The Rising of the Scythe Hero

In the morning, after taking a long moment to admire the naked girl sleeping peacefully in my bed, I summoned every last ounce of willpower I possessed and finally got up — thus officially marking the start of a new day.

On the agenda: resetting the levels of my new and old companions, a process that would need to be carried out with Mirelia's assistance. I doubted she'd refuse, so we'd head out as soon as everything was in place. Meaning — today.

"Wh-what? Already?!" Wyndia, upon hearing the update, looked, to put it mildly, stunned.

"Yup. We're heading out in a few hours. Once I've gathered everyone."

And seriously — why the hell are you still wearing that maid outfit?

I'd already spoken with Pelgue about Wyndia. He'd anticipated that the girl might end up staying with him, so he was more than willing to offer her a job — either as a maid, or in some other role. Merchants like him always had a wide array of vacancies. But the final decision would be made a little later.

Next on the list — Fohl. Convincing him was trickier. Though the reasoning was obvious, I had no intention of playing nice or trying to "persuade" him gently.

"Listen, tiger cub. In this world, I'm one of the very few people not only capable of healing your sister — but actually willing to do it. But if you keep getting on my nerves, I might reconsider whether it's really worth the effort. So be a good boy, yeah?"

"Kgh… I—I'm only doing this for Atla…"

Well, that shut him up for now. And I wasn't lying — Atla was a valuable asset. But Fohl and his attitude were grating. If he couldn't get over himself and shove his pride down for his sister's sake, I was fully prepared to walk away from that package deal.

As for Night — she was never a problem. I just made sure she was somewhere nearby — specifically, out in the manor's backyard. I'd long since learned to sense her presence with absolute precision. So whatever she was up to out there, I didn't bother her for now. I'd fill her in right before we headed out.

Since Sadeena — clearly exhausted — still hadn't gotten up by the time the negotiations were finished, I grabbed the alchemist's handbook I'd acquired earlier and headed back to the room. After spending another peaceful moment admiring the orca girl's serene, sleeping face, I settled into the chair beside the bed and buried myself in reading.

I wasn't trying to learn everything — just hunting down the rarest and most powerful healing potions. Urd's Elixir, Caduceus Brew, Phoenix Tears, Lotus Draught, Yggdrasil Sap, Idunn's Gift, Ambrosia… All of them were either top-tier or outright legendary. Some hadn't been successfully crafted by anyone in this world for a hundred years — maybe more.

With the queen's help, I planned to get my hands on at least one of them. Then I'd figure out the rest. I had a hunch many of these could be created through the Weapon, but the issue was my total lack of understanding when it came to how Skills were unlocked. I had no clue which monster or material would trigger a higher tier of Mixing — or reveal the corresponding recipes.

About an hour later, right around the time I was reaching those conclusions, the orca girl on the bed began to stir. First she lazily rolled onto her other side… then onto her stomach… then again onto her side — until, eventually, she ended up facing me. One eye slowly cracked open, giving me a mischievous glance before closing again… and then she stretched.

And by stretched, I mean arched — in a way that could only be described as a direct, shameless provocation. Then she opened both eyes with a mock look of innocent surprise.

"Ooh? Nott-chan?" blink blink

"I was planning to gather everyone and head to Melromarc the moment you woke up, but…" snap I closed the book and stood with dramatic flair. "I think the queen can wait."

"Ooh?" Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, but that glint of playful mischief was giving her away completely.

"Take your clothes off, woman."

"Oh? But I'm already naked?"

"That's entirely irrelevant."

"Ahahaha!"

…

Exactly two hours later, everyone was assembled. And when Sadeena and I made our way downstairs — both thoroughly satisfied — Wyndia and Fohl were so red in the face you could probably light a cigarette off their cheeks.

I turned toward the orca girl beside me, my gaze full of disapproval.

"Oh? Is something wrong, Nott-chan?" she asked, eyes wide with unfiltered innocence. Mmhmm. And just so happened to lean a little closer too — purely coincidental, I'm sure.

