Such a face that brings extraordinary comfort.
That thought popped up in Annan’s mind without any warning.
What appeared before Annan was a "classic" rcenary uncle’s face, with deep brown skin that glead healthily and his tea-colored pupils shining bright.
This man’s body was so strong that even in a leather coat, the muscles in his shoulders made the garnt bulge.
The man used his right hand to help Annan stand. Annan didn’t feel any pressure and was effortlessly lifted.
His forearm muscles were as robust as hinges made of fine steel, as if the bones needed to be securely locked in place. His palm, however, was almost scalding hot, and even after his hand had left, Annan could feel a wave of warmth still rising from his shoulder.
"Ho."
Seeing Annan open his eyes, the man’s mouth curled into a smile, "You’re awake.
"I told you so, how’s the taste of ’Dragon’s Drink’?"
"... Paired with grilled at, it’s not bad. But I’ll pass on drinking it straight."
"Annan" shook his head, issuing a gentle voice.
He found a cup of warm water on the table and downed it in one go. His parched eyes felt much relieved.
At that mont, Annan also keenly identified that this was indeed the two voices he had heard while entering the nightmare.
—Could this be Frederick and Justus?
Am I actually using Frederick’s identity?
Initially, Annan thought that Frederick here should be so kind of boss.
...But speaking of which.
If I am Frederick... Then does that an the soul inside Justus’s body at the mont is Miss Naifertali, who has lost the drear’s awareness?
Annan hadn’t decided what to say, but his mouth released a voice that sounded quite weary: "... I’m feeling fine now.
"Right after I drank it, it felt like soone was dancing in my head..."
"Ahahaha! A man should drink strong liquor!"
The man laughed heartily and pulled out the flask tied to his waist, took a couple of gulps, and then passed it to Annan while raising his eyebrows, giving a grunt of acknowledgnt.
"No, thank you. Pass."
"Annan" declined firmly yet gently with a triple refusal: "I am at least a wizard... Please let stay sober."
"Ahahaha! With here, what are you afraid of!"
Upon hearing "Annan’s" words, the man just laughed out loud.
He bared his teeth and extended his right thumb, pulling out a heavy gold chain from around his neck that resembled a mahjong tile, "Look closely, Freyr—this is gold now! I’m not the sa as I used to be; do you know what fearlessness is?!
"It ans even if you fall into lava, you’ll definitely not die!"
He seed to be calling Frederick by so sort of nickna as he laughed and said this.
After speaking, the man suspected to be "Justus" took another gulp of the strong liquor.
Annan still couldn’t control his own actions and speech.
But he could adjust his line of sight.
He noticed that the heavy gold chain "tile" seed to have sothing written on it—crowded short text... but after a quick glance, Annan couldn’t make out what it said.
"Ha..."
"Annan" just sighed deeply with resignation, "Anything else is fine, but forget about the drink.
"It burns just by touching the skin. How do you manage to drink it? Alcohol this strong is practically a poison, isn’t it?"
"It is a poison. You can think of it that way."
The man carelessly screwed the top back on the bottle and tucked it into his waistband, "But don’t worry. I have transferred the poison you endured back into my body.
"This is a magical liquor that can get dragons drunk... You won’t find this good stuff outside. Surviving a drink like this is a rare experience."
With that said, the man sat down next to Annan with a plop.
Using his forearm, he pinned Annan’s neck.
"Hey, Freyr. You’re such a busy person, hardly seen once in years. Now that we have the chance, how about you try committing suicide?"
"What?"
"Freyr" and the Annan in his heart voiced their confusion in unison.
"Let tell you. Now, I can even reverse death."
The man patted his chest, producing a sound like clashing tal.
He spoke in a deep, proud voice, "If I had been this strong back then, Ingrid... she..."
"—Justus."
"Annan" suddenly spoke up, interrupting Justus’s words, and confird that Annan’s guess was correct, "While you’re still sober, tell about the mission first.
"You brought to the Ashen Wastelands, what exactly do you want to find for you? If it’s buried under volcanic rock, I won’t be able to find it."
He massaged his temples and said irritably, "I’m very busy, Justus... unless it’s a ’lost item’ with clues. Those treasures that nobody knows about can’t be found in just a mont or two.
"I must return to the family to attend the next round of the Sanctification Ritual within three days. If you’re not in a hurry, shall I co and find you next week?"
"I’m not that drunk..."
Justus mumbled under his breath and patted "Annan" on the shoulder forcefully, causing him a fleeting explosive pain, "It won’t delay your affairs. It’s a simple job, and I won’t let you work for nothing—I’ll give you the corresponding reward.
"But before that, you need to sign a confidentiality agreent."
Justus said, reaching into his chest searching.
"Annan" watched him intently.
About three or four seconds later, Justus’s previously confident and smug expression turned sowhat awkward, "Ah? Wait a mont... I might have dropped it downstairs while drinking yesterday. Or maybe I didn’t bring it with ... Don’t panic, you rest here. I’ll go look for the contract—oh, I can also order us lunch, what do you want to eat?"
Justus’s tone was very casual.
"Annan" sighed and said offhand.
"Black pepper garlic-grilled lamb chops then... No drinks for , I’ll have an orange juice. Best if it’s iced."
"Got it, black pepper chops and—forget the orange juice, let’s et halfway, how about orange wine?"
Seeing "Annan’s" expression, Justus raised an eyebrow and cracked a pleased smile, "Just kidding, don’t mind . Black pepper garlic-grilled lamb chops with iced orange juice, I rember clearly.
"Stay put and don’t wander off. You can also take a look at the newspapers in the room; I’ll be back quickly."
After that, Justus left the room without waiting for a response.
So far, the scene had been entirely beyond control. It should be considered as the introductory CG part of the beginning.
Only after Justus had left, Annan’s body finally gained freedom of movent.
The next mont, the introductory storyline of this instance just began to unfold before his eyes.
Reviews
All reviews (0)