Queen's Toy

Rattle, rattle.

Ian was still slung over Arcia's shoulder as they headed to the Temple. It was right near the Labyrinth, so they arrived quickly, but there were more people gathered than he'd expected. Since the Labyrinth had only just opened, novice adventurers like him—who'd been lucky enough to return alive—were crowding in for treatments and boon checks.

Then.

"Uwaaa... No way!"

A choked sob erupted from the crowd. Ian turned his head and saw a woman collapsed on the ground. The reason was immediately ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clear.

"...Legs?"

Her legs were short. Abnormally so. Grotesquely short compared to the rest of her body, as if her torso and legs had been slapped together from separate parts.

"I rolled around in there for a whole year, and this is the boon I get...!"

The woman clutched her legs, sniffling. The adventurers around her clicked their tongues.

"Negative boon."

"Looks like one that shortens your legs."

"Tsk tsk... Gonna cost a fortune to remove that."

Negative boons. They cropped up sometimes. Boons that inflicted drawbacks on the body. And in this world, the more drastically a boon altered the body, the pricier it was to remove.

In a trembling voice, the woman said, "Do you know how many gold coins it takes to erase this...?"

The area fell silent for a moment.

"...Ten gold coins."

A collective sigh rippled through the crowd.

"Ten gold coins...?"

"Whoa... She's screwed."

"Where's a newbie gonna get that kind of money?"

"Gonna be stuck like that forever, huh?"

Someone muttered under their breath, "Better off if an arm had just gotten lopped off..."

"Can't even equip proper gear like that."

Hearing it, the woman gripped her legs even tighter. "A whole year... A whole damn year...!" Her voice shook. The surrounding adventurers looked away uncomfortably. No one offered comfort. It wasn't all that rare in the Labyrinth.

A chill ran down Ian's spine. What if he'd drawn a negative boon like that from the start? Truth be told, he'd never planned on getting a boon at all. He'd just wanted to scrape together whatever strength he could from the Labyrinth. Even if he did get one, he'd assumed it would be something predetermined. Besides, boons weren't that easy to come by. The Labyrinth let you grow stronger bit by bit just by hunting monsters and coming and going—even without one.

But looking back now, his sense of reality must have dulled because he'd ended up in a game-like world. He'd been... insanely lucky. Really insanely lucky.

Then another commotion broke out from deeper inside.

"No, my body definitely glowed!"

"I'm sorry, but... no new boons are showing up."

A woman was clutching the hem of a nun's robe, arguing. "People still pull that crap, huh," Arcia muttered pityingly.

"Which bitch—! ...Oh, Arcia..."

The adventurer who'd whirled around in anger spotted Arcia's face and deflated instantly, clamping her mouth shut. He didn't know the details, but Arcia seemed more famous than he'd thought.

"Lady Arcia."

The nun ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠recognized her too and greeted her warmly. "Did you acquire a new boon?"

"Nah. Today it's for this kid."

Pat, pat.

Arcia naturally patted Ian's butt as she introduced him. "Hoho. Then please, come this way."

The nun guided them inside with practiced ease. As the three slipped naturally into the back, the arguing adventurer finally gave up, slinking off toward the Labyrinth with slumped shoulders.

A small room held a low bed—the kind with a face hole, like something out of a massage parlor.

"Please remove your top and lie face down here."

Ian's clothes were already mostly shredded, so Arcia just plopped him right onto the bed as-is.

"Then we'll begin."

Tap.

"Eep..."

As Ian lay prone, the nun approached and placed her hand on his back. A cold energy seeped in, and a small sound escaped his lips unbidden. In the game, you'd just inspect your back visually—no physical contact like this. He hadn't seen it coming.

"They didn't do this when I got checked," Arcia said accusingly to the nun.

"Oh, this is just the procedure for male patients. Huhu."

"Don't get handsy."

Arcia growled low, grabbing the nun's wrist. "Oh dear, caught me?"

Ah...

This nun wasn't normal either. Using the inspection as an excuse for a grope, basically.

"Do it right."

Despite Arcia's sharp command, the nun continued unfazed. Though after that, she kept her hands off, scribbling on a parchment while staring at Ian's back.

A moment later.

"All done."

The nun handed the parchment to Ian.

Swish.

And as she withdrew her hand—whoosh. It brushed lightly over his hand.

Twitch.

Ian's body jerked reflexively. "Oh my, my mistake." The nun smirked shamelessly.

Glare.

Under Arcia's piercing stare, the nun scurried out of the room. "Hoo..."

As the door clicked shut, a sigh slipped from Ian's lips. Was this how women felt getting groped on the subway? ...Not the time to dwell on that, though. First things first: check the boon.

Ian slowly unfolded the parchment. There, written out, was the boon he'd received. Strangely, the writing in this world was perfectly readable.

"...What?"

The words tumbled from Ian's mouth. He'd been sure the first boon was predetermined. But this was something he'd never anticipated.

"What is it?"

Arcia leaned in naturally to peek at the parchment. "Ah, no!"

Ian startled and clutched it to his chest. Peeking at someone else's boon without permission was taboo here. Plus... the contents were kinda... not something to show off.

"...Ah, sorry. Did that upset you?"

Arcia pulled back a bit, realizing her mistake, her face turning awkwardly sheepish like when they'd first met. It was oddly cute, melting Ian's wariness in an instant.

"No, it's fine. I'll read it to you."

Of course, he couldn't recite the whole thing. Ian summarized just the effect part.

"Whoa..."

Arcia beamed. "A first-discovery boon."

"First-discovery?"

"Yeah." Arcia nodded. "Not registered at the Temple yet."

Reporting it could net a reward. But.

Ian's inner thoughts were different. How the hell do I tell anyone about this...?

The name alone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a problem.

"Gonna report it?"

"No."

Ian shook his head. The name was the issue. The nun had seen it, sure, but nuns didn't remember boon details. They didn't read them—they just gazed at your back, and the content floated into their minds like divine revelation. And those revelations didn't stick around long.

"I'll think it over some more."

"Sure."

Arcia smiled. "That's normal."

The two left the Temple. Luckily, Arcia had spare clothes. Ian borrowed one of her shirts, but the size was an issue. Due to their build difference, he had to fold the sleeves multiple times. Watching him, Arcia chuckled.

"So."

Arcia asked, "Where to now?"

Ian fell silent for a moment. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Labyrinth. The place where he'd nearly died just minutes ago. The suffocating terror still clung to his body like a memory etched in muscle.

Honestly? He never wanted to go back. Ever.

But.

Ian slowly opened his mouth. "...The Labyrinth."

Arcia's eyes widened slightly. "For real?"

"Yeah. I think the best thing I can do right now is get stronger in the Labyrinth."

Labyrinth or city, survival meant getting stronger. With this tiny body, his options in the city were limited. He'd mentioned the brothels, but that was a last resort.

"Hmm..."

Arcia eyed him thoughtfully. "Still, just letting you go like that feels off..."

Her red eyes narrowed slyly, a strange smile playing on her lips. "I've got some spare gear I don't use."

She tilted her head slowly, gazing down at him. "It's at sis's place."

Her voice flowed soft and smooth. It sounded casual, tossed out offhand—but those red eyes betrayed none of it.

Ian froze, speechless. Arcia's gaze pinned him right there, inches away. For some reason, he couldn't tear his eyes from it. A chill prickled up his spine.

"Fufu."

Arcia's smile deepened. "What do you say?"

Her red eyes still held him fast.