“Can we talk now?”
“Do you really think you can survive coming at me like this?”
As Umphura spoke, the Wenetus blocked their escape route.
I glanced around and raised both hands gently.
“As I mentioned before, I’m not here to fight. I just want to buy the magical stones at their fair price.”
“A fair price, huh… Have you got the money?”
“Of course.”
I opened a space and pulled out a box of gold coins.
Five boxes of gold coins prepared by the kingdom of Redberry, Rusaga.
With the quality of gold coins and jewels, it was enough to buy the quantity I desired.
“Just in case, I brought a little extra, but this should be sufficient for now.”
“That much should be good.”
As Umphura nodded, the relatively smaller Wenetus joined his hands together.
Swish!
Before I knew it, he was holding a Blue-Red Stone the size of a human head.
“Considering the kids are involved, we’ll make a little concession on our side. This should suffice, right?”
“……”
[?]
[Are they out of their minds? Hahaha]
[?]
[Don’t they need to give at least 30 of those?]
[They’re trying to settle for almost a billion won with just one?]
[What about their conscience? Hahaha]
[Can’t we just kill them all and take it?]
[That’s crossing the line.]
“That’s too little.”
“That’s more than enough. And we still need to restore what you did to the kids.”
“Just give me 100 more of that size. Then I’ll consider it an offering for humiliating the knight.”
“That’s absurd.”
I intentionally measured less since I had my own share in it.
“How about 200?”
“…If you aren’t willing to negotiate, we can only discuss life and death.”
“300.”
“…..Are you really asking for death?”
The air around Umphura boiled with mana.
The earth around him cracked, and the mana sweeping through the atmosphere trembled violently.
He was a Grim Reaper with a level comparable to an intermediate World Boss.
Compared to Leo and Sword Saint, his power was unmatched, making even the surrounding Wenetus struggle to stand.
“Ugh…”
Redberry too, with her staff planted on the ground, struggled to withstand the wildly swirling mana.
It was clear that even I couldn’t simply capture him “just like that.”
Simply.
“…?!”
A pristine holy power enveloped my body.
Redberry’s blue hair transformed into pure white, and she barely caught her breath as she was drawn within my influence.
Done.
The fiercely turbulent mana is devoured by the holy, gradually extinguishing.
The rough flow of mana soon returns to its original state.
Sigh.
The white spear, held by the White Guardian, lightly sways as I look at him.
“400 pieces.”
“……”
“I won’t accept anything beyond this.”
Unless something unexpected happens, of course.
[400 pieces lololololol]
[4 dollars!]
[4 dollars is a fair deal]
[Is 400 for real?]
[Should’ve asked for 100 when you had the chance lol]
[Lily-style negotiation;;]
Umphura clutches a fist the size of my head and hesitates.
He’s really contemplating whether to throw that punch or not.
Despite holding the title of Grim Reaper, Umphura is strong, but he knows better given his strength.
He understands just how much power the person in front of him possesses.
”……”
One thing’s for sure: even if he goes all out, he can wound me, but he can’t kill me.
It’s true that the Wenetus race is strong, but the vile blood flowing through my veins is at the pinnacle of all living beings.
The only one I can truly contend with is a Demon.
The indecision doesn’t last long.
“… I’ll let you meet the Chief.”
“Umphura?”
“Grim Reaper!”
“Just don’t blurt out that ridiculous number in front of the Chief.”
“400 pieces?”
“……”
■
Following Umphura’s lead, we venture deep into the village.
Having witnessed numerous villages, cities, and countless natural landscapes, this place is exceptionally beautiful.
A village adorned with a dreamy blend of green-hued nature and architecture.
Each building is intertwined with blue vines that emit a radiant light from the Blue-Red Stone, while outside, rabbit-like creatures basking in blue mana roam freely.
It’s a village that seems straight out of a fairy tale.
“The village is beautiful.”
“No use saying nice things.”
“But it’s true.”
Why can’t they trust what I say?
[lolololol]
[? Why don’t they believe it?]
[Lily’s being cheeky]
[Lily-type) Thinking it’s really pretty]
[Lily innocently enjoying the view lol]
[But it is really pretty though]
I pick up a rabbit with blue fur that scurries past my feet.
The rabbit, with its deep blue eyes, struggles to break free from my embrace.
“Hmm.”
So cute.
After enjoying the brief moment with the rabbit, I let it down, and it darts away into the forest.
It’s not like I’m incapable of being loved by animals…
“Hey. You’re not that useless after all.”
“Kal! Don’t stand next to the author, come over here.”
“Ah, yes ma’am!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The Kal jumped over to the side of the Grim Reaper like a rabbit.
