I Became A Collaborative Character In The Game

Chapter 16 – Lilia 2

The bald man’s reasoning was as follows:

There were five on his side and three on the other.

Excluding the girl, it was effectively 5 versus 2.

‘So it’s only natural to attack!’

If they won, they could take the woman the other side had captured, as well as the girl traveling with them, instantly multiplying their earnings for the day.

‘Maybe five times… no, ten times.’

The black-haired girl was exceptionally beautiful.

A face like that would definitely fetch a good price anywhere.

The bald man considered his calculations quite rational, and his companions agreed.

As a result, the moment Luther’s group passed them, they turned around and launched a surprise attack with remarkable teamwork, without even exchanging glances.

But Luther reacted faster.

‘It’s not like this is the first time I’ve seen this!’

Although he was a little surprised by the brazenness of their actions, betrayal by mercenaries was practically a staple of the Dragon Hunter series.

*Thwack!*

“Gah!”

The bald man, struck squarely in the forehead by a stun shot, fell backward.

The men who had been about to attack Luther’s group momentarily froze, and Max and Karen seized the opportunity.

*Slash!*

Max was fast again.

His sword flashed, and two men collapsed, clutching their throats.

“Gah?!”

“Ugh!”

Their hands were instantly drenched in blood.

Judging by their bewildered expressions, they didn’t even realize how they had been hit.

“Oof!”

At that moment, another man fell.

It was Karen.

While everyone’s attention was drawn to Max, who had slit the throats of two men, she had slashed the waist of the man in front of her and immediately followed up with another attack.

She tripped him, and then, gripping her sword in reverse, plunged it into his chest.

Her movements were so swift and precise that, like the men Max had taken down, the man with the pierced heart died with a dazed expression.

“Oh.”

He had seen them fight the Lykas, but Max and Karen’s combat prowess was still surprising.

Especially Karen, who looked like a delicate girl, so the dissonance was even stronger than with Max.

“[Master, there’s still one left.]”

Just as Integra said,

The man who had been carrying the unconscious woman was blinking in surprise.

Four of his comrades had been taken down before he could even react.

“D… don’t come any closer!”

The panicked man stumbled back and drew his sword, but it was pointless.

*Thwack!*

“Gah!”

The man, struck in the chest by an energy projectile, collapsed.

‘I’ve felt this before, but this really is overpowered.’

While this wasn’t a world without magic, it wasn’t a world where magic was commonplace either.

Since most people couldn’t even imagine someone firing projectiles with their bare hands, exploiting their surprise was incredibly easy.

‘Should I upgrade the Energy Gun next?’

He also wanted to upgrade the drone and Nanosuit quickly.

He would eventually upgrade everything, but there was an order to it.

“[Master, I don’t think this is the time to be thinking about that.]”

“[Let’s focus on the current situation.]”

Luther nodded at Integra’s gentle voice and first attended to the woman the man had been carrying.

She was a girl in her late teens, and unlike the blonde woman, her appearance and clothes were ordinary, giving her the impression of “village girl A.”

“[Master, I feel like you’re having discriminatory thoughts.]”

“No way.”

Luther casually dismissed Integra’s comment, laid the girl and the blonde woman side by side, and looked at Karen and Max.

They had already restrained the bald man, who had been the first to fall.

It was the right decision, since he had been knocked out with a stun shot for interrogation.

“Although law and order in the border region is poor, it’s not usually this bad with human traffickers roaming around. Moreover… judging by the fact that they kidnapped a village girl, something might have happened in the village. It would be best to assess the situation before moving.”

It was possible that they had simply kidnapped a girl who was out gathering herbs, but he had to consider the possibility of something more serious.

Karen nodded in agreement with Max’s opinion and said to Luther,

“Luther… sir, let’s interrogate him and then move.”

“Okay.”

As Luther readily agreed, Karen signaled to Max, and Max immediately started slapping the bald man.

“Ugh! Gah!”

