Not Just the Hand
Not just the hand. All wounds of the flesh had been healed.
“…How in the world!?”
Ordinary potions regenerated ‘flesh’ and ‘bones’, but they couldn’t realign and regenerate misaligned ‘bones’. That was impossible even for trolls, one of the key ingredients in potions.
Moreover, his entire body felt light. It was refreshingly clear, as if he’d slept deeply.
“Such a miracle…!”
While Hans was filled with astonishment, Shaman shouted from beside him.
“Y-Yes! This is… the blood of a Constellation!”
Shaman exclaimed in excitement, and Hans stared at the potion with wide, surprised eyes.
“The blood of a… Constellation?”
“Amazing! Truly amazing! It’s worlds apart from the pathetic potions refined by lowly humans using troll blood! This is… truly… incredible! Such absolute effects!”
In his excitement, Shaman snatched the potion clutched in Hans’s hand. He didn’t even notice how his cautious demeanor before Loki had suddenly turned into wild fussing.
“As expected, the legends were true! The blood of the Constellation handed down among the Nod tribe possesses a mysterious power to heal any living being! B-But to erase even old scars without a trace! What a magnificent potion…!”
At Shaman’s fervor, Loki tilted his head as he gazed at the potion he’d given Hans.
‘…No, it’s not? That’s just a healing potion. I crafted it with my crafting skill, main ingredients troll blood and slime mucus… Is it really that potent?’
Loki eyed the healing potion in Shaman’s grasp.
‘Surely that [Healing Potion]’s function was life force recovery, right?’
In the game, severed or destroyed body parts regenerated when you drank or applied the potion.
His own potion seemed to produce effects exactly matching the game’s settings.
‘So, as long as they don’t die, pretty much any human could fully recover with this potion?’
In other words, a panacea.
‘But it might not work on curses or diseases? Then…’
Loki tilted his head again and reached into empty air, pulling out other potions.
One was a green potion, the [Antidote] with the ability to ‘nullify all debuffs’, and the other a blue potion, the [Mana Potion] that ‘restores MP’.
“…What about these?”
Loki shook the potions he held before stowing them back in his inventory.
‘A day for testing will come eventually.’
He knew their effects in theory, but without direct experimentation, their precise efficacy remained unknown.
Loki itched to test them right away but suppressed the urge as best he could.
For now, confirming the healing potion’s power took priority.
To accurately assess Hans’s condition, Loki asked,
“How’s your body feeling?”
“P-Pardon? Ah, it’s… q-quite refreshing. Light… no pain anywhere, everything healed… even my chronic old pains are gone. It’s like I have a brand-new body…”
Hans inspected himself.
“Feels like I’m a different person—my body’s so light!”
“……”
‘Looks that way to me too.’
Hans’s once-pale skin now glowed fair and rosy. His dull eyes sparkled with clarity. He seemed like an entirely different person, unrecognizable from before.
‘…He looks at least ten years younger. It’s a healing potion, but damn, it’s great for the skin too?’
Loki marveled anew at the healing potion’s potency.
“H-Ha ha! How ever can I repay this grace…!”
Even as he spoke, Hans flinched inwardly.
‘Don’t demons usually… take souls or something?’
The scriptures taught that demons tempted humans into corruption and claimed their souls. He couldn’t shake the strong suspicion of what price this miracle might demand.
“Then…”
As Loki opened his mouth, Hans tensed.
“I want to look around the area. Guide me.”
“…Pardon?”
Hans stared at Loki with a blank expression.
“You must know plenty about this Nod tribe or whatever, right?”
“W-Well, to some extent…”
“Then guide me and answer whatever I ask, as best you know.”
Hans couldn’t help shrinking back.
He’d been Histon’s slave on this frozen land for barely three years. He had some knowledge of the Nod tribe, but little grasp of the unique cultures of each individual clan.
“Tell me what you know. If you don’t, just say so honestly. But I won’t forgive lies.”
“Y-Yes, understood.”
“Um…”
Shaman stepped forward with a troubled look.
“If you’re just patrolling the village, wouldn’t it be too conspicuous?”
“Conspicuous? Hm… you think so?”
Loki glanced down at himself. Black armor and a goat-skull helmet—an appearance straight out of myth, fit for a demon.
“…Indeed. Everyone knows my look.”
Loki recalled how the Raguna tribesfolk had feared him.
“Then we’ll do this.”
Loki clapped his hands.
The armor enveloping him melted away, sucked into the air.
And in its place stood not a ‘demon’, but a single ‘human’.
Mid-to-late twenties, with pale skin and eyes like deep wine-red. Hair a striking mix of black and white.
Shaman and Hans’s eyes bulged at the sight, but only for a moment.
Suddenly, Loki’s form swirled with black energy, feathers fluttering wildly.
Shaman, dazed, snatched a drifting feather right before his face.
‘A raven feather?’
By the time Shaman looked up again, Loki wore leather garb ringed in black feathers, his face concealed save for the mouth by a raven mask.
“Is this strange too?”
“……”
As Shaman stared, the black feather in his hand dissolved into smoke.
‘A feather made of magic. Don’t tell me… every single feather on those clothes is infused with mana?’
