Chapter 47: A strange urge to join.
Ash’s eyes, which had softened for a moment while he planned his revenge, snapped back to a cold, dangerous glare.
He slowly pulled his hand from Echidna’s grasp, his gaze sharp enough to cut.
"Help me with what?" he asked, his voice low and devoid of warmth.
The question hung in the air, thick with the power that was still vibrating in the room. The small cracks on the window, faint traces of his earlier killing intent, were all the proof Echidna needed.
"We can start with that," Echidna said, her smile not faltering as she gestured to the cracked window and the heavy atmosphere. "With the reason, you’re leaking enough killing intent to frighten a dungeon boss. You’re not here as a tourist or on a quest, Ash. You’re here to break something. Or, more likely, kill someone."
Terra and Aisha were stunned into silence.
Aisha’s hand instinctively went to the hilt of her sword, her eyes narrowing as she stepped slightly forward, placing herself between Echidna and her master.
"You don’t know what you’re talking about, miss," Aisha said, her voice polite but laced with a new, hard-won authority. "You should leave."
"Oh, I know exactly what I’m talking about," Echidna countered, finally dropping her cheerful facade.
Her eyes became focused, analytical. "You’re speaking to a Gold-rank Sorceress, remember? I’m sensitive to this stuff. And what I’m sensing from him," she pointed directly at Ash, "is off the charts. I’ve never seen anything like it."
She took a step closer, ignoring Aisha’s defensive posture. "I’ve been following you because you’re interesting. But this... this is something else. I can sense the deep hatred within you; it’s interesting. You’re interesting, aren’t you?"
Before Ash could answer, the door swung open again, and Kelvin stumbled in, his face still pale from their journey.
"Echidna, what are you doing? Terra said the rooms are—oh, for fuck’s sake, we’re not bothering them again, are we?"
"Yes we are," Echidna snapped, not taking her eyes off Ash. "Now be quiet, Kelvin; the adults are talking."
Kelvin looked around at the tense scene: Aisha ready for a fight, Terra looking suspicious, and Ash looking like a storm cloud.
He wisely shut his mouth.
Ash was silent, his mind racing.
The system had marked Terra as a key component. This obsessive, Gold-rank mage was an unknown variable, a wild card. But she was also, undeniably, powerful.
It wasn’t like he had any reason to keep his doings a secret, but as always, Echinda was giving him a bad vibe.
The only way she could have known this was if she was listening in on the conversation, which was most likely the case as well.
"You want to help?" Ash asked, his voice flat. He decided to be blunt and test her resolve. "We’re here to find and kill the man who runs the White Rivel gang. The man who runs the entire slave trade in this city. Hapia."
Aisha flinched at the name but held her ground.
Terra’s eyes widened, her suspicion of Echidna momentarily forgotten.
Kelvin, however, looked like he was about to be sick.
"H-Hapia? The White Rivel gang? Echidna, are you insane? My father told me about them! They run Othland! They’re not just some back-alley thugs;a they’re connected to nobles! We can’t get involved in that!"
Echidna, to everyone’s surprise, looked absolutely thrilled. Her eyes lit up with a terrifying, manic glee.
"I knew it!" she clapped her hands. "I knew it was something huge! A secret slave-trading ring run by a mysterious boss? Yes
. I am one hundred percent in. That sounds infinitely more interesting than our original quest."
"WE ARE NOT IN!" Kelvin shouted.
"We are," Echidna said, turning to him with a smile so sweet it was menacing. "Unless you’d like to find your own way back to the capital? Without a logbook? Or any money?"
Kelvin’s face went from pale to green. He sputtered, but no words came out.
Echidna turned back to Ash, her expression all business. "You need us. You have the raw power; I’ve seen that. But what you’re about to do is delicate. You’re going to need more than a blunt object and an angry elf. You’re going to need a prodigy-level sorceress who can provide diversions, illusions, and heavy artillery. This is a five-person job, not a two-person suicide mission."
Terra, who had been watching with shrewd eyes, finally spoke up. "She’s not wrong, Ash. You and Little Girl are strong. But you can’t fight a whole city. If she’s really a Gold-rank, she’s an asset we can’t afford to throw away Besides, she looks strangely eager to help anyway; worst-case scenario, she ends up being a spy or something, and we just have to keep the information limited."
Ash stared at Echidna, his purple-tinged eyes analyzing her. "Fine," he finally said. The word cut through the room, silencing everyone.
He leveled a finger at Echidna. "You’re in. But these are the terms. You follow my orders, no questions asked. You get in my way, I won’t hesitate to leave you stranded." his voice dropped, and the killing intent spiked again, making Echidna’s smile falter, "and I will personally kill you myself, Understood?"
Echidna’s breath hitched, but her grin returned, wider this time. "Loud and clear, Master."
Ash visibly flinched at the word, a flash of pure annoyance crossing his features.
He turned to Terra. "Explain the full plan to them or something. I’m going to my room."
He grabbed the key from the counter. "Don’t bother me unless Hapia shows up early."
He began to walk away, his cloak billowing behind him.
"Master, wait," Aisha said quickly.
She gave Echidna one last, sharp, territorial glare—a clear warning that went entirely unnoticed by its target—before she hurried after Ash, closing the door firmly behind them.
The three remaining in the inn’s lobby stood in a new, awkward silence.
Kelvin was the first to speak. "I... I think I’m going to be sick. This lover girl is going to get me killed."
"Oh, shut up, Kelvin," Echidna said, practically vibrating with excitement. "This is the most fun I’ve had in years!"
Terra sighed, picking up her half-empty glass of milk. "Ugh. More mouths to feed. Alright, Sorceress, let’s see if you’re as useful as you claim. Pull up a chair. You wanted to know about Hapia? Might as well start with that."