Chapter 21
"Purr... purr...."
"Raven... I, I can't... seeeee.... Ugh."
"Then open your eyes, Contractor."
"Oh... it's Raven...."
"This is driving me crazy."
The Black Magician Cosplayer and the cat-eared Thief, who had been chugging Mead like water, finally succumbed to the demonic clutches of Alcohol and lost consciousness.
"Puurrrr...."
"My Demon.... My... Demon...."
Shion was curled up like a Shrimp, sleeping under the table, while my Contractor Yuri rested her Head against my elbow, sporadically mumbling nonsense.
And I was resenting Noir, the Owner who had served them the drinks, while trying to figure out how to return to our Base.
"Hey, thanks for the meal!"
"It was the best today too! Owner!"
"Yeah. You all have to come again tomorrow."
"Everyone, get home safely!"
"Have a safe trip."
"You scrub customers! Push your chairs in before you leave!"
"Yeeees...."
Before I knew it, most of the customers had left the Rainbow Tavern, leaving it completely empty.
-Swish, swish.
-Swoosh, swoosh.
In the subdued atmosphere, the Clerks were busy preparing to close, holding Brooms and Mops as they swept and wiped the floor.
"Huh? Owner! Someone left their pouch here!"
"Hmm? Is it a tip?"
"Is that what it is!?"
"Of course not, you idiots♡ If you have a Head, please use it to think~"
"Aw, I got my hopes up for nothing."
"Um... Senior. We're closing soon. But why. Aren't those customers leaving yet?"
"Hey, hey. Rookie, keep your voice down! What if the Demon of Fear hears you! Do you want to have nightmares in your sleep?"
"Whimper. Getting scolded like a dog."
"You're getting scolded like a dog because you're spouting nonsense, right? Well, since it's your first day, you can clock out early, Rookie. Great job today! Though you weren't much help, of course~"
"Oh... Great Senior, overwhelming gratitude!"
"Hey, Rookie. You're not actually leaving just because Chroma said that, right?"
"...Overwhelming despair. A premonition of failing to leave on time...."
After muttering that quietly, the Little Kid Clerk with Puppy ears suddenly whipped her head around and started glaring at me.
"...."
Faced with her fierce expression, which resembled a very angry Golden Retriever, I slowly lowered my head and avoided her gaze.
That intense yet anxious gaze was the look one gave to a Nuisance who stubbornly stayed right up until closing time.
If I stayed any longer, it would probably undergo an Evolution into a glare meant for a sworn enemy.
It meant I needed to get up and leave soon.
The problem was, even if I left, I had nowhere to go.
No, to be precise, it wasn't that I had nowhere to go. I just couldn't.
"Mumble, mumble...."
"I'm full.... Ugh."
"...."
As you can see, our Local Guide and Navigator were not in good condition.
What made things even worse was that my condition wasn't normal either.
[Time remaining until Update completion: 07:38:58]
Forced Trait lock due to 'Emergency! Update'.
Because of that, I had become a weak Demon, worse off than the Doctor's Enhanced Human.
Of course, even in this state, I was confident I could tear most guys apart, but this was a Fantasy World—a romantic and unknown World full of Dungeons and Adventurers.
If I were to encounter unknown powers like Magic, Incantations, Curses, or the Authority of a God, it would be a difficult fight even for me, despite my confidence in battle.
Under these circumstances, slinging a Kid and a Cat over my Shoulders and walking through the night streets of a Medieval Fantasy teeming with Shion's Thief friends for over three hours wasn't exactly a good choice.
"Mhm... my Demon...."
-Pat, pat.
Given the situation, all I, a Newbie Demon, could do was repeatedly ask myself 'what do I do' internally, while slowly patting the back of my Contractor, who was rubbing her Head against my Shoulder like a Cat.
I'm sorry for being a penniless, incompetent Demon.
'But really. What should I do?'
Do we have to sleep on the streets?
"...."
As I debated whether to empty Shion's pockets and get a room at an Inn, I suddenly felt a faint presence beside me.
Startled internally, I slowly shifted my eyes beneath my Mask. A beauty with neat black bobbed hair and an expressionless face as cold as a block of ice came into view.
It was Noir, the Owner of the
Damn, is she already here to ask us to leave?
'This is troublesome.'
To buy even a little more time to think, I purposely tried to pretend I hadn't seen her, but my plan was ruined when her low, emotionless, yet beautiful voice pierced my eardrums.
"Hmm. Should I call you the Demon of Fear? Or the crazy Demon?"
