Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Chapter 77: Blood Born Things in life don’t always go as planned. It’s such an obvious statement that one might ask, “Who doesn’t know that?” but sometimes, it’s precisely because it’s such an obvious truth that it can be bewildering. Just like now. “Uh, well…” “Ah, geez. I told you it’s dangerous to be here alone. I’ll have one of us escort you. Hurry up and get going.” “Boss, this kid looks like an adventurer, though?” “Adventurer or whatever, doesn’t he know it’s dangerous to wander around alone at night? Take him up there quick.” “….” The two men, who looked like they were straight out of the slums, were very kindly offering to escort me to the sewer exit. “But Boss, aren’t we supposed to be working?” “Damn it, it’s obvious no one’s coming this way anyway, what work are you talking about? Besides, look at his clothes, all torn up. Those slum punks, I swear…” Are these guys eunuchs or something? I even took off my hood to try and seduce them, but even when they look at me, they only admire, not try to pounce. Their attitude is so natural that I’m starting to wonder if I’ve been living my life wrong. No, but this is a bit strange, isn’t it? Right now, my chest is practically all exposed? My clothes are so tattered that they’d tear with the slightest tug, but shouldn’t they at least swallow their saliva and stare, even if they don’t try to assault me? Of course, they’re men, so they glance a little, but that’s really it. They don’t reach out and grope like the other guys, or make crude jokes. Their attitude is so abnormal that I’m starting to wonder if I’ve been living in Reakers and Karaldin for too long and have a negative prejudice against the underworld. “Ah, even if no one’s coming, there’s always a ‘what if’ scenario, isn’t there?” “Uh, excuse me…” “Hey, hey, keep it down. He’s trying to ask something.” “…No, it’s okay. Th-thank you.” They were so kind that I couldn’t bring myself to ask them to assault me. I didn’t even feel like it. Usually, they’d be drooling and leering, but these damn guys are so nice. …Well, maybe this is better for them. If they had leered and pounced, I might have had to kill them after the sex. I wouldn’t want to leave any clues about a suspicious adventurer wandering the sewers. “He might look a little rough, but he’s a good kid, so you can trust him. Looks like a newbie adventurer, so next time, hurry home before dark. Don’t wander around alone.” “…Yes, thank you.” But even for me, I couldn’t just kill people who were being so openly kind. In the end, I had no choice but to follow the younger-looking of the two men and exit the sewer. // Because it was late, the streets were deserted. Or rather, “eerie” would be a more accurate description. Most of the people out and about after dark would be guards, soldiers from the defense force, or members of underworld organizations. Ordinary people would have no reason to be out at this hour.

-Creak.

“I’m back…” I returned to the White Dolphin Inn, but the room was empty. Instead, a single note on the table greeted me.

-Swish.

I reached out and picked up the note from the table, reading it. Familiar handwriting in black ink was scrawled on the scrap of paper. [I’ve gone ahead.] It was Emily’s handwriting. That meant she had successfully met El and left for the rendezvous point. In that case, there was no need to come back. I was a little disappointed that I had made a wasted trip, but there was nothing I could do. The fact that El and Emily had joined up was already half the battle.

-Creak.

I put on a cloak that I had left in the room and left the inn. To join them, I had to head back to the sewers. I could have left through the city gates, but the risk was too great. If I tried to force my way through and got chased, there would be no hope. I wanted to consider taking a carriage outside the town, but that was also difficult in case El’s face was wanted. In the end, the best option we could take was to secretly escape from the sewers through the river and walk to the next city. It was a bit far, but it was better than staying in the town outside the city gates for the night, and if we took a carriage from the next city, we could get to Karaldin quickly. That’s why I had spent the afternoon with Emily, preparing while walking around the city. It was easy to get to the sewers without being seen by the guards. The other streets were peaceful, in stark contrast to the commotion in the Nordic district. When I arrived at the sewers… “….Ugh…” “….” The two men who had kindly escorted me earlier were lying side by side on the floor. They weren’t dead, but they seemed unconscious. Was this El’s handiwork, or Emily’s? …But the fact that they weren’t dead, can I interpret that as they didn’t see their faces? I hope so. I don’t want to kill them either. I hesitated for a moment with my hand on my sword, but in the end, I decided not to kill them. I don’t know what will happen later, but I didn’t want to heartlessly take the lives of those who had shown me kindness. I can’t say for sure that they’re good people, but the more people who can show kindness to others in any world, the better, right? “….Sigh.” I sighed softly and continued walking towards the rendezvous point. // It wasn’t difficult to find Emily and El. They were standing quietly in the place I had found in the afternoon. “Oh, you’re here?” Emily, with a heavy-looking backpack on her back, and El, also carrying a backpack. Although their appearances were a bit different, they looked like close sisters going on a trip together. “I’m glad. You’re safe.” “There’s no way we’d get caught by those guys, right?” I greeted them with a sense of relief, and El replied with a smile. She had thrown away her dress somewhere, and her outfit had changed to a comfortable shirt and pants. It was a plain outfit that didn’t even fit properly, but it suited her quite well, combined with her unique aura. “You still look like a noble even when you dress like that.” Her ebony hair, red eyes, and flawless white skin created a mysterious and noble feeling. Looking at that aura, which was hard to hide even with the clothes she was wearing, I could believe that she was indeed a noble. “Really? I don’t know. When it comes to aura, you and Emily look similar. Actually, being a noble isn’t a big deal. I’m just a baron, and I’m from a collateral line, so I was practically a commoner…” At her words, I gave a wry smile. Being practically a commoner is different from being a real commoner. Emily and I are both commoners. Emily is the third daughter of a farmer, and I’m an orphan from the slums and a prostitute. If you exclude gender, the three of us don’t have much in common. Oh, is the fact that I used to be a man the same? Considering my past life, it’s a combination of a model student, a lively delinquent, and an otaku, but it might be a good match. “….” Thinking about it, I realized something new. If I hadn’t had the knowledge given to me in my past life, would we have been able to talk like this? Erzebet would have struggled to survive in a fallen family, Emily would have lived as the daughter of a commoner, and wouldn’t have even dared to dream of going on a trip. And I would probably have been the most miserable of the three of us. I’ve seen what happens to cheap prostitutes a few times. Even if I’m still young, if I was unlucky, I might have had to give birth to a child at least once. Oh, but since I have the advantage of having blonde hair and blue eyes, if I had played my cards right, I might have been able to become a concubine in a wealthy family. Of course, even now, looking at my appearance, it’s still true that others would consider me miserable. Even though it’s for the sake of martial arts, it’s true that I’m living a life that’s worse than a rag. I suddenly wondered. What does Erzebet think of me like this? Emily accepted me, but what about her? “….Laila?” “It’s nothing.” Emily’s voice woke me from my thoughts, and I moved forward. It’s not too late to worry later. Right now, it was time to get out of here first.

