NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2
“Since we’re innocent, let’s break out!”
Agartha’s words, delivered with her characteristic smile, were quite shocking.
Isn’t this just like saying, since we’ve been falsely accused of a crime, why not go ahead and actually commit one?
Agartha, oblivious to my thoughts, excitedly raised her finger and exclaimed, “There are no guards, and this is the perfect time!”
The Hunter, who had been looking utterly exhausted just moments ago, seemed intrigued as he shifted his gaze towards Agartha.
“Is there any proof that no one is outside?”
“I have great hearing.”
Agartha tapped her ear.
Given that I had been treated like a psychopath for saying something earlier, Agartha’s hearing must really be exceptional.
“Even though it confused me when Tanton came… the fact that we can’t see any guards during mealtime must mean something has gone wrong.”
While her argument relied heavily on her senses, I knew from the prologue that what she said was true. Outside, everyone had been killed by a single Outsider.
I was the strange one for ending up in a place like this.
“Alright, I’ll accept that. But what are your thoughts on how we’ll escape?”
The Hunter twisted the wooden handcuffs binding his wrists, speaking with doubt.
“With these on, we can’t do anything.”
“Oh, that’s easy.”
With that, she began to mumble something.
Curious about what she was doing, I watched alongside the Hunter until suddenly Agartha stuck out her tongue.
“Bleh 
.”
Is she trying to pick a fight?
The Hunter sighed at the sight and shook his head.
“…I can’t believe I fell for that. The words of a crafty Thief really….”
“Hey, can’t you see this?”
As I examined the mumbling Thief closely, I noticed the tip of her moving tongue was slightly curled.
On the top of her pink tongue, there was a needle the size of a pinky finger, glistening with saliva.
Wait, she’s been talking normally with that thing in her mouth?
Is she actually a human contortionist instead of just a Thief?
Agartha deftly rolled the needle with her tongue and flicked it into the keyhole of her handcuffs.
She twisted her fingers to maneuver the needle’s tip through the unreachable hole, back and forth.
“If I move this here and lift this…”
Click!
The wooden handcuffs fell to the prison floor as Agartha wriggled her freed fingers.
“Ahh, much better.”
“…Impressive trick.”
“If I couldn’t do this, I wouldn’t be a Thief, would I?”
“Didn’t you say you were innocent?”
“…When you point things out one by one, it doesn’t reflect well on your character, Tanton.”
Agartha, now with her hands free, covered my mouth with a mischievous smile.
“Enough with the nonsense, hurry and free us.”
At the Hunter’s command, Agartha seemed to get up to approach him but suddenly halted and began grinning playfully.
“Hmm, that does sound right.”
“What are you doing?”
“If I don’t set you free, Hunter, you’ll have to stay like this, right?”
The Hunter’s expression darkened at her odd statement.
So, it seems we’re still on the path set by the original story.
At the beginning, the Thief would say something like that to the protagonist, leading to a response of “Get lost, I don’t need you.”
Then the Thief would leave first, and the story would kick off once the Hunter escaped.
And in this sequence, Agartha would end up dying.
Without any dramatic scene, it’d just get described as “a cold corpse” during the item discovery phase.
“Why are you speaking such obvious things like they’re profound?” (Hunter)
“Isn’t that a bit rude to the one unlocking your cuffs? Be a little more polite.” (Agartha)
I couldn’t help but wonder what the Hunter would say next. After all, the traits he exhibited were likely those of the original protagonist.
“You seem to have the luxury for jokes, so hurry up and unlock us.” (Hunter)
“Oh, no, I can’t do that. I’m a good Thief who only listens to good children.” (Agartha)
Her use of the word “children” seemed to strike a nerve, causing the Hunter to flinch dramatically.
While it felt terrible when it happened to me, seeing it from the perspective of an outsider added a twist.
This is absolutely hilarious!
“Low-class people sure can’t hide their smell (true nature).” (Hunter)
“Ah, well, that won’t do. It’s better for bad children to just stay here.” (Agartha)
With those words, Agartha turned around to approach me, and the Hunter closed his eyes tightly, letting out a heavy sigh.
“Just get lost. I don’t need any meddling hands on my treatment.” (Hunter)
As expected, that fits the original character pretty well. The Hunter’s personality seems to match mine better than I thought.
Wait a minute, thinking about it, this isn’t the time to be enjoying things!
If we leave the Hunter here alone, I’m going to end up dead alongside the Thief!
Agartha slowly approached me.
“Alright, Mr. Tanton, I’ll free your cuffs.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“Today’s one thank you has been added to your account. See? I really am a good Thief.”
Agartha smirked while looking at the Hunter.
“The Hunter won’t be getting unlocked, though.” (Agartha)
It seemed she was still riled up from earlier when he mentioned something about her smell.
