“Can I ask for your help?” -Yuuta
I’m not a judge, nor do I have the right to judge others.
But I also didn’t feel the need to continue carrying the risk. Above all, if I didn’t ask Nagumo-san here and then Misuzu and the others were subjected to something like that woman in front of me, the regret would be unbearable.
“OK. The old hag might scold me again, though.” -Nagumo
Nagumo-san spoke casually, but his face was serious.
Why such a serious face? Perhaps even he has reservations about killing.
Is he going to dispose of Hazumi and the others without my knowledge?
The thought that my requested murder would be carried out while I’m unaware kept running through my mind. However, suddenly…
【Forced Teleportation】-Nagumo
The moment Nagumo-san muttered those words, four men appeared in front of me wearing only boxer shorts. Their sudden appearance, without any context, reminded me of when Nagumo-san suddenly appeared next to me in the dungeon.
Were these men teleported here? That’s what I thought. The fronts of their boxers were bulging in a disgusting way.
“Ugh, they’re not even dressed. Disgusting.” -Nagumo
The four men were sleeping in their boxers despite it being winter. Since we were in the first layer of the dungeon, which is hot, this attire was unbelievable. Misuzu and Evie looked uncomfortable, not knowing where to look. And then, an unbearable discomfort welled up inside me.
They must have been indulging in their desires and slept in this state.
Looking closely, their hands were stained with blood. What kind of magic was that? I had heard of teleportation magic, but can it forcibly move others? Who really is this man?
“Where did you teleport these men from?” -Yuuta
“A condominium about 2 km away. They bought it and turned it into their harem, doing whatever they want. That’s where they were.” -Nagumo
“Is that allowed?” -Yuuta
“No, it’s too much even for them. Actually, the police had consulted me to do something about it, but I ignored it as it’s common.” -Nagumo
“Are there others like Hazumi’s group?” -Yuuta
“It’s better in Japan, but there are quite a few. It’s common for explorers. Suddenly becoming strong and getting everyone’s attention leads to misunderstandings. I’ve had my share of experiences.” -Nagumo
“Y-you’ve done such terrible things to women?” -Misuzu
Misuzu couldn’t help but interject.
“I didn’t do too many bad things, and the old hag neutered me so I couldn’t do much. These guys are quite guilty.” -Nagumo
“But you did do something…” -Misuzu
“Idiot. Misuzu, stop it.” -Evie
Misuzu spoke fearlessly, but Evie quickly tried to stop her.
“Girl, I only approached Yuuta because I wanted to help him. Don’t get the wrong idea or I’ll kill you.” -Nagumo
“This person… is scary.” -Misuzu
“Misuzu, don’t direct ill intentions toward high-level adventurers. They abide by their own set of laws. If you did something like that in America, you couldn’t complain if you got killed. Besides, it’s not just a thing for guys. There are plenty of female adventurers who do as they please.” -Evie
Misuzu hides behind me. I don’t really understand. Still, it seems like Misuzu is under quite a bit of pressure. It seems that Nagumo-san is stricter with women than with men.
Nagumo-san looked at Misuzu, and at that moment, she trembled like the lady at the register. It seemed like Nagumo-san was harsher on women.
“Nagumo-san, is it okay if we wake these people up?” -Yuuta
I didn’t address what Misuzu said. Getting stronger might lead to misunderstandings. Suddenly becoming popular and getting carried away.
Those are words that would definitely slip out if you were a guy in that situation. Oh, how dreadful. I sincerely prayed that I wouldn’t be resented by Misuzu and Imari. And more than that, Hazumi’s group.
“Huh? Oh, sure, go ahead.” -Nagumo
“Okay.” -Yuuta
“No, wait a minute. Tie them up so they can’t move. It’s dangerous if you wake them up without doing that. You guys alone have the ability to kill with just a look. They’re at a mid-level. He mentioned being Level 300, so they might do anything without hesitation.” -Nagumo
Nagumo-san’s expression became truly displeased.
