The Incubus Hides His Kindness #5
The Incubus Hides His Kindness #5
Fireball Crush!
It was the technique I'd used to finish off the Masked Stalker.
Stalking is a serious crime, but a criminal could always be released someday.
To prepare for that day, I had eradicated the root of his stalking from the Masked Man.
His lust, that is!
After taking a solid fist to the groin, the Masked Man thrashed on the ground like a fish thrown onto land before blacking out. Recalling the sensation of the crushing impact the moment my fist landed, I was certain the Masked Man had become a eunuch.
This Masked Man would never stalk an actress again.
In this very moment, I had effectively saved Michelle for good.
'Is there anything worth money?'
I found two sharp daggers among the Masked Man's possessions.
Furthermore, after rummaging through his trench coat, I discovered two silver coins hidden inside.
A whole 2 Silver.
An amount equal to half the quest reward.
The moment I pocketed the two silver coins, my mood lifted considerably.
As expected, looting people is far more efficient than looting monsters.
"This'll definitely help with the moving costs. Thanks, you masked pervert bastard."
I looked down at the fallen Masked Man and smiled warmly.
I never imagined I could take down a stalker in a single day.
It seemed his excessive love for the actress had ultimately driven the stalker to ruin. Having gathered everything I could, I turned my head to check on Rebecca.
"Rebecca, you okay?"
"Ugh. This rope is too thick, I can't break it!"
Rebecca had toppled over after being bound by the rope the Masked Man had flung.
Quite some time had passed while I was fighting, but Rebecca was still struggling in the corner of the warehouse. That was because the Rope Trick had bound her with an incredibly intricate knot.
Especially the lewd way it dug into her chest—it was a truly perverted technique.
'That stalker's magical ability seems to have been quite high.'
Though it seemed casting a spell drained a fair amount of his stamina.
At least the Masked Man knew proper magic. Just seeing how he restrained a person with Rope Trick, he was stronger than the Bronze Mages I'd seen at the guild.
Because a Bronze Mage's Rope Trick would just make the rope wriggle a bit.
"Hold still. I'll cut the rope with a dagger."
"P-please be gentle."
I used the dagger I'd looted from the Masked Man to cut the ropes binding Rebecca. A moment later, freed from the ropes, Rebecca let out a sigh of relief as if she'd just been saved.
"Thank goodness. When I was tied up, I thought it was all over, but you managed to take down the stalker all by yourself."
What did she think was amazing?
Did she mean it was amazing how I crushed his balls?
But whatever she meant, Rebecca was looking at me with eyes full of respect. Her gaze made me feel proud.
"Aren't you fucking strong even without using magic? You completely overwhelmed that big stalker in an instant."
"I just got lucky. If that stalker had brought a longsword instead of a dagger, it would have been dangerous."
The length of the weapons alone decided the match.
I'm not just being modest—it's really true.
His sword-swinging form was actually better than mine.
It was a stroke of incredible luck that he came at me with a dagger.
As expected, thieves who just poke around with daggers are utterly useless.
Go wrap some bandages or something, you rogue scum.
"Still, you worked hard."
Rebecca walked over to a nearby shelf and grabbed a rope used as a stage prop. Though it was a prop, its thickness and durability were indistinguishable from the real thing.
Rebecca used that rope to swiftly tie up the Masked Man's body.
Her carefulness was noticeable; she tied him with his hands separated so he couldn't form hand seals.
"I'll go get the theater people, so just stay here and keep an eye on him."
Leaving me on guard duty, Rebecca ran out of the warehouse.
Left alone for a moment, I silently watched the unconscious stalker.
Then, before Rebecca returned, I took a moment to hold a silent vigil in front of the stalker, staring down at his crotch.
I offered a short prayer for his now-vanished balls.
"My precious balls! May you meet a normal owner in your next life."
*
While Rebecca was fetching people, there wasn't much for me to do. The bound Masked Man showed absolutely no signs of waking up. In fact, maybe never waking up would be better for the Masked Man.
Because all that awaited him was a bleak future where he could never reproduce.
'Sleep tight.'
I was leaning against the wall by the window, watching the Masked Man.
The sound of footsteps echoed from the warehouse entrance. I could see the theater people Rebecca had brought swarming in. Not just the old guard and the stage actors, but even people I'd never seen before came inside.
The spacious warehouse instantly filled with people.
"I brought people."
"Did you really need to bring this many?"
"I only called the guard and Miss Michelle. The rumor that we caught the stalker spread like wildfire."
The theater people who entered the warehouse all began chattering excitedly as they looked at the stalker. Most of them sounded as if they had seen this masked stalker before. Indeed, a heavily built Masked Man like this couldn't have been missed. It was almost admirable how he managed to evade capture for a fortnight.
I explained to Michelle how I had caught the stalker.
I told her how I chased the Mage Hand to the theater warehouse, and then dueled the stalker who jumped out of the teddy bear costume.
Upon hearing the story, Michelle grimaced, seemingly creeped out.
"This big stalker bastard was hiding inside a doll?"
"I was surprised too. I thought the only place to hide in the warehouse was the cabinet, but I didn't expect him to be wearing the doll."
"What a psycho bastard! We need to hand him over to the guards immediately!"
There was no need to call the guards separately. One of the theater actors had already left to fetch the city guards. Before the soldiers arrived, Michelle bowed her head to express her gratitude.
