"You bastard! To think that you would backstab us!" the confident swordsman standing beside the blonde-haired one exclaimed, his voice brimming with sternness and disappointment.
"I knew from the beginning that a mercenary shouldn't have been brought along with us in the first place," he added, his frustration evident.
The blonde-haired swordsman, who was still in shock at the dead body of the woman lying on the ground and continuously filling the ground with warmth and the air with the scent of blood, clenched his own swords with all of his strength as he couldn't believe the emotions he was feeling.
“W-why…why, WHY!??? Tetsuko!!”
“........”
The blonde swordsman glared with hatred at his comrade, to whom he used to have entrusted his back.
But no matter how many times he asked, he never received any answer, which is why he couldn't contain his emotions but shake in anger at the calm yet cold way his comrade was staring at him. He was focused on the sole question to the point where he wasn't able to notice the sudden change in his comrade’s red eye colors.
“....So you have no interest in responding.”
The blonde swordsman's eyes were obscured by the shadow of his own hair, accepting the harsh reality that the woman he had wished to protect was no longer with him. With a heavy heart, he acknowledged that the only path left for him now was one of revenge. To ensure that the woman's soul could rest in peace.
"Any last words before we kill you? Even if you are a cocky mercenary and not officially part of our party, I'm kind enough to allow you to express yourself,"
The other swordsman gave a soft glare while keeping a safe distance from the killer of his comrade.
“........”
“......”
“......”
But despite the merciful way the swordsmen were going to end this, the one who killed the woman never gave his response. His silence served as sufficient evidence for both of them to take action and deliver a just ending for his wicked deeds.
“Say something, you motherfucker!!”
The blonde swordsman's hoarse voice echoed as he prepared himself to attack him.
“Didn't you also love Brixilla?! So why…..”
He had reached a breaking point, where nothing else mattered to him. And the fact that the mercenary didn't give any excuse was enough to make him clench his fists and teeth in rage.
“WHY!!! ANSWER ME, TETSUKOOOOOOOOO!!!”
All of his emotions burst out from holding them the whole time. He charged at Tetsuko, the mercenary who betrayed them, with eyes filled with grief and hatred.
However—
“You fool.”
—right before the blonde swordsman was able to reach the mercenary, he saw an afterimage right by his side, unaware of what happened in that next moment, his arms and torso falling apart from being cut several times. The only thing he could actually hear at that split moment was the cold voice of his comrade, who was already walking past his remains.
“U-ugh…. I-impossible….”
Understanding the unprecedented speed displayed by the mercenary, the last remaining swordsman, who had been brimming with confidence until now, took two steps back to create a safe distance from the menacing figure.
“Little girl, let's team up.”
The brown-haired swordsman proposed to the girl who was gazing down the hallway.
"Forget what we were about to do some moments ago. If you want to survive, then let's help one ano—"
His words, however, were abruptly cut off, as in the next moment, a swift and sharp blade pierced through his neck before he could even comprehend that everything had come to an end the moment he stepped foot into this dungeon.
There were no words from him. The only thing he saw in the next few seconds was the vision of the composed mercenary, who was now advancing toward the white-haired girl with eerie calmness.
Before he could even question the inexplicable turn of events surrounding him, his consciousness began to fade. The sight of his beheaded head, no longer connected to its body, was the last thing he experienced before everything went dark.
After easily killing his own party members, the brown haired mercenary fixated his red eyes on Aya. But to his surprise, Aya didn't flinch, nor did she put her guard up at the guy who massacred a whole party.
“I'm sorry for not listening to you. I know you told me to wait until you came back, but…”
Aya looked down, agreeing with the fact that she didn't listen to any advice or order given to her. Even if she wasn't at fault, she felt like she should’ve apologized.
“It's okay. I know you didn't mean any harm when you didn't listen to my advice.”
The mercenary with red eyes reassured the white-haired girl, raising his brows in a kind and understanding manner as he noticed her apologetic expression.
“It was my fault as well for taking so long to come back. I understand that you must have felt lonely in that hidden corner. So, please don't be too harsh on yourself.”
