Chapter: 111
Out of curiosity, I once tried beer after seeing everyone else gulping it down. I remember spitting it out halfway because it was so bitter it made my tongue tingle.
‘Does it really relieve stress?’
The thought piqued my curiosity for a moment, but I quickly shook it off. As a fugitive, I couldn’t afford the luxury of drinking. Shoving my curiosity aside, I headed upstairs.
After checking the room number, I unlocked the door and stepped inside, only to find everyone sprawled across their beds, fast asleep. After traveling for days with only catnaps here and there, they seemed dead tired.
Ribon looked reluctant to sleep, shaking her head as if to fight off those droopy eyelids.
“…? Where’s Lian?”
“Lian oppa went to wash up.”
Ribon, barely awake, pointed to the bathroom. I nodded and plopped down my heavy bag.
‘I’ll sort out the supplies tomorrow.’
I kept the money and valuables, but simple stuff like food and blankets was being carried by everyone. Sure, we could carry it all in a dimensional bag, but it was safer to have some basics on hand in case we got separated at a bad time.
I dusted off my robe by the window and hung it on a hook inside the room. Then I tossed my rolled-up blanket onto my bed.
Being the cheapest room, the bunk beds were all made of flimsy wood with straw mattresses, and there were no pillows—just some cloth laid over a pile of straw. So, we had to make do with rolled-up blankets as cushions.
Lian’s bed was right above mine, and all the other bunks were already occupied.
‘Better check for any lurking dangers.’
To sleep soundly through the night, I figured a little reconnaissance was in order. I discreetly spread my magical energy.
I could clearly sense the rhythm of my friends’ breathing nearby and Ribon’s head bobbing in her drowsiness.
My magical energy reached past the room and started to touch the hallway. Just as I focused on spreading it further up and down—
“…!?”
A horrifying image struck my mind. I hurried to the bathroom, my face drained of color.
Thud! The doorknob broke as I twisted it. Deeply asleep, the others didn’t notice the ruckus. Only Ribon woke up, looked around briefly, and then plopped back down.
“Wh-what? Noah?”
“You…”
And there I was, the only one who saw Lian slashing his wrist.
*
Rewind a bit: when I had just arrived, Lian was in the middle of summoning the cursed sword to offer it his blood.
[Partner, so today too—]
‘…If you turn into a woman, I swear I won’t summon you for a week.’
[…! You won’t even reward me for my hard work?]
‘I don’t need your so-called “hard work!”’
Once the sword agreed not to shift into a woman, Lian happily fed it his sweet blood.
[Mmm, yes! Ahh… it fills me up…]
‘Just eat quietly without all the weird talk!’
[You’re so sensitive today, partner. Is it that time? Humans get a bit antsy during their mating season, right?]
‘Where on earth do you learn such odd things?’
[Huhu, curious about the fountain of my wisdom? Well, I guess I’ll have to share! It’s—]
‘Nope, not curious!’
Desiring to avoid hearing any silly tales from the sword, Lian shook his head firmly and started washing up.
Since this was the cheapest room, there was no shower. Instead, he scrubbed his hands, feet, and face and cleaned his body with a damp cloth. Luckily, thanks to all the river baths during our journey, he didn’t feel too grimy.
While washing his hands, Lian’s gaze landed on the back of his left hand.
‘What would happen if I slice this hand with Gargandoa?’
He wondered what might occur if the cursed sword—which seemed the opposite of divine power—stabbed the divine seal.
It was a trivial curiosity, but he half-expected the sword to explain why it shouldn’t be done.
“Let’s see…”
Lian drew the sword from his thigh and transformed it into a dagger for easier handling.
[Why are you pulling me out already? I’m still hungry!]
‘Just wait a moment!’
He brought the dagger close to the back of his left hand, intending to see if it triggered any response from the seal, not actually planning to stab it.
As the blade approached the divine seal—
Flash!
The seal lit up brilliantly.
[Aaah! Hot! It’s burning!]
“Wait, hold up..!”
Startled by the pain, the sword twisted and accidentally slashed Lian’s wrist. The wound wasn’t deep, but blood started to ooze out.
“Ah, damn… my clothes are going to get ruined—”
Before he could finish—
Thud!
The locked bathroom door swung open violently. Noah, pale as a ghost, stared between Lian’s wrist and the sword.
