Chapter 50. Between Appraisal and Emotion (1)

I didn’t survive, though.

"A swordmaster?" I asked.

“Yes. The white sheath belongs to the Seraphim, also known as the White Swan. Based on the description, it must be Marquis Leandro von Batyenne.”

“Is he strong?”

Considering I’d been sliced in half right before his eyes, I was trying to get more of a confirmation.

“Marquis Leandro?” Rena mused. “He’s the youngest master from the Blue Lion Knights. If you exclude mages, he’s easily in the top ten, and even with mages included, he’d be in the top thirty.”

Rena tilted her head, clearly skeptical. “Are you sure you saw him? I heard the Blue Lions always cut down any demon they see.”

"..."

I paused, unsure how to respond, as he had indeed cut me down.

“Why are you even asking? He has nothing to do with us,” Rena said, voicing the same question that haunted me.

He's one of the Empire’s Four Swordmasters.

Why would someone like that come to a remote F-rank dungeon at the southern edge of the Empire?

In the end, I could only make a half-hearted joke. “Would someone like him come here just because a few adventurers died?”

I hesitated and then finished my thought aloud. “It would be strange, right?”

Rena laughed heartily. “That’s impossible! The Empire is vast, and there are only Four Swordmasters. Those people don’t even consider regular humans worth their time. Why would they come here over a few adventurers?”

"..."

I remained silent, unable to reveal that he had killed all of us.

Leandro von Batyenne, Marquis of the Blue Lion Knights, a swordmaster...

I committed his identity to memory. Someday, I would find out why he came to this dungeon.

Clatter.

I cleared my mind of stray thoughts.

“Let’s head to Yublam.”

“Already?”

“Yes.”

“Shouldn’t we go to the Barren Underground Tomb first? It’s closer.”

“No. There’s no need to go there.”

Nothing in that dungeon was valuable.

“Aren’t you dungeon-crawling for training? It seems like the best spot to start...”

I shook my head. “Just trust me on this.”

She nodded, accepting my decision. From her perspective, it made sense to follow my lead since this was all part of my training. I thought about my plan. First, we would meet the old man in Yublam because I still needed Grassmere’s Fire. However, if we went to town now, we’d arrive too early and encounter the guards.

Can I handle them without the fire? Unlikely.

The odds were stacked against me.

We waited another day in the dungeon before setting off for Yublam at the ideal time.

Creak.

The city gates opened. We gave the guards a few silver coins, and they let us through with minimal fuss.

Rena clutched my hand as we walked.

“Feels cold for autumn,” she murmured, leaning closer to me.

This time, I pointed out the smell first. “Smell the opium?”

“

Cough, cough!

” Rena spluttered, surprised. “How did you... know before me?”

“My nose is sharp. The guards’ eyes were glazed over too. We’re outsiders here, so it’s best to stay quiet.”

She blinked, almost breaking into a laugh, but the mood in this city dampened it. After all, this was where Rubia had died.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

We walked past the forge without stopping. Soon enough, a white-bearded old man appeared in the alley, watching us with interest. I ignored him, intending to seek him out later.

“This is the only inn in tow—”

Creak!

I opened the inn door without hesitation.

“Welcome.”

The woman behind the counter met my gaze, her form-fitting attire still as I remembered it.

Should I just tear the inn apart?

However, I had no excuse to justify that. Suspicion alone wouldn’t cut it in the heart of human society, and attempting anything might end poorly.

Hmm.

For now, I decided to check in quietly.

“A room with a bath, please. And a dark ale with dinner.”

Ding!

[Rena’s Affection has increased by 2!]

[Current Affection: 31]

The notification caught my attention. I glanced at Rena and noticed she was watching me with a faintly flushed expression.

Does her Affection increase just from me asking on her behalf?

Her Affection rose faster than before, likely due to the extra interactions. I anticipated a long night, with her usual antics testing my patience.

I held her hand and led us to our room.

"..."

She seemed quieter than last time, sneaking glances at me rather than saying anything. After her bath, she emerged from the steamy bathroom, drying her hair.

“How did you know I wanted a bath?” she asked.

“I read it somewhere. Humans need regular baths, don’t they?”

“What about you?”

“I don’t like cramped spaces. If necessary, I’ll wait for a hot spring.”

After eating, Rena stretched out on the bed, shifting her head closer to me.

“Have you used a Molotov cocktail before?” she asked suddenly.

“Not exactly. You just throw it to break the bottle, right? Mixing oil with something sticky should do the trick.”

“You sound like you know a lot for someone who hasn’t used one.”

“It’s just a guess. Let’s go to the general store in the morning.”

Rena nodded while I leaned against the wall, sword in hand. There were no intruders tonight, but I was more comfortable with the blade nearby. She tossed and turned restlessly on the bed.

“Can’t sleep?” I asked.

“Too excited, I guess.”

“Excited about what?”

“Nothing, really,” she mumbled.

She buried herself under the blanket. It wasn’t until the early hours that her breathing finally evened out into sleep.

***

The next morning, Rena was up earlier than last time, and we headed to the general store. The shop was large, and it had a warehouse out back.

“There’s plenty of oil over there,” I pointed out.

