Ascension Rebirth - Return to daily life

CHAPTER IX

PART ONE

Now that I was back at my home town of Karta, things have become much more mellow recently. After my sister, Ada, was successfully born without any complications and my mother was able to survive the child birth, peace had returned to this boring little town.

We were worried when mother was about to give birth since she had a very weak constitution, especially Lina because she caused a little 'scene' before.

All the time Lina was panicking around saying things like, 'What do I do if something goes wrong?!' and 'It'd be my fault!'

Well luckily for her it was all fine in the end.

Now that that's out of the way, I think it is time for the results of the routine status report on my family.

Starting off with my mother again, she was returning to her normal health, as evident by the nice complexion of her skin.

After giving birth she suddenly said, 'A~ I need to start losing weight', and that's how she started her rigorous exercise schedule. She was indeed a little plump compared to before but it wasn't even that noticeable, I mean, at the very least, father wouldn't complain about my mother's body.

I'll leave her be for now but if I see her overexerting herself I'll intervene.

Sebastian's the same as always. That calm and superior demeanour hasn't changed.

Wait, I think I said something like that before as well. Oh well, it's true anyway, he never changes.

Changes it the old can hardly be seen after they hit a certain age.

Then there were the twins: Lina and Lena.

After returning Lina has been acting a little more mature in regards to how she acts around Lena and myself. I think it was due to her reuniting with her mother, anyway I think it's a good thing so I'll leave it.

As for Lena, she's become a little more expressive. Like her sister, she hasn't changed so much but she knows how to smile and make appropriate faces at the correct times.

As for myself, my progress has been quite favourable if I do say so myself.

My stats look like this now.

[Status Menu]

Morgant Fallon. Level 19

NECROMANCER/DEMON GENERAL

Strength: 95 (65+30)

Dexterity: 35 (5+30)

Intelligence: 35 (5+30)

Insight: 35 (5+30)

[Status point: 40]

I was able to gain five levels just from training with my father. Of course since I hadn't distributed my [status points] it was unlikely that he actually realized my improvements.

I was thinking that I should put those extra points into [insight] this time. It was a great help with the amount I already had.

Well, decisions like this should be taken seriously so I left it for the time being.

Of course just because my level increased a few didn't mean I neglected skill training as well.

Almost every day I sneak into the forest to train my skills. The mobs in that forest are really no match for me anymore. Even without summoning my skeleton knights I can easily dispose of them in a few hits.

Anyway these were the improvements to my skills.

[Strike +] was now level 12

[Summon Skeleton Knight] was now level 9

[Transfer Life] was now level 11

[Life Force sensory] was no level 26

[Life Drain] was level 16

[Wither] was level 10

[Decay] was level 24

[Aura Field] was level 7

[Soule Gambit] was level 3

Unfortunately I was not able to create nor experiment on new skills.

Actually in regards to [Life Force Sensory] I've become more sensitive to the presence of others. I can tell with 99% accuracy the number of people in this town and their physical conditions.

It was really a great skill.

As I was thinking this my head got closely acquainted with the edge of father's wooden sword. The result was that I flew a few meters backwards.

"What are you spacing out in the middle of training for?"

...Next. My father.

He had been in great spirits with the way things were turning out recently. My sister's birth, our safe return from the northern capital and that he was able to see Rian again.

He even started to take my swords training a little more seriously after we returned. I don't know what switched was turned inside him but it was a big help since I can gain experience points even from small training schedules like these.

"Sorry father, the weather was so nice my mind just drifted."

"Hahaha, what a thing to say. If this was real battle you would have lost your life five times over."

"I apologize, then shall we continue?"

I have been training with father everyday recently but with my measly 35 [insight] stat I can't beat him.

At first I managed to catch him off guard with my 95 [Strength] stat but after that novelty ran out I was just beaten over and over again. It was actually quite vexing.

I grabbed my wooden sword that flew to the side once more and rushed at him.

Left, right, center, above or below, it didn't matter. He had no openings for me to exploit. I imagine the battle might go in a slightly different directions if I had used any of my necromancy skills but I refrained from doing so since it was a little secret.

Even after a full day's worth of training I didn't even manage to get in a single strike.

All this time I've been underestimating him because he was always so easy going, but in the end that level of 42 was truly deserved.

"Good work, young master, and you too master."

Lina brought out some refreshing tea for us to drink.

Now that I think about it, she was supposed to be fond of tea right?

"I guess I should go wash off this sweat."

I quietly mumbled to myself but it did not escape the ears of the 'active' maid with a tea fetish.

"Then let's take a bath together, young master!"

Now any man would jump at the chance to bath with a nubile 20 something year old woman, but~

I don't really trust Lina with my chastity.

