Chapter 23

Yesterday, I caused you inconvenience with the corrections.

Yesterday's update was the 23rd part, featuring the first visit to the town and the magic stone shop. Since it was updated after 10 PM, if you missed it, please check it out.

This morning's update also included a character introduction for Chapter 21. It contains some light spoilers, so please be careful when reading.

"Father, thank you for today as well."

"Yes, Grint. Make sure to rest well."

* * *

Grint stood at the entrance of the new Roundheart mansion in the capital of the Kingdom of Heim, having just finished his morning training. The punishment for the incident with Olivia was the confiscation of the fief and a de facto demotion to viscount. As a result, it was thought that Grint's marriage arrangements would be canceled.

However, Aid, the father of Grint's fiancée, Anon, did not cancel the engagement.

* * *

After finishing his morning training, Grint, as usual, checked his status, which was a daily routine for him.

Grint Roundheart

[Job] Heir of the Roundheart Family

[Level] 5

[Strength] 220

[Mana] 124

[Attack] 125

[Defense] 90

[Agility] 41

[Skills] Paladin, Increased Defense Growth Rate

"Father, my status has improved a bit again."

"Excellent. Keep it up and aim to become a Sky Knight."

"Yes! ...By the way, may I ask for one thing?"

"What is it?"

Grint looked at Logas with a slightly hopeful expression.

"Father, may I see your status?"

"Hmm, I've never shown it to you before, have I?"

"Yes! I can't help but be curious about the status of a knight like Father, who is one of the best in Heim."

"In that case, I'll show it to you. You won't be able to become a Sky Knight unless you surpass me."

* * *

Logas Roundheart

[Job] Grand General

[Level] 55

[Strength] 1490

[Mana] 811

[Attack] 653

[Defense] 421

[Agility] 317

[Skills] Great Sword Techniques, Physical Enhancement, Command

* * *

Logas showed his status to Grint for the first time. Logas was one of the strongest knights in Heim, and his strength was among the best on the continent. Seeing Logas's status, Grint's respect for his father grew even more.

"Amazing, Father! Such a high status... I need to work even harder! I can't let someone like Brother Ein stand a chance against me!"

"Yes, that's right. The more you work, the more the path to becoming a Sky Knight will open up. Eventually, you'll be able to wield a Paladin's power, and that's when Grint's true strength will be unleashed. I'm waiting for that day."

"Yes!"

* * *

"Stepmother, as you said, they won't make a move, right?"

"Yes. It's a silly idea, and we shouldn't talk about it outside. After all, we are already the kings of this continent, so there's no need to borrow the power of that country."

"But what if, by some chance, they declare war?"

"I don't think that will happen. In that country, the words of the first unifying king are as heavy as the voice of a god. Since we don't have any economic transactions with that country, the most they can do is ban our ships from their ports."

Alma, the second daughter of a baron's family, was sent to the Roundheart family as the second lady. She was not informed about the secret agreement, as it could have leaked. Only Isis and Logas knew about the incident with Olivia.

Therefore, when Alma learned about Olivia, she was terrified, thinking she might be executed.

"But Stepmother, if they ban our ships, won't it eventually harm us?"

Alma felt the most sense of crisis within the Roundheart family. She had been cold to Olivia and her group, and Ishtalica was a much stronger nation than Heim. She couldn't speak about it in front of Logas and Isis, and she had never seen Ishtalica herself. Based on her knowledge, she thought Heim could be destroyed in a few days.

"Yes, that's true. I can't deny it... However, no matter what the outcome, we couldn't appoint Ein as the next head of the Roundheart family. After all, he was born with that ability."

Toxin Decomposition. This ability was commonly used in Heim to detoxify snake venom from the forest and treat mild food poisoning. Even with the EX rank, Isis thought it was nothing special. Therefore, it was impossible for Ein to become the head of the Roundheart family, a family known for its martial prowess.

"Yes, that's true."

In Heim, the skills one is born with are highly valued. Alma tried to convince herself that it couldn't be helped. Because of her anxiety, she strongly supported Grint's efforts to become a fine Paladin... and eventually a Sky Knight.

* * *

"Haa... haa... Prince, thank you for sparring with me."

"Yes, thank you. You must be tired. Feel free to rest."

"Excuse me... I'll take you up on that."

Ein was training with a knight from Ishtalica in the training room adjacent to the knight's quarters within the castle. At first, Ein was always knocked down, but this was something Lloyd started.

"Good job, Ein. You're already too strong for ordinary knights."

After the match, Chris approached Ein. This training format was started by Lloyd, and Chris also participated as a guide and to ensure Ein's safety.

"Can I beat Father soon?"

Actually, Ein wanted to call Logas by his first name, but he felt some resistance.

Ein could think this way because, since coming to Ishtalica and living with this family, much of his attachment to the Roundheart family had faded.

"Maybe? After all, you can't win just because you have a high status. We need to actually fight to know."

"That's true. Still, I don't think I'll meet them again."

"You never know, Ein. Here, use this to wipe your sweat."

Chris handed Ein a fluffy, dry towel. The herb-like, refreshing scent helped ease Ein's fatigue.

"Thanks, Chris. By the way, can you beat Father?"

"Are you really going to ask that?"

Chris replied with a slightly mischievous look.

"Should I not have asked?"

"No, it's not that... I just don't know how to explain it."

"...What do you mean?"

