Chapter 43: What he Became
We're walking towards the exit of Aressa .
We've taken a simple commission again today while searching for some Demonic Beasts . You could also say that there was nothing else to do besides this .
「Yo! Another commission today?」
「Nn . 」
One of the gatekeepers ― Dert ― calls out to us as we leave . He was the person who admitted us when we first arrived at this town . Thinking about it, we've formed a pretty good relationship with this uncle . We pass by almost every day and Fran stands out, so I suppose it was only a matter of time . He's a nice person . Even to the unsociable Fran, he tries to talk to her every day .
A guardsman showing a different reaction to Fran's unsociable-and-sour impression at first glance would be understandable, but Dert seems a bit soft . Testament to their relationship building, Fran's lowered her guard a little .
「Cute, as always . 」
... Isn't this guy just a lolicon?
「That reminds me, are you acquainted with Viscount Alsund?」
「?」
『He's talking about that guy . The noble who came complaining to the Guild . 』
「Ah . Small-Fry Vice Commander . 」
To Fran's words, Dert was momentarily astonished before proceeding to laugh .
「Hahahaha! Yeah, yeah, that's the one . 」
「What about him?」
「Ah, for some reason it looks like he's searching for little Fran . It'd be best to be careful . Yesterday, some fellow calling himself the guy's subordinate came here to check if you passed through . 」
Hooh . How suspicious .
「Since he's a noble, he does whatever he pleases in the town... Even more, he seems to have a skill to see through lies . 」
「I know . 」
In reality, he had the Skill to see through lies . Now, I have that ability .
「So, about that Skill: in the world of nobles it's something of a godsend . Giving its user the ability to grasp their opponent's weakness, and allowing quick dispersion of political opponents... Those guys, telling lies is as easy as breathing for them, after all . 」
Mr . Dert, I must say, you're my kind of guy . The type of guy who holds prejudice against nobles!
「Because he has that Skill, even if that Viscount causes trouble his parents crush any complains . And because of that, he got excessively carried away and became prone to doing foolish things . Those actions extend to little Fran as well, so I have no idea what he might want with you . 」
「Understood . I'll be careful . 」
「Good to hear . Ah, also on the subject of the Viscount, I caught wind of a slightly dangerous rumor . 」
「Rumor?」
「Mhm, it's from a few days back . It seems that Viscount Alsund's state has started to become... Odd . 」
「How so?」
「Well, he abruptly began acting suspiciously . Just when rumors started appearing stating that he might be becoming mentally ill he committed a terrible fault in the company of Royalty . I don't know the full details, but apparently his family was enraged — there were even talks this was the last time he wouldn't be forsaken . Thereafter, it's just been getting worse and worse . Various rumors like 'he's been cursed' or 'he's been possessed by the Evil God' are flying about . 」
Uwaa, and that guy might be stalking us? That's scary .
「Well, anyways . Take care!」
「Nn . 」
Our commission today is to harvest New Moon Grass . Since Fran still remembers where it grows, we should be able to complete it no problem . While we're at it, we plan on seeing how the development of the Poisonous Swamp is going . If things go well, we'll find a couple of Demonic Beasts along the way .
◇◆◇
A short time after advancing on the highway, we sensed a couple of presences .
(Teacher . )
『Yeah . We're being followed . 』
The number of people tailing us is two . One is amateurish — he isn't hiding his presence or anything . It's completely laid bare .
We slowly change our course off of the highway, and as we do so the presences follow after us . As expected, we're being pursued .
Like that, we advance for a short while into the forest, and allow the presences to close in .
「O-Oy! Stop right there!」
From behind, an angry voice is heard . To be lured here unawares... He's truly praise worthy .
「That's... Small-Fry Vice Commander?」
『Viscount Augusto, right?』
So, Dert's warning came true . The one besides him is probably a subordinate or something... But somehow, he doesn't give of the impression of a Knight . Anyways, for Augusto, at first glance you wouldn't be able to know that it was him . It's just to that extent that he's changed .
