CH 312

“Good. I was also worried about the people who were being arrested.”

As expected, Min Ah-rin readily accepted the offer to join.

“But will it be okay? The city must be full of witch minions.”

“That’s all right.”

I smiled brightly so that Min Ah-rin wouldn’t be anxious and grabbed Cheon Sa-yeon’s shoulder.

“This kid… No, this guy is incredibly strong, unlike he looks. We will protect you.”

“Ah, really?”

Min Ah-rin looked at Cheon Sa-yeon as if she was very surprised.

Cheon Sa-yeon looked less strong on the outside. Even with his long hair now, which made him more suitable to be a writer than fighting. Either a model.

Cheon Sa-yeon, who raised the corner of his mouth slightly with a not-so-bad look, tilted his head.

“I’m confident that I will win no matter who comes, but I can’t openly enter the city. There will be hostages and there will be many civilians.”

“I think the same.”

It was a situation in which Abel’s side wouldn’t know when she would bring up hostages with mental control. I was also concerned about the visitors who might have been living as ordinary city civilians.

“Is there any way to sneak in? Like area that people don’t often reach or something like that.”

“That reminds me of one place. Do you want to go right away?”

“Yes. If possible, it would be better to go into the city before sunset.”

I couldn’t confirm the exact time, but it was probably around 3 p.m. now. If the sun started to set around 7 o’clock, there were only four hours left at most.

It took about two hours to reach the city, so it wasn’t easy to leave immediately. If I fly with my ability, I might be able to arrive a little earlier.

‘Where is Ha Tae-heon?’

I had a strong feeling that there would be no Ha Tae-heon among the Chosen Ones that Min Ah-rin mentioned. Like me and Cheon Sa-yeon, he was free from mental control and because of Ha Tae-heon’s personality, he wouldn’t be able to get caught.

If I met other team members in the city, then Ha Tae-heon was the problem. It wasn’t easy to find Ha Tae-heon in an unconfirmed space.

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Hm.”

Park Geon-ho, who was watching our conversation from behind, touched his lips and said.

“Then I’ll join you. I have to go through the city anyway.”

“You must have a different destination.”

“Right.”

A different destination? Come to think of it, he did mention that he saved Min Ah-rin from running away from the city earlier. So, wasn’t Park Geon-ho influenced by fairy tales?

I’m glad that Park Geon-ho, who I was most worried about, willingly agreed to go with me… I didn’t know if I could leave him like this without asking anything.

‘The fairy tales that space has shown so far… what does it mean?’

Looking back on what had happened so far, it was a space that had no roots.

It seemed obvious that Abel was trying to get us to kill each other, but it was difficult to see that it was all planned as the space Doctor had created.

If she was really aiming for us to kill each other, she could just put us in any space with mental control on and it would be over. It was highly likely that there was a real purpose for creating such a complex space. Will the question be solved if I meet Abel?

‘I’ll have to ask what Cheon Sa-yeon thinks when I get a chance later.’

First of all, we have to go to the city. Whatever it was, we had to go into the city to get a better idea of ​​what was going on. Having organized my thoughts, I opened my mouth to everyone.

“Let’s go right away.”

* * *

As in the past, we held hands and flew high into the sky, going in the direction of the city.

Continuing to the east, a city surrounded by stone walls appeared. After descending into the nearby forest, I touched the stone wall that had grown thickly with vines.

“With a wall like this, there seemed to be room for at least one person to pass through somewhere.”

“You are quick-witted.”

Min Ah-rin bent her knees and looked at the ground. When the densely growing vines were cleared away, a hole large enough for one person to pass through was revealed.

“Oh, the hole.”

Park Geon-ho, who saw the hole next to me, whistled and said a word. It really was a hole in itself.

“Beyond this is a corner alley, so even if you enter, you won’t be noticed by anyone.”

“That’s good.”

I helped Min Ah-rin removed the vines that were drawn like a curtain and told he team members.

“I will go in first. Please follow me slowly.”

It was easy for me to run away no matter what happened since I had wind ability. As I bowed my back and went into the hole, the sand fell down with the smell of dirt.

I quickly got out of the hole and looked around, wiping the dirt off my body. Because it was the alley behind the building that looked like a store, as Min Ah-rin said, no one was seen.

Was that okay? It was then that I had just turned my back to remind the team members waiting outside the wall to come in.

“Stop.”

“……!”

With a low voice, something cool touched the nape of my neck. When I looked down, I saw a smooth, silvery blade of a sword.

“Just raise your hands and turn towards this side.”

“……”

I heard footsteps other than the one holding the sword at me. Were you expecting someone to come here from the beginning and wait?

I swallowed a burst of sighs. The other person’s voice was too familiar to fight back or run away. I thought I was in trouble.

As I raised my hands as he wished and turned slowly, a man in a grey robe came out and met my eyes. When I saw the red hair and auburn eyes that were exposed under the robe hat, an awkward smile came out of me.

