When we returned to the Guild, I felt a few pairs of eyes turning toward me and lingering longer than they should have, but I decided to ignore it.
Although the armor we were wearing belonged to the adventurers we had killed, it was the most generic armor sold in the city.
For every 10 adventurers, at least 7 wore armor identical to ours, which would not be any proof of anything we might have done in the eyes of the authorities.
But one group knew that the four adventurers had been sent after us, and the fact that we had returned and the four adventurers had not shown up yet made it clear what had happened.
“This will make them much more concerned, probably delaying their next approach,” I thought with satisfaction.
Honestly, I wasn't afraid of trouble, I just wanted a little peace and time for Varen to grow up before the trouble came.
In a kingdom like this, a Middle-Class Devil's power like mine is enough to strike fear into many individuals and smaller organizations, let alone two Middle-Class Devils, depending on Varen's growth rate.
Unfortunately, I realized that I didn't gain XP and strength equal to Varen when killing monsters.
For normal Devils, the best ways to get stronger were to eat powerful monsters or just wait.
With an extremely long lifespan, even if I had to wait 50 years to reach the level of a High-Class Devil with a good diet of powerful monsters, proportionally speaking compared to a human's life, that would only be the equivalent of 5 years or less.
Sure, that would still depend on me finding powerful enough monsters constantly, but it made me understand why long-lived beings didn't advance as much in their development as humans did.
Knowing that you could have enough strength to destroy small towns after only a few centuries without trying very hard, but you would still live for thousands of years with that strength, why dedicate yourself to evolving as quickly as possible?
But to me, who still had a human mindset, it seemed like a complete waste of potential, especially considering that I had been given access to a way to get stronger even faster.
By creating more Noble Marks and encouraging my Peerage to get stronger, I would accumulate a fraction of each one's power at a time, but when added together, it would be a growth rate several times higher than I had originally planned.
Putting my mind to rest, when we arrived at the Adventurers' Guild counter, I placed a leather bag with more than 240 teeth and another smaller one with six left ears from the wolf we had found on the counter.
The girl who served us was surprised.
“You already killed the wolves?!” she asked, shifting her gaze between the bag and the new armor we were wearing, looking a little disappointed.
Considering that my old clothes were actually nicer than my current ones, I understand her disappointment, but this is only temporary.
“Yes, we encountered a group of six wolves shortly after entering the forest, so we didn't have to search for several smaller groups,” I explained in a polite voice.
The girl nodded and opened the bag, checking the teeth to see if the quantity was correct, then checked the ears.
“All right then, the contract price for the five wolves is 50 copper coins, and since you brought the parts of an extra wolf, that will be five extra copper coins, for a total of 55 coins.” She explained, took out a small leather pouch and put the 55 copper coins in it, before placing it on the counter and looking at us with a smile. “I'll add this mission as complete in your file here at the Guild. With this mission, you only have 40 more E Rank missions or 4 D Rank missions left, okay?”
I nodded and took the bag of copper coins, bringing our total money to 3 silver coins and 99 copper coins, or 399 copper coins.
As it was already late, Varen and I didn't accept any other missions and left the Guild building.
This time, no one followed us.
“What are the plans now, Master?” Varen asked curiously.
Thinking about our possibilities, I said. “Our first priority will be to get a book for me to learn to read and write the common language, then we can go to an inn to eat and drink a little before going to sleep.”
Varen nodded excitedly, and we went to the nearest bookstore.
Even though it was a medieval world where most of the population was illiterate, people with decent financial status who lived in cities, or adventurers, always tried to become literate so they wouldn't be cheated, so there were actually bookstores in cities, since there were enough customers to buy books, even if they weren't of much interest to people because of the price.
The book cost a total of 70 copper coins, a price that Varen bargained for using his [Devil Whisper], getting us a discount of 30 copper coins.
I even hoped to find some magic book in that bookstore, but something valuable like that was not available to the general public, especially considering that powerful magicians became nobles, magic was hardly available to commoners.
So we just bought the book and looked for a place to finally rest.
“My first rest and comfort after coming to this world...” I thought, a little exhausted.
