"Kept you waiting, human! Here, take this!!"
It took only a few seconds for him to erge from the well again.
Despite carrying a massive pile of scrolls when he went in, Donta returned with just a single scroll.
"Thank you very much. Next ti, I’ll bring more sweets.""Hmph! Next ti, bring a whole lot more!!""Understood."
With that exchange, the event concluded.
With a poof, Donta vanished into smoke, and the well’s lid closed with a clank.
"Is it over?""Yeah, it’s over."
Having successfully completed the interaction with the spirit, Libert turned toward Nell, who had been watching the whole ti, and waved the scroll playfully.
"We lost so scrolls, huh.""Yeah. But we got what we ca for.""So, you knew from the beginning what kind of scroll we’d get, Libert-sama?""Yep."
The well spirit.
This quest could only be undertaken once a week, but it allowed the conversion of skill scrolls into specific ones.
"Let’s head ho for now. It’d be a pain if soone else bothered us here.""Agreed. It’s better to talk sowhere more private."
Each skill scroll had an arbitrary point value assigned by Donta himself. The total points from the scrolls handed over determined which scroll would be given in return.
Donta’s earlier remark, "This should do," was his way of calculating the total points and deciding which scroll to provide.
There were five types of scrolls obtainable from Donta.
The weakest was Create Water—a skill that produced a small stream of water, roughly equivalent to a slightly opened faucet.
Even if it seed underwhelming, in this world, a skill that ensured drinkable water was incredibly valuable.
"A spirit in the royal capital…""I had no idea. I always thought spirits lived in more natural, untouched places.""That spirit’s an exception. Normally, they wouldn’t settle in a well."
Libert didn’t explain on the way back. Instead, once ho, he first clarified the nature of Donta, the spirit.
The biggest surprise was that an unbound spirit resided in such a populated area.
As Amina and Nell knew, spirits typically dwelled in places that maximized their elental affinity.
Water spirits near bodies of water—lakes, rivers, or the sea.Fire spirits in scorching places like volcanoes.Wind spirits in valleys or breezy locations.Earth spirits could be found almost anywhere, though higher-ranking ones often claid entire mountains as their territory.
Among them, Donta was practically the only spirit who chose to live in an old well in the royal capital.
To avoid misunderstandings, Libert gathered everyone in the living room and explained.
"I’ve heard spirits favor sweets, but I’ve never seen one so obsessed. Still, how did no one discover him until now? Even if the well was abandoned, it’s in such a lively area—you’d think soone would’ve noticed.""Spirits are special beings. The more powerful they are, the stricter the conditions to et them. In Donta’s case, the first requirent is carrying sweets."
The stronger a spirit, the more they imposed trials to prevent their power from being exploited.
"But any kid who bought sweets could’ve gone there, right? I’ve never heard any rumors about it."" neither. Strange places like that usually beco talk of the town.""My guess? The sweets had to be untouched—completely fresh, unopened. Most kids would start eating them right after buying."
In the ga, approaching the well without sweets was impossible to begin with.
"Plus, you had to carry skill scrolls, knock on the well’s lid, and say the passphrase—otherwise, Donta wouldn’t appear."
The location didn’t even show up on the map unless specific conditions were t.It was a space designed to remain hidden unless the right steps were taken.
The second condition was carrying certain items while reciting the passphrase.Libert happened to have skill scrolls obtained during the Halloween event quest.That coincidence allowed him to discover Donta.
"Sweets and skill scrolls—how many people carry that combination? Not many, I’d bet. That’s why no rumors ever spread."
Living in this world, Libert noticed how few people possessed the curiosity to explore the unknown.
Unlike in gas, people here prioritized safety and efficiency, avoiding unnecessary risks to focus on survival.
That wasn’t a bad thing.Working safely to live—that was a rational mindset for real life.
But it also ant many discoveries remained hidden.Nell, Amina, and Ingrid’s confusion about why Donta went unnoticed stemd from that.
"Makes sense. Most people use skill scrolls imdiately after buying them.""So might store them in vaults, but carrying them around? Rare. And even if they did, it’d be for transport to a specific place. Who’d bring sweets to a well?""Exactly. Plus, once you et him, he won’t appear again for a week, even if conditions are t. Makes it even harder to figure out the requirents."
eting spirits was inherently tricky unless you already knew how.
"But the rewards are worth the hassle.""Oh right, we haven’t checked the scroll yet. What skill is it?""Water Armor. Weak to lightning, but otherwise, it’s highly effective against both physical and magical attacks. Perfect for Nell, who fights head-on.""For ?""Yeah. With this, you can avoid fatal blows and boost your survivability."
