Elsword – Time Trouble v2c4

4. b.u.t.terfly Effect
Feita.
It was a small town that the El Search Party arrived at after leaving Elder. This city built on an open
terrain was quieter and less populous than Elder.
“Wow, look! Ms.b.u.t.terfly is flying around!”
“Stop moving around so much Ara Haan.”
“Yawwn, I’m so tired. Is anyone else tired? I’m also hungry.”
Rena who walked in front of the group made a bitter smile. Everyone must be tired after not being
able to rest in a proper inn for days since they’ve left Elder.
“Alright, I’ll go to Mr.Lento and listen to their current situation so…..”
While talking to the other members as the leader of the party, Rena stopped her words in middle of
her sentence and stared at Add with a profound gaze. Add tried to ignore it….but couldn’t
withstand the pressure when Rena continued to stare at him.
“…..I’ll look after the kids so go ahead.”
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”
Rena smiled brightly and walked off with light footsteps. Add grinded his teeth as he saw Rena
disappear into the crowds of people.
Back in Elder, ever since he fell fast asleep after lending his hand to Eve…… Rena was acting like
this ever since she witnessed that scene. Add for some reason couldn’t help but to be obedient even
though all she did was just smile at him while not saying anything.
“Such nonsense.”
Add could retort if she said something; fight back if she provoked him. But he didn’t know how to
react when she kept gently smiling at him. Add ended up not being able to disobey Rena before long.
No, it didn’t end with just that…..he ended up responding according to Rena’s wishes just like what
happened now. Add sighed and looked behind him.
“Wow, wow……!!”
Ara was looking up in wonder at the b.u.t.terfly that sat on tip of her spear.
“It’s a small city.”
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Eve was sitting on her gears looking around at Feita’s inner town and Elsword had his sword against
his back while tapping the ground with his feet.
“Woa, Waaah!!!”
Ara let out a disappointed shout as the b.u.t.terfly left her spear. Then for some reason she stretched
out her spear towards the b.u.t.terfly. It wasn’t actually Ara simply stretching out her spear. The sound
of wind tearing showed how much force was in her stab.
“It’s dangerous Big sister Ara.”
Elsword quickly swung his sword to hit the shaft of Ara’s spear. The spear’s trajectory was changed
thanks to this interference and the b.u.t.terfly was safe.
Ara whose face had turned deathly pale even though she was the one who had stabbed with the
spear let out a sigh of relief after seeing the b.u.t.terfly flutter away safely.
“Thank you, Mr.Elsword.”
“It’s nothing. By the way, do we have to wait here?”
“I already spoke with Rena beforehand. Let’s go to the inn….”
Add was looking over the group then started to move his steps unwillingly. He was in the end just
an unwilling leader.
“Phew….”
After letting out a sigh, Add took a slight glance towards Eve who walked behind him to the right.
Eve either didn’t notice his gaze or was ignoring it. Regardless, she walked silently.
When they started off from Elder, Rena had already made a very detailed travel plan and even
reserved an inn beforehand. The reason Add knew this was because Rena mentioned this to him as
if he should remember this.
Guys and girls got separate rooms so Add ended up sharing a room with Elsword. This happened so
many times now that Add didn’t have any desire to protest anymore.
After letting down his bag on the bed, Elsword looked out at the Feita’s streets through the window.
“When should we eat? Aren’t you hungry?”
“Big brother Add, isn’t this place a bit strange?”
A sudden question. But regardless of how Add disliked Elword, Elsword never brought up anything
that was baseless.
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“What is? Places where people live all tend to be alike.”
“That’s what’s strange. This place looks same as any other towns.”
Elsword turned his head around from the window and stared at Add seriously.
“Didn’t we come here because we heard that Feita was invaded by Demons? Then why is it so
quiet?”
“…..”
Elsword’s indication was correct. There were urgent reports coming in from all over the continent
that Demons were appearing through the Dimension Gate and causing mayhem. The reason the El
Search Party left Elder was because they got an urgent call for reinforcements from Feita.
“I’m glad that the city is safe. But I can’t see any signs of fear or fatigue on the people’s faces. Streets
are also extremely clean. I don’t think they defeated the Demons by fighting them off on their own.”
“They could have gone to another city.”
“I don’t know too much about this. But that Dimension Gate, isn’t that something that doesn’t
open too easily?”
For Demons to appear in Elrios continent they needed to create a portal called Dimension Gate and
this consumed Dark El. Also, this Dark El was something very scarce so Demons couldn’t use it
carelessly. This was what Eun told Add before.
“They took the effort to invade Feita then went somewhere else without doing any damage? Isn’t
that strange?”
“You’re right….”
Add’s face turned grim too. Other El Search Party members were all very surprised at the news that
Demons were invading the Elrios continent. But Add wasn’t particularly surprised. It was a rather an
expected event for Add.
‘Thinking about it now…. coming after Eve must have been a signal flare for the Demon invasion.’
Demons had decided for unknown reason to destroy Eve the Queen of Nasods before they
properly started their invasion of the Elrios continent. That’s why they deployed Demons to where
Eve was.
In this timeline, the El Search Party was able to prevent Eve’s destruction thanks to Add’s directions.
Did the Demons give up destroying Eve when they failed and decided to go ahead with their
invasion first?
Would he have heard this news if he remained in the timeline where Eve was destroyed?
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‘I don’t know why they came after Eve but…..’
Seeing how Eve looked surprised as well by the Demon invasion, it didn’t look like Eve was hiding
any secrets.
Add was deep in thought when Elsword’s stare brought him to his senses.
“…..Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Since Big brother Add is smart, I thought you might know something.”
A calm response. Elsword’s slight leisurely tone sounded unfittingly mature for his age.
“I’m not too sure either. But….”
Why were Demons invading the Elrios continent in such large scale? Well, you could roughly make
the pieces fit by saying it’s to obtain the El or by saying Demons were evil beings in the first place
but these theories were somewhat doubtful.
The key to this answer was Eve. Just why did they go out of their way to send a.s.sa.s.sins to such far
off place like Elder? And also….
‘He said D…’
The one that ordered Dark Count Ran to destroy Eve. You could say that Shadow Master was sent
by the same person also. Did D give up on sending a.s.sa.s.sins against Eve now?
“I’ll have to observe a bit more.”
“Tell me if you figure out something.”
