Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru - Chapter 252: Nobody I

The two of us walked together through the cold streets.

The sun would be setting soon, but the bustle of the city was nowhere to be found. What it had was the stillness of a beast waiting for its prey.

The nights in this city are a magical realm. It teems with sex and death.

Well, both are forms of entertainment for people with money or power. They’re not for me.

「Ash, you really ought to change the bar you hang out in」

「Even if you say that……」

With the state of my purse, that kind of establishment is all I can afford.

「I mean, every time I come by, there’s usually someone dead. What happened today?」

「One of the Myriad Kings’ men killed some of your former colleagues」

Her name is Arianne Foz Gasim.

She lets those close to her call her Ari.

She’s from a fallen family of knights of Elysium. She used to be a knight, so she’s pretty strong. She’s doing well as an adventurer now.

Beautiful, charming, shapely, and strong.

A woman with no apparent flaws.

I have a hard time believing that such a woman is the same as the knights who were slaughtered in one stroke.

「By former colleagues, do you mean those guys on the floor? You’re wrong. Those are knights, but they’re knights who cannot strictly speaking be called knights」

「What do you mean?」

When it comes to knights, especially those from the center continent and Elysium, I’d have thought that they would have a certain level of skill and status.

「Those are just hoodlums who were made to buy themselves the title」

「Not “sold”, but “made to buy”, huh?」

The two are very different.

「That’s right, they were made to buy it. The title “Knight of Elysium” is seen as prestigious by a certain type of people. So much so that it can make them believe in silly misconceptions. There are plenty of failed adventurers in this city. And so, there are plenty of people who would buy it」

「But even if they wanted to palm it off to them, that bunch don’t have the money to……… Ah」

「You’ve realized it?」

I have.

「The merchants of the center continent are lending them the money, huh?」

「That’s right」

In order to buy the knighthood, they have to borrow money from merchants who have ties to the Elysium bigwigs.

What a terrible case of match-pumping.

「It’s their go-to trick for acquiring pawns in the areas targeted by their expeditions. By the time the hoodlums realize the cost of putting on airs, they’ve usually been used up. I mean, those who would have realized such a thing would never have bought the【title】in the first place」

「It can’t be helped, I suppose」

It’s not like I don’t know how they feel.

「Oh my, Ash, so you want to be a knight too?」

「Ari, I’ve already received a【title】」

「Fufu」

Perhaps she found it funny, but Arianne covered her mouth with her hand and giggled.

My name “Ash” is something she gave me.

It’s not just my name.

My clothes, cloak, hat, living expenses, a bed to sleep in, and my very life are all things she gave me.

I don’t remember anything prior to meeting her.

I was covered in wounds and dying in a back alley.

With no memories or proof of identity, no one knew who I was. I listen to rumors of people day in and day out, but not once have I ever appeared in any of them.

I’m a man who is no one, a Nobody.

A pebble on the side of the road.

Oh, but maybe there is one thing that I do have. A crippled left arm and the reason why my body is being eaten away.

Leaving that aside……

「You’re earlier than usual today」

It’s become a custom for us to return to the inn together after her adventuring is over. And she’s a little early today. When a punctual woman is even a little bit early, I think it must have some meaning.

「Can you escort me to work?」

「Sure, but are you going to the brothel? I thought you don’t take work after returning from an adventure?」

「It’s a different matter this time」

This one is a bit dicey.

Arianne works as a prostitute in a brothel known as the【Mansion of the Sleep Demon and the Goddess of Fertility】. Although this is an unusual side job for an adventurer, it gives her access to information she would otherwise be unable to obtain.

「A former colleague of mine has been posted to the garrison near here. He was lucky enough to escape King Lemuria’s purge. He might know something about my foolish little brother」

She had come to this country to find out about her younger brother.

Her brother is also a former knight and is a famous adventurer by the name of【Irvin the Dragon Scale】. However, the stories of his exploits have ceased abruptly.

It’s said that he died exploring the dungeon, but his final days remain a complete mystery.

