Volume 2 Chapter 35 Enhancing The Familiar, Aiming For The Strongest Wraith
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After parting ways with Oswald in front of the East End’s east gate, Kian was walking on East Street with Esther.
It was already night.
The sun had set completely, and adventurers returning from hunting were just in time for dinner.
It had been a busy day, going to the morgue and entering the sewer since morning, but it felt like it was over in a flash.
As the scattered tavern lights softly lit the road, Kian looked down at Esther, who was walking beside him.
”After I take you home, I’m going to the public bath”
”You worked up a sweat, didn’t you? I might go too”
”Is it okay if you don’t go home quickly, Esther?”
”I have the day off today. Ms. Serena is helping out at the shop instead, so it’s fine”
”Is Serena working part-time today too?”
”Yes, it’s my fault. Haha…”
Esther scratched her cheek.
The ‘glasses’ suddenly opened her mouth. Or rather, she started talking in thought.
’If one stays away from actual fighting for too long, their skills will get dull. If they don’t fight for half a month, they won’t be able to dodge attacks that they normally could.’
(If she can’t fight, I’ll just limit the quests we go on to those she can do)
’Are you going to abandon her?’
(Abandon her? That’s stupid. Serena is my woman. …If she desires power, I’ll do what I can in exchange for a price. That’s all.)
’It feels more like a talisman than a companion.’
(If you’re just doing normal adventurer work, she won’t be a hindrance. If you’re doing high-difficulty quests, that’s a different story.)
’In that case, would you go alone?’
(If there is no benefit to taking her, well… I was thinking of bringing my subordinates instead of hiring Serena and other adventurers. However, they might have to reconsider. Specifically, I need a more reliable family member rather than a crow.)
’Is Night Wraith for that?’
(Of course, no matter how many Night Wraiths or Noon Wraiths there are, they are still inferior to Serena. I need to make some modifications here and there.)
’Yes. I got some good books at the Western-style building.’
(You know about using ghosts too, right?)
’Of course. This one is knowledgeable.’
While talking about that with ‘glasses’, Kian suddenly heard loud voices coming from central street, bringing his mind back to reality.
”……?”
He doesn’t hasn’t ears as good as beastmen, so he can’t tell yet …
It doesn’t sound like adventurers are just drunkenly making noise in a tavern.
It’s too early for them to be drunk, and the shouting sounds like raw emotions mixed with some reason.
”…Esther. It seems something happened on central street. There seems to be a fight.”
”Huh, really? Is it at our place?”
”No. It’s further ahead.”
”Further ahead… Oh, I see. It’s near the taverns that have that kind of service.”
”That kind of service that was naughty?”
”Hey! I tried to avoid saying it!”
The two were passing by the place where East Street meets central street──right in front of ‘Pumpkin Pie Inn’ where Serena was staying.
In the dim light, there were many people going back and forth on central street.
When the two of them turned the corner and entered central street, it was obvious to everyone that a disturbing crowd had formed in front of the tavern ahead.
”What happened?”
Esther calls out to a man at the front of the crowd.
”Huh? Ah, Essie. …Just as you can see. The owner beat Azraelian to death.”
The man pointed to the other side of the crowd, but to be honest, Kian didn’t really see what was going on.
He can see the backs of some guards, but that’s it.
However, the man’s loud voice of protest could be heard from among the crowd.
”I don’t want to apologize! You woman told me you were a single! That’s why I chose you!”
”But you killed him!”
”He started hitting me! Do you want me to shut up and get beaten to death?”
”You’re a killer! You’re a killer!”
”──Well, well, calm down both of you. Um? So, it’s true that the owner hired you and made you attract customers in just your underwear?”
It looks like this is during a guard’s questioning.
Instead of taking them quickly to the station, it seems like they are just messing around here, making a funny show for the people around.
Kian squinted his eyes.
From between the crowd, he could see the Azraelian man lying on the cobblestone and a pool of blood.
It seems that this was not a case of accidentally killing someone during a fistfight.
”It’s better if you don’t see it, Essie. That Azraelian guy died a horrible death. He was hit with a bottle and is all messed up.”
”A fight to the death… why did it happen…?”
”Recently, there have been more taverns around here making Azraelian girls dress sexy and serve customers, right? This was one of those places, but the girl the owner hired was with a man… It seems the guy thought the owner had stolen his wife.”
’I see… He might not have thought he was stolen from, but he surely felt very upset.’
(So he attacked the owner, but neither of them could communicate well, which led to a fight)
Esther frowned.
”I’ve thought for a while that their outfits were crazy, but I never expected it would lead to this… So, will the tavern have to stop running?”
”I don’t know. That’s for the authorities to decide. But…”
The man looked at the guard’s back.
He continues.
”I don’t want the owner of this place to quit. In fact, the owner is the one who is the victim.”
”Really?”
”I mean, he was just attacked out of nowhere. He can’t complain that Azraelian got killed like that. …Ah”
After saying that, the man’s face turned pale when he saw Kian.
Kian shook his head.
”I have nothing to do with the people who died there, and I have no feelings for them. Don’t worry about it.”
”Oh, I see…”
”──Mr. Kian, I’m sorry. That was not a pleasant thing to see.”
Esther said this and pulled Kian away from the crowd.
’What will happen to the woman whose husband was killed?’
(Well. There is probably no way the owner will pay any money for damages. She might even have to pay the shop for their trouble. After all, she is living in tents outside of town and probably don’t pay taxes, so the authorities have no reason to protect her.)
’It’s cruel, isn’t it?’
(It can’t be helped.)
Kian slowly opened his mouth towards the girl with a ponytail who looked troubled.
”Esther, don’t worry about me. I’m not thinking about race or any of that complicated stuff. I just want to take a bath and wash off my sweat.”
”…Thank you. Mr. Kian, you really are a kind person.”
”Me, kind?”
”Yes! Very much!”
”…I see…”
You can say that because you don’t know my true self──he kept that thought to himself.
There was no need to say it.
”I’m going back to ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn.’ The town seems a bit unstable, Mr. Kian.”
”As I said earlier, I’m going to the public bath. I’ve been through the mortuary and the sewer.”
”Oh. Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
”Esther should also purify herself before entering the hall.”
”I will”
”And… the reward for today’s quest”
”Oh, of course I’ll pay you. I’ll give it to you later in the hall.”
”Thanks”
”No, no. My father always tells me that even close friends need to be careful about money matters! “
”I see”
Kian said that and turned forward.
They say that children resemble their parents, but in Esther’s case, it seems that she only inherited her appearance from Leanan Sídhe.
Robert has raised this girl well.
The proof is that his personality and talent live on within her.
(I wonder what I inherited from my father. I don’t even remember my mother’s face…. This healthy body? But my body itself has been eating vampires and ghosts and it’s not the same as it used to be.)
Esther, who is smiling next to him, is an ordinary girl after all.
She has one parent, but she grew up well with a lot of love from Robert and learned common values.
(What about me? What do I know?)
Even though he wears glasses, his thoughts get confused.
He knew how to love a girl.
He think he’s good at sex too.
But.
Kian Vahid probably does not know what love is──.
He hasn’t lived for 30 years.
Even though he hasn’t been given the opposite.
He hasn’t never truly been loved even once.
Kian recalled a distant memory and remembered the face of his fiancée who switched to his younger brother Jibril.
Her smile quickly melted into the darkness of the night and disappeared.
* * *
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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