ETHTKE chapter 10

Normally, Baek Yigang couldn’t stand it when I was out of his sight.

Even though I had asked him to keep me close… Baek Yigang took it to the extreme, dragging me everywhere.

Just a few days ago, I had to spend the entire day on the office sofa because Baek Yigang stayed in his study all day.

He did leave briefly due to something with Ken, but it was so brief that it hardly counted as time alone…

Thanks to his inexplicable obsession, I was forced to stay within his sight all day, leaving no time for myself.

Maybe I should seriously consider taking back my request to stay by his side…

Now that I think about it, the contract alone should be enough…

“Anyway, I’m finally alone.”

Slapping myself awake, I cautiously approached the large door leading to the hallway.

With my ear pressed against the door, I could clearly sense the lukewarm silence on the other side.

The truth is, I had a reason why I couldn’t easily open the door and walk out, and that was because, for some time now, I’d felt like someone had been watching me all day from somewhere not too far away.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t yet confronted whoever it was, so I didn’t know their identity.

I couldn’t just blurt this out to Baek Yigang either, as that gaze wasn’t always fixed on me, making it hard to explain.

Telling him recklessly could lead to unforeseen consequences, given Baek Yigang’s temperament. This made me even more cautious.

Could it be a spy sent by the 2nd Prince?

Or had the rumor already spread that I’m a fake imperial wizard, forced into the position by the Crown Prince’s abuse of power?

So, they’re sending an assassin…

“…Doesn’t seem like anyone’s there.”

Regardless, I wasn’t the kind of person to die easily, even if someone attacked me.

I’m a damn strong possessor.

In any case, with Baek Yigang gone, this was the opportunity I had been longing for, and what mattered was that I wasn’t going to let it slip away.

What kind of opportunity, you ask…?

“What else? It’s my chance to escape this damn possession.”

Gripping the doorknob quietly, I ground my teeth together as I suppressed the sound of my gritting teeth.

Ah, I’m not going to betray Baek Yigang like Ken. We’re fundamentally different from the start.

It’s not like I’ll immediately wake up from this dream and receive gratitude from the new protagonist just by finding them.

Although I did briefly entertain that hope once.

So at one time, I thought, ‘I need to be cautious about approaching another person,’ but…

The wish of Baek Yigang was honestly crossing the line as a human being!

On top of that, he even ruined his own character!

Damn Baek Yigang!

Anyway, I was thinking of wandering outside to see if there might be a new protagonist, just observing the situation.

If I happened to encounter another protagonist, it would be unfortunate, but the card known as Baek Yigang would no longer be of any use.

No matter the reason, it was true that a more subdued character would be better than a shameless villain trying to rewrite the original story and become emperor.

Still, before returning to reality, I might as well cure Baek Yigang’s incurable disease out of loyalty. That much, I can do.

Surely, I’m not so insane as to grant all the wishes the villain asked for.

No, I must not. I’ve said it multiple times, but I’m not a wish-granting fairy.

Since becoming possessed, I’ve been stuck to Baek Yigang every day, so I hadn’t had time to search for another protagonist, but this was a good opportunity.

For a moment, I considered trying to prevent Baek Yigang from descending into darkness, but… it’s impossible. Absolutely impossible.

From the start, the idea of making the villain an emperor doesn’t even make sense.

I pushed aside the guilt that had briefly clung to me regarding Baek Yigang, took a deep breath, and slowly moved my hand on the doorknob.

Creak—

Was it because I was sneaking around? The door, which usually opened smoothly, made an eerie sound as it slowly opened.

My suddenly sensitive hearing stood on edge.

To reduce unnecessary noise, I turned the doorknob even more slowly.

‘Cheong Dowoon, don’t do anything unnecessary while I’m gone, and stay quiet.’

Suddenly, Baek Yigang’s words from this morning flashed through my mind.

I vaguely nodded in my sleep, giving a careless agreement, but now that I think about it, those words… it seems like he was telling me to stay locked up in my room all day.

“What nonsense. Am I crazy? Stay still?”

I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as a smirk spread across my lips.

Stay still? Stay still, my foot! This isn’t an unnecessary act—my life depends on it.

But what if someone is outside?

If Baek Yigang got suspicious, he’d never leave me alone again…

Oh well, forget it. Let’s just do it. If I get caught, I’ll just say I went out for a walk because I felt cooped up.

Clutching my pounding heart, I took a short breath and cautiously poked my head out through the cracked door.

“…Huh, what’s this?”

