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Chapter – 07
“Trade, human, trade.”
Kaucher repeated those words and laughed in a strange, unsettling way.
The light radiating from the skull hanging around his neck made his laugh appear even more grotesque.
But Eleanor simply looked up at Kaucher, expressionless.
Kaucher asked,
“What… do you need?”
“That thing around your neck.”
Eleanor raised her hand. Kaucher’s gaze followed her motion downward.
In her fingertips rested the skull necklace that Kaucher wore.
In a voice that sounded like metal scraping, Kaucher issued a grave warning.
“You don’t know what this is.”
“No. I know it well. I won’t ask for all of it on principle. Just give me one.”
“Human, it’s not something you can handle.”
“Thank you for worrying that a human might be consumed by a Magi.”
Eleanor’s cold reply stopped Kaucher mid-sentence.
The three-eyed Golem King stared at Eleanor silently for a long moment, and Eleanor met his gaze calmly.
After the suffocating silence, Kaucher finally spoke.
“…You know well, then.”
“I told you, I know well.”
“Aren’t you afraid?”
“I’m used to Magi. I welcome them.”
Since humans had abandoned her, she had lived in a world where Magi existed alongside humans.
The easiest way to strengthen the black blade that drew its power from Magi was through Magi themselves.
“The skulls you wear are concentrated remnants of Magi. They’re filled with the lingering will of powerful monsters you’ve killed.”
“….”
“I’m not asking for the strongest one. Just give me a decent one.”
“And what will you give in return?”
Kaucher’s hoarse voice scratched at Eleanor’s ears.
Eleanor crossed her arms without a trace of emotion and declared to the mighty three-eyed Golem King,
“Your kind—the golden-horned Golem Matelle—will be freed.”
“What did you say, human?”
At that short declaration, the Golem King’s demeanor changed.
The attitude of curiosity and goodwill instantly turned intimidating and hostile, and the marble staff he had been loosely holding on the ground shook violently, tearing the air with a threatening sound.
Eleanor met his hostility without changing her expression.
“Matelle, the golden-horned Golem, was the superior king of the golden-horned Golems. But manipulated by humans, his horns were cut and he was sealed.”
“You… human?”
“Fortunately, the Golems managed to save Matelle’s body in time. But they could not reclaim the golden horns that contained Matelle’s power. So the Golems decided to protect Matelle’s body until the horns could be recovered.”
“Answer me, human!”
“Right here, in the three-eyed Golem’s lair.”
Bang! Bang!
Kaucher stomped in anger, but Eleanor didn’t flinch and looked up at him.
“Think carefully. Unless you want to throw away the chance to save your kin with your petty rage.”
“Grrr…”
Kaucher ground his teeth in frustration.
Yet it was clear that his aggressive movements were diminishing.
His instincts as a monster told him that this small human was not an opponent to be underestimated.
And if this girl could actually retrieve Matelle’s horns, then this trade might be worth attempting.
“The horns… where are they?”
“They’re in the healer initiation trial dungeon. Monsters can’t enter. It’s a sealed space.”
“Do you have a plan?”
Eleanor chuckled softly at Kaucher’s question.
“I plan to destroy the dungeon anyway. I’ll just take it while I’m at it.”
“Destroy?”
Instead of answering, Eleanor murmured under her breath,
“Black Blade.”
A pitch-black blade appeared along her hand.
Kaucher’s three eyes twisted strangely, as if witnessing something bizarre.
“You… human… not quite.”
“So, the trade… shall we proceed?”
There was no need to prolong unnecessary conversation. Eleanor waved her hand, concealing the blade again, and Kaucher smiled strangely.
“Trade, agreed.”
The marble staff he had been holding slammed into the floor.
“But first, give me the horn.”
“Expected as much.”
“Human, you cannot be trusted.”
“Fine. We’ll do it that way.”
Eleanor nodded willingly. She had anticipated this.
Her true purpose for visiting today was something else entirely.
“Just grant me one favor.”
“What is it?”
“I need the Darkness Grass from this cave.”
Darkness Grass.
A black plant nourished by Magi, common in the demon world but rare in the human world.
