After returning from the Imperial City, I decided to hide the skeleton army in a suitable place and then join the Allied forces.
“Listen, don’t harm people unnecessarily, understood?”
“Katakata”
Suketarou nods. Even though their numbers have been reduced to 400,000, a large army of skeletons still look like a threat to everyone. Moreover, when such a group of scary homeless skeletons gather, it’s possible that not only children but even adults may be so frightened that they could wet their pants.
Thus I decided to temporarily hide the skeleton army in Fort Marsei, the easternmost part of the empire. It’s a big fort and if I cram the skeletons inside, they’ll manage to fit in. Following that, I made 10,000 skeletons stand guard as a defense. Of course, there’s a reason as to why I chose Fort Marsei as the hiding place for the skeletons. In order for the empire to reach the kingdom, they must pass through this fort. In other words, if I control this area, I will be able to stop them even if they try to invade again. Well, I’m not sure if the empire that has just lost an emperor has that kind of guts though.
“Alright, let’s just say we are renting this place. The Empire probably won’t charge right away but they may plan to expedite the schedule as the war is over, so let’s stay put here first. Oh-, and don’t make weird stuff, okay?”
“Katakata”
I reminded Suketarou and Sukejiro many times. I’m worried about these guys because even though they are now just skeletons, they still have strange personalities.
While I had to do this with painful reluctance, I decided to return to the Allied headquarters alone.
◇◇◇
“Guhahahaha! Your kicks are still weak!”
“Gii-, P-Please give me a break. I can’t move any more!”
When I returned to the main camp, I found the Beast King and several soldiers fighting. In addition to that, a pile of unconscious soldiers was built around them. The ears of the dog-type beastman soldiers he is currently facing were drooping with fear and their legs are even shaking.
“Hey, Beast King! What on earth are you doing?”
“Ooh-, It’s you Shinichi! I’m glad that you’re finally back! I’m training the soldiers right now, wait a minute!”
The Beast King knocked down the soldiers with a single blow and then he walked briskly towards me. The sharpness of his technique is as frightening as ever. If we are to fight to death instead of just testing our strength, maybe I will lose.
“So, where have you been?”
“A little towards the Empire. There was no problem with the army, right?”
“Yeah, nothing in particular. If I’m to say, it’s more of the soldiers’ fighting spirit, it’s declining because they have so much free time.”
“Then that’s fine. The war should be over soon you see.”
“?”
The Beast King was puzzled at my words. I could tell him about the past week’s event but then I will have to explain the skeleton army from the scratch. I could see that it was going to be troublesome, so I didn’t.
If you think about it normally, it is unusual for an individual to have a force of 400,000. On top of that, it would also be a problem to have such number of magical beasts. Considering that I am an adventurer that lives in the kingdom of Mana, it is not hard to imagine that I will get into a big trouble. Too much force creates friction after all. That is why I want to keep the skeleton army a secret.
“The Allied Forces will wait for another month and then decide to disband.”
“What? It’s already over? It would be nice if I could fight for another year.”
I smiled bitterly at the Beast King’s words. We would have gotten to that point if it lasted a long time, but I don’t have that much free time either. I think it’s best to finish it when you can. If it’s shorter, the scars that will remain for future generations will be smaller.
I said goodbye to the Beast King and decided to go to the tent where the members of Homeless are staying.
“I’m back.”
In front of the tent, Freya and Pero were grilling meat on a bonfire. Freya didn’t change much but Pero’s body has grown considerably. He’s now a full-fledged werewolf. His face is completely that of an adult wolf.
“Father!”
When Pero noticed that I had returned, he immediately runs up to me and hugs me with his big body. His white fur is so fluffy and it feels nice. I feel excited like Freya.
“I’m sorry I was away. Was there a problem?”
“No. There’s nothing special except that I’ve gotten bigger.”
“I see. But Pero, you’ve become quite an adult huh.”
When I said that, Pero shakes his head heavily.
“I’m still a kid, I want to be stronger like Father.”
“Then, we need to train together again.”
I gently pat Pero’s head. I am happy that the kobold child I picked up had grown up to this point. I’m sure that one day, he’ll be on his own. But when that happens, as a father, I want to send him off in a grand way. It was Pero who gave me a life to live as a father again after all.
