Chương 35: A Boy Without Morals

The main reason he was putting this much effort to bring Senna over to his side was her rune. [Solomon's Key]. Lio had seen it multiple times during his loops. It was stupidly overpowered, the rune's ability being that it could summon a mythical creature to fight for the user. However, it wasn't like there was no limitation. The price the rune demanded was Senna herself.

After creating a contract with a creature, depending on what the terms were, the more she used it, she could have her physical senses, mental stability, and sometimes even body parts taken away. Which was why she almost never used it. That was part of the reason why she was sitting in a small outpost on Floor 3 filing out forms instead of being regarded as one of the most powerful Delvers alive.

Lio had spent several loops simply learning the full scope of what Solomon's Key could do before he had started trying to recruit her. The potential was truly staggering. With that rune active even for sixty seconds, entire floors labeled as impassable became passable. And whatever Senna lost in compensation was worth what he stood to gain. However, the harder problem was getting her to use it at all. Because the main reason Senna Jacinta didn't want to be a Delver was due to her trauma.

Lio had pieced the full story together across the multiple loops. Her father—a Delver—had died due to a monster attack when she was still very young. Her mother had soon followed, though in a different way. Her mental state broke, and she withdrew into herself, leaving Senna to grow up without any feeling of any sort of love. Because of this, Senna's biggest fear was being left alone again.

She strived for close relationships, and lived in a constant, unhealthy fear that at any moment, someone she cared about would vanish as well. She couldn't bear being disliked or declined. The thought of someone she was trying to reach turning away from her was enough to produce a panic attack, which was why she decided to stay in Trestfall's small outpost where nobody left because there was nowhere else to go. And so, Lio took advantage of this.

Every loop, he would come to Trestfall, and over a period of days, slowly pull her into his web of manipulation. After all, all he had to do was make her rely on him and think that she couldn't do anything without him. The way Senna had organized her whole psychology around the desperate need to be chosen provided an ample opening for Lio to enter, as someone like that had no reliable defense against someone like him. Lio just had to give a self-deprecating smile.

Before the loops, he would have never been capable of this. That version of himself had just been someone who visited Senna simply because he liked her, because she was warm, funny, and fun to be around. Well, that person was gone now though. They soon arrived at the lodge William had chosen. It was a mid-sized fungi building two streets from the main road, its interior modest, the walls covered with old oil paintings of flowers and fruits.

A small elderly man sat behind the front desk scribbling down notes on a small ledger. Inside, they found William in the lobby. He was sprawled across a wide chair with both legs dangling over one armrest. Shamelessly, he had taken off both his boots and socks, wiggling his toes in the air. In his lap sat a cloth bundle of some sort of edible dark strips, and he was quickly working his way through it. He looked up when they walked in.

"Hey, you're back," he said, through a mouthful of something.

"What are you eating?" Ophila asked.

"Dried Ironpulp strips." He held the bundle out toward her.

"They're incredible. Do you want some?"

"Where did you get those?"

"There's a woman selling them two streets down." William grinned.

"Also, guess what. You know my ribs? She gave me a discount because of them." Ophila stared at him.

"She gave you a discount because of your ribs? You didn't seem to be hurting when we got there though…"

"I may have winced quite a bit," William said, without any shame whatsoever. Ophila pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing.

"Did you get the rooms?" Lio asked, changing the subject.

"Yep. Three rooms on the second floor." William produced three iron keys from his coat pocket and held them out.

"The old man at the desk tried to give me the ones near the toilets but I negotiated a little bit." You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Lio took the keys and handed one to Ophila.

"I also asked about where we can wash and stuff," William added, returning to his Ironpulp strips, shoving them greedily into his mouth.

"There's a bathhouse around the corner."

"Great," Ophila said, already heading for the stairs. Lio followed. Stepping into his room, he found that the interior contained a narrow bed, a low table, a lamp, and a window that looked out over the back of the building. Lio dropped his pack on the bed and spent ten minutes checking and reorganizing its contents before heading to the bathhouse.

By the time all three of them had washed and returned, the spore-light outside had changed from amber into a darkening gold, the artificial evening of Floor 3 having truly arrived. They ended up back on the main street, looking around for a bit. Trestfall in the evening was a different place from Trestfall in the afternoon. The vendors were gone but the streets were now even fuller with the permanent residents coming out now that the regular Delver traffic had thinned.

William bought another packet of Ironpulp strips almost immediately.

