Organ rental company in another world

Norn walked through the sparse woods on the outskirts of the city with a much faster pace than usual. He kept a watchful eye on his surroundings, fearing that a few searching guards might suddenly appear from any direction, or worse—Dante himself.

Fortunately, no one appeared behind him until he pushed aside the bushes blocking the cave entrance.

"Arno," he whispered.

A rustling sound came from inside the cave, and then Arno's massive, gray-black body emerged from the darkness. It tilted its head and looked at Norn, a hint of confusion in its pale eyes, clearly not understanding why Norn had arrived so early today.

Norn didn't waste any words and said directly, "Someone's coming for you, a very powerful old man. He's here to kill you. You need to find a place to hide."

Although Arno didn't quite understand what "powerful old man" meant, it could tell from Norn's hurried tone and tense expression that there was danger.

Its body arched slightly, and a pale red shield popped out from within, covering it completely. A hint of fear appeared in its pale pupils, and it emitted a low whimper.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not here to capture you." Norn reached out and patted its arm. The grayish-black skin felt cold and rough to the touch, like touching a rock soaked by rain. "I know a place, far from here. Go there now."

Arno nodded, put away his shield, and followed Norn out of the cave.

Norn chose the cave where the blood crystals had been stored—the place where Batel and his men had imprisoned the demi-human girl. It was some distance from the city of Miguang, well-hidden, and the cave was a maze of interconnected passages, so even if Norn were discovered, he could easily escape.

Norn walked ahead, with Arno following behind. The massive, grey-black creature moved almost silently through the woods, its powerful limbs treading lightly on the fallen leaves, even lighter than Norn's footsteps.

Norn walked along, calculating in his mind.

Dante has arrived. Although Mussolo verbally expresses his unwillingness to cooperate, he may not be able to withstand Dante's pressure. After all, while the theocracy is not large, its position among the Aro followers is unshakeable, and a considerable number of residents in the city of Migration are Aro followers.

If Dante, in the name of the Papacy, demands that Mussolos conduct a full-scale search, Mussolos will find it difficult to refuse.

So simply transferring Arno wasn't enough; he had to find a way to get Dante out of the City of Light as soon as possible.

But how can we get Dante to leave?

Norn thought about it all the way, but even after they arrived at the cave, he couldn't come up with a reliable solution.

"You stay here and don't go out," Norn told Arno. "I'll bring you food every day. If you don't have enough, you can go out and find some yourself, but be careful. If you see any humans, run away and don't get caught."

Arno nodded and turned to walk deeper into the cave.

Norn stood at the cave entrance, watching the gray-black figure gradually disappear into the darkness, and let out a long breath.

On the way back, Norn took a long detour, deliberately passing through several bustling streets and mingling with the crowds for a while before turning into a small alley to go home.

As soon as he stepped through the gate of the mansion, he saw a person sitting in the living room.

An elderly man with white hair wearing a brown robe.

Dante.

Norn paused on the threshold, his heart pounding, but a perfectly timed look of surprise flashed across his face. He quickly composed himself, offering a slightly surprised smile: "Your Majesty the Emperor? What brings you here?"

Dante sat in a chair, a cup of tea in his hand, and a plate of pastries on the small table in front of him. He was as composed as the owner of the house. When he heard Norn's voice, he merely raised his head slightly, his sharp eyes lingering on Norn's face for a few seconds.

"Mr. Norn, I apologize for bothering you, and I hope you don't mind." Dante's tone was calm and gentle. "I heard you lived nearby when I went to the chieftain's mansion, so I stopped by to visit."

Drop by?

Norn sneered inwardly. The chieftain's palace was in the east, and his residence was in the west; what a convenient distance!

But he didn't expose him. Instead, he took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack by the door, walked over and sat down opposite Dante, and poured himself a cup of tea.

"What business does His Holiness the His Holiness have with me?"

"Nothing serious." Dante put down his teacup, his gaze sweeping across the living room as if admiring the decor, before slowly saying, "I'm just a little curious. A human from the Kingdom of Eton, bearing the mark of the Demi-human Savings Bank, with tens of thousands of gold coins in his account, living in the most respectable mansion in Miguang City, and having a close relationship with the chieftain—I'd really like to get to know someone like that."

