CHAPTER 48: TIME TO MESS WITH THE PROTAGONIST

Not bad. This tea actually tastes really good. I take a sip from a finely decorated cup—black tea, I think they call it? Whatever it is, it’s amazing. And the couch is ridiculously comfortable.

Ah, sorry readers. Right now I’m in the private room with Bite and Guild Master Aragon. One is happily explaining how the world outside works, while the other keeps staring at me with that expectant, hungry gaze...

"Here." I pull a bag of gold from my system inventory and toss it onto the table in front of the guild master. He can choke on it for all I care. Not like it costs me anything. Still, what a greedy old vulture.

"Thank you very much," he says smoothly, scooping it up. He actually counts the coins, and his smile stretches so wide it nearly reaches the ceiling. "But I didn’t expect you to pay so easily. Honestly, I was only planning to bully you a little before pardoning you. Tell me, how did you get your hands on so much coin? Don’t tell me you robbed the royal treasury?"

He bursts into laughter—loud, booming laughter that makes my ears ring. Bite, on the other hand, sits there completely unfazed. Daily habit? I can’t imagine working here every day and surviving that racket.

"Family inheritance," I reply with the straightest face I can manage.

"Is that so?" I can see he doesn’t buy it for a second, but at least he doesn’t push further. Good to know there are still some people in this cursed world who know where their limits end.

"Quill, were you even listening to me?" Bite rolls his eyes. The nerve of it—I feel insulted. It’s not me drifting off, it’s that damn vulture glaring holes into my skull.

"Sorry. You were saying?" I soften my voice, giving him an apologetic look. Bite takes a slow sip of tea, clearly annoyed, yet there’s a trace of smug pleasure in his expression too. Unstable man...

"Listen carefully. Since your journey begins here, in the kingdom of Lituana, you must know about our neighbors, and the free lands not yet brought under rule. But..." He pauses, his eyes narrowing, something raw creeping across his face.

"I don’t usually share this advice. I couldn’t care less about others. But for you, Quill, I must say this: never step into those lawless lands. They’ll swallow you whole. The life there is..." His eyes darken, haunted by memories that look too real—fear, pain, and the kind of tears no pers should ever show.

"Now, now, don’t dwell on that." Aragon lays a heavy hand on Bite’s head, cutting him off, then fixes me with a pleading look. "Quill understands the danger better than you think, right?"

I nod, though inside the thrill burns hotter. The more dangerous it is, the more it calls to me. Still, for Bite’s sake, I’ll make the promise he wants to hear. For now.

"I understand. I’ll keep away from there. Can you tell me about the surrounding kingdoms?" I ask. His eyes brighten almost instantly. Too quick. Didn’t he just look like he was reliving a nightmare?

I glance down. The system screen flickers before me.

{Bite’s fingers twitch at Quill’s promise. The pain he carried from the lawless lands is still carved into his heart. I will never forgive those people for what they did to me and my sister... branding us like cattle, selling us off like broken tools. If not for the guild master... His heartbeat thunders, equal parts fear and vengeance, refusing to let go.}

I see now. The life he endured there... branded, enslaved. My jaw tightens. Now I have to visit those lands. I need to find the ones who did it. Maybe cut off every one of their fingers. Or end their lives altogether. Bastards. Rage coils in my chest, my fists clenching.

"Quill?" Bite’s voice snaps me back.

"Sorry."

He sighs, shoulders slumping. "What am I going to do with you... I should have had Tail explain it instead. You two seem more connected." That smug little smirk—what the hell is that supposed to mean?

"No, really, it’s fine. You’re great, Bite. I’m glad you’re the one explaining all this. Everything’s clear, and with tea here, I feel... relaxed." I say it without much thought, and immediately his eyes light up again.

That one compliment is all it takes to ignite him. Before I know it, he’s launched into a ten-hour lecture about the surrounding kingdoms, how to file paperwork properly, which quests are worth the effort, and which ones are suicide wrapped in fancy words.

----

"I’m beat..." I sigh as I step out of the adventurer’s guild, my head overflowing with useless trivia and rules. Still, I picked up some important things.

Lituana is surrounded by three kingdoms: Volurna lies to the south, the Great Dragon Empire to the east, and the strongest of all—the Forsaken to the north. That land belongs to demons and devils, yet strangely enough, it isn’t ruled by the Demon Lord. It stands as a separate entity, coexisting with humans and other races like some twisted balance of its own.

And, of course, the guild master just had to mention that Glorius likely went to that very empire. No clue what his goal is, but apparently I’m the one who has to make sure he doesn’t die there. Great. I feel less like an adventurer and more like a babysitter with author powers.

"Let’s see what you’re up to..."

I pull out the Book of Lore from my system and flip through its pages. Does this count as stalking? No, more like being a reluctant bodyguard for the man who’s already tried to kill me twice.

"So you’re alive. That’s good... but why are you plotting a revolt against the kingdom?"

I skim the Chapters covering his current mindset, and my eyebrows twitch. Apparently, he wants to topple the king and rebuild the nation under his rule. A hero, or a villain? Hard to say. But the way his thoughts spiral, the way he talks about doing it all for some "glorious purpose"... yeah, that sounds suspiciously familiar.

For some reason, I imagine him wearing a helmet with two long horns from his forehead and ranting on a throne. Never mind, just my imagination running wild. Still... this path he’s walking reeks of corruption. I can’t let him sink into being the villain. The main plotline would chew him up and spit him out.

I pause, my quill resting loosely between my fingers as I stroll back through town toward the tavern. Then an idea sparks, and I slip into a dark corner to hide myself.

"Let’s test these author powers a little more. How far can I reach? Or is the distance... infinite?" I smirk. "Glorius, I’ll give you hell until you drop this ridiculous dream of yours."

I raise my quill, sketching into the air. A monster takes shape, towering as high as a hill, brimming with power—twice the strength Glorius once showed. With a final stroke, I release it, then snap the Book of Lore open again to see if it worked.