NBAA Vol. 3 Chapter 1 Part 6
Reito and Gonzo headed for the Adventurer Guild when they got back to Gollum Town.
Even if it wasn’t that specific guild that commissioned the quest, you could get paid and file quest completion reports at any guild. Gonzo reported, “Golems, 10, subjugation.”
Reito took five gold coins.
The original compensation was ten gold coins, which, if converted into Japanese yen, would be worth 1,000,000 yen. It appears Gonzo was accepting some high-pay quests.
By the way, the subjugation of golem would fall under the category of high-pay quests.
In fact, the amount they got this time was relatively low and an ordinary Adventurer would not take the job at that price. Golems are real troublesome creatures after all.
More than anything, Gonzo picked up the job because he wanted to help the people of Gollum Town, not for money.
Gonzo would have been able to handle this alone but he was deeply grateful to Reito for his help.
He thanked him again, “You really helped me out today. I’m gonna stay here in Gollum Town for a while, but what are you gonna do?”
“I’m going back to Faas Village. My friend is going to meet me there tomorrow so… Oh, shoot!! If I had captured a golem, I bet I could have sold it at the Hunting Festival.”
“That’s true, you really missed out.”
“Shit… I can’t really go back now.”
It was really late at night and nocturnal monsters were starting to come out.
Reito decided to stay in Gollum for the night and then head back to Faas the next morning. Gonzo walked ahead of him with Reito in the wolf-cart behind him, checking out the town.
“I wonder if there’s an inn with any vacancies… We probably should have stayed the night at the Adventurer Guild’s inn.”
“There’s no way they’d let a carriage like this there. There’s a big inn up ahead. Let’s stay there.”
“Got it. I wonder if they’re still open.”
“That should be no problem. At this time of night shops shouldn’t be clo…? What’s all that hustle about?
Ullr whimpered.
Reito, following Gonzo along through the town when the two of them noticed a large crowd of people.
Reito wanted to check what was going on so he got down from his wolf-cart. Gonzo, who was very tall, peered at the spectacle in the center of the crowd.
“Is that…!?”
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s a man. A naked man, down on the ground!”
“What?”
Reito was dumbfounded so Gonzo reached out his hand and put Reito on his back.
“Look!”
“Oof!”
He was able to see into the crowd now.
It was just as Gonzo had said, there was a naked man fallen over in the middle of the crowd. He was extremely withered away and appeared to be just barely alive. The people around him were holding him up in their arms.
“Uff, you were right. There is a naked man on the ground…”
“Why? What happened?”
“Let’s ask someone… Excuse me, what happened?” Reito got off of Gonzo’s shoulders and asked someone in the surroundings. Maybe they were local residents, they were all in pajamas.
The rubberneckers chimed in, “we don’t know. We suddenly heard a voice and when we stepped outside, this old man was on the ground.”
“I don’t think he’s an old man. He’s withered away but his face is young.”
“What, that’s not an old man?”
“What is going on!!! You’re noisy so I can’t sleep.”
It appeared that the residents who stepped outside also didn’t understand the situation. The only thing they knew was that a withered away man had fallen down in the streets.
Reito and Gonzo went up to the man. Gonzo talked to him, “Hey, get it together!”
“Uh, uhh…”
“No good. He’s conscious but it doesn’t look like he can talk.”
The naked man was given a blanket and water by the residents.
However, his body was in a state that even just moving was difficult; he was desperately trying to move his lips. At this rate, the man’s life was in danger, no doubt.
Reito communicated with Airis.
『Airis』
『It appears that that man’s vitality, or rather, his magical powers have been completely pulled out of him. He should be able to recover if you use your Recovery Magic』
『Got it』
The people surrounding the man didn’t know what to do and looked troubled. Reito spoke to them.
“Can I get through, I’d like to use recovery magic on this man”
“Are you a recovery magician?”
“Not exactly… 『Recovery Boost』.”
“Huh…!?”
The moment Reito waved his auxiliary recovery magic over the man, his body filled out and he changed back into a youthful body appropriate for his age.
The man’s white hair stayed the same but he had recovered to the point he could speak.
“Uh, ahh…. Uh? I can… move? My body can move!!”
“You’re gonna be all right.”
“Thank you so much. You saved me.”
“Wow, good work, Reito,” said Gonzo.
The man clutched his blanket as he stood up.
Before Reito could ask about what happened, the man ran off into a back alley. The surrounding people were dumbfounded.
After he entered the alleyway, an angry voice rang out from it.
“Ah! Shit, it’s that woman!! The woman who stole all my clothes, money, weapon, everything!!”
“What?”
The man returned back to the street.
“Hey! Have you two seen a blond woman with large breasts and a large behind? She’s not an elf at all but a human woman!! If you’ve seen her, tell me now!!”
