Otaku Translation: I! Anomaly Cleansing Agent! C54

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Golden Toad's question hung in the air, but Leon had no intention of dignifying it with a response. This so-called sacred spirit of Scale of Gold wasn’t exactly known for its fairness or reasonableness. The black goat’s earlier description—"forces purchases on nearly anything"—summed up both its abilities and personality perfectly.

The notion that this creature equated labor and money directly with life itself was nothing short of absurd sophistry, a blatant disregard for logic and morality. Unfortunately, as they say, it’s not the educated bullies you fear—it’s the ones who are enormous.

Leon glanced upward at the toad’s towering six-meter frame, its grotesque body stretching over ten meters wide. He couldn’t help but think back to the optional missions Chief had mentioned that morning. While he hadn’t dealt with the five-meter beast she referenced, here he was now facing something even bigger—and judging by what little he’d seen, size was likely the least impressive aspect of this monstrosity.

This time, escape seemed impossible.

"I don’t particularly mind selling my life," Leon said aloud, recalling how effortlessly the toad had teleported him here moments ago. Any thought of fleeing on his broomstick vanished instantly. His last hope rested solely on the fiery red strands entrusted to him by Chief.

Reaching into his pocket, Leon pulled out a small flask of cheap liquor and downed it in one gulp. As Martyr of the Wine Realm activated within him, all hesitation and fear melted away. Standing tall, he glared defiantly at the colossal amphibian before him, his voice ringing with unshakable resolve:

"But the price you’re offering is far too low. It wouldn’t be enough to buy my life."

Oh?

The golden toad tilted its massive head in surprise, intrigued by the tiny human who dared to meet its gaze without flinching. Initially, it had merely intended to mock this mortal, reveling in his terror and using his inevitable breakdown as entertainment while sneering at the poor taste of its “old friend” in choosing such a pitiful servant.

But this insignificant insect, standing before an entity capable of stripping everything from him with ease, actually had the audacity to challenge it?

"Heh, if you’re so confident…"

Amused, the golden toad grinned, its compound eyes focusing intently on Leon. "Then let me appraise your worth once more~"

As the golden toad's gentle voice echoed, countless reflections of Leon quivered across its massive compound eyes. In an instant, those images shifted into a chaotic flurry of new scenes.

The innocent and carefree days of childhood, basking in the warmth of parental love, followed by the inconsolable wails after their loss—then came vast stretches of hollow darkness.

When the oppressive void finally lifted, it revealed nearly a year spent bedridden with fever, a relentless illness that drained most of his family’s savings. From there began an unyielding struggle for survival, chasing meager coins to keep despair at bay.

Under the scorching sun, he painted the walls of villas, his frail body lugging heavy sacks at the docks. With a two-meter-long cleaning pole, he scrubbed soot-stained ferries until his arms trembled from exhaustion.

When winter froze the rivers and halted shipping, he took over an abandoned newsstand by the roadside, shivering in the cold as he sold newspapers. At times, he padded his shoes to appear older, sneaking into loosely managed factories to take on odd jobs that required no credentials—scrabbling together paltry sums just to survive.

But alas, despite over two years of backbreaking labor, the impoverished household grew no richer. Instead, it became emptier. The occasional glimpse of a young girl showed her complexion growing pale, her cough worsening with each passing day. Two shadowy figures of children, their faces indistinct, also began to waste away, their frail forms mirroring the bleakness of their circumstances…

"Boring life," the toad muttered dismissively after scanning thousands of days in less than a second. Its interest piqued briefly when Leon joined the Cleansing Bureau and encountered the red-haired Chief, but it quickly cut off the playback.

"If this is what you call ‘too low a price,’ then I must apologize—your worth is far lower than you imagine. Even if you stayed alive until old age within that detestable bureau, it would only add marginally to your value. My assessment remains unchanged."

With that, the toad lifted another mountainous pile of gold coins, presenting them calmly as though delivering a verdict.

"You are no different from the others—mere slaves to wealth. And I, who command wealth, possess the inherent right to dominate you. Though you may be slightly more valuable than the rest, these coins will suffice to purchase your pitiful existence."

...

Enough with the crap.

Seeing the toad prattle on without making a move, Leon gritted his teeth in frustration. If he wanted to trigger the protective charm woven into Chief’s hair, he needed to provoke an attack. Reaching toward his collar, he hesitated for only a moment. Chief had warned him about touching her hair—it was tantamount to groping her chest—but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Wait."

Just as Leon’s fingers were about to brush against the vibrant red strands, a trembling voice rang out from the crowd. Both Leon and the golden toad turned to see Mrs. Char, the middle-aged woman suffering from epilepsy, stepping forward despite her shaking legs.

After glancing at the broom and shopping bag in Leon’s hands, she summoned every ounce of courage to stand upright and face the toad’s piercing gaze.

