Chapter 7

7

After moving to the capital and not seeing the viscount's face for three days, I gave up on this household.

Now, I can shift into neutral and assert it.

The House of Eslante is a mess.

No matter how much of a stepmother she is, the eldest son who treats me like a transparent person, the second son who calls me a dirty prostitute, and the viscount who is busy playing around instead of taking care of his wife, they are all the same.

Not to mention, it's not as if the men in the household are close to each other, excluding Eila.

The viscount is in the process of passing on to his sons the things he couldn't or was too lazy to achieve, and the pinnacle of this is trying to send his son, who just woke up from a coma, directly to the academy.

Moreover, he hasn't even come home for three days after calling me.

So, I decided to stop waiting for the viscount and take care of my own business.

Since there's still time before the academy enrollment, it's better to do various things in the meantime.

"This is the largest cave in the vicinity, young master."

The voice of the hunter I hired as a real estate agent and guide broke my thoughts.

I was now in the Reme Forest, a 1 hour and 30-minute ride from the capital.

"Hmm, are there monsters here too?"

I asked, looking down at the cave with a relatively steep slope.

It's not so steep that I can't go down, but with this slope, it seems likely that the cave goes downward rather than horizontally.

"These are the habitats of giant tarantulas, but they live so deep that they rarely come into contact with people. They only get noisy when adventurers stir them up, and we forest dwellers don't really pay attention to them."

Monsters that you don't have to face unless you go in.

I touched my chin and carefully examined the cave from the outside.

The reason I came all the way here to look at caves is simple.

To develop the second dungeon.

When I tried to increase the number of dungeons, I received a message saying that the current location was unsuitable for creating a dungeon, which led me to wander around like this.

When I studied the function, I found a method to occupy and dungeonize a site using subordinate monsters, but it was impossible with the negative points I currently have.

15,000 points; with the points I currently have, I can only directly seek out and obtain dungeons of level 2 or lower.

"Hmm, I can't really tell from the outside? I don't know how big the inside is, can I go in and take a look?"

The hunter's expression crumpled at my words.

"Sir, even if it's hard to see monsters unless you go deep, there's always a chance. To go this far, you should hire an adventurer, not a forest dweller like me."

I checked the hunter's status window.

The first thing that caught my eye was his name, which smelled like coffee.

His level and stats were relatively decent, as befitting someone who makes a living with their body, and what stood out was that he had three skills.

I thought he might be better than an average adventurer, but I had never directly met a proper adventurer, so I couldn't judge.

However, compared to me, Maxim is clearly much stronger in every aspect.

I still don't have any skills, and my traits don't directly affect combat.

In other words, if Maxim finds it dangerous, this cave is dangerous for me too.

But I can't sign a contract without seeing the room, so it's a dilemma.

It would be nice if I could use the dungeon system to check, but I can't do that for a dungeon that isn't mine.

"Sir, would you like to see another cave?"

"Is there a place where I can look inside?"

"Most are dangerous, but there is a place where I know the inside. I went in once while chasing an animal."

Yes, when you usually sign a real estate contract, you look around, so I should look around a bit more.

"Then let's go there."

"Yes, sir."

The hunter started to skillfully clear a path through the forest for me to pass.

At that moment.

"Move faster, you bitch!"

A rough man's voice came from the opposite side of the forest, followed by the sound of a kick and a sob.

When I stopped to listen, the hunter's face turned serious.

"Sir, the sun sets quickly in the forest. If you don't hurry, you won't be able to see a few places."

"Didn't you hear that sound?"

"What sound, sir?"

The hunter tried to act innocent, but the sound grew louder, and his expression soured.

"Please, save me. Please save me."

"Ah, that's why who told you to pick fruit here? The Reme Forest belongs to the sacred king. Those who do such things without permission are all sentenced to death, death!"

"Hehe, that's right. We're just doing the job of the busy executioner for the many heinous criminals."

As the distance closed and the conversation became audible, the hunter sighed in despair.

