episode_0087

“..Cough, cough.. What, what is this!! This crazy little punk! Do you even know who I am?”

“….”

Ignoring his words, I promptly jabbed his right side.

Of course, I didn’t infuse magic into my fist this time either.

-Thud!

Perhaps due to the initial force of the attack, blood continued to flow from his crooked nose.

Gradually adjusting my strength, I struck him once more with a punch.

-Crack!

“Ouch!! Cough! You son of a…!”

Despite taking significant damage, the yellow-haired thug didn’t retreat and attempted to counterattack.

His fist aimed at my face flew towards me.

However, I smoothly dodged his slow punch and immediately delivered an uppercut to his jaw.

-Thump!

“···!”

The yellow-haired thug crumpled to the ground without a sound.

Turning my gaze, I addressed the guy who was with the yellow-haired thug as if to make it clear.

“You there, behind. Aren’t you joining in?”

“I-Ike! R-Rex’s revenge!!”

Two thugs came charging down the alley, shouting loudly.

Unlike the previous one, their posture was sloppy, and they were visibly trembling.

I swiftly approached the incoming thug and struck his abdomen forcefully, causing him to faint.

-Thud!

“Well, looks like things are settling down somewhat.”

Now, the issue is what to do with this girl…

“···Sigh.”

First things first, let’s tend to her wounds.

···

I securely tied up the subdued thugs with ropes found nearby.

And I administered some healing potion to the unconscious beastwoman to treat her injuries.

“But no one seems to be waking up. Can’t assess the situation.”

···Tsk.

Can’t be helped.

I stood up and walked towards the bound thugs.

Then, I focused on the yellow-haired thug who fell first and tapped his forehead with a finger infused with magic.

-Tap!

A loud noise echoed through the alley.

However, the yellow-haired thug didn’t wake up; blood trickled from his bruised forehead, and his head slumped further.

“….”

“No response?”

As I was about to tap his forehead again with magic, Thug 1, who had raised his head abruptly, shouted.

“S-Stop it! You crazy bastard!! Stop!”

“….”

“Why are you doing this to us?! What did we do wrong!!”

“And what about that girl back there? What’s your relationship with her? What kind of connection is prompting you to resort to violence?”

“T-That’s… We owe money to that damn debt collector! It’s not like I’m doing this willingly!”

“….”

“A-And this brat…! Do you even know who I am?”

Hmm… Not sure?

They just look like passing thugs 1 and 2…

No matter how much I think about it, I can’t figure it out.

One thing is certain, though.

These guys are related to the event boss in the underground city.

So, I knelt down, facing him, and asked,

“You have no right to question me. Only I can ask questions.”

“What, what did you say?! This lunatic…!!”

“It seems we can’t communicate.”

With a deep sigh, I placed my hand on his forehead.

I pressed my finger where blood flowed from the earlier tap, grasping firmly.

Infusing magic into my finger once again, I amplified the power.

As I was about to release my finger, Thug 1 vigorously shook his body and yelled.

“Hey..! Hey!! What are you doing right now!! Stop it! You crazy bastard!! I’ll talk!! I-I’ll talk!!”

“Alright, now we can communicate.”

-Gulp

“….”

“Tell me everything about the situation of the woman over there right now, and also about your boss who’s underground. Spit it all out, leaving nothing behind.”

····

“….”

For now, there’s been no change in the boss underground compared to the game.

However, if there’s one thing that has changed..

It’s that this beastwoman has caught the attention of that boss.

The relationship between humans and beastfolk isn’t terrible at the moment, but generally, the image of beastfolk isn’t that great.

As a result, in many other countries, beastfolk are still used as slaves or face severe discrimination.

Therefore, it seems that beastfolk slaves, who have various uses, are being traded a lot in the underworld.

But.. it so happens that this woman, who borrowed money to get medicine for her sick younger sibling, has caught the eye of that guy in the underground city.

According to him, the money this woman borrowed is still increasing rapidly.

In reality, it was planned to make her unable to repay the debt and then take her away to use as a slave or for other purposes.

“….”

I knew it.

There would be dark sides to this world.

After all, the game itself wasn’t just a bright and cheerful game.

But facing this dark side directly like this…

It gives me a complex feeling that’s hard to describe in words.

