Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 033
Chapter Title: Still Living On #2
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This Great Wall wasn't just a pile of stacked stones.
Each floor had its own facilities.
The 9th floor housed a training ground, the 8th a weapons forge, and so on.
A fair bit of time had passed since I arrived at the Wall, but even I hadn't explored every single level.
I had no idea what was on the 6th floor.
"Sister Germain, this next training session—is it on the 6th floor?"
My face flushed and my legs started shaking for no reason.
"Kiddo, the 6th floor is where you get laid."
*Clap clap.*
Germain clapped her palms together, making an odd sound.
My mouth went bone-dry.
'If the next lesson after groping boobs is that, then of course!'
And so we arrived at the Great Wall's 6th floor.
The Wall's corridors were mostly stark gray stone, but this place was different.
'Smells like flowers.'
Women clutching bouquets stood beneath red lanterns.
Plenty of men wandered the halls too.
They haggled over the prices of the flowers the women held.
"One flower for 200,000 Ether? What a rip-off!"
"If you don't like it, scram."
A strange yet familiar sight.
"Sister, this is a brothel."
"Hey now, watch your mouth—you'll get us in trouble. This is a flower shop."
"A flower shop?"
"They just offer some special service to customers who buy flowers. Go buy one yourself, kiddo. The real lesson starts after."
"Ss-sip, no thanks."
"No?"
Turning down a pretty woman like Sister Germain.
I'd grown in some ways.
Thing is, no meant no.
These women looked like walking bundles of STDs.
'Use my Ether—my blood—to catch some disease?'
Someone I knew was a brothel regular.
Lost a bunch of teeth, rotted from the waist down, died in agony.
I didn't want to go out like that.
My dream was to marry the girl I love and live happily ever after.
It'd be nice if she made me breakfast every morning too.
"Rub my shoulders after a hard day's work in the evening? Even better."
That was my dream.
Living plainly and happily, like everyone else!
"Hah?"
At my words, Germain's eyebrows shot up like a bee had stung her tongue. And then—
"Puhahaha!"
She burst out laughing so hard that every flower seller turned our way, and even the guys clutching their belts and hurrying out of the corridor stopped in their tracks.
"Why're you laughing?"
"You're cuter than I thought."
Cute?
I thought girls calling you cute meant game over.
Whatever.
"Anyway, Sister Germain. I can't do this training."
It violated my life's number one rule.
Keep your body healthy.
Brothel whores? Hard pass.
*Slink.*
Germain's eyes narrowed into thin slits.
"How about this instead?"
She unzipped her top and pulled a handkerchief from between her breasts.
Then she folded it this way and that into a flower shape.
Not a real flower, but it was the most tempting one here.
"Buy my flower?"
"...How much?"
My mouth dried up again.
"10 billion Ether."
What the hell kind of price was that?
Absurd.
*Smirk.*
Germain grinned suspiciously, tucked the flower back between her breasts, and zipped up.
That's when I got it.
'She wasn't planning to sell it for real money from the start.'
'Steal it from her chest.'
'Like a proper thief!'
'Fair and square!'
Steal from the bosom of Germain, a level 16+ Trickster at minimum.
Was that even possible?
But it sparked my competitive spirit, and my heart pounded.
I snuck my hand out just in case, but she *smacked* the back of it.
"Hey, if you're that obvious, it's hard to even pretend I don't notice."
"Heh heh, I was trying my best to be sneaky."
"Guess you need proper 'thief' training first, kiddo. Follow me."
Germain grabbed my hand and pulled.
Her hand was rougher than expected.
Germain led me to some dingy room on the 6th floor.
A woman wrapped in a white veil sat demurely on the bed.
Maybe a bit older than me?
"You holding onto my stuff okay, Clara?"
"You bet."
The woman groped around under the bed.
Blind?
She pulled out a book and Germain handed it to me.
"Here, for you."
"What's this?"
"Skillbook. Came up at auction exactly once a century ago—I barely snagged it. Doesn't matter the price; it's one of a kind."
An insanely rare skill!
My mood skyrocketed.
But anxiety crept in too.
"You sure I can take something like this?"
"It's a shame to part with it, but you earned it completing the commission."
Fair enough.
This was payment for fetching the Eight-Armed Matron Statue.
*Flick.*
I opened the skillbook.
The squiggly text reshaped itself so I could read.
「Shadow Companion」
「A thief once thought, "If only I had two bodies." He trained hard and learned to control his shadow at will.」
「Manipulate your shadow for a short time.」
「Level Requirement: 10 - Met!」
「Use Skillbook?」
Ooh, Shadow Companion!
