Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

924. An Explosive Lunch

They took a detour to find the perfect place to have lunch.

Cafes, stalls, hole-in-the-wall eateries, small restaurants, cookshops to larger luxury establishments.

With so many options it should not have taken more than an hour to have a nice meal.

However, there was one major issue that plagued these establishments.

“Closed.”

Stores did not typically open on the tenth day of the week since it was rare for people to travel. But this was mostly true for more rural parts of the Nex Megalopolis. Emershine wasn’t that far off from the Capital and as a town, it was close to the population of a city like Divas Pass.

Frost consulted the townspeople, who were more than eager to help her. One could practically see the hearts bulging from their eyes, much to Jury’s annoyance.

On top of the tenth day being a holiday of sorts, it was the presence of the Leviathan that had caused them to shut down. The town’s administration had enforced a closure on all services for an undisclosed amount of time.

Stores that served a vital service to the town were allowed to function as normal. This included the inns, taverns, the clinic, a Guild Post, bathhouses, etc.

“They say it’s preferable if we stay indoors. You’re not from here, so maybe you know what those trains are.” A Harpy woman with longer and fluffier earflaps than Jury brought her face in a little too close, as if trying to one up her.

Now that’s a first.

“We know about as much as the next person here. No idea. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Oh by the way, who does your nails? They’re so pretty~ I could just scoop them up and look at them all day. How about it? I can show you more about this town if you want~”

“We’re fine, thank you.”

A vein popped on Jury’s head.

A flirt attempt, right in front of Jury too. This woman is dangerous.

“Tell me about it. What’s with that look. She’s totally declaring war on me!” Jury mentally yelled.

The term homewrecker came to mind.

Frost was still holding hands with Jury. There was no way that the woman hadn’t noticed this. Same-sex relationships were not uncommon in the City of Hearts either.

“I’d rather that you didn’t touch me so casually.”

Frost coldly responded. The air became frigid as the woman’s body froze before she could even think of grabbing her hand.

Then, she lightly knocked on the woman’s collar bone.

Her eyes lit up. The knock was disproportionately powerful to how casual it was.

It was a playful act that masterfully masked her true intention of pushing her aside. She was not a fan of people randomly entering her personal space, unless of course, they were Healers or people she knew.

As all-powerful as she was, having another person put their hands on her was no better than the chilling sensation of Iscario’s touch. In short, just because they couldn’t harm her didn’t mean that she could let them crawl over her like insects.

“Those trains wouldn’t be here without a reason. Any crimes as of late?” Frost gave her a small smile.

It wasn’t a random question. And while it seemed related to the trains at the surface, the real reason why she asked was because the color of this woman’s heart was deep red. Jury did not wear her Mantle of Sin so she was not able to tell what sins she had committed.

Then again, there were many people like her. There was no reason to single her out, let alone make a scene here.

“Not that I know of. This town’s pretty safe when you think about it. People in suits used to visit this place not that long ago.”

Neither did Frost possess her Coat of Sanguine Prejudice to determine if she was telling the truth.

“I see. Thank you for the help. Excuse us then.”

“Yeah. Excuse us.” Jury wrapped her tail around Frost’s waist in a show of dominance.

“Ahhh. So you were lovers after all! Still, I hope to see you around~” She waved them farewell.

* * *

Jury pinched Frost’s cheek they were far enough away from the woman.

“I’m starting to think going to H9 after this will be a bad idea.” She pouted.

“How come?”

“Because no one’s going to leave you alone.”

“C’mon. We passed through there once. It went about as well as it could go.”

“Remind me how many people were catcalling you again?”

“I could say the same thing to you. Anyway, these shades aren’t working at all.”

“It’s not just your eyes that people like.” Jury then murmured beneath her breath: “I think I’m starting to understand Dark Memoria better now.”

“Haaaah. Are you trying to turn me into the Captured Star?” She jabbed at Jury and pinched her back. “Oh hey, a tavern!”

Amongst the connected terraces was a large, two-floor establishment. It was colorful and tastefully decorated with colored banners of food and their price tag. Since Frost wasn’t familiar with the value of copper, silver and gold coins, she couldn’t judge if these prices were cheap or expensive.

Not that it mattered to someone who could turn the living into coins.

Then again, coins were already made from the living.

They approached a set of double glass doors and pushed through. The temperature dropped immediately as a rush of air carrying the scent of savory meals washed over them.

*Ding*

“Hwa! A customer! Welcome– oooh!?”

Frost was expecting to be greeted by the ambience of the tavern and a faint scent of liquor. Instead, the scene was reminiscent of a casual buffet, just without the alcohol. She figured that the new set of rules must have included a temporary alcohol ban.

“E-Esteemed guests… Er – I um… A-Are you here for a room, a bath or a m-meal?”

The barmaid that greeted them wore a green, rustic maid outfit. Judging by the shape of her fox-like ears, she was a Demi-Human.

But Nav said otherwise.

“A vampire.”

I thought all vampires look like humans.

“They only do since their partners are normally humans. Take a vampire into the Nex Megalopolis, and the result is the Demi-Human-looking vampire in front of you.”