Shaking my head, I decided not to comment. Once we'd made our way downstairs, we all settled into the living room sofas, forming something of a roundtable. I gave everyone a careful look — the attendees being: Wyndia, Fohl, Atla in what looked like a wheelchair, Sadeena (now included), and Remus.

"Such indecency…" Wyndia whispered so quietly it was almost inaudible, casting a side-eyed glare at me and the orca girl, who was cheerfully kicking her legs like a child.

"Alright, everyone. Here's the situation." I clasped my hands in front of me. "From now on, our base of operations is moving to Melromarc. As soon as we arrive, we're resetting the levels of Wyndia, Fohl, and Sadeena. After that, the last two will be doing their own leveling, while I — along with Night — will help Wyndia. You'll have five days to reach Class Advancement, and then we're off to Cal Mira Island. I have other plans to take care of before that, but those are just details. That's the main layout."

"A move? But Atla's still sick! How is she supposed to—"

"Don't worry about that. This won't be a relocation — it'll be a teleportation. You won't have to lift a finger."

"Wait, what?"

"Any other questions?"

"Is there anything I can do to assist you, Lord Hero?" Remus asked politely.

"Probably not. Though…" I trailed off, glancing at the bandaged silver-haired girl. "Do you know of any medicine that might help get her back on her feet?"

"Hmm… For something like her condition, the only remedies I can think of would be Yggdrasil Elixir or Phoenix Draught. Both are immensely expensive — and even if you have the funds, they're almost impossible to actually find."

"Got it. At least that narrows things down." I rose to my feet. "Any more questions?"

I continued to ignore whatever Fohl was muttering under his breath — so the answer was: no. After giving everyone time to prepare, I made my way toward Night, who, as expected, was still exactly where I'd sensed her several hours ago.

"Practicing?"

The birdie, sitting calmly on the grass with her eyes closed, was — if my senses were right — actively channeling Earth Leyline Magic, also known as the Power of the Land. Even now, I only had that skill at Level One, but Night? If I had to guess, she was already at Level Three. I wondered — was that natural talent, or just pure diligence?

"Master?" Night opened her eyes and looked at me with a hint of surprise.

"We're heading to Melromarc soon. The queen promised me a house, so we'll be living there from now on."

Funny. Back when I asked for a house for five, I definitely hadn't imagined this kind of group moving in. Now I wasn't even sure that size would be enough… It'd be awkward if I had to go house-hunting again right away.

"Alright. I'm ready," the bird calmly replied, watching me with that same serene gaze.

It was then that I remembered something Remus had told me. About how she behaved after I lost consciousness. About how she attacked Raftalia and Filo without hesitation — siding with me, no questions asked.

"You know, Night…" Her head tilted slightly. "At first, I saw you as little more than a toy. Maybe a pet. It's hard to feel differently when the entire world around you feels like a moving painting — nothing but living text. I didn't see a person. Just a drawn portrait. But now… things are more complicated." I chuckled. "I'm still not sure how much I've changed, but… you matter to me. I just want you to know that."

I knelt in front of her and gently patted her head.

"Master is very important to me too," she nodded with absolute sincerity.

"I know, Night. I know."

…

Melromarc greeted us with… an odd atmosphere.

I teleported us straight to the castle gates, so I didn't get much time to gauge the city's mood. Even so, there was a strange tension in the air — like the people of Melromarc had no idea how they were supposed to feel about recent events. The Church's collapse and subsequent reform alone would've been enough to rattle the nation… and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Getting to the queen was easy. Mirelia was in the castle, so there were no obstacles.

But the scene that greeted us upon entering the throne room…

"Forgive me. I was just trying to grasp what exactly that idiot managed to screw up while I was away," Mirelia sighed loudly, covering part of her face with her fan.

Not far from the throne room stood a massive block of ice, within which the outline of a person was faintly visible. If you looked closely, you could make out long gray hair and a deeply wrinkled face. And if you looked even more closely — and knew what you were looking at — you'd recognize the current regent of Melromarc: Aultcray.

"Harsh. But fair."

"I was just informed of your arrival, Nott-sama. The formalities regarding your new residence are nearly complete — you can inspect it later today."

