Read Novel Full Chapter 243
Chapter 243
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Chapter 243 – Interspecies Exchange
The location was Malta, the capital and southern trading hub of the Kingdom of Lagreath.
It had been a while since my last visit, and the town looked a little different. Beastmen were scattered along the main street.
Some of them kept their distance and looked suspicious, but human values don’t change overnight.
The beastmen walking around now are probably merchants and porters who are aware of the situation, yet still visit because it is profitable.
“How are you, Zeo? There are a lot of people, but is it okay?”
Zeo is so tall that I have to look up at him as he walks beside me.
Because of that, I can’t see his face clearly, but his mouth seems to be set in a straight line.
“Yeah, it’s fine. Not all humans are evil; I know there are kind ones, too. Though the female shopkeeper earlier did feel like she was touching my body a bit too much.”
“Seriously! She was definitely looking at you with a lecherous gaze!”
“Haha… Well, don’t let it bother you too much.”
The closest and largest town to the cave was Malta.
I decided to try my first medium-range teleportation to check the mana consumption. However, it was almost closing time, so I hurriedly bought clothes and shoes for my two companions.
After all, Zeo was just wearing my cloak wrapped around his waist; it was too short for him.
A tall, handsome man with long gray hair and dark skin entered the store, dressed in a sexy outfit.
For some reason, Zeo immediately muttered, “Show me the cloak,” and the female shopkeeper made a leering face despite being a woman, causing Carla to bare his fangs.
She quickly brought us a large selection of women’s clothes, and Carla was flustered the whole time.
But this should be enough for them to move around town.
At first glance, they both appear sickly, and they claim to possess high-level Concealment skills so that their race won’t be revealed.
Their bright red eyes are pretty striking. Even if someone were to peek at their skills, though, they’re ancient races, so almost no one could figure out what they are.
Incidentally, neither of them seems to have any of the typical racial traits of their species from the story on Earth, such as being unable to tolerate sunlight, being afraid of crosses, or being afraid of silver.
Their biggest weakness is that their magic doesn’t naturally recover. As long as they monitor their blood and magic power, there shouldn’t be any restrictions on their actions.
“We’re here! It’s a celebration, so eat as much as you want!”
“Yay! I’m excited!”
“I can smell it… It’s been a while.”
We arrived at the giant worm steak restaurant that Ril and I had visited before.
At first, I wasn’t sure what ancient people liked to eat, so I thought I’d let them order whatever they wanted at a restaurant in Hanfa Rest. But when I asked them what they wanted to eat, they both said “meat.” When I asked if there was anything else they wanted, they only said “meat.”
I figured it’d be better to take them to a specialty restaurant and let them eat their fill.
Carla ordered a medium-sized, 500-gram steak; Zeo ordered a large, 1.2-kilogram steak; and since I was hungry, I ordered a 1.2-kilogram steak too.
I stuffed the meat into my mouth with gusto, glancing at Zeo from time to time.
There are various possibilities for a debuff, such as the passage of time or further blood consumption. Among those possibilities, normal meals—in other words, nutritional replenishment—could be a condition for lifting the debuff.
The two drink blood to recover their magical power. However, when they’re hungry, they eat animal and monster meat. When they’re thirsty, they drink water or alcohol instead of blood.
Then it’s definitely a possibility.
“With this kind of food, your physical strength—or rather, the ability limit that may have been forcibly imposed—may return, so let me know if you notice any changes in your physical abilities.”
“Got it. The only other thing is whether I can use skills that don’t require magic.”
“That’s right. It’s risky to have your skills checked at the church, so check for yourself before you go to sleep to see if you’ve lost any.”
“Why am I fine, but the master isn’t?”
“It’s probably because of whether or not you’re a familiar, right?”
“Hmm, when did Carla fall asleep?”
“Um…right after the master stopped moving.”
“I see. Then it doesn’t seem to be a difference in the length of time.”
“Well, if no one knows, we’ll just have to try one at a time. If our abilities come back, we’ll be in luck.”
“Yeah, yeah! This time, I’ll protect you, so don’t worry!”
They had just woken up.
As long as they could find the demon race before I died, they figured they still had plenty of time.
After that, we decided to stay the night and head straight to the luxury Hanfa Rest Inn.
I greeted Wills-san, the elderly manager whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, and secured a slightly larger room with two beds on the third floor.
On the way to the room,
“As always, Loki-sama is accompanied by some special people,”
The manager said. I couldn’t help but feel a chill run down my spine.
There’s no way he could have noticed, but how does this old man tell people apart?
