Oh, Iyer! Iyerpol! – Chapter 66

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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“Old Man.”

“Oh, Iyer. What’s up?”

A man with a bushy, unkempt beard that gave him the appearance of a bandit greeted me warmly.

We were on relatively friendly terms.

He looked every bit the rogue, but he was kind-hearted and a seasoned adventurer with years of experience.

And as far as I knew, his skill with daggers was unmatched.

This man was trustworthy.

I nudged Belle, who was standing beside me, forward.

Looking slightly nervous, she took a step towards the bearded adventurer.

“This is Belle.”

“Ah, the girl you introduced me to on the first day. The aspiring adventurer, right?”

“That’s right. A fresh, seventeen-year-old newbie.”

Now, let’s see.

I had tidied her hair and straightened her clothes.

Belle still lacked Zeta’s striking first impression.

I’d done my best to make her presentable and then, subtly, whispered in the bearded adventurer’s ear.

“She’s incredibly talented. A fast learner with great instincts.”

“Hmm? Oh, really…?”

He nodded dubiously, taken aback by the sudden praise.

He had a look that said, ‘Are you bragging right now?’ but I wasn’t bragging.

I was making a sale.

Lowering my voice, I continued,

“Any interest in teaching a cute, quick learner?”

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“Whew.”

Watching the bearded adventurer disappear into the forest with Belle, I let out a sigh of relief.

Not a sigh of worry, but one of relief.

This kind of thing needed to be learned from a proper expert.

I’d entrusted Belle to him, so the rest was up to her.

My next task… was to find another specialist.

“You leisurely gentlemen over there.”

I approached two men huddled together, my targets.

Since we were acquainted, they immediately offered me a seat, but I politely declined and got straight to business.

Selling Belle, the talented individual.

I extolled her instincts, her potential, and her cuteness, my words dripping with honey as I recommended her to these two gentlemen.

“But why don’t you teach her yourself? She’s following you around, isn’t she?”

“Huh? Ah, well…”

He’d hit a nerve.

But I couldn’t just say I wasn’t capable of teaching her.

That would be too embarrassing…

As I hesitated, the other man nudged the first with his elbow.

“Hey, you idiot. There’s a problem, you know.”

“What problem?”

“There is, you know, that…”

Huh?

Trailing off, the man glanced at me and tapped his eye with his finger.

At the strange gesture, the first man slapped his forehead with a look of realization.

…Were these guys putting on a skit, thinking I couldn’t see?

They subtly moved away, arms around each other, and whispered, their words reaching my ears.

“Since Iyer’s blind, he wouldn’t know how to teach someone who can see, idiot.”

“Ah, so that’s why he’s teaching Zeta, and not Belle…”

“Exactly. He can teach Zeta because she’s blind too. But he can’t teach Belle the same way.”

“So that’s the situation…”

“We owe Iyer a favor, so let’s take her on. Got it?”

Hmm… So that’s how they interpreted it.

The two men returned, placing their hands on my shoulders and nodding emphatically.

“Leave it to us, Iyer!”

“Right! Just tell us what to teach her! Anything!”

“…Shall we do that, then?”

It wasn’t entirely accurate, but I wasn’t going to correct them.

Rubbing my hands together, I watched their enthusiastic faces.

People interpret things differently, right? I’d let them think what they wanted.

Hiding my ulterior motives behind a smile, I felt someone approach from behind.

It was the tanned knight, Lady Nikolai.

“Iyerpol.”

“Ah, Lady Nikolai.”

“Let’s talk.”

Talk?

I tilted my head at the sudden request, but she simply entered the carriage.

What was this about?

“Gentlemen, I’ll fill you in on the details later.”

“Alright, Iyer.”

“I’ll be going then.”

I gave the men a cursory farewell and followed Lady Nikolai into the carriage.

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Inside the small carriage, not only Lady Nikolai, but Sir Müller was also present.

