Can you help me out? part 2

"We should not be here. We should not be here. We should not be here"

The deeper the pair went, the louder Cain's chants sounded. I was not sure if he was trying to convince himself or me about turning back.

"Stop fretting or I will leave you behind."

Truth to be told, that chattering was getting old and annoying pretty fast. Cain also seemed to be getting louder by the second.

"B-But this forest is so spooky. Are you not afraid?"

"No."

Was I afraid of this forest? Not really. There was nothing scary about a few trees and small patches of water all over the place.

"KYYYYYY. WATCH OUT. THE MONSTER IS ATTACKING US."

Cain posed to defend himself against an invisible monster. I did not know if I should tell him the truth or allow his futile efforts to continue.

In the end, I decided to save the protagonist. I could only make out the placement of the monster's illusion vaguely. Cain was moving around too fast for me to react.

He was truly worthy of being called a protagonist. His aura shined bright and his magic lashed out indiscriminately. It was harsh enough to damage the trees and even the forest ground.

If I got closer, chances were that I would not be able to get away without heavy wounds.

Luckily for Cain, I did not fear death.

The wounds did not last long enough to become a real problem for me. But they did make my torso a patchwork of red.

"Look out."

Whatever action Cain was about to take did not happen. Instead, I turned around to face him and allowed his fist to hit my chest.

It hurt badly. It was bad enough for me to categorize it in my top 5 most hurt moments.

I didn't even really think that I was soaring through the air till I hit my back on a nearby tree. The impact made a loud noise in my ear.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you. I just wanted to hit that monster behind you and-"

Cain's explanation did not help me. He did not need to waste his breath explaining this to me. I already knew why he had reacted like that.

"-where did that monster go? It was here just a few seconds ago."

Cain sounded confused. It was a given since he did not know the truth about this forest.

And in a way, this injury was my fault. I should have explained this to Cain before entering the forest. I had been foolish enough to assume that the protagonist's plot armour would extend to me as well.

After all, I was not part of the main cast. Why would I be important?

"I'm alright. Give me a few seconds and my injury will heal. And also, don't fall for this forest's tricks. All you see here are mere illusions."

Whether my explanation worked or not, I did not know. Cain had a complicated expression on his face but I could not tell what he was thinking.

"So, there are no monsters in this forest?"

"No monsters. Just illusions made out of your one imagination."

Was it my imagination or did Cain loom angry? It was difficult to tell on the protagonist's face.

And maybe, just maybe it was also due to my lack of social skills. I didn't have a lot of human interaction while growing up. As a result, I did tend to misjudge emotions quite a lot.

Though something inside me told me that I was not wrong this time.

"Why are you like this? Do you enjoy seeing me suffer? Can you not care about your life a little bit more?"

My head spun when Cain shook my shoulder. The yanking was hard enough to give me a pause.

"Slow down. My head will hurt worse if you do that. Don't make my injury worse."

I had no remorse about taking advantage of my situation. I did not even feel sorry for the horrified look on Cain's face, not his fast retreat.

"Don't worry. I am alright."

Cain's face told me that he did not believe my words. But seeing me stand up and move around must be enough to convince him.

His look of disbelief was cute but it was not going to help me look around. The more time we waste here, the less time I will have to execute my plan (once I make one)

"What kind of monster are you? First the blood loss and now you brush off your injury like it's nothing. Are you even human?"

This was the second time I was asked this question.

"I am human. I just have a curse cast on me. It is not as uncommon as you think it to be."

I didn't know if I was chased or not. Maybe it was a blessing bestowed on me? Or maybe it was just my one will that healed me this fast.

There was no way to tell for certain.

"Cursed? Does the royal family know? Of course, they do. But why did they not do anything about it? They didn't even announce it to the public."

Cain sounded like his world was ending. I personally did not see what the big deal was.

Having read the novel, I knew there were many cursed people in this world. Even the protagonist's future love interest had a curse caused on her person.

Letting this information out right now won't matter much. It was not like I was going to be there in the future events anyway.

"It doesn't matter what the royal family thinks. For now, we should look for the thing we came here for. Be on the outlook for a huge nest."

It just occurred to me in that instant that I never told Cain about what to look for. The poor guy had been going around in circles all this time without any idea of what he was looking for.

"A nest? Like that one over there?"

I would never underestimate a protagonist's armor again. The dragon's nest was in the direction the protagonist was pointing toward.

I was confident to take the egg because I knew neither protagonist had gotten their hand on it in the novel. The egg had already been dead by the time Cain arrived here.

As for the crown prince? He never even set foot in this place. So considering him was not even an option for me.

"So prince, who does this egg belong to? What kind of beast lay eggs this large?"

I debated whether to say anything or not. In the end, I did decide to tell the truth to Cain.

"It's a dragon's egg. Don't' look so troubled by that news. You will not be dealing with it. But I will compensate you for your service."

Cain looked even more worried at his words. I did not know what else to say to make Cain believe me.

In the end, all I could do was sigh and continue moving ahead.

"Wait. You are joking about the dragon's egg, right? It's common knowledge that dragons have gone extinct a long time ago. Who could there be a dragon egg still alive?"

Cain sounded nervous. I did not contradict his denial stage. Cain was someone who would only believe in the truth after he sees it.

The nest of the dragon was almost within my reach. I could reach out and touch it any time I wanted to.

But the real obstacle was the get over the huge fence-like side of the nest. They were too tall for me to climb up.

"Cain, come here and kneel for me."

Many would call me suicidal for asking the protagonist to kneel down in the dirt. But necessary as the root of all evil and I did not fear my death.

