“No, I didn’t mean it that way.”
“You did very well. You risked your life to help lure the dragon away. Many people will avoid death because of your actions…”
“Your scars are from saving people, so I don’t find them ugly or terrifying. On the contrary, I see them as brandings like medals of honor.”
Dolores lowered her brow, her expression clearly showing some conflict.
She subconsciously crossed her hands, looking constrained, uneasy, and cute.
Green’s actions were worthy of her recognition and praise. She was somewhat afraid to look at him, purely worried that she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from pitying him.
Logically speaking, given Green’s height of over two meters, he stood there like a giant who could pick her up with one hand.
It should have been him pitying Dolores instead.
With such height and a sturdy physique, it seemed normal for him to stand there, fight, protect, and end up covered in wounds because of it.
But seeing the wounds on his body, Dolores could not help but feel her heart soften.
The overly gentle thought that no one should ever get hurt did not fit what Dolores was thinking now.
Her true thoughts were even more awkward and difficult for ordinary people to understand.
The part where Green revealed the scars on his back…
It was hard to put into words, but it was something Dolores had once longed for—something she considered very cool if she could have done it herself.
If Dolores had someone she liked in her past life, or encountered someone in need of help.
And if she could reliably and proudly tell them it was no big deal after helping them.
That would be very cool—yes, truly cool, although most of the time, it involved facing great danger.
She wanted to do it but never had.
And Green happened to fit this “ideal” of Dolores. To be precise, he wasn’t her romantic ideal type, but her “ideal self.”
If Green wasn’t Green and she wasn’t Dolores, but rather other characters—characters who could interact with him without facing liquidation.
Dolores believed she could have gotten along very well with Green because he fit the image of her ideal self so perfectly.
Not to mention that both he and she knew quite a bit about the game’s plot and could achieve great things in this world.
If they weren’t enemies or targets for conquest, but could exist as friends, their compatibility would have been excellent.
Unfortunately, this could only be an extravagant hope.
As a result, Dolores’s contact with Green felt as if it carried invisible shackles; she neither dared to get close nor could she stay away.
She could already imagine her future ending.
It was truly a tragic end that could be seen coming from a mile away.
“Thank you, Green, for completing my request so well.”
Dolores thanked him sincerely, her gaze falling upon him.
Naturally, she couldn’t help but see the panel that was impossible to ignore.
[Dolores: 57]
Dolores looked at Green for quite a while, but the number remained fixed.
At this moment, Dolores’s blunt words actually made Green feel a bit uneasy, because it didn’t sound like worry or concern for his scars.
It seemed more like a form of recognition and praise.
It was like the subtle difference between: “It must hurt a lot, right? Is there anything I can do for you?” and “It must hurt a lot, right? You did a great job; you did something wonderful.”
Overall, Dolores was giving Green a somewhat fresh reaction now.
“It is what I should have done, Princess.”
Green replied.
“Mr. Green, let me help you clean the blood from your body.”
Vesserian suggested, but Green shook his head. He didn’t refuse the suggestion but instead turned his gaze toward Dolores.
“Let me do it. After all, I didn’t pay any price for that excessive request,” Dolores said.
“It wasn’t that excessive, my Princess,” Green said, trying to act a bit cool.
“A request involving life-threatening danger is not something I can view as reasonable.”
“Since you want me to do this, I can also use it to alleviate the unease of receiving something I didn’t earn.”
Dolores said in agreement.
As Dolores prepared to help Green wipe away the blood and filth, remembering his reaction when he requested her, Green suddenly asked her a question:
“Princess, are you afraid of blood?”
“Yes.”
After all, she hadn’t seen that much blood in her previous life, nor those terrifying scenes. It would be absurd to say her psychological fortitude became as hard as rock just by reincarnating.
The memory of everything she had seen on the streets not long ago made Dolores feel unwell just by thinking about it.
