Kiriko escorted the demi-human slaves rescued from the castle's dungeon to a demi-human village they had passed on the way.
The lord of that village seemed to be one of the few nobles in this kingdom who believed demi-humans deserved better treatment. The demi-humans there lived ordinary lives, free from additional discrimination or persecution.
Kiriko didn't rescue them just because they were demi-humans—if the dungeon had held humans imprisoned unjustly, she would have saved them all the same.
Her homeland was a great multiethnic nation, so she could never understand the mindset of extremists who valued only a single ethnicity.
If these demi-humans had been prisoners of war from the enemy nation of Siltvelt, perhaps it would've been understandable.
But these demi-humans were clearly citizens of Melromarc.
They were all citizens of the same country, so why the hostility and hatred?
Kiriko could neither comprehend nor accept this.
Of course, she had no intention of changing the country itself. In truth, she'd rescued those prisoners mostly out of consideration for Raphtalia.
To put it bluntly, this country wasn't Kiriko's homeland. She had neither the need nor the obligation to fix its problems.
She just wanted those she knew to live happily. That was enough.
Rifana's remains weren't buried in the public graveyard of that demi-human village. Instead, her bones were cremated, and her ashes were scattered into the sea.
Rifana's parents had jumped into the sea during the first Wave, only to be killed by the three-headed Cerberus chasing them. Raphtalia scattered Rifana's ashes there, hoping their family could reunite in the afterlife.
After settling everything, Kiriko and her group began their journey back.
Unlike their hasty trip out, they weren't in a hurry to return to the royal capital. Their journey home mainly focused on leveling up by hunting monsters.
After two days of Kiriko's training, everyone had changed drastically.
Gabriel grew bigger and bigger, increasingly unlike normal Filolials, which typically resembled regular chocobos. Instead, this bird rapidly evolved into a fat, massive chocobo…
No, it had already become a fat chocobo and was only getting fatter and larger.
Moreover, Kiriko discovered that Gabriel's combat strength was surprisingly formidable. Its claws were razor-sharp, and its kicking technique was incredibly powerful. No monster could shrug off a single kick from Gabriel.
But the greatest change, without a doubt, was Raphtalia.
In just two short days, she'd grown from a pitiful, weak, helpless little girl into a graceful, beautiful young woman.
Kiriko later learned from Lute that demi-humans who leveled up rapidly at a young age quickly grew to their optimal fighting form.
That was exactly why humans considered demi-humans monsters.
Unfortunately, after hitting Level 40, Raphtalia and Gabriel's levels stopped rising altogether.
A small star icon had appeared next to their levels.
However, Lute didn't have this problem. He had started at Level 50, reached Level 68 after two days, and could still level up further.
"Master, this is called the Growth Limit."
As expected of a native of this world, Lute immediately had an answer when Kiriko asked.
"Growth Limit?"
"Once you reach the Growth Limit, you can no longer level up unless you perform a Class Upgrade at the Dragon Hourglass."
After hearing Lute's explanation, Kiriko suddenly recalled the slave merchant had mentioned something similar during their first meeting.
The Dragon Hourglass was controlled by the kingdom, meaning only adventurers approved by the kingdom could receive a Class Upgrade.
This was clearly intended to reduce the threat posed by uncontrollable factors.
However, Kiriko was confident the king would allow them to upgrade.
If he didn't, she'd simply use physical persuasion to ensure his cooperation.
Later, as they were approaching the royal capital, there was a small incident.
Kiriko's party encountered a white-haired girl in the wild. She was in a dreadful state, looking as though she'd crawled through mud. Though rude to say, she smelled exactly like shit.
She was starving. Kiriko offered her some food and water, which she devoured in seconds, before cleaning herself off in a nearby lake.
The girl said her name was Ciri, from a place called Kaer Morhen. She claimed to have excellent swordsmanship, moving like a swallow when wielding a blade.
Ciri didn't interact much with Kiriko's party. She seemed to fear being pursued, and after expressing her thanks, quickly disappeared.
This was just a minor event. Kiriko had encountered random wilderness events frequently when playing Skyrim, so she didn't think much of it.
At night, everyone gathered around the campfire, even Gabriel, to listen to Raphtalia tell stories.
"Near my old village, there was a large pond. By that pond, whether it was warm spring or harsh winter, a flock of pigeons always gathered… Eventually, our village even came to be called 'Pigeon Pond'…"
"When I was little, the elders in our village often told us those pigeons were actually humans who'd transformed. Originally, they'd been storytellers from a great kingdom, but because they frequently stopped telling their stories halfway, they incurred the wrath of their audience and were transformed into pigeons…"
"The elders often used this story to teach us to always finish what we started."
After Raphtalia finished, Lute grabbed a grilled fish and took a big bite.
"Raphtalia-neesan, that story was lame as hell. I mean, seriously? Humans turning into pigeons? That's so fake. Right, Master?"
Kiriko didn't reply.
The firelight illuminated her grim expression.
Raphtalia's story had reminded her of herself in her past life.
Before transmigrating, she'd been a writer for Ciweimao as a side job.
What? You're asking what her main job was?
Do you even need to ask? Obviously, her main occupation was being a virgin.
Back before transmigrating, she'd signed a contract with Ciweimao, promising explosive updates once the story went premium.
She instinctively glanced down at her own body.
Thank you, dear readers, for your forgiveness and patience regarding my pigeon-like tendencies!
Thank you…!
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T/N: LMAO anyway yes that Ciri was from the witcher
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