[ ALERT ]
You have levelled up.
29 > 30
[ ALERT ]
Jack, Sallow and Araneida were tearing through the horde of slimes like it was nothing. By now, the horde had been reduced to around a sixth of what it originally was, with there being so little of them, they barely seemed like a threat anymore. In fact, most of the surviving slimes seemed to have had their survival instincts kick in, as they had begun to flee and try to get away from the trio, however…
Step, step, step…
Jack just followed after them, his eyes shining and his lips twisted into a psychotic grin. Sallow and Araneida moved beside him – the same, murderous look in their eyes.
Jack leapt forward and slashed his shortsword around, wiping off most of the fleeing slimes. Those that managed to avoid him were immediately wiped out by either Sallow or Araneida, who moved after their master and ripped them to shreds.
[ ALERT ]
Familiar ‘Sallow’ has levelled up.
4 > 5
[ ALERT ]
Jack wiped off the slime condesite on his face, scuffing lightly before throwing the residue on his shortsword to the ground and sheathing up the blade. “Well done you two. We managed to greatly benefit from all those things.”
“You humble me with your praise, my Lord.” Sallow kneeled before Jack while Araneida just looked joyously happy about being praised, jumping all over the place like an excited child.
Jack exhaled, looking away.
“System start.”
[ STATUS ]
Jack Alfred Gragbone
Gender: Male
Level: 30 (1)
Rank: F
Class: Tamer
Stat Points: 12
Health: 390 / [9]
Magical Energy: 550 / [8]
Strength: 200 / [10]
Defence: 180 / [8]
Agility: 190 / [9]
Skills;
[Interpreter]; Common Skill
[Combat Experience]; Unique Skill
[Battle Hungry]; Unique Skill
[Spider Venom]; Unique Skill
[Leaders Transformation]; Unique Skill
[Taming]; Class Skill
[Animal Body]; Class Skill
[ STATUS ]
“Level thirty… Didn’t take all that long to hit it, huh?” Jack thought, before looking down at his stat points. Twelve of them – he had gained six levels from that entire horde of slimes that the three of them had massacred just now. “Not bad.”
Jack immediately put three of the points into strength and three into defense. After that, he put in two stat points into health, before placing the three of them into magical energy and lastly, the last point into agility.
Right now, that seemed like the most balanced spread he could aim for – Especially after learning about ‘Leaders Transformation’ effect. If he wanted to use the skill effectively, he would require as much magical energy as he could gain, so putting a little more weight on that stat, seemed reasonable. Jack closed his status window and looked at Sallow and Araneida, who were busy searching through the decimated slimes.
“What are you searching for?”
“Slime cores.” Sallow responded, picking up a small squarish object, before looking at Jack. “They are essentially the ‘hearts’ that keep slimes together.”
Jack scratched his chin a bit. “What can they be used for?”
“I’m unsure what humans use them for, however within my tribe, slime cores were useful for treating wounds and crafting light medicine. They have special healing properties which, when mixed with certain other ingredients, can produce some good medicine.”
“So essentially, they could be used to create healing potions…” Jack commented to himself in his mind. He already had four bottles of Greater Healing Potions and one vial of a regular healing potion, however those were limited and could run out at any point. If they could create their own, that would be useful.
Jack crossed his arms. “Do you know how to make this medicine?”
Sallow nodded in response, standing up and walking over to Jack. “Luckily for you, before I became the King, I was our tribe's healer. I have experience in creating medicinal things.” Sallow presented a palm filled with about eight Slime Cores to Jack.
The Tamer looked at the cores, picking them up from Sallows palm, before examining them a bit more closely.
[ ITEM ]
Slime Core (x8)
The condensed heart of slimes. Can be used to create healing potions.
[ ITEM ]
Jack smirked a bit. “These definitely are worth holding onto.” He commented in his mind, before sliding the cores into the small bag he was carrying on his belt. Then, he looked at Araneida, who had returned, bringing what looked like a small round orb. Jack kneeled, taking the object from Araneida.
“What do you have here Araneida…” He examined the orb up close.
[ ITEM ]
Slime Kings Summoner
When destroyed, it causes a Slime King to appear.
