SWNOVELXO Chapter 81 - Hell (1)
Chapter 81: Hell (1)
Yuri couldn’t take his eyes off Goetz Röthen, the suddenly appearing pervert.
Seeing this, Arin, who was standing behind Yuri, poked her head out and asked,
“Do you know that guy?”
“Do I know him?”
Yuri’s lips twisted.
“Of course, I know him.”
He’s my client.
As he swallowed the words that had risen to his throat, the conversation he had with Goetz in the past flashed through his mind.
At Yuri’s plea-cum-threat to please put on some pants, Goetz finally picked up a pair and wore them.
The problem was, he only wore the pants.
Still, it was much better than being completely naked, so Yuri sheathed his sword, maintaining a bit of distance.
“So, what is this deal you mentioned?”
“It’s nothing much, really. You just need to go back to the Forest of Beginnings and bring me one item that I want. If the Owl Boy, who came all the way here from the Forest of Beginnings, can manage it, then surely you can go back.”
“It’s possible.”
It’s just that I don’t want to do it again.
Yuri’s expression turned sullen.
Noticing this, Goetz added some further explanation.
“Normally, the Cradle assigns duties on a rotating basis to the Deputy Commanders.”
“And?”
“And one of the duties assigned to Deputy Commander Duran this time is overseeing the fifth-year cadets, who are about to graduate.”
“Duran?”
“You don’t know yet? Duran Vikovich, the Deputy Commander in charge of the Forest of Beginnings and the fifth-year cadets.”
“Don’t tell me, the one-eyed guy?”
“That’s right, that rough-looking one-eyed man.”
Yuri’s expression became even more sullen as he listened to Goetz’s story.
“So, you’re not going to tell me that the item you want me to fetch has something to do with this Deputy Commander, Duran, or whatever, are you?”
“As expected of Owl Boy! Your instincts are as sharp as your skills!”
“…Just out of curiosity, how strong is a Deputy Commander in the Black Sword Corps?”
“He’s a certified 9th dan.”
“Wow… So, you’re asking me to steal something from a certified 9th dan? Man, if I get caught, I’ll be sliced in half on the spot and die, won’t I? Be honest, who put you up to this? Who wants me dead?!”
As if to show he meant no harm, Goetz lightly waved his hand in response to Yuri’s icy gaze.
“Haha, no need for that! I wouldn’t ask you to steal something while Deputy Commander Duran is watching. However…”
“However?”
“It should be possible to ransack his quarters while he’s away, don’t you think?”
“Oh? So the item you want is in there, huh?”
Goetz nodded.
“I need one of the documents that Deputy Commander Duran has written.”
“What is it?”
“It’s the fifth-year graduation evaluation report. But it must be a document stamped with Deputy Commander Duran’s seal. Only then is it considered an approved evaluation.”
“Graduation evaluation report? What’s that supposed to be?”
“Think of it as a kind of exam paper.”
“So basically… you want me to steal an exam paper?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes.”
“Are you sure that evaluation report is in the Forest of Beginnings? It’s not somewhere else?”
“It shouldn’t be anywhere else.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“Because recently, Deputy Commander Duran has been handling all his duties from the Forest of Beginnings.”
“For crying out loud, this is ridiculous. But why does a third-year need a fifth-year exam paper?”
“Hmm, that’s something I can’t tell you.”
“……”
As Goetz looked slightly embarrassed, Yuri’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
At the same time, the silhouette of the fifth-year woman who had just left the cave briefly crossed his mind.
‘No way… But, nah, if he’s human, it couldn’t be for that reason, could it?’
Even though a certain theory clearly formed in his mind, Yuri didn’t ask Goetz about it.
He didn’t want to end up with an even bigger headache.
Instead, he asked a different question.
“Hah… Fine, let’s say I do go back to the Forest of Beginnings. How am I supposed to get into Duran’s quarters? If it’s the Deputy Commander’s quarters, it’s deep within the Black Sword Corps’ base, and the security will be tight, right?”
“Of course, under normal circumstances, you’d never be able to get in. You wouldn’t even have a chance to try.”
“And?”
“But there’s exactly one day when the Black Sword Corps’ security in the Forest of Beginnings will be relaxed.”
“Don’t tell me…”
A slight tension entered Yuri’s eyes as he listened to Goetz’s explanation.
He murmured quietly to himself.
“…The time when all the Black Sword soldiers are busy wrapping things up after the Dragon Plaque change ceremony.”
“That’s correct.”
Goetz nodded with a smile.
At that, Yuri shook his head as if trying to clear his thoughts.
“No, I’m not doing it. This is way too risky.”
“I believe that you, Owl Boy, are the perfect fit for this deal… No, for this request. I really need that graduation evaluation report.”
“So what? If you need it so badly, why don’t you go steal it yourself?”
At Yuri’s sharp reply, Goetz shook his head.
“There are three main reasons why I can’t do this myself. First, I don’t have the ability to get to the Forest of Beginnings.”
Goetz raised both his index and middle fingers.
“Second, as an active cadet, if I get caught there, I’ll be expelled from the Cradle without any chance to explain myself.”
“And I won’t?”
“You have plenty of excuses if you get caught, don’t you? After all, you’re just a cadet who was taking an exam in the Forest of Beginnings, so you could say you got lost or that you hid there because it was the safest place. Right?”
“……”
He wasn’t wrong.
Even Yuri had to admit that if he were caught, he would have plenty of excuses.
