Buster Hound boasted red hair and a beard and looked like a lump of muscle. Based on his skills, I guessed he wasn’t a physical attacker but a tank.
A slim woman with orange hair in a ponytail seemed to be their scout, but Linda Roche’s skills leaned toward dealing damage more than anything else.
All five of them, including Alisa, were at a higher level than Chris and could use Heart of the Hero. Their stats were in line with their levels at the moment, so it seemed like the skill wasn’t activated. The first stage of Heart of the Hero was a passive skill that could be deactivated. Since even the first stage increased your aggression, it could become a hindrance. Only using it when you needed it was the right choice.
She may have introduced the party members to me, but all Alisa did was tell me their names and roles in the party. None of what she revealed was a lie, but she was watching to see my reaction while doing so.
“Arius, since you’re an SSS-rank adventurer, you could probably beat them even in a four-on-one fight, don’t you think?” she asked, which made the other four react.
“Alisa, what are you trying to say?” Ryo demanded.
“Don’t think I’ll forget you said that,” threatened Fawn.
“You implying we couldn’t beat him even if we fought together?” growled Buster.
“Well…maybe we should find out,” Linda pondered.
They all looked at me with hostility. None of them reached for their weapons, but they shifted so they could draw them in an instant.
Alisa smiled in amusement at their reactions.
“Do I really need to answer that question?” I asked. “I have no intention of letting you goad me into something, but if you really want to know, then the only way to find out is to fight. But I have no reason to fight you right now.”
Level was just a general indicator of strength. If it were a team against one, the group could defeat a higher-level opponent, depending on how well they worked together. I didn’t plan on losing against them, but I also wasn’t going to talk big.
“I see…” mulled Alisa. “When I heard you were the youngest SSS-rank adventurer in history, I assumed you’d be more arrogant, but you seem to be the real deal. I can’t determine your level, not even with Evaluate, yet you’re not full of yourself at all. I’m sorry for testing you. Will you forgive me?”
Her party members bristled in shock. Alisa’s level was significantly higher than theirs, so they hadn’t imagined that her Evaluate wouldn’t be able to tell her my level.
The Evaluate skill showed you the status information of someone who was at a lower level than you. With a bigger difference in level, you could also see their spells and skills. As you increased the level of the skill itself, it gained a buff, letting you use it on people who were a higher level than you. There was, of course, a limit to that.
Alisa was high enough level to match most SSS-rank adventurers, and her Evaluate skill was also on par—she should be able to see the level of most people.
Despite that, she still seemed confident. Was that because she had Heart of the Hero? I didn’t know how serious she was, but it seemed as if she was goading her companions into fighting me. Did she think they’d win with Heart of the Hero?
“All right, Arius,” she continued, “the other thing I’d like to take care of while I’m here was to invite you to join the hero’s party. Prince Abel very much wants to recruit you, seeing as you defeated Chris. Would you let what Chris did be water under the bridge and consider joining us? It’s not a bad deal for you. Once we defeat the demon king together and save the world, you’ll have all the fame, money, and women you could want.”
Alisa prattled on, but I already knew my answer.
“I’m not interested. Ask someone else,” I cut her off.
“I thought you might say that. SSS-rank adventurers aren’t exactly hard up for money, and you’re good-looking, so I imagine you’re massively popular with the ladies. It must be hard to imagine what it’d be like for you to become the savior of the world. I guess there’s no point in trying to get you to join us.”
The other four grimaced when Alisa gave up easily.
“Alisa, hold on…”
“You can’t decide that on your own.”
“It’s fine, just let me handle it. I won’t let anything bad happen. And you know what will happen if you snitch to Prince Abel about what we discussed here, right?”
She shut the four of them up with one look. They knew what the power dynamic was in the party.
“Arius, I’ve come to see you’re not made for working for someone as worthless as Abel.” She wasn’t even using a title for him now. “It might appear he wants to defeat the demon king, but he’s an idiot who thinks he can win even though he has no idea how strong his enemy is. The only people who believe something as boring as ‘the hero is going to save the world’ are the uneducated masses. My working with him is purely business.”
This sudden admission seemed to shake her four companions. They were hearing this for the first time.
“Should you really be telling me this?” I asked. “Even if you’ve silenced those four, they might still tell Abel.”
“I’m not worried about that. They’re well aware of who they should be the most scared of.” She gave a friendly smile, and the four of them turned pale and nodded. “So, Arius, why don’t we forget Abel, and you work directly with me instead? I promise there’s no risk to you in doing so.”
This came out of nowhere again. What was she thinking?
“Why would I need to work with you?” I asked.
“Because I’m confident I can be of use to you. You know how strong I am. We both used Evaluate on each other. I don’t mind if you Evaluate me, by the way.”
There were a lot of people who considered the use of Evaluate to be a show of aggression, since knowing your opponent’s strength was a cornerstone of fighting. Obviously, there were some countermeasures. Conceal Ability reduced the efficacy of Evaluate attempts on you, and Falsify Ability provided incorrect information to someone. Neither of them worked against someone who was significantly higher in level, but Falsify Ability was particularly useful—I always had it up.
Alisa seemed to have the same thought processes as I did. Was she aware that I already knew her real level and stats, as well as her concealed spells and skills?
“Getting back on topic, Abel is quite obsessed with you, Arius, so I doubt he’ll give up just because we tell him you’ve turned him down. Why don’t you meet him, just to see? It would be a good opportunity for you to learn about his plans. And if he says he’s coming to Carnell, we won’t be able to stop him. He might cause even more trouble than Chris.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No, of course not. I’m just telling you the truth. I understand you’d be wary of going into the home base of your opponent, but that’s where I can help. I’ll tell you everything about the security in the royal castle of Ishtobal.”
She pulled several rolled-up pieces of paper from her Inventory and opened them so only I could see. Each one showed a floor plan of the various levels of the castle, noted with the locations of security magic items and traps, as well as the number of guards, their locations, and their patrol routes.
“You may be wondering why I have something like this, but it’s because it’s the First Chief of Ishtobal who gives orders for security, and that’s me.”
If this information was correct, she was leaking state secrets, but she didn’t seem to care at all. Based on the reactions of the others, this information was likely accurate. Even if it was, she could easily change the guards’ locations and patrols, or set up traps.
Or was she currently weighing me against Abel? No, I didn’t think I had that much value right now.
“I understand that you might think I have some trick in mind, but I’ll leave you to decide what you should do. I’ll tell Abel you’re rearranging your schedule to buy you some time, but Abel’s an impatient man. It’ll only get you a few days at most.”
She stood and took a step toward me. “Oh, and would you mind registering me in Message so we can contact each other in the future?”
I didn’t mind, so I agreed.
“I do think I could be useful to you for other things other than this Abel situation, and I’m planning on going all-out with the sales pitch from now on, so get ready for that.” She then leaned in so close to me that I could feel her breath on my face. “I am confident I can persuade you. After all, we are both…”
The last word she only mouthed, but I instantly knew what she meant.
Reincarnated.
I was certain.
“Hey, what are you doing to Arius?!