I tried to contact my clothes and Anime Girl. Whatever was going on inside my mana, no one was answering. And, with this revelation, I have no GPS to get out of the sewers. I have a dying Negi on my back. I have the girl I wanted to avoid no matter what leading me out, looking worried.

It's only our 2nd time together, from what I can remember, the time I was drunk and stripped her doesn't count— but she's nice. She keeps checking me, saying nice things, telling me it's going to be okay. Reminds me of nurses I met in hospitals.

I decided to not tell Hohemi after the first eight times that "I'm fine." In this situation, I was more bored. The thrill of the fight, the Grasp Heart, the cheering homunculi and Yarko bullying Negi— that was fun. 'Exciting' is the more correct word. It did feel miserable at the time. It did. But, that was like, an hour ago?

I've always been quick to adapt. The moment I felt better from a cold I'd order three pizzas and eat them all, get sick again, wake up the next day and do it again. My body felt worse from the food binge then it does now from the Grasp Heart. I wondered. Now that I'm an Anime Girl, could I binge indefinitely? Eat forever until, yeah I got a bad mental image from that line of thinking. My stalwart self-appointed-nurse broke my usual rumination with a sigh.

"No Homunculi could survive that. You're amazing. It's like you're from another world."

"I am." I said. Note: the Main Character of this isekai doesn't hold back. Even when it might be sensible for a 'reasonable person.'

Hohemi strolled a few paces ahead of me, toying with the handle of a long dagger. Looked more like a spike, or a wand from Harry Potter.

"Are you sure? About bringing that Wilder on your back with you? It's easier to stab it here and hope it dies."

Hohemi's strange wording made me think Anime Girl's translation services were having server problems. 'Hope it dies?' Maybe Negi's hard to kill. The dehumanization of Negi to an 'it' was unexpected. I took Hohemi for a more understanding person, as an assassin and steward of Homunculi herself.

"He's thirteen. You know a healer, right?"

Hohemi's tone turned to a whisper. "You didn't answer my question."

I admit I found her voice sexy there, but it doesn't mean I'm leaving my morals behind.

"I have rules. I don't like breaking them. It feels wrong. So, even though Negi almost killed me once, I'll get him healed."

Hohemi groaned as she turned around, taking a few extra steps forwards and flickering her eyes around. Must be checking the area even while she's being upset. Damn damp dark sewers. I couldn't see anything.

"So, you don't remember anything about... that night?"

Guess she lost interest in murdering. On to my memory blackout where I stripped her and Yarko. A much more difficult conversation. I'll apologize formally later when I'm not carrying Negi on my back.

"Yeah. I figured out it's my fault. Magic spell misfire."

Hohemi's groan was lower this time.

"You're not going to take Kirei up on his offer, are you?"

"Offer? How do you know Kirei wants me to be his student?"

"I've been spying on you since I gave you the tentacle hoodie."

"Spell?" I mused.

"Spell." Hohemi confirmed.

I thought it over. Sure, I would like to preserve my privacy, but she's been more of a help than a hurt so far. And, she didn't bring up the charge for the goth loli clothing for Niji. Maybe I was viewing the situation wrong because she came on, very, very, strong the first time.

"My magic sucks really bad and I feel bad about it. But, Kirei is..." I almost said, "He reminds me of myself too much. I hate him." Since that really only applied to my past life, appearance wise. And, I think I'm grading my old self unfairly here, Kirei actually did out and did evil, I only was a lazy internet addled autist. The two really don't compare.

"You won't let him teach you? Even though your clothes are crazy?"

The phrase 'your clothes are crazy' hurt. Look, they're not crazy they're just— I don't know them well, is all. My excuse extended to my speech out loud.

"They're young! With a little taming, and getting to know them, I'm sure they'll get under control. Look, one even beat up Negi. That's great, isn't it?"

Yarko could have gone a little easier. Negi's breathing feels shallow. Hohemi turned around, I saw a light smile on her face in the dull sewer lights.

