Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Refusal
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It was the kind of statement that naturally drew a sigh.
The Clock Republic wasn't some place you could just waltz into on a whim.
From the perspective of the Verdi Family, who guarded the north, it would be like us arbitrarily opening and closing the border at will.
Pindenai seemed to read my mind, lowering her voice for no particular reason.
"I'll go secretly. Without letting the Young Master or Deia know."
"I find it amusing that you think I'll permit it."
I crossed my arms and gave a curt, conservative reply, upon which Pindenai scratched the back of her head, looking awkward.
"Well, if the Young Master tells me not to go, I won't. But something irritating seems to be brewing over there."
"......Explain."
The mere fact that Pindenai—who utterly despised the Republic—was talking about going back already signaled that something ominous was afoot.
Doubt mingled with unease washed over me.
But unexpectedly, Pindenai turned the question on me.
"Huh? You're interested in our side's business?"
"......"
I didn't bother answering, simply pressing my lips together to urge her on, and Pindenai rubbed her neck awkwardly before responding.
"There are resistances in the Clock Republic besides our Scrap Merchants. The biggest group among them is the Dog Butchers."
Dog Butchers?
My eyebrow twitched slightly, and Pindenai smirked as she added,
"Their leader looks just like Doberman. You'll get the vibe the moment you see him."
"So you're going to meet them."
I could already piece together the gist without hearing more, so I probed, and Pindenai nodded.
"I got word that the Dog Butchers are gathering resistances that have been scattered lately. No idea what they're planning, but I need to go check it out."
"......"
"I'm not saying I'm gonna do anything. It won't take long anyway, even if I go."
Her words plunged me into brief contemplation.
Even in the game, tales of the Clock Republic felt like vague Napolitan ghost stories—murky and indistinct.
And even after seeing the game's ending, I'd never heard of the Republic's leadership or systems being overthrown.
It left a bad taste, but watching Pindenai's expression, I had a feeling she'd be itching for a fight if I told her no.
"I'll give you one week."
"Huh."
"Exactly one week from now, I'll be heading back to the Academy. Return before then."
"That's cutting it real close."
"If it's impossible, you're not going."
"I didn't say it was impossible."
Pindenai flashed a grin and yanked off the white frills from her head.
"You already have a piece of my soul anyway, right?"
"You remember?"
"Of course."
When I'd taken Pindenai as my maid, we'd struck a contract where I held a fragment of her soul.
Given her recent antics, I'd assumed she'd forgotten, but surprisingly, she hadn't.
Back then, my skills as a Necromancer were lacking, so I'd gotten her consent for the contract.
Looking back now, it all seemed so sloppy—the ritual, the mana handling. It screamed amateur.
"One week is tight, so I'm heading out right now."
With that, Pindenai spun on her heel.
She'd played it down when talking to me, but the aura radiating from her back as she turned away was fiercely intimidating.
Not the maid Pindenai.
The leader of the resistance.
The head of the Scrap Merchants.
She was reverting to the wolf that had crossed the northern mountains.
I watched her in silence for a moment, then hesitated before speaking up.
"Go."
"Hm?"
Pindenai glanced back over her shoulder, as if wondering if I had more to say, and without thinking, I blurted out,
"Don't smoke too much. Republic tobacco is toxic—once the smell lingers, it'll be hard traveling together."
Her blood-red eyes widened for a split second at my words, then she grinned.
"Want a souvenir? Aphrodisiacs and hole-punched condoms are their specialties. Bet the Young Master would love 'em."
It was a crude joke, through and through.
But that was the end of our conversation.
Pindenai left me, if only briefly, and I ended up waiting for her unintentionally.
I'd released the wolf, and now the mansion felt empty again.
I had nothing particular to do, so I thought I'd rest, but oddly, Pindenai's expression lingered in my mind.
I knew she hadn't told me everything, and that she'd judged it beneficial for me to stay in the dark.
Yet it nagged at me all the same.
The next five years, unfolding as in the game.
I knew the Clock Republic wouldn't see any upheavals in that time, so I hoped the resistances wouldn't stir up pointless trouble.
'She won't die here anyway.'
In the original game timeline, this was Aria's first-year summer break—when she was shedding her newbie tendencies bit by bit.
Pindenai wouldn't have even appeared in the story yet, so she wouldn't lose her life here.
That's when I spotted Scrap Merchants members chopping wood in the mansion garden.
Were they splitting firewood for summer? No, it looked more like a show of strength among themselves, all rowdy about it.
"Hrah!"
"Y-Young Master!"
"You're here!"
The one swinging the axe flexed his biceps boastfully, but upon spotting me, he bowed his head like the others, feathers ruffled.
Their boss, Pindenai, had just crossed the border, and here they were carrying on like this?