The slap was so strong that it split the man’s lip, and blood trickled down his chin, but Max, unfazed, slapped him again and pressed his sword hilt against the man’s throat, saying,

“Your comrades are all dead.”

It was a low, heavy voice, unlike Max’s usual tone.

The bald man, trembling with fear despite his dazed state, quickly glanced around and then froze.

He saw his comrades lying dead in pools of blood.

“Tell me. Where did you come from? Who is this girl?”

At Max’s menacing question, the bald man immediately answered without resistance.

“T… the village! The Pioneers’ Village ahead!”

The terrified man babbled incoherently, but the gist of it was as follows:

The atmosphere in the western border region had been unsettling lately.

It was due to a newly emerging bandit group that roamed between the uncharted and settled territories, engaging in looting and arson.

The village chief of the Pioneers’ Village had hired some of the adventurers staying in the village as escorts as a precaution, and that was the bald man’s group.

Although hired by the chief, they had no intention of risking their lives fighting the bandits.  They had robbed the chief’s house and fled the village.

The girl was the chief’s daughter, whom they had encountered while escaping, and they had kidnapped her to make some extra money.

“[So, what happened to the blonde woman happened on a larger scale.]”

“[It seems the natives of this planet have no concept of trust.]”

It was a harsh statement, but it was also unavoidable.

Of the three groups of humans Luther and Integra had encountered since arriving in this world, two had been betrayers.

“[Please be careful, Master.]”

“[Don’t trust anyone but me. Okay?]”

“Okay.”

Luther’s reply was perfunctory, but Integra chuckled contentedly.

Meanwhile, Max looked at Karen and said,

“I heard that law and order in the western border region has deteriorated recently, but… it’s worse than I imagined.  It would be best to leave quickly.”

Since they had come from the north, they didn’t know much about the western border region.

But having encountered criminals one after another in such a short time, they couldn’t say it was safe.

“Luther… sir, let’s hurry to the village.”

“Okay.”

As Luther agreed, Karen signaled to Max again, and Max nodded and lifted the newly acquired luggage.

“[Max’s strength seems greater than expected.]”

The original luggage—the Jogress parts—was already considerable, but with the addition of the stolen goods from the village, it was a mountain of luggage.

Karen tried to help by carrying some of it, but it was still an enormous amount for Max.

So, instead of asking about how to transport the blonde woman and the girl, Luther carried both of them himself.

“Hmm.”

A muscular man walking with a woman and a girl on each shoulder.

Luther smiled wryly, remembering carrying Karen and Max in the Forest of Ancient Trees, and Karen and Max tilted their heads in confusion.

“It’s nothing. Just thinking.”

Luther composed himself with a smile and started walking towards the village.

* * *

As expected, the atmosphere in the Pioneers’ Village was tense.

Some of the adventurers hired as escorts had betrayed them, and the village chief’s daughter had been kidnapped.

“[And into this village walks a muscular man carrying two women on his shoulders like sacks of potatoes.]”

“[It’s only natural that they would be wary.]”

Just as Integra said, the moment they entered the village, they were met with the sharp gazes of the village guards.

But as Karen stepped forward and explained the situation, showing them Roxanna, the rescued village girl, the atmosphere changed instantly.

“Oh! Roxanna!”

“Father!”

At the village chief’s house,

Roxanna, regaining consciousness, burst into tears and clung to her father. The village chief, a burly man who probably packed a punch in his younger days, embraced his daughter and breathed sighs of relief.

“Thank you so much. I’m grateful enough that you saved my daughter, but you even retrieved the village’s property.”

“[Master, you must clearly demand compensation.]”

“[I can see he intends to just thank you verbally and brush it off.]”

Integra’s gentle advice was correct.

But Luther just watched without intervening.

Because Karen was there.

“I’m also happy to see the reunion of father and daughter. And I’ve already taken our reward from the retrieved items so as not to trouble you.”

Her bright smile was both beautiful and reassuring.

The village chief was momentarily flustered by Karen’s words and reflexively opened the lid of the chest containing the money, but only for a moment.

