Chapter 73

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, nica 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."Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

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.

"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 attachedloot 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."

"Noit'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 storybookthere 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.

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried