Ch.124Karma-Struck NPC. (3)

The security guards didn’t even bother listening to me and just charged in recklessly, so I ended up beating the crap out of those animal bastards.

It seems Aigram’s public safety has gone completely to shit in just half a year.

They say landscapes change five times a year these days—is [Eight] following the latest trends too?

The enemies that kept appearing attacked like the rushed zerglings from Blizzard Games, and I turned them all into ketchup.

No, I didn’t kill them, did I? Not yet.

“The carriage is ready!”

“Ah, thank you.”

I asked the guild member who had agreed to testify to prepare a slightly larger carriage. I loaded all the guys I’d beaten up into it and headed toward the neutral city.

For some reason, Miho beside me looked dejected, but I didn’t care at all.

The more her affection for me drops, the better for me.

So we traveled without resting for a night and arrived at Aigram’s gate. I explained the situation clearly, properly, and exactly as it happened.

“They’re really full of shit.”

As if someone had pressed Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V, they tried to apprehend Miho and me again.

And naturally, I knocked them all down again. Then…

“Everyone move!! Is that the bastard? The one who turned all the security guards in Payback’s village into half-cripples and brought them here?!”

“…Fuck. What’s this now? That’s not even a security guard?”

[Adventurer: Level 129]

A strangely high-leveled brute appeared, and I felt my irritation beginning to boil over.

Ah, come to think of it. I haven’t slept for two days already? No wonder I’m having trouble controlling my emotions and strength.

“Ha! So you got your ass handed to you after trying to rob someone with superior goods? Payback, you idiot. I thought you’d still be useful since you’re white grade, even if you got beaten by someone from another country. But you got thrashed by this insect? Fuck. My eyes must be knotholes.”

“J-Jack? That person looks pretty strong…”

Miho raised her tail straight up in tension and clenched her fists, but didn’t charge in, probably because I told her not to touch anyone.

She listens so well to that kind of instruction.

“Are you the head here?”

“Huh?! Yeah! I’m the boss of these guys. What? Now you want to beg for—”

-Crack.

I clenched my fist much harder than before.

Ah. I’m sleepy, and I’m really getting tired of dealing with these guys one by one. Since he said he’s the head, if I crush this one bastard here, it should be over. No, it had better be over.

I’m seriously starting to get annoyed. Do you know how much I had to control my strength to avoid killing all these security guard bastards?

My already non-functioning brain gave up thinking even more.

“Haaah?!! You want to fight me? A scrap with no mana!!”

“This bastard, that bastard, all talking about mana. Fuck, I’m dying of sleepiness. Why do you keep provoking me?”

The higher-level security guards, whoever they were and whoever brought them, hesitated to charge at me while screaming, but then attacked anyway, saying they couldn’t sense any mana from me.

I slammed them all into the wall.

Honestly, I wondered if I should just kill them outright.

Strangely, despite being stronger than regular guards, they seemed focused on incapacitating rather than killing me, targeting only my arms and legs.

The atmosphere was different from the guys who attacked earlier, so I just incapacitated them all, but honestly, that alone didn’t reduce the number of attackers at the gate, nor did they give up.

But this bastard, an adventurer over level 120…

And this bastard who’s clearly trying to kill me, starting to wrap magic around his greatsword—he’s fair game.

Yes, I firmly believe this bastard will make an excellent example.

“Dieeeeee!!!”

“Yes, die.”

– ⎯⎯⎯!!!

The moment his greatsword collided with my hand that was being overwhelmed by sleepiness.

Instead of a thud or a bang, a thunderous explosion echoed.

“Ah.”

“J-Jack, this is…”

-Rumble…. CRASH!!!!

The gate wall toward Naty and its massive iron door tore apart like a paper door and finally crashed to the ground.

Of course, the level 120+ brute who had swung his greatsword with full force disappeared without even displaying (Dead) in his status window.

…Was that really my full-power punch?

*

“Slurp… that’s what happened. Understand?”

“…I don’t understand a single thing? Which part am I supposed to understand as justification for you destroying the gate?!”

I yawn extensively while drinking the coffee handed to me by the pretty secretary.

Hmm, in my previous life, caffeine never helped me stay awake, but it seems quite effective in this life? Moreover, this is quite tasty.

In my previous life, I never understood why people paid 4,000 or 5,000 won for barley tea from across the sea, but if it tastes like this, it’s worth paying for.

“The coffee is delicious, thank you.”

“Hehe. You’re welcome.”

“……”

Hmm, in my previous life, I often said glasses were just shit-glasses. But truly beautiful people just look beautiful with glasses on.

Glasses are just accessories that change the direction of beauty?

I should ask Ragni and Ray to wear them later.

My sleepy brain enters philosopher mode and continues its disorganized thoughts. The secretary smiles at me, and I smile back, causing Avaritia, the mayor of [Aigram], to frown more than ever before.

What? Why? Unfurrow your brow.

“…You, go outside.”

“Yes.”

At the mayor’s command, the expressionless secretary leaves, and only Avaritia and I remain in this space.

Hmm, where did you find such a pretty lady? And where did the previous secretary uncle go?

“I fired that guy the day after he brought you! I hired her because she works well, is smart, and doesn’t prioritize her emotions… Aish, she’s a bust too.”

“Huh? Isn’t she amazing?”

“…You’re a monkey too? No, but why doesn’t she react to me… No, that’s not it either? What the hell is going on?”

“What are you talking about?”

With my slightly dazed mind, I casually respond to the mayor’s words and lean back on the sofa.

