Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Everyone Else is a Regressor (72)

The exploration of the ruins ended prematurely due to a surge of unforeseen variables.

There was much to reflect on, and many things to reconsider regarding future plans.

Nevertheless, the party members who originally belonged to the Light Faction somehow returned safely, and the Werewolf who longed for freedom survived and came into the world of light.

Of course, Lora, who was bitten by a Vampire, and the long Werewolf lineage would face many hardships before being fully accepted in this world.

"Is it really such an issue? Then, let's live together for the time being."

When KiJun declared without much hesitation, the movements of nica, the lord's daughter and butler, who was passing tea to Lora, and Lora, who was receiving the teacup, abruptly stopped.

On the other hand, Gin, who was blowing on his portion of tea, didn't seem surprised since it had already been decided that he would live with KiJun, and he clenched his fists tightly and exclaimed.

"Leave the housework to me! In my family, I was the one who took care of cleaning and laundry!"

"What about cooking?"

"I can cook too, but the dishes made by Jun are tastier. Hehe."

Seeing Gin, who seemed to have regained some of his original innocence, KiJun couldn't help but snicker.

Then, noticing nica and Lora frozen in place, he glanced at In, who was sipping his tea as if nothing had happened, and asked.

"Do you know why they're acting like this?"

"I think I know. But if I say it, my life might be in danger, so I won't."

"What kind of ability of mine, unknown even to me, could be putting you in danger...?"Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

KiJun sighed deeply and tapped the table to 'restart' nica and Lora.

"I wouldn't insist if it makes you uncomfortable, but my standing in Turris is quite favorable. Living with me wouldn't subject you to strange looks from others. If In also lives with us, it could give off the vibe of sharing lodgings with party members, making it even more natural. Is that not okay with you, Lora?"

"No, it's not that I dislike it! It's just too overwhelming!"

Finally thawing from her frozen state, Lora exclaimed with a trembling voice.

nica, who started moving as well, hurriedly tried to stop him.

"Jun, weren't you uncomfortable living with many people? If you wish to accommodate the party members, I can arrange rooms for them in the lord's mansion. No one would dare to cast strange looks then!"

"Ah, about feeling uncomfortable..."

KiJun pondered over that part.

Truth be told, if he were to live with Lora, In, and nica, he would have to give up hiding his identity from them.

However, believing that these individuals, each bearing the pain of their own races, would accept him even if they knew his origins were human, he hadn't really worried about it.

"...Jun?"

The problem was nica.

Revealing his identity to the newly formed party members was one thing, but it seemed somewhat unfair to keep it from nica, who had just started assisting him with sincerity.

Meanwhile, nica, sensing KiJun's dilemma and roughly understanding his thoughts, slightly hardened her expression and took a step back.

"There were matters you wished to discuss with the party members. Then, I shall take my leave for today. You mentioned wanting to visit the forge tomorrow, so I'll see you by 11 a.m."

"No, nica. Stay."

"Y-Yes."

KiJun inadvertently called her by her name.

But she was probably just waiting for him to say that.

Seeing her quickly return to her spot, KiJun, somewhat flabbergasted, asked her.

"Can you keep a secret from the lord?"

"To be honest, I'm not particularly close to the lord. I will keep the secret."

"I thought about telling the lord too, but it seems unnecessary to go that far Well, anyway, good."

As KiJun touched the mask covering his face, all members instinctively swallowed and focused their gaze on him.

What's with this atmosphere, as if I should add sound effects?

Dum-dum-dum-dum...

'No, it's okay. Never mind, Lucy.'

Feeling the atmosphere becoming too tense, KiJun quickly removed the mask.

His skin, previously flushed red, returned to its human color, and his blazing eyes also reverted to normal.

His red hair turned back to black, settling down revealing KiJun, who, on the outside, appeared to be just a normal human.

'If only the Light Man race showed more outward signs, I wouldn't have needed to disguise myself.'

Hehe, perhaps that's due to the Contractor's will.

KiJun placed the mask on the table and awkwardly smiled at those who were silently observing him.

"In truth, I am human. To be precise, a Rare-grade Light Man, but my foundation as a human hasn't changed."

The notion that the human race, even with growth, is inherently limited is widespread in Leta.

Due to the racial characteristics, it's believed that dramatic physical, magical, or spiritual changes are unlikely, leading to the misconception that their growth is inherently limited.

If they knew just how incredible the Light Magic that constitutes KiJun now is, such thoughts would vanish instantly.

"I've been told that revealing my human identity could complicate things, by a merchant I have an exclusive contract with. That's when I got an item perfect for disguising my race and started using it. I refused to stay at the lord's mansion because I was worried about my identity being exposed."

"Jun..."

"That's all there is to it. If you're disappointed to find out I'm human I'm sorry."

*Sigh*

For some reason, Lora fainted again.

As In expected, he caught her and laid her on the sofa, then silently nodded at KiJun.

"I had suspected you were not merely a Flame Human. You were too dearly loved by the light."

"Ah, right. While we're at it, let me introduce her. Lucy?"

Hello! From today on, I'll be eating at the same table too!

Lucy, as if waiting for her cue, hopped onto the table, making her presence known.

