Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Mongrel's Insurrection (3)
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[Ancestor 'Dragon that Scatters Karmic Flames' gazes upon you.]
"......"
I broke out in a cold sweat as I stared at the message floating before my eyes.
"Hm? You don't look so good. Something wrong?"
"Oh, no... nothing."
Karga noticed my state and voiced her concern, so I hurriedly flashed a smile while clearing away the teacup left by the dragonkin guest who'd just left.
'...Is everything okay?'
It seemed Rahart had reacted because I'd encountered one of his descendants.
Well, technically not Rahart's descendant, but Cedric's.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Dragon that Scatters Karmic Flames' surveys your surroundings.] Sure enough, he'd appeared in response to the dragonkin presence around me.
Just like when Morduin showed up during my fight with Barkain.
And moments later.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Dragon that Scatters Karmic Flames' closes his eyes.] After confirming there were no dragonkin around me, Rahart lost interest and vanished on his own again.
"Phew..."
I let out a sigh of relief, and then Karga's voice came from behind me.
"A sigh? That's unusual. ...Got something weighing on your mind?"
"Pardon?"
"...Never mind. A slave's problems are for their master to handle."
When I turned around, Karga averted her eyes and took a sip of her tea.
For some reason, she seemed gentler than usual today.
"Oh..., I was just curious about that guest who was just here."
With Karga in such an amicable mood, I decided to press my luck and ask about the dragonkin man.
"What business did that guest have?"
"......"
Karga stared at me blankly in response to my question.
Then, she softly asked me,
"Does that guy bother you...?"
"Pardon? Oh, yeah. His business stuck with me."
"Hmm, I see. Sticks with you, huh. Hmm..."
At my response, Karga sipped her tea again with what seemed like a pleased blank expression.
Her tail swished back and forth from her backside.
She glanced at me and then spoke up.
"It was basically a dinner invitation."
"Dinner...?"
"Eh, that was just an excuse. What he really wanted was to sleep with me."
"Sleep with...?"
"You know, mating for fun."
"......"
Of course. That's what it was.
This world was obsessed with purebloods.
But that only applied to bloodline inheritance.
There were plenty of purebloods who slept around with other races just for enjoyment.
Not common, but not unheard of.
In real terms, it was like having a wife for marriage and other women just for sex.
"For the record, I turned him down."
"...Pardon?"
"...Didn't get that? I said I refused."
"Ah, I see."
"Hmph! That guy—his name was Astro or something. Anyway, what an idiot, thinking every hybrid woman is automatically drawn to pureblood men."
For some reason, Karga started rambling on about things I hadn't even asked.
"What a huge misconception. Sure, I'm a hybrid, but I don't sleep with anyone who's not my mate."
"That's a noble mindset, Lady Karga."
"Hmph, ahem. And for the record, I don't even insist on purebloods for mates. If anything, strong men. Yeah, the stronger a man, the more attractive."
She'd really only said it because I prompted her.
Did she hate coming off as a loose woman that much?
At any rate, I'd learned plenty about her chaste principles.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' smiles warmly.] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'First King of the Beastkin' wags his tail and chuckles.] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Star Prophet' blushes faintly.] "O-of course, he doesn't have to be insanely strong or anything. If I had to say, it's more about not slacking off in his efforts..."
I let Karga's words go in one ear and out the other as I eyed the messages.
'...Rahart isn't showing up, huh.'
Did he disappear because he didn't detect that dragonkin man, Astro?
Or did he spot him but leave without reacting?
Either way.
If I ran into another dragonkin like Astro next time, I'd have to be extra careful.
One wrong move, and if Rahart went berserk, it'd be a total disaster.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next day arrived. After finishing my morning routine of grooming Karga's hair, I headed out with Tiriel for volunteer work, just like yesterday.
"We'll be off then."
"M-mn. Sure."
My daily quest disguised as brushing.
In other words, after I'd subtly fondled her ears, tail, and chest, Karga saw me off with a flushed face and bowed head.
'Hope there's a ton of repair requests today.'
Volunteering to help the slum mongrels.
Helping those in need felt pretty damn good.
But setting aside my feelings, the real reason I was throwing myself into this was all for Astril.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Star Prophet' gazes upon you warmly.] Helping others was great, but first, I needed to meet the conditions for a gift from her through these good deeds.
'Can I meet the conditions by this weekend in my current state...? Or do I need to find something bigger...'
That's why, even as Tiriel and I headed to the slums, I was deep in thought.
This was life-or-death for me.
I needed to help even more desperate people to truly move Astril.
"Everyone was so happy yesterday. Hehe, you were pretty popular too, Gladiator sir."
"......Yeah, I wish there was more I could do to help."
"Pardon?"
Tiriel's words accidentally drew out my true feelings.
I laughed it off and explained to her.
"Ah, haha, helping people felt better than I expected."
"......"
"It's a sense of fulfillment you can't get as a gladiator... So I've been thinking I want to help even more desperate folks."
