I'm fighting Kal'tsit? Really?

“It’s a sign of inner instability that you can influence others,” she said.

"For example? Why must one's heart be so firm?" he asked.

"Because we need to protect others, wavering means hesitation, and hesitation leads to failure," she said.

"Was this your own choice?" he asked.

“Yes,” she said.

“If you need to protect others, shouldn’t you also allow others to protect you?” he asked.

“...Logically speaking, yes,” she said.

“If someone is powerful enough to help you, does that mean you can be less resolute? Does that mean you can let your emotions sway you?” he asked.

“No, that won’t do,” she said.

"Why?" he asked.

“...because it’s not allowed,” she said.

"By whom?" he asked.

“Myself, my beliefs, and everything my father taught me,” she said.

“Then I hope those ideas can be put aside for now, and we can take it one step at a time, okay?” he asked.

"How?" she asked.

“Try things out, go shopping, have fun, spend money, oversleep once in a while, relax your body, and don’t always be chasing after what’s behind you,” he said.

“It’s a waste of time,” she said. “Placing your hopes on someone else is a gamble. You can’t be sure they’ll always be there, so once you lose them, you’re doomed.”

“But it seems the same is true for the people you’re protecting; they have to accept everything that’s left behind after you’re gone,” he said. “Ultimately, it’s because you can’t trust yourself; you feel that by accepting someone else’s protection, you’ll become weak.”

"I……"

She gradually fell silent.

“But I think you are much stronger than you think, Saria.” Gerald felt the warmth emanating from her and said gently, “You are able to suppress these emotions, which means you can control them and not hurt others. So even if you lose control, it won’t have any impact. Sometimes it’s okay to want to be spoiled.”

"Because when needed, you will always be the steadfast guardian."

Saria's shoulders trembled slightly.

She was finally able to relax her stiff body and let gravity pull her against Pegasus's chest, feeling the warmth and heartbeat emanating from him.

Those emotions that had been suppressed in her heart for so long, those weaknesses that she was unwilling to admit or face, finally found an outlet at this moment.

Tears silently streamed down Gerald's face, dripping onto his shoulder and soaking his clothes without a sound.

She didn't make a sound, but tears kept falling.

"I'm so tired." Her voice was filled with deep exhaustion, as if the mountain that had been pressing down on her had finally lifted, falling on both of them. "But I won't stop."

“I know.” He gently brushed aside Vayvan’s white hair with his fingers. “That’s what it means for me to be by your side.”

“I want a reward,” Seria said, “as a reward for my hard work these past few days.”

“I will give you a reward, anything you want,” Gerald replied.

Then, Saria raised her head, revealing a face that was still calm despite the tears streaming down her face.

“I want a small car, a very ordinary toy car,” she said, “and the birthday cake I never got to eat on my birthdays before.”

"That's all?" Gerald tilted his head, smiling as he looked at Saria, who was gradually softening. "There must be some other wishes, right?"

Vayvan opened her mouth, pondering her various desires, and finally, as if she had thought of something, she nodded to Gerald.

"Lullaby".

"I want to hear you sing me a lullaby."

Chapter 87 Soon we'll meet some acquaintances.

Help.

Tianma really wanted to say those words, but he didn't seem to have the right to say them.

After all, he was the one who hugged someone without warning, the one who patted their head and tail, and the one who pulled them back from the brink of losing control with every word.

The problem was that after he finished singing a lullaby to Saria, she snuggled into his arms and fell asleep the moment she closed her eyes, refusing to leave his side.

Even her tail wrapped around his waist, tightly bound together, trying to draw heat from Pegasus's body.

Sleeping together? That's not a good idea. At least he can't enter the dream while under the Banshee's Kiss. ​​He might get into a few battles and be ejected from the dream, only to wake up looking like a monster facing the slowly awakening Saria.

He didn't want the emotions he had painstakingly guided to collapse instantly.

So he was stuck in a rut, unsure whether to close his eyes or open them, and could only savor the warmth against her body while thinking about other things, silently waiting for Saria to wake up.

As for the dream... considering that the Blood Demon's reputation is still rampant to this day, he is not sure what kind of impact the Blood Demon Lord's departure will have. But since Theresis has not said anything about it, he should take the opportunity to go back and report to Ramalen that he is safe, and also ask about the political situation in Kazdel.

