Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: Imps and Exam Time #5
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Blood trickled slowly from the middle finger of my left hand, sliced by the blade.
It didn't hurt much, and it wasn't a deep cut, but seeing my own blood made me feel a bit uneasy. Kinda sticky.
Yet the imps around me were making a bigger fuss than I was, the one actually injured.
"Blood... blood is coming out...! I might die...!"
"It's scary...!"
They're scared of blood, huh.
That makes sense.
Marmar was no different. She wagged her tail anxiously while staring at my wounded hand.
"Wait! I'll bandage it right up!"
"Bandaid? Nah, just lick it roughly like this—"
Zap.
That's when a spark of inspiration hit me. Blood was already flowing anyway. Couldn't I feed it to Marmar?
"There's a cut in my mouth, so... Marmar, would you lick it for me instead?"
"Sure—!?"
Asking someone to lick my finger was a bit weird. But Marmar was so nosy, she might not refuse.
Sure enough, she didn't. She popped my finger into her mouth without hesitation.
This counted as successfully feeding my blood to Marmar.
Now, what would happen?
"Has the bleeding stopped?"
Marmar pulled away as if it were nothing and checked my hand. She even stuck a band-aid on it, but nothing else happened.
What the heck.
Did I do something wrong?
Maybe it was my fault for believing Gargarr's nonsense.
I wondered if Professor Valan knew how the baptism ritual worked. I'd have to ask him later.
* * *
After all that, our dinner came super late. But Marmar's tonkatsu was so good, satisfaction levels were high.
"Buying pre-made stuff is pricier than getting meat and breadcrumbs ourselves and frying it up...!"
Marmar said she made most of her food from scratch.
I'd noticed when she organized my papers before—she had surprisingly good handiwork. It tasted just like the stuff sold outside. Good enough for the market.
"I haven't said it till now, but Marmar's tonkatsu is super tasty...! Even without sauce, it's good...!"
"If you wanna keep eating it, you guys gotta chip in for groceries now. Got it?"
"Got it...! We imps landed jobs under the One Household One Imp policy anyway, so we'll pay our fair share from now on...!"
"Oh? Where'd you get hired?"
Marmar beamed like a mom whose unemployed family finally got jobs. Armband Imp Tartar puffed out her broad chest proudly.
"We became assistants to a professor...! Professor Belhock, a renowned one. Smooth sailing from here...!"
"Grrr—."
They explained it was part of infiltrating as spies in the intellectual bourgeois class to take over Arc. Becoming assistants was step one.
"Hmm."
I had plenty to say, but I held back. Marmar looked like she wanted to speak up too, then just shut her mouth.
They'd ended up as assistants under Professor Belhock, aka the grave of assistants. Call it karma for bullying Marmar.
Guess people should live kindly, huh.
I suddenly wondered what Professor Belhock was up to.
She was on my revenge list too.
Her lectures were self-study via assistants, and she'd always be out when I visited her lab. No way to approach her.
Was she dodging me, sensing I'd come after her?
Nah, didn't seem like it.
I was sitting outside, staring into the drum fire, lost in thought, when Marmar handed me something.
A drink packed with chunky ice. Super sweet. Like cocoa, kinda.
"You helped a comrade out a ton today. Thanks...!"
"......"
Thanks always made me feel awkward. So I mumbled something vague.
"Well, yeah. It was an obvious scam. Anyone would've done what I did."
"Really? I didn't notice. Can't spot a blatant con? Am I dumb?"
"No, of course I'm not blaming you, Marmar. I was the third party, so—"
I fumbled, and Marmar burst out laughing like it was hilarious—pfuhuhu. That's when I realized she'd got me.
Marmar had teased me.
Total little devil in that way.
Marmar said,
"My fault for falling for it. But I really thought I'd hear the Demon King's voice."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah! I had stuff I wanted to ask!"
Marmar wanting to ask the Demon King something? Pure curiosity hit me, so I probed gently.
"What'd you wanna ask? Don't say if you don't want to."
"Nah, it's no big secret! What I wanted to know was..."
