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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Not Just the Hands
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It's not just the hands.
All the wounds on his body had healed.
"...How in the world!?"
Normal potions could regenerate flesh and bone, but they couldn't fix misaligned bones.
Even trolls, one of the key ingredients in potions, couldn't do that.
On top of that, his entire body felt light. It was refreshing, like he'd gotten a full night's sleep.
"Such a miracle...!"
As Hans stared in shock, Shaman shouted from the side.
"Y-Yes! This is... the blood of a constellation!"
Shaman yelled excitedly, and Hans, standing beside him, looked at the potion with wide eyes.
"The blood of a... constellation?"
"Incredible! Truly incredible! This is leagues beyond the pathetic potions made from troll blood by lowly humans! This is... truly... amazing! Such absolute efficacy!"
Shaman snatched the potion from Hans's grip in his excitement.
He didn't even realize that his cautious demeanor around Loki had turned into frantic enthusiasm at some point.
"The legends were true after all! The blood of the constellation passed down through the Nod Tribe is said to possess the mystical power to heal any being! B-But to completely cure even old scars without a trace... What a magnificent potion this is...!"
At Shaman's excitement, Loki tilted his head as he glanced at the potion he'd given Hans.
'...No, it's not. That's just a recovery potion. I made it with the crafting skill, using troll blood and slime mucus as the main ingredients... Is it really that effective?'
Loki looked at the recovery potion in Shaman's hand.
'It definitely said it restores vitality, right?'
In the game, severed limbs would regenerate if you drank or applied the potion. His potion seemed to work exactly like the game's mechanics.
'So, as long as you're not dead, this potion can heal pretty much any human?'
In other words, it was a panacea.
'But it might not work on curses or diseases...'
Loki tilted his head again and reached into empty air, pulling out other potions.
One was a green potion, the [Antidote], which had the ability to "neutralize all debuffs." The other was a blue one, the [Mana Potion], which "restores MP."
"...What about these?"
Loki shook the potions he held before putting them back into his inventory.
'There'll be a day to test them eventually.'
He knew their effects, but without testing them directly, he couldn't be sure of the exact results.
Loki wanted to experiment as soon as possible, but he held back the urge.
For now, figuring out the power of the recovery potion was the top priority.
To accurately check Hans's condition, Loki asked,
"How's your body feeling?"
"Pardon? Oh, uh... It's... quite refreshing. Light... No pain anywhere, all healed... Even the chronic aches I've had for years are gone. It's like I have a brand-new body..."
Hans examined his own body.
"I feel like a different person—my body's so light!"
"..."
'Even I can see that.'
Hans's pale skin now glowed rosy and fair.
His dull eyes sparkled with clarity.
He looked like a completely different person—you couldn't even imagine his former appearance.
'...He looks at least ten years younger. It's a recovery potion, but it seems even better for skin care?'
Loki was newly impressed by the recovery potion's power.
"Ha, haha! How can I ever repay this grace...!"
As Hans spoke, he flinched inwardly.
'Demons usually... take souls, don't they...?'
According to scripture, demons tempted humans into corruption and claimed their souls.
A strong suspicion arose about what this miracle's price might be.
"Then..."
As Loki opened his mouth, Hans tensed up.
"I want to look around the area. Guide me."
"...Pardon?"
Hans stared at Loki with a dumbfounded expression.
"You know plenty about the Nod Tribe or whatever they are, right?"
"W-Well, yes..."
"Then guide me and answer my questions as best you can."
Hans couldn't help but shrink back.
He'd only been Histon's slave on the frozen tundra for about three years.
He had some knowledge of the Nod Tribe, but not much about the unique cultures of each of their clans.
"Answer what you know, and if you don't know, just say so honestly. But I won't forgive lies."
"U-Understood."
Hans nodded.
"Um..."
Shaman stepped forward with a troubled expression.
"If you're just patrolling the village, wouldn't it be too conspicuous?"
"Conspicuous? Hmm... You think so?"
Loki looked down at his body.
Jet-black armor and a helmet made of goat bones.
It was the look of a demon straight out of myth.
"...You're right. They all know what I look like."
Loki recalled how the Ragna tribesfolk had feared him.
"Then let's do this."
Loki clapped his hands.
The armor enveloping him melted away and was sucked into the air.
And in its place stood not a "demon," but a single "human."
Age mid-to-late twenties, with pale skin and red eyes like deep wine.
His hair was a mix of black and white.
Shaman and Hans's eyes went wide at the sight, but only for a moment.
Suddenly, Loki's body was wrapped in black energy, feathers swirling around him.
Shaman dazedly snatched a feather floating before his face.
'A raven feather?'
When Shaman looked back at Loki, he was wearing leather clothes adorned with black feathers and a raven mask that covered everything but his mouth.
"Is this still strange?"
"..."
By the time Shaman looked, the black feather in his hand had vanished into smoke.
'It was made of magic. Could it be... every single feather on those clothes is infused with mana?'
Shaman observed Loki's outfit in admiration.
Hans was just as entranced by the mystical sight.
In response to Loki's question, Shaman bowed his head.
