"Is that Gojouno Kaguya? Is she out shopping too?" Alise asked, squinting at the familiar figure. "I couldn't be mistaken; that's definitely Kaguya."
Ryuu looked on, her curiosity piqued. "She looks like she's looking for someone. Could it be...?"
Goddess Astraea, watching the direction in which Su Lun had disappeared, said softly, "I imagine she's tailing Su Lun."
"Huh?"
Ryuu and Alise were stunned. Why on earth was Kaguya tailing Su Lun? Did she have nothing better to do?
"In that case, why don't we tail Kaguya and see what she's up to?" Alise suggested with a mischievous grin.
The two quickly blended into the crowd, following closely behind Kaguya. The Goddess sighed helplessly; she hadn't expected Kaguya to be so direct as to stalk him.
After a while, Ryuu—using the sharp hearing of the elven race—easily caught Kaguya's muttering: "That scumbag, having a foot in two camps and still daring to come out and shop... Honestly, I'm going to expose him."
Before she could finish her sentence, Kaguya sensed something. She whipped her head around and locked eyes with Ryuu and Alise.
The three stared at each other. Kaguya, looking like she had been caught red-handed, instantly lost all her bravado. An awkward silence filled the air. Kaguya felt like she could die of embarrassment. A master assassin, tailed by her own friends!
"Are... are you two out shopping?" Unable to bear the silence, Kaguya was the first to speak.
"We are, but Kaguya, you're tailing Su Lun, aren't you? Why else would you be moving exactly where he goes? What are you, some kind of obsessive stalker?" Alise retorted bluntly, taking issue with her creepy behavior.
The word "stalker" made Kaguya's face burn. "I am not! I am not a stalker! I'm just... observing!" she insisted to herself.
"Then why observe? It's Valentine's Day, isn't it? And you don't even have a lover," Ryuu added, her words piercing Kaguya's heart like a sword.
Kaguya glared at Ryuu, snapping, "You hopeless elf, you've certainly grown a sharp tongue!"
Goddess Astraea caught up to them and intervened. "Since we've run into each other, why don't we shop together? Perhaps you could give us some suggestions for picking out gifts?"
Ryuu nodded in agreement. Though she and Kaguya often bickered, they were currently united by the awkwardness of thinking about the same person.
Kaguya wanted to refuse, but seeing the expectant looks from Ryuu and Alise—and realizing she didn't know how to handle the fluttering feelings in her own heart—she eventually gave a silent nod.
However, Kaguya suddenly let out a mocking laugh. "Hopeless elf, I bet you haven't found anything good for Su Lun yet, have you? Typical. You have no taste when it comes to picking things out."
Ryuu flushed red and fired back, "And you do? I've never even seen you buy anything!"
"Are you kidding? Of course I do!" Prooked, Kaguya narrowed her eyes and huffed toward a nearby shop. "This one knows exactly what that brat wants!"
Alise and Ryuu shared a look. What was she planning to buy? They had lived with Su Lun for months and knew his hobbies and style well. Yet, that made it harder to pick something "special." Did Kaguya really know something they didn't?
Meanwhile, Su Lun had reached a narrow alleyway. He turned around and smiled calmly at the seemingly empty passage.
"Stop hiding. Come out. Which Familia sent you?"
"To think you'd actually discover me... I must say, brat, you have quite the eye for observation."
Chloe Rollo emerged, a poison-tipped dagger in hand, pointing it directly at Su Lun.
"What a waste. Such a beautiful youth is about to die at my hands," she said, her voice dripping with a cruel playfulness.
The dagger in Chloe's hand danced like a butterfly. She crossed the short distance in an instant, thrusting the blade toward Su Lun's eyes.
Su Lun uttered a single phrase.
"Shield!"
CLANG!
The dagger hit an invisible barrier. Chloe followed up with a lightning-fast elbow strike aimed straight for Su Lun's chest. It was a brutal, efficient move, but it too was deflected by the unseen force.
Faced with her speed and aggression, Su Lun simply took a step back and raised his sword, Pale Justice.
"Hold Person!"
In an instant, magical radiance enveloped Chloe. To her horror, she found her body completely paralyzed, frozen mid-air like a statue.
Su Lun couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the "Black Cat" suspended in such a ridiculous pose.
Where did you get the courage to assassinate me? Do you even understand how mages work?
Chloe had been too overconfident. She clearly hadn't done her research. Then again, Su Lun had just reached Level 3; this "stinky cat" couldn't have known.
He pointed Pale Justice at her. Chloe, staring at the approaching blade, felt her survival instincts scream.
"I have information!" she blurted out.
The sword stopped exactly one centimeter from her forehead. Chloe gasped, her face twisted in pure terror.
Scary, scary, scary, scary! Where did this beautiful boy come from? He's a monster! Was this really a member of the Familia of Justice?
"What information?" Su Lun asked coldly. He had no intention of being merciful to those who tried to kill him. As for the information... he'd let magic verify it.
