Chapter 74 What Are You Doing Here
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: What Are You Doing Here?
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The dimly lit inn was illuminated by a single small lamp.
Jeong Yoo-shin observed Gallerheim, his arm still slung around the gnome's shoulders.
He had sent Snout to the monster dismantling shop. It was something worth reporting to Aldein.
He had some time to kill since they had agreed to wait at the inn until Snout returned.
"Gallerheim, let's be honest. Did you go to the eastern district?"
"...Why do you think that?"
"It's a guess. I suspect you went there for some... slave play?"
"..."
Gallerheim remained silent.
He kept fidgeting with his nose.
Had he hit a nerve?
'Gnomes are hard to trust.'
Dito had practically given Jeong Yoo-shin PTSD.
"I'm not trying to accuse you of anything. Slave play? I like it too. Yes, yes. I think it's a perfectly healthy, morally sound… cultural activity."
"Really?"
Gallerheim slowly raised his head.
Jeong Yoo-shin moved away from Gallerheim and leaned back against his chair.
"Be honest. Did you go to the eastern district? I believe that's the only place where they have slave play."
"...Yes."
Just as he suspected.
He had anticipated this ever since he heard the red-light district was in the eastern district.
From now on, if he encountered any suspicious places, he could probably assume they were in the eastern district, and he'd be right most of the time.
Jeong Yoo-shin crossed his arms and spoke.
"Did Oswald approach you?"
"...Yes."
He'd thought the timing of Oswald's contact was rather uncanny. He suspected information had been leaked from somewhere.
Then…
Who could have relayed his recent activities?
It was simple.
Excluding Soline and Pyrion, who were affiliated with the church, the only one left was Gallerheim.
"What did you tell Oswald?"
"...Nothing much. He just asked me if you were busy lately."
"Hoo..."
Jeong Yoo-shin leaned back further in his chair.
"..."
Jeong Yoo-shin stared at Gallerheim in silence.
Gallerheim shifted uncomfortably.
Should he kill him?
Or not?
Jeong Yoo-shin tapped the table.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Finally, Jeong Yoo-shin spoke.
"Gallerheim, it would be best if you took off your mask."
His voice was calm.
"...Why?"
Gallerheim asked.
Jeong Yoo-shin chuckled, finding it ridiculous.
"Do you want to die?"
"...Alright."
Gallerheim removed his nose mask.
Jeong Yoo-shin leaned in and made eye contact with Gallerheim at close range.
"I'll ask again. Did Oswald only ask about my recent activities? Whether I was busy or not?"
"...Yes. That's all he asked."
Gallerheim replied. His nose didn't grow longer.
'Just this once.'
He would spare him.
He didn't believe a lower-ranked explorer could defy an underworld executive.
"Alright. Is anything happening in the eastern district lately?"
"I don't know the details, but I heard that people who turned into monsters or animals have been disappearing there recently. So, the atmosphere in the eastern district is quite tense."
"What about the red-light district? I heard that there's a barbarian there."
Gallerheim's face turned pale. He even started trembling.
"That place is a den of iniquity right now. No one can enter. The stench of semen has filled the brothel alleys and sewers for a while now."
'Shit.'
Jeong Yoo-shin stood up.
"Wait here for a moment."
"Alright."
He went upstairs to his room, put on his sword belt, and secured his arming sword to his waist.
"Lin?"
There was no response.
Thinking she might be asleep, he lifted the blanket slightly, but Lin wasn't there.
He hadn't seen Lin for the past week.
She was a free spirit, so he didn't think much of it when she didn't return to the inn for a few days, but her absence was getting longer.
'Could it be...?'
The rumor Gallerheim had just mentioned flashed through his mind. Even though Ingrid had cast a powerful protection spell on her, he couldn't suppress the growing unease in his heart.
'It's just needless worry.'
Lin was Ingrid's familiar.
He pushed down his worries, left the room, and went back downstairs.
Snout, who had returned at some point, was standing there while holding some clothes.
"Here's your coat. Aldein said you should bring it."
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head.
