There Was No Bear-Human Hybrid (Thirin, Disappointed)

At Thirin's words, Peter let out a hearty laugh.

"Twisting a man's head clean off just for picking a fight? You've got quite the fiery temperament. Shame Heres won't get to pay his tuition fee."

He spoke as casually as if he'd simply bought radishes at the market yesterday. The nonchalant attitude made Thirin narrow her eyes.

"...Old man. A person died. Why are you reacting like this? Are you even a real priest?"

"That bastard Heres was trash. Even if you hadn't done it, someone else would've beaten him to death sooner or later, or he would've gotten himself killed through his own stupidity. Besides, my faith is more devout than it looks."

Peter answered with a sly grin. Thirin was utterly dumbfounded.

"What kind of faith is that? Someone dies and you're all 'good riddance'?"

"Now, now, don't misunderstand. I don't mean it was good he died. I mean he'd accumulated enough karma to deserve it. Anyway, that's not what's important right now."

Peter's expression grew slightly more serious.

"What's important is you. And what happens next."

He glanced out the window before continuing.

"I've heard the general story."

His gaze returned to Thirin.

"There was only one corpse—Heres. The other mercenaries with him all ran away. Fled like their tails were on fire, from what I hear. They won't let you off easy now. They'll scream for your punishment."

"What a dogshit situation. He's the one who stabbed me first."

"Of course he attacked first. However..."

Peter paused for a moment, then dropped the words carelessly.

"Isn't some of this your fault too?"

"My fault?!"

"Calm down."

Thirin's blood was boiling, but Peter showed no sign of being flustered. Instead, he replied in a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠soothing, gentle tone.

"I saw Heres's corpse. No external injuries, yet his neck bones were completely twisted. Very clean. Killed instantly with one strike. You could say you were hiding your strength."

A beggar hiding her strength. This old man had some surprisingly trendy expressions.

"If it were you, you could've wiped out all the witnesses right there on the spot. From what I can see, you have more than enough ability to do so. So why didn't you?"

"Old man. Are you really a priest? It sounds like you're encouraging murder... Are you treating me like some kind of serial killer?"

Peter didn't respond. He simply stared at her quietly, as if waiting for an answer to his question.

Thirin took a moment to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠steady her breathing. Peter's question had been unexpected, but it was also something she'd vaguely wondered about herself last night.

Why had she let them live?

"Hmm... I'm not sure."

Thirin scratched her head and muttered.

"It's true they were trash who hung around with Heres. Kicking an old street vendor, scaring kids in front of the bakery... yeah, they did all that. But... still... they didn't pull a knife on me directly. They didn't do anything to me that deserved death."

"You didn't kill them because they hadn't wronged you?"

Peter asked in return.

"Well, that's part of it..."

Thirin recalled the mercenaries' faces. Stupid, cowardly, pathetic, pale faces frozen in fear.

"...I'm not a murderer. You didn't see their faces, old man. They're brainless idiots, sure, but... isn't that exactly why they might still be able to change their ways later?"

Thirin added the last part a bit sheepishly. It didn't sound like something she'd normally say.

"......"

Peter stared at her in silence for a long time. His expression was hard to read. He seemed surprised, yet also like he'd discovered something interesting. Eventually, a slow smile spread across his lips.

"I see. They might still change their ways."

Peter repeated the words in a low voice. There was an odd lingering resonance in his tone.

"...Old man. You're setting up some kind of flag and it's making me uncomfortable."

Thirin felt an ominous premonition from Peter's expression and manner of speaking.

"The way you're talking makes it sound like those bastards are definitely going to come for revenge. This won't do. I should go out right now and snap all their necks..."

"Hehe, you just said with your own mouth that you're not a murderer, and now you're immediately going back on that?"

Peter interrupted her with a cheerful laugh.

Suddenly, Thirin sensed a commotion outside. Peter spoke as if it were no big deal.

"Looks like they've arrived."

Roderick was glaring at his documents with a complicated expression, but his nerves were entirely focused on the presence outside the building. His prediction had been correct.

