Ch.8Chapter 8. If Lin Wants, She Can Do Whatever She Wants With Me

# Demon Race.

No need for an explanation.

They’re just incredibly strong.

If the genre were hack-and-slash, they’d be reduced to disposable mobs that give you the satisfaction of being sliced up with a few clicks. But Arrogant Saga was a turn-based RPG adventure game.

They’re absurdly powerful.

Even a low-ranked demon is at least three times stronger than a trained adult male.

And that’s just comparing physical abilities. Since demons can inherently use black magic, their threat level is multiplied.

Without a hero party or equivalent fighting force, a low-ranked demon could wipe out a small city given enough time.

In the original game, the hero party only started searching for specialized items after their first encounter with demons. Until then, they had only faced magical beasts, but when they first met a demon in an event, they were nearly annihilated.

The only consolation was that demons were extremely few in number.

But once one appeared, warning fires would blaze across the entire country and alarms would sound—that’s how threatening they were.

And unfortunately, they were hiding in Efalterga, the only outpost before entering the Frigid Mountains.

It was a small city primarily visited by explorers seeking to conquer unknown lands, rather than adventurers hunting for rare items or boss monsters for fame and fortune.

To this day, no one had ever set foot on the highest peak of the Frigid Mountains.

In a way, it was a region sought only by those who cared nothing for the war between the Empire and the Demon Lord, focusing instead on discovering new places.

Honestly, Lin wanted to enter the mountains and find the elixir right away.

The reason he couldn’t was because the Empire had a relatively mild climate year-round, while the demons’ territory, the Demon Realm, was hot and humid.

This meant that the Frigid Mountains required cold-weather protection due to their howling winds and freezing temperatures.

Since the regions they’d traveled through in the original game were like that, Lin never even had the chance to see cold-weather gear in the porter’s bag.

He thought about using a scroll, but there were magical beasts in the Frigid Mountains too, and they were sensitive to magical power and energy.

The moment he tore a scroll, they would sense it and swarm in for fresh meat.

And though he was hiding it from Lucy, Lin was quite exhausted.

The price of focusing solely on caring for Lucy and traveling while neglecting his own needs was steep.

After going too long without food, his head was spinning, and he’d become noticeably less talkative.

Still, if they could just pass through the gates of Efalterga up ahead, they could rest properly for at least one night.

“It must be uncomfortable, but please bear with it a little longer.”

“Okay.”

After wrapping Lucy in a bundle and securing her to his stomach, Lin layered several thick clothes over her.

They had left the forest not long ago, and with the snowy path stretching before them, the temperature had dropped significantly. While wearing multiple layers wasn’t unusual in this cold, the bulging stomach where he was hiding Lucy looked suspicious to anyone who saw it.

But it was fine.

Coming from the back alleys, he knew exactly how to handle situations like this.

“Halt! Who goes there?”

“Just a traveler wishing to enter the city, sir.”

“What business does a traveler have in a place like this?”

It wasn’t deep into the night yet.

Since this was a place where sunlight barely reached, it wasn’t unusual for people to arrive at night, but coming to this remote Efalterga in the first place was rare.

“Look at this. No luggage, so not an explorer. Face is thin, but belly’s bulging?”

“Hehe, I ain’t nothing special, just got a terrible condition, sir.”

“A condition?!”

“Oh! It’s not contagious or anything! It’s just that my body’s been poorly built from birth, making only my belly stick out like this. With a body like this, I’m over twenty but what woman would tie my topknot for me? I’ve been traveling all over trying to cure this body of mine.”

The man who appeared to be the leader nodded to another guard.

The guard who received the instruction searched Lin’s body.

Lin spread his arms and legs wide and cooperated actively, but when the hands moved toward his stomach, he unconsciously held his breath.

Lucy must have felt the touch through the clothes because she froze up completely.

“There’s nothing suspicious here.”

“Nothing suspicious?”

“Yes~.”

“Hmm, he looks suspicious… but unfortunately, there’s nothing out of the ordinary.”

As the guards exchanged meaningful glances, Lin quickly pulled out a small pouch from his chest.

“Whew, it’s cold. You must work so hard guarding the city in this freezing place. This pouch… it’s nothing special, really nothing at all… but I hope it serves as a small token of appreciation for the hard work of our dedicated guards….”

