Chapter 83
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Ameris's Night
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A boy sprawled against the wall, gasping for breath after crashing into it.
"Get a grip. That's just one hit."
I gave the spoiled brat's stomach a light tap, and he rolled his eyes back, letting out a agonized screech as he started vomiting his guts out.
"Urk! Bleeech!"
"Good, puke it up. It'll make the rest easier."
"S-Si-woo, even if... this is too much..."
Erina and Baek A-rin trying to hold me back.
Spoiled brats like him need to get beaten from here on out to grow up right.
As I thought that, the boy's father started bellowing loudly.
He glared back and forth between me and Selus before shouting.
"You filthy half-breed! I figured I'd spare that pretty face of yours and make a profit off you. And this is how you stab me in the back?!"
Ah, looks like no parent-teacher conference needed here.
The parent's the one who needs educating, not counseling.
The man lost all reason and muttered furiously as he charged at me.
"It felt so damn good ravaging your mother right in front of your burning village and her husband. This time, we'll all do you together with these guys..."
Disgusting.
Are all vampires like this?
No, Selus turned out fine, so it must be this village's scum who are the problem.
This guy especially is beyond saving.
I tracked the approaching man with my eyes, thinking.
He's fast, sure.
This uncle doesn't look particularly skilled in combat.
Must be a racial trait of vampires.
'Even so, he's barely average human level.'
Maybe because he called me a half-breed and underestimated me. The man charged straight at me in a beeline.
[Psyche's Blade]
I drew the dagger from my waist and gripped it reverse in my right hand.
Without hesitation, I slashed diagonally upward to the left upper side.
[Poor Strike Lv. 4]
Severed right arm
The strike, now at level 4, lopped off his right arm with a dull thud.
"Gaaah!"
The man collapsed with a scream.
His severed right arm spun through the air a few times before landing limply in front of his face.
"Wh-what the hell is this?! You worthless mutt!"
The man blabbering on, failing to grasp his situation.
For his sake, I stomped down on his remaining arm and crushed it so he'd get the message loud and clear.
"Gaaaaah!"
"Hey, shut up already."
"My arm! My arm...!"
"Exactly. You've still got two legs left. Want those broken too?"
I stared into the man's eyes as I said that, and he bit his lip to stifle the pain, clamping his mouth shut.
I crouched down and grabbed him by the hair, yanking his head up.
"Ugh..."
Then I looked into his eyes and spoke.
"Alright, from now on, you answer my questions."
"Wh-what do you want?"
"Just answer what I ask properly."
The man nodded obsequiously at my words.
Time wasn't on our side.
We had to clear this dungeon without dragging it out.
If Ameris made this place, we'd need info related to her.
With that in mind, I asked the man.
"You know the name Ameris?"
He looked at me like it was the first he'd heard of it.
"N-no. Never heard it."
"Really?"
I smashed a solid punch straight into his face.
A few teeth flew out as he spat blood and saliva, mumbling his innocence incoherently.
"Haa... haa... I really don't know!"
"Is that so."
His attitude didn't seem like he was hiding anything.
He probably really didn't know.
Damn, what now.
No other info to squeeze out of him.
From what he was saying earlier, better to get details on the girl from Selus directly.
I didn't want to risk him blabbing and triggering bad memories for her.
'Doesn't seem like he knows much anyway.'
As I paused, pondering, the man spoke up anxiously.
"Y-you asked everything, so let me go now..."
I looked at the guy who still hadn't grasped reality.
"You're dying here."
"I answered everything you asked!"
The man shouted in protest.
What the hell was he even saying?
When did I ever say I'd let him live?
I pressed the blade to his throat and said.
"You confessed it all yourself, didn't you? Fraud, extortion, robbery, rape, murder."
His eyes filled with despair.
"N-no! I had no choice! Everyone in the village did it!"
Selus covered her ears at his words and screamed.
"Stop! Just stop...!"
Oh no, I let him yap too much without thinking of Selus.
Baek A-rin and Erina, who were trying to stop me, froze at Selus's outburst.
