“Sir Iatra, are you asleep?” A soft and familiar voice called out. “It’s a shame. I wanted to talk to you at least once before going away forever.”

It was the voice of the brown-haired knight he had saved in Andata.

The brunette knight had crouched down outside the cell, her hand clasping on the bars of the cell. The Otherworlder sat up and turned to the knight with a straight face and she reeled in surprise at the suddenly up and about Otherworlder.

“Uh...”

“I woke up.”

‘The shamelessness is admirable, lad.’

The Otherworlder ignored the cockroach as the brunette knight sighed with relief. Then, her eyes hardened in a determined gaze at the Otherworlder.

“I didn’t know they were keeping you in a cell like this. This is unacceptable. Please, wait a little longer. I’ll do whatever I can to get you out of this place!”

“Hah!” A loud scoff rang out from the right of the knight. The Otherworlder looked up to meet eyes with a gigantic man in heavy blue armor. With orange hair reminiscent of a mane and a beard thicker than those of pirates, the man’s haughty face seemed as spitable as the stout guard’s to the Otherworlder. But he knew better than to do that.

“What a flippant thing for a criminal to say,” the armored man said, stomping his feet against the ground. He then turned to the Otherworlder and furrowed his brows. “Are you her boss, bastard? Some kind of gigolo or something?”

The Otherworlder remembered this foul-tongued giant hunk of a man from Vera’s lessons. He was Mathias, the chief executioner of the Angnarmarak kingdom.

“Haha, you escaped death by tricking a knight, huh? Well, she deserves it for being tricked,” Mathias scoffed again and kicked the cell. “You’ll be next on the death row, fucker.”

The brunette knight turned to face Mathias. “You! How dare you–”

“–Shut it, criminal wench! How dare you raise your voice?” Mathias growled at the knight. “If you don’t want to die before your time, then shut the fuck up! ... Finish your talk and call out to me. I’ll teach those stupid guard bastards a lesson.”

Clicking his tongue, Mathias shook his head and walked away, leaving behind a stunned knight. She took a few deep breaths and turned to the Otherworlder again with a wry smile.

“I’m sorry. I still mean it, I’ll get you out no matter what–”

“–Stop,” the Otherworlder interrupted. Even after all that happened, this girl was still after helping him? The Otherworlder found his eyebrows furrowed at the behavior of the knight. What kind of creed and honor made one act like this towards another? None.

Her actions weren’t fueled by something beautiful like honor.

It was but an attempt at escapism.

The Otherworlder inched closer to the bars of the cell and got on his knees. He slowly placed his palm over the hand of the knight, clasping the bars, holding her hand in a gentle embrace.

“Where are you going to?” Despite hearing everything Mathias said, the Otherworlder conveniently ignored it all and focused on the knight’s words. “Why are you leaving forever?”

She couldn’t move her eyes from the hand the Otherworlder had clasped as the knight’s breath quickened. Her heart pounded against her chest and her calm eyes started trembling. She tightened her grip around the bar of the cell and spoke up.

“They... they said that the hero died because... of me and, and then for the crime, they stripped me of my k-k-knighthood and...”

Like a child, the knight held back her tears with rough breaths. Without rushing her, the Otherworlder only held her hand tighter and waited for her to continue.

“And they se-sentenced me to death... They said, they said if I act out, they’ll kill my family and I came here for my last wish and, and to apologize for my promise and...”

Holding back just a few seconds more, the knight, the girl, broke into a fit of sobs. Tears streamed down her face and off her chin as her whole body trembled. She was afraid, scared, and hurt.

This poor girl was about to be hanged to death as a traitor to the kingdom for a crime she didn’t commit. To sentence this girl to death was none other than that princess’ ploy. She caught on the Otherworlder’s actions and sent ahead a test.

If the Otherworlder ignored the girl or expressed joy or any such emotion, it would be much safer for the princess to assume that he and Cockarista were indeed planning something. And if he tried to help her in naivete, she could get what she initially wanted, that being the Otherworlder’s loyalty.

That was all this girl amounted to. A mere pawn in the games of others. She was about to die for the Otherworlder. For the Otherworlder who didn’t know as much as her name.

With a pained smile, the Otherworlder only held her arm as the girl cried for a long time. She apologized over and over. She begged to be let go, to let live, and then cried some more. Without a word, the Otherworlder listened to her cry.

Soon, metallic footsteps made their way back to their ears. Mathias was coming back.

The sobbing girl’s face went pale once again. Her time was up. She reached into the cell and grabbed the hems of the Otherworlder’s sleeves.

“Why? Please, Sir Iatra, I don’t want to die. Why are they doing this to me? I don’t want to go, please, please keep me here. Please, I beg you!” She shook the Otherworlder and cried once more, her fear spilling right out of her chest. “Please, I won’t die, right? I don’t want to. Y-you, you decide everything with a coin, right? Then, then please, for me. I won’t die, right? If it’s heads then, please.”

The Otherworlder was stunned and appalled. His eyes remained cold, but his heart hurt at the girl’s state. This person was about to die for him, because of him. How could he just turn away?

Hesitantly, the Otherworlder reached into his pockets and pulled out a coin. The footsteps grew louder as he placed it on his thumb. With a deep breath, the Otherworlder flicked the coin upward and launched it into the sky.

-Step

The coin soared over his hand, rotating like a top while gaining height.

-Step

It peaked at the top as if stopping midair. The coin flipped again and slowly started its descent.

-Step

The footsteps were closer than ever. Forming a giant arc above his hand, the coin soared back down. Heads and tails seemed to have merged into one as the coin relentlessly flipped on its way down. Right before it could fall down, the Otherworlder’s hand appeared out of nowhere and clutched the coin in his arms.

“Time’s up, criminal wench. We’re going back.” Mathias scoffed again and grabbed the girl by her collar.

“Ah... ah...” Longing gasps left her as her eyes remained fixed on the Otherworlder’s hands. No matter how she looked, the Otherworlder kept his palm firmly closed, not letting her get as much as a peek.

The girl remained stuck in her position as Mathias dragged her away from their sight and out of the cells.

Only after he was sure that she had left did the Otherworlder open his arms and look at the coin.

‘Sir Cockarista...’

‘Yes.’

‘Can we push up our escape plan?’

‘Of course, lad. Let’s all of us get out.’