Ch.126Karma-Struck NPC. (5)

I feel like I’m going to die from exhaustion. Seriously, truly, if someone taps my shoulder right now, I might unconsciously smash their head in.

Now the world is messing with my sleep time because it’s not satisfied with just screwing me over. This is absolutely unacceptable.

If I don’t sleep past midnight today, that’ll be three days without sleep, Your Honor. Isn’t this completely wrong? Where the hell is the labor law?

“If you’re that sleepy, couldn’t you take a nap before moving? Even if Miho was kidnapped as you say, it’s only been two or three hours, right?”

“Have you heard of the golden time? The longer it takes to rescue someone who’s been kidnapped or injured, the lower the chances of them being in one piece.”

“Oh? That’s the first I’m hearing of it. But I understand. My goodness, you were just saying how annoying Miho was and how relieved you felt to be rid of her. So you’re actually quite worried about her… I apologize. Put your fist down.”

He grimaced, placing his hand on the crown of his head. The flick he received earlier must have hurt quite a bit.

Another day ends as the sun begins to set. I’m running with Green Stone.

Listen, if she dies, who’s going to save this world? Miho is the only one who’s showing up with a game class. If she dies here, it would literally be like Yu Dahee logging off from an online game.

I’m saying this would turn from an online fantasy game into a world-level Soulslike game. If that happens, there’s no way Era and I could live comfortably, right?

Right. The reason I’m moving around now, even cutting into my sleep time, isn’t for Miho’s sake—it’s entirely to save her “for our sake”—for me, Era, and us.

After running quickly with Green Stone, we arrived at…

“Um, excuse me, sir. Hospital hours are over…”

“I apologize for the late hour. The guys who were brought in this morning, and those who got beaten up at the gate and are being detained—they’re here, right?”

“Eh, what? Ah, yes. But why do you need those people…”

“I’ve come under Mayor Avaritia’s orders to have a word with them. Please guide me.”

“Pardon? Um, sir. You don’t seem to be from the guard…”

“I’m Jack, a Gold-rank adventurer hired today. I didn’t receive any special permit, but you can confirm directly with the mayor.”

“Ah, in that case. Could you wait here for a moment? I think we need to verify…”

Despite Eight clearly being a medieval fantasy world, for some reason, the young lady wearing a modern-style, even mini-skirted nurse uniform, insisted on verification procedures and seated Green Stone and me in chairs. She immediately began contacting someone using what looked like a crystal ball.

“Hmm, could it be that you were actually hired by the mayor?”

“No.”

“Huh? What did you say? But right now…”

“Anyway, they’ll handle it properly on their end.”

Green Stone’s black pupils widened in disbelief at my confident declaration, but I believe.

Avaritia, I believe you’re not a blind bird!!

“Yes, yes. Ah. Is that so? Yes. I understand.”

“Did it work out?”

“Yes. It’s been confirmed. And the mayor’s secretary asked me to relay a message.”

Nice! I knew it!! I believed you were a devil who could handle this without me having to go back and hassle you!!

And a message? What could it be? Perhaps some new information…

“Forget the door, but you’ll definitely have to pay for the window fra—”

“Understood. Please guide us.”

“The window frame costs 8 million—”

“I’m in a hurry, please guide us quickly.”

“Ah, yes.”

When I smiled and urged her, the nurse tilted her head in confusion but immediately began guiding us.

Ugh, just like the miserly devil she is, obsessed with money—window frame costs 8 million? As if I’d believe and pay that!

I lightly erased the latter part of the conversation from my mind and followed the nurse down to the underground detention ward.

“The patients brought in today are in critical condition, so loud noises or violent behavior is restricted—”

“Nurse, thank you for guiding us. You can go back up now.”

“Pardon?”

“From here on is the domain of the mayor’s confidential request. I promise that whatever happens, it won’t affect you negatively. So please go back up.”

When I smiled again and urged the nurse to go back up, she was flustered but returned upstairs at the mention of the mayor’s confidential request.

Yeah, this is the perk of being best friends with someone in power.

“…You’ve become more skilled at lying since I last saw you.”

“Lying? Not a single word I’ve said today was a lie.”

“No, just now you were lying—”

This guy is saying something dangerous! A lie is defined as false information presented as truth, right?

“But were any of the things I said proven to be falsehoods?”

“…Well.”

“Since they all ended up being true in the end, they’re all facts, right?”

“This sounds like complete nonsense, but I can’t refute it, which is maddening.”

Green Stone shook his head at my behavior, unable to counter but wearing a bitter smile that showed his disbelief.

Then I quietly opened the door to the prison ward where those guys were being held.

“Fuck!! If you bastards had done it right…!!”

“Urgh, we’re going to spend all our earnings on hospital bills…”

“Damn it. I heard they’d pay well for that white beast girl…”

“You idiots. That’s not the problem, we need to think about escaping now…”

“Ow, my back. But wait, wasn’t the mayor supposed to cover for us? Why escape… Huh?”

“Th-that guy…?”

“Eek?!!”

Hmm. So this room is soundproof?

These beasts were barking energetically but let out shrill screams when they saw me.

No, they’re not even beasts—even wild animals can be properly trained after experiencing discipline and violence.

In other words, these pieces of trash who still act like this after getting beaten up are less than beasts, less than insects.

“If I weren’t so busy, I would have beaten manners into you vermin until you became proper humans, what a shame.”

