Chapter 333 – Why

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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Caw─!

Kitch glared.

“What did you do so well that you’re raising your voice?”

She spoke toward the spiritual creature of the Shadow Mercenary Corps, the Shadow Crow.

“Do you know how many times I’ve come up empty-handed already, birdbrain?”

She had reached this place by following the memories of the Shadow Crow. To think she was moving while relying on a birdbrain because there was so little to trust…… The prestige of the self-proclaimed ruler of the underworld was in shambles.

“Phew.”

But this was the only way.

As of now, the one who knew the full story of ‘that day’ on the continent was……

Probably only that crow.

“Eat quickly; there’s no time.”

A spiritual creature transparently reflected the group to which it belonged.

If the Akshan wolves possessed the spirit of Akshan, which would not submit even before any enemy, the Shadow Crow was more thorough in its transactions than even the members of the Shadow Mercenary Corps.

Swish─

As Kitch brushed her long, straight black hair to one side, the Shadow Crow flew toward the nape of her neck. Then, it began to peck at the back of her neck with its beak.

“……Tch.”

She could never get used to this unpleasant feeling.

Since the crow was a spiritual creature without a physical form, no wounds remained. Instead, it merely took life force as the price of the transaction. Kitch shook her head, returning her hair to its original position.

“You’d better not come up empty this time, too.”

Was it a mistake to trust a birdbrain, or was it because the underworld hadn’t lost its original intention even while the Arcana Continent was being turned upside down? There had been no gain for several days already.

“For f*ck’s sake……”

In the end, it was a waste of time again.

After a moment of tearing at her hair in frustration, Kitch glared at the crow.

It seemed certain that the birdbrain was making fun of her.

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

Kitch herself was aware of it.

“What, do you find me disagreeable?”

She wondered if she was perhaps the most un-Shadow-Mercenary-like commander in its history…… and perhaps it was strange for the Shadow Crow, the spiritual creature of the Shadow Mercenary Corps, to be pleased with such a person.

The corner of Kitch’s mouth curled up crookedly.

“If that was the case, you should have said so earlier.”

Sling!

Caw─?

As Kitch drew her dagger, the crow flinched and stomped its feet.

However, Kitch’s dagger was not pointed toward the Shadow Crow.

It was pointed toward the nape of her own neck—specifically, her long, flowing hair.

Snip─

Kitch’s touch was ruthless.

She cut her long black hair into a bob without hesitation.

She tossed the clump of hair in front of the Shadow Crow.

“Life force is a trivial thing that regenerates in a day. For you, receiving something that isn’t precious to the other party means it can’t be a proper transaction, right? I might look disagreeable, but I am the commander. Thanks to that, I know the twisted minds of the Shadow Mercenary Corps well.”

The Shadow Mercenary Corps was exceptionally nasty.

Just looking through the past request ledgers gave the answer. They had done so many things that left nothing but malice…… Kitch had cut off and offered her most precious hair, just as the crow wanted.

“I’ve been growing this for years……”

A murderous intent settled in Kitch’s eyes.

“Eat it all up without missing a single strand. And tell me straight.”

Caw─!

“Where the pigs of the Orc Auction are hiding.”

Peck, peck, peck─

The Shadow Crow flew up energetically only after swallowing all the hair. Kitch thought that she should either pluck all the feathers off that crafty birdbrain and fry it, or something along those lines.

Still, the fortunate thing was.

‘More than that, what are you doing, Wolfe?’

It was the fact that Wolfe, who should have inherited her position as commander, had never once summoned the Shadow Crow until now. Thanks to that, the Shadow Crow still regarded Kitch as the commander and followed her.

Kitch habitually tried to touch her hair, but her hand hesitated at the feeling of emptiness.

‘Because its price is high—the price of that birdbrain.’

If she had been an ordinary member, she would have had to pay more than hair.

If it had known she was a deserter who couldn’t even be a member……

Perhaps it would have taken decades of her lifespan as payment.

Kitch shrugged her shoulders.

‘In that sense, I’ll be generous.’

She had already let go of her attachment to the hair she had cut off.

‘As long as I find it, that is.’

However, her attachment to the ‘other hair’……

‘other hair’ she had been searching for for days remained the same.

It was a situation that made Kitch laugh at herself.

“……This is no time to be talking about others. What am I even doing?”

Orc Auction.

As the name suggested, it was an auction house run by the Orc race. As the ruler of the underworld, Kitch knew better than anyone what kind of existence Orcs were in the underworld.

The physical strength of an Orc exceeded that of an ordinary human dozens of times over, and their life force was more tenacious than weeds in a wheat field. It was to the point that even if a forearm was cut off, a new one would sprout after a few weeks.

