Chapter 208

Just when I thought it was over, an unexpected situation arose.

Anyone would be flustered.

But even in that situation, I clearly recognized.

This wasn’t a coincidence.

It couldn’t be a coincidence.

There was no way two Red Rain executives would appear on this remote island by chance.

There had to be a purpose.

And that purpose probably wasn’t limited to this time.

They were most likely present at this moment, in this place, in the past as well.

‘It doesn’t make sense for it to be because of me.’

For two core executives of the organization to move just to target me, who had taken the heart, was too excessive.

Even in Schwarzfelz, it was the mid-level members who targeted me.

And if they were truly after me, there were plenty of better opportunities to attack.

When I left the lodgings and was alone.

They could have targeted that moment. There was no reason to choose a time when I had two companions with me.

In conclusion.

Their target wasn’t me.

They had another important objective.

Important enough to mobilize two core executives.

I had a feeling that figuring out that objective would be the key to escaping this crisis.

‘Buy time and figure out their objective first.’

The act I put on to do that.

“Hahaha, to think you’d notice that I noticed.”

The reaction came immediately.

“What, you really noticed? There’s no way you could with your skills. Did someone leak information or something?”

Gulshan was skeptical.

“If you had just rushed out recklessly, you would have killed him quickly. Why are you bothering with that nonsense?”

Natasha interjected.

I was able to glean one crucial piece of information from her words.

The part about Gulshan rushing out recklessly.

As expected, Natasha didn’t seem to be involved in this situation.

It was a situation caused by Gulshan’s impulsive actions.

And if that was the cause of his impulsive actions…

‘…Is it because of me after all?’

I had gotten entangled with Gulshan twice and clearly attracted his aggro.

That’s why Gulshan couldn’t hold back and reacted, rushing out.

In the end, a situation that would have passed by silently if I were the protagonist had turned into something completely different because of me.

It was only natural that I had never experienced this in the past as a protagonist.

‘So that’s how it went.’

I had figured out one thing, but I still didn’t know their exact objective.

Trying to stay as calm as possible, I observed the situation.

“Why wouldn’t I? I’m curious, you know? It doesn’t make sense for you to have noticed my attack with your skills.”

Fortunately, my words seemed to work on Gulshan.

Good.

I’ll keep buying time and probing them.

Maybe I’ll find a breakthrough.

“Heh, that’s right. I knew you would come here.”

I bluffed, as if I had something up my sleeve.

Swish!

I casually wiped the blood off my sword.

Swoosh.

I even sheathed my sword leisurely.

My words, expression, and actions were all in perfect harmony, a masterful performance.

No one would think I was in a crisis.

“Huh, you knew? Who leaked the information?”

Gulshan reacted exactly as I wanted him to.

He seemed to be quite gullible.

On the other hand.

“Didn’t you see his disgusting acting earlier? Why are you reacting to everything he says?”

Natasha frowned, looking at him with disdain.

She was definitely a tougher opponent than Gulshan.

But difficult didn’t mean impossible.

I deliberately ignored Natasha and shrugged.

“No one leaked information. I guessed.”

“That’s bullshit. There’s no way you could have guessed.”

Gulshan didn’t fall for it this time.

But I had anticipated that reaction.

Now was the important part.

I would throw out a bait.

A very plausible bait.

My life might depend on whether this bait worked or not.

“There’s no way? We saw each other in the desert, remember?”

I smirked.

“So what?”

“It was definitely the two of you back then. And you were after this.”

I poked my left chest with my finger.

Signifying my heart.

“And?”

Natasha said coldly.

It seemed like she was ready to act if my next words were worthless.

My next words became even more important.

My heart pounded.

The more nervous I felt, the wider I smiled.

I believed in myself.

I believed in the bait I had come up with.

“So isn’t it obvious that the next target is here?”

I took out the two half keys I had collected.

A pre-planned performance.

I focused on Gulshan’s expression.

I saw an undeniable flicker of greed in his eyes.

That confirmed it.

They weren’t here for the secret archive where the dark magic books were buried.

There was no way something like the secret archive would be enough to motivate them.

The moment I was certain.

I chose the ending of my performance.

I threw the two half keys away like trash.

And then.

I smiled, the smile of someone who knew too much.

“There’s more to this place than just the secret archive, isn’t there?”

* * *

“There’s no one here?”

Slain said, deflated.

They had rushed here, following Camian’s plausible reasoning.

They had arrived at Mount Cali, the center of the island.

But there wasn’t a single dark mage in sight, not even a rat.

“…”

Camian was also puzzled by the unexpected situation, lost in thought.

“Tsk, did we go on a wild goose chase? It just sounded good.”

Slain shook his head and clicked his tongue.

“No, it was a logical argument.”

Lucia defended Camian.

But even she seemed confused as to why they had encountered such an unexpected situation.

“You, of all people, should know that theory and practice are worlds apart, having been through countless battles. Anyone can talk.”

“…”

Lucia remained silent this time.

Because she knew his words weren’t wrong.

“Sigh, maybe the villains haven’t arrived yet…”

“Do they have that kind of time? Are they on a picnic?”

“Ugh.”

Annette, who had tried to defend Camian, was left speechless.

“That’s why I think they’re here.”

Leon interjected.

“What are you talking about?”

“They must have met up somewhere in the middle. It’s inevitable since they were acting separately.”

“There’s nothing here, is there?”

“That means they met up before we arrived and moved somewhere else.”

