Chapter 97

Chapter 97

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 97: The Spirit Realm (2).

“Do you prefer them big or small?”

Furball Geese, sitting at a distance, wrapped his arm around the neck of the youngest newbie and pointed at the Milk-Jug Mage and the Itty Titty Swordsman in turn, asking that question.

Ugh…!

Despite his size, innocent Kori couldn’t make a choice and stammered.

Quick to notice the trickery of the two, the Itty Titty Swordsman glared at the damned Geese with sharp eyes. Of course, the Milk-Jug Mage, who was indifferent to such hobbies of the members, didn’t care whether they looked at her chest or not. Having been teased by the eyes of others hundreds, thousands of times before, she was now completely immune.

Of course, Kori, being a man with a thing, naturally thought the bigger, the better, but he couldn’t ignore those fierce eyes either!

“I-I think…!”

Is it ideal or reality…?!

“Anyway, the elegance of a warrior…!”

Ah.

In the end, Newbie Kori chose reality.

Only then did Natasha’s sharply pointed eyes soften a bit. Of course, she was displeased with the two brats who dared to critique the elegance of a warrior without understanding the subject… but since they made the right judgment, she decided to let it go this time.

…Yes, it wasn’t all about the chest. The guy who came in this time, at least, had his head screwed on right…!

The Itty Titty Swordsman proudly pushed forward her flat chest, boldly displaying the elegance of a warrior. That wasn’t to say she was completely without breasts, so even if there would come a time to breastfeed a baby, there would be absolutely no problem. Breasts exist to feed babies. What else were they needed for?!

Natasha stealthily glanced at Group Leader Allen, who was sitting next to the Old Dog Kalisman, engaging in a conversation with him. She was certain that the great Group Leader would not be unaware of the elegance that even the youngest of the group recognized.

Yawn.

Even during a short rest before sleep, the Milk-Jug Mage, who frequently immersed herself in magic books, yawned softly, then abruptly closed the book she was reading and slid down onto the mat. Even over the blanket that covered her, that hideous chest was clearly visible. The Itty Titty Swordsman often thought that the saying about female mages’ mana gathering in their breasts might really be true when looking at Elena.

Natasha also lay down. She, who slept on her side with a backpack wedged between her legs, had never once found her sleeping posture uncomfortable because of her chest.

No matter how much I think about it, there are only advantages to having small breasts!

…The Itty Titty Swordsman had a dream where she had heavy breasts dangling down. Group Leader Allen, with whom she had a deep friendship, clung to her large chest like a child and sucked her nipples intensely. Truly a blissful pleasure!

-Take it slowly. There’s still plenty of milk~♡

Natasha, gently stroking Group Leader Allen’s head, suddenly woke up, feeling someone lightly shaking her shoulder.

“Senior, it’s time for you to get up.”

“…Ah, damn.”

Natasha, next in line for the nightwatch after Newbie Kori, reluctantly got up from her spot.

…The large breasts that Group Leader Allen had fervently sucked on in deep friendship were nowhere to be found, but were now stuck to the mage next to her.

It was still dawn, before the sun had risen.

Lately, the group of bandits that would appear whenever it was boring, fortunately, did not show up last night. The caravan quickly finished their breakfast and hurriedly cleaned up the campsite.

Half a day more, and they would reach the small city of Amper. Having passed only one village in over a week, the people, almost looking like beggars, seemed eager to arrive in the city.

The carriage carrying the people soon departed. The members who boarded the carriage all yawned as if their mouths would tear, leaning here and there, falling asleep. Group Leader Allen also dozed off happily, like the other members.

And slowly, the sky began to brighten with dawn. However, the sky was overcast with many clouds.

The carriage, except for taking three or four short breaks, ran vigorously.

The Blind Saintess, who had been sleeping sprawled out with her mouth and legs grotesquely wide open, finally seemed to sense something odd and slowly got up.

“…Group Leader, will we reach the city if we go this way?”

“We’ll be there soon.”

Despite that, the atmosphere was too gloomy. The day was not just overcast but also shrouded in a thick mist around them, barely allowing them to see the rear of the carriage ahead.

“Something feels… strange.”

As the Blind Saintess tilted her head as if something were odd, Allen asked what was strange.

“The atmosphere is too gloomy. It’s like having a terrifying dream.”

Only then did Allen also feel as if something hit his mind, and he hurriedly opened the coachman’s window to shout at the coachman to stop the carriage. Since all the carriages had to stop at once, the old coachman quickly started shaking the handbell, making a jingling sound.

As the carriage slowly came to a halt, Allen hurriedly jumped out and immediately crouched down to touch the ground. The land, devoid of any gloss and utterly dry, was barren, with not a single blade of grass in sight. And then there was the thick fog… It was clear beyond doubt that this place was the Spirit Realm.