Elsword finished lightly then headed to the door after putting away his sword.
“Then let’s eat first. Let’s bring Eve and Big sister Ara and eat together.”
“I’m fine.”
Sitting and eating together with everyone was uncomfortable.
“Big brother Add is too skinny. You don’t each that much in the first place. You won’t grow any
taller like that.”
“I’m already tall enough.”
“Eve is also going to eat with us. You should eat together with us too.”
Why did he mention Eve here? Add frowned at the unexpected words but Elsword left the room as
if it was decided.
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“Then I’ll go get everyone.”
“Wait….”
Elsword disappeared without listening to Add trying to stop him. Add clicked his tongue annoyed at
the meal table that was decided without his consent.
Add didn’t like socializing with others in the first place. Moreover, his personality didn’t fit with rest
of the El Search Party members.
Ara who lost her mind over a single b.u.t.terfly, Elsword who n.o.bly covered for Ara’s mistake and
Rena who overindulged those kids…..They were all opposite of Add’s personality.
If needed to, Add could tear apart something like a b.u.t.terfly and laugh out loud. No, he could do it
even if he didn’t need to.
“Hmph…..”
Add sat on the bed and examined the condition of his Dynamos. He was doing maintenances
whenever possible but he never had the time to do a feature expansion.
“I’d like to make the short distance s.p.a.ce warp more fluent.”
The most important feature of the Dynamo was time travel. That is, its battle capabilities were more
like extra features.
Of course, Add was extremely strong with just those extra features. Now that he can use Double, he
was confident that he could defeat even Shadow Master in a 1 on 1 battle.
“So field is the problem after all? I’ll need to improve the features affiliated with s.p.a.ce Warp…..”
Dimension Distortion mode, Optical Camouflage mode and so on, the Dynamo had so far put an
emphasis on defensive features. But thinking about the fights that will continue on from now, he felt
the need to enhance the offensive features. Double took too much toll on his body.
As he made plans for improving the Dynamo, Add suddenly pondered about the future. After the
Demon invasion of the continent started, the El Search Party that were successful in defeating the
Demons that invaded Elder(Although they had actually come for Eve) received a lot of attention. So
they ended up being deployed to Feita.
If they achieved more feats in Feita….There was a pretty good chance that they’d get dragged into
somewhere else.
“Finding the El won’t be important anymore. Kukuk.”
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Other members’ opinions was that they couldn’t leave alone Demons that were trampling over the
Elrios Continent(Ara agreed especially). Eve who shouldn’t have much to do with this also didn’t
look like she had any discontents.
“Of course….”
Was it because Elsword had decided to join the fight?
Elsword and Eve had been traveling together before and it looked like they will continue to do so.
“Hmph.”
Add stood up feeling dissatisfied. Why did he care?
Fights with Demons will continue regardless. Add just had to achieve his goal during the fight.
When Eve’s eyes turn not towards Elsword but toward Add himself….Add will take Eve’s Core
without any hesitation.
“Kukukuk, that’s right. Good, it’s great.”
There was possibility that Demons will come after Eve again. In that case, he’ll just use the
experience he gained from facing Shadow Master and defeat them again.
“Kahahaha!!”
Add felt delighted and let out a refres.h.i.+ng laugh with his arms wide open. His head that was clouded
with many unknown information before was clear now.
“…..”
Add laughed enjoyably for a while then slowly shut his mouth after finally noticing a silent gaze
towards him. A door that had opened without a knock, Eve was standing on the doorsill.
Why didn’t you tell me if you were watching?
Add was frozen and couldn’t move, Eve composedly stated her business as if she hadn’t seen
anything.
“Meal is ready. Come downstairs.”
“….Okay.”
Add answered with a feeling of his throat drying up. Eve left right away as if she had no more
business here now.
“Why is she acting like that?”
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Eve’s att.i.tude was like that ever since he had fallen asleep while holding her hand. It didn’t look too
different since she was cold towards Add before….but he could feel a strange wall between them
now.
“I thought I understood but I can’t.”
Well, that’s why she spurred on his desire for research in the first place.
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st floor of the inn. Add, Eve, Elsword and Ara sat around the round table located in the corner of
the floor and started to eat.
Four of their food preferences differed greatly. Elsword and Ara ate meat, Eve’s foods were
completely vegetarian and Add had a small appet.i.te so he only ate appetizers.
“Why do you only eat vegetables Ms.Eve? Meat is tasty too.”
“I heard that vegetarian diet is good for your health.”
Eve replied calmly then added as if she just remembered.
“Although Nasods don’t need to worry about health.”
“Vegetables are expensive, they are way too expensive…..”
“That’s why I used my own expenses to buy you some vegetables. Was there a problem with that
Elsword?”
Eve’s voice turned slightly cold. Elsword was too focused with eating meat that he didn’t realize this
change and continued his complaints.
“Eating meat gives you strength to fight.”
“That’s true. I also ate a lot of meat since I was little!”
“Nutritional unbalance ruins the balance of your body. Didn’t I warn you before?”
Elsword took a bite out of the meat he was holding then swallowed. He then let out a large sigh.
They seemed to have argued about this topic since long before.
“What do you think Big brother Add? What’s better to eat in order to fight?”
At this sudden question, Add stopped his hand that was scooping up soup with a spoon. Elsword’s
tone felt like he asked without much thought but Ara and Eve were now very attentive.
“Meat comes first for martial artists. That’s the teaching of the Haan family.”
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“I also researched quite a bit into this. It’s better to reject careless consumption of meat and
prioritize in vegetarian diet.”
Ara thought seriously at Eve’s response then shook her head.
“But strength is important for fighting. You can’t get any strength from eating vegetables.”
“Fighting isn’t done only through strength.”
Eve answered then looked vacantly at Add. That gaze seemed to be telling him to hurry up and back
her up.
“…..Well, it’s true that fighting isn’t done only through strength.”
“Ah?! Then will it be better for me to consider eating vegetables after all?”
Ara became very surprised and asked. The way she disappointingly looked down at the meat on her
plate seemed like she still had regrets.
“You don’t have much of a brain anyways. Only thing you know how to do is using strength so just
eat whatever you want.”
“Ah, thank you for your advice Mr.Add. I’ll do just that.”
Ara smiled gently and continued her meal. Add had meant that as a taunt but it felt awkward now
because he got way too fresh of a response back.
