Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Wrapping Up (2)
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People lined up to enter the city gates, waiting as the guards checked them at the entrance.
After discreetly slipping some coin to the picky soldiers and passing through, a crowd of people came into view...
'...which is what I expected, so why is it like this here?'
It was undoubtedly a city. Though smaller in scale, it had walls surrounding it and plenty of buildings erected.
'But why does it feel so empty?'
The guards at the gate barely glanced my way before ignoring me entirely, whispering among themselves as I passed through without a word.
'At least no inspection is a relief.'
I knew nothing about this world.
Just like how I'd bluffed my way through with the old man in the slash-and-burn village, there was no way vague excuses would work on city guards.
They'd start prying, and I'd be in trouble.
'I'd even prepared some silver coins to bribe them if needed.'
Even though it was still bright out, there were hardly any residents wandering around, and no one seemed interested in an outsider like me.
The whole city lacked any vitality.
'What's with the atmosphere here? Did something happen?'
It felt off, but I decided to find lodging first.
I needed to gather some information here regardless of whether I stayed or moved elsewhere later.
'Let's see... where might the inns be? Should I ask that person?'
As I approached someone who looked like a local to ask for directions, my eyes caught something in the alley beside the road.
A muscular brute with a tattoo on the back of his neck and a grubby girl who looked about ten years old.
"...I'm sorry! Just give me a little more time..."
The girl bowed repeatedly to the man, her face tearful as she pleaded.
"I get your situation, but you know I can't wait forever. You've got three days. If you don't bring it by then, I can't help you."
He unfolded his arms, scratched his head roughly, and replied curtly with a displeased look.
Without waiting for her response, he turned and headed deeper into the alley.
"I told you. You two. Two silver coins within three days."
As he vanished into the alley's shadows, the girl collapsed to the ground with a thud.
She sat there dazed for a moment, then took a deep breath as if swallowing her tears and slapped her cheeks.
Staggering to her feet, she stood up.
'Hm... a city thug exploiting a poor little girl. A clichéd trope.'
In a medieval fantasy world like this, such things happened all the time.
Even if I threw a fit about human rights, nothing would change—and I had no reason to anyway.
Thud—
As I stood staring, the girl, who had been stumbling out of the alley staring at the ground, bumped into me.
"Ah... I'm sorry..."
I looked down at the girl bowing her head right in front of me.
Her skin was rough for her age, her hands scarred and swollen.
Her hollow eyes and the faint air of gloom around her felt all too familiar to me.
After apologizing, she brushed past me and trudged onward.
Her slumped shoulders and footsteps devoid of any energy stuck in my mind.
'Hmm, two silver coins.'
I pulled a pouch from my pocket.
It was the bribe money I'd prepared separately, filled with various coins and about half a dozen silver ones.
'I stuffed it generously since I didn't know the prices here. Guess silver holds more value than I thought.'
I'd figured I wouldn't need it after passing the gate without inspection, but perfect timing for a use case.
'Just when I needed info on this world.'
A local who could provide information and reliably do what I asked.
Someone with low risk of scheming.
A perfect candidate had appeared right in front of me.
'Not sure if she's trustworthy yet, but if I can get info for just this much money.'
I took two silver coins from the pouch and tucked it back away.
'Well, it's fate, I suppose. It was meant for bribes anyway, and this is more efficient.'
I strode toward the girl, who was still staggering ahead.
Whatever she was thinking, she showed no reaction even as I approached with clear footsteps.
"Ahem... hey, little one?"
"......"
"Hey~? Big brother has something to say..."
No response, so I spoke louder and tapped her shoulder...
"Eek—! I-I'm sorry!"
I blinked in surprise at the girl who jumped back in fright.
"......"
"Uh, who... who are you?"
The man who would become her employer.
I felt sorry for her, but I wasn't planning to just hand out charity.
Mutually beneficial relationships were the sturdiest and longest-lasting.
I didn't know how long I'd stay in this city, but I'd keep my promises.
So, let's negotiate the terms of employment.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Heinz met the girl in the city and, with her help, easily secured lodging and began gathering information.
Having a local guide made everything smooth.
"Alright... time for me to get to work."
Time to harvest the gold bars! Gold bars!
Traveling to another world was great, but first things first—my main body needed to live well.
'But summoning Hans directly is a bit scary.'
I'd felt his overwhelming presence firsthand when facing him as Heinz.
'Still, I have "Clear Mirror Still Water." It should be fine for a short time.'
Just in case, I closed my eyes to avoid eye contact and summoned Hans.
Saaah...
A chilling cold hit me the moment he appeared.
Even without looking, my instincts screamed that something ominous loomed before me.
[Whoa... this is no joke. He can't show his face in public ever, huh?]
Hans muttered while viewing my frozen body through his vision.
His voice, resonating with mana, stimulated fear like a demon whispering from the underworld.
'Thanks to "Clear Mirror Still Water," it feels better now.'
The skill that had shaken violently at first was growing familiar, calming my mind bit by bit.
"Phew, okay now..."
The moment I opened my eyes and faced Hans with a settled mind, I immediately turned away.
No, I spun around and headed to the bathroom.
"Let's keep our distance for a while. Gotta use the bathroom. Need to pee."
I muttered pointlessly despite no one to hear and put space between us.
