I love time travel the most!

He quickly shook his head, banishing the inappropriate thoughts from his mind. Without wasting any more time, Xiaolin prepared to travel through time.

"I wonder if Liu Zi can come along."

The artifact ring is very powerful, but its drawback is that it cannot bring people with it through time. To be precise, it cannot bring living beings with it.

Although Ryuu is a mechanical doll made of gears, she speaks, thinks, and acts just like a human. She was able to be brought back before because she wasn't activated, and now it's unclear how the ring will determine her fate.

With a nervous heart, Kobayashi, under the encouraging gazes of Aqua and Kazuma Sato, raised her right hand, held up her index finger, and slowly began to speak:

"—Time travel!"

The next second, his figure disappeared.

Chapter 31 The Darkness Beneath the Prosperity

When Kobayashi's figure reappeared, feeling the delicate and smooth touch in his hand, he felt a complex mix of relief and loss.

"Even if you have your own consciousness, you're still not recognized? I'm sorry, Ryuu."

"Lord Kobayashi, there's no need for you to apologize. Rather, it's just as well. If it weren't for me, your servant, by your side, you would probably be dead by now. After all, Lord Kobayashi is just that useless."

Can I translate this as "You're worried about me?"

He was already used to Liu Zi's arrogant and sharp-tongued nature, and it wasn't hard to discern her true thoughts from her words.

Kobayashi turned to her and said, "But Ryuzu is right. I only feel at ease when you're by my side, that's for sure. Thank you, Ryuzu."

"Does Lord Kobayashi really want to rely on me?"

"Ah, so could I ask you for a favor, Ms. Ryuu?"

As Kobayashi slightly bent his knees, he extended his right hand to her, his eyes filled with expectation, as if inviting the girl to dance together.

Ryuu was hit by a sudden straight shot. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something sarcastic, but after pausing, she only said, "Well, what can I do? I'm Lord Kobayashi's servant."

Gently place your hand in Kobayashi's hand.

Then Kobayashi held it tightly.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Alright, what should we do next?"

Looking at the buildings and hurried pedestrians that were so different from those in "Konosuba," Kobayashi's nervousness and cautiousness upon arriving was like a deer trying to cross a river and constantly testing the rapids.

There were many pedestrians around, but none of them seemed curious about Xiaolin's sudden appearance. It must have been the effect of the ring, which allowed him to temporarily conceal his presence.

Suddenly, he was bumped in the back.

"Ah, it hurts."

A soft, sweet cry of pain, along with the sound of something falling, came from behind.

Turn around and look down.

A very thin little girl, about 11 or 12 years old, dressed in coarse linen clothes, fell to the ground, with a few rotten, moldy, and shriveled apples scattered around her.

Kobayashi knelt down and helped her pick up the apple, asking with concern, "Little girl, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Thank you for your concern, I'm... fine...?!"

The little girl thanked her very politely.

But when she saw Liu Zi, her smiling face froze, her bright eyes revealed obvious fear, and even her voice became trembling.

He looked like he'd seen a ghost.

Seeing her pale face and frightened eyes, Xiaolin was worried about her health and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

However, this simple act of concern only made the little girl more anxious and apprehensive.

She immediately knelt down in front of Xiaolin, kowtowing desperately with her hands on the ground.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!..."

He was very strong, and even when his forehead was bruised, he didn't stop, while constantly begging for mercy.

The little girl's sudden action startled Xiaolin, leaving him no time to react.

"Hey, you...! Why did you do this?"

After regaining his senses, he quickly helped the little girl up, stopping her from further harming her fragile body.

At the same time, Kobayashi also keenly noticed the strange gazes cast upon him from all around. These gazes were filled with pity, worry, hatred, and resentment, shifting between good and evil and landing on the little girl and him respectively.

But when he turned his head to look, people all turned their heads away to avoid his gaze, not daring to peek any further.

what is the problem? !

Although he couldn't understand why the little girl was reacting so violently, Kobayashi knew he had to stop her quickly, otherwise it would definitely cause a large-scale riot and attract attention.

Even after being helped up, the little girl continued to apologize, saying in a panic, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to offend you, Your Excellency! I have a seriously ill mother and a young brother at home who need someone to take care of them! Please forgive me! Please, please forgive me!"

Your Excellency?

Is this fear related to the nobility?

Kobayashi keenly picked up on the key words in her words, thought for a moment, and tried to put on a gentle and friendly expression, saying softly, "You misunderstand, I am not a nobleman."

"……Eh?"

"I'm just an ordinary citizen, just like you."

Hearing Xiaolin's explanation, the little girl was somewhat skeptical. After glancing cautiously at Liu Zi, she asked softly, "Really?"

"Ah, really, I'm not kidding you."

Although Xiaolin explained to her, she still seemed unconvinced and couldn't help but ask softly, "You don't blame me for offending you?"

"I don't blame you. So, stop hurting yourself."

Xiao Lin touched her scraped forehead with heartache and used his skill to heal the wound.

"You...you really don't blame me?"

"Of course. Alright, alright, don't you still have a seriously ill mother and a young brother to take care of? Go back quickly."

Upon hearing what Xiaolin said, the little girl suddenly fell silent, her eyes turning lifeless.

She gently picked up the basket from the ground.

They walked very slowly, and every few steps they would turn their heads slightly, as if waiting for something.

Kobayashi simply stood there, smiling as he looked at her.

As the little girl reached a certain corner, her eyes regained their initial sparkle. She turned around, bowed deeply to Xiaolin, then lowered her head and hurriedly ran away, disappearing into the alley in a flash.

"Master Xiaolin..."

"Ah, I know, there's something wrong with this city."

Kobayashi looked at the magnificent palace in the distance and the bustling streets.

Despite the commotion that just happened, it didn't attract much attention from those around them... no, they did notice but didn't care, as if they were already used to it.

Is it the dark side hidden beneath the glitz and glamour?

"Huh, interesting."

Kobayashi became even more interested in the new world.

however--

Whether it was bad luck or good luck, he bumped into someone again.

This time it was an elderly woman using a cane.

"Ouch! I've fallen and almost died."

The old woman who had fallen to the ground cried out softly in pain.

Xiao Lin quickly squatted down and extended his right hand to her, asking with concern, "Grandma, are you alright?"

"Oh dear, young man, I'm so sorry to have bumped into you." The old woman grabbed Xiao Lin's hand and said apologetically, "I'm blind, I hope you won't blame me."

Xiaolin helped her pick up her cane: "How could I blame you? Here, grandma, take it easy."

"thank you."

The old woman gripped Xiaolin's clothes with both hands, seemingly using him as a handle to help her stand up. After standing up, she kept groping for the location of her cane, indicating that she was indeed an elderly woman who was blind.

"Here you go."

Seeing how hard she was working, Xiaolin offered her the cane.

The old woman touched the familiar cane, smiled with relief, and thanked him, saying, "Thank you, young man."

"You're welcome."

Kobayashi smiled shyly and asked, "Where are you going? Do you need me to take you?"

"No need, no need, I live just around the corner not far ahead, so I won't trouble you." The old woman waved her hand in refusal, seemingly not wanting to bother others.

“Alright, since you don’t need me,” Kobayashi said without hesitation.

The two then waved goodbye.

Goodbye, young man.

Goodbye, old lady...

Kobayashi smiled and said goodbye to her, but that smile was so strange.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Come on, bombard me with votes!

Chapter 32 Feet off the ground, virus shut down, intelligence regains its dominance

Those who steal from others will always be stolen from.

"An eye for an eye is my way of forbearance... cough, my way of being human. Since you've attacked me, old lady, don't blame me for taking it back without hesitation."