Eve stared at Add coldly then continued to eat her vegetables quietly. Elsword whose hand had
stopped for a moment also started to chew on meat again. Only Add’s hands remained stopped
from this oddly formed silence.
What was this odd atmosphere?
Could it be that they are calling into question how he mocked Ara? Although Ara herself was
continuing to eat with merry expression…..The cold stare that Eve gave him hung on his mind.
Was it too harsh to say that all she had was strength after all? Ara was a girl too. He just had
forgotten because he got teased by Eun so much and also have only seen Ara fighting courageously
in the front lines.
“A….”
When Add opened his mouth again, all three of their gazes focused on him in unison. Add got
startled by this unexpectedly heated reaction.
“Actually….”
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How should he apologize? No, did he really need to apologize? Add tried to buy time as he thought
of various solutions in his mind. The three of them only stared at Add without saying a word.
This is why I hate eating together with everyone.
Let’s just get it over with. Just when Add was about to continue his words in a flat tone,
“Actually what I said before was too muc…..”
“Were you guys eating?”
Rena approached and spoke to them. Eve asked as she pulled out a remaining chair.
“Did everything go well, Rena?”
“Umm, that’s…..”
Rena didn’t sit on the open chair and trailed her words. When the other members’ gaze fixed on her
as well, Rena took a slight glance behind her. A young man politely bowed his head towards the El
Search Party.
“I think it would be better for you to listen to what Mr.Lento here says.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m the captain of the Feita’s temple deployment unit Lento. Thank you for
accepting our call for help.”
“No, I just did what I had to as a martial artist.”
Ara answered brightly but Lentos expression was dark. Shouldn’t he be rejoiced that reinforcements
had arrived?
Add noticed this and asked in a low voice.
“I thought you requested for help because Demons had invaded….But it seems you have a different
problem. What is it?”
Add must have hit the mark because Lento did not answer right away. He looked at Rena once then
looked at the El Search Party members in middle of their meal. Elsword was still continuing to eat.
“Actually…..It looks like the Demons have been defeated.”
“Kukukuk. That’s a very peculiar way of saying it.”
Add accepted Lento’s words while laughing. But Add’s eyes were s.h.i.+ning sharply. Judging by how
Lento had said it, it wasn’t him or anyone he knew that had defeated the Demons.
Then who did?
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“Spit it all out since you called us all the way out here. Don’t stall for time.”
“Umm, Add?”
Add was speaking forcefully but stopped when Rena called out his name. Rena made a bright smile.
“I know how you feel but don’t press Mr.Lento too much. He’s just as confused about this.”
“…..I also have my situation so I cannot tell you everything.”
Lento then spoke again in a low voice.
“I would like all of you to go scout what happened to the Demons.”
Scouting mission.
Telling us to go find out what happened without giving any proper information. Add didn’t like this
at all but Rena had accepted this mission on her own.
El Search Party’s leader was Rena. No one else objected to her decision so they ended up taking this
mission.
Add was going up to his room after the meal then stopped walking. Soft footsteps were following
him.
“Add? Are you angry?”
“I never said anything.”
Add didn’t stop his steps and headed to his room. But Rena also did the same. Add was about to
open the door to the boy’s bedroom but saw Rena who was making a slight smile beside him and let
out a sigh. She was about to follow him into the room if he didn’t talk.
“If you have something to say then say it already. Why have you been acting like this recently?”
“Hmm, that’s because Add is not telling me what he really wants to say.”
He didn’t understand what she meant. Anyways, it would better for them to avoid talking inside the
room by themselves to avoid any unwanted misunderstandings. Add decided this and leaned on the
door on his back. But he soon frowned after a moment of thought.
…..Why do I have to worry about getting misunderstood by someone else? It didn’t matter at all for
him even if Eve misunderstood.
“How are things going with Eve?”
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“…..”
An abrupt topic, Add winced then forcedly let out a laugh.
“Kukukuk, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m asking about what Add thinks about Eve.”
“….”
Add withdrew his laugh at this sudden question that was thrown straight at him. He thought Rena
was teasing him again but Rena was just smiling calmly.
“Do I have to report everything to you? And that shouldn’t have anything to do with the current
mission.”
“As I thought. You didn’t like me taking this scouting mission after all.”
Add turned his eyes around when Rena made a bitter smile. Seriously, she wasn’t an Elf, she was a
devil. Add started talking straightforwardly since his thoughts got found out anyways.
“I get that they are having trouble because Demons that took over Feita’s temple suddenly stopped
moving. But if that’s the case, they should just look into it by themselves, why do we have to go do
something so trivial?”
“Hmm, that makes sense.”
“Come to your senses. If Demons launched a large scale invasion then we’re bound to get lots of
help requests from all over the place. We can’t physically answer them all. Try to measure the weight
of the mission before you take them.”
Telling us to come then having us do the ch.o.r.es? Add didn’t like this situation at all. Rena’s overly
soft-hearted decisions will become detrimental in more large decisions like this in the future.
Add felt more angry the more he talked so he shut his mouth. Rena was making a troubled look.
“….Just send Ara and me. We’re the fastest in the party. We’ll take care of this quickly so we can
leave this place.”
They had already accepted this mission so there was no point in getting angry now. He just had to
make sure to stop Rena next time. Add was about to round things up but Rena shook her head.
“No, everyone has to go together.”
“That’ll just slow things down.”
Was she going to say something overly soft-hearted again? Add’s voice was filled with displeasure
but Rena spoke calmly.
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“It’s because there’s something I didn’t mention to others. Let’s all go together.”
“What are you hiding?”
That guy Lento was acting strangely and Rena seemed to know why.
“Demons captured the Temple of Dedication and were threatening Feita until two days ago.
Then….the whole situation changed when a single person appeared.”
Rena explained carefully.
“That person headed to the Temple of Dedication alone and Demons have stopped all activities
ever since. Now do you understand?”
“Who was that person?”
Add asked an obvious question. Let’s try to organize this situation. One person headed to the
Temple of Dedication in order to save the endangered Feita. Then that person went missing ever
since?
“Mr.Lento didn’t tell me that much. But….this mission might be dangerous.”
Rena was making a grave expression that was rare for her. Someone headed alone towards the
Demons’ base then the entire situation changed completely after that.
It was logically difficult to believe this story.
“What? Did that person go do negotiations or something?”
