Lyr’s words reached Yilu, bringing a sliver of comfort to her heart.
At the very least, her efforts weren’t in vain.
It was simply that she hadn’t achieved results yet.
But seeing Lyr’s outstretched hand, Yilu paused.
She narrowed her eyes and, instead of taking it, slapped his hand aside.
“You…”
Before Lyr could react, Yilu pushed herself up.
Her mind was still reeling, and the moment she stood, her body swayed uncontrollably.
Now that she had calmed down, seeing Lyr standing there made her realize something was wrong.
She turned her head slightly, eyeing him with suspicion.
“So, what exactly are you doing in a girl’s room in the middle of the night?”
More accurately, it was her room.
If her condition hadn’t been so poor, she would have normally chased Lyr with a sword.
However, remembering how he had just pinned her against the wardrobe, her expression wavered between anger and uncertainty, and her cheeks began to burn.
Feeling her strange reaction, Yilu took a step back, using the dim light of the room to hide the change in her expression.
Lyr raised an eyebrow at her sudden retreat.
“I just helped you once again, yet this is how you speak to me? Do you even have a conscience?”
He felt as though she were trying to brush off a debt.
Yet, from Yilu’s perspective, Lyr was the scumbag for breaking into a girl’s room in the middle of the night.
“And if I don’t?” Yilu said, trying to keep her tone level.
“Wow, you really are something.”
“This is who I am. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to help me.”
Lyr felt helpless.
He didn’t know who Yilu had learned this personality from.
“Fine, fine. I suppose I was just being overly meddlesome.”
During his recent visits, Lyr never expected any reward from Yilu.
The first time was a coincidence, but this time was for a different reason.
Recalling what Lyr had said earlier, Yilu asked curiously, “You said you had something to tell me. What is it?”
…
‘Her brain recovered quite quickly,’ Lyr thought.
‘I thought she’d forgotten what I said already.’
“We can talk about that later. You should just focus on resting.”
In truth, Lyr had come here because he knew Berspin—Yilu’s older brother.
In fact, the two of them were quite close.
During their time at the Academy, they often hung out together and eventually joined the Knights to work side-by-side.
It was only after Lyr left for the Frontier that they lost contact.
Lyr had planned to look up his old friends in the Knights once he had settled in, but he hadn’t expected to learn about the state of the Starting Bud Family from Teacher Luoduan.
No wonder the name Yilu Shiya had sounded so familiar.
Lost in thought, Lyr stared blankly at Yilu and couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.
Back at the Academy, he and Berspin used to talk about their sisters.
Lyr would talk about how Tif was always clinging to him, while Berspin would complain about how his sister ignored him and wished he’d stop bothering her every day.
She spent all day locked in her room reading, studying things far beyond her years.
One man’s joy was another man’s sorrow.
Now, Lyr was beginning to feel the same frustration Berspin had felt back then.
He wondered where that guy had disappeared to now.
As for the rumors that Berspin had committed treason, Lyr didn’t believe it for a second.
He trusted the man’s character.
Lyr suspected there was a hidden truth behind the whole affair.
He had originally intended to ask Yilu for specific details, but after the night’s chaos, he decided to wait for another time.
‘If I bring it up now, she’ll probably just think I’m even weirder than she already does.’
“What are you looking at? You’re acting like a creep,” Yilu snapped.
Snapping out of it, Lyr sighed.
This was exactly what he meant.
“I’ll tell you next time. We’ll have plenty of time later anyway.”
Lyr gathered all the Magic Cores and picked up the bag.
“However, I’m taking these with me so you don’t do something reckless again.”
“No! Those are mine!”
There was no way Yilu would let Lyr take them.
She had spent a long time gathering those items, and only she knew the hardships she had endured to get them.
Seeing her move to take them back, Lyr raised his hand and sidestepped her.
With a simple hop, he landed by the window.
His Magic Power was weak, but he still possessed his physical skills.
“Don’t worry, I’m not stealing them. I’ll pay you back their full value later.”
It was the simplest form of trade, but the moment the words left his mouth, Lyr regretted it.
He didn’t have much money on him.
To buy these Magic Cores at their proper price, he’d have to ask Tif for money.
He wondered if she would agree.
Otherwise, he might have to sell them at the Adventurers’ Association, though the price there wouldn’t be very high.
“Who wants your money? Give those back, or I’ll make you!”
Yilu drew the sword she kept nearby, the blade pointing directly at Lyr.
“You really have no sense of gratitude,” Lyr said, shaking his head.
The sister of his friend really had a terrible personality.
“Also, I won’t tell anyone about tonight. You should do the same. It’s better for both of us.”
Those were Lyr’s final words.
He didn’t want any strange rumors affecting Tif, and Yilu likely didn’t want any more gossip either.
Or rather, she already had enough rumors following her.
Just as Lyr was about to leave, he noticed the necklace around Yilu’s neck.
The gem in the center was glowing strangely, as if responding to something.
“What’s going on with that?”
“What do you mean?”
Yilu hadn’t realized it yet.
“I’ve been wondering what that gem on your neck is. It feels… special.”
Yilu looked down and finally noticed the gemstone glowing.
This had never happened before.
Before she could process her confusion, Lyr felt a sudden jolt in his chest.
It felt as if something were clenching his heart, making his eyes widen in terror.
An unprecedented wave of negative emotion washed over him.
It was as if an invisible hand reached out from the void to drag him down.
The face of the girl he had killed suddenly flashed in his mind.
“Eternal… Curse… No death… No rest…”
In an instant, Lyr’s eyelids fluttered uncontrollably.
Unable to withstand the mysterious force, his consciousness snapped, and his body slumped forward.