The endless chant of cicadas and crickets, in my ears, was discontinued. The cold of the night and I had parted. It was still nighttime. Around midnight, to be more precise. But the cold freshness of the wild was defeated by the busy warmth of the people of the town as it spread around. A popular commercial alley, in the capital, was still well lit up and busy, even as the darkness of the night gathered and intensified.
The sweet blend of all sorts of smells tickled my nostrils as I navigated around the city at night. One day, I'll have to make this city mine, I thought, so I need to know my land. Not today, though. I need to go and visit the royalty. But first, I got to hit back home. The old man's got something for me.
I did just that. The something the old man had for me was the same spell he had applied to me every week or so since we lived in the city. A magic seal that helped me conceal my monster-like aura, to prevent me from being found out. Tonight, I asked for the best concealing seal he had for me.
I needed to go someplace where I absolutely needed to be hidden. The old advisor, who had turned back Ho ho ho, was kind enough to give me what I asked— "Everything! Absolutely everything for my grandchild! Ho ho~!"
Then, after I braved the grandest gardens of the royal estate, I knocked on Elina's door. Or window, more like. After she opened a way for me into her apartments, the third princess forced a nervous laugh out of herself, pressed her lips together, and frowned her eyes at my sight.
"If it isn't Aoi again."
"Trouble yourself not over my coming to you, Lady," I theatrically said, with a playful-dramatic air, jumping in. The matter for which I had to pay the royalty a visit, tonight, had to do with my growth.
"Does it? Tell me."
As usual, the royalty was irritated. After I asked her about why she was always so upset, she reassured me and confessed she was always like this. "Ah. As long as you're aware of it."
No, she wasn't upset because of her private pet soldier, but if I said that again, she would start to. "Geh, that's all right."
So, as usual, the lady was irritated, but whenever we tackled the topic of me, her, the engagement we had together, and how she could help me grow more powerful, the girl calmed down.
My growth. Today, I did my homework. I was reminded of the urgent importance of my skills and abilities. I hunted, got more skills, realized obtaining more skills and leveling up was always the way to go, and ultimately decided to get more skills.
Since she seemed to be genuinely curious about it, I narrated to her the story of the past few days. The girl was excited to hear about the genius servant she had gotten herself. I decided not to disclose the bits about how I also killed dozens of her peasant people in the countryside, for the sake of farming EXP points, when I narrated my story.
Well, both she and I felt happy then. My grin couldn't be contained as the royalty kept leaning closer and closer to me, her eyes glowing with eagerness to learn more about her "awesome soldier's" abilities. After she heard everything, the lady was more eager yet:
"Of course, Aoi," she smiled. "I understand how it is. I shall book you a private master of any class you wish to train as. And don't thank me!" The girl energetically laughed, giving me her quick response. I felt grateful, but at the same time, I knew that she just went about doing what was in her interest. "If I help you today, you will come to my aid, too, in the future, believe me. Just as per our contract, my soldier." Coming to a realization, the lady suddenly eyed me and maintained strong eye contact. "'My' soldier, eh?" With desire, her lips parted. Still eyeing me, she lowered her voice and spoke carefully. "...I like the sound of that."
The day we met, after I told her I already had a caretaker and a "family" with whom I lived, the princess didn't hide her disappointment. I remember her saying she wished she had taken me in before some random old man did.
It wasn't an evident fact. To me, at the very least. I was desired. If people didn't hate and try to kill me, they saw value in me and tried to use it for themselves. I liked it. From the lady's perspective, I must have been a treasure. I was a treasure before, but then, I became her treasure.
To end her long stare, the girl licked her lips. It made me want to laugh. The vain, if not childish, attraction she felt toward my power was a cute thing to observe in someone.
"About those, uh, masters you propose to offer me in order to train, or something…" I said I didn't need them. She was quick to give me her answer, so what she offered me wasn't what I wanted from her. Now that I thought about it, it sure could be a nice plan to kidnap a few masters from their guilds, one by one, in order to steal all their skills and expertise, but I didn't need her help for that. What I needed was to ask questions. The royalty was curious to hear about what I needed. So I did ask questions.
What's powerful? That can also fly? But that's really, really powerful, too? And that she could give to me?
I used the excuse of "You have to help me to aid my growth," but I mostly wanted the royalty's help in order to just do what I wanted. Fly.
"If it doesn't have to breathe fire… then… um… a griffon?"
"And you always brag about your endless supply of cash, right?"
"Hehe~ You got me. For your sake, I do."
"You could buy me one?"
She marked a pause, thought about it carefully, and spoke. "If you ask for one, I shall give you, my soldier, three."
"Great."
That was it. I mostly came around to have her say that to me. Along with my white-headed griffon, I asked about the same kind of powerful creature but explained that this one had to have the ability to regenerate a lost limb, like a lizard, for instance.
This time, the royalty didn't have an answer for me. It was decided that I would look for this other monster-type I wanted elsewhere.
Our conversation ended. Discussion about my growth was over. I had to head out, by now. But no, I didn't. That was a secret though. The royalty didn't know. I might have gotten up from my seat, sent a smile her way, and jumped out her wide window with a bye-bye, but I made sure I got back to her, inside her apartments, while she didn't know.
My old man helped me with his concealing seal. Even without it, I imagine the royalty wouldn't pick my presence. She wasn't a trained mana-wielder. Then again, she might actually have, thanks to the magic pendant on her chest. At any rate, I didn't have to know. Sneaking right back in, I called off the Character, and shaped myself into a very tiny cute slime-ball with tiny legs and feet. Jump, jump, jump. After a never-ending struggle of sneaky leaping about, I managed to slip into the lady's wide, majestic robe. The quirky monster hid there. With [Mana Perception] to watch my surroundings, I mentally sighed.
If I needed another reason to justify my presence at the royalty's, the System gave me one. It happened a while back, while I was still hunting outside, busying myself with the work of death, and it was different. It was a quest, or something resembling a quest anyway.
The System called it "'???' — Side Mission. Gather information: Sneak in, and follow Princess Elina to where she is summoned."
And that was just it. Usually, quests had contents. The contents described them. The contents described a quest, let the Player know more about its background, and told a little story. This "Side Mission" thing didn't have any of that. It was linked to a Main Quest I already got — ? "???" Main Quest — Become the King. 0/1 ? — but the mentioned quest didn't have any description either.
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