Latian’s violet eyes, quivering with unease, skimmed over the options.
Following him seemed like the safest choice.
Running away?
That was a suicidal option.
The man before him was Claude.
And Claude was an “Awakened.”
No need to know what that meant—what mattered was that the likelihood of Latian escaping from him was zero.
The third option… felt absurd.
What could he possibly do here?
Dance naked and hope the man thought he was crazy and fled?
The decision was obvious.
“Of course, I’ll follow! I’ll go wherever you want me to!”
[Meaningful turning point detected.]
[Sub-quest unlocked!]
━━⊱⋆⊰━━
[Sub-Quest (1): Shackles of Suspicion]
You’ve decided to follow the man in front of you.
Although he spared your life, he still hasn’t let go of his doubts about you.
The moment you make a wrong move, his suspicion will solidify.
There will be no next time.
Clear his doubts and survive.
– Reward upon completion: ???
━━⊱⋆⊰━━
Claude scoffed and turned around first.
Latian, who had been reviewing the sub-quest, felt his face twitch.
‘That bastard still doesn’t trust me.’
He hurriedly trailed after Claude.
Spy?
He didn’t even remember who he was, let alone have time for espionage—how unfair.
‘I have to clear his doubts somehow.’
He didn’t want to die.
Latian bit his lower lip, then forced a smile to curve his lips.
A smile that wasn’t overly frivolous yet not too subdued—just the right balance.
At the same time, he softened his gaze, raising the small folds of skin around his eyes to form the most charming crescent moon shape, and tilted his body at a 45-degree angle.
The kind of demeanor that immediately reassured a customer walking into a store: Ah, this is a friendly place.
“Uh… Sir?”
It was the moment when Kang Seyeon, a 28-year-old former sales professional from modern society, let the mask he had honed to the point of muscle cramps shine.
“Thank you for sparing me earlier. Haha.”
“……”
“If you don’t mind… may I ask for your name?”
“Do you need to know my name?”
“Oh, it’s not that I need to, but isn’t it only natural to want to know the name of the person who saved your life? Otherwise, should I just call you ‘Sir’?”
Of course, Latian already knew Claude’s name.
But until Claude revealed it himself, he couldn’t afford to say it aloud.
If he did, Claude would only grow more suspicious.
“If you’d allow it, I’d love to repay your kindness. It was terrifying being held hostage, you know. Not to mention being sent to a place like this without any explanation. I was scared when you nearly killed me, but you ultimately spared me, so…”
“You seem to be under a misconception.”
Claude abruptly stopped, and Latian smacked into his solid back.
Startled, he grabbed his nose and stumbled backward, only to have his throat seized.
“Urk!”
“You’ll be thrown into the dungeons as soon as we reach Winter Castle.”
“Gah… S-sir!”
“I’m still not sure if you’re a spy or not.”
Claude’s icy blue eyes gleamed with menace.
His massive hand tightened around Latian’s throat, and while the grip wasn’t deadly, the threat in his gaze was enough to make Latian tremble.
Fortunately, the death flag didn’t appear.
Which meant this wasn’t a situation dangerous enough to trigger it.
Proving that, Claude soon released his grip.
Latian, pale as a ghost, coughed and wheezed for air.
Above his trembling form, Claude’s cold voice fell.
“And one more thing—you’re irritating. Who told you to call me ‘Sir’?”
‘If you’d tell me your name, I’d gladly call you something else!’
Latian screamed internally, swallowing his frustration.
“Yes, yes! Throw me in prison if you must! I’ll go willingly! As long as it clears your doubts, I don’t care if it’s a dungeon or a toilet! Just please, no torture! Spare me!”
Begging to be left alone would only make him seem more suspicious.
If he dared to plead for freedom, Claude might decide it was safer to kill him off instead.
Since the die was cast…
He’d follow Claude, clear the suspicions, and win his freedom fair and square.
A lingering silence.
Claude’s expression shifted into something unreadable.
Latian wondered if his desperate sincerity had moved the man. He forced an awkward smile.
But Claude was merely baffled.
‘What kind of lunatic is this?’
Claude let out a short laugh through his nose before spinning on his heel.
Latian, who had been nervously rubbing his sore neck while watching him carefully, immediately followed, clinging close as if afraid to lose him.
His desperation was evident—he wanted to show Claude that he had no intention of running away.
After walking for quite some time, a towering castle wall came into view.
As they stopped before the tightly shut gates, the guards stationed at the gate quickly turned the pulley to open the massive doors upon recognizing Claude.
“The Lord has returned!”
The massive, imposing iron-barred gate, reminiscent of something out of a movie, began to rise, and the excited cheers of soldiers and rangers stationed along the castle walls echoed in the air.
Overwhelmed by the grandeur, Latian shrank back at the sight of the heavily armed figures.
“My Lord! What’s that you’ve brought with you this time?”
“Looks like he picked something up outside.”
A man and a woman, who had leaped down effortlessly from the battlements, approached nonchalantly.
Latian, pale as a sheet, raised his head to look at them.
