Kiyae laid in the bed in the inn, rolled up like a burrito with only her head sticking out, snoring away noisily.
Cecil had applied the ointment on her, but Kiyae didn’t care and proceeded to wrap herself around the blanket.
Cecil felt a drop of sweat rolling down her face as she saw that action from Kiyae.
Shin was still unconscious, resting in another room.
“We have to hurry, no doubt Ephert and Goro would tighten their defenses now,” Yun adjusted his glasses, looking at Kiyae. “She is out of commission for now, so there’s no way Kiyae would be joining us.”
Hana leaned over the bed, waving her hand in front of Kiyae and observing her curiously while making some noises.
“Hana, what are you doing?” Cecil questioned.
“Mhmm, Kiyae is all dirty,” Hana wrinkled her nose. “Shouldn’t she take a shower before sleeping?”
“I tried to tell her that too before I applied the ointment for her slight burns,” Cecil sighed, shaking her head. “But she could not be bothered.”
Meanwhile, Ryo and Haru were surrounding K’xug like he was a treasure.
“Fight me, fight me fight me!” Ryo tugged at K’xug. “Fight! Me!”
“Hey, so what are you? A human?” Haru asked, popping up from all sides. “No, you aren’t human. You must be from those myths that the old folks always said! An angel? A demon? What are those wings? Hey. Hey!”
Haru was also tugging on one side of K’xug’s sleeves.
K’xug stood there with a deadpan the entire time, and he looked towards Xue for help.
Xue moved his eyes away from Cecil, noticing K’xug’s pleading look and he shrugged his shoulders.
K’xug widened his eyes.
Help me! You are the reason why I exposed myself!
Xue smirked in amusement, looking away.
K’xug returned back to his deadpan.
At this moment, Yun realised no one was paying attention to him and he pinched his nose in frustration.
“Fight me fight fight!”
“Hey, hey! Answer me, come on! What are you? What are those wings? Hey hey hey hey!”
“...”
Xue took a step further away from K’xug, as if not wanting to be involved.
“Do you think we should wake Kiyae up and tell her to shower?”
“Will she even wake up?”
“Listen up!” Yun raised his voice.
Everyone flinched in surprise except Kiyae who snored in response.
“We need to complete our original goal here,” Yun emphasised, his arms across his chest. “We need to capture Goro and bring him back with us, and also to free this town under Ephert’s rule.”
Sadly, before Ephert claimed his own stake over this area with his henchmen after stealing it from the lord by coercing them, the fighting tournament wasn’t that violent.
Deaths were rare in the fighting tournament and it was a fair competition.
Under Ephert’s rule, this town had gone down a very bad path. The festival held before the fighting tournaments were cancelled, and it was a festival that every civilian here enjoyed and looked forward to.
“Just like how Ephert coerced the previous lord, we’ll do the same to him,” Yun smiled slightly. “But to Goro, since Goro is in-charge of this town now.”
“Judging by how they were planning to kill us all earlier,” Haru rubbed at his chin, tilting his head. “I don’t think Ephert would allow us to take away his lackey so easily.”
“Goro wouldn’t take it lying down either, he’ll put up quite a fight but...” Ryo started to yawn, tears clinging to his eyelashes. “I am...so sleepy…”
Ryo walked to the couch, sitting down on it and starting to nod off.
Yun and Haru weren’t bothered by Ryo’s sudden change.
Meanwhile, Cecil and Hana blinked rapidly at Ryo.
So fast!
It’s a little too fast…
Their thoughts aligned with one another.
“Ryo will be here to protect both Kiyae and Shin,” Yun nodded, looking towards the group of four. “But for the rest of you…”
Hana tilted her head. “Hmm?”
“You were originally here to save the children, but not here to help us in kidnapping someone,” Yun adjusted his glasses. “Your strength would help us immensely if you helped us with this, but ultimately, it is your decision.”
“Mhmmm…” Haru scratched his head with a sigh, walking towards them. “We won’t force you to work with us for this, since it wouldn’t be an easy task to capture Goro, even if you are...stupidly strong.”
