(EP-122.2) Hunting #2
122 – Monster Hunt #2
Miriam’s blue eyes met my gaze. The corners of her eyes raised like a cat’s tail.
If Elga’s blue eyes were as cold as ice and sharp like a beast’s, Miriam’s blue eyes felt mysterious like the endless sea.
Her eyes narrowed slightly with curiosity, so I decided to take the initiative.
“Nice to meet you again. I’m Theo Gospel, a student here. We’ve met before, right? Near the abandoned building, with your companions.”
“Theo Gospel-?”
Miriam’s eyes flickered.
“By Theo Gospel, you mean Angmar’s Demon Monk?”
“Yes, is this the first time I’ve introduced myself?”
“The Queen’s Pawn?”
… Well, that was a rude way of putting it.
Back when I was still in Angmar, I didn’t really mind it since I’d heard it so much. But after so long, it made me feel like a villain.
That was right.
I was the villain.
And the woman in front of me was an apostle of justice who crushed the heads of villains like me. Typically, during confrontations like this, it should have been a final battle where we tried to take each other’s lives.
But I just hid those feelings and went with the flow.
“You seem to have heard a lot about me.”
“I did. However, you look different from the rumors. I heard that you’re a man eight feet tall with a long beard and eight spider-like arms.”
“… That’s what they all say.”
Seriously, who the hell was making those stupid rumors!?
“However, now that I’ve actually met you, you seem mediocre without any experience. Are you really who you claim to be?”
‘Mediocre.’
It was a clearly dismissive remark regarding me. But it was understandable since Miriam was known for her indifferent and blunt remarks even in the novel.
And receiving a verdict of mediocrity from her was not necessarily a bad thing for me.
On the other hand, if she were to brand me as a ‘threat’, a hammer would come flying right at me.
Though, it seemed that Kalira was annoyed and bluntly said to Miriam.
“Miriam, if you came here for idle chatter, please leave. I’m busy.”
“Ah, sister. You’re too cold. Look, my arm was injured while fighting a monster yesterday…”
“Isn’t such a minor injury easily healed with your healing magic?”
“Ai-, come on, don’t say that….”
Kalira and Miriam exchanged sharp words. Interestingly, in the original work, Kalira was a follower of the villainous Theo Gospel and was hired as an assassin to disrupt the protagonist’s party.
She seduced Miriam, who was known for liking women, and pushed her to the brink of death. Seeing it now, Miriam was clearly interested in Kalira, making moves and all.
“Professor Kalira, you have excellent skills. Why don’t you join our party?”
“No.”
“Please consider it. We’ll be doing another dungeon raid and I’d like you to come with us. The dungeon is full of spore-type creatures, so it’s best to have health precautions.”
‘Dungeon?’
The word dungeon got me interested.
“You plan on going to a dungeon?”
Then Miriam looked at me as if she had heard an unexpected question.
“Yeah, well, there’s no better place to accumulate experience than dungeons. There are many unexplored dungeons around Ark.”
* * *
“I’m going to wash your hair now. Can you please come this way?”
Following Kalira’s guidance, I sat in front of the sink. She then began washing my hair with the running water.
“How’s the water temperature?”
“It’s good.”
Sabujak, sabujak-.
How long had it been since someone washed my hair?
It felt pretty good as her slender fingers massaged my hair. And the feeling of her big breasts touching my nape was rather delightful.
“Quite the noisy person, huh?”
“You mean Priestess Miriam?”
“Yes. She keeps on bothering me. It’s convenient for extracting information from her, but….”
“For now, continue to maintain a friendly relationship with her. It’ll be troublesome if you become an enemy of their party.”
I said so when I suddenly felt something strange. If it were the original Theo, he would have instructed Kalira to assassinate Miriam. Yet here I was, encouraging a friendly relationship between the two.
Of course, whether it was the original Theo or me, the fact that those orders were for my own benefit was no different. The only change was the direction, but the purpose and motivation of my actions remained the same.
“I’ll dry your hair now.”
Kalira dried my hair with a towel. She seemed accustomed to washing others. Then I remembered that she had a younger sister, who had difficulty moving.
“How is your younger sister doing?”
“She’s doing very well, thanks to you. She joined the SILVERS this time.”
“SILVERS? A silver brooch like mine.”
I wondered if I’d be able to meet her someday.
With that thought in mind, I said to Kalira, who was wiping my hair with a towel.
“If possible, could you also investigate the locations of the unexplored dungeons? Please ask Miriam about it.”
“Are you planning to go there?”
She was keen.
As Kalira said, I was going to explore the dungeons.
Before the Guide could clear all the dungeons, I needed to go there first.
After all, how dare him approach Aira, whom I had carefully maintained, and try to drag her into muddy water!
I had a vague foreboding that his intentions were laced with subtle malice.
Though this was still a mere suspicion, it was possible that this guy wanted to manipulate the hunter’s party to suit his wants.
That was why I decided to engage in some light sabotage.
It’d been a while since I’d done some back hand work, so I was a little excited.
After all, fųck you, irregular.
(Note: Kalira has a little sister, not a little brother. The old chapter that mentioned her little brother has a slight mistranslation)
Edited by: faker
