Vol 2 Chapter 1 (2/2)

Since youve come after reading that request, am I correct in believing that s.h.i.+n-san is a Skill Inheritor? Yes, something like that.

He was actually not, but he nodded anyways, as it would get complicated trying to explain everything.

We are looking for an Inheritor of a specific skill. I know how impudent it sounds, but if possible, we want that person to teach that skill.

From what Tiera had told him, anyone who possessed a skill would get favorable treatment just by merit of that alone, so anyone willing to teach it would usually demand a lot of service and/or money. There was also a weaker version of skills called arts, but s.h.i.+n had yet to see it himself. If it was a skill that a Sister would go to such lengths for, s.h.i.+n could think of a few.

Since youre a Sister, Im a.s.suming that what you want is something from theHealorCuretrees? No, that is not the case. Although its true that those are needed, but there are certain unusual circ.u.mstances. Circ.u.mstances, you say?

s.h.i.+n had expected her to say something like As someone in a profession related to recovery and healing, these are the very basics, so can you teach me something like those?, but apparently he had guessed wrong. The other skills that he could think of were either resurrection skills or holy elemental attack skills, but even he would not agree to teach those so readily.

In that case, then what is this skill that Thoria-san is looking for? ...... -tion. Im sorry, I couldnt hear that clearly. ...... ItsPurification. Aah,Purification.

There was a faint note of resignation in Thorias voice, as if she had added, As I thought, its impossible, isnt it? Now that she mentions it, thought s.h.i.+n as he realized that he had completely forgotten about that option.

I am aware that it is an absurd request, but ...... Aah, that ones a ha.s.sle to get. Eeh, ha.s.sle ...... to get ...... eehhh?

For the first time, Thoria realized that s.h.i.+ns reply was very odd.

A few seconds pa.s.sed in silence. Then Thoria raised her face like she had heard something strange.

Sorry, what did you just say? I just said that it would be a ha.s.sle to get.

In contrast to Thoria, who had a Hah? look on her face and was desperately trying to come to terms with what she had just heard, s.h.i.+n had answered in a really relaxed manner. It was a scene that seems to have happened somewhere before.

Umm, do you perhaps know the method to acquire it? Yes, I do. ...... Then would you be willing to take up the request? That would depend entirely on you.

With those words, s.h.i.+ns expression became serious. Though s.h.i.+n had so far been speaking with an carefree att.i.tude, he had actually done some digging on the church before. He was convinced that there was something about Millie, but wasnt able to find any information on her. All he got instead was information about the problems of the church. He didnt hear enough details to realize ahead of time that it was thePurificationskill that they wanted, but he did not mind revealing the information aboutPurificationin exchange for knowing. Of course, though, regardless of how much he lacked the common sense of this world, he was not stupid enough to freely disclose the fact that he could actually use the skill to a Sister that he was meeting for the first time.

If its about the reward, may we have a bit more time? No, money is not my aim. Instead of that, there are a few conditions that I want.

Thoria stiffened at the word conditions, almost as if she knew what s.h.i.+n was going to say next.

Conditions, you say? Yes. Firstly, I want to know about Millies power. Secondly, I want you to provide me with all the information that you gather from inside the church, effective for one year. Lastly, I want you to keep it a secret that it was me who took up the request. That stands even if it is the top bra.s.s of the church thats asking. You can write it up as someones voluntary service if you like.

The church was a place where all sorts of people gathered, be they young, old, male, or female. s.h.i.+n thought that it could become a source of unique information, the kind that would be revealed only in front of G.o.d. The people of this church were all good people, though, so he didnt hold much expectation. What he was truly after was the power that Millie had demonstrated. s.h.i.+n had naturally guessed that it was something like predicting the future or sensing crises, but that was because he was a gamer. In his original world, that kind of thinking would have been laughed down almost immediately.

It wasnt like s.h.i.+n couldnt just listen to what Thoria had to say, take pity on the children, and just demand a little bit of money in exchange for directly teaching the skill. However, Tiera had warned him of the demerits of giving people skills so easily. With that in mind, it would be more natural to demand a more significant reward.

Depending on the point of view, the presented conditions were not worth so much. However, in Thorias eyes, it was a very big risk to reveal Millies power to a complete stranger whose background she didnt know. There was also no guarantee that s.h.i.+n would not turn around and reveal that information with other people. It was also noteworthy that this agreement might, depending on the situation, require her to defy her superiors. Even if it was in exchange for thePurificationskill, this trade might be too much for her. There was also no proof that s.h.i.+n really did know the way to acquirePurification. If influential people or very greedy people heard that Millie had the power to see the future, then she would be in danger. Thoria could not easily acquiesce to these conditions.

