Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Petrified. Damn It. (1)
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"So... does that count as some progress?"
"Ah... Leo. This... I've never seen a curse like this before, so it'll take some time. But I'm sure it can be lifted. I have a feeling."
"Damn it. So that's basically saying no progress."
"Shut up, Rick. If you're gonna keep acting like that, don't talk to me at all."
"Oh, sure. Wouldn't expect anything less."
"If only Bobby would wake up soon. It's ironic that the priest who should be healing our wounds is the one hurt the worst."
"Fortunately, Uncle Bobby should wake up soon. Priests of the Ennesic Order receive the Blessing of Healing, so they recover from physical damage quickly."
"That's a relief. Alright, everyone, let's eat. We need to get our conditions back to normal as soon as possible, too."
"Sigh. Yeah, let's do that. Who's on meal duty today?"
"Me... Um, Nadia? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Just... not sure if I'm imagining it, but your eyes look a bit swollen."
"Must be fatigue. Last night was especially tough. We should finish eating and get some rest soon."
"Yeah..."
"What is it, Rick? Why are you grinning? Something good happen?"
"Huh? No, Leo. Nothing... just nothing."
Their conversation lingered in my ears. The only way to track the passage of time was by eavesdropping on their talks.
Disjointed voices without context. Noises that piqued my curiosity and unidentified groans. Sometimes I wondered if this was all just auditory hallucinations. Maybe I was already dead, and this was an illusion conjured by the demons.
But every time that thought crossed my mind, vivid sensations shook my entire body. The chill of the wind brushing my hair. The buzzing of flies near my ears and the ever-seeping stench of blood. Traces of the battle I couldn't wash away still clung to my skin.
If only I could scrub this filthy body clean, even with mud. But my party members either didn't think of that or refused to spare me even a drop of water.
Or please, let it rain. No matter how desperately I tried to roll my eyes back to gaze at the sky, my rigid body wouldn't face upward. Would I stay frozen like this forever? The fear that I'd live out my days petrified dominated my mind.
Water. Water. Water. Water. Water. Any liquid would do. I wished the flies buzzing in my ears would at least piss on me.
Give me water. Water. God, if you're listening.
Anything but blood to quench this cursed body's thirst.
Ever since the petrification spell hit me, I slept during the day and woke at night. I didn't know why. Maybe because mana was fuller under the moonlight.
Thanks to that, all I could see were the party members standing watch. Yesterday it was Eli and Sera. The next day, Rick and Leo. Then Eli and Nadia. Nadia, Eli, and Leo sometimes pulled double shifts in a row, while Sera only took her turn once every three days.
And Rick. He stood watch on a similar rotation as the others but always dozed off or slacked midway. Whenever one party member stepped away briefly, he'd glare at me, spit on the ground, or mutter curses.
Another oddity: after that day, Rick never stood watch with Nadia again. Had they fought? From snippets of morning chatter I could catch, they didn't exchange a single word.
But tonight, they were together on watch for the first time in ages. When I opened my eyes at midnight as usual, Nadia stood silently staring ahead, while Rick lounged on the ground, slacking as always.
After staring straight ahead for a long while, Nadia glanced sideways at Rick lying there, as if drawn by gravity. Irritation was plain on her face. When he shut his eyes to pretend sleep, she couldn't hold back anymore.
"Rick. Open your eyes."
"I'm awake."
"It's not about whether you're asleep or not—open your eyes. You can't respond to threats with them closed."
"Wow, genius."
Rick sneered without opening his eyes. Cracks began forming in Nadia's expression.
"There's a limit to how much whining I can tolerate. Get up while I'm asking nicely."
"That's not nicely at all. Doesn't the noble knight know what 'nicely' means?"
"You little..."
Nadia clenched her fist, stepping toward Rick as if she'd reached her limit. But then a rustling came from behind.
"...I think I heard something. Knight."
"Probably a rabbit or something. Nothing serious."
"But shouldn't we check, just in case?"
"Fucking bastard."
Nadia glared at Rick for a long moment before leaving with no other choice. Once she was gone, Rick groaned and flailed his limbs on the ground.
"Agh, fuck. This is such bullshit. What the hell is this?"
Here comes the lamenting. I wanted to plug my ears, but unfortunately, I couldn't.
"The Demon King's army bastards said it was nothing special. Bullshit. We're getting wrecked even by one of the Four Heavenly Kings—how the hell are we supposed to beat the Demon King? Fuck, we're gonna die for real."
Why the hell did we hire this guy again?
He wasn't always like this when we first met. Back then, he seemed fun and lively, excitedly chattering all day about partying up with imperial knights, the prophesied Hero, and especially the famous Leo.
At first, he might've thought he could coast along with these big names without doing much. But as he said, the Demon King's forces were stronger than we expected, and we faced wipeouts multiple times. Each time, Rick grumbled that it wasn't what he signed up for.
Because of him, the mood tanked more than once. Damn bastard. Maybe from the start, you were...
"...the problem from the start, Luca."
I snapped to attention in shock—Rick was right in front of me now, glaring with gritted teeth.
"If you hadn't gone around declaring you'd take down the Demon King, we wouldn't be here. We should've turned back after you killed that Minotaur bastard. Then you wouldn't be a rock, and I'd be back home living it up by now."
Don't make me laugh. Our goal was always to defeat the Demon King.
