Chapter 71
The other side (裏面).
A word meaning the back of an object, or the parts that aren't visible on the surface.
And people's hearts are the same - they have parts that don't show on the surface.
And Dantalian, the 71st ranked demon, had the ability to read those hidden hearts.
It seems the item's ability I obtained this time directly copied the power to read others' thoughts.
The voice that strikes directly into my head rather than through my ears is quite fascinating.
Thanks to this, I couldn't help but gape in amazement for a moment.
After all, if you're human, mind reading is an ability you've probably dreamed of having at least once.
-Well, being that insensitive is probably why he walks around wearing so little in summer.
So I left the ability on for a while, just watching what happened.
-Ah, I wish summer would hurry up and come. Then I could see Yor's amazing body again...
'Hmm...'
But I had to turn it off soon after.
I could see the tips of Dantalian's ears slowly turning to dust and floating away.
Plus, Chae-rin's inner thoughts were more direct and crude than I expected.
Well, they're just thoughts, so she can imagine whatever she wants...
But hearing them directly made even me feel embarrassed.
After testing the item, I made a quick assessment.
'It's good... but awkward to use.'
A third of the ear had already disintegrated despite barely using it.
Even though this piece was small, the consumption rate was too fast.
Seere's arm didn't seem to have usage limits, but this one apparently does.
Moreover, I couldn't think of many situations to use it.
While it's fun to casually read thoughts like this, that's about all it's good for.
Well, nobles might be able to read rival nobles' schemes.
Unfortunately, living only in the forest, I can't use it that way.
'Well, I'm sure it'll be useful sometime.'
Having sorted out my thoughts, I put the ear back in storage.
Whether for fun or necessity, I'll use it eventually.
For now, it goes into storage.
"Ah, right."
With that thought finished, I opened my mouth toward her.
Come to think of it, I had something to tell her. Probably good news from Chae-rin's perspective.
"From now on, you can keep your stream on when entering the cave."
"Huh, really? Why suddenly... no, more importantly, are you sure?"
I nodded to indicate it was fine.
Originally, I restricted her streaming because I was worried about my cave's location being exposed.
Because of that, she had to go through the trouble of turning her stream off and on.
And as a bonus, some viewers would leave the stream during those gaps.
But now that the location is exposed anyway, there's no need to hide it anymore.
It left me feeling somewhat bitter.
Well, at least appearing on stream itself is fun, so I should think positively.
Hearing my words, Chae-rin nodded uncertainly.
After that, we chatted about various things. Honestly, while I've been busy organizing things lately, I needed breaks like this too.
Talking helped ease the burden on my mind a bit.
But after a while...
"Ah, no."
I noticed it was getting dark outside.
"It's already getting dark. I should head back then."
Chae-rin said that as she prepared to leave.
I frowned slightly. Not because I was sad to see her go.
'...Ah right, damn.'
I remembered that today was when the new moon would rise.
It had been over 6 days since Dantalian's visit, so as usual, I needed to face the Akuma dwelling within me.
But this time, the timing was particularly bad.
Usually, I need to endure Rage Mode in the cave's depths with all my strength, but now this cave's location is exposed. And I haven't found another dwelling yet...
Well, if it's Rage Mode B it might be manageable, but even that probability was slim.
After all, B had triggered two months in a row.
When one type of Rage Mode triggers, the probability of the opposite type increases next time.
If the same Rage Mode triggers three times in a row, the other type is guaranteed next time.
So anyway, the chances of A triggering today were very high.
Plus, I'd used demon's blood this time. Though not much, the side effects might make the Rage Mode worse.
Thump-thump.
As I thought about enduring that terrible pain again, fear crept over me.
Cold sweat beaded on my forehead from the tension.
"Huh? Yor! Why are you suddenly like this? Your face is so pale..."
That's when it happened. I could feel Chae-rin looking at me with concern.
Apparently my psychological changes were visible to her too.
Without realizing it, I grabbed her wrist.
"Huh?"
"Well, you see..."
