Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Netori or Die – Choose Now
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Remi’s eyes gleamed.
In her gaze, the hateful, repulsive man stood side by side with the master she respected but feared.
How could she forget the humiliation and pain from just a few days ago?
Her stomach still ached, and for some reason, her lower abdomen tingled sharply.
It had to be permanent damage left by mana, like a poison.
‘Damn bastard.’
It was the first time a man had struck her.
And for such an absurd reason, no less.
She wanted to return that same pain, but with Dre’s incredible track record lately, even the family head couldn’t treat him carelessly.
So, at the very least, she’d make him squirm. Remi curled her lips upward.
A conversation from a few days ago came to mind.
The day they returned to Graize. Family head Leor had summoned Remi and bluntly asked,
"No one’s been clinging to El lately?"
Flat had immediately come to mind, but that wasn’t who the head was asking about.
He’d already investigated Flat thoroughly and completed his analysis.
They’d even visited his hometown under the pretense of an evening stroll, where his family lived—but they hadn’t touched them yet, unsure how El would react. It didn’t mean they couldn’t deal with Flat.
The master was asking if there were any other pests threatening El besides Flat.
During the half-year journey with El, Remi had reported all sorts of things to the head, and this was just a continuation.
Remi hesitated a bit.
The issue she had to report this time was fairly serious.
‘Lady El doesn’t realize it herself, but her feelings for Mr. Flat aren’t love.’
Remi thought it was just attraction to a novel type she’d never encountered before.
Even though it was an emotion close to a misunderstanding, El was steadfast about it, so there’d been no need to report any bad pests until now.
But this time was different.
And it wasn’t even a pest clinging to El—it was El clinging to the pest.
Remi spoke of one particular outsider.
The one the lady had taken an interest in, for reasons unknown…
‘Let’s see you eat shit for once!’
Rubbing her belly, Remi clenched her fist tight.
She’d even gone invisible just to catch a glimpse from afar of that man sweating bullets in distress.
‘Please, just show me something to wash away this filthy feeling, even a little.’
Remi prayed.
"Then I’ll be off."
Whatever his goal, nothing would come of it if he didn’t speak up. I had no idea why the Graize family head himself had come to see me, but it probably wasn’t anything good, so best not to engage at all.
But then Leor suddenly spoke up.
"Hmm. I hesitate to mention this on first meeting."
"No need."
"Your body’s breaking down, isn’t it?"
I told you no need. Fuck.
"Seems like it."
By the time I answered, I’d already put about four steps between us. Leor spoke casually to my back.
"I’m no great expert, but I know something about what you’re experiencing."
Oh really~
"There’s a solution. Care to hear it?"
"......"
Stopping here would be easy. Standing to chat would let me gauge his intentions somewhat and hear a bit about this so-called solution. I could predict where the conversation was headed. Roughly: Who are you to be so nice to me? And he’d play coy: I couldn’t just pretend not to notice. Acting while fully aware of each other’s motives might even be fun in its own way.
Above all, ignoring the head of a top ten family and just walking away wouldn’t be advantageous.
Even so, I kept walking without stopping.
Of course, it just led to the bathroom.
Wow. Is it because it’s on Prynar Academy island? This place is spotless. No different from public restrooms back in my world. The only difference is that normal park bathrooms reek of piss, while this one smells like flowers.
"......"
Just in case, I didn’t stand at the urinal and waited about ten seconds. Wondered if the Graize head would follow me into the bathroom, but surprisingly, his presence faded away.
What the hell did that guy even want?
The only reason someone from a top ten family would visit me seemed to be Prostia-related, but he didn’t need to come in person like this. Clarit said the heads would summon me soon anyway—I could talk then.
There had to be a personal reason.
All I knew about the guy was that he was a doting dad…
…Wait, did he come because of El? After getting a report about some weird guy hanging around her?
Let’s check.
I pulled up my status window and opened the character settings tab. Then stood at the urinal, unzipped, and took care of business. My eyes scanned the character profiles.
It was around the middle earlier…
there it is.
⚔ CHARACTER PROFILE ⚔ Leor R. Graize
Current head of the Graize family.
Father of Ellicia Queens Graize.
A master tactician who elevated the already formidable Graize family to the forefront of the top ten houses.
