Otherworld Constellation Gallery Chapter 13

Otherworld Constellation Gallery

Chapter 13

“Why is a grown adult so afraid?” 

“…”

“It’s anesthetic, anesthetic.”

The kid calmly replied and administered the anesthetic.

“But it’s thicker than I expected so it’s not going in easily. Is it because of the muscles? You must work out a lot, mister.”

Upon hearing that, only one thought came to mind.

‘It’s probably because my physical durability has evolved…’

What if needles won’t go in at all later? If that happens, how will I receive treatment then?

‘Well, if I became that tough, I probably wouldn’t need this kind of treatment in the first place.’

While I was thinking about such useless things, the stitching of my anesthetized arm was newly completed. And when I looked down at my arm, I was momentarily speechless.

“…Are you playing around with my arm right now?”

 “Ah, no…”

The kid’s gaze wavered slightly.

“I just thought… since I’m stitching it anyway, it might be nice to make it pretty… I suddenly got inspired…”

“…” 

“…Should I undo it and do it properly?”

This is driving me crazy.

“…Just leave it.”

I swallowed a sigh and examined my arm.

“You’ve stitched it like a work of art.”

…Truly, it was literally a work of art. A tiger flowing along my forearm. It wasn’t just stitching a wound, but detailed embroidery following the suture line. A flowing form as if I had gotten a tattoo.

“For this side, don’t play around.”

I extended my other arm.

“If you really feel the itch, make it an eagle instead of a tiger.” 

“Yes, yes! An eagle!” 

“No, I’m not saying you have to carve it.” 

“Yes…”

The kid answered in a shrinking voice and picked up the syringe again.

SHUNK.

Once again, the needle slowly pierced the flesh.

“…!”

My eyebrow twitched. The anesthetic shot is more painful than I thought. The needle is large so there’s a feeling of flesh being pierced, and when the injection goes in, that area throbs with heat.

The sensation of the penetrating liquid burrowing into the skin. A feeling of heaviness inside the arm. As the drug spread, the muscles stiffened and a dull pressure was felt.

‘But still…’

Compared to being stitched without anesthesia, this is like a fairy. Compared to drinking a potion, this is like a goddess.

I suddenly respect Guan Yu who underwent surgery without anesthesia.

 I wonder if Guan Yu also had the ‘spirit of a constellation.’ Before I knew it, the treatment was finished.

“Except for the stitching of the torn areas, it seems like you don’t need any other treatment given your current condition, mister.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes. But you shouldn’t apply too much force so the flesh can heal well!”

The kid’s fingertip pointed at the sutured area.

“If you overdo it… this might burst.”

 “…”

This is just like modern treatment. All that talk about divine powers and skills, it’s not even funny. 

Still, compared to when I stitch myself, this finished unbelievably quickly. The quality is also much higher.

“If the treatment is done, you should keep those items in your inventory. It would be better for you to have them than me.”

I clapped my hands and continued speaking.

“The method of storage is simple. Just look at the item you want to store and think ‘store in inventory’.” 

“…What?”

The kid looked up at me with a blank face.

“Not ‘what?’ The inventory is like a bag. It has a limited capacity, so you need to carefully choose and put in what you need.”

I continued my explanation to preemptively block the questions that were sure to come.

“And don’t store items separately, it’s better to put them all in a pouch or bag at once.” 

“Why?” 

“Because a bag only takes up one slot. Oh, and storage is only possible when you’re in contact with the item.”

“Ah…” 

“Did you understand?” 

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I tightly closed my eyes. Then I slowly opened them again and exhaled a sigh.

“Watch carefully.”

The kid only fully understood ‘inventory’ after I demonstrated it directly and explained it two or three times.

“Now, you try it.” 

“Store in inventory!”

The kid shouted while looking at the medicine.

“I told you, you don’t need to say it out loud.”

At that moment, the medicine on the kid’s hand disappeared with a whoosh. 

The kid’s eyes widened.

“Wow wow!”

The kid waved both hands in the air.

“The item just disappeared right before my eyes! It’s really amazing!”

Then exclaimed in admiration.

“Mister, you really are a god!” 

“…That was you, not me.” 

“But you gave me that ability!” 

“…I told you, I’m not that constellation.”

The kid didn’t pay attention to my words and just smiled broadly.

“I don’t care! To me, you’re a god!”

Then, placing both tightly clenched hands on the heart, the kid said:

“You saved my life!” 

