Chapter 38
Chapter 38 - Her Weakness
What I realized from this failure was obvious.
'Comrades! Combat power! I need to gather people, anyone will do!!'
The first person I thought of was naturally Seolbaek.
My colleague. Senior hero and the first friend I made in this world.
Though she said combat wasn't her specialty, she never said she was bad at it. Plus, she has a transparent dragon(?) with godlike healing powers as an accessory.
Even dog poop can be used as medicine, they say.
To exclude someone as useful as Seolbaek from the operation for such a flimsy reason as 'body condition still unstable'.
I wonder if my past self had a head on their shoulders just for decoration.
"Seolbaek! Help!"
Straight to the point. Strike while the iron is hot.
I burst open Seolbaek's door and asked for help like claiming a stored item.
It was a completely random statement without any context.
"Uh... yes, yes. I don't know what it is, but if it's Jeong-yong nim's matter, I must help."
But Seolbaek nodded with a bright smile while eating meat stew.
Like an insurance commercial, she agreed to help me without question. I showed my gratitude by bringing her another pot of meat stew without Leila knowing.
As always, Seolbaek pretended to be modest saying 'Am I a pig?' but she ended up emptying the pot completely.
Indeed the body never lies.
“Got Seolbaek. Then what's left is…”
The woman with a current record of 0 kills, 18 deaths, and 3 assists.
Her name is Leila.
It's annoying, very annoying, but. I had to go back to Leila again.
“Damn... a thirsty person has to dig a well, what choice do I have....”
That's right. In the end, it's not Leila who needs combat power, it's me.
It's a fact that Leila is unusually strong for a regular maid, and. Right now I'm in a situation where I need to borrow even a cat's paw. I'm in no position to be picky.
'But I have my pride too.'
One typical characteristic of a pushover. Having pride despite having nothing. Like me.
I've already been rejected once by Leila. My pride, however small, doesn't want to bow down in this life too.
Then what should I do?
'Exploit the opponent's weakness.'
So I aimed for this exact moment when Leila is busy preparing meals.
I aimed for 'him', not 'her'.
"Hello, Senior."
"...What brings you here?"
In the damp and gloomy underground prison.
I quietly stared into the cell where the large man was confined.
My negotiation partner. Senior warrior Gwyn.
He also stares back at me quietly. As if trying to gauge my intentions. His red eyes eerily scan me.
Then soon, a low chuckle escaped.
"You look like you have a favor to ask."
"You're like a fortune teller. Were you a shaman in your previous life?"
"Whatever the favor is, give up. I'm a madman. Even I don't know when I'll lose my mind. I lose consciousness dozens of times a day."
"I know that already, so it's fine. You're just a means to an end. The real favor I have to ask is with your girlfriend."
Girlfriend. At the mention of Leila, Gwyn's face instantly twisted like a demon's.
It was truly an expression befitting the word madman, filled with murderous intent.
"I'm not trapped here because I can't leave this prison. If anything happens to her... you'd better be prepared."
Gwyn threatens with ominous flashing eyes. He looked ready to crunch my bones right then and there.
Well damn, isn't this just wonderful. How can a single man live with such sorrow?
I brushed it off with a smirk and stuck my head through the iron bars.
"I'm going to hunt the Eldritch from now on."
"...!!"
"So please help me get your girlfriend involved in that hunt. That's what I'm asking for."
Gwyn's eyes widened. The red eyes in the darkness scan me for a while.
But his shocked gaze soon turned to mockery, and. Eventually fell to contempt.
"I thought I was a madman until now. But it seems you're the real madman."
"I've been hearing that 'madman' comment a lot lately. When couples act up together it pisses me off twice as much, you know?"
Why do people have no dreams and hopes?
Honestly, I'm getting tired of this treatment. It's starting to get annoying. They immediately treat me like a madman just for saying I'll catch Eldritch.
It's because your imagination is so poor that you're still crawling before the Eldritch.
"You keep dismissing me like that, but. What will you do if I really pull it off?"
"Do it if you can. I'll gladly become your dog."
"You'll regret those words until the day you die."
"Nonsense."
"Whether it's nonsense or truth, you'll feel it later while eating dog food."
"..."
"Anyway, you'll help convince her, right? Can I count on you?"
Perhaps sensing something strange in my confidence that was bubbling up without foundation.
As I was getting ready to leave, Gwyn suddenly asked.
"... Do you have some kind of trump card?"
"I do."
"What is it?"
"Not telling."
Perhaps because I refused too confidently, Gwyn showed bewilderment rather than anger on his face.
"Are you trying to play games with me?"
He slowly rises.
Clang! The mountain-like huge body slowly approaches me and grabs the iron bars.
"..."
"..."
Up close, he was almost twice my height.
Not an ordinary human after all. Well, he's from another world too. Is he some kind of giant race?
Honestly, I was a bit scared. No, very scared. I tried my best to look calm while meeting Gwyn's blood-red eyes.
"The moment I harbor killing intent towards you, I cannot guarantee I'll be able to control myself."
