chapter 108
108. Movement
Should I say it’s typical of the thief guild?
In order to summon the Demon God into this world, they made contracts with demons, even going so far as to devour them, engaging in similar fraud with those they absorbed.
“No way…! No, brother!! The executives and subordinates are all getting wiped out, and you think that document is important—!!”
Perhaps because of that, the leader of the thief guild was rummaging through his pockets, clutching an old parchment, indifferent to whether his subordinates were disappearing or dying in the twisted dungeon.
In his brother’s eyes, that grotesque parchment, soaked in blood to a disturbing degree, raised questions about what could possibly warrant such behavior.
“Hey, you stupid b*stard.”
Having clawed his way up here through all sorts of thievery and deceit, the leader cast a disdainful glance at his brother, as if regarding him as trash.
Seeing the spatial stabilization device he pulled from his pocket, the brother gasped once more.
“What are you going to do about the others if you use that!?”
“Who cares! If this contract disappears, we’re all done for anyway.”
Despite his brother’s protests, the leader, with a look that said he just had to survive, immediately activated the crystal-like spatial stabilizer.
A bluish spherical magical energy enveloped the area, stabilizing it against any changes.
The brother shot a truly exasperated look at the leader of the thief guild.
“At least you said you’d take care of your comrades like family.”
“There are priorities.”
The leader swallowed hard, relieved to see that the old parchment in his possession was safe.
In a world as advanced as today, such an ancient object felt utterly out of place.
The older it was, the more significant its value became.
This parchment, known as ‘sacrifice,’ unconditionally accepted any contract that demanded a life, ensuring the user would suffer no harm or restrictions.
‘If this were to disappear…’
However, if it were damaged or altered beyond a certain level, the price to pay would multiply, making it worth the leader’s life.
From the perspective of the Demon God worshippers, they were in a situation where they were being defrauded of contracts while continuously purchasing expensive items without paying.
Of course, some Cardinals were still growing their power and authority through the hunting of ancient demons.
They were in the process of preparing to break that contract.
“First, I need to survive.”
Unaware of this, the leader of the thief guild carefully stored the parchment within his cloak.
—
The younger sibling scans the surroundings as they set out to rescue their comrades.
Just when they thought things had settled down to some extent.
‘…? What’s going on? There’s an immense power gathering below?’
They realized that an exponentially tremendous force was accumulating beneath them.
The dungeon of the Opahts could be seen as a production factory that creates a final product, changing its structure every time a trial in the secret space is resolved.
In the midst of this transformation, when they forcibly stabilized the deepest center of the last area,
It was as if a faucet left running to freeze water was stuck, causing an enormous amount of energy to continuously accumulate in that part.
If this was left unchecked, it was a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment, and stepping outside could lead to unpredictable spatial changes, leaving everyone in a state of uncertainty.
“What the hell kind of b*stard—!”
The leader of the Thief Guild, feeling that this entire sequence of events was a meticulously crafted trap, turned red in the face, veins bulging in his neck.
The person of interest, who had no particular intention of doing so, was now
“■■●■■ ■■!”
“Ugh, this little brat!?”
Engaged in a bickering match with Erin, who was nagging incessantly.
Wasn’t it said in old tales that defeating an opponent who doesn’t understand you is the hardest?
“Ha! You stupid fool, you can’t even understand this! Well, it’s true that our academy exams didn’t have any alchemical language classes that someone like you could read~”
“Then why do you only speak clearly at times like this? Why not keep talking in your weird way?”
Avoiding someone who doesn’t understand you is the best strategy, but on top of that, the irritating diction and word choice made Roksar’s head throb.
Especially when he had sarcastically answered a question about how he studied well by saying, “I focused on the textbooks.”
With a smile that showed her delight in teasing him about the parts missing from the academy curriculum, he felt an urge to give her a light smack on the head.
“When you get angry, you just want to throw a punch, huh? Still a primitive brain, I see? Just a textbook answer sheet that can only solve problems from the academy? If you hit me here, you know I’ll cry out loud enough to make your head spin, right? Frustrating, isn’t it? You can’t do anything but sulk, can you?”
Her words poured out like a stream, completely off the mark.
