Chapter 186
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 186
The older Yaksha sister, who had been about to say something, snapped her mouth shut. Instead, a look of pure ecstasy bloomed on her face.
Patrick’s eyes flashed.
Yakshas were drawn to power. For Patrick, who already knew this, her reaction was a deeply satisfying answer.
“Lord Patrick.”
This time, the younger Yaksha sister spoke up. She had been watching Patrick’s reactions intently since before they left Room 1, her curiosity evident.
“Are you really… only hiring the two of us?”
“Pardon? No, of course not.”
“What?”
“Our dungeon is incredibly short-staffed. Aside from the ones who are completely disobedient, I plan to hire all of them. That’s why I had them bring as many as possible.”
The younger Yaksha sister looked flustered, as if this wasn't the answer she had expected.
“Then why did you put us through that test…?”
“To make sure they don’t act up later.”
“…”
“It was all a performance. They might not look like much gathered together like this, but they were all big shots where they came from, weren't they? To keep them in line, we needed to establish dominance right from the start.”
“…”
“However, the screening process will be thorough. This isn’t my first time recruiting monsters… I have my own system. Aptitude tests, personality tests, physical fitness evaluations, one-on-one mock battles, and so on.”
“Wasn’t their strength already proven…? What do you mean by one-on-one mock battles?”
“Ah, that’s for Dullahan.”
“…”
“I said I’d be thorough, but I never said I’d be fair, did I?”
Patrick spoke in a playful tone, clearly enjoying the younger Yaksha sister’s bewilderment. As his chuckles subsided, he hoisted his greatsword onto his shoulder—not Tanabella, but a blunt-tipped practice sword.
“Anyway, for that reason, I should head back to Room 1. Time to start the re-screening process. I’ll see you both later.”
With that, Patrick quickly took his leave. The older Yaksha sister, now fully recovered, burst into a frivolous laugh at her younger sister’s dumbfounded expression.
Only after Patrick had completely vanished from sight did the older sister turn her head.
…With everyone else gone, only Rene and the Yaksha sisters remained in Room 2.
Silence fell once more.
It was a profoundly awkward silence.
*
“…”
This is the absolute worst, Rene thought.
Of all the people to be left behind with, it had to be the Yaksha sisters. Not just anyone, but the very two who had kept her mind in turmoil for over two weeks.
The smaller of the sisters was staring intently at her. This was incredibly awkward—even more so than when the Empire had sent S-rank subjugation squads in relentless waves for three days and nights.
Rene needs to stay calm.
Rene took a sharp breath. Unfortunately, because she had spent all her time harboring resentment toward the Yaksha sisters, she hadn’t given a single thought to how she should actually act when they met face-to-face.
Belatedly, Rene began to list her options.
—Hopeless.
Choosing the Yaksha sisters was Lord Swallow's decision. Rene squeezed her eyes shut, scolding herself.
If they were strangers, it would be one thing, but they were now destined to work under the same roof. They might be rivals in love, but they were allies on the battlefield. She couldn’t harm an ally. So, what should she do?
Rene must show them kindness…
But the thought of showing them kindness only made her feel more helpless. Squeezing her eyes shut wasn’t enough; Rene began to clutch at her hair.
She stayed like that for a long moment. Then, as if struck by a sudden epiphany, her head snapped up.
Perhaps Rene has been looking at this all wrong. Yes… this is…
A golden opportunity that will never come again.
What she needed to do right now was firmly establish her position.
She had to assert her dominance. And this was undoubtedly the perfect moment, with no one else around to watch.
—She needed to imprint upon them who held the higher rank and who was closer to Lord Swallow.
After running a few simulations in her head, Rene cleared her throat softly. Her cold, authoritative voice was loaded and ready.
Furrowing her brow with effort, Rene addressed the Yakshas.
“Since we have the opportunity, I shall formally introduce myself. I am Gatekeeper Rene.”
Rene’s eyes flashed. She did this to draw attention to her right eye, wanting to show off the eyeball she had received from Lord Swallow.
After emphasizing her eye, she lightly patted her hair. Today, she had specially worn the Spider Lily Headband, which she usually kept safely stored away for fear of damaging it. With this, she intended to signal to the Yaksha sisters that Lord Swallow was already taken.
