PRSR | Chapter 7.5

“I need to finish this errand quickly and get back jjik.”

After knocking out all the humans, Jjikjjiki made sure the ship couldn’t set sail and climbed the stairs with determination, repeating his mission silently to himself.

At the top of the stairs stood a firmly closed door. However, even a thick iron door couldn’t stop an urgent Jjikjjiki. He escaped through the window above the door and delivered a powerful kick to the head of a mercenary standing guard outside.

Bam!

The sound was too heavy for a rat’s blow, and the mercenary was sent flying forward, crashing to the ground with a thud.

“Ugh!”
“What, what’s going on?!”
“What happened? What’s wrong?!”

Hearing the commotion, slave traders and mercenaries scattered throughout the ship hurriedly rushed toward the source of the noise. Jjikjjiki sniffed and clicked his tongue. This wasn’t the situation he expected.

Kang Soul had clearly said there were only “a few humans.” But why were there so many here?

“One jjik… two jjik… three jjik…”

The humans kept moving, making it hard to count. Anyway, there were way too many.

“Soul told me to handle this quietly jjik…”

To make things worse, they were unbearably noisy. Every word they spoke was yelled at the top of their lungs, making Jjikjjiki’s ears ring in pain. How could he handle them quietly and stop the ship from departing?

“Check the lower deck!”
“The door’s locked. And… there’s a rat here!”
“Don’t worry about some rat! Check if the slaves are still in place!”
“But the rat’s wearing a scarf!”
“What? Is it an escaped beastman? Catch it!”
“The slaves are escaping! Stop them!”

One of the slave traders reached out with his filthy hand to grab Jjikjjiki.

“The only one who can touch me is Soul jjik!”

Without hesitation, Jjikjjiki kicked the hand away. With one swift kick, the slave trader, along with a few nearby humans, were sent flying.

“A-animal-type beastmen shouldn’t be this strong!”
“That beastman broke free from its shackles and is escaping!”
“Catch it! If it escapes the ship, it’s over for us! If we lose this one, we won’t be able to operate in this zone anymore!”

How could he handle all these humans quietly and prevent the ship from leaving?

Quietly…

Quietly…

Maybe if he wiped them all out in one go, things would get quiet?

‘If I throw all the humans into the sea, everything will be quiet!’

That way, the humans would stop making noise, and the ship wouldn’t be able to depart.

“Jjik!”

Jjikjjiki chuckled to himself as he leapt onto the nearest mercenary. The mercenary, perhaps still reeling from the earlier kick, was sprawled on the ground clutching the sword he had drawn. Gently, Jjikjjiki reached out his tiny pink hand and touched the blade.

The delicate, tiny fingers turned larger, human-sized, gripping the sword in one hand.

“Wind Cutter.”

* * *

Thump, thump.

The ceiling above began to echo with loud thuds shortly after Jjikjjiki climbed up onto the deck. There was no way a fist-sized mouse running around could cause such noise. The ruckus seemed to come from the slave traders stirring things up upstairs.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

“What do we do? I think they’ve realized we’re trying to escape.”

The Awakened, who had been silently holding their breaths, started whispering anxiously.

“What if someone comes down here…?”
“Don’t worry. Whatever happens, that person will help us.”
“They came all the way here on purpose, so it must be for a quest, right?”
“Anyone strong enough to take on this kind of quest will definitely protect us. We’re safe!”

Their hushed voices grew brighter, and I could feel more eyes turning toward me.

Haha. If only they knew I’m actually the weakest one here.

‘This can’t be right.’

I was getting increasingly worried about Jjikjjiki. What if something went wrong? No matter how strong he is, it’s not guaranteed he won’t face a stronger enemy. Maybe I had been too complacent.

‘I can’t just sit here. I have to go save him….’

Rumble, rumble.

The moment my foot touched the stairs, the ship lurched violently, as if it had been hit by a massive wave.

“Kyahhh!”
“Aaagh!”

Then, the ship split in half.

KWAANG!

“Uwaaah!”
“Save me!”

Before I could even process what was happening, my body was flung into the air. Water surged up through the cleanly split hull, swallowing me whole in an instant.

