Astraea: The Journey of Magic

After the encounter with Valiance, they managed to slay a few more Goblin groups. They encountered two groups of five, but they were able to defeat them, and managed to safely return to the city. Tomorrow would be their sewer run, and they would need to rest up and prepare accordingly. For Riku, that meant Amyris was concocting him something to suppress his sense of smell, since as a Wolf Beastkin now, his sense of smell was far more acute.

Meanwhile, Kuroki was busy studying magic. He had been originally based in the library of Amyris' house, but he had once again moved down to the training hall in the basement, since he wanted to test some things out. He was now wearing just a longshirt, which while did not reach his knees, was long enough to cover his body, as the clothes he wore on the expedition got blood on them, so Amyris was washing them as well as Riku's clothes. He was also out of spare underwear for various reasons. He was pretty sure Amyris would make them do that themselves soon enough, but for now he wanted them to take the time to train and relax properly, especially during the large scale hunt. Ryuu had returned to Riza's estate, and Kaede returned to Ellie's shop for the night, so it was just Kuroki, Riku, and Amyris in the house.

Kuroki and Riku had already taken their bath as well, and had started to get used to bathing and being bathed in the backyard. It was still a bit embarrassing when people passed and saw them, but they had seen other children occasionally around town in the same position as them. And after a hard day of work, sometimes they just didn't have the energy to care. Although, when Riku and Kaede had to take a bath together that one time, Kuroki got a bit of a treat seeing their reactions to each other. Kuroki wasn't a saint after all, and such budding feelings provided a respite from his worries and troubles.

At the moment though, Kuroki was far more focused studying what Amyris had taught him. At the moment, Kuroki possessed four techniques thanks to Amyris:

Mana Perception

Mana Manipulation

Incantations

Spell Storage

Those four were the techniques he was able to get down. The first three were basic techniques that all mages should know, while the final one was a more intermediate to advanced technique that Amyris thought would be his lifeline. It was the art of storing a spell within one's body, essentially casting it ahead of time and keeping it ready to unleash. The more powerful the spell, the harder it was to store though, same for the more dangerous the spell. As such, not even Amyris could keep a cyclone stored up. Furthermore, stored spells only lasted a few hours before they began degrading, and eventually disappeared entirely. So it wasn't as if an infinite amount of spells could be stored either.

He had used this when they fought the Goblins on day one, and he made sure to keep two spells stored at all times for emergencies. That was his current limit. If he tried to store anymore, they would start degrading instantly and as they did, they would pump him full of Expended Mana, which would then result in Mana Intoxication. If the spells were strong enough, he could even die from it.

I suppose, if one were to apply video game terms, Mana Intoxication feels almost like something that balances out magic and prevents it from getting too strong, but it seems not too solid of one and more natural than that.

While thinking of such things, he turned towards the three things he was studying right now.

The first was a basic technique that all mages develop, Glyph Equations. He had utilized them in an actual spell today, but he still had yet to master it.

It was a bit difficult admittedly, and required a lot of something that was essentially mental math. Calculations and all sorts. But a bit more abstract and harder to understand the direct values of.

As for the other, it was Quick Incantations. It was essentially just using a single trigger word or phrase for a spell. It was better then using a spell without any incantation at all, but it would lack the power and versatility of a full-on spell. Furthermore, in shortening it, you would essentially have to create new worlds, and it might not always make sense and take a lot of trial and error when it came to making stronger ones. So they were actually harder to figure out then normal incantations. All of this was a lot of demerits, but if he could really get a handle on this skill, Kuroki would have a lot more options in his repertoire.

Incidentally, Riku's Flare Enchant was something similar to a Quick Incant. However, it seemed the formulas themselves became inscribed into the mind of whoever read the scroll. It was like gaining a completely fixed and set spell. It was quite strong and useful, but in exchange, it couldn't be modified at all anymore. That was the tradeoff.

The scroll itself however was quite valuable. Apparently, such scrolls were created by magical constructs and tools that are now lost, as well as the technology to make them in general. This was no accident of course. The Great Demon King, when he nearly brought the world to ruin, had targeted that technology specifically since he understood the threat of them being able to make such scrolls on demand. There were still quite a number of surviving scrolls themselves, but as Demons and Devils tended to target them, they were typically kept secret and hidden so that no one would leak it to those powers.

