types qw

Scoutmaster

Chapter Text

Juny wondered if she should kill the three men, or not.

She stood before the lady with torn-up clothes and looked down at the kneeling trio.

"Names."

Juny spoke in her normal child's voice, which just freaked the men out more.

The middle one, a Sequence 8, spoke.

"Bouder."

He then pointed to his right.

"Tacker."

And then to his left.

"Twenlight."

'Twen-what now? Twenlight? That's a name?'

Juny stared at them in disbelief before looking towards the girl.

The girl stood there in a daze.

As soon as Juny looked at her, she flinched and answered.

"My name's Mariel."

"..."

'That sounds like a boy's na- No! Juny, you can't say that! Ptoey!'

Undisturbed by her inner voice, Juny nodded and looked down.

"What place do you belong to?"

Juny didn't directly ask what gang or what organization.

She had been through so many things that Juny didn't dare to guess anything.

The men flinched before answering.

"W- We don't belong anywhere. We are bounty hunters..."

Juny blinked a couple of times before caressing and gently rubbing her forehead.

She then looked towards the girl.

Upon closer inspection, her clothes were torn up, but they still covered the important parts.

Not to mention, it was torn in a way that seemed as if they were looking for something.

They were torn nonetheless, but it could be forgiven.

Juny heaved a deep sigh.

"And tearing someone's clothes off was for a bounty, I presume?"

Juny watched as the men's bodies shook ever-so slightly.

The middle man then nodded, his face red.

"Yes, b-but we didn't..."

Juny waved her hand to dismiss him.

'Sure, okay. You don't have to say it. Even the girl doesn't seem to think you were going to rape her.'

'It's a good thing I didn't kill them. I would've ended up killing innocents.'

"Alright, you can stand up."

Hearing this, the lady flinched and the three men carefully stood up.

Juny watched this before speaking.

"Explain."

The men shared looks.

"We took on a mission with six hundred risot as a reward."

Juny nodded, signaling for him to continue.

The man gulped.

"We were supposed to find and catch a girl or take away an item in her possession..."

Juny's eyes narrowed and she looked at the girl.

The girl, Mariel, seemed unresponsive for a while, before scratching the back of her head.

"I might be a burglar..."

Juny gave her a deep look.

'Did I take the wrong side?'

Seeing this Mariel flinched and spoke hectically.

"I- I only steal from bad people! The man I robbed was a slave trafficker! I don't have the power to stop or expose him, so I figured that stealing was my best way of revenge! I- I despise human trafficking!"

'You and me alike, girl.'

Juny looked back to the men to see what they had to say about it.

The three quickly shook their heads.

"We didn't know anything about the one offering the reward! It's normal for them to remain anonymous."

Juny nodded at their justification.

"You didn't steal just something mild, right?"

She asked as she looked back at Mariel.

Seeing Mariel bite her lips, Juny almost sighed.

"I didn't know what it was before stealing it..."

Hearing Mariel's response, Juny let out a groan which alerted everyone.

Juny massaged the bridge of her nose as she felt a headache brewing.

She then frowned and intensely stared at the girl.

"Show me."

The girl jumped in surprise before slowly moving her hand in between her boobs.

Juny eyed as the three man shared a surprised look before being filled with realization.

'Nice hiding spot... as long as you don't encounter perverts.'

Juny saw as Mariel pulled out a box.

Juny could feel a sinister aura emanating from it.

'F*ck...'

Before the lady even opened it, Juny already had an inkling.

Just as Mariel was about to open the lid, Juny raised her hand up to stop her.

"Wait, don't open that!"

Mariel flinched.

She then watched as the young girl walked closer and frowned.

"You opened this before?"

Feeling something strange, Mariel nodded.

"Yes."

Juny's brows furrowed into an even deeper arc.

"You touched the item inside?"

Feeling that something was definitely wrong, Mariel nodded with unease.

"Yes..."

