The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

"As you wish, try to reach an agreement with that young lady." The girl, who was already short, avoided his burning gaze and shrank helplessly in his shadow, looking even smaller.

“You know that’s not what I meant.” The woman subconsciously softened her tone, correcting him with a hint of melancholy and affection. Her left hand, which had been habitually resting against the wall, lowered as the other person’s emotions eased. “What I meant was, it seems you’ve taken the blame for me again… Hmm? Oh…”

“In most cases, the term ‘Magic Apprentice’ is synonymous with ‘errand boy,’ ‘punching bag,’ ‘portable sacrificial material,’ ‘friend/scapegoat,’ or even ‘emergency rations.’ I’m fortunate to have escaped such suffering, so it’s only natural that I take the blame for my mentor when it’s harmless.” Charlotte replied in a slightly weary tone, subtly moving the believer’s left hand back to its previous position and giving her a moist look from bottom to top. “Besides, I think that young lady has a very high degree of natural loyalty to you, which is rare and worth trying to win over.”

“But that lady, who is naturally very loyal, doesn’t get along with you very well. I personally prefer to find an opportunity to send her back to Qingtian’s hometown.” Xin Nu habitually ignored her little actions and then put forward her own opinion.

"Your happiness is the top priority. Please don't consider Charlotte's feelings. If you're not compatible, you can work things out. If you lack patience, you can cultivate it. If you're not strong, you can hone your skills. If you have a bad temper, you can adjust it. As long as you're not stupid, everything will be fine."

“Speak like a human being.” The believer stared at her with a cold expression.

“Charlotte is short of a helper. Thanks to your ever-increasing ability to cause trouble, the time she has to learn from you while dealing with daily chores has been shrinking. Charlotte is exhausted from running around all day and thinks this is a bad trend, so she plans to expand the workforce.” Cinderella blinked, her violet eyes fixed straight ahead.

"continue."

"In less than 24 hours, I dealt with twenty-seven groups of rats that had sneaked in. By analyzing their memories, I learned that they came from Skyrise, Valley, and White Fang. Everything was done in secret, ensuring the experience of the ladies' Christmas holiday mansion exploration trip. This could have ended in a more concise and efficient way, but I had to restrain myself because of their needs. Who do you think is to blame for all of this?"

"Ahem..." The believer turned her head to clear her throat symbolically, and when she turned back, she felt that the moist gaze became even more resentful. "Charlotte, you don't actually need to avoid them. You can even ask those three to lend a hand."

"A professional pianist with serious shortcomings except for heavy lifting and rope skills, a destructive girl who always treats everything with a playful attitude, and a thin-skinned, low-maintenance high school sophomore with a blood-stained body—do you really have the heart to let them see human blood? Or do you still believe they are capable of handling all this even after realizing that the dangers of this trip have far exceeded the scope of a Christmas day trip? If your answer is yes, then Charlotte will, as always, fulfill her duties as a babysitter to ensure their personal safety. During this time, you can take anyone to any continent to cause trouble without worry, because Charlotte will clean up everything for you. The only small request is to apply for an expansion of the babysitter team."

The believer, Hern, stared at the gray figure before her for a long time, then slowly withdrew, stepped back, and looked out the window where fine snowflakes were falling. "On a deserted island in the Abyss of Time, there's a cat who can help you."

“I understand. I’ll check it myself later, but are you sure you won’t have an allergic reaction?” Charlotte tilted her head slightly, feigning doubt.

“I’m not so delicate as to sneeze over a few cat hairs.” This time it was Shinjo’s turn to give him a resentful look, and he added softly, “Except for that damned sunflower.”

"Do you have any other instructions? If not..."

"One last question, how did you get into a fight with that white-haired guy outside?"

The believer didn't seem to care about the outcome of the chaotic fight; he was just curious about the cause of the conflict.

"Thanks to the memories of those rats, I have a general understanding of your past reputation in the Sky Kingdom. Miss Xue Ni's natural loyalty obviously stems from this. Logically and emotionally, I neither want to shatter her illusions nor waste this natural loyalty, so I resorted to this inferior strategy."

"then?"

"So I told her that you were actually just an innocent victim, a devout saint, a lost lamb, and that the culprit who seduced you into falling was me—a void demon in human skin from the endless chaos outside the world. I tried to make my lie as exaggerated as possible, and then I ruthlessly pinned her to the ground and beat her up. It worked. Even though she was yelling at you, she was actually heartbroken for you, and of course, she hated me too."

"..."

The believer stared at the indifferent Cinderella before her for a very long time.

