Chapter 221: Living Freely

"If you want to leave that badly, then go by yourself, Viktor! You always try to decide everything for me without asking me. I’m sick of it! I came to this world because I was told I could live freely, but as long as I’m with you, I have no freedom at all! I have always been grateful to you. In a world where I didn’t know right from left, you understood that I came from another world and told me that I could rely on you. I can never thank you enough for that! But I’ve reached my limit. I have my own will. I’m not your puppet, Viktor!"

After Qiu Nuoya finally said everything he had been holding back, the room fell completely silent.

"Nuoya, that was not what I intended..."

"I know you’re trying to protect me. I know you worry about me and try to anticipate every possible danger so that I never have to face it. But I can’t abandon everyone who has become involved with me up until now, and I have no intention of doing so!"

Qiu Nuoya did not believe that he could somehow stop the Monster Stampede himself. Even so, if there was anything, no matter how small, that he could do, he wanted to give it everything he had. Faced with a disaster, he simply could not bring himself to stand safely on the sidelines and watch. And there was no way he could abandon everything and flee with Viktor, leaving the two of them alone.

"Well, this time, I’m on Nuoya’s side too. I know how much you care about him, Viktor, but you’re forcing your feelings on him. Anticipating every possible danger and shutting down every option without even considering what he wants is nothing more than self-satisfaction. Forcing your self-righteous kindness on someone who never asked for it is nothing but a burden, Viktor."

"Ah... Igor, what could you possibly understand about..."

"Your regrets belong to you alone. Don’t force them onto Nuoya. I understand that you want to learn from the past and somehow make things right, but that doesn’t give you the right to force your choices on someone else."

"Then what am I supposed to do!? Am I supposed to stand by silently while Nuoya willingly walks into danger? Am I supposed to simply watch as he follows the same path as the people I failed to protect in the past, without doing anything!?"

"No, that’s not what I’m saying!"

This was the first time Qiu Nuoya had ever seen Igor and Viktor argue like this. The two of them usually maintained a comfortable distance from each other. Viktor occasionally treated Alan rather coldly, but Igor always brushed it off with a laugh.

"I have regrets too. I failed to protect the people I was supposed to protect, and as a result, I ruined both my own life and my family’s. But those regrets belong to me alone. They aren’t something I should make someone else carry. What you should be doing is protecting Nuoya with everything you’ve got. You’re a Rank A adventurer, aren’t you!? You’re a stronger mage than anyone else, and you have the power to protect Nuoya. Unlike me, you have the strength to protect the people who depend on you. So don’t run away! There is no future for those who refuse to do what they must!"

Igor usually went out of his way to show Viktor respect, and Viktor himself seemed to hold Igor in a certain regard because of that. But now, Igor was genuinely scolding Viktor.

"What exactly is this ’what I must do’? Is it sending Nuoya into danger? What exactly do you think will be accomplished by doing that?"

"That is..."

"If you cannot answer, then do not interfere with matters that do not concern you."

Igor raised his head as though he had something he wanted to say, then hesitated as if he could not bring himself to put it into words. His hand repeatedly clenched and relaxed restlessly. It was an unusual gesture for Igor, who was normally never one to mince his words, and Qiu Nuoya felt a faint sense of unease.

"Igoe, is there something you want to say?"

At Qiu Nuoya’s casual question, Igor looked at him in surprise.

"W-What?"

"Hmm? I mean, I’m not sure exactly what, but... is there something?"

Qiu Nuoya had not actually thought there was anything behind Igor’s behavior, but his reaction only made Qiu Nuoya’s unease more pronounced.

Is Igor hiding something?

Igoe was straightforward and not the kind of man who kept secrets. Yet it was obvious that he was struggling to say something now.

"A secret? It’s not that, is it?"

"If there is something you want to say, then say it. Since we’re already at this point, why don’t we speak honestly with one another? If you want to insult me, then go ahead. If you want to laugh at me and call me a coward, I do not mind that either. I have no intention of believing that I am in the wrong."

Faced with Viktor’s confrontational attitude, Igor shook his head.

"That’s not it."

He then let out a sigh.

"Never mind. Now that I think about it, criticizing your choices would only be me forcing my own views on you. I’ll respect Nuoya’s wishes. That’s all I need to do."

With that, Igor turned toward Shangguan Wan’er and the princes.

"I want to help you deal with the magic accumulation. Would it be all right if I came along with you?"

Prince Leonhart smiled.

"I couldn’t ask for anything better. The more companions we have, the better."

"Oh, then I’ll come too!"

Qiu Nuoya raised his hand, following Igor’s lead.

"Nuoya, you absolutely not!"

Viktor immediately objected.

But Qiu Nuoya had no intention of listening.

"I told you already, didn’t I? If you want to go, then go by yourself, Viktor. I’m the one who decided my own life. I’m Xiao Tao’s guardian, and Long is my tamed monster. Of course I’m going with them."