Chapter 78

Episode 78: A Bowstring is Stronger than a Sword (4)

“…You, if you’re this surprised by such a thing, how do you even do your job as a courtesan?”

【That’s right. For a courtesan, this level of physical contact is something that could be described as ‘mere nothing.’】

“I, let’s sit down first…”

We sat on a plush sofa in this enclosed space that was so obviously designed to insinuate sexual activity.

Seated opposite us was Irlya’s friend, who also worked at this Elven Courtesan House.

Her blonde hair stood out, and it seemed like she placed what appeared to be her ‘bow’ right below the sofa where she was sitting.

“I, the kiss Irlya gave by merely sucking on the lower lip of the human male was not exactly a kiss… but as a first impression, it was too intense, don’t you think?”

“That’s right, it wasn’t exactly a kiss.”

This uncomfortable atmosphere was created due to Irlya’s vampiric urges, yet she herself wore an expression as if nothing happened.

I, on the other hand, was feeling awkward to the point of dying.

“Little master, any onlooker would consider that a kiss.”

Unable to bear it, Triche interjected from the side to Irlya.

“Hmph, that’s not the point right now. Anyway, this elf who pretends to be shy is my friend, ‘Lea.'”

【Pretending to be shy?】

Chaewon voiced her doubts at the mention of Irlya introducing her friend.

“Hehe, nice to meet you.”

The elf that Irlya introduced as Lea immediately switched her expression from shyness to a bright smile, confirming that her display of bashfulness was indeed an act.

“So you were just pretending to be shy?”

I conveyed Chaewon’s question on her behalf.

“That’s right, it was all an act. My name is ‘Lea.’ I’ve worked here at this elf courtesan house for so long I’ve lost count of the years. There’s no way I’d blush at such a mere level of physical contact. I’m no teen girl, you know.”

Lea boasted like she was the ace of this industry.

“So, should I call you grandma?”

Instantly, Lea, with swift motions, picked up her bow from the floor and aimed it at me.

“Want to die? Yes, I might be older than the average human, but among elves, I’m still young!”

“Aah, okay… just calm down and put that bow down, will you?”

“What’s there to be so scared about? It’s just a bow without arrows, isn’t it?”

【That’s true. You seem quite a coward now, don’t you?】

‘But, but it definitely felt eerie even without the arrows!’

【Your excuses need to be more convincing to count as an excuse.】

“Anyway, that’s why humans like you think I’ve only been with a few men and act all cocky… right? Just call me Lea normally.”

I, subdued by Lea’s strong presence, replied meekly.

“Alright, Lea, so why exactly were you pretending to be shy?”

“Ah~ Well, it’s because playing the role of a shy woman attracts more perverts who like that sort of thing. It’s gross, but I guess they keep requesting me because of it. Anyway, you don’t seem like a regular customer… are you someone important, being here with Irlya from the Violet Estate?”

Lea carefully observed me.

“I’m not particularly special. It’s just… there’s a reason I’m here.”

“Hmm… I won’t pry further anyway. I think I get it.”

She flicked her blonde hair behind her.

As she did, her pointed elf ears came into view.

I had always believed that even vampire races had pointed ears, but looking at Lea, Irlya’s ears appeared rather ordinary.

【Still, if she pokes someone with those ears, wouldn’t it probably kill a person?】

‘You’re exaggerating a lot.’

It seems as though elf ears are as sharp as Chaewon describes them.

“Lea, listen.”

“What is it?”

“I thought elves pride themselves so much that they wouldn’t work in places like this courtesan house, yet there are quite a few employees here, aren’t there?”

Curious, I decided to ask Lea.

She smiled in amusement, as if my question was laughable.

“Are you stupid or something? Where did you get that prejudice?”

“Well, I guess…”

In the world that I came from, South Korea, the concept of elves was generally believed to be proud creatures.

Could it be that this stereotype wasn’t true in reality?

“They may have strong pride, but that’s only limited to the old fogies in the Elven Senate and those who overly emphasize their dignity.”

“Hey, Lea. I didn’t come here to have this trivial chat—”

“Ahh, Irlya! You’ve grown so much since the last time I saw you. I thought you would remain a child forever!”

Lea mentioned Irlya’s sudden growth.

Even so, Irlya had only grown from a kindergartner’s body to one resembling a middle school student.

‘…Still, this must be quite a change, right?’

