Chapter 101
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Monster Hunt #4
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Rumble rumble...
For a moment, it felt like my organs were being rearranged up and down.
We arrived in Cunning Town via Hermit's teleportation magic.
"This way to the orphanage!"
I unfolded the map and took the lead.
And so we reached the orphanage in Cunning Town.
Torches blazed everywhere, and the pointed roof left a strong impression.
The eyes of children kicking around an old leather sack like a soccer ball turned toward us.
Soon, a prim girl with hair like perilla leaves approached me and asked,
"What brings you to Forget-Me-Not Orphanage?"
It felt nostalgic.
Every orphanage has one sharp girl like this.
She was putting on her best polite manners to appeal to potential adoptive parents.
In fact, the lively and clever ones got snatched up fast, like the most popular dolls from a claw machine.
If I ever have a daughter, I'd love to raise one like her!
"Where's the director?"
Felix, the human butcher, spoke in a utterly listless tone, as if he had no time for such sentiment.
But the girl's eyes sparkled brightly.
"Big brother, you're a knight, right?"
"How'd you know?"
"You're wearing a sword, and most of all, you're so handsome!"
Sharp-eyed little kid.
I chimed in slyly.
"Heh heh, I'm wearing a sword and I'm handsome too—what do you think I am?"
"...Anyway, big brother! If you're here to pick a squire, I can do it! I sew well, I can cook, and I only eat one meal a day!"
Ignoring me completely!
If everything that kid said was true, she'd qualify as an S-rank orphan.
The top condition for a great orphan is low maintenance costs.
Sure enough, kids all around started pitching themselves.
"I can survive on one meal every two days!"
"I'll stay out of the way! Please take me!"
A wave of kids swarmed us.
Nimble, who was visiting an orphanage for the first time, panicked and adjusted her robe hood.
"What kind of brats stick like this?"
The Lillke Orphanage where I grew up was the same.
Brings back memories.
I was used to hands sneaking toward my pockets amid the crowd.
"You little shit, where do you think you're reaching!"
"Eek!"
A boy who looked about ten got caught by me and hoisted into the air.
His face was especially grubby.
Scars everywhere, eyes sunken and gleaming.
"Kids who give up on charming adults end up like this."
"L-let me go!"
"Go? You dare pickpocket me? Got some balls, huh?"
Slap!
I smacked his cheek with my palm.
Crash!
The little thief went flying.
Hermit jumped in surprise.
"Partner, he's just a kid...!?"
I could tell from her reaction.
The orphanage Hermit grew up in must've been a luxury one for rich folks, full of S-rank orphans.
That's how she ended up adopted as the only daughter of the Pilgrim family.
In a regular orphanage, smacking pickpocketing brats causes zero problems.
I know from experience.
So, what now?
I looked at the sprawled kid indifferently.
He grinned through a face streaming nosebleed.
"Aigoo, milord! I failed to recognize a master and committed a rudeness! If you're offended, shall I polish your shoes?"
The boy pulled out a black cloth from his pocket.
I had to admit, I was impressed.
Not bawling or running—going straight for flattery.
This groveling punk!
I like him.
This might smooth things over.
Kids like him are crazy about money.
Swoosh.
I pulled out a gold coin and showed it to him.
His eyes gleamed with raw greed.
"G-gold!"
"Kid, heard any weird rumors around this orphanage?"
"Rumors?"
"Kids vanishing one by one at night, or bodies found pale and drained of blood."
The monster hunters mentioned it, right?
In this line of work, even tiny rumors can lead to clues.
So I figured I'd start with those.
"Since the director changed a few days ago, one kid goes missing every night."
"For real?"
"Some say they ran away at night, but I saw it. A pitch-black monster bit Thompson by the nape and flew off into the sky..."
"Okay, that's enough."
Ping.
I flicked a silver coin to the boy.
He snatched it quick, then got mad.
"Why show gold and give silver?"
"Heh heh heh, don't like it? Hand it back!"
"You thieving little bastard!"
The orphanage was a two-story stone building.
Kids' rooms, dining hall—facilities seemed ordinary.
But according to Felix's own recon, there was something special underground.
"The underground facility is the real deal. The upper orphanage is just a front."
"Ahh!? My coin pouch!"
Hermit patted her waist.
Looked like the orphanage kids got her.
Told her to watch out.
Anyway, we entered the orphanage interior.
It was full of nuns, just like Lillke Orphanage.
"Who're you?"
"If you're here for the kids, they're outside—look there."
They were all smoking pipe tobacco, eyes sharp.
Dark circles so heavy they looked utterly exhausted.
「Lv.13」
「Lv.10」
Their levels marked them as Blessed Ones.
Probably Narakje's thieves.
"Ahem, I'm this kind of person."
I flashed the 'Seven Fingers Ring'.
The women's eyes changed in an instant.
"You're that Jackpot Yor?"
"What brings you here?"
"I'd like to meet the director."
"The Three Fingers?"
"She doesn't meet just anyone; she's busy."
That's when Nimble couldn't hold back anymore and yelled.
"Ugh, the rotten stench is unbearable! These bitches are practically corpses! Are they that 'vampire' or whatever?"
Grrr.
Nimble had already shifted to wolf form.
