NPC Fell onto My Bed C2

Chapter 02

Noah realized, at last, why God had decreed that only adventurers should be bound by certain laws.

“There’s a fucking thief in my house!”
—……

Curses flowed unceasingly from the man’s lips. Yet they were not directed at Noah himself, but rather at the small, black, rectangular object gripped tightly in his hand. He was shouting into it with all his strength.

“Be here within ten minutes. I’ll be watching.”
—……

Kneeling neatly on the floor beneath the bed, Noah silently gazed up at him. When the man tucked the black object back into the pocket of his clothing, he seemed to sense Noah’s stare, for his eyes flicked over.

Meeting that gaze, Noah looked up at him with the kindest expression he could summon. From the circumstances, it appeared the man had mistaken Noah—who had suddenly appeared in his home—for a thief. Thus, Noah felt it necessary to correct this misunderstanding.

“Bold of you, isn’t it? To break into the house of a former national athlete.”

“That is not so, adventurer. I have never once considered thievery, nor any blasphemous act that would transgress the sacred laws of God.”

Had he ever done so, Noah would long ago have been forsaken by God, stripped of his healing light, and cast into death. For Noah, High Priest, faith was absolute, and the god Eir prized human morality above all else.

“Then who are you?”

“I am…”

Noah hesitated before introducing himself. Normally, his name hovered above his head, so he had little cause to speak it aloud to adventurers.

“I am Hardiel Noah Hildegard.”

“Har… what?”

“Hardiel Noah Hildegard. Please, simply call me Noah.”

For Noah to present himself as “Noah” rather than “Hildegard” was unusual. But since the man clearly struggled with his lengthy name, there was no help for it. Kneeling, Noah spoke with a resolute expression, and the man looked down at him with a begrudging face.

“…Why are you kneeling like that?”

He was, without doubt, guilty of unlawful entry into another’s dwelling—a thief in deed, if not in intent. Yet his posture was so earnest, so docile, that the man found himself staring at him strangely.

“I did not mean it, yet I trespassed upon another’s home without permission. For that grave sin, I wish to offer my deepest apology, adventurer.”

“……”

Still kneeling, Noah bent his head low to the ground. In truth, it was an unfair turn of fate. He had merely prayed to God for Limp1219’s safe life, and yet had been dropped into the home of a man whose name he did not even know.

But that was separate from acknowledging his fault. Whether priest or not, Noah was born with a conscientious nature, and so it was only natural for him to admit his wrong.

“Adventurer, though it may displease you, would you grant me a little time? I shall find a way to return to where I belong.”

“No, more than that—why do you keep calling me an adventurer?”

“Because… you are an adventurer…”

Noah’s words, which had been flowing so fluidly, trailed into a muddle. Why should he not call an adventurer what he was? Eir Himself had named the strangers who suddenly appeared in their world “adventurers.” Thus, Noah and all NPCs alike called them nothing else.

Hesitating, Noah cautiously asked, gauging the man’s reaction.

“Then, might you share your name with me?”

Lifting his pale golden eyes, Noah gazed up at him. The man flinched ever so slightly. He was an alpha who had seen countless male omegas in his life—even the famously beautiful dominant omegas—yet never had he laid eyes on a face so breathtaking.

He averted his gaze from Noah’s earnest eyes, murmuring under his breath.

“Gu Taeheon.”

“Ah! Gu Taeheon-nim. It is an honor to meet you, though belatedly. May the gentle embrace of Eir’s grace enfold you…”

Placing a hand reverently to his chest, Noah bowed his head, reciting a short prayer with solemn grace. To priests, it was a customary greeting.

“You’re religious? Doesn’t seem like Buddhism… Christianity?”

“No. I belong to the Holy Order of Saint Eir, where I hold the rank of High Priest. The temple lies in the northern forests of Tyrel, on the continent of Selentia within Last Chronicle…”

“Last Chronicle? Isn’t that the name of a game?”

Among Noah’s flowing words, Gu Taeheon had grasped only one: Last Chronicle. That much, he knew.

“I’ve played it myself.”

For it was the very game he had been playing only hours before.

