Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: An Adventurer's Private Lessons for Her -3-
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In Akarite, there's a set way to take down the black mage group Nematos.
Since Rike has a time limit and needs to be rescued in the first semester, the protagonist's growth has its limits—he has to rely on outside help in the end.
The protagonist asks for aid from the church, the natural enemy of black mages.
But the Skadi family is still plagued by rumors of ties to black mages.
To get help from the church, which is wary of those unresolved rumors, the gamer has to move Robert to complete an annoying linked quest.
And that process is anything but short.
We don't have time for that anyway, and I never planned to borrow the church's hand to begin with.
In the story, once the linked quests are done, the church women step up to help Robert.
You have to ride that wave of public opinion just right to finally get their aid.
But without my [Homme Fatale] skill, things won't go my way.
The church is a no-go.
I brought Rike home, her nose still sniffling.
Her coming to my place was always the picture I wanted, but I had no room for excitement right now.
I had to protect Rike perfectly.
At her current level, even a graze would be fatal.
If she wasn't fully intact, this whole commission would be pointless from the start.
On top of that, my head was about to explode figuring out where to strike Nematos first.
"Let's do what we can this week."
I dressed her in a robe that covered her face and tied the hood in a knot to secure it.
She looked just like a penguin—it was so funny even in this serious moment that I nearly burst out laughing.
"From now on, no one can see us conquering the academy. Once we reach another village, we'll buy new clothes. We have to hide our identities as much as possible."
Nod, nod—
"Hold out your hand."
She rubbed her puffy eyes and extended one hand.
[Engraving Ring]
▷ A ring engraved with magic.
▷ The ring is destroyed when the magic activates.
A one-time-use ring with Auto Shield engraved. I'd had it stashed in my inventory forever.
It's low-grade, so it'd just get in my way.
But for Rike, it'd be a huge help.
'Defense and stamina-boosting potions right before combat starts... and if I had a doppelganger, creating an alibi for Rike would be best.'
If things blew up, they'd obviously hunt for the culprit.
A long tail meant a risk of getting caught.
If they started reverse-tracking from deep in the empire and fired blanks, that'd be lucky.
But if luck was really bad, they might even suspect my meeting with Rike at the Adventurer's Guild.
So, to prepare for any suspicion, I had to sow maximum confusion.
If I used weapons piled up in my inventory to leave a messy trail of traces, I might slip off the suspect list entirely.
'If I could wipe them out completely, I wouldn't have these worries...'
Eradicating all of Nematos is impossible even in the game.
Kill every one you see, and remnants still pop up everywhere until the end.
I set aside the impossible goal and focused on choices. The goal for this outing wasn't destroying the group—it was catching the ragged-faced old man I called 'Hell Broom'.
'That alone would be enough.'
"One promise before we head out. Until we get back to the academy, we were together in this house. Best if no one asks, but if they do, that's our unified answer. Got it?"
Sniffle—
She nodded like she understood.
"Let's move."
I pulled on my prepared robe, and just like that, a super suspicious duo was born.
Stepping into the yard, no signs of life around.
Being on the capital's outskirts, the roadside was always quiet. The alleys, on the other hand, were crawling with thugs.
"Want a piggyback? Or a princess carry? I'm going full speed from here—you won't keep up."
"...With the robe, piggyback might be tough."
True—the robe hung down to her ankles like a Vietnamese dress, so it'd bunch up to her hips the moment I hoisted her.
"Then—"
"Eek!"
I scooped Rike up in a princess carry and wrapped mana around my feet.
Adjusting mana finely to avoid smashing the yard, I kicked off the ground.
Thud—
I stepped on the roof once, then vaulted straight over the ridiculously high wall.
"...!"
Rike peeked down, gasped at the drop, and held her breath.
Squeeze.
I felt strength in the hand gripping my arm.
'That old guy's dozing off again today.'
I spotted the guard napping at the outer edge and relaxed.
The soldiers on the outer walls were spaced far apart and lacked focus.
This was my personal entry-exit point, crossed hundreds of times without a single snag.
Thud—!
Two adults landed on a thin branch, but it only shook—no break. In a wuxia novel, they'd call this immortal-level mana control.
