Ch.102Reward-Giving(?) NPC. (3)
by fnovelpia
“I’m sorry!! I shouldn’t have gone out after all!!”
“No, Ragni handled it well, so you don’t need to apologize like that…”
“No!! I’m truly sorry! Jack, my body is what’s important, right? I’m needed as a bodyguard for Ira and Ragni, aren’t I?! But I couldn’t even fulfill that role, at this rate…!!”
Wait, something sounds off? Is she cutting her sentences in weird places? Body? You mean your strong physique and swordsmanship, right?
And if someone just heard the latter part, it would sound like I’m using you as a bodyguard?
Don’t say things like that outside, oka—
“…Brother, I didn’t take you for that type. Is that blue-haired woman your wife, and this one just a physical relationship?”
“Look, this is only our third meeting, so let’s not cross any lines? Both Ragni and Rei are important travel companions. And Rei, please phrase your words more carefully, for heaven’s sake.”
“Important?! IMPORTANT!!!”
Are you even listening to me?
Leaving aside the idiot who’s blushing, crossing her legs, and grinning stupidly, I turn my thoughts elsewhere.
Ignoring Gorr, who jumped up as soon as we got home, wasn’t difficult. While the status window was making a fuss, the golem side remained quiet. The golem part must have been quite exhausted. (?)
And since only Ragni was home without Rei, I asked what happened. She told me that a request had come in that seemed designed to harm Rei.
After hearing this, I left Miho and Gorr at home and went after Rei. When I arrived at the guild, I heard that she had caused quite a scene there before quickly departing.
Knowing Rei wouldn’t have done that without reason, I explained that I was her companion and politely asked what happened. Apparently, a guild member—who Rei had beaten to a pulp—had forced a suspicious request on her under the name “Lo Jack.”
This wasn’t guild-sanctioned, but his own initiative.
He even threatened the gold-rank adventurer with demotion, so Rei extracted the truth through “serious dialogue” (physical).
Rei hadn’t forgotten the name Lo Jack. Worried about the children’s safety if he had been released, she rushed to where the research lab was located. The timing worked out perfectly, and she was able to support the gold-rank adventurer who was fighting off attackers while that supporter was looking at me like trash.
Well, not prioritizing Ira might be a minus point, but honestly, Rei had too little information to think we were being targeted.
And since she ended up protecting the children too, I can cut her some slack!
Maybe not a “Well done!” but at least a “Let’s try harder next time!” is warranted.
“Anyway, thanks to you, we survived. Honestly, I didn’t expect more than 20 skilled fighters to attack. Seems like the mastermind is quite high up?”
[Academy Assistant (Deceased) – Level 41]
I nod in response, looking at the status window floating above the corpse.
Indeed, he was the second most prominent person in this city. Though he’s in America now.
But seeing that all these assistant bastards are around level 50, it seems Gibson wasn’t quite a mid-boss yet?
Since we started taking action before the tutorial began, these guys all seem a bit weaker than expected.
“Well. This will all end this week. Please bear with us for just two more days. By the way, where are the children?”
“Ah, the kids? They’re gathered in that room. They’ve all recovered. As I said before, I’m quite skilled in healing magic. Want to see them?”
I tilt my head, looking at the room the man is pointing to. Huh? That room is definitely…
“Did you move them?”
“Huh? No. They’re all in there together. Go see for yourself. They’re all healthy.”
“……”
The room he’s pointing to is definitely where we captured the researchers, the bald man, and Lo Jack.
Why would he put the children in a place like that?
Feeling slightly uneasy, I approach the room and open the door slightly. Thankfully, I can see the children.
But…
-Thwack!! Smack! Smack!!
“How dare you?! You bald bastard!! How dare you faint?!! You still have two hours of quota left?! Wake up!!”
“Hey!! Bring a knife!! Let’s shave this man’s head too!!”
“P-please… spare me… at least my hair…”
“Spare you?! You’re begging to be spared?! Do you remember what you did when we begged you to spare us?! Huh?!!”
“Here, a rod of love.”
“Oh, thank you! Now, on one, never again. On two, don’t beg for mercy. On three, I won’t do it again. Got it? I’ll shave your head when we’re done.”
“P-please… Urgh!!”
“ONE!!!”
-THWACK!!
“Phew, my mom must be looking everywhere for me. Ah, pass me that drink.”
“Sure, here. *Munch, munch* Me too, I’m an only son, you know. If it weren’t for what Rei said, I would’ve gone home already.”
“H-hungry… W-water… please…”
“Huh? Oh, right. Here. *Spit!!* Lick it up. We’re nice, right? We give you spit once a day.”
“Hey! We already gave him spit this morning!! Why are you giving him more…”
…I quietly closed the door and looked at the adventurer. What the hell is he making these kids do?
What kind of “recovery” did his healing magic achieve? Recovering their violent tendencies?!
“Well, the kids all got healthy and wanted to move around and go outside. So I thought I’d give them some rehabilitation exercise. Why? Is something wrong?”
What part of this isn’t wrong, you lunatic?
I stared at the man in disbelief and checked if Rei knew about this.
“What? Of course I knew. Isn’t it great that the children are healthy now?”
“Wait, you knew the kids were doing this?”
