All I Want as a Ninja Is to Live Off Others in Type-Moon

Higashino Kanade sucked in a sharp breath. After hunting geese all his life, he had finally been pecked by one. He had never expected someone as fair-faced and black-hearted as himself to get played one day.

"Not the face." Higashino Kanade gave up resisting in utter despair. It was not that he lacked the strength to fight back; he simply felt that if he did not let Luvia vent properly, she would find another chance to screw him over. He might as well let her get it all out at once.

"Don't worry. I'd never bear to hit such a handsome face."

The next second, Luvia's fist came crashing down.

Fifteen minutes later, in the woods of Stripped City's front courtyard.

Luvia carefully maintained her concealing Jewel Magic. Within its range were herself, her Mohawk-haired bodyguard, and the unconscious Higashino Kanade tucked beneath the bodyguard's arm.

With Higashino Kanade as her guide, Luvia quickly changed clothes and summoned her bodyguard. After wandering through the front courtyard forest for a while, she found Heine, who was searching for something.

Seeing that Higashino Kanade had not deceived her, Luvia happily rewarded him with a punch, knocking the now-useless Higashino Kanade unconscious.

Victory belonged to Luvia!

The reason she had knocked Higashino Kanade out was not because she held grudges. She simply wanted to keep this intelligence all to herself.

Luvia had come for Gryphon's inheritance. She was not particularly bloodthirsty, but if obtaining that inheritance meant fighting other Magi to the death, then so be it. The world of magecraft was that cruel.

Luvia quietly tailed Heine like a hyena waiting to snatch someone else's prey.

After some time, Heine still had not noticed anyone following him. He arrived at a spot in the small forest littered with rubble.

Rather than rubble, they looked more like fragments of a shattered statue. Judging from the size of the base, the statue had probably once been as large as an adult. It was impossible to tell whether it had been one of Gryphon's beloved angels.

Heine took out the invitation from his pocket. The angelic name "Ariel" was written upon it.

Heine was a genius—a genuine genius. The moment he saw the angelic name, he connected it to the Kabbalah system. Following the position of the zodiac corresponding to that angelic name, he found this place. He was convinced it held the clue he needed.

Sure enough, before long, the Mana released by the local Ley Line triggered a change in the invitation. A sentence appeared beneath the word "Ariel."

"The angel is a beast, glaring westward at the sky, devouring the sun."

Heine fell into thought as he stared at the newly appeared sentence.

West. Sun. Was this a clue pointing to a direction? Or did it carry some other meaning?

Lost in thought, Heine suddenly noticed enormous beast tracks on the ground. He followed them, and before long, a colossal creature appeared before him.

It was a terrifying wolf-like creature with four eyes, its entire body shrouded in black shadow. It was as large as a small elephant.

The Magic Wolf moved its paws but did not attack immediately. Instead, it spoke in a human voice, like a judge delivering a verdict.

"Answer me—the angel's name?"

The Magic Wolf's four eyes stared at the diminutive Heine without the slightest hint of goodwill.

A demonic beast? A magical creature raised by Gryphon?

Heine did not panic in the slightest. He calmly assessed the situation, his composure stemming from absolute confidence in his own strength.

"Answer me—the angel's name?"

The Magic Wolf asked the same question a second time. Judging by its restless movements, it was already growing impatient.

"The angel's name?"

Heine immediately recalled the angelic name on his invitation and answered tentatively, "Ariel."

"Answer me—the angel's name?"

"Wrong answer?"

Heine had long been prepared for that. If the answer had been so easy to guess, why would Gryphon have gathered so many candidates here?

Just as Heine was about to offer another guess, the Magic Wolf could no longer restrain its killing intent. Its enormous claw descended like falling lightning, carving a deep mark across Heine's body.

"If you cannot answer, then your angel must be stripped away!"

Heine's expensive suit was shredded to pieces. Those sharp claws should have ripped apart his flesh as well, yet they stopped after tearing only his clothes.

"You just said you would strip away the angel, didn't you?"

Heine had a new guess, but he no longer had time to think it over. With his own life at stake, he first had to deal with the demonic beast trying to kill him.

