Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Make Several Magic Circles in the House?
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[Make several magic circles inside the house?]
Having been forcibly plopped onto Tiarin's lap, Dun nodded.
"Make them small ones. I'll tell you where to put them."
[Materials?]
"Right here. Help yourself and take what you need."
Dun pulled out his subspace pouch and dangled it in front of Tiarin. When he handed it over, she peered inside to check the contents.
[You smashed up some Lycus monsters on the way back?]
She pulled items out one by one, lining them up on the sofa, letting out gasps of admiration—until she spotted a Lycus fang and sucked in a sharp breath.
[How were they? Easy to take down? They must've been tough, right?]
"Hmm. Not sure. They wore me out a bit."
She kept putting on that insane fireworks display right in front of his face, so it was scorching hot. He'd sweated buckets.
Felt like he'd just come back from a brutal sauna.
[Anyway, impressive. Lycus hides and fangs... Never thought I'd live to handle stuff like this. Hold on... Is this? No way!]
Tiarin's pupils started shaking wildly as she rummaged through the items Dun had brought. In her hand were clumps of Liculin fur and claws.
[This is Liculin remains?]
"Yeah."
[Dun, you're insane.]
"Ugh, come on, don't overreact."
Tiarin got way too hyper when she was excited. Spotting the signs, Dun stepped back a pace and shrugged.
[In! Sane! Dun!]
"Mommy, I'm scared..."
[You took down a hellhound from Yoharaum? How is that even possible unless you're crazy? A Liculin? You killed it?]
"Eek..."
[Dun's a lunatic. A total lunatic!!! No way! Liculin remains in my hands!]
Dun got grabbed by Tiarin and shaken back and forth. He could never get used to her over-the-top reactions. Her silver eyes sparkled intensely as they fixed on him.
[How was the Liculin? Pretty strong?]
"N-Not... easy. I barely survived. Even the clothes you enchanted with strengthening potion got burned to a crisp."
He'd almost said it was easy, but figured that'd just make her freak out more, so he played along.
[Oh man... It pushed you to the brink. As expected of a Liculin—or maybe as expected of you, Dun.]
"Hey, how about granting my request now?"
[But you almost died. Can't have that. You're supposed to die by my hand. Yeah, glad you're alive.]
She was lost in her own world again. Dun snapped his fingers to pull her attention back to him.
Only then did Tiarin sparkle up and shove her face close to his. She poked his scrunched-up nose bridge with her finger and grinned mischievously.
[Ah, I heard you. A request? From our little master... What was it again?]
Dun opened his mouth to repeat himself.
[Kidding. I know. I was just teasing. You wanted teleportation magic circles, right?]
Tiarin grabbed the necessary materials for crafting teleportation circles from the subspace pouch and stroked Dun's hair.
She scooped him up and laid him on the sofa, then fetched her own fluffy quilt for him.
Tiarin smiled faintly, utterly pleased with how obediently he nestled against her. Anyway, Dun was wheezing again today.
She turned her head toward the workbench cluttered with thick books and item materials and spoke.
[Go to sleep for now. I'll make several small teleportation magic circles.]
Tiarin conjured tiny flames at her fingertips and lit the scented candles around Dun one by one. The soft crackle of the little flames began to fill the air.
[MISS]
[MISS]
[Your body starts to go numb from the poisonous aroma.]
"Poison herbs this time?"
[Figured strong sleeping poison herbs might knock you out.]
"Sigh."
Dun let out a sigh and blew out all the candle flames.
* * *
Having finished her work, Tiarin stopped by Dun's house to draw magic circles in his room.
Her human disguise let her avoid drawing too much attention.
Once inside Dun's room, Tiarin pulled off her hood.
[Dun's room...]
Tiarin scanned the small space, her eyes gleaming. She tried out his little desk, chair, and bed one by one, clapping her hands and cooing over how cute everything was.
She lifted the crude carpet from the floor and pulled out special chalk for small magic circles.
Holding a small notebook with teleportation circle diagrams, she swiftly drew them out. Each time she completed a circle, the magic circle glowed faintly.
Dun watched the teleportation circles take shape and spoke up.
"Skip the authentication step. It's my room."
[Yes, yes. As you command, my lord.]
Tiarin licked her thumb and rubbed away part of the circle with a smirk, chuckling to herself at the silly request.
The teleportation circles were done in no time. One for a hunting ground for levels 30-50, one for 50-70, and one linking to a large circle for high-level hunting grounds beyond that.
[Anything else you want me to do?]
"Nope, nope. You can head home. Get going."
When Dun pointed to the high-level hunting ground circle, Tiarin latched on.
[Nooo—I wanna stay a bit longer.]
"Pervert, out."
Calling her a pervert made her beam from ear to ear.
[Pervert? I even get a nickname now? I'm touched, Dun! So cute, so cute.]
Tiarin burrowed into Dun's bed and rolled around left and right.
She showed zero intention of going back to her own place.
