?


    "To think that I trusted you so blindly... I really am... an utter fool!"


    Emilia said through her tears as she stood up and bolted from the Cat Girl Restaurant.


    Tyler watched Emilia''s retreating figure, hesitated for a moment, but did not pursue her.


    At that moment, Tyler was oblivious to the fact that in Prison Star World, anymoner dering they would defeat the "Singr Demon God - The Unutterable Name" would be asughable as someone in the earthly world proiming they would assassinate Buddha, or Jesus Christ.


    (Silly Nissen: Aren''t-o you going to chase after her and exin?)


    (Tyler: Although this is not the oue I desired, let''s leave it at this for now.)


    Tyler was not unwilling to chase after her and rify things.


    However, as long as the curse of the "Thorn of the Heartless" persisted, he could not ept confessions from others.


    Even if he did rify things, what would change?


    Dispelling misunderstandings would benefit neither party, only deepening the pain.


    Tyler heaved a deep sigh. He quickly finished his meal and left the town for the outskirts to hunt.


    ·


    At the border between the eastern outskirts of the town and the forest, Tyler discovered fresh tracks of a new wolf pack.


    He spected that the abundance of food in the area and the onset of summer might have attracted these new predators.


    Following the tracks, Tyler tracked down the new wolf pack and seized an opportunity to hunt a Austro-Hungarian wolf, a species he had never hunted before.


    Later, he was able to hunt a grasnd fox at the edge of the forest, sessfully upgrading his Hunter profession to level 4.


    ━━━━━━━━━


    Production upation: Hunter - Lv3+1↑


    Experience: 640+105↑+60↑ / 800


    Dexterity: 114+1↑


    Endurance: 264+1↑


    ━━━━━━━━━


    With time to spare, Tyler intended to explore further for species he had not yet hunted, but some moring sounds put him on guard.


    In the twilight, a dozen people clutched their luminous magic stones, scattered in groups of two or three, seemingly searching for something in the outskirts.


    Tyler hid in the shadows and observed for a while.


    Seeing that these people were all around level 10 with mediocre equipment, he deduced that they did not seem to be out for hunting, but were specifically searching for something.


    Due to the distance, Tyler''s telepathy was ineffective, but based on their movement patterns, he inferred that they were looking for the mayor''s son, Keven.


    (Finally exposed... Butter than I expected.)


    Tyler was not worried. His previous actions were wless, and these people could no longer find anything.


    At most, they could report back that there was no sign of Keven within a mile or two around the town.


    As for the next steps, it would depend on the mayor''s judgment.


    Would he expand the search range? Or simply conclude that Keven was gone? Then who would bear the responsibility?


    Regardless, the mes would eventually reach The Quest Guild, and what Tyler had to do was to extinguish the spark before the fire started.


    Swift and clean, leaving no trace.


    Only then could Tyler confidently leave the town, without worrying about Emilia''s safety.


    (Just to be safe, I''ll check on Emilia''s home.)


    Worried that the mayor might take action against Emilia prematurely, Tyler hastened his horse back to the town.


    .


    The hour had already grownte, deep into the night, yet Emilia remained awake in her home.


    Back against the wall, she sat on the floor, knees drawn up to her chest, her face buried therein. Her thoughts were a tumultuous storm.


    After a night of emotional catharsis, Emilia had regained herposure.


    She found herself pondering over the crude lie Banning had employed to reject her.


    In the Cat Girl Restaurant, following her heartfelt confession, she had anticipated an affirmative response from Banning.


    To Emilia, it had appeared that after her "pecking kiss" ploy, Banning''s demeanor had softened considerably towards her. His malevolent actions had significantly diminished.


    Thus, in the depths of Emilia''s heart, there existed a notion: that Banning liked her, that their feelings were mutual.


    Because of this underlying expectation, when Banning mentioned he had a "mission" to aplish first, Emilia was left stunned.


    At that moment, she held on to a sliver of hope, believing she could apany him in aplishing this "mission".


    However, Banning''s subsequent responses shattered Emilia''s illusion.


    Upon hearing that the "mission" was to defeat the "Singr Demon God - The Unutterable Name", Emilia felt as if Banning was making a mockery of her.


    Defeating the "Singr Demon God" was a matter of contention between Human and Evilkind forces, far beyond the capabilities of a single individual.


    Even if there came a day when the human forces could triumph over the evilkinds, it would undoubtedly be built upon countless resources, lives, and time.


    It was not an exaggeration to say that even the Emperor of the Human Alliance, the ruling nation, would not dare to im that they could defeat the "Singr Demon God" within one''s lifetime.


    Banning''s statement was undoubtedly a jest at her expense.


    Emilia hadn''t expected that her genuine feelings could be treated so frivolously.


    Unable to ept such a dismissive rejection, her emotions spiralled out of control.


    ραΠdαsΝοvel.cοm Sorrow and disappointment engulfed Emilia''s heart. Upon returning home, she cried for a long while until exhaustion took over.


    As her body and heart grew weary, Emilia gradually regained her calm.


    Gazing at the night outside the window, she remembered Banning''s serious expression when he had responded to her, his confused gaze as she left in distress.


    Emilia began to suspect that she might have overreacted.


    Though Banning''s ims were indeed outrageous, what if they were true?


    If that were the case, then she, who had blindly used Banning, was the one in the wrong...


    Upon considering this possibility, Emilia abruptly lifted her head, only to hit the back of her head against the wall due to moving too fast.


    "Waaah! "( ′????ω????` )


    The pain brought her back to reality.


    If what Banning said was true, then the one disrespecting others'' feelings was Emilia herself.


    Holding her head, Emilia squirmed in distress on the floor.


    There were now two voices in Emilia''s mind.


    One voice argued, "It''s impossible. Even if Banning grows stronger in the future, he can''t possibly defeat the ''Singr Demon God''. That''s a monster that even the top forces of the Human Alliance can''t contend against!"


    The other voice countered, "I don''t know much about Banning''s background. And defeating the ''Singr Demon God'' doesn''t necessarily mean doing it alone, does it? What if Banninges from a powerful background?"


    After a fierce internal debate, Emilia felt even more exhausted.


    She no longer had the energy to think.


    However, she dide to one conclusion: she needed to seek Banning out for rification.


    After gaining a clear understanding, she would apologize if necessary, express her anger if needed, and confront anything that needed to be faced.


    She would not run from the truth.


    Just then, a sudden crisp sound from outside the front door startled Emilia.


    (Who could be at the door…at thiste hour?)