No good. I can't find it.

I collapsed on the bench, completely outta steam. The dragon-skill seems to take more outta you than the status values tell, or I'm not used to the high increase. One of those.

I was currently on one of the roads with houses on just one side, leaving the other a free view of the lake and other pillars that made up the city. Not a bad view, even if the sun's bombarding me with death rays.

...And the couples. 

From the looks of it, the beautiful view of the lake attacks, er, attracts couples from blast away, er, from far away, and... just explode already!!

Grr, I wanted to catch my breath here, but nooo~. Is there some heart-break skill available? 

Well, after using three Points to get... wait a sec. Something's wrong here.

I know my SPD and DEX were one of my highest stats, but not that high!? They're more than my MP now, my best stat since... I can't remember! And STR's higher too?! Not as much as the other two, but still...

SPD, DEX, then STR... weren't they the stats related to obtaining Assassin? 

Good thing I got this Classes Register book from the great sage teacher of Gust. Let's see, Advance, Advance... here! Advance-tier classes give...*mumble, mumble*...

I closed the book with a snap after reading that paragraph, then I opened it on the same page and reread... for then rubbing the dust out of my eyes and looked for a third time.

Eh? Advance-tier and above gives bonus points to stats related to it? Not just stat-growth enhancements?

...Niiiice. As expected from a real deal encyclopedia. The Kigal-Note is in the end just a collection of notes. It can't beat something that sages have spent who knows how long to write.

Let's read some more... and I almost forgot about that evil organization-blacksmith!! I think he's part of it.

It's just a hunch, but that Blot guy didn't seem to all for me not accepting his offer. My bet's on that he planned on impressing me or something with the goods that blacksmith has, then semi-forcing me to join if I wanted to get the premium goods. 

Still, it's just an idea. But I need some connection to those guys. I don't wanna fight some mafia. The guys on Earth are scary enough, so this murderous world's version of them? No way!

Just as I decided to move from the love spot before butchering the lovebirds on impulse, something noisy was starting further down the road. 

A dust cloud? Did some carriage go amok? Better get to some safer ground... wait a minute. I recognize that dust cloud!

Instead of dodging it, I prepared a web to capture the loose cannon running towards me. The culprit was magnifically trapped in it, allowing the dust it whirled up to rest.

"...What are you doing, Moles?" - Garami

I looked down on the Stella Mole, who looked at me with stars in its eyes... and forehead.

"Mo~le~s." shouted a cute voice. A girl with blond hair and a blue dress came running in the tracks of Moles' rampage.

W-what is this girl? An angel!? No, she's human. But with her blonde hair and blue dress, she looks more like a doll than a real kid. She's gonna be a beauty when she grows up. Like, a national treasure-level one. She's only five years old now from the looks of it...

Ah, she tripped. And she's keeping the tears in. What a good girl!

Moles is going crazy outta concern for the girl, so I let him outta the web. 

The doll-girl looks fine... scratch that. She's got a scratch. 

....Well, she looks like she's Moles' friend... or something...

This is just service, you know? Dark Heal!

And the boo-boo went away!

The girl looked at her knee with wonder in her eyes. Moles, who is accustomed to seeing my healing spells by now, is just happy his friend, or whatever, is alright. Let's check if that's all the damage she took.

......

Wait, I was just joking about that "angel"-part! Why's she a real-deal Flugel, this world's angel!?

Not to mention that she's a natural-born [Golden Ratio] owner!? She's won in life. And that LUC, it's higher than my own!? First time I've seen that! Wait, she's not losing SP even when she's catching up to Moles? What is she, a living cheat?

And she's Moles' master. Moles have the title [Firis's Follower] on his status page, like how Gust had [Garami's Follower] in his before. How did these two meet up?

"Now wait you little brat!!" - ???

Seems like her guardians are coming... "guardians"? These sleazy-looking fellows? And they called her a brat...

A quick [Identification] confirmed my doubts: they are kidnappers. They got skills like [Covert Movement], [Intimidation], and a skill that helps you move stuff around called [Transport]. Their Karma Values are almost at a negative hundred, and one even got the [Humanoid Slayer] title.

The little girl doesn't seem to recognize them either from the looks of it. The final piece is that Moles is trying to threaten them.

Conclusion: they're definitely the bad guys here. Damn, do I only run into such people?

The possibility that they're her guardians for real's still possible, with them being former criminals taken in by this girl's parents, the little girl being a natural airhead, and Moles being of the jealous type...

Yeah, I'm just trying to make excuses for them at this point. All the other people that laid their eyes on the thugs fled the area, almost in fear. Considering that my inner monologue's hurried up with [Thought Acceleration], that's pretty impressive for normal folks. 

That further strengthening the "these are bad-guys"-theory. Let's capture them and have them spit out their story.

