Womanchester Territory, The Successor?!
After two days of walking, I finally stepped into the realm of civilization.
Yeah. On foot, no less.
The problem was that I’d strutted out of the mansion without even bothering to grab a horse for the sake of looking cool.
‘I regret it. I want to kill my past self!’
Of course, it wasn’t like I was struggling or anything.
If anything, I felt like I’d accidentally gotten a real taste of what adventuring was all about.
Winz didn’t seem tired either—probably because she wasn’t human—and she even carried my luggage without breaking a sweat.
Still, it was a hassle.
I was starting to think my little burst of bravado had been a mistake.
Standing in front of the checkpoint, I muttered to Winz.
“Ugh, Winz. Next time let’s just buy a horse and ride.”
“Oh my, but you said walking yourself was the only way to truly smell like an adventurer?”
“That was a slip of the tongue. I was just being a poser. Forgive me.”
“Hmph. I’m perfectly fine, but very well!”
She sounded exactly like a wife reluctantly handing over allowance money.
How strangely domestic.
“Really…?”
Winz beamed. That smile, bright as sunlight, was her trademark.
“If it’s what my lady wishes, then I’m happy with anything!”
Just like that, her smile gave me strength. Thank goodness she was here.
We passed through the checkpoint without any trouble.
Along the way I’d camped for the first time in my life and taken night watch shifts. Priceless experiences money couldn’t buy.
“This is Womanchester Territory.”
“Oh my… how desolate.”
“Shh. That’s rude to the people who live here.”
“Oh, I’m sorry! I’m just too honest sometimes, eek.”
Womanchester was one of the Darma Empire’s proudest territories. Split east and west by a great river, the eastern side was wealthy while the western side was packed with slums and crime-ridden districts.
We had arrived in the west.
We walked through the messy, chaotic streets.
Winz, who had been perking her ears now and then, spoke cautiously.
“I’ve been to the east before. The atmosphere here is completely different.”
“Yeah? Hmm. Want to stay here for a while? What do you think?”
I had an ulterior motive, of course. I would’ve preferred a safer district if possible, but there was something I needed to do here—something I had to do.
“You want to enjoy the adventure?”
I pulled out Alonzo’s letter and showed it to her. She looked just as surprised as the first time.
After explaining who I was looking for, I sighed.
“See this seal? I want to find out exactly which family it belongs to, or if it’s someone’s personal seal.”
“Hmm. As far as I know, there aren’t any appraisers in this territory.”
“Well, it doesn’t have to be an appraiser. I was thinking a Dwalve technician or a jeweler might work.”
“Both seem unlikely.”
The Dwalves were the ancestors of the dwarves. Compared to the relatively friendly dwarves, they were notoriously finicky and eccentric.
Anyway, I waved the letter.
“It’s not just any letter. It mentions someone like a Demon King and even tells them to monopolize the Life Tree. Whoever wrote this has some seriously shady intentions, don’t you think?”
“Haa… I can’t believe Alonzo had such motives. I’m truly disappointed.”
“Yeah. He got what was coming to him.”
There was another reason I wanted to stay, but it would take time—and information.
This was the western district of Womanchester, where public order was shaky at best.
We headed to the nearest inn.
I casually handed the innkeeper a pouch full of gold coins.
“Two rooms.”
Poke, poke.
Someone jabbed my side. Winz was pouting.
“Ah, what?”
“Lady Queen, have you already forgotten?”
“Forgotten what?”
“Our promise. You said you’d keep me by your side.”
Wait, she was bringing that up here? People would get the wrong idea.
I scratched my head and nodded.
“Fine, one room.”
“Hehe, you did say something about lying down and receiving service, didn’t you? Hehe♥”
This damn fox elf.
We entered the assigned room. It had two beds and nothing particularly impressive about it.
While I was setting down our luggage, Winz made a bold suggestion.
“Well then, shall we bathe together? I’ll prepare a bubble bath for you.”
“Hey, calm down. Hoo…”
“Oh my, it’s just the two of us here, you know? And I’ve had it in for so long… I really want to take it out now♥”
“Take what out… Ah, that? Don’t do that kind of thing during adventures if you can help it.”
It was starting to get a little scary. Why was she still keeping that thing in?
Winz grinned as if she’d been waiting for this moment.
“Hehe, just kidding!”
“You really are the queen of mischievous pranks. I’ve got something to check out. Let’s bathe later.”
I lightened my load as much as possible. I had to leave right away.
Winz tilted her head.
“Are you looking for a jeweler?”
“More than that—remember that guy in the eastern district?”
“That guy…?”
I sighed briefly and opened the window. A cool but slightly stuffy breeze drifted in.
“Zawil Devilrenov. The disgrace of the Devilrenov family.”
He was basically Jerome’s uncle.
Winz nodded in understanding, impressed.
“Now that you mention it, I’ve heard of him! They say there’s a troublemaker in the Devilrenov family.”
“And not just any troublemaker—he’s an old geezer who rules the underworld of this territory’s western district.”
Every noble house had its black sheep. Zawil was an especially rotten one.
He’d been bashing people’s heads in with fountain pens since he was younger than Jerome.
In the original story he was just a mediocre nouveau riche villain, but I planned to deal with him a little earlier.
Why?
‘I need the wealth he’s hoarding. If my memory’s right, she’ll be here. And to support her so she can use her abilities, I’ll need money more than anything!’
