Chapter Fourteen: Almost a Year Later
“Grandpa said to bring you food…”
The little girl stammered, not sure if she just ran in or what, her hair all messy and a scarf wrapped half on her face. As she spoke, she was lightly panting, her tiny arms straining under a gigantic tray balanced on her head. She wobbled over, stopped a few steps away, and didn’t dare get any closer.
I stared at her, still dazed, my mind swirling with complicated emotions. I was lost in thoughts about what I had read in my notes just moments ago when my stomach let out a sorrowful “grumble” that jolted me back to reality. I hadn’t eaten since I woke up.
Oh, food…
“Quick, bring it… now!”
I set the booklet aside and waved her over.
She slowly approached, set the tray down on the table, and pushed it toward me, head bowed and silent.
The flickering firelight illuminated a gray plate that looked like it was made of mud, steam wafting up from the food. I found myself drooling, my fingers itching as I reached for a spoon, but as soon as I got a good look at the contents of the plate, I froze.
“…What in the world?”
Pieces of meat, charred and cut into large chunks, oozed purple juice and fat, and on the edges of the plate… what was that? Bugs? Beetles?!
Oh my god…
I felt goosebumps rising on my arms.
“Um Meal…”
The little girl murmured, hands clasped behind her back, barely above a whisper.
“…What?”
I didn’t catch that.
“Um… Meal…” Her voice dipped even lower, and she took a nervous step back, still too scared to look at me. “It’s what we serve the honored guests in town… Lanie Giant Lizard meat… and red beetles… which are really hard to catch… but delicious… Before you eat, women have to dance to entertain you. I-I can dance for you…”
As she spoke, she tugged at her scarf, and in my somewhat dazed gaze, slowly untied a strange tambourine from her waist, rhythmically clapping it. With the crisp, melodious sound of the drums, the little girl swayed her waist like a water snake, her ears peeking out from her hair, flushed bright red.
“……”
Oh! She does have some nice moves! Are all the girls here good dancers?
Wait, that’s not the point…
“Y-You, wait a moment!”
I called for her to stop, and as she looked up in panic, I stood up, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to the table. The poor child looked terrified, her body tensed, the tambourine slipping from her hands with a small gasp as tears brimmed in her eyes, trembling like a little rabbit: “Please, don’t eat me… wuh…”
“…Who said anything about eating you?!”
This is so annoying…
I just wanted you to taste it first! What if the townsfolk have ulterior motives and want to trick me into eating this weird stuff? Or maybe it’s poisoned!
I grabbed the soup spoon from the plate, completely ignoring the girl’s tearful face, and stubbornly shoved it into her hands, pointing to the food with an authoritative tone: “One bite.”
“Wuh…”
The girl clutched the spoon, frightened to move.
“I-I can’t… I’ll be in trouble…”
“Do it.”
I frowned, impatiently urging her on.
“Wuh…”
Finally, she started to sob as she dipped the spoon into the tray, scooping a piece of meat and shoving it into her mouth. The firelight cast a red glow on her pitiful little face, tears rolling down as she didn’t dare wipe them away.
Hmm…
Looks like it’s edible.
“Why are you scared of me?”
I settled back down, taking the spoon she handed back and placing the tray in front of me. I asked as I contemplated the lurid color of what looked like toxic soup, feeling it might be tough to swallow.
Do I really have to eat this?
“You, you are the inheritor of the Deity Body… Miss Diana’s legacy… a great existence…”
“What does that even mean?”
Forget it…
I’ll just eat. I am really hungry…
Gazing at the spoon in my hand, I thought better of it and tossed it aside, reaching for a chunk of meat instead. I brought it to my nose for a sniff… it didn’t smell bad, just a standard roasted meat scent, but it looked too terrifying—Lizard meat?
…Just try it!
“Ah!”
I opened my mouth wide and bit into it.
“Miss Ailna said that you… she said you fused with the Deity Body sealed in the Western Continent.” The little girl stood beside me, answering timidly, “You’ve gained divine power… flowing with the purest Deity bl**d, the bl**d of Miss Diana…”
…Fused with a Deity body?
I blinked in surprise, my cheeks bulging as I chewed quickly.
So, during that earth-shattering explosion, right after I lost consciousness, did something else happen? Like, did I accidentally gobble down pieces of the Deity’s body? Ailna must have seen it… so what exactly have I become? Is that why I can’t use my powers? Oh! This lizard meat… tastes surprisingly good.
What looked like some dark culinary experiment turned out to be unexpectedly chewy, like chewing on jelly, with a hint of sweetness. Just one bite made my appetite soar.
Yum, yum…
“When you first arrived, you looked a bit… scared… like a red demon, bleeding… hopping in a coffin… I saw it, and Miss Ailna told Grandpa that for the past half a year, you were trying to merge with the Deity body… and only recently have you regained your current appearance…”
…?
A red demon?
Half a year!?
I was stunned, gnawing on the lizard meat, turning my head to stare wide-eyed at the little girl.
I turned into a red demon?
And hopping around in a coffin?
What kind of picture is that? So, did Ailna pack me in a coffin and bring me to the Eastern Continent then? Is that how it went??
I was asleep for half a year before waking up?!
The little girl was so tense under my stare, her tear-streaked face betraying her fear, looking like she might bolt at any moment but never daring to move. I didn’t care about her feelings, swallowed the bite of meat that was in my mouth, and bellowed, “What time is it now?!”
“Eep!”
The girl jumped, gripping her chest tightly as she trembled and stammered, “Late July…”
“…July! Is it next year, July?!”
“Year 1188…”
July of 1188?
1188…
So time has almost passed a year?! I’ve been out for nearly a year!!!
I stared at the little girl, unable to form any words. Seeing my expression, she also went silent, her head drooping again. After a long pause, I opened my mouth wide and tore off another huge chunk of meat.
Dammit…
I need to calm down…
“You…”
Not bothering to chew much, I swallowed the meat, eyes fixated on the remaining food on the tray. I tilted my head, my greasy fingers twirling in the air as I thought, finally pointing at the little girl: “Go, get… ten portions of this… meat.”
This single plate isn’t enough for me…
“Ten… portions?”
The little girl looked extremely shocked.
“Hurry up.”
I waved my hand at her, no longer paying attention, as I fought valiantly with the meat in my hand, my brain a muddled mess, trying to think.
I can’t believe so much time has passed…
No wonder I felt so stiff when I woke up; turns out I was lying down for almost a year… Wait, it wasn’t simply lying down for a year. The little girl said I’ve been merging with the Deity body, looking like a demon when I arrived… What did I look like? What kind of demon?
Am I still in my old body?
It feels…
Like I’m not anymore…
When I woke up, I actually thought my body felt a bit off… and it still lingers…
Inheritor…
What the heck have I become…
I don’t understand…
When that woman comes back, I’m going to get a clear answer…
But this lizard meat? It may look a bit gross, but the taste is pretty delightful…
Before long, the wooden door of the cellar creaked shut, and the little girl left the room.
