Chapter 13: Dinner & A Show
Nemeya and I walk hand-in-hand to the Inn, crossing the threshold as we guess what they're serving for dinner. She was rather embarrassed with this level of physical contact a few hours ago, and although we both find the disapproving gaze of passerby painful, my insistence on the matter seems to be paying off.
As we sit down, the bartender hurries over with a grimace on his face; "Boy, I think it's best that you and your ladyfriend here find another place to eat…"
"Just why would we do that? We've already gotten a room here, and-"
"Owner here had her husband stolen by one of them Dark Elves, and has hated demihumans ever since then. She can't do shit against the Dark Elves here, o'course, but any other races..."
The warning came a little late. An overweight, gaudily-dressed woman comes storming over, with several maidservants following closely behind as if waiting for a show. Spittle comes flying toward us as she yells incoherently. It isn't till the phrase "men-hungry sluts" comes out that I start curling my fist, wondering what the quickest way to tear the inn asunder and escape town might be.
Nemeya seems to sense that something's wrong, and grabs my fist under the table, whispering "It's okay". Sighing, I give up on my plans of imminent destruction and grab her hand, walking out of the inn, although I can't help but curse under my breath.
"Damn these Humans disgust me sometimes… Human, demihuman, demon, what does it matter? I can't see them as anything but illogical, frail beings…" I glance guiltily at Nemeya, "not that that's a bad thing, though."
"Fufu, I'm happy that Master got angry on my behalf, but you say that like you aren't one."
"I'm actually no-... Nemeya, do you trust me?"
Her bemused smile shifts into a look of confusion at that question.
"As much as one could after a day, I suppose? What's that got to do with an-"
"Go walk into that alleyway by the Inn, as if I've sent you off angrily. Stop midway after those two barrels. I'll be out in under a minute."
"...Master, I-"
"Do it."
Although she can't hide the immediate look of confusion, it quickly fades into one of hurt and betrayal. Her acting is to the point where even I feel guilty as I watch her storm off. It takes a moment for me to calm the foreign emotions in my chest before I can return to the inn.
As I walk to the stairs, one of the inn's maidservants from earlier walks up to me with a seductive gaze.
"If Young Master is so hungry for a woman, I… I don't mind entertaining you for the night..."
I swear, she said that loudly on purpose… Catcalls erupt from the vicinity, along with piercing looks of envy. Unfortunately for her, I only have a few tens of seconds until it's showtime, so I flatly reply without stopping.
"Sorry, heroic companion-saving duties in process, but I hear there's a great shop for that sort of thing downtown. Going alone might be a little embarrassing, but don't worry, I'll be cheering for you."
It might've been a bit harsh, but I figure my tenderness would be wasted on a woman who stood by and smirked as my companion was yelled at and humiliated. Despite the outcry below, I rounded the corner of the staircase and burst into a run the second I was out of sight. I jam the key into my room's lock, but the door sticks as a scream echoes from the alley nearby.
'Cores, enhance strength'
[Chimeric Strength]
With a thought, energy bursts through my limbs and the door comes off its hinges, thrown against the wall as I rush forward. Pushing open the shutters, I jump off the sill without even bothering to look down, finding my target with the aid of a Scanning Core.
[Boost Gravity]
There's a sickening crunch, and my foot impacts the head of the man below and forces it into the ground, cracking it like an egg and spewing skull fragments into the vicinity. Before it even hits the ground, my hand curls around the woodsman's axe he was wielding. I spare a glance, savoring the look of surprise on the grey-skinned woman before me. Two other men wielding daggers stand opposite Nemeya, dumb with shock for a moment before rushing forward with their daggers.
One lunges for my legs, hoping to restrain me while the other targets Nemeya with his knife. I pause for a moment, waiting so that my strike won't be lethal before smashing Nemeya's assailant with the blunt side of the axe. The one attacking me is almost on my legs by now, but I interrupt my charge with a strong kick to his jaw, enjoying the sight of him pinwheeling backwards as he loses consciousness.
Without giving Nemeya a chance to ask questions, I scoop her into my arms, scanning the bay windows on the second story before finding my own. Putting strength into my legs, the two of us jump towards the window, landing on the sill before I walk to the bed and lay Nemeya down.
"No time to explain, but you're safe now. Those guys started tailing us a little after I bought you, there shouldn't be any more of them for now."
"F-For now??"
"Well you can't expect them to stop after just three now, can you? Anyway, I need to take care of a few things before the guards get here, but I'll grab dinner on the way back. Oh, and could you reattach the door? Thanks!"
Before she has time to question the insanity of the situation, I take advantage of her stunned state and land a kiss on her lips. Maybe this whole situation was a bit much for her, but...
"Wawawawa…"
"Century-old women shouldn't go 'wawawa'."
"W-Who… WHO'S AN OLD WOMAN, YOU PERVERTED LITTLE JERK?!?!"
Yup, she's back to normal now, good. If having a human personality means I get to watch reactions like this everyday, then I am so in.
I shoot her a grin as I jump out the window again, landing on the cracked ground of the alleyway. Looking at the bloody scene made by the first man's body, I slice open the waterskin on my waist, washing away some of the mess before I tie the waterproofed skin around what remains of his head, halting the flow of blood. Without a second thought, I urge my Cores and use [Chimeric Strength] to toss the body on a nearby flat-roof.
Since the scream, not even twenty second have passed, but we'll have witnesses here any moment now. Grabbing the closest unconcious man, I take one of the fallen daggers and make a deep cut on his thigh, letting enough blood to mask the origin of the bloodpool from the dead assailant. As far as the guards need to know, there were only ever two attackers.
With one final look at my handiwork, I let out a hoarse battlecry and surreptitiously kick the unconscious bodies into the street, making them roll to a stop outside the inn's entrance. By now, we've gotten the attention of the entire restaurant, and numerous wide-eyed stares greet me as I nonchalantly emerge from the alley.
"...What? You all heard the scream- they tried to assault some rich noblewoman in the alleyway, so I jumped out my window and fought them off. Looks like she ran off while I was fighting them, though."
The looks of skepticism and surprise are split about 50-50 right now, but the barkeeper walks over to check the bodies anyway, his eyes growing wide in the process.
"This… this is Clyde the 'Harbinger'! His bounty is over twenty gold coins!!! What… How…"
"...'Harbinger'? That's an awfully pretentious name for someone who couldn't even take a few kicks…"
Aaaannd that's a perfect "shocked" ratio of 100%. Ahhh, this whole "becoming human" truly is amazing, pride is dangerously addictive. From the memories I devoured, emphasis on "dangerous"... I really should tone it down in the next place I visit.
…
After several hours of interviews by the City Guard, a trip to the Adventurer's Guild to collect the reward, and numerous invitations to dinner from suspiciously beautiful Dark-Elf women, I'm finally able to return my tired self to the Inn. I head straight to the bar, ordering a stiff drink and some food to take up to the room. Hopefully Nemeya managed to fix the door and stay out of trouble in the confusion…
It's dark outside by the time I return to the room, and as I walk in there isn't a single lightsource to greet me, but the Scanning Core picks up a single body lying in wait beyond the corner-- there's no normal lifesigns to go with it, so it's probably the semi-undead Nemeya. I've teased her enough today, so I pretend to be scared as she jumps out at me, and let out a yell of surprise for good measure.
Really, she's been my slave for less than a day and she's already playing pranks. This woman is quite carefree, isn't she…
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone