Chapter 154
"E-Eternal Snow Flower! Do you have it by any chance?"
Scarlet's grip on my collar tightened even more.
But it's not the rough touch like before.
A firm hand filled with desperation.
Scarlet's earnestness was conveyed through that hand.
"Sell it to me! I'll pay any price!"
How I found out about his sister's existence, how I knew she had petrification disease, and how I know the cure is the Eternal Snow Flower.
He doesn't care about any of that. But.
"Keke, I don't have it."
"Damn! Of course not! There's no way a bastard like you would have it!"
It didn't take long for his eyes filled with hope to be dyed with despair.
And this is the same for the opposite case as well.
"Not right now, that is."
"...?"
"This coming winter, and the spring that returns after that. I'll have it in my hands then."
I may have to push myself a bit, but it's not impossible.
If Scarlet faithfully helps me until then, the probability will increase even more.
"...You're saying you'll hand it over to me then?"
"That's right. If you work for me until then, I'll give it to you without a price."
"Ha! Do you think I'm an idiot? Say something that makes sense! The Eternal Snow Flower is..."
"A mysterious flower that would appear in legends or fairy tales, a flower whose existence is questionable. So you can't believe my words. That's what you wanted to say, right?"
"..."
Scarlet shut his mouth. Probably because the words he wanted to say came out of my mouth.
Lightly pushing away Scarlet's hand that was still gripping my collar, I said.
"The Eternal Snow Flower is real. It's difficult to obtain, but not impossible."
"...Then I can obtain it myself. I don't need your help."
"Keke, are you sure that's okay? You won't have gained anything up until now."
"If you can do it, there's no reason I can't. I'm grateful for the information that it's real. Now get lost."
No, Scarlet won't be able to obtain it.
Neither the Eternal Snow Flower, nor his sister, and.
Not even his own life.
"Keke, what's the current progression?"
"Progression?"
"Of the petrification disease. How far has the petrification spread?"
"...Around the stomach area."
"So about 1 year left."
"That's plenty of time. I can obtain that damn flower and still have time left. Mr. Caron must have information. Even if I can't gain access to that information, if I explain my situation..."
I shook my head.
"It'll be difficult. Teacher Caron doesn't have that information."
"What...?"
I can say with certainty, Caron doesn't know the location of the Eternal Snow Flower.
How do I know that? It's a very simple deduction.
The fact that Scarlet was a rat is information that wasn't in the game.
In other words, due to some incident, he betrayed Caron and quit being a rat.
There's a high chance the reason is the Eternal Snow Flower that Scarlet is searching for.
As time grew short, Scarlet must have eventually told Caron the truth and begged him to save his sister.
Caron would have answered that he doesn't know such information.
It's only natural for Scarlet to quit being a rat after hearing that answer. Because the most important thing to him is saving his sister.
'Whether Caron let Scarlet go or crippled him in that process, I don't know, but...'
Anyway, Scarlet survived and wandered the continent, and finally found the Eternal Snow Flower.
But what greeted him was only the statue of his sister, hardened stiff.
Like that, Scarlet wandered the continent half out of his mind.
Scarlet, who couldn't die even if he wanted to.
Perhaps it became his lingering regret that he couldn't save his sister due to lack of information.
He shows a madness of obsessing over all the information and 'mysteries' in the world.
Especially, in order to obtain mysteries, he doesn't discriminate between methods and doesn't hesitate to commit murder.
But the most serious problem is.
That Scarlet didn't hesitate to make deals with 'demons' either.
Did he think demons would have circumstances similar to his own, or did he try to take revenge on the humans who controlled information?
He gave them anything they needed.
As a result, the demon army's power grew even stronger, and the human alliance executed Scarlet for that sin.
A human who couldn't die even if he wanted to wouldn't fear death.
Scarlet didn't grieve.
He only regretted not being able to save his sister in the past.
'This is the story of the Omni Merchant, Scarlet.'
The legendary anecdote of him selling rare items even right before his execution is a bonus.
Anyway, Scarlet won't be able to save his sister.
If I don't help him, that is.
Scarlet let out a chuckle.
"Ridiculous. To think a brat like you has information that not only I, but even Mr. Caron doesn't know. There's no way you'd have such information!"
"Keke, that's why I can do business with Teacher Caron. Unlike you."
"..."
"You haven't been able to obtain it until now, Teacher Caron doesn't have the information, and there's about 1 year left."
Using the [Eye Opening] skill, I pressured Scarlet.
"Keke, I wonder if you can really do it? I'm getting curious."
"..."
Scarlet shut his mouth and became lost in thought.
He must be weighing Caron and the rats against me and the Eternal Snow Flower.
'But in the end, he'll have no choice but to take my hand.'
It might have sounded like a threat if I wasn't careful, but now that he knows Lucia and Caron are protecting me, he'll see me as a big shot.
The hand a big shot extends isn't a threat.
It's a 'helping hand' extended to the unfortunate.
"...You said to work for you. Exactly what kind of work is it?"
"Controlling information about Teacher Caron, and some simple errands? Keke, how about it? It's nothing much, right? Wow~ To think you can save your sister just by doing this much. If it were me, I would have done it a million times more."
Zap-.
Scarlet glared at me. I glared back.
I don't know if he can see it with my slit eyes though.
"Phew..."
Scarlet brushed back his red hair and let out a deep sigh.
Seems like he finished organizing his thoughts. His choice is naturally.
"...The clean-up won't be easy. To think I have to betray Mr. Caron."
"Keke, it's not betrayal. It means to check with me first when you have something to say about me."
"Isn't that betrayal?"
Is that so? Well, that's none of my business.
That's something Scarlet has to bear.
"What do I need to do? Ah, no. What should I do?"
"You can speak comfortably. This is a deal after all."
"...Then I'll do that. Now, what do I need to do and how?"
"First, it's a secret that we made a deal. Naturally, it's also a secret that we talked about the Eternal Snow Flower."
"So it's okay for me to privately ask about the Eternal Snow Flower?"
As expected of the future Omni Merchant. He's quick-witted.
As I nodded, Scarlet showed a satisfied look and at the same time sent an admiring gaze.
Satisfaction from having a route to ask Caron.
And admiration for me who is certain Caron doesn't know information about the Eternal Snow Flower.
"I'd appreciate it if you hid your skills as much as possible. It would be good to make small mistakes so you can be cut from the rats within a year."
"You're saying to act incompetent?"
"Yes, it would be best to say exactly what you deduced earlier."
"Deduction? That manager-level rats have ties with you?"
"Yes, I found out your name through a different route. In the first place, there's no way they would sell information to me."
"...Are you saying it was a stupid deduction? Well, whatever. It's rather convenient I don't have to make excuses."
We discussed a few more things to get our stories straight.
Because Caron isn't an easy opponent.
"Act clumsy, don't try to impress Mr. Caron. Is there anything else?"
Of course, there are a few things I'd like Scarlet to do for me right away. But.
'It's not a relationship where I can trust him completely yet.'
We've only just formed the first link.
Even though his sister is precious to Scarlet, if immense power or rewards are right in front of him, he might try to take them.
He might think, 'I can use this power to find the Eternal Snow Flower', but...
'Humans are inherently creatures faithful to their desires.'
I know what kind of life the character Scarlet will lead, but I don't completely know his personality and tendencies.
Meaning he can change at any time, for better or worse.
A relationship that's just starting to harmonize.
In some ways, it's an even more unstable relationship than when we didn't know each other.
And this is.
'Probably the same for Scarlet.'
We need to build trust.
The Eternal Snow Flower is a kind of 'mystery' that can't be explained by magic, engineering, or theology.
In other words, the easiest way to gain Scarlet's trust is.
To show him a 'mystery'.
"About 3km southeast. There should be a small shrine."
"Shrine?"
"Yes, bow three hundred times in front of it and then destroy the shrine. Then a small tombstone should appear. Bring that to me."
"...It's an unsavory task but I have no choice. It might take some time since I need to avoid Mr. Caron's eyes."
"That's fine."
That tombstone contains a mysterious power.
I know the location of a mystery that's hard to find?