These conditions are what I want as compensation.

Thoria was hesitant on what to do. Though Millie had let her guard down against s.h.i.+n, that was that, and this was this. It did not mean that he could be trusted with everything.

Silence filled the reception room.

...... Itll be fine.

s.h.i.+n was waiting for an answer, and Thoria was holding her tongue. As if slicing through the silence between the two of them, Millie spoke up.

Millie? If its s.h.i.+n-nii, itll be fine. ............

Itll be fine. Millie was looking straight at Thoria when she said that. Her eyes were filled with a mysterious sagacity that did not belong on such a young child.

Thoria had been keeping quiet while deep in thought, but she seemed to feel something from seeing how Millie was and made up her mind. Her mouth slowly opened.

Very well. We will accept those conditions. However, we are amateurs when it comes to information gathering. The things that we find out might not be of much help to you. No need to go to great lengths. What Im expecting is only on the level of telling me about people at the church with something unusual about them. What I value more is hearing about Millies power.

s.h.i.+n explained that he was not asking them to become like information brokers. Rather, it would only bring danger to them if they did it without proper training. Having clarified that and put their worries to rest, he pressed her to go into the main topic of Millies power.

...... Ever since birth, Millie has had the GiftStar Reader. The way Millie tells it, she suddenly sees scenes that are different from what her eyes are seeing at the time. To my knowledge, her predictions have never been off. I think that her request to s.h.i.+n-san was most likely also because of something that she saw. Star Reader? To think that that had such an effect ...... Yes ...... Do you perhaps know anything about it? I myself actually know almost nothing about this Gift. Those with a Gift are even rarer than Skill Inheritors, so almost none of them ever publicize information about themselves. Everything I know is only what Ive heard from Millie.

Fumu, thought s.h.i.+n. Here was an obvious deviation from THE NEW GATE. s.h.i.+n proposed that there was the possibility it might turn into a clue for returning to his real world while fully aware of the risks. When he had been confirming his skills, none of them had gone awry, so he had not realized it earlier. He couldnt be completely sure, as there were still items that he had not verified yet, but it seems that there were things here and there that were different from how he remembered them. This was especially true for Gifts, of which there are those that could be activated at will and those which are permanently activated. The player was always given the choice whether to activateStar Readeror not when beginning a quest, so it lied somewhere between the two types.

(So there are changes to Gifts too. Just learning that makes this worth it, as its really hard to verify Gifts that could be activated by will. The effect of Star Readeris not so much predicting the future as ...... Wait, Im not getting any visions.)

Star Readerhad originally been a Gift that gave the player a simple hint when they began a quest. Though it was kind of a rare Gift, not having it did not pose much of a handicap. Of course, s.h.i.+n himself had it, but he had not experienced the effect described by Millie and Thoria. s.h.i.+n guessed that there might be certain additional requirements, but had no clue what they were.

He had no clue, but

Kidnapping, abduction, confinement. It would be pretty terrible if word got out about this. What countermeasures do you guys have in place?

Instead, all that filled his mind were troublesome words like these. If his tone sounded a bit too light, it was because he had experience with all of them. By the way, they were carrying out their current conversation while covering up Millies ears.

We are extra careful to not bring it up carelessly, so word wouldnt get out so easily. Also, there are people who used to be at this orphanage and became adventurers who are helping us out. You mean Wilhelm? Yes. There are others too, but he is the one who plays the biggest role in protecting this place. People are scared of his nickname, so there are very few who would dare to lay hands on the children here.

The fact that children were easy targets for crimes was apparently the same everywhere. Exactly as s.h.i.+n had thought, Wilhelm was not a bad person, despite the other adventurers fear of him. For good or for bad, the more famous he got, the safer the orphanage becomes. The problem might lie in that people with a grudge against Wilhelm might purposely target the orphanage for that reason, but thats where the other adventurers step in. There arent a lot of things that could be done by only one person.

Well then, since Ive already received my reward, then I will now officially accept this request. Is Thoria-san the one who is to acquire Purification? No, its not me, but Ras.h.i.+a. Do you remember the other Sister who had been in the church? Please help that girl learn it. Is that so? I had been sure that it was supposed to be Thoria-san. That girl is the grandchild of the Father who used to serve here. It would make for a much smoother transition if the succession was decided by heredity.

