Chapter 595: A 'Useful' Friend
Chapter 595: A 'Useful' Friend
"What is our next step?" asked Maryam while glancing outside the cave. "We can't hide forever here unless you decided to give up on that space arrays."
"My next step is trying to stay alive," groaned Oriole as he poured a disinfectant on his torso, which made him gnash his teeth in pain. "I can't think of anything right now, so let those gears spin."
"Men are so unreliable."
"My body is half gone!"
Maryam glanced at his wound before her face contorted. Then, she looked away without getting closer. Oriole laughed at the irony of an Amiens Family member being uncomfortable with injuries. However, he did not need her anyway.
His body was already healing back to what it used to be, and the healing potions that Arthur gave him helped. If not for the potions keeping him hanging, Oriole would have bled to death. As he leaned back, his microscopic modeling enhanced the mitosis and regeneration of his organs.
Oriole needs to warn Arthur about the identity of the Ghost Ruler. If the Yozia Empire were involved in this world, then an interdimensional war would turn into a one-sided invasion, and it would be soon.
Furthermore, if this princess managed to find herself in this timeline, there is a chance for someone else to do that. Oriole wanted to give Arthur hope about meeting his lover, but he knew that Arthur was sharp enough to pick up on the obvious.
If there is a way for them to visit Earth, then where is Diana?
As his hazy thoughts reached this question, Oriole hesitated about telling Arthur at all. He knew that it would break Arthur if he knew that the only person he cared about did not care back. The thought of Arthur losing anything more pained Oriole more than his wounds.
"The Ghost Ruler is just as disoriented as we are," said Oriole as he leaned on the rough and uneven walls. "We are safe here from the arrays, too. This place is beneath the underground city."
"...what did you say?" turned Maryam at him with a frown. "Are you saying that we fought against the Ghost Ruler? It was that woman?"
Her expression betrayed her anxiety, and Oriole forgot that she did not know. Maryam lost consciousness before waking up to find Oriole half-dead, so it made sense for her to rescue him from the opponent.
"I apologize for implicating you," said Oriole sincerely. "And I also thank you for saving me. That is a debt that I will never forget."
"Is your gratitude worth more than a magical city of runes?" sighed Maryam as she held her head. "I cannot believe that my childish desire to leave this place made me attack the Ghost Ruler. As my father told me, I should have just become a healer."
"You want to leave Runera?" asked Oriole with surprise and pallor. "Is that the reason you wanted to join Ascent in return for helping me?"
"I wanted an adventure to call my own. My father and grandpa are heroes in Runera for fighting against unbelievable monsters, saving kingdoms, and exploring the unknown. Yet, here I am stuck to study forever in this shithole."
Oriole almost laughed, but he knew it would make him faint again due to the pain. However, the fact that someone called Runera a shithole would make Arthur laugh as hard as he could, and it was for a good reason.
Runera was the city of magic and evolution. There were facilities here that were deemed nothing short of legends for the outside world, but Runera provided them to its citizens for free. This was the closest utopia the world could have, but not everyone loved it.
"But now, I attacked the one person I should not have. As a result, my future is bleak, and I will rot in Memories Prison forever."
"This was an adventure too, Maryam. We crossed a sea of darkness, sneaked past guards, and fought against a superhuman. I don't think that your family can live up to that."
"This does not make me a hero, but a thug! I am an outlaw now!"
"...you were an outlaw ever since you decided to help me," chuckled Oriole helplessly. "Then, what do you want to do instead?" he said to distract her.
"...explore the other world," she said after a thought. "I want to know what lies there and why there is a second world, to begin with. What are dungeons and these monsters? How does the other world live?"
Oriole smiled as the sparkle in her eyes returned, more curious than ever. Arthur would love to see someone like this in his guild, even if she was not the most competent.
"Then you made the right choice to join Ascent. Our goal is to enter the other world as soon as possible," he said. "Alexie has the same goal as you: to go there. Furthermore, I can confidently say that joining his guild is the greatest adventure of your life."
"...does it not belong to both of you?" she asked with a frown. "Oriole smiled and shook his head."
"I am unworthy. I was the one who guided him at one point, and I might have been useful back then. Now, I can only serve him at best."
"You are an idiot," she said with a blank face. "Didn't you say that the two of you are friends because he was different? It was long before Ascent even existed, so that means Alexie sees you as a friend, and friends don't need to be useful."
Oriole smiled and did not answer. He knew that if Arthur heard him say this, he would have said the same thing. However, this last fight made Oriole realize that he was far from useful to Arthur in his upcoming struggles.
The runic attainment he worked twelve years for was nothing compared to Arthur, the embodiment of creation. His strength was barely above average. There was nothing else he could offer.
"I thought I could be useful this time by disabling the arrays," Oriole forced a smile. "I was wrong."
"Does that giant wound mean nothing to you?" asked Maryam with a frown. Her eyes were calm now, but there was anger within them. "I cannot think of any person who would do that for me without asking. You are the greatest friend a person can have."
Oriole might have lost too much blood to think straight, so he simply nodded in response. He did not know whether sustaining a wound counted as usefulness, but it was proof that he tried. There would be a moment when he can be useful through trial and error.
"You can sleep now," said Maryam before taking off her robes and covering him. "I will scout the area for a method to enter the tower. We will not let this plan fail."
The warmth of her robes made Oriole drowsy, and his eyes were closed before he knew it. The sound of footsteps slowly becoming fainter was the last thing he heard before entering the world of dreams.
It was a long and forgotten dream, and it was more of a memory than a fantasy. Oriole dreamed about his life in Paradise, the sanctuary he created with similarly lost people. However, in the memory, he was not as lost.
A teenager was sleeping on the couch, drool dripping as his snores filled the house. Oriole took a moment to look around before standing up and covering the youth with a blanket lest he gets cold. His eyes lingered on the face that looked similar to his.
Oriole somehow knew that he was the reason behind this youth's existence, and he was his caretaker. It somehow gave a purpose to his life and a consolation to his death. Even if he dies one day, this youth will live on as him, even if not directly.
However, everything inside the house dissolved, and the walls shrunk to turn into his room. Oriole stared around for something to feel proud about, but he did not have one.
"Meow," a voice resonated inside the dream, confusing him. "Meow!" it got higher and jolted his mind, forcing Oriole to open his eyes back into reality.
A fat cat was sitting in front of him with a smirk. Oriole blinked his eyes, wondering if he was still hallucinating. Nevertheless, the cat seemed somehow familiar and intelligent, and its existence in this cave proved it was far from being stray.
"What are you?" asked Oriole with a frown, his instincts on alarm. Although he did not expect an answer, he still received one.
"Just a normal cute cat."
"I see," replied Oriole before he blinked. Then, he turned his head with confusion. "Did you just talk?"
"No, I did not."
"Oh, that makes sense. A cat shouldn't be able to..." he cut himself short when Oriole realized he was not his sharpest. "You are a human."
"Indeed, nya. I also know who you are," said the cat with a smile. "I am here for you."