Centaur (2)
"……."
Gulp.
Ellis cautiously gazed straight ahead. Ruined factories and residential areas. Towering above them was the centaur, filling her vision. Its overwhelming bulk and destructive mana. Just its presence alone dominated the entire tracking team. Seeing the monster that could only be viewed on screens up close was an entirely different matter. Ellis felt her body stiffen as every cell in her screamed to flee, though she barely held it together—her legs still trembled uncontrollably.
At that moment, Irene stepped in front of her.
"Eh, sis?"
"Stay put, Ellis. That thing… it's a real monster."
For some reason, her voice was reassuring. Irene was channeling her mana, determined to protect Ellis no matter what.
Hmm.
Fortunately, no fight broke out. The centaur vanished just as the manual predicted, and the tracking team collectively relaxed.
"…Situation clear. Target has fled."
"Phew. Thought we were in for a battle there."
"I figured today was my last day."
"We got paid, so we do the job. You idiot."
Sighs of relief and playful jabs erupted from all around.
"Ellis. You okay?"
"Y-yeah, sis."
Irene checked Ellis's condition with worried eyes, and Ellis gave a shaky reply. Only after the tension eased could she finally look at her sister's face properly. It was an expression of genuine concern she'd never shown before.
…Wasn't she supposed to hate me?
People reveal their true feelings in crises. Seeing Irene's sincerity stirred unfamiliar emotions in Ellis, but before she could dwell on them, she spotted someone darting off.
"H-hey!"
The guild members were startled by Lee Ho-yeon's sudden dash.
"Leave him be."
"Guild master! Even so, that kind of reckless—"
"It's what we agreed on since Lee Ho-yeon joined. We entrusted the centaur investigation to him."
"…Understood."
The guild member who'd voiced concern fell silent at Scarlett's words from beside Isaac and returned to his position.
"…."
Ellis watched Lee Ho-yeon's retreating figure, lost in thought. She didn't know why he was after the centaur. His absurd excuse about "research" fooled neither her nor her father. His demeanor screamed something far more important.
…Please be okay.
Whatever the reason, it didn't matter. Ellis just hoped he got what he wanted.
*
"…This it?"
Where the centaur had vanished. Faint traces of hell's mana lingered, disturbed.
— Yeah. But… analyzing it like this is tough. I need my original body at least, but can I transform now?
"No, no. They're all watching from behind."
I pondered briefly, then channeled my mana. Even as we spoke, the mana was dissipating—I needed to gather it.
"We don't need to analyze it right this second anyway."
— I analyze it, then plug it into Rebecca's tracking formation! That's it!
"Got it."
If Liliana said so, taking the mana for later analysis was fine. I raised my hand, manipulating the mana. The unpleasant hell's mana floating in the air coalesced into a small orb.
— Mmm. Yeah. That should work.
"Okay."
I pocketed the perfectly sized orb and returned to the tracking team. What? Everyone's staring. Being popular is tough.
"…Any results?"
Isaac approached cautiously. Probably tense from the centaur's odd behavior today.
"Gotta analyze it first, but… it should be possible."
"Is that the centaur's mana?"
"Yes. Material needed to track its position."
"Hoo… I see."
Isaac nodded at the orb in my hand. Guild members listening behind whispered with wide eyes.
"He said track its position, right?"
"Genius mage, huh? That's why they brought him."
"Enough chatter. As you heard, if Lee Ho-yeon tracks the centaur, we might fight to take it down—so brace yourselves. Head back for now."
Clap, clap. Isaac dismissed us with a handclap.
*
"Th-this… what the hell."
Mine Caddish, tailing to support the centaur. He'd eavesdropped on the Iris Guild tracking team with his ability and swallowed hard.
Their talk of tracking the apostle. True or not, no reason to lie there. At least it meant it was possible.
"Maestro chose me for a reason."
His eavesdropping skill, undetectable by mana sense, proved useful now. Grateful to Maestro again, Caddish rose.
"Lee Ho-yeon… gotta report him. Didn't know he was that dangerous."
Couldn't ignore someone blocking Pandemic's path. But then—
Caddish sensed mana enveloping him.