The money I had now was just travel funds. Even if I had a lot, it wasn’t infinite.
So where would I get more?
Local procurement, of course!
Winz rested her chin on her hand.
“But will he even help us? He might get angry because of Jerome. He does care about him, after all.”
“I’m not asking for help. I’m planning to use him.”
“Use him…?”
“Yeah. No reason to be friendly with trash like that. Especially not some second-circle nobody.”
I smirked.
I pulled out another pouch of coins and shook it gently. The clinking sound was satisfying.
“Flexing with money is nice, but let’s do it with someone else’s money if possible.”
“What exactly are you planning… Ah.”
Winz immediately understood. She smiled warmly.
“First, take this, Winz. Look into the person written here.”
I handed her a note. Her eyes widened as she read it.
“Renua Bessier? Who is this woman? Are you seeing her?”
“Why would that be the case?”
Winz’s expression turned sharp, like a girlfriend suspecting her boyfriend of cheating.
I tried to smile naturally.
“She’s a Dwalve artisan. I heard about her by chance before.”
“Have you met her in person?”
“Ah, no. That’s why I’m asking you to look into her. Please.”
“If she’s Dwalve, I hear they’re a very proud race…”
“Don’t worry. She’ll help us. I’ll make sure of it.”
I needed to clean up this rotten place first.
Only then could I do whatever I wanted.
Plus, Womanchester Territory had a Life Tree.
‘Specifically in the east.’
“Where are you going, my lady?”
“To meet Zawil. I’ll disguise myself a bit.”
With that, I parted ways with Winz and left the inn. Sighing, I wandered the nearby streets.
‘Alright, time to get ready.’
I remembered there was a black market around here.
In the original story, one of the heroines had accidentally taken the wrong medicine and gone into heat. The protagonist had gone to the black market to buy something to calm her down. It was a sudden, poorly justified side episode that readers hated, but for some reason it stuck in my mind.
Was it because the heroine went into heat?
‘What if Winz did that?’
I quickly shook my head. No. That would be way too dangerous.
Stepping into the black market, the merchants’ sharp gazes stabbed at me like daggers.
I walked forward naturally and stopped at one particular stall.
When the shabby-looking merchant looked up, I saw a thick white mask on display.
The good thing about black markets was that you could find items that were normally hard to get. The downside was…
“How much for this mask?”
“Thirty gold.”
Way too expensive.
“That’s a month’s living expenses for an average commoner.”
“Don’t like it, then scram.”
“Fine, I’ll pay.”
I tossed him an entire pouch. The merchant’s face lit up.
Then he grinned wickedly.
“Changed my mind. Fifty gold.”
“Why the sudden price hike?”
“Got a problem? Scram. Forgot this is a black market?”
“Yeah… you black market merchants’ hearts are as fickle as the weather, huh? Too bad for you.”
I had tried to handle this civilly. But this bastard was forcing me to go crazy.
First, I picked up the mask I’d already paid for.
Rarity: Limited Edition
Unique Passive Effect 'Artisan's Eye': Detects energy, spirits, and invisibility.
Unique Passive Effect 'Perfect Performance': Identity cannot be detected.
Unique Passive Effect 'Invisibility': Can make the wearer’s form disappear or reappear at will.
「A mask crafted by a master artisan who loathes himself.」
All the options I needed were right here.
That’s why I’d understood when he quoted thirty gold.
But watching him blatantly jack up the price right in front of me pissed me off.
“There’s a hundred gold in that pouch, by the way. Check it.”
The merchant opened the pouch and looked inside, then smirked.
“Hahaha, I totally fleeced a sucker! Thanks.”
“Thanks? You’ll be paying the rest with your body.”
“Huh?”
Whoosh—crack!
I kicked him square in the face. He flew backward, slammed into the wall, and crumpled forward.
I drove a soccer kick into his face as he lay there, then stomped on him like I was pounding rice cakes for the moon rabbit.
Thud, thud! Crunch! Thud!
The sound of bones breaking echoed repeatedly as blood splattered everywhere.
The merchant had long since passed out.
The surrounding merchants murmured among themselves.
But none of them stepped forward to stop me.
They knew better. I was at Runner Intermediate rank.
Compared to me, they were just ordinary civilians.
I even offered them a suggestion.
“What are you waiting for? This is the perfect chance to loot his goods. This is a black market, isn’t it? No one’s going to complain no matter what happens here.”
I walked away. Behind me, the merchants went wild, scrambling over each other to grab the unconscious merchant’s items.
I slipped through them without a care.
I was usually a peaceful person, but beating someone up felt pretty good. Stress relief?
‘Legal violence really is the best.’
Well, not exactly legal.
Just as I was about to put on the mask, someone blocked my path.
“…Who are you?”
It was a girl.
She had light orange hair tied in a folded ponytail and sparkling lime-green eyes like gemstones.
Her B-cup slender figure was modest yet beautifully curved.
The light armor she wore made it clear she wasn’t a commoner.
“Me? I’m this kind of person!”
Suddenly, the girl touched the glowing orange tattoo on the back of her hand.
A cheerful sound rang out.
The girl shone brilliantly.
It was a familiar scene I’d seen somewhere before.
“Wait… are you seriously a successor?!”
Well, this was just great.
My luck really sucked.