Ch.101Reward-Giving(?) NPC. (2)

Don’t be late. Don’t be late. Don’t be late!!!

Thrown with all of Gorg’s might, I flew in a straight line as if gravity didn’t exist. And then.

-CRASH!!! SCREEEECH!!!

“Ugh?!!”

I collided with something. With what? What the hell was it?

I could see the wall protecting the city, and I was definitely high enough to pass over it, but I crashed into something.

My head feels like it’s about to split open, but that’s not what’s important right now.

Ira, Rey, and Ragni.

Due to my carelessness, they were exposed to enemy attacks. I never imagined that even though the Academy wasn’t on our tail, someone would target Ira’s talent.

-THUD!!!

I fall headfirst to the ground. Right below the city wall, in an alley.

I don’t even know where I am or the geography well. But still.

‘Track. Detect. DETECT!! The fastest way to Ira!!’

There’s no reason it should work, but I’m desperately invoking a veteran ranger’s detection skill. This is a city, not a mountain. In the end, I have no choice but to move my legs…

[Straight ahead, up. Climb the building and you’ll see the house.]

Huh? Status window? No, Gorg? Did he follow me without his golem body? Is he speaking briefly because he’s in a hurry?

No, no!! That’s not what’s important right now!!

Following the sudden status window’s instructions, I dash forward without even steadying myself and kick off the building in front of me. Once I reach the rooftop, I can clearly see the direction I know.

It’s not far. I can get there right away!!

“Hnngh!!!”

-CRASH!!

The sound of the floor shattering echoed, but I ignore it and run forward as if throwing my body ahead.

It’s not that I don’t trust Rey and Ragni’s combat abilities. But that doesn’t mean they won’t get hurt in a fight. This is the city from ep.3 after all.

The enemy’s level is definitely not low.

If by any chance they get hurt protecting Ira, or if Ira gets hurt…

I absolutely don’t want to see that.

I used every ounce of strength in my body, even holding my breath as it rose uncontrollably, and literally threw myself forward, allowing me to reach the house in just seconds.

“Ira! Rey!! Ragni!!!”

“Shh!! Why are you shouting?!”

As I push through the door of the house I rented with enough force to nearly break it down, Ragni jumps in surprise, forms her mouth into a ⎯ shape, and says “Shh!” again.

Th-thank goodness. It seems the enemy hasn’t arrived yet… Huh?

“R-Ragni?”

“Ira’s taking a nap. She just fell asleep a little while ago. Be quiet.”

“Oh, right. But, what is this…”

“So, did you handle everything well?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. It was wrapped up well, but that’s not it. What is this…”

“Hmm? Oh. This.”

-THUD!!

“…!!!”

As I question the scene before my eyes, Ragni suddenly kicks the back of the chair(?) she’s sitting on with her heel. Then she elegantly sips the tea on the table.

She may be a perverted masochist, but she’s still of royal birth. Her actions exude dignity—no, that’s not it!!

“W-what’s with this person you’re sitting on, no, these people?”

“Hey, you there. Make another cup of tea. For our master.”

“…!!”

-Tap tap tap!!

A man who had been kneeling in front of the wall until just now rushes to make tea at an insane speed. As I stare blankly at this scene, Ragni gestures for me to sit in front of her.

“What’s going on… Ah, thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank trash like him. Oh, but the tea is decent enough, try it.”

I take a sip of the tea made by the unknown man, and the tension that had been gripping my body eases slightly.

And as if she’d been waiting for that, Ragni smiles slyly and speaks.

“Listen without raising your voice. These bastards are trash who came to capture me and Ira. They got crushed by me instead, and now they’re my dogs because I wanted to experiment with my [Skill]. Right?”

-Nod nod nod!!

“…What? Attackers? These guys?”

The men nod vigorously in agreement with Ragni’s words. So I was already too late.

But it seems Ragni was able to handle everything on her own…

[Academy Assistant – Level 45]

…That’s quite a high level? Similar to that bastard Gibson, the mid-boss.

Ragni briefly explained to me as I looked puzzled.

These guys had sneaked into the house targeting her and Ira. At first, she was going to shoot them all dead, but right at that moment, Ira had finished studying and went to take a nap.

So to avoid making noise, she crushed all their throats with her hands and feet so they couldn’t make a sound, and then proceeded to experiment with her skill.

Did she copy my movements with [Heaven-sent Talent]? Unlike in the game, there’s no cooldown? That’s insane, totally broken.

But, research aside, why are these bastards so obediently following Ragni’s orders…

“That thing you hid from me. How you made those assassins obey you before. I was really curious about that. What was the meaning behind that action? So after I took them all down, I told them to choose between submitting to me or dying, and they all said they’d rather live and submit. So I ordered them just like you did that day. To follow my orders even if I told them to kill themselves, and the result is.”

-THUD!!

“…!!!”

“This.”

Ragni stomps hard on the leg of the man serving as her chair. However, the man only contorts his face as if about to scream but makes no sound.

Moreover, despite looking like he’s in excruciating pain, his body doesn’t move at all. Could it be.

