Peterson woke up at the sounds of waves crashing into the rocks. Although the sounds were not that loud, his sensitive hearing ate every echo in the cave which interrupted his sleep.

“… ahhh… where am…” he realized that he was lying on several direwolves’ fur as a makeshift bed. The rocky walls, protruding crystals and shining stalagmites made it obvious for him that he was on a cave. But it had a lot of furniture, kitchenware, and everything that made up a normal house.

It seemed at first to be small room but when his eyes surveyed further, the cave halls went even deeper which made him think that maybe this is a giant serpent’s residence. It had a regal and expensive looking carpet on the floor. The rocky floor was covered by hundreds of animal furs and straw mats.

‘Either I was taken to a witch’s cave or –’ then he remembered his fight with Mizuki.

‘ – this must be Mesoki’s place. Oh yeah, I almost forgot that she took residence on a cave system by the cliffs…’ the sounds of the sea only confirmed his latter guess.

Sunlight enters the cave through the small openings on the walls which were obviously not naturally made.

“I lost then? Haaa… hahahahaha… she really is one of the most beautiful and rare flower I had ever seen...” he lay on the fur with ease and covered his joyful eyes with his arm.

As he stood up, he tried to check his entire body if he was chained or bound but no chains or rope was found.

‘… I can only guess that she did not bring me here for some experiments. But why am I here then?’ He is now trying to reconstruct the events after he lost his consciousness.

‘And the last thing I remembered was something struck my body multiple times and I was out… so was I… wait, did I actually die?’ he never experienced death that didn’t even know the difference between a coma and death.

‘If I did die, then what she just did is actually outstanding! She managed to kill me! I thought I was actually undying! So that was death, huh. Not a very interesting place.’ he misunderstood something due to his half-baked knowledge.

‘But… seeing that I am here laying on animal furs instead under the deep earth means that she must have seen the state of my body up close. And also I am not tied up, I am not in a boiling pot of water, I am not imprisoned, I am not in “several pieces” and hanged on a ceiling… or opened up to be dissected…’ he knew his inhuman body and already prepared his mind and body for so long in any event that he was captured. Though he didn’t even notice how abnormally calm he is about it.

‘Hmmm the only thing that comes to my mind is curiosity… If I am on Mizuki’s shoes, I would interrogate or ask the child with strange body. And speaking of which, where is she-’

As he is thinking about her, he felt something protruding on his chest. Blood spurts out from the tip that is showing off on the surface of his skin.

“Wha-” he realize that he was impaled from his back by a javelin. It struck him so quick and silence that his proud senses were not able to see it coming.

He vomits out blood, dropped to the cave floor and lost consciousness once again.

Then his flesh moved immediately to forcibly take out the javelin, leaving a hole in his back which was again covered by worm-like veins. Only the new skin on the former injury was left.

“Magnificent… so you really are an immortal?” a clapping sound and Mizuki’s enthusiastic voice echoed in the cave.

“Would you please avoid throwing a javelin at my back just after waking up?” Peterson complained as he stood up.

“I needed to make sure~” she smiled.

“Then couldn’t you just do it when I was asleep?” he asked.

“Yeah, I already did.” She replied.

“Wait, what?”

Mizuki rushed towards him in quick movement, she was so excited that their face was literally breaths away as she talks.

“I tried to skin you but your body replaces a new one. I kept cutting off your limbs but your body also keeps growing another. I tried separating you from your waist and putting an obstacle for its regrowth but your body just melted the metallic plate I set and grew another waist anyway. I tried cutting your feet and burning the wounds, just to test if it will acknowledge losing a limb if the wound is healed, but your body just forcibly opened up the wounds and grew another set. I also separated you from your head–” Mizuki enjoyed the explanation that it only gave mental pain to Peterson.

“Okay, okay! Stop! I get the idea. Haaa…. So that’s the reason of my painful nightmares earlier.” Peterson sighed.

“Yeah! Yeah! So little puppy, what are you?!” her excited eyes made him lower his guard which let her embrace him on his back.

‘Little puppy? What in the world did she just name me?’ he thought.

“You are not human that’s for sure but I have never seen such a thing in my life!” she exclaimed, holding him up with her strong bear-hug, side to side.

