Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Laughter in the Night
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Caaaw......
Familiar No. 8 wrapped its wings behind it and slammed its head into the rocky ground, letting out a mournful cry.
Caw! Caw caw!
This is unfair, so unfair.
Hadn't it followed those guys all the way, even body-slamming into the warp gate, enduring the agony of its connection to its master growing weaker and weaker?
From the labyrinth to Chavido, then from Chavido to the Spirit Forest.
Sure, it had waited outside the Spirit Forest because if the elves or other fairy folk spotted it as a black mage's familiar, it'd be obliterated on sight—but hadn't it trailed them as closely as possible, leaving traces behind? That's how No. 1 had eventually tracked it down.
Craa! Caw caw!
Familiar No. 8 ground its beak against the dirt in response to No. 1's scolding about not cheating by slouching and rubbing its beak on the ground.
It had finally reconnected with its master by attempting the link every night while waiting in the Spirit Forest, but the distance was the real problem.
Maybe because it had developed a stronger sense of self, No. 8 had dared to fight back when No. 1 flew in and started pecking at its head.
Of course, it was only natural that it lost to No. 1, who had been feeding on the master's mana longer.
After a fierce tussle, No. 1 wrapped its wings in the black mana it had stockpiled and slapped No. 8 right across the face, sending it tumbling out of the sky.
In the end, No. 8 had ended up face-planting and listening to No. 1's nagging disguised as its master's orders.
Caw... caaaaw... aw......
At No. 8's pitiful cry of surrender, No. 1 opened its beak sternly. You pay for defiance with your body.
Familiar No. 8—no, now dubbed Bait No. 1 by it—Familiar No. 1 spoke up.
Just in case, the master had increased the number of familiars, and they'd finally located that arrogant pack of humans.
Caw. Caaaaw? Caw caw?
The monster borderlands. It was a place teeming with beasts too strong for their injured master to handle.
But if No. 8 played its cards right, things could change.
That mighty yet utterly lazy beast—if No. 8 annoyed it enough, it might rouse it sooner than its usual once-every-few-decades famine trigger.
It could shave off a few months to a year, making it lunge at the humans early. And by then, that black-haired human who No. 8 had reported growing stronger would be on the brink of death.
Leave the others and snatch him in his weakened state, offer his carcass to the master—and No. 1 would surely be praised.
Caw caw! Ka ka ka ka!
As No. 1 puffed up its head in self-praise and barked out its grand scheme, No. 8 recalled a word it had picked up while observing the humans.
'Fucking hell.'
* * *
"Want me to let you in on a little secret?"
Rachel spoke up mid-bite of the fire chicken dish.
She gripped a chicken leg—twice as fiery red as the ones on our plates—like a microphone.
"What secret might that be?"
Zero asked with a hint of sulkiness, having learned that even double-spicy fire chicken was no match for her. Rachel grinned.
"When you eat spicy food, you know. There's something even worse than the burn in your mouth, lips, or stomach."
I paused while assembling my perfectly spicy chicken with fruit-dressed salad between slices of bread and looked up.
No way.
Even for a rough-and-tumble jock sister like Rachel, surely not.
"Your butt hurts the next day!"
Yeah, it would. Polymorphed into human form, her body was human, not dragon. Without using mana to shield her insides in the bathroom, and always opting for double spice, of course it'd hurt.
I tried to let her words slide right off. Real, breathing characters came with all the messiness of life, unlike illustrations or text.
With near-perfect face and figure, it was a mercy her mouth spewed stuff like this—kept me from forgetting my place and falling for her.
"Do you have to bring that up at the dinner table?"
"I know you get it. Then eat less."
[The golem has no sense of propriety. Fortunate.]
Rachel threw her head back, cackling at her own joke amid our trio's barrage.
I clicked my tongue at brainless Rachel and spoke.
"We've eaten plenty. Time for the main topic. I found a request for our bet."
Rachel, tears of laughter streaking her eyes, shoved a chicken leg so deep one cheek bulged as she turned to me.
"Chew first, then talk."
At my quick addendum, she froze mid-mouthful, then crunched through the cartilage with a garbled mumble.
"Oh, really? Hit me—what's the request? Show me the paper."
I sipped my lemon water and handed over the sheet from the request board. Rachel skimmed it, then flashed a wide grin at me.
"Hah, disappointing. You sure this is enough?"
"What're you talking about?"
"Come on. You picked this knowing I can't use magic, right? But it's not just that I can't use mana at all—it's way simpler."
I smirked back.
"Scared?"
Rachel tilted her head slightly.
"Scared of what?"
"Afraid you'll lose."
Her brows furrowed, fangs bared in a growl.
"What the hell! Don't you know who I am? I'm Rachel! I could solo this request right now! You know or not?"
I know, I know. I know you're brainless. She figured I'd chosen it because she's playing a no-magic brawler on her excursion.
Magic's the only way to handle it easily.
But I hadn't picked it for such a simple reason—and that wasn't even the right answer.
Rachel couldn't cast spells, but she could wrap her fists in mana.
And while she couldn't fully expel her internal mana outward, the original story showed her punching infused mana into the air's natural mana to fire off gust-like strikes.
"So, you agree to a bet—whoever stops that laughing first wins?"
"Of course! I'll bag 'em all!"
