Chapter 28 : ‘Ah’

“Just once.”

Her half-closed eyes as she let out a faint sigh didn’t belong to the me who was with friends, but to Trea Rudbeck, the young lady of the

Rudbeck Ducal Family.

Beautiful features and graceful movements.

Even her stiff, yet proper, way of speaking.

Outwardly, she was the perfect ducal lady.

Every time I lightly tapped the table, the attention of the key figures focused on me.

A single match.

It was certainly an unconventional proposal.

Too good a condition to offer, especially after dragging along a horde of subordinates.

They say that a seemingly perfect proposal always hides a trap.

Especially if it’s offered by the leader of a criminal organization that has maintained its position in Riinz for decades, it would be even more

so.

‘Is it a trap?’

Even if it was, rejecting such a satisfactory condition felt like a waste.

At the very least, the other party seemed willing to negotiate, and considering how much they accommodated us, it was difficult to refuse

again here.

Rather, if we could settle the relationship of favors and grudges with this, it would be a significant gain, not a loss.

Having finished my thoughts, I opened my lips.

“What kind of match do I need to participate in?”

Somehow, I felt less like a lover and more like an exclusive coach.

Still, they always say to read contracts carefully, two or three times.

There’s no harm in being cautious.

The Godmother took a sip of the wine in her glass and answered.

“There’s a competition held every three years by the four major organizations of Riinz.”

If it’s a match hoping for the best fighting dog to participate, it wouldn’t be an ordinary competition.

Perhaps the goal is a show of power rather than performance.

Is it what they call a figurehead?

“What if she loses?”

My ruby-red eyes turned towards the Godmother.

Despite intentionally looking prickly, the Godmother, befitting the boss of a seasoned cartel, responded skillfully.

“Are you already afraid of defeat? Don’t worry, even if she happens to lose, we won’t hold her responsible.”

“Hmm.”

If it were me participating, I would have just said okay without a second thought.

But having to send out a ‘loser’ who has experienced defeat against me made me worried.

Good grief, a ‘loser’, not a winner. Haha.

“This doesn’t seem like a matter for me to decide. Ami, you decide.”

Having brought up the whole free will thing, I didn’t really have the right to decide.

Amitel’s life wasn’t something I could determine.

Instead of talking more, I picked up a conveniently sliced piece of meat with my fork and brought it to her mouth.

Maybe not elsewhere, but here with the Godmother, I had to at least clumsily pretend to be lovers.

“Here, Ami. Say ‘Ah~’.”

Pretending to feed her, I deliberately poked around Amitel’s mouth with the fork.

The sauce from the meat on the fork smeared around her lips, and she glared at me with irritation.

“…Don’t.”

“Why, I’m feeding you. Hurry up and eat. Like thi…”

-Crunch!

In a moment of carelessness, the meat on my fork disappeared.

Not only did the meat vanish, but the tip of the fork was bent.

It looked like a steel fork, was it plastic?

Amitel glared at me, chewed the meat, then spat something out with a ptui.

I was curious what it was, but I didn’t want to know.

Amitel swallowed the meat she had been chewing vigorously and spoke.

“I’ll do it.”

“You’ve always been quick to decide. That’s why I particularly liked you.”

The Godmother looked at Amitel with a strange expression.

At first glance, it seemed like the look one gives a beloved family member, but also the look one gives a cherished object.

What was certain was that it wasn’t a matter for a mere stranger dropped into an unfamiliar world to judge.

“Ah, is the match happening right away? If so, that’s a bit inconvenient.”

It was a request, but our own tasks shouldn’t be hindered.

Fortunately, it seemed like it wasn’t scheduled immediately.

“That’s not the case. Do you perhaps have somewhere you need to go?”

“Uh, well, yes.”

“The match is still a month away. It’s not an immediate matter.”

That’s a relief.

I didn’t have to make the excuse that I couldn’t do it because of a school assignment.

It would sound ridiculous to use school as an excuse to people from the underworld steeped in the smell of blood.

Once the conversation topics were exhausted, the dining atmosphere rapidly quieted down.

The meal was mostly finished, so the clattering of tableware ceased as well.

In one corner, Teperi sat like a silent radish kimchi side dish.

Sorry, honestly, I didn’t even know you were there.

“Do you have anything to say?”

I whispered quietly to Teperi.

Even if she was unrelated here, Teperi’s presence was too negligible.

