Chapter 22

“I’m truly sorry, but the truth is… we originally belonged to a certain traveling troupe. This whole time, we’ve been testing whether Melt should be added to the group. However, Same, who was conducting the test, has been summoned by the main unit and had to leave the city. As a replacement, I was sent in. But now, it seems some trouble has occurred, and Melt’s recruitment has been postponed until the situation is resolved. I also have to return to the troupe. Of course, someone else will be dispatched here, but we can’t keep switching out guests too often. So from now on, please let Melt have that room to herself. Of course, there’s no need to refund any fees.”

I gave this long-winded, fabricated story to the inn keeper of Hamusutei, letting her know that I would be leaving the inn.

In a way, this story also serves as a precaution. Eventually, I’ll have to operate under a different character. When that time comes, someone is bound to wonder about the connection with Melt.

Someone might even come to this inn as part of their investigation. That’s why I laid out this tale of a fictional troupe here and now.

Still, I feel guilty for constantly changing the usage of the room… it really is about time I prepare a base of my own.

“Oh, I see… Understood about the fees. But that girl still seems unfamiliar with the city… will she be okay?”

“Later, someone will be dispatched—more of a bodyguard than a caretaker—so I don’t think there will be any issue.”

“In that case, we could just let that person take your place?”

“No, he looks a bit rough… might be intimidating to others. Of course, he’s acquainted with Melt, but appearances matter. So please, think nothing of it.”

“I see… Got it. It was… Sheele, wasn’t it? Thank you for using our place, even if it was just for a day. You really brightened the place up—it felt like a lovely time.”

“Oh, no, not at all. I’m the one who should apologize for the commotion.”

I had already said my goodbyes to Melt.

Apparently, the noble’s pursuit hadn’t reached here either.

If I can just leave the city without incident, everything will be resolved.

This time too, I’ll make use of that cave. No foot traffic there, and I can change characters without any hassle.

Last time, no one followed me there either.

Sure, a troublesome individual has taken an interest in me this time, but there’s no way they could keep up with me if I got serious.

“Well then, I’ll be going now.”

“Alright. Take care, Sheele. Make sure to keep your face hidden.”

“Yes. It’s really inconvenient, isn’t it?”

“Lots of adventurers in this area, after all.”

I pulled my hood low and headed toward the city outskirts.

Of course, I brought sandwiches and energy drinks as gifts.

I owed it to those two kind gatekeepers who treated me kindly—to return that kindness with proper etiquette.

Honestly, if they had gotten suspicious back then, it would’ve delayed my entry into the city by a day—and who knows what kind of trouble might have happened instead.

“…Good. The same people are on gate duty.”

I called out to the two gatekeepers once more.

“Hello. Or maybe… good evening?”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Ah! You’re the one from before!”

“Yes, thank you for your help the other day. I’ve completed my task and will be leaving the city. Before that, I wanted to drop off a little something to show my appreciation.”

I handed over a basket containing sandwiches and a bottle of tonic.

Both were prepared at Hamusutei.

The sandwich had cheese, chicken, and plenty of mustard.

The mustard added just the right kick without being too strong, mellowed by the cheese, and wrapped up in the juicy flavor of the chicken—a perfectly balanced, well-thought-out creation.

With meals like that, Melt should be able to enjoy herself at the inn for a while.

“Whoa… Can we really have this, sir?”

“Hmm… well, I suppose it’s fine. I don’t suppose we need to check for poison?”

The older gatekeeper gave a slightly mischievous grin.

Understandable—given their position, caution is only natural.

I took a sandwich and bit into it, just a little.

“Will that put your mind at ease? As for the tonic… it packs quite a punch. Sorry, I ended up taking a sip myself.”

I did feel a bit bad for leaving it half-eaten.

Should’ve brought an extra one, honestly.

“N-no problem. We’ll accept it. But… it’s getting dark. It’ll be dangerous.”

“Yeah, you shouldn’t be out alone, miss.”

“It’s alright. My companion should be waiting nearby.”

“I see… Well, if that’s the case. Thanks again for the gift—we’ll enjoy it.”

After expressing my thanks, I once again headed toward the forest and followed the river beyond it.

