P Corp’s director stood near the entrance of the kitchen, staring at the exchange between and the inngirl with an incredulous expression.
His face practically scread: What is wrong with you? Who flirts with a Cursed Spirit?
’She isn’t a normal Cursed Spirit though.’
The thought suddenly ca to .
But...
’She is a normal Cursed Spirit. Why did I think she isn’t normal?’
I was confu-
Eh. Who cares.
I leaned casually against the counter and looked at the inngirl, who had clearly been avoiding my gaze since I stepped inside.
"I didn’t think you would sulk just because I was gone for a day. What will you do if I’m gone for longer in the future?" I teased lightly.
Her head snapped toward .
"I be not sulkin’, ye daft landlubber!" she snapped, glaring at . "Think ye too important fer that, do ye?"
My smile only widened.
She ’gritted her teeth’ and turned sharply, moving to another counter to continue working as if I no longer existed.
Naturally, I followed her.
From my coat pockets, the Hundred Hands of Devotion slid out one after another.
The smaller hands floated into the air like obedient servants awaiting orders.
So of them fused together, forming larger hands that stood on two fingers and used the other two like human arms.
They imdiately got to work.
The larger ones handled the dishes and stirred the pots on the stove with surprising coordination.
The smaller hands drifted toward the tables, picking up finished plates and delivering fresh orders.
A few even hovered near the entrance, greeting new custors and guiding them to empty seats.
Within seconds, the workload around the inngirl lightened.
She paused mid-motion, watching the floating hands scrub a pan clean before she could even touch it.
"What in the seven seas be ye doin’? Think I be so helpless deckhand needin’ savin’?" she grunted, crossing her arms.
"Well, you’re angry at , so I’m just trying to prove my innocence," I replied calmly.
"What nonsense be that?" She turned to face fully. "Speak plain, or I’ll toss ye out self."
"I couldn’t co yesterday because I was busy. Actually..."
I let the words trail for a mont before continuing.
"I got kidnapped."
Her brows knitted together.
"Kidnapped?" she repeated slowly, the pirate edge in her voice sharpening. "By who, pray tell?"
I gestured casually toward the man near the door.
"By him."
The director stiffened.
The inngirl’s gaze shifted to P Corp’s director, and then back to .
"Ye sayin’ that scrawny bilge rat laid hands on ye?" she asked, disbelief clear in her voice.
I nodded. "It was related to sothing called a Soul Parasite. They wanted to experint on , and..."
I summarized the events simply. The parasite. The confinent. The negotiations. The eventual reversal.
I didn’t exaggerate, but I didn’t downplay it either.
By the ti I finished, the inngirl was silent.
Then she turned slowly toward the director.
"He took ye against yer will?" she asked.
There was no explosive anger in her tone.
It was mostly curiosity. Confusion, even.
As if she couldn’t quite understand why I was standing next to soone who had hard .
But unlike her, her Guardian reacted instantly.
The air behind her distorted.
The eldritch octopus manifested, visible only to and P Corp’s director.
Its massive, writhing form hovered in the space above the counters, its countless eyes focusing on the director.
My vision blurred the mont I looked at it.
A sharp pain lanced through my skull, and I quickly lowered my gaze.
Even so, the whispers began crawling into my ears.
They were jarring, and discordant.
Thankfully, my ntal defense was no longer what it used to be. My Stats and Title absorbed the worst of it. And I wasn’t under its direct scrutiny.
I didn’t start bleeding imdiately.
The director wasn’t so fortunate.
He froze under its attention. His entire body began to tremble.
A voice echoed, layered and distorted.
’Do not. Harm him.’
The temperature in the room seed to drop.
The words were hard to understand, yet their intent was forcefully drilled into our minds.
’If my child becos sad, you will know despair.’
Tentacles extended outward, coiling around the director’s neck.
He choked, his eyes bulging.
Before it could go any further, I spoke calmly.
"You must be wondering why I brought him here, right?"
The inngirl nodded slowly.
The Guardian paused. Several of its eyes shifted toward .
"I used an ability on him. Now he can’t harm , and he has to listen to my orders. You can think of him as my sla— servant."
"A servant? Ye’ve bound him like a cursed cabin boy?"
"Sothing like that."
The Guardian’s tentacles tightened slightly before one slipped forward and brushed against the director’s chest.
It was checking.
Seconds passed.
Then the tentacles loosened.
A low, rumbling snort echoed in my mind, and the massive form began to fade.
’Do not. Forget my words.’
With that, it disappeared.
The mont its presence lifted, P Corp’s director collapsed to his knees. Blood trickled from his ears. His breathing ca in ragged gasps.
He had been directly targeted.
The inngirl looked at him, then at .
"Be this why ye didn’t co yesterday?" she asked more softly.
"Yeah," I replied with a small chuckle. "Almost died. That’s why I couldn’t co."
My tone was light, but the words weren’t.
"Don’t worry though. I’m not dying before you accept my proposal."
"St-stop jestin’ like that! We be havin’ a serious talk, and ye keep spoutin’ nonsense!" she snapped, flustered.
Her entire face turned bright red.
I laughed quietly.
"Seems like I got rejected again, but I’ll keep trying," I said. "Anyway, I just wanted you to know that if I miss a day, it’s because I’m stuck sowhere and can’t reach you. Otherwise, I’ll definitely co visit every day."
She didn’t respond imdiately.
Instead, she stared at the floor.
While she was silent, my mind worked quickly.
’The experint was a success.’
The Guardian reacted violently because the director nearly killed . That ant it now viewed as soone valuable to the inngirl.
That was important.
In my previous life, both the inngirl and this Guardian had disappeared mysteriously. I didn’t have enough information about them.
But I did know one thing.
The Guardian’s combat power was absurd.
If I positioned myself correctly, I could make it protect as long as I stayed within the inngirl’s sphere.
As long as the inngirl cared about , the Guardian would defend .
That was enough.
While I finished organizing my thoughts, the inngirl finally spoke.
"Stay safe. Ye don’t need to co every day. Put yer own life first," she said quietly.
"Are you worried about ?"
"I be not worried!" she shouted imdiately, flustered again. "Don’t twist words!"
Then she stord out of the kitchen and returned to the main hall, where custors were waiting.
I watched her go, still smiling.
Behind , the director slowly pushed himself upright, wiping blood from his ear with shaking fingers.
"Th-that Cursed Spirit hiding within her. What kind of entity is it?" he stamred.
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