“…Phew.”

But what can I do.

I’ve already intervened once, so I need to make sure nothing happens to this woman.

Especially since it’s about time for the underground city to open up.

I was planning to meet that guy.

I said to the yellow-haired girl tied up with a brown-haired girl, “Number 1, guide me to where your boss is.”

“N-Number 1..? A-Are you talking to me? Th-that’s not easy… How many times do I have to say that we can only contact you after meeting our superior.”

“That’s not the answer I want.”

“….”

As I stared at his forehead and flicked my finger, his face turned pale again, and he started trembling.

I grabbed 1’s left shoulder and looked into his trembling eyes.

“Let me say it again. Guide me to where your boss is.”

“A-Alright. S-So, um… Please just give us a moment…”

“Then I’ll tidy up the surroundings. Wake up Number 2 and explain the situation.”

“Y-Yes..”

Sometimes, you have to be a bit forceful with these guys to make them talk.

“….”

Forcing someone to speak like this in an authoritarian way isn’t my style, but from now on, I can’t afford to be indecisive.

I need to make sure this ends properly so that this woman doesn’t end up in trouble.

Even if it means being a bit harsh, I have to finish this task decisively.

I lay on the ground, making ‘rustling’ sounds, and gently shook the shoulders of the sleeping girl.

“Wake up. I know you’re awake.”

Upon hearing this, she quickly stood up, clutching the coat I had covered her with, and shouted, “Wh-why aren’t you leaving me alone!!”

“Your breathing has been irregular for a while now.”

“You’re such a pervert!!”

“..Anyway, is your body okay? I’ve treated you somewhat with the potion, but potions aren’t a cure-all. It’s best to visit a hospital soon.”

Saying that, I approached her slowly.

She hastily waved her hands, refusing my approach.

“Do, don’t come any closer! Th-thank you for helping me, but… I hope you won’t come any closer than that. T-to be honest, I still can’t trust you… I never… understood why you helped me. Y-you didn’t help me just because you wanted something from me, right..?”

The atmosphere is different from when I was talking to the thug earlier.

She seemed so frightened; her ears and tail were noticeably drooped, and her voice was trembling.

Stepping back a bit from her, I spoke in a softer voice than usual.

“It’s not like that. Don’t worry. And it’s natural that you can’t trust me. I understand.”

“W-what…?”

When I covered her with my coat earlier as she fell.

I caught sight of her hand.

Her hand was so rough and full of scars that one wouldn’t think it belonged to a young girl.

They say a person’s hands reflect how they’ve lived their life.

Perhaps she has endured a much harder life than I could ever imagine.

So, I couldn’t just pass by easily.

“I heard from that guy. He ended up in ridiculous debt trying to get medicine for his sick sibling.”

“….”

“It’ll be okay now. I’ll take care of that debt.”

At that, all the emotions she had been holding back seemed to explode.

She started yelling at me, pouring out her feelings.

“…Who do you think you are..!! Who do you think you are, saying you understand me..!! Who do you think you are, saying you’ll clear my debt..!! Do you think I won’t try to repay it?!”

“….”

“I can’t escape..!! No matter how hard I try, struggle!! In the end, reality is cruel… Please.. please, don’t give me hope.. sniff…”

She sat down, clutching the coat I gave her, and began sobbing sorrowfully.

Sitting a bit away from her, I cautiously spoke to her.

“I have a sibling too, just like you.”

“….”

“He’s always complaining, gets angry a lot. But still, he’s more precious to me than anyone else. That’s what family is about.”

“….”

“So, you must have struggled a lot until now. Because you have family to protect. Of course, I don’t know what kind of life you’ve lived. Frankly, I’m not curious either.”

“….”

“But I can help you carry some of the burden you’re bearing. So you can stand up again without hesitation. I can help you.”

As she buried her face in the coat, crying, she slowly began to speak.

“Why are you trying to help me like this..? We just met today.. And I said harsh things to you.. Why..”

“It’s just… self-satisfaction. There’s no other reason.”

“….”

After a moment of silence, as if she had made a decision, she raised her head and stared at me intently.

Then, wiping her nose, she continued speaking.

“Um… What’s your name?”

“I’m Bern. Just call me Bern.”

“Then I’ll be Rita, call me Rita.”