HPL 06

chapter 06

I paused at the man’s words. He didn’t know his own name?

Perhaps my confusion showed on my face, because the man spoke flatly:

“I don’t know who I was, or how I became a slave. All I remember is from after I became one.”

When he finished speaking, Tommy offered some potentially useful information:

“According to books about slaves in this world, slave traders use a drug called Bedman when training slaves. This drug heightens human senses but has many side effects. A common side effect is memory loss.”

Tommy had euphemistically called it “training,” but it was obvious what situation it was used in. I recalled the terrible wounds still visible across the man’s body.

That meant the only memories in his head were of pain. Normally, I could restore his memories—but now, inhabiting Dyna’s body, I couldn’t.

Lost in thought, I heard the man’s voice:

“So, call me whatever you want.”

His words pulled me out of my thoughts.

“Is it really okay to call you anything? What if I call you something weird?”

“Better than Slave #44, I suppose.”

Hmm, fair enough.

From that moment, I began pondering what to call him. A name that’s easy to say would be best. What would be simple?

I furrowed my brows, thinking hard. The man looked surprised.

After a while, I spoke:

“How about calling you Roy?”

“Considering how long you thought about it, that’s a bit anticlimactic.”

I know, but it’s better than a fancy but difficult-to-pronounce name like “Robertomans.”

Unlike Tommy, the man slightly curled the corners of his lips.

“Roy… not bad.”

He smiled for the first time. He was already handsome, but that slight smile made his features even more striking.

When I widened my eyes in surprise, Roy quickly wiped the smile away.

It looked good… what a shame.

I licked my lips and asked him what he intended to do next. Roy, frowning, replied:

“I’m thinking of going to find the woman who bought me…”

He stopped mid-sentence, as if realizing he had spoken too freely. I waved my hand to reassure him.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to spread rumors or anything. I don’t know why you’re going after her, though.”

Why would someone who just escaped go looking for the person who bought them?

Roy seemed to accept that he had no choice after revealing it and said wryly:

“The slave traders gave that woman a binding magic tool made with my blood. With that tool, she can cause me pain wherever I am.”

A tool worse than trash. My stomach twisted just hearing that.

I frowned and asked,

“Who is the person who bought you?”

“I don’t know. She wore a butterfly-shaped mask and a hat, so I could only see around her mouth. But she used words only nobles use. She also brought many young male slaves.”

“So you’re going to use that info to figure out who she is and approach her secretly?”

Roy nodded heavily, agreeing with me.

If she’s a noblewoman who travels with many slaves, the scope can be narrowed quite a bit.

My stomach twisted again, but rubbing it with my palm eased the strange sensation.

As I rubbed my stomach, Roy’s gaze followed my hand. Realizing this, I withdrew my hand and said:

“I’ll lend you a wig and some disguise tools. Use them to gather information. If you wander around like this, you’ll get caught quickly.”

Something in my stomach twisted again, though there was also a hollow feeling somewhere inside.

Strange. Earlier, it was because of the slave-binding magic tool and the person buying slaves, but why now?

I rubbed my stomach again.

“You can stay here for a while if you want. The room has an empty dress room attached. You can hide there.”

“Why are you helping me so much?”

Roy asked, narrowing his eyes.

“I can’t just pass by an innocent person in trouble because of my job…”

I shrugged, and Roy tilted his head in puzzlement.

“You’re not a priest, but similar, I suppose. I can’t even guess what kind of job helps slaves. And if anyone finds out I’m here, it could affect you too.”

“If no one finds out, it won’t affect me, so it’s fine.”

When I said that confidently, Roy chuckled softly. Perhaps unconsciously, he covered his mouth with his hand.

“I won’t force you. Take your time to decide.”

When I left the choice to him, Roy fell into deep thought. After a moment, he looked at me straight in the eyes:

“If you intended to trap me, you wouldn’t have helped me in the first place. I’ll be indebted to you for now. I’ll repay it later.”

“You don’t need to repay me… okay?”

My stomach twisted again. Simply rubbing it no longer erased the strange feeling. They say to forget one sense, you can focus on another.

I clenched my fist and struck my stomach hard. The dull impact dissipated the strange feeling. That’s better.

Seeing my satisfied expression, Roy raised his eyebrows.

“Why all of a sudden?”

“My stomach felt weird. Now it’s fine… huh? Why is it twisting again? And now my mouth is watering too.”

I struck my stomach again to suppress the intensifying sensation. The twist disappeared briefly but soon returned.

Is something wrong with Dyna’s body? I need to suppress this strange feeling first. I swung harder.

I threw all my strength into my punch, but just before hitting my stomach, Roy quickly reached out and grabbed my wrist.

“…Are you hungry?”

I froze at his words.

Hungry? Now that I think about it, I haven’t eaten in two days, nor slept.

I looked up at the space where Tommy was.

A helper, huh? If I’m not eating, you should have told me.

