They both turned to peer at whatever was waiting to be noticed behind them. Velyts exhaled sharply at the sight.

No one.

And that clear absence of the particular person the man was speaking falteringly about enkindled fright within the crevices of their hearts. Velyts glanced around in trepidation, all the while Afi remained in the exact position, eyes peering at something hidden in the darkness.

“Well?” He stared back at the man. “Where is he?”

“That’s… how peculiar…” the man floundered, perplexed at something Velyts could not understand.

Afi clarified, “there’s no one. However,” she paused for a little, but it was enough to let the dread settle back in his heart again. “There was someone here not too long ago. I can sense their spiritual traces.”

“A wraith? Ghost?” asked Velyts curiously.

Afi nodded and looked him dead in the eye. “More specifically, a wight.”

Naturally! Velyts gazed at Afi admiringly. They’re the undead who have no knowledge of their demise and act as if alive. Their souls still carry the energy a normal, breathing being has! Therefore the trails they leave are unlike any other!

“Oh, that makes sense,” he murmured as he fell deep in thought.

Afi eyed Velyts with a strange look, “odd. You sure know a lot about the world of magic. You also knew my name. It can’t just be that you heard of my feats. What is the actual reason you approached me? You can’t hide this from me any longer. I’m intrigued.”

Me and my stupid mouth! Should’ve kept quiet! Velyts felt his sweat traveling down his back. “What? Oh, no, you’re mistaken,” he desperately searched for an excuse. He could not just tell her―well, I had transmigrated not too long ago and had been endeavoring to help you not get killed in your mission to murder the sultana! Also, did you know you’re nothing but a nickel-and-dime character in a book titled ‘Boldly Killing Monsters And Heroically Collecting Men’? Funny, isn’t it?

“Am I?” Afi stepped closer and closer to Velyts, gripping her bow as a golden arrow materialized in her other hand. “It’s been on my mind since yesterday. How come a poor farmer like you lacks the wrinkles a farmer has? Your skin looks silky smooth as well. Your hands too. Almost like you aren’t a farmer, but instead… How do you explain that?”

Velyts gulped audibly. “G…good genetics?”

“You call that good genetics, but I prefer to call it ‘sheltering.’ You’re a sheltered young master with too much time on his hands and decided to venture into the unknown. You picked up witchery among other things and ended up somewhere close to this place,” each word dripped with poison as she raised her bow and placed the arrow on it.

“Witchery?” Velyts was beyond bewildered. How did she even reach this conclusion?! Was she even talking about him in the first place?!!

“It was you who threw the dagger and you who tried to play with our minds, was it?” She drew her bow.

A low chuckle could be heard from behind Velyts. Before he could even turn in alarm, Afi released the arrow, which whizzed past his ear and to the enemy behind. After doing so, Afi dashed to Velyts’ side, taking a protective stance.

“Not bad, not bad at all,” a younger man stood in the blind man’s place, half-naked, with a garment fastened around the legs and reaching his knees, undoubtedly of a costly material. On his head was a hat, bedecked with small yellow gems, resembling the head of an eagle, concealing most of his features but his grinning mouth.

Amazing! She figured it out only from a few clues? So she was implying she knew of his identity? In such a cool way, too?! Velyts mused and gazed at his hat. And it does remind me of someone from my own world…

“How did you find out? I thought I made sure to cover up my own tracks,” he talked like the usual villain would, expressing his displeasure at having his plan fail.

“Taking to question even the most self-evident facts is what I was taught and what I ought to do,” Afi replied matter of factly. “What I don’t really get is why go to these lengths. What is there to be kept away from strangers in this village? A powerful weapon? A forbidden book of spells?”

The young man smiled like a Cheshire cat, “wrong, wrong, very wrong! And as for the penalty for answering wrong…” He raised his two empty hands and the jewels in his two rings―one, blue, worn on his right hand and the other, red, on his other hand―shone brilliantly in the blackness of the night, illuminating the white longsword that took shape in his two clenched hands. The sword was almost vibrating with nature's rhythms; each cool breeze caused the longsword to quiver.

“Stay behind me at all times!” Afi’s voice shook as another golden arrow materialized in her hand. She appeared nervous, as if the one she was dueling was a foe of great strengths.

Velyts attempted to remember any character similar to the one before him, but he could not! Especially not when he was frantically trying to hide his presence from this minacious man!

“The Yellow Flash? So that’s you!” He laughed and charged with his longsword at Afi. “You changed a lot. Where’s the timid kid from before?”

She drew the bow and shot the arrow, immediately hitting the target and setting his longsword alight. However, the fire barely managed to ignite, before it went out by itself. Seeing this, Afi frowned and prepared another arrow.

“Adorable, using the holy flame on me?” The man halted his steps, transforming his longsword into a white crossbow. “Two can play this game.”

These words completely drained the color on Velyts’ face. Even the holy flame, the one and only fire which can be extinguished by the gods only, can’t make a scratch on that guy?

He crouched and looked around, struggling to find something to use to their advantage.

Afi was suffering. It was plain how each arrow she materialized, her body was affected in some way and gradually weakened. Just as she drew her bow once again, the man shot three white arrows at once, all targeted at Velyts.

It all happened too quickly: him freezing in panic, Afi watching the arrows reach Velyts with large eyes, the man’s smile widening.

He attempted to jump to the side, yet two arrows still managed to wound his shoulder.

“Run, you fool!” Afi yelled and, as she was distracted, the man shot at her too. She was faster and avoided them easily.

“Get out of here already!” She shot another arrow at the man, despite knowing it would not injure him at all.

Velyts, feeling completely useless, rose to his feet and scampered away, through the maze of small buildings, like a fearful deer which had a close encounter with death. What about his promise to save the female leads? What of it when the only thing he could help a female lead with was to stay out of her way, acting as the dead weight?

Suddenly an explosion could be heard in the distance. His heart lurched, and the need to cough up his porridge became increasingly apparent. His limbs tingled and his brain raced in the most unhelpful way.

His steps faltered.

No.

He had to do something.

Worse came to worst, he would die. So what? He had nothing to live for anyway, not in this world, not in his original world―at least, he would pass away for a good reason; his own world had been much harsher to him than this had so far. Wounds to his shoulder? Pfft, ‘tis but a scratch!

“I refuse to give up!” he gritted his teeth and turned his body 180 degrees, staring at the way he came with a fire in his eyes.

Oh, how many times Velyts ended up as the sore loser for choosing the easier way out of situations instead of courageously braving everything thrown his way! This time, he simply refused!

Clutching his wounded shoulder, Velyts scrambled to one of the residences and tried the doorknob.

Unlocked.

It’s now or never!