[ ITEM ]
“My Lord… that item is—”
“I know.” Jack stood up and smiled a bit. “Good job Araneida, you brought back something that will allow us to gain that little bit more strength.” The spider let out a joyous squeal, clearly satisfied that her find had managed to earn her praise from Jack. Sallow looked a bit nervous. “My Lord… The Slime King is a highly acidic monster. While it in itself is not dangerous, there is a risk—”
“Don’t worry Sallow, I know what I’m doing.” Jack stated, brushing off Sallows concerns. Then, he gestured to the two to back up, before moving to the center of all the destroyed slimes. Sallow and Araneida exchanged gazes with one another, a bit nervous, however after a bit, backed up – creating about a twenty meter distance between them and Jack.
“While I don’t doubt their ability to help me, if this ‘Slime King’ really is highly acidic, then fighting beside me will bring more risk than is worth.” Jack thought, before gripping the small orb in his hand tightly. The man hesitated for a second, before taking in a deep breath and then dropping the small orb to the ground.
Then, he raised his foot up and…
Stomp – crack, crunch.
The orb broke under his foot. Immediately afterwards, Jack leapt back, creating distance between him and where he had destroyed the orb. All the destroyed slime residue around them began to slowly flow towards where the orb had been crushed – like a stream of water, gathering in a single place.
The residue spun around the destroyed orb, as a bright light formed as a ‘core’. Seconds later, a giant slime formed, inside it, a star shaped light. Jack grinned, standing up and looking at the giant creature.
[ Creature ]
Slime King
Rank: G
Level: 13 (2)
A hyper evolved form of the regular slime, that has surpassed all of the limitations of its smaller counterparts. The ‘Slime King’ has a body made up of highly condensed acid, which when exposed to, can be devastating even if the user is of a high level.
[ CREATURE ]
Jack cracked his knuckles. While usually he would have used his shortsword, he wanted to put his fists to the test. Besides, even if he got the acid that made up this thing onto him — he had enough potions to be able to recover from it.
“Sallow, Araneida – do not interrupt. I’ll kill it quick.”
The duo looked unconvinced, however Sallow nodded a moment later. “I understand, my Lord. Be careful.”
“I will. I’m not foolish enough to underestimate my opponents… even when I have the advantage.” Jack thought. The Slime King seemingly looked down at the man, before letting out an ear piercing shriek. Jack took in a deep breath and dashed at the giant blob – throwing a punch at it, which managed to send the Slime King flying into a wall of the cave environment around them.
[ WARNING ]
Acid has been detected.
[ WARNING ]
Jack looked down at his hand. The acid from the Slime King has not affected his clothes, however was seering his skin – making it sizzle and burn as if it was on fire. “Tch–” Jack scuffed, taking out the last of the regular healing potions and instead of drinking it, splashing it onto the wound.
Luckily for him, his idea had worked and the healing potion healed the acid damage. “A bit of a gamble, but it paid off.” Jack commented, dropping the small vial before dashing after the giant blob. The Slime King had recovered, shrieking again, before firing out a flurry of tentacles from its body at Jack.
“Perfect opportunity to test this out.” Jack stated, before his legs suddenly changed shape. They morphed from his regular human legs into a pair of ostrich legs. Jack then dashed at an even faster pace, leaping into the air, before making his legs morph back into his human ones and crashing down onto the Slime King with a tornado kick from above.
The Slime King seemingly got slightly damaged by the kick, however its body, being made from a material that felt similar to rubber, bounced him back like a spring. Jack flew into the air, before sharpening his gaze down at the blob.
“Not bad… That extra speed was really useful.”
That had been the effects of his Class Skill ‘Animal Body’.
[ INFORMATION ]
Animal Body - Class Skill
Activation cost: 0
A Skill that allows the user to change their body parts to that of different animals and creatures, providing benefits from that creatures biology,
Limitation; Can only change one body part at a time. (Both legs and arms are counted as one body part.)
[ INFORMATION ]
“If I use the skill smartly, it can give me a huge advantage in battles.” Jack commented, as he landed back onto the ground. His earlier kick seemed to have enraged the Slime King, as it shrieked even louder than before, clearly angry. Then, it fired off what looked to be a barrage of acidic bullets aimed at Jack.
Jack narrowed his eyes, before bracing. Then, as the bullet barrage approached, he leapt into the air – a pair of wings sprawling from his back. Then, he dashed down.
