“To think that I trusted you so blindly… I really am… an utter fool!”
Emilia said through her tears as she stood up and bolted from the Cat Girl Restaurant.
Tyler watched Emilia’s retreating figure, hesitated for a moment, but did not pursue her.
At that moment, Tyler was oblivious to the fact that in Prison Star World, any commoner declaring they would defeat the “Singular Demon God – The Unutterable Name” would be as laughable as someone in the earthly world proclaiming they would assassinate Buddha, or Jesus Christ.
(Silly Nissen: Aren’t-o you going to chase after her and explain?)
(Tyler: Although this is not the outcome I desired, let’s leave it at this for now.)
Tyler was not unwilling to chase after her and clarify things.
However, as long as the curse of the “Thorn of the Heartless” persisted, he could not accept confessions from others.
Even if he did clarify things, what would change?
Dispelling misunderstandings would benefit neither party, only deepening the pain.
Tyler heaved a deep sigh. He quickly finished his meal and left the town for the outskirts to hunt.
·
At the border between the eastern outskirts of the town and the forest, Tyler discovered fresh tracks of a new wolf pack.
He speculated that the abundance of food in the area and the onset of summer might have attracted these new predators.
Following the tracks, Tyler tracked down the new wolf pack and seized an opportunity to hunt a Austro-Hungarian wolf, a species he had never hunted before.
Later, he was able to hunt a grassland fox at the edge of the forest, successfully upgrading his Hunter profession to level 4.
━━━━━━━━━
Production Occupation: Hunter – Lv3+1↑
Experience: 640+105↑+60↑ / 800
Dexterity: 114+1↑
Endurance: 264+1↑
━━━━━━━━━
With time to spare, Tyler intended to explore further for species he had not yet hunted, but some clamoring sounds put him on guard.
In the twilight, a dozen people clutched their luminous magic stones, scattered in groups of two or three, seemingly searching for something in the outskirts. 𝔬𝗏𝓵𝒩𝐞xt.𝔠𝓞𝑀
Tyler hid in the shadows and observed for a while.
Seeing that these people were all around level 10 with mediocre equipment, he deduced that they did not seem to be out for hunting, but were specifically searching for something.
Due to the distance, Tyler’s telepathy was ineffective, but based on their movement patterns, he inferred that they were looking for the mayor’s son, Keven.
(Finally exposed… But later than I expected.)
Tyler was not worried. His previous actions were flawless, and these people could no longer find anything.
At most, they could report back that there was no sign of Keven within a mile or two around the town.
As for the next steps, it would depend on the mayor’s judgment.
Would he expand the search range? Or simply conclude that Keven was gone? Then who would bear the responsibility?
Regardless, the flames would eventually reach The Quest Guild, and what Tyler had to do was to extinguish the spark before the fire started.
Swift and clean, leaving no trace.
Only then could Tyler confidently leave the town, without worrying about Emilia’s safety.
(Just to be safe, I’ll check on Emilia’s home.)
Worried that the mayor might take action against Emilia prematurely, Tyler hastened his horse back to the town.
.
The hour had already grown late, deep into the night, yet Emilia remained awake in her home.
Back against the wall, she sat on the floor, knees drawn up to her chest, her face buried therein. Her thoughts were a tumultuous storm.
After a night of emotional catharsis, Emilia had regained her composure.
She found herself pondering over the crude lie Banning had employed to reject her.
In the Cat Girl Restaurant, following her heartfelt confession, she had anticipated an affirmative response from Banning.
To Emilia, it had appeared that after her “pecking kiss” ploy, Banning’s demeanor had softened considerably towards her. His malevolent actions had significantly diminished.
Thus, in the depths of Emilia’s heart, there existed a notion: that Banning liked her, that their feelings were mutual.
Because of this underlying expectation, when Banning mentioned he had a “mission” to accomplish first, Emilia was left stunned.
At that moment, she held on to a sliver of hope, believing she could accompany him in accomplishing this “mission”.
However, Banning’s subsequent responses shattered Emilia’s illusion.
Upon hearing that the “mission” was to defeat the “Singular Demon God – The Unutterable Name”, Emilia felt as if Banning was making a mockery of her.
Defeating the “Singular Demon God” was a matter of contention between Human and Evilkind forces, far beyond the capabilities of a single individual.
Even if there came a day when the human forces could triumph over the evilkinds, it would undoubtedly be built upon countless resources, lives, and time.
It was not an exaggeration to say that even the Emperor of the Human Alliance, the ruling nation, would not dare to claim that they could defeat the “Singular Demon God” within one’s lifetime.
Banning’s statement was undoubtedly a jest at her expense.
Emilia hadn’t expected that her genuine feelings could be treated so frivolously.
Unable to accept such a dismissive rejection, her emotions spiralled out of control.
Sorrow and disappointment engulfed Emilia’s heart. Upon returning home, she cried for a long while until exhaustion took over.
As her body and heart grew weary, Emilia gradually regained her calm.
Gazing at the night outside the window, she remembered Banning’s serious expression when he had responded to her, his confused gaze as she left in distress.
Emilia began to suspect that she might have overreacted.
Though Banning’s claims were indeed outrageous, what if they were true?
If that were the case, then she, who had blindly accused Banning, was the one in the wrong…
Upon considering this possibility, Emilia abruptly lifted her head, only to hit the back of her head against the wall due to moving too fast.
“Waaah! “( ′????ω????` )
The pain brought her back to reality.
If what Banning said was true, then the one disrespecting others’ feelings was Emilia herself.
Holding her head, Emilia squirmed in distress on the floor.
There were now two voices in Emilia’s mind.
One voice argued, “It’s impossible. Even if Banning grows stronger in the future, he can’t possibly defeat the ‘Singular Demon God’. That’s a monster that even the top forces of the Human Alliance can’t contend against!”
The other voice countered, “I don’t know much about Banning’s background. And defeating the ‘Singular Demon God’ doesn’t necessarily mean doing it alone, does it? What if Banning comes from a powerful background?”
After a fierce internal debate, Emilia felt even more exhausted.
She no longer had the energy to think.
However, she did come to one conclusion: she needed to seek Banning out for clarification.
After gaining a clear understanding, she would apologize if necessary, express her anger if needed, and confront anything that needed to be faced.
She would not run from the truth.
Just then, a sudden crisp sound from outside the front door startled Emilia.
(Who could be at the door…at this late hour?)