“Anyway, because of your experiments and unpermitted dissections on my body, I got hungry. So I may have to hunt three boars just to fill myself. How long was I out anyway?” He inquired.

“Hmmm~ three days… no wait, you were unconscious for six days if we count the other three days I took you apart! Nee~ Nee~ as I have mentioned, I found out that your heart were surrounded with more muscles than normal, they were quite elastic when I cut one down-” Mizuki continued telling what she discovered about his body and its innards. He had to listen to her gruesome tales for a long time until a growling sound from his stomach came out.

“Oh you’re hungry, don’t worry, I have prepared a deer. Come come!” she dragged Peterson by hand.

‘She wasn’t this… kind of enthusiastic when she first met me.’ Peterson thought as he wondered on the change on Mizuki’s beaming personality.

He was led to the upper floor of the cave which surprised him as he didn’t expect such structures inside the cave. They stopped at the third floor but he noticed that the stairs were still going upwards so he can only assume that there are more upper floors. Maybe even scaling the cliffs.

Their destination seemed to be similar to a veranda which overlooks the sea and the entrance of the cave on the side. It had a flat surface which had a long table and four wooden chairs. Along with the salty wind from the sea, he smelled a nice aroma of roasted meat.

“Just wait and sit on one of the chairs, I will just get the food. They should be ready by now.” Mizuki disappeared back on the veranda’s opening.

Peterson sat at a chair and as he waited, he leaked a breath of admiration seeing the good position of the floor to see the great scenery of the forests and sea below him.

“Now I am not surprised anymore on why she never left this cave after years of living here.” He spoke out his thoughts.

“Well it’s much better to work on my herbs and medicines on a quiet place.” Mizuki returned with a wooden cart full of food. It was still early in the morning so they will be taking their breakfast.

And their breakfast was quite luxurious for Peterson; meat stew, white bread, fruits, eggs, three roasted venison, salted fish and vegetables. Along with a small barrel of ale.

He wondered about where she got all of these then he saw the array of vegetable plants, chickens and pigs just below them.

“Anyway, thank you for the food.” Peterson took his wooden spoon and started eating.

“Itadakimasu.” Mizuki clasped her two hands.

“Hmm?”

“Just a phrase in my country before eating. Anyway let’s start.”

He devoured almost all the dishes that were prepared without a single talk between them. Mizuki also quietly continued eating as she observed Peterson.

They were able to finish just in time when the sun was rising on the horizon. They were now standing on the cave’s rocky veranda.

“So Peterson, what are you?” she asked.

“Heh, you really are that interested to what happened to me?” he grinned.

“Of course! Anyone would! And I have never seen someone defy Death!” she raised her two arms in air as if to show her excitement.

“Defy?… Hmm… let’s just say that… I can’t be killed-ah no, that shouldn’t be it… yeah, I just cannot die.” He cleared out.

“So you are immortal?” she asked again.

“Close but… I myself don’t know actually.”

“Hm?” his answer only made Mizuki confused.

“My body had been like this since I was born.” Peterson continued.

“Wait, if my thoughts are correct… could it be that your family doesn’t know your state?” Mizuki asked. She remembered that Peterson is a child of House Bauhnmont, the family that ruled this land. So he is a noble.

Peterson shook his head.

“Who were the first to discover your ability?”

Peterson just answered with a mischievous grin.

“So you can’t tell me~” she pretended to have a puppy eyes.

“It’s not as if I cannot but I have some questions of my own first before I answer that. It’s my turn now. So, how did you kill me? What did you do?” Peterson asked with glittering eyes.

“You don’t even bat an eye on asking someone who may have took your life and even had the interest on the way you were killed, hehehe~” she immediately hugged him from his back. Peterson decided to just let her be.

“Actually I never did. All I did was just a complex piercing points that stops the animation of a living body.” she continued.

Peterson thinks for several seconds while she waited for his response.

“Basically, you just stopped my body from being alive. But… because I am incapable of dying… I just sat on the middle line, neither alive nor dead.” He asked for her confirmation.

“That is one way to see it. But yeah. Even if I try to explain it to you further, you will still not understand as only those who were taught knew and understand how this works.”

