Chapter 11: Accomplice

“Didn’t think I’d end up an accomplice with Scumbag Sister…”

Na Naya bit her finger, regretting her miscalculation.

Sure, being accomplices kept Meng Linna from reporting her.

But the thought of being so deeply tied to this woman made her restless.

She’d sworn to stay far away from her!

“Accomplice!”

Meng Linna repeated the word excitedly, like a kid with a new meme.

“Does this mean we’re bound together now?”

“Just for this.”

Na Naya was annoyed.

Did she have to announce their crime so loudly?

Did she want everyone to know they were accomplices?

Big chest, no brains—yep, this woman was as dumb as expected.

Maybe someone needed to teach her a lesson.

“That’s still something.”

Meng Linna looked curiously at the vein.

“So what’s your plan? Keep mining or stop?”

“This vein hasn’t been recorded by the geology team.”

Na Naya gave Meng Linna a meaningful look, hinting for her to decide.

“Not recorded…”

Meng Linna caught her meaning.

“So we could mine the whole thing?”

“Your words.”

Na Naya smirked slyly and raised her whip to keep mining.

To be fair, though, while this mithril vein was rich, that was relative.

Its total yield was just the surface layer.

Why else would mithril be so expensive?

Only in a dungeon would you find such high-purity mithril.

Otherwise, why would the guild care so much about this survey?

***

“So slow!”

When the two reached the camp, Peggy had already eaten.

“You two weren’t secretly dating underground, were you?”

“No way!”

Both denied it in unison.

This only made Peggy grin knowingly.

“You’re overthinking it!”

Meng Linna grabbed Peggy’s shoulders, exasperated.

“We just got a bit lost down there!”

“I get it, I get it!”

But Peggy’s expression said otherwise.

“By the way.”

A graduate student looked over, her face serious.

“You two stayed down there so long. You weren’t illegally mining mithril, were you?”

Oh no, caught?

Meng Linna’s heart skipped.

She glanced at Na Naya.

The student followed her gaze.

Na Naya’s backpack was bulging, contents unknown.

“No, that’s illegal.”

Even under everyone’s stares, Na Naya’s expression stayed icy.

“And if this one caught me mining, she’d report me in a heartbeat.”

“That’s how you see me?”

Meng Linna felt awkward.

Agreeing or disagreeing with Na Naya seemed wrong either way.

“Of course!”

Na Naya nodded firmly.

“I wouldn’t let you hold anything over me.”

‘But you’ve already given me plenty to hold.’

Meng Linna smirked inwardly.

“Whatever you say.”

The student’s eyes stayed wary.

“Maybe you’re covering for each other. Can I see your backpacks? It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just better for everyone, right?”

“No problem.”

Meng Linna stepped forward.

She handed over her backpack willingly.

They’d agreed Na Naya would handle selling the mithril.

So all the ore was with her.

Meng Linna’s backpack was stuffed, but only with monster corpses.

Letting them check was no big deal.

Na Naya’s side, though…

Meng Linna just hoped she was clever enough to hide the mithril while they checked her bag.

“And your backpack?”

The student turned on her action camera.

She didn’t seem easy to fool.

“…”

Na Naya walked forward silently, not saying a word.

Her demeanor suggested she might smash the backpack over the student’s head any second.

“Y-You… what are you doing?”

The student backed away as Na Naya approached.

Her overwhelming presence was real.

Even Meng Linna, watching from the side, felt nervous.

What if Na Naya actually attacked?

Maybe she could convince Peggy to go rogue with her.

Take out all three geology team members?

Ugh, from a regional bishop in her past life to a roadside bandit?

But as Meng Linna’s mind wandered, Na Naya suddenly smiled.

“You’re the one who asked to check my backpack. Why so scared now?”

With that, she tossed her backpack at the student’s feet.

“Check it thoroughly.”

“Uh, of course.”

The shaken student, legs trembling, opened Na Naya’s backpack.

Just monster corpses inside.

No mithril ore at all.

The student flipped through it briefly and pushed it back.

“Nothing there.”

The student looked relieved, as if she’d been the one stealing.

“I was too sensitive. Sorry to both of you!”

“It’s fine.”

Na Naya gave a gentle smile.

“It’s a reasonable suspicion. I totally get it.”

“Thank you!”

The student bowed repeatedly and hurried back to her tent.

“Only you two haven’t eaten!”

Peggy winked.

“I’m taking the midnight watch again. Off to sleep!”

Peggy ducked into her sleeping bag.

She couldn’t resist adding.

“I sleep like a rock. Whatever you talk about, I won’t hear!”

“Annoying, aren’t you?”

Meng Linna shot her a disdainful look.

“Just sleep already!”

“Snoring soon!”

Peggy zipped up her tent and went quiet.

Only the crackle of burning wood filled the camp.

Meng Linna sighed and opened her backpack.

“Roast chicken for dinner, how’s that?”

She’d promised to cook for Na Naya.

She wasn’t about to break her word.

“…”

Na Naya wanted to refuse.

But thinking of yesterday’s rabbit and today’s dry biscuit in the dungeon, she couldn’t say it.

“No answer? I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Whatever!”

Na Naya gave up, sounding defeated.

“My opinion never matters, then or now!”