The Stupid Devil’s Slave’s Travelogue

Chapter 11. Lee Soo 2

I had plenty of time to think.

As expected, my family came to mind the most.

I still couldn’t believe that my father was such an extraordinary person.

‘I thought he was just a simple hunter.’

After chewing on some herbs and mashing them, I spread them evenly on the wound on my shoulder.

Come to think of it, the wolf had many wounds inflicted by Terup.

Especially around the neck, where the injuries were very deep.

“How’s your wound?”

“It’ll heal on its own.”

Does this guy even know what excessive bleeding is?

“I’ll apply some herbs.”

When I chewed the herbs into a paste, the wolf grimaced.

Understandable, but this plant requires saliva to activate its antibacterial enzymes.

“You’re not really going to put that dirty stuff on my wound, are you?”

She looked absolutely disgusted.

I get it, but I can’t just throw it away.

Besides, I’m not doing this for my own benefit.

But stopping right here would be awkward, too.

‘Let’s try one more time, and if she refuses, I’ll back off.’

“If you leave the bacteria in the wound, it’ll most likely fester, swell, and hurt.”

“Bacteria? Whatever… do as you please.”

Weren’t you just calling it dirty?

With the wolf’s reluctant permission, I carefully applied the herbs to the wound.

“Ouch!”

“Oh, no!”

The wolf’s face twisted in pain, and she shivered violently.

As a result, the herbs I’d applied fell off completely.

‘Can’t you be a little more cooperative?’

Luckily, I had brought some spares.

But there was only enough for one more application.

“…Can you stay still?”

“Your herbs feel disgusting.”

Of course, they would.

I spit on them before applying.

“If you leave it, it’ll fester, and it’ll hurt even more.”

The wolf glared at me.

“…Wouldn’t it be better for you if I just died?”

‘Seriously? Did she just say that out loud?’

“Hey! I got dropped into a place where I don’t know anything! What am I supposed to do if you die? I’d die too!”

“Hmm, I suppose that’s true.”

“This is all I have left, so don’t touch it anymore.”

Only then did the wolf lie still, allowing me to apply the herbs to her wound.

“I don’t have any bandages, so I can’t secure it.”

“So what?”

“Just for one day, try not to move too much.”

After warning the wolf, I finished by gently dusting off the dried blood from the wound.

The dirt and clotted blood fell away in powdery flakes, making it seem slightly more sanitary.

‘Here I am, treating the kidnapper…’

It’s not some ridiculous Stockholm syndrome.

It was just an unavoidable situation, which I had seen with my own eyes.

Even so, it was still an unfair situation for me.

But, it wasn’t as if I was entirely without fault.

‘If I’d just surrendered from the start, this wouldn’t have happened.’

It was my fault for escalating things by pointing my bow at the wolf in the first place.

It was because I mistook Beastfolk for a ‘beast.’

With that thought, it started to feel like an opportunity.

‘This wolf is strange, but at least she’s not a bad person.’

What if I just followed this wolf?

─I am not your child.

The moment I took control of this body, Lian’s personality vanished, leaving behind nothing but memories of his childhood.

From the moment my memories returned, I intended to leave my parents’ side.

After all, I was an outsider who had intruded on what might have been hundreds, perhaps millions, of years of true family bonds.

Besides, the personality of the child who spent 14 years with them had already shattered.

─In that moment, disaster was foretold.

I deeply regret causing my parents pain, but what else could I do?

What’s spilled is spilled. Even if it’s dirty, you have to wipe it up.

That’s why it felt like now was a chance.

It seemed like I had no choice but to leave home.

─My parents would undoubtedly be deeply hurt.

But this world is different from Earth, where death is a familiar companion.

Children here die easily.

Even on Earth, 200 years ago, the average human lifespan was only ’26’ years.

That’s because children kept dying.

As hard as it might be, they would have to accept that.

At the same time, they would save all the resources that would have been used to raise me for another two years.

This world isn’t a fantasy.

It’s a true medieval era.

‘And later, when I’m grown, I’ll visit them.’

Then, I’ll repay them.

Twice as much love as I received.

I had already decided to be independent as quickly as possible from the beginning.

This was an extreme measure, but a necessary one.

I kept telling myself that, but my heart was filled with sorrow.

Those 14 years may not have been mine, but they weren’t fake either.

─I wanted to live with my parents.

But if I think about it objectively, the convenience I sought was really ugly.

No one sympathizes with a cuckoo chick that kills the real offspring and takes over the nest.

The cuckoo chick is blameless.

But does that make it cute or worth raising?

‘Absolutely not.’

At least I didn’t think so.

I’d probably applaud if it got eaten by a snake.

Even without malice, wrongs are still wrongs.

I might be pushing myself toward self-destruction, too.

Humans, when stressed, tend to destroy everything around them.

─In short, I’m a cuckoo chick jumping out of the nest.

My heart felt heavy.

Even just once, I wanted to see my mother in good health.

“You’re pretty capable for a kid.”

“I’m not really that capable.”

Firming up my half-broken resolve, my chest filled with a stifling sense of emotional gas.

“…Hoo.”

It starts now.

I had to learn how to live from here on out.

I brushed away the fallen leaves and lay down on the damp ground.

The ground was cold.

But sleeping on the leaves would mean bugs crawling all over me.

