Store in Danmachi- Side Story: 10

Title: The Kind Butcher

“Please! I won’t do it again, but I must bring this potion to my mother!”

A blue-haired adventurer in an orange outfit corners a disheveled ash-blonde-haired boy in a tattered tank top and loose trousers, glancing at the coiled whip belted on her hips. He quivers and begs with tears threatening to spill out of his eyes, but he keeps a tight grip on the potion bottle. The sea-green liquid fluctuates within the glass tube as he presses his back against the dirty wall behind him.

Orario boasts many discreet corners in its construction due to the buildings bunched together in eight parts, leaving the adventurers to stroll the brightest of eight paths dividing the city—laughing, smiling—as the unfortunate few find themselves in troublesome tribulations of life.

*Phew*

A whistle breaks the palpable tension in the boy’s surrounding as he hurries to look at the top of the wall cutting his path off. His face pales when he sees the man drenched in monstrous red blood. The ax slung across the stranger’s shoulders, and his conspicuous gold-red pupils give away the stranger’s identity as the barefoot boy grits his teeth, gasping, “The Butcher.”

“Hoh?” Jackal grins, turning his attention to the renowned Adventurer cornering the boy. “I didn’t know you had time to bully children, Shakti.”

The woman scoffs under her breath, “I had no such attention.” Jackal jumps down the wall, bringing a wave of oppressive stench as the boy chokes on the smell, gagging and holding his mouth with his free hand.

“I don’t smell that bad!” He knocks the boy’s head before turning to look at Shakti, seeing two balls of cotton covering her nostrils. He deadpans at the ‘serious chucklefuck’ before crossing his arm. “So? Why are you bullying a boy? I stand by justice and won’t tolerate adventurers abusing the weak in front of me!”

“Are you done?” Shakti sighed deeply before looking at the boy, noting his tensions depleting, commenting, “He stole a potion from The Rookie Supply.”

“What?!” Jackal snaps at the boy, knocking his head again. “You stole? At least aim for the good stuff! What good is stealing from that fat bastard, Ronnie?!” He snatches the glass tube from the boy’s hand before crushing it into his fist.

The youth could barely react since it happened so quickly!

His grey-brown pupils fixate on the dripping liquid mixing into the blood on the Butcher’s hand as his eyes widen before tears start spilling out his eyes.

“You BASTARD!” The boy screams his lungs out, jumping at Jackal without an ounce of hesitation as he punches the Butcher’s thighs, almost getting a hit into the little Babel. Jackal smirks in amusement while pushing the boy back, keeping his hand on his head as the boy screams!

“Let me go! I will kill you! I promise I will kill YOU!”

Shakti frowns before grunting, “Stop playing.”

“Fine~!” Jackal chuckles as he suddenly snaps his ax into the asphalt. The loud sound breaks the boy out of his tearful reveries as he flinches, glancing at the cold ax beside him with fear trapping his heart!

Taking the knee to meet the boy’s gaze, Jackal stuffs the free hand into the frollet and retrieves another glass tube.

“Ronnie’s stuff is fucking gross. It makes sense you will steal cheap shit. Here!” Jackal stuffs the double potion into the boy’s arm with a grin. “Your mother will be beating your ass after a sip of this and learning that you stole for her.”

The boy gulps and looks at the potion in his hands before looking at Jackal.

“And here’s another treat. It takes balls to try and kill me after calling me the Butcher,” Jackal continues with a chuckle, taking out a blood-stained, wrapped crystal-green candy. “It’s lime flavor, one of the best Gemlings around.”

The boy stares at the items in his hands as he replies to Jackal’s question in a daze—“What’s your name?”

“...Orfinn.”

“Orfinn, want me to take you back so you won’t get robbed?” Jackal questions with a smirk.

“A-Ah, no!” The boy shakes his head, stuffing the potion into his trousers and the candy in his pocket. “Thank you, Butcher! I was lying. I wouldn’t kill you.”