"That spell you cast to summon them... the words were a little..."

Damn, she really was spying on me since I met her. Please don't remind me. I was young. And bored. And it was, like, damn it I wanted something besides your tentacle hoodie. Maybe I got a little creative and made more trouble for myself than I thought! Maybe. Yeah, I did.

"Anyways," Hohemi said brightly. Her back shrouding her front. "That night you forgot. You told me you wanted to conquer Nephilz, said a lot about this 'Earth' place. I guess that's the another world you're from? I was all for conquering Nephilz with you, but I couldn't say anything in public. Your behavior got worse, like you were drunk, even though you weren't drinking any alcohol, and then, you stripped me and Yarko. Everyone could see. Most people in Nephilz don't mind being naked in public— but I do. I demanded to hide out in your room, I was too drunk to risk going home. Streets are dangerous at night around here. Yarko's breasts were surprisingly high quality pillows. I never slept with anyone before, it was embarrassing. She's, Yarko, is kinda, a, little brutish? Reminds me of a man, even though she has such a nice body."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Now that she brings it up, it's hard to disagree. I have the gasping breath of her latest victim in my ears, after all. Eh. Hohemi never slept with anyone? I find this hard to believe. She didn't sound like she was lying from her tone. I believed her.

We exchanged small talk here and there as the hours extended. Long stretches of tapping shoes against stone, and the girl in front of me. Out of everyone I met, I think I liked being around her the most, right now at least. Anime Girl has the communication barrier, Stehy has the rules, Ouji's ouji, Yarko doesn't say much, and Niji ripped my heart out.

In comparison, I've gotten a goth loli outfit and a tentacle hoodie for free. Even though I threatened to burn her. There was that part where she tried to Mindsnare me— but I only remembered that a good hour after talking to her.

If this is all a part of her master plan to get me into a maid outfit, it's working.

* * *

Gunshots rang out as we entered the streets. Hohemi lead me along the waterway, Homunculi shifting around camps there ignored us. They hung out in the night, under tents, no fire, not doing anything. I saw a centipede one and almost jumped straight into a river, but Hohemi grabbed my arm. She didn't catch Negi though, whose dying body I had to retrieve myself.

Wet and miserable, the gash in my chest covered by my reverse worn blazer, I soldiered on after the girl.

Screams echoed in the night. More gunshots. We transvered the waterways crowded with silent Homunculi, the shouts and gunshots punctuating the night. My curiosity got the better of me by the time we reached Artist's Mount.

"What's all the noise?"

"Dwarves are fighting Homunculi in the slums. You see the watch towers?"

I looked up. Flame brazier were lit on each of the seven mounts of Nephilz, tall walls, and peering past the flame I made out armored guards in the shadows.

"The walls of Nephilz were made to repel invasion even if someone made landfall on the mounts. However, they still needed water to avoid sieges, so the sewer structure we spent a good night walking through was constructed. It was intended as both as a way to entice the enemy into chokepoints in the sewers and provide water to make the city impregnable when War Season comes."

Ah, I forgot about that. There's planned wars here in Errera. I was wondering why Nephilz had four mounts dedicated to people they provide for, but don't work, maybe this is why? They always need a supply of fresh bodies to clog up the death toll so the talented and rich can avoid death as long as possible? Quite a devious system. Hohemi kept talking.

"Now that the No Life King is dead, the Dwarves will be the first to die in the oncoming war. Then, the Homunculi will assault the walls. Until then, no assistance."

I knew Dwarves weren't the highest on the social ladder, but to not even assist them when their fighting for their lives? Chalk that up to another thing I don't like about Nephilz.

"What about the gunshots?"

"Dwarves have guns. It's all they can afford." Hohemi said, shrugging.

I think this is the first time I ever got the sense guns weren't useful. But, since this is a fantasy world with magic, it's possible.

"What's wrong with guns?"