"I've heard there've been strange movements in the Clock Republic lately."
"Ah, yes."
"We heard the resistance leaders are gathering for some meeting."
"The Extermination Squad's been cracking down so hard."
The Scrap Merchants had crossed the border to hole up here precisely because the Republic's Extermination Squad had been rampaging, wiping out resistances left and right.
"But the boss isn't joining this time, right?"
"Yeah, she never cared much about the other resistances anyway."
"Now that you mention it, where'd she go?"
I found myself momentarily stunned by the Scrap Merchants members' question.
I'd assumed Pindenai had told them before leaving, but had she really slipped away without a word even to her own crew?
"......I sent her on an errand."
"Heh heh, go easy on our boss."
"She might look tough, but she's still a virgin."
"But man, she chops dicks with that axe like nobody's business!"
I could only stay silent as the members boasted about the weirdest things.
The more I saw, the clearer it became how much Pindenai was their anchor—their family.
Which was exactly why I kept her solo trip under wraps.
'It's fine.'
She'd said she'd be back in a week, so she'd handle it.
All I could do was hope the Mountain Lord watched over her path.
"Ah."
As I entered the mansion, my eyes met Deia's—she was passing by right then.
She seemed to have a nasty hangover from last night's drinking, clutching her throbbing head and grimacing.
But the moment she saw me, she whipped around and scurried off somewhere else.
"Shit shit shit. Am I crazy? How could I say that to a bastard like him......!"
Deia muttered to herself as she fled.
Part of me wondered if, as her brother, I should chase after and ask, but I decided against it.
I'd learned from experience that when Deia was in that foul a mood, best not to poke the bear.
After seeing Deia off, I headed to my room, planning to read a book and sort out my tangled thoughts.
Right on cue, the Black Necromancer was waiting for me in the hallway.
[You're finally here! There's an intruder in your room!]
"......An intruder?"
[Aria Rias. And remember how that girl said she brought a gift?]
Right, come to think of it, Aria's aura last night had been off.
Not like an ordinary girl's—more like death itself trailing her.
It resembled the vibe of Dante's Black Mages.
[I would've loved it...... but I doubt you'll be thrilled with this one.]
"......Sigh."
I had a rough idea what kind of gift it was, so I took a deep breath and placed my hand on the doorknob.
[Still, go easy on her. Got it? She's just trying to impress you.]
"That's the problem."
I flung the door open, and there stood Aria Rias, tense-faced.
A blunt greatsword rested on the floor beside her, overflowing with the screams of evil spirits.
"The Devouring Sword, Duatain."
The moment I laid eyes on it, its name slipped from my lips, and Aria jumped in delight, clapping her hands.
"Yes! As expected of Professor! Amazing!"
It was quite the rare item.
Not a unique like the Spirit Stone or Holy Grail, but the tier just below—and overpowered to boot.
She really was a regressor, cherry-picking top gear like it was nothing, I thought.
"What did you feed it?"
Its properties shifted based on what it devoured, so even knowing that, I asked anyway.
Aria beamed as she answered.
"Souls! Two from Dante's Black Mages, no less!"
[Th-That's impressive, alright.]
Having faced Dina, a Dante Black Mage herself, the Black Necromancer grasped the weight of those words deeply.
Sure, she'd struggled due to her constraint of protecting the yokai, but Dina had taken on both Pindenai and the Black Necromancer at once.
Executing two Black Mages of that caliber was no small feat.
Duatain sprouted a vicious maw, shrieking wildly, each time wafting out thick Black Mage aura.
"Using the sword directly might be tough, so extract the souls from it! That way, Professor, you'll get way stronger!"
"......"
"I just gave you one Spirit Stone, and you've already powered up so much. I was shocked! Professor really is the best. Past loops, it was just bad luck...... We couldn't spread your talents far and wide......!"
"Aria."
My emotions cooled unexpectedly as I gazed at the girl, who seemed poised to chant praises like a fanatic.
My eyes narrowed, a sharp blade stabbing into a corner of my heart.
I'd played her myself.
Back then, Retry was my only game, but I'd immersed fully.
I'd traveled this world with her, witnessed every ending together—the girl I'd fallen for hard.
The one who'd devoted herself to everyone, preaching corny but beautiful bonds like friendship and love with her comrades.
"Pr-Professor?"
Now she called to me in that flushed, excited voice, breathless.
The fear that I'd never see her innocent smile again surged up.
Without thinking, I placed a hand on Aria's shoulder.
"Never again."
"......Pardon?"
"Never take a life for my sake again."
"......"
The eager sparkle in Aria's eyes—expecting praise—faded away.
In a voice like Northwedden's chill gale, deep and sticky darkness impenetrable,
"I can't do that, Professor."
Aria refused my demand.