Tiriel stared at me blankly, as if surprised.
Then she gave a shy smile and said,
"Gladiator sir, you're an even better person than I thought."
"Me...?"
"Yeah, enough that I want to get to know you more."
Tiriel sidled up next to me as she spoke.
I felt the soft touch of her skin against the arm carrying the supplies.
And a pleasant fragrance.
'...Is she serious?'
An overt advance.
But in this world, purebloods were noble and mongrels lowly.
Honestly, it was hard to tell if a normal seraphim like her was sincere.
"Do you have a favorite food, Gladiator sir?"
"Oh, I... don't know much about food."
"Pardon? What do you usually eat then?"
"The standard bread. Like what's in this pouch."
"Oh my. With how sturdy you are, I figured you ate well..."
We were chatting idly, me hyper-aware of Tiriel, when we arrived at the slums from yesterday.
But unlike yesterday, the atmosphere was somehow dark.
'What's this...?'
Gathered residents, a weeping man and woman, everyone's faces gloomy.
"Ah, Lady Tiriel..."
"Whoa! Gladiator uncle! You're back!"
Only the kids approached us with innocent, bright faces, oblivious to it all.
The adults forced smiles upon seeing us, but their eyes remained shadowed.
"What happened?"
Sensing something was off, I asked the oldest-looking resident outright.
"Well..."
He glanced at the crying couple, then cautiously explained the situation.
"Prokne's eldest daughter went missing..."
"Your daughter...?"
"Yes, a girl named Anna."
Anna.
I remembered the name.
She was the girl who'd handed me an item to repair yesterday, smiling cutely and promising to repay me next time.
"Lately, several kids from the village have been vanishing at night. Today, it was Anna..."
"They're probably just running away."
Then a drunken-looking mongrel, full of worldly bitterness, spoke up.
"Better than rotting in this dump forever. Young ones wanna risk it all and head to another city. Hah."
"Sniff... Yeah..., that's probably it...?"
The man who'd spoken made Anna's mother—looking hopeful—ask back.
"Please..., just as long as she's not in danger..."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' gazes worriedly.] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'The Creating Mortal' turns his hammer with a bitter expression.] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Star Prophet' gazes with sad eyes.] The ancestors seemed shaken by the mother's tears too.
"Are boys among the missing kids too?"
I asked the elder about the vanished children again.
The answer was as I'd expected.
"No, all girls. Five so far..."
"......"
"Hah, see? Told you they ran away! That's what happened to my wife too!"
Was it really just them running away at night?
Tired of the slums?
'...No way.'
Everyone here knew it wasn't that simple.
Even that drunk—he knew, which was why he was saying it to reassure the parents.
'Something's up.'
It felt familiar.
Even playing the game, quests often started from little incidents like this.
"What could it be...? Kids disappearing."
"...Personally, I don't think they just left because they hated the slums."
Tiriel murmured worriedly as she handed out bread.
I shared my thoughts with her.
Or more precisely, with another celestial watching from above through her.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Star Prophet' focuses intently on your words.] "Probably kidnappings, right?"
"Pardon? Kidnappings...?"
"Everyone here's probably figured it out too."
"But if so, why not report to the guards...?"
"That's what the kidnappers are banking on."
"Banking on...?"
"That no one in this city gives a damn about a mongrel or two going missing."
"......"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' covers her mouth in shock!] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'First King of the Beastkin' perks up his ears and narrows his eyes.] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Star Prophet' stomps her feet worriedly!] I'd done countless kidnapping quests in the game.
So I knew the kidnappers' mindset and patterns well.
Young girls vanishing from the slums.
I didn't know the reason, but picking slum mongrels was obvious.
"What do we do...? This is..., that couple is so pitiful..."
Tiriel reacted much like the other ancestors.
And Astril probably felt the same as Tiriel.
By then, we'd finished handing out bread to everyone in the slums.
I straightened my pouch and grinned at Tiriel.
"I'll look into it."
"......Pardon?"
"I'll find where the missing kids are and bring them back safe."
"Gladiator sir..."
I glanced up at the air.
She'd get it by now.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Star Prophet' rejoices at your words!] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ancestor 'Star Prophet' presents you with conditions!] And the message I'd hoped for appeared before me.
📜 NEW QUEST 📜 Missing Children Case
📍 Objective 1: Find the missing children in the slums
📍 Objective 2: Rescue the missing children in the slums
📍 Objective 3: Resolve the culprit behind the slum kidnappings
🎁 Reward: Ancestor's Gift
Honestly, I figured simple volunteering wouldn't cut it for getting Astril's power.
So I'd been waiting for a chance like this.
But even beyond that, the kids' disappearances were nagging at me.
Especially Anna, even though we'd only met once.
She was still someone whose name I knew—a connection.
'I don't know who the bastard is, but... if something irreversible happened...'
Then I'd hand the reins to Rahart if I had to.
I wouldn't let them get away with it.
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