It appears that there was something else going on aside from simply wantingPurification. With the quality of this information, the deal is already starting to pay off, thought s.h.i.+n with a wry smile as he petted Yuzuha.

(T/N: The web novel version does not have the scene with the children playing with s.h.i.+n and explaining why Ras.h.i.+a needs Purification. From what I can gather, its because there is a really greedy priest also aiming for the succession. If he wins, he plans on shutting down the orphanage to pocket the extra money. He already has Purification, so hes ahead, but if Ras.h.i.+a also gets Purification, the fact that she is the grandchild of the previous serving Father would clinch the seat for her.)

With the help of Millie, s.h.i.+n quickly broke the ice with the children, which led to several hours of playing together with them. When Thoria returned to the orphanage, the entire group, with the exception of a few older ones, was fast asleep.

Im sorry for having you look after the chil ............ Looks like they have all lowered their guard down with you, eh? I certainly hope so.

Thoria had been about to say something, but stopped mid-sentence. She looked greatly relieved to see the children sleeping so easily. It seemed that she had been quite apologetic for asking someone that shed met only today to look after them. Behind Thoria was the figure of the girl called Ras.h.i.+a from the church. Her gray hair was done up in the same chignon style as Thoria. Her brown eyes looked steadily at s.h.i.+n, but she was obviously quite nervous.

Is this person Ras.h.i.+a-san? Y-Yes! For this occasion,yoros.h.i.+ku onegais.h.i.+mau#......ihyai.

She had apparently bit her tongue.

Umm, are you alright? She has a bit of a careless side, but I can vouch that she is a very hardworking girl.

Thoria was trying to cover for her, but her laughter sounded a bit strained.

Uu, Im sorry for showing you my unsightly side ...... Well, lets just take it easy, alright? Im s.h.i.+n, an adventurer. I will instruct you on how to learnPurification. However, whether Ras.h.i.+a-san can actually learn it or not will be entirely dependent on your efforts. Please do not forget that. Yes!

Her reply this time was a lot crisper. Her eyes were the very image of the word serious.

Lets get straight to it. First of all, do either of you know of a place close by where a large number of undead monsters would appear at? If not, I can go back and ask at the guild.

It could even be said to be a requirement for learningPurification. Based on the place, he would be able to tell roughly how long it would take.

The most infamous one would be the Wraith Plains, I think. Wraith Plains?

s.h.i.+n tilted his head quizzically at the name from Thorias mouth, as he had never heard of it before.

Yes. When you leave the country and go straight north, youll eventually reach it. It seems that it used to be a dungeon, but was brought aboveground by the cataclysms and then fused with the plains. Now, there are lots of undead always roaming about over there. The dungeon was brought aboveground? Such a thing was possible? Ive heard of a few other similar places, but I dont know much abou ...... No, all we need is a lot of undead monsters, so it sounds more than sufficient.

It was almosttooconveniently located, but he decided to not worry about it. Rather than checking out those places one by one, it would be much faster to just go to the one they knew. In the first place, the request did not feel like it had a lot of time to be fulfilled. It would be best to get it over with as soon as possible.

So, how long would it take to get there? I dont actually kn Around five to six days by carriage. ...... Oh hey, Wil. Youre back.

The person who had interrupted Thoria turned out to be Wilhelm, whose figure could be seen at the entrance to the room. Venom was in his hands, and he was silently pouring out fighting spirit.

Yo, I came. So youre the adventurer who accepted that request?

On the surface, Wilhelm looked calm, but s.h.i.+n could tell that he was in a battle-ready pose.

Aah, Ive already received my reward, so I dont mind also letting you in on the information aboutPurification.

............ What did you hear?

Wilhelm immediately understood that the reward that s.h.i.+n had received was not money. His eyes were declaring that he would not forgive even the tiniest lie. s.h.i.+n took a breath before replying.

...... Millies Gift and its power. And that people who came from this orphanage are working to keep it under wraps. Arent you guys placing too much trust in him?

It was Thoria that he had directed his question to. Considering the faces from the orphanages side, he didnt even need to think to know who it was that had performed the negotiation. Even s.h.i.+n didnt think that Ras.h.i.+a could take up the role of a negotiator, so in some sense it was only natural.

Its alright. He doesnt seem like a bad person. And Millie also vouched for him. Its fine, dont worry.

Wilhelm knew about Millies power, so he muttered No way! and looked at her.

...... Did you see something? Un. ............ Is that so.

At Millies response, Wilhelm shut his mouth after a short reply. He looked satisfied with that.