Apparently since then a few more scrolls had been created through hard work and highly expensive materials, but it was incredibly cost prohibitive. And would also draw the attention of Demons and Devils if one was revealed to be working on it. Though, it was like this for all their aces and powerful cards to play against them.

Kuroki had wondered why the Demons and Devils don't target the hero right at the start as well, but apparently as part of the summoning, the Heroes get an aura that weakens or potentially kills any Demon or Devil that tries to use their powers and abilities near the hero. This aura is temporary, and only lasts for anywhere between six months to a year before it starts fading. As it targets power itself, weaker Demons are not affected by it as much, while stronger Demons and Devils would have a much more...violent reaction. So they couldn't attempt any direct attacks on the hero for quite some time, which allowed the Hero to train and become stronger and used to this world before they could take the hero out directly.

Of course, Starfallen get no such luck, but Starfallen don't have the abilities that the heroes do. They also don't get as much support and help typically as heroes do. So one could say it was quite the contrast between the two of them.

Kuroki pondered all of this, as he experimented with some more magic techniques.

"I think I have perfected this spell...but, I probably shouldn't use it here, since id rather not get soaked again".

Despite saying that, he sheepishly looked around, rather excited.

"Maybe just a..."

"No! Kuroki, stop. Calm down" Riku said as he came in. At the moment, Riku was wearing just a shirt, although it was long enough to cover just enough. Due to his tail, he found it a bit more comfortable to lounge around like that anyways, especially since he spent the first week in this world with no underwear so he got used to that as well. He had been swinging his sword outside, practicing to adapt to the blade better, but it seemed it became late enough to come back in.

That Riku was now here to stop Kuroki from doing some reckless.

"Just a bit. Just a tiny bit".

"No. I am so glad you don't get like this in combat, but please, this still is not the time or place. You are too hyper, you are going to make it detonate again. And these are our last shirts, and I would like to practice in the morning without being butt naked".

"Ah right...today was a trying day. To think we all went through pairs of underwear..."

Between the panic, the fear of the roar, and the adrenaline from combat, not to mention other factors, they had all had a rather unfortunate accident. That was how they described it, but to put it bluntly, they had soiled themselves. The fact they had to resist Compliance so fiercely meant they were unable to resist anything else, and Kuroki and Riku had been sort of "primed" as they had not really finished when the Goblins ambushed, and didn't get a good chance to again before Valiance showed up. And then the dragon roar scared all of them, distracting them, and then they ran, but got encircled again, and then a Shadehound appeared.

Thankfully, Amyris and Ellie had foreseen such events, and had the group take their spare underwear with them in their luggage. Before, they thought that was rather rude, but after today it seemed necessary.

In fact, they learned the reason Amyris got his hands on diapers in their sizes. Apparently, such situations were not all that rare in newbie adventurers who were not used to fighting monsters, or their emotions when fighting monsters. Monsters had this innate aura or ability to invoke primal fear in people, so while no one tended to admit it, plenty of newbies did end up using them. Especially since most newbie adventurers were kids. Poor families who lacked the ability to afford to feed and clothe all their children would often teach them some combat and then encourage them to join the Adventurer's Guild to take up requests. In order to stay registered with the Guild, one did have to complete a few requests per month, unless otherwise given an exception for medical reasons like recovering. It also got more and more lenient the higher ranked you were. Supposedly, an S-Rank could take off for a year or two if necessary, and special compensation was given for new parents who were adventurers.

But getting back to the main point, this meant there were a lot of kids who became adventurers. That said, they were taught and cared for properly by the guild. Most of the time their deaths came as a result of ignoring the guild and their own rank and heading into more dangerous areas, which the guild has a tendency to penalize to discourage such actions anyways. It is always tragic to be sure, but this was how the world was. It had its own circumstances to consider.

Still, it had given them a reminder that they couldn't really afford to let shame or embarrassment stop them. But he also thought that, so long as his party avoided any other unusual situations, they should be fine. They had at least lost enough modesty between each other that they were able to change underwear right there with Ozlo there to stand guard. Ozlo was the one who informed them about all these norms, incidentally.

