Chapter 44: Let me help!
"There, one room as you requested." Terra had a huge smile on her face as she handed Ash the room key.
Ash was clearly disheartened at the fact that he had agreed to stay despite wanting to leave.
With a sigh, he took the key from her and placed the money on the counter.
"There you go."
Just one word and he had already turned around, ready to head straight into his room.
But before he moved, he turned around, slightly looked at Terra, then asked,
"Have you heard about anyone called Hapia?"
Upon hearing that name, a serious look played on her face, almost as though she wanted to puke just from hearing it.
Aisha had the same look on her face. The only difference was, hers came from a place of deep-rooted fear.
Ash paused after seeing the looks on their faces.
’If they are this upset from hearing his name, then it shouldn’t be hard for me to find him,’ he whispered to himself.
Suddenly, a laugh echoed.
All eyes turned to the source. It was the boss that Ash had knocked out on the floor.
Even with the blood leaking from his nose and ears, the boss still managed to laugh like a madman.
"Hahahah, you guys are so fucked. You have no idea the mess you’ve just walked into, do you? Ohhh wait till the organization hears about this. You all are so dead, hahaha."
Ash looked at him. "Should I take it as you know who Hapia is?"
"You know, for a second there, I thought I heard wrong because of the blood in my ear, but your dumbass really is looking for Master Hapia. Hahahah, how stupid can you be, walking into a lion’s den."
"You’re looking for Hapia?" Terra chimed in with a question, surprise written on her face.
Aisha didn’t say a word throughout. Instead, she remained calm, trying her best not to show how scared she was just from the name being uttered around her.
Of course, Ash noticed this, which was why he wanted to cut the conversation short as quickly as he could.
He had confirmed what he needed to. This man clearly knows about Hapia. He was a good information source.
Ash uttered, his back facing Terra, "How much are you willing to take if you keep this dude in a room for me?"
Terra remained quiet for a while, trying to put two and two together.
Aisha returned from nowhere with a man claiming to be her master.
Why would she come back to a place that once treated her like hell?
She also gave her the word that Ash was not a bad person, so thinking he came here to trade her back would be far out of logic.
Not to mention, he seemed to be looking for Hapia as well, the man who kidnapped Aisha and many others from their homes to start an illegal slave trade in this city.
Slowly, a grin began to show on her face.
"You fuckin’ bastard. You’re looking for revenge, aren’t you? That’s why you came to Othland! You’re looking to get revenge for Little Girl, aren’t you?!"
The excitement in her voice was painfully obvious, so much so that Ash had to throw her a disdainful look.
"Are you planning to get in—"
"Let me help you! Come on, I know everything there is to know about this shitty city. Please let me help, I promise you won’t regret it."
With every word she spoke, she moved closer to Ash.
"You don’t need this dude, I swear. He will probably just tell lies to save his own skin. I, on the other hand, genuinely hate that man. I have never seen anyone fight against him, only you!"
Ash was calm, unknowingly putting his entire focus on her.
Was this what the system meant?
"If you hate him as you claimed, why haven’t you tried to kill him yourself yet?"
His question seemed to have hit her the wrong way, as she quickly looked to the ground.
"I am weak. Always have been. One of the reasons I was not able to help Little Girl when she needed me was mainly because of this. I would not stand a single second if I went up against that man."
The very next second, she was looking at him, her gaze etched with dedication.
"You are strong. I can tell. I know if I support you, you’ll get this done easily. I want to help. No, I want Hapia dead."
The determination on her face was admirable.
Ash had seen that look before, on himself, back when he got killed by those bastards.
"Is that so. If you wish for me to accept your help, then you are also ready to accept whatever follows. I will not be held accountable for whatever happens to you from now on."
Those were his words to her.
Eck!
Terra was shocked.
"Aehhhh? Isn’t this where you protest me for giving you valuable information?!"
"Tsk, see if I care. I can just torture this one over here until he tells me everything I need to know." Ash pointed at the boss on the ground with his thumb.
The boss, realizing the situation he was in, suddenly wore a terrified expression on his face.
He rolled to the side, trying to crawl his way out, only to have Aisha step on his back to stop him from moving.
"I am telling you, he is only going to lie! For real! You should just kill him; that is a better use of your time. My information is the best. I have worked in and out of every place in this city," Terra tapped her chest with pride.
Hearing that she was offering to kill him caused the boss to freeze in fear even more.
He tried to call their attention, but his words came out as desperate mumbles.
"Do whatever you want. I am not forcing you to make a choice here," Ash replied.
"Fine, whatever! Just let me help."
[Hint: Accepting Terra’s help will further improve your chances of completing this quest.]
Ash frowned a bit after seeing the notification.
"Sure," he uttered, half-assedly.
Terra’s face brightened with joy after Ash accepted her help.
Aisha smiled as well; she actually didn’t expect that her master would get swayed.
The very next moment, before Ash walked away, he gave a final order.
"Kill this one and toss his body somewhere."
"What?" The boss yelled.
"Understood." Aisha drew out her blade and placed it right next to her victim’s neck.