Chapter 249: The Source of the Problem
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 249: The Source of the Problem
I was sure I'd sealed off the area where I was fighting Taotie, but the Bicorns uncannily sensed the battle was over and showed up.
“Hehehe… Myriad Demons Return…”
“The pouch… hehehe… built for easy childbirth… hehehehe…”
What in the world are these guys?
“Hehe?”
They looked at my shrunken form and gave a lewd grin.
“Hehe… Onaesota.”
“Onaesota… Toonbui… yummy yummy… hehe…”
Before I could even ask what on earth they were talking about, they vanished like shadows, leaving only their unsettling laughter behind.
It’s a relief they’re on my side. If they were enemies, I would’ve been scared shitless. Even with my Dragon Eye, I couldn’t track their movements.
They never showed that kind of skill in a fight. They only pull it out for things like this.
“Those things just now… were they the Bicorns?” Taotie asked, her voice serious and a little surprised.
“Gekek.”
I nodded lightly.
“They’re known to show favor to strong males, so you must certainly qualify.”
The Bicorns show favor to strong males? Judging by how they treat me, that seems right, but something feels off.
It feels less like they’re judging based on martial strength and more like… they’re judging based on one’s history with women.
“Losing like this is strangely liberating,” Taotie said. “After all, I’ve finally shown the side of myself I’ve kept hidden.”
Taotie had hidden the fact that she was female. Despite her love for battle and her aggressive nature, she had concealed an even more powerful form.
Should I be impressed that she earned the title of one of the Four Fiends while holding back so much?
Even Chodo and Gongbok hadn't known, so it's possible I was truly the first one she ever showed.
“A battle is something you must always win, and I was supposed to remain a male. This feeling I have now… Truly, you can live for ages and still not understand everything.”
Taotie's voice was calm. After living that way for so long, she had every right to be confused, yet she seemed more composed than I expected.
Yes, this was much better than before.
…If only she'd stop lying on the ground.
“Gek!”
Why are you still lying down like that?
If this were Chillang-i, I would’ve rubbed her belly and blown raspberries on it, but I couldn’t do that to Taotie.
For one, she was in human form, so I felt it would be wrong to touch her carelessly.
I don't know why, but I had a feeling I'd end up completely drained.
It wouldn't be a problem with someone as harmless as Soyeong, but if I tried that with Taotie, she might just snap.
And now that I'm so small, I have to be extra careful.
“Gekek.”
Get up.
At my command, she pushed herself up into a sitting position.
“I suppose it’s not polite to keep showing you this hideous body.”
What is she talking about?
“Geeeek!”
Hideous body?
Is the reason she pretends to be a man because she thinks her body is hideous?
If Soyeong or Chodo heard you say that, you'd be in for it.
“What is that look on your face?”
Taotie's red eyes flashed.
What now?
“A gaze I’ve never felt in my life… It feels… strange. Yes, that disturbingly lecherous stare. You bastard. Are you insulting me?”
Her aura flared with anger.
What's wrong with the way I'm looking at her?
I felt completely wronged.
I was just staring blankly at those… enormous things.
“Just because I lost doesn't mean my spirit is broken. I am simply keeping my word.”
“Gek?”
“This means that even though you defeated me, I will not tolerate being insulted.”
Insulted? What is she talking about?
One thing was certain: Taotie wasn't normal, either.
She was clearly twisted in some way.
For now, she was under my command, but she was a ticking time bomb.
“I understand you find this body repulsive. It's a hideous form, with these useless lumps of flesh hanging off it. My hips are so wide it's uncomfortable to walk. And instead of a wild, beastly scent, my body gives off a floral fragrance, making it difficult to hide.”
Is she bragging right now? A high-level humblebrag?
The thought crossed my mind for a moment, but it didn't seem like she meant it that way.
Taotie's obsession with being male was so intense that she'd spent her life pretending to be one.
Given that, and the fact that her body was undeniably female, she couldn't help but loathe it.
The inferiority and jealousy she felt toward me must have also stemmed from the fact that I was a male.
So, for me to stare so intently at her body must have felt like an insult to her.
It was as if I were gawking at her greatest weakness.
Then again, she could have just not lain on her back. Or at least put on the clothes she'd taken off.
I wanted to say as much, but I kept the thought to myself.
Still, I could tell she was misunderstanding the situation.
Which meant that if I could just clear up this misunderstanding, everything would be fine.
She clearly had her own wounds, and this would be a way to help heal them.
First, I had to show her that I wasn't staring because I disliked her body.
Fwoosh.
I kicked off the ground and leaped toward her.
“A surprise attack—!”
With a precise and swift movement, I landed safely.
Squish.
Right on top of her bandages.
I really didn't want to do this, but it was the only way to clear up the misunderstanding.
“W-what are you doing! You bastard! Getting so close… to my hideous form…”
Taotie trembled.
“Gerorororong… Gerorororororong…”
But her trembling lasted only a moment. She looked startled when she saw me feigning a look of pure bliss.
“…What in the world is that peculiar cry?”
“Geroooong…”
My tail swayed gently.
Even with the bandages, it's this... impressive?
“You bastard! How dare you humiliate—”
Taotie started to get angry but then swallowed her words.
