Chapter 43: Draco city
Once we reached Draco City, our carriage rolled to a slow stop near the grand entrance gates. Towering marble pillars lined the streets while crystal lamps floated overhead, glowing softly even in broad daylight. Everywhere I looked screamed wealth.
Leaving Madara behind to watch the carriage, we stepped into the bustling streets.
"So beautiful…" I awed, slowly turning in circles. "Everything here looks expensive and fancy. Even the people look expensive."
Nobles draped in embroidered cloaks walked proudly through the streets while merchants sold glittering magical artifacts from crystal stalls. Even the cafes had chandeliers.
Meanwhile, I was mentally calculating how many kidneys I'd need to sell to afford tea here.
"People come from all over the realm to visit Draco City," Yuishiro explained calmly. "Not to mention, it's home to the most prestigious magic academy in the realm—Draco Academy."
Ah yes.
The place where future geniuses, villains, psychopaths, and rich kids gathered together under one roof.
How comforting.
"Wait a minute…" I looked around. "Where's Shinso?"
"Over there," Yuishiro pointed.
I followed his finger and immediately deadpanned.
Shinso stood beside a jewelry stall, casually leaning against the counter while flirting shamelessly with the saleswoman..
"So I'm looking for something cute yet elegant," he said smoothly. "Something fancy, yet casual. Perhaps something worthy of someone beautiful—".
"AHHH!"
He yelped as I dragged him away by the ear.
"We just got here and you're already causing problems."
"My ear! Shiori-sama, violence isn't the answer!"
"Neither is flirting with every woman you see."
Yuishiro nodded seriously. "Wise words."
"Traitor."
Ignoring Shinso's whining, I let go of his ear.
"We still have a few days before the entrance exam," I said. "Let's gather information first and explore the city."
The two nodded.
As we wandered deeper into the streets, we turned a corner and spotted a girl around my age being cornered by several men.
"What's going on?" I frowned.
"It appears to be extortion," Yuishiro replied.
"Seriously?" I muttered, unimpressed.
"It can't be helped," Shinso added lazily.
"Different species coexist here. Discrimination is common."
The girl had cat ears and a tail. Demi-human. The men surrounding her looked annoyingly smug.
"Let's help her," I said, already walking over.
"Hey there," Shinso called casually. "Don't you think that's enough?"
Why did he phrase that like a polite suggestion? 😑
"Huh?" one of the men scoffed. "Who the hell are you?"
"Don't you recognize the uniforms?" another sneered. "What are you, idiots?"
The rest burst into laughter.
Uniforms?
Looking closer, realization hit me.
Draco Academy uniforms.
So these idiots were students.
…Wonderful.
If Ryu and Kuro were here right now…
(Shiori-sama, can we kill them?!)
But luckily Yuishiro and Shinso were reasonable people.
"Did they just call me an idiot?" Shinso asked quietly, veins popping on his forehead.
"They deserve death," Yuishiro muttered darkly.
Even you two?! 😰
"No murder," I warned immediately.
"Very well," Yuishiro smiled politely. "I shall inflict tremendous psychological pain instead."
"Can I suck them dry?" Shinso asked, flashing his fangs.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT."
The two sighed dramatically before stepping forward.
"Leave peacefully and we won't kill you," Shinso said kindly.
This idiot was not helping. The students flinched before angrily pulling out their wands.
"Don't underestimate us!"
Magic circles formed beneath their feet as they suddenly floated into the air.
I blinked.
"Huh?"
They hovered several feet above the ground.
"…Excuse me," I raised a hand politely. "Are you planning to attack? Because floating slightly higher than average doesn't feel very threatening."
Silence.
The students looked deeply offended.
"Shiori-sama," Yuishiro whispered carefully,
"I believe you are provoking them."
"That wasn't my intention!"
Shinso snorted while trying not to laugh.
"I'll handle this."
Before the students could cast anything, Yuishiro vanished.
In the next second, all their wands were suddenly gone.
"Huh?"
Shinso casually grabbed one of the stolen wands and cast another spell.
The students shot even higher into the sky.
"AHHHHHHH!"
Their screams echoed throughout the district.
I stared upward.
"…You two are bullies."
