The Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health Chapter 257

I first suspected there might be an attack when we returned after scouting the surroundings.

‘Something feels off.’

At first, I was glad to see a camp full of people right in the middle of the ruins, but the more I thought about it, the more strange things stood out.

‘If Duke Gremwart has almost finished mapping the ruins and is close to conquering them, why are there still so many adventurers staying in the camp?’

Even if they had been dispatched from an adventurer guild run by Gremwart, the number of adventurers in the camp easily reached into the hundreds.

If what Duke Gremwart said was true, there was no reason for so many busy adventurers to remain here.

Most of all, the biggest mystery was—

‘Why aren’t there any monsters at all?’

I thought ruins were crawling with monsters. Harun had told me there were so many monsters that it made it difficult for the knight order to even attempt clearing the ruins.

There were more oddities.

‘Is there really a reason for adventurers and the knight order to stay separated?’

Considering monster defense and ruin exploration, it would be far more advantageous for them to work together.

Each point on its own could be dismissed as nothing serious, but taken together, they bothered me far more than they should have.

That was why I suggested to Pession that we stay awake tonight.

And then—

“Who sent you?”

…this happened.

As expected, the adventurers who were caught trying to ambush us didn’t give us any proper answers.

“Ghk, how did you know?”

“We didn’t know either.”

I genuinely hadn’t expected adventurers to attack us. At most, I’d thought it would be monsters.

In any case, this was something that needed to be taken up with Duke Gremwart, the owner of the camp and the one ultimately responsible.

“What is the meaning of this, Your Highness?”

“That’s what I want to ask, Duke.”

Pession pressed Duke Gremwart in a flat, emotionless voice.

“Why did adventurers attack our tent? As the owner of this camp, do you truly know nothing about this?”

Duke Gremwart burst into hearty laughter.

“Haha, Your Highness. Are you suspecting me? I swear, these people have nothing to do with me.”

“Adventurers gathered under Gremwart’s banner, in your camp, attacked me—and you say it has nothing to do with you…?”

Duke Gremwart beat his chest with a fist, looking indignant.

‘Is he really innocent?’

I had thought Duke Gremwart was in on it, but his sincerity made me hesitate.

That was when I felt a foreign surge of mana through my senses.

And the direction it was aimed at was—

“Pession, get back!”

In the split second I realized it—

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

The Duke’s mana suddenly erupted and wrapped around Pession.

“I apologize, Your Highness. I bear you no ill will.”

Pession tried to shake off the mana and break free, but—

“Ah!”

He froze when he saw me being taken hostage in an instant.

I tried to shout at him to run while he still could, but strength drained from my captured body.

At the same time, my vision went dark.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

Damn it. I got played.

I never thought he’d make such an open move! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have hesitated—I’d have run instead of storming straight into the Duke’s tent!

“Ugh… where am I?”

When I regained consciousness, the scenery before me was completely different. I’d expected, at worst, a prison—but what I saw was beyond that.

“An altar…?”

It looked like the perfect secret gathering place for some deranged cult.

Looking around, I saw a smooth marble altar.

And the strange light gathering atop it.

What in the world is going on?

I wasn’t the only one bound. The area around me was filled with people lying unconscious. I finally woke up and tried to escape, but before I could, a familiar voice stopped me.

“You’re awake.”

“Duke Gremwart……”

The Duke stroked his beard, looking puzzled.

“How strange. You should still be asleep. How did you wake up?”

“Where is Pession?”

“His Highness is somewhere safe. Unlike you, he is quite valuable.”

I’m valuable too, you know!

My indignation flared briefly, but Duke Gremwart smiled in satisfaction.

“My luck is excellent. Mage sacrifices are not easy to come by. Ah, don’t struggle so much. You won’t be able to use magic anyway. I’ve put mana-restraining shackles on you.”

“A… sacrifice?”

“Then what did you think this was, seeing all this? You’re rather naïve, young lady.”

I was just desperately engaging in reality avoidance, hoping that—at the very least—this wouldn’t be the worst-case scenario.

‘This insane life… what kind of ridiculous situation have I been dragged into again?’

I only came here to find my dad, okay?!

“What on earth did you do?”

“I only did what I always do. Explored the ruins, uncovered what was buried within them, and—”

“You activated the ruins.”

I didn’t need to hear the rest to guess that much.

Duke Gremwart smiled gently.

“You know quite a lot. You must be a fairly high-ranked mage?”

