Chapter 123

Chapter 123

123rd Episode: Deficiency Anyway, after that brief episode, Taliman gave a bitter smile as he looked at Arum clinging to my knee. “…A slime as a pet, that’s a bizarre taste.” “Really? Isn’t she cute?” “Not at all, she looks like a cockroach to me.” I don’t think it’s that bad. She’s light pink and small. Still, everyone has different tastes, so let’s respect that. Anyway, after that conversation started, I was able to hear the circumstances of how he found me and brought me here. “I thought you were a decent guy, even if a bit strange, but I was wrong. I never expected it, but when I found you in that box, I felt like I’d been hit in the foot with an axe.” So, Kaldin was suspicious as he tried to leave the underground plaza carrying a box, so he was caught, and I was inside. Considering the mention of Joomagwan, Kaldin must have commissioned the petrification there. “…Looking back, maybe it was unnecessary meddling, but I couldn’t just leave you there. If you had a good relationship with that man, I apologize. It’s a bit late, though.” After finishing his explanation, Taliman continued with a hesitant expression. He’s petrifying people’s limbs and kidnapping them, does he really think we had a good relationship? “….” But even he himself seemed to think his words lacked credibility. He’s probably just saying that out of courtesy. It feels like a response that leaves room for doubt. So, I’ll be polite and answer him. “No, thank you. I think I would have been in a pretty bad situation if I had been taken away like that.” I unconsciously tried to wave my hand, but only my shoulder twitched slightly, and my arm didn’t move at all. Now that I look at it, my shoulder feels a bit strange too. It doesn’t move as I intend, as if it’s not my body. Still, this isn’t petrification, it just feels like paralysis. I still have sensation, and unlike before, it twitches a little. Maybe it’ll get better with a little more time. “If it’s not a misunderstanding, that’s a relief. But will that arm ever heal?” “Well, I don’t know. It’s my first time with something like this.” I shrugged my shoulders in response to his question. Now that it’s starting to move, it seems like I was paralyzed, not petrified, all along. I tried moving my thigh, which hasn’t been petrified yet, and it moves without any problems. …It moves, but I have no sensation at all, probably because it’s been petrified, and especially the joints don’t move at all. It’s like I have long sticks attached to my limbs.

-Thud.

