Arc-7 Ch-21

 "Well then, how about anti-aging?"

"Anti-ei-jin-gu?"

"Immortality and eternal youth, if I put it that way it might be easier to understand."

An inorganic yet somehow cheerful voice echoed through the room. To begin with, it was difficult to determine whether describing it as "cheerful" was truly accurate.

Every word uttered by this ruin carried a considerable amount of contempt toward others.

It was the same as the spherical lost item that had formed a cooperative relationship with Leon. Even though their objectives aligned, an unbridgeable gulf certainly existed between us.

Nevertheless, the reason Leon was able to handle the lost item well was nothing other than because he had demonstrated his own strength.

Pretty words spoken by the weak do not resonate with anyone's heart, nor do they earn anyone's ear. No matter the era, it is always only those who possess strong will and power who change the world.

In this place, the only thing I could rely on was my own strength. How far I, who was only slightly quicker-witted than those around me and could wield somewhat powerful fire magic, could resist was difficult to predict.

"Immortality and eternal youth, huh. It is certainly an attractive proposition."

"Isn't it? No matter how superior an individual may be, biological death is unavoidable. For a species, prospering through reproduction and offspring might count as victory, but to mistake that for one's own personal victory is simply a sleight of substitution of conditions."

It was an unpleasant way of putting things.

In short, was it saying that all living beings, including us humans, were merely distracting themselves from the sense of defeat that comes with death by reproducing?

Certainly, there were many aspects that could not be denied. Even the political marriages arranged by royalty and nobility, when examined to their core, served to avoid the extinction of bloodlines by spreading it more widely, while also preventing inbreeding.

Even when cloaked in beautiful rhetoric, the result of biological instincts combined with the cunning wisdom of intelligent life that builds advanced societies was a noble society that valued the face of the clan over the happiness of the individual.

However, the act of passing on blood was not a mere distraction from the fear of death. At the very least, I certainly felt the existence of something called love.

Contrary to appearances, I am unexpectedly a woman rich in love.

I have been embraced by Leon countless times, intoxicated by unparalleled pleasure, and when I nursed the children I bore in my own womb, my body trembled with affection.

My children with Leon exist as the result of love. That was absolutely not an escape from death.

"So that is how you subjugated to the elves?"

"Do not misunderstand. It is true that they and I are in a cooperative relationship, but it is not a master-servant one. To begin with, there is no part of them that attracts me as specimens."

"Indeed, elves are long-lived and many of them possess superior appearances. So as compensation, there is no real appeal for you."

"That is not even the issue. I am not so conceited as to feel attraction toward beings that were deliberately engineered to become that way."

"Engineered beings?"

A terribly ominous word sent a chill piercing through my body. Elves were engineered beings? If so, then by whom, and for what purpose?

Instinct was telling me:

'This is dangerous. You should not step any further.'

Curiosity was telling me:

'The truth buried in the darkness of history. I want to know it before anyone else.'

Two opposing thoughts clashed, sparking in the depths of my eyes. If prioritizing my own safety, there was only one answer I should choose.

I understood. I truly understood.

Yet my feet refused to move at all. Was it because of the blood flowing through me, the instinct of an adventurer who once soared through uncharted skies?

Or perhaps I had been drawn in by the anti-aging and immortality that the ruin had spoken of. No matter how much care one takes, people age. Regardless of high or low status, old age, illness, and death come equally to all.

I myself was already approaching the middle of my thirties. Maintaining my appearance would soon reach its limit.

Since coming to this village, I had felt a sediment accumulating somewhere in my heart as I watched the elves who lived for centuries without showing any sign of aging at all.

I had felt jealousy sprout when Leon was momentarily captivated by Yumeria's appearance. Thus, greed had arisen, the desire that perhaps I might be able to avoid the absolute existence that a human body could not resist.

Adventurers who lost their lives driven by greed. A woman consumed by obsession in pursuit of eternal beauty.

In the end, I was probably just another foolish, greedy human like them. Faced with a treasure that had suddenly appeared before me, there was no way I could maintain my sanity.

Even so, the only reason I had barely managed to hold myself back from offering my body to desire was thanks to the existence of my family.

