Chapter 523

Chapter 146 – Invitation for a Walk

…!

My heart sank abruptly.

She said she knows me, she knows me…

What’s going on…

What’s going on, what’s going on…

I maintained an unchanged expression on the surface and even tilted my head slightly, trying to make a puzzled face, but the muscles on my face were stiff; I knew my current expression must be very unnatural… My heart was pounding, my right foot tapping lightly on the ground, I gently moved my ankle, ready to take off with Moon Step at any moment…

“I am here waiting for you.”

“…For me?”

Does she mean…

Does she know that I would come looking for the little boy…? Wait, how did she know? Could it be that she has been watching all along…

My head was buzzing, crumbs of the cookie fell from the corner of my mouth to the ground, I instinctively opened my mouth to ask: “Why, are you waiting for me…”

“Miss Silvijah, the performance is about to begin, please do not waste my time.”

“……”

!!!

I opened my mouth, but had nothing to say.

Damn it…

In an instant, I thought of many things.

How did she recognize me? Was it because of the little conflict earlier? Did she start targeting me back then? Should I signal Daniel and the others? But the clown’s figure hasn’t appeared yet, and I’ve already exposed myself. What should I do, what should I do, what should I do…

The paper bag in my arms made a “crackling” sound, the opening was almost torn by me. Ryan’s inquiry behind me became blurry: “Are you okay? Wh-what happened…”

“Let’s go, leave this place…”

It seems…

There’s nothing left to pretend. While I wasn’t paying attention, I had actually been watched by her all along. She came for me—I am who she wants, she knew who I was from the beginning, she has something to talk to me about.

…What could the Gate of Truth want from me?

Is she really…

A heretic…

“Huh—”

I exhaled, didn’t turn around, tried to stay calm, and lowered my voice to tell Ryan, “Leave, go far away. Remember what I said before.”

No matter what, this woman doesn’t intend to do anything to Ryan and the others.

She doesn’t seem to have any fighting intent…

“…Okay.”

Ryan didn’t ask anything else. Thank God, he didn’t hesitate, didn’t act foolishly at such a time.

“Hey you guys, let’s go! Go buy pastries for Bernie!”

Ryan shouted to a few young men. His voice sounded somewhat tense. He knew my identity and seeing the current situation, he probably understood some things. Perhaps it was only at the level of “Sis Hui is a bit serious, Miss Messer’s identity might not be simple,” but that was enough. He began to call out to the young men, leading them back down the path they came from.

“Oh, Ryan, wait a moment!”

“Why are you leaving so soon…”

“Miss Messer and… and my younger sister have something to discuss, can you guys understand a little bit, please?”

“But…”

“Brother, I want to eat cheese pastry…”

Bernie tugged at his brother’s sleeve, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

“…Alright, alright.”

The red-haired young man scratched his head, his gaze sweeping over Miss Messer’s beautiful face in the firelight, then looked back at me, somewhat reluctantly, wanting to speak, his mouth opened, but in the end, he chased after Ryan: “Wait a moment, why are you walking so fast!”

Two steps later, he turned back and shouted, “Miss Messer, I will watch your performance, and cheer for you with all my might! I came out tonight just to see you!”

“Thank you.”

The woman responded indifferently.

“We all came to see you…”

“Come on, Miss Messer!”

Finally, all the young men left…

The footsteps and laughter behind gradually faded away, I didn’t dare to look back.

She confirmed with a nod, her eyes following every move of the woman… Alright, she barely moved at all, just standing straight there, watching the young men depart. Her silver hair fluttered in the breeze, blending with her flowing white clothes.

After a long while.

The night was quiet, and from under the cottage came the occasional long moo of cattle, the clucking of chickens, and the smell of livestock permeating the air, which was far from pleasant. This sparsely populated corner of the village, with its dilapidated houses and stench of excrement everywhere, certainly lacked the elegance and poetic charm of a bright and clear day…

But that woman standing there, her clothes fluttering in the wind, her hair neatly arranged, wearing light makeup for the performance, her bright eyes and white teeth illuminated by the firelight, her graceful figure like the most perfect lines drawn with ink, even though she didn’t dance or make any small movements—

She just stood there, her feet in the mud, her head under the moonlight. That posture, placed in this unremarkable, dirty corner of the town, made even the faint, pungent smell of livestock in the air seem refined and clean.

This was a woman out of touch with reality.

There was something indescribable about her, an otherworldly quality…

For some reason, I stared at her, and in an instant, a strange thought popped into my mind.

The woman was also looking at me.

One pair of black eyes and one pair of blue, both bright, met under the moonlight, just like that night in the royal city. The night sky above was silent, and lights flickered in the distance. In her gaze, an unnamed dancer’s expression showed neither joy nor sorrow. Her deep pupils were the same color as a clear blue sky.

Time ticked by second by second.

“You…”

Finally, I couldn’t hold back and broke the eerie silence: “Do you have something to tell me?”

Leane and the others should have already left…

If I wanted to act here, I had a chance to use the power of order to lift her high into the air right away, and take her away from the town before any harm could be done.

There was a chance…

Thinking this, my emotions calmed slightly.

I tossed the remaining sweet biscuit into my mouth and slowly chewed, flexing my wrists and ankles, never relaxing my vigilance, carefully observing her every move—just in case she made any inappropriate reaction, I would have to give up on the remaining nineteen biscuits.

… I could still eat two more before then.

I quickly took another biscuit and took a bite.

“…Let’s walk.”

Just as I bit into it, the woman made a move—she actually turned and walked toward the west side of the farmhouse.

“Uh…”

I was somewhat stunned.

She said… Let’s walk?

What did she mean? Take a stroll?

With her?

“What… what do you mean?” I frowned and asked.

The woman didn’t turn around but stretched out her delicate hand and pointed to the brightly lit central square in the distance, then pulled her hand back into her long sleeve.

“Just don’t want to delay the performance.”

… Delay the performance?

Would she really care about such a trivial performance? Seriously?

“What if I don’t go?”

“That’s your loss,” the woman replied, her silver hair flying freely in the wind.

“If you’ve come here, you must have some idea of the enemy’s movements, albeit only partially. But now, your enemy is right here, right in front of you… If you set aside life-and-death struggles, don’t you think this is a good opportunity to understand your enemy better?”

I don’t think so…

So, does this mean that this woman admits to being part of the Gate of Truth?

In a town protected by layers of defenses set up by the church?

… How arrogant.

I sneered inwardly, not wanting to walk alongside her, but driven by curiosity, I hesitated for a moment and followed her anyway.