There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 143

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The snake coiled tightly around Philomell, flicking its tongue as if sensing her presence through touch.

“Lexion didn’t say anything about this!”

Had he known a basilisk was here, he wouldn’t have failed to warn Philomell.

Which meant.

“Le Guin…”

It must be a separate instruction from him, the basilisk’s owner.

Philomell struggled to move her arms. Her backpack contained items that could counter the monster.

However, the snake’s restraint wasn’t suffocatingly tight, but neither was it loose enough to allow free movement.

The automatic protection magic wasn’t activating either, as the snake had no intention of harming Philomell.

“Ugh!”

The snake slowly carried Philomell towards the magic tower as she struggled.

At this rate, she would be dragged away.

‘Absolutely not!’

This was an opportunity Jeremia had created for her! Lexion had barely changed his mind!

She couldn’t go back like this. But her strength was insufficient. She suddenly felt resentful.

Philomell called out the name of the person she most wanted to see at this moment.

“Nasar!”

Even though she knew he wasn’t here, she wanted to call out his name for some reason.

Bang!

With a tremendous impact, the snake’s body convulsed violently. The restraint loosened, and Philomell’s body fell.

But instead of the expected pain, warm arms caught her. Philomell opened her tightly closed eyes.

It was Nasar.

“Yes, your Nasar is here.”

He held Philomell in his arms, standing on top of the basilisk.

Philomell was startled.

“Nasar?”

“Yes. It is Nasar.”

“How did you get here?”

“Because Philomell-nim called for me.”

“That’s not what I meant…! Why are you in this forest?”

He pointed behind him with his thumb.

“I was camping nearby.”

“Camping?”

Come to think of it, she remembered picking out camping supplies with him at the market.

“Don’t tell me you’re still doing that?”

“Yes!”

“Even with security this tight….”

“I was originally right next to the magic tower, but I was kicked out for being a nuisance. So I moved to this forest.”

“When I contacted you, you clearly said you had returned to your accommodations in Angelium, didn’t you?”

“That’s what I said then. But I couldn’t contact Philomell-nim, and I became more and more anxious as the days passed….”

“So you went back to camping out?”

“I wondered if I could catch a glimpse of your face, even from afar.”

“Really, Nasar is something else.”

Philomell said this while hugging Nasar tightly.

“You always appear when I’m in danger.”

“Philomell-nim….”

His reddened ears were so cute that Philomell chuckled.

“Shhhh.”

Just then, the basilisk began to writhe, making noises.

Nasar got off the snake’s body and placed Philomell on the ground. He drew his sword.

“Shall I take care of it?”

“If possible, I’d rather you didn’t kill it….”

She had spent time with his monsters before, introduced by Le Guin, and had grown fond of them.

At first, she was scared, but when she threw food to them, they ate it well, which made them seem like ordinary animals.

‘Besides, it wasn’t trying to harm me.’

Nasar smiled brightly.

“Leave it to me.”

He then put his sword back into its sheath and began beating the snake mercilessly. Eventually, the basilisk’s will was broken.

It was an unfavorable fight from the start for the snake, which couldn’t fully attack them because of Philomell.

Philomell met the artificial eye of the fallen snake. The eye, which would have caused a fatal blow just by looking at it in the past, was now docile.

“Go back and tell Le Guin.”

The snake with a large bump on its head nodded.

“I’m in a rebellious phase these days. So tell him to approach me more delicately if he wants to stop me.”

“Shhhh.”

“Oh, and tell him I left a letter, so he should read it.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the basilisk turned its body towards the magic tower.

Philomell looked at the magic tower beyond the receding snake. For some reason, she felt like he, who was probably in the dark space by now, was watching her.

‘Le Guin, you were upset that I didn’t understand you, but it’s only natural that I don’t.’

Just because we’re family, just because we share blood, doesn’t mean we naturally understand each other.

It takes time for people to understand each other. Enough time to face each other and have a conversation.

“Philomell-nim.”

And there is someone else Philomell needs to talk to. She faced Nasar, feeling somewhat nervous.

“Are you leaving somewhere?”

“Nasar, actually….”

She honestly revealed her decision to become a hero. Nasar listened to her story silently.

‘I don’t think Nasar would blindly oppose it,’ she thought, but she was still worried. His concern for her was as great as anyone else’s.

After listening to the whole story and thinking deeply, Nasar opened his mouth.

“Is there a reason why Philomell-nim must do that job?”

“If… if I just stood by and Elencia died, I think I would regret it.”

She wanted to do what she could.

“And I also have a feeling that there might be something only I can do.”

Philomell had some abilities as a player. Besides simply entering the store, there would be things she could do with it.

Nasar shouldered Philomell’s backpack, which had fallen to the ground.

“Then let’s leave for the Great Temple right now.”

“Pardon?”
“Isn’t it urgent?”