I did not want to do anything that would make it impossible to face Leon and the children.

In this world, there existed humiliations worse than death. For me, being despised by the ones I loved was more unbearable than anything.

By deliberately playing the part of a foolish woman, I would draw the ruin's interest and buy even a little time for Lionel and Ariel to get farther away from the dungeon.

On top of that, I would obtain useful information and escape from the elven village as quickly as possible.

After that, it would be enough for the Holfort royal family or the temple to intervene. Leon had only been asked to investigate; he was not required to resolve the matter.

"It is an attractive proposal. What do you demand as compensation from me?"

"Information about this world. If I am only fed distorted perceptions, I cannot make correct judgments. You can surely understand how tiresome it is to hear nothing but prejudiced complaints."

"I understand that feeling well. Conversations with those who lack understanding are exhausting for the speaker. Even so, the reward seems far too great."

"Are you suspecting that I am lying?"

"Sweet deals always have something behind them. Those who bite and get burned are never absent in any era. Especially when the other party is an unfamiliar object."

"I see. Then what would make you believe me?"

I could gradually sense concessions toward me in the ruin's manner of speaking, which even carried the hint of a sigh.

If I continued the negotiation like this, there was a possibility I could obtain some useful information through conversation alone.

That said, delving too deeply was dangerous. In fairy tales, those who bring about ruin are always the greedy ones who do not know their limits.

The key to negotiation is not to deceive, but to make both sides believe it is mutually beneficial and create a sense of fairness.

"Even among the legacies of the old humans, you seem awfully friendly. The one I know is completely different."

"Is that the reason you are wary of me?"

"My husband was nearly killed the first time he met one. Honestly, just talking like this makes my trembling stop."

"That was foolish of it. Even so, it was fortunate to have encountered someone as intelligent as you. As for me, ever since I awoke I have had no choice but to cooperate with bigots."

"That is precisely why I suspect you might harm me. Unless you take some action that serves as proof, you are not worth staking my life to trust."

"Understood."

As the ruin murmured that, I heard the sound of something moving at the same time.

When I strained my eyes, I saw a circular hole open in the floor and a strange object float into the air.

It looked as though multiple metallic cubes had been combined. I had absolutely no idea what function it served.

Would that lost item understand its value?

I wanted to examine it a little closer. Thinking that, I carelessly took several steps forward without caution.

"Kyuiin."

The sound of metal scraping against metal rang out, and at the same time the floor shook, causing me to lose my balance.

Was the floor rising? I focused my attention on my footing and did my utmost just to endure without falling.

At the same moment as the shaking, my eyes caught something glowing falling from the ceiling. All I could do was instinctively protect my head and chest with my arms in preparation for the impact.

When the shaking subsided, I cautiously looked around. Transparent glass-like walls now enclosed me on all four sides.

I lightly pressed my palm against them and struck the walls several times with force. Not even a crack appeared, let alone a fracture.

From its transparency I had thought the glass thin, but in reality it seemed to have considerable thickness.

This glass was not something a woman's slender arm could destroy. Then could magic do it?

After thinking for a few seconds, I rejected the idea.

If I unleashed my specialty fire magic while trapped in this enclosed space, the one who would be burned by the heat would be me.

By the time the glass shattered from the heat, nothing but my pitiful charred corpse would remain.

Was there no way out? I gritted my teeth at the sight of myself reduced to such a pathetic prisoner.

"What is the meaning of this!?"

"Calm down. I have no intention of harming you."

"You suddenly lock me in a cage and then have the nerve to tell me to calm down?"

"It cannot be helped. You were planning to escape from here all along, weren't you?"

"…That is a wild guess."

"It is pointless to hide it. From earlier, your breathing, your line of sight, your center of gravity, everything indicated you were ready to move at any moment."

I had been the one underestimating it.

I had thought myself a wise sage weaving circles around a giant with words, but in reality I had been nothing more than a little bird chirping in the palm of its hand.

I should consider escaping from here impossible.

My life would end here.

There had been many twists and turns, but ultimately I had lived a happy life surrounded by my beloved husband and children in a peaceful frontier land. That much could be said without issue.