Juny slowly clenched her hand into a fist.

"Did you use Spirit vision on the item inside?"

Her tone was cold.

Mariel quickly shook her head.

"No."

Juny heaved a sigh of relief.

"You stole this yesterday, right?"

Perplexed, Mariel nodded, unsure of how Juny figured it out.

Juny looked at her face before saying with a straight face.

"Then you might still have time. Go find an exorcist. No wait, that's risky. They might be waiting for you to do just that... I'll give you an exorcism. That's safer."

Mariel, as well as the three men, watched Juny with confused looks.

After finishing up her thoughts, Juny explained.

"That guy of yours is no ordinary human trafficker. He's also the believer of an Evil God. This thing consumes human lives and their suffering. It's a Sealed Artifact. It attacks anyone who touches it at the soul level with corrosion."

Everyone around her stood still, as if rooted into the ground.

Juny continued, not changing her pace.

"Thankfully, the corrosion is only on the surface level. If you had looked at it with Spirit vision, you would've seen something that shouldn't be seen. You would've been corrupted by an Evil God, this would make you either lose control on the spot or become an extreme devotee of said Evil God."

Juny then gave Mariel a serious look.

"What god do you worship?"

Mariel awoke from her daze and answered without hesitation.

"I believe in the Earth Mother, the Mother of All Things!"

Juny nodded.

"Come with me, I'll get rid of that corrosion. You can also tell me something about that trafficker."

She then looked at the men and pulled a wallet out from her coat.

"Sorry for interrupting your work."

She took out 600 risot and handed it to the men.

The three were startled and instinctively wanted to refute the girl, but seeing her serious expressions, they took the money with gratitude.

'This is why my wallet is always filled with money! Well, I usually keep it in my Pocket Dimension, so having a lot of money is natural.'

Juny then grabbed the box and Mariel's hand before dragging her away.

Mariel didn't struggle as she was still a little out of it upon being told that she was one Spirit vision from becoming an Evil God's believer.

Juny, on the other hand, was feeling extremely sour.

'How do I always end up in these situations? Why me? I just wanted to read some newspapers! F*cking hell!'

Juny cursed with quick steps and listened to the girl retelling her story in the background.

The man whom she stole from was actually a Count.

His name was Count Hebrald and he was well known to be wicked.

But... he was also known for being a coward.

'This smells bad... I don't like it.'

Juny finally got to her house.

She opened the door and saw Tarkel and Darmine on the couch.

The two looked up and greeted.

"Hello Juny."

"Good afternoon, Juny."

They looked behind Just and then, they saw the visitor.

Mariel was staring at them with her mouth agape.

"That- That's a cat."

Juny nodded.

"Hello Darmine, Tarkel."

Juny then turned to look at Mariel.

"Her name's Darmine, be respectful."

Mariel looked at Juny with exasperation.

Juny ignored the girl who was just reevaluating her views on life.

"Stay here for a bit, I'll go get the exorcism."

Juny closed the front door and made her way upstairs.

Mariel stood there blankly before looking at the cat and the twelve year old.

"Hi?"

The two returned her a greeting and got back to their books.

Mariel slowly moved and sat down.

She was a bit fidgety.

After a few seconds of silence, she saw the cat look up at her and ask.

"What brings you here?"

Mariel jumped in fright before quickly calming down.

She pondered over her words.

"Well, I stole and touched something I shouldn't have and now I'm corroded."

She spoke generally.

Mariel saw the boy look up from his book before curiously closing it and putting it away.

Darmine also lifted her head slightly with interest.

Seeing this, Mariel repeat her previous story in addition to her meeting with Juny.

Towards the end, she saw the two opposite her share a look.

Darmine then nodded and blankly pointed out.

"You'll be joining soon. We'll need a bigger house."

Mariel raised an eyebrow at this, but before she could inquire, she heard light creaking.