"It's summer. What am I going to do with a monster leather coat? I'll die of heatstroke. I'll go like this."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"You said I wouldn't die."
"I'll be fine, but I'm more worried about you, Skar."
"What could possibly happen?"
Jeong Yoo-shin checked his attire.
A white linen shirt with rolled-up sleeves.
Brown cotton pants.
Walker boots with iron-reinforced soles.
And an arming sword hanging from his sword belt.
Jeong Yoo-shin threw open the inn door.
"Gallerheim, you know the place, right? Let's go."
"Yes."
The three men left the inn and stepped out into the night.
After walking for about two hours, they arrived at the eastern district checkpoint.
"It's curfew."
A guard blocked their way. Snout approached the guard and whispered something in his ear.
The guard's eyes widened.
"I-Is that so? Pass."
Gallerheim stared at Jeong Yoo-shin and Snout with surprise.
"Did you think we wouldn't be able to get through?"
Jeong Yoo-shin asked.
"I didn't think the method would be to just barge through."
"What do you mean this is barging through? If you bash your head against something, that's barging through. Let's go."
They passed through the checkpoint and entered the eastern district.
It was his first time back in a while.
It was completely different from the quiet southern district.
The brightly lit streets were crowded with a mix of monsters and humans.
They walked down the street with Gallerheim leading the way.
They passed a street lined with shops selling suspicious goods.
They then passed a street lined with taverns, their colorful lights twinkling.
They walked for about three hours.
The number of monsters and humans gradually increased.
"Are you sure this is the right way?"
"Yes."
The street they were currently on was vastly different from the gloomy slum on the outskirts they had visited before.
The buildings grew taller, and the cheerful music, laughter, and shouts grew louder in proportion.
Jeong Yoo-shin looked around.
Harpies were flying overhead, scattering flyers.
Female rabbit beast-people, dressed in revealing clothes, were soliciting passersby.
Elves, their eyes glazed over, were sprawled in the alleys between the tall buildings, smoking something.
Jeong Yoo-shin clicked his tongue.
'The pleasure district I saw at the entrance was just a taste.'
This street, deep within the eastern district, was filled with souls seeking pleasure.
The strange thing was…
No one approached him.
A crocodile beast-person, who had been soliciting customers, approached Jeong Yoo-shin, then quickly changed direction and grabbed another customer.
An orc with long fangs swaggered towards them, then, upon seeing Jeong Yoo-shin, flinched and moved aside.
Jeong Yoo-shin frowned.
He hadn't received such blatant avoidance even in the southern district or at the eastern checkpoint.
"Why aren't they approaching us? It's strange."
"Well, Skar, you're a barbarian, aren't you?"
Snout replied while scratching his head.
"...I don't know what to say. Isn't this a bit too much? It's like we're being treated like a plague."
"It's because they've had bad experiences. You have to understand."
"Alright."
He wasn't the one who had widened their… orifices. It was like avoiding innocent people after being slapped by someone else.
'Tsk. I understand. Once bitten, twice shy. Is the red-light district close by?'
Jeong Yoo-shin clicked his tongue inwardly as they passed through the gradually dispersing crowd.
They walked a bit further and saw an open space.
A large, colorful tent came into view.
It was large enough to easily accommodate hundreds of people.
"That's it."
Gallerheim pointed.
"It looks like a circus."
"Circus performances are the Shadow Clowns' main business."
A long line stretched from the entrance of the tent. It was a mix of monsters, humans, and animals.
"Snout, have you been here before?"
"Two or three times."
"How is it?"
Snout tilted his head.
"If you're talking about the circus performance, I think it's worth seeing."
"Let's go."
The three men stood in line and waited.
The line moved quickly, and soon it was Jeong Yoo-shin's turn.
"One silver coin, please."
A human male with white makeup on his face said.
Jeong Yoo-shin took out three silver coins from his pocket and handed them over.
The man took the money and gave him bracelets.
"These bracelets identify you as customers. Please don't lose them."
"Alright."
As they entered the tent, they felt a wave of heat.
Even before the performance started, the excitement of the crowd was palpable.