"Should I turn on Rage Mode like before?"
"Back then, Leila was there, so I barely managed to control myself without destroying the prison bars. But... she's not here now."
He says he could snap my neck right this instant.
Why say it in such a roundabout way when you could just say it directly. Is this a political hearing?
When I gave him a pathetic look, Bang! Gwyn struck the prison bars with a sound that echoed throughout the prison.
And with a sharp killing intent, he said to me.
"Are you threatening me?"
"What do you mean threatening? I'm just making a suggestion. To get on board with the Jeong-Yong ride."
"... What does that mean?"
Oh dear. I accidentally used technical terms without realizing it.
Anyway, I started explaining things carefully to Gwyn, who wasn't understanding the situation well.
"I understand why you don't trust me. I heard about everything that happened here. You've been through quite a lot."
"... Leila has been running her mouth unnecessarily."
"So I gave up on trying to make you trust me from the start."
"Why is that?"
"You. No matter what crazy things I do, you won't trust me until the end."
"......"
Gwyn kept his mouth shut.
Right. Because that's probably true.
Instead, I approached Gwyn as if daring him to hit me, and thrust my head forward.
"Am I wrong? Is trust in me suddenly sprouting like a growing tree's dream?"
Of course, if Gwyn decides to strike me here saying 'let's see about that.' I'll probably die right away with my neck snapping.
Given that I still can't see Gwyn's stats, there must be a significant difference in our physical capabilities.
"......"
"......"
But persuasion is always about putting on a show.
You have to show that you're confident for the other person to not take you lightly. Taking risks is unavoidable.
This is my personal theory of human nature, learned from 24 years of being a pushover.
―Why are you looking at me like that?
―This isn't me betraying you.
―I never trusted you in the first place.
... Your lover in this sewer.
This is also Halcenberg's method of dealing with situations, which it taught me 21 times. Gwyn.
"...... Kuh, hmm."
Gwyn clenched his fist for a moment. But soon he slowly lowered his fist and stared at me quietly.
While it was as expected, it's still a relief.
I was really worried about getting my head smashed in.
Just as I was letting out a sigh of relief, Gwyn slumped down in his place.
Only then, at eye level, did Gwyn speak.
"... You're making this proposal knowing I won't believe you?"
"Yes."
"Do you really... have something you believe in?"
"Yes."
His tone and gaze had become softer than before.
No. Not softer. They were wildly wavering.
I barely managed to suppress a victorious smile from appearing.
"What if that's a lie?"
"Honestly, the chances of it being a lie are much higher than it being true, right?"
This was something I struggled with when persuading the Border Duke too.
The fact that I can't prove my words aren't lies because I can't show evidence.
That's why I never lied.
That way, there might be at least a little trust in my words, even though there's no reason to believe them.
'This is it.'
I sensed it.
I need to deliver the finishing blow. I need to turn Gwyn's hesitation and distrust into hope and expectation.
Right here, I need to add one more thing to flip the situation.
"To be honest, I can't give you trust. What I can give you is something else."
"... What is that?"
"Halcenberg's future and Leila's smile."
"......"
Damn, I said it but it makes me want to throw up.
For this one, I'll accept it even if you bash my head in. No, please bash it in, Gwyn.
It's so cringeworthy I could die. It feels like my limbs are being sucked into a space-time storm.
'Hold it in. Jeong-yong, do you want to die again? Think sad thoughts.'
But I maintained a serious expression while holding it in. I hid my cold sweat and shot trust-filled eye beams like crazy at Gwyn.
Perhaps the heavens were impressed by my act.
"...... Kuh."
Gwyn let out a low groan.
Hesitation gradually began to cloud Gwyn's eyes. The ominous red light in his eyes wandered aimlessly in the air for a moment.
"... Really."
In an instant, a bright blue vitality returned to Gwyn's eyes.
I didn't miss that.
"Can you really... bring back Leila's smile."
"Yes."
"For years... no, for over a decade, I've caused too many wounds. I couldn't do anything."
“I can”
Stop. That's enough.
Saying more will only expose my limitations. There's a reason they say to leave while the applause is still going.
I turned around and walked away conspicuously. I put on as much of a show as possible, making my footsteps echo through the prison.
"You're free to not trust me. However, the choice is yours."
Even the last line. Damn, you were so cool Jeong-Yong.
I raised an inner toast while slowly walking away from Gwyn.
Gwyn remained alone in silence in the dark prison for a long time.
......
....
... So how did it turn out?
How else?
"You... Hero!! What kind of wind did you blow into Gwyn!"
That evening.
As soon as the checkpoint update was finished, Leila's reaction as she came to grab my collar tells it all.
The operation was a huge success.
Seeing Leila's face, usually expressionless but now flushed red and blue, it felt like a decade-old indigestion was finally clearing up.
I guess this is how the elderly man in the Gabi-con advertisement felt. [1]
Footnotes:
1] The Gabi-con advertisement was particularly memorable and touching to Korean audiences because it portrayed an elderly man making sacrifices for his family, specifically showing deep paternal care and protection.