Chapter 65: MultitaskingDay 79
Only Sherry is here this morning — maybe her snoring chased the others away. It feels intimate to be alone with just one of the girls like this. Of course, it’s great when we’re all together too. Best is having variation with a little bit of surprise. Whether this is deliberate or just chance, it’s wonderful all the same.
“Good morning, Sherry.”
“Ah, good morning, David. Why are you staring at me?”
“Because I enjoy looking at you.”
“Oh, alright then. I’m gd there’s nothing wrong.”
“Everything is simply wonderful. In fact, let’s go on a lunch date today.”
We went down to breakfast a bit te and Sherry told us about today’s monster, Udo Wood.
“Hello, everybody. We’ll go to Curatar’s Labyrinth today to conquer the 41st floor. It should be a little easier than the 40th so we might finish it all today or continue tomorrow if needed.”
The Udo Wood monsters of this floor are just somewhat stronger than the normal Needlewood trees, after adjusting for floor number. The leftover rabbit and cow bosses are actually stronger opponents. I’m mainly using Fire Storm since the trees are weak to fire magic and the others didn’t resist it. Rather than being spectacur, the burning branches are a bit of a hindrance.
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Close to noon, I took the party home so Sherry and I could go on a lunch date.
“Sherry, I’d like to take you on a quick tour of some of the pces you may not have seen.”
“That sounds nice, David. Maybe we’ll visit some of the pces I helped research for you.”
We started with Hafen, the seaside vilge with the racist Vilge Chief. We walked around and listened to the elves make fun of us. We could also hear how the cat-kin spoke a completely different nguage. We continued to the west along the coast by warping in short hops. After 15 minutes without seeing anyone, I took us back to Vale’s Labyrinth so I could recover MP.
I then took us to the east to visit some of the pces I had scouted with Marcus. At every stop, we listened for simirities to other nguages. Few could be found.
“David, does your warp work different with time than the normal movement magic?” [1]
“No, Sherry, warp only differs by where it can go.”
“Then, why does it look ter one way and earlier the other?”
“It’s reted to how the sun appears to travel across the sky. If you move far to the east, the sun will be higher in the sky. It will look ter in the day. If you move far to the west, it will appear to be earlier in the day. What you see as time of day isn’t just time. It is also reted to your point of view.”
“That’s not what I’ve heard, but it does seem to make some sense. I just hadn’t travelled enough before to see it like this.”
“I’m happy that you have an open mind, Sherry. You’ve experienced many things that didn’t make sense at first.”
“Yes, thank you. And, David, I noticed how you said that the sun only appears to move.”
“I thought you would. That’s a much longer story and harder to show convincingly.”
“David, did we do this to see new pces or was it all about the sun?”
“I enjoy sharing thoughts with you. Exactly what we discuss is less important.”
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We rejoined the party and then continued with the 41st floor. We managed to pick up the pace well enough to reach the boss room before evening. The boss of the Udo Wood is named Uro Wood. Mirroring this trivial name change, this boss was just a little tougher than the previous. After quickly defeating the bosses, we went home and rexed, or at least I did.
I drew of simple diagram of a shuriken and asked if Sherry could make one. She told me that only the elders can make novel items so I guess I’ll just have to wait until she becomes a Master Runesmith, or whatever the advanced job is called. Instead, I had her enchant the dagger she made me with Chant Interrupt. Sherry had never heard of anyone trying to trigger an effect from a thrown weapon, but it seemed worth the risk.
While the others prepared dinner, I finally remembered to fill the baths before eating so it’d be less tiring to heat them afterwards. Well, I was still tired so the gals helped me recover. Alina admitted being a bit nervous now that things might work out with Mirabel. I did my best to reassure her, while knowing that Alina basically just made that up for sympathy. Meh, worked out fine for me too.
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Day 80
It was hard to get out of bed, mainly from the weight of them lying on me. Either Alina was really dedicated to her story or it was partially true. Sure is fortunate for me that none of them are very big. Of the three, Roxanne is the tallest at not much more than 160 cm. Sherry is unsurprisingly the shortest at around 140 cm and Alina is right about in the middle of the two. [2]
No particur reason to think about such trivial matters other than the odd realization that Mirabel fits this weird puzzle by being about 10 cm taller than Roxanne. I’ll have to tell An that I need to find someone to be either 130 or 180 cm to get a straight flush. On second thought, best if I kept this to myself because it sounds too much like ranking.
