I Became a Gallery Manager in Another World-Chapter 179: Even If You’re Poor, Your Milk And Poop Can’t Be Poor (3)

Water droplets fell from the stalactites hanging from the ceiling.

Following that sound, inside the damp cave, a woman dressed as a nun was seated on a chair.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

She was Laura Lavandula, the top target for extermination and known as the Fallen Saint.

Whoosh-

Around Laura, dozens of purple flames of varying sizes flickered, surrounding her.

“…I see, that’s how it was.”

Every time the flames flickered, Laura answered with the gentle smile she had shown in the church before she became known as the Fallen Saint.

In response, the flames, seemingly pleased by her answer, flickered even faster.

「…Right.」

「…Yes!」

「…Go…」

The flames enveloping Laura were not ordinary flames.

They were the souls of children, and each flicker was their whisper.

Normally, living humans couldn’t understand such whispers, but Laura, who had gained the power of necromancy in exchange for abandoning her foresight, could understand them.

“….”

Gently caressing the giggling young souls, Laura recalled:

These souls were all from children she brought from the graveyard where she had encountered the Elder Elf.

Although at that time she had to retreat because further fighting with the Elder would destroy the graveyard completely, Laura needed these souls.

When Laura returned to the graveyard to obtain the souls:

She was bound to be surprised.

The graves, which had been severely damaged by the battle with the Elder, had returned to their original state as if nothing had happened.

‘…What on earth is this?’

Even if the empire had put in all its efforts to rebuild, it wouldn’t have been possible to finish so quickly.

No, rather than rebuilt, it seemed like time had been reversed, maintaining the original appearance.

‘Could the Elder Elf have done this?’

Laura found it hard to consider any other possibility.

Though it wasn’t truly reversing time, performing such a near-miraculous act would require immense power.

And the Elder Elf had more power than any spirit summoner Laura had ever seen.

“..Ha.”

Laura let out a hollow laugh.

She had felt that the Elder was holding back when fighting her.

But she never imagined the reason for holding back was to repair the damaged graves.

‘…Even a mad Elder would protect the children’s graves.’

Laura suppressed the deep emotions rising within by biting her lower lip hard.

She does not regret.

She must not regret.

She had come too far for regrets.

There was no turning back… even if she could, Laura would make the same choice again.

Even if everyone cursed and hated her, Laura decided to walk this path.

「…」

「…」

「…」

As time passed, the flames, which had been chattering incessantly, began to quiet down.

It was because they had shed all their lingering attachments.

‘…Poor children.’

These children, who had not even lived half as long as Laura, didn’t ask for much.

They just wanted someone, anyone, to listen to their stories.

So Laura listened to their stories.

With Laura’s power, she could easily force these souls to submit, but she didn’t want to.

Swoosh-

Before long, the souls, having shed all their attachments, no longer took the form of flames but transformed into round, bead-like shapes.

Normally, a soul without attachments should ascend, but Laura’s necromancy prevented that.

Hum-

When Laura opened her palm, the round soul beads gathered into one place.

“…I’m sorry.”

Laura’s shoulders trembled slightly.

Even though she knew these transformed souls could no longer feel anything, Laura apologized to them.

After watching the souls for a while, Laura no longer wore a gentle smile.

Instead, with her usual emotionless face, she inserted each soul into the skulls she had crafted herself.

Creak-! Clatter-!

Following Laura’s guidance, the skulls that accepted the children’s souls creaked their bones as they rose.

When all the souls beside her had vanished, Laura coldly commanded the skeletons:

“…Go.”

Creak-! Creak-!

Following Laura’s command, the skeletons moved deeper into the cave.

It was the fifth day of living with Poporing and the last day to move everything out of the shop.

We moved the belongings diligently, but moving everything out in just two days was impossible.

Ultimately, we went over the deadline, and people came to evict us once, but after begging earnestly, they extended the deadline to the end of this week. Ṝа𝐍o͍₿ĘȘ

“…Ugh.”

Maybe because it was the last day, Poporing sniffled as she moved the items.

I wanted to pat her back to comfort her, but approaching her now was risky.

What was risky?

Poporing herself was the risk.

For the past five days, Poporing had been too unguarded.

On the first day, she was tense and kept her distance, but from the next day onward, she completely lost any sense of personal space.

‘…Hehe…!…NyaNya…!’