“…Hello.”
The Yaksha sisters, however, didn’t seem to notice her hints at all.
Well, of course. There is no way newcomers would immediately recognize an item touched by Lord Swallow's hand.
First point to Rene. Thinking this, Rene looked back and forth between the two sisters.
It was time for the next step.
Rene must display dignity and insight to show off her competence.
Drawing on her sixth sense—a combination of her five senses and raw intuition—she analyzed the two Yakshas. The first thing that caught her eye was the difference in their builds.
First, the smaller one…
The smaller Yaksha was dangerous. She was covered in tattoos, and her outfit was unnecessarily revealing.
It was a scandalous outfit, unimaginable to Rene, who wore skirts that reached past her ankles. This was the classic look of a delinquent monster. Monsters like her always mistook indulgence for freedom and ended up giving their boss a headache.
She will require proper discipline.
Next, Rene turned her gaze to the other Yaksha. She was quite large compared to her smaller sister.
—And it wasn’t just her height that was large.
“……!!”
If the smaller Yaksha’s danger level was around that of a B-rank monster, this one was truly comparable to a boss monster from a Great Evil Cave. Specifically, she had two things on her chest that were as monstrous as any Great Evil Cave boss. Melju’s form was an illusion, so Rene had let it slide, but this was real, without a single shred of deception. Moreover…
There was a scent.
A seductive scent that could drive any rational mind mad—no, it wasn’t a scent. Was it visual, olfactory, or synesthetic? Rene wasn’t entirely sure, but the woman was radiating some kind of aura. At least, that was how it appeared to Rene.
Can I win?
Can Rene really win against that?
A wave of pure terror washed over Rene. In her mind’s eye, Lord Swallow was already walking away into the sunset, arm-in-arm with this Yaksha. That woman was a weapon of mass seduction, far more lethal than any masterpiece artifact.
Rene’s body trembled. She pointed a shaking finger at the larger Yaksha.
“Are you… the older sister?”
“I am the younger sister.”
“Then this one is…”
“…I am the older sister.”
“!!!!”
A second shockwave hit Rene.
Swaying on her feet, Rene barely clung to her fading consciousness. This was not in the script. Failing to deduce even this—wasn’t she just exposing her own utter incompetence? No, she couldn’t let it end like this. She had to ask another question.
“What are your names…?”
“We don’t have any.”
“Pardon?”
“We cast aside our original names when we came to the Primordial Core.”
“Oh…”
Rene gives up.
Her mind went completely blank. For several seconds, Rene stood frozen, not even breathing. It took a considerable amount of time for her brain to start functioning again.
“Well… very well. Lord Swallow will bestow new names upon you. For now, you two… require an explanation. Rene shall explain things to you.”
At this point, she barely knew what she was saying. Only one certainty remained: these two were dangerous. They were no ordinary monsters.
“From now on, you two will be room administrators. Whenever administrators report to Lord Swallow, they must always go through the gatekeeper. That means you are not to seek out Lord Swallow on your own. If you wish to meet Lord Swallow, you must speak to Rene first. Understood?”
Rene's face flushed red, perhaps realizing how flustered she sounded. The younger Yaksha sister stared at her, thoroughly bewildered.
“And if possible, try not to meet Lord Swallow directly. Most issues can be resolved by Rene. Also… while I understand the traditional attire and customs of the Yaksha tribe, it would be best if you both wore slightly thicker clothing. Especially when you stand before Lord Swallow.”
“…Yes.”
Her last sentence had dwindled to a mere mumble.
“W-Well then, let us move.”
Spinning around, the staggering Rene began to march forward with the stiff, unnatural gait of a toy soldier.
“Ah, I see.”
The older Yaksha sister, who had watched Rene with a bored expression the entire time, muttered with a mischievous smirk.
She’s in love with Lord Swallow.
She could smell the potential for some very entertaining trouble.
Phase. 4
Scanning the notice board in the square, he spotted a small article about Orcs tucked away in a corner.
It reported that following the fall of Nilkumbal, the Orcs had lost their cohesion, scattered across the continent, and were now beginning to cause trouble.
