Let's Get a Different House

“Yuna, let’s get a different house.”

Franz said after much deliberation. Because no matter how much he thought about it, it wasn't a problem he could just let slide.

Of course, nothing might happen at all. The Cultists might surrender meekly, or perhaps they might have already fled. But if there was even the slightest possibility of trouble, it was right to avoid it.

He just felt a little sorry for Yuna. She had gone to such lengths to choose her favorite house, only to be told to change it.

“Huh? Why? Is there something wrong with it?”

Yuna tilted her head in confusion.

Something wrong? Of course there was. And it was something very bad.

If he could have told her beforehand, none of this would have happened, but he had unfortunately learned the truth about the code too late.

“There’s a possibility that Cultists are hiding in that rocky mountain you just mentioned. And not just any Cultists – they are Executives. They’re powerful individuals.”

In the end, Franz laid out the truth. It seemed easier to persuade her by being honest rather than making up some strange excuse.

Nor did he worry about the information leaking out.

Yuna wasn't the type to go blabbing to just anyone.

The one thing he had overlooked, however, was.

“Cultists…?”

Yuna felt extreme rage towards the Cult.

Her eyes were sharp, as if she would find them and tear them to shreds no matter what. It was only natural, as it was the Cult who had kidnapped her family and committed those terrible acts.

*‘This is bad…’*

Franz realized it the moment he saw Yuna’s eyes.

She would definitely find the Cultists and kill them. If her house was in danger because of the Cultists, she had chosen to eliminate the source. It was an undeniably Hero-like choice, facing adversity head-on rather than avoiding it, but the underlying motivation wasn't justice but hatred.

Franz merely felt pity for her. She had suffered a wound that would never heal.

He wanted to stop her, but he probably couldn't.

He couldn't just keep her by his side and monitor her constantly.

*‘I made a mistake.’*

He thought revealing the truth would persuade her, but it had only made her unpersuadable.

So, would he give up…?

What else can I do but give up?

Even if he tried to persuade her now, she would act on her own. At least, that’s what he’d seen so far. She was the type to act first, even running all the way to the Magic Tower. What more could he expect?

However, giving up on persuading her didn't mean he was washing his hands of the situation entirely.

What was his original purpose in seeking out Yuna? It was to decipher the code, find the Seven Great Evils, and subjugate them. That was his ultimate goal. If he couldn't persuade her, it was better to move together.

Perhaps the Cultists might destroy the house….

Then he could just buy her a similar one. He had more money than he could ever spend anyway.

“Just in case, you shouldn’t go off to kill Cultists by yourself, okay?”

“Th-That’s right…?!”

Yuna’s eyes shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck. As expected, it seemed she had been planning to go after the Cultists.

“For now, wait at home. I’ll come pick you up tonight.”

“Huh? Why at night?”

“What do you mean ‘why’? If we’re going to catch them, let’s go together.”

Franz said it as if it were obvious.

Yuna’s eyes widened, and then she nodded repeatedly.

Shall I go catch up on my pending work then?

Snap.

* * * * *

A massive cave lay in the Rocky Mountains of the Ishtar Dukedom, a place so tall and rugged that ordinary people wouldn't even think of setting foot there.

Drip.

Inside the dark and damp cave.

The small sound of dripping water echoed unusually loudly.

The cave's structure was like an anthill. Its paths were intricately tangled, branching into dozens of directions, resembling tree roots.

And in the deepest part of that cave, there was a short woman.

“Hmm, is this pretty?”

The woman was contemplating something, examining it from various angles.

In her hand was a bear’s head. It was covered in stiff, thick fur, and sharp, menacing teeth protruded from its mouth.

Drip, drip.

Blood flowing from the head ran down her arm and dripped from her elbow.

A red puddle had already formed on the floor.

After contemplating for a long time, she shook her head and gently placed it on the floor. Then, she picked up the head next to it. It was definitely smaller than the bear head she had just held. Since it was human, that was only natural.

“Humans are pretty, after all.”

She hummed a tune as she headed somewhere, as if she had made up her mind.

She soon arrived at a place where there was a spider corpse about the size of a human torso.

At her gesture, the spider's head was cleanly severed.

She placed the human head on the severed neck, and as she channeled demonic energy, wriggling, tentacle-like things emerged, binding the two together.

“You, enter Pass Room 6.”

