55 – Bansuk Pathetically Falling
I quickly dismissed the thought that had come to my mind. Then, I grabbed the talking sword, which was rolling on the bed, and urged it to recite lines.
“No matter what, I can’t say lines like that.”
[….! Why not!? Why can’t you shout this cool line?!]
I closed my mouth for a moment and thought. If I were to answer, “The line is too cringy,” the talking sword might get upset and refuse to lend me its power.
Of course, since we had a contract, I could forcefully use the sword’s power. But considering that I needed to maintain our partnership for a long time, it was necessary to respect the talking sword.
“That…such a cool line, I guess it wouldn’t be quite the same if I said it. That…a cool line is definitely better when it’s shouted by a magical sword.”
[Hmm, if this great being were to shout a cool line, the heavens would weep and the earth would tremble. But can only my partner hear my voice?]
“No, Gargandoa is definitely a magnificent magical sword, right? In important situations, I’m sure your voice will be heard by the other person!”
[Is that so?]
“Well, yeah. Of course. It’s the words of the great Gargandoa!”
No evidence.
No logic.
Just words praising Gargandoa.
Fortunately, the simple magical sword melted away with my praise.
[Well, if that’s the case, there’s no choice! I’ll shout the line.]
“Good thinking.”
The magical sword began to ponder on its own what kind of line it should shout. Instead of hanging around and begging for good ideas, it was much better to leave the magical sword alone and look towards Iris.
“…?”
When I looked at Iris sitting next to me, she grabbed the hem of my clothes and tilted her head. It seemed as if she was asking, “Why?”
“Is Iris not tired? Or uncomfortable in any way?”
Every time I asked a question, Iris shook her head from side to side. Her white hair swayed. Even though she didn’t use any perfume like a protagonist, she emitted a pleasant fragrance and her hair flowed like silk.
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Reflexively, I brushed her messy hair. Iris closed her eyes and entrusted her head to me.
“If you want something, just let me know anytime. Understand?”
As I said that, Iris tightly held onto my hand.
“This.”
“Huh?”
“I need this.”
Upon hearing those words, I blinked and hesitantly reached out my hand. And then Iris took my hand and brushed it against her face.
“Oh my… Iris, you’re so cute! And your cheeks are so… soft!”
Her flawless, white skin was soft, moist, and smooth even without applying any lotion. For a moment, I almost lost my mind and felt like poking it like a chewy rice cake. It was irresistibly soft.
“Heh…”
Iris chuckled softly, as if she was in a good mood, and kept brushing her face against my hand for a while. I obediently healed myself, like a cat being affectionate.
“hehehehe, if you want to save that guy, you have to beat me.”
In the background, the voice of the demonic sword, practicing lines that sounded like a villain, served as background music as we leisurely passed the time.
When hunger started to set in, Iris and I had a meal at a restaurant and returned to the room. I lounged on the sofa, enjoying the pleasant drowsiness, and just when my stomach was about to rumble, I thought of taking a nap with Iris.
Knock knock.
Before my digestion could even finish, a guest arrived. I looked at Iris, swallowing my dry saliva.
“Since it seems like a guest has arrived, just wait here for a moment, okay?”
“…Okay.”
Iris fiddled with the corner of my clothes and then let go, her eyes filled with lingering reluctance. I took a deep breath and approached the door.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me. Open up quickly.”
I heard the familiar voice of the mouse beastman. Cold sweat trickled down my back.
“Did he hear something?”
A clear image of the martial arts wall that had been neatly cut through flashed in my mind.
“No, if that were the case, I would have broken the door instead of knocking! I came here just to let you know that I got a new match.”
His eyes trembled, and his whole body shook, but he held onto the doorknob as he tried to calm himself down. And then…
Creak!
The door began to shake along with me.
“What the hell is this!?”
I heard the sound of Joo Suyeon cursing. Somehow, hearing that voice put my mind at ease.
“You’ve said those words before, too.”
A palm-sized rat came to mind in my head. The rat and I were the best of friends. We went to the amusement park together, ate together, went to karaoke together, and even introduced each other to our girlfriends…
“Who is it?”
An impossible scene came to mind, and I snapped back to reality. Come to think of it, I didn’t have a rat friend who looked like Joo Suyeon. The trembling stopped as I realized it was a fake memory.