Also, as could be seen from the fact that they ran an auction house, unlike the rumors spread among the public, their intelligence was no different from that of humans.

The problem was that they had the great disadvantage of an ugly appearance, enough to make one forget the superiority of all species.

But as mentioned before, Orcs were smart.

They didn’t bother trying to mingle in the light of the Arcana Continent; instead, they expanded their power by putting their strengths forward in the darkness of the underworld.

By any means necessary.

“That’s why they must have bought it without fear.”

Kitch checked the details of the transaction ledger.

The ‘other hair’ she was looking for had not been sold to someone through a public auction. Just before the auction began, the Orc Auction side, which was the organizer, had directly purchased it at a value exactly one thousand times the starting price.

That was the very reason Kitch had set out to find the Orc Auction.

“They’re hiding deep, uncharacteristically for them.”

For the Orcs, who were in the commission business, the amount wouldn’t have been a problem.

In the first place, the amount of gold coins circulating in the underworld transcended imagination. Since it was the Arcana Continent where there were more dirty gold coins than honest ones, it was no strange thing.

Hiding like this was also understandable.

‘It means there’s no reason to step forward.’

The Orcs were already wealthy and had enough ability to protect their wealth. Furthermore, since they didn’t even have a justification to step forward to protect the Arcana Continent, hiding in a built-up underground city was also a wise decision.

Except for one thing.

“But touching that hair was a mistake.”

Caw─

The mine didn’t stand out much in appearance.

If it weren’t for the green-skinned Orc guarding the entrance to the mine.

Kitch tried to approach immediately but then paused.

Oh, it seemed she needed to refrain from causing a commotion for now……?

Step, step.

It was a human presence hard to hear in such a remote area. Kitch turned her head toward the source of the presence and was surprised.

Why was a person like that wandering around this kind of neighborhood alone……?

A face covered by a veil.

Long, flowing white clothing.

That was the appearance of a priest, no matter who looked at it.

Looking at the covered face, she was definitely a sister of the order……

Was she fearless, or was her faith excessively devout? To wander the Arcana Continent alone like this.

Kitch soon shook her head.

‘Of course, I’m not in a position to care.’

Kitch raised the dagger in her hand.

“I, who am frail, weak, easily intoxicated, and excessively emotional, have to enter a mine full of vicious and rugged Orcs alone.”

It was a joke that a member of the Shadow Mercenary Corps wouldn’t even snort at. There was no persuasiveness in Kitch’s statement.

Of course, Kitch didn’t seem to have any intention of persuading them, either.

Tudge, tudge.

There was no such thing as infiltration.

Because Kitch was approaching the mine openly.

“!!”

The Orcs on guard reacted immediately.

Clack!

They raised their weapons but, after confirming Kitch’s face, asked in surprise:

“Could it be…… are you not Commander Kitch of the Shadow Mercenary Corps?”

In extremely respectful language.

Even if they were Orcs who had taken control of the Arcana Continent’s underworld, the Shadow Mercenary Corps was an existence that exerted a profound influence even beyond the stage of the underworld, reaching into the light.

Kitch, the commander of such a Shadow Mercenary Corps, was drawing her dagger and approaching them without warning.

Polite words had no choice but to come out.

“W-We apologize. Your appearance has changed so noticeably from before that we did not recognize you immediately. We apologize once again!”

“Does that mean I’ve aged since I last saw you?”

“N-No! It’s just that your hair has become shorter……!”

“Ding. That’s also the wrong answer.”

“……!!”

She was not in a good mood.

They knew that nothing good would come from further conversation.

They decided to deliver their business first.

The Orcs lowered their weapons promptly and spoke.

“If you have something to convey, we will deliver it to the upper management immediately!”

“Tell Ulrich that I have something I’m looking for.”

“Currently, the Auction is suspended…… but if it’s your request, Commander Kitch, Lord Ulrich will surely understand. I will go and deliver the message immediately.”

“Oh, could you add one thing?”

“Of course.”

“Tell him that because of circumstances, I won’t be able to give him a single gold coin.”

“……Is it perhaps that you are short on money?”

“No, it’s because of that goddamn pride.”

……What is pride?

At Kitch’s words, the Orc’s complexion seemed to turn even greener.

The Orcs were existences who believed only in gold coins in the entire world. To think she couldn’t give a single gold coin even while coming to find an item.

Only then did they seem to know the reason Kitch had raised her weapon without warning.

‘There’s no way that stingy old man Ulrich will stay still……’

The Orc soldier squeezed his eyes shut.

