"As I said Ronny, I and Julie would take our leaves now. You guys can decide to explore the Purgatory or choose to stay put until our departure arrives.
Either way, I wish you good luck. Julie, we'll have to leave soon."
Lady Zee declared her next set of plans sometime after the team got out of the dungeon. Since they were now out in the open where the cold had made its dominance known, everybody had worn their winter clothes back. The campfire was burning and the fragrance of grilled meat was in the air.
'Good luck, huh? Something's fucking up.'
The butcher had a sudden thought when he heard Lady Zee's statement and looked at her plain face. She was staring at the fire burning in front of her as if lost in some thought.
But the butcher could tell, this was just a ruse to prevent him from picking anything that would give away her real intentions. He had his fair share of betrayals while he was still being accepted as a party member in the previous timeline after all. He knew those pre-betrayal faces and statements all too well to mistake them for something else.
Despite all those thoughts running through his head, the butcher didn't let the recognition of the betrayal show on his face either. He nodded his head at Lady Zee before responding:
"Alright. We'll meet at the time of our departure from the Purgatory. Take care, Lady Zee. Jules…"
Jules hugged him before Ronny could say any further. He smiled and caressed her back. He knew at that time that she wasn't let in on Lady Zee's plans.
"We'll surely meet at the end of this wretched exploration, Ronny. Just don't take any unnecessary risks if you are unsure about something. Sometimes quitting the game ahead gives you more benefits than keeping on playing.
Promise me you'll take care of yourself, okay?"
Jules said while burying her face in Ronny's chest. Others were looking at the couple in a wide range of emotions. The butcher nodded his head while looking down at the illusionist, releasing her from her worries.
**********
Jules couldn't believe what she had just said. Since when did she become this caring towards someone she had only seen as a sugar daddy at first? The progression of her emotions in these weeks had baffled her more than anyone who saw the couple hugging each other.
But she didn't care. Jules could subconsciously connect more with Ronny because, like her, he too was used to having a mask they would have to wear for an audience.
Her audience was the academy and other normal rankers she would interact with as an assistant professor of LA. Ronny's audience on the other hand were all those with who he had come in contact.
Jules had come to realize that whatever wrongdoings she had done, Ronny should have done something much worse for him to always wear that mask and make it a part of himself. At least he had the potential to cause a great disruption to the order around him. And yet, the guy didn't look like he was burdened by keeping his emotions bottled up.
To Jules, Ronny looked content in himself. Something she wasn't able to do by living two separate lives at once. So in him, her mind had found the road to salvation. She had subconsciously thought that only he could understand him and the choice she made to survive.
Unbeknownst to her or Ronny, the gold digger Jules had turned into someone she looked down upon the most– a woman blindsided by the first sprout of love.
But the surprise at her behaviour didn't prevent her from embracing the warmth she was feeling right now. The surprise soon turned into recognition as she hugged Ronny even tighter for a few more seconds before finally letting him go.
************
"Alright. It's time to leave. Julie, follow me."
Lady Zee finally got up from her seat and started walking. Jules followed her orders and started walking in the same direction, right behind the D-Ranker.
She then stopped and looked back. For some reason, she didn't feel comfortable leaving Ronny behind despite the latter assuring her of his prioritization on his safety. She finally shook her head as if rebooting her thought process. Then waved at Ronny smilingly before following Lady Zee's lead.
"What should we do now? My missing feet are going to be a handicap that my prosthetic won't be able to overcome. Not the way you'd expect it to. Therefore, I suggest we stay put."
Belar said sometime after Jules left. He made his unwillingness to carry on further known to his teammates who were sitting around by the campfire just like him. Only Ronny was seen eating the grilled meat now. The other had already had their fill.
"Hehehe! Boy, do you think staying put would assure your safety here? What do you think this place is?"
Ronny asked amusingly while taking another bite from his piece of grilled meat. Belar raised his eyebrows but didn't question the guy. He was just trying his luck with his earlier statement anyway.
Belar had come to realize that the guy whole had rescued them from being enslaved by Silvermoon city administration was not someone who he could fuck with. Therefore, he just wanted to serve his time under Ronny and get a chance to get back Eren when he could do so.
Belar thought that if he served Ronny well, maybe he could help him get his revenge on Eren who had cut all his limbs and humiliated him. So he kept his mouth shut when he heard the guy's rebuttal.
But his teammates didn't have the same inhibitions. Renar was the first to raise his query.
"Sir Ronny…"
================
AN: So apparently, I had made my laptop worse by operating on it, watching some Ytube videos. But it finally got repaired today. The regular release would resume henceforth. Thank you for your patience.
Oh yes, I forgot to add an easter egg under chapter 296 because I had finished and uploaded it on my mobile. So here it is. I've already foreshadowed what will be in the egg. And it won't be found in the chapters.. (The chapter title is another hint.) ;)