Chapter 8
“Hero, so we can find them, right?”
“It's for Riella's sake. Let's hang in there a little longer.”
“But we've had no leads for three weeks……”
How much longer am I supposed to hang in there?
That Hero bastard. It's pathetic how he can't give up on Riella just because she's a heroine.
For three weeks, Yubel had been hearing the Hero say things like ‘We're almost there,’ like some adult's lie.
Every time, it put her in a terrible mood, but she had no choice but to hold back her anger.
He'd let his guard down only if she stayed on his good side.
Anyway, over the past three weeks, they'd stopped by the fantasy staples—taverns and restaurants—to gather information, but...
A tavern was just a tavern, and a restaurant was just a restaurant.
The Hero looked at her like he couldn't understand why she kept suggesting places like that.
That's what they do in anime and stuff.
“Oh, thank you again, Hero! My back's been hurting lately, so it's hard to move things……”
“We should help whenever we can. Well, I'll be going now.”
“Yes! Have a good day!”
The Hero would also volunteer to help the elves from time to time.
Thanks to that, the elves had a pretty favorable impression of the Hero's party.
What a freaking fake.
There were certainly people who liked volunteering, but she couldn't imagine a psychopath who played porn games being one of them.
He must be trying to hide his true nature.
“Oh, right. Have we seen Riella today?”
“No idea. I don't think so?”
Sometimes she went with the Hero to visit Riella.
Every time, Riella would just give an awkward smile and apologize.
That didn't suit her.
So even though she hated going around with the Hero, following him to look for clues was only natural.
How could we abandon Riella when she felt so bad about it?
Aren't I just too nice?
Clomp, clomp.
“Hm? Where'd that bastard go?”
While they wandered around without a single clue,
she spotted the Hero entering a suspicious-looking establishment in the distance.
Isn't that a brothel?
“Hey! Why are you going in there?”
“No…… I heard some commotion earlier……”
What else would you hear coming from a brothel besides moaning?
He couldn't even hold back and had to go to a brothel. Honestly, I can't let my guard down around this crazy Hero.
“Aaaah!!! That guy's getting away!! Somebody grab him!!”
Huh?
The brothel door flew open, and some man came sprinting out.
“Kwahaha! Later, whores! Huh?”
Wow, what a low-class line.
But he's way too fast to catch.
Bye-bye.
As she watched the man run away, his clothes suddenly started coming off!
They peeled off one after another, almost as quickly as musical actors changing costumes.
“Ah, shit, what the hell! Why do my pants keep falling down!”
Oh my, how indecent.
Is he an exhibitionist?
“I'll catch him!”
Dash!
The Hero immediately caught the fleeing man.
With his arm twisted behind him, the man kissed the ground.
“Ugh! Get off me! Damn it, who the hell made these pants like this!!”
Yeah, who made his pants... Oh, right.
Come to think of it, isn't that the Hero bastard's skill?
Yubel dredged up her memories of the game.
The Hero had a variety of skill trees.
He could unlock whichever skills he wanted, and she was pretty sure one of them was called ‘Undress.’
Or maybe it was a skill she didn't know about.
Anyway, the appearance of that skill meant the Hero had raised a heroine's lewdness or spent the night with one.
If so, there was only one culprit: Riella.
“Sigh……”
Yubel let out a deep sigh.
If only Riella hadn't done it with the Hero!
And if they were going to do it, they could've at least let me watch.
In truth, Yubel's own lewdness had gone up because she'd been having lewd fantasies about Riella.
You lewd woman.
Meanwhile, Baek Se-on was puzzled.
What kind of skill was this?
What was a Hero supposed to do with a skill that stripped other people?
It was fun, though.
Anyway, if he used it well, it was a good skill... probably?
“Oh, thank you! That guy used our establishment, then claimed he had no money and tried to run off. I almost let him get away. I should give you a little something in return…… Would you like to make use of our services?”
“Ah, that's——.”
“No, no! We don't need anything like that!”
Yubel cut in.
Phew, I turned her down quickly. Surely she won't suggest we go in now?
“Oh, you have a girlfriend! I suppose it would've been strange if you didn't.”
Fortunately, the madam didn't say anything more.
Wait, who's the girlfriend?
“By any chance, do you know anything about the Black Wolves? We're looking for them.”
The Hero asked the madam about the Black Wolves.
What would a madam like her know——
“I can tell you all about that! Our establishment also deals in information.”
——she might know, actually.
As expected, you shouldn't judge people by their appearance.
Mm-hmm.
“Then follow me this way.”
Clomp, clomp.
They followed the brothel's madam into a quiet room at the back.
As befitted an information broker, the room was full of documents containing all sorts of records.
But why was a brothel connected to an information network?
Did people share information while making love?
“You mean the Black Wolves who recently infiltrated Edellia?”
“Yes. We need to capture them.”
While Yubel looked around the room, the Hero was talking with the madam.
“We'd recently found some traces and were investigating, but the army suddenly halted the search, so we let it go, too.”
Hadrien must've withdrawn the army because he wanted the Hero himself to find and eliminate them.
He was trying to boost the Hero's achievements so Riella could be pardoned more easily.
He acted like he didn't care in front of his daughter, but he's such a tsundere.
“Then could you share that information with us? I may not look it, but I'm the Hero, and I've been tracking the Black Wolves.”
“The Hero……? Ah! Now that you mention it, you are the Hero! Then can I trust you with this?”
Trust a guy like him with it?
The madam's really having a run of bad luck today.
