The Player Who Stands Above All

Chapter 248

Tap- Tap-

Lee Shin, feeling something tapping the back of his head, nodded slightly and opened his mouth.

"Why are you trying to get caught instead of these guys? Is it the so-called responsibility of a leader?"

"It's nothing so grand. I'm just cleaning up my own mistake."

Midra, who had opened his mouth, made a small hand gesture as if acting in a play, drawing the attention of the people around him to himself.

"This morning, I had asked them to investigate while being on guard, in case something was happening, because the movements of the magical beasts around the village were unusual."

Shrug-

"Well, I didn't expect that to come back to me like this."

Midra spoke as if it were no big deal and shrugged his shoulders lightly.

However, the eyes of the ten who saw that sank heavily.

They, the ones involved in the story, knew that everything Midra was saying now was a lie to save them.

They resented their own powerlessness.

If they could, they wanted to shout that there was no need for that, that they were fine, and to just abandon them.

However, for them, whose freedom of body had been taken away by the pressure points, the most they could do was to faithfully play the role of an audience filling the seats.

They tried to send a signal to their comrades through eye contact, but everyone around them had their gazes stolen by Lee Shin's appearance and Midra's hand gestures, so they didn't notice the signals they were sending.

"How about it? It's trading the necks of ten grunts who can only eat, sleep, shit, and cause trouble for the neck of one competent leader. In many ways, I think it's a profitable business for you."

They, who had been desperately sending signals, felt a hint of sincerity in one part of Midra's words and looked at him with hurt eyes.

However, Midra wasn't even looking at them.

"Didn't you say you were a figurehead?"

"Because I'm a figurehead, it's even better. For you, wouldn't it be more convenient to take one of me around than ten of those fierce-looking guys?"

At Midra's words, Lee Shin laughed with amusement, then, without any change in expression, naturally sent a telepathic message to Midra.

-The words for the guys around you are enough, so now speak honestly. Why are you doing this?

At Lee Shin's voice, which he heard directly in his head, a hint of interest appeared in Midra's eyes.

However, it was only for a very brief moment.

Midra, who had immediately grasped the situation, moved his ki and spoke directly into Lee Shin's mind, just as he had done.

-I'm just taking responsibility for my subordinate's mistake as a leader.

-Quite kind, aren't you?

-It's just that I have a lot of pride.

Midra ended his words as if there was nothing more to say and stared at Lee Shin, as if to say 'decide what to do'.

"Hmm... Hmm?"

At that, Lee Shin stopped speaking as if pondering something and stood quietly, then slowly closed his eyes.

At the unexpected action, Midra was looking at Lee Shin with a puzzled expression.

Swoosh-

Lee Shin, as if feeling the gaze, immediately opened his eyes again and looked at Midra.

"You, those eyes..."

Midra's face, which had met the eyes of the re-opened Lee Shin, was colored with shock.

Lee Shin's pupils, which had been a normal black until a moment ago, were now vertically slit like a reptile's eyes and had turned red and gold respectively.

If it were just that, Midra would not have been so surprised.

For a long time, long enough for a huge mountain to turn into sand, Carnia had absorbed several worlds and accepted the life forms within them.

Among the life forms accepted like that, there were species that completely changed their appearance, and there were also species that did not have a precise form, like a moving swamp.

Compared to such species, the change Lee Shin had just shown was trivial, if not insignificant.

Nevertheless, the reason Midra was so shocked was because his eyes had captured not just the external appearance, but the change behind it.

'Did he completely change into a different person from a moment ago?'

The same person, but at the same time, not the same person.

That foolish quiz phrase had now become a reality and appeared before Midra's eyes.

As Midra was flustered by that, Irehgue, who had taken over Lee Shin's body, looked at him and smiled.

"Interesting. Did you see it, even if only slightly?"

There was certainly no change in the voice.

Nevertheless, as the tone and manner of speaking changed, it felt as if a completely different person was speaking from a moment ago.

At Irehgue's words, Midra, not knowing how to react, quietly remained silent and observed the situation.

It was impossible to maintain the same light attitude as before.

