When the ornate door, completely different from the temple’s atmosphere, was opened, the bell attached to it rang.
Soon after, a middle-aged man in priestly robes and a young man in casual clothes appeared from a small room.
“Oh my, welcome! My name is Cruyff, and I am in charge of this place. Since you’re here, does that mean you’ve come to see the magical beasts for your contract?”
“Hello, I’m Haru, and this is Sian. A kind priest guided us here. We heard that we could see the magical beasts available for contracts in this place.”
“You’ve come to the right place. Please, have a seat.”
Cruyff pulled out chairs from the table and gestured for Haru and Sian to sit.
Then, he prepared coffee and handed it to them.
“Oh, thank you.”
Haru wrapped her hands around the cup and took a sip.
A bitter, smoky taste lingered in her mouth, completely different from the Americano she used to drink in the modern world.
‘Is this their taste preference here? Or did they just use cheap beans? Or maybe this priest is just terrible at making coffee?’
The taste was so bad that Haru even wondered, ‘Did he give us this awful coffee on purpose to mess with us?’ However, since openly showing her distaste would be rude, she forced a smile and said,
“The coffee has a really nice aroma.”
She let out a dry laugh, saying something she didn’t mean at all.
Since Cruyff had gone through the trouble of making the coffee, Haru felt she should at least pretend to drink it and took a few more reluctant sips.
On the other hand, Sian took one sip, immediately scrunched up his face without even trying to hide his reaction, and pushed the cup away with the back of his hand, distancing it from himself.
Seeing this, Cruyff looked quite dejected.
“It seems the coffee doesn’t suit your taste. I was told it’s quite expensive, though…”
Haru, feeling embarrassed by Sian’s lack of tact, grew anxious.
“I’m not really a fan of coffee.”
‘Says the guy who practically lives on Americanos!’
Haru had the sudden urge to smack Sian on the head.
‘Of course, this guy wouldn’t be considerate of others.’
- As expected of the “cool guy” Sian, LOL
- The ultimate alpha male who doesn’t care about social cues
“Well… everyone has different tastes. It’s understandable if it doesn’t suit you…!”
Haru did her best to smooth over the situation.
Cruyff then continued talking about various topics, most of which neither Haru nor Sian could relate to.
They had only been in this world for two days, while Cruyff had lived here his entire life.
How could they possibly connect with his stories?
Even so, Haru did her best to nod along and react enthusiastically, even though she barely understood him.
Seeing her attentiveness, Cruyff mistook it for genuine interest and became even more engrossed in his storytelling.
His words grew longer and longer.
Meanwhile, Sian, completely uninterested, simply dozed off, ignoring Cruyff’s ramblings.
“Oh dear… I must have been talking too much. My apologies.”
The moment the priest’s incomprehensible speech finally ended, Haru silently cheered in relief.
“Oh no, it was very insightful.”
- LOL, that was such a fake response
- She looked like she lost her soul halfway through
The viewers who had been watching Haru for a long time immediately picked up on her forced politeness.
“Now then, shall we go see the demons?”
Haru felt as excited as a child visiting an arcade for the first time.
‘What if the demons look terrifyingly disgusting?’
The thought worried her a little.
“Ugh… But why are there so many flies here?”
As Haru descended the stairs, she waved her arms around, trying to swat away the flies hovering in front of her.
Seeing this, Cruyff spoke up.
“Why are there so many flies here? Are they even managing this place properly? My apologies, Beastmaster, for this unpleasant experience.”
“It’s fine.”
Haru answered as if it was nothing.
A few flies weren’t a big deal.
She didn’t think much of it.
“Aha… We clean regularly, but there seem to be an unusual number today. I apologize. However, the place is still quite sanitary, so there’s no need to worry.”
The administrator stammered as he tried his best to explain.
As they continued down the stairs, a hallway appeared before them, lined with enclosures displaying magical creatures like a zoo.
Thankfully, Haru’s worries didn’t come true.
Some of the creatures looked quite different from humans, but most resembled people, with only minor animal or plant-like features.
Like a child visiting a zoo for the first time, Haru eagerly looked around, filled with curiosity.
‘Is this person really a Beastmaster?’
As time passed, a seed of doubt began to sprout in Cruyff’s mind.
Haru was acting as if she were seeing magical creatures for the first time.
In an attempt to regain control of the situation, Cruyff cleared his throat.
However, Haru paid no attention to him, too absorbed in her surroundings.
Finally, he spoke up directly.
“Pardon me, but could you show me the certification proving that you’ve been recognized as a Beastmaster by the Labyrinth City?”
Cruyff had no choice but to ask.
Every Beastmaster he had encountered so far had been arrogant, flaunting their status with pride.
They always wore their certification like an accessory, making sure others could see it.
But neither the woman nor the man before him had any visible proof.
‘Could they be impostors pretending to be Beastmasters?’
No real Beastmaster would look at magical creatures with such wide-eyed fascination.
Even ordinary residents of the Labyrinth City weren’t unfamiliar with magical creatures, so why would a supposed Beastmaster react like this?