"Conver..."

Black metallic liquid rapidly poured from the claw mark on Heine's body. Within seconds, it covered him from head to toe, forming a pitch-black suit of Knight Armor.

A black spear formed in Heine's hand. Judging from the Mana fluctuations radiating from it, the spear had surpassed the concept of a Mage's Garment from this era and reached the level of a low-ranking Servant.

A battle that existed only in myths began: knight against demonic beast.

Hunt the Demonic Beast!

Luvia, watching from the side, had no intention of intervening. That demonic beast, which could fight the famous Heine evenly, was no longer something she could handle. Staying hidden and waiting for an opportunity—that was what a good hunter should do.

However, the battle did not end in mutual destruction as Luvia had expected. After tangling with Heine for a while, the Magic Wolf fled in cowardice despite being uninjured.

And it fled straight toward Luvia.

"Damn it!"

The sudden accident shattered Luvia's original plan. She hurriedly took several precious gems from her pocket, intending to blast the Magic Wolf hard enough to knock it off course.

Multicolored magical bullets shot forth. The sudden attack caught the Magic Wolf off guard.

Yet Luvia's fierce barrage only drew a little blood from the Magic Wolf's hide. Instead, it enraged the beast. It burst forward at even greater speed, charging at Luvia to tear her into pieces.

"This is bad! There's no time!"

The same thought surfaced in both Luvia's and Heine's minds.

Luvia was too close and had no time left to cast another spell, while Heine was weighed down by his heavy armor and could not reach her in time.

At that critical moment, Luvia's Mohawk-haired bodyguard threw aside the unconscious Higashino Kanade and stepped in front of Luvia.

The Magic Wolf's enormous claw came down. The Mohawk-haired bodyguard was swatted away like a rag doll, blood and shattered organs scattering across the ground.

"Kunun!"

Luvia cried out her bodyguard's name anxiously.

The Magic Wolf had no intention of stopping. It raised its giant claw again, then brought it down heavily toward Luvia.

Despair. Terror. That was how Luvia felt now. The monster before her was not something a Magus could possibly fight. Why was such a creature inside Stripped City?

"You have a good subordinate."

Just as the giant claw was about to fall, a familiar voice sounded beside Luvia's ear.

Suddenly, a blue sphere of energy shot out from beside her head. Along with it came a Red Cloud Robe, whipped by the incoming gale until it snapped loudly in the wind.

Rasengan!

Higashino Kanade drove the sphere into the Magic Wolf's claw head-on.

The next moment, a violent blast wave sent both Higashino Kanade and the Magic Wolf flying.

The Magic Wolf's claw was blown to pieces. After its enormous body rolled several times across the ground, it hurriedly got back on its feet with a limp, then fled without a shred of dignity.

Higashino Kanade climbed to his feet and was about to give chase when he heard Luvia shout anxiously from nearby, "Kunun, hang in there! If you die, I'll never forgive you!"

"Damn it, just my luck!"

Remembering the newly triggered mission, Higashino Kanade weighed his options and decided to help Luvia save her man first.

Mission Name: Hunt the Demonic Beast

Time Limit: Three days

(Exceeding the time limit will count as mission failure.)

Description: You have discovered a wild demonic beast in Stripped City. It contains six times as much protein as beef. You may attempt to capture it, then eat it!

Mission Reward: Silver Treasure Chest

Mission Failure: Get eaten

(Note: No more jokes. This Magic Wolf was actually transformed from a human. You need to kill her and grant her release.)

Higashino Kanade had actually been playing dead all along. As a Konoha Jonin, how could he possibly have been knocked unconscious so easily by a little girl like Luvia?

He had originally intended to use his fake unconsciousness to gather intelligence, but he had never expected a Magic Wolf to suddenly appear halfway through. And Luvia's seemingly powerful group had been defeated so easily. All show and no substance!

Higashino Kanade simply stopped pretending and planned to grab Luvia and run.

As for fighting? Heh. The Magic Wolf was huge and terrifying. What if it slapped him to death with one paw? Before testing the enemy with a Shadow Clone, Higashino Kanade only wanted to preserve his life first.

