episode_0034
by admin
Without any warning, or even a single word of ‘bite,’ the hound of hell pounced.
A skilled summoning wizard can give commands to his summons just by thinking, even without speaking directly.
This technique of sharing thoughts does not require any specific magic or skills, but it was very difficult because it had to rely on intuition.
Regardless of her actual level, it was no exaggeration to say that Sarah’s skills were that of a veteran.
‘I need to reflect.’
I was caught off guard because my level was low.
Of course, this mistake will not lead to a dramatic change in the situation, but it does not change the fact that he was caught off guard.
Before I knew it, the hunting dog was right in front of me and tore my skin with its sharp teeth, opening its mouth wide and biting me.
“… Bruise?”
The fangs, which were sharper than a blade, never pierced my skin and became lodged inside.
My level is 33, while the hell hound’s level is only 6.
No matter how much my status was biased toward a priest rather than a warrior, it was difficult to inflict significant damage if the levels were more than 20 different.
Moreover, my current body was protected by skills that reduced damage, such as ‘wood skin’, ‘rock-like body’, and ‘bear skin’.
An opponent of the same level might not be tickled by an attack from a low-level summon without any special skills.
“Hey, can I tell you to drop this? It’s my favorite clothes, so I don’t want to get them dirty.”
“… … .”
As the hell hound spoke, lifting her right arm that was hanging down with its bite, Sarah nodded nervously and gave a chin gesture to the hound.
The hound slowly walked away with a very guilty expression, even though it was not his fault.
I know that animals have more expressions than you might think, but seeing a dog make that kind of expression made me feel like I was looking at a well-made doll rather than some kind of animal.
“Then, shall we have a leisurely conversation?”
“… conversation? Aren’t you here to kill me?”
“Me? you? Why?”
“… … .”
When I tilted my head as if I genuinely didn’t know, Sarah asked without hiding her confusion.
“You said you came because that single bitch sent you.”
“Doctor?”
I expected it, but I could roughly guess what kind of relationship the two people would have just from those words.
“He’s definitely not a good person. But why does it become a story about killing you?”
“… No, it’s okay.”
I wondered if she was going to tell me the situation here, but Sarah tilted her head and asked me with eyes that were sharper than before.
“If you didn’t come to kill me, why did you come?”
“To put it bluntly, the request I received from my sister is to help you with your exam.”
“Test? And my sister… ?”
“Yeah, there’s a midterm exam soon, right?”
When I briefly explained the conversation I had with Terezyna that day, Sarah sighed as if it was absurd, even though she was wary of whether she was sincere.
He looks like he has lost his temper.
If the crisis of death suddenly turns into a midterm exam, it is not unreasonable to feel discouraged.
“… I hate it.”
“Is it okay if I ask the reason?”
“… I feel sorry for you, but I have no intention of wasting my time doing something nice for her. I don’t even want to go to the academy.”
“Hmm… .”
At first glance, it sounded like he was refusing because there was no benefit to him, but the fundamental reason was his rejection of Theresina.
It’s not that I don’t understand the fear of Terezina.
If one’s parents were murdering humans in the name of recycling, it was natural for them to feel repulsed.
But that didn’t seem to be all.
Theresina’s other secret, known only to Sera, may be the cause of her rejection.
“No matter what happens, you don’t plan on going to the academy with me, do you?”
“… uh. If you want to try it by force――.”
“Then do it. You shouldn’t force someone you don’t like to go to school.”
Sarah was momentarily speechless, as if she had never thought that she would give up so easily.
The best option is to complete Theresina’s request and gain Serra’s trust, but if you have to choose between the two, it’s definitely the latter.
How can you give priority to immediate interests when there are events right in front of you that you haven’t seen in the game?
Moreover, listening to Fiona’s words, it seems like she plans to use me regardless of whether this request fails, so I will be able to make a lot of profit in the process.
“… Are you really okay?”
“It’s okay, I’m not particularly threatened. Do I really have to kill you because I couldn’t convince you?”
“… … .”
As if feeling guilty, Sarah silently avoided eye contact and lowered her eyes.
I agree that his personality is a mess, but he doesn’t seem like that much of an irrational person.
