Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: Wanna Just Leave? Or Have Some Ramen Before You Go?
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Han craved a midnight snack. It might seem out of nowhere, but after waking up in the middle of the night, he felt a slight thirst along with gnawing hunger.
Groggily climbing out of bed, Han rummaged through the cupboard in the corner of his place. There was nothing edible in sight.
"……."
He stared sullenly into the empty cupboard for a moment, then remembered that Camilla, who had come back earlier, had bought some late-night snacks.
Han headed to Camilla's house. Showing up unannounced at a lady's place late at night was rude, but he was starving.
When he arrived and was about to knock on the front door, he froze at the sound leaking through the crack.
――Aaaah! Bugs…! Bugs…!!
It was Camilla, deep in her hobby.
"……."
Han hesitated briefly. Not only had he shown up late, but interrupting her hobby would definitely piss her off.
But he didn't agonize long. After standing there for about thirty seconds, he knocked on the door. Camilla would complain for sure, but he had no choice. He really wanted that snack.
"Camilla, you there?"
――……Why.
As expected, her voice dripped with irritation.
"I'm hungry. Can you spare some food?"
Hungry as he was, Han pressed on shamelessly. A disbelieving chuckle came from inside.
――God, what an idiot.
Click.
The door opened, and
Whack!
Camilla kicked Han square in the shin.
"Ugh…?!"
Han staggered. Looking at him pitifully, Camilla let out a dry sigh.
"Get in."
Camilla went back inside. Clutching his shin, Han hopped after her. He wanted that snack.
"Cup ramen okay? I'll boil some water. Eat quick and get out."
"Thank you."
Camilla started boiling water in the kettle. Han sat quietly in the corner, waiting.
"The bugs are crawling on my body…! My body…!!"
"Aw, really~?"
"B-bugs…! Ah, aaah…!!"
"Shh. Quiet down. We have a guest."
A man strapped tightly to the workbench with leather belts thrashed and screamed. Camilla giggled at his reactions while pulling cup ramen from the cupboard.
"Ugh, ah…."
Bugs, really? Had Camilla's hobby taken an even darker turn? Curiosity piqued, Han approached the workbench for a closer look.
The man drooled, his eyes bloodshot with agony. But there were no bugs on him. Aside from a bruise on the back of his head, no obvious wounds either.
"Camilla, what's wrong with him? No bugs, and no deep injuries that I can see."
Han tilted his head.
"Oh, that? He's hallucinating."
"Hallucinations?"
"Yeah."
Camilla nodded.
"I injected him with Anis's blood. Well, a refined version."
"That explains it. Still feels off, though. From what I know, Anis never freaked out like this."
"Who knows. Maybe you just didn't see it."
Camilla poured hot water into the cup ramen and handed it to Han with wooden chopsticks. He took it and waited for the noodles to cook.
"Wanna see something fun?"
Camilla pulled a syringe from her bag. It contained a red liquid like blood. She jabbed the needle straight into the man's neck and injected it.
The thrashing man suddenly calmed. He stared blankly into space, but the endless screams had stopped—he was remarkably docile now.
"Ugh, uaaah!! Bugs!"
But only for a moment. He soon started convulsing again, ranting about bugs. Han's eyes widened as he turned to Camilla.
"What was that?"
"Betty's blood."
"……?"
Han blinked blankly.
"Pfft. That face—like, 'Why the hell Betty?' What do you think?"
"…Because Anis relies on Betty psychologically, so her blood has a calming effect?"
The man's madness came from Anis's blood and the magi mixed in it. So maybe he reacted to Betty's blood, since Anis leaned on her so much emotionally, calming him briefly. That was Han's guess.
He thought it was a solid theory.
"Idiot. Does that even make sense?"
Camilla looked at him like he was a moron. Han scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"It's because Betty's an angel's descendant."
"…Betty has angel blood?"
"A tiny trace, but yeah. Didn't know? Kahathel or Betty never told you?"
"Nope."
"So you thought a normal human could have that ridiculously convenient power?"
"……Hmm."
Thinking about it, yeah. Betty's abilities were way too exceptional for an ordinary person.
