Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

Chapter 215 The Inevitable Crisis

Ugh.

Subaru realized his mistake when his breathing became suffocated and he was seen reacting this way.

Being too hasty, coupled with incomplete information, led to unforeseen circumstances.

Subaru's silence caused Felt's lips to curl slightly upwards.

"My older sister doesn't want to tell me either, are you the same, little brother?"

Like a cat toying with its prey, Ferut attacked repeatedly.

"What exactly is this badge? It's actually more valuable than its appearance suggests, which is why everyone wants it. In other words, this thing can be exchanged for more money than a 'meteor.'"

"Wait, Ferut, your thinking is dangerous..."

""

Following the direction of the conversation, he could roughly guess what she was going to say. Thinking of that possibility, Subaru nervously prepared to explain, but at this moment, Yue Ren, who had been sitting quietly to the side, patted his shoulder and interrupted him.

The sudden action eased the escalating tension.

Then Yue Ren looked at the girl.

Felt was slightly taken aback by this change and turned her gaze to this guy who had a stronger "presence" but had never shown it since they met, which was why she had never paid attention to him.

Looking at it closely now, it seems like this guy is the real boss, and the clown next to him is his servant?

"After all our conversations along the way, you should already understand that we have no hostility towards you. Please consider what I'm about to say as advice and information, okay?"

"Hmph, alright, tell me, let's see what other cards you have up your sleeve."

Ferut looked completely unconcerned.

"You're right, this gem does indeed possess immeasurable value."

"Feed..."

'

Subaru wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Yue Ren's gaze.

"I understand if you want to raise the price, but young lady, you need to understand one thing: since you know how precious this thing is, you must also understand that the more precious something is, the greater the secret it carries. And in some huge and dangerous secrets, people like you often play a very small role, so small that you can be easily replaced. But in this world, there are many 'monsters.' Are you sure you want to provoke them because of your inner greed?"

"Are you threatening me?"

Ferut's expression turned unfriendly.

"That's why I said it was just a suggestion, it has nothing to do with us. You just mentioned that older sister who entrusted you with this matter, can you really see through her true nature?"

"5

'

Of course not, so Felt was actually more inclined to sell to the guy in front of her, that older sister, who had an unpleasant aura about her.

"After hunting, a male lion needs seasoning and asks an ant to bring it to him. If the task is completed normally, the lion won't mind giving the ant its due reward." But what if the ant tries to bargain after completing the task? What do you think the lion would do? Or, what if the lion didn't intend for anyone else to know about this in the first place?

'

'

His words left the other three people present speechless.

Who would need seasonings when eating a lion?

Subaru wanted to complain, but seeing the situation was turning around, he held back.

"How can you be so sure that older woman would act as you say?"

It seems you understood.

Faced with Ferute's hesitant question, Yue Ren smiled slightly.

"Of course I can't be sure, so this is just a suggestion. You need to weigh the options yourself: do you want to complete the deal amicably, only to have the other party ask questions and then shift all the blame onto us, letting us fight like dogs," or do you want to gamble on that possibility? Winning would be great, with unlimited rewards from a single operation, but if you lose, not only will your own life be at stake, but at the very least, this old man next to you will also have to pay the price for your greed."

As he spoke, Yue Ren gestured to the giant old man behind the other man.

"6

""

Seeing the growing hesitation in the other party's eyes, Yue Ren knew that the matter was likely to succeed.

The high school kid next to me is still too young. He lost his composure as soon as the other person made a move. It seems he needs to be properly disciplined.

"Death Rewind" allows him to gradually collect winning cards, but he is not mature enough to play these cards in the best way, which is a waste of his life in a sense.

"Well then, as a further demonstration of goodwill, let me tell you something else. Actually, we belong to the owner of this badge. Because our master is a kind person, even though the badge was stolen, he expressed his desire to resolve the matter peacefully, which is why we are here."

"As expected, they're involved..."

""

"

Who is it?

Just then, Mr. Rom changed his expression and stared at the entrance to the stolen goods warehouse.

The situation on the scene changed again.

