A Mob Character Who Just Wants to Get Banished and Escape This Death Game vs. The Party Members Driven Mad by the Radiance of His Brilliance - Chapter 5

“Morglaid, please… just tell me how to bring Isfana back to her senses.”

Right after finishing our mission at the front line—and shaking off Isfana—I clung to Morglaid for help.
He always acts like he knows more than he lets on, and I was betting on that now more than ever.

Just thinking about Isfana’s sticky, obsessive gaze during the trolley ride home was enough to make me want to die.
If I had to be stared at like that for the rest of my life, I’d rather drop dead right now.

“Hmm, what to do… I mean, I honestly don’t care what happens to you.”

“Please—I’ll do anything you ask.”

I bowed my head low.
Above me, I heard Morglaid sigh.

“Fine, fine. I’ll help you. Not because of any reward or favor—it’s just, well… I feel bad for Isfana. It’s pitiful seeing her like that. And I am a friend to all adorable girls, after all.”

He gave me an exaggerated wink.

I stared at him coldly.
He only smiled back with amusement.

“Aren’t you the one who came to me for help? I could just stand back and enjoy watching you get chased around by her, you know.”

“I’m sorry. Please, I’m begging you—just save me.”

At this point, I didn’t care about pride or appearances. I immediately dropped to my knees and prostrated myself.

Morglaid nodded, clearly enjoying it, then tapped his chin in thought.

“Still… if I just tell you what to do and you mess it up, you’ll end up stepping on a landmine—and hurting her even more.”

“Yeah… better I just give you a hint.”

His smile faded.

As he brushed past me, he leaned in and whispered into my ear:

“Think carefully about Isfana’s Geis.”

And with that cryptic line, he walked away.

I turned the words over in my mouth.

“Her geis…”

In this world, a geis is a magical binding placed on all hunters from birth.
Unlike fae, who can use magic naturally, humans can only wield it by placing restrictions on themselves.

It’s a very game-like mechanic, in hindsight.

Each hunter has a different geis, but it’s always something extremely difficult—something deeply personal and binding.

Mine, for instance, is “never retreat.”
Which, as someone trying to escape from this death game called Hunters of the Faeries, is downright cruel.

Even thinking about running away causes my magic power to plummet.
In exchange, I’ve gained powerful and surprisingly useful magic—but still, it’s a damn nuisance.

As for Isfana’s geis… yeah, now that I think about it, it was very her.

I still remember how oddly fitting it felt when I first heard it.

“Wasn’t her geis… to have someone she could genuinely pledge loyalty to?”

It’s hard to imagine, right?
Someone like Isfana, who’s constantly acting superior, wagging her tail for someone else?

She won’t even take orders from me without complaining.

But she really does have magic befitting a genius.
Which means… she’s been following her geis all this time.

That means there must be someone out there she’s devoted herself to.
Someone she swore true loyalty to.

Honestly, I even felt a bit of respect for whoever managed to tame her like that.

Because I? I had no idea how to get Isfana to kneel before anyone.

◆◆◆◆◆

“So, are you planning to steal my bed again tonight?”

“…Shut up.”

Isfana looked away, lightly tugging at my sleeve.

Her wrist—and mine—were now shackled together with three iron cuffs, far thicker than the ones from last night.

Apparently, she was still pretty upset about me tearing through the last set and escaping.

Morglaid had called her a “cute girl,” but seriously—what part of this chain-obsessed lunatic is cute?

Well, whatever.
If a bit of metal could really keep me tied down, I wouldn’t be a hunter to begin with.
I’d just wait for my chance and slip back under the lounge sofa like last time.

…Or so I was thinking, until Isfana shot me a sharp glare.

“Just so you know—if you try to run again tonight, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Her hand clenched tighter around mine.

Breathing hard, she dug her nails into my shoulder.

“I’m not threatening you. I really don’t know what I’d do.”

There was something terrifyingly unhinged in her eyes—
as if even she was scared of how far her emotions could push her.

The moment I saw that, a primal alarm bell went off in my head.
Disobeying her right now would be like poking a high-tier fae with a stick.

My soul screamed at me to back down.

“Alright, fine. At least for tonight… I won’t try to escape.”

“…Then… please. Let me believe you.”

I averted my gaze from that small back, then wrapped myself in a blanket and distanced myself from Isfana.

◆◆◆◆◆

It happened late at night, some time after we had dimmed the lights.

For some reason, I felt unbearably hot and couldn’t sleep. I awoke, and the reason soon became clear.

A pair of pale, slender legs were wrapped around me.

As if she fancied herself a koala, Isfana had clung tightly to my back and fallen asleep.

In the darkness, I could feel her warmth seeping into me. Her arms were wrapped around my shirt from behind, gripping me more tightly than I’d expected—and I was already growing weary of it.

“It’s hot. Let go of me.”

“……”

But no reply came—only silence.

It seemed I wouldn’t be able to escape tonight either. Letting out a sigh, I closed my eyes.

That’s when I felt it—my shirt gradually growing damp.

“Isfana?”

“I don’t want this… I don’t want to be alone anymore…”

Her voice, muffled against my back, trembled as though she were about to cry. It was likely just sleep-talking, but hearing it made me feel terribly awkward.

Her grip on my back grew even stronger.

Her nails dug in, sharp enough to hurt. Perhaps caught in a nightmare, Isfana pressed her forehead into me, tears falling freely.

Droplets from her eyes soaked into my shirt, leaving a soft warmth behind.

“Mikkanen… Mikkanen… don’t go… please don’t leave me…”

Hearing my name suddenly whispered like that startled me. But even more surprising was the way Isfana, frail and frightened like a lost child, trembled in fear.

I had never heard her like this before. I no longer had any idea what was going on inside her mind.

Hadn’t she always scorned me as ordinary? She insulted me, turned away whenever I tried to speak—wasn’t it all because she despised me?

And yet… why did she sound so heartbroken calling my name now?

“No… no… Mikkanen… I’m begging you… don’t leave me behind…”

Her quiet sobs unraveled into the silence of the bedchamber. I had never heard Isfana in such pain before.

All I could do was stay silent.