Wow, it’s so soft I want to sleep right here.

“So, you and a beastkin woman were together in a nearby village. Suddenly, a white-grade adventurer drew his weapon and picked a fight, and the security guards tried to arrest you both as caught in the act. Then you knocked down all the guards and brought them here, only for more guards to target you? Along with an adventurer? Is that right so far?”

“……”

“Don’t fall asleep!!”

“Wha?! I, I wasn’t sleeping?! *slurp*!!”

Avaritia is looking at me like I’m crazy. Huh? No, I really just closed my eyes for a moment! I wasn’t sleeping!!

“Yes, that’s right. You summarized it well.”

“…I don’t understand. Wasn’t it just a request for accompaniment for questioning rather than an arrest?”

“Do you normally point spears and try to tie restraints when asking someone to accompany you?”

“Evidence?”

“There’s no evidence, but the guild staff uncle from that village agreed to testify.”

“What’s his name?”

“Uh, I don’t know? No!! It’s not because I’m sleepy!! I really can’t remember!! He had a neat haircut and was at the desk. He probably knows my name?”

When I said I couldn’t remember the name, Avaritia looked at me like she wanted to kill me, and I unconsciously pulled away from the backrest I was leaning on.

After hearing my explanation, Avaritia exhaled deeply and immediately called back the secretary she had sent out, ordering her to find the desk staff from that village.

“…And the security guard and this Payback guy you captured said the highest authority in [Aigram] was behind them?”

“Yeah, aren’t you the highest authority in this city?”

“Of course I am.”

How decisive.

“Then, are you ordering this kind of thing?”

“Are you crazy?! Do I look like a demon who would damage my own property (city)?!”

The demon of Avarice. Her damaging her own property? Hmm, unimaginable.

“…By the way, where did the beastkin woman who was with you go?”

“Huh? Why? She said she had someone to meet first, so I told her to go there. Do you want to hear from her too?”

“…No, I just think your story might be connected to something we’re investigating.”

She got up from the sofa and threw a piece of paper in front of me.

She must have done something magical, as the paper flew straight and landed on the table. I picked it up and tried to read it… hmm… what is this? I can’t read it. Ah.

‘Translate. Translate. Status window, please translate.’

[List of Missing Beastkin]

[Currently reported: 23 individuals.]

[Age 17, Name: ○○] Missing report ⎯⎯⎯ Date. Last seen location. Alley behind the blacksmith.

[Age 19, Name: ○○○○] …

[Age 25, Name: ○○○] …

[Age 102, Name: ○○○] …

[Age 88, Name: ○○○○○] …

.

.

.

[Age 22, Name: ○○○] Missing report ⎯⎯⎯ Date. Last seen location. On the way home from the casino.

“Do you understand what I’m talking about?”

After reading the paper Avaritia handed me, my half-asleep brain cells moved just a little, and my mouth answered directly without filtering.

“…Fuck?”

This is the beginning of ep. 2.

*

[You go find Green Stone first and tell him I’m fine. Then tell Green Stone that I’ll be checking out the market, so he should wait at the casino. And after that, you… no, never mind.]

I know what Jack was going to say after that.

‘…You go your own way, I’ll go with Green Stone.’

…It’s really too much. We’ve been face to face for over a year now. And this is really the end? Without even saying goodbye or see you again?

Not even having a proper conversation while traveling together, even rescuing me after leaving me behind… and not even letting me thank him for that.

[Who are you calling a beast and a mongrel?]

[And, you bastard. Why do you keep calling the kid a beast and a mongrel? Aren’t you a different species too?]

[Discriminating against someone because of their different race is wrong.]

Protecting me like that… and then.

[Don’t you dare touch her.]

In the end, I’m still a stranger. If Gor or Ray had been there instead of me, what he said would have been completely different.

‘Don’t kill them,’ or ‘I’m asking you.’ Surely, he would have spoken from a completely different perspective and treatment than with me.

“…Sniff. Really, it’s too much…”

I understood that I had started off on the wrong foot, and I apologized for that.

I wasn’t properly forgiven by him, but I was planning to do better by his side.

Surely, if I tried hard enough… if he just let me stay by his side, I could definitely work hard to be forgiven and maybe… become part of the group, that’s what I thought.

“I’m alone again…”

It ended up like this again.

My family falling apart was my fault, the village being turned upside down was my fault, and even outside… this is somewhat self-inflicted, but still… I end up alone again.

I just want to be with someone, with good people, with people who don’t look at me that way. It’s too difficult.

Sniffling and walking alone, I arrived at the Aigram Casino, and I can smell it.

The elder is probably here as Jack said.

And that’s the end. Surely, he doesn’t want to see me. If I stay here, he’ll look at me like I’m clueless.

‘Now, stop crying… now, I have to leave.’

Something is happening in this city, and he’s already rushing into that situation alone. There’s no place for me there, and he doesn’t want me to interfere.

If that’s the case. At the very least, for the very last time, let me not remain as the clueless girl in his eyes.

That way, if we ever meet again, he won’t look at me with a frown like now.

Just as I was about to open the door to the casino alone, the wind blew.

“…Huh? This smell… Oh? Elder?”

*

“Green Stone!!!”

“Huh? Oh? Oh!! Jack!! You came quickly?! And you came at a good time! I won a lot today…!”

“You gambling-addicted old man!! That’s not important!! Miho!! Hasn’t Miho come?!!”

“Huh? What are you talking about? Weren’t you supposed to bring her with you?”

That night, Miho became Princess Peach.