Allies

When I returned to my quarters, I sat on the bed blankly.

No matter how much I thought about it, it was still amazing. The item I had wanted so badly during the game was now in my hand.

"The Priest's Emblem..."

I quietly looked down at the small ornament I had received from Johan.

This emblem was a symbol of guarantee.

You might wonder what the guarantee of a priest means, but in this world, it held immense power.

Why does the cathedral have the authority it does now?

Because the emperor put great effort into creating an empire where morality and conscience are upheld.

In other words, a priest's guarantee indirectly means the emperor's guarantee.

"It's free from the bounty order, and I can't be arrested on the spot either."

Under imperial law, if one commits murder, a bounty order is issued. But if one holds the priest's emblem, the circumstances must be evaluated before arrest.

Being arrested and pleading your case is different from assessing whether the act was self-defense before the arrest.

The former means you're branded a criminal, while the latter is the opposite.

"What's more important is that they can't kill me easily."

Even though it's indirect, I now had the emperor's guarantee.

If someone were to kill me, an investigator would be dispatched directly from the palace to uncover the truth, which would be the natural course of action.

With this one emblem, I was much safer in this power struggle.

Johan probably knew this, which is why he gave it to me.

"An investigator's emblem and a priest's symbol...?"

I looked at the ornaments in both my hands.

This was the best I could get before returning to my family.

Anyone trying to kill me would have to take significant risks, and I could receive the empire's military support wherever I went.

"Just looking at them makes me feel secure."

I finished my brief reflection, attached the priest's emblem to my shoulder, and put the investigator's emblem in my pocket.

For some reason, I felt a surge of strength.

My gaze then shifted to the old bag.

"Holy water made with great effort..."

Usually, holy water is made one bottle per day.

But Johan had spent a week pouring his divine power into this one.

I took out the "Demon's Breath" and alternated my gaze between it and the holy water.

"The holy water Johan made had a success rate of about 20%."

A 20% success rate was quite high.

However, that was for the regular holy water made one bottle at a time, while this was special holy water.

I wondered if it might succeed all at once.

"Let's try it first. If it's not enough, I can always get more."

I had 3 bottles of holy water and 2 Demon's Breaths.

I slowly poured the holy water over the Demon's Breath.

"Oh?!"

The effect I had only seen in the game was now unfolding before my eyes.

The rough energy, which had been spewing black light, began to fade away as if it were being washed away by the water.

It felt like watching a top-class magician's show.

"Ah..."

Finally, only a small vial, about the size of a pinky finger, remained.

It was much smaller than I had expected, but it was definitely the elixir I had seen in the game.

"I can't believe I succeeded on the first try..."

Whether it was a coincidence or expected, I didn't know.

Without hesitation, I opened the lid and gulped it down.

A pleasant message appeared above my head.

[Your magic stat has increased by +1.] [Magic: 4]

"As expected...!"

As I had hoped, my magic stat increased.

Elixirs randomly increase one stat, and all my stats except for magic were at zero.

I savored the joy as I picked up the remaining Demon's Breath and holy water.

"If I succeed again, one bottle of holy water will remain."

With this level of divine power, it would almost be like having another life.

Unless my heart exploded or my head was chopped off, it would recover.

With high hopes, I cautiously poured the holy water again.

"Wow!"

I couldn't help but exclaim.

I had wondered if I would succeed, but I did it again. The same scene replayed before my eyes.

Getting two elixirs at the same time was no small feat. It seemed Johan had indeed spent a week making them.

After the brief surprise, I drank the remaining elixir.

There was something I had to confirm.

[Your magic stat has increased by +1.] [Magic: 5] [You can now use a new spell.] [Electric Human Transformation (電人化)] [Greatly enhances the physical abilities of the caster. Grants a shield effect proportional to your magic.]

"This is crazy..."

I muttered as I looked at the message that appeared above my head.

I had almost despaired when I saw that the condition for using Electric Human Transformation was 10 magic, but fortunately, it was 5.

In an instant, the tension left my body, and I felt my strength drain.

I sat there for a moment, staring blankly, before a sudden laugh escaped.

"This is more fun than when I was playing the game..."

The sense of achievement from obtaining an item or leveling up.

Now that I was experiencing it firsthand, the feeling was so much more intense.

The sensation of getting stronger made me feel elated.

"Jedd...? What's wrong? Are you sick?"

At that moment, Liwu arrived.

She looked at me, smiling like a madman, and seemed a bit wary.

Lisa had already hidden behind her brother.

We had a late lunch.

While eating, Liwu reported in detail about the task I had given her.

"I looked into the people with white hair and a single eye. So far, there are about 40 of them. It's not as many as I thought."

"I see. That's enough to look into."

With the elixir taken care of, now only Lacto Cherbille remained.

If I brought him, I could gain a lot of favor from the head of the Arahhan family, and also obtain a magical item perfect for me.

"As you said, I offered money and gathered them in one place. Exactly 34 showed up. So, that means one of the remaining 6 is the person you're looking for."

"Do you have the locations of the 6 remaining people?"

"Of course. I made sure to write down their exact locations, just in case. We should be able to find them by tomorrow."

Her work was quick and efficient.

She must have been trying hard to prove herself worthy of being employed as a butler.

Once I find Lacto Cherbille, I planned to return to Arahhan right away, and before that, Liwu probably wanted to prove her worth.