It was more than enough reason for Cruyff to be suspicious.
Beastmasters held considerable authority within the Labyrinth City.
Though Cruyff was only a low-ranking priest, priests in general held a high status in the city.
And yet, would someone dare impersonate a Beastmaster in front of a priest?
This was not something that could be brushed off as a joke.
Haru listened to the priest’s words and rummaged through her belongings.
Before leaving home, she had grabbed a medal-like object that seemed like an important keepsake.
“Are you talking about this?”
Cruyff examined the certification with wary eyes but found nothing suspicious about it.
Then, he read the name engraved on it.
Haru Euphoria.
This woman… was she from the Euphoria family?
That was an identity he hadn’t expected at all.
The Euphoria family was one of the most influential noble houses in the Labyrinth City.
There was no reason for someone from such a prestigious lineage to resort to impersonation.
Only now did Cruyff realize the sense of incongruity he had felt, and he let go of his suspicions.
“Yes. Haru Euphoria. Your identity has been verified.”
Then, Cruyff turned his gaze toward the man.
“I’m not a Beastmaster; I’m just tagging along with my friend. No need to worry about me.”
Much to Cruyff’s disappointment, the man was not a Beastmaster.
He sighed inwardly. No “buy one, get one free” deal today.
Most likely, this guy was just some follower clinging to the Euphoria family’s Beastmaster, hoping for scraps.
“Aha, I see. Then I’ll only introduce the contractable magical creatures to Lady Haru.”
However, as he looked at Haru again, he couldn’t help but comment,
“You seem quite young to be a certified Beastmaster. That’s truly impressive.”
“Haha… is that so? Maybe I was just lucky.”
“It takes more than luck to become a Beastmaster. One needs innate talent and relentless effort. That’s why the citizens of the Labyrinth City can feel at ease. After all, if a clumsy tamer were to be dragged around by a ferocious beast in the middle of the city, no one would feel safe.”
Cruyff had entered full-on flattery mode, eager to win her favor.
A Beastmaster.
And a Euphoria.
Either title alone would make befriending her a golden opportunity—but she held both.
Magical creatures were consumables.
They were used, and once they died or were injured beyond usefulness, they were disposed of and replaced.
If he could make the Euphoria family’s Beastmaster a regular customer, she would become a veritable golden goblin, bringing endless profit.
It would be foolish to kill the goose that lays golden eggs.
So, Cruyff did not quote his usual high prices when Haru showed interest in a magical creature.
No, in fact, he even lowered the prices.
For the sake of his golden goose.
— “Hey, ask about that wolf-boy over there.”
— “Wait, isn’t that just a furry?”
— “That’s the point.”
— “Yo, that’s totally a must-buy.”
— “This is getting real gay, guys…”
Haru pointed toward a young wolf beastkin and asked,
“How much is that little wolf over there?”
“If you offer a donation of 500 gold, I’m sure the goddess will be pleased.”
— “Bruh, just say he’s a 500-gold furry.”
— “What is this, some kind of ‘can’t call dad “dad”’ situation?”
— “Now ask about that one over there!”
— “Oh damn, that one looks hot.”
Haru asked about the creatures her viewers seemed most interested in.
Not that she planned to choose based on their preferences.
She would ultimately pick the strongest-looking one.
No way was she going to make a ridiculous choice just to pander to the chat.
After all, her final goal was to clear the game.
She already had her eye on one.
At the far end was a creature resembling a minotaur.
Its body was like that of a heavily muscular human, but its head was that of a bull.
It stood around three meters tall, with muscles that would put any professional bodybuilder to shame.
Haru wasn’t exactly a “meta slave” when it came to games.
She preferred to play with style rather than focusing purely on efficiency.
But before entering, Xian, who was obsessed with optimal performance, had pleaded with her.
“Pick the strongest one, no matter what.”
And Haru had her own reason for needing to clear this game.
— “Wow, that character is beautiful.”
— “Ask about that half-dragon girl!”
— “It’s settled! You’re mine, Pi**chu!”
— “Bless Super Physics for making my dream waifu real.”
Suddenly, the chat exploded in excitement.
Wondering what had them so riled up, Haru looked around.
And then, she saw her.
A girl inside a cage.
She observed her closely.
Long, jewel-like blue hair.
Metallic-looking horns that shimmered under the light.
Deep violet eyes, brimming with untold stories.
Sleek, sapphire-blue scales covering her arms and legs.
A dragon’s tail and wings.
She had a blank expression, but as Haru kept staring, the girl averted her gaze, as if embarrassed.
She was exactly Haru’s type.
“This one. How much?”
“Hmm… for her, you would need to offer at least 1,300 gold. The donation is necessary to appease the souls of those who lost their lives capturing her.”
She was more expensive than the others.
“What’s your name?”
“Tiamat.”
Her voice was beautiful, too.
‘Alright! She’s the one!’
The minotaur Haru had planned to buy?
Completely erased from her mind.
Haru was a woman who followed her feelings, not her plans.
To be continued.