C526
A weight pressed against his stomach. He could also feel a faint warmth.
"..."
Gradually awakening into consciousness, Lucas realized belatedly that he had been unconscious all this time.
Fatigue aftermath? He seemed quite tired. Despite the changes in his body, he rarely required rest.
"...heh."
A small chuckle was heard. Moreover, it was quite close. Opening his eyes slowly, he saw Pale's face. Why on earth was this girl here? It took him a moment to understand and accept the situation.
So,
Was Pale lying on my stomach while I was on the ground?
"Hehehe."
Even Pale was laughing in that strange manner. The true happiness in the world is having a face in your hands. He thought he might be muttering in a sweet dream, but it turned out he wasn't.
Then he realized he had awakened.
"Ah! Lucas? Are you awake?"
"......"
"Are you okay? You've been unconscious for quite some time! Your body should be recovered, but, uh, you're probably mentally exhausted."
"... mm."
"Aren't you hungry? Do you want to drink something? Well, you said you can control that. But would you like to eat something as a snack?"
Eat something as a snack here?
He looked at the desolate and familiar landscape of the Dump Site as he spoke. Pale smiled softly at that.
"It wouldn't be bad here, but I know a fancier place."
"A fancier place? ... But wait a moment, what are we doing now?"
"Hmm? Oh. Restocking."
"... Restocking?"
Gently laughing, her clear eyes showed no tension.
Lucas felt like he had asked a silly question.
"... Well. Putting that aside, can you move a bit?"
"Yes."
Pale sprang up and reached out her hand to Lucas. He looked at her for a moment before taking her hand. A soft, empty laughter was heard.
Watching her as she shook the dust off her body, Lucas observed her. He felt no barrier in her smiling face, hands behind her back.
There was no longer any hostility between him and Pale. Lucas fully understood her, and Pale accepted him as well.
It was a good thing without having to think about it.
...Well, maybe.
"Lucas."
Pale suddenly said.
"You're taller than I thought, you know?"
"...Really?"
It wasn't something he really thought about. He didn't care too much. After all, the body was just a vessel.
It seemed Pale thought differently, as she suddenly approached.
"Yes! Look at this!"
Then, she tried to compare their heights by lifting her heels.
She almost touched Lucas's chin. You couldn't even say Pale was significantly taller. If she stood straight, she would barely reach Lucas's chest.
"But it would be better to have a bit more flesh. You were too hard."
"......"
"Although, considering I'm quite thin too, maybe it's okay like this."
"Are you okay?"
"Even when you sleep, your expression wrinkles are too pronounced. Is it a strange habit?"
"...Well."
Maybe because you were lying on top of me?
Lucas swallowed his words.
"So, what I mean is, at this point, aren't we now destined companions?"
"Eh?"
Unable to follow the flow of conversation, he asked.
Pale smiled widely as she continued.
"Do humans call our relationship something like destined companions, where only we can understand each other...?"
"Wait a moment. I'm not sure what you mean, can we discuss it later?"
Though he had adjusted the flow of time within the Dump Site, there was no time to waste.
Pale nodded.
"Alright! Should we find the exit first then?"
---------------------------------
Lucas found himself in a state of perplexity.
"Heh."
Undoubtedly, he could consider himself the victor of the epic battle fought in the Dump Site.
"Hehehe."
It was difficult to accurately calculate the benefits he had gained in the short or long term.
"Hehe, hehehehe."
No. Judging solely from such a rational perspective would be too simplistic.
While he may have had other objectives initially upon arriving at the Dump Site, from a certain point onwards, he acted according to his desires. He believed it was right. His opinion hadn't changed, but...
"Lucas."
Lucas gradually stopped evading reality. Now that his greatest concern had been resolved, he had no reason to indulge in denial. He glanced down and observed Pale, who moved beside him like a shadow.
Her face was like that of a kitten melting in the sun.
"...What's up?"
"Just."
"..."
"Lucas. Lucas."
"Why are you calling me?"