Riku seemed to be thinking of the same thing as he blushed a bit.

"...Kuroki, mind me asking something?"

"Yeah?"

"...that wasn't the first time for you either in this world, was it?"

Kuroki paused for a bit, growing red, but eventually turning towards Riku and nodding.

"Yeah...a bit after Amyris killed orcs right in front of me I realized it. Thankfully there had been a waterfall nearby, but...yeah. This world is...very scary and harsh sometimes".

"...same. Before I found my clothes, when I was all alone, and especially dodging traps in that ruin for a full day. But also once after I found them, when I encountered a bear. I was able to defeat it, but...it was my first time you know?"

They were not some isekai protagonist that immediately gained will of steel and became fully accustomed to this world. They couldn't just kill things and feel nothing. Adaptability, Compliance, and Mental Fortitude had all helped them in their own way, so they were able to do it so quickly. But they had just been kids, one in middle school and one in elementary school. Short of an entire personality rewrite, they were going to suffer through things like this at the start. There was no snap of the fingers and making them instantly able to handle all of this. Time was still necessary.

The two boys laid down on their stomachs on the floor of the training field, exhausted just thinking about it all. It had been a trying day for them, so all their reactions were justified. And they still were not out of the woods, because the threat from Valiance was still not over. Eventually, they would have to face him. Possibly sooner rather then later.

But what was really scary was what Ozlo had told them next.

"To think, in the grand scheme of things, he is actually a small player".

"Indeed. They have been so focused more on merit then power...and they are hardly the sharpest villains out there, nor the ones who are most ruled by their desires" Kuroki responded to Riku's exasperated comment.

"So he is actually a rather mild one? There are actually worse enemies? This world is very vast".

At the moment, they would probably lose to the younger Valiance. Kuroki didn't even want to think about what would happen if Gathik's father got involved. They would probably lose instantly unless Ozlo, Amyris, Riza, or another strong ally was there. But they couldn't participate in the request outside of circumstances.

Just as they were thinking that, a knock came from the door. "Is it safe to come in?"

"Ozlo? Uhh, yeah it is!"

Hearing that, Ozlo opened the door and saw them both. Both were quite a bit surprised.

"I am amazed you came over...or rather, that you have the free time to".

"Ahhh, it is even busier than normal for me" Ozlo admitted to Kuroki. "But I needed to check with Amyris for a request anyways, so I thought I would drop by to give you both an update. You can tell the rest of your party when you see them tomorrow".

"An update? We are still going into the sewers right?"

"Yes, but...you will be covering the area under the slums now. It's essentially the most dangerous part of the sewers".

"...interference from Valiance?"

Ozlo nodded, sitting down next to them.

"Its very likely he plans to kidnap or kill you down there. If I had to guess, the former. Had he wanted to just kill you back there, he probably could have. It seemed like he was focused on bringing you in alive. Also...I don't think he is working alone".

Kuroki's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, he came way too prepared to chase you down. I am not saying it has not happened in the past, but he was weirdly able to switch gears fast. And while he certainly lacks wisdom, this feels rather rushed even for him".

"So you think someone else is manipulating him from behind the scenes?"

Ozlo nodded. "It's very likely. Considering the attack on the Guildmaster, it might even be that Devil, but it could also be whoever was behind the Starfall in the first place. After all, it seems like nothing is going to plan, even for our enemies".

Kuroki's vision wandered as he thought about many things.

"Why won't he come after us directly then, if he is so powerful?"

"Because I am there. Perhaps he can instinctively sense that if he tried to use his power, or any significant level of it at least, and I would detect him. Devils are incredibly good at concealing themselves, but only when they don't engage in combat. Once they do, especially if people are actively searching for them and try to detect them, they will get found out instantly. This would then result in me, Ellie, Amyris, the Guildmaster, and Riza all coming at him at once. He has no chance of winning or escaping from such a situation. It seems like he can still apply powerful curses without revealing himself however, which is troublesome. There should still be some requirement though, since curses are not that easy to wield. Speaking of which, would you mind showing me your backs?"