“Ah, ahem! Oh, you didn’t have to…”

“You see, I’m not the type to cause trouble with bad intentions. As I mentioned, after traveling everywhere to fix this belly, I heard rumors that there’s a rare herb deep in the Frigid Mountains that can restore deformed bodies to normal. So I came all this way alone, clutching at straws.”

“Well, if you couldn’t tie your topknot past twenty, I guess you’d try anything.”

The guard then held out his palm to Lin.

Lin quickly took out more pouches and handed them over.

“Yes, yes, apart from your pitiful situation, you seem fine.”

“Oh, of course.”

“Actually, in Efalterga here, it’s just people like you if they’re not explorers. We’re used to it.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

After bowing his head countless times until told to stop, Lin was finally allowed to pass through the gate after receiving some empty threats about not causing trouble.

As he walked away, wiping the nervous sweat from his brow, the leader called out to him.

“But what if you can’t find that herb?”

Lin turned around with a lecherous smile.

“Hehe… well… even if I can’t tie my topknot, I should at least lose my virginity, shouldn’t I?”

“Hahahahaha! That’s right! That’s what all men are like! Don’t worry! As long as you pay properly and don’t look too strange, they’ll take anyone here. And though I haven’t been to other regions myself, the women of Efalterga are quite beautiful, so you won’t be disappointed.”

The leader laughed heartily and gave Lin’s back a good pat.

Lucy barely managed to suppress the urge to vomit from the jostling.

Efalterga.

The only outpost at the foot of the Frigid Mountains.

This meant it was not only the last place to prepare equipment but also the last place to find warmth in the arms of prostitutes, both female and male.

—

Finding lodging was easy, but inns willing to accept them were rare.

Innkeepers showed wariness toward Lin with his protruding belly, unsure if it was some terrible contagious disease, and other guests joined in, often resulting in them being driven out.

After begging and pleading, they managed to enter a shabby inn, but the owner charged them exorbitant prices.

No matter how resourceful Lin was, there was nothing he could do with the constraint of having Lucy with him.

To make matters worse, when he brought food to the room, Lucy, finally free from the thick fabric but drenched in sweat, was lying silently on the bed.

“Lucy, you need to eat.”

“Lin, you eat. I just need honey.”

“But this is proper food for once.”

“What’s so proper about that?”

It was just thin porridge, but it was much better than the wild vegetables they’d been eating in the forest—easier to digest too.

Knowing Lucy’s tendency to eat anything without complaint despite her standards for appearance, Lin wondered why she was acting this way now.

With the tension finally released at the prospect of sleeping in a bed rather than on dirt, Lin couldn’t hide his fatigue.

Lucy, noticing Lin’s condition, explained as if making an excuse:

“I don’t feel good.”

“Why?”

“They treated you like you were sick.”

“I told them I was sick. It’s fine.”

“It’s all because of me. I’m not okay with it.”

It was pure stubbornness.

Why would she be upset over something so trivial?

Still, Lin tried to think about what might be causing it.

He put down the porridge bowl and lowered his gaze to meet Lucy’s eye level.

“Lucy, is it because I kept you inside my clothes for too long? I’m sorry, I should have found lodging faster.”

“Why…”

“Lucy?”

“Why do you always apologize…?”

Lucy sighed.

When Lin apologized, it made her reflect on her own pettiness, and she couldn’t look him in the eye.

Lucy, who wasn’t talented at hiding things, finally surrendered and revealed her true feelings.

“Lin… is one of your purposes for coming here to visit a brothel?”

“Huh?”

The involuntary sound of surprise was enough to reassure Lucy considerably.

“It’s not like that.”

Just as her expression softened and she was about to smile, Lin’s next words made her face stiffen again.

“But we do have to pass by there.”

“What?”

Lin couldn’t help it.

Efalterga’s map was essentially a straight line, with the brothel district located right before the cold-weather equipment shop.

He explained this, but Lucy couldn’t accept it.

“If you want to go, just say you want to go.”

“Why would I want to go to a place like that?”

“You’re a man too, Lin. You might have… built up a lot of tension. I’m okay with it. I understand.”

