Chapter 15
Elf Forest (2)
"Gah!"
The elf girl, pierced through the back, gasped for air.
A clean, penetrating wound.
As the blade went through to her chest, I twisted the corners of my mouth.
"Black Heron, absorb it."
【Uh... sure.】
Black Heron let out a bewildered sound and began to absorb the elf girl's blood.
"H-how?"
"With a knife."
The elf girl looked back, wheezing, but I grabbed her cheek to keep her still.
"If you change your posture, you'll only get hurt more. You might end up severing your heart, so just look forward."
"Y-you bastard...! Do you have any idea... who I am!"
She must be angry.
Understandably so.
She showed me hospitality, and I stabbed her in the back out of nowhere.
It must feel like a betrayal.
But this was by no means a betrayal.
I was merely performing emergency rescue procedures to treat this elf girl.
If I told her later that stabbing her could lower her Karma, would she have believed me?
Even if an outsider said such a thing, she wouldn't have believed it.
So, I stab first and prove it later.
Once her body feels at ease and her mind clears, she will realize that I have done a good deed.
"You bastard! What do you think you're doing!"
"Release the Princess at once!"
Just then, human shadows approached from deep within the forest.
The two figures, wearing expressions of shock, looked similar to the elf girl.
"Wait, two more elves?"
No, more importantly, this girl is an elf princess?
"You were a princess?"
"L-let go of—"
"If you're a princess, I should treat you even better!"
*Squelch!*
As I twisted the sword slightly, more blood erupted from the elf girl's open wound.
"Aaaaaaah!"
The elf girl shrieked.
Does it hurt? It hurts me too.
But there’s nothing I can do about it.
To repay you for the beautiful song you played, this is the only way.
Wait, what am I saying? Have I always been this sensitive?
"Black Heron! Blood is spraying everywhere! Don't miss it, drink it!"
【*Gulp, gulp!*】
Even though Black Heron was swallowing the elf girl's blood, it showed no signs of stopping.
Usually, Black Heron would stop on its own once it had absorbed enough Karma, so why wasn't it stopping?
"I said let her go!"
"It's a misunderstanding. This is treatment."
"Shut up! Stop spouting nonsense and release the Princess!"
"I cannot stop the treatment!!"
I do not abandon a patient.
Isn't that the mission of one who walks the path of medicine?
I cannot abandon that fundamental principle.
【Look at this guy. Did your brain get fried after being corrupted?】
A cursed object that eats people should just quietly become my life-saving sword!
"First, let me meet Sergeant Baek! Then we can finish treating the patients!"
"Ugh...! Are you a comrade who came to save that human!"
"I need to suture the Princess's wounds, so guide me to the village quickly!"
"Grrr...!"
The elves seemed to understand my noble sense of mission, shedding tears of emotion as they guided me.
The elf princess, walking weakly while still pierced by Black Heron, occasionally failed to match my pace, and every time she did, the sharp blade of Black Heron would slice into her flesh.
"Nngh...!"
The elf princess groaned in pain. I turned her head to face me.
"Princess, pull yourself together! Do you want to die?"
"Y-you're the one who stabbed me..."
"You can live, Princess! I will save you! I’m going to heal you! The pain is only for a moment!"
After cheering the princess on, I shouted a cadence to ensure she wouldn't get hurt any further as we moved.
"One, two! One, two!"
"..."
"..."
The two elves watching the scene seemed overwhelmed with emotion.
Even across dimensions, sincerity is conveyed.
【You devilish bastard...】
Only the wicked cursed object misinterpreted my sincerity.
***
The village we arrived at, guided by the elves, was in the middle of a forest where a massive tree towered over everything.
"Insane..."
The tree in the center of the village was so large it was gargantuan.
Its size was such that it nearly touched the sky, making me realize this is what a fantasy world is like.
There was a tree this big, so why did no one know about it?
"Ah...!"
It was because the view was obscured by the sheer number of tree-sized trees surrounding it.
"Now, release the Princess!"
"Just a moment. Black Heron. Have you finished 'treating' everyone?"
【*Gulp! Gulp-gulp!*】
What's wrong with this thing?
【T-this is dangerous...! If I'm not careful, the backlog...!】
It seems Black Heron needs more time to treat the elf princess.
"You bastard! Will you not release the Princess!"
Just then, the elf woman who had guided me to the village approached.
A chance for treatment!