"Excellent. But I didn't come here for that."

"Then…" the queen trailed off meaningfully.

"I need to reset the levels of these fine folks." I gestured to Sadeena, Fohl, and Wyndia, standing to one side of me. Night and Atla were on the other.

"Oh… And they're not…?"

"No, they haven't done anything wrong. It's just something that needs to be done. I'll explain the details later."

"Very well. That won't be a problem. I just so happen to be… finished," she added, casting a disdainful look toward the block of ice.

"He's not gonna die, is he?" I asked, mostly out of curiosity.

"The spell will wear off on its own in time. He won't die." There was so much chill in her gaze that it felt like she could've frozen Aultcray without magic if she wanted to.

"Got it."

Level resets were done using the Dragon Hourglass, located in what was formerly the Church of the Three Heroes — now renamed the Church of the Five. From what I'd gathered, the new church had been rebuilt practically from the ground up, while most of the old clergy were now rotting in the palace dungeons. The majority of them were hardline radicals, so the chances of negotiation from the start had been close to zero.

"I should warn you — the ritual usually results in total exhaustion for the one undergoing the reset. It's very likely your companions will be completely incapacitated for a while."

Ah, so that's why some of the gathered assistants have stretchers ready?

"Not pleasant, but not a problem."

"D-Does it hurt?" Wyndia, clearly getting anxious, looked up with a hint of dread.

"No," Mirelia gave her a gentle smile. "It's more like the weakness you feel after losing all your strength — just on a much deeper level. The ones undergoing the ritual really do lose all their power."

"I-I see…"

We started with Sadeena. She walked to the center of the magic circle with a calm, confident stride. Once she was in position, the mages began the ritual — a long incantation accompanied by a swirl of glowing light in various hues. In the end, there was no flashy climax. The light simply enveloped her… and faded.

"And?"

"I feel… fine?" Sadeena raised a finger to her lips. "Wasn't that bad at all."

"Good. Fohl, you're up."

"R-right! I won't show weakness in front of my sister!" With clenched fists and the resolve of a man marching into battle, the bunny-eared youth stepped into the circle.

Same chant. Same lights. Same ending.

"I-I didn't feel a thing! Easy!" he declared loudly.

But his stiff, wooden gait said otherwise — so much so that even his blind sister turned her head sharply in his direction, and the bandages on her face seemed to frown. His Qi was in complete disarray, like his body itself didn't understand what had just happened.

"Brother is a liar." Atla's tone was so flat and matter-of-fact that I could practically see a metaphorical boulder crashing down on his head.

Oh, I like this girl.

"A-Atla?!"

"Alright, you're next." I gave Wyndia a light nudge on the back, guiding her forward.

"O-okay…"

Wyndia… actually took it the best out of everyone. Even Sadeena, despite her composed face, had taken a bit of a hit. But Wyndia, by the time the light faded, just stood there — looking around in mild confusion, as if wondering if the ritual had even started.

That's my dragon girl.

"That's… it already?"

"Yup. I'd guess the rollback barely touched you since your level was low to begin with."

"Phew…"

"Alright then." I clapped my hands together. "The plan stands. Sadeena — once you feel better, grab Fohl and go terrorize every monster you can find." She winked cheerfully in response and shot a teasing smile at Fohl. "As for you, Wyndia — you're coming with us right now. No time to waste."

"Okay…"

"Is there anything else I can assist you with, Nott-sama?"

"There are a few things we need to discuss, but that'll be after I'm done with Wyndia."

"Very well. I'll do everything in my power to help," Mirelia nodded.

"I have no doubt about that." Smiling to the queen, I turned and left the church with my crew.

We could've stopped by Uncle Blacksmith's place, but there wasn't much point at the moment. So after reaching the outskirts of the city, we split up. Technically we could have leveled up as one big group, but considering the low level of local monsters, dividing that measly experience between so many people just didn't make sense.

"Aaand now!" I shouted suddenly.

Wyndia, tense and not expecting the outburst, jumped with a tiny yelp.

"It's time for the power train!"