She clearly didn’t understand at all.

Understanding or not, Lin had no time for this.

If he didn’t restore Lucy quickly, they wouldn’t be able to protect the world from the coming demon threat, and everyone would die in the ensuing destruction—he had no room in his mind for brothels.

Moreover, he didn’t even have a habit of visiting such places.

Not only did he have no interest of his own, but from his childhood, if he ever showed curiosity or was forced to approach such places, his old acquaintances wouldn’t let him off easily.

Even when he just peeked his head around a corner where the red light of a butcher shop was glowing, those women had beaten him thoroughly.

“And if Lin wants to…”

Lucy steadied her trembling voice.

“You can do whatever you want with me.”

“Lucy!”

Lucy hiccupped in surprise at Lin’s shout.

She couldn’t believe he had raised his voice at her and felt hurt.

“Even considering your difficult situation, I can’t let that comment slide.”

“Why? I, I sincerely…”

“Value yourself. And I didn’t save you expecting that kind of payment.”

A different kind of payment, perhaps. Like saving the world, for example.

“That statement insults both you and me. Do you think I saved you with such intentions? Is that the kind of person you’ve been calling your best companion?”

Even for Lin, whose emotions were dulled, Lucy’s words were deeply hurtful.

“No, Lin. I’m just so grateful…”

“Lucy, you’re a proud hero. The hero chosen by the holy sword Hunoni. Yes, your situation is extremely difficult, but it’s temporary. I promise you. I’ll find a way to restore you, so please don’t ever say such things again.”

“The one by my side right now isn’t Hunoni—it’s you!”

Lin hastily pulled out a skill scroll.

[Common: Presence Concealment (Lv.5)]

Since higher-grade scrolls were deep inside the porter’s bag, he quickly found and cast an appropriate skill.

“I hate them all! They tore pieces directly from my body one by one!”

Lucy’s cry, filled with resentment, began to fill the room.

“They said I was too arrogant to be left alone? Then why didn’t they actively warn me to restrain myself before?!”

He had to admit she was right. While he might have given her light reproaches, he had never seriously tried to stop her.

“When I had nothing but despair and death ahead of me, it was the porter I had always ignored who saved me! It was you who desperately rescued me despite having no special abilities! Look at you now. You’re taking care of all my needs while unable to do anything you want.”

Her breathing became ragged, and her eyes reddened.

“Do you know how sorry and grateful I feel?”

Lin’s instinct sounded an alarm.

He shouldn’t let her continue speaking like this.

“I’m not trying to use my body simply as a token of gratitude! I have my own thoughts! Lin… I…”

“Enough, we’re both too worked up.”

“Ah…”

She was going to say she liked him.

She wanted to let him know she truly adored him.

But Lin stopped her.

Lucy wanted to argue, but she felt that if she pushed any further, he might leave.

Even if his body didn’t leave, his heart might never turn toward her again.

“If I were even a little stronger and more capable, I would have restored you by now and more.”

“Don’t say that. I like you as you are now. I’m glad it was the current you who saved me.”

“Haha, are you trying to comfort me?”

“I’m serious.”

“Hmm, may I ask why you think that way?”

Lucy spread her arms, which were of uneven lengths.

When Lin embraced her tightly, she finally buried her head weakly against him.

“Because you made me realize your importance. If it wasn’t the current you, you might not have saved me. That’s why I like it.”

“I see. Thank you.”

“If you’re thankful, hug me tighter.”

“Like this?”

“A little more.”

When he hugged her so tightly that her nose was pressed against him, Lucy placed her lips against his chest.

But her kiss was blocked by Lin’s clothes.

It was heartbreaking.

No matter how hard she tried to show her affection, it didn’t reach him, and he wouldn’t even let her say she liked him.

She began to suspect that Lin might be intentionally rejecting her feelings.

Still, Lucy could wait.

With Lin’s help, once she had arms and legs again, she could try something else more actively.

She was holding onto that hope in her heart.

Thump-thump.

She could hear Lin’s heartbeat.

Lucy’s own heartbeat quickened in response.

Don’t disturb me. I want to hear his heartbeat more.

Lucy gently closed her eyes.

To enjoy the only sound left to her.