TEB Ch 61

“I wonder what that means?” 

When I asked him to answer the question, he was sitting there asking a question to himself. Liev was momentarily taken aback and asked back,  

“I think I asked first.”  

“There’s no rule that says you have to answer questions in order.”  

The person responded with a kind smile. Although he seemed to give off a good impression, it still felt eerie. What should I do? In the 20 years I’ve lived in this world, I’ve never encountered such a strange situation.  

“…….”  

Of course, since he was suddenly dragged into the world of a novel, if there was someone else in this world who was like him, or even if there were people in this world who had experienced strange things, it wouldn’t be impossible. Unrealistic things have already happened. The most absurd thing would be coming back to life and living as a character in a novel. So how should he react here? Liev calculated for a brief moment in his mind. Generally, in this situation, the other person would be threatened. 

‘I know your secret.’ It was a situation where a possessor took someone’s place. The person who knew the original owner of the body had loved them now knows they are actually dead and that someone else is pretending to be them. The sense of betrayal they would feel is indescribable. So, if he were to expose the truth and say,

“Actually, this person is fake!” The threat would work.  

However, the situation with Liev was different. The original body that Suhyuk had possessed had died at the age of six, and he had been an extra that no one had paid attention to ever since. He didn’t even have a name, and there was no one who cared for him. The only person who valued him was Renard. In fact, even if someone taunted him by saying,  

What does it even mean to be real? Comparing six years and twenty years, the latter was overwhelmingly longer. Moreover, he couldn’t even imagine or care about what the parents of a six-year-old child would look like. But now, Liev’s appearance was very exotic. Even though his memories as Suhyuk were a mess, he could tell that his current face was not the typical appearance of the people in this country. This is his “real” face. He doesn’t know how this happened or what principle it was based on, but when he first entered this novel, it was completely different from the face reflected in the bathroom mirror.  

“Even though his eye color and hair color haven’t changed,”  

So even if someone were to threaten him by saying he was fake, it wouldn’t work and would be meaningless. But it would still be good to know who he was and what he knew. He didn’t want to miss any chance to find out why he ended up in this novel. Liev quickly calculated his answer and opened his mouth again.  

“I assume you want me to accompany Renard. But wouldn’t it be better to reveal the situation first?”  

Sigrid smiled at Liev’s sharp reaction.  

“I guess you’re curious about how much I know about you, Liev.”  

“Of course. Who wouldn’t be curious in this situation?”  

Liev didn’t back down at all. And in the tense standoff, it was Sigrid who took a step back first.  

“You know that I will not harm Liev or Renard.”  

“I don’t know that.”  

“You really have no mercy for people.”  

“I’m only retaliating because you provoked me first.”  

Sigrid smiled bitterly when he ignored the fact that he had given permission to call him Sid.  

“Anyway, here’s what we’ll do. If we successfully finish this task with Renard, I’ll answer all your questions without hiding anything.”  

Is that what you call negotiation? Of course, Liev had no reason to be disappointed. It was true that he didn’t feel like sending Renard alone and being separated for so long. However, if he could push aside his hesitation and agree, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. The only doubt was that he couldn’t figure out Sigrid’s true identity at the moment, and he wasn’t sure why he wanted him to travel with Renard. Why? What help could he be? Just to use Renard more cooperatively? Liev pondered for a moment.  

If he refused to go, would Renard actually go on strike? It was quite possible, considering his stubborn personality. The relationship between Renard and the Kingdom of Airen was entirely based on Renard’s benevolent mercy. If that was the only reason, there would be no need for further suspicion. Liev still couldn’t completely let go of his guard as he looked at Sigrid with a doubtful expression. Sigrid just smiled back, as if to say there was nothing to worry about.  

Liev let out a sigh.  

“Again, I’m just an ordinary person who can do nothing but slow you down if I travel with you.”  

“There’s no need to worry about that.”  

“I’m curious about the basis for your confidence.”  

When Liev answered with the same expression, Sigrid silently looked towards the inside of the meeting room. Right after that, with a knock that sounded like the door was about to break, Renard’s voice could be heard from behind the door.  

“How long are you two going to keep at it?”  

Sigrid quickly raised his hand and pointed to the door.  

“Just trust Renard for now. He’s been thinking about nothing but you all day.”  

It’s not Renard that I don’t trust, it’s you.  

Liev turned away instead of saying what he really wanted to say.  

***  

In the end, Liev decided to join the expedition team, but he still wasn’t sure if it was the right decision. He had dealt with many monsters before, but they were all tamed creatures under human control. These creatures were bigger and more aggressive than regular livestock, but at least they followed human commands. However, now he would have to face a monster that he would have to fight and kill. The thought of this made his heart tremble with fear.  

Of course, monsters were different from cross-breed horses, and they were also different from regular wild animals. But seeing them mercilessly kill creatures that he had taken care of and were only slightly different from the monsters made him uneasy.”  

But once he sees the aftermath of a monster attack, his thoughts will surely change,” he thought.  

Furthermore, the current situation was not caused by humans invading the monster territory, but rather by the monsters coming down from far away to attack villages. There was no need to feel guilty. 

Unlike the creatures that humans have successfully domesticated, demonic beasts were simply creatures driven by hunger, destruction, and reproduction, consuming anything that came their way. There was no reason to feel disturbed. With that conclusion, he finished packing and preparing for the journey, but his tense expression did not ease. Renard, who had been staring at him, asked,  

“What’s wrong? Did you forget something important?”  

His face showed his satisfaction in achieving what he wanted. His relaxed expression somehow made Liev feel annoyed as he glared at him.  

“No, it’s nothing. Just give me some space.”  

His hand had naturally wrapped around his waist while he was lost in thought. Renard smirked at Liev’s resistance.  

“I was just worried that you might be feeling a little weak. I made sure to ask the steward for enough food to last us the whole trip.”  

With a serious expression, he tilted his head as if measuring the thickness of Liev’s waist with his hand. Liev wanted to hit him with a pillow, but looking at him only made him more upset, so he turned his gaze away.

“Stop talking nonsense and quickly pack your things too.”  

Renard immediately shrugged his shoulders.  

“My things will be taken care of by the steward, so it’s okay.”  

Then he stared at Liev, still teasing him. Liev felt a little angry, but not too much.

Anyway, it’s been like this since we were kids.