First Outer World Story Series: The Black Mist that Devours - Chapter 30

Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter

(Kurokiri POV)

“Yo, Ichiko. Thanks for your diligence.”

After uttering this, I welcomed Ichiko and the child who had been transformed into a kin as they returned to “White Mist and Black Swamp Forest” from the outside while I was still in a state of mist.

Ichiko walked over to speak with me, notwithstanding her evident exhaustion.

“How unusual…”

“Hmm? About what?”

“To welcome me like that, saying a few words of appreciation for my efforts.”

“Oh, that’s what you mean. Even I would exert my energy on such an occasion. Anyway, here’s my command, rest for now.”

“…Damn you, Kurokiri…”

With that, Ichiko passed out on the spot. However, before Ichiko’s body made contact with the ground, I partially materialized my body around her and supported her.

“Well, and you are…?”

“…”

My attention fell on the child that Ichiko had brought with her.

Incidentally, since the child was now inside me, I had also verified that this child was a girl and the wounds that she had before transforming into a kin have disappeared.

You there! Don’t you dare say I have messed with every inch of a little girl’s body or something! I mean, the nature of my body allows me to touch everything in the mist, the same way I can see and hear everything in the process! This is by no means intentional even if I am consequently in the process of touching and lapping up on a little girl’s entire body! Yes, this is an inexorable act!

And while I was rambling wildly in my mind, the girl approached Ichiko.

Judging by the direction of her eyes, she apparently assumed that my main body was near Ichiko.

“…”

“Mmm. If possible, I would like you to at least share your name with me…”

The girl was wordlessly waving her hand towards where she perceived me to be, attempting to get a touch. 

I am sorry. Since I am mist itself, you can’t touch me.

“Ah, is it possible that you can’t speak?”

“…(Nod deeply).”

The girl gave a nod of affirmation.

Well, it was reasonable that the girl would be traumatized after what she had gone through. In fact, I was genuinely amazed at how she still had the mental fortitude to respond to my questions. Perhaps, as a result of her conversion to a kin, not only her physical body but also her mind had been healed to the point where she can regain the ability of cogitation.

“Anyway, can you write?”

“…(Nod deeply).”

Thus, here were the results of our communication. Since she can’t vocalize, her status can’t be opened unless she had done a fair amount of training and was able to invoke her skill without chanting.

?Her name is Kokoro Izumi.

?The skill she possesses is ?Unbloody?, a constantly activated skill that renders her wounds incapable of bleeding regardless of how severe they may be.

?All of her family members are dead. Her parents were murdered by a man hired by the researcher, and her younger brother, who was kidnapped together with her, perished during the experiment.

When I asked about her future plans, she expressed her desire to repay Ichiko for saving her life, and despite the fact that a kin was not required to sleep, I put her to bed since it was late at night.

“Even so, things have developed in an intriguing way.”

While saying this, my thoughts drifted back to Ryo and Chirito, the boy who I made to become my kin at Ryo’s request, and then to Ichiko and Izumi, the girl who I made to become my kin at Ichiko’s request.

By the way, Chirito was presently under semi-arrest at Ryo’s house, and the situation was being clarified to him.

Now, these two new kin belonged to the same race, despite the reasons for their conversion to a kin were diametrically opposed to those of their predecessors.

Chirito, on the other hand, was turned into a kin for his own safety and to contain the leakage of information after Ryo’s true identity was exposed. That was to say, it was for Ryo’s own sake.

In contrast, Izumi transformed into a kin because Ichiko saw her on the verge of death, and she wished to save her. To put it another way, Ichiko was acting in the best interests of Izumi, a stranger. Well, I won’t rule out the possibility that Ichiko’s personal wish was to avoid witnessing someone dying in front of her.

This distinction was truly fascinating. After all, they were once master and servant, and their inclinations should have been similar, but they were nevertheless divergent in such a manner.

I wondered what would happen if both parties were to inform each other of this development. While Ichiko might understand and accept the situation because of her devotion to Lady Ryo, maybe Ryo would condemn Ichiko’s behavior.

Well, I won’t be the one to break the news to them anyway. These things would be more enticing when they were presented in their natural state without any tweaks.

“But then again, this whole affair has led to some interesting revelations.”

That was the fact that it was possible to recuperate from wounds by ?Monster Create? and that if certain conditions were met, it was even possible to transform a human into a kin without the use of shackles or other restraints.

For the recovery of wounds, the extent to which they were determined to be wounds was not fully clear until more actual cases were revealed, but there was a high likelihood that congenital illnesses, but not acquired illnesses, will be assessed as wounds. If this turned out to be true, humans will seek to become a kin in exchange for the treatment of the disease. In other words, negotiations would be possible.

In a similar vein, the fact that a human being may be converted into a kin without constraint was used meant that a person dying in a dungeon could be transformed into a kin in return for sparing their life. That would signify I had another card in my hand to play.

“The only catch is that this is part of the ?Monster Create?, so if I can do it, it means that other Demon Kings can perform it as well. If I indiscreetly proliferate the number of my subordinates, I will not be able to manage them. Moreover, there is a risk of being found out… no, I wonder if a part of the military and the head of the country have already figured it out.”

At this point, I pondered briefly.

Ichiko’s true identity had been uncovered. Therefore, it was logical to assume that Ryo’s true identity as well as the Demon King who she was serving was also exposed. Then why hadn’t the country contacted Ryo, be it friendly or hostile?

The simple conclusion was that she was being kept in the dark.

Ryo was the daughter of a member of the Diet. In other words, she had some standing in the eyes of the public, even if not legally. In addition, she was ostensibly the only human being with knowledge of the inner workings of the “White Mist and Black Swamp Forest” as well as a valuable person who may be able to extract information about me behind the scenes. Thus, the information in her possession was extremely priceless. Furthermore, she was also an expert healer.

When you think about it… hmm. It might be wise to disclose the information about Kirijin, or rather, the kin, as opposed to concealing it. It may also serve as a deterrent to other Demon Kings.

Then, I’ll let Ryo pass the message on to them. On second thought, I haven’t received any compensation for turning Chirito into a kin yet??

————–

T/N:

Izumi is a major character in the Outer World Story series. She makes a lot of appearances throughout other Outer World Story series as well

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Check out other Outer World Story series in order: Outer World Story: The Black Mist that Devours (First series), Outer World Story: Pumpkin Sorcerer (Third series), Outer World Story: Basilisk of Ice Sculpture (Fourth series)