episode_0095

After hitting Sepia’s head for an hour yesterday, I arrived at the dormitory and thought.

‘No matter how I think about it, it’s strange.’

Lately, I’ve been acting emotionally much more often.

You might think this isn’t a problem, but one of my traits was a poker face.

It could prevent me from showing emotions, but it was a double-edged sword; if suppressed emotions burst forth, even I couldn’t control them.

Of course, my poker face broke when Ropri was involved last time, and when I learned Mordor kidnapped a child, but those were situations where it was understandable for my poker face to break.

‘Especially when I met Baron Ashro on a mission and this time with Sepia.’

Last time, when I met Baron Ashro on a mission, I threatened him while falling from a wyvern.

Although I was angry in the game when I saw Baron Ashro spreading drugs in the village, it wasn’t enough to break my poker face.

Telling Sepia that I knew about Betzdo was also too emotional, now that I think about it.

The original plan was for Sepia to find out about Betzdo on her own, and for me to intervene just before she died.

The reason I’m acting so emotionally these days must be one of two things.

‘Either my poker face isn’t working, or it’s working weakly.’

It can’t have disappeared.

On the contrary, this situation was good.

‘If I could perfectly control my poker face.’

The Emperor perfectly controlled the trait of domination.

If I could use my poker face only when I wanted to, I wouldn’t have to worry about suppressed emotions bursting forth anymore.

Isn’t showing emotions unsettling?

No, rather, I’m excited because I can do whatever I want.

“What? You already know. So why are you asking? Are you trying to pick a fight with me?”

The corners of my lips, raised beneath the mask, wouldn’t go down.

Daron, that guy was annoying to look at ever since I saw him in the game.

* * *

“………………….”

While everyone stared at Loki with surprised eyes, Loki’s mouth showed no signs of stopping.

“If you’re not trying to pick a fight, why did you speak to me?”

Daron just trembled, unable to say a word.

Sepia felt both relieved and anxious watching this.

Daron was the closest to becoming the head of the Leviathan family.

Rania was still young and weak, and she herself wasn’t blood-related and hadn’t cultivated merchant abilities like Daron.

“Ah! Did you perhaps come looking for me because of my magic tools? I feel like I could trust the Leviathan family with them…….”

“Th-that’s right.”

Daron was surprised that Loki, who had been overtly picking a fight, suddenly started talking about magic tool transactions, but he answered.

‘Could this guy be that type too?’

Daron thought Loki’s actions so far were just a simple battle of wits to gain the upper hand.

Sometimes there were people like that, who would engage in a battle of wits to seize the initiative before making a deal.

Yes, if I can just sell those magic tools, I can endure this much humiliation.

Once I get the right to sell the magic tools, I can deal with that guy later.

“Originally, I didn’t really intend to sell magic tools to make money……”

Daron listened to Loki’s words with a serious expression on the outside, but scoffed inwardly.

He had seen many people pretend to be uninterested to gain the upper hand.

Daron decided to swindle Loki as much as possible and opened his mouth.

“Then, first of all……………..”

Daron began talking to Loki about the transaction, saying this and that. Most of it was praise for the magic tools Loki had created.

Sepia watched and listened to this, saying nothing.

More accurately, she couldn’t say anything.

She understood why Loki would want to deal with Daron.

If he could trade with the Leviathan family through Daron, Loki would undoubtedly earn an enormous amount of money.

She clearly understood it intellectually, but…….

‘I really don’t like it.’

She disliked Daron, who was talking to Loki, and,

She really disliked herself for being unable to do anything.

There was nothing she could do right now.

Sepia was also from the Leviathan Ducal family, but Daron’s merchant abilities were superior, and his standing was greater.

While Sepia, in her helplessness, could only listen to the conversation and do nothing.

-Thump.

She felt something land on her shoulder.

Startled, she turned her head to the side and saw Loki’s hand on her shoulder.

“One moment.”

Loki, who had naturally placed a hand on Sepia’s shoulder, interrupted Daron, who was speaking enthusiastically.

Then he rubbed his head, saying, “Oh, my head.”

“Ah, my head hurts when I hear such complicated stories. So, regarding the transaction, you can talk to Ms. Sepia instead of me.”

“….If your head hurts, I can find someone better!”

Daron, flustered when Sepia’s name came up during the discussion of the transaction, spoke urgently, not even realizing his voice had slightly risen.