No sooner had the woman spoken than the spider with the human head began to move. Both human and spider had clearly been dead. Anyone ordinary would surely find it an unbelievable sight. But for Belphegor of Sloth, it was all too familiar.

“What should I make with the bear head?”

Belphegor muttered to herself as she took a step.

What caught her eye was a bear head, a giant fish body, human legs, and lizard arms. It seemed another masterpiece was about to be born.

Then it happened.

A subtle sensation traveled through the air. Not dead, but a fresh, raw feeling.

A customer, a customer.

Belphegor's lips curled upwards.

She was excited at the thought of acquiring new ingredients.

It was night, with the moon illuminating the world instead of the sun.

Snap.

Franz snapped his fingers and arrived in front of Yuna’s house. Looking at the old, shabby house, he suddenly understood why Yuna wanted to change houses.

Knock, knock.

Franz knocked on the door, and a voice came from beyond the door.

“Just a moment.”

It was similar to Yuna’s, but a little thinner.

The one who opened the door was Yuria, Yuna’s younger sister. Her deep dark circles were gone, and though still thin, she looked reasonably well. Compared to when she had suffered the incident, her condition had definitely improved.

“Oh, hello.”

Upon seeing Franz, Yuria immediately bowed her head in greeting.

Franz also gave a slight nod in response.

“Ah, yes. Hello.”

He had come to meet a friend, but his friend’s younger sister had appeared. A very awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere began to flow between them.

Fortunately, a savior appeared shortly after.

“Franz, sorry. I was dozing off for a bit.”

Yuna emerged, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Her eyes were half-closed, as if she hadn't fully woken up yet.

“Sister…!”

Yuria, startled, began hitting Yuna’s back repeatedly.

But the Hero’s body was strong.

Yuna’s expression didn’t change in the slightest, as if nothing had happened.

“Huh? Why?”

“J-Just follow me…!”

Yuria bowed her head to Franz, then went back inside the house with Yuna.

Franz could roughly guess why she was doing that. Her older sister was meeting a friend, and she was going out looking disheveled and half-asleep, so it must have bothered her. Though he didn't know what she was doing with that friend.

When Yuna finally came out, she looked distinctly different from before.

Her red hair was neatly tied back, and instead of pants and a t-shirt, she was wearing a dress. Of course, even for a dress, it wasn't a fancy one that a noble might wear, but quite plain. In short, it was the kind of clothing a Commoner would wear.

“I-I’m sorry. My sister is a bit careless.”

“Oh, it’s fine. It’s not like this is the first time.”

At Franz’s words, Yuria’s palm struck again. It seemed the younger sister was as sharp and sensible as her older sister was not.

“Oh, this is a gift.”

Franz handed Yuria a gift. Nothing special, just a dinnerware set and some tea leaves. He had no idea what to buy, so he just bought something suitable.

“C-Can we really accept this…? We’re the ones who should be repaying you…”

“It’s fine. Just accept it comfortably.”

If they don't take it, it'll just be a burden. I'd have to leave it somewhere anyway.

“Th-Then we’ll gratefully accept it…”

Yuria bowed her head. So much so that she wondered if her head would touch her feet.

After that conversation, Franz and Yuna left with Yuria seeing them off.

Light flickered, and the two appeared in front of the Rocky Mountains, at the mansion they had seen during the day.

“Yuna, so that mountain is the one where the dragon and all that stuff are, right?”

“Yeah, you’ll probably know when the sun rises.”

“Well, I don’t really intend to check.”

There was no need to confirm whether the code was real or not.

He was going to search the entire Rocky Mountains anyway.

Snap.

Franz snapped his fingers, and light flickered as their forms appeared on the summit of the Rocky Mountains.

It was a dizzying height when looking down. They wouldn't fall, but if an ordinary person did, that person would surely be dead.

‘Then, shall I check where they’re hiding?’

Franz began to send mana around, detecting where they might be hiding, and soon found a place filled with sticky, unpleasant mana.

It was a cave. Demonic energy was flowing out from inside a very large cave. The energy was so dense that he couldn't detect anything deeper inside.

“Found it.”

“Let’s go.”

Franz used Teleport, arriving with Yuna in front of the cave.

Franz’s brow furrowed instantly at the unpleasant mana flowing from the cave.

Having a good sensitivity to mana was quite inconvenient at times like this.

Well, no matter what, it had to be done.

Franz and Yuna immediately stepped inside. Into the depths of the cave, filled with magic beasts.