"What?"
"...Nah, not telling!"
"You're just messing with me."
"Yep! I love lying and tricking people too. I'm an imp, after all."
Pfuhuhu, she laughed slyly. Then her grin faded, and she told me.
"If I'm doing okay. That's what I wanted to ask."
"If you're doing okay?"
"Yeah! I'm busting my ass alone, but how do I know if it's the right path? What if all my effort turns out pointless?"
"Hmm. Yeah."
Marmar felt some anxiety about her life's direction.
If the Demon King popped up—poof—and said, "Marmar, you're doing great," it'd ease her mind big time.
So I said it for him.
"Marmar, you're doing great."
"Really?"
"Yep. If I were in your shoes, I couldn't hustle like you are now."
"For real?"
"Trust me. No tail to swear on, but I'd stake one if I had it."
"Then it must be true!"
Marmar perked up at the praise. Normal to feel energized when someone affirms your life.
Suddenly, I wished someone watching me would say if my path was right—and if I was handling it well.
Thrown into this possession mess outta nowhere, had I navigated okay?
Dodged the queen's execution ending. Avoided my own death too.
Now with the temporary goal of Angmar's revival, was I on track?
No one to tell me. So I fumbled blindly down an endless road. Like solving a test with no right answers alone.
Then Marmar asked slyly,
"Comrade, why're you so nice to me? You even saved me from the stake."
Dunno.
"Maybe 'cause you take my kindness at face value? Kinda hard to answer off the cuff."
"Face value? What?"
"Others think I have ulterior motives when I'm nice. They reject it a lot. But not you."
Marmar accepted kindness as kindness.
So I could help, see her happy, and end it clean.
"No meaning at all?"
Marmar whined like she was disappointed—hrng. Baseless kindness? Suspicious even to me. No wonder she doubted.
But honestly, zero schemes in my kindness to her.
If I had to pin a reason, as a plain human hetero guy, I wanted hardworking Marmar to thrive.
Saw echoes of my old self in her.
Plus, being nice to her eased the guilt of my lies and crimes as villain Theo Gospel.
So not entirely selfless. Pure selfishness.
If Marmar knew, would she reject it?
She smacked her lips, oblivious or not.
"Kindness with zero reason? Feels like a trick, but fine. I'll buy it."
* * *
"It's late. Crash here?"
Marmar offered her room. Hers was less trashed, she'd take the floor.
I refused, of course.
"I'd feel bad."
"Dangerous guys prowling nearby lately. Just stay!"
"Dangerous guys?"
I asked, and Marmar leaned in, whispering.
"The hunters you mentioned. Word is they're knocking people out."
"Yeah?"
I'd heard the rumors. Them roaming Arc and the Church city Gracia, taking folks down.
Killing them.
Only evil bosses stiffing employee pay or profs stealing grad student theses, I'd heard.
Still, killing so casually?
Cool in the novel as characters. But real breathing people around me? Total psychos.
Serial killers, basically.
Why no arrests?
I knew why.
No force strong enough to catch them. Deeper reasons too, but mainly—they're too strong.
I'd been outpacing them in dungeon clears lately, stunting their growth. Maybe they switched to hunting villains for levels?
Overthinking?
Marmar added,
"And guys hitting imps and nymphs. Watch out."
"Imps and nymphs? The hunters?"
Nah, not their style.
"Alright, Marmar. I'll swing by again soon."
"Yeah!"
After parting with Marmar, I headed to the Gold Brooches' dorm, "Love Hall." Late hour, grounds empty save glowing luminous stones.
Kinda creepy.
Why so quiet?
Quieter than usual.
Our chat had me paranoid about ambushes. But it was just nerves—I reached the dorm safe.
Fourth floor of the five-story building. Second from the left: Room 402. My private quarters.
Click.
"Huh?"
Holding the door, something felt off.
I'd locked it tight.
The lock was undone.
Signs of intrusion. Angmar's endless assassinations made me hyper-sensitive to this stuff.
Rustle, rustle.
Ears perked: Someone was inside.