novelraw Chapter 142
Chapter 142
Ch.142 Please—just let nothing happen this time too…
—Knock, knock!
Who could it be at this hour?
I opened the door—and there stood a woman with gray hair.
“Scarlet? What is it?”
Her cheeks were slightly flushed.
“Well…”
I waited patiently as she hesitated.
“Would you… like to take a walk?”
It seemed like every night, someone came to me asking for a walk.
Besides, tomorrow was the day Scarlet would return—so I readily nodded.
“Sure.”
“Yes!”
Smiling brightly, she followed me out of the room.
“Did you get enough rest while staying here?”
“Thanks to you, I rested very well. Thank you.”
“Aww, don’t mention it.”
“Still! I ate delicious food to my heart’s content and slept deeply—it’s honestly hard to leave!”
Seeing Scarlet so satisfied after her stay at the Pisa estate, I said,
“Haha. You have to go back—you can always come again next time.”
We chatted idly as we stepped into the garden.
The cool night breeze and crisp air felt refreshing compared to the daytime heat.
“But… what will you do after the King of the Dead is gone, Hans?”
Scarlet asked hesitantly.
What would I do after Roy is truly dead?
Leah had placed a ‘Tracking Spell’ on me.
First, I’d need to remove that… then maybe escape to Icira’s lair for a while?
Last time, it seemed even Leah couldn’t enter the dragon’s lair.
Or perhaps this time, I’d flee to the ‘Eastern Continent’?
In ‘Destiny’, the Eastern Continent didn’t actually exist—it was only mentioned in lore:
‘This spice is from the Eastern Continent,’ or ‘This tea was imported from the East.’
That was all.
Still, visiting a region that only existed as background setting in the game sounded intriguing.
Breaking Leah’s tracking spell and traveling to the Eastern Continent might even be fun.
I weighed these escape plans in my head—but kept my expression neutral as I replied,
“I haven’t really thought about it. I’m still trying to figure out how to even kill the King of the Dead.”
Honestly, his ‘infinite recursion’ mechanic was driving me mad.
It was something I’d have to deal with only after Edward and Icira finished crafting the mind-linking artifact.
And then there was ‘Selena’—how would I ever convince her?
She was the biggest problem.
As a fanatical believer of the ‘Church of Death’, she saw this life as hell and death as the path to paradise.
Some in her sect even believed mass slaughter served both god and humanity.
How could I possibly reason with someone like that?
“But you’ll do great,”
Scarlet said, taking my hand in hers.
“You were chosen by the gods, after all, Hans.”
‘The gods…?’
Those lunatics don’t seem right in the head.
Actually—scratch that. Maybe they’re the ‘craziest’ of all.
They created ‘conceptual artifacts’ that actually exist in reality, gave the infinite recursion mechanic to a boss monster, and even spearheaded the creation of a game based on all this chaos.
There’s no way to justify such nonsense.
“I’m just worried those gods are complete maniacs.”
Just then—Scarlet, who’d been walking beside me, tightened her grip on my hand.
“Hans-ssi! You’re the one who helped turn me—a so-called ‘useless hero’—into someone who could defeat the Demon King! You’ll definitely succeed again.”
This isn’t even my problem!
She seemed to think I was burdened by my duty as the Champion—but that wasn’t it at all.
“Haha… I guess so?”
The real issue wasn’t me—it was the gods. They were nothing but balance-breaking lunatics.
If they were going to make a game, they should’ve included Selena too.
Then I could’ve figured out a strategy through repeated playthroughs.
Scarlet smiled sweetly, clearly placing her full trust in me.
“I’ll do my best to protect the Imperial Capital too. So… please stay strong!”
Her words were meant to encourage me—I answered awkwardly,
“Thanks. I’ll try.”
Truth was, I felt utterly drained.
But you can’t tell someone trying to comfort you that their words are completely useless.
“And… um… when the King of the Dead is gone… maybe then…?”
She blushed faintly, fumbling for words—and my stomach dropped.
‘No… please don’t say something weird right now.’
Not a confession. Not ‘Will you go out with me?’ Please—
“Would you… go out with me?!”
“Huh?”
Ah… I just got confessed to.
I froze, wondering how to let Scarlet down without crushing her.
“Was… was that too sudden?”
“Well… yeah?”
‘Sudden’ didn’t even cover it—it was terrifying.
Knowing how unstable Scarlet was in the original plot, I couldn’t help but worry.
In the game, she’d even become a vessel for the King under extreme mental duress.
Granted, I’d prevented that this time…
But dating a woman whose future mental state was completely unknown?
That was beyond scary—it was suicidal.
Silence stretched between us.
Scarlet stared at the ground, her head bowed.
What could I possibly say that wouldn’t hurt her?
Before I could decide, she looked up.
“Do… do you dislike me?”
“Huh?”
“Do you think I’m… inadequate?”
“No! It’s not that—!”
She lifted her head fully now—
and her eyes gleamed with something unsettling.
