Chapter 170: 13th Floor (6)

Chapter 170: 13th Floor (6)

“Uweeeek!!”

Hitolis
bent over urgently and began vomiting.

The
desert worm’s intestinal walls squirmed, splattering vomit
everywhere.

A
few drops of the dirty liquid landed on my greaves, but there was no
point in complaining about it.

Honestly,
I wanted to vomit alongside Hitolis, but the situation didn’t allow
me the luxury.

“I
didn’t expect to see you here.”

Chiiiiik!

Belle
muttered as she flipped Perkins’ meat slab with her bare hands.

Despite
the grotesque visual, the savory scent and deep aroma filled the air.

Perkins
was trash who deserved to die.

No
one would argue otherwise.

She
was a scum who ruined the morale of a decent exploration party,
destroyed the group, and even assaulted the party members.

On
top of that, I was in this mess because of her, so hearing of her
death brought a strange sense of relief.

‘But
paying for one’s sins is one thing.’

Slicing
up and grilling a corpse, however, was a different story.

Perhaps
she felt my gaze.

“…Ah.
This?”

Belle
looked at what used to be Perkins.

The
girl licked her lips as she gazed at the Maillard-browned Perkins
steak on the frying pan.

“I
just stumbled upon her. You can easily get offerings inside a desert
worm’s stomach, so I’ve used this place a few times before. I got
lucky.”

Sizzle,
sizzle—

I
stared at Belle, who casually cooked Perkins’ steak with a
nonchalant expression.

The
first time I met her, she looked like a fragile corpse.

She
had worn nothing but rags, with every bone, including her ribs,
protruding through her skin.

But
after eating just a piece of rock bread, that walking skeleton had
gained a little flesh.

Now,
she looked thin but somewhat like a normal girl who’d simply gone
hungry for a while.

“It’s
done.”

Belle
placed the Perkins steak on a cutting board and opened her small
mouth wide.

Then,
she picked up the still-hot frying pan and shoved it into her mouth.

The
broad frying pan slid smoothly into her small mouth, and she gulped
it down in one go, a feat impossible unless her stomach contained a
subspace.

Drooling,
Belle gazed at the Perkins steak.

She
reached out to grab the steak with her bare hands, opened her mouth
wide, and then—abruptly stopped.

Belle’s
gaze landed on our party.

No.

To
be precise, it was fixed on me.

Her
black eyes reflected the armored warrior in front of her.

“…Hmmmmm…”

Belle
alternated between looking at the steak and me with an incredibly
conflicted expression. Then, suddenly, she stood up.

And
she began walking toward me.

“Hi,
hiiiik…!”

“… …”

A
terrified Hitolis stumbled back, and Fusilini hurriedly began
preparing a binding spell.

Thud!

“Do
not approach any further.”

Rubia
raised her great shield with a wary expression.

“You
want to fight?”

“… …”

“Hm…
You’ll regret it, though.”

Blocked
by the wall that was Rubia, Belle looked up at me, standing in the
back.

[Belle
LV.47]
[Current
blessings and curses possessed by Belle: 1]

It
wasn’t an empty threat.

If
all four of us attacked, we could win.

But
for some reason, I had a strong gut feeling that we shouldn’t fight
her now.

“Rubia.”

Rubia
flinched when I called her name.

After
spending time together and acting as the party’s leader, I had
earned Rubia’s trust to the point that she readily followed my
commands.

“Please
step back.”

“…Sir
Balkan. My instincts are sounding alarms. This woman is dangerous.”

“Yes.
I feel the same way.”

I
reassured Rubia, whose voice carried a serious tone of concern.

She
was a creepy and bizarre girl with a strange presence.

“But
still, she doesn’t seem to have any malice.”

Strangely
enough, her behavior didn’t appear malicious, as if she had no
concept that eating people was wrong.

It
was as though she were fundamentally, instinctively warped.

Pure
evil embodied in a form.

“…Very
well.”

After
a moment of deep contemplation, Rubia lowered her shield.

Belle
smiled at Rubia’s decision and walked calmly toward me.

Belle
wasn’t tall, so she had to look up at me as she approached.

“Here.”

Belle
reached her hand out.

“Because
you gave me bread.”

In
her hand was the Perkins steak, dripping with juices and blood that
splattered onto the ground.

“A
gift in return.”

As
if urging me to take it, she held the piece of meat right in front of
my mouth.

I
let out a quiet sigh.

There
were times when I had no choice but to kill but I had never consumed
another human being.

The
moment I ate this, I would no longer be human.

I
didn’t have any particular moral ideals, but I had my own
standards.

‘Could
I face my little sister, So-eun, after putting a human in my
stomach?’

I
immediately shook my head.

That
was a line I could not cross.

I
grabbed Belle’s wrist, moved her hand, and brought the Perkins
steak to her own mouth.

“You
eat it.”

“… …”

Belle’s
dark, murky eyes blinked, then curled into a soft crescent shape.

“You
really are a good person.”

“… …”

“I
was wrong before. A man who generously shares his daily bread with
others couldn’t have harmed the Great Demon of Gluttony.”

At
her sudden words, I momentarily swallowed my breath.

‘The
Great Demon of Gluttony?’

The
Demon of Gluttony.

The
one currently strapped to my back.

The
one I had torn apart and reforged into a weapon.

[…
…]

Perhaps
because she heard Belle’s words, Bunny, which had been silent until
now, trembled and released its presence.

Belle,
who had been smiling just moments ago, turned her gaze toward Bunny.

“So,
there’s just one more thing I’d like to ask.”

“…What
is it?”

“Just
once. Let me touch your weapon.”

