3 bar menu

Chapter 269: King of the Pill Bugs

「Jean-sama, can you please elaborate on the circumstances of「stopping them in exchange of giving mana 」? 」
Butler asked with a smile.

「Back when I was exploring the ruins, I found one that looked like it’s the pill bug king — 」
「Pill Bug King. 」
Dean repeated after me, but hey, it was there so what can I do?

「When I poked it, it surrendered, so we made a contract. 」
「… 」
「……….. 」

Butler froze with a smile still plastered on his face, while Dinosso turned his gaze down as he sat there, as if he’s about to stick his head between his knees.

「You… 」
Khan rubbed his eyes tiredly.

「Why didn’t you finish it off? 」
Retze asked.

「He was probably amused when it curled up. 」
Dean was the one who answered him.

「Wait, is it even possible to enter a contract with a monster? 」
「He probably did it after he poke it into submission. 」
「You think too much. 」
The duo continued, so I refuted them.

「Noth? 」
Dinosso called out, still staring on the ground.

「It’s beyond my purview. Please limit my responsibility within the city of Canum. 」
Butler smiled beautifully.

「…Retze, wanna join this guy on his solo adventurers? 」
He tried calling out to Retze this time.

「Nah, impossible. The moment I take my eyes off him I’ll die. 」
Retze immediately retorted.

Hey, aren’t you guys being too harsh?

「I still have Shiva and the others — 」
「I won’t be able to go against the wishes of this guy in the end. 」
Khan blocked Dinosso mid sentence.

「As far as I know, forming a contract with monsters or black spirits is known as dark sorcery and it’s considered taboo, but how is it now? 」
「There are a few who practice it in lands ravaged by the long wars, but even so, it is still forbidden. 」
Butler answered Khan’s question.

「Seems like terrible magic from the sound of its name. 」
「Hey, you, yes, it’s about you, so stop making a face like it’s somebody else’s business. 」
Retze drilled his knuckles on both sides of my head,

So harsh.

「You bought it on yourself! Don’t make a face like a cat getting its claws trimmed! 」
「Eh, folks trim cats’ claws here too? What will happen when they have to catch rats? 」
I thought the cats here are not pets but working animals too. Won’t it be a problem if you trim the claws considering those are their weapons?

「The cats owned by noble misses get their claws trimmed so they can’t scratch people. 」
「Come to think of it, Retze took care of a cat back when we did a commission from a noble together, right? 」
Chris commented.

「Oohh. 」
He really does a lot of things.

「That doesn’t have anything to do with what we’re talking about, alright? Besides, normally folks don’t even think of trying to enter a contract with a monster, right? 」
Ack, he’s drilling me again!

「Well, well, let us listen to him first. May we know what sort of contract you did with the Pill Bug King? 」
Butler stepped in.

「You’re amazing for being able to say ‘Pill Bug King’ without batting an eye. 」
「… 」
Dean quipped, making Butler freeze for a moment.

「I just requested that the pill bugs won’t proactively assault humans. It’s just that they’d go hungry, apparently, so I promised to give them mana. They can conserve their energy well, so I only need to do it when I see them. 」
Not sure if it’s because I poked them too much, but not a single pill bug voluntarily approaches me now.

「Uh, can you distinguish the pill bugs that you formed a contract with versus the ones you haven’t yet? 」
Chris curiously asked.

「Ah, no, don’t all pill bugs look the same? They probably have cliques though. Maybe it’s the same as the spirit in Ash’s bracelet, maybe they’re originally black spirits that multiply when they obtain power? They’ve been around since the era of the Fire Spirit, so they’re probably spread out in the whole continent. One of them has consciousness, and I met it in the ruins. 」
I can’t tell them apart at all, aside from that single guy.

「So it’s a pill bug aiming for world domination, huh… 」
「Even though it’s just a pill bug… 」
Dinosso muttered and Dean followed up.

「Stop making contracts with monsters, people will think you’re a dangerous guy. If something goes wrong you’re gonna get persecuted. 」
Retze commented as he pinched his forehead.

「Really? 」
「Really! 」

I thought familiars existed since it’s a fantasy world, but no such thing here, huh.

「Why do I get the feeling that… the way he grasped things is a lot more skewed than me, a guy that has been left behind by time? 」
「Nope, it’s not just your feeling, it’s a fact! 」
Chris quipped in response to Khan’s comment.

Can’t help it, I only lived here for a few years, and that’s too short.

「Making contracts with monsters can drive one’s mind to madness over time. Even if there is a way to minimize the harm inflicted to humans, Jean, you shouldn’t sacrifice yourself. Is there a way to break that contract? 」
Ash commented with a scary face.

So she’s worried about me, huh. Recently, I find her occasional scary expressions quite charming.

「Ahh, I got 【Mental Resistance】 from the deities so I’m fine. It’s just that it does affect the spirits I’m contracted with, so I make sure the number of black spirits contracted to me are fewer than the normal ones. 」

「Oy, wait a sec, black spirits? 」
Dinosso abruptly raised his head and stared up at me.

Ack. I’m gonna get scolded again!!