Chapter 24

"Seo-ah! I’m heading out first! See you tomorrow!"

"Yes. See you tomorrow."

Under the hot sun, Ma Yu-ri waved both hands and ran off, her whole body bouncing with each step.

After parting with her at the school gate, Lee Seo-ah waved back, then turned around.

"Goreuk. You worked hard again today, Lee Seo-ah."

"Oh. Mr. Gobra."

Where had he come from?

Gobra was walking over from a place that had definitely been empty only a moment ago.

His yellow eyes drifted after the receding figure of Ma Yu-ri, even while he smiled warmly at the startled Seo-ah.

"That child always runs everywhere."

"Ah, Yuri? She says she has little siblings at home to look after. So when school ends, she goes straight home like that."

"A child caring for children? Her parents must be busy."

"I don’t really know that much about it..."

"Goreuk. You must have wanted to spend more time with your friend. Aren’t you disappointed?"

"Huh? My friend?"

Seo-ah’s eyes widened a little.

Ma Yu-ri as a friend...?

She had never thought about it that way.

She had never really had a friend, so she didn’t know.

"Lee Seo-ah."

Watching the child’s confusion, Gobra reached out.

His rough, callused hand lightly tapped Seo-ah’s head.

"People smile when they’re together, and feel regret when they part. Those who can be honest with one another can be called friends. Even if the time shared was short, if your heart ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠moved, then that is enough. Is Ma Yu-ri such a person to you?"

Warmth that came and went like a gentle breeze, different from the heat of someone who rushed toward her without hesitation.

Seo-ah stared blankly at the green hand lifting away from her head, then thought about it.

The week she had spent with Ma Yu-ri.

It had not been by her own choice, but did that make those days unpleasant?

No. It didn’t.

The moments she had shared with that girl, who came at her with such open honesty, had been enjoyable.

For Lee Seo-ah, who had long since given up on the people around her, bundled together as they were with avoidance and indifference, it had been a slender comfort.

Then...

"Yes. I think... she is my friend."

"Goreuk. I see."

Gobra gave a faint smile and nodded calmly.

Watching a child grow was always rewarding.

"Bring your friend by sometime. Memories are built over time, and the more kindred souls you have around you, the more enjoyable life becomes. I don’t know about your master, but Gobra is always welcome."

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

Gobra gave a small shake of his head.

"Wrong, Lee Seo-ah. That isn’t thanks. In times like this, you simply say you understand."

"...Ah, I understand."

"Goreuk. Well done."

Praise came for something so small.

Seo-ah lowered her head slightly, trying to hide the heat rising in her face, and then suddenly realized something was missing.

"Mr. Gobra."

"Goreuk?"

"Where is big sister?"

"Ah. You mean the master?"

"Yes. I can’t see her."

She looked around, but Cynthia’s ever-present figure was nowhere to be seen.

"The master has some business to take care of and will be late. She said she’d be back before dinner."

"Business... you mean as a Hunter, right?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"That is correct."

Seo-ah didn’t know much about Hunters, but she understood at least that the Special Class certificate Cynthia had shown her before could only belong to someone immensely strong and highly placed.

Every time she remembered that such an extraordinary person was spending her days on someone as worthless as an orphan like herself, her feelings became complicated.

Gratitude, yes. But also a little discomfort, and guilt.

And now another feeling brushed past her.

The emptiness that came from the absence of someone who had always been there.

The instinctive longing for that person’s warmth.

A small selfishness that placed work before her.

What Lee Seo-ah had not yet realized was that this was surely what you called disappointment.

"I hope she comes back soon."

＊＊＊

Screeech-

The whole world was red.

Buildings, ground, everything had been soaked through with blood and was melting away.

"Squeee!"

"Squeak! Squeeeak!"

The pig-headed monsters that had been desperately fleeing were swallowed up without exception.

Orcs, huh. It had been a while since I’d seen them. Kind of pathetic.

Still, what could I do? If you’re weak, you die.

That’s what the law of the jungle is.

"Was this the fourth one now?"

I’d eaten four thriving tribe villages already, each with their own warrior orc chief.

I sold off all the Mana Cores I’d collected so far and checked my Karma Point total.

"Let’s see. One, ten, a hundred, a thousand... nine million?"

Tch. Close, but not enough.

I had gathered a lot, but I was still nowhere near there yet.

"Should I move hunting grounds?"

There were still plenty of orc tribes scattered through the surrounding region.

Maybe because this whole zone was their territory, other monsters were hard to find.

"I tried to win with sheer volume, but this is pretty unsatisfying."

After I found out Mana Cores could be sold for Karma Points, I’d gone all in on hunting.

I’d even sent my familiars away first.

I already had more than enough money saved up, so for a while I planned to focus solely on earning Karma Points.

But as I kept hunting with such enthusiasm, I learned that the grade of a Mana Stone and the grade of a Mana Core were not the same.

When you killed a monster classified as first-grade, it dropped top-grade Mana Stones, but if you killed one of the same caliber and converted it into a Mana Core, it was only judged as upper-middle to upper grade.