The river, dyed in the colors of sunset. At this hour, it seems no one’s around gathering materials anymore.

And no signs of being followed either.

“Whew… with this, I should be able to prevent Shizuma’s mind from feminizing… right?”

I opened the menu and switched to Silent.

My perspective rose.

My consciousness awakened.

…That’s right. I am Shizuma, and I am Silent… and I am a man.

“Aaaahhh… You’ve gotta be kidding me… it’s really gotten this far…”

I crouched down and let out a loud groan.

No seriously… I’m completely a girl now. Sure, there were some considerations for me, but I’m still basically a girl…!

What was that? If Shizuma gets stronger, I might be able to retain my consciousness?

“Then… if I fight as Silent and transfer all the skills I learn over to Shizuma, that should work, right…?”

The conclusion my brain, as Sheele, came to was: Shizuma can learn skills from any class.

Currently, Shizuma already knows Mercenary’s Instinct, a basic skill from Silent.

However, upper-tier skills like Champion of the Battlefield, War God, and Survival Instinct, exclusive to mercenaries, are still unavailable to Shizuma.

Naturally, those effects are powerful:

Champion of the Battlefield

If enemy numbers exceed allies during combat, all stats increase by 50%.

Frankly, that effect is far too strong for such a lenient activation condition. It’s broken, plain and simple.

Of course, it’s a skill designed to compensate for a mercenary’s inferior frontline combat abilities compared to pure warrior classes.

But the fact that a versatile mercenary can, through skills, come close to the level of elite warrior classes is extremely appealing.

Then there’s War God, a skill unlocked after fully developing as a mercenary:

War God

For each enemy you finish off during combat, your critical rate and attack speed increase by 10%.

The effect disappears at the end of the battle.

He can naturally learn a skill that has perfect synergy with “Warlord of the Battlefield”.

In other words: “If you’re at a disadvantage at the start of battle, your abilities increase. As you defeat enemies and their numbers drop, different abilities increase in turn.” This means you can excel in both short and long battles.

Well, even with all that strength, mercenaries still don’t make it into the top three damage-dealing classes.

However, mercenaries have a different kind of strength. That’s the skill “Survival Instinct.”

【Survival Instinct】
When you take damage exceeding your current HP, you avoid being knocked out once and gain temporary invincibility.
Cooldown time depends on character level (10 minutes).

Yes, while a mercenary’s HP and defense stats might be lower than those of a pure tank class, thanks to this skill, they can serve as a makeshift tank. At the same time, as a reckless attacker, they can sometimes output more DPS than other dedicated attackers.

Of course, with such a long cooldown, it’s not a skill you can use freely. Even fully trained Silent can only use it once every ten minutes. But… that’s only inconvenient because it’s a game.

In reality, being able to avoid death once every ten minutes and become invincible is just absurdly overpowered.

If I could use these skills as my original self, Shizuma… that alone would give me incredible power to offset my low stats.

“…The problem is that even if I gain combat experience as Silent and try to pass those abilities to Shizuma, I still have no achievements to my name, so I can’t accept high-difficulty quests. Worse, if I stand out too much, I might get investigated or suspected… If I become an adventurer, I’ll have to start from Rock Rank.”

I don’t have herbal knowledge from this world… If I did, I could start from Gem Rank instead.

Even though Silent’s memories are packed with knowledge of how to kill enemies and battlefield mentality, with Rock Rank, I’ll only be able to do basic errands within the city.

“…A newbie adventurer with this appearance is already a joke.”

I look at my reflection in the river.

A face marked by countless scars, wild features, and eyes sharp like a bird of prey.

My face is hardened with muscle and battle-hardened expression, hair grown out wildly and spiked in an intimidating fashion.

No matter how you look at it, I appear to be a “battle-hardened mercenary” or a “berserker returning from war.”

I’m well over two meters tall, with a ripped body and bulging muscles like a bodybuilder’s.

The countless scars across my body speak of how many life-or-death battles I’ve survived.

My equipment is minimal—armor made from metal and leather, designed not to hinder movement.

The weapon on my back is a rugged greatsword, with a chipped blade barely retaining its original form as a sword.

It’s longer than Melt’s height, yet I swing it easily with one hand.

