After hearing the news that Freya was going to be officially engaged to Cain this afternoon, I imdiately gave Lyra a princess piggyback, making her blush. She asked what I was planning to do, and I simply said, "We’re going to run."
Without hesitation, I ran with all my might towards the Flamore estate, strengthening my legs with aura. I dashed through the forest at an incredible speed, causing Lyra to cling tightly to while screaming.
After a while, I began to feel my stamina depleting. My speed slowed down, and the exhaustion from fighting Vaelgorath in the dungeon beca more apparent.
I stopped for a mont when we reached a village. I turned to Lyra and asked how much ti was left before the engagent ceremony started. She told there were only two hours left, but it would take at least two and a half hours to reach the venue by horseback.
We were in trouble. I couldn’t keep running at high speed for much longer. Moreover, the Flamore estate was located in the southern part of the Braveheart Kingdom—quite far from here.
Then, Envi spoke up in my mind, informing that there was a rchant resting nearby with a horse. He suggested taking the horse since it was an ergency. I scolded him for that idea.
Instead, I approached the rchant and handed him a pouch of gold coins in exchange for the horse. The rchant was shocked but quickly handed it over. Envi berated for wasting our money, but I didn’t care.
Jumping onto the horse with Lyra, I imdiately infused mana into its legs, doubling its speed. We shot forward, with Lyra holding onto tightly from behind.
At exactly 11 AM, we arrived at the Flamore estate.
"We’ve made it, Naoki-sama! That building over there is where the ceremony is happening. We’re right on ti—the event is just starting!" Lyra pointed towards the building excitedly.
"Alright, let’s hurry!" I grabbed Lyra’s hand, and we ran together. But suddenly, my body gave out, and dizziness overtook . The exhaustion from fighting Vaelgorath had finally pushed to my limit.
"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath, struggling to keep moving.
Then, Envi’s voice echoed in my mind. "Nao, you’ve reached your limit! Rest already! Let handle this!" he insisted on taking over my body.
"Hey, you damn flirty system! If I leave this to you, you’re just going to cause chaos!" I argued back.
"I’m serious, Nao, you idiot! Trust ! I don’t want Freya to fall into Cain’s hands!" Envi shouted, his voice filled with determination. It seed like he genuinely cared about Freya.
"Ugh... fine. I’ll leave it to you. But don’t do anything weird!" I warned him one last ti before surrendering control of my body.
"Don’t doubt . You’ll be thanking later." Envi smirked as our consciousness swapped.
Now, Envi was in control while I retreated into the system realm to rest.
He imdiately straightened his ssy hair, adjusted his battle-worn armor, and put on a smug grin.
"Alright, it’s ti for Envi-sama to shine!" he muttered to himself.
He grabbed Lyra’s hand tightly and told her to wait outside, claiming he didn’t want to trouble her. That made Lyra blush, and she nodded obediently.
Envi then rushed towards the Flamore family’s grand hall, grinning wildly. "Now it’s ti for the protagonist to take the spotlight!" His enthusiasm made uneasy.
Upon reaching the entrance, he didn’t hesitate to kick the doors open with a loud bang.
BAM!
All eyes turned towards him instantly. On the stage, I saw Freya, looking distressed as she helplessly endured Cain trying to slip an engagent ring onto her finger.
Without missing a beat, Envi activated [Kasoseki 2X], boosting his speed fourfold, and continuously used Shadow Steps, making him practically invisible to the crowd.
In just a few seconds, he reached the stage, erging from the shadows and positioning himself between Freya and Cain.
Freya and Cain imdiately noticed his presence.
With a wide grin, Envi casually greeted, "Yo, Freya! I ca to pick you up!"
His sudden arrival left everyone in the hall stunned, especially Freya and Cain. I saw Freya’s fearful expression shift into one of sorrow as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Naoki-dono!"
Freya threw herself into Envi’s arms, holding him tightly. The entire room erupted into chaos. Envi gently patted her head and smiled. "I kept my promise, Freya. I made it out of the dungeon and ca for you."
Freya nodded, hugging him even tighter.
"Naoki-dono... You were really in that dungeon for a whole week? Your armor is damaged, and you’re injured... I can’t believe I’m seeing you again..." she sobbed.
"That’s right, Freya. I fought the dungeon boss to the brink of death. The thought of you waiting for gave the strength to win. Now, let’s get out of here," Envi said, wiping her tears away.
Hearing his overly dramatic words made cringe internally. Inside my mind, I scread, PLEASE, ENVI, STOP ACTING SO COOL! But, of course, he ignored .
Without hesitation, Envi scooped Freya up in a princess carry and sprinted towards the exit.
"HEY, STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU BASTARD!" Cain roared.
At that mont, Cain drew his sword, his aura flaring up as he tried to intimidate Envi. He slashed at the floor in front of him, forcing Envi to pause.
"Look who finally decided to show up. You disappear for a week, and the first thing you do is crash my ceremony?!" Cain spat, stepping closer to Envi and Freya.
