Deadmeat Saga

Chapter 14 – Finally understanding the relic’s power. You truly are kind.

Gerhart sat on the chair, helpless as a mouse girl the size of a child clung to him, her pink tail swishing in pure bliss.

"Hope, please let go..." Gerhart bitterly said.

"Please, husband, let me hug you a bit longer..." Hope said like a spoiled child, rubbing her cheek against his stomach.

"Hah... Fine..." Gerhart sighed. "Do you know why your behavior changed like that?"

"Because husband made me his wife~." Hope looked up and lovingly said.

"... Hah... Can I change it to something else?" Gerhart bitterly asked.

If it was that Rabbitkin slave from earlier, it was one thing, but Hope was... Well... An adult in a childlike, sickly body. Besides, he saw the brainwashing as something evil.

Hope's expression suddenly changed. It turned into a heartbroken, horror-struck look, tears welling in her eyes.

"H-Husband... Did I do something wrong? Do you hate me?" She said with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, for the love of..." Gerhart felt exasperated.

"No... I merely don't want a forced romantic relationship with you. Can't you be a regular subordinate?" Gerhart helplessly said.

"Uuu... If my husband insists... He can demote me to a Personal Assistant..." Hope said, having a miserable look.

"Well, that can certainly work— Wait... What?" Gerhart expression slowly changed as he realized something. "How... Did you know that?"

"Know what, my husband?" Hope asked, confused.

"That you can become a Personal Assistant. I never mentioned that." Gerhart said, squinting his eyes.

"Eh... I merely have the information in my mind." Hope innocently said.

"But why?" Gerhart questioned.

"Because my position gives me access to that information?" Hope blinked her eyes. "Did husband not know of this?"

"... No." Gerhart straightforwardly said. "I have no idea how my power works."

"Oh... Well, would you like an explanation, my husband?" Hope asked.

"Yes... But first, please sit on the bed..." Gerhart requested, feeling it was awkward with her on his chest.

"Stingy..." Hope puffed her cheeks and let go before sitting on the bed. "What would you like to know, husband?" She asked.

"First, let's start with the positions... What is it?" Gerhart asked.

"Authority," Hope said. "It is like social hierarchy. There are many positions, including ruler, general, minister, concubine, soldier, craftsman, merchant, farmer, etc... As a Wife, I have the highest authority aside from you, my husband. I can command everyone else except for fellow wives, and I can create new Thralls of one station lower than mine, such as Rulers and Concubines." She smiled.

"What am I? The Demon Lord?" Gerhart retorted.

"Don't be silly, my husband..." Hope shook her head. "Something so inferior as a Demon Lord is barely an appointed Ruler."

"... Forget it..." Gerhart facepalmed. "And what about the Personal Assistant thing? How much authority does it have?"

"A Personal Assistant is the closest aide to my husband except for the wives. They have no authority themselves but cannot be ordered by anyone except my husband, and they are the least affected as a Thrall..." She said while paying with her padded fingers, a sad, begging look in her eyes. "Please don't demote me, my husband... Please?" She gave a puppy-eyed look.

"Change Hope's position to Personal Assistant." Gerhart mercilessly said.

"No hesitation!!!" Hope was mentally shocked as she felt the influence on her changing.

After twitching a bit, Hope's expression and temperament changed into one of embarrassment.

"What did I do..." Hope said in a depressed voice, clutching her head.

"Are you okay now?" Gerhart asked.

"Uuu... Gerhart, I can't put it into words..." Hope said in a crying voice. "The first moment, I was a slave who thought that kissing the ground you stepped on was a slight to you, and the other moment, I was a loving wife who wholeheartedly loved you... And I liked every moment of it... I was mortified at being demoted and losing that blissful state. Even now, I feel empty from losing that feeling. So scary..."

"... Sorry for the inconvenience..." That was all Gerhart could say.

"Hah... Well, please don't change my position in the future... As a Personal Assistant, I mostly retain my free will and true emotions." Hope said with a resigned look. "But I must say, your powers are dangerous, Gerhart... You can build armies and rule over the world in a matter of years if you play your cards right." She said with a profound look.

"Let's ignore that for now..." Gerhart warily said and changed the subject. "More importantly, you seem to know about my powers."

"Yes... The Wives and Personal Assistants know all about your powers. We are your guides, placed by the power in your body." Hope said, pointing at Gerhart's chest. 

"Was it all planned?" Gerhart thought.