Finding seats wasn't difficult. People scrambled to give up their seats as Jeong Yoo-shin approached.
"E-Excuse me, is this seat...?"
"Gasp...! Please, sit down!"
A pig beast-person sitting in the front row jumped up and fled.
"Huh. That's a bit much."
Jeong Yoo-shin muttered as he watched the pig beast-person's wiggling backside.
"..."
Jeong Yoo-shin crossed his arms and looked at the empty stage.
He had come for business, but he was also looking forward to the performance.
Just then…
A pot-bellied man walked onto the stage. He had white makeup on his face and he was wearing a funny hat.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for coming again today!"
The man took off his hat and bowed deeply.
"Waaaaaaaaah!!!"
"Start the show already!!!"
The crowd roared in unison.
Jeong Yoo-shin, still with his arms crossed, looked around at the audience.
Gallerheim and Snout, sitting on either side of him, were also feigning indifference, but they were clearly excited.
"Now! The first act is... The Slime Tower!"
A lion beast-person with face paint walked onto the stage. About ten slimes followed behind him.
'What's this?'
The slimes wriggled their way up a tall staircase.
The lion beast-person mounted a unicycle and started riding it.
Dum, dum, dum, dum, dum!
One of the stagehands beat a drum.
The tension gradually built.
And then…
A slime jumped from the top of a tall pole.
Squish.
The lion beast-person skillfully caught the slime while riding the unicycle.
"Waaaaaaaaah!!!"
The crowd cheered.
Slimes jumped down from the tall pole one by one.
The amazing thing was that they changed into various shapes as they fell.
A star.
A heart.
A dragon.
A pig.
A cow.
Various shapes.
Judging by the details, it wasn't something they had done just once or twice.
"Waaaaaaaaah!!! Amazing!!!"
The slimes clung to the lion's head and arms, each transforming into a different shape.
When a slime covered the lion beast-person's eyes, the cheers grew even louder.
The last slime, shaped like a teddy bear, dropped down.
Squish.
The last slime landed safely on the lion's head.
"Waaaaaaaaah!!!"
Clap, clap, clap, clap!!!
People stood up and applauded enthusiastically while whistling.
Jeong Yoo-shin also jumped up and clapped.
"A teddy bear?! Damn, that's awesome! This place is legit!!!"
Feeling the gazes of Snout and Gallerheim, he sat back down.
The show continued.
A hunchbacked goblin and a beautiful elf performed a daring trapeze act.
A blue-skinned troll mage walked onto the stage and manipulated flames, creating all sorts of illusions.
The flames, taking on various shapes, flew freely above the audience.
A dragon, a wyvern, an eagle, a sparrow, a swallow.
Jeong Yoo-shin stared, mesmerized by the illusions floating in the air.
The others were equally captivated.
The troll mage waved his staff, and the flapping flames vanished.
"Waaaaaaaaah!!!"
Thunderous applause filled the circus tent as the troll mage's performance ended.
The audience's cheers and praises grew louder with each act.
Finally…
The axe throwing act remained.
The stagehands set up thick wooden boards on the stage.
An orc, blindfolded, stood on the stage while holding an axe.
A stout man walked to the front of the stage and spoke.
"Lastly, the fearsome warrior! The orc's axe throwing performance!!! He'll split you in half with a single graze!!! Who's the brave challenger?! Come on, come on!!!"
Dum, dum, dum, dum, dum, dum!
The sound of drums filled the tent.
The stout man pointed.
Jeong Yoo-shin jumped up from his seat again.
"Lin?!"
A small, white rat wearing a tiny hat stood proudly on two legs.
"Squeak!"
"Waaaaaaaaah!!!"
The audience roared.
'What are you doing here?!'
Jeong Yoo-shin's jaw dropped.
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T/N - Lol! I guess we now know where Lin has been all this time. Life as a familiar must be so hard. Lin has to work so hard since having a sugar daddy (the MC) isn’t enough anymore. 😂
Also, dang dude. How wild are those barbarians? To make the streets and sewers smell like semen… I wonder if the MC will also act the same way when he has his first time in this world?