After what happened between me and Miko, she slept in my lap. I thanked her quietly.
Something strange stirred inside me, and I whispered to myself: Can I actually change?
The Next Day
I woke up. First time in a long while that I actually felt rested.
Miko told me about a village she'd passed through before I saved her.
"Where is it exactly?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe a day's travel, maybe three."
I started loading the gear. Then Miko said she wanted to bathe.
"Let's go. We're leaving now."
She gave me a strange look and said, barely above a whisper: "I want to bathe."
"And where exactly? I don't see a river or a lake."
"There's a lake nearby. I remember drinking from it."
"Go then. Or do you want me to take you?"
"I can go by myself."
I expected her to leave. Instead she stopped.
"I'm scared. I don't know if there are monsters."
"But if I go with you, who protects the siblings?"
"We all go together."
"And the carriage and the supplies — what happens to those?"
"We hide them."
I pressed my hand to my forehead.
"I take back what I said last night. You're not wise at all."
Her ears drooped slightly. Her cheek puffed out.
"You're mean."
She can say that all she wants… but do cheeks really puff out like that?
"Get in the carriage. We'll go by road."
"Take the carriage into a forest?!"
She laughed and said: "See — you're an idiot too."
"I brought the carriage so I could keep our belongings safe. You want to leave it sitting out to get stolen. There's a difference. And when a woman laughs at me, it just means I'm the smarter one here."
She got angry. "You love to mock people. I want to go bathe."
"We don't have time for detours. Let's move."
I stepped down from the carriage and lifted her. She made a sound.
"Put me down, please."
I set her inside and we moved.
On the road, I caught her glancing at me. Every time I looked over, she turned away. I don't know why she kept doing that — but something about it felt deliberate.
When we reached the forest, a large brown bear blocked the path.
Miko was ready. I was faster.
I looked at the bear, considered releasing my aura, then thought better of it. First, it might draw other monsters. Second, I still don't know how well I can control it.
I got down from the carriage and walked toward it.
"Don't go near it, you idiot," Miko said.
The bear raised its paw to strike. I drew the sword.
It shocked all of us.
The shock feels stronger than before — but I'm starting to get used to it. My hand was still trembling. I really wish I could use that sword properly.
The bear went down. Miko stared.
"I think we're close to the lake," I said. "The bear wasn't attacking randomly — it was protecting a water source."
We kept going. I was right.
Miko climbed out. I said: "Take the siblings with you. I forgot they needed to wash too."
"I'll take the girl. You handle the boy."
"I don't want to bathe right now."
"Then the boy doesn't bathe either."
I sighed. "Fine. But I'm remembering this."
"Remember whatever you like."
She started walking, then turned back.
"Don't you dare peek."
"Don't worry. I'm not that low. I have no interest in seeing your body."
She paused. "I'm not so sure about that. Are you actually a man?"
"Trust me. I'd rather not have to prove it."
She came back toward me. "Are you really a man?"
I lit a cigarette. "What — do you actually want me to prove it?"
"And how would you do that?"
"The way a man and woman do."
Her face went completely red. She slapped me and said: "Tai, you pervert." Then she left.
I held my cheek, genuinely confused.
How did I become the pervert here?
I shouted after her: "Why did you slap me, you—"
Seijo tugged at my pants.
"Don't worry about it. She… slapped you because she likes you. It's… something they do."
She likes me so she hits me. Where's the romance in that?
While I was still looking at Seijo, something shifted. I saw his brain.
I stumbled and hit the tree behind me.
Seijo looked alarmed. "A-are you okay?"
My breathing sped up. My eyes were showing me something they shouldn't be showing me.
Calm down. Just breathe. It'll pass.
I closed my eyes. And I saw a child sitting alone, his skull open. He looked at me and said in a voice that didn't sound right: "Who… are you?"
I opened my eyes. Everything was gone.
Seijo was crying. "Are you okay?"
I was drenched in sweat. My eyes had gone red.
I put my hand on his head, kept it steady, and smiled.
"I'm fine. Don't worry — I just didn't sleep well."
