NOVPUB
Chapter 293: A Welcome Greeting
The emptiness left by Xiao Hu’s departure was profound, but our daily life remained unchanged after her leaving.
After all, she was pretending to be a yokai and had remained cooped up in her room the entire time, so her presence in our daily life was minimal.
Of course, there were exceptions.
[Fluffffyyyyy.]
The Dark Spiritualist, laying on the floor where the yokai Xiao Hu used to crouch, seemed to miss her. While I believed Xiao Hu didn’t particularly like being called Fluffy, nor did she seem to miss the Dark Spiritualist, I decided to let it slide for now.
[There are many people like that among those who get their first pet. They fill their emptiness with the animal, and are hit really hard when it’s gone.]
Stella, who began explaining things like a psychologist all of sudden, seemed to have seen this kind of situation a few times before.
[What happens to pets when they die? It’s a pretty significant question in religious circles as well.]
“Indeed, I have heard about it before.”
I also recalled listening to debates on that subject in my previous world in passing.
“So, what answer did you give?”
At my question, Stella smiled and answered.
[There’s no mention of pets anywhere.]
Cruel as it might sound, that was the answer. I didn’t know how it was in my previous world, but on this continent, there wasn’t even an afterlife prepared for humans.
Hence, the existence of a resting place for pets was even more out of the question.
[Should we take in a cat or something?]
At Stella’s uncharacteristically playful suggestion, I answered somewhat seriously.
“In the first place, it is difficult to find the souls of deceased animals. For a soul that falls asleep at the moment of death to awaken, it must possess a good amount of desire or longing.”
Most of them usually didn’t possess such aspects. Or rather, it was more that they couldn’t reach that point.
After all, animals generally had less cognitive or memory capacity than humans.
[Is that why we don’t see the souls of animals?]
I left Stella, who was nodding as if she’d just learned something new, and approached the Dark Spiritualist.
“Enough already—get up this instant. Should we not be celebrating Xiao Hu’s growth and departure instead?”
[...It’s not that I am displeased by the fact that she grew. I even congratulated her! But even so, being lonely is still lonely.]
“Sigh.”
As I sighed, the Dark Spiritualist glanced at me and muttered.
[If you’re not going to comfort me, go away. I’ll mourn my parting with Fluffy.]
“Call her Xiao Hu. And what will it take for you to stop this nonsense?”
Did I just take the bait?
The Dark Spiritualist suddenly stood up and walked directly toward me.
[Hug me.]
“...”
[I used to hold Fluffy like this every day, so I feel empty now.]
“Sigh.”
After absorbing Luaneth’s power and becoming a haunting spirit, she could now feel physical sensations, which was perhaps why she would often ask me to engage in physical contact in this manner.
[Ehe~!]
Seeing me standing still, the Dark Spiritualist took it as an opportunity and embraced me, rubbing her cheek against my chest while doing so.
Her body felt more cold than warm. And although there was some sensation, I could not feel strength or pressure that distinctly.
Should I say it felt about half as perceptible as a human’s touch?
What exactly is this current state of the Dark Spiritualist?
I couldn’t help but wonder as I looked down at her, clinging tightly to my chest. Thinking about it now, Luaneth was already at an age where he should have been dead, yet he lived with a body.
And the fact that Luaneth’s power was passed on to the Dark Spiritualist...
It is strange.
For now, I decided to keep observing the situation.
Some time passed as I continued pondering over the matter, but the Dark Spiritualist still showed no intention of letting go.
“You should move now.”
A satisfied smile crept on her lips. For some reason, her skin seemed to have become plumper.
[Ah, this feels nice. Loneliness, overcome!]
If she was able to overcome it this easily, maybe she wasn’t that lonely to begin with.
Clicking my tongue, I turned back toward the desk, where Stella was standing with a sullen expression.
[I’m feeling a bit lonely too, you know?]
“Go talk with Velica then.”
[...]
The Saintess immediately puffed up her cheeks like a balloon, but I pretended not to notice.
Fortunately for me, Deia entered at just the right moment.
“The carriage is ready. You can leave right away.”
