27. The Wolf from the West (2)
27. The Wolf from the West (2)
- 1 -
"Training?"
While I was reading a time-killer book obtained from the adventurers, Skeleton suddenly approached and conveyed that I needed to train my body in movement techniques.
I heard that suggestion after officially advancing Axe to the Warrior stage and confirming that most of the tasks I needed to wrap up were finished.
- Tak.
The one who said this to me was none other than Eve.
It seemed she hadn't been at all pleased that I had just sat still when Maria ambushed me during their earlier confrontation.
She must have thought I failed to react in time.
"Why were you so angry about it?"
- Tak!
She shook her head at my question, but whenever she recalled that moment, she must have been quite upset, as her eyes were still gleaming fiercely.
"Back then, I just trusted you. I figured there was no need to move."
- ...
When I put it that way, she froze up for a moment, but she didn't withdraw her opinion that this training was necessary.
And honestly, I had no reason to object either.
I was originally a man, so simply entrusting my body to someone else's protection didn't sit right with me at all.
"Alright. Let's give it a try. I'm also curious if I might have any talent for it."
- Tak!
But this girl looked suspiciously happy about it.
She seemed to enjoy spending time with me quite a bit.
Tok-tok.
I looked into the mirror in my room and tapped my chest to activate a spell, causing the dress, which had been in sleepwear form, to change into sportswear.
"... Huh?"
The shape was slightly different from what I had imagined.
I had pictured the loose-fitting martial arts uniform I used to wear back in reality, but what actually appeared was a 'riding habit'.
A stylish short coat with lace trim at the collar, high-leg boots, and an overall form-fitting design.
Since my current body's proportions were so excellent, it was impressive how the outfit made my sleek silhouette look even more emphasized.
... My feelings about it were, to put it mildly, small.
No, that's not the point.
'This trait sure is stubborn in the weirdest ways.'
I guessed that was likely the influence of 'Nobility,' so after confirming that there was no issue with moving my body, I immediately followed Eve.
"Out here?"
- Tak.
The place we arrived at was a small cabin near the dungeon.
This place, which had also been used when I was taking care of Sonia, was located outside the dungeon but was actually one of its trap facilities.
A trap designed so that if an adventurer found it while wandering the forest and stayed the night, they would be abducted into the dungeon before dawn.
Currently, I was using it as a villa tied to the dungeon by Fate without activating the magic to minimize its upkeep cost, but there had been five successful captures using this trap in the past.
"A wooden sword... This is the first time I've held anything sword-related since your sword incident."
- Dalkak.
"You'll show me how to hold it? Sure. Alright."
Eve placed her hand over the back of mine.
Evangeline was quite tall compared to an average woman, a full head taller than my current self.
Perhaps because of that, the posture of her completely enveloping me from behind felt secure.
Somehow, I felt comfortable too.
- Tak!
"You want me to block with full force?"
- Dalkak.
Eve's proposal came after we stood facing each other.
She gave a brisk nod, tapped her wooden sword on the ground a couple of times, and then relaxed into a comfortable stance.
Just like her usual demeanor when entering battle, always composed, even though she insisted on a knightly appearance the rest of the time.
『Name - 'Noble' Libertas』
『Grade - Normal』
『Attributes - Stamina 18, Technique 26, Durability 23, Magic 32, Resistance 24』
『Name - Evangeline』
『Title/Entity Name - Perfect Skeleton 'Sword Expert'』
『Attributes - Stamina 27, Technique 32, Durability 23, Magic 26, Resistance 22』
I glanced over our status windows for a moment and then just decided to accept it.
I had fed her so much that Evangeline's average attributes were now higher than mine.
Unless I picked up some technique for channeling magic power into a weapon to strike, my chances of beating Eve by just moving my body were practically nonexistent.
'Come to think of it, that was unexpected.'
My gaze landed on the 'Sword Expert' portion of her Title.
'Expert,' the 'Veteran line,' was a class I had never seen in Milden 1.
