Chapter 19 Trapped With Strangers I

"The cave doesn't end here... thankfully." He didn't rest for long, already tired of this encroaching environment that made him feel claustrophobic.

The path ahead of Constantine was calm, he used the same wind trick to notice that apparently while running away from that 'crab'... he had taken the right place.

[Why do you keep calling it a crab...? it doesn't even have claws... that was a cicada.]

"It looked like a crab to me..." He said simply and lifted his eyebrows when Zebellia's laughter resonated.

[Hehe~]

...?

'Was that funny?' He thought inwardly but didn't voice anything out loud, fearing the vixen would increase his debt by a million just 'cause her butt happened to itch a little strongly.

Let alone; according to the trial's assessment, his joking skill is [-F]... so, going by that not even the most katalgelastic pierrot would laugh at his jokes, let alone he wasn't joking... why is she laughing?

'Forget it...' he had better things to think about now rather than his psychotic companion.

Using his flora magic, he created a lance of roots and attached the pointy teeth of the crab to it.

They were merely four but... very sharp indeed.

"Let's continue... going down this path is my only option..."

Without any other end to take, he continued onwards with a silent Zebellia paying attention to everything he did.

**

**

"AAAAHHHH!!"

Yells of pain and despair, followed by the cocky voice of one of those ants, disgusting and hideous.

"WOOHOO!! LOOK AT ALL THIS LUMEN!"

"Indeed, it is better than wasting time with the Blood of Sandork, a stalactite like the one of today? that's not happening again!"

...

Constantine concealed himself in the shadows, the entrance of the cave, after so much walking he finally encountered something.

This place looked like a clearing, a convergence of dozens of tunnels, the voices stopped him from going onwards.

It wasn't much what he could see from this angle, but there were several humanoid figures, all of them wearing broken plates of armour and ragged clothes.

Three males and two females, but there were several of those giant ants with spears around them, gossiping and yelling contentment.

"What is that...?" He could see some sort of magic thingy around them, it was shiny and rotated, an earthen colour around four of the individuals, but around a particular man, there was also a rotating purple circle of sorts.

[That's a magic array...] Zebellia answered his indirect enquiry.

"What does it do?" He inquired, his brain already working full time in looking around, attaining everything he could, this wouldn't be an easy breakout.

[I can't tell from this distance, you have to get closer.]

...

After giving the humans a few slaps, the ants collected a bag filled with blue shining crystals and departed, leaving the secluded spot where they were.

"This is a camp of some sorts, there are... eww..." He sighed in disgust after creeping his head through the shadows and seeing the clearing further... there were so many eggs, and ants... more than twenty that he could see, in the walls, the ceilings... and inside some sort of pods there were more, smaller ones...

[This is their camp, what are you going to do now...? there are several exits]

"I have to see which tunnel is the right one, crawling over all of them. Do you have any idea?" He thought of using earth magic at first to go through the ground, then there was the idea of using wind magic to make his steps soundless and tap his way in, but... with these many ants, he doubted such a method would work.

[Your call, if it was my choice, I'd say you run straight through all of them and risk your life~ doing so would increase your karma points.] She suggested something outrageous right off the bat.

"How much?" He inquired, his hustling mode activated, although he still didn't know what the impact of those points would be... just the fact that he was sent to this cave instead of going straight into a more civilized city, was enough to tell him that he needed to decrease that debt asap.

Alas... it wasn't working so far.

[Hmm... according to the trial's metrics, it should be three thousand positive karma points, do you dare? all you have to do is to take the risk and fight all these ants, easy...] She said neutrally but there was a concealed glint in her voice.

'Easy you say!?'

"Just that? too low... it is not worth it." He discarded the proposition right away, his chances of dying if he were to fight all those ants was about 90%... for just three thousand?

Perhaps with more knowledge of his magic and more information on the ants' plans... he'd do it, but right now, his confidence was almost zero.

He didn't know if three thousand was a lot or a few, but compared to his nine billion debt... it certainly wasn't worth it.

...

[Then how about ten thousand?~]

"Why are you bargaining!?" He almost yelled, isn't it supposed to be some sort of fixed rate defined by the trial? the more she speaks about it, the more convinced he is that this dang woman is just here to bully him.