Comparing the Tiarin from when he'd first met her to now, she'd changed so much she seemed like a whole different person—but some things never changed.
From back then to now, she hated being apart from Dun.
Their first meeting, she'd been sad to part ways. The second time, she'd tried blackmailing him to stay together, and when that failed, it turned into full-blown obsession.
Dun had first met Tiarin when he was even younger, back when he lived on the Montjihel continent.
Before meeting Rihaowel, Dun had wandered around smashing monsters everywhere.
No items restricting his power back then, so he just wrecked whatever he saw. But smashing big ones left his young, weak body exhausted for the whole day—still, he scored plenty of good loot.
He'd gone to Montjihel's 'Night Forest' for good items too, and that's where he met Tiarin.
Tiarin was classified as a 'monster' now, but back then, she was an NPC from the Wind Country, not a monster. There was an elf village in Lowria of the Wind Country, and she was one of the elf NPCs there.
Tiarin had originally been a high elf, not a dark elf.
But among elves who mainly handled spirits, her ability to wield magic instead made her a freak. So she got chased out of the elf village and exiled to Montjihel's Night Forest.
Exile to the Night Forest was basically an elven death sentence. Full of evil monsters, no elf could survive there easily. Plus, it teemed with high-level beasts—Tiarin's odds of survival were near zero.
But by sheer luck, she ran into Dun, and she lived.
Dun gave her all the items he'd gotten from the Night Forest—ones related to growth.
He figured that was it after their first encounter, but at age six, they met again.
[Hey, kid!!!!]
He was hunting Montjihel monsters when a silver-haired, dark-skinned elf suddenly went nuts acting like they were besties.
Something had happened—now she was a dark elf, but way stronger. Her title shifted from NPC to monster.
Her personality got real prickly too. She'd been so sweet as a high elf.
When they met again, Tiarin refused to let Dun go. But after meeting Rihaowel post their first encounter, Dun couldn't exactly bring her home and ask to raise her together. So he made a soul contract instead.
It was what she wanted—a solid bond with him.
After that, they helped each other out and got by well, but maybe lonely from living solo in the Night Forest, she kept seeking Dun out.
"Don't drool on the bed! I've got work for you. Get out of bed."
Snapping out of his reminiscing, Dun yelled at Tiarin, who was starting to drool on his bed while pretending to sleep to avoid leaving. She bolted upright.
[Pretending to be neat, but you're filthy, Dun.]
"Shut it. How'd you end up a dark elf anyway?"
Tiarin tilted her head at Dun's question.
[Why bring that up out of nowhere? Using items from Night Forest monsters turned me dark elf, I figure. Plus that unique dark aura there.]
"How many elves have the elf village sentenced to death and sent to the Night Forest so far?"
[Hmm, like 15 just this year?]
He hadn't realized—15 already. Elves weren't messing around with their death sentences.
"What happened to them?"
[Stomped flat by Night Forest monsters, probably?]
"You didn't save any?"
[Nope! Why would I?]
As expected. Tiarin's sweet nature had flipped completely after becoming a dark elf.
"I saved you."
[Does that mean I have to do the same?]
"Yeah."
At Dun's firm reply, Tiarin instantly dropped her stance.
[Got it! I'll save the next ones.]
"Save enough to boost the dark elf population. Say, 15. Kinda like a quest. No alert window, but still."
More dark elves to chat with might keep Tiarin less bored.
'Less bored, less tormenting me...'
"Head home now and do what I said, and I'll give you a reward."
[Reward? What kind?]
Tiarin's eyes lit up at the word. Dun's rewards always came huge.
"Bring back 15 villagers first. Look forward to it... as much as you want."
She loved the word "look forward," nodding vigorously.
And so, Dun finally pried Tiarin—who refused to leave his side—back home.
Dealing with her always drained his energy like crazy. Among the monsters he'd faced, she might be the strongest in a way. Not physically, but the mental damage was real.
Roll, rolly.
Dun lay face-down on the bed with his eyes closed when suddenly a glass bottle rolled out from under it.
Roll, rolly-roll.
The large bottle rolled along on its own. Inside swirled a mix of yellow, pink, and green liquid. The liquid even had cute little eyes, nose, and mouth.
The creature unscrewed the bottle cap and slimed its way toward Dun.
[LV. 21] Love-Struck, Frightened Slime
[Mas... ter......]
He'd left the slime behind when going to meet Tiarin—100% chance it'd die if he brought it. And since he might bring Tiarin back, he'd bottled it up and hidden it.
Sensing Tiarin, the slime had huddled silently in the corner. The moment she was gone, it oozed out.
[Don't... go...... Don't... go......]
Hating being left behind, the slime clung tight to Dun's arm.
Conservation of obsession, huh? Tiarin leaves, slime latches on.
"Not going anywhere, so turn off the lights and come here."
[Okay......]
Thrilled at "not going," the slime wobbled happily and hummed a tune.