I see your relic guardian spirit isn’t much better— who whispers with a voice that loud?
… Although it wasn’t Kane’s intention, he ended up hearing every word of Taliya and Mengmeng’s conversation, without missing a single detail.
Kane knew that the relic guardian spirit had already grown suspicious of him.
Since that was the case, rather than constantly watching his back, he figured it was better to mix a bit of truth with lies and regain the initiative.
He still had the trump card of Taliya being infatuated with his disguise.
As long as she remained obsessed with that identity, Kane wasn’t too worried about being exposed.
So Kane launched into another pitiful sob story:
“My mom needs urgent medication, and my sister’s school fees are overdue. That pearl looked so pretty— I thought it’d fetch a good price… I couldn’t help myself and sold it… I didn’t know it was something that important. I’m sorry. I’ll find a way to buy it back for you, I promise… sob sob.”
“Kun’er, don’t cry! You did it for your family— I don’t blame you.”
Taliya quickly comforted the weeping beauty. In her eyes, Kun’er was just a child with a tragic fate. Of course she wouldn’t force her to pay it back.
Since that was the case, she might as well go with the flow— being generous would only raise her favorability in Kun’er’s eyes.
It was a win-win.
And now she could finally lord it over Mengmeng.
“I told you Kun’er had a good reason. What now, Mengmeng? Cat got your tongue?”
Taliya crossed her arms and smirked triumphantly, mentally gloating as she transmitted her thoughts to Mengmeng.
Inside the Sword of Starlit Night, Mengmeng rolled her eyes in exasperation, not even bothering to respond to this idiot.
Still, she was surprised that the girl had confessed so straightforwardly. Though her suspicions hadn’t completely vanished, her impression did improve a bit.
“Anyway, figure out a way to buy back the Tear of the Angel, and get the hell out of that cursed place.”
With a few more grumbles, Mengmeng cut off communication for now.
Getting stuck with a lunatic hero like Taliya— talk about rotten luck.
“Hmph! Go repent for your nasty little thoughts.”
Taliya snorted arrogantly, happily gnawing on a roast chicken, occasionally flirting with Kane and repeatedly trying to cop a feel.
Kane, thanks to his superb skills, managed to dodge Taliya’s wandering hands again and again with perfect precision.
But after several failed attempts— forget a home run, she hadn’t even made it to second base— Taliya was starting to lose patience.
Kane noticed this too. If he pushed her too far and she lost control, he’d be the one in danger.
Time to change the subject.
“Liya, why did you come to Loralin?”
It was something Kane had always been curious about. He took the chance to ask, hoping for some useful answers.
Taliya looked up, her greasy mouth still chewing, and replied unclearly:
“Well, it all started when the skank in my family stole my magic core. That was ten years ago, when I had just turned eight. Back then, I was still full of ambition, a bright young girl with a promising futu—”
“Uh, no need to go that far back. I just want to know what the Tear of the Angel is. Why do you need it?”
As he spoke, Kane kept a close eye on the black and white swords behind Taliya.
The twin swords remained still and silent, suggesting that this line of questioning didn’t cross any lines.
“Oh.”
Taliya pouted slightly, a bit disappointed, but then started explaining her purpose for being here.
“I’m a student at Kassel Academy in the Kingdom of Silicis. During school breaks, I take on side quests from the Adventurer’s Guild to make some extra cash. One day, I saw a mission from that old hag— ahem, I mean, my master— posted in the Guild. Since it was assigned by her, I figured I’d take it.”
“As for the mission details… I’d like to tell you, Kun’er, I really would. But there’s a confidentiality agreement involved, so all I can say is— the escort destination is somewhere around here.”
“Everything that happened afterward, Kun’er, you already know. And just like that, I had a fateful encounter with Miss Kun’er.”
“It was all destined from the start— my beloved Kun’er~.”
Taliya poured her heart out, and as her emotions reached their peak, a sea of blooming roses erupted around them right on cue.
Although the storm winds were so fierce that the roses scattered almost immediately, the overall effect was still quite romantic.
Just… not very effective on Kane.
“Your master issued the quest?” Kane ignored the floral theatrics, hearing a plot that sounded all too familiar, and cut straight to the point: “Have you contacted your master at all?”
The sea of roses failed once again. Along with Taliya’s rapidly deflating mood, it all turned to dust and was swept away by the cold wind.
Taliya pouted sadly and said, “My master’s never around —can’t get in touch with her at all. Oh, right, she’s an elf. You know how elves are— ancient relics with zero sense of time. I bet she doesn’t even remember assigning the quest in the first place. I figured I’d just finish the mission, then bring it up when I go collect the reward… Eh? Miss Kun’er, why are you covering your eyes? Are you feeling unwell?”
Kane covered his forehead, partially shielding his eyes, and forced an awkward yet polite smile.
“It’s nothing. Just got some sand in my eyes.”
“You shouldn’t rub it! If it gets infected, it could be bad! Let me lick—uh, I mean, let me blow on it for you.”
Kane promptly rejected the panting, drooling, and clearly ill-intentioned delinquent Feng Aotian.
He pressed a hand to his forehead, weighed down by a growing sense of unease.
Some details were still missing, but it was almost certain now— the current storyline was Plague Demon Village: Loralin.
He hadn’t expected the plot to accelerate this quickly.
Could it be that all the earlier story arcs had already concluded during the month he spent in exile?
Wait… There was something even more important he’d overlooked.
If the current arc was indeed Plague Demon Village: Loralin, then didn’t the “rat problem” that started this morning in the village mean the plot was already underway?
This is bad. Enya?!
“What’s wrong? What’s going on?!”
Kane suddenly stood up, startling Taliya. Even though she couldn’t see his expression clearly, she could feel the urgency radiating from him.
“A-Are you alright…”
Before she could finish her concerned question, a magic circle lit up beneath their feet.
An instant later, a blinding white light engulfed them both.
—Boom.
A violent explosion erupted beneath them, sending a massive mushroom cloud into the sky, piercing through the thick rain and fog far across the horizon.