Before arriving at Aunen, Iris and I had a brief conversation. We talked about trivial, ordinary things.
I asked her where her favorite restaurant was. Or whether to eat her favorite food first or leave it until the end.
It wasn't that I forgot about the Great Flood or the Black Dragon, but it was a nice change of pace.
As we entered Aunen through the south gate, most buildings were bright even though it was midnight.
"They must be preparing for the evacuation."
"Everyone's going to be very busy tonight…"
We hurried off to the Adventurer's Guild.
Naturally, the Adventurer's Guild was in operation. The lobby was empty, but in the back, the staff was busy running around.
"Where is the branch manager Zitan?"
"He's probably upstairs in his office."
We walked up the stairs to the second floor. We found the branch manager's office at the end of the long corridor.
I knocked on the door a few times and then called out loudly.
"It's Kou. I've just returned from the underground city."
"Oh, I've been waiting for you. Please come in."
"Excuse me."
"Sorry to bother you."
The office was quite spacious.
The front half of the room was a reception area with a map spread out on a table. There was a large desk in the back, flanked by bookshelves on either side.
"I'm sorry for the mess, but with the situation as it is, I hope you will forgive me."
Chief Zitan smiled apologetically, left his desk, and walked towards us.
"Please sit down for now. How was the vault?"
"It was a pretty big haul. If there are any troubles along the way, we may be able to minimize the damage."
By trouble, I mean the Great Flood and the Black Dragon, of course. I briefly explain Gram, the Destroyer Golem, and the Dragon God's shield.
"I see…"
Chief Zitan crossed his arms and nodded.
"I'd like to see how powerful they really are, but we don't have enough time. This would be quite the gamble, but you will have to use your own judgment when the time comes. You don't need to ask for my permission."
"Are you sure?"
"You and Iris are both top-notch talents. I will trust you on that."
After that, we talked briefly about our future plans. The evacuation would begin before noon that day, prioritizing the children and women.
In the event of the Great Flood or the resurgence of the Black Dragon, Iris and I would go and intercept it while the other adventurers would focus on guarding the residents. It's called proper division of labor.
"You guys are our trump card. I don't want you to be unable to exert yourselves due to a lack of sleep. Get a good night's rest tonight and come to the guild at nine in the morning."
"Are you sure we should take it that easy?"
"I don't mind. In the first place, we are grateful to you for providing us with a refuge in the underground city. Since we're about to impose even more work on you, you should at least take a break."
"I understand. All right, then, I'll rest without reservation."
Chief Zitan's idea made sense to me, and it would be tactless to argue with him at this point.
Iris and I thanked him and left the branch manager's office. It was already around one o'clock in the morning.
On the second floor of the Adventurer's Guild, there are several dormitory rooms, from which sleepy staff have been coming and going… They seem to be taking turns to nap and preparing for evacuation.
"Speaking of which, I wonder where Milia is?"
"Is there something you need from her?"
"I thought I'd at least say hello to her… I'd feel bad if she was asleep, though."
It's not an emergency that we need to wake her up. Well, it can wait until after dawn.
We returned to the first floor of the guild and went straight out of the building.
"Kou, you're going back to the inn, right?"
"Yeah, Iris' house is this way, right? Would you like me to accompany you back?"
"Yes. Well, since it's such a hassle, I might ask you to walk with me."
So I decided to go to Iris' house first.
"I hope nothing will happen today…"
"I hope so too. …But the world is not so easy, is it?"
Trouble can happen when you don't want it to. You should be prepared for the worst possibilities.
The Great Flood, the Black Dragon ─ is there anything else I missed?
At that moment, something suddenly crossed my mind.
"Iris, what is the Mercenary Guild doing?"
I had forgotten about the guild's existence since I hadn't been involved with it at all recently, but come to think of it, the Adventurer's Guild in this world had a business rival – the Mercenaries Guild, which is famous for its bad behavior.
"I wonder if they'll try to cause trouble or something in the confusion."
"That's okay. As soon as there were signs of the Great Flood, the mercenaries fled with the entire guild."
"…Are you sure about that?"
