Chapter 239
Chapter 239
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 239
Chapter Title: The Cause
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How much time had passed since the doctor had gone into the warehouse to rummage through his books?
"F-Found it!"
The doctor burst out of the warehouse covered head to toe in dust, his face lit up with ecstasy.
In his hands was a thick book—it looked like the solution was inside.
"...You mean something like that was in a mere book?"
"Mere book? This has been handed down from my master's master—master's master himself! It's a record of every disease they've ever encountered and treated!"
'...Still doesn't seem likely.'
They called it the Blood Cult, but these were symptoms caused by otherworlders from another realm. For an answer to be in some book?
Ye Socheon had come along on the off chance it might pan out, but he hadn't really expected to find a lead, so he kept his skeptical attitude.
"Hmph! Take a look. You said you got hit with some strange energy while fighting Blood Cult remnants, right? You'll see it plain as day—this is your original energy contaminated by an external force. Best case, you could expel the impurities on your own. But if you can't, you'll need outside help. Now, analyzing the invading energy..."
But contrary to expectations, the doctor proved surprisingly competent. He quickly diagnosed her collapsed form and
"...that's what you do. See? Perfect in theory, isn't it?"
soon spat out the solution.
Sword Empress and Ye Socheon heard it out, then went stiff-faced and silent for a long while.
"..."
Tweet tweet.
I woke up today, just like always, frowning at the sunlight stabbing through the window cracks and the chirping of birds outside.
Since we weren't the only two in the house, Dang Ayoung and I slept in separate rooms, so I was the only one getting out of bed.
Come to think of it, lately it felt like I spent more nights alone than with someone.
'Whatever.'
Not worth dwelling on. I rubbed my throbbing head and headed to the living room.
There, on the blanket spread across the floor, Sword Flower—Sword Empress's disciple—was tied up and sleeping with drool running down her chin. Dang Ayoung was already up, sipping tea at the table.
"You're up? But what's with the face?"
"You're up early..."
"Another nightmare?"
"...Something like that."
"...For real?"
Was it a nightmare?
Not scary, exactly. Just... unpleasant.
"I dreamed Master turned into a giant fox and vanished."
"Hmm..."
Dreams always fade fast after waking, so the details were hazy. But that part stuck out crystal clear.
Master turning into a massive fox with nine tails and disappearing into the forest.
"Well... she's a gumiho. Bound to have dreams like that sometimes."
"...Just a simple nightmare, right?"
"Has to be. Why would she up and leave you now? Last time I saw, she was hugging you so tight like she'd never let us have you. Couldn't pry her off if we tried."
"...When was that?"
"Few days back, when you collapsed into sleep."
Ah. When Heavenly Demon visited.
I remembered being bone-tired and passing out, and her showing up right after. But not the hugging.
"Honestly? It's complicated for me. Never even thought of her as competition, and now she's turning up as the ultimate rival—practically my mother-in-law."
"...I didn't know."
"What don't you know? I saw the affection overflowing in your eyes. You think I can't tell family love from romantic feelings?"
Streeetch.
"Eeeek."
Dang Ayoung grabbed my cheeks and yanked them wide.
"Be honest. You had a vague idea, didn't you? No matter how oblivious you get in sleep, does it make sense you never noticed over all those years?"
"Reawy didn' know."
"But you woke right up when she mounted you while you slept before?"
"Tha' time she didn' plan sneak attack."
"...Fair enough."
Thud.
When she mounted me in my sleep, she wasn't gentle about it—slamming down hard enough to jolt my hips. How do you explain waking up to that?
Master must've sneaked it.
Or put a spell on me to sleep first.
"...By the way, if she's your master, isn't she my mother-in-law? Not sister-in-law?"
"Oh."
"Keep treating me like the girl here."
"J-Just your imagination. Easy mistake."
The outside world didn't seem like some gender-reversed place. But around me? Felt that way.
I was too weak, the women too strong. And it kept going, so my sense of normal was crumbling.
I rubbed my stinging cheeks and sat at the table, picking at the snacks Dang Ayoung had been munching with her tea.
"So when're the three getting back? Could use some news."
"It's only been five days. Long way off—even messenger birds can't cover that overnight. Earliest for word tomorrow..."