The height made his neck stiff just to see.
A regular human would have undoubtedly met their end from such a fall.
At the very least, there should have been a loud impact upon landing, but the two descended as if cushioned by air, landing gracefully.
It was clear they were also awakened individuals with some kind of power.
‘They look so alike. Are they fraternal twins?’
As Latian sized up the pair, they, in turn, observed him with interest.
Their usually indifferent lord had never brought anyone back with him, so Latian’s presence piqued their curiosity.
Claude gave Latian a sidelong glance and spoke.
“He claims he’s an innocent hostage captured and dragged along by the enemy.”
“A hostage? Really?”
“…We’ll see.”
‘We’ll see.’
No words could be more terrifying.
Every syllable felt like a blade stabbing into his chest.
“Where are you going?”
“To the dungeon.”
Claude answered the twin brother’s question while grabbing Latian by the collar and dragging him like a sack of goods.
Latian, unable to resist the overwhelming strength, nearly stumbled forward but ended up being dragged along awkwardly.
Clutching at the fabric choking his neck, he shouted desperately.
“W-wait, I’ll walk! I’ll walk on my own! Please, let me walk!”
Thrashing in discomfort from the unfamiliar position, Latian bumped into objects and scraped against the ground.
Only when he realized that surrendering might be the easiest way did he resign himself to Claude’s grip and allow himself to be dragged.
At the stairs leading to the dungeon, Claude abruptly stopped and tossed Latian toward the steps.
“Ugh… Ow.”
“Go down.”
Cradling his scraped elbows, Latian scrambled to his feet at the cold command.
The underground dungeon seemed devoid of any light.
The tiny, barren cell felt like it was waiting just for him.
“Oh, my Lord! You’ve returned.”
The guard on duty was startled and quickly bowed respectfully.
In the meantime, Latian had already stepped inside the open cell and closed the door himself.
The guard’s eyes widened as he watched Latian in bewilderment.
“This isn’t so bad. It’s quite cozy, actually.”
“…….”
Claude stared at Latian through the bars, his gaze as icy as ever.
Latian forced a grin, his lips twitching as he tried to appear cheerful.
“By the way, meals… You’ll serve them on time, right?”
“…….”
“I’m someone who needs three meals a day, you see.”
“…….”
“Oh, don’t worry. I eat well in general.”
Claude turned to the guard and jerked his chin.
“Lock the door.”
“Yes, sir!”
The guard fumbled to secure the lock.
Once satisfied, Claude half-turned, throwing out one last order.
“Make sure he’s not hiding anything.”
“Yes, sir. Should we use… any means necessary?”
‘These lunatics! That’s basically a threat of torture!’
Latian yelled through the bars, his voice frantic.
“Wait! No torture, please! There’s no need! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything! I don’t know much as I was just a hostage, but I’ll tell you everything I do know!”
“…No torture, then.”
“…Understood.”
With a grimace that seemed to say he was sick of the noise, Claude frowned and left the dungeon.
Only then did Latian breathe a sigh of relief, collapsing to the ground.
The thought of medieval torture methods was horrifying.
‘Just imagining it is terrifying. It’s bound to be something inhumane.’
The original work hadn’t detailed this part, so Latian didn’t know what the reality was like.
But if it could be avoided, he would do whatever it took to avoid it.
“For now, let’s start with something simple. Your name is…?”
“Latian Dimerlos. Male, twenty-eight years old.”
“…I can see you’re male. Though you are rather pretty.”
The guard mumbled the last part under his breath, glancing at Latian as he began jotting down notes.
“Where are you from? What’s your place of origin?”
“Oh! Hold on a second. Actually, my memory’s a bit fuzzy right now, so I can’t recall much about myself. But I’ll try to remember.”
“…….”
The guard watched in confusion as Latian fell into deep thought, trying to recall the details of the original story.
‘To figure out the background of this body, I first need to remember who Claude’s enemies were.’
The original novel was a fantasy story that began with Claude as a child.
Latian vaguely remembered a scene where the northern castle was attacked by enemy forces and monsters, which were then subdued. It was around the midpoint of the story.
The previous lord had died from an unknown illness, and the young Claude had taken his place.
The enemy’s goal was to exploit the transition of power to destroy the northern territory, the kingdom’s frontline stronghold.
‘And the identity of the enemies was…’
Suddenly.
━━⊱⋆⊰━━
[(❗) A death flag has been triggered.]
[You have 98 minutes until your demise.]
━━⊱⋆⊰━━
The abrupt notification of impending death drained the blood from Latian’s face.
A chilling realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.
“That’s it….”
Gripping the bars tightly, Latian leaned forward.
“Guard!”
Startled, the guard recoiled, taking a step back.
“Please, call the Lord back here!”
“What? What nonsense are you spouting now…?”
“It’s important. He must know this right now!”
Latian shouted urgently.
Why hadn’t he realized it sooner?
“Please, just once! Think of it as a gamble! This is about saving lives!”
Soon, many people in the Winter Castle would die.
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