Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Stalker
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Day 3, morning.
By the time I arrived at the gate, everything inside had been neatly repaired.
The broken bricks had been filled in with smaller ones in the gaps between them, the shattered floor had been replaced with fresh wooden planks, and even the damaged entrance had been swapped out for a brand-new door.
The interior of the gate looked much like it had on the first day.
The only issue was that massive sarcophagus standing blankly next to the desk.
Since it was a promise to the Saintess...
I slowly approached the sarcophagus.
She had asked me to check if she was sleeping peacefully.
I gently opened the lid of the sarcophagus to confirm the Saintess's condition.
"......She's sleeping soundly."
The Saintess lay there as still as a mouse, her hands demurely folded over her stomach.
She'd been growling when I put her to bed, but now that she was on her own, she slept quietly.
Just to be safe, maybe I should check a little more...
Like the Hero had done, I poked the Saintess's cheek with my index finger.
Her soft flesh yielded and bulged outward in response.
"......"
The Saintess showed no reaction whatsoever.
No growling, no aggressive swats with her hand.
She seemed to be fast asleep, so I closed the sarcophagus lid.
Now that I had a sturdy turret on my side, as long as I was careful with the Body Search, my life should be safe.
That's when a sharp knocking sound came from the direction of the exit.
Who's that?
No one should be coming at this hour—it's not even shift change yet.
I opened the exit door to see who it was.
It couldn't be the Hero, could it...?
And there she was...
"Hello..."
It was Eri, carrying a basket packed to the brim with something.
Quest: Logan Intel Gathering
📍 Goal: Perform Body Search on Eri once before Logan's release.
🎁 Reward: Unlock 'Quest: Logan'.
The conditions looked light, so it was probably a side quest.
A main quest wouldn't have requirements this simple.
Still, since it was a quest I hadn't known about, the reward wouldn't be too shabby.
Worth looking forward to.
I closed the quest window and looked straight ahead, where Eri's hesitant face came into view.
Even if I didn't intend it, just being stationed at the gate meant she was bound to show up eventually.
"What brings you here, Eri?"
"It's about my husband..."
"Ah, Sir Logan, right?"
"Yes..."
Sure enough, Eri had come about Logan.
Makes sense—it'd be scary for a woman to be out here in the west all alone without her husband.
"But what's in that cloth-covered basket?"
"Some fruit for you, Gatekeeper... to eat."
In other words, a bribe.
I had no idea what was inside, but the fact that it was covered suggested it was something not meant for prying eyes.
"Just to be safe, could you set the basket on the floor and step back two paces?"
"Ah, sure!"
A smile crept across Eri's lips.
She must have taken it as a sign I'd accept the bribe.
With that, she plunked the basket down on the floor with a thud and stepped back.
A normal fruit basket wouldn't make a sound like that...
Just as I suspected—a bribe.
I squatted in front of the basket, pulled back the cloth, and found it stuffed with luxury goods.
Jewelry, coins, gold—looked like she'd dumped everything she owned into it.
"......"
Eri kept stealing glances at my reaction from the corner of her eye.
I wonder how much this would fetch if I sold it.
100,000 gold? 150,000? Something in that ballpark.
But... these bribes carried way too much risk, no matter how I looked at them.
I like money, sure.
You can never have enough.
But this wasn't money—it was poison.
Judging by these items, this was probably her entire fortune.
She didn't look wealthy from her appearance.
Not every knight is rich, even if Logan was one.
For her to bring this much took serious resolve.
Better not to take it.
Just do a quick Body Search and send her on her way.
I had to complete the quest, after all...
"Sorry, I only eat apples."
"......Pardon?"
I'd phrased it politely, but Eri surely understood it was a flat refusal.
Her shoulders trembled in confusion.
"Th-then my husband..."
"Sir Logan will handle that himself."
Logan was a knight.
A knight in the Empire wasn't just anyone—they were rigorously selected and proven.
Not on the level of the Empire's Swords, but still elite. Even insulting the Saintess wouldn't get him more than a punishment and a quick release.
Though the fine would be hefty.
And right now, he was out there cursing me to my face like some kid from the neighborhood.
What guarantee did I have he wouldn't retaliate if I took the bribe?
"Ah... oh."
Eri began trembling all over.
She clearly didn't grasp what being a knight really meant.
Better set her straight before she spiraled.
What if she suddenly pulled a knife from behind her back?
Even the sleeping Saintess couldn't stop that.
"Ha... Sir Logan will be released soon enough without you doing anything like this."
"R-really?"
"So next time, bring actual fruit."
Color returned to Eri's face at my words.
I hoped she wouldn't come back, but I'd handled it well enough.
If he weren't a knight, I'd have snatched it up in a heartbeat.
What a shame.
"Now, just a simple Body Search, and you're free to go."
"A Body Search...? Oh, right..."
Eri's expression darkened again.
Her eyelids fluttered.
"Th-that's..."
"Yes?"