Appears mild-mannered, but harbors chilling ruthlessness and coldness within.
Deeply cherishes his daughter Ellicia.
Far more than himself…
"...Hm."
Scary guy.
Master tactician? Ruthless? All terrifying.
Girls like Yulis or Sor who charge in with empty heads—I can empty mine and match them. But this type is exhausting.
God, I hope he doesn’t hold any hostility toward me.
But the reason this guy sought me out… probably that line about doting on his daughter.
Anyone sharp would notice El’s interest in me right away.
It wouldn’t be strange if word reached his ears.
But if it was just a report about a bad pest, the head wouldn’t come personally.
They’d probably add some extra details.
And if those extras were meant to screw me over… the suspect narrows down considerably.
"...Sigh."
A sigh mixed with fatigue and irritation escaped me.
It’d only been a month since I last saw his face, and I was already in this mess. What was Flat up to now?
Tortured in some cell somewhere?
Though if so, El wouldn’t be wandering around so carefree.
That said, Leor seemed to adore El immensely, yet there were no surveillance eyes on me.
Were her three escorts doubling as watchers…?
Or did he have some other method, even without spies…?
Either way, his ability to see through my condition at a glance and dangle sweet carrots made him a tricky opponent.
Best to avoid tangling with him from now on.
Maybe start acting cold toward El on purpose.
If he still bothers me, though…
…
Well, cross that bridge when we come to it.
Whoosh.
I washed my hands at the sink, hummed a little tune, and stepped out, turning sharply to the side.
This direction led to the women’s bathroom.
Not that I’m peeking or anything, out of nosiness.
And why head this way when it’s not even toward El and Gold’s shop? Just cutting the corner.
But why cut by the women’s bathroom specifically? …To deck that fucking bitch who thinks she’s safely hidden right now.
Ready? One, two.
Pull back your fist and slam it into her gut.
Crack!!
"Guhk?!"
Thud.
"Guhk, ahk?!"
Wobble wobble.
A transparent barrier peeled away, revealing a human silhouette.
A familiar pretty maid clutched her stomach, dry-heaving.
Hm? Her eyes are glazing over?
I didn’t hit her that hard… Maybe a girl who’s lived off manipulating people is extra weak to pain.
Anyway, what to do?
I’d said I’d kill her if I saw her again. Should I?
"Ahh, ah…"
"Yeah, Miss Remi. You were invisible, so I didn’t see you clearly. We’ll call it even for today."
Invisibility doesn’t count as visible, so forgiven this time.
I deliberately stepped on her back as I passed—Urk. Funny sound, unbecoming of a beauty.
Ah! Stress relief feels great!
Feeling a bit better, I headed to Prynar Academy with El and Gold.
Remi could crawl home on her own.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Kuuaaaak!
Boooom!
Mushroom clouds scattered in an instant, punching a hole in the sky.
A massive sword scar etched into the earth.
"Damn… Tough bastard."
Geom-il clicked his tongue.
The Valley of the Gods lived up to its name.
The surface rocks shattered easily, but the mysterious ore within— the true reason for its title—didn’t budge under his sword strikes.
And the enemy was absurdly durable too.
[Hmm… Not bad, you lot?]
That’s my line, Geom-il growled inwardly.
It charged out of nowhere, so he’d cleaved it in one stroke—only for it to regenerate endlessly and come at him again.
No wonder he was Ranker No. 4, the pinnacle of users.
Geom-il had fought regenerating foes countless times, but this one was on another level.
[Kuhahaha! Even as a mere puppet, I’m as resilient as ever! Untouched by attacks like these!]
"Hey, asshole. Fight somewhere without rocks."
It absorbed nearby stones with every slash, regenerating endlessly—infuriating.
[Despairing yet? Want more despair? I’ve still got two more forms left!]
"What the—"
Childish taunts from the golem.
What pissed him off more was having no clear way to drop the damn thing.
Unless he obliterated the whole area, it’d keep coming back.
And it wasn’t just regeneration—its physical stats were top-tier too.
‘And it’s getting better.’
At first, it seemed helpless against his attacks.
When it muttered This can’t be… in a shaky voice, he’d wondered what gave it the guts.
But as time passed, it changed completely.
Arrogant now, adapting to combat, its offense and defense growing sharper.
‘Just… nuke the area?’