So Se-on and Yubel headed to the place the madam had told them about.
‘The Black Wolves' trail went cold in the western district, near an uninhabited forest. They're probably hiding somewhere in that forest.’
And so, the Hero's party cautiously made their way through the deserted forest, stepping over cool earth and fresh leaves.
They gave up speed, since the Black Wolves might be lying in ambush.
“Urrrgh……. My back's about to give out……”
“Are you okay? Want to rest for a bit?”
“No……. Let's just hurry.”
After walking hunched over for so long, Yubel's back was killing her.
Following behind Yubel, Se-on was worried about her.
Their opponents were a mercenary group, and they might end up fighting people.
“Yubel. Are you really okay? Aren't you afraid of fighting people? You had such a hard time with the goblins, too.”
Yubel had struggled even to kill monsters. If she killed a person, she might be traumatized.
He asked, concerned about how she was holding up.
“Huh? Are you worried about me? That was just the one time. I got used to it right away. Didn't you see me blow those goblins away?”
Yubel spoke confidently, punching at empty air.
She looked like she was showing off her strength, but she didn't have a single muscle.
“All right……. But stay close to me.”
Yubel was a little special to Se-on.
He thought she was the first ‘true’ companion he'd made in this world.
On top of that, she was kindhearted and followed him around helping people in trouble.
She had an attractive appearance, along with a bold and spirited attitude.
No one could help but be drawn to her.
She was a little sharp-tongued, but whenever Yubel, who seemed to want to stay close to him, was around, Se-on felt inexplicably at ease.
“Why do I have to stay close to you……”
Yubel looked away, embarrassed.
Was she the shy type?
Se-on felt a strange flutter in his chest.
Yubel, on the other hand, did not.
Oh, there's poop over there.
Do elves poop too?
She'd just seen poop and turned away.
***
After a while, the forest grew dark and night fell.
It was very dangerous to keep exploring a dark forest at night.
There were more than just people around here.
Anyway, deciding they wouldn't be able to find the Black Wolves today, the Hero's party had no choice but to prepare to camp.
“Oh? There are two sleeping bags?”
Se-on's back had hurt ever since the day he'd slept on the ground, and he'd nearly died riding in the carriage.
He didn't want to go through that again, so he'd gotten sleeping bags for two.
Flop.
Se-on and Yubel lay down side by side.
They gazed at the stars twinkling overhead, something they hadn't often seen back on Earth.
Yubel was amazed by the sight.
Damn, that's beautiful.
I just want to lie here without a care in the world.
“Daughter……. Hm, daughter……”
A muttering came from beside her.
What the hell is this guy, mumbling about his daughter like that?
Does he want to jerk off right now?
What a creep.
“Yubel.”
“Yeah?”
“Is there a way to help Hadrien and Riella get closer? Their relationship as father and daughter seems a little strained.”
Se-on wanted to hear Yubel's thoughts about Riella and Hadrien.
Yubel was dumbfounded.
Why don't you get your own shit together instead of meddling in someone else's family affairs?
Well, it was kind of sad to see.
“I guess. I don't know much about family relationships either, but maybe they just need enough time to talk to each other?”
“Time to talk……”
Se-on heard Yubel's words and thought it over for a moment.
Then he turned his head toward her.
“?”
At his serious expression, as if he had something to say, Yubel swallowed nervously without realizing it.
“Yubel. Once this is over, we should——”
“Aaaah, I'm gonna shit myself! Why isn't there a bathroom here!”
A rough voice came from behind a tree in the distance.
When they went closer to check, a burly man who seemed drunk was relieving himself with his pants down.
Trickle——
“Phew. I almost shit my pants. Who the hell built a hideout without a bathroom! Huh?”
He didn't get to finish.
Se-on had snuck up behind him and held a sword to his throat.
I've seen this in ninja games.
Should I slice him up?
“Don't move. Are you one of the Black Wolves?”
“Y-Yes, sir! B-But could you please move that sword awa— Eek! I didn't say anything!”
Se-on's sword pressed a little closer to the man's throat.
“Tell me where your organization is right now. I'll give you three seconds. One, two……”
“O-Over there! If you go straight ahead! There's a hideout about fifty meters away, between the trees! Gah!”
Thwack! Thump.
Se-on struck the back of the man's neck and knocked him out.
It was a clumsy karate chop, but the brute strength he'd gained from fighting monsters made it work.
Yubel's eyes sparkled before she knew it.
“Looks like we have to leave right now.”
Yubel nodded in agreement with Se-on.
If the guy who was knocked out suddenly went missing, they'd get suspicious and run, so they had no choice.
“Yeah. I wanted to sleep, but it can't be helped. Let's go now.”
They arrived at a shabby house.
Se-on and Yubel exchanged glances and nodded, then approached the door.
“Hey! What's the password?”
“Uh.”
A deep voice came from inside.
This seemed to be the right place.
But they have a password?
That bastard deliberately left that out!
“……”
“……”
But what were they supposed to say?
They hadn't known there was a password.
“Th……, tw……”
Screw it.
“Ma, ma.”
“Who is it?”
“Mana Sphere!!!!”
Kaboom!!!!
“Gah!! I-Intruders……”
The Mana Sphere smashed the door to pieces.
They aren't dead, are they?
Well, since they're criminals, she doesn't feel that bad.
“What was that?!”
“Yubel! Stay behind me!”
Se-on immediately drew his longsword and charged at the Black Wolves.
He told me to stay behind him, so I'll just rest here.