When Red first chose to leave Dawnblade, his attitude could only be described as resolute.
He hadn’t negotiated with Liz, the Captain.
Instead, he went directly to the Adventurer Guild and unilaterally canceled his Adventurer Certificate, forcibly severing his last remaining tie to the team.
However, as a noble, Liz knew very well that as long as she used certain special channels and a significant amount of Luen coins, she could technically “reactivate” that canceled certificate and register it again.
Red couldn’t help but look surprised as he stared at his Adventurer Certificate.
He wasn’t unaware that such gray-market operations existed.
He had even imagined when he left that Liz, with her stubborn nature, might use this kind of “forced buy-and-sell” method to tie him back to Dawnblade.
But he hadn’t expected Liz to use those methods just to return the certificate to him.
Such a feat would cost at least 50,000 Luen coins.
If Letia heard that fifty thousand Luen coins had been spent just for this, she would probably roll her eyes, kick her legs, and faint from pure anger on the spot.
…
“Why?”
Red looked at Liz, feeling somewhat confused.
The young woman forced the Adventurer Certificate into Red’s hand, then crossed her arms, pretending to be calm and composed.
“I think you’ll need this later.”
The reason was a bit far-fetched.
Liz knew very well that Red didn’t actually need this Adventurer Certificate.
With his abilities, he was entirely capable of forming a new team and fighting his way back from the first floor to the Twenty-Third Floor.
While that would likely take six months or a year, it wouldn’t actually be difficult for him.
Seeing that Red didn’t react, Liz carefully stole a glance at his expression.
Fearing he might misunderstand, she added, “I’ve already crossed out the team column. You don’t have to worry about me using this to blackmail you. In the eyes of all other adventurers, you’re just a simple Free Agent now, not an ordinary person who lost their qualifications. You can enjoy many adventurer benefits normally again.”
Liz spoke incessantly, but her physical reactions betrayed her nervousness.
Seeing Red remain silent, she felt her heart rate speed up.
She couldn’t guess at all what he was thinking, nor did she know what tone or expression she should use to answer him.
Looking at it this way, when Red used to talk to her and search for topics… was he feeling this same kind of anxiety?
“Also…”
Liz put her hand in her pocket as if she wanted to take something out, but she seemed too embarrassed to do so.
After her arm moved back and forth for a while, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to pull the object out.
It was a small piece of chocolate.
In this world, such things were quite valuable desserts.
Women in noble circles would even use high-end chocolate as capital to show off.
Although the outer packaging of the chocolate in Liz’s hand had been opened, leaving only a thin layer of tin foil, it was clearly expensive.
“Here, take this!”
Liz seemed to have reached a state of self-abandonment.
Even though her face was pale from excessive magic consumption, the constant sweat made her look even more ghastly.
“I remember… you used to like chocolate a lot. You often asked me for some.”
The more she spoke, the lower Liz’s head dropped.
Her right hand, holding the chocolate, remained suspended in the air.
Facing Red’s silence, she didn’t dare to withdraw it suddenly.
They were frozen like that for only five seconds, but to her, every second felt like a grueling eternity.
“I didn’t expect you to remember that.”
A faint smile appeared on Red’s face.
Out of respect, he stood up and took the chocolate from her hand.
Looking at the exquisite and expensive noble treat in his hand, Red laughed in spite of himself, temporarily unsure of what to say.
In truth… he didn’t actually like chocolate.
He couldn’t appreciate that kind of bitterness.
As for why he often asked Liz for it when they were younger?
Perhaps it was a naive, ignorant longing.
Seeing that Liz liked to eat it, he put on an act of liking it too, just so he could be closer to her.
Thinking back on his former self, he felt he had been a bit innocent.
Seeing Red accept it, the weight on Liz’s heart finally lifted.
She had been genuinely afraid—afraid that Red would choose to refuse.
Perhaps because she had finally given him what she wanted to give, her restless body relaxed slightly.
She opened her mouth, clearly wanting to say something, but she didn’t know how to start.
Ultimately, she couldn’t help but ask, “Compared to adventuring… do you prefer a plain life? Even if it’s so plain that it feels a bit boring?”
Although Liz tried her best to make her words and tone sound less aggressive, it still didn’t quite come out right.
To Liz’s question, Red simply shook his head.
“Whether it’s adventuring or a plain daily life, being able to spend it with the people you want to be with is what matters most.”
This concept had never changed for Red.
It was true in the past, and it was true now.
However, the moment he thought of this, Letia’s face popped into his mind, along with a certain monkey…
‘Damn it, why does it feel like my head is full of the Monkey God’s voice?’
Red quickly shook Letia’s heartless and irritating laughter out of his mind.
Hearing Red’s answer, Liz fell silent for a moment, her eyes looking somewhat dim.
She seemed to understand why Red had been so hardworking and uncomplaining back then.
But there was no going back.
Everything… was gone.
“So, Liz, you have nothing to apologize for,” Red said, shaking his head once more.
“Let the past stay in the past.”
A good horse doesn’t turn back for the grass it left behind.
Some things, once put down, can never be picked up again.
Seeing Liz’s silence, Red gave her an out.
“After a failure, the emotions of your teammates are more worthy of your attention. So, go back. Your teammates need you more than I do.”
Liz nodded slowly.
She turned around, her back still looking as strong as ever, but her hands were involuntarily clenched tight.
Was she feeling regret?
Or perhaps frustration?
None of that mattered to Red anymore.
He just wanted to be alone and have some peace and quiet—
“Sir, have some mercy… won’t you buy a match?”
Red’s eyes snapped open.
He saw that Letia had somehow leaned in close to him.
She was holding a strangely shaped candle that emitted an ambiguous, pinkish-purple glow, and her face was squeezed into a pitiful, teary-eyed “Little Match Girl” expression.
Looking into the girl’s blinking eyes, he felt his blood pressure rising.
“Don’t just bring candles from the Succubus Parlor out here to wave around!”