"Mercenaries are not obligated to protect the city. Well, those people keep causing problems, so it might be better if they weren't around…"
Iris's opinion was certainly one that I could agree with. It's an emergency situation right now, and the fewer sparks of incidents we have, the better.
I would like to wish the mercenaries good luck in their future endeavors.
In the meantime, we arrived at Iris's house.
"Thank you, Kou. See you in the morning."
"Yeah. Don't be late."
After parting ways with Iris and returning to Quiet Moon Pavilion, I quickly finished my bath and laid down on my bed.
I closed my eyelids, but… the problem was that I couldn't sleep.
It seems that my nerves are overstimulated by the big battle ahead.
I need to relax a bit more.
"I think I'm going to take a bath again."
Maybe if I relax in the tub, I'll feel sleepy.
As I got up from the bed, there was a knock at the door.
"…Hmm?"
Who the heck is this at this hour?
Should I answer it honestly, or should I decide to remain silent? As I was wondering, I heard a reserved voice from the other side of the door.
"──Good evening, It's me, Milia. May I have a moment of your time?"
* * *
When I opened the door, Milia was standing there in her work uniform.
"I'm sorry, Kou-san. I didn't mean to disturb you at this late hour…"
"No, it's okay. I was just having trouble sleeping. …Let's talk in the room for now. If we talk in the corridor, it will bother the other guests."
"Oh, you're right. Then I'll take your word for it…"
I let Milia in and led her to the living room. In addition to the bedroom and living room, there is also a kitchen and a drawing room. Well, I usually only use the bedroom, though.
"Kou-san, you're staying in an amazing room…"
Milia was scurrying around the living room with a look of surprise on her face.
As a side note, I didn't pay a single Komsa to stay in this room. The merchant, Chrome-san, had arranged the room for me as his gratitude for saving his life.
However, I only used the bedroom and bathroom, so I felt bad about that.
In the living room, there was a one-seater sofa and a three-seater sofa facing each other.
When I sat down on the one-seater, Milia sat down on the three-seater.
"I'm really sorry to barge in on you so late at night. …Actually, I have something important to tell you."
"What's the matter?"
"I just received a message from Chief Zitan about today's developments. If the Black Dragon appears, Kou-san and Iris-san will fight it together, right?"
"Yeah, that's the plan."
"…I understand."
Milia nodded with a serious expression and took out a small pouch made of linen from the breast pocket of her uniform.
"Kou-san, please take this. It might be useful for you."
What in the world is that?
When I opened the pouch Milia gave me; I found a silver ring inside.
The ring had letters like the alphabet engraved on the surface, and after looking at it for a while, [Full Assist] was activated, and I was able to read it.
"You who have come from a faraway land, if you challenge the dragon, empty your vessel. The blessing of the spirit cannot dwell there."
"You can read that, Kou-san?"
"It's thanks to my skill. More importantly, what kind of ring is this…?"
"It's called the Spirit Ring. It was given to me by my distant grandfather when I was little. He said, 'If anyone comes to challenge the dragon, give them this ring.'"
"I see…"
I nodded and thought about the text engraved on the ring.
A person from a faraway land probably refers to a person from another world. It is certain that they are trying to challenge the dragon, and in that sense, they may be qualified to receive the ring.
When I was thinking about this… I heard an inorganic voice in my mind.
The link with the spirit ring has been established by [Full Assist].
Skills based on the role will be released.
Kou Kousaka is not a hero, a demon king, or a sage and possesses [Creation].
──Because the special conditions have been fulfilled, [Material Refinement] has been unlocked.
When I opened the status inside my mind, I saw that the skill had indeed been added.
[Material Refinement] …The effect of this is to create a higher-level material by multiplying the same material.
However, it can't be used on any material, and the target seems to be limited.
Fortunately, there was just one material in my [Item Box] that could be used for [Material Refinement].
It was the Lonely Wolf's pelt.
About ten days ago, I fought a horde of Lonely Wolves. Thanks to this, I acquired more than five thousand pelts, but if I sold all of them, the price would collapse, so I kept about 80% of them on hand.
When it comes to this, let's give it a try.
