Chapter 39: That’s Not It
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 39: That’s Not It
The Mayerbridge Union is a colossal clan. True to its name, its founding members were a small tribe of warriors who settled here after crossing the Myers River, which flows through the northwestern part of the Labyrinth City, Calax, in its early days.
Of course, there are no pure-blooded descendants of those original warriors left in Calax today, and the Mayerbridge Union itself does not discriminate based on ethnicity, race, or even species.
It is said that the opening of the once-reclusive Mayerbridge Union and its current prosperity were driven by the cross-species love of a certain passionate soul.
And there was a woman who had heard the story of that passionate soul since the day she was born.
A natural-born elf—specifically, a rare natural-born half-elf—Raya Delbaheim was the daughter of that very soul, the third Clan Leader.
However, there was a certain stranger here who knew nothing of this background.
“Wh-what…?”
What the hell is this?
The vice-captain of the second party of a mega-clan just… peed herself right in front of me. She was the one who did it, yet she looked up at me with teary eyes, clutching her lower abdomen as if she were the victim of some great injustice.
“Um… are you okay?”
“Hyaaaah!! Get away from me—!!”
“Ah, right….”
When I reached out to get closer, she bared her red lips and flailed her hands like a stray cat I’d just rescued.
The crotch of her skin-tight white pants was soaked and damp with an unidentified liquid.
Steam was rising from the wooden floor. Raya Delbaheim tried to put strength into her legs to stand up without help, but she grimaced, and as she pushed off the floor to rise—
—Thud!
Splash…
“H-heeeek…!!!”
Her snow-white, mochi-like buttocks slammed back down into the puddle. As the soft, elastic flesh landed in the pool, droplets splattered in every direction, asserting their presence once more.
Drip.
A few drops splashed onto the new shoes the doctor had prepared for me. Instinctively, I took a half-step back and spoke without thinking.
“I mean, the pee…”
“I-it’s not pee!!”
“Huh? If that’s not pee, then what—”
“I said it’s not pee!!!”
“I don’t think you can just insist your way out of this.”
Raya’s face wasn’t just flushed; her long ears, her thin neck, and even the backs of her hands and fingertips were as red as a carrot. Large, bead-like tears rolled down her cheeks as she desperately suppressed a sob.
After taking a few deep breaths, Raya Delbaheim finally managed to stand. Her legs trembled like a newborn fawn on the thin heels of her white pumps as she painfully gripped the nearby sofa to pull herself up.
Click.
Squelch, squelch…
The sound of liquid echoed with every step she took.
Having finally stood up from the puddle of her own making, Raya panted heavily and glared at me. Despite the doctor’s claim that she was emotionless, she was looking at me with sharp, fierce eyes….
This felt incredibly unfair. It wasn’t like I had a skill that made every woman I made eye contact with lose control of her bladder. Why was she getting mad at me for something she did?
“Huff, huuuuuu…!!”
“A-are you alright…?”
“Don’t come any closer! You! What on earth did you—”
“Whoa.”
As she breathed heavily in a half-crouched stance, Raya’s right high heel buckled, and she began to topple over. There was a low, square wooden table right next to her; if she fell the wrong way, it was bound to be a major accident.
“Watch out…!”
In that instant, my body reacted on instinct. I lunged forward, reaching out just in time to catch her before she hit the ground. I wrapped my arm around her slender waist, pulled her into my chest, and we went down together.
—Crash!!
“Ow, damn it.”
My back hit the hard wooden floor without any cushioning, sending a sharp sting through my spine. She was light, but the weight of an adult woman added a heavy impact to the fall.
I squinted my eyes open to find two warm, soft rice cakes pressed against my chest. Raya Delbaheim gasped, her rabbit-like eyes wide as she exhaled warm breath over me.
“Are you oka—”
And then.
Pshhhhh…
“Ugh….”
The sensation of my pant leg being soaked by some sort of warm liquid of unknown origin was vivid.
A golden shower during a game of human hamburger on our first meeting? What on earth did I do to deserve this?
“Um… I’ll keep this a sec—”
“Hyaaaaaah!!”
The only memory I had after that was my vision suddenly cutting to black and a ring of stars spinning in the night sky.
* * *
“What the.”
I’d gained an incredible cheat skill. An insane regression skill where, whenever and wherever I lost consciousness, I would wake up in Room 4 of the Mayerbridge Union Main Building’s infirmary.
“Like hell that’s true.”
I opened my eyes to find myself in the infirmary again. Of course, it wasn’t a regression skill. It seemed I’d been knocked out by that elf lady with the golden shower fetish—Raya Delbaheim—and ended up here.
Since I hadn’t lost consciousness during a grueling battle, my body didn’t hurt. It was a bit ridiculous to be in a hospital gown again, and my lower right jaw felt a bit numb.
“Up we go.”
I got out of bed, checked my body, and changed into my clothes from the familiar dresser. The sky outside the window was dyed black, but since my body didn’t feel too stiff, it seemed I’d only been out for a few hours rather than a whole day.