I'd seen this skill in the game.
Shadows that followed you and added attacks, right?
High-level thief skill, but learning it at level 10?
'The game "Night Diver" and this world have wildly different leveling.'
「Use Skillbook?」
Yes, obviously.
Never skimp on investing in yourself.
*Shhh.*
The book crumbled to dust and seeped into me.
"Shadow Companion."
I tried the new skill right away.
An unprecedented sensation hit me.
Like my body doubled.
"Eee—."
My brain twisted.
Vision wobbling all over.
"Wh-what's this?"
*Thud.*
My body pitched forward.
Getting up was no picnic.
"Ugh, this is way harder than it looks."
"Heh heh heh, wanna control your shadow?"
"Yessir!"
"Clara, mind if I borrow some paper and a quill?"
Germain's new lesson began.
"Kiddo. Left pen draws circles. Right pen draws stars."
Circle with left hand.
Star with right.
"This possible?"
"Lowest level training. Secret method I don't share with just anyone—special for you."
"Psh, no way. Humans can't do that."
"Huh, no way?"
Germain snatched the pens.
Held one in each hand and drew.
*Scribble scribble.*
Thought it'd be circles and stars.
"Ta-da."
One side: my face. Other: Clara's, the blind woman.
Incredibly detailed!
"Oooh!"
Freaking awesome!
Compared to that, circles and stars were cake.
Gotta practice.
Motivation surged!
"Alright, Yor, I got urgent business—heading out. Infinite uses for this skill, so practice daily."
"Yessir, take care!"
Germain had given me tons of helpful pointers, all things considered.
Stay on good terms.
Might let me grope her boobs again if I play nice.
Then Clara asked me.
"Never thought Germain would give that skillbook to anyone. Big expectations for you, huh."
"You and Sister close?"
"Known her a while. But don't know her well. You might know her better."
You.
Her speech was so archaic and cringey.
Didn't seem the flower-selling type.
"Just call me Yor, Sister Clara."
"Yo...r?"
Her face twitched subtly behind the veil.
"You're that newbie thief from Felix's party...?"
"Oh, you know my name?"
Guess I'm kinda famous.
Maybe word of the 20-year Ether breakthrough stone spread.
"Felix talks about you a lot."
"Felix does?"
That guy.
Acts all stern and strict, but hits the brothel.
'Bastard, so he is a man!'
Gonna tease him later.
I headed back to the Wall barracks.
"Three thousand... two hundred... ten... one. Three thousand... two hundred... ten... two...."
Felix was handstanding, bending his arms.
On one finger, no less.
"What're you doing?"
"Can't you see? I have... to get... stronger!"
Sweat dripping off him.
Such an ascetic guy.
At least on the surface.
"You know Sister Clara?"
"Eek!"
*Crash!*
Felix toppled.
He scrambled up and grabbed my collar.
"How do you know that name!"
*Sniff sniff.*
Sniffing my body.
"Perfume... You didn't...!? You went to the 6th floor! With Clara...?!"
*Shake shake shake.*
He rocked me back and forth, head lolling.
"Don't freak out. Just talked a bit."
"Talked?"
"Yeah."
Only then did Felix let go of my collar.
He wiped sweat with a towel over his shoulder.
"In case you misunderstand: Clara and I have nothing going on. She just reminds me of my sister—we've chatted a few times, that's it."
First I'd heard of Felix having a sister.
'If she looks like Clara, she's gotta be pretty.'
'Knight family sister? Probably prim and proper.'
Prime wife material.
Better stay buddy-buddy with Felix.
"So where's this Erdari you caught?"
Ah.
Right, caught Erdari.
Three days in—time to let her out?
I reached into the Black Satchel.
"Heh heh heh, didn't even tell Captain Jeremiah."
Jeremiah's hatred for Erdari was real.
He'd kill her on sight.
That'd mess up my intel op.
'Strictly speaking, I'm the one who saved this demon bitch's life.'
Might spill beans on wiping out Erdari as thanks.
"Come out, Nineveh."
"......"
*Flop.*
Rope-bound Erdari Nineveh sprawled in the room with two guys.
Felix panicked.
"This for real?"
Erdari Nineveh stayed cool.
Thought she'd scream.
*Dart dart.*
Her eyes darted around.
Then—
"......!"
She spotted my necklace and her eyes bulged.
Blood drained from her face.
The demon bitch who wouldn't flinch at a knife to her throat!
"Oho, you know what this is?"
Erdari Nineveh clamped her mouth shut.
I licked my Thunderbolt Throwing Knife.
"Heh heh. Looks like a long night ahead."