Looking around, she saw Juny walking down the stairs with strange scroll in hand.

She seemed to be mumbling something under her breath.

Soon enough, the two locked eyes.

Juny spoke in a clam tone.

"Stand up, please."

Mariel felt strange upon hearing her somewhat respectful tone.

She stood up and looked at Darmine the cat.

Darmine, noticing this, explained.

"She needed time to calm herself."

Mariel was sure there was a deeper meaning to it, but she didn't ponder.

She took a step closer to Juny who held the scroll.

Juny handed her the strange and ancient-looking scroll with a strange magic circle.

"Tear it."

Mariel was suspicious, but she did as Juny asked.

As soon as she tore the scroll, a warm yellow light descended, and she felt herself relaxing.

Mariel could feel light tingling in the back of her head.

Soon, the holy light disappeared and Mariel felt calmer.

Juny looked her up and down before nodding.

"You're good now."

Mariel was dumbfounded as she looked towards the couch.

She saw Darmine nod while Tarkel gave her a thumbs up.

Juny sighed and thought for a moment.

"I'm not just going to let it slide... I plan on asking Airina about the Count Hebrald and see what she knows."

Darmine looked at her before nodding.

"I'll inform Dager and Ellone."

Juny gave her a grateful look before turning to Mariel.

"You can choose to stay out of the Count's destruction. Since it'll be dangerous."

Mariel frowned.

"I don't plan on running away."

Juny felt strange as she wished to retort.

'You should, but okay.'

Juny instead nodded.

"Darmine, please introduce the others to Mariel. I still have stuff I wanted to take care of."

"Sure."

Hearing this, Juny answered a few of Tarkel's questions before leaving.

She headed towards the library.

'My life's awfully busy. Is this the prize for transmigration?'

Juny's eyes turned dead for a fraction of a second.

But she soon shook her head to recover.

With leisurely steps, Juny arrived before the library's counter.

She put on her most innocent and interested face.

"Excuse me."

"Yes~?"

Seeing the young lady behind the library's counter look at her, Juny continued.

"Can I ask, maybe, do you have old newspapers here?"

The lady wore a happy smile before replying.

"We do! Would you like to borrow some?"

Juny eagerly nodded.

"Yes please! Do you have some about the sea? My dad wants to find something."

Juny watched as the lady behind the counter pondered for a moment.

"We do have quite a few about the sea. But you can't take them out of the library."

Juny gave her a cheeky smile.

"Don't worry! I have notebook. I'll write the important things for my dad! He's too busy to read them all himself."

The lady looked at her small hand holding a book and a pen before nodding.

"Sure, come with me~"

Juny walked behind the overly-excited lady.

Curious, like a little girl should, Juny asked.

"Do you know about the pirates and the sea?"

The lady looked back at her.

She looked around before dramatically leaning closer and whispering.

"I used to be a pirate when I was young."

Juny was startled and confused, but she gave the lady an interested look instead.

"Really?"

The lady closed her eyes and tilted her head, still smiling.

"That's right! But you have to keep it a secret."

The lady placed her index finger in front of her lips and Juny did the same.

The lady opened a cabinet before pulling out two stacks of newspapers.

"These are dated back two years, tell me if you need more."

The lady placed the stacks on a nearby table and offered Juny a courtesy smile before leaving.

Juny laughed with an innocent undertone.

"Sure. Thank you!"

As she watched the lady walk away, her expression went back to calmness.

'Miss ex-pitate? That's a plot twist.'

Juny heaved a sigh before turning into a student.

She went through the different newspapers and took notes.

She noted down the bounties and important names.

After almost 3 hours, Juny finally put down her pen and stretched.

She then walked over to the counter where a different librarian stood.

"Sir, I finished the newspapers! Can I give them back?"

She asked, smiling like a satisfied child.

The man, who was obviously a man of a very few words, looked at her and nodded.

"Sure."

He then stood up and walked over to the table.