"I like it. Thanks to you, this job will go smoothly."

"Hehe! This is basic for me. I can do much harder and more complicated jobs. What do you think? Am I capable?"

"Liwu, I know you're smart. So you don't need to try so hard."

"Uh... okay...?"

"I'll take responsibility for you and your sister until the end. You're the first companion I've ever met."

"Jedd..."

"Don't be moved by the obvious. That's also a sickness."

Tears began to gather in Liwu's eyes.

When her brother sniffled, Lisa seemed like she was about to burst into tears too.

No, that wasn't my intention...

As I tried to change the topic, I noticed the old clothes Lisa was wearing.

"Your little sister's clothes are really worn out. Why didn't you buy her a new set?"

"…You're not asking because you don't know, are you?"

"I don't know."

"You took all the money. You said you would buy something."

"Ah, right. I forgot about that."

Now that I think about it, I had gotten the holy water for free.

Thanks to that, I still had 500 gold coins left.

With the investigator's emblem, the priest's symbol, and the elixir in hand, the value of money seemed insignificant.

"Let's go buy her some clothes."

"R-Really...? What about the money?"

"It's still fine. Now, you take care of it. I was getting annoyed by how heavy it was."

"Isn't it better the heavier the money is?"

"Where's the most expensive clothing store in Myers?"

Liwu turned her head and pointed toward one particular store.

It was a clothing store, and from the outside, it looked lavish enough to tell that they only sold expensive clothes.

I walked ahead, and Liwu and Lisa followed me closely.

"Hello!"

As we entered the store, a young woman greeted us with a bright voice.

Her outfit alone made it clear she was of noble status.

"Is this the most expensive clothing store in Myers?"

"Oh ho, of course! We only sell the finest luxury brands... Wait a moment. Are you by chance, Jedd Arahhan, the boy with red eyes?"

"How do you know me?"

"Eh?! If you don't know Jedd, you must be a spy! There are rumors all over Myers about you!"

"Rumors?"

"The young Arahhan who punished the fraudster and protected the cathedral and the priest! The city is all buzzing with that story. I didn't expect you to come to our shop, though. This is such an honor!"

No wonder the people's stares had been strange.

I had thought it was because of my eyes, but there was another reason.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, I scratched the back of my head.

"Ho ho ho! We're so pleased to have such a distinguished guest! Feel free to choose anything you need. It will be given to you for free."

"The price can't be cheap, though. Are you sure it's free?"

"Oh, well, for the one who protected the priest and the divine's blessing, what does a mere piece of clothing matter? Don't worry about it and pick out whatever you like. However… could I ask for one signature before you leave?"

Wait, you want my signature?

What's this all of a sudden?

While feeling slightly confused, people began to trickle into the store.

"Is that Jedd Arahhan?"

"Whoa! That's him?! He's the one!"

"Is it okay to even look him in the eye? They say if you meet his eyes, you die."

"They say he's the messenger of God, so it's fine, right? I thought Arahhans were merciless, but maybe not all of them are."

One by one, people gathered in the store, slowly turning into a swarm.

They seemed hesitant to actually enter, but they were staring at me with a mix of fear and curiosity.

"Jedd...? What is all this?"

"Brother, I'm scared..."

Liwu and Lisa seemed uncomfortable and awkward in this situation.

But for someone who had been a world champion in martial arts, it was nothing new.

Before leaving Myers, it seemed like there would be many more annoying situations like this.

"Lisa, pick out some clothes you like."

"R-Really...? Can I pick anything? But I like everything here..."

"Then pick them all."

Lisa, as if she hadn't been nervous at all, grinned widely.

As expected of a child.

She had probably never seen such luxurious clothing before.

Liwu smiled warmly as she watched her little sister so delighted.

"These and these! I want to wear those too!"

"Hehe... You have an excellent taste, young lady..."

In an instant, Lisa picked out three or four outfits.

Whether she knew it or not, they were the most expensive ones in the store.

The store owner's face turned a shade of embarrassment.

"How much for all this?"

When I asked, the woman hesitated and answered in a very small voice.

"Are you sure you want to pay...? Then... the signature...?"

"Nothing in this world is truly free. Wrap everything up, except for one outfit."

"Ah, yes... of course..."

The woman reluctantly wrapped up the clothes, muttering to herself.

The total came to 250 gold coins.

I spent half of my fortune, but I didn't feel any regret. Seeing how happy Lisa was made it worth it.

"Brother! This dress is really pretty, isn't it?"

"Yeah. My little sister looks just like a noblewoman now."

"Hehe~!"

Lisa was wearing a dress like a character from a comic book princess.

When we left the store, the people who had been watching cleared the way for us.

It felt like the Red Sea was parting.

Walking through the neatly dressed people made me feel like a celebrity walking down the red carpet.

"Thank you for protecting Myers Cathedral!"

"We will remember Jedd's good deeds for generations!"

As we passed, the people showered us with praise.

I thought I was used to situations like this, but it was different from what I had experienced in modern times.

To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing.

"Let's go quickly."

As I hurried my steps, my face burning, I suddenly felt an odd sense of foreignness among the crowd.

When I looked up, I locked eyes with someone who stood out from the rest.

Unlike everyone else, this person's eyes were dry and soulless.

"?!"

A single eye and white hair.

It was definitely Lacto Cherbille.