━━━━━━━━━ 𝔬𝗏𝓵𝒩𝐞xt.𝔠𝓞𝑀
〖Prison Star Calendar〗
〖Year 187, June 22〗
〖10:18 AM〗
〖Countdown to Confession Death: 27 days〗
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Within an opulent mansion, Mayor Gideon had just finished hearing the report from his subordinate.
Despite deploying numerous people, even combing through the outskirts, they had failed to find any trace of Keven… Mayor Gideon knew in his heart, his son was likely gone.
To claim he wasn’t upset would be a lie, yet he wasn’t overwhelmed by grief either.
The predominant emotion within Mayor Gideon was anger.
His own son had been harmed within his jurisdiction! Wasn’t that a slap in his face? The perpetrator clearly didn’t take him, Gideon, into account!
In his rage, Mayor Gideon immediately issued two orders.
One was to increase the guard detail for his other children, and the other was to triple the funds allocated for hiring “externals.”
As for his useless eldest son, his loss was insignificant.
However, his two promising younger sons and a daughter mustn’t be subjected to any harm.
This time, he was determined to eradicate The Quest Guild from Sunny Town!
— (But… Oleg always prefers peace over conflict…)
— (This drastic action… doesn’t seem like his style…)
— (Then… who could have harmed Keven?)
The debt of his son’s loss, Mayor Gideon was determined to lay it on Oleg’s account, as it provided the perfect “reason” to deal with The Quest Guild.
However, Mayor Gideon wasn’t a simple-minded man.
If someone intended to use him as a “knife” against The Quest Guild, he wouldn’t allow himself to be exploited foolishly.
Hence, he issued a third command, ordering someone to track and monitor Emilia from The Quest Guild.
Currently, this foxkin girl had the closest relationship with Oleg and moved freely.
Mayor Gideon intended to seize the opportunity to eliminate The Quest Guild, while not letting go of the true culprit who murdered his son.
·
Within The Quest Guild, Emilia was assisting other staff members in issuing commission tasks.
Everyone had noticed a change in Emilia over the past couple of days. Although her face remained expressionless, her working attitude had become a lot more proactive.
Some even said they saw her smiling at the window occasionally.
“Emilia, smiling? That’s impossible, right?”
“But those little gold fox stickers on the inn’s wall are pretty cute, aren’t they?”
People whispered among themselves, but none dared to confront her directly.
They were well aware of Emilia’s close relationship with Oleg, the former branch chief, and didn’t want to upset her.
In addition to discussing Emilia, the bounty hunters had recently begun to mention a certain “Banning” in their discussions.
Those who had survived the “North Sunny Wasteland Incident” couldn’t stop praising this newcomer, Banning, who bravely risked his life to lead enemies away and protect his comrades.
Some even recalled that this “Banning” was the same person who had previously flaunted a golden emblem from the Scarlet family.
Upon matching these personal traits, they confirmed that it was indeed the same youth, which piqued their interest even more.
“At first, I thought he was just a spoiled brat. I didn’t expect he’d have such a spirit of self-sacrifice.”
“He’s probably just naive about society’s rules. In my opinion, his brave and decisive character will lead to great things in the future.”
“Didn’t you hear the rumor that he even defeated the Crimson Serpent King?”
“Really? That’s impossible…!”
“…”
The chatter of the bounty hunters was ceaseless. Emilia quietly listened from the side, feeling a sense of pride in her heart.
— (Keep praising!)
—( You’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg of Banning’s excellence!)
·
Despite her pride, Emilia also felt a sense of crisis.
Defeating the “Singular Demon God – The Unutterable Name” was not a fleeting task, but a lifetime endeavor, or more accurately, a grand cause that required the lives of countless people across generations.
If Banning could achieve this, he would undoubtedly become a legend in the history of Prison Star World, unparalleled in the past and future.
To reach this goal, Banning would surely challenge the advancement trials soon. Emilia had already heard related matters from Oleg.
Emilia herself had been stuck at the 20th level bottleneck for several years.
She had given up on her battle profession of magic user due to the loss of her parents and her disheartened state. But now, she had found the motivation and courage to continue striving.
After participating in two battles recently, her confidence had been solidified.
— (I want to become stronger with Banning and not be a burden to him!)
.
In the same moment, Tyler was thinking matters concerning Emilia, but not with a sentiment of love.
(Silly Nissen: It feels like Emilia’s mood-o has shifted-o rather swiftly… Tyler, you must tread with caution. I may not-o grasp the complexities of romance , but there is a hatred born of love, and they may ultimately become yanderes… ahem, especially for a girl like Emilia.”)
(Tyler: You’re aware of the meaning of yandere?”)
(Silly Nissen: Humph, I even know about the ‘Nice boat’!)
The stupid loli reveled triumphantly within Tyler’s mind, while Tyler pondered her words.
Emilia’s behaviour, after the misunderstanding was cleared, was indeed a bit exaggerated, almost subverting Tyler’s prior understanding of her.
Young girls often reveal their true selves in front of those they fancy. Perhaps, that was the genuine Emilia, daring in love and hate, brimming with deep feelings.
However, this caused Tyler to worry about whether he could completely sever ties with Emilia once he left Sunny Town.
In Tyler’s plans, it was best to never see the girls he had charmed once he had earned the confession points.
However, due to various coincidences, he currently couldn’t execute this as cleanly as he wished.
If one day, Avril, Viviana, and Emilia, these girls, coincidentally met, that scene…
Merely imagining it, Tyler felt a shiver down his spine.
·
In the afternoon, Tyler patrolled around The Quest Guild once more. This time, he discovered a suspicious individual.
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Charles, male, 43 years old, jobless
Production Occupation: Farmer – Lv2
Manufacturing Occupation: Blacksmith – Lv1
Combat Occupation: None
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At first glance, Tyler simply saw a middle-aged man nibbling on a dark bread loaf while leaning against a wall, nothing suspicious.
However, Tyler noticed the name “Emilia” surfacing in his inner thoughts.
Thus, Tyler hid in the shadow and observed for a while.
Through his mind-reading skill, he learned that Charles, the middle-aged man, was sent by the mayor to keep tabs on Emilia.
(So, they’ve finally arrived.)
Tyler didn’t act hastily, but first observed the surrounding. After confirming that Charles was the only stalker, he pretended to be a passer-by and walked past Charles.
—『Combat Occupation skill ‘Deceiver – Lv10’ has been activated and remains in effect…』
“Charles, follow me.”
With just a low command, Charles obediently followed Tyler like a soulless husk.