Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Episode 81: Return Our primary goal wasn’t Karaldin, but a stronghold city named Krudion. Krudion was located in the middle ground between Karaldin and Mesatria, and like Karaldin, it was close to the Mesheen Great Forest, making it easily accessible to adventurers. Walking through the Mesheen Great Forest to Karaldin would take more than ten days. Besides, I didn’t want to repeat a survival game I wasn’t even destined for, for ten days straight. In the end, the best option we had was to roughly shake off the Griffin’s pursuit and head towards Krudion. Of course, reaching the vicinity of Krudion was a massive journey in itself, needless to say. If it weren’t for the wolves that fearlessly attacked us, or the goblins that dropped slings for us, we might have starved to death long ago. And something I didn’t know until now, goblins didn’t just use slings. I don’t know if it’s a difference between regions, or if the Karaldin goblins are just dumber, but the goblins we met here were even using atlatls. It’s not that weird to use a dart thrower when they use slings, but I couldn’t help but be taken aback when I saw it for the first time. Especially when a stone dart suddenly flew at my head while walking along a mountain path, I almost had a heart attack. “I’m so sick of goblins now…” El said, licking the goblin blood off her hand. Thanks to mastering the Blood Hand Demon Art, her hands were as hard as steel, and the hand techniques and claw techniques she displayed with them were so powerful that she didn’t need weapons. Even without inner energy, a body trained in martial arts doesn’t weaken. That was the same for me and Emily. “….” On the other hand, Emily was staring down at the goblin corpses, deep in thought. Her sword was also stained with blood, but less so than mine or El’s. Unlike us, who could unleash considerable physical abilities with Iron Body Armor or Blood Shadow Demon Art, she lagged behind in basic fitness. Because of that, she mainly had to take on the rear guard. I approached Emily, who was blankly staring, and poked the back of her neck. “What are you thinking about?” “Eep, huh!? Oh, I wasn’t thinking about anything!?” “….” She’s so startled that I’m the one who’s flustered. Her face is even bright red, I wonder what she was thinking about. “Um, Ryla.” “Yeah?” “Are goblins… people?” In this world, demi-humans, including goblins, aren’t referred to as people. Emily, who works as a receptionist at the Adventurer’s Guild, couldn’t possibly not know that. So why would she ask such a question…? Could it be. “Emily, even so, goblins? That’s some high-level play-” “I, I didn’t say anything!?” But Emily can’t meet my gaze. I guess I’m right. But seriously, is that Emily imagining herself being taken by a goblin in her head? I thought she’d be disgusted, even if she had to gather essence and train in Yin Demon Art. I was about to press her further, but El stretched beside me and whined, so I had to stop questioning her. “Ugh, I’m so bored…” “Just bear with it a little longer. The direction is right, so we should be able to reach Krudion by tomorrow.” I soothed El, who was muttering with a blank expression, and looked at Emily. Emily met my gaze and blushed without a word. Was it that embarrassing? When I gave her a sly smile, El, who was walking next to me, groaned as if she was disgusted. “You guys are so gross. How can you do that?” “If you’re jealous, just say so.” “Shut up. I’m not jealous at all, you slugs…” We got quite close while walking through the mountains together for three days. It wasn’t like we were awkward before, but it had been a while since we met, and especially since I hadn’t known them for very long, there were bound to be things we didn’t know about each other, so there was bound to be a unique sense of unfamiliarity. Maybe that’s why, through this trip, we were able to learn a bit about Erzebet (Kim Seung-oh, Otaku). First of all, we learned that she also shows the qualities of an excellent pervert. “Um, by the way, have you guys ever, like, scissor-” “….” And it seems like she doesn’t have much tact either. Personally, I don’t really like that position. It’s not that enjoyable, and I have Aruem, which is a good item. And secondly, she’s twenty years old and full of curiosity. “…Is it really good to do it with a guy?” “It hurts a lot at first. But it gets better as you do it.” Emily nodded and answered El, who asked as if she was curious. Maybe it’s because it’s a combination of a pretty girl and a beautiful woman, but the two of them sometimes get along really well. Maybe they’re surprisingly similar in personality. Emily asked that same question before. “Then, Seo… how much experience does