"Kneel down? Like this?"

The second Cain kneeled down, I stepped over his back and made my way toward the top of the nest.

The added height was barely enough for me to slip over to the other side. And my landing was cushioned by the soft cotton-like materials of the base.

"Prince Lawrance, you could have warned me you were about to do that."

Cain complained from the other side.

I chose to ignore his please and waited for the protagonist to go away. But things never happened as I liked them to happen.

So it should not have been surprising for me to see the protagonist leap up in the air and land inside the nest. Of course, it was all aided by his incredibly powerful magic.

"Why did you come after me? There is no danger in here."

I was sure that there was no danger in here. There should not be since this was the eye of the magical storm that had covered the forest.

And besides, if the protagonist hung around me then when will he find the time to find the hidden treasure, the sixth sense fruit?

It was the fruit that had allowed the protagonist to become a real deal in the original novel. But the fruit would not appear as long as someone else was around the chosen one

Only 4 such fruit trees could in the world. But only two had been introduced in the story when I had last left it.

One had been eaten by the crown prince since he was the main male lead. The second one belonged to Cain.

I needed to make Cain find that fruit as soon as possible.

"I can't leave you alone. You might behave like a mature adult but you are still physically younger than me. You feel like a little brother to me."

I was not sure if I should be flattered or angry at the derailing of my plan. Why was the protagonist so stubborn?

Can he not see that Cain did not want his help? Or maybe it was something else? Maybe Cain was worried that I would try to kill myself and he decided to tag around as a result?

Now that thought made much more sense to me.

"If I promise not to hurt myself or try and kill myself, will you allow me some alone time? Just an hour will do."

I was not optimistic about my options.

"No intentional harm? And you will stay here for the time being? No shenanigans?"

I nodded along with all the requests that were piling up. I did not mind adhering to them at all.

But Cain still did not look satisfied. I could see the frown darkening on his face and instantly knew I had to do something.

I valued my freedom a lot.

"You can mark me with your magic to ensure that I don't leave this area? Then you can come and collect me in an hour?"

My offer was not really solid. Tracking magic was much too advanced for a beginner like Cain.

Not to mention dangerous if not done correctly. It could cause the marked person to lose their life if they were not careful in adhering to the demands.

"I don't know how to do that. I am not formally trained in magic."

I knew that already. But that sentence did not account for the protagonists' godly talent.

There was a reason the protagonist was called the world's favorite child. It was because of his unlimited potential.

"You don't need to be trained professionally to use tracking magic. I will guide you through the steps and you can follow along."

Cain pretended to think over my words. But I could see that I had worn him out.

Several hours had passed since he stood guard over me. It seems like even the protagonist was at his wits' end. Not to mention, his body had its needs as well.

Even the protagonist did not have the power to go against his body if it wanted to relieve itself.

"Alright. I will listen to you this time. B-But no shennenigens."

What the protagonist won't know will not hurt him. I already knew the outcome of the spell being cast.

"So, what do I need to do?"

Cain's question caused me to realize a big plothole in my plan.

How did one perform magic? I did know how magic worked but it was all in theory. The original novel had detailed the tracking spell but it had never actually explained its magical working of it.

===============

Supply the magic in the core. Apply it to the surface you want to mark and leave an imprint.

The one who left the imprint can feel their unique magical signature within a set radius. The stronger one's magic is, the stronger one's track will be.

===============

How convenient to be handed over this guide by the system at this perfect opportunity.

I could just recite it word for word without knowing what it meant. Hopefully, the protagonist's plot armor would kick in and he would understand everything that I was saying.

Because if he asked me to explain, then I would be at a loss for words.

This world and this story, both were something I instinctively understood. Once you read through similar concepts a lot, there was an instinctual understanding in your mind.

But if you have to explain it to someone else, then things became a different story.

"I understand what you mean to say. But should we really not take any precautions? You are a living bring and not an object. And my magic is wild so it can hurt you."

It was nice of Cain to be so concerned about my health. But I would appreciate it more if he decided to start the tracking instead.

"I'm certain of my decision. Now hurry and finish your spell."

Cain still looked uncertain but he no longer hesitated.

Maybe it was my lack of faith in his skills or maybe it was my willingness that made him take my arm and start pouring his magic.

Cain had his eyes closed when he recited the spell. A fact I was glad for since the magic did not feel pleasant.

Cain was far from careful and kind. His magic was like a wild beast under my skin, tearing it apart from the inside.

The lack of practice was something that showed clearly in his technique. But I could not fault him for his haste.

Not when I had forced him to perform this magic without any precaution.

The magic was too much for my body to handle and it broke the skin in many parts. It blended with the blood already present on my skin so it did not show up.

In the end, I must look no different from before since Cain did not comment on my appearance.

The elder did have a satisfied smile on his face though. He looked satisfied with his work.

"You are done? I don't feel any different."

I could not feel any traces of the magic mark on my skin. But it must be there because Cain looked smug.

"I can feel my magic on your skin. The track is working perfectly. Do you think I can use it for my pendant once we get it back?"

In the spell's current state? The magic would blow the delicate pendant into pieces.

Heck, it would have blown me into pieces if I did not have magical healing properties to keep me alive.

"You can think about it later once you get your pendant back. Why don't you go and give me my free time?"

Cain finally looked satisfied enough to leave me alone. I counted his steps for as long as I could.

And once I was satisfied that he was gone, I started to move. The blood on my face made it difficult to see where I was going. I was not even aware I had gotten hurt there.

And that was why I did not see when I collided with something hard and solid in front of me.