23
Chapter 23
Rubia felt like she was going to lose her mind at any moment.
In a way, it was only natural.
A bizarre Demon Sword suddenly appearing as an item during the auction.
Then, after losing consciousness and waking up, that monstrous Leader was suddenly asking her about the Empire's history with a serious expression.
On top of that,
-Boom!
A massive explosion erupted.
A group of black-robed intruders barged into the Auction House, sporting fangs drawn right on their chests.
Black Fang.
No, to be exact, a fake Black Fang was committing an act of terrorism here.
Rubia trembled as she checked the Leader's reaction.
However, the Leader's expression was incredibly relaxed.
He merely frowned for a moment before regaining his composure.
Even though a group impersonating his organization had launched a terrorist attack, not a hint of agitation could be found on his face.
He looked so unperturbed that it seemed as if he was completely oblivious to what had just happened.
A reaction that made it hard to believe he was human.
...Come to think of it, that man had been like that from the start.
When the ominous aura poured out of the sword, everyone couldn't even bear to look directly at it.
Yet that man alone was completely unfazed.
Even when she was trembling from receiving that unpleasant Curse, he remained perfectly calm.
He even looked bored, if anything.
'W-What in the world kind of person is he...'
While Rubia was panicking, the Leader calmly watched the chaos unfold from a high vantage point and muttered.
"Black Fang's reputation is going to hit rock bottom."
An entirely nonchalant tone.
It was enough to make one mistake him for someone who didn't care what happened to Black Fang.
However, Rubia's body couldn't help but tremble even more.
The implications of directing those words at those two were obvious, after all.
The moment she heard those words, the dark-haired girl's gaze changed.
As if proving why she was the Leader's most loyal Confidant, the little brat named Ciel immediately opened her mouth and said.
"Can I step out for a moment?"
She was asking for permission.
The man pondered for a moment before instructing the white-haired girl to accompany her.
"Wrap it up as quickly as you can and come back."
With those words, the two girls vanished from sight in an instant.
Rubia... found the tone of those words incredibly terrifying.
To wrap things up quickly and come back.
The sight of the man giving a horrific command to massacre everyone with a nonchalant expression.
The sight of him ordering people's deaths as casually as if he were sending them on a trivial errand.
It was just so, so terrifying.
She couldn't possibly believe they were the same species.
"......Ah, Miss Rubia."
The monster turned his gaze back to her.
The words—Please spare me, I'll do anything, I'll give you everything, just please spare my life—surged up to her throat, but.
In the end, she couldn't spit them out.
She didn't dare to.
Right now, Rubia felt like she couldn't even breathe without the man's permission.
"Why are you trembling so much?"
Rubia immediately understood the meaning behind those words.
She had just displeased the man.
As a Slave who barely clung to life by obeying him and serving as his financial pipeline, she had shown an unpleasant side to her master.
Slumped on the floor, Rubia simply wept helplessly.
She knew she shouldn't be doing this.
She knew that if she kept crying like this and annoyed him further, she'd be executed right on the spot.
But the tears just wouldn't stop.
"You must have been really scared because of the terrorist attack."
The man said to her.
His expression was utterly wicked.
It was a face filled with what looked like genuine concern for her.
To an onlooker, it would seem as if he was completely bewildered and sincerely trying to console her.
That made it all the more horrifying.
A monster in human skin was mimicking human emotions.
"Those people are nothing special. There's no need for you to worry."
However, Rubia wasn't stupid enough to voice her true thoughts: 'Are you kidding me? I'm not scared of them, I'm scared of you! You're the scariest one here, you crazy monster bastard!'
So, Rubia tried her best to force a submissive expression onto her face as she answered.
"Y-Yes. I-It's so scary."
Seeing this, the man smiled as if he found her trembling figure cute and said.
"Don't worry. It's nothing big. Give it a few hours, and it'll feel like none of this ever happened."
To turn this Black Market,
and everyone in it, into nothingness.
Her mind simply couldn't handle it and reached its limit right there.
Rubia's consciousness abruptly snapped and faded to black.
*****
......I've thought this a few times already, but.
this person seems to be far too cowardly.
