Pitiful Young Master in a Reversed World

Chapter 2

"Did you hear? A dungeon appeared inside the capital this time."

At the red-haired woman's words, the cat beastkin woman who had been drinking beer wiped the foam from her lips with her sleeve and opened her mouth.

"Don't even get me started. Because of that, all the pubs and inns are in chaos. Just look at us, sitting around chatting like this."

The red-haired woman, watching the cat beastkin woman lift her mug again to drink, cautiously spoke up.

"So, what I'm saying is, Kasha, how about we..."

"Hey! You damn bitch, so this is why you said you'd treat me tonight."

"It's nice to drink beer and chat, isn't it?"

"Yeah yeah, sure. The problem is, the dungeon you want us to go to is the one that all those so-called top-class adventurers tried and-

ended up fleeing from like they were being chased, you shameless wench!"

Beya quietly drank her liquor as she eavesdropped on their conversation.

There was something they had misunderstood.

The dungeon had already been cleared.

It's just that the boss hadn't been defeated yet.

If someone asked how that was any different from not clearing it, she wouldn't have an answer.

And the one who had driven out those top-class adventurers from the dungeon was none other than herself.

Even among top-class adventurers, Beya held the strongest position-what could they have done when she told them to leave?

She recalled something her companion had said.

Something about intentionally leaving the dungeon boss alive to keep the dungeon open.

Her fingers tapped rhythmically on the table.

Beya remembered what her companion had said.

She had gone on about keeping the dungeon active so rookie adventurers could pay and gain experience there.

That girl had always lamented how pitiful it was when awakened ones, blessed by the goddess, died in vain.

So when she became the first to discover that rare dungeon,

It was understandable why she was going on about it so much.

'Status window.'

[Name: Beya

Race: Half Vampire

Possessed Abilities: Blood Flow Control, Hardening, Bloodsucking

Trait: Race of the Night (Half)

Stats: Strength: 44 Stamina: 36 Agility: 37 Endurance: 40 Magic Power: 41

Warning! It has been 28 days and 13 hours since your last offering. 71 days and 11 hours remain until the next offering.]

Every time Beya checked her status window, she would fall into a strange mood.

It was nice to be able to objectively check her condition thanks to the goddess's blessing,

But a time-limited status window that required offerings every 100 days?

For someone like Beya, who didn't have much faith, it made her wonder if the goddess was a miser.

Of course, even without making offerings, the abilities and stats gained through the dungeon remained, so it wasn't strictly necessary.

Still, the status window, which allowed adventurers to objectively assess themselves, was an indispensable tool.

And Beya was no exception.

Beya was a devout adventurer who made her offerings to the temple every 100 days without fail.

'I wonder if that man made it back safely.'

Beya recalled what had happened that afternoon.

The faint scent of blood and the irresistibly sweet aroma had drawn her into that alley without even realizing it,

And there, she had encountered a man and a woman.

What the woman was doing to the man was enough to make Beya frown.

The poorly dressed woman, who looked like a vagrant, was kneading the man's stomach.

The man, whose beauty shone like freshly fallen snow, looked too frightened to resist.

It was no surprise that Beya had stepped in right away.

Fortunately, the man hadn't been injured, and Beya had managed to rescue him safely.

'He was handsome...'

Beya absentmindedly recalled the man's face.

It was the first time in her life she had seen a man that handsome.

If a snow crystal were born as a human, it would probably look like that.

"Will I get to see him again...?"

It was the first time she had felt such a fateful pull.

And the first time she had felt such intense emotions.

With looks like that, there's no way he wouldn't be famous.

Maybe he's the cherished son of some noble family.

She'd heard that some high-ranking families hide their sons away if they're too handsome.

"......."

Beya stood up from her seat.

"Innkeeper, here's the money."

After paying for her beer, she left the inn.

"Yaaawn... Noona, aren't you sleepy?"

"Sleepy? Want to rest at the inn for a bit?"

A black-haired man passed by Beya, acting cutesy toward a brown-haired woman.

'...Non-virgin scent.'

Beya's expression stiffened for a moment, then she headed into a narrow alley.

The only thing that greeted her as she entered deeper and deeper into the alley was the eerie darkness.

Beya looked up at the sky.

Evening, when the bright moon had begun to rise.

A time when ordinary people would start to feel tired.

Like that couple just now.

But Beya felt not the slightest fatigue-on the contrary, her senses were sharpening.

Because she was not an ordinary human.

Vampires, one of the Race of the Night, grow stronger at night, not during the day.

