I paced anxiously in circles around the room. I looked as ridiculous as a dog chasing its tail, but I was so nervous I couldn’t help myself.
“No, I… I didn’t do it…”
In a way, it was natural that Belly was going through this ordeal. Characters needed hardship. Hardship made them attractive and rewarded them with power. Whether Belly was a villain or a hero, this was a necessary process.
But it was troubling that he thought *I* was the one who had inflicted this trial upon him.
“Ugh…”
Like before, I clutched my head and slumped down. The sunset sky outside the window was as red as blood. It looked like my bleak future, and I grew rapidly depressed.
Trials are an essential gateway for characters. Whether they come from external or internal factors. And those various trials usually involve villain characters who impose them. Those characters might be the final mastermind, or they might be meaningless small-fry villains.
And apparently… I was destined to become that small-fry villain. Even though I didn’t actually do it!
This was the worst of the worst. Small-fry villains who impose trials provide catharsis to readers by being punished by the character they’ve tormented once they’ve grown stronger.
“I don’t want to become a sacrifice for reader satisfaction…”
With my eyes still shaking uncontrollably, I continued reading the novel. But the moment I turned to the next page, unexpected text filled my vision.
[Next update will be at 6 PM tomorrow.]
“It was a serialized work?!”
Overcome with rising irritation and anger, I threw my e-reader without thinking. My frustration exploded at not being able to confirm something my life depended on right now.
“No, calm down. It’s not completely certain that I’m doomed yet.”
Even now, I could change all of this. I steadied my mind and seriously reread the novel I had read earlier.
If I didn’t want to be sacrificed later as just a tool for the story’s progression, I had no choice but to save Belly. I hadn’t planned to get this deeply involved… Life really was unpredictable.
[“…Traitor.”]
“I didn’t do it…”
I unconsciously rubbed the lonely-looking text and formulated a plan in my head. Since it’s come to this, I’ll prepare thoroughly and rescue him!
* * *
Due to various preparations, it was only several days later that I could go rescue Belly. If I had been rich, I could have just gone on auction day and bought him by bidding 120 million! But sadly, I was poor. If I was going to possess someone’s body, it would have been nice to possess a rich young master’s. I wanted to try throwing money around too.
Anyway, the auction location was in the basement of a casino. If this world had even remotely proper child labor laws, infiltration would have been difficult. But since I, at 10 years old, was working at a tavern, it wasn’t strange for a child to be at a casino. Should I consider this fortunate?
For several days, I pretended to be someone who worked at the casino and observed the situation. I needed preliminary investigation before recklessly entering the underground auction house. Because I had a terrible sense of direction. I had obtained an interior map, but I still needed to walk around myself and learn it with my body.
My ordinary appearance and ability to blend in anywhere were a great help this time. Since I didn’t leave a deep impression in people’s minds, everyone naturally perceived me as Employee #1 whom they couldn’t remember.
Moreover, pretending to be a janitor had a big impact. People don’t pay attention to janitors unless there’s something unusual. In many ways, it was a very extra-like approach.
Contrary to my worries, entering the auction house wasn’t that difficult. Perhaps because I had worked there for quite a while, all the guards monitoring for thieves were lax. They didn’t even suspect the pass I had stolen and forged to look similar.
It was so much easier than I thought that I became worried instead. Anyway, thanks to that, I wandered around the auction house and figured out the layout. For someone with a serious sense of direction like me, it was the most difficult task, but thinking my life depended on it, I quickly became able to move around as if it were my own front yard. Indeed, mindset is important for people.
Several days like that, I finally found the room where the precious auction items were stored. I went straight into that room. The sooner I rescued Belly, the better for my well-being.
The room was full of all sorts of rare things. Old antiques, expensive jewels, sparkling accessories, magical beasts with six eyes—treasures I could never possess in my lifetime. Even if I sold my body’s organs, I probably couldn’t buy even one of those things.
