Aram Is Sleeping Again
Having returned to Cheshire’s base, we decided to put everything else aside and wash up first. The underground floors of the Black Market were filthy, so there was no way we could just go to sleep without scrubbing off the grime. I’d worked up a serious sweat, especially from running for my life to escape the Underground Guard and the Mirror Ghosts, and I could smell it on myself. Since the bathroom was a bit too cramped for all of us to wash at once, Cheshire and Aila went in first. In the meantime, I decided to reattach the limbs of the Slaughter Beast. Kesia watched the process with intense, envious eyes. Given her penchant for self-harm, she seemed to find a strange thrill in such gore-filled scenes.
“Wait, this is… a bit of a problem.”
“Yes? What do you mean by that?”
“This… I have to cut it again.”
“Ehh? What?”
It was a bit troublesome because the flesh had already started to regenerate over the severed cross-sections of the Slaughter Beast’s arms and legs. To reattach them properly, I had to slice through the parts that had already begun to heal.
“KYAAAAAA!!!”
“W-what the?!”
Startled by the Slaughter Beast’s scream, Aila, who had been in the middle of lathering up, dashed out. Soap bubbles perfectly concealed her nipples and crotch.
“Ah, Aila. It’s nothing. I’m just reattaching this girl’s limbs.”
“Oh, right. Um. I see.”
“Please tell Cheshire we’ll clean up the bloodstains, so she doesn’t have to worry.”
“Oh… okay. Got it.”
Aila looked at me, covered in blood, and the screaming Slaughter Beast with a dubious expression, then nodded and retreated back into the bathroom. I watched her back for a moment before turning to the still-screaming creature.
“Hey. Shut up. You’re loud.”
“Hic… i-it hurts so much…”
“Hoo… just bear with it. I managed to attach one, anyway… Wait? Hey. This is the left arm…”
“Yes? That’s the spot where the right arm should go…”
The Slaughter Beast looked at me with a face beyond confusion, bordering on sheer bewilderment. I was just as flustered.
“Ah, shit. You kept screaming, so I attached it wrong! Kesia. Bring me the axe.”
“Yes!”
It couldn’t be helped. I felt bad for her, but I had to take it off and put it back on. For the record, Kesia handed over the axe with great vigor, looking as if she were excited to be on the receiving end of such rough treatment herself. It was a case of extreme masochism, all driven by the self-harming impulses created by the Endless Impulse.
“W-wait!! J-just wait a second!! I-I’m fine living like this…”
As I swung the axe around, the Slaughter Beast panicked and tried to stop me. But I couldn’t stand the sight of an arm attached backward, so I had no choice but to cut it off again.
“Hey. Kesia. Hold her down so she can’t struggle.”
“Yes!!”
“Haa… hey, sorry. Just bear with it for a second.”
“Wait? Wait? N-no!! I’m fine even if the arm is backward—AAAAAAACK!!!”
After many twists and turns, I finally returned the limbs to the Slaughter Beast. With her arms and legs now attached in the correct orientation, she hopped around with joy, as if she hadn’t been in pain just moments ago.
“Hahaha! I can finally move again! Wow!! I’m free!!”
“Hey, stop jumping around and stay still. You’re getting blood everywhere.”
“Ah, I understand…”
“And there’s a rag over there, so clean up the floor.”
“Yes…”
“Kesia, you help her too.”
“Yes!”
The Slaughter Beast started wiping the floor with a sullen look, while Kesia watched her with envy. I asked the creature a few questions while she was scrubbing the blood off the floor.
“By the way, what should I call you now?”
“Yes?”
“I asked for your name. I can’t keep calling you ‘beast brat’ forever.”
“Ah… my name is…”
The Slaughter Beast stopped scrubbing and pondered for a long time. Judging by the way she mumbled and rolled various names around in her mouth, it seemed she had possessed many names in the past. Watching her, another question popped into my head.
“By the way, you are female, right?”
I asked her casually. She looked quite cute and pretty in her current form. It wasn’t that she was stunningly beautiful like Eunji or Hwajon, but she had a strange, unique charm. I still didn’t understand how the combination of a filthy-looking toad and a wriggling tentacle monster resulted in such a cute form. Honestly, it made no sense. Was there some kind of positive interaction between disgusting things?
“For now, I am a woman.”
“Then were you a man before? No, what is your original gender?”
“My gender isn’t fixed; it changes from time to time. It follows the master I’ve devoured.”
“Huh… is that so?”
“Yes. Ah, I’ve decided on a name.”
Perhaps emboldened by our conversation, the Slaughter Beast finally chose a name.
“The name of the master I just devoured is the best. So, please call me Kekere from now on.”
“Got it. Kekere.”
Since the entity she had most recently devoured was Kekere, she asked to be called by that name. It felt strange to call her by the name of the person she’d eaten, but I decided not to nitpick. The important thing was the next question.
