Chapter 384: The Winner Doesn’t Pay the Price (1) |
“Commander?” Yevkarina muttered.
“Unfortunately, it’s me, Miss Yevkarina. Hahaha.” I chuckled.
It was pretty amusing to see her expression change a few times in the blink of an eye. I was sure she was still out of it because she slowly stretched her hand out. However, she definitely realized that I wasn’t Jin Cheong because her expression changed into stupefaction, which was a sight to behold and worthy of remembrance.
‘Do I really look like him?’
Our appearance was different, but our frame was similar, so it was understandable. It hadn’t been that long since she woke up, so a part of her had to be still in her dreamland. However, it was still ridiculous how she mistook me for Jin Cheong. It was as ridiculous as Kim Hyun-Sung mistaking me for the masked scum.
Anyway, Yevkarina frowned, and it was understandable because she was expecting her commander to be there rather than me smiling at her. It had been a while since I saw that kind of expression after I arrived here on the continent.
Elena did vomit because of me, but there was still a side of her that desired and admired me. However, Yevkarina looked completely different. There wasn’t a single drop of kindness on her face, and she was obviously filled with hostility. She looked at me as if I were some trash that she didn’t even want to touch. She had an expression much worse than what people would look like after accidentally stepping on dog poop while walking along the road.
I was kind of heartbroken at that, but it didn’t put me in a bad mood. If I were on the losing side, I would have been pretty angry, but victors were usually more welcoming than the losers.
‘And I’m a hospitable person as well. Yes, indeed.’
“...”
“Why are you looking at me as if you’re going to kill me? I’m your savior. I helped you so that you can rest comfortably, and you’re receiving special treatment compared to the other prisoners,” I continued.
“...”
“It’s good manners to answer when someone talks to you, Miss Yevkarina. Don’t you agree, Mr. Chang-Ryeol?” I asked.
“Yes, you’re right, Sub Guild Master,” Lee Chang-Ryeol replied.
“You heard him. Please say something. Perhaps—hmm, are you still feeling unwell? Would you like a bottle of healing potion?” I asked.
Naturally, I spoke to her with a warm smile, but she still didn’t answer me. To make things worse, she seemed wary of us, so I didn’t really think that our relationship was going to improve.
“I think we can become pretty good friends—”
“Ptooey!”
I felt something sticky on my face.
“...”
“...”
Lee Chang-Ryeol reached his hand out toward her, but I stopped him. I touched my face and felt her spit. I didn’t really need to check it because I wasn’t really planning on avoiding her spit.
“You dirty human,” Yevkarina scowled.
“Haha. There’s a saying in Korea that a soft answer turns away wrath… But I guess that doesn’t apply in Russia. Of course, the sayings on Earth are pretty useless here, but as someone who was born in a country with a culture of respecting others, I’m kind of surprised. Who else would treat a prisoner of war with such manners? I’m actually kind of sad that you would repay my kindness with your saliva, Miss Yevkarina.”
“Shitty bastard,” she said.
“So, is the demon summoner Jin Cheong doing well? I haven’t seen him since the Laios incident. I actually suffered a lot because of him. I can’t tell you the details, but he’s also the reason why I’m at Everia Kingdom. My body almost fell apart trying to stop that demon, but—ah, you can leave now, Mr. Chang-Ryeol,” I ordered.
“Will you be okay?” he asked.
“Yes. Please don’t let anyone come here until I’m done handling the situation here,” I replied.
“I’ll let everyone know, Sub Guild Master,” he said.
“Thank you, Mr. Chang-Ryeol.”
He seemed kind of worried, but he had to have concluded that I would be safe based on Yevkarina’s current condition. I thought the same as well, which was why I told Lee Chang-Ryeol to leave. My stats weren’t that high, but I wasn’t so weak that I wouldn’t be able to suppress a mage who had just woken up. I nodded and saw Lee Chang-Ryeol opening the door. It was only for a brief moment, but I heard the cheers from outside.
- The light has won!
“AAAHHH!”
- We achieved this victory together. This is the first step toward coexistence and a leap toward the future. This is the victory of the Goddess of Benigoa and Elune, as well as the victory of the Other Race Alliance.
“AAAHHH!”
There had to be some kind of campaign outside because Lee Ji-Hye was speaking. Of course, the battle outside was already over.
I looked back to Yevkarina and saw her bitter face. I was sure she had an idea when she saw me here, but after hearing the noises outside, her mood definitely worsened. She had mixed emotions, and even though unintentional, I really enjoyed seeing that kind of expression on other people’s faces.
“I’m sure you can deduce it by the noises, but the battle is over. If things had gone wrong, more blood would have been spilled. If it wasn’t for that priest of the Republic—ah, Father Bishop lying over there with a broken skull, it would have been more difficult to carry out our plans. Now that I think about it, I forgot to pray for him. He became a martyr for god, after all. He was a good person. My heart is aching because he died in such an unfortunate way,” I said.
