Chapter 61: The Hidden Room

Chapter 61: The Hidden Room

“Get off me!”

Rio’s voice bursts into my ears. I was right, she’s likely to be in the bathroom right now. The men’s bathroom, to be specific.

I have a bad feeling about this.

Hurriedly entering the toilet, I was greeted by the scene of about 5 to 6 high school boys, wearing their school uniforms and their hair dyed brown, circling Rio and cutting off her means of escape.

“Didn’t I tell you I’m not interested in you many times now?” yelled Rio, her voice as stern as the first day I met her. She was extremely angry. Did these young boys grab her and drag her against her will?

…wait, it’s not the time to analyze every single details. There’s no further explanations needed to describe what’ going on right now.

I took a step forward and raised my voice against the little squirts.

“What the hell are you guys doing?”

That instant, every one of those boys turned towards me. Rio also did the same, yelling my name with an expression of relieve, only to cause the boys to get worked up all of a sudden.

“…Nakamoto?”

“Woah, it’s Nakamoto the Magician.”

“Yoo it’s the spank bat guy.”

“Aye, he knows Rio?”

Seemingly gaining interest in me, the boys’ encirclement of Rio collapses as they inch closer towards me. Seeing her chance, Rio quickly dashed out from where she was and instantly hid behind me, whispering “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have mentioned your name.”

“What’re you to her old man?”

“It’s one of that paid dating thing bruh.”

“No shot bro, she’s definitely getting expelled.”

The boys lips began to form a twisted, vulgar smile as they start to hold their phones out. They then began to take picture of Rio and I repeatedly.

“Cmon now don’t go hidin on me Rio.”

“Chill bro I got her from this angle.”

“Yeaaah that’s what I’m talkin’ about.”

I’ve gotten the gist of what these boys are trying to do, so I gave the bottle of warm tea to Rio, telling her “you’ve done nothing wrong”, and stepped forward. In response, the boy who looked like the leader stepped forward too, facing off with me directly.

He’s about 180cm tall, a head shorter than me. He’s got a long hair and a nice face, making him look more like an idol than a child actor, but his slightly disheveled blazer suits him in a bad way.

“You’re trying to shake us down with pictures huh? You think that’s gonna get us in trouble?”

“So it’s fine for us to upload this then? I got a pic of Rio snuggling reaaal close to you.”

“That’s”

“See, you’re shook! Stop tryna act tough old man” he said, flashing a sadistic grin.

Rio whispered at me from behind: “He’s the guy that confessed to me. Fujimoto from the soccer club. He’s got a good look but his core is rotten.” Her voice trembled as she continued; “…sorry…it’s my fault…”

“Look old man, we ain’t tryin’ to shake you down or anything, alright? Why don’t you just go on a jog or something? We’ll finish this quickly.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“Who knows. Depends on Rio over there. What we’re gonna do depends on her techniques and willingness.”

The boys around him cackled like a pack of hyenas. Their laughs kept getting weirder and weirder as the boys exchanged looks at each other.

“We’re all pent-up if you catch my drift. Doin’ it with a girl open for paid dating ain’t that different right? You’ve got your turn so let us get some, and don’t you try thinking you have a moral high ground or anything.”

I really don’t want to soil my ears further listening to this sh*t.

【Used 295 points of Mana. Sword of Light, Activated: ATK increased by 350%】

【Damage dealt towards Spirits, Demons and Undead enemies increased】

It only took an instant.

With the Sword of Light in my hand, I rushed past the little squirts and turned Fujimoto’s and all other brat’s phones into ashes and past tense.

“I promise you if you pull another stunt like that, that’ll happen to you instead of your phone. If you catch my drift, scram.”

The boys’ expressions were alike: too stunned to pick their jaws from the floor.

But then, something happened that made me react the same way.

“What the fuck…That was Sword of Light…motherfucker, you know how to use one too huh.”

Fujimoto…gave an analysis too accurate to be a guess. He knows too much just to be a normal high schooler. The sword still in my hand, I took a quick step backwards to gain some distance.

“What are you.”

“That’s my question. You’re just cheating your way up the magician business.”

In a hurry, I decided to Scan Fujimoto’s status.

