Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: A Brief Farewell... Except for You
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Ravi burst into Elfin's room at the inn, three doors down from her own.
Bang!
She flung the door open so forcefully that she couldn't control her strength properly, sending a loud crash echoing through the room. Elfin, who had been sharpening her dagger while resting, jumped up in shock.
"Mommy! You scared me! I almost cut my finger... Ravi?"
"Haa... haa..."
Seeing Ravi's flushed face and her panting breaths, Elfin tilted her head in confusion.
Elfin had been caught off guard by Ravi—who hadn't stepped foot outside while nursing Alvis—suddenly charging into her room. It took her a moment to process, but then one possibility dawned on her.
"Alvis?! Is he okay?"
"......"
"Ravi?"
"Huh? W-what did you say?"
Even though Elfin was right in front of her, Ravi's gaze was blankly fixed on empty space. She hadn't even registered what Elfin had said and asked her to repeat it.
"I asked if Alvis is okay."
"Oh, uh, Alvis? Y-yeah! He's fine... I think. Oh, right! He's conscious now! The treatment was already done, so he can move without any issues, his mind seems sharp... and his lips too..."
"His lips?"
At that moment, Ravi's rabbit ears shot straight up as if startled.
"Eep?! L-l-lips?! Did I say lips?! Oh, y-yeah! Lips! His, uh, color looks good! Th-that means he's healthy, right!?"
"Ravi, you're acting kinda weird."
"Huh? R-really?! N-no, I'm totally fine! Oh, yeah! Sl-sleep! I've been so busy nursing him that I haven't slept much lately! Elfin! Can I sleep here tonight?"
"Uh? Sure... The bed's big enough, no problem."
"Thanks, Elfin! Th-then I'll go wash up!"
As Ravi grabbed a towel and hurried into the bathroom, Elfin tilted her head again.
"What's up with her...?"
Meanwhile, as Ravi washed herself, she recalled what had just happened.
......
Ravi's and Alvis's lips had met, and she had fallen into a brief ecstasy, quietly savoring the sensation.
The unexpectedly soft touch covered her lips, and in that moment, Ravi felt an inexplicable satisfaction.
As they kissed and their hands touched, Ravi finally snapped out of it and pulled her head and hand back in surprise.
'D-d-did I just kiss Alvis...?!'
She had thought it would never happen, not even in her wildest dreams. No, she had never even considered the possibility.
But now, realizing that she had kissed Alvis under the moonlight by the window, Ravi felt her head was about to explode from embarrassment.
"S-sorry, Alvis! Y-you should rest today... I-I'll head out now...!"
Ravi didn't even wait for Alvis's response before fleeing the room and running to Elfin's.
......
Even while washing, whenever her thoughts drifted, Ravi blankly recalled the feel of Alvis's lips from moments ago.
Warm, surprisingly moist yet soft...
"Eek?!"
Her rabbit ears shot up again, and her face flushed once more.
She felt like more steam was rising from her face than from the hot water she was using to wash.
'Th-there's no way I like Alvis... My heart belongs to Brayden... B-but my first kiss ended up... Does that mean I kissed someone I don't even like...? No, I can't be that kind of girl! Wait... Does that mean I do like Alvis...? Uh...?'
With her mind in utter chaos, Ravi washed herself without even realizing how.
She desperately tried to convince herself that she still liked Brayden and that the kiss with Alvis was just an accident—or inevitable given the mood.
The next day, I gathered Ravi, Elfin, and Lenis in my room.
Ravi aside, Elfin and Lenis had still been shooting me occasional dirty looks, but after the recent events, the contempt in their eyes had largely faded.
If I had to rank them, it was Ravi > Elfin > Lenis in terms of friendliness toward me.
"What's this about? Calling us right after recovering must mean it's important."
"Yeah."
I nodded at Elfin's words and pulled out the spoils from the previous battle, which were sitting on the windowsill by my bed.
Miracle of Life Boots to Elfin, Purified Substitute Bishop's Wing Staff to Lenis, Ancient Knuckles to Ravi.
They matched the three's fighting styles perfectly, by sheer luck.
"You're giving all these to us...?"
"Well... I won't refuse if you're giving them."
"Thanks, Alvis."
If it were before, especially Elfin would have snapped something like, 'Giving these to us? What, trying to make us owe you so you can cash in later? Or are these total junk anyway?' But now, even she didn't show that side. Her face was full of suspicion, sure.
"Ahem... Thanks for sharing. I'll get them appraised at a shop later."
"No need. I already know what they do."
"?!"
In this world, appraising loot from clearing dungeons or killing monsters—especially gear—was essential. You had to visit an appraisal shop.
It was one reason Holy Warrior Brayden NX got trashed as a garbage game. Who makes a modern game where you can't check stats on the spot and have to trek to a shop every time?
But I could check everything perfectly with my ability. Even without it, I'd grinded that garbage game to completion, so I'd have known just from the names.
"Those boots let the wearer create a temporary grove around them based on their will, boosting physical abilities inside it massively. In the last fight, it was a barren wasteland with nothing, so you couldn't use your full power, right, Elfin? With these, that won't happen anymore."
"Ugh..."
Elfin's face stiffened, recalling how powerless she'd felt against Vector on that barren land without a single blade of grass.
"...Thanks."
"And that staff greatly increases mana, reduces damage taken by allies, and delays incoming damage over time. Lenis, you know now that flashy magic isn't everything—substance matters too. No need for me to point it out."
"O-of course...! As an Elruite, I know that without anyone telling me!"
Lenis flinched hard, having heard directly from Vector that she focused only on appearances with no real substance.