Understanding his request, the two nodded, not even concerned that this essentially required pulling off their shirts and exposing their bodies as they laid on the ground on their stomachs. Ozlo was trustworthy, they were getting used to it, and also given the topic and their past experience, they knew how dangerous it could be.

Ozlo put his hand on both their backs, specifically inbetween the shoulder blades below the neck, with his fingers spread out and extending outward, and circulated some mana. He was probing their bodies, searching for any signs of being cursed.

"Amyris actually checked earlier".

"Yeah, but this Devil has fought Amyris before. He might know their methods, but he doesn't know mine" Ozlo replied. "Magic isn't all about power. Method is far more important".

As he said that, his hand almost felt as if it melded into their backs for a moment. He actually began to rub it a bit and apply pressure, creating a blissful massage. They both leaked out satisfied sighs.

"Hmmm. It looks fine, but I have...an anomaly? To be exact, it almost looks like you have been marked by a monster. It's not really a curse but more of a marker".

"A marker? For what?"

"This magical signature...a Rabbit?"

"Are you kidding me?"

Ozlo shook his head, as he finished up. He still looked perplexed, but he continued to explain anyways.

"It seems the Rabbits have a vendetta against you, even though you were the ones who got kicked in the face and ambushed. Its two days old, so you probably got marked by that Martial Arts Rabbit".

"So the ambush from yesterday, that was thanks to the mark? Can you remove it?"

"It will degrade eventually on its own. However, it's incredibly weird. I have never seen anything like it before, especially from a weak beast type. It must be some sort of unique monster mutation".

"...can you remove it?"

"It's similar enough to curses that my curse removal technique would work, but I am not sure you are strong enough to survive that yet".

"Ah".

"In any case, that's one good thing about going back into the sewers. I will try to get you assigned there again for the next few days, and after that the marker should be degraded enough to disappear entirely. Still, did you antagonize some rabbit in a previous life or something?"

"Not me" Riku mentioned.

"I got stuffed into a rabbit cage, sometimes naked, a few times. Flopsy really didn't like that, but that wasn't my fault you know?"

"Yeah. This might be some part of the Devil's plan as well, although I cannot really understand the rational for it. But, that just makes it more concerning".

"Could it be a false lead meant to confuse us?"

"That...seems likely, but even for a false lead its odd. I will keep investigating. Ah, but before I go though, stay right there".

Ozlo took out some sort of cream, opening it up and proceeding to spread it across their backs, and all the way down their legs and up to their necks.

"What is this?" Kuroki asked.

"It smells sweet".

"Yeah, I am using a lot so you get used to the smell so it doesn't distract you. The sewers are an incredibly smelly place. All of you will probably need this to some degree, but especially you Riku. Beastkin sense of smell is no joke. Make sure you apply this under your nose for the entire duration you are in the sewers. I am leaving the rest with you, but you two should adapt to the smell as best you can tonight. You are going to go to sleep soon, so you will probably unconsciously get used to it over night".

"If we only need a little under our noses, why did you cover our whole backs in it?"

Ozlo looked away sheepishly.

"Ozlo?"

"...I am a cityboy okay? I might be able to rush into forests and ruins and such, but in the end, I am a citykid".

Realizing what Ozlo meant, the two boys blushed.

"We took a bath already!"

"Ahahahaha...".

So even Ozlo had things he was not great at handling. Perhaps that was why it smelled so sweet as well.

Either way, not even bothering to get dressed again, they saw Ozlo off before going to bed themselves, preparing for a long day.

"Fighting in the sewers is way different than expected!" Kuroki muttered as he killed another Goblin with an ice spike.

"Agreed. Our footing is limited thanks to these waterways, and all these tight corners mean the goblins can ambush us from anywhere" Kaede muttered, as she backstabbed another goblin.

