Chapter 43: Stop Mr. Gorilla

There’s something I do when night falls.

If socialization training has established communication with people…

The next step is familiarizing her with the outside world.

There’s no real need for the Training Leash, but…

I put it on her just in case.

Though I’m not taking her for a walk on a leash.

“How is it, Lunari? The air is nice, right?”

“…Sniff.”

She took a deep breath through her nose and chuckled softly.

“Not bad…Is it because it’s the early morning air?”

“Yes. This is what an early morning walk is like. Haha.”

“The faint smell of human flesh is disgusting…I want to devour everyone except Isabel.”

She licked her lips, staring ahead with dark eyes.

I sighed, looking at her.

“You still think of humans as food. This way, you can’t walk around outside.”

“…Hmm? I don’t see a reason to wander around.”

Lunari narrowed her eyes and looked up at me.

Then she murmured with a faint smile,

“Isabel…I only think of other humans as food, not you.”

“Haha, is that so? Then I must be emergency rations!”

I laughed heartily, making a joke.

Lunari just chuckled in response.

She didn’t speak and stared straight ahead.

Lunari Evergrace.

A beastkin who hates humans…

No, she hates all living beings.

Humans, the culprits behind her family’s death, and the beastkin who tried to kill her when she was young.

They are all her enemies.

Devouring indiscriminately…

Devouring everything in sight.

That’s Lunari, so this reaction is perhaps normal.

“The moon is beautiful tonight.”

“It is…I feel my body heating up for some reason.”

“Yes? Heating up…?”

“Heheh. You must not feel it since you’re human? Whenever I see the moon…I get excited…”

She slowly revealed her tail and twitched her ears.

“Lunari, I can’t just let you do that here…”

“Shh…”

Lunari suddenly put her index finger to my lips and focused.

“No one’s around, don’t worry…”

“…”

As expected of a heroine known for her allure…

Is this her true form?

“Enjoying a Date Under the Moonlight, Lunari Evergrace” Ver.

Her hair covering one eye made her look even more alluring.

Her open-shouldered kimono slipped down a little further…

Creating a subtle atmosphere.

“I want to walk around like this tonight. As myself.”

“Sigh, you’re incorrigible.”

I shook my head.

But I understand Lunari’s feelings.

As a beastkin, she always has to hide her true form.

How frustrating must that be?

Since there are no events where people will appear around here…

I murmured softly to Lunari,

“Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

So we enjoyed a walk together again.

Or rather, training to adapt her to human society…

♥

Lowering Lunari Evergrace’s Malice Gauge is quite easy.

If she’s properly socialized, it’ll decrease on its own.

As she interacts with and serves customers, her gauge continues to decrease.

Environmentally speaking, her Malice Gauge decreases twice as fast compared to other heroines.

It’s like a double experience event.

However, there’s a corresponding risk…

For example…

Something like this could happen.

“Here’s your Lemon Juice Meat Pie.”

“Haha, thanks. Working hard as always, Lunari?”

A middle-aged man raised his hand to slap Lunari’s buttocks.

As if sensing it, Lunari quickly grabbed his wrist.

“Sir, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Hmm? Quick, aren’t you? Hahaha! What am I doing? Your butt looked so firm, I had to give it a pat! A lady with hips like yours must be a good breeder.”

“Oh, is that so? I see. Well, sir, your hands are too wandering, aren’t they?”

“What? Hahaha, why!? It’s manly and…Aaack…!”

Suddenly, a customer screamed.

However, the surrounding people were too busy drinking and chatting to notice.

Lunari licked her lips as she watched.

“Such wandering hands must have plenty of flesh, right? I should eat them…”

“Aaack…! L-Let go! Aren’t you going to let go!? It hurts!”

[Lunari Evergrace is about to commit an atrocity!]

[Lunari Evergrace is about to break the customer’s wrist, bite his neck, and kill him!]

[Lunari Evergrace’s Malice Gauge is at 73%!]

Even if she subdues someone, it’s excessive.

She doesn’t see the value of human life…

Naturally, a monster who treats people as food shows no mercy.

That’s why I can’t take my eyes off her for even a second.

“Sir, I’m just giving you a massage…Don’t worry. It’ll be over soon.”

“Aaagh! It’s going to break! Let go!”

Despite her words, she’s not just breaking his wrist, she could bite it off right in front of everyone.

I quietly approached Lunari and grabbed her hand.

“Hahaha, sir! You’ve won a special event!”

“…?”

“You’ve won the ‘Get Your Wrist Grabbed by Lunari’ event!”

I gently pulled Lunari’s hand away from the man’s wrist.

Then I clapped and shouted,

“Everyone, listen up! We have a lucky customer whose wrist was grabbed by Lunari! As a special reward, his drinks are on the house! Let’s give a round of applause for this lucky customer!”

Oooooh!

