Chapter 26 - The Guest is Tired
The first place Wei Zhiying led me to was the closest bath, where she had been soaking until just a moment ago.
“In this room, there are baths I made myself. It’s a place I put special care into creating.”
Hwung!
As the Poison Demon gestured, the thick green mist blocking the view beyond the nearest bath cleared, and I could see all the way across.
And there, as she said, several spacious baths were located.
Seeing this, how should I put it… It also reminded me a bit of my memories of enjoying soaking in the bath when I occasionally went to saunas.
It also reminded me of hot springs… Is she the type who enjoys soaking in warm baths?
“Each bath is filled with poisons I personally concocted. That’s why it feels especially good.”
…Ah, I underestimated the mind of an S-rank superhuman…
No, she enjoys soaking in poison?! Even though her nickname is Poison Demon, as an ordinary citizen, I couldn’t relate at all.
“The name of this bath is ‘Swamp’. Once you step into this poison, it’s almost impossible to walk out.”
Wei Zhiying, with a subtle expression on her face, raised her hand, and a hole opened in the ceiling, dropping something onto her hand.
…No, how did she do this again?!
“Would you like to see for yourself why it’s called Swamp?”
She said to me, and before I could react, she dropped whatever was in her hand into the bath.
Then, what fell into the bath quietly and surely melted away without making any sound or reaction, eventually dissolving completely into the bath.
“This one is sticky, so once it grabs something, it hardly ever lets go. That’s why anyone caught in it can’t escape and slowly sinks, becoming one with the swamp. However, its effectiveness isn’t that great except for its use as a bath.”
“…I-I see?”
I wonder why she’s directly showing me such an eerie sight…
Is it a subtle threat? Saying she’ll throw me in there if I bother her?
If that was the intention, it was correct. From the moment I realized that those spacious baths were filled with poisons, this space began to feel somewhat creepy. Even more so after seeing that scene just now.
However, whether knowing my feelings or not, Wei Zhiying continued to slowly lead me to other baths.
“This bath is Heat Fire (熱火). It gives a feeling of burning heat as if burning from the inside rather than the outside, and those who are properly affected become cripples with deep internal injuries. The hot feeling is quite nice.”
“This is No Movement (無動). When affected, everything except thought stops. Magic power, breathing, blood, even the beating heart… It’s not a very efficient one, but you can feel comfortable when you get in.”
“This is Cold Chaos (冷渾). It makes you suffer from extreme chills for about a week before dying. Its effectiveness isn’t that great, so it’s good for selling. It’s cool, so it’s also good to get into in summer.”
“This is Wing Tear (翼裂)…”
“This is…”
Only after receiving a thorough introduction to each and every bath filled with poisons that had incredibly eerie effects, was I able to distance myself from those baths.
Wow… I was really frightened the whole time I was walking… Thinking I might accidentally step into one of those…
Ugh… How have I become so exhausted when we’ve only been together for such a short time…
“It’s a pity that Dam Han-ul isn’t strong enough yet to go into those together. Next time, I’ll try to make a medicinal bath that you can enter too.”
“Ah, thank you…?”
My goodness! To think she had thoughts of entering there with me…! I’m so glad she didn’t act on it.
“Well, now that we’ve seen the baths, I’ll introduce you to other things.”
No, this is enough…!
But my timid thoughts couldn’t stop Wei Zhiying’s hand, which seemed unexpectedly excited and somehow joyful, and soon I began to follow Wei Zhiying around various places in her house.
A strange and eerie laboratory where she handles poisons. A personal office where she processes work, a botanical garden consisting entirely of numerous poisonous plants that are all dangerous, a vast breeding ground where she subjugates and raises various monsters that contain poison.
…Even her personal bedroom that looked wider and more luxurious than any hotel…
Before I knew it, I had been to all sorts of places with Wei Zhiying, who had thrown off the robe she had been casually wearing and was now dressed in simple clothes adorned with fancy accessories.
Of course, no dangerous incidents occurred since I was with Wei Zhiying, the owner of this mansion… But I became mentally exhausted.
“Now, this is the last. This is your bedroom where you’ll stay during your time here, Dam Han-ul.”
Oh my… At least that’s fortunate… Finally, it’s the last…
Moreover, since we’re going to the room where I’ll stay, I’ll be able to rest comfortably! Thank goodness…!
My eyes, which had seen a glimmer of hope, regained their light, and Wei Zhiying stared at my face with an expressionless face.
She had even stopped walking.
“…Uh, is there a problem?”
“There’s no problem. I just thought it was a good face.”
