Isekai Online's
Chapter 16 - Nekoya Inn

The evening atmosphere in the dining room of Nekoya Inn feels very relaxed and comfortable. It was rare for a Player to spend their money in the game to buy food sold by an NPC Chef. Some Players were only interested in buying armor, weapons, and items sold by Blacksmith NPCs.

Only a small percentage of NPCs benefitted from the Player's presence. Like NPCs with Blacksmith Class who are always crowded accept Player requests. Making armor, forging a weapon, even repairing broken equipment were the most profitable businesses for NPCs.

Behind all of that, there were several NPCs who formed an underground network to survive in their economy. One of them is the Nekoya Inn which is a place to stay as well as a point to save Player points. Their building is designed like an inn but their dining room is a special point where all the information circulating is collected and traded for profit.

Local Market Information, as the name implies. They gathered all the rumors, sifted through them, and then separated the information into sections at different prices according to how vital the information was. Information is a source of power. Without it we cannot take steps and predict things.

Players were rarely aware of the existence of this information among NPCs. However, for NPCs who have become their business partners it becomes commonplace to visit each other just to exchange greetings with business partners.

Right now, on this lonely night. In the corner of the dining room of the Nekoya Inn there is someone who is heavily drunk.

A heavy aura surrounds the figure like a warning, “Do not approach or you die!”

The figure was a middle-aged man who was drunk after drinking a glass of alcohol to eliminate the burden of his mind that continued to accumulate. There were already ten large glasses he had spent yet it was still not enough. His face that was covered with cloth slowly began to reveal the red hue of his drunken cheeks.

His body could no longer maintain balance and instantly fell out of his chair.

The waiter who was at that place could only be silent and report this incident to his superior.

The figure of the woman wearing a black kimono came and approached the middle-aged man. He flicked his finger and instantly appeared a figure like a stone man standing before him. Without making a sound, the figure began to lift up the middle-aged man and carried him away from the dining room of the Nekoya Inn.

“Clean all this.”

With that one word. The waiter at the place began to rush to clean up the small mess.

“What the hell are you doing, James!” said the woman.

He rushed out of the room and disappeared from the sight of his servants.

-----&&&-----

James Ragnard, a man descended from the military nobility of the Kingdom of Nestrad. He is currently 53 years old. His position was a civil defense strategist whose entire job was to protect and serve public complaints in the capital of the Kingdom of Nestrad. For him, overcoming criminals is his daily food. Although his age is somewhat old but he is still eager to carry out the tasks given by his King.

A reasonable thought if he wants to retire and enjoy his old age by having fun. His hope was destroyed by the regulation of the Nestrad Kingdom which was arguably unreasonable. All soldiers of high rank and achievement are required to retire at the age of 60 years and will be given preferential treatment in the form of pensions and tax-free. The problem is, there is no guarantee that human life can reach 60 years to enjoy the rule.

Sometimes the laws of the Nestrad Kingdom were so unique and strange.

James opened his eyes. She did not remember having a room with feminine ornaments engraved on her bed. His nose smelled a familiar smell and suddenly stood up and took out the sword that was on his waist.

“Eh?”

James's body felt stiff at once and the sudden attack of cramping pain reminded him of his age which no longer supported the sudden rapid movement.

“Aduh.. duh.. duh. my waist.”.

James's entire muscles felt stiff and locked his movements.

“Humu.. turns out age can not lie, right James?”

A voice clad in a small mockery entered James' ear. He looked for the source of the voice and found the figure of a woman wearing a black kimono sitting down while enjoying a warm cup of tea.

“Kuh! It turns out this was all you. Why did you bring me here. Ouch.. duh.. my hip began to fall out it feels.”.

“Calm down, at your current age fighting your body will be very painful. I have painkillers but. it is not free. hehe♥.”

“I can guess what you will give. If not mistaken it has become an illegal item in this Kingdom. Although this Kingdom rules are strange but the law about the medicine you hold is written clearly.”

“Oh.. come on James. help me a little♥.”

“My answer remains the same.”

“Cih!”

In an instant a suppressive aura was emitted from the woman. James who was aware of the changing aura around him started to put on a wary face.

