The Players and the Protagonist Want to Kill Me – Chapter 525

Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)

Angus’s exclamation lasted only a moment.

He had a way to detect the direction of this teleportation array. He raised his dragon claw and inserted one of them into the soil beneath the array, infusing it with necromantic energy. The ground cracked open, and a faint, eerie green light flickered within the fissures.

Analyzing magical matrices was a fantastical endeavor for many mages, akin to discerning every spice in a dish while simultaneously reliving the chef’s entire cooking process.

However, for Angus, such matters were as simple as eating and drinking.

“A very intricate magical matrix… Stable, efficient, and employing novel concepts… It appears to be a teleportation array that only the Great Sages of the South Continent could set up,” Angus mused as he sensed the energy, his tone laced with doubt and astonishment.

“This direction… It truly leads to the Emerald Fortress…”

Angus looked up, his icy gaze piercing the southwest. The ghastly green soul fire was hollow and deathly still, and the surrounding undead silently clustered around their king, without a sound.

…

…

On the other side.

Inside the Emerald Fortress.

The Players had respawned at a new temporary resurrection point.

Simultaneously, their withdrawal mission had been successfully completed.

Although they had lost some Experience Points.

Each of them had seen a significant increase in their main mission contribution.

The drawbridge creaked down, followed by the sound of oiled chains sliding and the iron gate rising. The King of Winter, surrounded by knights, rode his horse across the moat. Soldiers held torches to light his path, and soon he arrived before the Players.

“Welcome back.” The King of Winter’s face broke into a heartwarming smile.

He dismounted and met the Players’ gaze as much as possible, performing a standard Knight’s salute. His crimson cloak fluttered in the night wind as he said,

“If you hadn’t held them back in Karari City for so long, many would have died, and I wouldn’t have been able to lead the army in safely to the Emerald Fortress.”

“Your Majesty, you are too kind,” Nobody Does Human Things replied, also performing a Knight’s salute and saying loudly,

“As warriors under your command, fighting for you is our mission, and protecting ordinary citizens is our responsibility as soldiers of the Empire.”

Perhaps no one was still pondering that the King of Winter had not yet fully controlled Karari and Medon.

But at this moment, it was let slip by the Players.

The surrounding knights surprisingly found nothing amiss with the statement.

Having experienced the defense of the Emerald Fortress and the stand in Karari City, they had been subdued by this powerful king and also respected this mysterious army that could endlessly resurrect.

After being thanked by the King of Winter, the Players’ lingering dissatisfaction at being forced into a rear-guard action vanished. It was understandable, after all, the King of Winter had acted for the greater good.

“These are your retainers; they were very worried about your condition. I shall not disturb you further.” Xi Wei remounted his horse, adjusted his armor, and straightened his helmet. The warm expression disappeared, replaced by a solemn one.

“The Emerald Fortress still needs me to organize its defenses. The undead army will continue to attack the Emerald Fortress; they will not stop.”

After the King of Winter departed, a group of retainers surrounded them.

“Lord, are you alright? Are you injured?”

The young retainer hurried to Nobody Does Human Things.

She wanted to reach out and hug the man before her but instantly realized that such an action seemed… inappropriate?

But wasn’t a hug between men supposedly normal?

She wanted to lower her hands but uncontrollably raised them slightly, as if expecting something.

Nobody Does Human Things looked helplessly at the awkward young soldier before him.

If not for his slender build and flat chest, he might have genuinely thought this was a woman.

The main reason was that his retainer’s movements were sometimes too feminine.

However, Nobody Does Human Things still embraced him.

“Lord… Thank you…”

The young soldier blushed beet red, biting her lips and daring not to meet Nobody Does Human Things’s eyes.

Inside, she savored the warm and reliable embrace. It was the same way on the city wall earlier.

The moment the elven arrows flew, she had been thrown to the ground by this Lord. Even now, just thinking about that scene made her body heat up, and she squeezed her legs together.

“I say, Mia, you’re a man, act like one. Why are you blushing like a teapot…” Looking at the soldier’s rosy, moist pretty face, Nobody Does Human Things felt goosebumps prickle his back. He quickly chanted “I’m straight” internally, while also warning verbally:

“If you keep acting like this, don’t say you’re my retainer when you go out.”

“That, Lord, I…” Mia gritted her teeth. She really wanted to tell Nobody Does Human Things the truth, but she was afraid that once she explained, the Lord would no longer want her as a retainer. So, after a pause, she chickened out, lowered her head, and murmured,

“Yes… Yes, Mia understands.”

“What Mia understands? Why are you like a girl? You should say, ‘Yes, Commander! I understand!'”

Nobody Does Human Things’s expression turned stern, appearing quite imposing, which startled Mia. She quickly straightened her posture as Nobody Does Human Things instructed and roared loudly:

“Yes! I understand!”

“Good, that’s much livelier,” Nobody Does Human Things said.

He patted Mia’s shoulder with a kind smile.

However, there was a bit too much force in his pat, causing Mia to wince in pain. But on the surface, she still put on a sweet smile.

[Retainer System Fully Loaded]

Just as Nobody Does Human Things was about to take his retainer Mia to eat some of the fortress’s communal meal, a system prompt suddenly popped up before his eyes.

[Retainer System has merged with the Mount System. Mounts and retainers are now collectively referred to as retainers.]

[You can now actively submit retainer contract requests to NPCs (Note: Please ensure you have a high Affection Level with the contract target before performing this operation, otherwise, you are responsible for the consequences.)]

[You can now accept retainer contract requests submitted by other NPCs.]

[Your current Level grants you two contract slots. Currently contractable targets: “Mia,” “Nester,” “Brinden.”]

Nobody Does Human Things had a rough idea of these names. Besides Mia, the other two were ordinary NPCs he had interacted with in the camp – one was a knight, and the other was a cook.

He had saved the former’s life once, and praised the latter’s cooking as delicious.

But what was the deal with Mia’s name? Why did it sound like a girl’s?

Nobody Does Human Things turned to look at Mia, his gaze lingering on her Adam’s apple and chest for a long time.

“Lord, what is it?” Mia tilted her head, looking at Nobody Does Human Things in confusion.

“Nothing,” Nobody Does Human Things shook his head.

It must be a system error…

He reassured himself.