【Bind】 -Nagumo
With one word from Nagumo-san, the word “Bind” appeared on the four men, and their bodies straightened up. They became completely immobile in an unnaturally straight posture.
“Level 300… Even in America, there are hardly any that high, and you easily bound them.” -Evie
Evie’s eyes widened in surprise.
The men were then unable to move, completely bound by Nagumo-san’s magic.
“Guess I should hide the dirty stuff.” -Nagumo
A black space opens in front of Nagumo-san, and a bath towel appears. It wraps around the bodies of Hazumi and the others.
“An item box… and teleportation magic… Easily tying up someone of level 300, just how high is this person’s level?” -Evie
Evie whispered this into my ear. Just being whispered to by a blonde beauty in my ear made me shiver.
“A-actually, I don’t know.” -Yuuta
I wasn’t really inclined to ask Nagumo-san too many questions. It wouldn’t help to ask, and I hated the thought of bragging about knowing such things.
“You should ask.” -Evie
“It’s okay. I don’t want to live my life relying on Nagumo-san. I want to raise my own level. Honestly, I feel quite embarrassed about this.” -Yuuta
“Hmm.” -Evie
“Is my way of thinking too naive?” -Yuuta
“No, I like that kind of thing. Okay, then I won’t ask.” -Evie
Evie easily backed down.
Misuzu seemed scared of Nagumo-san and stayed hidden behind me. I decided to wake up Hazumi and the others. I lightly tapped Hazumi’s cheek. Hazumi’s face had become somewhat more handsome due to the increase in level, but it still wasn’t very cool-looking.
Even at level 300, this is his appearance.
The other three weren’t very handsome either. Even I, after reaching level 3, when I look in the mirror, think I look a bit handsome, but I don’t find Hazumi and the others handsome at all. I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for that.
“Please wake up. I have something I want to ask you.” -Yuuta
I’m not normally someone who could do this. Normally, I would be killed without even being able to touch them. Thinking this, I tapped his cheek while feeling hesitant to borrow the tiger’s might.
“Uh, huh? Who are you? Huh? I can’t move my body…” -Hazumi and company
He had dyed his hair brown and had earrings in his ears. He seemed to be about 30 years old. To me, he looked like an older man, but thanks to his level increase, he didn’t have the typical slovenly figure of a middle-aged man.
“Hey! What are you? What did you do to me!?” -Hazumi and company
“I will withhold my name. You killed someone here three days ago, didn’t you? Are you remorseful about that? And do you intend to do it again?” -Yuuta
“Huh!? Why do I have to tell you that! Let me go! Do you know who I am? I’m a mid-level explorer!” -Hazumi and company
“I know.” -Yuuta
“Then I’ll spare your life for now. Fix this so I can move! What item did you use!?” –Hazumi and company
It seemed like he was gradually understanding the situation. Still, he appeared confident in his own level and wasn’t panicking. After all, I was only level 3. With such a level difference, he probably had some idea of my strength.
“Ahhhh!” “What’s with Hazumi, so noisy.” “Did a woman try to escape again?” -Hazumi and company
When Hazumi shouted, the men around him woke up.
“Shut up! I’ve properly hypnotized them, they won’t escape!” -Hazumi and company
“Hazumi. If you’re too rough, they’ll die again. Remember, you killed one in the dungeon three days ago because they were no longer of use.” -Hazumi and company
“That woman was happy under hypnosis until the end.” -Hazumi and company
“She got pretty after reaching level 40.” -Hazumi and company
“She used to serve us happily without hypnosis in the beginning. It’s your fault for saying let’s kill her husband in front of her.” -Hazumi and company
These people seemed utterly wicked. Could humans really do such things to each other?
“What’s with this guy?” -Hazumi and company
“Hey, Saitou. Appraise this guy.” -Hazumi and company
A short man named Saitou looked over at us.
It felt uncomfortable, as if he could see right through me. I realized he was appraising my status. I knew such things existed. Nagumo-san seemed to be staying out of their sight in a place invisible to me.