Damn it all…!

I had been wondering why we hadn’t encountered any groups along the way, worrying we might get ambushed by bandits, but to think it was because of the Spirit Realm… It seems some damned mage in the city must have opened the gate to the Spirit Realm and failed to close it. To open the gate to the Spirit Realm would mean they are a mage of considerable skill, yet I can’t understand why they would make such a mistake.

Shit… even if it’s only Chapter 2, how are we supposed to deal with such a mess right from the start…?

It had somewhat started grandly with the Song of the Siren, and now it’s gone completely mad, opening the gate to the Spirit Realm. And of all times, while I was happily on my way to sign a delivery contract…!

But once you’ve entered the Spirit Realm, you can’t just turn back and escape the way you came.

The only way to restore this place, where reality and the Spirit Realm were mixed, to its original state was to close the open gate of the Spirit Realm.

Allen headed to the Merchant Leader’s carriage to inform him of this fact. Kalisman, who got off the carriage with him, followed the Group Leader closely, ready for any potential threats.

The Merchant Leader, still unaware of anything, wondered if they had stopped the carriage for a rest.

“What’s the matter?”

“…There’s been a problem.”

“A problem?!”

Problems often lead directly to loss. Especially for a Merchant Leader sensitive to losses, the moment there was talk of a problem, he reacted immediately.

“It seems we have entered the Spirit Realm. The world of souls, that is.”

The middle-aged Merchant Leader had the expression of someone who had been smacked in the back of the head. …Suddenly talking about the Spirit Realm out of the blue?

“I-Is that really true? I didn’t feel anything.”

“It seems something has happened in the city. The Spirit Realm has mixed with reality. Unfortunately, it seems we’ve also been caught up in it.”

…Ah…

The Merchant Leader had been following his father and working in the merchant group since before he had hair on his chin, but this was the first time he had encountered such a situation. Even so, the Spirit Realm of all things.

“So, what do we do?”

“For now, we must go to the city. Having already entered the Spirit Realm, going back the way we came won’t return us to reality.”

“How dangerous is it? Is it tougher than a group of bandits? Can we survive?”

Comparing it to a group of bandits was laughable, but for a merchant who had spent his life in trade, that was the only comparison he could make.

“If it doesn’t blow up too badly… well, we won’t die.”

It will be quite a struggle, though.

“Then, I will trust only you, Group Leader. I will do whatever you say…!”

“Understood. For now, I’ll also do my best.”

After roughly concluding the discussion, Allen returned to the carriage. The members had already realized the situation was getting serious and asked the Group Leader what was happening.

“…It’s a bit fucked. We’ve entered the Spirit Realm. Some crazy mage bastard seems to have opened the gate to the Spirit Realm in the city.”

“Th-the gate to the Spirit Realm?!”

Upon hearing this, the Newbie immediately jumped in shock.

“Even so, there will be some people left in the city, so if we join forces, we should be able to solve it. So don’t worry too much. Being scared won’t help at all. Stay sharp.”

Of course, having entered the Spirit Realm, who wouldn’t be worried? Naturally, everyone’s face looked sleep-deprived as they swallowed their dry saliva with a gulp.

“…Damn, is this like getting a preview of the place we’ll come to next…?”

As they continued to move for a while longer, they started to see several carriages and their wreckage scattered about. However, not a single living creature was in sight. Not even the horses that pulled the carriages. It seemed they must have fallen victim to the spirits of the Spirit Realm.

…Surely, not all of them have fallen victim, right?

Still, it was like a bridge between the mercenary city of Vermandois and the mid-sized city of Malziel, so it was unlikely that all those people had already been wiped out. There must be some who were still clinging to life somewhere in the city. Of course, having never experienced it, they wouldn’t know this place was the Spirit Realm, and they might think they had been cursed by a demon or a dark mage.

As they approached the city, the debris from the carriages became much more abundant. Now, the road was blocked to the extent that they had to go around.

And soon, the form of the small city of Amper, hidden in the eerie fog, appeared. The carriage eventually stopped.

“Damn it all…”

At the sight of the city walls, vaguely visible through the dense fog, the members felt as if they were in a nightmare. The atmosphere was exactly like that.

The group that disembarked from the carriage gathered their belongings and slowly walked towards the city in formation. They all held weapons, ceaselessly vigilant of their surroundings. Given the limited visibility, they knew they had to be extra cautious to avoid any major incidents.

The main gate, which should have been firmly closed, was wide open, like the gates of the Holy Kingdom. Around it, shattered debris was scattered everywhere.

As Allen slowly entered the city, he thought of an analogy that perfectly described this city devoured by the Spirit Realm.

Ghost Town.

The city, devoid of life, was as eerie as a tomb site.