Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World Chapter 121

The man who confronted the scene before his eyes stepped back falteringly in apparent surprise. 

 

Hwashin also looked around the half-destroyed surroundings, reading the atmosphere. 

 

First of all, one side of the wall of the cell they had been in was completely demolished. It was a wretched sight. The already crumbled bricks were rolling around the moss-covered floor. 

 

Furthermore, it was understandable that he would be flustered, seeing prisoners who had been brought in separately breaking out of their respective cells and now standing in the hallway having a conversation. No, if he weren’t flustered, the situation would actually be stranger.

 

Behind the dazed man, a white-haired old man leaning on a cane walked in.

 

“Ho.”

 

Even though he was covering his eyes with a long, worn black cloth, he behaved as if he could see his surroundings perfectly. Furthermore, his lips, which had let out the short exclamation, were also hidden by a shaggy, overgrown beard, making them difficult to see properly. His waist was bent so much that his back rose like a local hill, and the clothes he wore were easily half again as long as his height, looking as if they had swept the floor like a rag. The old man stroked his beard and chuckled. 

 

“This is quite a mess.”

 

The man, letting out a cracked voice, slowly came down along the stone steps. His movements were so sluggish that one could only think a snail would be faster than this.

 

“Since we confined precious guests in such a place, it is largely our fault that the surroundings have become like this. We will not blame our guests, so you do not need to worry.” 

 

It meant they should be grateful for not being blamed, and that the royal family didn’t recognize them as residents of this country. That was likely why he emphasized the word ‘guests’ so pointedly.

 

“Would the guests like to follow me out? His Highness is waiting for you all with a feast. Benjamin, you clean up this place.” 

 

“Yes, Tower Master.”

 

‘…So that old man is the Tower Master.’

 

Hwashin, who closely followed the old man laboriously climbing the stairs, added a word with his hands behind his back. 

 

“You seem a bit too slow for us to follow.” 

 

“What is this insolence toward the Tower Master!”

 

Hwashin smirked, and the man called Benjamin vented his anger on the Tower Master’s behalf. However, he couldn’t lay a hand on Hwashin directly. It was likely due to an order the Tower Master had already given.

 

The old man, who had turned his back once, creaked his head around again at Hwashin’s words. He scanned Hwashin slowly from head to toe and laughed jovially.

 

“…Please understand, for these are the steps of an old man who has come down from the Magic Tower after a long time. If you are a person of worth, surely this is a speed you can find it in yourself to understand.”

 

It was a sincere piece of advice that if he wanted to receive precious treatment, he must keep his manners. Perhaps because they were also people of the royal family, the kids in this neighborhood were geniuses at passive-aggressive remarks. 

 

This is why he dislike royal b*stards. 

 

“I’ll try.” 

 

When Hwashin shrugged, the old man hurried his pace again. Among the group following behind him, Yoo Jian couldn’t contain herself and whispered.

 

“He definitely said someone from the Magic Tower would come to greet us, right? Are they mistaking us for mages and trying to get a look at us?” 

 

“I think we’ll know once we follow them, but that seems correct. …Besides, there was nothing we could do in that prison anyway.” 

 

“B-But what if the p-protagonist is caught and held here?”

 

At Lee Suho’s final question, Mueum also stopped his footsteps.

 

“….That possibility exists.” 

 

.

“No, they won’t be here.”

 

Cha Jaeha cut the words off instantly. Jeong Mueum looked at him with eyes inquiring for the reason.

 

“Because if they were, another plot update would have appeared before us. But the plot we just saw wasn’t like that.” 

 

“….I suppose you’re right.”

 

Mueum nodded in agreement. The last plot update they had read was as follows:

 

「 The girl crawled beneath a hole in the castle wall, clutching the stolen bottle. Pant, pant. Her hands trembled, her whole body shook. Naturally, the strength left her legs. Squeezing out every last bit of energy, she escaped the castle. To think stealing a royal relic would be this easy. For now, let’s take cover. Let’s run to a place where no one can find me. But… where is that place? 」

 

“A place where no one can find her… where could that be?”

