episode_0085

“Ugh-!”

Penny woke up with a deep sigh.

The movement of my left arm, which was struggling in my dream, is still vivid.

I instinctively tried to move my left arm, but only a slight feeling of emptiness remained.

“Ah.”

As a habit, I trace the cut edge of my left arm with my right hand.

It is clean.

“Ha… .”

Penny struggled to get up and looked at the table next to the bed.

There was a left arm preserved using taxidermy magic.

“… … .”

I still remember the moment Kylie strangled me and cut off my arm.

The price for coveting power and position that one could not dare to control was harsh.

“Huh, huh… .”

When you get buried in the past, you find yourself short of breath.

Thinking of Ian, I forced myself to steady my breathing.

‘No, I-I can do it…’ . I have to do it… .’

With trembling hands, Penny held her left arm.

Her routine began, but nothing special happened.

All day long, all he did was fumble through Philip’s collection.

It was an escape to forget his current situation.

‘If you look at this… . If you look, you will know… .’

The secretary who came to see her at that time was startled.

The sight of him carrying his left arm was something to be surprised at, even if I had expected it.

“Um, Penny… ?”

Penny couldn’t answer at once.

The secretary looked down at Penny as if she felt pitiful.

The whole place looks like this these days.

“Ha… . Penny?”

“Yes, yes… ?”

“This.”

The secretary handed me something with a confused expression.

Penny looked at the envelope of documents she had grabbed and hurriedly put away Philip’s documents.

It’s as if you can’t even touch anything else.

After cleaning up her desk, she took the envelope and opened it.

Inside were several sheets of documents.

The secretary left without further explanation.

Penny’s eyes slowly opened after seeing the first page of the document.

[plaint]

[Complainant: Count Nicholas von Friedrich]

[Respondents: Penny, Kylie, Beatrice, Aria, Sylvia]

[Purpose of complaint and facts of crime… .]

A person who suffered damage due to the dark beer promoted by Badenberg filed a complaint.

It wasn’t just the first chapter.

The numerous documents in the back were all complaints.

“… … .”

To the general public, beer may be nothing more than a simple everyday drink or entertainment.

However, it is completely different for the soldiers near the front lines.

For those who live under strict alert every day, alcohol is one of their few pleasures.

How well is such entertainment provided to soldiers, and how good is its quality?

These things also have a big impact on morale.

Of course, the dark beer promoted by the first warrior party was bound to be very popular with the soldiers guarding the front lines.

At the same time, the damage suffered by those soldiers was tantamount to a weakening and blow to the nation’s forces.

This complaint was delivered not only to the first warrior party but also to the mayor of Badenberg, but that was not important to Penny right now.

That wasn’t all.

Starting with the person who Kylie stabbed at the time, people who had been harmed by Kylie and Beatrice in the past came together to file a complaint.

It was all in Penny’s hands.

Penny was silent for a while when she saw the large-scale lawsuit, and then cried.

“Aaaagh-!”

Dozens of swept-up complaints were scattered in the air along with wailing.

“No, not this… ! This isn’t it… ! I am… ! Me, I… ! This is what I was trying to do… !”

When I hit the desk, my left arm fell off.

Penny felt a great sense of emptiness as she looked at her left arm lying on the floor.

‘What on earth have you done so far? What are you here for… .’

“Penny?”

A man with a rough tone called her name.

I slowly raised my head, and the first thing I saw was feet wearing black armor.

“Hwang Myeong-ida.”

Without any explanation, Wolfgang stood Penny up and tied her arms and torso with chains.

Because he had no arm, he couldn’t be handcuffed.

Although the four members of the first hero party were suspects, they were treated with some respect due to their previous achievements and reputation.

Penny’s case was a different story.

“From now on, your personal affairs will belong to the imperial family and the military police, so please be aware of this.”

“What… What nonsense… !”

Penny, dumbfounded, reacted late.

“Let go of this! I know who I am!”

Penny resisted fiercely and cast the spell.

“Wind cutter… !”

A blade of wind extended from her towards Wolfgang.

Wolfgang quickly took out his shield and blocked it.

“How dare the military police… ! I follow his will… !”

-puck!

Wolfgang quickly rushed in and raised his shield to strike.

I caught Penny, who was staggering, and slammed my knee into her solar plexus.

“Kkeok… .”

Penny held her stomach and drooled.

The will to resist has completely disappeared.

My whole body was busy just enduring the pain.

“Obstruction of official duties. Unjustified use of magic against people.”