—————————————————————————

Name: Agil

Level: 65

Class: Summoned Adventurer

HP: 2,200

MP: 1,200

Attack: 1,500

Defense: 1,300

Agility: 1,700

Magic Attack: 1,000

Magic Defense: 1,000

Skills: Language Comprehension, Darkvision, Earth Magic

Notes:

A Hobgoblin warrior that took the identity of a high school boy named Fujimoto Kousuke. As it is only a low-grade camouflage, his real identity can still be identified by Scan.

—————————————————————————

“…huh?”

The result was way beyond what I expected that I doubted my eyes.

This guy’s a goblin?

“Aah that’s how it is. You’re a Hero, old man? Since you’re not human…I can kill you right?” Agil flashed a stiff smile and began instructing his boys. “I need some privacy. Cast some silencing and perception blocking spell.”

“You need some smell concealment?”

“Hmm, sure. Some guts are about to be on the floor anyways.”

Multiple fantasy-esque words that don’t belong in the mouth of high schoolers kept getting spat out one after another, which is a pain in the ass.

Only middle-class monsters and above are capable of casting these spells, and I’m sure it was capable enough that from the outside, this restroom doesn’t exist. The Silence spell makes sure no sounds were leaked, and the Smell Concealment spell is self-explanatory. All of these are great combinations to trap in an adventurer in a cave without letting him call for backups, a tendency of creatures living and nesting underground.

Yes…just like Goblins.

“What’re you gonna do? This place doesn’t exist for the next 3 hours” quipped Agil, smiling pleasantly.

“So what?”

“You don’t get it do ya? You can scream and cry if you want but that’s not gonna do you no good. No one’s gonna now if your bones break or you spill all your guts to the floor. No one’s out there to save you. Nobody’s gonna hear you scream…kee hee…GEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!”

Raising his war cry, Agil pounced.

Compared to his speech, his attack was nothing of concern. I took half a step to the side and his attack hits nothing but air humorously. I easily grabbed his hand and just as easily twist it towards an unnatural direction, breaking his bones instantly.

“Gah…GYAAH!!”

I inched closer towards Agil’s distorted expression and whispered: “Dispel.”

His pleasant looks then melted and turned into an ugly, wrinkled face adorned with pointy nose and ears even his mother couldn’t love. His height also shrank, dwarfing him down to a size way shorter than mine.

“Is this what you’ve all been doing?”

I cast Dispel to all of his group at once, and my hunch stood corrected. Every single one of them is a wretched goblin.

“…ah…a…”

Seeing this, Rio let out a weak voice as she crumbles down on her knees, trembling as she did. I forgot that Rio is timid when she’s exposed to great pressure outside of her prediction.

“Rio, close your eyes for a bit.”

Since the enemies aren’t human, there’s no reason for me to spare them a thought. What I’m trying to say is, it’s time to rip and tear; something a girl untrained for combat should never see.

After confirming that Rio had closed her eyes properly, I cast Dispel on myself.

“Holding you is gonna obstruct my movement…”

For now I decided to isolate Agil so he won’t be a hindrance. I instantly cut his four limbs, and of course, his main body, and violently threw him into one of the stalls.

Goblins can’t use recovery spells, so I’m sure he won’t be much of a threat now.

Then, I turned towards the five other greenskins, angry for what I did to their brethren.

“DON’T FUCK WITH US! I AIN’T HEARD EARTHLINGS GOT SOMEONE LIKE YOU!”

The angry goblin tried to swing at my guts, but having cast Dispel on myself, my abs could tank the hit without an issue. His fist hits my body just like an apple being dropped onto a concrete floor. His attack felt more suicidal than optimistic.

Just as the goblin writhed in pain over having his hand crushed by his own foolishness, I cut the idiot in two.

I should finish this before they decide to take Rio hostage.

Without a moment to spare, I began my hunt for what’s left.

I’m used to dealing with goblins in a closed space. If anything, I did it for a living.

“HELP…!”

