Do You Trust Me?

THUD!

A powerful impact slammed directly into my chest.

“Ugh!?”

With a muffled groan in my chest, the world began to spin.

What… happened?

I rolled twice on the ground, nearly losing my breath, and scrambled to prop my body up.

CLANG! Vrrr…

The trident collided with the iron bars of the cage, letting out a sharp metallic ring.

The force was so great that the metal rods were still vibrating.

I gasped, terrified by how close that lethal strike had been, but I was even more shocked by what was in my arms.

“Renee-chin!”

The girl who was supposed to have escaped with the rest of the Naco tribe was now huddled against me.

She tried to say something urgently, but because everything was happening so fast, her mind couldn’t keep up, and she just stammered.

I… I was just saved?

The realization hit me instantly, leaving me stunned and then deeply confused.

But… why? You were supposed to be with your people. Why would you come back? And even—!

A single mistake and that trident would have skewered her.

Yet she had tackled me out of the way, moving with a speed and distance that suggested zero hesitation.

Why, why?

You were a hair’s breadth from death. Why would you do that!

Our eyes met. Her expression was filled with deep concern for me, while my mind was flooded with a thousand questions.

But this wasn’t the time to dwell on them.

“Can you light a fire?”

I pushed my questions to the back of my mind and fixed her with a serious gaze. I asked the question while handing over the object in my hand.

“…”

The girl blinked, startled. But when she saw the intensity in my eyes, her furry ears flickered, and she nodded her head like a maniac.

“Light it. Throw it into the cage.”

I gave the command and shoved the matches into her hand.

“Okay!”

She didn’t hesitate. She took them, scrambled to her feet, and ran toward the cage.

“Hey… HEY! What are you doing? What is that animal doing!?”

The Siren’s face went through a rapid transformation from confusion to shock, and finally, to pure terror.

Scritch!

Before the Siren could finish his outburst, a sharp friction sound echoed. A spark of flame flickered, followed by an object flying through the darkness in a perfect arc.

The girl ran back without looking. Even if she didn’t fully understand what she had just done, she could guess what was coming next.

“Good job… get over here!”

However, the scale of what was about to happen was likely far beyond her imagination.

“Renee-chin!?”

Before the startled girl could react, I grabbed her and pulled her down, shielding her beneath me.

BOOM—!

Suddenly, flames roared toward the ceiling.

Under the deafening sound of the explosion, a rolling wave of heat devoured everything in its path.

This was no misfiring dud like the one from before. This was a true explosion—the actual power of a Fire Bomb.

After all, these were designed to kill those monster-like competitors on the Hero’s War frontlines. Even with this kind of power, those freaks would usually just grit their teeth and crawl back up for a final attack.

I just never expected I would end up detonating one right next to myself.

“Ugh—!”

I grit my teeth, desperately protecting the girl beneath me.

The pain felt like a jagged knife carving through my body, twisting my muscles and bones.

Even with the fireproof suitcase shielding my back, it was like trying to stop a flood with a pebble.

Thump-thump! Thump-thump!

My racing heart screamed in agony.

The explosion only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity.

Buzz… buzz…

By the time I regained my senses, my ears were ringing violently. Every nerve in my body was trembling.

The aftershock of the heat wave hit me, and my scorched skin began to sting.

“Cough! Cough!”

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

No, I can’t just lie here…

I struggled to get up, but my body had other plans. Before I could even put weight on my hands, my muscles turned to water, and I collapsed heavily.

Illness, exhaustion, injury—my body was at its breaking point.

I… what state am I in right now?

The pain had gone numb. I only felt dizzy, the world spinning out of control. I couldn’t even perform the simplest check of my own status.

I wanted to rest.

My eyelids felt like they were made of lead.

“Renee-chin!”

But my fading consciousness was dragged back by the girl’s cry.

“You… what did you make me do? You didn’t tell me the explosion would be that big! You!”

Since I had protected her, she was relatively unharmed. Seeing me about to collapse, she caught me immediately. Her eyes were a frantic mix of anger and worry.

“One of us… had to be able to move,” I squeezed out with what was left of my strength. “Compared to me… you can move much faster.”

“But!”

She wanted to argue, but she stopped herself.

I could see the reflection of flames dancing in her eyes.

And that fire was spreading with terrifying speed.

A ship is made of wood, after all.