The thought crossed his mind, but no guarantee it’d kill the golem.
Just wrecking nature would bite him later, given his social standing.
Plus, the white mage said this was just a puppet.
‘Not even an avatar!’
That was the most ridiculous part.
Unlike avatars that could draw some of the original’s power, puppets like this used severely limited abilities.
And this was limited?
The golem shouted excitedly.
[That guy really was the anomaly!]
"Who the hell is ‘that guy’…"
Geom-il was getting pissed at the constant references.
He glanced around subtly.
Enormous sword scars.
Some nearly a kilometer long, gouged into the ground.
And that wasn’t even his full power.
Few outsiders could match this output.
Yet this mystery golem mocked his attack power.
‘Pissing me off. Use everything…?’
That instant.
[Geom-il. Don’t block—take the hits.]
‘Huh? What?’
The white mage made an absurd demand.
‘Sure, a few hits won’t kill me, but it’s not leisurely!’
The enemy regenerated infinitely, HP seemingly bottomless, while Geom-il burned through his resources.
He could last over a week at this rate, but the strengthening golem was a growing burden.
[Trust me. If you take a critical hit, I stake my name on compensating you.]
‘...Damn it. Keep that promise?’
In that moment, an attack flew in. Geom-il squeezed his eyes shut and took it.
Crunch!
"Grk…!"
Pain lancing through his body drew out a groan.
[Hm? What’re you doing?]
"......"
[Given up already? Of course—before me! Then I’ll end you mercifully!]
Massive mana converged on the golem, prepping a big strike.
Geom-il tensed but waited, per the white mage.
Thud! Crunch! Thud!
‘…Just bail?’
After a few more hits, as danger loomed, he considered retreating.
Then.
[......]
"Huh?"
The golem stopped attacking.
Bewildered, it froze as the white mage landed lightly beside it.
It reflexively swung—then halted upon seeing no defenses on him.
Geom-il lowered his sword as the white mage approached.
"What’s with it?"
"A vow."
"Vow?"
"A vow of the dragon tongue, no less."
The white mage approached the golem, eyes alight.
As it raised an arm to strike, he spoke.
"I’m frail—if I take a hit like this unprotected, I might die outright."
[Then put up a shield. You can do that much, right?]
Puppet or not, it seemed to gauge the white mage’s potent magic.
Makes sense for the pinnacle of magic wielders.
The white mage shot it a respectful glance.
"A pleasure to meet you, Prostia."
He bowed politely.
Prostia snorted.
[Hmph. Been a while since I saw manners.]
Geom-il swallowed hard.
Prostia.
Top of the eight disaster kings every outsider hunted desperately.
Others were elite, but even top outsiders dreamed of facing this ancient dragon? Fat chance.
[But you dare shorten my name to Prostia?]
"Human tongues struggle with your full exalted name, so please forgive the abbreviation."
[Insolent wretch. Die.]
Geom-il was dumbfounded.
Monsters gonna monster—brutal, sure, but this felt more like a bratty kid.
The white mage laughed heartily, as if even that charmed him.
"Aren’t you in a situation where you can’t kill us?"
[......]
Prostia clicked its tongue, displeased by the sly attitude.
"Who’d you make the vow with?"
[Tch…]
Prostia withdrew its hostility, mood soured.
Geom-il sensed it was about to leave.
Crucial evidence, right there, slipping away from this low-expectation spot.
Urgent, he raised his sword—but the white mage stopped him with a hand.
"Prostia. We can grant what you desire."
[What? A worthless human reading my mind?]
‘This lizard prick.’
Rage flared at the insult, but the white mage kept his composure, smiling gently.
"You bore the karma to place this creation here—waiting for someone, right?"
[Oh?]
"That person. We might find him…"
Prostia eyed the white mage silently, then spoke.
[What do you want?]
"Information."
A thinking emoji popped above the golem’s head.
[You’re that church gold? Game? Whatever—better than that human!]
"Thank you for the praise."
Church gold? Game? Didn’t ask.
The ancient dragon seemed capricious—best to obey now.
Prostia nodded satisfied, then snap—opened its palm.
[Deal! Find me a human male! Another outsider like him!]
Geom-il gulped as the white mage cupped his hands attentively, and Prostia declared,
[Outsider Dre! Bring him before me!]