So? Where are you going?」
「I’m heading back to the place where my village used to be.」
「The village where Lim grew up? I think its…」
「It’s Bestia. There’s no one there anymore though. But, hopefully I’ll find something.」
Bestia was an almost idyllic village where various beastman races supported each other and lived together.
Basically, they were able to feed themselves by hunting and farming, so they had no trouble living without much interaction with the cities in the imperial territories to the north.
However, it is not that there was no interaction at all. Lim remembers that luxury goods were often stocked by villagers who traveled between the village and the city.
When was the last time you heard a villager lament that he was sometimes given a high-handed attitude just because he was a beastmen? Not all humans tend to despise beastmen, but even so, places close to the imperial capital are not comfortable for beastmen.
Lim and Shania, who have traveled across the border from the foothills of the Rave Mountains, are in the midst of eating a meal at an inn in the city of Grania, north of the former Bestia village.
When Shania, who had been conversing with Lim despite her mouth being full, finally dropped a lump of food into her stomach, Lim remembered the village where she had been born and raised.
When the demon tribe attacked, the villagers scattered and fled, and Lim was lucky enough to join Arnold and escape, but her mother, Mirei, could not.
Not immediately believing the story of the villager survivor who ran away with Mirei, Arnold visited the place where the village used to be many times to look for her, but in the end, could never find her.
The condition of the village so bad that it was hard to be optimistic they were alive just because we couldn’t find their bodies.
「Honestly… it still scares me a little」
The heat of the familiar house being engulfed in flames… the horror of that moment is still etched into Lim’s body.
「Well, if you want to go… I’ll go with you!」
Drinking down the fruit water after dinner, Shania spun her words as she should.
「Now that I’ve said I’ll repay you, I’ll have to stay with you until the end.」
「Hey, what made you decide to come to this country, Shania? If you have other things to do, you don’t have to go out with me.」
Shania covered her ears with her hands at these words, and shook her head from side to side, messing up her hair.
「Stooooopppp! I don’t want to hear any more about that. By the way, I don’t have any other business to attend to! If I had to say, I would say it was because I wanted to broaden my horizons. Well, it seems that guy was against me acting alone.」
「Who’s that guy?」
Lim asked back curiously about the person who occasionally came up in Shania’s stories.
「Hmm… Don’t worry about it. It’s just my story.」
「I see…」
With a wave of her hand, Shania left her seat.
Thinking that it would be best not to ask any more unnecessary questions, Lim finished her meal and called out to the inn’s receptionist.
「Oh, you’re leaving already? I was a little reluctant to have a subhuman stay with us, but I’m relieved to hear that you didn’t cause any problems. Well, the less trouble you cause in town, the better off you’ll be.」
–After being sent off with a subtle remark, Shania called out as she walked through the city.
「I feel a little bad about that innkeeper. Maybe I should have caused a little trouble!」
Slightly grumpy, she seems to be trying to calm herself down as she strokes her crimson hair. As a beastman, Lim is immediately recognizable as a subhuman from her appearance, but as for Shania, she looks no different from a human unless you look directly at the scales on her back.
「I can’t help it. I’m a beast no matter how you look at it. But, it does still make me a little angry.」
「Right? All right, lets and harass them for losing customers! Let’s go and complain that the food wasn’t good enough!」
Shania clapped her hands as if she had come up with a good idea, and Lim, who had a puzzled look on her face, gradually broke into a smile.
She lightly curls her thin. beautiful tail, and holds her stomach in her hands, laughing aloud in a really funny way.
「Ano… did I say something so funny?」
「You know, Shania, you looked so funny just now eating your food. Like a squirrel with your cheeks all round.」
「Yeah… was I like that?」
Shania puffed her cheeks in a round sultry manner.
「Yeah. That’s exactly how it was. I’m glad Shania feels this way, but there’s no point in worrying about this stuff, so let’s just get ready and get going.」
「Yes, thank you!」
They walked around the city replenishing their supplies, including portable food and recovery medicine.