"This is bad, Naoki-dono! The guards are surrounding us, and the Flamore family mbers are drawing their swords!" Freya panicked.
"Relax, Freya. Leave this to ," Envi assured her confidently.
"Hey, Cain, you idiot. I see you have a fake arm now? Maybe you need a fake brain too! Did you forget our bet? If I defeated the dungeon boss and returned alive, I could take Freya with . Isn’t that right? Now, feast your eyes on this!" Envi smirked as he pulled out a massive mana stone from the shadows—the very proof of our victory over Vaelgorath.
The entire hall fell silent, everyone gasping at the sight of the dungeon boss’s mana stone. Whispers spread through the crowd as they realized we had actually defeated it. Awe and admiration began to fill the room.
Cain and the entire Flamore family were equally shocked upon seeing the massive mana stone. Cain’s face twisted in disbelief as he muttered, "How... how did you defeat it?"
"Well, I just kept fighting until the very end. I nearly died dozens of tis in the process..."
"So, Cain... I won our bet, didn’t I? Now, keep your word." Envi took a deep breath before shouting, "FREYA IS MINE! LET TAKE HER AWAY!" His voice echoed throughout the hall, shaking the very air around us.
"YOU DAMN SYSTEM! HAVE YOU NO SHA? YOU REALLY WANT TO MAKE A HAREM HUH?! DAMN IT I WILL GET BLAD!" I scread desperately inside myself, but Envi just laughed at it.
Freya imdiately turned beet red, fidgeting in embarrassnt. "Naoki-dono, what are you saying... ahhh..." I’d never seen her react like that before. It was absolutely adorable.
The entire audience fell into an awkward silence, their faces flushed from secondhand embarrassnt. Among them, I spotted my friends who had also attended the ceremony.
"Wow! You’re really bold, Naoki! HAHAHA!" Marius laughed loudly.
"I didn’t expect him to say that..." Luna chuckled softly.
"Nice one, Naoki!" Julius cheered, giving a thumbs-up.
"YOU DAMN BROTHER! YOU JUST SHOW UP OUT OF NOWHERE AND START ACTING COOL?!" My sister, Milly shouted through teary eyes, unable to suppress her tsundere nature.
You guys... I felt deeply moved. Even Envi couldn’t help but grin at them.
"Tch!" Cain clicked his tongue in frustration but ultimately sheathed his sword.
The elders of the Flamore family, however, were thrown into turmoil and imdiately questioned Cain.
"Cain-sama, what are you doing? You’re letting that wild rogue take your fiancée?!"
"Cain-sama, you can’t let this happen! Stop him at once!"
"Cain-sama!!!"
The elders were visibly enraged. anwhile, I noticed that Leopold and Cain’s parents remained calm, not showing any reaction at all.
"SILENCE, YOU DAMN ELDERS!!" Cain finally snapped, drawing his sword again—but this ti, he pointed it at them.
"This is my decision. STAY OUT OF IT! I am a man who keeps his promises. I lost my bet with Naoki. He has surpassed my expectations and defeated the dungeon boss and the Demon Warlord all on his own. So, I will cancel this engagent." Cain’s declaration left Envi and Freya visibly shocked.
"If any of you dare to oppose my decision, I will label you as traitors to this family! Do you have the guts to defy , the current Patriarch of the Flamore family?!" Cain glared fiercely at the elders, causing them to tremble in fear. Reluctantly, they sheathed their swords, and the guards lowered their weapons.
At last, the situation was under control.
"Go, Naoki... I won’t stop you. This is my defeat." Cain sighed as he put away his sword, his head lowered.
"I never thought you’d be this honorable, Cain. Well, you may be a battle-crazed maniac, but I have to respect this side of you." Envi smirked, nodding in acknowledgnt.
Freya stepped down from Envi’s arms and spoke, "Umm... Cain-sama, thank you for everything. I will never forget what you’ve done for . You trained well and even allowed to wield the [Ignis] sword. I won’t show myself before you again..."
"Hah, what are you saying? Freya, we’ll still train together tomorrow. You’ve already been officially recognized as a mber of the Flamore family—your own Flastone family agreed to it. Now that our engagent is canceled, I’ll just consider you my adoptive sister. Rejoice, Freya, you’re no longer bound by any restrictions. You’re free to learn under as you please." Cain gave her a small smile.
"Cain-sama... Thank you so much! I will do my best!" Freya cried with gratitude. Cain’s expression softened, and his parents smiled as if their worries had faded. Even the reluctant Flamore elders eventually accepted his decision.
Without hesitation, Envi grabbed Freya’s hand and led her toward the exit. But before leaving, he turned back and said, "Cain... I’ll be visiting Kael’s grave. I never got to say my final goodbye. No matter what, he was still my classmate... and your little brother. My deepest condolences."
For the first ti, Envi looked genuinely sorrowful. It was as if he had learned to share my emotions as a human.
Cain heard this and gave a small, knowing smile.
Finally, Envi pulled Freya along as they ran out of the Flamore family’s hall. Joyful smiles graced their faces. Freya was no longer burdened with sorrow—she looked truly happy.
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