Chapter 96

Jun-sang’s Realization and a New Path

“So that’s how it was.” Jun-sang hadn’t expected the quest to continue like this, especially since it seemed like he had a lot of time left. He closed his eyes and pondered the cause and effect of the current quest. The key point of this quest was Prince Dunstel. It seemed strange that a prince would suddenly appear in what seemed like an insignificant quest, but it appeared to be due to the events that followed.

The prince had offered to guard the bridge with Jun-sang after sending his family away. Jun-sang had refused his offer and sent the bewildered players to escort the prince to the central army. But what if Jun-sang hadn’t been among the people undertaking this quest? In most cases, players would’ve chosen to defend the bridge with the prince and his soldiers. Above all, since the main quest’s objective was to protect the bridge, this choice was a no-brainer. And through fighting together, the prince would have felt some kind of trust in the players’ abilities, and when he got Garland’s letter after the battle, he would have thought of the players as suitable candidates for this dangerous mission.

Just as Heness, though not perfectly, had partially deciphered the ancient script, a highly educated prince or his retinue would have been able to read the operational plan to some extent. If this sequence of events was the correct way for the quest to progress, then sending the prince to the central army would have completely entangled and messed everything up. However, Heness’s presence straightened out that tangled sequence and brought it back to its original course.

Jun-sang finished his thoughts and quietly opened his eyes.

“Heness.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.” At his words, Heness blushed slightly, embarrassed, and replied, “It’s nothing great.” Jun-sang shook his head.

“That’s not true.”

“…”

“Perhaps you are the greatest reward I’ve gained since coming here.”

Upon hearing those words, Heness felt so incredibly embarrassed that she almost wanted to burrow into the ground. She didn’t even feel this much when she received an award in front of everyone at her boarding school. To feel so elated by such a seemingly simple compliment made her wonder if she was truly normal.

Then Jun-sang spoke again. “By the way… I thought we might finally have some leisurely time, but having to move again is a bit disappointing.”

“…” Heness, who had been feeling as if wings had sprouted on her back, ready to fly into the sky, suddenly had a realization upon hearing his words. She had belatedly realized that if she had simply pretended not to know the contents of the letter, she could have spent more than a day leisurely with Jun-sang. Idiot. The atmosphere was so good just now. She could have experienced more than just a kiss!

As the thought of “more than a kiss” entered her mind, Heness’s face turned beet red again. That’s right. It had been so natural until now that she hadn’t realized it, but if she were to take another step forward with Jun-sang, she might experience all sorts of things! Heness felt too embarrassed to look Jun-sang directly in the face. So she covered her face with both hands and buried her head in the table.

Jun-sang, who had stood up to prepare to pursue the main force, was startled by Heness suddenly banging her head on the table.

“Heness?”

“Yes?”

“Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine. It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

“…” Jun-sang couldn’t help but chuckle at Heness’s fumbling reply. And he thought to himself: it’s incredibly difficult to understand the complex and subtle thoughts and actions of a girl her age.

Anyway. Jun-sang and Heness quickly finished their preparations to pursue the main force and exited the container house. Jun-sang, after putting the container house back into his inventory, asked Heness with a concerned expression, “Are you sure you’ll be okay? It’s cold; perhaps it’s better if you just stay inside…”

“No.” Unless the situation was dangerous, she didn’t want to be in a state where she felt nothing.

“Hoo… So stubborn, as always.” Jun-sang was about to summon his Ghost Horse but changed his mind and took out the Humvee instead. While the ride quality might be poor, it was better than being exposed to the cold wind.

“Get in.”

“Okay.” Having ridden it several times already, Heness skillfully opened the passenger door, got in, and buckled her seatbelt. As she finished her preparations, Jun-sang was about to start the engine but suddenly said, “By the way… which way is the Silent Wetlands?” Unfortunately, the minimap didn’t show the location of the main force or a detailed map of the surrounding area.

But Heness seemed lost in thought for a moment, then said, “Hmm… If my memory serves me right, the Silent Wetlands should be downstream of the river that flows along the Anjermang Grand Canyon.”

“Downstream?”

“Yes. Like the Forbidden Forest near Ibelu, the Silent Wetlands are famous for being a remote area. That’s why I remember it.”

