Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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>Translator: Vine
>Chapter: 57
>Chapter Title: Just You Wait
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Just you wait!
A fountain of blood, an old man rolling on the floor, a man staring at the elder with his mouth slightly agape in shock, and a bound Rian watching the geyser of blood, debating whether or not to call Gargandoa.
It was a complete mess.
“Guh, ghhk...”
Bansuk was spry for his age. Moreover, whenever he felt the slightest thing was off, he was examined by the best healers, priests, and mages to maintain his body in peak condition. Because of that, he was unaccustomed to such excruciating pain.
‘Tsk, tsk. You should have been more careful.’
Rian clicked his tongue inwardly, looking at Bansuk with a pitying gaze. In truth, the reason Bansuk was rolling on the floor, gasping for air, was all because of Rian's Gag Filter.
In the world of gags, old men were beings who would throw out their backs with the slightest overexertion. Especially when doing something strenuous, there was a high probability of their backs giving out.
Even a body meticulously maintained with money suffered equally before the Gag Filter. Rian watched Bansuk for a moment before turning his gaze to the man who was staring at the old man with a bewildered expression.
“Excuse me, how long am I supposed to stay here?”
“...!”
It was far too nonchalant a thing to say for someone endlessly spouting blood from their thigh. Although the man had been broken by Bansuk's various tortures and turned into an obedient dog, his instincts remained.
Faced with a bizarre scene he couldn't possibly comprehend, the man froze, unable to say a word.
***
‘Hmm... what should I do?’
I was lost in thought for a moment. The old man before me didn't seem like he would pull himself together and release me. And the dazed man didn't look like he would either.
As I considered just staying put, the image of Iris waiting for me flickered in my mind.
‘Right. An elderly person has collapsed before me. I should help him.’
I decided to use that as an excuse to free myself. When I called for Gargandoa in my mind, the back of my hand glowed crimson and blood welled up. My wrists were tied, but there was no issue with gripping something in my hand.
*Drip.*
With the sound of dripping liquid, a knife that looked like it was meant for dining suddenly appeared in my hand.
[ Huh? Partner, why do you look—... Wa-wait, th-th-that...! ]
The demon sword, which had been questioning my restrained state, suddenly yelled and flew out of my hand to hover in the air.
[ Y-Yikes?! What is this thing, Partner! Don't tell me you made a contract with another demon sword while I was away! That's a dual contract! It's a crime! It's fraud! ]
It seemed shocked that another sword was stuck in the spot where it usually was.
‘Never mind that, just untie me.’
[ Never mind that?! This is incredibly important! You and I are bound by a contract, Partner. Therefore, all your blood belongs to me! But you, without any consultation, gave my blood to some stranger...! ]
I sighed at the demon sword's ridiculous tantrum.
‘It's not like that. I didn't want this sword stuck in me either. Besides, this isn't even a demon sword. It can't even absorb blood.’
[ What? What do you mean... ]
Perhaps it hadn't properly surveyed its surroundings in its excitement, but the demon sword stammered and approached my thigh.
[ Hmmm, hmm... Indeed, this is just a shoddy sword you could find anywhere! ]
Its voice was lighter, as if it felt much better now.
[ Even so, it's unforgivable that it coveted your blood, Partner! ]
‘I'm going to pull it out, so cut the ropes.’
[ Hmph, if that's the case, I'll help! ]
The demon sword instantly sliced through the belts securing my wrists, ankles, and waist.
*Snap.*
I was free. The demon sword then urged me to hurry up and pull out that shoddy sword. I had no intention of keeping such a blade stuck in my body either, so I grabbed the hilt and pulled.
*Sploosh!*
Blood started gushing out once more. Then I heard the sound of the demon sword taking a deep breath.
*Sluuurp!*
The blood that had spilled and the blood now gushing flew into the air and began to be absorbed into the demon sword's body. The stream of blood, rising without any impurities, looked surprisingly beautiful.
After greedily absorbing the blood, the demon sword changed its shape to a size similar to the sword that had been pulled out, then plunged itself into the bleeding wound.
“Ouch, what are you doing?”
Feeling a sharp sting, I looked at the demon sword as it slurped up blood and spoke.
