Chapter 102

“If it wasn’t for you two…I would’ve been left mumbling to myself. So I guess you could say…I’m grateful.” “We were only good for conversation…?” Cloffe asked. “I’m sorry…” “Don’t look so down,” Cayna told them. “Yeah. You guys…made it fun.” If she went into the dungeon on her own, Cayna would have had to deal with Kuu’s tantrums all by herself. Having other people around kept the fairy quiet, so she failed to see the siblings’ company as a bad thing. She did feel a little sorry for badmouthing Kuu, though. Kuu and Kee were pretty much her only conversation partners. Kee, on the one hand, usually kept silent unless spoken to, while Kuu was a lost cause in terms of meaningful conversation. Cayna would’ve had to press onward through the dungeon with nothing but her own grumbling to keep her company. Cloffe and Clofia were a blessing in disguise; Cayna couldn’t thank them enough. They awkwardly accepted her gratitude. “Well then, Lady Cayna. May I submit a report about both this incident and Sir Opus?” “You mean to Sahalashade, right?” Cloffe nodded, and Cayna shot Opus a spiteful glare while she pondered how to respond. He brushed this off with a wave of his hand as if it were dust in the wind. “Mention me if you want. I don’t care either way.” “…Are you sure?” Cayna asked. “We’re talking about the queen of Otaloquess, right? You think a foster kid would stand a chance against me? Have a little more faith.” He was apparently aware the queen was someone’s Foster Child, though how he acquired such information remained a mystery. Cayna doubted he’d give a straight answer even if she asked. “…If I thought I could trust you…I would’ve started a long time ago,” she told him. “Well, there you have it, Cloffe. Go ahead and make your report.” “Yes, understood.” Opus had quashed Cloffe’s expectations. He’d assumed someone so powerful would do anything to avoid the attention of influential leaders. The werecat also couldn’t help but wonder if it was really a wise idea to inform the queen about this man. At any rate, Cloffe knew he and his sister couldn’t stay in this house forever, so he cast his doubts aside. “Hmm, I suppose I did give you two a pretty hard time. Consider this my apology.” As Cloffe and Clofia opened the door and stepped outside, Opus’s voice stopped them in their tracks. He tossed them a palm-sized bag. Judging by the weight, it must have held several coins. Cloffe gave a brief nod of thanks before departing the hideout with Clofia. Cayna sleepily saw the pair off; Opus’s expression remained inscrutable. When the siblings arrived home, Cloffe remembered the small bag and dumped the contents on the table. The bag was actually a magic device that could hold several hundred times more than its size suggested, kind of like a mini Item Box. Over twenty thousand silver coins came pouring out onto the table and buried the floor. Their blinding sparkle nearly made Cloffe and Clofia faint. Cayna suddenly felt drained, and Siren eased her back into bed. “Lady Cayna, you must regain your strength. Please rest for now.” Siren was right, but Cayna fought her body’s pleas for convalescence and stared dazedly at Opus. “…Opus. There’s something…I want to ask…” “Just take the day to sleep. I’ll answer any questions tomorrow.” Opus placed a hand on Cayna’s forehead, and any last vestiges of strength left her. With a bit of help on his part, she drifted out of consciousness. Siren carefully removed Cayna’s equipment for comfort’s sake and tended to her gently. The maid’s eyes emitted a dangerous gleam when they suddenly met Opus’s. “Master, how long do you intend to stare?” “Don’t mind me. Just focus on her.” He waved his hand lightly as if to say Pretend I’m not even here. A flash of golden light grazed his cheek, followed by a thunk behind him. Hit with an impending sense of doom, Opus looked back to find a knife halfway stuck in the wall. “I cannot allow you to watch a young lady change.” “…R-right. I-I’ll leave you to it, then.” Siren’s mouth was smiling, but her eyes were not. Dejected, Opus left the hideout. Anyone else would have thought he appeared out of thin air, but no one in the village took much notice. And based on the sturdy barrier Opus erected to keep himself hidden, that was just fine by him. The hideout was a one-way exit out of the dungeon. Making one’s way through the dungeon to return to the house was a drawback, albeit not a major one since both Opus and Siren had an ID Pass that let them avoid the traps and turn the long road back into a relatively short trip. Siren in all her maid glory was well-known thanks to the frequent errands she ran for Opus. Many curious adventurer parties had followed her inside the dungeon only to be met with disaster. “I might as well take care of some business…” Despite being