His cheeks are collapsed inwards, with bloodshot eyes and untidied hair which was falling out at certain points . He was going bald from misery... It's an appearance that wouldn't be out of place in a horror movie as a vengeful ghost . Erm... He didn't become an Undead, right?
Just what happened to him in these 10 days? He was a sickening fellow, sure, but when I see him in this state I end up feeling a bit sympathetic .
「Y... Yー... You!」
Uwaa... He's drawing near...
「I've c-come to take c-compensation f-for... The r-rudeness you committed against me in the G-Guild!」
That's quite sudden . Without any introductions, he's abruptly started shouting . Since he's doing so after such a transformation, I have a bad hunch .
「Who might you be?」
「W-What? Are you saying that you have... F-Forgotten myself?!」
「It's our first time meeting . 」
「T-Truly? N-No, don't lie! There's no way that's-」
「Truly Truly . Mistaken for someone else . 」
It seems Fran doesn't want to get involved . Has he really fallen this much? No... That shouldn't be enough to deceive him . Right?
「Eh? It's... Truly a misunderstanding? No — it's a lie! A... Lie... Right?」
「Not a lie . Truth . 」
「Eh? Eh? It's not a lie after all? It's really not?」
Maybe he's believing it because he's gone a bit loopy? There'd be no way he could believe that otherwise... Will Fran actually get away with this?
That's what I thought, but...
「Ah! T-That Sword! A-After all, you are the beastgirl from the Guild!?」
Sorry Fran . Because of me, he noticed .
「A-After all, it was a lie, right?! Shit... Everybody keeps telling me nothing but lies... !」
You don't say!
「T-That sword, g-give it here!」
「No . 」
「S-Shut up! F-filthy Adventurers like you shouldn't defy N-Nobles! H-Hand it over!」
「Don't want to . 」
「I-I-I'm the one who decides that! Me! Auguste Alsund[ⅰ]!」
Augusto clawed the nails of his right hand into head, scratching and tearing away at his skin . Hair quickly falls and blood trickles down his forehead in response . Yet, even with that he doesn't snap out of his eccentric behavior . Now, he's started to scratch his head with both hands .
「? Gone mad?」
How troublesome . While consulting Fran about whether we should flee or kill, his subordinate steps forward .
「Now, now, Sir Auguste . Leave this to me . 」
「Gu-gununu...」
「I'll only punish them a bit . 」[M1]
「Is t-that so? T-Then I'll leave it to you . Hihihi . 」
What an unpleasant face to laugh with... Since his mind seems to have snapped, there's just no way to go about fixing him, huh?
「And so: hand over the magic sword . That's an order from the Viscount . 」
「No way . 」
「Kukuku... Rather than resorting to violence, quickly handing it over is better for you, don't you think?」
「T-That's r-right! Gyuran is a master Mercenary!」
「Understand that? If you do, hand over the sword . 」
「Not . A . Chance . 」
「Tsk . Shitty brat, don't get all conceited, a'right! Can't you e'en comprehend th' difference in our abilities?」[M2]
Well, let's just see how strong this gum-flapping Gyuran really is .
Name :Gyuran Age :34Race :Blue Cat[E1] BeastmanJob :MercenaryState :NormalStatus: Level :31HP :168 MP :136 STR :78 END :81 AGI :118 INT :70 MGC :60 DEX :81Skills:Intimidation :Lv3, Danger Perception :Lv3, Archery :Lv2, Strong Presence Perception :Lv5, Sword Techniques :Lv5, Sword Arts :Lv6, Shield Arts :Lv4, Instantaneous Movement :Lv3, Commerce :Lv3, Spear Arts :Lv3, Dagger Arts :Lv3, Threaten :Lv3, Capture :Lv3, Paralysis Resistance :Lv3, Vigor Manipulation, Pain Reduction, AGI ↑, Directional Sense, Night EyesTitles:NoneEquipment:Illusionary Pyroxene[E2] Magic Sword, Dagger of the Sovereign Serpent, Leather Armor of the Blaze Lion, Shoes of the Hundred-Eyed Skink, Shield of the Black Stone Tree, Gauntlets of the Lesser Dragon, Hidden Claw Necklace, Bracelet of Protection, Bracelet of Poison Resistance
So-so, I guess? He's not a small fry, but he's not powerful by any means . As a 'master mercenary', he's quite lacking .
