Chapter 170

Chapter 170

170: Trick And Treat After joining up with Elle, there was no need to dawdle any longer. The journey over the Altarkin Mountains to the Lanche Barony was long. However, as Elle and I possessed excellent stamina due to our martial arts, we were able to traverse even that great distance quickly. The only problem was, “We probably can’t stop by any of the major cities near the mountains.” The Truenbel Mercenary Corps had seen Elle’s face. Of course, since it was in the middle of the mountains at night, they wouldn’t have been able to see her face clearly without exceptional eyesight, but one never knew. One always had to prepare for the unexpected. “…Wouldn’t it have been okay since it was night?” “I don’t know, I can’t be sure…” “Something similar happened last time. I heard they had drawn a portrait of me, so I checked it out, and the face was completely different.” What she said made sense. It was unlikely that her face would be seen clearly in the mountains at night. Even if they could see it, all they would remember was a vague image. I nodded at Elle’s words, but also tilted my head at the other meaning hidden within her words. “…Last time?” It seemed that her actions weren’t a one-time thing. “….” Elle didn’t answer that question. And I didn’t press her any further. We had promised to keep this a secret from each other. Apart from Elle, I also had something I needed to do. Changing my appearance was that task. Having blonde hair and blue eyes, and being a mage, made me easy to recognize. The Truenbel Mercenary Corps wasn’t just looking for Elle. There was a good chance they were trying to find me as well. From the start, they had tried to gang rape me, so I couldn’t be sure, but I couldn’t underestimate the mercenaries’ own bizarre sense of loyalty. In any case, the fact that I needed to change my appearance remained the same. This time, should I try a different vibe? Thinking that, I checked my appearance in the moonlight-drenched spring water and slowly transformed myself.

-Swish.