When I stepped out, a nurse I hadn’t seen before was on duty.
She was sitting in the lobby, her heavy eyelids struggling against exhaustion.
“Excuse me, I’m awake.”
“Oh, ah. You’re up? How are you feeling?”
“Fine. I’ve already changed. Did you receive any instructions from above?”
“Um, one moment. You’re from Room 4, right?”
Having done this once before, I finished the paperwork with practiced ease. The nurse called for the same doctor as before; it seemed he was still working.
“We meet often. Did you get some rest?”
“Haha, yes. I have a Compressed Sleep skill, so a two-hour nap is usually enough to resolve my fatigue.”
“That’s a skill to be envious of.”
Compressed Sleep? I was definitely envious. It would be great if I had something like that, though it wasn’t like I was particularly short on time.
I steeled my nerves and asked the doctor.
“Um… what did Lord Delbaheim say?”
“She didn’t say much. I haven’t received any specific reports either, other than being told that Explorer Aven suddenly collapsed mid-conversation. Apparently, you hit your jaw on the floor when you fell.”
“Right… sure.”
“She left this letter this time. You can read it while you follow the nurse.”
“Understood. Well then, take care.”
After a brief farewell, I followed a different nurse.
Opening the letter, I found some simple instructions.
To sum it up, she’s basically telling me not to get close to her.
This time, we went somewhere else. It wasn’t the grand building from before, but a place that felt more like a drawing room for receiving guests.
“This is it.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I stood before the door the nurse had led me to. There was no door knocker this time, so I knocked with my hand.
—Hic…! C-come in…!
“Uh… I’m coming in.”
Beyond the thick door, I could hear Raya Delbaheim’s small, flustered voice.
Creeeeak—
I opened the door and looked inside. I saw Raya Delbaheim huddled by the left wall, wrapped in a white blanket, while a fireplace crackled nearby.
Still huddled inside the blanket, she reached out a hand and pointed toward the opposite wall.
“W-welcome. You… go to that far wall. Stay pressed right against it.”
“Yes. Understood.”
The opposite wall had no fireplace; it was a library wall filled with books, making it feel quite chilly. She was keeping the warm fireplace and the blanket all to herself—wasn’t that a bit much?
Screech—
There was an expensive-looking chair by the right wall. There was no table, but I pulled the chair out, turned it toward the fireplace, and sat down.
“Um… hello?”
“...I am not doing well.”
“Haha, right.”
Then, silence. This situation. It was awkward as hell.
I had no idea how to continue the conversation. Honestly, what did I do wrong? Wasn’t the person who suddenly let loose right in someone’s face the one at fault? I even took a punch to the jaw.
Of course, being the understanding and decent person I am who doesn’t go around exposing others’ embarrassments, I didn’t say anything about that part.
“Ah, well. So, are you feeling alright?”
“Ugh… I am fine….”
She sounded like a lady knight captured by orcs. I felt incredibly wronged, considering I hadn’t done anything.
Wait? Orcs?
Orcs? Come to think of it, when the noble Raya Delbaheim sprayed that ‘unidentified liquid’ that was definitely not urine, I think she said something.
“O-oh! O… Orc Estrus…!!”
“H-hyaaaah!! What on earth are you talking about?! Are you… are you insane?!”
“No, no! That’s not it, Raya Delbaheim! Did you say you have the Orc Estrus Skill?!”
“Kyaaaah!!!”
Damn it, that was it! Orc Estrus! Why the hell does a skill like that even exist?! No, more importantly, why hasn’t she deleted it yet…!
Then it hit me—I was currently using the muscles of an Orc Chieftain throughout my entire body! Was that the cause?!
“That’s it! This might sound a bit strange, but… I’m an Orc!”
“O-orc!! You were an orc?! Unbelievable! An orc with a humanization skill!”
“No, no. That’s not it. I was born human.”
She just turned my mother into an orc.
“Y-you just said you were an orc!”
“No, I mean I’ve taken on the characteristics of an orc through a skill. Just wait a moment.”
I just needed to use the muscles of something other than an orc. Were there any other muscles I could use right now? Most of my muscles were screaming in agony.
But the situation was what it was. For now, I had no choice but to use different muscles.
“Just wait a second.”
“Wh-wh-wh-what are you trying to do?!”
“I’m not coming over there.”
I laid down on the long sofa in the center of the drawing room and began reverting my body’s muscles to their original state. I made sure no orc organs remained. This should do it.
“Huff, huff…! Urgh!”
Muscle pain flared up all over my body. They were screaming for mercy, and pained groans escaped my lips involuntarily.
“Phew… try coming over here now.”
“Y-you lecher! Psychopath! Madman!”
“Wait, why?”
Raya Delbaheim, still wrapped in her blanket, faced the wall and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Suddenly lying down on the sofa, letting out suggestive groans, and telling me to come closer! What are you planning?!”
“Ah, um. That’s not it.”
Oh, for God’s sake.