"Okay, what do you know about this power?" Gerhart asked.

"I am unsure... This isn't information available to me. I merely know you have a power in your body. Other than that, I don't know anything else... But I assume it has extraordinary origins, possibly Divine." Hope guessed with a thoughtful look.

"Okay... Then does being my Personal Assistant affect you?" Gerhart asked.

"It does... But only minorly. I have Absolute Loyalty and Knowledge imprinted in my mind... But other than that, I am free to do as I please." Hope said. "You can think of me as an unquestioningly loyal subordinate in this state but one who can think for themselves."

"That is for the best." Gerhart sighed in relief. "Then what are my powers?"

"You have several powers. The first one is Complete Absorption. You can completely absorb energy from corpses or high-energy items, storing them in your body. If you absorb energy from a corpse with a superior stat, talent, or skill, you will gain it. Also, if you absorb high-quality energy, your level might go up. This process will inevitably hurt your body, but your power will also heal your body in real time to accommodate it. But when some or all of the attributes of the corpse are equal or inferior, the corpse or material would be converted to usable energy stored in your body."

"Hah... So that is where all the energy went..." Gerhart muttered and took out the Magic Stone he purchased. "Then I don't need to keep this, right?" Gerhart asked.

"No. You may absorb it without worries. All the energy inside will be converted into baser energies." Hope reassured.

"Hm... How do I view the energy I have?" Gerhart asked.

"Just request it," Hope replied.

"Relic, show me my energy." Gerhart thought.

Energy: 37

"That's it?" Gerhart weirdly thought. "I was sure there would be more..."

Gerhart then looked at the Magic Stone in his hand.

"Absorb," Gerhart said.

The following moment, black energy left the stone, seeping into Gerhart's body, and the stone crumbled into dust. Gerhart didn't feel anything, it being a mere 10th-floor stone.

Gerhart then checked the energy he had.

From 37, it went to 40.

"Hah..." Gerhart uttered. "So a 10th-floor stone is worth 3 points?"

"Not exactly." Hope corrected. "The number you are shown is the amount rounded down. The stone might be worth anywhere between 2 and 4."

"I see..." Gerhart muttered, going to the window and throwing the dust out from his hand. "But I previously absorbed 200 30th-floor Magic Stones... Why do I only have 37?"

"Perhaps all the energy was used to level you up? Some of it was likely also used to make me your Thrall." Hope said.

"Oh well... I can always get more energy." Gerhart said and returned to the chair. "So, what are my other powers?"

"The second one, as you know, is creating Thralls, loyal servants to your cause. You can assign us positions and give us blessings according to our performance. However, creating a thrall requires energy. The stronger the Thrall, the more it needs. Also, when converting, the subject may resist, potentially leading to failure. The success rate depends on your strength and willpower and the other party's strength and willpower. And, of course, you need them to stay still and be subdued or willing to initiate it." Hope explained. "If I were to explain it... It is like a god creating a champion?"

"That's hubris..." Gerhart frowned.

"Well, if any church heard of your power, they would most certainly make a joint holy crusade to destroy you as soon as possible..." Hope said.

"That... Is demoralizing..." Gerhart bitterly said. "Let's show as little of this power as possible."

"Agreed. I still want to live longer." Hope said. "If you die, I also die."

"Seriously?" Gerhart raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously." Hope nodded. "Whatever power you have inside you... It isn't benevolent."

"Well, I did absorb it in a place called the Great Labyrinth of Terror, so..." Gerhart said.

"Great Labyrinth of Terror?" Hope frowned. "Where did I hear that name before...?"

"You know it?" Gerhart asked, surprised.

"No... I just read it in a history book somewhere... Over a thousand years ago, a group of heroes defeated the menacing dungeon that endlessly sent powerful monster tides in another continent... But they all died there, remembered as martyrs." Hope rubbed her chin, her tail swishing.

"Oh? How many were there?" Gerhart eagerly asked.

"Hm... I read there was a Dragon Man Grand Knight, A Mountain King Dwarf High Berserker, A Trancdendent Elf Archmage, and a High Oni Saintess." Hope said.

"... Wasn't there anyone else?" Gerhart bitterly asked.

"Nope. Not that I recall." Hope shook her head.

"Nobody remembers me... The slave baggage carrier who got thrown around his entire life..." Gerhart tearfully thought.