Wolf Gang laughed, patting her on the back as she bent down like a shrimp.

“You are increasing the number of crimes on your own. By the way, he was once an A-level wizard, but he was so rusty. It must be difficult even for level B like this.”

Wolfgang lifted his tapping hand and slapped Penny across the cheek.

“You need to know the topic… . Tsk. Bring it with you.”

Wolfgang caught a glimpse of Penny, who had fallen and was whimpering, and went out first.

Two military police officers followed the Wolfgang, holding Penny on both sides.

“Kruk… .”

The other people at the camp could only watch from a distance.

*

“Hmm… . I guess I should stay overnight.”

Ian, sitting in the coach seat, looked at the map and muttered.

There wasn’t even a village, let alone a city nearby, where you could stay.

“Hoo. It’s a night where we can sleep together for the first time in a while.”

“… But I’m curious, are there many perverted elves like you? Especially in that hometown… .”

“Then wouldn’t the value of the elf race become too noble? The balance of the world is not that easy.”

“Ah… . Yes.”

Ian stopped the carriage and explained the situation to the group.

“Kathi, Mercy. Please find a suitable place for the two of us.”

“Yes, yes, I understand.”

“Yes.”

Katy and Mercy left to find a place to stay nearby.

They could have all moved together, but Ian had something to say to Lucia.

Now it’s time to reveal Katy’s identity.

“Have you ever gone outside?”

Ian asked, leaning against the carriage door.

Vivian and Helena realized what Ian was trying to reveal and their expressions hardened.

Lucia, unaware of the situation, answered calmly.

“When I was young, I moved around a lot. After entering the castle… There is none.”

“You will probably sleep outside today, so please bear with it even if it is a bit uncomfortable.”

“I’m rather excited about it, right? I thought about that sometimes. When you make friends, you all go on trips together and sleep together in a small room.”

Vivian and Helena smiled slightly at the mention of friends.

Ian was also satisfied because it seemed like they had become close friends.

“I will achieve that dream today.”

“It’s a good thing.”

“What do you think about Mine?”

It was Ian’s unique speaking style.

It is a technique of suddenly asking an important question while talking about ordinary, everyday things.

It was a technique that prevented room for leisurely deliberation and at the same time allowed one to honestly reflect on the other person’s reaction.

“Mine?”

Lucia thought about it quite seriously and then looked around at the group.

Then, he came up with a completely unexpected answer.

“I’m sorry.”

“… Yes?”

“I don’t hate Mine that much.”

Lucia especially paid close attention to Helena.

Since she was a priest of the Seonghwa Church, it was natural that she would have the greatest antipathy toward Mine.

Lucia even explained.

“But it’s a bit difficult to say that I like it, it’s just… I think like a normal person. When you were young, did you ever get lost in the forest and encounter a wild bear? Then someone appeared and saved me.”

“Was that a mine?”

“Yes. Well, you might be embarrassed and think you saw it wrong, but that’s probably not the case. You can’t go wrong with a person with a sheep’s horn and one arm as a wolf’s paw, right?”

“Well, I didn’t think about it that far… .”

I thought Lucia was asking this question because she would have to fight against demons as a hero in the future.

However, that didn’t seem to be the intention.

“… Are you asking for some other reason?”

Lucia was actually close to being friendly to Mine, so there was nothing more to hide.

Ian revealed that Katy, who he had been hanging out with, was Mine.

“Ah… Really?”

As expected, I was just a little surprised.

“But Kati doesn’t really look like a demon.”

“It has ears and a tail, but it can hide them at will. Instead, the eyes are like cat eyes.”

“Ah, that’s why I wore an eye patch… . I thought it was simply because he was a superhuman with excellent senses.”

Anyway, it was fortunate for Ian that Lucia seemed to be able to get along well with Kati.

‘I seem to have become quite friendly with Vivian. ‘Helena and I are still awkward with each other, but we don’t hate each other.’

At least there won’t be any problems with Katy being Mine.

Ian thought so.

“Mine did something like that… .”

While Ian was positive, Helena was serious.

Although she became close to Kati, she was taught by Seonghwa Church to be unconditionally hostile to Mine.

It would be difficult to be friendly towards the Demon species.

“It might be hard to believe.”

“No… . Since there is a case called Kati, there is no law against doing so.”

Helena, who spoke aloofly, muttered as if she were confused.

“What on earth is mine…? ?”

It was a question that no one could answer.

