We part ways with the Fellowship of the Void after we made it to the Re-Estize Adventurer Guild. Momon asked them to keep my power a secret, but they simply pointed out that even if they tell anyone, no one is going to believe them.
Except for the fact that I'm wearing a Mithril plate. To keep up my act as a little kid, I actually demanded a promotion. What I didn't expect is the Fellowship of the Void to support my promotion. It was only because of Momon that I didn't get any further than Mithril.
On our way, we found something quite interesting. It is a toy vendor selling wooden adventurer figurines. "Momo nii chan look!" I exclaimed before pulling him towards the toy vendor. "They got the Blue Rose action figures!!"
"What?"
We all looked at the figurines. There was a blonde haired lady wearing red and blue adventurer garb holding a pitch black sword. There's a twin ninja-like girl in their ninja pose. There's a large warrior lady that by some miracle still looks feminine enough to be called a woman. Lastly there's a masked little girl who seems to be a powerful magic caster.
I took this moment to memorize their public appearance before looking at the vendor. "How much for all of them?" I asked him.
"Each one is sold at five silver each," he said.
I looked at Momon and the man just rolled his eyes. "Five figurines," he said.
"Ten,"
"Five"
"Seven"
"Five"
"Six"
Momon looked at me long and hard before sighing. "Alright, six figurines," he said.
With that I picked all of the best from the Blue Rose with one more figurine to spare. Then I noticed a very, very familiar figurine. "Wait, is that…" I pointed at the familiar warrior clad in black armor. "Sir, is this…"
The vendor smiled after hearing that. "I see you've heard of him as well? This is the very first edition of the Third Adamantite adventurer the Darkness. Buy the Momon figurine and you'll get a free, limited edition Nabe figurine."
I looked at Momon and found him trying real hard not to feel flustered. "Alright, you can have that last one," he said.
I picked up the Momon figurine. "Uwaa, you're toy Momo nii!"
"Yes, please don't announce it to the whole world…"
"Nabe nee toy is so cute!"
Meanwhile, the toy vendor is currently staring at Momon with wide eyes. His eyes snapped back and forth between the greatswords behind his back to the legendary metal plate hanging on his neck. "You're… You are…" he gasped in disbelief. "You're Momon the Dark Hero?"
Momon smiled at him gently. "Yes, I'm here to take my little sister for walk," he said.
"It is an honor Momon sama!"
"Umu, I appreciate that," Momon said before taking out a handful of silver.
"Goodness no! No need for that Momon sama, you need not to pay," the toy vendor said while taking in Momon's appearance as much as he can. "Please, you can even have this one," he crouched down and took out another wooden sculpture.
This one is a figurine of Momon riding on top of Hamsuke. "I tried to capture the wisdom and the power of your majestic steed Momon sama," he said. "Did I do a great job?"
All Momon saw was a toy version of him riding a regular sized hamster. "You captured it perfectly, Mr…"
"Call Alchor," he said.
"Mr. Alchor, yes, thank you…" Momon said before motioning me to walk away from the toy vendor.
It was until we're far enough from the vendor that Momon started putting all of his action figures away into his inventory. I also put my blue rose action figure into my inventory. It might come in handy, somehow.
"So, when are you going to tell me your plan Paradox?" Momon asked as we walked through the bustling streets of Re-Estize Kingdom towards the castle in the distance.
"Right now if you want," I replied simply.
"Well, tell me," Momon said.
"My plan is to become Blue Rose's fan girl and build good relation with them. For you to kick Gazef's ass in a match and make a name for yourself. For Sebas and Solution to become a noble. And for me to get laid somehow." I explained.
"Umu, I agree with your… Wait, what's that last one?"
"Well it's gonna take a heck ton of blackmails, document forgery, assassination, and good old bribery. But I'm pretty sure we can give Solution a good position in the Kingdom,"
"N-no, I mean, yes that's a good plan, but that part where…"
"Oh, you want to know Demiurge's plan? Well, it's actually pretty darn simple really. In a few days he will attack the Kingdom under the guise of a demon called… I don't know, we're still looking for a good name. But the point is, he will bring forth demon invasion, kidnap a whole lot of people, and then you, Momon, the big damn hero will save the day!"
Momon stopped in his tracks and looked at me like I'm crazy. "He planned for all that?"
"No, you planned for that. The moment you make yourself known as Momon and made a name for yourself," I said. "And don't speak of this out loud Momon, this is classified stuff."
Momon sighed a little and continued on his way. "Why would he put all that effort to raise Momon's name?"
"To make it easier to stole the sympathy of E-Rantel once you take it over," I replied.
"I'm sorry?"
"Remember that cheesy scene between you and Demiurge under the night sky? Something about gems and how it is all yours for the taking? When you joked about conquering the world?"
"I kind of do, yes,"
"Not a single Nazarick NPC thought of it a joke. To them, it is a long term goal for the prosperity of Nazarick."
Momon suddenly turned towards an adventurer's inn. "I'm going for a drink, you be a good girl and wait outside okay?" he said without looking back.
"Hee, I wanna come with you!"
"You'll get me arrested,"
"That doesn't apply in this world!"
