CHAPTER 32: ARE YOU AFRAID?

"Hū…"

Witnessing the extent of his achievements, Fang Li couldn't help but smile despite his exhaustion.

Now that the Hayajiro Train had successfully started, Yomokawa Ayame and the people from Aragane Station were all gathered here. As long as they followed the railway and passed through the escape city gate, they would be able to escape from Aragane Station.

At that time, all of Fang Li's Main Quest would be completed, and this journey in the Dungeon World would come to a perfect conclusion.

To be frank, things had turned out much better than Fang Li had initially anticipated.

Immersed in his own joy, Fang Li didn't notice that sitting across from him, Ikoma was leaning against the wall, watching Fang Li, who was quietly staying beside the sleeping Mumei. After his gaze fluctuated for a while, he suddenly asked, "Aren't you afraid?"

This sudden question caught Fang Li off guard.

After regaining his composure, Fang Li turned his gaze to Ikoma and asked, "Must I be afraid?"

"Well… ordinary people would probably be afraid, right?" Ikoma met Fang Li's eyes, his gaze unusually serious. "After all, except for you, everyone here is not human."

Kabaneri.

Ikoma hadn't fully come to believe in their existence, let alone the others.

As a young man determined to defeat the Kabane, he understood better than anyone how much fear his own kind could evoke in humans.

"Forget ordinary people, even the Samurai would fear us. It would be impossible for them to allow us to accompany them," Ikoma said in a low voice. "What about you? Could it be that you're really not afraid at all?"

Fang Li fell silent when he heard those words.

After a while, he sighed and said, "I thought you were going to say something else meaningful."

Ikoma was momentarily taken aback by Fang Li's words.

"Well, I can understand what you want to say," Fang Li shrugged, wearing a smile that was either sarcastic or calm. "But unfortunately, no matter what kind of beings you all are, if you can only bring me death, then sorry, I can't really feel afraid of you."

"Can't feel afraid?" Ikoma was somewhat surprised and uncertain as he said, "What do you mean by that?"

"It's just the literal meaning, nothing more to it," Fang Li shook his head before he changed the topic and said. "By the way, I haven't thanked you yet for saving me."

"There's no need for you to thank me," Ikoma lowered his head and said, "Saving someone is just the right thing to do. Our common enemy is the Kabane, not humanity itself."

Upon hearing this, Fang Li didn't say anything on the surface, but he felt a sense of emotion deep inside.

Only someone Ikoma would think like this in this world.

This guy was truly a kind-hearted person.

"Anyway, I still have to thank you," Fang Li looked directly at Ikoma, his expression becoming serious as he spoke. "Thank you for saving me."

Although Fang Li had no emotions towards death and wasn't afraid of his own demise, if someone had saved him, he still had to express his gratitude.

He didn't have the arrogance to think that he didn't need to thank others because he didn't consider himself important.

Of course, Fang Li didn't know how rare this kind of thinking was in the current era where everyone was concerned about their own survival.

A smile appeared on Ikoma's face, and he said, "You truly are a strange person."

"Is that so?" Fang Li smiled wryly and replied to Ikoma, "I don't really want to be called that by you."

"You might have a point there," Ikoma touched his glowing heart and his tone became somewhat complicated. "Compared to you, I'm even stranger."

As those words fell, the carriage once again returned to silence.

Seeing the complex gaze and expression on Ikoma's face, Fang Li hesitated for a moment and spoke.

"Do you want to become human again?"

"What?" Ikoma was once again stunned.

"I said, do you want to become human again?" Fang Li said earnestly, "If you want to become human again, perhaps I can…"

As Fang Li and Ikoma's ears twitched, they were interrupted before they could finish their sentence.

A chaotic mix of footsteps reached Fang Li and Ikoma's ears.

"This is…" Ikoma's expression became somewhat surprised.

"They're already here?" Fang Li, as if knowing that something like this would happen, immediately turned his gaze toward the door leading to the front carriage.

The footsteps grew closer and soon arrived outside the door.

"Bang—!"

With a loud noise, the door to the front carriage was violently thrown open.

Shortly afterward, a group of Samurai wielding Steam Guns burst into the carriage. In a series of "Kā Kā Kā" sounds, they raised their guns and aimed them at Fang Li's entire group.

Among these Samurai, there were unmistakable figures of Konochi Kurusu and Araka Kibito mixed in them.

"You…?!" Ikoma suddenly stood up.

Fang Li also slowly rose, lifting his gaze to the Samurai ahead. In the eyes of these Samurai, Fang Li could clearly sense their obvious hostility. However, within this hostility, there was a subtle fear that others might not be able to easily detect.

Only Konochi Kurusu and Araka Kibito's gaze differed from the rest of the Samurai.

Araka Kibito's eyes carried a hint of hesitation.

Konochi Kurusu's eyes were filled only with indifference.

Glancing at Mumei, who had fallen asleep, then at the stern-faced Ikoma, Konochi Kurusu finally directed his gaze towards Fang Li's body.

Shortly afterward, Konochi Kurusu asked the following line.

"Are you in cahoots with them?"

The atmosphere in the carriage suddenly turned extremely sinister as he asked this question and everyone's eyes focused on Fang Li's body including Ikoma.

In this situation, Fang Li didn't provide an answer but instead smiled slightly and countered with a question.

"Are you afraid?"

Konochi Kurusu's gaze turned gloomy. Upon hearing such words

As for the other Samurai, they seemed to have been struck at their vital points and became infuriated.

"You are just a Wanderer, do you think you are some kind of savior?"

"Kurusu, don't bother with him. Just shoot him along with the others!"

"Yes!"

"He is willing to stay with those two monsters, this guy definitely isn't human either!"

"That's right!"

Amidst the clamor of the Samurai, the atmosphere grew increasingly hostile. Fang Li, however, paid no attention to these Samurai and only looked at Konochi Kurusu.

Under Fang Li's gaze, Konochi Kurusu closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his eyes had regained their clarity and brightness.

Then, Konochi Kurusu drew his Katana from his waist.