They were tempted to buy a variety of different things as they were both girls, but they kept the unnecessary expenditures to a minimum.
「Hey, hey, what’s that? It’s a beautiful clear color.」
「Uhh… candy? It looks like food.」
「Let’s buy that, your body needs something sweet.」
「Do I need it? Yeah, I’m sure Shania is right.」
This kind of exchange is also minimal.
When it seemed that everything was ready, there was one shadow that tried to approach the two girls.
「Hey nee-chans! Are you getting ready to go somewhere?」
Lim turned around and looked strangely at the fact that there was no one in front of her.
「What’s up Lim? Hmm.. no one’s there?」
「Hey! I’m down here. Shh! Please lower your gaze more, nee-chans!」
Lim and Shania both lowered their gazes at the voice, which was still very young, but also very assertive.
At the other end, a young boy, no more than ten years old, stood tall, staring at Lim and Shania.
「I’m sorry, you were too small to notice.」
「Hmm…. if you’re going to talk to women, you should double your height before you come back.」
The boy is still standing on the ground with both feet, despite the harsh words from the two girls. And, like Lim, he has animal ears and a tail.
「Oh, my name is Ted. I’m wondering if you nee-chans are going somewhere. It looks like you’ve been shopping for something.」
「You’re a dog beastkin, aren’t you, I’m not too impressed with your peeking into the lady’s shopping.」
「I wasn’t looking at… it just happened to catch my eye. I saw the same beastman nee-chan, so I called out to her. It’s a rare sight to see a human and a beastman walking together in this town.」
「Hmm… well, I’m not a human. I guess I’m one of the less disliked subhumans.」
「Is that so? But nee-chans not a beast man, or a dwarf… or even an elf.」
「Hmm? The way you said that last part is kind of tricky, but I guess it just means there’s a lot going on.」
A questioning look crossed Ted’s face, and this time Lim crouched down to make eye contact with him before asking a question.
「Hey, does Ted live in this town?」
「Yes, I do! I know everything there is to know about this area. If you want to get any information, come to Ted here!」
Stretching out as tall as he could, Ted puffed out his chest.
The boy looked vaguely like the girl she had made friends with in Merveille, and Lim naturally smiled at him. (TL: Pronouns were messed up in this one but this is what I assume was meant.)
Ted’s face turned slightly red, as if he was nervous.
「Ara~, isn’t his face turning kind of red?」
「No, of course, not. Shut up for a minute nee-chan.」
Lim’s eyes, which had been staring at the body who scratched his head roughly, took on a slightly more serious hue, and the conversation resumed once again.
「I’m looking for someone. Her name is Mirei, she’s my mother. She looks a bit like me. I wonder if you’ve seen her around town?」
If Mirei were still alive, it’s quite possible that she would have been stopped by this city, the closest one to Bestia.
「Nee-chan’s mom? You’re right, I can’t give a quick answer just because they might look like you, but I can direct you to someone who might know.」
「Really?」
「Oh…. oh, maybe.」
「What the heck, I told Ted-sama to go ahead and do it, but I don’t know if I can do it myself~」
At Shania’s sidestep, Ted turned his face down and lowered his voice.
「I don’t blame you. There are things I don’t know. I don’t know about some things, but I know people who do.」
「Hmm… I guess can understand that. How do you feel about it Lim?」
Lim thought about it, then slowly nodded her head.
「Thanks, Ted. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to take me to that person.」
「Yeah… uh yeah, okay, just follow me. I’ll show you around.」
Ted moved his small body nimbly, avoiding the crowds as he went.
「… Sorry about this Shania, we may have to take a detour.」
「Nope. You don’t have to worry about it at all. Just do what you want to do.」
「– This is it.」
The place Ted led us to was a building with a half-underground entrance. It’s not a pretty sight, and it’s not the kind of place you want to visit unless you have something to do.