"I'll treat you too!"
"Gah?!"
*Stab!*
I drove Black Heron, which was still piercing the elf princess, straight into the elf woman.
Fortunately, the blade was long enough to pierce both of them at once.
My talent is terrifying.
To think I could treat two people at once.
【I-I can't eat! Hurry! Pull it out!】
"What, why?"
【It's... too much for one!】
Oh dear. It seems Black Heron is struggling to treat two people simultaneously.
I kicked the elf woman who was impaled on the sword away.
I wonder if that looked a bit rude.
"Argh!"
"I'm sorry. I thought it would work."
"What on earth is going on!"
"Gasp! The Princess has been captured by a human!"
At that moment, elves poured out from all over the village.
My goodness, I didn't know there were so many elves. Is this paradise?
"Kazakiel! What is the meaning of this?"
"Grrr! Where is the human we caught yesterday!!"
"T-the human we caught yesterday?"
"H-he is in the prison!"
He's in prison?
Could there be some kind of misunderstanding?
Maybe they mistook him for someone else.
"It might be someone else, so I will check first! Please guide me to the prison!"
"N-ngh!"
Accompanied by the still-untreated elf princess, I was guided into the giant tree with a "One, two! One, two!"
The inside of the tree was astonishing.
It looked like I had entered a massive building, with facilities packed tightly inside.
If a tree is this big, can you actually set up a whole life inside it?
The treehouse, created by hollowing out and carving the inner flesh of the tree, gave a glimpse into the elves' real estate development.
"T-this way!"
Guided by the elves, we headed to an underground space located in a corner.
To think they even dug out the roots to create an underground space. I wouldn't be surprised if a parking lot appeared next.
"Ugh... the smell."
【The smell of rotten blood...】
It was enough to make Black Heron, which was already busy absorbing the elf princess's blood and Karma, express its disgust.
"What kind of place is this?"
"It is... where we slaughter meat."
Slaughter meat?
Didn't elves live on nothing but dew?
Ah, this is a lack of cultural relativism.
The idea that elves don't eat meat must be a stereotype.
This isn't a real fantasy world, so I shouldn't apply settings from novels or manga.
"I suppose you don't have a refrigerator. How pitiful..."
The fact that the elves wore so little clothing, and that they lived in trees... I felt sorry for the residents of this primitive fantasy world.
If only electronic equipment worked, I could have enlightened them by saying, "Ah~ this is what a refrigerator is."
"What about over there?"
"..."Torture chamber."
"Are you allowed to torture prisoners here?"
"No, we don't really discriminate—"
"How primitive..."
*Crack!*
I heard something breaking, but perhaps it was my imagination.
"Are the beasts here always this big?"
Inside the prison, there were beasts the size of houses.
The hairy bodies with sharp teeth and claws reminded me of the corrupted Hunter Kim Tae-jin.
Hmm... they look similar to the beasts the Special Task Force wiped out...
"H-here! Now, release the Princess..."
"Sergeant Baek?"
Just then, I saw a man in a military uniform collapsed among the piles of meat inside the bars.
"Ugh..."
The soldier was suffering, clearly badly injured. Judging by the name tag, it was definitely Sergeant Baek.
"Sergeant Baek! Pull yourself together!"
"Ughhh..."
Sergeant Baek, drooling and barely able to control his own body.
No, I thought his limbs were at least intact, but I was wrong.
His teeth were sharp like a beast's, and patches of fur were poking out from his military uniform.
Oh no. Corruption is in progress.
If he had been in the Dark Zone all day, his Karma must have been rising continuously.
Since Sergeant Baek was already at a dangerous level, it was no exaggeration to say he had been corrupted.
"Sergeant Baek, wake up!"
Why isn't he listening? Should I pull the sword out of the princess and treat Sergeant Baek first?
No, no matter how much of a manifestation of primitive feudalism this place is, as a medical professional, I cannot abandon a patient.
Just then, my eyes caught the flute at the princess's waist.
I had been led here by the sound of this beautiful flute.
I took the flute from the princess's waist.
"T-that is...!"
Kazakiel and the elf princess were flustered, but after playing a few notes, the melody felt familiar.
For a prize winner of the Immanuel Orphanage recorder recital, this much was nothing.
"Hoo..."
This should be enough to play with one hand while holding the sword.