Honestly, I'm not sure if this is a good idea.
Showing one of my vulnerabilities to someone else.
But what else could I do? I need to survive tonight at minimum.
If an intruder comes during Rage Mode A, I truly won't be able to do anything.
Above all, I didn't want to spend the night alone.
So I asked her. My voice trembled slightly from the tension.
"Could you... stay with me tonight?"
"...?"
She gaped with a strange expression.
But soon after, she nodded vigorously.
The meaning seems to have been misinterpreted, but that was fortunate for me anyway.
So I led her inside.
To the deepest part of the cave...
*
When she first heard Yor's request to "stay together tonight."
Chae-rin couldn't help but think:
'Wow, could this be that kind of situation?'
18+ Mode!
Finally, she might unlock that legendary mode that was only spoken of on the internet!
After all, when a man and woman are alone and he asks to spend the night together, it usually means "that kind of signal."
Moreover, Yor's shy demeanor and trembling voice all seemed like signals for that.
So she followed him inside while grinning happily.
But that didn't last long, as she soon felt something was off.
'...Wait, he's not the type to be shy like this.'
Indeed, that wasn't Yor's personality. If anything, he'd be more direct about it.
Realizing this, her distorted memories started falling back into place.
Come to think of it, he looked more scared than anything right now.
As the day grew darker, his complexion suddenly turned pale and his voice started trembling.
And that was clearly an unusual reaction.
In all the hundreds of times the day had turned to night before, she'd never seen him show such weakness.
Still, even while harboring doubts, she continued following Yor.
Thud thud.
Only footsteps echoed through the quiet cave.
'We're going really deep...'
Even for Chae-rin who visited this cave often, this was her first time going this deep inside.
The cave grew progressively darker.
This was despite the sun still being up. Apparently light didn't reach well from this point on.
Yet Yor walked ahead confidently. As if he had memorized every step of the path.
'The atmosphere is kind of scary...'
As darkness enveloped everything, Chae-rin could feel a slight fear.
The instinctive fear that comes from darkness. Since ancient times, humans have found the unknown in darkness.
Thankfully Yor was in front of her. Otherwise she might have collapsed on the ground, afraid that ghosts would appear.
While feeling relieved about that, Chae-rin suddenly had a thought.
'Wait... does that mean he's been living in these conditions all this time?'
In this pitch-black, dark cave, alone for decades.
Without many modern conveniences, and no one to spend these dark nights with.
It would be better if there were neighbors like in a village, but he was thoroughly alone.
After all, a Manifestor is destined to never mix with normal people.
Chae-rin tried imagining Yor alone in this dark space.
Just imagining it made her feel a wave of loneliness and isolation.
'That's kind of sad...'
Chae-rin looked at him with slightly pitying eyes.
And that's when it happened. Yor, who had been walking silently, opened his mouth.
"This is far enough."
Suddenly, the scent of rusty iron wafted into Chae-rin's nose.
The sharp smell of blood.
"You might be shocked... so prepare yourself."
Whoosh.
With those words, Yor channeled mana into the luminous stone he was holding.
As the surroundings brightened softly, the scene at the cave's end entered her vision.
She couldn't help but be horrified.
"Huk...!"
The cave walls were completely red.
Dried blood was caked everywhere, not just in one spot. The floor was covered in scratch marks as if someone had clawed at it.
Time had stained the blood-covered, brown-discolored walls.
The sight was enough to drive someone insane just from looking at it, making her breath catch.
"Wait, what is this...?"
Chae-rin looked at Yor, her face seeking an explanation.
Yor looked at Chae-rin with a pitiful expression and said:
"Sorry, this might get a bit brutal from here. So just... stay by my side."
She could see the strange fear and anxiety in his expression.
Even Chae-rin, who had spent much time with him, had never seen him show such weakness.
She would soon understand what his words meant.
Finally, the sun set and the new moon rose.
Shunk!
Yor suddenly stabbed his own shoulder.
Splash-!
Blood burst forth.