"Come on~ young master!"

She has a dangerous look in her eyes, her face is beet red and she has haggard breaths.

"No, I think I'll have to decline."

"Eh~? Why? Am I no good?"

She gently presses her breasts and looks dejected.

"Why don't you take a bath with her, son?"

And now father was urging me on as well.

"Father, I don't think it's quite proper to bathe with a lady."

"What are you saying, you're only four."

Little do they know I'm actually a 36 year old man.

"If you're taking a bath then let me join."

This time Lena comes out of the backyard. She has an apron on but her hands and legs are a bit muddy from the gardening. She looks sweaty too.

Currently my chastity was being held hostage in the bathroom. I'm surrounded by a naked Lina and Lena. Lina was audibly humming as she was staring at me with creepy eyes, periodically going 'Ufufu~'.

Lena was just washing herself in the corner by herself.

Since the bathroom in our mansion was pretty big there was no problems with space.

These girls' guards are way too low against men, or was it because it was me?

If that's the case it's a little depressing, then again I am supposed to be four.

"Master~ let me wash your back."

Lina comes up with a smile only a deviant would have.

"Um, I think I can clean myself, so you don't need to worry about me."

"What nonsense are you speaking of young master? Children need to be cleaned very rigidly."

I feel a soft touch on my back. They were her hands! Her hands!

It kind of felt good.

I think I was blushing, but let's just say that's because of the hot steam in this place.

"Ah~ young master is blushing!"

"N-No! shut up!"

"Ufufu~ then shall we wash the front as well?"

"Wha-?!"

Her hand slides over my body extremely well due to the soap and lands on my nether regions.

"Oh~ young master is growing splendidly!"

"Knock it off you pervert!"

I lightly push Lina away and she falls down.

I tried to hold back as much as I could since I was conscious of my 95 [strength] stat. I wouldn't want to injure her as much as she was annoying.

"Ah~ so cold, the floor is so cold~"

"Then get in the water."

Lena says as she takes a glance at our banter.

I get the feeling she wanted to join in but was restraining herself. I, for one was thankful for her marvellous display of self control.

"Are you having fun in there~?"

I hear a woman's voice from behind the door.

It was mother.

When she came in she was fully naked as well.

Whoa, such a dynamite-like figure. She was truly what I thought foreigners would look like.

Of course I hold no lust to anyone present in this bathroom. They were all my family after all.

Mother brought Ada along to wash her as well.

"Mother, why did you come in now?"

"Morgant was always capable from a very young age so he usually washes himself, I feel unsatisfied by that as a mother so I came to compensate."

"T-Then do it with Ada, there's no need to come in here now."

"Ah~ how cute."

Mother hugs me while still holding Ada. We were both hugged.

"Mah!"

Ada shouts out into my ear with a smile.

I guess she's enjoying herself as well.

"Mistress, let me wash your back."

Lena says in that quiet voice of hers.

"Okay~ then I'll wash Ada."

Lena and Mother are particularly close since they usually work together. That wasn't to say that Lina wasn't close to her as well but I feel Lena has more of a connection.

When Lina looks at that scene she gives a solemn smile.

Was she perhaps thinking of her own mother back at the northern capital?

We weren't able to see her one last time because she fell asleep so it was a bit of a shame. I don't think she's dead yet, she still has a few more years left in her but most of the time would be spent sleeping.

I get into the bath and sit next to Lina.

"Young master~"

She gives me a hug. I was going to push her away but I didn't. Only for a bit, only for a bit I'll let her do this.

PART TWO

I feel more tired after that bath than the time I spent training with my father.

"Here is a refreshing beverage, young master."

Sebastian gives me cool ice tea. There was no such thing as refrigerators in this world so the only way to get ice was through magic.

When I think about it I haven't really saw Sebastian as a magic user. His official title is [Battle Butler] from what I can see.

At first I didn't think much about the levels of my parents and Sebastian since I had no frame of reference but since that trip to the Northern Capital I came to truly appreciate their power.

"Ah, Sebastian, are you free?"

"Yes, was there something you needed?"

"Not particularly, but if you have free time I was wondering if you wanted to play that game again?"

"Certainly, then I will set the board."

The 'game' that I was referring to was [chess]. In this world there really weren't any sort of things like board games so I took the liberty of 'importing' it into this world.

I made the piece out of different colored rocks using the [Decay] skill. The same goes for the board.

I taught Sebastian all the rules.

Chess was a fairly profound game even back in my world so I think Sebastian enjoys playing it.

"Hmm~"

Before I noticed it Sebastian was already better than me. Was this what they call 'the wisdom that comes with age'?