Let’s first take a look at Pero’s status.
| 【Analysis Results: Pero Tanaka: Werewolf sacred beast. While he is saddened by the killing of people in war, he hopes for further growth. He loves his Father a lot. Rarity: S, Overall Ability: S】 |
| 【Status】 Name: Pero Tanaka Age: 5 years old Race: Saint Werewolf Occupation: Adventurer Magic Attribute: Wind, Holy Magic: Air Ball, Air Arrow, Holy Roar Skills: ▹Special: Fist King Technique(↑),Intelligence, Body Strengthening, Fang Strengthening ▹Advanced: Claw Strengthening, Intimidation, Devil Nose(↑), Self-Recovery(↑) ▹Intermediate: King Claw(New) ▹Beginner: Acceleration(New), Gale Storm(New), Body Strengthening Z(New), Prodigy(New), King Fang(New) Evolution: Conditions have been met. < Evolution Condition: Fist King Technique(Special Grade), Body Strengthening(Special Grade), Fang Strengthening(Special Grade), Intelligence (Special Grade) > |
It seems that the ones who have risen in the ranks are Fist King Technique, Devil Nose, and Self-Recovery. The skills gained through skill upgrade are Acceleration, Body Strengthening Z, King Fang, King Claw, and Prodigy.
He had been practicing with me for about a month and the degree of growth was considerable. Suddenly, discovering an unfamiliar skill, I asked Pero a question.
“What does acceleration skill do?”
“This is my guess, but I think it’s a skill that accelerates my time. And unlike extra sensory perception that Father had mentioned, I can move quickly even if everything around me seem to be slow.”
It’s a tremendous skill. Eventually, I won’t be able to beat Pero huh. As I think about that, series of words appears in my field of vision.
| 【Do you want to evolve Pero Tanaka?】 【YES/NO】 【Evolution destination option:】 ・Saint Werewolf → Saint Silver Werewolf ・Saint Werewolf → Saint Ice Werewolf |
When I looked closely, I can see that the conditions for Pero’s evolution have been achieved. Even though he just leveled up, he is up for evolution already huh. I informed Pero of the evolution options.
“I’d like to choose the Saint Ice Werewolf.”
“Alright, if you say so, let’s do that.”
As Pero said, I chose to evolve him into a Saint Ice Werewolf. Pero immediately gets inside the tent, curls up like a puppy and begins to sleep. I’m looking forward to seeing how he evolves.
“Huh? Shinichi!? You’re back?”
Erna, who was sleeping in the tent, wakes up. She had drowsy eyes and she looked at me dazedly, it looked as if she’s going to fall asleep again.
“I just came back. Was there a problem?”
“Hn?, I don’t think so. But I want you to look at my status instead.”
“Status?”
I checked Erna’s status.
| 【Analysis Results: Erna Frederia: The second daughter of the Frederia family. She thinks that magic is what she is best at, but she is rumored to be a mage martial artist by the soldiers who know how she fights. Rarity: S, Overall Ability: B】 |
| 【Status】 Name: Erna Frederia Age: 19 years old Race: Founder Elf Occupation: Adventurer Magic Attributes: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Light, Darkness, Lightning Magic: Fireball, Fire Arrow, Flame Bomb, Flame Chain, Flame Wall, Flame Burst, Flare Zone, Aqua Ball, Aqua Arrow, Aqua Wall, Aqua Cure, Spear Rain, Aquarius Recovery, Rock Arrow, Rock Wall, Rock Bullet, Rock Armor, Metal Wall, Ground Hammer, Air Ball, Air Arrow, Air Cutter, Air Wall, Lightning, Thunder Ball, Break Tornado, Light, Stun Light, Camouflage, Shadow, Shadow Field, Shadow Bind, Laser, Mind Break Skills: Indomitable Spirit ▹Special: Essence of Magic, Extrasensory Perception, Spearmanship(↑), ▹Advanced: Bow King Technique(↑), Fist King Technique(↑), ▹Intermediate: Hell Ear Z(↑) ▹Beginner: Awakening(New), Attack Prediction(New) Evolution: Conditions are met <Evolution Condition: Attack Prediction (Beginner), Indomitable Spirit, Essence of Magic (Special)> |
Spearmanship, Bow King Technique, Fist King Technique, Hell Ear Z, and Essence of Magic had ranked up. Through skill upgrade, she gained Awakening and Attack Prediction. Erna is also practicing with me for a month now so the level of her growth was considerable. And for the magic she mastered, Laser and Mind Break was added.
