Nobody

Nikki Tanesia sometimes refers to herself as a 'Nobody'.

It was a somewhat self-deprecating expression.

After all, Manifestors were beings inherently unwelcome wherever they went. Therefore, apart from the group known as Lemegeton, Nikki's life was filled with hiding.

The memory most deeply etched in her mind was none other than her 10th birthday. When divine power was infused, a Nail-shaped Tattoo appeared on her side. Her mother's brow furrowed sharply, as if she'd tasted something foul. Even her horrified Vassals and her father, quietly weeping in a corner, were vividly remembered, as if it had just happened. Although she was only 10 years old, she clearly understood that something was terribly wrong.

That night, Nikki was cast out onto the cold street. She cried and screamed, but the people simply turned away. Her becoming a disenfranchised person took but a single moment, from a highly esteemed noble young lady.

After that, she went through many things. She fled from surprise inspections by the Guard Patrol, joined an Adventurer Party for a brief period of comfort, only to be cast out again, leaving deep scars on her heart.

She somehow managed to join Lemegeton and survive, but the wounds accumulated since childhood were not easily erased.

That's why she's a 'Nobody'. After all, she was a Credit Defaulter without an identity card, a shadow living in the underbelly of society, so being treated as if she didn't exist made no difference. It was a rather pitiful existence, but Nikki didn't dwell on the sadness.

After all, this was the average life of a Manifestor, not just her own. In fact, she was rather lucky. Most Manifestors were discovered at age 10 and executed. Or, even if they survived, they would soon become Demon-people and self-destruct.

In that sense, because she had survived to adulthood, her life could be considered quite decent. Indeed, after joining Lemegeton, she found it quite comfortable and peaceful.

So she just lived as she was born, thinking that being accepted would be impossible anyway. She lived, accepting some parts and resigning herself to others.

She had many desires, but it could be said that she lived a reasonably satisfying life.

...Until she met him.

After encountering him living freely in the Forest, she felt a certain emotion. It wasn't a particularly special emotion. She often felt it when she saw Citizens laughing and walking happily down the Street.

This feeling was...

...inferiority.

Tsk... they arrived faster than I thought.

I frowned briefly, watching the Knights entering the Territory. Now there wouldn't be any fighting, but the timing was bad. I had so many more questions I wanted to ask them.

Then we'll be taking our leave.

Unfortunately, it seemed we had to end it here. If the Knights overheard this conversation, it would be awkward for everyone.

If you need anything, come to the Inn next door. We'll be staying there. And of course, don't report us.

At Sephiroth's words, Haneul and Chaerin looked a little stung. It seemed they had been thinking about it internally.

With that, the two disappeared into the crowd, their hoods up.

As the two women disappeared, Chaerin sighed. Being with Lemegeton, and a Branch Leader at that, was naturally suffocating. But once they were gone, Haneul seemed to loosen up and asked me.

Is it really okay to cooperate with them? Honestly, Lemegeton is a bit...

In other words, she didn't trust them.

It's fine. We won't actively help each other anyway. But they're still trustworthy. The more Forces, the better, right?

I said that, persuading them.

They seemed hesitant, but somehow they appeared to agree. Indeed, a Branch Leader is not someone easily antagonized. Just not having our Extermination interfered with here is a gain.

After that conversation, Chaerin began to complain lightly.

Hmph, it's a bit disappointing, more than that. I thought I could finally stream comfortably... but then the Knight Order shows up right away. I'll have to be careful when I turn it on again...

Not all Streamers were like that, but Chaerin was quite careful with her streams.

What that meant was, she tried to protect the portrait rights of NPCs. As time passed, even the Gaians became aware of the existence of streams. And their reactions weren't very positive.

They couldn't see the reactions, yet their faces were being sold without their knowledge. In many ways, it was bound to be off-putting.

Chaerin knew this, so she only streamed from inside the carriage even when traveling with the merchant caravan. She complained a bit about it.

A comfortable streaming environment was an important factor for a Streamer, so it was natural for her to be gloomy.

Indeed, if the Knight Order arrived, streams would be subject to Control for security reasons. I said lightly to comfort her.

Well, you can just stream inside the Inn. I'll even appear on it.

Still, it wouldn't be boring. It felt a bit like being on a trip. So we entered the Inn.

*

We booked two rooms in total: one for Yor, and one for Chaerin and Haneul to share.

Since we were of opposite genders, we naturally had to get two rooms. Honestly, Yor would have preferred just one room, but... he couldn't ignore their consideration.

Haneul was especially a conservative girl, whose ideas weren't that open-minded yet. Anyway, the Inn Life began.

And that Inn Life seemed like it would last longer than expected. After discussions with the Knight Order, the conclusion was to simply wait in the Territory rather than blindly search for Andras.

Since he had descended nearby, there was a high probability he would visit this Territory, and the Citizens here couldn't be ignored. They decided it was better to settle down and wait than to risk a major disaster by crossing paths. Yor's Party also agreed to this.

Thanks to this, their recent daily lives were incredibly peaceful. All they had to do was eat the meals provided, and occasionally exchange opinions with the Knight Order.

In effect, killing time became their main job. Thanks to that, on many days, they just streamed from their room and chatted. Based on the Viewers' reactions, at least time passed quickly.

Hello, Everyone!

[Oh hey~]

[Yuha~]

[Streamer, what are you doing? Why is the scenery always the same?]

[Another talk stream today?]

[Stop talking. We've talked too much]

[Let's not get any closer...]

[Streamer, go outside and hunt some Monsters...]

Of course, with a similar background, viewers often expressed their dissatisfaction.