We went downstairs for breakfast and to hold our usual briefing. Sherry told us about the next monster, Hunt Ant. This is simir to the lower Sck Ant except that it inflicts poison much more often.
“Everyone aside from Roxanne and Theo have some degree of poison resistance. That doesn’t mean absolute immunity so we still need to be careful. Of course, Roxanne and Theo need to be even more careful, though neither is likely to be hit. Anyway, make sure to keep track of the people in front of you and check on me occasionally.”
I mainly used fire magic despite the ants’ weakness to water since the trees actually resist water magic. Marcus was bitten by an ant, but he was able to resist well enough to take the antidote himself. He only has the minor resistance (I was too cheap) so the higher version might not even need an antidote, at least if just hit once. That was a good test, as long as it’s not just because Marcus is a tank.
We stopped a bit early for lunch and I took everyone home. The girls didn’t try to convince me to clean up. I just wiped off and switched into casual clothes. With my extra time, I went to the cooper to look into getting a bigger bed. Even if a cooper isn’t the normal pce for this, they should be able to direct me to a good store. Fortunately, the clerk said that they make what’s called an explorer-sized bed. Pretty tacky name and exactly what I need. It’s a full 2 meters long and nearly 3 meters wide. I ordered all the sheets and stuff from them too. They already know where I live so it’ll be delivered in a few days.
Warping to central Curatar, Mirabel was already waiting for me. Her guards sat nearby.
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“Hello, Mirabel. Hope I’m not te.”
“Nice to see you, David. We just arrived.”
“So, did I pass inspection?”
Mirabel sat close so we could talk privately, which sure doesn’t look like I failed.
“Father disapproved so I went to Mother. Mother will at least allow us to continue talking.”
“That’s reasonable. By the way, what do other people call your parents?”
“The Marquis and Marquise of Valois. I’m their second daughter.”
“Oh, no wonder they disapprove.”
“Does our css difference bother you?”
“Only because it’s inconvenient. Otherwise, I wouldn’t care if you’re part of the royal family.”
“Oh my, David, you certainly think highly of yourself.”
“Yes, I really do. Fortunately, I don’t insist that others agree. Anyway, let’s talk about us.”
“Yes, since this won’t be a political union, we should ensure that we’re actually compatible.”
“I like how practical and direct this is becoming. As you may have noticed, I’m not all that subtle.”
“Yes, and that’s actually easier for me as well.”
I expined that I lead a party to fight the byrinths, though it was clear that she already knew. She admitted that she didn’t like being in the byrinths and would only go if necessary. Custrophobia? It’s fine to keep home and work life separate.
“So, Mirabel, what have the agents told you about me?”
“That you are a complete mystery, David. They couldn’t figure out where you are from or anything about your family.”
“They’ve done well in just three days.”
“Is it something really bad?”
“No, the truth is, I have no verifiable past and no known family anywhere in the empire.”
“So, you simply appeared here all on your own.”
“Um, well, yeah, that’s what happened.”
“David, I was joking.”
“It’s true though. One day, I was in my old home and the next day I was here.”
“You’re actually serious, aren’t you?”
“Yes, and you’re the first person I’ve told.”
“Goodness, your secret was even bigger than mine.”
“So, are you alright with my secret?”
“Yes, David, I am. Thanks for trusting me.”
“Good, thank you.”
“David, I’d like to meet your party and…”
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We were interrupted by a familiar, booming voice. “Lord Moreau, I’ve been looking for you.”
“Hello, Baron Esther, you’re intruding again.”
Mirabel asks, “Another admirer of yours, David?”
“Yes, this is the father of the reckless driver.”
The baron objects, “Lord Moreau, it is most improper to spread rumors, especially among commoners.”
“Baron Esther, the good Lady is a noble. She witnessed the event and helped me rescue the victim.”
“Oh, pardon my assumption.”
“Baron, if I promise to see you tomorrow, will you leave us alone?”
“Yes, of course, Lord Moreau and Lady…”
“Goodbye Baron.”
“Yes, tomorrow then. Good day.”
Once the baron leaves, Mirabel teases, “David, you really weren’t joking about how desperate these nobles get. Will that happen to me?”
“No, because I won’t reject you.”