‘Damn it, a bloodbath is going to break out.’

*

The Goddess Church.

The Saintess of the Second Coming branch.

Saintess, Freya.

Freya did not stop her steps toward the source of the darkness.

The scenery of the Empire was unfamiliar.

It was probably because so much time had passed.

However, Freya’s empty eyes did not rest on anything.

She merely took her steps to purify the darkness that had covered the Arcana Continent—the immeasurable sorrow—in the name of the Goddess.

“…….”

Soon, a somewhat familiar landscape came into view.

It was the capital of the Empire, Antonium.

Freya offered a prayer at that point, folding her hands.

“I have reached this place through the guidance of the Goddess.”

Freya took a small, deep breath.

Since the darkness seemed to have started in Antonium, Antonium would surely not be intact.

The emotions flowing from the darkness were not at a level a mere human could handle.

The people of Antonium, who must have been exposed to even deeper sorrow at a closer distance, would by now……

Freya continued.

“O Goddess, please look after the poor souls.”

Freya firmly grasped the pendant engraved with the octagonal pattern symbolizing the Goddess Church.

The moment she approached Antonium, there was no telling from where the source of the darkness would attack her. She had to be prepared to pass judgment at any time.

However, it was a strange thing.

“Open the gates!”

A thunderous voice was heard from the fortress of Antonium.

It was the voice of a guard, one in which not a hint of sorrow or exhaustion could be felt.

“My, are you not a sister of the Goddess Church? To be wandering the continent alone when even Muon is not intact? At any rate, I’m glad you are safe!”

Freya entered Antonium under the guidance of the guard.

And then, she was faced with it.

The scenery of Antonium, which was so different from her expectations that it felt like a sense of discrepancy.

“Is it because you’re from the countryside? You don’t know the ways of the world.”

“Well, if you call it the countryside, I suppose it is? If it’s not enough……”

“No, no! It’s not that it’s not enough, but where in the world are there people who offer gold coins for three people’s meals! You definitely said you came from the west of the continent…… from where was it?”

“It’s the territory of Maxima.”

“Yes, Maxima! I don’t know where it is, but I’m really envious of the merchants in that neighborhood. A month? Even if I just do business there for two days, commoners like us would earn enough to eat and play for the rest of our lives.”

It was beyond lively; it was bustling.

The appearances of outsiders who were not residents of Antonium were easily seen.

It was a sight no different from the Antonium that Freya remembered from the past.

Rather.

“Anyway, I don’t have change to give back for a gold coin, now or ever.
For now, just go. Still, I can give change for a silver coin. Come back then, when your gold coin has been changed into silver.”

“Is that not buying on credit? I cannot cause a nuisance……”

“What do you mean you can’t! If knights who wear armor made of gold, not satisfied with just gold coins, were to skip out on paying for a mere meal, even my dog would laugh!”

A strangely peaceful energy was overflowing.

To the point that it was unbelievable that an infinitely deep darkness had been laid there.

However, Freya didn’t have the luxury to look for a reason.

“……!”

For it had begun to get closer.
For it had begun to approach on its own feet.

The source of that darkness.

Clench─

Freya grasped her pendant in doubt.

Soon, she faced the darkness.

Its form did not properly enter her eyes.

Because of the veil covering them.

But for some reason, the source of the darkness must have revealed itself, yet instead, the sounds of the people cheering were heard.

Freya whispered.

“O Goddess. Do not lead me into temptation.”

May I not fall into confusion before the judgment.

She offered a prayer.

Before long, the pendant would turn into the Goddess’s mace, and she would have to judge that source of darkness, which would surely plunge the continent into deep sorrow someday, in the name of the Goddess.

But why……?

The pendant remained as it was.

The power of the Goddess did not dwell within it.

The Goddess had not responded to her prayer.

Freya looked at the source of the darkness beyond her veil with trembling eyes.

No, at the man who was emitting an excessively brilliant light to be called darkness itself.

.

.

.

Regrettably.

Your Goddess

seems to like me more than you, doesn’t she?

[Your favorability with the religion, Goddess Church, has reached its maximum.]

-“I do not believe in a god.”

-“Because there is no definitive proof that one exists.”

-“However, there is also no definitive proof that a god does not exist.”

-“Because mere demons cannot be the evidence.”

Muon, the update where I grandly revealed the fact that I was irreligious and led the Holy Knights of the Goddess Church with sophistry.

The highlight video summarizing my actions reached a whopping 2.14 billion views on NetTube.

‘I wonder if the cost-benefit analysis is right, but……’

Anyway, that shame is starting to be rewarded like this……!