Because of that, I had no prior info on it, so pulling it up from the 'Dungeon Lord's Common Knowledge' was a bit delayed.
The class was described as having a prefix like Sword for those skilled with a blade, Spear for those using a spear, and for magic-oriented types, they could be named things like 'Fire' or 'Ice' according to the attribute they mainly used...
But the difference between a normal Warrior and this Veteran class seemed to be that all their attributes were vastly superior, and they absolutely had to possess a 'Specialization' trait related to that specific weapon or ability.
'Before, I was certain she'd end up as a Knight.'
Until I learned about this class, I had been sure she would obtain the Knight class, which existed even in 'Milden 1,' but once I learned the explanation, it made sense.
Evangeline had something about her that was too good to be confined within the small possibility of being a 'Knight.'
And above all, her carrying a shield around just didn't seem to suit her...
『Traits - Advanced Specialization: Swordsmanship, Explosive Power, Genius Commander, Member of Necropolis』
As if to prove that, Evangeline's current trait window looked like this, all dyed in blue except for the ordinary trait 'Explosive Power.'
Aside from 'Member of Necropolis,' which had turned into a Rare grade when I became 'Normal' from 'Apprentice,' the other two were traits she had acquired through her own strength.
For an entity that started as a mere Skeleton, no, even for entities that started with a different class from the beginning, this was incredibly fast and excellent progress.
A truly exceptional achievement.
'She makes me proud every time I see her.'
- Dalkak.
After stifling the smile that was about to spread across my lips from a moment of deep satisfaction, I gave Evangeline a nod.
Evangeline, who had been waiting for me to finish my stray thoughts, nodded back, and then, just as I thought she was lowering her stance...
Pah-ahk!
She lunged straight in.
And so, the sparring match with Eve began in the yard of the cabin.
- 2 -
"From the Mammon Company, you say?"
"Yes, Master."
Sonia brought me the news that Scarlet had visited right after my spar with Eve had reached its peak and Eve had signaled that 'this was enough.'
To be precise, Sonia had been waiting after seeing us nearing the end of our sparring.
Anyway, I really got hit hard.
Even though Evangeline pulled her strength whenever the wooden sword was about to hit me, my body throbbed in several places where it had landed. This monster body was tough, so it likely wouldn't bruise, but the pain would probably linger for a while.
"What shall we do?"
"Show her to the reception room for now. It would be rude to go to her like this, wouldn't it?"
"Yes. Understood."
I had barely broken a sweat, and thanks to my traits, not even dust clung to me, but the feeling of heat from moving my body still lingered, so I gratefully accepted the damp towel and water that Sonia handed me as I gave her instructions.
"Shall I prepare some tea?"
"Something sweet. Scarlet couldn't stomach bitter things at all."
"Yes. Then, I shall go on ahead."
Now that I thought about it, this girl seemed to have mostly finished adapting too.
Lately, she had been strangely amiable towards me.
As I kept staring at her, Sonia tilted her head and looked back at me with a questioning gaze.
"Is there... something else you'd like me to do?"
"No. Sonia. How are you feeling these days?"
"I'm getting better, little by little. Master."
"Good. Start testing whether you can exercise now, little by little. You absolutely must build a healthy body."
"... Yes. I understand."
She couldn't hide her complicated feelings, which darkened her expression, and then she bowed her head deeply before leaving.
The 'hatred' hadn't yet left her eyes. It would probably never fade, not for all eternity.
'I'll have to keep an eye on her.'
Someone who could hide their true feelings and treat an enemy amiably was the most dangerous type of all.
I had never imagined Sonia could be that way, but if she ever became that dangerous, it would be worth considering 'disposal.'
Besides, I hadn't even made a 'formal contract' with Sonia yet. Though the upkeep cost would rise a bit more, I hadn't been confident her body could withstand the shock of the contract.
If anyone were ever to stab me in the back, she was the most likely candidate.
And that wouldn't even be considered 'betrayal' yet.
"Hello! Lady Libertas! Scarlet Spira Spina, I've come back like this!"
"Welcome, Scarlet. It's been a while."