[No, it’s fine. You said there’s a match? I should cheer you on.]

Her tone seemed strangely cold, unlike usual.

Did I do something wrong?

Her lips were pouting too, she seemed upset since earlier.

It wouldn’t be towards me, but there’s no reason for her to be angry at Amitel.

At most, getting involved with a criminal organization?

On second thought, that wasn’t something to dismiss as “at most,” but seeing her willingly follow us to the black market, that didn’t seem like

the reason.

Then it means I must have made some mistake without realizing it.

I don’t know, she’s originally a kind character, so she’ll probably get over it quickly.

In the end, the meal finished without me ever finding out the reason.

“Are you crazy?”

Ah, I somehow felt this would happen.

Although some time had passed, the sky was still bright.

Considering the potential unexpected situations in the Black Forest, it was better to go in with ample time.

Therefore, we pushed away those who tried to hold us back and left the building.

There was also the issue of not being able to fully trust them.

As soon as we came out of the building, Amitel grabbed me by the collar and dangled me.

“What about?”

The fact that I couldn’t meet her eyes while retorting was proof of admitting my own fault, or so I’d read somewhere.

I wasn’t confident myself, so I was probably backing down.

I sent a pleading look towards Teperi, but she pretended not to notice, looking elsewhere.

Why has she been acting like that since earlier?

Typical of the city of crime, someone was getting grabbed by the collar on the street, yet not a single person cared.

I wished someone would intervene.

“Without a word, you suddenly told me to, that, that…”

“Act like your lover?”

“Yes!”

Amitel’s voice was unusually high.

She, who usually reacted to everything unenthusiastically, had finally given me something to work with.

“…I’m sorry.”

…I have nothing to say.

Even if it was to create a better situation, it was clearly my fault.

The bigger problem is that I’ll have to do the same thing the next time we come.

“So, could you put me down?”

I was still hanging from her arm, held by the collar.

It wasn’t that uncomfortable, but my bare skin might show.

Even if the clothes fit snugly.

Amitel looked at my face, sighed deeply, and lowered me to the ground.

Actually, there wasn’t really a problem, right? In fact, things seemed to have worked out well.

I wanted to say that, but it felt like it would be pathetic, so I decided against it.

“Let’s go, time’s wasting.”

Leaving Skull Town in the center of Riinz and returning to the outskirts, the public order was, as expected, a mess.

People spitting phlegm and drinking on the street were the least of it; there were people openly smoking Mana Weed and a kid secretly

picking that person’s pocket.

And people walking by as if such things were perfectly normal.

“Is this your hometown?”

“Not exactly, but I lived here for a few years. Honestly, there are more bad memories than good ones.”

I was about to say something but stopped.

My pain from crossing dimensions and her pain from wandering the continent were different kinds of suffering.

Instead, I gently poked the side of Teperi, who was the easiest target here.

Fortunately, her anger seemed to have subsided since earlier.

I don’t know why, but good for her.

With every step, the color of the ground gradually changed.

The color of the soil, which had been a pure ochre, was gradually turning black and red.

I abruptly stopped walking and held out my hand.

“There it is.”

It could only be described as suddenly revealed.

Beyond the horizon, where just moments ago only the skyline was visible, the image of a dense forest suddenly appeared.

It was as incongruous as if someone had forcibly cut and pasted two different pictures together.

[A forest, suddenly…! Is it magic? A barrier?]

“No, it’s probably a type of Mystery.”

Mystery was a vague term for phenomena that couldn’t be fully explained by magic or technology.

The reason for issuing entry permits for the Black Forest wasn’t because someone was guarding it, but rather a document to state that if you

died pointlessly, it wasn’t their fault.

“It’s dark.”

Amitel stated her brief impression.

As she said, though it was less than a hundred steps away, its interior couldn’t be seen.

I was just as nervous.

As seen in the fight with Amitel, if there was anything I lacked, it was real combat experience.

Being the daughter of a ducal family, the most fighting I could do was sparring with opponents.

And that too in a friendly format.

Technically, the fight with Amitel was my first real battle.

That’s a different issue from whether I’m strong or not.

To ease my tension, I muttered a joke.

“I haven’t even done that yet.”

Not in my previous world, nor in this one.

Teperi asked what ‘that’ was, but I brushed it off, saying it was too soon for her.

Too soon for a country girl who freaked out at a back hug, perhaps?

Let’s go in.

Into the Black Forest.