"Gerhart, you said you were there, right?" Hope asked with sparkling eyes, oblivious to Gerhart's inner turmoil. "Were you one of the great four? Are you a reincarnation of one of them?"

"I... Never mind..." Gerhart sighed and shook his head. "Well? What is the last power?"

"Ah... Right." Hope stopped asking, her expression more serious. "The next power is Blessing. You or your thralls can bless those of a lower station with power. However, that power originates from you. In other words, you may bless your thralls with stats, talents, skills, and levels up to your level. However, there is a downside to this. The higher the stats and talents, the more energy is required to level up... Ah, that might have also influenced your current energy. If you absorbed many talents at a high level, it would use your energy to keep your current level. Complete Absorption prioritizes your body's optimal condition over saving energy."

"Hm... I see. That would explain it." Gerhart nodded. When he was low level, he absorbed the pests in the sewers. Because of his low level, he received the talents without issue, but after his level was raised to about 30, adding any stat or talent raised the energy required. To maintain his level, his reserve energy was constantly used.

"And there is also one last power," Hope said. "Restoration. You may use your stored energy to restore your or your Thrall's body and energy as long as they are alive. This power automatically activates upon absorbing stats and talents or blessing Thralls."

"That... Is a convenient power." Gerhart said, remembering his stomach and neck wounds completely healing back when he died as Gerhart.

"That would explain why my body was restored."

"Then, are there any other powers?" Gerhart asked.

"None... At least, I don't know of any." Hope tilted her head. "But I don't think you need anything else... You are godly enough as it is, and you can gain any power you want through Absorption. Is there a need for more?"

"Well... You are not wrong." Gerhart shook his head.

"Then... Gerhart..." Hope suddenly smiled, fawning like a child who did his chores and wanted a treat. "Can you bless me?"

"Hah... Well, you do deserve it." Gerhart sighed before smiling. "But it would hurt, you know?"

"Oh! No worries! When blessing or restoring others, our pain senses shut down until the process is complete." Hope smiled.

"... For real?" Gerhart's eye twitched.

"Yes." Hope nodded.

"... Why do I feel pain, then?" Gerhart bitterly asked.

"Hm... Because shutting down your senses might be dangerous?" Hope guessed.

"..."

"Fuck my life..." Gerhart inwardly cried.

"Then how do I do it?" Gerhart asked.

"There are two methods. One, you specify what you want to give. The other is to let it run automatically and improve according to needs. Since I am your Assistant, it would focus on covering my weaknesses before improving me as much as possible." Hope said.

"Do I need to touch you to do it?" Gerhart asked.

"For now, yes. But you might have methods to do it remotely in the future." Hope replied.

"I see..." Gerhart nodded, extending his hand. "Give me your hand."

"Okay." Hope nodded and held Gerhart's hand.

"Bless her." Gerhart thought.

Blessing Initiated. Specific or Automatic Blessing?

"Automatic," Gerhart replied.

How much energy to use? Current: 40.

"Everything," Gerhart replied.

The next moment, black energy left Gerhart and entered Hope's body.

Hope closed her eyes as if asleep as Gerhart heard noises from her body.

Crack* Pop* Snap*

Gerhart saw bulging veins on her body as if about to explode but then retracting. Her bones sounded as if they popped like crackers before returning to normal.

"Uwa... So this is what I went through? Scary..." Gerhart warily thought.

A few minutes later, the process was finished, and Hope woke up. Her previous sickly completion was gone, replaced by a rosy one. She looked like a healthy child.

"Ah..." Hope moaned in content. "I feel... Good!" She said, smiling from ear to ear.

She then got on her feet and walked around, jumping and stretching. "My body... Is finally healthy!" She said and turned around to look at Gerhart, tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Gerhart. You fulfilled one of my lifelong wishes."

"It was nothing... Really. I didn't do much." Gerhart shook his head.

It was merely giving her a bit of energy. He could buy that amount with a few dozen Silver Coins.

"No... It means a lot to me. To you, it might be trivial, but to me, it is my entire life." Hope said before kneeling.

"Hope? I said you don't need to—" Gerhart wanted to stop her.

"Gerhart, this isn't the influence of being a Thrall, but my true feelings. Although it isn't necessary, I swear loyalty to you as a subject to her lord." Hope said, her voice serious.

"Hah... Fine. I accept. Please, stand up." Gerhart said, feeling helpless.

"You truly are kind." Hope raised her head, giving Gerhart a pure, heartfelt smile.