Chapter 174. What Is Not Allowed for Her (5)
I ended up coming to the guild house with Loretta without much thought, but… wasn't this the first time I brought Loretta here? Yes, it was… After realizing that, I began to sweat.
'If Hwaya or Ludia sees me…!'
A war that destroys the entire Residential Area might break out! However, I soon became relieved after discovering that no one was in the guild house. Loretta pulled on me.
"Come on, Shin-nim. Let's go!"
"Ah, yeah."
Loretta should have an idea about who's in my guild. Was she not curious? Though that's why I thought, I didn't ask her. There was no reason to pull back the disaster I avoided.
"Make sure to introduce me to Shin-nim's guildmates next time, okay? Huhu."
"Ek!"
Loretta… You scary woman!
As I had already explored Beyond's Residential Area, there wasn't much fog, and it wasn't hard to find the second explorer, Daisy Ectradion's mansion.
"It's been a while since I've been here."
"Re… Really?"
"Yes… I didn't think I'd ever come back."
"You're the one who suggested coming along."
"Yes, I'm extremely happy because I'm with Shin-nim."
I didn't respond and continued to walk silently. She also followed suit without saying anything. After 20 minutes, we finally arrived at the second explorer's mansion. Only then did I sigh and come to a stop. Really, I thought I'd die from the awkwardness.
[Go back.]
Now, I felt like I understood what the mana surrounding this mansion did. As such, I wasn't surprised when the communication channel got noisy.
[I came because I have something to talk to you about. Can you make time? If possible, I'd like to add you to my friend list.]
[Friend list? You don't even know my name. There's no way you could… Don't tell me.]
[Can I?]
[… Go ahead.]
I added Daisy Ectradion, and she accepted it. I immediately messaged her.
[As you expect, I met with Desert Scorpion's guild master. He talked about you.]
[Lodert Hydelcyon, head of Cyon Empire's Royal Knights.]
[Yes, him.]
It was the first time I heard his full name, but I still answered calmly. I felt like I was worthy of getting an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
[You… If you fought him at your current strength, there's no way you could be safe and sound.]
[The reason you're cooped up in your mansion is related to him, right?]
[What if it is?]
I faced Loretta. She tilted her head cutely. Nowadays, she was trying to show off her charms whenever she could. She must have realized it was working!
[Him and his guild are over. It was found out that they bribed an administrative guild.]
[How could that… Could it be the person you brought along?]
[Precisely.]
There was no answer for a while. Then, the fog covering the mansion cleared up a bit, and the mansion's gate opened.
[I want to hear what happened.]
I felt like I would get an alert saying 'Quest Success!' With a smile, I entered the mansion with Loretta. The mansion must have been neglected for a long time as all sorts of thornbushes, vines, and weed covered the area. She must have never left the estate… I called Sharana and Peika.
"Can you clean up the garden?"
[Of course! Should I cut everything up?]
[I'll burn everything. Let's go, annoying wind girl.]
[After you, perverted worm-ssi.]
Please… don't fight…! Regardless of their relationship, the garden was cleared up in 3 minutes with their cooperation and went back to being a spacious garden. It was as if one hundred professional gardeners had worked on it.
[Elementals are… really strong.]
After we finished cleaning up the garden, the mansion's front door opened and its spacious hall showed itself beyond the door. I entered the door along with Loretta and the elementals. Even after they finished the job, Sharana and Peika didn't think to go back. Sharana sat on my shoulder modestly, while Peika coiled around my arm. Since I wasn't in battle and had to worry about using mana, I didn't particularly mind them being out.
[I'm on the second floor. The room furthest into your left.]
I opened the door to that room. I expected it to be extremely messy, but it was actually immaculate. The window taking up the entire side of the room was open, letting air through. Daisy Ectradion was on the bed in the corner of the room.
She was lying face down, wearing nothing but a white dress shirt. Her black lace panties were in full view, but Loretta poked my eyes to block the view. Ow!
"What are you doing, Loretta!?"
"Kuk, so the Evil Eyes can petrify me too… Huhuhu, you've grown so much, Shin-nim!"
Loretta shook her hands, and her partially petrified fingers went back to normal. She gave me a meaningful smile, but I continued to quibble.
"Why did you poke my eyes!?"
"If you don't look away quickly, I'm going to attack you again!"
Damn, but I want to see more! I'm kidding, of course!
While I looked away, Loretta approached Daisy Ectradion and shouted.
"Why aren't you wearing anything underneath!? Don't tell me you're trying to seduce my Shin-nim!? Do you want to get hit, customer?"
"I don't have… the strength… skirts are… uncomfortable."
"Hurry up and wearing something!"
"I only have the uniform…"
"Uuuu! Then at least cover yourself with a blanket!"
It took another 30 seconds before I was allowed to look again. Daisy Ectradion was now sitting on the bed, wrapped in her blanket like a sushi roll. From her uncomfortable expression and her fully buttoned up dress shirt, I could tell that Loretta buttoned her up too.
I somewhat expected it from what Lodert Hydelcyon said, but she was gorgeous. Her ash-like hair flowed down her shoulders, and her ominous red eyes had a magic power that drew people in. They were undoubtedly Evil Eyes of some sort. I could recognize it more clearly now that I possessed them as well.
Her facial features were slightly unnatural. Her red irises took up more space in her eyes than the sclera, making her look a bit creepy. Her nose was small and stout, while her lips were overly thin and ash-colored like her hair. Also, her ears were small and sharp. Her lips and ears were especially unnatural. Her skin was also a pale grey-white. After a bit of thinking, I asked her.
"Can I ask what race you are…?"
"Un… I'm a grey elf."
"I see."
