Chapter 143 – Small Changes (5)

The maker of prosthetic arms and limbs famous in the north was now regretting his good deeds.

One day, I saw a beastman whose leg had been cut off and made a prosthetic leg suitable for that beastman. Suin, who always had to walk on three legs while lying down, was able to walk on two legs after attaching his prosthetic leg. He was moved by the fact that he could stand on his own two feet, and his fellow white-skinned leopard said to the maker of the prosthetic arm:

“I will definitely repay this favor.”

It’s been years since the snow leopard said that. The prosthetic hand maker fell to the floor and was tied to a rope, while the snow leopard looked down at him with grim eyes. The producer couldn’t understand this treat. I heard rumors that beastmen suddenly changed and attacked humans, but I thought it was a misunderstanding.

Since the people attacked were hunters, he believed that there must be some complicated circumstances he didn’t know about. However, there was no logic or morality in their raid.

“Sah, live… ! Kkeuk… !”

In front of the maker’s eyes, the woodcutter broke his neck and died. After biting off his neck, the prisoner shook his corpse like a toy and threw it on a tree branch. The prisoners saw it and giggled.

“Hey, what is this? Ugh, didn’t I say that I would repay the favor! You sick bastard!”

The village was burning. Engineers and woodcutters, a simple village where people live simply, have been brutally torn apart. The woodcutter’s limbs rolled across the floor, and the tanner’s shack was drenched in blood. The snow leopard was showing off its pure white fur even in the scene dyed red.

“What are you saying we did wrong! I haven’t done anything wrong to you! How do you do this! It’s like a guy who doesn’t even know grace! I wasn’t making prosthetic limbs for prisoners!”

“The favor has been repaid. I killed them all, but you saved me.”

The snow leopard said so with a calm face. The prisoners were silently eating corpses or collecting useful items. For the prosthetic hand maker, the sight of the belly skin of his acquaintances being ripped off right in front of him felt so unrealistic.

“Ahhh… !”

I felt like I was losing my mind. As he shook his head as his body trembled, the snow leopard calmly instructed the beastmen.

“There must be no one alive other than this one. Kill all the children too.”

Wolf-like beastmen and large wild boar beastmen sniffed and entered the huts. Blood splattered with screams from every corner of the house, warehouse, and basement. The snow leopard only nodded in spite of the brutal massacre.

“Aaaaagh!”

The prosthetic hand maker rolled over his body trembling. The snow leopard knocked out the maker who had a seizure, and then he and the beastmen fled the village.

*****

Cold water wet his face. The prosthetic arm maker opened his eyes in amazement and found himself lying on a soft bed. His warm room was covered with animal skins, and his prosthetic tools were placed around him. There was a buzzing noise outside.

“Wow, is it a dream?”

The layout of the room was the way he knew it.

“Is it a dream? That, right?”

He knew that the texture of the wall had changed. However, he pretended not to know and turned his head away. The structure of the ceiling was also different from his own, but he tried hard to avoid reality.

There was no way the beastmen would have invaded and killed all the villagers.

There’s no way he could be alone in such a soft bed.

I tried to ignore the sound of dogs barking outside, the beastly body odor, and the bloody smell of sulfur and blood. He sat astride the bed, shaking his body, trying to believe it was all a dream.

“This is a dream… ! That it was a dream… ! I had a bad dream… !”

“You woke up.”

But his hypnosis could not continue. The snow leopard slammed the door open, pulling him into reality. The moment he met the snow leopard’s eyes, the prosthetic hand maker’s legs gave out and collapsed to the ground.

“Ahhh… !”

Only a sigh came out of his mouth. My body trembled and tears welled up. The snow leopard checked the condition of the prosthetic hand maker, and he grabbed him by the back and began to drag him outside. The prosthetic arm maker was dragged along as he led him without even resisting.

When I came out of the door, the smell of sulfur was carried by the cool breeze unique to the valley. The unpleasant smell, like being near a geyser, was mixed with the smell of blood, which made me awake. The prosthetic hand maker, who managed to return to reality, faced an imp that was eating meat right in front of his nose.

“Aaaaagh!”