It's even worse since he never has any sort of expression on his face so I can't tell what his motives are on the board.

"Ah, young master~"

Lina and Lena who just came out of the bath still had their hair yet to dry. They only wore very basic clothing and had a towel draped around their necks, it was slightly erotic.

I guess this is the kind of image I get when I think of 'sexy' huh? Defenceless girls, no wait, it might be a bit dangerous if I continue on with this train of thought.

They had come to see what we were doing.

"What's this?"

"It is a game made by the young master, called 'Chess'. Each piece has their own method of movement and interaction. The goal of the game is to take out the enemy king."

Sebastian started explaining to the clueless twins.

"Hmm~ made by the young master himself. That's amazing."

"Yes, the rules aren't too complex but the movements that are possible are still elegant yet fair. Truly a marvellous game."

I guess that means he enjoys it?

"Me next! Me next!"

Lina called out.

That's how we spend most of our evenings nowadays. This boring peace, I don't mind it, it almost makes it worthwhile that I was reincarnated into this world.

Of course that doesn't mean I've forgotten Kyouko, quite the contrary, I'll never forget her as long as I live.

Incidentally the scores for the night's mini chess tournament was like this.

Sebastian: 6 wins

Me: 5 wins

Lena: 2 wins

Lina: 1 win

PART THREE

"It happened three days ago, the rain clouds were looming all over our small town. That day, I peered out of my window into the dark forest adjacent to our town. It was then that I saw it!"

We were in our 'secret' hide out in the middle of the day. Of course I opted to stay at home because it was a pain but I was dragged out by Ian and Ira.

I sat down on one of the old sofas and was listening to a 'horror' story told by Ian. Honestly I think it's far too early in the day to be telling scary stories, even if it was the middle of summer.

"Objection, three days ago was a sunny day."

It was the middle of summer after all.

"Tch, there you go again, ruining other people's stories. Fine, it was sunny day three days ago when I saw it!"

"Even if you say 'it', you're just building unnecessary suspense. I'm not even sure this is supposed to be a scary story. Why don't you just tell us what you saw?"

"Ugh, fine. It was an elf. What I saw was an elven woman."

[Elves]. Indeed elves existed in this world, in fact I had the honour of becoming acquainted with a beautiful elven woman adventurer back at the Northern Capital.

Though they weren't exactly a rare sight or anything, they have the second biggest population after the humans.

Of course since this town only consisted of humans, so I can sort of understand why Ian would be mesmerized by the sight of one but it was a little rude to make the subject of a horror story.

"Elves are abundant in this world, even if you did see one it wouldn't be all that strange."

"No, what I saw wasn't an ordinary elf. It was a [Dark Elf]!"

I see that Ian's trademark screaming hasn't changed while I was gone.

[Dark Elves]. I knew what they were from my memories of pop culture in my previous life but I had not heard about them in this world.

That being said, elves, dwarves, and beastmen all seem to fit the description of the traditional stereotype/pop culture setting so I supposed it would be fair to assume that Dark Elves were also the same.

"Are you sure it wasn't just an ordinary elf that was standing in the shade and you mistook it?"

"No, I'm certain I saw correctly. Dark grey skin and pale white hair with those menacing glare, I'm sure it was a dark elf."

I have no real reason to believe nor disbelieve his story. While it was far more likely that he mistook an ordinary elf for a dark elf I couldn't deny that strange people have been popping up around me recently.

Already I've had a visit from three odd people. Astaroth, Kyrios and Ciocal.

If anymore started showing up I wouldn't even be all that surprised.

Still, a 'dark elf', I kind of want to meet one.

I noticed the time on the watch I received from Sebastian. This watch was really the most convenient present I received on my birthday.

It was around 2:20 PM. It was time I leave and have sword practice with my father.

"Well, I think I should be going, father will be expecting me soon."

"Eh~? You're leaving so soon?"

Ira said in a cutesy tone. This child is way too cute, I shudder to think what monstrous beauty she would become in the future.

"Yeah, why don't you stay a bit more?"

Ian reinforced. He wasn't as cute but I still saw him as a kind of younger brother or son like figure so I did think he was adorable.

"Sorry, training with father is also very important, on that note why don't you train some more as well?"

"Pass~ Pass~ see you later Morgant."

"Bye bye~"

They bid their farewells as I returned to my home.

Father was waiting for me as usual for our training.

"Young master has returned~"

Lina came out to greet me with a hug. I think recently the number of bodily contact this girl does has increased, though lately I've also been enjoying it a little bit.

"Oh, Morgant, you've returned."

"Yes father, I'll be ready in a moment, please wait."

After getting dressed up into something more manoeuvrable I opened up my [status menu].

