Shut up, brave man! I don't want to atone for my sins to you!

-

5. Welcome Back

"Let us continue our adventure and journey which has not yet ended."

Gordo said with a smile.

Charles was stunned.

Then he said "hmm" and his frown relaxed.

He seemed to have a lot to say, such as "It turns out that I misunderstood you. I knew you were still the same Godot", but these words melted away when they came to his lips and turned into a simple sentence:

"Welcome back."

Upon hearing this, Godot suddenly made a very strange move -

Just like when they first met, the young wizard nicknamed "Young Master" drew out his wand and deftly spun it between his slender fingers. Finally, the wand stopped in his palm.

Godot grasped the magic wand tightly, and used it to lift the brim of his top hat, revealing his extremely handsome face underneath. He then winked and smiled reservedly and charmingly:

"Of course, since my dear friends need me, then I - the dream lover of thousands of girls in Kangkel, the candidate for the great super-level mage, the future helmsman of the Laurent family, and the indispensable sponsor of the brave team - Mage Godot, will of course come back to help you solve your problems."

When Lacie heard Godot calling out a long list of names like before, she felt a little nostalgic and couldn't help but respond as before:

"There are so many people. Our base can't accommodate them all."

As soon as she finished speaking, the entire stronghold fell silent.

The four people on the sofa looked at each other, and suddenly, they all laughed at the same time.

Gordo himself laughed the most.

He wiped his eyes and couldn't help saying:

"I was a little skeptical just now, but now that I hear you say this, I can't help but believe it... Welcome back, Vice Captain."

"That means you don't know me well enough," Rachel said deliberately, "Even if I appeared in front of Charles as a witch, he still recognized me quickly."

As she said this, she turned her head and elbowed the hero next to her:

"Right, Ciel!"

Charles shook his head upon hearing this and grabbed Lacier's hand:

"No, it's still a little late... I wish I could have recognized you earlier."

His tone sounded extremely serious, it could almost be described as "affectionate".

Although Lacele knew very well that Charles was the type to say such things in a serious manner, she still felt a little embarrassed when she heard this.

It's not like they're the only two here now!

It's not that I don't want to say such things, but doesn't Charles know how to consider the occasion and the timing? He has to say such things in front of Godot and Joseph... How is it different from confessing in public? !

Although she was thinking in a panic, Lacier remained calm on the surface. She said "Oh" softly and then whispered:

"Humph, that's because you're not working hard enough."

After she said that, Charles didn't have any objections, but Joseph next to him did.

He seemed to have "finally" discovered the ring on the ring finger of Lacier's right hand that he had made himself, so he smiled and asked:

"Deputy Captain, come to think of it, the ring on your hand...seems a little familiar."

After being reminded by Joseph, Godot also noticed the ring and understood it instantly. He let out a long "Oh" and then laughed the same "Hehe" as Joseph:

"Yes, Joseph, you have a sharp eye. How come I didn't notice it? This ring does look familiar."

Of course they both looked familiar.

When Charles was planning to order a ring to express his love to Lacie, the two of them were Charles's most capable right-hand men and women, and they gave him a lot of advice.

Joseph said that a proposal must have a ring, and Godot said that indeed, the things that girls find most difficult to refuse are those small accessories that look shiny, gorgeous and exquisite.

Joseph rolled up his sleeves and patted his chest muscles, declaring that he could definitely make a ring that would satisfy Rachel. Godot then offered some advice and told Charles that it would be best to use heavy gold and star silver to make the ring, and since Rachel liked golden roses, then he could make the ring in the style of a golden rose.

The two of them had a perfect understanding of each other and were extremely enthusiastic. They seemed to be afraid that Charles would not be able to marry Rachel, and they were eager to help him.

One said, "Captain, don't worry. We have already contacted the Victorian engraver and the dwarf blacksmith to make the ring perfect." The other said, "Captain, you are short of money, aren't you? Don't worry. I am short of everything except money. I will cover all the materials and labor costs. Just wait for me!"

It’s a pity that the last ring has not been made yet, and Lacie has already run off to compete with others for a place in the resurrection match.

In the end, Laciel finally defeated all the powerful enemies with her elbow and won the resurrection match, but at that time she also made up her mind to give up her identity as a priest and to show herself as a witch again.

Although... Although she was finally brought to justice by Charles, and made a contract with Charles that they would never be separated in this life.

The proof of that contract is the ring that she now wears on the ring finger of her right hand.

Rachel originally thought that only she and Charles knew what the ring represented, but now, with the teasing and booing of Joseph and Godot, she suddenly realized——

"Damn it, was I the only one who was kept in the dark at that time?"

The witch couldn't help but think so, and at the same time, she guiltily put the hand with the ring on it into her sleeve.

Then, she raised her head and said to the two Xiao Dengs who were still trying to make trouble:

"Ring... What's wrong with the ring? Do I need your permission to wear a ring? Don't... Don't have any objections! Otherwise, be careful of me..."

She drew her wand and threatened:

"Be careful or I'll turn both of you into pigs!"

But perhaps because they knew that her threat would most likely remain verbal and would not really come to them, Joseph and Godot looked at each other tacitly after hearing her words, and then they couldn't help laughing.