「Here?」
「Yes, I know it may look a little dirty, but I live here too. I’m not going to complain.」
「Oh yeah. Is the person ted was talking about inside?」
「Oh… I’m sure they’ll tell you.」
Ted responded to Lim’s question with a slight pause.
They opened the door and went inside — the room was dimly lit.
Even Lim, who has better night vision than humans, took some time to get used to the difference between light and dark. The same seemed to be true for Shania behind her.
When we could finally see what was going on around us, we could see several figures surrounding us.
At the same time, we heard the door close behind us vigorously.
「Heh heh…. Ted, you did good didn’t you. Bringing us two subhumans. Hmm… Hey, one of them’s a human, isn’t she?」
The sound of a tongue clicking without concealment echoed, but Ted countered in a quiet voice.
「No, she’s not. She said herself that she’s subhuman too.」
「Oh, well. I’ll just have to check it out later. Hehe… they seem to be frozen in surprise. You’ve been duped by ted there. You didn’t think this little beast kid would lie, did you? If you look closely you can see that he’s pretty cute. Even if he’s a subhuman, this is a high price to pay for a customer with that kind of taste.」
A man’s thick voice tried to speak more, but it was interrupted by a strange voice from another man.
「Gyaa!!!」
「What the–」
The face of the man who had just been speaking in an amused voice, as if in mockery, turned to surprise.
One of the men who had been holding his weapon around Lim and the others slowly sank to the ground.
The one who did it was the girl who was supposed to be trapped, Lim.
Making the most of her trained beastmen leg strength, Lim closed the gap with an instantaneous step and sunk a fist into one of the men.
He still seems to be breathing, but the strength of her muscles, which can snap the thick neck of an orc with a single blow is more than the average human can withstand.
「Wow! Lim did that?」
Whistling lightly, Shania was watching the situation without moving.
「…. wow, nee-chan….」
Ted also let out a few words about Lim’s actions in a slightly slurred voice.
「I knew there was probably something to it. Ted’s arms are hidden by his clothes, but you can see the bruises in certain places. It should hurt, but he’s acting strangely cheerful.」
Ted looked around his body in a panic.
At first glance, you can’t see any bruises, but when you lift your arm, a reddish-black bruise peeks out from between your clothes.
「Oh, at that time?」
Ted remembered when Shania had teased him and he had scratched his head, turning red.
「I guess that’s when I started to feel uncomfortable. I’m sorry Ted, but I still don’t trust you enough to believe you when you say that someone else conveniently has the information you want.」
「….」(TL: This was a hard one.)
「But–」
Lim’s honey-colored eye’s turned toward the men with a strange intensity.
「I don’t think you’re doing these things willingly.」
「U… eh…」
A muffled cry began to escape from Ted.
「Who gave you that mark, tell me.」
The man who stepped forward to answer Lim’s question was the one who had been talking with a sneer on his face earlier.
「Heh, heh, heh. He’s a pretty useful kid for his age. Though, he’s starting to show more and more defiance, so I’m giving him some educational guidance. It’s only natural since I’m feeding him right.」
Lim slowly slid her fist into the man’s body.,
「Heh, you’re a very brave girl. You’ll sell very well. Hey, guys! Don’t let your guards down, I don’t care if you get a little hurt.」
The men around him pointed their weapons at Lim and the others with a reply.
「I’m sorry Shania, it really was just a detour.」
「…. Nah, I see. I see what you mean. To be honest, I might have been a little bit wrong about Lim. But, in a good way, of course.」
「Thanks」
「You look like you’re angry so I won’t move, but if things look dangerous, I’ll move on my own~」
「Thanks, Shania!」
The floor of the room, which was partially underground was made of stone, so if you kick out with all of your strength, there was more than enough of a reaction.
The power that the beast girl exerted in the soles of her feet was enough to move her supply frame instantly.