 

In the Hell of Falsehood, important words are sometimes revealed as their opposites.

 

Which meant that even the sentences listing the synopsis could sometimes be lies. However, what was certain was that even in the original work, a scene where the protagonist gets locked in a cell does not appear. In the first place, if the protagonist had been there, they surely should have felt a gaze when they raised that racket earlier. 

 

But the prison had been silent.

 

It meant the underground dungeon that supposedly held mages was empty.

 

Hwashin’s group followed behind the slow-walking old man. They arrived before a massive door, and on the frame of the door, red rubies, blue aquamarines, and yellow topazes were embedded in that order. To think gems that sang of peace, happiness, and hope were embedded here made one almost laugh. 

 

“Your Highness, they have arrived.”

 

As if reacting to the old man’s low voice, the door began to groan open with a heavy sound. Both doors began to open, pushed inward. Light from the lamps leaked through the gap, and in the banquet hall visible through the wide-open front, they saw dancers dancing, nobles boasting of their colorful clothes, and the King sitting on a golden throne positioned at the highest point.

 

They slowly moved toward the King. The King smiled broadly and spread his arms wide.

 

“Oh, are you the excellent mages I’ve heard of?” 

 

“…..” 

 

“Forgive my rudeness. That is just how we royals are. We are all cowards. For we tend to fear the power we do not possess.”

 

That was true.

 

“However, it is also not the way of royalty to commit further discourtesy. I have prepared a banquet as a gesture of apology, so please enjoy yourselves to your heart’s content, for you have worked hard to get here.” 

 

“The people of this country seem quite fond of banquets.”

 

Furthermore, to tell them to enjoy a banquet now. He should at least say something that makes sense.

 

Cha Jaeha snorted and clenched his fists.

 

“Jaeha-ya, the alcohol here is very sweet! Gulp, gulp.”

 

…..Huh?

 

“Wait, Hwashin-ssi! How can you drink all that alone? Give me a glass too!” 

 

“Whoa, whoa, no way. This is for my kids. Wang Hao-ssi, you drink that other alcohol over therrre, on that side! Over therrre, over therrre.”

 

…Are those guys over there right now…

 

“Hey, hey~.”

 

What are you doing?

 

***

 

A barefoot dancer repeatedly spread out fabric in front of Cha Jaeha before making it vanish. The gaze visible beneath the translucent cloth was alluring. The dancer’s costume, consisting of billowy pants and a tight-fitting top, suited the dancer who moved like a fairy.

 

Lightly. The moment their feet touched the floor was extremely brief. This was likely why their movements appeared as if they were defying gravity. It was just as the music, a mix of trumpets and drums, ended and the dancers stepped back briefly for the next stage.

 

Yoo Hwashin stuck close to Cha Jaeha’s shoulder and pointed at the group of dancers.

 

“The dancers are quite pretty, aren’t they? Especially the one in the third row, isn’t she beautiful?” 

 

“…..”

 

When Cha Jaeha ignored him, Hwashin rested his chin on his hands on the table and continued.

 

“Of course, I am prettier, though.”

 

“Yoo Hwashin, have you finally lost your mind?” 

 

“You finally reacted.” 

 

“….Don’t you think it’s time to speak up?” 

 

“About what? Ah, this barbecue here is delicious.” 

 

“The reason for wasting time like this here. I’m telling you to state it.” 

 

“….Hey, why are you being so scary?”

 

His face, which was originally that of a cold handsome man, made one feel even colder when he wore such an expression. His thick eyebrows formed a straight line, making his gaze even sharper, and his slightly angular jaw made his expression even more serious. 

 

Cha Jaeha was serious. He meant he no longer wanted to spend time uselessly. It was perhaps natural.

 

The reason they had entered Hell was not simply to eat, sleep, and play. Especially since entering Hell, they had no way of knowing the situation outside. Since Ha Cheongwon, who foresaw the Hell, said ‘the outside of the dome will also be a mess due to Gate occurrences,’ it was not a situation where they could feel at ease.

 

Consequently, Cha Jaeha was gradually becoming anxious.

