Chapter 46

As I emerged from the boss room, I saw Kuhaku standing there, exuding confidence as if he had not a care in the world.

I remembered that once you clear the boss room, you can pass through it easily. If he was waiting for me, maybe there was a shortcut?

“It’s over. It was faster than I thought.”

“I almost got hit by a big move, so the end turned into a time attack.”

I sighed and switched my weapon from the gauntlet to the Meteor Impact.

From the previous battle, I was certain that hand-to-hand combat was very effective in boss fights, but it was a skill to be used when I didn’t have the hate directed at me.

In terms of the weight of each hit, this was better for regular monsters. Honestly, I’d like a mace for one hand, too.

“Trillia is just ahead. This is your first time, right, Sukuna? You’ll be surprised.”

“Surprised?”

As we approached the exit of the forest, Kuhaku suddenly said this.

I don’t think Rin said anything special, but there must be something about Trillia, the third town.

When we emerged from the forest, a town was visible a few hundred meters ahead. I felt something was off, and then I realized the outer wall of the town was much lower compared to the starting town or Dualis.

However, even from a distance, the reason was clear.

A wall to prevent monster invasions was simply unnecessary.

The third town, Trillia, was built on a lake.

“That’s the lake fortress city, Trillia. It’s also known as the city of water.”

“Wow... that’s amazing.”

As we walked to the lakeside, it became clear that the lake was enormous, easily surrounding the city.

I was so captivated by the sight of Trillia that I was suddenly splashed by something that flew out of the lake.

“Kyrurururur!”

“Whoa, what!?”

I was tackled and knocked down by a rather strong mysterious creature.

“It’s a baby water dragon. It’s rare to see one in such shallow waters.”

“Water dragon? Oh, oh... stop licking, stop licking, it’s rough.”

The creature, which seemed unusually friendly or attached, was licking my face.

Called a water dragon, it had a long, snake-like body rather than a long-necked dragon. After I managed to push it away, it coiled around my body again.

There were no level or HP displays, so it wasn’t treated as a monster.

“Water dragons are very intelligent and are a major presence in Trillia. They are gentle creatures that don’t attack humans.”

“Am I not being attacked now?”

“No, it’s just playing around. Maybe it’s hungry.”

“Is that so?”

“Kyr!”

The water dragon nodded and made a sound, which seemed to be a response. It was kind of cute, so I tried petting its head.

Its scales were very smooth. When I petted its head, the water dragon closed its eyes in pleasure.

I tried offering it some magical mushrooms I had collected in the Dark Forest. After checking with its tongue a few times, it swallowed them.

The water dragon, which seemed to be saying “more, more,” coiled around me and ate all the magical mushrooms I had. There were more than twenty.

“It’s gone...”

“Kyr!”

“Whoa!?”

Just as I was about to see it off, the water dragon quickly returned. It threw something it had in its mouth at me, made a sound, and then disappeared into the lake.

When I looked at what it had thrown, it was a large, blue, glass-like sphere.

“What’s this?”

“This is... a water dragon crystal. It’s quite large.”

“Dragon crystal?”

“It’s a crystal that dragons are born with. It grows larger and purer as they grow. This size... it’s probably about 100 years old. It must have been from a deceased water dragon that the baby had.”

“Hmm... is this a good thing?”

“For humans, it can be used to add attributes to weapons, so it’s useful. For dragons, who love shiny things, it’s also valuable, but it’s more of a luxury item. That’s why it might have given it to you as a thank you.”

The crystal, about the size of a baseball, looked more like a crystal. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to have a liquid inside.

It was a bit wasteful to use the magical mushrooms, but maybe I got something good.

Still, being tackled by an animal was a first for me, and I felt a bit of regret.

I hardly ever interact with animals, and for some reason, they always run away from me.

Maybe I can interact with them in the game. The baby water dragon wasn’t even a monster.

“It was cute...”

“Sukuna’s sensibilities are unique.”

Leave me alone.

☆

“Hey, that’s...”

“Wow, it’s real.”

“Isn’t it amazing...”

“Cool...”

Before entering Trillia, as we were lining up for inspection, I noticed people looking at us.

As a fortress city, Trillia had proper inspections.

While the city doesn’t allow criminal players, it’s more of a formality.

Since not only players but also NPCs enter and exit the city, it’s more like an inspection for NPCs.

The people looking at us weren’t looking at me, but at Kuhaku.

From the whispers I overheard, it seemed Kuhaku was quite famous among NPCs.

What’s this...?

“...Kuhaku of the ‘Wall Breaker’?”

“Yeah, I’m sometimes called that.”

Kuhaku scratched his cheek, a bit embarrassed.

A nickname, I guess... Being famous among NPCs is quite something.

I was about to ask about the origin when Kuhaku started explaining.

“Once, a disaster-level named monster attacked the imperial capital. I was tasked with defending it. The monster was called... ‘The Crawling Ancient Castle, Arma.’ It was literally a moving castle... In a moment of youthful recklessness, I shattered its walls, and that’s when I started being called by that nickname.”

“I see... ‘Wall Breaker.’”

Sorry, I say “I see,” but I don’t really understand what you’re saying...

Shattered walls? Into pieces? By youthful recklessness?

You’re laughing sheepishly, but I don’t think this is a joke.

Is this really something a human can do...? Well, we’re not exactly pure humans...

“You can do it if you try.”

“I don’t know about that...”

“No, you can. If I could do it, you can too.”

His straightforward words made me straighten my back, but I felt a sense of unease.

It wasn’t a major issue, just a minor discomfort. It’s not something you feel with someone you just met, but I thought his certainty was “unusual.”

“Hey, can you... even defeat a named monster like Aria on your own?”

I meant it as a joke.

But Kuhaku shook his head and denied it very seriously.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I have a wish. I can’t die until I see it through. Fighting named monsters is a matter of life and death.”

He looked at me with the expression of a dreamy girl.

But his eyes, which were so bright, were dark and chilling, filled with envy and jealousy, and a muddy emotion that couldn’t be fully described.

Ah, I see. I finally understand. The reason Kuhaku pays attention to me, the reason he helped me, and the reason he tells me all these things.

Even though he followed me from the teahouse, he didn’t immediately talk to me, just watched from a distance until I was almost dead.

It wasn’t exactly strange, but I did wonder why.

“Let’s change the location. It’s a long story.”

“Okay, I understand.”

The story of Kuhaku, a character living in this world, and what he carries began with a system announcement.

“Starting the Extra Quest: ‘The Demon Princess - A Tale of Admiration.’”