Ch.283Waiting NPCs. (2)
by fnovelpia
[I never thought the day would come when I’d eat a human. Though, I’m not sure if this can still be called human.]
[Holy Theocracy High Priest (Absorbed Greater Demon of Greed): Level 495]
[HP: 1,361]
After confirming that the HP of the creature I’d thrown into my stomach(?) was dropping very slowly—at exactly the same rate it was dissolving in my slime fluid—I deactivated my giant form.
[Sla Mime Golem: Level 403]
[Strength: 503] + [401]
[Agility: 388] + [544]
[Luck: 0+??]
[Intelligence: 112]
[HP: 49,969]
[MP: 1]
[What in the world happened to Master in this time that feels both short and long? Originally, the additional stats were limited to 150. And to think that 40 percent of Master’s stats are this high—are you seriously planning to kill a god?]
After checking my ridiculous stats and Master’s stats, I simply sat down. I hadn’t particularly intended to extract information from him, but I was stalling for time to recover a bit of MP so I could activate [Mimicry], [Absorption], and [Giant Form] all at once.
And as expected, that conversation time was barely enough. Right now, just using Absorption to digest him is making my MP fluctuate between 1 and 2.
[*Sigh* Still, it’s clear that Master has become stronger somehow. And thanks to that, I didn’t die… I mean, I didn’t lose my golem body and won.]
Honestly, I was seriously contemplating how to find my next body, thinking I would lose this golem form. The body and appearance I created after absorbing that field boss slime’s core was something I had put genuine effort into designing, and losing it here would have been extremely regrettable. And also…
[Honestly, I was afraid of losing the body that Master named.]
Mime Golem, so Gor. Truly, one could say Master has a terrible naming sense. Nevertheless, I’ve grown attached to both this body and the name given to me. Now, if Master were to call me just [Status Window], I would genuinely feel depressed.
[…I want to go before Master wakes up, but my body won’t listen to me.]
Having MP close to zero is a first since I became attached to this golem body. Master just said she was sleepy and dozed off, but it seems different for me. Far from feeling sleepy, my mind is clear, but I can distinctly feel that my entire body lacks strength. Moreover, Piyaki definitely noticed that I was ready to abandon this body here. If Master wakes up and Piyaki tells her that, I might face something worse than just a scolding.
[…Sigh, there’s so much to do and think about. The story Master knew, the future of this world, has been twisted too much. Episode 7 was supposed to happen after the Empire’s complete destruction, according to the explanation.]
There really is so much to do. First, I need to arrive before Master wakes up to let her know I’m safe, hide the fact that I was willing to sacrifice… abandon my golem body here, and also reassess our strategy based on how completely different the future has become from what Master knew. Truly, there’s too much to do. But…
*Trembling*
[…I acted composed, but it was dangerous.]
As expected, even when I try to move my body, it doesn’t respond, and my limbs just tremble. It’s different from the sensation when I stopped because I couldn’t sense Master. It’s simply that my physical strength has drained due to completely depleted MP. In a way, this is more frightening. Yes, I’m currently in a completely defenseless state.
[Holy Theocracy High Priest (Absorbed Greater Demon of Greed): Level 495]
[HP: 921]
[…But letting this trash die easily also makes me angry somehow.]
The more I listened to his elaborate nonsense as he tried to persuade me, the angrier I became. He rambled on about circulation, faith, and doing things for the world, but in the end, he was just trash afraid of their holy power weakening. And that surely wasn’t just his opinion alone.
[Well, I have no choice. I’ll properly dissolve and kill him painfully, then recover some MP and return—]
“GOR!!!”
[…Huh?]
What’s this? Do I hear things when my MP is depleted? I forcibly turned my trembling, uncontrollable neck toward the source of those two all-too-familiar voices. And there…
[Is this a hallucination? Could there still be enemies…]
“What nonsense are you talking about?! You’re alive, right?! The enemy!! Where is he…!!!”
“Gor!! You idiot!!! I told you it was okay for me to sleep!!! I said I’d wake up in bed!! Are you going to lie to me all the time, Gor?!!”
