Two days later…
Hel was a princess, and not just any princess, but one from the most powerful clan in the world. Naturally, she had absolute confidence knowing the Song stood at the pinnacle of humanity right now. There was no way those Valor bastards had any chance against them.
That also meant she held a lot of influence in Moirai. Why? Well, the answer was simple: her sister, Luna, was the Duke's lover.
So, Hel was quite beloved in the city.
But she couldn't help but admit that the citizens of this place were… disturbing.
First of all, the population of the entire city was less than half a thousand.
Second, every single one of them was a specialist. It didn't matter whether they were combat-oriented, analytical, forgers, or healers.
Most of them were fighters, though and there was another concerning fact: they were not only powerful and skilled, but also unhinged and sadistic, which frightened her a little.
She wasn't exaggerating. Not at all. Because she was literally watching a bar burn in front of her right now.
"Hey, lady, any spare change?" She heard a voice behind her and looked up in surprise. It was the same pitiful yet handsome homeless man she had met before.
Smiling kindly, she handed him some Luna and a few Amantes. He took the coins without another word, slipped them into his pocket, and went on his way.
Then there was another thing she noticed very quickly. Awakened were dragging chained and beaten Nightmare Creatures toward the Endless Hunt. From what she understood, they either forced the creatures to fight each other, made them race, or fought the beasts themselves.
For the first time, Hel felt a hint of pity toward Nightmare Creatures, even though they were vile monsters.
But that wasn't the only strange thing. There was also a certain culture here, and it was vastly different from how Legacy clans or humans in general behaved.
These people were greedy, and they valued cunning and trickery more than battle prowess. She occasionally witnessed odd sights of Awakened leaping across rooftops instead of using the road to shorten the distance. Some even dove into the river to reach their destination, which was baffling but surprisingly common.
And let's not get started on how many times people scammed each other here. Apparently, if you got fooled, then it was your own fault. Who asked you to be so stupid? Fights were common as well, though most of them happened in the Endless Hunt. Sometimes, however, Awakeneds fought each other in the streets too.
There were also no guards here. That wasn't very surprising when the entire city was filled with battle-hardened killers who were far more experienced and skilled than any normal Awakened.
However, despite all of that, they were also unexpectedly close with one another, which she found rather cute. For example, Deadlight, a rather frightening individual, often allowed some people to eat for free or cooked for them if they brought him ingredients. He especially enjoyed butchering Nightmare Creatures that tasted good, like scavengers. For them, those monsters were simply food.
Centurions were more dangerous, but they shared the same fate.
But just because those two types of creatures were common, it didn't mean the Forgotten Shore was safe. Far from it. In fact, it was one of the deadliest regions, simply because there were Fallen, Corrupted, and even Great-rank creatures lurking in the Dark Sea outside the city.
Walking to the café, she gave Ah Chu, who had made quite an impression on her, twenty Luna and bought a coffee and a berry trifle.
As she turned around cheerfully, she heard a conversation and paused. Hel didn't want to be rude or eavesdrop, but she was a little curious, since Ah Chu was speaking to that pitiful homeless man she had met earlier.
Wait… now that she thought about it, that voice sounded familiar. Wasn't it the same one as the arena commentator?
Intrigued, she took a small bite of her dessert and listened.
"You came from my nuts, I made you. What's a few Luna to you anyway? The money you get from defending your title as champion is like… I don't know, a hella lot? I've never seen that much money, so how would I know?" the homeless but annoyingly handsome man said nonchalantly.
An irritated voice replied with a scoff. "Right, you wouldn't, huh? And aren't you supposed to be working?"
The homeless man scratched the back of his head, pushing his blond hair back as he smiled maliciously. Hel blushed and quickly averted her gaze from his blue eyes, though she still sneaked a peek at his abs, blushing even harder.
"Oh, that? Well, I was fired. They said something about embezzlement or whatever. I don't know nor do I give a damn. So I lit up the bar." He yawned and leaned against the counter.