“Well. Mr.Lento didn’t seem to know anything more. He must have his own situation as well.”
Add nodded at the truth that Rena told him. The situation in Feita did seem strange now that he
heard about this hidden circ.u.mstance.
“Could it be that….that person killed all the Demons by themselves? But if Demons had used the
place as their base then there must have been at least hundreds of them.”
“Well….what you said could be true.”
When Rena answered without any confidence in her voice, Add let out a short laugh.
“There’s no way human capable of such thing exists. If such thing existed, it’d be a monster.”
“You never know because the world is a large place. And there’s nothing harmful in being careful
right?”
“Alright, then let’s all go together even though it might take longer. Tell everyone to be well
prepared.”
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Someone went to the Demons’ base alone and there was no news after….. It was a very interesting
story. Add didn’t know what methods that person used but it wasn’t bad if he could learn how to
fight Demons more effectively from this.
Since he didn’t know when a.s.sa.s.sins that were after Eve could appear again.
“Yes. I got it.”
“……Then why are you following me inside?”
Add finished his words and had entered the room but was taken aback. Rena stood on the doorsill
and made a cute smile.
“Because I want to talk more with Add…. Will that be okay?”
“We should have finished everything there was to talk about.”
Add spoke stiffly to the point where it could have made the listener feel offended. But Rena’s smile
didn’t falter.
“Hmm, we still haven’t finished our talk about Eve right?”
“…..”
Yes, that talk wasn’t over. But Add was sick of this topic now. Add reacted coldly and glared at Rena.
“You’re meddling too much. I’ll take care of that of my own so stop it.”
“Hmm, okay. I’m sorry if you were offended.”
Rena apologized without any signs of being hurt despite Add’s cold answer. Add found it difficult
to converse anymore and turned his head around to ignore her.
“I want to rest. Leave now.”
“Alright, let’s head out tomorrow at noon.”
Rena smiled brightly and left after closing the door. Finally alone by himself, Add dropped on the
bed and let out a sigh.
“She meddles too much….”
Add already knew since long ago that Rena went out of her way to look after even the minor details
of the entire group. He also knew that Rena especially paid attention to Add who always tried to be
an outsider.
Actually, this was the first time Add had refused her so openly like this.
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It was true that his heart felt at ease whenever he spoke to Rena. That’s why he was very fond of
her. But….
“Kukukuk.”
Add was in a position where he had to strive to steal Eve’s Core in order to go back to the past. He
had no reason to always match his pace with this overly soft-hearted party.
It should be better for him to at least draw the line for things regarding Eve.
“So Demons became silent….?”
Add murmured as he shut his eyes. He’ll soon be able to find out what happened.
Temple of Dedication entrance.
After preparing for the worst, El Search Party entered the temple. Since they had heard this place
had been captured by Demons, only thing they expected to encounter here were Demons. Everyone
obviously didn’t let their guard down.
“…..There seems to be no presences?”
They couldn’t see anything even though they moved inside pretty far. Ara murmured with a troubled
voice and loosened the grip on her spear. Eve also looked around and agreed with Ara.
“There are no moving life signatures.”
“What could have happened?”
“We’ll find out if we go further.”
When Elsword tried to round things up simply, Add joined in middle of their conversation.
“Moving together like this is waste of time. Let’s all split up and look for anything that’s wrong.”
“Yes, shall we?”
“This is Demons’ base it’s dangerous.”
Seeing Eve object, Add didn’t reply back to her and instead stared at Rena. Rena had the final say
anyways.
“Let’s split up into two groups.”
Eve nodded in agreement when Rena suggested a compromise. Then the problem was now how
they were going to divide the groups…..But Rena decided that for herself.
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“Elsword and Add go left. Me, Ara and Eve will go right.”
“What?”
Add asked back after hearing such an absurd order. He could get information from Eun if he was
with Ara, and he could have various opportunities if moved with Eve.
But in the same team with Elsword? The least compatible person in the group? What could Rena
possibly be thinking?
“I know Add only like girls but please move together with Elsword this time.”
“Who said I only like girls…..”
Add felt enraged but objecting in anger here would only look like he was trying to cover it up
because what Rena said was true. Other members were already agreeing with Rena without
objections.
“….Alright, I’ll do that. Then how about communications?”
“We can use these.”
Add took the weird objects Eve held out towards him. Add tilted his head. The object was shaped
like a cone but he couldn’t tell their purpose.
“It’s an Extreme Nasod Megaphone. We can hear each other from far away if we use this.”
“Hmm, Ah-Ah……”
Add understood its functions and tried speaking lightly into the megaphones. It seemed to have an
extremely far range seeing how his voice got spread far into the temple.
“This is incredible. How does this work?”
“Nasods are superior. This much is nothing.”
Eve unexpectedly gave a friendly reaction. Add was quite surprised by this fact and stared straightly
at Eve. This made Eve turn her head around swiftly after a short pause.
“A, anyways there will be no problem if you use those. Tell us right away if you encounter any
enemies. And Elsword?”
“What?”
“I’m telling you now. Don’t do anything careless because I’m not near you. I won’t let you off easily
if you charge in recklessly at enemies.”
“There’s no problem if I win.”
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When Elsword replied bluntly, Eve’s gears suddenly jumped at Elsword. Elsword instinctively
swung his sword to hit Moby away and laughed refres.h.i.+ngly.
“Heheh! Something like this won’t work anymore!”
Clank! Elsword was feeling confident after hitting away Reby that flew at him after Moby. But at
that moment Eve dashed in as if she was gliding. Elsword’s stance had gotten disturbed after
fending off Moby and Reby. He didn’t have any time to swing his sword again.
Still, Elsword somehow managed to block Moby who flew in towards him again. But….
Slap!
He couldn’t stop Eve’s palm. Elsword who just got slapped staggered as he dropped on the ground.
Eve looked down at him coldly.
“How can you say that when you can’t even block something like this? I’ll tell you again. Don’t do
anything reckless. You’ll be putting not only yourself but other people in danger as well.”
“….Tch.”
Elsword looked extremely dissatisfied but didn’t talk back. Eve told Add stiffly.
“If Elsword does something reckless you can beat him down right away. I’ll allow it.”
Eve turned around and left without waiting for Add’s answer. Ara hurriedly followed her and Rena
made a bitter smile as she stared at Elsword and Add.