-Swish…

The place that Emily and I had focused on was the sewer drain. The Kilkard Kingdom basically builds waterways to supply water to the city. You might say that it’s a crazy thing to do in an era without heavy equipment, but surprisingly, this world also has heavy equipment. So they can do such crazy things. The drain, blocked by iron bars, was level with the river’s surface and was only half submerged, with water flowing through the gaps in the bars. The iron bars were treated with anti-rust and were strong, but this was easy enough.

-Clang.

I drew my sword and infused it with inner energy. I had only thirty percent of my inner energy left. If I used it sparingly, there wouldn’t be any problems, but if I decided to use it, it would be gone in an instant. …Maybe I should have forced myself on them earlier. I regretted it a little, but there was no turning back now. El, interpreting my hesitation, asked with a worried tone. “Are you going to be okay?” Instead of answering, I took a stance and swung my sword. I lowered my upper body slightly and put the weight and rotational force of my body into the sword, cutting through the iron bars.

-Kigig!

Along with the heavy pressure spreading over my palm, the iron bars were cut off. After swinging the sword a few more times, it was wide enough for one person to enter. “Yeah, I’m fine.” “….Why are you so strong?” “Pfft.” When I answered belatedly, El asked back with a dumbfounded expression. Emily, who was behind me, chuckled softly. We left the sewers and headed towards the gates of Mesatria. // “….It’s damp.” “Ugh, I’m completely soaked…” To get out of the city gates through the sewers, we inevitably had to get wet. The three of us grumbled to ourselves, but we crawled out onto the shore and stood up. The three of us were soaked in water, looking like seaweed that had come ashore, which was somehow funny. “….In the end, we got out.” El looked at the walls of Mesatria with a sentimental expression. Was it because she had stayed there for three months? Her expression as she looked at the city gates seemed somehow wistful. …When I see an expression like that, I want to play a light prank. I poked El in the back and pointed to the sky. “Look, it’s a full moon.” “Huh…?” “Vampires get stronger on a full moon, right?” “….I’m sorry. Please forget about it now.” El, saying that, had a truly regretful expression on her face. The night road under the full moon was quite impressive. The wide-open fields and the straight road stretching through them even had their own charm. If you turned a blind eye to the annoying reality that we had to walk for a long time. “I think I’ll miss it a little.” El turned her head and looked at Mesatria, giving a wry smile. As if she had left something behind, there was a smile of regret and regret on her lips. Three months is a short time, but it’s enough time to make connections. There couldn’t have been only bad relationships like Blate and Nuke, so maybe she made some friends in the meantime. “Did you have any friends?” Emily seemed to have the same thought as me, and asked El. Hearing that innocent question, El immediately changed her wry smile to a mischievous one and answered in a playful voice. “Yeah, not friends, but a boyfriend.” “….Huh?” “What?”

