Chapter 15: Uninvited Guest

"Ping! Ping! Ping!" Momonga clashed with the huge beast emerging from the shadows.

At this moment, the gigantic beast stepped out of the shadows, and upon seeing its appearance, both Momonga and Peroroncino were slightly stunned.

"Isn't this a hamster?!" Peroroncino said, looking at the creature before them.

"My species is accurately named Giant Hamster," the creature replied, with its big sparkling eyes and four large incisors looking quite adorable.

"This Forest Wise King seems a bit cute," said Peroroncino.

"I am the Forest Wise King, how could you call me cute?" The hamster protested. "But if you've heard of my species, you've probably seen others like me. If you encounter any of my kind, please let me know. To live without reproducing would be a waste of life."

"Uh... the size difference is a bit too much," Peroroncino commented.

"Really? That's a pity. Well, the conversation ends here. Let us continue our battle!"

"Nabe, retreat."

"You three can come at me together, I wouldn't mind," the hamster said confidently.

"Do we need three people to deal with a hamster? I won't do something so embarrassing," Momonga retorted.

"Then I'll take you on myself!" the hamster declared.

The hamster swung its large tail toward Momonga. Momonga easily deflected the strike. The hamster then used its sharp claws to continuously attack, but all were blocked by Momonga.

"Impressive!" the hamster complimented, then began running circles around Momonga. Several magical circles appeared around its body.

"Can it use magic?" Peroroncino wondered internally.

<Eye of Insight>

"All amplification magic?" Peroroncino noted.

The battle grew fiercer, with both Momonga and the hamster abandoning defense in favor of aggressive attacks.

The hamster was slashed by Momonga, drawing blood, and Momonga was struck in the back by the hamster's tail.

"Wonderful! You must be quite a famous warrior!" the hamster exclaimed.

"A warrior?" Momonga replied, puzzled.

"Could it be a knight?" the hamster asked.

Momonga struck the ground with his sword.

"You can't even tell I'm an undead?"

The hamster, confused, wondered if it had misheard.

"Maybe it's because it calls itself the Forest Wise King," Peroroncino muttered.

"I was kind of expecting more," Momonga continued, tapping the ground.

"What are you doing? Could it be that you're about to surrender before the battle is decided?" the hamster asked.

"Quickly, come and fight seriously with me!" the hamster urged.

"Forget it, I'm done playing."

"Despair Aura!"

"Level 1!"

Nabe, watching from the side, displayed an expression that could only be described as a world-famous painting. A face beyond words.

A black aura emanated from the tip of Momonga's sword.

The hamster felt it, its fur standing on end from head to toe, and it collapsed heavily to the ground.

"I surrender, I've lost," the hamster said.

"After all, it's just a beast," Momonga remarked.

"Do you want to kill it? I could skin it for you. Its fur looks really nice," Aura said from a tree branch.

"Wh... Why...?" the hamster, lying on the ground, said with teary, pitiful eyes.

"I think it's quite cute. How about we keep it as a pet?" Peroroncino said.

"I was thinking the same. Capturing the Forest Wise King should help increase our fame," Momonga agreed.

"What should we name it?"

"How about Hamsuke?"

...

"This is..."

"The Forest Wise King!"

The members of the Swords of Darkness and Nfirea stared in awe at the oversized hamster.

"Everyone, don't be afraid, I've already tamed it."

"As my master said, I, the Forest Wise King, will serve my master and will not cause trouble for you," the hamster proclaimed.

The members of the Swords of Darkness and Nfirea were all wide-eyed, completely stunned.

"How amazing! What an extraordinary beast!" Ninya exclaimed.

"I can sense great strength and wisdom," Dyne said.

"To accomplish such a great feat, no wonder you are capable of bringing Nabe on adventures," Lukrut remarked.

"If we had fought it, we would have been wiped out. Mr. Momonga is truly amazing," Peter commented.

"Nabe, what do you think?" Momonga asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Strength aside, you can definitely feel its power in its eyes," Nabe replied.

"Yulia, what do you think?" Peroroncino also asked, not fully understanding.

"It certainly looks like a powerful creature," Yulia said.

