The Deal (Lorsch's Perspective)
The silver-haired brat was poking my cheek with a grin. Damn it, my ears were ringing like crazy, and here this kid was, prodding at an injured person. What the hell kind of upbringing did this little shit have?
"So, let's make a deal. You don't want to die like this, right?"
Damn it, even opening my mouth was exhausting. I wanted to say something, but this cursed mouth wouldn't move. Fuck.
"Oh, your mouth isn't working? Hey, you, get over here and heal just her mouth."
"Didn't I already explain? I don't heal wounds—I turn them into dreams..."
"...Hey."
The silver-haired brat kicked the man in black right in the shin. Ouch, that had to hurt.
"Aaaargh!"
"When did I say you could talk back? You got your ass handed to you by me and swore to serve me, didn't you? So when I tell you to do something, just do it. What the hell are you doing, nitpicking my words, you damn..."
The brat was spitting out curses that sounded downright vicious even to me. It was like listening to a singer from a country whose entire language consisted of profanity.
"So just fix her mouth, you son of a bitch."
"But I'm in charge of the afterlife. Isn't it ridiculous to ask me to save someone?"
"Shut up and do it."
The man in black fell silent and approached me. When he spread his hand, everything went pitch black before my eyes. Was this how I was going to die? There were still so many things I wanted to do...
Just as I was accepting the darkness and trying to grow accustomed to death, the brat's voice rang out again.
"You're not dead, you idiot."
"...Huh?"
That was strange. Just moments ago, even moving my lips had been impossible...
"I made it so you can move your mouth just enough to speak. Think carefully before you answer. You don't want to die, do you? Because I can make that happen."
"...Huh?"
"Ugh, lady, you're seriously frustrating. I'm saying I can heal that fatal wound of yours."
If things continued like this, death was certain. Even skilled healers wouldn't have been able to mend an injury this severe. But if he could heal something like that...
I was willing to accept any condition.
"I'll give you anything... just please save me..."
I didn't want to die like this. There were things I still wanted to say to Werner. There were still so many things I wanted to do. I'd suffered through a lifetime of hardship—I couldn't let it end like this. I had to survive, no matter what I had to sacrifice.
"I don't need anything too extravagant. The basics of a deal are offering something of equal value to the benefit received, right? If you want to turn back time, you have to give up the strength or influence you've built. If you want power, you have to sacrifice a lifespan equal to the time it would take to obtain that power..."
"So what exactly are you asking from me...?"
"A life for a life."
A life for a life... What on earth was he planning to demand?
"Later, I'll be taking the child you cherish most."
"Fine."
"Yeah, it's hard to decide so qui—wait, what did you just say?"
"I said fine. Now hurry up and heal me. It hurts so much I feel like I'm going to die."
"Aren't you scared? I'm talking about taking your child."
What kind of nonsense was this? I was still an unmarried maiden. And if I died here, wouldn't everything be over anyway? I couldn't understand the point of asking such a trivial question.
"Look, what if you have a child later and regret it...?"
"Then I'll just say I don't know anything about it and chase them away. Or I could lie and say the dog is my most cherished child. Easy enough."
The brat clutched her stomach and burst into laughter. What was so funny?
"Hehe... Ahahaha! You're seriously the best! Out of everyone I've met so far, I like you the most! A crazy bitch who's actually honest... I was going to give you a passing grade, but you completely exceeded my expectations."
The silver-haired brat said that and then punched the man in black in the stomach.
"Heal her."
"Yessir, yessir."
The man in black snapped his fingers. I was wondering what kind of healing that was supposed to be when suddenly, the pain vanished. My body was completely clean, without a single wound. The broken bones had returned to normal. No—it felt more like the fact that I'd ever been injured was nothing but a dream.
"The deal is done, so let's go. It's been so long since I've seen a human I actually like."
With those words, the silver-haired brat vanished without a trace. The man in black clicked his tongue and left me with one final remark before disappearing.
"Hey, lady. Don't underestimate that psychotic little brat too much. She's not someone you can trick or drive away... Don't regret today's choice."
I would never regret today's choice. Never.
Staring at the corpses of the Magic Tower Masters, now reduced to lumps of meat... I felt nothing at all. If anything, I was relieved those annoying old geezers were dead.
