Chapter 03
At my words, the two men’s tempers flared and they drew their swords from their scabbards.
I dodged the swords of the two men charging at me and ducked low. Taking advantage of their moment of confusion, I quickly punched one in the stomach, then snatched the sword that fell from his loosened grip.
Then I swiftly slashed the legs and arms of both men. Both of them collapsed, groaning in pain. I clicked my tongue at the sight.
See, you dare attack me without any fear? I was once a swordsman known far and wide by everyone in the world.
“Do I still seem like I’m all talk? From where I’m standing, it looks like *you* two are the ones with the big mouths.”
“……”
“If you value the limbs I deliberately left intact, don’t ever come back here. And don’t breathe a word of what you saw today to anyone. If I ever hear about it, I’ll find you no matter what and cut off all your limbs.”
At my chilling warning, the two men trembled violently. I threw the confiscated sword toward them. They stared blankly at the sword.
“What are you waiting for? Get lost, now.”
“I-I’m sorry!”
“We’re so sorry!”
Finally snapping out of it, the two men quickly bowed in apology and hurried down the forest path. Once they were out of sight, I turned around and knelt to meet Leni at eye level.
“They won’t come back now.”
Leni nodded its head adorably. Somehow, I felt we’d grown a little closer. It seemed like we could become friends now.
“Hey, I want to be friends with you. Want to be friends? I promise I won’t be a bother.”
I held out my hand, a gesture asking if Leni would be my friend. Leni hesitated for a moment, then took my hand.
“You’re the first human I’ve ever seen like this.”
As a signal that we’d become friends, I heard Leni’s cute human voice. I chuckled at that.
“You like me, don’t you.”
“No, I don’t.”
Are you sure about that?
<You have acquired the first item.>
A window appeared confirming I’d acquired the item.
It was a bit tough, but I’m really glad I got the item faster than expected. I could finally go home.
“I’ll be going now. I’ve given away so many desserts to someone that I’m starving.”
I waved goodbye without hesitation and started walking. But then I heard a pitter-patter sound of a small animal walking behind me. Turning my head, I saw Leni busily chasing after me.
“Why are you following me?”
“Why would I, a divine beast, follow you? You should be coming to *me*.”
Leni said as if it were absurd, then spun around and ran far away. Before I knew it, Leni had disappeared from sight.
‘Well, I’ll see it again someday.’
***
I coolly went on my way. I was just making my way out of the forest.
“Leticia! Leticia, where are you?”
I heard Evan’s desperate voice. Before he could worry any more, I headed toward the sound of his voice and waved.
“Evan!”
Soon, I saw him.
“Evan, did you come to pick me up?”
“Leticia!”
The moment he saw me, Evan rushed over frantically, calling my name. I ran toward him and jumped into his arms. He caught me tightly without letting go.
“Where did you go? I was looking for you.”
“I told you I was going out before I left.”
“You should have told me exactly where you were going. No, I’m the one at fault. I should have asked.”
“No, I’ll make sure to tell you properly next time.”
I lightly kissed Evan’s lips and smiled softly. His face, which had been full of worry, went blank in an instant. Then, in just a moment, his expression turned sly and his cheeks flushed.
“Le-let’s go home quickly.”
“Since we’re already out, let’s go on a date and then head back. How about it?”
“Anywhere is fine as long as I’m with you, Leticia.”
Evan looked a little disappointed, but he seemed truly happy to be with me, smiling joyfully and kissing my lips. Apparently once wasn’t enough, as he kept kissing me as we got into the carriage. At this rate, it looked like we were going to get intimate right here in the carriage. No matter how I felt, doing it here was a bit much. I covered his red lips, which wouldn’t stop even in the carriage, with both hands.
“Instead of going straight home, let’s go on a date first.”
And Evan made a good suggestion. His eyes immediately sparkled as he told the coachman to head to the plaza.
When we arrived at the plaza by carriage, Evan got down first and helped me step out comfortably. Then he held my hand tightly and strolled along the streets, looking for a nice restaurant. As we were walking, a child in an alley caught my eye.
‘A child wearing tattered clothes is following a child dressed in rather nice clothes.’
Moreover, the following child’s body was covered in wounds. At first glance, it seemed like there was a story behind it. What kind of injury could it be? As I was scrutinizing them, my vision darkened and was blocked.
“Don’t look.”
“Evan, that child over there…”
“I’ve already sent a knight to follow them.”
“Thank you. I was worried about it anyway.”
“Now stop worrying and let’s enjoy our date. I’ll look into what happened when we get back.”
“Okay.”
Leaving the child behind, we held hands again and walked along the street to the restaurant. But somehow, it kept bothering me. However, Evan kept taking care of me and helped me forget, and before I knew it, I was thoroughly enjoying the date. Throughout the date, he escorted me like a true gentleman and showed off his cool side by hitting the bullseye in a dart game we played for fun.
And so, we had a very satisfying date and returned home. Feeling a bit tired, I went to bathe first. As I soaked in the warm water, the events of the day came to mind one by one. Naturally, the first thing that came to mind was the curse item business.
‘I wonder if there are more items to break the curse. Hey, system, are there more?’
<Would you like to acquire the second item?>
‘How many items are there in total?’
I asked, with a feeling of dread.
<There are 500 items. Once you acquire all of them, you will learn the method to break the curse.>
Five… 500? Isn’t this too hard for the final possession? When am I supposed to collect all 500? Not to mention, the more I collect, the more the quests will boast the highest difficulty. Sigh, this is just my fate. And since it’s the final possession, it’d be a shame if it ended too quickly.
‘How do I acquire the second item?’
<You can acquire it by destroying the slave trading post that a famous person is investing in and rescuing all the captured children. However, you must find and kill the final boss.>
This much I can do in no time. How many slave trading posts have I destroyed so far, and I’ve even been captured myself—this is a piece of cake.
‘Where is that slave trading post?’
<Find it yourself. You’ve acquired so many items so far, haven’t you?>
How spiteful. So spiteful I want to smack it. What makes me so angry is that I can’t hit it because it has no physical form. Ugh, I calmed my rising anger and thought about how to find the slave trading post.
‘Hmm, there’s an item perfect for this quest.’
The item that reads thoughts!
With this, if I meet nobles and royalty, I can easily find out who’s backing the slave trading post. Even better, if I hold a party, I can weed them out all at once without having to visit each one individually.
‘I should ask Evan if we can hold a party.’
I got out of the bathtub, wanting to ask as soon as possible. After drying myself off thoroughly, I changed into my sleepwear and stepped out of the bathroom. And I was struck speechless by the sight before me.
“Why… are you undressing?”