Aya's eyes widened in response to the understanding conveyed through the person's words. She offered a bittersweet smile, her gaze shifting downward, carrying a tinge of pain.
* * *
Once Aya and Hioki gathered the most valuable stuff from the adventurers who were killed, both of them prepared themselves to see what this wall was about and how the same party of adventurers were so interested in it to the point where they had to kill Aya.
Hiroki, who was now in possession of one of those adventurers, understood that they were not interested in taking any materials from the dungeon.
Their main goal had to be something related to the last dead end with a wall containing binary numbers that contained words and numbers from his previous world.
"I don't understand what they wanted here. They followed me until the last level and even helped me out. So why would they want to attack me?"
Aya inquired as she looked at the dead corpses, which were lying some meters away from the wall with inscriptions.
“I even told them that I didn't want any of the materials from the dungeon…”
“They didn't care about the monsters in this dungeon.” Hiroki calmly explained as he looked at the dead end. “What their goal was… the deepest part of this dungeon.”
“This wall?”
“As much as I hate to say it, yes. They clearly had a goal in mind when they entered this dungeon. They even went as far as paying that ridiculous amount of money just to enter a dungeon where the possibility of death is much higher. So getting rid of you in the end is no surprise.”
Aya looked at her side, reflecting on everything that had happened until now.
Amidst the conversations and feelings shared during the adventurers' facade, she couldn't help but recall every moment spent with them. Despite her discernment of their manipulative intentions and her efforts to distance herself, a weak part of her heart still couldn't escape the sorrow she felt for the group of adventurers.
But the other part of her heart was clearly not interested in them, accepting the fact that they all deserved their deaths for targeting her.
“Do you feel bad for them? You should know that they had probably planned this out from the beginning. You, coming here, was nothing else but a bait to them until they would reach their destination.”
“N-no, that's not it.”
Aya immediately responded to the obvious and twisted way the group of adventurers had probably planned their objective.
“It just feels... weird to think of how easily they died.”
“Are you scared?” Hiroki inquired, his red eyes looking through all of the emotions and movement patterns of the girl's body.
Aya’s eyes widened for a split second before she wryly smiled at the worried-looking Hiroki in front of her. She knew very well that what Hiroki was asking wasn't because of the unsightly view of the corpses lying around.
“It's nothing. Sorry for making you feel worried.”
“......”
Although Hiroki wasn't entirely comfortable with Aya's deception, he chose to let it go to avoid making her feel uneasy.
Both Aya and now Hiroki, who was possessing one of the adventurers, were looking at the wall in front of them to understand what the adventurers were trying to accomplish here.
“There are weird drawings on this wall...” Aya expressed her awe at the weird numbers of one and zero that were put in chronological order.
“It's not just random drawings. It's information.” Hiroki explained, "Or, to be more exact, instructions.”
“You can understand that?” Aya asked in surprise.
She knew how to read and speak, which is why she found it amazing that Hiroki was also able to understand this ancient script written in this dungeon.
“Yes....”
Hiroki confidently said before continuing his sentence in his own mind.
‘After all, I used to play around with basic programming...’
After a few more minutes of trying to decode all of the zeros and ones that were carved into the wall, Hiroki finally let out a sigh after gathering all of the necessary words written on the wall.
‘So this wasn’t a special mission for the ones who had been summoned.’ Hiroki concluded in his head while his eyes narrowed at the realization.
The binary code wasn't overly complex to decipher, especially for someone with basic knowledge of it. However, one question still lingered in his mind.
If their purpose was to allow rare summoners to enter this wall, wouldn't they all need to have the necessary knowledge of basic programming?
‘Unless... this part of the dungeon wasn't meant for them. But to be more exact... the one who created it.’
This also proved to Hiroki that, in order to use magic and status in this world, they also used programming from the modern world in a way to apply a useful system to the user.
“Hiroki, did you figure something out?”
Aya asked after seeing the concentrated yet eager face of the quiet ghost that was staring at the weird ancient writings. She didn't want to bother him with unnecessary questions, which is why she tried to give her best in order to assist him.