「This, this!」
Lim narrowly avoided a dagger thrust by one of the men and thrust her palm towards the tip of his chin
The man’s body, which was definitely not light, swooped up into the air.
If it’s many against one, it’s only natural that it’s better to attack at the same time. A man wielding a sword approaches from the side of the rim.
Lim deflected the man’s sword by sliding it with the opposite arm of her dominant hand and let it touch the ground.
With the strength from the magical power conversion and the twisting of her body to the limit, the blow successfully shattered the blade of what was probably a cheap and shoddy sword.
「Oh, no, silly!」
Lowering her center of gravity, Lim hits at the karate man’s feet, knocking him off his stance, and then unleashes a side kick that sends him flying, engulfing the man behind him.
Finally, a man with a club in his hand made a strange noise and attacked me, but this was also completely silenced by a wide swung leg.
「….. phew」
After working without breathing through the motions of bringing the four men down to the ground, Lim takes a big deep breath here to catch his breath.
「….. You pathetic bastards! Even though she’s a beastman, what the hell are you doing messing with that little girl?」
The man who had been talking to Lim in a relaxed manner earlier swore and picked up an axe.
「If we can’t capture them alive, let’s just kill them here. Hehe… I may look like this but I was an adventurer in the past. I’m sure you’re happy to hear that. A mere little beastman girl– ah….」
Lim closed the distance to the bosom of the rambling man.
「What did you fight? A green caterpillar?」
「Don’t be fooled by…」
The man raised his axe in anger and brought it down towards Lim.
It’s true the man has enough muscle to swing the axe, but if you observe closely, you can see that the weight of the axe seems to be swinging his body around as well.
The axe is a weapon with great destructive power, but its greater weight compared to swords and spears makes it impossible to strike in rapid succession without a smooth shift of the body’s center of gravity.
「Damn… why can’t I hit you!」
「I can’t speak for the others yet either, but–」
Lim’s elbow accurately caught the mans midsection, and the back of her fist him in the face in one fluid motion.
「Maybe it’s the lack of… technique?」
「Gah….. guh….」
The man fell to the floor, and with one last hapless cry, stopped moving.
The first to break the newfound silence was a young boy.
— Ted
「Sorry, sorry, sorry! Nee-chan. I lied and deceived you guys…」
Ted walked apologetically over to Lim, still a little teary-eyed.
「Nope. You’d better take care of that bruise, I just purchased a recovery potion from—-」
The moment Lim turned her gaze to her tool bag
「This is all your fault, Ted….」
The man wobbled to his feet picked up and axe that was lying around and swung it at Ted.
「U…. ah」
Screaming, but stiffened, Ted’s body had no way to resist the incoming weapon, and he could only wait to be sliced opened.
–Between the axe and Ted, there’s no one else.
「Hey, nee-chan!」
Lim’s completely defenseless body quickly hugged and protected Ted
If the axe was swung down at this point, it would most certainly sever her neck.
But there was no such disastrous end.
Because ――
「Yes, yes, yes. I told you that I would move on my own if it looked dangerous. I thought I might not have a role to play in this, but, I guess it’s now.」
Shania is strangely excited for someone who is taking a blow from an axe.
What’s more, she’s defending herself from a heavy axe blow without any protective gear.
The man who saw the axe touching Shania’s skin partially chipped off and pieces of metal spilling out onto the floor opened his mouth with an expression of disbelief.
「Oh, you…. what?」
「Don’t worry about it okay… Just think of me as one of those subhumans that you despise. it’s just that, I’m a bit special amongst my kind. Unfortunately, a weapon like that can’t even scratch me.」
The axe finally shattered and cracked under the pressure.
「Human, huh? Don’t let me down too much.」
「……What is….. What are you talking about?」
「That’s another story, for now, good night.」
Shania touched the man’s body as if stroking it, and his body slowly collapsed to the floor.
