SWNOVELXO Chapter 66 - Neighbor (2)
Chapter 66. Neighbor (2)
He hadn’t sensed any sign of people.
But suddenly, an attack came flying out of the darkness.
Shweeeek-!
If Yuri hadn’t thought, ‘Could this perverted bastard have other intentions?’
If he hadn’t been on guard with the thought, ‘You never know with that guy!’ the ambush might have succeeded—it was that perfect.
‘Damn it!’
As expected, this cursed pervert!
Yuri, who had been attacked first, cursed at the pervert.
He thought, after all, the pervert had harbored ulterior motives.
But soon, Yuri sensed something was off.
‘…A spear?’
That perverted guy’s weapon was supposed to be a thin sword.
But what was targeting him now was a spearhead.
‘Huh?’
Moreover, it felt strangely familiar.
And then…
‘Huh?’
Swoosh-.
The attack persistently aimed at only his legs.
Feeling a strong sense of déjà vu, Yuri spun in mid-air and landed on the ground.
During that time, the spearhead retreated into the darkness and disappeared.
Yuri tilted his head toward the darkness.
“…Tessha senior?”
“……?!”
At his murmur, there was a slight disturbance in the darkness.
Soon, the sound of flint striking echoed.
Chii- Chijik-!
Hwaruk-.
Light appeared within the cave.
And there, just as Yuri had predicted, stood Theresia.
Startled by her appearance, Yuri asked,
“Tessha senior, what brings you here?”
On the other hand, Theresia also seemed surprised by Yuri’s presence. She widened her eyes and responded,
“It doesn’t seem appropriate for an uninvited guest to ask the homeowner such a question, does it?”
“Huh?”
Yuri’s face was filled with confusion at her response.
“Homeowner? Tessha senior, are you saying this is your place?”
“That Tessha… sigh, never mind. Yes, this is my place.”
“Since when?”
“Why are you asking?”
“Uh… well… depending on when it was… things might get a little… no, quite a lot weirder.”
“……?”
“As far as I know, the one living here is a strange pervert.”
“…Goetz Röthen?”
“I don’t know his name, but he has purple hair, is from the 48th generation, and is a total playboy……”
“If you mean a purple-haired, 48th-generation, utterly trashy pervert, then it’s definitely Goetz Röthen.”
…I didn’t say he was utterly trashy, though?
Seeing Theresia react as if it was certainly Goetz Röthen, Yuri clicked his tongue.
‘Looks like that guy was right.’
It seemed Goetz was widely recognized as the most notorious pervert here, to the point where mentioning just “pervert” immediately brought up his name.
Meanwhile, Theresia was giving him a look as if asking why he was bringing up that pervert in this situation.
Yuri shrugged and responded.
“When I came here recently, that pervert was living here.”
“That can’t be. I’ve been living here since the beginning of the year. And your story doesn’t even make sense. Recently, you say? I don’t know when this ‘recently’ was, but I haven’t left this place since the 50th generation arrived.”
“January 1st.”
“…?”
“I came here on January 1st.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Believe it or not, it’s your choice, but I definitely came here that day.”
Theresia’s brows furrowed at Yuri’s words.
Her face showed a hint of internal conflict.
Seeming to realize something, she let out a small sigh and asked,
“On the day you said you came… was there someone else besides you and that pervert?”
“Oh? Are you believing me?”
“…When I returned from changing the Dragon Plaque, I found the hideout in shambles. There were traces of battle everywhere, and the wooden door I made was broken by someone.”
Flinch-.
Yuri flinched at the mention of the broken door, but quickly hid his reaction and nodded.
“Yes, there was one more person.”
“Was it a woman?”
“…How did you know?”
Theresia’s brows furrowed harshly at Yuri’s candid explanation.
She swung her spear around a corner of the cave.
Then, out came a strange piece of cloth.
“Bringing a woman into someone else’s place… how filthy.”
She grumbled in disgust and tossed the piece of cloth attached to her spear outside the cave.
‘Huh?’
Watching the garment flutter past him, Yuri suddenly understood everything.
He realized how Theresia knew the other intruder was a woman.
And the secret behind how she had managed to change clothes so quickly while fleeing during his and Goetz’s swordfight that day!
‘So she wasn’t wearing any underwear!’
