Chapter 26
"Phew... My throat hurts...."
Yuri had always lived quietly, keeping her head down and staying out of sight.
She knew that no matter how hard she tried, all she ever got in return were cold stares and criticism.
So, this was the first time she had ever raised her voice so loudly.
'It doesn't feel too bad.'
She was a bit embarrassed, but it somehow felt refreshing.
It was an exhilarating sensation, like her chest had been blown wide open!
Thump, thump.
Yuri closed her eyes, feeling the pounding of her heart as she basked in a deep sense of accomplishment.
'I actually did it....'
Even though she was the one who did it, she couldn't believe it.
For the first time in her life, she had claimed a victory purely with her own strength, without anyone's help.
It was so precious, and also sweet.
'Is this what happiness feels like?'
It felt like she could get addicted to it.
She felt like she finally understood why the Warriors of the North spent so much time honing their bodies while roaring, 'Battle above all!'.
'It hurts.'
As the excitement subsided, a stinging pain flared up from both her hands.
But, even that made her happy.
Didn't they say that pain comes with growth?
Thinking it must be something like that, she opened her eyes and slowly walked toward where her companions were waiting.
But. Right then.
Thump, thump, thump!
A tremendous sound of footsteps echoed from ahead.
Something was rapidly approaching her.
"...Hmm?"
Her body went into a state of tension once again.
She laboriously lifted her exhausted, bowed head.
Then.
The familiar Crow head filled her vision.
"Whoa!!?"
"...."
It was Raven.
Yuri thought her heart was going to stop for a second.
She was so startled that her grip loosened and she dropped the Club she had been holding.
She had gotten somewhat used to Raven's terrifying, ferocious appearance, but having it suddenly shoved in her face was overwhelming, even for Yuri.
After all, he was the Demon of Fear, looking so horrifying that she was afraid he might appear in her nightmares.
Grab!
"Gasp!"
Feeling as if her sanity was being chipped away in real time, Yuri tried to calm her pounding heart when suddenly, long black hands slipped under her armpits.
For a moment, Yuri thought her heart had been pierced.
"U-Uh! R-Raven!?"
Just as she felt relieved that she hadn't died, her worn Leather Shoes left the ashen ground, and her small body was lifted into the air.
Before she knew it, Yuri had been hoisted high by Raven.
Panic was evident on her sweat-drenched, pale face.
'Fellow Adventurers in the neighborhood, please look at our wonderful Contractor~'
Regardless, Raven held Yuri up, completely absorbed in looking at her with an expression that said he was incredibly proud.
Of course, because of the Mask, his expression was completely invisible to Yuri.
A moment later, he opened his mouth, and the usual familiar title popped out.
"Contractor."
"...."
However, for some reason, Raven didn't say anything more.
Dangling in the air. Yuri looked into Raven's hollow eyes (black Lenses) and felt a sudden wave of anxiety.
'What's wrong with him? Could it be that he wasn't satisfied with the battle? Did I actually fail again this time?'
The longer Raven's silence dragged on, the more Yuri's mind was slowly consumed by her conditioned self-deprecation, self-blame, and self-criticism.
Right at that moment.
Raven's mouth slowly opened from beneath his Plague Doctor Mask, and unbelievable words flowed out.
No.
"Yuri."
"!!!"
He had called her by her name.
"That was... That was a truly magnificent battle! You definitely have a natural talent for combat, Contractor! When you neutralized the Spider with Light Magic, I could only marvel in awe! When did you even learn Magic at such a young age? If you grow just a little more, Contractor, you will become a stronger Adventurer than anyone else. I look forward to that day."
"Ah. Ah?"
He effortlessly showered her with praise that made her face burn.
"I'm truly proud of you. It's a combat performance fitting for my Contractor."
He acknowledged her.
"...Now that I look at it, your hands are bleeding. Did the skin tear because you don't have calluses? I should ask the Thief if he has a Bandage."
At the end of it, there was genuine concern.
Everything she had so desperately craved in the past was right here.
"Ah."
Tears welled up in her eyes.
She tried to hold them back, tried to hide them as she always did.
"...Are you okay, Contractor?"
That almost unfair level of kindness violently pounded against her tightly shut doors.
"Ugh...."
Emotions overflowed and streamed down her cheeks.
She cried.
'...The Contractor is crying? Just how much did it hurt her?'
Seeing Yuri suddenly break into tears, Raven was incredibly flustered, completely forgetting his Demon roleplay.
"Contractor! Does it hurt that much? Let me take a look at the wound. Hah... This is driving me crazy."
Gently setting Yuri down on the ground, Raven dropped to his Knee and carefully caressed her hand, meticulously examining the wound.
His touch was incredibly delicate, as if he were handling a Jewel.
Yuri stared blankly at the sight.
'Raven....'
Even on the day they first met, he had dropped to his Knee for her when she was terrified, just like now.
