For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 93
“We are heading to Dongguk in the Eastern Continent.”
“Oh heavens, is that true?”
He clapped his hands together with a sharp snap, drawing my attention back to him.
“What a coincidence! I was just on my way to Dongguk as well!”
Whether his words were true or not didn’t matter. What mattered was the real reason he was bringing this up.
I played along, waiting for him to reveal his true intentions.
“Dongguk isn’t very well known. How do you know about it, Priest?”
“There are many who haven’t heard of Dongguk, but among priests, it’s a well-known country.”
“Why is that?”
“The sacred river that flows through the Holy Nation originates from Dongguk. That river, filled with divine power, is where priests immerse themselves for training and purification.”
I remembered reading about this in the original novel.
The female protagonist, Rozemian, had exhausted all of her divine power and happened to bathe in that river—leading Jin to fall in love with her after witnessing the scene.
That was a particularly memorable chapter because readers who liked Jin had left comments like, ‘Isn’t he going to steal her clothes?’
“I see.”
“There’s still a long way to go before you reach Dongguk. How do you plan to get there?”
“My companions and I have been traveling on horseback so far. I assume we’ll continue the same way.”
“…That’s out of the question. Estira, your body is far too weak right now. If you ride a horse in this condition, you’ll collapse again before long. Not to mention, there’s no guarantee you won’t encounter dark mages on the way.”
I took my time chewing over Taolti’s words, trying to discern what he was really getting at.
Is he suggesting we travel together because the road is dangerous?
If so, why? Why go out of his way to help a complete stranger?
“As it happens, I was planning to open a portal to Dongguk. If you’d like, you can use it. It wouldn’t be a problem to bring along an extra person or two.”
A portal to Dongguk?
At that unexpected proposal, my gaze, which had been wandering aimlessly around the room, immediately snapped to Taolti.
And behind him, I caught sight of Ariel quietly shaking his head.
***
“Well then, if you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to call for me.”
“Yes.”
When I told him I needed more time to think about using the portal, Taolti simply healed my minor muscle aches with divine power and then stood up.
I had intended to question Ariel further about why he had warned me not to trust Taolti, but that plan fell apart when Taolti called out to him.
“Novice Priest Ariel, may I have a moment?”
Ariel glanced at me, clearly hesitant. It seemed he had been hoping to speak with me as well.
I turned away without answering.
For all I know, the two of them could be working together.
Left alone in the room, I carefully pulled the blanket off and lowered my legs to the floor.
The cold surface sent a shiver through my soles.
There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with the medicine Taolti had given me. Even after moving my body around, I didn’t feel any pain or discomfort anywhere.
Perhaps because I had finally gotten some proper sleep, I was in better condition than usual.
With a clear head, I pondered over Ariel’s confession and Taolti’s offer.
No matter how I looked at it, Taolti’s portal was highly suspicious. Too many coincidences were aligning perfectly.
Priests were taught to be kind to everyone, but his particular friendliness toward me felt oddly unsettling.
Of course, it was possible that he was just naturally good-hearted and that this was all a stroke of fate beyond mere coincidence.
It was also possible that I was unfairly viewing everything through a lens of distrust because of Ariel’s warning.
“…Ha.”
Having no one to trust was truly exhausting.
“Who am I even supposed to believe…?”
As I muttered to myself in the silent room, an unexpected voice responded.
“Obviously, you shouldn’t trust either of them.”
“Ah, crap—!”
Startled, I whipped my head toward the source of the voice.
Leaning against the window frame, watching me with an utterly shameless expression, was Feyden.
“Feyden? How long have you been there?”
“For quite a while.”
“You could’ve at least made some noise…”
I pressed a hand over my chest, trying to calm my racing heart.
Feyden, wearing an unusually serious expression, spoke in a tone that made it clear he wasn’t joking.
“You should trust me instead.”
“…You’re no different from the other two.”
He was unbelievably shameless.
If I had to choose the least trustworthy person among the three of them, Feyden would be my first pick without hesitation.
Where did he get the audacity to tell me to trust him?
Unlike Ariel, who had been restless with guilt, Feyden didn’t show even the slightest hint of remorse—not even a flicker in his expression.
“Potato, let me ask you something. Why do you think I betrayed you?”
With one hand on the window frame, he effortlessly hopped down into the room.
Then, taking long strides, he stopped right in front of me.
…Has he lost weight since I last saw him?
Up close, Feyden’s usually striking features looked slightly sunken. His cheeks were thinner, and the healthy glow he had gained from eating well on our travels had faded, leaving his skin dull.
As I quietly examined him, Feyden simply stood still, watching me in silence.
“Because you betrayed me.”
“What do you mean?”
“The same way Ariel did.”
“……What proof do you have?”
“Do you think I’d call you a traitor without any evidence?”
