Labyrinth Expedition Formation (2)
"Do you know Her Highness the Princess's goal?"
"She said she didn't want to be swayed by others' will—including being sold off in a political marriage—so she wanted to grow her own strength."
"She told you that much detail..."
Alex's expression grew complicated.
He knew Yuria wasn't the type to bare her emotions so openly to a complete stranger with no connection to her. It stung a little.
Noticing the shift in his face, Eunhyeon frowned and asked,
"You... don't tell me...?"
"I never thought I could hide it from you anyway. I want to help Her Highness. That's why I want to borrow your power."
"......"
Eunhyeon narrowed his eyes and stared at Alex without responding, letting an awkward silence settle between them.
Eunhyeon broke it first.
"I didn't expect you'd make a request like that out of personal feelings."
Unlike Ashton, Alex had always struck Eunhyeon as rational and cool-headed, a spitting image of his father Abros in that regard.
Which made this plea all the more unexpected.
"It's pretty surprising that you could even make this choice and ask."
Alex replied to Eunhyeon's words with a wry, self-mocking chuckle.
"Yeah, well, I won't dictate your feelings on it. I've heard your personal reason for wanting her on the expedition. Now give me the public one."
But surely you'll grant the boy's request, won't you, child?
'Even so, how can I just grant a request based on that kid's true feelings alone? I need a proper justification to convince the princess and take her along.'
This was also a process for Eunhyeon and Alex to align their stories and convince Yuria.
Pretending to dislike it, but really just a process to grant the request anyway?
'Well, yeah, something like that.'
Is this what they call tsundere?
Something's off—no, more importantly,
'Goddess, where the hell did you even learn that word?'
Who else? Just words from your memories, child.
'......'
This was bad.
The boundaries between Eunhyeon and Verdandi were thinning; there were no secrets left between them.
Why think such hurtful thoughts? We're bound for eternity now, child. No secrets between us.
'This is unfair. I can't read your thoughts, Goddess.'
Oh, child. That would be a challenge to a god.
While Eunhyeon bickered telepathically with his goddess, oblivious Alex pressed on, trying to persuade him.
"Simple. If Her Highness grows stronger and elevates her status in the Pernias royal family, you'll get better support from them. Now that you've decided to reveal yourself openly in this kingdom, royal backing is an unmatched advantage."
"Better than nothing, sure. We did get quite a bit of help from Princess Yuria and Consort Helena's connections during the recent serial attacks. But you don't think she'll just accept your proposal outright, do you?"
Alex nodded readily and continued.
"But if you propose it, I think she'll accept."
Eunhyeon narrowed his eyes at Alex's oddly confident tone.
"You two seem to share secrets no one else knows about."
"......"
Spotting that meant Alex was watching Yuria that closely.
How must Alex have felt, watching the girl he relied on confide her deepest secrets—ones she'd never shared with anyone—in a man she met for the first time, without leaning on Alex himself?
"Feeling sore about it?"
"No. Her Highness's feelings are her own. Just because I have feelings for her doesn't mean she has to reciprocate."
"......"
Eunhyeon said nothing, averting his gaze to the side.
He didn't show it on his face, but inside, he was flustered.
'What the hell, this pure-hearted macho...'
Flustered by Alex's earnest sincerity, Eunhyeon couldn't continue and awkwardly turned away instead.
Quite the pure and upright boy, isn't he?
Verdandi was the only one pleased by Alex's demeanor.
"Seems like you're misunderstanding something. There's nothing like that between me and the princess."
"I know. I can tell from looking at Her Highness that your secret isn't that kind. It's just... regrettable that I couldn't earn her trust like you did."
"...Fine. Got it!"
Scratching his head, unable to withstand Alex's vibe, Eunhyeon finally voiced his assent.
"Thank you."
Eunhyeon frowned at Alex's instantly brightening face.
"I'm asking just in case, but that back there... that wasn't an act, was it?"
"Of course not. That was sincere."
"Hah..."
Eunhyeon grimaced, displeased that Alex had even weaponized his own sincerity to get him to agree.
"Surprising. That's your style too, isn't it?"
Using anything and everything to manipulate outcomes—that was Eunhyeon's way.
Like steering situations to force others' actions toward his desired intent, Alex had bared his emotions to evoke sympathy, making it impossible for Eunhyeon to refuse.
"That's why it rubs me the wrong way. Leaves me no choice but to say yes."
He could have refused if he truly disliked it, but current Eunhyeon didn't.
Since his talk with Verdandi during the attacks, he'd changed noticeably.
'This is all your fault, Goddess.'
Hehe, you say that, but you're smiling. I'm thrilled to watch your growth up close. Worth descending to the mortal realm.
If prioritizing efficiency and smoothness, including Yuria in this expedition was obviously a bad idea.