Because the momentum felt from Irehgue's words quietly pressed down on the audience.

"Listening to the conversation from a moment ago, it seems you have a similar set of values, although there may be a slight difference in the way. Thanks to that, I have become a little interested in you."

A subordinate's mistake is the leader's.

That was the value they shared as leaders.

Of course, even if the values were the same, the elements that created and supported those values were completely different.

If Midra had created such values out of pure responsibility and a naturally soft personality he had since birth.

Grin-

It was because Irehgue had created that value based on an absurdly large greed that since his subordinates were completely his, even their mistakes must be his.

"I will accept your proposal."

The words accepting Midra's proposal came out of Irehgue's mouth.

It was certainly the situation he had wanted, but Midra could not be purely happy.

Because the current situation unfolding before him was too sudden to be purely happy.

"Instead, I will add one more condition."

"...What is it?"

At Midra's honorifics towards him, Irehgue nodded with a smiling face to express his satisfaction and then said as if commanding.

"I will be staying in your village for a while. So you prepare for it."

"...What?"

Hearing that there was an additional condition, Midra had thought he would demand something material.

However, what came out of Irehgue's mouth was a condition he had never expected.

At that, Midra's expression was colored with bewilderment, and it was the same for the others who were quietly eavesdropping on their conversation.

Because what Irehgue had just declared was no different from saying that he would be staying in their village, the heart of their enemy, and to prepare for it.

Midra looked at Irehgue as if to ask if he was serious, and Irehgue met his gaze with a snort.

"If you did not hear, I will say it again for you. Accept me and my subordinates into your village. That is the condition for exchanging these ten idiots and you as a hostage."

"No, what is that..."

At the words to provide a room immediately because he would be holding the leader of the enemy camp as a prisoner in that enemy camp, Midra felt his head spin slightly from the sheer absurdity.

Midra tried to calm down first by scratching his head in annoyance.

-What is he thinking all of a sudden?

-Is he aiming for something?

-What can I do in this situation?

Numerous thoughts swirled in his head in a short time.

As a result of pondering for that brief moment, Midra was soon able to reach one conclusion.

Only then did Midra stop scratching his head roughly and, with a deep sigh, spit out the conclusion he had reached.

"Haa, fine. Let's do that, then."

At Midra's words, the vigilante members who had been listening to their conversation from the side looked at him with eyes that asked if he was really going to do that.

Midra fully understood their thoughts and worries, but he couldn't help it either.

A war had briefly unfolded in Midra's head at the unexpected situation, but in reality, nothing had changed, and it was quiet.

And that meant that the advantage of power was still tilted towards Lee Shin's side, and it also meant that Midra had no choice in the first place.

"A good choice."

Having said that, Irehgue smiled with satisfaction and closed his eyes.

And when he opened his eyes again, the pupils that had been shining red and gold had returned to their original black.

The sight was so natural that for a moment, Midra suspected that what he had just seen might have been some kind of illusion.

However, the goosebumps that were still on the back of Midra's neck told him that what he had just seen was a clear reality.

"Now, then, shall we go?"

"...Yeah."

Why was it?

Even though it was a smile made by the same person, Midra felt that the smile Lee Shin was making now was much more annoying.

◎ ◎ ◎

Thwack-! Thwack-! Thwack-!

"..."

"..."

The moment Midra accepted Lee Shin's proposal, the situation was quickly sorted out.

Mio and Rwen, under Lee Shin's command, released the ten who were under the effect of the pressure points.

The ten who were released from the pressure points were very wary of the three, but they slowly approached their comrades and enjoyed their reunion.

Midra and Bodra let them enjoy their reunion for a while and were now leading the way, guiding Lee Shin, Mio, and Rwen to their village.

Thwack-! Thwack-! Thwack-!

"..."

"..."

When they came here from the village, they had run with all their might, so they had arrived quickly, but now, since there were injured people and there was no reason to go quickly, they were walking slowly.

Thwack-! Thwack-! Thwack-!

Unfortunately for Midra, that is.

Midra turned his head and, with his teeth clenched, focused on the scenery in the upper left diagonal direction.