……

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Chapter 55 Heading East

"[The mountain road is now closed. The race can begin in five minutes.]"

"Wait, someone's coming up the mountain!"

"【It's 86! 86 has gone up the mountain!】"

An antique video from another world was playing on a high-definition television screen bearing the logo of a twelve-sided ice crystal. A hoarse male voice had just begun singing a sentimental prelude when the believer casually pressed the power button as she passed by.

"Scone! Why did you turn off my TV?" Kuroyukihime started yelling from the sofa.

“Little girl, watch fewer old movies. At your age, you should be watching magical girls or Kamen Rider.” As she spoke, Xin Nu removed a small hard drive from behind the TV. “Also, don’t sneak into my storage devices anymore. These are all antiques.”

"Scone~ Don't be like that, I've already watched all of those videos, but I'm really looking forward to seeing how Takumi and Natsuki's relationship develops. Hurry up and lend me your hard drive, bro!"

The believer's gaze lingered for a moment on Kuroyuki, who was hugging a cushion and acting coquettishly on the sofa, before finally shaking her head. "Never mind, that's enough for you."

"why?"

"Because no matter how fast the AE86 is, it can't catch up with Natsuki sitting in the passenger seat of the Mercedes." Touma patted the confused middle school girl on the shoulder, sighing deeply.

"???"

In the corner of the sofa, Yukina, who had been silent, felt the atmosphere in the room becoming increasingly subtle, and her gaze began to dart between her companions.

Miss Kuroyuki looked completely bewildered, Miss Touma seemed to be a woman with a story, and Mr. Hearn had changed into new clothes again...

After spending some time together, the experience she gained told her that it was best not to say anything; silence is golden. So she lowered her head and continued reading a book about the local customs and culture of Hanfeng.

"Three, head out, scout the place." The woman gave Touma, the only one dressed properly, a wink, and then walked toward the door.

"Okay, that's what I've been waiting for. I've been ready for this for ten minutes... Wait! What did you call me? Do you want to die!?"

The believer opened the door and ran away.

Connecting the hotel's top floor is a semi-transparent elevator to private rooms, while the opaque parts have walnut wood interiors. The architectural style of the Kingdom of Coldwind is close to nature, emphasizing harmony between man and nature, making it a livable country, provided there are no ravaged areas roamed by those beasts.

The woman stopped in the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor. Touma followed a moment later, but also successfully entered the elevator before the wooden doors closed.

The expansive view overlooking half of the harbor begins to descend.

After a brief chase, Touma, whose breathing had calmed down slightly, glared fiercely at the person in front of him. "I'm warning you, if you call me that again, you're dead."

"Just kidding." The woman returned an apologetic look, her apology tinged with a hint of innocence.

“That joke isn’t funny.” Touma coldly shut him down.

During the stalemate, the elevator quickly arrived at the hotel's first floor.

……

"What do we do now? You idiot, forget about hitting on her. That hostess is wearing a ring on her left ring finger! And you better swallow your next words!"

"That's even better... Fine, as you wish." The believer reluctantly withdrew her gaze.

Touma quickly pulled him along, and they blended into the street scene of the upper town of the harbor.

"Now, tell me honestly, what's wrong with you?" After everything became less conspicuous, Touma slightly turned his head and glanced at the person walking beside him—he had changed out of his previous ronin clothes and replaced them with a hooded trench coat of the same color. The fitted clothes looked much less eye-catching than before, except for a pair of pointed bulges on the top of the hood.

"You mean this?" The believer noticed her gaze, smiled, and lifted a corner of her hood with one hand. The warm morning sun shone through the gap under the hood, revealing a pair of ink-wash fox ears. They were between illusion and reality, lively and ethereal, not simply inanimate objects. "My situation this time is very delicate. In the eyes of the masses, I am a dead man. In the eyes of the upper echelons of the Sky Tower, I am a fugitive. Neither of these is suitable for me to appear in the sunlight casually. So the Funa people are a good choice."

“Of course I know you can disguise yourself as a black fox, but that’s not what I meant.” Touma hesitated for a moment before speaking. “I meant that your emotions seem a little unbalanced.”

"You're mistaken." The believer looked bored. He lowered his hood and quickened his pace slightly. "Forget about this."

"Did that little girl annoy you again?" Touma tried to guess, and seeing his reaction, he knew the answer was spot on, so he pressed on.

“This is different from that.” The believer turned around. “Can we change the subject? This trip was originally for scouting, and as the only two adults in the team, it is our responsibility to ensure the safety of the other members.”

