Chapter 189

Chapter 189

189th Episode: 『Fragments of the Past』 // Swish… Amidst the quiet echoing of water, I release my thoughts as usual. The thoughts that trigger magic are also used to control familiars. Moreover, if image projection is possible, a monster with some intelligence can carry out commands according to that image. I call out the name of the slime, as always. “…Arum.” The unidentified slime that lives inside my belly. As I send an image and command to Arum, it responds immediately.

-Thud, patter.

Arum removes all the glass shards remaining in my vagina and anus, clumps them together, and pushes them out of my body.

-Clang.

The rounded glass shards break again on the floor. The flesh and blood that were attached have already been digested by Arum, it seems, as the glass shards are perfectly clean. “….” There shouldn’t be any foreign objects left now. After looking at the scattered glass shards for a moment, I begin to wash my body with the flowing water of the underground waterway. Splash. Splish. As I raise my hand to scoop up water and wash my body, thoughts of the past suddenly flash through my mind. In the past, after being gang-raped by Keir’s gang, I used to wash my body alone in the underground waterway like this. It was difficult to wash off the semen clinging to my body with the cold water of the underground waterway, but later I became so indifferent that I would just wipe it off roughly without caring. “….” Recalling those memories, a faint smile appears on my lips. …This, isn’t this strange? Even though I spent my childhood with Keir, I was treated so brutally, and it’s not normal to cherish it as a pleasant memory and long for it. Even so, it can’t be helped. “Heave-ho…” I lightly get up and change my mood. In fact, there was no reason to be depressed. Although Keir ignored me, that doesn’t mean I have to give up on him. From the beginning, my main plan was to kidnap him without question and drop him outside of Lakers. Even if Plan B failed, Plan A still remains. Of course, he will resist, but it doesn’t matter. It’s time for Keir to quit his dangerous underworld life. He needs to learn how to live diligently, even if it’s a bit stifling. ‘Would Emily… have a hard time taking care of him?’ As I pick up my clothes that were stripped off among the fallen corpses, I contemplate Keir’s future treatment. Originally, I was thinking of sending him to Emily, but it seems Aiden wouldn’t allow that. Well, Emily might allow it. Anyway, that’s a problem to think about slowly. “…Then…” Lightening my heart. I change my mood and head towards the entrance of the underground waterway I came through. // “….Huh?” However, what came into my sight outside the underground waterway was an unfamiliar scene. “…You’ve got some nerve.” What I see is Keir and his men, who appear to be his subordinates. They are surrounding a rag lying on the floor, creating a serious atmosphere. “S, save…” Looking closely, what was lying on the floor was neither a rag nor a straw mat. I have eyes that can clearly distinguish objects even in the dark, so I can confirm that the man lying surrounded by Keir’s gang was the young man called Juki from earlier. “Save you? Ha.” I subtly hide myself in the darkness and quietly watch the scene. Keir, who has matured a little more than I remember, asks Juki in a cold voice. “…How did you find Laila?” “L, Laila…?” “I’m talking about the blonde woman you guys had. Why is that bitch in your hands?” “I, I don’t… Kud… Kud-hyungnim…” Juki, with a miserable face, continues speaking in a panic. ‘…Hmm.’ Watching the scene, I feel a little touched. I thought I was heartlessly abandoned, but was he actually remembering me? Although he just called me that bitch, I can overlook that much. …Still, should I observe a little more, just in case? “You son of a bitch…” Keir, hearing Juki’s words, wears a complicated expression. He raises his hand several times to wipe his face, then points to his men and orders. “….Go in and bring her.” “That woman, you mean?” “Yes. And kill the rest of those bastards.” “But, hyungnim. If we touch the Jin Family, Locker-hyungnim will….” “I don’t care about that. Can’t you see this scene? They started it first. We have enough reason to mess them up.” Through the conversation, I roughly deduce the situation. “….” Could it be that Keir pretended to ignore me to protect me in his own way? Looking back, there was nothing good that would come from Keir acknowledging me in that situation. At best, I would become a hostage, and Keir would either ignore me and fight or abandon me. …Just ignoring me might have been the best he could do. “Hyungnim, do we really have to go this far for just one bitch? She’s just a used-up whore anyway…” “…Shut your mouth if you don’t want to die.” Looking back, it’s a funny thing. Unlike Kud, whom I killed earlier, there will be many among the Locker Family who remember me. I’m the whore who mixed bodies with them the most, and not much time has passed since then. For them, it wouldn’t make sense to start this mess over one escaped whore. “….” However, what doesn’t make sense is the same for me. Although I don’t have any ill feelings towards Keir, to him, I was just a whore. That’s why he tormented me so much with the Locker Family. If he thought of me as a lover, he couldn’t have done that. He couldn’t have endured it, unless he had a special taste for NTR. “…Understood.” While I’m thinking, the men surrounding Keir each start moving. The direction they are walking is towards me. “….” I don’t reveal myself now. I quietly change the color of my skin and hide in the shadow of the underground waterway entrance.

