74 – Debt
Adventurer Guild’s door was opened by Algot with a key after business hours.
When I followed him inside, Algot locked the door again from the inside.
It was the first time I entered the empty guild at such a late hour.
It felt strange to see the counter, where the receptionist always stood, empty.
As I followed Algot into the office, my mind was filled with various thoughts.
Instead of showing me a way to control my out-of-control magic, she said it was time for me to repay the “small debt” I had incurred.
She assured me that she wouldn’t ask me to do anything unreasonable, but this uneasy feeling… I just couldn’t calm down.
“At this moment, Unoa wished someone would tell her the future.
But there was no way such a convenient thought would be answered.”
Can’t you just tell me?
Surely you wouldn’t just ignore me after giving me the medicine, right?
…I thought, but it was already too late.
Based on my experience so far, once it reaches this point, the narration never gives me the answer I want, unless Algot puts a knife to my throat.
Well, surprisingly, Algot might ask for something trivial.
I prepared myself to not be surprised by whatever he would say and sat facing Algot in the guild office.
Algot immediately opened his mouth.
“It’s about Meruru’s sister who was discovered before.”
“You mean Aruru….”
“After that day, I personally did a little more investigation. And I became convinced.”
Algot looked at me straight in the eye and spoke with a serious expression.
“Aruru… seems to have received demon blood. In other words, she has become a demon.”
“……”
“Did you already know?”
It wasn’t a question.
It was a statement, as if he was already sure that I knew.
After I found out that Aruru was a demon, I tried my best not to tell anyone.
Honestly, Algot seemed to have suspected it since then, but… just to be safe, I didn’t say anything to her either.
“As you know, the place where she was found is within the kingdom’s territory. And demons should never roam around in this area.”
“Then…”
“Of course, it could be a request that we take on. But it wouldn’t be good for people to know that demons are appearing in the kingdom, which is not the demon realm or unclaimed land. It would cause people to feel uneasy.”
“……”
“Yunoa, you suspected that Aruru was a demon, right? Because you met her face to face. That’s why I want to ask for your help in dealing with Aruru. I want to handle this as quietly as possible.”
“Are you saying that I should report and subdue Aruru?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Algot said without hesitation.
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Of course, as the guild master, it was only natural for him to deal with demons that appeared within the kingdom.
But wasn’t there a way to resolve this without resorting to subduing her?
Moreover, I had just met Meruru on my way here.
However, I was currently receiving a request to subdue Meruru’s sister.
I strongly felt that something was wrong, but I couldn’t defend Aruru, a demon, to Algot, either.
“…Is that the ‘debt’ I have to repay?”
“That’s right. It’s a confidential request that I personally entrust to you. I’ve already located Aruru. Regardless of whether she’s alive or dead, if you capture her, make sure it doesn’t attract attention. Bring her to the designated location I’ve specified. Of course, as a demon, it would be quicker to just kill her, but it would be better if we can obtain information.”
“Aruru is Meruru’s sister. So, that means…”
“And she’s a demon.”
Algot’s attitude was resolute.
I had no grounds to refuse, and if I refused here, Aruru would undoubtedly face a more certain punishment.
I recalled when she asked me about demons.
What did she want to know back then?
“Well? I hope you can carry out the task promptly. If you accept, I’ll tell you her location right away.”
“….”
“Why are you hesitating? Is it because your target is Meruru’s sister?”
“Yes… I guess it’s a bit…”
“I see. Then let’s try to find someone else who can definitely dispose of Aruru.”
“No, I’ll take the job.”
I reflexively answered Algot’s words.
Rather than entrusting it to someone else, I’ll do it myself.
But after answering, I felt a slightly strange sensation.
A strange discomfort that I had been feeling since earlier.
She felt like she wasn’t simply trying to eliminate the demons that appeared in the kingdom.
It was as if she had the feeling that it had to be her and no one else.
It was also difficult to refuse, emphasizing the “debt” to me.
Of course, it could have been just my resistance to dealing with Aruru’s request.
Algot strongly stated that he could never tolerate demons wandering the kingdom’s land.
But it’s true that he added conditions like “regardless of life or death” and “bring her in alive.”
I wondered what information I could gain by capturing Aruru.
At best, I could find out who had received the demon’s blood and why they were staying here instead of the demon realm.
It wasn’t really important information.
From the Guild’s perspective, it was more convenient and beneficial to simply kill the demons that appeared in the kingdom without any questions.
But Algot deliberately left room for me to capture her.
Of course, there was nothing certain, just vaguely curious.
What’s for sure is that she entrusted me with the task of dealing with Aruru, and only she knows what she really wants.
“Alright. Then let me tell you the location.”
Algot stood up and stood in front of a large map attached to the wall.
I listened to her words with a complicated feeling.
* * *
Aruru’s hideout is said to be underground in the Halbery Forest where she appeared.
She dug into the ground and created a dwelling, covering it with branches and leaves to make a hiding place.
Because I was instructed to quietly resolve this mission without it being known to others, I came to the Halbery Forest alone.
The request was to subdue or capture Aruru.
Algot had set the mood by saying it was natural to kill Aruru because she was a demon, but he had left too much room for capture.
Algot provided me with a specially made capture rope that is difficult to break.
Furthermore, he had set up a separate base in the Halberry Forest and told me to bring Aruru there if I managed to capture her.
Was there really a need to go through all this trouble and leave room for capture?
I felt like I was being tested, but now I had no choice but to trust my instincts.
There was no clear evidence that was visible.
But I had a vague idea of why Algot had asked me to do this.
He said it didn’t matter if it was life or death, but if he asked me to do this, then there must be a chance I wouldn’t kill Aruru.
