The nostalgic Skill Book.
Keeping something so valuable stored away without ever using it — maybe the boss really did have Elixir Syndrome.
Since I have it, I might as well put it to good use.
I flip through the pages, and the Skill Book glows and fades away.
That light was absorbed into my body.
The skill I obtained was called "Limit Break Growth."
Further inside, there were roughly twenty abducted people.
Most of them were women or children.
Among them were women who looked like they needed medical attention.
The Heidecker Group really has no limits.
◇◇◇
The twenty-something victims we rescued from the Heidecker Group's hideout — I loaded them onto a carriage I'd created with my Rock-Iron Magic "Create Golem" and brought them back to our campsite.
When dawn broke, we all set off together toward the royal capital.
"My Lady Meiren, this escort job turned out to be a tremendous success. If word spreads that you helped rescue everyone from the infamous Heidecker Group, it will only bolster your reputation for having a keen eye in choosing guards."
Oh man, the butler is praising me.
"Yes, I suppose we were lucky. Alan, thank you. On top of that, you went and rescued the Heidecker Group's victims all by yourself — just who exactly are you?"
"Just an Orichalcum-rank adventurer."
"Just an…? If anyone else could do the same, the only person I can think of is the 'King's Sword.'"
Another unfamiliar term had come up.
"What's the 'King's Sword'?"
"The personal elite guard of the king. Each one is said to possess the strength of a thousand. Of course, they wouldn't lift a finger for commoners, though."
◇◇◇
We departed without incident and arrived at the royal capital, Elcid.
A city that truly earned the words "magnificent" and "extravagant."
Forthru was white and ostentatious in a religious sort of way, but this place was colorful, flashy, and loud about it.
At the inspection checkpoint entering the capital, I parted ways with young lady Meiren and her group.
In an ideal world, I would have escorted them all the way home, but with the Heidecker Gang victims to attend to, this was where we said goodbye.
"Lord Alan, thank you so much for saving even this old man."
"Not at all, Sebas. It was part of the job. Come to think of it, the bandits were saying something about it — the Gembard Trading Company is the second largest in the country, isn't it?"
"Indeed it is. We used to be the largest, but the Grandl Jewel Trading Company overtook us…"
Now that they mentioned it, I felt like I'd had some run-in with the Grandl Jewel Trading Company somewhere before…
"Recently the gap has only been widening, and Grandl Jewel has established a dominant position. And behind them, there's…"
"Alan, sorry to keep you waiting."
Just as I was on the verge of recalling something, young lady Meiren — having finished her business at the checkpoint — made her way over to us.
"Alan, I will repay this debt someday, I swear. I'd love to treat you properly, but I'm a bit swamped right now. That said, the Gembard Trading Company will always welcome you."
She bowed her head in gratitude.
Her golden drill-shaped curls swayed.
"No, no. I'll be collecting my reward from the Guild — that's more than enough. If the opportunity comes up, I'll be sure to stop by the Gembard Trading Company."
And with that, I parted ways with the young lady and her group.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Alan may have forgotten, but back in Episode 148, the Treasure Hunter (self-proclaimed) who was sent packing inside the Dokkan Dungeon was backed by the Grandl Gemstone Trading Company.
※In the previous episode, a [Growth Limit Breakthrough] occurred, so this was corrected and removed.
Skills: [Reverse], [Divine Eye], [Sword God], [Fist God], [Spear God], [Scorching Magic], [Freezing Ice Magic], [Clear Storm Magic], [Rock Iron Magic], [Holy Magic], [Dark Magic], [Space-Time Magic], [Thunder God Sword], [Gentleman Thief], [Ninja Master], [Seeker of Truth], [Supernatural Force], [Pain Dulling], [Complete Status Ailment Resistance], [Dark Spirit's Protection], [Super Intuition], [Heaven's Gate], [Abyss Contractee], [Magic Hand], [Treasure Search], [Seduction], [Eloquence], [Strong Luck], [10x Growth Speed], [Growth Limit Breakthrough]
Rank: Orichalcum
Thank you for reading!