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Chapter 58: I Will Definitely Get You Out

Martina stood up and tried to take a few steps, but she nearly collapsed the moment she moved her leg.

Her leg was badly injured, and although it did not look broken, he was no doctor and had no idea of the exact damage.

Heal Water excelled at repairing skin tissue.

If the bone was damaged, they could only leave it to fate.

“My ears were ringing, my mind went blank, and the skeletal knights were so fast… I should have dodged them.”

Reiner and Martina looked at each other in silence.

The always-proud girl lowered her head for once.

(I dragged Reiner down…)

She was almost unable to move, so the rest of the journey would have to be on Reiner’s back.

Using her longsword as a crutch, Martina limped into a corner, sat down, and stared at Reiner for a long time.

Her mind kept racing with wild thoughts.

(Reiner will never escape while carrying me; if he dies here too, Nora and her mother are finished…)

After stewing for a while, she suddenly said, “Reiner, go on without me… I’ll stay here.”

“Then what will you eat or drink?”

Martina shook her head. “I won’t starve right away; I’ll find a way out on my own.”

“You can’t even walk and still think you can escape? Ghouls, cave demon spiders… could you beat any of them now? Even if you miraculously found the magitech stone, do you know how to use it?”

Martina went silent.

She knew she could not leave, yet deep down she did not want Reiner to abandon her.

Reason warned her that if he stayed they would both die here, while letting him go might leave a sliver of hope.

After hesitating, she said, “I can’t leave, but you can… and didn’t you say you would turn your back on me if I got hurt?”

“You’re my slave and still owe me labor; if you die, I’ll lose a fortune.” Reiner patted her shoulder and said solemnly, “I won’t abandon you, I’ll do everything I can to get you out.”

Martina said nothing.

After a moment she smiled with relief. “Reiner, no wonder Nora fell for you… you must have had quite a few women, right?”

Reiner was momentarily speechless.

All experience gleaned from dating sims.

Martina had been hurt protecting him, so abandoning her was out of the question.

Anyone with a beating heart would grow attached after keeping Martina around for two months, even as a pet.

If he carried her and stayed cautious, they just might make it out.

“When we get out, I want to touch your tail.”

Martina refused without thinking. “No way… didn’t Nora tell you? A female demi-human’s tail can only be touched by her husband.”

“Not even a special exemption for rescuing you?”

A blush actually rose on Martina’s face. “No… if you want to touch my tail, you have to beat me one-on-one and prove you’re stronger than me, otherwise you can only touch my ears at most.”

Reiner looked at the twitching horse-like ears on her head and suddenly felt interested.

For now, playing with her ears would do.

Martina suddenly lowered her head and murmured, “Fine, if you want to touch my ears, go ahead; I probably won’t make it out anyway. Thank you for taking care of me all this time… I should have died in that forest, so every extra day is a gift, and I even got to eat white bread, so I’m satisfied.”

Hearing that, Reiner felt a pang of sorrow.

Martina was a bit dense, yet most of the time she was rather endearing.

“Stop talking nonsense; I’ll find a way to get you out.” Reiner casually rubbed her ears.

Her ears were different from Nora’s.

Aside from the outer layer of down, they felt almost like human ears, only much more flexible.

As for the rest, he would explore when he had gotten Martina to safety.

After a short rest, Reiner crouched in front of Martina.

“I’ll carry you.”

Martina froze for a second, then obligingly climbed onto his back.

In an instant Reiner felt as if a mountain had landed on his back.

She was heavy… she had to weigh at least 150 jin.

Reiner stood 178 cm tall, and Martina was only a centimeter or two shorter.

With all her sinewy muscle and a demi-human’s denser bones, it was natural for her to be heavier than a human.

Back when they first met Martina, Nora had carried her.

And Nora was even weaker than Reiner…

“You’re heavy, like a pig.” Reiner set her down.

Martina nodded without retorting.

Reiner shed his armor piece by piece and tossed it into a corner.

He hoisted Martina again and felt much lighter.

Reiner tied an X-shaped knot with a rope, securing it around Martina’s legs and then to his shoulders.

This way, even if Martina did not cling to his waist, she would not keep sliding down.

Reiner then bound their waists together with another rope.

After a simple fastening, he was ready to move.

The two soft mounds on Martina’s chest offered decent suspension; aside from the weight, carrying her was rather comfortable.

“What about the armor?”

“Leave it; what else? Wearing it all is too heavy. Ditch your greatsword too… we’ll retrieve it if we get the chance.”

“But this sword… you said it was expensive.”

“Is it worth more than your life, idiot?” Reiner snapped. “Money can be earned again; once your life is gone, everything is gone.”

Martina hesitated, then gently set the longsword against the wall. “I’ll listen to you.”

“Of course, I’m not running a charity; these costs will come out of your redemption fee,” Reiner said with a straight face.

Martina paused, then whispered, “Reiner, let me keep working for you; I don’t want to leave.”

“Fallen for me?”

Martina punched Reiner so hard he almost went into cardiac arrest.

Reiner turned back and cursed, “You ungrateful mutt… if you kill me, you’re dead too.”

Martina did not answer him; she just muttered to herself, “There’s nowhere in this world for us demi-humans, but with you I can at least live a little easier. Thank you, Reiner.”

At that moment, Martina’s inner voice drifted over.

(Beside my parents, you’re the first man who’s been this good to me… no wonder Nora likes you…)

Reiner felt Martina tighten her hold on him a little.

(No, what am I thinking? How ridiculous…)

Her inner monologue was quite something.

But the tense Reiner had no time to listen.

With Nora gone and no way to sense traps, he could only let Breath of the Red Dragon hop ahead as a scout.

Just then, a pair of hands reached out from the shadows.

Startled, Reiner threw a punch, and dull pain shot through his wrist.

“It’s me!”

Reiner recognized the voice at once.

Dimas stepped out of the darkness, helmetless.

The mage Anna and two other retainers followed at his side.

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