Of course, they’d still crawl up, but less, so I’d have to bear it.

Though it was clearly night, the surroundings were as bright as early morning.

I suddenly realized how dark the night sky in Seoul had been.

“Knowledge I can’t even use… herbs… fire-making…”

“There’s no such thing as useless knowledge in this world.”

If the wolf could see inside my head, she’d definitely take back what she just said.

Even though I was thrown into this world, half of my mind was still filled with webtoons, humor sites, restaurant numbers, and random trivia from SNS.

Lying down, I reached out and tossed a mosquito-repelling fire starter into the campfire.

“Do we need a lookout?”

“Lookout?”

The wolf chuckled and stretched her neck toward the sky.

Awooo─!

This howl wasn’t filled with defiance.

It was a howl just like that of a wolf.

“Why are you howling?”

The wolf cleared her throat and looked at me.

The corners of her mouth were twisted into a mischievous grin.

“There were some creatures lurking around, drawn by the scent of blood. That was a warning for them to back off.”

As I replayed her words, a chill ran down my spine.

‘…They were lurking?’

I scanned the surroundings, but there were no signs of anything.

“…What was there?”

“A pack of Kobolds, drawn by the scent of blood. They ran off for now.”

Kobolds were here?!

I didn’t notice at all! If the wolf hadn’t been here, I might have died!

What would have happened after that? I’d have been eaten alive, limbs torn off like the stag from lunch!

“What if they bring the whole pack back?!”

“Then we run quickly.”

The wolf spoke casually.

You can run! But I’m just a kid!

“Don’t ever leave me alone.”

“I’ll wake you up.”

“No. You have to take me with you.”

The wolf glanced at me.

“I haven’t crossed the river yet. If you wait, your father will find you. …Though, I can’t say how many days it will take.”

I hated that idea.

If the wolf left, I’d end up waiting here for my parents.

Naturally, I didn’t want to die. But what if I went back?

I could guarantee it: I’d be drawn back into the comfort of that life.

The days at that house were too happy.

I’d rather follow this wolf.

I can’t say my judgment of people is particularly good.

But I didn’t think this wolf’s way of thinking was necessarily bad.

“Can’t you please take me with you?”

“No.”

“I can be helpful.”

“I’m sure you’d be both a help and a hindrance.”

I knew her words were a polite refusal, but I had no other option, nor did I want to go back.

The surroundings suddenly felt unfamiliar.

Man-eating snakes, venomous insects, bears drawn by strange scents, tigers who are natural assassins, Kobolds that devour anything, top predators like Ogres, ghost bugs—piranhas of the land—and flock bugs, which are like the piranhas of the sky…

I had thought of leaving home one day.

But I never wanted to die.

Death was always the worst-case scenario.

I wasn’t afraid of death itself.

It was the pain and fear that accompanied the approach of death that terrified me.

When the wolf cut my hand, I couldn’t even understand what kind of nerve made me accept death so easily.

“What if the Kobolds attack in the next few days?”

“Figure it out yourself.”

“…Can’t you help just this once?”

I tried to act pitiful, and the wolf turned her head to look at me.

“…If you were my child, consider how your parents would feel losing you.”

‘The perspective of parents losing a child.’

It was ironic.

Because right now, I was in the position of a child who had lost his parents.

This was the answer I had reached after much deliberation.

…Thinking it over a little more, I found it ridiculous.

Wasn’t that something a kidnapper shouldn’t say in the first place?

“Did you really bring me here just to say something like that? Are you serious?”

When I glared at her, the wolf only chuckled.

Like a child trying to laugh her way out of trouble.

“If you can’t take me with you, can’t you at least tell me about another human village? Or at least point me in the right direction.”

Wherever I go, it’d be the same, but if I bow my head low enough, I could survive doing odd jobs.

Once I get a bit stronger, I’ll leave.

The wolf, who had been about to look away, sighed through her nose and looked back at me.

The cold, blue eyes of the wolf staring at me felt only icy.

‘Is she annoyed?’

If someone keeps pushing after being refused, it’s natural to be looked at like that, but can’t he even tell me that much? I felt lost.

Could I really survive on my own?

“From what I see, you’re an old soul in a young body.”

“Excuse me?”

“Why do you want to leave your parents’ side?”

It was hard to explain indirectly.

‘What if I just told the truth?’

I was reincarnated, not born naturally, but implanted in my parents’ womb as a result of a deal with a demon.

Even so, I feel guilty toward them, so I want to leave.

Even if I prove that my answer is the truth, it’s obvious she’d leave me behind in disgust. She might even kill me on the spot.

Under the wolf’s intense gaze, waiting for my answer, I couldn’t bring myself to respond.

“If you don’t want to talk, then don’t.”

The wolf broke eye contact and turned away from me.

‘…It’s over.’

She hated the idea so much that continuing to plead would be impolite.

What should I do from tomorrow?

I stared at the turned wolf and let out a sigh without realizing it.

‘Damn it! If all else fails, I’ll just die!’

I should start researching painless ways to end it all.

“Goodnight.”

I tossed the remaining fire starters and firewood into the campfire.

The overfed campfire simmered for a moment before blazing up even brighter.

Crackle!

A moth flung itself into the flames and disintegrated.

‘If only I could die as quickly as that.’

Lying back with my head resting near the campfire, I closed my eyes, mulling over easy ways to end it all.