While happily considering our next meeting, me and Novem continued to
wait for Aria.

It happened somewhere on the main road.

Covered in blood, Rond, Rahu and Rachel were collapsed on the path.
Rondos prided sword was torn, and his dagger was stolen from him.
Without either of his arms, he was barely breathing on top of the ground.
But Rahu and Rachel had already let out their final breathes.
W-wha-what the hell was that monster.
It was a monster that was even painful to remember. But it wasnt some
atrocious beast.
It was a human.
Whats more, a young girl.
Crawling across the ground, he looked at Rachel.
A large burnt hole had been opened in her chest, and her hollow eyes had the
traces of tears shed left in them.
Looking at Rahu, he had tried to let the others escape all the way to his end
by standing out front, so his wounds were the worst.
As he approached the man, he took one of his lighter portions his hair in
his mouth, and brought it all the way over to Rachel.
Wherever he had crawled, Rondos blood had stained the ground.
His sword Skills werent able to do the slightest.
Of all things, a group of three, all with Magic Tools, werent even able to
touch a small girl.
The cause came when they had reached their destination by carriage, and
were to go the rest of the way to the town they decided as their home by foot.
ON the way, it ensued.
An extravagant carriage had stopped near them.
It was definitely one used by a noble, and from the look of it, not any
ordinary noble at that.
Rachel Rahu well, always be together.
Heading over to Rachels empty husk, he released Rahus hair, and let it fall
on top of it.
When they had all just become adventurers, they met, hit it off, and the three
of them had tried their best together for several years. They had started
building up strength, and they had even obtained their long-desired Magic
Tools.
They were all thinking about the future but that monster put her eyes on
them.
The words the monster girl said, were quite unbelievable ones.
You, become mine. I dont need that spear man, or that woman over there.
Go dissapear somewhere.
They were the nonsense of a noble girl who had taken a liking to Rondo.
He had thought that, but the others reactions were different.
The girls parents, who were riding in the same carriage, flew into a rage at
him disregarding the girls favor.
It was because Rondo had declined on the grounds of already having a
splendid girlfriend in Rachel.
And the guards accompanying the carriage also took their weapons in hand.
If that was all, then they could cut their way through, he thought.
He had confidence in his skills. And he even had Magic Tools.
That monster.
But the Girl first circled around to Rachels back, and immediately fired off
magic. It happened in an instant.
What Rachel let out in her tears, was Rondos name.
In anger, Rondo and Rahu proclaimed that it was an unforgivable act, even if
she was a noble, and drew their weapons.
But the moment they were drawn, Rondos arms flew off, and his prided
weapon was shattered.
The sword he even called his partner was ripped up as if it were a scrap of
paper.
His dagger was in the girls hands. While it was floating in the air with his
arms, she grabbed it, and she even had the scabbard that had been hanging at
his waist in hand.
He wasnt able to comprehend what had just happened.
And Rahu stood up front, and shouted for him to run with Rachel.
But Rahu was covered in his own blood soon enough.
As if she had lost interest, the girl left. Even now, Rondo could remember the
words he heard at that time.
Good grief, to waste Celes good will like that.
Celes, the clothes we finally bought for you have blood stained on them! Oh
dear were going to a party, you know. Even if you are to change when we
get there, you have to pay some more mind to your appearance. Dear, well
have to prepare Celes clothing.
The man and woman who seemed to be her parents werent paing them any
mind.
They were mulling over the small stains that had flown out onto her cloth.
Celes clothing? As if Ill let her wear the clothing those brutes prepare for
her! Shes the treasure of the Walt House, you know.
The girl called Celes, while having just used her sword and magic to kill two
people in cold blood, was smiling.
Father, there are times when I want to try choosing different sorts of
clothing. I was just in the mood for shopping, so wont you forgive it?
Hearing her sweet voice, the parents seemed satisfied.
They were parents who doted on their cute daughter but the scene
somehow seemed quite off.
Rondo noticed that the girls family wasnt actually looking at what was
around them at all.
There wasnt a single thing entering their eyes besides their cute daughter.
The nobles, who had taken their leves on a whim, went off somewhere just as
whimsically.
Rondo gathered all his fallen comrades in one place, and as if he was
overcome with satisfaction, he lost all of his strength.
In the end, he whispered.
I guess I couldnt keep my promise.
And quietly, Rondo closed his eyes

Aboard the coupled carriage, we arrived at Centralle.

