The Last Monarch : Unlimited Regeneration
Chapter 53: Road to the Capital (Part 2)

Chapter 53: Road to the Capital (Part 2)

The beast wasn’t a major threat, but it was annoying enough. Alvaric had been fighting alone against the monsters affected by Mana Fracture.

His body began experiencing strange things. Boils started to appear. They damaged his skin, but he didn’t care. As long as it only affected his skin, he would be fine.

"I’ll handle this. Just stay put!" said Alvaric.

At first, he fought the beasts using only his fists, but after realizing how bothersome it was, he pulled out the Vapper’s Dagger. With a single graceful slash through the air, the deer-like beast collapsed—dead in an instant without a sound.

Tamae stared at him for a long time. "You’re not using magic?"

"I’ve got a bit of Mana in me. Not very useful."

"You’re really not a normal person."

Alvaric glanced at her, puzzled by her words. At the same moment, two beasts leapt and attacked him directly.

Tamae wanted to scream, but before she could say anything, the two beasts were instantly cut in half. They were dead.

Alvaric returned his focus. "Come at me, all of you!"

He grew more brutal. One by one, he defeated the beasts until none were left.

Tamae, who stood still, swallowed hard—both amazed and slightly terrified.

"His body keeps healing itself," she muttered.

It was a power she had never seen before. Tamae looked at Alvaric like she was watching an undead creature fighting.

As if he was impossible to defeat. Even when a beast bit into Alvaric’s chest, it healed within seconds.

"Is he not... mortal?"

***

After a few minutes, Alvaric was done. His clothes were soaked with the fluids coming from the Mana Fractured beasts.

Sweat and blood nearly covered his entire body. He smelled like rotten eggs. Tamae almost threw up.

"Don’t come any closer!" Tamae yelled.

She pulled something from her bag and threw it at Alvaric. When Alvaric saw what Tamae had given him, he frowned.

"Are you insane? This is a skirt," he complained.

"If you don’t want to wear it, then don’t even think about getting inside during our journey to the capital. You’ll have to stay outside."

Tamae gave Alvaric a disgusted look. She covered her nose and didn’t even dare to look directly at his skin, which was erupting strangely from the Mana Fracture.

"Use it or..."

Alvaric sighed long and hard. "Fine. Wait here! I’ll go look for a river first." As he turned to walk away, he paused and looked back at Tamae. "If I clean myself properly, that’s it, right? I can just bathe."

Tamae shook her head. "Your skin still reeks. The stench won’t go away that easily," she replied.

Alvaric was silent for a few seconds, dazed. "You’re not messing with me, right?"

"Of course not."

Alvaric walked off. Once he was far enough away, Tamae could finally breathe easier. She leaned her back against a rock.

Just thinking about how Alvaric’s body bubbled and burst gave her chills.

It was horrifying.

"What kind of creature is Alvaric, really?"

Tamae had been pondering that for a while now. She tried recalling all the knowledge she had, but nothing explained a being capable of endless regeneration.

Only one thing came to her mind. "Is he a god who lost his memory?"

Tamae quickly waved off the strange thought. It was impossible for a god to lose their memory.

"But if he’s not a god, then what is he?"

***

Alvaric returned from the river. His hair was still damp, and his body was now clean of blood and beast fluids. His skin looked fresher. Everything seemed normal.

However, his new outfit—a dark purple thigh-length skirt with tiny frills at the hem. No top. That was all.

His steps were heavy, not from exhaustion, but from the mental weight he carried.

Tamae, who was sitting on a rock, turned when she heard the footsteps. When she saw Alvaric... she immediately covered her mouth.

Alvaric stood in front of her. "I think this is too much. Do you have any other pants?"

Tamae struggled to keep from laughing. Her face turned red from the effort. "O-of course not!" she replied quickly, looking away.

"Why did your voice go up an octave?" Alvaric asked suspiciously.

"N-no... I just... have a slight cold."

Alvaric frowned. He felt even weirder. He looked down at the skirt. A breeze blew, and he immediately tugged the hem down.

He looked slightly more feminine, but not in a pretty way. It just made him look ridiculous.

"This... is way too short, isn’t it?" he muttered.

Tamae quickly looked away again. She couldn’t hold it. She laughed, her shoulders shaking, a faint giggle escaping.

Alvaric narrowed his eyes. "I can hear that," he said flatly.

"Sorry!" Tamae turned back around, her face red—not from embarrassment, but from pure satisfaction. "You look... healthy!"

"Healthy? With my thighs out like this?" Alvaric rolled his eyes. "Is this really the only clothing you had? You didn’t trick me, right?"

"That’s my aunt’s heirloom. But it’s never been worn," Tamae said quickly, then added with a sly grin, "Until now."

Alvaric gave her a sharp glare. "I’d rather be naked."

"Go ahead. But you won’t be allowed into any town or village if you’re naked. Our journey will be delayed," Tamae said firmly.

He looked down at the short skirt again. "But I feel like wearing this makes me look weird."

"But the gate guards will still let you in."

"Aha!" Alvaric shouted. "You just said I look weird. That means I do look weird," he said, pointing at Tamae.

Tamae quickly waved her hand. "I never said that. I just said the gate guards will still let you in."

Alvaric found her words suspicious but sighed deeply. He still had his own pair of short pants.

Both were short, but felt very different. A breeze blew between Alvaric’s thighs. It was refreshing, yet also embarrassing.

He sat back on the rock. "Alright, I’ll trust you."

As Alvaric sat, Tamae immediately looked away again. "Could you cover your front? It’s making my heart nervous," she complained.

Alvaric closed his legs tightly. He sat more femininely.

Only then did Tamae look at him again. They resumed eating. They had been provided with meat, bread, water, and herbal tea.

Tamae wanted to take the meat her brother gave her, but before she could, Alvaric pulled out his own food.

"Let’s just eat this," he said, taking out a wolf leg.

But the size of the leg was larger than a grown woman’s torso. Tamae, seeing the massive limb, gulped.

"Where did you get that?" Tamae asked.

"That’s a secret. I won’t answer."

Tamae nodded. She didn’t push. Alvaric carved the wolf leg and began roasting it until it was cooked.

Tonight, they would eat big.