Chapter 49
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Master of the Jungle
Monkle threw himself into battle in earnest.
The killing intent pouring from his entire body made it clear his words were no bluff.
"I've come to kill you, another Apostle."
I couldn't make sense of his words.
An Apostle? Here?
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Get out of the way, Berddin."
"Get out of the way?"
"Yes. My target is that ponytail swordsman right behind you."
"Ponytail?"
"Judah, you might fool Berddin, but you can't fool me."
Flash!
Monkle flattened himself to the ground and charged, swinging his sword.
Shing-.
'Not enough time to draw my sword.'
I snatched an ant leg from the campfire and blocked his blade.
Crack.
It was infused with aura, but the ant leg snapped.
I hadn't let my guard down. The strike point was perfect, aura concentrated.
I'd reached out with that ant leg fully intending to block his blow.
It should have been as hard as steel, yet it pierced through my strike so easily.
'As expected, he's no ordinary foe.'
Swish.
Monkle's blade tip grazed past the ponytail's forehead.
I followed up by thrusting my foot into Monkle's side.
Thud!
Unable to withstand the impact, he flew back and tumbled across the ground.
"Urk!"
"If you want to mess with my party member, explain it clearly enough for me to understand."
"I told you. That guy's an Apostle. I don't know what he's scheming, but he's dangerous to keep around."
I turned to look at Judah. He waved his hands at the air with a bewildered expression.
"M-me, an Apostle?! That's absurd..."
"Lies. Others might not see it, but I can't be deceived."
"I-it's not a lie! If I were really an Apostle, why would I be climbing the tower with you all?"
"No idea. Guess I'll have to find out from here on."
"...Monkle, I swear on my life, I'm not an Apostle. Hell, if I held that kind of position, would I even need to climb this tower?"
"Shut it. I have proof you're an Apostle."
"Proof?"
"Yeah. Look at this mirror. You still gonna lie?"
Monkle pulled out a mirror and shone it on Judah.
The reflection showed Judah looking downright demonic—eight horns sprouting from his head, his entire body covered in alien black skin.
"Th-that's..."
"Still claiming my words are false?"
Judah let out a long sigh, glancing back and forth at our faces in turn.
He started to speak several times, parting and closing his lips, before finally resigning with a defeated look and addressing Monkle.
"Monkle, I'm sorry, but the one in that mirror isn't me."
"Lies again from this bastard? You Satan spawn! This is an ancient magic artifact that reveals the subject's true form. You can't fool it with those fangs of yours."
"No! I'm not trying to deceive you all. I'm finally about to tell you the truth."
"Truth?"
"Yes. The figure in that mirror right now isn't me—it's my Guardian Spirit."
After descending the tower, we headed straight for the adventurer's tavern.
"You brought back a hundred demon horns?!"
The tavern master received the sack of demon horns with a mix of shock and delight.
It was only natural. The quest Berddin had completed was an S-rank special mission.
Fulfill it a hundred times over in one go? How could the master not be thrilled?
The commission fee he'd earn would be enormous.
"I understand this quest has no limit on rewards. Can you exchange all hundred?"
"Of course! The client said to bring as many as possible—no expense spared."
"Perfect. We'll pick up the rewards tomorrow, so deliver the items to the client by then."
"Don't worry. This is something the client's been desperately after—they'll come running the moment I call."
"Really?"
"Yes. Would you like to meet the client while you're here?"
"No need. If they don't like the items, it could get awkward for everyone."
"Understood. I'll report back as things progress."
I exchanged a light handshake and returned to our reserved table in the corner of the tavern.
Thud.
As I sat, Monkle glanced around cautiously and opened the conversation.
"So, Judah, you're saying you had no idea about the Guardian Spirit hanging around with you?"
Judah clasped his hands together as if in prayer and replied.
"I swear it—truly no clue. Haven't even spoken since the contract."
Monkle raised an eyebrow.
"Don't even know its name?"
"That's right."
"How'd you end up contracting with it, then?"
"As a kid, I got beat up by neighborhood bullies and was crying in an alley when it found me."
"Found you while you were crying?"