"I've actually gathered quite a bit of information about the Tsukiyama family. Don't think that I'm just spending these 24 hours fooling around with the girls. So I think we can do both gossip and business at the same time."

"It seems you're not going to let me off the hook on this issue."

"Of course, it's rare to run into your sore spot, how can I not give you a good kick? You've been fooling me for nothing all this time."

"Alright, then I'll tell you the truth." The believer stopped in her tracks, spread her hands, and appeared remarkably calm and composed.

"Hmm?" Touma put away her smug expression and a hint of audacity, and made a slight nasal sound, indicating that she was waiting for what was to come.

"Please come closer, please. It's so embarrassing, I'm a little ashamed to say it out loud, this is the street." The woman looked around nervously, a blush rising on her cheeks, seemingly genuinely concerned about the stares of passersby, trying to ensure that no one would notice her.

"What exactly did she say to you? Could it be..." Touma keenly noticed the subtle change in his expression, an unprecedented situation that even made her a little flustered. She couldn't help but take a step closer, her thoughts drifting to a long-forgotten, bittersweet corner. However, she didn't hold back at all, "Tsk tsk tsk, bring out your skills from four years ago when you jumped a hundred boats. Now you're so innocent that you can't even handle a little girl. If those girls saw you now, their hearts would probably stop beating."

“That was then, and now it’s different.” The believer’s voice was somewhat helpless as she gestured for her to come closer.

"How is it different? You can hook up with hundreds of girls at the same time, but you're helpless with this one. I just don't believe it."

"Initially, I was determined to stand the girls up from the beginning, so the outcome was already predetermined. The process was naturally smooth, free, and enjoyable, but this time it's different."

"The pigeon spirit reformed and became pure, but after meeting true love around the corner, she found she couldn't fly away anymore. Is that what you mean?" Touma didn't know how she said those words. Her face remained bright, but her voice grew increasingly somber. As the answer became clearer, a vague sense of loss fermented and intensified. However, she concealed it well. To better hide it, she stood in front of the other person, paused, and slightly turned her head, hiding her expression behind her profile. "You're not planning to stand me up this time, so you're feeling uneasy? Don't worry, I won't laugh at you. Tell me, believer."

Touma could feel a warm breath approaching his left ear. That familiar voice began to reveal the reason why the reformed woman was having such a hard time: "The girl cornered me against the wall, forcing me to choose between you and her, Kazusa. But I've already made up my mind, just as you said, that I won't stand up any girl anymore. Kazusa, what should I do?"

"You..." Touma took a step back in a panic. She had approached him with the intention of getting a better look at his blushing and embarrassed expression, but she hadn't expected this answer. Caught off guard, she ended up blushing almost to the point of bleeding. Taking a step back, she saw a cunning, fox-like face with a sly grin, a triumphant smirk. Where was the slightest trace of her previous unease?

Touma realized she had been tricked by this guy again. Embarrassed, she kicked Nobunaga in the shin, then turned and walked away quickly, leaving behind a remark that sounded indignant but also vaguely self-deprecating.

"Damn it, next time you come to Vienna, you'd better go live somewhere else!"

……

I've finished updating. I'll start catching up on updates tomorrow.

Chapter 56 Scouting the Location (Part 1)

The two walked through the silent forest, sunlight filtering through the gaps in the lush canopy, casting dappled patterns of light. There was a faint salty smell in the air, and a sea breeze blew through the depths of the forest.

The woman and Touma continued walking in the direction the sea breeze was blowing. The terrain gradually rose, the darkness in the forest slowly faded, and soon the view opened up.

"We're here," Touma gestured to his companion beside him.

"What a nice place," the believer exclaimed sincerely, looking around at the expansive scenery before her.

They stopped at the edge of the cliff overlooking the sea, with green grass at their feet and a wide view. The sea breeze, carrying the moisture of the tide, blew in their faces. The white waves washed the sea cliffs into the same white color. The nearshore sea, with its occasional ripples, shimmered under the warm winter sun, reflecting glittering golden light from time to time in the azure blue.

"I really want to yell and scream like an idiot, but the current situation obviously doesn't allow it," Nobunaga said jokingly to Touma after taking a deep breath.

"Of course, after all, we're not here to have fun," Touma replied sarcastically, his anger long since subsided.

Their gazes turned simultaneously to the distance, to the southeast, where, much lower than the sea cliffs, a vermilion-toned mansion with an ancient Eastern charm sat atop a sea cliff extending into the shallow sea.

Of course, the lower part of the building is still quite a distance from the sea level.

