Night World Players

Chapter 78 The one who accompanied me to see the scenery
Of course, Rast would not refuse Shiltina's invitation.

After all, apart from "Angel of Death", he felt that Nightblade "Infinity Blade" was also quite compatible with him.

Rast had not forgotten the description of the card [Chariot - Hiltina] in the Fool's Library.

If the bond level, or the relationship between me and Hiltina could be further improved...

The next skill unlocked by the Chariot Card will most likely be "Real Name Release".

For a long time, Last had been coveting this skill that could make up for his shortcomings in frontal combat capability.

He was looking forward to seeing what effects his emblem costumes [Iron Moon] and [Seven Realms] would have after his true name was released.

Looking at the girl in front of him who was wearing a plain white dress and extending her hand to him.

Luster nodded.

"It's my pleasure."

……

Next to the school hospital is a large ginkgo forest with golden apricot leaves scattered all over the ground.

The two walked across the soft lawn. In the center of the lawn was the fountain square. Young men and women were sitting on the benches beside the fountain, whispering to each other.

Rast and Hiltina mingled among them, and there was no sense of incongruity at all.

Further away, brightly colored flags fluttered in the wind next to the ancient sandstone buildings and the ruins library with its bright silver mirror.

Last felt his body and mind relax. The seemingly endless fog and blood moon in Dongshui Town became infinitely distant and no longer important.

Of course, the biggest change came from the girl next to him.

She changed out of her bright red and pure white knight uniform and replaced it with a plain white long dress.

In the past, Shiltina looked like a knight who walked out of an epic story sung by bards. She was majestic, awe-inspiring, flawless, yet with a sense of unreality.

But at this moment, she has a bit more girlish reality that is in line with her age, like the one in the poem "Dielianhua".

“So… this is how it feels.”

Looking at the scenery of the academy in the distance, Hiltina murmured to herself.

Ding bell~
Ding bell~
The sound of the bronze bell came from the wind, from far away to near, and also attracted Hiltina's attention.

It was a mobile ice cream cart, traveling across the vast campus.

Rast noticed Xiltina's gaze and asked, "Want to eat?"

The chestnut-haired girl in front of him shook her head subconsciously.

But Rast caught a flash of curiosity in the other's light brown eyes.

"Forget it, just think of it as me wanting to eat it..."

He sighed, feeling the long-dead memories of the cowherd come alive again in his mind: "Stay here and wait for me."

……

Because Fanxing University is celebrating its 900th anniversary, crowded crowds can be seen everywhere in the college.

Twenty minutes had passed when Last finished waiting in the long line next to the ice cream truck, holding the cone and the ice cream ball in a paper cup, and walked through the crowd back to his original place.

If it were when I was working in a gigolo bar... I would probably get complained about if I disappeared from the customers' sight for twenty minutes.

Just as this thought came to his mind, he saw from the corner of his eye that in the gap between the crowds, Hiltina was sitting obediently on a bench next to the fountain with her hands folded on her knees.

The morning breeze blew in, the chestnut hair tips fluttered in the wind, and the plain white skirt rose and fell.

The sunlight fell on her fair and delicate profile, like an ice sculpture, with a transparent texture, and like a tranquil sculpture.

The rushing crowd passed by her, but after recognizing Hiltina's identity as the "Ghost of Conquerors", they subconsciously avoided and diverted, leaving a blank space around her.

Last ignored the strange looks around him. Holding a paper cup and an ice cream cone, he walked straight into the empty space and sat down next to Hiltina.

"Thank you."

Hiltina took the strawberry cone and took a sip carefully.

Then she opened her eyes wide in surprise: "So this is what ice cream tastes like."

"You've never eaten ice cream before?" Rast was a little surprised.

In his impression, although her personality was somewhat out of place, Hiltina should not be considered as someone who was out of touch with modern society.

She is quite skilled in using smart terminals and other devices.

“I’ve eaten it before, but it’s not the same.”

Hiltina shook her head. "In the first grade, before I broke up with my former team and Fran...she would often bring me ice cream."

"It's just that I was always busy with training at that time. By the time I remembered it after training, it had basically all melted away."

"It's called ice cream, but it's actually just sugar water with cream. It's completely different from what it tastes like now."

Fran.

Rast also remembered the name.

The former Obelisk was ranked eighteenth, and he was a Harvest Sequence Beyonder who possessed the Night Blade of "Plant Dialogue".

A month ago, as a reconnaissance team, we were forever lost in the aftermath of the disaster in Frozen Water Town.

He recalled the explosion in the remnant of the disaster, when Shiltina used "True Name Release" twice in a row.

If we were to say who among the puppets controlled by the Blood Moon could force Hiltina to such a point, it would probably be her once best friend.