But of course, big brother Momon decided to just leave me alone in the middle of the street. "Hmph, I'll show you! [Boost Magic - Camouflage]!" I exclaimed and my entire body turned slightly invisible. Anyone can easily see me if they squint enough, but it should be enough to sneak into an inn full of drunken adventurers.
I pushed the flap open and realized my mistake, I was caught like a deer stuck in a spotlight. Momon who was about to sit down just looked at me with a deadpan look on his face.
"I swear to god, I am usually much better at this," I told him while undoing my invisibility spell.
"You know what? Sit down," he said before leading me to his seat. On my way to the table, I caught the sight of a very-very familiar girl in a mask and an unmistakable pink plated female warrior.
I sat down in front of Momon and took out my Gagaran figurine. "You know you could just tell me that you wanna meet them right?"
"Who?"
"The Blue Rose!" I pointed at Evileye and Gagaran who is currently conversing with a blonde haired boy. "That's why you're here right?" I looked at Momon's surprised expression and couldn't help but laugh at the thought.
"No, I just want to have a drink now and rent a room for us to stay for the night…"
"Like I said, base luck stat of 999," I told him.
"Alright, so now what?"
"Hold on…" I looked at their interaction for a moment. I decided not to use stealth and instead just blatantly stare at them in childish curiosity. The big one, Gagaran, is teasing the boy every now and then. The small one, Evileye is currently telling the boy about Talents and stuff.
"Gazef Stronoff… he's a good example. People like him would be considered talented. Climb… do you think you can make up the difference between the two of you with effort?" Evileye said to the boy and I'm starting to wonder how much she knew about Gazef.
"Or better yet, we have an example right here," Evileye said and I suddenly felt like being watched. "Tell me Climb, have you realized that at this very moment we are being watched?"
Both the boy and I froze after hearing that. The boy looked around hastily, trying to find anything. "N-no, I don't think so..." he whispered.
"Like I said, you had no talent," Evileye turned towards me. Even by her mask, I can see her gaze staring down at me. "See that little girl over there?"
Climb turned towards me and our eyes met. He noticed the Gagaran figurine in my hands and I quickly put it away. "Oh… It's her…" he muttered. "I've heard that the Blue Rose has a lot of fan girls but I've never seen one this dedicated before."
"Look closer at her neck Climb," Evileye pointed out.
The boy took one look at my neck and his widened in realization. "She's an adventurer,"
"A mithril plate to be exact," Evileye waved her hand a little. "Come closer kid, I'd like to have a word with you," she said.
I gulped a little and walked towards them. "I'm sorry for staring!" I exclaimed before anyone could say anything. "I was just a bit surprised to see you all after I…" I took out my Evileye figurine in her magic caster pose. "I bought these…"
Evileye didn't look remotely bothered or flustered. She just nodded a little like it's the most natural thing in the world. "What's your name?" she asked.
"Lily,"
"Age?"
"Eleven and a half,"
"Any talent?"
I looked down for a bit. "I'm not that good with Tier Magic, but I have talent at Metamagic and spell control," I explained. "My brother also taught me a lot of CQC."
Evileye gestured at Climb sitting next to her. "Do you think you can win against him?"
I looked at Climb for a moment. "[Discern Enemy]," I said and figured out that he's around level twelve to fifteen. "Yes," I told her.
Evileye looked at Climb once more. "There you go, a difference between Talent and hardwork, Lily here is four years younger than you, but four times stronger than you, perhaps more," she explained.
Climb's gaze hardened and he clenched his fist.
"...So you're not giving up, despite all the evidence against you?"
"Yes…"
Evileye shook her head at his stupidity.
"Moving forward while clinging to an unreachable dream will set you on the way to destruction. You know that, right? I'll tell you again — you need to know your limits."
As I watched their conversation, something dawned upon me. If this is a game, Climb would be like someone who's hitting his level cap of the low-low number of twenty. I kinda pitied him for this, but at the moment there's nothing I can do to help him.
"I understand…" Climb said.
"Ano, Climb san?" I said, before Evileye could continue her rant.
They both looked at me.
"Why do you want to learn magic?"
Climb looked at me with steely eyes. "To protect the one I love," he said in a tone that echoes with many others just like him all across the multiverse.
"Do you have to learn magic to do that?" I asked him once again.
Climb seems taken aback by the question. "Yes?"
"Are you protecting the one you love now?"
"Yes,"
"Can you use magic?"
"No…"
"Then what would you need magic for?" I asked him with the most innocent look I can muster. "Is it to help you protect your loved one better? To destroy her enemies faster?"
"Of course,"
"Your sword and an armor can do a better job than magic," I looked at Evileye. "Evileye sama, in an adventurer party, where does a good magic caster position themselves?"
"At the back line, away from the enemy," Evileye replied simply.
I looked at Climb who looked like he just did something horrible. "Do you want to stay back when your loved one in danger?" I asked him.
"N-no! I would never!"
I smiled a little at him. "What you truly need to know, is how to fight magic. Not with magic, but with steel and your noggin," I explained. "Don't waste your time being a half-baked warrior. Focus on what you're good at, not some fancy tricks."