“…” Jun-sang nodded at her words, then once again stroked the head of this cute, elf-like girl.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Although she felt a bit like she was being treated like a child, Heness didn’t dislike the feeling of Jun-sang’s large hand stroking her hair. As the two looked at each other with smiles, something small suddenly jumped onto the dashboard. It was none other than Mongmong. Mongmong sat on the dashboard, looking at them, tilting its head. Its expression seemed to say, “Why aren’t we going yet?”

“Pfft!” Heness burst into laughter, and Jun-sang also chuckled, then started the engine.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay!”

The Central Army’s Unexpected Arrival

As Jun-sang and Heness began driving the Humvee towards the lower reaches of the canyon, the three who had accompanied Prince Dunstel and his family were huddled in a rattling covered wagon.

“The south really is nice. Not cold at all.”

“Indeed.” Prince Dunstel had arrived at a village a few hours south of the Heavenly Bridge, purchased a carriage there, and was now traveling. It was a mere cart with a cover, lacking proper cushions or shock absorbers, so comfort was hard to come by, but it was still a hundred times better than walking all day.

The carriage rattled on for a considerable time, then suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

“Is it mealtime already?” Song Dong-jun muttered to himself. Beside him, Lee Min-seo, who had been dozing, suddenly lifted her head and checked the time. “I don’t know. It seems a bit early.”

Sure enough. A soldier quickly poked his head into the back of the carriage and said, “The location of the central army’s vanguard has been confirmed. We will be moving at high speed from now on, so please hold on tight.”

“Understood.” The two, excluding Ju Gwang-myeong who had completely fallen asleep, nodded nonchalantly. But then, as the carriage began to accelerate to top speed, they couldn’t help but scream.

“My goodness! So that’s what ‘hold on tight’ meant!”

“Is the carriage going to break apart?” All they could do was desperately hold on, almost crawling on the floor of the wildly shaking and creaking carriage. Ju Gwang-myeong, who hadn’t heard the soldier’s words, almost bounced out of the carriage while nodding off.

Finally, after enduring several more hours of that hellish ride, the group of refugees led by Prince Dunstel was able to merge with the central army’s vanguard. As soon as the carriage stopped and they heard from the soldier who rushed out that they had joined the central army’s vanguard, Lee Min-seo, Song Dong-jun, and Ju Gwang-myeong tumbled out of the carriage and immediately vomited everything in their stomachs.

“Ugh… I swear I’ll never ride a carriage again.”

“Same here.” As the three grumbled and got up, they suddenly noticed something strange. Behind the cavalry unit, armed with shining armor, were armored vehicles lined up.

“That… that’s an armored vehicle, right?”

“Yes, it is.” It was an armored vehicle, but its shape was somehow unfamiliar. The two tilted their heads, looking at it, then froze when they saw the flag draped over the armored vehicle.

“That… that’s the flag I know, right?”

“Yes. Probably.” One large yellow star and four smaller stars surrounding it. And a red flag encompassing them all. The flag of the People’s Republic of China, also known as the Five-star Red Flag, was fluttering over the armored vehicle.

“Chinese forces in a place like this…” Moreover, not just ordinary players, but a mechanized unit equipped with armored vehicles. As the two stood frozen and speechless, stunned by the unexpected sight, Ju Gwang-myeong, who had finally finished emptying his stomach, stumbled towards them and likewise spotted the armored vehicles.

“Huh? Isn’t that an armored vehicle?” Lee Min-seo replied, “Yes, it is.”

“Why is it here?” Lee Min-seo answered again, “I don’t know. Don’t ask. My head’s already complicated enough.”

“…” As the three stood stunned by the sudden appearance of a modern mechanized unit, Dunstel approached them with a few people. The most striking person among those he brought was a blonde beauty clad in silver armor. She was unusually tall for a woman of this region, standing at 170 centimeters, and her blonde hair was neatly tied back. Her shining silver armor was full plate armor, inlaid with gold, making it look very luxurious. She was a beauty who seemed to overwhelm simply by her presence. Behind her followed several soldiers in camouflage uniforms, who clearly had East Asian features. Ah… So it was indeed the Chinese army.

“Errol. Greet them. These are the people who escorted me here.” At Dunstel’s words, the blonde beauty looked at the three with a slightly suspicious expression, then immediately straightened her face and bowed slightly, greeting them.

“Thank you for escorting my brother. I am Errolomine Breeze Bahim Eshtalen, the First Princess of the Eshtalen Kingdom.”