"And who are-GUH!?" - Bad Guy A

Wait, that wasn't me! Someone struck bad guy A before I could get to it myself. And again, I'm using [Thought Acceleration]. So who's that speed demon!?

Bad guy A fell to the ground, revealing a female warrior with light-blue hair reaching her waist, dressed in easy-to-move-in clothes, and wielding a greatsword that's as big as she's tall. With one hand. Are you kidding me?

The greatsword looks like a shark's fin, nothing a knight of honor would use. The hilt was encased with a circle of what appears to be bones, and the blade looks kinda organic instead of metal. It's one-edged, like a katana, which is good news for bad guy A, who was struck with the blunt edge rather than the other option.

The greatsword-wielding amazon wasted no time smacking bad guy B and bad guy C after that in their stomach. While the result's not as horrific as what I did to the Swordsman elf previously today, these guys aren't gonna wake up by the first. 

Wait, what's up with those movements? That's a greatsword, right? But she's handling it as dexterous as I do with my dagger. What the heck?

The remaining bad guys D and E tried to attack her, while the one owning the [Humanoid Slayer] title started to activate some skill, but I punched him in the back of his head, using Sleep Blow to boot. He went out like a light before his head reached the ground. His last remaining allies went down a few seconds after that again.

And then, all six thugs were down for the count. The greatsword woman looked at me in surprise, but she put away the sword when she saw the one with the title on the ground.

"Mira~." - Firis

The little girl ran up to the amazon, completely unfazed by the current brawl just now. Damn, she's gonna be a pain to deal with when she grows up.

"Firis, where have you been? Your dad told you not to wander off like that." - Greatsword woman

"But~! I always have to stay on the island~!" - Firis

So, the spoiled rich lady(?) wanted to look around the city with her pet, then said pet, meaning Moles, found me in the distance and ran over to me. To boot, the little lady had some bad guys stalking her, and when Moles and she started to run off, they panicked, and skipped the stalking in favor of just taking her right now?

Damn, this girl's LUC is no joke...

"You just saw what happened! There are lots of bad people that want to do you and your father harm-" - Greatsword woman

"No worries~. Moles will protect me then~." - Firis

Uhm, excuse me, the mole in question looks pretty shocked over your statement just now. Think he can handle the job? Like, for real?

"And Mira will also protect me, so there are no problems~." - Firis

"...That's not the point..." - Greatsword woman

The amazon called Mira looked embarrassed when she answered the little lady. This girl's gonna be a femme fatale angel if she continues to grow up like this.

Crap, she turned towards me. Shoo, shoo! Go back with your guardian already! I know a trouble-bringer when I see them!

"Thank you very much for helping me," she said, with a polite bow.

I simply nodded back to her, unsure of what I should say.

But damn, this girl got guts. My face alone qualifies me for working in a haunted house, but she's unfazed. 

"Hey, why did Moles run to you? Are you friends?" - Firis

Even if you suddenly ask that...

"...Savior? Teacher?" - Garami

The girl tilted her head when hearing my response, but I'm not sure either.

The moles didn't have it so bad while living on the bottom part of the Water-Knot's sixth Dungeon Floor, but they hadn't it great either. And technically, I did help them obtaining their new skills and tons of Skill Points, so it's not completely wrong to call me a teacher either... right?

The greatsword user Mira looked shocked for a little second, but she calmed herself so fast that I would have thought I was mistaken hadn't [Thought Acceleration] been in use.

"Firis, it seems we know who the moles were making a statue of back on the farm." - Mira

Statue? What are those stupid moles doing!? Don't look so smug, Moles! But the other moles are alright then. That's a small relief. I would feel a little guilty had they been sent to somewhere not suitable for living. Just a little.

"Anyway, sorry for the disturbance, and many thanks for saving Firis here. My name is Mira Aureola, an E-rank adventurer and currently the bodyguard of miss Firis Ariens here." - Mira

"Firis Ariens, daughter of Benjamin Ariens, owner of Ariens Farm. Pleased to meet you." - Firis

What a courteous introduction. But that means I have to do so too? Geez... wait!

I showed my ID card to the two girls as a replacement for an oral introduction. A little rude, but what do you expect of me!?

Since one can change the appearance of the cards to a certain extent, I had chosen a dark wooden material as background and even added a spiderweb motif to it. Firis looks like she liked the design, but the bodyguard Mira looked surprised for some reason...

Is it that I'm a rank below her, but could still punch the lights out of that thug before? Don't go and decide others' strengths based on their ranks, lady!

Just as I returned the ID card to my pocket, [Presence Perception] caught something arriving in the distance behind me. Thug reinforcement? No, the guards? Damn, getting another scolding's the last thing I wanna do now!

