Chapter 107
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Body Adjustment
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After Sion developed her aura barrier and the cat rejection reaction rendered her completely useless for exploration, her comrades immediately turned their backs on her.
She also had to shake off the people the empire had sent to track her down.
Having gathered information on the currency used in Labyrinth City in advance, she used the heaps of precious metals she'd brought from the ducal estate along with the money she'd earned from explorations over the slightly less than one year since then—most of it, anyway—to establish a base in the black market district.
Sion planned to remodel the building itself so that no one with magical knowledge or mana could find it.
Since overlaying incantations and magic circles on a large building was difficult for Sion due to her rejection reaction making magic use nearly impossible, she chose a small one.
Of course, plenty of people tried to approach her, seeing her as a child-sized beastkin girl who sneezed nonstop, and take advantage.
Engraving the incantations and catalysts directly onto the building with her body took even more time, which was a bit disheartening.
Still, she'd commissioned a hefty sum from an elf named Juri—someone she'd clashed with her party members over before and gotten acquainted with—and in exchange, got her to cleanly erase information about her personal protection and her status as a member of the Gresha family.
Getting help from an elf pimp who managed women entering and exiting the brothels in the back alleys... Sion let out a self-deprecating smile, but pitifully, she was the only one who could help.
In the end, she disguised her place as a potion shop. With the low upkeep fitting a small child's body, she scraped by on the remaining money while searching for a way to stop her sneezing.
After the beastkin transformation aura barrier formed and a full year passed, burning an herb that finally stopped her coughing allowed Sion to barely manage daily life amid her hectic schedule. That's when she belatedly read the last letter from Marie and headed to the guild to find Mion's whereabouts.
"Mion... Mion..."
Seeing Mion at the reception desk, smiling brightly as she greeted people, made Sion's heart sink.
Seeing her little sister still shining as ever, Sion unwittingly slipped out of her sight and hid her body.
Back then, on the family head's orders, she'd conducted brutal experiments on a beastkin child captured from the forest right up until its death, using her own hands.
Even as it was sliced with a scalpel and bled dry, that tiny lifeform had smiled at her. Remembering its desperate smile as it called out to her and the nausea that surged when it finally withered away from the experiments...
Such a Sion lacked the courage to face Mion and proudly declare herself her big sister.
'Hide.'
The magic circles engraved on the guild receptionists' tongues were called nondisclosure contracts, but to Sion's eyes, they contained something a bit different mixed in.
Even during her explorer days, she'd always felt a vague unease around receptionists, but seeing the same magic circle on Mion's tongue brought some relief.
She still hadn't fully figured out the magic circle's function, but the tongue tattoo wasn't the dangerous type that forcibly restrained the body or heavily influenced the mind.
Unlike Sion, who had boldly declared to the family head that she was heading to Labyrinth City, Mion had run away.
That strange magic circle probably made it hard for the family to track her. Especially since Mion had never awakened mana in the first place.
With such a cowardly excuse to herself, Sion fled back to her shop like a coward.
And continued her research.
With low-level explorers or only accepting female explorers into her shop, business was dismal.
At least the elf Juri knew Sion's situation and pitied her, periodically buying potions to help her scrape by.
A few regulars had emerged, enough to maintain a livelihood, and with thoughts of "someday," she'd holed up in the shop, passing three years day by day.
Every night, Sion dreamed of her beastkin self being discovered by the family head, dragged to the lab, subjected to horrific experiments, and dying.
Or of Mion recoiling in horror at her changed form, then coldly condemning her with a frosty expression once someone revealed the truth.
Alternating between these two nightmares every night eroded Sion's mind, making her increasingly reclusive and sharp-tempered.
Obsessively locking the shop door every day, sleeping curled up in the deepest, darkest corner with forced sleep magic—such was her routine.
Recently, she'd met Cain, gone through some indecent events, and undergone a whirlwind of emotional changes.
Meeting Cain had led her, in an absurd turn, to a clue for curing her condition. For the first time in ages, she carefully reread Marie's and Mion's letters and sobbed.
Whether fate's cruel joke or not, when the aura barrier formed and she turned beastkin, she'd transformed into a form astonishingly similar to the beastkin child Mion had saved—and that she'd captured herself. Sion muttered through her sniffles.
"Sniff...! F-First... I should at least try bringing it up..."
Not asking for her dick every day was too much; she'd resolved to first ask permission to collect semen. With that, Sion went to bed.
