Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: I Am What I Am (2)
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I explained myself earnestly.
Wouldn't it be a hassle if a potential pursuit party caught up to us?
If I left a message like this, wouldn't the pursuers think twice?
They would respect the person's wishes and call off the chase.
Whether my efforts paid off or not, the Star-Eating Sorceress didn't seem to have a problem with my actions.
Perhaps she didn't care about a pursuit party at all.
She might have even secretly hoped they would follow.
If the pursuit party included a knight, she could enjoy a feast, after all.
Thump.
The Star-Eating Sorceress grabbed me by the scruff of my neck.
Dangling.
My feet left the ground.
"Hah."
Given the circumstances, I tried to be patient, but there was a limit.
I wasn't some abandoned stray cat.
In my past life, I'd at least made it to Shield Bearer.
"Excuse me..."
Just as I was about to say something.
"You..."
The Star-Eating Sorceress spoke first.
"You're thinking wicked thoughts."
Her eyes glistened like glass beads.
"...Me?"
"Your eyes give it away."
"I was just thinking about how I could lessen your burden, in case I was too heavy!"
Faced with her chilling gaze, I hastily blurted out the words.
At the same time, I folded my hands against my chest and bent my legs, tucking my heels to my rear.
I curled up as much as I could.
To make it easier for her to carry me.
"How about now? Is this a little more comfortable for you? Hehehe."
She looked at me as if she were dumbfounded.
I did my best to feign ignorance.
There's a saying about looking at your spot before stretching your legs.
In other words, now was not the time to stretch my legs, but to fold them.
My past life's experience was telling me so.
After staring blankly at my curled-up form, she strode back to her original spot.
* * *
Another day passed.
A time that felt both short and long.
Twenty-two escape attempts became twenty-three, with just as many failures added to the count.
Despite her constant threats to cut off my limbs, the Star-Eating Sorceress never actually acted on her words.
It occurred to me that perhaps the Star-Eating Sorceress had no intention of harming me right away.
Otherwise, there was no way she would have left me with all my limbs intact when I tried to escape at every opportunity.
She could have prevented my frequent escape attempts by simply tying up my arms and legs, yet she always left me free.
Even when I left traces here and there, she never stopped me.
She would merely glance at the traces, grab me by the scruff of my neck, and quietly return me to my original spot.
My belongings were also untouched.
Even now, Baegya and Barisada were placed neatly within my reach.
It was a treatment that completely ignored the most basic rule of handling prisoners: disarmament.
I couldn't understand what she was thinking.
In any case, it wasn't a bad thing for me.
I didn't know about later, but for now, it seemed I didn't have to worry about my physical well-being.
As things settled, I gradually started to get bolder.
Less than a day after my twenty-third escape attempt ended in failure, I made my twenty-fourth.
"Gak."
Exactly half a day later, I was dragged back again, caught by the scruff of my neck.
"How can you be so foolish?"
She seemed to be saying, shouldn't you know by now that it's useless?
Despite the Star-Eating Sorceress's chiding, I remained steadfast.
Contrary to her belief, my twenty-five failed escapes were not meaningless.
Through numerous trials and errors, I had learned a great deal.
When this kidnapper with no sense of the basics was most vulnerable, what her reaction speed was, and the range of her senses.
And finally, I was able to reach a conclusion.
It was impossible to shake her off by running with these short two legs, even if I died and came back to life.
"Ah...?"
...But that wasn't all I had gained.
The Star-Eating Sorceress's temperament, her habits, even her minor eating preferences.
In a little over half a month, I had figured it all out.
She.
"You don't seem to like rabbit meat much, so I roasted a bird. You like the leg part, right?"
She preferred creatures with wings over those that walked on the ground.
And she was a light eater.
Munch, munch.
Chewing on the bird meat I offered, she stared at me.
Her gaze seemed to ask me.
Have you finally given up on wasting your energy on pointless things?
I didn't answer.
"Here, have some water."
"I'll clean up the area."
"I've prepared a place for you to sleep. This way."
Because sometimes, actions are a more definitive answer than words.
From that day on, I completely changed my attitude and began to serve her with utmost devotion.
It wasn't particularly difficult.
Sorcerers or knights, they were all the same in that they knew nothing besides how to kill people.
Winning over a sorceress who had undoubtedly lived a lonely life was a piece of cake.
After a few days of being utterly subservient.
"Isn't it so much better now that you're obedient?"
The Star-Eating Sorceress's guard noticeably lowered.
Now, she no longer came to catch me the moment I disappeared from her sight.
I looked around without having to be sneaky.
It had already been a month since I was kidnapped.
The entire way here, she had consistently headed south.
Since I was first abducted just before leaving the central region, we must have been well into the southern region by now.
If only I knew our exact location, I'd feel a little less frustrated.
It seemed I would need to see a large city to get my bearings.
Wandering through deserted mountains and fields like this was getting me nowhere.
But then, an unexpected opportunity to pinpoint our location arose.
The mountains and fields ended, and a large road appeared before us.
