Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 41: Second thought?

Before the day ended, during the high afternoon, Taiwo came to visit me after learning I was "sick", that was the story they told everyone else. She arrived and just watched me flatly without saying anything for a long time before she asked, "Will you get better?"

I was baffled before I understood her. In the Borderland, a lot of people died from "sickness," so I nodded solemnly and assured her I would survive.

It didn’t take long for her to leave after she glanced at Tiber and Slya, telling them she’d cover for them.

Closer to evening, my headache had eased enough for me to leave the Nyxori building and head into the mine. I ignored Tiber and Slya’s warnings about overtaxing myself. I meant what I said to Arvas about not being dead weight. I could pull myself.

My right hand was still weak, but I didn’t need it to shoot blasts of essence. I filled my core and killed imps. The next day, I did the same thing throughout, training myself and replenishing my core in my usual routine.

All the while, I tried to determine when the assassin might strike again and when Kade would be found, dead or alive we still need to be certain. I didn’t hold much hope for the latter, but the man’s return might provide more clues to what the assassins want.

Unfortunately we didn’t find him till the day of the operation.

The next day, the day of the operation, I woke early and had my bath with Tiber and Slya. We didn’t speak much, and I felt the tension between the two.

"Are you having second thoughts?" I asked as we made our way to the Nyxori building. The morning was cold, and the sun had yet to make an appearance. The camp was still slumbering.

Tiber grunted and barked a laugh. "Yes. Maybe you’ve forgotten, but normal humans like us are afraid of monsters and the like. Especially in a ruin like that... of course we’re having cold feet!"

Slya sighed. "We’ll go, though, because this is the only way to actually change our lives for the better."

I looked at the two of them for a while before speaking again. "Why, though? There’s a high chance of death, why are you doing it?" I was genuinely curious.

Slya snorted. "We wanted more out of life, more than hacking away at rocks all the time. The only way to do that is not with cold steel but one infused with essence."

Tiber only grunted.

I could somewhat understand them. I also wanted more out of life than just staying in a dark prison or wishing for death. I wanted a dream I didn’t dare utter yet, lest it break under the weight of the words.

Maybe it was the thought that the ruin might lead to our deaths, or that they were the closest people I knew in this cruel Borderland, but I asked them a question I hadn’t wanted an answer to before. "How did you two end up here in the Borderland?"

Slya looked at me and raised her brows. She didn’t reply immediately, as there was an unspoken rule in the Borderland not to share one’s past. But perhaps she felt the same melancholy. She shrugged. "Nothing special. I was with a mercenary company, and my team had to hurl some criminals here. One night, on the way, I got careless and let one of the criminals escape, so my team replaced me with that one.

"I didn’t know until they left me here and traveled back. Those days, I wanted to run, but I saw what happened to those who tried to leave the Borderland without permission." She smiled bitterly, then gestured at Tiber.

"His story’s different. He was a soldier for a smaller clan under Athrimir, even a captain, but he wasn’t content with his pay, so he started taking bribes. One of the soldiers under him reported him with enough proof."

Tiber grunted. "I deserved it. I was a thief."

I was silent. To me, the reasons they were here seemed so simple, it was their own fault. I realized the silence had gone on too long and asked Tiber, "Were they underpaying you? Do you have a large family?"

Tiber snorted out a laugh. "No. I have no family to look after, and the pay I was getting was enough. I was just greedy. I wanted more, so I looked for a way to get it."

He paused. "Now that I think about it, buying good clothes and drinks cost a lot. That’s how I spent most of my money."

I shook my head. I had thought they’d have similar experiences to mine as the reason they were here, but it turned out they were just normal. If they had been Squires when they joined the Borderland, they’d be part of a team and out there already.

Tiber sighed. "I have a feeling you won’t tell us why you got sent here." Slya nodded, assuming that a powerful Squire like me could only have been sent to the Borderland after committing a heinous crime.

I smiled faintly. "You’re right."

We made the rest of the trip in silence and soon reached the Nyxori building. It was still early in the morning, and the hall wasn’t open to the general public. Everyone there was preparing for the ruin hunt.

Most were normal humans, but well-fed workers with the hardened look of those who’d handled weapons before. I scanned the crowd quickly. ’Of the thirty people here, we have about nine Squires. That includes Taiwo. But no Knights’

"Issssh. Everyone’s on edge," Slya muttered.

Tiber nodded. All of us were avoiding each other’s gaze in the silence of the room. Tension hung like a heavy shroud. Then, we heard the click of footsteps descending the stairs, and all heads turned toward the sound. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Kren and Arvas came down, together with a team of three Knights.