Chapter 64 - Mid-Grade Expert (1)

Looking at Loraine somewhat reluctantly at the question of whether I was a regressor, Loraine calmly gazed at me and listed the reasons why she thought I was a regressor.

"I've been thinking it was strange since I was assigned to guard you in the North. Starting from how you, who was called a delinquent, suddenly came to your senses without any reason..."

She mentioned how I suddenly knew how to make extremely effective tea, how I was desperately focused on combat training that I had no interest in before, and how I suddenly clung to my fiancée with whom I had a bad relationship, smiling awkwardly.

"...Well, all sorts of things happen in the world, so up to this point could be explained. But what I really can't understand is the part about Daisy."

"..."

"Daisy. I mean, when you went to get the sun spirit, it felt like you were certain you could contract with the sun spirit."

Her guess that I was a regressor was wrong, but considering that she didn’t know this world was a novel, her deduction process itself was sharp.

As I was pondering how to answer such a question, Loraine continued speaking to me, "There's a lot more evidence besides this."

Seeing Loraine's somewhat confident gaze, I smiled bitterly and sighed inwardly.

What should I do about this?

There was too much at stake to tell the truth, but Loraine has brought too much evidence to lie.

...So while I was wondering what to do, Loraine looked at me and made a suggestion, "If it's difficult to answer, you don't have to... but could you tell me just one thing?"

"What is it?"

"Was I by your side until the very end, Young Master?"

Isn't this essentially asking me to tell her?

At those words, whose intent was so transparent, I smiled without realizing and said, "Well, I don't know because I'm not a regressor."

"...Is that so?"

"I can't be certain that I'm not a regressor, but I can't imagine a situation where you're not by my side."

"W-what?"

At my words, Loraine looked at me with a very flustered expression.

Blinking her eyes quickly, she hurriedly said to me, "W-what do you mean by that?"

"It means exactly what I said. I don't think you, Loraine, wouldn't be by my side."

"..."

Thinking this should be a sufficient answer, I was smiling, but Loraine seemed to have become even more confused, covering her head as if pulling her hair, and said, "S-so Young Master and I were that kind of relationship."

That kind of relationship...? 

Something about her intonation was strange.

To clear up the misunderstanding Loraine had built up, I added a few words, "I'm not sure, but maybe it's like being eternal allies? Well, I don't know since I haven't regressed."

Thinking this should have cleared up the misunderstanding, I looked at Loraine.

Loraine's face turned completely red, and she fidgeted, then took a step back and said to me, "I-Is that so! I see. Then I'll go for a moment? No, I mean, I have something to check? I'll go for a bit?"

Then she creaked like a broken machine, unable to gather her thoughts, and started running down the corridor with urgent steps.

Seeing Loraine like that, I realized a solid misunderstanding had built up, but realizing it was too late to explain, I laughed hollowly.

***

After such an incident, the next morning.

When I came to my senses, I saw Daisy, now as big as my face, clinging to my face while making "myeok" sounds.

Daisy was touching my nose and cheeks, giggling and looking at me.

As soon as I got up, she raised her arms in celebration and said something to me, "Myeong. Nya mid-grade daze...!"

She became mid-grade? 

Ah, it seems she rose to mid-grade spirit.

I patted Daisy's head, who was excited in front of me, and said, "You worked hard."

"Myeong!"

I felt a strange sense of relief seeing her still making "myeong myeong" sounds even though she had become a mid-grade spirit.

How should I put it, I think I'd miss it if Daisy stopped making "myeong myeong" sounds.

Of course, I was happy that we could communicate, so as I was looking at Daisy, who had grown too big to fit on one palm, Siren, who was beside me, made her messy hair stick up and said,

"...Now she's become an ultra-giant Pigsy fatty Pigsy."

"Myeok!?"

"Ultra-giant Pigsy."

It seemed they still fight even though she had become a mid-grade spirit.

I looked at the two making a ruckus, then slowly got up from the bed and smiled bitterly.

It might be a bit early to think this, having just risen to low-grade Expert, but... I should probably start rising to mid-grade too.

There were various reasons, but the biggest reason was that my fighting style was too “dependent on Daisy”.

