Overpowered Reincarnation Perks! - Chapter 9.3
He adjusted his hold on me as if to soothe my tensed-up body, then lightly surveyed the surroundings. He was probably checking the positions of the patrolling soldiers.
“If we go that way, we should be able to get out without being detected.”
I have no idea which direction that is.
“I’m going to move a bit faster now. Hold on tight to me.”
Before I could answer, I felt my body lifting. Feeling the dizzying sensation of falling from a high place, I tightly hugged his neck and clung on, hearing a small chuckle rumbling in his throat.
I’m scared to death, and you’re laughing?
“You can open your eyes now.”
“Ugh……”
“You’re quite timid, aren’t you?”
Anyone would be scared of jumping from the 10th floor without protection. I’ve never even done bungee jumping, and now I’m having an even more extreme experience.
Landing like a cat that had climbed down a wall, he seemed to judge that we were now out of sight. He put me down on the ground and checked my condition.
“Are you hurt anywhere? Can you stand?”
“Um, yes.”
My legs were shaky when I first touched the ground, but once I stood properly, strength returned to them.
“Thank you for saving me.”
“I’m glad we managed to escape safely. Haha.”
He laughed softly, shaking his shoulders slightly.
A fine forehead was visible through thin bangs. A face as pretty as a doll’s. His appearance in a black robe was believable enough to be a dark mage. No, looking at his movements, he could also be a thief. In games, they’re usually called assassins, right?
He extended his hand towards me as I quietly rolled my eyes.
“I’m Yan. And you?”
“My name?”
I’m really worried about introducing myself in this world. Should I say it or not?
‘Should I just say Jin?’
But in front of a handsome man, one tends to be honest. In the end, I said my real name.
“Ju-in.”
Yan made a small exclamation, “Wow.”
“That’s an awesome name.”
“……”
Why am I the one feeling embarrassed?
‘Well, I can’t say I wouldn’t be surprised if someone I met on the street said their name was Master.’
As I was rubbing my slightly flushed cheeks with my palms to calm down, a system window popped up in front of me.
Current waiting members: (1/3)
[Arvan] has requested to form a party.
Do you want to accept the party invitation?
Oh, look at this guy.
‘So his name wasn’t Yan?’
People in this world can’t see my system window.
I had guessed as much. Even when it’s blatantly displayed in front of them, they don’t notice it at all.
Even Senes didn’t know I could see others’ skills, so he made excuses about buying self-made food.
So probably this man, armed with a precarious beauty between a boy and young man, also gave a fake name without knowing his real name would be revealed.
‘Then how does this party request come in?’
If they don’t have a concept of the system window, they shouldn’t be able to send party requests, so whose intention is reflected in this party request?
Is it that if they think they want to be with me, it’s transmitted to me in the form of a party request?
Or does the system arbitrarily form parties when it judges someone suitable to accompany me?
‘Let’s put it on hold for now.’
I minimized the party window.
It’s already an unfamiliar world, and I’m in a situation where I’ve fallen into a castle. Everyone I encounter here is a person of unknown identity.
I’m in no position to criticize others for looking suspicious, and I’ll assume he’s speaking informally because we look about the same age.
Deliberately hiding his real name?
‘It means he’s up to something.’
I have no intention of forming a party with someone trying to deceive me. I’m grateful for being rescued, but there are too many suspicious aspects to trust blindly.
‘It’s better not to stay together any longer.’
Let’s part ways when the opportunity arises.
“Thank you. Did you say your name was Yan?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
What’s right about it? This guy is lying through his teeth!
Keep doing that, and I might have to slap those lips.
“That’s unexpected. I thought you’d have an even more awesome name.”
“What? Haha!”
Yan. No, Arvan laughed good-naturedly.
‘Don’t be fooled by his prettiness. Get a grip.’
People who act overly friendly and considerate from the first meeting fall into two categories.
One is genuinely kind people.
The other is con artists.
Arvan might be closer to the latter. With looks that could bewitch someone and make off with their money or whatever, it wouldn’t be strange.
If I had met him when I first fell here, I might have thought, ‘I’m going to die anyway, might as well enjoy the present,’ but this is already my third life, you know. I don’t have time to waste here.
“You said you’d help me, right? Even knowing I’m an intruder.”
“That’s right.”
“You want something from me, don’t you?”
I’ve been thinking this since I met the investigators, but this castle is abnormal.
It looks like an ordinary medieval city on the surface, but people’s wariness towards outsiders is above average.
The feeling was too strange to be just cautious towards unfamiliar foreigners. If I had to say, it seemed closer to fear than aversion or hatred.
Moreover, the soldiers dragging me away and locking me up without proper interrogation was also strange.
I understand that generally, outsiders can’t enter the castle, but it was odd to imprison a woman without weapons, not caring whether she died of pneumonia or starvation. They’re not killing or torturing, just leaving them there. If they were just going to neglect me, there was no reason to bring me in. It’s as if they’ve done their duty just by dealing with the situation because people were anxious in the square.
If that’s the case, it means intruders are scary beings to the ordinary people of this castle, but a nuisance to the soldiers.
“What do I need to do?”
Even as a foreigner, I don’t have any special abilities. I do have a few skills, but they’re not very useful in this castle without monsters.
“What can you do?”
“I don’t have any special abilities. But what you expect from me isn’t about abilities, is it?”
An intruder suddenly appears from the square fountain. Helplessly dragged away and imprisoned, so no strength or abilities. No companions coming to rescue. Knowing all this, yet going through the trouble of sneaking into the prison and taking the risk of being caught to rescue me. That means I’m needed that much.
‘Besides, he even knew about the secret door in the prison.’
His escape with me seemed too natural. It probably means he has experience rescuing people who were caught and imprisoned by soldiers before.
It’s not hard to guess what those people imprisoned there had in common. There’s only one thing.
“You needed the existence of an intruder itself, right?”
“…You’re sharp.”
Arvan made a small exclamation. This time, he seemed genuinely a bit surprised.
“We shouldn’t be detected by the guards for a while now that we’ve come this far. But I can’t guarantee that no one will recognize you after the sun rises. I think it would be more beneficial for you to stay with me than to wander around alone avoiding people’s eyes.”
