“Urgh…. Not yet?”
Lloyd trembled as he painfully continued his squats.
“You are almost done.”
“I feel like you have been saying that for a while now…Urgh!”
[Lloyd]
[Level 1: 99/100]
“You really are almost done.”
“Ugh…. What exactly is almost done….”
Would there be some sort of effect when he leveled up?
Henrik watched Lloyd with eyes full of anticipation.
[Lloyd]
[Level 2: 0/200]
‘Oh! Finally!’
“You did it!”
“Urgh…What exactly did I do….”
“Good. Rest now.”
The instant the words left Henrik’s mouth, Lloyd collapsed flat onto the ground.
“Gah…This shitty exercise had better have an effect….”
“Can you not feel any effect?”
“I only feel like I am about to die, so what…Huff.”
So leveling up did not cause anything visibly noticeable.
Still, he had definitely grown. He was only weak right now because he had spent all his strength; after eating and coming to his senses, he might be a little different.
“Lucy, where are you~?”
At Henrik’s call, Lucy’s face became exceedingly uncomfortable as he rested at ease in the shade.
“…Will you not come here quickly?”
“……Mew.”
Lucy ambled over.
Henrik vigorously stroked Lucy’s head as he spoke.
“You know you have work to do, right?”
“…Mew.”
“Lloyd, there is a reason I brought Lucy here.”
Lloyd, who had been lying down and panting, lifted only his head slightly at the name Lucy and looked at Henrik.
“This fellow can actually use magic.”
“……”
Without a single response, Lloyd lay back down.
“Lucy, I do not think he believes you.”
“Mrrrow…. Meow.”
After letting out a sigh, Lucy soon gently closed his eyes. His mouth fell slightly open without his noticing.
‘Let us see you show what you can do.’
Fine green light soon began to radiate from Lucy’s body.
The light slowly moved toward Lloyd.
“…?”
Feeling his body grow warm, Lloyd raised his head again and looked at Lucy.
“It is true…?”
The light extending from Lucy completely enveloped Lloyd and softly flickered for a while.
And when the light disappeared,
“…I think the pain in my legs is gone?”
“What do you think? He is an amazing cat, is he not?”
“Mew.”
Henrik mercilessly stroked Lucy’s head.
“…Mew.”
“I have never heard of a cat like this. Is he some sort of Divine Beast?”
He was not a Divine Beast. He was merely a demon—the troublemaker of Hell, at that.
“Hm…Something like that? He is such a wondrous animal that he will stand out and become the subject of rumors anyway, but do not go spreading it all over town.”
“I do not have that kind of hobby.”
For a while, Lloyd stared blankly at Lucy.
“…Henrik, you truly are not an ordinary person. Did you find Lucy while you were out adventuring as well?”
“That is right. He is my longtime companion.”
As he said that, Henrik scratched Lucy’s head.
Moving his head, Lucy adjusted his position so Henrik would scratch the itchy spot properly.
“I had heard that the Four Legendary Adventurers, including you, had once set out on an adventure together with outstanding companions.”
The Four Legendary Adventurers, including Henrik. Anyone interested in adventuring knew the rumor that they had set out in search of valuable treasure.
Of course, very few people knew that the item they were looking for had been the Orb.
In any case, that was an old story now. Several years had already passed, and people no longer spoke of it.
“Henrik, I knew the rumor that you alone had barely returned alive. But Butler Rondal said that even you had soon died of illness.”
“It is as I told you then. Father lied to protect me.”
“…Is Butler Rondal truly dead?”
“That is right.”
“…I had thought Butler Rondal would come looking for me someday.”
Was that the strength that had sustained Lloyd, who lived on because he could not die?
“To think you can make a friend out of such a wondrous animal. I would like to go adventuring too.”
“Adventure is good, but if that is your reason, you do not need to go as far as adventuring.”
“Hm?”
“Lucy will be with you from now on.”
“…Mew?”
Lucy looked at Henrik as if to say, ‘What bullshit are you talking about?’
“What do you mean?”
“I brought Lucy because I intend to leave him with you for a while. Of course, Lucy’s owner will still be me, but you will live together for the time being.”
“I would be glad to, but…. Why?”
“You just saw the effect of Lucy’s magic, correct? This cat will help with your training from now on. Is that right, Lucy?”
Henrik vigorously ruffled Lucy’s fur.
“…Meow, meow, meow. Mew, mew.”
It seems this fellow has something he wants to say.
“Sir Lloyd! Shall I prepare dinner? Sir Henrik is here too. Please come inside together!”
Ben seemed busy with the inn’s work. Having delivered the message, he immediately disappeared.
“Lucy and I are not hungry. We already ate.”
“…Mew?”
“Really? Lucy looks hungry.”
“It is just your imagination.”
“…I see. All right. Then I will be back shortly.”
Even as he headed toward the inn, Lloyd glanced back at Lucy several times.
Once he disappeared from sight, Lucy opened his mouth, which had been stifled until then.
“Hess—no, Henrik. You have some explaining to do.”
“That boy is the blade that will bring down Nightmare.”
“He looks as though he will collapse from malnutrition any moment. What are you talking about?”
Henrik explained as concisely as possible.
That the Forbidden Skill only Lloyd could learn was Nightmare’s sole weakness.
“Did you not say that Nightmare is human? How can a mere human have only one weakness?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“Hmph, leave it to me. I will finish him in a single strike…Damn it.”