Hohemi's hand brushed her own cheek as I walked closer to her.

"Ah, I suppose being from another world you wouldn't know. Homunculi have a core. If it's taken out or destroyed, the body falls apart. Your heart was taken out and you didn't even budge. It's possible for well-crafted firearms to penetrate a Homunculi's core, but most dwarves are terrible shots and good gunsmiths are rare. Most of those gunshots you hear are being fired to distract the Homunculi so the Dwarves can escape to their defensive positions in the sewers, or evacuate from the city."

Useless dwarf guns doesn't make me feel happy. I wanted useful dwarf guns.

"They're good against humans and hybrids, right?"

Hohemi crouched near a street. Checking it was clear, she lead me forward again, butting herself against a building we slid into an alley.

"About as good as a kitchen knife. Not a real war weapon. Magic's much stronger. Even against some of the weakest troops who don't have much mana or poor training, ten dwarfs with decent weaponry won't last long."

Sucks to be a dwarf in Errera.

"Which is why the Dwarfking is gaining power these days. I run a few 'trade routes' out through the sewers to where he's ruling in Gemhoard. Very profitable times."

I was right about her being a money-grubber. Well, she is an assassin guild leader, right? Guess she likes politics. I grew tired of politics long ago. It never affected me because I was living on the internet, when's the next Made In Abyss movie coming out? That was 'news' for me.

Didn't stop me from a long period of listening to Rush Limbaugh and playing MMORPGs. Ah, memories. Wait, Dwarves are dying, this isn't the time. Wait! Negi's dying, this isn't the time for that either!

I began to go off on a tangent on my head debating if I should do something about the whole No Life King being dead thing. It was Niji's fault, and I guess since it was my order, my fault. And now there's Dwarves dying because of it.

Ehhhh~ I don't like it. I'll get Negi not dying first.

Hohemi and I started to pick up the pace through the streets. No one was around, everyone must have retreated into the walls. I'm impressed they were able to move so many inside so fast. We neared the bottom of the wall into the center of Artist's Mount. Next to a lit up bottom road circling the wall Hohemi stopped, crouched, and knocked on an inconspicuous stone block. As she did, the stone levered itself up and out, and we were greeted by a horrific face. The face moved away, giving us room to slip inside.

After we did, the Homunculi replaced the block and let out a low screech. Hohemi responded in kind, giving it a dismissing wave as we made our way through an underground passageway. Must be one of Hohemi's Mindsnare goons.

"You got a lot of those?"

"Oh, him? I feed him in exchange for manning the entryway. It's warmer down here in the winter than on the streets, and he's supposed to have died in the war. No place to go back to. There's a lot of people like that in Nephilz."

Homeless? Not a Homunculi? What, is Hohemi actually some ally of justice or something? Can an assassin be an ally of justice? Well, it's not like politics is cut and dry anyways there's problems no matter what you do because sacrifice is a natural part of the system— ah shit there I go again. At this rate, I might become a political addict again!

I'll make sure to train Stehy to handle that nonsense so I can be Non Non Biyori about the whole thing. If I'm even gonna conquer this city, anyways. It's starting to feel like my sense of responsibility will lead me to at least doing something about the Homunculi. What a pain.

"Healer up ahead?"

Hohemi stopped and turned. A business smile graced her face. "The good one is asleep and expensive. And, annoying. I have a few seedy ones I don't trust. They'll definitely blab if they heal the infamous Wilder."

"You brought me this far to tell me there's no healer?"

"There is one. Just, I'll show you where she is, but I'm not going with you. She's dangerous."

Why would a healer be dangerous? Oh. No. It's not— it can't be! Dojiko. That- Breasts X existence I saw with Ouji on the camp! It was really strange why she was even there in the first place, her tent was so far away, and she had those girls with the light banners! She wore white, so that's a good sign she's a healer. I'll check.

"Does she have big breasts?"

Hohemi's head tilted. "How did you know?"

"Dammit."