Why hadn’t I been able to acquire combat skills until now?
And not just the [Dagger Arts] I’d been practicing, but also the [Martial Arts] skill at the same time. Moreover, obtaining [Intimidation] means…
Could it have been at that moment…? [Intimidation] was probably gained when I unleashed “killing intent” towards Viro. If that’s the case, it makes sense that the other skills were also obtained at that time.
I’ve been practicing Dagger Arts all along, but the reason I gained the Martial Arts skill must be because I’ve been practicing the breakfalls and body movements that Feld taught me.
The reason it all came to fruition at once… perhaps it’s because experiencing a life-or-death battle gave my soul a strong shock?
“Hey, don’t just stand there spacing out. Let’s go to the Guild.”
“…Okay.”
I was lightly tapped on the shoulder, and as I hurriedly chased after Viro, who had started walking ahead, I continued my contemplation a little.
Skills aren’t something you can acquire so easily. I understand that I have the knowledge of an adult and a better foundation for acquiring skills than ordinary children, but even if obtaining Dagger Arts was as planned, getting Martial Arts as well is too good to be true.
But according to that woman’s “knowledge,” there was a story about “killing one person with a sword making you a first-dan swordsman.” In the woman’s previous life, I don’t know if first-dan is the same as level 1, but maybe I acquired the skills because I fought such a close battle.
Well, from Viro’s point of view, he wasn’t serious, but I was desperate because being captured by thieves is synonymous with death.
However, [Intimidation] felt a little different. Certainly, the battle with Viro was the trigger, but ordinary children… no, even ordinary adults wouldn’t be able to do it.
A life-or-death battle. A clear will to kill the enemy. And… experience.
Ordinary commoners don’t emit killing intent. A “child” who has acquired it would probably be seen as strange by the general public.
…Until I get a little stronger, it’s better not to reveal too much of my hand.
Leaving the Slums, I followed Viro onto the main street.
“…………”
I try to keep myself as clean as possible, but after going through a battle, I feel like I’m a little dirty if you look closely.
The reason I keep myself clean is partly “so I won’t be underestimated,” but the biggest reason is that I don’t want to stand out. It’s been more than three weeks since I killed the old woman, so it’s unlikely that there are still pursuers, but even so, there are still many who remember the incident in the next town.
The cloth I’m wearing is a little damaged, but the poncho is ordinary, and my hair is covered in ash, so it should be less noticeable than my original pink blonde. …And yet, as I walked down the street, I felt several “gazes” directed at me.
Have I been found out as a Street Urchin? They don’t say anything now because I’m with an adult, but if I’m alone, there’s a possibility of getting caught up in some trouble.
Thinking about such things, I turned my gaze to Viro, the adult, and our eyes met as he frowned slightly and looked back.
“…What?”
“Ah… well. If you want to hide your face, why don’t you wear something a little more decent? I’ll buy you one around here.”
“…I don’t mind.”
I see. The “rag” I’m wearing around my neck to hide my face stands out.
After all, this is just a piece of old, unwearable clothing that I simply tore with a Knife and wrapped around my neck to hide my face. I wash it, but it certainly doesn’t look good.
“Oh, right. Well, um… there’s one over there.”
For some reason, Viro, who seemed relieved, looked around and proceeded to a stall he found, and the gazes followed me as I followed him.
“Welcome!”
A woman who seemed to be the shopkeeper called out in a spirited voice. This stall seemed to be a fabric shop, but it also sold some simple clothes, perhaps as samples.
“Do you have anything like a scarf to wrap around the neck? Something that can hide the face.”
“I have a few scarves and shawls, but that’s all I have here.”
“I see… I don’t really know, so you can choose.”
“Okay.”
I don’t really understand, but if he’s going to buy it for me, I won’t hold back. For the time being, should I buy something black if I’m going to be Stealthy?
In the first place, this country is located in the southern part of the continent, so the cold-weather clothing is basically thin. So I had him buy me something long with a good texture, and when I took off the rag I had been wearing around my neck, I heard a faint rustling for some reason.
“Oh my…”
The shopkeeper let out an astonished voice. When I looked around to see what had happened, a girl who looked to be in her early teens was staring at me with a red face, just like Shuri.
Feeling somewhat unaccustomed to the gaze, I wrapped the new black cloth around my neck, and a faint sigh could be heard from around me.
“…?”
Unable to understand, I looked at Viro, who was holding his head with one hand as if he had a headache and letting out a big sigh.
“…Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
I don’t really understand, but Viro seems to be prioritizing going to the Guild.
