A Cheap, OP Brawler - Chapter 168

Author’s Pre-Chapter Note: Apologies for publishing a day late. I had a lot to catch up on at the last minute, but with my projects near finished and ready to go, I’m going to take the week off both for the holidays and to give my mental state a break. I’ll be back to posting chapters weekly on the 2nd next month.

Thank you all very much for your patience, understanding, and support throughout this year. Though there were some stressful times and the pacing for this story has been painstakingly slow, I haven’t stopped enjoying writing this and my other stories. If I didn’t have to worry about making a living and not have a full-time job, I’d want to take the majority of my time writing stories and cleaning them up to be an enjoyable read for you all. I do like having some time to myself when I can, though. There are times when I’d want to step away from writing for a bit to play games and watch streams. A part of me wonders if I should take up streaming, myself, to better connect with my readers and have them get to know me. I don’t know, it’s something worth thinking about. Let me know what you think of that idea in the comments.

For now, I’ll continue writing as I have been. I’m not sure whether I should change my update schedule for personal reasons, but I’ll let you know if anything comes up. As much as I like seeing readers enjoying the stories I write (even if they’re heavily criticized by some) I do want to write them while in a healthy state of mind, taking my time going over them and make sure the plot’s progressing like I want it to. I may have been getting by fine the last few years since I started putting up chapters, but things change, I’m getting close to my 30’s, and I need to start putting my health first. Some of you may get tired of reading my stories, and while it saddens me to see you go, I know there are better authors out there whose works are worth putting your time into consuming. If my ridiculously slow-paced, isekai/harem-trash stories gave you some moment of peace and amusement during these stressful times like right now, then I think I’m doing ‘something’ right as a writer, and I’m satisfied with that much.

Thank you all again for spending this crazy year with me. Let’s hope things get better in the next and the others after that. Until next time, enjoy the chapter.

**

“Pardon the intrusion,” I said as I immediately closed the [Portal] behind me.

“Hello, darling! I’ve missed you!” Noire exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around my head. She emphasized her impressive bust by how much she pressed herself onto me.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at such a greeting as I pulled her in by the waist, “I’ve only been gone for a couple hours, though?”

“Time has a way of making itself longer when you’re waiting for someone, you know? Especially after our exchange earlier, as I couldn’t stop thinking about it since you left,” she said while playing with my hair. I guess tasting that small bit of my blood left more of an impact on her than I thought.

“Well, then, will this make up the time we’ve been apart?” I asked before placing a soft, comforting kiss on her glossy lips.

She breathed deeply through her nostrils briefly before our kiss broke off, “Hmm … maybe a little more?”

I obliged and gave another quick peck.

“Okay, I think I’m satisfied,” Noir said before pulling back.

“Ah, I have something for you, too,” I said as I reached into my pocket.

“For me?”

I instructed her to turn around and hold her red hair up. She obliged as I took out the pendant and put it around her neck.

“This ‘Pendant of Hidden Anonymity’ will hide your status as well as your location from appraising and tracking-type items and skills,” I explained as I linked the string together with the attached clamp, “With your [Hide Magic] skill, you should be invisible to any stalkers following you.”

“That sounds like quite an effect for an enchanted item! Where did you get this?” Noire asked as she checked herself in the mirror.

“An acquaintance gave it to me while I was getting supplies. I figured this could benefit you, being a noble who draws attention, I mean,” I said. What I said was mostly true, so I hoped her [Intuition] wasn’t sharp enough to catch me hiding something. My anxiety was unfounded, though, as Noire seems transfixed on the pendant that now laid on top of her cleavage.

“Hmm, I feel as though I’ve seen this pendant somewhere before … nonetheless, this must be a very valuable item,” Noire said.

“I have something else for you, too,” I said.

Noire seemed genuinely shocked, “There’s more?”

“You know what a Greed Ring is, right?” I asked, “I don’t know if you already have one or if you really need one with how strong you already are, but I thought it would be nice to have in case you’re seeking some extra EXP in the dungeon crawl tomorrow.”

