Knock… knock…
The sharp, rhythmic sound of knuckles rapping against ancient wood echoed crisply through the spacious stone chamber.
"Ahem…" The Goblin King cleared his throat, his deep, gravelly voice instantly adjusting to his formal royal register. "Come in."
The heavy, bone-reinforced doors creaked open with a low, dragging groan. A goblin soldier, panting heavily from a frantic sprint, hurried inside and dropped strictly to one knee, bowing his head. "Your Majesty, profound apologies for the sudden interruption to your council... but our perimeter scouting team has just captured a human trying to slip through the side fissures."
"A human?" The Goblin King's golden eyes narrowed into thin, dangerous slits beneath his animal skull crown. "A... female human? I see. Treat her precisely like the ones who came before—execute her on the spot."
…Wait a damn minute.
My heart did a sudden, violent flip in my chest. "Hold on, Your Majesty," I said, abruptly stepping forward from the shadows before the guard could excuse himself.
If my mental timeline and structural calculations were correct... there was a massive, undeniable probability that the captive was exactly who I thought it was.
"If it is at all possible, could I please be granted permission to speak with her before the execution is carried out?" I asked, keeping my tone carefully measured and deeply respectful.
The Goblin King tilted his massive head to the side, his expression entirely unimpressed. "And why, pray tell, would a high-ranking asset like yourself desire an audience with a filthy imperial trespasser?"
"Well…" I hesitated for a fraction of a second, quickly weaving a narrative thread. "The specific human who brought me into these caverns—if it happens to be the exact same individual, then her living knowledge might actually prove remarkably useful to our upcoming operations within the capital."
The King stared at me, evaluating the strategic merit of my words. "…I see." A brief, heavy pause descended upon the room. Then, he stood from his stone throne. "Very well. Let us witness this captive together."
And just like that, the supreme goblin guard detail was set in motion.
A few minutes later, we arrived at the lower quarry chambers.
She was there.
Stripped of her pristine silver staff and academic dignity, Rosella was securely tied to a thick wooden pole in the center of a howling mob of lesser goblins, her fingers desperately straining against the coarse ropes.
"Hey! You hideous, brainless monsters! Let me go this instant!" she shrieked, her melodic voice cracking with unadulterated terror. "If the Arvania Kingdom vanguard tracks my beacon and finds out about this settlement, you will all be—"
THUD.
A jagged, fist-sized rock sailed through the air, slamming violently against the side of her temple.
"…Ah…! That... that hurts—!"
Before she could even finish her cry of pain, another rock followed, slicing across her cheek. Then another. The lesser goblins cackled wildly, picking up larger projectiles from the quarry floor.
"Please—stop it! That really hurts…! I'm sorry… just—please, I beg you, stop…!"
Her haughty, aristocratic persona completely shattered into dust, her desperate voice cracking as hot tears mixed with the fresh crimson blood running down her pale face.
...Alright, that is officially enough.
Before a dangerously large, pointed stone could collide with her skull, I burst through the perimeter. My unathletic human hand shot forward, catching the rock mid-air with a sharp sting, as I forcefully planted my body directly in front of her trembling frame, shielding her from the mob.
"Demon…?" Rosella muttered weakly, her unfocused lavender eyes blinking through the blood dripping past her lashes. "You… why are you…?"
"Are you okay?" I asked quietly, casting a quick glance back over my shoulder. "…No, that's a fundamentally stupid question to ask right now. Just—hang in there. I'll handle this."
"Wh… why would you…?" she whispered, her voice fading into a ghost of a sound.
And then—her remaining strength completely evaporated. Her head slumped forward against her chest as her body went entirely limp. She had fainted from the trauma.
"Hey! You low-tier demon, move out of the way!" a feral goblin warrior roared from the front line, baring his fangs. "That human witch belongs to the quarry! She doesn't deserve to live—"
"Silence."
The Goblin King's baritone voice cut through the chaotic noise of the cavern like a razor-sharp guillotine.
Instantly, the entire room fell dead silent. The bloodthirsty goblins promptly lowered their heads in absolute, unified terror as the towering monarch walked gracefully through the parted crowd, stopping directly in front of me.
"…So," the King murmured, his golden eyes drifting from my protective stance to the unconscious priestess behind me. "This is the specific human who is accompanied by your strategy?"