“How is it? Is there any significant difference compared to the old days?”
“It’s amazing! I don’t think there were many inns this luxurious!”
As she said this, Carla ran and slid headfirst onto the bed.
“That’s right. Demi-humans prefer places like forests and remote areas, so they rarely build towns. Therefore, even if there are inns, rooms like this one are extremely rare. It would be different in a human town, though.”
“I see. From what I know, beastmen and dwarves coexist with humans normally now, too, right? It depends on the country, though. This country, Lagreath, was human supremacist until recently.”
“Hmph. No matter how much time passes, there will always be fools like that.”
“Oh, sorry. I should have been more considerate. It’s actually a little further north, but this was originally Primus’s land. There are various barriers, and they had no choice but to continue the discrimination.”
“You know a lot about this place.”
“Well, yes. That’s why I chose this inn for tonight. There are some things I need to tell you about my background as your companion.”
“I see. Then—Carla! Stop playing around in bed and come here! This is important!”
“Oh, okay!”
The master-servant relationship is completely reversed.
But, since neither of them complains, it’s probably a peaceful relationship after all.
After that, we sat across from each other at the table, drinking alcohol and trying to keep the conversation serious yet informal. I explained my position and the purpose of my travels around the world.
I chose my words carefully and spoke slowly, taking the opportunity to introduce myself.
I told them that I was from another world, one that various countries were currently fighting over. As I expected, they both looked completely confused and unable to comprehend what I was saying.
Only a few decades have passed since reincarnated people first appeared in this world, so it’s understandable that these ancient people couldn’t easily comprehend it.
I told them that conflicts between countries were increasing, and there were dangerous individuals with a skill level of 10, so they should be cautious. For now, though, I think it’s fine.
The encounter rate is too low to be a problem.
“As I mentioned earlier, I can use skill points to acquire skills and level up. In this world, it’s called ‘contributing to the world’ or ‘praying to the goddess.’ Do you understand?”
“I know what you mean, but only in a general sense.”
“From the way you say it, it sounds like you’ve never used it.”
“Demi-humans often worship their ancestors or ancestral gods. It’s not absolute, but very few of them would go out of their way to visit human towns.”
“I’ve never been either.”
“Hmm, that’s a shame…”
This is likely why demi-humans and humans were evenly matched, despite demi-humans having a longer lifespan.
Humans are short-lived, but they grow efficiently with the boost of protection. Demi-humans have the advantages of racial characteristics and high basic abilities, but they seem to go too far in following their own path.
It’s simply a matter of whether they’re making proper use of their abilities. Given this situation, it’s not surprising that some demi-humans think the goddesses are on the side of humans.
The demi-humans’ weak faith and the goddesses’ inability to gather information are probably the result of this vicious cycle.
While it’s good that there is room for growth, I can’t help but have a bad feeling about it.
Do they simply dislike humans, or is there something more to it?
“I’m going to get ready for a bath.”
There’s no need to rush.
Why did they know the detailed requirements for acquiring Spatial Magic when they had never used a church before?
I’m curious how they know their skill levels, but today is their first day as well as mine.
No matter how I look at it, Carla needs Zeo, Zeo needs my blood, and I need…
“Hey, can I wait in here while the tub fills up?”
“Huh? Sure, but won’t you be cold?”
“I’m fine! I’m used to the cold!”
Does one get used to it?
As I pondered this question, Carla quickly took off his clothes.
He wasn’t wearing any underwear after all.
“I’ll tell you when the water’s ready!”
“Don’t catch a cold.”
With no other choice, I left Zeo to watch over the bath, and he smiled wryly at the scene.
“I’m sorry. Carla has her reasons for preferring that age. He may act childishly, but as long as I’m not in danger, he shouldn’t cause any trouble.”
“I hope so. Huh? Preferring age?”
The words themselves aren’t unusual, but it’s a novel way of expressing it.
“It’s a trait of the vampire race. We can use magic to make our bodies as young as we want them to be. At that time, our minds are also easily dragged back to that age. This tendency is especially strong when we’re relaxed and let our guard down.”
“Ah, I see. So, your real age is actually…”
“?”
…Wait a minute, wait, wait.
I can’t help but feel that I’ve experienced the phenomenon of “returning to the age you desire physically” and “being dragged down mentally to that age.”
They say it’s a racial trait, but I can use monster skills too.
If that’s the case, I should be able to use racial trait skills that classify people into races with ease.
However, I can’t just try it out lightly because getting any younger would be problematic. But maybe…
The blank skill I’ve named Rejuvenation might be the Magic Regeneration that Feeril mentioned.
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