As I followed after him as he started walking, Viro muttered in a very small voice, “I just made you stand out even more…”
“This is the Adventurer’s Guild!”
For some reason, Viro’s voice, which sounded desperate, echoed through the street.
Viro, who was walking a little faster, went inside, and I followed him, feeling a little hesitant. Even if I have knowledge, I don’t know what’s in a place I’ve never been to before. As I entered while being a little cautious, I felt gazes from several Adventurers inside, but perhaps because Viro was with me, they didn’t seem to be doing anything in particular.
Looking around the Guild, I noticed a bulletin board with several papers posted on it, and several counters with receptionists.
The Adventurer’s Guild is a mercenary support organization specializing in exploration that branched off from the Mercenary Guild. The sponsor is the Commerce Guild, and it makes a living by selling Monster materials and items obtained from ruins.
When it was first formed, it was commissioned by countries to investigate undeveloped lands for development, and even in its current state as a Magic Stone prospector, high-ranked Adventurers who can handle Dungeon攻略 and high-level Monsters receive considerable benefits.
“I’d like to register a new member.”
When Viro said that at one of the counters, a woman in her late twenties who was sorting documents behind the counter raised her face, and her eyes widened slightly as she looked at Viro and me behind him.
“That beau… ahem, is that your child? She seems quite young, but does she have any Combat Skills?”
“Oh, she does. Dagger Arts.”
When I nodded at Viro’s words, the woman narrowed her eyes as if she was healed, and then glared back at Viro.
“Then we’ll conduct a test, but is now alright?”
“That’s fine, but… your attitude is too different, isn’t it?”
“Test?”
When I muttered, the two of them turned their gazes to me at the same time.
“Ah, we’re going to use Combat Arts to confirm that you have Combat Skills equivalent to Rank 1. You can do it, right?”
He asked me casually, but I shook my head silently.
“…I can’t use it?”
“What!?”
Apparently, he had forgotten that I didn’t have any skills until just now.
“You can fight that much, and you can use Body Enhancement, but you can’t use it…? I’m at a loss.”
“If you’d like, we offer a level 1 Combat Art lecture for Dagger Arts for a fee. It’ll be 5 Silver Coins.”
“That’s fine, but… can I just borrow the place and teach her myself?”
“In that case, we’ll charge you 1 Silver Coin per hour for using the underground training ground, but is that alright?”
“That seems quicker. Then let’s do the paperwork… oh yeah, you can use [Heal], right?”
Viro, who had remembered that, asked in a hushed voice. Then the receptionist, who heard that, made a surprised face and also lowered her voice.
“You can use Light Magic at that age…? Then it’s okay to take the test with [Heal]. Adventurers around here must have at least one injury… no, please wait a moment.”
The woman thought of something and went to another staff member behind her, talked about something, and came back immediately.
“I’m sorry. If a young person is a Magician – especially with Light attribute – there’s a risk that they’ll be used up by Adventurers with bad behavior. It’s different if you join that person’s party and protect them, but if you’re going to be active solo, I don’t want to disclose the information for a while.”
“My party isn’t active right now…”
“In that case, we’ll have to wait for a trustworthy Adventurer to return…”
“Viro. I want to learn [Combat Art].”
When I spoke again, the two of them turned their faces to me again at the same time.
“I’ll pay for the usage fee.”
“No, I’ll pay for that much as a necessary expense. Certainly, that’s less troublesome.”
“Then, if you’ve decided, can I see that person’s identification tag? And please write the age and name of the person being registered on this form.”
“Age is… ten years old, and…”
“Ten years old? You seem a little small, though.”
“A year or two is within the margin of error, right? What’s your name…? Hey, what’s your name?”
From Viro’s perspective, I seem to be about eight or nine years old right now. And he just realized he hadn’t asked my name, so he looked up from the documents and turned to me.
“…Aria.”
“Oh, is that so?”
The receptionist, who had been watching our exchange, muttered while giving Viro a rather suspicious look.
“Not even knowing her name… You didn’t kidnap her, did you?”
“…Don’t be rude. Judge people by looking at their faces properly.”
The woman stared intently at Viro’s face.
“…You didn’t kidnap her, did you?”
“I didn’t!”
Aria’s features are naturally striking because she is originally the Heroine.
Also, Aria (Alicia) doesn’t have the cheat abilities of a protagonist, but as the Heroine, she seems to have the troublesome trait of being easily targeted (lol).
Next time: Acquiring a Combat Art and a new weapon.