Yerina unnie has gone strange.
Suddenly, she started rummaging through the entire Palana region one day without warning.
At first, she searched the palace, then proceeded to sift through the inn.
Even when I asked what she was looking for, she wouldn’t reply.
Just when I was about to go crazy from the frustration…
“Alicia, I’m only telling you this…”
Unnie opened her mouth first.
After numerous warnings that it must remain a secret, she finally got to the main point.
“I have a favor to ask.”
Unnie’s request seemed simple yet complicated.
In one sentence, it basically boiled down to finding a certain man.
“He’s a tall, northern-blooded human man, and he’s really handsome. Like, super.”
“……”
Her description of the man was so vague.
How could there just be one or two good-looking northern-blooded humans in this world?
“Isn’t there something more specific?”
“Umm. He uses a sword and is strong. Really strong.”
“How strong is that?”
“Strong enough to defeat me.”
“Ha! You’re joking, right, unnie?”
After vague conditions, came the absurd ones…
It was ridiculous.
Who in the whole northern continent could be stronger than unnie, who is considered the strongest individual in the world?
However, judging by unnie’s serious expression, it didn’t seem like she was joking.
“What’s his name?”
“Well… I don’t know his exact name. He might go by different names elsewhere…”
“Oh, so what is it then?”
“Yoo Jin.”
For some reason, unnie’s expression when she said that looked pitiful.
I couldn’t bring myself to ask what her relationship with that man was.
I feared the answer I didn’t want to hear…
It was a bit strange, but since it was unnie’s request, I couldn’t refuse.
Unnie said the man frequently visited Basel to craft mana stones.
A dwarven town with a terrible smell…
I sighed when I heard that but there was no helping it.
I had to hurry and run to find the man named Yoo Jin and drag him back to Palana.
“A righteous person who can’t pass by someone in danger… Would they come if I screamed in a dark alley?”
The odds were stacked against me no matter how I looked at it.
Still, after accepting unnie’s request, I had to do my best to find this Yoo Jin in this barbaric dwarf city.
“Ahhh! Help! Somebody save me!”
I tried desperately to scream by cupping my hands to my mouth, waiting for that man to come, but…
“What the hell are you doing?”
I wanted to give up immediately.
There was no way someone would come like this.
And even if someone did, there was no guarantee it would be Yoo Jin.
It would be much better to lie in wait on the street lined with crafting workshops.
Sighing, just as I was about to leave this dreary back alley…
“You won’t get help even if you scream here, lady. The sound doesn’t reach the plaza.”
“If you need help, we can help you instead.”
I found myself facing unwanted uninvited guests.
Dwarfs dressed in shabby clothing, filled with piercings.
The quality among them was the lowest, even among thugs.
“You look like you’re wearing expensive clothes. Take them off. Oh, but leave the underwear on.”
“Ugh…”
They already began pulling out daggers and coming my way.
They were so dirty that I didn’t even want them to touch me.
“Huh… I didn’t want to use force.”
“What are you saying?”
One of them boldly stretched out his hand.
This could be taken as a preemptive strike.
No longer holding back, I opened my fan and swung it.
WHOOSH!
“Ugh!”
A strong gust knocked the thugs back.
The thugs tumbled head over heels, crashing into the wall, knocking themselves out cold.
“Hmph. Just like a stumpy dwarf, even their fighting style is brutish.”
Such insignificant beings cause this much trouble.
I find it a shame to waste my mana on scum like them.
I closed the fan, biting the edge with my mouth.
“If I can’t summon him like this, where on earth is this Yoo Jin?”
I truly hated this city.
Suddenly, water rushed in, soaking my shoes.
I encountered strange thugs…
I was already worn out for today.
Yoo Jin who, whatever, I wanted to give up.
“Huh?”
Just then, my ears perked up, detecting a faint sound.
Someone was lurking beyond the corner.
“Who’s there?!”
“……”
Even when I called out loud, he remained still.
Could he perhaps be one of those thugs’ accomplices?
I aimed my fan at the corner and slowly approached.
Running away would be useless.
There’s no way a human or dwarf could outrun me.
Tension filled the air.
“Umm…?”