“But Kekere. Do you, by any chance… feel an urge to eat people? Anything like that?”
“Yes? I don’t really feel any particular impulses. Though… I might want to eat you, Master.”
“Is that so? Hmm.”
It seemed she wasn’t being affected by the Endless Impulse that the original Kekere had consumed. Well, her body was immune to even the curses of demons; it made sense she wouldn’t be shackled by the side effects of a mere drug.
‘Come to think of it, Eunha is immune to curses too…’
Eunha, a curse doll, was also immune to curses. I became curious about what would happen if I fed the Endless Impulse to her. Honestly, if I could just suppress the impulses, I’d want to drink it myself. Kesia, who had been a bit dim and slow, had become a versatile worker who could handle anything after drinking it. Seeing a fool gain talent was quite impressive.
“Jojun! Come in now!”
“Ah, yes.”
Cheshire called us, saying she was done washing. I left Kesia and Kekere behind and took Aram to the bathroom. Aram, who was half-asleep from exhaustion, barely managed to follow me to the door.
“Aram, you can’t sleep yet. You have to wash, eat, and then sleep.”
“Uhh… yeah.”
Aram answered vaguely in her sleep and leaned her body against me. I undressed the drowsy girl.
“Ah, ouch…”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“No… it’s okay.”
While I was taking off her top, her clothes got caught on her horns, which hadn’t disappeared yet. Having inhaled so much Magi, Aram still had devil horns on her head even after returning from the underground. They were shaped like rounded ram horns. Unlike before, when only one had sprouted slightly, they were now on both sides, making them look like handles.
“Whoa… ah, you’re here?”
Cheshire, who was already in the bathtub, waved at us. Aila, held in her arms, also welcomed us. Seeing two people overlapping in a single-person tub was quite a sight. But Aila, was it really okay for her to show me her naked body like this? Of course, I had even touched her body when she was powered off right after we arrived at the Black Market, but this was the first time I’d seen her bare skin while she was awake.
“Um… Aila. Is it… really okay for you to show me your naked body?”
“Hm? What’s the problem? We’re going to be living together now. You don’t have to feel uncomfortable.”
“Ah, is that so? Haha… it’s a nice view.”
Since she didn’t seem to care, I decided not to make a fuss. If she was fine with it, I was happy. I felt like I could just casually start a relationship with her like this. Of course, my passion to ravage her when her power was off hadn’t cooled down one bit. Anyway, thinking that, I started my shower. In the meantime, Cheshire and Aila finished their bath and stepped out.
“Aram. How are your eyes?”
“I’m okay now.”
I asked while shampooing her hair. She had complained of pain earlier because shampoo had gotten into her eyes.
“Rinsing now?”
“Yeah.”
I rinsed the soap bubbles from her hair with warm water. Aram just let her body go limp. Perhaps because she was exhausted from roaming the underground, she had been quiet and spaced out ever since we returned to the base. She looked like she was dying of sleepiness. Aram had always been a heavy sleeper.
“Hoo… it’s warm.”
“Yeah…”
We got into the tub together. I sat Aram on my lap and stroked her stomach. She dozed off, nodding her head without a word. Since she didn’t react even when I fondled her breasts, I rubbed my erect cock between her buttocks while I continued to knead her chest.
“Aram. You worked hard.”
“Yeah… you too.”
I spent a pleasant moment with her like that. By the time I was done, Aram was fast asleep, so I had to carry her out of the tub in a princess carry.
“Alright, you two go wash.”
“Yes!”
“I understand.”
Kesia and Kekere went into the bathroom next.
“You’re out?”
“Ah, yes. Aram is asleep, so…”
“I’ll dry Aram off, so you go eat something first.”
Aila took Aram from me, sat her on the sofa, and dried her off. Meanwhile, I was led to the dining table by Cheshire.
“Just pour hot water in here. It’s not a fancy meal, but still.”
“I’m fine with anything. I’m starving.”
“Hahaha, all done. We already ate, so don’t worry about us and dig in.”
“Yep.”
Cheshire smiled as she poured hot water from the kettle into the bento box. Soon, steam rose from the box, and it transformed into a high-end bento that looked like it had been bought from a store.
“Whoa… but what kind of fish is this?”
“Hm? That? Hehe… it’s eel. Not from Earth, though.”
“Aha, an alien eel. That’s amazing. How does it become an eel bowl just by pouring water? Incredible.”
“Yeah. Hehe. Eat the eel and get your strength up, Jojun.”
“Yes?”
“I found out recently. In your hometown… eel is supposed to be good for vitality… Yes, it’s for your health, for your health. Hehehe.”
Cheshire smiled while gently stroking my chest. It seemed like there was no way I was getting out of this tonight.