Click, click—
"This is big trouble… Can't let you live."
He turned at the girlish voice behind him and widened his eyes at the red hair.
"…Rebecca. What's this?"
"Being too good at your job has downsides, huh?"
Feeling his body freeze, Caddish glared at Rebecca. Her signature barrier spell.
That slight smile wasn't playful. Conclusion was clear.
"You're the traitor! You filthy bitch…! Betraying Maestro?!"
"What're you gonna do, figuring it out now?"
Crunch—
As Rebecca spoke, the Rune Barrier around Caddish constricted like a serpent striking prey.
"Gah?!"
"I'm busy too. Let's end this quick. Feel a bit bad—we were coworkers, after all."
"You… slut… ngh."
Ignoring the gruesome sounds behind her, Rebecca retraced her steps.
"Popular guys are such a hassle. Is this what they mean by a mother's strength?"
Feeling annoyed, Rebecca headed to Lee Ho-yeon's place. This had to be handled cleanly—her last job, after all.
*
"Hmm. No clue."
"…Figures. Oh well."
I nodded at Liliana, who was squinting in frustration. I remembered the centaur's mutter.
— [Succubus, huh. Now I get why humans contracted me. Something about you pulls people in.]
That succubus was definitely Liliana. And it mentioned a familiar face. What was their connection?
I watched Liliana stare holes into the centaur's orb, deep in thought.
Liliana.
What's her deal, anyway?
I checked the list of women highly conquestable. Even outside the original game, names of potential heroines.
If full heroines were 100 points, this scored their world impact—higher influence meant bigger rewards upon conquest. Im Sol at 98 was near-heroine level. Rebecca, as strong as Im Sol or Isaac, hit 93. Irene and Scarlett matched their influence.
The issue: Liliana. Her score had risen since last check. Nowhere in the original story, yet 85—huge compared to Scarlett's 70. And much higher than at first.
It felt like the closer I got to her secrets, the higher it climbed. Who knew that black market contract would matter so much.
"Ho-yeon."
"Yeah?"
Scarlett's voice snapped me out of it.
"You seem worried."
"Just thinking."
"About Liliana?"
"Yeah."
Liliana was still glued to the orb. Cute, but staring wouldn't help.
"…Still, you were pretty cool today."
"Me?"
"Yes. The other guild members won't dismiss you now. Plus…."
Scarlett suddenly clammed up. Probably sensed her mana. I glanced at the red hair materializing in the air.
"Rebecca. You're here?"
"Yep. Hey, baby daddy. Girlfriends too."
"Hello, Rebecca. I'll prepare some drinks."
Scarlett slipped into the kitchen quick. She always did that. I turned to the yawning Rebecca.
"You were backing me up, right? How'd they spot you?"
"Mmm, guild master was stronger than expected. Used minimal mana on the barrier to extract the centaur's mana myself—got caught."
"Ah…."
"Failed that, but nabbed the exec by the centaur."
"Thanks. Knew it was you."
Figured. Her Rune Barrier was cheat-level; weird she'd get caught by daytime Isaac.
"Anyway, that's hell's mana Liliana's holding."
"Yeah, thanks. Liliana and I will analyze it. C'mere, Liliana."
Rebecca peered at the hell's mana orb with Liliana.
"Mhm. But Rebecca, no snacks today?"
"Sorry. Next time for sure."
Liliana was trying to bond with Rebecca, hearing me. All harmonious. Nice.
I checked my smartwatch. Texts piled up unopened all day—replied only to heroines, naturally.
Im Sol's message was there too.
"What research takes a week?"
Eating only sweets would wreck her. I shook my head and replied.
Soon, Liliana started groaning dramatically.
"Ow, my head!"
"Tough?"
"It's trickier than expected. Probably a day or two."
"Mmm. Tricky timing."
Even rushing analysis, tracking and capturing the centaur would take time. Plus talking to Liliana. Not simple.
Tomorrow was Sunday; back to academy Monday for finals. Weekends were heavy investment—couldn't skip exams. Grades mattered.
Quit after coming this far?
No way.
"I'll handle it."
"Scarlett?"
Scarlett set down coffee with a faint smile.