Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Whereabouts of Prayer (2)
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Nine times out of ten, Aria's issue was related to her holy power.
With that assumption in mind, Kalt decided to observe Scarlet and Nellis next.
"Nellis, is it okay if we fight without Aria's support?"
"Of course! It's just kobolds anyway!"
Just like yesterday, Nellis didn't rely on Aria's buffs for every single kobold.
She only used them when catching them in succession and her stamina started to wear thin.
"So yesterday, you were getting support more often than usual."
"Ah, w-well..."
"It's fine. I get wanting to look good in front of a potential new party member."
"Aha, hahaha."
Nellis inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
She was thrilled just to have him join as an aspiring vanguard warrior, but he was Kalt from Mabel's party.
After seeing how effortlessly he dispatched kobolds yesterday, Nellis desperately wanted him to stick around.
Slash!
Kalt observed how well Nellis fought kobolds without holy power buffs.
'Without support, her movements are slower than yesterday... but she's taking them down without issue.'
She showed no fear or hesitation when cutting down monsters.
And from how she kept fighting yesterday, her stamina wasn't lacking either.
Still, her reaction when they first met clearly indicated she was burdened by something.
For now, Kalt focused on Aria—the reason they left early yesterday—making sure she used as little holy power as possible. He hunted kobolds with Nellis's party until late afternoon, past lunchtime.
However, he couldn't uncover the issues plaguing Nellis, Scarlet, or Aria.
Nellis fought kobolds without problems, and even after giving Scarlet multiple chances to cast spells until late evening, she never turned pale like Aria had.
No problems surfaced.
But he did gather plenty of intel on Nellis's party.
Nellis wasn't at the level to use Mana Blade yet.
That was something Kalt could teach her over time.
Scarlet could cast basic spells beyond her usual fire magic.
From the types she listed, it seemed likely she'd graduated from an academy rather than learning independently like Ianna.
Aria's blessings were more advanced than expected.
She could do more than basic buffs—she wielded Holy Sword for direct damage against demons and Great Heal to instantly recover near-death allies.
Just from today's info, Nellis's party had massive growth potential.
They were still low-level, but heroes were potential powerhouses by nature.
Under Kalt's guidance, their skills would improve steadily.
The potential of non-hero party members was pure luck.
Yet Scarlet the mage and Aria the nun in Nellis's party—
Despite being called the Lazy Party, Kalt judged their talents to be above average.
That only made him more curious.
What was keeping these high-potential women stuck in the Lazy Party?
Hypnosis was a last resort he could use anytime.
For now, the next three days.
He'd spend them probing their issues while building rapport.
Because later, when he educated them on their positions relative to him, their reactions would be priceless.
"He's really amazing, isn't he, Kalt?"
It had been four days since Kalt joined Nellis's party.
The second day of his planned rapport-building period.
After returning from their commission and finishing dinner, Nellis, Scarlet, and Aria gathered in Nellis's room.
The topic of their conversation was, naturally, the newest party member.
To them, he was a veteran from Mabel's party—a senior hero party member they never dreamed of matching.
All three had vaguely assumed he was impressive just because of his Mabel Party connection.
But after four days in the same party,
They now all saw him the same way: an incredibly capable man.
"Yes, and he has a kind heart too."
First off, great personality.
The day after noticing Aria's poor complexion, he'd deduced she'd overused her holy power and took measures to minimize it.
Aria even felt guilty for lying to him.
"Yeah, he can even use Mana Blade. Kalt's way stronger than me."
While exterminating kobolds, Kalt had asked Nellis if she could use Mana Blade.
Of course, she'd said it was beyond her level.
Nellis could still vividly recall it.
Kalt hadn't been disappointed or dismissive.
With a gentle smile, he'd said,
"Then let's work on drawing your Mana Blade. I'll help."
"Can you use it, Kalt?"
"Yes. Want to see?"
And with that, he'd manifested Mana Blade right in front of them.
Not just swordsmanship, but mastery of mana control—a technique only elite warriors and heroes could wield.
Nellis's jaw had dropped, and Scarlet and Aria were stunned too.
Scarlet also acknowledged Kalt's prowess.
"...And he seems super experienced."
When Kalt asked Scarlet what spells she could cast, she'd initially felt like she was being appraised.
As if he were looking down on her, thinking, I'll judge you myself.
But his actions weren't wrong.
Party members needed to know each other's spells.
Suppressing her irritation, Scarlet answered, and soon realized her discomfort was just a misunderstanding.
With every spell she listed, Kalt's face lit up.
"You know all the basics? That's fantastic."
"What's so great about that?"
"Basics are super useful for dungeon crawls or long commissions. For example..."
Kalt shared practical applications from his adventures.
Securing drinking water, starting fires in swamps where flint failed, securing visibility in dark nights or deep caves—plus combat aids despite low power.
Some tips even the academy hadn't taught.
Real-world experience only.
Academies treated basics as liberal arts, then specialized from there.
But hearing Kalt, Scarlet realized magic's versatility.
"Knowing so many spells... It's reassuring having a capable mage like you, Scarlet."
"Th-this stuff is basic if you study a bit."
Kalt didn't mention mages who skipped even that "bit" of study.
"But it's not just skill—Kalt is really..."
Clenching her fist, Nellis declared,
"An amazing cook!"
Scarlet and Aria nodded in agreement.
It was lunchtime today.
"Try the meal I made today."
"You made it, Kalt?"
They'd been hunting kobolds diligently since morning when he suggested it.
"Yeah. Eating jerky or bread every lunch gets old, right?"
No one objected.
Kobolds were plentiful, so they could set up nearby. Plus, curiosity about his boasted cooking.
"Sit down."
He pulled out four low-profile folding chairs.
Custom-ordered from a craftsman for comfortable meals.
After seating the group, Kalt quickly prepped.
Outdoor cooking was all about speed.
Prep ahead for quick finish.
Closer to Nadia, he'd gained free kitchen access and pre-made lunch stew, storing it in his inventory.
Outdoors, he just reheated the finished stew.
Light a fire, boil, done.
He ladled the steaming stew into bowls with spoons, handing them out.
Feeling the warmth through the bowls, they took a bite—and were hooked.
Delicious.
Incredibly so.
The salty stew broth, juicy meat, tender veggies—it kept their spoons moving.
Eating something this good outdoors—not in a restaurant—was a first.
No restaurant stew had matched it either.
"It was so good, I had energy for the afternoon kobolds."
"Fights well, cooks well. What's he bad at?"
"We're so lucky he joined us."
"...Hey. Didn't he say he's good at counseling too? Maybe we should spill our worries this time."
At Nellis's words, Scarlet and Aria clammed up.
"Hmm. Hard to say, right?"
"No, we should. He's party now, he'll find out anyway. But me... after we leave town."
"I've already shown him my pathetic side. Like Nellis said, we reveal it. Soon... I'll tell Kalt myself. But I won't speak for you two."
"Thanks. Ughhh, I gotta tell too...! It's such a lame reason! But Kalt might find a way... Fine! I'll tell him! ...After you, Aria."
Contrary to Kalt's expectations, their impression of him was improving even faster.
After the short meeting, the group retired to their rooms.
And at that moment, Kalt was
"Hup, chuup... Puhah. Lick lick..."
"Perfect, Nadia. Just like that, from bottom to top."
"Yes, Kalt♡"
Teaching Nadia how to give a blowjob.