Chapter 111

Chapter 111

The Day Before the Incident

Out of curiosity, Noah had tried beer once after seeing others drink it so eagerly. The bitterness was so intense she had spat it out halfway.

‘Does it really relieve stress?’

The thought sparked her curiosity, but she quickly brushed it off. As a fugitive, she couldn’t afford the luxury of drinking. Noah set aside her curiosity and headed upstairs.

After confirming the room number, she unlocked the door and entered. Everyone had collapsed into the beds, fast asleep. They had been traveling for days with only brief naps, so they were utterly exhausted.

Ribon, however, seemed reluctant to sleep, shaking her head to fight off her heavy eyelids.

“…? Where’s Lian?”

“Lian oppa… went to wash up.”

Ribon, who had been dozing off, pointed to the bathroom. Noah nodded and set down her heavy bag.

‘I’ll distribute the supplies tomorrow.’

Noah kept the money and valuables, but simple items like food and blankets were carried by each individual.

They could transport everything in a dimensional bag, but having basic supplies on hand was crucial in case they got separated during an emergency.

Noah dusted off her robe by the window and hung it on a hook inside the room. Then she placed her rolled-up blanket on her bed.

The room was the cheapest available, so all the bunk beds were made of cheap wood with straw mattresses covered by cloth. There were no pillows, so they had to use rolled-up blankets instead.

Lian’s bed was the upper bunk above Noah’s, as the other beds were occupied.

‘I should check for any dangerous presences.’

To sleep peacefully through the night, Noah decided to perform a quick check. She discreetly spread her magical energy.

She could clearly sense the breathing of her companions sleeping nearby and Ribon’s sleepy movements.

Her magical energy extended beyond the room to the hallway. As she focused and tried to spread her energy to the upper and lower floors—

“…!?”

A horrifying scene flashed in her mind. Noah, her face pale with shock, hurriedly moved to the bathroom where Lian was.

Thud, the doorknob broke as she turned it. Deeply asleep, the others didn’t notice the noise. Only Ribon woke briefly, looked around, and then fell back to sleep.

“Wh-what? Noah?”

“You…”

And so, Noah was the only one to witness Lian slashing his wrist.

***

A little earlier, when Noah had just reached the room, Lian had summoned the sword to feed it his blood.

[Partner, so today too—]

‘…If you transform into a woman, I won’t summon you for a week.’

[…! Instead of rewarding me for my efforts for you!]

‘I don’t need such efforts!’

After the sword promised not to transform into a woman, Lian fed Gargandoa his sweet blood.

[Mmm, yes, this is it! Ahh… it fills my body…]

‘Please, stop saying weird things and just eat quietly!’

[You’re sensitive today, partner. Ah, is it that time? Humans get sensitive during their mating season.]

‘Where do you learn such weird knowledge?’

[Huhu, curious about my wellspring of wisdom? Well, if you insist, I must tell you! It’s—]

‘I’m not curious.’

Not wanting to hear the sword’s exaggerated history, Lian shook his head firmly and began to wash up.

Since it was the cheapest room, there was no shower. He thoroughly washed his hands, feet, and face, and wiped his body with a wet cloth.

Thanks to frequent river baths during their journey, he wasn’t as dirty as he expected.

While washing his hands, Lian’s gaze fell on the back of his left hand.

‘What would happen if I cut this hand with Gargandoa?’

What would happen if the cursed sword, seemingly the opposite of divine power, pierced the divine seal?

It was a trivial curiosity. He thought the sword would explain why it shouldn’t be done.

“Let’s see…”

Lian pulled the sword from his thigh and transformed it into a dagger for easier handling.

[Why are you pulling me out already? I’m still hungry!]

‘Just wait a moment.’

Lian brought the sword to the back of his left hand. He didn’t intend to stab it. He just wanted to bring it close to the seal to see if it would trigger any reaction.

As the sword neared the divine seal—

Flash!

The divine seal started to glow brilliantly.

[Aaah! Hot! It’s hot!]

“Wait, hold on..!”

Swoosh!

Startled by the pain, the sword twisted and inadvertently slashed Lian’s wrist. Though the wound wasn’t deep, blood began to flow.

“Ah, damn… my clothes will get dirty—”

Before he could finish his sentence—

Thud.