“Yes, but I want to confirm something first. Do you know what a Dungeon Master is?”
“A dungeon master? Do you mean a title like ‘Slave Master’?” Aya confusedly asked.
“Yes, a person who owns and controls the whole dungeon. Does something like that exist?”
If he was right, then what might be behind this wall would be the main place where the one responsible for the appearance of this dungeon is. Also known as the ‘Dungeon Master’.
“That is….”
Aya fell into her own thoughts, as she had never thought or heard anything about a being that could control a dungeon at his own will. She wasn't a veteran adventurer, but she had been on quite a lot of quests and in places where she would have had to risk her life, and until now she had never heard something like this.
“....Impossible, right?” Hiroki responded to Aya’s innocent look of ignorance before showing a slight smile.
But when Aya looked up at him, she saw how twisted his smile was, which showed a cunning mind. She was already aware of what kind of person her benefactor was, and she was proud of it. But this side of him, no matter how many times she has seen it, still gives her a slight shiver on her back.
“Then, let's find out for ourselves.” Hiroki suggested as he approached the wall much closer with the possessed body of one of the adventurers that couldn't escape his grasp.
“....But how do we?”
Aya asked innocently, perplexed by the lack of any visible path or entrance on the solid rock wall, which appeared thicker and more impenetrable than it seemed.
However, her eyes widened in shock when Hiroki drew out the adventurer's sword and pointed the tip of it at his own throat.
“........”
Aya understood what was going on. And despite knowing the feeling of killing someone else, she still couldn’t understand or feel at ease about this suicidal thing that Hiroki was attempting with that human body.
Her eyes, which were growing colder, looked at the brown-haired adventurer before hearing his whining noises of resistance.
“...P-please…. D-don’t…k-k-kill m-m-m-mee!”
The adventurer struggled to speak as he used all of his strength to prevent the ghost inside him from thrusting his own sword against his throat.
Aya’s hands twitched for a moment before she closed her eyes and looked to her side.
“.....I’m b-b-begging you….. I h-h-have a…. S-sister w-wa-waiting for m-me.....”
But before the adventurer could finish begging for his life, a sword sliced open his throat, preventing him from speaking and immediately ending his life within a few seconds.
Blood was splattered on the wall as red liquid rushed out of his body through the sliced throat. It was a messy scene, as if someone was playing with water guns using someone’s blood.
Once the adventurer was confirmed to be dead, Hiroki came out of his body and looked at the wall, which was beginning to glow red from the painted blood of the adventurer he just killed. He didn't look back at the corpse lying beneath his floating body, compared to the quiet girl, who didn't know how to react to this sort of execution and why Hiroki would do such a thing.
She knew that he must have had a reason for this, so she did not try to inquire about or bother the quiet ghost staring at the glowing wall.
“Aya.”
Hiroki suddenly called out, which made Aya flinch for a split second. But due to the countless battles she had experienced until now, she was very good at hiding her emotions inside.
“Please try touching the wall and see if something will happen.”
“.... I…. I understand.”
After gulping down her saliva and leaving her whole body to the ghost beside her, she decided to do as she was told, trusting him with everything she had. She understood that if there was no trust between the two of them, then she wouldn't grow any stronger, physically and mentally.
She had to do as he said!
She was already close enough to the wall, so with a move of her arm, she placed the palm of her hand on the glowing drawings that Hiroki knew how to read.
She didn't feel any pain at all. However, in the next moment, the glowing carvings in the wall glowed even brighter until both Hiroki and Aya found themselves in different locations. They were teleported to a different place.
They found themselves in a small space filled with various pieces of furniture and a few doors scattered around.
Hiroki knew that this was similar to an apartment complex but without any windows.
The only source of light in the palace emanated from bright, glowing red lights hidden beneath various objects or behind tables. The entire place appeared untouched for a long time, covered in dust that hinted at its disuse.
“Where… are we?” Aya questioned, her expression puzzled by the sudden change in their surroundings.
“The main room where the Dungeon Master is supposed to be.”
“We’re still inside the dungeon?”
Aya’s eyes widened for a second as she saw many objects and furniture, inquiring whether someone used to live here. There was no doubt about it.
