Thanks for the Invitation, I'm in Terra, and I'm a Parasite

...Then the conclusion was obvious.

Human flesh.

And if the other party was Infected, then their characteristic of spitting out Originium Crystals was explained as well.

Human flesh could provide greater nourishment. Although the Originium Crystals contained within an Infected person could also provide nourishment, they were far inferior to the human part.

Just as people ate the fruit and threw away the peel.

The latter was edible, certainly, but compared to the former, it was unnecessary.

When that flesh was unconscious, prioritizing food that provided more nourishment was in line with biological instinct.

The energy provided by the human body far exceeded that of other substances.

That really was... distasteful.

Zuo Jian froze as he thought of this.

Wait, why was his reaction so calm?

After realizing that, shouldn't he have...

No, that wasn't right.

He was calm because he would never do something like that.

...That was it.

It had to be.

"Zuo Jian?"

[...]

"Zuo Jian!"

[!?]

[Laurentina... what is it?]

His thoughts were interrupted. Laurentina's voice seemed somewhat worried.

"What's wrong with you? You've seemed a little off since earlier."

[I'm just a little tired. Maintaining the connection to that distant flesh may have put some strain on my mind.]

The expression on Laurentina's face and the emotions she gave off were no different from the behavior known as "worry."

Zuo Jian did not tell her what he had just been thinking about.

[By the way, are you hungr—?]

[Wait, someone's approaching.]

"What?"

Laurentina paused, then discovered that a young child had suddenly crashed into her.

During the collision, a metal clasp-like structure at her waist was easily torn off. The boy grabbed the metal clasp in his hand, turned, and ran.

"Hey! You brat—"

Laurentina wanted to shout something, but the other party had no intention of paying attention to her and took off running.

"Tch, forget it. Didn't you say that parts separated from the main body would dissipate after a few seconds? Right, Zuo Jian?"

She lowered her head, only to find that the pupil formed from the Sapphire on her chest was staring coldly at the fleeing child.

"Zuo Jian?"

[Huh? It's nothing... Let's follow him, Laurentina. That part won't disappear for now. We can use it as a tracking beacon.]

"Follow him?"

Laurentina was puzzled.

[A child stealing... I just feel like we can't let it slide. At the very least, shouldn't we give him a verbal lesson?]

"You're right. As expected of you, Mr. Left Hand. You have such a strong sense of justice."

Laurentina remarked, then chased after him.

Still, with her skills, was there really any need to keep that piece of flesh from dissipating as a tracking beacon?

He was just a child. She could easily keep up.

She shook her head. She would take it as Zuo Jian being overly concerned.

(...Damn it, I slept all day and still haven't improved. I checked, and the fever's gotten worse.)

(I only managed to write one chapter this morning. I really don't have the strength for a second one. I need to see a doctor today... I'll make up the rest tomorrow...)

(Addendum... The fever's fried my brain. I only just realized the chapter I wrote this morning was never even posted...)

Simple Folkways

[Around the corner, go straight for five hundred meters.]

[There'll be a wall in a hundred meters, Laurentina. Jump over it.]

"Got it. By the way, what's with this strange feeling? Are you a navigation system?"

Laurentina easily cleared the wall, which stood nearly three meters high, then landed as lightly as a feather.

[The small house at three o'clock. There. Go inside.]

"Is no one inside?"

[There are people, but they pose no threat.]

"...All right, I'll listen to you."

After casually observing the house's layout, Laurentina turned sideways and climbed in directly through the window.

"Phew..."

There were no lights in the house. A damp smell filled every corner, and the wooden surfaces occasionally gave off a faint scent of mold.

She could not help frowning.

Did anyone really live here?

Crack.

As she examined the surroundings, a slight sound from near her feet made her pause.

Laurentina looked down and saw that a thin hemp rope had somehow looped around her ankle.

"What... is this?"

She raised her head and saw that the other end of the rope appeared to be connected to some sort of weighted mechanism.

[Judging from its structure, it should be a trap.]

[But both the rope material and the weight at the end are far too crude. Is this a trap for catching small animals?]

"Huh? Catching small animals? Would you set this kind of trap inside a house? Shouldn't this thing be set up outdoors?"

A fine, narrow edge silently emerged around Laurentina's ankle, and the rope was easily sliced apart as if it were a sheet of tissue paper.

"Um, those of you hiding in the corner? Why don't you come out and have a talk?"

There was no response.

Ah, right. No matter how one looked at it, she seemed to be the suspicious one—the dangerous person who had broken into someone else's home without permission, didn't she?

"Zuo Jian, can we really wait for that brat in this house?"

[A child's legs definitely can't compare to yours. Judging by the normal route, we can't be wrong.]

[Estimated... he'll arrive in a few seconds.]

"What exactly do you mean by a few sec—"

Creak.

The dilapidated wooden door let out a teeth-grating scraping sound.

The filthy child entered the room excitedly, clutching the glittering metal clasp.

Yet the instant he looked up, he saw Laurentina standing not far away, wearing a kindly smile as she watched him.

Upon seeing him, she even waved.

"Hello, little brat... Ahem, little friend."

"Could you give that back to me?"

She stepped forward and held out her hand toward the child.

The boy was so frightened by Laurentina's smile that he could not speak, trembling as he backed away several steps.

"Bench, stay away from her."

A low voice suddenly came from behind. Laurentina turned and found several equally gaunt adults in ragged burlap clothes emerging from the shadows.

"I thought you'd stay hidden in the corner forever. What, it seems you know each other?"

[There's one more who hasn't shown himself. He appears to be watching us from a corner.]

[But his threat level is low. We can basically ignore him.]

She allowed the child to flee past her and join the two men. Laurentina looked up and asked curiously.

"Who are you, outsider?"

Someone was the first to ask.

"Hmm, good question. As for me, you can think of me as a passing sculpt—"

[That's too suspicious. You aren't carrying anything related to sculpture, and your outfit doesn't fit either. If you're going to bluff the locals, at least use a more plausible excuse.]

Zuo Jian directly interrupted Laurentina's introduction in her mind.

Huh? Then what should I call myself, a bounty hunter?

[Why not call yourself a Painter?]

No, I like sculpture.

[What if they ask you to prove it? A sculptor can't quickly prove their identity or anything.]

And a Painter can? I'm only average at painting.

[But I'm very good at painting.]

...How do you manage to have such inexplicable confidence?

[Anyway, calling yourself a Painter will make it easier to explain, Laurentina...]

No. I like sculpture.

[But Painter makes more sense!]

No. Sculpture.

"As you can see, I'm a passing sculptor."

"As you can see, I'm a passing Painter."

Laurentina froze, then swiftly materialized a mouth on the hem of her skirt.

There was a mouth there that had spoken without permission.

Yet, contrary to both their expectations—

The others exchanged glances, then began asking each other.

"Did you hear what she said?"