About two weeks passed after that night. Eileen seemed to gradually let go of her unnecessary wariness, and soon accepted the reality that she’d been kidnapped by the undead. Then she started openly clinging to me.
For example, after a day of adventuring, she’d lounge around in that thin nightgown of hers, watching me make all sorts of things. Sometimes she’d lean against me and read the books we’d picked up together.
But she was still a child, after all. She quickly got bored of geography and politics, then buried herself in books about historical heroes instead.
At night, she wouldn’t let me leave, either. She’d press herself against me and cling tightly to my arm as she fell asleep. One day, she even sprawled her petite body across my chest and used me as a bed.
The words I’d said to her that night...
-----------=-------------
“I’m going to kidnap you.”
“Huh...?”
The girl’s eyes widened, as if she’d heard something impossible.
“I’m going to keep you forever in a lie wrapped in happiness. As long as I’m by your side, this dream will never end.”
“And as the girl who’s been kidnapped, you have a duty to escape from me.”
I let go of her hand and stepped back a few paces.
“So choose. Leave now and go back to the life you had before, hiding and running from place to place—or accept that you’ve been kidnapped by a skeleton and stay here.”
“Choose the freedom and future you want.”
“...”
She thought for a while, wiped away her tears, then asked me in a voice as cautious as someone walking on thin ice.
“Is all this... real? Or are you lying to me?”
“If you choose to leave, then it’s real. If you choose to fall into this lie on your own, then I’m lying to you.”
“...”
The girl lowered her head and thought for a while. Then she turned to the side and asked me in a trembling voice,
“Then... from now on... you’ll be the criminal... If someone finds out, what will happen...?”
“Yeah. If I’m found out, they’ll probably beat me to death. And you might get taken away and made into a slave, then die in some corner of a dark basement.”
I sighed, spread my arms, and shook my head.
“That’s why this dream won’t end. I won’t let anyone find us.”
“Otherwise, we’ll both die.”
I held out my bony hand to her.
“So, will you let a monster kidnap you and become a girl led astray, or go back to being a homeless half-elf girl with nowhere to go but the road?”
“What’s your answer?”
She smiled—a smile that was both insincere and genuine.
Smack!
Then she slapped my hand.
“Then I’m in your care from now on.”
“—Mr. Kidnapper.”
----------------------=----------------
But her sudden change in attitude was giving me a headache...
“Hehe, big brother~~”
“Ahaha...” I gave her a vague reply.
A lot of my nighttime experiments had to be put on hold now.
For the record, the experiments I was working on included:
[Multi-Line Necromantic Control], [Necromantic Recon Drone Development], [Undead Horde], [Three-Line Formation Skeleton Archer Experiment], [Damage to Undead Creatures from Different Types of Magic], [Undead Creatures’ Resistance to Various Kinds of Magic], and more.
And, most importantly—
Recreating firearms.
After learning a little about this world, I hadn’t found any firearms or similar devices. There weren’t even hand cannons, matchlocks, or flintlocks. Ranged attacks still relied mainly on magic and bows.
Then again, when magic exists—a completely unreasonable power that can warp reality—who’d bother making firearms?
Gunpowder existed, and so did rune cannons, but both were military supplies. Gunpowder in particular was strictly controlled by the kingdom.
So I had to give up on making RPGs and C4 and settle for trying to recreate modern firearms with magic.
But progress was slow. Or, to put it another way, there was no way I could make one by myself. Just making a seamless steel tube was enough to drive me crazy, never mind all the other parts.
Fortunately, Dad kept his promise and got us promoted to Iron rank. The exploration job in Myriad Bones Wasteland had also been officially handed over, and we’d established channels for gathering information from Nightingale and Red Court merchants.
The groundwork was more or less in place. With money and a respectable status to our names, it was only a matter of time before we got our hands on more valuable materials and technology.
For now, though, we still had to hunt monsters and level up, while looking for someone powerful to rely on—and staying open to the possibility of taking on new teammates when necessary.
There was only so much Eileen and I could do by ourselves.
Not long ago, after we wiped out a goblin nest, Aierfu told us our contribution points and Adventurer rank were high enough to explore a dungeon. She asked if we wanted to go, so she could book us a guide in advance.
“Um... what do you mean by ‘guide’? A dungeon’s not exactly a tourist attraction...”
“If it’s your first time adventuring in a dungeon, it’s best to have someone who knows the place lead you. Otherwise, you could easily die to one of the traps. Quite a few stubborn rookies went in for their first time and never came back.”
“Whoa, that sounds terrifying. So these ‘guides’ are veteran adventurers who specialize in dungeon walkthroughs?”
Like players who specialized in clearing certain high-difficulty dungeons in an online game. They’d already figured out all the traps, right?
“That’s right. In the past few years, some people have started making a business of it. The Guild’s happy to see fewer people die, so they’ve started working with them.”
“I see... Then could you book one for us? The day after tomorrow, at nine in the morning. Let’s meet in the Guild hall.”
“Sure. And please be careful once you’re underground.”
So today, Eileen and I were heading to the Guild to meet our ‘guide.’
“Hey, Eileen...”
I glanced at the girl clinging to my arm beside me and awkwardly scratched my faceplate with my other hand.
“Hm?”
Eileen lifted her adorable, smiling face. Her sparkling red eyes and sweet, alluring scent made me lose focus for a moment.
“...You don’t have to cling to my arm out here on the street. Can’t you just hold my hand?”
She was still clinging to my arm and pressing herself close. But Eileen was so petite—only 147 centimeters tall—that even on tiptoe she could barely reach my stomach. So she preferred hugging me to holding hands.
But out here on the street... it was pretty embarrassing.
Quite a few people had been looking at me like I was some kind of creepy little-girl-obsessed pervert lately.