“Ooh, that was good.”
“This pce is too crowded so how about you meet my party in Vale near the adventurer guild at noon, the day after tomorrow.”
“Yes, that should be much better than here. By the way, how much have you told your party about me?”
“Just the basics of how we met and that you’re a noble. I’m not in the habit of revealing other people’s secrets, if that’s what you meant.”
“Thank you, David. See you in Vale.”
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I ended up taking a longer lunch than pnned, so I got back home a bit te. Well, I guess a boss can’t really be te. Anyway, we got dressed and went back to the 42nd floor. Alina got poisoned and managed about as well as Marcus did. Too bad we didn’t add Kobold to any of the Ant crystals for a better test. We need more skill crystals soon.
By evening, I brought us home before reaching the boss room. Not much left so it’ll be quicker and safer to do tomorrow. At dinner, at least three party members were anxious to hear the test gossip.
“Mirabel’s father is a marquis so my chances aren’t great. Still, she likes me so it’s not completely impossible. Mirabel wants to meet you. I suggested Vale in a couple days since Curatar is a bit too crowded.”
“Oh, can we really? Are we allowed to ask questions?”
“Yes, Alina, as long as you’re reasonably polite. I will be unhappy if you scare her off.”
Roxanne asks, “Can we test her?”
“That sounds suspicious. What do you mean?”
Roxanne says, “We should find out if she’s strong enough to bear your children.”
“Thanks for crifying, Roxanne, that’s a definite no. There will be no physical tests and avoid the topic of children unless she initiates it.”
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While rexing after dinner, I decided to check my jobs. I expected that an advanced job like Adventurer would level much slower than a normal one. [3] Well, works for me. Anyway, Merchant already passed level 30 and that was probably the requirement for the Armor, Weapon and Sve specializations. The first two seem useless. As terrible as it sounds, Sve Merchant should be helpful. As expected, it has Status Card Operation. This is probably different from the skills I can use through Knight or Vilge Chief.
“Sherry, please come here. I’d like to check your Status Card with a new skill.”
As I thought, the fields I could edit depend on the job I use to access it. Knight allows me to ensve and Sve Merchant allows me to manumit. Sver gives a number of options for wills as well. This is the most advanced interface I’ve seen here next to my bonus skill selection screen. I also found a second name field for Sherry.
“Sherry, were you always ‘Sherry’? I mean, did you have a different name?”
“‘Sherry’ is my Brahim name. My birth name is ?Shchera?, which is practically the same. This is common for sves that learn Brahim.” [4]
I then checked everyone else, even if they thought I was being weird. Marcus, Theo and Alina didn’t have extra names. Roxanne had ?Roxána?, which is clearly very simir. It’s possible that a sver could set a new name for normal dispy and the old name is saved in a hidden field. This could be convenient for marketability or witness protection, if such a concept exists here.
OK, what else can I py with? Priest hit level 50 so I now have High Priest. [5] Since I’m still the party healer, there’s no reason not to switch to the advanced job. It grants Group Protection in pce of Group Heal. I guess this might be against status effects or maybe just general shielding like my Alchemist job. Either way, it’s worth trying out since I could just switch back if it’s useless.
I dropped Merchant and added Tutor as the next job to py with. The other job, Errant, looks sort of weird. It can wait till I test Wizard.
[Mage: 50, Hero: 48, Adventurer: 34, High Priest: 1, Tutor: 3]
Eventually, Sherry dragged me upstairs. I had her make another Cord of Substitution so I wouldn’t have to make any more decisions.
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[1] In the LN, Sherry asserts that time magic is part of movement magic (v4 c2).[2] The LN gives height estimates for Roxanne (v1 c3) and Sherry (v4 c1). Alina is assumed to be Miria’s height, as estimated in the WN.[3] The LN shows Adventurer leveling just as fast as the basic jobs. All derived jobs (e.g., Assassin from Warrior) seem to level at the same rate as well. Only Hero and the racial jobs level more slowly.[4] Surnames can be removed, at least in connection to ensvement (v12 c1). Changing given names isn’t mentioned, though it might expin why sves tend to have English (Brahim) names.[5] The LN name for the advanced Priest job is ‘Senior Priest’ (v12 c2), but that’s boring. In the WN, it’s called ‘Assistant Priest’. That’s interesting, but too weird.