In front of Liu A'dou were two disabled girls—one missing her right arm, the other her left. Even without arms, their blonde hair and silver eyes made it clear they were Claymores.
One of them had elf-like pointed ears. Though several Claymores had pointed ears, only one of the Quick Sword warriors looked so quiet and elegant, like a noble, aloof elf.
The other girl had short hair and a blank expression—an honest, serious look. She had to be Clare. The place around them was beautiful, nestled between mountains and rivers, surrounded by wildflowers, grass, deer, and rabbits. It was basically a vacation resort.
Irene had really found a perfect place to hide away.
Clare's arm was likely cut off by the current No. 4, Ophelia. So the story had progressed to the part where Clare and Raki were separated. Back when he was flying with the Awakened being to the organization, Kid had gone full small-universe mode and scanned the continent, which was how he'd found them. On the way back, he made a detour to come check in.
"Hello, I'm Kid," he said.
Clare's eyes widened in surprise. How could a man dressed in spotless white appear here, out in the middle of nowhere? This wasn't some church in Holy City. And even church bishops didn't look this clean.
Irene had never met someone who dared to walk up and talk to a Claymore. Most people avoided them like plague. Considering Kid's appearance and sudden arrival, she had no choice but to reassess him.
Then Kid spoke again. "Actually, I just came from the organization. Met with Rimuto. That old guy's shameless. Surrounded our base with yoma, then had the nerve to say he'd send Claymores to protect us. Isn't that like throwing lambs to wolves?"
"…"
What was with this man? Why was he babbling the second they met, even badmouthing the organization right in front of them? What was he up to?
"You two beautiful ladies, I'd like to hire you as our bodyguards. I'll pay double the organization's rate. Would you be interested?"
"As you can see, we're Claymores too," Irene replied, confused. She didn't realize Kid was a transmigrator who already knew a ton of intel.
"But you're not ordinary Claymores. You've either been abandoned by the organization or you left voluntarily and went into hiding. Am I right?"
"…" The two instantly became alert. Liu A'dou could feel a pressure in the air locking onto him.
"Relax. We're not connected to any power on this continent. We're completely independent. I went to the organization just to ask them to stop interfering with us. But we do need someone who knows yoma well. A professional guide. And we're willing to pay."
"How do you know we're not still part of the organization?" Clare said. She hadn't formally left the organization yet—though she was already something of a troublemaker, she was still technically in.
"Simple. I've never seen the organization keep a damaged Claymore around. Normally, you'd have been sent to the battlefield to be cleaned up."
"You're new here, but you don't seem too clueless," Irene said. Her hand went to her sword, clearly ready to attack. Kid was too suspicious.
"Well…" Kid honestly didn't want to know so much, but being a former otaku who watched tons of anime and had a great memory, the moment he opened his mouth, he gave himself away. "Why don't we just Start as friends? Once you get to know me, you'll see—I can use magic." As he said that, he stretched out his hand, and a bunch of flowers appeared in his palm.
'Magic,' huh? It was really just a magic trick. It might fool Clare, but Irene? Not a chance.
Irene gave him a mocking look. "That's your magic?"
"Uh…" Guess low-level tech didn't mean Claymores were dumb. Clearly, Irene was sharp—no way she'd have survived otherwise.
Time to get serious. Kid said, "That was just a warm-up." He shoved the bunch of flowers into Clare's hands. "Now, here comes real magic. Watch closely."
He lifted his palm, fingers slightly twitching. He was about to use one of his rarely shown magic skills—not something like divination that needed props, but something simple and direct: palm lightning. "Thunder, come!"
Pale-blue lightning shot up from his palm like a sapling branching out, growing until it was over a meter tall before stopping.
Crack! Along with the lightning came thunder. Because it was so close, the sound blasted like a lion's roar or a tiger's howl, pounding directly into their eardrums.
The two Claymores had seen lightning before, but never lightning coming from someone's hand.
Liu A'dou was secretly proud of himself. Honestly, this move was more for show than anything. It didn't do much damage. If he really wanted to use lightning in combat, he'd rather use Force Lightning. That was the real deal.
"Thank you, thank you!" he said like a stage magician, totally used to this kind of performance.
"You're really a mage?" Irene couldn't see through Kid this time.
"Actually, I'm a magician… but I do know two real spells. Not much, I admit." Showing a bit of honesty usually helped people trust you. And this time, he really wasn't lying. He only knew two spells: divination and palm lightning.
Clare still looked completely baffled. She had no idea what kind of person Kid was.
"You really need a guide?" Irene asked.
"Of course," Kid said without hesitation. "Someone like you—experienced, skilled, and powerful."
Irene nodded like she understood, then suddenly swung her arm. Her Claymore flew like the moon goddess soaring to the heavens, slicing straight toward Clare's injured arm.
Clare didn't even feel the pain. She just looked down and saw her already half-lost arm completely severed. Before she could ask Irene why, Irene tucked her sword under one arm and lifted it—then cut off her own perfectly healthy right arm.
Kid winced so hard he sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. But Irene didn't even flinch. "A parting gift," she said flatly.
Clare got it now. Irene had made a fresh wound so Clare could graft her arm onto herself. "But…"
"Save it. Don't talk nonsense. Weren't you going to avenge Deneve? Remember—you're the only proof she ever existed. Clare, don't hesitate."
Clare gritted her teeth, picked up the arm, and pressed it against her shoulder. "I'll return it to you someday."
She released her yōki, accelerating the healing process. The arm transplant was underway right in front of Liu A'dou's eyes in the most unbelievable way. His mouth was slightly open in awe. Watching it happen live was too intense for words. The brutality of being a Claymore was perfectly summed up by this single act. This wasn't just a limb—it was fate being passed on.
Irene hadn't seen a Claymore with Clare's kind of determination in a long time. That's why she chose to give this gift. And in Clare, she saw the shadow of an old comrade. A Claymore who inherited Deneve's flesh… she had to survive.
Her yōki release had gone over 30%. Attaching a severed arm was no joke. Clare wasn't even a defense-type Claymore, which made the process even tougher.
But Clare would be fine. It was Irene who was letting her own wound bleed freely. Kid couldn't stand it anymore. "Let me help with that."
As he spoke, Kid had already sent Ripple into Irene's wound. Worried the flesh chunks in her body might react badly to Ripple, he carefully kept it limited to just the surface, regenerating the wound from the outside.
"Now I've got no arms," Irene said. "You still want me as your guide?"
Clare still had a mission. But Irene didn't care either way. A new faction free from the organization's control might actually give her a better shot at survival.
"Of course I still want you. Losing your arm isn't a big deal," Kid said. With enough money, she could easily get a powerful mechanical arm. Like the one the Winter Soldier used—that thing was solid. In this universe, missing an arm meant nothing.
Seeing her wound heal so quickly shocked Irene more than the lightning had. "Now I believe you really are a mage."
"Thanks for the trust," Kid said with a smile.