He quickly closed it again, forced a smile, and said,

“Is that so?  Well, thank you again.”

He had only glanced at it, so he couldn’t be sure of the exact amount, but the amount Karen had taken seemed reasonable.

Of course, there were other reasons as well.

He didn’t want to haggle with the people who saved his daughter, and he didn’t want to antagonize powerful adventurers who had defeated the bald man’s group without any casualties.

They were all human reasons.

“[Karen seems to be accustomed to this kind of activity.]”

Luther agreed.

And at the same time, the “Karen is a character in the game” theory resurfaced in his mind.

She was too extraordinary to be a mere extra.

After the village chief and Roxanna expressed their gratitude once more, the man who had been standing silently next to the chief stepped forward and said,

“I’m Balian. A Silver-rank adventurer, and the current representative of the adventurers staying in the village.”

He was a tall, broad-shouldered man who looked quite strong.

He appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties, and his handsome, masculine face exuded the air of a veteran.

“[But Master is much more handsome.]”

‘Indeed.’

Luther was indeed handsome.

While Luther and Integra were having a frivolous conversation, Balian looked at Luther and Max, and then turned his gaze back to Karen.

Sensing his unspoken question, Karen smiled sweetly, extended her hand, and said,

“I’m Karen.  The men behind me are my older brothers.”

Balian smiled wryly at her polite yet distant greeting and shook her hand.

“Nice to meet you.  So, Karen, are you staying in the village?”

“We’re just passing through. We plan to leave tomorrow morning.”

“I see. You seem quite skilled. I hope we have a chance to work together in the future.”

“Likewise.”

Karen’s reply seemed to draw another line.

But Balian grinned as if he liked her attitude and said to the village chief,

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Yes, you’ve worked hard.”

“Yes, then.”

Balian gave the group a final nod and left the chief’s house.

“[Although he seems somewhat wary of us, he seems grateful that we helped him avoid a difficult situation.]”

Luther nodded at Integra’s words.

Although the bald man’s group wasn’t directly related to Balian, the fact that they were adventurers mattered.

If Luther’s group hadn’t rescued Roxanna, Balian, as the representative of the adventurers, would have been in a difficult position.

‘He seemed to be putting together a search party.’

Luther briefly recalled the adventurers gathered at the village entrance and looked back at the village chief.

Karen was discussing lodging with the chief.

“The inn is occupied by adventurers, so I’ll give you an empty house. Follow me.”

The village chief led the way out of the house, followed by Karen and Max, and Luther lifted the blonde woman, whom he had laid on the sofa, onto his shoulder again.

‘When is she going to wake up?’

Shouldn’t she be waking up soon?

In any case, Luther, carrying the blonde woman, followed the chief to the house where they would be staying for the night.

For an empty house, it felt lived-in.  It seemed to be the house where the bald man’s group had stayed while working as escorts.

After putting their luggage in their respective rooms, the group gathered in the living room.

Karen spoke first.

“As I told that man, Balian, we plan to leave tomorrow morning… is that alright with you?”

“I’m fine with it.”

As Luther agreed, Karen looked at Max, and Max nodded as if it were a matter of course.

“Alright.  Then Max and I will go sell the Jogress parts.  Will you be joining us, Luther… sir?”

Although they would likely get a better price in a larger city than in this remote village, they had too much luggage.

It seemed better to sell it here, even at a slight loss.

“[This seems like a good opportunity to learn about the currency and market prices in this world.]”

“[Let’s go together.]”

“[It’s also a chance to buy Master some clothes.]”

“Oh.”

Now that she mentioned it, he really did need new clothes.

Although he had the Nanosuit, it was too conspicuous.

He hadn’t said anything, but the human traffickers they encountered on the road, as well as the village chief, seemed to find his attire quite strange.

“Let’s go together.”

Karen tilted her head slightly, puzzled by Luther’s sudden enthusiasm, but then she smiled and stood up.

But at that very moment,

“Ugh… uh…”

The blonde woman opened her eyes with a weak moan.

–CROW–