Chapter Fifty-Five: Taking Flight

Chapter Fifty-Five: Taking Flight

To make this whole looting thing more manageable, I asked the AI to mark waypoints over what we considered important. In terms of money, we found 34 gold, 22 silver, and 67 copper. For materials? A handful of iron and steel ore acquired from a couple of metal golems Oswell had killed a few weeks ago.

When we got to the wagon carrying the enchanting table, I just stashed that in my storage since I had the space for it, and we moved on to the fantastic equipment they had.

Kronto (4/4) Lighting Teleport (Lv. 3) Lightning Jump (Lv. 2) Lightning Dive (Lv. 4) Lightning Thrust (Lv. 6)

I took the obsidian-colored spear for myself. This thing was powerful. With the ability to teleport and leave behind a localized lightning bolt, someone experienced could wreak a shit load of havoc.

But that wasn’t all.

Mad Hatter (1/1) Berserk (Lv. 7)

Oswell’s warhammer weighed about forty pounds. It was hefty, and I could barely wield it with one hand with my newfound strength. The enchantment on it would, on demand, add the berserk status effect to the user, drastically increasing their physical damage while lowering their defense. And it often made the user unable to discern friend from foe. Risky but also very powerful. That went into my storage.

Disappointingly, Kvree’s shields were just regular shields. They were just heavily reinforced with steel and polished to an exceptional sheen.

We found a horned helmet hidden in Oswell’s tent. Made from steel and ivory, a red ruby sat in the middle. The helmet itself, not the ruby, was enchanted with {Physical Resistance (Lv. 4)} and {Physical Damage (Lv. 4)}. I threw it to Sekh, but it was too big. Fighting with it on would be too dangerous. She liked the style, though. If I could resize it, I would. Perhaps I could make that a goal?

We also found a lot of semi-powerful cores in Kvree’s tent. Didn’t have time to go through them, but after we had thoroughly searched, Sekh and I packed up our tent and walked to the wagon. We’d emptied it earlier to have enough space.

Primrose was still silent with Niva’s head in her lap. She softly rubbed her hair and, even now, continued to whimper slightly. She refused to meet my gaze, but that was fine. After assimilating the horses, I made a clone and ordered it to take the shape of a black horse. A series of vines connected it to the wagon.

And then?

There was just one more thing to do.

Burn the evidence.

Tivid knew [Fire Rain]. And since I had [Fire Magic], I could use the spell outright. Pulling out Reina’s gun, the firearm transformed almost into a living, breathing flame elemental. I held the trigger as it built up power and drained my mana, aimed up, and combined the targeting interface the skill provided with [Map] to increase its accuracy.

Releasing it caused a tremendous bolt of crimson to shoot high in the air. After reaching the apex, it exploded like a firework, sending down a torrential downpour of flaming rain. It was like watching an inferno monsoon sweep sweet destruction over the camp, burning memories and proof they were ever here away.

The glaring glow of crimson felt like it was still staring at us, even as the Clone!Horse started moving. The wagon itself was covered with a white tarp around it, but Primrose was probably staring with a heavy heart at the destruction.

Meanwhile, Sekh just sat beside me after she was finished looking. Her hands fished for mine, and we remained silent for a bit. No doubt she knew I was thinking everything over.

“Talk to me,” she whispered. Tilde flew from the back and landed on my shoulder.

“I...feel numb again. But it’s different... I don’t know how to explain it. Guess I’m still broken, huh?”

“I told you before. Broken things can be fixed. We’ll get there together, okay? Hey, I love you, Master,” Tilde whispered, kissing me on the cheek. I told her I loved her, and she flew to check on Erin.

“I’ll always be with you, my liege. Through it all, I’ll never leave your side,” Sekh said.

“Can you do something...for me?” Sekh nodded, and I indulged my selfishness by simply asking for her love.

In seconds, she straddled my waist and wrapped her hands around my neck. Sekh’s soft lips blessed my forehead, and she held my head between her boobs and lovingly stroked my head.

“I’ll love you until the end,” she whispered. I hugged her back and just...let myself fall asleep with her love and sweet scent to guide me.

With all of that spent, I was left with about 900 SP. But before I could use it...

SP gifting is now available.

