Meilin seemed to have picked up on the situation as well. She’d realized just how tough of a spot Etoto had been in, and how she’d simply been taken advantage of for evil purposes. However, she simply watched silently before shifting her gaze, as if suddenly concerned. She was looking at the door that she and Marchosias had smashed apart.
From the look that was clearly written all over Meilin’s face, she seemed to be wondering what she should do.
And so, while everyone was feeling all sorts of emotions welling up within their hearts, Mira was empathizing with the girl’s predicament while simultaneously analyzing the situation.
“Hrmm… So that’s how she was able to work with amrute, huh?” Mira pondered.
“Precisely. It should be no trouble for a half demon,” the Spirit King responded.
Because she had a reasonable amount of demonic power, Etoto had been able to work with the amrute, something which no normal human would’ve been capable of doing.
However, Mira continued that there was something that concerned her if this was the case: why had the dark demon, who was able to work with amrute themselves, not done so and instead entrusted the task to Etoto?
“That would likely have to do with how it’s done. Crystallizing amrute could simply be done with raw power, yet this isn’t quite the case when it comes to inserting something into amrute. Doing so is quite a delicate task that requires precise control. With the kind of power dark demons have, it wouldn’t matter how much a dark demon tried to reign in their power while going about such a thing; they couldn’t hope to accomplish it,” the Spirit King explained.
Therefore, they’d turned to a half demon, Etoto, who could accomplish such a task. According to the Spirit King, she was extremely technically capable at this task, perhaps due to her human blood.
And so, when she finished her conversation with the Spirit King, Mira noticed that Etoto seemed to have calmed down as well.
Looking down awkwardly, she pulled her head away from Barbatos. Then, looking up gingerly at him, she saw him smiling warmly, and a look of relief washed across her face.
After this, Etoto answered all of Mira and her companions’ questions.
First off, they wanted information on who was not only having her sell the monster-repelling amulets, but making them as well.
Etoto answered that the person who’d done so was a kindly traveler.
In addition to always lending her an ear, this person had also taught her how to make her dream come true.
“Your dream?” Mira asked.
Etoto’s dream was to live normally in the human world.
She explained that she’d never been able to fit in with anyone because she was half demon.
Wherever she went, she was bullied, chased away, and even had occasional brushes with death.
As she talked about the horrors she’d experienced, Etoto more or less summarized all the terrible things that human beings were capable of. Hearing all of this was enough to make one wonder why she’d still want to live alongside humans in the first place.
Despite this, Etoto still wished to do so. Apparently, this was because she had been very fond of her human mother, who would kindly hug her, pat her on the head as if to say everything would be all right, and drive away scary monsters. Etoto said that because she had a mother like this, she didn’t believe that all humans were bad.
This was indeed why Etoto held on to her wish of living in a place full of people like her mother, if there really was a place with people who’d treat her as kindly as her mother had.
“My, what a beautiful soul the girl has…”
“Indeed, she warms my heart.”
Perhaps due to the great purity of her wish, or because one becomes more emotional as they get older, the Spirit King and Martel immediately began tearing up after they heard what the girl said.
What’s more, the two added that they’d do whatever they could, should there be any way in which they could help.
“Hrmm, I’ll let you know if the time comes…” Mira said.
And so, while this was going on, Etoto continued answering questions.
The kindly traveler had taught her that she could make her dream come true by making and selling the amulets.
Every year, countless people were victims of monsters. And yet, if they had amulets with powerful monster-repelling capabilities, fewer people would be hurt by them.
The amulets were handy tools that would protect a good many people. If she made them, then humans would no doubt appreciate her hard work and would surely accept her as one of them.
However, it wouldn’t be a good idea to rush things. As she very well knew, there were some humans who were bad. And so, if those humans were to learn that they could make money off the amulets, then they’d take complete advantage of her.
Therefore, it was best to start by selling the amulets far and wide, so that many people would come to know about them. She was also to not show herself in public until more influential people recognized her efforts. Or at least, this was what the traveler had advised.
“I have to admit, he does have a point.”
Surely, the kindly traveler whom Etoto was speaking of was a dark demon in disguise.
Perhaps needless to say, this was why they’d easily managed to dupe a child like Etoto.
This very well explained why Etoto had hidden her true identity while selling the amulets.
Logically, it made sense. But, when you looked at it from a different point of view, it became quite obvious that they were tricking the girl.
