NOVEL NEXT WORLD Side Story 4
Side Story 4. Oil Sellers
In the battle against the Living Mail Modoki, Kaeru and her group had scattered, but their dispersal worked in their favor as they now surrounded me, grinning mockingly. Narrowing my eyes at the encircling crowd, I decided to ask Kaeru if my suspicions were correct.
“This is the oil sellerss’ hideout, isn’t it?”
My definitive statement made Kaeru’s eyes widen in surprise, but soon a twisted, amused smile spread across her face.
“Oh? You knew? And yet you still took this shady job?”
“Well, there were lights set up deep inside, and the Living Mail Modoki was just standing there after we took down the Arachne. Too many things didn’t add up.”
I pointed at the bare lightbulb hanging from the ceiling and spun it with a flick. If this were the Arachne’s nest, there’d be no way bare bulbs like these would be installed. They’d been here for a while, but at most a few years.
“So the treasure in the back—is it your stash? You’re the oil sellerss, right? You panicked when the Arachne made its nest here and used some magic tool to kill it.”
“Tch, spot on. I was away for just a bit, and then the Arachne showed up. My men got killed, and I couldn’t even retrieve the treasure. What a pain.”
Kaeru spat the words out with a bitter expression. Makes sense—Arachne turn buildings into nests. A human-occupied building would’ve been perfect for them.
“oil sellers. That nickname’s ironic. ‘Selling oil’ is a metaphor for selling time—your life. You guys offer meager rewards to the slums’ residents to test dangerous, unproven magic tools. Most of them die from it. Grave-robbing and human experimentation. That’s what the oil sellerss are. You’re just subcontractors for the Inner City, aren’t you?”
Most who deal with the oil sellerss die. They take dangerous magic tools for a pittance, only to perish from brutal side effects.
“You’re sharp, yet you took my job? How amusing. Yeah, you’re right. The slum rats will sell their lives for just a thousand yen. Couldn’t ask for better lab rats. Oh wait—you’re Ghosts. You don’t even exist in this world.”
“Yeah, perfect for experiments.”
“Dying for just a thousand yen? You slum rats really are brainless.”
“That guy who died last time was hilarious. ‘Give the reward to my family,’ he said. Asked where they were, but I forgot.”
Kaeru sneered, and her lackeys joined in, their ugly laughter echoing through the underground parking lot.
“He was just another slum rat. Some brat we met recently gave us a magic tool, but we didn’t wanna use it ourselves. So we hired some poor sap to test it. Killing the Arachne was great, but the idiot died right after. Then the real Living Mail showed up, and we couldn’t even get to the safe. That’s why we hired you.”
“I see. So you can’t let me leave alive.”
“Damn right. We worked hard to build this hideout. We’re keeping it. Don’t worry—we’ll sell that catgirl waiting outside for a good price. You can die in peace, Ghost. Oh, right—you can block arrows, but not bullets, can you?”
Kaeru giggled, producing a pistol like a magician and pointing it at me. Where the hell was she hiding that?
“My skill, [Phantom Butterfly]. Lets me create palm-sized illusions. Useless, but handy when used right.”
A beautiful, dreamlike butterfly fluttered from Kaeru’s waist, revealing a holster beneath. So she’d hidden it with her skill.
“They say you’re the strongest in the slums, but in the end, you’ll just die to a bullet. You’re nothing but trash at the top of the heap.”
Kaeru’s mocking grin made me sigh as I wiped blood from my cheek and repaired the torn part of my shadow cloak. Then I wiggled my bloodstained index finger.
“Skill Level 1, huh? Ever seen Level 2?”
“Huh?”
Kaeru froze mid-trigger-pull at my words. Smirking, I lit a tiny firefly-like flame on my fingertip.
“[Firefly]. Don’t let its looks fool you—it’s scorching. Already stuck it to your gun. Might wanna drop it.”
“Wha—?!”
Kaeru frantically checked her pistol.
“Liar! Too bad!”
Seizing the opening, I yelled “Bluff!” and dove behind a car.
“You little—! Get him!”
Humiliated, Kaeru fired in rage. The dry crack of gunfire sparked off a parked car. But I was already moving, ducking between vehicles.
“Waste him!”
“Blow his brains out!”
They fired crossbows, but arrows were useless.
“Do it, [Shadow Snake].”
At my command, the shadow at my feet rippled.