Hel froze, remembering the bar that had been burning while she was taking a stroll. So that was him. Well, that was… kind of hot.
"Hmm… dude, seriously?" Ah Chu shook his head, his expression disappointed and entirely unimpressed.
"Yeah, guess I'm back on the streets." The really hot homeless man answered with a dark smile, showing no sign of regret.
Apparently, thievery, fraud, and other acts that were usually considered crimes were not taken seriously here, except for murder and a few serious offenses that could affect someone's life very negatively. At worst, Gunlaug would be forced to rebuild the bar and compensate the owner.
Normally, that would have been a serious issue for any average person. But no one in Moirai was normal, and if they wanted to, any of them could become filthy rich with minimal effort.
The reason was simple. Countless nightmare creatures lived here, which meant countless sources of money and recourses. All anyone needed to do was hunt them, extract the cores, useful materials, meat, and sell them. That was essentially the whole process. Overall, Moirai was a militaristic city focused far more on combat strength than business.
And not strength in the sense of groups or unified organisations. They all pursued their own individual power.
That made them unique and terrifying as fighters, but as an army, they were lacking since they were far more chaotic than organised.
Another thing was that many Awakened here were former criminals who had nowhere else to go. Their brutal, cunning and sadistic traits were usually frowned upon in the waking world. Their fate was almost always execution, since they were considered unstable. But here, those so-called cruel and disgusting traits were normal. No one cared, especially when burning a bar was considered a common occurrence.
After listening to their conversation, Hel did not know what to say, other than admitting that the poor, homeless man, who no longer looked poor and more like a complete deadbeat, was extremely handsome. He was appealing like the delectable dessert she was eating.
She was almost drooling, but froze the moment a raven descended from the sky and turned into a human. With black hair and black eyes, he looked rather average at first glance, yet still athletic and tall. He took a seat and ordered coffee with a tired expression.
Meanwhile, Daddy Storm walked out, dejected that his dear son had refused to give him money. However, he wasn't entirely helpless, since many guests had come to Moirai…
And indeed, a government agent found Gunlaug quite hot and pleasant, eventually asking him out on a date. How that happened was a complete mystery. If you asked Gunlaug, he would say it was natural charm, but most Awakened in the city would answer that they had no idea how that worked, since the majority of them would die as virgins anyway.
Funnily enough, women didn't like men from Moirai. Many outsiders couldn't understand why, since they were all from the same clan, so distance shouldn't have been an issue, right? However, from what Hel had heard, the reason was pretty simple. Almost all the men were either psychopaths, weirdos, thieves, scammers, gold diggers like a certain drunken storm, destroyers, or bloodthirsty battle junkies.
But Hel didn't care about that. What worried her was the fact that Daddy Storm had been taken away by that banshee.
What do I do, she thought, wailing internally as she walked in circles for a solid two minutes, biting her nail from anxiety.
Then she blinked in realisation and hit her fist into her open palm. She was a princess. She could use her connections.
And that was how she ended up standing on the doorstep of a certain Blasphemer.
Swallowing, she composed herself, exhaled, and knocked on the door. The house, though surprisingly large, was nothing fancy. She could tell it had been rebuilt at least twice.
"Amon, there's someone at the door."
"Go get it then."
"Fine, but not because you told me!"
Hel blinked, not expecting such a response from the Duke. The door opened, and a tall, red-haired, muscular man stepped out, the king of crashing out and ragebaiting himself.
"Uhm… hi?" She smiled sheepishly, waving her hand.
"I was sent by Luna. If you can-"
"Holy shit, it's Hannah!" the fire ravens merchant exclaimed, his head held high with an arrogant smirk. His exclamation did not go unnoticed by the Theft merchant, who quickly asked…
"Who's that?"
"You know? Hannah, that uwu girl."
"Dude, who?"
"One who's doing OnlyFans."
"Heh, gooner."
"Suck my dick before I clap your booty cheeks."