I wanted to distribute my stats.

Having more [strength] was ideal but if I'm unable to hit anything it would be the same has having 0 stats.

More than that, right now the areas that I'm lacking are accuracy and defense.

Most classes have defensive moves like the [knight]'s shielding power, [magician]'s mana shield, or an [assassin]'s dodging capability.

However as a necromancer I have none of that. Well, that isn't totally correct, my defensive ability lies solely in my [summon skeleton knight] skill for now but I can't use that in front of my family.

Which is why I think [insight] might be a decent stat to increase.

[Insight] allows me to predict enemy movements, not only does this help my accuracy but it also allows me to dodge their attacks more efficiently.

Not getting hit would be the same as having 100% damage mitigation.

With those thoughts I tapped on the [+] button next to the [Insight] stat 40 times.

Like before, it's pretty tedious.

[Status Menu]

Morgant Fallon. Level 19

NECROMANCER/DEMON GENERAL

Strength: 95 (65+30)

Dexterity: 35 (5+30)

Intelligence: 35 (5+30)

Insight: 75 (45+30)

[Status point: 0]

It's looking a lot better now.

It's time to test it out against father.

I know that I'll still probably lose since he's level 42 but I should be able to put up a little bit more resistance.

"Sorry for making you wait father."

"Morgant, are you ready?"

Lina and Sebastian were standing on the side watching us. I think Lena was helping mother with preparing food and taking care of Ada.

"Yes."

As always, I made the first move.

I charged at him but in a way that was a bit slower than usual.

I aimed for her torso, but of course it was easily blocked.

'He's going to go for my legs,' I thought.

It wasn't as thought the [insight] stat allowed me to see the future, it was that I could predict from the way he moves his body the next attack.

Because I only attacked with half my strength I was able to regain my momentum and step back avoiding his sweeping kick.

"Oh?"

Father was visibly surprised, using that chance I aimed to tackle him, a little unorthodox but it should be effective since his balance was off due to being on one leg.

I tackled him with all my might and 95 [strength].

When our bodies contacted I thought we would fall so I braced myself, but that did not happen.

Even on one leg my father was able to keep balance.

"What?"

"Hmm, that's an interesting move, I certainly didn't expect that, if you were any bigger that might have actually worked."

Impossible! He just took the attack with hardly any resistance.

Did I overestimate my body's size? No, but I still have 95 [strength] which should be comparable to any adult.

So was this the true capability of a level 42? How frightening.

I disengaged from him and took a stance once more.

Father's truly strong; able to defend against all of my attacks and has unparalleled balance.

How do I beat such a person?

No, in the first place, I wasn't really trying to beat him, I just wanted to land at least one hit.

I began to analyse all of the information about my father's combat style and my own combat style.

My goal was a single hit.

Father waited patiently until I made my move, this was great it gave me time to think.

Lina and Sebastian were looking intently from the sidelines. I could almost see a sweat bead drop from Lina's forehead.

Oi, oi, don't think too hard about the situation, this is just a training exercise.

I tried to search deep within the recesses of my mind about my next move. This world had similar principles regarding combat to eastern philosophy.

'The sword is an extension of your body'.

'The sword is your life line'.

'The sword is your partner'.

I was taught similar things in my previous life. It didn't particularly have to be about the sword, it could apply to any weapon really.

Trust in the sword.

Move like a river, strike with the flow and with rhythm.

I dashed at father once more with that in mind.

'Attack from the left'. My instincts told me. So I moved slightly to the right to avoid it.

'strike with the flow'. Right? Using the momentum of my dodge I twisted my body around and swung to his left.

I was about to get in a shot, it was so close but I was blocked with his bare hands.

No, perhaps this could also be counted as a win? If we think that this was a real sword he would have lost his hands right there.

Is what I thought but when I observed carefully his palms avoid the bladed side of the sword and he was grabbing onto the flat surface of it with his fingers.

A complete block huh?

I disengaged once more.

"You've suddenly gotten so much stronger, what's going on? At this rate you'll easily surpass your father. It'd be a bit lonely if you did that."

"Sorry father, but I intend to surpass you today."

"Is that so? Well, you've always been able to do everything by yourself since birth so I admit it might not be surprising if you could surpass me in the swords today. A shame, I really want to continue coaching you."

A make a wry smile.

Sorry father, perhaps you will get that chance with Ada. I'm really a failure as a son.

However it wasn't the time to be indulging in self-pity, right now I was in a mock battle.

Really, I didn't actually think that philosophy regarding swordplay would work against a level 42 who likely had the same idea.

Wait...

That's it!

In the first place there was really no need for me to think like that. Or rather, thinking in that manner would be a detriment. You won't be able to surpass someone using the same techniques if they're so much ahead of you.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

So then all I needed to do was change up my own style.

