NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12: Trust Me, I’m Not The Guy
Night had fallen by the time the cart reached the old milestone post.
The road was barely visible under the dim glow of the full moon.
The cool night air carried the distant hoot of an owl and the rustling of unseen creatures in the underbrush.
Lindor tugged the reins, bringing the cart to a slow halt. He turned to Rikuya, his expression unreadable in the faint lantern light.
"This is your stop."
Rikuya sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Great. It just had to be nighttime." With a reluctant breath, he stood and prepared to step down.
Before he could, Garren—the burly man who had introduced himself earlier—spoke up.
"Be safe out there, stranger," he said.
Then, after a brief pause, he reached into his belt and pulled out a dagger. He held it out to Rikuya.
"Here. It ain't much, but it's better than being unarmed."
Rikuya blinked at the dagger, hesitating for a moment before taking it.
『The dagger is not needed.』
G.U.A.R.D.I.A.N. chimed in his mind.
『If the host's life were in actual danger, the system would take action.』
Rikuya scowled. 'Shut up, you hack' he thought back.
He secured the dagger at his waist, then stepped off the cart. Lindor gave the reins a light flick, and the cart slowly rolled forward, disappearing into the night.
Rikuya exhaled, rubbing his face. "Alright. Easy trip so far." He glanced down the dark path ahead and sighed again.
"It's whatever comes next that's probably going to suck."
Rikuya pulled the map from his pouch and squinted at the faint ink markings in the dim light, trying to make sense of the path.
『It won't be necessary.』
G.U.A.R.D.I.A.N. suddenly chimed.
Rikuya froze, lowering the map slightly. "What? Why?"
Suddenly, a thin purple HUD line appeared in his vision, stretching out ahead on the road, marking his path like a neon guide.
『The estimated time to reach the village is approximately three hours. Additionally, no hostiles are present in the immediate area.』
Rikuya stared at the purple trail, his eyebrow twitching. "So, you can just show me the way, huh?"
"Alright, let's see how this goes," he muttered, stepping toward the glowing path that was now his only real compass in the dark.
As he walked, he took in the eerie yet beautiful sights around him. The soft glow of bioluminescent plants, fireflies drifting lazily through the air like tiny lanterns.
Still, the constant rustling in the underbrush sent little jolts of unease through him.
He kept calm.
Mostly.
But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him.
It was ridiculous, he knew, but the rustling sounds felt just a little too timed.
His hand hovered near the dagger at his side.
Then—
Rustle.
Something lunged from the bushes.
His heart nearly exploded out of his chest. He yanked the dagger from its sheath, gripping it way too tightly—so tightly, in fact, that the damn thing slipped right out of his fingers and clattered to the ground.
"Oh shit!"
He dropped to one knee, scrambling to grab the dagger, his heart hammering. Adrenaline surged, nerves on fire. He looked up, ready to face whatever nightmarish creature had ambushed him, only to freeze.
It was a horned rabbit.
A small, fluffy, brown creature with two twisting black horns stood in front of him, twitching its nose like it had no idea it had just given him a heart attack.
Rikuya blinked.
"Seriously? A fucking rabbit?"
He sighed and shook his head, sheathing the dagger, irritated at himself.
Of course, G.U.A.R.D.I.A.N.'s voice chimed in immediately, completely useless as ever.
『Subject identified: Horned Rabbit. Current threat level: 0. There are no hostiles in the area.』
Rikuya's brow twitched. "Yeah, no kidding," he rolled his eyes. "I didn't exactly think this thing was gonna tear my throat out, Guardian."
The rabbit twitched its nose again, utterly uninterested in him, before hopping off into the underbrush without a care in the world.
Rikuya sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"This whole trip was your idea, and so far, it's been nothing but weird creatures and creepy vibes. This is what I get for listening to you."
G.U.A.R.D.I.A.N. didn't respond. Not that he expected it to.
With a deep breath, he took a step forward again.
"I swear, if another damn creature hops out of those bushes, I'm gonna lose it."
GRRRRROOOWWL
Rikuya stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide.
