NOVEL WEB Chapter 33: A Roar of Victory
My mantle had also melted long ago, so I couldn’t even use it to cover my chest. Fortunately, my lower garments, fur, tags, and belts were still intact. But there was no way to hide my scale-covered hands.
I couldn’t turn around either, because Yuna and the villagers were there, and that would only expose me to more humans. In the end, I surrounded myself with a low earthen wall.
Myungho, his face as red as his shirt, looked at everything but me. Only when I covered myself did he finally look at me.
“…Did you see it while we were fighting?”
If it had melted in the slime, it must have already been like that when I escaped from the explosion’s recoil. He was asking me if I was okay up close, so there was no way he didn’t see it.
“No… I was so out of it, I didn’t get a good look. I-I’m serious!”
He denied it so fervently that I almost believed he really hadn’t seen it. Well, if he had, he would have forgotten about the fight and stuttered like he was now.
“Alright. That’s good then.”
An awkward silence followed. The villagers still seemed unaware of my condition, cheering normally, and Yuna was checking on the fallen Akash. Her expression wasn’t too serious, so he must have been okay.
“Um… Altera. Why don’t you wear this for now? I’m not sure if there are any spare bandages… but if not, I’ll get some from the villagers, even if I have to force them.”
“Thanks for the clothes, but I don’t need bandages. I already have some with me.”
He took off his coat and handed it to me over the wall. I was just thinking about whether I should cover myself with mud, so this was perfect.
“Um, Altera. About the scales on your hands… were you about to… go berserk again?”
Myungho said this while sneaking a glance at me. He wasn’t looking at me shyly like before, but with a face full of genuine concern.
…If I had to call this a weakness, I guess I could. But it’s more like a precaution than a weakness, so it should be okay to tell him.
It wasn’t really a weakness that could be exploited, and they had already dealt with my rampage once before. It should be fine.
It was a fatal weakness, but it wasn’t something they could target at will.
“…If I use too much magic, or take too much impact, these scales appear. When my arms and legs are completely covered in scales, my horns will extend, and if I’m pushed further in that state, scales will appear on my body as well. After that, I lose consciousness. Like that night.”
So, the fact that the scales had only reached my wrists meant I was safe. I told him that and extended my hand, saying that this level was fine.
I usually hated showing this to others, but showing it to him was different. I was just telling him the precautions.
“I see. So that happens when you use too much power… I’ll keep that in mind. But… shouldn’t you put on some clothes now…? The villagers are looking this way…”
Ah, I was just holding it because we were talking. They probably couldn’t see me since I had set up the earthen wall, but I still put on the coat he gave me, feeling self-conscious.
It was slightly big on me, with the sleeves swallowing my hands a bit, but the lining was soft and it was appropriately warm, so it seemed to be worth the price. I casually put it on and went into what used to be the village chief’s house.
This village seemed to be better off than the previous one I visited, with a bed filled with some kind of fur or hide instead of straw.
…Should I just start wearing real clothes too? But the last time I tried to wear something, my body felt so awkward that I gave up.
It’s a bit complicated. The first time I took off my clothes was because they were old and worn out. I was so busy surviving in the wild that I didn’t have the time to mend my clothes or even handle them carefully.
They were so bad that I just went without them. I did pick up some clothes when I went down to a village later, but they didn’t feel right. Most of all, they felt too constricting.
…Maybe even back then, a subconscious instinct to show off what I had was awakening. Maybe I just became aware of it recently.
I carefully took off the coat he had lent me, making sure not to wrinkle it, and took out the bandages from my belongings, wrapping them tightly around my chest again.
I wrapped them several times, tightly enough to feel a bit constricted, and reattached my mantle. I was running out of cloth for the mantle now. Should I take it off too?
…No way. I was already half-naked, and I didn’t want to take this off too. My reason was screaming at me. I wrapped bandages around my wrists and ankles as well, then went outside with the coat.
Then, people rushed towards me, bowing repeatedly with moved expressions. Um… so. This is…
Are they… thanking me? Me? I was used to fear and caution, but not this. I didn’t even do much.
