Everyone Else is a Regressor
Chapter 73

◈ Everyone Else is a Regressor (73)

KiJun's party was strengthened without a trace left by the byproducts of the dark beast Hati, the Moon-Swallowing Wolf.

Initially, the plan was to use the leather (U+) for Gin's under armor, long leather jackets and pants, and protective gear to be worn under Lora's priestly garments...

"Um, I think I'll be fine without clothes."

"Lora?"

It was Lora herself who refused.

Despite being incredibly shy, she insisted without backing down.

"I just need gloves and boots. Ah... and maybe."

"And?"

"A corset perhaps...?"

The men didn't understand her request at all.

However, Única seemed to recall something and after whispering to Lora for a moment, she soon asked the master to call for a female leather craftsman.

"It seems we'll just need to make a corset, gloves, and boots for Miss Lora."

"If Lora wants it, that's fine but."

Of course, KiJun had heard that soldiers going into battle wore corsets to protect their waist and abdomen, but it was still a surprising and sudden request.

Tightening the corset too much could be harmful to one's health and even make fighting difficult, especially since Lora's waist was already slender.

As KiJun pondered how to express this concern without offending her, the craftsman arrived and began consulting with Lora in earnest.

Glittertos watched the scene from a distance and then turned to KiJun to ask.

"To make a corset, metal is needed for the frame. Do we have a metal that matches this magnificent leather?"

"Hmm... maybe this would work?"

KiJun pulled out one of Hati's ribs (L) he had harvested.

When he also poured out the beast's teeth (U+), no one else mentioned the need for any other metal.

"So with this leather, we'll make the hero's under armor, and for the wolf-eared guy, a jacket and pants... With the scraps, we can make at least one pair of gloves. We'll split the moonstone into three pieces to coat the weapons... and use moonstone for all the finishing touches..."

As Glittertos busily planned the work, he suddenly clicked his tongue.

"Of course, the leather is good, but if we had only taken the bones, we could have made a full plate armor set."

"I didn't think that far when butchering. But are bones alone enough to replace metal?"

"A person planning to make a shield out of a Dullahan's head is asking this?"

Convinced by Glittertos's words, KiJun nodded in agreement.

"Next time, I'll just bring back the bones. Make a splendid full plate armor with them."

"It sounds like you're already eyeing the next beast to hunt."

"......"

KiJun remained silent, exercising his right to remain silent.

Glittertos, unable to force the new VVIP member to speak, hummed a tune, confident that he would handle a divine beast's materials again.

Yet, KiJun had one last material left from the beast, the claws of the Moon-Swallowing Wolf, which he had extracted in real-time during the hunt, combining the eight claws into a massive clump.

"Can this be added to my shield?"

"Wow, it's amazing. Truly."

While the U+ grade materials were certainly impressive, Glittertos felt the true presence of a divine beast's materials in this most potent substance, aside from the beast's heart that Gin had already consumed.

"With the Dullahan's head, a Monoceros's horn, and the Moon-Swallowing Wolf's claws, and moonstone for the finishing touches... I must complete it, even if it seems impossible."

"Do you need more materials or catalysts?"

"Moonlight stone should suffice. Anything more is unnecessary. Just blending these contradictory materials is challenging enough."

Recognizing the value of this endeavor, Glittertos grinned and clenched his fists.

"But it will be a major project that takes months, so let's finish the other things first. Starting with that absurdly large handgun."

First, Glittertos extracted pure 'moonlight' and divided it into three.

He disassembled Vladimir, repaired its tiny components to perfection.

Admired the cross filled with divine grace.

Replated the rest with moonlight, excluding that part.

Called enchanters and priests to adjust the various enhancement enchants and blessings on Vladimir, ensuring no issues arose.

"U+ grade... I couldn't increase the grade. Well, it was already an extraordinary gun. What about bullets? Are you using magic bullets?"

"I've learned the magic bullet skill, but I plan to create and use my own bullets. I'll make them myself. I learned from my father."

"Excellent. Oh, hand over that shotgun too. I'll strengthen it with moonlight."

After perfectly handling Vladimir (U+), the magical shotgun (U), and the crossbow (R), Glittertos eyed the massive battle axe on Gin's back.

"I should take a look at that too. Hand it over."

"Ah, this is a keepsake from my mother. I'd like to keep it as is..."

"The blade is fine, but the handle won't last long. I'll just replace the handle for you."

Only a small part of the rib KiJun had presented was used for the corset.