Haru directed his gaze to Xue and K’xug.
“You guys even helped Kiyae without us begging,” Haru dropped his arrogant demeanour for once, his tone sincere. “Whatever decision you make here, we won’t argue against it.”
“Eh?” Hana smiled. “Of course we’ll help you!”
Cecil nodded along.
K’xug shrugged, he didn’t mind it at all.
“I...am curious about something,” Xue stated, frowning at Haru. “I’ll go with you.”
K’xug and Cecil knew what Xue was exactly curious about.
The weapons and arrows covered in light magic.
How did they end up here?
Xue felt uneasy.
If the angels were even touching the mortal realm, Xue would not like it one bit.
He did not want to be in another place where angels surrounded him again.
“For once, you seem like the captain of the team.” Cecil noted, looking at Haru. “You aren’t saying “bow to me peasants” or recounting stories about you in a bar or tavern.”
“Oh, hahaha!” Haru guffawed. “You want to listen to another story like that? I have plenty!”
Cecil flinched. “Eh?”
“See, one day, we were in a bar again drinking away and Ryo woke up because he felt like he found a friend to fight with in the bar and--”
“Captain, now’s not the time.” Yun sighed.
“No, Haru, there’s no need to.” Cecil laughed nervously.
“Mhmm, not again!” Hana covered her ears.
Xue and K’xug also covered their ears.
“So what happened then, Ryo thrashed the whole bar since he could not hold back against a strong opponent and Kiyae was--”
“What have I done?” Cecil sighed, her palm on her forehead.
Yun closed his eyes, looking like he was saying some silent prayers as he left the room quickly.
The rest followed behind Yun, and once again, Haru was left in the room to recount the stories on his own.
In the end, Kiyae flung her pillow at Haru’s face.
“Shut up, I’m trying to sleep here!”
“Friend, my friend, don’t run away...let’s fight and get some good drinks…” Ryo muttered in his sleep.
Haru drew circles in a corner. “And I was getting to the good part…”
Kiyae huffed, rolling herself into a burrito again and falling asleep.
***
Surprisingly, Yun had no plans prepared to capture Goro. Instead, the role of the strategist was left to Haru this time.
Of course, for Haru, his plan is to always charge headfirst even if the opponents overwhelmed him in strength.
Without Kiyae or Ryo here, Yun saw no point in controlling his captain that liked to run headfirst into the battle since he wasn’t capable of doing it, or minimising the damage.
Moreover, they had strong allies with them this time.
Yun knew they had nothing to worry about and he copied Haru’s words.
“Let’s go in…” Yun adjusted his glasses. “With a bang.”
“Hahah! That’s right!” Haru laughed heartily. “Heed my word, you peasants! Go in with a bang!”
Xue sighed, his palm on his forehead. “Shut up, you are annoying.”
K’xug nodded in agreement with Xue.
Hana giggled.
Cecil smiled helplessly.
They were making their way to Goro’s house. There was nowhere else he would be, other than the safety of his own house.
Cecil glanced towards Xue, noticing the bandage peeking out from his shoulder hidden by the kimono.
Xue stopped in his steps, looking at Cecil.
“Cecil?”
“Are you sure you are able to fight with ease?” Cecil furrowed her eyebrows, looking towards his shoulder. “Receiving a direct impact like that when your powers aren’t fully recovered…”
Moreover, the arrow was coated completely in light magic.
Xue’s body was not even complete, with all of his souls and powers.
Haru, Yun and K’xug glanced at one another, lowering their voices as they watched the couple exchange words.
“I don’t think that scary strong Xue will care about some weird arrow.”
“I don’t think it affects him that much either.”
K’xug nodded along with Haru and Yun, recalling his memories of seeing Xue in battle even if he was covered in wounds.
If only Cecil really knew…
Hana huffed at the three men, shoving them forward with her arms and body.
“Shhh, let’s leave them, leave them!” Hana hissed out, pouting. “Don’t interrupt their lovey-dovey time!”