At a glance it looked disorderly, but looking more closely, they were organized according to their own rules. Since Belly was a living thing, he would be stored where things like magical beasts were kept.
“Belly…!”
As I expected, Belly was crouched in a small iron cage among the many magical beasts. Wearing cold shackles that gleamed ink-black, his appearance was a haphazard mix of human features and animal characteristics.
The novel’s description had said his fever had already gone down, but with black scales covering most of his body, he looked more unstable than when he was in my room. But was it because he had shed his skin? It might be my imagination, but he seemed to have gotten bigger than I remembered.
“…”
At my desperate voice, Belly’s eyelids slowly lifted. His eyes, filled entirely with pupils with no visible whites, resembled a snake’s.
“…You?”
Belly was looking at me as if he couldn’t believe it. As if seeing a ghost.
To rescue him, to infiltrate the auction house, I had put in considerable effort. Throughout this whole process, my nerves had been stretched taut, so I’d been quite stressed. But now I was glad it seemed to be coming to an end.
However, unlike me who was happy to see him, Belly’s face was cold. He even tiredly closed both eyes tight.
“Belly?”
Confused by his reaction, I approached the iron cage. But Belly conspicuously turned his body away, curling up so I couldn’t see his face. All I could see was his cold back. He seemed thoroughly upset.
“…What did you come here for.”
Belly seemed to firmly believe I had sold him to the auction house. My frustration surged up again, making my chest feel stuffy. But getting angry here would only make Belly resent me more. I barely held back and spoke without showing it.
“Of course I came to rescue you.”
“…You?”
He clearly didn’t believe my words. He snorted and mocked me. It was utterly unfair. No, I didn’t even know such an auction house existed in the first place! If I had known, I wouldn’t even feel wronged.
In the end, I almost shouted.
“I never once thought about selling you or harming you. This is also my first time at the auction house, coming to rescue you!”
Desperation clung heavily to the end of my words. To the point of feeling pathetic. You’d think he’d believe me a little, but there wasn’t a trace of such indication from Belly.
“Liar.”
His small back remained stubbornly still. The more Belly acted this way, the more my own future seemed to grow uncertain.
Not knowing how things would turn out, I couldn’t just meekly accept this and leave. I desperately began trying to persuade Belly. My chosen method was to appeal to his emotions.
“It’s true. Do you know how hard it was for me to get in here? I almost broke my arm.”
I deliberately exaggerated the story to gain his sympathy. Just as white lies exist, I think this level is acceptable. Besides, it wasn’t entirely a lie either. If I had been caught by the guards, breaking an arm or leg would have been easy. No, breaking something would have been fortunate.
“…”
“Belly, can’t you trust hyung? I was so shocked too. At first I was hurt thinking you’d left without saying anything.”
“…”
“I even brought food to give to our Belly. When we go back, I’ll buy you some again.”
I chattered away, expressing all the intimacy I could muster. I’d scraped together nearly everything I had. But even though I talked until my mouth went dry, Belly’s eyes never once looked at me. It felt like talking to a wall.
“…Belly, are you really not going to come with me?”
I couldn’t delay any longer. A guard would soon come patrol this area. But even at my words, Belly didn’t move at all.
There were still several days left until Belly would be put up for auction. That meant there was still time before he’d be sold off. Thinking that way, I felt a bit more at ease.
I gave up my lingering attachment and stood up. Was it my imagination? Belly’s body, which hadn’t reacted no matter how I persuaded him, seemed to flinch.
“Belly, I’ll come again tomorrow. Tomorrow, please come with me.”
I dusted myself off and stood, crossing the wide room. Just before completely leaving the room, I thought I felt a fragile gaze clinging to me, but it must be my imagination, wishing for Belly’s attention.
If I delayed even a little, my life would be in danger too, so I avoided people’s eyes and went outside. I could only hope that tomorrow Belly would follow me.