That trait applied to her as well, since she had inherited only half of a vampire's blood.

She easily blocked the attack aimed at her.

-Clang!

Her fingernails, which had instantly grown long, blocked the woman's dagger.

".....!"

The fact that mere fingernails had stopped a dagger's blade-

While the woman who had ambushed Beya stood frozen in shock at the unexpected sight,

Beya had already gathered enough blood.

A small, red sphere the size of a compressed blood droplet flew from Beya-

-Bang!

And exploded in front of the woman's stomach.

"Guh...!"

The woman, hit hard in the stomach, collapsed to the ground, unable to keep her balance.

Beya grabbed the fallen woman by the hair and lifted her head.

'Who is she? Black Bird? Or Black Robe?'

Beya thought it could be either of them,

Or maybe neither.

Black Bird, who would assassinate anyone for the right price.

And Black Robe, who hid in the shadows and indulged in dark magic.

Both were organizations Beya had a bad history with.

In particular, Beya had been actively pursuing Black Robe.

"Who sent you? Black Bird? Or Black Robe?"

"Heh, hehehe."

When the woman showed no sign of answering, Beya frowned.

Beya clenched her fist and slammed it into the woman's stomach.

"Kuh...!"

Despite being struck in the stomach by a top-class adventurer and writhing in excruciating pain, the woman stubbornly kept her mouth shut.

At that moment, Beya sensed several presences approaching around her.

The woman, enduring the pain, gave a faint smile and finally spoke.

"F-For Svela...."

"If you were going to talk anyway, you should have done it before getting hit."

Annoyed, Beya had no choice but to let the woman go.

Of course, Beya did not simply release the woman.

-Squelch.

The woman's body, drained of all blood and shriveled up like a mummy, collapsed limply onto the floor.

The women surrounding Beya looked down at the mummified corpse with dismay in their eyes.

And simultaneously, six attacks flew toward Beya.

However, their attacks did not reach Beya.

Because the dead woman's blood had spread out in a hemispherical barrier, protecting Beya.

Witnessing the ironic scene where their comrade's blood was shielding their enemy, the morale of the women attacking Beya plummeted sharply.

'Why did Svela come up?'

Svela was an organization Beya knew well.

A vile group hiding in the shadows of the capital, engaging in human trafficking.

Its existence had yet to be exposed to the public.

Beya had only learned about it by chance while tracking Black Robe.

'Come to think of it.'

-Did he say Svela......

That handsome man definitely said that.

Back then, she had dismissed it as her mishearing, but thinking now, it was strange.

Could that man be connected with the organization called Svela?

Or worse, was he being exploited by them?

Or perhaps he had been brainwashed since childhood.

'If that's the case... just in case, I should investigate further.'

And if possible, rescue him too.

Beya's logic circuits, broken after meeting the most beautiful boy of her life, began working in a strange direction.

"Absolutely do not kill her! And do not damage her body!"

Besides, it seemed they were not planning to kill her either.

Beya's black eyes gleamed.

This was an opportunity.

A chance to gather intel on Black Robe and meet that white-haired young man again.

Beya activated a miniature magic device embedded behind her upper right molar.

"Ah, from now on, I'll infiltrate an organization called 'Svela'. I'll set it to automatically send my coordinates shortly, so if you don't hear from me in ten days, come rescue me."

After transmitting the message to her comrades, she prepared to fake her collapse.

Beya dispelled the blood barrier and flopped face-down on the ground.

While continuously circulating mana inside her body, ready to respond to any threat.

"W-What was that?"

"It's a trap! Stay still! If we let our guard down even for a moment, she'll counterattack!"

Even though Beya had collapsed, the women remained vigilant and stayed by her side.

After an hour passed with no movement from her, the women gradually relaxed their guard and approached her.

"She's... not moving."

"Isn't she dead?"

"No, she's still breathing. She just seems to have lost consciousness."

"Maybe... that blood shield she used earlier was the last of her strength?"

"Now that you mention it, she seems to have vampire blood mixed in. Maybe, since she's a half-blood, she can't use blood magic very well?"

"No way. This woman is reputed to be one of the strongest adventurers in the light."

"But we're pretty strong too, aren't we?"

"...That's a fair point. Well, it's good for us.

The dead Hasdia... it's unfortunate, but thanks to her, we got a gift for the young master, so she'll be happy even in hell.

Let's move quickly, and be careful. It's a present for the young master, so don't damage her at all."

All the chatter of the group, thinking Beya was completely unconscious, pierced straight into Beya's ears.