It was now the next day, and the group had taken to the sewers. True to Ozlo's word, Riku had to make full use of the cream. Not only that, but they all learned the true difficulty of the sewer earlier. It was already nearing noon now, but they had to pull back for an hour thanks to Ryuu. Ryuu had slipped and accidentally fallen into the water. He was soaked head to toe, but because it was sewer water, it meant the smell was all over him. Riku became incapable of focusing or operating as a vanguard, Ryuu was weighed down since he was soaking wet, and as the source of the smell, was almost as out of it as Riku. Even Kuroki and Kaede couldn't operate with him being so close, to the point that they had to go back to the surface, have Ryuu strip right there immediately, wrap his armor and clothes up in a blanket, and while Riku went to get Ryuu new clothes and armor, Kaede and Kuroki had to borrow bathing supplies from nearby residences and scrub Ryuu head to toe with enough force to get the smell out of him.

Soon after, Riku returned with new, clean, non-smelly clothes, and once Ryuu was dried a bit he put them on. No one seemed to find it odd or strange, and Kuroki learned from asking that apparently kids often played in the sewers and fell in, so this scene was actually normal in any city with sewers.

That said, before Ryuu got dressed, Riku made everyone coat his entire body in cream, as he could still pick up a bit of it. Now that all that was done, they had headed back into the sewers, and were at where they presently were located.

At first, Kuroki had actually wanted to freeze the sewer water, but when he tried, it failed completely. Any other type of magic was fine, but it seemed the sewers had enchantments to prevent someone from creating clogs or obstructions that would interfere with the sewers, at least with magic.

As such they had to remain out of the water at all cost. Falling in meant they would need to stop again. One might think this made the job harder than the others, like the fields and forests, but that was hardly true. Most low ranking adventurers tended to stay in the city they lived and registered in, at least for awhile. And as mentioned, children often played in the sewers as well. That meant that children were used to what it was like down here, so they were far better at dealing with the terrain.

This was once again a difference in the experience they had. Compared to kids who grew up here, and people who had spent time here training and getting stronger for months or years, they were vastly behind.

Still, they were making good progress.

"We are barely running into any goblins at all".

"I guess that is what happens when they send E-Rankers in here first".

Riku and Kaede both at their comments about the situation, but Kuroki was a bit concerned. Noticing this, the two asked about it.

"Hey Kuroki, what is wrong?"

"You seem a bit tense".

"Sorry, its just...my Echomap isn't working well in here. I thought maybe the smell was making me flub up the spell, but now I think there must be some sort of interference".

"Interference?"

"Yeah. Could Goblins be responsible?" Kuroki wondered aloud, to no one in particular. However, Riku decided to throw out his own idea.

"Maybe, but maybe its part of the city ward system? Or perhaps the sewers have their own protections against information gathering spells?"

Kuroki nodded.

"That makes sense. Still, its why they can keep ambushing us. I would think it would work fine with all the water here, but....as expected, its not responding at all".

"Could it be someone else used their mana to take control of the water already".

Kuroki looked back at Ryuu.

"Any dizziness? Nausea? Hallucinations?"

"No signs of mana sickness so far!"

Ryuu seemed to be able to realize what Kuroki was asking about. Ryuu had been in the water for about thirty seconds at most, not that long, but even a minor case could cause them problems if the mana density was high enough. That said, there was absolutely no way this was mana rich water as Kuroki would have noticed immediately, so he was just worrying for nothing.

So the water wasn't rich with mana, nor was it being controlled. Then the space itself was enchanted. Much like storage expansion on a building, these walls must have had spells to reinforce its abilities. These sewers were older than the city above it after all, coming from a much older civilization. Apparently, when Demon Kings rose, they experienced a sort of peak power for a bit, and they used that to destroy the most advanced civilizations. They didn't always end the kingdom or empire itself, but moreso hobbled the world's magical and technological development. Of course, most don't do that much damage, but the Three Great Demon Kings did. Three times the world was brought to the brink of ruin, more then any other Demon King. Hence why they were known as the Great Demon Kings.

It's said that they especially targeted facilities and organizations set up by one of the first Starfallen. Not much was known about him, except that he spent a lot of time trying to make it back to his world...but apparently never succeeded. It was said he even touched "the stars themselves", and set up the Noble Astrological Star Association, also known as the Starseekers. Some say that in their pursuit, they even managed to build things like these sewers elsewhere, although it was believed they were long gone now. The Great Demon Kings couldn't overlook them after all.