Even Ian, although he has been with Katy for a long time, does not know much about the species called Mine.

‘Katie’s old memories seem to be blurry, and it’s a bit awkward to ask since something like that happened… .’

What is Mine?

The question, which seemed unexpected but also quite important, left the group immersed in silence.

*

“Eot. Katy, is there someone nearby?”

Mercy, who discovered the human being through the voice of the forest, said.

“… People?”

Carty quickly rolled the case.

If you are a person in a forest like this where there are no people, there is a high probability that you are of poor quality.

Criminals, escaped convicts, deserters, etc.

People who cannot live among people for some reason often hide in places like this.

“How many people?”

“There are two people.”

“Let’s go. I need to check it out.”

“Yes, yes.”

As we followed Mercy’s instructions, we soon came across a small hut.

The cabin, located on compacted land in the middle of the forest, had a peaceful and quiet atmosphere.

There was even a cute vegetable garden in the front yard.

It seemed like a fairly full-fledged living space for a criminal to simply hide his body.

However, Kathi couldn’t relax any more.

‘This energy I feel inside… . It’s Mine… .’

The same magical energy as himself emanated from within.

He seemed to be an ordinary demon, different from himself, who had a habit of killing energy among humans.

“Mercy. Hiding.”

Even if it’s normal, a demon is a demon, so you have to be careful.

“Yes!”

Mercy, who had shrunk to a fairy size, hid in Kati’s pocket.

Kati quietly drew his sword and approached cautiously.

‘There is no dust accumulation. Moisture is also adequate for the garden. Even today, it is a place that someone is using and managing. Mine lives in hiding in a place like this… ?’

As she walked, Katy constantly analyzed her surroundings.

Understanding, thinking, and analyzing.

It was one of the things I learned from Ian.

‘The energy inside… three? Mercy said there were two. It could be because the energy of one of the three is very weak. It’s barely noticeable. ‘Are you injured?’

When Kati finally arrived in front of the front door.

-who are you?

A man inside spoke in a trembling voice.

Kati was careful, but deliberately did not completely erase his presence.

It was to warn the opponent.

-What’s going on here? I don’t think I’m just a guest.

‘Are you sure. Three is correct. But those two are very close. One of the two close ones has weak energy. but… I don’t think all three are Mine. What happened? ‘Did Mine capture humans?’

-We have nothing to steal even if we try to steal it. So, please just go… . W, honey. No, it’s okay… .

‘… married couple?’

This time the woman spoke.

Unlike a man, it was a confident voice.

-I don’t know what the purpose is, but just go. Unless your life is worth it.

“… I just came here to see who you are.”

-Who are you then?

“I can’t reveal that. But, I promise I’ll just back off as long as I’m sure you’re not dangerous.”

-How can I trust you?

“Are there any other options?”

It was as he said.

Even though they didn’t know the other person’s identity or power, they were now trapped in this house and were in a weakened situation.

His sharp tone was extremely defensive.

Meanwhile, Mercy, who was hiding in her pocket, was anxious but laughed a little at Katy’s tone.

Because it was exactly the same as Ian’s way of scaring people.

-… good. I’ll open the door, so step back.

Kati deliberately made a noise and took two steps back.

I carefully pushed the wooden front door from the inside.

The first thing I saw through the open door was the man who opened the door.

‘Young human male. The injured area… doesn’t exist.’

And right next to it, there was something bulging.

It was a human boat.

Kati’s gaze went up.

A belly protruding from a wide dress that comfortably hugs the body.

Just above it were ample breasts and curly hair.

‘lass… .’

Compared to my bulging stomach, I didn’t gain weight on my arms and legs.

It was a pregnant woman.

Kati couldn’t help but stare at the woman.

The woman’s head had swirling sheep’s horns, the pupils of her eyes were horizontally long, and her irises were red.

Compared to the normal left arm, the right arm was furry like a wolf’s forelimb, and the nails were long and sharp.

‘… Mine?’

The energy that Katy felt was very weak, and that it was unclear whether it was a demon or a human, was coming from the woman’s stomach.

Pregnant Maine woman.

and human males.

The title honey.

It was a situation where you could learn a lot without having to listen to an explanation.

‘How could this…’ .’

The demon and human couple faced Kati with a wary attitude.

Mercy peeked her head out in the awkward silence, and she saw it too.

A human man and a demon woman clinging tightly together as if trying to protect each other.

Mercy opened her eyes wide, covered her mouth, and muttered without realizing it.

“… Oh my god.”