LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 5
Derek, Bernard, and Hans heard a scream and quickly geared up before sprinting toward the women’s tent.
“What the heck? There’s no one here?”
Once they confirmed the area was empty, they panicked and dashed to my tent.
“You two wait outside.”
Bernard and Hans kept a watch outside while Derek hurried inside.
“What is this?”
His voice dripped with disbelief.
Moments later, he emerged, hair disheveled and clothes torn, dragging a sobbing Scarlet with swollen cheeks.
[Chaos is shaking its fist, having never seen such a detestable creature before.]
“Aren, you bastard…!”
Derek, having witnessed Scarlet’s sorry state and heard her fabricated tale, swung his fist with a terrifying look on his face.
I couldn’t summon the strength to speak after seeing the mess Scarlet had created and then feeling Derek’s wrath about to rain down on me.
Time slowed around me, and I prepared for the punch, fully aware I wasn’t going to dodge it.
Of course, if swords were drawn and arrows shot afterward, I wouldn’t just roll over and take it.
And just then—
“May the sacred Light’s shield protect them!”
[Divine Shield]
As the world slowed down, a beam of light formed into a shield, repelling Derek.
“Yeriell—! What in the world are you doing? Can’t you see Scarlet’s state?!”
…Yeriell. What are you thinking? Now that you know the truth, are you suddenly going to help me?
While I was pondering how I could possibly turn the tide against Scarlet with Yeriell’s help, Yeriell opened her eyes, glaring fiercely and speaking with unexpected strength.
“The words and appearance of Scarlet are but a malicious fabrication, and only Aren’s innocence is the true fact that I, the cleric of the Light Church, swear to the God of Light.”
[Chaos is in shock!]
The moment Yeriell swore, everyone was taken aback.
Even that crazy Scarlet had a look of dismay on her face.
Derek eased his expression and asked, “Yeriell, are you serious? You might die for deceiving the God with a false oath. No, it could be even worse.”
*
Things started to get weird after Aren temporarily joined the party.
Maybe it was the amnesia that left him bewildered, but aside from occasionally showing his odd side, he was an exceptionally cool guy.
From their first encounter, Hans was prickly around him.
Since Scarlet had been rescued by Aren, she seemed uninterested in Derek, continuously pushing him away while sticking close to Aren.
Derek, trying to take the lead as the party leader, couldn’t quite mask the subtle displeasure he felt.
Watching this unfold, Bernard shook his head, muttering to himself, while I was left observing the situation.
‘Who’s the real problem here?’
Was it Hans, who kept picking fights with Aren and murmuring loud enough to be heard?
Or was it Scarlet, who was clearly making googly eyes at Aren while having a boyfriend?
Or was it Derek, who just led the party but couldn’t manage Hans and Scarlet’s antics, leaving me and Bernard as passive observers?
I didn’t know. But I could tell who I disliked the most.
Hans had been throwing me nasty glances since the moment he arrived at the guild.
Yet by the time we reached the third floor, he had merely hovered distantly but occasionally tried to intrude…
But ever since Aren arrived, he’d begun glaring at him from time to time. He started getting pushy in the fights, even trying to stand too close or lay a hand on my shoulder, and though I avoided it, my irritation was growing unbearable.
‘Who the hell does he think he is, being so obnoxious?’
Then, after three days passed since Aren’s arrival, something happened.
After a fight, while resting, Hans approached and started his nonsense again.
Sigh, here we go again. …I should just listen to my sister and drop out when we step outside.
I should’ve declined Derek’s invitation when he introduced himself as the guild’s record-holder for the 6th floor.
How did a loser like Hans manage to get the last baggage boy position? You bring along some punk you know?
The rest of the party was competent, allowing us to travel beyond our original goal of the 2nd floor to the 3rd, but I felt no joy in that.
I just wanted to return to the city as soon as possible.
“Yeriell. How about we step out for a meal? I know a great restaurant with a lovely atmosphere.”
No thanks. Gross. Stinky. Ugly. Go away.
“I told you last time I don’t want to, so please stop insisting on meals.”
‘Why, why! Why do I stutter when speaking in front of people? What good does it do to curse in my head if I can’t spit it out!’
“Come on. It’s a shame if you keep rejecting an invitation to dine together. Let’s build camaraderie! I’m not trying to do anything unsavory, right?”
Hans whispered while attempting to drape his arm over my shoulder.