Scarlet will feel that there's something to me, and his hope of obtaining the Eternal Snow Flower will naturally rise as well.
And this is exactly the reason I recruited Scarlet.
Because unlike Caron who is suspicious of every little thing, I can obtain what I want without burden.
'There are a few mysteries that would be painful to have taken away. If Scarlet siphons those off...'
I'll kill him and take them back.
If he siphoned them off somewhere else, I'll use Caron to retrieve them.
What about Scarlet's sister?
...What do I care.
'I'm not kind enough to take care of a traitor's sister.'
It's been a series of choices until now, and it will continue to be in the future.
Scarlet turning his back on Caron is a choice he made, and me deciding to employ him is also my choice.
Betraying each other in the future is also a type of choice.
I only hope we don't regret our choices.
I asked Scarlet, who was scribbling down my instructions.
"Ah, come to think of it, did Teacher Caron give you any orders?"
"Orders?"
"Yes, I can't figure out why he sent me here."
"There's nothing like that. I was simply ordered to feed you guys something delicious."
Caron used a rat just for a single meal?
That's possible. But.
"Then why did you attack me?"
"Ahh, right. I forgot. He told me to show you what's what whenever you try to lay hands on a girl named Luna. Well, part of it was also because I mistook you for a new rat."
Luna? But didn't Scarlet attack whenever I approached Rezé?
"Who is Miss Luna?"
"Huh? She's cute, popular, and charming. There's only one girl like that. One acts like a soldier, and one was no different from a beast."
Only then did I understand the whole situation.
'What the... So he used a rat to feed Luna a delicious meal?'
Caron, the more I see him, the more incomprehensible he is.
Scarlet seems to be greatly misunderstanding something, but...
'It looks fun so let's just leave it.'
Smiling slightly, I left the tavern.
*
As soon as I came out, what greeted me was the sight of Luna and Rezé lying down with a tadpole belly.
Luna glared at me. Eyes full of suspicion.
"Keke, Miss Luna? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"No, I was wondering if another one would pop out."
"Pardon?"
"You made three girls pop out. So I thought the owner would pop out too."
Was that the case? Now that you mention it, I guess that did happen.
Yuridia, Rodelin, and even the siscon Lucia.
It's really a world where everyone except me is abnormal.
"So perverted acts are enough with girls... That's new information. I thought you'd naturally do it to men too."
What the hell do you take people for! I like women! And busty women at that!
"Keke, perverted acts, you say? I'm only guilty of having a conversation."
"Really? Alex, Raymon, Teron, Daike. They're all busy staring at you. Even Teacher Caron is like that."
Luna vigorously continued.
"Especially Teacher Caron. My intuition is screaming! That he has tremendous interest in you!"
Please throw away that intuition. It's not right at all.
"If you get caught doing perverted acts to both men and women like this, it'll be big trouble... What should I do? Should I put shackles on you?"
"Keke, don't worry. I like women. Of course, excluding Miss Luna."
"Why are you excluding me? Include me back right now."
"Yes, I understand. I like Miss Luna a lot too."
"Hmph! I told you before not to fall for me, right? Geez, being too pretty is also a problem."
"..."
I don't know which beat I should match.
I was holding my dizzy head when the tavern door behind me flung open and Scarlet shouted.
"Always be careful! I'll devote both my body and heart to you until this matter is over!"
Then he went back into the tavern.
What was that? Was he expressing gratitude now because he couldn't do it earlier out of embarrassment?
After scratching my cheek, I turned around and saw Luna and Rezé far in the distance.
A peculiar point was that Luna's eyes were trembling like leaves in the breeze.
"Miss Luna?"
Rustle-
When I took a step towards them, Luna and Rezé hurriedly moved back.
"I-It's okay, Zero. I'm someone who fully respects a friend's preferences."
"Pardon? What does that..."
Rustle-.
When I took a step, the distance widened by that much again.
What the hell. What's with this distance!? You said you'd respect me! Ah, no. It's not that I have that kind of preference(?) though!
"C-Come slowly! We'll walk a bit ahead."
Like that, we headed to the dormitory while maintaining a considerable distance.
It was a day that made me want to cry.
--TL Notes--
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