The AI materialized as a rainbow-colored stone pillar that loved to jiggle, then explained that it was my right as the Transcendent Dark Lord to share SP with those that had pledged their loyalty to me. A new menu to help me with this option appeared in my Status Menu. Since that was the case, I decided to spend 400 SP so I could be left with an even 250 to go to Sekh and Niva when she woke up.

So, for me, I had to make an important decision. Increasing [Mana Regeneration] or [Photosynthesis] would allow me to fight longer with more powerful skills. I couldn’t upgrade my shapeshifting skill because it was considered a Divine Armament since it was a part of [Chimeric Mastery]. I desperately needed a gun and ammo—preferably making one of my own. And with this steel ore, I could craft a better mace and shield for Sekh.

So, it was easy. [Weapon Creation] and [Ammo Creation] went to Lv. 4, [Blacksmith] to Lv. 6, and since I wanted another loincloth, [Nature’s Workshop] to Lv. 6 as well, which brought me to 505 SP. Even if it made more sense to acquire more offensive skills, I had Kronto and the two-dozen new water and fire spells. With [Mana Language], I was a step closer to making my own, so that was good. With how much mana I had, I could probably handle the additional cost of using spells belonging to elements I didn’t know. The remaining problem was learning to cast and chant, which was a hurdle.

But Sekh and Niva came first. They were allies that needed all the SP they could, especially Niva.

A quick use of the Status Menu later, I distributed the SP as I said I would, leaving me with 5, then took a restful breath. “If it took days for my body to adapt to 100 SP, then shit... This might take a few weeks.”

“Hopefully, it won’t take that long, my liege.”

“Maybe. But the next time we spar, I’ll definitely be a match for you. I might even win this time.” Sekh just lightly laughed and kissed me.

About thirty minutes later, Erin woke up and poked her head out. She was confused about everything, so I had to explain her freedom. She wasn’t a slave any longer.

“But I will have your mother’s safe. All I need from you is the combination, and your debt to me will have been paid.”

“If...she hadn’t changed it, it’s 1738,” Erin said, giving the info without a struggle.

I asked if she had any questions about what I had to do to free her, but she seemed like a bright kid. She just shook her head. It felt like she wanted to ask if those people had to die. So, I answered her unasked question and tried to talk her through the emotions she was feeling.

"Speaking of killing,” I added. “Your mother is horrible. If you want her dead, I’ll do it after I plunder the safe.”

“NO!” she said, slightly shouting, which jutted Niva awake in a panic. She screamed and cried before remembering she was safe. Lei was nearby. The slime was shell-shocked and never once left its friend's side.

“Why not?” I asked, continuing the conversation as Sekh talked with Prim and Niva. She went to the back while Erin slid over. “She’s a dirty bitch who blamed you for my actions. And yes, I’ve been robbing your store for weeks. And no, I don’t feel bad. I only saved you because I need your help. If your mother was poor, I guess we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But what can you do? She sold her daughter into slavery, unable to believe her innocence, and now you want her to live? Sorry, but if I decide she has to die, she must die.”

“But she’s my mom! She’s the only one I have since I don’t have a dad!”

“That’s not my problem.”

“But... But... How am I going to survive? The shop and my mom are the only things I know. Without them, I... I... Hic... Wahhhh!!!” Erin started the waterworks again while I sighed.

“You won’t be alone. I know someone that can get you back on your feet. You don’t have to go back to that place. Now, go get some rest or sleep. We still have a few hours before reaching Ria.”

Erin returned to the back of the wagon and silently shed more tears. She believed her fate was sealed. After seeing what I could do, any chance of escape passing through her mind vanished. She knew I had no qualms about killing, so her life was technically still in danger, I suppose.

Tilde soon popped out and landed on my back, and I pulled out my flute and showed her my wings. “What???? They’re the same color as mine!!! Master, we match!!!” she said, flying all around.

“I’m glad you like it. Once I’m better at flying and [Song Magic], maybe we can have a race or something.” At [Song Magic] she caught onto what I was planning and winked, then said it was sure amazing [Song Magic] could do all that. Of course, the one problem was that I didn’t have anything other than [Flight], but maybe that was enough. Perhaps I could say I made a version of [Flight] that allowed me to store wings inside them?

Upon asking Tilde and Sekh if that was possible, I found delight when they nodded.