Chapter 56: Chapter 57: School Tuition is More Expensive Than I Thought! (8)

༺ School Tuition is More Expensive Than I Thought! (8) ༻

“So, this is what Kowloon’s Giant Snake was reduced to after losing one of his hands, huh.”

That would be disastrous for any profession, but that was especially the case for a thief.

After all, any task a thief had to achieve needed dexterous hands in one way or another.

In that sense, Conrad, who had lost one hand, couldn’t even be a toy for me to play with.

“Ugh, Gyaaaaaah!”

He was pinned down by me, his head grabbed, and struggling to get out of my grasp, but my strength stat was 14.

[Stats]

Name: Judas

Level: 49

Strength: 14

Agility: 20

Endurance: 15

Karma Orientation: Chaos/Neutral

Since all my scores other than endurance exceeded Conrad’s, it was utterly impossible for him to escape from me.

Of course, I didn’t let my guard down because of that.

Thieves are cowardly and cunning.

I never know what he might do in desperation.

Swoosh—

So, while pinning Conrad down, I quickly pulled out a pill from my waist.

Then I shoved it into Conrad’s mouth.

“P-Poison!”

“Not poison. I just want to ask one thing first. You didn’t hurt the kids, did you?”

“Do you think I’ll tell you that? Of course, the kids weren’t hurt! Wait, what? Why am I telling the truth like this? Could it be a truth drug!?”

“Bingo.”

Despite having one of his hands cut off, Conrad was still a level 39 thief in the past; even then, this pill would make him spill the truth whether he agreed or not.

The effect of the truth drug from pharmacist Ilgast was excellent.

I originally planned to use it on some higher-up and force him to reveal the location of the kids, but this was very effective too.

It felt like it would be effective even against me.

Anyway.

It seemed that the kids were safe according to Conrad’s confession.

They seem to have escaped on their own.

Well, time to wrap this up.

Just when I was thinking that, Conrad, who was pinned down by me, spoke.

“…Ugh, is Princess Tamar here by any chance?”

“Why does it matter to a dying man?”

Is he trying to buy time?

How meaningless.

While I was thinking that, Conrad banged his head on the floor, chuckled then spoke with his face covered in blood.

“You must hate Princess Tamar. And Princess Tamar probably hates you too. How foolish. It’s too late to say this, but Princess Tamar really intended to run away with you that day.”

“Is that so?”

“But Herod… Judas found out that you and the princess were close. That day, I was originally ordered by Judas to kill you.”

He was spilling everything without even being asked.

The effect of the truth drug was better than I had expected.

Of course, my response was already predetermined.

“So what.”

“You fool! You probably resented the princess without knowing this! Did you kill the princess’s father out of revenge?”

“……”

“But how regrettable. That golden relationship will never be good again! You’ll never be able to have Princess Tamar!”

Kwahahahahaha—

Ordinary guys might have screamed after having their heads smashed on the pavement.

Conrad, however, who had an endurance of 17, was sturdy, and chattered away.

Was he trying to attack my mental state with his venomous tongue as his life was slipping away?

However, it was unfortunate for him. It was useless against me.

“Conrad, I already knew that Tamar didn’t betray me on purpose. That Tamar wasn’t trying to trap me.”

“…What?”

“I heard everything from the previous Judas. But the relationship between Tamar and I is just right for each other to resent. No matter what excuses I make, I killed her father. Even though he was no better than garbage.”

“Kehehe, Herod was truly garbage. He killed his wife and even his daughter to collect betrayal karma and gain the vessel.”

Conrad was laughing.

But I couldn’t laugh.

“Conrad, you talk too much. It’s not me who killed you; it’s your tongue.”

With my other hand, I slapped Conrad’s throat.

He, who had been struggling for a while, stopped moving with that.

It’s a clean death.

“Worthless bastard.”

I muttered lightly looking at the now quiet Conrad and immediately headed for the basement.

I couldn’t waste time on Conrad, knowing that the kids had escaped through the secret passage in the basement.

“Kids! Where are you?”

As I was running in the basement for a while, a scream echoed.

“Hiiiik …!”