All three men showed expressions of disgust.
“Ugh.”
“Why would we even interrupt?”
“...”
The three of them allowed Hana to shove them away, rubbing at the goosebumps appearing on their arms.
“I am fine, Cecil.”
“But, it still has to hurt,” Cecil started fumbling around with her storage ring. “I learnt how to make some new ointments, I can make some right now to numb the pain--the herbs stored with me right now.”
“Cecil.”
“Ah--but we are in a rush, I can always make it into a paste and rewrap your bandage.”
“Cecil.”
“I’ll make it quick, Xue. Don’t strain your shoulder too much because--”
“Cecil.”
The beautiful raven-haired woman finally paused, glancing up at the handsome ash blonde-haired man.
Xue smiled, his expression a mixture of exasperation and fondness.
“I am completely fine, a small injury like that is nothing to me,” Xue touched his shoulder, still smiling. “I have been through a lot of fights and battles, even with arrows and injuries on me, I was able to push on--”
“It still hurts, doesn’t it?” Cecil interrupted, a frown on her face.
Xue stiffened, putting his hand down.
“It doesn’t matter if you can still push on or if it is a small injury to you,” she deepened her frown, her hand moving from his wrist to his shoulder. “It still hurts, right?”
Xue felt a dull throbbing on his shoulder.
…to say it doesn’t hurt, it is a complete utter lie. Xue did not want to lie to her, hence, he decided to tell her the truth.
“Yes...it does hurt,” Xue sighed out, shrugging her hand off. “ Though I have grown used to this kind of pain.”
The latter words from Xue made her heart ache.
Don’t say you are used to it.
You got hurt because you were protecting me.
Don’t say that.
Cecil bit on her lower lip.
“You don’t need to act strong in front of me.”
“...?”
“The biggest reason I chose to pursue being a healer wasn’t only because I liked it,” Cecil placed her hand on her chest, gazing at Xue. “It was because I found a way to soothe the pain, especially for people that I care for.”
Cecil took a step closer to him.
“So don’t act so strong in front of me, don’t say you are used to getting hurt,” she continued, a sad look in her eyes. “You can still feel hurt and pain.”
Xue could not find any words to speak, his eyes wide.
“Just like before, if it hurts, just tell me it hurts. It doesn’t matter to me what it is.”
Xue could feel his heart swelling, the loud heartbeats echoing in his ears. The soul fragments in him, no--all of him could exactly feel what he was feeling at this moment, and they all shared the same feelings.
Her words pierced right through him, enveloping him in warmth.
There was a fervent look in his grey eyes, and anyone looking at Xue right now could see his overflowing feelings for the woman in front of him.
Ah, I like you so much.
I like you so, so much.
Xue opened his mouth, unable to control his smile.
“I...I got it. I’ll tell you next time.”
Ah, my voice is trembling.
I...I can’t control it.
I can’t stop smiling either.
Cecil smiled back at him at that moment, happy at Xue’s answer. “You promise?”
Xue felt his hands twitching and he exhaled shakily, hiding his hands behind his back.
Cecil had no idea.
She had no idea how much Xue desperately wanted to reach out to her, to pull her into a hug and to…
...to kiss her.
In his mind, all he could think of was his feelings for the person in front of him.
Her smile.
Her soft voice.
Her beautiful face.
Her hair.
Her scent.
She was the most beautiful person to him.
Xue clenched his fists behind his back, resisting the urge to grab Cecil and kiss her.
“...yeah, I promise.”
Cecil smiled even wider.
Xue took a step back, spinning around.
“I...I won’t put too much strain on my shoulder, so you don’t have to worry,” Xue spoke hastily. “Let’s go.”
Since Xue clearly did not want her to help him with his injury any further, there was nothing Cecil could do.
It wasn’t like she wanted to force him.
The two walked side by side, joining with their comrades waiting for them up ahead.
However, with each step they took, the handsome ash-blonde haired man took a step further away from the raven-haired woman beside him.
If he just brushed against her shoulder, he was afraid he would grab her and kiss her without any hesitation.