So, are you guys done? Yeah. Since she said so, Ill trust you for now. Ill also say it, to clear up any doubts. I have absolutely no intention of spreading around the things that I heard, and I am not thinking of using Millies power for anything bad. You got that right. Just try it, Ill drain you to death with this thing.

Wilhelm waved Venom around in a joking way, but his eyes were completely serious. His aura broadcasted his readiness to brandish the spear at a moments notice.

Mu~, fighting, bad! Oops, youre right. Tch.

Picking up on the atmosphere that was sparkling with tension, Millie decided to mediate. Wilhelm did not look like he was going to do anything more, and stopped sending out fighting spirit.

Im really sorry, hes been short-tempered ever since long ago. Wil has no patience at all. Wil-nii, hasty. Oi, theyre saying all sorts of stuff about you. You b.a.s.t.a.r.ds ......

Thoria and Ras.h.i.+a had casually helped cover for Wilhelm. Rather than cover up, though, it sounded more like they were just badmouthing him. Those two were fine even though there was enough fighting spirit directed at them that would scare any normal person, which caused s.h.i.+n to consider reevaluating his impression of them as normal people.

Tch, whatever. You already heard a lot, right? So start telling us the information aboutPurification. Im going to ask you guys to not tell anyone else just in case. Dont worry. We would be in deep trouble too if we go around revealing the secret method to acquire one of the churchs famous skills.

The others also nodded emphatically to Wilhelms words. It appears that the church had a lot more influence than he had thought.

To be on the safe side, I will now cast an anti-eavesdropping spell around the room ...... Alright, lets get down to the main topic. The way to acquirePurificationis to defeat at least 200 undead monsters of level 150 or higher while holding onto an item calledSacred Orb of Prayer. Only the final blow is needed for it to count, so I will weaken them first while Ras.h.i.+a-san continues to hit them with as much magical power as she can deal. ...... Oi, you sure that works? Im sure. Actually, the more annoying part is procuring theSacred Orb of Prayer, but I already have one, so we can just use that.

s.h.i.+n announced all that in a relaxed manner. He was not aware that in this world, monsters with more than 150 levels were extremely dangerous to normal residents. Though she only had to deal the final blow, just hearing that she had to face 200 of them left Ras.h.i.+a so shocked that it almost seemed that her soul had jumped out.

Oi, Ras.h.i.+a! Hahi!! Oi, oi, you alright?

The dazed Ras.h.i.+a came back to her senses when Wilhelm started patting her shoulder. There was no other way, so Ras.h.i.+a had no choice but to work hard at it.

Oi, s.h.i.+n. Im coming along too. Sure, I dont mind. It might be more rea.s.suring for her to have someone she knows come along.

Rather, it might be a bit much to travel with only the two of us, thought s.h.i.+n as he put in due consideration for Ras.h.i.+as mental state. From Ras.h.i.+as reaction earlier, s.h.i.+n was reminded again that there werent a lot of adventurers in this world who could so casually meet such requirements. He had accidentally slipped back into the games paradigm, so he muttered Self-restraint, self-restraint to himself.

Well then, work hard at it, Ras.h.i.+a. Yes, I will!

While s.h.i.+n had been deep in thought, Ras.h.i.+a had recovered. With the future of the church on her back, she had no choice but to overcome this.

After Ras.h.i.+a had built her up resolve, they discussed the finer details of the trip until the day ended. Theres no time like the present, so they agreed to set off early next morning and all went back to make their own preparations for the journey. With consideration for Ras.h.i.+a, they decided to meet up in front of the eastern gate. Volume 2 Chapter 1 Part 2

Volume 2 Chapter 1 Part 2

You can grab the PDFhere.

After s.h.i.+n left the church, everyone remaining began making their own preparations for the next day. Ras.h.i.+a and Thoria also took the time to tell the children about the trip.

Wilhelm went out to buy foodstuffs and other goods for the long journey. While following the main road and buying everything needed, he also called out to the adventurers with ties to the orphanage. There was no guarantee that the priest aiming to shut down the orphanage would not take advantage of his absence to start something. Though there were quite a few adventurers from the orphanage, the number of people who knew about Millies power was very small. There was the possibility that this trip might take quite a while, so he told all of them to be on their guard. In the midst of all this preparatory work, Wilhelm continued thinking about a certain man.

Needless to say, it was s.h.i.+n. Their first meeting was when they had happened to share a table at his favorite restaurant. Though s.h.i.+n claimed to have only just started as an adventurer, he had not been intimidated at all by Wilhelm carrying Venom, and had talk to him normally. Because of this, Wilhelm had remembered him immediately when he saw him again at the orphanage.

