Chapter 199

Chapter 199

199th episode: “Fragments of the Past” // Thwack. A heavy sound echoed, and Locard’s body tilted like a withered tree. In the slow moment, his body, which had been tilting, gradually accelerated and crashed onto the cold floor. Thud. Watching Locard collapse, I let out a small breath. “…Hoo.” Then, I turned my head towards Keir. “How is it? Cool, right?” “….” Keir was staring at me in shock. With the most emotionally rich expression I had ever seen on him, he opened and closed his mouth. “You…now…” “Doesn’t it remind you of the old days?” I grinned at Keir and stood up. Then, I frowned slightly. “Ouch, it stings…” My lower abdomen still stung a bit. A hideous yet vivid brand was imprinted on my burned lower abdomen. It wouldn’t heal right away. Even if the Doppelganger’s body had healing powers, it wasn’t at the level of super regeneration. Still, it wasn’t unbearable, so I straightened my body and approached Keir. “Phew, it was tough listening to all that nonsense.” I examined the chains and stones he was tied to, then grabbed his hands and circulated my inner energy. Even if the chains were tough, breaking the hinges of the handcuffs wasn’t difficult. “Hmph.” — Crack. Perhaps because he was wearing crude and old handcuffs, befitting a dark organization, I was able to destroy them without much difficulty after applying force with my inner energy a few times. …Well, that’s how dark organizations usually are. “….” Keir watched me silently. The surprise had now disappeared from his face. I broke the remaining handcuff on his right hand and lifted Keir, who had been kneeling. “Are you okay? Not dizzy?” “…I’m okay.” Ah, maybe dizziness wasn’t the problem. I smiled wryly and followed Keir’s gaze. Of course, at the end of it was the unconscious Locard. “…Is he dead?” “No. He’s just unconscious. I thought about killing him…but, well, I guess I shouldn’t, right?” “No. If Boss…no, if the boss dies, the underworld will be in chaos.” He was different from ordinary gang members. The boss of the underworld had things to do, areas to oversee, and subordinates to govern. “Hmm. Then I’ll spare him.” “…Is that something you can say so easily?” “Why would it be difficult?” Besides, Locard hadn’t glimpsed my superhuman side. The last thing he saw before he passed out was Jess kicking him. So, he’d probably be furious. He’d think he was ambushed by a mere woman. Then there was no reason to kill Locard here. After all, Jess and Keir would be leaving Lakers today, and Locard, who had lived in Lakers his whole life, couldn’t harm Keir. In the end, they were frogs in a well. Sizzle… As I finished my thoughts and carefully placed the burning branding iron back into the brazier, a voice with a sullen tone echoed in my ear. “….Since when?” “Huh?” “Laila, since when have you been so strong?” Keir’s eyes were shaking. I thought he knew, but was it even more shocking to see it in person? “…Umm.” At those words, I thought for a moment. Well, since when was it? Being able to freely use inner energy was something that happened after obtaining the Doppelganger’s core. But even before that, I could do this much. I might not have been able to break handcuffs with my bare hands, but I could easily kill four or five burly men and knock Locard unconscious with a single kick. When did I become so strong? It was hard to say for sure, but, “Do you remember the first day you put your hand in there?” “….” “When you said you’d see how wide a slut could spread and you put both hands in and pulled?” His face hardened, so he must remember. “Heh, looks like you remember?” “….” His expression was a little funny, so I chuckled. Of course, I didn’t mention it because I held a grudge about it. It was just, how should I say it, giving an example to make it easier to understand. “Back then, I was already pretty sturdy.” “…Was that so.” “You’re saying that so calmly. Anyway, you were drunk back then, so I don’t think you knew, but any other woman would have died.” “…I’m sorry.” “What’s the point of apologizing now?” I gave him a light scolding and gestured towards the open door. “Come on, let’s go.” “….” Keir didn’t answer. Was he recalling the memories of that day? Maybe that day, Keir really tried to kill me. Or maybe not. It wasn’t like he hadn’t tormented me as if he was trying to kill me before. But it didn’t matter. I really didn’t care. Martial arts were also about cultivating the mind. Having undergone a complete transformation, the things Keir had done to me felt like nothing. …And, in fact, I didn’t dislike it even before. Cultivating the mind wasn’t always done in a good way. Before, I might have even liked it and clung to him. // Step, step. I recalled the memories of when I was dragged here as Jess and walked through the dark underground passage. Keir followed behind me. “….” The underground passage, made of medieval-like, gloomy, and rough stones, was filled with Locard Family members everywhere. Of course, this underground passage itself was the Locard Family’s hideout and main residence. However, I knew the locations of all the waiting gang members. “….” “….” I silently held Keir’s hand tightly and walked, choosing places where there were no Locard Family members. Walking silently hand in hand in the dark, our steps somehow reminded me of our childhood. “….” This wasn’t the atmosphere for it, but I couldn’t help but feel a little excited. As I moved forward with a slightly excited heart, I heard someone approaching. It was obvious who it was. — Shh. I whispered to Keir to be quiet and let go of his hand. Tap, tap. Then, I unbuttoned my top and revealed my chest. Although it was Jess’s appearance, Jess wasn’t exactly flat-chested. The dried semen was a bit bothersome, but it wasn’t easily visible in the dark. With my chest fully exposed, and my nipples barely visible, I slowly moved forward, “…Huh?” The approaching gang member noticed me and tilted his head. A man with a slightly handsome face and a beard looked at my chest in confusion