Chapter 362: Chapter 362: Interrogation (4)

Arrua Raven turned away.

Until the very moment her gaze left him, that man was looking at her.

With a desolate and pitiful gaze.

“…….”

It felt like a sharp object was piercing her heart.

‘Why is he looking at me like that… I’m the one who was betrayed…’

Evil spirits deceive the entire world.

That’s what she had learned from a young age, and she had witnessed countless examples as she grew up.

That he saved her because she was in danger?

‘…That can’t… be true…’

She shook her head.

Rejecting the cry of her heart, trying to convince herself that it was the answer.

That the man had simply said what she wanted to believe.

That there must have been another reason.

That she couldn’t fall for this.

She took a heavy step forward.

Thud.

With every step she took, memories of their adventures flashed before her eyes.

It started with their first meeting in the Crimson Fortress.

[What the hell is that?! Why is a Vampire in a place like this…?]

[Run if you have time to whine, Dwarf.]

The Vampire who appeared as the guardian in the 1st-floor rift.

The man naturally took the lead and fought valiantly, eventually achieving victory.

But…

‘…That holy water he used at the end… he must have known about it because he’s an evil spirit.’

It was always like this.

Behind every precious memory, there was a version of herself being deceived and manipulated.

How foolish and gullible she must have seemed to him.

Thud.

Of course, she owed him her life for saving her in the Crimson Fortress.

But Raven made a cold judgment.

‘…He didn’t sacrifice himself to save us.’

He would have died if he hadn’t.

That’s why he fought so desperately.

Thud.

The next scene that came to mind was when they were trapped in the 1st-floor Crystal Cave.

The knights and the large clans had used them as pawns and escaped through the dimensional gate.

The day that man became a hero of the city.

[Then what do you want us to do?!]

[I’m telling you one more time—! Everyone stop—!!]

He raised his voice, and the explorers who had been fighting each other joined forces.

And the breakout began.

[Damn it, this is crazy.]

[I… I can’t go any further. I’m sorry.]

Seasoned explorers collapsed, their will to fight broken, but he kept going.

[Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!]

He volunteered for the most dangerous task and fought more desperately than anyone.

But Raven judged,

‘He did that… because he had to… to survive…’

She took another step.

Thud.

With each step away from the cage, memories of him… to be precise, the big and small favors he had done for her, came to mind.

And each time, Raven thought,

‘That wasn’t… that difficult.’

‘It wasn’t something he had to risk his life for.’

‘…I’ve helped him a lot too.’

She was able to dismiss most of them.

But…

[Don’t tell me… you came all the way here for me? Through that fire?]

[I was taking a walk.]

The incident in the Imperial City.

[What… What are you doing? Are you trying to carry the whole boat…?]

[Uwaaaaaaaaah!!!]

The time he fought the enemy alone on Parune Island after sending his companions away on the boat.

And just recently…

[Your… your b-back…!]

The time he shielded her from the magic attack with his body.

‘But… he did that for himself…?’

Raven soon realized.

That she was in denial.

‘That can’t… be true…’

The memory was vivid, despite the chaos.

He had been in excruciating pain, his veins bulging, but he held her carefully, protecting her from his thrashing body.

There was no point in deceiving herself anymore.

She had tried to deny it countless times.

[You were in danger, Raven. So I saved you.]

Those words… were undoubtedly true.

______________________

Creak.

The door at the end of the passage closed.

“She’s gone.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Yeah…”

It meant that Raven had left for good, and we had to give up on her returning to release us—

“Evil spirit.”

Huh?

I looked to the side, and Erwen was staring at me with a lowered head.

“…You’re an evil spirit?”

Right, so that’s why she was so quiet.

She must have been shocked.

Well, I could understand why she was upset.

It probably seemed like I didn’t tell her because I didn’t trust her.

“Erwen, calm down. I’ll explain—”

“That woman knew, but I didn’t.”

“That, that’s—”

“I said I could understand everything. I did…!! Why did you lie to me?! Did you not trust me? What do I have to do to make you trust me?!”

Wow, I’ve never seen her this angry…

I glanced at Amelia for help, but she just shrugged and avoided my gaze.

She was telling me to clean up my own mess.

‘Well, at least she doesn’t seem to care that I’m an evil spirit…’

I felt a pang of relief and gratitude, as well as a hint of dizziness, at Erwen’s murderous aura, having just seen Raven leave because she couldn’t accept it.

But that was a separate issue.

‘How do I calm her down…?’

It didn’t take long to decide.

“What about Raven?! She… she knew, but she didn’t tell me! That that woman was dangerous! That she even protected you, revealing her identity—!”

Thud.

“……?”

I grabbed her wrist before she could have a seizure.

And…

“Erwen, you would have done the same if you were in her shoes.”

I spoke sincerely.

After all, I would have done the same thing, even if it was Erwen instead of Raven.

But did she find it hard to believe?

“Li, liar… you didn’t even tell me… You thought… that woman was more trustworthy than me…?”

“What…? Why would you think that?”

