Chapter 790: 790: Yeah, Dine And Dash

(Master, what's wrong?)

Fran must have sensed the change in my mood. She tilted her head as she glanced at me.

『About that blonde girl over there...』

(Nn.)

『Looks like she's planning to run away without paying.』

(!)

Fran turned over to her in astonishment.

The blonde girl was still anguishing in front of us.

She was clearly acting suspiciously. Standing up from her seat momentarily before sitting back down, violently scratching her head, and so on. She would probably get caught eventually, even if we don't report her to the waitress.

(You can't not pay for food.)

Fran whispered with a completely serious expression.

(If you eat a good meal at a restaurant, you should pay the price for it.)

『Y-Yeah, that's right.』

(Nn! No not paying. Never.)

She's being really passionate about this, more serious than when she beats up random thugs picking a fight with her.

While we were keeping watch on her from the side, the girl stood up slowly. But then she sat back down.

She must be conflicted inside.

「Kuh... I can't let them find my identity at any cost...... But, but......」

What, did you run away from home or something? She didn't want anyone to know her identity, but it looked like she still had some resistance to committing a crime.

In the end, however, her reluctance to be exposed prevailed.

She stood up quickly and put her hand on the short hedge that separated the street from the cafe. Did she plan to escape from there?

But that's when someone stopped her.

「Hey.」

「!」

It was Fran, who had moved to the girl's side. The girl stared back at her with a look of complete surprise.

But we ended up being surprised too.

This was no ordinary girl. She had braced herself when Fran approached her instantaneously, even though we had perfectly concealed our sound and presence.

Also her attempt to run was very fast to begin with.

If Fran had not stopped her, she would have already jumped over the hedge and disappeared into the crowd in no time at all.

She was staring at us like crazy. I quickly activated my appraisal, but the results were suspicious.

All I could see were mundane skills like 'Performance'. There was no way a girl this capable could have such weak skills.

Was I being blocked by some item?

The same thing kept happening with the antidemons cloaking themselves with evil energy. Appraisal has been pretty useless ever since we arrived on this continent. We've encountered several high-ranked individuals recently, and appraisal barely worked on any of them.

This is not a good sign.

If we're up against an unknown opponent, a successful appraisal could be the difference between life or death.

That's why finding a way to strengthen our appraisal was very important. However, it is impossible to put more skill points in the Appraisal skill, or the Heavenly Eye skill either.

There must be something we can do without using points. Similar to how Fran had learned how to use the penetrating force punch, maybe the key was in how we use the skills we already have.

I need to look further than just the surface-level information. What I need to observe is their flesh, their mana, and their deepest depths.

I turn off all the skills that I usually keep activated at all times. Then, I pour my magic power into Heavenly Eye. I don't have physical eyes of course, but that's exactly why I should be able to see things differently than the average person.

『I can see it......』

I can see the status of the girl, Sophilia. But it's not complete yet. Part of it is hidden.

Deeper. I need to look deeper.

I focus even further on the Heavenly Eye skill. It somehow caused a sharp pain in my non-existent eyes.

『Guh...... Oh......』

Crap, this is pretty bad. I might not have been able to bear this pain in the past.

But now that I have mastered the handling of mana, I managed to control this pressure and endure it.

Name: Sophilia Age: 19

Race: Human

Occupation: Divine Musician

Stats

Level: 50/99

HP: 202 MP: 1597 STR: 49 VIT: 69 AGI: 168 INT: 712 MAG: 608 DEX: 819

Skills

Communication: Lv 8, Performance (String): Lv Max, Performance (Keyboard): Lv Max, Performance (Percussion): Lv 8, Performance (Woodwind): Lv 8, Evasion: Lv 6, Recovery Magic: Lv Max, Songwriting: Lv 8, Singing: Lv Max, Wind Magic: Lv 6, Observation: Lv 4, Crisis Sense: Lv 2, Empathy: Lv 7, Hide Presence: Lv 3, Flaunt Presence: Lv 7, Thread Arts: Lv 2, Thread Mastery: Lv 3, Blink: Lv 2, Vibration Perception: Lv Max, Vibration Impulse: Lv 8, Mental Resistance: Lv 9, Healing Magic: Lv 3, Simultaneous Performance: Lv 8, Echolocation: Lv 8, Dance: Lv 5, Rod Mastery: Lv 4, Magic Song: Lv Max, Magic Performance: Lv Max, Magic Thread Production: Lv 2, Magic Resistance: Lv 7, Magic Sense: Lv 3, Magic Barrier: Lv 5, Magic Release: Lv 3, Voice Amplifier, Pitch Sense, Energy Manipulation, Enhanced Hearing, Fortitude, Sleepless, Parallel Thinking