At her sudden declaration, not only Emily but even I couldn’t help but be surprised. Well, it’s a bit strange that I’m surprised myself, but still, I’m curious about other people’s love lives. Elle chuckled at our reactions and replied, “Haha, just kidding. It wasn’t that serious, but he was a candidate, at least.” “Ah, I, I see…” A boyfriend candidate. Could love have blossomed during that short escape? Truly amazing… but I’ve been through too much to really say that. A boyfriend. The only ones that come to mind are Tsarqua and Keir, but strictly speaking, they weren’t exactly lovers. How can she even think like that? As I looked at Elle with a mixture of admiration and surprise, she tilted her head as if thinking about something, and then continued, “Still, it’s a bit of a shame. If we had a little more time, I could have done some things with him….” “Some things? What’s that?” Emily tilted her head, seemingly clueless at Elle’s words. Of course, I’m not as much of an idiot as Emily, so I understood the meaning instantly. The mischievous smile on Elle’s face looked strangely familiar, overlapping with things I used to do in the past. “It’s like….” “H-huh?” …Wait, but Emily. Isn’t it a bit strange that you don’t know that? For someone who experienced an orc’s massive member for her first time, that’s an excessively innocent reaction. Even though I recommended it, you enjoyed it immensely the third time. “Isn’t she obviously talking about sex?” “…Ah, th-that’s what she meant…” “It’s a real shame, though. He was a pretty decent guy….” At Elle’s words, Emily blushed and nodded. It was an adorable reaction that she would never have imagined in her previous life. Considering her shy personality, I guess that’s only natural. As I was about to laugh it off, Elle’s words rang in my ears again. “Right. Whatever our past lives were, we’re girls now, aren’t we? Hehehe. Besides, with looks like these, we’re definitely cute enough to be called beauties. Ah, it’s such a shame. If I had only debuted in the Necar social scene, I could have completely dominated it….” Even if she says that, Elle is already too old to be called a beauty. But it would hurt her feelings to hit her with facts, so let’s not. “That’s amazing. I don’t think I could ever do that. I still like girls more than guys….” As she said that, Emily’s brown eyes scanned me. Her cheeks were flushed, even in the moonlight, and it was quite striking. The faint smile on her lips made it clear what she was thinking. The moment I saw that smile, guilt gripped my heart. I knew that the object of her affection was me. Being with me as a woman meant throwing herself into that dirty mud. I would continue to wade through the mud pit filled with men’s desires, and Emily would continue to follow me. …Perhaps, she might get tired of my appearance and become disillusioned and hate me. I couldn’t stop her. I was the one who taught her the Succubus Arts, and I was the one who introduced her to Tsarqua. I had no right to stop her. All I could do was hold her soft hand forever. “Hmm, I guess that’s possible. Well, considering your past life…” “Right? It’s not weird, is it?” “Who cares? Just enjoy it. But when you think about it, guys aren’t so bad either, I guess.” Emily and Elle’s conversation continued. It was mostly Elle persuading the hesitant Emily. “Guys… I don’t think I can do that…” “No, Emily, you can definitely do it! Even in a world like this, we’re beauties. Treasures of the world! Well, maybe it’s not that exaggerated… Anyway, what I’m saying is, you need to be more open-minded. Date, have a fun romantic comedy…” On the surface, it looked like the mischievous Elle was trying to corrupt the innocent Emily, but knowing the truth, it looked a little different to me. Emily is no longer a virgin, and if you take a generous view, she’s not even a cherry. She’s good at both topping and bottoming. To put it in perspective, she’s a character who can switch freely between offense and defense. She’s just usually shy and cute, but if you give her a room on the bed, she turns into a wolf. Of course, she’s as lewd as a dolphin in front of Tsarqua. I don’t know if dolphins are lewd, but anyway. “Is that so…?” “That’s it. Later, this older sister will teach you everything from A to Z about how to seduce men. Listen carefully!” “U-uh… you don’t have to go that far…” “No, you have to. If you keep acting so innocent, you’ll miss all the good opportunities! Are you going to live your whole life as a virgin?” But Elle, who doesn’t know that side of Emily, firmly believes that she is a virgin. Judging by what she’s saying, Elle doesn’t seem to have much experience either. From a detached perspective, it’s like a virgin who has never dated before throwing dirty jokes at a popular friend with a lot of experience. Poor Elle, she’s building up another dark history like this. That sight reminded me of when I first met her and was lured far away from the village under the guise of a duel. Could Emily be more cunning than she looks? “Huh? Virgin…?” With a troubled and embarrassed face, she was pushing Elle into the abyss of dark history like this. Elle’s expression looked somewhat proud, which was a little pitiful. I wanted to tell Elle that hell awaits her, but it would be more fun to leave it as it is, so I decided not to say anything. “Of course, I’m still a virgin too, but I’m mentally prepared. I’ve lived four years longer than you guys, so you can always ask this older sister-” “Um, I’m not a virgin…” “…Huh?” Just like that. The moment she heard Emily’s wry reply, Elle’s expression went blank. Watching her face, which was like the calm before the storm, I burst out laughing inside. “Um…?” Her red eyes trembled endlessly, and then turned to me. I wonder if that means she wants me to explain the situation. I tried to hide the corners of my mouth, which kept rising, with my hand, and tried to give Elle, who had a blank expression, a rough explanation. But,

-Screeeeeech!!!

The moment I was about to open my mouth, a familiar screech echoed from afar.