Chapter 139

Chapter 139

Although the Archmage was unlikely to come, that didn’t mean I couldn’t do those check-up tests.

So, as soon as I finished my meal, I headed down to the Magic Tower to get examined. Since the test wasn’t for something like crafting a custom seal, I didn’t need to go all out with my skills.

“We want to see whether Arcane Power is somehow involved in your regeneration...”

“But hurting you is a bit—”

Stab!

“Uwaargh!!””

“Woaaah!!”

I simply needed to inflict some wounds on my body.

Sure, it might seem strange to do it myself, but since today’s sparring session had been moved to yesterday, there was no other opportunity for me to get injured.

So, what else could I do? I had no choice but to do it myself.

Before all these wizards, I drew my blade across my forearm.

I felt it reach my bone, but that wasn't a big deal. With so many wizards here, there was no way they couldn’t heal me.

It was better to do it properly once than make it too small to observe the effect. It didn’t really hurt, anyway.

Even though everything else felt so real to me, getting injured somehow felt unreal—maybe because my senses were dulled or because I still believed this was a game character’s body. Either way, it didn’t particularly scare me.

“A-Are you alright...?”

In fact, I found these wizards far more fascinating.

Even though members of other branches had made me these proposals, it was still wizards who’d wanted to study me, asked to experiment on my body, and made all sorts of other requests.

However, now that they had the opportunity, they were hesitating.

I couldn’t tell if it was just that those in this particular branch still had some conscience left in them, or if those who’d proposed those things to me before were just exceptionally shameless. It really made me curious.

“Check it.”

However, my curiosity was one thing, and this wound another.

I stripped off my clothes, keeping an eye on my HP bar. As I removed my coat and rolled up my shirt, I found some bandages but just silently unwound them, too.

Since I’d stabbed my left arm, exposing this one didn't really matter. Haha!

“Wow, no hesitation whatsoever.”

Just then, White Wind approached me with light steps. While the other wizards were glancing at my wound in shock, White Wind leaned in for a closer look.

Behind him was that businesslike wizard who’d previously been in charge of me.

“I don’t see any Arcane Power involved in the healing process yet...”

Well, maybe it was because my HP was still in the safe zone? While severe, the wound wouldn’t be life-threatening once it was treated.

“Does your body only draw upon Arcane Power when your life is in danger?”

I had similar thoughts. I mean, it was pretty obvious. Powers that only kicked in when on the brink of death were a fairly common cliché, after all. Not that I had any skills like that, though.

Swish.

I twisted the dagger I’d used to cut my forearm between my fingers.

Where was it again, that spot where a slow but inevitable death awaited one if pierced?

“Should I stab?”

“If necessary.”

“I’ll get in trouble.”

“Are you scared of that?”

“No.”

The lung or the liver? I couldn’t remember.

Either would be fatal, which should trigger the desired response. I also had a skill that could nullify death once, and with so many wizards around, I wouldn’t die or anything.

Thinking that, I unbuttoned my shirt.

“If you touch my right arm, I’ll kill you.”

“Okay!”

I suddenly thought about how my party members would scream if they saw this scene.

For me, this felt like experimenting a little on my game character, so it didn’t really faze me, but my companions... especially Deb, would probably scream something like, “You’re self-harming again, Mister!?”

“Lie down over here and do it. It’ll make observation easier.”

But what could I do? It didn’t feel like I was harming myself or trying to commit suicide; it was more like draining my game character’s HP.

Besides, even if I were trying to live like this was reality, unless I solved this now...

I stopped my thoughts there. Why pile up more stress when I’d just managed to relieve some? Excessive thinking only drove people mad.

What I should focus on for now, or rather, what I should be doing, was emptying my mind and just going with the flow. Just doing my best in whatever way I could, living from moment to moment.

“Can I cut the bandages?”

“Do as you please.”

“Ah, should I anesthetize you?”

There was no need for that when my senses were already dulled. I didn’t really care whether my chest was exposed, either.

So, instead of responding with words, I showed it through actions.

‘This crazy bastard, doing that on purpose.’

The white bandages soon began turning a certain primary color.

.

.

.

“Are you awake?”

I didn’t know when I’d passed out.

I forced my heavy eyelids open. My body was a bit stiff, but it wasn’t that bad. There was no pain around where I’d stabbed, which made me feel as if I’d just woken up from a sedated endoscopy.

“So, let me tell you this.”