Climb looked down and nodded a little. "Thank you, Lily san…" he put a hand over his blade. "But… I don't have talent at swordplay… I can barely use Martial Arts… I'm never going to be as strong as Gazef…"
"Climb kun, strength alone isn't everything. If you can't overpower your enemy, you have to figure out a way to use their strength against them. If you can't win in a fight, then you just have to win without fighting. If you can't protect your loved one, then you just have to find a way to save them without protecting them."
With that, I finished my lecture. Then I looked at Gagaran who's looking at me with a grin on her face. "Gagaran sama!" I exclaimed and took out her figurine and an enchanted quill. "Can I have your autograph?"
Gagaran laughed after hearing that. "Anyone who can talk down cherry boy like that is good in my book," she grabbed her figurine and the quill. "Not bad kid, where did you get this?" she asked while signing her initial below the stand of the figurine.
"A toy vendor, not far from here, they even made my brother," I pointed at Momon's table, only to realize that he's nowhere to be seen. "Hee? Where did Momo nii chan go?"
"Momo nii?" Evileye asked. "You mean Momon the Dark Hero? The Third Adamantite ranked adventurer?"
I nodded a little. "Yeah! He's my big bro Momon! He's super duper strong!" I exclaimed. "He can defeat two skeletal dragons at once and fight against a Black Scripture member!"
Gagaran looked surprised after hearing that. "Hoho! A challenge it is! I accept," she said.
"No, you don't," Evileye said.
"What, you think I'd lose?" she asked.
"What do you think Lily?"
I raised my staff. "[Boost Magic - Discern Enemy]!" information went straight to my head. She's a level 45-50 at most. For undercover purpose, my power level is capped at around 36 and Momon is around 70. I might have an advantage of smaller hitbox and magic. But who knows what kind of magical items she got there.
"Yep, she doesn't stand a chance," I said.
Gagaran rolled her eyes. "Tch, there's always a bigger fish huh?" then she smirked a little. "What about you brat? Are you up for a fight?"
"Hee? A fight with a member of Blue Rose!?" I exclaimed in excitement. "Is it really alright? Can I really do that?"
"No trace of fear huh?" Gagaran laughed some more. "This is great, Evileye, keep an eye on her! We might need to make a room for her in few years," she said.
I can somehow feel Evileye smiling a little in amusement. "I'll keep that in mind," she said.
"Oi, oi, what's this about fighting?"
Momon walked towards us with a calm look on his face. He took one long look at Gagaran and Evileye before smiling a little. "My little sister is a big fan of you, you know?" he said.
"Yes, we noticed," Evileye looked at the figurine in my hand. "What brings you here Momon san?" she asked.
"Taking Lily here for brother sister bonding session," he explained. "Sorry if she was being a bother, I just booked a room for the two of us for tonight," he added.
"It's alright, Momon sama," Climb said suddenly. "She wasn't being a bother, she… She taught me some lessons…"
Momon raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Hah? Lily? Teaching?" he looked at me and I just blow him a raspberry. "You sure she didn't just brag about her killing a dozen orcs in one fight?"
Everyone turned towards me after hearing that. I smirked a little and made a V sign. "Hehehe, awesome aren't I?" I told them.
"A dozen? What spell did you use? Fourth Tier?"
"A combination of first and second," I replied smugly. "Metamagic for the win!"
"Evileye san, what's Metamagic?" Climb asked.
"It's a spell enchanting magic," Evileye started her explanation. "Boost, extend, twin, maximize, widen, delay, and more. A right combination of Metamagic can turn even the weakest spell into a deadly force. Unfortunately it took a lot of focus and concentration to effectively use it without wasting mana so people just use the superior version of a regular spell instead," she gestured at me. "Lily here has a talent that lets her use and control spells easier than most. Is that right?"
"Whoa, you know a lot Evileye sama! So cool!" I took out my Evileye figurine. "Can I have your autograph?"
Evileye nodded and started signing the bottom of my figurine. She then turned towards Climb. "The point is, you should start learning magic so that you'll know how to deal with them," she explained. "Not learning magic so you can use them,"
Climb nodded understandingly. "I understand, thank you very much Evileye sama, Gagaran sama, Lily sama."
"Hee, what's with the formalities, call me Lily chan!" I grabbed his waist and dragged him close to me. "Come on, repeat after me, Li-ly-chan!"
The boy averted his gaze. "Thank you very much, Lily chan…" his face reddens a little.
Gagaran started laughing. "You're blushing from that Cherry Boy?" she asked.
"N-no!"
"Stop it Gagaran, this is probably his first time calling anyone with that suffix," Evileye said, much to Climb's embarrassment.
As if sensing Climb's plummeting pride as a man, Momon patted my head a little. "Alright, that's enough Lily, we should go now, Solution should be waiting for us."
"Eh? We're going to Solu chan's place? Then why did we rent a room?"
Momon looked away for a moment. "I'm just not comfortable staying… there," he shook his head a little. "Let's just go, it's been a pleasure to meet you Blue Rose, Climb," he said before motioning to follow him out of the inn.