[Yes - No]
Finally.
Finally, he could be free from this broken, paralyzed body.
'Yes! Do it now!' Nerion shouted inwardly, pouring all his desperate longing into those words.
Ding!
[Operation approved by host. Please remain still in a relatively safe location to complete the energy absorption process and activate the Origin Bloodline System.]
'So it isn't as simple as pressing a button after all.'
Nerion sighed inwardly. The system's warning made one thing clear—it required caution and a safe environment.
"Nerion?" Mia asked softly, noticing his sudden silence.
"Ah—sorry, Mia. I just got a little too excited. This thing... it must be priceless, right?" he said with a gentle smile.
"Even if it is, you're worth far more to me," Mia replied, her eyes full of affection.
Nerion returned a faint smile, but said nothing.
Though he liked women, his upbringing had shaped the way he viewed intimacy. Raised in Egypt, he wasn't used to affection being expressed so openly—especially not by a woman. At least, not like this.
'A cultural difference, huh?' he thought, noticing how close Mia stayed to him, as if personal space simply didn't exist.
Still, he could tell there was more to it than that.
'This isn't just simple attraction,' he thought as he observed her carefully.
"Mia, when can we rest? I'm not sure whether the minotaur told you, but... I was poisoned. That's why I'm this weak. It isn't dangerous anymore, but I do need rest," he explained, already expecting her reaction.
And right on cue—
"What?! Poisoned?! When? How?! Are you in pain?! Oh no—we need to hurry! Don't worry, darling, the Nature Empire is close. We'll be there in thirty minutes. A healer can treat you! Just hold on!" Mia cried, panic flooding her voice.
"Calm down, Mia. It happened a while ago. I had severe stomach pain, passed out for two days, and then you rescued me. I'm fine now—just tired. That's all," Nerion reassured her calmly.
Little by little, she relaxed, sensing the steadiness in his tone.
Then, shyly, she leaned closer and kissed his left cheek.
Her face instantly turned crimson, and she quickly looked away, pretending to focus on the road ahead.
'Did she really just kiss me? Seriously?' Nerion thought dryly, watching her avoid his gaze.
He didn't hate it. Of course not.
But still...
Nerion was not inexperienced when it came to love. In his past life, he had once been married before his untimely death in his forties. Born to an Iraqi mother and an Egyptian father, he had been raised with traditional values—values that treated emotional bonds as something sacred, not casual.
Even after living in more liberal societies, he had never come to see those values as chains. To him, they were armor. Protection against heartbreak, confusion, and emotional ruin. He had seen too many fleeting relationships leave deep wounds behind. He had watched people accept betrayal with cold indifference—no rage, no pain, no passion. Just tired detachment.
In time, he came to believe that emotional purity was not backwardness.
It was a virtue.
So when Mia kissed him, it felt sweet...
But also wrong.
At least, from his point of view.
"Mia, this may sound strange, but I have boundaries. We just met, and... what you did crossed them. Unless, of course, you see things differently," he said gently, though his tone remained firm.
"I... I'm sorry, Nerion. I shouldn't have done that without your permission. I'm really sorry," Mia said, her voice trembling slightly under the coldness of his response.
Despite her confidence in her beauty, this was the first time she had ever gotten this close to a man. She wasn't used to rejection. Most of the young men around her had only ever tried to win her attention, not push her away. So she had never expected such a distant answer.
"Nerion... do you hate me? It was only a kiss. Why did you reject me so coldly? Even if you don't like me, you didn't have to..." she whispered, still carrying him as she ran.
Nerion met her gaze calmly.
"Mia, I do think you're beautiful. But I don't let desire control me. That's dangerous. I'm not afraid of feelings—but I refuse to be ruled by them. If I let that happen, I could lose everything."
He paused for a moment before continuing in a quiet, steady voice.
"Just because something feels good doesn't mean it should be followed blindly. When emotions lead without reason, they can pull a person away from their goals, their values—even their purpose. I've seen too many people throw away their futures for brief pleasure, living like beasts driven only by instinct and desire. I won't live that way. I choose control—not because I'm cold, but because I know what I'm fighting for."
He lifted his eyes to the sky, as if staring into old scars no one else could see.
"So... you do think I'm pretty?" Mia asked, her mood brightening instantly as she held onto that single point.
