“Do you know me?”
Mia asked.
Unlike Wu Shuang, she didn't show the slightest hint of fear facing this metal monstrosity capable of impaling a goblin in a single blow. Even when it leaped over, it didn't frighten her. Instead, she was only confused that it had called out her name.
However, the silver-armored knight spoke no further. His massive body quivered violently, causing his suit of armor to clatter repeatedly with a clinking noise—whether out of emotion, excitement, or both, it was impossible to tell.
This continued for over ten seconds until Mia grew a bit impatient.
“How do you know my name is Mia?”
“Say something.”
“I only gave myself this name yesterday and only told Wu Shuang. Where did you hear it? Did you know me in the past? Was that my name back then too?”
She rattled off a barrage of questions, but the silver-armored knight seemed to have lost the ability to speak, remaining wrapped up in his excitement. In the end, he even lowered his shield, sinking nearly half of it straight into the mud, causing Wu Shuang's eyes to nearly bulge out of his head.
He dropped to one knee directly toward Wu Shuang... or rather, toward Mia. Wrapping his left arm across his torso, he struck his own right shoulder forcefully, producing a powerful metallic clang that sent out a shockwave, making Wu Shuang's chest ache from the reverberation.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“I'm asking if you know me!”
Mia demanded, entirely unawed. Yet the silver-armored knight remained silent. After standing up, he gazed at Mia in silence for a long moment. At one point, his gaze lingered on Wu Shuang—so heavy it felt almost tangible, as if Wu Shuang could feel or even see the red light inside his helmet, causing Wu Shuang to break out in a cold sweat.
In the end, though, the silver-armored knight did nothing more. He stood, stepped aside, and turned to leave. His footsteps made surprisingly little noise on the muddy ground, almost as if he were levitating his heavy equipment.
Only when he passed the dark iron anchor did he reach down to pick it up. Seemingly finding it handy, he hoisted it onto his shoulder and walked down the street.
“Hey!”
“What do you mean by this?”
“Say something! Do you know where my body is? Where is she right now!”
Mia shouted loudly, but the silver-armored knight remained silent, walking at a brisk pace. Judging by his direction, he was preparing to leave, though he hadn't made any move against Wu Shuang.
But if she kept shouting like this...
“Mia, stop shouting. He doesn't want to answer you.”
“But...”
“This town is very dangerous. If you keep shouting like this, you'll get me killed.”
Wu Shuang warned, his expression turning serious.
Because this Mia really seemed to be a young lady of no small background. Placed in a horror game, she'd likely be a total party wipe waiting to happen. He had to discipline her properly before she brought about a major disaster.
Or... terminate their cooperation.
Wu Shuang didn't want to carry a walking time bomb with him—it was too dangerous. Rather than doing that, he'd be better off...
Mia showed a look of disappointment, which Wu Shuang could understand. After all, this was a clue regarding her past, and she might not get another chance like this later. More than anyone else, she wanted to know who she was and why she had ended up like this.
However, the silver-armored knight clearly had no intention of speaking, or perhaps he lacked the capability to speak altogether.
Wu Shuang always felt the red light under his helmet was almost no different from that of those living corpses. If Mia hadn't been present, he probably would have been killed, just like the pile of corpses inside the estate's main gate.
He retrieved the folding ladder. When he saw the shield stuck in the mud, he froze for a moment, only then remembering... that old knight seemed to have left his shield behind. Whether out of poor memory or not, he had casually walked off with the anchor from the ground instead.
This shield...
Wu Shuang cast an Appraisal Spell on it. Without checking the result yet, he hurriedly used the folding ladder to climb up, reaching the fourth floor in just a few minutes.
During this whole time, Mia didn't say a single word, staying silent throughout. Once they entered the attic, Wu Shuang "cradled" Mia, set her down on the bed, and spoke earnestly.
“Mia... there's something I have to tell you, and it's extremely important.”
“I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm not like you. Whether it's that knight, the goblin lying dead on the ground, or even an ordinary living corpse, any of them can kill me at will. A single simple hit, a moment of carelessness, and I'll die instantly.”
“So what I must tell you is... I'm terrified. And I'm terrified that you're going to get me killed. You don't seem afraid of those things, but that's very dangerous. Do you understand?”
Wu Shuang rattled off a long speech. Mia only reacted halfway through, looking over with an apparent lack of understanding.
At this, Wu Shuang took a deep breath and offered an alternative plan. Since the old knight probably hadn't gone far yet, it might still be in time if she chased after him. She could go follow him...
“No. You're right, he doesn't seem to want to tell me.”
“Besides, what you said makes sense too. I'm indeed not afraid of them. I don't know the specific reason either—it's like... I don't understand why I should be afraid of them, because they aren't scary to begin with.”
“Huh?”
Listening to Mia's response, Wu Shuang froze slightly. He felt as if this young lady had been overly sheltered... Wait, no!
There was another possibility, and an even more likely one.
Wu Shuang's eyes widened even more as he recalled her Golden Humanity, as well as Mia's extreme actions—severing her own head and burying it in the ground. That was not something a sheltered young lady would do; it was far too horrifying.
Therefore, another possibility... even if absurd, it was the only explanation left.
That was, Mia's true body was terrifyingly powerful, far stronger even than that silver-armored knight. Thus, goblins and living corpses in her eyes were almost no different from small fry on the side of the road. It would be weirder if she did act skittish around them.
The more Wu Shuang thought about it, the more he felt it was true.
“Just who are you...”
His breathing grew heavy. He felt that Mia might actually be the greatest treasure here, far exceeding that Perfect-quality sword.
“What's wrong?” Mia asked in return, noticing Wu Shuang's odd state.
The latter took a deep breath, realizing that Mia had lost her memories, and calmed his emotions.
The powerful one wasn't the current Mia, but the past Mia—or rather, her true body.
Right now, they still lacked the ability to protect themselves, so they had to be cautious. He had to teach Mia what fear was.
“Mia, from now on, you must listen to me in all our actions,” Wu Shuang said coldly.
“Why?”
“Because before you get me killed, I'll take you out first!”
Wu Shuang moved abruptly, thrusting out the dagger hanging at his waist. His movement was incredibly fast and completely caught Mia off guard, coming to a halt right in front of her eyes, a mere centimeter or two away, almost thrusting into her beautiful eyes.
“I won't allow anyone to drag me down. You can also do as we mentioned earlier and leave to chase after that knight—there's still time.”
Wu Shuang drew back the dagger, seeing fear on Mia's face for the very first time, even catching a glimpse of sweat breaking out on her forehead.
However, she soon pursed her lips, turned her eyes away, and gave a cold huff, seemingly intending to ignore Wu Shuang from then on.
Rate on N.U.
