NOVEL NEXT Ch. 16
The Hunting Tournament
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A few days later, as scheduled, the Adventurer's Hunting Tournament officially began.
"Sir, here are the number tags for you and this young lady. Please—"
The staff member handed the tags to the pair standing before him, a man and a woman.
However, in his heart, he was a bit disdainful. Participating in an adventurer event and bringing his girlfriend along—this guy really lacked an adventurous spirit.
After all, every year there were always several couples like this joining such events.
The goal was nothing more than to show off in front of a girl, really. In Adventurer City, an adventurer's strength was what truly mattered.
Unfortunately, the outcome was almost always the same: in the end, they would all be frightened off by real corrupted monsters not long after the event began.
The only reason this staff member took notice of the pair was a simple one:
The girl was too attractive.
The black-haired girl gently held the arm of the honest-looking man, leaning softly on his shoulder.
She gazed at the man with tender, watery eyes, while the man seemed rather awkward, barely moving at all.
Thinking it over, the staff member could only set aside his thoughts, assuming it was just another case of "a flower stuck on a log."
............
Once they exited the reception counter, the man finally shifted uncomfortably and withdrew his arm from the girl.
"All right, all right, no one's watching anymore, you can act normal," the man said.
Of course, these two were none other than Jiang Cheng and Lyle, both in disguise.
Jiang Cheng had deliberately used an illusion spell to alter their features, making sure no one would connect them to the hero and the saint.
For this, Jiang Cheng even had to dust off her acting skills, which she hadn't used much in a year.
Ever since she started operating as the saint in her true personality, Jiang Cheng hadn't truly acted in some time—at most, she'd acted overly dramatic, making a show of strange words now and then.
Fortunately, her acting hadn't gotten rusty.
Everyone who had seen the pair praised them as a blissful little couple.
But clearly, Lyle was still as dense as ever.
"Tsk,"
Jiang Cheng gave a little snort and withdrew her hand.
In an instant, the gentle, watery aura surrounding her faded away.
The gentle young woman who'd moments earlier brought to mind the image of a sweet wife vanished without a trace.
Left in her place was once more the sharp, rebellious aura of the saint—her appearance had changed, but her presence remained the same.
"What, shy again?"
Jiang Cheng shrugged, a little speechless.
"I even chose a more gentle black for my hair, trying to be more convincing,"
Jiang Cheng said, flicking her long black hair.
"In the end, I forgot there's still a flaw here dragging us back."
With that, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"If these guys, obsessed as they are with machinery and adventure, had a bit more sense, maybe you'd have exposed us already...."
"Ah, well, haha—"
Lyle, unsure how to reply and knowing she was right, gave an awkward laugh.
"Whatever,"
Jiang Cheng shrugged.
"Just don't make any more mistakes, unless you want me to silence you for good~"
Jiang Cheng smiled sweetly, pressing her index finger to her lips.
"I won't,"
Lyle shook his head.
"As long as I don't use hero's signature moves, I'll be fine—I remember very clearly."
"Mm-hmm?"
Jiang Cheng chuckled.
"Good. Your teacher should have taught you other ways to fight, right~?"
"Of course,"
Lyle nodded.
"My teacher taught me many things."
"Ha—"
Jiang Cheng grinned mischievously.
Already knowing everything, she pretended not to, and asked, "So where's your teacher now? To be the hero's mentor, she must be a powerful figure. Why haven't we seen her?"
"My teacher..."
Lyle's demeanor instantly dimmed. After a long pause, he said,
"My teacher seems to have died at the hands of demons. I saw her die protecting me with my own eyes."
"Oh, I see~"
Watching Lyle grow sad because of her, a hint of twisted satisfaction flickered across Jiang Cheng's face again.
"So now, you want to kill the demons for revenge? Because back then you were helpless, forced to watch your teacher die, right?"
Jiang Cheng's words pierced Lyle's heart like a sharp knife.
Not only that, but she twisted the knife in an old wound, making it bleed anew.
"Jiang Cheng!"
Lyle snapped in anger, "Don't say things like that again."
"If the prophecy says they're still alive, and that I can find them after gaining the blessing and hunting the Demon King—"
"Then I will do everything I can to search for them, to really protect them, even if it costs me my life!"
After blurting out such harsh words, Lyle took a breath, his tone softening.
"If the prophecy says they're alive, then I'll find them."
With that, Lyle turned away and headed toward the entrance with determined steps.
Thankfully, there weren't many people around, or else seeing this "lovers' quarrel" would have sparked wild imaginations about their story.
Jiang Cheng's smile froze on her face before collapsing completely.
Crap, I messed up. What do I do now? Need advice—ASAP.
She had only wanted to tease Lyle a little to satisfy her own perverse amusement.
Who could have known it would backfire, making Lyle all the more determined to search for her?
If there was anything in her life she truly feared, it was Lyle discovering the truth about her.
With a sigh, she quickly caught up with Lyle, who was striding ahead.
Let him look. After all, she was right here—if he could really find her, they'd see about it then.
For now, with her perfect acting skills, all the major event memories she had from the novel, equipment to hide her aura, and deep knowledge of Lyle—
With all these buffs stacked, Jiang Cheng wasn't the least bit afraid of Lyle discovering her.
Come on, if he still managed to figure it out, she may as well give up on schemes and just find someone to marry.
Not that she really had any interest in men, of course—which was also why she dreaded Lyle discovering the truth.
After all, Lyle had harbored special feelings for every single one of her identities.
And Jiang Cheng was least skilled at dealing with feelings like that.
Entering the waiting area before the main event, Jiang Cheng slipped back into her act,
Gently holding Lyle's arm, resting her head on his shoulder.
Lyle instinctively tried to pull away but, in the end, silently allowed it.
If he concealed himself well and fulfilled the requirements to enter the spirit realm and kill the king of corrupted monsters, his trials could advance to the next stage.
Only then could he move one step closer to finding his teacher.
And so, each harboring their own secrets, the two of them began the hunting tournament.
Meanwhile, at the distant headquarters of the Mechanist Association, a shadow silently slipped through the window into the association president's office.
It was Ferran. Most of the association's upper echelons had gone to watch the hunting tournament today, making the defense lax—this was the perfect moment to act!
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
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