Chapter 231: By Wind
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 231: By Wind
“Yura, listen to your sisters. Okay?”
Nod, nod.
“Hmm, right. I assume you understood?”
“She seems to understand everything we say,” Tresha remarked.
“Really? Well, that’s a relief.”
According to Tresha, Yura was just a girl of few words, not someone who couldn't understand speech. If that was the case, did she understand everything yesterday and still choose to deny it? Regardless.
“And... right. Listen to your mom, too.”
“...?”
At the mention of listening to her mother, Yura tilted her head as if asking what that meant. Sera, who had been watching from the side, crouched down next to Yura, spreading her slender hands and waving them playfully.
“I-I’m your mommy~”
“....”
Sera forced a smile while breaking into a cold sweat. It seemed Yura didn't quite see her as a mother figure yet. She had identified me as her father the moment we met, so I wondered what the problem was. Sera was even the first person Yura saw when she opened her eyes.
When I first entrusted Yura to Sera, she had just hatched from the Horus egg; she was still damp and mostly sleeping. If anything, Sera should have been the more suitable candidate for parental imprinting.
“Got it, Yura?”
Nod, nod.
At the very least, she was good at nodding. Just in case Yura turned out to be a picky eater, I had stocked the cupboard with plenty of Bear Fish meat. I felt a bit uneasy leaving Yura behind to be away from home for so long, but it couldn't be helped.
Rustle.
“Good girl.”
When I placed my hand on her tiny crown and gave her head a firm rub, Yura’s entire body wobbled and tilted. She was so light that she couldn't even withstand that much pressure.
‘And she’s a Horus, too.’
With her wings tucked away, she looked exactly like an ordinary little girl. Though the amount of mana radiating from her was quite substantial.
“Ravi, nothing bad will happen, right? Like Yura suddenly using magic. I’m worried the inn will turn into a disaster zone.”
“Don’t Horus-types usually not use magic?”
“The one I caught was an Irregular entity that used magic.”
“Gah... it’s so ridiculous I can’t even laugh anymore. An Irregular Horus guarding an egg...?”
“Well, anyway. That’s how it is. If you see any sign of her using magic, please handle it. You’re a mage, after all.”
“A-hem! Well, that’s true! I’m the only proper mage here!”
I’d often heard that a single word can repay a thousand-gold debt, but in Ravi’s case, a single compliment could keep her working for a year. Considering labor costs, this was a much better deal.
“Alright then, I’m off. Sera.”
“Ah... yeah. Take care.”
As I stepped out of the inn, Sera stood up from where she had been crouching and followed me to the door to see me off.
“Go back inside. I’ll be fine.”
“I-it’s not that....”
After a moment’s hesitation, Sera pushed me toward a spot by the door where we couldn't be seen from the inside. Then, she closed her eyes and stood on her tiptoes.
“G-goodbye kiss....”
“...Of course.”
Man, I really had to give this my all.
* * *
“My Lady.”
“What is it, Aelmeri?”
In the heart of the Southeast District of Calax, on the top floor of the Antonio Brotherhood’s headquarters.
“Recently, ‘contamination’ has increased in the outskirts of the Southeast.”
“Oh my, is that so? Do you have any idea why?”
“...My apologies. We haven't identified the cause yet.”
“Fufu, I see.”
Aelmeri, the adjutant of the Antonio Brotherhood, possessed the ‘Physical Transformation’ skill. Though she was usually foul-mouthed, she never used her typical vulgar language in front of Mystery Antoinette, the head of the organization she served.
“My... I find it quite cute.”
“Cute... you say?”
“Yes, that’s right. I find all of this quite cute.”
“...I am truly sorry. I don’t believe I understand.”
“It’s alright, Aelmeri.”
After all, the ‘Physical Transformation’ skill she possessed was merely something Mystery Antoinette had bestowed upon her through the authority of the Succubus Queen.
Aelmeri had once been nothing more than a somewhat clever beggar. The reason she could now wear fine clothes, sleep in a comfortable bed, and eat delicious meals until she was full was entirely due to Mystery Antoinette’s power.
Even her skill to create Irregular entities was a gift from Mystery Antoinette.
Rummaging through the minds of other living beings was a basic succubus trait; all she had to do was add a bit of the mana she possessed as the Succubus Lord.
“What is he doing now?”
“Duret is interrogating the contaminated homeless... but none of them will speak.”
“Is mental domination not working?”
“No... it’s not exactly that.”
Aelmeri scratched her head and bowed awkwardly, looking uncertain as she relayed the report she had received.
“No matter how much they are tortured or injected with confession devices... they only make sounds like a dog barking.”
“Hmm... I wonder what that is. How very peculiar.”
Duret was one of the individuals who had been granted power by Mystery Antoinette. Previously, when the 5th party of the Mayerbridge Union, ‘Night Order,’ had escorted thirteen explorers belonging to the Antonio Brotherhood.
Duret had gone to the back alleys and used mental domination along with a few scraps of bread to lure the homeless. Aelmeri had then used Physical Transformation to change their faces to match the arrested criminals, tricking the authorities into killing them instead.
