NOVEL NEXT Ch. 30
Chapter 30: If Only the Teacher Were Here...
======================================
"Move aside! Move aside!"
Several guards opened a path ahead, guns in hand and exoskeleton armor gleaming in the sun.
At the side, Lyle followed behind Jiang Cheng, watching her with some concern.
He had felt that Jiang Cheng was acting odd today—ever since that sudden dizzy spell she experienced—and her condition had been strange.
She seemed... really happy? At first, Lyle thought there might be something wrong with his talent and his perception was off.
But after carefully sensing several times, he found that even though Jiang Cheng kept mocking him verbally, she was, in fact, genuinely happy inside.
Why was that...?
Lyle didn't understand—he only knew how to punish evil and uphold justice. As for emotions, he simply didn't get it.
After that, Lyle had thought that with her injuries, she would finally use her good mood to rest properly.
However, unexpectedly, she insisted on dragging him to watch some sort of street speech.
She wasn't supposed to like these sorts of events, especially not speeches given by someone from the Mechanist Association, a group she had never thought much of.
Lyle scratched his head, mulled it over for a long time but still couldn't figure it out, so he ended up giving up.
Jiang Cheng was grinning merrily as she watched the scene before her, pulling Lyle to the side to watch the motorcade together.
She too decided to give up on figuring it out. After all, whatever the reason, being in a good mood was always a good thing.
Her emotional intelligence and intellect were never very high; she only managed to barely compete with those old foxes thanks to the massive information advantage gained from transmigrating into this book's world.
So, as for complex emotional issues, she decided to drop it. She probably wouldn't understand them anyway.
It couldn't possibly be because Lyle complimented her that she was happy, right? Ha, how could that be?!
The two of them stood together enjoying the sights of the coming and going guards. Yet the surrounding atmosphere was far from pleasant—on the contrary, a severe and solemn air seemed to be spreading from somewhere.
At exactly three in the afternoon, the guards lined up on both sides. At the very end of the parade, a distinctly different, luxurious black car drove up.
In the distance, Ferran appeared, dragging a shabby little suitcase.
At 3:01, the car door opened and a figure in a formal suit stepped out before the crowd.
It was the vice president of the Mechanist Association, who was scheduled to give today's speech.
He stepped down from the car and, without needing notes, began his powerful and sonorous speech.
"Friends, a great many terrible incidents have occurred in our city recently,"
"Many people have begun to doubt our great Adventurer City? On this point, let me say—"
"Our Mechanist Association will never let any wicked organization that attacks our city escape! We will absolutely protect our people!"
At 3:17, the vice president was still giving his speech, once again shouting the slogan of definitely protecting the people.
Unknown to anyone, Ferran had somehow stumbled forward with his old suitcase, approaching the vice president.
He slapped the suitcase and in his palm appeared a string of parts. Before anyone could notice, the parts rapidly assembled themselves into a small pistol.
At 3:17 and 49 seconds—
"Our city is a great city, and of course, our kind and righteous Mechanist Association will protect—"
"Bang!"
The gunshot rang out, the loud report eliciting a collective scream from the crowd, which scattered in panic.
"Heh."
Seeing the vice president's chest burst open and blood gush out from a massive hole, Ferran smirked.
Did you really think you could fool me? Too naïve. Everyone knows your kind of exoskeleton armor shatters and auto-simulates death.
Ferran snorted coldly. On his left hand, the Adventurer's Mark lit up, surging magic flowing from the emblem into the pistol.
Protecting the people? What a joke! All of you teacher-murdering bastards—take your hypocritical slogans and go to hell!
"Bang!"
A second gunshot rang out, accompanied by an explosive surge of powerful magic.
"Boom!"
The bullet blasted through the vice president's chest, drilling a hole not only through his body but also the piece of land right behind him.
"Heh."
With a cold laugh, Ferran turned and ran—two shots, assassination accomplished. For safety's sake, of course he had to flee immediately.
As for other enemies? He'd take his time with revenge~ He, a good-for-nothing thief, surely wouldn't be blamed by the teacher.
Still, he would definitely kill every last one of his enemies—he swore it to the God of Adventurers.
"You knew something like this would happen, didn't you?"
Lyle frowned, looking at Jiang Cheng.
"Ha, of course."
Tilting her head, Jiang Cheng replied to Lyle.
"Even if I said I didn't, you wouldn't believe it, right? But you're right,"
"If it wasn't to see such a good show—"
Jiang Cheng grinned cheerfully, "—who'd bother coming to listen to this old fraud of a geezer give a speech?"
"So ugly! At the very least, the speaker should look like you. So, what, you don't like it?"
Jiang Cheng spoke with an air of nonchalance, grinning wide.
"No,"
Lyle shook his head. "I have no objections. His sin value was already off the charts."
"I couldn't stand it myself. Letting him go would violate my sense of justice."
Oh, I understand now. Jiang Cheng had once been surprised, but after hearing Lyle's explanation, she let it go.
Now she finally understood—this was way beyond your typical villain; a heavy blow was clearly needed!
"Your sense of justice really is..."
Jiang Cheng couldn't help but laugh wryly.
"What's wrong?"
Lyle frowned, tilting his head. "Even when I was little, girls my age told me you can't let bad people go unpunished."
"But not only that, my teacher taught me the same thing later. Of course I listened."
Listening to those familiar words, Jiang Cheng was speechless again. Somehow, it always came back to her.
Having too many identities had this one biggest drawback—most major things always ended up involving her.
If someone ever made a "Black Saintess's Deeds" compilation video, she absolutely wouldn't be surprised.
"More importantly,"
Lyle said earnestly, "if the teacher were here, she'd definitely want me to do this, right?"
...
Jiang Cheng fell silent, but what she felt wasn't any sort of sentimentality. Rather, it was...
If you really were that obedient, stop looking for me! I really don't want you doing that sort of thing!
"By the way," suddenly, Jiang Cheng was struck by an odd mood and, for some reason feeling a little upset, asked,
"You want to find your teachers so badly, but you never seem to show much longing or sadness, do you?"
"Oh, that,"
Lyle scratched his head. "Because they're still alive."
"Before they died, they told me to live well, so, even if they had died, I'd still have to live a happy life. What's more, they might still be alive."
"So, if the teacher were here, she'd love to see me living happily, right?"
If the teacher were here, if the teacher were here—Lyle's refrain made Jiang Cheng's heart shiver again and again.
Lyle's tone was cheerful, but for some reason Jiang Cheng sensed a deep loneliness within him.
She almost couldn't keep herself from comforting the deeply sad Lyle in her heart.
But in the end, she forcibly restrained herself and put on a mischievous smile.
To stop him from searching further, she could only shatter his hopes now.
"Hey, do you really think they're still alive? Hahaha—"
Jiang Cheng laughed wickedly, her whole body trembling, unable to straighten up.