Like any other human, Reis also wanted to meet people from back home. There were, like, a thousand of them in this world. He had made peace with the possibility of not meeting them too easily.
And when he did, he'd calmly hear their story and tell them his. Following that, he'd write a book on 'The sad or too happy life of otherworlders'.
But there was a time and a place for everything. This definitely wasn't one of those times. Not when the one in front of him might be the last person who could help him out with his life problems.
How old is this kid, even?
"Oh, my God! You are the prince?" The child of unknown age ran towards him like a car with no brakes. If not for the…dog…pulling him back, he would have crashed and toppled over with Reis.
"It's a wolf."
The great guardian, Yvaion, was back to speaking in his head. Which, honestly, was better. The actual voice was kind of overbearing.
Now that Reis looked at the creature again, it really had wilder features. And better hair quality.
So why is the wolf pulling the owner instead of the other way around?
"Why do you look like that? Were you attacked? Are you dying?" The kid began to look him up and down as though he were a dying animal.
"There was an issue…"
"I know! There was a big announcement. But how did you take those people down?"
Let me speak, kid. Reis felt an impending headache. So he decided to pass it over. "He did. I don't know how."
Now go along. Bother him with questions instead.
Unfortunately, the boy only glanced behind Reis once before turning back. "Is he the one who...was tall as the mountain?" the boy whispered the last part, pretending that it worked.
Reis just stared for a few seconds. "...You saw that?"
"Yeah! I was on a small mountain in the north, and suddenly everything shook up! I ran here as fast as I could." Reis really wished he had some headache medication with him. With how things were going, he'd need a lot of it. "Is he your guardian? He looks really cool!"
The wolf was still nudging the boy anxiously. "Oh, don't worry, you're cool too!"
"They really have fallen far."
'?'
"This is my guardian! Isn't he the cutest?" The dangerously fearless boy kept saying things he'd rather not hear.
Cute? Well, it looked cute at the moment. Like how the great guardian Yvaion looked like an A-list actor in this form.
But Reis knew better from past experience. The experience may be less than an hour old, but it was a valuable one.
He didn't meet Lord Yvaion's suspicious gaze. He hadn't lied. Maybe his subconscious had taken a more respectful tone, but he wasn't faking the thought.
Reis didn't have the heart or the energy to share his experience with the fearless child who was hugging the supposed wolf like a puppy.
"Sure…why are you out here in the middle of the night?"
Vidalia had rules. Rules explicitly stating that children under twelve weren't allowed to roam around the forest. Especially in the middle of the night.
|It's almost time for sunrise.|
Not my point.
"I was here for my quest." At this hour? "To look for you, actually. There's a big reward for it."
So it was his fault? Vidalia had a population of thousands, and a kid got the quest to look for him?
What would have happened if the kidnappers were still in one piece?
|Don't underestimate others just because you have a non-combat character.|
He's still a kid!
"Well, the problem is solved, so you should go home now." It wasn't his place to worry about random people, but he didn't want to be responsible for anything either.
"But you're injured. Don't you need help?"
"Why would I need help when my guardian is here?"
The kid shifted uncomfortably. "But the system said you'll reward me if I help you. I need help to advance."
Oh. At least the kid knew how to be direct. It was much better to say what you want instead of twisting excuses. "I'm not in a condition to offer you anything right now."
"But I can still help!"
"Right now, you need to get out of here. The people from the palace would probably be looking for me, too. If-"
"You're on point for once."
Every time he said something, Reis felt his heart drop. The universe seemed to be very attentive to him as well. Just say the word, and as long as he didn't mean it, it will definitely happen.
Like the distant sound of horses approaching them right now.
|Isn't that a good thing since you have to go back anyway?|
Of course. How do I explain this scene to them again? Please remind me?
He simply had to get to the walls and say he escaped. With how he looked, they'd likely believe half of it.
But no. They just had to show up at the crime scene.
It was too late to run anyway. "Great lord Guardian Sir Yvaion–"
"One address is enough."
"...Lord Yvaion, can you make it seem like I'm barely hanging by?"
Reis didn't like the looks this question earned him. The kid gave him a look of utter confusion. "You already look like a walking dead. Why would you need help with that?"
Reis ignored him. He had already made a flawless plan to rope him in seconds ago.
"You just need to hold me–eek!"
Yvaion spared no second picking him up by the collar…more like his neck. Just like Reis had done for the furball a while ago. Only he wasn't a cat, so it hurt like hell. Reis flailed, his feet dangling six inches off the ground as he gasped for air. "I'm not... a cat... put me... down!"
He was dropped like an object for a few seconds. Reis gasped for air like he was tasting it for the first time. "I meant like you're helping me stand!"
"I can help you instead…" The boy looked away anxiously after earning a glare from both the guardian and the subject.
"You just need to let me lean on your arm," Reis clarified for the divine creature who clearly never held a human for anything other than killing. "You know…like you did back then to pass energy but from the side."
Probably because of the misintroduced information, Reis ended up letting out another screeching sound unfit for a prince when the arm wrapped around his waist. Or probably because of how cold it was. "Not like that."
Reis readjusted the arm, so it was supporting him from the side instead of holding him in a back hug. Then he took the other hand and held it like a walking stick while still holding the persistent furball with the other. It would probably stay stuck to his shirt even if he let go, so what was the point?
By then, the knights had already reached them after causing noteworthy harm to the forest.
"Release the prince this instant!" The shout scared away animals that had just woken up from their slumber.
"He'll fall over if I do."
They couldn't charge all the way forward because before them was a field of bloodied bodies. But the eldest prince didn't wait for them to clear the path again.
Ceron ran forward, sword in hand. "How dare you harm my brother!"
Wait. Stop. What is he doing?
Reis instinctively stepped to the side to stand before his guardian while the kid hid behind them with his dog.
"Stop, brother," he choked out, making his most pained expression. "They...they saved my life."
It was the biggest truth of the day, no doubt. But from his mouth, it sounded like the ultimate declaration.
Yvaion looked down at the Prince with a curious, mocking tilt of his head, arm still placed on the waist, while the little boy peeked from behind them like a nervous squirrel. And the troublesome prince, whose pristine white shirt was dyed red in his own blood, stood before them protectively.
Wasn't this the most poetic scene of the century?
Who would suspect anything he said after all this? "But brother, can you give me some water? My throat hurts."
It really did. After not being able to eat or drink for a day, his throat was no better than dried mud. He needed to clear his throat if he wanted to fake pain.
"Bring water this instant!" The knights, observing the criminals, scrambled to find water.
Reis dropped to the ground again, still using the guardian for balance. "What are you trying to do?"
"Ann!" Ceron hurried to them with the water. Reis took a long, dramatic gulp of the water, letting some of it spill down his chin to mix with the blood. It looked tragic. It looked harrowing.
It looked just as he had intended. "Brother...how...how did you find me?"
The first prince looked at him with guilty eyes. "The church noticed a heavy divine presence here...I am so sorry, Ann. I..."
I guessed right. Reis needed to steer the focus away from that. "Brother...the counselor...he wanted to get rid of me." The small kitten snuggled up to him as if trying to soothe him. Reis stroked the furball to calm it down. He didn't need the act to work too well.
But what did he know? The boat had already left the clueless dock.