Nekoya Inn from the outside was just an ordinary inn but it was different from its owner who was a former spy force of the Nestrad Kingdom. If James still had his abilities when he was young, he would have been bluffing back.

But right now, he had to give up because of the physical and age difference.

“If you take me to your room, then there is a problem going on right?” James walked up to the woman while holding her relapsed hip.

“You did respond quickly to this, leaving aside your age problem but your response was not bad either” the woman gave James a cup of warm tea.

“So, what happened? The former spy member is looking for an old wolf who is releasing his stress. If this isn't a serious problem can I take this as just an old friend's visit?”

The woman handed him a paper containing an illustration picture of a small child.

“Hey.. don't tell this kid.”

“She's my grandson.”

“So what is going on with your granddaughter? A kidnapping? Blurred? Or maybe accidentally killing people and you're trying to bribe me to shut up in this case?”

*Plak!

A cup of tea complete with hot water hit James in the face.

“Wuitaaa.tataaa.taaa.. Panaaaaaasss!!”

James screamed in pain after getting hit that was accompanied by that extra bonus.

“It's not polite, my grandchildren are not like your nobles.”

“Oh, yes, I almost forgot your reason for quitting the military because of that problem.”

“A fast as you get up? Did you cheat your age?”

“Please don't discuss my age at a time like this.”

“...”

“Short story my grandson disappeared on his way home from school.”

“Aaaaaaah!?” James limped down after hearing that.

“Hmm? What's wrong with you?”

“Last-lately there have been many community reports about the disappearance of their children.”

“What?! Could it!”

“I can't confirm who the perpetrators are and their purpose is to kidnap children. Usually the children who are kidnapped are only among the nobility and the perpetrators ask for ransom to release their children. It could have been done by meeting their demands. But this time.there are four children who have been found dead.”.

The woman held her head after hearing James' explanation.

“How about you? Did you find any leads?”

“Nothing, I found nothing regarding the disappearance of my granddaughter. All of his closest friends have been interrogated using [Skill: Forest of Truth]. They don't know anything about my grandson's disappearance.”

“I think this problem will further burden you.”

“What do you mean?”

“A warrant came for the entire military division. The content of the letter was the imposition of a martial law situation. The activities of the ordinary people will be slightly reduced than usual but that does not hinder the activities of the Player. Uh! Also true! Why didn't I think of this before. Why don't you make a Quest to give to Player to look for your grandson?”

“You gave that suggestion just to throw away my hope right?”

“No, not like that. Do you know? Most of the children were found after being reported missing. Everything was discovered by Player.”

“!”

The woman was surprised to hear that.

“James, tell me more clearly. Where did they find him?”

Hearing the tone of the woman in front of him, James smiled as he played his words.

“Hmm.. how is this.. if not wrong.. Ahhh.. where is yah?”

“James.”

“Yah..how is this. I'm too old to remember anything. Even my old body is no longer able to bear my fast movements.”

“Jameees.”.

“Shortly.. Let me think first.”

“James... last warning” after saying that. A blackish-red magic circle floated above James' head.

Seeing the magic circle formation that was on top of his head did not make James lose control to continue judging the woman before him.

“Are you serious? If I die you won't get valuable information like this?”

“Ah..!”

The woman was instantly speechless at James' speech which was followed by her faint smile.

Seeing his reaction, his thin tail started to come out from behind his black kimono and slowly became upright then trembled following his mood.

“Fufu~ James.. have you forgotten? The reason I came out and the cruel accusations they made to get rid of me?”

“Eh?” James was confused.

“I, Mile Sinov, a former spy force of the Kingdom of Nestrad who was accused of stealing and studying a forbidden book named [Art of Necromancy]. Just in case. The rumors were true after I was removed from the spy squad. I stole it after one day getting kicked out of that corrupt army.”

“E-Etto M-Mile?”

“Yes, James?”

“Only to ensure.”

“Uhuh..?”

“What is that thing behind you?”

The woman named Mile immediately looked at her back side. On this occasion, James immediately got out of his chair and hurried away from this room which was a prison for his mental health. When James stepped up, a voice like a branch fracture sounded and he suddenly fell down.