While Yuri stood there in a daze, Theresia spoke with a serious expression.
“Just so you know, I have no relation to that perverted senior. And I’m not in some weird cohabitation situation like you implied.”
“I didn’t say anything, though?”
“Someone used to live here until last year, and I think that was Goetz Röthen.”
“I really didn’t say anything……”
“He just took advantage of the place while I was away.”
“…Are you even listening to me?”
“Perverted trash. Utter scum!”
“……”
Yuri blinked as he watched Theresia, who seemed to be making excuses, despite not listening to him at all.
‘She must really hate this Goetz guy, huh?’
At that moment, a thought crossed Yuri’s mind.
‘Wait a minute? If I play this right…’
A glint appeared in Yuri’s eyes.
He grinned and agreed.
“True, right? I mean, what kind of brain must one have to think of bringing a woman into someone else’s house just because it’s empty? Don’t you agree?”
“That person probably doesn’t have a normal brain structure.”
“A vile, dirty bastard!”
“I’m not sure about vile, but dirty is accurate.”
“Ha… using a filthy space like this where that dirty bastard was rolling around with a woman… don’t you think it’s a bit… unclean?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
The firm reply came without even a second of hesitation, and Yuri was momentarily flustered.
‘Huh? This wasn’t the response I was expecting.’
Yuri quickly continued, hiding his surprise.
“But that pervert might break in without permission again, right?”
“That would be even better.”
“…Huh?”
“If he drags another woman in… this time, I’ll make sure to put some holes in him. I’ll make sure he can’t use that dirty thing ever again.”
As she said this, crimson light began to pour from Theresia’s eyes.
‘What’s that dirty thing she’s talking about…?’
Yuri felt a chill run down his spine from her eerie killing intent.
He was too scared to say anything, but he had a purpose, so he awkwardly started speaking again.
“H-Hypothetically, if that pervert were to suddenly break in and do something bad to you, Tessha senior…”
“That won’t happen.”
“Huh?”
“Goetz Röthen might have a severe case of womanizing, but he’s not the kind of trash who would force himself on a woman who says no. In fact, he’s very gentlemanly towards women.”
“……”
“The problem is that he doesn’t turn down any woman who comes to him. If not for that, he wouldn’t be a bad person.”
“…I can’t tell if you hate him or like him.”
Trash or not trash, make up your mind.
As Yuri grumbled, Theresia sighed.
“I understand why you said that to me.”
“……?”
“You want me to leave this place, right? Sorry, but I have no intention of leaving.”
Flinch-.
Yuri’s shoulders subtly twitched, and Theresia didn’t miss it.
“You still haven’t found a place to stay, have you?”
“…You’re sharper than I thought.”
Yuri scratched his cheek.
Since she had already caught on, there was no point in trying to be sly any longer.
He decided to give up and use the remaining time to look for another place to stay.
Just as he was about to turn around and leave…
“Follow me.”
“Huh?”
Leaving those words behind, Theresia threw herself out of the cave with the torch.
Yuri, who had been standing there in a daze for a moment, quickly regained his senses and chased after her.
Tat-!
Theresia dashed along the crack’s darkened wall.
It was clear this wasn’t her first time.
The crack was steeper than expected, so if it had been someone’s first time, they would have struggled.
But she moved without hesitation, as if familiar with the terrain.
Yuri carefully observed where Theresia stepped and followed her closely.
At some point while chasing her, Theresia suddenly disappeared from sight.
Yuri soon realized why she had vanished.
‘A cave?’
Theresia had disappeared because she had entered a cave.
Following her inside, Yuri was slightly surprised.
‘This is nice.’
No, it wasn’t just nice.
The second cave, located a bit away from Theresia’s, was slightly smaller than hers but also had a smaller attached cave that could be used as storage.
While Yuri was looking around inside, Theresia approached.
“If you haven’t found a place yet, use this one.”
“This place? Why aren’t you using it, Tessha?”
“I prefer a place closer to the surface. Besides, I don’t have enough belongings to use two places.”
“Hmm…”
Yuri crossed his arms.
His gaze at Theresia became slightly suspicious.
In his narrowed eyes, it was clear he was wondering, ‘Why is she being so nice all of a sudden?’
Theresia couldn’t have missed that look directed straight at her.
“…Follow me.”
Leaving the same words as before, Theresia stepped outside the cave.