[I just want your karma meter to increase even if a little... you just increased your debt by a hundred thousand in a single day; if we go on like this... it is never going to end] She spoke as if aggrieved and frustrated at the fact that his debt was so high.

"IT WAS YOU WHO INCREASED IT!" He tried to whisper but the shameless attitude of this Valkyrie surpassed even himself!

[Oh, really? anyway... do you want the deal or not? my-*cough* the trail's last deal is for twenty thousand, take it or leave it~] She offered as if she was some sort of pawn dealership, let alone her real intentions slipped right there, not that she cared.

"You just said 'my'... as if... you..." He pointed it out, aware that it would be useless, and it was.

[No, I didn't...? take it or leave it, I'm sleepy so...] Her tonality sounded like she truly wanted to get over this and sleep.

"Hmph, I refuse, fuck your metrics." Unbeknownst to him, a curse came out, his personality overflowing in front of this valkyrie's shameless bullying, a budda can only take so much, let alone a sinner like himself.

[Very well~]

[-20 Karma Points]

"Hmph! fuck you ten times..." He started to cast his magic, she wanted to control him with some points? fat chance... he'd just overthrow some kingdom or save some princess and that would surely decrease his debt.

[10 * -20 Karma Points = -185 Karma Points]

*Pft!*

"Who taught you mathematics, you lazy Valkyrie!" He mocked openly, going back at her even if just a little bit, unaware that he has just fallen into a quite crafty trap.

[Oh, sorry... how shameful of me... my bad, allow me to fix it.] Zebellia apologised, her tonality even suggested that she blushed at her own mistake.

[+185 Karma Points]

The points wrongly taken out of him were given back.

For the first time ever since they met, he finally had some positive Karma Points, at least that he could see, however, everything was shattered so quickly that he didn't even feel pain in his soul.

[10 * -20 Karma Points = -380 Karma Points]

"..." His shivering body said it all.

When was the renowned Emperor Constantine shamed such? The last one that dared was buried without a coffin... and a skull.

[It should be okay now, right?~] Zebellia laughed a little and asked as if genuinely questioning whether her calculation was good or not, he could even feel the world start freezing as if his answer would determine if he lived or not.

"Yes, your maths are flawless, miss..." Constantine decided that it was pointless to even try to argue with someone that couldn't make such a simple calculation, let alone he suspects everything is planned.

This shameless Valkyrie wants nothing but to drown him in negativity.

'But against all odds, I'll always stay positive.' He said inwardly, preparing his earth magic.

​ [Hoh? looks like you're learning how to be polite with your secretary... there you go~]

[+20 Karma Points]

???????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????-????????????.????????????

It was like a drop of water for a thirsty mouth, he didn't even pay attention to her and it caused yet another fit of laughter from Zebellia.

[You're such a funny individual to hang out with, Conqueror~]

'And you're one hell of a crazy bitch, and god bless you can't hear my thoughts otherwise, I'm screwed...' He thought everything was safe until the world started to stop...

[Did you just think something offensive about me?] She spoke coldly.

[ -1.000.000

"W-Wait!!! I DIDN'T! I JUST THOUGHT YOU'RE ALSO QUITE FUNNY TO HANG OUT WITH!" The moment he saw that number start to form, he felt like the world was stopping again, but it wasn't the world.

It was his old heart.

That shameful tongue, trained for seventy years, had to be worth anything now!

[R-Really? am I?] The world started to move again, and her voice appeared... flustered?

"YES! Y-YOU'RE SO FUN, ADORABLE AND BEAUTIFUL! SEXY! HOT! YOU'RE SO HOT! PLEASE DON'T STOP TALKING!"

This wasn't simply bootlicking, he had done it plenty to reach the throne back in his time, all of them dead once he had the power.

This was soil licking, shamelessly licking the soil she stepped on, the thought of doing it for Zebellia was unexpectedly irritating.

He seemingly didn't catch the fluster in her words, perhaps, her outrageous behaviour was already ingrained in his being.

[I see... hmph! if you want to hear my voice that often, it will cost you...]

[+20 Karma Points]

There was so much relief in his sigh, he didn't just dodge a bullet, he dodge an entire ballista with imbued fire and castle toppling ammunition.

"I need to get going... too many heart attacks and I'm no longer in my old body, thankfully..."