"Getting involved in such matters is not good for you, sir. Just go."

I ignored the hunter and looked in the direction of the sound.

The first to appear was a girl about my age.

She still looked young, with a split lip and her body covered in small wounds.

She had already been through a rough time, as she was walking unsteadily with her hands tied behind her back, without any clothes on.

Behind her, threatening and driving her, were men in leather armor.

There were three of them, not adventurers but soldiers.

They were the patrol team guarding the king's forest.

"Go in."

"Please, please save me. I promise I won't do this again, ever."

The girl, seeing the dark cave entrance, clung to the soldier's leg and started to beg in fear.

"Oh, this is making me soft-hearted."

"Soft-hearted? You're just being a fool."

The soldiers laughed at each other, finding something amusing.

"Damn, I really have to save her? Seeing her shivering in fear is making me hard again."

"Doing it a few times and still being like this? Even a rutting calf would be more gentlemanly than you."

After hearing the soldiers' vulgar conversation and understanding the situation, I checked the status window of the biggest one.

In terms of stats alone, he was superior to me, and there were three of them.

Moreover, I had no weapon, and the hunter was unlikely to help me, even if I offered money.

He wouldn't risk his life for it.

In the end, there was only one option.

I confirmed the message and paid the points to acquire the ownership of the cave.

By then, one of the soldiers was unbuttoning his belt and exposing a grotesque object.

"Well, since she's not going in willingly, let's play one more game here and make holes in her thighs before throwing her in. The spiders will take care of the rest."

As I was about to step out of the bushes, the hunter grabbed my collar and tried to stop me.

"Even if you're a noble, it's dangerous to go out now."

"I won't risk my life to help, so don't worry."

I pushed away the hunter's hand and stepped out of the bushes.

"The moment you pull out that disgusting thing and attack my eyes, I'll cut it off and shove it down your throat."

The soldiers, startled by the sudden voice, turned their gaze to me.

The one unbuttoning his belt froze halfway.

"Damn..."

"Ha..."

"Things are getting ugly."

The soldiers spat out curses with annoyed expressions.

"Help me! Cough!"

The girl, spotting me, cried for help but was hit in the stomach and screamed.

The soldiers, after a moment of confusion, only showed annoyance at seeing me.

"Who are you, some random rich kid? Or a noble sir?"

"What are you doing here alone, sir? Did you get lost?"

The soldiers even mocked me.

"Trees, herbs, animals."

"Huh?"

The soldiers didn't understand what I was saying.

"The king's forest, the lord's forest, taking anything without permission is severely punished. But fruit is not included."

In this mountain, especially in winter, the only fruit you can pick is wild strawberries.

And unless there's a separate decree against picking wild strawberries, there's no punishment for it.

"On the other hand, you guys don't seem to be first-time offenders, so at least the death penalty."

"Damn, you nobles sure have a way with words."

One of the soldiers spat on the ground.

"Well, we don't need a righteous speech. We'll give you a chance."

"A chance?"

"Yes, a chance. You look young and green. I'll give you a chance to have a go with this girl. It would be a shame to die a virgin, wouldn't it? You should taste a woman before you go. Have the best experience of your life and then go into the cave together. How about it?"

"Hehe, you idiot. Do you think this pretty young master would use something we've already used and dirtied? With his good looks, women would stick to him, unlike you."

I couldn't help but laugh at the soldiers mocking me.

I couldn't stop the laughter, not because of their attitude, but because of the absurdity of the situation.

I came here to obtain a means to attack humans, and now I'm trying to save a girl in danger.

But I'm not stingy with good deeds, just as I'm not lenient with evil.

Affecting someone's life in a significant way gives me a great sense of pleasure.

Changing a predestined tragic death after horrific abuse and fear is like leaving an indelible mark on her life.

The girl's desperate gaze, filled with fear and pleading, gave me a strange sense of pleasure.

"Well, since you don't seem to want to use it, let's lay the noble sir down first and play one more game."

"Sure."

The soldiers, with a relaxed attitude, drew their swords.