It was the second time we were dropping by, but our objective this time was
to carry out some shopping.
The amount of usable sabres I could procure in Dalien was low, and there
was also the need for us to decide the next place we would set as our home.
If it was from Centralle, travel would be quite easy, so we stopped by there
first.
Well then, weve arrived, but lets search for an inn for the time being.
Novem gave a reply.
Perhaps it wouldnt be bad if we spent a few days here either. Its just that
we wont be able to afford staying here long enough to make it our home.
Centralle was cold to adventurers.
No, more so, it didnt really need them.
If monsters ever appeared, the nights and soldiers would promptly be
dispatched.
The odd jobs were being fought over by the highly populated general
populace. Unlike Dalien, it wasnt a fit place for an adventurer to reside.
But as it was at the center of the country, it was a metropolis where goods
and information amassed.
Aria was making a conflicted expression.
After being driven out, I doubt Ill be able to put up with adventurer work
here. If were staying a while, Ill be fine, but Ill have to refuse if it comes to
living.
The daughter of the Lockwarde Hose driven out of Centralle, Aria, couldnt
permit herselt to set up home in this city.
Were here for shopping, and information gathering. Once we have all we
need, well be off.
We do have most of what we need.
While we do have weapons, Id like to have a weapon that doesnt drain my
Mana.
When it was necessary, I could turn the Jewel into the large sword, but if that
was all I had, I would be left in quite a bad situation.
Lyle-sama, will you be circling around the weapons shops?
Novem asked, and I answered.
Ill also stop by the armor ones. Id like to drop by the book stores too.
The book store was the ancestors request.
I touched the Jewel.
The reason it was much quieter then before was because the First Generation
had parted.
He was always the noisy one.
Well then, lets look around the shops. Aria-san, are there any famous shops
around? Weapons, or armor, or even books if theres somewhere useful
you know of, Id like to ask.
Novem inquired if there was anywhere she knew of.
And Aria started listing out the names of a few shops she had heard of.
Since its Centralle, there are quite a few skilled smiths for armor and
weapons. But the price is If its books, I know a place with a good
selection. Theres also a library, but at this time of day
Hearing about the library, I thought for a bit.
(If we have the time, Id like to stay for a bit, but I really shouldnt overstay
my welcome.)
Centralle was a place that would consume ones wallet.
They had everything in stock, but to compensate for that fact, the prices put
out for that everything was considerably high. The cost of living was also
high.
As I was worrying over it, Novem offered some advice.

If its libraries, then Arumsaas is said to be the best in the world. I mean,
its famous as the city of scholars.
Aria also nodded.
I know it. I believe it was a city that gathered talented youths from across
the land, was it? But there was no feudal lord there either. I think the cities
scholars send out representatives, who decide various things. Perhaps in the
same way as Beim?
As a free city, Beim was managed by the merchants.
Since there was no feudal lord, it was quite an easy one for adventurers to
live.
Arumsaas or Beim either way, we should decide after gathering some
intel.
Saying that, I held up the luggage, as I started walking to find the inn we
would stay the night.
Hey, I can at least carry my own.
Aria frantically tried to take her bag back, but I refused, and walked ahead.
Dont mind it, and lets go. Novem, quite laughing, and hurry up.
Yes, Im sorry, Lyle-sama.
I urge on Novem, who had started smiling over my exchange with Aria, and
walked down the capitals streets.
When I rememver the streets of the past I walked down with the First
Generation, I saw some traces remained.
But unlike before, it had become quite tidy.
It sure has changed here.
As I muttered that, Aria tilted her head.
Hmm? Youve come here before? And wait, I dont think this area has
changed all too much. Lyle, are you alright?
Aria directed an uncertain look at me, and I gave a wry smile.
Yeah, I guess its been about two hundred years.
As I said that, she began staring at me intently.
Its a joke. This is my second time here. Last time, we just stopped by on
our way to Dalien thats all.
The sky was, just as when I had walked down these streets with the First
Generation, clear, and blue.
Epilogue

