7. Gaining Experience
“『Blood Needle』”
“Kyu—”
She thrusts her sword into the ground and skewers all the 《Kushnas》 around her at once.
How long has it been since the battle began?
At first, it took a lot of concentration to perform the technique, but before she knew it, she was able to do it almost unconsciously.
Lexia, who had been fighting in the dark, was able to defeat Kushna without fear.
On the contrary, she was getting used to it, so much so that she found it frightening.
“Phew…”
Finally, there is no sign of monsters around her, and Lexia sits down to catch her breath.
Lochness, who had taken the form of a sword, also returned to the form of a young girl. ――not sure if it’s correct to say that she returned. Which one is her true form?
“You seem to be getting used to it, Lexia.”
“Uh, yes. But I’ve never really fought so much on my own before…”
“Are you tired?”
“A little. But I’m not as tired…… as I thought I would be. Is this also thanks to Lochness?”
“The power of Lexia”
“My power… Oh, I don’t have that kind of power. I’m only able to fight now, because of you…”
“Well then, it’s the power of the two of us.”
Lochness says this, and then collapses into a heap next to Lexia. With her cat ears and tail, she really did look like a cat.
“Lu, Lochness?”
“Lexia, there are no more monsters nearby. Let’s get some rest.”
“That’s, um… Yeah, I guess so. I don’t even know if it’s morning or night now… Speaking of which, Lochness, aren’t you hungry?”
“I’m fine. Is Lexia still hungry?”
“Uhm, it’s not that――tte, still?”
Lochness again, uttered something else that caught her attention, so she asked again. She nodded smugly,
“The monsters I kill when I’m a sword, I ‘eat’. I share that with Lexia too, okay?”
“E, eeh…!? The monsters here, you mean I eat them too…!?”
“That’s right. While we’re fighting, we don’t need to eat.”
It seems that unbeknownst to her, they were supposed to have already eaten ――and they were the monsters in the abyss.
Eating miasma-infested monsters should not be possible.
Perhaps this is another power of Lochness ――there may be no end to the surprises. But nonetheless, Lexia couldn’t hide her surprise.
（…… Somehow, I feel like I’m becoming less and less human.)
Even though she was dying, she was able to move, and even though she could not fight, she was killing monsters of the abyss and surviving by feeding on them.
―― In this case, Lexia has already transcended the human realm.
With Lexia now, she might not be a hindrance to the party members.
(But…)
She wants to go back to the party because she’s stronger ――is that really the case?
Even though she was told she wasn’t needed, Lexia was not enough of a ‘capable child’ to say that she still wanted to go back.
(Going back to the surface is my current goal… But what if I do go back? I wonder what I am supposed to do…)
She never thought that far ahead.
She wondered what she would do once she got out of the abyss ――and as she was thinking about it, Lexia noticed Lochness staring at her.
“! What’s wrong?”
“I just wanted to watch Lexia.”
“You wanted to watch me…?”
“It’s been a really long time since I’ve seen anyone. I could watch Lexia all the time and never get tired of it.”
“Lochness…”
There wasn’t much inflection in her words, but they were heavy words for Lexia.
Alone in such a dark place for so long ――even if she could live, Lexia would surely not be able to bear the loneliness.
Now that Lochness is here, Lexia may not be so lonely.
She may be the King of Demons, but she was certainly on Lexia’s side now.
Softly, Lexia pats Lochness on the head.
“Hmm.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you not like it?”
“No, it tickles a little, but it feels good. Do more.”
“Yes, okay.”
Lexia nods and pats Lochness on the head.
Every time she stroked her, her cat-like ears twitched. Her hair is very soft and silky, pleasant to the touch.
Seeing Lochness’ comfortable expression, Lexia felt calmer.
(For now, let’s just think about getting out of here.)
And so, she made up her mind.
Afterword
Light skinship….
Sads Translates 