“You’re not against it?”

“Against it? Me?”

Nasar’s eyes widened.

“How could I oppose what Philomell-nim has decided for herself…? In the first place, I don’t think it’s a matter of whether others oppose it or not.”

Philomell was momentarily stunned by the unexpected reaction. She had expected him to join her, but she didn’t expect him to follow her so readily.

Her throat tightened.

“Really… is it okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“To come with me.”

“It would be more okay if we weren’t ‘together.’”

“If you’re with me, you might be targeted by the Evil God, you know?”

“Then I should be with you even more.”

“The mages from the magic tower might be tracking us.”

“I don’t care.”

His tone was firm.

“No matter what enemy we face, even if the destination is the end of the world, I will be with you. Forever.”

Philomell reflexively looked above Nasar’s head.

‘99%’

Was it a trick of fate that the favorability rating, which hadn’t been visible for a while, appeared at a time like this? The nearly full red bar flickered with a dazzling light.

Philomell pulled this lovely man into a tight hug.

“P-Philomell-nim? Shouldn’t we be leaving soon…?”

“Don’t say anything, just stay like this for a moment. Just for a moment.”

After a while, the stiffness in Nasar’s body disappeared. He gently and awkwardly wrapped his arms around Philomell’s waist.

As Philomell had said, they stayed like that for just a moment. Feeling each other’s warmth.

Emotions welled up, causing them to delay, but the fact that the situation was urgent remained unchanged.

‘Le Guin might move at any moment!’

It was better to leave this area quickly before that happened.

Philomell and Nasar hurried to where Nasar’s tent was set up.

“Will we need these?”

Nasar pointed to the tent and various camping tools. Philomell nodded.

“It’s better to take them just in case. We might have to camp out on the way to the Great Temple.”

Without saying a word, Nasar quickly folded the tent and packed the tools. There was no need to carry all of them with difficulty.

Philomell opened her backpack. The backpack she bought from the store, with the ‘additional inventory function,’ could store not only items but also ordinary objects.

“It’s amazing that all of these fit in here.”

Nasar exclaimed as he put the items into the backpack.

As long as they didn’t exceed the set number, the volume and mass didn’t matter.

“It’s even light.”

Even though she was okay with carrying it, Nasar insisted on carrying the backpack.

Philomell said.

“First, we need to recruit a trustworthy mage.”

“Because of the teleportation magic.”

“Yes. Teleportation magic is essential to get to the Great Temple quickly.”

It would be difficult to get help from the mages of the magic tower because of Le Guin. The three brothers might be cooperative with Philomell, though….

‘Jeremia and Lexion seemed to have used up a lot of energy fighting each other, and Cardin said he wasn’t very good at teleportation magic.’

Philomell stroked her chin and pondered. This part of her escape plan was the most uncertain.

Teleportation magic meant completely entrusting one’s body to someone else. She had to find a trustworthy mage.

‘Even more so in a situation where my life is being threatened.’

Lexion said that there were many who secretly worshiped the Evil God, fascinated by Ieris’s powerful strength or the doomsday theory.

“Especially among mages, the proportion of Ieris followers is relatively high. I’m not even religious, but I’m quite interested.”

So much so that many mages had even broken the magic tower’s rules to research the Evil God.

Philomell glanced at Nasar.

‘Originally, I was going to ask Nasar to introduce me to one of the mages from the Averidean family, but….’

She was a little hesitant to bring it up. Due to Philomell, his relationship with Duke Averidean had recently become strained.

However, before she could open her mouth, Nasar spoke first.

“I know a mage well. And he’s trustworthy.”

“Who is it?”

“He’s a close friend who studied under the same master. Moreover, he’s said to be skilled in teleportation magic.”

“That’s perfect! Where does he live?”

Philomell frowned when she heard the friend’s residence.

“…That’s too far.”

Even if she traveled by the fastest means of transportation, it would take at least four days. And the hero selection ceremony was in three days.

“I’m sorry, but could you ask him to come to where we are?”

“He’s a friend who lives cut off from the world without even a communication stone….”

It was a dilemma. If it would take four days to go there, it would be better to wait for Lexion or Jeremia to recover their energy.

‘But if I loiter around here and catch Le Guin’s eye….’

It was then. As if he had noticed something, Nasar drew his sword.

“It’s a monster’s presence! Philomell-nim, get behind me….”

Heavy footsteps were heard, and the trees rustled. Soon, a monster appeared.

Two horns on its head, large wings, ferocious fangs, eyes similar to those of a bird of prey.

Philomell hurriedly stopped Nasar, who was preparing for battle.

“Wait, it’s not an enemy, it’s Gugu!”

“…Gugu?

“It’s Le Guin’s wyvern.”

The wyvern tilted its head when it recognized Philomell.

“Gugu?”