At the recognition of Last Chronicle in Gu Taeheon’s voice, Noah’s face lit up. But just then, the sound of the doorbell rang long and loud throughout the room. Gu Taeheon turned his head toward the door.

“Ah.”

He seemed to know who the visitor was. Noah gazed up at him with innocent eyes, and Gu Taeheon sighed heavily, telling him to wait before stepping out.

Clack.

Left alone, Noah finally took a moment to look around. The bed upon which he had fallen, the white-toned walls—the entire room was spotless. No, more than clean, it looked untouched by human hands.

But apart from its neatness, everything was strange and unfamiliar to Noah, filling him with curiosity. If Gu Taeheon had permitted it, he would have risen at once to explore.

—“It’s been resolved.”
—“Ah, good…”

From outside, Noah heard Gu Taeheon’s voice along with others conversing—likely the visitors. Still kneeling, Noah waited for Gu Taeheon’s return. Though his knees ached from lack of blood flow, he considered it but one more trial sent down upon him, and endured.

Clack.

At last, after the conversation ended, Gu Taeheon returned. Opening the door, he looked startled to see Noah still kneeling.

“What the—why are you still down there?”

“Because… Gu Taeheon-nim, you did not grant me leave to rise.”

“Do you really think you need permission for something like that? Get up already—unless you actually want to become lame.”

“Thank you.”

Lowering his head slightly, Noah pressed his palms against his knees and rose slowly. Now he could finally look properly at Gu Taeheon—and standing, he realized the man was even larger than he had imagined. Tilting his head, Noah murmured quietly.

“Similar to… Iron?”

Naturally, he thought of Iron, the advancement guide for the warrior class. Of course, Iron was even rougher and more brutish in appearance than Gu Taeheon.

“Iron? Who’s that?”

“My close friend, Gu Taeheon-nim.”

“Ah… I see. So, back to what we were saying. Last Chronicle—that’s a game, isn’t it?”

“A… game?”

At the word, Noah tilted his head in puzzlement. Last Chronicle was the vast world they lived in. Wasn’t a game merely a plaything?

Shaking his head, Noah explained once more.

“Last Chronicle is the world I come from, Gu Taeheon-nim.”

“…What?”

“This place is another world. I do not sense the fragrance of Eir’s warmth here. Surely, God has answered my prayer and called me to this place.”

Noah believed the reason for his descent here was to protect the life of Limp1219. After all, that had been the very prayer he had uttered just before his arrival.

And once he had safeguarded that life, surely the merciful Eir would return him to his original world. Smiling faintly at Gu Taeheon, Noah spoke the name once more.

“I came here to protect the life of Limp1219. Do you perhaps know who he is?”

“……”

At the mention of Limp1219, Gu Taeheon’s expression twisted peculiarly. Raising his brows as though he had misheard, he asked,

“What? Limp1219?”

“Yes. I came here to help him.”

“That’s me.”

Noah blinked slowly.

“But… you told me your name was Gu Taeheon…”

“My Last Chronicle nickname was Limp1219.”

Nickname. That must be a kind of alias, another name. Having overheard many adventurers speak in such terms, Noah understood quickly enough.

When he realized Gu Taeheon himself was Limp1219, Noah’s expression brightened with relief. He had worried how he would ever find Limp1219 in this vast world—yet here he was, right before his eyes.

“I see! It is a joy to finally meet you, Limp1219. I wish to help you—please tell me, how can I be of aid?”

“Hah. And what other way is there to help a cripple?”

With a crooked smile, Gu Taeheon suddenly rolled up the right leg of his trousers. Noah only blinked, silently watching.

“What else could there be to helping a ruined leg, except healing it?”

Upon his shin was a massive scar. Now Noah realized why, when he had stepped out earlier, he had walked with a faint limp. Perhaps that was why he had taken the name Limp1219 in this world.

Though clearly irritated whenever Noah addressed him by that name, Gu Taeheon now carried himself as if daring him to try. A staunch realist, he already regarded Noah as a madman.

Yet Noah only gazed at him with a benevolent smile.

“Then, pardon me.”

Noah extended his hand toward Gu Taeheon’s right leg. From his palm, a pure white light began to burst forth.