"My guests have probably arrived, but they seem a bit early."

Taking advantage of the situation, Ferut walked towards the door, her anger still simmering, and placed her hand on the doorknob, hoping that a new variable could reverse the deadlock.

Subaru sensed a rapidly rising sense of anxiety.

The stolen goods storage room, the knocking on the door, and Ferut's guest—if these conditions are met, there's only one possible answer.

"Don't open it, or you'll be killed!"

We arrived earlier than scheduled, and the light coming in through the window was still at a high angle; it was too intense to be considered a sunset.

In both the first and second worlds, despair came after sunset.

I didn't think much of it because there was still time, but it really came too early.

They haven't fulfilled any of the conditions for changing the world, yet they're on the verge of success.

The voices of protest were too late; Ferut pushed the door open with all her might.

The setting sun shone through the open door, its rays gently dispelling the gloom of the stolen goods storage room, and then...

"I would never suddenly do something like killing someone."

A very pleasant voice. A silver-haired girl with a tense face and pouting lips stepped into the warehouse.

Seeing Ferute also brightened my eyes.

"Great, you're here. This time, I won't let you escape again."

The serious expression on the face of the girl pretending to be Satella as she stepped in left Felt speechless, forcing him to retreat.

Felt looked annoyed, her lips twisted in anger, not only because of the silver-haired girl, but also because she understood that the balance of the negotiation had completely tipped in favor of the other side.

"You're such a persistent woman. You not only sent your henchmen, but you even came yourself?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I can't give up... Just hand over the stuff honestly, and I won't do anything to you."

Facing the clenched teeth of Felt, the fake Satella's voice was extremely cold.

The atmosphere in the warehouse shifted in a dangerous direction; regardless of the others, Subaru couldn't help but tremble.

Why would the fake Satella come here? It's only evening. In the first world, you wouldn't even reach the entrance to the slums at dusk. You would arrive at the warehouse after the sun has completely set.

Could it be that if it weren't for me, she could have arrived this early?

Even without triggering the events of healing in the alleyways and helping the children find their mothers, Satella could get here on her own.

This once again proved how useless he was, leaving Subaru so depressed that he couldn't speak.

Felt, who had retreated, had moved further inside from the center of the room. The fake Satella naturally replaced her posture with one of blocking the doorway, her palm facing the other.

A faint cracking sound rang out in the air as the silver-haired girl cast a spell, starting with her palm. Ice pillars formed in the air, and the room temperature dropped accordingly.

"I only have one request: return the badge. It's a very important thing."

There are six icicles floating in the air, all with rounded, blunt tips, which reduces their sharpness and potential for power, perhaps reflecting the user's reluctance to take action.

Faced with this tense situation, Ferut, sensing trouble, chose to shout.

"...Lord Rom."

"If you ask me, given the current situation, why don't you just sell it, Felt? This guy actually makes a good point."

That being said, seemingly for safety reasons, the giant had somehow found himself holding a club in his hand, and at the same time, he narrowed his gray eyes and stared at the silver-haired girl.

"Hmm... alright, give me that magical item."

After observing the silver-haired girl who showed no murderous intent and the two men, Yue and his companion, who showed no intention of making a move, Felt pondered for a moment before speaking to Subaru.

The opponent clearly had the advantage of being outnumbered three to two, but they didn't seem to want to fight for it, which made her trust Yue Ren's words even more.

"Oh, here you go."

Subaru, realizing what was happening, tossed his phone to Felt at Yueren's prompting.

"Okay, here you go. That completes the transaction. You can leave now."

Having confirmed that it was indeed the phone she had just seen, Felt tossed the badge to the silver-haired girl while she was still somewhat dazed.

",wait...

39

With her quick reflexes, the girl hurriedly caught the badge. The familiar touch told her it was real, but her mind was clearly still processing it.

So you just gave it back to her like that? But what was that deal all about? Aren't those two over there with this girl?

"Alright, alright, isn't this perfect? ​​Satie... girl over there, once you've got it, hurry up and leave. Be careful not to let it get stolen again."