For a moment I wondered if she was picking a fight, but judging by her (lack of) expression, it seemed like a genuine question.
"Just call me Raven. So, what's your business? If you're asking us to leave, give us a little more time...."
"It's not that, I just wanted to make a proposal to you, Raven."
"A proposal?"
A proposal when we haven't even known each other for two hours... She says some interesting things, this woman.
"Let's hear it."
"It's getting late. How about you sleep at our Tavern? We happen to have a spare room."
Excuse me?
"...Is that really okay?"
"Yeah. It's my Building. There's no reason why not."
After being Summoned by my Contractor and stepping foot into this mysterious World, I would sometimes have this thought.
The thought, 'If there are Demons in this world, wouldn't Angels exist too?'
I think I just found the answer.
'An Angel?'
A rainbow halo scatters behind her emotionless ice statue of a face. Ah. So bright.
But why such a sweet proposal out of the blue?
Ma'am. Do you know me?
"Hmm."
Click.
In an instant, emotion was replaced by reason.
My uplifted spirit settled, and suspicion took root in its place.
I am a Human—no, a Demon—who prefers clean, mutually beneficial transactions over one-sided favors or kindness.
So, I asked.
"Is there something you want from me?"
"Yes."
An answer came without a moment's hesitation.
I like that she's honest.
But what could the Owner of a famous Tavern possibly want from a Newbie Demon like me?
'Could it have something to do with Senior Chroma?'
Doing another Tasting or whatever would be a bit burdensome.
Or maybe she wants me to fetch some Ingredients from the Dungeon?
Hunting giant Pill Bugs...
Might be a little fun.
Just as I was about to get swept away in delusions as usual, a calm voice pulled me back to reality.
"Actually, it's...."
***
A room located at the end of the Hallway on the second floor of the Rainbow Tavern, slightly smaller than my and my Contractor's Base.
"Fish of the sea...."
"Come at me, Phantom... meow...."
"Stop talking nonsense and go to sleep."
I gently laid my Contractor on the bed, dusted Shion off and set her down at the foot of the bed, then lay down leaning near the door, as I always did.
So I could react instantly if any hostile movement was detected outside.
Usually I left this to Magpie, but today I had no choice but to do it myself.
I miss you terribly today, Magpie. Where did you abandon me and what are you doing?
Don't tell me you went to meet another female Magpie? Is that it? You damn brat. Hurry up and say something with your chirping!
'Ugh.'
The more I recalled memories of Magpie, the more one side of my chest ached. How is it that there isn't a single good memory?
You adorable thing. You idiot who knows nothing but me...
Tch.
Leaving aside this unproductive reminiscence.
Listening to the Contractor and Shion shuffling around on the bed, I recalled my deal with Noir.
—I want you to teach me the emotion of fear. Then, I'll let you stay a night whenever you want. Huh? How about it?
"...The emotion of fear."
'Doesn't seem like it'll be easy.'
Chroma told me the Owner's situation was pitiful, and I didn't want to make the Contractor sleep outside, so I accepted, but honestly, I couldn't confidently say I could do it.
For a normal person, I could give them a heart attack and send them to the afterlife, but I wasn't sure I could make someone feel fear if they were a patient who couldn't feel emotions from birth.
I'm not a real Demon of Fear.
I'm closer to a Haunted House Employee.
A top-tier Ace with pretty good Equipment?
Of course, right now I'm just Employee A waiting for his Equipment to be repaired....
'I just hope this Emergency Update or whatever works out.'
If I lose Magpie like I lost my Inventory. That would be a massive failure.
It would mean losing the only way to give Noir fear, and everything I've poured over a decade into building. All collapsing in an instant.
My character, created by grinding day after day, pouring my life into it.
Proof of being alive. A trace of the years I stubbornly persevered. That forced deletion.
Oh. Just imagining it makes my breath catch and my fingertips tremble.
Because I'm so damn angry.
[Time remaining until Update completion: 07:11:01]
About 7 hours left until the Update is complete.
At this point, all I could do was offer infinite praise and Prayer to the Goddess.
Please. I prayed to the Goddess that by tomorrow morning I would hear the sound of Magpie crying.
As the Cat and Middle Schooler breathed softly, the Darkness deepened with unease.
***
Chirp!
A Bird is singing up a storm.
It means the day has broken.
Pale light seeping through the curtains cuts through the dust and penetrates my corneas.
No adjustment was needed.
I wasn't asleep to begin with.