“Got it, thanks.”
I had ended up spending more time in Norseweden than I originally intended. And by the time I arrived, Loberne Academy would likely be just about to start its summer break.
However, it wasn’t really a bad thing because Norseweden truly felt like my hometown now.
As I followed Deia out of the mansion, she began sharing the information she’d gathered until now.
“About Goben. He wasn’t originally a coachman who was supposed to be heading to the Clark Republic. He didn’t even have the required experience to handle such a significant assignment.”
Goben and the drugs. As I’d vowed, no one involved in this affair would escape my grasp.
“The assignment was suddenly changed, and he was dispatched here. The Wellington Trading Company deliberately redirected Goben to the Clark Republic.”
“...”
“I also traced the route Goben used to trade drugs in the Republic. It wasn’t even difficult to get him to spill everything. We might uncover something if we dig around there.”
There were two main areas of concern.
The people who were cultivating and selling the golden flower in the Clark Republic. And those who were distributing, selling, and purchasing it within the Griffin Kingdom.
“And setting aside the Republic for now, I find Wellington Trading Company to be highly suspicious.”
Deia grinned as she spoke, and I nodded in agreement.
“From what I’ve seen, they’re a nasty bunch. They must have known about Goben’s past involvement with the Colton gang’s drug operations and deliberately connected him to the Clark Republic.”
“Goben probably believed he had stumbled upon a good deal by chance, but it was all orchestrated by Wellington Trading Company.”
“It is easier for them to cut ties that way. If they dangle an enticing bait in front of the fish, how can it resist taking the bait?”
Since Goben had prior experience dealing with drugs during his time in the Colton gang, he wouldn’t have been able to resist such an appealing deal and naturally attempted to distribute the drugs.
Goben probably believed he was operating in secret, but in truth, the Trading Company was influencing his every action all along.
This was Deia’s assumption.
“That seems highly plausible.”
As I listened to her information, my thoughts began to align in a similar manner. Sensing this, Deia smiled in satisfaction but also expressed regret.
“It would’ve been great if we could identify who the buyers were. But the seller Goben mentioned has already cut ties and fled.”
“Hmm.”
“They’re sharp. Though, if this works out, we might catch a bigger fish.”
“Yeah, I will keep that in mind.”
And before I knew it, we had reached the carriage where a large crowd had gathered to see me off.
From Darius to Illuania, Sevia, and even the members of the Scrapyard Nomads.
It wasn’t like I was leaving forever, yet so many had come.
“Travel safely.”
Darius patted my shoulder as he bid me farewell. I didn’t respond, only meeting his eyes briefly before moving on.
“Thank you. I owe you again.”
Kyaa!
Seeing Iluania and Sevia pleased to see me brought a faint smile to my face.
“If anything happens, contact me right away. Or you can ask Darius for help.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Illuania had resumed working as a maid at our mansion. Although the scars left by Goben still remained, thanks to Xiao Hu’s help, she would surely overcome them.
“Yosh! Let’s gooo!”
Findenai, who seemed to be waiting for me, tried to get into the carriage first.
“You stay here.”
“Huh?”
On hearing my words, Findenai froze in place, her expression asking me what in the world I meant, so I glanced toward Deia and replied.
“Sorry, but there is something I need you to do.”
“Should I leave it to Findenai? Honestly, I also wanted to do that.”
Deia, who was apparently hoping for Findenai’s help, smiled in satisfaction.
“So, what is it? What’s the task?”
Sensing something unpleasant brewing, Findenai crossed her arms as she took a seat in the carriage.
Her entire demeanor exuded a determination to not leave the carriage unless it was something significant.
And as soon as I mentioned finding and burning down the drug production site in the Clark Republic—
“Great! I’ll go and kill them all. I’ll make them think the Demon Lord has returned.”
She immediately hopped out of the carriage, swinging her arms enthusiastically. Given what had happened with Illuania and Sevia, she probably had no intention of letting them off easily either.
“...But can’t you come along, Master Bastard? I don’t want to go alone.”
Her previously bold demeanor changed abruptly as she grumbled to me, though she probably knew what my answer would be.
