### Chapter 127: The Gap (Part 1)
…Huh?
The Pope Knight tilted her little head curiously.
“You…”
She looked at Barry, blinked her eyes, and uttered a single word but then fell silent, looking slightly confused as she scanned the surroundings. Then she turned to the golden armored knight behind her, her delicate brows knitting together: “Safiros. What are you doing following me?”
“Hehe.” Safiros grinned like an idiot. “It’s nothing special, just wanted to see who the lady’s brother is.”
After saying that, he winked at the dazed Barry, but who knows what he meant by that.
“What do you mean by ‘see him’?” My brows knitted tighter in suspicion.
“Isn’t it said he was hurt? Just thought I’d drop by for a visit, and I’ll be on my way…” Safiros chuckled, avoiding my gaze. He turned back to Barry and waved his hand, “Hey, um… Mr. Barry, right? I’m Safiros, captain of the Judgement Fist’s sixth squad, currently hanging out with Lady Silvya. So, um… you don’t seem too badly hurt, and that makes me feel relieved, haha. Just rest here and take it easy; we’ll head out first, catch you later…”
He turned and waved to a couple of his subordinates, throwing an arm around one of their shoulders as they headed out of the tent. A couple of steps later, he turned back with a grin: “Mr. Barry, once everything’s settled, I’ll come back for a drink with you.”
Before Barry could respond, they hurriedly left.
…What was that all about?
I tilted my head, perplexed as I watched them go, still trying to figure out what Safiros was thinking… Was he trying to butter up to Barry?
Why?
…Forget it.
Not important.
I shrugged and turned back to look at Barry, who was half-sitting on the grass mat. Then, I stole a glance at the woman standing beside him, looking a bit nervous, and my brows knitted again.
Who is she?
Barry’s girlfriend?
Looking at how she gazed at him, oh, come on…
Really?
I’d rushed all the way from Woodward Forest, worried sick and practically losing sleep, fearing that if I was even a moment late, things would be irretrievable… and here’s Barry, seemingly unscathed and chatting up a storm?
“Tsk.”
I couldn’t help but pout.
But in truth, at this moment… no, ever since I saw Barry was alive, a feeling of unexplainable joy that was like surviving a disaster took over my heart.
It felt as if a thousand-pound stone that had been pressing down on my chest finally crashed down. Even now, that sense of relief hadn’t faded.
After all this chaos, the battle had become something beyond mere “tragic”—the Third Knights Order, where Barry was, had started with over ten thousand soldiers and suffered a crushing defeat at the Mosley coast. They had fought their way back here, spilling their bl**d and sweat on these high walls and this once peaceful land.
In such a frenzied, meat grinder-like clash, they had used their flesh and bl**d to halt the demon’s advance until we finally arrived, breaking through the northern walls, stepping on countless fallen comrades, and defeated those heretics to claim a hard-won victory. But behind that victory lay countless sacrifices, mountains of corpses.
I didn’t even dare to go look at the battlefield being cleared in the north, spending my time hiding on the castle tower, listening to the reports from the captains—what they said was that there might not even be five hundred from the Third Knights Order left alive.
But Barry was alive.
Seeing him at that moment was perhaps the first time in my life I genuinely thanked a deity from the bottom of my heart.
Now, seeing him injured but looking tranquil and even a bit silly, my heart soared with happiness, and I nearly chuckled at his ridiculous expression. Yet, witnessing the woman beside him, looking so content, I felt another wave of inexplicable annoyance bubbling up.
All these mixed feelings tangled together made me somewhat at a loss during this reunion a year later. I didn’t know what to say to him, and I didn’t want to reveal what was in my heart, whether it was to grumble or scold; all words got choked in my throat, turning into a disdainful click of my tongue just to break the ice.
“Are you dumb? You see me and don’t even know what to say…”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I saw Barry’s face turning bright red.
“Xi, Xi-Little Shay…”
His “Little Shay” came out a bit stiff.
I pretty much understood what he was thinking. Having spent so much time with him, I long ago figured out his personality, so I deliberately frowned, made a displeased face, and lightly punched his shoulder.
Bang!
Barry stumbled, nearly tipping over backward, crashing onto the grass mat with an “ah.” He rolled a couple of times before sitting up two seconds later, rubbing his shoulder, grinning like a confused puppy.
Ah…
That punch was a bit too hard.
Several people nearby laughed, and I quickly put on a mock surprised face, covering my mouth with one hand. “Oh my, I’m so sorry! You okay?”
“W-What did you hit him for?” The woman beside him spoke up before Barry could. “W-Why would you hit him? Even if you are his sister, you shouldn’t hit him… he’s hurt…”
“I’m fine, cough, I’m fine…”
Young Knight Barry waved his hands from his spot on the ground. I just pouted again and shot that nervous woman a sweet smile, like a fox.
“I didn’t do it on purpose.”
So who exactly is she?
I stepped over the grass mat, slowly walked over, and reached out to pull Barry up from the ground. “That punch is for you making me lose sleep.”
“Uh…”
Barry got up awkwardly, standing in front of me with a dazed expression: “So, um… sorry…?”
“Why is that a question?”
I shot him a glare.
Then I noticed Barry’s gaze drifting to my face, landing on my forehead: “Xi-Little Shay… what happened to your hair?”
Hair?
I was taken aback for a moment before it dawned on me.
“Stressed.”
I let out a gentle sigh, raising my hand to touch my head, putting on a woeful expression.
Hearing my words, Barry immediately tensed up. I could see him balling his fists: “What happened? Is… something wrong?”
“Not… anything serious. It’s just someone I care about. The only family left at home is Grandma, yet insists on running off to be a knight. Then comes here to fight heretics… I’m afraid he’ll d*e. Every single day, I can’t sleep, and then I got all worked up, looking like this.”
While talking, I watched Barry’s face change from shock at “someone I care about,” to a hint of annoyance, back to calm when hearing “only Grandma left at home,” and then to a whirlwind of emotions, even a flicker of joy.
Only after I finished speaking did all those emotions morph into silent guilt, perhaps a bit of shame. This boy, who seemed to have grown taller, lowered his head in front of me.
“Oh… I’m sorry, I didn’t think that deeply, I just… just wanted to do something, like be like my dad… like, like you—”
“Alright!”
I raised both hands, patting his shoulders, flashing a sly grin: “I was lying to you.”
“Uh… what?”
“The hair thing is for another reason.”
“…Oh.”
The boy nodded, looking completely dazed.
“But not being able to sleep is not a lie.”
“I…”
“Because you didn’t stay at home and behave. That’s why I came all this way. It was quite a journey…”
“……”
“But seeing you’re okay brings me peace of mind.”
I smiled at Barry.
In my line of sight, the boy’s tensed shoulders gradually relaxed in the quirky conversation as I deliberately teased him with my expressions and tone.
