The Crude Ring and Rising Suspicions
Two figures trudged along a dark, secluded night path. One was silent, while the other kept stealing glances at her, too busy gauging her mood.
"Um... Lady Amelia."
"...?"
"May I ask why you bought that ring?"
Medel had been wrestling with complicated thoughts the whole way. Should I even ask? Lady Amelia must have her reasons, she'd tried to reassure herself, but this one just didn't make sense. What was so special about that ring? Normally, Amelia would give some prior explanation.
"...Ah. This?"
A faint smirk cracked her expressionless face. Then Amelia slowly raised her ringed hand, holding it up to the moonlight.
"Well... impulse buy?"
"...???"
"Bought it in a fit of anger."
"Ah...."
Medel was so shocked she forgot what to say. Amelia was always calm and rational, no matter the situation. And she'd gotten angry? At what point exactly??? No matter how much Medel racked her brain, she couldn't figure it out.
"Thanks to that, I might get another chance to meet this Huu fellow."
Unlike the confused Medel, Amelia was already squinting with a smile.
"Just call someone like that over..."
"No. Opportunities that come walking right to me aren't common."
"But that ring... what is it, exactly?"
"No idea."
"???"
It was all so unfamiliar. Medel started doubting if the woman beside her was really Amelia. The one who always perfectly grasped every situation and moved accordingly—gambling like this?
"But one thing's certain: Huu desperately wanted this."
"Right. They probably bet every coin they had..."
"Heh heh heh... Wasn't I the same? That's why we're walking instead of taking a carriage."
Unlike her earlier silence, Amelia let out a chuckling laugh.
"Ah... I'm sorry. I should have brought more spending money..."
"I'm not blaming you, Medel. I was the one who spent it."
Amelia had blown through all the funds they'd brought. But her heart felt lighter for it. Staring at the ring even gave her a strange thrill of excitement. Naturally, her thoughts drifted to Huu at the auction, staring holes through her. The way he'd shot to his feet, eyes blazing.
"If he were my man... that would be nice. Work would go so much smoother."
Amelia murmured as she tilted the ring this way and that in the moonlight.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After returning to the lodging, Ludia and I kept testing the dwarf's ring.
"(Ludia!!)"
"Hah! Master Huu! You startled me."
Ludia came rushing from the next room at the sound of my voice. Her long hair was a mess, her face surprised. Even in her loose, comfortable clothes, her midsection... well, some things couldn't be hidden.
"(Kuhahaha! You came quick—I like that! This ring's useful after all!)"
"Hng... Y-yes..."
In the original story, Amelia recruits a short, foul-mouthed dwarf as a companion. A genius blacksmith who crafts bizarre artifacts. He'd made this ring after seeing the Commander's Whisper, but the problem was...
"(Anyway. When do we see that blonde bitch?!)"
...it always came out in that damn dwarf's voice, no matter what I was thinking. Maybe because it was made before his skills fully blossomed, or the original was just that superior. Who knew it'd be such a defective knockoff?
If I'd only seen the scenes where he used it in the story, I never would've slipped it on.
"Uh... Lady Amelia? Because of that ring back then?"
"(Kuhahahaha! Yeah! Thought her head was smaller than her tits and she was dumb! Turns out her tits are just bigger!)"
Ludia's pupils shook violently. She even covered her chest with both arms. Was it because Ludia had clung to me at the auction yesterday? My eyes kept drifting to those sunken mounds.
"....."
Snap out of it. Think straight.
'Right!' turns into that??? That dwarf was foul-mouthed and a total womanizer. Even in the story, he got chewed out by the hero and Amelia. Deserved it, the bastard... If he were in front of me now, I'd curse him out myself.
"What are you two doing right now?"
I stood there blankly, Ludia twitching. Naturally, that's what came out when Mari walked into my room, looking baffled.
"Ah, Mari! Master Huu bought this weird thing yesterday..."
The awkward atmosphere made Ludia dart to Mari's side.
"A weird thing?"
"Yeah. Like a ring that lets you communicate?"
"Really?"
"??"
Why the reaction? Normally Mari would just say something curt like, Sounds about right. But her eyes were full of curiosity.
"Then try it on me too. I have questions."
"Huh? Mari too??"
And proactive, even. I could definitely feel her attitude shifting since that last battle.
"Wait, hold on, Mari! There's a tiny problem..."
"It's fine. Probably something minor."
"No no! It's that..."
"...?"
Ludia was a conscientious girl. Having experienced it herself, she knew it wasn't right. She glanced at me, then whispered low to Mari.
"The speech is... kinda weird..."
She tried to explain more but couldn't get it out. Her lips mumbled, repeating, It's weird... really...
"It's not Master Huu's normal speech?"
"Ughhh...! (Of course not! There's no way I'd sound like this perverted creep!!)"
"He says definitely not. The ring's doing it? He hates saying stuff like this. Wants to take it off."