"Didn't you just eat?" Ophila asked, confused.

"That was an hour ago," William protested. They continued wandering around, trying to find anything interesting. Soon, Ophila stopped at a small stall run by an old man selling pressed mineral specimens mounted on dark cloth, each one labeled in tiny, neat handwriting. She examined each of them one by one, all the while bombarding the vendor with questions.

William didn't seem to be too interested in watching rocks, so while he waited, he simply watched a pair of Caplings get in a serious argument, their chittering and hand signs becoming louder and faster. Lio, who was standing slightly apart from both of them, watched the street. And that was when he saw them. The two that had been chasing them. Lupin and Acacia. They were moving through the crowd on the far side of the road, luckily not looking their way.

Their bags were gone, meaning that they had to have found lodging somewhere in Trestfall then. They were settling in, which meant that they were planning to stay here for some time. He frowned. What were they planning? But before he could think much of it, the bell rang from somewhere in the northern part of the settlement, signaling the beginning of Ghenna's nighttime. And sure enough, the familiar fog began slithering out of the ground.

"What now?" William asked.

"Should we head back?"

"No," Lio said.

"We're meeting someone for dinner." William looked at him, and when it was clear the boy wouldn't give him any answers, glanced at Ophila.

"Who?"

"A friend of Lio's," Ophila said pleasantly.

"Again, she's an acquaintance," Lio corrected once more. William's eyes boggled out.

"You have friends?"

"Like I said—" Ophila giggled, then slapped him on the shoulder.

"Let's hurry on before we're late." They headed back toward the tavern. By now, the streets of Trestfall had become much quieter around them, most people heading into their respective homes for the night. Once inside, they found the tavern much warmer than it had been at lunch. The evening crowd mainly consisted of Delvers and workers, loud music from a small band in a corner playing in the air. They soon found a table near the back and settled in.

Before anyone had even looked at the menu, Lio caught the attention of the woman behind the counter and held up four fingers. William glanced at him.

"What did you just order?"

"Some Mule-Kicker," Lio said simply. William blinked.

"What's that?"

"You'll see." Four cups arrived shortly after, filled with a deep amber drink that smelled of fermented Deepgold Amberpulps, apples, and sunpear. William picked his up immediately, taking a big gulp. Ophila smelled hers first, and took a small sip while raising her eyebrows in appreciation. They ordered some food for them all, and soon fell into some easy conversation. The alcohol was clearly taking effect, William visibly more carefree by the time he'd finished half his cup.

Ophila was also laughing more than usual, her cheeks already slightly flushed. Lio sipped his drink slowly and kept his eyes on the door. Senna arrived around twelve minutes past the seventh bell, slightly breathless. She'd pulled her hair out of the ponytail and was wearing it down, and had also changed out of her uniform into a simple dark green dress. She spotted them quickly and made her way over, her expression both pleased and nervous.

"Sorry I'm late," she said apologetically, sliding into the empty seat beside Lio.

"The backlog was worse than I thought."

"You're not late," Lio said warmly. William introduced himself with his mouth half full and already in a half-drunken stupor. The kid really couldn't handle alcohol. Ophila simply smiled at her and made some light conversation. Senna's nervousness visibly ebbed, helped considerably by the cup of Mule-Kicker Lio slid toward her. Soon, the food also arrived and the conversations continued.

William discovered that Senna had grown up not far from a settlement he'd passed through once, and they spent some time reminiscing about what the land was like over there. Ophila asked Senna about the outpost, and under the seemingly truly interested girl's attention, Senna seemed to be having the time of her life. Lio also continued participating at the right moments and refilling Senna's cup without being asked.

By the time the food was finished and the cups were empty, everybody at the table was drowsy, the warm atmosphere around them compelling them even further. William yawned enormously, not even attempting to cover it.

"Right," he announced.

"I'm done for today." Ophila agreed, nodding as she stretched her arms above her head. Lio set his cup down.

"Then I'll go walk Senna back," he said. William was already standing, entirely unbothered.

"Sure. Night then." He waved at Senna.

"Really nice to meet you." Senna smiled brightly.

"You too." Ophila rose next, pulling on her coat. She looked at Senna warmly and said goodnight. But when she looked at Lio, he could see a flicker of a frown appear on her lips. Then it vanished, as she smiled and turned away, following William toward the door. Lio stood and looked at Senna.

"Ready?" he said. Senna looked up at him with her large, trusting eyes, and nodded, her cheeks faintly pink.