The monster tried to intercept the Tamer, by shooting out a flurry of tentacles once more, which dashed at Jack at great speed. Jack dodged the tentacles, maneuvering mid air with the wings he had created using ‘Animal Body’. While this was his first time having more body parts than a regular human, the wings felt like they were a natural extension of him — like they have been with him for years.
In no way, did it feel strenuous or difficult to use them, like you would expect for a beginner like Jack. He made one last mad dash down at the Slime King – aiming to punch it.
[ ALERT ]
[Combat Experience] has been activated.
+40% to Strength.
[ ALERT ]
“Right on cue!” Jack snickered, before delivering a devastating blow to the top of the Slime King, causing it to erupt into an explosion of acid, while letting out a loud shriek of pain. Jack quickly placed his arms in front of him as a guard, while Sallow and Araneida watched him in surprise.
“My Lord!” Sallow shouted after Jack while Araneida shrieked.
The duo dashed over to the scene, searching around where Jack could have been, while the acidic remains of the Slime King laid around them. Then, not too far away, they spotted Jack, who was cursing under his breath. “God damn…”
He commented, laughing lightly, as slight smoke went off of his arms, which had been morphed to have a pair of large tortoise shells on them.
“My Lord! Are you alright?”
Sallow and Araneida ran over, while Jack looked at them with a smile. “I’m fine… just sustained some damage. Though, I was lucky to react fast enough to create these tortoise shells to use as a shield… While they didn’t completely protect me, they reduced the amount of damage I took.”
“I told you to be careful.” Sallow walked up, while Jack morphed the tortoise shells on his arms back to his regular arms. His clothes were still fully intact, while his own skin and flesh was slowly being burnt away by the acid. Jack scuffed.
“Sallow, take out a greater healing potion from my bag.”
“Right away.” Sallow rushed to his side and rummaged through his small bag, before taking out a bottle of the Greater Healing Potion, opening it up, before pouring it equally over the injured arms. In less than a few seconds, the acid damage had been healed. Jack stretched his arms a bit, exhaling.
“I will admit, that hurt like hell.”
Sallow sighed, throwing the empty bottle away. “I don’t understand how I lost to you, when you’re this reckless…” Jack laughed, patting Sallow lightly on his back. “Trust me - This is by far the most sane thing I’ve done in my life.”
Sallow seemed a bit worried about that statement, however did not ask any questions. Jack turned away, looking down at his hands. “I did not level up from killing that thing… However, it was a good chance to practice using ‘Animal Body’. It’s definitely a skill I will be relying on often.”
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Jack commented to himself in his mind.
Then, Sallow tapped his right shoulder, causing him to turn around. “Here my Lord. This was dropped upon the Slime Kings' defeat.” Sallow stated, giving Jack a rugged orb. The texture of the orb was rough and jagged, almost spiky.
Jack narrowed his eyes.
[ ITEM ]
Slime Star
An item dropped by the Slime King. It can be used to create a piece of equipment.
[ ITEM ]
“A crafting ingredient eh? Well, add this to the list of items I will only be able to use after I get out of this place.” Jack thought, before sliding the orb into his bag. Then, he looked at Sallow and Araneida. “Let’s keep moving.”
Sallow nodded. “Very well – just let me know if you need to take a rest.”
Jack laughed at Sallows' statement, however did not respond. Afterwards, the trio began moving again, leaving behind the sight where the Slime King had been destroyed by Jack.
From afar, hiding in the shadows, a figure watched them.
Scratching its chin, it exhaled. “Very interesting…”
In the capital — South of Roria.
Earl and Aihara arrived at a rather large cabin, about a kilometer away from the main castle of Roria. Earl stopped his horse, before hopping off and then helping Aihara get off, before taking the horse by the leash. Aihara looked at the cabin with slight admiration.
“Such a beautiful place…”
“Thank you. While it certainly isn’t as extravagant as the castle or the homes of my fellow heroes, this place is exactly what someone of my age prefers. It’s far enough from the capital for me to have perfect peace and quiet.” Earl stated, before walking towards the cabin. After a moment of standing still, Aihara ran after Earl, catching up to the elderly man's side.