Looking down from the wall, a narrow stream flowed through unkempt trees, visibility poor.
No nearby roads, and it darkened first at sunset.
But for me, who used it every time, it was as familiar and bright as daylight.
I dashed through the forest.
'Here we go.'
First step: no traces of using gates or capital gates for convenience.
The Adventurer's Guild? I could prove innocence by exploiting contract loopholes.
Even if those receptionists who dump work and goof off tried to pressure me, they were no match.
'If they get annoying, maybe lure Rike away to the Federation.'
"Hoo... hoo..."
Rough breaths echoed through the forest. No idea how far we'd run already.
I just lay there like a baby in a cradle, but he hadn't stopped once after sunset—except for one break.
Trees blurred past like smeared paint.
Not even a fine warhorse could keep this pace.
A human running at this speed for so long? Pure awe.
Even his inhuman stamina was wearing thin—sweat beaded despite the cool wind.
I stared blankly, then reached out without thinking and wiped the sweat from his face.
"Ah..."
Only after pulling my hand away did I realize what I'd done—my mind went blank.
He looked down at me in surprise, then grinned brightly.
"It was itching anyway. Thanks."
"..."
He stopped when the moon had moved well across the sky.
We'd reached a small village—barely a hamlet.
Hunters' village specializing in tanning, judging by the hides flaunted at the entrance.
"Wait here a sec."
He chatted with a bandit-looking guy in a thick headband like he knew the place, handing over a silver coin.
The man laughed heartily and clapped his shoulder.
He straightened his disheveled robe and came back.
"Got permission, so let's set up camp."
The village looked like it made an honest living selling hides and smoked jerky on the surface.
But really, their biggest profit was gouging travelers with overpriced food and supplies.
Next stop was the ducal territory—a full day's carriage ride, far to backtrack.
So it was infamous among merchants and adventurers, isolated enough that the locals were a bit off.
I'd passed through a few times myself.
They weren't even on their own land, but camp without permission nearby and they'd raise hell.
For us wanting max quiet, they were the worst type.
Approach first and slip them a coin, though, and devils turned to angels—no trouble.
'Gotta stock milk in the inventory from next time.'
One silver for a bottle of Rike's favorite milk and camping permission? Highway robbery, but peak salesmanship. I had to admire it.
I pulled a sleeping bag from inventory like we'd borrowed it from the village and handed it to her.
Well-maintained—no dust, good condition.
"Can you eat?"
Rike shook her head faintly.
"Milk?"
She pressed her hood over her eyes and murmured softly.
"A little..."
"Fire first, then food."
Building a campfire shows an adventurer's skill and experience.
As I gathered dry twigs and leaves, Rike squatted, stacking wood.
She tried hard, but no experience meant it wasn't quite right for a fire.
I sat beside her and helped stack.
'Tough to hold back.'
Rike's faint scent tickled my nose subtly.
Enough to rush blood south—shows how long it'd been for me.
But focus.
This was outdoors, and she wasn't normal.
The fruit ripened on patience tastes exquisite.
And tasks piled like mountains—no time for lust.
—
"Tired, but something before bed."
"...I'm not tired. Tell me."
"Let's complete your cultivation method now."
Rike was stuck just before finishing her cultivation method.
She hadn't formed the vessel to hold mana in her body.
Residual mana wandered, skills firing irregularly with her emotions.
Using skills on command? Pure luck.
Amount so tiny no issues yet, but left like this, overload was inevitable—messy end to this job.
To find 'Hell Broom'—the ragged old man—I needed Rike's eyes.
Without that, it'd be a grueling attrition war.
"Sit in front of me."
She sat facing me.
Cultivation method's just fantasy-flavored breathing technique or inner power method.
'Unfinished a curse or blessing...'
Once a fixed form settles, learning another is hard.
Like demolishing a finished house to build anew.
Rike's materials floated unset in her body now.
"Two things I can do."
"Before the first— I don't know what cultivation method the Skadi marquis house teaches. But I can guide you to completion watching from the side. Won't be perfect."
"Second: learn mine. Still unset, so possible. Even as an adventurer, mine matches or beats any noble's—I guarantee it."
Her eyes widened under the hood, fixed on me.