“Ah, I see…?”
What’s this about all of a sudden? She’s really hard to figure out…
Anyway, Wei Zhiying started walking again, and I finally reached my room.
“Here’s the room where you’ll be staying.”
“Ooh…!”
The room Wei Zhiying personally guided me to was really nice.
Despite being just one room, it looked even larger than my house, and on top of that, it looked extremely luxurious.
I’ve stayed in hotels a few times when traveling domestically, but this was on a different level from those hotel rooms.
Wow, to think I’d experience such luxury…
“You can freely use anything here or any facilities. If you need anything, press that bell over there and a servant will come. No need to feel burdened. You’re my friend and guest, after all.”
“Ah, thank you. Wei Zhiying… ma’am?”
“Not a bad sound. Well then, rest well and I’ll see you tomorrow. I’d like you to read my fortune tomorrow. I’ll tell you what it’s about when we do the reading tomorrow.”
“Fortune-telling… Yes. I understand.”
As expected, it seemed she had invited me all the way here with the intention of having me read her fortune.
I’ll only know what kind of fortune-telling it is tomorrow, though.
To be honest, I wasn’t particularly curious about what it might be. I was too tired right now to pay deep attention to content I’d learn tomorrow anyway.
Ugh… Did travel fatigue come along too? I wanted to quickly dive into that soft-looking bed and fall fast asleep.
Wei Zhiying, who had been looking at me for a moment, soon left the room silently, and I, who had managed to dive into the wide bed after staggering towards it, immediately fell into a deep sleep.
The night passed in an instant, and morning came.
After sleeping well and waking up with improved condition, I happily had breakfast first.
When I pressed the bell and asked, they said they could make any kind of food – Korean, Chinese, Western, Japanese – so I tried Chinese food since I was in China.
Hmm, it really feels different from ordering jajangmyeon and sweet and sour pork at the neighborhood Chinese restaurant. The chef must be very skilled because it was extremely delicious.
Ah, but if we’re being strict, is jajangmyeon actually Korean food? The thought suddenly occurred to me.
Anyway, I quickly dismissed random thoughts and spent time leisurely.
I took a walk with the guidance of people working here, leisurely passed time comfortably in the room… Things like that.
Of course, I didn’t go anywhere near the places I had been guided to by Wei Zhiying yesterday. Those places are too dangerous for an ordinary person like me to approach. I didn’t want to go to places overflowing with poison in the first place.
Anyway, as I spent time comfortably like that and thoroughly took care of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Wei Zhiying called for me.
Since I had directly heard from Wei Zhiying before going to bed last night, I thought it was about time for the fortune-telling and immediately moved with my cards ready.
“Huh? Are you all coming along too?”
“Ahaha. Since the executive is getting his fortune told, I became interested!”
“The teacher’s fortune-telling is always mysterious! You could say I can’t help but be curious?”
“Huhu… As someone who has directly experienced it, I can’t miss such an interesting event. Han-ul’s fortune-telling doesn’t change just because someone else is watching, right?”
“That’s true.”
Still, after experiencing yesterday’s fatigue, I was quite glad to meet these guys again. Even though it had only been a day since I last saw them.
As I entered the room where Wei Zhiying was waiting, along with those I met on the way, Wei Zhiying was waiting for me in a spacious room with a wide table prominently placed, sitting in a chair with her legs crossed.
“Have you come, Teacher Han-ul. Have you eaten?”
“Ah, yes. I’ve eaten.”
“Oh my, that’s a shame. If you hadn’t eaten yet, I was going to eat with you.”
“Haha… It’s a pity…”
A thought suddenly occurred to me… Since she fills even baths with poison, does the Poison Demon eat meals with poison too?
For now, I quickly brushed off the random thought and sat in the chair directly opposite Wei Zhiying, following her guidance.
Ricone, Black Cat, and Akame sat in chairs placed a little distance away, in a good spot to watch without interfering.
“Well then, shall we hear about what kind of fortune you want to know?”
I asked as I took out my cards, and Wei Zhiying opened her mouth, looking languid yet expressionless.
“I felt a lot while spending time with you yesterday, Teacher Dam Han-ul. Originally, I was thinking of asking about something else as a test… but thanks to that, my thoughts have changed.”
Wei Zhiying’s green eyes, sitting with her legs crossed, captured me exactly within them.
“I’ve started to want to overcome the last wall blocking me. What am I lacking? Teacher Dam Han-ul.”
A strange atmosphere that I hadn’t felt from other S-rank superhumans.
Such a peculiar something was quite strongly felt from Wei Zhiying now.