Chapter 16

"Kyaahhh!!!"

"Hahaha, what a terrible scream. Getting penetrated this deep by a much younger man isn't something you experience every day. Try to moan a bit better."

"Idaiiiiii!!! My eyes, my eyes Ahhhhhh!!!"

The village chief continued to scream, but his body couldn't move a muscle. My thumb was pressing into the socket of his right eye, immobilizing him.

When humans experience intense pain, their bodies stiffen and become unable to move. In close combat, there are techniques to control an opponent by grabbing their ears, but the technique I learned from my grandfather involves immobilizing them by hooking their eye sockets with fingers.

The chief's wife fainted and wet herself, while his daughter stood petrified. The chief himself gradually lost the strength to scream and was barely breathing.

I whispered in his ear.

"Don't think this will end with just your right eye. Next is the left one. After that, I'll shave off your nose and ears. Then I'll crush all your teeth and pull out your tongue. I'll make you look like the scum you are."

"H-H-H-Help! P-P-P-Please forgive me! If it's money, I-I-I'll pay immediately! Thirty thousand fil, I'll pay immediately!"

"Thirty thousand? Don't make me laugh. Do you really think that will be enough now? If you want me to stop, hand over all the money in this house."

"S-Such a thing! Impossible! Please, spare me!"

"Then it's a deal-breaker."

I cracked the bones of my free hand and touched the chief's left cheek. I slid my thumb and aimed for his left eye. Closing his eyes would be futile; I would definitely crush his left eye.

"This is the last thing you'll ever see. Remember it well."

"N-No! Please, please forgive me! The person I borrowed money from is part of the Gambino gang! If I don't pay, I'll be killed!"

"Like I care about that."

Does he think I'll be intimidated by the name of a gang? How foolish. A weakling who fears a gang like that has no place as an explorer.

I applied more force to my thumb, ready to crush the chief's left eye. —At that moment.

"Please, wait!!!"

The voice belonged to the chief's daughter, who had been standing frozen. Her large eyes were filled with tears, and she was trembling with fear, but she stood in front of me.

She held out a leather bag.

"This is all our wealth! There are 820,000 fil in total! I don't have a single copper coin left! Please, forgive my father!"

It seems the daughter knew where the money was hidden and had brought it on her own initiative before it was too late. However, the chief, enraged by her decision, shouted.

"Fool! What have you done! If you hand over that money, I'm finished!"

"But if we don't hand over the money now, not only will your eyes be crushed, but no one will ever accept requests from Mints Village again! What will we do if bandits or mutants appear!?"

"That... but... ugh..."

I was impressed by the daughter's words. I thought she was just trying to save her father, but she was actually considering the village's future.

Explorers have an unwritten duty to share information. If a client deceives or tries to kill an explorer, it's important to inform other explorers to prevent similar incidents. The owners of explorer-specific taverns act as messengers, listing malicious clients and informing regulars and other taverns.

Once this information spreads, as the daughter said, no one will ever accept requests from Mints Village again. If the village is attacked by bandits or mutants, they will have no choice but to wait for their destruction.

I don't know if the daughter was aware of this, but she likely deduced the worst-case scenario based on common sense.

In any case, the daughter made a brave decision to protect the village's future, despite her fear. She has the courage to be an explorer.

I released the chief and took the leather bag from the daughter, checking its contents.

"Indeed, it looks like there are 820,000 fil. Is this really all you have?"

"Y-Yes! I'm not lying!"

"Alright. Then I'll believe you. I'll forget about today's incident with this money. —Chief, is that acceptable to you?"

The chief, who was holding his crushed right eye, nodded reluctantly.

"Y-Yes... It's fine..."

"If you try to deceive explorers again, be prepared. Even if it's not a request for me, I'll take everything you have next time."

I glared at him with a murderous intent, and the chief nodded repeatedly, wetting himself.

"Alright. —Alma, let's go."

"Understood."

As we were about to leave the house, a heart-wrenching young voice pierced our backs.

"I hate explorers... I hate explorers!!!"