KiJun briefly explained Lucy's identity and his own abilities to the bewildered party.

"Spirit Magic... It's more surprising that you're not a Flame Human but that. So 'Ur,' what we knew as the Flame Beast, is also a spirit."

"Correct. Lucy is a Light Spirit, and Ur is a Fire Spirit."

Kiiii!

After finishing his explanation, KiJun looked around the party with an awkward smile.

He had been focused solely on the expedition's details and hadn't grasped how their venture might be judged...

"From the outside, it might look like we fled from a failed expedition."

"That's exactly right. The master has naturally set the stage for you to prove in public that your expedition wasn't a failure."

KiJun felt both remorse and admiration.

Dwarves... were the epitome of attentiveness?!

However, Glittertos didn't care what KiJun was thinking and simply urged him to show what they had obtained from the expedition.

"Alright... First off, these are the Werewolf's claws."

"Werewolf? You've been dealing with some bizarre creatures again. It was very wise of you to bring their claws..."

Glittertos, incredulous at the items presented, blinked a few times, then, likely due to some item appraisal feature in his monocle, meticulously examined them.

"Can't believe it's actually Unique?"

Then, dismissing it with a scoff, he looked at KiJun, who was keeping a composed face, and chuckled.

"Of course, you wouldn't just beat up some low-level Werewolves."

"I didn't bring out the ones below Rare grade, but would you need those?"

"What kind of question is that? Bring out everything above Uncommon grade. Looks like I need to raid the treasury today."

The dwarf sealed a huge deal with a hearty laugh.

By then, the onlookers, who had been sneaking peeks, began murmuring that the expedition might not have been a failure after all.

"Need a Werewolf heart too?"

"Is it Unique grade?"

"Yeah."

"It's the best catalyst. I'll buy all above Rare grade."

In fact, the loot obtained by KiJun's comrades, not killed during battle, slightly declined in quality, and in the case of the last Werewolf, Quinodon, Gin had dealt with it personally, leaving no loot.

Nonetheless, after selling all the loot from the Werewolves, KiJun recovered the 2,500 gold spent on buying full plate armor here and even amassed an additional 2,000 gold.

Of course, he had to share some with the party members, but even considering that, it was a significant amount.

"Werewolves... are expensive."

"High-grade corpses are always in demand. Not to mention these are Werewolves were talking about."

KiJun inwardly applauded himself for not reacting and nica for pretending not to hear.

"Next up is..."

It was time for the Moonlight Stones.

Naturally, the dwarf flipped out again.

"This is a new material! I'm losing my mind, really!"

As the dwarf clapped silently, an attendant rushed over.

"Bring the treasury here! Now!"

"Calm down. I can't sell all of this."

"I know, but I wanted to express my wish for you to sell as much as possible!"

Moonlight Stones contain the power of the moon.

Although they enhance Vampires and Werewolves, that also means they're effective for Lora and Gin, who have become fixed members of KiJun's party.

Thus, KiJun planned to either make new equipment for the two or enhance their existing gear with Moonlight Stones.

He also wanted to keep a few samples...

Fortunately, they had mined a large quantity of Moonlight Stones at the mine they visited to obtain moon-infused silver, allowing Glittertos to purchase a satisfactory amount.

This added another 5,000 gold to KiJun's coffers.

"Are you really okay with this?"

"Do you want to know what Im thinking? Today's a big day for the dwarf community."

Glittertos responded seriously to KiJun's concern about being overpaid.

In fact, nica also seemed to think they could have gotten more, so it seemed Glittertos wouldn't go bankrupt.

"More?"

Glittertos grinned.

"You didn't just bring things to sell, right?"

"Youre sharp. From now on, these are not for sale. I brought things I want to commission."

"I've been waiting. As long as I can get my hands on it, that's all that matters!"

KiJun, as if waiting for this moment, brought out the moon-infused silver, 'Silver Moonstone'.

It was a lump of ore from which he could extract about 2 kilograms of pure silver even after removing impurities.

"......"

The dwarf was speechless, coveting it.

"Divide it into three. One for coating a blade, one for a gun, and one for adding to my future shield."

Hearing his words, Lora and Gin, who had accompanied him to the forge, perked up their ears.

The two looked at him with moved expressions, but KiJun, now used to it, ignored them.

"This... such a treasure..."

Glittertos, seemingly not interested in conversing, rubbed his cheek against the Silver Moonstone with a grotesque expression.

KiJun poked him with a wry look.

"Hey, there's more."

"Nothing can surpass this... This 'Silver Moonstone' is a miraculous substance that won't appear again in this world... The god of minerals must have blessed me...!"

"Really? More amazing than a divine beast?"

"Wait a moment."

Glittertos quickly came to his senses and adjusted his posture.

"Say that again, VIP. Keep in mind that your remarks could upgrade your customer status to VVIP."

That day, Glittertos Forge was literally turned upside down.

The news that a Legendary-grade divine beast had appeared and that Jun, the Flame Human, had captured it spread throughout Turris in no time, and faster than KiJun anticipated, it spread across Gratia, making him known to everyone in the region.

KiJun became a VVIP customer of Glittertos Forge.

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