Algot couldn’t have asked me to do this without knowing that.
Moreover, she was waiting for me when Tiena and I met and left Meruru.
I couldn’t know the details, but Algot, being Meruru’s sister, probably never intended to kill Aruru in the first place.
If she had given me this task with the intention of truly killing Aruru, she wouldn’t be an ordinary psychopath.
Guild Master Algot, as far as I saw, wasn’t such a bad person, so I had to believe.
Aruru’s hiding place was deep in a forest where human footsteps could hardly reach.
It was a dense thicket where you couldn’t move forward without clearing the path with a sword, and the ground was rough and deeply sunken.
Is it really possible to have a hiding place in a place like this?
Why does Aruru live in a place like this instead of living in the demon realm if she became a demon?
Wouldn’t it be much safer to live in the demon realm?
With many questions in my mind, I raised the Dragonyte Sword and pushed through the thicket in front of me.
After a moment, the place that Algot had pointed out on the map appeared.
It was not noticeable at all, like a hiding place.
But knowing the location already, I cautiously poked the ground beneath the big tree with my sword, checking for an entrance.
“Is this it…?”
There was a spot where the sword sank deeply.
Stepping on the solid ground, I swung my sword a few times, clearing away the random things that covered the floor.
And then, the entrance to the underground passage leading to the hiding place appeared.
I thought there would be only a small space underground, since it was said that the hiding place was made by digging the ground. But surprisingly, it was a proper underground passage.
Did he dig this entire underground passage by himself?
Well, Aruru’s power that I encountered before was incredible.
His physical strength was so great that if I had let my guard down even a little, I could have been fatally injured.
If I set my mind to it, I could easily dig an underground passage like this.
I entered the underground passage and followed the path inside.
Since no light was coming in, I used magic power to ignite flames on my sword.
Thanks to obtaining the Dragonite Sword, I was now free to use magic power.
So I continued to advance through the underground passage, illuminating the surroundings with the flame sword.
But suddenly, swish!
A sharp stone flew from somewhere, narrowly missing me.
When I looked in the direction the stone came from, there was a shadow with fluffy ears.
None other than Aruru.
Aruru was clad in a tight leather outfit that barely covered her chest and lower body, glaring at me as if she wanted to kill me.
“Hey… You’re Meruru’s sister, right? Since I’m close with Meruru too, let’s talk…”
I attempted to start a conversation.
However, instead of responding to my words, Aruru suddenly disappeared from my sight.
“…!”
Thud!
Aruru, who had vanished from my sight, suddenly appeared above me and swung her nails at me.
I managed to block it with my Dragon Knight sword, but I felt a tremendous impact throughout my body.
Right, I had forgotten.
Aruru was a formidable opponent who could take down a man with a Silver-level skill in a single strike.
I can’t let my guard down.
But still, I desperately wanted to capture Aruru alive somehow.
If I killed her here, I would never be able to see Meruru again.
Thud! Thud!
With lightning-fast movements that were almost invisible to the eye, Aruru alternated between striking with her nails from above and below.
I was barely able to defend against her attacks while being pushed back little by little.
There were no limits to the techniques I could use thanks to my Dragon Knight sword.
However, if I used my skills to subdue Aruru, there was a chance that she could be seriously injured or even killed.
Was there any way to restrain her without causing her harm?
“Argh…!”
Aruru lunged at me with the intent to kill.
I thought I could reason with Meruru, but this is just futile.
I was narrowly blocking Aruru’s attacks while contemplating how to capture her.
Bang!
I managed to block Aruru’s charge, but it pushed me back.
What incredible strength.
Meruru struggled even when held by a Blue Slime.
Despite becoming a demon, her power is frighteningly strong.
Nevertheless, I felt confident that I could defeat her if I set my mind to it.
Aruru’s attacks were undoubtedly fast and powerful, but they were also straightforward, without any complex techniques.
If she used magic or attacked unpredictably, I might have been in danger as well.
However, despite her immense power, her attacks were simple enough that I could defend against them as long as I didn’t let my guard down.
Bang!
Once again, Aruru’s claws clashed with my Dragoknight sword.
Although she relentlessly attacked from various angles with her agility, it wasn’t too difficult to defend against.
Honestly, I could feel the difference in combat abilities.
Her destructive power is impressive, but her fighting style is inexperienced.
I don’t have any significant combat knowledge or experience myself, but I could handle an opponent like Aruru who charges recklessly with a calm demeanor.
However, even with the difference in skill, I couldn’t strike her with my sword.
If possible, I wanted to capture Aruru without causing any harm.
After blocking several attacks,
I slowly began to gather the magic to capture Aruru alive.
It wasn’t the magic gathered in the Dragonite Sword.
The magic was gathering in my fist.
Aruru distanced herself for a moment, then rushed towards me again, frantically moving from side to side.
I deliberately swung the Flame Sword widely, causing the sparks created by the magical flames in the air to scatter like fireworks.
In the moment when Aruru’s gaze was distracted by the dazzling sparks,
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Wham!
I reversed and punched her abdomen with all my strength.
I don’t want to hurt Meruru’s sister, but this is the best way.
It’s called the “abdominal punch,” a technique used by the Variants when beating people up.
“Cough!”
Aruru, who took a punch in the stomach from my fist filled with magic, made a suffocating sound and slumped down.
And as if in agony, she trembled and bowed her head, tears streaming down her face.
Did I… hit her too hard?
I feel somewhat sorry for some reason.
But it’s still better than cutting her with a sword and disabling her completely.
I immediately grabbed Aruru’s hands and subdued her, pressing her tightly to the ground.
And using the specially made reins provided by Algot, I tightly bound Aruru.