With bright red blood smeared all over his mouth, the imp frowned. The snow leopard looked at the producer with a puzzled face, and the laughter stopped in the banquet hall.

“What is it, is this the guy who is good at making prosthetic hands?”

The snow leopard nodded at the imp’s question. The imp let out a frivolous laugh and poked his finger across the prosthetic hand maker’s face.

“This, this is so cheesy, can you make a prosthetic arm for our Drek-Psy? It looks like it will break if you hit it?”

“Don’t touch me. If you get into trouble, it’s your responsibility.”

Hee hee! Okay. I know.”

The devil began to eat meat again. The interest that had been poured into the producer melted into excitement and drunkenness again and disappeared without a trace. The demon and the beast man were drinking alcohol facing each other, and blood was oozing from the raw meat.

The prosthetic hand maker tried to keep his sanity. The needle-like mountains and the freezing wind were definitely in the north, but there were only demons and beastmen in front of them. The snow leopard was leisurely penetrating among the demons, and the prosthetic arm maker’s body was sweeping the snow like a plow. The maker exclaimed.

“Ah, siding with the devil! Don’t the prisoners have any pride! I thought you guys were proud warriors! How can you work for demons like that!”

The snow leopard sternly urged the maker of the prosthetic arm.

“Be quite! Don’t be arrogant and talk about our Drek-Psy!”

The creator froze again at the ferocious figure with his teeth exposed. He did not want to die, his survival instinct preceded hatred. The snow leopard raised the body of the prosthetic hand maker and brushed off the snow on his back. His whole body vibrated each time his heavy arms slapped his back.

“Walk forward.”

The snow leopard said so and pushed the creator’s back. Against his will, the prosthetic hand maker had to roll towards the tent.

“Wow!”

The tent arrived pushed by force. There, a huge demon was looking down on him. As if a stone statue of a hero had been moved as it was, a demon with curved muscles was looking down at him. His horns were huge like idols, his body was wrapped in bandages, and he was missing an arm.

“Ahhh… !”

The prosthetic hand maker trembled in amazement. Just by looking at the devil’s eyes, he couldn’t make a rational decision. As the demon beckoned, another demon from the tent leisurely walked out. He was a chubby demon with a long trunk like an elephant.

While the prosthetic hand’s maker was distracted by the demon, he spread his thick hand and pressed the hand’s head.

“Ahhh… !”

Violet energy emanated from the demon’s hand, and the prosthetic hand’s whole body trembled. The creator twisted his body, he tried to somehow resist this aura. He sensed that they were trying to brainwash him, so he thought he needed to get his head right.

“Keuk… !ぅ… ! Ah… ! No… ! Like this… ! Ah!”

The prosthetic hand maker widened his eyes. He tried to somehow raise the body about to fall to his knees, and face the devil squarely. The moment the purple energy pierced his temples and stirred in his brain, the prosthetic hand maker lowered his head again in amazement.

Why did you try to go against the great imp Drek-Psy? Serving this person is the right thing to do, so why would you want to do that? The dead villagers are just stupid, so why did I resent this person?

Drek – Said Psy.

“How long will it take to make my prosthetic arm?”

The prosthetic hand maker nodded his head with his blank eyes.

“…Drek – Psy is big, so he needs time to draw and measure. I can’t tell you exactly how long it will take. And I’m guessing that a lot of iron and money will go into making this prosthetic arm…”

“Don’t worry about that. Snow Leopard!”

As Drek-Psy called his name, the snow leopard came in from outside the tent, wagging his tail.

“Yes!”

“While this guy draws the blueprints, you pack up your troops and plunder mines and villages! The blacksmiths are coming! Spread the rumor that the leader is an imp all over the North!”

“Yes!”

The snow leopard is gone. The prosthetic hand maker raised his hands toward Drek-Psy, who believed in him and gave him time.

“Drek – Psy! Long live-!”

“Drek – Psy! Long live-!”

Tears flowed from the prosthetic hand maker’s eyes. He was so happy, I couldn’t understand why he was crying. I just shouted hurrah louder enough to burn out all these passionate emotions.

“Drek – Psy! Long live-!”