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Chapter 272: Before Sleeping

「Oh well, going back to the topic, why are you contracting black spirits, huh? 」
「What a fake smile! 」
Dinosso was obviously trying to smile, so I retorted.

「Yeah, otherwise the conversation won’t go anywhere. 」
Retze soothed me.

「Because the black spirits’ pain is relieved when contracted? 」
「Why is that a question? 」
Yeah, come to think of it, other than Horse’s case, no one else asked on behalf of the black spirits. Huh. I have a feeling I shouldn’t tell them that I’m just making contracts because of the momentum.

「Well, one of my goals is to lessen the spirits that get crushed by the heroes, but it’s also because my sister has the【Domination】skill. Both spirits and black spirits are forced to obey Sis’s orders, so I’m making a contract to prevent that. 」
Yeah! That’s a proper reason, alright!

「The name itself spells trouble skill, huh. So, does doing contracts enough to negate that 【Domination】skill? 」
「That’s because I have the【Release】skill. 」

「 【Release】, is it… 」
Butler stared at his gloved right hand as he mumbled.

「So the reason why I don’t feel the heavy pressure of my House’s honor is because Jean is with us? 」
Ash asked.

「So you have abilities, huh. Aren’t we being stupid for being so uptight and anxious while watching this air-headed guy doing things at his own pace, no? 」
Dean quipped. Oy, who’s the airhead, who’s the airhead, huh!?

「So it’s an opposing ability, huh. 」
「When I heard that Sis chose 【Complete Magic】 and 【Domination】, I wanted the opposite. I was dragged into here, then got abandoned in the middle of a mountain for a while without anyone noticing, so I gained the abilities later than her. 」
I answered Retze.

「Jean was abandoned? 」
Ash’s face was terrifying, but it’s all in the past. I was worried back then for being neglected, but it’s truly a relief that I didn’t go to where Sis was.
「I see, so aside from the fake doll, they can also use magic — use spirits, huh. 」
「They get power from the spirits whenever they make a bold move with their sword apparently, you know? The other male hero has 【Complete Swordsmanship】, if I’m not mistaken. 」

「All the skills they have are nasty. 」
「It’s as expected of a hero! 」
Dinosso’s grimaced, while Chris’ tone is the only thing bright about him right now.

「Is the 【Domination】 only applicable to spirits? 」
「Nah? It works on humans too. But those folks of the kingdom who summoned them seemed to be reaping what they sowed. I don’t wanna do anything about it, nor do I want to go there. 」
I replied to Butler’s query.

「Well, I heard this a long time ago, but they’re gonna destroy themselves if they’re left alone. Besides, I don’t wanna stick my neck into affairs on the kingdom level. 」
Dinosso.

「So, we’re finally back to the pill bugs. The pill bugs are the only monsters you made a contract with, right? 」
「Yup. 」
I nodded in response to Dinosso’s question.

「Isn’t it troublesome? 」
「Well, I usually just let them be. The real nuisance are those black spirits that possessed humans. I have a contract with only one such spirit — well, spirits should be pure, for better or worse, but for some reason, that spirit is subservient and devious, and it recklessly tries to affect me. I think it’s probably influenced by the person it possessed. At least that’s what I guess. 」
Shahira possessed Khan, right? Well, she’s not counted.

「Yeah. Monsters are also animals that have become vessels of spirits that possess them, so they’re influenced by both sides. If it’s troublesome then stop contracting them. 」
「I have tons of other spirits to do, so I won’t. 」

Unlike the other spirits, they might end up tripping me up because of the contract, so it’s scary. They approached me probably because they wanna steal my mana, after all. I ended forbidding them from approaching me.

Dinosso told me not to do dangerous contracts and not to reveal that I can do contracts with black spirits and monsters in front of other people, and the sermon ended with these two warnings.

「There’s still time before we sleep. I’ll help you look for the pill bugs. You’re giving them mana, right? 」
「Nah, I was told to give them only when I notice them. Besides, their self-defense isn’t being restrained, so they’re gonna attack anyone who finds them other than me. 」
I declined Ash’s offer.

「Mm…. 」
「Isn’t it fine to just grab them? 」
Dean commented from the side.

「One of their forte is to burrow into your flesh from your palm, apparently. 」
「Oy, what a nasty monster. 」
Dean frowned.

「If they’re unnoticed, the fastest route would be through the ears. If you turn the stone over, they’re gonna burrow into you right away and pass through the easy-to-crawl-into space between the skin and the flesh until they reach the heart or the brain. You shouldn’t carelessly turn stones in dark and damp places like here and the tunnel. 」

「That’s scary! What am I supposed to do if I accidentally kicked a stone, huh!? 」
Dean looked annoyed.

「If you notice then cut their bisection, but… since they’re tiny monsters, their presence should be almost undetectable. It’ll be difficult in battle. 」
Butler.

「Yup. That’s why if there’s a pill bug monster here, I’m going to request it to remember your scent, so I’m looking for them.
I also added a request that they don’t hurt the pill bug if ever they did find it.

「Alright, let’s look for stones that look like they have pill bugs living under them! 」
Dinosso called out in a mighty voice which sounded quite desperate.

「At the very least, let us confirm that there are no pill bugs in the area we will be sleeping in. 」
Butler agreed.

And so, everyone went on a pill bug hunt before bedtime.

「Jean, what about this rock? 」
Chris promptly called out to me.

「Nope, none, none. 」
I turned it over and confirmed that Mr. Pill Bug isn’t home.

「This stone looks quite suitable, no? 」
It was Retze this time.
「Feels like I’m teaching little kids where pill bugs hide… It’s not a monster, it’s an ordinary one. 」
「It’s a grave situation so why is he so carefree? 」
「Don’t ask me. 」

Dinosso and Khan were saying something.