The following was what came to my mind as a recipe.
Lonely Wolf pelt x 100 → Fenrir pelt x 1
Fenrir is a wolf monster from Norse mythology and is a common existence in fantasy-based anime and games.
…The fact that there are Fenrir pelts makes me wonder if there are Fenrir living somewhere in this world.
Aside from that, when I checked the Fenrir fur with [Appraisal], the results were as follows.
Fenrir Pelt: The pelt of the magical wolf Fenrir. The texture is superb, and it has excellent physical and magic resistance. If used as a material for clothing, it will be blessed with divine speed.
This is a very interesting explanation.
I wonder what the blessing of divine speed is. I'm quite curious about it, and I think it will be useful in future battles. With a little more pelt, I wonder if a recipe for [Creation] will come to mind.
"Um… Kou-san?"
"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry."
When Milia spoke to me, I came to my senses.
I've gotten carried away with my new skills.
I'm sorry about that, Milia.
"Kou-san, your sudden silence startled me. Are you okay? Is it possible that the ring is cursed…?"
"It's not like that. Actually, my skills have increased."
"Eh…!"
Milia rolled her eyes and screamed in surprise.
This was a natural reaction, I suppose. Skills are inborn. They are not acquired. That's how it's generally thought.
"Err…"
Milia asked me with a puzzled expression on her face.
"I guess that means it was a good decision to give the ring to Kou-san…?"
"Probably."
I nodded and put the ring on the middle finger of my left hand. The size of the ring is perfect, and there is no weird pressure or uneasy feeling that it might fall off.
I felt as if it had been a part of my body from the beginning.
As I gaze at the ring, Milia calls out to me.
"Do you like it?"
"Yes. It's a nice ring."
"Fufu, I'm glad you like it. …Actually, half of the reason I joined the Adventurer's Guild was for the ring. I'm so relieved that I was able to give it to the right person."
"You won't quit the Adventurer's Guild now, will you?"
"Of course not. I am a rising star, after all."
Milia puffed up her chest proudly.
"I'm also looking forward to seeing what Kou-san will do in the future. My prediction is that you will be able to clear up the Great Flood and take care of the Black Dragon with a single swipe and leave your name in history."
"I think that's an overestimation, indeed."
"You can do it, Ko-san. It will be fine."
After saying that, Milia smiled with a gentle face.
Just looking at her smile, strangely enough, my tense feeling began to melt away.
…I'm getting a little sleepy.
"Fuwah…"
I suddenly let out a yawn.
Right after that, Milia also let out a small yawn. We both looked at each other and smiled.
"I think I just yawned."
"It happens sometimes, doesn't it?"
"Time is essential now. I think I'll go home and have a little sleep."
"Thanks for your work. Have a good rest."
"Yes, thank you!"
After Milia left the room, I fell deeply asleep in my bedroom bed.
When I woke up at 7 a.m. I felt my fatigue from yesterday disappear. My body felt light. The air was good and I felt refreshed.
I quickly got ready and set about the work I had left undone yesterday.
I wondered if I could use Fenrir's pelt to create a piece of equipment with [Creation].
First, I used [Material Refinement] to increase the number of pelts.
When I created over 20 pelts, a new recipe popped into my mind.
It seems that I can make an armor piece called "Fenrir Coat."
Of course, I had to do it right away.
Fenrir Coat: A top-grade coat made of luxurious Fenrir pelt. It has top-class physical and magic resistance and has tremendous power.
Granted effects:"Physical Defense Enhancement S""Magic Defense Enhancement S""God's Speed Blessing EX".
I took it out of the [Item Box] and found that it was a black long coat.
The size is a little large, so it can be worn over armor.
After some thought, I put on the Armored Bear Armor first.
I removed the bear head from my left shoulder and stored it in my [Item Box].
On top of that, I put on the Fenrir Coat, the Black Spider Gauntlets on both arms, and the Spirit Ring on my left middle finger.
I'm all set.
"…Let's go."
I left the room.
From yesterday to today, it was as if I was being guided to ready my set of equipment for a decisive battle.
Now all I have to do is give it my all.