But Higashino Kanade had not expected that trash system to issue a mission at a time like this, forcing him to step forward and have a tentative fight with the Magic Wolf.

The Magic Wolf had also lived up to its Silver Treasure Chest value. Higashino Kanade's full-power Rasengan had only shattered one of its claws, which showed just how formidable its physical body was.

The Magic Wolf fled, and Heine ignored the suddenly appearing Luvia and Higashino Kanade, chasing after it directly.

Higashino Kanade gave up on the idea of fighting the Magic Wolf to the death. He planned to help Luvia save someone first and earn some goodwill.

Compared to forcing a one-on-one fight with a Magic Wolf of unknown strength, Higashino Kanade would rather bring Grea along for a fight in the future. Building a good relationship with Luvia would also help him complete his mission of gathering information about the world.

Luvia's family was wealthy and powerful. It should not be a problem for Higashino Kanade to freeload a few Grimoires or some Phantasmal Species specimens, right?

Higashino Kanade was the kind of person who could choose the outcome most beneficial to himself in the shortest possible time.

The Mohawk-haired bodyguard's injuries were far more severe than Higashino Kanade had expected. Taking the Magic Wolf's claw head-on had fractured bones throughout his body and severely damaged his internal organs. The fact that he had not died on the spot was already a miracle.

Higashino Kanade's third-rate Medical Ninjutsu clearly could not save him alone. Looking at the flustered Luvia, Higashino Kanade said calmly, "Don't panic. Quickly use Healing Magic to stabilize him. If we work together, we might be able to save his life."

"O-Okay!"

Only in her teens and never having weathered any great storms, Luvia could not yet possess the calmness and composure she would have years later. Her ability to regain her composure after a brief panic already demonstrated her strong mentality.

Luvia hurriedly pulled out all kinds of precious, colorful gems, then crazily drew out the Mana within them as if they cost nothing, using it to heal her bodyguard's mangled body.

Watching countless gems turn to ash and vanish, Higashino Kanade could only marvel at how extravagantly wealthy Luvia truly was.

Higashino Kanade did not remain idle either. He worked hard to use Medical Ninjutsu to stop the bleeding from the bodyguard's wounds while setting his broken bones.

He had seen plenty of dead people, so he had gained experience treating fatal injuries.

Time slowly passed as the two treated him. During that time, Higashino Kanade even exhausted his Chakra once. To avoid interrupting the treatment, he reluctantly ate a box of Häagen-Dazs he had drawn to replenish it.

Through their combined efforts, the bodyguard finally clung to life. However, injuries of this severity still required a hospital. Higashino Kanade and Luvia had merely stabilized his condition and kept him alive for the moment.

"It's over."

Higashino Kanade wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the Mohawk-haired bodyguard, whose breathing had become steady again. "After what we've done, your bodyguard should hold on for two days. Let's carry him back to the castle quickly and have the servants take him to the hospital at the foot of the mountain tomorrow."

"Okay, Kanade."

"Wait! What did you just call me?"

I'm Not Interested in Money

"Is there a problem, Kanade?"

Luvia gazed at Higashino Kanade with tender affection, like a young girl who had fallen in love.

A chill crawled up Higashino Kanade's spine and reached his neck. It was clearly a beautiful scene, yet he found it deeply strange—almost frightening.

Has this woman gone crazy?

Higashino Kanade's mouth twitched as he demanded rationally, "Woman, why are you calling me Kanade?"

"Oh? I heard that calling someone by their given name in Japan can increase their affection for you. Isn't that right?" Luvia pressed a finger to her cheek, looking adorably confused.

"Wrong! In Japan, you can only call someone by their given name after raising their affection for you. Our relationship is nowhere near close enough for you to call me by my name. Just call me Uchiha." Higashino Kanade was as unfeeling as a block of iron and did not appreciate it at all.

"Don't you want our relationship to become closer? I'm a beautiful girl, after all." Luvia winked at Higashino Kanade.

Goosebumps rose all over Higashino Kanade's body. Unprovoked kindness concealed either treachery or theft. Luvia was suddenly acting so enthusiastic—she definitely had some ulterior motive.