Chapter 24

After the sentimental moment, Kena and the others completed their friend registrations.

This function allowed them to contact each other no matter where they went, as long as their names were known. In this world without the support of the administrators, it was unclear how far this function could reach.

Kena thought it was better to not feel completely alone.

"By the way, I've been wondering, what's with Kena's son and all that?"

"He said he's been here for two months. What about Sir Skarg and Sir Katatsu?"

"What about them? Those kids are something else, the foster system. Mai even had children and grandchildren over two hundred years... As a result, I get called grandma or great-grandma at this age. I've gotten used to it, though..."

"Is that where that special skill comes from...?"

"Yeah, I don't know what Skarg is, but he has a natural talent for using [The Rose Falls Beautifully]."

"Don't teach him that kind of thing."

Kena explained with a shrug and a tired expression, while Coral, who had been staring intently, clapped her hands. Shining Saber, whose dragon person's facial expressions were hard to read, wiped sweat from his brow.

"My foster child is a human, and our relationship was more like master and apprentice."

"...Shit, I remember creating a brother from my own race and an elf as a best friend."

"Shining Saber, the elves might have survived. As for Coral, there might be a Coral-style sword school if you look for it?"

"Ugh, that sounds like a really bad school..."

Coral clutched her head and groaned. Shining Saber, who was also affected by this, started to worry about what to do when he met the person in question. Kena, thinking that he would panic just like her, took a step back to observe.

Coral quietly approached Kena, who had taken on a relaxed observer's stance.

"Hey, Kena, I want a skill..."

"Just out of curiosity, what kind of skill?"

"...Healing magic."

"You don't have it!?"

Shining Saber was the first to interject with a "What an idiot" attitude.

Healing magic could be obtained through a very simple event, both online and offline, and it took less than an hour. It was rare for a player not to have it. Both of them were dumbfounded to find such a rare case here.

"Then, please take the trial. If I just gave it to anyone who wanted it, I wouldn't be a proper Skill Master."

"Ugh, you're so stingy. It's not a game here anymore, you know."

"It's fine. Even without skills, you're far better than most adventurers."

"Che, give it to me as a favor to a fellow player."

Coral whined with a displeased look. Shining Saber, after some thought, asked Kena about the location of her tower.

"Um, it's a silver tower in the forest slightly south of the eastern outer trade route's border. I was often told by other masters that it had the easiest trial."

At least compared to the super-trap-filled Opus's tower, it was much better. According to players who had challenged it, it was known as the place where "you can experience 108 ways to die." It was the worst among the thirteen towers, and it was notorious for having a guillotine trap at the entrance that most players failed.

"That's far..."

Complaining Coral and Shining Saber, who couldn't leave the capital easily, pointed to the arena behind them.

"By the way, this is the tower Kyoichiro used to manage."

"What!?"

"You mean it's right here!?"

"I don't know the details of the trial, but it should still activate. I'll take care of it since the master isn't here."

Kena informed them that the guardians' towers were currently shut down due to a lack of activation magic power and that she was still searching for all of them. She asked them to let her know if they found any. Coral, with a scheming look, latched onto this.

"Alright, Kena, if I find one, I'll trade it for a skill!"

"Of course, I see... Well, sure."

"Yay!"

"You're such a kid..."

Coral, who was jumping around with a fist pump, made Shining Saber sigh. Pulling out a map, Coral pointed to the coast near the border of Felskairo and Helsper.

"There's a village on this coastline. The villagers who dive for fishing say they saw a palace underwater. This should be enough as a trade, right?"

"Underwater, huh? That sounds like Rio's place."

Kena, who had a hard time thinking, created a [Single Healing Magic: Dure] scroll using [Scroll Creation] and handed it to Coral. She was a bit taken aback, as she had expected more excuses. Shining Saber, noticing Kena's slightly troubled expression, asked if she could swim.

"Um, no. I've never swum in real life either."

"What? You can't swim at your age?"

"Hey, Coral, don't pry into personal matters."

Shining Saber nudged Coral to stop her. As they were about to start arguing, he threatened them with his Flame Beast Bow.

"What are you two going to do fighting over me? If you don't listen, I'll let it loose."

"Alright, I've learned the healing magic, so bring it on!"

Coral, who had already used the scroll and was acting strangely, made Kena facepalm. Shining Saber, crossing his arms and sighing, warned Coral, who didn't know any better.

"You might not just get a scratch if you get hit by that thing."

"Huh? Really?"

The Flame Beast Bow, equipped on Kena's left arm, was a silver bow with a lion's head design. It shot flames that homed in on the target, making it almost impossible to avoid. As an EX weapon, it was incredibly powerful, and Kena mainly used it in party battles, as the front-line fighters were strong enough.

"Sorry."

"No, it was just a threat, so you don't have to apologize..."

In fact, Kena was more worried about the tower's guardian than swimming.

Skill Master No. 6, Rio, was a female player who collected creepy and grotesque items, despite having no interest in cute or beautiful things. She preferred summoning centipedes and scorpions over dragons, and Kena was already dreading what kind of disgusting things awaited her.

"Well, I have to get back to work. I can't be away for too long. Come to the castle if you need anything."

"Alright, I'll head back to my companions. See you at the guild, Kena."

"Um, come to the castle... Will they let me in?"

As the sun began to set, Shining Saber checked the time and signaled to Kena that it was time to part ways. Coral followed suit. Kena, nodding and waving to them, felt a bit envious as she watched them walk away together.

