The Wo...rst Reunion
The Wo...rst Reunion
I regained consciousness, and a day passed.
I was fussed over in the arms of the person I love, and my physical state was thoroughly checked.
The result: I was perfectly fine.
My core and circuits were in order. Melted muscle, torn flesh, and pulverized bone had all regenerated seamlessly.
'Maybe it's thanks to getting younger.'
This wasn't the first time my body had regressed in age.
When I was steeped in the Twin-headed Poison Dragon's venom, my body would grow younger and the injuries and poisoning would vanish without a trace.
'Is it a kind of reset? If recovery seems absolutely impossible, it just rewinds you to childhood...'
In previous cases, it had mostly been bodies already dead from being drenched in poison.
This time, on top of the injuries inflicted by the 10th Iteration and Hellfire, the aftermath of the rampage had been slammed on top as well. I'd been in a state where it wouldn't have been strange just to dig a grave.
Crudely speaking, I was too wrecked.
The parts needing repair outnumbered the intact parts, so it might just do a complete reset.
'Is this a function of the curses? Or a racial trait?'
It wasn't easy to tell.
Whatever it was, I survived, which was good for me, and I'd be happy if it worked like this next time too.
'And on top of that, my left arm regenerated...'
I wiggled my left arm with a strange expression. The natural sensation, in contrast to the prosthetic arm, was quite awkward.
This was something I couldn't be purely happy about. There had been advantages to equipping the artifact prosthetic arm.
"Does the smaller hand feel strange?"
Another hand settled over my wriggling left one.
"Rather than strange, it feels fascinating."
"Even though you've already experienced it? Well, I suppose getting younger is hard to get used to."
The touch continued.
It teased as if checking fingerprints, tracing the joints and palm of my hand and sending tiny tickles up my arm.
It seemed she was purely delighted by my newly grown left hand.
But I squirmed at the ticklish sensation.
As I turned my head, a bit of the outside air slipped in among the rich scent of milk. When I finally pulled my face away from where it was buried in her chest, Ellia's bright yellow eyes were right in front of me.
"Hehe, it came out."
Her gently curved eyes came closer.
Chu—a warm sensation touched my lips, as soft as a feather.
In that heavenly moment, able to savor affection, warmth, and her scent all at once, the corners of my mouth naturally curled upward.
With a cozy smile, Ellia kissed the corners of my lips too and asked.
"Baby, aren't you hungry?"
"Ah... I'm full."
Before I'd been handed over to Ellia, Hong Yeon-hwa had fed me generously and then left. Thanks to that, my stomach sloshed heavily, and a thick sweet taste lingered in my mouth.
"...Tsk. Then your head doesn't hurt, and your circuits don't sting, right?"
"Yeeees, I'm really fine."
"Hmm... I wonder. I have to be able to believe that."
"......"
At the question, laced full of worry and affection and a heavy thread of suspicion, I buried my face against her voluptuous chest.
'I'm really fine though...'
Even though I was in a situation akin to a baby being coddled and living in the lap of luxury, I wasn't simply lazing around.
As was only natural, my right to act freely had been revoked.
Including the time I'd been unconscious, about eight days had passed since the Reverse Side's rampage began.
The battlefield was still bustling, however. Because the rampage was continuing even now.
I'd controlled the degree of the rampage directly, but I couldn't help being shocked. Fear would suddenly well up over what kind of catastrophe might have occurred if that thing had burst all at once.
Whenever that happened, being held tight and stroked in a warm embrace made it better...
Anyway.
Of course, moving mana was excessively burdensome, and operating Authorities was taxing as well. That was true.
There were still a few things possible even in that state.
One was operating the spell workshop I had already put in place.
In particular, I was adjusting the number of Golems the spell workshop was auto-producing to reduce the burden on the front lines.
The other was operating the spirits.
Spirit arts were originally a discipline with especially good mana efficiency.
That's because spirits could be summoned, maintained, and could act by feeding on mana naturally distributed in the environment.
By blending the mana I'd left behind with the natural mana, the efficiency multiplied several times over.
Furthermore, since I was already deeply connected with the spirits, I could operate them efficiently even while cradled in Ellia's arms.
"Hmm... Baby? Would you like to speak through the Confession Necklace?"
But Ellia's gaze, looking straight down at me, held disbelief.
It wasn't just Ellia.
No matter how much I said I was fine, none of those around me would believe it...
