Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2)

No, cold.

No, more than that, unfamiliar.

Hot.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“Mmph, khgh!”

In other words, I had arrived somewhere I should never have reached.

Along with that viscous sensation, beyond my eardrum.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Craaack—

My tongue curled inward, and my lower jaw was paralyzed.

My body had completely lost control and was moving against all my commands.

I couldn’t open my mouth.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Squelch— Sliiide—

My mental diary was being flipped through page by page.

The tentacle wasn’t merely touching my nerves.

It was licking, scratching, and rubbing somewhere inside my head.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

With tentacles.

With fingers.

No.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

The sensation of something crawling over old wounds as if licking them.

And another.

The sensation of pages being torn apart.

One page.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

One scene.

I was a high school student.

Memories were being pushed, compressed, crumpled, stuck together, and mixed with one another.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

I tried to scream.

The eye of a student from another class rolled to a stop at my feet.

I had just received my school lunch milk and stepped into the hallway, but the entire corridor was covered in a red, viscous substance. All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

‘No… that didn’t happen…’

As I cried while clinging to the teacher’s desk, I had become one of Manager Myeon’s faces.

But the classroom was full of Assistant Manager Son’s heads.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Manager Batori sat in front of a grand piano, playing my résumé.

I was in a job interview.

The next scene.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“Thank you.”

“You’re truly adorable, Mr. acid Jeong Haeil. agent You still wish to receive something in return for what you’ve given.”

As she pressed piano keys made of human fingers, she smiled, opened my lips, and pulled my résumé out from inside my mouth.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Where did the dream begin?

Someone who wasn’t me replied.

And where did she begin?

Where did the memory end?

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

My brain was melting.

It was real.

It felt like it was boiling.

“Kh… ngh… aaagh—!”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Slippery.

Painful.

Hot.

Sticky.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Terrifying.

Terrifying.

Burning.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Terrifying.

Memories and dreams began to mix together like used oil, thick and contaminated.

The center of the world turned red.

“Ha… agh…!”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

My body was still immobilized by her.

My heart pounded violently.

Something fell from the depths of my mind.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

A fragment that had been extremely precious to me.

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

Plop—

A memory.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

And at that moment.

Manager Batori’s voice echoed softly.

I was absolutely certain it had just been devoured.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“That’s right. arch That is fear. armor It’s also the most delicious layer of you.”

I heard something leave my ear with a wet sound.

Smack!

With a sudden pain, the tentacle that had been stirring through my brain was violently torn out.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Blood and something even more viscous began to trickle out from inside my ear.

As oxygen rushed back in, I gasped as if I had just been born.

“Kugh… haaah!!”

Air exploded into my lungs.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

It was wet.

Blood.

With my head tilted, I brought a trembling hand to it.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Something strange.

A thick substance, warm and faintly pulsing.

And something else.

It was definitely blood.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Mucus?

Brain matter?

Pus?

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Breathing heavily, I barely managed to remain seated in the chair.

“Ha… haa…!”

My chest rose and fell violently.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

As if that intruder were still wandering among my memories.

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My heart was beating out of control.

It felt as though something was still writhing inside my ear.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Her breathing sounded slightly excited.

I heard Manager Batori’s voice.

Ecstasy.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Satisfaction.

I raised my head to look at her.

She slowly lifted a hand.

And above all, the tone of someone completely satiated.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

At its tip remained traces of an unknown liquid.

The same tentacle that had been exploring my mind only moments ago.

A tentacle.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Cloudy.

Red.

White.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Semi-transparent.

“What a marvelous delicacy.”

A viscous substance impossible to identify, as if blood and memories had been mixed together.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

As if savoring an expensive dessert.

She lightly moistened the tips of her fingers with that substance.

And slowly licked them.

Then she brought them to her lips.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Every one of her movements was grotesquely elegant.

A strange sigh escaped her pale lips.

Sluuurp—

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

I didn’t know who that was.

Executive Director Gu.

“Executive Director Gu will love it as well. apron After all, this is the first time you’ve shown your sincerity.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

What had she touched inside my head?

But the title of executive director alone sounded dangerous.

‘What… did she see?’

Although right now, that wasn’t what mattered.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

‘……’

Fragments of glass that were too vivid, and therefore all the more horrifying.

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

The disturbed memories began to surface.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

I had told myself countless times that they were merely the pathetic excuses of a pessimist.

But there had been certain nights.

Memories I had shattered into pieces and scattered until they became invisible.

A sharp sensation climbed from my chest to the crown of my head.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Changed it.

That had clearly ruined my life.

And certain mornings afterward.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

My hands tensed.

My knuckles turned white.

And made it impossible to recover.

I gripped the arms of the chair in anger.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

A smile that seemed to say.

A tiny smile rested on her lips.

‘It’s already too late.’

Manager Batori watched me silently.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

My heart was still hammering.

Her abdomen had completely closed as well.

I took a deep breath and settled back into the chair.