The locked bathroom door was forcibly opened. Noah, pale as a sheet, stared at Lian’s wrist and the sword.

‘Crap.’

Even with his skewed worldview from living in the gag world, Lian knew how bad it looked to be slashing his wrist with a sword. He glanced at Noah in panic and urgently spoke to Gargandoa.

‘Gargandoa, if you drink any more blood, you might never get to drink again!’

[What?!]

Slightly licking Lian’s blood, the sword halted at his words. Blood that had been absorbed dripped from the blade.

“Lian… you…”

“Uh, well… um…”

Lian’s eyes darted around, unable to form a coherent sentence, making Noah grit her teeth. Her face flashed with the same emotions as the previous night.

“Hmm… Hoo…”

Noah took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then spoke with her usual expression.

“…If you need help, just let me know anytime.”

“Ah, uh, yeah! It’s fine, really. I made a mistake. The wound is shallow and will heal quickly!”

“…Really?”

“Yeah, um… thanks for worrying.”

Noah remained silent for a moment before handing him a first-aid kit and closing the bathroom door.

“….”

She bit her lip, staring at the closed door, then grabbed her robe and left the room.

Thunk.

“Hoo… Haa…”

Standing in the hallway, Noah took deep breaths. Her chest felt tight, and nausea welled up.

‘Wait, you need to wait. Just a bit longer… a bit…’

Until when?

Until Lian is covered in blood and becomes a corpse?

Those words echoed in her ears. Facing an unsolvable problem, her head spun, and her stomach churned. Pulling her robe tightly, Noah staggered downstairs.

She needed fresh air, or she might lash out at Lian.

♩♬♪ ~ ♫ ..

As she reached the lobby, soft music played, something she hadn’t noticed before. In the early hours, the place seemed to operate as a quiet pub, with many people enjoying drinks in a relaxed atmosphere.

Noah headed straight for the entrance, needing to get outside.

“Put it inside carefully. It’s expensive.”

“Who else but me for careful handling?”

“If there’s any problem, you won’t get paid this month.”

“Oh, scary.”

By the entrance, a young woman in a white shirt and black pants was chatting with the innkeeper, who looked like a plump pig.

The woman hefted a box of ‘precious liquor.’ It was heavy, and she almost lost her balance but managed to steady herself.

“Be careful!”

“Yes, yes.”

The innkeeper turned his attention to other goods. Walking between the entrance and the desk, Noah and the woman inevitably crossed paths.

Noah, out of ingrained courtesy, stepped aside to let the woman pass. The problem was that the woman also stepped aside, leading them to collide.

“Whoa!”

Noah, well-trained and steady, stood firm, but the woman, burdened with the heavy box, almost fell backward as if hitting a wall.

Thud.

Noah’s hand quickly grabbed the liquor box. Her strength was so great that the woman ended up half-dangling from the box. After adjusting her awkward position, the woman hugged the box and spoke.

“Oh, thank you!”

“It was partially my fault too.”

“No, no. You were just being considerate. If I had broken this, I wouldn’t get my pay this month and would starve. Oh, I work as a bartender here. Let me offer you a drink on the house.”

“No, that’s not nec—”

“Come on, follow me!”

The woman, an unmistakable extrovert, led Noah to the bar. Ignoring her and heading outside was an option, but Noah’s stress levels were maxed out, making the woman’s offer of a drink appealing.

After hesitating for a moment, she reluctantly followed the woman, who eagerly beckoned her over.

Thud.

The woman handed her a white glass filled with ice water.

“Have a cool drink first.”

Noah sat at the bar, fiddling with the glass.

‘Drinking before a journey is not wise. It’s bad for the body.’

She recalled Lian’s warnings that drinking before adulthood was poisonous to the body.

Not knowing her birth date, she wasn’t sure if she was an adult yet. Even if she was, she had never heard that drinking improved health, so Lian’s advice probably held.

‘I’ll just drink this cold water and go up.’

Then, she could have a proper conversation.

The cool water would clear her head—so she thought as she gulped down the water.

As her throat bobbed twice—

“Pfft!”

The strong alcohol smell made her spit it out.

“Cough, cough!”

“Whoa? Are you okay? Can’t handle strong drinks?”

The potent alcohol quickly hit her head.

“Hic…”

She didn’t know it, but she was extremely weak to alcohol.

End of Chapter.