“Uh, um…”
“You saw her? You bastard…”
“I ain’t seen her. It’s not like there are a lot of humans with blonde hair besides elves.”
The surrounding people looked at each other but no one had any idea what the man was talking about. He had a despondent facial expression and he fell down on his knees.
Reito timidly asked the man, “what happened?”
“It was that damn thief! That woman appeared and stole all of my equipment!!”
“A mugging? What did she do to you?”
“Whiinee~”
Ullr whimpered, puzzled.
Gonzo followed Reito in asking a question before the man fell back in surprise. It appears being seen by a giant had frightened him.
He regained composure before explaining, “Um… I don’t know if I should say mugging… To be honest, I was tricked. There was a nice-looking girl at the bar so I invited her to drink together and she seemed surprisingly into it. On the way to my favorite backstreet lodge, I was attacked.”
“Backstreet lodge?” Reito repeated, prompting the adults around him to get in a flurry.
“What the hell are you saying? This boy is not of age!?”
“I’m also not of age…”
“What?” The adults were astounded at Gonzo’s utterance that he wasn’t of age.
Reito had a vague image of what a “backstreet lodge” might be before receiving communication from Airis.
『Backstreet lodges are the brothels of this world. There are prostitutes of all races there to match the preferences of all the different races of men. There are also backstreet lodges for women but they are overwhelmingly targeted towards men. You just have to pay money and you can rent a room. It’s cheaper than a normal inn but you’re not allowed to spend the night alone』
『So, you’re saying this guy…』
『He invited a woman to the backstreet lodge, was knocked out, and had his equipment stolen… But, it appears the woman had laid the trap for him』
『What do you mean?』
『He thought that he had invited this woman to the hotel, but in reality, she had her sights on him. She coordinated him to invite her. The woman appears to be a succubus.』
『Succubus. You mean like, a lecherous demon?』
『Oh, that’s right. Just what I expect from a former anime and video game fan who was a high-school boy in his past life. You know plenty about that, huh』
『Shut up!』
『By the way, only female vampires can be succubi in this world. Succubi and vampires are treated as the same race』
『Really? So, if Gain had been a woman, he would have been a succubus?』
Succubi had the same outer appearance as humans but had the ability to attract people outside of their same race as well. They feed off people’s vitality and magical powers.
Succubi only need food to live but they have a particular appetite for human men. They particularly enjoy robbing the vitality of young men.
The man who had passed out was this town’s adventurer and was a magician in his late teens.
The succubus who attacked him was aiming for his equipment and his flesh. She lured him down a back alley before attacking. After she finished, she left him behind before she could get caught.
“Damn it. I had just bought that anti-magic wand. I worked hard for a year to buy that…”
“Brother, I don’t know what happened but go home. If you’re caught in that outfit, the guards will take you away.”
“Damn it!”
“Ah, wait!”
Reito stopped the man as he prepared to sullenly walk away. Gonzo looked at Reito with a puzzled expression.
Reito asked Airis via communication,『Where is the succubus who tricked this man?』
『Are you planning to capture her? Well, you shouldn’t have any problem… The succubus has gone back to the bar where stately young men are. She’s planning to go back for a refill now that she’s finished her first job』
『We don’t have time to waste. Does this person have money on him?』
『He is a B-rank adventurer. He has a foul mouth but he is capable』
『In that case, it wouldn’t be bad if owed me one』
Reito planned to capture the succubus to get the man’s equipment back. Reito asked the man, “if I capture the Succubus, will you pay for my lodgings for the night?”
“What? You’ll capture her for me?”
“Are you sure about this, Reito?”
Reito replied to the worried Gonzo with confidence, “Things will turn out fine. Actually, I have the 『Search』 skill.”
The man replied to Reito as if clinging on to him, “got it!! If you capture her for me, I’ll do anything for you!! I beg of you. Just get my wand back from her.”
“Okay, in that case, could you tell me your name?”
“It’s Dain. I’m counting on you, catch that dirty robber!!”
The adventurer who took the name of Dain consented to Reito, exchanging terms of compensation with him.
By the way, 『Search』 skill temporarily increases the insight and observation power resulting in increased powers of deduction.
It’s an extraordinary skill but in Reito’s case, even if he didn’t use it, he had someone who could tell him the precise whereabouts of a person.
『The succubus is heading toward a bar in the north of the town. You should be able to catch up with her quickly』
『Got it. What are the succubus’s abilities?』
『If she touches your body, you will become her prisoner. It’s a power closer to brainwashing so don’t get too close to her』
Reito was ready after hearing the succubus’s location and capabilities from Airis.
Reito put Dain in the wolf-cart and left him to Gonzo. Dain hadn’t fully recovered so he gave him food and water as well.
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