It might be a bit hard to relinquish my pre-established notions regarding swordplay but it was necessary.

First of all, I was better at thinking than fighting, so why did I rely on reflexes and instinct?

That entire premise was all off from the beginning.

'The sword is an extension of one's self'? I cannot fault anyone who thinks like this because it's not a matter of being correct or not. But I needed to think different because clearly it was not suited for me.

I didn't necessarily need to change all that much, I just needed to slightly alter my perception.

Then I'll just need to reverse it.

'The sword is merely a tool to aid my victory'.

'The sword is disposable as long as it ensure my victory'.

'If the sword is unavailable use something else, your terrain, rocks, magic, sand, anything that can ensure victory is your tool.'

With that I dashed towards my father once more.

I could already see father getting ready to defend, but that itself was my first trap.

Going into a defensive posture means that his next few motions were already set. I'll take advantage of that.

Taking this opportunity I threw my sword at him.

"Wha-?!"

He managed to deflect it but that's fine it was my plan.

His guard was now widely open.

Even someone with an excellent sense of balance would lose it in an extremely foreign situation.

Reflexes are basically just pre-programmed shortcuts in the mind to aid someone's survival. If x happens go straight to y without thinking.

If that was the case then all I needed to do was introduce a foreign situation in which there was no mental shortcut.

All that was left was instincts but that too was based on prior experience. If there happened to be no prior experience they have to go to the third step after reflex and instinct into thought.

First they have to think what the next step to take is then they have to execute it.

In that department, 'tactical battle' I was probably a bit better than father.

I immediately crouched down to initiate a low kick. As expected there were no reflective or instinctual counters to this after the sword was thrown.

He lost his balance and fell down and I quickly acted and sat on top of him.

I placed my fist on his neck with a grin.

"I win."

"Eh?"

Both Sebastian and Lina were looking with eyes wide open.

There were a brief moment of silence between us.

"W-what was that?!"

Lina shouted out to break the awkward silence.

I got off father as he slowly sat upright."

He turned towards me.

"Hmm~ you got me, I certainly didn't expect that, however I can't approve of you throwing away your weapon in the middle of a fight like that. I've taught you many times that your weapon is your lifeline."

"Yes, certainly you've taught me that. Even now I take it to heart but after thinking for a bit I cannot say that method of thinking is suited to me."

"What do you mean?"

"Unlike father, I am not a natural born fighter. I am better at thinking and planning."

"Certainly you were always better at those stuff, but I thought you were advancing pretty well with the sword."

"It was merely that I seemed as though that were the case. The truth is I have been consciously thinking about the movements each time, because of that I may have gotten the correct posture and strength but you may have noticed that my reaction and speed are low."

"Yes, that part did worry me. Then this new style that you've conjured up, you're saying that this is more suited for you?"

"I don't know if it is perfect for me but truthfully I feel that I can progress further with such methods."

Father was thinking. Surely he had his own opinion on the subject and he has his years of training as well to back up his own argument but here and now it was undeniable fact that using my own philosophy I was able to win.

"I don't intend to disregard what father has taught me, I merely wanted to create my own style. Please forgive me."

I bowed to apologize.

"No, what you said is correct. If you can win like that in a one on one battle then I can certainly see the merit in your style, however there are times when that may not be sufficient. When that time comes what will you do?"

"When that time comes- I will use everything."

Father gave me a quizzical look as her furrowed his brow.

"Everything I can use to ensure my win, the rocks, the ground, magic, the sand, my environment. Everything I can use as a weapon will be used to win."

Father had a satisfied grin.

"I see, so you've gotten your own style. Very well, I will admit defeat this time but don't think it will go well the next."

"Yes father. I look forward to our training."

Of course after it's been said and done, this wasn't exactly my own philosophy either. It was more of the philosophy of westerners.

Where eastern people tend to view their weapons as an extension of their bodies, western people view their weapons as tools.

Both have their pros and cons, but I think the western mentality regarding weapons suit me more right now.

I lack experience of battle to properly react to each situation. As I said, I've yet to establish those mental shortcuts and haven't toned my instincts, therefore it was better to fight in a more tactical manner than an instinctive manner.

In this aspect the [insight] stat really helped.

"That was amazing young master!"

Lina came up to hug me.

"Stop that, I'm sweaty."

"Kyah~ young master's smell."

She took a sniff at my neck.

"I said stop that you pervert!"

"Bleh!"

I bonked her head with my hand. Unlike father she was only level 4 so I could easily overpower her.

I suppose I should go take a bath, as I thought that I undressed and entered the bathroom, however I wasn't alone.

