Chapter 59 Negotiation
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I jolted upright in bed.
Pain—sharp, unbearable pain—everywhere. The sheets were soaked red, and something wet and formless clung to my stomach like scattered bits of raw flesh.
I couldn’t breathe. Every nerve screamed. Pain piled over pain until thought itself dissolved into white noise. My whole body spasmed as if lightning were coursing through me, needles driving deep and twisting without mercy.
”…ah, a—ah…”
I tried to call out, but no sound came. My throat convulsed with shallow, ragged breaths. Somewhere in the chaos I bit my tongue. Blood spread across my lips, but compared to the agony in my gut, it barely registered.
”Maggot-san… you’re not… here… gu…uhh—ah, guh…”
Crying, I groped blindly along the edge of the bed. My hands moved like they were crawling through mud.
”I’m dying… hurts… it hurts… ahh…”
My fingers trembled so violently I could barely think. I needed the treatment drug—had to use it—but my body wouldn’t obey. It should’ve been close. I’d used it earlier. It had to be here. Through a blur of tears, I spotted the white container beside the desk.
”Come on… where is it… it hurts… where…”
The container slipped from my grip again and again, rattling across the floor. My fingers twitched and failed, useless. Four of them refused to move properly, mocking me with their disobedience.
”…help… please… it hurts… hurry…”
With my thumb, I forced open the lid and poured the treatment over my stomach. I didn’t even manage to lift my shirt—just drenched myself in panic.
”Do it again… redo—gaaahh…”
I used my other hand to pull up my outerwear. Blood pooled beneath it, thick and dark. I poured the rest until the container ran dry, then swallowed what little remained clinging to the bottom.
”Ah… call… I need to call Maggot-san…”
Thank god I’d used the medicine earlier to save Kaede-san. Thank god Maggot-san had found out, had left the extra vial within reach. If she’d stored it away in the cabinet, I’d never have made it. If I’d had to stand, I’d have collapsed before reaching it.
Luck. Pure luck.
The pain dulled a little—not gone, but muted. Maybe the medicine worked, maybe I’d just lost too much blood to feel it. My nerves felt smothered, numb rather than healed.
I fumbled with the terminal and placed an emergency call to Maggot-san, then fell back onto the bed. Sweat drenched my face, my hair plastered to my skin.
”Ha…hah… uhh… it hurts… hurts so much… she… hit me… so hard… gahhh…”
That was the last moment I stayed sane.
I writhed, cursing through the haze, as molten needles burned through my stomach. The pain changed—from something sharp and slicing to something deep and crushing. It didn’t fade, only thickened, pressing down until my skin shone with cold sweat.
”I messed up… might be too late… sorry… everyone…”
My head felt ready to split. Maybe I really would die here.
The blood-soaked bed looked like someone had spilled a bucket of crimson ink.
”I don’t want this… Maggot-san… please hurry…”
The mystical medicine had been used, but my stomach had caved in—and this was a child’s body. I couldn’t even tell how bad it was through all the blood. If her fist had gone clean through, my organs might’ve been caught.
I might not survive this.
A psionic body can’t block direct physical attacks. It doesn’t lessen the blow—it just takes it, flesh and all. Trash-san and I had tested that before.
”…Please! Reply!”
A banging. Someone at the door—metal shuddering under repeated knocks.
How long had that been happening?
Someone had come while I was convulsing in pain. Probably Maggot-san. She must’ve called my name, but I hadn’t heard through the agony.
”Young master! I’m coming in!”
The lock clicked open. Footsteps hurried across the floor.
Ah… that voice, full of panic. She’ll scream when she sees me. Maybe even wail like a mother losing her child.
Still, through the haze, I felt relief. She was here. Whatever happened next, I could leave it to her. She’d do what needed to be done.
So I let go of my fear.
”I’m sorry,” I whispered. “But the dangerous part starts now. I’m going.”
My belly torn open, there was only one thing left to do—negotiate.
If I died, I’d just apologize to everyone in the afterlife.
But time was running out. I prayed that pregnant woman was still alive. As pain flooded back in waves, I forced the neural list to appear in my mind—then blacked out again.
* * *
When I opened my eyes, Kaede-san stood before me, frozen in shock.
My consciousness had returned—to that uncanny valley cave again. The air reeked of mold, blood, smoke, and the sour stench of humans. A battlefield wrapped in darkness.
I glared at her, straight on.
”You really did it, Kaede-san.”
”!?”
