Chapter 24

Ｒｅａｄ ｏｎ Ｋａ​ｔ​Ｒｅａｄｉｎｇ​Ｃａｆｅ

The severed limbs were still, without a doubt, part of Lucia’s body.

In other words, even when separated from her body, they continued to be influenced by super regeneration for a while.

But it’s not like they will stay fresh forever or that the limbs would regenerate and form a new Lucia—there were no such bizarre developments.

If the severed limbs were left alone, the effects of super regeneration would gradually weaken. Eventually, it would disappear completely, and the limbs would decay like normal.

Typically, the decay of a corpse is heavily affected by the surrounding environment.

Heat, light, oxygen, humidity, temperature—these and other factors determine the rate of decay.

Given that, after a day since the limbs were severed, they should be decaying by now. The skin should be discolored, and a horrible stench should be spreading.

However, with Lucia’s super regeneration still in effect, her severed limbs showed no signs of decay aside from being slightly pale.

The arms were still soft, and the legs retained their elasticity.

Looking at them like this, they almost resembled well-made replicas.

I arranged the severed limbs neatly on the desk, having chopped them up to fit them into my backpack.

Originally, I hadn’t planned to cut them up. I thought I’d just put them in since I had a large enough backpack.

But, you know, human arms and legs are surprisingly long—and bulky. They took up a lot of space.

When I put them in, the wrist and ankle stuck out awkwardly, creating a rather horrifying sight.

They might have fit in a travel bag, but… I’m going hiking, so a travel bag wouldn’t quite fit the situation.

So, I chopped them up nice and clean.

A clean chop with an axe. A smooth cut with a saw.

Then I put the pieces in black bags and stuffed them into the backpack.

In the early hours of dawn, I climbed the mountain, planning to bury them in secret.

…Describing it like this makes me sound like some kind of serial killer.

Look, I only chopped up Lucia’s limbs, okay? I’m Lucia, so it’s my limbs that I cut up. Nothing strange about that, right? Surely there’s at least one girl out there who has a hobby of cutting off her own limbs?

What? No? Don’t be ridiculous. She does exist and you know who! Yes, this is Lucia, your average girl with a simple dream of being quartered!

One day, I’d love to have all my limbs severed, even decapitated, and hung on a wall.

It’s fine because I won’t die. I can reattach them later anyway. Honestly, they don’t even have to be reattached. You could even keep them on display.

Or just chop off the limbs and put a collar on me as a pet…

Ah, now’s not the time.

Shaking my head, I cleared away those stray thoughts.

Lucia’s limbs, still imbued with her super regeneration, weren’t decaying yet.

But it wouldn’t last long. Less than a week would be my rough estimation. As such, they wouldn’t hold up until field training and would soon start to rot.

That wouldn’t do.

If they rot, it’ll be hard to hide. The smell will be overpowering, and I can’t carry them around.

Putting them in a refrigerator might delay the decaying process, but they’d start to rot once taken out. Field training involves a long bus ride. If they decay during that time, it’d be troublesome.

“Hehe… there’s no other choice, then.”

I’ll just have to keep them from rotting.

When I think about it, it’s simple. I just need to make sure Lucia’s super regeneration continues to work on them, right?

If left separated for too long, the effects of super regeneration would fade. Which, of course, means that if they’re not apart for too long, it won’t disappear.

“Yes, I’ll rely on you again.”

Ta-da! Out came the saw.

The very one I’d used to cut off my limbs before; still stained with blood.

First, I took off all my clothes. Bloodstains are hard to remove.

Since I was undressing anyway, I gave my chest a quick squeeze. 

Soft. Like pudding.

Maybe a little stimulation would help them grow?

But big breasts can be a nuisance when you move around a lot.

Especially for someone like Lucia, a future warrior, who would be constantly in combat. Large breasts would just be a useless burden.

Honestly, isn’t that the case for everyone? Other than sex appeal, what’s the point of large breasts? From experience, the whole ‘bouncing chest’ thing is heavy, painful, awkward, and downright embarrassing.

It’s just painful. And exhausting.

And then, the stares from the boys.

So embarrassing.

Heh, heheh…

Wiping the drool off my lips, I sliced into my arm.

When you do it enough times, you get used to it. I cut mercilessly through the pain-tightened muscles, even hacking through the bone.

Leaving only a thin layer of skin, I paused with the saw, and my arm dangled loosely, dripping hot, bubbly blood. I grabbed it and yanked it free.

“Ahhh~♡”

It tingles.

An electric current surged through my mind, turning everything white.

Is this adrenaline? Hehe, my vision is so white~♡

Spinning~, the earth is spinning~ Or maybe I’m the one spinning~? Is it me~?

With trembling hands, I placed my freshly severed left arm down, picked up the sliced-up pieces on the desk, and began reassembling what looked like my left arm. Like a puzzle, I lined up the severed pieces and held them to the bloody stump, counting silently in my mind. One second, two seconds, three seconds… ten seconds.

I let go.

Even without any support, my left arm stayed attached.

