Chapter 40: Baldness

What, what did you say…?

Han stared at me incredulously, as though he’d misheard.

I laughed heartily and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Hahaha! So, please take us in!”

“Are you crazy?! Are you asking me to take in you and a beastkin!?”

“Yes, you’ll do that, right?”

Han glared at me with utter disgust at my audacity.

Of course, the first thing I do upon arriving is ask him to take us in!

…It’s understandable that he’s flustered, given my approach.

“I’ll compensate you adequately, so please let us stay here for a while. We’re colleagues, after all.”

“Colleagues…?”

Han let out a hollow laugh, seemingly dumbfounded.

“No, hey…! Putting aside everything else, it’s ridiculous that you think I’d allow that beastkin in my tavern…! Do you know!? The patrolmen swarming the village…! They’re all looking for her!”

“Haha, but you’ll take us in, right? Right?”

“No. Absolutely not!”

Right, right.

This unwelcoming reaction is only natural.

Currently, there’s a beastkin hiding in the village…

A monster that devours humans.

A villain inflicting harm.

That’s how she’s perceived, so this is to be expected.

It’s been decades since beastkin were hunted and suppressed.

Naturally, beastkin hunters are hard to find these days.

And now, a beastkin suddenly appears at a time like this?

Surely she’s here for revenge?

…The villagers must be thinking along those lines.

If Han were to take us in under these circumstances…

He could be arrested for “harboring and aiding a beastkin.”

“Isabel! This meat! Baldy!”

“What…? “

“Baldyyyy!!”

Hey, hey…?

Lunari continued pointing at Han with her index finger, frowning.

“This baldy! Why so shiny!?”

“L-Lunari? Please be quiet!”

“Baldy! Baldy! Shiny head! Shaved head!! Baldy!! Shiny head!! Baldy! Smooth and shiny! This meat must taste bad! Looks like an octopus!”

This little…

Is she doing this on purpose?

Or is she really speaking without thinking?

Her intent, no matter how I look at it, seems to be mocking the bald…

No, mocking Han.

“You two are really…”

Han trembled, his fists clenched, a shadow falling over his face.

Former Thief Guild Leader Han.

This man’s strength is a notch below Seraphina, but…

He’s practically the strongest in this village.

Provoking this bald bandit is like…

Saying, ‘Please kill me soon.’

However…

Even if Lunari taunts him mindlessly, he won’t attack us.

If things go south, I have a history of threatening to summon the White Mages…

So he can’t attack recklessly.

Especially for Han, who wants to live a quiet life, murder or violence is out of the question.

He simply clenched his fists, as if meditating.

“Get out while you can… you idiots…”

Han gritted his teeth.

Oblivious, Lunari continued her taunts.

“Noisy! Baldy! I’ll eat you!”

“Hey, Lunari! Quiet!”

“Oof!?”

I covered her mouth and forced a smile.

“Haha, I apologize for her rudeness. As you know, Yoho are often hunted and chased, so… her social skills are underdeveloped. Once she’s trained, she’ll be a valuable asset… so please take us in. I said I’d pay you, didn’t I?”

Despite my words, Han remained resolute, arms crossed, face turned away.

“…Shut up and leave. I have no intention of taking you in.”

Han stubbornly refused to budge.

Sigh…

Should I give up…?

Just as I was thinking this…

A voice called out.

– Father, couldn’t you take them in?

“?”

“K-Kaira…?!”

…Kaira?

If it’s her…

She’s Han’s hidden adopted daughter.

Back when Han was the Thief Guild Leader…

He was a villain known as the “Tyrant Thief,” ruthless and stealing everything.

Then one day, this notorious Han completed a dirty task assigned by the nobles…

But he ended up being chased by mercenaries under the pretext of needing to “tie up loose ends.”

Exhausted from countless desperate escapes…

He felt so weary he’d rather die.

Then one day, he found a baby in the forest.

The baby was a rare elf.

When he picked her up, Han felt a sense of salvation.

The baby’s bright smile…

It seemed to cleanse his heart.

Moreover, this elf was innately kind…

And so beautiful…

Han felt a desire to protect someone.

A paternal love, a strong desire to protect this daughter as a father.

And so, Han adopted the elf baby…

And retired as the Thief Guild Leader.

Since then, he’s been living quietly in Mysticgrove.

Now, his beloved daughter, Kaira, had appeared.

“K-Kaira, I told you not to come out!”

“I-I’m sorry… Father. But they looked so pitiful…”

Silver hair and blue eyes.

A breathtaking beauty.

Her elven heritage contributed to her beauty, but…

She was truly stunning. As beautiful as a main heroine…

“Oof…!”

“Ah, ah…?”

Lunari patted my hand, seemingly suffocating.

I removed my hand from her mouth.

Lunari sighed and grumbled.

“Isaaabel! I can’t breathe!”

“Hahaha, I apologize for that. You must have been uncomfortable.”

“…Is she a beastkin?”

Kaira approached us cautiously, a small smile on her face.

