◈ Episode 333. Why, Caw— Kichi glanced sideways.
“What are you shouting about like you did something good?”
Toward the spiritual creature of the Shadow Mercenary Corps, the Shadow Crow.
“Do you know how many times you’ve come up empty now, birdbrain?”
She had followed the Shadow Crow’s memories to reach this place. Just how desperate was she for something to trust, to be moving around relying on a birdbrain? It was undignified for the acknowledged ruler of the underworld.
“Hoo.”
But there had been no other way.
On the continent at this point in time, the one who knew the full story of ‘that day’
was probably nothing but that damned crow.
“Eat quickly. We don’t have time.”
A spiritual creature transparently reflected the group it belonged to.
If the Akschan Wolf possessed the indomitable spirit of Akschan, never yielding before any enemy, then the Shadow Crow was, at least when it came to deals, even more thorough than the Shadow Mercenaries themselves.
Srrk— As Kichi swept her long black hair to one side, the Shadow Crow flew toward her nape. Then it began pecking at the back of her neck with its beak.
“……Tch.”
She never got used to this disgusting feeling.
Since the crow was a spiritual creature without a physical body, it left no wounds. Instead, it merely took vitality as the price for the deal. Kichi shook her head and returned it to its original state.
“You, if it’s a bust this time too……”
Had trusting a birdbrain been the mistake? Or perhaps it was because the underworld hadn’t lost its original character even as the Arcana Continent was turned upside down. It had already been several days without any gains.
“Son of a……”
In the end, it was another wild goose chase.
Briefly tearing at her hair in frustration, Kichi glared at the crow.
It really looked like that damned birdbrain was messing with her.
“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”
Kichi was well aware of it herself.
“What, because you don’t like me?”
Perhaps she was the least Shadow Mercenary-like leader in the history of the Shadow Mercenary Corps. It wouldn’t be strange at all if the Shadow Crow, the spiritual creature of the Shadow Mercenary Corps, didn’t like someone like her.
The corners of Kichi’s mouth twisted upward.
“If that’s the case, you should’ve said so sooner.”
Srring!
Caw?
As Kichi drew her dagger, the crow flinched and stamped its feet.
However, Kichi’s dagger wasn’t aimed at the Shadow Crow.
It was her own nape, or more precisely, her long hair hanging down.
Snip— Kichi’s hand moved without hesitation.
She cut her long black hair without hesitation to bob length.
She tossed the clump of hair in front of the Shadow Crow with a light thud.
“Even if you call it vitality, it’s a trivial thing that regenerates in a day. You know that something not precious to the other party can’t become a proper deal even if you take it as payment, right? I might not look the part, but I am the leader. Thanks to that, I know the Shadow Mercenary Corps’ twisted symbol well.”
The Shadow Mercenary Corps was utterly vile.
Why, you only had to look through past request ledgers to find the answer. They had done so many things that left nothing but malice behind…… Kichi had cut and offered the hair most precious to her, just as the crow wanted.
“I grew this for years…….”
Killing intent settled in Kichi’s eyes.
“Eat it all without dropping a single strand. And speak properly.”
Caw!
“Where the Auction pigs are hiding.”
Peck, peck, peck— Only after swallowing all the hair did the Shadow Crow fly up energetically. Kichi thought, ‘Cunning birdbrain, I ought to pluck all those feathers and fry them.’
Still, the fortunate thing was. ‘More importantly, what are you doing, Wolf.’ Wolf, who should have succeeded her as leader, had never once summoned the Shadow Crow until now. Thanks to that, the Shadow Crow still considered Kichi the leader and followed her.
Habitually trying to touch her hair, Kichi hesitated at the emptiness. ‘It’s expensive, that birdbrain’s price.’ If she had been an ordinary member, she would have paid with more than just hair.
If it had known she was a deserter who couldn’t even be a member…….
It might have taken decades of lifespan as payment.
Kichi shrugged. ‘In that sense, I’ll consider this generous.’ She had already given up her attachment to the cut hair. ‘If I find it, that is.’ However, she still had lingering attachment to the ‘other hair’ she had been searching for several days.
It was a situation that made even Kichi herself want to laugh.
“……I’m not in any position to criticize others. What am I even doing?”
Orc Auction.
As the name suggested, it was an auction house run by the orc race. Because she was the ruler of the underworld, Kichi knew better than anyone what kind of existence orcs were in the underworld.