†

†

"Explorers are unexpectedly tough."

As we walked down the night road illuminated by the moonlight, Alma spoke with a knowing tone, and I chuckled.

"What, are you already tired of it?"

"I'm not tired. I just realized that being an explorer isn't just about defeating demons and getting paid."

"That's good. I exposed you to some unpleasant things on your first job. I should have been more considerate."

"No need to apologize. Rather—"

Alma stepped in front of me and tilted her head.

"Are you okay, Noel?"

"I'm fine. It's a waste to worry about trivial things."

"True, but it must be painful to disappoint a girl who looked up to you, no matter the circumstances."

"If you're afraid of being disappointed, you might as well live on a deserted island."

"When you're feeling down, you can always lean on me. I'll hug you."

Alma spread her arms and spoke in a seductive voice. I laughed through my nose at her.

"Go hug a cactus, you idiot."

"Stop calling me that! That's not nice!"

"Then don't treat me like a kid."

"Mmm... That's hard... It's your cute face that's the problem."

"What kind of logic is that..."

If she continues to treat me like this, even with new members joining, it will affect my authority as a leader. Who would risk their life under a weak leader?

We're still getting to know each other, so I'm letting it slide for now, but if this continues, I'll need to give her a serious talking-to.

But I appreciate that she cares. I should thank her for that.

"...Thanks for worrying about me."

"Are you a tsundere, Noel?"

"Die."

"You're cute. I want to hug you."

"If you touch me, I'll cut you out of the next distribution."

"That's too harsh!"

We continued walking down the night road, exchanging light-hearted banter.

We couldn't use the stagecoach due to the time, so we had to walk back to Yudra. Thanks to daily training, I have confidence in my stamina, but walking a poorly lit road for hours gets tiring.

Camping and waiting for morning would be a hassle. It's better to stay up all night and aim for Yudra, then catch the first coach to the capital in the morning.

"Are you going to become an assassin, Alma?"

I know you didn't get into the assassin cult, but that's different from your skill rank-up. You've already met the conditions for rank-up, so you can become an assassin anytime if you want.

"Still undecided. —Would you be happier if I became an assassin?"

"Maybe. Your combat power would definitely improve, but we also need to consider how it fits with the skills of new members. Personally, I'd prefer if you stayed as you are for now."

An assassin is the most attack-focused B-rank skill among scout rank-ups. As a front-line attacker, they are very effective.

However, there are more front-line attackers, and if we don't prioritize back-line attackers, we might end up with a party of only front-line fighters.

Considering future party composition, it would be more convenient if you became a back-line attacker rather than a front-line assassin.

Among scout skills, Pursuer and Rambler are B-rank back-line attackers.

Of course, the future is uncertain, and it's possible we might end up with more back-line attackers. That's why the current status is the best.

"Got it. I'll stay a scout for a while longer."

"Thanks. We can discuss it again when the time comes. I should be able to rank up soon too."

"I'm looking forward to it. By the way, do you know how to tell if you can rank up?"

"Yes. A pattern appears on a part of your body, right?"

"Right. Like this."

Alma stuck her hands into her cleavage and parted her large breasts. A dagger-shaped pattern was visible on the center of her chest.

"When you can rank up, a pattern like this appears. Usually, it's on the chest or the back of the hand. But I hope it appears on your butt. I'm sure it would be cute."

"Please, spare me..."

A pattern appearing on my butt would be too embarrassing. It would be a burden, no matter what great deeds I accomplished. Just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt.

"Noel."

"Yeah?"

Alma called my name in a more serious tone.

"Despite everything, today was fun."

"Really? I'm just tired."

"Since I've been training with Jijji in the mountains, it felt good to fight with someone. Especially, Noel's tactics were interesting."

"I'm glad you learned something. We also made good money, so that's a plus. I understand how you feel."

"No, it's not about the money..."

Alma frowned, then smiled.

"I'm starting to understand Noel's personality."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You're really cute. So—"

Alma snuggled into my chest and looked up with a big, blooming smile.

"I'll keep fighting with you."