It might be because there were no such lines in the source material, but she was sounding more irritable than usual.
The Hunter said nothing in response.
He probably felt confident enough to escape alone on his own, regardless of what was said.
“If you beg me nicely now, I might let you go… Mr. Tanton?”
Ignoring Agartha, I stepped closer to the Hunter.
This was definitely not a gesture of goodwill.
I needed to stick with the Hunter to survive!
My life is what matters here!
“Hunter.”
“…”
“What are you doing? Get up already.”
He didn’t seem upset or anything.
He looked deep in thought, likely considering what to do now that he considered us worthless.
No way, you fool!
Agartha was destined to die, but I wasn’t!
If this continues, I’d surely end up a cold corpse right beside the Thief!
At times like these, it’s essential to take drastic measures.
Even as a newcomer who’s only played part of the early sections, I’ve heard enough in the community to know what to do.
If I don’t use my knowledge of the source material now, when will I?
I placed my hand on the Hunter’s shoulder and whispered.
“If you leave me behind, you won’t be able to defeat that Outsider here, you know?”
“What?”
I noticed his pupils widening.
Before he could even ask where I’d heard that from, I quickly silenced him with a whisper.
“I’ll help you if you calm down.”
Looking at his still startled eyes, I realized leaving him like this would lead to more panic.
So I quickly grabbed his shoulders and shook him back and forth.
Caught off guard by my sudden action, the Hunter couldn’t react in time and let out a strange sound resembling “grrr.”
Only after that did he finally start glaring at me like I was a dead man walking.
“What the hell are you doing?”
His gaze was still fierce, but it was clear it had softened compared to moments ago.
It seemed my mention of the Outsider had struck a chord.
“Why are you sulking again? Agartha was just joking around.”
I sneaked a glance at Agartha as I said that. She seemed to be mouthing ‘You’re serious…’ so I pretended to swing at her with one arm, and only then did she awkwardly chuckle.
The Hunter looked back and forth between Agartha and me, letting out a deep sigh.
“Who gets upset over something so childish?” (Hunter)
That would be you.
My inner thoughts, however, remained unspoken.
“Well, regardless, it’s not like you can do anything on your own. At least look at me, okay?”
The Hunter met my gaze for a moment, then silently stood up.
Suddenly, there was a cracking sound echoing in the air.
With a loud bang, the Hunter’s hands were finally free.
“…Huh?”
Agartha looked genuinely shocked, her pupils slightly dilated as she stared at the Hunter.
The Hunter, seemingly unfazed by her gaze, casually shrugged his shoulders and loosened his body.
“Why act friendly when we barely know each other?”
He said this with his eyes half-closed, but it was obvious he was talking to me.
“They say if you brush against someone in this life, you’re fated to be deeply connected in the next.”
I recited a saying I’d heard long ago, but the Hunter dismissed my words with indifference, as if they weren’t worth his time.
What a jerk.
If the Hunter hadn’t been such a top-tier badass, I wouldn’t have been able to hold back a swift smack to the head.
As he brushed past me, he walked straight to the prison door and grabbed the handle.
“So what’s the plan?”
“Excuse me?”
Agartha gave a blank response, seemingly unable to keep up with the sudden question, prompting the Hunter to snort in disdain.
“You didn’t seriously think you could flap your lips so confidently without a plan, did you?”
It finally clicked for Agartha, who exclaimed, “Oh, of course! I’m not that thoughtless!”
While saying this, she quickly approached the door and started fiddling with the latch, jabbing a pin into the lock and shaking it around.
“By the way, if you were able to leave on your own, why were you just sitting here?” (Agartha)
“What was I supposed to do?” (Hunter)
“Oh, come on, stop being so prickly! Let’s just get out, okay?”
Did you realize you were about to get wrecked, huh, Agartha?
Thanks to me, I just saved you.
A sigh escaped my lips involuntarily.
At least now, the sharp edge he had shown earlier had faded, and he was teasing Agartha, who was taking a lot of time trying to unlock the door.
“How could a great thief have trouble with something like this?” (Hunter)
“Come on! You can’t do it either! It’s been a while, and it’s all rusty!” (Agartha)
“Excuses galore.”
“Should I just give up then?”
“In that case, we can just break it down.”
“Then they’ll hear us!”
Suddenly, Agartha, who had shifted into the rational one, tackled the Hunter while fervently focusing on the pin.
Watching their bickering, I felt a sense of relief.
We had successfully doused the immediate flames of chaos.
But wait, is it really okay to change the story like this?
Who knows, damn it.
I’m about to bite the dust here; does it really matter if the story shifts?
With the sound of the door creaking open, I heard Agartha calling for me.
“Mr. Tanton, what are you zoning out for?”
“Coming.”
Isn’t it better if we just make it work somehow?