The wind...
The wind hitting my "skin" was sharp.
It was the same wind as always, but...
It felt like thousands of razor blades as I ran away. It was a totally new sensation.
A different kind of pain, leaving traces of blood wherever I went. Cuts and more cuts were made in my burns every moment, painting my body.
Even my resistance was useless.
Once again, I was beyond human.
Hmm... Should I be proud? Maybe an A-rank would survive what I went through. Maybe... Ah, who cares?
Putting those thoughts aside, I increased my speed.
Or at least I tried to. It was harder than it looks.
My mind was fine, but my body was about to collapse. My organs were failing...
All I wanted now was to go back to that river and throw myself in.
A temporary relief, but a relief nonetheless.
.
.
.
Several minutes later, I finally arrived where I wanted to be, but I didn't jump in right away...
I stared at my reflection for a few seconds.
Just raw flesh...
From the pulsing muscles to the fibers of flesh and fat. Everything is visible or covered in blood and cuts...
But a single glance at the lilies made me ignore it....
I did it.
With that, I jumped into the river.
.
.
.
Several hours passed. The sun disappearing on the horizon.
Even now, I still haven't left the water.
My skin was almost back now. The tissue is growing with the naked eye. Slow, but it was almost there.
It was a really curious and beautiful sight, even though my mana was being permanently consumed every moment.
I was losing what little I had, but at least it was a satisfying sight.
Of course, I couldn't see the process, but it was strangely beautiful to see the skin spreading across different points.
But seeing the marks of my recklessness disappear like that didn't take the mark of her out of my mind.
My organs were a great reminder.
I could feel them slowly returning to their peak...
The notion that my heart almost cooked me scared me. I didn't take that into account at any point.
I would probably go into post-life depression if I died so stupidly after picking the lilies.
Damn. I want to laugh, but I can't. I'm not that crazy yet...
What I did was totally reckless, even if it was worth it.
... I don't remember doing anything like this before.
Normally, I would have just let it go.
So what if the lilies can help me? Why would I want help before?
I think I've changed a little...
That's right. One step at a time.
You can do it, Lucca. We've already taken the first step.
.
.
.
I fully recovered the next day, sleeping on the riverbank after covering the ground with some leaves so as not to dirty my still open wounds.
Of course, that didn't stop the leaves themselves from being absorbed into my skin.
It didn't hurt to remove these green things, but a piece here and there still remained inside my skin. At least it's organic material.
It sucks... Bald, one-eyed, one-handed, alone, and half a leaf now.
What a situation. I hope my hair grows back at least... Or at least my eyebrows.
I still want to get married... Well, at some point, at least, I want to get married.
Not become a hybrid druid monk.
Although that's a very alternative lifestyle. It must have its charm... Or not, I'm already doubtful enough.
I don't want a woman like that. It would just encourage me to do questionable things...
Maybe I should just throw myself into whoring?
Ah, whatever, I'm already losing myself too much here.
Ignoring my intrusive thoughts, I sat down after picking up the lilies.
So... How do I do this? That son of a bitch Tsujima didn't say how he used it.
Damn it. I'm cursing the guy for no reason, but fuck it, he deserves it.
He said everything except the most important thing.
It turns out I'm going to have to ask this bitch for help...
"Ms. Mal Sádico, I know I've been ignoring you for a while now, but how about we put that aside? You saw... You laughed... I was busy."
That's right. Let's be polite. Politeness solves everything.
[Eat it or turn it into powder and rub it all over your body.]
Hey, she answered. Being polite is the answer...
Wait...
"That? Just like that, easy? I know I was polite and everything, but you're just going to answer nicely?"
[Sure. Why not?]
"I see..."
Something's wrong here, bro. It's a trap, Bino.
All of this was very suspicious. Sure, I may have misjudged her until now.
But did I really misjudge her? I'm an idiot if I did.
Fool me, I like it.
Shit... I took a look at the lilies before closing my eyes. Now I was afraid to consume this thing.
Of course, it wasn't the physical pain that worried me. That was the least of my concerns with everything I'd been through so far, but what if that wasn't all? That crazy guy was Rank B when he consumed that lily, that is, if it's the same type of lily or similar.
I doubt he was born because of the mana of a dead constellation. So what would it do to an ant like me?
I don't know, but when the handout is too big, even a saint is suspicious...
But I'm no saint, am I?
All that was left for me now was to find out for myself.
I don't know if it will start to lose its effect at some point or if I'll be robbed, so that's it...
Opening my mouth, I swallowed the lilies. All at once, after making a crushed acorn.