“Then contact us if you find something. Let’s meet up in the Spire if we don’t find anything,”
Rena also left as she waved her hand. There were only two of them left now. Add looked down at
Elsword with dissatisfied eyes. Elsword was sitting down muttering to himself.
“That attack wasn’t fair. You only attacked with gears before.”
“How long are you going to stay down there and mutter?”
Add spoke then started walking towards the opposite direction. Elsword who was rubbing his cheek
also got up and followed.
There’s a person you hate even though they didn’t do anything particularly wrong to you. For Add,
Elsword was that kind of person.
Before Add time traveled, Elsword displeased him because he was an immature kid who ran about
without knowing his place. Even now that he’s grown and become somewhat more mature, Add
couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge him.
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“There’s no one here. What’s going on?”
“It’s better that way.”
Add was using Dynamo’s scouting mode to scan the path in front of them beforehand. But for a
temple that was supposedly captured by Demons, there weren’t any life signatures inside the Temple
of Dedication.
There’s not even a rat in here. What’s going on?
“Could they have all gone back to the Demon realm because something urgent happened?”
“I don’t know. We might be able to find out something if we keep moving up.”
That was all the conversation that went back and forth between the two. Add took a glance at
Elsword to his side and turned his head back around with a snort.
Add had never particularly hidden his distaste of Elsword so Rena should have known. Why did she
divide up the team like this?
If they were to divide the teams, it was better for Elsword and Ara who were in charge of the front
line to be in separate teams. Then considering commanding and decision making abilities, Add and
Rena had to be in separate teams as well.
Thus the best team combination was dividing the teams into Ara and Add then Eve,Elsword and
Rena. Didn’t they also divide up like this in their first fight in Ruben? Or she could have put Ara,
Eve, Add in the same team just like back in Wally’s Castle.
Did Rena have some other purpose for pairing him up with Elsword?
“Big brother Add? What do you think about Eve?”
Elsword who was walking in front asked abruptly. Add stared at the boy’s back as he walked and
explicitly made a frown.
Rena and this kid…… Why do they keep asking this question?
“Kukukuk, why are you asking me that all of a sudden?”
“Because Eve seems to be mindful of you.”
What does that mean? When Add didn’t answer, Elsword stopped and looked down.
“Ah, falling down from here will be bad.”
What appeared before them was a chasm. There were evenly s.p.a.ced out stepping-stones creating a
bridge so it didn’t look too hard to get across if you jumped on the stone bridges carefully.
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Of course, Add didn’t bother with the bridge and withdrew his Dynamos to get on top of them.
There was no reason to jump when he could just fly.
Elsword jumped right away and stepped on the first stone. He could lose his life if he missed his
steps but he didn’t hesitate at all.
“Eve isn’t, too, good, with, worldly affairs.”
Elsword continued to talk as he jumped across the chasm. Add matched his speed with Elsword’s
and listened to what he said.
“She also isn’t, too, good, with, talking to people. So she gets, confused, or if things doesn’t go her
way, she gets angry first. Just like before.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I blocked, even her last attack, she would have gotten angrier and attacked me again.”
Elsword’s tone was as if he knew clearly how Eve would react. Even as how Add recalled it,
Elsword’s movements as he blocked Eve’s attacks weren’t too bad.
Almost to the extent that Elsword could have purposely let Eve’s final slap hit.
“That’s why she probably acts like that towards you too.”
“…..Why are you telling me this?”
Add somewhat figured out what Elsword was trying to say and asked back directly. He didn’t like
asking directly like this but Elsword was speaking so openly that he had no choice.
Elsword stopped his steps as he was jumping across and looked back.
“Because’ Eve is my precious friend. I would like you to get along with her as well.”
“…..Something only a kid would think of.”
Add didn’t have to reply out loud but he couldn’t help himself. Everybody be happy and get along~?
Even kids these days wouldn’t say such things.
“Really? I would like Eve to get along well with other people and not just me. She was always alone
by herself until I met her.”
“…..”
Come to think of it, Add didn’t know about Eve’s past except for the fact that she was traveling
with Elsword.
“But that’s so lonely. I’m Eve’s friend but I think it’s better for her to have other friends too.”
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“…..You’re way too simple.”
Add replied dejectedly. Somebody else here was doing his utmost best to survive even by crossing
time and here was Elsword thinking about such carefree things.
But surprisingly it didn’t make Add angry. Was it because it sounded so ridiculous?
“Well you might be right. But my wish for Eve to be able to get along with other people is real. She
seems to have befriended Big sister Rena already…. But she doesn’t seem to be making progress
with Big sister Ara.”
Elsword said this and calmly looked at Add.
“And she seems to have a strange atmosphere with you Big brother Add.”
“There’s nothing going on.”
“Really?”
Elsword didn’t say anymore and continued to jump across. As Add followed him, he realized
something.
If he ambushed by firing a shockwave right now, Elsword would plummet down the chasm. Add
was already at an advantage in a direct confrontation and now he even had the positional advantage.
Elsword’s life was in his hands right now.
This is a great chance. Should I get rid of him right now? This guy would get in the way when I try
to take Eve.
Add pondered as he looked at Elsword’s back. He could just say to the others that Elsword got
ambushed by Demons.
Cras.h.!.+
“Wha? Huh?”
But the part of the stone bridge Elsword was stepping on broke down. These kinds of bridges were
designed to be crossed carefully without putting too much strength on the structure. It had broken
down because Elsword moved across too forcefully.
Elsword waved his arms trying to regain his balance but his body was already falling backwards. The
surface was extremely far down behind him. His life was in danger if he fell down like this.
“Ugh?!”
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Elsword also realized this and desperately swung his arms but he still couldn’t stop his body from
falling backwards. Just when Elsword was about to fall,
Grab.
Add who flew in from the back grabbed his arm. Elsword stared at Add with a surprised expression
then quickly regained his balance.
“Thank you Big brother Add.”
“….”
Add was silent from the act he just performed. He would have died if I left him alone. Why did I
ruin this chance by myself?
Add’s gaze as he thought this remained on Elsword’s other hand. He had already pulled out his
sword sensing that he was about to fall. He must have instinctively realized recovering his balance
was impossible and tried to stop himself from falling by driving the sword into the stone wall.
It was such wild animal like judgement. Honestly, if Add had been in the same situation he would
have helplessly dropped to his death.