"Oh my, you have no idea how much I've wanted to see you, Lady!"
"You and your nonsense."
"But I'm serious..."
It had been almost a full month since I had last come face-to-face with Scarlet.
After our first meeting, she had contacted the dungeon's Fate address relentlessly, and then it had been about a week since even that had stopped.
She must have been quite busy in the meantime, because even now, the fatigue hadn't fully left her face.
"You look terrible. Haven't you been overworking yourself?"
She looked so bad that even I, who held no particular fondness for her, felt a bit worried.
"I did pull about a week of all-nighters, but I'm fine! Because I finally met Lady Libertas again!"
"More nonsense."
"Ah, geez, I said I'm serious..."
Hearing my words, Scarlet slumped her shoulders and let out a deep sigh, as if deeply discouraged.
I thought I heard a hint of 'I have a long way to go' in there.
Her tension was abnormally high, but that was surely because she had finished the tasks that had been troubling her. It couldn't possibly be because she actually met me.
She was a superb saleswoman who skillfully even used her own worn-out appearance for business tactics.
"By the way, who's that?"
Since she had kept her tension so high, I was late to notice and ask about the other young lady beside her.
"Ah, this young lady is the mercenary that Miss Mari, who visited on my behalf last time, must have told you about!"
"I see."
"Introduce yourself! Miss Shue!"
"... I'm Lin Xue. Nice to meet you. Dungeon Lord."
"Alright. Welcome, Miss Lin."
I had suspected as much, but this was the 'Bloodlight Wolf.'
The name 'Lin Xue' was likely something she had acquired because she originated from the Western Continent. As I might have mentioned before, the Western Continent of this world had a culture reminiscent of East Asia on our Earth.
Five nations, blending various aspects of the real-world countries I had lived among—Korea, Japan, China, Mongolia, Taiwan, even Vietnam—divided and ruled the Western Continent.
Among them, the largest were the 'Han' nation, which held effective control over a narrow gorge bordering the Eastern Continent, and the 'Shin' nation, which broadly ruled the entire western part.
Of the two, Han, as the name implied, was a peninsula-based culture, while Shin had absorbed much continental culture... As one could guess from this, 'Lin Xue' was a name used by someone from that Shin nation.
There was no need to ask how she had come all the way from such a distant place.
She must have come through the Demon Realm.
"Miss Shue can be a bit rude, you know? She's probably just not close to you yet..."
As I listened to Scarlet's over-explanation trying to gloss over her words and actions, I observed the wolf beastman. She was very beautiful, and at a superficial glance, she gave off a cold impression.
Her silver hair was long, reaching almost below her thighs, her eyes were a vivid red, and wolf ears stood pricked upward atop her head, their broad surfaces turned towards me, along with a sharp gaze that seemed determined not to miss a single detail of my appearance.
"I kept my manners."
"Oh, jeez..."
Her voice sounded slightly drained, but its tone was very high, and the sound itself was so cute that it left a deep first impression, contrasting greatly with her expressionless face.
Moreover, the clothes she wore were a white uniform that further contrasted with her cute voice. Though I wasn't sure, the sharp creases in it, like a formal military uniform, suggested she might even have a military background.
At least, based on everything so far, she looked like a truly cold, sharp, and level-headed warrior.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
If one excluded the endlessly roving, wonderfully fluffy silver tail that kept bumping against the sofa. If that was how she acted when she wasn't close to someone, it was really something else.
Scarlet, you've clearly never seen a puppy before.
No matter how I looked at it, that was a huge sign of fondness.
"..."
Realizing that, I could now see that her current tension wasn't because of the first meeting and the contract, but for a different reason.
No matter how I looked at her, she was on the verge of pouncing.
'No way.'
Of course, I thought, surely not on the first meeting...
Warak!
"...!"
But that 'no way' became reality the moment I thought it.
The next instant, my vision was completely filled with the white uniform she wore.
"I missed you. My ...."
Her whisper, so quiet no one else could have heard it, brushed past my ear.