Dolores took the silk scarf handed over by the maid and peeled a blood scab from Green’s back. Those scars were deeply branded into his flesh.
“These wounds…”
Dolores spoke softly, her voice low and slow:
“Green, you’ve worked hard.”
Green’s body trembled slightly.
***
Meanwhile, on the surface of Mercury Street.
Albecco wandered the streets of Mercury Street, moving toward the South Gate based on that brief glimpse of Silbelle.
A monster appeared in the building ruins next to her. It was a semi-humanoid creature with a wolf’s head and a human’s body, less than five meters away from her.
Albecco turned her body, preparing to use an item to swap positions like before.
“Watch out!”
A knight in silver armor appeared, thrusting a spear through the semi-humanoid monster’s head.
The knight who stepped in to help was Intergal, who had recently parted ways with Dolores and her group. He still regarded Albecco, whom he met for the first time, as a survivor threatened by monsters.
This area was not far from Ulgrich University. It was normal for Albecco to appear here wearing a school uniform.
He introduced himself and then invited Albecco to take refuge nearby.
Albecco, who was originally thinking of an excuse to leave, froze for a moment after hearing his name. She asked for his name again in disbelief.
Intergal continued to confirm that his name was indeed Intergal.
Albecco pinched the brim of her hat and lowered her head, a guilty expression flashing in her green eyes.
Intergal was a name she was familiar with.
She hadn’t expected such a coincidence.
However, Albecco should have realized it when she saw Green. Not just main characters like Green, but also the corresponding supporting characters and even bystanders would appear in this world.
She realized what he was about to experience.
It would be, in a sense, a tragedy caused by her own hands.
It felt even more disconnected than meeting Green, Dolores, or even Silbelle—those important characters from the game.
Because he was not an important character.
Seeing Albecco remain silent, Intergal thought she was frightened by the monster. After all, looking at her, she was clearly young.
But it wasn’t safe around here, so Intergal spoke again, preparing to take her to a safe place.
Albecco shook her head, saying she was fine and had other matters to attend to.
Intergal wanted to stop her from running around. He couldn’t just watch a child be so reckless in such a dangerous environment.
But Albecco suddenly disappeared from before his eyes. Even Intergal realized that she was no ordinary person.
“In that case, at least I don’t have to worry about her safety… Looking at her, I thought she was a lost child.”
Intergal breathed a sigh of relief and stretched his limbs. Since parting with Dolores, he had been active in the vicinity, searching for survivors and killing monsters.
Albecco was the seventh living survivor he had encountered; the others had been guided to safety.
He silently gripped the holy emblem he had picked up along the way, praying for others.
Praying that others were still alive, waiting for his help.
After Intergal left, Albecco’s figure emerged, watching the direction he had gone.
She shouldn’t have to wander around this area like a headless fly anymore. Intergal should lead her to the area where the miracle descended.
“…”
Albecco seemed to feel somewhat uncomfortable, murmuring to herself as if to shift her focus:
“Speaking of which, Silbelle should be carrying that Fifth Bible I gave her properly, right?”
“By my calculations, the divine miracle should be happening soon, a bit later than the underground miracle…”
From her high vantage point, Albecco turned to look toward the hollow. She saw a figure there that seemed to be fighting a dragon, and looking further, there were several well-trained skeletons killing other monsters.
The underground of the Rand Kingdom’s capital contained many royal heritages.
Among these past kingdoms, the Suklan Kingdom of the Mythical Era was the strongest. It should contain many items and secret lore.
In the first playthrough, its heritage was not obtained by Green or any other conquerable characters.
This time, perhaps Green would obtain this special “heritage.”
Since Green had already entered the underground and awakened the most important part of the underground miracle ahead of time.
Then she hoped he could receive this gift.
Snapping back to her senses, Albecco walked in the direction Intergal had disappeared.
Next, she should also prepare to go and see that little saintess, Silbelle, from a distance.
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