episode_0111

Curiosity arose at the sight of others drinking here and there, so I tried beer. Memories of spitting it out halfway due to its bitter taste came to mind.

“Do you feel less stressed?”

Curiosity struck momentarily, but I shook my head soon after. As a fugitive, there was no room for drinking alcohol. Noah brushed off his curiosity and headed upstairs.

After checking the room number, he opened the door with the key and found everyone occupying the beds, fast asleep. After days of sleeping lightly and constantly moving, it was time to stretch out.

Ribbon seemed reluctant to sleep, shaking her head and trying to overcome heavy eyelids.

“…? Where’s Lian…”

“Lian went to wash up.”

Ribbon, who had been dozing off, pointed towards the bathroom. Upon hearing this, Noah nodded and set down his heavy burden.

“I should distribute items tomorrow.”

Noah kept valuables, including money, but simple provisions like food and blankets were carried by each individual during their journey.

While everything could be packed into a spatial bag for transport, it was safer for survival in case of unforeseen events if each person carried basic necessities.

Noah dusted off his robe outside the window and hung it on the room’s coat rack. He then neatly placed a blanket on the bed that would be his sleeping spot.

As the cheapest room, the bunk beds inside were all made of cheap wood with no mattresses. Instead, they were covered with cloth over straw piles. Without separate pillows, they had to use rolled-up blankets for support.

Noah’s upper bunk seemed to be Lian’s spot, while the other beds were fully occupied.

“Let’s check for any signs of danger.”

It seemed reassuring to check beforehand for a good night’s sleep. Noah discreetly spread his magic.

He could clearly sense the breathing of the person curled up in the adjacent bed or Ribbon’s movements as she dozed off intermittently.

His magic gradually extended beyond the room, reaching the door. Just as Noah was focusing his mind to spread his magic upstairs and downstairs…

“!?”

A dreadful scene unfolded in her mind. With a shocked expression, Noah hurriedly moved away. She stopped where Lian was supposed to be washing up.

With a twist, she broke the lock when she grabbed the handle. The sound of the lock breaking echoed. Deep in slumber, the group didn’t notice the commotion and continued dreaming. Only Ribbon briefly woke up, looked around, and then collapsed back to sleep.

“Uh, Noah?”

“You…”

Due to this, only Noah noticed Lian marking her wrist.

***

Rewinding time a bit, as Noah arrived at the last room, Lian was about to summon the demon to feed it blood.

“[Partner, then today too -…]”

“…If I transform into a female, I won’t change back for a week.”

“…! You won’t even reward me for my efforts for you!”

“No need for such efforts!”

After promising not to transform into a female, the demon, Magam, fed on sweet blood offered by Lian.

“Hehe, that’s it! Ah… warmth fills my body…”

“Please stop saying strange things and just eat quietly!”

“You seem sensitive today, partner. Oh, is that so? Humans are said to get sensitive during mating season.”

“Where did you learn such strange knowledge?”

“Hoohoo, curious about the spring of my wisdom? Well then, I guess I have to tell you! That is -…”

“No, I’m not curious.”

Refusing to hear the exaggerated and mixed history of the evil sword, Lian firmly shook her head and began to lightly wash herself.

Since it was the cheapest room, showering was not possible. Instead, she cleaned her hands, feet, and face thoroughly and wiped her body with a wet cloth.

Whenever she found a river during her journey, she showered, so she wasn’t as dirty as she thought.

As she finished washing her hands, Lian’s gaze turned to the back of her left hand.

“Come to think of it, what would happen if I cut my left hand with Gargantua?”

What would happen if you pierced a god’s seal with an evil sword that clearly seemed opposite to divine power?

It was just a simple curiosity. She thought that if she brought the evil sword close to her hand, it would become like an explanatory bug saying, “You shouldn’t get close for this reason!”

“Where…”

Lian pulled out the evil sword from her thigh and transformed it into a dagger shape for a better grip.

“Why are you drawing it already? I’m still hungry!”

“Okay, just wait a moment.”

Lian immediately brought the evil sword over her left hand, not intending to stab it. She just wanted to place it on top to see if there would be any issues with the seal.

The moment she brought the evil sword over the god’s seal.

Crackle!

The god’s seal began to shine brightly.

“Aaah! It’s hot! It’s hot! Aaah!”

“Wait…!”

Thud!

Startled by the pain, the writhing evil sword twisted around and stabbed Lian’s wrist like a knife. Lian pulled it out, and surprisingly, the wound wasn’t deep enough to spurt blood.

But even though it wasn’t a big wound, blood trickled down.

“Oh, no… My clothes will get dirty…”

Before Lian could finish her sentence.

