Chapter 111: Take care!

Chapter 111: Take care!

Seth was perplexed to witness the crowd formed at the entrance of the town—they planned to stay for the night at. Since it would have been extremely tedious for horses and the passengers to travel overnight, he asked the coachman to turn in the first town he sees, but never he thought he would be facing a crisis at the end of such a beautiful day.

There were hundreds of men and children all around with some occasional old generation appearing in between and sharing the grief with others. Some women were also present around the vicinity but they seemed to be hiding inside the perimeter for some reason.

"Stay here for a second, Professor."

Despite sensing the anxious cloud surrounding the woman by his side, Seth wanted to know what was the situation before he could decide whether they would be staying here or have ultimately spent the night in the coach. The latter one didn't seem that bad though...

"Ah..."

Haruka exclaimed but she didn't stop Seth from approaching the crowd as she also stepped forward and halted herself to a point where she could be able to hear them.

"Can anyone tell me what is happening here?"

There were so many people in distress that Seth felt reading their minds would be a hassle since as complex as one thought process turns out, the more bothersome it becomes to collect meaningful information out of piles of garbage.

He did send a pulse of skill [Lull] throughout the place which brought a slight pause to the commotion, relatively providing the window required for Seth's voice to reach up to them. Almost every gaze turned in his direction, greeting Seth with varying emotions blended in their eyes.

Some were fearful, some were suspicious but what played mutual in those gazes was utter grief.

One of the elderly-looking men in his forties walked toward Seth as every other person stayed silent and let the white-bearded man take the lead and explain the situation.

"A-Are you a visitor, boy? Unfortunately, you arrived at the worst period in Dahan."

"Umm...actually I am an adventurer, sir. A high ranking at that. Please tell me the circumstances so I can help."

Seth lied, already on his way to extract the memories from the old man since he didn't want to extend the conversation if the oldie gets stone head on not spilling it himself.

Haruka who was standing at the back blinked in surprise at the bluntness he put behind his lie of being an adventurer. But she understood that to make this faster and easier for the old man to state the matter, it was a good way which Seth chose.

And indeed, hearing that the green-haired boy was a high-ranking warrior, many from the crowd gasped and cheered inwardly with their eyes brimming with hopefulness and expectancy from this small ray of light in this abysmal darkness.

Even the old man who was actually the governor of the place was taken aback by the fact that some high-ranking adventurer actually came to such a secluded place that was surrounded by nothing but quarries and abandoned lands.

However, the bearded governor didn't test his luck by asking the identity of the bespectacled boy and decided to finally tell him the reason for their distress.

"S-Seth, wait...."

Seth's glowing green eyes grew dim once again as he heard a familiar voice calling him from behind. He turned to face the woman before walking in her direction.

Haruka was standing there with her demeanor oozing with nothing but concern and anxiety. She was kind of proud that Seth took the job of helping the people he don't even know. But the nervousness of letting Seth out there alone to deal with bandits was anything but settling.

"Professor, I know what you are going to say, but I have to do this. And no, I won't be taking you along."

Haruka's lips were left part as the words she was about to say were already declined. She at least wanted to tag along and ensure his safety even though she knew she was weaker than Seth. And hearing his stern tone, she knew he left no room for argument as well.

She has never felt this useless that even being a meat shield of Seth seemed to be a hindrance for the boy who would be much better alone. Other than her slight knowledge of ancient history she just was a disappointment.

That's what she always did...crying in a corner while repenting herself for being such a useless person. And all this frustration has always weighed down on Haruka even though she never shows it on her face.

"Haruka."

The violet-haired lady was thrown out of her daze when she felt Seth's hand over her cheek, urging her to look his way. As her gaze fell upon him, the emotion she saw in them made the woman quite startled.

Seth was not disappointed in her rather he seemed agitated.

"I don't even have to read your mind by this point to know what you are troubled about, and believe me professor if I weren't your student, you would have received a thorough scolding from me."

But this seemed like a scolding as well, that was what Haruka wanted to say but she held it in and listened to his words with a sense of complicated feeling swirling inside her chest.

"Just know professor, that more than anyone presents around here, I worry for you. So you can understand, why I would not take such a precious person to that shady place, right?"

It was the second time Seth confessed that she was very important to him but again Haruka neither had the conscience nor this seemed to be the time to ask him the reason why he say so.

Mindlessly, while gazing at his deep eyes which told many more things what she was able to hear, Haruka nodded and didn't persist on the matter for coming along. She very well knew the capabilities of Seth and even though her mind was saying something else, her heart assured her that he would return safely.

Holding his hand which still was on her face, Haruka blossomed into a smile before she uttered the most fitting word in this situation.

"Please take care of yourself out there."

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A/N: - This is a small arc of maybe two or three chapters solely based on relationship development. I hope you guys are enjoying the chapters~