He stepped around the corner, revealing himself.
To my surprise, he appeared to be a neat-looking human.
He seemed to be of northern descent and quite handsome.
…No, actually, very much so.
‘Huh? No way?’
Could he be the one who came to save me after hearing my screams?
Is he the ‘Yoo Jin’ that unnie spoke of?
In an instant, that thought crossed my mind, but…
“You! You’re one of them, right?!”
“What?”
I quickly changed my mind.
There’s no way someone like that would appear at such a coincidental moment.
If he were well-connected enough to associate with Yerina unnie, he would surely be a noble of some stature.
This man looked like he’d be rolling around in a back alley.
As expected, he could not be ‘Yoo Jin’.
He must be one of those thugs.
Given that the dwarves travel only in small groups, it’s clear he’s the boss.
“Don’t give me that dumb expression as if I’m gonna fall for it!”
“Me? Huh? Umm…”
The human thug played at being bewildered for a moment.
Since he didn’t draw the sword from his waist, it must be a mere toy for intimidation.
With a dull-colored gem embedded in the handle, it soon became obvious.
He fidgeted with his eyes as if thinking of a good idea, then widened them in realization.
“Right! I’m a robber! Hand over everything! Cough, cough!”
“How vile you are, revealing your true colors…”
As expected.
Why am I only attracting these kinds of people today?
I let out a heavy sigh.
“It’d be better for your health if you just leave quietly…”
“Yes, I’ll leave now.”
“……?”
Suddenly, the human bent at a 90-degree angle and bowed.
After the exaggerated greeting, he disappeared around the corner.
I was left dumbfounded.
What the heck was that guy doing?
‘He certainly is good-looking…’
True, he matched the appearance of the ‘Yoo Jin’ unnie mentioned…
However, that man was said to be a righteous person.
He wouldn’t be a cowardly thug like him.
Forget about it.
“That bastard…”
“Hah, weren’t you the one who fainted earlier?”
Just then, thugs began to get back up and rush at me from behind.
They really didn’t know how to learn from their mistakes.
I readied myself to swing my fan again, but…
“Huh? What?”
Nothing happened this time.
No matter how much I swung the fan, all that came was a light breeze.
My magic wouldn’t activate at all.
I checked the fan in surprise when I found a small talisman stuck to it.
Wait, was my magic blocked by a curse?!
Just as I tried to remove the talisman…
“Ah ah! If you’re going to, then do it!”
“Cough!”
In an instant, a dagger flew in, ripping my fan away and sending it flying.
I lost my weapon.
Feeling a sharp sting and blood dripping from my hand, I stepped back only to hit the wall.
“Wow, looks like I trained in curses just for this day, huh. To catch a demihuman mage noble lady.”
“Please, back off! This is your last warning!”
“Persistent and full of guts, huh? That’s impressive.”
My magic was blocked.
What do I do now?
What can I do?
Ah. Right.
Without the fan, I can’t do anything.
If I had known this would happen, I should’ve learned some martial arts from unnie…
HIC… “P-please save me…!”
“Look who’s come to beg after being so cocky earlier, huh?”
“Ugh… Hic…”
Dagger tips closed in on me.
They poked under my clothing, popping off my buttons one by one.
Whenever I screamed, I worried that the blade would dig into my body, stifling my voice.
‘Anyone! Please, someone come!’
Just as I silently screamed in desperation…
The daggers suddenly halted.
Peeking through my lashes, I noticed all the thugs were glancing back.
“Hey. Leave her.”
“What’s your deal?”
It was the human from before.
He stood there, blocking the alley with an angry expression.
.
.
.
There was no need to draw my sword.
I wouldn’t want to stain my blade with the blood of such thugs.
But I didn’t want to leave behind corpses here either.
“Who do you think you are, wandering into our territory…!”
“Your blade is so dull. Almost rusty. Are you hoping for tetanus?”
“Uh, huh?!”
The audacity lies with you.
You’re the ones who dared to swing weapons at me.
Grabbing a dagger, their expressions shifted dramatically.
“I suppose this hand is the problem, huh?”
“Ahhh! Please, spare me!”