I got this while shopping for Ren’s Ninja gear back in Obina’s room. It was the highest grade of Greed Ring, too, giving the wearer an additional 50 percent of EXP from winning a battle. I bought one in lower grades as silver for each of my party members, sans Ume, who wasn’t really into such jewelry and was already powerful as a Dragon. I figured with Noire wanting to be part of the harem later, I’d get her a ring to fit the aesthetic.

“O-Oh, for the dungeon, of course. Things would speed way too fast if it were for that, but still …” Noire muttered as she took a fan to cool down her tinted cheeks, averting her gaze.

<Hmm … she’s feeling some relief and disappointment, I see,> Nyra informed me.

When I looked at the ring in my hand, I connected the dots immediately. {Oh.}

Though I didn’t intend to give Noire a ring for that reason, with how things were going right now, it wouldn’t be strange for that topic to be brought up, would it? Just as Noire said, though, we’d be going way too quick with this. We agreed to take this slow and have our established relationship at our own pace. I wanted to really get to know her first before I tied the knot, unlike my meeting with Ume, but I didn’t regret that choice, of course.

That said, with this topic still fresh, I decided to use it in my favor in a slightly teasing mood.

“Of course, this Greed Ring is primarily for the dungeon crawl, and maybe for the battles we’ll face together afterward,” I said, “If I were to present a ring for any other reason, though, I’d confide in the girl I’m interested in what kind she’d prefer first. I want to give the best that she could ask for. What are your thoughts on that, Noire?”

Noire, with half of her face still hidden by the fan, blinked with her long eyelashes. “Wouldn’t that lose the element of surprise?” she asked.

“There are good surprises and there are bad ones. If anything, I’d play it safe and avoid the latter in important cases like this,” I answered while shrugging.

“… You do make a fair argument,” she said while looking to the side in thought, “And to be honest, I was getting tired of previous suitors trying to win me over with the biggest rock they could afford with little thought into it. Rowling’s was no exception, and it puts enough unnecessary weight on my hand for me to not wear it around. Personally, I’d like a ring that isn’t flashy, but unique. Something that shows what kind of male I’m married to, you know? I have no preference for what kind of stone it’s on there.”

<Not flashy, unique, and basically has personality. You got all that, Nyra?> I asked her.

<A bit of a tough call, but I think it’s manageable,> Nyra said, <If I had a body, I could make the rings to order. Weapons and armor aren’t the only things blacksmiths can make, you know? I just need the right materials along with tools in a smithy.>

<Really? I’ll have to keep that in mind, then.>

“Thank you for the input, Noire, I’ll be sure to look into it,” I said.

“In the meantime, I’ll humbly accept your Greed Ring. If you don’t mind …” Noire trailed off while holding her right hand out. Though half of her face was still covered, her amethyst eyes told how much she was smiling.

That smile was contagious as one spread slightly on my face, as well. Going all the way, I took one knee as if I was proposing, held Noire’s hand like a delicate glass figurine, and slid the gold Greed Ring on the appropriate finger. The lady giggled behind her fan at how much I was hamming up this performance, especially when I kissed the back of her hand after putting the ring on.

{Ah, this is just what I needed after the stress from today. I’ll have to share more of these with Ume during downtimes.}

After Noire gave a bashful thank you while checking out her new ring, we moved the conversation forward to the main topic.

“Do you have your message ready?” I asked her.

“‘Messages’, actually. Two, to be exact,” Noire said while taking out two envelopes from her Magic Item Pouch, “One for my sister, and one for Her Highness. Now, you said you have a means of delivering the letters instantly like [Portal], even though you’ve never been to Korangar?”

<Nyra? You were the one who said we may work around it, right?> I asked.

<If this works, it’s quite simple, actually,> Nyra said, <First, we need to see a memory of a room in Noire’s home, maybe her sister’s? Ask Noire to close her eyes and concentrate in that room as much as possible. The more detailed, the better.>

I asked Noire just as Nyra told me. The Vampire was understandably skeptical, but played along. Nyra then asked me to do the same while taking out the tanto, and so I followed through. {Wait, is she doing what I think she’s doing?}

My suspicions were confirmed moments later. What appeared from the black space in my mind was an unfamiliar room, totally pink with some white, a fancy bed with a canopy, lace curtains, among other things. It was the very picture of what I imagined a fairy tale’s princess would sleep in.

