Chapter 108
“Excuse me, is there a blonde girl staying at this Inn?”
After a quick bath, I grabbed the holy water and headed straight for the Inn next door. I couldn’t very well show up covered in blood.
For a moment, I thought about just climbing through her window, but I decided against it. I could enter through the front door with confidence now, anyway. And honestly, after chugging holy water, even climbing a second-story window felt like too much effort.
It was, quite literally, a dedicated painkiller. The pain subsided, but at the same time, my body became difficult to control. My entire body felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton.
Of course, I could still fight adequately in this state, but there was no denying that my overall combat *Forces* were significantly weakened. I couldn't even use my abilities properly.
“Well, it”s still better than being in pain.'
“She’s in the second room upstairs.”
Thinking that, I made my way to Nikki’s room. As I was about to open the door, a sudden worry crossed my mind.
“What if this bastard is experiencing a B-type?”
Honestly, I wasn't very confident in dealing with someone in that state. No, I wasn't even sure if other Manifestors experienced A and B types like I did. Manifestors were so rare that there weren't many opportunities to share information.
Everything was unknown: whether everyone's blood writhed when their berserk state activated like mine, or how severe it was.
“...”
But after a moment of deliberation, I simply entered her room. If it was B-type, I could just run. If I got caught... well, it would be unavoidable.
“Hey, are you in there?”
With a faint sense of anticipation, I stepped into her room.
*
The first thing I saw upon opening the door was a dark room, with no lights on. And Nikki was curled up in the corner, wearing only her underwear.
I saw scratches all over her body, and her hands trembled as if enduring immense pain. I hadn't expected her to be in her underwear, but just seeing that, I could tell it was definitely A-type, not B-type.
Otherwise, how could her body be covered in scratches? Seeing this, Yor let out a sigh of relief. A strange regret mixed with a sense of calm washed over him.
Well, at least there wouldn't be any awkwardness later.
“...What is it, suddenly?”
Around that time, Nikki also noticed Yor, who had come to her room. Her hollow eyes, clouded by pain, held a faint surprise. And with it, a question.
“Wait a minute, wasn’t today the new moon? Why do you look so fine?”
“That’s because I just took a damn good painkiller.”
Yor said, stepping closer to her. Then, without preamble, he held out the holy water.
“Drink it.”
Nikki looked at him with wary eyes for a moment.
“What is that?” “Holy water.” “...Holy water? Are you kidding me? That’s poison to us. Are you telling me to drink that now?”
Her brow furrowed for a moment. It seemed she didn't know that holy water could act as a painkiller. Well, it made sense that she wouldn't know. Manifestors rarely shared information with each other.
Yor had only discovered this effect by sheer coincidence. He had killed an intruder who had wandered into the *Forest*, taken the intruder's holy water, realized it calmed his blood, and then learned that it could reduce the *Pain of Berserk State* by drinking it once.
Even then, he vaguely knew that holy water was a natural enemy to Manifestors. Divine power weakened his body, so he thought something terrible might happen if he drank it.
But he drank it anyway. He’d rather take a chance on an uncertain possibility than continue to endure such pain. Fortunately, his gamble paid off, and thanks to it, he was now effectively using that weakness, holy water.
“Don’t worry. It’ll just make your body a little weak. But the pain will definitely decrease.”
“...”
Of course, Nikki still showed wariness. After all, drinking holy water so readily was a bit frightening. But that was only for a moment. Soon, something strange began to happen to her body.
“Ugh...!”
As if someone was scratching her skin with something sharp, her skin suddenly began to tear. They were rough, sharp wounds, like animal claws.
The pain must have been considerable. After a brief hesitation, she grabbed the holy water and gulped it down. Yor watched her, thinking for a moment.
“So, each Manifestor”s berserk state is different.'
He had suspected it, but seeing it firsthand was interesting.
“Phew—”
After emptying a glass of holy water, her expression visibly relaxed. The claw marks that had been tearing her skin stopped, and her wounds slowly began to *regenerate*. Though a little slow, she clearly had a *Regenerative Ability*.