"That's gay as fuck, considering you're the masculine side of the creator, dude."
Hel stood there, listening to their conversation, her pleasant smile gradually becoming forced before disappearing entirely, leaving her baffled and wide-eyed.
"Shut up, Lil Raven. It's really Hannah," Medici yelled at Amon, looking up at the second floor. Then he glanced at Hel with a creepy smile. "Oh, how I loved your boobs."
"You're hopeless, dude. Always desperate." The Theft merchant's voice was nonchalant and cool as he looked down from the second floor.
"Chillax, my brother from a different mother. It's not that bad yet."
"Whatever you say, hotdog." Amon nodded, not leaving his wif… bed. But then he remembered Hel mentioning Luna, so he had to figure out what was happening. Groaning, he began thrashing around under the covers, eventually getting up, kissing his bed, and walking downstairs while wearing a onesie and hugging his pillow.
Now, instead of Medici, Hel was staring at Amon. What the hell is that costume? she wondered. It was green, with long ears and a long, ugly nose, a creepy, disturbing smile plastered across its face, and greedy eyes that seemed to follow her every move.
And the body pillow... Hel was aware that such pillows were usually paired with covers depicting fictional characters.
In Amon's case, however, there was nothing like that. Instead, it was covered with images of gold, jewels, soul shards, unique materials, and other treasures, which made Hel wonder just how much this man loved money. Yet, despite his fondness for wealth, that did not mean Amon was obsessed with it. In fact, the main reason he loved money was simply because he enjoyed spending it to have fun.
"Uhmm… What are you wearing, Duke?" She wasn't entirely confident that this was really a duke now.
"It's a goblin, of course. My spirit animal… Well, I can have multiple spirit animals like rats, worms, and ravens. And while a goblin isn't exactly an animal, it's the cutest thing in the world."
Uh-huh… If you're saying that, Hel thought, even more convinced that this city was filled with weirdos.
Though she was curious about something else. "Mr. Medici, are you living here?"
"Yeah. I asked Jet if it was fine for me to anchor myself to the Crimson Spire. She said no. Then I threatened her that I would marry some princess and leave the government if the higher-ups refused, so they let me stay, heh." Medici crossed his arms proudly.
Hel blinked, staring at him curiously. Just how irresponsible person can be?
"You mentioned Luna. Why did she send you?" Amon asked with a yawn, rubbing his eye from sleepiness.
"Yes. Luna told me that you could help me with something, Mr. Amon," Hel said, nodding, her tone a bit haughty.
"What in the name of my glorious dick? Do I look like someone's errand boy?" Medici sneered at her, clearly annoyed by her air of superiority, flames flickering around him. It was inevitable, sooner or later, he would have crashed out, anyway.
But the goblin wasn't fazed by his friend's edginess. Instead, he patted Medici on the shoulder, shaking his head. "Now, now~ there's no need to be aggressive. That's not very gentlemanly, Warman."
"That's right. That is why every girl rejects you. What is the point of being handsome if your IQ is below zero?" Hel chimed in.
"Wait… there is nothing below zero, though," Medici said, a bit confused.
"Exactly. It is in the negatives. Higher IQ means more intelligence. But in your case, it is higher only because the number keeps dropping below zero, and instead of intelligence rising, it is retardation."
"Amon…" Medici said, surprisingly calm.
"Hmm? Wusup?" Amon blinked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Let's kill her," Medici stated bluntly, summoning a fire raven... Then he frowned, grimaced, and immediately cancelled the technique, shaping the flames into a spear instead.
"Woah, woah, woah. Let's calm down," Amon exclaimed as he quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and pointed it at Medici.
"Why? She deserves it," Medici said, glancing back in bewilderment.
Hel pursed her lips, the color draining from her face. Not because she was scared, of course, but because they were idiotic enough to forget that she was a Saint and could kill them with a wave of her hand.
Before that, however, a different thought crossed her mind. Where in the world did he pull that fire extinguisher from?