Meanwhile, I turned toward the demi-human girl we rescued.
"Hi—"
"No one asked for your help," she snapped immediately.
"…Rude."
She stiffened slightly.
"We didn't save you because we wanted repayment," I said flatly. "You can forget this ever happened if you want."
Her expression faltered. Clearly, that wasn't the response she expected.
After a moment, she awkwardly stepped back.
"I work at the Moon Restaurant," she mumbled shyly. "You can visit sometime. I'll thank you properly. We have good hot pot."
Hot pot?!
My eyes sparkled instantly.
"Let's go there later," I beamed.
"Very well," Shinso replied.
"Despite saving her, she was still suspicious of you," Yuishiro observed.
"Well obviously," I shrugged. "Three suspiciously strong strangers appeared out of nowhere and caused chaos. I'd be cautious too."
The two looked away guiltily. Above us, the floating students were panicking violently.
"They'll eventually run out of mana and plummet to their deaths," Shinso said thoughtfully. "Perhaps they'll become better people in the afterlife."
"Help them."
"Fine."
He snapped his fingers.
The students slowly descended…
…and Shinso intentionally stopped the spell two meters above the ground.
THUD!
"Ow!"
Yuishiro casually tossed their wands at them.
Actually no.
He threw them directly into their faces.
How childish. 😓
"You'll pay for this!" they shouted before running away.
I sighed.
To think I'd be attending school with people like this.
"We didn't have to intervene," Yuishiro said blankly. "This kind of thing happens often."
"I know."
But that defeated look in her eyes bothered me.
Something about it felt… familiar.
[Location: Draco Adventurer Guild]
The guild hall buzzed with noise as adventurers drank, argued, and accepted quests from massive bulletin boards.
I scanned the requests lazily.
Nothing interesting.
Then suddenly—
"Why hasn't anyone dealt with the Sakura Petals yet?!" a familiar voice yelled at the counter.
I turned.
It was the same cat girl.
"The reward has already been sent as promised!"
The receptionist sighed tiredly. "As I said before, we're short on high-ranking adventurers. Come back in a few weeks."
"They'll all be dead by then!"
Several nearby adventurers immediately approached her with disgusting smiles.
"Now now, sweetheart," one smirked while wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Maybe me and my friends can help… for a special price."
His eyes practically undressed her.
Disgusting.
The girl shoved him away, lowering her head in humiliation.
"But why…?" she whispered shakily. "We pray to the gods… we offer everything… so why are we abandoned?"
Gods, huh.
Compared to what that bitch goddess did to me, this situation was practically mild.
She turned toward the exit—
—and stopped in front of me.
"Move," she said emotionlessly.
I stared into her eyes.
Pain.
Hopelessness.
Fear.
"…Please move," she repeated quietly as tears streamed down her cheeks.
My eyes widened slightly.
Then she brushed past me.
.......
I sent Yuishiro and Shinso ahead to secure an inn while I explored the city alone.
[Radar Activated]
Ah.
I was being followed.
Using my demon eyes, I looked through nearby walls and rooftops. A group of men tailed me from a distance.
Guild adventurers.
Suspicious.
Then suddenly—
"…What's that?"
I sensed movement nearby and sprinted into a dark alleyway.
"Brother!" Nanami cried.
Her injured friend lay unconscious while several men laughed around them.
"There's no point praying to anyone—"
SMACK!
One of the men was hit in the head by a lump of dirt and collapsed instantly.
"Huh?!"
"What the hell?!"
Their grip loosened.
Nanami pulled free and shielded her unconscious friend, squeezing her eyes shut while sounds of bones cracking echoed behind her.
"Honestly," a voice sighed lazily, "humans can be such scumbags sometimes."
The men collapsed one after another.
Nanami slowly opened her eyes.
"It's you again!"
I dusted off my hands before walking toward them.
"Please let me heal him," I offered. Nanami hesitated before nodding cautiously.
Within minutes, Mikasu's wounds disappeared completely.
Her eyes widened.
"A healer…"
"Merchant, technically," I corrected.
"Thank you… and I'm sorry for earlier," she bowed. "I said terrible things to you."
"It's fine." I waved dismissively. "I'm Shiori Hoshiko. Adventurer and merchant."