Orc strength surpasses that of ordinary humans several dozen times over, and their vitality is more tenacious than weeds in a wheat field. Just how resilient were they? Even if an arm was cut off, a new one would sprout after a few weeks.
Furthermore, as could be seen from the fact that they ran an auction house, contrary to rumors spread in the world, their intelligence was no different from humans.
However, the problem was their enormous drawback of being ugly enough to make one forget the superiority of all other species.
But as mentioned earlier, orcs were clever.
They didn’t bother mixing in with the bright side of the Arcana Continent; instead, they expanded their influence in the shadows, the underworld, wielding their strengths.
By any means necessary.
“So they must have bought it without fear.”
Kichi checked the transaction ledger.
The ‘other hair’ she was looking for hadn’t been sold to someone through a public auction. Just before the auction started, the organizer, the Orc Auction side, had directly purchased it at a value a whopping one thousand times the starting price.
That was precisely why Kichi had set out to find the Orc Auction.
“They hid deep, and quite out of character at that.”
The amount wouldn’t have been a problem for orcs who made their living off commission fees.
To begin with, the amount of gold coins circulating in the underworld was beyond imagination. Since the Arcana Continent had more dirty gold than honest gold, it wouldn’t be strange.
It was understandable that they hid so thoroughly. ‘They have no reason to stick their necks out.’ The orcs were already wealthy, and they had enough power to protect their wealth. Moreover, they had no justification to step forward to protect the Arcana Continent. Building an underground city and holing up there was a wise decision.
If only for one thing.
“But touching that hair was a mistake.”
Caw— The mine didn’t stand out much externally.
If only what guarded the entrance to the mine weren’t green-skinned orcs.
Kichi tried to approach immediately but paused.
Crap, I need to avoid making a commotion for now……?
Thud, thud.
It was the sound of people, rare to hear in such a remote area. Kichi turned her head toward where she felt the presence and was surprised. Why would someone like that be wandering around this neighborhood alone……?
A face covered by a veil.
Long, flowing white robes.
Anyone could see that was the appearance of a cleric.
Judging by the covered face, she was definitely a sister of the Order…….
Was she fearless, or excessively devout?
To wander alone across the Arcana Continent in such times.
Kichi soon shook her head. ‘Of course, I’m not in a position to worry about others.’ Kichi raised the dagger in her hand.
“Because I, who am frail, delicate, get drunk easily, and am overly emotional, have to infiltrate a mine full of vicious, burly orcs alone.”
A joke that wouldn’t even draw a snort from a Shadow Mercenary.
There was no persuasiveness in Kichi’s words.
Of course, Kichi didn’t seem to have any intention of persuading anyone either.
Trudge, trudge.
There was no infiltration or anything like it.
Because Kichi was approaching the mine openly.
“!!”
The orcs on guard reacted immediately.
Click!
They raised their weapons, then upon recognizing Kichi’s face, asked in surprise.
“Could it be…… Leader Kichi of the Shadow Mercenary Corps?”
With extremely polite honorifics.
Even though they were orcs dominating the underworld of the Arcana Continent.
The Shadow Mercenary Corps was an organization whose influence extended beyond the underworld and into the surface world as well. The leader of such a group, Kichi, had suddenly drawn a dagger and was approaching them.
They couldn’t help but use polite language.
“W-we’re sorry. Your appearance has changed noticeably from before, so we couldn’t recognize you immediately. We apologize again!”
“Is that your way of saying I’ve gotten old while you weren’t looking?”
“N-no! It’s just that your hair has gotten shorter……!”
“Bzzt. Wrong again.”
“……!!”
She’s in a bad mood.
Nothing good will come from exchanging more words.
Let’s get straight to business.
The orcs quickly lowered their weapons and opened their mouths.
“If you have a message, we will relay it to the higher-ups immediately!”
“Tell Ullichi I’m looking for something.”
“The Auction is currently closed for business, but…… if it’s a request from Kichi-nim, I’m sure Ullichi-nim will understand. We will relay the message right away.”
“Ah, can you add one more thing?”
“Of course.”
“Tell him circumstances are such that I can’t pay a single gold coin.”
“……Could it be that you are short on money?”
“No, it’s because of that damned pride.”
“……What do you mean, pride?”
At Kichi’s words, the orc’s face seemed to turn an even deeper blue.
The orcs, of all people.
Were beings who believed in nothing but gold coins in this world.
To think she came looking for something but couldn’t pay a single gold coin.
Only then did they seem to understand why Kichi had suddenly raised her weapon. ‘There’s no way that stingy old man Ullichi will stay still……’ The orc soldier squeezed his eyes shut. ‘Damn it, blood will be spilled.’