Jackal snickers, rubbing the boy’s head as Shakti clears her throat.

“You broke the stolen item. Who is going to pay?”

Jackal looks at Orfinn, pointing at the boy while standing, “The one who stole, who else?”

“What?” Orfinn’s lips hang open.

“Hey, who told you to steal?” Jackal shrugs, “I’ll pay in your stead. Now fuck off, and be sure to pay me at my store.”

Orfinn nods before bowing, “Thank you! I owe you!”

“Damn right, you do,” Jackal waves him off with a scoff. “Now, shoo! Don’t give Shakti a reason to whip you. She loves having her way with little boys like you.”

Orfinn’s body flinches in shock as he stares at the annoyed Shakti with a look of genuine horror. He gulps and quickly escapes, trying hard to move around Shakti by pressing himself against the wall.

Shakti and Jackal continue staring at each other until the former is sure Orfinn left.

“I was planning to help him the right way,” Shakti informs. “I would have made him apologize to Ronnie and purchase a potion for his mother before escorting him to his house.”

“The kid lives in Daedalus,” Jackal smirks. “I’ve seen him loitering around with his friends. Believe me! Those kids would never lead anyone as ‘Pristine’ as you into the inner layer of the street. Her mother’s probably an unsanctioned whore, who couldn’t make it in the Entertainment District. You know the kind.”

Shakti’s expression worsens before she releases a deep sigh, “I do. But he should have apologized. What if he steals again?”

“I did what I could,” Jackal shrugs. “Life will take care of the rest.”

“Life will probably turn him to those underground Familia!” Shakti clenches her fist, VERY dissatisfied with his answer.

“Not all apples rot,” Jackal grins, “Ronnie would have been an asshole to the boy when he could just gift the cheap swill he calls a potion. Wouldn’t you prefer a rightful ally of the justice like me compared to that fat bastard?”

“You’re no ally,” Shakti’s expression eases as she sighs again while Jackal walks toward her. “But really? Why were you wasting your time to personally ‘help’ the boy? Whatever reputation you would have earned went down the drain since he would remember you as the Elder Sister who whips boys for fun.”

“Because of you!” Her fist lashes out, knocking Jackal on his head—an acceptable consequence. He grins without showing any signs of pain as a bump forms on his head.

“I thought you entered the dungeon during the weekends,” She looks at Jackal, unplugging her nostrils, “I’m used to the stench. I thought I would use humor to relax Orfinn.”

“Of course, you’re the master,” Jackal jokes, dodging the query of his dungeon prowling schedule as the azure-haired captain scoffs again, “I can’t believe my lunch break got used for this.”

“Oh?” Bento Daddy’s ears perks instantly as he retrieves one of the many backup Bentos he shares with the needy in Daedalus Street. “Here!”

Shakti stares at the bloodstained lunchbox before looking at Jackal.

“Do you think this is enough for me to forgive you for that slander?” She questions.

“What slander?” Jackal blinks. “Loki dreamt of you whipping her. My words weren’t far off.”

“Don’t base me off someone else’s dreams!”

“Who will stop me?” He waves the bento, questioning, “Do you want it or not?”

The woman scoffs, accepting the lunchbox.

“This isn’t over,” she mutters under her breath.

“I hope not,” Jackal snickers as he bids his farewell. “It was nice running into you. But I must take a shower. I wonder if I’ll walk into someone else today, too, hehe~!” He grins, walking away as Shakti stares at his back. Her blue eyes firm slightly as she recalls the genuine care in Jackal’s eyes while helping the boy and sharing the gemling with Orfinn.

“Wait, Hildisvini,” Shakti calls out as Jackal turns back curiously, only for his expression to stiffen.

He stares at the silent Shakti as she returns the quiet look. Seconds turn into minutes as Jackal refrains from speaking, trying hard to look beyond Shakti, fooling her into believing that someone is behind her. But the Level 5 Captain of Ganesha Familia doesn’t fall for his cheap tricks.