Unique Skills

Blessing of the Music God, Magic Voice, Magic Control

Extra Skills

■■■■, Truth in Music

Innate Skills

Ensemble Singing, Lore Performance

Title

Singer, Healer, Player, Diva of Despair, Performer of Sorrows, One Who Overcame Death, Performer of Myths, Creator of Songs

Equipment

Enchanted Harp Lauda, Robe of Seclusion, Garments of Seclusion, Earring of Silence, Bracelet of Concealment

At first I thought she might be a traveling bard, but she didn't seem like any normal traveler. Judging from her class, maybe some kind of a professional musician?

She had a ridiculous amount of music-related skills. Not only was she highly talented, but she even had a divine blessing. She must be a natural genius.

When it comes to the field of music, I imagine she could do pretty much everything.

Although my eyes were drawn to her skills in music, she was no slouch at combat either. She would probably fight with a combination of strings and wind magic. It seems that Magic Song and similar skills can be used in battle, allowing her to do things like the bards from video games.

Buffing and debuffing with high level music, as well as healing magic. That would make her the perfect support. Considering her level, she might be comparable to a Rank B adventurer. No, considering her Extra Skills, she might even reach Rank A.

However, there was still one skill that I couldn't detect no matter what I did. Maybe the concealment effect of her equipment was more focused on hiding that skill.

Why in the world would a girl like her run from paying for food? ......There must be plenty of ways for her to make money!

「W-What is it......?」

「Don't do it. It's a mortal sin.」

「......」

M-Mortal sin......

「Running away without paying for food is an unforgivable crime. Worthy of beheading.」

「......」

「The food in this restaurant is amazing. It's worth the price.」

Realizing that Fran had seen through her actions, the girl sat back down in her chair with a sigh.

Looks like she wouldn't go as far as to force her way out.

「......Because...... I don't have a choice...... I'd pay...... if I could.」

「If you know someone that can help, I can go get them.」

「No, I don't. Even if I did, I can't be found out......」

Although it was already pretty obvious, she had some sort of circumstances. What can we do? We did stop her, but she still almost committed a crime.

What if we offer to buy some of her equipment? I don't know how much it's worth, but it can't be less than the cost of a meal here.

『What did you want to do, Fran?』

「......」

『Fran?』

Fran, who had been staring at the downward looking girl, suddenly turned on her heel.

「H-Hey!」

『Fran, what are you planning to do?』

(Leave it to me.)

『Well, if that's what you want.』

She walked straight to the counter with the girl chasing after her.

「Can I have the bill?」

「Of course. You're the customer at table 3, right?」

「And give me this girl's bill as well.」

「You mean to say you're paying the bill together?」

「Nn. I'll pay.」

Wow, she really just paid for Sophilia, the blonde girl.

『Are you sure?』

「Nn.」

Fran left the restaurant and turned around to see Sophilia behind her. She was staring back with a stunned expression that also acted as a glare.

「Why......?」

「You owe me one. Pay it back the next time we meet.」

Fran turned away without waiting for the girl's answer.

『You don't know if we'll even see each other again, right?』

(Then that's fine. I just kinda thought it would be better this way.)

『I see......』

(Nn.)

Rather than taking a liking to the girl, did Fran feel that she couldn't leave her alone? Or did her beastman instincts tell her that this was a good person to have in your debt?

Either way, this Sophilia girl seemed to think it was out of plain kindness......

Just as I was thinking this, Sophilia muttered in a quiet, yet strangely audible voice towards Fran's back.

「Thank you.」