"Kept you waiting, human! Here, take this!!"

  It took only a few seconds for him to emerge 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 time, I’ll bring more sweets.""Hmph! Next time, 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 cnk.

  "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 time, and waved the scroll pyfully.

  "We lost some scrolls, huh.""Yeah. But we got what we came 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 home for now. It’d be a pain if someone else bothered us here.""Agreed. It’s better to talk somewhere 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 calcuting 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 seemed 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 pces.""That spirit’s an exception. Normally, they wouldn’t settle in a well."

  Libert didn’t expin on the way back. Instead, once home, he first crified the nature of Donta, the spirit.

  The biggest surprise was that an unbound spirit resided in such a poputed area.

  As Amina and Nell knew, spirits typically dwelled in pces that maximized their elemental affinity.

  Water spirits near bodies of water—kes, rivers, or the sea.Fire spirits in scorching pces like volcanoes.Wind spirits in valleys or breezy locations.Earth spirits could be found almost anywhere, though higher-ranking ones often cimed 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 expined.

  "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 someone would’ve noticed.""Spirits are special beings. The more powerful they are, the stricter the conditions to meet them. In Donta’s case, the first requirement 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.""Me neither. Strange pces like that usually become 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 game, 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 met.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 games, 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 meant many discoveries remained hidden.Nell, Amina, and Ingrid’s confusion about why Donta went unnoticed stemmed from that.

  "Makes sense. Most people use skill scrolls immediately after buying them.""Some might store them in vaults, but carrying them around? Rare. And even if they did, it’d be for transport to a specific pce. Who’d bring sweets to a well?""Exactly. Plus, once you meet him, he won’t appear again for a week, even if conditions are met. Makes it even harder to figure out the requirements."

  Meeting 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 me?""Yeah. With this, you can avoid fatal blows and boost your survivability."

  Spirit-given rewards were always substantial.Originally, Libert had pnned to strengthen Nell using the Fme 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—Css 6 monsters. Its defensive power is undisputed. Max it out, and it’ll st 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 mesh 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 me?""From Donta? Nah. The best one’s Romance Cannon, and the second is Water Armor, which Nell just got. The third and fourth are mediocre. 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, remember? Leave it to me.""Okay!"

  This time, Nell got preferential treatment due to the avaible skills, but Amina and Ingrid would have to wait a little longer.

  If skill scrolls circuted more freely, things would be easier—but that was beyond Libert’s control.

  "The bigger issue now is what Dent mentioned—hunting grounds. Even if we pick unpopur 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 retionships.

  But still…

  "If I rely on the Duke now, I’ll just end up colred 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 come up with something.""Thanks, everyone."

  No solution came to mind immediately, and forcing one wouldn’t help.

  As Ingrid said, rushing into a decision was a bad idea.

  "If it comes to it, I’ll ask the foreman at the construction site to come 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 regurly."

  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 game.

  Social standing.

  They needed someone who could handle that.

  Was there such a person?

  Among named characters, in this pre-story timeline—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 game, the quest to meet her had extremely specific, almost brutal conditions.

  Could Libert pull her into their lives?

  "What’s wrong, Libert? Thought of something?""Yeah, but I’m not sure if it’s possible. More importantly—can we even meet her?""Is there someone you need to meet?"

  A figure who had already retired from the public eye yet still held immense influence—and was a staunch liberal.

  "Yeah. The former High Priestess—probably working as a parish priest now.""The former High Priestess? That’s a big deal.""Right. Her name’s Cudia. She might be our best bet."

  In the game, recruiting her required perfect timing, earning her the title of "hidden character."

  Her in-game epithet: The Heretic Nun.

  A woman who prayed to the gods but rejected reliance on miracles.

  "Cudia-sama!?"

  And, unsurprisingly, she was just as famous in this world.