“……!”

A familiar scream.

Tension surged through my spine.

Just as I began running quickly into the basement.

“Oh holy shh, let’s all hit hard!”

“Take down the pursuer!”

“E-Elizabeth will also cheer up! Because I have to go back to my dad!”

“Hiiiik…! Someone save this Sifnoi…!”

* * *

Naru and the kids ran hard toward the lower floors.

The path through the corridor was winding, and there were so many forks that they couldn’t tell which way to go.

Suddenly, they came across another fork in the road.

Feeling the footsteps of their pursuer from behind, Elizabeth shouted in frustration, her red hair standing on end.

“There are three ways again! Where should we go…!?”

Swish-

Elizabeth and the kids’ gaze now turned to Tywin.

Tywin quietly fell into her own thoughts, trying to hear the voice of Epar, the Mistress of Dawn.

“Maybe the middle one…!”

Her head was throbbing because she forcefully used her divination powers without using a crystal ball.

But they couldn’t stop.

“Stop, kids…! If you don’t stop, this Sifnoi will be killed by the terrible thieves…! Obediently come back…!”

The nymph that had been chasing after the kids from behind shouted loudly.

The distance was now close enough to see her curly orange hair in the dark.

Then Naru shouted.

“Since it’s come to this! We have no choice but to fight!”

Naru’s determination soared in an instant.

When cornered, even a rat will bite a cat.

The small children, who had been running and suffering all day, also felt determination fill their hearts.

Sling—

Naru drew the Rai-Setsu throwing knife from her waist.

When she threw it, it brushed past the nymph’s throat.

“Hiiik …!”

The nymph, startled, screamed.

Taking advantage of that gap, something popped out from Naru’s shadow.

It was the black fur ball, Molumolu.

━Grrrrrr…!

Molumolu clung to the nymph’s face.

The nymph Sifnoi was flailing to get Molumolu off her face.

But Molumolu wouldn’t budge at all.

“What on earth is this…!? Something warm, soft, and squishy is stuck on this Sifnoi’s face…! Blind, blind…!”

Then, as Sifnoi showed a gap.

Naru, the little thief, didn’t waste the opportunity given to her.

“Oh, holy shh…! Molumolu created an opportunity! Now! Everyone hit her hard!”

Starting with Naru’s cry, Cecily and Hina, the Priestess of Gluttony, rushed at her.

As they pounded the nymph, she crouched on the ground in great pain.

“Hiiik…! Please, spare me…!”

They thought she was a terrifying wolf-like pursuer.

But Sifnoi turned out to be weak like a lamb.

No.

Elizabeth could tell.

It wasn’t that Sifnoi was weak, but the hands and feet of Naru, Cecily, and Hina were in perfect sync, showing more synergy than expected.

Like hand eye and heart, they were beating the nymph mercilessly through a perfect formation.

A triangle formed by the three of them.

Nymph Sifnoi, trapped inside, was beaten unilaterally without any chance of resistance.

Hm.

It was then that Tywin, who was catching her breath, felt a terrible karma from the darkness in the distance.

It was overflowing with ominous karma that couldn’t even be compared to Conrad, the one-handed man they had encountered earlier.

‘Could it be that Jack has returned…!?’

Jack, the owner of this mountain range.

She thought that the terrifying mad killer might have chased them into this underground.

Swoosh—

Finally, a man slowly revealed himself from the darkness.

“What are you guys doing?”

He was a man with black hair.

His face was covered with blood, making him look extremely fierce.

Hiik!”

Elizabeth, who was easily scared, could no longer hold back and wet herself.

And then she cried loudly.

“Please save me…!”

“I will. But are you Elizabeth? Why has your princess power dropped to B? Well, it’s understandable after being in such a place…”

The man scratched the back of his head as if perplexed.

And then he made eye contact with Tywin.

“What’s going on? Tywin, even you became an A-…!”

“What are you talking about? I have never gotten less than an A+ on my tests. Don’t speak nonsense as soon as we meet.”

Tywin spoke grumpily, but she was secretly relieved inside.