“Pfft! Hey, Hazumi! This guy’s level 3! The two women with him too!” -Hazumi and company
“Really? Hey, hey, what’s this, revenge or something? Ah, the brother of the woman we killed three days ago? Even though we properly returned her body, you’re angry?” -Hazumi and company
The other two also seemed to understand the situation and joined the conversation.
Knowing our level, they completely ridiculed us. Naturally so. After all, we were only level 3. No matter how much we attacked someone of level 300, we couldn’t cause any damage. They probably weren’t afraid at all, even though they couldn’t move.
“Stop it! Please, forgive me!” -Hazumi and company
“I’ll do anything! Anything at all!” -Hazumi and company
“The best was when we broke the hypnosis inside the dungeon. That’s when women are most enjoyable!”
“Your sister was fantastic! Huh? But did her brother really look like this?” -Hazumi and company
“Hey, hey, this guy is gonna start crying!” -Hazumi and company
“We entertained the likes of you, level 343 guys, and you died happy, didn’t you?” -Hazumi and company
“But why can’t we move our bodies?” -Hazumi and company
“Maybe he bought some amazing item beyond his means. Well, it’s about time. Should we release it?” -Hazumi and company
“If you wanted to restrain us, it would cost about 10 billion yen. Impossible for you, little boy!” -Hazumi and company
”””Ha ha ha ha!”””” -Hazumi and company
I thought there might have been a reason why they killed, but it didn’t seem like that at all. And here I thought Ikemoto was the most wicked person in the world, but I just saw someone surpass him easily.
“Nagumo-san, I have nothing more to say. Please, I think it’s better for these people not to live anymore. I’m sorry for saying such a selfish thing.” -Yuuta
“Understood.” -Nagumo
“What are you saying, man! Getting cocky…” -Hazumi and company
“Hey, Hazumi! I can’t move at all!” -Hazumi and company
“Nagumo-san? What? Why…” -Hazumi and company
Then, Hazumi and the others finally noticed Nagumo-san. Nagumo-san, who was invisible from my sight, appeared in a place a little far away and approached, standing immobile, and came into the sight of Hazumi and the others lying on the ground.
“Did we mess with Nagumo-san’s woman or something?” -Hazumi and company
“Who could it be? The woman from three days ago?” -Hazumi and company
“She was desperately calling out her brother’s name and crying. Is her brother an acquaintance of Nagumo-san?” -Hazumi and company
“Sorry! Please forgive me!” -Hazumi and company
In this situation, Hazumi and the others didn’t feel much of a crisis. Maybe they were too relaxed, or maybe even Nagumo-san wasn’t scary enough for mid-level explorers?
“Is Nagumo-san not that amazing? Hazumi and the others are saying awful things and seem fine.” -Misuzu
“I don’t know, but I don’t think that’s the case.” -Yuuta
Misuzu whispered to me secretly. But that’s impossible. A person who can easily force teleport someone from a distance, if they’re not amazing, then that’s truly terrifying.
“Well, I’d like to forgive you, but you guys are not at all endearing.” -Nagumo
“That’s… we’re supposed to be close with Nagumo-san!” -Hazumi and company
“Yes, we might have gone a bit too far. But if Nagumo-san tells us to stop, we will!” -Hazumi and company
“We really regret it!” -Hazumi and company
“Nagumo-kun, you’ll forgive us, right?” -Hazumi and company
“I might have considered overlooking it if you were around level 100, but level 300 is different. Even if I cut off your dick, you’ll recover quickly, and escaping from me would be easy. You’re probably thinking of going abroad to do as you please more than in Japan, right?” -Nagumo
Nagumo-san slowly drew the large sword he carried on his back.
At the same time, cold sweat flowed from my entire body. Even though the sword wasn’t pointed at us, I thought we were going to be killed. A black aura rose from the blade, and the sword was filled with madness.
“You’re joking, right!? Nagumo-kun!” -Hazumi and company
“Please forgive me! I didn’t mean it! I really regret it!”