When the sound of heavy footsteps echoed across the stone floor, the security officers began to stir. Soon the office door burst open violently.

The man who entered was an imposing figure clad in armor. Deep wrinkles carved across his face spoke of countless battles. Deep in his eyes, rage had taken root.

Bjorn, leader of the mercenary band.

Bjorn strode straight up to Roderick's desk and stopped.

"Commander Roderick. My vice-leader was murdered in your jurisdiction."

Roderick rose from his seat to face Bjorn. Their heights were similar, but the aura radiating from Bjorn completely overwhelmed him.

"Leader Bjorn. My condolences. However, an investigation is currently underway. We must complete the investigation first, then handle the matter according to imperial law. There is also the possibility of self-defense..."

"Imperial law? Self-defense?"

Bjorn sneered.

"It's been so long since the subjugation payment was overdue, and now you're spouting imperial law? When we were risking our lives hunting monsters, the empire ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pretended not to see us. Now that one of my men is dead, suddenly they shove the law in our faces."

Bjorn slammed his fist on the desk.

"No matter what mistake my subordinate made, the fact that he was murdered is undeniable! And they say it was done in an extremely cruel way! Are you people trying to protect a murderer? Is the security force mocking us?!"

Roderick struggled to maintain his composure. Provoking this raging bear of a man would be unwise.

"Leader Bjorn. I heard you once served in the imperial army. You should understand that procedures are necessary."

"...Don't utter that name, Commander."

Bjorn's face twisted ferociously.

"I abandoned that flag long ago. Under that banner, I learned not glory but shame. Don't you dare lump me together with those hypocrites!"

Roderick was momentarily speechless at the unexpectedly intense reaction. It was common knowledge that Bjorn had come from the imperial army, but he hadn't expected such visceral hatred.

Bjorn growled, not bothering to hide his fury.

"Enough with the nonsense. Hand over that beggar bitch right now. We'll deal with her our way."

Roderick swallowed the refutation that had risen to his throat. Bjorn's anger made it difficult to insist on principles, yet he couldn't simply hand over a witness.

"It's so damn noisy in here."

An unexpected voice cut in.

"Does raising your voice in someone else's office solve anything? Why don't you talk with me for a moment?"

At some point Thirin had slipped out of the detention room. She stood with her arms crossed at a crooked angle, looking over at them. The security officer who had been watching her fidgeted helplessly beside her.

Bjorn stared at Thirin intently before speaking first.

"So it was you. How dare you..."

"Shh."

Thirin brought her index finger to her lips, cutting Bjorn off. Though displeased, Bjorn had no choice but to freeze at her following words.

"Leader Bjorn. I regret that Heres is dead. But honestly, doesn't it feel refreshing?"

"...What did you say?"

Bjorn stiffened as if struck in a vital spot. Thirin seized the opening and continued.

"I thought it was strange. The fact that Heres could beat Merye and walk around without any consequences. There must be plenty of guys in the mercenary band who owe Merye a debt."

"...."

Bjorn faltered for a moment but raised his voice again.

"What nonsense is this? What does beating a whore matter?"

Thirin let out a small laugh.

These hopeless barbarians. No wonder their heads twist off when they talk like this.

She tried to gauge whether she could twist the neck of the bear-like man before her. But Bjorn's neck seemed packed with either muscle or fat, making it unlikely to turn as cleanly as Heres's had.

This guy must've been juiced up on steroids. Or maybe he's a bear-human hybrid?

Thirin nodded to herself.

Since it's a barbaric fantasy world, bear-human relations wouldn't be that strange.

She had wracked her brain wondering if she might gain some enlightenment, but no system message rang out.

Thick neck for no reason, doesn't even give enlightenment. What a completely useless bastard.

Thirin felt slightly annoyed but decided to hold back for now. If she threw a punch just because she was angry, how would she be any different from Heres? A civilized person ought to have patience.

After taking a deep breath, Thirin spoke calmly.

"...Right. If this were a properly civilized city where women get beaten regularly, there'd be no problem. But this is a backwater village with barely any women at all."

