Chapter 221: Gentle Voice
"Who are you?" Ryūzetsu asked, trying to hide her weariness.
The figure stepped more into view, revealing a young man with silver hair, piercing eyes, and a purple rope strapped around his waist.
"Ryūzetsu," Arthur said, addressing her by name. "There's no need to hide your face in front of me."
Her immediate reaction was one of surprise, her muscles tensing at the implications of his words.
"How do you know my name?" she questioned while placing a hand on her weapon. "Are you the one guarding this scroll?"
"I'm just a passerby," he shrugged nonchalantly. "You're one of the few characters I know little about. But the real question is, why are you here?"
"What do you mean?" she shot back, narrowing her eyes at him.
What she really wanted to ask was what he meant by "characters."
"You're here because I led you here," Arthur stated with chilling calmness. "The world you're in is nothing but a front. All you do is wake up, work, and repeat that cycle, trapped in your own delusion of freedom. True freedom is in Christ, in whom you know not."
"Just what the heck are you saying?!" Ryūzetsu exclaimed in frustration.
She was bewildered by his cryptic words, which felt more like a riddle than any kind of threat. There was simply no point in trying to explain himself to an NPC.