My lips jutted out at that, but knowing it was all my own karma, I couldn't really complain.
[I'm really okay...]
"Hmm, it seems you really are fine for now."
She wouldn't let it go until she finally heard my true intent through the Confession Necklace.
'It's not even a lie detector...'
Somehow, the Confession Necklace could now distinguish truth from lies if it listened to a voice and concentrated.
After a kiss finally coaxed away my pout, I thought about the Confession Necklace, which was functioning perfectly.
'It's a relief I put it away beforehand. If I'd been wearing it, it would definitely have been smashed to pieces.'
Just before I forced the Reverse Side to rampage,
I placed the Confession Necklace into subspace.
It was difficult because of its binding function, but I barely managed to store it, and thanks to that, the Confession Necklace didn't break.
The Sky Wing Feather was quite damaged while protecting me, but later, if I feed it plenty of mana, it will recover quickly.
'In contrast, the Proof of Protection is...'
Its state was strange. I made an odd expression as I sensed the Proof of Protection stored inside my body.
- Knock, knock... Excuse me, can I come in?
"Hm?"
Just then, a knock accompanied by a voice sounded from beyond the door.
Ellia, who had been tidying my hair, tilted her head.
It probably hadn't been audible to Ellia's ears. This premium treatment room had Soundproof Magic installed.
I turned my body half around and spoke while leaning my head against Ellia's chest.
"Ellia, it's Senior Daera."
"Aha."
Only after I identified her did Ellia nod and operate the magic tool.
- Wooong!
"Oh, it opened."
As the door opened, the blue-haired woman who let out an exclamation—Senior Daera—entered.
Senior Daera was staying on the front lines, saying she had nowhere to go immediately, and helping with monster subjugation.
Setting aside her simple skill, just scattering the enormous output of her lightning alone made her a match for a hundred fighters in a subjugation battle.
Aside from that, it might also be because she just returned and isn't used to city life.
Like how she directly knocked instead of using the magic tool just a moment ago—she's showing plenty of awkwardness with daily life in various ways.
It will probably take her a bit of time to adapt.
"...Junior, how's your body? Any signs of growing up yet?"
Senior Daera looked at me, cradled in Ellia's arms, with a peculiar expression, then waved her hand.
[I'll be back to normal soon...]
[Anyway, Senior, when you come in, you have to press the magic tool, not knock.]
"Ah, right! No wonder it felt like I forgot something... Um, hello?"
"Yes, hello. Miss Daera."
As Senior Daera smiled awkwardly and greeted Ellia, Ellia beamed and accepted the greeting.
It turned out that while I was asleep in my master's arms, she had already finished greeting the others.
Once Senior Daera settled into a nearby chair, Ellia looked out the window and asked.
"It didn't seem like there was any major commotion. Did the subjugation end safely again today?"
"Yes. The volume of monsters was quite high, but there weren't many high-ranks, so there were no dangerous situations."
"That's a relief. Patients coming to the rear have definitely decreased significantly lately... Could it be that the rampage is slowly entering a decline?"
"Umm... I'm not so sure about that. Considering those that were inside, I feel like there must be a lot left..."
While the two of them were conversing quite affably,
I retrieved the spirit I had assigned to Senior Daera.
It was a lightning spirit that had taken on a new form. The spirit that had been perched on Senior Daera's shoulder flew over to me with a flutter.
'I'm glad there were no major incidents.'
- Affirmative.
Feeling its will resonate in my head, I gently stroked the spirit's head.
This child's role was a kind of terminal.
Since Observation wasn't working, I had been attaching spirits to others one by one in this way.
For reference, Professor Liana's and Ellia's spirits are attached to me as well.
"Ellia, is there anything difficult for you? I mean, like the junior fussing at night so you can't sleep..."
Suddenly, an attack was launched at me while I was caring for the spirit. I jutted my lips in dissatisfaction.
[Senior, I'm not a baby...]
"But your visible appearance is that of a kid, right?"
[Grr...]
I shook my arm at Senior Daera's openly mischievous face.
"Not at all. Rather, the time he's awake isn't even that long. Hmm..."
Ellia, who had been giggling and patting my back, suddenly looked straight down at me.
As I tilted my head back to meet her eyes, her gaze traveled down to my lips.
"...If there's an issue, it's that he complains about side dishes?"
"Whoa, Junior. You even complain about side dishes? Were you a real little kid?"
[......]