"Just my luck," he muttered, placing a hand on his stomach. "I haven't had anything to eat all day. Fuck… Maybe I should've grabbed that rabbit and cooked it… I remember reading somewhere that rabbit meat tastes like—"
BZZZZZT
『Multiple figures are approaching your location at high speeds.』
Rikuya froze. His blood ran ice cold. "What?!"
His eyes darted around as he yanked the dagger free again.
"Seriously?! The fuck do you mean by figures approaching at high speeds?!"
His voice cracked slightly. He ignored it.
"Oh, fuck, oh shit, don't tell me—"
FWOOSH!
Three figures dropped from the sky.
With a massive—
BOOM!
Dust billowed into the air.
Rikuya barely stopped himself from screaming. Instead, he choked on his own breath, nearly stabbing himself in the panic-induced flailing that followed. He stumbled, tripped, but somehow managed to rise back to his feet.
The figures landed too gracefully. Their long, dark blue cloaks swayed in the night breeze, their movements way too synchronized for his liking.
He couldn't make out their faces.
But their glowing red eyes? Yeah. That was a dead giveaway that this was not a friendly encounter.
One of them spoke.
"It is just as the prophecy foretold. He is truly here."
"Oh, how long we've waited!"
"This is truly a night worth celebrating!"
One of them clasped her hands, practically trembling with excitement.
Rikuya's brain stalled.
'Prophecy? What prophecy?!'
Then, something else clicked.
Their voices. They all sounded… feminine.
His gaze dropped observing their… proportions.
Large chests. Hourglass figures.
His mouth went dry.
Taking a slow step back, he forced the most awkward smile of his life.
"Uh… hello, ladies. Anything I can help you with on this fine, totally-not-creepy night?"
They took a step forward.
"Come with us, my lord," one said, her voice a command wrapped in silk. "Fulfill the prophecy foretold."
Rikuya's survival instincts screamed.
"Yeah, no. Sorry, I don't think I'll be doing that. You guys got the wrong guy."
The one in the center clasped her hands. "No, my lord, the prophecies have never been wrong. You are the only one out here tonight, so it must be you. Please, come with us. This may seem strange, but we promise it will all make sense."
Their grins widened. Their glowing red eyes made everything so much worse.
Inside his mind, he screamed at Guardian.
'OI! Guardian! This is where you do your 'protect the host' thing, right?! RIGHT?! These chicks are CLEARLY kidnappers!'
『No hostile intentions detected. Action against them is not required.』
Rikuya gawked.
His panic tripled.
'OI! DON'T FUCK WITH ME! NO HOSTILE INTENTIONS?! Are you serious?! Look at them! They wanna cut me up for one of those experiments! That one's licking her lips! THAT'S NOT NORMAL!'
Rikuya took careful steps back, keeping his eyes locked on the three hooded women. His heart was still pounding, but at least they weren't chasing him. Yet.
Then, out of nowhere, a voice purred behind him.
"It's been centuries, my lord. I've missed you~."
Rikuya barely had time to register the words before his head collided with something soft. Really soft.
His entire body locked up. His brain shut down. His hands twitched at his sides.
'What the hell did I just run into?'
Before he could even think about turning around, two arms slid around his shoulders, slowly pulling him into a warm embrace.
One hand pulled down his hood.
A gentle sigh tickled his ear.
"I know you must be confused," the voice whispered, "but all will be explained soon."
Rikuya's breath hitched. His body screamed at him to move, but he was frozen.
Very, very slowly, he swallowed his panic and mentally called out.
'G.U.A.R.D.I.A.N… what's behind me?'
『Queen Candidate Class: Succubus.』
Rikuya's eye twitched.
'A fucking what?!'
'So that means I'm resting on her… how tall is she!?'
Before he could think further, he noticed her bring up a small white napkin to his nose, and he slowly lost consciousness.
The woman smiled as she said, "Sleep tight, my lord. I'll wake you again soon."
In his fading consciousness, Rikuya made one last remark.
'G.U.A.R.D.I.A.N… fuck you.'
And everything went black.