The adventurers who were in a party with him were scattered in the recent turmoil in Lemuria, and the only clue she has found is【The Father of Adventurers】.

This legendary adventurer has ties to the proprietress of the【Mansion of the Sleep Demon and the Goddess of Fertility】.

That said, it seems that this man was very close to King Lemuria and he also has ties to the King of Mercenaries. However, he has not been seen at the brothel at all and has completely disappeared.

「Then you’re going to see an old friend? Or……」

「No way, our relationship is that of a customer and a prostitute. For a knight who has worked his way up the ladder, a fallen female knight like me must be quite appealing to him, wouldn’t you say? Men become loose-lipped after they’ve let a lot out of their system in more ways than one」

「I see」

I don’t get the vulgar tastes of such men, but I do have one question.

「Did you get permission from the brothel?」

「Of course not」

She’s being smug about it for some reason.

「That’s not good, is it? What would the brothel say if they found out you were taking customers without permission?」

「It’ll be fine as long as they don’t find out」

「Don’t find out, you say……」

There’s nothing but problems with that.

I hear that the punishment in such places is quite harsh. It’s the kind vulgar men enjoy.

「It’ll be fine. I’ve got you as my bodyguard」

「Don’t count on me being of any use in a fight」

「Of course. But there are many men who underestimate me just because I’m a woman. You’re weak, but you exude a strangely intense air, so you’re perfect as window dressing」

「That so?」

I’m glad to be of use to her. I want to repay her as soon as I can. If possible, while I still can.

We continued on through the city. From the main street, we turned down a narrow street filled with gloomy people.

I wonder what those occasional glances at us are about.

I think Arianne is very attractive as a woman. That’s why a half-dead inept like me doesn’t suit her. She deserves a man with more money and power.

I’ve brought this up with her before, but……

『Oh my, I don’t think of you as anything more than a domesticated dog though. Ohohohoho』

She had burst out laughing.

Arianne always has a smile on her face. But she also has a lot weighing on her mind. I’ve heard that people feel less uneasy in their times of weakness when they see a creature weaker than themselves. In other words, I’m more of a pet than a man to her.

But I do recommend that she takes in a better dog next time. At least one that can be a guard dog.

「Oh, here we are」

We had arrived at a cozy two-story building. It didn’t look at all like a place where knights were garrisoned.

Arianne opened the door without hesitation and we were able to enter without any difficulty.

「Is the Knight Commander in? I’m here for work」

There were four men in the cramped room. They were the same type of knights as the ones who had died in the bar a while ago.

They had their feet up and were drinking cheap alcohol and gambling with small change. When I saw them looking at Arianne with amorous eyes, I felt quite irritated.

「How much for you?」

「50 gold coins a night」

「Tch」

That’s an amount of money I could never afford. Of course, that goes for the knights in front of me as well.

「The Commander is upstairs. Go on」

「If you’ll excuse me then」

When I tried to follow Arianne, a knight stuck his foot out and blocked my way.

「Is this man also sleeping with the Commander?」

「He’s my escort. It’s gotten rather dangerous these days after all」

「Then it’s fine if he stays here, isn’t it?」

The knight had a point. Arianne gave me a look that said, “Will you be alright?” and I answered with one that said, “No problem.”

As I watched her go up the stairs, I detected a disquieting mood in the air.

「Are you guys this free?」

「Huhh? Are you offering to play with us then?」

At least act like knights……

「You’re showing your hoodlum side, Knight-sama」

The table was kicked over. The bottles of cheap alcohol on it shattered as they fell to the floor.

Oh crap.

One of my bad points is that I can’t keep my mouth shut despite being so weak.

「If you want a fight, do it bare-handed. Blades are―――――」

The knight drew his longsword.

Oh, that’s not good. Causing a commotion is bad. I don’t want to cause trouble for Arianne.

Right when I was wondering whether I could appease them by doing a Dogeza or not and what I should do……

……the door swung open.

Two more hoodlums came in. One of them was dragging with him a female beastkin who he had in a headlock.

「P, please let go of me-nya」

It was a well-dressed beastkin.

