My preparations took very little time. I originally had only enough luggage to fit in one backpack, and I had left no luggage in my room other than the change of clothes that had been provided.

 

I went to my temporary base in the forest and stuffed the money I had hidden there and dried poisonous and medicinal herbs into a sack while I got an idea of my abilities before setting out.

 

[Aria(Alicia)] [Race: Human Female] [Rank 2] 

 

[Magic: 130/135] 20Up [Strength: 67/80] 16Up

 

[Strength: 5(6)] 1Up [Endurance: 6(7.2)] 1Up [Agility: 7(8.4)] [Dexterity: 7] 1Up

 

[Dagger Technique Lv.1] [Taijutsu Lv.2] 1Up [Throwing Lv.1] [Manipulation Lv.1] New

 

[Light Magic Lv.1] [Dark Magic Lv.2] 1Up [Non-Attribute Magic Lv.2] 1Up

 

[Life Magic x6] [Magic Control Lv.2] [Intimidate Lv.2] 

 

[Covert Lv.1] [Night Vision Lv.1] [Detection Lv.1] [Pain Resistance Lv.1] New

 

[Simple Analysis] 

 

[Total Combat Power: 98 (With Physical Enhancements: 111)] 37Up

 

Total Combat Power had increased considerably.

 

I had gained some new skills and an increase in magical power. My combat power had increased thanks to the increase in the status. Especially, [Dexterity Value] had a direct effect on combat skills, so even a one increase in Dexterity Value made a significant difference in combat power.

 

Was it because [Taijutsu] was now level 2? No matter how much I had grown in magic, I did not expect my skill to reach 2 in melee combat skills before I turned 10.

 

The fact that even [Dark Magic] was at level might have been because [Shadow Pain] I used at that time was equivalent to level 2, rather than the fact that I continued to use magic. 

 

The newly learned skills were [Manipulation] and [Pain Resistance].

 

I had been training [Pain Resistance] for a long time, but the direct reason it paid off was because I was directly exposed to the Female Thief’s venom.

 

The [Manipulation] was probably because of the pendulum. It seemed as if I learned it easily with just the pendulum, but when I thought about it, I’d been manipulating the weights with magic for months, so it’s more like finally than easily.

 

I didn’t have anything special to do before I left, and I was sure I would see Viro again as long as I did this job. I wanted to steal some of his moves as an adventurer, but he had taught me the bare minimum, so I would have to manage on my own.

 

Sera would have a chance to meet him as well. But when Theo heard I was leaving first, he seemed to have something to say.

 

“Aria, I’m going to the capital when I turn 13. I’ll come and get you. I have something to say.”

 

“Something you can’t say right now?”

 

“Yes, as a man, I’ll tell you when I’m taller than Aria!”

 

With that, Theo ran away with a red face.

 

What was it? What was there to be at thirteen? When I was at the orphanage, I remembered that the orphans who were sold to the orphanage cried because they didn’t want to leave their good friends.

 

I quickly packed my belongings and left the house where I had spent a month.

 

If there was a problem, it would be with my clothes. The old clothes I was wearing had been torn to shreds in the hobgoblin battle, and I had no personal clothes.

 

I had no choice but to borrow some clothes from Theo, and Sera allowed me to bring one of her maid uniforms.

 

There was no guarantee that they had work clothes that fit me over there, and if I took off the apron dress and replaced the inside blouse with a cheap one, it would look like everyday clothes.

 

It would be easier to dress as a man if I were traveling, but my body was growing again and making me look like a [ten-year-old girl] instead of a [petite ten-year-old boy], and in the process my hair had grown uncomfortably long and was now almost over my shoulders, so I would not look like a boy unless I cut my hair.

 

I wanted to cut my hair, but Sera admonished me that it would be more convenient for disguising myself as a maid to let it grow long, and for some reason Theo forbade me to cut it, so I decided to leave it as was.

 

I wore an ankle-length black dress over a blouse and short laced boots on my feet.

 

All of my equipment was concealed in my skirt and sleeves, so I didn’t look armed.