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12. Werewolf

「You didn’t pay that girl the money you said you would.」

I was simply just standing there. I haven’t moved a single finger. However, the loud and garish man in front of me was shaking and clutching tightly a bag full of gold coins in his remaining left hand.

「Werewolves aren’t humans! There’s no law that says we have to pay them the same wages as humans…」

「No.」

I took a step forward. The man stepped back in a frantic manner, but the distance between us was not large.

「You told me that you would pay that girl. That’s why I lent her my skills. I made an ”investment”.」

「I-Investment?」

That’s why I was helping her. It doesn’t matter whether she’s human or a wolf.

「This is a recollection. I will recollect the profits you have exploited. I will not take your life as long as you don’t resist.」

「S-Shut up! This is my money! I will never give it to you– Huh?」

Without waiting for the man to finish speaking, I put my right hand over his face.

「–Activate.」

◆◆◆

Going back in time four days.

「House Duke Abik is part of the intelligence faction who hates pointless conflicts. The House was born when the second prince of that time took over the cultivation of this territory, which had been in ruins during the last war, in order to avoid a dispute of succession.」

It had been just over a week since I regained my freedom and headed west. Under the blue sky with the morning sun shining over, I pointed to the road ahead and told Koe-san my story.

Many people walk to and from the roads that connect towns.

Enabling people to travel long distances safely and comfortably is an important issue for those who rule the land – in this case, House Duke Abik. The big reason for this is “taxes.”

Camping outside makes you easy prey for monsters. If left alone, the monsters will grow and increase in number. Monsters don’t pay taxes, so it’s a loss if you don’t subjugate them. But mobilizing soldiers for that purpose also absorbs taxes.

The lord at the time thought that rather than creating such a vicious cycle, it would be better to set up post towns at key points. If a town is built, the economy will improve and tax revenue will be generated, and in case of an emergency, a checkpoint can be built and tolls can be collected.

「One of the post towns that was created in this way is Kinui, which you can see in the distance. It was built between mountains and along a basin. It is small in size, with about 100 people living there.」

「He sounds like a logical lord, doesn’t he? By the way, Master…」

「What?」

「It seems like there’s a bit of a contradiction between what you just said and what’s behind us.」

When we both looked back, we saw heaps of corpses all around. Zombies, poisonous boars, nighthounds, and heat slimes were piled up. Approximately 80 of them had piled up over the night.

「…I guess it’s because Koe-san is beautiful.」

「If you live a good life on the outside in this world, corpses will pile up behind you, I see.」

「That sounds like a double meaning you know.」

If I felt like it, we can easily move around using [Space Jump]. However, I didn’t want to rush our trip and wanted to give Koe-san some time to study the things around us. So I chose to slowly walk to the west.

We were a young man and woman who didn’t appear to be wearing much equipment. It’s no wonder we were targeted by monsters. The fact that the woman was a beautiful woman with dazzling silver hair…may or may not have something to do with it.

「It’s said that people who possess skills emit a special mana… It’s possible that my skills are drawing them to me. I don’t think there are many people who have accumulated as many skill points as I have.」

There are also devices that measure the mana and determine the presence of skills and the amount of skill points. However, it is not easy to use because it is expensive and few in number.

In my case, I don’t have to worry about it because I can learn this information with the effect of the [Skill Lender] skill. This is the pure advantage of this unique skill.

「Even if the master’s skills were the cause, you were able to repel them with your skills, so isn’t that a good thing?」

「I feel like there’s some other reason…」

「It’s almost automatic. I am amazed at the master’s creativity.」

I activated [Space Jump] around the tent and extended the duration with [Starfrost]. If I “leave” the skill like this, it will automatically exterminate monsters and bandits that approach us while we are sleeping by sending them high into the sky or slamming them into the ground.

It is often said that skills should be selected based on synergy. There are many other things you can do with some ingenuity.

「Still, this number is a bit abnormal. Let’s get into town first.」

「Understood.」

That’s how I stepped into the town of Kinui.

As soon as I entered the town, I stopped in my tracks when I saw a race I have only heard from hearsay.

「Werewolf…!?」

Werewolf. As its name suggests, it is a wolf demihuman.

Although she was still a young girl, she certainly had characteristics that were different from us.

Flaxen hair and wolf-like ears. Her coarse clothes were ragged, resulting in her skin being visible in some places. The back of her clothes was lifted up, revealing a tail that was the same color as her hair.

A girl who had the same characteristics as the demi-human race “werewolf” that I heard about.