Glittertos refined the rest to use as a haft, fixed the axe blade to it, and even added Hati's teeth (U+) to reinforce the blade and apply magical enhancements.

Eventually, the axe, originally of rare grade, became unique grade, to Gin's satisfaction.

"Next is the lady's turn."

"Here... it is."

"Ah, that sword. It looks like a masterpiece just by looking at it... Oh my."

The sword that Carmilla had wielded―now Lora's weapon―was named Rotten Moon.

It was a name dripping with Carmilla's peculiar taste, but the horror wasn't limited to the name.

"The murderous intent is overwhelming..."

"I can suppress it with my power."

"No, let me sharpen the blade anew."

Glittertos carefully covered the blade of Rotten Moon with moonlight and meticulously sharpened it on the spot.

He refined the rampant murderous intent, somehow cramming it into the thin blade and delicately shaping it.

As the sacred task concluded, Lora, set to wield Rotten Moon as a priestess of Ishtar, personally blessed the weapon.

"Oh, the grade increased slightly. It's U+ grade now."

"Thank you...!"

"I sense a formidable karma from this sword. And that gun. As you and your owner accumulate more karma, you might eventually reach legendary status."

Hearing Glittertos's offhand remark after diligently adjusting the weapons, both Gin and Lora's expressions hardened.

They each had their own thoughts.

'Whether it's affection or hatred, the deeper the emotions imbued in a weapon, the more it gets stimulated.'

Satisfied with their reactions, Glittertos turned to KiJun and said.

"VVIP, the armors will be delivered as soon as they're completed. As I mentioned earlier, the shield will take some time, so keep using the one I gave you."

"Alright, Glittertos. I'm counting on you."

Having disposed of all the loot from the ruins and entrusted the creation of weapons and armor, KiJun felt relieved as if he had finished a pile of laundry.

Exiting the workshop, KiJun, resolved to make Hati rib stew for dinner, hummed a tune, stopped by Única.

"Mr. Jun, you need to visit the Mercenary Guild."

"Ah―right. Lora, Gin. Will you go ahead without me?"

"Understood!"

"We'll be training hard...! So much that you'll be surprised when you return!"

Lora and Gin, whose statuses had amplified with their race change and who had just renewed their arms, appeared to have grown significantly on the outside, but their foundations were somewhat lacking.

KiJun, for their rapid growth, devised a perfect plan based on the training he had undergone with Bice, and the two, who revered him greatly, would follow it without complaint, no matter how challenging.

As the two pledged to devote themselves to training and headed back to the villa, Lucy murmured in a distant voice.

―So this is how the legacy of hellish training is passed down.

'Shh.'

Arriving at the guild with Única, they were greeted by the now-familiar face of the administrative officer, who led them to a room where the master of the Turris Mercenary Guild was also present.

The master, a middle-aged man with an unexpectedly ordinary aura, wouldn't have reached his position if he were truly ordinary.

After exchanging greetings and taking their seats, the guild master spoke first.

"Though unintended, I apologize for deceiving the hero of Turris... and thank you for protecting Lora."

"Is it about Lora's...?"

"No, not that."

The master hurriedly shook his head at KiJun's stunned look. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ ɴovᴇlꜰirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"Lora was adored by all guild members. She's the sister of In, who is highly trusted in the guild... Despite her young age, she possesses such immense divine power that her future was very promising."

"Lora might find it difficult to continue serving as a priestess in the mercenary guild from now on. I'm sorry."

"I never thought someone as talented as Lora would stay in such a confined guild. Please take good care of her."

After some more trivial conversation, he got to the main point.

"Anyway, with this incident, we've secured solid evidence that a vampire assault on the Gratia Kingdom is imminent. We're already gathering those within the Gratia Kingdom who will move in concert with us, along with the lord."

"It's good that things are moving quickly."

"I heard from the lord about plans to infiltrate the Vampire Kingdom directly."

KiJun looked at Única, who reassuringly nodded back.

KiJun also nodded and shared the truth with him.

"That's right. I've gained the ability to track them."

KiJun had previously discovered a way to enter the Vampire Kingdom's realm through an alternate space in the ruins where the vampire had stayed.

Now that Lora could track Carmilla's location, they were in a position to infiltrate the Vampire Kingdom and precisely attack its leadership.

"We'll need to form a suicide squad. We can't move in large numbers, but we can form about four elite parties..."

"It'll be the highest difficulty quest in the history of the Gratia Mercenary Guild's establishment."

The administrative officer, chuckling, turned to KiJun and said.

"I'll fill any vacancies quickly. Considering your name has spread throughout Gratia, talents will naturally flock to you."

