Chapter 178 Hermit's Lifeless Hand

He felt the weight of his past burdens pressing down on him, the scars of his past still fresh and raw. And yet, in Suzuka's words, he detected a glimmer of hope, a faint whisper of a chance for something better.

As he lay there, broken and mangled, his spirit wailed within him, mourning the loss of a part of himself that could never be fully restored. The world around him seemed to fade into a blur, his focus solely on the remnants of his once-proud ears clutched tightly against his chest.

"Please... Master... Helen... I... I want them back..." he pleaded with a heart-wrenching wail as his swollen lips, the size of a sausage clapped violently.

"I want my ears back... Please, can't you fix them? Can't you make it all go away? There... is no... life for Hermit... without my most precious... treasures..."

But deep down, Hermit knew that there was no undoing the damage inflicted upon him. His beautiful ears were gone forever, lost to the brutality of the world he inhabited. The grief weighed heavily on his spirit, his body trembling with the magnitude of his sorrow.

"What... what is there... left for me?" he questioned with a gurgling voice, searching for answers that would never come.

"I was proud... of my ears... and now... they are ruined... Will I ever... feel whole... again? Ears were my pride, my identity," his words choked with blood and emotion.

"In this cruel world, ears was my solace, my anchor. And now... now they lie broken, a painful reminder of the cruelty I've endured. I-I never did anything... to deserve this... I-I just wanted... to be... accepted..."

In the midst of his grieving, Hermit clung tightly to the fragments of his ears, as if through sheer willpower, he could mend them back to their former glory.

With a heartrending cry, he begged, "Please! Heal me! I will not be broken! My ears may be tattered, but my spirit remains stubborn! I will reclaim my pride, and my beauty, and show this world the strength that lies within even the most broken goblin!"

Suzuka seized a vile containing her blood and said, "Here, drink this potion, it will heal your body. Drink it and fast!"

With a sense of urgency, she poured the contents of the vile into the goblin's mouth, and Hermit, with a fervent gulp, eagerly swallowed the brew. This exertion took out all of his strength and he fainted, his body lifeless and laid limp on the table. The dose was too small but Suzuka was not finished yet. In a daring act of self-sacrifice, she cut her finger, and without hesitation, she pushed her bleeding finger into his mouth and offered it to Hermit to suck on.

With a ravenous hunger, Hermit's maw felt the taste and greedily latched onto her finger, his mouth enveloping the wound, sucking on the life-giving liquid that flowed from it. As he savored her blood, it was as if he were sipping on the sweetest nectar, an elixir of rejuvenation that coursed through his veins, rekindling the embers of hope within his soul.

With each drop of Suzuka's life force that he consumed, a recovery began to take place. The wounds on Hermit's body seemed to heal before her very eyes, his battered ears regaining their former shape and standing tall with newfound strength. The blotches and bruises waned away, leaving behind a scarred goblin.

Suzuka's finger healed, and the flow of blood ceased, but Hermit remained insatiably attached to her finger, sucking on it as if it were a delicious treat. His voracious appetite for her blood seemed unquenchable.

Goblins, by their very nature, were already known for their remarkable hardiness, capable of healing wounds faster than any mere mortal. Their bodies possessed an incredible capacity for healing. A mere scratch that would take days to mend in a human would vanish within mere hours on a goblin's resilient skin. But that was not all; It was a well-known fact that these puny creatures possessed a lizard-like tenacity, should a goblin lose a limb in the throes of battle, it was not the end, for their limbs had the remarkable ability to regrow in a few weeks.

Yet, Hermit's fortitude surpassed even that of his goblin kin. The consumption of Suzuka's half-monster blood into his body had elevated him to a new level of tenacity. Like a unique alchemical potion, the combination of goblin resilience and Suzuka's supernatural lineage had created an extraordinary hybrid, Hermit being the living embodiment of that fusion. Boosted by Suzuka's blood his regeneration surpassed that of his fellow goblins.

The bones that had been cruelly fractured by David's brutality began to realign themselves. It was a sight to behold as Suzuka gently manipulated Hermit's broken limbs, guiding the bones into their rightful places. With each adjustment, the bones snapped back into position like pieces of a puzzle.

Goblins' inherent resilience came to the forefront, and his regenerative powers manifested in full force. What would have taken weeks or even months for an ordinary human to heal was accomplished in mere minutes. The swelling that had once engulfed Hermit's body began to subside, and the raptured guts that had caused him immense pain swiftly knitted back together.

Within the span of just ten minutes, Hermit's broken and mangled body began to show signs of regeneration. The wounds that once marred his fragile form had started to close, and though far from fully healed, he now lay on the table with a sense of stability. However, the toll of his ordeal was evident in his lifeless and limp state, leaving him sprawled across the table like a run-over giant frog, motionless and seemingly drained of all energy.

Suzuka leaned down and picked up Hermit's shorts, but she didn't put them on him. Hermit's entire lower half was covered in a revolting sea of bloody feces, a sight that could turn the stomachs inside out. He had involuntarily soiled himself after being exposed to David's ruthless torment. The stench was overwhelming, and even the air seemed to recoil in disgust.

Suzuka lifted the limp goblin and gently placed him in the sink. He felt like a giant soggy noodle in her hands. She cringed at the sight, but she knew she had to act swiftly. Without hesitation, she turned on the faucet, and the water cascaded down like a cleansing waterfall, washing away the filth that clung to Hermit's fragile body.