“Curse your luck for being only moderately high-leveled. It’s troublesome, but I’ll have to kill you. If there’s an afterlife, apologize to the women you killed. Well, probably in a world like this, there is an afterlife, and death isn’t the end. It’s just unfortunate that your destination will be hell.” -Nagumo
With a wave of his right hand, a huge crack appeared in the ground. In an instant, everything below Hazumi and the others’ heads was gone.
“He killed them…” -Yuuta
Despite having requested it myself, the words felt unreal.
There were four heads left on the spot. Misuzu and Evie involuntarily looked away. Still, knowing I was responsible, I couldn’t turn my eyes away.
“Will I end up like this too?” -Yuuta
My life had been one of continuous bullying at school.
I lived with a certain amount of frustration, so I wondered if I might stray from the path someday and do something like what Hazumi and the others did, and be killed by Nagumo-san. In fact, I was acting foolishly over Misuzu and Imari.
“You’ll be fine. But if it ever comes to that, I’ll be the one to kill you, so don’t worry.” -Nagumo
Hearing this while looking at the four severed heads of Hazumi and the others, it didn’t sound like a joke. But still, I was somewhat relieved.
“If possible, please do it before I become so vile.” -Yuuta
“Ha, you make it difficult when you say things like that.” -Nagumo
Nagumo-san responded to my words with a slightly sad expression.
“But I’ll be careful not to become like that.” -Yuuta
“Do that.” -Nagumo
Nagumo-san looked at the four heads of Hazumi and the others for a while, then shook his head and looked at me.
“Well, alright. Anyway, Ikebukuro is still too early for you guys. There are a few more troublesome ones around. I can’t go around killing everyone, after all. And those two women, it’s a bit problematic. They’re both too pretty. Your sister isn’t as beautiful as Misuzu, is she?” -Nagumo
“Ah, um, she’s about as cute as Misuzu.” -Yuuta
“…You’re a troublesome guy. Women, take this and wear it.” -Nagumo
Nagumo-san opened a black space and took out three rings, tossing one each to me, Misuzu, and Evie.
“What’s this?” -Yuuta
“It’s an item that allows you to change your appearance as you wish. It fundamentally changes your build, so it’s unlikely to be seen through. Until you reach the mid-level, change your face with this when you’re in front of explorers. When you surpass level 200, the unnecessary troublemakers will disappear. It’s just a matter of patience until then.” -Nagumo
“Nagumo-san, isn’t this far better than the necklace you gave me before?” -Yuuta
From Nagumo-san’s words, it seemed that even if the other party had the ability to appraise, this item could deceive them. With that capability, its value exceeds that of just an artifact.
“That’s right. It’s quite expensive. So, return it when you reach level 200. Otherwise, you’ll start talking about paying me again, right?” -Nagumo
“…Thank you for everything, truly.” -Yuuta
I bowed my head.
It was my naivety that led to Nagumo-san having to kill someone on my behalf.
I never underestimated explorers. But having seen Hazumi and the others, I understood that I had underestimated the depth of their malice. And I thought that I had to accept this item.
“It’s okay. It’s just a whim of mine. If you have any trouble again, let me know. Also, if anything happens, saying you’re ‘a friend of Nagumo’ will mostly work out. But I’m also quite resented, so there are times when you might be targeted because of that. So, unless it’s really dangerous, don’t carelessly mention it everywhere.” -Nagumo
“Understood. But is it really okay for me to say I’m Nagumo-san’s friend?” -Yuuta
“It’s fine. I’m a man who takes good care of others.” -Nagumo
“…Sorry.” -Yuuta
I bowed deeply.
“Don’t be so formal. Instead, I’ll transport you to Kofu. I’m going to teleport you, so don’t move too much.” -Nagumo
“Wait! Why are you being so nice to me!?” -Yuuta
“Hmph, just do your best.” -Nagumo
【Forced Teleportation】 -Nagumo
As Nagumo-san muttered, my vision blurred.
I felt like I should have expressed my gratitude more properly, but nothing came to mind. And then, before I knew it, I was in a different place. The scene before my eyes was a savannah, but there were no severed heads, and Nagumo-san was not there.
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