Judging from the Blood Lord's wanton slaughter with seas of blood, he might still be an unstable factor. Moreover, since subsequent history doesn't seem to have seen any wars related to Kazdel, the Royal Court's voice should ideally be kept to a minimum, unless it disrupts the balance of power within the kingdom.

In this way, he might actually be able to use this opportunity to make demands of Theresis.

If only he could have those brother and sister practice swordsmanship with him all the time, and if they could negotiate it well, they could even add Kal'tsit, who has regained her memories and power, and if they could ask Ramaren, maybe she could join them too.

Pegasus continued to indulge in these unrealistic fantasies until Vayvan opened his eyes.

Fortunately, even though her mindset had changed drastically, her physical habits couldn't be changed in a short time. Her deep sleep, which lasted only a few tens of minutes, was fleeting, and she even had a dream.

So much so that as she was about to break free from her long-awaited dream, she instinctively tightened her grip on the body in front of her—pulling her tail along with it.

"Ugh." Gerald felt like his insides were about to burst, so he quickly shouted, "Saria, wait a minute, stop! Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you."

Saria's gaze gradually cleared, and the tears on her face had long been wiped away by Pegasus's hand, leaving her eyes slightly red and swollen, but that calmness returned to her face.

But she didn't move.

Gerald watched as Saria, though seemingly back to normal, still tilted her head and blinked at him, a question swirling in his mind: "So, can you let me go now?"

He really couldn't resist this suffocating situation; it was a foregone conclusion—he couldn't very well resort to Originium Arts under these circumstances.

"Why?" Saria asked. "I think this should still be within the scope of the reward. You just said that I can have any reward I want, as long as it's what I want."

"Huh?" Gerald stared blankly at Saria, who was gradually becoming a stranger to him. "But..."

“You didn’t specify the number of times you can give me a reward, and you said you could grant my request for several rewards at once before, which means that you can grant me a reward more than once,” Saria said calmly. “At the same time, you didn’t specify the size of the reward, so as long as the reward is within your tolerance threshold, you will try your best to grant my request.”

“While I certainly will.” Gerald’s gaze grew increasingly subtle; he had a premonition of unleashing a wild beast. “So now, do you want to hold me a little longer? Or—”

"Don't say things like that again, it's better for me and for everyone else."

Surprisingly, Saria decisively released her arm at this moment and climbed off Gerald.

Although her tail still clung reluctantly to Pegasus's waist, she had to actively grab it with her hands to get it back.

"Oh...oh." Pegasus was a little dizzy from Saria's whole set of actions. Vayvan's originally easy-to-understand thoughts suddenly became much more complicated. He couldn't figure out what she was going to do for a moment.

The room was well soundproofed; at that moment, the only sounds in the space were the breathing of two people.

Her figure has improved a lot—Gerald couldn't help but think.

Perhaps because the pressure was no longer falling on her but was being shared, Saria's appearance at this moment was more terrifying than ever before. Just standing there, she exuded an unspoken sense of presence.

After standing up, Saria looked down at the bandage on her hand, then looked back at Gerald on the sofa.

“You said you would protect me, and I will always remember that.” She slowly straightened her wrinkled clothes and looked down at Gerald. “But the same logic applies to you. If something happens to you and you need protection, who will help you?”

Before Gerald could answer, Seria spoke up first: "I will."

“Whatever you do, I will not be a burden to you, I promise you.” She closed her eyes, thought for a moment, and continued, “Although I know that you will likely be involved in things that I cannot interfere with, and as you said, my power is not even enough to achieve my goals.”

"But if there are places you can't take care of, then I will go and protect them for you."

Gerald was silent for a moment, then said, "And what about your own goal?"

“For me now, taking care of both sides at the same time is no longer a difficult task.” Saria shook her head and looked earnestly at Gerald: “Because you will be by my side.”

She stepped forward, got close to Pegasus's face, and grabbed his arm.

Lift your head, straighten your chest, and clasp your hands together.

For the first time ever, a gentle smile appeared on Saria's face. The weakness that had enveloped her heart was shattered, and she was reborn, transforming into an even harder shell. Only for Pegasus, a channel remained that allowed her to touch his soft, tender heart.

"You will walk with me."

--------

The midday sun was just being blocked by passing clouds, allowing Muirsey, who was strolling down the street, to stretch—although it was only one of her clones, her real eyes were already swollen and not really suitable for going out in public.

Her thoughts danced with the wind blowing in her face, and even the bustling street could not hide her pride and joy.

That's Saria, that's Saria!

