Chapter 95 - 33: [Trust Me Once in a While]

Chapter 95: Chapter 33: [Trust Me Once in a While]

No... slippers, pajamas, small cartoon dolls.

Boxes of sertraline hydrochloride lay scattered across the floor, mixed with shards of a bloodstained glass cup that had cut her feet.

"Brother... am I a burden to you..." a blurred voice echoed in his helmet. "I can’t do anything right..."

BZZT—

[Consciousness state disturbance detected.]

"You are my guide and travel companion in this new world. I need you," Samael calmly replied, ignoring the flashing UI on his helmet. "Without you, I would know nothing about this world, nor would I ever be able to make it out of the Kana Plain. Demon King Valak would have sensed me the very first day I set foot on the Kana Plain, and he would have captured me to dismantle and study for parts."

"I promised to assist you in completing the grand undertaking of the Underground City. This is my duty as..." He paused. "This is my responsibility. I do not make promises lightly, nor do I break them easily."

"How exactly did you die?" Talia asked in a low voice. "I know what games are. The Demon Race also plays card and war board games. But someone like you—someone with dreams, swift execution skills, courage, brains, a sharp mind, and firm resolve—how could you possibly die from exhaustion by being addicted to games for too long?"

Silence.

"Samael?" Talia obstinately repeated, cupping his helmet with both hands.

Silence.

Samael raised his bronze Hand Armor and gently pressed down her pitch-black, claw-like armor supporting the side of his helmet.

"That’s a bit out of line, ally," Samael said, changing his form of address. "Does calling you that make you feel a bit more at ease?"

Talia gazed at him.

"I don’t know," she said. "Just trust me for once, will you?"

Silence.

"What I mean is, although my father protected me very well, he has been gone for a long time. I am no longer a child who needs protecting. I’ve managed to survive on the run by myself for this long, so please trust my abilities," Talia said, letting her hands fall. "We’ve cooperated several times in commanding the Magical Beasts and the Undead Legion. You know I’m not that fragile.

"When you need to, you can rely on me too."

BZZT—

[Consciousness state disturbance detected.]

She wasn’t... she wasn’t Nannan... she wasn’t Xia Qingnan. They were not the same.

"Want something to eat?" Samael replied mechanically, his voice laced with the faint sizzling sound of scraping, rusty metal.

He seemed only capable of using this excuse to avoid the topic, whether in the past or present. It was as if just bringing his sister something delicious could let him pretend that unpleasant things simply didn’t exist. This was despite the fact that he no longer needed to eat, and the other party was a member of the Mixed-blood Demon Race whose tolerance for starvation rivaled that of a camel. This excuse had now become a glaringly clumsy lie, like slapping a piece of white paper drawn with a cartoon smiley face over a tear-streaked face.

The two stared at each other in silence.

"Let’s go," Talia said without further ado. "The station carriage is here. It’s time to leave."

She unhooked the Gold Coin pouch from her waist, putting on a stern face as she haggled with the long-distance carriage driver. "Nine hundred? Do you think we’re stupid?" she bartered. "Six hundred at most."

Samael watched her in silence. Their roles seemed to have reversed. For a brief moment, he was instead the one who needed to be taken care of.

The travel fare was settled at six hundred and fifty Ederic Gold Coins. In the habitable zones within the Empire, civilian prices differed vastly from those in the Barren Land, which was filled with expensive demonized materials. Even after haggling, the profit margin for this price was still absurdly high. The station carriage driver was quite delighted; he lightly whipped the horses, chattering non-stop with enthusiastic introductions of the passing scenery along the way.

"See that huge chimney in the distance? That’s a large Foundry of the Ederic Empire. Such things can only be found in seven provinces.

"We’re very close to the Rock Dome Country to the southeast. A lot of short, heavily bearded fellas come over from the mines down southeast. They drive massive, steaming iron carts with huge furnaces that burn fire oil and charcoal, hauling ores piled as high as small hills, rumbling in and rumbling out. A bunch of these short fellas also live near the Foundry to help with the work inside. Every night, they get all rowdy and swarm into town, packing every single tavern to the brim..."

He chattered on endlessly with his introductions, but unfortunately, neither of the two in the carriage behind him paid him any mind.

"Are you two Knights lovers, or siblings?" the driver asked nosily.

"None of your business," the two in the carriage replied in unison.