After leaving the Women’s Clothing Store, Kolin and Eleanor visited a few more places—scenic spots, food joints, and other fun spots.
By the end of the day, Eleanor felt a bit reluctant to leave. Though Kolin’s expression still carried a serious edge, under the day’s playfulness, even he had loosened up noticeably.
To be fair, Eleanor’s date plan was quite meticulous. Despite a few conflicts and frustrations along the way, overall, this date had been pretty good. If only the ending could be a happy one, then it would be absolutely perfect.
Thinking that, Eleanor led Kolin to a rather secluded spot. The location was high up, offering a great view—especially now, with evening approaching and the sun setting. From here, they could enjoy a beautiful sunset. Clearly, Eleanor had put a lot of thought into today’s date.
Watching the sun about to sink into the distant sea, Kolin glanced at Eleanor from time to time. Ever since they’d arrived here, she hadn’t said a single word. But Kolin knew this was just the calm before the storm—Eleanor wouldn’t simply watch a sunset with him without some purpose.
As expected, just as the sun was about to vanish completely, Eleanor finally spoke.
“…Kolin, after this date today, don’t you have any thoughts?”
Though Eleanor’s question caught Kolin a little off guard, it wasn’t too far beyond his expectations, so he remained calm. “Thoughts? What kind of thoughts do you want? If you’re asking if I had fun, then yes, I had a pretty good time today.”
Kolin had no idea which word upset her, but Eleanor suddenly dropped her calm demeanor and grew furious.
“That’s not what I’m asking! I’m asking! Didn’t you remember anything during this date?! Have you really forgotten?! Even though… even though I worked so hard to recreate the scene back then.”
Hearing this, Kolin finally understood. So Eleanor had arranged this date because of that so-called promise. But he genuinely had no memory of the promise she mentioned.
Therefore, even though Eleanor looked extremely angry—even with a hint of despair flashing across her face—Kolin still told the truth.
“I’ve told you, I don’t know what promise you’re talking about.”
At that, Eleanor’s face instantly fell into despair. She raised her hand weakly, as if exhausting all her strength, but quickly let it drop.
Silence fell between them. Fortunately, it didn’t last long. Soon Eleanor spoke again. “…Do you really not remember? The promise we made back in that little town? You were so serious then—I really thought you’d never forget. But now you…”
Suddenly, Kolin caught an important keyword in Eleanor’s words. Ignoring whether she had finished speaking, he asked directly.
“You said a town? Which town? Do you mean…?”
Hearing Kolin’s question, Eleanor’s dimmed eyes lit up with hope again. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for the answer she most wanted to hear.
“You remembered?! Yes! That town! The one closest to our village, so small it’s barely a town—more like a big village! You finally remember?!”
Hearing this, Kolin, who had been frowning the whole time, finally relaxed. He looked relieved, which made Eleanor, who had been watching him closely, brighten with joy—she thought Kolin had finally remembered.
But to Eleanor’s surprise, Kolin gave a bitter smile and said slowly, in a firm tone, words she never expected to hear.
“I see. So you and I never made any promise.”
Those words stunned Eleanor into stillness. She didn’t understand why Kolin would say that. She even started to doubt her ears, wondering if she had misheard.
But after double-checking, she realized she hadn’t misheard—Kolin really had said that! Eleanor was at a complete loss.
But soon, she forced herself to calm down. She squeezed out an ugly smile and said in a trembling voice, “…I, I see. You, you must… haven’t remembered yet, right? Yes! That’s it! You still don’t remember…”
Although Eleanor appeared composed, a close look would reveal her body trembling slightly, as if about to collapse at any moment. Just a little more pressure, and she would surely fall.
And Kolin’s next words became that final push.
“No, you’re wrong. It’s not that I haven’t remembered—it’s that I finally have remembered! I remember the town you mentioned, and I remember what you’re talking about. But because of that, I can say with absolute certainty that you and I never made any promise. Never!”
Kolin’s words were like a court verdict. The moment they landed, Eleanor’s face turned as pale as a sheet of paper. Not only that, her entire body began to waver, on the verge of collapse. It looked terrible.
But Kolin didn’t pay attention to her current state. He gave a light sigh and continued speaking to the extremely unstable Eleanor. “I think you should understand by now… We couldn’t have made such a promise, could we? Stop lying to yourself. Face reality. Being trapped in the past is not something a Saintess should do.”
With that, Kolin didn’t stay. He walked toward the street, apparently heading back to the Villa.
Seeing this, Eleanor, who was still pale and frantic, grew anxious. She didn’t care about anything else and quickly grabbed Kolin’s hand, hoping he wouldn’t leave.
Kolin replied in a flat tone—so flat it was almost cold. “Is there something else?”
Looking at Kolin’s indifferent expression, the words Eleanor wanted to say got stuck in her throat. She stuttered, unable to form a sentence.
Kolin didn’t pay it much mind and made to leave again. As expected, Eleanor panicked, grabbing his hand tightly to stop him.
But a Priestess like her, whose Level was more than ten levels lower than Kolin’s, how could she possibly stop him?
So Eleanor gritted her teeth and forced the words from deep in her heart.
“I, I like you! Ever since we were kids! I’ve always, always…”
Kolin pulled his hand free, cutting her off mid-sentence. He looked at Eleanor, who had completely abandoned her pride, and felt nothing but sorrow. At the same time, he felt a trace of sympathy and pity—not just for Eleanor, but for himself as well.
“You’re wrong. What you like has never been me. I did like you once, but that was in the past. And even now, you’ve never truly loved me. So what’s there left to say between us? Let’s end it here. If we keep going, it won’t end well for anyone.”
With that, Kolin left without looking back, leaving Eleanor standing there, dazed, with traces of tears at the corners of her eyes. She stood alone, as if time had frozen, with no sign or intention of moving.
Finally, after who knows how long, she crouched down, her suddenly fragile frame curling up, burying her face in her knees. A soft sobbing sound gradually emerged from within.
Because it was so faint, no one heard that cry—whether born of sorrow or regret.