“Damn… I feel overflowing with power… But going like this and saying ‘I’m here for a gathering quest’ or ‘I’m running an errand’ is just a bad joke…”

Incidentally, this greatsword is considered one of the final weapons for frontline classes.

Its raw attack power and minor HP absorption effect make it a simple but potent weapon.

Basically, it’s the ultimate weapon for a meathead who keeps swinging until they drop.

…Even with all that strength, it’s still not the best combo of jobs…

Among my characters, due to his level, Silent is easily in the top five strongest, though.

“Ah… when I try to recall Silent’s memories, I also remember some pretty heavy backstory…”

For a main job of Mercenary and sub-job of Warrior, the backstory is:

“Once a knight who served his country, he lost everything when his nation fell in war. He wandered until he joined a mercenary band and made a name for himself—only for that group, his new home, to be wiped out. Now, he walks alone again.”

A wandering warrior… a sorrowful beast with no place to go, seeking strength.

I feel a strange sense of emptiness and sadness deep within my heart.

That must be emotion inherited from Silent’s experiences and memories.

“…But with this form, no one’s going to underestimate me. I’ll be bold, imposing, and confident—as a warrior—I’ll become an adventurer.”

I’ll stand out more than Same. That way, I’ll become the perfect cover for him.

And when the time comes for Shizuma to grow strong, having Silent as a precedent will let him fly under the radar.

Though honestly… it’s kind of harsh treatment for a first character.

The Divine Principality of Lendia.

At a glance, it appeared to be a prosperous and developed nation — but even there, the slow decline caused by resource shortages had already begun in secret.

For example, the shortage of crops had led to an increase in theft and banditry.

The decline of a nation always begins with a rise in such petty crimes.

Thus, even in Lindblum, the capital and heart of the principality, regulations on entering and leaving the city were being gradually tightened.

Specifically, anyone entering or leaving after sunset now had to present some form of identification. It wasn’t a particularly strict measure — not yet.

However, because the city had originally allowed free access for merchants, adventurers, and explorers alike, even such minor rules made the citizens feel a bit stifled.

Naturally… that applied not just to the citizens, but to those enforcing the rules as well.

“Man, at first I thought getting assigned to Lindblum as a gate guard instead of working at the royal castle was gonna suck… but then that gorgeous woman treated us so kindly… You think she’s interested in me? Or maybe in you, senpai?”

“Stop babbling. …Though yeah, we were lucky to have such a rare encounter. She’s probably from some elven clan — a noble, priestess, or someone in a position of power. Elves usually don’t get involved with other races. But those with status can’t avoid it. That’s why they tend to be good with people, skilled at winning hearts. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

“Is that how it is…?”

The two gate guards were reminiscing about Sheele, who had just left the city, chatting casually as they carried out their duties with a rare lightness in their step, thanks to their stroke of good luck.

But — then it arrived, without warning.

Later, both guards would describe it like this:

“It was like the battlefield itself had come walking toward us.”

“So, no one without identification is allowed to enter the city at night. Please wait patiently until morning.”

“Y-Yeah…! Sorry, but we can’t let in someone suspicious like you.”

Yes, I was turned away at the gate — this is Silent speaking.

I mean… isn’t this reaction way too different from when it was Sheele?

Well, yeah, it’s because I look so freaking dangerous.

“I see. Understood. Then I’ll stay here until morning. You don’t mind, do you?”

“N-No… that’s fine.”

“Who are you, anyway? Even I can tell you’re no amateur. But how come you don’t have any ID? You’re a mercenary, right? Or an adventurer. So where’s your affiliation tag or whatever?”

“…I’ve lived my life without getting involved in such systems. All I’ve ever done is meet, kill, and move on.”

I respond bluntly, putting on the role — like a berserker detached from society, living only for battle.

I could hear the two guards nervously swallowing.

Well, if someone looking like me said something like that, anyone would be intimidated.

“…So what’s your business in this city? This isn’t a battlefield, you know. You’re not here because you smelled war in the air, right?”

“Who knows. The seeds of war are surprisingly easy to stumble across.”

“…Yeah, you might be right.”

And so, with only sparse, minimal conversation exchanged, we passed a strange night together until morning came.

…I’m so sleepy!

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