“Jinma? What’s going on? My head feels strange,” Noire said, anxiety hinting in her tone.

“Stay calm and keep picturing the room. This is necessary,” I answered.

<Actually, this should be enough. I’m cutting the connection—>

“Who is that?! Is someone here?!” Noire exclaimed in panic.

<… Whoops.> From Nyra’s reaction, it seemed she didn’t intend for Noire to hear her. Maybe with this mental connection between the three of us, it was unavoidable for people to hear Nyra’s voice. That still left the problem of Noire learning her existence now.

{Well, she’d have to learn about this sooner or later.}

“Uh … it’s a bit late, but let me introduce you to my partner, Nyra. She’s a Pixie trapped in this tanto as part of a curse,” I said while opening my eyes. I saw Noire having her own eyes open and was shocked to see the purple mist-like aura from my tanto connecting our heads. It was the very magic Nyra has done to let me see into and transfer memories between the people we connect the last couple of times now.

<‘Arch’ Pixie,> Nyra corrected.

“Wait, Nyra? As in the Misfortune Tanto of Nyra?! The cursed dagger that was said to have possessed its wielders for over centuries?!” Noire exclaimed.

<‘Sup?> Nyra introduced coolly.

“Due to some circumstances, I’m able to wield the tanto and its powers without being possessed, but it’s best you refrain from touching it and not get affected by the curse,” I explained, “I’d appreciate it if you could keep this a secret, too.”

“O-Of course, but still, to wield a cursed weapon without receiving its effects, you are more exceptional than I anticipated, Jinma,” Noire said in amazement.

“Well, it’s not that I’m totally immune,” I said while shrugging, “My LUCK had taken a nosedive and I do have to put up with a perverted voice in my head because of this curse.”

<Don’t you make yourself the innocent one here! You’re just as perverted!> Nyra rebutted.

“It’s a matter of restraint, and you don’t hold back from making explicit comments every other minute.”

<As an Arch Pixie, it would be detrimental to my health if I don’t bȧrė my true feelings! It’s you who’s crazy for keeping everything inside!> she argued.

Noire giggled, “I can see why you call her your partner. You look like you get along with her well. Now, before we get too distracted, can we get to why our heads are connected like this?” She then pointed up to the purplish-black mist above us.

<Right! Jinma, you got a good look at that room, right?> Nyra asked me.

“Pretty much, yeah.”

<Now, with that in your mind, open a [Portal] to that room like you usually do with other places.>

“… Ah, I see where you’re going with this now,” I said after thinking about it.

The [Portal] Null Spell requires the caster to be at the destination at some point in the past. It wouldn’t be possible if they’ve never been to that location before. What if you saw that place in a picture, or in our case, in someone else’s memories like you were right there? The activation of this Null Spell requires a good memory of that location, so what if we used someone else’s memories as our map to the destination?

I don’t know if there are skills or spells that show a person’s memories in a clear picture like Nyra does with her powers, probably some form of [Psyche Magic]? Either way, we were going to test whether those powers can make a loophole with [Portal] for a synergistic effect.

“Alright, here goes nothing … to Korangar,” I said while focusing on the image of Noire’s sister’s room, raising a hand to an open space, “… [Portal].”

And at my chant, a hole opened in space, revealing a bright pink room on the other side, followed by a girly shriek in surprise.

“You did it! You really opened a [Portal] to Opal’s room!” Noire exclaimed in excitement before peeking her head inside the hole and sang in a low volume, “Hellooo, Opal!”

“S-Sister Dearest?!” the lady who went by Opal exclaimed before Noire hushed her.

“Don’t make too much noise. We’re not supposed to be here.”

“W-We?”

Noire gestured me inside and I obliged before closing the [Portal] behind me. I then cast [Soundproof] so we could speak normally.

“W-Who is that?! What’s a Human male doing here?!” the lady named Opal exclaimed in shock.