The first night after arriving at the imperial capital.

I absentmindedly sat on the frame of the window, and stared outside.
The moon was pretty, and I just wanted to stare at it.
The Third called out to me.

You seem to quite lost in that. Was parting really that painful?
I hung my head, and smiled a little.
Looking into the room, Novem and Aria were sleeping in the same bed. We
did consider booking two rooms, but there wasnt anywhere with such
vacancies.
If we had one more person, we probably would have been allowed to book
two rooms for two each.
Yes, it sure is painful. I mean, he left just after he acknowledged me.
As I said that, the Third abandoned his teasing tone.

As long as you remember him, the First will be delighted. More importantly,
it looks like youve become just a little more decent of a man as of late.
Just a little, is it?
As always, his evaluations are harsh. I smiled.
Its just that in my inner most thoughts, I did agree with him. Of all things,
his evaluation of me was likely higher than my own.

Right, just a little. But you definitely are maturing. The Firsts actions
werent a waste. Be relieved.
Meaning the ancestors wouldnt forgive it if I continued to be indecisive after
the First left.
Even now, I have no idea what it is I should aim for. I mean, Aria was
left to me, and I plan to look out for her one way or another. Well surely part
someday, but Ill make sure she can stand on her own feet before that.

Oh? Were you not opposed to Novems harem plan? Even when it was
something you should have been overjoyed with as a man well, its not like
I dont get where youre coming from.
Truly, if youre a man, then dreaming of harems is natural.
But if you asked me if I really want one, the answer is vague.
Im suspicious of whether or not I can even bring happiness to Novem alone.
She had sold all the furnishings prepared for her wedding to raise funds for
me.
When will I ever be able to repay such a debt?
For now, well just see the world as adventurers. And while were doing
that, the answer may come up There are just too many things I know
nothing about.
As I said that, the Third agreed.

Humans have nothing but unknowns. Even if they act like they know
everything, thats surely a lie. Thats why theres no way but to spend your
whole life learning it. Theres plenty of wisdom you wont find in a book,
and I agree with your opinion, Lyle.
Thank you, Third Generation.
There, the Third cautioned me.