"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fine, whatever. Can't blame everything on you. But this mess is still your fault. Why'd you have to get hit with this shitty curse..."
Rick kept spewing curses, then suddenly went quiet staring at my outstretched fingers. He flashed a creepy smile and spoke again.
"By the way, Luca. You really turned to stone, right? So... if I snap one of these... it won't reattach?"
What?
I shifted my gaze slightly—he was fiddling with one of my fingers.
"No malice here. But it's unfair that only I'm suffering like this. It's your fault we're in this spot. So, as an apology... mind if I break just this one?"
You crazy son of a bitch!
I strained desperately to twitch my finger, but it didn't budge. Rick started applying real force, intent on snapping it.
Damn it. Crazy. Fucking. Asshole.
Please. Please. Move. Move.
No matter how hard I screamed in my mind, my body wouldn't obey. Soon, a ominous crack sounded from my finger.
There was a sharp snap echoing in the air.
"Rick!!!!!"
"Urk!"
A pained scream followed as Rick's finger slipped away. Turning my gaze, Nadia had appeared, glaring down at him in fury.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Ow... fuck..."
"What were you trying to do? Tell me the truth!"
Her face burned with unprecedented rage. Rick spat blood and staggered to his feet.
"Just touched it—why're you freaking out? On your period, bitch?"
"What did you say?"
"No idea what retarded idea you got, but I just touched it. And you punch first?"
He advanced on Nadia, fuming instead.
"No clue what's got you so pent-up, but leave me alone. Or what, you into me? Say it straight—I'll handle it. Otherwise, fuck off. I'm at my limit too."
"...Hah."
Nadia looked up at the sky and sighed deeply.
"Fine. Truth is, I'm at my limit too."
She spat the words with ice-cold resolve.
"Looks like you need a beating."
"What... urk!"
Her hand seized Rick's collar. She started dragging him off somewhere.
"Let go... you crazy bitch..."
"I know your type. Thugs who only learn through fists. Should've done this from the start."
They slowly vanished from my sight. Only Nadia's bloodthirsty words lingered in my mind like an afterimage.
"Say stop anytime you want. Might not listen, though."
Waiting was always excruciating. Especially since it was all I could do.
After they left, I focused every nerve on listening. All I heard were night insects chirping and the quiet flow of the night.
Haa...
To think something like this would happen.
A sigh I couldn't exhale condensed like a cloud, knotting in my chest. I'd hoped the party wouldn't come to physical blows.
Maybe Rick was right—it could all be my fault. If I'd been less reckless, none of this would've happened.
That self-loathing hit me right then.
"Urk..."
A groan came from nearby. So sudden, I couldn't tell who.
"Urgh..."
It drew closer. Who? Rick? Or... Nadia?
The next sound cleared it up. Not a groan this time—a word with clear meaning.
"Stop..."
Rick.
It was Rick's voice.
So he got beaten good. Pain dripped from every syllable.
"Stop... please..."
The voice approached. Should've known better than to push it. I felt conflicted yet satisfied. The voice passed behind my head, staggering footsteps clear now. Finally, their figures appeared before me, and Rick's words rang out sharp.
"Quit your whining, you fucking bitch."
"Wa... wait... please..."
"Fucking cunt."
Rick kicked something hard in frustration. Under the moonlight, Nadia's battered form came into view, crystal clear.
She huddled, groaning nonstop, shrinking like a frightened rat. First shock: her terror. Second: she was stark naked.
Rick panted raggedly, then yanked her soft hair roughly with his toes. She shrieked, head forced up.
"Kyaaak...!"
"That's right, you worm. Why keep mouthing off? Think you're hot shit?"
"Let... let go... please..."
"Can't even talk big anymore? Hey, think we babied you 'cause you're great? Bullshit. Just 'cause you're a knight. Scared of backlash if we touched you wrong."
"I... I'm..."
"If you suck, don't act up. Honestly, you're the most useless in this party. Melee? Leo and Luca handle it. Ranged? The pussies and old man got it. All you do is useless backseat driving!"
Unable to contain his rage, Rick slapped Nadia's cheek. As she toppled weakly, he laughed maniacally.
"What, thought you could take me? You never say shit to Leo. Don't delude yourself. Even if I lost two fingers instead of one, I'd still crush you."
"Urk... ughuk..."
She's crying. Nadia is.
My mentor.
My dream.
Beaten by that thug. Crying.
Rick huffed off his anger for a while, then kicked off his shoe and parted her long hair with his toes. Even lying down, her full breasts rose prominently.
"But damn, skills are shit, but these tits are decent. Face ain't bad either..."
"Wh... what... ahuk!"
He stepped on her breast, pinching her nipple between toes and twisting gently. Nadia couldn't resist, leaking shallow moans.
"Cute, you cunt. Stripped, you look tasty."
"Stop..."
"What? Can't hear you."
He squeezed her nipple hard with his toes and yanked long. As she shuddered and arched, he released abruptly.
"Haaang!"
"Your moans are too cute, knight. Makes me wanna torment you."
"Please stop. Please..."
Desperate plea, but Rick wouldn't. His pants dropped with a thud, revealing his rigid erection.
"Might as well fuck you once. You don't wanna quit here, right?"
"No... please... not in front of Luca at least..."
"He can't see. What's the big deal."
Rick spat cruelly, then grinned wickedly my way.
"Besides, Luca's probably dying for a sip of water by now?"