This little sister of Noire’s had a more petite figure, but didn’t look much younger than I thought. She was wearing a loose dress for lounge wear, but in brighter colors than her older sister’s adventurer’s clothes. Opal had long platinum pink locks and pink eyes while possessing the same marble white skin as Noire. She didn’t have as big of a bust as her sister, but she was still quite cute. I could almost feel the ‘this girl must be protected’ vibe emanating from her.

“Opal, allow me to introduce you to my new boyfriend, Jinma Kotori,” Noire introduced with pride.

“HAAAAA?! B-Boyfriend?! That Human?! W-What about your fiance?!” Opal asked.

“Before I answer, I must ask you something important,” Noire said before her face turned stern and serious. She rested her hands on Opal’s shoulders and looked her straight in the eye, “Opal, you’ll never betray me, right? Will you be on my side no matter what happens?”

“Of course, Sister Dearest!” Opal exclaimed without hesitation, “I wouldn’t even think of abusing your trust, and I’ll always be on your side!”

Silence spread through the room as the sisters stared at each other. Just to make sure, I used [Size Up] on Opal and checked her skills.

{Two classes and she’s got decent strength in magic, but no [Deception] skill. This one’s not lying … what a good sister Noire has.} A pang of envy pierced my ċhėst.

It’s understandable that Noire had to confirm Opal’s loyalty, too. I’ve read in some stories how siblings try to kill each other for political power, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to question whether Opal was playing as Rowling’s accomplice behind Noire’s back. Add into how their father is unfit to provide help as Noire explained to me earlier, a reliable confidant is needed now more than ever for her.

Noire looked to have come to the conclusion of trusting Opal as her face softened, “Were you approached by anyone strange? Did Father ask you anything peculiar?”

Opal shook her head in response.

“Last question, did you send this letter to me recently?” Noire asked as she pulled up an envelope and folded parchment paper from her pouch.

{Ah, that’s the message with the forged family seal that Gabriella had on her, right? She kept it as evidence for the crime against Rowling.}

I remembered Noire burning a message with [Fire Magic] yesterday, but then I realized it was a message from Rowling about the time limit in the dungeon. This lady totally disregarded his demand, though. I wondered if Noire could have kept it as further evidence, but if Rowling was the one who wrote the forged letter, she could probably tell right away by comparing them. She must have deduced Rowling hired someone to write it for him to hide his tracks. In which case, keeping the time-limit message that has no connections to the forgery would be pointless.

Opal blinked her eyes in confusion as she read the forged letter, “Eh? No, I haven’t written anything like this, Sister Dearest. This isn’t even my handwriting.”

Noire nodded in affirmation, “Ah, then it’s confirmed. With this message bearing a forgery of our family seal, we’ll bring my soon-to-be ex-fiance a hundred kilometers below ground.”

“HAAAAAA?!”

{Opal’s a loud one, huh? Glad I put up that [Soundproof] when I got here. Still, a hundred kilometers below ground? How close would that be to Earth’s core?}

{{AN: 100 kilometers is about 62.14 miles, or 328,084 feet. The earth’s core is about 2,900 kilometers, or 1,802 miles/9.51 million feet from the surface, so Noire’s bȧrėly scratching the surface wanting to bury Rowling that deep.}}

I then suddenly remembered something in regards to that forgery, “Wait, will that forged message really be enough as evidence? Rowling could possibly disregard that accusation entirely with no connections of it leading to him.”

“You are correct in that ȧssumption, Jinma, but this message alone will not be used as evidence for that reason,” Noire said, “No, the timing of this being found on Gabriella’s person, the same Dark Knight who Rowling employed as my bodyguard for the quest, was suspicious enough. After thoroughly interrogating Gabriella of their motives, I got the majority of what I needed. Using her as a witness and this message will serve as a means of warrant to search his household and his relatives’ for further evidence in the forgery. Even if that evidence was destroyed, something even more interesting could be found during the search.”

“… Ah, I get it now.”

After hearing of Rowling’s potential involvement with Chaos Barrage and their plan for a coup against the Demon King, Noire’s going to use that forged letter as a front to expose everything about him and his conspirators. Searching a noble household for a possible item of forgery seemed reasonable enough if requested by another noble of higher standing. If there’s evidence of a coup being planned that came up in the search, Rowling as well as Chaos Barrage will be done for.

