Overpowered Reincarnation Perks! - Chapter 9.4
“I know. But what I’m curious about is what benefit I can provide to you.”
“You’re curious about that?”
“Of course. I need to weigh if it’s worth it.”
He might set difficult conditions. He might make me do hard work.
I wasn’t in immediate life-threatening danger. It means he could have made a deal, demanding something from me in exchange for letting me out of prison. Yet he prioritized the rescue.
‘It could be seen as pure goodwill… but it could also be to make me feel indebted to him.’
It’s nearly impossible for me, with no abilities and no companions, to escape the castle alone without someone’s help. I’m not in a position to refuse this man’s offer anyway.
That’s why I need to gauge more carefully. Whether he’s an enemy or an ally.
“You need me, right?”
“Yes. But I can’t tell you why unless you come with me.”
He means he can’t disclose detailed information because if I refuse his offer and tell others about what just happened, it would put him in a difficult position too.
“So, what do you think? Will you trust me and come along?”
As the man extended his hand, the minimized system window expanded again.
Current waiting members: (1/3)
[Arvan] is waiting for the party request acceptance.
The request will be withdrawn if the waiting time is exceeded.
Waiting time: 10 seconds
Look at this. You’re saying you’ll withdraw if I don’t accept quickly?
Even Senes wasn’t this impatient, he’s more fastidious than he looks.
‘I don’t have time to think.’
5 seconds. 4 seconds. 3 seconds…
The waiting time was too short to make any other calculations.
‘It’s all or nothing!’
I finally accepted Arvan’s party request.
“Alright. I’ll go with you.”
As I grasped his hand, a fanfare sound played and a system message appeared.
[Party Formed!]
The party has been successfully formed!
You have a certain probability of discovering hidden quest entry conditions.
‘So you need to form a party to get hints about hidden quests.’
But what’s with this ‘certain probability’, is this a sign of a bad game? These days, even gacha boxes disclose probabilities as standard, what’s with this ‘certain probability’? Is this some kind of trick?
As I glared at the system window, it gradually shrank as if retreating sneakily, then disappeared with a ‘poof’.
“Your words and your eyes tell different stories. Do you dislike me that much?”
“No, it’s not that.”
I was glaring at the system window, but the black-haired man seemed to think I was glaring at him.
“I just don’t like uncertainty. Since we’ve formed a par… I mean, decided to go together, let me ask here.”
“Arvan.”
“Pardon?”
“My name. It’s Arvan.”
I knew it through the system message, but I didn’t expect him to reveal it directly. And so quickly at that.
“I’m sorry for deceiving you. I thought you might refuse me and run away when you got out of prison, so it was difficult to reveal my real name right away.”
He means it was a safety measure.
‘Still, I revealed my name properly.’
In a situation where we’d both be in trouble if discovered, I’m the only one who trusted Arvan and exposed information. This seems a bit unfair.
“But regardless of the reason, deception is deception, so I should apologize. I’m sorry, Ju-in.”
“……”
I was a bit twisted at first because he tried to deceive me, but I softened a bit, perhaps because he apologized right away.
He seemed calculating, but not malicious. Besides, he’s my benefactor who rescued me, so maybe I was too prickly in my response. I felt sorry for Arvan belatedly.
‘Maybe I became sensitive because of the unfair treatment I received as soon as I arrived.’
Although my suspicion hasn’t completely disappeared, once we’ve formed a party, being suspicious of an ally will only lead to exhausting situations. For now, I have no choice but to trust and cooperate with him.
“Alright, Arvan. I accept your apology.”
In return, I decided to speak informally too. There’s no reason for me to use formal speech when he’s speaking informally to me, and honestly, Arvan looked younger than me.
“That feels better.”
“And I’ll properly say it again too.”
“Hm?”
“Thank you for saving me. I mean it.”
I bowed my head properly to him in gratitude. No matter how suspicious I might be, the fact that he rescued me doesn’t change. So I should express my thanks clearly.
“I look forward to working with you, Arvan.”
“…I look forward to working with you too, Ju-in.”
Arvan replied with a somewhat choked expression, then guided me to his house.
The castle was divided into four cities – north, south, east, and west – centered around the central palace located in the middle of the land. Each city was quite large, but the roads were well-maintained, so it wasn’t difficult to find our way.
We ran through the night streets and quickly arrived at our destination. The 12th district of the southern city, a two-story house with a blue roof. It had a low fence and a flower bed with colorful flowers, and under the round building roof was a cute attic window, making it look just like a fairy’s house from a storybook.
The interior was quite quaint too when we opened the door and entered.
“Arvan. Who do you live here with?”
“I’ll be living with you.”
“Huh? No, I mean…”
“I’ve been living alone until now. Continuously.”
A man living alone decorated the place like this? There are two of everything, chairs, dishes…
Ah, I guess you’d need two if you invite guests over.
“It’s fascinating…”
When I was in the village at the foot of the mountain, I never had the chance to look around other people’s houses, and even when I dropped by for errands, I left quickly without properly observing.
As far as I remember, the interiors were mostly within the range of what you’d typically imagine as a somewhat shabby wooden house, but Arvan’s house was completely different. Both the exterior and interior were so cute and quaint, it felt like being in a theme park.
‘His face looked like a mischievous fairy, and he decorated his house to match.’
Now that I’ve decided to trust him as an ally, I guess I can start thinking positively. I listened to his explanation while comfortably admiring Arvan’s good looks.