Trying to take over my body could just lead to another power struggle... so maybe it was looking at this in the long term instead? Corruption, brainwashing, or something like that.

Or maybe, it wanted me to...

“In the future, don’t get hurt badly enough that you need to break the seal and heal yourself with Arcane Power. If you’re going to get that hurt, just die instead.”

I stopped my thoughts from crossing into pure speculation. I’d decided to prepare for everything but wouldn’t give in to anxiety and despair prematurely.

In the real world, it only took three days of steel-like resolution to give up high fructose corn syrup, so this should be nothing.

“That’s a better outcome for you than being taken over by that Demon, right?”

I closed my eyes tightly before opening them again shortly after.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

He was saying it would be better for me to die and try again than clear a section in a critical state. Fine, I could understand that. I should remember that!

“No, Mister. This isn’t something you should agree with...!”

“In the end, we just need to make sure the Demon Knight doesn’t get hurt to that extent! I’ll do my best to ensure that!”

“Berserk doesn’t understand... Why would our buddy here get consumed by a Demon?”

“...I explained it when you joined. The Demon Knight houses a Demon within him.”

“Weren’t you talking about his hatred of Demons??”

However, unlike me, who’d just accepted it calmly, the people in the back were kicking up a fuss. Lowering my eyebrows, I focused on White Wind.

“The second thing.”

“Huh? Oh, that one’s a bit more ambiguous. It’s more of an anomaly than an issue... When you were injured in the Great Forest, the Archmage said he saw black Arcane Power, right? But what we saw was closer to gray.”

Huh? The color of my Arcane Power changed?

I fell into thought for a moment. There had to be a reason for this change...

I tried to think of what had changed between when I was injured in the Great Forest and now. The environment and attackers were different, but those didn’t seem to be valid reasons for something like this to happen... Ah.

Clink.

I took out the bead that the Sea Dragon had given me and the Mountain Lord had fixed, placing it on the table.

“...What’s this?”

Almost instantly recognizing its value, White Wind’s eyes started to gleam.

“It’s a bead containing the energy of the Sea Dragon and the Mountain Lord. The Mountain Lord told me it has the power to Purify Negative Energy. Could this have had an influence?”

“...Possibly. But I really want to buy this. You won’t sell it to me, will you?”

Not a chance in hell. Before White Wind could drool over it anymore, I put the bead away.

Since that could explain the color change, I only needed to be careful about getting injured from now on.

“Aaaaah!! Don’t put it away yet! Just take it out one more time, let me see it one more time!!”

“There’s nothing more to discuss, so I’ll leave now.”

“No, show it to me! Showing me these things is your responsibility! Demon Knight, don’t gooo!!”

Ignoring White Wind’s cries, I stood up decisively. White Wind threw himself at me, grabbing onto my pant leg—my shoe and ankle, to be precise—but I didn’t care.

My companions behind me looked at me and White Wind with indescribable expressions.

“White Wind.”

“Just once, just once!!”

“How pathetic...”

“Who cares if I look pathetic?! There’s a one-of-a-kind item right before me here!!”

“Let go...!”

Damn it, let go of me. I shook my leg a few times to try and shake this clingy person off.

However, this seemingly frail individual’s research obsession appeared to have buffed their strength several-fold. He wouldn’t let go of me so easily.

“Oh dear, White Wind, let go. You’ll die at this rate!”

“Please get off. We have more things to discuss, after all.”

“This isn’t okay.”

“Nooooooo!!”

In the end, the Archmage, Deb, and the Inquisitor had to escort White Wind away. The Archmage lifted him, arms under his armpits, while Deb and the Inquisitor pried off his arms.

“No, my bead...”

“It’s not yours, White Wind...”

White Wind, now carried by the Archmage, shed bitter tears.

“Hey, Demon Knight, are you alright...?”

The Inquisitor cautiously approached me, observing my expression. Obviously, I simply flung open the reception room door with a deep scowl on my face.

“Uwaaah! Catch the snake!”

“We can't catch it with magic!!”

“On the count of three! One, two—Uwargh!”

“Uwargh, it's biting my head!”

“Uwooaaargh!!”

And what I saw outside the door was a complete mess, no, a snake pit.

“Oh, are they playing with snakes? Berserk wants to join in, as well!”

“No, clearly, those wizards are getting bitten by those escaping snakes!”

“Help us!!”

“Ah, we're coming!”

There never was a dull moment in Hudelen, huh?