[ Ahem, wouldn't it be dangerous to leave the wound as it is? I'm just playing the role of a special bandage! ]
‘If that's the case, you have other skills. Like that transparent membrane...’
[ Uhh... Was there something like that? ]
If the demon sword had eyes, I imagine they would be darting around frantically. Not wanting to argue any further, I decided to just leave it be.
When I stood up, my eyes met with the old man, who had barely managed to sit up.
“You, you...!”
“Are you all right?”
Since it was partly my fault that the old man had thrown out his back, I offered him a hand. The old man gritted his teeth and tried to shout something.
“A punk like you...! Ahhhk...”
As he raised his voice, the pain must have shot through his back, because the old man grimaced and clutched it. Touching an elderly person carelessly could injure them even more.
In situations like this, it was better to borrow someone else's hands than to get involved directly. I withdrew my offered hand.
“Excuse me, the old gentleman seems to be in a lot of pain. How about you help him out?”
“...?!”
When I spoke to the man standing stiffly to one side, doing nothing, his face flooded with the same bewilderment as before. The old man, displeased by this, spoke in a low voice.
“Get over here and help me up!”
Only after the old man's command did the man scurry over to help him stand. With the pain in his back still lingering, the old man managed to get up, his eyes welling with tears.
He looked at the now-free Rian and ground his teeth.
“I will make you pay for today's humiliation...”
Leaving behind a line worthy of a departing villain, the old man left the room with the other man. Left alone, Rian scratched his head and tried to follow them out of the room.
*Click.*
“...Huh?”
But the door was locked. Rian thought for a moment, then spoke to the demon sword.
“Gargandoa, change your form for a second.”
[ I am extremely busy. ]
“If you keep that up, you're not getting dinner.”
[ Kgh... You shouldn't use food to threaten me! ]
Even so, seeing it slide out of my thigh, it seemed it didn't want to skip dinner.
I conveyed my will to the demon sword, asking it to change into a certain shape.
*Shhhk.*
The demon sword changed its body into the shape of a long wire. It was a magic key that could open any door.
***
While Rian was having a hard time in Bansuk's prison, Iris was fidgeting with her hands anxiously.
‘Rian, when are you coming back?’
Endlessly murmuring the words she couldn't say aloud, she got up from the sofa. Then she headed to the room she shared with Rian. She opened the closet on one side of the room with a clatter, gathered an armful of Rian's neatly folded clothes, and went to the bed.
Like a bird building a nest, Iris hugged Rian's clothes and rubbed her face against them. She wanted to see him. She wanted to run out and find him right this instant.
But she couldn't.
‘He told me to wait. He asked me to watch the house.’
So she couldn't. No matter how much she wanted to see him, she had to endure. To endure the cruel situation, Iris clung to Rian as if he were her lifeline. She decided that everything he said was right and that she must follow it.
That's why, no matter how much she missed him, she couldn't do anything.
‘Rian, Rian...’
Iris closed her eyes and pictured Rian in her mind. A feeling like he was just within reach, yet untouchable. Even when he was right beside her, Rian always gave off the feeling that he might one day turn to dust and disappear.
Iris didn't know why. The feeling simply made her anxious.
As she pictured Rian, other memories of him naturally began to surface, one by one.
The faint smell of blood that always clung to Rian even when he returned from matches without a scratch, the small scars that would appear whenever she was away for a bit, his attitude of brushing it off as nothing whenever his hand was cut or he got hurt somewhere.
Iris recalled Rian's hands, which healed so quickly that not even a trace of a wound was left.
How carelessly had he treated his own body, just because it recovered quickly? How many wounds and how much blood...
The train of thought, one leading to the next, suddenly snapped.
‘Rian... Rian told me to wait. He told me to watch the house.’
Iris wiped the thoughts that were pulling her into an abyss from her mind and replayed Rian's gentle voice in her head over and over.
...If she didn't, she felt like she might break down at any moment.
*Click.*
“...!”
Just then, she heard the sound of the front door opening. Iris's eyes widened. She shot up from the bed and rushed to the entrance.
“Iris, I'm home.”
The gentle voice she had been longing for in her mind entered her ears, and at the same time, the smell of blood overwhelmed her nose. The faint smile that had been playing on her lips slowly froze.
“Sorry, I'm later than I thought.”
Rian was smiling, covered in blood.
As if it were nothing.