Chapter 137: He Just Enjoys Watching You Suffer
Chapter 137: He Just Enjoys Watching You Suffer
The next day, as expected, brought a rare stretch of fine weather on the snowy plains. The long-awaited sunlight shone down on the earth, bringing smiles to the faces of the elderly in the village. They gathered outside their homes, basking in the sun.
When Steven passed by the village entrance, the enthusiasm of the elders reached its peak. Each of them wished they had a young, beautiful granddaughter to marry off to him on the spot.
No wonderâthey couldnât help it. This guy was just too wealthy.
Thanks to Stevenâs presence, not a single person in the village had starved to death during this increasingly harsh winter. Not only that, but the villagers had even gained a little weight.
All of this was thanks to Stevenâs supply of potatoes and meat. Without those, surviving the winter would have been impossible.
As for how Steven managed to provide these supplies, the villagers didnât dwell on it. Why bother asking why? Knowing wouldnât change anything. Having food on their plates was happiness enough for them.
After making his way through the friendly greetings of the elders, Steven finally arrived at Alina's house, looking a bit embarrassed. He knocked lightly on the door.
Facing a group of monsters was no big deal for him, but dealing with these warmhearted villagers? That was something else entirely.
Still, these villagers were the kind of simple, kind-hearted people heâd always pictured the lower class to beâgrateful as long as they had enough to eat. They were nothing like the twisted, spiteful folk from that other village.
âYouâre back already?â
The door was opened by Talula, as usual. She seemed to enjoy sticking to Alina whenever she had nothing better to do, practically her most devoted fan.
Right now, the girl looked puzzled.Â
She hadnât expected Steven to return so soon.Â
From his expression, she couldnât see any disappointment that might come from failing a mission.Â
Did that mean heâd already dealt with the so-called Collapsal in less than a day?
âNope. I came back yesterday, had a bath, changed my clothes, and enjoyed a great nightâs sleep.â
Steven sidestepped Talula and walked into Alinaâs house as if it were his own. He expertly lit the stove and started heating water.
The houseâs owner was already up, but judging from the slightly dazed and sleepy look in the white-haired, antlered girlâs eyes, she clearly hadnât gotten enough rest.
âMr. Steve? Iâve finished sewing the clothes you wanted according to your instructions. Iâll get them for you right away,â Alina said.
The moment she realized it was Steven, her drowsiness vanished. She hurriedly tidied up her clothes and got ready to fetch the outfit from her wardrobe.
âNo rush. Oh, and from now on, just call me Steven. While it sounds like my real name, Steve is actually just a code name.â
Sipping the hot water heâd boiled, Stevenâs cheerful mood was palpable, so much so that even Talula could feel it. What puzzled her, though, was what could have happened to make this guy so happy.
Still, she had something more pressing to focus on right now.
âYouâre only telling us your real name today? So youâve been lying to us all this time?â
âI wasnât lying. I am Steve, and Iâm also Steven. The two arenât contradictory. Itâs just that, well, everyone has their preferences when it comes to names, right?â
Steven squinted as he answered Talulaâs question. Normally, he used his aliasâeven Kal'tsit only knew him as Steve. Back when he first arrived, unprepared and messing with Irene, heâd casually revealed his real name to some Inquisitors. Other than that, the only one who probably knew his true name was his adoptive daughter, Gladiia.
As for why he was now telling Alina and Talula? It could only be said that Steven felt like it.
âJust how many secrets are you hiding? Why not lay them all out at once? That way, I wonât have to keep wondering about you all the time,â Talula said with an exasperated look, rolling her eyes. His explanation was no explanation at all, but she let it go, sitting down next to Steven and casually taking a cup of hot water he had just boiled.
âSte⌠ven?â
Alina softly repeated the name, finding it weird that someone almost used their real name as their code name. Still, her usual gentle smile remained on her face. For Steven to share his name must mean their relationship had grown closer. To her, this was definitely a good thing, and she gladly accepted it.
âYep. If itâs hard to pronounce, you can call me whatever you want. But Talula, youâre different. Letâs hear you call me Brother Steven first.â
Crossing his arms with a teasing smile, Steven turned to the girl next to him and made a rather unreasonable request.
