HPV 58

If there was something Paronai, hanging off the edge, had momentarily forgotten—it was that Riarun wasn’t the type to recklessly throw out his hand when it was obvious he’d be putting himself in danger.

He was fundamentally different from Paronai. Of course, there was no way he intended to haul Paronai up with that frail-looking body of his.

A huge shadow loomed behind Riarun atop the cliff.

Paronai screamed.

“Watch out! That beast—!”

But the one who appeared, peeking over the edge, was a man wearing a mask.

Paronai immediately felt mortified, guilt flooding him.

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he bowed his head, momentarily forgetting that he was still dangling over the abyss.

Riarun grabbed Paronai’s arm, and Banwes lifted Riarun up from behind in one swift motion, pulling Paronai up along with him.

“Haha… I’m sorry… I don’t know why I always end up causing you trouble by not being able to resist my curiosity…”

“It’s not your fault.”

Riarun said only that and closed his mouth. If he spoke more, he might reveal things he shouldn’t.

The warrior who always somehow got himself caught up in trouble when left alone — that was just Paronai’s nature.

The destiny of a hero wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

Until he defeated the Black Dragon, Paronai would always find himself tangled in danger and disaster wherever he went.

Even though he trained daily, swinging his sword relentlessly, he wouldn’t have needed to — real combat would find him regardless.

Because he was, after all, the main character destined to sever the Black Dragon’s head.

There had, however, been a few more twists in rescuing Paronai than in the original story.

Unlike the original, Banwes and Bzhan had stayed cooped up at the villa, not venturing out to search for him.

‘That’s why I had to go myself.’

When Riarun dressed in black under the pretense of paying respect to Count Ikaran’s grave, Banwes had followed.

After wandering around aimlessly, Banwes had finally said, “Maybe we should check over there?” pretending it was pure coincidence — and found Paronai.

The beast Banwes had previously slammed down was now stirring again.

From atop the half-collapsed building, an arrow flew — and struck the beast squarely in both eyes.

A painful, guttural scream burst out. But arrows could only do so much.

Bzhan’s arrow, aimed at the neck, couldn’t penetrate the beast’s thick hide. Blinded, the beast raged even more violently.

Its thick arms lashed out with terrifying speed and force.

Banwes set Riarun down and hurled himself at the beast, kicking the massive creature to the ground.

The two brutish forms tumbled together in a desperate wrestling match, dark red and black blood splattering everywhere.

Riarun, scrambling to his feet, was shocked to see that among the fluids spraying out, some were clearly human blood.

‘Banwes isn’t awakening the blood of the orc sleeping inside him.’

A claw, thick as a blade, grazed Banwes’s earlobe, drawing blood — unmistakably his own.

A little closer and it would’ve been a fatal blow to his head.

Riarun could hardly believe Banwes still refused to awaken the orc blood within him, even in such dire peril.

In the original story, this was precisely when that power was supposed to explode forth.

Banwes grappled with the beast, rolling across the ground. His skull slammed violently against the dirt, sending a brutal jolt through his body.

The blind, snarling face of the beast closing in made him nauseous.

—I see you suppress the ferocity of that blood.

Those words, muttered by a mage in a dark room, resurfaced now. Banwes knew them better than anyone — half of his blood was orc.

If he unleashed that side, he could tear apart a beast like this as if it were a toy. But he loathed that half of himself, had always refused to awaken it. Facing his true nature was forbidden.

Even in countless brushes with death, he had turned his eyes away from his true strength.

Yet by now, after all their travels, Banwes should have been ready to accept that power.

‘Don’t tell me… he thinks he can just fight like this and I’ll heal him afterward?’

Riarun’s horrified suspicion was half right, half wrong. Banwes had seen orcs before.

And what he remembered was—

‘Hideous and ugly.’

He couldn’t bear the thought of even temporarily letting that hideous black skin coat his body.

Even knowing he could return to his original form afterward, he refused.

He remembered vividly —it was just too revolting.

If Riarun hadn’t been there to witness it, maybe things would’ve gone differently.

But Banwes, without the orc’s strength, couldn’t even pierce the beast’s hide.

Instead, he climbed onto its shoulders and slammed its head into the ground with all his weight.

He grabbed its skull and pounded it into the ground again — once, twice, three times — dozens of times.