While thinking of such things, Riku was staring at him.

"What?"

"You were thinking about random trivia again weren't you?"

"...maybe".

This world was so fascinating and new to them, both their discussions and their thoughts often wandered quite a bit. It didn't help that wandering discussions seemed to a cultural trend around here. While some of the things would be considered embarrassing for their old world sensibilities, that just shows that different places have different cultures develop. Something like the adventurer's guild probably would never exist in their old world, with their child labor laws, but that world also didn't have monsters either.

This world also seemed to always have a need for more manpower as well. Perhaps due to the threats from monsters, demons, devils, not to mention other humans, from what they heard everyone always felt as if they were short staffed.

Which was also why kids like them could become adventurers, most likely.

Riku then tugged at Kuroki's sleeve.

"Can we take a lunch break early? I think I need to reapply the cream anyways".

"...I think we should probably all reapply it, but okay. Is it getting bad?"

Riku nodded.

"Alright. Riza said we could return to the surface as needed, although he did recommend to try and get into a different area first".

They had done the same with Ryuu. They were covering the slums after all, and they were all young looking kids with good looking equipment. Apparently good looks as well, given some of the creepy stares they got. And that was just the normal dangers. There was also the fact that Valiance had forced them into this zone, so without a doubt there was some ambush or scheme waiting for them.

In truth, Kuroki wanted to avoid being down there for too long anyways. After all, if this smell seeped into his clothes, he would quite willingly strip, bag them all, and walk home naked rather than endure that. They were going through the cream faster than expected, and it was just that smelly. That said...

Is this actually a sewer? I haven't seen any pipe exits at all. Isn't this actually an underground waterway?

Kuroki had such questions, but the smell was 100% sewer. Plumbing was rare after all, so no pipes actually made sense when he thought about it. They probably just dumped buckets down here or such, since there were quite a few sewer access points. It seemed like the sewers connected all over the place.

Maybe it was an underground waterway that became a sewer?

Still, despite making progress in adapting to the world, Kuroki found the lack of pipe exits to confuse his sense of what the place was.

Eventually they found an exit that wasn't in the slums again, and left it. The closer one got to another district from the slums, the nicer it got. It wasn't just some instant transformation, but gradually it just became less slumlike. They now appeared to be south of the residential area they bathed Ryuu in, and now were in a place with a few shops. Riku however was still crinkling his nose.

"Please don't tell me the smell is already seeping into our clothes" Kuroki groaned.

"...it might be. Maybe it will go away by the time lunch was over, but for now..."

"Lets...find a good place to rest first. And lets just remove the outerwear and hope that's enough".

Riku nodded. "Thanks".

They quickly found what appeared to be an empty, abandoned lot behind a shop. It was near a district wall, and was off of a side alley of an alley, so it was pretty secluded, yet offered great sight lines to prevent ambushes. It even had a short stone fence that gave them some cover. Kuroki asked to be sure from someone nearby, and they confirmed that no one really used it and that it was fine for them to rest in. Actually she encouraged it, along with them taking a long bath with soap, forced a bar of soap on them, and then left. She had been a beastkin like Riku, and it seemed she could detect it as well.

Once in the isolated and empty lot, Ryuu set up a picnic blanket they had, and the group removed everything except their shirts and underwear. Everything else was put to the side, and Kuroki rubbed some crushed Narias Root on it. Narias Root tended to help neutralize smells, and in its powder form was used as a smell nullifier. Of course, afterwards Kuroki and the others used a lot of cream on their clothes, before taking the time to sit and wait for the smell to go away while they ate lunch. In truth, they could have stripped completely naked and done the same to their underwear and shirts. But it wasn't their old world sensibilities that made them not do this. It wasn't even because they had been the least exposed to everything.

It was because they were on guard about the people who were watching them right now, from shadows, from windows, and Kuroki spotted a poorly concealed familiar. They think I am ten don’t they? Are they underestimating us for being elementary schooler age? That bird’s flight path is clearly artificial!

"Riku, how many do you count. Ah, pass me the syrup please".

