Ch.47Unjust Fate (3)

People often regret things from the past. Especially when it comes to words they’ve spoken, this happens quite frequently.

Every day, people regret thinking that if they had said something different, or if they hadn’t said anything at all, the situation would have been much better.

And since I’m human too, I deeply regret the things I’ve said.

Why did I have to say that out loud when I could have just kept quiet and avoided being imprisoned here?

Or at the very least, I should have consulted with Rebecca before speaking. Now I’m in this mess because I didn’t tell the truth.

I could have just told Rebecca that Leo died because there were too many demons, without mentioning the lifespan part. There wouldn’t have been any problem.

Anyway, good ideas always seem to come after everything is over.

While I was grumbling and regretting, someone entered the cave.

“You really are here, senior.”

“Were you captured too?”

“No. I came here to rescue you.”

“…Really?”

“Why would I have gotten myself captured?”

Honestly, I thought Ha-eun had been captured. Since both of us were targets, I naturally assumed she would be protected too, and Leo was planning to die alone.

But if she wasn’t captured, how did she find this place?

“How did you get here anyway?”

“My master told me to help you, so I came, and you really were locked up.”

“Master? You mean that dragon person?”

“Yes. The one with horns on their head and a tail.”

Why would that dragon person want to help me? And why help after I’ve already been kidnapped?

“But why did that dragon person tell you to help me?”

“My master suddenly said I needed practical experience and told me to help you. But why are you locked up here?”

“Things went a bit wrong while trying to save someone.”

“…Explain in more detail.”

“The person I was trying to save told me not to save them and locked me up here.”

“…What?”

Ha-eun looked at me with bewilderment. Honestly, this is quite a confusing story.

But I can’t give a detailed explanation. First of all, I don’t know much about Leo’s background, but more importantly, there’s nothing good that would come from telling her.

If I explain, it might evoke sympathy and get help, but it could also backfire.

To put it bluntly, if I say we could all die, she might argue that sacrificing Leo would be the better option.

So I’ll just give a vague, trimmed-down explanation.

“There is a way for everyone to survive, but he says it’s too dangerous and is trying to stop me.”

“What kind of method would make him do that?”

“A plan to take out the enemy boss.”

“…Senior. Are you in your right mind?”

Ha-eun put her hand to her head and sighed, as if this situation was too confusing.

It’s certainly a reckless plan, but whether it’s because of affection or sympathy, my heart keeps urging me to execute it.

“Should I just let that person die? He’s not even a stranger, and I owe him a lot.”

“…You won’t listen no matter how much I try to persuade you, right?”

“If you’ve known me for three years, you should know.”

“You’re such a pushover…”

Ha-eun said what she often says to Ju-an. The problem is that this time, the target is me, not Ju-an.

“So what’s the detailed plan?”

“I need to think about that now.”

“…I think I understand why that person locked you up here, whoever they are.”

It’s definitely an extremely reckless plan. But it’s not completely impossible.

Maybe I should try to get help from Rebecca. With luck, she might be able to locate the enemy boss through her foresight.

“By the way, aren’t you going to free me?”

“I’m seriously considering whether I should really free you right now.”

“Are you going to let that person die?”

“Should I let you go on a suicide mission?”

Ha-eun was starting to show reactions similar to Leo’s. If this continues, she might really leave me here.

…Should I lie?

“Is that person so important that you need to risk your life to save them?”

“I don’t plan to sacrifice my life. By the way, do you know who Leo is?”

“…That person is going to die? The one who defeated the Demon King single-handedly?”

Fortunately, I didn’t need to explain who Leo was to Ha-eun. Instead, her expression became excessively dark.

“It’s not certain yet, but if we leave things as they are, he will definitely die.”

“How strong is the opponent? And can you even defeat someone that even a hero can’t beat?”

“The opponent is weak. The problem is there are too many of them.”

“How many are there?”

“About… 100,000 demons.”

Ha-eun’s expression grew darker and darker. Honestly, it does sound overwhelming when you first hear it.

“It’s okay, we just need to take down the enemy boss to solve everything.”

“But we don’t know the enemy’s location or have any information about them. How are you going to defeat them?”

“…Wait a moment.”

I took out my phone to call Ju-an, but there was no signal. Probably because of magic again.

“There’s no signal here, can you get me out?”

“I’ll decide after hearing what you’re planning to do.”

“I want to ask Ju-an.”

“…You always leave the thinking to Senior Ju-an.”

“What can I do? I’m thick-headed.”

Ha-eun gave me a suspicious look, but eventually removed the shackles from my ankles.

I’m not sure how she did it. She held a scroll, mumbled something, and they just came off. Probably some complicated thing I don’t understand.

Once freed from the shackles, I immediately went outside the cave and called Ju-an.