“Try me.” Peterson insisted.

“Nope~ I know you will not understand. After seeing how you also don’t know what I used against you before our fight, I finally realize how different our way of fighting. It cannot be explained in a single sentence or words. For example, do you even know the word called Shi chi?”

He shook his head.

“See? Even if I explain it to you, you will still not understand it.”

Peterson remembered such scene where he felt that he was on the mouth of the abyss itself. Seeing how he is contemplating at her words, she assured him.

“Don’t worry. Seeing that we will be living together from now on, I will be able to slowly teach you how.”

“Wait what?” he raised his eyebrow at her statement.

“Come come~ let’s take a bath together!” Peterson isn’t sure where she didn’t hear him or just plainly ignored his question. She just cheerfully dragged him down back to the cave, leaving their wooden plates unattended.

“Don’t worry, someone will come and clean that up for us.” She answered what he is thinking.

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They went to another room inside the cave. What was waiting for them was a large wooden tub enough to fit three to four people. It was already filled with water. Peterson assumed that she may have prepared it already before he even woke up.

Peterson, along with Mizuki, stripped themselves of their clothes and folded them at the corner, out of the reach of possible splashes of water.

Only now that Peterson noticed the mature body and features of Mizuki. He thought that he already considered her according to her age but he realized that he never did.

Mizuki appeared to be in her mid-twenties. And at closer look, she has youthful, shining, smooth skin and with traits in her prime at peak figure. She has both the curves of a woman and the iron-like muscles of a warrior that were obviously the result of harsh training and life in the battlefield.

Below her weighty breasts is the bulging eight pack abs, along with the countless scars that made her body even more attractive. Her plump thighs were also a great sight that increased her sex appeal even further.

Her entire body gave off an alluring aura to any opposite sex who would see her naked.

Finally realized that Peterson is looking at her body, she slightly blushed and hid her embarrassment with a teasing grin. She stuck out her chest proudly as if to she wanted him to look even more.

“By the way, how old are you Mesoki?” Peterson noticed her intention and decided to change the topic for a moment.

“It’s Mizuki. Come on, say it correctly.” She told him the proper pronunciation of her name.

“Me…soki” Peterson repeated.

“Mi…Zu…Ki… Mi-Zu-Ki… Mi-Zu-Ki. Mizuki.” She taught him the proper way of saying it.

“Mi…so, zu…ki. Mi…zuki.” Peterson repeated once more.

“That’s it! Now back to your question… Hmm… I don’t know how you measure time in this continent but I should be 20 years old when I left on a ship that got caught in a storm. And… if I add my four years of stay in your lands… then I should be 24 years old by now… or maybe even more. How about you? It’s just… Are you really a child? I admit that I was not a normal child when I was your age… but you seem too mature… you act and feel like an adult.” Mizuki trying to guess his real age.

“I will be 14 years old this year.” He answered.

“Ehh? I thought you were actually much older than your appearance!” Mizuki exclaimed.

“You are not the first one to ask that question with the very same perception of me.”

“Hehe, sorry sorry~ Here let me pour water on you first.”

Peterson sat on one of the small wooden chairs near the tub. Then she poured a small bucket of water on his body. It was actually warmer, much to his surprise as he expected the water to be colder.

“Hehehe, its warm right?”

“How?”

“That’s a secret. Now turn your body and let me scrub away the dirt.” Peterson obeyed her request.

As she used a smooth stone to scrub out the stains on his skin, this time, it was Mizuki’s turn who noticed the abnormal rigid body of Peterson. He already mentioned his real age but that doesn’t tell how he got the body with pure muscles that almost had no fat. From head to his feet, it gives off the sense of strength, iron-like flesh and well-toned proportions.

She knew that he had past experiences in fighting but there are no scars on his body. Cleaning every corners of his body took her several minutes to finish. She wanted him to be clean before letting him take a dip. She also made use of her self-made soap made from horse fat, ash and herbs.

After that she tossed the stone to the sides and poured several buckets of warm water on him. Then she pulled him inside the tub between her legs.

“Now face your punishment from losing against me!” water splashed all around as Mizuki hugged him again. Peterson small stature made him fit between Mizuki’s legs and hug. He just realized the size and softness of Mizuki’s breasts when he let his back rest unto her chest.

