57 – Let’s Watch!
A gushing fountain of blood, an old man rolling on the floor, a man looking at the old man with a slightly open mouth in surprise, and Lian, contemplating whether to call for a healer or a magician while being restrained and watching the fountain of blood.
From Noble mtl dot com
It was a complete mess.
“Ugh, uhh…”
Despite his age, Bansuk had a well-maintained body. In addition, whenever there was something wrong with his body, he would receive examinations from the best healers, officials, and magicians to maintain his optimal condition. Because of this, he was not accustomed to such terrible pain.
“Tsk tsk, you should be more careful.”
Lian looked at Bansuk with a sympathetic gaze while inwardly clicking his tongue. In fact, it was all because of Lian’s comedy filter that Bansuk was rolling on the ground and whimpering.
In the world of comedy, old people were beings who would strain their backs with just a little bit of effort. Especially when doing something strenuous, there was a high chance of throwing out their backs.
Even a body managed with money was subjected to equal pain in front of the comedy filter. Lian looked at Bansuk and then turned his gaze to the man who was looking at the old man with a bewildered expression.
“Um, how long do I have to stay here?”
“…!”
It was too nonchalant of a statement considering the endless flow of blood from his thigh. Although the man had become a dog-like creature who listened well after enduring various tortures from Bansuk, his instincts remained.
In front of this incomprehensible and bizarre scene, the man froze without saying a word.
***
“Hmm… what should I do?”
I pondered for a moment. The old man in front of me didn’t seem like he would dust himself off and let me go. But it also didn’t seem like the absent-minded man would let me go either.
The sight of Iris waiting for me, motionless as she was, flickered before my eyes.
“Well, there’s an elderly person collapsed right in front of me. I should help them.”
With that excuse in mind, I made up my mind to gain my freedom. I silently called for Gargantua, and my palm glowed a deep crimson as blood surged forth. Though my wrists were bound, there was no problem with gripping something in my hand.
Squish.
The sound of moisture dripping reached my ears, and in my hand appeared a knife suitable for a meal.
“Huh? Partner, why do you look so… wait, wait a minute, I-I…”
The Demon Sword, who had been questioning my bound state, suddenly burst into a fit of rage, slipping out of my hand and floating in the air.
“What the hell is this?! Partner, what is the meaning of this? Did you make a contract with another Demon Sword while I was gone? That’s double-contracting! It’s a crime! It’s fraud!”
It seemed shocked to find another sword stuck in the place where it usually resided.
“More importantly, can you please release me?”
“What?! How can you say that! This is so important! We are bound through a contract, which means all of your blood belongs to me! But you, without any consultation, are giving your blood to some stranger…!”
I sighed at the ridiculous ranting of the Demon Sword.
“That’s not the case at all. I didn’t want to keep that sword either. And besides, that sword isn’t even a Demon Sword. It can’t absorb blood.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Whether it was due to its excitement or lack of attention to its surroundings, the Demon Sword stumbled over its words and approached my thigh.
“Hmm, well… it’s just a shoddy sword that can be easily found anywhere!”
Its tone was much lighter, as if its mood had improved.
“Even so, it’s still wrong to covet your partner’s blood!”
“I’ll take that out, so please cut me some slack.”
“Hmph, if that’s the case, I’ll help you!”
The cursed sword swiftly severed the belt that bound my wrists, ankles, and waist.
Thunk.
I was free. Immediately, the cursed sword urged me to draw that pitiful sword. Since I had no intention of impaling myself with such a blade, I grabbed the hilt and pulled it out.
Phuhahahahak!
Once again, blood began to spurt out. Then I heard the sound of the cursed sword taking a deep breath.
Chururrit!
The blood flowing and spurting into the air began to be absorbed into the cursed sword’s body. The blood that rose without any impurities looked more beautiful than I had imagined.
Greedily absorbing the blood, the cursed sword transformed into a size similar to the sword it had pulled out and embedded itself deeply into the bleeding wound.
“Ouch, what are you doing?”
Feeling a slight prick on my fingertip like a needle, I looked at the cursed sword and it spoke as it absorbed the blood.