How on earth did she manage to survive this long with such a fragile mentality?
If she trembles this much over something like this, I absolutely cannot fathom how she ran her business.
'She surely must have known that Defense Magic is cast here as well.'
It's a VIP-only room, after all.
There is nowhere safer than here.
Wouldn't it come out without a scratch from most Bombs?
It would collapse if subjected to a concentrated magical bombardment, but,
thinking about it rationally, there was no reason for that terrorist organization to go out of their way to do such a thing to us.
Yet this person is trembling this much out of sheer terror.
I even empathized with her fear and went so far as to reassure her not to worry, but it seems it was too much to care for a mentality more fragile than wet tissue paper.
At this rate, she's such a coward that she'd probably pass out from fear just walking into a haunted house.
That's not an exaggeration.
Because right now, it looks like this person genuinely fainted from terror.
I caught Rubia, who suddenly started wailing loudly before flopping over, and seated her back down.
Rubia's condition was so severe that the Healthy Body trait didn't even activate when lifting and moving her voluptuous body.
I took off her Mask, pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped away her tears and runny nose.
......An adult woman.
The current situation of taking care of a woman who looks to be in her mid-20s to early 30s like some babysitter is making my head spin.
'Did Bone and Blood 2 completely change genres or something?'
A Noona with large breasts who is suspiciously cowardly and lacks composure. She's like a character straight out of a dating sim.
Originally, Bone and Blood had a much crueler and darker vibe.
At this point, I might seriously need to consider whether the developer changed directions.
'Maybe that suspicious developer who loves torturing orphans finally compromised with reality.'
Finishing up tending to Rubia, I sat back down and checked the scene beyond the glass.
People running away in a panic and black-robed figures scattered all over the place.
It was an absolute chaotic mess.
I was watching that sight when... I suddenly remembered.
Come to think of it,
Is there really any need for me to just stay sitting here?
'It's not like I have anything to do here anyway.'
In that case... wouldn't it be better to do something a bit more productive?
Such thoughts filled my mind.
However, my conscience as a modern-day human held me back.
My conscience screamed at me, questioning if it was right to take advantage of this chaos just to steal.
But... come to think of it, those moral qualms weren't really that important.
I'd lived a somewhat conscientious life up until now, but my original goal was to survive and prevent the destruction of this fantasy world.
It wasn't like I could completely avoid killing people, right?
This universe was far too bleak to stick to a strict pacifist code. I would avoid it if possible, but when push came to shove, I couldn't hesitate.
And obviously, theft was a much lighter crime than murder.
To be prepared to kill people, yet unable to muster the courage to steal some goods in the midst of chaos.
What could be more ridiculous than that?
'Besides, why should I feel guilty about what I'm about to do anyway?'
It was obvious when I thought about it.
Stealing is a bad thing, but stealing from insufferable bastards is practically a good deed.
What if I used those stolen goods for the greater good of saving the world?
That would make me the ultimate Righteous Thief.
Besides, I already had all the necessary equipment prepared.
The Mask I was currently wearing on my face was impenetrable to ordinary Detection Magic.
On top of that, I was wearing the exact same black robe as the terrorists, making it incredibly easy to blend in with them.
Even if I got caught stealing, it wouldn't be a problem.
Because I had the Amulet Ciel gave me.
The moment I sustained even a slight injury, the two of them would immediately teleport to my side through the shadows.
At this point, this was a sign from the heavens.
The heavens were granting me permission to become a righteous thief.
'Rubia would probably be happy too.'
Not that I'm one to talk, considering I spent money like water. I had already dealt a massive blow to Rubia's finances.
The abundant Mana flowing through my body was practically fueled by her blood, sweat, and tears.
But fortunately, a golden opportunity like this just happened to present itself.
A massive event where I could get my hands on a Holy Sword that would normally cost dozens of buildings, as well as all sorts of Artifacts, taking whatever I could grab.
Unless I was a complete fool, how could I possibly pass this up?
I pulled the Mask down tightly and adjusted my clothes.
I concentrated Mana into my legs and leaped with all my might.
It was time to become a Righteous Thief.