The ability to shapeshift wasn’t limited to imitating people. While there was a default for demons, I could create appearances I had never seen before, as I could maintain the changes semi-permanently. Changing my physical features little by little wasn’t difficult. Like customizing an avatar in a game, I gradually changed my appearance. The appearance I changed into was that of a girl with black hair and brown eyes. The reflection in the water looked a little old to be a girl, and too young to be a woman. “…..” That appearance looked somehow familiar. I liked this appearance for some reason and was examining it for a while when Elle, who was standing next to me, muttered in surprise. “…You, that’s…” “Huh?” What did she want to say? When I turned my head, she was making a complicated expression. Elle pursed her lips a few times as if she was about to say something difficult, and then briefly commented. “…It’s you.” “…What are you trying to say?” “I mean, it’s you.” I pondered Elle’s words for a moment and then nodded. Was she finally going crazy? Perhaps Elle was in such a state of severe chuunibyou that it had spread to her brainstem, making normal conversation impossible- Ah. That wasn’t it. I stopped thinking and looked at the surface of the pond once more. As she said, what was reflected in the spring water was me. “…It was me.” “Yeah. It’s you. That.” The girl reflected in the lake resembled me. To be exact, she resembled my appearance in my previous life. Being a man and a woman was a fundamental difference, but other than that, there were quite a few similar features that stood out. Was it because I hadn’t been able to see my face from my previous life for too long that I hadn’t noticed it right away? “If you had just said Seo Hyun, I would have realized it sooner.” “…Sorry, I couldn’t remember the name for a moment.” “Looking at it again, you do look Asian.” I gave a bitter smile and commented, then changed the shape of my face a little. I thought I liked it, but it would be troublesome to have an appearance that stood out too much. As I changed my appearance a little, Elle, who was standing next to me, tilted her head and interfered. “Shouldn’t you make your breasts a little bigger?” “It’s annoying when I move.” That was my answer, but I adjusted my body structure a little more to make my breasts bigger. Then Elle nodded in satisfaction and commented. “Too bad. If I had a dick, I would have pounced on you just now.” “….Are you a pervert?” “It feels a little strange to hear that from you.” When you thought about it, it wasn’t wrong. / The journey that followed was a continuous forced march. We occasionally encountered goblins or wild beasts such as wolves, but we ignored them all and passed by. Even without the demon core, Elle was a martial artist who had mastered ki-gong to a certain level or higher. Since she also had a way to replenish her inner energy, she had enough ability to avoid danger. As a result of walking for two days while looking at the compass, we were able to leave the Altarkin Mountains relatively quickly. And after leaving the mountains, we were able to take a light rest in a small village named Willington Village. “….I thought I was going to die of exhaustion.” Willington Village Inn. In the lodging of a small inn with only four rooms, Elle stretched and lay down on the bed. The creaking sound of the bed felt a little ominous, but there was no need to pay attention to it. I turned my gaze away from the shaking bed and answered Elle with a smile. “Thanks for walking so hard.” “Yeah, you too….” After uttering a formal answer, Elle suddenly sat up straight and made a face as if she was thinking about something. “Why?” When I asked because she looked so serious, she shook her head as if it was nothing and answered. “No, I was just thinking about random things.” “You have a talent for making me ask questions twice.” “I was just thinking that you might use your body instead of paying when you rent a room at the inn.” “….” That was a bit of a rude remark. …No, was it a good idea? I shook off the temptation that came to my mind for a moment and answered. “It’s hard for me to seduce just anyone. I don’t want to break up families carelessly.” “….Hee.” When I answered seriously, Elle smiled as if she was amused. Did she not expect me to have such thoughts? I chuckled at her smiling face and continued my explanation. “The same goes for your boyfriend.” “I don’t know about that. I don’t think it would be so bad….” “….” It seemed that Elle had become a little more open-minded while I hadn’t seen her. There wasn’t much to do in a small village. If my companion was Aiden, I would have spent a hot night with him, but I didn’t feel like doing that with Elle. In the end, we had no choice but to pass the time by talking until we fell asleep. And there were things we could talk about. “Jo Hee-young…” As I watched Elle, who seemed to be recalling her memories, I shrugged and continued. “It’s Aiden here.” “…He’s a man.” “Yeah.” When I nodded, Elle asked with a sly smile. “Did you fuck him?” “…You’re quick to notice.” “Of course, there’s no way you would have missed that.” I gave a soft smile at Elle’s words. Looking back, she had liked this kind of lewd talk. She was like that even when she had no experience, so how much more would she be now that she had experience? “Indeed, a virgin bi…no, she’s not a virgin. Just a bitch.” “Really? Some vampire told me I was a pure virgin.” “….Ad-libbing is harder than I thought.” We laughed at each other, bringing up each other’s dark pasts. It was a past that would horrify others, but if you could accept it, it was just a story. And such honest stories came out a little easier when alcohol was involved. “When I saw you from afar, I really thought you were being raped.” “Didn’t you think we were doing it with consent?” “Normally, I wouldn’t think that. How many men were there?” “…Well, there were quite a few.” From the impressions of the moment we reunited, “I had forgotten about it, but men’s sexual desire is more amazing than I thought.” “Really?” “Yeah, I really didn’t think Lutian would pounce on me every day.” “….So, you allowed it.” “W, well…” To the stories of everyday life that had happened in the meantime. But we couldn’t just continue with such conversations forever. The spicy intoxication of the wine spread through my body, and the moonlight seeping through the window gradually waned. At the moment when I judged that we could finally say what was on our minds, I brought up the question that I had been holding in my heart. “…But, is human blood really necessary?” “….” At my sudden question, Elle’s smiling face hardened. Was she not that drunk yet? Perhaps it was because of the characteristics of ki-gong, which made the body strong. But since I couldn’t just gloss over the fact about the Blood Shadow Demonic Art, I quietly waited for her next words. “….” Perhaps my waiting had paid off. Elle, who had been silent for a while, sighed and answered. “…Actually, I don’t really know if it’s really necessary.” “….” “But it’s true that I feel impulses sometimes. There were days when I really wanted to go crazy. Lutian calmed me down every time…but that wasn’t a fundamental solution.” It wasn’t something I couldn’t understand. The successors of the Blood Shadow Demonic Art were usually called Blood Demons. No matter how demonic the art was, it would be supplemented in its own way over many generations. In a way, it was only natural, because all the successors who failed to supplement the demonic art would have died. The Blood Shadow Demonic Art was also a martial art that had been supplemented over many generations, so it wouldn’t make the practitioner insane, but there was a possibility that they would become obsessed with sucking blood. If Elle was in that state, it might become more difficult than I expected. “Does drinking blood calm you down?” “Drinking blood, or destructively releasing the impulse, or…” The next words weren’t continued, but I could guess from her reddened face. Judging from the expression that her lover had calmed her down, it was probably that. I changed the subject without bothering to say anything. “I understand what the situation is. I’ve been through that time too.” “…That’s right.” “That’s right. Your body just wants it, right? In my case-” “I think I know that without hearing it.” I gave a bitter smile at Elle’s sadly answering words and drank from the bottle containing the wine. I also knew the cause because I had gone through that stage once. “Your inner energy isn’t keeping up with the achievement of your martial arts. It shouldn’t have happened in the first place.” It was something that only happened in this world. A phenomenon that only occurred in a world with insufficient natural energy. The solution was simple. Just replenish that much inner energy. It was simple, but difficult. Replenishing inner energy wasn’t easy. With this, there was one more reason to meet Triscelina. / The journey that followed was no different. Thanks to buying enough food in Willington Village, we were able to travel in a straight line relying only on the compass and map. About four days of walking with the Lanche Barony as our goal. Except for the fact that travelers tried to do something to us along the way, and that merchants pulling carts kindly offered to take us even though they were going in a completely different direction, the journey was really uneventful. As a result of continuing the forced march, knocking down the travelers and ignoring the merchants. Elle and I were finally able to reach the Lanche Barony. /