So? Where are you going?」
「I’m heading back to the place where my village used to be.」
「The village where Lim grew up? I think its…」
「It’s Bestia. There’s no one there anymore though. But, hopefully I’ll find something.」
Bestia was an almost idyllic village where various beastman races supported each other and lived together.
Basically, they were able to feed themselves by hunting and farming, so they had no trouble living without much interaction with the cities in the imperial territories to the north.
However, it is not that there was no interaction at all. Lim remembers that luxury goods were often stocked by villagers who traveled between the village and the city.
When was the last time you heard a villager lament that he was sometimes given a high-handed attitude just because he was a beastmen? Not all humans tend to despise beastmen, but even so, places close to the imperial capital are not comfortable for beastmen.
Lim and Shania, who have traveled across the border from the foothills of the Rave Mountains, are in the midst of eating a meal at an inn in the city of Grania, north of the former Bestia village.
When Shania, who had been conversing with Lim despite her mouth being full, finally dropped a lump of food into her stomach, Lim remembered the village where she had been born and raised.
When the demon tribe attacked, the villagers scattered and fled, and Lim was lucky enough to join Arnold and escape, but her mother, Mirei, could not.
Not immediately believing the story of the villager survivor who ran away with Mirei, Arnold visited the place where the village used to be many times to look for her, but in the end, could never find her.
The condition of the village so bad that it was hard to be optimistic they were alive just because we couldn’t find their bodies.
「Honestly… it still scares me a little」
The heat of the familiar house being engulfed in flames… the horror of that moment is still etched into Lim’s body.
「Well, if you want to go… I’ll go with you!」
Drinking down the fruit water after dinner, Shania spun her words as she should.
「Now that I’ve said I’ll repay you, I’ll have to stay with you until the end.」
「Hey, what made you decide to come to this country, Shania? If you have other things to do, you don’t have to go out with me.」
Shania covered her ears with her hands at these words, and shook her head from side to side, messing up her hair.
「Stooooopppp! I don’t want to hear any more about that. By the way, I don’t have any other business to attend to! If I had to say, I would say it was because I wanted to broaden my horizons. Well, it seems that guy was against me acting alone.」
「Who’s that guy?」
Lim asked back curiously about the person who occasionally came up in Shania’s stories.
「Hmm… Don’t worry about it. It’s just my story.」
「I see…」
With a wave of her hand, Shania left her seat.
Thinking that it would be best not to ask any more unnecessary questions, Lim finished her meal and called out to the inn’s receptionist.
「Oh, you’re leaving already? I was a little reluctant to have a subhuman stay with us, but I’m relieved to hear that you didn’t cause any problems. Well, the less trouble you cause in town, the better off you’ll be.」
–After being sent off with a subtle remark, Shania called out as she walked through the city.
「I feel a little bad about that innkeeper. Maybe I should have caused a little trouble!」
Slightly grumpy, she seems to be trying to calm herself down as she strokes her crimson hair. As a beastman, Lim is immediately recognizable as a subhuman from her appearance, but as for Shania, she looks no different from a human unless you look directly at the scales on her back.
「I can’t help it. I’m a beast no matter how you look at it. But, it does still make me a little angry.」
「Right? All right, lets and harass them for losing customers! Let’s go and complain that the food wasn’t good enough!」
Shania clapped her hands as if she had come up with a good idea, and Lim, who had a puzzled look on her face, gradually broke into a smile.
She lightly curls her thin. beautiful tail, and holds her stomach in her hands, laughing aloud in a really funny way.
「Ano… did I say something so funny?」
「You know, Shania, you looked so funny just now eating your food. Like a squirrel with your cheeks all round.」
「Yeah… was I like that?」
Shania puffed her cheeks in a round sultry manner.
「Yeah. That’s exactly how it was. I’m glad Shania feels this way, but there’s no point in worrying about this stuff, so let’s just get ready and get going.」
「Yes, thank you!」
They walked around the city replenishing their supplies, including portable food and recovery medicine.
