Chapter 142

Chapter 142

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 142: Smell (4).

Two more days passed after the visit of the Holy Knights. Allen, just in case, had someone check on their movements daily.

As expected, the Holy Knights had meetings with the two Top 10 individually. Of course, he had no way of knowing what conversations they exchanged…

Fortunately, they showed no signs of bothering Allen further. For him, that was enough. Whatever they did here was their business.

…And then, as they were returning to their ordinary routines.

Allen, who went to the office early at dawn and left by noon, conducted the weekly regular member management. In truth, member management sounded grandiose, but it was simply wandering around the hideout, checking the status windows of the members, and exchanging a few words. Occasionally, if a serious conversation seemed necessary, he would delve deeper…

After passing by Training Junkie Victor, Itty Titty Natasha, and Newbie Kori, it was Milk-Jug Mage Elena’s turn.

They exchanged unremarkable greetings, and as a habit, he checked her status window…

[Strength: 10] [Agility: 13] [Stamina: 23] [Intelligence: 42] [Magic: 55]

[Talent] [Will] [Greed] [Super Sensitivite] [Insomnia] [Affection] [Self-pleasure Addiction] [Enlightenment]

Huh…?

For a moment, Allen thought he had seen it wrong.

In just a few days, the [Magic Power] stat had skyrocketed, and the new [Enlightenment] trait was added. Compared to those, the upgrade from [Sensitive] to [Super Sensitive] seemed trivial.

The Group Leader was momentarily speechless as he checked Elena’s status window. As he was wondering what was going on here…

“…Group Leader…?”

“Ah, uh… May I come in for a moment?”

“Yes, please come in.”

With each slow and heavy step, Allen’s mind raced furiously. As a seasoned veteran of these past years, he crafted a scenario based on all his experiences to understand this unbelievable situation.

Could it be… has she truly realized mana…?

Honestly, it was hard to believe immediately. She wasn’t even a [Genius], but just a [Talent] mage, yet she attained [Enlightenment], even if not to the level of [Mastery]…

It was truly like breaking through an incredibly slim chance. Wasn’t the Milk-Jug Mage originally a character raised more for her chest than her performance? In fact, even Allen, who had played [Guild Master] for a long time, could count on one hand the number of times a character with the [Talent] trait achieved [Enlightenment]. It was a situation where he had virtually no expectations.

How did this happen?

Of course, it was a good thing. The character raised for her chest now boasted excellent performance.

At least until the mid-late game, there was little need to worry about mages. Unless it was someone of Elegant Mage Lady Belver’s level, it wouldn’t be easy to outperform Milk-Jug Mage based on performance. Moreover, she was a top-notch elemental mage in terms of destructive power.

Just as Allen was about to naively rejoice over her improved performance…

Ah!

A dizzying shock struck the back of his head belatedly.

He couldn’t help but think about that Holy Knights Order, which had been gradually fading from his mind.

When the Holy Knights Order came here after receiving the Prophetess’s words, did Elena open the Mana Gate?

An unbelievable coincidence. And people call that fate.

Damn.

Allen, sitting on the bed, was dumbfounded. To be caught up in an event he wanted to ignore like this… or perhaps he had been caught from the very beginning.

At that moment, Milk-Jug Mage, who was sitting demurely across from the Group Leader, was wondering if he was giving a signal to have sex.

He cautiously asked.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

Ah. Elena’s ears turned red with shyness at the same time. She sweetly whispered, brushing her hair behind her ears innocently.

“…Shall I suck it…?”

Lately, hasn’t she been locked up in her room, almost fasting, claiming to be devoted to training? She barely ate, so of course, she couldn’t even think about sex. It had been nearly a month.

Of course, Allen, who hadn’t intended for that, smiled bitterly.

“Let’s save that for later. You don’t have anything to say, right? Alright, got it.”

The Group Leader stood up.

“I still have some work left. I’ll be going now.”

“Ah, yes… Then, see you later…”

“…Alright. Rest well.”

As soon as he left the room and closed the door, he let out a long sigh.

