Musou Slime 23

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23. Won't I Come Back?

"Sure thing! A gem of a masterpiece, the repairs are complete!"

Three days after entrusting the sword to Irena. She confidently handed me the finished product with a proud expression.

"Thanks! It's as impressive as ever!"

"Of course! After all, it's my masterpiece!"

The silver sword gleamed with a platinum shine as it caught the light. 

It felt lighter than before I handed it over.

"To ensure it won't break even if a tough guy like Alcus uses it, I reinforced its strength! I also made it lighter while I was at it!"

"Amazing, you did all that in just three days?"

"Of course! I'm a craftsman! This is a piece of cake for me!"

Irena crossed her arms and puffed out her chest. She must think this pose looks cool.

Setting aside her difficult-to-approach speech and energetic demeanor, she's truly reliable.

After receiving the sword from Ilena and paying the fee, I left the shop. 

As soon as I passed through the door, a strange feeling enveloped me. 

It felt like someone was watching me, a sensation of being observed.

"...Hey, Arx."

Turning towards the voice, I saw Dan leaning against the wall, glaring at me like a hungry beast. 

The part I kicked seemed to have healed completely, and he glared at me with the same hungry eyes.

"Do you need something?"

"Don't be so wary. I just came to talk to you."

"I have nothing more to say to you."

I said sarcastically, and Dan bit his lower lip, visibly frustrated. 

However, knowing he couldn't beat me, he clicked his tongue and suppressed his anger.

"Well, fine. I have a proposition for you."

"I'll hear it out."

"Come back to Brutal Edge. I'll let you return to the way you were."

It was unexpected. Dan, who had been treating me like a small fry, was now asking me to come back.

"Why? Didn't you exile me?"

"The situation has changed. Just come back; the treatment will be far better than before."

Even though I was barely making ends meet when I was with them, now that I'm independent, I can earn dozens of times more.

"Besides, there are beautiful women in the party. I think you know, but many women want to join our party. We regularly exchange members. You can also do as you please with them."

He's still as sleazy as ever. 

I've lost the energy to even retort him.

"Oh, by the way, Raize is no longer in the party! You were treated poorly by her, right? Don't worry. The only women left in the party are the ones who will fawn over you."

"Raize was expelled!?"

"Oh, you're interested. Yeah, I kicked her out because she had a bad attitude. Does she think she's cute or something? Seriously pathetic."

I'm not interested. I'm just disgusted by Dan's shallowness. 

He assesses others based on whether they're convenient for him, and the moment he deems them unnecessary, he cuts them off. 

I don't like that approach.

"It's still impossible. I just can't like you."

"Hey, hey, are you serious? I apologize for calling you incompetent. But it's not a bad deal, right? Money? Women?"

"It's your attitude!!"

A vehement rejection. It's been a while since I spoke so strongly.

Once Dan realizes that I won't change my mind, he clicks his tongue and turns his back, walking away.

What a joke. I hope he never shows up again.

I was originally thinking of going straight to the Ashen Dungeon.

But I changed my mind. Before heading to the dungeon, there's somewhere I want to visit. Let's go there first.

"...Though, I wonder if she's really there. But I don't even know where her house is."

The place I arrived at was the guild. 

As soon as I entered, I looked around nervously.

"...There she is!"

I spotted the person I was looking for and hurried over to the seat where she was sitting.

"Mind if I join you?"

"...What are you here for?"

A displeased-looking girl drank her drink and glared at me with her elbow on the table.

The person I was looking for was Raize.