BOOM!
"W-We made it! Just hold on a bit longer!"
"Just have you take her instead...!"
"Oh."
"Sure, my lightness skill's faster than yours, but hauling one person non-stop from there to here? Come on!"
"S-Sorry. Here."
"...Guess they're back."
"...Yeah."
The racket at the front door told us the three had returned.
"M-Master?"
Gulp.
Sword Flower, sprawled on the floor, shot up at Sword Empress's voice, swallowing her drool in a hurry.
Couldn't greet lying down, so I helped her up while preparing to welcome the trio.
'Well, back this fast means they wrapped it up safe...'
No Master's voice, but she wasn't the chatty type. Probably just came in quiet.
Then I saw them, and my heart dropped.
"...Master?"
"Ah. W-Well, see..."
Hair a different color from usual.
Not just asleep—limp on Sword Empress's back.
"Master?!"
Realizing something was wrong, I bolted straight over.
"Master!! You okay?! Master?!"
"..."
"F-First, calm down. Lay her on the futon..."
Dang Ayoung barely held me back from behind—about 80% mental meltdown—while Sword Empress laid Master down.
Finally calm enough to talk, I demanded answers from the two.
"Explain."
"..."
"..."
"What happened to leave Master like this."
"It..."
"...I'll explain."
Sword Empress and Ye Socheon looked apologetic as they recounted events.
Infiltrated successfully. Cornered the vampire lord with a surprise attack, right up to killing him.
Just needed the saintess to erase him as planned. Then she went off-script.
"...Probably something from the past between that woman and the vampire. While she was borrowing your master's body to wipe his soul, the vampire taunted her... and she took the bait."
"...So that's what happened to Master?"
"...Yes."
"..."
Emotions boiling like I might explode, I forced them down and approached the fallen Master.
Swish.
'Master.'
My benefactor since falling into this world clueless. My one and only family.
We bickered constantly, but I'd never truly hated her. Not once.
As I'd said many times, she was my first love. Even when she did weird stuff to me in my sleep, it was just shock—no disgust, no resentment.
'You idiot woman.'
If she'd just done it while I was awake, I'd have given her this body without a second thought.
A body that might've been rolling in the dirt without her. No need to sneak—she could've had it anytime.
What was she so scared of that she never said a word for over ten years?
Grind.
I won't let it end like this.
I'd said it before. I'd claim what's owed, if only out of spite.
Not a joke. Dead serious.
She had her fun with my body in secret, and now she's acting bold? And just leaving?
Like hell.
At least ten more years. No, a hundred. That's the minimum to satisfy me.
I know a human can't live that long.
If she goes now, I'll carry her memory the rest of my days. Least she can do is match that. Fair's fair.
Smack.
I cradled her chin and kissed her where she lay.
Of course, reality's no fairy tale. No princess waking to the prince's kiss.
'Come out, you bitch.'
[...]
But I could wake something else.
[Um...]
'No apologies or excuses. Straight to the point. What do I need to wake Master? Say you don't know, and shut your mouth.'
[...]
I didn't think it was too much.
Erdel had been tightrope-walking between stress-inducer and occasional helper. This tipped her fully to one side.
[...The saintess from that world and Sword Empress already came...]
'Got it. Bye.'
[W-Wai...]
'Oh. And one more thing.'
No chances to rebalance the scales.
'Don't talk to me first in my head anymore. I'd ban you from watching too, but you wouldn't listen anyway.'
[...Ah...]
'Curious? Test it. I'll show you the max mischief I can pull.'
She could read my thoughts, so she knew exactly what I meant.
Seeing her face drain white in my mind? Still didn't feel excessive.
She did this to my most precious person.
'Got it or not. Answer.'
[Y-Yes, got it. I won't initiate, just please not that...]
'Too wordy.'
[...Understood.]
I shoved Erdel out of my head—she was on the verge of tears—and returned to reality. The other women eyed my murderous aura and seemed to guess what happened.
They'd never seen me this worked up, so they were all at a loss. Even Ye Socheon watched me cautiously.
Pfft.
"Why's everyone so on edge? What'd I do wrong?"
I laughed first to break the ice.