She had on a cooking outfit that resembled a maid’s, and her tail was hidden in her skirt, thus exposing very little of her skin. Her blonde loose curls were neatly tied back.

「Hey, I don’t know what you guys are doing, but let’s have fun with this one instead」

「Hyaa!」

The girl let out a short scream. The knight righted the fallen table and held the girl down on top of it. He forced her legs open and, with a practiced hand, tied her arms and legs to the legs of the table.

All of the knights who had been about to fight me had shifted their attention to the girl.

I’ve seen this kind of thing so many times.

Weak people being trampled on by the strong. There’s nothing strange about it. It’s the most natural thing in the world.

I only need to keep my mouth shut and wait for it to be over. If I do that, I won’t cause trouble for Arianne. It’s obviously easier to do nothing than to do something.

I’m a nobody.

I’m no one and have no business doing anything. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s only natural.

「You guys, how about you play with me instead, huh?」

So why am I saying such things today of all days?

「Tell you what, I’ll start things off and show you guys how it’s done. A man can’t just bang a woman with his equipment. There are preparations to be made to make them moan with pleasure」

I was ignored.

Picking up a bottle of alcohol that had tumbled to the ground, I threw it at the man who had stuck his hand up her skirt. It turned out to be rather full, so when it hit the back of his head, the bottle shattered with a loud crash and alcohol went everywhere.

The mood of the entire room changed.

It appeared that even this bunch of trash would flip out when met with violence.

They glared at me with the look of starving stray dogs. I shot them back the same look, but I had no way to fight them.

I can’t move my left arm at all, so I may even lose to an old man in a fistfight.

Hmmm, at best I’m half dead.

I hope this doesn’t bring any harm to Arianne, but it’s a bit late to be regretting my actions now.

They all drew their swords in unison.

It’s said that men get strangely hot-blooded in front of women, but it’s also true in front of a woman they’re trying to rape, huh? I’ve learned something new today.

「Hah」

You idiot, I said to myself, smiling at my own foolishness, as the hoodlums came slashing at me.

Then,

One of the windows of the building was smashed into pieces.

A long and slender shadow had broken in.

It was a large gray dog. Its fur was oddly glossy, suggesting that it was a domesticated dog. But despite being a domesticated dog, its ferociousness was almost feral, and it snapped its jaws shut around the windpipe of one of the hoodlums and swung him around until his neck snapped.

「Hah?」

Next, a hoodlum with a moronic look on his face was attacked by it. He was pushed down to the ground where his face got gnawed off.

Blood splattered all over and carnage ensued.

The knights swung their swords at the dog, but they were unable to hit it, and they fell one after another to its counterattacks. Some of them tried running away, but the dog showed no mercy and made sure to kill them all.

I decided to take this opportunity to free the girl.

I stole a longsword that was lying on the ground. Since I had never used a sword before, I used it like a saw to cut the rope restraining her.

「Are you okay?」

「T, thank you very much-nya」

The cute(poor) girl was trembling.

「………………」

Huh?

What’s this strange feeling of déjà vu that’s tugging at me? This girl―――――

「Ah! Barfuru-sama!」

The girl screamed and I turned back to see the dog leaping at me with its mouth wide open.

Quick note, the title of the arc is once again in “English”. As is the mention within the chapter.

Ahh, we’ve been double bait-and-switch’ed, haven’t we? So, Ash is obviously Souya and the woman who saved him wasn’t Rana, but Arianne, Irvin’s elder sister that he was trying to save?! Well well well, that’s a twist, isn’t it?

Also, that’s Tyutyu, isn’t it? The “-nya”s and Barfuru-sama give it away, doesn’t it?

Oh, the “cute(poor)” thing. It isn’t the first time the author has used this gag. “Cute” and “pitiful” sound exactly the same in Japanese, and in a spot where one would typically expect “pitiful”, our dear MC used “cute” instead because he’s that kind of person.

On the face of it, it’s an interesting turn of events, but there’s a bittersweet undertone, isn’t there? It’s Souya reuniting with Tyutyu, and yet… Well, stay tuned!