"Hmm. I'll show you my status. I've never shown it to you before, right?"

"Yes. I've only shown my status, and you've never shown yours."

Ein made a slightly resentful face, but Chris smiled wryly. It wasn't that she didn't want to show it; she had simply lost the opportunity.

"Since it's a good opportunity, please take a look."

* * *

Christina Varnstein

[Job] Paladin

[Level] 81

[Strength] 2290

[Mana] 3110

[Attack] 574

[Defense] 299

[Agility] 813

[Skills] Holy Sword Techniques, Wind Magic, Spirit Magic

* * *

"Wow, you're so strong."

Ein's tone was a bit odd, but it was understandable given Chris's status.

"I have some advantages, but Lloyd is even stronger overall."

"Is he a monster?"

Chris chuckled and continued.

"Heh heh... I guess you can say that. He's probably the one who has worked the hardest and become the strongest in Ishtalica."

"True. So, can you beat Father?"

"Sorry, I think I've shown you my status. I probably lose in terms of physical strength and defense. However, I have quick movements and wind magic... so it's not really a fair fight."

Ein was surprised by Chris's status, but he couldn't fully understand the explanation about quick movements and wind magic.

"Probably, Logas can barely keep up with me... so I think I can beat him easily."

"Pretty casual, huh?"

The answer was somewhat casual. It wasn't as bad as being completely useless, but Chris's true nature was gradually showing in front of Ein. In the past, she would have explained things more carefully.

The words she used were "barely keep up." It seemed like she was trying to say that it would be manageable.

Even though she said it would be unknown until they actually fought, Ein could sense a bit of confidence in Chris's ability to beat Logas.

"Of course, if you have Lloyd's strength, you can keep up. But you'll be countered."

"I see. By the way, I saw Holy Sword Techniques for the first time. Is that different from being a Paladin?"

"Yes, I can use a holy sword. Once I got used to it, I received the skill. If you're skilled enough with a magic sword or another type, you might be able to get it too."

Casually, Chris mentioned that there is a holy sword. According to Chris, a holy sword is a proof of one's ability to draw out and handle its power. It's not that you can't use a holy sword without this skill, but it will just be a sharp sword.

"I want to have my own weapon someday."

"Yes. Since you have the rare skill of a Dark Knight, which shouldn't exist in a person, you could consider a weapon that matches it."

"Would it be something like a magic sword?"

"I've read that there was a Dullahan who had a holy sword."

So anything is possible, huh?

* * *

In the laboratory, Katima's research room was located in the basement of the castle. Here, Ein and Katima conducted their research and discussions.

"So, you're saying that absorbing skills from magic stones is quite rare?"

"Yes, I think so. Remember, Ein, you ate the Green Wyvern's magic stone the other day?"

"That nasty one. I finished it, and my HP increased a bit."

"There's a hypothesis about the increase in status. Would you like me to explain it?"

"Sure."

There was a significant gap between the skills and status that could be absorbed from magic stones. In terms of skills, Ein had not acquired any since the Dullahan. The increase in status was also inconsistent.

"Let's not copy. Starting with skills, the Green Wyvern is a weak wyvern, but it still has various skills like flying and breath attacks."

"But you didn't get any of them."

"Exactly. So, we need to consider the magic power and life force in the magic stone!"

"What do you mean?"

Katima proposed a hypothesis.

"The magic power and life force contained in the Dullahan's magic stone were enormous. That's why you were able to acquire skills."

"So, you can't get skills from weak monsters' magic stones...?"

"Exactly! Here, I've prepared 10 Black Fohl magic stones with my pocket money!"

"By the way, what is a Black Fohl?"

The magic stones Katima took out were from a Black Fohl, a brownish color. She took out about 10 of them.

"A Fohl is a talking tree monster, intelligent and harmless to humans, so they don't kill them. But a Black Fohl deceives and eats humans for nutrition."

"I see. A bad Fohl."

According to Katima, both Fohls and Black Fohls move by generating mist. In a large area or forest, this can be effective for confusion, but in a nearby visible area, it's not very useful.

From the Black Fohl's magic stone, Ein could smell a rich aroma reminiscent of walnuts. The smell was so intense that it was almost savory, but there was one problem.

"Katima, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"The Black Fohl's magic stone smells like walnuts... but I don't like walnuts."

Ein didn't like walnuts. He actually disliked them. The texture and smell were hard for him to accept. He liked almonds, so it was just a matter of preference.

"What are you saying, being half a Dryad..."

"But Dryads don't just eat tree fruits..."

Trees absorb water and nutrients from the soil, and in human form, they eat regular food. So, it wasn't that special.

"It cost a lot. Don't waste it, eat it."

"By the way, how much did it cost?"

"Black Fohl magic stones are expensive. One costs 90,000G, so all 10 cost 900,000G."

The magic stones Ein bought from the magic stone shop in Majolica cost 30,000G and 52,000G. The mysterious magic stone cost 300,000G. Ignoring the mysterious magic stone, the White Bison and Green Wyvern magic stones were far cheaper.

"I can't let that go to waste, so I'll absorb it."

"Go for it all at once."

Ein decided to absorb the magic stones as quickly as possible, without savoring the taste. He reached out and began absorbing the magic stones.

"Such a strong flavor... I would have been happy if it wasn't me."

Ein could smell the intense aroma of walnuts. He thought it would make a great cake or dessert, but since he disliked wal