Alias activated successfully. 🙂
"I'm Nanami," she said softly. "And this is my brother, Mikasu."
"A pleasure.".
We eventually reached the city gates with Mikasu sleeping on my back.
"So what exactly are the Sakura Petals?" I asked.
Nanami's expression darkened.
"They're human bandits," she whispered bitterly. "They raid demi-human villages. Our strongest warriors were defeated… now we're forced to obey them."
Her fists clenched.
"They even killed my brother's pregnant wife."
Silence.
Mikasu lowered his ears sadly.
"The guild won't help us," he muttered.
"Everyone in the village will probably die…"
I remained quiet for a moment.
Death no longer shocked me. Not after everything I'd seen. Not after the blood already on my own hands.
"This world is cruel," I thought quietly. "I accepted that long ago."
Still…
I hated seeing innocent people suffer.
"I'll escort you back to your village," I said suddenly.
Nanami blinked. "But it's near the mountains. It would take days to—"
"Not a problem."
Before they could react, I grabbed both of them under my arms and leaped into the forest.
"W-WHAT THE HELL?!"
Trees blurred past us instantly.
"Try not to bite your tongues," I warned casually.
"WHO ARE YOU?!"
"I told you already," I replied smoothly. "Just a merchant."
"THAT'S A LIE!" they screamed together.
Honestly.
People these days had trust issues. 😔
We arrived before dawn. Nanami stared at the village in disbelief.
"We're already here…"
She hurried off to notify everyone while Mikasu remained beside me awkwardly.
"Thanks for helping us," he said shyly
"No problem."
I smiled softly, causing him to blush immediately.
My expression turned serious.Something dangerous lurked in the mountains nearby.
"I'll be right back."
"WAIT!" Mikasu panicked. "That's suicide!"
I paused.
"So you know what's in those mountains."
He flinched guiltily.
"…Yeah."
"And you pretended to be asleep earlier because you were scared to tell me."
"…Yeah."
"Understandable." I continued walking.
"Why are you helping us?!" he shouted desperately.
I stopped briefly.
"Don't misunderstand," I said calmly. "I'm not some chosen hero."
The wind blew through the trees causing my hair to sway.
"I just hate seeing innocent suffer because the world is full of shit..."
And besides…
"They'll repay me eventually," I added casually. "I employ demi-humans in my businesses."
Then I waved and disappeared deeper into the mountains.
... ......
I stared down at the bandits laughing around burning homes. The scent of blood lingered heavily in the air.
"…Disgusting." I growled
Beside me, Mikasu hid within the bushes, shaking nervously.
"You followed me?"
"I wanted to help."
"That won't be necessary."
I sighed softly.
I promised myself I wouldn't interfere too deeply with this world.
Yet here I was again.
Unable to ignore suffering.
"…How troublesome."
I placed a white mask over my face.
My white lotus robes appeared around me as moonlight illuminated the forest.
"Stay hidden."
"What's that?!" The bandits looked upward.
A lone figure stood silently atop a tree branch.
Hair white as snow.
Clothing pale as silk.
A terrifying pressure surrounded her.
"Sakura Petals," the masked woman spoke coldly, "I have come to deliver the final judgment for your crimes."
Fear swept through the camp.
"What the hell?!" Someone screamed
The massacre was swift. Half the bandits died instantly. The remaining survivors collapsed unconscious.
Their leader trembled violently against a tree.
"W-Who are you?!"
The woman turned slightly.
"I am Ultamia."
Her voice echoed like winter itself.
"And henceforth… do not use the name Sakura Petals while staining this world with your filth."
Then she vanished.
The next morning, the surviving bandits were tied up outside the village gates.
Nanami covered her mouth in shock.
"It was really her…"
"So the gods answered us after all," one villager whispered tearfully.
But far away—
Shiori simply stretched lazily while walking beside Yuishiro and Shinso.
"Where were you?" Yuishiro asked suspiciously.
"Out," I shrugged casually.
"Did you at least find an inn?" I asked.
"Yes," Shinso smiled. "We found a decent one. Only four gold coins per night."
…Excuse me?
"Only?" I repeated weakly
Draco City really was terrifying.