“Totally pathetic~ A little girl like this can’t do anything~ Pathetic, pathetic, just tall and can’t even understand properly, what a soundless loser♡”
He wondered if a light internal strike to her cervical spine or nerves would finally quiet her down.
“Now you’re finally showing a decent face, aren’t you, with that pathetic expression, whoever you are?”
As her incessant chatter showed no signs of stopping, Roksar clenched his fists.
“Want to hit me? You want to hit me? Just like you always do, right? Why can’t you understand what I’m saying? Are you going to resort to primitive methods now? I really didn’t think you were that pathetic, but is that really the case? Huh? Huh?”
No matter what he said, Erin, clinging to Roksar, chirped excitedly as if daring him to hit her, saying she would just cry.
If only Rika were around, she could have stopped this little brat from sticking around and chattering away.
But due to the aftereffects of the massive overlapping spell Erin had cast earlier, Rika and Jane were lying nearby, resting, making any chance of a countermeasure impossible.
Ultimately, he had to deal with this little brat who clung to him, grabbing his shirt and hanging on.
“Ugh, should I really send you to kindergarten?”
“Hey! I’m an adult, you know!?”
“Who would think you’re an adult? Anyone can see you’re a tiny 155 cm kid!”
As he intentionally touched her sore spot, making her feel wronged, a crack in her composure appeared.
However, the now honest Erin was by no means an easy opponent.
“You really!!!”
“Ugh!?”
Erin climbed onto him, wrapping her arms around him as if to prove that she was indeed a proper lady with her confident figure.
Though she was short, her body was anything but childlike; it was the kind of figure that could easily earn her the title of ‘older sister.’
The soft sensation left him momentarily speechless, burying his face in her.
Amidst it all, a scent that felt like it could pull him in enveloped him.
“Look!!! Look here too!! You’ve been sneakily checking out my butt every day, and now you call me a kid!!!”
Though not particularly strong, she placed his hand on her backside with a gesture that was hard to refuse.
She felt immensely embarrassed, but to break his momentum—no, if there was any chance that he could see her as a woman, she would use any means necessary.
After all, it was just about undressing to seduce a healthy man.
Of course, if her own foundation supported it.
He flinched at the touch of her large, peach-like form, which he wanted to keep squeezing.
It felt different from Rika and Jane, and for a moment, he turned to stone.
“Really… do I still look like a kid?”
Erin continued to grumble, still buried in his chest.
She rubbed against him, as if asking him to see her as a woman, as a potential girlfriend, while gently patting his head.
His heart raced wildly, yet there was an inexplicable sense of relief in the situation, and he swallowed hard.
“Ugh…!”
As time passed, he became more embarrassed and sensitive, and even a slight flinch from him made Erin let out a sultry sound.
Feeling like things might really get strange, he carefully lifted her to set her down.
She seemed light before, but whether it was because he had gained strength or for some other reason, Erin felt incredibly light.
Now somewhat back to her senses, she looked at his face and held on tightly, preparing for him to slip away.
“…Are you going to call me a kid or not?”
Erin tightly embraced Roxer’s head, awkwardly whispering in his ear.
With a fresh yet sweet atmosphere, and a body that was far too mature for her age, he felt that if he didn’t act, he would be stripped of his manhood here.
But if he laid a hand on Erin, he had no idea what the other two women would do to him… No, he simply shook off the temptation of something normal.
However, he was chasing the pounding of his heart like a moth to a flame.
“…You’re such a little kid.”
He attempted a direct confrontation with a stubborn resolve.
At his words, Erin’s eyes momentarily dimmed before a surge of anger welled up inside her.
Just like before, and even now, he would occasionally glance at not just other women but also at Erin’s figure.
While he was wrapped in her embrace, he seemed so flustered that he couldn’t even move properly, yet he deliberately said something to provoke her, which infuriated her even more.
With her face flushed red from anger, tears slightly glistening, she glared at him.
With a sharp sound, she pressed her palm against his cheeks and looked down at him.
In the face of her expression and atmosphere, he couldn’t bring himself to say a word.
“■ ■■■…! ■ ■ ■■■ ■■■■■!!!”
He was left speechless by Erin’s sudden kiss, which felt like a punishment for his confession.