Seeing that the deal was done, Subaru immediately started mediating, intending to persuade both parties to end the stalemate and go home.

Although he wasn't the main contributor to this achievement, now is not the time to dwell on such trivial matters; there's still a ruthless killer lurking in the shadows.

Why are you suddenly being so friendly? I can't understand it at all...

"6

"I'm equally unable to accept this. Are you guys in cahoots?"

Seeing that neither side could let go of the matter, Yue Ren spoke calmly.

"The truth is that my companion had been taken care of by that girl before, so when he learned that she was looking for something, he decided to help her. That's probably why we're here."

'

""

Another collective silence ensued.

No, is this reason really valid?

The silver-haired girl was also bewildered. Kind-hearted by nature, she didn't doubt the truth of these words, but she simply didn't remember helping those two people...

At that moment—as if gliding—Subaru saw the black shadow outside the door quietly move behind the silver-haired girl.

Parker! Defense!

A gentle smile appeared as a shadow, approaching and attacking the white neck with its flowing silver hair. The movements were as light as if applying a paste, and in an instant, the girl's head flew off before Subaru's wide-eyed eyes.

This is how the future was originally supposed to develop.

"Peng"

The crisp sound was not the sound of steel cutting bone, but rather the sound of steel shattering glass, which vibrated the eardrums.

The fake Satella leaned forward slightly, and a blue-white frost magic wall unfolded behind her head.

The magical light stopped the blade at its tip, barely saving the silver-haired girl's life.

After the fake Satella jumped away, she turned around and saw a small gray animal, or rather a cat, standing among her flowing silver hair.

The pink nose snorted smugly, and Parker glanced at Subaru.

"That was close! We're saved! Thanks for reminding me."

"Great, Parker! Don't mention it, we're the ones who got saved."

Seeing the kitten give a thumbs-up, Subaru excitedly gave a thumbs-up as well.

The sun hadn't set yet—meaning that Puck, the powerful support Pokémon for the fake Satella, was still at work. Subaru couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief; the intelligence, delivered at the cost of his life, had finally worked as expected.

Although he spoke up immediately upon seeing it, Parker's protective net was more solid than he had imagined.

Then, the attackers who were defending against the surprise attack spoke up.

"An elf, it's an elf! Hehehe, that's fantastic! I've never cut open an elf's belly before!"

The murder weapon was raised in front of her, her expression one of rapture and daze. It was the familiar killer—Elsa.

The unexpected visitor put Subaru, the silver-haired girl, and Rom on alert at the same time.

As for the Yue people, they remained unmoved, looking like spectators watching a show.

In reality, he was just watching the show. He was quite surprised by how things had developed, but it wasn't beyond saving yet. As the first conflict he had witnessed in this world, it was a good opportunity to understand combat strength, so he would allow himself to remain an ordinary person for the time being.

The others were the first to react to Elsa.

"Hey! What do you want?!"

The person who shouted loudly, took a step forward, and started cursing was Ferut.

"Even if the deal is over, even if you didn't get what you wanted, it doesn't have to come to this bloodshed."

"Ha, you have the nerve to say that when my mission was almost a failure? To make up for the losses, we have no choice but to kill everyone here and take back the badge."

Felut, his face flushed with rage, swallowed hard under Elsa's murderous gaze. Elsa looked down at Felut's fear with pity.

She gave a loving motherly smile, then coldly informed him before tilting her head slightly.

"It's because you failed to complete your job that you can get away with being hacked to death without any complaints."

Saying cruel things without hesitation is a huge turn-off.

—Hmm!

Felt's expression was pained, but it was an emotion different from fear; it was unclear which chord Elsa's words had touched upon.

"You bastard, stop joking around—!!"

Forgetting the difference in strength, Subaru roared at Elsa.

Elsa looked at Subaru with apparent surprise, as did Felt, Rom, the fake Satella, and the Yue people.

But the most shocked person was not anyone else, but Subaru himself.

He didn't know why he was so angry, but because he didn't know, he decided to let his emotions flow freely and vent all his anger.