She narrowed her eyes and stared up at me. Then, she asked.
"What happened… to Lodert Hydelcyon?"
"Simply put, he picked a fight with my guild and got his guild destroyed. He lost his qualification as a dungeon explorer and was kicked out to his world."
"To his world? My world… Sylon continent was ruined. It's been taken over by the Book Walkers."
I immediately made a silent prayer. Good luck surviving, Lodert.
Ectradion became quiet after that and looked at Loretta who was standing next to me.
"Did you do it?"
"Of course. He can't set foot in the dungeon anymore."
"I… see…"
She seemed to be immersed in thought. Then, she surprisingly bowed.
"Sorry, but I can’t-do it. I can't enter your guild."
"I didn't say anything, did I…?"
"My Evil Eyes. They receive others' thoughts or send them my thoughts. Because you possess Evil Eyes, I can only read a little… but I thought you were lying, so I read your mind. Sorry."
She got me! To think she could do it so stealthily without me noticing. Damn, it was my fault for letting my guard down based on her appearance. I hit my cheeks, then asked her.
"How about now?"
"Amazing. I can't read your mind at all… Really. It's been a while."
"Well done, Shin-nim."
"Don't pat me."
"Ah, the woman. I couldn't read you at all, but I could read it just now… Why didn't you do what you were thinking of?"
"Whoops. It seems I let my guard down. Geez, I'm still inexperienced. Shin-nim, can you leave the room for a moment? I'll call you back once I compose myself."
"I feel like you're going to do something to Ectradion, so no."
"Tsk."
Loretta gave up on her plans to bury Daisy Ectradion. Relieved, I asked her.
"It was my final goal to ask you to enter my guild. For now, I'll be happy if you continue your activities as an explorer. There's no one to hold you back now."
"No, that's not it."
She widened her eyes, then blinked a couple of times.
"I… want to try again. My world collapsed, but if I climb the dungeon again… maybe… I can chase them out…"
"Then why?"
"I'm… a necromancer."
She continued.
"I can't obtain corpses in the dungeon…"
"Don't you have any?"
"On the decisive day, half. In the dungeon, the remaining half to Hydelcyon. I lost everything."
With that, she raised her head and flashed her red eyes. I instinctively knew she was trying to convey something to me. I relaxed my Evil Eyes and let her thoughts flow into me in a way that it wasn't overbearing.
Daisy Ectradion was the head of the military unit of Selone, an elven country in the Sylon continent. At a young age, she was chosen to become a First Dungeon explorer. She proliferated and became the strongest in Selone. As she continued to get stronger, she could turn stronger demonic beasts into undead. Eventually, she obtained a god's true name and entered Beyond. It went without saying that she was the forefront warrior in the war against her world's invaders, the Book Walkers.
However, the day her world's Hero died, she lost half of the army she commanded. The surviving people lost their will to resist the Book Walkers, but Ectradion continued to fight. It was then that a conflict broke out between her and Lodert.
Lodert had always harbored evil intentions against her, and using the Event Raid that erupted when they were climbing the dungeon together; he crushed the remaining half of her forces. As they belonged to different countries, the Empire who wanted to command Ectradion as they wished supported Lodert's scheme. As Ectradion knew this, she returned to her mansion without going back to Sylon. Lodert had wanted her to offer her body in exchange for letting her recreate her army, and Ectadion had refused to accept his terms.
When she tried to obtain corpses some other way, she could not achieve her goals in Sylon because Lodert obstructed her. It was the same when she tried to obtain them from other worlds' explorers, as the guild Lodert operated, the Desert Scorpion, prevented them. In the first place, monsters strong enough to help clear Beyond didn't come out for sale. She was no longer allowed to make an army for herself.
In the end, rather than submitting to such a cowardly man, she decided to give up on her world. Just like that, she became a neet.
Even if she had a god's power, as a necromancer, she couldn't advance in the dungeon by herself. It was especially the case as an explorer of Beyond. Just like that, for the past 73 years, she was lying on the bed of her mansion.
"I already gave up. Corpses… To clear Beyond's 12th floor, normal corpses won't do."
"So you want to just die in your mansion."
"Un… Thank you for ruining Hydelcyon and making him so miserable. Now, there's no reason for me to raise my whip. I have… no regrets."
With that, she lay back down and closed her eyes. I could finally see her clearly. For a hero of Selone and an explorer of Beyond, her body was petite. Perhaps it was a trait of the elves, but her chest and butt were certainly voluptuous. However, she still had a small frame. Her shoulders were narrow, and her limbs were pitifully thin.
I felt like I was watching a withering flower. I couldn't just let her be.
"Ectradion. If… If there are corpses you can be satisfied with, will you continue exploring?"
"Do I have to enter your guild?"
"I'll back down for now. After all, I can't bother you with my world's problem. Once I push back the danger my world's currently facing, I'll ask you again."
At my words, Loretta burst into laughter.
"Shin-nim, what are you talking about!? Shin-nim is talking like Shin-nim is going to defeat other worlds' enemies!"
"What are you talking about, Loretta?"
I tilted my head and answered.
"Once I defeat the two enemies my world is facing, do you think I'll have anything to be afraid of? In that case, why wouldn't I go defeat other worlds' enemies?"
"Shin-nim, you really…"
As my words were too reasonable, Loretta became speechless. Then, I heard the sound of a blanket falling. I turned my head toward the direction of the sound. Daisy Ectradion, who put her blanket aside, was standing up and looking at me. Her Evil Eyes were shining with an exceptional red light.
"The corpses… Let me see them."
Good! That's what I wanted to see! With a grin, I answered.
"First, wear a skirt."
Translator’s note:
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