Finally, with its brain damaged, the beast slumped to the ground in a pathetic heap.

Banwes lifted his head, gasping for breath.

The Black Dragon subjugation was looming — and this was all he could manage after fighting seriously.

His combat level was still far too low.

“Do you have any idea how much that beast was worth?!”

At that moment, the cart owner, who had been crawling around, suddenly exploded in rage.

“You were supposed to just subdue it until the tranquilizer arrived, you idiot!”

It was pure audacity.

Now that we had killed the beast, he was screaming at us as if we were criminals.

His voice was so loud and furious that even someone like Paronai might have flinched in fear.

Bzhan looked over at Riarun and signaled with his eyes:

‘I’m gonna shoot him.’

‘No. Wait.’

Riarun adjusted his borrowed clothes and stood up.

Though small, when he stood, his gaze was higher than the cart owner’s, who was still sitting on the ground.

“Do you have two lives to throw away? I don’t care how little you value your own life, but the lives of others that could have been lost here are important.”

The cart owner fell silent, stunned.

Hearing those merciless words spill from the face of a small, innocent-looking child made his blood run cold.

“You should worry about compensating for the damage the beast caused to the area first.”

Only then did the man seem to realize the overwhelming cost awaiting him.

He began to sweat, darting his eyes everywhere — and suddenly pointed at Paronai.

“I-it’s that kid’s fault! He agitated the beast we were transporting safely and caused it to break free! You! Go get your parents! They need to pay for this mess!”

Banwes rose to his feet.

The cart owner flinched at his imposing figure.

One of the laborers who had been pulling the cart earlier hesitated, then quickly raised his hand.

“The beast broke free and attacked us first! That kid saved us!”

The onlookers weren’t just standing around for show, either. One after another, they fiercely condemned the owner. Some insisted he should be handed over to the guards for endangering people and thrown into prison, while others shouted that someone who treated lives like flies should never be allowed back into society.

“Didn’t you see how brave that child was? They’re going to do great things one day. Speaking of which, I’d like to know their name….”

“My husband teaches swordsmanship to children. I’d like to bring that kid to him.”

“That big man is incredible too. There’s no way an ordinary human could be that strong.”

Rumors about monster-blooded hybrids weren’t widespread in the North, so they could at least breathe a little easier for now. Still, the atmosphere was becoming increasingly precarious. Taking advantage of the growing commotion, Riarun glanced at Paronai.

Let’s run.

Okay.

Paronai hurriedly grabbed his sword and sprang to his feet, while Banwes scooped Riarun up. The two of them dashed away like the wind, escaping the scene.

After running to a secluded spot, Paronai doubled over, panting heavily. His injuries slowed him down.

Riarun summoned a blue light to wrap around and heal his wounds.

“Is it safe for you to use your power like this right now?”

“I’m fine.”

Paronai spun his now fully-healed arm in a circle and grinned.

“Thanks for saving me. And for sticking up for me too.”

“I just didn’t want to get chewed out by the High Priest.”

Riarun had a sort of illness where he couldn’t stand hearing people thank him, so he sharply turned his head away. Despite the cold words, the hero’s smile didn’t fade.

Watching the two small figures huddle close, whispering to each other, Banwes stood above them with his arms crossed.

“I’m really, really grateful. But how should I repay you… Ah! I’ll head into town and buy you some snacks! You wait here!”

Without even giving them a chance to stop him, Paronai dashed off. His stamina was really something else.

Strictly speaking, this too wasn’t in the original story. Wasn’t he going to get caught up in another incident like that? Riarun watched his disappearing figure with concern.

But then, a sudden ringing in his ears and dizziness swept over him.

The effect dissipated. Right there in the middle of the street, Riarun reverted to his original form.

His suddenly expanded frame pulled the once-loosely-fitted clothes taut. The fabric didn’t tear but clung painfully tight.

“I can’t… breathe…!”

Gasping with a face turning pale, Riarun struggled. Banwes quickly stepped in and ripped the fabric apart.

Where the cloth tore away, a flash of pure white skin appeared. The sight of that pale, shimmering flesh made Banwes’s mind reel. He hastily stripped off his own coat and wrapped it around Riarun’s bare body, lifting him up in one swift motion.