Ryla have…?” Walking for almost three days meant that we could talk a lot. Now we know roughly everything about each other. That we learned Yin Demon Art, and that we have to absorb essence from men’s semen to learn martial arts. I was worried that she might despise us for knowing that, but El doesn’t seem to be all that sane either, and she didn’t seem to care much. From a martial arts perspective, blood and semen are the same, so she might think that way, but it’s more likely that she’s just a pervert. I smiled slyly and answered El. “I don’t know, I’ve never counted.” “That’s a little scary. Does that mean it’s at least three digits?” “….” “…More?” “That’s a secret.” “Hey, come on…” …Sometimes it’s better not to know. // And after walking for another day, we were able to reach Krudion. As soon as we saw the castle in the distance, I took out Aruem and cleaned the clothes and bodies of the group. Of course, El was shocked to the point of fainting in the process, but that wasn’t a big deal, so let’s move on. “W, what was that just now? A slime, right?” We couldn’t just head straight to Krudion. The reason being, “First of all, the problem is that we don’t have any money. We need money to take a carriage to Karaldin. We don’t have a single penny. Even if we use the main road, it’ll take about three or four days, so it’s much better to earn money here and take a carriage.” “No, w, what was that just now? Why is that, th, th, thing coming out of there!?” “Shut up. I don’t have anywhere else to store it.” I looked at El, who was pointing at my stomach, as if she was pathetic, and continued. “That’s why virgins are…” “…That has nothing to do with me being a virgin!? Anyone would be surprised if a slime came out of there!” “Anyway, let’s move on from that and go back to the problem of returning from Krudion to Karaldin…” In the end, there was only one conclusion. Earn money somehow and take a carriage. It’s obvious since there’s no other conclusion. At my words, El sighed with a pale expression and asked with a resigned expression. “But, how are you going to earn money?” “….” I didn’t answer her question and smiled. I suddenly thought of something and looked at Emily, and sure enough. She was looking at me with a complicated expression. She must know what I’m trying to do. We’ve had similar things happen before. Emily looked at me for a moment and then made up her mind. “Are you going to do it inside Krudion?” “No. I’m going to try to find it in the villages outside if possible. It’s a hassle, and I’m a little worried about leaving El alone.” “…I see.” Emily nodded and thought for a moment, then spoke with a determined expression. “I’ll go with you too. We’ll earn money faster with two people.” I didn’t expect her to really say that. I smiled bitterly at her words and asked back. “…Are you sure you’re okay with that?” “Yeah, I’m okay. Like you said before, I’m doing this because I want to.” To be honest, I wanted to stop her if possible. Krudion and Karaldin are close. Most of the wealthy people staying in the villages outside the castle are mercenaries, and if we were to run into them in Karaldin, rumors about us would spread. I didn’t care if people pointed fingers at me and called me a whore. I was used to that kind of treatment, and I was confident that I could enjoy it. But, could Emily handle that? It’s just a groundless assumption, but I didn’t want her to be exposed to those lustful gazes. …This is a disgustingly hypocritical feeling. I suppressed that uncomfortable feeling and scoffed at myself. Do I think I don’t want to defile her now? If so, what’s the point? I don’t even deserve to. “Hey, can you pay attention to me too…?” El’s voice echoed in my ear, but there was something more important than that right now. I hesitated for a moment and then called her name. “Emily.” “Yeah?” “Even if it’s not Yin Demon Art, there’s still a chance.” At my words, Emily’s expression changed. El, who hadn’t been following the conversation, changed her expression this time as if she understood. Meeting El this early might have been lucky. She had mastered the Blood Sucking Great Art, another martial art of absorption. I was already too late, but Emily could learn Blood Shadow Demon Art. “What, what do you mean…?” “Yin Demon Art is a martial art that converts the absorbed essence into inner energy at the Middle Pole. On the other hand, Blood Shadow Demon Art converts blood energy from the Liang Gate and absorbs it into the body.” Even if they are the same martial arts of absorption, the conversion points are different. These blood points are the deep blood of martial arts, and they were blood points that became the central axis of martial arts in a different sense from the Sea of Qi