Nerion went still.
Then—
"Hahahahaha—!"
He burst into laughter—deep, genuine, and completely unrestrained.
"Oh God, Mia... you're too adorable," he said between laughs, tears gathering in his eyes.
Mia froze.
The distant, serious Nerion was laughing so freely now. And he had called her adorable.
But what stunned her most was the sound of his laughter.
It was beautiful—deep, warm, and real. It echoed in her ears like the sweetest melody she had ever heard. It wasn't just the sound. It was the life in his face, the way the corners of his eyes folded slightly, the way his whole expression brightened. To her, it was the most wonderful laugh she had ever seen... or heard.
Her heart pounded faster.
She had already been drawn to him before, but now—
Now she was completely captivated.
The way he laughed.
The way he smiled through tears.
The way he seemed so distant one moment and so alive the next.
It was irresistible.
Mia smiled brightly and let out a soft giggle, unable to contain her joy. Gently, she reached up and wiped the tears from his face while their laughter wrapped around them like a warm, fleeting shelter.
And this time, he let her.
When they finally calmed down, Mia looked at him and asked:
"So... when will I be allowed to kiss you as much as I want, Nerion?"
Nerion felt a quiet unease at how quickly she had become attached, but he hid it well.
The more emotionally invested she became, the less dangerous she would be.
Right now, she was all he had—in this unfamiliar world, in this humiliating state. And Nerion was not ungrateful.
He was not the kind of man who chased ambition and forgot the people who had helped him rise. Even the weak could one day become your only ally. Life was too unpredictable to ignore that truth. Nerion would rather be a king among beasts than a lone wolf.
Not out of fear.
Out of caution.
Experience had taught him that life was never a fairy tale. Plans failed. Misfortune came without warning. Those who survived were those who stayed ready.
And by now, a plan had already begun to form in his mind.
But something essential was still missing before he could put it into motion.
And that missing piece was the one thing he had desired most ever since arriving in this world.
He smiled.
"Time will tell, Mia. Whether we are meant to be... or not. There's no need to rush."
A perfect poker face.
His expression revealed nothing. Was he happy? Sad? Amused? No one could tell.
That was who Nerion had always been.
A man who rarely showed emotion—not because he lacked feeling, but because he had long ago learned how dangerous feelings could become when worn too openly.
That was one reason he had always loved novels, psychology, and archaeology—
Which, well...
Had somehow led him here.
But that was a story for another time.
Ahead of them, the Nature Empire finally came into view.
And then—
A wall.
Nerion's eyes widened.
'That thing is... around twenty meters tall?!'
(For comparison, even the Great Wall of China generally stood only around six to seven meters high, while its towers often ranged from ten to twelve.)
"What the hell...?" Nerion muttered in shock.
A dark wall stretched across the horizon, stained by old blood and lined with seemingly endless towers. Each tower held armed archers.
Fifteen per tower?
'How many soldiers are stationed here?'
He began estimating instinctively—judging the visible length of the wall, the spacing between towers, the distance between patrolling guards.
His mind raced.
Hundreds of thousands... just for border defense?
"Insane," he murmured. "Even Earth's mightiest fortresses rarely held armies on that scale. And this wall—just one wall from a single elven empire—could crush them all."
The sheer scale of it made his thoughts tremble.
In a world like this, intelligence alone might become a curse.
Mia noticed his stunned expression and smiled.
"This is the Wall of Ilarisen—ancient, blood-soaked, and unyielding. It was built by the elves, one of the noble races, alongside dragons, phoenixes, vampires, humans, and others. But the noble races are few when compared to the countless creatures spread across the Plains of Elderas."
Nerion's awe only deepened.
"Is this... the first line of defense for the living races?"
Mia chuckled softly.
"The first line? No, darling. All noble races have walls of their own—some even greater than this one. Even the elves themselves possess a much grander fortress within their Grand Empire."
"Grand Empire?" Nerion repeated.
"The central authority of all elven kingdoms," she explained. "In both war and peace, the others answer to it."
As she spoke, she ran toward the massive gates ahead, where armored knights stood guard. Some wore no armor at all, but Nerion either dismissed that detail—
Or simply failed to notice it.
"Shall we enter?" Mia asked.
Nerion stared ahead, his eyes burning with anticipation.
"Let's go."