His heart was still drumming loudly in his chest.
His feelings were bursting out.
His desires were growing stronger and stronger.
He was scared.
He was cautious.
Once again, Xue started to hope.
He started to hope that maybe...this person beside him may just like him back.
However, he could not voice it all out.
...because, more than that, he did not want to face rejection.
Liking someone was truly a blessing...and yet cruel.
***
The guards were standing guard at the gates that led to Goro’s house, the stone pavement was illuminated by stone lanterns.
“Slow day, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“You would think that the fiasco at the fighting tournament would create havoc among civilians…”
“Hah, only if they want to forfeit their lives, they wouldn’t dare confront the master or Goro.”
The guards snickered to themselves and at that moment, they saw a group of people approaching them from a distance.
“What the hell is that?”
“Maybe it’s the havoc you wanted before.”
“From the civilians? Haha, no way!”
One of the guards started to count, squinting his eyes.
“It’s one, two, three, four...fix and six people.”
“Six people, huh? Six…”
The guard trailed off, letting out a yelp. There was something heading swiftly towards them as it glinted under the light from the stone lantern, and it turned out to be an ice arrow.
“Ge-get away!”
“Move!”
Two more ice arrows headed their way, and the guards scrambled out of the way again. The people in the distance started rushing towards them, their faces becoming clearer and clearer with each step.
The plan to go in with a bang commenced.
“It’s an attack!”
“Tell Goro! Quick!”
At the roof of the house, someone witnessed all of this happening before his eyes. He smirked to himself in the dark.
This was the distraction he was waiting for.
Amidst the intruders, he saw a man that he was familiar with and he clicked his tongue.
“Damnit, he’s here as well?” the mysterious man pulled the hood over his head.
At that moment, he could feel someone’s gaze looking towards his direction and the man cursed softly, sliding down the roof expertly.
He made use of the light rain and formed it into an ice slide that led to the wooden windows of the house, crashing right into it.
At the same time, Xue was currently in a state of bewilderment.
Right now, he didn’t only sense one soul fragment in the vicinity.
There were three.
...and they were definitely not Shin.
It was three other soul fragments he had never met before.
He was distracted by the situation before, hence, he did not sense the faint presence of his soul fragments from the distance.
Xue frowned to himself, troubled.
Just as Xue sensed his fragments, Cecil received a surprise notification from the system within her.
[ Cecil Lan. ]
“What is it? It’s rare for you to contact me first.”
[ At this current moment, since you are currently off the track of the original novel storyline, something unexpected has occurred. ]
“...?”
[ Right now, within this area, there are three soul fragments of the protagonist, Xue.
The hidden requirement for an optional mission has been met. ]
“Wh-what?!”
“Three soul fragments?! That’s impossible--”
[ Optional Mission #12: Triple Assimilation
Objective: Help Xue assimilate with three of his soul fragments
Requirement: It must be within the vicinity of Goro’s house
Time Limit: 1 hour
Reward: 10,000 points ]
“Oh...oh my god.”
“...move this window out of my face!”
Cecil turned to look at Xue, frantic.
She noticed his gloomy look, and he was tightly gripping onto his spear.
“It’s three of them, three,” he muttered out, and Cecil was near enough to hear it. “Why are there three here?”
Cecil wanted to faint.
There really were three soul fragments here.
The problem was, she didn’t know if they were evil or good.
Not only did they need to capture Goro, it seems that they might need to fight off three soul fragments of Xue.
She really wanted to faint.
***
Pt. 1
《 start 》
Damnit.
I need to be quick.
Run in and take away their souls.
Right now, in my current condition, I am still unable to overpower him.
I can tell from our previous encounter.
I have to get stronger.
I have to absorb more souls.
More.
《 stop 》
***
Pt. 2
《 start 》
I like you.
I want to touch you.
I like you.
I want to hug you.
I really like you.
I want to kiss you.
Please don’t smile at me like that.
Not right now.
I won’t be able to control myself.
I like you so much.
I...like you.
《 stop 》