He saw the two neat stacks of newspapers.

After looking through them, he noticed that they were already sorted by date and type.

He stole a glance at the child next to him and nodded.

"All's good, you can leave."

Juny gave him a silly smile and walked out.

'Ugh, my face hurts from all the smiling. How can children keep this up?'

Juny was overreacting as she stuck the notebook into her Pocket Dimension.

'Time to do a mandatory brothel search. Then I have to visit Airina.'

Juny turned to the darker part of the city.

'A child walking here, all alone, seems dangerous~'

She lampooned to herself while keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

'It's surprisingly calm.'

Juny looked down and watched her feet move.

'I should've asked where the brothel is...'

Juny lifted her head in boredom.

All the houses looked the same and so did all the markets.

'The Feynapotter city is too huge and I don't even know where I should be looking.'

Realizing that her plan wasn't on the well-thought-out side, Juny ceased her movement.

'Maybe I should ask Degster... or should I go to a different 'friend' of mine?'

Juny looked up and watched the crimson moon slowly take over the sky.

Soon, she frowned and turned to an alley.

'Forget this, I'll just go talk to Airina. This is too much of a hassle... can I create Spell Scrolls for searching? Hmm, probably not.'

Letting her mind wander, Juny pulled out a Teleportation Scroll and ripped it.

...

Airina lightly put down her utensils and turned to the front of the table.

Seeing that madam Mailey was done with her food, Airina straightened her back.

"Mother?"

Madam Mailey looked her way.

"Do you know much of Count Hebrald?"

Airina saw her mother lightly flinch.

Madam Mailey then gently sipped her wine and answered.

"I know a great amount of intelligence about Count Hebrald, but why do you ask, my dear?"

Her tone was elegant and calm, but Airina noticed the slight sense of alarm in her eyes.

Airina took a deep breath and told madam Mailey the toned-down version, keeping a certain level of secrecy.

Her mother listened quietly and the butler, Theor, watched Airina's every movement with great concern.

Airina watched her mother let out a long but still polite sigh.

"This is indeed very important. My daughter, it's time I told you the truth behind your father's murder."

Airina froze. She could hear her own heartbeat.

'Murder.'

Madam Miley didn't call it an accident or an attack, but a murder.

Airina swallowed back her discomfort and sat up straight, taking on a listening posture.

She watched as madam Mailey took a deep breath before speaking.

"Long before the incident, there was a particular noble who called himself a 'rival' of our business."

"We have repeatedly ignored the man, but he stayed firm. He caused trouble as well as spread absurd rumors about me and Baron Mailey."

Madam Mailey paused as she silently rubbed her golden ring.

"As soon as I heard the news of the attack on your person, I was quite sure there was more to it."

"But I had no way to confirm it, not to mention evidence."

The madam's voice grew quieter, as if she was going deep inside her memories.

She slowly reached for her wine glass, but soon flinched her fingertips away.

"When... When you made it back home and told me the full truth, I made a check on those bodyguards."

"I have soon gotten the result, it was Count Hebrald..."

Hearing her mother's painful voice, Airina fell into a daze.

Madam Mailey watched her poor daughter before taking a look at her golden ring.

It was elegant, with a small yet powerful ruby in the middle.

It was by no means a pricey ring. If anything, it was a very middle-class ring.

But it was her ring, an engagement ring.

Madam Mailey was the daughter of the previous Baron.

But the family was small, and her father didn't know how to work a profitable business.

Madam Mailey couldn't handle seeing her family fall deeper and deeper into debt.

But there was nothing she could do, instead, she chose to marry a small merchant.

She accepted a proposal made with a small golden ring.

Her father soon passed, but she was his only child.

She returned as a successful merchant with her husband, Lord Mailey.

They have built the family back from nothingness.

Her husband was the sweetest man she could ever wish for.

He was honest and true to his word, but he has perished.

He has died because of a very simple ploy.