Surprisingly, there was no one in the wide hallway, where the highest quality red carpet was laid out.

“Is there really no one here?”

The hallway was so silent that the tension I felt in my shoulders seemed almost laughable.

It was so empty that even the luxurious golden statues placed around the hallway looked lonely.

“No matter how absent the owner is, how can the Crown Prince’s quarters be this deserted?”

A wave of utter disappointment washed over me.

I had expected at least some guards to be stationed, but there wasn’t a single person in sight—let alone a speck of dust.

With my spirits dampened, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

“…Actually, if there’s really no one here, that’s better for me. This might be my once-in-a-lifetime chance to escape.”

If I don’t see a new protagonist, maybe I should approach the stupid-looking Second Prince who seems the easiest to deal with?

Of course, the best would be the Third Prince, the main protagonist, but he takes a long time to appear even in the original story…

At least the Second Prince wouldn’t work me like a slave every day like Baek Yigang!

But then again, the Second Prince isn’t exactly normal, so I doubt it’d be a peaceful choice… Anyway.

With renewed determination and my target in sight, I headed straight down the hallway.

The current location was the Crown Prince’s palace, and to reach the Second Prince’s quarters or the royal garden, I would have to pass through the central corridor of the palace.

Though there was no one here right now, there was no guarantee that no one would appear.

The only comforting fact was that no one really knew my face yet. So I guess I don’t have much to worry about.

[The Catastrophe of Initia] was a long fantasy novel with quite a large number of main characters.

So, unless I was extremely unlucky, I might just stumble across one while walking around.

For now, I’ll just take a light stroll around the palace…

As I chewed over these thoughts and reached the entrance to the central corridor, a sharp gaze that I had felt every day recently pierced the back of my head.

Ugh, why appear now of all times?!

Don’t turn around, just ignore it. Absolutely don’t turn…

As I was about to brush it off and pass by, a shadow suddenly fell before me.

When did they move in front of me? I could’ve sworn they were behind me…

Sighing as I realized that I’d have to face them, I lifted my head.

A man with black hair, about my height, was blocking my path, his deep blue mask pulled up to his eyes.

When our eyes met, his deep blue eyes, like the royal court’s lake, shone with a subtle gleam as he stared at me.

His unusual appearance made me narrow my eyes as well.

“What do you want?”

To think that the person who had been watching me all this time was such a dark and gloomy man.

On top of that, he didn’t have any noticeable traits that I could assess, making it hard to figure out how to defend myself if he decided to attack—my back prickled at the thought.

I didn’t know who had sent him, but just from his aura, I could tell he wasn’t ordinary.

Physically, I was probably superior.

No matter the world, my height of 192 cm was considered fairly tall.

But leaving aside physicality, there was something eerie about the strange, dark aura emanating from this man that made my skin crawl.

Yet, despite the time passing, the man didn’t say a word and just stood silently blocking my way.

…Is he even human? He’s as immovable as a gravestone.

Why show up out of nowhere and then do nothing?

Moreover, I didn’t sense any hostility from him—there wasn’t even a hint of malice.

In other words, he wasn’t here to harm me.

After a few seconds of contemplation, I decided to simply pass by this man.

But… as I turned to take a step to the side, the man moved with remarkable speed to block my path again.

He was so close that his face was nearly touching mine.

Annoyed, I glared at him, and his blue eyes slowly rolled away as if avoiding my gaze.

“…It’s an order.”

“What?”

When I asked again, the man’s blue eyes flickered for a moment.

…What’s with those pitiful eyes? It looks like I’m bullying him.

“It’s an order.”

After hesitating for a moment, he spoke again, this time a bit more clearly.

What does he mean, an order?

“So… blocking this passage is your duty?”

Luckily, it seemed my guess was right, as the man gave me a slight nod instead of a verbal answer.

“Well, do your job, and I’ll be on my way.”

Flashing him a harmless smile, I casually said goodbye and quickly tried to slip past him, but the man once again blocked my way with an incredible speed I hadn’t seen before.

His face was so close that it almost brushed my nose.

Annoyed, I shot him a glare, and saw his blue eyes slowly rolling to the side as if to avoid my gaze.

“…It’s an order.”

“You know, orders are meant to be broken. So why don’t you step aside?”

“Cheong Dowoon, you’re not allowed to take a single step outside of this palace.”

Great, now I had a pretty good idea who sent this stone-faced rabbit.

Are you seriously locking me up now, Baek Yigang, you lunatic?!