“Big brother Add? I’m okay now.”
Add thought intently then finally let go of Elsword arm. He decided to leave aside his shock at
Elsword’s reaction speed and the mistake he just made for another time. It wouldn’t be difficult for
him to take Elsword’ life if he put his mind to it anyways.
“I’m going up first.”
“Ah, wait for me!”
Add ignored Elsword’s shout from below and flew upwards.
They started to smell blood.
Demon corpses were all around them. Add and Elsword kept silent.
Rough body count as they came up was already numbering three digits. The smell was so intense
that it could paralyze their noses….. There must be even more Demon corpses up ahead.
“This is too cruel….”
Add didn’t say it out loud but he agreed with Elsword. Of course, Demons that were after Eve were
hateful enemies that he had no intention of showing mercy to.
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But even Add could only describe these Glitter solider corpses as just brutal. It was difficult to spot
a corpse that still had its entire body intact. Seeing how blood and flesh were splattered all over on
the walls to their right and left, it almost looked like a scene right after the disaster where an
overwhelming storm had swept by.
“…..It looks like this was all done by one person. This is not magic, it was done with a sword. All of
them got blown away with one slash.”
A chill went down Add’s spine after hearing Elsword murmur with a dark expression on his face as
he examined the Glitter soldiers’ corpses. Elsword was right.
Seeing how the corpses were all laid out on left and right sides of the road, it looked like someone
had swung their sword left to right as they ran forwards.
Demons were one-sidedly ma.s.sacred by this attack. Yes, this could only be described as ma.s.sacre.
Even Add shook his head at this terrible scene but Elsword for some reason knelt and seriously
examined one corpse.
“Why are you looking at it so intently?”
“…..It’s just.”
Elsword shut his mouth and continued to examine the scar on the corpse. Add didn’t want to be in
this place anymore so he moved ahead without informing Elsword.
He arrived at the Spire where they had agreed to meet.
Rena, Eve and Ara had already arrived before him. The three of them must have seen the corpses as
they came up because their faces were all grim as well. Add was about to call out by
shouting…..then realized three of their gazes were focused on one point. Add turned his head
towards the direction of their gaze.
“…..”
Cutty Sark was hanging on the wall pierced by harpoons. Not just one but dozens of harpoons
pierced its body. It was pointless to check if it was alive or dead.
It was as if someone was playing with a toy, displaying Cutty Sark on the wall as if it was an insect
specimen.
“This is too harsh….”
When Add spoke out, the silence in the area was broken. Ara nodded.
“Even if they were Demons, there shouldn’t be a need to go this far.”
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“As I’ve observed on our way up, they were all finished with a single strike. Not only that, this was
all done by the skill of a single individual. What’s going on Rena?”
“Hmm…..”
At Eve’s gaze, Rena scratched her cheek with a troubled expression. It was difficult to hide it from
them anymore.
“We actually came here to check because something like this might have happened….”
“Is this person an ally or foe?”
Eve’s question was actually ridiculous. Someone appeared out of the blue and defeated all the
Demons threatening Feita for them. There’s no way this person was an enemy.
And yet, no one in the El Search Party could say Eve’s question was wrong. This wasn’t a fight; it
was a once-sided slaughter, a ma.s.sacre. This person was strong but extremely brutal.
Even by looking at the harpoons piercing Cutty Sark’s body so densely…..you could almost sense
the madness.
“I don’t know which…..But let’s be careful.”
Add didn’t like Rena acting so unconfidently so he asked abruptly.
“Tell us already if you know something about this. I don’t think there are many individuals who can
pull this kind of thing off.”
Add didn’t know any famous individuals from this age because he was from the past. But there
shouldn’t be many people who possessed this much overwhelming power, cruelty and madness.
“Mr.Lento was also very reluctant and didn’t tell me. It almost seemed like he got his lips sealed…..”
Rena had a troubled expression as she trailed her words.
“But he did say Knight.”
“…..Knight?”
At that word, the entire group’s gaze turned towards Elsword who had just arrived. Wasn’t this boy
also a Knight of the Velder Kingdom?
But Elsword shook his head with a grim expression.
“I don’t know either. This kind of person….”
“I don’t know who it is. But doesn’t defeating the Demons in order to protect Feita mean this is a
good person?”
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Ara looked like she couldn’t believe her own words because there was no confidence in her voice.
“There was no need to go this far. They even slaughtered enemies who were turning their back and
running away.”
“B, but they could have done more bad things if they were left to run away……”
“Even then, I wouldn’t like to meet this person.”
Add was organizing his thoughts as he listened to Ara and Eve talk. Then his eyes suddenly gleamed.
“Wait, there’s something above. It’s a life signature.”
Dynamo he had let fly for scouting had found a life signature.
“…..Is it the person who caused this?”
“We’ll have to see directly. Judging by how weak the life signature is, whoever it is must not be in a
good state.”
“That’s not good. We should go help right away!!”
Ara was about to quickly run to the top but Rena grabbed her arm and stopped her.
“Wait Ara. Let’s all move forward carefully while examining our surroundings”
“But Mr.Add just said the person is in dangerous state. We have to hurry.”
“There’s no guarantee that it’s a human. It could be a surviving Demon.”
Add spoke bluntly and turned around.
“There’s no harm in being careful. This way.”
As Add walked in front, he took a slight glance at Elsword.
Was it because he heard that a Knight could have caused this atrocity? Elsword’s face looked
grimmer than ever before.
‘…..Well it’s not like I care.’
Add made a snort then moved up the stairs.
Altar of Dedication.
A giant, wolf faced Demon was sprawled on the ground. El Search Party with Add in the front
carefully approached it then they all stopped moving as terror filled their faces.
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Parts of the Demon’s body were torn off and its abdomen was pierced by a sharp pillar. What’s
surprising was that it still was clinging to its life.
“Berthe….”
Add unconsciously called out the Demon’s name as he approached it. Even if it was a Demon
general, it posed no threat now that it had lost most of its body.
Berthe who was panting heavily slightly turned its head around at the call. There was aura of death
on its face and it didn’t look like it will hold out for much longer.
“Huff, Huff…..W, Who are you?”
“You don’t need to know who I am, who did this?”
Berthe closed its mouth and looked like it was guessing at Add’s ident.i.ty. Looking at its condition,
Berthe won’t hold out for long. But you could tell it was truly a Demon general judging by how it
still tried to run its brain despite being at its deathbed.
