“Well, well, well, you managed to coax the little lady back this fast? Tiny Bean, what trick did you use?”
Midnight.
Sa inconspicuous red-brick house.
Yuancherin stood beside Luna, watching the three figures slowly walking down the distant path.
Honestly, she had expected it would already be impressive if nesis and the others returned before dawn.
“We just went out to check the surroundings, nothing like what you’re imagining.”
nesis spoke flatly. “We thought we’d run into those deranged miners, but strangely, we didn’t encounter a single enemy along the way.”
“We noticed the sa thing,” Luna said, glancing at the three who had returned. She smiled and stepped aside to make way for them.
“If nothing goes wrong, midnight tonight should be the regular seven-day cycle when Mount Aisa resets in its entirety.”
“What ti is it now?” Vieya, silent until now, suddenly asked.
“Ten minutes past midnight...” said Luna. “If the reset didn’t occur, those lunatics should’ve already co knocking by now... but as you can see,” she looked out into the still, pitch-black night, her eyes deep and sharp, “the whole town is quiet.”
“This so-called ti reset is nothing but good news for us,” Yuancherin said cheerfully, taking over the conversation. “It only affects the original residents of this town. Outsiders like us aren’t influenced at all—our mories are completely intact!”
Excited, she ushered everyone inside and closed the door behind them. “Co [N O V E L I G H T] on, let’s talk inside.”
“Captain Luna...”
“What is it, Miss Cleric?”
“Sorry for the trouble we caused...”
“Hehe, just a walk around town, hardly trouble. We’ve got wild-vegetable soup cooking—if you don’t mind, you can have so with us later.”
“Thank you...”
The house was almost bare, with barely any furniture, leaving a wide, empty space.
Kare had lit a bonfire in the center, and the whole adventurer party sat around it in a circle. Beside them, a simple stove held a pot bubbling with steam.
The red glow of the fire flickered across everyone’s faces, making it look more like a campfire gathering than a tense adventurers’ night.
“Hmm... seems like Big Sis Luna’s talking to soone at the door—could it be Ye-sis is back?” Kare craned his neck curiously, unable to contain his excitent.
Unfortunately, the wall blocked his view.
Liufir suddenly stood up. Under everyone’s startled gazes, she stamred, “I-I’ll go look!”
Tap tap tap!
Before she finished, she was already gone.
“I’ll go too...” Kare said excitedly, jumping up to follow her.
After thinking for a mont, Pus stood as well. “Been sitting too long. A short walk will do good.”
In the blink of an eye, only Rakaide and Arc were left. They exchanged glances.
“Didn’t think that little Cleric girl would butt heads with nesis...” Rakaide lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, then pulled another one out and offered it to the bald man across from him. “Want one?”
Arc accepted it, leaned against the wall, and asked curiously, “Where did you et her?”
“In the mine tunnels.”
Rakaide paused, then continued, “The tunnels under the town are complicated. nesis was checking the left passage, I was on the right... suddenly, there was this huge boom on her side. I thought she was in danger, so I ran over—and it turned out part of the upper layer had collapsed.”
He chuckled and went on, “That girl Vieya was buried under the rubble, all dusty and covered in dirt... but sharp as a whip. The mont nesis dug her out, she figured out who we were.”
“And then? Was that Hero really that strong... or did you find so weird weakness?”
As he spoke, Arc glanced at the lonely holy sword leaning against the wall and whistled. “You even managed to snatch her Holy Sword too.”
“Ah...” Rakaide sighed, puffing out smoke. “That girl Vieya’s sothing else. She looks about the sa age as my daughter, but she’s already a Cleric—and her skill and resourcefulness are impressive. Way better than my girl, who stays ho for weeks without stepping outside.”
“That bad?” Arc looked surprised, rubbing his shiny head. “Aren’t you afraid your daughter might find out what you’re saying?”
“So what if she does?” Rakaide’s eyes were like those of a drowning fish—hopeless and defeated. “It’s not like I haven’t told her before. She just shot back three words.”
“What three words?” Arc asked.
Rakaide mimicked her tone. “‘I’m just trash.’”
“Then your daughter’s done for,” Arc said bluntly. “Dead end.”
“...Did you ever find that girlfriend who ran off with your money?” Rakaide asked quietly.
“What’s that supposed to an?” Arc glared, defensive. “I forgot about her ages ago! Bring that up again and we’ll have a problem!”
Rakaide didn’t reply, exhaling a smoke ring with the satisfaction of a man who’d won the exchange.
A little while later—
They heard voices outside again, Yuancherin and the others chatting. This ti, though, the tone was different — lighter, livelier.
Rakaide crushed the cigarette butt and flicked it into the fire. “Looks like they brought back good news. Told you that girl’s sothing else. She didn’t run out just to sulk — probably went to verify sothing.”
“Enough already,” Arc said bluntly. “No matter how great she is, she’s not your daughter.”
“......” Rakaide instantly deflated into gloom.
Bang!
Kare burst through the door, barreling straight in before plopping down next to Rakaide. “Big Sis nesis and the others confird Captain Luna’s theory! The ti reset in Mount Aisa Town only affects people or things belonging to the town! Those undead are all gone! We can finally sleep soundly tonight—yeah!”
Thud!
Kare collapsed face-first onto the floor, and within two seconds, his breathing was steady and peaceful.
“Ah, to be young,” Rakaide said wistfully. “Fall asleep the instant you hit the ground.”
“Vieya-sis, when we finish this commission, will you co to our team banquet...?”
“Well... can I bring soone with ?”
“Bring soone? Of course! Even if you wanna bring ten, we’d still say yes!”
“Hey, hey, hey! You think the team budget’s free cabbage? You just gave it all away—”
“Eh... i-if that’s a problem, I can pay for it myself... I’ve got money.”
“...Liufir-sis, sotis I really admire you. You’re this ↑”
“Eh?”
“Actually, don’t worry, I’ll only bring one person. You’ve all t her before.”
“That cute little girl, right? Welco, welco! If she can’t finish eating, she can even take leftovers ho—”
“So, eat and run, huh?”
“Can you stop talking for once, please...? Ugh, Vieya-sis, Sister Lin might have a sharp tongue, but she’s a good person. Don’t hate her... and please don’t skip coming just because of what she says.”
“So that last part’s the main point, huh?!”
“Eh, you noticed?”
“......”
“Fine, fine, I’ll shut my stupid mouth.”
In that still-cheerful chatter, everyone gradually filed inside.
The mont Vieya stepped through the doorway, warmth wrapped around her body. Compared to the icy wind outside, the temperature indoors was infinitely more comforting.
She found an empty corner, sat cross-legged, and opened the little notebook again in her hands.
“Hm?”
Vieya frowned. In her eyes, the golden handwriting on the diary was slowly fading—transforming from entries of Flaviel’s inner thoughts into simple, ordinary lines of daily writing.
“No wonder... so those words were all ant just for , huh...” Vieya murmured.
User Comments
0 comments from readers