"Here you go. And I have noticed nine people watching us. However, some of them are weirdly close together and it doesn't seem coordinated. Could there be two different groups watching us?"

Kaede looked puzzled. "We only have Valiance as an enemy here, don't we?"

However, Kuroki shook his head. "There is another. Sebas, the guildmaster of the Mage's Guild branch in this city".

"Ah. Right you mentioned him".

Riku let out a sigh. "I wonder what Akano, Juno, and Reiji would do in this situation".

"Reiji is smart, despite everyone's assumptions otherwise. He can also be quite sharp. I suspect he would probably ignore them without even remotely letting them know we are onto them".

Kaede shrugged. "Pretty sure we already failed that. None of us can help but look in their directions every so often after all".

"Akano meanwhile, would either try to shake them and avoid them, or he would try call the guards on them".

"A sensible and balanced approach. What about Juno then?"

Kuroki thought for a moment. "It might depend on how he adapted to this world, but...Juno would probably strip completely naked, and then shake his butt at their directions, to antagonize and annoy them".

"...really?"

"He isn't the type to back down, but rather the type to defy the norm and their oppression".

Riku nodded. "Yeah, that seems about right".

Ryuu looked around. He seemed a bit anxious.

"So are they just going to watch us, or eventually come and attack us?"

While their clothes were lain out to help air them out as well, they still had their weapons close by. That was why they had not stripped completely as well. They really didn't want to be butt naked when attacked, and their shirts and underwear all had some level of defensive enchantment on them. Of course, that made them far more expensive than normal, especially since they had to be made of better materials so the enchantments would hold better.

Riku looked to the side. "A few have just gathered into a group and are coming this way. They are....uhg, ewww".

"What is it?" Kuroki asked.

"They are making a lot of dirty jokes. About us. I can hear them. I will leave most of it out, but two of them want to tie us to a bed and repeatedly...no, nope. Sorry, I don't want to say that out loud".

Riku looked like he wanted to vomit even more than before. Kuroki's eyes meanwhile had gone cold as he muttered something so soft not even Riku heard him.

"...so we can just kill them then".

Kuroki compliantly gave into his cold rage, and was already formulating a spell when the group of five finally turned the corner and saw them. Maybe it was just Kuroki's impression of them after hearing what Riku overheard, but they seemed unsavory and revolting. Kuroki was considering the method of eliminating them, already full of rage. It was one thing when it was just suggested. Depending on the expressions and the words and tones used, it could be seen as harmless, or creepy. Or it could fill him with disgust like right now.

"Well well, look at what we have here. Four delectable little ones for us to play with".

The man in front of them spoke like that, with a tone that immediately put him to the far reaches of the disgust category. Kuroki considered all the potential spells he could use to end their existence. He had never even considered killing another human being before, aside from one specific one of course. However right now, he compliantly gave into his bloodlust, which demanded these men die.

They are scum. They are the enemy. Hold nothing back. Eliminate them all.

One of them looked like he might already be ready to remove his pants. Kuroki planned to target him first. Supposedly, people like this were rare in this world, but they had gathered up so easily. Perhaps it was just a sign of how this was harassment artificially put together just for them.

The moment Kuroki started to incant however, a giant sword appeared in front of him. There was a hand holding it, as a man had suddenly appeared in front of them. WHile Kuroki had been intending to slaughter the five aggressors, his focus had not been narrowed quite that much yet. Since he had been anticipating an ambush from the back as well, and Riku also knew that might be the case.

However, not a single one of them had so much as detected this man. At first, Kuroki panicked, but then he realized the man's back was facing them, and he was looking at the ruffians instead.

"You lot. You guys are drug addicts aren't you, currently high off of a banned and illegal substance in this city" the man said. He appeared slender, but his arms gave off a refined feeling. He was wearing some sort of thick smock or apron, and had what appeared to be protective and thick clothes on as well, although the sleeves and pants were rolled up a bit to provide ventilation. He also had a toolbelt around his waist. He had long green hair, but he also had long ears which came out through it.

From all appearance, Kuroki could only come to one conclusion. This man was an Elven Blacksmith.

"Get outa here! This doesn't concern you!"