‘But who would live inside a dungeon? ’
Aya thought to herself before something clicked in her head. Hiroki was right all along, and there was someone called the Dungeon Master all along.
“This is…. Amazing…..”
She expressed her shock out loud at this outstanding discovery, which would leave many kingdoms and guilds speechless.
Everyone until now knew that dungeons were something that spawned naturally, but if someone owned it, that meant that a dungeon could also be created at will…
“I don't sense anyone in here, and I doubt the Dungeon Master is anywhere near to be found. I will try to see something around this place. In the meantime, you can look around and get anything valuable that might come in handy to you.” Hiroki suggested.
“Okay.”
Using his ability to pass through walls, Hiroki swiftly moved around, exploring the area until he discovered a white, pristine room. At its center, on top of a stand, was a glassy, spherical object, shimmering with an otherworldly glow.
‘I can feel a tremendous amount of energy from that thing…. That must be the core of the dungeon.’
Hiroki concluded while approaching the spherical object that was releasing the aura.
! ALERT
----------------------------------------
[ THE DUNGEON CORE HAS DETECTED A USER! ]
A warning screen appeared in front of Hiroki as he attempted to get closer to the dungeon core.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
However, despite the warnings, he still kept floating closer to it until he tried to interact with it using his see-through hand.
! ALERT
----------------------------------------
[ THE DUNGEON CORE HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE USER ‘HIROKI’! ]
[THE DUNGEON CORE WILL GIVE A NEW TITLE AND ROLE TIED TO THIS ROOM. ]
‘So it's trying to make me the new Dungeon Master since the previous one is not present?’
Hiroki thought to himself, not pleased about the way this dungeon core was trying to shove the title into his status. That's why he tried moving away from the dungeon core in order to escape the enslavement of this dungeon.
However, no matter how hard he tried, his hand didn't budge away from the spherical orb that was glowing brighter.
! ALERT
----------------------------------------
[ ……….]
[ ‘MONARCH OF THE UNDEAD’ CANNOT BE REMOVED! ]
[ THE DUNGEON CORE HAS FAILED ON SETTING UP A NEW USER….. ]
The moment the dungeon core failed to give Hiroki the new title, a smirk appeared on his face.
‘So this is how it is…’
He suddenly realized after the invisible force finally released his hand after failing to shove him the new title. A lot of pieces were coming together, understanding how and why a dungeon would spawn out of nowhere.
“Well, too bad for you, but I won't be sticking in here any longer with you.” And with a confident voice in his tone, he raised his hand and released several ‘Airblades’ which cracked the core to pieces.
! ALERT
----------------------------------------
[ THE DUNGEON CORE HAS BEEN DESTROYED! ]
[ SF has been restored. ]
[ 1,345 points added! ]
As he saw the spherical core break into pieces, a teleportation circle formed on the ground before the whole room began to shake.
Hiroki immediately understood the gravity of the situation and rushed through the walls to find Aya. He found her struggling to maintain her balance during the earthquake.
"W-what is happening?! The ground is shaking!" Aya nervously asked, trying to remain calm.
"We need to get out of here. We don't have time," Hiroki urged.
Without hesitation, he possessed Aya once more, taking control of her body and guiding her hastily to the white room.
"H-Hiroki?!" Aya exclaimed in surprise at the sudden possession.
But despite that, she still allowed him to control her body. She continued running towards a specific door until they entered the white room. She understood the urgency and didn't question Hiroki's actions.
In the middle of the room, a glowing red circle was located. And without wasting any more time, Aya rushed towards the glowing circle. And in the next moment, both of them were teleported outside of the dungeon, near the hill where the entrance was located.
The earthquake continued to rumble as the dungeon sealed itself, trapping anyone who might have been inside.
Once Hiroki confirmed that there was no one nearby, he came out of Aya's body to ensure she was unharmed.
“Hiroki, what happened?” She worriedly asked.
“The dungeon core basically tried enslaving me, so in order to escape it, I had no other choice but to destroy it.” Hiroki informed the worried girl.