One goblin tried to reach for the exit, and I dealt with him by shooting a magical arrow straight to his Achilles’ heel, and as it collapses to the floor, I stepped on its back and ripped its spinal cord before throwing its lifeless body towards another goblin, knocking it off its feet, sealing it off its movement and tossing it down to its back. With two targets at the same place, I took care of both of them with one swipe.

I burnt the rest of the goblins who were left agape to a crisp without a risk on the building, since I used a specific spell that wouldn’t consume anything but the target.

It’s a pain in the ass but I have to ensure that there’s no atoms of them left behind, so I deliberately took my time.

“Alright,”

The five goblins were erased, so I got into the stall I threw that miserable, amputated Agil into.

“You’re a smart cookie, aren’t you?”

“Interrogation, right?”

“Good, that makes this quick.”

With one hand, I lifted Agil by the head.

“How’d you goblins get here?”

“Heh, ask something I know the answers for next time.”

“You’re covering for your owner? Awful cocky of you despite being a race that’s only good at wasting oxygen.”

“That ain’t it chief” snarked Agil, using words that only young Earthlings would use. “Our memories got restricted. We don’t even know why the hell we’re out here. I only remembered that it was some powerful big shot that sent us here and that our memories got wiped. That’s all I got. Bit of a shame, isn’t it, Mr. hero?”

I kicked the goblin on the stomach, knowing full well about its weakness in mental strength is getting exposed to physical abuse.

“I DON’T KNOW! I REALLY DON’T KNOW! JUST KILL ME ALREADY!”

“If you let your mouth loose a bit more I might grow your limbs back.”

“I DON’T FUCKIN KNOW! YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I WANT TA KNOW ABOUT THE SH*T I’M IN!? I’LL TELL YOU IF I CAN TELL YOU FOR FUCK’S SAKE!”

“What happened to the real Fujimoto Kousuke?”

“Fuck if I know! All I know is I wake up lookin like that!”

I put more strength on my iron grip on his head.

“OW OW OW! I DON’T FUCKIN KNOW! I REALLY DON’T KNOW!”

“Since when?”

“FROM LAST YEAR! OW!”

“Where are the other goblins?”

“You tell me. I don’t fuckin know who’s who around here!”

“Hm, looks like you’re not lying.”

“…ugh…gh…I told you all I know…now heal me back you piece of sh*t hero…!”

However, as I proceed to incinerate Agil’s amputated limbs, I said:

“I had a common law wife…one you goblins took away from me. Since then I’ve spent my life making sure of your pathetic race’s extinction. You think I don’t know that you fuckers are beyond saving? From the moment you were born you are already the epitome of evil, so I’ll give you the mercy dying right here, right now.”

“…huh?”

“Pray to whatever you pray to that you’d be literally anything else in your next life. Not that it’s gonna be that hard, right? Even maggots and cockroaches have a higher standing than you.”

“No…NO NO NO!! DON’T KILL ME! WHAT KIND OF FUCKIN HERO ARE YOU!? STOP FUCKIN’ AROUND!!”

“Bye.”

With a crack of his neck, Agil’s body lies limp. I made sure his body was thoroughly incinerated with magic.

“You can open your eyes now” I said, heading for a sink to wash my hands. Thanks to the Sword of Light, the goblin slaying drew no blood, but goblin slaying is still, quite literally, dirty work, so I took my time making sure my hands are cleaned thoroughly.

With a handkerchief in my hands, I walked closer to Rio.

“Lets’ go home.”

“…did you…kill them all?”

“Yeah. They’re not humans. Since the time they meddled with Fujimoto, they’re no longer the same person. Come on, can you stand?” I asked lastly, giving the girl my hand. Rio could squeeze my hand back, but it doesn’t seem like she could stand as she is.

“…sorry, I can’t…my legs stopped working…”

“That’s not good.”

If she can’t stand, it’s a sign that she’s taken mental damage, something that recovery magic couldn’t repair.

What should I do now? The answer should be to refer her to a counseling service, but the moment she said that she’s been attacked by goblins would be the moment she gets referred to an asylum instead.

Thus, I crouched down to match my level to hers.

“The monsters are gone now. You can stop worrying about them.”

“…I know, but…I still can’t stand…” she said, worries lingering in her eyes. She tried tapping her trembling knees to calm it down to no avail.

