The Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health Chapter 224

“There! Over there!”

“Get them!”

Harun grimaced as the tightening encirclement closed in from all sides.

“Where do we go?”

For criminals, the Black Market had an absurd number of guards.

That all these people lived off violence instead of honest economic activity, festering as a disease within society—it was truly deplorable.

What was this country even coming to?

“Abandon resistance and surrender pe—urk!”

Each time they were about to be surrounded, Harun broke through the crisis by cutting down enemies left and right, but there was a limit. The reinforcements were pouring in far too quickly.

In the end, Harun made the call first.

“Go on ahead.”

“What about you, Harun?”

“I’ll hold them here and escape afterward.”

“Will you be okay?”

Harun’s thoughts were clearly reflected in his eyes.

If anything, Harun seemed more constrained because I was there. It looked like he couldn’t fully unleash his strength while protecting me and the girl.

‘He was already incredible… and that wasn’t even him going all out? Just how strong is Harun?’

The thought barely had time to settle before I took the girl from him.

“If you keep going straight that way, you’ll pass the waterways and reach the back alleys.”

“Yeah. Got it.”

“Be careful.”

“You too, Harun.”

“…We’ll meet again, right?”

Even though Harun had recognized me without hesitation, he still seemed unsure whether I truly existed or was just some illusion.

“We’ll meet again!”

“…Yeah.”

Harun turned his back to us. His retreating figure looked incredibly reliable.

‘He’ll be fine… right?’

But if it was anyone else, I might worry. With Harun’s combat power, I could trust him.

A thunderous noise exploded behind us, making me flinch, but I hurriedly changed direction.

“It’d be nice if we could go straight to the surface.”

If only I could use spatial magic.

I unconsciously tried to move my mana, then stopped when I felt excessive heat flare near my heart.

Yeah. That won’t work.

“There really was a reason my master was lazy.”

I’d always nagged my master, who solved everything with magic without lifting a finger, saying he’d get muscle atrophy—but now that I couldn’t use the easy, convenient method myself, my body felt restless.

“She’s heavier than I expected.”

Even at nine years old, she had some weight to her. Not that I could just abandon her. At least the divine beast followed on its own—that was something to be grateful for.

“Is it this way?”

Just as I found the passage Harun mentioned, connecting to the back alleys through the maze-like underground waterways—

Slash.

In an instant, something thin like a thread sliced past me.

“Ghk—”

I recoiled reflexively at the sharp sting of pain, and an eerie voice echoed from the darkness.

“Well now… where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?”

 

 

****

 

 

 

Left alone, Harun subdued the forces rushing at him without much difficulty.

Even in a wide space, where they could properly form an encirclement, Harun would have held the advantage. In a passage barely wide enough for one or two people—where they charged in chaotically without coordination—it was even easier.

If he’d still had baggage, it would have been far more difficult.

‘Did Arellin manage to escape safely?’

To be honest, he still wasn’t entirely sure she really was Arellin. If they met again, he’d know for certain.

‘What was Arellin even doing here?’

She couldn’t have come all this way just to steal a single relic.

Thinking of the beastkin girl Arellin had rescued, Harun tilted his head.

Come to think of it, there had been magic placed on the cage holding that demi-human girl—how had she dispelled it?

The question came too late, but before Harun could sink deeper into thought, another voice interrupted.

“There! Get him!”

Yet another group appeared out of nowhere and blocked Harun’s path. Swallowing a sigh, Harun revised his opinion of the Black Market.

He’d thought it was merely a criminal organization making money illegally—but there was clearly more to it.

“If we capture them all, something’s bound to come out.”

Just as Harun narrowed his eyes and adjusted his grip on his sword—

“Well now, that would be rather inconvenient.”

A relaxed voice cut into the tense situation, utterly out of place.

Harun stiffened as he looked at the man blocking his path, cloaked in a suspicious robe.

“…A mage?”

 

 

****

 

 

Whoosh—

A sharp sound sliced through the air.

In that split second, something invisible took aim at me.

Rip—

I barely managed to avoid being pierced, but a shallow wound was left behind.