Spirit-given rewards were always substantial.Originally, Libert had planned to strengthen Nell using the Fla Cannon from Count Clermont’s quest and other scrolls.
Thanks to the scrolls from the Marsh and Crawling Dragons, they obtained this one faster than expected.
"Also, Water Armor is a skill used by Water Dragons—Class 6 monsters. Its defensive power is undisputed. Max it out, and it’ll last you forever. It synergizes well with the skills Nell’s going to learn, too."
Defensively, it was so strong it was almost considered cheating.Its only weakness was lightning.
For a frontline fighter like Nell, it was practically ideal.Against fire-based enemies, its defensive prowess was unmatched—almost a must-have when fighting Fire Dragons.
Plus, it drastically improved Nell’s safety. A win-win—no, a win-win-win.
"What about you, Libert?""My skill build doesn’t sh well with it. I want Nell to have it.""...Thanks. I’ll make good use of it.""Damn right!"
Her wagging tail showed how happy she was.
"Lucky~ Hey, hey, Libert-kun, got any skills for ?""From Donta? Nah. The best one’s Romance Cannon, and the second is Water Armor, which Nell just got. The third and fourth are diocre. The fifth is just Create Water.""Ehh—""Don’t worry. I’ll get strong skills for you and Ingrid too.""Promise?""Yeah. I swore I’d make you the best songstress, rember? Leave it to .""Okay!"
This ti, Nell got preferential treatnt due to the available skills, but Amina and Ingrid would have to wait a little longer.
If skill scrolls circulated more freely, things would be easier—but that was beyond Libert’s control.
"The bigger issue now is what Dent ntioned—hunting grounds. Even if we pick unpopular spots, there’s no guarantee they’ll be empty. There might be more people like Ares out there.""What about asking the Duke for protection?""...That’s the safest option, but… ugh."
After the recent trouble, Libert knew he had to prioritize safety, even if it slowed down skill acquisition.
No—his previous approach had been too efficiency-focused.The proper way was to ensure safety and maintain good relationships.
But still…
"If I rely on the Duke now, I’ll just end up collared and under his thumb."
Even knowing that, he wanted to avoid depending on the Duke at this stage.
"Not that it matters. With other ducal shadows like Ares lurking, clinging to freedom is pointless."
The Duke’s protection would undoubtedly boost their safety.The trade-off? His freedom would be severely restricted.
Logically, he knew he should accept it.
"Ugh, if only I weren’t a kid, I could handle this better."
In the end, gaining a powerful backer as he grew up was the most rational conclusion.
Powerful backing was necessary in any world.
This underage body was frustrating.
"Libert-sama, perhaps we should table the guardian discussion for now. It’s urgent, but rushing a decision isn’t wise. A good night’s sleep might bring new ideas.""Yeah, I’ll think too!""I’ll try to co up with sothing.""Thanks, everyone."
No solution ca to mind imdiately, and forcing one wouldn’t help.
As Ingrid said, rushing into a decision was a bad idea.
"If it cos to it, I’ll ask the foreman at the construction site to co with us! That way, we’ve got an adult.""No, don’t drag construction workers into hunting grounds. That’s dangerous.""True. The bear-man Pidd, who guarded us before, would be better. With him around, nobody would dare approach.""I know a retired knight. He’s old but still trains regularly."
Brainstorming brought plenty of ideas.If not for the interference of power and politics, any of these would suffice.
The problem was status—a factor absent in the ga.
Social standing.
They needed soone who could handle that.
Was there such a person?
Among nad characters, in this pre-story tiline—was there anyone?
"Ah."
There was.Wait—could it work?
That person would be the perfect guardian for them.But how to make contact?
In the original ga, the quest to et her had extrely specific, almost brutal conditions.
Could Libert pull her into their lives?
"What’s wrong, Libert? Thought of sothing?""Yeah, but I’m not sure if it’s possible. More importantly—can we even et her?""Is there soone you need to et?"
A figure who had already retired from the public eye yet still held imnse influence—and was a staunch liberal.
"Yeah. The forr High Priestess—probably working as a parish priest now.""The forr High Priestess? That’s a big deal.""Right. Her na’s Claudia. She might be our best bet."
In the ga, recruiting her required perfect timing, earning her the title of "hidden character."
Her in-ga epithet: The Heretic Nun.
A woman who prayed to the gods but rejected reliance on miracles.
"Claudia-sama!?"
And, unsurprisingly, she was just as famous in this world.
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