This time, Yuri followed her without hesitation.
Theresia led Yuri to a third cave.
This one was located in the most remote area.
But it was the largest of all the caves they had seen so far.
Yuri was now certain.
‘As I thought… These caves weren’t formed naturally.’
From Theresia’s dwelling to the caves she showed him, all were artificially created.
Moreover, the paths leading to and from the caves were well-worn, indicating long-term use by someone.
Just like how paths form in a forest from repeated use, these paths had been used for a long time.
Even if a newcomer couldn’t distinguish them, the original inhabitants would have no problem navigating them.
While Yuri was examining the surroundings, Theresia pulled a rope attached to the cave wall.
Then…
Click-.
With a sound of something moving, the cave was instantly flooded with light.
Yuri laughed in disbelief at what was lighting up the cave.
“Did you install these luminous stones yourself, senior?”
“Of course not. They’ve been here from the start.”
“…There seem to be a lot of luminous stones just lying around here.”
Even if the circular arena was understandable, the idea of such abundant luminous stones being embedded in a shabby cave was surprising.
‘If they weren’t deliberately installed by the Cradle, and if they were already here when Tessha arrived…’
It likely meant that the people who used this place before had obtained these luminous stones.
And the easiest way to get this many luminous stones…
‘Would be to steal them from the circular arena, no doubt.’
Seeing what he was seeing, Yuri couldn’t help but think of theft as the most efficient method.
‘Whoever you are, senior, I salute your hard work!’
Thanks to the unknown seniors’ efforts, about ten luminous stones had been secured.
Thanks to them, the cave was as bright as day.
Yuri curiously peeked around the cave.
It was just a spacious cave with nothing special.
So, naturally, he became curious.
“So, why did we come here?”
At his question, Theresia looked at Yuri.
“I have a favor to ask.”
That favor was probably the reason she had been treating Yuri so kindly today.
“A favor? What is it?”
“……”
For some reason, she couldn’t easily answer for a long time.
Theresia hesitated, a far cry from her usual confident and aloof self.
Finally, she spoke after what seemed like an eternity.
“I want… to spar.”
That was the request she made after all that hesitation.
Yuri tilted his head.
“Spar? You want to fight? With me?”
He crossed his arms.
‘No wonder she brought me here.’
The cave was twice as large as the others and as bright as day inside.
It was the perfect place for sparring.
‘Sparring with Tessha, huh.’
To be honest, he didn’t mind the idea.
He had already experienced her skills once, and she was certainly no pushover.
Moreover, Yuri hadn’t had much experience sparring, so a match with Theresia would undoubtedly be beneficial.
Considering he could also repay her for helping him today, one sparring session seemed like a fair trade.
‘Well, if it’s just one sparring match…’
Yuri was willing to grant her request.
At least until he heard her next words.
“Once a week for the next year… spar with me.”
Yuri’s face instantly soured.
“Isn’t asking for a weekly sparring session for a year a bit steep for just helping me find a place to stay?”
“……”
Theresia couldn’t respond to Yuri’s comment.
She knew her request was a bit excessive.
That’s why it had been so difficult for her to broach the subject in the first place.
“Sigh…”
Theresia’s sigh was filled with emotion.
Finally, having made up her mind, she said,
“I’ll give you 10,000 points.”
“…?”
“10,000 points per sparring session.”
Theresia’s face showed a hint of anxiety.
10,000 points.
For a newly arrived cadet, it was certainly a large sum.
And this was the best offer Theresia could make.
If Yuri rejected even this, she had no idea what else she could offer to get him to agree.
But her concerns were unnecessary.
Before she even finished speaking, Yuri was already bowing at a 90-degree angle.
At the same time, a booming, enthusiastic voice erupted.
“Please take care of me from now on, senior!”
“…Huh?”
Theresia was stunned by his rapid change in attitude.
Yuri grinned broadly and rubbed his hands together.
“Shall we start today, senior?”
“Uh…”
“Not just once a week, but seven times a week… no, ten times a week, if necessary! Please feel free to call on me anytime!”
“……”
“Oh, but I do only accept payment in advance! So, when would you like to make the first deposit?”
Seeing Yuri happily chattering away, Theresia couldn’t help but nod.
She felt like she was beginning to understand what kind of person he was.