The blonde swordswoman, whose hair I find beautiful even by my standards, is now running toward us with completely disheveled hair, carrying a sticky, wet Master in her arms while scanning the surroundings. Huh? What? I’m sure I threw them properly. Could this really be a hallucination…
*WHAM!!!*
“Uuugh!! Gor is stupid too!! Grace and Gor and Big Sis Ragni are all stupid!!! Why do you keep disappearing without me!! Stupid stupid! Stupid!! Stupid!!!”
Master flew at me with all her might, hugged me, and cried out while sobbing. Rey kept watching us from the corner of her eye while continuing to scan the surroundings. I checked their status windows, wondering if these two might be fakes, but…
[…They seem real?]
“You’re not sleep-talking, are you? You didn’t actually die or get eaten by the enemy, right?! If the enemy ate you and is mimicking your body, we’re in big trouble…”
“Stupid!!! I’m real!! I’m really Ira!! Promise you won’t lie to me!!! If you don’t promise, I won’t talk to Gor anymore!!!”
Master, whose MP has already recovered to nearly 100, and Rey, whose HP status is exactly the same as after she fainted earlier. Plus, the magic sword she’s carrying is definitely the one Master bought for her. How did they get back here so quickly?
“…After you threw us, Piyaki created a firestorm that safely dropped us at the mansion entrance. Thanks to that, we landed without any injuries, and the people from the Count’s family who were there woke us up. Then…”
“Piyaki told us!! That Gor, Gor was trying to sacrifice himself!! That he told us to run away!!! So we came back!! With the teleport I set up…!!!”
Rey and Master immediately noticed my confusion about how they returned and explained everything to me. Oh, Piyaki. You immediately told them that? This is really bad, isn’t it? But…
“Uuugh!!! *Sniff* Why, why do you always leave me out…!!!”
[…Haah, I’m really sorry. And…]
*Squeeze*
I finally managed to move my arms and embraced the waist of Master, who was crying in my arms. And then…
*Thump*
[Thank you. Honestly, I was so scared too.]
“*Sniff* Huh?”
I rested my head on Master’s soft hair and expressed my gratitude. Rather than the fear of being scolded by her, somehow different feelings began to leak out first.
I was truly, truly scared. Losing this golem body. The possibility that the enemy might chase after Master and Rey afterward. The terror of being left as nothing but a powerless status window—I was genuinely feeling it all.
*Trembling*
“G-Gor? Are you trembling?”
[…Yes, really. Really. I was so scared. Thank you, thank you for coming to find me.]
“Did you defeat the enemy?”
[…Yes. It was really, really hard.]
If she asked whether it was difficult for me to stand up again and defeat him because I could sense Master again and my stats were strengthened—that wasn’t it. But the moment he reached out to me, tried to place his hand on my chest, I desperately wanted to move this golem body somehow, wished for it with all my might. And being left alone was truly, deathly frightening.
“*Sniff* Now, now you won’t move alone?”
[…Yes. I don’t want to be left alone anymore either.]
“You were the one who threw us in the first place. Geez…”
As I continued trembling and hugging Master, Rey sheathed her sword, approached, and began stroking my head. I never thought that I, a mere status window using a golem body, would feel such fear and terror. Surely, if I were human…
[I, I feel like crying.]
“C-Can golems even cry?”
“Sis! Gor is alive too!! Of course he can cry!! *Sniff*!”
“Oh? R-Really?”
With Rey’s gentle hand continuing to stroke my head saying “Then go ahead and cry all you want!” and Master’s warm comfort—which I shouldn’t even be able to feel through this golem body but somehow did—I truly leaned on both of them and rested. And then…
[Holy Theocracy High Priest (Absorbed Greater Demon of Greed): Level 495]
[HP: 0]
The moment the creature I had devoured was completely absorbed into my body, I felt a sensation of greater unity with my golem body, finally able to move properly. And so ended the night where everyone in our party was able to grow a little.
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