kscans

Chapter 122 - Strictly Confidential

Now that my call with Yoshino-san was over, I continued to relax on the sofa.

"For now, the most important thing to be careful of at the Shibuya Branch tomorrow is not to make any definite statements," Kaede-chan, who had been listening to the call, advised with a nod.

"You’re right. My Speechcraft skill will shine."

"I’m a little worried, but do your best. I can’t go with you, of course."

Kaede-chan absolutely cannot come. She’s too cute, so Kiryu would definitely target her.

"Well, it’ll be fine. Actually, I have something even more important to talk about than that."

"More important than this? More important than finding out A-rank Kiryu-san’s unique skill?"

"Yep. It’s a huge bombshell. I leveled up during our adventure yesterday."

"Yes. I saw your Status Card, you reached level 10. Yesterday’s sushi was a celebration for that. Thank you for the meal, and congratulations."

Well, since Kaede-chan carries my Status Card with her at all times for some reason, of course she would know.

"When I reached level 10, I learned a new recipe."

"They increase with each level, don’t they? Well then, please announce the recipe you learned at the momentous level 10."

"The item I can now make at level 10 is…"

I could almost hear a drum roll in my head.

"The Water of Life!"

Tada!

"Water of Life? In keeping with alchemy, can you make a homunculus or something?"

Ah, so that’s what she thought of.

"I don’t need a homunculus."

If I put my mind to it, I could make something similar in about nine months. Though it would be a lot of work for Kaede-chan.

"Then what is it? If it’s not a homunculus, I have a bad feeling about this."

Well, a homunculus would be pretty insane too.

"It’s limited to Frontier, but it can bring you back to life even if you die."

"I knew it…"

I guess you can figure it out from the name.

"In Frontier, people turn to smoke and disappear when they die, right?"

"Yes. Fortunately, I’ve never seen it, but I hear it’s quite a shock."

It probably is. It would feel like a game, a sensation of a person ceasing to be a person.

"We left right away last time, so I haven’t seen it either…"

We left the kidnappers Claire and Harry killed right there… Of course, when we came back next, there was nothing left.

"Apparently everything disappears, their equipment, their clothes, everything. That’s why it’s recommended to strip the body of its equipment if someone dies. It’s unpleasant, I’m sure, but they become mementos."

If Nanapon died, would I have to strip her of her equipment and everything? I wouldn’t want to do that… It would be shocking and traumatic.

"It’s more than just eerie…"

"Actually, I hear the funerals are awful because there’s no body to mourn over… If I saw someone disappear, it would be traumatic for me too. I’d probably decide to retire on the spot."

A funeral without a body… It must be the worst if a comrade dies.

"That’s harsh…"

"It is. So, what do you mean by being brought back to life?"

"In the case of humans, unlike monsters, there’s a short period of time before they disappear, right? Apparently, if you make them drink the Water of Life before then, they can be revived."

"I see… I’ve heard that the higher a person’s level, the longer it takes for them to disappear."

What’s that? Did someone run an experiment?

"That’s scary."

"It is. By the way, what are the ingredients?"

"That’s the thing. It seems to be a level 3 Healing Potion and a Crystal of Life. I can make as many level 3 Healing Potions as I want, so that’s fine, but I don’t know what a Crystal of Life is. Do you know, Kaede-chan?"

"Crystal of Life… I’ve never heard of it."

As I thought…

"It might be a rare item. Everything has been easy to make so far, but considering Nanapon’s Clairvoyance leveled up when she hit level 10, maybe level 10 is special."

"That’s a possibility. I’ll look into it."

"Please do. The internet was a complete dead end."

I searched on my phone after we got back from the sushi restaurant yesterday, but nothing came up. It’s likely an undiscovered item.

"Have you told Nanaka-chan or Yoshino-san and the others about this?"

"I told Nanapon. But I haven’t told Yoshino-san and Lin-san."

"You can’t tell Yoshino-san?"

"She has her comrades. More than twenty of them."

Her core members are from Satsuki-san’s former party, so there are probably only a few of them, but I hear she has a lot of associate members. I’m probably one of those associate members myself.

"You can’t tell her then…"

"Satsuki-san’s former party members are your former comrades, right?"

"That’s right. They were seniors who took care of me, and I still keep in touch with them from time to time. But they’ll probably be retiring soon, and they don’t take risks. I hear they’ve already stepped back from the front lines."

The chances of them being in danger are low. The problem is the associate members.

"I’m sorry, but I can’t trust the associate members. If Yoshino-san were to use it, I think the secret would get out."

"I agree. Even if they themselves have no ill will, I think the rumor would spread quickly."

Rumors spread with incredible ease. A person trusted by someone I trust, Kaede-chan, is not necessarily someone I can trust. ‘Just between you and me’ and ‘Don’t tell anyone else’ get passed along like a game of telephone, and the secret gradually stops being a secret. Then, somewhere along the line, it gets leaked onto the internet or somewhere else and spreads like wildfire.

"Well, in any case, there’s nothing we can do without the item itself."

"So you’ll decide whether to sell it or keep it for yourselves after you’ve made it."

That’s right. We’re counting our chickens before they hatch.

"Exactly. So please look into it for me."

"Understood. What about Satsuki-san?"

"I’m planning to report it to her, but she seems so busy…"

"Shall I pass on the message for you?"

That might be a good idea. She can tell her when she has time. Since we don’t have the item, there’s nothing we can do anyway.

"Alright, please do. And while you’re at it, tell her to look for the Crystal of Life when she’s free."

"Roger that."

Good, good. That settles the matter of the Water of Life for now. Next up is my fun experiment.