「Hm? You... Are you a Black Cat?」
「...」
「My esteemed self is from the Blue Cat Tribe . Could it be that you detest me?」
「Blue Cat Tribe: the enemy . 」
Fran gives off a strong feeling of hostility as those words leave her mouth .
『Fran? What is going on?』
(Blue Cat Tribe: have lots of slave merchants . Black marketeers as well . )
『Like the ones who caught Fran...?』
This man might also be related to such things . He has Commerce, Threaten and Capture after all .
(Mhm . Around 300 years ago: the Blue Cat Tribe started becoming slave traders . Tricked members of the Black Cat tribe . Made into slaves and sold . )
『'Tricked'?』
(Blue Cat tribe pretended to be friendly, then launched a surprise attack . Many of the Black Cat tribe: caught and sold . Appealed to the King of the Beastmen, but because of status: couldn't receive an audience . )
What a despicable story... I'll remember it . The Blue Cat Tribe consists of slave traders . Fran's enemy is my enemy . In other words, that guy is my enemy .
「What's with you, finally going silent? Are ya trembling? Well, it's too late nowkahaha . You'll have to experience a bit of pain: lament your own recklessness! I won't give you any big wounds, though . You'd be unable to be turned into merchandise if I did!」
『He's pitch black . This fellow is definitely connected to the black market slave dealers . 』
(Nn . )
The man drew his blades, both of which were clad in magical power . They seem to be somewhat strong .
Name :Illusionary Pyroxene Magic SwordATK :650 MP :200 Durability :600 Magic Power Conductivity・B
Skills:Illusionary AttackName :Dagger of the Sovereign SerpentATK :373 MP :100 Durability :700 Magic Power Conductivity・C+Skills:Sovereign Toxic Fang
(All over his body: magic tools?)
『Yeah, looks like it . 』
(Then, take?)
『Using Dimensional Storage?』
Wouldn't harvesting the opponent's equipment during battle be effective? We'd been thinking so for a while now, — No, actually, we only noticed we could recently .
Originally, we tried various things to test the power of the Dimensional Storage . Tests to see if the passage of time truly stopped, or if the temperature really didn't change among others . The results of our investigation showed that the raw materials didn't rot, and foods stayed piping hot . After testing regularly, we came to the conclusion that time really stopped .
In the middle of such tests, we suddenly came up with the idea of stealing equipment from opponents . Since we had only been fighting Demonic Beasts there was no chance to try it out, but... The perfect opponent has arrived .
「Oh? You got the guts for it, lil' girl?」
Fran unsheathes me... And Gyuran falls to the ground .
「――Huh?」
「First: bracelets . 」
「AAAAAAAAAAAH!」
Moving to his side in an instant, Gyuran's arms both fall to Fran's feet . On each arm was a magic bracelet .
(Teacher: harvesting went well?)
『Y-Yeah . 』
No mercy for enemies, right? Or rather, it seems that her actions are slightly more severe than usual, with a calm anger resonating around her . Towards the screaming Gyuran, Fran's eyes grow dark as she pushes me against the bracelets . With that, Dimensional Storage invoked .
「Sword, too . 」
I retrieve the fallen sword without issue . It seems that I can harvest things so long as they're separated from the wielder's hand .
「W-Why?! According to my Skill, she shouldn't be this strong — O-Only my life, pleaaaaaah!」
Skills? This guy can talk quite well despite being in such a state... Ah, come to think of it, he had a Pain Reduction Skill . Is it thanks to that? Now, what were his other skills again...? Ahh, I see, he was talking about Strong Presence Perception!
Strong Presence Perception Allows the user to perceive the difference in Levels between themselves and others .
