Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 203

The man put down his pen and turned to look at the adventurers and mercenaries.

The dark elf girl twitched her ears, eavesdropping on the conversation at the table.

The innkeeper looked at the name written on the parchment and said,

“So, Hoon. That’s an unusual name. I’ll bring you dinner. And let me give you a word of caution: never leave the stable or wander around the streets at night. It’s not that werewolves *will* attack, but there’s no need to invite danger.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good!”

The innkeeper smiled at Loki and said,

“Welcome to the Kelpel Estate!”

***

“…And you *said* you’d clean it up.”

Salad expressed her dissatisfaction.

The stable wasn’t exactly clean.

Straw was scattered around, and horse manure was rolling about.

Even rats could be seen here and there.

‘To think I have to stay in a place like this.’

The thought even crossed her mind that it might be better to camp outside.

Salad looked at Loki.

She was uncomfortable with him spending a night in such a place.

But Loki didn’t seem to care much.

Loki turned his head and looked at the entrance of the stable.

“Come out.”

Space twisted, and a skeleton covered in rags walked out.

It was the skeleton that always accompanied Loki to deliver messages.

Loki gave the skeleton a letter.

“To Aum Linia.”

The skeleton nodded and stepped back.

Its body became transparent and soon disappeared.

Loki surveyed the surrounding stable.

“Let’s clean up a bit.”

Loki waved his hand.

Then water appeared in the air and fell to the floor, spinning around.

It went around cleaning everywhere.

Helga’s eyes widened slightly at the sight.

“That’s a magic I’ve never seen before. It’s like a robotic vacuum cleaner.”

“I adapted it.”

Once it was clean, Loki sat on the floor.

He took out a book and a bottle filled with Worm Fest [a type of magical potion or substance] from his inventory.

“How is Zaus’s research on Worm Fest going? Is there any progress?”

“Yes, but there are several side effects. We’re waiting for you to step in, senior.”

‘There are side effects, huh.’

Then I might have to reconsider using it.

“Wow! Fluffy! Fluffy!”

Karen, sitting on a pile of straw, jumped up and down like it was a bed.

Salad frowned and shook her head at the sight of Karen.

“That silly cat.”

Thanks to her, the straw scattered and made the surroundings dirty again.

Salad sighed and sat down.

A short break.

As soon as a carriage was found, they were planning to leave this place.

‘I wonder if Dad is doing well?’

The spirits who came with Loki on the Naglfar [a ship made from the fingernails and toenails of the dead in Norse mythology] from the Underworld.

They were currently living outside the Kelpel Estate, in the forest.

Since they were spirits, they couldn’t enter the Kelpel Estate and had to stay in the forest.

Salad, thinking of her father, looked at Loki and asked.

“Um…”

“……?”

“I heard there are scammers impersonating Loki.”

Salad’s ears were sharp.

She had been listening to the mercenaries talking since before entering the inn.

According to the mercenaries, there were people impersonating Loki, leading Nord warriors [warriors from the North] and looting villages.

After Loki left, they were using his fame and name.

“That could be.”

“They say the Nord warriors are looting.”

“I heard it too.”

This was also unexpected for Loki.

It had been a year since he left.

He didn’t expect the time in the Underworld to change things so much.

Could it be that the Nords had become corrupted in the meantime?

“…Well, they’re only human.”

They could change.

Even when he was in Asgard [the realm of the gods in Norse mythology], there were some Nords who worshiped the Azelan Constellation [likely a fictional constellation], criminals, or those who disobeyed Loki’s orders and engaged in looting.

But such widespread corruption was unprecedented.

Especially impersonating him.

“…It’s strange.”

“What is?”

“The Nords who followed Loki in the Underworld… for them to change so easily… it doesn’t make sense.”

“…….”

“Shouldn’t we investigate further?”

“We don’t have time for that.”

Loki had to go to Asgard as soon as possible.

He had sent a letter just in case, but it was better to hurry.

“I’ve wasted too much time.”

Loki had spent time in the Underworld, but it had also taken a considerable amount of time to get from the Underworld to the border of Ronia here.

He had to stabilize Asgard as soon as possible.

Also, he had to help stop the invading constellations.

At that, Salad nodded.

Not long after, the innkeeper came into the stable.

He looked surprised at the cleaned-up stable.

“Oh! It’s so clean. I’m sorry about this.”

His expression didn’t look sorry at all.

Rather, he looked at Loki’s group with interest.

Salad didn’t like that look.

It was like he was looking at useful goods.

“I’ll leave the meal here. I specially used high-quality ingredients to make it, so I hope you enjoy it slowly and go to sleep.”

The innkeeper said that and left.

“Oh! Meat!”

The food the innkeeper brought was quite luxurious.

A large roasted meat, bread, and soup.

Karen began to eat it ravenously.

“Aren’t you eating?”

When Karen asked Salad, Salad said with a disgusted expression.

“Eat as much as you want.”

“Okay!”

Karen ate up all the remaining food.

Loki and Helga also didn’t have much appetite, so they didn’t eat the food.

The sun went down.

When night came, all the light disappeared.

Only an abyss-like darkness was filled.

Loki and Helga were planning where to go next.

Karen fell asleep.

Salad was also preparing to sleep.

‘Hey, I heard there are demi-humans [part human, part animal]?’

‘Yeah, the innkeeper Mark said so!’

‘Even if the others aren’t worth much, dark elves and beast-kin will sell for quite a bit.’

‘But can we catch them? If they’re demi-humans, their other senses will be more developed than their eyesight.’

‘It’ll be fine. Mark said he gave them food with sleeping pills. They’ll be knocked out by now, right?’

Salad stopped in surprise and looked at the entrance of the stable.

Thud-

‘Capture them all. We’ll sell them as slaves.’