“You really thought this through, huh, Noire?” I asked.

“That’s Lady Noire to you, Human! And of course she would plan that far ahead! Sister Dearest is an astounding lady of the Krauss Family, after all!” Opal exclaimed while puffing her ċhėst in pride.

“Opal, do not speak to my boyfriend like that,” Noire said sternly with a furrowed brow, “It was out of my request that he refer to me by name only. I will not tolerate you disrespecting him without a good reason.”

“But Sister Dearest! This is a Human we’re talking about!” Opal argued, “I understand you going against marrying Rowling. I was never for that decision in the first place, and this evidence just proves how much of a shrewd male he really is. I also know our family supports Her Highness in establishing connections with the races in the other Territories to make peace, including Humans. Even so, aside from maybe Father, our family has never been acquainted with Humans before, not even when other Vampire households enslaved some of them to be their servants in the distant past. For a Vampire to be in a romantic relationship with a Human, they’d be seen as a disgrace from the other Vampires!”

“That doesn’t matter, Opal, I’ve made my decision,” Noire said while crossing her arms under her brėȧsts, “I was ready to drop Rowling as my fiance at the first chance I could get, an arrangement our fathers set up for political reasons. Jinma is the first male I’ve ever made the choice of wanting to be with.”

“But that’s impossible!” Opal rebutted, “You, Sister Dearest, being with this … erm, okay, he may be charming in the eyes, but this is the first I’ve even heard of this male! When did you meet him?! What made you want to be with him in the first place?!”

{Oh, so Opal also finds me charming in the eyes, huh?}

Despite how much Opal was against her sister dating me, I was a little happy she admitted that much about me, especially my eyes, knowing how much they scared normal Humans away.

“You’re aware of me going to take on Palocaesy’s Dungeon, yes? And I reached out to the adventurer’s guild to arrange a proper escort along with Rowling’s employed bodyguard?” Noire asked, of which Opal nodded, “Jinma here was hand-selected by the guild master of Dondegarm after ȧssigning him black rank on his first day. He has also bested that same guild master in a duel, which goes to show his strength is no joke. This male had also cleverly exposed Gabriella and a secret cohort of hers of trying to cancel my quest using the very forged letter I showed you. Lastly, even though I just met this male yesterday, I … dare I say it, fell in love at first sight.” Noire then hid her face with a fan out of embarrassment, averting her gaze.

“HAAAAAA?! F-F-First sight?! Only yesterday?!” Opal balked.

“And just earlier today, he … cut his own finger to let me taste his blood,” Noire said before hiding her whole face behind the fan, “It was so delicious I thought my mouth ȯrġȧsmed.”

“WHAT?!”

{I should probably cut in before things get a little out of hand,} I thought before clearing my throat, garnering their attention, “I hate to buŧŧ in on your … sisterly bonding, Noire, but we’re short on time here.”

“Ah, right,” Noire said while regaining her composure and taking out one of the letters she showed me, “Opal, Rowling is up to no good and may interfere with my dungeon crawl in a fatal way. I need you to deliver one of the messages in this envelope to Vladimir. He’ll know what to do after reading it. Father must not know of this at all costs. He must not know that I was here. Do you understand, Opal?”

“Y-Yes! Of course, Sister Dearest! I won’t let you down!” Opal exclaimed while taking the message.

{Who’s Vladimir? And one of the messages? Oh, maybe Noire didn’t think she’d hand Opal the message personally and had written a separate letter to her that listed instructions?}

“Jinma,” Noire said, snapping me out of my thoughts, “I need you to help me with what I need to do with Her Highness’ letter.”

“You’re not going to have Opal deliver it to her for you?” I asked.

“That’s Lady Opal to—… Opal’s fine,” Opal said as Noire stopped her outburst with a look that could kill.

Noire turned back to me with a delighted smile, “That was my initial plan, but your little trick has given me a better idea.”

{… Oh no, is she really going to suggest?} I thought as cold sweat ran down my back.

That lady-like smile on Noire turned mischievous, “We’re going to deliver this message to the Demon King personally, of course.”