Chapter 259
Chapter 259
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 259
Chapter Title: A Hundred Legs, Ten Thousand Poisons (9)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The streets were quiet. Plenty of houses had their lights on, but no one was wandering about. Most of the townsfolk were probably busy grinding sea goblin magic stones for fuel. A blessing in disguise, I suppose...
The inn we were staying at wasn't far from the shopping district. I reached the back alley in no time. A faint fishy smell hung in the dark alley—likely from stray dogs devouring scraps of fish or leftovers the residents had tossed their way.
-Tsk, tsk, tsk.
I clicked my tongue, but nothing stirred. El had definitely said she saw strays here... I scanned the surroundings. Still no sign of life.
"...Guess not."
Timing's off, huh. At least it seemed like strays passed through here, so maybe I should just leave the pork pie. I set the hefty pie down in a suitable corner and turned to go.
-Splash!
That was when it happened.
A jet of water—not just any stream, but like a water arrow—shot down and struck at my feet. If I'd been unlucky, it might've pierced right through my foot. The arrow-shaped water held its form on the ground for a few seconds before spilling out flat. Reflexively, I looked up toward where it had come from.
"...!"
There, silhouetted against the moonlight, sat a black shadow.
"You? The one who stepped up to conquer the new dungeon?"
"..."
The voice emerging from the darkness was a surprisingly youthful tenor. Wait, it sounded familiar somehow...
"Wha—"
"So, Richard—you took him out?"
Before I could get a word in, the shadow pressed on. Hold up, Richard? Iron Fist Richard? Why the hell would I take him out?
-Splash!!!
Another icicle-sharp water jet stabbed at my feet. That's when it hit me. Oh, it wasn't a miss—they were deliberately pulling punches. Meaning they could nail me anytime they wanted...
-Wriggle.
Legion squirmed in my inner pocket like it wanted to burst out. I pressed down on the pocket to keep it in and tilted my head up slightly. The darkness was still too thick to make out the face—just a vague outline. The build was sleek, like Calisto's. The voice was boyish, not feminine, so probably a young guy. Not human—elf, maybe? Or...
-Splash!!!
This time, the water jet whizzed past my head, not my feet. Whoosh—a sharp gust ruffled my hair. Oh, playing for keeps, are we? These quasi-medieval land folks have no manners. At least give me a chance to answer.
"Hey, looks like you've got the wrong idea..."
-Spla—
I felt another water jet hurtling toward me. Okay, now I'm pissed. If you're gonna ask, give me a second to reply, you rude bastard!!
-Bang!!
In the blink of an eye, as the jet bore down on me, a massive, thick lotus leaf unfurled before me like a giant umbrella. The water hit the smooth green surface and lost all momentum, sliding along the curve and bouncing far away.
I'd prepared for emergencies with a seed bracelet—handy beads sewn together for quick access without digging through my pouch. It was strung with my most reliable seeds, including the lotus ones that had saved my skin in the death swamp. I'd meant it as a backup umbrella, but the reinforcements made it sturdy enough to deflect even that powerful jet.
"Keep pushing it, you little..."
"...!"
I extended the dangling roots from under the lotus leaf toward the shadow. The roots shot out in an instant, climbing the adjacent building and snagging the ankle of the figure hiding within. Too late did they leap for the eaves—they ended up dangling in midair like a bungie jumper, lotus root looped around their ankle.
The moonlight revealed their form fully. The mostly white outfit was neat, not aristocratic but with a touch of refinement. Hard to peg as a common mercenary—those types rarely stay pristine. Plus, the gear screamed money. Not your average sellsword. Good pay alone wouldn't cut it—maybe someone hired them?
I approached slowly. A white cloth wrapped like a muffler shrouded their face. I reached out to yank it away.
"Wait, wait!!!"
They frantically shielded their face and yelled. And then.
"I'm sorry! My mistake!"
...suddenly apologized out of nowhere.
'Suspicious as hell.'
Narrowing my eyes, I stared at the wriggling figure...
-Snatch!!
And pulled the white cloth clean off.
"...!"
Beneath it was an unexpected face.
* * *
"So, Katarina sent you all the way here."
"Yeah."
"And you were supposed to meet Iron Fist Richard, who'd been hired ahead of time?"
"Yeah."
"But he was nowhere to be found..."
"Yeah."
"Then some mercenaries started tearing up the town, so you figured they were from a rival merchant group?"
"Yeah."
Sigh. I let out a deep breath and eyed the glum kid.
The cocky punk who'd ambushed me without knowing better was none other than...
"Roshanak, if it hadn't been me, you'd be in deep shit."
Roshanak.
That's right—the little mermaid hybrid kid I'd met in the Ekaitz Alliance. Too young to take along back then, so I'd left him with Katarina's group.
No wonder I hadn't recognized him. In those few months, he'd shot up like a weed. Being a hybrid made him grow faster? The pint-sized tyke smaller than El had bulked into someone who looked more "young man" than "boy." Kids grow fast overnight, sure, but this was ridiculous.
'...Well, El's grown a ton too.'
Not impossible, thinking about it. Back in my day, some kids sprouted over a foot in a single month's vacation—like bean sprouts. And Roshanak was a male mermaid hybrid to boot... If anything, this might be slow growth for him.
"Even so, how'd you not recognize me?"
"Hood up, cloak on—anyone would've missed it! Plus, no Isla, so I didn't think it'd be you, Theodor. Knew it the second I heard your voice, though."
"..."
"You didn't recognize me, Theo!"
"Honestly, that's forgivable. You grew way too much."
"Way too much?"
Roshanak sounded shocked.
"No offense. Means you grew up great, that's all. Figured you'd still be a little squirt."
"...Puberty hit all at once. Master said learning magic probably triggered changes in my body."
"Could be."
Channeling magic can blast open stagnant mana paths, sparking physical shifts. Like how Agri from the western mage tower stayed youthful at her age.
"Katarina sending you solo to a place like this..."
I'd asked her to "look after" Roshanak, not "work to death." Guess it meant his skills were top-notch—silver lining?
"I insisted on coming."
"You?"
"Needed to build my strength."
"You look plenty strong already, Roshanak."
No flattery—dead serious. Sneaking up without me noticing? Mastering the tricky element of water like it was nothing? Even for a mermaid hybrid, rocketing to this level in months screamed insane talent. Like El.
"...Not as strong as you."
His tone drooped, deflated. Was he pushing himself because of that old promise to join my party? Kids really do make you watch your words...
"What're you talking about? Few people rattle me like you just did."
"..."
"Hard work matters, but so does confidence."
I patted his slumped shoulders.
"Plus, Katarina trusts you with solo ops? Means you're among the best in the Ekaitz Alliance..."
"...Yeah."
"That's beyond anything I expected."
"Really...?"
His face finally brightened. I grinned and gripped his hand firmly, like a handshake.
"Impressive. Damn impressive."
No exaggeration. From that scrawny slave-auction screamer to this... Kid-rearing success—no, disciple-rearing grand slam.
'Anyway...'
Setting the reunion aside, I brought up what'd been bugging me.
"Katarina focusing on Quarzon's dungeon instead of Ekaitz waters? Kinda unexpected..."
"I'm just doing her assignment—don't know the details."
"Nothing at all?"
"Conquer Quarzon's new dungeon with Iron Fist Richard. That's all I got."
Didn't seem like he was lying. So, to get intel, I'd have to ask Katarina direct... As if reading my mind, Roshanak fixed his sea-blue eyes on me.
"But Theodor, if you want, I can find out anything."