"Nice, that..."

Her attention was scattered, and she was caught off guard by her partner's warning, "Behind you..." Kena, forgetting what she was holding in her left hand, swung it around forcefully.

Thud! A blue something flew away with a pitiful cry of "Huh!?"

"Wait, what? ...Oh, that?"

The Flame Beast Bow in her left hand was more like a short bow with a lion's head design. The lion's eyes, glowing fiercely, turned to look at the same direction as Kena's. There, on the ground, lay Skarg, foaming at the mouth and in a fetal position, presumably hit in the stomach by the bow.

"Oh no. Are you okay, Skarg?"

'You were a bit late, weren't you...'

Kena quickly cast a healing spell and gently shook him. Suddenly, Skarg jumped up like a grasshopper and grabbed Kena's shoulder, starting to rant with a jealous aura.

"Are you alright, Mother!?"

"...Huh?"

"I heard you were meeting with men, and I rushed here to save you!"

'And the waves crashed, and the ship capsized...' Skarg clenched his fists dramatically.

"Wait, what, Skarg?"

"What did those men threaten you with!? And one of them was the Knight Captain!?"

Kena felt that a major misunderstanding was happening and tried to calm him down... but

'In the dark, lightning flashed, and black birds flew...' Skarg, with glowing red eyes, stood up boldly. Realizing that talking to him was futile, Kena gripped the bow in her left hand.

"You scoundrel, Shining Saber! Pretending to be indifferent to women, you dared to lay a hand on our mother! The chivalry of knights is a laughing matter... Mother?"

"...What is it?"

"Um, what are you going to do with the bow in your raised left hand?"

"Obviously, I'll lower it."

"But I feel like I'm in the landing spot..."

"Well, what a coincidence, it might be just what I need for some peace and quiet."

"......"

"......"

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine if you understand."

Kena, feeling a bit relieved as Skarg bowed his head, thought about how many times they had gone through this routine and smiled. Skarg, not understanding why he was being smiled at, tilted his head.

"Is something wrong, Mother?"

"No, nothing's wrong."

When she lowered her stance and patted his head, Skarg, who was confused, felt a question mark floating above his head. It was rare for his mother to be in such a good mood since their last meeting, and he was relieved that he wouldn't be hit like last time.

"By the way, when did you start watching? You weren't eavesdropping, were you?"

Kena's voice suddenly took on a scary tone, and Skarg, shaking his head, completely denied it. He apologized for following her after noticing her unusual behavior on his way back from the castle. Seeing her talking with the Knight Captain and an adventurer made him feel envious and anxious, so he waited until they were gone before approaching her. Unaware of his endless misunderstanding, 'I won't hand Mother over to anyone like you!' he added Rio to his mental blacklist.

Although he had cast a concealment spell, it seemed to be almost useless since Skarg had been strongly aware of her presence from the beginning. He noted this as a point to be mindful of and thanked the spirits before dismissing the spell.

"Well, let's head back to the inn and relax..."

Kena, stretching, found it odd that Skarg seemed to be on a mission and tugged on her robe.

"Ah! What is it, Mother?"

"I'm going back to the inn. You should do your job properly, okay?"

"No, the temple has finished treating the injured, so I was planning to take a break. I got some good leaves, so how about we have some tea together, Mother?"

Kena, who saw a dog's tail wagging behind Skarg, but had nothing urgent to do, agreed. Seeing her son's overjoyed expression, she thought, "Mai has a tough road ahead," and sighed.

"What's wrong? You still look troubled."

In the private room of the academy, Rops, staring at a scroll, sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time as Mai entered without knocking. It seemed that getting close to someone made her lose all sense of boundaries.

"Kena said, 'If you can read it,' but I don't understand what that means."

The scroll's text was easy to decode, and it contained a recipe for ingredients. He had tried gathering the ingredients, but nothing happened, and he was at a loss. On the other hand, Mai understood the practical problem that couldn't be explained.

"Well, first, you need to recognize it as your own. Then, if you can use it, it's simple..."

"I've heard that before, but it doesn't make sense. This is from Kena, so it's mine. What does it mean to use a scroll?"

"Ugh, how do I explain this...!"

Mai, clutching her head and shouting, flailed around. Rops, thinking it was just her usual behavior, continued to focus on his thoughts. In a way, they were a well-balanced couple.

The root of the problem was the existence of an item box.

In player terms, items they obtained were displayed in an item box. By selecting 'use,' the item would take effect without having to physically hold it. This applied to Mai and her siblings, who had separate accounts. However, for those not involved in the game, like Rops, the concept of an item box was beyond their understanding, making the idea of obtaining and using a scroll outside the realm of common sense.

In short, he couldn't use it.

Moreover, the scrolls created by this Skill Master had a critical difference from the skill scrolls obtained through events, and this issue was now evident.

"Ah..."

"What...?"

The scroll in Rops's hand began to blur and then vanished in a burst of light. Since it only lasted twenty-four hours after creation, Rops, unaware of this, was left with the aftermath. Staring at the light particles, Mai patted Rops's shoulder in comfort.

"It's time's up. The scrolls your mother makes only last a day."

"Damn, such a waste of knowledge..."

Seeing her husband's deeply disappointed face, Mai felt sorry for him. She wanted to get another one for him, but knowing her mother, she would probably insist on a trial next time. Reluctantly, she decided to comfort him by leaning on his shoulder.