Searching for more specific information, he lowered his gaze. Unfortunately, there was no mention of the chieftains who had once served as the pillars of Nilkumbal.
Since the public's attention was entirely focused on Riaze, the space allocated to the article was ridiculously small. With so many more pressing crises occurring, the fall of Nilkumbal seemed to be rapidly fading from people's minds.
“…”
He let out a soft sigh.
Turning away, he changed direction. Staring at the notice board any longer wasn't going to yield the information he wanted.
It was about time to head back to the inn. The sun was still high in the sky, but he had no desire to wander around outside.
After all, someone was waiting for him.
Mumbling softly to himself, Niphrim walked down the main street.
The Koenigsk Marquisate.
It had already been nearly a month since Niphrim had arrived here with Pesil.
“Hey there, handsome-but-gloomy.”
As he entered the inn, the innkeeper greeted him warmly.
He always called Niphrim "handsome-but-gloomy," reasoning that it was a waste for someone with such a good-looking face to walk around looking so utterly miserable.
“Did something happen today, too? You look like a man who just gambled away his life savings.”
“…”
Niphrim remained silent, his face expressionless. At first, he had detested the man's nosiness, but over time, he had simply grown used to it.
“Anyway, it's nothing major, but if you're planning to extend your stay, you need to pay up.”
The innkeeper held out his hand expectantly.
“Same as last time. It's five ounces of silver per person, which makes ten for the two of you. But since I'm such a generous guy, I'll knock off an ounce. That makes nine ounces. Oh, and what was her name, Pesil? The lady with our handsome-but-gloomy friend is pretty, so I'll knock off another ounce. Let's call it eight ounces.”
“…”
“But you'll be wanting the special meals, right? That's an extra ounce, so it comes to nine ounces of silver a day. We might be friendly, but business is business.”
I'm not sure we're actually close, Niphrim thought. If you mean you're unilaterally acting friendly, then yes, that's accurate. And where on earth does your confidence in your own looks come from?
He kept those thoughts to himself and rummaged through his pockets. After paying for another week, he was left with only a single 1-ounce gold coin.
He remembered having a decent sum when they fled the mountain village, but he was already on the verge of being thrown out onto the streets.
He needed to find a way to make money, and fast.
Leaving the grinning innkeeper to count his coins, Niphrim headed down the hall. His room was tucked away in a corner on the first floor. As he opened the door, a wave of warm air brushed against his skin.
“Welcome back, Lansler.”
Pesil greeted him in a calm, quiet voice.
“…I’m back.”
Niphrim gave a brief reply, hung his cloak on the rack, and glanced at Pesil.
Her wrists were still slender, but she was no longer the emaciated skeleton she had been when they first arrived. Her health had recovered to the point where she could finally be considered out of danger.
“How are you feeling?”
“I think I’ve gained some weight.”
“That’s good.”
“I said I gained weight! How is that a good thing?!”
Their journey had been an absolute nightmare. When they first fled the village, they had headed blindly eastward in search of a new territory.
Niphrim's modified body was exceptionally sturdy, but Pesil possessed the fragile, untrained body of an ordinary person, yet she had been forced to march for days and nights on end.
By the time they reached this place, Pesil had been on the brink of death. Looking back, it was a miracle she had survived. When Niphrim had first tried to pay for a room, the innkeeper had barked at him, “Your wife is practically at death's door, and you're planning to feed her nothing but dry rye bread?”
The extra charge for the “special meals” was actually because the innkeeper had been preparing custom, nutrient-rich food to help Pesil regain her strength.
“How was your day?”
“…Just a quick look around town.”
“I see.”
Pesil nodded. She sat on the edge of the bed, her hands resting neatly on her lap. Her hair, which she had always kept in neat twin braids, had grown out and now fell loosely over her shoulders.
She had changed a great deal from the Pesil of the past. She had grown quiet… no, rather than quiet, it would be more accurate to say she had become withdrawn and timid.
—Because Pesil could no longer see.
She had lost her sight.
Even now, fluid would occasionally seep from her eyes, requiring her to keep them covered with a cloth wrap.