I was high-ranked, yes—but this was something I knew because my master taught me.

Most of the ruins left in this world were remnants of dead gods and ancient civilizations. That was why the laws inside ruins were different from reality.

Ruins also had ranks. Some were said to still contain immense power, enough to grant adventurers their wishes.

‘But that’s just a legend.’

As if he’d read my thoughts, a deep, calm voice spoke.

“I used to think so too. If not for the one who whispered the truth of this world to me, I would never have found this ruin.”

“The truth of this world?”

“Have you never wondered why there are no gods in this world? Why immortals, despite their overwhelming power, never reveal themselves to mortals? Questions like that.”

“Well, that’s…”

Because that’s just how the setting is?

“Have you never been curious about what immortals truly are, or what the stars mages worship actually represent?”

Immortals are immortals, and stars are stars.

I was the type who found practical things more interesting than lofty mysteries. Like deciding what to eat today.

“You look unimpressed.”

“I’m more curious about what wish you made with this ruin, Duke.”

Maybe I was too blunt, because Duke Gremwart burst out laughing.

“How innocent. ‘Granting wishes’ is just a figure of speech. Some ruins shower you with gold and jewels, making you rich. Others awaken mana within you, turning you into a mage.”

“Then what does this ruin do?”

I desperately hoped it wasn’t something too crazy.

“You will never understand the thrill I felt when I unearthed this ruin.”

I don’t want to understand it. Ever.

When Duke Gremwart closed and opened his eyes again, his gaze no longer belonged to a sane man.

“It’s a secret—but since you’ll be dead soon, I’ll tell you. This ruin revives the dead.”

“Insane.”

A chill ran down my spine.

“Then the reason the ruin suddenly erupted—!”

Did he activate it to bring someone back to life?

Was that what happened to Gairen too?

“Yes. Because the price for activating the ruin was a sacrifice.”

Human sacrifice.

The words echoed in my head, and the kindly old grandfather image of Duke Gremwart shattered completely.

“Who are you trying to revive so badly that you’d go this far?!”

A rumor flashed through my mind—about the Duke of Gremwart’s eldest son dying in an accident during a ruin expedition.

“No way!”

No matter how much you miss your child, would you really offer up an entire city as a sacrifice?

“Do you think your son would be happy about this?”

“My son doesn’t need to know anything. I will bear all the sins of this old body and depart alone.”

“No, seriously—this is completely insane!”

I felt like I was losing my mind.

This is why you don’t talk to crazy people!

“It’s time.”

Before I could even ask what time he meant, mana surged violently in every direction.

“This is—”

Cracks formed around the altar, and multiple gates opened. From them emerged monsters, each dragging humans behind them.

For a moment, I stood there in shock, watching monsters pile humans beside the altar.

“Our conversation was so engaging that I lost track of time.”

“I’d really appreciate it if time could just stop right now.”

“I will never forget your sacrifice.”

“You’re killing me without permission!”

I don’t want to die! Do you know how hard I’ve worked to stay alive?!

If I were going to die here, I wouldn’t have lived this seriously!

“Ugh!”

They say people find strength in moments of crisis.

With an all-or-nothing mindset, I charged straight at Duke Gremwart. My hands were bound, but at least my legs were free.

There was nowhere obvious to run, but—

“I don’t know anymore!”

Anything was better than staying here and getting killed!

“Get her!”

The monsters stacking humans turned their heads toward me all at once. I threw myself straight into a gate.

Please, let this not lead to somewhere else inside the ruins!

Maybe because it was a gate made by monsters, I felt like I was about to throw up as I passed through—but thankfully, my body didn’t tear apart.

“Seriously, where am I now?”

The sight of completely ruined, shattered buildings made me frown.

“I want to go home.”

I really don’t think adventuring suits me.

That was when I noticed people fleeing in all directions.

“Um, excuse me—”

“Run!”

“Where is this place?”

“Where do you think?! It’s Gairen!”

“What?”

The Gairen I knew didn’t look like this.

‘Did Jemello fail the seal?’

“Then why is everyone running?”

The woman who’d answered me stared like she’d never seen someone like me before, then ran off without another word.

‘What on earth is coming that they’re running like this?’

KWA—AAANG!

A massive roar thundered through the air—so loud that I instantly understood their panic.

Dust billowed thickly upward.

From beyond it, a man with a familiar face approached the city, radiating a chilling killing intent.

“…Dad?”