“There’s nothing wrong with your status.”
“I want you to look at the evolution part.”
“Evolution?”
When I checked her status again, I found that the conditions for evolution has been met. Following Pero, it seems that Erna can also evolve. Then before long, lines of text appeared in my field of vision.
| 【Do you want to evolve Erna Frederia?】【YES/NO】 【Evolution destination option:】 ・Founder Elf → Ancient Elf ・Founder Elf → Primordial Man ・Founder Elf → Superior Elf |
“What is primordial man?”
“Primordial Man? I don’t really know either. Is that the only track for me to evolve to?”
“No, there are Ancient Elf, Primordial Man and Superior Elf. The only choice I can kind of foresee is the Ancient Elf though.”
“Hmmm, the safe bet is Ancient Elf huh…”
Erna begins to think. I’m curious about the primordial man, but for me, Superior Elf is the most interesting one. Superior means of higher order or the top one. If that’s the case, compared to now, her rapid progress can be made further.
“Hey Shinichi, which one do you think is better?”
“Do I decide?”
“Well, even if I evolve strangely, Shinichi will take responsibility.”
“Responsibility huh…”
I don’t really understand what she meant by responsibility but I’m not going to abandon Erna no matter what she becomes. Besides, if she thinks about it that way, she might not have a problem with which one I choose. Judging from the trend so far, she has never deviated from the form of a human. I should be bold here. My intuition also says that I should do so.
“Well then, I’m going to go with the Superior Elf.”
“Yes, it’s not bad. It’s ten times better than that primordial man one.”
What the heck…, it’s her choice in the end, isn’t it?
As expected, I really can’t understand the words and actions of women.
After selecting the Superior Elf, Erna’s body began to glow dimly. She lay down again and wrapped herself in a blanket beside Pero. I then left the tent and came to check Freya’s status just in case.
With this trend, she also has the potential to evolve.
| 【Analysis Results: Freya Label: Former Knight of the Duke’s Imperial Guard. A fur control, famous not only among Mana, but also among the Allied forces’s soldiers. Can no longer live without Pero’s fluffy fur. Rarity: S, Overall Ability: A】 |
| 【Status】 Name: Freya Label Age: 18 years old Race: Neohuman Occupation: Adventurer Magic attribute: Fire Magic: Fire ball, Fire Arrow Skills: ▹Special: Arm Strength Enhancement(↑) ▹Advanced: Telekinesis(↑), Swordsmanship,Cooking ▹Intermediate: Meteor Thrust(↑), Shield, Extrasensory Perception(↑),Spear King Technique(New), Physical Strengthening(↑) ▹Beginner: Fist King Technique(New), Attack Prediction(New) Evolution: Conditions are not met <Evolution Condition: Telekinesis (Special), Spear King Technique(Beginner), Physical Strengthening(Beginner)> |
Her skills such as, telekinesis, meteor thrust, arm strength enhancement, physical strengthening, and Extrasensory Perception had leveled up. What she gained from skill upgrade was the Spear King Technique and the Fist King Technique. Freya has also grown considerably after a month of training. It seems that she has become even stronger after this battle. However, she has not met the condition to evolve yet.
“Is there something on my face?”
Freya, who is eating meat in front of the bonfire, asked me while showing a curious expression. I sat down next to her and picked up the skewers that were still grilling.
“The war will be over soon. I’m sorry that you had to fight a hard battle.”
“What are you saying? I am one of the Homeless now you know? It is natural for the leader to give instructions and for the members to follow them. Besides, I’m proud to be able to defend my kingdom.”
Freya laughs happily with a piece of meat on her lips. She has lived as a knight. That’s probably why she doesn’t feel hesitation or guilt about fighting. That is something I am grateful for. I’m also glad that she came back and did not die on this battle.
At that moment, series of words appeared in my field of vision.
| 【Evolution will begin soon. Once the evolution is complete, there is no going back. Will you evolve?】 【YES/NO】 |
“Eh!?”
I’m surprised, but when I think about it, I too, meet the conditions for evolution. It is amazing that three out of the four members will evolve.
“Freya, it looks like I’m evolving so I’ll take a rest in the tent as well. Do report the important matters to the Beast King.”
“Understood. Good luck on your evolution.”
“Yeah.”
I then entered the tent and decided to lay next to Pero. Immediately after, my consciousness became distant and then I sank into slumber.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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