He has departed without ever giving her a final goodbye.

But madam Mailey has never cried over his murder.

She has kept a straight face as it wasn't time for her to feel sad.

What she planned to do was not something sadness could fuel.

What she needed was rage.

Great but calm anger filled her very core, stopping any tears.

Madam Mailey promised herself to avenge her husband.

She promised even if it would cost her the family.

She was willing to give the Mailey family name away for her husband.

Madam Mailey looked at her adult daughter and spoke.

"Count Hebrald is a coward. He is not a man who would take the option of killing by himself."

Madam Mailey saw her daughter wake up from her daze.

Her daughter wore the same expression as she did.

Every day when she sees herself in the mirror, her face wears that expression.

The expression of pure rage, the face that seeks revenge.

Madam Mailey looked at her enraged daughter, who had lost her father, and spoke.

"Someone is backing, or more precisely using, Count Hebrald. I have not found out who, but I will continue my search."

Airina was silent.

The man who was involved in human trafficking.

The man who gave human lives and suffering as an offering for an Evil God.

The man whom everyone saw as a coward.

That man has caused the death of her beloved father.

Airina's fists clenched, but she was silent.

"I understand, mother."

Her voice was calm, but her eyes were burning, as if they were a volcano ready to erupt.

Airina slowly stood up before giving a courtesy farewell.

She kept her emotions at bay as she walked the halls.

Slowly she entered the room.

"Mel, noone is to come in for the rest of the night."

Her Lady in Waiting respectfully nodded.

"Yes, young Lady."

Airina motionlessly listened as the door closed.

She looked around.

A beautiful picture in the middle of her room caught her attention.

It was a painting of herself in her father's arms.

Airina slowly exhaled.

She bit her lip before rummaging through the drawer.

She pulled out an ancient looking scroll.

With a light pull, she torn it up.

Hearing the ripping sound and seeing the colors saturate, Airina's vision blurred.

She soon found herself in a familiar, yet very small living room.

She saw a couch.

Airina saw a small boy reading a book together with a short-furred black cat.

Airina saw a brown-haired boy and a beautiful blond-haired girl grouping around a new lady with an unfamiliar face.

She saw a small girl with unusual, but aesthetically pleasing clothes.

The girl was the first one to notice her arrival.

The girl gave her a smile before freezing.

Instead of smiling childishly, as she usually did, the girl's brows furrowed.

"What happened?"

Airina heard the little girl ask.

She watched as everyone turned to look at her.

They all first had a greeting smile before turning serious.

Airina opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

The room stayed silent for a multitude of seconds.

Soon enough, she spoke.

"He killed my dad."

She could feel a single tear running down her right cheek.

Airina watched as the new face stood up from her seat.

"Count Hebrald?"

Airina slowly nodded her head.

Everyone was silent, too afraid that even the smallest movement would trigger Airina's tears.

There was only one person who didn't stay still.

Airina saw a glass of water slowly appear in her vision.

The glass was levitating in the air, with stunning Violet-black flames surrounding it.

Seeing Airina take the glass, Juny asked, her tone calm.

"Do you want to kill him yourself?"

Airina looked at her.

She slowly took a gulp before wiping her right cheek.

Immediately, her sadness went away and different emotion took over.

Airina locked eyes with Juny.

"Yes."

...

After hearing the whole story, Juny was livid, but she also felt strange.

'So many different things are happening at once, but they all have a connection.'

"..."

Juny looked at the mansion before her.

This was Count Hebrald's mansion.

Just yesterday, Airina told them the whole story connecting the Count to the assault.

Juny was angry, but also glad.

This would make punishing a messed up man and Airina's revenge much easier.

She was planning to infiltrate the Count's mansion.

If a Sequence 8 Clown could get in, why couldn't Juny?

Juny didn't plan on touching anything.

She used Isolation Enchantment and she had many more Enchantments to spare.