Shaman observed Loki’s outfit in admiration.
Hans was equally entranced by the mystical display.
To Loki’s question, Shaman bowed his head.
“Of course not, my lord.”
Nod hunters and mercenaries often donned beast masks. Ravens were rare, but not unheard of. The issue was that no ravens grew that large—but still.
Satisfied with the answer, Loki nodded with a faint smile.
“Good. Then, Hans.”
“…Yes? Ah! Yes!”
Hans bowed toward Loki.
“I’ll leave the guiding to you.”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
When Loki had first arrived at the Raguna Tribe village, what he’d seen was a village in utter ruins.
“What a mess.”
The population had grown, but without adequate preparation, reconstruction looked extremely difficult.
Especially with the abrupt merger of clans bearing different cultures—friction was inevitable.
“You bastards! What’re you doing? Move it!”
A Raguna tribesman jabbed a finger at a Partas tribesman.
But the Partas couldn’t even protest. They grumbled under their breath instead, averting their eyes whenever the Ragunas glared.
“…Why is that?”
“Because… they’re slaves.”
“Slaves?”
“It’s natural for conquered clans to become subordinates.”
“Natural?”
Loki tilted his head, and Hans gave a wry smile.
“…Well, for the Nod tribe at least. Down on the Britann continent, defeated foes are treated more like POWs with some dignity.”
“Even as slaves… their numbers overwhelm. So why do they obey like that? No gathering to complain? No thoughts of rebellion?”
“……”
Hans shot Loki a look that said, ‘You really don’t know?’ But oblivious to it, Loki pressed.
“What’d I ask?”
Hans stammered in fluster.
“Ah! Well… th-that… Um, Devil—er, Constellation—!”
“Call me Loki.”
“Uh… Loki-nim conquered them, didn’t you?”
“…Less conquest, more they barged in on their own and got wrecked.”
It was true, so Hans fell silent for a moment before resuming his explanation.
“Anyway, since you’re backing the Raguna Tribe, the Partas have no choice but to submit…”
“Who?”
“Pardon?”
“Who’s backing who?”
“…You’re backing the Raguna Tribe.”
Loki’s mouth fell slightly open in genuine surprise before closing.
“So they’ve decided the hierarchy on their own? Assuming I favor Raguna, putting them above?”
“…Isn’t that right?”
Hans had assumed the same. Raguna as the favored upper class, Partas below. Rebellion would mean obvious crushing by Loki.
“Ridiculous. Interpreting it however they please.”
Just then, a man shouted toward them.
“Hey! What’re you lot doing?”
Loki turned his gaze.
A Raguna tribesman swaggered over, glaring back and forth between Loki and Hans.
“New faces… weird getup! Anyway, newbies mean Partas tribe, right? Ha! Others slaving away, and you’re slacking? Get to fixing my house, now!”
“……”
Loki stayed silent, while Hans beside him broke into a cold sweat.
The man, thinking Loki’s blank stare was dismissal, bulged a vein on his forehead.
He jabbed a finger at the beak of Loki’s raven mask.
“Hey! Deaf? You idiot in the mask! Your lot attacked our village! Crushed my house! So… guk!”
In an instant, the man couldn’t finish, his mouth twisting.
Loki had seized his jaw.
Loki cocked his head slightly, picking his ear with his free hand before speaking.
“Hm? What’d you say? Sorry. Lately, human chatter just sounds like mosquito buzzing. Say it again. You stupid little bug!”
“Eup!”
The man flailed. He kicked at Loki, swung fists to break free, but the hand clamping his mouth didn’t budge.
Loki gripped tighter, slowly hoisting him up. The man dangled, feet kicking futilely in the air.
Loki nodded as if comprehending the muffled sounds.
“Ah! Got it. House crushed? Then what? Sorry, ears aren’t great. Say it once more.”
“Eup…!”
At the man’s groan, Loki flashed a satisfied smile.
“Ah! Right, you want your mouth crushed? Then… I’ll crush it.”
Kwak—!
As Loki gradually tightened his grip, the man’s jaw compressed.
The man recoiled in shock, thrashing to escape the vise-like hold.
But the more he struggled, the fiercer Loki’s grip grew.
His face drained pale, movements slowing to twitches.
Just before death claimed him, Loki released.
Plop!
The man collapsed in a piss-soaked heap, writhing on the ground.
Loki snorted at the sight.
“…Went too far.”
As Loki shook out his hand—
“What’s this! What happened?!”
“F-Foreigner! Foreigner’s causing a ruckus!”
“Kudan’s spy maybe?!”
Raguna tribesfolk began gathering one by one.
Armed Partas followed behind them.
Having endured attacks all day, their wariness was at a peak.
“…Wh-What’ll you do?”
Hans, terrified at being surrounded, asked in distress.
Unlike the jittery Hans, Loki shrugged leisurely.
“What choice is there? Everyone…”
“Grab ’em!”
“Might be Kudan’s spies! Capture and interrogate!”
Raguna and Partas charged.
Loki grinned, teeth bared beneath his raven mask.
“…Time to properly teach who ranks above who.”