"And Ravi, this knuckle has two powers. First, it can absorb all incoming damage into its scales just once and reflect it back at the attacker. But it can't block instantly fatal damage. Second, it releases shockwaves that shatter the target from the inside. You've got strength and speed already, so you'll make great use of it."
"...Yeah, thank you so much, Alvis. I'll use it well."
Ravi, the mildest of the three, accepted the knuckles with a smile.
Even now, I could hardly believe I'd kissed such a pretty girl just yesterday, even if briefly.
Maybe because of that, Ravi hadn't met my eyes once.
"Alvis, what about yours?"
"Me? I took care of mine. Don't worry."
I was telling the truth, but unlike their tangible items, my spoil—the Radiant Secret Tome—had been absorbed into me the moment I touched it and vanished. They seemed to think I was playing the noble guy who gave everything away and pretended it was fine.
In this world, skill books weren't highly regarded anyway.
The knowledge from them could be learned through people and training, and book-learned skills lacked the practical know-how from human interaction and practice, so they were almost treated like trash.
In the game too, skill books only taught common skills and just sped up acquisition. But thanks to my ability, I absorbed and enhanced them, making Light Saber incredibly effective even now.
I instinctively knew what Judgment was the moment I absorbed it, and it seemed useful, so I'd put it to good use later.
Of course, unaware of this, the three thought I was giving them my liver and gall.
Ravi jumped up and tried to hand the knuckles back.
"No way, Alvis! Last time you kept a worthless skill book and handed the rest to my country, and now this? I can't just keep taking. Alvis, you use this. We couldn't have won without you anyway."
I pushed it back toward her.
"I'm a swordsman, not a brawler like you. I couldn't use it properly anyway. Give it to someone who can."
"But..."
"If you feel bad about owing me, get stronger with it and help me out. Problem solved, right?"
Figuring I'd just push it back again, Ravi hesitated then nodded quietly.
Elfin and Lenis didn't try returning theirs, but thinking I'd given up a lot, they quietly expressed thanks.
"...Thanks, Alvis. I-I'll... ahem, use it well."
"I-I should properly thank you. Th-thanks. Didn't know you had this side to you."
"Finally seeing my true worth and falling for me?"
I joked, and Elfin and Lenis jumped.
"Fall for you? Me!? Don't push it!"
"Alvis... Pretend I didn't hear that. Don't say it again."
"......"
Ravi, meanwhile, kept her head down without a word.
"Anyway, spoils distributed. Now for future plans. Our biggest issue right now is we're running low on funds. More people means more expenses, and staying long-term in the city racks up costs. So, Ravi and Elfin, head back to your countries to report what we've learned and regroup. Also..."
I glanced at them sideways and made a circle with my thumb and index finger.
"...bring some financial support. Vector's territory news must be spreading by now, and the Underground Vermin will expand their search from there once they learn he's dead. It'll get harder to move later, so as much as possible...?"
"Split up and meet again? Then what?"
"Find the Underground Vermin. If possible, meet Brayden and hear about the Libertà massacre. If they're hiding worldwide, there must be instigators in the kingdom and empire pushing for Brayden's deployment. We'll investigate them."
"Sounds good. I'll go home, let my father know I'm alive—"
"Sorry, you can't. Lenis, you stay with me and wait for Ravi and Elfin."
"What?! Why!"
"Remember what the innkeeper said in the last city and Vector's words? They used your public disappearance to call in the Holy Warrior unit to Libertà and massacre everyone. Whatever they gained from it, or why Brayden led it, they clearly want to drench this land in blood. If word gets out you're alive and your location's pinpointed? Remember how Vector tried to kill you first?"
Lenis felt a chill crawl up her neck and swallowed hard.
"The moment they find you, they'll probably lop off your head and toss it into Valentin Castle to incite your raging father into something worse than Libertà. Staying officially missing is safer for now. Sorry to your father, but it's better for everyone."
Lenis's face crumpled; she could see her home but couldn't go.
"But... my father..."
"If you really want to go, go ahead. If you can survive the Underground Vermin's assassins alone. Can you?"
Lenis, who had been helpless against Vector, started to protest but hung her head. She knew it was likely, and in reality, she'd be dead without a chance.
"Lenis agrees, then. Ravi, Elfin—what about you two?"
"I'm all for it. Haven't been away from Arborness this long since the academy. Need to show my face. And with the Underground Vermin, it doesn't feel like someone else's problem anymore. So, where and when do we meet?"
"Two weeks from now, south gate entrance of this city. Enough time to go to Arborness and Carrot Duchy, right?"
"Plenty."
"Ravi? ...Ravi?"
Ravi hadn't said a word since earlier.
When I called again, she snapped her head up late.
"Y-yeah?!"
"Did you hear us?"
"I-I did! We were deciding lunch menus...?"
"......I'll explain again."
I repeated the plan and sent Ravi and Elfin off to their countries for regrouping.
Lenis saw them off with a face screaming she wanted to go home too. Now alone with me, she put some distance and eyed me warily.
"Alvis! I know you did amazing in the last battle and I'm grateful—really. When I get home, I'll pay you properly... But don't think you can try anything funny with Ravi and Elfin gone! Show even a hint, and I'll burst your balls!"
Ravi and Elfin had mellowed after traveling with me awhile, but Lenis—still new to the group—reacted like they had at first, recalling her academy days.
I grinned and approached Lenis.
"Wh-whoa! D-don't come closer! What are you planning now that they're gone...?"
"Lenis, you gonna cry about not being able to go home?"
"...Huh?"
With funds given to the two for travel, we were nearly broke.
To survive two weeks, we'd have to work. Harsh labor the rich girl had never done.
And unbeknownst to me then, this parting trip became the decisive blow that split Ravi from Brayden—a fact I learned after she returned.