 

“Mmm.”

 

Yoo Hwashin stretched his arms out and leaned back from the table. He tilted his chair back and forth, lost in thought.

 

‘According to the original work, the citizens caught in the Hell of Falsehood are supposed to die, and the protagonist girl is supposed to be in “that place,” but the development has likely changed. Seeing as the royal castle itself remains perfectly intact.’

 

“Hey, Yoo Hwashin.” 

 

“Jaeha-ya.”

 

Hwashin tapped his temple with his finger. He was smiling brightly, but that benevolent smile was an expression a schoolteacher might wear. Hwashin continued.

 

“Think about it yourself.” 

 

“What?” 

 

“You don’t truly believe that I’m just killing time here, do you?”

 

Right, there was no way Cha Jaeha actually thought that.

 

Cha Jaeha seemed to have accepted the existence of ‘Yoo Hwashin’ as a teammate. As an equal existence to Yoo Jian and Jeong Mueum. Or perhaps, even higher.

 

But you shouldn’t do that.

 

The protagonist of ‘Your Hero Is Here’ wasn’t him—it was Cha Jaeha. He couldn’t covet that role. All Yoo Hwashin had ever wanted was to play a part in preventing the world’s destruction; he had never once intended to take Cha Jaeha’s place. 

 

No, such a thing was impossible in the first place.

 

Since he was no hero.

 

Watching the scene, Wang Hao hummed with interest as he sipped his drink.

 

“You thought I was here because there was definitely something, didn’t you?” 

 

“….” 

 

“Seeing as you aren’t denying it, it must be the case. In that case, the one to figure it out should be you. You’re the leader of our SH1 Unit, aren’t you?”

 

At the subtle atmosphere, Yoo Jian nudged Jeong Mueum’s forearm, and Jeong Mueum shook Lee Suho’s leg. Their gazes converged on one point. Cha Jaeha wore a momentarily dazed expression and then let out a smirk. Then, he immediately tilted his chin up and glared at Hwashin.

 

“You really are an annoying fellow.” 

 

“It’s an honor for you.” 

 

“Don’t smile.” 

 

“Kyaa.” 

 

“….Gosh, what was that sound? He said ‘kyaa.’ ‘Kyaa’.”

 

Yoo Jian, watching Hwashin twist his body, grabbed Jeong Mueum by the collar and shook him, and Jeong Mueum fluttered helplessly under her strength. Lee Suho supported Mueum’s body from behind.

 

“But you aren’t wrong. I’ve relied on you too much.”

 

A brilliance like moonlight swirled in Cha Jaeha’s pitch-black eyes.

 

He recalled the public notice that had been posted in the center of the village. The contents of the notice and the gossip-like stories the villagers had been blabbering about.

 

‘I’m telling you, she stole a royal relic. It must be her. I’m telling you, she lied about being able to use magic!’ 

 

‘But she can’t do much with just that one drop of sap.’ 

 

‘Anyway, that girl is certainly something.’

 

The sounds of the Royal Cavalry grumbling as they were being transported in the carriage.

 

‘Do we really have to transport these guys in a carriage?’ 

 

‘Just endure it even if it’s annoying. They said it’s what the Tower Master ordered.’ 

 

‘Haah, what’s so special about that thief girl.’ 

 

‘To begin with, is there anything that thief can even do with that?’

 

The royal family welcoming them and the banquet that dragged out time. And even the plot window vividly describing this situation.

 

“Right, so that’s how it is.”

 

Cha Jaeha raised his glass as if he had realized something. The glass was already empty. When Cha Jaeha thrust his glass toward Yoo Hwashin, Hwashin also picked up the bottle with a willing smile.

 

“What, you figured it out?” 

 

“….I’ll have to kill more alcohol for the remaining time.” 

 

“Right?”

 

They had to enjoy this moment.

 

If what Hwashin and Cha Jaeha predicted was correct,

 

Then Hell hadn’t even begun yet.

 

Hwashin held up a bottle and shouted loudly.

 

“Who wants more driiiiiiink~!!!”