So, it's because of this Skill that he figured Fran's Level was below his . A member of the Black Cat tribe with a lower level, and a young girl on top of that . In his eyes, there must have been plenty to make light of .
Hmm... Besides Strong Presence Perception, AGI ↑ is a good skill, but... Skill Taker can't be reused in the end . As expected, it's absolutely necessary to think before we use it . Hopefully a good opponent will arrive in front of us while Skill Taker is usable .
「Attempt harvesting again . Armor?」
「H-Hiii―!」
*Zaku*
I jab into the shoulder of the man who is trying to flee by crawling away .
「I-It huuurts!」
Even if he has Pain Reduction, there's no way this would remain painless in the end . While thinking so I invoke Dimensional storage, but...
『I can't harvest it . It appears that it's not possible to take anything that the other party is wearing . 』
How disappointing . If it was possible, it would have been quite useful during combat .
(Then... If the wielder dies it'll work?)
『Well, that's right, but... I'll do it, so ―』
(Nn-nn . It's alright . I will . )
Uttering so, Fran swings me down without hesitation .
「Ag―― kahyuu――......」
With the nape of his neck cut, the sound of air escaping his lungs releases from his lips . As his life fade, he squirms slightly, moving what remains of his arms midair... And dies . Not quick enough .
『Are you alright?』
(Would have been experienced eventually . This guy as the first: good luck . )
For having killed a person with her own hands for the first time, she's quite calm . Perhaps it was because he was a bitter enemy of her tribe, or maybe it was because he was a scoundrel?
Well, the Mental Stability Skill might also be showing its effect . It's a skill that lowers the mental hurdle towards killing, so... It's good that she obtained it before this experience .
Anyways, I can rationalize it all I'd like, but it'd be best to ignore it for now . So long as Fran doesn't end up troubled for no reason, then it's fine . I never liked hesitant protagonists anyways . To get depressed every single time they kill an enemy is nothing but irritating .
『Then, let's harvest it at once!』
「Nn . 」
『First, the armor!』
Armor, Boots, Dagger, Shield, Gauntlets, Necklace, one by one they get harvested .
「Hihihihihiii!」
It was uncertain whether it was a laugh or a scream that was raised as Small-Fry Vice Commander Auguste fell on his backside .
「Ri... Ri-Ridiculous! H-He was the hero of the Ruze[E3] War! T-To defeat the slaughterer of a th-thousand men, that s-superhuman, th-this easily...!」
He really was completely fooled... Slaughterer of a thousand men? That's just too laughable . Besides, this Gyuran: a Hero? No way . Anyone with even a spec of human intellect could realize that . It's difficult to believe that someone would fall for such a lie .
No, maybe... Is this my fault? Since I stole Law of Lies, has he become unable to distinguish truth from lies?
(Teacher's fault . )
『Eh... So it is, after all...』
(Nn . Good job . )
『Ah, you were praising me . 』
She's harsh on those she's showed hostility to, as usual .
W-Well, you reap what you sow . It's just his bad luck that he picked a quarrel with us . Right . I'm not at fault . Nope .
「A-And Gyuran's equipment, w-where did it go?! I-I bought t-that as a present — i-it's the highest grade of armor!」
You really were an easy mark, huh . After being inspired with a bunch of lies, you easily opened your wallet . How pitiful .
『Hey, what should we do about him?』
(...... Ignore . )
『Hmm . Is that alright?』
For now, I guess we'll just focus on harvesting Gyuran's corpse . If it's left alone, it seem that he could become an undead, after all . It's a bother to have to dispose of it, but it can't be helped .
While we're at it, I take the ~20,000 Gorudo he had on him, too . Can't let anything go to waste, right?
Now, how should we deal with Auguste... Arrest him? Kill him? Ignore him? Brainwash him?
While being troubled about how to approach the issue, a new presence appeared, closing in on our location .
(Teacher...!)
『Ah, it's got quite the amount of magical power . It might just reach Threat Level D! Be careful!』
「Nn!」