I Was a Small Fish When I Reincarnated, but It Seems That I Can Become a Dragon, so I Will Do My Best - Extra Chapter 148
5-31: Test Subject
When she awoke, she immediately curled up, hugging her knees while frantically surveying her surroundings.
Her body trembled slightly, as if she were constantly on edge, terrified.
Upon seeing us, her eyes widened in shock as if witnessing something beyond her comprehension. She began to crawl backward, teeth chattering with fear.
Her terror was so intense that it was hard to believe she had been fighting against us not too long ago. This makes approaching her very difficult. What should we do?
As we pondered, Mom crouched down to her eye level. It seemed she recognized that this person was harmless based on her demeanor. Mom relaxed, hiding the two straight swords at her waist with her body, and approached her gently.
“Are you alright?”
“…”
“My name is Karna. You seemed to be under some sort of control, and these two here helped you. Do you remember anything?”
“……not…hurting…no shackles…”
She seemed somewhat reassured by Mom’s gentle voice and began to observe her own body. Rolling up the thick coat sleeve, she saw the marks left by the shackles, but they were no longer there. She rubbed her wrists and ankles, relishing the feeling of freedom she had not experienced for a long time.
Perhaps puzzled by the lack of injuries, she kept tilting her head, searching for wounds that were no longer there thanks to Ouren’s ‘Great Heal’ spell. Ouren took out a small bottle and handed it to her.
“Drink this, ‘Healing Water.’ It will heal your internal injuries.”
“Eek…”
“Hmm, I’m not good at this. Karna, you handle it.”
“If you know you’re not good at it, then don’t come forward in the first place…”
Ouren handed the small bottle of ‘Healing Water’ to Karna and stepped back, taking Amariaz and me with him, away from the woman. It’s best to leave her in the care of another woman given her severe fear. The fewer people around, the less frightened she would be.
After ensuring that we were a bit further away, Mom turned back to the woman and smiled. She had learned through motherhood that this gentle approach often fostered trust and made people more willing to talk.
“Please drink this. It will make you feel better.”
“…Med-…medicine…”
“Don’t worry. This isn’t made from herbs or monster innards. It’s just water imbued with healing properties. There’s nothing strange in it. And it’s surprisingly tasty.”
“A-…alright…”
Hesitantly, she accepted the ‘Healing Water,’ paused briefly, then drank it down. Despite some lingering doubt, she soon noticed the changes in her body, touching herself in amazement and realizing that the pain in her lungs was gone.
“W-wow…! This is…”
“Where have you been all this time?”
At Mom’s question, her expression darkened, and she began to tremble again as if recalling something.
Given her use by angels and her current state of fear, it was clear she had endured terrible experiences. It was apparent she hadn’t been in a state fit for combat.
As we waited for her to speak, she nervously pointed towards the sky.
“…th-the sky…”
“What?”
“I was… taken by angels… to the sky…”
A major clue, and a big mystery. Mom kept her excitement in check and continued in her gentle manner.
“The angels have a base in the sky?”
“Y-yes… And there, I was… used as a test subject…”
“How old are you?”
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me… but I’m 114 years old…”
“Really? You look young.”
Mom wasn’t particularly surprised. It wasn’t unusual for pseudo-skills to exist. The woman looked like she was in her early to mid-twenties, certainly not someone over thirty. Her youthful appearance was startling.
However, her mental age seemed to match her appearance. If she was indeed 114, she would typically display behavior befitting someone much older, but she did not.
“Has your speech pattern changed to match your appearance?”
“N-no… I was captured when I was twenty-five… My newborn taught me to speak like this.”
“…You’re a bit confused. Could you explain in more detail?”
“Uh, well… I was captured at twenty-five. When I woke up again, the child I had borne was eighty-nine, and they explained how much time had passed.”
“I see.”
It seemed she had been put to sleep shortly after being captured for some experiment, then woken up after gaining pseudo-skills that kept her young. She had spent eighty-nine years without aging physically due to these skills, and because she had been asleep, her mental age hadn’t advanced.
“What about your child?”
“They were looks as young as me… But their way of speaking was like an old person’s…”
“Pseudo-skills can be granted to many people, it seems…”
Mom covered her face with one hand, realizing the potential for trouble. But there were still things she needed to know. She quickly composed herself and looked the woman in the eyes.
“This might be hard, but could you tell me about your experiences, as much as you can remember?”