...
Night fell on Ironvale as we walked, and the village streets, which when we arrived were so bustling with merchants and adventurers, now echoed only with the distant sound of laughter and the clinking of mugs.
Some houses had candles lit with families interacting inside, others were completely dark and silent.
Varen and I walked toward the nearest inn, called the Broken Horn, a wooden building with iron lanterns swaying in the wind.
The smell of warm bread and roasted meat escaped through the windows, and my stomach growled... even though I was a Middle-Class Devil, I still felt hungry, and with my instincts begging for food to get stronger, that smell was even more tempting than I had imagined.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
“Finally, real food,” Varen said excitedly, the lute slung over his back as he adjusted the stolen armor, still a little awkward on his thin body.
“Yes, Varen, we just can't splurge,” I replied, pulling the black cloak to better cover my face. "We only have 329 copper coins.
After the book, food, and a bed, we'll need more missions soon.“
”Don't worry, Master, I'm so excited to kill monsters and get stronger that tomorrow I'll make even more money than today!" Varen said excitedly and confidently.
We entered the inn, and the warmth of the room enveloped us.
The hall reminded me a lot of the medieval scenes I saw in anime: tables crowded with adventurers laughing loudly, a group of E Rankers playing dice in a corner, a waitress with blonde braids dodging hands with a sharp smile. In the background, a fire crackled in the fireplace, and a sturdy woman behind the counter with an eye patch and scars on her arms shouted orders to the cooks.
“It's amazing how many unique people there are in a world like this... compared to my old world where everyone was so similar and the same... that's good, at least this way I won't stand out so much.” I thought contentedly.
Varen stepped forward, already strumming the lute with a mischievous smile. "Master, leave it to me. A little music and charm, and maybe we'll get a discount.“
”Don't exaggerate..." I warned him, but I couldn't help a half-smile. Varen was a born showman, and now, with the blood of a Devil and Devil's Whisper, he was even more dangerous to these poor, unprepared people.
Without any shame, he climbed onto a bench and began to play a lively melody, the strings of the lute vibrating with pure talent and skill.
As he began to sing, his voice echoed softly but hypnotically, telling the story of a “dark hunter” who defeated beasts in the forest.
He wasn't using the Devil's Whisper yet, but the tone was enough to warm up the hall.
Adventurers began to clap, some threw copper coins on the floor, and the woman with the eye patch raised an eyebrow, impressed.
In the middle of the song, Varen began to use his magic, and the audience became even more excited and focused on the story he was telling.
When Varen finished, with an exaggerated bow, the woman with the eye patch went over to him to talk.
Curious, I used my enhanced hearing to listen to what they were saying.
“Varen, it seems your musical skills have improved again...” The woman with the eye patch commented with a satisfied smile as she saw how the other tables ordered several more rounds of beer and other dishes.
“Talia, the lady with the most beautiful eyes in Ironvale, this humble bard is flattered by your compliment.” Varen laughed as he made another exaggerated bow.
“And it seems your personality hasn't improved at all...” She rolled her one eye and pointed to a table that had just become available. “You can go sit at that table, I'll bring you a nice wild boar stew soon to thank you for your music, on the house.”
“Thank you very much, Milady!” Varen laughed and waved me over, inviting me to join him at the other table.
Now we had five extra coins and an invitation to sit at the best table near the fireplace, with a jug of beer and two plates of boar stew, courtesy of the house.
“You're dangerous with that lute.” I said with a smile, taking a sip of the beer, which was surprisingly good for what I had expected.
Considering that I was in a medieval world, I thought the quality of things here would be poor, but despite its strong taste, this beer was better than the ones I bought at the markets in my other world.
“It's what I do best, master.” Varen replied proudly, devouring a piece of bread with a smile. “Besides beating up stupid adventurers, of course.” He hesitated, the smile faltering for a moment. “About that... killing those guys... it still feels kind of weird.”
I wasn't surprised he still felt bad about having to do that.
Setting the mug on the table, I looked at him firmly. “You did what you had to do, Varen. They wouldn't have hesitated to kill you again. And I won't let anyone touch my servants.” My voice came out harsher than I intended, but it was true.