Toward her foolish self, who couldn't move forward, trembling in fear. He had been gentle, as if telling her not to be afraid.
Yuri had come to the Dungeon City to win happiness.
The happiness he or she had thought of was.
Wealth.
Power.
But, not anymore.
"Raven...."
'You were the happiness I've been looking for.'
A happiness won with her own strength.
The manifestation of her long-held wish.
My very own Demon.
'I don't want to lose you.'
Squeeze.
"Contractor?"
At that moment, unable to control her emotions, Yuri threw her arms around Raven's neck and buried her Head in his broad chest.
Despite her worries about being rejected, Raven silently patted her back.
Even though he looked like some twisted Crow monster from the netherworld, he was gentler than anyone else when dealing with her.
This unexpected contrast to his appearance somehow tickled Yuri's heart.
'What's this? Was she actually that scared? She might be bold, but a Child is still a Child.'
This was what Raven was thinking.
'It's comfortable. And firm.'
Nestled in Raven's arms like a Child, Yuri felt a sense of security, closed her eyes, and slowly rubbed her cheek against him.
'...It's cold?'
Moreover, there was no body odor at all.
'As expected, were those terrible smells a type of Authority meant to invoke fear?'
Thinking that, Yuri pressed her ear against Raven's chest.
....
She couldn't hear a single Heart sound.
As if he wasn't a living creature.
Was it because he was a Demon?
'My knowledge has increased.'
Yuri wasn't exactly normal, either.
But because of that.
Perhaps these two were connected.
By the names of Contract and destiny.
***
Upon hearing that the Contractor had injured her hand, Shion pulled a Glass Bottle from the Leather Pouch on her Flank and began pouring a clear liquid over the Contractor's hand.
The Contractor let out a moan, perhaps stung by the liquid on the wound.
"Ugh... It hurts so much, Shion...."
"I have to pour Holy Water like this to make your hand clean, so it heals faster, nya! So bear with the pain just a little bit, nya!"
"Hoh?"
I was truly surprised.
To think that a high-level medical concept like Cleansing the wound area to prevent secondary infection existed in this barbaric medieval era where people ate with their bare hands.
By the way. Isn't Holy Water supposed to be a precious liquid(?) containing the Blessing of a God?
'Is she using such a precious item for the Contractor?'
I was a bit touched by this.
"Hey, Thief."
"Nya?"
"Is that Holy Water very, very expensive?"
If so, I would have to repay this debt someday.
Because I am a highly creditable Demon who can't live with debt.
"Ahaha. Crow, were you actually worried about that, nya?"
Shion shook with laughter, finding my question incredibly amusing.
"You don't have to worry, nya! Holy Water from Bastion is made with Rock Salt from the White Zone. It's not that expensive, nya!"
What? Rock Salt?
"...Don't tell me Holy Water is just Saltwater?"
"When Priests perform a Consecration Ceremony and Prayer over Saltwater, it becomes Holy Water, nya! With Holy Water, even the most severe wounds can be healed quickly, nya!"
"Ouch! You tied it too tight!"
"Bandages are meant to be tied tight enough to stop blood flow, nya!"
Saying so, Shion roughly wrapped the Bandage around the Contractor's hands.
The Contractor must have been in quite a bit of pain, as she hissed at Shion and twisted her whole body.
As expected, this World really is barbaric.
"There! All done, nya!"
In that short time, the Contractor's hands had been perfectly sealed like cocoons.
The Contractor looked at Shion with an exhausted expression and offered her thanks.
"Thank you...."
"You don't look thankful at all, nya."
"It's just your imagination."
"You're saying things a Crow would say, nya."
"Hehe."
"Huh? Oh, right! The Rabbit Spider! I completely forgot about it while treating Miss Adventurer, nya!"
"Don't worry, Thief. I've got it covered."
As for the Rabbit Spider's corpse, I had already picked it up while the Contractor and Shion were busy bickering.
No matter how useless the thing was, it was our Contractor's first prey. We couldn't just leave it on the ground, could we?
We should stuff it and display it at our Base at the very least.
And, every day, I will look at it and reflect on today's magnificent battle.
'Man. It was really awesome.'
When the Contractor used her Blinding Magic, my heart swelled so much that my Injector almost popped out.
"Oh! Great job, Crow, nya! If it weren't for you, Scavengers like Slimes or Rats might have picked it up, nya!"
Shion's eyes sparkled with delight as she looked at the Rabbit Spider in my hand.
Why is she so happy?
'Don't tell me...?'
I lifted the Rabbit Spider's front legs and asked Shion, just in case.
"By the way. Why are you looking for this thing? Don't tell me you're planning to roast and eat it?"
Seven legs drooped down, pulled by gravity.
Pure white Body Fluid was dripping down from between the Obsidian Knife Blade the Contractor had driven into it.
Does it make your mouth water? Miss Cat?