He was making a deal to raise his standing within the family, so if Sepia handled the transaction as Loki’s representative, it was natural that her standing would rise instead.

“Did I use difficult words perhaps? I said I’d deal with the ‘Leviathan Ducal family’ through Ms. Sepia, didn’t I?”

Loki emphasized that he was dealing with the Leviathan Ducal family, not Daron, but the agitated Daron didn’t notice.

“…..You don’t seem to know, but there are many people more capable than that bitch—no, that woman! So if you do as I say without her help, you can have a lot more money!”

Sepia also stared at Loki with blank eyes.

She hated to admit it, but Daron wasn’t wrong.

Sepia could also arrange for Loki to deal with the Leviathan Ducal family, but unlike Daron, Sepia wasn’t well-versed in merchant affairs.

Dealing with Daron would surely earn him more money than dealing with her, so why…..

“Do you perhaps have a bad memory? I just told you a moment ago. I didn’t really intend to sell magic tools to make money.”

“…….Th-that.”

Daron was speechless at Loki’s declaration that he had no intention of making money.

It wasn’t a lie to gain the upper hand?

While Daron stared blankly at Loki, who had his hand on Sepia’s shoulder.

“………….!”

In an instant, Loki vanished from his sight.

Daron, who had a certain pride as a swordsman, didn’t perceive Loki’s movement at all.

“Ugh.”

Daron grimaced at the pain in his shoulder.

Loki, who had somehow placed his hand on Daron’s shoulder, whispered into his ear so only Daron could hear.

“So, it means I have no intention of selling magic tools to you whatsoever. You understand that much, right?”

Only then did Daron realize.

This guy had no intention of making a deal from the start.

“If I deal through Ms. Sepia, her standing will rise quite a bit, won’t it?”

Daron couldn’t deny Loki’s words.

The magic tools this guy made were not ordinary magic tools.

“Whose shoulder are you touching right now!”

Just then, a burly man directly behind Daron shouted at Loki.

“Are you seriously asking that out of curiosity? The person whose shoulder I’m touching right now is… um, what was your name again? I don’t usually memorize unnecessary names….”

Loki was talking to the burly man when he turned to Daron, as if unable to recall his name, and asked him.

“Take your hand off him right now!!!”

The burly man reached out to grab Loki’s hand, which was resting on Daron’s shoulder.

Despite his large build, his speed was fast.

-Swoosh!

But the man’s large hand grasped at thin air, unable to even brush Loki.

“Tch.”

The burly man clicked his tongue once and looked around for Loki.

“I’m behind you.”

-Swoosh!

Hearing Loki’s voice, the man swung his hand once more, but again, his hand grasped at thin air.

“I dislike it when people touch me, especially men.”

The burly man looked at Daron, and Daron nodded silently.

“You two just exchanged a secretive glance, so you’re not, perhaps, in that kind of relationship, are you? Ugh! Wait a moment! I accidentally imagined it.”

“As your academy senior, I’ll teach you a lesson.”

The burly man glared at Loki, gripping a large axe in his hand.

Even under the man’s gaze, Loki shrugged, unconcerned, and spoke.

“Ugh! That line is too childish. I’ll give you 7 points. For reference, 100 points is a perfect score. I’ll give you another chance, specially. Don’t you have any more unique lines?”

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

The burly man continuously swung his large axe at Loki, but Loki casually dodged while keeping his hands in his pockets.

“Do you perhaps usually wear glasses?”

The man knew Loki was talking to destabilize him, so he tried to ignore him as much as possible while swinging his axe.

But no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, the axe didn’t connect, and he heard every word Loki said.

“Does silence mean denial? You keep swinging your axe in strange places, so I just asked, in case.”

No matter how strong someone’s mentality was, they would inevitably be shaken if someone dodged their attacks while keeping their hands in their pockets and made such comments.

“It’s not that you forgot to wear glasses, huh? That’s even more regrettable.”

“Aaaaaaaargh!!!!! Die!!!!!!”

With a roaring battle cry, the man imbued his massive axe with mana and brought it down from above.

-CRASH!!!!!!!!

With an incredibly loud sound, dust spread in all directions.

“Haa……….Haa………..”

The man breathed heavily, hoping it would end there.

After a very short time, the dust obstructing his vision disappeared, and,

Loki was standing on top of the axe, which was stuck in the ground.

“No matter how I look at it, your eyesight seems bad. Why don’t you go to a hospital? I’m saying this because I’m genuinely worried.”