‘I didn’t expect she was this clingy.’ Peterson thought.

“You are now mine… so you will need to answer some new questions I forgot to asked earlier.” She declared.

His head was used by Mizuki to support her chin which caused him to feel and hear her consistent breaths.

“So everytime you die, you will just keep coming back?” she asked.

“Yeah.” Peterson confirmed.

“Fascinating! I envy you~” she pinched his two cheeks from side to side.

“Most people would. As this is one of the lifelong dreams of any mortal. And I am still growing as years go by.” He forcibly took her hands off his face. But she started playing with his wet hair instead.

“But what happens if you get older? Will you stop aging at a certain point or will you keep on…”

“I don’t know but I will find out sooner as I reach that age.” He shrugged.

“So you also don’t know.”

“Yeah, by the way… why am I here? I feel that you didn’t carry me back to your place just to dissect or study my body.” Peterson changed the subject.

“You are quite perceptive aren’t you?”

“If I am not, then I would’ve lost instantly at the first clash of our blades.” Peterson looked up to her with curving upward lips, under her face.

“Yeah and I still stood with my previous words, you are the deadliest and strongest opponent I ever had.” Mizuki beamed.

“I am flattered. And so are you.”

“Yeah, hehehe…Hmmm~ Hmmm~ Hmmm~” Mizuki hummed happily.

“So what was the reason?” Peterson returned back to his question.

“Oh, I am the winner of our duel, right?” she asked.

“Uhuh?”

“So that means I have also the right to demand something to the loser.” She claimed.

“Although I never set up any conditions for the winner before our duel… but fine, so what do you want? I don’t have much coin in me so do you want me to kill someone? Help you steal? Hunt a monster? Sleep with yo-”

“I want you.” Mizuki answered by cuddling to him even closer.

“Uhhh… excuse me?” her words have puzzled Peterson.

“Hahahaha! Sorry, that must have confused you. Let me rephrase that again. You, Peterson are my prize in winning our duel.”

“Uhhhuhh… sorry, but I am still confused.”

Although he already may have an idea on what she is talking about, he doesn’t want to embarrassingly get the wrong idea so he pretended.

“Hmmm…. let’s see… In my country, we always take the heads of our defeated enemies as trophies… but seeing that you cannot die. I will take the whole of you instead.”

“I kind… of get your point. Slaves and Gold were plunders for the winners. But-”

“Hm?” she tilted her head.

“Well, even I know how to respect the results of the duel. Fine, I lost anyway. Just don’t dissect me whenever you want. I may be undying but I can still feel pain you know.” Peterson conceded.

“You dislike pain but you were not afraid of fighting someone that may possibly give you a lot of pain, if not death.”

“Hahahahahahaha! I can’t argue with that. What I am feeling is like what moths felt when they are flying around a candle fire. The fire can burn and kill them, yet… they still gather around it. Attracted by the beauty of fire.”

‘He really is like me.’ Mizuki smiled as she thought.

“So by becoming your prize, will I become your slave or something?” he asked.

“I am not asking that vulgar, just come to me when I call you. Your family will get worried if they think I kidnapped you. It will be very bad for me to keep up a good life here if they send an army to hunt me down in retaliation.” Mizuki said.

‘But you already did.’ Peterson answered silently.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that.” he assured her.

“Why?”

“I am the youngest of child. A spare of spares to be exact. And especially now, that my eldest brother is about to reach his coming of age. So they don’t really care whether I die in a ditch somewhere or get eaten by wolves. I always lived and sleep in the castle’s stable anyway.” Peterson shrugged.

“Then you can live here with me!”

“Hmm, I have no problem about that but can I ask something in exchange?” he pleaded.

“Yes what is it?”

“I only know how to fight with short swords, daggers and knives. But your… strange weapons got my full attention and interest.”

“Yeah, they were quite strange for this country.”

“So teach me.” he requested.

“Why? You have your own-”

“I just like doing what’s interesting for me. And your foreign sword art is one of the most beautiful and deadliest dance I have ever seen.”

“Hmmmm… I don’t know about that~”

Then Peterson spoke the words that would really tickle her ears.