The only regret was that I could not tell Leon, "Do not come here."

He had always rushed to my aid whenever I was in danger. But I absolutely did not want him to step into the same trap while trying to rescue me, his captive. I wanted to see Leon’s face just one more time at the very end. That was my only regret.

Gopo...

I felt a chill around my ankles and looked down. A massive volume of liquid was pouring in through the hole in the floor.

Moreover, with every burst of bubbles, the water level seemed to rise little by little. A fear different from the coldness of the liquid wrapped itself around my entire body.

Drowning is one of the most miserable and ugly ways to die.

The face twists in agony from suffocation, the skin soaked with moisture turns pale and begins to rot.

Then, due to the gas produced by the decay of toxins within the internal organs, the body swells to several times its original size, transforming into a grotesque waterlogged corpse far removed from its appearance in life.

The suffering of death is terrible enough, but I absolutely refuse to expose such an ugly corpse. If that is the case, gulping down poison myself, writhing and suffering as I die, would allow me to meet death with far greater pride as a noble.

"It is all right. Even if you inhale that liquid, breathing is still possible."

"How can I possibly trust you!!"

"Even if you stubbornly resist, it will only prolong your suffering. Why will you not simply obey obediently?"

"Because you resort to tricks like a sneak attack!!"

"That goes both ways, does it not? You never intended to truly cooperate with me from the bottom of your heart either."

Even while we were speaking, the water level continued to rise. It had already submerged me up to the waist.

Being inside this glass made me feel as though I had become a fish in an aquarium. Or perhaps a small animal stuffed into a bottle and preserved in alcohol?

My body temperature gradually dropped from the parts immersed in the liquid. Even so, I desperately moved my legs to avoid drowning.

I was doing everything I could just to suppress the scream that rose against the inescapable coldness of death.

"What exactly do you plan to do to me!"

"It is just a simple procedure. I will take away your ability to escape from me, and in exchange, you will gain a more refined body."

"Where exactly is losing my strength an improvement!?"

"You can look forward to seeing the results. First I will lower your body temperature, then begin the analysis and procedure. Since everyone I have dealt with since awakening has been a corpse, I will not do something as foolish as killing a living sample, so rest assured."

"How could I possibly believe you!!"

Finally, the liquid reached my throat. I desperately moved my arms and legs to keep my head and neck above the surface, but even that was nearing its limit.

The glass cylinder was taller than my height, but with the continuously rising water level, only a tiny amount of air remained.

Even though I understood it was futile struggling, I could not stop the actions driven by terror.

I did not even want to imagine what would happen to me after drowning like this.

"Now, go to sleep. When you awaken, the entire world will look different to you."

Those were the last words I heard.

At last, the inside of the glass cylinder was completely filled with liquid.

I took a deep breath of the faintly remaining air, filling my lungs. It was a pathetic act, but it was the only thing left for me to do.

The result of my desperate resistance was merely a vain delay of death by a few dozen seconds.

The sensation of liquid invading my body in exchange for the air leaking from the corners of my mouth made me panic all the more, which in turn caused me to swallow even more.

The coldness of the liquid chilled me from both inside and outside, dulling my senses at the same time that my consciousness drifted farther away.

There was nothing at the fingertips I desperately reached out. My body simply moved in a reflexive plea for help.

The moment the last bubble was expelled from my mouth, my consciousness fell completely into darkness.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

"...these"

"...please do..."

"...tell me"

"...please!!"

"...Show some restraint!"

I could hear sounds from far away.

No, not just sounds, perhaps voices.

My brain was trying to comprehend the meaning of the words, but it was not functioning properly.

It was that peculiar sensation of drifting between sleep and wakefulness.

My consciousness was gradually awakening, yet my bodily functions had not yet woken up. Raising my eyelids was difficult, yet strangely my mind alone was working with frantic clarity.

With no other choice, I sharpened my senses and concentrated on catching the content of the voices.

The owners of the voices varied, but it seemed there were many children among them. From the content of the conversation, they appeared to be in some kind of argument.

As I carefully examined each familiar voice, my brain and body slowly began to reconnect.