She stood there trembling, her bloody fist shaking. She must’ve thought it was an illusion—but the feeling of striking real flesh had been too vivid to deny. Though it felt like hours since I’d been hit, only a minute had passed since my body had taken the blow.
Clenching against the pain, I bore down with every muscle and spoke through my teeth.
”I warned you. You hit me anyway. It hurts like hell—I might actually die. I’ve already contacted the Imperial Guard.”
”This feeling… what is this…?”
Behind me, the beautiful pregnant woman lay collapsed on the floor. The pregnant woman clutched her stomach, wide-eyed and trembling, half-collapsed on the ground. She was alive—barely shaken, but unharmed. My sudden appearance between them had saved her. To her, it must have felt like an invisible wall had sprung up to shield her.
Kiri-san stood nearby, tall and tense, rifle in one hand, studying the scene with suspicion. To anyone watching, what had just happened must’ve looked impossible—Kaede’s blow meeting empty air, and me standing there, blood running down my front.
”Kaede,” Kiri said, her tone sharp. “What’s with that face? Don’t tell me—another illusion whispered to you?”
Kaede’s voice trembled. “No. One target. I struck to kill.”
”What?” Kiri’s eyes narrowed. “Say that again?”
I could barely stand. My stomach was a ruin of blood, but somehow, this version of me could still speak. Even through the agony.
It hurt so much I wanted to die. But if a human truly wants to live, their mouth finds strength where their body cannot.
If I fell now, I’d never rise again.
”Step away from her,” I said, voice breaking. “Now.”
”Your Lordship, I swear—I used only enough strength to kill one person, no more, no less. Then why—what is this!?”
Kaede stared at me, eyes wide to the brink of madness, gaze flicking between my face and the wound at my belly.
As if she were seeing a ghost.
The others around her hesitated, circling back, whispering in unease. Somewhere, a little girl began to cry, the sound too loud in the smoky air.
”I’m done begging,” I said quietly. “Let these people go. Otherwise, I’ll tell the whole town you and I slept together.”
Her face went pale. “W–why would you—”
”No reason,” I said. “I’m just angry.”
I looked her dead in the eye, letting intent drip from every word.
Only now did she begin to believe I wasn’t a phantom.
Logic had failed her, but something deeper stirred—a primal reaction between a man and a woman, the way emotions twist when faced with each other. My presence, my tone—it was too real to ignore.
For a dying man’s fury can feel as powerful as a curse.
I shut out everyone else. Only she and I existed in that cavern.
Finally, she met my gaze head-on.
”Please, stop,” she whispered. “If you say that—if you do that—what will become of you?”
”I might die anyway,” I said. “But if I do, your family estate—none of you will escape the Imperial Guard’s wrath. I’m sorry, Kaede-san, but you won’t be the only one they come for.”
If I died, Sow-san and the others would carry the grudge to their graves. They’d take years, decades if needed, but vengeance would come.
Kiri cut in sharply, stepping between us. “Kaede, what the hell are you doing? Playing around? Have you lost it?”
”You saw it,” Kaede said, voice shaking. “I struck to kill—and yet, my hand—”
Kiri frowned. “Strange movement, that’s all. The woman’s with child. Probably some mystical trinket protecting her.”
I could hear irritation in Kiri’s tone, but Kaede and I stayed locked on each other.
”Kiri… it’s fine,” Kaede murmured, as if to herself. “Just an illusion. He can’t be here. I’ve lost my mind from relief, that’s all.”
She tried to avert her gaze—but when she did, I held her eyes with mine. And she froze, as if cursed, trembling as her pupils quaked.
”If you really think that,” I said softly, “then hit me again. In the head this time. I’ve already sent a message. The Imperial Guard will find my corpse—my head scattered across the floor—long before you make it back to town.”
It was a lie. I hadn’t sent any message. But everyone knew the Guard would act without hesitation if I were found like that. They’d burn the town to the ground if they had to.
It was a threat, plain and deliberate.
And I meant every word.
Something in her broke. She gasped, eyes wide, trying to confirm the terrible truth.
”Are you truly… real?”
I nodded.
”When I returned from Ichihara,” I said, “I passed through a dungeon. That’s when I awakened this psionic ability. Even my Guard said it’s rare for a man to have one.”
”A power of unseen travel…” she murmured. “When you followed us, I thought—no man could have the strength to—”
”Only with a woman I’ve… shared a body with,” I said. “It was born from the edge of death—and from giving that chance to my own Guard.”
Her hand trembled. “Then… what have I done?”