“I wanted to ask, do you and that female in white armour live together?” Earl looked at Aihara. “Sarah? Yeah, we both live here. In fact, she’s like my daughter.” Aihara was a bit taken back. The man looked rough and like he was barely managing to sustain himself, while the woman clearly looked like a noble – with her striking beauty and impressive presence.
Plus, that armour looked a lot more impressive than Earls lightly damaged and scratched up armour. “If I can ask, by saying that she’s like your daughter, do you mean..?”
“I found her when she was little. She had been abandoned in the streets of the capital by her mother, since she could not provide for the small child anymore. Feeling bad, I decided to take her under my wing and bring her here.” Earl began to explain a bit, adjusting his slicked back hair a bit. “I gave her food and shelter, and eventually, trained her to use a sword. She would always call me her father and would say how she wanted to grow up like me, however when she was revealed to have the class ‘Holy Knight’ – she grew sad, saying that she wouldn’t be able to follow in my footsteps.”
Earl sighed, while Aihara chuckled.
“Honestly, that day I had to spend a good chunk of time convincing her that her class was greater than mine and that she had potential to bring so much good to the world and save many lives.” Aihara, once again, chuckled. Earl, looking at her, couldn’t help but let a small laugh escape his mouth as well.
As the two walked up to the house's front door, Earl opened it, turning to Aihara. “Head on inside. I’ll place the horse in the stables and join afterwards. Please, feel free to make yourself at home, Lady Aihara.”
“R-Right! Thank you!” Aihara stated, bowing towards Earl, who simply laughed and left to the small stables that was built not that far away from the main house. After watching him leave, Aihara entered the house and looked around inside. Inside, the home looked… like you would expect a pre modern countryside home to look like. It was very medievalish on the inside, with various items all over the place.
There were even sets of armour and swords hung on the wall, as well as what looked like dummies that were either destroyed or in the process of being made. Aihara moved deeper inside, exploring a bit. At the far left corner of the house, was a kitchen area, where metal pots, pans and utensils were hung. Slightly to the right, there was what looked like a pantry, probably filled with food.
“This place is surprisingly big…” She thought, looking at a set of stars which led up. “There even is a second floor!” Aihara couldn’t help but draw slight comparisons between this house and her own grandfather's home. Since her grandparents had lived outside of Japan and instead, in central Europe, their house was more closely matched in style to this humble little cabin.
Earl appeared in the doorway. “Well? What do you think, Lady Aihara?”
The young girl looked at the elderly man, smiling lightly.
“This place is so cozy! I am happy to get to live here.” Aihara replied with an enthusiastic tone. Earl smiled and walked inside the house. “Good to hear that.” He explained before walking up the stairs.
“I’ll show you your room.” Aihara nodded, quickly following after the armoured man. Upstairs was a little more cramped than downstairs, especially the hall. There were wooden boxes, crates and barrels all over the place, stacked upon one another as well as bags of what looked like grains also stacked up on one another.
Aihara was led past all the boxes, crates, barrels and bags, and led to a door at the end of the hallway. The door was certainly showing its age – the door handle looked a little rough and the wood used to make the door was not in pristine condition at all. Opening the door, Earl gestured for Aihara to check it out. “Go on.”
Aihara hesitated for a moment, before walking past Earl and into the room. The room was surprisingly spacious and didn’t have too many things in it. There was a bed in the corner, a desk and a chair, a window and a closet propped up against a wall. Aihara walked further into the room and over to the desk. On it was a green book and a feather pen. Aihara looked at the book and then Earl. “Uhm, what is…?”
“That’s a journal I prepared for you. You can use it as a way to keep track of your training and how the days go by. Think of it as my welcome gift.”
Aiharas face turned into a bright smile. “T-Thank you!”
“Don’t mention it.” Earl replied, before looking at the bed. “On the bed are some clothes that have been prepared as well. I suggest changing into them, as they are far more suited for the training you’ll undergo here. Once you’re done, you’re free to come back downstairs, I’ll prepare some food.”
“Right..! Thank you so much!” Aihara bowed towards Earl, who simply laughed and closed the door to the room and left. The footsteps of his armour could be heard for a little bit, before eventually they faded. Aihara looked at the clothes on the bed, walking over to them and picking them up. They were green and brown, and felt like they were made from some real high quality material.
After a quick exhale, she looked out the window at the sky outside. “Mister, please survive. I will get stronger and make sure I can help you when we meet again.”