“...”
“Who could have known that you would beat him up with the statuette of Varian? It was really amazing. Yes, indeed. I even got goosebumps while I was watching how you killed him. I also realized by then that the rumor about the mages of the Republic learning close-range martial art was true. Did you train how to use blunt weapons or something?” I asked.
“...”
“If someone asks you a question, it’s only right that you answer them, Miss Yevkarina. Ah! By the way, don’t think about using the same skill you used on Father Bishop again. Did you flinch just now? Haha.” I laughed.
“Kill…” she mumbled.
“Kill what? As a priest chosen by the gods, I can’t kill a person so easily. You’re a demon servant, yes, but your life is as precious as the others. The Goddess of Benigoa is generous to those who repent. Of course, that isn’t really the case for Varian…” I explained.
“You really think I’m going to tell you anything?” she questioned.
“Of course, I want the cheap information you have, but that’s not what I really want. Before I get to the point, all I want to do is talk. Yes, that’s it. How about it, Miss Yevkarina? What do you think about this war?” I asked.
“...”
“If you don’t want to talk, then you can just listen, but it would be nice if we can have a conversation. Don’t worry about other things. I won’t do something childish like getting information from you and using it as a part of our propaganda,” I assured her.
“You fraud. You think I’ll believe you?” she remarked.
“I’m not a liar, and I can look up to the Goddess of Benigoa without any shame. I know it’s confusing, but if I really were a fraud, do you really think that Elune and the Goddess of Benigoa would have chosen me as their envoy? How dare you call me a fraud when I can’t even remember the last time I lied. You must be unafraid of divine punishment. Ah! If you were afraid of divine punishment, then you wouldn’t have served the demon summoner.” I pointed out.
“I know you made everything up. Dirty bastard. The commander is right. I finally know what kind of person you are. You’re a hopeless scum. Trusting you even a little bit was my greatest mistake. Are you enjoying this? Does lying to others and playing with them make you feel all high and mighty? You’re nothing but a fraud. You’re looking down on me right now, yes, but you’ll definitely pay for your lies. You disgusting bastard. Remember my words well. You’ll definitely pay the price,” she warned.
The cold facts she spat struck my heart, catching me off guard. My conscience was pricked as well. Naturally, I talked again because I wanted to continue the conversation.
“I’m kind of sad. I didn’t think you’d say something like that.”
“Then how should I say it? Did you really think I’d beg for my life to someone like you? Whether you kill me or torture me—”
“I’m not into barbaric things like that. If you’re worried about physical pain, you don’t have to worry. You won’t die, and you won’t spend your time in pain,” I assured her.
“If you think conciliation will work, you’re dealing with the wrong person. You damn fraud. I don’t work with beasts,” she insulted.
“You keep making painful remarks. I’m still heartbroken by what you said earlier. You’re pretty skilled at hitting people with facts. Haha.” I laughed.
“Ptooey!”
“Oops! You won’t get me the second time around, Miss Karina. I think you should calm down a bit. I told you, didn’t I? I just want to talk. I was hoping we could come to an agreement within six hours. Hm… I’m sure you’re not up for this, but I think it’ll make things better if we become a little more open toward each other. Yes, that’s it, Miss Karina. As you said earlier, I’m a shitty fraud,” I confessed.
“You said it yourself, but I’m not even surprised at all. You—”
“You’re completely right. I’m a bastard and a piece of trash. I’m not exactly the type of person who likes justifying things, and I’ll slightly acknowledge the fact that I came off as that kind of person. However, I won’t be paying for anything, Miss Yevkarina,” I told her.
“What?”
“I said I won’t be paying for anything. You’re not young, so you should know how society works. Haha. The losers are the ones who will pay the price rather than the winners. I’m here, and you’re there—sitting on the bed while gasping for breath. As for the winner and the loser, it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?” I asked.
“...”
“Encouraging good and punishing evil is something that only appears in novels. Ah! Of course, I’m not saying that I’m going to be the one who’s going to get punished. I just gave you an example to help you understand better since that’s the kind of image you have about me. Do you really think good and evil exist in this type of war? It’s not separating bad people and good people. We just have different ideologies and interests. You know as well that it’s the Republic that started this war,” I continued.
“That’s absurd…” she commented.
“It’s not absurd at all, and I’m sure you know that as well,” I said.
“...”
“You know it, but you still talked about how the Sacred Democratic Country started the war, so you’re a fraud as well. Of course, I’m a bit more wicked than you, but we’re basically the same type of people,” I said.
“S-Stop bullshitting, you crazy bastard!” Yevkarina yelled.
“The people who will pay the price aren’t people like me, but those who fall for my words, Miss Karina. I can’t believe you said all those things despite knowing everything. Y-You will pay the price no matter what!” I continued.
“...”
“Engrave this on your mind: the winner will never pay the price. It has always been like that on Earth—where we’re from, and it remains unchanging even on this continent,” I said.