-Thud, thud.

Amidst the passing footsteps, I hear their conversation. “Hyungnim is really something, what’s he thinking…” “That bitch Laila, wasn’t she the same whore from before?” “…Probably.” “Then why is he doing this? There are plenty of women anyway…” “Haven’t you heard that story? Hyungnim and that bitch were friends when they were young…” Letting the passing conversation flow by, I look at Keir again. “…Damn it…” Unlike his subordinates, Keir didn’t move. He left the fallen Juki behind and stood alone in the middle of the empty street. Since he’s standing with his back to where I am, I can’t see his expression. “….” I hesitate for a moment, then walk towards Keir.

-Thud, thud.

I know. I can’t go back to the way we were with him now. We’ve both experienced things, and as long as we remember them, going back is impossible. I don’t even wish for that. Just as Keir has changed, I have changed too. It’s no different now. Rather than the me from his childhood that he remembers, the me who was used like a sex toy by the Locker Family is closer to the current me. But still, I was curious. What Keir thinks about me.

-Swish.

I change my body back and walk towards Keir. Thud, thud. “…Huh?” Did he notice the footsteps? Keir, who was standing with his back turned, looks at me as I approach. The gaze that held questions turns to shock the moment I reveal myself under the moonlight. “…Laila?” “Long time no see.” I chuckle and answer briefly. Swish. I smooth my hair, which is wet from washing with the cold water of the underground waterway, and ask Keir. “Was it a bit embarrassing earlier?” “….” Keir didn’t answer. He just keeps his mouth tightly shut and looks at me. He didn’t answer my question, nor did he ask how I was able to escape from them. “…From a long time ago…” Instead, Keir utters different words. “…I did think you were special.” “That’s the first time I’ve heard that.” Under the cast moonlight, we naturally continue the conversation that was cut off two years ago. “That’s probably true. I’ve never told you.” “…Is that so?” I lightly retort and look down at the street floor. In the place where my gaze reaches, Juki is staring at me with his mouth shut as if he’s dead. …Still, it seems he knows how to read the atmosphere. “You took off that earring.” “…Ah, that.” Did he check my body in the meantime? I laugh awkwardly and smooth my hair again. “Sorry, it just happened.” “…It’s so like you to apologize for that.” “I’m a bit like that, aren’t I?” By the way, was that an earring? The shape was exactly like a nipple piercing. Feeling a bit new to the fact that I’m only realizing this now, I look around. The surroundings are dark and there’s no one around. …Then, it’s not bad. “Shall we take a walk?” “….Let’s.” To my suggestion, Keir nods readily without suspicion. I couldn’t know his intentions, but it doesn’t matter. There are plenty of stories we haven’t finished telling. …And, the time and place are not good for talking. “Then…” Thud, thud. I get a little closer to Keir, who has turned his back to me. As if he completely trusts me, Keir doesn’t look back even though he hears my footsteps. “First-“

-Thwack.

And then, I smack the back of his head. Thud. With my touch imbued with power, Keir falls without even screaming. Looking around at the fallen guy, it certainly seems he has fainted. It seems he was trying to say something, but it doesn’t matter. I can hear the story later. “…Sorry. But since you did what you did, please understand this much.” I offer a small apology to the fainted Keir and then hoist him up. While smiling bitterly at the weight that feels as light as it did when we were young, I turn my gaze towards the man lying on the floor – Juki. “….” “….” Perhaps he’s good at reading the atmosphere, as Juki is pretending to be unconscious with his eyes closed. But since we made eye contact earlier, it’s useless to pretend to be unconscious now. “…Haa.” I let out a small sigh and approach him. His face, which is gradually hardening as my footsteps get closer, comes clearly into view, but this can’t be helped. He has already seen my appearance. Not the appearance that has changed into something else, but the appearance of Laila boasting brilliant blonde hair. Since he saw my appearance that I used when passing through the city gates, it was difficult to leave him alone. “W, wait a moment-!” Even if it’s the underworld rooted in the shadows, I can’t leave any room for error.

-Crunch.

If he wanted to live, he should have fainted earlier. …But that’s not something that can be done at will. // [Author’s Note] I have revised some of the content and wording in the early part. Looking at the early part after a long time, I can definitely feel that it’s crazy writing. I want to rewrite it, but I don’t have the courage to do so.