"Ugh, you sorry excuse for a goblin. Look at you, all broken and pathetic. Ew, disgusting feces-covered goblin. Oh, for this I will work this nasty goblin harder than a workhorse!"

As the water washed over him, Hermit let out a mixture of squeals and gasps, his tiny lifeless form shivering with both cold and pain. But Suzuka's touch was tender and she used her hands gently, ensuring every crevice and curve of his body was free from the feces that had smeared his body.

"M-m-ma... Master... ughhh..." he stammered, his voice trembling and strained as if caught between the realms of consciousness and oblivion.

 "S-s-so... c-c-cold... it hurts... ughh..."

When the cleansing was complete, she tenderly pulled him out of the water, wrapping him in the paper towel. With each pat and stroke, she gently dried Hermit's body, removing the last vestiges of moisture and filth.

Once he was dry enough, Suzuka dressed him in his tiny tank top and shorts, her fingers moving with a dexterity that revealed her care and attentiveness. Despite his unconscious state, Hermit wriggled in pain, moaning and whimpering.

"Ughh... hurts... Ooowwww... Ughh... Waaah!" Hermit moaned, his tiny frame trembling with pain.

With an air of nonchalance, Suzuka hoisted Hermit's lifeless body onto her shoulder, his limp form draping over her like a soggy, discarded towel. As she strolled out of the restroom with her unusual burden, she approached the reception desk where Lisanna was engrossed in conversation with David. Without hesitation, Suzuka confronted him with a fiery glint in her eyes, her voice unwavering despite the bizarre sight she carried.

"Did you hurt Hermit?" she demanded, her tone tolerating no denial.

"I found him hanging tied by his ears to the stall door frame, beaten up and barely clinging to life. I managed to mend his injuries, but he is far from fine."

David, taken aback by the goblin's improved condition, tried to feign innocence, stammering, "How! I mean! I did nothing to him! I don't know what you're talking about. He probably slipped and fell on his own. I was here the whole time talking with Lisanna, ask her. I got nothing to do with it."

Lisanna, thoroughly unimpressed by both Hermit and David, chimed in, "Oh yes, he was here pestering me to give him a quest, for I don't even know how long. Pathetically begging like some maggot, ugh!"

David's grin widened, attempting to convince Suzuka of his innocence.

"See? What I told you, I'm innocent," he asserted.

Suzuka wasn't easily swayed, and with a hint of sarcasm, she asked, "So, you're saying he couldn't have done it, Lisanna?"

Lisanna chuckled, revealing her own amusement at the situation.

"Oh no! Clearly, he did it. I just said that he was annoyingly pestering me," she clarified, not holding back her disdain for David.

David, feeling cornered, tried to defend himself, pointing out the lack of evidence against him.

"You have no proof or anyone who can say that I did it," he argued dismissively, "and a goblin's word means nothing. He will say anything just to get back at me for hurting him."

Suzuka, unyielding in her stance, stepped closer to David, her voice low and dangerously calm.

"You know what, David? This goblin is my errand boy now, and he is doing my bidding, running errands for me. And now he is not capable of doing them. That is dirt on my face!" she declared with a hint of menace.

"And I don't like dirt on my face! If you humiliate the goblin, you're ruining my name. And if he tells me you put your fingers on him, I will break them. One by one!"

David's nerves were visibly rattled as he stumbled over his words, attempting to deny any wrongdoing.

"W-what? That is nonsense! You are crazy! I-I'm out of here, you all are crazy," he yelled in a desperate attempt to escape the brewing storm.

With an air of disregard, Suzuka seized Hermit's lifeless hand. She raised his hand and began to wave it mockingly, mimicking Hermit's voice.

"Bey bey, David. Yeah! You better run! And never come back," she sneered, her voice echoing through the room. Hermit's limp arm dangled as she waved David off with a dismissive flick of the goblin's wrist.

As David vanished from sight, Suzuka decided she had enough of Hermit's presence for the time being. With a swift and callous motion, she flung the lifeless goblin onto the cold, hard ground, showing no regard for his well-being. Using her feet, she carelessly shoved him under the table, as if he were nothing more than a discarded toy.

"Ugh, I've had enough of you for now."

"M-m-mas...ter... S-sto...p... it... H-hur...t..." he managed to mumble through the haze of pain, a haunting echo of suffering.

Hermit let out a pitiful whimper as he lay collapsed beneath the table, his small body trembling from all of the torment he had endured. His frail body crumpled into a twisted heap that resembled a pile of smushed goblin skin. His tiny body was motionless and contorted in pain. The goblin appeared lifeless and broken, a haunting sight.

"Mmm... ughh... hurts... hurts so bad... can't... breathe... can't move... Master... please... save me..." he mumbled with a voice barely above a whisper, the words slurred and disjointed.

His ears, once a symbol of pride and identity, were now battered and bruised, resembling twisted rags dangling from the sides of his head. The rope that had mercilessly bound them left deep, crimson imprints on his delicate skin.

With each shallow breath he took, his chest rose and fell in a feeble and erratic rhythm, a stark contrast to the energetic and lively creature he once was. His belly, once bloated now appeared deflated and empty.

A dark pool of bloody snot seeped from his mangled nose, the result of a cruel blow inflicted upon him during his torment. The vibrant colors that once adorned his skin were now masked in a sickly paleness, drained of life and vitality.

It was only a morning but Hermit managed to get himself almost killed twice.