Like a beast bitten on the back of its neck, I couldnât move; my body froze. I felt an incredible pressure from Seo Dawonâlike the Mage would immediately do something if I were to move.
Clickâ
âChoi Lee-kyung. Youâve finally returned?â Fortunately, someone confidently entered the room at that timeâKim Olim. She entered the room while holding a white gown, perhaps for me to wear once I woke up.
However, despite the timely appearance, a strange vibe that couldnât be hidden filled the space. Kim Olim looked around the room, the silence flowing through the roomâs interior, and looked alternately between me laying on the bed and Seo Dawon sitting next to me.
The Paladin squinted, âItâs been a short while since Choi Lee-kyung returned to consciousness; for you to do such *things*âŠâ
Then, pretending to be ignorant of the strange atmosphere, Kim Olim threw a straight punch at us. My face flushed; I wanted to explain myself.
However, Seo Dawonâs calm answer was faster. âWhat were you imagining, Olim-ah? Please be self-conscious of your supposed holy nature.â
âI donât think you have the right to say that while fumbling at Choi Lee-kyungâs groin over the blanket.â
âG-Groin?! Itâs just my knee!â I shouted.
I was collateral damage in her attack against the guild leader, yet again. Looking back, though, it might have looked like that from Kim Olimâs angleâŠ
Anyway, I wanted to appeal to her that we were never in that situation, so I protested by lifting my legs from under the blanketâas if I was kicking the air.
However, Kim Olim did not back down and said, in a chilly voice, âItâs also strange for him to touch your knees, Necromancer. Normally, two men donât touch each otherâs legs while in that position, while in bed. This is just common sense.â
âI was simply explaining to him about the injuries he incurred over the past three days.â
âIn addition, Seo Dawon has no doctorâs license. In the future, itâd be better to consult with me about wounds or pain.â As Kim Olim finished, she looked only at me, completely ignoring the Mageâs words. I couldnât stand the shame and bowed my head. Of course, Seo Dawon, the person that caused all this pandemonium, was still lightly touching my hair.
Angry at Seo Dawonâs disregard, Kim Olim threw the gown that she heldâhard enough that I could hear it whipping through the air⊠The thrown gown stopped right before the Mageâs nose and fell gently.
Seo Dawon folded the gown, placed it on my chest, and finally rose from his seat. Silently, I raised one hand and brought the gown under the blankets.
[Clack Cla-Clack!]
Under the covers, Lackey began biting at the gown. I didnât intend to give it to the skeleton, but it seemed like Lackey wanted to play around.
When I saw its actions, the reality of the situation fell on me; I sighed deeply. Kim Olim and Seo Dawon looked at me before exiting the room and closing the door.
* * *
After wearing the prepared gown, I carefully observed the chain tied to my ankle. It was easy enough to resolve the knot on my own, and I was able to leave the bedroom. As soon as I opened the door, five pairs of eyes looked at me with a burdensome gaze from the living room.
âUh⊠Mm. I-Itâs been a long whileâŠâ I said.
âChoi Lee-kyungâŠâ
Among them, Jung Garam, lying down on the sofa, was frowning the most. The young Assassin stared at me with a troubled expression; he stood up and immediately approached me. I was intimidatedâit seemed like he was rushing over to hit meâŠ
âI heard you were in my body?â
âHuh? AhâŠYeah.â
After I said that, Jung Garam blatantly checked me out. Then, with a slight anticipatory look, he asked, âHow was it?â
âHowâŠwas what?â
âMy body!â
I had no idea what to say, so I peered over Jung Garamâs shoulder at Choi Kyung-sik, who looked as if he were witness to some strangerâs business. Choi Kyung-sik smiled brightly when we locked eyes. It was nothing much, but his relaxed expression made my temper rise.
âLook at him, acting like heâs all thatâŠâ
I bit my lower lip and turned towards Jung Garam. âWell⊠whether your body or mine, my mind was a mess thereâŠâ
Though I tried to respond calmly because I couldnât admit what I truly felt, Jung Garam gave me an unimpressed look. âGeez, honestly⊠So, you didnât like it?â
âAh, no. Thatâs not what I meantâŠâ
âYouâre really amazing, you know. How could you have such a hard time while using my body?â
âR-RightâŠâ
âI was so excited to hear that you had transformed into meâŠâ
âHuh?â When I nodded submissively, Jung Garam said nothing moreâas if the tense energy had cooled down⊠Still, it looked like the young Assassin still had more to say; he stared blatantly at me. A rare moment of nervous hesitanceâas if he were about to reveal something he truly had on his mind.