Reasons abounded, but first: revealing his ties to House Armitas, plus connections to Consort Helena and Princess Yuria, would draw wariness from other noble factions.
He'd only started showing his face a month ago; no need to make enemies wary already.
Second: Erin.
Yuria's mind was still fixed on the webnovel plot of Merhen: Fate Pioneer.
To her, "Erin Hersha" was a mad murderess who turned into a gumiho for unknown reasons, burning Fernin—the heart of Pernias Kingdom—to the ground and massacring countless civilians.
'I cleared up the misunderstanding by telling her about Elvin and Erin in prison, but shattering that fixed idea isn't so simple.'
So at this stage, Eunhyeon wanted to avoid contact with Yuria as much as possible.
Rationally, it was the right call, yet Alex's plea lingered in his mind.
He couldn't imagine Alex's feelings.
Forced to watch the girl he liked rely on another man—not him—while hiding his own heart.
Then swallow his pride and beg that superior man to take care of her.
Eunhyeon didn't know that pain.
But he couldn't refuse Alex's humbled plea.
"Don't regret this."
"Regret?"
"You know the expedition's real goal isn't relic hunting or treasure, right?"
"Of course."
"Once it's under me, princess or noble—doesn't matter. I won't treat her like royalty. Got it?"
"Understood."
"And you're coming too."
"Me?"
"What, you thought you'd hand her off to me and sit in the capital sucking your thumb? Get ready. You can join as her escort."
"Right."
Alex nodded, chuckling at Eunhyeon's unexpected consideration.
"Perfect timing. There's a role you need to fill."
"Role?"
"Oh, before that—one thing I'm curious about."
"What?"
"You know the saying: the world's most fun things are watching fights and hearing about others' love lives."
"......"
Alex froze stiff at Eunhyeon's lead-in.
Eunhyeon smirked at his awkwardness.
"How long have you been into her?"
The stairs descending underground weren't long.
Relying on the magic lanterns spaced at intervals, after about five minutes, Yuria trembled slightly with each vibration rumbling from the underground facility, steeling her steps.
"What is this mana..."
The vibrations and sounds assaulting her body, plus the enormous mana surging from beyond the stairs at the end—it was enough to tense her up instinctively.
Yuria swallowed hard and cautiously flung open the firmly shut door, stepping inside.
'They didn't lock a monster in here, did they?'
She'd been cowed by the overwhelming presence beyond the door, harboring an inexplicable dread toward whatever lurked there.
"A person? A girl?"
Yuria couldn't tear her puzzled gaze from the girl who'd tossed aside her rapier and collapsed in a heap on the floor.
'She emitted that insane amount of mana earlier?'
Purely in terms of mana capacity, Pernias's royals boasted the greatest talent in the kingdom.
This applied to Yuria too; her superior bloodline granted her an unmatched reservoir of mana.
Foreign nobles and royals admired Pernias's precisely because of this innate mana-rich physique.
'It was equal to mine, if not better—never inferior in quantity or quality. Who is she?'
Staring tensely at the girl sprawled starfish on the floor, Yuria watched her start to move.
She wriggled sluggishly, then finally spoke.
"I'm so tiiired!"
"Huh...?"
"I'm staaarving... Ah, no energy even to yell..."
The girl's vigorous shout faded weaker and weaker over time.
Far from the terrifying monster Yuria had imagined, this left her utterly bewildered.
"Huh?"
Sensing a presence, Erin turned her head toward the exit leading upstairs and spotted Yuria standing dazed.
Dragging herself up feebly, Erin eyed her curiously.
"Who are you?"
"Uh, I... well..."
Hesitating on how to explain, Yuria faltered—until Erin spoke again.
"Oh, Hyun said it's polite to introduce yourself before asking names. Up we go!"
Yuria's brow twitched at "Hyun"—clearly referring to that Eunhyeon.
Her expression shifted to dawning suspicion as she watched Erin.
Despite her exhaustion, Erin hauled herself up and offered the formal greeting she'd learned from Eunhyeon.
"Hello. I'm Erin Hersha. If I may, could you tell me your name?"
"......"
Yuria's face hardened as her suspicions confirmed.
'Is that man seriously raising her?'
Confirming it was true—this girl, destined in the novel to go mad with revenge, slaughter unrelated civilians, and raze the city—she inwardly cursed.
Noticing Yuria's suddenly pale face, Erin approached worriedly.
"Um, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"
"D-don't come closer!"
Thinking she might be ill, Erin reached out—only for Yuria to flinch away, slap her hand aside, and backpedal, widening the gap.
"Eh...?"
Stunned by the unexpected reaction, Erin stared—reading the emotion in Yuria's eyes.
'Fear? She's scared... of me?'