Creak…

The tightly locked bathroom door was forcibly opened. Pale Noah looked alternately at Lian’s wrist and the sword.

“I’m doomed.”

Having lived in the world of comedy for a long time, Lian knew how strange it must look to cut your wrist with a sword, even if her values had become skewed. Looking at Noah with trembling eyes, Lian urgently spoke to the evil sword.

“If you drink my blood now, you might never be able to eat again in the future!”

Hiss…

The evil sword, which had been sneakily sucking Lian’s blood, stopped its actions at Lian’s words. The blood being absorbed by the sword dripped down along the blade.

“Lian… You…”

“T-That’s… uhh…”

Unable to articulate properly while rolling her eyes, Lian, Noah frowned in frustration. The same emotions passed fleetingly over her face as yesterday.

“Sigh… If you need help, just tell me anytime.”

“Uh, yeah, um, okay! It’s fine, I made a mistake. The wound is shallow and will heal quickly!”

“…Is that so?”

“Yeah, um… Thanks for worrying.”

Upon hearing that, Noah remained silent for a while, then handed her a first aid kit, saying that wounds should be treated promptly, and closed the bathroom door.

“….”

Noah stared at the firmly closed bathroom door with pursed lips before picking up a robe hanging on the coat rack and leaving the room.

Thud.

“Phew, haaa…”

Noah took a deep breath in the hallway of the lodging. Near his chest, it felt like something was blocking his throat, making it hard to breathe and causing nausea.

“Wait, I have to wait. Just a little more… just a little…”

Until when?

Until Lian is covered in blood and becomes a corpse?

Those words echoed in his ears. His head spun and his stomach churned as if facing an unsolvable problem. Noah tightly gripped his robe and staggered down to the first floor.

If he didn’t get some fresh air, he felt like he might snap at Lian out of frustration.

As he descended to the lobby, music he hadn’t heard before softly filled the air. In the early morning, there were many people quietly enjoying drinks in the pub’s serene atmosphere.

Since Noah’s purpose was to get some fresh air, he headed straight towards the entrance.

“Put it inside. It’s expensive, so be careful.”

“If I’m careful, will it not be me again?”

“If even a small problem arises, you know there won’t be a salary this month.”

“Oh, scary.”

At the entrance, a young woman in a white shirt and black pants was conversing with the innkeeper who resembled a pig.

The woman soon began to lift a box containing ‘precious liquor.’ It seemed quite heavy as she wavered for a moment before finally steadying herself and moving it.

“Be careful!”

“Yes.”

The innkeeper soon shifted her gaze to check other items. Since Noah and the woman were walking towards the entrance and the desk, they inevitably collided on the way.

“Oof!”

Noah, who usually didn’t neglect his training, stood firm, but the woman, burdened with heavy luggage, almost fell backward as if hitting a wall.

Thud.

In an instant, Noah’s hand grabbed the liquor box the woman was holding. Perhaps due to Noah’s strong grip, the woman ended up half-hanging onto the box. After adjusting her awkward posture, she thanked him.

“Oh, thank you!”

“It was my fault too.”

“No, no. You helped me by moving aside. If I had broken this, I wouldn’t have received my salary this month and would have starved. Oh, I work here as a bartender. Let me offer you a free drink.”

“No, that’s not nece-”

“Come on, follow me!”

With a confident demeanor, the woman briskly moved towards the bar. Despite being able to ignore her and leave, Noah’s mind leaned towards the ‘drink’ she offered, especially since stress had reached its peak.

After hesitating briefly, Noah reluctantly followed the woman’s gesture inviting him over.

Thunk.

She immediately handed him a glass of ice water.

“First, enjoy a refreshing drink.”

Upon hearing this, Noah touched the glass thoughtfully while sitting at the bar.

‘Surely, drinking before embarking on a journey is not a good idea. It’s not good for the body either.’

Suddenly, he remembered Lian’s warning about how drinking alcohol before reaching adulthood can be harmful to the body.

Not knowing his exact age due to not knowing his birth date, he couldn’t tell if he had reached adulthood. However, having never heard stories about someone getting healthier after drinking alcohol, it probably wasn’t good for the body, as Lian had warned.

‘Let’s just drink this cold water and go back up.’

And let’s have a proper conversation.

Drinking cool water will wake you up cleanly -… Noah thought and drank cold water from the glass.

The moment her throat twitched twice.

“Puh-huk!”

She spat out what was in her mouth at the strong alcohol smell.

“Kehuk, cough cough!”

“Oh? Are you okay? Can’t you handle strong drinks?”

The strong alcohol rushed to her head in an instant.

“Ddalkkung…”

She didn’t know… she was very weak against alcohol.