The reason why she was here today was to map the mansion out as well as she could.

'This will be extremely easy with my Space Awareness.'

Juny heaved a sigh before jumping down.

She then tore a Spell Scroll she made using a Wraith Beyonder characteristic as a medium.

Her figure turned incorporeal as she became a Spirit Body.

While having the Isolation Enchantment, Juny passed through the outer-wall.

Entering the room, Juny's pupils dilated as information burst into her brain.

One could see Space Awareness as a small scale passive ability, but it was not.

Juny could control the scale.

Instead of the limit being a room, which happened every time she entered somewhere, it could be a whole house.

The mansion was still a bit too large for her, but she already had most of the first floor covered.

Her Space Awareness didn't notice anything overly suspicious in these few rooms.

Juny soon moved.

As her body passed the different parts of the mansion, her Space Awareness grew in range.

'There's nothing...'

Juny's eyes skimmed the place as if the walls didn't exist.

Every corner was clear and bare under her gaze, but there was nothing.

The servants worked and chefs cooked.

There were no Beyonders, noone who shouldn't be there.

Juny watched before smiling.

'What a terrible safekeeping act. No Beyonders? After you've just been robbed? No suspicious things are the cause for more suspicion!'

Juny's body slowly moved up, rising through the ceiling.

Another view filled her mind, but all was clear.

The Count was working in his study on some documents.

Juny's figure phased and appeared inside the man's bedroom.

After staying still for a moment, Juny felt it.

'A hidden safe.'

Juny moved to a painting above the large bed.

It was a beautiful painting of a seashore during a sunset.

Juny's arm phased through it.

After making sure there were no barriers, Juny passed through.

A large amount of money filled her eyes, but that was all.

There were no Beyonder items, Sealed Artifacts or even any documents.

Juny frowned before phasing back out.

'Does this house have attic?'

Not thinking for too long, Juny's head passed through the wooden tiles.

Just then, her instincts stroke.

Juny's body abruptly stopped and her back oozed with cold sweat.

'Something's there. Something dangerous. A Sealed Artifact from an Evil God? It's not a living being at least.'

Her head, which was halfway in the ceiling, slowly descended.

'I have to note that as dangerous.'

Finishing here, Juny's body moved down.

She passed the floors before merging with the ground and going beneath.

An extremely silent and dark hall filled her senses.

There, she saw quite a large group of Beyonders.

Juny quickly activated her Material Vision and with great speed scanned every member of the five men standing there.

'Normal, normal, Sequence 9,, Sequence 8, normal.'

Juny noted their looks before moving again.

She passed the men unnoticed.

She flew by the cages and metal bars filled with people.

Young, old, man or woman, it didn't matter.

They were all in a similar state.

Most of their limbs were either tied or broken.

Their faces were covered with dirt and blood.

The hair was disheveled or stuck together.

Juny passed by the crying children who did their best to silence themselves.

She looked around and saw another group of men.

'Normal, Sequence 8, normal, Sequence 7.'

'This group is stronger...'

Juny didn't dare to keep her eyes on them for too long.

She leaped by them and moved deeper.

She saw two groups of two.

'Sequence 8, Sequence 7, Sequence 9, Sequence 8...'

'How are these guys dispatched? It's completely random.'

Juny felt confused, but she arrived before the large door at the end of the hall nonetheless.

With her gaze down, she passed through the wall.

The place instantly filled her mind.

It was a large study.

It was both a study and a documentary.

There was one man sitting by the table.

'You're the boss in charge of protecting the Count?'

Juny's eyes narrowed before looking up.

She saw the spirituality seeping out of the man's body.

'A Sequence 6.'

Juny concluded before quickly averting her gaze.

She did not wish for the man's spiritual intuition to alert him.

Juny stayed quiet and slowly looked through the top documents.

'Not surprised, there's nothing important at the top of the piles.'

Juny searched for a while longer before hearing the man grunt.