They were tempted to buy a variety of different things as they were both girls, but they kept the unnecessary expenditures to a minimum.
「Hey, hey, what’s that? It’s a beautiful clear color.」
「Uhh… candy? It looks like food.」
「Let’s buy that, your body needs something sweet.」
「Do I need it? Yeah, I’m sure Shania is right.」
This kind of exchange is also minimal.
When it seemed that everything was ready, there was one shadow that tried to approach the two girls.
「Hey nee-chans! Are you getting ready to go somewhere?」
Lim turned around and looked strangely at the fact that there was no one in front of her.
「What’s up Lim? Hmm.. no one’s there?」
「Hey! I’m down here. Shh! Please lower your gaze more, nee-chans!」
Lim and Shania both lowered their gazes at the voice, which was still very young, but also very assertive.
At the other end, a young boy, no more than ten years old, stood tall, staring at Lim and Shania.
「I’m sorry, you were too small to notice.」
「Hmm…. if you’re going to talk to women, you should double your height before you come back.」
The boy is still standing on the ground with both feet, despite the harsh words from the two girls. And, like Lim, he has animal ears and a tail.
「Oh, my name is Ted. I’m wondering if you nee-chans are going somewhere. It looks like you’ve been shopping for something.」
「You’re a dog beastkin, aren’t you, I’m not too impressed with your peeking into the lady’s shopping.」
「I wasn’t looking at… it just happened to catch my eye. I saw the same beastman nee-chan, so I called out to her. It’s a rare sight to see a human and a beastman walking together in this town.」
「Hmm… well, I’m not a human. I guess I’m one of the less disliked subhumans.」
「Is that so? But nee-chans not a beast man, or a dwarf… or even an elf.」
「Hmm? The way you said that last part is kind of tricky, but I guess it just means there’s a lot going on.」
A questioning look crossed Ted’s face, and this time Lim crouched down to make eye contact with him before asking a question.
「Hey, does Ted live in this town?」
「Yes, I do! I know everything there is to know about this area. If you want to get any information, come to Ted here!」
Stretching out as tall as he could, Ted puffed out his chest.
The boy looked vaguely like the girl she had made friends with in Merveille, and Lim naturally smiled at him. (TL: Pronouns were messed up in this one but this is what I assume was meant.)
Ted’s face turned slightly red, as if he was nervous.
「Ara~, isn’t his face turning kind of red?」
「No, of course, not. Shut up for a minute nee-chan.」
Lim’s eyes, which had been staring at the body who scratched his head roughly, took on a slightly more serious hue, and the conversation resumed once again.
「I’m looking for someone. Her name is Mirei, she’s my mother. She looks a bit like me. I wonder if you’ve seen her around town?」
If Mirei were still alive, it’s quite possible that she would have been stopped by this city, the closest one to Bestia.
「Nee-chan’s mom? You’re right, I can’t give a quick answer just because they might look like you, but I can direct you to someone who might know.」
「Really?」
「Oh…. oh, maybe.」
「What the heck, I told Ted-sama to go ahead and do it, but I don’t know if I can do it myself~」
At Shania’s sidestep, Ted turned his face down and lowered his voice.
「I don’t blame you. There are things I don’t know. I don’t know about some things, but I know people who do.」
「Hmm… I guess can understand that. How do you feel about it Lim?」
Lim thought about it, then slowly nodded her head.
「Thanks, Ted. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to take me to that person.」
「Yeah… uh yeah, okay, just follow me. I’ll show you around.」
Ted moved his small body nimbly, avoiding the crowds as he went.
「… Sorry about this Shania, we may have to take a detour.」
「Nope. You don’t have to worry about it at all. Just do what you want to do.」
「– This is it.」
The place Ted led us to was a building with a half-underground entrance. It’s not a pretty sight, and it’s not the kind of place you want to visit unless you have something to do.
