Abyssal Sovereignty

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Chapter 13: Reward And Pupu

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“Is anyone here? We have a job.”

Outside the guardhouse, a young girl called out.

“What’s the matter? Is there... something wrong?”

The guards rushed out, only to be greeted by an odd sight: a tangled ball of people lying before them.

“W-What on earth happened here?” one of the guards stammered.

“Human traffickers,” the girl pointed at the writhing mass of bodies, explaining the situation succinctly.

“Let me get this straight... You were lured into an alley by these so-called traffickers, and then you and your companion managed to take them down, just like that?”

“Exactly!”

The little girl standing beside the speaker nodded enthusiastically.

“...As much as I’d like to believe you, this is... rather hard to swallow.”

The head guard glanced at the two girls and then at the pile of subdued men, his expression caught somewhere between disbelief and amazement.

Judging by their appearance, these two were quite striking—among the most beautiful in town, perhaps even the entire country. It wasn’t surprising they’d attract unwanted attention, but the notion that just the two of them could dispatch so many grown men was... improbable, to say the least.

“Well... let’s do this. We’ll first verify the identities of these individuals. Please wait here for a moment.”

After a brief moment of thought, he decided to investigate further. The world was a strange place, after all, and while this situation seemed unbelievable, stranger things had happened.

“Oh, and do you have any identification? It’s standard protocol to log incidents like this.”

“Of course.”

The girl and her little companion both produced golden cards from their pockets.

“H-Higher-ranked adventurers... Quickly! I need all the information on these men within three minutes!”

...

“They’ve been confirmed as wanted criminals. They’re indeed on the bounty list.”

“Excellent. As the guard captain of this town, I thank you for apprehending such a threat to our residents.”

The moment the adventurer cards were shown, the guards’ attitude shifted dramatically. Where they had been somewhat sceptical and procedural before, now they were deferential, bordering on reverent.

This was hardly surprising. Most guards were merely a notch above common folk in terms of strength, barely even reaching the level of mid-tier adventurers. In fact, the strongest known individuals in town, aside from the local Adventurers' Guild's branch head, belonged to the ‘Eclipse’ squad—a team that was still one step away from reaching the rank of higher adventurers themselves.

So, to be in the presence of real higher-ranked adventurers? That would shock anyone.

“Here’s your reward.”

The guard handed a weighty pouch to Aris. It was large enough to rival the size of her satchel.

“Were they bountied criminals?”

“Yes, indeed. And not just any criminals, but members of a notorious trafficking ring. We’ve been pursuing them for some time without much success. Thanks to you, we can finally make some headway. We’ll make sure to extract all the information we can from them.”

“...”

Aris wasn’t sure whether to mention that their minds were already shattered by her doing. Still, there were many ways in this world to restore someone's mental state, at least to some degree. Given the trauma they’d suffered, these criminals would likely be very compliant during interrogation.

...

“Did you hand everything over?”

Farkonia asked, glancing at Aris as they regrouped.

Aris nodded slightly. “Here’s the bounty money.”

She produced the heavy bag and untied its seal.

“This...”

“It looks like... several hundred silver coins at least...”

“So much!?”

Even Elyssa was stunned. Several hundred silver coins were equivalent to the payout for multiple high-level commissions, a sum large enough for someone to live lavishly in the capital for a month or more.

“I suppose the bounty was so high because they were part of a large criminal organization.”

“That makes sense...”

Suddenly, a thought struck Elyssa—something that had come up in their earlier discussion with Farkonia about the disappearance of non-human species.

‘Surely it couldn’t be... that much of a coincidence, could it?’

...

Their little run-in with the traffickers had delayed things slightly, but after a bit more wandering through the town, the group finally returned to their inn.

“Ah, you’re back! Perfect timing—dinner’s just been prepared. The landlady’s made a wonderful meal for you lot.”

The lower floor of the inn had been converted into a common dining area, where guests who’d paid for the service could enjoy meals. Adventurers, of course, received a discount and didn’t have to pay extra.

“...Surprisingly delicious.”

Misako tasted a bite and found herself pleasantly shocked. Despite being accustomed to high-class cuisine and processed foods, even she, with her now overly refined palate, found the landlady’s cooking to be delightful.

Compared to the extravagant dishes she was used to, the meal before her was simple—homely, even. Stir-fried minced pork and eggs, salt-baked chicken wings... It was likely this down-to-earth nature that made the food so unexpectedly appealing.

For someone like Veridith, who hadn’t experienced much in the way of fine dining, the meal was even more extraordinary.

As for Farkonia, she was sampling the dishes thoughtfully, occasionally chatting with the landlady. Both of them were skilled in the culinary arts, so exchanging tips and tricks was only natural.

“Aris, is something wrong? You’ve barely touched your food.”

Marlyno noticed Aris’ disinterest, as if she had no appetite.

“...I’ve lost my sense of taste. Everything tastes the same to me.”

“Oh... I’m sorry...”

Aris’ expressionless face and dull eyes told of past tragedies—something anyone could sense, especially given how young she appeared. It made her all the more pitiable.

Marlyno had simply hoped to cheer her up with a good meal, not expecting that she wouldn’t even be able to taste it.

“No need to apologise. It’s not your fault.”

“Mmm...”

Though Aris brushed it off, the atmosphere around the table grew heavier.

“...Pupu Puff!”

Just then, a sudden noise drew their attention.

“Are you hungry?”

“Pupu!”

“...Come here.”

Aris made a small cut on her finger and held it out to Pupu. She had gained the ability to control her body’s regeneration, even to the point of opening a wound voluntarily.

“Pupu! Pupu!”

Pupu crawled onto Aris’ hand and began absorbing her blood.

“Wait, is Pupu a bloodsucker?”

Elyssa asked, watching in fascination.

“Not just blood. Sweat or any other bodily fluids—anything from a living organism will do.”

“I see... Fascinating.”

Elyssa hadn’t expected to encounter yet another species with a method of feeding similar to vampires.

She prided herself on her extensive research into such things, but the world continued to surprise her.

“I knew it... You really are—”

“Enough. Just eat your meal, and stop with the theatrics.”

Before Sisi could finish another one of her overly dramatic declarations, she was quickly silenced.

“Oh, Aris, you mentioned Pupu can feed on any bodily fluid. Does that include fluids from non-living things?”

“...That’s what she says.”

“Pupu Puff!”

To answer their question, Pupu extended a tendril into a nearby cup. Within moments, half the juice inside had been drained.

“...So it really works!? Amazing!”

This was leagues beyond creatures like zombies or vampires, which could only feed on the fluids of intelligent lifeforms. Pupu’s adaptability was impressive.