"Then just remove the ring."
"Can't. Won't come off. Maybe it's cursed?"
"Cursed?"
Mari's eyes sharpened at the word curse. If she had her greatsword, she'd probably chop off my finger.
"Bringing something sinister like that into the church...! Well done, Master Huu!"
"Ughh??! (No?! It's not cursed?! It's just made this way!)"
"Wait, Mari! I bought it for him!"
"...????"
Shocked that Ludia bought it, she gaped and turned her head.
"Lady Ludia...?"
"Y-yeah..."
In the end, she spilled everything from yesterday: the secret auction, buying the ring. She neatly skipped the part where she clung to my arm.
"Amelia aside... how did you know about a place like that, Master Huu?"
After hearing it all, Mari sighed deeply and turned to me.
"Ughh. (Believe me if I said I read it in a novel? At times like this, just groan.)"
"Ah, Mari. We can talk now, so I'll ask for him. Master Huu, how'd you know?"
"(You big-titted idiot! Sometimes you just shut up!! Kuhahahaha!!!)"
"Hah!!!"
Be quiet. I'll handle it.
That's what I meant. Why are you doing this to me, you fucking translator?! Worse than groaning!!!
Ludia's face crumpled at the sudden perverted outburst.
"What did you do, Master Huu! Lady Ludia, are you okay?!"
"Uh, y-yeah... just... not used to it yet..."
"...."
If you get used to that, you're the weird one... I sighed involuntarily.
"This won't do, Master Huu. Come with me to the sanctuary."
"Ugh? (Why??)"
Mari grabbed my arm like she'd made up her mind, trying to drag me off.
"We need to remove that suspicious thing. You two have to meet the branch manager soon—can't bring something irreverent like that!"
"Ugh! (No!)"
"No, Mari!"
Ludia and I shouted at once.
"I absolutely won't yield on this!"
But she'd latched onto 'curse' and seen Ludia's teary face—she was fired up. She groaned, straining with all her might. If she dragged me to the sanctuary like this, they'd inspect my finger closely, spot the zombie decay, Ludia gets implicated, and we're both done for...
...No way!!
I yanked my arm back with all my strength.
"Hah! We have to go now...!"
Even Mari, strong enough to swing that greatsword, got pulled in. Her arm trembled from the strain, but this much was...
Chuu.
"What are you doing?!"
I barely kissed the ring. Then quickly pressed it to Mari's forehead. Kong.
"....?"
Mari's eyes went blank with bewilderment.
"What... what was that..."
No choice. Please, dwarf ring! Just be good and say 'listen to me'—those five words!!
"(Kuhahahaha!!! Feisty bitch, all hot-blooded! Girls like you gasp the loudest in bed!! Calm down and hear me out!)"
"???!!!!!!"
Kaboom! The vulgar words exploded in Mari's mind. Her face flushed beet red. She just blinked rapidly.
"......"
She's gonna blow. If she snaps, we're dead.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Olledo, branch manager of the Anesa Church 13th Branch, sat at his desk in the branch manager's office, questioning the administrative priest again.
"This... is true?"
"Yes, Branch Manager. Most of the paladins' testimonies match."
"Heh..."
He reread the thick report over and over but couldn't believe it. It read like a mythic tale misplaced by accident. Over five hundred zombies felled with a single sword stroke. Magic-enhanced zombies, at that. Normally, it'd take at least two or three paladin squads.
"It seems Lady Ludia's Holy Power has grown stronger than before."
"Come on, does that even make sense?"
"Pardon?"
The branch manager shook his head.
"Even if Ludia's Holy Power is strong... performing a miracle like this is impossible."
"But if not, how do we explain this miracle..."
"....."
Huu. The branch manager's eyes went back to the name at the report's end. The note called him a mercenary with Chief Paladin-level Holy Power.
...There's something about this guy.
He tapped the characters spelling "Huu" with his finger.
"Do you know this man?"
"Ah, yes. The mercenary Lady Ludia hired. Checked the administrative office—they signed a 10-year contract."
"Anything else? Hometown or such?"
"Seul...? First time hearing that place name. No guild affiliation either. No records at all."
"Hm... Foreigner, probably."
"Yes. The administrative office is investigating him now, so I'll report once it's done."
"The administrative office?"
"Yes. The chief herself is handling it..."
The branch manager's face grew complicated at the report. An unexpected variable. How did Ludia hire someone like that? Saintess candidates are assigned by Central Church. So when Ludia and Amelia were both placed here—the first time in church history—he'd thought Amelia was Central's card for negotiating with the Rubystone family.
Central intervening secretly? Or a variable I don't know? What's the administrative chief thinking, investigating him?
"It's been a while... I need to see Ludia. Summon her tomorrow morning. Bring that Huu too."
"Yes, understood, Branch Manager."
Something's up here. Need to check it out.
Even after the administrative priest left, the branch manager couldn't tear his eyes from the report.