“Just because your hand got wrecked doesn’t mean you’re gonna die.”
“AAAAAAAH!!!”
Finally, the thugs squealed in pain as I expertly chewed through their hands before letting them escape.
From now on, they wouldn’t be able to wield weapons ever again.
They would live a kind life without resorting to robbery.
How heartwarming.
I discarded the bloody dagger on the floor and shifted my gaze to the back.
There, curled up against the corner, I saw Alicia weeping.
The noble lady who had been giggling behind a fan was gone, leaving only this pitiful girl.
I felt a pang of sympathy.
“Are you alright?”
“HICCUP… Yes…”
I extended my hand toward Alicia.
She cautiously took my hand but, realizing her clothing was a mess, sat back down to cover herself with her arms.
When I took off my outer coat and draped it over her, Alicia looked up at me with tear-filled eyes.
‘Alicia would be a problem if she died.’
She wasn’t just any commoner; she was one of Yerina’s close aides.
If Alicia were to get hurt or killed in Basel, unnie would surely lose her mind.
Much better to save Alicia and send her back than let unnie come all the way to Basel to wreck havoc.
“Thank you.”
A dry statement.
It seemed to be the highest form of gratitude her pride allowed.
I sighed and knelt down to meet her gaze.
“Show me your hand.”
“W-why?”
“You’re hurt. Show it to me.”
“……”
Slowly, Alicia loosened her guard and extended her hand.
It wasn’t a deep wound.
She just had a small cut.
I poured a low-grade potion to wash away the blood and finished by applying a bandage.
“Um, um… Thank you. Can I ask your name?”
“Doesn’t matter. We probably won’t meet again.”
“Ah…”
It seemed she now wanted to show gratitude.
But it was unnecessary.
I won’t be seeing her again.
“My name is Alicia! Alicia Yebgenia! If you ever come to the north and find yourself in trouble, please look for this name! I’ll come running to help you anytime…”
“Sure.”
Just as I was about to leave, Alicia grabbed onto my clothing, holding on tightly.
Looking down, I noticed she was on the floor, fiddling with my shoes.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m so sorry! Your shoes just look a bit unique.”
“Nothing special about them.”
“The sole is made of some special material, and so thick… Is there metal plating on the inside? These are completely like the shoes my sister wears.”
If anyone could recognize them, it would be Alicia.
She must know these are the shoes dedicated to Frost-style Swordsmanship.
And the Frost-style Swordsmanship is a top secret taught only to the royal family of Palana.
‘I’m screwed.’
In other words, I’m in deep trouble.
These shoes must never be touched by anyone from Palana.
“Where did you get these shoes?”
“……”
I was at a dead end.
There was no way to dodge the question.
If word got out that the secret of Frost-style Swordsmanship leaked…
Yerina would rush down to Basel immediately to investigate.
I had to prevent that at all costs.
“Can you just forget about today?”
“That might be a bit difficult. Just tell me where you got these shoes. Otherwise, I’ll have to tie you up and drag you back to Palana.”
“Ah…!”
Is she really threatening me right now?
There was no way out for me.
I had no choice but to silence Alicia.
As I approached her from behind, she stepped back, startled.
But the only way back was the dead-end alley.
“Ah! W-wait! I was wrong! I-I’m sorry! Please, ugh! UGH!”
I pulled her front open, revealing her bare skin.
Though she struggled fiercely, I firmly grabbed her rabbit ears and her resistance quickly weakened.
Soon, after rummaging inside her clothing, I grasped something in my hand.
“Th-that’s…!”
It was a rosary.
Tearing the string, I snatched the rosary and stood up.
Alicia’s legs seemed to collapse as she reached out in a rush to chase after me.
“Come to the plaza tomorrow morning if you want it back. Don’t tell anyone about today.”
“No! No, please!”
I left the alley, ignoring Alicia’s heart-wrenching cries.
I now had the leverage over Alicia.
As long as this rosary was in my possession, she would have no choice but to obey me.
So what’s this rosary used for, you ask?
At first glance, it seems like a precious relic or a magical treasure, but it’s not anything that extravagant.
It’s a must-have for noble rabbit demihumans.
A Libido Suppressor.
