Night fell silent once again.
In the darkness, only the crackling sound of burning fire echoed from the pile of corpses that was nearly consumed.
Neo stayed quiet, unable to figure out what the man before him was trying to say. He knew perfectly well that he had neither a wife nor a lover, so where could a son possibly come from?
Kelsey: "What is he talking about, Neo? A son?"
Still lying there, she asked her teammate in a faint voice.
Following that, Cheryl also spoke up:
"Exactly. What does that mean?"
Whether it was the pain or something else, Neo felt both girls' voices colder than usual.
Neo: "I have no idea what nonsense he's spouting."
At that moment, footsteps approached, drawing everyone's attention.
The newcomer was a very short figure, even shorter than the cloaked man they had first encountered, who was already of modest height. This new arrival was also covered in a black cloak and mask. A dark-feathered bird perched on his shoulder.
But the most striking detail was the small cloth bundle in his hands, inside which a crying child was wrapped. Judging by appearance, the child was no more than two years old.
He walked straight to Neo and handed him the child.
Neo froze, staring at the baby being placed before him, unable to comprehend what was happening.
"Take it. Or will our hero here abandon the child, letting it die with its parents, the ones lying in that fire?"
The first cloaked figure spoke again, his tone both warning and mocking.
Hearing this, Neo had no choice but to reach out and accept the child.
As soon as the child was taken, the figure before Neo turned away, moved toward the other cloaked one, and remained by his side.
Then the taller figure spoke once more, his voice carrying a hint of cheer:
"Good. Now the child has a new father. So who will be the mother? That's for the father to decide. Have a good day, everyone. Adios."
With that, he lifted the smaller figure and dashed away at an astonishing speed.
Before the three could recover, both had vanished, leaving them with the child. Even the statue that had restrained Cheryl earlier crumbled into dust, freeing her completely.
For reasons unknown, Neo felt a chill down his spine, while the baby in his arms seemed like a burning hot potato.
As the fire finished consuming the corpses, the silent night was left with nothing but the child's cries.
. . .
While running through the dark forest, Tris hummed softly:
"♪ ♫ You're gonna be find in time. You are standing too close to a flame that's burning hotter than the sun…♬"
Rin, who was still being carried by Tris, curiously asked:
"Master, you seem to be in quite a cheerful mood?"
Tris: "Actually, I'm happy, but also not happy at the same time."
Rin: "Both?"
Tris: "Yes, both. I'm annoyed because everywhere I go, I run into all sorts of trouble. One problem after another. I don't know if it's my bad luck, or if this country is simply becoming too unstable."
Whether in bustling places like Dorn and Aldor, or even in remote villages, peace was nowhere to be found, trouble always followed.
Though he didn't say it outright, the incident in the recent village weighed heavily on Tris, leaving him deeply unsettled.
Just then, a large, fur-covered Magical Beast appeared. From the darkness, it suddenly leapt down from a tree branch, lunging at them.
From his spatial ring, Tris drew out a black sword, commanding it to fly straight at the unwelcome guest.
The blade spun in the air like a fan, swiftly slicing the beast into pieces before returning to Tris like a boomerang.
Catching the sword and storing it away, Tris continued:
"Some say those who do good will be rewarded. I've never believed that. But still, it's nice that we had a bit of luck this time."
His voice carried relief. Naturally, Tris had been troubled ever since discovering that child.
Because the child was too young, still unaware of the world and untainted by the villagers' mindset, Tris did not lump it together with them.
If he couldn't kill it, he also couldn't abandon it. That would be no different from killing it outright.
Thus, the only solution was to take the baby along until they reached a village or town, though, according to the map, none were nearby.
Two children traveling alone was already strange enough. Adding a newborn into the mix, even temporarily, promised countless complications.
Just imagining it was enough to make Tris feel utterly exhausted.
Luckily, those hero‑wannabes appeared and came running at just the right moment. Since they loved meddling so much, Tris had no qualms about dumping the burden onto them.
What amused him further was another thought: remembering the way the two girls looked at the blond-haired man, Tris couldn't help but smirk inwardly.
'(｀∀´)Ψ Let's hope you don't end up with a Nice Boat courtesy of your beautiful teammates.'
Tris quietly wished him well, unsure whether he was lucky or doomed. While ignoring the fact that he had just tossed fuel onto someone else's fire.
If Rina were here, she would surely have given Tris a resounding high-five.
(〃￣︶￣)人(￣︶￣〃)