He Became the Only Ally of the Abandoned Warrior

“Even right after saving Lucy, things were awkward.”

“Awkward with me?”

“Exactly.”

“Is it because I was hostile to Luciena?”

Lin quietly observed her before standing up and dusting the sand off his pants. The sand was piled up in various places on his trousers.

“Well, that’s because…”

Even though he felt a familiar sense from her, he found it strange that she was prying.

“You weren’t really interested in me before, were you?”

For some reason, Tigrea felt a sharp pain in her chest when she heard those words.

“Ah, you’ve finally regained consciousness. It’s been a whole day.”

Tigrea explained that she had cast an emergency random teleportation spell. As a result, they had teleported to ruins filled with sand, where the unconscious Lin was discovered by explorers who had been conducting research there.

The leader of the exploration team was a middle-aged man with a splendid mustache. His well-defined muscles and equally well-tanned skin emphasized his masculinity.

“At first, we thought a monster from the ruins had awakened, but fortunately, it was just a mage. It’s truly fortunate for both you and us.”

It was a typical situation, but if the teleportation coordinates had been off, their bodies could have merged with objects, resulting in fatal injuries. Fortunately, Lin and Tigrea had teleported without such accidents.

The explorers who found them had initially been on guard, but after Tigrea demonstrated some simple magic, they quickly relaxed and welcomed them. This was unusual behavior for explorers, known for their exclusivity, but there was a reason.

“In the past few weeks, our members have been dying one by one during the nights.”

The exploration leader stroked his mustache, his expression serious.

“And the dead members were all shriveled up like mummies, completely drained of blood.”

The mage flinched at his words. Lin, too, could easily guess the culprit.

Denaruah.

She was the twin-sword-wielding vampire of the demon mage’s party, and she was undoubtedly lurking in these ruins.

It wasn’t a difficult deduction. In the memories of his past life as Mr. Lee, the bosses that appeared from this point onward were all predetermined.

The palace attack in the story was also caused by Lina Sien’s recklessness, and the event where the mage teleported with the porter was a scripted event that occurred once certain conditions were met.

This teleportation event led to an episode that was crucial for both Lin and Tigrea.

“I have a request. Judging by the state of the bodies, it’s clearly not a simple physical-type monster. It’s definitely something magical.”

In other words, since we found and protected you, we want you to solve the serial murders happening in our camp.

Contrary to Lin’s expectation that Tigrea would take the lead, she subtly glanced at him, waiting. With no other choice, Lin accepted the request himself.

“Understood. But in return, we want access to explore the ruins. The monster didn’t just appear out of nowhere, so we need to investigate the ruins to find its origin.”

“Of course. While you’re at it, I’d also appreciate it if you could protect our members.”

As Lin shook the leader’s hand, he subtly tested Lin’s strength by applying pressure. However, Lin, despite being a porter, was part of the Hero’s party. Matching the leader’s strength, Lin held his ground, causing the leader’s smile to fade.

“Are the two of you lovers?”

What should he answer? The answer was obvious. Just as Lin was about to give the correct response, Tigrea beat him to it.

“Yes, we are lovers.”

“Oh, I had a feeling since the moment you two arrived together.”

Lin shot her a bewildered look, but Tigrea maintained her gaze on the exploration leader without flinching. In fact, her normally expressionless eyes held a hint of anxiety.

“You make a lovely couple.”

The leader’s mustache twisted into an unpleasant grin. This meant that Tigrea had given the wrong answer.

“Captain!”

A freckled girl with orange hair came rushing into the tent. After saluting, she glanced nervously at the new arrivals. But for some reason, her gaze carried a hint of hostility.

“What is it?”

“We’ve discovered a new chamber in the ruins!”

“That’s great news! Linna, well done. Let’s have dinner together later.”

“Really?!”

She was overjoyed, even though it was just a dinner invitation. Lin, who knew why, frowned.

“How about you two?”

“No, thank you.”

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

“We appreciate the offer, but since the murders happen at night, we should start investigating this evening.”

“You’re reliable! I’ll trust you with it.”

Linna, the freckled girl, was visibly displeased with our refusal, but the leader seemed relieved. It wasn’t because the exploration team was short on food. Tigrea’s refusal had simply aligned with his preferences.

After leaving the leader’s tent, we looked around. Tents and makeshift camps were scattered across the sandy landscape, with a large, partially collapsed palace in the distance. The exploration team was investigating the ruins of this ancient palace.

At first glance, it seemed no different from any other expedition searching for ancient mysteries. But Lin quickly noticed three peculiarities.

First, all the explorers busy studying the ruins were women. Their appearances and expressions varied, but they all seemed diligent.

Second, Tigrea held some animosity towards the exploration leader.

“I don’t like that man.”

Back in the room with the open sky, Tigrea confessed this to Lin without hesitation.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard you openly dislike someone.”

“I generally dislike people, but his eyes are particularly creepy.”

Lin was a bit surprised. Tigrea, during the DLC playthrough, had maintained an emotionless doll-like state. Yet here she was, expressing dislike for someone based solely on first impressions and emotional intuition.

“It’s a look I’ve seen before.”

“Tigrea?”

“A look that ‘we’ have seen before.”

Draped in her robe, she muttered rapidly, almost as if she were hyperventilating. Feeling a sense of foreboding, Lin placed a hand on her shoulder, only for her to grab his arm tightly.

“I don’t like that man. It’s the look the ‘Original’ warned me about.”

“…I see.”

This was unexpected. That she was so unsettled just because of the exploration leader. Lin had thought there would be a more fundamental reason.