Meanwhile, Amon exhaled softly, placing a hand on his shoulder as he started whispering in his ear.
"So… you know… why… and… then we…"
"I can't hear you," Medici frowned.
"After that… money… pay…"
"Dude, I still can't hear you!" He threw his arms up in exasperation.
"Wow… enhanced senses, Hunter's instincts, and allat is wasted on you, my guy. But well, that makes sense since you are from the cretin's pathway. All those abilities and still being a bum? That is something. Now that I think about it, every single hunter is a bum. Be it Anderson, Danitz, Alista, Sauron, Einhorn… even your goat, Medici."
"You…" Medici's eyes widened in fury and betrayal. "Take that back! What do you mean Medici's a fraud? How dare you slander my goat!"
"Hmm? Your goat… is a bottom-tier bum. No matter how much you cope, use headcanons, delusions, speculations, or media illiteracy… your goat was born a BUM, and he died a bottom-tier BUM, then revived as king of angels to gain more aura, yet he still ended up a BUM. It was generational aura loss. Every hunter is a fraud who cannot do anything without a fragile balance, without sucking the City of Calamity's dick or relying on nepotism. They are sexists because they are insecure and victims of a Demoness," Amon said with a straight face, sipping his juice.
Medici fell to his knees, looking up with a bleak, hollow expression, a manly tear slipping from his eye.
As for Hel, she was genuinely dumbfounded. What were they even talking about? Medici's goat? An actual animal? And why was he speaking as if he and Medici were two different people? Wasn't his name Medici, or was there someone else called that too?
And Amon… what in the world was a City of Calamity? Fragile balance? Hunters? Demoness? Was that some kind of Nightmare Creature?
Ughhh. None of this made any sense at all.
Amon shook his head, turning away with a disappointed look. "Enough of that, man. Look at her, she's tweaking out, and our rent is due next week."
Instantly, Medici stood up, towering with a determined and serious expression as he addressed Hel. "What seems to be the problem, shorty?"
Hel froze for a moment, her confidence shaken. Rent? Wasn't he a Duke? Swallowing, she took a deep breath and asked, her curiosity awakened. "Um… Mr. Amon, aren't you a Duke? What do you mean by rent? Why would you pay rent when you are one of the most powerful people in the city?"
Amon blinked and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "We got drunk yesterday, and Gunlaug took us to Aiko's casino. So we lost everything."
…I see. I really don't understand how these people's brains work.
"But isn't Lady Aiko your subordinate?" Hel asked tentatively.
"Well, she is, but that doesn't mean she's my slave. Not to mention, that greedy gremlin wouldn't give us money. In fact, I think we owe her a lot."
Would these people really help me, Luna?!Hel cried internally. But she quickly regained her resolve. She needed to rescue Gunlaug from that banshee.
"Pheeew… Fine then. Listen up, you scoundrels, since your Princess is talking," Hel proclaimed, her voice loud and haughty as she placed her hand on her chest and closed her eyes.
"What you two need to do is…"
…
...
…
"Cut the crap with that dramatic bullshit and explain, bitch," Medici muttered, his expression twisting into disdain.
***
[A/N: Guys, I just found out that there's some kind of competition between fanfic writers. What is going on? People are actually getting paid? That's… something, I guess.
But I'm still surprised. I've read some of those fics and dropped most of them since they were made by AI. No grammar corrections, nothing, just straight-up letting the AI write. So how are those stories ranking at the top? I don't understand.
There are so many great writers out there, for example, Bleap, BurgerNoTomatoes, AStoryForOne, and more. I really don't get it, and I was left quite bewildered.
Then again, WebNovel isn't exactly known for quality, so maybe it's understandable.
Enough of that, though. Give me some stones and don't be stingy. Reviews would be nice too. This fic isn't as active as it used to be. Besides that, give me some feedback, because I'm not sure how the story is going.
That's it for now, gang. Enjoy the meal and luv you all.]
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