As Yuri silently nodded, Goetz raised a third finger.
“And third, the most important reason I can’t go there is…”
Goetz’s expression became more serious than when he mentioned the first and second reasons.
With a very earnest face, Goetz revealed his third reason.
“I’m supposed to hang out with my sweetheart tomorrow. I’m busy preparing for that and don’t have the time.”
A vein popped out on Yuri’s temple.
“…Is this guy insane?”
“So, will you take the request?”
“Get lost.”
It was an immediate rejection without any hesitation.
Even after Yuri’s harsh words, Goetz continued to smile brightly.
Yuri snorted at the sight.
‘Go back to the Forest of Beginnings and rob the Deputy Commander’s quarters?’
Am I crazy?
Why would I go through such hell?
What kind of insane person would accept such an absurd request?
“The reward is 1,000,000 points if you succeed.”
As he said this, Goetz pulled out a pouch of points from his pocket.
Clink—.
The sound of ten 100,000-point tokens jingled as they swayed before Yuri’s eyes.
Sway, sway—.
Yuri’s pupils followed the tokens as they moved back and forth.
At Yuri’s words, his eyes, which had been hazy as if under a spell, suddenly sharpened.
“Hey.”
A low voice flowed from Yuri’s lips.
“Next time, mention something like that sooner. If you’d told me earlier, I’d already be on my way! What a waste of time, tsk.”
Seeing Yuri ready to dash off at any moment, Goetz raised his thumb in approval.
“Ha, as expected! I really know how to judge people!”
Not to be outdone, Yuri responded with a determined expression and gave a double thumbs-up.
Then, Yuri pointed both thumbs at himself.
Click-!
“The item you want? No matter what, I’ll bring it back. You can count on me!”
Yuri’s eyes burned with determination.
‘A million? A million, a million, a million? A miiiiiillion?!’
After a month of grueling work in the Forest of Beginnings, he had only managed to earn about 200,000 points.
And now, 1 million points for a single task?
For Yuri, who had already tasted the sweetness of points once before, the amount of 1 million was…
‘I’m doing it, I’ll definitely succeed!’
It was too many points to refuse.
A request worth a whopping 1 million points.
Even now, but especially back then, it was an incredible amount.
He had been so excited that he had completely forgotten to ask for the client’s name.
It was truly fortunate that no one in the Cradle didn’t know the name “Goetz Röthen.”
‘Goetz Röthen. To think we’d meet like this.’
In fact, Yuri had come to this place hoping that he might run into Goetz.
But he hadn’t shown up, and instead, Yuri had ended up becoming neighbors with Theresia.
While Yuri was contemplating how to meet Goetz, they met in the most unexpected place.
Step, step-.
A million points were walking towards him… no, Goetz Röthen was walking towards him.
Yuri wondered if Goetz had finally recognized him.
Goetz raised his hand with a bright smile.
“Go—”
But Goetz walked right past Yuri.
Then, he lightly bowed and took Arin’s hand, who was hiding behind Yuri, and kissed it.
“Ah, to meet you like this… At last… At long last, I’ve found the resting place for my soul. Like a miracle, O Blue Rose, would you kindly tell me your name?”
At his overly sentimental words, Arin’s lips twisted into a scowl.
“Ugh… Ugh, what?!”
Arin quickly pulled her hand away from Goetz and shook it off as if she had touched a cockroach.
As if that wasn’t enough, she wiped the back of her hand on Yuri’s clothes.
Yuri’s eyes filled with irritation at her actions.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s disgusting.”
Seeing Arin’s look of disgust, Yuri sighed.
Then, he grabbed Goetz by the shoulder and turned him to face him.
“Hey.”
“…Huh?”
Only then did Goetz turn to look at Yuri.
Tilting his head, Goetz uttered a single word.
“Who might you be?”
“…….”
It was as if he was seeing Yuri for the first time today.
Then, as if uninterested, Goetz immediately turned his head back to Arin.
“O Blue Rose, please tell me your name! I beg you.”
“No way!”
Arin dodged Goetz.
And Goetz moved after her again.
“O Blue Rose!”
Swoosh—.
“Get lost!”
Swoosh—.
“Ah, how can even your angry expression be so beautiful?”
With Yuri in the middle, Arin and Goetz kept circling around him, playing a game of tag.
Yuri considered his options.
‘Forget the deal… Should I just beat him up?’
But he couldn’t do that.
It was a million points.
Until he got those points, that damned pervert was still his client.
‘Kindness! Service! Smile!’
Suppressing his anger, Yuri called out to Goetz.
“Goetz Röthen.”
At the sound of his name, Goetz stopped moving.
At the same time, Arin hid behind Yuri again, peeking out warily.
Whether Arin did so or not, Yuri gritted his teeth and forced a smile.
“Am I so unmemorable?”
“Pardon?”
“Do you not remember me?”
“Hmm…?”
Goetz tilted his head at Yuri, puzzled.
Then, as if a realization struck him, he clapped his fist into his palm.
“Ah! Who do we have here? It’s Owl Boy!”
Finally, Goetz seemed to remember who he was, and Yuri’s expression relaxed slightly.
Yuri let out a sigh and asked,
“You haven’t forgotten our deal, have you?”
“…Deal?”
Goetz’s face turned confused.
His eyes seemed to be digging deep into his memories.
Soon, suspicion filled his eyes.
“You don’t mean that deal? Did you… actually succeed?”