“But why would it try to enslave you?”
“Because there was no Dungeon Master, and in order to continue its existence, one was needed.”
After trying to put the information together that Hiroki had given her, Aya looked down at her side with a thoughtful look on her face. She knew that anyone else who entered the dungeon had been buried alive.
“I know that we were rushed, but were you able to get anything valuable?”
Hiroki inquired as he was looking at her and the new clothes that she was wearing. He had already noticed, but due to urgent matters, he didn't make any comments.
Right now, Aya was wearing a dark blue miniskirt and a dark cloak that matched the size of her small body. Dark, long gloves that reached all the way up to her armpit, and dark shoes that stood out from her white hair. She was very different-looking from a rookie adventurer or any ordinary girl.
Hiroki was indeed impressed by the sudden change in the young girl’s appearance.
“Ah, right. Yes, I found these new sets of clothes that seemed very weird at first but were comfortable while wearing them.” She explained while looking at her dark cape from behind, revealing the slender shape of her back.
Hiroki, who had been staring for a while, came closer to the girl, then used appraisal to see why these clothes released a weird energy.
SKILL INFORMATION
----------------------------------------
[ Object: ‘Assassin’s Cloak’ ]
Description: An ordinary-looking dark cloak that will fit the size of the wearer. Upon wearing the cloak, using the wearer's energy, will be able to have ‘lesser auto recovery’, ‘advanced protection’, and ‘dimensional pockets’ to store any non-living thing!
“Is something wrong?” Aya asked after seeing the serious look on Hiroki’s face.
“This cloak is amazing.”
He said with a rather surprised tone on his face, also surprising Aya by his uncommon reaction.
“Really? I just wore them because they felt more comfortable than the previous armor I had. And for some reasons, I can move more freely.”
Aya spoke a bit excitedly before a smile faded away after realizing that she had left behind the armor that Hiroki and she had paid for.
“...but since we had to leave so suddenly, I didn't get the chance to get the armor we bought…”
She knew that, despite not being completely in the wrong, leaving behind her armor was something that could cost her life and resources.
“It's okay, that armor is useless compared to this.”
Hiroki reassured her, making Aya look up with her round, beautiful, reflective eyes.
“So don't feel that bad about yourself. …But before that, I want to try to confirm something. I hope that's okay with you?”
Despite the fact that Hiroki acted coldly and sometimes mercilessly when killing his enemies, this was one of the few moments where Aya felt very warm and calm. She knew that Hiroki, deep down, was a kind person who was helping her and backing her up in any way.
In a way, he was the only person she felt safe with.
“Um.” She nodded with a smile on her face, showing off her blushing yet attractive face to Hiroki as a sudden breeze blew her white hair, revealing her cute side.
* * *
Walking back through the streets of Frol town was Aya, a not-so-ordinary girl with white hair.
Despite the fact that she would appear normal if her hair were normal, no one would guess that she was being possessed by an unknown being inside her.
Many townsmen and a few passersby would glance at Aya because of her white hair. And combined with her rather dark clothes, she stood out even more to some adventurers, who found her rather suspicious.
Some would even think that she could be a demon, but the fact that she was walking in the middle of town without a care about hiding her secret left them a bit dumbfounded.
But even if she was a demon in the first place, none of those traders dared even approach her at all.
After seeing how Aya was trying to ignore those twisted looks from everyone, Hiroki used her arm and pulled the hoodie off her cloak in order to hide the color of her hair. Even if a few had already seen her hair color, preventing those eyes from seeing it was much better than having them wide open.
~You have the guild’s vouch. So in case someone asks about your hair, you can just prove to them with your adventurer’s card that you are human.~ Hiroki reassured her from within her body.
“......”
Aya kept quiet while trying to get things clear in her head. Many things had happened to her until now, which is why she didn't fret in front of any of the judging eyes of the townsmen.
She had convinced herself that as long as she was going to get stronger, nothing else mattered to her.
While Aya was returning to her inn through the same busy streets where many traders were doing their jobs, many people could be seen yelling or shouting at something that would bump or avoid them.