Because of its nature, Darkness Grass only grows in places occupied by monsters, like the lair of the three-eyed Golem, making it crucial for Eleanor to recover her previous strength by absorbing its accumulated Magi.
In fact, the first thing Eleanor consumed to survive when offered to the demon world was Darkness Grass.
“….”
The three-eyed Golem Kaucher stared at Eleanor.
This small human clearly held far more in her heart than he had expected.
Whatever that was, Kaucher had no interest in deeply contemplating human life.
“Very well. Do as you wish, human.”
Eleanor nodded lightly.
For monsters, Darkness Grass was nothing more than plants growing in a cave, so it made sense that he would allow her to collect it.
She turned, a faint smile playing on her lips.
“See you in five days.”
A low growl sounded as Kaucher retreated into the darkness.
The pitch-black void spread deep into the cave once more.
“…Haah.”
After Kaucher left, Eleanor let out a deep sigh.
It wasn’t that Kaucher was frightening, but the Magi he possessed was overwhelmingly oppressive.
Merely standing there made her shoulders stiff and her hands and feet tremble slightly.
“I need to regain my strength quickly. I can’t stay like this.”
Eleanor shook off her weakened body lightly and began climbing back through the cave.
Unlike earlier, when she had descended directly to her destination, she now moved cautiously and deliberately.
‘I need to gather as much Darkness Grass as possible.’
No matter how strong her Magi, this cave—connected to the human world—wouldn’t have much Darkness Grass.
She couldn’t afford to leave a single sprig behind.
To accomplish her plan, she had to regain her original power as soon as possible.
“Is this enough?”
After wandering through the cave, Eleanor now held two handfuls of Darkness Grass.
She might be able to collect more with time, but she shook her head.
“No need to make the maid cry.”
An hour had already passed, and waiting any longer might cause Laura to faint.
Eleanor turned back with light steps.
“…Hm?”
At the cave entrance, Eleanor halted.
‘Someone is here.’
A faint light approached from the entrance.
Fortunately, they didn’t seem to notice her presence.
Eleanor hid behind a small hill at the cave’s mouth, holding her breath.
“Move quickly!”
“Ah, my heart is racing. Are we sure he won’t wake up?”
“Is it a problem if the young master wakes up now? If the three-eyed Golem finds us, we’ll all die!”
Young master?
That didn’t sound like a pleasant conversation. Eleanor frowned and listened to the two men’s voices.
“Damn, we just need to leave him here for now.”
“Shouldn’t we deal with it more thoroughly? What if he follows us?”
“Then go further in?”
As the two men debated, Eleanor observed her surroundings.
She felt the three-eyed Golems wandering behind her.
They weren’t aggressive yet, since they were slightly distant from the entrance, but getting closer would provoke them.
That would be very inconvenient for Eleanor, who hadn’t regained her full power.
Eleanor quickly picked up a heavy stone and threw it downward.
Clang!
“Eek!”
“What was that sound?!”
“Three-eyed Golem?!”
“Run for it!”
As expected, the men panicked at the sudden noise and fled.
The three-eyed Golem, sensitive to light but not to sound, wouldn’t react aggressively to such a noise.
But the men didn’t know that.
Eleanor sighed lightly and stood up. The danger had passed safely.
‘They said “young master”…’
The conversation of the men replayed in her mind.
They were likely hired to kidnap a noble heir and leave him in the cave.
The young master was probably unconscious in a sack near the entrance.
Eleanor’s gaze swept over the cave entrance, then she shook her head gently.
It was none of her concern.
“I’ll head back.”
She murmured quietly and slowly made her way to the cave exit.
On the way, she glanced at the sack containing the person, but quickly lost interest.
Sunlight shone at the cave mouth, preventing the three-eyed Golems from approaching during the day.
If she was lucky, he would survive until he opened his eyes at the entrance. If unlucky, he would lie there until nightfall and meet death.
“…Hmph.”
What did that have to do with her?
Clicking her tongue lightly, Eleanor walked toward the light.
“Are you really leaving him?”
If it weren’t for that low voice behind her, she would have continued walking.
