Chapter 291.2

Chapter 291.2. Tamamo From The Past

-??? Tamamo’s POV-

“We’re not going to defeat monsters! Wait a minute!”

“You know, I’ve fought Poyopoyo before!”

“That won’t work here! That’s different from Poyopoyo!”

“It’s okay! Mii-chan is a strong kid!”

“She’s only about 5 years old. But she’s way too brave!”

With a firm grip on her wooden branch and a determined expression, the young girl attempted to charge into the dungeon. I grabbed her from behind and lifted her, noticing her fighting spirit was strong, even if she was just a child.

“Come on, hide! They’ll be here soon.”

“Okay.”

Now that Takano Miu had calmed down, Tamamo quickly hid behind the ruins of the building. It seemed like the timing was just right. Footsteps echoed from the dungeon entrance, and Tamamo’s half-missing fox ears twitched in response.

“Look, the prey is coming.”

“Prey?”

“Yeah, prey.”

I revealed her fangs and took on the role of a hunter. Clanking sounds of metal boots and a group of men approached.

Dressed in sturdy leather clothing, rusted swords, and iron shields, these men had unhealthy, red, alcohol-flushed faces with scruffy beards. Some were too skinny, while others were quite overweight.

They were adventurers, but their rough demeanor made them look far from respectable.

“See, there are plenty of them, plenty!”

“With this many, we’re good for at least half a month.”

“This dungeon is easy, huh?”

Laughing heartily, the men emerged from the dungeon.

It seemed they had been in a battle, as there were blood as signs of combat, and they appeared tired.

Then, they turned around and shouted at someone behind them.

“Hey, hurry up and bring it over! The meat will rot!”

“Yeah, porters, you better work hard! We’re paying you, after all.”

Behind them, 3 children who appeared to be around 12 years old stumbled into view. Each of them was carrying a load on their backs about their own height, panting as they walked.

“Pig-sana and bunny-sans?”

“Why do you call them that? But they do look like bunnies…”

Gritting my teeth, I observed their reactions.

“The porters are my comrades. Those adventurers hired them to delve into this dungeon. This is a dungeon where our Uriuribou come out.”

“Is it delicious?”

The heaps in front of them consisted of small, green-skinned, smooth creatures resembling melons or boars. They were about 50 centimeters in size.

“They’re small, hard to bleed properly, and don’t taste very good, so they’re not popular. But in the slum district, they sell like hotcakes. That’s why those failed magicians who cause trouble and get expelled from the Adventurer’s Guild come here. They hire the locals to help with carrying the cargo.”

“Welcome back? You mean, they say that when they come back, right?”

With a kind response, Takano Miu looked at me with a smile, and I chuckled and shook my head. If only the relationship were that simple.

But the world isn’t that kind.

“They’re people who got expelled from the Adventurer’s Guild because, despite being commoners, they gained magic powers… Look, if they pay the promised amount here, you can say ‘welcome back’ to them.”

It didn’t seem like things would go well, and as I observed, the fallen adventurers smirked and…

Suddenly, they kicked the children.

“Ahh!”

The children tumbled to the ground, and many Uriuribou spilled out of their carriers.

“Come on, you’re too slow! These Uriuribou will rot. Ah, you dropped them, and they’re not fit to sell now.”

“But, You kicked it…”

With tears in their eyes, the porter children were kicked again by the fallen adventurers, who wore malicious grins. The children whimpered and crouched down.

“Listen here, Porters who collapse from a kick like this aren’t adventurers. Got it?”

“Aww, they got even dirtier.”

“We’ll need compensation for this. Today’s reward will do.”

The fallen adventurers took a 500 yen coin from their pockets and casually threw it toward the children.

“What! You promised 3,000 yen each!”

With a jingling sound, the coin landed, and the men burst into laughter.

“For slum kids, 500 yen for 3 of you is more than enough. Or do you have a problem with that?”

With an intimidating gaze, the men looked at the children, who hung their heads in frustration and remained silent.

“As expected, it turned out like this. Even though they can only use magic a few times a day…”

This kind of situation was a daily occurrence. The children of the slum were used as a source of food.

“But now, I can do this without any guilt.”

Tamamo waved her hands and began gathering mana in her palms.

“Sleep, sleep, and rest your head on a good dream. Be embraced by the fleeting shadows and sleep.”

[Dreamy Leaves]

Several leaves were born from her palm, fluttering in the air before adhering to the men.

“What’s happening? I feel so drowsy…”

“Hey, this is weird…”

“No, I can’t…”

The men swayed and fell to the ground, lying down and starting to snore.

“Alright. Let’s take their valuable belongings!”

Tamamo smirked and approached the fallen adventurers.

“Hyaha, nice one, anego!”

“Alright! Let’s strip them bare!”

“Let’s start with their wallets!” n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The children, who had been downcast just moments ago, now smiled as if they had pulled off a successful prank, and they began stripping the adventurers of their belongings.

“This is how we make a living by stealing. It’s more profitable than dungeons.”

Tamamo’s face twisted slightly, and she looked back at Takano Miu.

“Wow, Mii-chan is also joining in on the act!”

Contrary to expectations, the young girl happily ran toward the fallen adventurers and took their wallets and other items.

Watching this scene, Tamamo felt a pang of discomfort in her chest.