‘Crap.’
Even in the absurd world he lived in, Lian understood how sketchy it looked to be slicing his wrist with a sword. Panic-stricken, he glanced at Noah and urgently cautioned Gargandoa.
‘Gargandoa, if you drink any more blood, you might be left starving for life!’
[What?!]
Pausing at his words, the sword had been gently licking away at Lian’s blood. The blood it was absorbing dripped down from the blade.
“Lian… you…”
“Um, well… uh…!”
With his eyes darting everywhere, Lian couldn’t string together a coherent sentence, causing Noah to grit her teeth. Her face flickered with emotions she had shown the night before.
“Hmm… Hoo…”
Noah took a deep breath, exhaled, and then spoke calmly as usual.
“…If you need help, just tell me anytime.”
“Um, yeah! It’s fine, really. It was just a mistake. The wound’s not bad at all, and it’ll heal in no time!”
“…Really?”
“Yeah, um… thanks for worrying.”
Noah fell silent for a moment, then handed him a first-aid kit and closed the bathroom door behind her.
“…”
She bit her lip, staring at the closed door, then grabbed her robe and left the room.
Thunk.
“Hoo… Haa…”
In the hallway, Noah took deep breaths. Her chest felt tight as if something was squeezing it, and nausea threatened to bubble up.
‘Just wait. I need to hold on… a little longer… just a little…’
For how long?
Until Lian was soaked in blood and no longer breathing?
The echoes of her thoughts rang ominously in her ears, making her head spin as she felt sick to her stomach. Gripping her robe tightly, she staggered downstairs.
She needed fresh air or she might explode at Lian.
♩♬♪ ~ ♫ ..
As she stepped into the lobby, gentle music played—a sound she hadn’t caught earlier. In the early hours, it set a calm vibe, with people quietly enjoying their drinks at the pub.
Noah made a beeline for the entrance, desperate to get outside.
“Place it carefully inside. It’s expensive.”
“Who else but me would be careful with it?”
“You better handle it right, or this month’s paycheck is out the window.”
“Oh, how scary!”
At the entrance, a young woman in a white shirt and black pants chatted with the pig-like innkeeper.
The woman started lifting a box filled with ‘precious liquor.’ It appeared heavy, and she nearly lost her grip but managed to steady herself.
“Watch out!”
“Yes, yes.”
The innkeeper shifted his attention to other items. As Noah walked between the entrance and the counter, the timing felt destined for collision with the woman.
Out of habit, Noah stepped aside to let her pass, but the woman mirrored her.
“Whoa!”
Noah, well-accustomed to maintaining balance, stood firm, but the woman, loaded down with her heavy box, nearly toppled over as if she had crashed into a wall.
Thud.
In a split second, Noah caught the liquor box. With her unexpectedly strong grip, the woman found herself half-hanging from the box. After regaining her balance, she hugged the box snugly and said,
“Ah, thanks a bunch!”
“It’s partially my mistake, too.”
“No, no. You let me pass! If I had broken this, I’d have starved this month. By the way, I work here as a bartender. Let me treat you to a drink on the house!”
“No, that’s not necess—”
“Come on, let’s go!”
The eager woman dashed toward the bar, an undeniable extrovert. Ignoring her and heading outside was tempting, but the stress had peaked, making the thought of a “drink” attractive.
After a brief hesitation, Noah reluctantly followed the gesturing woman.
Thud.
The woman promptly handed her a white glass filled with ice water.
“First, enjoy a cold drink!”
Noah settled onto a barstool, fiddling with the glass.
‘Drinking just before a journey? Not wise. Definitely bad for the body.’
Lian’s warnings flashed in her mind, warning that drinking before reaching adulthood would be like poison in her system.
Not knowing her actual birth date, she couldn’t tell if she had reached adulthood. But she had never heard stories of drinking leading to better health, so Lian’s advice stood strong.
‘I’ll just drink this cold water and head back.’
Then she could hold a proper conversation.
That cool drink would refresh her—at least, that’s what she thought as she gulped it down.
As her throat bobbed twice—
“Pfft!”
The strong scent of alcohol hit her, making her spit it out.
“Cough, cough!”
“Whoa? You alright? Can’t handle the hard stuff?”
The potent liquid quickly swarmed her head.
“Hic…”
Little did she know… she was extremely bad with alcohol.
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