Kaede looked down at her bloodstained fist. I’d had to expose my own humiliation to make her understand, but there was no room for pride now.
And as she remembered the feeling of that blow—the way it landed—her face drained of all color. She had struck my back. But the blood came from my belly. She understood.
”I… I thought you were an illusion,” she choked. “Please—mercy. I beg your forgiveness! I never meant—never intended—!”
Her cry shattered through the cavern. Her hair fell loose, her face contorted in anguish.
”Your body—ahh… that wound…!”
She knew now. If I died, she would be guilty of the worst possible sin—a woman who killed a man. Her desperate eyes met mine, pleading for denial.
”I don’t know,” I said. “My real body’s in the private room, bleeding out. Maybe I’ll live. Maybe not.”
”No… I couldn’t—such horror—no! It wasn’t me! My hand—my hand moved on its own!”
Her voice broke into a sound that wasn’t quite sobbing, wasn’t quite screaming—something raw, pitiful, and lost. All the calm she once had was gone. Madness and guilt tangled in her voice.
And for some reason, I felt sad. How could someone so terrified of hurting me kill other women like they were nothing?
Kiri stared, startled, as Kaede crumpled to her knees, speaking to empty air. Then she raised her gun, assuming I was some kind of monster.
Red tracer rounds sliced through me one after another, passing harmlessly through my body and scorching the stone behind.
”Stop!!” Kaede screamed.
A shot cracked through the cave.
”Guh—!”
Kaede moved first. She stood, then drove her fist hard into Kiri-san’s stomach.
”W–why—you hit me? You’re… being controlled by… that illusion—” Kiri’s words broke off as she crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
The others stared, stunned. The pregnant sister groaned where she knelt; a child’s sobs echoed through the cave. No one understood what was happening. Kaede had been talking to thin air, then suddenly turned on her own ally. Madness—it could only look that way to them.
But I had no time to care.
Kaede roughly shoved Kiri’s limp body aside, then dropped to her knees before me. Again, prostrating herself. Always like this—always the same posture before me.
”Don’t waste time apologizing,” I told her. “Just let these people go.”
Her back trembled. Even so, she tried to reason with me, voice quivering but resolute.
”This is our mission, my lord. I owe you my life and your mercy, but I cannot abandon my duty. I cannot defy my master’s order halfway through.”
Her words carried the weight of someone who didn’t understand cruelty—someone trying to soothe a frightened child in a slaughterhouse, whispering comfort while the animals screamed.
Kaede tried to explain herself.
”It was they who schemed first. These townsfolk coveted the fertile lands of Kujukuri, and their greed led to this. Our plan is to eliminate their leaders. If we let them escape, their guard will only tighten and the war will drag on. It is cruel, I know. Condemn me if you must.”
”Doesn’t matter,” I said coldly. “Kaede-san, you raped and killed me. My dying wish is to order an attack on Ichimatsu.”
”That—such reasoning is—”
”I’ll die hating you.”
The words came out sharp, final.
I was furious—truly furious.
Not only for being struck, but for the ease with which lives were tossed away under the excuse of precaution, of convenience.
Probably this time too—they’d decided killing was simpler than managing prisoners. Too much trouble to restrain them, too risky to let them live. A quick execution made things cleaner. Cheaper.
That was how townspeople died—by logic.
”Just let them go,” I said. “Question them if you must, but don’t kill them. It’s war, I get it—but murder isn’t the only path.”
”But—”
”People of this era kill too easily,” I said through my teeth. “I’m done forgiving it.”
Women executed for the smallest slights—crossing before a noble’s procession, speaking out of turn, existing without permission.
I’d had enough.
I couldn’t adapt to this world’s logic. Life was too cheap here, and I was done pretending it wasn’t.
Kaede finally broke. Her shoulders sagged. “Ah… thank goodness. We made it in time.”
My vision dimmed; the pain in my stomach was reaching its peak. I urged her to move quickly, before I blacked out.
Kaede turned to the frightened women huddled near the wall. “Listen. Let’s make a deal. I have a healing relic from Kujukuri. I’ll help the wounded—if you tell us what’s happening in town. After that, we’ll leave and never harm you again. Do we have a deal?”
Her tone was awkward, almost pleading. She’d already killed one of them—broken a child’s bones and thrown her aside—yet now she wanted to bargain. She didn’t understand hearts, not really.
Suspicion and anger rippled through the townsfolk. They hesitated, voices overlapping.