and asked. “What’s this?” “…Um…Locard-nim told me to go now.” It was a ridiculous excuse, but it didn’t matter. “Lo, what?” The man in front of me wouldn’t have heard a word I said even if I recited the Tripitaka Koreana here, as he was too busy being distracted by my chest. I approached the gang member with a delicate step and struck his chin like lightning. — Thwack. “Guk!?” Then, the gang member fell like a log without uttering a single cry. “…Hoo.” Hmm. Perfect. Just as I was satisfied with the neatly unconscious man, Keir, who had quietly approached, asked me. “…Did you really have to do that?” “What?” “I mean, that.” “Ah, taking off my clothes?” — Nod. To Keir, who was nodding, I whispered softly. “Well, I can’t really make a fuss.” “….Isn’t this a fuss?” “No. There’s a difference between being ambushed and knocked unconscious by a scantily clad woman and being strangled and knocked unconscious by a woman with superhuman strength, right?” There was no need to kill them all. Locard was merely ambushed and knocked unconscious by Jess, a prostitute from the Black Rose Manor. He wouldn’t know that I was the one, and he wouldn’t even be able to imagine it. If I implanted the same memories in the gang members, that would be enough. Well, if he woke up later, he’d be furious and look for Jess and Keir, but wouldn’t it be too late by then? After using my charm a couple of times, we were able to escape the underground passage without much difficulty. The scenery outside was bright. The sun was still high in the sky, and everything was peaceful. After leaving the underground passage and walking for a while, we were able to easily escape the slums. “….It’s this easy?” Keir seemed unable to believe it, muttering in a daze as he looked around. It must have been amazing for him, who had been tied up until just a moment ago. But for me, it wasn’t particularly surprising. “We just escaped from a small underworld organization, why are you so surprised?” “Small? I never thought you’d say that.” “It is small.” I said definitively to him, who was laughing in disbelief. “….” I knew. That it was the whole world Keir had lived in. But to me, who had seen so much while traveling for two years, that world seemed infinitely small. There was no need to mention the two years, I could tell just by thinking about Earth before my reincarnation. “Keir, the world is wide.” “….I know.” “You only know it.” Smiling faintly, I pulled him into a deserted alley. Perhaps because I was still in Jess’s form, Keir obediently followed me into the alley. “Why here?” “It’s nothing, just….” I trailed off and released the transformation. No, the word “release” wasn’t appropriate. My real appearance had already changed. Transforming into a human was like putting on a skin for me. — Swish. It was a bit stuffy, but I had to do it. What I was putting back on was Laila’s appearance, the one Keir remembered. “…I wanted to do this.” “That’s….” Seeing me change my appearance, Keir looked surprised. But he didn’t seem too shocked. Was he thinking of it as magic, like I had said before? It was convenient that there was magic in this world. If it were modern times, he would never have accepted it. Anyway, if he accepted it, that was enough. // We quickly moved to the ‘Fifth Winter’ inn, where Aiden and El were staying. And, we found Aiden, El, and Jess having a meal in the inn’s first-floor hall. “…Oh? You’re here early?” “Umm…” Aiden tilted his head, and El frowned slightly. “Uh….?” Finally, Jess looked at Keir and was shocked. Ignoring Jess, who was sitting next to Aiden and looking flustered, I grabbed Keir’s hand and sat next to them. “Haa, I’m hungry.” As I grumbled, sitting next to El, El handed me a bowl of stew and asked faintly. “Laila.” “Yeah?” “Is that…the smell of semen?” “Ah, yeah. It is.” Upon my confirmation, El frowned and replied. “…I guess they don’t eat much fruit.” “I guess not. Do you eat fruit often, Lution?” “Yeah, his stuff….” El stopped, about to say something. El, who had almost said something unconsciously, looked at me with a look of being tricked. But I shrugged it off nonchalantly, took a bite of the stew, and asked. “Was it good?” “…That’s why I hate quick-witted kids.” “I’m not a kid. I’m a proper woman.” “Don’t you know this line?” “What line?” While we were having a playful everyday conversation, Jess and Keir were silently looking at each other. “….” “….” Perhaps they couldn’t say anything because it was the first floor of a crowded inn. I bit into an apple on the table, thinking that it didn’t matter, and immediately stood up. “Keir, and Jess.” “…Do you know me?” When I called her name, Jess looked at me and asked, seeming bewildered. She was a little flustered, but looking back, I had a different appearance when I entered the brothel. It was natural that she didn’t know me. However, there was no need to explain my transformation abilities to her. “I’ll tell you later, we need to move quickly first.” “Move quickly? Why…?” “Your boyfriend is in a bit of danger right now.”

I don’t know when a Lokeard might wake up and cause a ruckus. Of course, even if it’s a Lokeard, causing a disturbance in broad daylight, and not even in the underworld, would get them beheaded by Count Lantaine. So, there’s no need to worry too much, but there’s no reason to leave behind anything unpleasant. “Aiden.” “Yeah?” “Get me the all-access pass and some money for security.” “Ah.” At my request, Aiden takes something out of his pocket as if he understands. Perhaps he’s gotten used to the subspace, as two bulky pouches are naturally produced from Aiden’s pocket. Thump, thump. What was taken out were two silver coin pouches. I picked them up and, speaking to Aiden in Korean, said, “It’ll probably take about a day.” “That’s quite a while.” “Yeah, I’m planning to take them to Tritia by carriage.” If I entrust the two to Emily, she will take good care of them. It would be difficult for them to survive in a completely unfamiliar city. Now, it was time to leave.