As applause and cheers erupted…

The man stood up.

“H-Hey! Treating a customer like this!”

“Sir!”

I whispered softly in his ear,

“Judging by your attire, you’re a servant of some noble, aren’t you?”

“…!? H-How…?”

His eyes widened in surprise.

I patted him on the shoulder and made him sit back down.

“Just enjoy your drink and leave. Touching a noble’s property can be dangerous.”

“A noble’s…property? What, so she’s a s*ave?”

“No. She’s a product I, the Black Hound, am carefully crafting. Interfering with her is problematic.”

“B-Black Hound?!”

The man was startled by my name.

I smiled at him, unconcerned.

“Ah, if you stay here any longer, I’ll report this to your noble. I wonder if it’s appropriate for a servant to act like this.”

“Ah, ah…”

“Then.”

I smiled and concluded the matter, then put my arm around Lunari and walked away.

“Lunari, don’t even bother with trash like that in the future.”

“…Isabel is so kind. No one would notice if that human disappeared…”

“Haha, you have to think about the consequences. The consequences.”

My words didn’t seem to resonate with her as she looked back with a cold expression.

“…I’ll eat him secretly, without Isabel knowing.”

“Haha, you might get a stomachache if you eat him.”

“Stomachache?”

“Look at him. His wrists, his hair. He looks like he doesn’t even wash…”

“…”

Lunari frowned and sighed at my words.

“Alright…”

“Good girl. You’re so good, Lunari.”

I stroked her head.

Lunari suddenly blushed and looked up at me.

“Heh…suddenly being so straightforward…? It’s exciting…”

“Ah, is that so?”

I’m just stroking her head…

But her lines sound like something out of an adult movie…

“My heart races every time you touch my ears…”

“Haha, you’re such a spoiled girl, Lunari.”

“Mmm…I like Lunari.”

At my words, Lunari leaned her head against my arm contentedly. Just like a puppy. As she basked in the pleasant feeling, the system delivered a new message.

[Lunari Evergrace’s atrocity has been prevented!]
[Lunari Evergrace’s Malice Gauge has decreased by 1%.]
[Lunari Evergrace’s Malice Gauge is at 72%!]

Whew…I have to prevent her atrocities like this.

I can’t take my eyes off her for a second.

Still, there’s a good side to this; her Malice Gauge decreases quickly.

“Han.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m going to let Lunari rest for a bit.”
“Ah, alright.”

It could be dangerous if she continues working like this…

I said to Lunari,
“Let’s take a break today.”
“Is that okay?”
“Of course…And I’ll give you bread as a special reward.”
“Oooh…! Okay.”

Humming a tune, Lunari walked to her room.

After confirming she had left, I casually sat at the bar.

“You’re working hard.”

Han casually wiped a glass and handed me some whiskey.

I accepted the drink and gave an awkward smile.

“Is that so? It was nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. Lunari could be in danger if this continues. The lord is furious that the beastkin hasn’t been caught yet…”
“Hmm, is that so?”

It’s about time.

If this continues, the patrolmen will intensify their disruptive searches of the tavern.

And if Lunari lashes out then, she could be exposed as a beastkin.

Then, Lunari would become a fugitive.

It would be a bad ending, so this can’t continue.

Which means it’s my turn to step in.

“…I might have to kill him.”

I muttered softly to myself.

“Hmm, what was that? Are you…going to kill the patrolmen…?”
“Ah, no…That’s not what I meant. I think it’s time for me to make a move.”

I quietly stood up.

It’s time to take action and trigger the next event.

“…Where are you going?”
“To settle things, once and for all.”

I quietly approached Kaira.

“Kaira.”
“Ah, yes?”
“Please look after Lunari. I need to go out for a bit.”
“Go out…? “
“Yes, please.”

With that, I quietly left the tavern.

♥

The lord of Mysticgrove is probably obsessed with finding the beastkin.

The patrolmen are patrolling because of this.

I need to change public opinion.

And the first thing to do to change public opinion…

Is to create a beastkin.

I need to turn that guy in front of me into a beastkin.

The patrol captain standing before me…

Now that I think about it, was his name Sishilia?

Anyway, it was something like that.

His physique is enormous, befitting a patrol captain.

A gorilla-like build, excellent martial arts skills…

And exceptional strength.

If there’s one flaw…

It’s his terrible personality.

Look at him, as proof.

Drinking during his shift, hitting the old tavern owner’s head…

It’s like he self-taught himself how to be a jerk.

“Kihahaha! Today was fun!”

He smacked the owner’s head repeatedly, and no one around him dared to say anything.

The old tavern owner just bowed his head.

“Y-Yes…”
“Hey, why aren’t you laughing?”
“W-Well…Hahaha, nothing, sir.”
“You…bastard, are you laughing at me?”

The man slapped the owner’s cheek, knocking him down.

