I was still uncomfortable inside. I gasped lightly as I felt the pain of a very thin stick digging along the path from the back of my throat to my teeth. Isn't it too little to have just a hundred clovers? If you charge it twice, you'll catch someone.
During the short silence, the "sincere madman" in white uniform studied me closely. From head to toe, he seemed to want to take me and dismantle me.
"Good."
Good but good! He's not really an ordinary madman. I got goosebumps all over my body.
Kyle clung close to me and pushed me back slightly. I nodded and put my hand on his shoulder, hiding more than half of myself behind his broad back.
"Are you okay?" Kyle's voice was full of anxiety.
He was surprised that I had suddenly vomited blood. If the situation hadn't been so precarious, he would have picked me up right away, taken me to a safe place, and fussed over me all day. However, the situation was imminent. He was so desperate to see me that he wanted to die, but he didn't dare to look back. Funnily enough, even on the outside, Kyle's affection was palpable.
I replied in the most nonchalant voice possible. "Of course. I'm fine."
"..." I thought I knew what Kyle was looking like right now. He was clearly disapproving and dying inside, but he didn't want to hurt me easily, so he kept his mouth shut. And yet, he never backed down from my presence. I stood in his way, even though I knew that my power would not last forever, and that even if I fought him a hundred times, he would be in danger a hundred times. Even if the end was death, it was the life of the North not to give up.
"Hmm." The man jumped onto the high rock as if to retreat, then sat down in that polite position, resting his chin. He looked at me once and Kyle once, and there was a slight concern in his eyes. "What should I do? It's definitely easier to kill now. If you get caught up vaguely, you will hide and not come out... Then I get a little tired."
I didn't understand anything about him. I decided to give up on understanding what he was saying and focus on protecting Kyle by looking around with a watchful eye.
Then the man applauded! He looked down at us. "Yes, Your Highness. Why don't you do this?" The man spoke in a voice that didn't show the slightest hint of respect. "If I kill you right now, my future will be easier, but I enjoy going back sometimes."
"..."
"Still, I see you striving for Youngji, so I'd like to give you a tempting gift. Of course, it's not free..."
Is the gift free or a gift? Kang Maeji? Just as I was about to get distracted, his pale index finger pointed at me.
"Didn't I say that?" Kyle asked bluntly. "I'm sorry for the 'gifts' you lawless people are talking about."
"Oh, Your Highness. You have to listen to the other person until the end." His blue eyes shone brightly with a cold light. "Leave the kid behind you, and I'll pretend you don't know this golden opportunity."
"Nonsense." Kyle lowered himself as if he was about to run away.
But I could tell. It would be dangerous to fight him again like this. He is the man who killed James Russell in the original work. Didn't he compete with Kyle with a whistle just now, with less than ten spears? If there is another move for him, this one will be more disadvantageous. Also, if it was that man who reduced Kyle's expected time of death, he had to be careful.
[Kyle Jane Meinhardt, about 0 days away from the estimated time of death.]
It has not yet become safe. I felt my mouth dry out.
"I promise to bring back those who fell behind in that cave safely."
The man smirked. "I don't beg you for your life. I refuse the offer."
Your Highness Kyle, your pride is stubborn. But it's weirder to accept that if you give up your lover, you'll save him... In fact, it may be the right time to be moved, but it is neither love nor anything else that both die while stretching out like this. It's just suicide together. I couldn't bear to say that if I fought any longer, I might die at the hands of that madman.
"Suggestion?" The man tilted his head. His white hair fell down like a waterfall of snow. The emotion on his face was pure question. "Did I make you an offer? I never made an offer..."
"Your Highness!" At that moment, the knights, who had escaped along a safe path to prevent the cave from collapsing, approached us. There was a mess of ice on their heads and armor, and they looked like they had come through a foot of snow. The knights took a position behind us and drew their swords in unison. The sound of the blades being pulled out without any frills sounded eerie, but the man sitting alone did not lift an eyebrow.