Tormented by lethargy, I slowly raised my eyelids. An unfamiliar ceiling was there.

Even so, I still did not seem to be in full condition. Just resisting the returning chill and drowsiness was enough to exhaust my mind.

Why was I so sleepy?

More fundamentally, why was I lying in a bed?

Questions welled up one after another, but no answers came. Only when I twisted my body to escape the chill did I finally notice the blanket covering me.

As if fleeing from the voices reaching my ears, I pulled the blanket over my head. It felt as though I had become a fetus sleeping in a warm amniotic sac filled with fluid.

At the same time, while tormented by the loneliness of sleeping alone, my consciousness once again began to melt back into drowsiness.

Consciousness awakened once more. I could not tell how much time had passed.

Where exactly was I sleeping in the first place?

Each time my consciousness awoke, I gradually regained sensation little by little.

How much more time would it take before I returned to full condition? Not knowing that was painful.

I felt my own body so weakly. Had I perhaps caught a cold and been bedridden?

I slowly gathered strength in my body and began to raise my upper body. Even that slight movement made me dizzy and lightheaded.

My circulation was terribly poor. To an outside observer, I probably looked like I was blankly staring at the ceiling, but even so I was desperately trying to make my mind work.

"...!"

Something made a sound nearby. When I turned my neck toward it, a black-haired boy was looking at me with a startled face.

His mouth was wide open, letting out a foolish sound. The sight resembled a fish pulled out of water and somehow seemed comical.

There was something faintly familiar about the boy’s features. It seemed I knew him, but what exactly was our relationship?

"Father!! Father!"

The boy left the room to report to his father. That voice was familiar.

...That is right. That child is Leah.

Leah Fou Bartfort, the third child born to me and Leon, the second son of the Bartfort count family.

How could I have forgotten my own beloved child?

Perhaps the disorder in my body was more serious than I myself realized. Was it Leah who had called? A man and several children entered the room.

I recognized every one of their faces. Perhaps blood had finally begun to circulate properly through my brain, for a headache started to throb painfully.

One adult man, two boys, and three girls.

Their hair colors were only two kinds: blond and black. I steadied my breathing and desperately tried to match the people in my memory with those before my eyes.

"…Angie, right?"

The first to speak was the adult man.

He had a sturdy build and a low voice. A large scar etched across his face, inevitably drawing the eye, served as his distinguishing feature.

Just hearing that voice sent a maddening sensation squeezing at the depths of my chest.

He was Leon Fou Bartfort, Earl.

A newly risen noble, granted peerage and territory in the Holfort Kingdom.

He had been ennobled for military achievements during the war, taken the daughter of the Redgrave ducal house as his wife, and earned the deep trust of the royal family.

My most beloved husband stood right there.

The moment I perceived Leon's presence, my reason shattered, and an unstoppable torrent of emotions surged forth. At the same time, I could feel my consciousness steadily awakening.

Along with the awakening of my consciousness, blood began to flow rapidly through my body once more. At last I was regaining my sense of self.

"…Who else would I look like to you?"

The voice I squeezed out with all my effort sounded strangely high-pitched. It seemed my senses had not yet fully returned.

Irritation mounted as Leon continued to stare at me with a dubious expression. Controlling my emotions felt difficult.

To begin with, it was Leon's fault for being so slow-witted. After our marriage, it had been our habit to sleep together in the shared marital bed and, upon waking, exchange kisses filled with affection.

I must have been bedridden for quite some time, but the fact that Leon was not by my side when I awoke grated on my nerves.

I understood that the duties of a lord kept him busy, and originally it was not something a noble house head holding a peerage should have to do—caring for a sick wife.

Even so, normally he would grumble while still attending to it for me. Bringing the children along like this right now was also a demerit.

Did he think I was so shameless that I would kiss him in front of the children?

"Is it really you, Mother?"

"If your eyes are bad, go see a doctor. Being teased immediately after waking up is the height of unpleasantness. Even I have my limits on patience, so watch your mouth, Ariel."

"Do you know who we are?"

"Lionel, do you think I am the kind of mother who would mistake the child I carried and gave birth to?"

This was bad. It seemed I truly could not control my emotions properly.