The person who emerged from the darkness was indeed a ‘bad human’, but at least he was someone who could help them.

Such a relief made her legs feel weak and she nearly fell down.

But the prideful Tywin resisted.

“We can’t relax yet. The owner of this mountain range, Jack, will chase us. Judas, I know you’re strong, but Jack is not an opponent to be underestimated!”

“Jack, huh? That side should have sorted itself out by now. I wasn’t the only one who came in. Anyway, none of you are injured, right? Naru, Cecily. Elizabeth, Tywin, and I’ve never seen this little girl before….”

The man’s eyes were turned to Hina.

Naru rushed towards him.

“Dad!”

Naru wrapped her arms around the man’s leg and rubbed her face against it vigorously.

She seemed very glad.

“Good, I’m glad you are safe.”

Pat— Pat—

The man gently stroked Naru’s head.

Naru then started chattering about what had happened during the day.

“So, Cecily stole the keys with her ‘Cat Walk’! We ran to the basement with them, and beat up the nymph!”

“Oh, Cecily did? Good job. Cecily, should I pat your head too?”

“Huh? Why should I be petted by a scoundrel like you? But as a noble, I should properly reward those who help us. This Cecily Von Ragdoll will allow you to pet her head and praise her!”

“Alright.”

The man placed one hand on each of Naru’s and Cecily’s heads.

Tywin muttered, “What are you doing in a situation like this…” Her ash-colored eyes quickly shifted to Elizabeth who wet herself out of fear and Hina who remained silent.

Hina’s red eyes were watching Cecily, Naru, and the man petting their heads.

Tywin had always thought of Hina as a calm girl who didn’t show emotions regardless of the situation.

But now, Hina’s always indifferent eyes were rippling with a peculiar emotion as she watched Naru, Cecily, and the tall man.

Tywin knew what that emotion was.

It was the same look she had when she saw children holding hands with their parents on the way home from school.

Swoosh—

Tywin averted her eyes from the emerging memories and spoke.

“Let’s escape quickly. The pursuers might come.”

“Mmm… You can’t go… This Sifnoi… Will be turned into a disgusting Nymph Hand Bone Staff by the terrifying thief….”

Grab—

Sifnoi grabbed Tywin’s ankle.

She hadn’t lost consciousness despite being beaten up.

The blows must have felt like being hit with a cotton swab.

“Sifnoi?”

At that moment, the peculiar-looking man frowned and placed his hand on his chin.

He then spoke.

“Porter Sifnoi?”

“Aah-! That, that voice, could it be…!”

Sifnoi jumped up from her seat.

Then, with her orange eyes wide open, she shouted.

“Could this voice be Lord Judas…? There are less than five people in the world who call this great nymph thief Sifnoi a porter…!”

“Is that so?”

“Ah, indeed, this vile and sinister demeanor is undoubtedly that of Lord Judas…! I thought it was someone else because you were looking after the kids…!”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

What the-.

Tywin couldn’t quite understand the situation.

The strange nymph and Judas knew each other.

Cecily also seemed curious about this situation.

“What’s going on? Please explain…!”

“Ah, it’s nothing. We just know each other from before.”

“Mwehehe, it’s not just knowing each other…! I, Sifnoi, am the right hand of Lord Judas! A nymph who will one day take the position of Count in the kingdom of thieves and even the Scum Throne when it’s rebuilt…!”

Sifnoi proudly puffed out her chest.

Of course, as a pubescent-looking girl of just 15 years, her chest was incredibly flat.

Nevertheless, everyone could notice that she was brimming with tremendous pride and self-confidence.

Soon, the man added.

“This one was a porter for the Demon King Subjugation Party. She kept stealing things one by one, so she was let go before we infiltrated the castle. But why are you here?”

“Hiiik…! This Sifnoi was wrongly accused, I tell you…! This Sifnoi has actually been a good nymph… But terrible thieves coveted this nymph’s hand bones and kidnapped this Sifnoi─.”

“Alright, time to shoot up the signal flare. Once that’s done, Cariote and Brigitte will infiltrate and clear out the mountain. So, let’s make our way up to ground level first.”

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