Her body still hot from rolling around with Cain moments ago hadn't cooled, yet she fell asleep cleanly without sneezing.
"Hmm-hmm~"
Evening streets, heading back to the inn in a great mood after tasting Sion's pussy and getting closer.
There were some scary big sis and big bro types lurking as I exited the black market at night, but I slipped out quickly.
The folks who come to the black market side tend to be higher level, so strutting around confidently is tough for now.
"Oh, Cain!!"
"Huh? Oh, Hawk pops!!"
"Kahat!! What're you doing wandering around at night like this."
Hawk pops, whom I hadn't seen in ages, greeted me with his boisterous laugh.
"Had some business in the black market."
"What? You hitting the black market these days too?"
Hawk's eyes twitched as he looked up at me with a strange expression.
"Just grabbing some potions."
"Well, you're a sharp one, so you'll handle it fine."
Hawk nodded vaguely, then seemed to remember something belatedly.
"Ah! Cain, I'm starting to pay back the loan bit by bit—gonna take it?"
"Huh? It's notarized at the guild, so you can just pay installments through Mion."
"Sure, but stuff like this you pay back quick~"
Jingle—
He untied the pouch from his waist and handed it over.
"Here's 50 silver."
"What?"
No, it's only been about two months since Claude and I covered his debt. He already saved up 50 silver?
"Pops."
"What, take it quick—my arm's getting tired!"
"Take it easy. You're looking super ragged right now..."
"I'm fine!"
"Don't bullshit me. Mion's worried too—why push yourself like this."
"Kuhm...!"
He hadn't told Mion when I asked, and he's even tighter-lipped himself.
"Pops, don't do that. Pay the money back slowly—we don't want you overdoing it to repay us. Instead, do me a favor."
"Hm? What favor?"
"Well, you see..."
I wasn't offended he wouldn't share his story right away.
Everyone has their circumstances and secrets, so no hard feelings... I just felt bad seeing him push himself, so I suggested another way.
I told him about recruiting Loren and exploring together, and about her sword skills.
"Hmmm..."
"What do you think? Figure out the reason?"
"Hm... Seems a bit complicated?"
"Yeah?"
"Sometimes you get explorers like that. Sudden stat surges or blessings boost physical abilities, but they mess up fine motor skills or movements."
"That happens?"
"I said sometimes. That elf Loren probably trained her body swinging a sword alone without a proper master, so the disconnect got worse and made her moves all goofy."
"Hm..."
Makes sense. Deciding to be a swordmaster alone, skipping spirit arts, just body training—no way she had a real sword teacher.
"So the favor's to check out that pointy-ears once?"
"Ah... If you're uncomfortable, no need..."
His prickly tone made me wince, and I hurried to reply.
"Eh, I was planning a break anyway, so it works out. I'll take a look till end of the month."
"For real?"
"Yeah, but then the remaining 50 silver I'll pay back slow like you said."
"Thanks, pops!"
"No guarantee I can fix whatever's wrong with that pointy-ears."
"I know. Even if not, tips for frontliners or whatever—Frank uncle helps sometimes too."
"Oh, Frank?"
Hawk's eyes lit up hearing even innkeeper Frank uncle was helping Loren.
"Haven't seen him in ages. Gonna be fun, hahaha!!!"
"Huh?"
"Alright, I'm off!!! See ya tomorrow!!!"
"Uh... uhuh..."
I watched Hawk pops vanish quickly, short legs pumping, leaving his hearty laugh behind.
"Hm..."
Guess he goes way back with Frank uncle too?
And that day, I got dragged to Sia's room by her piercing glare waiting at my door, gave her more than usual, and finally crashed hard.
The next morning, Hawk pops showed up at the inn.
"Oh, Claude—you're alive!"
"Hawk pops!!"
Bam!!!
They hadn't met alone in a while, judging by Hawk pops and Claude fist-bumping.
"Loren, this is Hawk pops. He was our mentor back when we first started as explorers, taught us all sorts of stuff."
"Lo... Loren."
"Hoo, so you're the elf lass."
"Huh?"
"Ah, Cain asked me to take a look at your condition."
"Oh..."
Having seen veteran explorer Frank uncle before, now another one—Loren's face filled with excitement.
"Cain!!"
"Yeah, yeah—he's here to help, so be polite."
"Got it!!"
With her shield ordered new, Loren—in just armor—stretched, bowed to Hawk, and immediately clenched her fist.