"I was just calling you. Hehehe."
What was this strange feeling?
Lucas watched Pale smile shyly, feeling an indescribable sensation. Although Pale used to smile frequently, this time was different. It was a sincere smile, overflowing with 100% happiness.
'... '
Judging by her strange metaphors and expressions, it seemed he wasn't completely sane either. Though he appeared fine, the hunger he had experienced wasn't something to be taken lightly. It had been incredible. Were it not for Lucas, no one would have been able to endure it.
"Hey, Lucas."
"What?"
"Your hands are unexpectedly large."
She compared her palm with Lucas's and smiled again.
What did this behavior mean? It was evident that Pale now trusted him. However, the subsequent actions, whose meaning he couldn't fully comprehend, puzzled him.
Lucas began to reflect on Pale's change in behavior and the transformation she had undergone within.
Or at least he tried to.
["Don't you get it?"]
A rough voice resonated in his mind.
Ah.
Lucas had completely forgotten the presence of the Lightning God.
'Lightning God.'
["Don't you understand? That girl is madly obsessed with you."]
Madly obsessed?
Lucas understood the meaning of those words with some delay.
'...Could it be that, for the first time in her life, she has fully opened the doors of her heart to someone who understands her?'
Though it was something that happened often, it wasn't an ideal situation.
["It's not that, idiot, stupid, and brainless."]
The Lightning God's voice sounded strangely irritated.
["Don't you know? How does the Blue Knight see you now...? If you told her to do anything, she would obey. If you asked her to fight to the death, she would do so until she couldn't lift a finger. If you asked her to give you her heart (literally), she would do it. She is in a state where she would accept any request, no matter how irrational or absurd. In other words─"]
'That's not good.'
[......]
'It's good that the relationship has progressed, but excessive dependency isn't good for both parties. It would be better to say something to have a healthier relationship.'
[...Do as you wish, idiot.]
The curses of Lightning God were becoming more diverse. Was it always like this?
[By the way, I have something to tell you.]
"What?"
[You're a bastard.]
"......"
Lucas replied a bit late.
"Huh?"
What did he just say?
Lightning God kindly explained it once more.
[I said 'you're a bastard.']
'...Why all of a sudden?'
[The place where I am right now is your head. And my current situation is parasitizing inside you. In other words, I have no right to tell you what to do.]
Lightning God stated first.
[However. Did you forget something? I mean, you and I share not only emotions but also senses.]
'Ah.'
He had completely forgotten. Lucas was speechless.
[I repeat, I have no right to tell you anything. I don't have that privilege. Therefore, I also enjoy the freedom that is due to me. Whatever this body says and does, it's my right. Isn't that so? Bastard.]
...Indeed.
Lightning God, who suddenly began to feel hungry without being consulted, was truly Lightning God, responding like this.
He couldn't help but feel like he was being struck by lightning.
Lightning God was simply observing how the situation unfolded when he suddenly began to suffer unimaginable pain. If it weren't for Lightning God's resilience, he probably would have gone insane long ago. Even if it was just a remnant, a Ruler was a Ruler.
Lucas internally admired and briefly apologized.
'Sorry. I'll be more discreet next time.'
[Do as you please, idiot.]
As he didn't seem willing to accept further apologies, Lucas didn't continue speaking.
...Now that he thought about it, there was something he definitely had to tell Pale.
"Listen, Pale."
"Yes."
Then Pale sat up straight in her place and looked at him with her characteristic clear eyes. Every nerve in her body seemed to be focused here.
...It was a bit overwhelming.
"As I said, there's a remnant of Lightning God in my body."
"Yes."
"Do you have any questions about it?"
"No."
"..."
"..."
...The development is strange.
Lucas asked again.
"Don't you have any questions? None at all?"
"No."
"Why? Don't you hate the Rulers?"
"Yes. I really hate them. If I could, I would tear them apart and devour them right now."
"..."
[...]
Though she spoke with a casual tone, this statement was real. That is, the blind hatred towards the Rulers hadn't disappeared.