“...It’s real. How did you know about this?”
“Just by chance... More importantly, don’t you have anything to say?”
Yor’s amber eyes quietly turned to Nikki for a moment. Nikki hesitated, then muttered, “...Thank you.”
She should certainly be grateful for being told how to reduce the *Pain of Berserk State*. But why did saying those words make her feel so uneasy inside?
“Of course.”
Yor, unaware of her feelings, merely chuckled. Then he quietly sat down next to Nikki. His skin, smelling as if he had just bathed, suddenly permeated Nikki’s senses.
She realized that she was currently in her underwear in front of a *man*. A wave of embarrassment washed over her, but Nikki didn't show it. Her body felt strangely weary, and showing shyness in front of this guy somehow felt like a blow to her pride.
“It’s strange. Last time I saw you, your berserk state didn’t seem this severe.”
As she was thinking that, Yor casually asked. “Last time” referred to when they captured *Kimaris's Altar*.
When she delivered information that day, it was the day after the new moon, and Nikki appeared in the *Forest* looking surprisingly normal. Nikki replied to his question:
“Back then, I barely used my abilities... This time, I used them quite a lot.”
“...Really?”
“Yeah. I encountered too many *Monsters* on the way here. So, after fighting, the side effects seem to have gotten worse.”
Yor nodded. He had asked a question, so now it was Nikki’s turn to ask.
“Where did you get that holy water? I heard it’s become incredibly difficult to find these days.”
“Well... now that I don’t have a reason to fight the *Knight Order* anymore, we’ve become acquainted, so I can get some from them.”
It was a rather casual answer. And at the same time, there was a strange sense of naturalness within it, a certainty of having blended in with *People*.
It was a naturalness that she, Nikki, would probably never achieve, no matter how hard she tried her whole life. At that disparity, Nikki bit her lip for a moment.
“...”
“...”
A brief silence followed. It was a natural silence that came after their exchange of questions and answers. When she thought about it, the two weren’t even close. Although they were *Kin*, they belonged to different groups, and their encounters hadn’t been pleasant.
It was awkward to continue *small talk*. Perhaps because it was a silent night, the silence felt even heavier. Was it because the silence was uncomfortable, or because people become more emotional at night? Nikki slowly opened her mouth.
“...I envy you.”
A healthy mind resides in a healthy body. Conversely, this means that when the body weakens, the mind also becomes unstable. Like a dam breaking, her emotions began to spill out, one by one.
“You defeated the *Knight Order* alone and even gained status for yourself. That’s amazing. I honestly thought you’d fail and die.”
“...Hm.”
“I never even imagined such a thing. I’m barely managing to endure the berserk state here. ...*Damn it*, every time I feel this difference, I honestly feel so pathetic and annoyed.”
“Uh, um...”
Of course, Yor, hearing all this, was simply flustered. He had only casually come to give her some holy water, not to hear such a deep, emotional confession.
Of course, he wasn’t so heartless as to say something like, 'I'm a man, what counsel could I give for such woes?' Yor, drawing on the last shred of empathy within him, comforted her.
“You... you can do it too. What’s-his-name, there’s a precedent now...”
“Me? Pfft, I don’t know. I’m not as strong as you.”
Nikki let out a self-deprecating chuckle. Unfortunately, Yor couldn’t say anything more. It wasn’t something he could solve. He understood that she had an inferiority complex about her situation and abilities, but it wasn’t a problem he could help with.
“Well, what’s-his-name. Hang in there.”
So, Yor simply patted her back. He could at least do that for his *Kin* whose mental state was temporarily weakened.
His subtly rough palm stroked Nikki’s smooth back. Nikki accepted the warmth without resistance for a moment. A fleeting impure thought arose, but Yor tried his best to suppress it.
Yor comforted Nikki for a while, then returned to his own room.
And the next day.
“Ugh! Aaaargh! Why did I do that? You madwoman...!”
Nikki kicked her blanket, embarrassed by her behavior from the previous night...
...And a few days later,
News about *Andras* arrived from the *Knight Order*.