Even though I had only met him today, the guy's friendliness won me over faster than I had imagined.
Varen nodded slowly, the sparkle returning to his eyes. “Understood, master. So, what's the plan? Besides learning to read and eating stew?”
“Training.”
I replied, leaning forward. “You've grown a lot today... strength, agility, magic. But you're still a Low-Class Devil. Let's use these days to refine your stats, and I'll take the opportunity to improve my combat technique. And this crystal...” I touched the cloak, feeling the weight of the hidden Mana Slime core. “I want to understand what it can do before I use it.”
—
In the days that followed, we established a routine.
In the morning, I studied the literacy book at the inn, deciphering common letters with a speed that surprised even me... perhaps a hidden talent from becoming a noble Devil?
Varen, meanwhile, practiced Devil's Whisper in his room, modulating his voice into subtle sounds that could calm or frighten without attracting attention.
In the afternoon, we would go to the forest, far from the eyes of the village, to train under the pretext of taking on a mission from the Adventurers' Guild.
I conjured weapons with magic, swords, spears, even a bow that fell apart after one shot, testing if the Mana crystal could have any effect on it, and surprisingly, the durability was a little better.
It wasn't perfect, but the weapons lasted longer, and I felt my mana flow with less effort.
Varen, on the other hand, was having fun like a child with his powers.
He blew gusts of wind to knock down small plants, created fireballs that exploded into sparks, and even tried to conjure a shadow shield inspired by the shadow strings I made in our battle, but it collapsed in a cloud of smoke.
“This is harder than it looks, master!” he laughed, covered in ash, while I shook my head, holding back a laugh.
“Keep trying,” I said. “When you're Middle-Class, you'll make those wolves look like ants.”
With each training session, I updated Varen's Noble Mark, watching his stats slowly rise.
In the last few days, he had gained 298 stat points in total, just a little more than he had received after the first battle we faced.
This was understandable, as the following battles were only against weaker animals and monsters, which made these battles much easier than dealing with trained and powerful humans.
|-----------------------------------------
| Character Status |
|-----------------------------------------
| Name: Varen Holt
| Race: Whisper Devil
| Level: Low-Class Devil
| Master: Adam Morningstar
|------------------------
| Stats:
| Strength - i63 -> h154
| Agility - i74 -> h133
| Durability - i21 -> i87
| Magic - h101 -> h193
|------------------------
| Demonic Powers: Creativity Magic, Devil Whisper.
|-----------------------------------------
This increase in power was very good for him, increasing his strength by about 10% of what he was before training began.
And I received a fraction of that, feeling my own strength slowly grow, although I didn't feel such a substantial increase in my strength because I was already stronger.
“This is addictive,” Varen commented, flexing his arms after an update. “It makes me want to go out and hunt more monsters now!”
“Calm down, bard,” I replied with a laugh, but I didn't worry too much about him going crazy for battle. From what I'd observed of him over the past few days, those battle-crazed traits weren't coming out as often as I'd feared.
On the fifth night, as we ate another stew at the inn, Talia approached our table, wiping her hands on her apron.
“You two are too quiet for adventurers... or rather, you are,” she said, shifting her gaze to me, her good eye studying me, but she didn't think too deeply about it as she continued. “I heard something that might interest you. Some merchants were talking about a girl named Gwen... they say the well where she died is glowing again. Strange, isn't it?”
Varen choked on his beer, and I kept my face neutral, but my heart raced.
Gwen, the spirit of the well from the song Varen sang when we came to town.
“Interesting...” I said, feigning disinterest. “Maybe we'll take a look.”
Talia shrugged and walked away, but Varen looked at me, whispering, “Master, what are you thinking?”
“I don't know...” I replied, drumming my fingers on the table. “But I feel like if she's real, if anyone in this town has the potential to receive a Noble Mark, it could be her...”
That night, while Varen slept in the inn room, I lay down with my eyes closed, thinking about how strange it was for Talia to come and give us that information.
Although Varen seemed to be friends with her, the way she came to talk to us was very artificial...
‘Something seems strange...’