“I will be searching for the person scheming in Griffin.”
“Tch.”
It was an answer she had expected.
“While you are at it, why not take the opportunity to revisit the Republic with the Scrapyard Nomads and relive some memories?”
“They’re not exactly pleasant memories. But fine, I get it.”
Thanks to how quickly Findenai accepted, I felt at ease and was about to get into the carriage. However, she suddenly stepped up to me.
“Alright, since we won’t see each other for a while, let’s share a deep kiss.”
“...”
“Ugh, that idiot.”
When Deia shot a sharp remark from the side, clearly doubting I’d agree to such a request, Findenai retorted smugly in response.
“But we just did a few days ago! In fact, it was even initiated by him.”
“...”
“Did you know? Master Bastard’s lips are sweet. Or was that because of the alcohol?”
Deia’s gaze immediately pierced through me. Not only hers, but also the sharp eyes of Stella and the invisible Dark Spiritualist, unnoticed by the others, were focused on me.
[Is that true?]
[...]
Knowing well that no response would be able to shield me from their reproach, I avoided their gazes without answering them.
“Get lost.”
Thud!
Taking my silence as confirmation, Deia’s fist began pounding against my back.
“Get lost! Get lost!”
Thud! Thud!
“I said get lost! And don’t even think of returning to Norseweden! How dare you flirt and fool around while others are working hard, huh?! How are you any different from Deus, you bastard?!”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Receiving Deia’s punches on my back, I stumbled into the carriage with natural movements.
Slam!
Deia slammed the carriage door shut, not even making an attempt to hide her flushed face.
“Please depart!”
And so, the wheels of the carriage began rolling as it departed Norseweden.
***Summer vacation was slowly drawing closer at Loberne Academy.
Of course, students had to overcome the massive hurdle of midterms before that, so while keeping an eye on the paradise that was the summer break, they were busily preparing for their exams.
“Phew.”
And when the students were busy, the professors were even busier. Especially when it came to preparing questions for the exam, overtime was inevitable.
“So tired.”
Naturally, Erica Bright was no exception.
With the light-based magic she taught being one of the most popular courses, careful attention when crafting questions was required.
Keeping that in mind, Erica had come in early this morning to create and review exam questions.
With a thermos of coffee in her hand, she wandered the corridors alone.
Strolling through the empty academy in the crisp morning air wasn’t bad, but the exhaustion was undeniable.
She endured it by sipping her coffee.
Creeeak.
She opened the door to her lab and stepped inside.
While it was expected that no one would be there, Deus Verdi’s figure stood still at the entrance.
“Ah...”
Seeing him, Erica let out a sigh and smacked her forehead.
“These girls, seriously, I told them not to sneak in.”
Because of the life-sized Deus doll created by Professor Fel Petra, Aria and Eleanor occasionally snuck into the lab.
And each time they did, the Deus doll would end up in strange places—this time, at the entrance.
“I clearly warned them not to enter the lab during exam season.”
People should respect boundaries, shouldn’t they?
“Huff.”
Erica sighed and grumbled. Since she couldn’t throw the Deus doll away, she kept it in the laboratory.
But honestly, it was just a nuisance.
“...”
Yet, sometimes.
Thud.
In those secret, solitary moments when no one else was around, Erica would occasionally lean against the Deus doll.
Else, it would have been difficult to endure the unease of his absence.
It really is well-made.
Resting her forehead on the doll’s chest, Erica gently wrapped her arms around its waist.
Pressing her nose against it, she hugged it tightly.
“...”
However, Erica sensed something unusual.
It was something that should have never happened.
And the thought that this was happening in her lab sent shivers down her spine.
She felt warmth.
The body scent was strong.
And the doll was breathing.
As she carefully opened her eyes and turned her head slightly, she saw the Deus doll still standing in the corner of the lab.
Which meant—
“This is quite...”
What she was currently holding onto was...
“An impressive welcome, I must say.”
As Erica hesitantly lifted her head, there stood Deus, looking down at her.
“Uh, huh?”
Erica’s mouth hung open like a broken toy as her face turned beet red.