-Hello?

Thankfully, the signal was good. Now I just need to explain my situation and get some guidance.

After explaining the current situation, Ju-an spoke to me in a serious voice.

-I don’t know either.

“You really don’t have any ideas at all?”

-If even a hero would be defeated, it’s absolutely impossible to break through a horde of demons and reach the enemy leader.

I left out the part about the lifespan, so the enemies might be overestimated, but even with an accurate assessment, a frontal assault is absolutely impossible.

“What about sneaking in?”

-Where would you sneak into?

“That’s why I called you.”

-I don’t know everything…

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a useful answer. Is Rebecca really my only hope now?

“Thanks anyway. I’ll call you back later.”

-You’re not really planning to attack, are you?

“I can’t just let Leo die.”

-Please think rationally! You’ll just die for nothing!

“It’s okay, if it really seems impossible, I’ll give up.”

No matter how thick-headed I am, I’m not stupid enough to charge in blindly. There’s no reason to fight a battle with no chance of winning.

But if there’s a possibility, it’s worth trying. However, there’s no possibility yet.

-Can I trust you on that?

“Would I value someone else’s life more than my own?”

Ju-an still seemed suspicious and couldn’t give an answer. I should reassure him.

“By the way, shall we hang out again this Saturday like last time?”

-Don’t change the subject, please…

“Have you ever seen me break a promise?”

Ju-an paused for a moment, then spoke as if he still wasn’t happy with me.

-Let’s definitely meet and hang out on Saturday. It’s a promise.

“Alright, see you Saturday.”

As soon as I finished the call with Ju-an, I was about to call Rebecca, but Leo called me instead.

…It seems like trouble whether I answer or not.

I might as well answer. If I’m going to be kidnapped again anyway, it’s better to gather as much information as possible.

As soon as I answered, Leo’s stern voice came through.

-Go back to the cave right now.

“…How did you know?”

-Can you put that dragon person’s disciple on the phone?

Is he going to warn Ha-eun too? Great, now Ha-eun might end up locked in that cave because of me.

Anyway, I handed the phone to Ha-eun.

“Was that circuit double-layered? But isn’t it okay to disassemble rather than combine circuit 31?”

And Ha-eun started having an incomprehensible conversation with Leo. What on earth is happening?

Whatever the case, Ha-eun talked with Leo for over ten minutes.

“Yes, thank you for your advice. I’ll continue to dedicate myself to magic.”

While I was spacing out, Ha-eun handed me the phone and said:

“The mage wants to talk to you again.”

As soon as I took the phone, I immediately asked Leo a question.

“What were you talking about?”

-I just told her about the error that occurred when unlocking the shackles. By the way, is it true she’s only been here for a week? Her level is surprisingly high.

“…Is that all you called for?”

-What do you mean ‘is that all’? Do you know how significant these errors are for a mage?

I seriously considered hanging up, but decided to keep listening.

-Anyway, go back to the cave right now.

“Can’t you at least give me a chance?”

-There’s no benefit in saving me. My lifespan is already running out, and even if you save me, I can’t help in the fight against the Demon King.

“Do we need to weigh losses and benefits?”

I absolutely refuse to watch someone important die before my eyes again.

Ever since I witnessed Ju-an’s death right in front of me, I seem to have developed some kind of obsession. At least it’s not a negative obsession, I guess?

Honestly, from a selfish perspective, it is a negative obsession…

Suddenly, a deep sigh from Leo came through the phone.

-I guarantee, you’re the type of pushover who would immediately sign if I asked for a guarantee.

“…I’m not that much of a pushover.”

-Whatever, you’re not planning to go back to the cave willingly anyway, right?

“I’ll go back when all hope is lost.”

-…Fine. Do whatever you want. I don’t care whether you live or die anymore.

And then the call ended. Fortunately, Leo didn’t lock me in the cave again this time.

Just as I was about to call Rebecca, she suddenly appeared in front of us.

“So you really were here!”

I feel like I heard something similar earlier… but I guess it doesn’t matter?

“Why did you come here?”

“Leo suddenly asked me to protect Lite, so I came. So what exactly is the situation?”

If he wanted to monitor me, wouldn’t it be more effective for Leo to do it himself? If not, why send Rebecca?

It doesn’t seem like pure goodwill… or is it?

“Why didn’t Leo come?”

“He said he’s busy designing magic and couldn’t come.”

According to Leo, he needs to work through the night designing magic to barely complete it by the next morning. What would happen if he wasted time here?

Probably a high-ranking demon would fully cross into this world, and a country would disappear from the map.

“Can you explain the current situation?”

“Leo is about to die.”

“…What?”

Rebecca’s face showed panic. This is going to take some explaining…