"Why are you following me?"

"Eh?! I can't?"

The culprit was of course Lina. She was trying to enter the bath with me, in fact she already stripped down and was stark naked.

This girl seemed genuinely surprised that I asked why she was getting into the bath with me. Was it so deeply programmed into her brain that bath = playtime with young master?

If so there's a need for me to educate her.

PART FOUR

"Ah~ it's raining again today."

Lina said while spacing out in her chair gazing out at the window.

Lena, Sebastian, mother and Ada were here as well. We were all quietly enjoying tea until Lina broke that silence.

Father went out to the town's outpost since monster activity usually increase in rainy seasons for some reason. It was the third consecutive day that it was rainy so I hardly had any chance to beat, I mean train with father.

"That's because it's been hot for some time now."

I casually answered Lina who was now slumped over her chair in an manner unbecoming of a 'lady' and I use that term very loosely.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? Isn't it obvious that it would rain after being so hot?"

It wasn't only Lina but Lena and mother who was staring at me. Sebastian seemed oddly curious as well but of course he didn't show it, but I notice the small nuances in his expression to know.

Why are these guys suddenly confused.

Then it hit me, of course the people of this world don't know about how rain works.

I may have made a small mistake.

"I don't understand, why does it rain after being so hot?"

Hmm~ what to do? Should I just explain it?

I doubt they'd get suspicious of me simply for explaining how water vapour works.

"Hmm, let's see, when water is heated it turns into water vapour."

And~ I've already lost them.

They gave me blank stares.

I tried to augment my explanation with experiments using fire magic and water. Of course since I don't have it I asked Sebastian to do it in my stead.

After 2 hours of explaining I think they got at least the rudimentary understanding of how condensation works and why it rains.

"Eh, so when it becomes hot the water evaporates and turns into vapour which rises up into the sky and turns into clouds. When the water stored in the clouds become heavy it becomes rain. Is that about right young master?"

Lena tried to summarise everything I've taught them.

I gave a satisfied nod.

"Hmm~ I see so that's how rain works. I had no idea."

Lina said with a half understanding look.

"That's amazing, how did you know Morgant?"

Mother asks.

"Eh? Well I just kind of knew."

"Just kind of knew?"

"Ah, you know, that is, when I was taking a bath I noticed steam rising so I performed experiments to find out."

"Ah, I see, that's amazing!"

She bought my excuse.

That gullible attitude I don't dislike it.

"The young master has always been smart so it's no surprise he would know such things."

Sebastian complimented me uncharacteristically. He's usually just passive but it wasn't bad to hear praise from him.

Of course I could be entirely wrong about this premise about rain and vapour, I mean in this world it could just be because of magic, why not right?

Either way, knowing this knowledge wouldn't really help in life, at best it could be used as trivia and to look smug against other nobles.

As I was about to relax and sip my tea something outside my window caught my attention.

It was the sight of a dark skinned woman with white hair. She wore a black colored robe so I couldn't tell what kind of clothes she was wearing underneath.

I almost spilt my tea because it was kind of creepy.

It was only for a split second but the imagine remained vividly in my head.

Then I soon remembered the story about the dark elf that Ian told me a few days ago.

No way, it couldn't be. I tried to deny it but the imagine I just saw was stuck in my head like a parasite. It gave me shivers.

"Young master? Is something the matter?"

Sebastian who was very perceptive asked me noticing when I became stiff.

"N-no, nothing is wrong."

"I see."

Did I see correctly? Was that really a dark elf? I didn't even have time to check using my usual ability either.

"Say do you know about dark elves?"

I asked the people gathered here.

"Dark elves?"

Lina parroted.

"I haven't really met one so I don't really know much about them. From the stories they're actually half-elf and half-demon. Other than that, things like their history or where they live, I have no idea."

That was all mother knew.

'Half-Demons', huh? Then I suppose it wouldn't be odd to find them being a part of the demon army.

I sighed.

I get the feeling that something will come my way to disrupt the peace that I've been enjoying for the last few days.

The funny thing about peace is once you've started getting used to it, it will be taken from right under you like a rug.

I hope I'm wrong about it though, it'd be troublesome to be caught up in some sort of accident again.

PART FIVE

After a few days the rain had subsided and the sun returned.

"It finally stopped raining~"

Lina was in a good mood as she bathed in the sun's light.

Indeed Vitamin D is good for you, get as much as you can but not too much.

Lina helped Lena with some of the gardening while I was drinking tea in the garden.

Really, the nice weather even affected me. I was feeling fairly lazy right about now.

"Aren't you going to do training with master today?"

Lina asked.

Well, it was true that the rain subsided so training was presumed to continue but not today.