'He can handle unloading the items himself.'
While I was in the bathroom, Hans neatly stacked the items he held on one side.
Gold bars, precious metals, and magic tools.
I'd picked magic tools with protective effects. My main body's safety came first.
I picked up the skull staff just in case and lightly tapped the floor.
[Hm, as expected. Can't summon in this world?]
Summoning undead across dimensions to that world seemed impossible.
If he could create a fully subsumed subspace for storage, maybe—but he didn't know such magic yet.
'He'll learn it as he grows.'
For now, this was plenty. No need to rush.
Beep beep—clank
As I finished in the bathroom and was getting used to Hans from a distance, the front door opened. The avatar who'd gone out for a workout returned.
I'd been pondering a cool name for it, so it didn't have one yet, but it was a useful one with the "Acceleration" skill that boosted speed.
'I prepared a wooden mask to fit the era, and it suits him well.' The avatar returned from its run holding a wooden mask prepared for Hans.
Couldn't wear a plastic mask in a fantasy world.
Well, could, but I preferred this.
I moved the avatar to place the mask on Hans's face and tied the strap tightly.
To prevent it from falling, I secured it multiple times with tough leather cord.
"Ooh... got atmosphere. Way more menacing than before."
I clapped as I looked at Hans's face.
While running around the neighborhood, the avatar had spotted it: the hahoe mask now on Hans.
Blue soulfire flickering from the eyeholes of the robe-hooded, grinning face; teeth glimpsed through the open mouth, with frosty mist leaking between.
It was straight out of a horror movie.
'Wait, does the mask even have meaning here?'
The thought crossed my mind, but I dismissed it.
Hans would look like a psycho serial killer even in a cute pink bunny mask.
Hiding that he wasn't human was enough for the mask's purpose.
'As long as the skull isn't visible, we can bluff our way through.'
Ignoring Hans's intimidating form, I grabbed a handbag and packed the gold bars.
'Brought about 3kg of gold bars. Should be enough for now.'
Long-term, I planned to buy a house on Seoul's outskirts and surround it with barriers, but since I couldn't go out now, I could prepare slowly.
'Things will get better. Can't live like this forever.'
For now, I'd sell the gold bars normally.
Just say I found them while sorting my parents' belongings.
Our family wasn't poor, and with the current unrest, selling this much gold was no issue.
As the prepared avatar headed out, it paused at the door.
Carrying valuables made me anxious.
"Feels uneasy going out like this."
Even with protective magic tools, something felt off.
As I glanced around in worry, my eyes landed on Hans standing blankly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Thank you. Come again."
The gold buyer's employee bowed at ninety degrees as he saw me off.
As expected, the sale went smoothly with no issues or accidents.
Worth finding the place that paid top dollar for gold—I smiled in satisfaction at my boosted bank balance.
The streets had darkened, with streetlights flickering on one by one.
With a lighter heart, I walked on and glanced at my shadow on the ground.
Blacker than others around it.
'Can't show his face directly, but usable like this. Good.'
Hans, using black magic, hid in my shadow.
Kept hidden for emergencies, but seemed unnecessary.
Weeeeng— weeeeng!
Boom—!
No sooner had the thought ended than the security shutters dropped at the gold shop behind me, followed by the wall exploding.
'Why do bad premonitions always hit? Why?'
I squeezed my eyes shut, then peeked back.
A muscle-bound werewolf over two meters tall and a black-masked man clinging to him burst from the ruined building and fled down the alley.
Glancing inside the mess, the precious metals were gone, people collapsed.
Lucky I left just before; no direct involvement.
But...
'Villains, huh...'
Criminals using awakened abilities.
There were Guardians protecting citizens from them, but they couldn't cover every threat.
Like with my family.
I stared briefly in the direction they fled, then kept walking.
The area turned chaotic with people reporting and filming.
The Guardians would track them, and if caught, they'd face enhanced penalties for ability crimes.
If not...
'They'll live well. But there's nothing I can do.'
Han Seonghyeon left the scene and headed home.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Perfect, Wolf. Just like the plan. Now head to the portal spot and we're out!"
"Grrr, Guardians will take about three minutes. Plenty of time."
The plan was simple.
'Wolf,' the muscle, subdued guards, smashed the vault and security for escape routes. Then 'Porter,' the carrier, sucked up all the metals and cash, clinging to Wolf.
Finally, rush to 'Portal' and escape far via his ability.
"Kahaha— love seeing those Guardian idiots show up late with stunned faces!"
"Grunt! Here. Get off."
They soon entered the construction site.
Portal's gate ability took time to create, so they couldn't use it on-site and had prepped a spot.
Tap tap— thump!
Rushing inside, they saw knocked-out workers piled in a corner.
And Portal, who should have been waiting with the gate ready, was unconscious too.
"Wha... what?"
Something in the darkness stood before the fallen Portal.
"Grrrrr..."
Wolf's fur bristled. He bared fangs and claws, crouching low with tail raised.
But his eyes were clearly terrified.
"Uh... wh-what is that...?"
Porter was worse. Thoughts fragmented. Couldn't connect.
And 'it' raised a hand, pointing at them.
The last thing Porter saw... was glowing blue eyes and a grinning face amid the lunging shadows.