I smiled softly as she tossed the chicken bone into the discard bowl with triumphant flair.
"Then let's head out once you're done eating."
"Aw, why! Isn't that room basically mine now?"
"Nope."
As Luna and Rachel bickered, Zero chimed in.
"If you wanna crash here tonight, at least do the dishes."
No wonder they'd pulled out all the wooden and metal bowls instead of fragile glass—aiming to stick Rachel with cleanup.
Meanwhile, Rip was wiping the table on his own, and I, as their benefactor and employer, indulged in a bit of laziness while opening my codex.
The codex was too valuable for mercenaries to recharge, and with most trusted regular mages at the forward base, I'd been conserving it—especially purification spells.
'But if luck's on my side this time, I can restock.'
In the original, mediocre parties kept taking subjugation requests, leaving it unsolved until Cain's crew arrived.
No harm beyond the laughter, so those who couldn't stand it fled, leaving only the deaf elderly and the steel-nerved.
No more requests meant no subjugation teams, but Cain's party overnighted there, heard the laughs, and uncovered the truth—as the story described.
It stuck in memory as one of the few healing parties before Cain's false infamy spread....
"Let's booze it up! Pull out the dealer artifact, Adelrian!"
I glanced at Rachel gleefully swinging her arms and snatching the card dealer artifact I'd tossed her, then looked away.
No matter how much they protested, Luna, Rip, and Zero all got along with Rachel. Watching the four huddle around the table without me, I quietly pulled out my Siren.
"Cain, come in. Over."
After parroting his name like a parrot a few times into the Siren, his voice finally crackled through after a delay.
[Shut up.]
"Answer quicker. No need to grab it—you can talk hands-free."
[Get to the point.]
Dodged my nagging there. I leaned back on the sofa, fiddling with the Siren.
"You arrived here today, right? Means they're gearing up for a big subjugation soon?"
[Not confirmed, but possible. All I know is they're splitting this batch I'm in into two squads for deployment.]
Last time, Cain said this contract subjugation team was about fifty strong. Splitting them meant the next op wouldn't be massive.
"Any more details? Be honest—haven't made friends, have you?"
I snickered, and he tsked faintly.
[Everyone else in this batch trained three to five months baseline. Me excluded.]
Subjugation squads referred to graduation order from training camps, not join date.
Cain graduating with just a month under his belt? They'd be watching him closely.
Or trying to use him.
Either way, Cain's personality wouldn't play nice.
"Watch your back."
[I'm vigilant even in sleep.]
Sounds like he pulled something at camp.
I told him not to hold back, and with his temperament, he'd never bend pointlessly... but I wasn't worried.
"No contact with Reinhardt yet, huh. Need more achievements first."
[The split deployment will sort the promising from the rest soon enough.]
"Keep in regular touch. Report anything unusual immediately."
[Will do.]
Makes it easier for me to plan.
"Uwaaa! No way!"
"Zero, Rip—grab her arms."
I watched as Rachel flailed in defeat—Luna taking first—while Rip and Zero pinned her arms and Luna gripped her chin, raking her scalp with her other hand at highway speed.
Kids... they never forgot a penalty once taught.
Rachel's cheek was red too—looks like she got the pork belly treatment.
"Heartwarming."
I smiled warmly and checked the candies left in my subspace.
* * *
"The more I look, the weirder it gets. Normal mercenary mounts freak out at the sight of me."
Rachel spurred on her mount—a monster blending dinosaur and ostrich—and commented as she picked up speed. I replied.
"Zero's is a wild Chavid horse, and Luna's and mine are war-trained. That's why."
Horses are skittish by nature. Regular ones would bolt from Rachel's subtle feral aura.
The request pegged it at three days on a standard horse. We arrived at the slash-and-burn village in under a day and a half.
An illegal settlement on the monster borderlands—no proper roads, just haphazard huts on uneven ground.
Faint cooking smoke and glimpses of fields hinted at lingering residents.
No sturdy palisade, just flimsy fences marking the village edge. Scattered huts, fewer than ten.
"Oh dear, here for the request? Truly grateful... so grateful."
"Not at all. Any empty houses? We'd like one while we handle it."
The elder who emerged at the rare hoofbeats bowed repeatedly, clearly the village head. I dismounted promptly.
"Someone left recently, couldn't take the laughter... that house over there is empty."
I nodded and stepped to tether the horses when Rachel cracked her knuckles with a grin.
"What? Seeing you slack off means you're confident? I'm starting now. First!"
Rip grabbed Rachel's ponytail just as she coiled to spring, and Luna spoke.
"Won't ghost-types only show at night?"
"Right?"
I smirked as they dragged the whining Rachel to the empty house.
Sure, there were daytime paths if you knew where to look... but night suited me fine.
We'd barely rested in the dusty, sparse hut—owner long gone—when.
Crackle crackle.
The fire's snap faded. Beyond the rickety window, sun set, moon rose.
Darkness blanketed everything. Villagers had barricaded indoors at dusk.
In that silent night, a faint sound drifted.
Kyaha! Kyahahaha!
Euhung, huhihit!
The innocent giggle of a child.
Pure, clear, tickling the ears just to hear—yet in the dead of night, directionless in the mountains, it could terrify.
"It's here!"
Rachel kicked the door open and bolted somewhere. I rose slowly.
"Let's go."