“…Don’t subtly drop honorifics.” 

“Ban-jon-dae? What’s that?”

The kid tilted her  head.

“I said don’t mix in informal speech.”

I let out a short sigh.

“…Never mind. Do as you please. I’m speaking informally to you without asking your opinion anyway.”

“Yes!”

The corners of the kid’s mouth turned up.

“Did you pack all the items I told you to? If you’ve packed everything, we’ll start moving soon.” 

“Moving?”

The kid’s eyes widened as if surprised.

“Why, did you want to stay here? Then you stay here. I’m going to find food.”

The kid hurriedly panicked with a very surprised face.

“Ah, I’ll go too!”

Then, bringing tightly clenched fists in front of the chest, the kid looked at me with a resolute gaze.

“I… since you saved my life, I want to use my new life for you!”

It was a naive face and gesture unlike a high school student. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s 1999 or if this kid is just like that.

“…”

I closed my mouth for a moment, then laughed softly and said:

“You shouldn’t make such promises carelessly.” 

“Why?” 

“Because it hurts more when you’re betrayed by someone you trust.”

The kid muttered with a pointed face.

“That’s not true. It hurts the same when you’re hit.”

I let out a light snort.

“True. But it leaves a wound in your heart.” 

“…?”

The kid, perhaps because of only living in a hospital, had a face that didn’t understand this phrase. 

I was about to move on when……

“Mister, wait a moment!”

The kid urgently called out to stop me.

“What now.” 

“Sponsorship? My constellation sponsored 5,000 gold.” 

“…What?”

My eyes widened slightly for a moment. 5,000 gold? I glanced at the kid.

‘So the sponsorship unit changes when you make a contract.’

It would be natural. It means they don’t spare investment in the incarnation they’ve chosen to raise.

‘More than that… should I explain about this thing called gold? Like how to use it, where to use it, and everything?’

I crossed my arms and fell into thought. Even though I decided to make this kid my companion, isn’t it too early? In order to quickly develop their incarnation, placing them by my side, revealing all information too quickly is not a good strategy.

‘If they think they’ve gotten everything they need from me, who knows how they might change?!.’

I might try to trust this kid at the very least, but these constellation fellows are not trustworthy beings. I gazed steadily at the kid.

“Just because I saved your life doesn’t mean I’ve earned the right to arbitrarily interfere with your future decisions.” 

“…All of a sudden?”

The kid’s eyes widened. I shrugged my shoulders.

“I’m saying that even if you choose to kill me someday, that’s your choice.” 

“…What?” 

“Of course, being human, I’ll resent you as I die.”

I continued speaking calmly.

“So, if such a moment comes… at least send me off with one shot, painlessly.” 

“…What on earth are you talking about?”

The kid had a face that couldn’t understand what I meant. Looking at such a kid, I smiled slightly.

“As repayment for saving your life, you can do at least that much, right?”

That doesn’t mean I want to die.

‘To be precise… I’m saying this because I don’t want to die.’

I’m just trying to plant a small seed that will sprout in the kid’s heart as guilt when such a moment comes.

“…”

The kid pressed the lips tightly as if chewing on my words. Then soon muttered in a small voice.

“Why would I kill you?” 

“Don’t make such declarations.”

I cut in with a low voice.

“Nothing in this world is certain.”

The kid flinched.

“What I said earlier. It means that it hurts more when someone makes a declaration like you just did and then betrays you.”

For a moment, as if at a loss for words, the kid bit the lip tightly. And then… the kid’s expression gradually reddened.

“I don’t like that!”

The kid, with round eyes, shouted while shaking tightly clenched fists.

“I swear it! That I will never harm you!” 

“…” 

“I have no intention of betraying you either!”

The kid’s eyes turned slightly red as if upset, but still spoke through gritted teeth.

“So… stop saying strange things!”

I silently looked at the kid. And then smiled slightly.

“Is that so?” 

“Yes!”

The kid was looking straight at me with firmly clenched fists.

“If you’re so adamant, I’ll raise you. To be precise, it’ll be beneficial to us both.”

The kid’s face brightened once again. It was so bright that I felt sorry for upsetting them.

“Now we’ll have to survive by hunting monsters too, can you do that?”

Instead of answering, the kid nodded vigorously once.

“I told you. This life was given to me by you.”

At that moment, two large sponsorships alerts came in.