”Please, heal the child first!”
”Liar! You’ll kill us after!”
”I don’t care! Save her—she’s not breathing!”
”A murderer talking about mercy? You expect us to believe you!?”
Kaede raised her arm high, slamming it down—
Crack! Crkkk!
The wall splintered under her fist, jagged fissures crawling through solid stone.
Several adults paled and began whispering frantically. An ally who suddenly turned violent, a woman who could shatter rock—it was madness to provoke her.
In the end, they realized they had no choice. Refuse and die, or trust and gamble on survival. Even when hope thins to a thread, humans cling to it. Always.
At last, the women decided. They gathered the younger girls—those not yet grown—and sent them toward the cave’s mouth.
”You’ll really keep your word?” one asked.
”Yes,” Kaede said softly. “As long as you keep yours.”
”Then… we’ll do it.”
Negotiation concluded—the minors would be released first, in exchange for information about the town.
Eight of them slipped out through the cracks in the cliff. The remaining adults stayed behind to be questioned while Kaede tended the wounded.
This was the compromise I’d been hoping for.
The townsfolk embraced, murmuring encouragements and farewells.
”You go first,” one woman told the children.
”What about you?”
”We’ll follow soon. But don’t tell anyone about this, all right? If you do, the Imperial Guard will come, and none of us will be spared.”
”All right… but we’ll see each other again soon, right?”
”Yes,” she smiled faintly. “I’m sure we will.”
And so the groups parted ways.
No hostages. Only a promise of secrecy. Once the questioning was done, they’d leave the captives bound but alive. Their bindings would loosen with time; someone from town would find them eventually. It was the best outcome we could manage.
If this operation failed, I told Kaede to adjust the report however she needed. If you’re going to eat poison, you might as well swallow the plate.
If it came to it, I’d die for this choice. I didn’t want to—but I could live with that.
For now, at least, I felt a small measure of peace. Imperfect, but enough.
I watched the townsfolk disappear into the darkness.
”Goodbye,” I whispered. “Be safe.”
The pregnant woman was among those who left first. Her face was young, barely out of girlhood. She didn’t look back—not once—as she vanished into the night. She never even noticed me. That was fine. I was content.
”Aaah,” came a voice from behind. “Was that really wise, Kaede-chan? They’ll betray us the moment they reach the town.”
The one speaking was Natsume—small, lively, her silhouette sharp against the dim rocklight—as she gently laid the unconscious Kiri against a boulder. Her gaze, cold and clear, followed the fleeing children into the dark.
”You really think those town brats will keep a promise?” Natsume muttered.
”…Probably not,” Kaede admitted softly.
”But still,” Natsume smiled faintly. “I’m glad. At least you and the others won’t have to kill anyone else.”
Kaede didn’t answer.
My head was spinning. “Damn… my consciousness…”
It was all fading, slipping like sand through my fingers.
Still, for me, lasting this long was impressive. Barely five minutes had passed, but things had somehow turned toward the outcome I’d hoped for.
”Maybe Maggot-san’s panicking right now,” I murmured, “trying to patch me up…”
Relief washed over me, and my body gave in. I collapsed onto the cold ground. The pain dulled at last—a mercy I hadn’t expected.
Through the haze, I looked up at Kaede’s trembling face.
By interfering, I’d wrecked their infiltration plan.
Maybe what I’d done would only prolong the war—cost more lives.
The thought twisted like a knife.
She stared back at me, horror and grief tangled across her face.
”Thank you,” I whispered. “For listening. Take care of the others, okay?”
”If I’ve truly killed you, my lord—then I… I—ahh…”
”It’s fine,” I lied. “I’ll be fine.”
She made a small, broken sound.
I reached out, brushing my fingers against her trembling hand.
After all, this was my doing—I’d attached myself to another Imperial Guard, stolen her information, meddled in her mission. This was the price.
But I wasn’t fine. My vision was gone. Darknes pressed in.
”When you return to town,” I said with a weak smile, “let’s meet again.”
And then everything slipped away.
Maybe what I’d done was wrong. But I couldn’t have done otherwise.
* * *
When I woke again, a week had passed.
As expected, I was a wreck.
Kaede’s blow had shattered my eighth to tenth ribs and ruptured my spleen—a strike meant to kill, without hesitation. My intestines had partially spilled out. A wound so severe that, if reported on the news, it’d be hidden behind euphemisms like “severe abdominal trauma.” By now, the Master’s chamber had probably drafted my obituary.
