EP: 97
When fear didn’t show in Muriel’s eyes, the tip of Tucker’s knife dug into her skin. It was meant to frighten her. However, even at a glance, the woman, who seemed like a noble lady raised in a precious house, was not afraid at all. His eyes read a face filled with a strange smile, a mixture of confusion and annoyance, as if she hadn’t encountered a thief, but a gentleman who’d boldly presented her with a rose at a ballroom.
“You… what are you muttering about?”
Tucker tensed up, becoming sensitive and on edge, unable to understand Muriel’s murmurs. Muriel was actually telling Ondal, who she believed was watching through Sharon’s eyes, not to come. However, to Tucker, who was unaware of this fact, it simply seemed like a brooding and ominous mutter.
“Yes? What do you mean?”
Moreover, she even pretended to be innocent and sighed. She was a strange woman. Tucker was taken aback. As soon as her companion disappeared, he pointed his knife at her, happy that an easy prey had appeared. However, her opponent seemed too calm. Now that he looked closely, he wondered if Muriel really was like a precious potted plant in a greenhouse. Typically, a young lady from a prestigious house would wear all sorts of decorations on their head and proudly display elaborate hairstyles, but the woman in front of him had her long hair hanging in front of her with nothing on it, unkempt. It was messy like she hadn’t even brushed it, and upon closer inspection, there was even a fallen leaf stuck in it. The clothes she was wearing looked expensive, but they were wrinkled and covered in dust.
“Oh, money… If I had money, I would give you as much as you wanted, but I don’t have anything in my hands right now.”
“Isn’t your life worth something?! If you don’t want to see a harsh sight, hand it over!”
Tucker was preoccupied with the mysterious woman’s identity, but when she brought up the main topic first, he quickly came to his senses and tried to sound as intimidating as possible. He couldn’t back down now. After all, his opponent was just a woman.
“You can search me if you want… but I’m telling you the truth. If you’re not even a human trafficker, you’d better go. I don’t have a single penny.”
What’s this…? This strange, delinquent-like way of speaking. Could this woman also be… one of them? One who stole away the clothes of a precious young lady and wore them? Seeing how she remained so calm, she must have some sort of confidence in something. There was a small dagger hanging from her waist, but there was no sword. So she wasn’t a swordswoman… Uh-oh. Could she be a skilled magician…? If so, it made sense for her to so boldly be in a territory overrun with monsters.
Above all, Muriel had an aura that overwhelmed people. Even if it wasn’t for her careless attitude, there was something about the atmosphere around that seemed to possess strangely great power, which could kill a person’s spirit. That was the reason why, despite her dusty, slightly ragged appearance, he thought Muriel must be someone of great importance.
“…J-just give me your jewelry, then! Hand over something worth money!”
However, Tucker, who had been unable to find anyone to exploit for several days as he traveled north, had no place to retreat. Whether he ended up going further to the abandoned estate and became a demon or stayed here and starved to death without earning any money, the ending that awaited him was equally miserable.
“Can’t you see? I don’t have any accessories… Ah, this-“
“AH!”
Muriel pulled out the dagger from her waist and blinked her eyes when she heard a fussy scream. The big man seemed startled by her actions. He seemed like a clumsy thief. Was this really his way of making a living?
“I’ll give you this. It has Eklum’s emblem on it, so you can only sell it at the black market… but that shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“Ugh…!”
“What are you doing? Not taking it? I hope you’ll take it and leave quickly.”
“Th-this… You’re just giving it to me so easily?! There… There must be some catch, right?”
Muriel was so bewildered that she almost laughed, but the man in front of her was serious. For some reason, it seemed like the more obedient she was and cooperated, the more he thought she was wicked. As Muriel tried to comply, she couldn’t help but recall someone who would get angrier the more she obediently behaved and her expression became fierce. It was because it felt like the anger she’d been suppressing would burst out.
“Y-You must have put a curse on it or something…! Aha! You’re a dark sorcerer, aren’t you?! So… that’s why you’ve been hiding here… You… you filthy lackey of the Demon King! Are you trying to bewitch me after casting some curse?!”
Ah…
This was so annoying…
“Die! You filthy pawn of the Demon King…! I had to be kicked out of my village because of you!”
Tucker swung his sword and aimed it at Muriel, who was sitting down. Muriel quickly rolled her body to evade the sword. If it had hit her, she would have died of a broken skull.
“Ondal!! I’m fine, so go get Debbie and Sadie!! You can’t come to me first!”
“What kind of trick are you playing?! Are you reciting a curse?!”
“Who would memorize a curse?!”
“Then why are you talking to thin air?!”
Tucker, in his excitement, swung his sword randomly.
“My brother just worked tirelessly and became a demon! But people said it was because he was doing black magic! Because of that, I was also driven out of the blacksmith’s shop where I worked my whole life! They said I was a black sorcerer too, they told me not to spread my misfortune. They kicked me out… but I’m not guilty of anything…!”
That has nothing to do with being a black wizard…! Muriel thought while clenching her fists. It would be better to run to the place where the demons were, she thought. She trembled when she thought of the chilling coldness and melancholy she had to endure when she was next to a demon, but it seemed like the only way. If she held on and endured, Ondal or Kaiton would come to help anyway.