Fear sometimes slows down judgment, and that was exactly the case in this case.
“… Then I’ll just leave. Just in case, you have to be careful.”
“Okay. So where should we go?”
“… What does it mean?”
“It’s exactly what it says. I said I wouldn’t take you by force, but I didn’t say I would give up.”
After a few weeks, you will automatically feel like you want to go together.
“Please take care of me for a while!”
“… Huh.”
*****
Three days have passed since the declaration of unilateral cooperation.
At first, Sarah stubbornly refused and tried to run away, but eventually gave up after realizing that her efforts were futile.
At first, she seemed displeased, but her attitude gradually softened, perhaps because she wanted someone to be by her side.
I could fully empathize with the feeling of wandering the world alone, unable to rely on anyone.
Maybe it was because I was once in the same situation, but somehow I felt happy that I could alleviate her loneliness even a little.
“… If you’re going to keep following me, I’ll have to help you with my work.”
Around lunch, Sarah suddenly said something like that.
Sarah was securing food, clothing, and shelter by dealing with a criminal organization located in a dump site.
When the organization made a request, Sarah handled it and received money or supplies in return, which meant helping.
“It doesn’t really matter, but is it okay if I ask one question?”
“What is it?”
“Why aren’t you using the living expenses that Terezina sent you? I think I can spend money here too.”
“… Living off the money she sent means relying on her for survival.”
“In other words, does this mean that you will be self-reliant so that you can survive even if you run out of money?”
“That’s right. And I don’t want to live as my parents tell me, but I want to receive their money. It’s too far-fetched. Not a child… .”
“Sera is amazing. Usually, I take everything I can from my parents and then wipe my mouth.”
“… I feel like I’m being treated like an idiot in some strange way.”
“I’m saying this sincerely, so don’t listen too harshly.”
Sarah’s idea of not relying on her parents’ money is great.
However, if it were me, I would have sucked Teresina’s money down to the bone, using any kind of charm, so that it didn’t matter if the funds were cut off at any time.
There is no reason to refuse a potential enemy’s offer of funds without any compensation.
Of course, I didn’t bother to say it because I felt like I would be despised if I conveyed those thoughts as they were.
The business we arrived at later was a building that was an abandoned temple that the organization had remodeled to suit their tastes.
Usually, temples were open on all sides, meaning they accepted everyone, but this temple was blocked on all sides by things like building materials.
When Sera stood in front of the temple door and knocked softly, a boy’s voice was heard from behind the door.
“Grapes.”
“Stop talking nonsense and open the door.”
“… Good.”
A moment later, as the door opened, what appeared was the face of a child with impressive freckles.
He was in his early to mid-teens, but his eyes had a fierceness that was not appropriate for his age.
The boy glanced at me sideways and stared at me as if he were possessed by something, then soon regained his senses and asked Sarah.
“What, I heard they don’t kidnap. Are you really here to sell?”
“This guy is stronger than me.”
“… What?”
The boy’s eyes turn to me again.
When I pretended to slit his throat with my hand, half as a joke, he turned pale and said,
“… You said so.”
“The riper the rice, the lower its head, and the wise hawk hides its claws.”
I ignored the scared boy and went inside.
After passing through an extremely dark hallway, even though it was midday, perhaps because everything was blocked, the entrance to the basement appeared.
It is said that there is a black market below this gate that leads to the royal capital’s sewers, where all kinds of things are bought and sold.
“Is there a trading partner down here?”
“Yes, the road is complicated, so follow it carefully.”
As I warned in advance, the path to the underground waterway was very complicated, but the cause was not the waterway, but the stands and crowds lined up along the waterway.
There were already a lot of stalls and people all over the busy street, so I felt like I would miss Sarah if I looked away even for a moment.
The stalls sold a variety of goods, from ordinary food to slaves locked in cages, and it was not difficult to imagine what the slaves were used for.
When an old man in a black robe purchased a slave, Sarah rolled her eyes in displeasure and continued moving forward.
We eventually arrived at the client’s headquarters and after completing the verification, we returned with ten gold coins.
It was a high price for the heads of several trash people.
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