Chương 43: Reborn as the Dragon: — Chapter 43 - Killing with a Borrowed Blade

After a while, Mei Magogoko walked out of the room, her clothes neatly straightened, and gently pulled the door shut behind her. She felt nothing. She almost felt like laughing. There had been absolutely no opening to act. She'd originally wanted to kill the old mage outright. But this was fine. If killing Meisente directly wasn't an option, she had other methods. It would've been hard to explain to the soldiers anyway, but if someone else did the killing, none of it would trace back to her.

Everything would fall into place on its own. With that settled, she smoothed the hair at her forehead, straightened her clothes, and arranged her face back into that soft, pitiable expression that made men want to wrap her in cotton wool. She glanced around. The other players were all absorbed in their own business. Nobody was watching. She tiptoed to the other side of the Starter Village and knocked on a door. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" This was the room of a Great Knight attached to the army, Weimons, level 26, and the strongest fighter here besides Grand Mage Meisente. Through her Appraisal Art, she'd picked up one more useful detail: Great Knight Weimons was the one who actually ran this army. He hadn't gone to sleep yet. When he heard that soft, lilting voice outside his door, he paused. He hesitated for a moment, then crossed the room and opened it. In the pale moonlight stood a beauty, timid and uncertain.

Her lips were lightly caught between her teeth, her shoulders bare, her eyes gleaming with a faint mist that looked ready to spill over. Weimons was a seasoned soldier, but Anlius was a backwater by anyone's measure. He had never in his life seen a woman like this. And Mei Magogoko wasn't just any woman. She was a modern person yanked out of the Blue Planet and dropped into this game. She was bolder than the women of this world, and she understood men in ways they couldn't even articulate. She'd run a brothel.

Every relevant skill was maxed. The combined effect hit Weimons like a battering ram. He didn't stand a chance. He did, at least, maintain basic knightly dignity, he didn't grab at her the way Meisente had, shamelessly and without restraint.

"This, uh... Miss Gogoko," he managed.

"Weren't you just discussing magical theory with Master Meisente?"

"I was," she said, her voice soft and trailing.

"But we finished~" She stepped forward and pressed herself gently against his chest. One pale, delicate hand rested over his heart, tracing slow little circles.

"Master Meisente said my talent is... limited. So we stopped. But he said if I wanted to keep learning, I'd have to... I'd have to let him... let him..." Her voice broke. Large tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks. She looked up at him, her gaze swimming with sorrow, her soft hand curling around his arm as she pressed closer and let the whole wretched story pour out between hitched breaths.

"I thought... I thought Grand Mage Meisente was a respectable elder. That's why I trusted him. I never imagined he would..."

"I said no. And then he threw me out. I had nowhere to go. That's why I came here." You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. She bit her lip. Her eyes lifted to his, devastated and hopeful all at once.

"Brother Knight... could you let me stay in your room tonight? Surely you wouldn't make Gogoko lie on that dirty ground out here all night, dressed like this?" As she spoke, she let her lower lip tremble just slightly. Her brows drew together in a portrait of grievance and fragile dignity. The tears kept coming, tracing quiet lines down her cheeks. Any normal man would've broken in five seconds. Weimons lasted maybe three.

"Ah — yes. Please, come in." He did have a passing suspicion. A man and a woman alone in a room, that was the sort of thing knights were supposed to notice. But she hadn't stayed with Meisente long. So maybe she really had gone to study magic. And then the shameless old lecher had tried to take advantage of her. And she'd refused. Given Meisente's reputation, that wasn't hard to believe at all.

By the time he finished working through it, every last trace of suspicion had dissolved, replaced entirely by tenderness and something warm stirring in his chest. What a remarkable girl. She'd faced down a mage of Meisente's power and hadn't bent an inch. She'd fought for her own honor. And the first thing she'd thought of, upon meeting a grand mage, was to ask him about magical theory, she was studious, too. Any children they had would be brilliant, obviously.

Great Knight Weimons turned this over in his mind with genuine seriousness. Would the child take her surname, or his, Thor? A boy could be Ergo Thor. A girl, perhaps Cynthia Gogoko. Nodding to himself, he ushered the bewitching Mei Magogoko inside. He only wanted to give her a warm place to stay. Absolutely nothing else. He was nothing like that degenerate Meisente. He was a knight, pure, honorable, and refined.... Magic required talent. Great Knight Weimons, it turned out, had none.

Mei Magogoko taught him without effort. Effortlessly, really. This particular student required almost no energy at all. But a good teacher looks after her students. So she stayed tucked against Weimons's side, soft and affectionate, gazing up at him with wide, adoring eyes. On the inside, she was quietly losing her mind. Are all the men in this world like this? That can't be right... She reached up and gave his very solid shoulder a puzzled little squeeze. Real. Definitely real.

Such a powerfully built man, and yet... Feeling her small hand on him, Weimons grinned, entirely convinced he'd already won her heart with his magnificent performance.

"Gogoko-chan," he said cheerfully, "don't worry. Stick with me, and I'll make you happy. I promise." Mei Magogoko stared at him.

"..." She swallowed the extremely colorful thing she wanted to say, pasted on the best smile she could manage, and chirped back sweetly, "I believe you completely. You'd better take good care of me~""Hohoho! Don't worry about that. I am a knight of honor. I will absolutely take good care of you." Weimons beamed with self-satisfaction, one large arm settling around her slender waist. He was in heaven. Mei Magogoko was perfect.

He'd made up his mind, once this dragon-slaying business was finished and he returned to the royal capital, he was bringing her with him. He would marry her. They would have children. He was already calculating how many should study magic versus how many should become knights, The woman in his arms suddenly burst into tears. His expression snapped to alarm. He immediately pulled her close and asked what was wrong.

"Brother Knight," she sobbed, "Gogoko likes you too. But I'm afraid we can never be together."

"What? Why?" He looked genuinely baffled.

"My rank as Great Knight is no obstacle — marrying you would be no problem at all. And I swear on my honor as a knight that I would be faithful to you. I mean every word." He patted his chest with great solemnity.

"It's not that," she whispered.

"It's Meisente. He... he said..." More tears.

"What did he say?"

"He said tomorrow he wants to continue our exchange. And if I refuse him..." She pressed her face against Weimons's chest.

"He'll kill me. I haven't even had a baby with you yet. I don't want to die..." Weimons's face went dark.

"Damn him. You are my woman. I will not allow that bastard to touch you." He was already moving to stand.

"You wait here. I'm going to kill him right now." Mei Magogoko caught his arm and pulled him back.

"Brother Knight. I know you'd do it for me."

"But he's very powerful. You might not be able to beat him — not head-on, with his robes and his staff." She pressed closer, voice dropping to something quiet and earnest.

"Wait until tomorrow night. I'll pretend to go along with the exchange. I'll get him out of his robes and away from his staff. Then you come in, and finish it." Weimons settled back down. His blood was still running hot, but his head was clearer. He gathered her into his arms, looking at her with an expression of deep, moved admiration, and let out a long sigh.

"You shouldn't have to go through this, my Gogoko."

"As long as I can be with Sir Knight," she murmured against his shoulder, "it's worth it." She lay there, warm and still, her cheek resting against him. The plan was already half done. The corner of her mouth curved up, just slightly, where he couldn't see it.. P. S.: Nobody actually thinks this woman is the female lead or a love interest, right? Just putting up a preemptive shield here. ➤ Next: The Cornerstone of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry