Chapter 78: The One Who Watches the Scenery With Me
Faced with Hiltina’s invitation, Rast certainly wouldn’t refuse.
After all, besides “d*ath’s Messenger,” he felt a strong connection to Night Blade “Infinite Sword” as well.
Rast hadn’t forgotten the description of the card 【”Chariot”·Hiltina】 in the Fool’s Library.
If he could deepen the bond level, or rather, if his connection with Hiltina could advance further…
The next skill unlocked by the Chariot card might very well be “True Name Liberation.”
Rast had been coveting this skill, which could also make up for his shortcomings in direct combat power, for quite some time.
He looked forward to what kind of effect his Emblem Armor 【Moon of Iron Patterns】 and 【Sevenfold Domain】 could achieve after liberating their true names.
Watching the girl in a simple white long dress extending her hand toward him, Rast nodded slightly.
“It is my honor.”
…
Next to the school hospital was a vast ginkgo forest, with golden ginkgo leaves scattered all over the ground.
The two walked across the soft lawn, and in the center of the lawn was a fountain square, where young men and women sat on benches beside the fountain, whispering to each other.
Rast and Hiltina blended in among them, feeling no sense of discomfort whatsoever.
In the farther distance, ancient sandstone buildings stood alongside the Ruins Institute library, with bright flags waving in the wind.
Rast felt his mind and body relax; the seemingly endless fog and bl**d moon of Frozen Water Town faded into the background, no longer important.
Of course, the most significant change was from the girl beside him.
She had changed out of her bright red and pure white knight’s attire, replaced now by a simple white long dress.
The past Hiltina looked like a knight out of an epic tale sung by bards—majestic, dignified, flawless, yet evoking an unreal feeling.
But at this moment, there was a touch of youthful, genuine charm that was more fitting for her age.
“So this is… how it feels.”
Hiltina spoke softly, gazing at the distant scenery of the academy.
Ding ding~
Ding ding~
The sound of copper bells wafted through the wind, coming closer and catching Hiltina’s attention.
It was a moving ice cream cart, traversing the wide expanse of the campus.
Rast noticed Hiltina’s gaze: “Do you want some?”
The chestnut-haired girl instinctively shook her head.
But Rast caught a fleeting curiosity in her light brown eyes.
“Forget it, I’ll just say it’s what I want to eat…”
He sighed, feeling the long-dead memories of a past life returning: “Wait for me here.”
…
Due to the 900th anniversary celebration at Starry University, crowds were everywhere in the academy.
After waiting in line at the ice cream cart, holding a cone and a cup of ice cream, and making his way back through the crowd, twenty minutes had already passed.
If it were back when he worked at the cowherd shop… vanishing for twenty minutes in front of customers would lead to complaints, no doubt.
As this thought crossed his mind, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hiltina sitting quietly on a bench beside the fountain, her hands neatly placed on her knees.
The morning breeze swept by, her chestnut hair fluttering in the wind, and the simple white skirt danced gently.
Sunlight fell on her fair, delicate profile, resembling an ice sculpture, exuding a translucent quality, almost like a serene sculpture.
The rush of people passed her by but instinctively avoided her upon recognizing Hiltina’s identity as the “Master of Strategies,” creating a vacant space around her.
Rast ignored the strange looks from those around him, holding up his cup and cone, and walked straight into the empty space beside Hiltina, sitting down next to her.
“Thank you.”
Hiltina took the strawberry cone, savoring a careful taste.
Then she widened her eyes in surprise: “So this is what ice cream tastes like.”
“You’ve never had ice cream before?” Rast asked, a bit taken aback.
In his impression, although Hiltina’s personality seemed somewhat out of sync, she shouldn’t be someone detached from modern society.
She was quite proficient with smart devices after all.
“Well, I have had some, but it was different.”
Hiltina shook her head: “Back in my first year, before I severed ties with my former team and Fran… she often used to bring me ice cream.”
“But I was always busy training, and by the time I remembered it after training, it was mostly all melted.”
“They called it ice cream, but it was just sweetened water with cream added—a completely different experience from what I’m eating now.”
Fran.
Rast remembered that name too.
Once ranked eighteenth at the Obelisk, she was the Bounty Sequence extraordinary being with the “Plant Dialogue” Night Blade.
A month ago, she had been forever lost in the Calamity Echo in Frozen Water Town as part of the reconnaissance team.
He recalled Hiltina’s explosive use of “True Name Liberation” twice within the Calamity Echo.
If anyone among those puppets controlled by the bl**d moon could push Hiltina to such an extent, it must have been her once closest friend.
Rast sat on the bench, scooping a spoonful of chocolate ice cream from the cup: “What made you decide to come to the anniversary celebration?”
