TNAAS Ch 17

Episode 17

“Who saved those people’s lives? Mr. Rai?”

“No, it was Mr. Yeonwoo.”

“What?”

Yeonwoo couldn’t understand why he was being called their savior. The only person he had actually saved was a single guild member.

“Oh, you’re awake!”

“Mr. Yeonwoo! Thank you for saving us! You’re a hero!”

“How could you be so brave? You stood unyielding before the Kraken and protected everyone. It’s an honor to have been born in the same era as you.”

He had no idea where to even begin correcting them. In front of the Kraken, he had been so terrified that he hadn’t done anything at all, standing frozen while a hole was torn into someone’s stomach. Who on earth were they talking about?

He turned an intense, questioning gaze toward Rai, silently urging him to explain more clearly. Rai, with his ever-gentle smile, kindly replied.

“While you were unconscious, the mana that went out of control spread all around. It seems that mana carried healing power because it treated the injured. For those who lost an arm, it even regenerated new ones. So, of course, everyone calls it a miracle.”

That was it; that polite smile of his was a terrifying one, the kind that knew everything. Since Yeonwoo had been hiding the fact that he was a Spirit Master, Rai naturally had every reason to be suspicious after witnessing such a healing ability.

Under the heavy weight of everyone’s gazes, Yeonwoo broke into a nervous sweat and tried to turn his head away, but even there, countless curious eyes were fixed on him. He just wanted to settle this situation quickly and get some rest, but it didn’t look like that would be easy.

Wait. Why was his eye level higher than usual?

Only then did he realize that from the time he had been in the mindscape until now, he had been held in Rai’s arms the entire time. Startled, Yeonwoo squirmed in panic, trying to wriggle free.

“C-could you please put me down first? To think I’ve been like this in front of everyone for so long… That’s so embarrassing!”

Rai tilted his head slightly as he looked down at Yeonwoo, whose face had turned completely red from his neck to his ears.

“Then, it’s fine when it’s just the two of us?”

“That’s not what I meant!!”

“But what should I do? If I put you down now, you’ll probably collapse like a newborn foal. Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“W-what? Don’t tell me… I’m paralyzed from the waist down or something?”

“You’re almost completely out of mana. It’s a miracle you’re even alive right now.”

Ah. No wonder his struggling had felt so weak and sluggish, like a mollusk. Yeonwoo hadn’t realized it was that bad and suddenly felt embarrassed. A mage who couldn’t even grasp the state of his own body; there was probably no other like that in the entire world.

“Ahem. Then could you please tell those people to stop crowding around? I’m your typical ordinary citizen. If this kind of attention keeps up, I think I might actually die from sheer embarrassment.”

“You should tell them yourself. Our guild members have been sweating bullets for a while, but they said they won’t budge an inch until they hear your voice.”

How had things gotten so out of hand? If they were praising him this much, the story about him would surely spread far and wide. Then the whole world’s attention would turn toward him, and countless troublesome things would follow.

Wanting to avoid that at all costs, Yeonwoo sighed and turned back toward the people. The moment some of them met his gaze, they were so moved that they burst into tears and sank to their knees. Despite their rugged, intimidating appearances, they seemed to be surprisingly emotional people.

“I, um… I don’t really remember how I saved all of you, but you must all be tired. How about you go and rest now…? I’ve woken up too…”

“No, sir! How could we rest when you, Mr. Yeonwoo, haven’t had any rest yet!”

“That’s right! We’ll stay with you until you safely reach the infirmary!”

“We haven’t even properly thanked you yet!”

No, that’s exactly the problem! That’s why it’s so burdensome, so please just go back!

Yeonwoo screamed a desperate cry in his heart, but realizing that reasoning with them was pointless, he gave them a cold, resigned look.

What should he do now? As he racked his brain, a good idea suddenly flashed through his mind.

“If you all head back for today, I’ll meet you here again tomorrow and give each of you some time to talk with me. Every single one of you.”

At that, the tears streaming down their faces suddenly stopped. It seemed to have worked. Most of them probably assumed Yeonwoo’s body wasn’t in good shape right now, so suggesting a conversation after he recovered sounded reasonable enough for them to accept.

Of course, Yeonwoo had absolutely no intention of actually meeting them the next day. His only goal was to buy some time and escape as fast as possible. Sure, once the rumors spread, people would start recognizing him, but that was a problem for later. Today’s problem could wait until tomorrow!

After a moment of hesitation, the crowd began nodding in unison, seemingly interpreting his words in their own way.

“You’re right. We must’ve been too greedy…”

“If we can see you again, we’re willing to wait as long as it takes.”

“We won’t leave this beach until you return!!”