"Throughout Gratia? I haven't done anything worthy of that yet."

"You didn't know?"

KiJun tilted his head in confusion, and the administrative officer, with wide eyes, said.

"The rumor that you hunted a divine beast has already spread among the summons."

"...I just came out of the forge?"

"Retaphone, you know."

Laughing, the administrative officer's words were half-believed by KiJun.

But by then, the rumor that Jun, the Flame Human, had hunted a divine beast was already spreading beyond Gratia throughout Reta.

In the office of the deputy master on the second floor of the Ars Mercenary Guild, a small city in the east of the Gratia Kingdom.

deputy master Bella let out a low exclamation as she checked the neatly organized reports and the evidence attached―loot from the vampires.

"You've organized this thoroughly. Even including one of our guild staff. We definitely can't overlook this."

"I knew the deputy master would say that."

JiHye, the brain of YeMin's party and a mage, answered with a faint smile.

Bella chuckled at her response.

"I thought you'd take this seriously... So you waited for the chance to report directly to me, skipping other staff members. A young human, quite bold, aren't you?"

"It's well-known that Ars's mercenary guild's Bella values fairness and discipline."

JiHye smoothly flattered, though in truth, she had sent EunShin to spy in the guild and choose the person most likely to listen to them!

"You must have heard I'm difficult and strict."

"Yes, so I thought I could trust you. It seems there's a trend in this guild to look down on us humans."

Originally, YeMin was supposed to be here.

With her high charm, attracting NPCs' favor and creating quests out of nowhere, YeMin was perfect for the job.

However, fearing YeMin's charm might negatively affect Bella's character, JiHye stepped in, and fortunately, it seemed to work well enough.

"You think you can say that directly to me, the guild's deputy master?"

"I thought it best to be honest with you, deputy master. I apologize if I was rude."

"No―it's okay. You're not wrong. No need to beat around the bush when we both know what's going on."

Bella, otherwise similar to humans, had notably pointed ears on both sides.

Despite her very young and beautiful appearance, with smooth blond hair, making her seem like a fairy straight out of a storybook―there was a reason she was called the most fearsome being in the guild.

She sharply discerns lies and quickly grasps the essence of beings.

Those with even a hint of deceit tend to avoid her.

"To be honest, I heard about this from an acquaintance. So I could more easily believe your words."

"You already knew... about the vampire appearance?"

"In the west, Turris."

Bella briefly answered and then pressed her forehead as if her head was throbbing.

"But I never expected them to extend their reach to Ars, so close to the capital. With this development, I might need to seriously meet with the lord of Turris..."

"Um, if there's anything our party can help with? Having encountered vampires directly here, we can provide testimony, and we're quite confident in combat for humans..."

"That's not necessary."

Bella lightly dismissed JiHye's sly attempt to expand the quest and leaned in close to the disappointed JiHye, saying.

"Instead, how about coming to me? I like the way you work."

"Me?!"

JiHye, surprised by the unexpected scout offer not even aimed at YeMin, stepped back. As she rambled about already having a party and being quite satisfied with it, Bella seemed regretful and said.

"How about this? Work as my attendant until this matter is resolved. I'll likely need to be on the move a lot. I might even need to visit Turris..."

"Um, then my party members..."

"I'll make sure the guild members treat your party members better for now. If this escalates, your party members might get a good 'quest' and join the operation."

But if JiHye refused Bella's offer, all those opportunities would vanish.

Faced with an offer she couldn't refuse, JiHye reluctantly nodded, also secretly pleased that someone as great as Bella needed her help.

'Sorry, Uncle Soo, this is just a momentary goodbye...'

This is all for the growth of our party, so Uncle Soo would understand, right?

I might not see him for months, but he might miss me a bit, right?

...It's not just me who's sincere, right?

"Ah, but deputy master Bella. You mentioned the west, right?"

"The small city of Turris in the west. It's about the same size as Ars but much more interesting. You'll like it too, JiHye."

"Actually, our party is looking for someone who's likely in the west of the Gratia Kingdom."

"Oh, then that's even better. I'll give you some free time, so why don't you look around there?"

"Yes, I'll do that."

Yes, this way, even Min can understand.

She might even jump at the chance to go instead.

JiHye thought so and smirked.

Afterward.

Of course, YeMin, eager to join, had to be persuaded by JiHye, who argued that they couldn't leave now that the guild's treatment had improved.

...Especially since Bella wouldn't cover the expensive teleport gate fees for YeMin's party too.

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