"Yes," I replied without a single shred of hesitation, locking eyes with the monster king. "Please release her into my custody, Goblin King."
A short, agonizingly tense pause hung in the damp air. The King evaluated my conviction.
"…Very well."
He clapped his massive hands together once. A royal servant quickly stepped forward from the vanguard. "Escort both of them directly to the northern surface exit," the King ordered smoothly. "And ensure that their departing path through our territory is… exceptionally smooth."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
I didn't waste a single second of our granted amnesty.
Tearing a long, relatively clean strip of cloth from the hem of my gray-toned villager tunic, I carefully and tightly wrapped it around Rosella's forehead to stanch the bleeding. Then, turning my back to the pole, I hoisted her limp, unconscious body onto my shoulders, securing her in a classic piggyback carry before quickly following the swift goblin servant.
She was remarkably, surprisingly lighter than I had initially expected for a high-tier imperial mage.
…Or, more realistically, my civilian body was just far more physically exhausted than I cared to admit.
After what felt like an eternity of navigating twisting, ascending subterranean passages, the damp stone finally gave way to soft earth. The goblin servant offered a subtle, respectful bow and melted back into the shadows of the cave, leaving the two of us entirely alone.
And just like that—we were finally outside.
A heavy gust of fresh, unpolluted mountain air hit my face, making my chest swell. "…Whoa."
An absolute, gargantuan forest stretched endlessly across the horizon ahead, its deep green canopy swaying in the wind. But beyond the emerald sea—nestled against the base of a majestic mountain range—stood a sight that completely took my breath away.
Towering, pristine white stone walls that reached into the clouds, fortified by dozens of immense magical guard towers.
"So that is… the imperial capital, Lumeris…" I muttered to myself, my eyes wide.
It was bigger than I had ever imagined while reading light novels back on Earth. Way bigger. It looked like an absolute, impregnable fortress.
"…Why do I suddenly feel like something is terribly off here?" I let out a small, uneasy laugh, a shiver running down my spine. "Heh… whatever. It's probably just my overactive imagination."
Still, regardless of the view, I knew I shouldn't make a move toward the main road just yet. Rosella was in absolutely no physical condition to travel or pass through an imperial checkpoint.
I walked over to the base of a massive, ancient oak tree and gently laid her down within the cool, sprawling shade of its roots. "Let's see here…" I crouched beside her, carefully checking her pulse and inspecting her arms for any hidden fractures. "…Looks like it's just the head trauma for now. Thank goodness."
Grrrrr…
…
Seriously? Right now?
I let out a massive, exhausted sigh, placing a hand over my trembling stomach. "Yeah, yeah… I hear you loud and clear. Give me a break."
Glancing around the immediate perimeter of the forest, I spotted a cluster of wild fruit trees a few meters away. I stood up, stretching my aching back. "Guess I should go forage for something edible… maybe track down some wild apples."
I took one final, lingering look at her pale, unconscious face. "…Hey. Don't go dying on me while I'm gone, okay?"
And with that, I stepped quietly into the brush.
A few minutes later, I stepped back into the cool shade of the oak tree, a handful of crisp, red wild apples cradled safely against my chest.
"…Oh. You're finally awake," I said, slowing my pace.
Rosella's lavender eyes were slowly fluttering open, struggling to focus on the canopy above. She looked incredibly pale, her skin still clammy and weak from the brutal stoning she had endured.
"Are you feeling alright?" I asked, gently crouching down on the grass beside her. I extended my hands, holding out the freshly picked fruit. "…Here. Eat something."
She stared blankly at the apples for a long, silent moment as if trying to comprehend what they were, before her trembling fingers slowly reached out to take one. She looked down at the red skin, then slowly raised her gaze back up to meet mine, her expression entirely laced with a deep, paralyzing confusion.
"…Is there something wrong with them? They aren't poisoned, if that's what you're worried about," I said, tilting my head.
Her fingers tightened around the fruit, her knuckles turning white as she struggled to find her words.
"…Why on earth did you come back to save me?" she asked quietly, her voice barely a whisper against the rustling leaves. "Even though… even though I ruthlessly used your body as literal monster bait just hours before…"
Ah… so she perfectly remembers the betrayal.
I awkwardly scratched my cheek with an index finger, deliberately looking away toward the distant city walls to avoid her intense gaze.