Rustle, rustle…
Chop, chop…
Sizzle, sizzle…
Earl was preparing some vegetables and meat, throwing the chopped up vegetables into a pot before moving over to the pan, on which chopped up cubes of meat were sizzling. The man flipped them around a bit, until the front door of the house opened and Sarah stepped through.
“Pa… Earl! We’re back!” Earl looked back, placing the pan down.
“Welcome back Sarah.”
He started walking away from the pan. The man had taken off his heavy armour and instead, was dressed in some casual clothes befitting of someone living in the countryside, while also wearing a white apron over them. With his armour off, the density of his muscles was way more emphasized, as well as scars that covered his arms were on full display.
“Well? What did the church need?
“Just wanted me to report on the situation of the summoned individuals. That’s all really.” Sarah replied, taking off her large armour and revealing much fighter clothing, which were emphasizing more of her feminine features. The boy behind her, Raito, walked into the home, looking around with a cold expression.
“Ah,” Earl walked up to Raito. “You must be Sarah's disciple, Sir Raito. My name is Earl and I will be your host while you live here and train under Sarah.” He extended his right hand for a handshake. Raito threw a gaze down at the hand, before shaking it and looking Earl in the eyes. “...Nice to meet you.”
Sarah sniffed the air. “Oooo, are you making boar meat stew?”
“I am. I figured since this will be the first day from which we have two more people living with us, we could treat ourselves a bit.” Earl replied, crossing his arms. Sarah looked quite happy and excited about the news, however then looked at Earl with slightly pleading eyes. Earl looked at her, sighing.
“Yes… You will also get the glazed boar slices.”
“Yes! Thank you so much Pa…” Sarah shut up, doing a little fake cough, before returning to her professional demeanor. Earl laughed a bit, before turning away and walking back towards the kitchen area.
“Show Sir Raito up to his room. Food will be served soon.”
“Of course. Sir Raito, please, come with me.” Sarah stated, before beginning to scale the stairs, with Raito, following after her without saying anything. On their way up, they bumped into Aihara, who was coming back downstairs, having changed into the clothes that Earl had instructed her to put on.
“Oh, Lady Aihara..!” Seeing Aihara, Sarah looked at her with slight admiration. Aihara wore the green and brown clothes, which were very much significant for knight squires. Her clothing was tight, but not so tight that it felt restraining, she had a black belt around her waist and her shirt perfectly hit as well as brought out her feminine features.
Sarah stared at Aihara for a bit – a bit lost. “U-Uhm… Miss?”
“Ah—” Sarah panicked a little, flailing a bit before laughing. “My apologies. I was taken back by how much the outfit suits you!”
“Ah, thank you… haha…” Aihara replied a bit nervously. She managed to spot Raito sneaking a cold gaze at her, however upon noticing it, the boy looked away. She had never spoken to Raito before, as he always seemed so unapproachable, but now she would be living under the same roof as him.
“Excuse us Lady Aihara, I have to show Sir Raito to his room. Earl is downstairs.” Aihara nodded, hopping past the two as they went upstairs and she hopped down the stairs. Once back down, she looked at Earl, who was carefully and slowly stirring something inside a large metal pot. The aroma coming from it that filled the house was downright mesmerising.
It genuinely smelled like she had entered heaven.
Earl noticed Aihara. “Ah, Lady Aihara, I see you’ve changed into the clothes I prepared. I have to say, they quite suit you.”
“Thank you – They definitely are super comfortable and I don’t feel at all restricted by them. It’s like I have full freedom of movement.” Aihara replied, stretching her body out a bit. Earl chuckled lightly.
“Well, they are designed that way. A ‘Knight’ needs as much freedom over their movement and actions as possible for best possible results – especially while training.” The elderly man explained, picking up a ladle of the stew he was making, tasting it before placing the ladle back inside the pot and taking the pot off of the flame, which he then covered up with a pan.
“Please, take a seat at the table. Food will be ready shortly. We will all talk a bit more about tomorrow and how the training will go while eating.” Earl invited Aihara, pointing at the wooden table in the house, which was surrounded by exactly four chairs.
