Free Web NovelChapter 4: Execution
"Night is already falling. Is she even planning to wake up? It’s a good thing the local monsters or other tigers haven’t devoured us yet."
Nightly darkness was rapidly descending. Staying in the forest at such a time was sheer stupidity—everyone has known since childhood that it’s safer to stay indoors at night.
’She must be completely exhausted,’ Ruthless thought.
Still, he decided to wake her. There was no time to delay—he needed to move forward and gather information about this world. Ruthless gently shook her by the shoulder. To his surprise, the girl stirred almost immediately and began to open her eyes.
’And I thought it would take much longer to bring her to her senses.’
The girl struggled to focus her gaze on Ruthless. She remained silent—apparently, her mind was desperately trying to reconstruct the timeline of events and understand where she was. Her snow-white skin, fiery red hair, and remarkably large, expressive eyes emphasized her flawless, wild beauty.
"Forgive me, miss... Are you alright?" Ruthless asked in the softest, most caring, and harmless voice he was capable of.
The girl pressed her palm to her temple.
"Dammit... My head is splitting," she hissed, suppressing her aggression.
’Idiot. That fight squeezed every last drop out of her.’
Suddenly her gaze fell on Ruthless, and her eyes rounded in shock.
"WHAT?! A boy?!" she cried out, recoiling sharply.
’Is being a guy some kind of crime in this world?’ Ruthless smirked internally, but outwardly gave no sign of his thoughts.
"Umm... Well, as you can see," he smiled shyly, feigning complete confusion and naivety.
"Where did you come from? Where are your parents?"
’I have no idea who my parents are or if they even exist in this universe. I need to come up with the most plausible lie possible based on the crumbs of information I have.’
"We... we were attacked by monsters," Ruthless lowered his eyes, simulating oncoming tears. "My family died, and I... I hit my head hard and lost my memory. I only remember fragments. After that, I somehow survived in this forest, though it was hellishly difficult. And today, I accidentally stumbled upon this clearing and saw you fighting the tiger. When you won and fell unconscious, I carried you to the tree and gave you some water. That’s all..."
’It sounds pathetic and poorly stitched together. But for someone with her capacity, it’ll do perfectly.’
"Ah, so that’s how it is..." Nora’s expression softened instantly. "I think you’ve really had a hard time. Even for girls, it wouldn’t be easy in this forest, and you’re just a guy... a weak one."
She began to slowly rise to her feet. Ruthless immediately stood up obediently after her, continuing to play the role of a defenseless orphan.
"Yes, it was hellishly difficult. I’m so lucky to have met you," he exhaled with relief.
The girl noticed the water bottle Ruthless had used to bring her to her senses. All this time, he hadn’t taken a single sip of it himself. Either his body didn’t require moisture yet, or an internal voice warned him that the local water might be dangerous.
"May I?" Nora nodded toward the bottle.
Ruthless politely bowed his head in agreement. The girl grabbed the bottle and drained it almost to the bottom in seconds, as if she hadn’t drunk for the last ten years.
"Thank the gods, water..." she exhaled, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"I agree," Ruthless replied softly.
"Well, in that case, as a woman, I simply have no right to abandon you here," she stated firmly. "At the very least, I’m obligated to protect you and bring you up to speed, since you’ve lost your memory."
’Incredible, how quickly she swallowed this nonsense. Perfect.’
"Thank you so much, miss..."
"Just call me Nora," she interrupted.
"Alright, Miss Nora!" Ruthless smiled radiantly, portraying sincere happiness at being "saved."
"Then let’s go," Nora confidently gripped her heavy sword.
"Ladies first," Ruthless took half a step back and gave way to her with a polite gesture.
Nora froze for a moment in surprise, but then a satisfied, arrogant smile played on her lips.
"Oh... So you’re a gentleman, I see. I approve. Ha-ha!"
And so, they both headed toward a nearby city. Since Nora said she would tell him everything about this world, Ruthless didn’t delay but immediately entered into a dialogue along the way.
"You said you would tell me a bit; now that we’re free and walking, so as not to waste time, could you tell me?" he turned to her with a gentle smile.
"True enough. You’re a smart kid!" she replied, also with a smile.
’I don’t think one needs to be very smart to ask basic questions,’ he thought.
"Alright, look, I’ll tell you the basics. I’ll say it once, so remember! This world is called Vorantia, and it is divided into 5 known continents, where a separate Queen rules each continent. And each continent is divided into 5 cities, and each city is ruled by individual Princesses. Total: 5 continents and 25 cities. I think that’s about it," she finished her explanation.
’Logically speaking, the Queens must be considered the strongest and smartest among all women, since governing an entire continent is no simple task. Next come the Princesses. I highly doubt they are their actual daughters; more likely, they are selected resources chosen to make governance easier.’
’Then my temporary goal for survival must be to get into a Princess’s good graces—at least to the point of gaining her trust. Only after I am certain that I am one hundred percent safe can I proceed to my true goal.’
"Right now, we are on the continent of Inter-X, and we are currently heading toward the city of ’Syoga’—the largest and best city in Inter-X, by the way!" Nora continued talking non-stop, without even looking back at Ruthless.
Ruthless, in turn, continued to analyze and digest this information for his own benefit.
’The best city is good. The bigger it is, the better, and the more valuable the resources.’
"And you’ll learn the rest yourself bit by bit," she said, looking at Ruthless after her lecture.
"Thank you very much, Miss Nora!" he thanked her again with that same innocent smile.
And she, of course, replied with a happy face, as if she had just fed her own ego.
"You’re welcome, haha..."
After that, they spent about an hour in idle conversation about personalities, everyday trifles, and random questions, until the massive gates of the city of Syoga appeared ahead.
"Hey, hi, Arichka! How are things?" Nora ran cheerfully toward the girl who, judging by her equipment, was guarding the entrance.
"Fine. And who’s this?" the latter asked suspiciously, pulling a skeptical face.
Nora gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Oh, don’t worry so much. Found him in the forest all alone. Lost his parents, and his memory’s shot too. I felt sorry for him, so I dragged him along."
’Primal Gaze!’
[Current Stats of Rula Ari:
Strength: 400
Speed: 400
Stamina: 350
Intelligence: 25
Primal Level: 1
Chosen Path: None]
’Intelligence 25...’ Ruthless noted, his gaze hardening behind his polite facade. ’Slightly higher than Nora, but still abysmal.’
"We cannot trust him," Ari cut her off coldly. "What if he’s a spy from another continent? It would be better to execute him immediately to avoid creating unnecessary problems."
’Execute him, you say... I see.’