【It is.】

“That growth of yours, it’s not because time passed naturally, but because of some special way, right?”

Lea stood up and hugged Irlya.

“Right? And did your black dress tear when you grew?”

“It didn’t tear! We didn’t come here today for idle chit-chat but to acquire the poison that flows from the World Tree, so please stop hugging me in front of others, Lea!”

…

***

Apparently, this poison had been requested by Irlya a while ago, as Lea confidently stated she’d take her straight to where the poison called ‘Venom Fang’ was located.

I was about to follow, but Irlya told me to remain here quietly by commanding Triche to hold me back.

Venom Fang is a poison that becomes ineffective if the blood of an elf, however slight, is mixed into it.

Hence, it’s not particularly dangerous for elves.

So, where do elves use Venom Fang?

As I thought of this, Chaewon, who had overheard me, teased again and suggested it could be used in lubricants.

When Lea left with Irlya, I was left alone in the room with Triche.

【Sigh… I just want to go home quickly.】

No, including Chaewon, that would be three of us.

“Don’t entertain any improper thoughts because we’re left in this secluded room together.”

As soon as Irlya was out of sight, Triche’s tone changed, just like employees who only work when the boss is watching.

“I wasn’t planning to entertain any such thoughts anyway.”

“Hmm?”

Triche firmly drew the line with me.

“Cough, cough!”

“…Blood?”

Triche seemed startled when she saw the blood I coughed up.

【You’re at it again, huh? Though, it is a curse that no one has managed to cure, I suppose.】

“Did you have any chronic illness?”

“Chronic illness… Yes, it could be called that. I was fine usually, but today I started showing signs of hemoptysis, and eventually, it happened.”

I wiped the blood I coughed out with a nearby towel.

【Hmm… Could it be because you’re away from that girl?】

‘Harin? It could be. Though, I doubt it’s because of being far from her.’

【Why’s that?】

‘Most likely, Harin took half my curse. By weakening it, she did me a favor, so I don’t think the effect would weaken just because I’m away. Perhaps Harin is also suffering from the same problem now.’

【I see.】

‘There’s no time to dwell on this. While there’s still time, I might as well fix my broken weapon?’

I pulled out my shattered black sword from my inventory.

“An interesting pocket dimension magic, isn’t it?”

“Ah, by the way, don’t mention anything about the hemoptysis to Irlya.”

Triche nodded lightly, showing that she was no longer interested.

I directed my focus inward, toward the broken sword.

“King’s Insight, activate.”

– Ding!

[Checking the object’s info…]

[Info]

Name: Sword of a Lost King

Type: Weapon

Features: Contains infinite magical depth but with some absurd leakage of weak magic. / A soul is embedded in it.

-Current Condition-

It has garnered sufficient experience for growth.

The sword has sustained severe damage.

Its durability needs immediate restoration.

==========

Does Verdium also use the ‘System’?

Is someone else viewing the same screen I see?

I obtained this System from an EX-class dungeon.

In this world, there’s no classification for EX-class.

The highest-grade dungeon is of S-class.

The Black Gate, however, has no defined grade.

You never know what could come out of it.

What level classification would this place be, according to my System?

I didn’t know.

‘System.’

– Ding!

The abilities of ‘Nerf’ I possess, which are the first of their kind in this ‘world’, were granted by detecting my desires. This implies that the users from other worlds aren’t included when defining this.

So could Verdium…?

No, enough with these distractions. The top priority now is to repair my weapon.

‘Store.’

[Store]

‘Sword Upgrade’ – 10 G-coins

‘Sword Soul Technique Attribute’ – 10 G-coins

‘Weapon Repair’ – 5 G-coins

‘HP Recovery Potion’ – 3 G-coins

‘MP Recovery Potion’ – 3 G-coins

‘Queen’s Random Outfit’ – 2 G-coins

‘Hot Pack’ – 1 G-coin

‘Ion Drink’ – 1 G-coin

G-coins in possession: 5

==========

Whenever an item is purchased with G-coins from the store, the vacant spot is filled with what I need the most at the moment.

Right now, I possess exactly the amount of G-coins I need for what I require.

The ‘Weapon Repair’ for 5 G-coins is my immediate and most essential need at this point.

Without hesitation, I inwardly declared.

It’s been a while since I last used the System’s store, so I’m a bit excited.

‘Buy, Weapon Repair.’

—