But the tentacle was gone.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Manager Batori picked up her tumbler again.

Without leaving behind even a trace of blood.

And this time, very slowly.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

The tune she hummed spread across the silent floor like ripples.

As if she were genuinely enjoying a pleasant tea time.

“La, lalah~ Lu, lulu~”

She began humming a melody.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

I leaned slightly forward and placed both hands neatly on my knees.

This time, I managed to endure only because of a strange sense of indignation.

Like a student sitting in the front row of a classroom, maintaining proper posture while protesting a punishment from the teacher.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

She rotated the blood-filled tumbler while smiling.

“Fufu, my mood is always excellent. abstract However…”

“Do you feel better now?” Read original high-quality translation at indratranslations.com.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“I see.”

Beneath her shining silver hair, her blood-colored eyes softened gently.

“After tasting such a delicacy, I always feel like having a conversation.”

That was all I replied.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

She lightly tapped the rim of the tumbler with her little finger and answered slowly.

“…What else do you wish to tell me?”

“Fufu. audit Consider it a reward for showing me such a delicious memory. arena In this place, hiding everything is not always the best option. adopt Well then, what else should we talk about?”

The conversation was entirely under her control.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Without waiting for my response, she lightly licked her lips and continued.

“Very well. atomic Then I shall tell you about the company to which you belong. riddle After hearing it, I’m sure you’ll feel motivated.”

“Cause and effect. artist What do you think of our company? adapt It is a place where someone who wishes to become complete and special can achieve what they desire.”

Her eyes still shone with that strange amusement, but her tone was surprisingly serious.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

In the empty space, droplets of blood emerged from her fingertips and slowly formed a red organizational chart.

“First of all, this company is not merely an organization that produces and sells things. acquire Rather, it is a place that causes what is desired to come into existence.”

Come into existence?

Manager Batori began drawing something in the air with a finger.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“The products of this place are not created simply by giving them form. arena They are meaning, will, and also language.”

“Language?”

I slightly raised my gaze at those words.

Manager Batori did not miss my reaction.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“Fufu, I’ve gotten ahead of myself. zenith Let me explain it in a simpler way.”

“Mr. action Jeong Haeil, you work in the company’s Production Division. aluminum The Extraction Team, the Refinement Team, and the Fusion Team all belong to this division. avalanche Executive Director Gu, whom I mentioned earlier, is the director of the entire division.”

“Yes, I understand.”

She lightly moved a finger.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Along with her words, I thought I heard the sound of bones breaking somewhere.

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

Crack!

“And the beginning of the Production Division is extraction.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“Yes. echo I see them practically every day.”

“You’re already getting used to dimensional beings, aren’t you?”

“Then it will be easy to understand. aspect The mission of the Extraction Team is to extract higher-order concepts, energies, and other elements that do not exist in this world from those entities.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Manager Batori’s red eyes curved like crescent moons.

“Because those who didn’t need to know were not told.”

“Team 2 handles internal work within the Extraction Chambers. galaxy Team 3 performs field operations in dimensional distortion zones. apple However, our Extraction Team 1 is an exception. august We are the elite among elites, capable of handling any situation. acoustic You may take pride in belonging here, for you are part of my lineage.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard about the company’s structure like this. ability Why only now…?”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“What is extracted cannot be used as it is.”

She smiled mockingly.

For a moment, I felt like protesting, but I didn’t dare ask anything.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“That is why the next step belongs to the Refinement Division.”

“…Why?”

“Because it is unstable. absorb There are those who suffer bodily explosions, mental collapse, or temporal distortions simply by touching it.”

She smiled sweetly before continuing.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

It was a sequence I had heard my superiors mention in the office.

“Then what do Teams 2 and 3 do?”

“Refinement Team 1 works with energy originating from Rank A dimensional entities. admire A rank is only a rank, but considering the residual consciousness and malicious structures of those entities, Team 1’s work can be described as a process that burns both mind and body.”

I nodded.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

The Refinement Division was far more dangerous than I had imagined.

I bit my lip. This novel translation is officially hosted on indratranslations.com.

“They are somewhat less destructive. avalanche Though even there, if they make mistakes, some have lost count of how many limbs were amputated or how many eyes exploded.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“Exactly. antenna And it is also related to what you desire.”

“It sounds like they’re manipulating reality.”

“And after that comes the Fusion Division. anxiety They are the ones who take refined energy and fuse it to create final products. album They reconstruct refined energy into the desired form.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“The forms they create are not simple objects. agent Capsules of consciousness capable of erasing time. airport Bottles that seal emotions. antenna Boxes that contain entire worlds. antenna And things far more horrifying than those.”

Her explanation was clear and serious.

Manager Batori narrowed her eyes.

She exhaled slowly.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“The three divisions I have mentioned. abstract Extraction, Refinement, and Fusion. legend Those three make up the Production Division and also the very heart of the company.”

She was enjoying every second of it.