Get lost, you jerk! The only reason I’d consider leaving this party is you!
I could no longer bear it and shouted, forgetting the party and all.
Actually, I was about to shout.
“Shut up—!”
BAM!
“Ugh!”
Aren had grabbed Hans’s arm and yanked it back, throwing him to the ground.
“I didn’t want to interfere because I didn’t want to cause a scene, but I couldn’t stand by any longer. Yeriell, are you okay?”
I wanted to say thanks, but Bernard and Scarlet looked shocked, while Derek rushed over to ask.
“Aren, what the hell just happened? You knocked out a party member! You better explain that in a way I can understand.”
Seeing Derek look furious, probably thinking the party was falling apart, I quickly blurted,
“Uh, uh… Aren was trying to save me!”
“Enough! I’m asking Aren right now! Yeriell, please stay quiet for a moment.”
Why! I’m the one who’s been tormented by Hans, yet I have to be quiet? I was furious.
‘Does Derek see me as an easy target too?’
I couldn’t even argue and instead chewed my lips in frustration.
At that moment, Aren stepped forward, shielding my anguish with his back.
“I apologize for acting without going through the leader. It felt like I had to intervene right away. Striking Hans was indeed my fault.”
As Aren spoke calmly, Derek seemed to ease up a bit and told him to continue.
“I’ve been watching Hans stick his nose into things and grumble about my actions for three days.”
That’s right. It was definitely like that.
“But even when Yeriell showed obvious signs of discomfort and rejected him, he continued to ignore her, trying to touch her shoulders or hair, suggesting meals, or digging into her background.”
Derek smacked his forehead with his palm while closing his eyes.
“And when the guy was handing me equipment, he remarked that Scarlet was involved with Derek, while Yeriell was ‘his conquest.’”
‘What?’
“Then he warned me not to think about getting any bright ideas with that face of yours or anything else. This was clearly part of his plan from the start.”
…I felt like throwing up from disgust.
“Sorry for the inconvenience, but just standing in front of that guy nauseates me. But with all of that, he still stuck close to Yeriell, making it that much more irritating for me.”
Derek suddenly yelled with rage.
“Hands! You lunatic! This labyrinth isn’t a children’s playground!”
Then he sighed and looked my way, continuing.
“I figured that since we were all focused on battles and navigating the labyrinth, I could let them get closer and it would be fine. This is my first time leading a party in a labyrinth; I didn’t handle things well. I’m sorry, Yeriell.”
“…”
“I really didn’t pay enough attention, even though I brought you into the party. I’m not fit to be a leader. I’ll take responsibility and make sure he can’t approach you anymore.”
Listening quietly to Derek’s apology, Aren spoke up.
“Pardon me for saying so, but a timid person shouldn’t just absorb everything and let the likes of that creep walk all over them. They need to be taught a lesson in front of everyone.”
He pointed at me.
“How much anger must have built up inside Yeriell these past few days? She was just barely holding back saying she disliked it earlier and was about to scream.”
He sighed deeply.
“If this gets brushed over just because she’s apologizing to the leader, who’s going to account for the pain she’s endured?”
Aren’s words struck a chord with me.
That’s right. Even if Hans stops bothering me after this apology, what about all the frustration I’ve built up?
Now, while I had Aren protecting me, it felt like I could finally unleash everything.
“D-dear Derek, I know you’re having a hard time because of your responsibility as leader. B-but I have too much built-up feelings to just let it slide with a simple, ‘I promise it won’t happen again.’”
Derek nodded, asking what I wanted him to do, and I requested for him to have Hans stay right in front of me and say nothing.
“Stand straight. You repay kindness with malice? You think opening your mouth will get you hit?”
Hans stood there, staring at me.
‘What should I do? I can’t do it if I look him in the eyes… No, Aren’s right beside me! I can do this!’
“Ah, Aren. Hold my hand.”
As I held Aren’s hand, my trembling stopped.
Now’s my chance!
“You piece of trash! You think you’re so cute that you can play with the likes of me? Who’s going to fall for that beggar’s pathetic lines with your ugly face? You’re worse than a goblin! You’re a squished pumpkin under a cart wheel!”
Rage bubbled up as I gasped for breath and continued.