I had no room to refute that, so I averted my gaze.
The giggling Senior Daera shrugged her shoulders.
"When you were cooking inside the Reverse Side, you ate everything, so I thought you didn't have any picky eating habits."
"Ha-yul cooked for you too? How was the taste?"
"Ah, it was really, really delicious. It was the best food I've eaten in my life."
"Ha-yul's cooking skills are indeed outstanding. Even at the mansion, everyone is desperate to eat Ha-yul's cooking."
The atmosphere was quite harmonious.
Even though it hadn't been long since they met and it could have been awkward, the sociable Ellia had become quite friendly with Senior Daera.
Thanks to that, they were even conversing without reserve about the inside of the Reverse Side, which ought to be a sensitive topic...
"Certainly, looking again, the junior does show some childlike sides. I mean, not that I'm one to talk, but he suddenly becomes docile the moment he's held, you know?"
"...Is that so?"
- Poof?
While I was harmonizing the spirit, the hand that had been stroking my head suddenly gained strength.
Because my body had been turned back around at some point, my face was pressed deeply into Ellia's chest, which swayed right in front of my nose.
Ellia beamed, changed the topic as if nothing had happened, and I, cradled in the cozy embrace, flailed my arms.
[Happiness]
But then I thought about it and realized there was no need to pull away, so I stopped.
As I was buried in that warmth and abundance like that, drowsiness slowly crept up on me.
Being full as well made the feeling even stronger.
"Elliaaa... I'm sleepy."
"Okay, you can fall right asleep like this. Are you uncomfortable, by any chance? Shall I lay you on the bed?"
"No... I'm okayyy..."
It was endlessly comfortable just like this. As I shook my head, dragging my pronunciation, Ellia let out a soft laugh and kissed the crown of my head.
'I should just stay like this for a few days.'
It was the sensation of the pain and fatigue soaked into my soul being washed completely clean.
As if the kiss that touched my head was a signal, my consciousness sank deeply into the coziness.
"...A real baby ju— ... ? ... ..."
"...—that's, ah, ahem, Ha-yul's cha— ... ... ..."
Lulled by the voices of conversation wavering in my ears, I fell back into sleep.
.
.
.
"—state? Azure...? underst... diffic... ..."
"Me too... ... Dad... anywa... ..."
'...Mmm...'
My sunken consciousness slowly surfaced. It was a natural awakening, not being forcibly seized and dragged up.
Sensation gradually returned.
The voluptuous feeling holding me tight, the sound of a heartbeat ringing right beside me.
The sweet and savory scent at my nose, the warm body heat transmitted from her skin...
"...Yeon-hwa..."
"Ah, did you wake up because our voices were noisy?"
It was Hong Yeon-hwa's presence. As I wriggled my body slightly, the hand resting on my back swept through my hair.
"Mmm... No... I just woke up..."
"Well, that's good then. There's still plenty of time until mealtime. You can sleep more if you're still sleepy."
"I'm okay..."
Though I was tempted, it was about time to inspect the spell workshop again.
This is the problem with a regressed body. It sleeps a lot—too much, even.
Especially when held like this, I feel like I could fall asleep forever, so I need to control myself well.
Swallowing my regret, I peeled my face away from her chest and raised a hand to wipe my eyes.
Hong Yeon-hwa tidied my hair, which had gotten messy while sleeping... and...
"......?"
It was then that I sensed something strange. To be precise, it was the existence of a presence I felt besides Hong Yeon-hwa.
I hadn't noticed the oddness right away.
It was because the Authority of Observation was off, and it was quite similar to Hong Yeon-hwa's presence.
'...Similar to the Calamity Flame?'
Suddenly, an ominous imagination surfaced in my head. I gulped and briefly opened Observation.
A stiff sensation circulated in my head, and the small amount of gathered information floated up in my mind.
Hong Yeon-hwa leaning against the headboard of the bed. Me, frozen in the act of rubbing my eyes while cradled in her arms.
And, sitting in the chair beside the bed...
My mouth fell open.
"......"
Hong Jin-seon. The current head of the Calamity Flame Family and Hong Yeon-hwa's biological father.
The person who, for some reason, appeared on the Reverse Side and blocked the Tower Master of Purgatory.
Sitting in the chair, he was looking at me and Hong Yeon-hwa with an extremely complicated expression.
[Ah]
The Confession Necklace let out a small exclamation.
My reunion with my father-in-law...? was the worst.