After the match between Hilt and Neidhart, we had come to visit Neidhart.
We were not that close to him, so I had second thoughts of doing so. However, the way he died must have been quite traumatic, even if he came back to life.
I wanted to at least check on him, and I had some questions I wanted to ask him as well.
Just before entering the infirmary, we bumped into Neidhart who was opening the door to come out.
「Neidhart, are you okay now?」
「Oh, Fran-dono? Did you come here for me, by any chance?」
「Nn.」
「Thank you very much, but I’m quite all right now.」
Neidhart’s tone made it sound like he really was okay. He was extremely calm, and did not seem to have any shock from the way he died, even though his head exploded. I guess because of his veteran experience?
In this state, we could ask him what I was wondering.
「Hey.」
「What is it?」
「Why did you quit?」
「So you heard that……?」
「Nn.」
Rather, I had heard it, to be precise. Neidhart’s voice was a bit low, but it soon returned to a brighter tone.
「Hahaha. Well, I suppose it was just about time for me to give up my seat. Perhaps it’s because of my age, but my movements have been getting dull recently.」
Neidhart gave a plausible reason, but it was all a lie. His real reason was elsewhere.
「Really?」
「Yes, it’s true.」
He must have his reasons, and ones that he is reluctant to talk about.
Fran was not close enough to Neidhart to make him to tell her what he is hiding, although I was a bit curious about it.
The main reason why we were concerned about Neidhart’s resignation was not so much because of Neidhart himself, but because we were worried about Eliante and the other members of the group who had helped us back in the royal capital.
In the end, we only had a little bit of small talk. Finally, as he was about to turn away, Neidhart spoke a few words of encouragement as if he had just remembered something.
「The day after tomorrow, I know you have a lot going on, but good luck.」
「You too.」
「Yes, of course. Good day to you.」
By “a lot going on” did he mean the fierce battle in the finals? Or was he aware of Hilt’s feelings for Colbert, and referring to the various drama behind that?
Well, at least that encouragement was no lie.
The next day. Even though tomorrow was the finals, we were out of town.
『Fran, are you sure you’re okay?』
「Nn, I’m fine.」
We should really rest up for tomorrow. There was no way that our exhaustion from the fierce battle using the divine attribute would heal in just a few days.
However, Fran said she wanted to go outside. The reason is to sharpen her sense of combat before the battle against Hilt, and also to confirm our new strength.
In particular, we wanted to confirm two points.
The first is the mastering the newly increased level of our Physical Manipulation skill. This is a higher tier skill that integrated various physical enhancement skills and can strengthen all our stats.
Currently, the only way we could fight against Hilt with her Dimitris Style Secret Art ‘Heaven’ is to use the Potential Release skill.
That’s why we decided to increase the level of our Physical Manipulation. However, it is meaningless if we can’t use it well after suddenly gaining max level.
We decided to raise it by two levels and see how it goes from there.
One more thing I would like to confirm is about my blessings.
Back then, I drew only the power of the blessing of the Chaos Goddess, and it was not perfect. I have yet to try gaining awareness of the blessing of the Wisdom God too.
That’s why I thought that learning how to use the power of the blessings would improve our strength a little. There might be some better ways to make use of our other skills, like the blessing of the Sword God, too.
In order to test them, we have come to exterminate the undead outside of town. They’ll be good target practice.
「Woof woof!」
「Urushi, did you find them?」
「Woof!」
When it comes to finding the undead, especially zombies, there’s nothing better than Urushi’s nose. Even if they are out of my detection range, he can find them quickly.
We walked through the forest with Urushi leading the way, and soon we had found our target.
「There.」
『Only a few of them, perfect.』
「I’ll go first. Okay?」
『Okay. But don’t do anything rash.』
「Nn.」
And so we did a test run of the Physical Manipulation skill against the monsters, but it didn’t go well.
They were way too weak, and she killed them instantly. Not anywhere close to perfect.
Our speed has definitely increased, but we have not been able to confirm anything about our strength or senses. For Fran, this was about as useful as beating up a punching bag, not that it can really be helped.
「I’d like one a little stronger.」
『Hmm. I don’t want to push you too hard, but I guess it would be pointless otherwise…… Urushi, can you find one a little stronger?』
「Arf.」
Urushi barked lightly as if to say, “Let’s give it a try.” Then, he meditates as if concentrating, sticks his nose toward the sky, and begins to twitch it.
After about ten seconds, Urushi’s eyes widened.
「Woof!」
He bellowed confidently as he turned his head to the north. I guess he really did sense a strong undead creature.
「Urushi, that’s great!」
『Nice work! Lead the way!』
「Woof!」
We started running, but it was farther than we had imagined. We had to run for about five minutes and passed over a small mountain.
『Come on, is it that far?』
「Woof!」
『Just how long is―― That’s!』
Finally, I could sense the presence of the other party. I see, it’s emitting a very nasty magic power.
『It must be at the other side of this mountain. We’ll move in carefully from here.』
「Nn…」
Isn’t this a little too strong for a test run? It seems at least rank C.
Well, if it’s too much trouble, we can always escape by teleporting. It would be a total waste of time if we exhausted ourselves by fighting a strong opponent here.
『Now then, what kind of monster are we up against?』
