Of course, this wasn’t because anything had happened between her and Colin. Rather, it was simply that more than half a month had passed since she’d asked about it late at night.
During this half month, they had been busy handling all sorts of high-risk incidents, and Colin hadn’t followed up on her previous question at all.
But this time was different. Now that the incident was over, they had some time to rest again. Thanks to the efforts of the entire Special Incident Response Squad, the number of high-risk incidents in the kingdom had dropped significantly.
Most of the high-risk incidents they handled in the past half month had been relatively easy; they could usually resolve them within a few days.
And perhaps as a blessing in disguise, ever since the “Iyue Labyrinth” was dealt with, Liyami’s level had increased considerably. She was now level 61! Just like Sivney before!
Of course, she wasn’t the only one who leveled up—everyone else had also gained a level or two. Eleanor, in particular, had leveled up quickly thanks to her relentless support in the labyrinth, and was now at level 67.
Sivney’s level had also shot up as usual, reaching 66—just one level behind Eleanor. Even Colin, from what she’d heard, had leveled up.
But Lavinia, for some reason, hadn’t increased her level at all. When asked, she would just smile and say nothing. Sivney and Colin both insisted it was perfectly normal, which only made Liyami more confused. Did moving from level 79 to 80 require something special?
Liyami didn’t know if anything special was needed, but it wasn’t something she needed to worry about right now. What mattered most to her now was how she would face Colin after this incident!
Although she’d been interrupted last time, this time Colin would definitely get to the bottom of things! What should she do? Should she just tell him her real thoughts?
Imagining all the possible consequences if she went with that plan, Liyami shook her head vigorously.
No way! There are too many uncertainties with that plan! If I really do it, and Colin doesn’t care, then fine. But what if he can’t accept it? Then I’ll…
Thinking of this, Liyami steeled herself. Absolutely not! She couldn’t let Colin know so soon! She should probe him subtly about his attitude before deciding whether or not to tell him!
Yes, that’s the way! With her plan decided—to keep a bit of distance from Colin after returning and slowly sound out his feelings—Liyami finally set off again, ready to return to his side.
But she had barely taken a few steps when she instantly became alert, gazing toward the darkness ahead. There were faint footsteps, and judging by the sound, the person’s mood seemed relaxed; it didn’t seem like it was one of the demonkin.
As Liyami suspected, the figure that emerged from the shadows wasn’t another demon, but Lavinia, the elf archer of their squad.
Lavinia, seeing Liyami, greeted her happily, “How’s it going! Are you hurt? All finished? Looks like I’m late.”
Liyami briefly explained what had just happened, then started walking alongside Lavinia.
Liyami and Lavinia ambled along at a leisurely pace, as if out for a stroll, though the place they were walking was a sewer, not a city street.
Since they started, neither had said a word. Each seemed preoccupied with their own thoughts.
Liyami mainly didn’t know what to say. Normally, in situations like this, Lavinia would start the conversation. But not this time—aside from the initial greeting, Lavinia hadn’t said another word.
It was odd, completely out of character for Lavinia.
Liyami stole glances at her but couldn’t find anything unusual. If she had to say, it was that Lavinia’s smile seemed a bit forced. Had something happened to her?
Liyami couldn’t figure it out. She’d never paid much attention to Lavinia’s affairs, and she wasn’t skilled at this kind of empathetic situation. Normally, their captain Colin would handle these things, and since she lacked experience, she didn’t know how to care for others.
So Liyami and Lavinia just ended up awkwardly walking together. They strode in silence through the dark, filthy sewer. There was no light, but for them, that hardly mattered.
As an assassin who thrived in the shadows, Liyami was naturally untroubled by darkness. Lavinia, being a high-level archer, could see clearly even in pitch black.
But though they weren’t afraid of the dark, the silence made them uncomfortable. After a long bout of thinking, Liyami finally broke the silence and asked Lavinia,
“…Did something happen to you? Why do you seem… like you’re forcing yourself lately?”
When faced with Liyami’s question, Lavinia acted as if she’d expected it all along, showing no surprise at all. She smiled gently and replied in a light tone, “It’s nothing, I just remembered some things from the past.”
“The past?”
“That’s right, the past. Stuff from when I was adventuring with the Hero. Lately, things have felt a bit like those days, that’s all. Nothing to worry about, I’ll be fine in a while.”
Even though Lavinia spoke so easily, Liyami still found it hard to believe. But she didn’t see any sign that Lavinia was lying, so perhaps she was still hiding something.
Still, it wouldn’t be right to dig too deeply—it was someone else’s private matter, after all. Better to tell Colin about it; he’d figure something out.
Just thinking of Colin gave Liyami a headache. She’d only just decided to keep some distance from him to get a sense of his feelings, and now she’d have to face him again so soon.
Thinking about it made her head throb. But she couldn’t not tell Colin—what if delaying made things even messier?
She could ask someone else to pass the message to Colin, but…
Liyami recalled how everyone had been a bit odd lately. She and Colin went without saying—after that incident, their behavior had definitely become strange.
But what was up with Eleanor? Why had Eleanor been glancing her way so often? While Eleanor always stuck close to Colin, and Liyami had heard from Colin that the two were childhood friends, that didn’t explain why Eleanor was so fixated on her lately.
Why is she doing this? What exactly is Eleanor watching for? Did I do something weird? If there was anything special, it’d be that late-night conversation last time…
Could it really be because of that?! Had Eleanor already noticed?! But if she had, why didn’t Eleanor just ask her, or Colin, directly?
The more Liyami thought about it, the more puzzled she became. She truly had no idea what Eleanor was up to. After all, wasn’t that late-night conversation just Colin asking her to be honest about her feelings? Was that really enough to make Eleanor pay so much attention?
Or was she mistaken, and that wasn’t what Eleanor cared about? She couldn’t figure it out.
Even if she didn’t understand, Liyami wasn’t going to change her mind because of it. She planned to ask Eleanor directly about it when she had the time.
They were companions, after all. As long as she explained properly, Eleanor would definitely understand, right?
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