Chapter 39: Give Me Venti

After landing, Venti was immediately confronted by Seele, who grabbed him by the red scarf and started shaking him.
“You sneaky bard! You’ve been hiding such strength all this time! You’ve been secretly laughing at me behind my back, haven’t you?”

This very Seele-like reaction made Venti pause for a moment before he let out an “Ehe” and smiled, his eyes curving into crescents.
Typical Seele, isn’t it?
Even after revealing such an unexpected side of himself, she still trusted him instead of becoming wary or suspicious of his intentions.
Though a lazy, wine-loving bard who spent his days playing the lyre hardly seemed like a schemer, it felt good to be trusted so much.

“You—you still have the nerve to smile!”
Perhaps amused by his unflappable demeanor, Seele eventually let him go, her tone resigned.
“Honestly, if you had this kind of ability, you should’ve told me earlier. You had me so worr—ahem!”

Maybe realizing her words carried a hint of coquettishness, Seele quickly caught herself and patted her cheeks, stopping herself from acting too girly.
But Venti, ever the troublemaker, leaned in closer, his eyes sparkling like stars.
“Ohhh, I heard it! Seele was worried about me~ Ah, no need to be shy. You can be even more devoted, more passionate, or even—”

Before he could finish, Seele pinched his cheeks and started pulling at them like dough.
“Owowow… I’m sowwy, I got too cocky…!”
“Hmph—”

Though she knew she couldn’t match Venti in raw strength, in moments like this, all it took was a little effort from Seele to put this easily inflated bard in his place.
Seriously, why did he have to drop such a big secret out of nowhere? Her heart almost stopped earlier!
But still… Seele looked at the bard, who, despite having the ability to escape, stayed put with a ingratiating smile just to let her vent. She quietly thought to herself:
Nothing’s really changed, huh.

“Alright, Seele. Let Venti go now. Stop bullying him.”
While she and Venti were messing around, a graceful and reserved voice chimed in from the side. It was the young lady.
She was staring at Seele’s hand, which was still pinching Venti’s cheek, as if misunderstanding this perfectly normal playfulness.

Come to think of it, though this young lady liked to act all serious and always seemed to have a lot on her mind, she had been relying on the bard quite a bit throughout their journey.
Could she and the bard be… that kind of relationship?
The thought popped into Seele’s head out of nowhere.

But the next second, she dismissed it entirely. Even if they were, in the lower district, there was only one rule.
She curled her lips into a teasing smile, much like Venti’s.
“If you want him, come and take him yourself. You should know the rules by now.”
“I knew you’d say that…”
Bronya crossed her arms and sighed.

After all, Seele was nothing like a gentle, innocent girl next door. But before that—
She turned her attention to the Dimensional Piggy, which was trying to sneak away. Sensing their gazes, it broke into a cold sweat and curled up into a ball.

This creature bore some resemblance to a wild boar from Belobog’s past, though it wasn’t edible and usually fled at the sight of humans. But this time, it hadn’t.
This meant the Piggy had encountered humans many times before. Judging from its earlier reaction, it might even be a “scavenger” of sorts in this town.
As for Pascal, the little robot had somehow managed to slip away unnoticed…

“Should we take care of it?”
Venti, who had somehow freed himself from Seele’s grasp, leaned in and poked the Piggy’s round belly, speaking in a light tone that belied the terrifying nature of his words.
Don’t get him wrong—he had no grudge against this creature. It was just like how a traveler couldn’t resist opening a treasure chest when they saw one.

“It’s necessary to check. I have a feeling it might have something we need.”
After a moment of thought, Bronya nodded.
She had no sympathy for such alien creatures, and Seele had no objections once the two of them reached a consensus.
In fact, the task of dealing with it fell to Seele, as her weapon was the most suitable for the job.

Without hesitation, Seele raised her scythe and brought it down as the Piggy shielded its head with its tiny hooves.
The process was quick and efficient, a testament to how many such creatures she had likely dealt with before.

After the Piggy let out a final wail, its body dissolved into reality. These creatures didn’t leave behind physical remains when they died—only the essence of what they had consumed.
To some travelers, this was considered a rare auspicious sign.
This Piggy was no exception, though aside from some shiny objects, among the remains was a dirty ribbon adorned with bells.

Its once-white surface was now stained with unidentifiable grime, making it hard to discern its original appearance.
However, the delicate fabric ended with a bell, which might have been the very bell-adorned ribbon the blind girl had mentioned—the one her sister used to wear.

The helplessness Bronya had felt while bickering with Seele and the excitement of witnessing Venti’s new power all faded into silence.
She picked it up, and without needing an explanation, Seele and Venti accompanied her back to the small house they had visited earlier.

This time, everyone could clearly see the dilapidated house illuminated by a warm light.
It was like an echo of the people who had once lived there.

As Bronya approached the house and gently tapped on the window, the girl appeared once more.
“Ah… is that you, kind sister? You’ve returned…”
“…It’s me.”
“I’m so glad you’re safe… Ah, did you see my sister?”
“I… didn’t see her, but I found this. You might recognize it.”

Bronya hesitated for a moment before gently shaking the white ribbon in her hand, causing the bell to emit a clear, crisp sound.
“Ah… the sound of the bell!”
The girl’s weak voice grew excited, clearly moved by the sound.
“That familiar, clear sound… I can tell it’s my sister’s bell. Could you give it to me?”

Reluctantly, Bronya placed the bell on the windowsill, where a small gap had opened.
A pale, emaciated hand, its bones almost visible, reached out and took the ribbon.
Then, the girl, who had been so excited moments ago, fell into silence.

“I know you’re sad, but maybe your sister is still out there somewhere—”
Trying to comfort the girl, Bronya began weaving words of solace.
However,
“Ah… ahhh… this ominous smell…”
From the other side of the window, the girl’s muffled sobs could be heard.
“No… no… how could this be…”

The sorrow in her voice cut off Bronya’s attempt at a well-meaning lie. Even Seele remained unusually quiet.
No explanation was needed. Such tragedies had happened too often in the lower district, and such partings were all too familiar.
But why had Venti wanted the young lady to see this?