The party members were all sent back to their respective rooms.
Having eaten potions while sweating and feeling exhausted, I told them to soak in the bathtub and rest well today.
Normally, I should be eating potions and reflecting on the battle with Samaela, moving my body a bit.
“…Customer?”
“Just be quiet.”
“Yes, yes.”
Instead, I brought Ophelia to my Personal Training Grounds for observation.
‘What’s it like up close?’
[Hmm… Definitely. She’s transforming from human to something else.]
‘Is it even possible to turn from human to Demon Race?’
[No, she’s not a Demon Race. But… Hmm…]
The Light Spirit, Flora, muttered thoughtfully for a moment.
Meanwhile, Ophelia tilted her head.
“Um, but, Customer.”
“What?”
“Is it okay to ask something like this… I don’t know…”
“If you don’t know, don’t ask.”
“No, but this is something I might be able to help with.”
I narrowed my eyes, staring at Ophelia. She shrank back but still opened her mouth.
“So… Did you, um, enhance your chest?”
[Oh.]
“What? Enhance?”
What kind of nonsense is that? I looked down.
My chest… is indeed… well-endowed.
Flora was hiding near my chest.
Why? She said it was nice because it was spacious there.
“If you enhance it like that, it’s all obvious. I could teach you how to do it…”
“It’s not an enhancement, so shut up.”
“If it’s not an enhancement, then what is it…?”
“If you keep chattering, I’ll break your jaw. Can your master even fix that?”
“I’ll be quiet.”
With that, I called Flora while turning my back on the flustered Ophelia.
[…Sorry. But there’s no other place to hide but here…]
Should I take that positively since there’s a place to hide, or should I get angry?
‘…Forget it, how does it feel? Is it ominous?’
Asking whether it’s ominous is the same as asking whether it’s similar to the Demon Race.
If Flora, a Light Spirit, senses something ominous, it would be no different from the Demon Race.
If she says it’s ominous, what should I do?
If I kill her here, Uje will find out.
He’d definitely come here, claiming revenge for his disciple and causing a ruckus. Can I defeat Uje now?
Leona… seems to be of a different caliber, so I half-heartedly imagine fighting Flame Sovereign.
If I’m prepared to die with her, I can kill her.
But if Uje comes out a bit messy, Yurasia, Stella, and Pina could be in danger.
So, what should I do?
While I pondered with my arms crossed, Flora gave her answer.
[It’s not ominous. She’s not a Demon Race.]
‘But she’s still harboring magic?’
[Yeah. She’s holding magic in a human body. But… Hmm, it’s hard to see. Can you come a little closer?]
I let out a small sigh and leaned forward.
“Why, what’s the matter?!”
“Stay still.”
“Oh, um…you see, um, this is, girl to girl… this is… difficult, no… I mean, I’m not into guys…”
I glared at her, and Ophelia closed her mouth.
In that position, leaning forward until our breaths touched, Flora said,
[There’s something around her chest.]
‘Chest?’
I looked down. Ophelia was trembling and hugging her chest with both hands.
“…It’s not that big, um, it’s probably not special! Actually, my chest is enhanced, too! It’s not even half this size!”
“Damn it. It’s not that, so just shut up.”
“Gulp.”
Looking closely, even with my mana covering my eyes and watching the flow of mana around, I saw nothing.
But Flora seemed to keep sensing something moving inside her clothes.
[Something’s spreading out near her heart. Like… mixing with mana, tricking her body’s senses as if it were always this way… Right now, she looks fine.]
‘If I take it off, can I know for sure?’
[That’s true… but isn’t it too dangerous? Plus, right in front of me is a suspicious human’s disciple, and even though she’s holding magic, she’s still a girl, right?]
‘So what if she’s a girl? I’m a girl, too.’
[…That’s true. Right now, even Ronan looks like a pretty girl.]
‘And I didn’t care about gender even before I became this way.’
[You little trash. Ugh?!]
Pretending to scratch my chest, I smacked Flora on the head and straightened up.
Only then did I throw a question to the panting Ophelia.
“Do you get help from your master when dealing with requests coming into the Information Guild?”
“No, purely my own strength—”
“Just so you know, I still mean it when I say I’ll rip off your arm if you lie.”
Ophelia’s sky-blue eyes flickered as she subtly avoided my gaze.
“—It’s insufficient, so I get my master’s help. But that’s just help and advice; all the significant tasks are done by me directly.”
“What about that side branch I entrusted you with before?”
“…I got help.”
“Was the order to cut from the Cartel delivered directly by your master?”
“Y-Yes.”
“What about this time? Are you planning to get help on matters concerning the Holy Kingdom?”
“That’s not the case. This time, it’s something I can handle perfectly on my own.”
“Will you inform your master?”
“No need to inform.”
Even if she doesn’t, Uje will find out.
He probably already knows.
From the start, he’s been watching Ophelia’s every move. What a sinister guy.
So, what now?
I still don’t know what her true identity is.
But that doesn’t mean I can let her loose.
If I let her be, it would be nice if she stayed within my sight frequently.