I was still lost in thought.
“Miss Redberry.”
“Yes?”
“Why did the rabbit run away?”
Despite my appearance, my affinity with animals was quite high.
I could tame almost any animal, and I even had some connections with the Beastmen.
The Ancient Monster known as ‘Myeosin,’ revered as the god of the Beastmen, was a prime example…
[Moody Lily]
[Lily is so cute]
[LOL]
Redberry hesitated for a moment and then pulled out a Blue-Red Stone.
It was the tiny Blue-Red Stone that she had originally possessed.
“Perhaps if it feels a different kind of power, it rejects it? Just like Wenetus and that rabbit earlier, they all shared the same color, right?”
“…Hmm. Is that so?”
“Yes. That seems to be the case…”
“I can’t accept it.”
“Huh?”
“If we can’t have it, then we ought to destroy it.”
[Declaration of Annihilation]
[Shudder]
[Lily: I will wipe out all life forms]
[Gasp]
[Did you just reject Lily’s petting?]
[LOL LOL LOL LOL]
“I’m just joking.”
“…That doesn’t seem like a joke.”
“We’ve arrived.”
We finally reached the Chief’s house.
I hadn’t toured the entire village, but being the chief, he likely had the largest house.
At the root of the house were several Blue-Red Stones the size of boulders, and the mana concentration around the house was very dense.
It was similar to the time when Umphura made the mana boil.
However, it wasn’t aggressive, so the flow of mana was quite stable.
“Something… feels hard to breathe.”
“There’s just so much mana in the air. I’ll teach you the breathing technique later.”
“Okay…”
As Redberry wrapped herself in flames, straining to hold on, I slightly assisted her and entered the house.
[Oh…?]
[What’s missing?]
[Why is there nothing inside?]
[There’s nothing fuzzy?]
[It’s quite ordinary.]
Contrary to its imposing exterior, the inside was quite ordinary.
There was a simple kitchen for a quick meal and a few pieces of furniture in the living room.
A dull, gray bed was set in one of the rooms, and no shiny, expensive thing was hanging around.
It was a believable interior even for a regular tribe member’s house, not just the Chief’s.
“The Chief is quite humble.”
“He doesn’t need to spend lavishly; that person is already remarkable enough.”
“But the outside looks decent?”
“That’s because we painstakingly made it that way. Still, being the tribe leader, it shouldn’t look shabby on the outside.”
So said.
“But… the Chief isn’t here?”
“It seems he’s away for now. Be quiet and wait.”
“Get ready.”
Umphura said this and left the house, leaving us behind.
Just me and Redberry left in the house.
Redberry seemed uneasy and spoke up.
“Something feels off.”
“What is it?”
“They were acting all ferocious until just now, and now they’re leaving us with no watch…”
“Um…”
That’s true.
The mana that had been calm until now is starting to shift slightly.
But it doesn’t seem like there’s any intention to attack; they’re just leaving us be.
“It’ll be fine. Even if something happens, I can handle it.”
“That’s reassuring.”
“And it’s actually good. If something happens, there’s more room to negotiate.”
Nothing could go wrong.
“……”
The mana that spread throughout the house begins to concentrate in one spot.
As if welcoming its master, the gathered mana formed a magic circle, creating a moving gate.
A mass of pure mana coalesced.
I could strongly feel the powerful mana beyond the gate.
“Is that a teleportation magic circle?”
“It seems to be inviting us in.”
[What’s going on?]
[Are they not gonna attack after we go?]
[What might be there?]
[Looks like a trap.]
“Shall we go?”
“…Huh. Sure.”
We stepped through the gate.
■
As soon as we crossed the gate, what appeared was a gigantic tiger.
A tiger with dark blue fur and eyes.
It was at least three times the size of an ordinary tiger, making it look like it was twenty times the size of me.
Grrr…
The mana embedded in each strand of its fur added to its sharpness.
Ordinary folks would struggle to even stand against the tiger’s aura, but I smiled.
“It’s time to show off my taming skills.”
Believe it or not, I’m a dragon tamer.
Though it’s a bit special, it’s still just a tiger; that should be enough.
[Oh]
[Let’s ride the tiger]
[Let’s go for a ride]
[Out of nowhere, a tiger!]
I reached out my hand piously, just like I did as a saintess.
Swish!
I got slashed by its claws.
“……”
Grrrr…!
[OMG]
[Lily, take cover]
[It’s gonna kill us]
[Taming? Are you serious?]
[Hahaha]
[Lily;]
[???: I think I’ll need a cheetah.]
[Hahahahahahahahahahahaha]
[Peace ON]
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