"He saved my life," she declared loudly. "I… I can offer a lot of money. You can’t just buy his life like that!"

"Oh? Are you planning to bid against me?"

The toad’s lips curled into a sinister smile. "Very well. A fair auction is part of honest trade. Let us begin."

With a wave of its hand, it transported Mrs. Char closer, pointing a finger at Leon.

"This human favored by demons earns roughly six hundred gold coins per year. Thus, I estimate his life to be worth around thirty thousand coins—if we assume he has forty productive years left. That is the maximum I am willing to pay. If you offer more, his life is yours."

Thirty thousand?

Mrs. Char’s eyes lit up with determination. "I’ll pay it."

"Don’t!" Leon shouted urgently, sensing something deeply wrong emanating from the toad’s soul. But it was too late. Before he could stop her, Mrs. Char confirmed her bid, and the toad gleefully accepted.

"Deal."

...

"It’s fine," Mrs. Char reassured Leon, seeing his troubled expression. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "My husband owns the Char Department Store, and I have savings of my own. Thirty thousand gold coins won’t be a problem."

Hearing her confident declaration, Leon sighed heavily, torn between gratitude for her generosity and exasperation at her naivety. This wretched toad might pretend to follow rules, but its entire premise was built on manipulative nonsense. Why set the price so low when it clearly knew she wasn’t lacking funds? Something was undoubtedly amiss.

Under Leon’s watchful eye, the toad laughed heartily, pushing him toward Mrs. Char. Holding out its palm, it demanded:

"His life is yours. Now, pay up."

"I will. Just let me leave, and I’ll arrange for the money to be brought immediately."

"No, no, no. That kind of money won’t do." The toad shook its head, still smiling. "The money you possess isn’t truly yours—it belongs to your husband’s company, the customers of the department store, and the nation’s mint. To buy a life, you need money that cannot be devalued by simply printing more. Only something uniquely yours will suffice… like this."

As the toad opened and closed its hand, Mrs. Char felt the world shift slightly. Her vision blurred, and suddenly, her surroundings narrowed by a third.

"There. That’s money earned through the loss of your right eye’s sight. Only such sacrifices belong entirely to you."

Weighing a few pitiful gold coins in its grasp, the toad shook its head pityingly.

"Your eyesight seems poor. Was it damaged from long nights poring over accounts? What a shame. It seems I’ll need to take more. These coins aren’t nearly enough to buy his life. Oh, do you remember how much his life costs?"

In Mrs. Char’s horrified gaze, the toad’s grin widened unnervingly.

"Exactly thirty thousand coins."

Calculating aloud, it added, "To gather that amount, you’ll likely need to sacrifice your senses, organs, limbs, skin… perhaps even more."

"Stop."

Before the toad could close its hand again, Leon lunged forward, gripping its slimy fingers with fury.

"Enough of your games. You never intended to make a real deal. This is pure mockery. Even if she produces thirty thousand coins, you’ll find some excuse to renege."

"Not at all," the toad replied smoothly, meeting Leon’s glare. "If she pays, I’ll complete the transaction—as a mediator, handing her payment to you and taking your life in return. Isn’t that fair?"

So she’d lose everything—her senses, organs, limbs, skin—and survive literally stripped bare, while I die outright?

Staring at the toad’s eerily pleasant smile, Leon finally understood why Chief had repeatedly warned him never to trust intelligent anomalies. In his soul vision, the toad bore no malice toward him. Its actions stemmed purely from amusement—an insidious curiosity driving it to commit horrifying acts of deception and cruelty.

Something like you… shouldn’t exist.

Taking a deep breath, Leon seized his chance. Exposing his neck, he rammed his head violently against the toad’s sharp claw.

...

Is he trying to end his own life to prevent that outcome?

"Don’t spoil my fun," the toad growled, swatting Leon aside with a powerful swing of its massive hand. "You’re such a bore... Wait. Is that woman’s hair with you?!"

As the toad roared in shock, Leon’s coat collar shattered, releasing a cascade of vivid red strands. Like living threads, they surged toward the toad.

"Back! Stay back!"

Panicking, the toad hurled piles of gold coins desperately, attempting to widen the gap. For a brief moment, the distance between the strands and the toad expanded exponentially. Yet their advance halted for less than a second before the crimson strands shot forward once more, piercing the toad’s body like fish diving into water.

"Get out! Get OUT!"

The toad screamed in terror, opening its gaping maw to spew torrents of gold coins, hoping to “buy” the intruding strands out of its flesh. Despite expelling countless coins, only a few shorter fragments emerged. The longest, strongest strands remained embedded, racing through its bones, membranes, veins, and tendons, slicing with invisible precision.

Within the span of a single breath, the six-meter behemoth unraveled completely. Its body split open cleanly, devoid of blood, collapsing into pieces with a clatter. Silence fell over the square as the once-mighty creature lay lifeless.

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