“K-Kaira! It’s dangerous! B-Beastkin are…!”

Before Han could finish…

Kaira continued to approach.

I quickly stepped in front of Lunari.

“Yes! Kaira? Don’t come any closer…”

She could be attacked by a wild animal if she’s not careful.

I tried to hold her back, but…

Lunari naturally stepped forward from behind me.

“L-Lunari!?”

“Kaira! If you get closer…!”

The two stood close enough to feel each other’s breath.

Kaira quietly raised her hand in greeting.

“Hello…?”

“…Sniff, sniff, not human meat… What are you…?”

“Me…? An elf.”

Kaira asked with a soft smile.

“You’re a beastkin, right?”

“Beastkin!? What’s a beastkin!?”

“Ah… A beastkin is a pretty girl like you.”

“Beastkin…?”

Lunari tilted her head at Kaira’s words.

She was strangely docile.

Perhaps she was calm because Kaira wasn’t human, but an elf.

This is actually better…

“Haha, Lunari is so well-behaved… could you help us, Kaira?”

Kaira nodded at my question.

“Of course…”

“Hahaha, thank you…! I’ll pay you and we’ll diligently help with the tavern work. Thank you in advance.”

“Welcome… So, your name is…”

“Isabel Leonhardt. You can call me Isabel.”

I politely bowed my head with my arms folded inwards.

At my words, Han cried out in disbelief.

“Who said I’d take someone like you in!?”

“Father… Please, just this once…”

“…Sigh, my daughter… Isabel, that fellow…”

“Father…”

Kaira quietly looked up at Han.

Han groaned, closed his eyes, and sweated.

He must really hate taking us in, but since it’s his only daughter’s request…

“Phew…”

Han let out a deep sigh and looked at us.

“…Hey, Black Hound. Promise me.”

“Yes. Tell me.”

“Never, ever let that beastkin… run wild. And don’t let her harm my daughter.”

I nodded at Han’s words.

“Of course. That will never happen.”

“Also… I want to live a quiet life. With my daughter…”

“I understand.”

“…If you don’t summon the White Mages, and if you don’t report to the Emperor that we’re living here, then I’ll take you in.”

“Hahaha! Of course. I’m not that insensitive. I’ll definitely do as you say. I promise.”

“…”

His expression didn’t look 100% trusting, but…

There was nothing else I could do but nod.

“Alright…”

“That’s good… Miss Beastkin…”

Kaira clasped her hands together and murmured with a smile.

Lunari wagged her tail at these words and said,

“Lunariiii!”

“Yes?”

“That’s my name!”

Perhaps it’s because she’s learned basic commands like hand and sit?

It seems like we can communicate a little now.

She might not care for the “Bald Bandit,” but she seems to like the elf.

“Ah… Miss Lunari…”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kaira.”

“Kaira! Understood!”

And so, our uneasy cohabitation began.

♥

Living like this is fine, but…

We can’t cause trouble for the tavern.

Especially since this kind of tavern has a lot of foot traffic…

Lunari is like a walking time bomb.

The only way to defuse this time bomb is through training.

It’s perfect that they gave us a room in the basement facilities.

The location is ideal.

Now, I have to train her in a short period and socialize her.

That’s the only way to reduce her Malice Gauge, which is a priority.

To do this, I placed a “Delicious! Churu” on a plate.

“…Drool… L-Looks delicious!”

Lunari drooled, about to pounce on the bread.

I held out my hand to stop her.

“Wait…!”

“Ugh!? Isabel! Give it to me!”

Just as she was about to lunge at me…

I pressed the button on the “Training Leash” around her neck.

…I set the intensity to low.

“Yelp…!?”

As electricity coursed through her body with a crackle…

Lunari rolled around, complaining of the stinging sensation.

“It hurts! Isabel!”

“…No! Absolutely not!”

“Whimper…”

“If you endure, I’ll give you two pieces of bread.”

At my words, Lunari immediately stood up and wagged her tail.

“R-Really!?”

“Yes!”

“O-Okay!”

The first goal is to endure for one minute.

One minute for Lunari is like an hour.

I looked at Lunari and said,

“Now wait! Eat when I tell you to.”

Lunari stared intently at the plate and drooled.

“Just a little longer!”

“Ugh…!”

“…Eat!”

As soon as I finished speaking, Lunari began devouring the bread ferociously.

As promised, I quietly placed another piece of bread next to her.

Lunari’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the bread.

“Heeeee…! Delicious…!”

“If you endure like this, I’ll give you more bread. Understood?”

“Yeah! Got it! Lunari can do it!”

And so, Lunari’s training continued day after day.

Her endurance gradually increased…

And she began to develop some sense of understanding.

Her concept of food also began to change.

Instead of carelessly viewing people as food…

She now saw the “Delicious! Churu” as a reward.

As I continued to give her bread and train her…

She was gradually becoming socialized.

“Good job! I’ll give you more bread!”

“Yeah…! Delicious! Isabel is the best!”

“Haha, good job. Good girl.”

I smiled, stroking her head.