“You didn’t think I wouldn’t notice the connection between Hildisvini and the Butcher once realizing the Golden Freya Destroyer seems like a unique drop item for the Jack Bird, did you? I guess the likes of Finn will make similar connections once he returns from his expedition.”

The corner of Jackal’s lips twitch as Shakti continues, “But someone cleverly displaced the information, and our Familia has worked with Hermes enough times for me to ‘sniff’ his methods.”

“Let me guess, you want a Golden Freya Destroyer, too?” He suspiciously glances in the direction of her crotch as waves of annoyance and shame fill her, flushing her cheeks for once as the stoic Captain hisses, “No! Why would you even think of that?!”

“Why else would you want my- ehm- Hildisvini’s groundbreaking ‘helper?’”

“Did I ask for it?” Shakti crosses her arms after stuffing the bento into her frollet, scowling, “I don’t want that disgusting item!”

“It’s not disgusting!” Jackal defends the divine product stubbornly, “Why is it that when men find something beautiful, it is labeled disgusting?! Would you call dildos disgusting?”

“YES!” Shakti snaps.

“Fair enough,” Jackal sniffs. “So? What do you want?”

“I don’t trust Hermes,” Shakti frowns.

“Oh? And you trust me?” Jackal grins. The blood covering his face makes him look ghastly, as it also covers his blush. “Thanks!”

Shakti rolls her eyes as she continues, “I would like to make use of your connections in the underground once you’ve developed them enough. I’m looking for my sister’s sword. Someone stole it from her grave. I think I know who’s behind this, but he should be one of the Three Merchants of the No-God’s Land like Olal Shen.”

Jackal stills before he mutters under his breath, “The Sacred Oath, eh?”

Shakti’s features turn gentle as she nods with a sad smile.

“I’ll help you, naturally,” Jackal snickers, “I like helping others. But do me a favor and don’t tell others about our Gentleman Society from others.”

He turns around, leaving without waiting for her reply as Shakti stands in the gloomy street, finally feeling the ‘bright’ environment recede with his departure.

‘I like helping others. It’s so amazing seeing others smile~!’ A young girl’s trill resurfaces in Shakti’s mind as her smile turns every bit fond.

‘Even his smile when he helps others is as pure as yours, Ardee,’ Shakti sighs softly, ‘You two would have made quite the mess of Orario if you met each other as he is now.’

Her eyes sharpen as heat fills her cheeks, and embarrassment courses through her veins, ‘How dare he even imagine ME using that filthy item?!’

She shakes her head before thinking about the possible mastermind behind the thief.

‘The Heretic Merchant Olal, The Merchant of Death ‘Joker,’ and The Nomadic Merchants ‘Phantom Caravan.’ Only the nomads are known to be the thieves of the trio.’ Shakti grits her jaw. But hatred and anger don’t consume her easily. The Captain realizes her duty lies with her familia and their well-being. As for recovering her late sister’s Sacred Oath? She can trust Jackal with it more than she will ever trust Hermes.

***

Alternate Title: Jackal Finding Time For His True Love—The Dungeon; Bloody Butcher; The Name That Precedes The Man; Scared Orfinn; Orfinn Almost Turned Into Young Thorfinn; Jackal Casually Giving Children Heartattacks!; Jackal’s Bento And Candies Will Bring Peace To The World; Always of Actions And Consequences; Kindness Keeps The Apple From Rotting; Shakti’s New Rumor; Orfinn About To Defame The Captain HARD!; Loki Dreaming About Futa Shakti; Loki Always Catches Fame When Not Even Present; Jackal Being The Relatable Uncle To Every Kid… Wait; Shakti: Hildisvini? Jackal: Nuh-uh!; Jackal’s Imagination is Second Only To Loki; The Three Merchant Menace; The Mysterious No-God’s Land; Accepting Another Side Quest; Shakti: I’m Hungry Jackal: Say ‘AAAH’; In Another Lifetime: Jackal, Tiona, and Ardee Causing a Mess of Orario!