She lunged at the nuns—a sight that made my hair stand on end.
'Does Nimble not get the meaning of stealth ops!?'
Anyway, Nimble charged the nuns, who shrieked—baring fangs and letting out eerie cries.
Their nails elongated, ears sharpening in seconds.
"...Vampires!"
Hermit yelped in shock.
Felix swiftly drew with his one good hand.
"Was gonna clean 'em out anyway. Perfect timing."
Swoosh.
His casual swing severed the vampires' heads.
Clang.
Roll roll.
Nuns' heads tumbling across the floor.
Tears blurred my vision at the sight.
"Fuck, don't we get paid for captures!?"
My Ether!
This merciless butcher Felix ruined it all!
As I thought that, Hermit consoled me.
"These are low-grade vampires at a glance."
"Low-grade?"
"More ghoul than vampire. Like servants or subcontractors to real vampires—they don't count as full vamps."
Real vampires are more aristocratic, she said.
Whatever—no Ether lost!
Mood lifted.
"Eeeeek!"
"Run!"
"Murder! Murder!"
With the nuns dead, the kids inside scattered every which way.
I seized the emptied chaos to thump the floor.
Thump thump.
Searching for the basement door.
Thump thump.
"Heh heh, here it is."
I yanked up the dining hall carpet, revealing a wooden door in the floor.
Creak—it opened, and a lukewarm gust hit my face, mingled with rot, blood, mold—enough to drive anyone mad.
"Ugh, what the hell is that smell!"
"Urk!"
Nimble, with her keener nose, even dry-heaved.
Hated to go in, but.
Gulp.
100,000,000.
With Ether in the hundreds of millions on the line, what couldn't I do!?
We descended into the basement.
Less orphanage, more prison.
Iron bars everywhere, packed with caged kids.
"Heh heh heh, compared to these, the upstairs kids are saints."
Some missing fingers—no need to say more; others lacking an eye or nose.
Worst cases: skin burned off.
But what struck me—their gazes were ferocious.
"......"
"......"
Silently glaring, murderously so—my spine tingled.
Give 'em swords, and they'd charge us in a heartbeat.
Is this Narakje's training ground?
Turning orphans into psychopathic hitmen.
Clank.
Hermit pinched her nose at the chained women.
"Narakje's Vein—total piece of shit."
I agreed.
No matter how much you love money and power, not just anyone pulls this crap.
Deeper in, we saw teens around fifteen or seventeen slumped in cells.
「Lv.7」
「Lv.9」
Blessed assassin trainees?
But each neck had two puncture wounds, like awls stabbed through.
Faces pale, barely able to stand.
Zap, zzzap!
Bats swooped from somewhere.
"Fuck! Filthy bat bastards!"
Bats carry viruses, I hear.
One bite could mean fever death.
As I freaked, the bats merged—and a person emerged from within.
"Guests barging in uninvited and acting so rude?"
A red cape trailed the floor.
Black dress clung to her body; blonde bob curled like octopus sausage ends.
Pale skin, lips red as blood.
Then, text floated over my vision.
「Lv.18」
Level 18!?
Fuck, can we even take her?
"I'm the Third Finger, Coronea."
She smirked.
"As you can see, also a noble of the night."
In her hand, a small kid dangled.
"P-please spare me! I was wrong, Director!"
The pickpocket who'd taken my silver earlier.
"Noisy brats are my least favorite."
And—
Vampire Coronea sank fangs into the kid's nape.
Crunch!
"Aaack!"
Blood sprayed.
Slurp slurp slurp—a lascivious sucking sound as the scrawny boy withered like a mummy and collapsed.
"Kid blood really is the best."
Coronea's eyes glowed redder.
Like a blood moon rising in the dark basement.
"Jackpot's Yor."
She called my name with a smirk.
"Narakje thinks you're cute, huh? But coming for my spot already?"
"......"
"Let's see if your 'big thing' can pierce my heart."
Snap.
She snapped her fingers, and the bars sprang open all at once.
Starved humans crawled out, baring fangs.
"How's that? My ghoul legion—at least a hundred strong."
"Director! We took a wrong turn! We'll be heading out now!"
"No leaving."
"Heh heh, then as apology, shall I polish your shoes?"
"Go bite them."
At that short command, the monsters charged as one.
"Blood... blood!"
"Throat's so dry!"
"Just a sip!"
"Uwaaa, fuck!"
"Yor!"
"Partner!"
Even Nimble and Hermit couldn't hold the numbers.
In seconds, I was buried under dozens of low vampires.
Crunch, crunch!
"Aaaack!"
Sabrannik breastplate held, but my arms and legs were mangled!
"Fuck, it huuuurts!"
Then, something weird happened.
"Th-throat..."
"Blood's... weird...!"
"Why's this fucker's blood..."
The vampires clawed their throats, staggering back.
Then spewed blood and dropped.
Clatter!
「+10,000 Ether」
「+10,000 Ether」
…...
Coronea's eyes went wide.
"Hah!? Why are my ghouls dying!?"
What the hell?
Beats me.
Grinding her teeth, Coronea snarled.
"Don't tell me your blood's lethal poison like Vein's?"
"...Yeah! This was all part of my plan! You dumb bat bitch!"
"You little fucker!"