Chapter 84

The girl in shabby robes was about to leave Delight.

Belmont grabbed the girl’s arm.

“Hey.”

“Kyaa!”

The girl immediately screamed.

It was as if a small bird had been startled and cried out.

The girl even began to struggle violently.

“N-no! Let go! Help!”

The surrounding gazes all turned to Belmont and the girl.

Flustered, Belmont quickly released the girl’s arm, and the girl pulled her hood deep over her head and stepped back.

“W-what are you trying to do to me?”

“Do what?”

Belmont looked wronged.

“I was just trying to give you this gold coin.”

Belmont opened his palm to show her.

In his palm was a handful of shiny gold coins.

“Y-you’re giving that to me? Why?”

The girl took another step back.

“What are you scheming?”

“Scheming? There’s no such thing. I’m just giving it to you. Out of pity.”

“You’re pitying me? Then I won’t accept it. I don’t want pity from someone like you!”

“……”

Belmont was speechless.

If he were in the girl’s position, he would have taken the gold coins without hesitation. It’s stupid not to take something that’s being given to you.

Not just Belmont, but most people would think the same.

But this girl, despite wearing shabby robes and being kicked out of a dessert shop for lack of money, was refusing the gold coins.

Because she didn’t want pity.

If it were the usual Belmont, he would have smacked the girl’s head and shouted, “Then get lost!” before kicking her away.

But he couldn’t do that now.

If he didn’t give the girl the gold coins, he didn’t know what Ariel might do to him.

Belmont was afraid of Ariel.

The moment his Spin Breaker was shattered to dust in their duel, and he was choked by telekinesis, losing consciousness, was still vivid in his mind.

“Don’t you want to eat dessert?”

At Belmont’s question, the girl flinched.

It seemed she did want to.

“B-but, I won’t take money from you. You’re…”

“It’s not from me.”

Belmont pointed to Ariel sitting behind him.

“See that kid? She’s the one giving it to you.”

“That child…? Wow, she’s cute. But her ears look weird. They’re pointy.”

“She’s an elf, so that’s how it is.”

“An elf?”

Belmont let out a deep sigh. His patience was reaching its limit.

“Just take it quietly. I don’t care if you throw it away or not, just take it. This is the last warning. If you don’t take it, I might really do something to you. I’m not a good person.”

“I know. You’re a bad person.”

“What?”

“But, um, okay, if it’s from that child, I guess I can take it.”

The girl cautiously reached out and took the gold coins.

Then, avoiding Belmont, she ran to the dessert display.

“I’m back! I have money, so give me what I said earlier! That one, and that one, and that one, and that one!”

Excitedly, the girl shouted and placed the gold coins on the counter.

“Sigh.”

Belmont let out a quiet sigh.

How did it come to this?

How did the ‘Spin Slasher,’ who fiercely cut down enemies on the battlefield, end up being ignored by some random homeless girl?

Thud, thud.

Belmont weakly returned to where Ariel was.

“I gave her the gold coins. Now it’s done… huh?”

Suddenly, Belmont stopped in his tracks.

Ariel, who had been munching on dessert just moments ago, was now sitting still with her eyes closed.

Her head tilted slightly.

A peaceful face and regular breathing.

‘Could it be… she’s asleep?’

Belmont narrowed his eyes and watched Ariel for a moment. Then, he quietly approached and tried to pull the fork from Ariel’s hand.

Ariel didn’t move. She was definitely asleep.

Belmont inwardly cheered.

Finally, the chance to escape had come.

*

Belmont quietly sat down across from Ariel.

Since Ariel was asleep, he could escape without any issues.

But…

‘What a waste.’

Ariel had made a fortune at the Black Market earlier.

Could he perhaps take that money?

‘If I take that money, I can get a new sword and start fresh somewhere far away.’

Ariel seemed to use magical items.

Monster corpses popped out of thin air, and gold coins were being taken in and out.

So, instead of taking the gold coins, it would be better to take the magical item. It would be very useful.

Belmont examined Ariel closely.

To figure out what the magical item was.

First, Ariel wasn’t wearing any accessories. No earrings, necklace, or bracelet.

The magical item was probably inside her clothes.

Could he get it out here?

Belmont shook his head quietly.

That was impossible. It was too risky.

If he rummaged through Ariel’s clothes and she woke up, it would be over.

