Night World Players

Chapter 241 Hiltina, I await your answer.
The capital city, in the heart of the inner city, deep within the palace complex.

Aaron stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant horizon, lost in thought.

"Did you see that, old man Aaron?"

“The golden threads that appeared on him, like those of a doll.”

A fluffy ferret appeared beside him at some point, gazing in the same direction as him.

"In the field of porcelain restoration, there is a technique called 'kintsugi'... which involves gluing fragments of porcelain together and then decorating the seams with materials such as gold powder, silver powder, and gold leaf."

"At this moment, Rust was like a broken piece of porcelain; the gold threads on his body were the marks left after his body and soul had been burned and shattered, then stitched back together with cheap glue—"

"The only thing that remained unchanged was his dilapidated yet still existing ideal, known as the 'Guardian of the Shore.'"

Dean Yin stared into Aaron's eyes: "After witnessing such an ideal firsthand, you haven't changed your mind... and only see Rust as a tool to force your daughter into a marriage of convenience?"

Aaron did not answer Dean Yin's question directly.

But what was written on the middle-aged man's face was not denial, but a solemnity as if he were gazing at something tragic.

"It's not about making Hiltina compromise and return to the normal life of an ordinary person—"

"Or, should we stand further ahead on the path to our ideals, guiding her forward together?"

A hint of reminiscence shone through his weathered eyes.

"This is something I never managed to do. Even though I tried my best, I ultimately couldn't become Cecilia's companion..."

"But, if it were him..."

The old king's words vanished into the night fog, leaving only a long sigh that lingered in the air.

……

In the capital city, Hiltina gazed at the airship sailing in the distant sky and stopped in her tracks.

She knew she was too late; it was all over.

He was unable to participate in the battle and could only witness it all as a spectator.

The hunt for the tomb guardian quasi-angels seemed earth-shattering; the entire capital city's residents could see the towering tower and the phantom of the demon king, like Satan... but in reality, the battle ended extremely quickly.

Or rather, this was not a battle at all, but a one-sided massacre. From beginning to end, Rust only fired two shots: one to announce his arrival, and the other to sever the wheel of fate of the angels.

After the two shots, the quasi-angel who guarded the tomb was erased from history and never existed again.

During this time, Hiltina was a spectator, and could only be a spectator...

Because from the very beginning, Rast never intended for anyone to interfere—

This was originally a hunt that belonged solely to him, a reckoning between the shore guardian and the tomb guardian. In this long feud that had lasted for several eras, there was no room for outsiders to interfere.

She glanced at Ophelia, who had appeared beside her at some unknown time and was also gazing at the horizon under Kate's protection. The silver light of the rapier in her hand dissipated into starlight.

"So, you planned all of this all along, didn't you?"

In the distance, Ophelia nodded slightly.

“That’s right, this matter has been kept from both Father and you, my sister…” “If you knew, sister, you would never allow him to risk his life alone, would you?”

"After all, as long as you are alive, you must never allow your companions to die; this is the creed of a forest ranger."

As she answered, she gazed at the horizon of the dusky sky, at the slender figure that was now almost imperceptible, disappearing into the distance along with the airship.

As an accomplice, Ophelia knew that it was an airship piloted by Ingrid and had been waiting nearby for a long time.

From beginning to end, every aspect and every step of this hunt for the gravedigger was part of Rust's plan—

Having worn countless personas, he is both the best actor and the best director.

Since he had arranged the opening of the performance, he had naturally planned his own closing act as well.

"And this is what he entrusted to me—"

"This letter will be given to you, sister, after everything is over and the dust has settled."

"Because, according to Brother Last... given his current state of being, riddled with wounds and broken like ruins, he probably won't be able to speak to you in person for a long time, and can only convey his message in this way."

Ophelia took out a clean white letter.

The letter unfurled in the gale, then was tightly clutched in Hiltina's hand.

The black lettering stood out vividly in the twilight.

Hiltina knew without a doubt that these were the words written by Rust.

I'm sorry, Hiltina, for choosing to leave without saying goodbye in this way.

First, please allow me to apologize to you and your father... After all, in the eyes of outsiders, this should be considered an elopement, which might have a significant impact on the prestige of the royal family.

However, this is something I have to do.

I can't hide behind girls and use nepotism to gain safety... Since that quasi-angel of the gravedigger came because of me, I have to face him myself.

[Furthermore, Hiltina, perhaps everyone thinks your persistence is naive, foolish, and simply pure stubbornness and shortsightedness. But in reality, in my eyes, your ideal called "Forest Ranger" is glorious and dazzling.]

I do not wish for your pure radiance to be tarnished because of me… Between the paths of becoming a “Forest Ranger” and drawing the holy sword to become a king, there may be a way to have the best of both worlds.

I don't want this wedding between us to be a hasty affair, forced by external pressure and completely disregarding your own wishes...

So, once everything has settled down, all these obstacles are gone, and all external interference has been cast aside, then tell me the answer to that question, Hiltina, your own heartfelt answer—

Hiltina, will you marry me and become my wife?

After this incident, I may remain in a deep, long sleep, but during this period of slumber, I will wait and hold onto hope...

[Waiting for your answer.]

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PS: The remaining two chapters will be updated tomorrow, and I will finish writing this volume of "The Garden of Stars".

Finally, it's time to wrap up this volume.

(End of this chapter)