“Okay～” Aihara joyously hopped over to the table, sitting down in one of the chairs and resting her head a bit on the table. The sound of Earl working away in the kitchen supplied by the lovely aroma that filled the house was enough to make Aihara feel like she was at her grandparents house.
It was so homey, so cozy… It almost made her forget that she was in a completely different world and that the man who was going to be her mentor, was a complete stranger to her.
Not long after – the sun was slowly setting.
Sarah, Aihara and Raito sat around the table, while Earl placed some wooden bowls in front of them before bringing the large pot of stew over and placing it onto the table. After the pot, he brought a plate of what looked like meat strips, covered in some sort of sauce or glaze. Sarah stared at the strips with excitement, practically drooling.
“Sarah, remember — no snacking until you’ve eaten at least one bowl of the stew.” Earl said, looking at her with a serious expression.
The woman looked away a bit saddened. “Yeah, yeah…”
Earl one by one used the ladle in the pot to pour in some stew for everyone at the table. Upon receiving her fill, Aihara looked down at the bowl and examined it. The aroma from it was enchanting – it smelled absolutely divine.
It even looked like it was going to be incredibly delicious as well.
After everyone was served the bowl of stew, Earl sat down at the table himself. “Right, now – please, feel free to dig in.”
Aihara and Raito looked at Earl and both nodded, before clapping their hands together. “Thank you for the food.” Then, they both picked up the wooden spoons to the side and began eating the stew. Upon taking the first bit of the stew, Aihara felt as though a shock was sent through her body. The stew wasn’t just delicious… It was divine! Its aroma was absolutely not misleading in any way! It tasted amazing.
The vegetables in the stew danced on her tongue with such rich, resourceful flavours – it didn’t even feel real. It felt like she was eating some luxury meal that had been prepared by a five star chef. The meat inside the stew as well – it melted in her mouth so gently. While it’s flavour was strong and noticeable, however it wasn’t so strong that it overpowered the vegetables.
All ingredients had this perfect balance between them.
“So good…”
Aihara commented, while Earl laughed light-heartedly. “I appreciate your compliment. This is one of my signature dishes – Bore meat stew. While I don’t make it every day, it’s a good treat to make once in a while.” Earl explained a bit, blowing a spoonful of his stew and eating it. Then, he looked at Aihara.
“Don’t worry, if you finish your bowl, you can always ask for seconds. There is enough stew to feed at least fifteen people.”
Aihara looked at Earl with a joyous expression. “T-Thank you so much!” She stated, before starting to happily eat her stew. Raito eyed Aihara a bit, watching her eat the stew she had with such joy. While he himself had to agree that the stew was absolutely delicious – there was no doubt about it – he also couldn’t help but feel like Aihara was a bit overreacting about how tasty the food was.
Sarah was just like Aihara — eating the stew as if she was a little child who had been given food after being without it for a long time. It was hard to think that the woman was a ‘Great Hero’ from how she looked at the table right now.
The group happily enjoyed their meal for a while, eventually, emptying the pot - with Aihara and Sarah having eaten the most. Now the group was snacking on the glazed meat slices. Just like the meat in the stew, the meat slices had such a rich, powerful flavour that it felt illegal to eat them. They melted in the mouth, and the light seasoning that had been used for them made them taste as if they were eating a full blown five star meal.
While snacking, Earl let out a small exhale. “Alright, time to discuss the plan for your training, Lady Aihara.”
The girl, who was happily chomping down on a boar meat slice, looked at the man. Sarah was brought out of her own little world by this statement as well, looking at Raito. “Right, the same goes for you, Sir Raito.”
Aihara swallowed the food in her mouth. “As I understand, we will train separately?”
“Somewhat. While the training methods I use are a bit different from the ones Sarah uses,, there are places where I am better suited for you both. A good example would be that I am more suited to train you both in the way of using a sword, which is what you both will primarily be using as a Knight and Holy Knight.” Earl replied, with Sarah nodding after him.
Raito raised his right arm. “Yes Sir Raito?” Earl looked at him.
“Why can’t Madam Sarah train me to use a sword?” Aihara looked at Raito with a slightly nervous look. She might have been overthinking it – but maybe Raito wasn’t a fan of the idea of training together with her? It wouldn’t surprise her… Someone like him, who was viewed in such a high light in her class, most definitely wouldn’t want someone as boring as her around him.