“I ordered him. Don’t move no matter what happens while I’m sitting, even if your head falls off. Don’t make a sound. I thought it was more definitive than what you ordered those assassins that day.”

“Holy shit, my god.”

Ragni, maintaining a noble expression, elegantly finishes her tea, then stands up from the man and kicks him in the head.

It feels like the Queen from the game has jumped out, which is a bit creepy, but Ragni doesn’t care about my feelings and comes over to… sit on my lap.

“Hehe. If I had known about this skill, you should have told me sooner. I could have done so much more.”

“…R-really?”

“Yes. I’m sure I could have been more helpful. For instance, those men captured in the lab. If I had made them all submit to me, wouldn’t it have been easier for you to do what you wanted?”

Ragni strokes my chin with her finger, looking incredibly seductive. Damn, she’s beautiful but terrifying. Queen? No, right? You’re not the raid boss [Ragni Bluemoon Ottoman], are you?!

“Hehe. So, back to what we were talking about. You handled everything well, right?”

“Y-yeah. I wrapped everything up perfectly. I was thinking about moving on to the next step…”

“I see. Let’s put that conversation on hold for a moment.”

Has her personality changed? Ragni blocks my mouth with her finger and turns a cold expression toward the men.

“Go tell whoever ordered you to capture us, the highest-ranking bastard, that if they mess with us again, we’ll kill them. And don’t stay in one place for more than half a day until you deliver that message. Don’t harm others either.”

-Nod nod nod!!

The men nod vigorously at Ragni’s order and immediately stand up and start leaving the house.

And the man who had been serving as Ragni’s chair limps out. Isn’t his leg broken?

And, what did she mean by “whoever”? Didn’t I take care of the Academy? After waiting until all the men had left and the door closed, Ragni looks at me and smiles slyly.

“This is more useful than ordering them to die immediately, right? Trash wandering the world forever chasing someone who’s gone. Unlike dogs that follow trails of their own will, they’re forced to chase a purpose that no longer exists for the rest of their lives. Isn’t that punishment enough?”

“Oh…”

How cruel!! Somehow Ragni has become cruel in just a few hours!!! I start to feel a bit tense and look at her anxiously.

Could it be that she’s become like the Queen from the game now that she can freely use her skills [Heaven-sent Talent] and [Imperial Quality]?

“Plus, the moment those men submitted to me, I realized. The physical abilities of humans who submit to me become subordinate to me?”

“…Yeah. You figured that out too?”

We’re screwed. This means she knows all her skills now? Is she really going to become a raid boss…

-Hug.

“R-Ragni?”

“So, you were afraid of me?”

“…Huh?”

Ragni, sitting on my lap, hugs me and buries her face in my chest, nuzzling against it.

I’ve experienced this with Ira before, but she’s the first adult woman to do this? She smells nice. No, wait, that’s not the point. What did she just say? Afraid? Me? When?!

“The fact that you can see other people’s skills. And that you know how to use those skills. I only found out recently, but I have all these ridiculous skills. So that’s why you were so scared when you first met me?”

“…That’s!”

This is crazy. How am I supposed to deceive her? She’s figured out everything from back then?

If she suddenly says, “I like you, so I’ll crush you here and make you mine!” then I’d really have to completely subjugate her with the collar of submission. This is really driving me…

“Give me an order.”

“Huh?”

“Give an order to my collar.”

Suddenly Ragni looks at me with her usual smile and says this. What? What order is she suddenly asking for?

I stared stupidly at her red eyes while feeling her warm embrace, and she immediately continued.

“Order it like this. Tell me never to activate any of my skills in a hostile way against you, Ira, Rey, or Gorg. If there are other people you care about, mention their names and tell me not to use any skills on them. Then I’ll be completely your personal pet, unable to resist you and those you care about.”

“……”

Ragni had read all my concerns, understood everything, and simply spat out the solution.

Certainly, if I ordered Ragni through the collar of submission like that, we would be completely free from her skills.

…But still.

“Are you sure? Then you’ll really…”

“I told you. I’m your personal female. I will never harm you. And I don’t want to be perceived as someone who might harm you. I… I like that.”

This is really driving me crazy.

Ragni spoke to me in a completely different manner than when the men were present, almost coquettishly, and I eventually added the restriction as she wished, naming all our companions.

With this, even if Ragni uses [Heaven-sent Talent] to copy our movements, she can’t activate it if we’re the targets. In other words.

“Now, you’re the only man in this world who can stop the ‘monster’ that is me?”

“Wow. That’s incredibly burdensome.”

“Hey, that’s mean.”

When I speak jokingly with a smile, Ragni immediately understands and responds playfully.

Really, to think that she, who would have been the ep.5 raid boss, would put aside everything and dedicate herself to my sister and me like this. Isn’t it inevitable that my heart is racing?

Until just now, my heart was pounding with fear, but now it’s definitely pounding for a different reason.

I stroked Ragni’s head with gratitude, and she smiled broadly, seeming pleased.

And as we were spending this moment alone together.

-Door opens.

[No!! Wasn’t it MY turn for the reward?!]

Gorg and Miho, who had returned behind him, saw us and opened their eyes wide in surprise.