“K-you! What did you just do?” James panicked and tried to stand up but his legs were unable to move.

“Fufu.. James.. do you know what it is?”

“Huh? My foot? These K-feet don't seem to respond to my movements.”

“Skill continued from [Art of Necromancy: Lifeless], how did it feel when your limb suddenly died?”

“Where do you want to go?” with that sentence, that sneaky smile turned into a hideous smile.

“KYAAAAAAAAAA!!” at his old age, a loud voice full of fear was heard clearly.

The sound was very small yet audible to you beastman with sensitive ears.

The woman, Mile Sinov, took off the black kimono attached to her body and displayed her body full of various sharp tools needed to extract information.

“It's very unfortunate, James. I have to do this. If from the beginning you give me clear information then you do not need to experience torture like this.”

“Heyy... Mile.. Etto. get rid of it! we can talk well here.”

“Fufufu... It's too late for that now♥.”

“M-Mile?” the look on James's face shattered as soon as he saw a sadistic smile in his eyes.

“Then.. enjoy♥.”

“TIDAAAAAAAAAAK!!” that way. The silence of this place became a little more frenzied with shouts that broke the atmosphere.

-----&&&-----

Behind an enclosed room adorned with candlelight, Mile Sinov laid out small papers strewn across the floor onto his desk.

The little information he had gathered at the moment was still very lacking to search for the whereabouts of his granddaughter. Even with the additional information he got from James Ragnard was still not enough.

It was a piece of the puzzle big enough to solve.

Mile sat pensively imagining her only granddaughter lying lifeless and waiting to be found. He bit his lips to throw away the resentment in his heart.

“Damn it! where you are! Do you really like making your grandmother worry!” his hand hit the table in front of him. Make small papers containing the information scattered.

Mile immediately picked up the scattered papers and accidentally saw the adage of a stack of information papers obtained by his information network.

A paper with the logo of a nine-tailed fox staring at the moon.

Looking at the information paper, Mile turned it over and found a list of food at such a low price.

“That little fox, now starting to show its tail huh?” Mile knew the meaning of the leaflet.

With a small, thin knife, Mile slowly split the paper into two thin pieces. Inside it appeared a silhouette of small spots. Mile separated it and put the paper closer to the lit candle.

Slowly a hidden message appeared, the writing was so neat and the nine-tailed fox-shaped logo could be clearly seen.

“You still use this way, Roxy.”

“It is very inconvenient to have to split two papers like this know, can't you just send them directly without the need to do this, make it a hassle.”

In the midst of his frustration, Mile smiled faintly knowing that there was a glimmer of hope that came along with the information.

“May also have your information on this, Roxy. Hmm.. You're getting better.”

“As your teacher, I think I'll give you a grade of A+.”

Mile continued reading the information until the end. A different expression appeared in his head. Curiosity, hesitation, even fear appeared in turn.

“Isn't this the sign, the world is coming to an end?”

The information that Mile can get is not arbitrary information, unlike Mile who collects information based on rumors and truth from the location of the incident. Roxy, who was his student, gathered information based on his social skills. Fishing in sensitive directions combined with sexual temptation becomes a weakness in itself if the target is male. It is not wrong if Mile dubs Roxy as “Tempulasi”.

“Should I retire early after my students become ferocious like this?”

“The nobles of this Kingdom since the past are famous for being stupid but very brave, with such a King alone daring to commit treason schemes.”

“That's stupid of them, I pity his descendants who know nothing.”

Mile immediately burned the information paper.

“At least I found interesting information. Who would have thought Saintess Vallie had such a stash Player. If I find him, what better do I offer to buy his services?”

“Gold?”

“Ah.. possible gold mine?”

“Eh, but Saintess Vallie only paid him with a few Gold Coins.”

“Ah! No. no. no. no. My grandson is not that generous! I think I should find that Player and negotiate the payment.”

The mile picks up a small bell that sits next to a lighting candle.

The sound of bells rang out and in an instant a girl entered Mile's room.

“Please take care of that person, do not forget to use the third level HP Potion. Make sure he stays alive.”

Without replying, the girl immediately rushed James out of Mile's room.