Juny stopped her activity and slowly moved to a corner of the room.

"That bastard just went ahead and died, losing the Sealed Artifact in the process!"

"Even if the Heavens were to fall I would never stop complaining about his incompetence!"

Juny listened, and her expression slowly turned strange.

"That idiot was so overconfident, he only brought like eight men with him! Ptoey!"

The man pushed the paper before him away.

He then began muttering in extremely quiet and muffled voice.

Juny sighed inwardly.

'Welp, this concludes it, I am meant to either destroy or perish at the hands of the Rosary Road organization... Who knew they were the ones backing the Count, but it's good I've found it out so easily.'

'There was no need for my preparations. Well, whatever.'

Juny stayed still for a while longer.

'Any second now...'

Soon enough, she heard stomping before a light knocking resonated through the study.

"What is it?"

The man roared in displeasure.

The door creaked open as a shorter man stepped in.

"Sir Flegry, Kelp was found dead in an alley not too far from the mansion."

The man, whom Juny just learned was called Flegry, looked up.

"What?"

The man by the door went into detail.

"Less than two minutes ago, we found his dead body by an entrance to an alley leading to this mansion. He died a quick death, he didn't even manage to struggle."

Flegry nodded.

"Mr. Deaflau was right, they've come to monitor the mansion. But they won't find anything. Make sure everyone stays hidden, then use the underground tunnel to send the slaves to the ritual site. There will be no change in the plan."

The man by the door nodded before politely bowing and going away.

Flegry looked down at the document before him.

"This time, we will surely get an answer."

He caressed his long hair while whispering.

Soon after that, Juny left the place as her time was running low.

'That was fun. They weren't wrong though, I was monitoring them. Only that it was from a few meters away! Ha!'

Juny felt happy that her strategy worked.

Before this, Juny searched the alleys and found a Beyonder guarding the mansion.

She killed him and placed his body in a place that was quite hidden, but people would see it of they looked.

It worked perfectly and Juny got the conversation she was searching for.

'This is why one should read novels! This is not something you learn at school! Haha~ It's great to see others lose to a nerd like me.'

Juny went back in a good mood, pushing the infuriating cages filled with people out of her mind.

'One should care for others but should not get depressed over their suffering.'

She heaved a sigh.

The wraith Spell Scroll has already worn off, so she was walking the streets.

'I wonder if Degster has gotten any information about the brothel...'

Juny came to a stop before abruptly changing her direction.

She soon appeared at a familiar bar.

She saw the friendly John as well as the pretty Jen.

She sat by the bar and gave the bartender a smile.

He walked over.

"Juny, where have you been? I haven't seen you in a while."

Juny was one of the people who enjoyed small talk, so the bartender humored her every time she appeared.

Juny took out some Degan while keeping her smile.

"I've been very busy doing Degster's bidding."

Seeing her normal cup of water Juny asked.

"Speaking of Degster, is he here?"

The bartender nodded.

"The usual, second room."

Her water actually didn't cost as much as she gave the bartender, but Juny didn't mind paying extra, as she couldn't order anything more expensive.

'I need to keep my small body away from alcohol and drugs. Since I already get pushed to the brink of death because of exhaustion, I should at least keep it healthy in other areas. Anything more would probably fully destroy this little ol' me.'

Juny jumped off her stool with a happy nod.

"Thanks."

She then walked away with her glass of water.

After lightly knocking of the door, she heard footsteps closing in.

The door creaked open and Juny saw Natia.

The woman looked at her before smiling and stepping to the side.

"Good evening Natia, good evening Degster."

Juny felt that the three of them were long past pleasantries.

Juny saw as Degter stood up upon seeing her.

"Good evening Juny, are you here for the brothel information?"

'Why you standin'?'

Juny silently cracked a joke.

"Yes, did you find anything?"

Juny was calm as she sat down on a couch opposite Degster.