“… …”

“… …”

A
strange silence stretched between me and Belle.

My
face grew stiffer by the second.

Not
long ago, Belle had made the same request and I had clearly refused
her back then.

Yet,
the fact that she was asking again meant she hadn’t even registered
my rejection.

I
was about to turn her down once more when—

[You.]

Bunny
spoke directly into my mind.

[Don’t
you want to become stronger?]

[What?]

[Stronger,
with a broader influence. Don’t you want to leave a greater mark on
this world?]

Puzzled
by Bunny’s sudden words, I asked back, only for Bunny to drop a
shocking revelation.

[That
creature is my follower.]

[…Follower?
Belle is your follower?]

[Tsk.
No. The only one bound to me by contract is you. That one is merely a
lowly creature that worships me.]

I
wanted to argue about being his “contracted follower,” but that
could wait.

According
to Bunny, Belle was essentially no different from a devotee of the
Demon of Gluttony.

[When
I first saw her, I wasn’t certain. I was sealed away back then,
with no complete memories and only instincts remaining. But now it’s
clear. That creature tried to release my seal by continuously
offering sacrifices.]

A
being who had tried to break the seal of a dormant demon in the
labyrinth.

‘She’s
insanely dangerous!’

The
tension was about to grow stronger, but instead, Bunny smirked.

[What’s
this? Are you scared?]

[Nonsense.]

[Hah!
Foolish and stupid brat. You’re just a pawn of mine, and yet you
bare your fangs at an insignificant creature like that? How
ridiculous!]

Bunny
burst out laughing and buzzed faintly before whispering in a calmer
voice.

[I’ll
help you. Make that wretch yours. Use it. Exploit it.]

A
chilling sensation ran down my spine at that voice.

[What
are you scheming this time?]

The
voice had a strangely sly tone, tinged with an ulterior motive.

It
was the same tone Bunny used when demanding to eliminate the succubus
controlling Ellie and Grumpy.

That
day, Bunny had required relentless semen offerings as compensation.

[…Hmm.
Nothing in particular. This time, I’m not giving you help but
merely advice. However, if today’s decision someday benefits you…]

Gulp.

[…then
someday, in a manifested body,]

Bunny
swallowed cautiously and made one request.

[…I
want to use
you myself.]

“…Ahhh…”

In
a pure white world, Belle blankly shed tears.

As
expected, her eyes had not deceived her.

The
man who had shared food with her on the 5th floor—Balkan.

The
moment she saw the weapon he carried, Belle felt a presence
strikingly similar to the one she truly worshipped: the Demon of
Gluttony.

Of
course, the power of gluttony imbued in that weapon was faint,
diluted, and oddly distorted.

If
she hadn’t been someone who thought of the Demon of Gluttony 24
hours a day, she would never have noticed it—but Belle had finally
achieved this fateful encounter.

The
man eventually pointed his axe at her at her words, and the moment
Belle touched it, she was pulled into the pure white world.

Now,
Belle bowed her head deeply before the being she had longed for and
admired.

“Belle,
the worshipper of Gluttony, greets the great being.”

The
frail-bodied girl bowed before the chained woman.

“That’s
enough. Lift your head.”

Bunny
replied in a nonchalant voice, but Belle, with an emotional face,
nodded several times before raising her head.

Belle
had always carried one desire.

Not
just Belle—every worshipper of demons lived with their own belief.

Belle
sought the destruction of famine, a world where the word hunger
didn’t exist.

A
world where children wouldn’t cry every day from hunger, where no
one would steal bread out of desperation and be beaten to death for
it.

A
world where such children weren’t sold as disposable slaves, used
as bait in labyrinths, and ultimately forced into despair.

To
create such a world, the power of the being before her was absolutely
necessary.

“Are
you trapped in this weapon? I will release you from this
confinement.”

The
restraints clearly wouldn’t be easy to undo, but she could at least
try—

“You
stupid girl!!!”

A
thunderous shout roared.

Clang!
Clang!

As
Bunny flailed her arms in anger and the sound of chains echoed, Belle
shrank again, bowing her head deeply.

“I-I
committed a grave sin!!”

“Do
you think I’m stuck here because I can’t undo such petty
restraints?!”

“Ah,
is that not the case…?”

“…N-No!
Of course not!”

“I-I
apologize!”

As
Belle once again bowed her head, a question formed in her mind.

‘Then
why is he still here, not properly revived?’

The
answer soon spilled from Bunny’s lips.

“This
man is special.”

“…Special…”

Belle
instinctively agreed and nodded at those words.

She
recalled the stone bread Balkan had given her.

It
was hard and cold, yet it was the first act of kindness the young
girl had ever received.

“This
one will surely be useful. He is worth my time and attention.”

Ah,
Belle gasped softly.

There
was no way a being as lofty as the Demon of Gluttony could share the
same perspective as a lowly creature like herself.

The
Demon of Gluttony must have seen something valuable in Balkan,
something worth staying close for.

Finally,
Belle understood.

“Everything
is going according to my plan. That foolish brat is no different. The
time is near.”

Bunny
truly believed this, smiling with an arrogant and majestic air.

“Then,
what should I do in the meantime…?”

“Give
him a chance to broaden his experience. Oh, and keep an eye on him
from afar. Not too far, but appropriately close.”

“Yes!”

It
was a vague command, but Belle somehow understood it perfectly and
nodded.

The
course was set, and Bunny casually nodded to expel Belle from the
mental world before letting out a sigh.

“Phew…”

Thump,
thump.

For
some reason, her heart beat violently as she muttered to the one
outside, the one who would hear her voice.

“…Keep
your promise, you foolish brat.”