Aaah... My throat was so dry. I looked around, hoping there might be some water—anything other than blood—but it seemed I'd been expecting too much.
"Lorsch!"
It was Werner's voice. But... it sounded a bit like his voice from the past? Damn it, I knew I shouldn't have gone for the cheap treatment. My ears must have gone bad.
Then, the person who appeared before me was Werner. But why did he look like he was ten years old instead of twenty-nine...? Had my eyes gone bad too? Damn it, what a quack.
"Wait... You're starting to look like that damn little swallow brat... No, like you did when you were ten... My eyes must be broken, so let me wash my face real quick..."
"Stop saying weird things. I really have gotten younger."
"What?"
"I had to borrow the power of a spell to heal you... Haah, explaining it with words is complicated. Anyway, what the hell happened here?"
Werner looked over the scattered corpses of the Magic Tower Masters and the elders of the Earth Magic Tower, his face showing clear annoyance. Yeah, Werner had grown quite used to seeing corpses like these.
"Well... I'll explain from the beginning."
I told him everything that had happened that day. About contracting with the Spirit King, how the Earth Magic Tower Master Gaius had suddenly attacked after hearing the explanation, and how he'd introduced himself as Tristan of the Black Round Table before leaving...
"But you're surprisingly fine?"
"Ah... yeah! Balena protected me!"
To be honest, if I told him that a silver-haired brat and a man in black had suddenly appeared, healed my mouth, then said they'd save me in exchange for my future child before actually healing me... he'd definitely treat me like I was crazy. Honestly, even I could barely believe this reality right now.
"Oh... really?"
"Yeah! I'm still the Tower Master of the Water Magic Tower. Did you think I'd just take a hit like that?"
To be honest, I'd been terrified. To cast magic of that power without even chanting... He was a man who had far surpassed any realm I could ever hope to reach.
"Tristan of the Black Round Table... He's probably pretty high up among their executives."
Werner rested his chin on his hand and began thinking deeply. Ah... he was so cute when he was young... No, I liked his grown-up appearance plenty too...
"Werner, I don't sense any suspicious energy nearby."
It was Lady Camelia, one of the heroes. I'd met her often as a child and we were somewhat close. Without thinking, I waved at her, and she lightly waved back.
"Thanks, sis. Haah... So the enemy ran away, we don't know what kind of trap they might have prepared, but we have to go anyway... That's it, fuck."
"If you really don't want to, you could leave it to me or Ricardo..."
"No. Since he called himself Tristan... I need to meet him myself and talk. I made a promise."
"A promise...? With who?"
"Someone who almost became my friend."
With those words, Werner headed outside. Even his short legs made his walk look adorable. Really...
"Hey, where are you going? With a body like that, where do you think you're—"
"The brothel."
"What?"
"Have you lost your mind?"
Both Lady Camelia and I were utterly shocked. What the hell? Why was he suddenly going there?
"Why the hell are you going to a brothel, you crazy bastard!"
"I have to fight that guy, so first I need to undo this shitty youth spell, don't I!"
"What kind of nonsense is that now!"
Werner scratched his head as he searched for the right words. Then, with a fed-up expression, he let out a sigh and dropped the shocking reason.
"Haah... Lady Melissa told me the condition to undo the youth spell before she left... and the condition is fucking..."
"What is the condition?"
"Sex with two women. Apparently it gets undone by releasing my vital energy that way. What else can I do? I have to go to the brothel."
"That bitch Melissa..."
I think I just heard Lady Camelia curse out loud, but it must have been my imagination. Anyway, if that was true, I could somewhat understand why Werner would go to a brothel. But... I could never accept the filthy whores of a brothel embracing Werner.
"I-I'll do it! I can do it! If you do it at a brothel you might catch an STD! Anyway... it's dangerous, so I'll do it!"
Werner's face turned red at that.
"Uh, that's... thanks, but... I need to do it with two people. Doing it with just you wouldn't mean anything, and taking you to a brothel would be..."
Ah... Maybe I really had to let Werner go. Just then, an unexpected voice spoke up.
"...If it's alright with you... I can help too..."
Lady Camelia, her face flushed red, shyly raised her hand.