Ah, don't worry! I still have something prepared for today.

Of course, Chaerin wasn't just doing Interactive Streams. She had brought something she had prepared herself.

Today is a Juggling Practice Stream~.

Chaerin said that and pulled out three daggers.

[This is driving me crazy][Streamer, do you want to get hit?][I hope you get stabbed while juggling~]

Of course, the Viewers just cursed at her.

*Swish-swish-*

Soon, she repeatedly tossed the daggers upwards and caught them.

Yor quietly watched from behind Chaerin.

Still, perhaps because of the Dexterity Amdusias had given her, her juggling was quite skillful. Since she was holding daggers, it even felt like watching a circus.

But such a feat didn't last long.

"Oops."

Since it was practice, she often dropped the daggers. Each time, Chaerin would bend down to pick up the dagger.

Tsk, it's harder than I thought... It looked doable when I watched it on YouTube...

And each time, Yor's gaze would drift to one spot. Specifically, her backside became prominent every time she bent over.

*Hmm...*

Perhaps because she was wearing comfortable leather pants, the distinctive curves of a woman were even more noticeable.

*Even if it's a Reversed World... isn't she a bit too defenseless with me right behind her?*

In the end, Yor, unable to resist, gave Chaerin's butt a firm smack.

*Smack!*

Kyaaak?!

Her short scream burst out with a satisfying sound. Reactions in the chat window were immediate.

[Ooh la la ooh la la]

[Suddenly giving out rewards lol]

[Me too... hit me too huff...puff...]

"Why did you hit me all of a sudden?!"

"Move your butt. You keep sticking it out. I just wanted to hit it."

*...Hmm.*

Haneul looked at the scene with a meaningful gaze. At first glance, it looked like normal teasing, but no matter how she looked, their physical distance seemed too close. At first, she thought it might be her imagination, but after staying together in the Inn, even the conservative Haneul could see it.

Of course, she couldn't ask directly. She was still too timid for that.

And so, time passed, and another two weeks went by. And that day was when Sak rose.

Ugh... ugh...

And Haneul could hear Yor's voice coming from next door.

Even though they had booked two rooms, this was a shabby inn in a remote territory. There was absolutely no soundproofing.

*...Ahem.*

When she first heard the sounds, Haneul had some rather suggestive thoughts. *Could he be having a private “comfort time” in his room...?*

*It's definitely not sex. Chaerin and I are right here.*

Even if he's a man, his sexual urges would build up. Unlike them, who could Logout and have a comfortable happy time, Yor was alone in an unfamiliar inn. It would be awkward for him to relieve his urges.

So... Haneul's thoughts naturally went to such dark places.

But Chaerin's thoughts were different. She now knew well what it meant when Sak rose.

Chaerin murmured, looking at the wall with a worried expression.

"Ah, it must be Berserk State A today..."

"...Berserk State?"

Haneul asked again at Chaerin's murmur. Chaerin hesitated for a moment, then decided to just tell her. There was no real need to hide it anyway, and she figured Haneul was smart enough to understand.

Chaerin explained lightly: the side effects he felt whenever Sak rose, and how to deal with them. She didn't mention Berserk State B separately. He was currently experiencing A, and there were simply too many embarrassing things involved in explaining B.

Thanks to Chaerin's explanation, Haneul's face also grew serious.

"Is it okay to just leave him like that...?" "Right, and it seems he's run out of holy water..." "Let's go ask the Knight Order. They must have plenty stocked up." "That's a good idea, Older Sister."

So they got some holy water from the Knight Order and headed towards Yor's room.

*

Ugh...

The pain washed over me. The pain of blood raging within my flesh was not something one ever got used to, no matter how many times it was experienced. It was a pain that made me want to commit suicide every time I went through it. *Damn it, if I knew this, I would've gotten more holy water.* Frowning, I thought that. *At this rate, I might get kicked out by the Inn owner tomorrow.* Fortunately, such worries didn't last long.

Mr. Yor... are you there?

Chaerin came to my room, holding four holy waters.

Haneul, with a serious expression, was also with her.

*Looks like she told her...*

Well, it's not a secret that needs to be hidden anymore. A bitter smile escaped me at the thought of having shown them an unsightly state. A startled Haneul asked me worriedly.

Are you okay...?

It was a single word, laden with many emotions. I smiled with difficulty and said to her.

"I'm fine now. You brought me holy water. Thanks to you, I'm saved. Thank you." "Do you want me to stay with you if you need anything?" "No. You're tired, you should get some sleep too."

After saying that, I took the four holy waters and slowly closed the door. This alone was incredibly helpful. Thanks to them, I could get through this Berserk State for free.

*Gulp, gulp-*

As I drank the holy water, the pain gradually began to subside.

Power drained from my entire body, as if I had drunk strong liquor. Still, it was better than suffering.

With a clearer mind, I estimated the time ahead. I'd been groaning for about two hours... If I took just one more dose of holy water, I'd probably get through this Berserk State fine.

*That leaves two.*

That's more than I expected. I was about to store the remaining holy water in my Subspace when a certain Person flashed through my mind.

Another Manifestor must be suffering just as much right next door. All Manifestors experience Berserk State when Sak rises, so they must be groaning in pain too.

This made me pause and think. Whether to just hand this holy water over to them.

*Tsk, it's a bit of a waste, but...*

But my hesitation was brief. I had received help from them, and even if they weren't Companions, they were still Kin.

Right, in times like these, Kin should look out for each other.

The world we live in is harsh enough; shouldn't we at least look out for our own Kin? Even if they were a bit annoying.

So I took the remaining holy water and secretly headed to the Inn where they were staying.