Even if Ariel didn’t wake up, there were too many eyes around.

The moment Belmont reached into Ariel’s clothes, the Patrol Office would come running.

Belmont turned his head to look at the shabby-robed girl.

The girl was standing blankly, waiting for her ordered dessert to come out.

What if he got help from that girl?

If it were her, reaching into Ariel’s clothes wouldn’t be a problem. People wouldn’t find it too strange.

Belmont got up and approached the girl. He stood at a slight distance, in case she screamed like before.

“Hey.”

When Belmont called, the girl turned around.

The girl had her hood pulled down, so only her mouth was visible.

“What?”

“Can we talk for a bit? I have a proposal. It might be good for you.”

“No. I won’t do anything with someone like you. Besides, you’re trying to do something bad.”

“……?”

Belmont looked surprised.

Come to think of it, this girl had been treating Belmont like a bad guy from the start. Despite it being their first meeting, she acted as if she knew Belmont’s character.

Of course, Belmont didn’t back down that easily.

“Bad thing? I’m in a bad situation right now. That’s why I’m asking for your help. If you just help me a little…”

“You’re underestimating me. If you talk to me one more time, I’ll scream.”

Belmont’s face twisted.

It seemed getting help from this girl would be difficult.

She was too hard to communicate with.

“You, just wait. Next time we meet…”

“Kyaa~ Help~”

The girl lazily screamed. It wasn’t loud enough to draw attention like before.

‘Damn it.’

Still, Belmont was tense. Ariel might wake up.

In the end, Belmont glared at the girl with a fierce look and ran out of Delight.

It was a shame to leave Ariel’s magical item, but escaping was the priority now.

*

“Pant, pant…”

After leaving Delight, Belmont ran to the Armory.

Since he couldn’t steal Ariel’s magical item, he planned to take Ragnarok.

Originally, the Ragnarok Ariel carried was just junk, but now it had been repaired by a skilled dwarf using Titanium, so it would be worth a lot.

Selling it could get him a new Spin Breaker.

When Belmont opened the door and entered the Armory, the dwarf looked at him with a grumpy face.

“What, you’re alone? Where’s the elf princess?”

“She’s busy. Is the repair done?”

“Just finished.”

The dwarf pointed to the workbench.

“Take a look.”

On the workbench was Ragnarok.

Belmont approached the workbench and examined Ragnarok.

The blade of Ragnarok had completely changed.

Originally, it was an unrecognizable black color, but now it shone with a silvery glow.

It reminded Belmont of Ariel’s hair color, making him a bit uneasy.

“Hmm.”

Belmont reached out and touched the blade.

He felt a cool sensation and a heavy weight at his fingertips.

“Oh…”

Belmont was impressed.

Just by touching it, he could feel the immense power of Ragnarok surging.

“Heh heh heh.”

The dwarf chuckled.

“It’s really an unbelievable sword. No, can you even call it a sword? I did as the elf princess asked, but honestly, it’s not really a sword anymore. It’s too heavy to wield properly.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Yeah. Making a sword out of Titanium, I must have been out of my mind. Anyway, take it. Oh, I didn’t touch the hilt. That red glowing toy is still there.”

“Thanks. By the way, how much would this sword sell for?”

At Belmont’s words, the dwarf frowned.

“Sell it? Why? After all the trouble I went through to fix it.”

“No, not to sell, but the elf kingdom might be curious.”

“Hmm.”

The dwarf stroked his chin.

“Titanium is hard to come by. No, it’s almost impossible. But its durability is top-notch. The problem is the weight. In that sense… well, I can’t really put a price on it. To some, it might be worth less than a single gold coin, to others, it might be worth over ten thousand gold.”

“I see.”

Belmont nodded.

That was enough.

Belmont was confident he could sell this sword for ten thousand gold.

If he found a vain noble, selling this sword would be easy.

“Anyway, good job.”

Belmont said as he tried to lift Ragnarok.

Or rather, he tried to lift it.

“……?”

But Ragnarok didn’t budge.

No matter how much strength he used, it was as if it was stuck to the workbench.

“What are you doing? Did you really think you could carry that alone?”

The dwarf beside him asked with wide eyes.

“That’s why I told you. Titanium is extremely heavy. You’d need four people like you to move that sword.”

The dwarf started laughing heartily, and Belmont’s face twisted in frustration.

‘What the hell did this crazy dwarf make…?’

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