Jung Garam unexpectedly scratched his cheek before asking, âBut⊠Why did you choose my body for the [Memory]?â
âWhat?â
âThereâs plenty of servants to choose fromâthere must be a reason to choose mine?â
I was bewilderedâthis was such a topic change from the fact that I floundered through the [Vengeful Ghost Memory] with âJung Garamâsâ body. When I opened my eyes, I just happened to find myself in Jung Garamâs identity; it wasnât like I chose him specifically. âI didnât really chooseâŠâ
âChoi Lee-kyung didnât make a conscious choice, so he wonât be able to answer you properly even if you ask.â It was none other than Choi Kyung-sik who intercepted this awkward question and responded. The Alchemist looked at us while adjusting his eyeglass higher on the bridge of his nose with his finger.
I wanted to protest, but I simply bit my lips because it was true that I had little idea of how the [Vengeful Ghost Memories] worked.
Upon hearing that, Jung Garam muttered to himself, âItâs subconscious?â and immediately grinned at me. âHnn, really?â
ââŠâŠâ
His gaze was quite meaningful, but I simply turned my gaze awayâtoo intimidated to ask further. I made eye contact with the Mage, he pointed next to him, as if he were waiting for this moment. I immediately approached the Mage to avoid Jung Garamâs sparkling eyes.
Then, Woo Ragi, who was sitting on his other side, looked at my approaching self and clicked his tongue. âHow does this guy get more fragile as time goes on? Heâd die from a good hit.â
ââŠâŠ..â Every word coming out of his mouth was utterly rude, but⊠I decided to think optimistically and assume that was the Swordsmanâs brand of worrying for others.
âNghâŠâ However, as soon as my butt touched the sofa, I was startled at the tingle that ran through meâthe muscles throughout my entire body wanted to scream.
âWhat is this, all of a sudden?â
While I was lying in bed earlier I didnât feel anything strange, but right now my back felt so stiffâas if my hips would begin to break away.
âChoi Lee-kyung, you look like youâre in a lot of pain,â Kim Olim said.
âHuh? Ahâno. Itâs just a sudden muscle acheâŠâ
âItâs not muscle ache, but damage obtained within the [Vengeful Ghost Memory]. Although Seo Dawon sutured you up urgentlyâŠneither he nor I am good at healing.â
ââŠâŠâ
After stating that, Kim Olim placed her hand on my pale back. Iâd been helped by her in this way before, but somehow, this time, I just got more and more nauseous. I didnât feel any better.
She observed me for a while before sighing and taking her hands off of me; she then reached out to Choi Kyung-sik, who had been watching us. As if he had been waiting for this moment, the Alchemist placed his hands inside a midair pocket and took out a golden flask. âWould you prefer only drinking one bottle a day?â His tone was like a pharmacist explaining prescribed drugs at the pharmacy.
Kim Olim accepted Choi Kyung-sikâs explanation and immediately came to me with the flask. âThatâs what he said. Choi Lee-kyung, drink this for now.â
âHuh? Whatâs this?â
âItâs a recovery potion made by Choi Kyung-sik. In your case, this wonât help all that much, but⊠Anyway, even if itâs weak, itâll still help.â She handed me the bottle with an immovably stern look, so, eventually, I accepted the potion.
Even as I drank it allâmouth wide openâthe golden liquid flowing through the bottle still made me uncomfortable. Choi Kyung-sik disliked me; was it prudent to drink some unidentified liquid from someone who despised me?
However, Kim Olimâs attitude was so firm that I was forced to swallow the sweet liquid that filled my mouth. Belatedly, I noticed that this liquid must have contained some alcohol.
âThey said it was a cure, thoughâŠ?â My mouth was too busy with drinking to speak, so I could only roll my eyes around questioningly.
Choi Kyung-sik shrugged when he saw my expression and said, âAh, are you perhaps unable to handle alcohol? However, in Lee-kyung-ssiâs case, I thought its numbing effects would be helpful since heâs so sensitive.â
ââŠâŠ.â
âIf youâre uncomfortable, Iâll leave out the alcohol next time.â His chic response did not betray any other underlying thoughts, so I eventually pressed down on my discomfort and drank the honey-flavored soju-like potion.
Seo Dawon watched quietly beside me; as soon as I took my last sip, he asked, âHow do you feel?â
âI donât feel any different?â
However, a few minutes later, the throbbing pain definitely subsided in intensity.