I didn’t expect Kim Woo-jin was here. Even the situation wasn’t very good.

“What were you doing here?”

Kim Woo-jin asked me with an arrogant attitude. It felt so different from the last time we met.

Part of his armour was revealed through the robe he was wearing. The look and tone of the sword held at me… It seemed that Kim Woo-jin, who was a slave last time, had become a nobleman this time.

“I don’t know. I’m just an ordinary passerby.”

When I made excuses with a smile to look as harmless as possible, the vigilance in Kim Woo-jin’s eyes grew even stronger.

I didn’t know why everyone was more suspicious of me when I said it with a smile. I guess I’m the type to smile quite a bit.

“Even a passing dog says it’s unbelievable.”

As Kim Woo-jin frowned, another man shouted passionately.

“What a suspicious man! We must arrest him and interrogate him, Shed-nim.”

Shed-nim (셰드). Did Kim Woo-jin have a new name? Rather, the man who insisted on taking me away looked a little familiar. He was the knight commander who escorted me in the Cinderella fairy tale, wasn’t he?

Kim Woo-jin, who was staring at me with an expressionless face, ordered.

“He seems to have no weapon, but this guy is also one of the Chosen Ones. Be careful to take him.”

“Yes!”

“The guys on the other side of the wall can hear my voice there, so you must have understood the situation to a certain extent, right? If you show yourself now, I will spare your life.”

As expected, he noticed that there were team members. He must have felt the energy behind the wall, but if it wasn’t, he must have thought that a suspicious person wouldn’t enter the hole alone without colleagues.

While Cheon Sa-yeon was led by a man who was once the commander of the knights and arrested, Park Geon-ho, Woo Seo-hyuk, and Min Ah-rin crossed the wall. However, contrary to the expectation that all four would be tied like me, Kim Woo-jin found Min Ah-rin and said it as if it was surprising.

“Maria?”

“Umm, hello. Shed-nim.”

“I heard you must have run away from the city. How did you get here?”

“I’m here to help. With these people.”

“With these suspicious people… you mean you’re back?”

“Yes. This wasn’t witch’s minions. One was the one who saved me… The other three would have killed me sooner had they been on the witch’s side. Trust me.”

At Min Ah-rin’s calm explanation, Kim Woo-jin glanced at me, who was caught without any resistance. He looked around us and pondered for a while, then turned around and said.

“Follow me.”

Things were going weird. After looking at Cheon Sa-yeon briefly, I decided that it would be better to follow Kim Woo-jin first. Anyway, I was lucky to meet Kim Woo-jin like this.

Kim Woo-jin, who led us through a dark alleyway to the depths of the city, soon entered an old building. There were several people who appeared to be soldiers gathered there.

“Shed-nim is the only son of the count who manages this city.”

While we were being dragged away, Min Ah-rin told us in a low voice. Count’s Son? He was really a nobleman.

“I heard that Shed-nim was imprisoned along with the other Chosen Ones as the witch took over the county, but it must have been rumoured too.”

“I see.”

When Kim Woo-jin appeared, the soldiers who were looking at the city map started to report.

“Shed-nim, the witch’s minions are unusual.”

“The number is increasing.”

“That’s later. First of all, I have a question for these guys.”

Watching Kim Woo-jin naturally give orders to people, I felt touched somehow. Kim Woo-jin is so mature…

Cheon Sa-yeon also had a happy expression for Kim Woo-jin as if he had the same thoughts as me.

‘Will he be good taking on a team like Park Geon-ho later?’

Even if he was in a state of mental control, it would have been difficult to show that level of charisma if his personality hadn’t supported him.

Since he had A-rank skills and a good personality, it was clear that he had the talent to lead people well in the future.

“For what purpose did you come to the city… well.”

“Pardon?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Kim Woo-jin frowned and looked at me with displeasure. Oops. I quickly wiped my smile and answered with a serious face.

“We are here to find a colleague. I heard the news that they are being held captive by a witch in this city… I heard from Maria-nim.”

“You’re here to find your colleague? What’s that colleague’s name?”

I couldn’t answer easily and kept my mouth shut. Like Min Ah-rin and Park Geon-ho, the rest of the team members were likely to have changed their names, so it was meaningless to tell them their real names.

“You can’t answer. As expected, you’re suspicious.”

Kim Woo-jin, who narrowed his eyes, had been suspicious of me. When I saw it, I was moved once again.

I couldn’t believe he was being so vigilant like this… he is very wise? It was understandable that the soldiers followed Kim Woo-jin. As I smiled happily like before, Kim Woo-jin exclaimed in annoyance.

“Then why are you smiling like that!”

“Ah, I don’t know that.”

“…lock these four people in the back room except for Maria! I will interrogate you again later.”

“Yes!”

Eventually, the soldiers grabbed our arms and dragged us into the building.