He ignored the dull pain he kept feeling in his right side.

Through his experience so far, he knew that it was more comfortable to just take the hits and not pay attention to them than to try to stop the pain.

But unfortunately for Midra, that was the wrong choice.

Thwack-!

"Keoluk...!"

Unlike usual, Bodra today was not lightly miffed enough to be appeased by just a few hits to the side.

Midra, who had coughed continuously from the shock of the fist that had hit a vital point, turned to the side with tears slightly welling up in his eyes.

There, Bodra, with her fists clenched, was glaring at Midra with fierce eyes.

She was shooting out pressure not with her eyes, but with her whole body, as if to say 'say something'.

At that, Midra, not knowing what to say, just quietly watched her reaction, but seeing Bodra's eyebrows go up and strength gathering in her fists, he said urgently.

"H-Hey, I'm in pain, can you please stop...?"

"...You're in pain? Did you just say you're in pain?"

The worst possible choice of words.

"...Oppa, do you want to die by my hands?"

"No, I want to live."

At Bodra's small words, Midra said urgently.

Twitch-!

And the moment he heard that answer, Bodra's eyebrows and fists exploded.

"A human who hates being in pain and hates dying went crazy and stuck his neck out in front of an enemy without any preparation?! And on top of that, what?! He wants to exchange himself for a hostage?!"

"Kkeueueup! Hey, it hurts! I'm really in pain! I feel like I'm going to die from the pain!"

As Bodra relentlessly beat his whole body with her fists, Midra screamed and skillfully deflected her fists slightly.

Thanks to that, Bodra swung her fists with even more resentment.

"Die! I'd rather kill you myself than see you die at the hands of that crazy psycho!!!”

"Hey, that's a vital point...! Kkuek! Let me say something too..., Keoheop...!"

"Are you crazy? Are you in your right mind? I'm asking if you're really in your right mind."

Lee Shin, who was following the two from behind, became a crazy psycho in real time.

However, far from being offended, he followed the two with his eyes sparkling with amusement.

For reference, Mio and Rwen, who were trailing behind Lee Shin, were also watching the fight-that-wasn't-a-fight with sparkling eyes.

Mio was so excited that she was even swinging her fists in the air in time with Bodra's movements.

Midra, who had been beaten to a pulp in front of his subordinates and enemies for a long time, lamented the fact that not a single subordinate had bravely stepped forward while their leader was being beaten, but he quietly shut his mouth at one of Bodra's murderous glares.

"I'm busy right now, so I'll let it go for now, but when we get back to the village, I'm going to unleash everything I couldn't do now, so be prepared."

"Yeah..."

Knowing that if he gave any answer other than affirmation, the beating from a moment ago would return, Midra quietly nodded.

"And I'm going to tell Patra unni too, so be properly prepared."

However, at Bodra's following words, he couldn't just nod his head.

"Hey Bodra? By any chance, when I'm being scolded, do you have any intention of taking my side..."

"Are you really crazy?"

Before Midra could finish his words, Bodra said in a sharp voice.

"We don't even know what kind of sinister thoughts that guy is having in his head, and you're dragging him into the village, and what did you do so well that you're asking me to take your side?"

At Bodra's words, Midra had nothing to say and quietly closed his mouth.

At that moment, a person the two hadn't even thought of intervened in the conversation and saved Midra.

"What? You're curious about what I'm thinking? Should I tell you?"

Lee Shin, who had been laughing for a long time and had finally calmed down, caught his breath and joined their conversation.

At Lee Shin's unexpected participation, the two looked at him with surprised faces.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course."

At Bodra's words, Lee Shin nodded.

"I don't know what you guys were thinking, but I didn't really intend to hide it in the first place. On top of that..."

Lee Shin looked at the two and chuckled as if genuinely amused.

"You let me have such an interesting spectacle after a long time, so I should at least give you a reward."

At Lee Shin's words, Midra made an ambiguous expression, not knowing whether to be happy or not.

And Bodra, due to her emotions getting the better of her, finally realized what she had done in front of an enemy and glared at Lee Shin with a face red with embarrassment.

(End of Chapter)