I Am Really The Best Anti Hero In Another World!-System Of Anti Hero! novel Chapter 45

Chapter 45 - 45 - Frozen Fire – Part 3

The room fell completely silent after that question, but then—breaking the silence and showing in his eyes and on his face the deep despair he felt at that moment—the old man asked:

— ...Can you help her or not...?

"..."

"Come on, boy, answer quickly, because I won't..."

"Okay...!" Noah closed his eyes and, after a deep sigh, said:

— ...I can help her...

Upon hearing this, the old man displayed a faint trace of happiness on his face and asked:

— Then, what do you need to make that happen?

Noah paused for a moment. His body wasn't moving exactly as he wanted—not because of the pressure imposed by the old man, but because of something else, a force that both compelled him to get closer to her and yet prevented him from doing so. He looked at the man hesitantly and said:

— ...I... need to be alone with her for a while.

After hearing Noah's answer, the woman standing just behind the old man began to walk slowly toward Noah and exclaimed:

— Not even in your dreams! You little—!

The dagger's blade was nearly drawn from its sheath.

The old man quickly raised his arm to stop her from passing, looked at Noah, and said:

— ...I'll ask you one last time, so you'd better be sure of your answer... Can you really heal her?

"...Yes..."

The old man examined Noah from head to toe, and after a few seconds of silence, said:

— ...Let's go.

He passed by Noah and walked toward the door.

"What?! But, sir...!"

Noah then looked at the woman, who—almost unwillingly—glanced at him and walked past him with clear disdain. The blade was hastily drawn back into its sheath, much to her discontent.

'What the hell is wrong with this old woman...?' Noah thought.

The woman passed the old man and left through the door, but before he did the same—with his hand resting on the door—the old man looked at Noah and said:

— Many have lied to me in the past, and none of them are with us today. Truly... I hope you keep your word, because if you fail, you'll soon find yourself facing them all.

What the old man hadn't expected was for the boy to smile in response after those words.

After the two left the room, Noah sighed and wondered to himself:

'The situation isn't exactly favorable, is it...? What should I do now?'

[You just need to remove the flame from the girl, right...?]

'Ah, thanks so much for stating the obvious. That was a huge help.'

[You don't have much time, Noah; the girl will surely die in a few days.]

'Again—another very useful and encouraging bit of information... So what should I do to remove the Frozen Fire from her? It would be a waste to come all this way and leave something like that behind.'

[The part of your phoenix lineage is reacting to the flame—it's why you're feeling that pain.]

'But if I successfully remove the flame, she will recover, right?'

[Affirmative!]

[She will awaken exactly 3 days after the flame's removal. However, depending on the severity of her condition, it may be impossible for her to continue cultivating thereafter.]

'That doesn't matter to me... I said I'd help her with the flame, but I never promised to help her cultivate.'

[...]

[So, what are you waiting for to get started...?]

'Hey, I'm not a masochist! Anyone would hesitate in a situation like this...'

Noah sighed deeply. He opened his eyes and took the first step toward the bed—his body felt as if it were about to explode. It was as though an intense force was both pushing him and pulling him toward the girl, and he had to fight against both to reach his goal.

His veins bulged from the very first step, now pushed to their limit—a body that had only just superficially recovered was being thrust once more into danger.

'Hmm, I wonder how frequently these kinds of situations will occur from now on... Damn! This really hurts... so much!'

He felt blood trickling from his ears and nose, pooling in his mouth.

'Almost there... just one more...!'

The pressure subsided. After the final step, Noah vomited all the blood beside the bed and, as he stood up, he drew back the curtains while wiping the blood from his lips.

'Hmm... she's not that bad, I suppose.'

[Say that when your heart starts beating again, please.]

[Doing it now is too miserable...]