Whoops, looks like we talked too much. The princess is waking up, so lets
bring the conversation to a close here.
The Third closed his mouth, and Aria woke up.
She raised the upper half of her body, and the the red gem dangling from her
neck looked as if it were letting off light.
She called out.
You were still awake?
She looked quite sleepy, but her form was also quite defenseless. She rubbed
her eyes, and looked in my direction.
While thinking it would be nice if she looked at me as more of a man, I
looked back, and saw there was no helping it given the person I was
anyways.
She left the bed, and drew near me.
And she turned to the pendant on my neck.
You have a number of Skills too, right? As I thought, is that an heirloom of
sorts?
As she stared at my blue Jewel, I nodded.
Rather than concealing it, it looks like she thought that it was hard for me to
use them due to my frail constitution. Even if I had a blue gem hanging from
my neck, she didnt think I could make use of it.
Its something thats been passed down through the heads of the Walt
House. A precious heirloom.
She lowered herself into a nearby chair, and touched her own red gem.
I see. Even when I also have one, its complicated to use They were
apparently all the rage in the past, but now that the technology to make them
has been lost, theyve fallen out of production. But since theyre heavily
unbalanced, theyre not too sought after.
Magic Tools made their appearance, and the gems that had been used up to
that point were soon abandoned.
It was because there was no choice on the Skills in a gem.
It was looked on as merely a device to record the Skills that manifested in
people.
Im not sure if shes in a good mood or something, but Aria was talking a lot
today.
Fufu.
Whats up?
I just remembered something. You see, this red gem thats been passed
through the Lockwarde family women, it actually has quite an interesting
story behind it.
Interesting story.
As I showed some interest, she began to talk.
It started with a single woman, who married into the House.
When gems first started spreading, there were only ones without anything
recorded on them.
Right.
The First learned that later, and I remembered him regretting it.
When you look back at the Walt Houses start, its just a funny story at this
point.
And my ancestor that married in, you see, she brought it with her. But the
Lockwarde House already had one. So they didnt know why she brought one
with her.
When that woman came in with her red gem, the Lockwarde House already
had a gem in their possession.
Since using multiple ones at once would cause problems, the gem stayed with
that woman.
And so, that ancestor made it so that the gem was to be passed down to the
Lockwarde Family women. Along with her own story of failure.
And thats interesting?
Rather than interesting, perhaps a little tragic? Before she married, it seems
my ancestor had a person she liked. For that persons sake, she paid a large
sum, and bought the gem.
Hearing up to that point, it looked like it would turn into a drama.
From the flow of the story, it sounded like her husband, and the person she
liked were different people.
This isnt going to have a punchline, is it?
As I said that, Aria told me to wait for the end.
You see, that ancestor was quite bad with words, and she couldnt convey
her feelings to that man. Whats more, they had never even talked once! She
would just occasionally see him from afar, and she was satisfied with that.
Dont you think thats foolish?
On that, I wasnt really sure how to respond.
I do find it off that she never even called out to him, but I guess the First
Generation was in a similar situation.
Well, it is a bit questionable.
Right! And so a few years passed without her being able to hand it over,
talks of marriage came, and she wasnt able to refuse. So all she brought with
her was the red gem she bought for that man. Even when she heard that the
man wanted a red gem, she was never even able to talk to him.
A small question popped up in my head.
I was a little curious about the man that woman had fallen for.
What sort of person was the man?
I dont know the specifics, but it seems there were a lot of youths who
rushed out to reclaim land. It seems that man headed a pioneering corps, and
went far away from the capital. When my ancestor heard that, she bought this
to at least be able to convey her feelings in the end, but she was never able to
hand it over. Shes too hopeless, isnt she?
Could it be? I thought, so I decided to ask.
While there should be plenty of men out there who fit the description, I
couldnt stand by without confirming it.
D-do you know that persons name? Perhaps appearance!
As I drew closer, Aria seemed surprised.
Appearance is beyond me if its his name, then
She probably never thought I would show this much interest. Aria seemed a
little perplexed.
And with a gesture as if to try remembering, she voiced the name.

I believe it was Ballze or Basil or something like that. He was the third
son of a Knight House, and it was love across rank, it seems. I mean, it looks
like my ancestor was the daughter of the baron at the time, and perhaps even
if she called out to him, nothing would come of it. Her name was Alice.
I see
It looks like her feelings did go through.
I found myself unsure of what to say.
If only one of them had called out but if that happened, then neither me nor
Aria would be born.
Having heard the story, the Ancestors let out their impressions.
The Second was blunt.

Theyre both idiots.

The Third as well

How should I put this, perhaps it really was Fate. He never had the
opportunity to hear it to the end how should I put this, if you ask if its
fitting, I guess it is fitting of the First.
The Fourth was a little regretful.

While I do feel its a little sad, Im a bit envious.

The Fifth was cold.

Well, it wasnt fated to be. If it was, theyd have ended up together.

The Sixth

Even if love across status comes to fruition, whether that will bring
happiness or not is
The Seventh was similar to the Sixth. But slightly different.

