CHAPTER 48
Arshel and that Japanese Transferee I saw earlier were fighting.
The moment I heard that, I nodded.
“Let’s go see.”
There’s nothing as entertaining as watching a fight.
I headed to the entrance with a sense of excitement.
“Kain, are you out of your mind? At the very least, you should have some human decency!”
“Decency? What are you talking about? She disappeared after going off on her own.”
It was the Japanese Transferee I’d seen a moment ago, Kain.
Standing before him was a woman who looked frail and was much shorter than him.
A timid and small body.
A petite frame and a cute face that made you want to protect her.
And yet, the faint, sensual smile that played on her lips could unwittingly charm any man.
On the surface, she was so fragile and precious.
But those who knew her true nature would shake their heads and call her the "Little Viper."
She was the woman who best suited that title.
Arshel.
“What are you talking about? She’s a scout! A scout’s job is to take risks and go first to prevent anything from happening to the team!”
“So? Do I really need to take that same risk?”
Kain’s reply left Arshel with a dumbfounded expression.
Even if Arshel had the moniker "Little Viper," she had spent a long time as an adventurer.
Her skills were the real deal.
Arshel was skilled enough to work alongside other talented adventurers.
In fact, while other adventurers might gossip about her habit of swapping out male companions over drinks, none of them ever disparaged her skills.
And having the skills of an adventurer meant having the heart of one, too.
Arshel insisted they had to find the missing female scout.
Kain, on the other hand, was indifferent.
His face clearly said he couldn’t understand why he should have to take such a risk.
“That girl, Kain, she came here because she trusted you. It’s not right to just abandon her like this.”
“Who asked her to trust me? I just let you guys tag along because you wanted to.”
“Then at least tell us what happened! Why do you keep avoiding the question?!”
“Shut up. I said I don’t want to talk about it.”
Kain kept muttering.
Watching him from the bushes, we came to a conclusion.
“He’s scared,” Babiyen said.
Just as Babiyen said, Kain was terrified.
“That’s what you get from guys who are all talk. I knew it the moment he opened his mouth,” Babiyen added, taking the opportunity to tear Kain down scathingly.
She had clearly held a grudge over the remarks Kain had made earlier.
But I had a question of my own.
The Ability Kain had mentioned, Dimension Eater.
He’d said it was on the level of a gold-rank adventurer.
Knowing his personality, a guy like that should have been thrilled at the chance to put his woman in his debt.
So why was he so scared and trying to back out now?
Did that guy see something?
“If that’s the case, just say it! That you’re scared!”
At that moment, Arshel struck a nerve.
Kain’s face instantly hardened, and his brow furrowed.
“Scared? Who’s scared?”
“You are! Who do you think you’re fooling, acting all high and mighty because you don’t want to admit you’re scared? That’s why you won’t say what happened!”
“Hah, honestly, this is why uneducated people are so…”
Kain scoffed and took a step toward Arshel.
“Fine, then. I guess I’ll have to show you what there is to be scared of.”
At the same time, the space behind Kain began to distort.
He was about to bring out the Dimension Eater he’d been boasting about.
Arshel flinched.
She had experienced Kain’s power firsthand.
She knew full well she was no match for him.
Kain stared at Arshel with his hands in his pockets, his tie loosened.
Then, he broke into a grin.
“Arshel, it’s a joke. A joke. Why are you so frozen?”
The look of superiority he was indulging in was utterly repulsive.
I glanced to my side and saw Aranseol already had her hand on the hilt of her sword.
If Kain had actually attacked Arshel, Aranseol would have leaped out instantly.
“Piece of trash,” Babiyen muttered, her eyes cold.
This was Babiyen, who had stood up to the injustice of her own master, a man far stronger than Kain.
I could well imagine how pathetic Kain must have seemed to her now.
“H-He should be thrown into the gutter,” even Horizon said, unable to look at Kain with anything but disdain.