Erina lowered herself to comfort her with a hug.
"Baek A-rin, cover the kid's eyes."
Baek A-rin nodded and covered Selus's eyes.
"Wh-what are you doing? You think the village will let you get away with...?"
"Shut your trap."
"W-wait..."
Slash—
A short gurgle, and red blood sprayed from his throat.
His head hit the floor, rolled, and stopped at my feet.
Baek A-rin scolded me as she stared.
"I get it, but you were too emotional."
"I know."
Seeing a kid her little sister's age gets my emotions riled up.
That was a mistake.
But even if not, I'd have taken his head anyway.
...
I calmed Selus down and led her out of the village.
I'd killed the baker, so I braced for potential fights, but the village was weirdly peaceful.
'Maybe sound doesn't leak out.'
But I'd made plenty of noise.
The villagers must still be treating us like background props, unable to perceive us.
Better that way, all things considered.
"Still no change."
Baek A-rin glanced at the dungeon clear message.
Killing the baker hadn't met the clear condition, apparently.
'Well, it was chasing the girl anyway.'
I'd half-expected that.
Still thought it'd trigger some story change.
As I mulled it over, Erina was obliviously sharing ice cream with Selus.
They looked cute munching away.
"This is so good! Chew-chew!"
"Really...? I mean, really?!"
Yeah, their faces match perfectly.
Selus must be around Erina's mental age.
"I've never had anything like this! It's delicious."
"Eat lots! Chew-chew's rich."
Erina spilling my wallet woes to Selus without a care.
...Where would I even get money?
Baek A-rin watched them before whispering to me.
"How'd you even buy these?"
"Stole 'em."
"What?!"
I'd planned to pay at first.
But no reaction from the shopkeeper no matter how I called, so I had no choice.
"Wouldn't sell to me. So I took 'em. Whatever."
"Even so..."
I handed Baek A-rin an ice cream bar—her moral compass seemed strong.
"What? You had an extra?"
"Yeah, got mine too."
Stole four.
Not stole. Took.
"Eat up. No idea what's in it, but it tastes good."
"Even so..."
Baek A-rin eyed the ice cream I'd shoved into her hand.
Looked hesitant to put it in her mouth.
"Even if you're loaded, this is your one and only shot at eating dungeon illusion ice cream."
More precisely, ancient vampire-made ice cream.
Probably the first and last humans to try it.
"Is it?"
Convinced, Baek A-rin slowly brought it to her lips.
Morality lost out to the once-in-a-lifetime chance.
"It's... good? Doesn't taste like milk."
"Yeah?"
Not made with milk, apparently.
Not a gourmet like her, so I wouldn't know.
Meanwhile, Selus, happily licking her ice cream, looked at me.
"Can I bring some to Seluna too...?"
Why's she polite only to others?
And who's Seluna?
"Who's Seluna?"
Selus answered.
"Didn't I mention her name? My only family. You saw her earlier..."
She switched from casual to polite, glancing at Baek A-rin.
That girl from before was Seluna?
Similar names suggest family, but probably not.
I nodded and replied to her question.
"Don't worry. I'll get plenty more for her."
"Yay!"
Selus beamed and went back to licking her ice cream.
Baek A-rin stared in horrified shock beside her.
"Do you even know what this is made of?"
...That was her hang-up.
Figured she wasn't suddenly going all righteous like Kang Hwa-yeon.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that all of a sudden?"
I ignored Baek A-rin pressing me on my glance and turned away.
Right now, the priority was the two girls who could communicate with us.
Selus and Seluna.
From the circumstances, Seluna must be the pureblood lady those guys mentioned.
First things first, we needed the full story from her.
Details only Selus could provide.
I glanced down at my wristwatch.
'Still not working, huh.'
Smartwatch went dead since we got here.
Cut off from the outside completely.
Basically no different from inside a gate.
Would be nice to at least know how much time passed.
I sidelong glanced at Selus.
She was enjoying her ice cream blissfully.
Let her catch her breath with that.
No point questioning her while tense anyway—she won't give straight answers.