Virus Tensei Kara Isekai Kansen Monogatari Ch. 19 – The Effeminate Merchant

After having met Roy, I walked alongside the carriage with the guards.

They were headed to the city, so since our destinations aligned, I was temporarily hired.

The distance wasn’t that far, but it seemed I would still be rewarded adequately.

I had no real reason to turn them down, so I agreed, and so here I am.

However, something was off.

It was regarding Roy, of all people.

I could no longer see him as he was in his carriage, but strangely, he was the only person unaffected by the virus.

Despite not trying, I had a hunch that I wouldn’t be able to dominate his mind.

Still, it hadn’t died, unlike in the Twin-Horned Bear’s case.

Maybe it was just a matter of mental and physical fortitude.

＞ Symptom Discovered [Acting I]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Mental Fortitude I]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Drug Resistance I]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Peace of Mind I]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Negotiation I]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Persuasion I]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Placation I]

Redoubling my efforts with the virus, I was finally able to acquire symptoms.

It simply hadn’t permeated enough.

But, even now I didn’t have confidence in being able to hijack his body.

I had gained [Mental Fortitude I], so it may have been a bad matchup for my ability.

Well, it wasn’t exactly as if I wanted Roy’s body.

Not even mentioning the strange lineup of skills.

He’s a merchant.

Obviously he’d have skills related to speech.

[Drug Resistance I] was also mixed in with them, but that had nothing to do with me.

Afterwards, we passed through the grasslands and arrived at the town with no further incident.

The outer wall had a splendid exterior, I’d describe it as very urban.

I wondered if they were expecting monster attacks.

As I entered the city, the gatekeeper had some suspicions of me, but Roy’s silver-tongue helped me out.

It seemed that the Valéry Firm was quite influential.

I was glad I helped them.

Following the carriage, I was cleared to enter the city.

Stopping in a small place near the gate, the carriage stopped and Roy exited.

“Thank you very much for your assistance. I truly thank you. Please accept this, as both my thanks and as a reward.”

I received a full leather pouch from Roy.

It was quite heavy.

This was quite the amount of the money, and the gazes full of envy from the guards solidified that notion for me.

I couldn’t really check in this situation, so I hesitantly resisted the urge to worry any further.

“I…don’t…mind. …it’s…my…job…to…help…people”

“That’s very kind of you… ah, right. It’s slightly different to a reward, but I’d like to give you this as well.”

Roy handed me a metallic card.

As I received it, I turned it over to check the contents.

Some of intricate design had been engraved onto it, and the surface had a unique kind of sheen.

Roy began to explain in a polite tone.

“Please present this card when you’re at the Merchant’s Association. If you tell them that I was the one to refer you, they’ll be happy to accommodate you. You’re welcome to use it for discounts during purchases, or if you require me for anything. Ah, and please don’t try to resell or give it away.”

“I…see… …that’s…helpful”

This card was pretty convenient.

I wondered if it was alright to have such a service available to me.

It seemed a little too good to be true, and I suspected there was something more to it.

Well, I didn’t have enough evidence to judge something like that.

I accepted it as goodwill.

I shook Roy’s outstretched hand firmly.

＞ Trait Discovered [Latent I]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Cunning I]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Deceptive I]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Concealment I]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Magic Control I]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Muffle I]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Invisibility I]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Presence Detection I]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Assassination I]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Shadow Magic Aptitude I]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Secrecy II]

＞ Symptom Discovered [Presence Concealment II]

I had no idea what just happened.

Something was definitely abnormal.

I was in perfect control of the virus, and there was no evidence of it having spread it anywhere.

In other words, the new symptoms came directly from Roy.

(Hey now, no matter how you look at it, a Merchant with these types of skills is…)

Roy’s smile deepened, not knowing the upset he had just caused.

His slit-eyes opened slightly, revealing emerald green eyes that stared directly at me.

“ーーThank you for your continued patronage.”

After saying that, Roy returned to the carriage.

I didn’t even have a chance to respond.

I bit down on my bit, wearing an expression of bitterness.

(It seems I’ve been spotted by someone troublesome…)

I highly doubted he was able to discover that I was a virus, but he may have been able to discover my inhuman nature.

However, I didn’t feel any malice in his intent.

I wanted to think that he wasn’t acting.

If he had bad intentions, I didn’t understand why he would show so much kindness.

He was aware of my abnormalities, but didn’t show any hostility.

That man was quite the mystery.

(The future is worrying, but we’ll just have to see how it goes from here…)

With an indescribable feeling flowing from my heart, I began navigating the bustling crowds of the city.

<-Previous – TOC – Next ->