"You take care of that." - Garami

"Huh? Oh, alright." - Mira

Good. The swordswoman understood what I was talking about as I ran from the scene of the crime... Haven't all my actions as an adventurer been like this? I fear for the future...

---

After ditching the guards, I managed to find someone that understood where I wanted to go and gave me directions.

Armveil's Smithy.

The large sign above the door clearly showed off that the owner wasn't an introvert like me. Seeing how new the sign is, it's no wonder that many people don't know about it. 

I readied myself and entered the shop.

What awaited me was hills on hills with weapons. Swords, spears, daggers, shields, magic staves, and even iron balls, the kind that are used as throwing weapons. Stuff like armors and robes, even rings and other accessories. 

Rather than a smithy, isn't this an equipment supermarket?

But the size and quality of this shop leave no doubts anymore. This Armveil guy's got some people backing him. Considering the circumstances, the Beliar Private Army group.

"Welcome. Can I help you?"

The girl behind the desk called out to me all of a sudden.

Why must people do that all the time!? Give me some time to order my thoughts before you scare me half to death, you damn ninja!!

Well, not a ninja per see, but she's one heck of a Blacksmith.

She's a Jewelborn. [Identification] told me they're humanoids with something called a Soul Gem embedded somewhere on their body. They've got awesome MP due to that, but the attributes they can attain are limited. 

Seeing how she's dedicated to smithing, that's no problem for this girl. Did she raise her STR and RES from working at the scorching forge? She's just one level's worth of Skill Points away from upgrading her class. Good luck! Don't give up!

"...Armveil?" - Garami

"? No, my name is Shula." - Shula

It didn't get through to her!! No wonder, since only half of [Parallel Processing] was used for that line now while I was busy thinking about stupid stuff, damn it! Let's try for real this time.

"...Is Armveil here?" - Garami

"Master is here, yes. Do you have an appointment?" - Shula

Tch, things aren't gonna be that easy. Just my luck. My mood's rock bottom from the traffic accident with Moles and his new master, so I decided to stop walking around the bushes.

Not that I did any particularly drastic measures. I simply showed Shula here the coat of arms or whatever I had gotten from Blot. 

"!? Please, wait for just a second!" - Shula

...Okay, maybe it turned out to be a measure a tad more drastic than I had expected...?

---

Before I knew it, I was sitting face-to-face with the head-smith himself.

Armveil is a Master Dwarf, meaning a variant of D-rank dwarfs that's almost overspecialized in crafting, according to [Identification].

He's got steel-colored hair and sun-tanned skin. Strange thing is that he's not that short, bulky, nor having a large beard. He's more masculine-handsome than masculine-old man-ish. He's keeping his long hair slicked back and has a well-trimmed goatee. While not high for a human, he's still around 140 cm high, with a well-trained and nimble body. 

"Alright, so you're the famous Garami girl, eh? Welcome to Armveil's Smithy. I'm the boss here, Armveil Veiger." - Armveil

My reputation proceeds me~... or, this is Blot's piece of work. 

Just as I was wondering how to ask this guy about my suspicions, the Jewel girl from before brought something to me. Snacks? Tch, it's not.

"Blot told me you didn't like talking so much, so I thought of an alternative solution." - Armveil

"...no need for them." - Garami

"Oh, so you can talk~! That makes things easier." - Armveil

The dwarf put away the writing utensils with a surprised, but pleased face. No reason I wouldn't be able to talk.

I mean, this is an interview, right? It's a battle to get a job, right? You have to give 100% when on the battlefield!!

...or so I'm shouting to myself in my mind...

"First, are you part of Blot's group?" - Garami

"Blot's group? No, no, I'm not part of the Private Army." - Armveil

He's not bending. Then it's a frontal assault then!

"...I'll be more specific: are you part of that "evil organization" that's rumored about in the shady sides of the town? The one using the army as a cover?" - Garami

"O-ho~. That is quite the statement you came with. And where did you-" - Armveil

"Forced it out from the trash of Avido family." - Garami

"...trash, huh? And what happened to them?" - Armveil

"Finished them." - Garami

Armveil turned pale when I disinterested gave my answer. For someone working for an evil organization, he's lacking some ruthlessness.

"O-okay..., now I see. You laid two and two together and came here. And what is your angle?" - Armveil

"A job." - Garami

"...as in?" - Armveil

"...the Union's good, with easy jobs for me to get money to live for, but the security is the worst. No privacy regarding your income, and no protection in case you get hurt on the job. Honestly, being an Adventurer has no stability and too many risks." - Garami

This isn't a game after all. Living in an inn requires quite the amount of gold in the length. Even all the cash I've obtained thanks to Gust would vanish if I didn't keep my eyes on them. 

