“First of all, please allow me to introduce myself.”
The immature voice from before had disappeared, replaced by a deep, generous voice, tearing through the night. The boy, who, even if he understated it, could no longer be called a child, stood with his hands clasped and bowed respectfully.
"I am Liu Cheong, a servant sent by Masaka Ryu - the master of the great Qinghai. My master owns many large merchant ships. This time he personally came to the Western Continent to choose trade goods, and overheard rumors about Lady Receiver."
“So I came here.” Liu finished speaking, smiling brightly, as if hoping she would look at him with sympathetic eyes.
Tall body, slim waist, long brown hair braided into braids, his appearance is absolutely not like that of a servant. On the contrary, he looked like a well-bred, famous son of a noble family. When her eyes met the green pupils that were so dark, almost black, a Do Thien Sympathy information window popped up with a “Ting!”
[Masaka Ryu Cheong: Current Favorability 42]
…Is that what his name is? Irel, who was in the habit of checking the information window, had to rub her eyes. No matter how closely you look, instead of 'Liu Cheong', it appears as 'Ryu Cheong'.
'No wonder why I feel so noble.'
The quick-witted girl immediately realized the situation. The man in front of him pretended to be a servant, but in reality, he was 'Masaka Ryu'.
Irel found it strange that in the system message, his last name did not have 'Ha Mash' attached. She thought it was probably due to the influence of the Eastern Continent worshiping another god instead of Lord Hashiva. From the beginning, ‘Ha Mash’ has been a sacred name to honor the children of the Godhead.
‘Liu. Ryu. Pronunciation quickly is almost the same.'
Even the fake name is very sketchy. Perhaps today he did not intend to do anything specific, but just came to check on her movements. Of course, that was before he saw the seemingly unreachable ripe fruit drooping right above his head.
That's right. Irel was still hanging, her legs trapped in the crudely woven ropes. In that situation, even if she heard about the Eastern Continent or Masaka Ryu, what other feelings would she have?
What bothered her more was the brazen presence of Ryu, who was trampling on the Elolance family manor. Her family is a prestigious Marquis of the Border, and the mansion's guards are also rigorously trained.
Yet this Masaka group calmly walked in and out like no one was there. Whether she likes it or not, she still has to realize one truth: 'normal people' absolutely cannot stop them.
"Ah, I'm sorry. You just said you needed help, right?"
Luckily, Ryu isn't completely heartless. He quickly noticed the sad expression of Irel, who was hanging upside down, then smiled brightly.
“Then I will help you now, don't be surprised.”
What's more surprising? Irel thought to herself, recently she had witnessed with her own eyes the strange abilities of many Masaka. However, the scene that followed really impressed even her.
BOOM—!!
A cloud of smoke suddenly rose, and what was surprising was that instead of Ryu, standing there was a giant Badger Dog. The badger dog, at least three meters tall when standing on two legs, wagged its bobbing tail and extended its short arms towards Irel.
"Come on, Miss Receiver! Jump down!"
“Tell me to jump down?”
"Of course. I will carry you carefully, not letting a single hair get hurt!"
It seems Ryu's specialty is transformation. Looking down at him, Irel hesitated whether to trust him or not. Noticing her hesitation, the badger dog, with its massive body, did a cute act by shaking its front legs to urge her.
“Hurry up!”
Witnessing that scene, Irel decided. At least this is better than just hanging around and falling to your death. She didn't trust Ryu, who she had just met today, but she did trust the soft, flowing fur of the badger dog he transformed into.
“Please release it.”
Bending her waist in the air, Irel tugged on her nightgown and the ropes wrapped around her legs. The rope, which was almost broken, groaned
rongt
an hour and then relax further. Thanks to that, it becomes easier to remove your foot.
‘Just a little more.’
Completely focused, Irel groaned and tried to pull his leg away. Therefore, she was unaware that her skirt had risen significantly, and there was a pair of eyes fluttering at her white calves, hidden invitingly.
[Ting! Ryu Cheong's Favorability has increased by 10 points.]
…Why did the popularity suddenly increase? Irel has doubts, but pulling out is still the top priority. She had been trapped for so long that her legs were starting to go numb.
“Ah, okay!”