I’d never seen anything above upper grade.

Worse, those upper-grade Mana Cores only came from first-grade monsters on occasion, and those bastards had the sense to avoid me because they were high-level too.

Even when I lured them with severed arms and Jusu like before, hardly any of them took the bait.

So I’d changed my hunting method, deciding it was better to kill lots of low-level monsters and make money that way, but the results weren’t as satisfying as I’d hoped.

"Making a hundred million is a damn pain in the ass."

My current goal was to collect a hundred million Karma Points.

Now that I could actually acquire currency, it was only natural to start looking through what I could buy.

While scanning through the shop’s countless items, I nearly lost my mind.

That was because I’d found something I never could have imagined in a million years.

I opened the shop and stared at it, unblinking.

Even looking again, it was absurd.

"This was something I lost a long time ago."

On the Ragnarok Middle Realm continent, within the Ten Holy Guardian Church Organization, there had once been ten saints.

Back when the war was at its fiercest, I’d stupidly walked into their trap and gotten jumped by three saints at once. The entire garrison I’d been in got wiped out in the process.

Never in my dreams had I expected to see the stuffed companion I lost then in a place like this.

"So you were alive, Lime."

Tears of emotion blurred my vision.

I had naturally assumed she was dead.

Seeing her again, I was honestly delighted.

"Wait just a little longer. I’ll pull you out of there soon."

We’d meet again. Heh heh.

Just thinking about sleeping while breathing in that fragrant, sweet scent again made me shiver.

"Still, I should wrap things up here for today."

It was about time for dinner, so I needed to go get Seo-ah.

I was already regretting sending only my familiar away, distracted as I was by the existence of the stuffed companion I was seeing again after decades, but I still couldn’t afford to be late.

Just as I was about to head back, though...

"Lady Cynthia."

"Huh?"

I stopped in my tracks at the sudden, altered voice.

When I turned my head, I saw some strange figure standing a little way off.

He wore a blood-red tailcoat and top hat, like congealed blood against the surroundings, along with a white smiling clown mask that made him look grotesque.

One of my eyebrows twitched.

No matter how much I was holding back, shouldn’t Super Sense have picked him up at this distance?

Interesting bastard.

"Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Gamma. Please, feel free to call me that."

He bowed deeply, removing his hat ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with formal, elegant movements.

Neatly arranged blond hair caught my eye.

"Sure. Hey there, Potato Friend. I’m a little busy right now, okay? If this is some pointless business, I’ll kill you."

I smiled brightly.

The awful stench creeping in through my nose was pretty vile, along with the smell of death.

That bastard was a villain.

"It’s unfortunate that you’re busy, but I suppose I should get to the point."

Putting his hat back on, Gamma straightened and stood tall.

Beyond the smiling eyes of his mask, blue eyes with four pupils glimmered like those of a beast.

"We have been waiting a long time for someone like you. Would you please accept an invitation from our 'Alliance'?"

He made a strange, absurd offer with no preamble at all.

I didn’t know what this Alliance was, but at a glance it looked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like the kind of group where bastards like him gathered together and played nice.

An invitation from a place like that?

"Not really tempting me."

"If you come, I’ll even give you a free gift."

"A free gift?"

That bastard knew how to talk.

I was a little interested now.

"I’ll place the precious people you’ve lost into your arms."

Ah, let me take that back.

"Is that all you came to say?"

"My, my. You don’t believe me."

I didn’t need to hear any more.

It only soured my mood further.

"We can control the 'Gate.'"

I froze.

The bloody mass I had been about to send at him stopped just before it made contact.

"Is your interest growing now?"

"..."

He really was good at talking.

So good I wanted to kill him.

＊＊＊

"Big sister is late."

Seo-ah, waiting for her in Cynthia’s house, muttered as she checked the time.

"Goreuk."

Gobra, who had been meditating with his arms folded, slowly opened his eyes.

Just what in the world was that fool of a master doing?

He was clicking his tongue when it happened.

"Sorry. I’m pretty late, aren’t I?"

The Cynthia they had been waiting for opened the front door and came inside.

"Ah, you’re ho--?"

Seo-ah rose from the sofa and started toward her, but then turned her head at the force gripping her arm.

Gobra pulled Seo-ah toward him, his expression stiff and hard.

"Mr. Gobra?"

"What is it? Why are you acting like that all of a sudden, Gobra?"

As Cynthia approached, tilting her head, Gobra stepped in front of Seo-ah and stood with his back to her as though shielding her.

His narrowed yellow eyes cooled.

"Goreuk. You are not the master."

"What?"

Seo-ah looked at Cynthia in shock.

No matter how you looked at her, it was big sister...

"Huh?"

No. It wasn’t.

Her appearance and her behavior were definitely the same, but something about her was different.

"Who are you?"

When Gobra asked, hand moving toward the belt at his waist, Cynthia’s puzzled face suddenly went blank.

And then...

"Ah, you caught me?"

Something that was not Cynthia bared its lips into a long, stretching grin.

Like a clown’s chilling smile.