Especially the sight of her kicking off the blanket, half out of her pajamas, exposing her belly…

If I hadn’t just finished a three-round session with her underwear in the bathroom, who knew what I would have done.

‘Really lucky I’m a man who knows how to keep boundaries.’

Thinking back, Poporing was too unguarded that day.

If I weren’t someone with ironclad self-control, I would have just pounced on her.

Of course, while Yuris was also unguarded, they were different.

If Yuris was like a big, friendly dog who loved people, then Poporing was…

‘…Not a hamster.’

They shared being small and timid, but there seemed to be a better analogy.

‘Not quite like a rabbit either…’

I was sorry to say this to Poporing, but she wasn’t just cute like a rabbit.

She was cute, but there was something more messy, making you want to give her a good slap.

‘Ah!…What was it… I got it…! Ah! A guinea pig!’

Yes, Poporing was like a guinea pig.

Timid but would quickly climb onto you once they got used to you, playful, and chubby to boot.

“…Meep?”

“….”

“Hey, Ian oppa?”

Squeeze-

While I was lost in thought, Poporing called me, pushing her firm, stone-like breasts forward like a steamed egg.

“O, oppa… are you, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. What’s wrong, Poporing?”

I answered, pressing down my right hand which reflexively wanted to poke at Poporing’s inverted nipples.

“Ah, that’s, it’s heavy, can you help me lift it, please?”

Poporing pointed at the counter.

It had become natural for Poporing to order me around like this.

I didn’t mind.

I was the one who told her to do so, and it felt like I had a real little sister.

“You want to take that too?”

“Yes… If I want to reopen the shop later, I’ll have to buy another one, and this counter was left by grandma…”

“Alright. Wait a moment.”

I put my hands under the counter where Poporing indicated and exerted force.

Creak-! Crack-!

“Ugh?! Oppa! Too hard! It’ll break!! A…a little…more…gently!”

“Like this?”

“No, no…ugh!…A little…a bit more…gently…yes!..There!..There…ugh!…A bit…deeper!”

At that moment, something golden that was attached under the counter fell to the shop floor.

Bouncing a few times with metallic sounds, it came to a stop at Poporing’s feet.

“…Poporing, what’s that?”

“Ugh?…I…I don’t…know…Gold…petal?…Could it…really…be gold?”

Swoosh-

As Poporing, with eyes sparkling at this sudden fortune, grabbed the ‘golden petal’, a bright light burst forth.

“Ugh-kyaaah!!”

Startled, Poporing threw the petal away and hugged my waist, only peeking her face out.

“I, Ian…oppa…!…That…that…!!”

As the light subsided, the face of a translucent old woman appeared there.

[Hee hee hee… Poporing, if you see this, it means you’ve finally decided to leave the shop.]

The peculiar laughter I had heard somewhere before, along with the way she affectionately called Poporing, made it easy to guess the old woman’s identity.

“G, grandma?”

My guess was confirmed by Poporing’s reaction.

Poporing slowly reached out to the grandma, but her hand passed through without making contact.

“G… grandma…ugh…!”

Just as Poporing was about to burst into tears upon hearing her grandma’s voice after so long…

[Or else… you’ve completely lost the shop I left you through gambling. Hee hee hee… But of course, Poporing is a good child. That wouldn’t happen. Hee hee… All grandma wants is for you to live honestly, not to badmouth others, be cautious around men, and never gamble. Grandma believes in you, Poporing. Hee hee hee…]

“…G, grandma.”

At grandma’s words, instead of tears, cold sweat started pouring down Poporing’s face.

It was truly joyful to see her grandma, even if only like this.

But…

She had done everything grandma told her not to do.

Causing trouble in the gallery, living with Ian oppa, and losing everything in stocks…

‘Even so…did I…live honestly?’

Now, she wasn’t sure about that either.

For the past few days, all she had done in Ian oppa’s house was eat, sleep, and surf the gallery.

[Hee hee hee… Thinking this is the last video I leave makes me talk too much. Well, you must be curious about what the ‘golden petal’ is. That’s grandma’s last gift. It’s also an insurance policy for any unforeseen circumstances.]

While Poporing reflected on her life, grandma continued speaking.

[When you need someone’s help, take that petal and go find the youngest lady of Redrose. She might think she can wipe her mouth clean without a formal contract, but… that lady isn’t as heartless as she thinks, at least not to those who have done her a favor. She’ll surely grant your request.]