Tch. If only Ether were here—he would’ve protected me.

I regretted having sent Ether away with the others, but right now, dealing with the man in front of me came first.

“A mage?”

I voiced the name people usually thought of first when faced with something supernatural—then immediately shook my head.

If he were a mage, mana would have moved. But this was a result without a process.

Which meant—

“An ability user?”

Silvy’s words resurfaced in my mind. The rumor that the Black Market employed ability users and mages as sentries.

‘So it wasn’t just a rumor?’

“Oh? You can tell? Interesting. Most people just assume it’s magic.”

“There’s no mana movement.”

And if that bastard really were a mage, I’d already be captured. What does he think mages are, anyway?

‘Probably some kind of telekinesis-type ability.’

Which made it all the more puzzling.

“How can you even use an ability like that? I’ve never heard of one like this.”

Abilities in this world were more conceptual than ordinary superpowers.

Abilities like being loved by all, opening doors to vague worlds, or seeing affinity levels.

“Of course you haven’t. This power belongs to me alone.”

“Only you?”

“Heh heh heh. Curious how I obtained it?”

Once again, an unseen force took aim at me.

“Ghk—”

This time, I had no choice but to ignore the burning near my heart and put up a barrier.

It wasn’t just me—I had a girl to protect.

“I obtained it.”

Even as this went on, my mind raced.

Mages were constantly being born in magic towers, but ability users were different.

Most abilities were powers people were born with.

That was why they were managed by lineage and bloodline.

Ability users were born—not created.

That had always been common sense.

“Khhahaha! Curious?”

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.

“It’s a power granted to me by Him. I was chosen! With this power, I will become a new human!”

“A new human?”

I didn’t know what nonsense he was spouting, but one thing was clear: this man was insane, and I shouldn’t keep engaging him.

Just what kind of cult was he mixed up in?

“Khhaha! Feel my power! Witness how great it is!”

Drunk on his own strength, the man scattered his power indiscriminately. The overwhelming force shook the ground, and once again I had no choice but to raise a barrier.

‘If this keeps up, should I just spatial-jump to the Magic Tower?’

Either way, the future involved pain. Wouldn’t it be better to gamble than die slowly as my condition worsened while only defending?

If I could just make it to the tower, my chances of survival would skyrocket…

Now—while he was careless—was the perfect moment.

As my mind raced, calculating the method and timing for spatial transfer—

Rooaaar!

“White Tiger!”

The white tiger cub, who had only been following quietly until now, suddenly lunged at the man.

Bam—!

“Damn beast.”

Unable to land a single bite, it was flung straight into the wall.

I bit my lip.

“No!”

It must have taken a heavy blow, yet the white tiger trembled as it forced itself upright and growled.

This isn’t good.

“Hmph. Looks like I need to teach this mutt who stands atop the food chain.”

Grrrrr—

The white tiger was radiating killing intent far stronger than what it had shown toward me.

As I hesitated, unable to decide what to do—

Use magic? Then what afterward? But I couldn’t just abandon the white tiger to die.

My thoughts tangled into a mess.

Then, suddenly, it felt like wind blew in from somewhere.

“Hah. I wondered what was they searching for so desperately.”

An unfamiliar, yet oddly familiar voice.

“I thought it was some lost divine beast—turns out it already had an owner. Never thought I’d find it in a place like this.”

Riding atop a massive tiger, Lord Shirua appeared. The moment she saw the girl in my arms, her expression twisted into a frown.

“If there was a story like this, shouldn’t you have explained it beforehand? What if we hadn’t found her in time?!”

Grumbling, Shirua let out a sigh and jumped down to the ground.

“Shiru, bite!”

The giant white tiger charged the man together with the smaller one.

“Good thing I hurried over.”

Just as Shirua clapped her hands with a satisfied smile—

“……”

Holding a sword dripping with blood, Pession stared at me with a grave expression.

Why was Pession here?

Seeing someone I never expected to run into left me blinking dumbly.

Then Pession strode forward and seized my wrist.

“Who did this?”

His gaze snapped sharply as he looked at the wound on my arm.