“Kang Soul!”

Splash!

A familiar voice called my name, and soon after, thick arms wrapped around me. Even as my head spun, I felt myself being pulled to land.

“Cough, cough….”

The moment my feet touched the ground, I collapsed, sitting on the floor with my head hanging low as I coughed violently.

“Are you okay?”

It was Jjikjjiki’s voice. I raised my head to respond, but before I could, the hand he had placed on my shoulder withdrew.

“I’m… fine….”

Or so I thought. But instead of helping me up, Jjikjjiki stood awkwardly in front of me, cradling something carefully in his hands.

“…Puhaha!”

From the small gap in his hands, a tiny mouse poked its head out.

“I thought I was going to die!”

“……”

Ah. So instead of helping me, he had been busy saving that mouse.

“Kang Jjikjjik.”

I glared at him, but Jjikjjiki shielded the mouse with his hand as if to say, don’t even look at my precious find. Suppressing my irritation, I got up on my own.

He used to pull at my pants leg, trying to help me up even as a mouse himself. And now? He won’t even offer a hand. Just because he got a girlfriend doesn’t mean he can suddenly switch attitudes this easily. People always say raising a kid is a thankless job. I pampered him, feeding him only fresh fruits and vegetables, and this is what I get?

“Kang Soul….”

“Forget it. Just put some clothes on.”

I tossed him a pair of pants I had hidden in my coat for emergencies. They were soaking wet, but it was better than wandering around naked.

While Jjikjjiki was busy dressing, I walked toward the pier. Behind me, I heard the hurried sound of his footsteps trying to catch up.

“Kang Soul….”

The pier was in complete chaos. It was only natural, given that a massive ship had been split in half.

Since Jjikjjiki had destroyed the ship instead of directly attacking the slave traders, most of them survived and were now flailing around in the water. As they scrambled ashore, they were promptly seized by knights who had been lying in wait.

“For kidnapping other races and illegal slave trading, you are under arrest!”
“I was just a hired mercenary! I’m innocent!”
“Please, save me!”

Nearby, members of the Brown Merchant Caravan were conducting rescue operations. I had asked Shin Youngho to deliver a letter outlining the plan, but I wasn’t sure they would come through. Thankfully, they showed up just in time.

Merchants from the area, curious about the commotion, were also lending a hand to rescue the captives. Among them, I spotted Shin Youngho and the Awakened.

“Kang Soul!”
“Are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”

They rushed toward me, concern written all over their faces.

“I’m fine. Just soaking wet.”

“We brought towels from the inn in case you ended up in the water, but we didn’t expect the ship to be split in two…. By the way, where’s Jjikjjiki?”

“Jjikjjiki is…”

Probably busy with his new girlfriend.

“Wait, did something happen to Jjikjjiki?”

“No, he’s fine. He’s sleeping in my coat. He must’ve been startled by the water.”

“Thank goodness. In that case, Kang Soul, could you go speak with that person over there? They keep talking to us, but we can’t understand a word they’re saying.”

“Sure, I’ll handle it.”

“We’ll continue with the rescue operations.”

I dried my hair with the towel Shin Youngho handed me as I walked away. Behind me, I could feel someone large trailing after me, but I ignored it.

“Oh, Kang Soul! I’ve been waiting for you.”

A staff member from the merchant caravan greeted me warmly. Beside them stood a familiar face I hadn’t seen in a while.

“It’s been a while, Kang Soul.”

“Jane!”

“So, you’ve doubled your rat collection since I last saw you? What’s so great about mice, anyway?”

“Haha, I guess so.”

From behind me came a faint muttering, “Kang Soul….”

“What brings you here?”

“Why else? I’m here to wipe out those disgusting bugs.”

Grind. Jane clenched her teeth as she glared at the slave traders being hauled away.

“They used to cover their tracks so well, but this time, they got greedy. They left a lot of loose ends trying to kidnap too many people in a short period. The moment I caught wind of it, I rushed over. Thanks to you, things got a lot easier. I owe you one, Kang Soul.”

Jane extended her hand for a handshake. Just as I reached out to take it, Jjikjjiki wedged himself between us.

“Don’t touch Kang Soul.”