They even went on to ask:

"Captain, have you already confessed your feelings to Lacie? How was it? Was it successful?"

"You are such an idiot. Rachel was willing to come back with the captain, how could it fail?"

"Oh, yes, yes, yes. So, Captain, when are you two going to get married? Why not wait for a better day? How about getting married after we return from Victoria?"

"I agree with you, Joseph. Captain, don't forget to invite me when you two get married... No, why don't you just let me plan the wedding? I promise to help you make it a wedding that everyone who sees it will envy!"

Joseph and Godot were discussing the matter with each other, paying no attention to the opinions of the two parties involved.

Charles was so embarrassed that he didn't know what to say, so he just sat there in precious silence.

Lacele's temperature kept rising, until steam was almost coming out of her head.

I can't bear it anymore, no need to bear it anymore!

Finally, Rachel couldn't bear to listen any longer - because Joseph and Godot had already started discussing how many children would be appropriate for her and Charles to have - so she raised her wand in frustration, intending to turn these two ungrateful guys into pigs' heads.

But at this moment, a soft sigh suddenly floated in the air.

It was like the morning mist, light and slightly cold, but it instantly suppressed the noisy discussions of Joseph and Godot.

The stronghold became quiet again.

Charles unconsciously reached for his waist, but did not find the holy sword that he was supposed to carry with him. Lacielle, on the other hand, tightly grasped her wand and began to vigilantly construct defensive spells. Godot was half a beat slower than Lacielle, and his reaction was very different from hers. He quickly prepared for a counterattack.

Only Joseph——

After a brief moment of daze, he seemed to have realized something and did not enter a state of combat readiness. Instead, he remained relaxed and asked tentatively:

"Xi Rui? You're back?"

Following his question, after a brief silence, a girl wearing a black cloak with her entire face hidden in the hood but with two long ears sticking out from the top of her head quietly emerged from the shadows on one side.

Hidden under her hood, her violet eyes slowly swept over Joseph and Godot, and after briefly staying on Charles, finally locked onto Rachel's face.

"I came back yesterday."

She said, her voice as cold as ever.

"Yesterday..." Joseph frowned, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"..."

The assassin Xi Rui did not answer, but continued to look at Rachel, as if she was answering Joseph in this way -

"Didn't Lacie say anything when she left?"

She seemed to be saying that.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Not only Joseph, but also Godochal and Rachel herself didn't know what to say.

Although... although Lacie had already imagined a similar scenario.

Before she and Charles returned to Kangkel, they had considered how to face their former teammates.

In fact, there is no need to worry about Joseph and Godot. They probably won't care about those messy things. Even Charles told her that the responsibility is not hers, so she just needs to tell the truth, and Joseph and Godot will understand her.

But Xi Rui... only Xi Rui...

She didn't know how to make Xi Rui understand her.

Although Xi Rui could usually go a whole day without saying a word, Lacier knew that the guy might value the Brave Team as his "home" more than anyone else. Xi Rui just never expressed her feelings.

So what should she do now?

She couldn't just rush over, kneel down, hold Xi Rui's hand, and say, "Please forgive me, I will do anything. Without you, I..."

Then, would Xi Rui say to her heartlessly, "You are a person who only thinks about yourself," and push her away?

Or maybe she said, "I never feel happy forming a team of heroes"?

But no matter what, she should at least give it a try. She couldn't just sit on the sofa and say nothing and expect to get a response from Xi Rui, right?

Thinking of this, Miss Witch mustered up her courage, stood up, slowly walked in front of Xi Rui, looked up, and looked into Xi Rui's eyes.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lied to you. I should have told you the truth earlier!"

She bowed her head and apologized.

However, Xi Rui did not respond for a long time.

Lacie couldn't wait any longer, so she mustered up her courage and raised her head.

Coincidentally, Xi Rui also cast her eyes over here.

Those violet eyes were still clear and calm, without the slightest ripple, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking.

Lacele almost felt that she was still angry, but at this moment she looked away and looked at Charles who had also stood up on the other side.

Then, after a brief silence, she finally said, somewhat awkwardly and uncomfortably:

"……Welcome back."

[To be continued]

-

6. Never cared

With the return of Xirui, the members of the brave team gathered in Kangkel again.

Three years ago, they set out from Kangkel and started their adventure; three years later, they will set out again from this adventurer's city that has special meaning to them and continue their adventure that has not yet ended.

And this time, the first stop of their journey will be Victoria, the country of steam and steel.

Before setting off, the five people began to systematically exchange the information they had obtained in the past few months.

First up, there are Charles and Rachel.

After all, they had faced Victoria's steam armored troops and had also come into contact with the witch Thea, so they had much more information than others.

Although most of them are guesses and assumptions, at least they are reasonable and even close to the truth, but...

Laceel suddenly looked at Charles with some concern.

Where no one else could see, she quietly grabbed Charles' hand.

Charles noticed her movement and subconsciously turned his head to look at her. She blinked with a slightly worried expression.

She didn't say anything, but Charles had read her expression and understood what she was worried about -

Laciel was worried that if he told the public that he was not a true hero, it might cause a bad reaction.