"Phew."
Trembling with anxiety and distrust, I quietly counted.
One.
[Time remaining until Update completion: 00:00:01]
Zero.
[Time remaining until Update completion: 00:00:00]
—Ding!
A cheerful chime awakened my mind, and excitement ran through my whole body.
'Did the Patch Notes drop!?'
[Emergency! Update has been completed!]
[Please check the Patch Notes for details!]
'It really dropped!?'
Why is there something like real Patch Notes?
Even for a Game Fantasy, isn't this too authentic?
'But. What exactly changed?'
The Update is complete, but nothing seems noticeably different.
I'll probably have to check the Patch Notes to know for sure.
However, there is something I need to check before looking at the Patch Notes.
After lightly swallowing my saliva to wet my dry throat, I carefully called out to my old friend and enemy.
"Magpie?"
A brief moment of silence.
And then.
Chirp!
The welcome cry of a small animal echoing not from the outside, but from within.
Magpie, who had left home, had finally returned.
Ah! You adorable brat. I really missed y—
Crunch!
My joy at reuniting with Magpie was short-lived.
In an instant, a shock like being hit by an 8-ton truck slammed into my entire body.
"...!?"
Cruuunch!!!
My bones were crushed, and my muscles and internal organs tangled together.
Unable to bear the agony of my muscles compressing, I quietly collapsed to the floor.
'Holy shit.'
-Sizzle!
Thump, thump!
The sound of spinal fluid flowing and my Heart beating vigorously scratched relentlessly at my eardrums.
-Screech....
Every time my muscles pulled and my joints moved, a sound like the world screaming struck my ears.
"Gurgle..."
Something fishy and mushy kept coming up my esophagus, but I gritted my teeth, endured it, and swallowed it back down repeatedly. If I threw up in my Mask, I'd be truly screwed.
Cleansing it is so damn hard!
'Magpie. Block the pain. Magpie....'
Chirp, chirp!
Chirp my ass, just listen to my damn orders, you stupid bird!
Despite my desperate pleas, Magpie did not take away the pain until the very end.
Damn brat. Just you wait.
-Crunch, cruuunch!
I am vividly realizing that I am alive right now. Because if I were dead, it wouldn't hurt this much.
"Uuuugh...."
Afraid the children would worry, I couldn't even scream, simply tensing my whole body and holding on as my vision repeatedly blurred and cleared.
And then, starting from a certain moment.
Thump!
Thu-
-
My Heartbeat disappeared.
The agony that had twisted my whole body like a pretzel vanished.
All the vital signs echoing from within my body ceased, and a silence akin to eternal rest settled in.
Ah, did I finally croak?
No. I am still alive.
I can see perfectly damn clear, can't I? I can see everything, down to the dust floating in the air and the smudges on my Lenses.
By the way. Had I even been breathing up until now?
"Gaaaasp!"
At the instinctual realization that struck like an epiphany, I took a deep breath.
But. Something felt strange.
My chest should expand when I breathe in. But it doesn't show any sign of doing so.
Furthermore, I could inhale endlessly!
It felt like I had become a Vacuum Cleaner.
Whoosh!
The more I inhaled, the more I felt some unknown energy piling up inside my chest.
A dual sensation that felt simultaneously cool and hot.
Without realizing it, I was captivated by the feeling and continued to inhale.
Whoooosh....
As the energy felt in my chest grew, my senses expanded, and something akin to a feeling of omnipotence overflowed.
It was a literal flood of baseless confidence, making me feel like I could do anything.
And.
Along with it, some unknown desire boiled up within me.
An urge to plunge my hand into my chest, grab something, and pull it out continuously egged me on.
It was a truly crazy thought, but....
I wanted to try it right away!
And normally, if there's something I want to do, I tend to just do it.
Like this.
-Thwack!
My sharp, blackened fingertips dug into my chest without hesitation.
However, there was no pain to be felt. There was no bleeding or the sound of my breastbone crushing, either.
They just sank in smoothly, as if plunging into a black swamp.
Had my hand gone in about halfway?
-Thud.
When something hard and long touched my fingers. I curled my index finger like a hook, grabbed it, and pulled it out.
-Swish!
Along with a familiar grip, something long and black was smoothly drawn out from my chest.
I could feel the heaviness and coldness from the long, dark Gun Barrel, the cylindrical Cylinder, and the Hand Grip wrapped in my grasp.
This is....
"A Revolver?"
My prime... has it returned?
But. Why from my chest...?
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