Chapter 15: The Apothecary Siblings Swear Their Loyalty
The system voice announced the acquisition of a new skill and a level up.
My level shot up from 7 all the way to 15.
Apocalypse has a system where you get a massive amount of experience points for defeating powerful enemies with a large level difference. Conversely, you barely gain any experience from defeating low-level mobs weaker than yourself.
To get stronger, you need to keep defeating higher-level enemies. Because of this, acquiring the [Giant Killing] skill was an unparalleled advantage.
Phew~, it was worth taking the risk this time.
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I checked my status.
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Cain Schwarz
Level 15
Unique Skill
[Black Moon Sword]
Imbues sword techniques with dark attribute power.
Skills
[Swordsmanship Level 3]
Increases accuracy and attack power of sword techniques by 30%.
[Arrow Deflection]
Increases the success rate of deflecting projectiles by 50%.
[Giant Killing] (NEW!)
When fighting higher-level enemies, attack power and agility increase by 100% if HP drops below half.
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My skill composition for a “Higher-Level Slayer Build” using a sword was steadily coming together.
In this game, attack power is the most important thing.
The effects of [Black Moon Sword], [Swordsmanship Level 3], and [Giant Killing] stack, so they’re incredibly useful for dispatching higher-level enemies.
With [Arrow Deflection], I can evade ranged attacks and close in on enemies.
From now on, if I continue to improve my Swordsmanship Skill while acquiring skills that boost attack power, I can defeat higher-level enemies and level up at the fastest rate.
“Brother Cain, thank goodness! Are you unhurt?”
“Yeah, it’s thanks to your support, Servia. You did great!”
Servia hugged me, so I patted her head.
She was a great help in the game, but for her to help me this much in this world too… she’s just too precious.
“I’m so happy. I was able to be of use to Brother, wasn’t I!”
However, I didn’t have the luxury of basking in the afterglow of victory with Servia.
Because another big problem had arisen.
“Y-You are… could you be the World Tree Saint-sama?”
Ash stared at us while pouring an Enhanced Recovery Potion (X-Potion) into his sister’s mouth.
“It’s not ‘you,’ it’s Servia…”
Servia looked like she’d bitten into something bitter.
Even though it was to help me, she had revealed her identity.
“Ash… if Servia’s identity is exposed, she’ll be torn away from me and forced to become Prince Leon’s fiancée. Could you please keep this a secret?”
I decided to try and persuade Ash.
“Yes, please. Prince Leon intends to use the World Tree Saint’s power for war. More than anything, I never want to be separated from Brother Cain again.”
If Servia is taken back to the royal palace, she’ll be forced to bring crop failure and starvation to the enemy nation, the Atlas Empire.
I can’t let Servia go through such a painful experience.
In the worst-case scenario, I’d have to protect the secret even if it meant confining Ash somewhere for a year.
“Don’t underestimate me! I’d never do something like sell out the saviors of my sister and me!”
Ash shouted as if deeply offended.
“Besides, the World Tree Saint-sama is like a god to us elves who live in harmony with the forest. It’s an honor to meet you, Servia-sama!”
His impertinent attitude had done a complete 180.
Ash was looking at Servia with eyes full of respect.
That’s right, to elves, the World Tree Saint is an object of worship.
It’s also in the church’s legends that the World Tree Saint is said to be the incarnation of the World Tree that supports this world.
“…You won’t tell your fellow elves about Servia and cause a commotion, will you?”
“I’d never do that, Cain! More importantly, because our original tribe was wiped out, we can’t belong to any tribe, so we’re just rootless wanderers drifting from place to place, you know?”
I see.
Elves live in large settlements in the forest, but they’re characterized by being extremely insular. They might allow outsiders to stay temporarily, but they rarely accept them into their community.
That’s probably why the siblings are traveling around.
“I swear I won’t leak Servia-sama’s secret to anyone else, not even other elves, not even my sister!”
“Thank you, Ash.”
“Yes, Servia-sama!”
Ash knelt before Servia.
“If you’ll keep the secret, I’d be grateful! How about it? If you have nowhere to go, why don’t you and your sister serve the Schwartz Earldom as our exclusive Apothecaries?”
“Really!? N-No, is that really true!?”
As Apothecaries, they’d be a perfect match for Servia’s World Tree Saint powers.
They’d be able to mass-produce high-rarity potions one after another from the special plants Servia summons.
Above all, if they were in the mansion, I could also keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t leak the secret.
“U-Ugh…”
“Ah, Sis!?”
Just then, Ash’s sister woke up. The Enhanced Recovery Potion had apparently worked.
She looked at us with beautiful, lapis lazuli-like blue eyes.
“I’m glad you’ve come to.”
“Ah, who are you…?”
“Cain—no, Cain-sama and Servia-sama saved us! Cain-sama is super strong and defeated the Blood Bear!”
“Eh!? Cain-sama and Servia-sama!? C-Could it be, you’re the son of the feudal lord!? …Awawawa! Th-Thank you very much. My name is Lil!”
Lil placed both hands on the ground and expressed her gratitude.
Unlike her brother, she seemed to be a polite girl.
“And what’s more, he said he’d hire us rootless wanderers as exclusive Apothecaries!”
“S-Such kindness, for everything… Thank you so much!”
Just then, Lil’s stomach let out a loud growl.
Her face turned bright red.
“Aaaah, p-please excuse my unsightly display…”
“First, let’s go back and have a meal. We’ll make it a welcome party for the two of you, so tonight’s a feast.”
“Really!? Awesome, that’s Cain-sama for you!”
Ash rejoiced and agreed enthusiastically.
“Honestly, you’re quite the opportunist… But if you’ve understood Brother Cain’s greatness, I’ll forgive your previous rudeness towards him.”
“Uoh, Servia-sama! Y-Yes, of course!”
It was such a quick turnaround from Ash that I almost couldn’t help but give a wry smile.
But, seeing this, there was probably no need to worry about betrayal.
“And, before we head back…”
I decided to harvest the valuable materials from the defeated Blood Bear.
Things like [Blood Bear Fang], [Blood Bear Claw], and [Blood Bear Pelt].
From now on, it won’t just be about acquiring skills and leveling up; I’ll also need to make money.
It’s partly to get stronger, but also because Prince Leon will eventually try to harass Servia in some way.
To prepare for that, I needed money I could use freely.
“Ah, allow me to introduce myself again, Cain-sama. I am Lil, an elven Apothecary. I’m only good at making medicine, but I’ll do my very, very best alongside my younger brother Ash to repay your kindness!”
“Thank you, it’s a pleasure, Lil. You’re Apothecary Level 5, right? Isn’t that amazing!”
“Awawawawa, b-but other than that, I’m completely useless! Hau!?”
I shook hands with Lil, who bowed her head deeply.
For some reason, Lil’s face was bright red, and she was completely flustered. She seems like a very shy girl.
“If possible, Lil-san, could you teach me the Apothecary skill? According to Ash, the recovery potions I make are apparently terrible…”
“Uwah!? Those recovery potions were made by Servia-sama herself?!”
It seemed the mansion was about to get a little livelier again.