Momonga and Peroroncino looked at the large hamster, then exchanged glances.

"Uh..."

That night, Momonga and the others returned to E-Rantel.

"You guys go unload at Nfirea's house. I'll go register Hamsuke at the Adventurers' Guild," Momonga said.

Momonga rode the hamster, drawing amazed looks from many people.

"Pfft..." Peroroncino covered his mouth, trying hard not to laugh.

At that moment, a noise from an alleyway caught Peroroncino's attention.

Momonga, riding on Hamsuke's back, kept his head low out of embarrassment and failed to notice that Peroroncino had left.

"Yulia, you go ahead to Nfirea's house. I have a feeling something's about to happen."

"Understood!" Yulia replied.

Peroroncino noticed a commotion in a dark alley and saw a little girl fighting a dog for food.

The two were facing off over a piece of stale bread. The dog growled menacingly, but the little girl glared back at it even more fiercely.

The girl looked about six or seven years old. Her clothes were ragged, and she was filthy, but her eyes radiated determination.

The dog couldn't hold back and lunged at the girl.

Rather than immediately helping her, Peroroncino was more curious about who would win between the girl and the wild dog.

The dog snapped at the girl's arm, but she dodged. She then used both hands to lock her arms around the dog's neck, holding on tightly, trying to strangle it.

The dog thrashed, jumping and rolling on the ground to break free. The girl got injured in several places, but she never loosened her grip.

Soon, the dog started to struggle even more frantically. Sensing its imminent death, it began slamming itself against walls in a desperate attempt to shake her off. The girl's head was bloodied from the impacts, but she refused to let go. After a few hits, the dog eventually went limp and died in her grasp.

The girl noticed Peroroncino, grabbed the stale bread, and held it tightly to her chest, baring her teeth at him in a defiant snarl.

"You're strong. Here, drink this," Peroroncino said, holding out a healing potion from Momonga's supply.

The girl hesitated for a moment before snatching the red potion, as if afraid he might take it back.

Without hesitation, she bit through the glass bottle, spat out the shards, and drank the potion. Her wounds began healing at a visible speed.

Sensing Peroroncino's goodwill, the girl stopped snarling and collapsed. The fight with the dog had drained her energy, and after days of starvation, she couldn't stay conscious any longer.

Without Peroroncino's intervention, she might have died right there.

<Message >

"Shalltear, open a portal."

"Yes, my lord."

A portal appeared, and Shalltear stepped through.

"Master, what do you need me to do?"

"Take her back and have the maids on the ninth floor care for her. She's clearly been starving for days—prepare some food for her."

"Yes, my lord."

On the other side, Yulia had caught up with Nfirea and the others.

"Miss Yulia, why have you come? Could it be you missed me?" Lukrut teased.

"I'm here to make sure you don't get yourself killed," Yulia replied calmly.

Nfirea opened the back door to the potion shop with a lantern in hand and said, "Alright, everyone, you can put the supplies—"

Before he could finish, someone grabbed him by the back and flung him forward. He collided with Lukrut, and the two of them tumbled to the ground.

"Danger! Stay back!" Yulia warned.

She drew her short sword and thrust it through the door.

Clang! The sound of metal clashing came from the other side.

Bang! The door was kicked open forcefully from the other side.

"Damn it, trying to ambush me?" A woman with short golden hair and dressed in a black cloak appeared behind the door.

Yulia reversed her grip on her short sword with her left hand and suddenly flung it backward.

Hidden near the door was a pale-skinned magic caster with a squid-like head.

Caught off guard, he tried to block with his staff, but the impact knocked it from his hands.

"Phantom Blade!" Yulia's figure flickered and split into two, rushing toward Clementine and Khajiit.

Martial Art: Fortress

Clementine swung her sword at the Yulia in front of her, but it passed right through.

"A fake?"

"Magic Shield!" Khajiit hastily cast a defensive spell on himself.

Thunk... Crack!

Yulia struck the magic shield with her blade, and cracks began to appear on it.

"Who are you, to possess such strength?!" Khajiit exclaimed in shock.

End of chapter

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