"What does it matter that this is a backwater?"

"Because of that one bastard Heres, the entire mercenary band might have lost access to Merye's services. So how could he run around causing trouble without any repercussions?"

Thirin hadn't simply been sitting quietly in the detention room. She had been experimenting with various things using her Simdeuk system.

She continued speaking.

"You all looked like you belonged to the same mercenary band, but your actions were quite different. There were those who just drank, played, and left moderately, and then there were the rabid dogs like Heres who caused chaos. They seemed to only associate with their own kind. Looks like there were factions within the group."

Thirin nodded as if organizing her own thoughts.

"When Heres and his lackeys chased me, not all the mercenaries in the village followed. Some slipped away toward your camp. Why do you think that was?"

"...."

"Well, it probably wasn't because they were scared of one beggar girl and went to call for reinforcements. So there must have been another reason. It's obvious. They were preparing to clean up after Heres, weren't they?"

Bjorn was staring holes through Thirin, but she paid him no mind.

"So you deliberately let Heres loose in the village. To cause trouble and create problems. Whether he got caught by the security force or... I don't know. Maybe you hoped he'd eat spoiled food and get a stomachache. Too bad he ran into me."

"...."

"I understand. As the leader, you need to manage the organization efficiently. Dealing with one troublesome subordinate is more hassle than simply getting rid of him. Isn't that right, Leader Bjorn?"

Thirin drove the point home.

"Especially right before distributing the subjugation payment."

As Thirin nodded in satisfaction while looking at the system window, Bjorn spoke.

"...The beggar girl has quite the eye for detail."

Thirin shrugged. The fact that beggars, as quantum-like beings, could be used as information sources was already widely known in her original world's martial arts circles. But these people didn't even know such basic common sense. Well, it seemed this world's civilization hadn't reached the level of the Central Plains yet, so Thirin could only understand and let it slide. Come to think of it, in her home world's timeline, it hadn't been that long (a few hundred years) since the scientific technology of fantasy lands surpassed the Central Plains, so it could even be considered historically accurate.

"Even if what you say is true, it changes nothing."

Bjorn's expression changed. The appearance of an enraged warrior vanished, replaced by the face of a cold businessman. The shift piqued Thirin's interest.

Look at this guy? Just because the idiots around him are brainless doesn't mean he has to be.

He turned his head toward Roderick.

"Don't you understand, Commander?"

Bjorn's eyes were no longer those of a furious beast. They were closer to those of a merchant or administrator calculating losses.

"Heres should have either been punished by the security force or killed by me."

Bjorn spoke in a tired tone.

"Heres is a member of the Messenger's Blade mercenary group. A mercenary shouldn't be beaten to death by some rootless beggar bitch. Even though these guys are trash, that's precisely why we must preserve their honor. Honor and pride are the only leashes keeping these pieces of garbage in line."

Tap!

Bjorn lightly struck the desk. It was different from his earlier threat. It resembled a teacher dealing with a student who couldn't focus.

"Don't forget the practical problem, Commander Roderick."

The practical problem. The reason the mercenary band couldn't leave.

"The empire still hasn't paid the subjugation fee. In this situation, if I release the woman who killed one of our own without any punishment, I can't guarantee how long I'll be able to hold these enraged men back. Heres is dead, but his gang is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠still perfectly fine."

"That's..."

"Why do you keep leaving out the person concerned? I have an opinion too, you know?"

Just as Roderick was about to respond, Thirin stepped forward. Bjorn shot her a glare, but Thirin simply yawned as if bored.

"Yawn. I'm not interested in talk about self-defense or imperial law or whatever. Leader Bjorn. I'll solve the problem of Heres's lackeys for you."

"...How?"

Thirin smiled slyly. For a moment, looking at Thirin's clear eyes visible above her mask, Bjorn felt his heart skip a beat.

"Let's have a trial by combat. Send all the guys who want revenge at me. That should suit your tastes, right?"

Thirin's smiling eyes were so seductively beautiful they were impossible to refuse.

"It suits my tastes too."