“Yes! Hehe, aren’t they all showing such promising futures?”
What promising future? They’re all shaving heads and acting like they’re living in a post-apocalyptic world! What kind of expectations do you have for them?
“Huh? Post-apocalyptic? I don’t know what you mean. What the children are doing is ‘punishing evil,’ right? Not tolerating injustice, and properly punishing those who commit evil deeds with their own hands. When these children grow up, they’ll surely bring about a cleaner world!”
“……”
I underestimated this. Damn it.
So in this dark fantasy setting, that’s what people consider ‘justice’ and ‘good’? My head started spinning. I told the male adventurer to take care of things for two more days, then returned home with Rei.
…I really need to keep those kids away from Ira.
*
“Alright. Then tomorrow, we’ll go with that plan. Strategy meeting adjourned!”
“Adjourned!! Let’s go to sleep!”
As I stand up from the table, Ira, who was reading a book nearby, jumps up and shouts simultaneously.
Everyone smiles warmly at the sight, and I tell everyone to wash up and rest since tomorrow will be busy too.
“Good night.”
“You too. You worked really hard today, leave tomorrow to me.”
“Jack, rest well. I’ll work really hard tomorrow too!”
“Um, about my exam… Ah, no!! Please rest!!”
The three women each go to their rooms on the first floor, and I take Ira up to our room on the second floor.
Then I immediately change clothes and get into bed with my sister.
“Ira, are you sleepy?”
“Yes. Sleepy!”
“But you took a nap earlier?”
“A nap is a nap! Ragni said you need to sleep well at night too to become beautiful!”
What is she teaching this child? Besides, Ira doesn’t need to get any prettier. She’s already so cute that if she gets any prettier, men will be lining up for her.
This big brother can’t bear to see that.
“Hehe. Good night, big brother.”
“Ira, let’s talk a bit before sleeping? You’re going to enter the academy soon…”
“Hmm? No. I’m sleepy. Let’s talk tomorrow, big brother… *yawn*”
I wish my sister wasn’t sleepy yet. But my sister really seems tired as she rubs her eyes and falls into a peaceful sleep.
…Talk with your brother a bit more. If you fall asleep like this after even taking a nap…
[Since Ira has fallen asleep, please come downstairs.]
This is driving me crazy, seriously.
I had strictly ordered that nothing should be done when Ira is around.
In other words, someone had been waiting for Ira to fall asleep. I had been gritting my teeth and ignoring his gaze until now, but…
[You promised. You said you’d give me a reward. Objectively and subjectively speaking, I worked the hardest, didn’t I?]
Wouldn’t that be the golem? It’s not like you’ll die if the golem dies, so why are you like this?
[…You promised.]
“……”
The dejected status window.
Even without a face, it vividly expresses disappointment through text alone. I feel like it’s getting better at expressing emotions.
Before, it only excelled at revealing its perverted tendencies. It seems to be evolving in strange directions every time.
Sigh.
I quietly get out of bed so as not to wake Ira and go downstairs.
Everyone seems to have fallen asleep already, as the house is completely quiet and pitch dark.
With poor visibility, I slowly walk toward where Gorr should be, guided by the status window.
“…Hey. This is.”
[Come in, please!]
“No. I clearly told you, right? That direction is absolutely…”
[Absolutely not! I promise. It’s definitely not what you’re thinking.]
You want me to trust you after your chosen location has already tanked your credibility?
I might as well buy stocks based on advice from an online forum.
I couldn’t trust Gorr’s words at all, so I turned around.
[W-where are you going?!!]
“I said I’d give you a reward, but I also said that direction is absolutely off-limits.”
[Really! It’s really not like that! It’s absolutely not what you’re thinking! Please! PLEASE!!!]
What exactly do you think I’m thinking? What do you know about me?! I don’t even know my own mind well, so how would I know myself?!!
Do you know the eyes of my past life?!!
I ignored the status window that was frantically trying to hold me back and took steps to return to the second floor…
-SLAM! GRAB!!
“You…?!!”
Suddenly the door behind me flung open, and a hand grabbed and pulled me forcefully.
What the hell!! Gorr, you?!! I should be your master, so wh—?!!
-SPLASH!!
“Puhah!! W-what are you…?!!”
[I’m really not doing anything. I just want a simple reward.]
The place Gorr had guided me to was our bathroom.
He forcefully pulled me into the tub filled with water, and now completely soaked, I was about to yell at Gorr who had pulled me…
“Y-you. T-that appearance…!!”
[How is it? I thought seriously about it and made it myself.]
For a completely different reason, I ended up shouting, my eyes widening at Gorr’s appearance that I had never seen before.
[How is it? I used the slime body and the abilities of the lower spirits I absorbed today to erase the non-human parts as much as possible. How does it look?]
As Gorr tilted his head, showing off his appearance again, I briefly considered whether I should really say what he wanted to hear, but eventually the answer was clear.
Damn it. He’s the one begging for a reward, so it’s not like I’m falling for a golem or anything!!!
“Y-yeah. It, it suits you. You look pretty.”
[…Hehe.]
At my forced compliment, Gorr, unlike usual, was not wearing his cracked maid uniform.
Instead, wearing something similar to a swimsuit, he smiled awkwardly.
——————–
Gorr Mk-2
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