Chapter 21

When I had taken care of the mage player killer, it seemed that the other player killers had mostly fled.

It wasn't as if they were at a disadvantage in numbers, but they had been holding their own against six with just four. They must have had some skill.

I collected the items dropped by the player killers scattered around and turned to face them again.

They seemed to have finished their post-battle cleanup, and the blonde female swordsman spoke up again.

"Thank you for saving us in such a dangerous situation. We were in quite a tight spot..."

"Yeah, no problem. Well, if I saw something like that on my way to my destination, I couldn't just ignore it, you know?"

"Well, normally, I wouldn't want to get involved with player killers who are at a numerical disadvantage..."

I shrugged slightly at her slightly tense expression.

Indeed, jumping into a situation where you're at a numerical disadvantage is a foolish act, but the Kugenshinryu style of swordsmanship is designed for the battlefield. It has several forms that assume fighting multiple opponents.

Moreover, if the difference in numbers wasn't that significant and the opponents were amateurs, I wouldn't have had much trouble fighting six of them alone.

The female swordsman, unaware of my thoughts, spoke up again.

"Let me introduce myself again. I'm the leader of this party, Unaginomizu. As you can see, I'm a human. And these are my companions—"

"Um, let me start. I'm the deputy leader, Rino. I'm a forest elf and the healer of the party."

"Ku-chan, a beastkin! I'm the scout! Thank you for saving us!"

"...Akebi. A demonkin mage."

The blonde swordsman, Unaginomizu, who had been speaking, had a strange name, even in a game.

Next, a clear-cut woman with silver-blue hair introduced herself as Rino. A small but lively cat-eared girl was Ku. Lastly, a black-haired girl with a deep-set hat introduced herself as Akebi.

All four of them were quite attractive, and standing together, they made a rather impressive sight.

Akebi, who seemed to be shy and wary, aside, being thanked by these beautiful girls wasn't too bad.

"Already knew, but I'm Kugenshin. As you can see, I'm a human."

"Hehe, Kugenshin is quite famous, you know."

Well, being the disciple of Hishin alone is enough to draw attention.

It's not that I don't think the news spread too quickly in just a day or two.

But, that's the power of the internet, I suppose.

"Self-introductions are done. So, are you guys heading to the village in the west?"

"Yes, that's right, but... apparently, there have been player killers targeting players heading that way. The group we just fought might have been part of it."

"Being less crowded makes it an easier target, and it also reduced the number of people coming here."

"That's right. Well, our boss strategy is getting stuck, so we wanted to take the risk to find a solution... and that's how it turned out."

Unaginomizu said this with a self-deprecating tone, and I let out a small chuckle.

Indeed, underestimating the danger is something a leader should reflect on.

But, I don't dislike that kind of challenger spirit.

Combined with their skills in the previous battle, I was quite fond of them.

"Guess I was lucky to pass by. Since we're going the same way, how about we go together?"

"Really!?"

"Well, our destinations are the same. There's no reason to split up when we're going the same way. If you don't want to, I'll go ahead."

Unaginomizu glanced at Rino at my words.

Her nod in response to the unspoken question showed that she was quite cautious.

She probably serves as the strategist of the party.

Well, there probably isn't anyone else suitable for the role.

"Alright. Nice to meet you, Kugenshin."

"Ah, nice to meet you. Let's get going, then."

I waved at Unaginomizu, who bowed, and started walking as if leading the way.

The journey, unexpectedly colorful, made me smile.

* * * * *

《MP Auto Recovery》 skill level has increased.

"Finally arrived... considering the time the gate of Riblum closes, we can't stay too long."

"About an hour... we need to gather information quickly."

After walking for a while, we reached a peaceful village.

The village was surrounded by a wooden fence, and it wasn't very large.

However, there was no sense of battle, and it felt very calm and serene.

The only notable feature was a large cathedral in the center of the village.

As Rino said, we don't have much time, but there aren't many buildings to investigate, so it shouldn't take long.

"Still a small village, huh? I wonder if there's really anything here?"

"...I don't think so. There's only that cathedral, and it's already been investigated..."

I agreed with the two children internally.

From what I could see, there was nothing notable in this village except for that cathedral.

However, if there was such a prominent building, it would have been investigated first.

If nothing was found, as Akebi said, there's not much to expect.

Just then, two children ran past us.

"Ha ha, wait!"

"Wait, wait!"

They were probably around five years old.

The two children, holding wooden branches, were running around without a care.

Watching them, I narrowed my eyes slightly.

"Hehe, children are so energetic."

"Seeing such a scene is quite soothing... Kugenshin?"

Unaginomizu's confused voice behind me, I approached the running children in the shortest distance.

I grabbed the arms of the children who were raising their wooden branches and stopped them.

Looking up at me with startled expressions, I tried to keep my voice calm.

"Do you know what you're trying to do?"

"What, what's up, old man!"

"Let go!"

I was slightly irritated at being called an old man but didn't show it on my face.

The two children struggled, but they couldn't break free from my grip.

I sighed and was about to speak when four people approached in a hurry.

"Hey, Kugenshin, what are you doing all of a sudden!?"

"Did those children do something? To me, it just looked like they were chasing each other..."

"Sorry for not explaining. You're right, they were just chasing each other, but..."

I nodded at Rino's words over my shoulder and looked ahead.

I focused on a spot in the bushes where the leaves were moving unnaturally.

"It seems they were chasing a small creature there. It looked dangerous, so I stopped them."

"Small creature? Which one?"

"Old man! Can you see it!?"

The children, who had been struggling, exclaimed in surprise at my words.

They still called me an old man, but I ignored it and shook my head.

"No, I can't see it. Unaginomizu and the others can't either, right?"

"Um, um... is there really something there?"

