DTMT 04

DTMT

Posted by Akame, Released on March 18, 2026

Chapter 4 “Should I Save Him or Not?”

Inside the mansion, I quickly tore down a curtain and wrapped it around my body to cover myself.
A woman with her hair loose and a curtain draped over her… I might look crazy, but at least I wouldn’t look like some indecent criminal. Hopefully.

Then I carefully hurried forward. Blood was still trickling from the cut on my thigh, and since I was barefoot, the soles of my feet stung. I was scared and trembling—but still happy.

If things keep going like this, I’m escaping, right?
And I wasn’t even a hedgehog—I was a beastman. That meant I didn’t have to worry about my lifespan anymore.

You white tiger bastard, I don’t need your whiskers or whatever!

I arrived back at the mansion entrance from earlier. Hiding behind a large wall, I looked around.

The earlier chaos had vanished. Everything was quiet.

I tiptoed forward.

But all around me were bloodstains and torn clothes. Strangely, there were no dead bodies. It felt eerie.

With a chill running down my spine, I slipped into the dark forest. Grass and branches brushed against me. With one hand, I tightly held onto the curtain so it wouldn’t snag on branches, and with the other, I pushed through the trees.

After walking a short distance, I suddenly stopped.

‘What’s that over there?’

It was too dark to see clearly. I heightened my guard and hid behind a bush, watching for a long time to see if it moved.

“Ugh…”

Ugh?

That was a human sound.

I blinked repeatedly to confirm what it was. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I recognized the figure.

Pale skin, silver hair that looked like it had gathered moonlight, and a huge, thick body like a rock.

It was Idrish, lying sprawled on the ground.

He seemed unconscious.

His face was covered in cold sweat, twisted in pain, as if he had been injured somewhere.

Did he get seriously hurt in a fight?

But aside from the arrow wound he took earlier while blocking for me, I couldn’t see any other injuries on his body. There were bloodstains, but they seemed to belong to others.

After hesitating, I picked up a small stone nearby and lightly tossed it at him.

It hit his thigh and dropped to the ground.

No reaction.

“Too weak? Well, he’s a tiger. Even my teeth couldn’t hurt him… I should throw harder.”

This time, I picked up a bigger stone and threw it again.

It struck his right chest.

“Ugh…”

His face twisted, and he grabbed his chest. He looked to be in great pain.

Was that too hard? It didn’t seem like it…

But one thing was clear—Idrish couldn’t wake up right now.

I carefully stepped out of the bushes. I had to pass by him to move forward.

Thankfully, the grass muffled my footsteps.

As I got closer, I could hear his labored breathing more clearly. When I passed by his head, I could see his face clearly.

Long eyelashes cast shadows under his eyes. Dark circles lingered beneath them, and his lips had lost all color.

Strange. He didn’t seem injured on the outside.

And considering how fiercely he fought earlier against those hooded men, it didn’t make sense that he would be knocked unconscious like this.

Could it be… because he got hurt protecting me earlier?

“Gasp.”

I covered my mouth with both hands.

What if he couldn’t fight properly because he was in pain?
What if he got beaten badly by those hooded men and passed out?

Then… that means he might die because of me!

Am I a murderer?

I shook my head violently.

No. I didn’t do anything wrong.
Those people were targeting Idrish in the first place.
And if you think about it, he was the one who locked me up—so this is his own fault.

It didn’t take long to reach a conclusion.

I’ll just go. I’m too busy saving my own life.

Besides, Idrish is a villain. Maybe it’s better for the world if he dies early…

But before I could finish that thought, I bit my lip hard.

“Someone like that might as well die…”

That was a phrase I hated the most.

Because I had heard it countless times in my past life.

“If you’re just going to burden your family like that, it’s better to die early. If it were me, I’d bite my tongue and end it.”

I felt disgusted with myself, but I forced myself to turn away and keep walking.

I deliberately didn’t look back.

Soon, Idrish disappeared from my sight, swallowed by darkness and thick grass.

But strangely, his image only became clearer in my mind.

His slightly furrowed brows, pale skin, dry lips…
That huge man looked so pitiful.

Something was definitely wrong with him. If he didn’t get treatment quickly, something terrible might happen. What if he stayed there and was only found much later?

He saved me earlier.

I didn’t know why, but he definitely stopped me from being turned into a pincushion by arrows.

And now I was just going to leave him there to die?

“…No. Let’s just go. He’s a terrible villain in the novel… Let’s go. Run away.”

But with each step, the weight in my chest grew heavier.

My pace slowed… until I finally stopped.

I turned around.

The mansion and Idrish were no longer visible.

“…Should I just save him?”

Going back was extremely dangerous.

I shouldn’t save someone who tried to kill me.
And maybe it really would be better for the world if a villain died early.

But…

Why did it have to be Idrish, dying right there, where I could see him?

If he had died somewhere I couldn’t see, I would’ve just left.

With tears welling up, I turned back.

This time, my legs moved faster.

Soon, I reached the same spot.

Idrish was still there.

“I’m such an idiot.”

Muttering to myself, I crouched beside his head.

Smack.

I slapped his cheek.

I had to make sure he wouldn’t wake up while I was helping him.

“Hey, tiger!”

Smack.

“You’re unconscious, right? You can’t get up, right?”

Smack smack.

“When else would I ever get the chance to hit you like this?”

Smack smack—Ko…rean… never mind. Not the time.

Anyway, Idrish seemed completely out.

I let out a determined sigh and lifted his uninjured arm.

Even just his arm was heavy.

I pulled with all my strength. His body dragged slightly.

“Ugh…”

He groaned and turned his head.

I froze.

He didn’t even react when I slapped him earlier!

Once he went still again, I gently set his arm down.

“Is his arm injured? Come to think of it, he reacted when I hit his chest earlier too…”

I slowly approached and began unbuttoning his shirt.

A red-haired woman in a forest, wearing a white curtain, undressing an unconscious man… this is basically a horror scene.

But that thought vanished instantly as I gasped.

Something was wrong with his body.

Starting from his right chest and spreading to his side, his skin was blackened.

It didn’t look like a wound—it looked rotten.
Or like black vines were consuming him.

Just looking at it made me feel uneasy and disturbed.

I poked the darkest part with my finger.

He immediately let out a groan.

“Hey… do you have some kind of incurable disease? You looked so strong and healthy… but you’re sick too?”

A bitter feeling filled my mouth.

Memories of my past life, when I suffered from an incurable illness, came rushing back. A weak body. A life different from others. And in the end, a death filled with pain.

“I know how that feels… wanting to live normally. Not wanting to die… Yeah. There’s no such thing as someone who’s better off dead, right? You haven’t even done anything bad yet.”

Sniffling, I dressed him back properly to cover the wound.

Then I moved to his legs.

Since his chest hurt, I couldn’t drag him by the arms.

Instead, I lifted his legs and hooked them under my armpits.

“Ugh—heave!”

He was unbelievably heavy.

“Wow… should I just give up? This feels like carrying a log!”

Still, I pushed forward step by step.

Sweat soaked my entire body. Meanwhile, the curtain kept slipping, and I had to constantly adjust it to avoid exposing myself.

After struggling for a long time, I finally saw the mansion ahead.

I dropped Idrish.

Not because I wanted to—but because my arms and legs had completely given out.