“Sir Rockford, CC! Here it is! A lackey of the Demon King, a damn black wizard!”
While avoiding the sluggish Tucker, Muriel ran in search of demons, but Tucker roared and called for his colleagues.
Damn it…!
“I’m not a black wizard!! Why are you doing this when I offered you a dagger?! And your misfortune isn’t the fault of a black wizard either!!”
“Don’t lie! What do you mean you’re not a black wizard?! With that face… and looking so suspicious…! Anyone can see you’re a villain…!”
“Who’s the villain…! You bastard…!”
Tucker’s forced logic was childish, but his attacks as a blacksmith were not to be underestimated. It had a power that would kill her immediately without even giving a chance to use healing magic.
Damn it… Damn it… Damn it….
It wasn’t that she didn’t think about just magically blowing him away. It didn’t need to be a powerful spell, just enough to intimidate the cowardly man…. But Muriel could not readily use magic. What if Kaiton was in danger? He was fighting the monsters with her pacio… What if her pacio fell off for a moment and put him in danger?
So Muriel drew her dagger instead of magic. She wanted to protect Kaiton. She couldn’t run away anymore. Her cold body was not moving as she wished.
“Run away while I’m asking, please.”
“Ha… Isn’t it you who should be running? You filthy villain…. I’ll kill you. So that you can never again recklessly steal the blessings of God…!”
The man brought two companions. One was a muscular man with bumpy muscles. He had a shaved head, and wore a rough leather eyepatch, maybe because one of his eyes was blind. The other was a small child whose gender couldn’t be determined, but had a poised posture and looked well-fed.
“Your brother became a demon. It’s a pity. I wish someone could have helped. But… it’s not the Demon King’s fault, is it? It’s not the fault of the black wiards either. Don’t take it out on me. It doesn’t make any difference.”
“Is it my brother’s fault, then? What about me, then? What about me being driven out of the village I’ve lived in my whole life?!”
“It’s not wrong to have a goal and a person you want to protect, even if it means giving them your everything, all your pacio… That’s….”
That’s… love, isn’t it?
Damn it…. She wanted to cover up her feelings for Kaiton until she’d solved all the problems surrounding her, but they keep popping up like this. Even in front of this low-life thief whose eyes seemed upside down. Her feelings for him just seep out.
Muriel placed her hand gently on her chest. Below it, there would be a fragment of Ur connected to him. It made her teeth chatter from the cold, and it made her unable to deal with this foolish rogue, but it was still good. The thought of being connected to him was so good that her heart was overwhelmed with joy.
“You were kicked out of town…. Well… That’s unfortunate. But it’s good to have somewhere to go.”
“Are you mocking me?! I’ll really kill you…!”
“Stay still, Tucker!”
She thought he was a small-bodied kid, but it turned out to be a girl. Her deep and sharp voice silenced Tucker.
“Don’t stop me, CC. I’ll kill that villain and avenge my brother.”
“Shut your stupid mouth, idiot…! If you blabber one more time, I’ll tear off your filthy mustache.”
“….”
She thought CC was the youngest of the group, but it was her who approached Muriel and lowered the hood and scarf that covered her face. Bright brown eyes on her dark skin, like black pearls. Her face looked familiar.
“You… Muriel, right?”
“Ah… You’re definitely…”
“I can’t believe I get to meet you, Muriel.! It’s me. Sierra Cole. You saved me before. My father too… Don’t you remember?”
Yes, there was definitely a time where she helped a girl who was guarding her craftsman father after he became a demon while walking through Eklum’s territory. But she became a thief…
“So, in the end… you were kicked out of the village?”
For a moment, traces of the harsh time flashed and disappeared on her small, young face.
“I wasn’t kicked out… It’s just that no one wanted to give me work because they thought I was ominous… So I ended up needing to find a way to make ends meet…”
Sierra seemed reluctant to talk about it, her voice crawling as she tapped the ground with her foot.
“But I still cherish the talisman that you gave me! Look. I’ve kept it because I wanted to repay the favor someday… Even if I can’t see you again, sister… If I ever met someone similar to me, I wanted to help them… So I kept it.”
Sierra untied the worn cloth that tightly wrapped around her hand. Rovelia’s ring, studded with the red talisman, was studded on her hand. If she had sold the ring, Sierra wouldn’t have needed to leave the village. She probably could have even bought the entire village.
Sierra must have read Muriel’s question, because she blushed and lowered her head as if she were embarrassed.
“I’ll make sure to return the favor… I promised. I missed you, sister.”
It was pretty cute to see Sierra, who’d been acting all scruff a moment ago, blushing meekly like this. But behind her, Tucker and Rockkford trembled all over as if they had caught the scent of a rotten monster. What is it… Why are they acting like that? Were they embarrassed now…? They’d been mumbling to themselves, but fell silent as soon as they saw Sierra’s wink. Indeed, Sierra was the one in charge. It was quite astonishing to see those big, burly men being firmly held by a girl who was not even half their size… Sierra truly was an imposing, tough girl.
“Can I… follow you, sister…?”