"Of course not."
Nod Tribe hunters and mercenaries often wore beast masks.
Raven masks were rare, but not unusual.
The issue was that no ravens were that big.
Satisfied with Shaman's answer, Loki nodded with a smile.
"Good. Then, Hans."
"...Yes? Oh! Yes!"
Hans bowed his head to Loki.
"I'll leave the guiding to you."
"U-Understood."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
When Loki had first arrived at the Ragna Tribe, what he'd seen was a village in utter ruins.
"What a mess."
The population had grown, but without proper preparation, reconstruction looked extremely difficult.
Especially with the sudden merger of tribes with different cultures, friction was inevitable.
"You bastards! What are you doing? Move it!"
A Ragna tribesman pointed aggressively at some Partas tribesfolk.
But the Partas tribesfolk couldn't even protest.
Instead, they grumbled secretly, and whenever the Ragna glanced their way, they averted their eyes.
"...Why is that?"
"Because... they're slaves."
"Slaves?"
"It's natural for conquered tribes to be subjugated."
"Natural?"
As Loki tilted his head, Hans gave a wry smile.
"...Well, for the Nod Tribe, at least. In the southern Britannia continent, defeated foes on the battlefield are treated as prisoners with some dignity, rather than slaves."
"Even as slaves... there are overwhelmingly more of them. Why do they obey like that? They don't even gather to complain? No thoughts of rebellion?"
"..."
Hans shot Loki a look that said, "Are you seriously asking because you don't know?" But oblivious to it, Loki asked again.
"I asked what."
Hans stammered in panic.
"Ah! Well... Th-That... Um, Lord Demon... I mean, Lord Constellation!"
"Call me Loki."
"L-Lord Loki conquered them, didn't you?"
"...It wasn't conquest—they came charging in on their own and got beaten."
It was true, so Hans fell silent for a moment before opening his mouth to explain.
"Anyway, since you're backing the Ragna Tribe, the Partas Tribe has no choice but to submit..."
"Backing who?"
"Pardon?"
"Who said I'm backing whom?"
"...Lord Loki is backing the Ragna Tribe."
Loki's mouth fell open slightly in ignorance before closing again.
"So they interpreted it their way and set up a hierarchy? That I'm favoring the Ragna Tribe, making them superior?"
"...Isn't that right?"
Hans had thought the same deep down.
The Ragna Tribe, backed by Loki, would be the upper class, with the Partas Tribe below them.
Even if the Partas rebelled, Loki would crush them, so obedience was their only option.
"Ridiculous. Interpreting it on their own."
At that moment, a man shouted at them.
"Hey! What are you lot doing?"
Loki turned his gaze.
A Ragna tribesman was swaggering toward them.
He glared back and forth between Loki and Hans.
"New faces... Weird getup! Anyway, newbies must be Partas Tribe, huh? Ha! While everyone's busting their asses, you're slacking? Get to work fixing my house!"
"..."
Loki stayed silent, and Hans beside him broke into a cold sweat.
The man, seeing Loki standing blankly, felt ignored and veins bulged on his forehead.
He jabbed a finger at the beak of Loki's raven mask.
"Hey! Didn't you hear me? You idiot in the stupid mask! You guys attacked our village! My house got smashed because of it! So... Gahk!"
Suddenly, the man couldn't finish, his mouth twisting.
Loki had grabbed his jaw.
Loki tilted his head slightly, picked his ear with his other hand, and said,
"Huh? What'd you just say? Sorry, lately most human chatter sounds like mosquito buzzing to me. Say it again. You dumb bug!"
"Mmph!"
The man flailed. He kicked at Loki and threw punches to escape, but the hand clamping his mouth didn't budge.
Loki slowly lifted him by the grip, the man's feet dangling in the air.
Loki nodded as if understanding the muffled sounds.
"Ah! Got it. Your house got smashed? What next? Sorry, my hearing's bad. Say it again."
"Mmph...!"
At the man's groan, Loki smiled satisfactorily.
"Ah! Right, you want me to smash your mouth? Then... I'll smash it."
Crunch-!
As Loki gradually tightened his grip, the man's jaw compressed.
He panicked and struggled against Loki's vise-like hand.
But the more he did, the stronger Loki's grip grew.
The man's face paled, his movements slowing to a twitch.
Just before death, Loki released him.
Thud!
The man collapsed, writhing and wetting himself.
Loki snorted at the sight.
"...Went too far."
As Loki shook his hand,
"What is it! What's going on!"
"F-Foreigner! A foreigner's causing trouble!"
"Could it be a spy from Kudan?!"
Ragna tribesfolk began gathering one by one.
Partas tribesfolk followed, armed.
Having been attacked repeatedly all day, their vigilance was high.
"...Wh-What do we do?"
Hans asked nervously, surrounded.
Unlike the tense Hans, Loki shrugged leisurely.
"What can we do? Everyone..."
"C-Capture them!"
"Might be Kudan's spies! Grab 'em and interrogate!"
The Ragna and Partas tribes charged, and Loki grinned under his mask, teeth showing.
"...needs to learn who's on top."