“Once I left the Night World, I threw myself into preparing for battle with all kinds of rigorous training and learning, filling every possible gap to fit the style of ‘Master of Strategies Hiltina,’ right?”
“Yes.”
Hiltina nodded.
“If it were the old me, I wouldn’t have wasted a single moment.”
“Because to me, all the entertainment and frivolity of Night Travelers in the current world was just a waste of life… It would be better to use that time to strengthen combat power as much as possible; only then could I have a greater chance of surviving in the Night World.”
“I could understand the logic of Fran and those who opposed me theoretically, but I couldn’t truly grasp their feelings or empathize with them.”
“To put it bluntly, from my perspective, those were merely manifestations of weakness—falling behind because of their fragility.”
She finished the strawberry cone in small bites, licking her tender lips with a hint of lingering satisfaction.
“Conquering the Night World, preventing the outbreak of catastrophe at dusk—”
“On a grand scale, it’s about ‘saving the world.'”
“This goal is so lofty and bright, with undeniable correctness, so much so that it seems worthy of any sacrifice, no matter how many people it costs or how great the price may be.”
“And I have regarded this goal as my lifelong pursuit, willing to give up everything for it… to the extent that I completely overlooked the people around me.”
“Like a long journey, I always kept my eyes locked on that distant endpoint, never casting my gaze toward the scenery along the way or the companions traveling with me.”
“So, my break with Fran was bound to happen, no matter how good our relationship had been before.”
Rast quietly listened to Hiltina’s account.
“Perhaps others may not agree, but it is still a form of personal attitude.”
He looked at Hiltina: “At least, I don’t find it distasteful.”
Rast did not attempt to comfort Hiltina because he knew this seemingly delicate girl was not weak enough to need solace.
And the reason Hiltina chose to share these thoughts with him was certainly not to seek sympathy.
“That’s right.”
The chestnut-haired girl spoke again.
“Ever since I witnessed my mother’s passing, I have been living without expectations.”
“I know many people do not agree with my mother’s philosophy, not just Fran and my classmates, but also my father, stepmother, and even my younger sister…”
“So I gradually learned to live independently in the world, without forming connections with others and without expecting responses to my actions.”
“Therefore, the disapproval and doubt from everyone in the academy won’t change my mind.”
“If everything were to remain unchanged, I would continue to rush toward that unreachable endpoint of conquering the entire Night World—”
“Until I reach the destination or d*e along the way.”
Her voice paused for a moment.
“But this attitude changed somewhat when you appeared, Rast.”
She looked at Rast.
“I started to have expectations for you, even though I didn’t realize it at first.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Hiltina nodded lightly.
“When you first came out of the Night World, your life aura was so faint it could vanish at any moment, not much different from a skeleton.”
“During that half-month, I stayed by your hospital bed, watching you drift in and out of consciousness, your breath almost gone, your complexion devoid of color…”
“For the first time, I felt unease, worry, and even the fear of being abandoned… feelings I had never experienced before.”
“During that time, I asked myself countless times what I would do if you never woke up…”
She tucked a stray chestnut hair behind her ear: “Fortunately, you eventually awakened.”
“In this time, I’ve thought about many things—about you and about Fran’s words before her passing. I think the fear and unease I felt beside your hospital bed is something I was never able to truly feel or empathize with before.”
“Hoping you endure, hoping you persist, for the grand goal of saving the world. I used to impose such demands on myself and those around me.”
“But looking back now, when Fran saw the teammates who sacrificed their lives in the Night World…”
“When Roya’s fiancée learned her lover would never return…”
“The fear and fragility they felt would surely be more intense, more heart-wrenching than what I felt while staying beside your hospital bed.”
Hiltina’s words paused again.
She quietly gazed at the bustling crowd in the academy, still enjoying the various activities of the anniversary celebration.
“When I first entered my first year, Fran said that when the hundredth-anniversary celebration came, we would thoroughly enjoy ourselves at the academy for a few days.”
“Now, I personally buried her life in the Night World… yet I want to replace Fran and see what that long-awaited celebration looks like.”
“Even though in my past view, it seemed no different from wasting life.”
She picked up a fallen ginkgo leaf from the bench, holding it above her head.
Sunlight filtered through the leaf, and the veins of the ginkgo became nearly transparent in the light.
“I still believe in my correctness, and I will continue to steadfastly move toward the unreachable endpoint in my heart.”
“But I think, now I—”
“Perhaps I can try to pay attention to the scenery along the way…”
“And to the person who watches the scenery with me.”
The sun dipped a little further west, and the tree shadows shifted.
The two basked in the warm sunshine, their shadows stretching long beneath them.
(End of Chapter)