"Yes, I can sense it. It's about 20 centimeters in size, colorless and transparent, a small creature."

A mysterious creature that I could only sense.

It was completely colorless and transparent, so I couldn't see it visually.

However, it produced vibrations in the air and objects, and made slight sounds.

It was probably about 20 centimeters in size and floated in the air.

The child, excited, exclaimed.

"It's a fairy! There's a fairy there!"

"Fairy... I see, that makes sense. It's small and flying."

"Nobody believed me, so I tried to catch it... Old man, you understand!"

"Hey, stop calling me old man. Anyway—"

I sighed and took the wooden branches from the two children.

They looked down at their empty hands in surprise.

Looking down at them, I narrowed my eyes and spoke.

"What if a giant, as big as that tree, with a club, came at you?"

"Huh? Of course, we'd run!"

"Y-Yeah!"

"Right? That's how the fairy sees you."

"Oh!"

The children's eyes widened in surprise at my words.

Well, it's not something you'd normally think about, how you look from the perspective of a smaller creature.

Especially since they were still young and couldn't be expected to make such judgments.

"I, I didn't mean to scare them..."

"Even if you didn't mean to, they're scared. Stop it, okay?"

"...Okay."

"Sorry..."

"Good kids. If you've learned your lesson, go play somewhere else."

I smiled and patted their backs.

They stumbled a bit, looked back at us, and then ran off into the village.

They probably felt satisfied that someone believed in the existence of fairies.

Looking back at the bushes, the fairy's presence was still there, apparently observing our conversation.

"Fairy... so such creatures exist."

"I'd like to see one... Can only children see them? Ku-chan, can you see it?"

"That's indirectly calling me a child!"

Ku, who was apparently a middle schooler, protested indignantly at Rino's words.

From what I could see, no one else could sense the fairy's presence except me.

I don't know what it means, but since I can't see it, there's no point in thinking too deeply about it.

I shrugged and spoke to the invisible creature.

"See you, kid. Don't wander around in front of children."

"...You're talking to nothing."

"That's how it looks... Come on, let's go—oh?"

As I was about to turn and head towards the cathedral, the invisible fairy, hidden in the bushes, floated closer.

It seemed to have heard my words and approached my face without hesitation.

It circled my head twice and touched my forehead.

Instantly—

《Title "Fairy's Blessing" obtained》

"What!?"

The information echoed in my ears, and my vision was suddenly filled with bright light.

I stepped back and braced myself—then I opened my eyes wide at what I saw.

Floating there was a small creature, about 20 centimeters in size, resembling a doll.

It wore a green dress-like outfit, had fluffy golden hair, and two pairs of translucent wings.

Its appearance was—

"Wow! A fairy!? I can suddenly see it!"

"Cute! But why now?"

"...Hold on."

I wasn't sure what was happening, but from the information I just received, it seemed that obtaining the title allowed me to see fairies.

I watched the fairy, which was happily floating around, and checked the title I had just obtained.

■《Fairy's Blessing》

Proof of being favored by fairies and forming a bond with them.

When near the title holder, fairies become visible, and the holder can tame fairies.

If this title skill is set, the success rate of taming fairies increases.

Taming is a skill that allows you to make a contract with a monster and add it to your party.

The success rate is low, but once successful, the monster can be used as a permanent party member.

There are also events where taming is guaranteed to succeed.

"...So, I helped the fairy, and it liked me, right?"

"That's right? But helping something you can't see is quite a challenge."

"Well, maybe there are times when they become visible. Hmm, but..."

The fairy was very happy and circling around me.

Given the title, it's clear that it likes me.

So, I should take this opportunity to try taming it.

■《Tame》: Support/Passive/Active Skill

Allows you to make a monster a party member.

The success rate depends on the skill level.

To add a tamed monster to the party, this skill must be set.

"Let me get the skill... Hey, fairy. Do you want to be my companion?"

"Kugenshin! Really!?"

The skill points required are 4, and I haven't used them recently, so I can afford it.

I'm a bit concerned about the skill slots, but I'll have to manage by replacing some.

Ignoring Unaginomizu's shocked reaction, the fairy, upon hearing my words, expressed joy and agreement with its whole body.

It seems I was quite liked.

"Then, come with me—《Tame》!"

"――♪"

《Fairy tamed successfully. Please name your tamed monster》

The fairy accepted the skill effect and spun joyfully.

The shining small fairy. I operated the system window while watching it.

"...Alright. Nice to meet you, 'Lumina'."

"――!"

In response to my words, the fairy—Lumina—raised its hand as if to say, "Leave it to me."

■Avatar Name: Kugenshin

■Gender: Male

■Race: Human

■Level: 11

■Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 16

VIT: 13

INT: 16

MND: 13

AGI: 11

DEX: 11

■Skills

Weapon Skill: 《Sword: Lv.11》

Magic Skill: 《Enhancement Magic: Lv.8》

Set Skills: 《Dead Point Strike: Lv.10》

《MP Auto Recovery: Lv.4》

《Plundering Sword: Lv.6》

《Identification: Lv.8》

《Life Sword: Lv.7》

《Demon Slaying Sword: Lv.2》

《Tame: Lv.1》

Sub Skills: 《HP Auto Recovery: Lv.4》

《Mining: Lv.1》

Title Skill: 《Fairy's Blessing》

■Current SP: 4

■Monster Name: Lumina

■Gender: Female

■Race: Fairy

■Level: 1

■Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 3

VIT: 6

INT: 17

MND: 14

AGI: 12

DEX: 8

■Skills

Weapon Skill: None

Magic Skill: 《Light Magic》

Skill: 《Light Attribute Enhancement》

《Flight》

《Magic Resistance: Medium》

《MP Auto Recovery》

Title Skill: 《Fairy Queen's Follower》