[ Cough, wouldn’t it be dangerous to leave the wound as it is? I’m just playing the role of a bandage! ]
“If that’s the case, there must be other techniques. Like a transparent barrier or something…”
[ Ugh… Was there such a thing? ]
If the cursed sword had eyes, it seemed like they would be rolling around like crazy. I decided to leave it as it was because I didn’t want to wrestle with it anymore.
As I stood up, I barely managed to sit up, and my eyes met with an old man sitting there.
“You, you…!”
“Are you okay?”
Partly my fault that the old man strained his back, I reached out my hand to him. In response, the old man gnashed his teeth and tried to curse at me.
“What the hell…! Ahhuhuh…”
As he raised his voice, his back started to ache and the old man held onto it. Touching an elderly person carelessly could have caused even more severe injury.
When situations like this arose, it was better for me to borrow someone else’s hand rather than using my own. I withdrew the hand I had extended.
“Excuse me, but it seems like your back is in a lot of pain. How about I assist you?”
“…?!”
When I spoke to the man who was standing still without any action, his face turned as startled as before. The old man, apparently displeased with his reaction, spoke in a low voice.
“Come here and support me!”
After the old man’s command was given, the man finally approached the old man and helped him stand up. With lingering pain in his back, tears welled up in the old man’s eyes as he managed to stand.
He looked at Lian, who had become free, and muttered to himself.
“You must repay the misfortune that happened today…”
The old man, leaving behind a villain-like line, exited the room with the man. Lian, who was left alone, scratched his head and tried to follow them out of the room.
Clank.
“…Huh?”
But the door was locked. Lian pondered for a moment and then spoke to the Dark Sword.
“Gargando, can you change your form for a moment?”
[ I am extremely busy. ]
“Will you keep doing that? Then I won’t give you dinner.”
[ Kruk… I’m not doing it for food! ]
Even so, seeing it smoothly come out from his thigh, it seemed that he didn’t want to go hungry for dinner.
I asked the Dark Sword to change its form according to my will.
Swoosh.
The Dark Sword transformed its shape into that of a long wire. It was a magical key that could open any door.
When Lian was suffering in the prison of half-cooked eggs, Iris anxiously fidgeted her hands.
“Lian, when will you come?”
She got up from the sofa, endlessly muttering words she couldn’t say out loud. Then she headed towards the room she shared with Lian. She opened the wardrobe on one side of the room and, with a creak, grabbed Lian’s neatly folded clothes and held them tightly in her arms, making her way to the bed.
Like a bird leaving its nest, Iris held Lian’s clothes close to her chest and pressed her face against them. She wanted to see him. She wanted to run out right away and find him.
But she couldn’t.
“I told you to wait. I told you to take care of the house.”
So she couldn’t. No matter how much she wanted to see him, she had to endure. Iris had made Lian the lifeline to withstand the cruel situation. She had firmly decided that she had to follow everything he said.
That’s why she couldn’t do anything, no matter how much she missed him.
“Lian, Lian…”
With her eyes closed, Iris tried to picture Lian in her mind. A feeling that was almost tangible. Even though Lian was always by her side, he gave her the feeling that he would eventually turn into dust and disappear.
Iris didn’t know why. It just made her restless.
As she pictured Lian in her mind, naturally, other memories about him started to emerge.
The faint smell of blood that always clung to Lian when he came back from a match without a single injury, the small scars that appeared whenever she briefly left his side, his dismissive attitude towards getting cut or hurt somewhere, saying it was nothing.
Iris remembered Lian’s hands that quickly healed without leaving any trace of wounds.
How easily did he twist his body around, knowing that his body would recover quickly? How much pain and blood…
Her train of thought suddenly came to a halt.
“Lian, I told you to wait. I told you to take care of the house.”
Iris forcefully erased the thoughts that were pulling her into the abyss and repeatedly recalled Lian’s gentle voice in her mind.
…If she didn’t do that, she felt like she would collapse right away.
Thump.
“…!”
At that moment, the sound of the door opening was heard from the front entrance. Iris widened her eyes and quickly got up from the bed, heading towards the entrance.
“Iris, you’re out.”
A gentle voice that she had longed for echoed in her mind, accompanied by the smell of blood that paralyzed her nose. Her face, which had a faint smile lingering on it, slowly stiffened.
“Sorry, I’m later than I thought.”
Lian was laughing with blood all over him. As if it was no big deal.