I quietly closed the soundproof prison door and smiled as kindly as possible at the vermin sprawled on the beds.

“I’ll kill everyone except the one who answers my question quickly.”

I don’t have the ‘time’ to waste any more emotion or energy on these things that are neither human nor beast.

And seeing me, they all turned pale like cockroaches.

“Just so you know, big brother doesn’t lie.”

And I am always honest.

*

In the depths of a dark mountain forest. Er Jim quietly stood guard in front of a cave, feeling the night breeze.

After a moment, the night breeze stopped, and hooded figures descended before him.

“The trading partners?”

Elf Elder Er Jim asked quietly, showing no surprise at their appearance.

“We apologize. Due to this morning’s attack, the human adventurers and guards we targeted as trading partners were all taken to the hospital and couldn’t come.”

“Additional beastkin abductions have been completely blocked. Currently, the remaining guards are either humans we couldn’t bribe, or the mayor’s direct escorts are stationed at the gate, making it difficult for us to bypass and extract them.”

“We’ve started bribing guards and adventurers from nearby villages as an emergency measure, but it will take at least two more days for results.”

“Hmm.”

The daytime attack. That human man who accompanied Miho. His strength had sent chills down the spine of the Elf Elder who had been watching from hiding.

And because of that, he was even more convinced. If they allowed humans and [Siltra] to grow closer, history would only repeat itself. The tragedy from thousands of years ago.

“Excuse me, Elder.”

“Yes?”

“As you probably know, there are quite a few perverts among humans who like beasts. If we approach them, couldn’t they raise and violate these beasts without us having to bribe them?”

“…Yes, I suppose so.”

When one hooded elf suggested this to Er Jim, the other elves around him flinched slightly. However, the elf who had just spoken didn’t notice their reaction, and Er Jim smiled benevolently as he addressed him.

“You’re right. It’s foolish to go through all this trouble, paying humans to capture and violate those children.”

“Y-yes, right? And also…!”

“There’s no need to make them breed half-breeds between humans and beastkin either.”

“Yes! Exactly! If we need kindling to expose human treachery and evil, rather than making 100 beasts give birth, it would be better to just cut the throats of more beasts and frame humans for it…!”

“Yes, yes. I understand. I understand your feelings.”

Er Jim, who had cut off the elf’s increasingly passionate anti-human tirade, quietly smiled and told him:

“Then, you should go. Capture as many beastkin as possible, and work hard to cut more throats.”

“What? Ah. Yes!!”

The elf, excited that the elder had accepted his ideas, jumped up onto a tree branch…

-Thud. Drip.

“Hmm, what a pity. I said ‘as possible,’ but now it’s impossible since his own throat has been cut.”

-Flop!!

The body crashed to the ground, and the elf’s head rolled across the surface.

In the quiet space, the sound of metal clashing softly revealed that Er Jim’s sword at his waist had been drawn.

“Are there any among you who still share the same ideology as that child?”

“”……””

Despite Er Jim having killed one of their fellow elves, the others showed no reaction and simply bowed their heads.

Seeing their behavior, the elf smiled with satisfaction and began to speak.

“As I’ve said many times, the beastkin are also members of our country and our brethren. Only the arrogant insects called humans, who are short-lived and will never change even after death, call them beasts. We are merely wielding needles coated with bitter medicine to inflict small wounds on our brethren to awaken their sleeping minds. Remember that it is never with the intention of killing them, nor to have them raised by humans who are like insects.”

“”Yes.””

“Sigh. A lacking child surrendered to false, forced anger and tried to dishonor our brethren, so I cut him down with my own hands. But I don’t feel good about it. Even if it takes a little more time to achieve our goal, the rest of you will have to work hard.”

“Yes, we will continue with the operation.”

“We will also put more effort into bribing humans to attack the beastkin.”

After saying this, the elves, fully agreeing with the elder’s words, all jumped up into the trees like the elf before them. At that moment…

“Seriously, what the hell is all this long-winded bullshit? And not killing 100 people but making them have babies? God damn. Is the world crazy, or am I crazy? No, are my ears going crazy from sleepiness?”

“…Don’t worry, you’re definitely going crazy from lack of sleep, but your ears are fine.”

“Right? So there’s no need to listen to any more of this?”

-BOOM!!!!

“”””ARGH?!!””””

“Kuk?!!”

The moment all the elves except Er Jim climbed the trees, a voice was heard. Then an explosion like a volcanic eruption hit them, and the elves were slammed against the wall in the direction of Er Jim’s cave.

The blast filled the moonlit forest with thick dust, and through it, two figures slowly walked forward.

“…Green Stone.”

“It’s been a while, Elder Er Jim. I didn’t expect to see you again like this.”

As soon as he recognized the man with black hair and black eyes who emerged from the smoke—an elf who had hidden his true appearance—Er Jim drew his sword. Seeing this, Green Stone also drew his sword, directing killing intent toward his opponent.

The two elves, emanating sharp winds as if they might charge at each other at any moment.

“Now, now. You two can have your sword dance, but I’m seriously sleepy. So listen to me first, okay?”

The gray-haired man who confidently stepped between the two elves radiating such sharp energy had droopy eyes that seemed genuinely sleepy, but with sharp orange light gleaming within them as he spoke.

“Where’s the Kssare beast that was with me? You old elf bastard.”

Despite his sleepy, drawling voice, it contained more anger than the killing intent that Er Jim and Green Stone were emitting.