Miko and Carmela finished. Our turn.
When Miko came back she said: "I didn't think you'd be right about the lake."
"I told you. I don't lie."
I took Seijo's hand. "Our turn."
"I-I don't have… any clean clothes."
"Don't worry. I'm not wearing a shirt anyway, and we'll buy from the village. We'll manage with what we have."
I had extra clothes. He didn't. So I didn't change either.
After we finished, we headed for the village.
Halfway there, Miko said: "I'm hungry."
"You always want something."
"Is that a problem?"
"The horses are getting tired."
"But I'm hungry."
Carmela leaned forward. "Brother. I'm hungry too."
Seijo said the same.
I sighed. Miko smiled.
We stopped before entering the city and they wanted breakfast first. I cooked. The shock on their faces when they tasted it — they finished everything. Not a single thing left.
Miko said: "I didn't know you could cook like this."
"What did you expect?"
She said, completely without shame: "I expected it to be bad."
"So you hate my cooking."
"No — I don't hate it."
"Then you won't eat anything I make again."
"No — please. I'm sorry. I promise I won't hurt your feelings again."
"Let's get moving."
"Please listen to me. I'm apologizing."
We entered the city — and I was wrong to call it a village. It was large, walled, more like a proper city.
I went to the checkpoint.
"Do you have a license?" the guard asked.
"What license?"
"There are two recognized ones — a trading license and an adventurer's license."
"I came to register as an adventurer. Can we enter?"
"Yes, but we'll search the carriage."
"Go ahead. My wife and children are inside."
He searched it, then waved us through.
The place was bigger than I expected. I found an inn, a weapon shop, a clothing store, and something called the Adventurers' Guild.
We went to the clothing store first. I bought new clothes — mine had been destroyed — and got clothes for the siblings. Miko chose her own.
Then I took Miko to the weapon shop and let her pick what she needed — arrows and a few other things.
I gave Carmela a dagger for when I'm not around.
I also found a better carriage and took it.
(In case you're wondering where the money came from — I took a bag of gold before leaving. From the king, I think. Or maybe the slave traders. Either way.)
We entered the Adventurers' Guild.
Ordinary enough — until a man in black armor, Rank S by the look of him, walked in and grabbed my shoulder.
"Registering as an adventurer… old man?"
The whole guild went quiet.
"Yes," I said. "Is there a problem?"
"Several. You showing up here with your wife and children is one of them."
I moved his hand off my shoulder. "So your problem is with me?"
"Not just you. Your precious little family too."
"You called me 'old man.' Does that mean your father left you and you're looking for someone to raise you?"
Everyone in the guild laughed. The man's face went dark. He raised his sword.
"I'm challenging you to a duel."
I grabbed the tip of his blade.
"I'll register first. Then I'll deal with you."
Smoke practically came out of his ears.
"Oh — listen to the arrogance. Want me to reshape you?"
"You've got a mouth that works harder than the rest of you."
He raised his sword and swung at me.
Miko stepped in and blocked it with a wind barrier.
Her ears were visible now.
Silence.
The armored man looked at them and said: "Look — his wife is just a slave."
The guild filled with mockery. Everyone turned on Miko.
Miko stepped behind me. The siblings grabbed onto me, scared.
"So she's his wife and those are his kids," the man said. "That makes them slaves too."
The laughter got louder.
I looked at him.
"Seems like you enjoy being humiliated."
"Who's going to humiliate me? You? Or the slave behind you?"
"Me."
"You scared me. What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to use you to mop this floor. I just can't promise you'll still be alive after."
"Then you're declaring a duel?"
"Not a duel. A funeral. Yours."
He laughed. "Show me what you have."
He put his sword in front of my face, then raised it and brought it down on my shoulder.
I didn't move. Didn't take a scratch.
I grabbed the tip of his blade.
His whole body went cold. He stepped back.
The guild stared.
Impossible — the Diamond Shield is retreating.
"Why are you scared?" I said. "Did you just feel the gap between us?"
He screamed: "I'll kill you. You're not leaving here alive."
"Come on then."