“Alright, let’s just hang around for a bit then. This place still doesn’t exist for the next couple of hours anyways.”

“…mm.”

Still, letting a girl sit on a restroom floor doesn’t sit well with me, so I picked her up into a princess carry.

“Ah,”

I cast a strengthening spell on the blushing girl to make sure I don’t accidentally crush her frail body with my overkill strength.

I carried her to a stall and closed the toilet lid before setting the girl down to sit on it.

“…what were they?”

“Monsters, beings that don’t belong to this world” I said, taking some distance from Rio and averting my gaze. It seems like she heard about my conversation with Agil, but whether it be humans or not, a murder is a murder in her eyes, which would explain if she felt the same fear towards me.

“…how’d they manage to slip into our school…? Does that have anything to do with your strange power?”

“I don’t know, but I might be part of it.”

I thought that perhaps it’s impossible for me to get involved with her any further. While it’s true that violence was the first thing I showed the girl the first time we met, I didn’t go as far as killing someone, and perhaps murder was the limit of what she can witness I do. Girls who love strong guys are a dime a dozen, but a guy who’s a serial killer?

“…you were scary back then, Nakamoto-san…”

“Thought so.”

That would be a normal reaction. Saving a girl from a monster will be rewarded by the girl looking at you like another monster instead. Every monster one slays is a step closer for him to become one. One’s humanity keeps getting lower with greater strength.

“Disappointed?” I asked, realizing I asked the same question Rio posed me back in the restaurant. It’s not the situation to laugh at, but I couldn’t help but to flash a smile. Maybe I truly am not as human as I thought anymore.

“…Relatively.” Rio also replied the way I did back then. “…but I also think you were cool too.”

“You don’t have to.”

“But I mean it…” Her face still looks like she’s about to cry. “You did all that for me…of course it would be impossible for me to hate you.”

“Look, I fully amputated a dude and incinerated them to nothingness. Even the demons in hell would draw a line there.”

“…that was scary…but I love you.”

“Huh?”

“I love you…”

Then, Rio stretched her arms forward and began sobbing.

“…Hug me…”

Rio told me she loved me for killing goblins.

That…made me recall the moment I first saw Elza. The dim limestone cave…and the Elza who accepted me who killed the goblins right in front of her eyes.

In my heart, the two figures overlap. The long, black hair, the eyes harboring loneliness, and her thin, slender body…the two really look alike.

The moment I realized, I was already sitting on the toilet bowl, facing Rio and giving her a hug. My body just moved without commands.

“…you were scary…but I love you…I don’t even know which of those two is stronger…”

I gently brushed the girl’s head. Her jet-black hair flowing between my fingers as its softness dulls my thought. A girl’s hair can truly lead a man astray.

【Nakamoto Keisuke won the battle!】

【Obtained 6,000 EXP】

【Obtained 300 Skill Points】

【Saitou Rio’s Affection Points increased by 9,999】

【Saitou Rio’s Affection Points has breached its limits】

“That…feels nice. It feels totally different than my fingers.” Rio closed her eyes and lightly sighed.

I was only playing with her hair, but her face begins to burn.

【Saitou Rio’s Affection Points has reached a point where non-consensual intercourse will turn consensual】

【Will you proceed?】

【If proceeded, there is a constant probability of conceiving】

【The child conceived would gain combined status pattern of both parents; some skills would be inherited, and equipment and item sharing is possible】

【Assignment of child’s class is also possible】

Rio fervently rubs her face on my chest, whispering “look, I can move my legs now” before circling her supple legs around my torso. “…looks like I got better since hugging you makes me feel safe.”

“That’s great. Should we go then?”

“Mm…no” the girl said, shaking her head lightly. Her tone and attitude still looks childish no matter how many times I see it. “I can move my legs now, so I can do a lot of things.”

【Saitou Rio’s sexual arousal has reached 99%】

Rio’s eyes wavered. Her face is red to her ears, and her breath keeps getting shorter and quicker.

“I want to go…all the way…” With a pleading tone, the girl rivaled a harlot. The contradiction between her attitude and her tone actively seeks for my body. “Can I…?”