"Zone of Truth!"
A magical field encompassed them both. This 2nd-Circle spell created a zone where lies were impossible.
"I'll tell you everything about the clients," Chloe relented.
She poured out everything she knew. Su Lun realized she was just a pawn. Her employer hadn't shown their face; everything had been handled through middle-men who provided a deposit. However, she knew of a location—an abandoned church.
Su Lun suspected it was likely the same abandoned church where Hestia lived in the original story.
When Chloe finished, she looked at Su Lun warily, her cat ears twitching with anxiety. She tried to sound endearing. "I can do anything, meow. I can assassinate, I can gather intel, meow. Just don't kill me, and I can give you even more information, meow!"
"Oh? And can you guarantee that?" Su Lun asked with a half-smile.
Chloe swallowed hard. "What do I have to do, meow?"
Su Lun looked her over and thought of a rather interesting—and, in tabletop RPG terms, quite notorious—spell.
"Fast Friends!"
The spell took hold. Chloe's expression shifted from fear to a sort of respectful, friendly warmth.
"What... what is this, meow? I feel strange, meow."
"From today on, you won't be doing any more assassinations. In exchange, I'll pay you to gather intelligence. If you're interested, you could also find work as a waitress at the Benevolent Mistress. It'll solve your living situation. You can't be an assassin forever, right?"
Chloe was dazed by his long-winded explanation. She had expected to be thrown in a dungeon, forced into labor, or simply executed. She never expected him to offer her money and a new path in life.
Why didn't he just kill me? She wanted to ask, but the words died in her throat. After a silence, she asked timidly, "How... how will I find you?"
"Don't worry. I'll send you a letter whenever I need you."
Since reaching Level 3, Su Lun had gained the spell Galder's Speedy Courier, which allowed him to send items to a designated creature anywhere on the same plane. It was the perfect way to communicate without leaks.
"Alright, time to go. I have errands. I'll contact you if I need anything."
As Su Lun walked away with a casual wave, Chloe felt her heart—or rather, her interest in "beautiful boys"—flutter. She pulled her hat lower.
I guess heroes really do exist in real life, she thought. As an assassin, she had long since stopped believing in storybook heroes. Yet, someone had just barged into her dull, violent life and changed everything.
Even if he had used magic to nudge her mind, she couldn't deny the goodwill she felt. Maybe it was because he was handsome, or maybe she was just tired of the killing.
Chloe shook her head to clear her thoughts. With a few quick leaps, she vanished into the shadows to start gathering intel—and maybe look into that waitress job.
After that interlude, Su Lun arrived at the Loki Familia's Twilight Manor. He found Captain Finn, who looked somewhat exhausted.
"Coming to see me today? Aren't you spending time with your Familia members?"
"I wanted to, but Lyra asked me for a favor," Su Lun said, pulling a confession letter from his pocket. "This is for you."
Finn caught the letter and sighed. "It's from Lyra, isn't it?"
"Yeah. You knew?" Su Lun was surprised. He thought Finn might have been oblivious, but the man was clearly well-aware.
Finn frowned with a weary smile. "To be honest, I'm quite fond of that Pallum girl. Unfortunately, my intuition tells me that if I were to marry her, nothing good would come of it."
Finn gritted his teeth and rubbed his thumb against his lip, seemingly recalling something terrifying.
"Whatever. My job is done. I should be going."
At that moment, Su Lun spotted Riveria. The High Elf nodded and looked over curiously.
"Delivering a letter? Hmph, the Brave is certainly popular," Riveria said with a smirk.
"Hahaha! It's rare to see that lad wear such an awkward expression," Gareth laughed nearby, taking a long swig of ale from a wooden mug.
"Lad, since it's a holiday, you should walk the streets a bit! Orario is huge; there's always a quiet spot. Oh, right, little Ais was going to head out too. I already told her—"
Ais Wallenstein walked out then, her eyes fixed on Su Lun. "I want to go out with Big Brother Su Lun."
"That you cannot," Riveria refused immediately.
"Mama Riveria is mean," little Ais pouted.
"What was that?" Riveria's expression turned slightly terrifying. "Ais, it seems your training hasn't been enough."
Su Lun chuckled. Although Ais and Riveria weren't actually mother and daughter, after their battle with the black monster, their bond had clearly grown into something like family.
"Alright, I'm heading back."
He left the Loki Familia and walked along the street, thinking. To make the chocolate statues, should he use white chocolate, dark chocolate, or something special?
I'll use a blend of white and dark, and then apply 'Mystery' to see the result.
He aimed for the quality of the stone statues from Baldur's Gate 3—at the very least, they should provide a long-lasting buff. He stopped at a shop to buy cocoa beans and supplies.
On his way home, he passed the Benevolent Mistress. Just then, the door swung open, and a girl rushed out.
Su Lun happened to run right into Syr Flover.
My : https://p*tre*n.com/Noctra418 Danmachi: My Magic Style is Different from Yours (Simulpub – Ongoing)