"Father still has things to take care of, even if the rain subsided there are still some active monsters left. So I'm on break until tomorrow."

"I see~"

Incidentally Sebastian was sitting in front of me also enjoying tea. He had finished all of his work for the day so all he had left was enjoying the time and helping whenever possible.

"Really, the weather is nice."

"I agree."

Sebastian replied as he took some more sip of his tea.

I don't know why but I usually get a relaxed feeling whenever I'm with Sebastian, perhaps it's because our ages are relatively similar. He was in his early fifties and an was in my late thirties.

Okay so maybe we weren't that close in age but I was the closest one here.

"Ah~ young master could I have some as well? I'm quite thirsty."

Lina asked. Her hands were all muddy from the soil and she looked rather sweaty as well.

I suppose it's good to reward her from time to time.

I poured some ice cool tea into the cup I was drinking and handed it to her. Now I only did it because there were only two cups. The one Sebastian was drinking from and mine, now it would be a little rude to give her Sebastian's so I gave her mine.

"Ah! The young master's cup! Chance!"

Chance for what? An indirect kiss?

Ah well, I don't mind. You can only get excited about things like that when you're young, so I have at it I say.

After all I am an understanding adult, despite my appearances.

I get the feeling that Lina was looking at me with disappointed eyes. Let's just ignore that.

"Looks like you're all having fun."

"Ah, welcome back master."

"Welcome back."

Lina and Sebastian greeted my father who came back.

"Father-"

I was also going to greet him but I stopped in place after seeing why he came back so early.

Father brought guests, three people to be exact. One male and two females.

To describe them, they looked like veterans adventurers.

The male of the group, who was supposedly the leader, was clad in steel armor with not even a single strain of hair showing. His helmet covered his face and there was only a small slit but I couldn't see his eyes.

His armor was a bright white with blue outlines. It looked really majestic and really expensive. Even compared to Chrom's armor that was also a bright shade of white it was superior.

The other two wore less armor but that was because their classes weren't suited for heavy armor.

One of them was an elf with white hair and pale skin. I could tell from her staff that she was a magic user. She wore a black robe and had a small trinket in her hair, as opposed to the usual witches hat that most magicians seem to wear, at least in pop culture.

To be honest I don't really like those, they look really cumbersome. At least this elf lady looks like she has the right idea for hair ornaments.

The other was a human looking woman. She was an archer, as evident from her bow. She wore earthy colored clothing; a mixture of green and brown. Her skirt was so short that I could almost see her panties.

With white hair and blue eyes she had a splendid figure.

Of course everyone was surprised at their arrival. The village chief came out and offer them some tea, but the paladin lookalike declined.

They asked if they could stay a few days to which the village chief informed them that there were no places to stay.

Since our town was small we didn't have a formal inn.

Of course my father being the person that he was, offered them a place to stay. Well, it wasn't really any sort of trouble since our house is big and we had a few extra rooms.

They graciously accepted our offers.

And that's how they came to stay at our humble little abode.

Mother and Lena also came to gather around the adventurer group.

After exchanging greetings they started to introduce themselves.

"My name is Cedric, a paladin. Under my helmet is a large scar that I wish not to show, so I hope you don't mind if I leave my helmet on."

"Of course, it's not a problem but isn't it rather hot in there?"

Father asks.

"It's okay, I can endure this much."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I am known as Elena, an elven magician. We are thankful that you allowed us stay at such a marvellous place."

"It's no problem at all."

Mother replies with a smile.

I forgot that mother was also that kind of person as well.

"Hi, I'm called Aura, as you can see I'm a ranger. If you want fun stories about our adventure just call me~"

She's rather chipper isn't she?

Every member of my family had a warm welcoming feeling towards meeting them.

Everyone except me.

Why?

Because I could see it. Their names and titles. I could see their true identities.

[Cedric. Level 94, Slime King]

[Elena. Level 38, Dark Elf Magician]

[Aura. Level 37, Homunculus Ranger]

That's right these guys were no doubt from the demon army.

Now that I think about it that elf's robe looks suspiciously similar to the one I saw the other day. She has a pale face now that makes her look like a normal elf but that's probably just a disguise.

That characteristic white hair and azure eyes, I've seen before when I was with Chrom.

And what's this? A [Slime King]?

What the hell is that? Why does a slime king look like a paladin?

I can sort of understand now why he's wearing a full body suit. Which means that earlier story was just a cover up so as to not reveal his identity.

I made a sour face, of course I didn't reject them but they seemed to have noticed.

"H-Hello~"

I try to offer a smile but it doesn't turn out quite right.

"Oh~ hello young one."

The Cedric the slime king crouches down and pats my head. His hands feel firm like they have real substance behind them, which was odd since he was supposed to be a [slime] right?

He had a rather manly voice for a slime.

Anyway his level is 94, so it should be safe to assume that he's the same as Kyrios right? A [Demon general], which would also make him my senior.

Actually, aren't slimes supposed to be a basic mob in RPGs. They're tutorial quest monsters aren't they?

Why was such a monster a level 94 demon general?

Actually when I look closely he also has a passive ability under his name.

[Aspect of the Slime: physical damage immunity]

WHAT THE FUCK. Physical damage immunity?! WHY?!

That's definitely cheating. I mean, I guess it makes sense since he's a slime but still, that's cheating!

Also that homunculus ranger is at a higher level than Chrom. She's also a lot more emotive than her.

When I look towards them they both bow at me.

"It is an honour to meet you."

Are they idiots? Why would they do that now in front of my family?

I get that they're trying to show respect since I'm also supposed to be a demon general but they should mind their contexts a little more.

When I turned around they all have a confused look except Sebastian, but his expression never changes so there was nothing weird there.

I half expected Lina to understand what was going on but she was rather slow when it came to these things.

"Y-Yeah, anyway why don't you come in? Mother, father, I'll take them to their rooms."

"Alright."

They gave me their consent.

With that I ushered them to vacant rooms at the far side of the mansion.

After making sure that the coast was clear of any potential eavesdroppers I started the interrogation.

"Start talking."

The three of them had a confused look. Well, one of them had a helmet so I wasn't too sure but the way he tilted his head made it look like he was.

"I know who you are."

"Eh?!" x2

Aura and Elena exclaimed.

Ugh, are they dumb? They just bowed towards me at the front entrance. Why do they think I haven't noticed.

"Elena, Dark Elf Magician. Aura, Homunculus Ranger. Cedric, Slime King. Am I right?"

"Amazing! That's totally correct!"

Aura says while clapping her hands.

"No, this isn't a fortune telling. Anyway, why did you guys come here?"

"Are we not allowed to?"

Elena asked.

"It's not that, but there's nothing in this town or forest that would catch the interest of anyone in the demon lord's army, so that could only mean that you're here for me."

"Wow~ correct again! That's really amazing!"

Aura once again compliments me, at least I think it's a compliment.

"Like I said, it isn't a fortune telling."

"Hahaha! You're just as interesting as Lord Astaroth said! To figure our identities and motives with so little information. No wonder Kyrios was so interested about you."

"No, I'm not happy about him being interested in me. It's creepy."

"Hahaha! I agree! That guy can be a little creepy sometimes, especially that mask."

"I don't think you lose in that department, a slime king that's also a paladin? That's the first time I've seen such an absurd set up."

"Why? Is it not okay for slime kings to be paladins?"

"No, it's not that, I just thought slimes were more, you know. Free? I mean, you don't actually have a solid body right?"

"That's right, I wear this armor because I don't have a solid shape."

I was at a loss on how to continue on with this conversation. The slime king seemed to be a rather easy going person, at least compared to Kyrios who was the type to scheme behind your back and make you do all the work.

I can't see the slime king doing that, or at least I hope not.

I lost my motivation to continue with this comedy skit. I sighed and gave up on trying to find everything wrong with this situation.

"So then, getting back to our original topic, why are you guys here?"

After looking at each other for a bit, Cedric started to talk.

"Actually we came here for your help."

My help? I'm only a level 19 human child, what could I possibly do that a level 94 slime king couldn't?

"With what?"

"We were sent on an important search mission by Lord Astaroth. She also asked us to take you along saying that you'd be a great asset."

"If it's a request from Astaroth I won't reject it since I owe her quite a lot but I think she might be overestimating my abilities. Well whatever, so what's the nature of your mission?"

After pausing for a bit he answered in a dramatic voice.

"Locating the ancient weapon: Gladsheim."

END REPORT

[Status Menu]

Morgant Fallon. Level 19

NECROMANCER/DEMON GENERAL

Strength: 95 (65+30)

Dexterity: 35 (5+30)

Intelligence: 35 (5+30)

Insight: 75 (45+30)

[Status point: 0]

[Skill menu]

(AUGMENT) [Strike+]: Level 12

(ACTIVE) [Summon Skeleton Knight]: Level 9

(ACTIVE) [Transfer Life]: Level 11

(PASSIVE) [Life Force Sensory]: Level 26

(ACTIVE) [Life drain]: Level 16

(ACTIVE) [Wither]: Level 10

(ACTIVE) [Decay]: Level 24

(AUGMENT) [Aura Field]: Level 7

(ACTIVE) [Soul Gambit]: Level 3