It was undoubtedly a good thing… but the timing was so messed up that he couldn’t just be happy about it. If only the gate to the spirit world hadn’t opened, the event would have been postponed considerably.

Damn Amper.

Anyway, Elena had opened the Mana Gate, and now there was no turning back.

Whether he liked it or not, the demons would now relentlessly target Elena.

To prevent losing this precious talent who had even gained [Enlightenment], the options were to either crush the demons or seal them again.

Of course, holding out until the seal would break was one way, but it was much better to make full use of the high-quality manpower that was the Holy Knights Order. After all, they were a fortune that fell right into his lap. Though he did throw them away once, claiming he wouldn’t use them.

…It’s a bit embarrassing, though…

But what can I do? A damn fate is forcing me to run this event, kicking and screaming.

Since it’s come to this, I have to take on the challenge. The Holy Kingdom event may be annoying in the short term, and the rewards might be stingy, but in the long run, it’s not bad. Plus, I can save the Holy Kingdom from destruction… Though saving those god junkies doesn’t make much difference.

Allen racked his brain until it felt like it would burst, trying to think of a way to extract the maximum profit.

There’s no answer…

Scent Maiden Monua poured all her efforts into Vermandois, but she couldn’t find any clue about the seal. The scent was still connected to that man.

The lady knight was about to go insane with frustration. She couldn’t understand his cold refusal, even when they were offering rewards for the sake of the continent.

How selfish can a person be?!

What good is a handsome face if the heart isn’t kind? A fine face with a wicked heart is rather a poison. How many women had swallowed that poison and perished?!

The righteous lady knight, who had been brooding in her chair, finally rose and stormed out of the room. Giving up just because it was hard—that was the true defeat.

Every night, she moved alone along the path she always took. It was to loiter around the Allen-Mercenary Group’s hideout, searching for even the smallest clue. A kind of espionage. Of course, it was behavior unbecoming of a knight, but for the greater cause, she could endure it. What she couldn’t endure was seeing herself unable to do anything.

That night, too, she entered the inn building managed by the Allen-Mercenary Group. The hall was packed almost to the brim with guests.

She sat at the counter, ordered a beer she couldn’t drink, and looked around, surveying her surroundings. However, there was no way a clue that didn’t exist would suddenly fall from the sky.

After spending quite some time eavesdropping on people’s conversations, she thought, “Another fruitless day,” and stood up, leaving the untouched beer behind, but right at that moment…

“Miss Monua?”

A voice calling her name precisely. Startled, she turned around to see the middle-aged mercenary she had seen before at the Allen-Mercenary Group’s hideout.

“The Group Leader is waiting for you.”

“Pardon?”

“Please follow me.”

Wondering what this was about, she followed him.

The two went up to the third floor and stopped in front of the meeting room. He gestured towards the door, indicating she should enter. She couldn’t shake off a sense of unease as she slowly opened the door.

Inside, Allen was waiting for Monua, with several flickering candles. He gestured for her to sit, wearing a friendly smile despite her approaching with suspicious eyes.

“Our knight here seems to have no talent for espionage.”

“I was just stopping by.”

“For four days straight?”

She was completely caught.

When Monua turned her gaze sharply to the side, startled, Allen’s smile deepened.

“You seem quite desperate.”

“…Isn’t it obvious? It’s something that could bring disaster not just to the Holy Kingdom but to the entire continent. My role is to prevent that. Even if it means sacrificing my life!”

He confirmed her sincerity. Truly an exemplary holy knight.

“No matter what happens, I’ll definitely succeed. I can do it. Even if you don’t help me.”

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t disappointed. However, she had no intention of giving up just because there was no help.

Allen smiled deeply after hearing the resolve of Monua, the Pinkette.

“Why did you call me? To make fun of me?”

No way.

Allen cleared his throat softly and set the mood.

Then, spreading his hands lightly, he spoke with a plausible expression and voice.

“Congratulations. You have passed the test!”

Allen prepared his specialty, nonsense talk.