It all depends on the circumstances. If that woman called Alice had many
sisters, perhaps she would have been allowed to chase after the First on his
journey. They had just gotten themselves out of an era of chaos, and it
probably wasnt a time so set in ranks as ours. If he was to become
independent, then marrying wouldnt have been too bad of an option.
Imperial Nobles, unlike provincial Nobles, didnt command too much
military force.
They lived by receiving money from the palace.
I cant say which is better, but in a position like that, it would be important
for them to have connections with the provincial Nobles as well.
(So there really was a chance for them to be together truly, perhaps my
meeting with Aria really was fate, Founder.)
As I was thinking about such things, Aria called out.
Whats wrong? Suddenly making such a sad face while it may be sad, its
a cautionary tale for the Lockwarde Houses women. Make sure you get your
feelings across clearly, is the moral. But theres also an official stance. Do
that in order to be a warrior woman, they say. Its just that, these sorts of
womanly worries have an underside to them isnt it strange?
Haha, the gap really is large.
I thought it would have been better if only she brought it up earlier, but I
realized that nothing could be done even if she did.
Its something that already passed long ago.
Seeing me act differently than usual, she brought forth a question.
Are you really alright? Youve been acting a little strange for a while.
No, I was just thinking of how fate really exists.
Fate?
She was making a puzzled face, so I continued.
You see, my family, the Walt Houses founder his name was Basil Walt.
In order to reach the side of the woman he liked, he went off to become a
feudal lord.
Hearing that, Aria opened her eyes wide.
Eh, do you mean
It looks like neither of them were able to call out. Its just that, it he gained
himself some land, and was doing his best in preparation to confess to her.
The story of a man who, for the sake of a single woman, joined a dangerous
corps, and cut down the monster-infested forests.
When he finally returned, the girl he loved had already been married, it
seems. Her name was Alice-san.
Having heard that, Aria looked like she was grasping for words.
And after a while, she opened her mouth.
I wonder what it is. Im simply not sure what it is I should say. But if fate
really does exist somewhere out there, then perhaps the fact that we met is
also some sort of destiny.
As she said that with a bitter smile, I nodded.
That would be nice.
I removed my gaze from Aria, and looked up at the moon.
Looking at that round moon, I thought if only I could bring this story to the
First Generation and found my incessantly mulling self to be a little pitiful.
I shook off the feelings, and looked at nothing but the moon.
The words came out naturally.
The moon sure is beautiful tonight.
For some reason, Arias face was flushed a little.
The Fourth spoke.

The bastard did it. He unconsciously did it!!

The Fifth raised a questioning voice.

What is it? Youre being loud. Whats so strange about the moon being
beautiful?
The Second was the same.
Yes, todays moon really is shining nicely.
It seems that the Fourth was pissed off, looking at us.

Why dont any of you notice it! Lyle, you like books, right? Havent you
ever read of something like this? Never!?
While thinking he was being noisy, I said I was going to sleep, and headed
for the bed.
(No, whats so wrong about the moon being beautiful? I mean it is, isnt it?)
But this time, Aria started gazing up at the moon.
(So she wanted to look at it to? No, I guess thats fine Im going to sleep.)
Ill be off to sleep first. Good night.
Without meeting my eyes, she muttered in a small voice.
G-good ni
Question Corner 2

Q: So Lyle was at Level 1?

A: Lyle (`) : Thats right. For me to have been constantly drained of
Mana in that state and surviving, Id like to praise myself. Ah, please make
sure to forget my black history.

Q: What is Novems objective?

A: Second Generation () : Novem is a good girl without any ulterior
motives, dammit!!

Fifth Generation( ) : Calm down. Its actually scarier if she did all that
on love without another motive (I dont believe shes a yandere. I pray to god
shes not)

Q: Does Growth come when you wake up in the morning?

