The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 578 - 92 - New Motives (4)

"Leaving me alone here, big brother... That's not what a big brother should do." Estelle pouted, her lips forming a delicate frown as she locked eyes with me.

The shift in her demeanor was almost instantaneous, like a switch being flipped. One moment, she had the presence of a seasoned killer; the next, she was a petulant younger sister. It was eerie how easily she could shift between personas.

"I didn't think you'd go ahead and kill them all, though."

"Oh? Is something like this too raw for you, big bro?" she teased, tilting her head with a playful smirk. "I'm sorry you had to see it that way." Her tone was light, yet the ground littered with corpse told another story. "Did I make a mistake by killing them? This hasn't inconvenienced you, has it?"

I shrugged. "Not really," I said, my gaze flickering to the lifeless bodies scattered around us. "In fact, I doubt anyone in this country even cares if adventurers die in the streets."

The houses near the adventurer's guild stood eerily silent. At the first sound of clashing steel, the residents had slammed their windows shut, locking themselves away as if this were just another ordinary day.

Brawls between adventurers weren't uncommon, and deaths resulting from them were even less so. But the sheer indifference of the townspeople struck me. No one even considered stepping in or checking to see what had happened. This country was in a worse state than I had imagined.

"Should we just leave the bodies here?" she asked, nudging one with her foot.

I shrugged again. "Since no one actually saw you kill them, I don't see a reason to clean up."

"You're the boss, big bro," she said with a sly smile.

That was when I noticed it—her hands were trembling. Just slightly, but enough for me to catch.

She followed my gaze, then looked at her own hands as realization dawned on her. For a moment, she seemed taken aback, as if she hadn't even noticed.

"Oh, this? Don't worry, big bro." She flexed her fingers as if to shake off the tremor. "I was just in a similar situation once, where I almost got violated. But it's fine—nothing happened, and I killed them all with my abilities. I'm still a virgin."

"That's not what I was concerned about," I replied flatly.

A dark past, then. It was hard to reconcile that with her usual teasing, lighthearted nature. But I supposed you could never truly judge a book by its cover. Even someone from Lilith's ranks could carry wounds that never fully healed.

Perhaps I should be kinder to her.

"Well, you don't have to worry about the past, big bro. Nothing happened to me, right? So there's really nothing to dwell on."

"I'm not thinking about it," I said. "Let's just go inside."

With that, we stepped into the adventurer's guild.

The moment we entered, I immediately noticed something off. The place was deserted. Not a single adventurer loitering around, no drunken mercenaries, no rowdy groups discussing quests.

There was only one person here.

Her attire immediately drew my attention. It was wholly inappropriate for a receptionist—not exactly obscene, but it left little to the imagination.

The upper part of her outfit was little more than two strained pieces of fabric that barely managed to contain her ample chest. The material clung tightly to her curves, and without a bra, her nipples pressed visibly against the cloth.

Her face was caked in makeup, layers of foundation and thick lipstick staining her lips a deep crimson.

It was obvious at a glance—she was a prostitute.

Why the hell was a prostitute working as a receptionist?

"Oh, hello there," the woman greeted, her voice carrying a lazy drawl as she leaned against the counter. The dim glow of the lanterns overhead flickered, casting uneven shadows across her face. "Is the fight outside finally over? Ugh, I hope no one got killed. It would be a damn shame if people just left the corpses to rot outside the guild again. If that happens, no one will want to come here, and there goes my income..."

Her tone was casual, indifferent even, but there was an unmistakable annoyance in her voice—not for the dead, but for how they might inconvenience her business.

"There are bodies out there, actually," I replied flatly.

She let out an exaggerated groan. "Ugh..."

Disgust twisted her expression, but there was no real shock in her reaction. It was confirmation of what I had already suspected—death in this city was nothing more than background noise, another mundane inconvenience to the people here.

She crossed her arms, tapping her fingers against her elbow. "I just hope the damn guards come and clean them up before they start stinking. Then again, those lazy bastards never do their jobs. They'd rather stand around scratching their asses and flirting with barmaids." She sighed, shaking her head.

The resignation in her voice spoke volumes. This was just another day for her, another reminder of how rotten this country had become.

Her gaze flickered between me and Estelle before she tilted her head. "So, what brings you two here?" Her lips curled slightly. "I hope you're not about to ask me to spread my legs for you. I'm exhausted. If that's what you want, then piss off."

Then her eyes locked onto Estelle.

A slow, sultry gleam surfaced in them, and her lips parted slightly. The shift in her demeanor was subtle, yet unmistakable. "But..." she murmured, her voice dropping to something smoother, more playful.

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the counter, giving Estelle a slow, deliberate once-over.

"I wouldn't mind going for the girl, though," she admitted, her tongue flicking out to wet her lower lip. "And if you're up for it, I don't mind a threesome either."

My expression remained unreadable. "That's not why we're here," I said, my tone firm.

She blinked, then sighed as if thoroughly disappointed. "Ah, is that so?" she said, sounding as if she had just lost interest in us altogether. "Then what do you want?"

I didn't answer. Instead, I reached into my coat, pulled out a heavy pouch, and dropped it onto the counter with a solid thud.

The weight of it sent a deep, metallic jingle reverberating through the air. The sound of countless coins shifting inside was unmistakable.

The woman's reaction was immediate.

Her entire posture changed. Her lazy, indifferent expression vanished, replaced by something far more alert. I could practically see the glint of greed flash across her eyes. Her pupils widened ever so slightly, almost like a slot machine rolling to a stop before landing on a jackpot.

Her fingers twitched, itching to grab the pouch. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes never left the money, and a thin strand of saliva glistened at the edge of her lips.

"I need information on a certain dungeon," I said, watching her reaction closely. "The one rumored to have countless gems."

She let out a quiet hum, finally tearing her gaze away from the money—though just barely. "Oh? So that's what you're after."

Even as she spoke, her fingers inched toward the pouch, her nails scraping lightly against the fabric.

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"The dungeon is in the Dark Valley Mountains," she said, her voice still laced with distraction as if speaking was merely an obligation. "It's a treacherous place. I'd advise you to stay away, considering you don't exactly look like the type who can handle himself in a real fight."

Her lips quirked into a smirk. "Getting into the dungeon is difficult. The beasts lurking in that region are no joke. And from what I've heard, the dungeon itself is a death trap."

Dark Valley Mountains, huh?

I already knew about that place. Its odd name had always stuck with me, burned into my memory. It was mentioned in the Geography of the World classes, one of the few subjects that had actually managed to hold my interest. Barely, though.

Without another word, I let go of the pouch.

Clink.

She lunged forward, snatching it up like a starving animal sinking its claws into a fresh kill.

Her hands trembled slightly as she pulled the drawstrings loose, her breath hitching the moment she peered inside. The dim lighting caught the gleam of the gold within, illuminating her face in a warm glow. Her expression shifted from greedy anticipation to raw, unfiltered joy.

"Holy shit..." she breathed, as if unable to believe her luck.

She ran her fingers through the coins, the metallic chime of gold brushing against gold filling the space between us.

Then, as we turned to leave, her voice rang out once more.

"Hey, mister!" she called after me, her tone dripping with newfound enthusiasm. "If you ever want to fuck, just come back here!"

The desperation in her voice was almost comical.

It seemed that, in her eyes, my value had skyrocketed after a simple transaction. That amount of money was enough to make her throw any semblance of professionalism out the window.

Not that I cared.

I had no intention of coming back.