Chapter 48: Fake Relationship
[A few minutes before the enemy's attack.]
A group of four forest fairies had been following Alex and Remia around. Of course, in their eyes, only Remia was important. They deemed Alex insignificant, even though he was pretty close with Remia.
He was a player, so they weren't worried about him much.
Besides, they couldn't trust him yet. That was understandable as they hadn't gone through what Remia and Alex did together.
They were like bystanders, and they assessed the relationship between the princess and the player like outsiders as well.
Their main goal was to keep the princess safe.
The queen issued such an order primarily because of Remia's relationship with the lost Deathwills. But then, the unknown player had started his mess in her lands. It was much more essential to keep Remia's life safe!
But even though those guards had level around eighty, their senses failed to notice the player emerging from the shadows.
In fact, they noticed the anomaly after Alex's sword had moved. At first, they were shocked that Alex suddenly threw his sword toward Remia. But as the clash rang out, their eyes widened, and their bodies tensed.
"Wait," One of them whispered; he stood at the front, looking like a group leader, "We have doubted this player's goals from the beginning. Let's see whether he is truly the princess' friend."
"Understood," the rest replied in tandem.
"The enemy can hide well, though. We can't be searching for him. Instead, keep your senses on the princess. This way, we won't miss him for the second time,' the leader added, his eyes narrowing.
His silent pressure swathed the unaware three young people. With his attention raised to the highest level, the enemy player surely wouldn't be able to take Remia's life.
Remia had been focused too much on her system.
As she had chosen a new path for herself, the system became more usable for her. Although it was not as valuable as for the players since she didn't have the chat message, minimap, and other features, the system immensely helped her with her skills.
She clicked the system and read her poison skills information.
But then…
BANG!
The sudden explosion burst out in her ear. In the next second, Remia felt her waist being sized by someone's hand. But as that feeling was familiar, Remia didn't struggle and allowed this hand to bring her closer.
Naturally, Alex brought her closer to himself.
Then, Remia turned her head to the other side.
Here, her heart jumped to her throat, "P-Player…"
She saw an unfamiliar player. That player's sword was lifted, colliding with Alex's Ice Breath. That man's expression was scrunched as his silent attack had just failed; Remia easily saw through his emotions.
Anger.
But in a few seconds, the man shook these feelings off, replacing his initial anger with a different emotion. He bounced behind and shook his sword.
He smiled widely, "You were fast, man. And you moved like a program. Has the skill taken over your body or something? Haha."
Remia clutched her little hands. She had seen this expression many times. That face told her that the player had accepted his mistake and was ready to move on. He was ready to fight and risk his life as the player!
He would fight them once again to get his goals. And he wouldn't stay shy with death! For them, death was just a short break.
The penalty did not bother him, and he also didn't seem to care about possible item losses.
Alex then asked, "Why did you point your sword at her?"
In the meantime, he intensely focused on the enemy player's equipment. Unlike him, the man had mercenary leather clothes which looked adventurous. They fit the current environment.
The man had a long sword as well. His equipment gave off a powerful and more than just a common-grade aura.
Those items were at least a unique grade, but Alex wasn't sure. His experience with items was minimal, so he couldn't tell their grade well.
'He uses a sword, and he can hide well… Assassin then? For some reason, I am not so sure about his class… He might have a rare class like me,' Alex whispered inwardly.
As it was hard to tell items' grades, it was even harder to tell the player's class. Looks also didn't say much. In this game, one could be fat but still fast and powerful with many stamina points.
Stats said more than appearance, and it was great since judging by looks never did well.
To Alex's inquiry, the enemy chuckled, "Experience points and money. She also should drop some items, right? Isn't she the princess?"
"…" Remia bit her lips.
Alex narrowed his eyes, "So you are one of them… Villain?"
"Villain… Hero… Stop with those cringe terms, man. If protecting this woman would give me more money, I would've protected her even better than you. Alas, killing her is more profitable for me," the man shook his head.
He stepped forward, "I see that you have been building up a relationship with her. It's effortless to get chicks in this game, isn't it?"
Alex still held Remia tightly. He had checked her stats and confirmed that the enemy hadn't inflicted any damage on her. She was fine, except for her mind.
But that was understandable… He had called her world 'a game'.
That hurt most NPCs who lived to their fullest here. They gave their all to survive and eked out their best lives, yet some immortal players treated them like bags of experience and money.
They deemed their lives worthless…
Seeing how ugly Alex and Remia's expressions became, the enemy laughed out loud, "Hey, it's just a fake relationship. You aren't real, Miss. You are just a program made so that we can have a little fun.
For me, getting money is the most fun. For this guy, it is having fun with naive girls like you. Each to their own, right?" he sneered.
His words worked well.
Remia's skill stopped. Her roots still remained underground, and no forest moved to help her. She trembled while glaring at the enemy player.
"Fake Relationship. Once you give him enough fun and your all worth, he will leave you alone. The forest fairies' queen is level hundred, right? He might even play around with your mother, then leave oyakodon behind! Haha! There are so many more female NPCs who are more beautiful and stronger. We, gamers, tend to up the difficulty level."
"Alex… is not that kind of a person…" Remia whispered, her voice barely audible.