At the church, when hearing that Thoria had revealed Millies power, Wilhelms first thought was that she was letting her guard down too much. However, even Millie had vouched for him, so it was good enough. Millie had even said that she had seen something. She didnt elaborate on what it was that she saw, but at least it was proof that he was not someone trying to get close to the church to cause them harm. Otherwise, Millie would not have advocated him so emphatically.

None of that changes the fact that he was still a complete mystery.

There were very few people who would talk to himself normally, and that guys words and actions just happened to remain in Wilhelms memory. The more he thought about it, though, the more strange points he noticed.

When that guy saw Venom, he had asked whether it had been taken for appraisal. He had even asked after the appraisers skill level. Thinking about it, that guys expression at the time had seemed to say Ah, that level is not enough. It was the same for the requirements to acquirePurification. s.h.i.+n had said defeat at least 200 undead monsters of level 150 or higher. Right afterwards, he had said I will weaken them first, so Ras.h.i.+a will only need to deal the final blow. From the way he was speaking, he had not intended to bring Wilhelm along when he accepted the request. If what he said was not a lie, then it would mean that he was strong enough to take on a level 150 by himself. And that would be even while bringing along Ras.h.i.+a, who would only get in his way.

(Has he really become an adventurer only recently?)

Wilhelm remembered that even back at the lunch, s.h.i.+n had been speaking like he had a lot of fighting experience. If he was so good, though, then it would not have been strange for there to be information about him from before. Word travels quickly about strong people, even if they are not an adventurer. However, when he had asked the information brokers connected to the orphanage, none of them had any information on the guy. Someone who could single-handedly take down a monster above level 150 easily belonged in Rank B. Making Rank A would not even be strange. How could such a person have remained under the radar so long?

(Could it be, that guy is ......)

His steps stopped unconsciously. A certain t.i.tle floated into Wilhelms mind. It was a name known only to a select few.

That phrase represented a group of existences who wielded power beyond the limits of normal people.

Those with this t.i.tle were born with numerous skills and varying amounts of knowledge already inside their head. This worlds concept of levels cannot be applied to them. They were, in general terms, ones who were chosen from birth.

Is he ...... a Chosen One?

It was something that Wilhelm himself already had deep ties to. n.o.body heard what he had unthinkingly voiced out loud; it disappeared into the usual clamor of the city.

The sun dawned on the next day.

s.h.i.+n finished his breakfast quickly, then told Tsugumi that he would be out of town for a while and got back the rest of his unused deposit. All his luggage was inside his inventory, so he didnt need any time for packing, which allowed him to set off before long. He wasnt able to set off immediately though, due to Tsugumi not wanting to part with Yuzuha. s.h.i.+n felt that her eyes had become those of a hunter with a prey in sight. Was it perhaps because her last name was Bear?

He walked through the relatively uncrowded roads with Yuzuha riding on his head as usual. Due to there being less people than there would be when the city completely woke up, he reached the eastern gate faster than expected. s.h.i.+n was thinking Aww, Im a bit too early, but he noticed that there was already someone else by the eastern gate.

Yo. Mornin. Youre early.

s.h.i.+n was surprised that there was someone who had arrived even earlier than himself. The way most people in this town told time was by the bells that would peal every hour. Therefore, it was really hard to time anything precisely, so if two people agreed to meet up, one person would invariably have to wait for the other. Merchants had clocks, so they were a lot stricter on time with each other, but adventurers were surprisingly lax about it. According to Tsugumi and Douma, it was not rare at all for people to be just barely on time.

According to s.h.i.+ns ingame clock, there were still 20 minutes before the meet-up time. He had been regretful about being so early, but it appears that it had not been a complete waste of time after all.

Do you always arrive this early? No, its just that theres something that I wanted to confirm before the trip. Lend me your face for a sec.

s.h.i.+n was bewildered at the inexplicable gravity with which Wilhelm was speaking. He followed behind while wondering what had happened. Yuzuha continued to lull on his head. It had probably decided to leave the situation to s.h.i.+n to handle.

Oh yea, wheres Ras.h.i.+a? Off on a little errand that I asked of her. Well, shes late half the time anyways.

So this was a talk that he didnt want Ras.h.i.+a to hear.

They continued walking for a few more minutes. Wilhelm then stopped in front of a certain shop. Judging by the signboard, it was a restaurant. The picture of a gla.s.s and a spoon did not make it clear what this place served, though.

After knocking the door three