Chapter 95

On September 25, the third volume of "I Am Not a Hero" was released. Although it was a bit late for the release date, it finally appeared on the shelves of local bookstores. Please bear with us <(_ _)> Thank you very much <(_ _)>

The existence of King, crawling out from the ruins.

In accordance with the book, it has been changed to "Demon Lord."

He might be turned into a dried product.

Kurou, for a moment, imagined Azurona being dried in the sun, and for some reason, he was slapped in the face by the white snow's tail, which seemed to have noticed his thoughts.

"Let's start by searching Rock Odd Street. It would be very helpful if everyone could cooperate."

Daiboshi called out to the drunkards who were sprawled on the ground. The White Mist Mountain ruins were already closed, and no one could enter or leave. It was unclear whether Azurona was kidnapped before or after the closure, so they had no choice but to search inside the ruins.

"Can't be helped, I guess."

"For the sake of the boy, we'll take care of the kid."

"Exactly, we're settling an old debt. Don't get the wrong idea?"

"My Azurona..."

Despite their grumbling, they seemed willing to help. The last, curse-like words came from the old man who ran the night stall. It seemed he doted on Azurona like a grandchild and was sharpening a menacingly large knife, as if he was about to fillet someone.

As Daiboshi gave instructions to the helpers, an old man asked Kurou:

"Don't worry, it's fine. She has to be dried alive, so it will take some time. Depending on whether it's male or female, it will be different, but which one is it?"

Kurou calmed his racing heart.

"…I don't know."

"Well, it's hard to tell, isn't it? If it's male, it will take two days, and if it's female, it will take three days."

Starve them to empty their stomachs and bowels before drying them alive. There are also some complicated procedures involved, such as draining the blood while drying them.

Upon hearing this, the killing intent from the white snow expanded.

It seemed she had been holding it back, but hearing such a cruel method pushed her to her limit.

The white snow forcibly secured Kurou with her tail, mounted his back, and took off running.

"Hey, wait—"

"Kurou, follow the white snow's nose until you can. Please don't try to break through the gate? I'll go as soon as it opens. Don't worry. I have some connections, you know."

Daiboshi, considering the possibility that the white snow's nose might be fooled, seemed to be planning to search the ruins thoroughly, starting with the gate to the underground ruins on the martial artist side.

Azurona had apparently been taken outside the gate.

The white snow followed the scent intentionally scattered in Rock Odd Street and let out a frustrated growl near the entrance that connected to the inland of Longhua.

There were black-armored gate guards, but in terms of sheer strength, Kurou couldn't handle them. The gate guards not only prevented non-Longhua people from entering the country but also had to deal with the "Demon Lord" if it emerged from the White Mist Mountain ruins. Therefore, skilled guards were stationed there.

Of course, the white snow could probably sweep them away, but she understood that doing so would make it impossible to stay in the country and make it difficult to rescue Azurona.

"Looks like it's outside..."

Daiboshi, who had somehow appeared behind Kurou.

"Can't we do anything?"

"Nothing will open until early morning. The kidnappers must have anticipated this."

Frustration built up.

"Hey, hold it in!"

Daiboshi shivered at the cold, almost palpable killing intent from the white snow.

"Today, no, it's already today. I'll go in the early morning. I have some connections, and if I ask my master, who has connections both in the open and underground, we'll definitely find out."

"Please..."

That was all Kurou could say. Or rather—

"Can you take the white snow with you? Make sure she doesn't do anything rash and stop the culprit before they kill."

Daiboshi, with a difficult expression, nodded but then smiled as if he had realized something.

Early morning.

Daiboshi took the white snow outside the ruins.

Foreigners are not allowed to go outside the ruins, but Kurou suggested to Daiboshi that if the white snow was considered a magical beast, it might be possible. Daiboshi laughed and agreed.

However, the conversation with the white snow did not go well, and the idea of a half-dead state did not satisfy her, leading to a nine-tenths dead state, which was a bit worrying.

A different landscape spread out before them.

The walled city resembled the Rattana Kingdom in the Ankwaar Islands. It is said that there was a brief diplomatic relationship between the Rattana Kingdom and Longhua before the northern powers colonized the Ankwaar Islands, and it might be more accurate to say that the Rattana Kingdom influenced Longhua.