*The Order of the Goddess.
Affiliated with the Return of the Goddess faction.
Saintess, Freija.
Freija did not stop walking toward the source of darkness.
The imperial scenery was unfamiliar.
Perhaps because a long time had passed.
However, Freija’s hollow eyes did not rest on anything. She merely walked to purify, in the name of the Goddess, the darkness that had enveloped the Arcana Continent, the immeasurable sorrow.
“…….”
Eventually, a somewhat familiar scenery came into view.
It was Antonium, the imperial capital.
Freija clasped her hands and offered a prayer there.
“By the Goddess’s guidance, I have reached this place.”
Freija took a small, deep breath.
The darkness seemed to have started from Antonium.
Antonium was surely not in a normal state.
The emotions flowing from the darkness were not at a level a single human could endure. The people of Antonium, who would have been exposed to even denser sorrow at a closer distance, must by now…….
Freija continued.
“O Goddess, please watch over these pitiful ones.”
Freija gripped tightly the pendant engraved with the octagonal symbol of the Order of the Goddess. The moment she approached Antonium, she couldn’t be sure where the source of darkness might strike her. She had to be prepared to pass judgment at any moment.
But it was strange.
“Open the door!”
A booming voice was heard from the ramparts of Antonium.
It was the voice of a sentry.
One that felt no trace of sorrow or exhaustion.
“Oh my, isn’t this a sister of the Order of the Goddess? To think you’re wandering the continent alone when even Muon is not in a proper state? Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe!”
Freija entered Antonium under the sentry’s guidance.
And faced it.
The scenery of Antonium was so different from what she expected that she felt a sense of dissonance.
“Is it because you’re from the countryside? You don’t know the ways of the world.”
“Well, if it’s the countryside, then yes? If it’s lacking……”
“No, no! It’s not that it’s lacking, but who in the world pays for three people’s food with a single gold coin! Surely from the west of the continent…… Where did you say you were from?”
“The territory of Maxima.”
“Yes, Maxima! I don’t know where that is, but the merchants there must be enviable. A month? If we did business there for even two days, commoners like us would earn enough to eat and play for life.”
It was boisterous beyond mere liveliness.
Outsiders who were not residents of Antonium could easily be seen.
It was no different from the Antonium Freija remembered from the past.
If anything.
“Anyway, we don’t have change for a gold coin now or anytime soon. For now, just go. We can at least give you silver in change. Come back when gold can be exchanged for silver, why don’t you.”
“Isn’t that credit? I couldn’t possibly impose……”
“What’s impossible about it! If knights who are so short on gold coins that they walk around wearing gold armor would skip out on a mere meal, even my dog would laugh!”
A warmth that was almost strange surged.
To the point that it was unbelievable that an endlessly deep darkness had descended.
But Freija had no leisure to find the reason.
“……!”
Because it was gradually approaching.
Because it was approaching of its own accord.
That source of darkness.
Clutch— Freija gripped her pendant amidst her doubts.
Eventually, she faced the darkness.
Its form didn’t properly enter her eyes.
Because her eyes were covered by a veil.
But for some reason, even though the source of darkness should have revealed itself.
Instead, she heard the voices of the people cheering.
Freija muttered.
“O Goddess, lead me not into temptation.”
Do not let me fall into confusion before the judgment.
She offered a prayer.
Soon, the pendant would transform into the Goddess’s hammer.
That source of darkness that would one day surely plunge the continent into deep sorrow.
She had to pass judgment in the name of the Goddess.
Why……?
The pendant remained as it was.
The Goddess’s power did not reside in it.
The Goddess had not answered her prayer.
Freija looked at the source of darkness beyond the veil with trembling eyes.
No, to call it darkness itself.
The man radiating excessively brilliant light……
Unfortunately.
Your Goddess.
Seems to like me more than you?[Religion, your favor with the Church of the Goddess has reached its maximum.]
-“I do not believe in gods.”
-“Because there is no definite proof that they exist.”
-“But there is also no definite proof that gods do not exist.”
-“Because a mere demon can hardly serve as proof.”
Having grandly declared the fact that he was faithless.
Muon Update, who had led the Paladin Order of the Goddess’s Church with sophistry.
Summarizing such steps of mine.
The highlight video’s NetTube views were a whopping 2.14 billion. ‘I do wonder if the cost-benefit makes sense…… but anyway, to think that humiliation would start paying off like this……!’