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The leopard sat down at the counter.
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The seats on both sides were empty.
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I waited for the owner's reaction.
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The atmosphere is one of dealing with familiar customers.
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I also check on Asint, just in case.
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He's sitting at the back of the room, drinking with satisfaction.
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He doesn't seem to be strongly aware of the leopard man.
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His attitude seems to be bad .......
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The leopard itself looks familiar.
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That could be said of the entire store.
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The reaction was such that a familiar celebrity came to the store.
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However, there is no one to talk to.
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''I'll ask him directly if the story about the forbidden witch earlier is true or not.
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I said to the man at the same table.
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He laughed and took his hand off my shoulder.
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You youngsters have a lot of guts, don't you? Well, I guess we should go now. I'm drunker than usual, I've had more to drink than usual today. I miss the air: ......
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A pair of men at the same table left their seats.
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They staggered out of the tavern.
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I return to Seras' place.
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When he finished his ears, I took the silver coin.
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'Then I'll be off.'
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If anything happens, I'll step in.
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I don't mean to be rough, but if it comes down to it, please.
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We want to avoid using our skills here if possible.
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It's in times like these that I rely on Selous' combat skills.
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'I'm counting on you.
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Seras puts a hand to his chest with a tight face.
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'I'll take care of it.'
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I stepped over to the counter.
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I sit next to the leopard man.
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I order a water with herbs.
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I place a silver coin in front of the leopard.
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"Can I buy you a drink?
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The leopard man looked at me with just a glance.
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After a somewhat silent moment.
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What do you want?
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He asked.
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He seems to be able to speak human language.
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That's good.
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We can communicate.
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The leopard's voice was strong.
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On the other hand, there is a calmness in his voice.
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His voice is not so thick.
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It was a clear voice, with a clear, streetwise quality.
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''I heard about you and wanted to meet you. 'My name is Hattie. I'm a mercenary.
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It's Eve Speed.
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After saying her name, Eve stared for a while.
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'Is this the first time you've seen a leopard man?'
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Yes, sir.
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You don't react too curiously for that, do you?
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I can't give you a bypass reply.
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You don't know where you're going to get the wrong end of the stick,
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I said smiling.
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'I've seen all sorts of things during my travels. I don't mean to be rude, but I wouldn't be surprised if you're at least a leopard man.'
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Or rather, there was even a humanoid two-headed leopard monster in the discarded ruins.
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There were a lot of other synthetic beast-like things as well.
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Compared to those demons, it was less of a surprise.
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Thud!
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Eve chews off the bone-in meat with a gusto.
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She began to lick the oil from the palm of her hand.
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All the while, the cat's eyes were staring at me.
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'You're a good eater,'
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"Hmm, don't you see the way they look at people?
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Something was being measured.
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He ate like that, like he was suddenly making a show of it.
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He wanted to see my reaction.
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'I'm not exactly a classy person. Besides, eating a meal is best when it tastes better than the form. Oh, come to think of it, a blood fighter--
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Tell me what you want.
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............
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"You did not wish to see me as a bloodthirsty person. Don't you?
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I give him a troubled smile.
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'Ba, you found out. ...... That's great. ......
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Well, I had dared to give off that kind of air.
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I'm rather glad he noticed.
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What do you want from me?
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Hmm.
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They'll listen to you, huh?
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I listen with my fearful body.
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'I understand that you know where to find the forbidden witch: ......
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"The witch is in the Golden Dwelling Demon Belt. Everyone will know about it.
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I hear you know "where" the demon belt is: ......
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"Kukku.
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Eve lets out a muffled laugh deep in her throat.
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"So you've bought into the rumors that have been going around.
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So the rumor was false?
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''That's right. That's right, I've been to the Golden Dwelling Demon Army, where there are witches. But I've never met a forbidden witch.
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You said you told your fellow bloodthugs you knew where he was.
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"...... I have had the experience of wandering the demon belt for a couple of weeks. The only reason I was able to return alive is that the forbidden witch may have saved me with magic--I think I told a joke like that to another blood fighter once.
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'I see, so the joke was just altered and passed on: ...... So you don't know where the forbidden witch is?'
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I'm sorry, but you're right.
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I slumped my shoulders.
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'Yeah,'
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I feel bad about it, but it's true. But it's the truth.
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Eve flattens the meat.
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Wiping her hands, she asks me.
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'Why are you a forbidden witch?'
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Inquisitiveness, right? My dream is to be an academic.
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I kept a piece of equipment I bought today in my pocket.
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I'll show it to you.
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A tool that looks like something an aspiring academic would have.
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Well, that's what I think.
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"I'm thinking of hiring mercenaries here in Monroi to visit the witches in the Demon Belt. There might be some unknown plants and stuff like that--
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Don't do that.
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Eve interrupted forcefully.
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''That is not a place where one can step in and survive. It is said that even I, the strongest of all the blood fighters here in Urza, uprooted myself in half a month. At the risk of sounding rude, a man like you cannot survive for three days.
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I looked down and smiled.
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With a hint of gratitude.
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'You're worried about me, Eve, aren't you? Thank you.
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Eve's reaction was a bit surprising.
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Even a panther's face has quite a bit of expression.
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''Hmph.''
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Eve gasps in disgust.
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'You're a goody-goody, aren't you?'
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I scratched my head in embarrassment.
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'I get that a lot.'
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I was certainly told that a lot.
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This was after my uncle and his wife took me in.
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They said, "By the looks of it, you're still young. Life is to be treasured.
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Eve takes the silver coin I put down.
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She places it in front of me.
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It's a good thing that the ...... bloodthirsty bloodthirsty person, who is synonymous with the mistreatment of life, has no power of persuasion when it comes to saying this.
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With that, Eve left the tavern.
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I tucked the silver coin into my pocket and left the seat.
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I look at the door of the tavern where Eve disappeared.
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'............'
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Well, I guess that's a bit of a resemblance.
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I called out to her, right behind me.
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"Mithra.
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Yes, sir.
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All the time he was talking to Eve, Seras was leaning against a pillar near the counter seating area, waiting.
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'We're leaving,'
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Ha!
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We walked straight out of the tavern.
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We walked for a bit and stopped.
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'What do you think of that Eve Speed story you just told me?'
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What was needed for now.
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Eyebrow-raising or not.
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That was the first thing that needed to be made clear.
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So--
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He... the woman... didn't... want... to...
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"Do you really know where the forbidden witch is?"
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To this question, Eve says, "I don't know.
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Seras Ashlein knows a lie when he sees one.
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As instructed, Seras was leaning against a nearby pillar, listening to our conversation.
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In order to determine the truth.
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'By denying it, you've paradoxically proven it.
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I mean...
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"Eve Speed knows where to find the forbidden witch.
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