“A meal! The biggest table you got too, please!” Jury took the lead this time.

However, the shock on the woman’s face didn’t disappear. At first she was awed by their appearance, much like many of the patrons present.

But it had quickly turned into utter terror.

“R-Right… This – w-way!”

And Frost knew exactly why.

Nav, is there a way to suppress my Blood Purity?

“Vampires will know the presence of an Honored One regardless of their attempts to hide it. But that is not to say it’s impossible. Items that serve as shackles can be used to limit one’s presence, or bloodlust even at the cost of weakening the vampire.”

Demi-Humans, vampires and ancient elves were about the only races that could sniff out what she was. It never occurred to her how oppressive her presence was to the civilian population.

Seeing the poor woman shiver as she waited at their table caused her heart to wrench. She was terrified beyond belief. Her trembling hands couldn’t even hold the notepad. It dropped, and she stared at Frost’s legs, afraid that if she bent over to pick it up, then she’d be killed.

Hey, Jury. I think we should look for another place.

“Eh? But we just got here.”

Frost wanted to show her that she didn’t mean any harm. She slowly approached her and picked up the notepad for her.

I would hate to terrorize people with my presence. I didn’t think it was this bad at all. And here I thought people were warming up to my gaze.

“T-Thank… you…”

“It’s fine.”

Merely uttering these words caused a surge of fear to strangle the woman. She refused to speak and winced when Frost opened her mouth, preparing to apologize to her.

Every word, and every movement she made was torturous for this vampire.

That vampire princess reacted the same way. Her Blood Purity was quite high. But I cannot imagine how it must feel for a regular person at the bottom of the hierarchy. Tch.

Blood Purity had its downsides.

The worst of which was a curse that Frost wasn’t able to control.

Limiting it will be a priority once we’re done here.

“… I’m sorry.” Frost placed a gold coin on the table. “Here. For your troubles.”

“Um… eh…?”

Frost turned her back to her, took Jury’s hand, and headed for the door.

There was little point in explaining that she didn’t have to be afraid.

It was far easier to leave.

“Honestly, Jury, why don’t we just hunt or fish? I could use some more levels in [Home Cook]. Who knows, maybe I’ll get a Hunting Profession at the next milestone.”

A hurtful look settled on Jury’s face. Frost’s expression hadn’t changed at all, but her lover could sense that something was wrong with her.

Her tail tightened around her waist, the tip rubbing her back to comfort her.

“Oh well.” Frost grinned at Jury. “Back to looking around –!?”

The front door exploded the moment she took her eyes away, rendering her precognition useless.

The walls shattered, flinging heat and debris across the tavern like bullets. A figure came flying through the walls, crashing with the bar at the back of the tavern.

“Machine… bastards…!”

Panicked screams drowned the sound of sifting rubble.

More than seventy people were dining here, not including the five bards and the twelve barmaids.

At least fifteen people were severely injured. Among them was the vampire barmaid, who was laying on the ground with a fragment of the wall crushing her chest.

This happened all in the span of a second.

“JURY! CHECK WHAT’S HAPPENING OUTSIDE! I’LL DEAL WITH THE INJURED!”

There was no time to waste. Jury left the premises, darting her head around with surprise.

“More explosions! Heading there now!”

She launched herself down the street, following the source of another set of explosions. The ground rumbled out of tune with the explosions, but Frost did not have time to investigate it just yet.

“YOU!” Frost shouted at one of the barmaids who did not seem injured. “GATHER THE INJURED!”

Her command was met with a frantic nod. Whilst she and several others collected the bodies of the injured, Frost tended to the vampire barmaid who was the most severely injured. Her chest had caved in, and it was frankly a miracle that she was not instantly killed.

At once, she clasped her shoulder and began casting [Prolonged Stasis].

“I’ll keep quiet. Just hold your breath for a second for me.”

Then, once she was certain that she was invulnerable, removed the chunk of concrete like she was swatting a fly.

[Greater Healing V], [Cleanse IV], [Bloody Exchange], [Corporeal Restoration IV]–

–black particles lifted from her body. The wounds were sealed over in the blink of an eye. Frost received minor wounds from her, but they were quickly Healed and stored into her Passive Skill [Manual of Anti-Healing].

“Done. Just stay there and don’t move.” Frost ordered her before moving towards the gathered bodies.

[Area Heal III].

She held out her hand as a ring of black light surrounded her. At once, all minor injuries of those within the light were miraculously healed.

“If there’s anyone else injured then raise your hand! Come to me immediately!” She called, rushing over to the injured man who had come flying through the walls. “What happened to you?”

Status.

A Repenter…

“You… Are a black-haired… Forget that – Machines! The fucking machine bastards… I thought we were supposed to be burning White Midnight Witches, not machines!”

His gusto returned once he was healed. He tried to explain the situation to Frost, but she did not understand what he meant by machines.

That was until the earth trembled. Second later, cracks formed in the center of the street. A drill breached through, revealing a degraded stuffed toy.

It stood over two meters tall, and its torn body revealed tubes and steaming, mechanical parts that were fueled by a slurry of red liquid.

“It’s here… The fucking Stuffed Drillblowers!”