The setting sun slowly pulled all the warm colors from the land and sea, casting vast ripples across the crimson waves on the distant horizon.
The sunset gently bathed the world in a caramel hue.
A dry, faint bitterness masked the lingering flaws.
The scenery around him blurred in retreat as Kane dashed through the black market.
The salty tang of the sea breeze clung stubbornly to his nose.
His heart pounded, palms slick with cold sweat, his face pale—more so than when he’d discovered that his bedside maid was a yandere.
Why… why was Taliya Furansi here?!
At this point in the story, the heroine was supposed to be in the royal capital, staying at the academy, studying with his ex-fiancée to catch up on missed lessons and sweeten their relationship.
She absolutely shouldn’t be here.
Yes, no mistake—even though the woman had worn a black cloak and covered her face, Kane had still recognized the relics on her back.
The only known pair of sacred swords still in human possession, currently held by the Hero himself:
—The Sword of Starry Night & The Sword of White Rose
These were the protagonist Feng Aotian’s personal weapons, the very first sacred relics she obtained in the game, and they stayed by her side from the prologue to the final battle.
That alone confirmed the woman’s identity.
“The border storyline shouldn’t come until the later part of the game. Right now, the game’s timeline should still be at the very beginning. Why on earth is Taliya here…? Tch, I don’t get it, I just don’t get it at all.”
Kane couldn’t think of a single reason for the plot to shift like this.
In any case, this place wasn’t safe anymore.
He had to get out of here before Taliya noticed him.
He had once kidnapped Taliya’s childhood friend and even attempted to violate her.
His relationship with her was beyond hostile.
If it hadn’t been for all the eyes in the capital watching them back then, Taliya probably would’ve already chopped him into pieces.
Now that he’d lost his noble title as a duke’s son, and given how vengeful Feng Aotian’s heroine was, she’d rip him apart on the spot.
“First Enya, and now this headache. I should’ve checked a fortune calendar before stepping out.”
Grumbling the whole way, Kane soon spotted the exit of the black market.
Just as he was about to let out a breath of relief—
“Stop right there!”
A sharp voice rang out.
A tall woman in a black cloak blocked his path.
The twin swords on her back—black and white—glowed with fiery red patterns under the sunset.
Taliya Furansi. This haunting woman really was fast.
Kane clenched his sweat-soaked hands.
With her third-tier strength, catching up to someone like him, stuck at tier one, was a piece of cake.
Once again, Kane felt the cruel malice of the world—true power was everything.
No matter what, he had to buckle down and strengthen himself after this.
Assuming, of course, there was an “after”…
“Why did you run the moment you saw me? Have we… met somewhere before?”
From beneath her mask, Taliya’s narrow eyes were like twin blades, locking onto Kane like a sharpened sword tip.
Under the cloak, she wore dark brown boots that clicked sharply against the ground as she stepped toward him, each strike like a funeral bell tolling from hell.
And when that bell fell silent—it would mean Kane’s fate had officially been sealed.
“Why are you avoiding me? Are you afraid of me? Who are you?”
As Taliya’s questions came closer and closer, Kane was drenched in sweat beneath his mask and cloak.
His eyes darted around, searching for any possible way to escape this crisis.
Unfortunately, they were already near the black market’s exit—there was nothing nearby to hide behind.
The nearby customers and vendors acted like they saw nothing. In the black market, backstabbing and ambushes were everyday occurrences—nothing unusual at all.
Some of the more reckless ones were even hanging around, hoping to see if they could pick off the victor afterward.
That was the dark world for you—ruthless and brutal.
“Think, think, think—what the hell should I do…”
As Taliya drew closer, Kane’s mind was racing, trying to come up with a plan.
But whether it was using the equipment his father had left him or any other idea, all of it would only delay his death for a few more moments.
With Taliya’s current strength, she could catch him and grind him into the dirt in seconds.
Was this really the end? Was he going to die here, just like that?
Soon, Kane was forced into a corner with nowhere left to run.
He had mentally simulated every possible escape route he could think of, but none worked.
Once his identity was exposed, what awaited him was being mercilessly crushed under Taliya’s feet.
Damn it, if he had to be stepped on, he’d at least prefer it be by a loli’s soft feet, not a damn washboard… Wait a second—loli?!
Maybe… just maybe… that could work… Kane reached into his pocket…
“Alright, care to explain yourself now? My patience has limits.”
With just the two of them in the corner, Taliya’s hand was already resting on the hilt of her black sword.
Just as the suffocating tension was about to ignite with the scent of gunpowder—
“I-I’m so, so sorry~ I was just really scared~ I didn’t mean to run away, big sis~!”
Taliya: ?!
What was that?
Why did that voice sound so… sweet?!
Taliya froze. That sweet, syrupy loli voice melted right into her heart like candy—soft, sugary, utterly captivating.
Even without removing the mask, just from the voice alone, Taliya could guarantee without a doubt that under that mask was a face that could topple kingdoms, a beauty that could terrify the gods.
What am I doing?
I actually scared such a pretty girl to tears—damn it, I’m the worst.
“Where are you from?”
Taliya’s harsh tone vanished in an instant, replaced with warmth and tenderness.
As a classic mo-doufu-loving Feng Aotian protagonist, she had two completely different attitudes—ugly men got the cold shoulder, beautiful girls got the royal treatment.
Realizing the misunderstanding had landed perfectly, Kane clenched the loli-voice candy tightly in his hand, relieved.
He hadn’t expected this ridiculous item to be the most useful thing at a critical moment… Grateful as he was, he now needed to think about how to spin this and get Taliya off his back.
But just as he was about to say something, Taliya stepped forward—and took his hand affectionately.
“You are the one I’ve been searching for. In the vast sea of people, I saw you and fell for you at first sight. Your voice is like a diamond buried in gold, like jade among stones—one of a kind. Only the purest rose deserves to bloom beside you.”
With that, Taliya pulled down her hood, tossed away her mask, and dropped to one knee before Kane.
At that moment, a rain of rose petals began to fall from the sky.
Behind her, endless fields of roses bloomed in full, their fragrance surrounding the two of them.
Kane: ???