Chapter 63
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: A Lot
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"......Hoo."
How long had I been standing here like this?
My legs didn't hurt, but I was starving.
It felt like my stomach was glued to my back. The waiting was boring too.
Of course, that was because I'd come early and been waiting.
I'd clearly heard the guy would come out at noon,
but sitting still in the inn room with my butt planted there had been too much, so I'd come out.
Just in case that hot-tempered bastard decided to come out earlier than scheduled.
So I'd been waiting since morning.
Uncle Kain was supposed to bring him, but I'd insisted on doing it myself.
I'd been stubborn about it.
I'd wanted it that way.
Screeech—
Finally, right on time, the firmly shut door creaked open,
and five or six people started coming out from inside.
Most dragged their feet, glancing around distractedly.
Some stared only at the ground as they walked, others only up at the sky.
They looked broken somehow... no, they were slaves.
"Huuu... S-sob, I-I'm sorry......"
"M-Master... I-I'll never... never run away again......"
They called the men waiting outside like me 'Master,'
and slammed their heads at the feet of the ones who'd thrown them in here, shedding tears.
Some licked their masters' shoes with their tongues,
others rubbed their hands together in the air, acting strangely.
No one looked sane.
They didn't look human—they had the eyes of livestock tamed by fear.
"......"
Watching them blankly,
an inexplicable anxiety crept up on me.
What if that guy came out broken like that too?
I had no idea what had gone on inside for a month.
All I'd heard was what Uncle had told me.
[Almost no one dies in there. So don't worry too much.]
They certainly looked fine on the outside.
No cuts or bruises anywhere.
But......
"Master... f-food... please give me food..."
"Ah...! I-I did wrong... don't hit me... please..."
Were they really alive?
Were they just shells that looked fine on the outside, rotten and festering within?
If he came out like that too.
If he knelt before me, trembling with terrified eyes as he looked up.
"......Ugh."
Just imagining it made my stomach churn. I didn't want that.
His original sleazy, vulgar self was better.
I never wanted to see him like that, even in death.
Whether they acted strangely or not,
the masters grabbed their reclaimed slaves' collars and left one by one, satisfied.
Three, four. Five, six.
Before I knew it, all the milling people in front of me were gone.
......The area was empty.
I tore my eyes from the door, wondering if I'd missed him coming out earlier, and looked around.
Gone. Not behind, not to the side or opposite. He still hadn't come out.
I was getting anxious. My lips were parched.
Should I go inside myself?
As I thought about going in to search and drag him out, a voice came from behind.
"What."
"Why'd you come?"
I whipped around in shock at the voice I'd been waiting for.
There,
"Whoa... I'm honored, huh? Real honored."
The light, cheeky tone of a back-alley thug, one I hadn't heard in ages.
"What, this lowly slave's worth his master coming to pick him up personally?"
Shoulders spread wide, bare since he wore no shirt,
hands shoved in the pockets of his ragged pants, arrogant pose.
And.
"......?"
A completely unfamiliar face smiled at me.
My chat with Ellen, that deviant nympho, had dragged on longer than expected.
Having to brush off her clingy bullshit to the end,
I ended up coming out a bit past the scheduled noon release.
Screech, thud.
The heavy iron door slammed shut behind me.
Instead of the sour, musty stench assaulting my nostrils,
"Hoo......."
clean, cool air filled my lungs deep.
Dazzling sun pouring down from above.
And the crisp, refreshing wind brushing my bare skin.
That's when it finally sank in.
That I'd escaped that fucking detention center at last.
This body, free.
"Kya, fuck. Weather's goddamn perfect."
I stretched lightly and looked around.
The old man Kain should've come to get me.
I'd told him to bring a block of tofu and wait right on time...
Where is he? As I scanned around,
"......Huh?"
A familiar outfit, familiar back. A perky ass caught my eye.
"Why'd you come?"
The girl whipped around in surprise.
Her eyes went wide round; she looked pretty shocked.
I smirked,
"Whoa... I'm honored, huh? Real honored.
What, this lowly slave's worth his master coming to pick him up personally?"
and slowly walked toward my master, Baekrin.
I greeted her warmly, seeing her face after so long.