Though his power was granted by the Succubus Queen’s authority, Duret himself was originally just an ordinary explorer who was somewhat strong. The power of his ability to induce brainwashing through speech was not particularly high.
Nevertheless, the fact that the homeless were resisting was truly unique. There was no group of people with less mental resistance than the homeless.
They were people who loved pleasure and wanted to be happy more than anyone else.
“I apologize. I will find out the reason as soon as possible.”
“Fufu, alright. I’ll be counting on you.”
“Yes, thank you, My Lady.”
Just as Aelmeri bowed her head and prepared to leave, Mystery Antoinette called out to her.
“Um, Aelmeri?”
“Y-yes, My Lady.”
Mystery Antoinette calmly lifted her teacup to her lips, took a quiet sip, and then spoke.
“I wonder... how is that matter I mentioned before progressing?”
“Are you referring to the order to tail that explorer...?”
“Yes, that’s the one.”
Aelmeri was also aware of Yoo Eon’s existence. She had seen with her own eyes how he had neutralized the Clinging Death head-on.
“I-I am sorry... We confirmed that he stopped by the Northeast... but for some reason, the agents kept failing to follow him after that....”
“So you’re saying... you still don’t know his final destination?”
“...I apologize. I have no excuse.”
After Aelmeri finished her report, Mystery Antoinette stared into her tea, where small ripples were forming, for a long time without a word.
“Could you show me?”
“M-may I ask what you mean...?”
“What they said. You said it sounded like... a dog barking?”
“Ah... y-yes.”
“Show me as well. How did they do it?”
Mystery Antoinette stared intently at Aelmeri and playfully mimicked a dog in a cute voice.
“Woof woof! Like this? Ufufu.”
“T-that seems about right....”
“Hmm, ‘that seems about right,’ does it...?”
Aelmeri’s shoulders flinched at Mystery Antoinette’s words. She lifted her bowed head to gauge Antoinette’s mood, and realizing she had made a mistake, she immediately threw herself onto the floor.
“Woof, woof!! Bark! Bark!!”
“Oh my, oh my.... So that’s how they barked? How fascinating.”
“Yes! Exactly! It was truly strange!”
“I see, Aelmeri. I hope you do a good job with what I’ve asked of you. Understood?”
“I will! I will keep it in mind!”
Thump! Thump!
As Aelmeri prostrated herself so hard her forehead nearly split, Mystery Antoinette finally dismissed her. After Aelmeri scrambled out of the room, Mystery Antoinette slowly sipped her tea and whispered softly to herself.
“Oh dear, has she become useless now?”
* * *
Aelmeri had suffered a major humiliation after entering the room to report to Mystery Antoinette.
“Fuck...! Argh!! This is driving me crazy!!”
Once she had descended a couple of floors, Aelmeri returned to her usual way of speaking and acting. She pulled a cigarette from her pocket, lit it with magic, took a deep drag, and entered the mid-level lobby.
“Hey! All you bastards managing the Western outskirts, get out here right now!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
When a superior is scolded by their own boss, the subordinates are bound to get caught in the aftermath.
Aelmeri summoned the criminals who managed the Western outskirts—where the quality of the 'water' had been declining for some time—and kicked each of them in the shins. Even then, her anger didn't subside.
“Where are the bastards heading out?”
“There aren't many right now, but....”
“Did I fucking ask how many there were? Bring every single one of them here.”
Naturally, the underlings had their own grievances, but in the Antonio Brotherhood, one could not survive after failing to follow the orders of an extremely enraged superior.
Thus, twelve disguised explorers responded to Aelmeri’s call.
Explorers belonging to the Antonio Brotherhood were generally organized into parties of six, designed to have two more members than the standard four-person party.
In other words, two parties’ worth of disguised explorers had answered Aelmeri’s summons.
“Some piece of shit has hunkered down in the Southwest. Because of that, My Lady is very uncomfortable right now. You know that?”
“Uh... we didn't know!”
Whack!
When one disguised explorer fell to the floor after being kicked in the shin, Aelmeri stepped on his head and continued.
“Anyway, fuck... I can’t stand this shit.”
To the Antonio Brotherhood, the Southwest was practically a sanctuary.
The reason was that there was no justification to go there. The ‘surface’ Antonio Brotherhood frequently visited the Northwest, and the Northeast was already on bad terms with the Southeast—a fact even the Guild knew.
But the Southwest was different. They were weak and fragile; touching them felt like murdering civilians.
For the Southeast, which was already under heavy sanctions, the Southwest—where there was nothing to gain and more to lose by interfering—had no reason to be a target.
But that wasn't the case anymore. Because someone who annoyed the head of the Southeast was currently located in the Southwest.
“Here. Go there and don’t do anything stupid. Just watch him. Only do what I tell you.”
Aelmeri’s index finger pointed to a specific spot on the map. After the disguised explorers gave a disciplined response, Aelmeri let out a deep sigh.
“Phew... I’ll have to find some kind of weakness.”
* * *
“Sera!! We’re doomed!!!”
“R-Ravi?! What’s wrong?!”
At Ravi’s voice, which wailed loud enough to shake the inn, Sera jumped out of the kitchen in surprise.
“Yura!! She blew Father away with the wind—!!!!”