Darkness had returned to Eri's face, which had been bright just moments ago.
She hugged herself as if she'd seen something indecent.
"......"
Eri had clearly misunderstood big time.
Her face was growing paler by the second.
I had zero intention of touching her, as I'd said.
For me, it was just about clearing the quest.
"It's exactly what it sounds like—a Body Search. It's my job, so I have to do it. It'll be quick, and then you're out."
"Ah..."
Only then did Eri realize her mistake, her cheeks flushing red.
Though I'd committed plenty of crimes, I hadn't lost my basic humanity.
"S-sorry. I misunderstood again..."
"Step back, then. I once did a sloppy Body Search back in the day and nearly got in big trouble."
"...Okay."
The memory made my throat ache.
I checked to make sure my head was still attached.
Eri assumed the same position as last time.
I performed the Body Search briskly, tapping her clothing with the back of my hand like it was official business.
Her shoulders jumped each time, but I ignored it.
Lesson learned from this: nothing good comes from tangling with married women.
From now on, I'd minimize contact during Body Searches with wives.
That's why I stuck to tapping clothes.
She'd been searched once before anyway, so no dangerous items likely.
If not for the quest, I probably would've skipped it and sent her packing.
"Ngh... Gatekeeper..."
"Yes."
Eri spoke up, stifling a sound leaking from her throat.
"The Body Search feels way faster than last time..."
"The quicker it goes, the sooner it's done."
"......"
Eri fell silent, out of arguments.
I was going at least twice as fast as before.
"Turn around."
Eri's body was definitely sensitive.
Even just tapping with the back of my hand had her legs wobbling already.
Better finish before she got any weird ideas.
So I wrapped up her Body Search in a swift, precise two minutes.
"Haa... haa..."
Eri was trembling all over, probably from how fast I'd gone.
Still, much better than last time.
She'd collapsed from weak legs before.
Even with bare hands, if I could control it this well now, that meant progress.
A huge leap forward.
Body Search done, now...
"You can go."
Out of my gate.
Time for happy hour.
Quest: Logan
📍 Goal: Meet with Logan after his release.
🎁 Reward: Save Use Ticket (1x).
The moment Eri left, I opened the quest window and couldn't help but be shocked.
A Save Use Ticket.
A reward that let me Save once without spending Life Points.
It might not mean much to others, but for a slave low on Life Points, nothing was better.
These usually only came late-game, a few at a time...
Meeting Logan sounded scary, but snagging a Save ticket this early was a massive boon.
I could just grab it now and use it later when needed.
The downside? It only worked inside the gate.
But since I was holed up here all day anyway, that wasn't a big risk.
Looking forward to the meeting with Logan later, I closed the quest window.
......
"No one's coming..."
Today was quieter than yesterday or the day before.
The big merchant guilds had already come and gone, and the soldiers' reinforcements seemed to be winding down.
Aside from Eri this morning, there were basically no entrants today.
Lunchtime was approaching soon.
My stomach growled.
As Gatekeeper, I couldn't leave during duty, so soldiers brought food.
It was army grub, reheated on the way, so it wasn't great...
But hunger made anything tolerable.
If only someone would show up to pass the time—no one did, so it dragged on endlessly.
Stomach empty, time crawling...
Even that Hero hadn't shown her face since yesterday morning.
Of course, that was good news.
Things hadn't gone exactly to plan, but I'd escaped her pressure.
I hoped we never crossed paths again.
Bored out of my mind, I wandered aimlessly around the gate interior.
Thud.
Lost in thought, I accidentally kicked the Saintess's sarcophagus.
'Shit.'
She was sensitive to noise.
I remembered her flying into a rage yesterday over a loud sound.
If the impact reached the sarcophagus, the noise would've been huge...
'Please...'
I carefully opened the lid to check.
Thankfully, the Saintess had just rolled onto her side—didn't look like she'd woken.
Her face seemed a bit flushed compared to morning, but that was probably my imagination.
That's when a commotion erupted from the entrance.
- "I'm not trying to pass through, just want to see the Gatekeeper's face. A pass? I'll get one later."
An entrant? Woman's voice—familiar.
- "I just need to confirm the Gatekeeper's face and name. Why make this so difficult?"
Where do I know that from...? Like under hypnosis, I pressed my ear to the entrance door without closing the sarcophagus lid.
The new door's smooth metal felt cool against my skin.
- "Hey, did you get a pass? No? Damn, forgot to bring it."
My heart suddenly pounded like mad.
Fear? Terror? I didn't know.
Maybe both.
- "Can't I just check once? I think it's someone I know."
No way, right? My throat tingled.
A feeling I hadn't had in ages.
- "You can't...? Being in the west, there's no way around this..."
Ah, fuck.
- "Then, soldier, do you know Anderson? Just tell me that. Round trip takes a week."
Selena Evangelin.
The crazy bitch who'd slit my throat.
She was here in the west.
Looking for me.