A: Fourth Ge ne ra tion (-@@) : The re
are cases like that. Especially at times when you suddenly get a large amount
of experience at once, the body cannot process it, and youre stricken with a
severe tired feeling. However, even if youre going through life as normal,
you can undergo the sudden sensation of opening your eyes. Its something
Ive experienced. So its not certain that itll always happen like Lyle, where
he makes some black history for himself first thing in the morning.

Q: Im pretty sure there was something between this sis and the Second
Generation Head. The Second Generation just didnt notice it.
A: Second Generation () : No, while I did become acquainted with
her through our familys relations, there was quite an age difference between
us! The one with an age close to hers was the Third. But Im the one who
prepared a bride for him, so

Third Generation () : If the Second didnt frantically prepare a wife

for me, it may have turned out like that. She sure was a pretty person.

Q: About Novems and Celes Skills.

A: Sixth Generation ( ): That area is something to wait for

expectantly.

Q: Could it be that Celes actually likes Lyle? Or shes perhaps a reincarnator

or body swapped?

A: Seventh Generation ( ) : I think Ive said this before, but she isnt a
reincarnator or body swapper or anything. If youre asking whether she likes
or hates Lyle, I think its hate. Or perhaps shes uninterested? I think she was
quite happy when Lyle finally left the mansion she lived in.

Q: Zelphy-san is too much of a failure as an advisor.

A: Second Generation : We received quite a few questions on that

one. First, her being connected to the lord, and relaying information to him
dropped the credibility of the guild, was it? If I was to give a reason for this,
while she was an adventurer, Zelphy is a resident of Dalien, and I think its
natural to report things to the Lord. I mean, if something happened theres a
chance the residents of her homeland would be put at a disadvantage. And
wait, the guild is generally a management institution for hopeless ruffians,
and an organization to collect magic stones. It isnt as noble a place as you
may imagine.

Third Ge ne ra tion () : There were also some questions about the lords
relation to the guild. To continue explanations, the guild was well aware that
Zelphy was related to the lord. In Sevens, the relation of the guild to its
feudal lord changes based on the territory. They agree over whatever works
best, and lash out at each other over whatever clashed, right? And wait, I
think theres a problem in a feudal lord that isnt mindful of the massive
organization crawling onto their doorstep.
Fourth Ge ne ra tion (-@@): The re we re
some comments on how she took money, but that was the expenses to teach
adventurers the basics. The bandit subjugation and the urgent request
participation were separate fees. Lyles low evaluation in Dalien was
intentional on his side, so I doubt Zelphy knew what he was thinking most of
the time.

Fifth () : In the end, shes no good in some areas, but they learned the
fundamentals of adventuring, so there isnt really a problem. Lyle was able to
gain knowledge and experience not even we possessed, so I think its fine for
him to have paid for it. Its just that Ill never forgive her for teaching him
how to kill and skin a horned rabbit. Never, you hear!?

Q: About the missing party and the deceased adventurer, how did the guild
know about that?

A: Seventh Generation : There was an explanation of this in part

one, and at the start of the mess, there was a scene where Hawkins confirmed
it, but was it hard to understand? Guild cards are made in pairs, and one is
kept by the guild. Using that, if something is carved over the name in the
guild card, then thats an assurance of death. People fill out where theyre
headed at the guild receptionist desk, and if you havent returned by your
appointed time, and a mark appears on the card you get it, right?

Q: For it to have eight Skills in it, is it really an heirloom?

A: Sixth Generation : Dont be doubting that part. Even like this,

its a bonifide heirloom that was handed down through the Walt Family.

Lyle : (Even if I tried selling it, I doubt I would get too much.
Even the rare metal from the ornaments around it is worth more.)

Q: Quite a few of the ancestors refer to themselves in the same way, so in

order to differentiate characters, how about changing that?

A: Lyle ( `) : Thank you for the useful opinion. If theres a good place
for that, I may end up changing it.
(TL: They mostly use ore but this is lost in translation, nor is it too
important if you can already differentiate characters.)