But,
"......?"
Her reaction was lackluster.
Not her usual blank face, not happy to see me.
Like she'd run into a total stranger,
just gaping dumbly.
'Ah, right.'
Makes sense.
I pulled my hand from my pocket
and wickedly stroked the line of my right face, from cheek to jaw.
Smooth.
No more lumpy, melted, wrinkled skin,
now soft and fluffy cheeks like a freshly boiled egg white.
And only a sharp jawline that could cut if mishandled.
Yeah.
This was another little gain from that month, if you could call it that.
It was around day 3 or 4 after entering that hellish chicken coop.
[Ugh, this fucker's mug... Every time I see it, it's fucking gross.]
[Right? So ugly, ruins the booze.]
[How about we peel off his skin today?]
[Flay him...... Tch, hassle, but let's do it.]
The butcher boys must've been jealous of my handsome looks,
so they ripped off my face skin whole, sliced and peeled it.
Of course it hurt like dying. Wouldn't it, having living flesh torn off?
Right before blacking out, Ellen's continuous heals flowed in,
and the result?
The burn scars and ruined face I'd had since the South Gate Tavern arson were peeled away,
and baby-smooth, white, clean new flesh grew in.
I first saw my face properly three weeks later,
looking in the mirror in Ellen's room.
[......Fuck, who's this? Not 50%, 100% peak handsome bastard?]
[Percent? What're you talking about?]
[Shut up. Let me have my moment.]
The shock and overwhelming emotion I felt back then.
They say there's narcissism where you fall in love with yourself.
If I'd been gay, I might've jerked off to the mirror right there.
"What, too handsome to recognize now?"
I shoved my face right up to the frozen Baekrin and cackled.
"Falling for me? In love? Heart pounding?"
"......"
No answer.
Still incredulous,
just wide-eyed, scanning my face every which way.
Well, first time seeing me in ages; it'd take adjusting.
"......You?"
Finally, a deflating sound leaked from her.
"Really...... Leon?"
"Yeah. And Baekrang too. You named me that."
Swish.
Baekrin's hand rose slowly.
Her rough fingertips touched my right cheek cautiously.
Shaking, like touching a mirage.
"The scar......"
Her finger slid slowly along my smooth jawline.
"......Gone."
"Got some free skin treatment inside."
I overlaid my hand on hers, pressing her cool palm fully to my cheek.
"Well? Plump and smooth, right?"
"......"
"Call me an eyesore again, like before, why don't you?"
Instead of answering, Baekrin gripped my cheek a bit harder.
Cold hand, but somehow warm.
After a moment,
"......Lucky bastard."
She muttered low.
"Thought you'd come out with a tamed temper...... but you just got your face all prettied up."
Gruff words, but she didn't let go.
Even rubbed it gently with her thumb, confirming.
"Obviously. Sucked all the honey out. Fun times all around."
"Other slaves didn't look like they had fun."
"They're just weaklings. I'm exceptional."
"Exceptional my ass......"
She's smiling a bit now.
I pulled away our overlapped hands and with both,
Grab.
"......Eut?"
clutched her big left and right tits full in my palms.
And kneaded away.
"Haa... This, this feel, these soft, springy tits."
"......"
"Just... let me stay like this a bit. You don't know how much I missed it."
Even after I said that,
she grabbed both my wrists anyway.
Knew it. Fucking heartless bitch.
Brace for a kick to the shin or head...
"......?"
But unexpectedly, she just held my wrists.
Didn't pull my hands off her tits yet.
What? Looking at her face,
"Just this... what you missed?"
"......What're you saying?"
"Me."
Baekrin smiled faintly,
"Was I... not missed?"
"......"
She stared straight into my eyes.
"I missed you...... a lot."
Her voice trembled faintly.
Where'd her usual coolness, bluntness go?
"I was surprised 'cause it's not the face I remembered..."
Baekrin's gaze lingered on my smooth right cheek again.
"But...... at least that ugly mug improved a bit."
"......"
I stared down at her blankly. Strength left my kneading fingers.
Didn't expect this suddenly.
Fuck, sneaky bitch.
Now I can't enjoy the tit feel.