blood point used as the dantian. Even if it’s turbid, blood energy and essence energy are clearly different energies. Therefore, practicing the two martial arts at the same time was a gamble. Even if I learned the Blood Sucking Great Art now, it would likely be more of a poison. But, Emily is different. Her level of Yin Demon Art was still low, and there was plenty of room for other paths. I’m not the one to say it since I taught her Yin Demon Art, but I still wanted to tell her to think about it since she could still choose. Without knowing if it was selfishness that I didn’t want to be hated later, or altruism for her, I looked at Emily and continued. “As you know, Yin Demon Art…will be difficult. It might be better to drink blood sometimes. So…” “I know what you mean.” But Emily interrupted me and nodded. Her eyes were staring straight at me and were also serious. Emily smiled faintly and held out her hand to me. “I’m not going to learn that. So let’s go together.” That was the answer. I don’t know if it really was. At least for now, that was enough. // El looked at us with a pouty face and grumbled. “So, what exactly are you going to do?” “….” What should I say? Just as I was hesitating, Emily answered first. “I’m going to use, the money-making hole.” …Emily. If you’re so embarrassed to say it, you don’t have to say it while blushing. Still, as if she had built up knowledge, El seemed to have noticed Emily’s words and immediately changed her expression. Her appearance of being shocked but trying to calm down and averting her gaze was quite unnatural and enjoyable to watch. “Th, th, that…surely, it’s not what, what, what I’m thinking, right?” “No, I think it is.” “Hey! If you do that…if you do…if you do…” But seeing that she doesn’t say no, it seems like she’s aware of the reality to some extent. It was true that we had no way to earn money in a situation where we didn’t have a single penny.

“…You’re adventurers, aren’t you? Isn’t there another way? Even if it’s impossible, I, I’m okay with walking to Karaldin…” It was a statement not even worth reconsidering. I cut her off immediately and took Emily’s hand. “That’s a hassle for me. And I’m starting to feel like I need to recharge my energy.” “…You’re really cold. I feel like I worried for nothing.” “No, thanks for worrying. I’ll be back. You might be wanted, so stay put.” Whether it’s Mesatria, Lakers, or Karaldin, most cities are surrounded by villages. Among them, the small village located in front of the city gate has accommodations for travelers, a carriage station, and various amenities, serving as a kind of resting place. And where we’re headed is, of course, the tavern. It’s a place where mercenaries and adventurers who have completed escort missions stay and quench their thirst. Since it’s outside the city gate, the security isn’t very good, and there are many rough people, so it’s a place where we could be subjected to a lot of sexual harassment just by walking in. We stood in front of the tavern door and did a final check of our attire. Thanks to washing our bodies cleanly with Arum, there was nothing to complain about except that our clothes were a bit worn. Hmm, the preparation is perfect. “…Are you really okay with this?” Where did her courage from before go? Emily looked a bit scared and asked me. “If it’s too hard, you don’t have to do it. I can do it alone anyway.” “No, it’s not that. It’s just that we don’t have any money, so I’m a bit worried about going into a tavern…” Ah, that’s what it was. She was more worried about eating and running than selling her body. If that’s the case… I can’t say anything special because I’m not 100% sure. But there are plenty of ways, so there’s no need to worry. “It’s okay. If it doesn’t work out, we can just work at the tavern for a bit.” “…Is that okay?” “Of course, it’s okay.” More than okay. They’ll definitely welcome us with open arms. Emily and I are quite attractive, even if we’re not exactly devastatingly beautiful. Especially me, with my blonde hair and blue eyes buff, I’m confident I can ignore most penalties. Like being small or having small breasts. …For some people, that might be a buff, but anyway. There’s more than one or two taverns here, and it’s only natural that men would flock to a place with pretty waitresses. The tavern owner would probably be even happier. Of course, working here is just in case, and we should try to get paid if possible. “Ready?” “Yeah.”

-Creeeak.

After preparing ourselves, we opened the tavern door and confidently walked inside. ———= Author’s Notes ———= It’s not that I particularly dislike parts that aren’t related to scene descriptions. It’s just sad that I can’t maintain balance…. Tomorrow, I can finally keep the golden mean.