I wiggled my fingers. My nerves must have already reconnected because I could move it just fine. Lucia’s super regeneration is incredible.

“Mm… so this should keep it… fresh, right?”

Even after a wound heals, the phantom pain lingers for a while.

With a low groan, I picked up the dismembered limbs using my left hand, which had been left idle for more than a day.

This is the way. It’s crude but simple, isn’t it?

If decay occurs because the limbs are left severed for too long, then I just have to reattach them, like now.

Once a day. Until field training, I’ll reattach them at least once a day.

This way, I can deliver fresh Lucia limbs to the mouths of monsters.

I’d love to hear their thoughts on the taste if possible, but that might be asking too much.

Monsters can’t talk. Well, some can, but the weaker ones prepared for the field training wouldn’t understand basic language.

Still, I’m sure they’ll find it delicious!

If it looks good, it tastes good, right?

Lucia is a beautiful girl, after all. Even in this world where beauty standards are pretty high, she’s an exceptional beauty!

It’ll definitely be a juicy, delectable treat.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they wanted seconds.

If there’s no one around to interfere, I could give them more. I’ll do my best.

“Well, then.”

Now for the left arm.

Four limbs total.

Still, two legs and the right arm left.

I grabbed the saw again.

My fingertips trembled slightly. The phantom pain was still there.

Forcing the tremors down, I placed the saw against my right arm and sliced with great effort.

Slice.

The dormitory floor turned red.

◈

I believe hard work deserves a fitting reward.

I cut off my limbs, reattached the severed pieces, then once again disassembled and reassembled my original limbs.

Then I cleaned up the mess on the floor.

Next, I tackled the bathroom, which had been left in chaos from yesterday’s ‘activities’.

Exhausting…

My hands and feet were shaking.

My back ached, and my neck was stiff.

Using super regeneration would make the pain vanish instantly… but I think I’ll leave these traces of labor as a reminder.

It’s not because they were delightful or anything, hehe~♡

“I’m hungry. Let’s have a late-night snack.”

A sweet reward should be presented after hard work.

I hummed a faint tune as I headed to the kitchen.

Where did I leave it…? Ah, found it. Up on the shelf.

A white bag containing mushrooms.

One of the few spoils from my early morning hike.

Smiling widely, I pulled out the mushrooms, rinsed them to remove dirt and dust, and sniffed them.

Hmm, a decent scent. They have a bit of a tangy smell.

I was thinking of frying them with sesame oil and salt, but on second thought, wouldn’t that mask the true flavor of the mushrooms?

Mushrooms gathered from the wild should be eaten raw, I think. It’d be disappointing if cooking them reduced any toxicity.

Opening my mouth wide, I took a big bite.

Chew, chew. 

With every bite, an indescribable taste coated my tongue.

Trying my best to describe it:

“Ugh.”

It’s awful…

Maybe I should have cooked it? Or prepare it somehow? This is seriously the worst taste I’ve ever encountered.

It’s like… rotting fish fins… or maybe a moldy sponge… or a tire boiled in muddy water…

Fighting the nausea, I forced it down.

The taste isn’t what matters. That’s secondary. If I wanted it to taste good, I’d have cooked it. Or probably wouldn’t even have eaten mushrooms I just picked up from the mountain.

Mushrooms are risky. For most people, it’s hard to tell which are edible and which are poisonous, so wild mushrooms shouldn’t be gathered carelessly.

I can’t tell the difference, either. Since becoming Lucia, I did read some books at the library. But only skimmed through them. So, I just picked anything I could find.

What kind of mushroom did I eat? It’s probably not edible.

Amanita muscaria¹? Amanita phalloides²? It looked like one of the really poisonous ones… hehe.

Oh finally, I feel something.

My fingertips are tingling. My stomach feels a bit uneasy too. Bloated? Stomach ache?

I’m starting to feel a little dizzy… oh, a bit lightheaded too.

“But… is that it?”

Not immediate? Why is it only this much? Was it not a deadly mushroom?

I pulled out each remaining mushroom and bit into them one by one.

They’re terrible… spicy… bitter…

Definitely not edible mushrooms.

My stomach churns. I start shivering. I’m sweating.

My muscles twitch. I feel like throwing up.

But that’s all it was.

Even that passed within a few minutes, at most a few dozen.

Weird…

I held back my super regeneration.

Maybe they were just mildly toxic?

“…Ah.”

I slapped my knee.

I’m a supernatural, right? With superhuman physical capabilities. Naturally, I’d have a high resistance to poison.

A deadly toxin for a normal person only makes a superhuman dizzy or nauseous.

I forgot… I had such high expectations… I even read mushroom books… I even imagined myself coughing up blood…

For the first time, I found myself resenting my superhuman body.

If only I could do it without resistance… I’m needlessly resilient…

 

Author Note

Lucia was disappointed.

In fact, she was so disappointed that she thought she would cry.

Ugh.

Translator Note

I wonder what a death cap tastes like, just imagine it, the savory taste of fleeting life right before impending dea—anyways, Lucia is crazy.

Though, everyone probably already knew that, heh.