Directing irritation toward my own children was something unbecoming of a mother, and unbecoming of a lady.

The fact that Leon and the children were looking at me with eyes as though they were seeing something strange was wrong to begin with.

But treating me, still recovering from illness, this way was honestly too harsh. At the very least, I wanted to take a bath first and tidy myself up.

"Father!"

A young child's voice rang out as the door opened, and I saw someone enter the room.

The voice probably belonged to our youngest, Dylan. To think I had forgotten my youngest child—my condition really must be bad.

While I sank into depression, Dylan ran around happily. In his hand he clutched a round sphere.

"Leon Fou Bartfort, stop this toddler immediately."

"You cannot even handle babysitting?"

"Assigning tasks outside an artificial intelligence's specialty indicates a lack of management ability. Especially your youngest, who shows no composure and gives off no sense of intelligence."

"Do not badmouth my kid!"

"Wait, Leon. Why are you exposing a lost item in front of others?"

A lost item with a will of its own was an unprecedented existence. Even if one searched the entire Holfort Kingdom—no, the entire world—it would be doubtful whether another could be found.

You had formed a cooperative relationship with something that valuable?

It could easily attract trouble—not just from other countries, but even from acquaintances among the nobility.

That was why we had made an agreement.

Information regarding lost items was to remain a secret between just the two of us.

And yet you were exposing it in front of the children?

My head felt as though it might explode from rage. Anger was already about to erupt from the depths of my stomach.

"…What exactly are you thinking, Leon? Why did you expose the existence of a lost item?"

"Well, there were various circumstances."

"Were you not the one constantly worrying about not wanting to cause unnecessary trouble? The more people share a secret, the easier it becomes for it to leak the more it is touched."

"I know, I know already."

"No, you do not understand. I also find it pleasing that you cherish our children. But that and this are completely different matters."

This was no good. My tone kept growing forceful, and words sounding almost like threats slipped out. I was supposed to be different from the young me who had repeatedly made painful mistakes because I could not control my emotions and got carried away.

Calm down. Remember that you are the Countess Bartfort and the mother of six children.

I desperately soothed my heart and regained my composure. First, I had to scold Dylan, who was playing with the lost item.

"Stop that, Dylan. That is a dangerous object."

"……"

"Dylan?"

"Who's that big sister?"

Dizziness struck me at my son's words. To think that such words would be directed at me from my own young child. Being seen as young was somewhat flattering, but being treated as a complete stranger by my own son was going too far.

Even when I tried to speak, only breathing sounds escaped my mouth. Unconsciously, I sent a pleading glance toward Leon, who was nearby.

Noticing my gaze, Leon reached out as though to stroke my head. For some reason that sight felt off.

Was Leon always this large a man?

No, certainly he had a well-trained physique capable of easily lifting me, but he should not have been so gigantic.

Suddenly frightened, I tried to brush Leon's hand away, but once again something felt wrong.

Had my arm always been this slender? My fingertips also seemed short and plump.

A creepy feeling came over me, and I frantically stroked my face and body. The nightclothes I was wearing slipped down.

These nightclothes had been tailored from pleasant-feeling fabric to perfectly fit my build. And yet they were about to fall off?

Fearfully, I lowered my gaze.

……Gone.

My breasts, which had been so large compared to others that they even caused shoulder stiffness, had vanished.

The ample bosom that had stored milk to nurture six children and had been fondled countless times by Leon until it grew full and bountiful—no trace or shape of it remained.

The nightclothes barely clung to my small nipples, just managing to avoid full exposure in a pathetic state.

"What… is this?"

My trembling voice cried out exactly what my thoughts were screaming.

"What the hell is this!!?"

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Authors Note

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The illustration for this chapter was drawn by Choros-sama. Thank you very much. (Pixiv)

The original reference for loli-Angie is the illustration from volume 8 of the original work.

How will the adorable loli-Angie-chan return to normal? Continued in the next chapter.

Additional note: At the requester's request, illustrations were kindly drawn by Activ-sama. Thank you so much.

Activ-sama: Pixiv (Adult content warning)

I would appreciate any opinions or impressions, as they would encourage me for the future.