(Recommended BGM: School Bell Rings)
*Piri-riri~ Pipi-pi!*
*Riri~ Piri-riri!*
Sergeant Baek. Brave soldier of the Army, please pull yourself together.
If it's you, you must remember this melody deep within your heart.
"Ugh..."
There's a reaction.
Does the music of a prize-winning performer from a recorder recital reach even a corrupted former hero?
I poured more spirit into it, playing the flute to awaken the justice within the Army hero's soul.
"Ugh, ugh..."
Oh, he’s standing. He’s actually standing.
He’s following. He’s following.
"Then, let’s go get you treated."
With one hand, I continued to treat the Elf Princess, while with the other, I used the flute to lead Sergeant Baek.
The moment we stepped outside.
*Whiz!*
An arrow flew from somewhere, aiming precisely for my temple.
"Wait...!"
Too slow. While my physical abilities and reflexes had increased beyond those of an ordinary person since awakening my mana, I wasn't fast enough to dodge a surprise arrow.
But at that moment, I instinctively used the mana control I had mastered during my training with Kang Cheong-hwa.
The moment I perceived the world slowing down, I threw all my strength into dodging the arrow's trajectory.
*Whoosh!*
The arrow grazed past me, narrowly missing.
As the Black Heron, which had been piercing the princess's back, pulled out, the Elf Princess slumped forward.
"The Princess has been liberated!"
"Kill him!"
The elves rushed at me in unison.
But I couldn't show killing intent toward them.
Right now, this situation was just the elves misinterpreting the treatment process.
To clear up this misunderstanding, they needed to see that the Princess was fully cured.
"Princess! Wake up!"
"......"
But the princess remained slumped on the ground, unmoving.
Did she lose too much blood?
There’s no help for it.
I have no choice but to run until I can clear up the misunderstanding.
"You scoundrel!"
Just then, the elf who had been called Kazakiel lunged at me, wielding twin blades.
Twin blades, of all things. The two swords threatened me with dazzling, dance-like movements.
"Ugh...!"
I blocked with the Black Heron, but I couldn't completely evade the encroaching twin blades.
They grazed my shoulder, and hot blood stained my neck. In that dizzying moment, I increased the acceleration.
"......!"
Kazakiel looked flustered to see me suddenly move even faster.
Even so, her skill was far superior to mine.
*Clang!*
Kazakiel parried my sword, even while I was at triple acceleration.
How strong is she, exactly, to be able to react even though I’m faster?
"Heh...! I was a little surprised, but you're nothing special!"
Kazakiel even countered. Her bloodshot eyes glared at me.
"How dare you wound the Princess and steal the Flute of the World Tree? I won't even keep you as a beast. I’ll peel off your skin, slice you up while you're still alive, and eat you!"
"Are you crazy? What kind of nonsense is that?"
No matter how much this stemmed from a misunderstanding, that wasn't something that should come out of an elf's mouth.
Wait?
Kazakiel’s gaze was strange.
It wasn't just bloodshot; her pupils were stained black, and the corners of her mouth were torn like a demon's...
"A Corrupted One!"
A Corrupted One in this beautiful elf village?
As a Special Treatment and Recovery Manager, I couldn't leave someone like this next to the lovely Elf Princess.
"I will 'treat' you."
"Hmm?"
The gap in skill between Kazakiel and me was clear.
But I possessed the power to overturn that gap.
For a moment, it felt as if the entire world had stopped.
But in reality, time was still flowing; it was just slowed down to less than a quarter of its normal speed.
Normally, I wouldn't be able to hold this for more than a few seconds.
The saving grace was that I had absorbed quite a bit of Karma while treating the soldiers.
Since I had dissolved that Karma and converted it into my own mana, I should be able to hold on a bit longer.
I slipped out of the path of Kazakiel’s swinging blades and positioned myself behind her back.
"I'll treat you, too."
*Thwack!*
Now, the deceleration begins.
There will be recoil, but if it's the price for saving someone...
......
......
......
"Huh?"
Why isn't time returning to normal?
It should have been normal for my mana to have bottomed out by now.
The amount of mana I had gained from treating the twenty soldiers should have been exhausted by this point.
Did I eat something incredible recently?
【*Buuuuurp!*】
Amidst the sound of the Black Heron’s belch echoing out, I looked back at the collapsing Kazakiel and said:
"You're slow."
As I deactivated the acceleration.
"Even in falling."
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