She'd started as powerless, but after her sister's blood mixed into a wound, her powers awakened. Not exactly normal.
"Angelic mana usually has anti-demon properties. That weird energy magic beasts hate just from getting near. But life force seems different."
Camilla expounded at length. For once, she seemed less psycho killer and more brilliant researcher.
"Angelic life force is more about purification. Sure, the anti-demon aspect in their mana is purification too, but life force purifies more gently and cleanly—without destroying demons outright."
"Too complicated. Sum it up in three sentences."
"Heh. You little…."
Camilla yanked Han's long hair hard. He winced in pain but clenched his teeth to protect the ramen in his hands.
"Basically, Betty has faint angel blood, and since it carries life force, it can soothe magi-induced hallucinations."
"So it could cure Anis's hallucinations?"
Han asked.
"…Who knows?"
Unlike Han's hopeful expectation, Camilla's reply was nonchalant.
Even after purifying Anis's blood to halve the magi concentration, the guy was still like this. And Betty's blood only calmed him for about three seconds—a temporary fix at best. Curing Anis completely seemed impossible right now.
Anis's magi had thickened over time. Even pure angel blood in bulk might not cut it.
Her current state would've killed a normal human ages ago, but her dual nature as human and magic beast kept her going.
"Is that dual nature a blessing or a curse?"
Human enough for hallucinations, beast enough not to die from magi.
"Still, it's somewhat good news. Means there's a chance to improve her condition. Does Anis or Betty know?"
"Nah. Haven't told them."
"…Why not?"
Camilla smirked at Han's question.
"More fun this way."
Tick. Tick-tick-tick.
The old fluorescent light flickered.
In the dim room alternating between light and shadow, only Han's red eyes and Camilla's blue ones remained vivid.
Tick-tick. Tick. The light, which had been strobing on and off, finally died. Darkness blanketed the room.
Han stayed silent. So did Camilla. Amid the heavy quiet and gloom, only the bound man's intermittent screams echoed from the workbench.
"What, you think I'm doing these experiments to treat and help that girl?"
Camilla tapped the light with her fingertips. It flickered in rejection several times before sputtering back to fluorescent life.
"Just doing it 'cause it's fun and interesting."
"……."
With the light back, the man on the workbench fell silent. Camilla, who had met Han's red gaze unflinchingly, shifted to the man.
"Dead?"
She tapped his cheek with the back of her hand. No light returned to his eyes, so she murmured, "He's gone."
"What happens if we cure Anis's magi?"
Steam still rose from Han's cup ramen. The noodles were more than ready by now.
"She'd go back to being a normal human. Losing all that power she relied on."
"……."
Camilla said it plainly. Han stayed quiet.
"Han. You're misunderstanding something. We're here to wipe out humanity, right? You, me, all of us."
Camilla stared into his red eyes. The light cast shadows over her blue pupils.
In nearly three years, had that girl ever killed anyone?
"No. There were situations she could've ended easily, but she always hesitated. You had to clean up. Admit it—you were frustrated too."
But if her magi got cured here?
Losing power aside, would she even try to kill? She hesitated now, tormented by hallucinations and dark thoughts.
"Listen, Han. Snap out of it."
Curing Anis meant abandoning humanity's destruction, rotting in this barrier until death.
That what you want? You said you came 'cause you didn't wanna die.
I don't wanna die. Came to enjoy some real fun, not croak without it.
Revenge on those who abandoned, betrayed, ignored you? You'd toss all that?
If you wanna quit, quit. Your call.
"Gonna tell Anis and Betty? Go ahead if you want. That'd be hilarious."
Camilla gestured toward the door playfully.
The steaming ramen had cooled to lukewarm.
"What'll it be? Just leave? Or stay and eat?"
"……."
Han glanced at the door, then met Camilla's blue eyes again. They stared in silence for a moment.
"…I'll eat first."
"Good. Eat up."
Han sat in the corner, peeled open the lid, and split the chopsticks. Ignoring him, Camilla sliced open the belly of the man who'd died from magi overdose, laughing.
Red liquid splashed from the wound. Camilla toyed with her knife, unbothered by the blood staining her face.
Han watched impassively as he slurped his ramen.
After finishing broth and all, he went home.