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A New Encounter
“Lady Diana, I must insist we have a match next time!!”
“…I’m afraid I must respectfully decline, Lady Asna.”
“Asna, Lady Diana seems to be in trouble…”
We were still at the dwarf siblings’ shop. Earlier, the rude group of three men who had come to the shop were not blown away by Diana, but rather driven off. Asna, deeply impressed by Diana’s fighting prowess, had for some reason suddenly challenged her to a match, which Diana declined as Farah tried to stop her. This pattern had been repeating itself for a while now. As I watched this scene with a somewhat dumbfounded expression, Ellen approached me quietly and whispered in my ear.
“Miss Tia…was it? Your maid sister is amazing. Even those thugs, whose skills had us quite scared, were so easily defeated by her.”
“Diana is just a regular maid and bodyguard…I think.”
She can apparently use hidden weapons too, but I’ll keep quiet about that for now. More concerned about Ellen and her group’s future circumstances, I pondered for a moment before asking her.
“Ellen, I wonder why they were trying to take you away. The repayment deadline hasn’t arrived yet, has it?”
“…Now that you mention it, you’re right. They’ve come before, but it’s the first time they’ve said something like that.”
It seems Ellen also didn’t know why they were in such a hurry. Then I recalled what the mohawked man had said. If I remember correctly, he mentioned that [Marein’s boss was in a hurry].
As Asna said, if they were connected to Norris, their position might have become precarious due to the recent [marriage scandal]. Either way, this was probably an unavoidable step in taking Ellen and Alex to Baldia. I nodded slightly and spoke firmly to Ellen.
“Ellen, could you guide us to Marein’s mansion? You’ll need to repay your debt, after all.”
“O-Okay, I’ll be your guide then. Alex, you’ll need to clean up the shop and watch over it while I’m gone.”
After responding to me, she turned her gaze to Alex and spoke.
“Got it. Be careful, sis.”
With Ellen and her group’s agreement, I turned my attention to the trio still repeating their loop.
“Hah…You guys, we’ve decided where to go next!!”
And so, we set off for our new destination, Marein’s mansion.
Marein’s mansion was in the opposite direction from Ellen’s shop, requiring us to pass through the town. Hence, we had walked back to the town. The walking distance was longer than expected, so I turned my concerned gaze towards Farah.
“Farah, are you okay? Sorry for making you walk so much…”
“I’m fine, Ree…no, Tia. This much is nothing to me.”
Farah answered with a smile, her ears twitching slightly. Relieved by her expression, I noticed some commotion ahead with loud voices.
Wondering what the fuss was about, a small black shadow suddenly leapt out from the commotion group, darting straight towards me. Sensing the disturbance, Diana immediately stepped in front of me, trying to catch the shadow. However, it evaded her movements and slipped right under my skirt. Diana and I were both taken aback by the swift motion, letting out a surprised “Wha?!”
As we were stunned by the shadow’s movements, the men who had been chasing it approached us. Their attire differed from Renalutians, suggesting they were of human descent. Seeing the shadow enter my skirt, they spoke to me in a rather haughty manner.
“Hey missy, that’s Lord Marein’s famous pet around here. Mind handing it over?”
The men approached and suddenly tried to lift my skirt. Witnessing this, Diana showed no mercy, punching one of them squarely in the face.
“Guhooaaargh!!”
The man was sent flying back with tremendous force from her blow, collapsing unconscious in the middle of the road. Diana shot a contemptuous glare at the other men gathered in front of her, and spat out her words.
“…Trying to lift a woman’s skirt so brazenly, what is the meaning of this?”
I may not be a woman, but I agreed with her words nonetheless. Regardless of the circumstances, such behavior towards a stranger was excessively rude.
At that moment, I sensed a black aura emanating from Farah beside me, sending a chill down my spine. The aura Farah was giving off was exactly the same as when I had angered Chris or Diana before. Apprehensively glancing at Farah, she had an unexpectedly cute pouting expression while seeming angry. However, she gave Asna instructions while exuding that black aura.
“Asna!! Punish those ruffians!!”
“Understood!!”
Then I hurriedly called out to Asna.
“But don’t kill them, or it’ll cause problems later. Just knock them out if you can!”
“Tia. I shall join the fray as well.”
“Huh…?”
Though I had meant to address Asna, Diana chased after her, heading towards the men. The men, who had been focused on their unconscious comrade, noticed Asna and Diana’s approach and let out angry roars.
“Damn you, don’t underestimate us!!”
They charged in to retaliate against the two women.
A few minutes later…
“S-Sorry…Please, forgive me…”
“Hmm? I can’t quite make out what you’re saying.”
Ignoring the man’s pleas for forgiveness, Diana landed another decisive punch to his face. A dull thud rang out, after which he could no longer speak. Witnessing this sequence of events, I shook my head and placed my hand on my forehead with an exasperated expression.
“That’s going overboard. I told you not to kill them, just knock them out to avoid problems…”
“Not to worry, Tia. They’re still breathing, merely unconscious.”
Diana smiled, though her eyes lacked warmth. Just then, another man’s scream rang out.
“P-Please, have mercy!!”
“…How pathetic, to cry out over this much. You call yourselves men?”
