Chapter 29

Tō returned to the reception floor and looked for Estelle.

"Hey, Tō. Over here."

Estelle waved from the far end of the counter.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Is the appraisal done?"

"Yeah. By the way, Tō, did Philip say anything to you?"

"…No, nothing happened."

Tō decided to act as if nothing had happened. If he explained poorly, he might end up confessing that he had wielded the [Magic Sword] against Philip.

Since Philip was unharmed, it wouldn't become a big issue, but Tō didn't want to worry Estelle unnecessarily.

"So, Tō, the price for the magic stone was amazing. It was fifty silver coins!"

"Wow!"

Fifty silver coins for a magic stone was a bargain. C-rank and D-rank monsters were quite profitable.

While it might seem cheap compared to the ten silver coins for a single spirit crystal, those were more like bonus items. They weren't something you could easily obtain.

"Good for you, Estelle."

"Huh? No, this is Tō's money."

"What? No, no, if it weren't for Estelle, I wouldn't have known about the magic stone and would have left it alone. It's Estelle's money, right?"

"No way! Lockworm was defeated by Tō. This is definitely Tō's money."

"Hmm. Then, let's split it."

"But, you know, I didn't do anything in the Lockworm battle…"

"In a party, contribution doesn't matter, right?"

"Ah! Umm, yeah, that's right."

Estelle's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed as if a flower had bloomed.

"I kind of decided on a whim, but would you have been okay with forming a party with me and Berti?"

"Of course!"

"Then, let's work together from now on."

"Sure. Let's do our best."

Tō extended his hand, and Estelle took it. Thus, Tō and Estelle formed their party.

What would Lidd think if he saw this scene? Tō suddenly thought about it.

Meeting people who treated him normally, without discrimination, and who helped him, and forming a party with them, even though he had black hair and black eyes.

Lidd's soul was probably no longer in this world, but…

(Seeing a world Lidd couldn't see)

Such a second life might not be so bad.

○

"Oh my, you've been quite roughed up, haven't you?"

A leisurely voice came from behind. The being known as Philip to humans—Kaim—turned around in surprise.

There, a figure clad in a pitch-black robe seemed to rise from the darkness. From the tone of the voice, it was likely a woman, but the hood was pulled low, obscuring her face.

—Is it a pursuer?

Kaim slightly braced himself, but he recognized the aura of the figure.

"…You've changed bodies again, Ami?"

"Ah, you figured it out? The rats were getting annoying, so I bound their souls a bit, and this body is quite good."

"Is that so?"

The figure spun around as if showing off a new "Bebé." Ami could freely "change" human bodies like clothes or accessories.

She showed no qualms about desecrating the human body and soul created by the gods. There was no doubt that this being was Kaim's companion.

"Hey, this body's mind is broken, isn't it? If you're not careful, the body will rot while you're still alive."

"Damn. You're right."

"What happened, exactly?"

"This man was about to expose all my actions to the guild. I had no choice."

Taking advantage of a momentary weakness in Kaim's soul, Philip briefly regained control of the body. If Kaim had remained silent, everything would have been fine. Philip's self-preservation was unexpected.

If Philip's mind hadn't been crushed, the secret of raising a Lockworm in a hidden cave deep in the forest, the plan to weaken the Adventurer's Guild, and all subsequent schemes would have been exposed to the light of day.

"Hmm. You boasted that you could surely crush Finris with time, but look at you now."

"I did well! The plan was definitely proceeding as scheduled! The plan went awry because of that brat…!!"

"Sure, sure. That child who chipped away at your soul… Who is he, exactly?"

"Who knows!! But, yes, he is strongly blessed by a god. I don't know which of the Six Gods, but I felt the presence of a deity when he used his power."

"I see. Naturally, if we move, the gods will move too."

Saying this, Ami looked up at the sky. Her pale, almost too pale, skin was slightly exposed.

(Is this… really alive?)

Ami was a companion, but Kaim felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of her.

"Alright, I'll take care of the cleanup. Leave it to me."

"I owe you one! I plan to leave Finris for a while and focus on recovering my soul."

"Understood."

"Then, I'll be off…"

Kaim disappeared into the darkness of Finris. Watching his back, Ami pulled out a short sword hidden under her robe and twisted her lips into a grin.

"Hope you have a peaceful journey out of Finris."