“Don’t act like ‘I’m not trying to do anything wrong.’ Hey, you bastard who blew up your mom’s heart! The only thing in your head is nonsense! Don’t ever lay a finger on me again, you spawn created from a contraceptive failure—Gah! Ack—!”
Without realizing it, I was pouring out my emotions, but Aren covered my mouth, stopping me.
“Yeriell, I think you can stop now. He’s already crying.”
I looked at Hans, who had crumpled down, sobbing bitterly.
“I—I can see! C-crazy…”
Once I lit up, it seemed like my anger had drained, and I could finally come back to my senses.
As I looked around, everyone was stunned into silence. I felt embarrassed.
Covering my flushed face, Aren said, “Hey, looks like you’re not just passive after all? Yeah, you should let it out once in a while, nice job!”
Hehe. All thanks to Aren! My sister would often compliment and pet me.
“Stop just praising me with words and actually give me a pat, would you?”
Aren seemed slightly surprised at first but then nodded and started petting me.
Pat pat.
“Good job, good girl.”
Hehehe.
In the end, everything concluded well, and then, with Derek’s signal to advance, we started moving ahead.
As the afternoon panned out, a goblin village came into view up ahead.
“Finally, we’ve reached the goblin village where the exit portal is! Let’s camp here for the night.”
Derek instructed, and we set up tents and sleeping bags. We divided the tents between men and women, while Aren took the small one we packed as a backup.
After finishing our meal and settling into the tents, Scarlet, who had cast alarm magic around us, approached me.
“Hey, Yeriell. I have something to say.”
Since we’d had private conversations a couple of times beforehand, I responded casually to say what she wanted.
“I’m thinking of breaking up with Derek soon and dating Aren. I fell for him the moment he saved me. After thinking about it for days, I really feel like I can’t live without Aren now.”
W-what?!
“So, could you please refrain from getting all clingy and holding hands or asking to be petted like before?”
I thought it would be a mere conversation about camping and sleeping, but I was utterly taken by surprise by her unexpected declaration.
‘Treating Derek like leftover food and throwing herself at Aren? Why on earth can’t she live without him?’
“I—I can’t do that!”
At my response, Scarlet’s eyes glittered ominously.
“Oh really? Then I have to change my approach, huh? …Sorry for the weird comment. Let’s get some sleep!”
With that mysterious remark, Scarlet lay down and closed her eyes.
Though I wasn’t sleepy, I lied down and began to recall today’s events.
The feeling of holding hands… the hand covering my lips… the feeling of being petted… I was so restless that I couldn’t sleep.
Then it happened.
Scarlet rose up and, clearly checking if I was asleep, headed somewhere.
No matter how much I thought about it, something felt really off, so I quietly eased out and checked my surroundings.
‘…Huh? That’s Aren’s tent?’
The men’s side was silent as everyone seemed to be asleep, but I heard voices coming from Aren’s tent.
‘Is Scarlet going into Aren’s tent right now?’
I hurried up to the front of the tent, eavesdropping carefully.
‘This might put Aren in danger, so I’m definitely listening… Oh, no!’
I was shocked and continued to eavesdrop, hearing even more shocking dialogue exchange.
Derek. Virgin. I’m pure, etc.
Oh no!
“If you continue to refuse me, I’ll scream and gather everyone, and I’ll frame it that you raped me! You won’t be able to escape the party without that evidence!”
‘This crazy woman… What is she doing to Aren? Has she lost her mind for real?’
“Go on. Do it.”
“Are you serious? You think I can’t?!”
“Go ahead. Do you want me to scream for you?”
‘What kind of plot twist is this? She’s actually planning to frame Aren as a rapist?!’
Then I heard Scarlet ripping her clothes violently, followed by a scream.
“Y-you psycho!”
I couldn’t help but shout when Aren, who finished prepping, burst out from the tent entrance.
“What a lunatic! A crazy psycho!”
Aren and I locked eyes. His gaze was resolute, not defensive or explanatory, but rather one full of determination.
‘Is he about to leave? Will he accept the stigma of being a rapist? Why must you suffer for something you didn’t commit?’
No way. I can’t let this absurdity go by without doing anything.
I thought. If Aren’s suffering could be alleviated with my heart, then this time it was my turn to alleviate his unfair pain.
If there was no way, I swore on the god above.
*
Yeriell declared firmly, “My pledge remains unchanged. I will stake my life to prove Aren’s innocence.”
At that moment, light enveloped Yeriell’s form.