coldly cast out of his own home, Opus took this turn of events in stride and headed for one corner of the village. There stood the only curio shop in town that served as a staple for adventurers. A cheerful, friendly middle-aged man typically stood behind the counter and, contrary to his booming voice, kindly offered his services to passing adventurers. The man’s boisterous calls were now silent. He hid his face behind a sign on the counter and made no attempt to mask his suspicious behavior. Adventurers and passersby alike glanced at him quizzically, their minds full of questions. Extremely odd behavior for a man who was usually calling out to anyone who would listen. He peeked out from behind the sign and stared at a fixed point as Opus strode leisurely down the street toward him. The demon was a head taller than anyone except a dragoid, yet he drew no attention. The occasional adventurer or villager would briskly walk past him, pause for a moment with a perplexed look, then hurry along as if they’d forgotten why they stopped in the first place. This was all thanks to Opus’s special ability to “remove” himself from people’s consciousness. Other than those Opus singled out, it was like he didn’t exist. And currently, he was singling out other players like him. Opus sauntered over to the shop counter and eyed the aging man trying his hardest to hide behind his sign. Sensing the inevitable, the man emerged from his hiding spot to face the demon customer and broke into a sweat. He valiantly attempted to avoid eye contact, his eyes darting all over the place. “W-welcome…” His booming voice was typically audible from the shops across the street, but he was now so timid one had to question whether this newcomer could even hear him. “Is that any way to treat a customer? You’re the owner, right?” “Yes, well… Everyone has their off days, you see…” “I’m pretty sure I heard you hollering from the village entrance just a few minutes ago. Sounds like you came down with something at the most inopportune time.” “Health is wealth, as they say…and I am trying to be a bit more careful… I assure you the timing is merely coincidental…” “Hmph. Well, we’ll just leave it at that.” Opus’s pompous attitude annoyed the shopkeeper to no end, but if the demon was willing to look the other way here, then the man wasn’t about to belabor the point. Although still dripping in a cold sweat, he rekindled his resolve. “So how may I help you?” “Right. I want to sell this.” Opus placed a completely average-looking stone on the counter with a brazen smile. It was no different than any other stone you might find lying on the ground, though some might mistake it as an ore fragment. “Bwah?!” And some didn’t consider it a stone at all. By the time he realized his folly, it was too late; the man’s disguise started falling off with a loud ripping sound. Opus had known who this man really was the entire time, however. “Gah, dammit!” “Tripping up at the finish line again, eh, Jaeger?” said Opus. “Shit! Heimer, you bastard! I knew it was you. When did you notice?!” “Pretty much right away. I played dumb, but Search can weed out players from average people.” “Nraaaagh! I forgot!” The man flailing backward as he gripped his head dramatically was named Jaeger. He was back to using his normal voice, but his ranting and raving had bystanders staring in shock. “I can’t say I’m enjoying all this attention.” “It’s always gotta be about you, don’t it? Tch, just hold on a sec!” Jaeger said, jabbing a fat finger at Opus. He retreated into the back of the shop and called, “Hey, honey!” A few minutes later, the two were in an alley behind the shop. “Didn’t think I’d ever meet ya in the middle of nowhere like this. Life sure knows how to throw a curveball.” “I can’t believe you’re a married man now.” “A lot’s happened. Read between the lines.” “Well, as fascinating as all that sounds, I think I’ll stop messing with you for the time being.” “How about forever?!” One half of the pair was a tall demon in a full-length coat who looked entirely at home in this back alley. Most people would think he was an assassin planning his next hit. The other individual was a very large, very muscular human male. Some might even mistake him for a gorilla in this dim alley. “You might be the guildmaster of the great and mighty Silver Watches, but I guess you’re no match for the missus.” “Give it a rest! Didn’t I just tell ya to keep your nose out of my damn business?” Anyone privy to Jaeger’s delightful conversation with his wife inside the shop earlier would be tempted to tease him, too. “Sorry, honey—think you can mind the store for a little bit? An old friend of mine just stopped by.” “What? Watching the shop today was part of your punishment. You’ve got some nerve using that same old story to sneak out again.”