"Shu, a little further back..." James was about to give me advice. I looked at the man who was still smiling and lost in thought.
White wraith. The man must have caused a magical explosion in the mine. As a result, Blake's people were injured, so it was expected that the Knights would move to take control of the situation. Even though he knew that, he came alone. Do you know?
'Did I really come alone?' I raised my head without realizing it. With a feeling of anxiety as if my heart was tightening, I was reminded of James' death in the original story.
[James is mortally wounded by a mutant goblin.]
"Be careful!" I reflexively exclaimed. "I couldn't have come alone!" I must have brought a mutant goblin. He is the Wizard of the Lawless Zone! And that's the setting of the original!
The wizard clapped his hands in genuine admiration. Then he stared at me with a face full of interest and curiosity. "Smart. He's really smart. I want to torture them to find out how they knew. I'm sure you've killed him completely..."
"...No way."
"I told you. I never made the offer."
Behind the uniformed man, I could see something standing up, pounding, or threateningly breaking joints or bones. The monsters, clad in skinny navy blue leather, were small, slouched, and had fierce, hawk-like noses. Mutant goblins with unfocused eyes and a gloomy appearance were gathering. It was quite unpleasant to see my sparse hair fluttering like rotten grass.
There were quite a lot of them. I just glanced at them, but there were more than thirty. It was chilling to think that they were hiding around as if they weren't there. My hands itched. If it is a variant, there must be a nucleus somewhere in their bodies. If we knew where the core was, it would be much easier. But if I took out my glasses now, it would be very suspicious.
"You don't have to worry about that." Perhaps noticing my signs of restlessness, the man smiled softly. "As long as you leave you, they won't do anything."
At this point, one cannot help but wonder. I asked bluntly, "Why do you covet me?"
I have a lover, child. Don't covet it.
"I don't know. There are quite a lot of reasons. First of all, I'm very curious about what was in his head. I think you were the one who foresaw their ambush."
"Put that kid away." What kind of kid is this big? Stop talking nonsense.
"Even if I say I'm going there."
"Shu!" Perhaps that assumption alone caused panic, and Kyle hurriedly looked back at me. His jawbone was so protruding that he clenched his teeth tightly.
I reached out and put my hand on his cheek and patted him gently. Be nice, don't bite. When I bite a crazy person, I go crazy. Don't cut your life for nothing. Please.
"How can I believe that all these people will return to the estate safely?" Judging from his personality, he hit the back of the head hard and said, 'This is really sorry!' He is a guy who can be left to shout.
I pulled my arm away from Kyle, put my hand on my hip, and winked at him as if to ask him to look around. The mage sat on the icy rock, snapping his hand and laughing.
"If it bothers you, don't believe me."
"..."
"But what if I don't believe it? We all die together here. I'd bet on the odds of saving people."
"...Huh."
"Kid, what you need now is not the trust that blooms in someone's proof." The white smile that spread across his face was as beautiful and unpleasant as a painting by a mad artist. "It's desperate."
I thought for a while. There was a very little bit of truth in his words. What we need now is not trust. In other words, he does not have to keep his faith with me, and neither do I. Fighting here is dangerous. Even if you deal with those goblins safely, there may be latecomers. If we move with a single number of people, we will only be at a disadvantage as time goes by.
If so, wouldn't it be better to seize even the slim possibility? Anyway, if I turn off 'Import', I can run away. You can return to the territory as if nothing had happened. Originally, there was a limit to the range of places that could be specified when 'importing' was turned off, but the hamster house that Kyle had prepared was an exception.
Ok. Let's pretend to be safe and run away. Even if you fail to 'import', you can buy an item at the nut store and wear it.
"Is the calculation over? He seems to be rolling his head quite hard." The man gently squeezed me.
I looked up and grinned. "Erchu."
"So, the answer? I hope you don't let me down like the Grand Duke."
"Of course..."
"..." A cold silence flowed. The monsters, the people, the wizards, and Kyle were silent, waiting for my words.
"I'll follow you. If only you keep your promise."