Leon seemed certain.

Slain, sensing that there was some logic to his words, changed his attitude and asked,

“So where to?”

“We need to figure that out now.”

“This is so frustrating.”

Just as Slain said that in exasperation.

“If they achieved their objective, they would be heading west. If not, somewhere else.”

Camian finally spoke, as if he had finished thinking.

Everyone’s eyes turned to him.

“What do you mean?”

Slain asked.

Camian answered calmly,

“If they achieved their objective, they would have headed towards the west coast after meeting up to escape the island.”

They had also heard the information that boats couldn’t sail from the east coast due to the strong currents.

So excluding the east was reasonable.

However.

“What about the other directions?”

“We would have definitely encountered them if they went south. And if they were heading north, there would have been no need to meet up in the middle. But we don’t even need to consider that.”

Camian asserted.

“Because they didn’t achieve their objective. Escape couldn’t be their top priority.”

“You mean their objective was to kill us?”

“Yes, they must have realized that when they met up. But they didn’t come down south to confront us, and we haven’t seen them anywhere. What does that mean?”

“Just spit it out.”

Slain urged him.

Camian answered in a clear voice,

“It means they’re regrouping somewhere inconspicuous. And that inconspicuous place…”

Camian’s gaze turned towards the top of Mount Cali.

“It’s most likely there.”

Not north, south, east, or west.

And they couldn’t have just vanished, so Camian’s deduction led him to the top of Mount Cali.

“Hmm.”

Slain’s eyes changed again.

“That makes sense.”

Lucia nodded.

“A-As expected of Camian.”

Annette’s eyes sparkled.

“It’s a good idea.”

Leon agreed.

Their halted progress was decided.

“Let’s move.”

With Camian leading the way, they started moving towards the top of Mount Cali.

* * *

There’s more to this place than just the secret archive.

The moment I threw out that bait, the atmosphere clearly changed.

The mocking smile disappeared from Gulshan’s face.

“How did you know about that…?”

“Stop it!”

Natasha cut him off with a hardened expression, but that only strengthened my conviction.

“It’s too late to hide it now. My brain isn’t just for decoration.”

“I asked how you knew.”

Gulshan’s expression was serious.

It seemed like information that absolutely shouldn’t be known.

Judging from Gulshan’s reaction, who usually acted like he was missing a screw.

“I said stop it! It doesn’t matter what he knows. We can just kill him cleanly.”

Natasha frowned and placed her hand on her staff.

Of course, I knew that it wasn’t just a staff, but a staff-sword.

A legendary sword passed down through the guardian family of the dark elves.

The Fearful Intangible Sword.

If she drew that, it would be the end of conversation, stalling, everything.

It meant I had to stop her somehow.

“Ugh… Wh-Who said you could kill us?”

Allen shouted, trying to sound brave.

“We won’t allow that.”

Elaine also assumed a stance, ready to cast magic at any moment.

A tense atmosphere, on the verge of exploding.

I burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha!”

“Why are you laughing?”

Natasha glared at me.

“No, it’s good, good. I like your confidence that you can kill us. But I’m wondering, are you sure about that? If you kill me, you’ll never know who the mole in your organization is. It means you’ll have to live with that seed of doubt forever.”

“That’s ridiculous. You said earlier that no one leaked information, that it was your own guess.”

“Sorry, I lied. I have at least a minimum of loyalty.”

“So what? You have no intention of betraying him anyway.”

Natasha said dryly.

It meant she would kill me regardless.

I smirked.

“No, no. Believe it or not, I’m a person who values my life above all else. I’m willing to make a deal if it means ensuring my safety.”

“I can’t trust the words of someone like you.”

Natasha said flatly.

It was a wise decision, befitting her experience.

But I couldn’t stop here.

I pulled out my last resort.

The Heart of ????.

It was an item that was practically my lifeline against Red Rain, so I always carried it with me.

I clenched the heart tightly in my left hand.

“Then I have no choice. Try killing me. But are you sure you can? Even you wouldn’t find it easy.”

“…”

Natasha frowned.

Natasha was strong.

Really strong.

If it were the old me, I wouldn’t have felt safe even with the heart.

But now it was different.

I still felt some anxiety, but I was confident that I could crush the heart before I died.

However.

‘…What’s the point of that?’

What did it matter what happened after I died?

It would be the end.

That’s why it was my last resort.

I could threaten them with it, but I couldn’t crush it myself, and I didn’t want to recklessly attack them in a desperate situation.

‘Let’s end this peacefully.’

As if responding to my wish, Gulshan stepped forward.

“No, no, this isn’t right. Don’t you know that talking is always better than bloodshed?”

“What?”

Natasha was speechless, dumbfounded.

Anyone would be, especially since it was Gulshan, the psycho, who had said those words.

Gulshan ignored Natasha and said,

“So? Who is this guy?”

At that moment.

The ground shook.

An earthquake?

No, it couldn’t be an earthquake.

It couldn’t be such a coincidence.

This must be related to them…

‘Huh?’

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump!

The heart in my hand pounded violently.

A red glow flashed, dyeing the surroundings red.

This is…?

“Tsk, a reaction? They’re reacting this strongly to each other?”

Gulshan clicked his tongue.

“That’s not the problem. It’s coming out.”

Natasha covered her forehead with her hand, staring at something.

As soon as she finished speaking.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump!

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

Something massive emerged from behind, shaking the ground.

“