I waved my hands, trying to shoo them away, but they didn’t seem to understand.
“Altera, these people want to say something to you. They’re thanking you for saving the village.”
Myungho carefully parted the crowd and came up to me, explaining why the people were acting this way.
“…But I really didn’t do much.”
Really. All I did was get covered in slime, escape, and smash some dirt. Akash and Myungho did the actual finishing. So why me…?
“Well, you were the most noticeable… I guess that’s why? If it’s too much, just tell me. I’ll explain it to the people.”
…It was a bit overwhelming, but being looked up to like this didn’t feel bad either. And the reason he gave me was somewhat rational.
I returned the coat to Myungho and looked back at the humans. The people were still standing there, looking at me. Their gazes made my heart feel a bit tingly.
It was embarrassing, but maybe it was okay now. I took a deep breath and shouted as my body told me to, with all my might.
“Uooooooooh!!!!”
The people were startled by my sudden shout, but soon one person followed my lead, and the rest did the same.
It felt like they admired me, like they acknowledged me.
It was fun. I had forgotten how happy it was to receive such positive attention, since it had been so long.
If I were in my right mind, I wouldn’t have done this. It must have been my instincts.
But it was fun. Intoxicated by the elation, I roared, thinking that maybe instincts weren’t so bad after all.
– – – –
“If you need more, please let us know! We’ll gladly boil more for our heroes!”
Unlike the last village, there was no feast. There was mourning for the dead, and the village didn’t have much food on hand.
But they readily offered us shelter and food. We did solve their problem, so we deserved this much… right?
Altera still seemed to be basking in the recent praise, still smiling faintly.
Based on her past behavior whenever she received attention from people, I wouldn’t have expected this, but when she suddenly let out that elated roar, even I was surprised.
Most of all, she looked genuinely happy. Even when she ate Akash’s food, it didn’t seem like genuine joy, but maybe Altera had a strong desire for approval.
Maybe her going around naked was a twisted manifestation of that desire for approval.
I looked at her, lost in these absurd thoughts. The scales on her hands had disappeared, revealing only her smooth brown skin and the metallic sheen of her nails.
Her nails were probably made of iron. When we were lighting the fire to boil the stew, she struck her nails against a flint to start the fire.
Iron fingernails and toenails, a tail like an axe blade, the power to shake the earth, and the ability to go berserk in a pinch. She was a living weapon, so why did she seem so fragile?
“Is there something on my face?”
“No… it’s nothing. Eat as much as you want.”
It was truly fantastical that she could overpower most monsters with sheer strength, even though she didn’t seem to have any muscles at all.
Altera seemed to like the soup, refilling her bowl every time it was empty. Akash was still a bit dizzy, swaying back and forth.
“This is delicious. Myungho, could you pass me the spices over there? I think it would taste even better with them.”
Yuna seemed to like it too. Even though it was mostly vegetables with very little meat, it was delicious, and I had already eaten a few bowls myself.
“Hey, don’t put too much… Ugh, I’m so dizzy. I think I’ll throw up if I eat now, so save some for me. I’m going to go outside and see if I can find any useful information for our mountain trek…”
He staggered off, saying he was going to gather information. Yuna stood up as if to follow him, but then looked at her bowl and sat back down.
“…Let’s leave him be. He won’t be able to plot anything in that state. But how did that thing manage to find and eat people without a core?”
“Some of the demon race are born with the ability to control monsters… Maybe someone was controlling it remotely. Or like Akash said, maybe they took out the core separately and manipulated it. There’s no way to know, though.”
“I just hope that demon doesn’t interfere with us while we’re crossing the mountain…”
Right. Even Altera would have a hard time with a true demon. Some of the higher-ranking ones are said to be able to fight dragons.
…Come to think of it, should I help her with her goal?
She’s strong, but I’m not sure if she can really take on a dragon. I’ve never actually met a dragon, so I just said I’d help her for now.
Well, it doesn’t matter for now.
I finished off the soup, putting aside the complicated matters for later.