“Am I… not attractive as a woman?”
‘Damn it.’ I regretted not wearing the ‘Arbiter’s Armor’ right then.
Her gaze was so sharp, I was certain that if I said ‘no,’ she’d draw a dagger and slit my throat on the spot.
“O-of course you are!”
“Then why won’t you answer me?”
“W-well…”
I frantically searched for an escape.
“Is it because… you can’t be satisfied with just one woman?!”
‘What on earth can’t I ‘handle’?!’
“No, that’s not it—”
“Then why can’t you just say yes or no? ‘I like you’ or ‘I don’t’—that’s all I’m asking!”
Her menacing aura made me think:
‘Is this really a love confession? Or is it a threat?’
The way she glared at me felt more like coercion than affection.
She grabbed my collar.
“I heard you even made Mia swear an oath.”
‘Wait—when did you hear that?!’
She pressured Mia the same way you’re pressuring me now…
Their behavior made the phrase ‘birds of a feather flock together’ come to mind—and I shuddered.
‘So you’re just as crazy as the others.’
I thought you were the most normal one—yet that look in your eyes?
I had a gut feeling: if I rejected her confession, I wouldn’t walk away alive.
“Why won’t you accept my confession? Am I really that lacking?”
“It’s… not that!”
I was completely lost—no clear way out.
In moments like this… stay calm. Keep your wits.
I lowered my voice and said firmly,
“Scarlet.”
My sudden shift in tone made her blink.
“Yes?”
“Is this really the time to talk about romance?”
She opened her mouth to speak, her eyes cold—but I cut her off.
“Our very survival hangs in the balance. We’re up against an enemy we might not even be able to defeat. And in this dire moment… you’re thinking about love games?”
“Well…”
She struggled to reply—so I pressed on.
“You know better than anyone how much I helped you when you were the Hero. I did everything to ease your burden. But what are you doing now? Instead of helping me… you’re adding to it.”
Her face flushed with shame.
She had no defense—her own words condemned her.
Should I push harder? Or back off?
I decided to leave her an exit.
Pressing too hard might backfire—better to retreat gracefully.
After a pause, I softened my voice.
“Ahem… Let’s talk about love… after all this is over. Right now, I just can’t—”
—Whoosh!
She suddenly threw her arms around me.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t realize how much pressure you’re under…”
‘What now?!’
“I understand it well—the weight of being humanity’s hope… and the despair of wondering if you’re really strong enough.”
I knew Scarlet had always felt burdened by her fate.
But for me, that wasn’t even the issue…
What overwhelmed me was simply… ‘this entire situation’.
“S-so… can you let go now…?”
Instead, she squeezed me tighter.
—Crack!
Her hug was so forceful, my spine popped.
“So if it gets too hard, just tell me! I’ve… already felt that kind of burden myself!”
“I c-can’t… br-breathe…!”
‘Is she trying to suffocate me to death?!’
You vicious witch!
“Oh! S-sorry! I got carried away without realizing…”
Seeing my face turn blue, Scarlet finally released me.
I gasped, inhaling deeply for the first time in what felt like minutes.
“Hah! Hah! Ugh…!”
“A-are you okay?!”
“No… I’m not okay.”
I clutched my aching back.
“Well… shall we head in now?”
I was afraid staying out longer would invite even worse trouble.
Scarlet smiled sweetly—and looped her arm through mine.
“Shall we?”
“Yeah.”
***
Meanwhile, Giovanni’s Special Task Force had left the Imperial Capital again—to rescue the next village.
They’d already saved three villages so far.
‘Just one more, and the nearby settlements will be safe.’
Their mission was clear: protect villages outside the capital.
Now heading toward what was essentially the last village, Giovanni felt a rare sense of relief.
“How far to the village?”
Giovanni asked a knight familiar with the area.
“About five days on foot.”
“I see.”
They moved discreetly—on foot.
They could use ‘Teleport’ to arrive instantly and evacuate everyone…
but that risked drawing the King of the Dead’s pursuit.
‘It’s the last one… can’t I just teleport and be done with it?’
Technically, yes—but reality wasn’t that simple.
Villagers would want to bring as many belongings as possible when abandoning their homes.
Some might even refuse to leave, insisting on staying in their ancestral land.
Giovanni remembered the last village—people stubbornly clinging to their homes, hauling every last sack of grain from the communal storehouse.
Just thinking about it made his face pale.
‘No matter how precious your possessions are… they’re not worth more than your life…’
His thought was half-right, half-wrong.
For these villagers—homeless, landless, with nothing to their names—if they arrived in the capital with no possessions, they’d be reduced to eating the gruel doled out to beggars.
So in a way, their actions were wise.
But from Giovanni’s perspective—who needed to evacuate them ‘as quickly as possible’—it was an incredibly dangerous delay.
‘Please… just let nothing happen this time too…’
Giovanni prayed inwardly, heart heavy with dread.
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