"Still. The remnants linger in you because you accepted them directly, Lucas."
Pale continued speaking with a bright smile on her face.
"So there must be a reason for that. I don't know it well."
I see.
Pale hadn't stopped resenting the Rulers. She simply had come to trust Lucas enough to not think that was so important.
"Oh! Or perhaps the remnants stay within you because of coercion or pressure from those bastards!"
"Eh?"
"But speaking of something else, I know someone who can professionally remove those resentments! Although it might be a bit difficult to convince that guy, if it's for Lucas's sake..."
"No, it's not necessary."
Lucas hurriedly declined the offer, and Pale shrugged.
"I see. If you change your mind later, let me know. Hehe."
-------------------------------
Shigui, the Corpse Ghost, is one of the Twelve Void Lords that Lucas knows most accurately. He not only has seen him, but he has even fought against him, though not to a full-power combat.
That's why he knows. He's not an enemy to be taken lightly. Although, of course, that's to be expected from someone with the title of Twelve Void Lords.
"I wondered who dared to invade my territory without permission."
The creature seated across the round table looked grotesque, even to Lucas. His body consisted solely of a spinal column, with the face of a wrinkled, decrepit old man at the end. At first glance, he looked like a spear with a human head impaled, or perhaps an insect with a human face.
"Your face is interesting."
Lucas silently smiled at the Corpse Ghost and nodded his head.
"I apologize for the intrusion."
The Dump Site was Corpse Ghost's territory. They had barged into his domain and manipulated and used his space without permission, so it was evident that the fault was theirs.
Therefore, the first thing he did was apologize. In this life, he wanted to avoid as much as possible increasing the number of his enemies. And even more so if it was one of the twelve.
"It seems like the order of things has been reversed. Isn't it logical to ask for permission before entering? The Dump Site doesn't reject anyone, as long as the proper procedures are followed."
"We didn't have time."
"If you didn't, you should have made it."
“…”
Indeed.
Corpse Ghost was smiling calmly, but it was evident he was quite angry. It was a understandable reaction, after all, they had invaded his territory without permission and even had modified the setup of his space.
'It wasn't like this when I entered Mount Hua.'
...Come to think of it, maybe Yang In-hyun's attitude was too peaceful.
In any case, there was no time to waste now.
"What should I do to have you accept my apologies?"
"Hmm, well..."
Corpse Ghost's voice softened a bit.
"If you fulfill a small request of mine, maybe my mood will calm down."
"A small request?"
Generally, "small requests" were never truly small.
"I would like you to go to Eden and bring something for me."
"Eden?"
An unfamiliar name.
"Don't you know? It's the territory of the God's Envoy."
“…”
The God's Envoy was another of the Twelve Void Lords. Just like Corpse Ghost, one of the three residing in the north.
Lucas frowned. This request went beyond what he considered a mere inconvenience. If to obtain Corpse Ghost's forgiveness he had to antagonize another of the Twelve Void Lords, it would be worse than the cure.
'Kasajin mentioned something about the God's Envoy, but...'
He still didn't know his abilities in detail. In fact, he might be even more troublesome than Corpse Ghost.
In short, it was a request he couldn't accept.... How do I refuse?
"Hey."
At that moment, a voice was heard from beside him.
He turned and saw Pale smiling radiantly.
Corpse Ghost's gaze also shifted towards her.
"Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself. It's been a while..."
"Why so many words?"
Corpse Ghost's voice was abruptly cut off.
"My King has already apologized to you. I don't understand what your role is here."
“…”
"Just shut up and nod. Before I destroy this place completely."
“…”
"Aren't you going to respond?"
"This..."
"Understood? Be polite. Lucas, you can leave now."
Pale grabbed Lucas's arm, who was still somewhat stunned. And while holding the arm of the still somewhat stunned Lucas, she waved her hand.
"Goodbye!"
And then she left.
"......"
In the empty space left behind, Corpse Ghost fell silent.
Tags:
TGMRA (Novel)