“Kugh, Ugh, huff…”
But even Berthe immediately let out a painful groan when Add kicked its sides. It must have been
deathly painful since he got kicked while his abdomen was pieced by a stone pillar.
“Mr.Add!!”
Ara called out in horror from behind but Add ignored it. There wasn’t much time left to get
information out of Berthe.
“I’ll send you off peacefully if you answer properly, I don’t think that’s a bad deal for you.”
“Kugh, H, human trash…..”
Berthe attempted to howl but its body didn’t move according to its will.
Add thought about kicking again but gave up on it. You could visibly tell Berthe’s condition
worsening rapidly.
But Berthe who was facing death showed its teeth as it laughed.
“Kuhaha. You guys will also….soon find out. There’s no need to hurry.”
“What a deaf beast you are. Anyone could have finished you off. Stop acting so mighty.”
Add purposely enticed Berthe’s anger. It must have been effective because rage filled Berthe’s blurry
eyes.
“Why you…… Do you think I would have ended up like this if that thing wasn’t my opponent?”
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“Yes, so what is that thing? I don’t know how great it was but would it really brag about defeating
you?”
At Add’s mockery, Berthe put strength in its eyes and spoke every single word with a force.
“Your confidence will be short lived. All of you will end up like me if that thing appears again. That
D’s Kn….”
Berthe’s voice as he spoke forcefully seemed to dim all of a sudden then became quiet. Its life ran
out as it held out its tongue.
It was barely alive in the first place. Going out of its way to speak quickened its death. It was a
miserable death unfit for a Demon General.
“…..”
While Add was staring down at Berthe’s corpse, Eve suggested coldly from behind him.
“Demons have been wiped out. What should we do now?”
“….Let’s get out of here first. We have to report this to Feita.”
Everyone turned around following Rena’s grim voice. Add who was quietly looking down at
Berthe’s corpse also turned around and followed when the others’ footsteps got further.
Add thought deeply as he walked then found something on the ground.
“What is this?”
It was different from the color of the ground so Add picked it up with his fingertips…… It was a
strand of red hair. It’s Elsword’s. Even though Add thought this, he somehow didn’t feel like
throwing it away.
Since it was a very beautiful strand of crimson red hair.
It was already dark when the El Search Party exited Temple of Dedication. They would have
normally prepared to camp out right away. But this time it took a while for them to prepare because
they had to choose a campsite far away from the Temple of Dedication.
I want to be far away from that Temple of Dedication filled with mountains of Demon corpses.
This was the unified thought of all of the El Search Party members.
After finis.h.i.+ng a simple meal, El Search Party fell asleep around the campfire. Ara beside Add fell
asleep quickly and was making quiet breathing noises. But Add couldn’t fall asleep so easily.
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D.
The word Berthe left them really hung on his mind. The one who ordered Dark Count Ran was D.
So Add had thought D was Demons’ commander, the one behind the a.s.sa.s.sins that came after Eve.
But why would someone related to D annihilate Feita’s entire Demon battalion? What’s the point of
damaging their own forces at this point when they were launching a full scale invasion of the Elrios
continent?
He couldn’t find out in detail because Berthe died before finis.h.i.+ng its words. But Add could tell with
certainty that whoever turned the Temple of Dedication into a bloodbath was terrifyingly powerful.
The knight that Lento mentioned must have gotten caught up by this atrocity and lost their life.
They couldn’t find the knight’s corpse but it’s probably rotting in there somewhere.
Anyways, Add had no idea what to do if this person were to come after Eve. The Shadow Master he
struggled so much against looked like a child’s play compared to this.
“…..phew.”
“Are you sleeping?”
Add paused at the question coming abruptly from his back. Eve who was on watchout duty spoke
to him all of a sudden.
“Ku……”
“No, I can’t sleep.”
Add was about to get up as he laughed but paused. Because another voice, Elsword answered Eve’s
call instead.
“Eating and sleeping a lot is your only good point so hurry up and sleep.”
“I’m not always like that.”
Add had mistaken completely. His face turned red. He was glad he was late in getting up.
“We have to move tomorrow too. Hurry up and sleep.”
“You should too.”
“Nasods don’t need to sleep. I wouldn’t mind keeping watch all the time.”
Eve replied with a somewhat proud tone. Actually, Eve had suggested doing this many times during
their journey but Rena had refused. That’s why they took turns watching out instead.
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“Because that’s not what traveling together is about.”
Add listened to the conversation behind him and bit his lips unknowingly.
It was a surprisingly smooth and warm conversation. Eve’s voice also sounded looser than usual.
“I heard you say that so many times now.”
“Didn’t I tell you that traveling together means sharing the responsibilities as well?”
“You told me that your older sister told you that”
Add’s heart felt painful for some reason and closed his eyes tightly. It would be better if he could fall
sleep right now somehow…..But he couldn’t fall asleep.
He was almost jealous of Ara who was sleeping soundly beside him.
“You seem to be at least obedient to what your older sister says…..”
“Well, Big sister never said anything that was wrong.”
You could feel a strange sense of nostalgia in Elsword’s voice.
“Let’s go back to what we were talking about. You don’t look too well. Do you have something
you’re worried about? Of course, after seeing such a scene I do understand…..”
Eve had a tired tone as well. A one-sided ma.s.sacre. Even if they were demons, seeing hundreds of
corpses piled up like that would prevent anyone from falling asleep.
“I was just thinking of various things.”
“Add, are you sleeping?”
Add realized a bit later that Eve had called him. Could it be that she knew he was listening?
Unlike Add’s heart that was beating loudly, Eve’s voice that the night wind carried towards him was
serene.
“I’m sorry this late at night. But if you’re awake, let’s talk for a moment.”
“…..Kukuk.”
Add slowly brought his upper body up and took a slight glance behind him. Eve and Elsword who
sat in front of the campfire were staring at him.
“Others are asleep so come closer. Let’s talk quietly.”
“If you’d like.”
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Dynamo had a mute mode but there shouldn’t be a need to use that here. Add approached the two
of them as he let out a slight laugh. Two of them didn’t seem to think that Add was listening in on
their conversation before.
“So what do you want to talk about this late at night?”
“I’m asking you because I want to confirm something. What’s D?”
