Chapter 8:
Face to Face
“BROTHER DEAREST?! Whatever is the matter?!”
I was barely hanging onto consciousness, but somehow, I made it home. It was already pitch-black as I collapsed at the front door, perhaps from the relief that I was finally back.
“Oh… Hey, Alice.”
“Y-your arm—ngh! Everyone, come quick! Our dear Noir needs help!”
My parents, Tigerson, and Olivia all came running. They were all at a loss for words. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen my father look so serious. Maybe never. But Olivia, who had many battles under her belt, remained calm. She looked at my wound and used some kind of skill. Warm light emitted from her hands as she healed me.
“What were you thinking, Noir? When you lose a limb, you need to stop the bleeding right away. Lots of people die from exsanguination.”
“Please go easy on me. I’ve never lost an arm before.”
“Well, if you can talk back to me, you’re gonna be fine. I’m not very good at healing, so this won’t do anything crazy, but it should keep the wound from getting infected.”
“Thanks. It feels a lot better already.”
“Ms. Olivia,” said Alice. “Please save my dear brother. Take my life to save his if you need to!”
“O-or mine!” said my father. “But I’d prefer a solution where we all remain alive!”
They’d both completely lost their composure.
<Calm down,> said Tigerson. <We ought to take Noir to a healer first.>
“Yeah! Exactly!”
Alice and my father tried to put me on Tigerson’s back, but Olivia stopped them.
“None of the healers in town can do much for him.”
<Then what shall we do? I cannot stand by and watch as the light drains from my friend’s eyes.>
“Chill,” said Olivia. “It’s not like I want him to die either. But Noir’s the only one with the power to help himself.”
I’m the only one with the power… Did she mean by creating a skill?
“You’ve been working hard to earn LP lately, haven’t you?” she asked. “How much do you have not?”
“About fifty-three thousand.”
“Would you look at that!” She flashed a bubbly smile and placed one finger on my chest. “Try making a skill to regrow your arm.”
“Y-you can do that?”
She must’ve done it herself at some point in the past.
Regrow Left Arm — 20,000 LP
I trusted her, so I produced the skill. Once I told her I’d done it, she flashed an “okay” with her fingers.
“You could edit it to speed up the regrowth rate,” she said. “Or just make the skill faster to begin with, but it’ll bump the cost up a lot. Either way, it should grow back after a good night’s rest.”
I was grateful for the advice, but it didn’t really matter how long it took. Olivia and my father helped me to bed, and Alice brought me some water. Everyone stood over me as I laid my head down on my pillow and felt the strength leave my body. My eyelids grew heavy. I really hoped that my left arm would grow back the same as before…
✦ ✦ ✦
My mind was fuzzy, but I could hear voices.
“We should turn him down this time.”
“But honey, he’s a valuable customer.”
“I will keep an eye on our dear Noir. His condition seems stable, and his arm has grown back. And Ms. Olivia is here too.”
It was my parents’ voices. And Alice.
Wait, did she say my arm grew back?
I sat up and checked. My left sleeve was missing, so I could clearly see the limb growing out of my shoulder. I touched it gently, then started to get more excited. It really was my arm, just as it had been before!
“Ooh, you’re up.”
“Oh, Brother, my dearest Brother, are you well?!”
“Yeah. At least, I think I am. I’m a little shocked that it actually grew back. It doesn’t hurt or anything.”
Everyone gathered around me, looking relieved. I’d have been lying if I said I wasn’t tired, but that was probably just because of how intense the fight had been. Olivia and Tigerson were in the living room, so I headed downstairs.
<Oooh! Your arm grew back!>
“I told you so,” said Olivia. “Sometimes I do tell the truth!”
“Thank you,” I said. “Both of you. I wouldn’t have managed without you.”
“It’s not done yet,” said Olivia. “You should rest for another day or two.”
It seemed it was going to take a little time for my sensation and grip to return, although I could probably shorten the recovery with rehab. For now, I needed to eat. Over the table, my parents explained what they’d been talking about earlier. Apparently, one of the regulars at Stardian Rarities had invited them to dinner. He owned quite a lot of property and bought a lot from us. My father said he was holding a dinner party tonight.
“He invited us all, including Tigerson and Ms. Olivia.”
“Well, please, don’t worry about me,” I said. “I still need rest, but I’m not in any danger.”
It’d be good for business if they went. I promised I’d be good and rest, so my family agreed to go. It was already past five in the afternoon, so they all got ready and headed out right away. Apparently, I really had slept for a long time.
When I was alone, I lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling, thinking things over. I’d spent a lot of LP regrowing my arm, but I still had about thirty-three thousand left. If I wanted to reach my hundred thousand target, I’d have to keep at the Item Conversion grind. There were probably still some useful things left on the seventeenth floor. I was still curious about the three sets of stairs too, but I’d solve that soon enough.
“Wait! I had plans with Emma today!”
I’d promised to have her over for dinner, since her parents were out of town, but everyone had gone out to that party. While I was trying to figure out what to do, Emma showed up.
“Hiya! I’m here!”
She was full of cheer, but she seemed disappointed to find the house empty.
“Huh? Where’d everyone go?”
“So, about that…”
I explained the situation. Emma’s disappointment didn’t last long.
“All right, then,” she said. “Why don’t the two of us go out to eat?”
“Yeah, that sounds good to me.”
“Yay!”
And so, we left the house.
“Sorry,” I said. “I know how much you were looking forward to dinner.”
“It’s totally fine. You guys are dealing with your own stuff,” Emma said.
I couldn’t help noticing her clothes. The outfit was much more reserved than the one she’d worn for the King of the School Year Competition, but it was still revealing. She was probably hoping I’d notice, so I mentioned it.
“I guess it is a lot of skin…” she said. “It was just so hot out.”
“You should wear whatever you like. I’m just concerned about that serial killer.”
He was attacking women in attention-grabbing clothes, and some adventurers had been seriously injured, so I had reason to be worried. Emma chuckled softly.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Heh heh, thanks for worrying about me.”
“Of course I worry about you. Maybe you should spend the night tonight.”
“I’d love to.”
“Then it’s settled.”
I told her she could use my room. I’d sleep in the living room.
We strolled around until we found a place to eat. We picked a restaurant famous for its delicious soup and bread.
“Congratulations! You’re our hundredth customer today!”
We lucked out. The place was having a campaign, and the hundredth customer ate free. We happily took our seats. While we were waiting for food, I overheard the people talking at a nearby table.
“That new weapons shop is opening soon.”
“Think they’re gonna have a big opening sale?”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath. They’re a famous chain from another kingdom. I have a friend from there, and apparently all the top-class adventurers and soldiers use their products.”
They had to be talking about Santage Arms and Armor. They weren’t even open yet, and people were already talking. It was a good sign for their business. Emma noticed it too.
“Mira’s family sure is famous, huh? That girl’s impressive—in more ways than one.”
“Well, she uses enchanted items and she’s high level. I dunno if it’s just her genes or because she’s been handling them since she was a kid.”
“Either way, we should try to make friends with her,” said Emma.
That was a good idea. Mira could be difficult, but she wasn’t a bad person. Plus, getting a discount at their shop would be a huge bonus.
After dinner, Emma stopped at a bar to pick up some alcohol on our way home.
“You wanna drink?” I asked.
“Honestly, after that night at the bar with Mira, I kinda got hooked,” she said bashfully.
I was a little worried. “Just make sure you don’t become an alcoholic.”
“I just wanna drink with you, Noir.”