## Chapter 454 – Kim Kat and the Haunted House
First, I calmed down the shocked Copson.
There’s no way I could have a daughter like that. If I had a daughter that age, I would’ve had to make a kid when I was in middle school. What the hell kind of story is that?
In the first place, it’s only been about four years since I came to this world.
Even if I made a kid as soon as I arrived, unless it was some crazy genetic engineering child, there’s no way they’d grow up like that in four years. If a kid grew up like that in four years, it wouldn’t be a kid, it would be a demon. Lina is definitely not a demon.
“I think I misunderstood because I was too surprised. Yes, there’s no way a barbarian would have a daughter like that. I mistook her because her hair is black. She’s more like a younger sister.”
“Similar. She’s half my younger sister.”
“From the same tribe?”
“Complete strangers.”
As I was explaining Lina to Copson, Lina stood awkwardly, fidgeting behind me.
I needed a porter anyway, so this worked out well.
Let’s ask Lina.
“Lina, are you free today?”
“Yes, yes? Am I free? I don’t have any work right now…”
Lina answered in a barely audible voice when I asked.
Her appearance has improved, but is she still lacking confidence?
If she shows that kind of behavior in the adventurer’s world, all sorts of guys will flock to her. That’s why she bluffs. Adventurers and bluffing are inseparable.
“If you’re free, would you like to come with me? I’m going to work now, so I need a porter.”
“With you, Oppa?”
“It’ll take a few days. I’ll pay you 5 coppers a day. If you do it, I’ll give you an advance today.”
“Yes, yes! I’m okay with that! Thank you, Oppa!”
Lina’s face brightened and she smiled brightly when I mentioned money. Kids should live smiling.
Fortunately, Lina is pretty free right now.
Lina is better than a complete stranger F-rank adventurer with no credibility. Most F-rank adventurers are scoundrels and human trash. I can’t work with those guys for a few days.
On the other hand, Lina’s ability and trust have already been proven by risking her life to steal the heretic’s relic. I can trust Lina.
“Wait a minute. Let me ask my friends first.”
I immediately told Copson and Meria about it.
“She’s someone I’ve worked with a few times. She’s trustworthy. If you’re taking her as a porter, there’s no one better than her. She listens well.”
“But isn’t she quite young? I don’t know if she can use her strength.”
“She might be a little weak, but she’s trustworthy. Still, she’s from a barbarian tribe, so she has some stamina and strength. She’s already worked with me several times. It was fine every time.”
“Hmm, trustworthy… If the barbarian says that, she must be trustworthy. She’s a barbarian, so she must have good stamina. Let’s do that.”
Copson seemed convinced.
The barbarian in this guy’s mind is someone who is good at physical labor, regardless of age.
“Hello, little one. I’m Meria.”
“M-My name is Lina.”
“You know Kat?”
“Yes. He’s helped me a few times. He’s also used me as a porter…”
“I see.”
Meria bent down and greeted Lina. After talking for a while, Meria looked up at me and said.
“If she can carry the luggage well, I don’t mind. Shall we leave then?”
“Yeah, let’s go now.”
I immediately went to the counter and registered Lina in the party. Since there were no wanted F-rank adventurers, we left right away, including Lina.
Thus, a four-person party was formed.
“Copson, Meria. Is there anything you want to buy before we leave? Let’s stock up before we go.”
“Hmm, I think we need to buy a little more food.”
“Do we need some oil?”
After checking our supplies, there were a few things we needed, so we went into the general store. We bought what we needed right away, and Lina bought food with her advance.
After completing the preparations, we finally set off.
“Oppa. Please put the luggage in my backpack.”
“Okay.”
I put a few items in Lina’s backpack.
Having a porter makes marching a little easier. You can leave these necessary items with them when you leave, and you can leave the spoils of war with them when you return.
“Hehehe, the little kid is doing a good job.”
“Right? I didn’t live this hard when I was young.”
Copson and Meria also put luggage in Lina’s backpack. Still, she didn’t seem to be having a hard time. Lina’s stamina has already been verified, so it’s natural.
“But Oppa. Where are you going today?”
Lina, who was standing next to me as we left the gate, asked.
“Ah. There’s some crazy mansion far away. We’re going to search that place. It’ll probably take a little less than a week, but don’t worry. I’m reliable when it comes to money.”
“…A mansion, you say?”
“Why?”
Lina looked up at me with a pale face.
“There’s a rumor that people have gone missing there…”
“That’s what we’re going to investigate. Why, are you scared? Don’t worry. Who do you think I am?”
“Ah, that’s right. There’s no one scarier than Oppa…”
“This little…”
Lina seemed scared of me, but she didn’t leave my side. Come to think of it, it’s always been like this. A small, timid barbarian girl.
Well, if we hit the jackpot, I can give her some bonus.
“Looking at you two, you look like siblings. Are you from the same tribe after all? What was it called again? Korea? Wasn’t the tribe name Korea?”
“This guy has a good memory. We’re not from the same tribe, I just met her here.”
“Hmm, you met her here. Ah, I see. You’re taking care of her because you’re from the same ‘homeland’? Even barbarians have a heart.”
Since he’s emphasizing ‘homeland’, it seems like he has a clear idea of what barbarians are like.
“Hehehe, this crazy guy.”
We walked while chatting about this and that. Stories about each other’s recent events and what happened. From what I heard, Meria seems to be living quite diligently. Her dream is to open a clothing store by earning money, and if she stays in D-rank for a long time, it’s a possible story.