Of course she did. To her, I must have looked utterly content.
I felt bad for Taotie, but this was all an act.
What sane lizard would hop onto the chest of an opponent they were just trying to kill? And purr while wagging its tail, at that.
This was absolutely not because I was genuinely moved. I was forced to do this to clear up the misunderstanding.
“Why… with such a blissful expression… on this hideous body…”
It's an incredibly comfortable spot.
It reminded me of the Snake Queen and my Master.
Plus, it was strangely... firmer? More solid?
There was definitely a distinct difference.
“Don't tell me… you're saying it's okay… even with a body like this?”
It seemed Taotie understood what I was trying to tell her.
There was no need to hide her gender and pretend to be male. At least, not in front of me. I could accept her just the way she was.
“I truly… don't understand. I've spent my entire life thinking this body was a curse, yet for a male of your stature to be… so…”
“Gerorong.”
“I have lost the battle, and now, I have lost in spirit as well.”
With that, she pulled me into a tight hug.
Ah, seriously.
“Gerong.”
I hate this kind of thing.
I'm only acting, but I guess I'll have to play along.
“Geeeeek… Gerooong… Keeeek… Keck…”
I can't breathe.
Don't tell me... this was her aim all along?
What a dirty trick...!
Trying to suffocate me while my guard was down.
“Kerororong…”
Just as I was enjoying the cloud-like sensation, my body was suddenly lifted into the air.
What the—? Did I actually die? Did I attain enlightenment and now I'm ascending to the heavens? Although, it feels more like I'm being held by the scruff of my neck.
“Sigh. No wonder those Bicorn were laughing.”
A disappointed voice reached my ears.
“Geeeek…”
“Why are you so small again?”
I glanced up to see a pair of familiar golden eyes. A tail wagged slowly, ears twitching slightly.
It was Baek Rang.
“Gek!”
I had actually stationed Baek Rang, the strongest of my remaining followers, nearby just in case something unexpected happened.
She must have seen the Bicorns causing a ruckus and figured the fight was over.
“…Who is that female?” Taotie's red eyes glared at Baek Rang.
“So you're Taotie? I've heard a lot about you. But no one ever mentioned you were a female.”
Unyielding to the aura of one of the Four Fiends, Baek Rang glared right back.
For some reason, Baek Rang also looked a little angry.
Squeeze.
“Geek!”
Judging by the way she was kneading my side, was she mad at me?
“Female? What are you talking about?”
“Huh?”
“I believe you are mistaken. This body is male.”
Taotie declared with shameless audacity.
Who in their right mind would look at her and think she was male?
“…You're a male?”
“That's right. Can you not see the difference between us?”
“A male? With those pumpkins on your chest?”
“Hmph. Is there something wrong with your eyes? How typical of a female with such a vulgar body.”
Baek Rang looked utterly bewildered.
Baek Rang's body was also quite gerorong, but at least her clothes were neat and proper.
Taotie, on the other hand?
Her attire was too embarrassing to describe in words.
Her top was torn to shreds, leaving little more than a single bandage, and her bottoms were in no better shape, leaving her extremely exposed.
In a situation like this, who was she to call anyone else's body vulgar?
“Did you hit her on the head or something?”
I did smack her with my tail at the end, but that shouldn't have anything to do with this.
“I was so glad that red lizard was gone, but now there's another weird one. …Is she even a lizard?”
“Lizard? Hmph, ridiculous. A thought befitting a foolish female.”
Baek Rang seemed to have given up on arguing with her.
Perhaps she just decided Taotie was a mentally unstable spirit beast.
“Seriously, how is it that no one here is normal?”
At least you're normal. That's a relief.
She said, looking closely at my shrunken form.
“…But you're really small.”
“Gekgek.”
It's because of the miniaturization.
“What if I accidentally lose you? I'm a little worried.”
My body got smaller, not younger.
“Hmm, this won't do. Here, want to hold onto this?”
She placed a long, cloth-like strap into my small hand.
I looked to see what it was and realized it was a leash attached to Baek Rang's collar.
“…No, it's just… strangely, being like this gives me a sense of security? It puts my mind at ease.”
You're a wolf. A spirit beast, no less.
Why are you talking like a puppy?
I don't think even Chillang-i would act like this.
Wag, wag.
Her tail was wagging expectantly.
…If there's one thing I have a weakness for, it's canines.
With no other choice, I took the leash.
“Hah. Just like your vulgar body, your thoughts are lewd as well,” Taotie spat with disdain.
“Offering such an item as a sign of submission to one's master… How utterly absurd.”
As she spoke, she tried to press something into my hand. It looked similar to the one Baek Rang had given me.
“What are you doing? Take it.”
…Didn't you just call Baek Rang lewd for this exact same thing?
“Do you think a female fawning over a male is the same as one male showing submission to another? This body is male, so there is nothing wrong with this act. It is completely different from what that vulgar creature is doing.”
Baek Rang looked like she had given up trying to argue.
“Sigh… Seriously, not a single one of them is normal.”
I narrowed my eyes at Baek Rang.
She used to be so sensible and normal when we first met. Why did she change so much?
What could be the problem?
Well, I don't think it's my fault…