127. [Altora] Not Quite Human

 

「Y’know, your kind’s got it rough. You can’t afford to be disrespected, but if you push too far and piss off the locals, you’re finished. You strut around like you own the place, but deep down, all you ever do is watch other people’s faces, begging not to get stabbed in the back.」

「You… You started the fire just to…!?」

「You lot tricked the old man who runs this place into signing a loan contract, didn’t you? Slapped him with a debt he never agreed to, and when he couldn’t pay, you lit the place up without a care for the danger to the town. You think scum like that deserves to keep running things around here? Take it from someone who knows—」

「People with debts and nothing to lose are damn scary.」

The green-haired man could only recoil from Altora’s final words. He had come here to intimidate, but somehow, the tables had turned. Now he was the one being threatened, and his brain couldn’t keep up.

「We ain’t demons or nothin’. We’ll pay the debt back, fair and square… eventually. But—」

「But…?」

「Stop putting pressure on the banks and whoever else. It’s a damn nuisance.」

「Tch…!」

「Oh, and while you’re at it, how about covering the repair costs for the place you torched?」

「Don’t be ridiculous! Why would the debtor get our money!? We didn’t even—!」

「So you won’t cover it. Well then, I guess we’re back to the usual. Next thing you know, our poster girl’s gonna end up stripped naked and hung from the eaves. The terrifying Vehl Family might even go so far as to rip her nails out, peel her skin off, and burn her alive… The townsfolk would go absolutely berserk.」

「Y-you devil!」

Even the green-haired ringleader stepped back now.

Because Altora wasn’t just threatening violence. He was clearly implying he’d frame the Vehl Family for it too, if they didn’t cooperate. Even for a gang that ruled by fear, there were limits.

Just then, someone who had apparently been eavesdropping from the shadows came rushing over.

「U-um, Altora-san? I feel like I just heard something super disturbing about me…?」

Behind her was Eria, lugging furniture and cookware—part of Altora’s plan to make them look like victims of arson.

「Complaint. This thing, heavy.」

「More importantly, w-wait, what? Naked? Burned alive? Eria-san, he wasn’t serious, right?」

「Premise one: those depraved acts, only demon in human skin would do.」

「Exactly!」

「Premise two: Altora is demon in human skin.」

「Wait, what?」

「Conclusion: Possible for Altora. Case closed. Worry not—nails grow back.」

「It hurts like hell while they do!」

Altora let out a long sigh at Eria’s airtight logic, but inwardly, he was smirking. The little display had worked as a solid deterrent against the Vehl Family.

「Nice sloppy syllogism there. Can’t say you’re wrong, though.」

「So you’re not denying it…?」

「Of course not. The fastest way to lose credibility is making threats you won’t carry out. If they don’t budge, it’s stripping, nail-pulling, skinning, and burning. They torched the shop—this is just evening the score.」

「I guess if the store could handle the heat, I can too…」

「No worries. I’ve had burning iron pressed to my skin before. Didn’t die.」

「You’re just casually dropping traumatic backstory now…?」

Altora chuckled, bitterly recalling the time he was tortured by prison guards—drugged up, sick, and blind in one eye.

The Vehl Family watching from the sidelines had one unanimous thought:

「These people are nuts.」

The fire had already been put out. The crowd of townspeople who had gathered to help was now staring directly at the Vehl Family. Nobody said a word—too afraid of retaliation. But it was clear to everyone that the longer this dragged on, the more Altora’s side gained the upper hand.

Mina’s pale face, terrified by Altora’s threats, only made her look more like a poor girl whose family tavern had just been burned to the ground.

「Damn it. Let’s fall ba—no, wait…」

「Boss, if we pull back now—」

「I know, okay!?」

Their hesitation made Altora frown.

「Something’s off about them…」

By all logic, they should have already retreated. Yet they were hesitating—badly.

The stalemate dragged on. Neither side moved, but time wasn’t on the Vehl Family’s side.

「Hey, you guys—huh?」

Just as Altora stepped forward to force a shift in the situation, everything changed. He could feel it in the air. His missing right eye throbbed like it was warning him.

He turned instinctively toward the sensation—someone was approaching.

A woman.

「Endemic Skill [Perpetual Overworry], activate.」

The voice was on the deeper side for a woman, yet sharp and clear like a crane’s cry. The moment she spoke, nearly half the Vehl Family collapsed. They foamed at the mouth, writhing on the ground as if poisoned, clawing at the dirt in agony.

Even the green-haired thug who’d been speaking to Altora fell to his knees, twitching in pain. For once, Altora was genuinely shaken.

「What the hell is this…?」

The townspeople, sensing something dangerous, wordlessly stepped aside. Down the freshly parted path walked a tall, striking woman.

She had long golden hair that shimmered green in the light. It flowed with every graceful motion, reminding Altora of Tina. Her face somehow looked both youthful and ancient—she could’ve been twenty or forty, and either would be believable.

「That green hair… is it real?」

Altora narrowed his eyes. The thugs’ hair had been dyed—cheap, fake-looking stuff. But this woman’s was something else. Like spring leaves reflected in golden streams, it shimmered even in the dusk.

「So much for sticking to the plan. Just when we were about to start building our own country, you go and cause all this trouble.」

「M-Mom! This is, uh, how do I put it…」

「Mom? Their mother?」

Altora muttered the question aloud, though he already knew the answer.

The Vehl Family probably referred to their gang structure. A male boss was the ‘Father’, and a female boss the ‘Mother’. Simple enough.

And she clearly wasn’t their actual mother.

Because of those ears.

Slender. Long. Pointed.

「Damn demihumans are everywhere… first werewolves now elves…!」

While Altora watched warily, the elven woman listened to one of her subordinates whisper something in her ear—and gave a curious smile.

「Blond, handsome, a twisted look, only one eye, built like a brawler… You must be Altora.」

「Wow, famous even in elf territory, huh? Life’s rough for an S-rank adventurer.」

「Ex adventurer, you mean?」

「Mind your business. I don’t do subtle. So, what do you want, grass-eating bitch?」

「No need to be on guard. I just came to offer condolences when I heard about the fire. One of our young ones got a little carried away, after all.」

Altora cursed inwardly as cold sweat pooled down his back. He could swagger all he wanted, but his instincts screamed one thing:

Show fear, and you’ll be eaten.

「I’m Remonde Vehl. Welcome to my town—Fathie.」

「Altora Carmancy. And let’s get one thing straight: there’s no one I hate more than a debt collector. So don’t expect us to be friends.」

「What a coincidence. I can’t stand cheeky little brats. But I’ll give you this one—just this once. Consider it a reward for your guts. I’ll have condolence money delivered tomorrow, cash in hand. The bank and the union won’t bother you again.」

But then, Remonde leaned in so close their foreheads nearly touched, her presence overwhelming.

「Just don’t ever try to pull one over on the Vehl Family again. There won’t be a second chance.」