“Because… I, I’m like this… I absorbed those essences… and now I’m treated like a crazy bitch…”

Uh, I didn’t know she was thinking that.

It seemed like she was also struggling with her condition.

“Erwen, that’s not true.”

“Then… why did you hide it from me…?”

Damn it, I told you I would explain.

I sighed inwardly and said,

“Because I wanted to protect you.”

For some reason, Amelia answered for me.

“Recycling, how efficient.”

What the hell is she talking about?

I ignored her and looked at Erwen. She reacted after a brief pause.

“…Hu, huh?”

Her shoulders trembled.

“M, m, me?”

Okay, her voice was calmer now…

I quickly explained, worried that she might misunderstand again.

“You saw it, didn’t you? Raven asking Amelia a question.”

Even Auril Gabis’s gift couldn’t prevent that kind of application.

That’s why I wanted to minimize the number of people who knew.

Of course, it was also for my own sake, but it wasn’t a purely selfish decision.

“If something bad happens because I’m an evil spirit, I wanted to give you a way out. If you didn’t know, you’re a victim, but if you helped me knowing the truth, you’d be considered an accomplice.”

“…….”

“S-so… you’re saying you care about me more than Rainwales…? That, that you hid it from me to… protect me…”

“Uh…”

I unconsciously looked at Amelia.

She chuckled and nodded, as if asking what I was so worried about.

She was telling me to take care of it.

Damn, she’s reliable.

“Right, that’s why I only hid it from you.”

“…As, as expected!”

Erwen clenched her fists, seemingly pleased with my confirmation.

And she straightened her shoulders and looked at Amelia with a triumphant smile.

“…This is annoying.”

Amelia frowned, but Erwen ignored her and turned her attention back to me.

“Mister, thank you for your concern… but please don’t do that again. To leave you behind and escape alone… I wouldn’t want that.”

Erwen glanced at the empty cage where Raven had left.

“I’m different from that ungrateful woman.”

Oh, is that so…?

“So, just trust me! Okay?”

“Okay…”

Amelia then changed the subject.

“But what are we going to do now?”

Ah, right…

We should start preparing.

“First, pack your things.”

“Things?”

“We can’t leave our equipment behind.”

I went to the corner where I had piled up the items I looted from the Lighthouse Keeper and squatted down. I gathered the items, wrapped them in his robe, and tied it into a bundle, then wrapped it around my neck.

The Barbarian Peddler Mode.

I would carry it like this for now and put it in my subspace pocket when I had the chance.

“Tell me what you’re going to do now that you’re done packing. You must have a plan.”

Amelia asked, and I shared Plan B with them.

We waited, not letting our guard down.

And after some time…

Click.

The doorknob at the end of the hallway turned, and the door slowly creaked open.

And…

Thud.

…Raven reappeared.

Alone.

“She’s alone.”

“I wonder what she’s planning… She should have already reported to her superiors by now.”

Amelia and Erwen looked wary, gripping their weapons.

Raven flinched and stopped as she approached.

“Why did you come back alone?”

Raven answered quietly at my question.

“To confirm.”

It was a conversation taking place about seven meters apart.

The distance felt even greater because of the echoing voices.

But…

“Confirm what?”

Raven didn’t answer.

She just resumed walking, closing the distance.

Thud, thud.

Her expression became clearer as she approached.

It was a complex expression, impossible to define with a single emotion.

But one thing was clear.

‘…Don’t tell me, she didn’t report it?’

I asked to confirm, and Raven answered with silence.

Thud, thud.

Her footsteps continued.

It didn’t take long for us to be separated by just the bars of the cage.

“…….”

“…….”

Raven looked at me through the bars, her blue eyes clear, and I met her gaze without saying anything.

After some time…

Clank.

…Raven silently took out a key from her pocket.

What had changed her mind?

Just a while ago, her heart seemed closed off, and nothing I said reached her.

‘Could this be… a trap?’

It was a plausible theory.

She must have reported our combat strength.

She might be pretending to help us for now, worried that we might become hostile on the ship, and planning to arrest us in the city.

Therefore…

“…Why are you doing this?”

I asked directly.

“What you’re doing now… it’s betraying everyone who follows you, just like you said.”

I focused on her eyes as I asked.

She wasn’t a good actress, so she would definitely show it, whether she was telling the truth or lying…

But Raven just chuckled.

“Why are you laughing…?”

It wasn’t a mocking laugh.

It was a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.

Then why?

“It’s just… the situation is similar to before.”

Huh?

“If I didn’t know you were an evil spirit, I wouldn’t have asked that question.”

“Ah…”

I was speechless.

But Raven seemed to have already made up her mind and returned, as there was no hesitation in her actions.

Swoosh.

The key entered the lock.

The iron bars separating me and Raven gleamed in the torchlight, reflecting our images like a mirror.

I suddenly felt embarrassed.

Honestly, I had given up and was thinking about Plan B.

“…My answer is the same.”

“You’ll be in danger if you stay here.”

“So I decided to help you. For now.”

“Therefore…”

Click, the key turned.

And…

“Come out. We need to talk about what to do next.”

The door opened.