While telling such stories, she jokingly added that if a shitty customer came and caused trouble, she would beat them to death with a shield, strip them of their clothes, and sell them, and we laughed.
Is that a joke?
“Lina, what have you been doing since then?”
“Well… I’ve been living well with the money Oppa gave me. I’m sleeping in an inn, and I don’t go hungry anymore… I can buy clothes and weapons, so it’s a little easier to find work.”
“Oh, really. I’m glad you’re doing well.”
Lina’s appearance was quite neat.
The large backpack on her back was old, but her clothes and shoes looked good, and she had a short sword and a hand axe on her waist.
She said that she washed her hands of the slums after I fucked them up and is living there now.
Still, I felt good seeing her living well.
She makes a living by doing porter work, cleaning sewers, and emptying garbage dumps, but that’s enough to sleep in an inn and make a living.
If she gets promoted to E-rank and gets older, she might become like Meria. If she has diligence and luck, she can somehow survive.
“Barbarian. Meria. Let me see the map here. Which way do you think is better to go from here?”
“Isn’t it better to go over the mountain quickly?”
“I agree.”
We constantly shared our opinions while moving.
From small things like the moving route to what to do when we get there and how to deal with unexpected situations. Still, everyone is a veteran adventurer. Their skills are certain, and they also have flexibility and adaptability.
“But what do you think is the reason why the adventurers went missing?”
“I think there’s a strong monster.”
Compared to Copson, who said it casually, Meria said it with a serious expression.
“Isn’t there something in the mansion? Like a secret trap in the basement… A trap that you fall into and die the moment you step on it! Thorns chaak!”
“This is fucking insane!!! That’s too inhumane!!!”
“Meria, don’t say such scary things!”
Opinions about the mansion varied, but our conclusions were narrowed down to four.
If it’s a monster we can handle, we kill it and take the byproducts. If not, we run away. If we can search the mansion, we do it carefully. If not, we find the bodies, take the belongings, and go back.
If we follow these rules, we won’t get burned too badly.
It was evening, and we prepared for camping.
“Do you need lighting?”
ㅡFlash!
When I took out Latras’s necklace and squeezed it tightly, a bright light leaked out. Copson and Meria’s reaction to that was shock itself.
“No!!! Barbarian! What is that shining necklace!”
“Can I touch it?!”
“Hehehe, I acquired it while fighting a fairy.”
“Fairy!”
I made up the story at that time and explained it while making a hideout. Since there were three D-rank adventurers, the work progressed in an instant. Using each other’s cloaks, branches, and ropes, we completed a fairly comfortable hideout.
Then we lit a fire, ate some food, set up a watch, and went to sleep.
* * *
After marching diligently for a little over two days, we arrived at the area where the mansion was supposed to be.
It’s quite remote.
A terrain surrounded by forests and mountains, perhaps the mansion was actually closer to an old mountain cabin than a mansion? There is a possibility that the adventurers’ unique bluffing and exaggeration inflated the rumors.
“From here, we have no choice but to look for the mansion diligently. Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
Copson was engrossed in the map, and we looked around in all directions.
“But maybe.”
Meria said while we were doing that.
“Maybe there’s no mansion at all, and the people who were looking for it got lost in the forest maze? That’s why they went missing. Maybe they were kidnapped by fairies.”
“No, Meria. Why do you like scary stories so much.”
“There was such a story in my hometown. A forest maze, a mountain spirit. Isn’t it common for people who get lost in the mountains to be kidnapped into the fairy realm? It suddenly reminds me.”
That’s not a forest maze or a fairy kidnapping, it’s just a roundabout way of saying they were eaten by monsters. Isn’t that always the case with legends?
It’s called a fairy kidnapping, but it’s more likely to be a bandit kidnapping.
But if you think about it, bandits are no different from forest fairies, so it’s not wrong. Whether they’re bandits or fairies, they’re hostile to humans.
“O, Oppa. That kind of thing won’t really happen, will it?”
“Hehehe, it could happen!”
“Ugh… But I think Oppa can kill them all.”
“That’s obvious.”
No matter what appears, there’s no problem as long as I have a sword. In the end, what cuts through the threats of reality is a sharply sharpened sword.
“Let’s take a break around here. Hmm, I’m sure it’s in this area, but it’s hard to find because I don’t know the exact location. The mountains all look the same.”
“That’s right.”
Indeed. Since it’s in such a remote place, the mansion must have been abandoned. If it was in a conspicuous place, it would have collapsed a long time ago.
Still, the mansion is quite mysterious.
What kind of building is it, and how old is it? The nearest village is a day’s walk away. The mountains are full of monsters and criminals. There’s no way there’s a building in such a random place.
Unless you’re an eccentric, there’s no reason to build a building in such a place. Maybe this area used to be a village. Is it the last trace of a lost village?
Thinking about it that way makes it even more eerie.
“Hmm?”
We walked for a long time, and it became noon.
Just as we were about to eat lunch, Copson, who was walking in the lead, stopped and pointed to the other side. Naturally, our eyes turned to that side.
“Ba, Barbarian. Meria. Look over there.”
“…I’m looking.”
“Oh my.”
What we saw in the distance was the end of an artificial structure. A building stood in the deep mountains, hidden by bushes and trees.
Fucking finally found it.
That is the mysterious mansion that is full of rumors.
“It seems we’ve found it. Let’s go!”
We headed straight for it.
The closer we got, the clearer the appearance of the building became. We ran a little faster, and finally the appearance of the building came into view.
“Wow, fuck.”