Swish.
I dropped my hands from her chest.
Stepped closer,
"......!!"
and hugged the woman before me tight.
Felt Baekrin stiffen. But she didn't push away.
Instead, wrapped her arms around my waist, lowered her head, buried her face in my chest.
The scent I'd missed.
Not blood, not filthy slop.
Just Baekrin's smell.
"Why ask something so obvious?"
I muttered, resting my chin on her crown.
"I missed you too, Baekrin."
The truth.
Kain too. Noy too. Baekrin too.
In that cramped, stinking chicken coop,
squeezed among the crazies, trying to sleep somehow.
And in that insane reeducation room,
filming snuff with those fuckers and the psycho bishop bitch.
Her quiet voice. Her clipped speech,
pretty face. Warmth.
"......A lot."
How much I'd missed it.
At my last murmur,
her arms tightened a bit.
Murmurs from around us.
Well, a shirtless ex-slave hugging a oddly dressed commoner girl in the middle of the street in broad daylight would look weird.
But fuck off, idiots.
She's my master,
and I'm holding my woman.
Don't care about other scum's stares.
"......No trouble?"
"Nah. Eat, sleep, shit. That's it."
"Didn't... get beat up inside?"
"You think I'd just take it meekly? I'd beat them back......"
Squeeze.
I hugged her tighter.
No thoughts of 'how long'.
Might stay like this all night.
My chilled body warmed quickly.
"......"
Baekrin instead of the old man. Woman's embrace instead of tofu.
Definitely better this way.
Can't help it with a dick attached.
[You that simple? Or are all guys like this?]
Both true.
At the same time, near the detention center.
"You there, hold up."
A rough hand grabbed a passing pedestrian's shoulder.
An imperial knight in silver plate armor.
"Eek, eek! I-I don't know anything!"
"No need to panic. Just check your belongings and answer a few questions."
The knight grimly rummaged through the terrified pedestrian's bundle.
Stopping every passerby to check identities,
inspecting possessions—thorough to the point of obsession.
The pedestrian trembled, the knight showed no annoyance.
After the inspection ended,
"Haa...... Senior, you think we'll find clues like this?"
The female knight following grumbled.
"Grabbing randoms off the street—what good's it? Waste of time."
"Quiet, Luna."
Senior knight Kyle furrowed his brow.
"Her Highness the Princess's safety is at stake. We have to overturn every pebble."
"Still, better to search taverns or inns.
That's where info gathers... and rest a bit, try the local booze......"
"Your real motive's in the afterthought."
"Ow... that's secondary! Be more efficient!"
Luna pouted and turned away, exasperated.
Glancing around, something caught her eye.
"Oh?"
Her eyes widened, poking Kyle's elbow.
"Senior, senior. Look over there."
"What, suspicious guy?"
"No, not suspicious...... Gasp."
Luna covered her mouth, squealing.
Far off, at the entrance of the kingdom's slave reeducation building.
A woman in unusual black clothes and a shirtless slave embracing.
"Look, look! Slave and commoner girl's romance?
Like straight out of a novel, right?"
"......"
"Ahh... that male slave's face. Handsome sure, but... looks like he's about to cry......"
Kyle's gaze lingered.
A man with odd hair—yellow roots, black ends.
And the black-haired woman in his arms.
Ignoring stares, sharing body heat—it was more than romantic, almost heartrending.
"Ahem."
Kyle cleared his throat, looking away.
How long since coming to this continent?
Seeing them, his wife back home suddenly came to mind.
He too had fresh days like that once.
Then Luna grinned mischievously.
"So, not questioning them?
You said overturn every pebble just now."
"......"
Kyle pondered, then shook his head.
"Even Captain Garland would've told us to pass quietly if he saw."
"Ooh, really? Hehe..."
"...Ahem. Hem."
Embarrassed, he adjusted his armor.
"Senior's stiff sometimes... but romantic too."
"Quiet. Let's go. You had a point...... check the taverns."
"Yay! Let's go!"
Luna excitedly pushed Kyle.
The two silver knights passed them, vanishing toward the bustling district.
And.
The man and woman stood rooted there a good while.
Quite long.