Aya already saw this from afar, wondering why a select group of people walking down the same street were calling out to something.
She stood still for a moment in order to see what was bumping on so many people at once before seeing a small figure of a brat running between open free space until it finally bumped towards Aya.
Aya didn't flinch, nor was she pushed away from the young figure that bumped into her, as she didn't feel any threatening intent from it. However, the moment she looked at who was responsible for that, her eyes widened for a brief moment, as if trying to understand the whole situation.
Who had bumped into her, was a young little girl with dirty, ripped clothes. Her hair, which was filled with dirt from months of being unclean, had taken on a faded dark color after looking at yellow stains that revealed that her hair was actually blonde.
Both Aya and this young girl, who was half her age, locked eyes for a moment. While one pair of eyes showed fear of what had to come, the other ones showed surprise and anguish.
“Hey! Where did that little brat head to?!”
“Get back here!!!”
Two angry voices were heard from afar, causing the young, dirty girl to flinch in fear before running down a dark alley where no one would enter. Those dark alleys were places where most of the shady business occurred and a place where homeless people would try and live their lives.
Perplexed by this sudden scenario, Aya looked to her side before hearing someone call out to her.
“Hey, you there! Did you see a small brat come by here?”
The voice came from an adventurer, together with a few other swordsmen who were clearly pissed off about something.
Aya, who was trying to keep a low profile and not get herself involved in them, simply pointed in another direction while keeping her hoodie from falling off.
“Thanks! Let's go! She shouldn't have gone too far!”
He harshly responded before running with all his might with his team while trying to avoid hitting anyone around him.
Aya looked at them before directing her sight towards the dark alley where that little girl had entered.
~Do you know that homeless girl?~ Hiroki suddenly asked, making Aya a bit uneasy about how to answer. Even though the ghost inside her was rather curious to know than pissed about her rushed action.
“Ah… no.”
~Oh, right. I'm sorry if that question sounded rude. I was simply curious to know since I’ve never seen you feel this angry….~
Aya, who was caught a bit off guard by the way Hiroki could know how she felt all the time, clenched her fist before realizing that her waist was feeling rather light.
“...the fake pouch... It's gone!” She said while trying to see if it had fallen off.
~That girl must have stolen it from you when she bumped into your body. That's why those adventurers were looking for her. She must have stolen it on the way here.~
"Was that why you told me to keep all of my money inside my cloak's storage and keep a fake poach instead?"
~Yes, and also to keep a low profile since dimensional storage is something very rare. And I'm sure that many people would kill to get their hands on it. Especially merchants.~
“I understand... but still...” Aya looked back at the dark alley while she was quietly speaking to the ghost inside her.
~Do you feel bad that she didn't steal anything worth from you?~
“......”
Even if Aya wanted to hide it, Hiroki somehow understood her very well. That's why she remained silent when the question was presented.
~If you want to give her a coin or two, I'm not against it. My advice would be to mind your own business, but if you really want to check this out, then go ahead.~
“You won't get mad... because of this?” She softly asked, a bit unsure of her actions.
~Why would I? Hiroki positively replied, bringing a bit of light and warmth into Aya’s cold eyes. ~Even if you were to make the wrong choice, I would be there for you. So don't hesitate to do what's right.~
A small, yet genuine smile appeared on her face as the hood of her cloak blocked sunlight from entering the eyes of her lowered head as she walked down the dark alley.
The dark alley was just what anyone could imagine. A moist, cold, and dirty place that most people would rather avoid by any means necessary.
And walking through this dark, narrow part of the street was the same white-haired girl, wearing a dark cloak covering most of her body and her unusual hair.
Rats were seen running around after eating some trash, and many young voices could be heard in the distance.
Aya picked up those sounds very quickly, which is why she carefully reached the path where they came until she noticed several other children in the same kind of condition as the previous girl. They were all eating leftovers or trash that had been thrown away by the locals.
Aya, who saw the weak and fragile bodies of those children, on which bones could clearly be seen on their skin, clenched her own fist before accidentally stepping on a mouse that was right beside her foot, causing the little creature to screech for a moment and making all of the hungry homeless children flinch in fear from that sound.