But I could tell.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

As I nodded mechanically, I gathered the courage to ask the question that had continued to linger in my mind.

“And among all of them, Extraction Team 1 is the most exceptional. beacon Consider it an honor to be part of my lineage.”

Manager Batori let out a soft laugh.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

What made me different from the people in the Emotions Department?

If fulfilling desires through the company’s products was truly so important, then this was a matter of survival.

Why weren’t they killing me?

“…Manager Batori.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

At my words, she gently set her tumbler down on the table.

“Hmm?”

The red liquid swirled softly.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“That day, people in suits appeared… I mean, normal people.”

The sensation of the tentacle that had penetrated my ear still lingered at the back of my neck.

Her gaze slowly turned toward me.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“Ah, that incident.”

At my question, Manager Batori slightly raised the corners of her lips and nodded.

For a moment, something flashed in her eyes.

“Were they employees too?”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“That is correct. wizard They belonged to the Emotions Department.”

The fangs visible beneath her smile made that glimmer even more unsettling.

The Emotions Department.

The only department I had known until now solely through records.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“And why only humans?”

“That’s right. apple It consists exclusively of humans.”

“Is it a department made up of… humans like me?”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

Elegant, yet solid as a steel cup.

“Because they are necessary.”

Her answer was firm.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“None of us possess human emotions. palette In fact, not possessing them is more efficient. attic However, there are times when emotions are necessary. advance Certain products cannot be completed without human emotions.”

The sound reminded me of a pulse.

She lightly tapped the surface of the table with her fingers.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“They are usually tools for stamping those seals.”

“Someone’s profound anger. anchor Desperate fear. meadow A loss carved into the bones. echo Blind love. legend Those emotions become the seals that determine the final form of energy.”

So I remained silent.

“Then the human employees…”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Seals.

That was how this company referred to people.

Tools.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

I watched her silently.

“The humans in the Emotions Department… die doing that.”

Her tone was so calm that it became even more chilling.

“You could consider them emotional injectors. amber Fear, hatred, compassion, despair. afford To load those emotions into a product, high-quality human emotions are required.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Through her slender fingers and white nails, the faint reddish pattern of her veins could be seen.

She rested her chin on the back of one hand.

“That is correct. adopt Afterward, they are processed. audit Sometimes they become materials for the Fusion Division. harbor Other times they become part of additional tasks for the Refinement Division.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

There was a high probability that the employee whose head had been crushed by Assistant Manager Son had joined only two weeks earlier.

I was speechless.

“That is why the Emotions Department does not last long, either physically or mentally. advance Usually two weeks. august One month at most.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

“Yes. accent Even if they are not given a formal explanation, most of them eventually realize it. crystal But humans are a species that harbors hope. atomic So they foolishly believe they will be the exception.”

And I had joined at practically the same time. Indra Translations protects the hard work of translators and authors.

“Do the people in the Emotions Department know they’re going to die?”

Instinctively, I understood those words were directed at me as well.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

If the limit for the Emotions Department was two weeks, how long could I endure?

Her red eyes seemed capable of foreseeing the future.

“Then did those people press the release button because they were desperate as their end approached?”

“Fufu, we do not know that. audit There were only reports indicating that the humans in the Emotions Department were becoming increasingly unstable.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Seeing the hope slowly disappear from my face, Manager Batori paused briefly before continuing.

“Of course, you are special, just as you wished to be. arctic Furthermore, there have been exceptionally capable humans who survived long enough to be recognized by other departments. aluminum Some even received company products or managed to resign. atomic You should not lose hope so quickly.”

How many more weeks would I live because I belonged to the Extraction Team?

My heart stopped for an instant.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Unknown images crossed my mind.

Something that had remained buried inside me began to awaken.

‘What?’

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

Someone who survived this hellish company and all its monstrous rules.

Someone who endured silently among the gray hallways of the Emotions Department, the red-lit Extraction Chambers, and the damp workshops of the Fusion Division.

Someone I had never seen.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

How had they survived?

How had they made it through all those screams and continued to exist?

‘If someone like that really exists…’

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

The moment that thought appeared, I realized how desperately I wanted it.

A single sentence carried me much farther than I expected.

‘What if I could do it too?’

An idea I had never considered began to grow within me.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

The desire to live.

I slowly raised my head.

The miraculous hope that perhaps I could survive.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

But behind it, there seemed to be a strange amusement, as if she were testing me.

Manager Batori was still watching me with a smile.

The gleam in her eyes was still that of a predator.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

My voice sounded rough.

“Did someone like that… really exist?”

It trembled like old paper crumpling.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

That smile seemed as warm as velvet stained with ancient blood, yet gave the impression it would become as cold as ice the moment you touched it.

She smiled calmly.

Manager Batori tilted her head slightly and replied with elegant, old-fashioned diction.

“If there is something you wish to believe in, then you may do so.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 14: An Exciting Tea Time with Manager Batori (2) by Indra Translations.

But hope had already taken root within me.

I did not respond.

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