"It's still dangerous. Not too long ago, lord Damien mentioned that most of the inhabitants had been corrupted by Voss, becoming his eyes and ears. What if you come across them while roaming the ashen land? Wouldn't that pit you against certain death?" Delilah said.
It could be seen that she was completely against the idea of letting Roy go to the Ashen Land. She was just a maid that he had kept by his side because he felt that she was pitiful and useful, so how dare she pokes her nose into his matters? But he knew that she was doing this for his own good, so he didn't feel offended.
"Do I look like a naive fool to you?" He stared at her calmly and said, "I know the ashen land is mostly dominated by Voss. He's pretty influential there. But the region I will be exploring barely has anything to do with Voss. In that place, it will be surprising to come across his minions."
One of the strongest minor villains didn't encounter any hexes when he mistakingly stumbled into the Ashen Land, and his luck was so heaven-defying that he explored the goblin grotto to the very end, easily defeating the green-skinned monsters and profiting greatly.
Roy didn't believe that he would be any less lucky than him, and even if he was, what were the chances of him encountering the hexes in a place that was populated by spirits and treants?
Zero!
It was definitely zero!
Delilah could tell from his stubborn expression that he wasn't going to listen to anyone.
"Must you take this risk?" she asked as she bit her lips.
Roy nodded without hesitation, "A great opportunity lies ahead. This is my only chance to get it, so I can't let it go."
"Besides, it would become a lifetime regret if I don't get it, and I don't like to have regrets."
As a matter of fact, the soul shard of absolute defense was too precious to give up on. The minor villain depended on it to survive dozens of life-threatening situations and eventually plunge the north into chaos. He might just be a minor villain in the book that died because of being too lustful and targeting the protagonist, but his achievements couldn't be denied. He was an undercovered agent and helped Chaos conquer 65% of the northern region of the empire while fooling the rest of the world. Although he had received the help of chaotic beings and the undead, it couldn't be denied that he was extremely cunning and a gold-tier actor who was able to keep everyone in the dark until his death.
But it could all change if his fortunate encounter was stolen!
Without it, he wouldn't live to see the day when Chaos invades.
'I would be killing two birds with one stone if I succeeded in pocketing the soul shard! I can't give up on it.' Roy thought.
"Where does your information come from?" Delilah asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"I picked it up," Roy replied, neither lying nor telling the truth.
He got it from a book he read in his previous life, and he did pick it up, so in a sense, he wasn't lying.
Besides, no one would believe him if he told the truth. They might take him as a lunatic. Situations far worse than that could also unfold. He might be taken as an otherworldly demon who had stolen the body of the original owner and purged on the spot, thus why, although Arlo and the others have proven that they were worthy of his truth, he didn't tell them his most guarded secret.
Delilah felt frustrated.
His answer was too nonchalant. Did he not care for his life?
The temperature around her fell by a few degrees. At this moment, her face was as frosty as ice flakes. "From where?"
"A very reliable source." Roy's reply was immediate, as if he already knew what she was going to ask and had prepared an answer beforehand.
What he had experienced in the manor of the Fierce Sword Count wasn't a well-kept secret.
She was clear that he had been poisoned, and it was only after he turned over a new leaf that he detoxified his body from the poison, saving himself.
His immediate family didn't treat him well. His father didn't know that his son was poisoned under his son. The servants also looked down on him and bullied him behind the back of their master as a result. Not to mention, someone had wanted him dead since long ago. They just couldn't directly kill him, so they chose to poison him slowly.
What if that someone was the hand behind this news?
Delilah was worried that he was being trapped.
Feeling a bit frustrated, Delilah looked at him questioningly, "How can you be sure it's not a bait set by those who poisoned you to lure you to a trap?"
Roy raised his eyebrow, wondering what was going around in her mind.
How did she even think of this?
Her misunderstanding was too great!
It was impossible to clear it using truths.
So he decided to lie.
"It's from someone who will never betray me."
Yup!
There was no chance of the author betraying him.
He wasn't in this world!
"You must trust him a lot," Delilah said.
She didn't feel good to know that there was a person out there who Roy trusted so much. Why was she learning about him only now?
"He is a very interesting person. He is the reason why I am here. And you should be thankful to him too. That day, I spared you mostly because of him."
Roy was talking about the author.
If he hadn't read the novel, he wouldn't have become suspicious that Delilah was the teleporter or that her death would lead to the birth of the teleporter.
To make sure that there won't be a Teleporter in this lifetime.
And stop the attempt on the emperor's life.
These are the main reasons why he had spared her.
Delilah was surprised.
She didn't know. She really didn't.