A city was visible in the distance.
The Star-Eating Sorceress strode toward the city.
Without a hint of hesitation.
What would she do if I were to hide myself in the bustling crowd?
I'd never met such a thoughtless kidnapper in my life.
But she wasn't thoughtless.
"Halt. State your identity and purpose of visit."
A city guard just had to stop us.
The Star-Eating Sorceress stopped and turned to look at me.
The moment I saw her gaze, as dry as a grain of desert sand, the image of Komlat reduced to ruins came to mind.
At the same time, I realized.
Why she hadn't given me a single word of warning.
She was already convinced I couldn't escape.
Because this massive city, and everyone living in it, was her hostage.
The moment I acted on any plan in my head, this place would become a living hell.
Drip.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
It seemed I had gotten too carried away with figuring out our location.
Otherwise, there was no way I would have forgotten her origins and her true nature to this extent.
I steeled myself.
"No identification?"
Unaware of my inner turmoil, the guard pressed me with a stern face.
"You look like you've been traveling the wilds for more than a day or two. Ignoring perfectly good roads to wander through mountains and fields? You must have something to hide."
The guard's eyes, scanning our appearance, were unnecessarily sharp.
A mere guard should just act like one and pass the time.
"I'll ask again. Identification and purpose of visit."
Despite the guard's prompting, the Star-Eating Sorceress just kept looking at me.
One.
Her unusually red lips twitched slightly.
Two.
A sequence of numbers with an unknown meaning.
Before my mind could process it, my body moved.
Thwack.
"Ack!"
The guard, kicked in the shin, cried out and collapsed.
"You crazy bastard!"
"How dare you attack a guard?"
Sensing the commotion, other soldiers surrounded me and the Star-Eating Sorceress.
That, too, was an unnecessarily swift response.
"Show some respect!"
I bellowed.
While lifting the edge of my dust-covered cloak with my hand.
"Respect, my ass..."
The soldier who had been glaring at me froze.
"A-are you from a knightly order?"
His attitude changed in an instant.
It would have been stranger if he hadn't changed his tune after seeing the uniform under my cloak.
What I was wearing was the uniform of the Cradle.
To the eyes of a soldier who had never even been near the Cradle, it would have looked exactly like the attire of a knight.
I hadn't had time to change and had left the Cradle still in my uniform. It had been like that ever since, and right now, I couldn't be more thankful for it.
"I am an Esquire."
I lowered the cloak's edge and lifted my chin arrogantly.
The soldiers glanced between me and the Star-Eating Sorceress standing behind me.
One of them spoke cautiously.
"But which knightly order are you from...?"
Why were the guards in this city all so full of drive?
"Don't tell me you can't recognize the crest!"
Hiding my true feelings, I feigned outrage.
As if I had been gravely insulted.
"P-please, enter!"
"...P-pass!"
Only then did the startled guards open the way.
"Let's go."
The Star-Eating Sorceress, who had been watching me from a step back, passed through the gate as if it were only natural.
Following behind her, I secretly let out a sigh of relief.
But it was too soon to be relieved.
That was just the beginning.
From passing through the gate to arriving at a suitable inn, it was like walking on thin ice.
If some mad sorceress decided to turn the city upside down just because someone brushed past her, it would be a catastrophe.
I did my absolute best to avoid bumping into anyone while walking through the crowded city center.
And so, I finally succeeded in that near-impossible task.
There was not a shred of accomplishment.
By the time we reached the inn, my whole body was drenched in sweat.
I desperately wanted to rest.
It seemed the Star-Eating Sorceress had no intention of granting my wish.
"You want to eat on the first floor?"
A nod.
My heart sank at her insistence on using the crowded first-floor dining hall.
It was clearly intentional.
Whether it was to mess with me, or because she hoped someone would start a fight.
She was clearly enjoying the current situation.
If not, she would never have chosen such a shabby inn, so beneath her status.
The way she flaunted her striking appearance was also part of it.
"..."
The boisterous dining hall fell silent as if by magic.
The drunkards who had started their binge early were gaping at the Star-Eating Sorceress.
A group of ruffians, who had been plotting something, watched her with sinister glints in their eyes.
Thump, thump.
She strode past the drunkards and ruffians and took a seat right in the center of the dining hall.
Sitting across from her, I deliberately placed Baegya on the table with a thud.
The slightly revealed hem of my uniform was an added touch.
Flinch.
Those who had been staring our way quickly turned their heads.
Murmur, murmur.
Chatter, chatter.
Then, they soon started chattering loudly again.
But it was obvious.
While they were all gulping down their drinks, their attention was still focused this way.
To think there were fools hitting on a terrifying sorceress who could burn down an entire city without a second thought.
There was no farce quite like this one.
The problem was the high probability that the finale of this unfunny farce would end in tragedy.
I prayed earnestly.
Please, let nothing happen.
But the world, as it always had, cleanly ignored my wish.
Bang!
The inn door flew open as if it would break.
And the supporting actors who would turn this farce into a tragedy made their entrance.