“Oh, yes, by the way what happened outside?” ask Mile.

“From yesterday I heard a commotion.”

“Ah, it's okay madam. Just a small showdown between Player” replied the girl.

“Player?”

“Ah.. There are male and female players who seem to be at odds but they were stopped by one Player who directly hit them until paralyzed.”

“Eh? Hit him until he's paralyzed? The P-Player was.a terrifying existence turned out.” Mile replied while putting on a flat expression as if he did not believe what he heard.

-----&&&-----

All hours of lessons have been successfully passed, Hans is getting ready to go home and stop by OUTNET. As he arrived at the main gate of his school, someone intercepted him.

With a car and a few bodyguards on guard, one was waiting for him.

Behind the windshield, Yuuki Saku and Will Isaac have been waiting for Hans to arrive. They opened the car door and showed their faces.

“Yoo! Hans. Where are you going?” Will in a familiar tone greeted Hans.

“What is this? Kidnapping?” hans' joke was only answered by the sound of Yuuki Saku's small laughter.

“Kemari Hans.take it as your own car” while saying that Yuuki Saku waved his hand as if inviting Hans into his private car.

“It looks like my destination will change direction to somehow to where” Hans replied.

Hans gets into Yuuki Saku's private car and sits down next to Will.

The car left their school and was followed by several escort cars behind it.

“So, what is going on between you two?” hans asked to break the silence.

“Ah, nothing just that. Didn't Hans want to know how to complete the Quest we talked about in that first break right?” answer Yuuki Saku.

“You seem to think about that a lot, though, to the extent that in the second break just read the comments of the useless forum contents and do not care for us who are waiting for you to eat with” Will entered into their conversation.

“I think their comments are very useful and I'm sorry if they make you wait a long time. Have you guys had lunch?” Hans felt a little guilty making them wait.

“It's okay. Instead, today we will stop by my house and have dinner with” Yuuki Saku replied with a sweet smile.

“HEH!!”

“HEEEH!!”

This time Hans and Will were shocked together.

Hans and Will's expressions were very different. Will is surprised because it was the first time he entered a girl's house while Hans was surprised because it would be troublesome to answer his family's questions especially with two men visiting a girl's house.

“Hans, what did you find out from those comments?” Will asked that to ease his nervousness.

“Not much, it's just that there are various ways that are done to find someone. From the many comments I read, among them maximize the functionality of skills and items that can be used by their Class.”

“Means?” will asked with a curious look.

“For example a Swordman. When he got the Quest, roughly what would he do?”

“Searching isn't?”

“...” Yuuki Saku looked at Will as if saying “True?”

“...” Hans was silent to cover up his disappointment.

“...” Will was silent without guilt.

“Your answer is not wrong anyway, but why would I want to hit you well?” hans replied as he clenched his hand.

“Hey! I'm just kidding! Just kidding! Don't take it seriously!”

“If it was Swordman I think it would be very difficult. Even for Swordgirl alone there is not much that can be done to complete the Quest” said Yuuki Saku.

“In general, they will be in trouble but what if we compare Swordman with other classes like Rogue. Among Swordman and Rogue, which of them had a great chance of completing the quest?”

“Rogue!”

“Rogue!!”

Will Isaac and Yuuki Saku answered simultaneously.

“Two professionals even have similar answers. Indeed in Class they are much different but what about their skills?”

“I've tried that class, I don't think there's anything special about their skill” Will replied.

“You're wrong Will, their skill depends on the Element used, right? Suppose a Swordman with Element Earth has [Skill: Ground Check]. Of course, the quest becomes easy, right?”

“[Skill: Ground Check], it's been a long time since I heard that skill. isn't it a basic skill to detect enemies and traps that are above ground? ...Oho! so that's what you mean Hans. Using detection to find objects.”

“If you compare him again with Rogue, what skills can he use besides critical attacks and the ability to hide?”

“If you think about it again. Your words are true too. We compare Swordman and Rogue who are the base-level Class.”

Seeing Hans and Will Isaac chatting intimately, Yuuki Saku who saw him smiled.

“So this, the Senpai that you always tell me about.” muttered Yuuki Saku.