In any case, it’s guys like him that give all Transferees a bad name.
“Who… who’s there?”
Just then, Arshel noticed our presence and whipped her head around.
I could see she was trying to find a way to defuse the situation.
“Honestly, we got caught because of you, Babiyen.”
“Don’t pass the blame to me.”
Babiyen huffed.
How shameless.
“Aranseol.”
I gave a preemptive warning to the one person I needed to.
“We’re not getting involved in another team’s business.”
Aranseol was the type to risk her own life if someone else’s was on the line.
She was sure to try and step in this time, too.
“...Harua, what do you take me for?”
“A pushover.”
“Th-There’s also the term ‘good person,’” Horizon quickly added, trying to smooth things over.
“You’re the same way, Harua.”
“I’d be offended if you put us in the same category.”
I only act when it benefits me.
I’m no saint who steps up to save anyone and everyone like Aranseol.
“You guys are…”
As we stood up, bickering, Kain’s eyes narrowed.
“Those Korean Transferees from before?”
“That’s right, Japanese Transferee. We need to pass, so could you move?”
I put on my most benevolent smile, and Kain narrowed his eyes slightly.
Then, as if he’d thought of something, he turned back to Arshel.
“Good, this works out. Arshel, go ask them for help.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not getting anywhere talking to me, right? It’s better to cling to someone else. Well then, I’ll be on my way.”
“W-Wait, Kain! You don’t even know the way back to the Moss Flower Cave!”
“I got a rough idea on the way here. Do you take me for an idiot like you?”
With that, Kain really did turn and walk off toward the Moss Flower Cave.
Arshel stared after him with a blank expression.
Then, she slowly swept her bangs back and stomped her foot hard on the ground.
“That fucking bastard! He’s a pathetic coward who’s obsessed with women! That’s why his dick is the size of a booger!”
A stream of vulgar curses flowed from her mouth.
Fuming, Arshel finally regained her composure and glanced back at us.
I wasn’t particularly shocked.
It was common for adventurers to have foul mouths.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”
Arshel formally apologized to us.
She might use men, but she still knew her manners.
“I won’t ask you for help. The Regular Army should be at the exit anyway. I’ll just ask them.”
A deep sigh escaped Arshel’s lips.
When I glanced back, just as I’d expected, Aranseol had an itching look on her face.
What was I to do with this woman who volunteered to be a pushover?
“Arshel-ssi, at least tell us the situation.”
In the end, I figured we could at least hear what was going on.
Aranseol’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
It was as if she’d found a kindred spirit.
“Tsk, pushover.”
I really didn’t want to hear that from Babiyen.
But even Babiyen had a look on her face that said she didn’t want to just leave.
Horizon was next to her, nodding eagerly.
In any case, the saying ‘birds of a feather flock together’ didn’t come from nowhere.
Except for me, they were all a bunch of pushovers.
With a ‘nothing to lose’ expression, Arshel let out a breath.
“There’s a scout on our team named Jinny. She was a kid with good instincts.”
Jinny.
I remembered a girl with a flashy appearance.
She looked the complete opposite of Arshel, but their behavior seemed similar.
“She sensed something and went to check it out first, but she never came back. So I asked Kain to send his Dimension Eater after her. But after that, Kain wouldn’t say a word and gave up on finding Jinny, heading straight here.”
“Where was the place Jinny disappeared?” Aranseol asked, now that I had taken the first step.
“It’s not that far from here. Maybe a kilometer away at most.”
“That’s not far enough for there to be a dangerous Fantasy Species.”
Arshel nodded in agreement.
The Moss Flower Cave was Arachne’s territory.
Apparently, one of the Regular Army’s lieutenant generals had recently stepped up and exterminated Arachne, but it was certain that this had been her domain for a long time.
Thanks to that, no powerful Fantasy Species could settle nearby.
Fantasy Species are territorial, so when Arachne came out of her cave to fight, they would avoid the area.
That was also why they had left Arachne in the Moss Flower Cave for so long.
As long as Arachne was there, the difficulty of the Moss Flower Cave wouldn't increase.
However, you had to be careful during Arachne's spawning season, like last time.
“Is it possible a dangerous Fantasy Species moved in after Arachne was killed?”
“If it was something like that, even Kain would have said something. There’s no reason for him not to mention avoiding a dangerous monster.”
Arshel looked as if she had an idea why Kain was being so stubborn and tight-lipped.
“...It was definitely a person. He’s just too proud to admit he was scared by a person.”
A person.
The moment I heard that, my brow furrowed as well.
I remembered the Avengers I had met earlier.
According to them, members of the Radiance Faith had formed an adventurer team.
What if they were the ones who kidnapped the girl named Jinny?
Kain might have seen it, gotten scared, and run away.
But I still had my doubts.
The Radiance Faith hates Transferees, not other this-worlders.
Why would they kidnap Jinny, a local?
Could they be plotting something?
The last time criminals caused an incident in the 2nd World, it was because they were colluding with Black Dawn.
So, is this Black Dawn’s doing again?
But Black Dawn is a group of Transferees.
A group that despises Transferees would never join hands with a Transferee organization.
Damn it.
This was getting complicated.

Why are there so many groups of mentally unstable psychopaths in this world?!
If it were just one or two groups, I could at least try to guess, but this was a situation where it wouldn't be strange no matter who caused the incident.
As I was scratching my head in frustration, the others looked at me with pity.
Then, another thought suddenly flashed through my mind. It was a thought so striking it was like a light went on in my head.
The Radiance Faith, who had come in pretending to be adventurers to hunt the No-Named murderer.
Why did they choose this specific timing to come after the murderer?
That thought led to another, and another.
Why would Kain, who loved women so much, just abandon Jinny?
It might have been more than just fear; maybe he had no reason to save Jinny.
And with that, I reached a different conclusion, and my lips parted.
“...Wait a minute.”

I slowly raised my head and looked at Arshel.
“Arshel-ssi, Jinny is a woman, right?”
“Uh, yeah, she is?”
“And she uses a sword.”
“She does use a sword?”
“Then, in your opinion, what do you think the chances are that she’s actually a Transferee disguised as a this-worlder?”
Hearing my next question, Arshel blinked.
Aranseol, on the other hand, understood the core of my question, and her eyes slowly widened.
“Are you saying that woman is the No-Named murderer?” Babiyen asked, also grasping the point.
The this-worlder, Jinny.
She might be the very same crazed No-Named murderer who had killed me.