"Yes. I think it was because of a vow I'd made to the gods at the time..."
He stared into space as if recalling something, paused in thought for a moment, swallowed hard, and continued.
"I said I'd do anything the gods wanted if they'd give me the power to kill the kids beating me up."
"......"
"And that's when this Guardian Spirit appeared and contracted with me."
"So those kids you mentioned earlier—all dead?"
Judah hung his head low.
"Yes... They became sacrifices for the contract. Short-sighted of me. It was probably just kids' play to them."
Monkle, who'd been listening, lightly gripped Judah's shoulder.
"That can happen. The bullies were in the wrong. You're giving us the short version—there's gotta be more to the story you haven't shared."
"...Thank you for understanding."
"Understanding? No big deal. Anyway, sorry again for the mix-up back at the tower."
"No, no! It was only natural to suspect."
"When I visited the Strange family main house, I saw an Apostle in the 'Tower Records' book there that looked exactly like your Guardian Spirit."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It was about the mid-layers I haven't reached yet. Not something I saw myself, so I don't know if the records are accurate."
I tapped the table lightly with my index finger as I spoke to the two of them.
Tap, tap.
"Save that talk for you two alone. Let's discuss how to split the rewards from this successful quest."
Monkle shrugged.
"You guys handle that. I'm not taking any anyway."
"No, we'll split it fairly. I'll take 70 out of the 100 rewards. You four divide the remaining 30."
Cynthia, who'd been listening, lightly raised her right hand and asked.
"He didn't participate in the fighting. Mind explaining why he's getting a share?"
"He didn't fight, but he kept watch from afar, spotted the potential threat, and came rushing to protect us."
"Hrm... Can't argue with that."
Alfredo and Judah showed no objections to my words either.
But Monkle himself looked troubled, waving his hand as he spoke.
"No, wait. I just tagged along on a whim—can't take rewards too. Plus, I messed up with Judah."
"Well, if you insist."
From how readily he yielded, he probably had no clue about the value of this reward—the Universal Key.
But if he was refusing of his own accord, no need to force it on him.
Cynthia extended her hand toward Monkle.
"Thanks."
Monkle grinned brightly and clasped her hand.
"No thanks needed—it's only right."
"I'll remember this favor. A Universal Key goes for two gold coins each at auction, and you're handing them over just like that."
"...Two gold coins? Per key?"
"That's right."
Monkle's eyes widened in shock.
"W-wait a second."
Alfredo shot up from his seat, beer sloshing in his mug as he raised his voice.
"A toast to Berddin for executing the op perfectly, and to Monkle for yielding for our sake!"
And with that, we wrapped up our talk.
Not long after Berddin's party left the tavern, a petite figure in a gray robe approached the tavern master.
"I heard the quest items arrived, so I came."
A low, feminine voice.
Her hood was pulled deep, hiding her face, but the master recognized her and brought out the demon horns Berddin's group had collected.
"Yes, please verify."
"...These are the real deal. Who retrieved them?"
"Baron Monestier did."
"Monestier?"
"Yes. Knight of the Strange family. On the verge of becoming a Sword Master."
"Strange... Sword Master... I see."
The tavern master lifted the sack bulging with demon horns and asked the client.
"Can you buy them all?"
"?! W-what? All of these are demon horns?"
"Indeed. Including the one you're holding, that's a total of 100."
A moment of silence passed.
The robed figure carefully removed her hood, shaking out long red hair.
"...I'll take them all. Payment before the moon rises."
The master's lips stretched into a massive grin.
"As expected of Princess Katarina! Thank you. I'll pass the word to Baron Monestier about the payment details."
"Master, might I meet him myself?"
"That might be tricky. I already suggested he meet the client first, but he turned it down flat."
"Why's that?"
"He said if the client didn't like the items, it might create an awkward situation."
"...I see. What a shame. I'd love to thank him in person for resolving my long-standing task."
"Shall I ask him again? He's a regular here anyway."
Katarina took the sack with a radiant smile.
"That would be wonderful. And please tell him—beyond the Universal Keys offered as reward, I personally want to repay him."