Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Otherworld Cheat Harem.

Episode 74: Treasure (2)

Squish, squish. Rustina’s chest pressed down on Dojin’s face. Unlike humans, different species each had their own distinct scent.

Hoyang, a beastman, had a scent reminiscent of the field.

Orion, an elf, exuded the fresh scent of a forest.

Rustina, a dwarf, had a sweet, earthy smell.

It was indescribable, but there wasn’t a single unpleasant scent from the women.

“All done.”

After checking Dojin’s chest circumference, she measured his waist and hip circumference and asked.

“But aren’t you a swordsman?”

“I am.”

“Hmm… if it’s light armor a swordsman would wear…”

“Even full plate armor is fine.”

“What are you talking about, fighting dungeon monsters wearing such metal chunks?”

Rustina looked at Dojin as if questioning if he was really an adventurer. Dojin, who had only seen roughly purchased leather armor when first entering the dungeon, couldn’t imagine how cumbersome large, heavy metal armor would be.

However, she was a third-generation blacksmith surviving in this city. Especially catering to adventurers. If she could make a living, there must be a good reason for it.

Thinking this, Dojin listened to her advice and ordered light armor.

“Don’t worry. I will make my masterpiece for you.”

“Oh, well. The material cost will be from earlier.”

“Hmm? I thought the bet was for a free one.”

“You also ordered armor.”

“…True, that’s right.”

Rustina let out a sigh of relief internally as she managed to secure the material cost. In fact, she had recently spent a fortune on expensive materials and was currently penniless.

If Dojin had left without paying, she would have had to sell weapons to unqualified adventurers with tears in her eyes.

Of course, they would have been mass-produced products made roughly, but considering she was one of the few dwarf blacksmiths in the city, even that had considerable value.

“Oh, and… do you have a decent sword?”

“A decent sword? You’ve already ordered a sword.”

“No, I need something to use right now.”

“Hmm… I don’t have anything similar to what you ordered.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not picky about weapons.”

Hearing that, Rustina felt both admiration and sympathy for Dojin.

As a warrior, not being picky about weapons was admirable, but it was poignant that a swordsman of his skill didn’t have a weapon of his own.

‘If it’s this guy…’

Rustina recalled an item rotting away in the corner of her warehouse.

“…Wait a moment.”

Saying so, she went into the workshop’s inner storage. She looked at the dark sword displayed in the very back.

It was her father’s last masterpiece and keepsake, a sword so ominous that it was named the Demonic Sword.

‘Father…’

Seeing this sword reminded her of her deceased father. He had poured his soul into this sword, which led to his decline, and eventually, he fell ill.

The disease was beyond even the priests’ help. Her father left one final will before passing away.

[The sword… should be given to a princess knight who looks good in a bikini armor… my daughter…]

Looking back, she didn’t miss him much. It was such an absurd request that she didn’t intend to follow it.

Rather, her father would have preferred a fine swordsman like Dojin to wield it.

‘It should be fine.’

She was the owner of this workshop. She was also the owner of the items within it. In other words, it was her freedom to do as she pleased with this sword.

She took the magic sword and exited the storage. Then, she placed it down in front of Dojin.

“This is…”

“It’s the finest sword in our house. It should be useful.”

“…May I take a look?”

Dojin’s tone became formal. It had to be. This was a kind of ceremony. A wedding where a father, who is a craftsman, hands over his daughter to a son-in-law who is a swordsman.

As Rustina nodded, giving permission, Dojin cautiously lifted the sword. Two patterns were drawn on the black sheath, resembling chains.

What kind of sword is this, cursed?

Filled with anticipation, he grasped the handle. Whooong. The sword began to hum.

◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️ Even the sound of the sword being drawn was inaudible. An extreme anticipation that cut through the air itself.

The drawn sword absorbed light, turning pitch black. Demonic Sword. It was the first name that came to Dojin’s mind upon seeing it.

“What is the name of this sword?”

“Demonic Sword, Crow.”

“Crow… a fitting name.”

True to the name ‘Crow,’ the sword was entirely black from the blade to the sheath. If swung at night, the opponent would likely die without even seeing the blade.

And that was always effective in dungeons shrouded in darkness.

“This… is nice.”

“Of course. So? Will you buy it?”

“Haha, of course.”

Dojin spoke as he handed over the pouch of gold coins that Rustina had returned to him.

“In full.”

“This is a bit short, though…”

“Ah.”

Magic swords were expensive.

And absurdly so.

Leaving the blacksmith, Dojin walked down the street humming like a child who had just received a toy.

Orion found this sight so endearing that she laughed and asked,

“Leader, are you that happy?”

“Of course. Look at this. Does it look like I’m in a bad mood?”

As Dojin said this, he pointed to the magic sword he had just purchased at the shop. The sword, with its dark hue, looked valuable enough to be recognized as a high-quality item at a glance.

“A magic sword…”

“Shh. Leader? It’s best not to mention that outside.”