"What do you mean? This is my shop right here" he said, pointing to the building the abandoned lot was behind and partially connected to. "I can't just ignore crime right outside you know? Leaving morality aside, it might cause customers to think its not safe to come here and they might go elsewhere instead".

"Who do you think you are!"

"A blacksmith who can tell you don't treat your weapons properly. Probably because you use that new drug. What was it called on the street again? Rithlik's Bloom? Or was it just Rithlik now?"

"You think you can just boss us around, shopkeep!"

"Certainly, I am not that strong. However...I do think I can beat the five of you just fine. Or at least, hold you off until the guards show up with sufficient numbers to arrest and restrain you".

He seemed rather confident. He looked back at their weapons again.

"Looks like you only use rather crude weapons that you don't maintain properly. Yeah, I think I got this" he said, picking up the large sword which made Riku's greatsword look like a letter opener, and swung it around in one hand, putting his left hand behind his back.

This guy...is skilled.

He wasn't as skilled or strong as Kuroki, but he was stronger than any of them. Comparing him to Ozlo, someone who even if the four ambushed and worked together to fight in a 4v1 situation they could feel instinctively they would lose, this was someone who they might be able to win through the same tactics, although it was probably a thirty percent chance at most under ideal situations and with them properly prepared with potions and fully rested.

If Ozlo was A-Rank, this man was probably C-Rank. Although Kuroki was pretty sure Ozlo was closer to S-Rank then A-Rank at this point.

When they attacked, the blacksmith was incredibly precise and sharp. While he knocked the first two around, he broke both of their weapons with a single swing of his sword, but without actually cutting either of them. They were sent back, sprawling across the ground. The other three all seemed to realize something was up and jumped him all at once, but he cut through their weapons with ease, again without leaving a single cutmark on their body. He then used the flat, blunt side of his sword to attack them, knocking them back as well and causing them some serious pain, all without actually injuring them.

"You know, if you weren't high right now, you might actually be putting me in a pinch. That, or if your weapons were of decent quality".

Kuroki's rage and bloodlust had been suppressed when the man came in, his aura and charisma overwhelming Kuroki. But now, it had been dissipated completely, as the enemies...no, the ruffians had been neutralized.

What had I just been about to do?

For the briefest of moments, Kuroki had planned to suddenly cross a line in a brutal and thorough way. He felt no disgust over it either, just confusion. The moment he realized what these people were about to do to his friends, his emotions had become overwhelmed. It had never happened to him before, but it felt like he was about to completely lose it and go berserk, like he couldn't hold himself back and was going to give in to his desires.

Still, he had been saved from that. The blacksmith then turned to face them.

"You kids okay?"

The four of them nodded. Kuroki spoke up for the group. "Thanks for saving us, mister..."

"Vellia. Owner of Vellia's Forgeworks. If you young adventurers ever need to work done on your weapons or anything else, feel free to come on by. My building is right here after all" he said, knocking on the wall next to them. "Speaking of which, I need to get back to work. Still...don't you guys have better to do then watch and ogle a bunch of kids?"

Vellia then looked in several directions. All of them were in directions of people Riku and Kuroki had detected watching them, except for one. One was in a direction neither of them had pinpointed a watcher, but when Kuroki expanded his echomap, and investigated closely, he confirmed another one. They had completely missed her, but Vellia had detected her in an instant.

"How did you notice her?"

"Well, I mean, I live here. I see these buildings and the people who live here every day. So things like a window that is open that never normally is open, or a face that seems a bit focused in a direction despite nothing being there aside from you, and the person themself being unfamiliar, stands out a lot. I have been living here for fifty years after all".

In other words, it was his experience as a local. Once again, this was the gap in experience between them who had not even been in this world for two weeks, and natives of this world who had lived here and grew up here.

That said, given his level of ability, Kuroki also thought it might be because he was strong. Or because he was an elf maybe, with good hearing and eyesight.

Either way, this allowed them to finish their meal in peace, and then after they sufficiently aired out and removed the smell, they returned to the sewers with half a day left to go. They hoped the rest of the day would be peaceful and zoom on by.

But they forgot that Kuroki was never so lucky.