Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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>Translator: Vine
>Chapter: 39
>Chapter Title: An Unexpected Reaction
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He couldn't handle the shock and fainted.
Totogen was a man who had lived as a prisoner for a very long time. He stalked a woman he was interested in, but was discovered by her husband, who beat him half to death before he managed to escape.
Filled with rage, on the night of a full moon, he released a sleeping incense in the couple's home, putting everyone to sleep before murdering them.
Afterward, he began a series of murders, targeting newlywed couples or women who suited his tastes.
Eventually, he was caught and dragged to a place known as the worst prison, only to taste freedom when the prison collapsed during the Demon King's invasion.
But that sweet freedom didn't last long. He was captured by a slave trader and became a slave himself.
One day, as he was living day to day like a half-dead corpse without proper meals, a child approached him.
“Mister, here... eat this.”
The child smiled innocently and gave him half of their food. Seeing such pure kindness, something rarely found in this filthy, wretched world, Totogen was overcome with an unbearable killing intent.
Totogen killed the child. He reveled in ecstasy as he watched the child's eyes fill with confusion, fear, and despair.
*Ah, I want to kill more, more pure and beautiful children.*
Already walking a path of corruption, Totogen was completely consumed by darkness in that moment. He killed the slave trader and began posing as one himself.
In the Demon King's land, where madmen and scum thrived, Totogen prospered, coming into an enormous amount of money.
*How should I torment them this time?*
Unable to hide his anticipation, Totogen repeatedly clasped and unclasped his wrinkled hands. A dizzying excitement filled his mind.
*There are two of them, so it would be nice to break one at a time. The other one will be trembling in fear.*
Recalling the two slaves who looked like siblings, Totogen let out a chilling, wicked grin.
*Or... I could make them fight a stronger monster. Ah! Yes, forcing them to commit murder would be fun!*
Totogen unclasped his hands and slowly tapped his fingertips together, then pulled them apart, repeating the motion. Some time passed like this.
*Knock, knock.*
With a careful knock, the door opened, and the two slaves he had been waiting for entered the room.
The first to catch his eye was an expressionless girl with flowing white hair. She was beautiful from a distance, but up close, she was so stunning it made his eyes widen.
There was just one flaw. Her eyes were as empty as a dead person's.
He enjoyed seeing pure, lovely children dragged through the mud until they died or became completely corrupted, filthy beings; he had no desire for a breathing doll.
“Oh...”
Unlike the girl, the boy holding her hand had incredibly clear eyes. Eyes so clear they looked as if they had never witnessed a single horrible experience!
Unaware that they were the eyes of a clear-eyed madman, Totogen was overcome with glee.
*Ah! I want to see those eyes die!*
He thought of the countless children he had killed, his hands trembling with excitement.
“I'll take this one.”
“Huh? Yes! Y-Yes, sir!”
The roly-poly man shoved the fabricated product description into his pocket and nodded. Rian, who had been singled out, blinked and looked at the man in the deep-hooded robe.
*What? Don't tell me I'm being sold?*
Rian broke into a cold sweat, his eyes darting around.
*I just found Iris, and now we're going to be separated like this? Aaargh! I knew there was a reason they gave us the full-course treatment!*
While Rian was screaming internally, Totogen pointed at him and spoke.
“Bring him here. I want a closer look.”
“Ah, yes!”
The roly-poly man hurried over to Rian. His movements were like a noble lady running without a sound.
“If you act rudely in front of him, your head will come off. This isn't a warning.”
The roly-poly man whispered, pushing Rian's back. Rian instinctively recalled the time his head fell off and he had trouble putting it back on because it was facing the wrong way.
*If it falls off, I'll have to be careful putting it back on.*
Finding your head and attaching it straight while your vision is stuck on the floor was quite a difficult task.
“I wish to speak with him for a moment, so all of you, get out.”
“Pardon?”
*Clink.*
When Totogen pulled a heavy coin pouch from his robes and tossed it, the roly-poly man bowed a full 120 degrees, snatched the pouch, and scurried out of the room.
The attendant and secretary also quickly exited the room.
Iris didn't want to leave Rian behind, but he earnestly conveyed through body language that he would be back soon, so she had no choice but to leave.
Only Rian and Totogen remained in the room. Totogen pulled Rian in front of him, then cackled as he threw back his hood.
