Volume 2, Chapter 13 – Are You… Strong?

Because Karl and Yunchou had intentionally lowered their voices during their exchange, no one had heard the latter part of their conversation. So when Karl suddenly spoke up, everyone was speechless, unable to grasp what he meant.

“Captain? What are you saying? There’s no way we can leave you behind!”

One of the Paladins seemed to sense that Karl must have made some kind of unfavorable deal with the “outsider” leader before them.

Under his call, a group of Paladins immediately drew their weapons, looking ready to charge in and fight at any moment.

“Forget it. If we can retreat safely, then let’s retreat properly.”

“The Captain is a Legendary after all. He’ll definitely have his own way out. We shouldn’t waste his good will.”

“There’s a chance to escape right now, so why are you still thinking about fighting? You Paladins, are all your brains broken or what?”

But while the Paladins’ faces were filled with anger and resolve, the reactions of the ordinary NPC soldiers were completely different.

Even among NPCs, not everyone could be a Paladin. To the ordinary soldiers, if the Paladins were sacrificing themselves for everyone’s sake, then in a sense, that was only natural.

So even though they knew what Karl’s command might cost, when it came to survival, what the NPC soldiers cared about most was still themselves.

“You all…”

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The leading Paladin clenched his sword tightly, glaring at those soldiers who had just spoken so self-righteously, a nameless fury rising in his heart.

“Master, master, what are they arguing about now? Didn’t you say we could leave? So why aren’t we going?”

Mengyao tilted her head in confusion as she looked at the NPC soldiers and Paladins below, who had begun turning on each other.

Indeed, to Mengyao, so-called NPCs were just clusters of data. And since they were only data, they should only act according to their programmed system behavior. But the problem was, these NPCs, who should’ve just been moving based on set parameters…

Seemed to be… having a civil dispute?

Wasn’t that way too weird?

Mengyao was utterly baffled.

Tianyin didn’t understand either. Though she was an NPC now, she was essentially a fake one, she had once been a real human.

So when it came to understanding NPCs, Tianyin’s perspective wasn’t that different from Mengyao’s.

“I… I don’t know either… Why are they fighting among themselves?”

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Down below, as the NPC Paladins and NPC soldiers clashed verbally, the Vice Guild Leader watching from above was just as stunned.

“Why aren’t they leaving?”

“Not leaving?”

Glancing at the scene below, Yunchou simply shook his head.

“Did you really think they were just standardized NPC templates? Why would you see them that way?”

“Huh? What do you mean? Aren’t they NPCs?”

The Vice Guild Leader looked puzzled.

“Of course they are. But tell me, why must NPCs always be NPCs? What if… they were like us?”

“………”

Such an outlandish statement left the Vice Guild Leader speechless.

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After everything he had heard today, it was all too much. So many shocking revelations already, and now this… He decided it was better not to dig any deeper.

“Captain Karl, even though I agreed to let them go, the situation seems a bit off right now…”

Yunchou pointed down below, his face showing slight helplessness.

“Time waits for no one. Once the Undead discover this place, neither you nor I will be able to escape. But you know, we ‘outsiders’ can resurrect… your people, on the other hand, once they die, they’re gone for good.”

“…”

Karl immediately understood what Yunchou meant. Looking down at the NPC soldiers and Paladins locked in an argument, he felt both relief and helplessness.

He was relieved that his Paladins weren’t willing to abandon him, but helpless, because he himself had no choice left.

“So this… this must be what they call the life of a Paladin…”

He slowly closed his eyes, then after a few seconds, opened them again.

“Go. All of you, go. Since when did the orders of Karl, Captain of the Holy Hand Knight Regiment, stop being obeyed?”

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His voice thundered through the valley.

“But Captain… you—”

One of the Paladins cried out anxiously.

“What? You want to save me? What a bold claim. Then let me ask you, are you a Legend?”

“You… are you strong?:

The Paladin he addressed flushed red with shame.

“Captain… I…”

“If you’re not strong, then what right do you have… to defy my command?”