“If I learn how you fight, then wouldn’t it be very, very interesting to fight an undying with your own set of skills?” Peterson grinned teasingly.

Mizuki was taken aback by his statement. Then her heart started beating loudly that his back, which was stuck so close to her chest, felt the intense throbbing.

“Hehehehehe!” she happily hugged him from behind, clinging to him.

“We will start after this bath!”

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Peterson got out first and exited the bathroom. Then he heard an echoing yell from the outside.

“Mizuki, are you there? I already finished washing the dishes. Is someone here with you? I will be visiting the town later to buy some salt.”

He wrapped his lower body with a cloth and made his way through the caverns.

“Mizuki! I will be coming inside! I will be borrowing your cart and horse!” the person yelled.

Peterson realized that this person was a woman. Mizuki was still inside the room so he went to the entrance to get the dry clothes and meet this seemingly familiar visitor.

He found the dried clothes hanging on a corner of the wall where Mizuki told him about and started dressing himself. But the person herself entered the cave already. Peterson was still naked when she saw him.

And the person in herself wasn’t just a familiar sight for Peterson but it was his close acquaintance. She was also shocked to see him there.

“Well, well… I didn’t know you were the aforementioned dish washer of Mizuki.” Peterson smirked.

She silently walked towards him with a smile.

“Hello Peterson.”

Then all of the sudden, she reached for a rock nearby and in an attempt; she tried to hit Peterson with it. But he was able to stop her by nimbly catching both of her hands. It always surprises her everytime he shows that his childish appearance and age is not consistent with his strength.

He was able to make her slip by sweeping her feet then he pushed her towards the ground.

“What is wrong with women nowadays? Trying to kill me just after seeing me.” he grinned.

“Y-you!!”

“Good day to you too, whiteborn.” He only smiled towards her glaring eyes.

“Don’t call me that!!” she snapped.

“You shouldn’t use a rock if you don’t know how to use it effectively. Why not show me again your great skills with threads and needles, Nessi?” Peterson teased her.

“Shut up! Let go of me! You fucking monster!” she struggled to get out of his hold and weight but failed to do so.

“Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha! Aren’t you the same?” He sneered.

“Uhh… do the two of you actually know each other?” a naked Mizuki returned with two dry towels and a confused look.

Peterson quickly released her and started putting on his clothes again. Then Nessi slowly stood up and patted her clothes of dirt from the ground.

“Nessi, did you already finish washing the dishes?” Mizuki asked her while drying her black hair.

“Yeah, I want to borrow your horse and cart. We will need a lot of supplies to prepare for the winter. And the prices will slowly increase as that season approaches.” Nessi explained.

Mizuki helped Nessi prepare her horse and the cart along with the lists of supplies needed to be bought. And how much coins she had to bring. Peterson just silently grinned at them, watching. Nessi knew what he is doing but she decided to ignore it for now, much to her frustrations. Mizuki also noticed their peculiar and strange familiarity.

Both of them see off Nessi leading Shinobu with a cart. She still doesn’t know how to ride a horse so she just took the reins and led the horse in the trail. Nessi gave a quick glare to Peterson before she disappeared in the woods.

“Puppy~ you shouldn’t do that to girls you know. What you just did is terribly rude.” Mizuki hugged him from his back.

“By the way do the two of you know each other?” she asked.

“Are you jealous?” he teased.

“Nope, but I am curious. After all, I was already living with Nessi when her mother died. And the boy who will be living with us is actually acquainted with her. It is obvious that she has deep grudge on you. So… why is that~” she playfully poked his cheeks with her fingers.

“I just told her the words she doesn’t want to hear in the past and that may have been the start.” He said.

“Hehh… but you shouldn’t be too hard on her for now. She actually has a potential which I wanted to see. And I don’t want her to get stuck on sadness and hatred. After all, her mother was just displayed like what harpies do to their prey. I don’t know much about human emotions but maybe she is still depressed about that.”

“Pfff… hahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahaha!” Peterson laughed at her words.

“What?” Mizuki just smiled in confusion at his sudden laughter.

“Hahahaha… haa… Oh come on, Mizuki. I know her much longer than you did. Nessi would never get sad over something like that!” Peterson replied.