「Here?」
「Yes, I know it may look a little dirty, but I live here too. I’m not going to complain.」
「Oh yeah. Is the person ted was talking about inside?」
「Oh… I’m sure they’ll tell you.」
Ted responded to Lim’s question with a slight pause.
They opened the door and went inside — the room was dimly lit.
Even Lim, who has better night vision than humans, took some time to get used to the difference between light and dark. The same seemed to be true for Shania behind her.
When we could finally see what was going on around us, we could see several figures surrounding us.
At the same time, we heard the door close behind us vigorously.
「Heh heh…. Ted, you did good didn’t you. Bringing us two subhumans. Hmm… Hey, one of them’s a human, isn’t she?」
The sound of a tongue clicking without concealment echoed, but Ted countered in a quiet voice.
「No, she’s not. She said herself that she’s subhuman too.」
「Oh, well. I’ll just have to check it out later. Hehe… they seem to be frozen in surprise. You’ve been duped by ted there. You didn’t think this little beast kid would lie, did you? If you look closely you can see that he’s pretty cute. Even if he’s a subhuman, this is a high price to pay for a customer with that kind of taste.」
A man’s thick voice tried to speak more, but it was interrupted by a strange voice from another man.
「Gyaa!!!」
「What the–」
The face of the man who had just been speaking in an amused voice, as if in mockery, turned to surprise.
One of the men who had been holding his weapon around Lim and the others slowly sank to the ground.
The one who did it was the girl who was supposed to be trapped, Lim.
Making the most of her trained beastmen leg strength, Lim closed the gap with an instantaneous step and sunk a fist into one of the men.
He still seems to be breathing, but the strength of her muscles, which can snap the thick neck of an orc with a single blow is more than the average human can withstand.
「Wow! Lim did that?」
Whistling lightly, Shania was watching the situation without moving.
「…. wow, nee-chan….」
Ted also let out a few words about Lim’s actions in a slightly slurred voice.
「I knew there was probably something to it. Ted’s arms are hidden by his clothes, but you can see the bruises in certain places. It should hurt, but he’s acting strangely cheerful.」
Ted looked around his body in a panic.
At first glance, you can’t see any bruises, but when you lift your arm, a reddish-black bruise peeks out from between your clothes.
「Oh, at that time?」
Ted remembered when Shania had teased him and he had scratched his head, turning red.
「I guess that’s when I started to feel uncomfortable. I’m sorry Ted, but I still don’t trust you enough to believe you when you say that someone else conveniently has the information you want.」
「….」(TL: This was a hard one.)
「But–」
Lim’s honey-colored eye’s turned toward the men with a strange intensity.
「I don’t think you’re doing these things willingly.」
「U… eh…」
A muffled cry began to escape from Ted.
「Who gave you that mark, tell me.」
The man who stepped forward to answer Lim’s question was the one who had been talking with a sneer on his face earlier.
「Heh, heh, heh. He’s a pretty useful kid for his age. Though, he’s starting to show more and more defiance, so I’m giving him some educational guidance. It’s only natural since I’m feeding him right.」
Lim slowly slid her fist into the man’s body.,
「Heh, you’re a very brave girl. You’ll sell very well. Hey, guys! Don’t let your guards down, I don’t care if you get a little hurt.」
The men around him pointed their weapons at Lim and the others with a reply.
「I’m sorry Shania, it really was just a detour.」
「…. Nah, I see. I see what you mean. To be honest, I might have been a little bit wrong about Lim. But, in a good way, of course.」
「Thanks」
「You look like you’re angry so I won’t move, but if things look dangerous, I’ll move on my own~」
「Thanks, Shania!」
The floor of the room, which was partially underground was made of stone, so if you kick out with all of your strength, there was more than enough of a reaction.
The power that the beast girl exerted in the soles of her feet was enough to move her supply frame instantly.