He started chanting. Miko said: "Tai — his sword. He's wrapping it in fire."
I smiled. "Interesting. This world never stops surprising me."
He launched himself at me, killing intent pouring off him.
I raised my hand to mid-chest.
Then someone dropped from above and landed between us — heavily built, enormous. He'd jumped in to stop the fight. A girl appeared and grabbed Miko from behind.
I struck the sword in one motion. It shattered. The explosion ripped through the guild.
The big man absorbed it — took the blast and reduced it. But both he and the armored man lost their right arms from the force of my strike. They both flew backward.
I walked toward them. Each step said exactly what I was feeling.
The girl who'd grabbed Miko raised her hand to hit her. The big man yelled: "Don't — stop!"
The distance between me and Miko closed in one step. I was in front of the girl before her hand landed. I caught her wrist and twisted.
Pain was clear on her face. I didn't care. I only cared about killing her.
But the big man said: "Wait. Please."
He was bleeding. Still he asked me.
I grabbed the girl and threw her to him. He caught her. She treated his arm.
He said: "I came because I sensed strong killing intent — hidden, but there. You're clearly not someone to judge by appearance."
"Who are you?" I said. "You're not weak. You took a hit that would have killed most people and only lost an arm."
"I'm the Guild Master. I apologize for my negligence. If I'd been a little closer I would have pulled you away from this before it started."
"I came to register as an adventurer."
"You can register. And you won't need to take the assessment."
"What assessment?"
"A basic test — measuring your magical or combat ability. But you've already proven everything. You weren't using enhancement magic, yet your mana was enormous and unstable. I'd place you between Rank B and Rank S."
The entire guild stared.
How is someone like him skipping the test and ranking that high.
"So you're letting me choose between those ranks?"
"Yes."
"I don't want Rank S. I want to register as a Special Adventurer."
"Why not Rank S?"
"That's a ridiculous question. Simply because I don't want to be in the same rank as that man. He's Rank S and I refuse to share a rank with him. Alone, I am enough to bring down an entire kingdom. — and you want to put me on the same level as him?"
The Guild Master looked at me for a long moment.
"Alright. Special Adventurer. And what class do you want?"
"What are the options?"
"Mage, Fighter, Tank, Swordsman — and there's one rare class that suits you."
"What is it?"
"Spell Sword. Someone who uses both sword and magic together."
"Put me in that one. I want something worth showing off."
"Very well. Go ahead and fill in your name and details."
I filled in false information.
After I finished I asked: "What does this rank actually give me?"
"It makes you equivalent in standing to the Captain of the Royal Guard. High position for someone who's just an adventurer."
I needed to complete a mission to confirm my license. But night was coming faster than expected.
"I'll go in the morning," I said.
On the way to find somewhere to sleep, I found an inn with two rooms and a shared living area connecting them. I took it.
Miko said: "I'll sleep with you. The siblings can have the other room."
"That's bold."
Her face went red. "I-I slept with you last night. So I thought… it would be fine to sleep with you again."
"Why is your face red? Are you alright?"
"Tai. You're an idiot." She slammed the room door.
I stood there confused.
But I didn't refuse her. I already knew why she insisted.
When I went to get dinner, I overheard that humans in this city had deep hatred for half-races — especially elves.
I picked up dinner and enough supplies for a month, went back to the room, and said:
"We move at dawn. Don't show your ears to anyone. Don't tell anyone you're elves."
The Next Day
We left the city heading for the elf forest.
Bandits. Front, back, both sides.
One stepped forward. "Get off the carriage. Leave the supplies."
"Alright."
I climbed down and said: "Take the carriage and everything in it. Just let us go."
One of them laughed. "You actually think we'll let you walk away and just take the supplies? What an idiot. You call yourself a father and you can't even protect your own family."
Miko grabbed my shirt from behind, trembling.
I said quietly: "Don't worry. No one's going to touch you. Even if it costs me everything."
A thin man with tattoos covering his body stepped forward.
"The woman is mine."
"What do you mean, mine?"
"I'm going to assault her."
End of Chapter 44