Even with the help of some Pegasus, just seeing her take the initiative to yield and lower her guard in front of her would be worth dying for!

Muirsey was in such a good mood that she didn’t even realize she was about to bump into someone who suddenly appeared around the corner.

"Stop."

A Sarkaz phrase flowed slowly from the figure in front of her, and Muirseth's water clone stopped in place, automatically executing the command.

If that can be considered an "instruction".

“You should watch where you’re going, Muels.” The familiar tone made it easy for the little elf to recognize who was in front of him.

Nasti Runori walked up to Muirsey and then lightly tapped her body a few times with her bone pen: "Believe me, even if this is your clone, you won't like getting into unnecessary trouble."

"Oh, Nasti?" Muels looked around in surprise, observing the gray-haired banshee. "You actually go out?"

Today, she was unusually dressed in her usual everyday clothes, but this was still inconspicuous compared to seeing this workaholic on the street—after all, the only employee in Rhine's life who worked almost like 007 was the banshee in front of her, to the point that Muirsey sometimes thought of asking the commander to give her a raise.

“None of your business.” Nasti coldly tossed out a sentence, then looked at the smug little elf and couldn’t help but remind her, “As a friendly reminder, you’d better keep a low profile these next few days and don’t use your clone to jump on the wrong people. Not all banshees are as good-tempered as I am.”

“If someone could have a worse temper than you, I can’t imagine what kind of person they are.” Muirsey muttered under her breath, then realized the key point in the other person’s words: “You have any kin who have come to Trimont?”

"I am not sure."

Nasti lowered her head and thought for a moment, then re-sensing the faint atmosphere in the air: "Even if it is, it's still very abnormal."

Logically, the young ruler of the Banshee Royal Court shouldn't be present in Tremont at this time, nor should he be under such protection. And the only person in history who gave her a similar feeling…

What exactly happened in her hometown when she left?

"Hmm." Seeing the banshee's face gradually turn serious, Muirses frowned as well: "Do you need me to come with you?"

“No need.” Nasti shook her head, walked around Muerseth’s body, and continued walking in another direction: “This is a private matter of our race. If you get involved rashly, you might be seen as having malicious intent.”

And so the little elf watched as Nasti walked away into the distance, slowly disappearing into the crowd.

Muirsey's gaze followed Nastie's departing figure, and she snorted, "Hmph, she's still as sharp-tongued as ever, but she's actually quite soft-hearted."

"But why would she go to the edge of Tremont? There should only be one shopping mall there, right?"

My gaze followed Nastie's departing figure, and a question suddenly flashed through my mind.

Chapter 88 No, what do you mean by telling me to try to protect myself? (5K8)

As you walk toward the edge of the city, you'll see fewer and fewer people, disappearing vehicles, and buildings that are gradually becoming history.

This old supermarket, located in a corner of Tremont, has long lost its former glory.

The structure here still retains the style of the early 20th century, without any modern renovations. The bricks and stones on the exterior walls are covered with traces of time, and there are even some signs of weathering and peeling.

The neon sign above the entrance was still flickering weakly, some letters glowing intermittently as if they might go out at any moment. The lettering was retro and old-fashioned, exuding an indescribable sense of obsolescence, standing out from the other modern commercial districts in the city.

The mall's interior also maintains an old-fashioned and deserted atmosphere. There aren't many shops here; most businesses have already closed down, leaving only a few restaurants barely managing to stay afloat. Only occasionally can you see a few diners silently enjoying their food through the windows.

The rest of the shops were either empty or had dusty windows displaying outdated merchandise, a testament to the decline of the area.

This shopping mall is like a forgotten corner, stubbornly existing in the modern city, even though it can no longer keep up with the times.

“I thought you would take me to some normal shopping places,” Gerald said as he strolled around, carrying many of the things he had just bought. “I feel like coming to this secluded corner on purpose will attract more attention.”

"The remoteness is also a disguise for this shopping mall. There are rumors that the owner behind it is preparing to transform the area and will soon use it to build new facilities. Judging from the fact that this news is being deliberately concealed, the person behind it does not like to make too much noise here."

Saria wore a rare touch of light makeup, softening her usual sharp features and making her facial contours appear more gentle. A dark suit fitted her perfectly, with a trench coat over it, slightly concealing her overly slender figure. Her long silver hair was carefully gathered and tucked into the collar of the trench coat.

Her gaze swept over the surrounding shops: "So even if someone notices our movements, they won't choose to make a move here."