Even as he spoke, Jjikjjiki still held the tiny mouse in his hands. Pretending not to notice, I turned to Jane.

“What will happen to the slave traders now?”

“They’ll all be executed.”

“What?!”

“Kidnapping other races is a serious crime. It’s only tolerated because it makes money. The lord here must’ve been turning a blind eye to it, but after this mess, he can’t ignore it any longer. To distance himself, he’ll start cutting ties with them as fast as possible.”

“Cutting ties?”

“Basically, he’ll eliminate them to make it seem like he wasn’t involved. It won’t take more than a week for all of them—including the hired mercenaries—to face execution.”

No wonder they were begging for their lives.

“If it were up to me, I’d drag them all back and crush them myself, but… humans should handle human matters.”

“What about the kidnapped victims?”

“The Brown Merchant Caravan will help them return home before the lord steps in. That way, they’ll have more leverage later.”

The caravan planned to act first, securing goodwill with the victims and forcing the lord to cooperate with their agenda.

“I need to get going. You should rest. See you next time.”

“The inn you were staying at is being searched by knights, so we’ve arranged a new lodging for you. Not just for you, but for the other ‘outsiders’ who were kidnapped as well. Please follow me.”

Jane left to guide the rescued beastmen, and the merchant caravan staff led me to a large inn in the city. Jjikjjiki trailed behind, still clutching the small mouse.

“Is that person following you part of your group?”

“Yes, he’s with me.”

“Should I prepare two single rooms?”

“…Just one double room, please.”

I regretted it the moment I said it.

A double room? What was I thinking? Technically, that little mouse Jjikjjiki treasures so much is also a beastman, so it’s really three occupants, not two. Maybe I should just give the double room to those two and ask for a single room for myself instead. How ironic, considering my attempts to have him socialize with other rats never worked.

“Kang Soul.”

As soon as we entered the room, Jjikjjiki hugged me from behind. He hesitated for a moment, perhaps gauging my reaction, and when I didn’t push him away, he leaned his forehead against my shoulder, rubbing his head against me.

“Are you still mad at me?”

“When did I ever get mad? …Where’s the mouse?”

“Your mouse is right here.”

‘Me, Kang Jjikjjik,’ came a whisper, as soft as a breath, brushing against my ear.

“Stop joking around.”

“I’m not joking. You don’t need any other mouse besides me.”

I pushed away from Jjikjjiki’s arms and looked around, but the little mouse was nowhere to be found.

‘Did it go back home?’

If so, it must mean Jjikjjiki chose to return to me instead of leaving with the mouse. The thought made me feel oddly pleased, though a little unsettled. Was he clinging to me now just because the mouse was gone?

“Kang Soul, I finished my quest. Praise me.”

As I stood there, lost in thought, Jjikjjiki leaned closer until his face was right in front of mine. Then, smack, his lips brushed against mine.

“What are you doing?!”

I shoved him away, forcing him to step back. He smiled brightly and tried to grab my hand, but froze when he saw my expression.

“…Kang Soul, what’s wrong?”

“I told you not to do that!”

“But—”

“If you want to kiss someone, go kiss another mouse!”

“Kang Soul…”

The sharp tone of my voice made him flinch, startled.

But I couldn’t focus on Jjikjjiki right now. My head felt dizzy, my body uncomfortably warm. Was it because I’d fallen into cold water earlier? I needed to take a shower and rest before I could shake off this awful feeling.

Holding my throbbing forehead, I headed toward the bathroom, but Jjikjjiki grabbed my arm.

“But, Kang Soul. We… love each other, don’t we?”

What nonsense is he saying now?

“I don’t love you.”

I shrugged off his hand easily, and it dropped to his side. His face twisted, slowly crumpling like someone descending into despair.

“I-I….”

His voice sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

“…Just rest. I’m going to… take a walk.”

Jjikjjiki cut himself off mid-sentence, transformed back into a mouse, and darted out of the room.

The suddenness of it all caught me off guard. He didn’t even leave through the door but jumped straight out the window. I couldn’t stop him. Panicked, I ran to the window and leaned out, shouting after him.

“Jjikjjiki!”