Reacting to the voice, I saw Asna furiously slashing at the men’s clothes with her sword, leaving them in just their underwear to collapse unconscious on the spot. Observing their state, Asna sheathed her blade and scornfully said:
“Hmph, utter disgrace…”
“Well done, Asna!”
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Farah seemed delighted by her accomplishment. Ellen, who had witnessed Asna and Diana’s feats, turned a pale face towards me and asked slowly.
“…Just who are you people?”
“Ahaha, that’s still a secret.”
I dodged Ellen’s question with an awkward laugh. After all, I couldn’t reveal my identity while dressed as a maid. As the last of the men lost consciousness, some townspeople who had observed the whole incident rushed over with pleased expressions.
“You guys are awesome! Thanks for taking those thugs down, made my day!”
“Yeah, they were always throwing Lord Marein’s name around, real nuisances!”
It seemed Marein and his associates were greatly disliked in this town, so our actions were viewed favorably. Farah blushed, likely unaccustomed to such praise.
As the area calmed down, I remembered the cause of the commotion was still under my skirt and carefully moved away. Two shadows then emerged from beneath my skirt. Seeing their forms, everyone present except Diana and I gasped in surprise. One of the shadows seemed startled by the atmosphere, letting out an adorable “Meowww…” while looking up at me. The other remained still, showing no signs of movement. My first impression was of a black cat and a slime. Asna then muttered with a perplexed expression as she observed them.
“…A Shadow Cougar and a Slime. These are indeed monsters that inhabit the [Demon Forest] within our nation’s domain.”
“Monsters!? I’ve heard they appear in dungeons, but the [Demon Forest] too?”
The word “monster” immediately piqued my interest. Were these the same [monsters] Reubens had mentioned inhabiting dungeons? I inquired with great curiosity, but Asna shook her head slightly.
“No, while the term is the same, the dungeon monsters and those of the Demon Forest are different. Dungeon monsters are born from the mana generated by the core. However, [the monsters of the Demon Forest are beings born with innate magic power].”
“…So basically, they’re living beings not too different from us, huh?”
She nodded in affirmation. In other words, the monsters of the “Demon Forest” were magic-imbued living creatures, not so different from us.
One of the reasons I came to this town dressed as a maid was to gather information on the medicinal herbs found in this “Demon Forest.” As Asna explained, the Demon Forest is a densely forested area within the Renalute kingdom permeated with concentrated magic power. While dangerous, the minerals, materials and other resources found exclusively there were highly valued and traded for exorbitant prices. Weapons and gear crafted from Demon Forest materials were renowned for their exceptional quality, highly prized even in Magnolia.
Hence, Renalute attracted many adventurers from various nations seeking to strike it rich. Those vulgar trio from earlier, and the men who seemed to be Marein’s hired muscle, likely came to this country as adventurers initially.
I had known about the “Demon Forest” even before arriving in Renalute, having read about it in books from my manor’s study room, but also from my previous life’s memories. In the otome game “Toki Rela!,” the “Demon Forest” was an important location for gathering materials – I frequently utilized it during gameplay.
Back then, all I had to do was position the character on the “Demon Forest” area of the map and press the “Material Collection” button. After waiting for some time to pass, materials would be obtained.
However, when researching the “Demon Forest” in this world, the only information available stated that while it was abundant in resources, it was also inhabited by numerous “dangerous creatures,” making it an unexplored land that humans could not easily venture into. But I was convinced that the “Demon Forest” contained the “Rute Grass,” the ingredient for an effective cure for mana depletion syndrome. This was because in the game “TokiRella!,” the “Rute Grass” could be obtained during “Material Gathering” in the Demon Forest.
As I was deep in thought after my conversation with Asna, a Shadow Cougar approached and started rubbing its cheek against my leg, looking just like a cat. Its fur was entirely black except for a white, inverted triangular patch on its chest. Its fur was generally long, and it had two long tails. Overall, it resembled a large, long-haired cat breed. Then I noticed that the Shadow Cougar nuzzling my feet seemed to be wearing some kind of collar.
“……I wonder what this is?”
I crouched down and examined the collar-like object closely, noticing its sturdy construction. Was this used to restrain the creature? At that moment, Ellen answered the question I had.
“This is a magic-suppressing collar used for taming magical beasts. When attached, it prevents the creature from utilizing its magical powers. Since it’s an expensive tool, Marein likely prepared it.”
“…I see. By the way, can we remove it?”
My words made Ellen look slightly displeased.
“It’s possible, but the creature might go berserk the moment it’s removed.”
“Hmm. But we can’t leave it like this, and we have everyone here just in case.”
I looked around and smiled. Ellen shook her head with a “well, well” expression, sighed, and proceeded to remove the Shadow Cougar’s collar.
“Haah… who knows what will happen…”
While Ellen was removing the collar, I shifted my gaze to the other slime. The slime was light blue and translucent, but I didn’t sense any particular danger from it. The slime seemed to be watching the Shadow Cougar with concern as its collar was being removed.
“Alright, it’s off.”
While I was observing the slime, she had removed the Shadow Cougar’s collar. At that instant, the Shadow Cougar’s body rapidly grew larger. The people nearby who were watching out of curiosity screamed and scattered like startled spiderlings, causing a commotion.
“Lady Tia! Behind me!”
“Y-yes. But…I think it’ll be okay.”
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