Transmigrated as the Cuck.... WTF!!!-Chapter 276. Nothing But An Outsider

With an easy, unhurried smile playing at the edges of his lips, Kainal drifted closer to the loud-mouthed idiot and placed a firm, almost companionable pat on his shoulder.

His expression carried that particular brand of calm amusement that always hid a warning beneath it. Then, leaning in just enough for only Naime to hear, his voice slipped into a low, deliberate whisper.

"Naime," Kainal murmured, the smirk never leaving his face, "you really should keep your mouth shut. It would do wonders for you—no, for all of us. Also, just so you know…" his tone sharpened like the edge of a blade, "Arawn hasn't even joined us yet. And with what you've just said, well… I'm fairly certain his probability of joining has dropped significantly."

The words landed like a weight, and the smile on Naime's face evaporated in an instant. It wasn't a slow realization but a full-on collapse, his expression freezing as if someone had poured ice water over his head.

He swallowed visibly—one, two, three times—and then, hesitantly, his eyes darted toward me. There was no mistaking the shift in his gaze: where there had been loud bravado, now there was a flicker of unease, a skeptical shadow cast across his features.

I didn't bother acknowledging it. His stare, his uncertainty—it meant nothing to me right now. Instead, I strode forward with deliberate ease and lowered myself into the empty seat beside them, my movements quiet but purposeful.

Then, with a casual wave of my right hand, I gestured for them to continue. "I don't like formalities," I said, my voice steady and unflinching. "So let's get straight to the point and stop dwelling on matters that don't concern us."

"Fine by me," Kainal chuckled, a deep sound that hinted at both humor and approval.

Naime, on the other hand, groaned audibly, clutching his head as if the weight of his own words had finally sunk in. "I've already made a mistake… and a grave one at that." His voice cracked slightly at the edges. "Haaah! Do we even need to explain our intent at this point? You're probably already running your own calculations."

He wasn't wrong. And, in truth, his blunt honesty pleased me more than I expected. The mask of arrogance he had worn earlier was gone, replaced by a raw, straightforward approach that I could actually respect.

So, I decided to give him what he wanted.

"Yes," I said slowly, my eyes flicking from one to the other, "I've been forming a theory in my head based on your words… or rather, your enthusiasm."

I allowed a small, wry smile. "The most prominent conclusion is this: I'm assuming you're trying to remove Empress Wannre from her throne. By whatever means, I don't yet know. But since your plans seem to accumulate my existence, I can only connect the dots and assume you're attempting to rally others—humans, specifically—into your cause to get rid of Wannre."

Kainal's brows shot up ever so slightly at my response, a brief flash of genuine surprise flickering across his otherwise composed face. Beside him, Naime's lips curled upward again, but this time the grin was sharper, more measured.

"Well… well," Kainal drawled after a moment, "I'm surprised you were able to piece so much together from what little you were given. Impressive. And yet… you're right. We can't deny that logic."

He leaned back slightly, but his eyes never left mine. "But—" he paused deliberately, letting the weight of the word hang in the air like a blade mid-swing.

Naime picked up where Kainal left off, his tone quieter now but with a dangerous undercurrent. "The fact that you were able to reach that conclusion," he said slowly, "also indicates something else. It suggests that Empress Wannre herself might share the same suspicions… that she was the one who planted these doubts in your mind." His eyes narrowed. "Or perhaps…"

Kainal continued his words, "Perhaps she herself wants to know about those who are plotting mutiny. Maybe she intends to draw them out—use them as examples, hang them by their fins if she has to, just to tighten her grip over the rest. Truly, her wicked mind is something to behold."

There was a strange, almost fascinated respect in his tone, like a scholar describing a monster preserved in a jar rather than a subject speaking of his ruler.

And to be fair, his words—his insight—were rather unsettling.

"The Empress's mind, wicked?" I repeated, giving a faint scoff as I tilted my head. "That's quite the statement, Kainal."

He didn't flinch, didn't even blink. Instead, he shrugged with the ease of someone brushing off dust from his shoulder. His expression didn't waver—not from fear, not from doubt.

It was as if my reaction didn't matter in the slightest.

And maybe it didn't.

In fact, the more I observed him, the more I realized something. Kainal wasn't just unbothered—he was disconnected. The kind of man who could discuss treason while sipping tea, unhurried, unshaken. That composure… that calm indifference—it almost irritated me.

"You two seem awfully carefree," I said, breaking the silence that lingered between us. My tone held a teasing edge, but underneath, there was genuine curiosity. "What if I informed Empress Wannre about your so-called plan? I doubt you'd find her punishment as charming as her wit."

Kainal's lips curved into a languid smile, the sort of smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He let out a low chuckle that reverberated in the water around us, smooth and self-assured.

"Hahaha… it's really nice of you to care about us," he said, with mock sincerity dripping from every syllable. "Though I wouldn't trouble myself with worry if I were you."

His gaze sharpened slightly, that casual smile turning into something colder.

"Even if Miss Wannre is a tyrant—and make no mistake, she is—she'd still need definite evidence before she can lay her royal hand on us. And that, my dear friend, she cannot find. Naime and I aren't the sort to leave behind precious little clues for her to sniff out. We've been through far worse than her spies and serpents."

I narrowed my eyes slightly. "And what makes you think I couldn't be that evidence?"

Kainal tilted his head, amused. "Ah, you see, that's the beautiful irony of it. You, my dear land dweller, are the weakest link that can't be pulled."

He leaned closer, his voice low, almost a whisper. "Empress Wannre would face serious backlash if she ever dared to act against us based on your words alone. Whatever privilege or position you may have earned here, you're still what you've always been—a land dweller. A human. And to our kind, your words are little more than… the wailing sounds of a prey."

He smiled wider, the kind of smile that carried no warmth—only condescension and cruel amusement.

"You could scream, accuse, rant to her throne for all I care. In the end, she'd look down upon you with pity, maybe even smile, and say something poetic about mercy before tossing your claims into the depths."

His laughter came again, rich and mocking. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

And I realized something crucial about Kainal—he wasn't just fearless.

He was calculating. Every word, every smirk, every subtle movement—it was all deliberate.

The kind of man who knew exactly how much danger he was in, and yet danced at its edge, unafraid.