Eve must have been worried about Berthe’s last words as well. Elsword was also waiting for Add’s
mouth to move with curiosity.
Add was about to back out by saying he didn’t know but changed his mind.
Add didn’t know too much in detail either. Maybe talking to them could lead to some clues.
“It’s someone who’s related to Demons. You could interpret the scene from today as Feita’s Demon
battalion not doing something to D’s liking and paying the price.”
“It was a frightening display of skill.”
“They were all killed by a sword.”
Add let out a snort.
“Whatever it was, it cleaned up the Demons for us. That’s something good. Why are you guys so
worried?”
“It’s because of words that the dying Demon left. That whatever did that to it will appear in front of
us soon.”
“….It’s something it blurted out as it died. Don’t worry about it.”
Add erased his smile when he saw that Eve was looking worried. D had come after Eve before and
there was a good chance that D was still after Eve. But revealing this to Eve would only give her
unnecessary worries.
“We just have to defeat anyone who stands in our way. It’s a very simple logic. Don’t Nasods
understand this?”
“….It’s not like I don’t know.”
Eve made an extremely unpleasant face when Add mocked her by bringing up Nasods. Add was
overjoyed that he got a reaction from her.
“Then you must have forgotten. So you woke someone from their sleep just so you could cry about
how worried you were? What an emotional Nasod.”
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“You are incorrect. I don’t have such thing as emotions. I thought you were someone whom I could
discuss this with but it seems I was mistaken.”
“That’s right. I only just figured out that Nasods could make a mistake too. This is incredible! Being
so distraught with worry about what a single small fry Demon said, I must have made a mistake
about you too. Kukukuk.”
“…..”
When Add continued to taunt her, Eve really looked offended now. Add who was getting into this
mood was about to say more lines but Elsword made a sigh at that moment.
“Big brother Add. If you wanted to comfort Eve you should have just said it properly. You’re not a
kid you know……why do you have to say it like that?”
“…..What do you mean?”
Elsword looked at Add with a very pitiful gaze…. It looked like he was feeling really displeased.
“I don’t get why you have to say what you want to say in such a way.”
“A kid is saying something weird after staying up for too long.”
Add became really displeased and taunted back. But Elsword didn’t mind at all.
“Eve, why did you go out of your way to wake Big brother Add up to talk about this? Do you have a
reason?”
“It’s because this person knows something but is hiding it.”
Add’s heart sank at those sudden words. Eve’s golden eyes were staring straightly at him.
…..How did she notice?
“You knew about what Rena kept secret from us. Am I right?”
Add felt relieved at her continuing words. What Eve was pointing out was that Rena had told Add
about the secret circ.u.mstances behind this scouting mission.
After getting his composure back, Add crossed his arms and snorted.
“She just told me on her own. And I didn’t tell you guys because I didn’t feel the need to.”
“It would have been dangerous if we ran into whatever that caused this. You should have told us
beforehand.”
“What? So you wanted to stay out if it was something dangerous?”
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Eve stared coldly when Add taunted her again. Elsword sighed and b.u.t.ted in when the two started
arguing again.
“Eve, you don’t have to worry about me. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve seen corpses. I also
saw many things while doing Knight’s duties.”
“….I’m not doing this particularly because I’m worried about you.”
Elsword spoke calmly as Eve turned her head around abruptly.
“Actually I almost fell down the chasm today. But I was saved thanks to Big brother Add’s help. So
don’t pick on him too much.”
“…..”
At those words, Eve who had turned her head around carefully turned her eyes to look at Add.
Add pretended he didn’t care as he looked up at the night sky as the atmosphere turned strange all
of a sudden during their argument.
Stars were bright.
“My words were too harsh, Add.”
“My, are you fis.h.i.+ng for compliments….?”
Add mocked again but Eve’s att.i.tude was completely different from before.
“Thank you for saving Elsword.”
“….”
Add forgot what he was about to say when Eve even bowed slightly. He never thought even in his
dreams that there will come a day when that pompous Eve would thank him like this.
But how come the reason had to be…..
His heart felt stifled.
“I’m going back to sleep now.”
Add stood up and went back to his sleeping spot. He didn’t like how Eve’s att.i.tude changed after
hearing a single word that he had helped Elsword.
Wasn’t this completely discriminatory?
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Well, in Eve’s point of view, she had been always together with Elsword and it hasn’t even been
that long since she met Add. It was obvious how she’d treat the two differently……but Add didn’t
like this at all.
Add lay on his side and was about to close his eyes to sleep but paused. Ara had her eyes wide open
with both of her hands covering her mouth.
“……”
“……”
Their gazes met. Ara must have awoken from her sleep and had been listening in on their
conversation. Add’s eyes instinctively turned fowl.
“I, I didn’t hear anything, Mr.Add.”
“What didn’t you hear?”
“I didn’t hear anything about how Mr.Add and Ms.Eve were arguing.”
So she’s confessing that she heard everything. Add glared at her more sharply. Ara looked very
intimidated by this and shrunk. But fl.u.s.tered Ara suddenly opened her eyes widely as she got up
from her spot while grabbing her spear.
“Someone’s coming.”
“Who is….?”
He had thought she was making an excuse but Rena across the campfire was also getting up. It
must be true.
“There’s only one but please be careful.”
“….”
They had moved away but this place still wasn’t too far away from the Temple of Dedication. It
wouldn’t be strange to say that the one that had created the atrocity in the Temple could be looking
for their next victim.
Human form that could be seen far away must have noticed their campfire because it was
approaching this way.
It’s getting closer. Add looked at Rena but she didn’t show any signs of aiming her bow. Is she
going to let it get close?
“Everyone, it’s someone we already know.”
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Rena said this and put down her bow. Even if it’s someone we knew, wouldn’t it be better for us to
be cautious if it was coming towards us so abruptly? Add couldn’t understand but Rena instructed
the other members to drop their weapons.
“Add too, quickly.”
“….”
Add who held out in battle position the longest also moved the Dynamos behind his back. Of
course he didn’t intend to disarm completely so he prepared himself to change into attack position
right away.
Human’s footsteps got closer.
“Haah, haah…..”
The sound of panting could be heard as the footsteps approached. It seemed whoever that was
approaching was extremely fatigued. Rena approached the form that was approaching them.
“You look tired, are you okay?”
“…..Ah.”
The person that came running to them with all they had dropped in front