Shion's face scrunched up as she took in the sight.
"Don't say such crazy things, nya."
Guess not.
"Then why?"
"Since we caught an Entity, shouldn't we check if it has a Magic Stone, nya! That's the absolute basics for an Adventurer, nya!"
"Ooh... A Magic Stone!"
At the mention of a Magic Stone, the Contractor's eyes gleamed greedily through her black hair.
However.
"Didn't you say only garbage Magic Stones drop from these guys?"
"I just said a low-quality Magic Stone might drop, I didn't say it was that bad, nya."
...Which means!
"Are you saying a good Magic Stone could drop too?"
"That's what we're going to find out now, nya! Crow! Put the Rabbit Spider down on the ground, nya! From now on, I will teach you the method of Magic Stone Extraction from an Entity's corpse, nya!"
Saying so, Shion skillfully pulled out her Knife (the same one she used to feed the Pill Bug to the Contractor).
Damn it. Just how many uses does that Knife have?
"Ooh. Magic Stone Extraction method...."
"Hmm."
Passing between the Contractor and me, Shion dropped to her Knee in front of the Rabbit Spider's corpse.
"Watch closely, nya! The Magic Stone Extraction skills of the Bastion Academy Salutatorian!!!"
Swish!
Following Shion's hand movements, the Rabbit Spider's black Chitin split open smoothly.
I had felt this since the Grilled Pill Bug incident, but I wondered just how sharp she made the edge, as there was no resistance to the Knife Blade's advance.
"Magic Stones are usually found near the Entity's core, nya. Because the Heart is where Mana Circulation occurs most actively, nya."
"By the way. Why are you cutting open its belly?"
"Unlike normal Beasts, Spider-type Entities like this have their Heart located towards the dorsal side of their abdomen, nya. So, to prevent the Magic Stone from breaking, Hunters usually aim for the cephalothorax where the nerves are concentrated. I was so surprised because Miss Adventurer did so well, nya! "
"Oh? I was actually aiming for the Heart. Guess I got lucky."
"You're very knowledgeable. As expected of a Salutatorian?"
"Be more amazed, nya!"
Even while enthusiastically answering us, Shion's hands didn't stop.
The tips of her fingers handling the Knife were incredibly delicate, like a Doctor performing a Surgery.
"There, all done, nya! Do you see it, nya? This is the Heart of a Spider Entity, nya!"
Her Resection, which had reached a level I wouldn't even dare to imitate, stopped, and the Rabbit Spider with its dorsal abdomen cleanly split open came into view.
"Ooooh! It looks really long, almost like some sort of long tube?"
"That's why the academic world calls a Heart that looks like a tube or pipe a Tubular Heart, nya."
"Ah! My knowledge has increased. But. Where is the Magic Stone?"
"Could it be a dud?"
Organs buried in Body Fluid were visible, but there was nothing that looked like a Magic Stone.
"Nyanya!"
Instead of answering, Shion's hand plunged straight into the Rabbit Spider's Heart with a 'nya' sound.
-Splash!
"S-Shion?"
"Is she really going to eat it?"
The hand that smoothly buried itself under the translucent Body Fluid wriggled a few times beneath the long, tube-shaped Heart, and then suddenly stopped as if it had grabbed something.
And then.
"I found it, nyaaaang!!!"
A cheerful shout that brought to mind a Ginseng Gatherer finding Wild Ginseng echoed through the Head of the 10th floor of the White Zone!
"What!?"
"Ooooh! A Magic Stone!"
Did she find a Magic Stone? Is that it?
"Unyanyanyanyang!!!"
-Splash!
Along with an excited shriek, her hand was quickly pulled out, splashing Body Fluid everywhere.
In the hand raised high into the sky, a Magic Stone so transparent it reminded me of a Diamond was emitting a soft glow.
"Woooah...!"
"Is this a Magic Stone?"
"No, th-this is!!!"
Shion's Pupils dilated in surprise.
'Are you saying it's such an incredible Magic Stone that even a Veteran is surprised!'
I had a premonition of hitting the jackpot.
'Am I finally escaping poverty?'
Am I undergoing Evolution into the Demon of Wealth?
"Thiiiiiiiis is!!!"
"Stop dragging it out and spit it out quickly, Thief."
Pfft.
Pfft?
A sound like air escaping popped out from Shion's playfully curved lips.
It was clearly a mocking laugh.
Could this Cat possibly?
"Th-this is. A Normal Magic Stone, nya!!! Did you actually get your hopes up, nya!!! You soft Rookies!!! In your dreams, nya!!! There's no way a high-grade Magic Stone would drop from a 0.5-Tier Entity, nya!!!"
"...."
"Ah...."
The Contractor's eyes, which had been swollen with anticipation, sank into disappointment in an instant.
"You damn Thief."
"Eunyang!!!"
And so, Shion's Head, which had been cackling with joy, also sank deeply along with my fist.
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