When I moved my thigh, my leg was lifted and then hit the floor again with a dull sound. …I wonder how hard this is. Even when it was weak flesh, I trained Iron Body Technique to make it strong, so it wouldn’t have weakened just because it was petrified, right? If it really weakened, I’d be pretty sad. I put so much effort into learning Iron Body Technique. Of course, the most important part, my pussy, hasn’t been petrified, so I’ll only be about 30% sad. “…By the way, aren’t you too calm?” Taliman looked at me, checking my body by moving my limbs, with a surprised expression. “What?” “Well…look at your state. You’re practically crippled, but you seem incredibly calm.” Crippled, that’s a pretty blunt word, but it’s true for now. That’s why it hurts even more. I hope this mental pain is a growing pain for my big breasts. But, thinking about it, he has a point. Whatever my perspective, it must seem like a huge deal to others. But what can I do, I don’t feel any particular sense of crisis. I chuckled at Taliman and asked him. “Does it look too ugly? Would it look cleaner if I just cut them off?” “…Oh, shit.” I asked him because I sincerely wanted his opinion, and I got a curse word in Korean in return. That’s too much. You didn’t have to swear. I grumbled inwardly, but didn’t show it outwardly. I haven’t told him that I’m also a reincarnator. It didn’t seem like the right time to reveal it in this situation. And Taliman didn’t really mean to swear, as he quickly waved his hand and made excuses. “Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s my native language, and it sometimes comes out on its own.” “…What does it mean?” “It’s nothing much. It’s an exclamation you make when you see something amazing.” I asked him out of curiosity to see what kind of nonsense he would come up with, but he answered surprisingly accurately. Thinking about it, it’s actually true, so I had to admit it. “Your pronunciation is great. It sounds like a cool word.” “Really? Wanna try saying it?” “…No, thanks.” When I lightly praised him, Taliman shrugged and offered. But I shook my head and refused his offer. Sorry, but I’m a native speaker too, so my pronunciation is just as good. If I try to say it, he might find out. // As a side note, Taliman fought with Kaldin but didn’t kill him. He just zapped him with a magic sword and knocked him unconscious before returning. When I asked him why, the answer I got was quite impressive. “I didn’t want to write a report.” “…That’s very convincing.” I nodded and agreed with him. Even if we gained martial arts and reincarnated, unless we were lucky enough to be born with a silver spoon in our mouths, we’d still be commoners. I think I’m enjoying my life in my own way, but he doesn’t seem to be enjoying it much. Even if we’ve learned martial arts, we don’t have the power to split mountains with a single sword strike. That’s impossible even if we could unleash 100% of our martial arts. Besides, even if we have knowledge, it’s hard to learn martial arts without internal energy. That’s probably why Taliman seemed weak. If you can’t use absorption, it’ll take a lifetime to build up internal energy, and with such a small amount of internal energy, it’s hard to learn even simple external skills. If I could, I’d like to pass on the Demonic Yin Art, but Taliman would have to undergo a huge change in his values to learn it. Unless that’s his preference, I wouldn’t recommend it. “….” That thought brought a bitter smile to my lips. In the end, the only way is for me to impregnate a monster? To enable my friends from my past life to learn martial arts, I need a monster core with weakened poison. To be precise, I needed a core that had been adapted to humans. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t afraid of that. But I didn’t want to throw away the way to help Emily, El, and the other friends who reincarnated in this world just because I was scared and reluctant. Quirkseyev’s research was essential for those of us who practice martial arts, and I was the key to it. Taliman in front of me could die at any time. He’s definitely strong enough to fight Kaldin, but he’s much weaker than me. He could die from a stray arrow or a stray bullet. He’s guarding a noble, so there aren’t many dangers, but I can’t be complacent. The stronger martial arts become, the lower the chance of dying. If Quirkseyev’s research succeeds, it will probably be a great help to us. While I was lost in thought, Taliman spoke to me again. “By the way, are you sure that demon guy isn’t your boyfriend?” He didn’t seem very sure about what he had done. Even though that Kaldin turned my limbs to stone, he was asking me with a cautious expression, so he might be more timid than I thought. He didn’t seem sure about what he had done, so I nodded and answered him firmly. “Yeah, he’s not my lover, at least.” If he were, he wouldn’t have turned my limbs to stone. He probably thinks of me as his own doll. I don’t particularly dislike that, but I have my own privacy. When I answered that, Taliman finally looked relieved. “I guess so. More than anything, you’re still too young to…” “Still, we’ve slept together a few times. He probably misunderstood because of that.” To be exact, it was more like I was being violated than sleeping together, but there’s no need to go around telling everyone that. As I said that and turned my head to loosen my neck, I heard a strange cough from the front. “Pfft!?” I looked up, wondering what was wrong, and Taliman had a shocked expression on his face. “W-what did you just say?” “Uh…that we had sex a few times?” I blankly asked back, then realized what the problem was. Well, even if we’re both reincarnators, that’s something only I know right now. I felt kind of familiar with him, so I spoke without thinking like I would to El, but this kind of issue is usually a bit sensitive between men and women. But my thoughts were completely wrong. Taliman put on a serious expression and started lecturing me as he looked at me. “Listen, kid. I don’t know how old you are, but you need to take better care of your body.” …Ah, so that’s why he was surprised. Come to think of it, I look pretty young. No one would think I’m 16 like Emily. In the Kilkard Kingdom, 16 is the age of adulthood, but I’m not wearing my age on my forehead, so there’s no way Taliman would know my age. I don’t know where to start pointing things out. “That’s a nice thing to say, but don’t you think it’s useless to say that to a slave?” “…I guess so.” I asked back, dumbfounded, and he surprisingly admitted it. “And I’m 16 years old. You probably won’t believe it-” “…Do you really think I’m going to believe that? With that face and that body, you’re 16?” Other people believe me, though. It seemed like it would be quite difficult to make him believe me. // I had quite a few conversations with Taliman, but I didn’t end up talking about my past life. It’s not because I’m ashamed or embarrassed about my life now. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have revealed it to El in the first place. I just didn’t think I needed to reveal it yet. And it didn’t seem like the right situation. Even though I’m in this state, I don’t want to be unnecessarily worried about or pitied. It’s not too late to say anything after I somehow solve the petrified limbs. I have the clue of the Typhon Baekjakga family, so even if he leaves Karaldin, I can find him at any time. “Okay. Pex, and Quirkseyev, right?” “Yeah, sorry, but since I’m in this state…I’ll have to ask you for a favor.” “It’s nothing. It’s not a difficult task.” When I said that with an awkward smile, Taliman chuckled and replied. Old Man Quirkseyev left the underground plaza and headed to the surface. He said it would take about a day or two, so he can’t come right away. Besides, I don’t know anyone, so I can’t contact him. I can’t rely on Taliman forever. I had to find a way somehow. But it’s impossible for me to wander around alone without all my limbs, so what can I do? In the end, the only thing I can do is contact another Quirkseyev. He’s a famous magician in charge of body modification at the Pex brothel, so it shouldn’t be hard to find him. Fortunately, Taliman seemed to know about Pex. “I think I know the location roughly. I’ve heard of it.” Well, it would be ridiculous if he couldn’t find such a famous place in this small district. If he’s been there as many times as Taliman, he’d definitely know. “You haven’t been there before?” “Well, I don’t know. I don’t have that kind of taste.” Too bad. I wanted to ask what the atmosphere is like, but I guess I’ll have to go there myself.

Taliman put me back in the box, just as I was when he brought me. It would have been ridiculous to carry around a human with petrified limbs. I had a similar experience when we came to the underground plaza, so getting back into the coffin-like box felt new. “Just bear with the shaking.” “It’s okay. I’m used to this too.” “…How do you have to live your life to get used to that?” Taliman muttered as if he was dumbfounded, but from my point of view, it was the result of living my life to the fullest, so I had nothing else to say. Life can be like this, or it can be like that. And so, we left the inn and headed to Pexos, the human modification brothel. …Probably. All I could see was the lid of the box, and all I could hear was a buzzing sound, but I just thought so and believed it. Taliman wouldn’t sell me off somewhere, would he?