“Ah, I’m sorry!” Aya apologized with her hands up, showing to the kids that she didn't mean any harm. “I didn't mean to scare any of you.”
However, despite the peaceful approach, none of the kids loosened up. They all hid behind one another before the same girl who had stolen Aya’s fake poach stood up for all of them.
“We already know that you want to sell us to them!”
The girl shouted with courage, yet there was fear in her eyes as her body was clearly shaking from adrenaline.
“Even if you kill us, we w-won't go with you, so please leave us alone!”
“Who is ‘them’?” Aya questioned, having a guess on who would be interested in selling abandoned children.
“D-don't play dumb! You know I'm talking about the mean masked men who want to sell us!”
The brave young girl’s voice trembled as she tried her best to protect the rest of the children in there.
Aya, who wasn't expecting that kind of answer, looked to her side in order to hide her face from the kids.
“Hiroki?” She quietly whispered.
~I know what you’re thinking. But I doubt it’s related to the same slave merchant’s group since you already killed the main finger in their group. Even if there was a big gain in this, a shady business like his is not likely to survive for very long. That is for as long as there isn’t another cold-hearted relative of his.~ Hiroki carefully explained.
When the abandoned kids noticed the strange behavior of that hooded girl, whose face couldn't be seen from a distance, they picked up rocks as their legs were shaking.
“L-leave! O-or we will u-use t-this to protect ourselves!” The young, brave girl threatened with a rock in her hand.
“Ah, no. I'm trying to hel–”
Aya tried reassuring the kids but was interrupted by a rock that came flying onto her chest.
But that wasn't the only thing that was thrown towards Aya, as many others were on their way to her before all of the abandoned children started rioting against the girl with a dark cloak.
“Go away!” “Leave us alone!” “Don't come here!” “We aren't s-scared of you!” “We are a lot more in numbers than you!” “Get away from here!”
Aya still did not fear or feel any pain from those incoming rocks as she stood still from the amount of them being thrown at her, despite the fact that some of them had reached her face, injuring the lower part of her lip.
~Aya?~ Hiroki tried making the girl snap out of it.
“I'm sorry, let's go….”
She apologized to the ghost inside her before turning away from the young kids throwing rocks at her and leaving the place.
* * *
When she arrived at the same inn that Aya had reserved when she got here, the receptionist greeted her and gave her a strange look.
At that moment, Aya wasn't paying attention to anything in her surroundings, looking down with a sorrowful expression on her face. Her mind was still behind the young children who were struggling to live in peace every day.
“I'm sorry, but I can't let you stay at our inn anymore.” The receptionist informed her with a slightly apprehensive look on his face.
“......” But Aya still didn't show any sort of reaction to that.
“I k-know this might be sudden for you, but I'm getting a lot of complaints from other customers about…. you know…”
He explained while trying his best not to stare at the girl's hidden white hair.
Even though she was careful to hide it, a few people noticed the unusual white parts of her hair that had slipped out of her cover.
“.......”
The receptionist, despite hating to do this, still felt bad for the way Aya was discriminated against.
He was sure that something was bothering her. But if he had a choice between bringing justice or saving his business, then he surely was going to choose his own business. But he couldn't ignore the fact that it bothered him a lot—the sorrowful look that the girl in front of him had while trying to kick her out.
“Khg!... I won’t make you leave immediately as I don't know your situation, but since it's already getting late, you may only stay for tonight.” The receptionist harshly said, “However, I need you to leave early in the morning before any of my other customers see you.”
“........….”
* * *
Upon entering the room, Hiroki immediately flew out of Aya’s body to see whether she had any injuries, but thanks to the cloak she was wearing, she wasn't injured, and the split lip she received was already healed.
“I'm sure that you feel tired from all of the things that happened today. You should probably head to sleep since tomorrow we have to leave early in the morning.” Hiroki suggested it to the quiet girl.
“Do we really need to leave tomorrow?” She softly asked.
“Well, yes. We were a bit careless in coming here without any proper disguise for your hair. And since you aren't a local in this town, someone will surely take interest in you and the uncommon hair color.”