Lucy still seemed not to have fully adapted to his own form.
“Argh, if only I had eaten the red fruit, I could have burned a fellow like that with Hellfire…!”
“It would be useless.”
“What do you know?”
“If it were that easy, I would have led the Dark Order’s subordinates and slit that bastard’s throat long ago.”
Nightmare might be called the Leader, but many of his subordinates did not even believe he truly existed.
So if Hess, the one who held the real power, launched a coup, there was a strong chance everyone would join him.
Most of the subordinates knew how to survive in the Dark Order. They knew they had to follow Hess, who stood above the rules.
“Fine. So all we have to do is make sure that little brat can learn the Forbidden Skill, correct?”
“That is right. Easy to understand, is it not?”
“Then should you not take every bit of time you have for the organization and invest it in the little brat?”
It was not such a simple problem.
“If I do not properly carry out the organization’s activities, Nightmare will notice something strange. If he investigates me, he will discover that there is a child named Lloyd whom I meet with.”
There was no problem with Hess walking around alone during the day. Everyone assumed he was training, gathering information, or committing evil deeds.
But the fact that there was someone he met with regularly could draw Nightmare’s attention.
“Hm…. In that case, Lloyd might be eliminated before he even learns the skill. Is that it?”
If Nightmare realized that Lloyd and I were in cahoots, that was surely what would happen.
‘That is why I have to raise him in secret.’
With time, the day would come when Nightmare himself learned Lloyd’s true identity.
Then, if anything, he would not think to kill Lloyd. Seeing Lloyd as a fledgling, he would not consider him a threat.
He would merely think that he should obtain information about the Forbidden Skill through Lloyd.
That was why Nightmare would send Hess to Lloyd in disguise.
“That is right. I will be eliminated along with him. That is why I need you.”
“Hmm?”
“From now on, stay by Lloyd’s side as his partner. Even while I am back with the organization, you will take care of him.”
Using magic to assist Lloyd’s training was not all that Lucy had to do.
A messenger who would tell me what happened to Lloyd while I was away.
And, in an emergency, protecting Lloyd would be Lucy’s role as well.
“Hmph, how tiresome. To think I must look after that little brat.”
“It is hardly compensation, but you will be quite comfortable while staying at this inn. The meals are good too.”
“You have a big mouth for a human who is keeping me from eating right now.”
“That is because it looked like you had something you wanted to say to me.”
After finishing his meal, Lloyd appeared again.
Normally, he would have returned to his room, but today his behavior was a little different.
“Lucy, are you really not hungry? Your expression does not look good at all.”
Does this bastard have some kind of ability to commune with animals?
“Mew….”
“Ah, it seems Lucy grew hungry in that short time too. Would you like to eat, Lucy?”
“Meow.”
Hearing that cry, Lloyd, who had been approaching, immediately turned on his heel and spoke.
“Wait. I will bring some.”
‘I am hungry too. Does he even look at my face?’
Henrik tightly held back the words he wanted to say until Lloyd was out of sight.
Once Lloyd was finally gone from view,
“It seems that boy likes you, Lucy.”
“Do not call me Lucy. That name truly pisses me off.”
“He is not someone who shows affection that easily. In any case, this is good. I had been worried whether you and Lloyd would get along.”
“Have you decided to ignore what I say?”
There had been a description that Lloyd liked animals, but I had not expected it to this extent.
He brought food in something like a dog bowl.
The food itself was exactly the same as what people ate, but it was likely what Lucy had wanted.
“Munch, munch….”
“You are eating well. Is there anything I should be careful of? Something I must not feed Lucy, perhaps?”
There was.
“There probably will not be an occasion to feed him any, but he does not drink Holy Water.”
“Really? It cannot taste much different from ordinary water.”
“He is a wondrous animal. And….”
That likely would not be possible either.
“He does not like churches very much. Or sacred ruins, or anything like that.”
“He is unusual.”
“He is a wondrous animal.”
One final thing.
“And I do not think you would do this, but do not commit evil acts such as stealing.”
“I would never. But why? Will he scratch me if I steal?”
“No. Lucy will gladly steal with you.”
“…?”
“Things could get out of hand, so do not do bad things. He is a wondrous animal.”
“…He is too wondrous.”
By the time Lucy finished eating, the sun had completely set.
Lloyd began doing squats by himself again, despite not having been told to.
‘If he keeps following along this well, there should not be a major problem, but….’
These peaceful days would not last very long.
‘Once he gains even a little bit of real strength, that fellow will become a troublemaker in earnest.’
His parade of disasters would wear out even his teachers.
That was how he would end up alone. Not because a teacher told him to come down from the mountain, but because his teacher came down from the mountain first.
‘Still, that is not bad in its own way.’
I had found that part enjoyable, after all.
“It feels like I am using less strength than before. Lucy’s magic is amazing.”
“Mew.”
I think it is because you leveled up rather than that.
“That is good.”
“But how long do I have to keep doing this boring thing?”
“I was already thinking of teaching you swordsmanship soon.”
Lloyd’s eyes lit up at those words.
“…Swordsmanship.”
“Of course, not yet. First, you need to put on a little more weight and build the stamina to swing a sword.”
But Lloyd did not hear the words that followed.
“Swordsmanship…!”
His mind filled with the things he would have to do after learning swordsmanship—no, the debts he would have to repay.