「This, this!」
Lim narrowly avoided a dagger thrust by one of the men and thrust her palm towards the tip of his chin
The man’s body, which was definitely not light, swooped up into the air.
If it’s many against one, it’s only natural that it’s better to attack at the same time. A man wielding a sword approaches from the side of the rim.
Lim deflected the man’s sword by sliding it with the opposite arm of her dominant hand and let it touch the ground.
With the strength from the magical power conversion and the twisting of her body to the limit, the blow successfully shattered the blade of what was probably a cheap and shoddy sword.
「Oh, no, silly!」
Lowering her center of gravity, Lim hits at the karate man’s feet, knocking him off his stance, and then unleashes a side kick that sends him flying, engulfing the man behind him.
Finally, a man with a club in his hand made a strange noise and attacked me, but this was also completely silenced by a wide swung leg.
「….. phew」
After working without breathing through the motions of bringing the four men down to the ground, Lim takes a big deep breath here to catch his breath.
「….. You pathetic bastards! Even though she’s a beastman, what the hell are you doing messing with that little girl?」
The man who had been talking to Lim in a relaxed manner earlier swore and picked up an axe.
「If we can’t capture them alive, let’s just kill them here. Hehe… I may look like this but I was an adventurer in the past. I’m sure you’re happy to hear that. A mere little beastman girl– ah….」
Lim closed the distance to the bosom of the rambling man.
「What did you fight? A green caterpillar?」
「Don’t be fooled by…」
The man raised his axe in anger and brought it down towards Lim.
It’s true the man has enough muscle to swing the axe, but if you observe closely, you can see that the weight of the axe seems to be swinging his body around as well.
The axe is a weapon with great destructive power, but its greater weight compared to swords and spears makes it impossible to strike in rapid succession without a smooth shift of the body’s center of gravity.
「Damn… why can’t I hit you!」
「I can’t speak for the others yet either, but–」
Lim’s elbow accurately caught the mans midsection, and the back of her fist him in the face in one fluid motion.
「Maybe it’s the lack of… technique?」
「Gah….. guh….」
The man fell to the floor, and with one last hapless cry, stopped moving.
The first to break the newfound silence was a young boy.
— Ted
「Sorry, sorry, sorry! Nee-chan. I lied and deceived you guys…」
Ted walked apologetically over to Lim, still a little teary-eyed.
「Nope. You’d better take care of that bruise, I just purchased a recovery potion from—-」
The moment Lim turned her gaze to her tool bag
「This is all your fault, Ted….」
The man wobbled to his feet picked up and axe that was lying around and swung it at Ted.
「U…. ah」
Screaming, but stiffened, Ted’s body had no way to resist the incoming weapon, and he could only wait to be sliced opened.
–Between the axe and Ted, there’s no one else.
「Hey, nee-chan!」
Lim’s completely defenseless body quickly hugged and protected Ted
If the axe was swung down at this point, it would most certainly sever her neck.
But there was no such disastrous end.
Because ――
「Yes, yes, yes. I told you that I would move on my own if it looked dangerous. I thought I might not have a role to play in this, but, I guess it’s now.」
Shania is strangely excited for someone who is taking a blow from an axe.
What’s more, she’s defending herself from a heavy axe blow without any protective gear.
The man who saw the axe touching Shania’s skin partially chipped off and pieces of metal spilling out onto the floor opened his mouth with an expression of disbelief.
「Oh, you…. what?」
「Don’t worry about it okay… Just think of me as one of those subhumans that you despise. it’s just that, I’m a bit special amongst my kind. Unfortunately, a weapon like that can’t even scratch me.」
The axe finally shattered and cracked under the pressure.
「Human, huh? Don’t let me down too much.」
「……What is….. What are you talking about?」
「That’s another story, for now, good night.」
Shania touched the man’s body as if stroking it, and his body slowly collapsed to the floor.