It's not bad to borrow Daisy's power, but I'll probably have to face more enemies stronger than me in the future, so I need to raise my individual power as much as possible.

I always had to consider variables, so I needed to think about the possibility of not being able to borrow Daisy's power.

Furthermore, to use Daisy's power, I had to hold out against the enemy anyway…

It was uncertain whether I could hold out with my current self, so I needed to grow.

So it would be better to focus on training for a while.

Anyway, it would take some time for the seeds I had planted, like Elisia and other things, to sprout.

During that time, I decided to put everything aside and rise to mid-grade Expert as I stepped outside.

***

In the original work, there was a setting where Damian suddenly becomes strong.

When I read it, I thought it was because he suddenly bloomed with the talent of Dominic Carsaril, the Sword Master…

But experiencing it myself, I realized that no matter how talented one was, it was impossible to reach the highest grade of Expert in a short period with just talent alone.

Not only enlightenment, but physical abilities, technical growth, and experience need to come together.

Since there was a minimum threshold to rise to higher ranks, there must have been a clear reason why Damian, who hadn't even properly tried, let alone trained, rose to the highest grade Expert in a short period.

For example, a relic in the Carsaril family.

It was a story from the original work, but Damian, who encountered Dale, mentioned that he grew while enduring great pain for a long time to take revenge.

When I read it, I thought it was natural and passed over it without much thought, but thinking about it now, the mention of "a long time" was quite suspicious, and…

Furthermore, he said he didn't leave the mansion for a long time in a declining family.

There was a high possibility that the method to grow Damian was sleeping within the Carsaril family.

As I was thinking about this and pondering how to find it, Siren, who was beside me, tugged on my clothes and asked me a question, "Is something wrong?"

At Siren's question, I thought for a moment, then briefly summarized and asked Siren, just in case, "I was wondering if there might be an artifact or relic in this family that can twist the flow of time."

At my words, Siren thought for a moment, then looked blankly in one direction and said, "I can find it using search magic, but I need a few conditions."

"Conditions?"

"For example... the family head's permission?"

Certainly, if we engaged in such an act, there was a high possibility the family head would notice, so it would be better to talk in advance.

I pondered for a moment at those words and decided to meet the family head, then tried to pat Siren's head.

"The head is fine."

"Huh?"

"Now pat my cheeks."

Siren grabbed my hand and made me rub her cheeks, saying, "This is warmer."

I was not sure if it was my imagination, but she had been strangely proactive since meeting Ruen.

I was a bit flustered by Siren's behavior and nodded.

Touching Siren's warm and soft cheeks, I said, "Then I'll be back."

"Okay."

Siren's expression brightened strangely, and she nodded and waved at me.

I thought she was cute as always and was about to go to the family head's room when suddenly, a question quickly crossed my mind, and I hurriedly asked Siren, "Wait, is the reason for getting permission from the family head because we'll be detected if we use search magic?"

"Yeah. Sword Masters are extraordinary beings, so it's difficult to use search magic without being detected."

At those words, a strong question struck my mind.

Wait, then why isn't the Grand Duke of the North taking any action?

The Grand Duke of the North was also a Sword Master, but not only did he not react when I caused rifts in the North or threw shadow bombs,

According to Siren, someone at the Sword Master level should be able to notice if an artificial sun is embedded in someone's body.

Realizing he hadn't taken any action, I could feel all sorts of questions filling my mind.

...Come to think of it, it was strange. The Grand Duke of the North never stepped forward during meetings, and if I think about it, it was always the eldest son's faction that stepped forward instead.

The moment I realized this fact, I could understand one truth.

The truth that the Grand Duke of the North might have been... overlooking all of this.

As this thought crossed my mind,

I was thinking that I couldn't even grasp what was happening in this world when I heard Sister Lilia's voice from afar.

"Little one! Did you come all the way here to see your sister?"

At that bright voice, I shook off what I had been pondering and emptied my mind.

Whatever it was, these questions would eventually reveal themselves and confront me, and…

To handle these truths...

The one thing that was certain was that I needed to become extremely strong.

So I decided to go to the family head and ask about this, and moved my feet.