“Huh?”

“The magic sword. Others will covet it if they hear.”

“Just a sword?”

“Just a sword.”

Orion often found it fascinating that this man lacked such common knowledge.

In this other world, where human-made equipment couldn’t withstand even a single blow from a dwarf-made weapon, dwarves effectively monopolized weapon supply.

For a renowned dwarf’s masterpiece, it was customary for magic to be involved in its creation.

Since it was impossible to imbue magic into a weapon already infused with mana, a mage had to be involved from the start to create a magic sword.

Proud dwarf craftsmen would never accept such a condition.

Therefore, magic swords in existence were either crafted by breaking a dwarf craftsman’s pride or made by a dwarf craftsman who had learned magic.

Naturally, the supply was absurdly low, and the price soared sky-high.

“Actually, it’s fair to say that Rustina sold it for just the cost of materials.”

“…Is it that much?”

“Of course. If you resell it, you could earn about a hundred times what you paid.”

“…Should I sell it?”

“Would you really do that?”

Orion looked at Dojin and asked. Upon hearing the question, he pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

This sword contained magic. A special power that fascinated people. Enchanted by this magic, he could not easily think of letting go of the sword.

“…Thank you.”

“Pardon? For what?”

“For introducing me to the shop. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known such a place existed in the first place.”

“No, I was just a bridge. In the end, it was your ability that caught Rustina’s heart.”

In fact, it was Orion who should be expressing gratitude.

“Didn’t I mention that elves never forget their debts?”

“…That’s right, you did.”

“I still have a long way to go to repay the favor I received.”

“What did I do for you?”

“Oh my, don’t you remember?”

As expected, Orion thought. This man, tilting his head, didn’t know his own worth.

“I was the one who suggested going up to the dungeon. So if we were in danger… it would be my fault.”

“No, that’s…”

“Of course, it was natural not to expect the dungeon to move. However, because it was so natural, it must be resolved.”

Compared to humans who live only about 100 years, elves live for almost an eternity. What elves valued the most was gratitude and resentment.

Grateful feelings must never be forgotten, and if someone harbored resentment, it had to be resolved on the spot.

Otherwise, the accumulated sins would grow too large to handle.

“If I hadn’t been there, neither you, Raize, nor Eunha would have been in danger…”

“Orion.”

Every time he heard her words, Dojin felt as if his heart was being torn apart. It was because the dungeon moved because of him.

‘It’s because of me…’

If Dojin hadn’t been there, she would have successfully reached the 30th floor without any danger.

However, he couldn’t say that. To explain that, he would have to explain things like the Master of the Dungeon.

The loss of telling outweighed the gain of explaining it. Offering comfort while holding back words was quite a difficult task, but Dojin somehow managed to speak.

“It’s not your fault.”

“…Really?”

“Of course. If you hadn’t been there, I might have gone crazy in the dungeon.”

“What? What do you mean…?”

“If you hadn’t shown me your chest…”

“Kyaaah!”

Orion suddenly shouted and covered Dojin’s mouth. She immediately looked around to check if people were listening.

Fortunately, as it was early afternoon, there weren’t many people walking around. Everyone was far from the two of them…

After confirming that there were no people, Orion cautiously removed her hand and spoke.

“…Leader, don’t say things like that on the street. I’m a girl too, you know.”

“…A girl?”

Hearing those words, Dojin gazed intently at her chest. A chest too large to be called a girl’s. Could she really still be considered a girl?

Dojin was staring at Orion’s chest when he flinched and met her eyes.

Like last night, when she had pounced on him, her upturned eyes were looking at him.

“Where are you looking?”

“…Sorry.”

“Hehe, it’s okay, Leader. After all, you were amazing last night.”

As words of blatant sexual harassment spilled from her mouth, far beyond what he had said, Dojin finally realized how his own comments must have felt.

Putting oneself in another’s shoes, humans indeed couldn’t understand without experiencing it firsthand.

“Well then, Leader, how about having a drink with me sometime?”

“…A drink?”

Dojin recalled the number of beer kegs she had consumed at the previous tavern. If he had drunk that much, he would have died from acute alcohol poisoning.

However, as if reading his thoughts, Orion spoke reassuringly.

“This time, I’ll show you a drink that even gets elves drunk. It’s got a killer taste.”

Seeing Orion smile as she said that, Dojin also returned the smile.

“It’s really just drinking, right?”

“Of course.”

Listening to her, Dojin was careful not to let his expression falter.

‘…Seems like it’s still okay for now.’

Then he read her thoughts.

“When should we do it?”

“I’m good anytime.”

─This is my chance. If he gets drunk when we’re alone… he’ll confess.

“Alright, then I’ll look forward to it.”

“You can look forward to it. I’ll prepare a special Elven dish this time!”

─I hope he tells me who the traitor is…

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

─Please, don’t make me kill you.

Orion.

She was a spy from the Great Forest.