Without the mystical medical treatment, I would’ve died within hours. But by some miracle, I’d survived.
They said when I first woke, I didn’t speak—just stared blankly at whoever was tending me, lips moving soundlessly before slipping back into fevered sleep. It happened again and again, drifting in and out of delirium.
The Imperial Guards nearly lost their minds with worry. They balanced the chaos of war with sleepless vigils at my bedside, refusing to rest until I pulled through. Honestly, I was grateful I hadn’t been fully conscious then. I couldn’t have faced them—especially not their exhaustion and guilt.
When Maggot-san received my emergency call and no reply, she’d forced her way into my room. She found me there—half-dead in a pool of blood. What saved me was Trash-san’s gift: that absurdly expensive medical solution—and the wartime medical protocols meant for treating male casualties. Without both, I’d be gone.
In truth, it was nothing but luck.
* * *
I sighed.
How many times had they been asked the same questions today?
”Are you hungry, my lord?”
”No, not really. My stomach doesn’t feel empty.”
”The doctor says you could start eating soft food soon…”
”Don’t worry about it. You’ve been here the whole time, Maggot-san. Take a break.”
In the hospital room, Maggot-san stayed close, attending to every detail—quiet, steady, never leaving. Concern incarnate. Magnified tenfold.
Plenty of people wanted to see me—the Imperial Guards, the townsfolk I’d once helped—but I’d turned them away. I couldn’t bear it. I think one or two Guards had visited while I was feverish, but I barely remembered.
The war still raged. The wounded filled every corridor. Those still standing had no choice but to keep working, hauling supplies, fighting, enduring.
”Is it your stomach?” Maggot asked suddenly.
”No, no, just… not hungry. That’s all. Ow—”
”I’ll fetch the doctor.”
”It’s fine. Just hurts when I talk.”
”I’ll fetch the doctor.”
”…Alright.”
I gave up resisting. She was impossible to argue with.
For an entire day, she hardly left my side. As an attendant, she’d been excused from active duty—but I didn’t know when she’d last slept. I didn’t regret what I’d done, but seeing her face made guilt stir all the same.
Later, she returned with the doctor. No new complications, just exhaustion. When he left, the room fell quiet again.
Drowsiness crept in.
”Can you hear me?” came her soft voice. “Are you awake?”
Between dream and waking, I opened my eyes. Her sleepless face hovered close.
”Maggot-san,” I murmured. “Just a little tired. Don’t bully the doctors too much, okay? They’ve got a lot of people to care for.”
”Yes, my lord. When you fell asleep, I feared you’d never wake again. I’m sorry for disturbing you.”
”It’s alright. You startled me first.”
”Yes.”
She stayed there beside me, as always. I wasn’t sure if she ever slept. Maybe she didn’t need to.
”Mm… my back itches.”
”Allow me.”
She helped me undress, her movements precise and gentle. She fed me, wiped me down, even helped with the things I couldn’t do myself. I felt like some helpless old man.
If anyone saw this, they’d think an Imperial Guard had taken over a caretaker’s job. In this world, a grown woman tending to a boy’s body so intimately would look indecent—but that didn’t matter anymore.
Other Guards would probably faint if they walked in.
”What should I tell everyone?” I asked quietly.
”This is not the time to think about that,” she said. “Please rest.”
”I can’t hide my psionic ability forever. And I’ve done dangerous things behind everyone’s backs. I’ll tell them—well, what I can, at least. I can’t mention the contract, but… my desires, my mistakes—”
”It’s fine,” she interrupted softly. “You need to heal.”
She laid me gently back against the sheets.
Maggot-san remained beside me, calm and unwavering, as I drifted into sleep once more.
Notes:
• Kaede – A female psionic explorer known as Necksplitter, is a veteran assassin and messenger of Lord Ichimatsu. Her appearance is both young and old, with gray hair streaked through black and vibrant, unlined skin. She is graceful yet carries the fatigue of a long life in war, resembling an old hunting dog. Her psionic ability is mysterious and potentially dangerous.
• Kiri – A female sniper and member of Kaede-san’s team, white-haired with sleepy eyes, wielding a disguised sniper rifle, known for her quick hands and slow speech, often joking in dire situations.
• Ichimatsu – A high-ranking figure associated with the Imperial Guard, mentioned as having spineless guards around him, with no further details provided.
• Natsume – A female companion and younger sister of Kaede-san, cared for by Kaede-san during their journey through the dangerous valley, at risk of infection from the parasitic creatures.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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