Seeing her sit down, Degster did the sameThat's right, it's on the Florald street in the Kaymer division. We managed to get a portrait of the owner, Lamei Grant."

As he said that, Natia walked over and, somewhat respectfully, gave her a yellowish paper with a drawing.

Juny looked through it before placing it on the table.

Seeing that Juny has finished memorizing it, Degster continued.

"It is as you expected, the man is very sex-oriented. As the owner of the brothel, there is not a single worker inside he has not had sex with."

Juny listened attentively, but she couldn't help but eye Natia with a strange feeling.

'Why is she standing next to me like a servant? Aren't you going to sit? And why is Degster acting as if he was reporting to his boss?'

Juny swallowed her mild discomfort and forced her focus back to the topic.

She gave it a deep thought before speaking.

"Unless they make their move first, I would ignore the brothel and pay attention to the Count Hebrald."

After finishing the sentence, Juny didn't let the two get the wrong idea as she clearly explained everything.

She didn't want the two to be out of the loop.

Juny saw the duo nod.

"Let's do it as you say."

When Degster finally answered, Juny felt that something was wrong.

'Should I question their attitude?'

Seeing Degster's respectful expression, a face suddenly flashed through her mind.

'This has Dager written all over it! What did he say to Degster..?'

"..."

'H-He couldn't, right? He didn't make Degster join, right?'

Juny's body shook.

Her instinct was telling her that it was the truth.

Juny kept her expression still as she slowly stood up.

"Then I'll be going, I have to inform the rest about what I learned."

As soon as she stood up, Degster accompanied her.

"Of course, have a good evening."

Juny's face almost crumbled, but she kept it together.

"Have a good evening."

She nodded at the two before leaving with her glass.

Juny already drank all the water as she placed the glass on the bar counter.

Seeing the bartender look her way, Juny smiled before walking out at a steady pace.

After walking a few blocks, Juny couldn't help but slap her forehead.

"F*ck..."

'How did I not notice that Dager recruited him? When did-'

Juny slowly lowered her hand.

Her lips twitched.

'It couldn't have been right after the fight, right?'

Juny remembered the smiling faces of the two siblings.

She slowly exhaled.

'Who am I kidding? They absolutely did... uh-'

Juny jumped, as if she came to a realization.

'Mariel is still at our house. At our house with the two siblings... T-They wouldn't turn her over, right? She wouldn't let them... right?'

Unknowingly, Juny's walking pace sped up until she was almost running.

Juny pulled open the door before stepping into the house.

Her eyes scanned the room.

She saw Darmine, Tarkel and Mariel on one couch, while the siblings on the other.

All five intelligent beings looked in her direction.

Juny returned the greetings they gave her, before basically flashing to Dager's and Ellone's side.

"Huh?"

"What-?"

Juny ignored their confusion as she grabbed them by the back of their collar.

"We need to talk."

With fast steps, Juny dragged their dumbfounded asses up the stairs.

She entered her bedroom and threw the two to their feet in front of her.

Seeing the two regain their balance, Juny spoke with a serious face.

"What did you tell Degster?"

The two flinched before sharing looks.

"W-What did he say we told him?"

Juny's eye twitched.

"Do you take me for an idiot? I made those Teleportation Scrolls you use, of course I know when and how you use them. I never stopped you before, but this is too much."

Dager's expression turned from realization to panic to uncertainty.

Ellone, though, only seemed as if she wished to tear her hair out.

"D- Degster is treating me like I'm his boss!"

Juny stumbled over her own words for a second.

She saw Ellone look at her with disbelief while Dager bit his lip, trying to hold back his laughter.

Juny glared at them, feeling helpless.

The two siblings shared a look.

They immediately knew that they felt the same way.

The two opened their mouths.

Juny immediately knew she was going to hate whatever was coming next.

They both spoke at the same time while wearing an identical smile.

"Not a boss, but a Scoutmaster!"