93 93 – The Collections
“I will definitely punish you again, Yua.” Raymund used a flat tone.
The kunoichi, waiting for the guard to open the door with a key, just looked up and gave his master a mischievous smile.
“Please come in.” Holding up an iron-framed candle lantern, the guard opened the door for the kunoichi.
“Wow, this is amazing.” Yua was genuinely astonished by the sight. The warehouse displayed a wide variety of items, ranging from mundane things such as plates and clothes to an oddly shaped device that looked like a giant lollipop.
“This is one of my favorites.” The guard pointed to a soft brown samurai armor, complete with a hideous mask. “It is said that inside it is possessed by an evil spirit, so the user will always go berserk.”
“This mask looks like the face of a demon I’ve ever met.” Yua rubbed her chin, pretending to be enthusiastic about the guard’s explanation.
The guard held his breath. “Don’t tell me you’ve met a real demon from the east.”
“What do you think?” The kunoichi flashed her smile again. “Am I lying?”.
“You’re lying.” The guard chuckled. “You must have only seen it in paintings. Ah, there are also many paintings from where you came from in this warehouse.”
Yua purposely let the guard talk at length, explaining things. The kunoichi wanted the guard to think she really liked being there. After a while, the guard will be careless.
“Wow, it turns out that you have an extensive knowledge of things here, huh?” Yua gave a compliment in a somewhat exaggerated tone. “I like men like that, you know.”
Raymund cleared his throat for the fourth time.
The guard blushed and scratched his hair. “Ah, you praise me too much. Well, I work here because I can get close to unique items from different countries. I’ve always been fascinated by things like that.”
“Oh yeah, I heard there’s something special here than the others.” Yua grabbed the guard’s hand, making the man gulp. “It’s an object that looks different depending on the person who sees it.”
“Aah, the scroll of illusion!” The guard’s enthusiasm multiplied. “Come on!”
Yua followed the guard to the deepest corner of the warehouse. The kunoichi saw a dark giant sword with a skull-shaped hilt tip on the way there. The skull was identical to the one on Elise’s weapon.
“That.” The guard pointed to something on a small table. “I see it as a statue of a hand holding up a middle finger. How about you?”
The kunoichi narrowed her eyes. “That…. This thing is like a traditional scroll from my country… As used by ninjas like me….”
“Ah, I know that thing too. Lord Algernon also keeps a few things like that here.”
Yea lied. She couldn’t possibly explain what she was seeing now to the guard. The man would have a tough time understanding it. It was beyond Levidna people’s wildest dreams.
The woman saw a small version of the racing steering wheel.
“Do you know how to use this thing?” The kunoichi tried to refocus on her mission.
The guard shrugged. “It is said that the person who holds this object will immediately know how to use it. That’s what makes this thing so dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands.”
“That stupid idiot Lord Algernon.” Raymund sneered with a laugh. “Why doesn’t he keep dangerous shit like that in a safe and lock it tight? Is this so that he can easily show it off to people who visit?”
“So.” The guard raised Yua’s hand and kissed it. “I’ve been wondering, what exactly do you want to give me? Is it the same as what I think now?”
“Ah, that’s right.” Yua widened her smile, still trying to think of a way to escape the situation and take the scroll of illusion.
“Victor!!!” The screams of the second guard could be heard from outside. “Get over here, you bastard!!!”
“What is it!?” The guard named Victor snorted. “I haven’t even started yet!!!”
“There is a huge monster outside! I do not lie! Hurry up and check it yourself! If it’s not there, you can go back to whatever you were doing! I don’t fucking care!”
“It’s only Mona that will attract their attention, Yua,” Raymund explained.
Victor scratched his hair angrily, and Yua pressed her palm to the man’s chest.
“Go, my Victor. Do your duty.” The kunoichi sighed, staring intently at the guard’s face. “I really like a man who does his duty well. After that, you can come back here.”
“Fine, I’ll do my job!” Victor immediately got excited. He ran really fast from that place, leaving Yua alone.
The kunoichi made sure that Victor had really left, then took the scroll of illusion and inserted it into her own body. The kunoichi felt a strange sensation when she did so, different from when she put something else in. This time she felt like water was flowing from outside into her body.
“Ah, this is interesting.” Raymund saw an announcement text in front of his eyes. “Looks like that thing is fused with your body.”
[New Skill Unlocked: Illusion Effect]
The kunoichi raised an eyebrow when a piece of information automatically popped up in her brain. “I also feel like I can immediately use this thing, sir.”
“Shit.” Raymund cursed. “There’s a big problem, though.”
***
With her original big body, Mona growled and glared at the two guards. Victor and his friend did not attack immediately but watched the beast warily while holding their respective swords. As trained people, they should not be careless and have to know what their opponent was like.
Mona barked. They only took a step back but still looked calm.
“Kyaaaaa!!! There’s a giant dog!!!” Yua, just behind the two guards, raised her voice and then ran away. “I’m afraid of dogs!!!”
“Hey, wait! Don’t go!”
Yua heard Victor’s shout, but she felt the guard didn’t follow her.
“Do you need to scream like that, Yua?” Raymund asked. “You can use the shadow walk to escape, right?”
Yua chuckled. “Maybe I just wanted to tease him a bit.”