*Hehehe, now... how will you react?*
Burn scars, knife wounds, and even an empty, hollow eye socket were visible. On top of that, there were patches of grotesque skin, as if grafted from someone else.
Lumps the size of a baby's fist grew on his face, jaw, and neck, and a hideous smile played on his lips.
Children who saw his appearance had one of two reactions. Most would collapse in fear, or else feel pity.
Totogen looked at Rian, his face full of anticipation. Rian looked back at Totogen.
He stared intently.
*Come on, hurry up! Tremble in fear!*
He stared intently.
*Heh heh, frozen stiff with fear, are you? Now you'll wet yourself and collapse.*
He stared intently.
*...Why isn't there any reaction? Did he faint?*
There wasn't a single shred of fear or pity on Rian's face. All that existed was pure indifference.
It was the kind of glance one might give a passerby on the street. A cold sweat began to trickle down Totogen's face.
*Th-This can't be. Surely, if I make a more hideous face...!*
Totogen bared his snaggletooth in a wicked grin. It was a nauseatingly creepy smile. Totogen was sure that this time, Rian would burst into tears or collapse to the floor.
A wide smile spread across Rian’s face.
“...?!”
But what he got in return was a bright, blooming smile.
*What? Is he a good person?*
In Rian's world, it wasn't just ghosts that appeared frequently, but zombies too. After all, Halloween season came once a year.
They mostly lived near cemeteries, working part-time jobs during Halloween season or dreaming of world domination.
The zombie horde's most impressive accomplishment had been their plan to eliminate all couples. Rian remembered a zombie friend he'd made back then as he looked at Totogen.
*He looks pretty normal for his kind.*
Are his organs spilling out? No.
Is his head smashed in, exposing his brain? No.
Does he walk around with his tongue hanging out over a meter long? No.
That's right. By Rian's standards, Totogen just looked like a fairly normal zombie. That's why he had returned the grin that Totogen offered him.
Seeing Rian's reaction, Totogen's body began to tremble.
The reason Totogen enjoyed the despair of children was because they were like toys that reacted exactly as he pressed them.
Children who hadn't grown up under the protection of adults could never withstand Totogen's cruel torment. Or rather, none had until now.
*Y-You're not afraid of me? Are you... looking down on me?!*
Like the petty criminal he was, always preying on the weak instead of the strong, he concluded that Rian's smile was a sign of disrespect.
“Hngh...!”
He gritted his teeth and pulled a surgical knife from the subspace within his robe.
“How dare you look at me like that!”
He plunged the knife deep into Rian's stomach. Then he sliced downward. Red blood drenched his face.
He shouldn't have done that.
“What, who's the new asshole?”
Totogen, who had looked up to see Rian's terrified face, froze at the sound of a sudden, unfamiliar voice.
“You think this is your living room? Why the hell do you keep opening us up every chance you get?”
“Whoa, whoa, calm down, boss. What does this guy know? Look at him, can't even use a knife right. He must be slow.”
“What are you doing? Aren't you going to pay your respects?”
“Hah, hah! Is there a vi-virus? Are you a virus too?”
Totogen stared blankly into Rian's abdomen.
“Wh-What is this...?”
Totogen, who had intended to terrify Rian, was now pale, his lips trembling.
He had been proud of his monstrous face. Everyone who saw it would freeze up in terror.
But now, organs with eyes and mouths were chattering at him, as if his monstrous appearance was nothing at all.
“Uh, buh-buh...”
They say when you're too shocked, you can't even speak properly. That was exactly Totogen's state.
*Is this a dream? Yes, it's a dream. It must be a lingering side effect of the drugs I took a while ago!*
Totogen clung to this hopeful thought and shifted his gaze to Rian's face.
*Surely this kid is already dead—*
“I apologize for my kids. They tend to get a bit foul-mouthed when the faint of heart get too close. Ah, but you really shouldn't go around opening up other people's stomachs.”
With a calm expression, Rian apologized for his organs' language, then taught the zombie, who clearly didn't know human etiquette, some basic common sense.
“It gets cold in there, you know, and the organs might catch a—... huh?”
“*Gurgle...*”
He couldn't handle the shock and fainted.
“Well, the kids were a bit harsh.”
As Rian muttered this, his organs spewed curses. Rian ignored them, pulled the knife out of his stomach, and closed the gaping wound.
He gave it a quick rub, and his stomach healed without a trace.