What the hell. That is terrifying. At this point, he didn’t feel like a savior; he felt like the leader of some cult.

Shivering as goosebumps ran down his arms, Yeonwoo decided it was best not to say anything else. He forced an awkward smile instead.

Then he quickly turned to Rai, eyes filled with desperation. Please, get me out of here. Let’s escape quickly.

Rai seemed to catch the meaning in his gaze. Without a word, he bit his finger just as he had when they came to Vieta, letting a drop of blood fall to summon a bird from the ground. It was a bizarre sight as always, but after what happened with Helleo, Yeonwoo had grown used to it.

Still holding Yeonwoo in his arms, Rai mounted lightly onto the bird’s back. He glanced around, then gestured toward a nearby guild member who hurried over. Looking down at him, Rai gave an instruction.

“Handle things here, and tell Derick to wait in ‘that room’ at the hotel.”

At the mention of “that room,” the guild member flinched. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as his lips parted like he wanted to say something, but instead, he lowered his head deeply.

“…Yes, Boss.”

Satisfied with the response, Rai guided the bird upward. From below, people seemed to be calling out to Yeonwoo, but their voices grew faint as the shore receded into the distance.

Finally free from all those suffocating stares, Yeonwoo let out a sigh of relief. Watching him for a moment, Rai gave a short, breathy laugh.

“Why are you laughing? I’m being serious.”

“It’s just… you’re unusual. You actually take the time to talk to people you could have ignored.”

“When you get looks like that, you can’t just ignore them. Not everyone is as indifferent as you, Mr. Rai.”

Rai rubbed his chin thoughtfully, mulling over Yeonwoo’s words, then asked curiously, “By the way, how did you know my real name is Rai?”

“Huh?”

“Helleo couldn’t have told you, and yet you called me by my real name so naturally. It’s classified information even within the guild.”

If Yeonwoo had been facing forward like when they first came to Vieta, he wouldn’t have seen Rai’s face. But since he was sitting in Rai’s arms, he could see it clearly now. Though Rai was smiling beautifully, there was a dangerous glint behind that smile.

Yeonwoo swallowed dryly. The face before him looked as though it would kill whoever dared to leak that secret. Choosing his words carefully, he opened his mouth.

“Uh… Before I answer that… how much of my conversation with Helleo did you hear…?”

Depending on the answer, the range of what he could say would change. If Rai had heard everything, then Yeonwoo would have no choice but to come clean. But if not, maybe he could find a way to dodge it somehow.

“That you’re a person from another world who got caught up in Helleo’s schemes?”

Ah, he heard it all.

Feeling awkward, Yeonwoo lowered his head and fidgeted with his fingers. He had no idea how to explain it all. That he had thought this world was a game, and that they were merely NPCs—non-player characters—inside it. And how was he even supposed to explain what an NPC was?

While Yeonwoo sat there clutching his head, trying to find the right words, a soft voice brushed against his ears from above.

“As you heard earlier, that bastard and I are half-brothers.”

Yeonwoo had been curious about that since earlier, and the answer came so easily from Rai’s lips. It seemed he understood that Yeonwoo was struggling to respond, and so he began to explain on his own. Yeonwoo took the chance to calm his tangled thoughts and waited quietly for Rai to continue.

“It’s just one of those typical sibling rivalries you see anywhere, but since he could never beat me, not once in his life, his rebellion’s gotten worse. That bastard.”

Wow. Was it possible for someone to curse so sexily? With such an austere, restrained face, the faint red tint on his lips made the vulgarity coming from them feel almost sinful. Yeonwoo thought it was the most wicked kind of allure he had ever seen.

Just as he was lost in silent admiration of Rai’s looks, the man spoke again.

“How much do you know about this world? No, more precisely, how much do you know about Helleo?”

“Well… Just that he killed his parents and siblings and wants to seize the world for himself.”

Almost bewitched by the way he drew out the conversation naturally, Yeonwoo answered without thinking. The moment he noticed his mouth had moved on its own, he gasped quietly, but Rai only sighed and shook his head.

“That’s mostly right. He’s definitely a bastard, but to correct one thing, he didn’t kill his sibling. He just wants to.”

“Judging from that, you must be the sibling. You seem remarkably calm about it. Why does he want to kill you, anyway?”

“Well, let’s see. I don’t think I’ve done much. The only thing I remember is snatching and eating a legendary elixir Helleo once found.”

“Elixir?”

“Yes. What was it again… Something about how it contained a powerful concentration of mana, and whoever drank it could gain divine strength?”

Yeonwoo suddenly understood why Helleo might want to kill him. He didn’t have any siblings himself, but even he felt a small, quiet sympathy for Helleo.

And at the same time, he found himself reevaluating Rai.

What a satanic bastard.