“Sarah is better suited at teaching you the skills necessary for a Holy Knight. When it comes to swordsmanship, mine is strictly superior to hers.”
Sarah looked at Earl a bit upset, mumbling. “It’s not my fault you’re so strong…”
Earl laughed. “My dear, I’m a military veteran who has been in the service of the kingdom for almost twenty years. Of course I’m strong.”
Aiharas ears perked up a bit at the mention of Earl being a military veteran and someone who has been in his field for twenty years. She couldn’t help but look at the elderly man with surprise. Twenty years of service and yet he still is strong enough to be recognised as a Great Hero… He’s one impressive elder.
Raito looked a bit disappointed, however did not say anything else and looked away. Then, Earl continued. “Anyways, from tomorrow you’ll begin your training early in the morning. Utilising the ‘Hero System’ we will ensure to push you to your limits and then past them. Our goal is to make you strong as soon as possible so that we may be ready to confront the army of the dead when they come again.”
Aihara listened carefully to what the elderly man said, while Raito still kept his gaze away, while still listening. From there, Earl went on to explain how they would be first taught the basics of swordsmanship as well as how to handle themselves in battle.
After the long discussion was over, Earl and Sarah gathered up the dirty dishes and moved them over to a sink that was set up in the kitchen. “Now, please get some rest until tomorrow. There must be a lot on your mind at the moment.”
“It feels like he can read my thoughts…” Aihara commented within her thoughts, before nodding and getting up from her seat at the table. Raito also stood up, before immediately heading upstairs and disappearing without saying anything. Sarah watched him leave, exhaling. “Guess he isn’t the sociable type huh.”
“I guess…” Aihara sighed as well. Afterwards she looked at Sarah and Earl. “U-Uhm, Miss Sarah, Mister Earl?”
The two looked at her.
“Yes, Lady Aihara?”
Aihara hesitated a bit, before bowing towards them. “Thank you for accepting us into your care! I promise to put in the utmost care and effort into my training!” The duo exchanged gazes, before laughing light heartedly.
“Please, think nothing of it, Lady Aihara.” Earl stated. Aihara smiled at them both. They both genuinely seemed like good, kind hearted people… Their smiles and kindness wasn’t just an act – unlike… That scary woman who had summoned them all. After helping move the pot and other remaining utensils to the kitchen, Aihara bid Sarah and Earl goodnight, running upstairs.
Sarah watched her disappear, before exhaling, crossing her arms. “Things are about to become lively, huh?”
“Haha, indeed they are.” Earl replied, while washing the dishes. “By the way…” His tone changed, grabbing Sarah's attention, who looked at him a bit confused. “What’s with the hesitation to call me ‘Papa’? Are you trying to finally act mature～?”
Sarah's face turned a bit red, before she panicked a little. “I-I just! S-Sir Raito, he w-would…!”
Earl laughed at the flustered Sarah, while continuing to wash the dishes, all the while Sarah just continued to try and push out an excuse.
Up in her room, Aihara was laying in her bed, staring at the ceiling. The faint glimmer of the moon shone through her window. It was still a bit surreal and hard to think about, how this all wasn’t just a dream and was, in fact, reality. She and her class really had been summoned to another world — where monsters, magic and so much more existed. It genuinely didn’t feel real…
But it was.
“...I wonder how my family is doing…” She thought, shedding a slight tear. The thought of possibly never seeing them again crossed her mind. She had promised her mother that she would come back home early that day, but instead, she had been whisked away to a completely different world…
The girl couldn’t help but cry a bit into the pillow of her bed.
“....I’m sorry mom.. It looks like I won’t be coming back home today.” She commented, narrowing her eyes a bit. Her thoughts drifted.
Away from her family and towards the man, who she had tried to stand up for. Once again, the same question that she had already asked god knows how many times in this one day, popped up in her mind. “How are you doing, mister?”
She looked down at the moonlight that shone into the room.
Slowly, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep — eventually, snoring lightly.
In his own room, Earl was writing what seemed to be a letter with a small lantern by his side. His expression was stern and cold. With the light crackle of the lantern's flame, he placed the feather pen he was holding to the side, looking out the window at the stars in the sky, a content, yet slightly worried expression across his face.
“...Something feels off about there not being a disciple summoned for Andrius.”