Crash!

The owner fell, breaking some wooden planks.

“Ouch…”
“Who told you to laugh, you bastard? Your breath stinks.”

This is too much.

Perhaps because of this, the people around him started to speak up.

“Hey, young man, isn’t that too much!?”
“…?”
“That’s right! Stop it! Just because you’re the patrol captain…!?”
“You’ll be punished for acting like that!”
“Hey, young man! Don’t you dare treat the elderly like that!”

As everyone voiced their outrage…

The patrol captain glared at them and said in a menacing tone,

“…So what? I’m the patrol captain.”

Patrol captain.

Unchallengeable authority.

If you disobey him, you can’t do business in this village.

And if you get caught by the patrol captain for not pleasing him, he can fabricate any charge.

That’s the patrol captain’s power.

“What, anything else you want to say? You, what was that? Patrol captain is everything?! ”
“…”
“And you, say it again. What?”
“Ugh!”

As he grabbed another person by the collar and raised his fist to strike…

I smiled, looking at the man.

“…Shall we teach this arrogant thug a lesson?”

I chuckled and walked towards them confidently.

After drinking a certain potion…

“Sir, is it appropriate to hit people like that? Captain.”
“…?”
“What, you? …”

Perhaps due to the alcohol, Patrol Captain Sishilia stumbled.

He kept looking at me, yelling, “Who are you, you bastard!?”

Then he suddenly seemed to remember something. “Ah…!” He started laughing.

“Ah, the Black Hound, the noble’s ass-kisser…! Right?”
“Haha, I’m honored you recognize me.”

When I smiled, Sishilia pointed at me, looking displeased.

“…This bastard, what are you sniffing around for! Do you think our lord will leave you alone in our village? Huh!?”
“I hear you’re harassing the villagers under the pretext of hunting beastkin. Complaints are piling up.”
“Complaints…? Is this crazy bastard out of his mind? Why would the villagers complain! …Mind your own business.”
“Sir, please stop. Gorilla.”
“W-What!? G-Gorilla…?! This …bastard!”

He tried to throw a punch at me.

It’s time to use the potion’s effect.

With a smirk, I grabbed his arm and threw him over my shoulder.

Crash!

“Aaack! You…!”

He struggled to move, but the alcohol and the sudden impact seemed to have immobilized him.

Hearing the commotion, the other patrolmen rushed over.

“Captain…!”
“W-Who…did this…?!”

As the soldiers helped their captain up, looking dumbfounded…

I quietly raised my hand and said,

“I did.”
“…!”

The patrolmen all looked at me but remained silent.

Perhaps because I had revealed myself as the Black Hound earlier…

They seemed hesitant to touch me, burdened by my presence.

“Haha, what are you looking at? Take him away.”

At my words, the soldiers exchanged glances.

Then they quietly helped their captain up.

They didn’t respond and just walked away.

“…H-Hey! …Let go of me! Deal with that bastard!”
“Captain! We can’t touch the Black Hound! You know that!”
“That’s right! The lord told us not to touch the Black Hound!”

The patrolmen restrained their captain and dragged him away.

“Agh! Just you wait!”

As he left, yelling at the top of his lungs…

The surrounding citizens gathered around me.

“Oh my, young man! Are you alright!?”
“What a dangerous thing to do!”
“That’s right! It’s dangerous! We don’t know who you are, but that man…!”

Amidst their worried gazes, I calmly replied,

“Haha, I came here to resolve this for you…”
“Resolve? Resolve what…”
“I heard that under the pretext of hunting beastkin after the beastkin attack, they’re ruining businesses in the village.”

Everyone nodded in agreement at my words.

“T-That’s true, but…”
“So I’m here to resolve it.”
“How are you going to resolve it…?”
“W-Wasn’t he the Black Hound?”
“Black Hound…a noble’s watchdog?”

They all seemed to recognize me and murmured amongst themselves.

I chuckled and greeted them.

“That’s right! I’m a noble’s watchdog, the Black Hound! But today, I’ve been specially dispatched for you, so rest assured.”
“…?”

I quietly took out the “Emperor’s Letter” that I had used to trick Han.

“Let me tell you something! I’m a messenger sent by the Emperor!”
“T-That’s…!”
“Hey, that’s the Emperor’s Letter…!?”
“No way! Why is the Emperor’s Letter here!?”

As expected, they recognized the letter.

The Emperor’s letter is made of special paper…

So no one on this continent would fail to recognize it.

Not even a child.

“I can’t reveal the contents, but…I came here to address your grievances. So tell me your complaints! I’ll resolve them all! I’m a troubleshooter here to help you! Hahaha.”

It’s a deception aimed at the villagers…

Well, I will resolve their problems, so…

Consider it a compromise.

I listened to the complaints of the villagers.

…To take these complaints to the lord.