A cry of joy escaped her mouth as she finally pulled her foot out. But the rope created by Irel's hands has the aspect of an obsessive maniac who would rather die together than let go. As soon as she pulled her foot out, the rope suddenly broke, as if it had lost its reason to exist.
Without having time to utter a single scream, the ground rushed closer at a terrifying speed. Irel reflexively closed her eyes tightly, but instead of impact, she felt an endless cushion-like softness.
Its fur rubbed against her bare cheeks and neck, soft and comforting. Inhaling the salty scent that only comes from pet dogs in the house, Irel opened her eyes to look. In front of her, a badger dog with sparkling eyes asked:
“Are you okay, Miss Receiver?”
“Ah… yes.”
“Luckily, she was not injured.”
Ryu was already friendly, but when he transformed into a badger dog, he became even more warm-hearted. Irel glanced at his finger, wondering why.
‘The Druid Ring.’
The ring she received as a quest reward item has the ability to attract the sympathy of animals. Therefore, Ryu's tail - now a badger dog - wagged at her, unable to hide his affection.
[Ting! Ryu Cheong's Favorability has increased by 5 points.]
…What a strange ring. If Ryu turns back into a human, will the increased sympathy he had when he was a badger dog decrease?
Thinking about it, everything becomes meaningless. Irel dazedly climbed down from his soft belly. During that process, the feeling of her crawling around inside made the badger dog's body stiffen in surprise.
Not paying attention to that, Irel stood up and brushed off her clothes. One leg was stuck in a rope for too long and had a dull ache.
Maybe the skin is scratched? The moment she accidentally lifted her skirt to check the pain, a hand was placed on the back of her hand, stopping her.
“Wait, that is…”
“What?”
Irel warily pushed away Ryu's hand, who had turned back into a handsome young man. She felt confused by his actions. His ears were noticeably red under the moonlight, and his face looked slightly embarrassed, looking suspicious.
A few seconds later, she suddenly realized.
‘Ah.’
Habits are scary. Coming from the modern era, where short skirts and super short shorts are the norm, she is still not used to the conservatism of this era, where showing your ankles is shameful. She knew it in her head, but her body still couldn't adapt, so she often forgot.
After all, her body was wearing the clothes of a noble lady, so she needed to act accordingly. Irel shied away, as if she had never intended to lift her skirt, and began to retreat towards the mansion as naturally as possible.
Getting help is one thing, but the fact that she has no intention of following him is another.
"You're Ryu, right? Anyway, thank you for your help. I'll send a thank you gift to your Master Masaka Ryu soon."
So please go away. I'll pretend I don't know you're not a servant. Irel silently prayed, but she knew clearly that it was just a false hope.
“No need, Miss Receiver.”
Sure enough, Ryu smiled politely but meaningfully, blocking her path.
“You can express your gratitude directly.”
Irel sighed at the situation that turned out exactly as she predicted. Even though Varkan made the first move, there were always hands lurking, waiting for an opening from behind. The Mirdal she met last time was a prime example.
However, if Mirdal was reckless due to ignorance, then this person was worse, because he clearly understood everything and made careful calculations.
This man named Ryu Cheong, from the Eastern Continent and owner of merchant ships, was not from this land. Therefore, even if Varkan is the real power controlling this place, it has little to do with him.
That's right. Ryu Cheong was clearly intending to kidnap Irel and flee, instead of the Western Continent trade goods he intended to purchase. He wanted to take her to the vast Eastern Continent, a strange land that even Varkan's brutal hands could not reach.
BOOM—!!
Ryu spun around, this time turning into a large stork. Irel looked up at the stork's long legs with a bored expression. When he spread his thick black and white wings, she felt like the whole sky was obscured.
“I'm sorry I couldn't take you away more formally.”
He said 'send away solemnly' while kidnapping her. Ryu also has a bit of Masaka's brazenness.
“Please don't do that.”
"Miss Receiver will definitely like my hometown. It's much better than this brutal land where cannibal monsters rage."
“My name is Irel Elolance, not Receiver.”
Irel said grimly, stepping back and glaring at his clicking beak. However, as soon as the stork gently stretched out its long legs, she was captured.
“Don't struggle. I don't want to hurt Lady Receiver.”
Ryu warned one last time and then held out a leg with sharp claws. Like a solar eclipse obscuring the moon, the shadow from the giant leg covered Irel's silver hair menacingly.