Adventurer Life with Exiled Daughter

Chapter 32

Tepe and I apologized to Erika together, saying sorry, and somehow managed to get her forgiveness, then exchanged glances and nodded at each other.

For some reason, I feel a strange sense of sympathy.

Getting scolded by Erika is scary.

Experiencing the same fear naturally creates a sense of solidarity.

"Um... judging by your muscles, I take it you're a pure swordsman type excelling in physical enhancement. Is that correct?"

Having received Erika's warning, Tepe confirms this with me.

Her assessment is accurate, as I'm extremely bad at magic.

Rather than just being bad at it, I can honestly say I can't use attack magic at all.

I don't know why, but I can't release magical energy from within my body.

I can construct magic circles without any issue, but the magical energy generated from them doesn't leave my body, which is equivalent to being unable to use attack magic.

It's not that it doesn't come out at all, so I can use things like purification magic or small spells to create a spark, the so-called lifestyle magic.

Perhaps as compensation, I'm good at magic like physical enhancement that doesn't require releasing magical energy outward, and I can take a bit of pride in its strength.

As I nod, Tepe nods back with a thoughtful hum.

"So, have you learned any skills?"

"I've got a bit of presence detection, and according to my mentor's assessment, it seems I've activated some swordsmanship-related skills."

"It seems, you say? Does that mean you haven't had an appraisal at the Church?"

"There are some circumstances."

Skills.

If magic is an imitation of divine art, then skills are gifts from the gods.

At least, that's what the Church claims.

Unlike magic, skills can't be learned through study.

Most people are said to learn skills through real combat experience.

Some skills become immediately clear on how to use them once learned, while others can't be used unless you're distinctly aware that you've learned them, and some you keep using without even realizing you've learned them.

Though similar to magic in that they require magical energy to use, they don't need the construction of magic circles or anything like that.

The amount of magical energy required varies, but compared to magic, the consumption is extremely low, which is a defining feature.

Some skills can surpass ordinary attack magic, so there are adventurers who spend day and night researching ways to intentionally learn skills.

As for these skills, for some reason, if you get appraised at the Church, you can find out exactly which skills you've acquired.

The skill appraisal itself is apparently a skill, but mysteriously, this skill only manifests in the Church's clergy.

This is likely one of the reasons the Church claims skills are gifts from the gods.

While working as an adventurer in Faltarl Kingdom, I had a sense that I'd learned some skills, but I didn't feel an urgent need to get appraised, so I never did.

It's definitely not because I was reluctant to pay the appraisal fee or anything like that.

So, my skills remain unappraised, but then this role in the farce came up, and I ended up unable to casually go to the Church.

At the very least, Erika probably can't go, since from the Church's perspective, she's a suspect in the attempted assassination of the Priestess of Light.

It's dangerous for her to even step onto Church grounds.

I'm probably not in as much trouble, but voluntarily approaching a dangerous place is something only a fool would do.

From an adventurer's standpoint, not knowing your own skills is less a matter of foolishness and more a matter of life and death.

But as things stand, I have no choice but to accept the situation.

So, we don't have a clear grasp of our own skills.

To Tepe, who seems to want to ask about my circumstances, I simply shrug my shoulders to show I have no intention of answering.

"I see, circumstances, huh. Well, that's fine. Just looking at these muscles makes me want to sell you a sword."

I tilt my head at Tepe's peculiar phrasing.

It almost sounds like Tepe chooses who to sell to.

Seeing my reaction, Tepe makes a puzzled face, then claps her hands together.

"Could it be that you came here without knowing about my shop?"

When I answer that I was introduced by Lana, a staff member of the Adventurer's Guild, Tepe nods repeatedly with an understanding "Ahh, ahh," as if everything makes sense.

"Sorry about that. That girl can be a bit of a klutz sometimes, so I think she forgot to explain."

I don't have the image of her being a klutz, but I do have a strong impression of her as someone who gets easily scared.

I see... so on top of that, she's a klutz too?

"In my shop, I decide whether to sell weapons to someone after I've assessed them. Of course, after assessing, I may also decline to sell."

"And you can make a business out of that?"

Erika's honest question flies out.

Tepe responds with a smile.

"Thankfully, yes."

Her face was filled with undeniable confidence.

It's not a face I dislike.

It's hard to believe this is the same person who said they were bored with no customers.

"I believe you. After all, I'm someone who had so much figured out just from having my arm touched."

At my words, Tepe bows her head with a calm demeanor that makes it hard to believe this is our first meeting.