Luster sat down on the bench and scooped a scoop of chocolate ice cream from the paper cup: "Why did you suddenly think of coming to the school celebration?"

"As soon as I left the Night World, I prepared desperately for battle, using all kinds of rigorous training and learning to fill up all the time between entering the Night World. This is more in line with the style of "Strategy Ghost Hiltina", right?"

"Yes."

Hiltyna nodded. "If it were me before, I wouldn't want to waste even a moment."

"Because in my opinion, all the night travelers' entertainment and frolicking in the real world are just wasting their lives... It would be better to use this time to strengthen their combat power as much as possible. Only in this way can they have a higher chance of survival in the night world."

"I can only understand the logic of Fran and those who oppose me in theory, but I can't really understand their feelings and empathize with them."

"To put it bluntly, from my perspective, it's just a reflection of these people's weakness and incompetence, and that they fell behind because of their weakness."

She finished the strawberry cone in small bites and licked her delicate lips with a sense of satisfaction.

"Conquer the night world and prevent the outbreak of the dusk disaster—"

"In the grand scheme of things, it's about saving the world."

"This goal is so lofty and bright, and it is so correct that no matter how many people are sacrificed or how much is paid, it is worth it."

"And I also regarded this goal as my lifelong pursuit. I was willing to give up everything for it... to the point that I completely ignored the people around me."

“It’s like a long journey. I always set my sights on the distant destination, but never pay attention to the scenery along the way or the companions I travel with.”

"So, my breakup with Fran was inevitable, no matter how good our relationship was before."

Rast listened to what Hiltina said quietly.

“Maybe others don’t agree with me, but it’s still my own attitude.”

He looked at Xiltina: "At least, I don't hate it."

Last did not try to comfort Hiltina, because he knew very well that the seemingly slender girl in front of him was not weak enough to need comfort.

And the reason why Hiltina told him all this was definitely not to gain sympathy.

"Yes."

The chestnut-haired girl spoke again.

“Ever since I witnessed the death of my mother, I have lived without expectations.”

"I know very well that many people do not agree with my mother's ideas, not only Fran and my classmates, but also my father, stepmother, and even my sister..."

"So I gradually learned to survive independently in the world, without connecting with others, and not expecting others to respond to my behavior."

“Therefore, no amount of opposition or questioning in the academy can change my mind.”

"If everything continues to develop unchanged, then I should continue to rush towards that unreachable end point, conquering the entire night world-"

"Until we reach the end, or die along the way."

Her voice paused slightly.

"But this attitude continued until you, Rust, appeared, and some changes occurred."

She looked at Luster.

"I developed expectations of you, even if I didn't realize it at first."

"I?"

"Ah."

Hiltina nodded slightly.

"When you first came out of the night world, your breath of life was so weak that it could disappear at any time. You were no different from a skeleton."

"During that half month, I stayed by your bedside, watching you faint, barely breathing, with no trace of blood on your face..."

"For the first time, I felt uneasiness, worry, and even fear of being abandoned... These were emotions I had never experienced before."

"During that time, I asked myself countless times, what should I do if you can never wake up again..."

She lifted a strand of chestnut hair from her forehead and said, "Fortunately, you woke up in the end."

"I have been thinking about a lot of things during this period, you, and Fran's last words before she died. I think the fear and anxiety you felt beside your bed are exactly what I have never been able to truly feel or empathize with before."

"I hope you will be patient and persevere for the great goal of saving the world. In the past, I demanded the same of myself and the people around me."

"But now that I think about it, when Fran saw the team members who died in the night world..."

"When Roya's fiancée learned that her lover would never come back..."

"That fear and weakness will only be more intense and more heartbreaking than the emotions I felt when I was guarding your bedside."

Hiltina paused for a moment.

With her light brown eyes, she quietly gazed at the bustling crowd in the college in the distance who were enjoying various school anniversary activities.

"When I was a freshman, Fran said that when the centennial celebration came, we must be completely miserable and have a good time in the academy for a few days."

"Now, I have buried her life in the night world with my own hands... But I want to see for Fran what the celebration she has been looking forward to for so long will look like."

"Even though these things seemed no different from wasting my life in my past eyes."

She picked up a ginkgo leaf that had fallen on the bench and held it above her head.

The sunlight shines through the leaves, and the veins of the ginkgo leaves are almost transparent in the light.

"I still believe that I am right, and I will continue to move forward unwaveringly towards the unreachable destination in my heart."

"But I think now I am——"

"Maybe you can try to pay attention to the scenery along the way..."

"Also, someone to enjoy the scenery with me."

The sun moved west again and the shadows of the trees shifted.

The two of them bathed in the warm sunshine, and their shadows were stretched very long.

(End of this chapter)