âCall you brother? Why donât I just call you dad instead? Doesnât that embarrass you?â
âI wouldnât stop you if you wanted to. But, as I recall, someone still owes me quite a few favors. A single âBrotherâ isnât nearly enough to repay those, is it?â
Steven continued to tease the Draconic girl, clearly enjoying her flustered reaction. He wasnât trying to assert dominance or anything; he simply wanted to mess with her.
Seeing this usually mature girlâwho rarely showed any youthful flairâmake expressions appropriate for her age was its own kind of fun.
âYou!â
âHmph. Iâm not calling you anything. Do whatever you want.â
âFine then. In that case, I wonât tell you what interesting things happened on my way to hunt down the Collapsal yesterday. Too bad for someoneâs curiosity.â
Steven tapped his fingers on the table. He wasnât in a hurryâhe knew the truly impatient one was Talula.
He refused to believe that Talula, who was brimming with questions all the time, wouldnât care about the Collapsal incident. That just didnât match her personality.
Talula, on the other hand, pouted angrily, crossing her arms and turning away. She threw an aggrieved look at Alina, as if seeking support.
âLook at him! Heâs just bullying me. What did I ever do to him?â
Her tone was like a young girl complaining to her parents, even carrying a hint of coquettish.
âI think he just canât stand seeing you with that constantly worried, overly mature look. You know how he is. The more annoyed you get, the happier it makes him. He just enjoys teasing you. Donât you already know that?â
Alinaâs words even caught Stevenâs attention.Â
He turned to her, surprised.Â
Who wouldâve thought this usually quiet girl had such a sharp understanding of people?
âIâm not constantly worried. Itâs just⌠seeing those infected people sinking deeper into despairâwho could possibly stay happy in the face of that?â
Talula sighed.Â
Deep down, she knew Alinaâs words made sense.Â
Thinking about it carefully, she understood that Steven was just teasing her for fun. He wasnât trying to upset herâhe just enjoyed a good laugh.Â
But Talula wasnât as carefree and optimistic as him.Â
When certain thoughts crossed her mind, it became impossible for her to maintain a smile.
âIf I said I could laugh about it, would you be upset?â
Steven raised an arm, a mischievous grin on his face.Â
Whether he could laugh about infected people sinking into despair depended on who they were.Â
If it were the twisted villagers theyâd met before, heâd probably grab some popcorn and a soda, pull up a chair, and start clapping.
âEvery time you open your mouth, Iâm already upset!â
Talula rolled her eyes.Â
Somehow, this guy had an uncanny ability to say exactly the things that irritated her. It was like a special talent of his.
âAlright, alright. Iâll stop messing with you. Letâs get to the important stuff.â
Steven waved his hand dismissively. After downing his cup of hot water in one gulp, he straightened up and got serious.
âThe Collapsalâs been dealt with. The village doesnât need to worry about being attacked anymore. As for those two iron golems, Iâll take care of them later. However, after all that, I ran into⌠a bit of trouble.â
âThough, to be precise, it wasnât exactly troubleâjust an interesting group of people.â
Hearing the shift in tone, Talula turned to face him, holding her cup carefully and watching him intently. Whether it was the Collapsal or this âinteresting group of people,â if they had caught Stevenâs attention, they definitely werenât ordinary.
âYou know the title âEmperorâs Bladesâ? Do you know what it represents? They said they were specifically tasked with handling Collapsals or whatever. Their outfits were pretty stylish, but they like to ask a lot of pointless questions.â
Steven rubbed his chin as he shared his thoughts about the Emperorâs Blades.Â
He wasnât sure how strong they were, but he had to admitâthey looked good.
More importantly, he was curious about their standing within Ursusâ official hierarchy. He had a nagging feeling that it was only a matter of time before heâd have to face them again.
âYouâre talking about the Emperorâs Blades? So, you really did run into them?â
Talula held her head in her hands, feeling a headache coming on.Â
She had expected this.Â
After all, if Collapsals were involved, how could the Emperorâs Blades not show up?
âYeah. They were pretty reasonable, actually. They even helped me clean up the scene. Then they didnât ask too many questions and just let me go.â
ââŚWhat?â
âWant me to say it again?â
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