So, what would’ve happened if Etoto had sold the amulets out in the open?
Just like the traveler had said, villainous people with minds for nothing but money would have likely bled her dry.
But that wasn’t the only possibility. There was also the chance that, since she’d helped protect so many people from monsters, a benevolent friend would step forward.
If anything, judging from the amulets’ effectiveness as well as how hot of a topic they’d become, it was likely a legitimate merchant, benevolent or not, would step forward to suggest teaming up.
But of course, if this happened, more people would likely notice how the amulets were made. What’s more, before they were finished, someone aside from even Mira and her companions would probably notice that there was something suspicious about the materials used to make the amulets.
Therefore, the fewer people involved, the better. By having only Etoto, whom they’d fooled completely, create the amulets, they planned on slowly having their use spread.
“…U-Uh… Um… Was what you said true? About them being cursed…? Is everyone who got them okay…?” Etoto asked, with an uneasy look on her face, after finishing her explanation.
Having genuinely believed the amulets would protect people from terrifying monsters, Etoto had gone about selling them. However, when she heard that they were fake and actually contained something cursed, she’d become worried.
“Hrm, it’s true. But you needn’t worry about that. We’re collecting all of them. And also, they remain powerful monster repellants until they’re used for their evil purpose,” Mira said with a nod before smiling kindly and informing her that she didn’t need to worry.
Up until the magic that was inscribed on the cloth was activated, the effect of the monster-repelling amulets was precisely what their name implied. Though she had most certainly been duped, the amulets Etoto made had likely saved people.
That said, they weren’t in the clear yet.
“But, just to be safe, there are a couple of things I’d like to clear up first…” Mira began before checking with Etoto to make sure that she wasn’t overlooking anything. She asked how many of the amulets Etoto had made.
Bruce had collected most of them, but that didn’t mean he’d managed to get all of them. And, while they were only making their way around Ratnatraya, the capital of Nirvana, it was certainly possible that someone had taken them elsewhere.
And so, they needed to check how many had been made against how many they’d managed to find.
After having this explained to her, Etoto readily acquiesced.
It seemed that on the days she sold the amulets, she had duly noted the details of each sale in a ledger, which meant she seemed to have a record of how many had been sold.
“Ah… I just sold some today as well!” Etoto said, seeming to suddenly realize this when she checked her records. She then made to run out the door with the money she’d received so as to get back the amulets she’d sold.
“My dear, it’s okay. We’ve already taken care of that,” Bruce said, stopping Etoto. He then told her that the ten amulets she’d sold that day had been bought by his associates who were aware of the whole situation.
“I see. That’s a relief,” Etoto answered, seeming quite relieved to have heard this.
She then calmly stopped before handing the day’s proceeds to Bruce and adding, “Um, can you give this to them?”
“Ah, actually…” he answered.
They hadn’t actually been terribly expensive. And such a sum was pocket change to his merchant associates, meaning there was no need to go out of their way to repay them.
And yet, Bruce answered, “…Sure. I’ll make sure they get it back,” and took the money. He did so because, at that moment, Etoto’s eyes were more serious and earnest than he’d ever seen them.
Etoto then proposed that, though she couldn’t do it immediately, she wanted to pay back all the proceeds she’d earned from selling the amulets.
In other words, she wanted to compensate Bruce for all the amulets he’d collected, as he’d paid for all of them out of pocket. That meant it was up to Bruce to decide how to proceed with this proposal.
Not accounting for those who’d price gouged, the amulets weren’t terribly expensive. And yet, considering just how many he’d bought, the sum Etoto would need to repay would likely be a fortune to her.
“If you insist, then I’ll take you up on that,” Bruce said, nodding once more.
This was because he wasn’t about to disregard Etoto’s determination to live an honest life.
However, it wasn’t with money that he wanted to be repaid.
“That said, what my friends want at this point is information, and the information you have right now is quite valuable. If you tell us everything you know, then we’ll call it even. That sound all right?” Bruce continued.
Truth be told, Etoto very likely had information pertaining to the dark demons. This was precisely the kind of thing Mira and her companions wanted to obtain, even if it meant paying for it.
Etoto answered, “Sure, I’ll answer whatever questions you’ve got for me!” She was beginning to run around the room, piling not only the ledgers but everything having to do with the monster-repelling amulets on the table.