"…Well, if I am being completely honest, I get it," I said smoothly. "It's basic human nature. In a life-or-death survival scenario, anyone would logically use their enemy as bait to ensure their own extraction. It's a sound tactical decision."
I lifted one of my own apples and took a loud, casual bite, chewing thoughtfully.
"If I had been placed in your exact position, with my life on the line, I probably would have done the exact same thing," I continued, my tone entirely conversational. "Saving your own skin might be inherently selfish… but in the grand scheme of survival, that doesn't necessarily make it wrong."
I glanced back down at her.
"Throwing your entire life away, or risking brutal torture for the sake of a complete stranger you barely even know… that is a reckless, romantic action that only a certified 'Hero' would perform. And honestly? In reality, that kind of mindset is just completely ridiculous." I offered her a light, reassuring smile.
But suddenly—
"Don't you dare lie to me!"
Rosella's voice rose sharply, a sudden spike of raw emotion cutting through the quiet forest.
"If what you are saying is true, then your own actions make absolutely zero logical sense!" she snapped, her eyes flashing with a mixture of anger and deep vulnerability. "When those monsters caught me in the lower quarries, you were already completely free! You had the backing of the King! You could have easily walked away and saved yourself! So why…?"
Her small hands began to tremble violently against her dress.
"Why on earth did you choose to step in front of those rocks for me…?"
…Yeah.
There it was. That fundamental, terrifyingly direct question again.
I scratched the back of my head, feeling a flush of genuine embarrassment heat my neck as I scrambled to put my complex thoughts into words.
"Well… if I had simply run away," I started slowly, picking my words with extreme caution, "and official news of a high-ranking priestess's brutal death within this sector reached the ears of the holy kingdom… the imperial vanguard would have likely launched a full-scale genocidal retaliation. They would have completely wiped out the entire demon village of Kraven to avenge you."
I paused for a second, my voice dropping. "And…"
"...And what?" she pressed, leaning forward, her lavender eyes refusing to let me escape.
I hesitated. My modern brain instantly locked down the critical information. I absolutely could not reveal the full truth to her. Not about the Goblin King's captured daughter, Diana... not about my grand infiltration plan... and definitely not about the fact that I was the literal mastermind who helped the Demon Queen escape her cell. If I dropped those plot details, this fragile peace would instantly disintegrate.
"…Well," I scratched my nose, letting out a small, incredibly awkward, self-deprecating laugh, "maybe it's just that… over the course of our terrible, entirely cursed road trip together... I kind of started thinking of you as a friend, I guess."
An absolute, suffocating silence descended upon the forest.
Rosella froze. She blinked once. Twice.
And then—without a single shred of warning—she completely burst out into a sudden wave of clear, hysterical laughter.
"Huh…?" I froze entirely mid-bite, my apple hovering awkwardly in front of my face.
Did I... did I just accidentally trigger a bad dialogue option? My face instantly heated up to a brilliant, furious red.
"W-Wait… was that incredibly embarrassing to say out loud?!" I muttered frantically, quickly whipping my head away and burying my face in my hands to hide my burning cheeks. Man… why on earth did I say that? I sound like a cringe anime protagonist!
Still letting out soft, genuine chuckles, Rosella raised a hand to gently wipe a tear of mirth from the corner of her eye.
"Idiot…" she said smoothly, a remarkably soft, warm smile gracing her lips as she looked at my panicked state. "You really are a spectacularly massive idiot, aren't you?"
"…Hey, don't talk about your savior like that," I grumbled quietly under my breath, slowly lowering my hands.
Rosella took a deep, grounding breath, her structural posture instantly shifting as the beautiful, rare smile slowly faded from her face, replaced by a sudden, heavy air of absolute solemnity.
"…There is something incredibly critical that I need to tell you," she said, her voice dropping into a serious, guarded register.
Her gaze locked onto mine, completely unblinking, holding a weight that sent a sudden spike of anxiety straight down my spine.
"…But before I say another word…"
She leaned closer, the shadows of the towering capital walls looming over us.
"…I think you need to turn around and run away from this kingdom immediately."
"…Huh?"
The ambient air around the oak tree suddenly felt entirely ice-cold, suffocatingly heavy.
Run away…? Right now?
Why…?