"Plus, there's no telling if they would help if those guys from Avido returned with a vengeance. You guys are the ones wanting some talents as well, so it's a give-and-take deal. Give me some stability in my living, and I will be a combatant or whatever you're short off...you know what, forget that last part. Give me the vice-CEO chair, or we don't have a deal." - Garami

Armveil's face went from surprise to understanding as he listened to my story, for then returning to surprising, before finally laughing out like a madman. Did I find his funnybone?

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! Oh, kid, you're killin' me! Vice-CEO...you're really a demon! Hahaha! As you said, I, Shula, Blot, and all the other bastards are part of a self-proclaimed evil organization, named Nequitia." - Armveil

He folded fast. Great, we have progress. 

"Then give me my office by the end of the week-" - Garami

"Hold on there, little miss invincible. We can't go and grant you that right away, even if you scared the big boss." - Armveil

"...I "scared" her?" - Garami

"Big time! Magic may not be her best hand, but the lady is one of the strongest demons you can find out there. A weak blow or not, seeing someone not even at rank D surviving it must have terrified her." - Armveil

"...and she wants me because of that?" - Garami

"Seems like it! Not that she has a fetish for scary. You're not part of any group yet, are you?" - Armveil

"...I'll leave that to your imagination." - Garami

"Oh, you can bet on that! Because my imagination sucks! That's why I'll use the facts that a certain Darkness-using demon crushed the supposed Disaster of Water some nights ago, a fact we know thanks to the telescopes our company makes!" - Armveil

...tch. Those stupid glasses wanted to hire me because of that?

"...hey, what happened to the hire-me-because-I'm-scary-part?" - Garami

"That's also part of the reason! But there's no way some of the bigger groups could keep you a secret for so long. Plus, the organization has a few record-watchers." - Armveil

"...what-watchers?" - Garami

"The kind that looks at the World System logs to discover facts there. Such as finding out that the Disaster of Water was defeated by the Champion of Darkness~. And if you beat that monstrous blob of water... you get the rest. And who doesn't know about record-watchers~?" - Armveil

Are those guys such a common thing to know for guys in this evil organization-occupation? 

"And hey, if something that strange appeared, wouldn't it be better to have it on your side and use it to scare the livin' outta others?" - Armveil

"...If you say so. Then, how can I get the vice-CEO seat then?" - Garami

"Hold your horses! That's Blot's position! If anything, aim to become one of the Ten Generals! There are still spaces left there!" - Armveil

"...Generals?" - Garami

"Yup. They're the top ten members of the organization, only below Blot and lady Filyn themselves. Each General leads their own division that's focused on their own specific task. The head of the Research Division's never shown her face even to a few of the other Generals." - Armveil

"That works. Put me in that group. In a division with low social contact." - Garami

"Ahaha...no, that's not funny. The Generals are the best in their line of work. Champion or not, we can't hand that title over to someone we barely know a thing about." - Armveil

"......then what should I do to become one?" - Garami

"I don't know. It  like taking over this whole city and handing it over to lady Filyn?" - Armveil

Greeeaaaat. Lots of help there...

"That's possible." - Garami

"Yeah, no way..., "possible"? Did you say that it was possible for you?" - Armveil

"Yup. Just have to get to the living room to the guy running this town and threaten him with this little guy," I replied as I pulled a certain something from my pocket and showed it to the dwarf.

".........no way...hydra...hydra poison!!??" - Armveil

"This little guy would do the trick~." - Garami

"W-w-w-w-w-wait! Stop, don't!!!! You'll destroy the whole city with that!!" - Armveil

"I know. But since there are no other ways to a stable lifestyle-" - Garami

"AAARGH!! Fine, I'll nominate you! Be it a General or anything, just don't juggle that bottle like that!!!!!" - Armveil

"Tch. It's funny to juggle," I said, keeping on throwing the bottle with deadly poison in the air.

"Please, stop that!!!! What else do you want!?" - Armveil

He's quick on the uptake. As expected of someone making his own living as a shopkeep/smith/evil organization leader~.

"Guarantee that you'll help me. Something like Contract Magic works." - Garami

Contract Magic is a special breed of magic that I came across when reading the Kigal-Note to kill time one day. The one initiating a contract has to follow it, or else a punishment agreed on beforehand will strike the guy breaking the contract. 

"Grr......alright! Just "helping you become a General" works, right? Wait here while I find pen and paper! And we have to talk Blot after this!" - Armveil

"Fine by me," I replied as I saw the dwarf off. Didn't he have writing utensils already? He must need some special stuff, probably...

Still......that was haaaaaaarsh!!

I'm the one wanting to cry here! This is soooooo not the same as talking to monsters!! *Sniff*, and playing around with this bottled damnation was tearing on my SAN points more than it did for the dwarf!!

Please let this job be worth it all...