With such fuel, how could it not burn after an explosion like that?

The girl soon noticed the danger, her face etched with shock. But when she saw the fire spreading, her expression immediately hardened.

“Renee-chin, hang on!”

Without waiting for my reply, she grabbed me and pulled me onto her back. In a matter of seconds, I was being carried by her.

“Ngh…”

She made a small sound of effort.

It made sense. Even though I wasn’t heavy, I was carrying quite a few items.

“Can you… make it?”

If she had just supported me, I might have been able to move on my own, though it would have been painfully slow.

“I can.”

She shook her head, her expression determined, and gave me her answer.

The fire was growing. If we stayed any longer, we were dead.

Tap… tap-tap-tap!

Before I could react, I felt the muscles in the girl’s body tighten, and then she bolted. In an instant, she was a gust of wind weaving through the sea of fire.

“…!?”

So… fast?

I was stunned by her physical power, but then I realized it made sense.

She isn’t human.

Having physical capabilities far beyond a normal person was only natural for her kind.

“Hah! Hah! Hah!”

Listening to her rapid but rhythmic breathing, my racing heart finally settled. I rested my head on her shoulder. She flinched slightly, her ears and tail twitching unnaturally, but she quickly steadied herself.

We leaped over several waves of heat, and after enduring a few more stings from the licking flames, we cleared the immediate danger zone near the blast.

Perhaps because of the dampness of the area, the fire hadn’t reached the doorway yet. Before long, we had escaped the cargo hold entirely.

At last… we were out of that deathtrap.

However, this meant the enemy could appear at any moment.

Breathing heavily, I looked at the scene outside the hold. I felt a mix of relief and intense tension.

“…Strange.”

The girl’s ears perked up as if she were listening to the surroundings. She whispered to herself in confusion.

“There isn’t a single person around.”

That was true. Normally, an explosion that size would bring people running instantly.

I had worried that the Siren guard might have companions nearby. It seemed he was just an arrogant fool who had come down alone to secure the “prize” for himself.

Most of the crew were busy dealing with the main riot. A cargo hold explosion was a minor issue compared to that. After all, the roar of that behemoth on deck…

“What… did you just say?” It took me a beat to process her words. “You… you know there’s no one around!?”

“Because there’s no sound. I can’t even hear the flicking of a tongue.”

Her ears twitched. She wasn’t hiding anything; her tone made it sound like the most natural thing in the world.

The Naco tribe has this kind of ability? I was amazed.

“Don’t worry, Renee-chin. My ears are very sharp. I can hear sounds from far away. I can definitely avoid those Sirens and catch up with the others.”

She adjusted her grip on me and started toward the nearby stairs.

“Once we regroup with everyone, we can definitely escape—”

“No.”

Before she could take another step, I tightened my arms around her, stopping her.

“You can’t go there,” I said solemnly. “If we want to get out alive, we cannot regroup with them now.”

“Renee… chin?”

Seeing her stunned face, I understood everything.

She must have turned back to the hold alone the moment she could, specifically to save me, before the crew started their massacre.

In other words, she had no idea what her people were currently facing on the deck.

Otherwise, after saving me, her first instinct should have been to lead me to her tribe.

She was someone who risked her life for me; she would never abandon her own people if she knew they were being attacked.

“Do you trust me?”

After a moment of silence, I asked the question in a weak, raspy voice.

She paused, clearly not having processed my words yet.

To her, escaping alone without the tribe probably seemed impossible.

But she didn’t know that going back now was meaningless. The Brigadier and his elite squad had already made their move.

I couldn’t tell her the truth yet.

I have to survive, no matter what.

Even if I risked my life to save her, it was so she could act as my hands and feet during this crisis.

If she refuses…

I looked at the girl’s neck, and my heart turned cold.

I was soft before, but I can’t afford to be now.

The battle has begun. Life and death are decided in a heartbeat.

My inner voice felt like a warning, repeating itself over and over in my mind.

So, what is your answer?

“I trust Renee-chin.”

She pulled her foot back from the step. She spoke without a trace of hesitation.

That… fast?

“Good.”

I let out a silent sigh of relief that I hoped she wouldn’t notice.

I hadn’t expected her to give an answer so quickly, but it didn’t change my plan.

“Then… listen to me.”

Forcing my body to cooperate, I whispered the instructions into her ear.