"Truly impressive. I never thought you'd catch the stalker in just one day. Other adventurers aren't this swift with their work! Is it because you're a mage?"
"Learning magic was quite helpful. I was able to find a clue to track the stalker, after all."
If I had mistaken the Mage Hand holding the cat for a theater prop, finishing the quest in a day would have been impossible. I was glad I had read the Mage Hand spellbook last night.
Suddenly, Michelle tilted her head as she looked at the fallen Masked Man.
"So why on earth was that man wearing a mask? Does he have a terrible scar on his face or something?"
"Shall I take the mask off for you?"
"Yes."
At Michelle's request, I reached out and pulled off the white mask. The moment the mask was removed, the man's face was finally revealed to everyone around. The people staring at the stalker opened their eyes wide.
"That face is..."
"Just... ordinary?"
There were no huge scars or anything, but it was still surprising. The man's face was a common, forgettable face you could see anywhere. Though right now, his face was a bit hideous, soaked with tears and snot.
"The blonde Incubus next to him looks more like a stalker!"
"Absolutely. Just judging by his face, stalking looks like his true calling."
These ungrateful bastards were saying I looked like a stalker?
So I solve the quest and get insulted for it? I wanted to give them a piece of my mind, but I decided to just hold it in.
When I glared at them, the actors quickly started laughing and saying nice things. They were actors who rapidly changed the subject, saying things like you can't judge a person by their appearance, after all.
'Is it because they're actors? Their change of stance is definitely swift.'
Michelle looked at me, at a loss for what to do.
"They probably didn't mean it in a bad way."
"There's no need for you to apologize, Miss Michelle. Well, it's fine. That's just how people perceive Incubi, I suppose."
"Not only your skills as an adventurer, but you also have such great character. I will be sure to tell my acquaintances about you, adventurer. That there is a good-natured incubus in this city."
Michelle seemed to be quite pleased with how swiftly I had eliminated the stalker. She promised to tell her acquaintances that I was a trustworthy adventurer. Hearing that, my mood couldn't help but improve. It was a chance to boost my reputation as an Incubus in Yoen-su.
"Here is the 5 Silver quest reward. Since you eliminated the stalker within the week, I'll give you a bonus."
Michelle added a 1 Silver bonus and handed me a total of 6 Silver. It was essentially an extra 20 percent on top of the quest reward. There was no way I could extort more money from Michelle, who worked as a bit-part actress at the theater.
I was satisfied with receiving 6 Silver.
I offered the silver coins to Rebecca, who was standing there blankly.
But for some reason, Rebecca looked burdened by it.
"Here, 3 Silver."
"C-can I really take this? I didn't really do anything today. I was just watching while you fought the stalker."
"You weren't just watching. You took the Rope Trick with your body. You essentially tanked for me."
"...Was that it?"
Rebecca hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth.
"Then, the stuff you looted from the stalker earlier. You keep all of that."
"2 Silver and two daggers, and you want me to take all of it?"
"I have a conscience too."
Looking at Rebecca nodding her head vigorously, I couldn't help but feel moved.
Some blonde nun would just go for a walk and then boldly demand her share. But this newbie here was willing to lower her own cut for my sake.
She truly was a promising adventurer sprout.
"I wish Kate would learn from watching you."
"That blonde chick? What's there for her to learn from me?"
"The attitude of not trying to freeload."
As time passed, the guards arrived at the theater. After the guards dragged the Masked Man away, I brought Rebecca out of the theater. With the quest finished in just one day, there was no reason to stay at the theater.
Rebecca, having pocketed her silver, was incredibly elated.
Rebecca's voice was filled with excitement as she chattered while walking.
"This is great. It feels like just the other day we got the bounty reward, and now we've got more money."
"Feels like the money's been rolling in nonstop lately."
It was a far cry from the old days of selling goblin fangs for pocket change. Becoming a mage might be partly why my financial situation improved, but wasn't the biggest factor escaping the solo-ranked warrior life and forming a fixed party with Rebecca?
Since moving as a pair lets us take on more profitable quests than being alone.
"It's nice that the quest ended early. There's something I really want to do with the money I've earned so far."
"Buying new equipment, right?"
"Heehee."
Rebecca looked at me and smiled meaningfully.
"That's a secret!"
A secret?
What's there to keep secret?
I couldn't help but question Rebecca's smiling face.
After all, what else would this redheaded girl spend money on besides equipment?
She was a girl greedy enough for gear to buy a shield worth 5 Silver in a single payment.
'Don't tell me she's gearing up to publicly shame me again?'
Is she planning to buy expensive gear just to mock me?
A chill was already running down my spine.
What's she going to show up with this time?
She's not thinking of buying a magically enchanted artifact, is she?
She isn't planning on dumping all 30 Silver of her bounty reward into equipment, is she?! Please, let it not be so!
"Then I'll see you later!"
Rebecca, looking very happy for some reason, smiled brightly and left for the inn.
Even as she left, she kept glancing back at me. Something was definitely up.
Sighing, I moved my steps toward my own place.
'Fine, buy whatever you want. I've got to move out first anyway!'
Whatever ulterior motive Rebecca had, now wasn't the time to worry about it. Because with the money I'd earned so far, I wanted to move my inn room to a better place.
Meaning, I wanted to escape that cramped, shabby guest room.
"I'm a goddamn Bread-Eater Bug!! I'm gonna betray my party member and blow all the quest money on luxuries!!"
I shouted brazenly as I headed back to the inn.