The streets were built with dark stones, and the doors and windows were colored white, vermilion, and greenish-blue. The air was filled with a mix of people and food, and the morning bustle made it incredibly noisy. Shouts echoed incessantly.

Even such a novel scene did not make the white snow's heart leap.

Perhaps she had taken some precautions against the scent, or perhaps the mixed scents here made it difficult, but Azurona's scent had disappeared.

The white snow's heart was filled with anxiety, anger, and some indescribable emotion.

Kurou picked up a baby flying dragon and placed it on his head.

He thought such a weak baby would die soon.

So, thinking it would only be for a short time, he decided to take care of it.

Seeing Kurou feed it a milky white liquid, he vaguely remembered being taken care of by Kurou right after losing his mother.

Still, he thought it was pitiful, but the weak would die.

He didn't think this baby, on the verge of disappearing, would survive.

But his prediction was wrong.

The baby flying dragon, Azurona, struggled to live and survived.

After that, she tried to charm a different species to stay alive. It was her survival strategy, and he couldn't blame her for it.

Azurona's affectionate nature might have come from this.

She had to do it to survive. She had no choice but to do it.

He would never allow anyone to exploit it. Never.

It was good that they managed to bring the white snow outside the gate, but Daiboshi had been feeling a chill down his spine ever since.

Kurou also emitted a terrifying killing intent, but after parting ways with Kurou, the white snow was like a great sword unsheathed. It intimidated those who saw it, and touching it would make one's fingers fall off.

It was so terrifying that Daiboshi couldn't even speak.

"Ah, you've brought an interesting creature."

"I'm sorry for the early morning."

Daiboshi, in front of the large gate, met his master, Master Yan, and performed the bowing salute, making a fist with his right hand and placing his left hand over it in front of his chest. It was a salute between master and disciple, not a deep bow like in Japan, but a firm gaze with intent.

"It's fine, I was woken up by the killing intent."

Master Yan also performed the bowing salute in response.

Since Master Yan appeared, Daiboshi had been somewhat freed from the white snow's killing intent. Master Yan's broad yet strong presence had eased the white snow's killing intent.

"So, what brings you here so early? You seem to have brought a rare beast."

"This is the white snow, a beast named Azurona, who has been kidnapped. I need your help, Master. She was taken from Rock Odd Street last night."

"Ingredients for an elixir, I see. ... Wait a moment."

Master Yan whispered a few words to a servant standing nearby, and the servant silently stood up and disappeared into the house.

The servant did not return for a while.

The white snow was getting impatient.

"Please wait a bit longer. Here, have a bun?"

Master Yan, unafraid of the white snow, held a bun in front of her mouth.

The white snow turned away once but then, remembering something, secured the bun with her tail.

—Rumble

The white snow growled as a sign of gratitude, and Master Yan smiled.

"Oh, what a gentle one. The baby flying dragon must be hungry."

The white snow turned away.

"You're not being honest, are you? Is it the human's influence?"

Daiboshi watched the interaction between Master Yan and the white snow with concern.

After a while, the servant returned and whispered in Master Yan's ear.

"... It seems to be the work of vagrants in the back alleys."

"Thank you."

Daiboshi was about to go immediately, but Master Yan's words made him stop.

"I'll go too."

"Uh..."

"To stop this young lady, you might need some help, right?"

Daiboshi nodded with a complicated expression.

If the two were to fight, the back alleys might be blown away. All he could do was pray that it wouldn't come to that.

From there, it could be a tragedy or a comedy.

Thanks to Master Yan's information and Daiboshi's connections, they traced the culprit without being noticed.

Knowing both the front and back of the city, Master Yan, with his wide network, and the white snow, emitting a chilling killing intent, would make most people nod when asked for help.

They passed through the bustling streets and entered the back alleys, which had a dark atmosphere even in the morning.

The buildings were close to the outer walls, some made of stone, but most were covered with cloth or wood, and the smell of sewage and excrement was terrible.

In one corner, there was a dilapidated house.

Master Yan and Daiboshi knocked on the door.

There was no response, but they could sense someone approaching the door.

There, the fate of the culprit was sealed.

A thunderous boom and shock wave shook the fragile house.

The white snow, who had been hovering high above Master