Both wore serious expressions, suggesting something was amiss.

“Iyerpol. Sit down.”

“Ah, yes… What’s this about?”

“There’s something we need to explain. Something you need to hear.”

Lady Nikolai’s words carried weight.

The sudden seriousness of the atmosphere made me feel awkward as I carefully sat opposite them.

Between our seats was a small folding table, covered with several sheets of paper.

The writing on them… a report…?

“We’ll be arriving in Begalo Vegas soon. Before we enter, we need to explain something to you, as the adventurers’ representative.”

“Explain what?”

“About the strange occurrences in Begalo Vegas. And about the entity we’ll be facing.”

Lady Nikolai’s sharp gaze was chilling.

This was making me nervous.

“You said you’d heard rumors about Begalo Vegas.”

“The rumors about the villagers disappearing overnight?”

“Yes. Those aren’t just rumors.”

Rummaging through the papers on the table, Lady Nikolai pulled out a report marked ‘Begalo Vegas.’

Her eyes scanned the document as she spoke softly,

“The rumors aren’t exaggerated. They’re accurate.”

“…”

“The villagers really did disappear. All of them, in an instant. The ghost town is real, just like the rumors.”

I had thought it was a fairytale, but it was actually true?

This kind of phenomenon… I’d never heard of it.

“We’ve consulted scholars and investigated, but there’s no record of anything like this happening before. Of course, there are many undiscovered monsters, but nothing capable of this has ever appeared near Kalak.”

“So the Feiler family doesn’t believe this is the work of monsters.”

“You’re perceptive. That’s right. We don’t believe it’s monsters.”

Then what was it?

An invasion from another country? Or the machinations of a criminal organization?

As an adventurer who dealt with monsters, that was the extent of my imagination.

But what Lady Nikolai said next wasn’t about another country, or a criminal organization.

“Do you believe in legends and folklore?”

“Legends…? I enjoy them as entertainment.”

“It’s something you can laugh off. But this is a theory the Feiler family has formed based on information from other regions and the current situation, so listen carefully.”

Lady Nikolai folded her arms, her expression deadly serious.

The heavy atmosphere made me straighten up.

In this serious atmosphere, what Lady Nikolai said next was something beyond my expectations.

“The Feiler family believes this is the work of demons.”

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Several days later, the expedition arrived safely in Begalo Vegas.

The lord of Begalo Vegas, having been informed of our arrival, personally welcomed us.

“Welcome to Begalo Vegas.”

After the long journey, the soldiers and adventurers were given time to rest.

I, too, was given a room by the lord.

“Senior, is something wrong?”

“Hmm? Ah… no, it’s nothing. I’m fine.”

I shook my head at Belle’s worried voice.

But even after I reassured her, she continued to look at me with concern.

Such a sweet girl.

But it was true.

It was nothing.

Just… Lady Nikolai’s words from a few days ago were on my mind.

‘The Feiler family believes this is the work of demons.’

“…”

Demons…

The sudden introduction of such a fantastical element made it difficult to even react.

Demons were usually creatures of folklore, appearing in tales of long ago.

The battles between chosen heroes and man-eating demons were a common theme.

I’d heard those stories as a child.

Chosen heroes fighting magic-wielding demons, driving them from the human world.

But whether people actually believed in demons… varied.

It was like the existence of ghosts.

There were suspicions, but no concrete proof…

“…Or was there?”

My gaze shifted to the bow leaning against the wall.

A magically enchanted weapon.

In a world without magic, the existence of enchanted weapons was considered strong evidence for the existence of demons.

Magic was said to be a legacy of demons.

But even with the evidence before me, I still couldn’t be certain.

The ghost town of Begalo Vegas and the existence of demons.

It was all a bit far-fetched, but the two ideas continued to swirl in my mind.

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[If there are demons, doesnt that imply the existence of succubus’? next member of the harem is a big booty succubus confirmed?]