Unreasonable and illogical memories of the past were often seen in the world of comedy.
Thud.
When I opened the door, Joo Suyeon, with his tail raised high, was staring at the open door. Behind him stood two people with expressionless faces. One was a woman, and the other was a man.
“Why did the door just… No, never mind. That’s not important right now.”
Joo Suyeon questioned the shaking door, but then lightly shook his head.
“Could it be… because of the martial arts competition?”
I anxiously looked at Joo Suyeon’s face.
“The customer is calling, so come along quietly.”
“Oh… okay!”
He smiled brightly, realizing that it wasn’t about the martial arts competition after all, and nodded his head.
Ggug.
In that moment, my clothes were tugged. When I turned around, Iris, who had approached without me noticing, was holding the end of my clothes with both hands, looking down.
“Oh, I should have told you beforehand.”
I almost left without properly explaining to Iris.
“Iris, there’s someone I need to find for a moment. I’ll be back soon. Can you wait for me alone?”
Iris didn’t react at all to my words. Just as I was starting to worry if something was wrong, Iris cautiously let go of my clothes and nodded.
“I’ll be back as soon as possible. Take care of the house. Oh, don’t open the door for anyone you don’t know!”
Iris nodded repeatedly. Joo Soin, as if unable to wait any longer, grabbed my wrist.
“I’ll be back soon!”
As I bid my final farewell, the door closed. Joo Soin pulled me and took me to the bathhouse we had been to before. After being thoroughly washed, we tiredly rode the elevator.
“By the way… these people really have no reaction.”
I looked at the man and woman standing in front and behind me. They had been moving silently without a single change in expression. They looked like dolls devoid of any emotions.
“They’re not assassins or anything, right?”
As I had that thought, the elevator stopped. After a few more complicated movements, we arrived at a place where I had encountered zombies before.
“I wonder if those zombies are doing well.”
I thought to myself as I followed behind Joo Soin. I had expected to meet the same zombies as before, but the path we took was completely different.
“Just follow the orders of the guests when you go in. We’ll come to pick you up when it’s time to go back.”
Joo Soin seemed a bit kinder than before. Maybe it was because my value had increased.
Kkiik.
The two people who had been standing in front and behind me opened the door. The two doors swung open wide, revealing the interior.
“It’s similar to last time.”
He looked at the interior, which resembled the place where he had encountered zombies, and took a step forward.
Squeak, thud.
Unlike the zombies, the door made a noisy sound as it closed. The two people who closed the door stood silently next to it, not moving.
“Should I go in?”
After a moment of hesitation, he walked inside.
“I wonder who it will be today.”
Since it was zombies last time, maybe an angelic person would come out this time? With a small hope, he walked further inside.
“Ah…”
“Gulp…”
When I saw the old man’s face, I couldn’t help but exclaim. Whether it was amusing or not, the old man let out a displeased laugh.
“Have a seat.”
The old man tapped the floor with his cane and spoke, and I naturally tried to sit opposite him. But then the long cane touched my waist as if trying to stick to the sofa.
When I looked at him with a tilted posture, the old man smiled, showing his stretched wrinkles.
“How could a slave sit in the same seat as me? Your place is here.”
After the old man picked up his cane, he tapped the floor twice. My face froze at that sight. The old man laughed, snickering.
“Now, sit down.”
“…”
After a moment of hesitation at his words… I ended up sitting on the floor where the old man had tapped. In front of me, I could see the old man’s thin knees. I had sat right in front of the old man’s legs.
“What, what is it?!”
The painting the old man desired seemed different somehow. Startled, the old man stepped back with a bewildered voice. In that moment, thinking the old man was about to fall back, I leaned forward to catch him.
Clank.
“Huh?”
As I reached forward with my body, something caught in my hand and activated.
“What was that… ah!”
Not knowing what device I had touched, I quickly rolled my eyes, but the backrest of the sofa where the old man had been sitting flipped backwards. It was something I had accidentally manipulated, the mechanism for adjusting the angle of the sofa’s backrest.
“Ugh, clunk…!”
Caught off guard, the old man couldn’t respond and just fell onto the sofa. Due to losing his cane, it flew up into the air and landed on the ground with a thud, accompanied by the sound of the old man collapsing onto the sofa.
“Uh…”
I discreetly moved my body back.