“Why did you say we were lovers?”

“If you didn’t like it, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not that I didn’t like it. I just didn’t think you’d say something like that without a reason.”

Tigrea looked down at the arm she was holding. Even that small action brought her some comfort. No wonder Luciena had tried to stay close to Lin.

“The exploration leader looked at me with desire. And something about it was twisted.”

“If a woman feels that way, it’s almost always correct. Be careful.”

“A woman? Me?”

“Yes, isn’t that right?”

“I’ve never thought of myself that way. My identity as a mage is the strongest.”

“A female mage, then.”

Lin gently withdrew his arm. Tigrea reluctantly let go, even though she was hesitant. Clinging to his arm wouldn’t have looked good, so she held back.

“Whether male or female, you should be wary of anyone who threatens your body.”

“That’s only natural.”

“Sexually, too.”

“Sexually?”

“Someone who tries to create a situation or physically assault you is also a threat.”

After a moment of thought, Lin continued.

“Or are you the type who’s okay with it if there’s a reasonable price?”

“Absolutely not.”

The immediate response surprised even Tigrea herself. It felt as if someone else had answered for her. Perhaps it was a value instilled in her when she was created.

Relieved by her answer, Lin smiled slightly.

“As I thought, you, who studies affection, would answer that way.”

“…Yes. Acts without affection are unacceptable.”

For now, he was reassured. She didn’t seem too curious about that aspect yet.

“Excuse me.”

With a knock, a member of the exploration team entered. It was the freckled girl from earlier.

“The captain asked me to give you these.”

She handed over a long, light robe called a caftan, worn to protect against the sun in the desert.

“Thank you, and your locket is open.”

“Ah!”

The freckled girl, Linna, hastily fixed her outfit. Indeed, her clothes were disheveled, as if she had just been involved in something intense.

“Is that a picture of a brother?”

“Oh… no, it’s someone important….”

“Are they alive?”

“What?”

Lin smiled bitterly.

“All the people important to me died when I was young.”

“They’re alive! Don’t just assume they’re dead! I’ve promised that when I make enough money, we’ll live together!”

Linna, who had burst out in anger, was shocked at herself. Not at her outburst, but at the fact that she had just committed a betrayal against someone she held dear.

“Anyway, I’ve delivered the message!”

After Linna left, the mage remained silent. By the time Lin had swept the sand into a pile and made a comfortable spot to lie down, Tigrea finally spoke.

“Lin, I need to emphasize something again.”

Her voice was almost imperceptibly agitated.

“I despise NTR (Netorare).”

Despisal... Such words were unlike her, but Lin nodded in agreement. After all, that mustached exploration leader was a classic netorare man.

He preyed on women who had joined the expedition out of financial necessity, particularly targeting those with a crush or a significant other, enjoying corrupting them. However, he showed no interest in women who were already attracted to him or were unattached.

“I hope you trust me.”

“Of course.”

But in that sense, Tigrea’s declaration that they were lovers was a complete mistake. It piqued the leader’s interest.

Lin would now have to manage the mage’s affection and mental state. If he didn’t,

Tigrea might not be able to resist her curiosity and fall for the exploration leader’s advances, just as her ‘Original’ had.

But Lin only had the memories of his past life as Mr. Lee, so he knew nothing about the process of Tigrea’s ‘Original’ committing such a betrayal.

After all, that story was only hinted at as an Easter egg.

“Please, just trust me.”

“I do trust you. I do.”

“For someone who says that, your response is rather dry.”

Despite her weak emotional responses, Tigrea expected a heartfelt answer from Lin. Seeing his discomfort, Lin decided to change the subject to something that Tigrea would find both concerning and unavoidable.

“Mage, by the way, where are we?”

“…….”

As expected, Tigrea fell silent. But Lin didn’t stop pressing.

“I’m not asking because I don’t know.”

He deftly unfolded the caftan, holding it out so the mage could easily slip it on.

“The City of Sorrow, Gillesman.”

“How did you know…?”

Random teleportation draws on coordinates deeply embedded in the caster’s subconscious. Therefore, it usually takes you to a place with strong memories, whether good or bad, engraved in the heart.

“I’m the only one who knows your secret.”

Although it felt like Denaruah might know as well, she was a demon, so let’s exclude her. After all, Lin had entrusted himself to Tigrea for this very reason.

The City of Sorrow, Gillesman.

The capital of an old kingdom where the second Hero was falsely executed. Now, it’s a faded city of glory, only visited by explorers researching ancient mysteries.

Here, Lin must change his class to a combat role,

And Tigrea must obtain her exclusive item and enhance her abilities.

All while dealing with the advances of the netorare man and fighting Denaruah, who lurks within the palace ruins.

________________________________

TL Corner:

"Netorare" (often abbreviated as NTR) is a genre or trope commonly found in Japanese adult media, particularly in manga, anime, and visual novels. The term comes from the Japanese words "寝取られ" (pronounced "ne-torare"), which roughly translates to "cuckoldry" or "being taken away while asleep."

In NTR stories, the central theme revolves around one character, usually the protagonist's romantic partner, being seduced or taken away by another character. This often leads to feelings of betrayal, jealousy, and emotional turmoil for the protagonist. The genre can evoke strong emotional reactions from viewers or readers, which is part of what makes it both controversial and impactful.

In the context of the story, Tigrea's dislike for "NTR" suggests a strong aversion to betrayal in romantic or intimate relationships, particularly the kind where a lover is taken by someone else.