CHAPTER 79: WHY ARE YOU THE ONE SCARED?!

Mina crouched low behind the thick trunk of an ancient tree, her breath coming in shaky bursts. Her blue skin looked even paler than usual, the brave, irritated expression she had worn earlier now completely gone.

In its place was raw fear as she had finally realized what she had done.

She had stood in front of the entire village, her own people, and spat words of defiance at someone their god had declared the Chosen One.

She had blamed him for everything, thrown accusations in his face without hesitation. And she hadn’t just done it in private, no, she had done it in front of everyone.

Her hands trembled as she clutched the rough bark of the tree, her mind spinning with every possible consequence. She could already imagine the punishment that might await her for such insolence.

And yet...despite the fear twisting in her gut, there was still a spark of determination in her eyes.

No...She wasn’t entirely wrong.

The real fault lay not with the man, but with the god they worshipped, Lady Elna.

For all the endless prayers, offerings, and desperate rituals they had performed over the years, the village was still dying.

Men went out to hunt and never came back. Women who went foraging were found mauled or vanished without a trace. The cursed monsters still roamed the forests, taking their prey and spreading fear, even after the Eternal Queen had been slain.

And the land...the crops withered no matter how hard they tended them. Hunting was growing harder. The forest felt emptier and emptier.

They were slowly starving. Slowly collapsing.

And then, finally, a dream came. A vision from Lady Elna herself. Mina had thought, hoped, that this was their salvation at last. That the god would give them a solution, some miracle to turn things around.

...But no.

The only instruction in the dream was to give away their most prized possession, the last treasure the village had left, to the so-called Chosen One.

No explanation. No help. Just a command to hand it over like obedient servants.

Her jaw clenched at the memory. She had felt betrayed...Mocked.

After everything, that was all they were worth?

The others had accepted it without question, because it came from their god. But Mina couldn’t. She wouldn’t. She had to challenge it. And that was how she had ended up here, hiding like a coward after her defiance.

Her nails dug into the tree bark.

She didn’t know whether to run further into the forest or try to sneak back into the village, but then another thought struck her, and it made her stomach drop.

The Chosen One might not just be angry with her.

He might turn his wrath on the village.

Her eyes widened. What if they were already in danger because of me?

Panic overtook her hesitation. She stood up, her legs shaking, and without thinking, she bolted toward the village.

Her breath was ragged, her heart pounding, but just as she broke through the edge of the trees, her body froze like ice.

Standing right there, as if he had been waiting for her, was the Chosen One himself.

Mika.

He had found her.

The moment their eyes met, a smile spread across his face, slow and casual and...her blood ran cold.

This is it...I’m dead.

She could almost see the scene in her mind, him striking her down without mercy, maybe without even letting her speak. There wouldn’t be a chance to run.

Her breath quickened. She clenched her eyes shut, bracing herself for pain.

But then...

"Ahh! You—"

She opened her eyes at the sound of a sharp gasp that came out of nowhere and to her shock she found that the smile was gone from Mika’s face, completely erased.

In its place was horror as he staggered back a step, his expression twisting as if he had just seen some ghastly apparition.

"N-No...! Please don’t come any closer!" His voice shook. "Please, stop! Don’t come here! Please let me live, I beg you—!"

Mina blinked, utterly stunned. "...What?"

But Mika didn’t seem to see her confusion as hands continued to tremble slightly, his eyes darting like a cornered animal.

"Please, just...just don’t hurt me..."

He pleaded and she stared at him in disbelief.

Was this real?

She was the one who had insulted him. She was the one who had expected punishment.

And yet here he was, looking at her like she was the monster.

For a moment, she forgot to even be afraid.

"You’re...scared of me?" She whispered, almost forgetting herself.

But Mika didn’t answer. He just swallowed hard and took another careful step back, his eyes never leaving hers, as though even blinking might give her a chance to strike.

It was absurd. Completely absurd.

Out of all the possible ways this meeting could have gone, this was not one she had imagined.

She had been ready to die, and yet somehow, the Chosen One looked like he was the one facing execution.

She was supposed to be the trembling one, the one pleading for her life. But instead, Mika was looking at her like she’d crawled out of the depths of the underworld.

The whole thing was ridiculous.

Absolutely ridiculous.

And more than being baffled...she didn’t like it. Not one bit.

The way he stared at her made her feel like some kind of demon and she didn’t like that one bit.

So, to show her protest, ber lips pressed into a thin line. She stepped forward carefully, holding out her hand in what she thought was a calming gesture.

"You know, I’m not going to do what you said. I think there’s a misunderstandi—"

She began. But Mika didn’t even let her finish as he stumbled back another step, his voice pitching high with panic.

"Please don’t! Please don’t kill me! I’ll do anything you say! I won’t do anything to upset you, I swear! I’ll absolutely obey every single order you give! Just...please let this humble one go! I won’t even show my face in front of you ever again!"

Seeing this, Mina froze, her extended hand curling into a fist at her side.

This wasn’t just confusing anymore, it was infuriating.

He wasn’t even listening to her.

Her jaw tightened, and she grit her teeth. "No, really, I’m not going to do anything to you! Why are you acting like I’m—"

"Please!" He cut in again, his voice breaking. And then, to her utter disbelief, he actually fell over.

He hit the dirt with a soft thud, then began to crawl backward on his hands, legs dragging weakly like his knees had given out entirely.

"I have a family at home!" He pleaded. "A family who depends on me! They can’t live without me! Only I can provide for them! Please...just let me go...let me live!"

Mina’s mouth fell open slightly. She didn’t even know whether to shout at him or just stare.

This is absurd...

She had been the one expecting to cry, to beg for mercy. She had been the one prepared to act exactly like this, yet here he was, doing it to her.

And to a girl who was small, petite, and, as far as she knew, utterly non-threatening.

He was making her seem like some kind of demon.

And that?...That stung.

Her patience also snapped.

She stomped forward until she stood right over him, pointing down at him accusingly.

"Hey! Why are you acting like this?!"

Her voice rose in frustration as she jabbed a finger at herself.

"I’m the one who’s supposed to be acting like that right now! I’m the one who offended you! I’m the one who insulted you in front of everyone! I’m the one who should be begging for my life!"

She threw her arms wide in exasperation.

"In fact, I have no power over you! You’re the one who’s supposed to be all domineering and scary, like some big, terrifying demon! So how exactly are the roles reversed right now?!"

Her cheeks puffed slightly as she glared at him.

"And for the record, I’m not a demon! Or a monster! Or scary!"

She huffed, crossing her arms.

"Every single person in the village calls me pretty and cute and, and wonderful things! And here you are acting like I’m some kind of nightmare!"

She stomped a foot, her pout deepening, the anger almost childishly adorable.

"So stop acting like that! It’s hurting my ego!"

She knew that she shouldn’t have shouted at him again like she did before, but she couldn’t help it. The way he was acting in front of her was absolutely ridiculous and she couldn’t hold herself back

And hearing all of this, Mika’s terrified expression remained fixed on her for a while.

But then...slowly...his lips curved into a small smile.

"See?" He said quietly. "Do you understand how it feels now? Do you understand how it feels to be on my side"

"...What?"

Mina asked in confusion seeing as to how he suddenly changed faces all of a sudden but willing to listen to what he was going to say, not even realising that she was no longer trembling in front of the man she was so scared of before as if all of that fear just vanished with the little act that Mika put on...