Rena sniffed the air near the barrels and parted her lips slightly. “You’re right. How did you know?”

“Just a hunch.”

Inside, the shopkeeper claimed he had no gasoline, tar, or bottles.

“But I smell gasoline,” I pressed.

“Oh, it’s reserved. All pre-sold,” he replied.

I snapped back at him. “A bit of odd phrasing, don’t you think? ‘It’s reserved’ instead of ‘It’s been bought’? Sounds misleading.”

The guards had already acquired plenty of Molotov cocktails for the spider nest raid, so the idea that someone else was waiting to buy more was questionable.

The shopkeeper waved us off. “No, there are indeed buyers lined up. I supply them regularly.”

That meant that they planned to keep revisiting the dungeon. Unless the nest was wiped out entirely, the spiders could easily lay more eggs and repopulate. Though spawning a new boss required specific conditions, I’d seen it happen before.

The shopkeeper cleared his throat and exclaimed, “Anyway, I can’t sell to you!”

Rena tried to bargain a bit more, but I motioned for us to leave. She followed me without question, though something in her expression suggested she’d sensed what I had sensed too.

Behind us, a presence trailed our steps. It was the old man. I led us to the place where he usually appeared, and just before he emerged, I turned around.

Clink.

He gasped and stepped back a few paces.

I said, “If you’ve got something to say, spit it out.”

Surprised, he gestured for us to follow him back to his house. Once there, he warned us to leave the city, a theatrical gesture at best.

The old man had observed us at the general store and knew we were in need of Molotov cocktails. He was confident that we'd be easily swayed by offering Grassmere’s Fire. In my past life, I was easily swayed.

“Take this,” the old man said, handing me a heavy black metal bottle. “I saw you eyeing the spider nest. This is my thanks for donning my armor.”

“Thanks.”

Without hesitation, I took it from his hand.

Slightly surprised, he asked, “

Hm...

do you know what it is?”

“You’ll tell me, I’m sure.”

“It’s a precious and dangerous item called Grassmere’s Fire.”

I listened as he gave the same explanation as before. Then, he handed us a sack of powder.

“Spread this over yourself before using the fire. It’ll keep you from feeling the heat and protect you from the flames.”

Another lie.

I opened the sack, finding it filled with shimmering powder. I silently scooped up a handful and tossed it at the old man’s face.

“Wh-What are you doing?!”

“Just testing it out,” I said calmly.

“W-what?”

I grabbed his collar and pulled him close. “It’s not hot, right?”

The old man’s beard trembled as he stammered, “T-there’s no fire resistance in this powder. You knew that, didn’t you?”

Rena stared at me, startled. “Is it... true?”

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

I held the old man in the air and asked firmly, “What’s your plan? Why did you try to kill us?”

“Y-you’re... not human, are you?”

Clink.

I was taken aback by his response. “What does that... No, how did you know? Are you a mage?”

He gave a hollow chuckle. “

Haha...

I’ve been crafting armor for fifty years. Did you think I wouldn’t notice who or what is moving inside that suit or armor?”

I remained silent.

“Whatever story you have, you’ll be doing a good deed if you die here. You should be thankful.”

Thud.

I released him, letting him slump to the floor. He sat there, looking deflated.

Rena seemed baffled by the entire encounter.

“Hey, old man,” she said. “If you’re trying to kill us, at least give us a real explanation. And what good deed are you talking about?”

The old man finally confessed but insisted there was no flame retardant for the pure fire.

“Then dilute it!” Rena demanded.

We left with several bottles diluted to one-twentieth concentration and some additional flamethrowers from the old man. They were all identical as if they had been mass-produced.

I should have done it this way from the start.

I scanned the place for anything else worth taking. A heavy spear hanging on the wall caught my eye because it seemed to be built for power.

“That one’s not for sale!” he protested.

“A bit late for that, don’t you think? This should cover it.”

Clink.

I tossed a silver coin for each spear I took, which was well below their actual value, but it would serve us well against the spiders in the dungeon.

Loaded with everything of value from the old man’s stash, I said, “Don’t worry about those guards. I’ll take care of them.”

The old man remained silent, knowing he had no one to report to.

As we left, Rena looked at me, her lips slightly parted, her expression flushed.

“How do you know all this?”

“Books,” I replied, glancing at her status screen.

[Affection: 38

— Rena has been deeply impressed by your knowledge and skills. Her Affection continues to rise.]

[Perks:

— Talent (B): Sufficiently Exceptional Talent

— Battle Sense (B): Heightened Senses]

The encounter with the old man had raised her Affection a bit higher than last time.

“What... books?” Rena asked.

“They’re written by a guy named Kevin Ashton. He writes good stuff. If you see any of his books, grab them for me.”

Of course, that was a joke. I’d only read two books, neither remotely related to my actions.

“Kevin Ashton? Kevin Ashton... Got it!” she responded eagerly.

Should I tell her it’s a joke?

After a moment’s thought, I left it alone.

I handed her one of the diluted fire bottles, intending to let her use it. The extras were with me, but I planned to have her handle most of the fighting this time.

This time, I’ll focus on leveling up Rena because of her exponential growth. If I can develop her properly, I may escape this dreaded cycle.