“Awww~~~ Does big brother not like this?”
Eileen puffed out her cheeks and complained, a little displeased.
“It’s not that I don’t like it. It’s just... you have to think about where we are.”
I glanced to the side. Two girls passing by were whispering to each other as they gave me the look you’d give a pervert.
“No way! You have to hold on tight to your prey!”
“Right, Mr. Kidnapper?”
After saying that, she hugged me even tighter. I sighed and patted her head.
Like a satisfied little cat, Eileen wore a contented expression, and her long, pointed ears twitched softly.
Well, whatever. Maybe the promise we made that night had helped ease her fear of being abandoned. She stuck by my side every waking moment, and only when she was with me did she wear a peaceful smile.
After all, as far as Eileen was concerned, my side was the only place she belonged.
But when I looked at those ears and her smooth, snow-white neck, I fell into thought.
Eileen had been hurt. She’d had knife wounds, whip marks, and burns, and many of them had been severe enough to leave scars.
But a few days ago, while she was asleep, I’d taken the chance to examine her body.
Her skin was smooth as a work of art, and her snow-white body was completely flawless. She was beautiful as a porcelain doll made by the gods, especially striking beneath the faint moonlight.
Those injuries had vanished as if they’d been an illusion. I’d been utterly astonished. After discussing it with Paper-chan and getting nowhere, I could only chalk it up to the regenerative abilities that came with her elf blood.
Later, I casually asked Eileen about it. After some careful probing, she tilted her head and admitted as if it were obvious that she was a half-elf. She also said she knew nothing about her regenerative ability or her terrifying talent for magic.
She wasn’t lying to me. I could tell Eileen genuinely didn’t know her bloodline or identity.
【There are many conditions affecting this girl that the system can’t detect at present, including the enhancements from her fairy bloodline. Once you reach level 30, the system’s detection ability will improve greatly. Then everything will become clear.】
[Right. By the way, what level are we both now?]
After I said that, Paper-chan displayed two status panels in my field of vision.
【Ojer】
【Race: Undead】
【Hidden Race: Life-and-Death Spirit】
【Age: 22】
【Class: Necromancer】
【Level: 23 (Physical-Type Archmage)】
【Combat Power: Unlock the [Combat Power Assessment] system to view】
【Current Status: Increased Physical Strength; Constant Body Temperature; Temperature Immunity; Steadfast Will; Night Vision; No Need for Sleep; Soulfire】
【Note: User No. 001, you’re a man destined to become a god】
Level 23, huh... I’d leveled up pretty fast.
I looked at Eileen’s stats next.
【Ailrinni】
【Race: Fairy】
【Age: 13】
【Class: Mage】
【Level: 21 (Terrifying Growth Rate)】
【Combat Power: Unlock the [Combat Power Assessment] system to view】
【Current Status: Moon God’s Gaze】
【Note: An adorable and unfortunate fairy girl, the orphan of the ancient Moon God】
After half a month of training, Eileen had quickly reached level 21 and learned a lot of other spells.
[Low-Level Healing Magic], [Barrier], [Light], [Fire Snake], [Cold Light]
Eileen was proficient in every element, with an aptitude for all kinds of magic far beyond the norm. When we went to a magic shop to buy spellbooks, the shopkeeper took one look at Eileen and hastily put on a pair of 24-karat pitch-black sunglasses, afraid she’d flash him into an epileptic seizure.
【At level 30, the [Information Gathering] skill will receive a major upgrade, and the [Combat Power Assessment] system will also be unlocked】
【Keep working hard】
[Oh!]
We soon arrived at the Guild hall.
But...
“Huh? Where is she...?”
I made a round of the crowded hall, but I couldn’t find the girl Aierfu had described.
We’d agreed to meet at nine. Had she stood us up?!
I’m the one who usually stands people up! How dare someone stand me up!
Just as I was getting annoyed, a familiar figure flashed through the crowd.
“Ah! Senior Ye!”
I went over to greet him, and Eileen bowed politely, too.
Fiery red hair, a long red robe that stood out from the crowd, narrowly squinting eyes, and a handsome face.
It was none other than Ye, vice president of the Saileda Adventurers' Guild and a level 54 powerhouse.
Hearing someone call his name, Ye turned around and smiled.
“Ojer, how are you finding life in Saileda?”
“Thanks to you, we’re doing great. We’ve even become adventurers now.”
As I spoke, I pulled the black iron tag from my chest.
Ye didn’t look at me. Instead, he watched Eileen for a while, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“Hey, what’s your name?” he asked Eileen.
“Ah! I’m Ailrinni!”
“Ailrinni, huh… That’s a nice name.”
“Thank you…”
“So, Ailrinni, are you happy living here?”
He crouched down and asked with a smile.
But Eileen didn’t hesitate for a moment. She took my hand and beamed with innocent joy.
“When I’m with Big Brother! I’m so happy!”
“Heh. Good.”
After that, Ye seemed like he wanted to say something else. He opened his mouth, then simply went back to wearing that smiling poker face.
“Come to think of it, you’ve already met the old man.”
“Yeah. We were able to jump straight to black iron rank because… we got a little special treatment from him…”
I scratched my head, feeling like a student caught copying homework by the teacher.
Ye seemed to understand what I meant.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to hold you responsible for anything. Passing the old man’s test is no easy feat. I remember someone once asked him for a favor, and the old man told them to go out to sea and bring him back a shark egg.”
“Huh?!”
What kind of unreasonable test was that?!
“Still, anyone who passes has the strength to match. Keep up the good work.”
“Yes!”
Ye nodded, and just as he was about to say something else…
Hoooooooooom!!!!
Flames burst into view! A wave of pressure swept through!
Amid billowing clouds of smoke, a tremendous boom rang out from the guild’s second floor!!
