READ WEBNOVEL Chapter 37: Power comes at a cost
{商店街の思い出 - コトリンゴ}
Ow ow ow, my head hurts. Please stop doing whatever it is you're doing, person touching me! OOOOUCH! Man, what happened? Why can't I open my eyes or move at all? What happened back there? Was it all a dream, or did I really do all of that? Oh man, oh man!
I'm in deep trouble, aren't I? I can already hear Veronica's scolding. But why didn't she warn me about sage mode and its risks? The system is so flawed! I need to speak to the manager about this!
Hey there, manager! Yeah, you! You should warn customers that the sage mode thing you offer will target everyone before you, including friends! Such a bad design! I mean, why would I ever want to target my friends? It doesn't make any sense to have a risky power-up like that!
Anyway, whatever the lady was doing left my face a bit moist and somewhat clean, I suppose, not that I can tell with my eyes closed. Ugh! Even my hand feels heavy! Just how much damage did I sustain in that dream? I really don't want to think I did that if I'm honest.
After a while longer, once I manage to pull a little more strength within myself, I manage to open my eyes. The room I'm in looks like my old room, but it's somehow even fancier this time. I guess I'm somewhere else within the castle, but I can't tell where yet.
"Lady Yoimiya, are you hungry at all? You've been asleep for eight days." What did the maid just say? The sudden greeting and massive drop of information are too much for me to process quickly, so I just phase out like a dummy trying to respond, but I can't do so with ease.
"Lady Yoimiya?"
"Yes, yeah, I'm starving. Can I please have something? If the cooks are awake, of course, I don't want to bother anyone." Just to play it safe, I must behave well because I'm still not sure if I'm on good terms with the lord of the house. I mean, I did try to kill him! EEEEKK!
Acting like a spoiled brat at times like these is the last thing I want to do. If I want to ask for forgiveness later today or whenever the time comes, I must behave like a good kid. It's not like I've ever been spoiled anyway. I mean, my previous life wasn't exactly a luxury.
What was my previous life like anyway? I don't know why, but my memories of my life as a German boy get blurier and blurier every day. It's starting to feel like my life memories, the ones I've had since I got to this world, are somehow replacing all my old memories. It's weird.
I don't know how else to describe it, but I can say that some memories I still have from my previous life have suddenly merged with this world's view. It's like this girl's body is trying to replace my mental mind in all aspects, including my memories, turning them into this body's memories.
I do wonder, however, if I can ever become a boy again. It's not like I don't like being a girl or anything, but it's just still kind of weird, you know? People have taken care of me in a whole new way ever since I became a girl; it's kind of sad if I'm honest.
I know for a fact a lot of the things I've done would've never worked if I were a boy. Back then, when I tried to flee from the camp but wasn't allowed to because I was supposed to fight for the country, dude, I didn't even know how to shoot a rifle, and I had to use it somehow.
The only reason I ended up escaping from the frontlines was thanks to my father, who managed to rescue me from that awful fate for a little longer until, of course, the Soviets killed me. I still remember that kid's face and the anger he had in his eyes. It's something I will never forget.
What could drive someone to be so angry like he was then? I have no idea, so I better not think much of it. I mean, the past is the past. It's not like I can go back in time and run things differently anyway, so I better not keep thinking about weird stuff like that anymore.
A few minutes go by, and I just wait for the maid to return since my whole body hurts like hell. Wait a damn minute, my body hurts!? I haven't felt pain since that lady did awful stuff to me. How come I feel pain right now? I need to check that out. I just realized I can feel pain again.
So I naturally place my hand over my head and try my best to summon that spell that is too common, known as 'Appraisal.' It doesn't take very long until the usual projection appears right before me, reading differently from how I remembered it.
-
{A Monster Covered With A Young Girl's Skin - Shûji Katayama}
[Generating Appraisal]
{RULER'S AUTHORITY APPRAISAL}
-
Witch Child {Rank 70}
[Witch]
Name: Yoimiya
Age: 7
Level: 1
-
HP: 400/1,000
MP: 800/2,000
SP: 500/1,000
Stamina: 300/1,000
-
Strength: 50
Damage Output: [C] [Holy title holder boost]
Defense: 0
Speed: {Enhanced} 500 Base: {250}
-
Skills: Appraisal {Level 7}, LMSH {Level 3}, Pain mitigation {Level 1}, Pain nullification {Level 0}[Revoked]. E=E {E=E}.
Titles: {Ruler of Hope} {Ruler of Temperance} {Holy}
Information: The only known holder of the mysterious force known as the 'Raven' commander of the darkness abyssal power of the world from beyond. Recently, a fight between the Phoenix force and th Raven has damaged this user with heavy costs for victory.
{Appraisal complete}
What the hell happened to me? Where are all my numbers?! Where did all my levels go to? I can't believe my own eyes as I read my appraisal card. What the hell happened to me? I know I fought hard, but did I really go overboard that much? What the hell was sage mode thinking?!
Suddenly, the maid returns after knocking on the door, so I quickly close my appraisal card so she doesn't get to see it. The last thing I need is for people to know I'm weak again. I don't need that in my life right now, but how will I recover my levels without raising suspicion!? I don't know, but I have to find a way.
If I can recover levels as quickly as I first got them, then it should take me a few days, but since I did lose a bunch of skills and now I can actually feel pain again, I will have to be way more careful. The only reason I was so fearless when I got my levels was because of the lack of pain, but now that I can feel it at full strenght again, I'm not so sure.