Armed mercenaries entered.

***

In the darkness, the mercenaries felt the walls.

They had managed to get to the stable somehow.

Now the next problem.

‘There are pretty-looking demi-humans. Each of them is worth a gold nugget, so don’t injure them and subdue them!’

The mercenaries recalled the innkeeper’s words.

Easier said than done, but how easy would it be to subdue demi-humans in this darkness?

‘Still, if you want to make a lot of money in times like these, slave hunting is the best.’

Especially since demi-humans, unlike humans, are hard to protect.

Even if they get caught, they only receive a light punishment or it’s just overlooked, so the mercenaries, with the desire to make a lot of money for the first time in a while, drew their weapons.

“Hey, where are they?”

“They’re right next to you.”

“Everyone, get ready.”

Some of the mercenaries held iron nets.

Since they couldn’t see properly, they were planning to throw the nets to catch them.

Salad heard the sounds and quietly opened her mouth towards Loki.

“Those guys, I think they’re after us.”

Loki looked at the mercenaries who had entered the stable.

“Take care of it yourself. I’ll deal with the innkeeper later.”

“Okay.”

Salad nodded and drew an arrow.

Perhaps they heard Loki and Salad’s voices.

The mercenaries were startled and said as if wandering in the darkness.

“What?! It looks like they’re awake?!”

“Then what do we do?”

“What do you mean what do we do? Throw the nets!”

The mercenaries threw the nets.

Salad shot an arrow, and the arrowhead hit the steel net and bounced off.

Clang-!

A small spark flew.

“What?!”

“What happened?”

While the mercenaries were panicking in the darkness, Salad closed her eyes and sprinted.

She tripped a panicking mercenary.

She pulled out an arrow from her back, grabbed it, and plunged it towards the mercenary’s neck.

Thwack-!

“Keuk!”

“What’s wrong?!”

“It looks like Rolan got hit!”

“Damn it, this is different! I thought they’d be asleep?!”

Salad pulled out the arrow, rotated her body, and stabbed the arrow into the mercenary’s side and pulled it out.

“Keuk-!”

“Oh my god, those demi-human bastards, can they see us?!”

“No. This is…”

One of the mercenaries closed his mouth.

He covered his mouth with both hands.

He must know that they’re judging their location by listening to the sounds.

At that, the quick-witted mercenaries all closed their mouths.

They were sweating coldly and only rolling their eyes.

But it was in the deep darkness.

They were seized with fear, not knowing when an attack would come.

Salad realized that the mercenaries had figured out her attack method.

But it didn’t matter.

Elves’ ears are sensitive.

In the quiet silence, she could distinguish even the sound of human breathing.

Salad shot an arrow, hitting the direction where she heard the breathing.

The mercenary’s temple was hit by the arrow and he collapsed.

“Damn it! How…?!!”

“Run!”

The mercenaries groped the walls.

It was then that they were about to leave the stable.

Woof-!

Salad twitched her ears.

Loki and Helga also raised their heads and reacted.

A Kelpel city surrounded by deep darkness.

A roar erupted from that city.

Thud-! Thud-! Thud-!

The sound of running on the ceilings of buildings.

The roofs of buildings were broken, and the fragments scattered.

Grrrr-!

A sound like an animal’s howling echoed.

The mercenaries trembled in fear.

“M, monsters!”

Loki frowned at those words.

Come to think of it, the innkeeper had said something.

That werewolves come out at night.

The black beast trampled on the roofs of the city’s buildings.

It sprinted, jumped up, and landed on another building.

Black fur fluttered, and red eyes scanned everywhere.

Excited by the strong smell of blood, it searched for the source.

Although it was surrounded by pitch-black darkness, the beast’s eyes could see the warmth of humans.

Humans were seen at the open entrance of the stable.

“They’re coming!”

Mercenaries with weapons.

Their red temperature was visible.

The black beasts jumped up and spread their claws. They struck down towards the mercenaries.

Kaaa-!

One of the mercenaries had his body torn apart by huge claws and scattered into the air.

The upper body was scattered on the floor.

Blood splattered everywhere, and the mercenary who was nearby and covered in the blood screamed.

“W, werewolves have appeared!”

‘Werewolves?’

Salad raised her head with her eyes closed.

The rough breath of a beast was heard right in front of her.

A werewolf reaching 2m in height.

The half-human, half-beast monster with the head of a wolf and a huge muscular body was drooling with its mouth open, with the full moon behind it.

The werewolf raised its hand.

Salad could feel such a subtle flow of air.

The werewolf struck down with its claws.

Salad stepped back and avoided the claws.

“What should we do about that?!”

Salad asked Loki.

Loki stood up from his seat.

“It would be better to deal with them. However, it would be too much for you alone.”

“…I can do it too.”

Salad said in a dissatisfied tone, as if she had been underestimated.

Loki glared at the werewolf even in the darkness.

At that, the werewolves flinched.

“You might be able to handle one or two. But there are quite a few.”

Loki sensed the presence around him.

Monsters with rough breaths were occupying each of the surrounding roofs.

Roughly 40 or so.

Salad wouldn’t even be able to identify that number.

They must be the ones running rampant in this city.

Why doesn’t this city try to hunt these monsters?

Or, couldn’t they hunt them?

Doubt arose, but now was not the time to argue about that.

「What, that guy. Can he see us?」

Surprisingly, the werewolves spoke human language.

「What do we do?」

「Even if he can see us, he won’t be able to handle us.」

The werewolves bared their teeth and growled.

「We either make him one of us or take him as prey.」

The werewolf spread its claws.

The sharp claws flashed momentarily in the darkness.

「The elf is later.」

「Deal with that guy who can see us first!」

The werewolves lunged at Loki.