Norn picked up his teacup and took a sip, but alarm bells were ringing in his mind.

The old man investigated him, and investigated him in great detail.

"Your Majesty flatters me," Norn smiled. "I was just lucky; I made a few deals and earned some money."

"Good luck?" Dante's eyes narrowed slightly. "Mr. Norn is too modest. I've heard that you can use lightning magic, and also a special kind of dark magic—capable of transferring organs and even possessing monsters."

Norn paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.

Apart from Louisa, Austin, and a few others, very few people knew about these things. And among them, no one but Louisa knew such details.

"Did Louisa tell you that?" Norn asked.

"She told me in a letter," Dante did not deny. "She sang your praises in the letter, saying you were a kind and brave young man, and that you had saved her life. I was just curious at first, but now it seems you are even more interesting than Louisa described."

Norn was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Holiness, you didn't come to see me just to praise me, did you?"

Dante laughed, his laughter hoarse and deep, like playing a rusty cello.

"Of course not." His smile faded, a serious look appearing in his eyes. "My purpose in coming here is simple—you've seen that monster, haven't you?"

Norn's heart skipped a beat.

"That night at the manor, you not only saw it, you also had contact with it." Dante's voice wasn't loud, but every word pierced Norn's ears like nails. "Most of what you told me is true, but some of it is false. You didn't run away; the monster let you go."

Norn's mind raced.

How did Dante know? Did someone see it from a distance? Or was the old man just bluffing him?

"Your Majesty," Norn set down his teacup, looking directly into Dante's eyes, "why do you think that way?"

"Because of your clothes." Dante pointed to Norn's coat hanging by the door. "If you really ran away, why are there no mud or twig marks on your clothes? It rained that day, and the woods around the manor were muddy. It's impossible for someone who ran away in a panic not to have any mud on them."

Norn looked down at his clothes and cursed inwardly.

He had indeed been negligent. After returning from the mountain lodge that evening, he changed into clean clothes; the coat Dante mentioned was one he had just put on that day, and of course, it was free of dirt.

"I changed my clothes," Norn said.

"Changed your clothes?" Dante smiled. "And your boots? If you really ran a long way through the woods as you say, the soles of your boots should be covered in mud and dead leaves. But I just had someone check the boots by your door, and they're as clean as new."

Norn fell silent.

He had to admit that the old man was far more shrewd than he had imagined. In the short time it had taken since he entered, Dante had already dismantled his lies.

"What exactly do you want?" Norn's tone turned cold.

"I don't want anything," Dante said. "I just want to know where that monster is. Tell me where it is, and I'll leave immediately without bothering you."

"Are you going to kill it?"

"Of course." Dante's expression turned serious. "It is an evil creature born of dark magic, and its very existence is a desecration of the Holy Emperor. Allowing it to live in the world will only bring more disaster."

Norn looked into Dante's sharp eyes and suddenly asked, "What do you think of the people it killed?"

Dante paused slightly.

"That night in the manor, it killed many people," Norn said. "But who did it kill? Merchants, unscrupulous merchants, those who sold Soul-Stealing Potion and exploited the common people. Those people did all sorts of evil things in Miguang City, but because they were rich and powerful, no one ever dared to touch them. That monster killed them, which actually made Miguang City much cleaner."

"Are you defending that monster?" Dante's voice turned somber.

“I’m not defending it,” Norn shook his head. “I’m just stating a fact. A newborn baby understands nothing; what makes you think it’s evil?”

Dante remained silent for a long time.

"Mr. Norn, you are a smart man." He stood up, looking down at Norn. "But even smart men make mistakes. That monster is not some infant; it is a weapon cultivated by a dark sorcerer using blood crystals and the magic of evil gods. Its existence is solely for slaughter."

"If you insist on protecting it, then I can only treat you as an accomplice."

After saying this, Dante turned and walked towards the door.

He stopped at the door, turned back and glanced at Norn: "I'll give you three days to consider. If you still refuse to tell me the monster's whereabouts after three days, I'll personally ask Musolo, and your situation will be much worse than it is now."

The door closed, and Dante's footsteps faded into the distance.

Norn sat motionless in his chair, staring at the now-cold cup of tea in front of him.

Three days.

He only has three days.

Either hand over Arnold, or find a way to get Dante to leave.

But neither of them is easy to do.