“Die!”
A man in front of me pulled his crossbow’s trigger. The bolt shot toward my face—
And froze mid-air. Then, lifeless, it clattered to the ground. [Shadow Bind]—one of my trump cards, halting objects for an instant.
“Huh?”
“Tch.”
Exhaling, I slashed his throat with my combat knife. Blood sprayed as I dashed past him, ignoring his frantic attempts to staunch the flow.
“Seeing’s believing, huh?”
They hadn’t expected arrows to stop mid-air. Maybe they’d never seen magic like this, or thought it was a myth. Either way, panic set in as their shots were blocked.
“Amano Sakimori! You think you can take us all?!”
Kaeru fired again. My shadow cloak fluttered as I weaved between cars, dodging bullets. Holes peppered the black fabric—she was a good shot. But she couldn’t hit me.
Another bullet struck my side, but I felt no pain and didn’t slow.
“Dammit! Why won’t you die?!”
“You missed.”
The shadow cloak flapped—empty inside. I’d been creating decoys as I ran. In the dim light, my shadow clones looked real. That’s why I always wore it—to make them hesitate.
[Flame Snake]
As I ran, I conjured a small fiery serpent and launched it at the nearest enemy. Writhing through the air, it coiled around a man’s face and burned.
“Gah—! Ack!”
He dropped his crossbow, desperately trying to smother the flames, but without mana, magic fire wouldn’t extinguish. I slit his throat, then slid behind a pillar.
“Mages don’t have infinite mana! Keep attacking!”
Initially chaotic, the group regained coordination under Kaeru’s orders—but I wouldn’t let them. I flicked my finger like a conductor, manipulating the remaining flames.
[Dance]
The fire clinging to the dead man’s face writhed, then lashed out like a serpent’s tongue. Just as they steadied, the flames surged, reigniting chaos.
“Stay calm! He’s just one man!”
Kaeru’s shrill voice tried to rally them, but terror ruled. They wouldn’t recover quickly.
Still, she wasn’t wrong. If I went all-out, I could wipe them out—but I didn’t want to.
So I gave my shadow cat an order.
The familiar I’d left at the entrance.
At the parking lot’s entrance, Karen sat playing with a black cat. Its sleek, jet-black fur was flawless, soft to the touch—she could pet it forever.
The little cat was friendly, letting her touch its paws without complaint. Smiling, Karen thought how nice it’d be to keep it. If alone, she’d hug it, bury her face in its belly—but the onlookers ruined the mood.
“Hey, how much? A thousand? Two?”
The generator guards had been leering, making her sigh. They’d seemed like stoic soldiers, but only around Kaeru. Now, they grinned perversely, eyeing her chest, pestering to touch her tail.
She hated tail touches—they sent shivers down her spine—yet they kept reaching.
And a thousand yen? Did they think she was worth a can of juice?
They circled her, unbearably annoying.
“C’mon, I’ll give you three thousand. Deal?”
“Never had a catgirl before.”
“We’re experienced. Right?”
Her patience thinning, she was about to act when—
“Meow.”
The cat’s voice.
Cats meow—normally. But this was Sakimori’s familiar. It didn’t meow unless signaled.
Finally. Sighing, she stood.
“Oh? Changed your mind? Here, I’ll give you five thousand.”
Misreading her, they breathed heavily, so she smiled sweetly, fangs showing.
“Yes-nya. I’ve decided-nya. Can I do it-nya?”
“Hell yeah! Who’s first?”
“Me! I asked first!”
“I’ve got the cash—me!”
They argued until one stepped forward.
“Me. I’m first.”
“Sure-nya?”
“Yeah, I’ve got the money.”
“Then I’ll do it-nya.”
Grinning, Karen nodded—then swung her arm in a blur. Something glinted, and the man spasmed.
“Gh—?!”
He swayed, then collapsed. A glass-like needle protruded from his eye, blood trickling.
“What?!”
“What’d you do, bitch?!”
Shocked, the other two stumbled back, grabbing crossbows.
“I asked if I could kill-nya. So I did-nya.”
Their faces paled as her expression shifted—no longer smiling, but icy, her eyes gleaming with a beast’s fury.
“I owe Sakimori-nya. Need to turn off the generator-nya.”
Glass needles slid between her fingers as she grinned, predator-like.
“So please-nya—die for me-nya?”