“Ophelia.”
“Yes.”
“Ophelia-senpai.”
Ophelia’s expression twisted bizarrely.
“W-What do you mean?”
“Senpai.”
Ophelia’s mouth opened and closed repeatedly, then clenched her fists tightly and smiled.
“…Junior?”
I couldn’t help but laugh back at her response.
“Senpai, have you joined a club?”
“I… haven’t joined a club, but there’s one I’m considering. Why do you ask?”
“Would you like to join our club?”
Her bizarre expression turned into shock.
“…What kind of club is it?”
“You’ll find out when you join, but what do you think? I really hope you join. Everyone is my classmate, so it would be great to have someone like you.”
“And what if I choose not to join…?”
“I’d be very upset and sad, just like when I was at that tavern before.”
Tears welled up in Ophelia’s horrified eyes, unable to hide her twisted and astonished expression.
“W-Why does our… junior do that to me?”
Smiling broadly, I replied,
“Because I like you, Senpai. I want to get closer than now.”
Tears falling from Ophelia’s eyes answered for her.
*
After getting Ophelia’s signature on the club application form, I finally had my personal time.
[Ronan. Can you treat her so recklessly? She’s Uje’s disciple, isn’t she? Can you defeat that guy?]
“It’s fine. Rather, if I keep doing as I’ve been, they won’t suspect me. Don’t worry about that, just think about why Ophelia’s body has become like that.”
After Ophelia left, Flora said she’d seen such a human before.
But she barely remembered what kind of existence it was and how it met its end.
It makes sense—back then, Flora wasn’t in this grown state.
Just like humans have hazy memories of childhood, spirits also have blurred memories.
Moreover, that was nearly 400 years ago.
If it’s not more than humans, it’s certainly not less than them.
“By the way, hey. Flora.”
[Yeah?]
“When are you coming out from my clothes?”
[…Do I really have to come out?]
“…Are you saying you don’t want to?”
[Yeah. It’s more comfortable than I thought. If your chest were too big, it might feel suffocating… Ronan, you’re, um… small and soft, so, um… it’s really comfortable, actually! The cushioning is even just right, and it smells nice. Sniff, what’s that smell?]
What on earth is this crazy squirrel talking about?
What does small and soft even mean?
“You should be grateful that you’re female.”
[Huh…? Spirits don’t have a gender.]
“Your current voice is feminine. And you don’t have any peanuts hanging down there.”
[Pee… peanuts?]
Feeling Flora wriggling and shifting around inside my clothes, I took out the potion I’d eat today.
What I was going to eat isn’t much different from what I had given to the kids—a potion that strengthens the body and keeps it healthy.
Once I consume this, I’ll probably be able to open the Merchant Association in about three months.
6th Rank. The realm where one embeds ideation into mana.
And, Habar.
This bandage can extract its true abilities.
If it hasn’t deteriorated… I would know where Luna is by summer vacation.
Where could that place I saw in my illusion be?
Luna and Paulo were in different places.
But both were dark and damp.
There was no magic. It wasn’t the Gebihenum’s Demon King’s castle.
It must be somewhere in the continent.
Is it the source of the holy relic in the east?
The dragon’s tomb in the south?
The White Mist region in the north?
Where could it be?
For now, I don’t need to know.
If I remain a nobody, I won’t be able to save them anyway.
So I need to become stronger first.
To reunite and see those bastards.
At least I don’t want to feel embarrassed.
Well, it’s embarrassing no matter how much I struggle.
Kikiki– Laughing, I opened the potion’s lid.
From the tiny glass bottle, the fragrance of the sky wafted out.
[Hmm? Divine Waters! Wow, I haven’t smelled this sweet aroma in ages! So glad… ]
Divine Waters,
A potion received from a being like the Bi-cheon Jeong-su.
[…Huh.]
Wriggling inside my clothes, Flora moved vigorously.
[Huh?? Huh?? Ronan! I think I remember something! I recalled a conversation with the World Tree!]
“Did Ophelia trigger something?”
[Yeah! Divine Waters!]
“What nonsense is this? Are you saying Ophelia is Divine Waters?”
[No! The potion! I told you I saw a human similar to Ophelia in the past?! That human—oh, uh, ugh…]
Flora, excitedly chatting, suddenly turned dark.
“Why? What’s the matter?”
[…That human transformed into a potion itself. Ronan, she was a living human like you, but her flesh, blood, and organs took on the nature of the potion. Hence… she was devoured by a fellow… human.]
“Devoured? What happened to the one who ate her?”
[Well, I’m not sure about that, but according to the World Tree, that human transcended to become something else.]
“Transcendence? There’s definitely a way to transform from human to Demon Race.”
Transcendence.
To break free from being human and become a higher race.
And the transformed race is probably the Demon Race that carries the magic flowing in Ophelia’s body.
If an 8th Rank or 9th Circle human transcends, what level of Demon Race would they become?
At least they would be in the caliber of a Legion Commander.
Then…
“Should I kill Ophelia before she completes her transformation?”