“......”
Aya looked down at her side before taking off her cloak and equipment.
“I understand.”
After laying on her bed, Aya immediately felt all of her tension in her body and exhaustion, which she had been trying to endure the whole time. Her eyes were getting heavier, making her vision more blurry from slowly losing consciousness.
But right at the corner of her eye, she spotted Hiroki, who was pretending to wear her cloak by using his levitation skill.
He seemed very quiet due to the fact that he was simply a ghost who did not reveal himself to anyone else. Hiroki then, while using ‘Mind’s Force’, wore the cloak in order to cover his hair and body before disappearing from the slightly open window in the room.
At that moment, Aya was too tired to question or understand what he was doing, which is why she slowly closed her eyes and went to sleep.
* * *
At Fixy Town, around the same time, was the guildmaster, a veteran warrior with a scar on his left eye, signing the last few pages of reports in his office before hearing a knock on his door.
“You may come in.”
The moment the guildmaster sternly spoke, a certain girl in a suit entered the room with a few more documents, which she casually placed on the desk.
“This?”
“The latest reports...” The receptionist responded.
“Anything new?” The guildmaster asked once again as he casually took the new documents, giving them a brief look.
"The reputation of our city is growing slightly because of our guild and the new materials that are constantly brought here by the aspiring young adventurers," The receptionist briefly explained before letting out a troubled sigh. “However….”
“Hm?” The guildmaster raised a brow once something caught his eye at a certain part of the provided information in the document.
“There are also complaints and rumors that are hurting our reputation.” The receptionist stated sternly, but something seemed to itch inside her eyes as she spoke about this subject.
“The young miss who reported the legendary Mast?”
“Yes….”
Once the dots started connecting, the guildmaster let out a brief hum while touching his own chin in thought. He was very well aware of the rumors as well, but after being given this much documentation, he was now sure that many people seemed concerned.
“Guildmaster!”
The receptionist sternly called out, her eyes pleading for her call.
“I know Aya very well, and I can vouch that she is not a demon! So please don—”
“Calm down, Mirai.”
The guildmaster calmly responded after seeing the worried look on the receptionist's face. He understood very well that she cared very deeply about the little girl.
“I know very well the situation, and I know for a fact that that girl is not a demon.”
“Then…”
“I don't plan on revoking her license or turning her in to the authorities.”
The guildmaster responded, making the receptionist loosen up her tension for a bit but also making her wonder what he was planning on doing with Aya.
The receptionist knew very well that something must be done before all the adventurers who hate demons revolt against the guild.
“If anything, a strong girl like her will be a very big asset to our guild, and it will be a waste if she is thrown away just because she has white hair.”
“But if we keep a shut eye on this...” The girl in a uniform said out loud.
“I know…. that's why we must keep a close eye on her and what moves she will make next. While we don't have any information on how demons treated humans in the past, we can certainly presume that not everyone will simply ignore it.” The guildmaster pondered.
“Aya has shown rapid growth in her potential as an adventurer. Won't she become the center of attention at this rate?” The receptionist looked apprehensive as she spoke.
“That's why we, as a guild, must prepare ourselves when that happens.” The guildmaster crossed his fingers together as he sternly answered.
“A new area will soon enter this tow— no, the entire world. Even though that young girl is not a demon, I am sure that the other kingdoms won't let this pass by that easily.”
The receptionist’s eyes widened at the way the guildmaster was speaking. It almost seemed like he was planning something way ahead of how this whole situation might unravel.
Just what is he thinking right now?
“Guildmaster….” The woman in a suit worriedly called out to the pondering man at the desk. “Are you planning on using Aya’s image against the other kingdoms?”
The guildmaster didn't react before softly closing his eyes.
“I wonder about that….”
Even if the guildmaster was giving hints or simply provoking the receptionist, she didn't want to give any immediate reaction to this. She cared about Aya a lot, and she wouldn't want her to get hurt or face discrimination.
The guildmaster stated that he would use his guild's reputation to back up Aya, but she felt uneasy about this despite the fact that it was the only best option for the girl.