I protested seriously, and Tommy scratched his cheek, saying:

“I didn’t know I needed to tell you that. Didn’t you know humans die if they don’t eat or sleep?”

I know, but knowledge and action aren’t the same.

While Tommy and I were arguing, Roy cautiously released my hand.

“How can you not even realize you’re hungry?”

“Too much happened in the past few days. I’ve been distracted.”

Not a lie. I inhabited a human body without an owner, faced Dyna’s family, and went out into the streets. My mind was in chaos.

If I had even a bit of sanity, I would’ve remembered human common sense and eaten something.

Humans live a hard life. They have to eat every day… and work to eat…

I recalled Dain, a god I’m close to, who used to say:

“Humans must eat to survive. To eat, they must work. They’re pitiful creatures toyed with by life.”

I didn’t understand it before, but now I do.

I clutched my twisting stomach and walked toward the door.

“I’ll bring some food.”

When I left the room, it was quite late, and the magical lamps in the hallway were lit. Many flickered because they weren’t well-maintained.

I moved quickly along the dim corridor.

Passing through the passage connecting to the main building, it became as bright as midday. Unlike the annex, no lamps were broken here.

Walking along the wide corridor, an older maid approached from the opposite side.

She looked at me awkwardly and asked:

“Why are you here?”

“I want some food. Where should I go?”

“Now? You had dinner, didn’t you?”

Her voice sharpened. Apparently, no one paid attention to Dyna during meals. Even if she wasn’t seen, people assumed she had eaten.

“I forgot.”

I answered honestly. The maid, looking annoyed, pointed with a finger.

“There might be something left in the kitchen.”

She disappeared quickly, not giving me a chance to ask more.

Annoying. But getting food was the priority.

I headed to the kitchen as she instructed. Inside, the maids were sitting around a table, eating snacks.

“They say Miss Dyna is back to normal. Is that true?”

“I heard from Miss Ariel that she can speak properly now, but she’s even more clueless.”

“Then how did she ‘die’ and come back? Did she really get a blessing from a god?”

“The lady pretended to be dead, apparently.”

The maids, gossiping, suddenly noticed me at the entrance.

They gestured to the youngest maid to handle me.

The maid with orange hair braided on both sides hesitated, and the oldest maid called her name:

“Judy.”

“Yes?”

Judy reluctantly stood and walked slowly toward me.

“What do you want?”

“I came to get some food.”

Judy’s eyes widened, and the other maids stared curiously.

They seemed surprised that Dyna, who had acted foolishly, could now speak properly. But their ingrained disdain outweighed surprise.

“You should have come during mealtime. There’s no food now.”

Judy snorted, and I frowned.

What’s on the table then, if not food?

I didn’t know why I was so angry, but rage flooded my body. My head felt hot, and something boiled inside my chest.

Only one thought ran through my mind: They must be punished. These humans deserve divine punishment.

I raised my right arm into the air, spread my hand, then clenched it. But there was nothing in my hand.

At first, I wondered why the God’s Rod didn’t appear. It manifests the god’s power and differs by deity. It’s usually used to mete out divine punishment.

Then I realized I had lost my reason and tried to enact punishment.

I momentarily forgot that inhabiting a human body limits my power. But why was I so angry?

Of course, the maids were insolent. But it wasn’t enough for divine punishment. Surely not because I was hungry?

Blinking at my own actions, the maids whispered:

“What’s wrong with her?”

“So it’s true what Miss Ariel said.”

“Becoming a god’s child was just a rumor.”

“Even if she speaks properly, she’s still the same inside.”

They openly looked down on me.

“Come during breakfast tomorrow. You know when meals are, right?”

Judy, full of bravado, lifted her chin. My irritation flared again.

She probably treated Dyna like this too. I couldn’t punish them divinely, but I would scold them—and I would get my food!

“Who are you talking to like that?”

A heavy, intimidating voice flowed from between my lips.

The maids instinctively shrank back as my aura turned ominous. Others flinched at the sudden change.

“There are always humans who step on those weaker or inferior, like you.”

I snapped my fingers, and blinding white lights shot out. They grazed the maids, and blood dripped from their cheeks and arms.

The lights tore holes in the thick slabs of smoked meat hanging on the wall.

“Shall I make holes in you like that meat?”

I glared like I did when fighting evil spirits.

Judy’s face turned pale as I flicked my fingers. The other maids jumped to their feet in fear.

“Do you still think I’m an idiot? If you don’t want trouble, hand over the food!”

“Sorry! We’ll prepare it immediately!”

“Please forgive us!”

“W-we’ll give you food!”

Shivering, the maids handed over their snacks. Seeing the amount, I said menacingly:

“Give more.”

The maids rushed around the kitchen, gathering trays full of food and offering them to me.

“So much for claiming there’s no food. Better be careful next time.”

I warned them, then left the kitchen and quickly returned to Dyna’s room.

But when I opened the door, Roy was nowhere to be seen. Where did he go in the meantime?