"White jade bricks and stones, giant wooden roof ridge, glazed tile roof, and painted so festively, the maintenance cost of building such a mansion in the coastal area is no small sum." The believer took out two small bamboo stools and a small low table from the subspace and placed them steadily on the slightly damp grass.

Touma piled the soy milk, steamed buns, and sweet sesame balls he had bought at the market onto the table. The two sat down and began to eat lunch, enjoying the sea breeze, occasionally pointing at the Tsukiyama family mansion in the distance.

"Was our cheap classmate a rich kid before?" Xin Nu chewed on a sesame ball while recalling the information in the letter that Ms. Yukinoshita had shown him in the bar. She then shook her head. "I don't remember. There was a line in that letter that said, 'I believe that everything I have now is enough to bridge the huge gap between you and me.' It should have sounded like a more inspiring story."

"I went to the black market in the lower city to buy information. Since the information was harmless, it went relatively smoothly. In fact, Yue Shan is a well-known up-and-coming businessman in the Cold Wind Kingdom. He runs a local dust crystal business and is also passionate about charity. He has a good public image. After graduating from the Holy Domain Academy, he seems to have given up the path of an elite hunter because he failed to awaken his external power for a long time. Instead, he went into the business world and started from scratch and succeeded. He seems to really have a talent in this area."

“Emmmmmm, a successful young entrepreneur who is also passionate about charity, such an extravagant and wasteful mansion really doesn’t fit his positive image as a first-generation entrepreneur.” The believer picked up the warm cup of soy milk, the warmth of her hands dispelling the winter chill. “The Dust Crystal business is indeed a monopolistic and highly profitable industry. If the Cold Wind Kingdom, which is in dire need of rebuilding, granted him the corresponding operating license in order to build a local industry brand and weaken the influence of the Sky-Piercing Foreign Enterprise, then it makes sense that he was able to accumulate such a considerable fortune in just five or six years.”

"What's wrong with it? I think it's perfectly normal. A womanizer like you who takes advantage of someone and then leaves would never understand," Touma replied indifferently.

"Then I'm all ears." The believer adopted a submissive posture, then cheerfully continued to chew on the straw.

"I've also read the letter Yukinoshita received. Even a piece of rotten wood could feel the deep, uneasy love hidden between the lines. It was a love letter that couldn't be sent back then, a pure love that hasn't changed over the years. The words were polite and cautious, as if afraid of causing Yukinoshita the slightest displeasure. Any man or woman with normal values ​​in the world could understand that naivety, except for a slut like you who doesn't know what love is." Touma got angrier and angrier as he spoke, and finally glared at him fiercely.

"You're shifting the blame onto me again," Xin Nu shrugged, then said, "So, according to you, Yue Shan has already woven his love nest, maybe even ordered forty unique wedding dresses, and prepared four grand weddings of different styles, all waiting for his bride. And what we should do right now is to wash and dress Yukinoshita up, make her look beautiful, throw her in, and then leave. Everything else will fall into place naturally. They're a perfect match, a match made in heaven, a love that surpasses countless others..."

"Stop, stop, stop, are you still not done? And why does that last sentence always sound like 'a bitch and a dog are a perfect match' coming from your mouth?"

"That was because you were upset and over-interpreted after receiving wedding invitations from your first love and best friend. I didn't mean anything in that way."

"..."

"...Hmm, why is it so quiet?"

The usual bickering came to an abrupt end. Shinju turned her head and saw Touma turn his head to the side, no longer letting her see him. His shoulders trembled slightly, and his ink-black hair swayed in the sea breeze.

It seems like I made her cry.

Mr. Hearn was silent for a moment, then tentatively reached out and poked the other man's shoulder with his finger.

It started shaking even more violently...

The believer reluctantly withdrew her hand, pondered for a moment, and seemed to have made some kind of decision. She cleared her throat.

“Touma, my promise from yesterday still stands.” He pulled a silver pocket watch engraved with ancient incantations from his pocket, pried open the cover with his thumb, and stared at the hands. “If you really can’t let go of the past, then you will still return at the early hours of Christmas Day.”

The trembling stopped.

"Who am I? Where am I? What am I going to do? I have always believed that as long as a person is clear about these three things at all times, he will not live a life of stagnation, just like now."

"The purpose of our Christmas trip is to get you out and relax, because everyone knows you haven't been in a good mood lately."

"However, while we were in the car, I also gave you a few options—go out for a walk, go to a church in real life to snatch someone away, or go home and get some sleep so the storm will pass. You know I'm a businessman, but I won't refuse a small favor between friends."

“Ms. Yukinoshita is our current client, so I must be responsible for her safety. Past experiences have taught us never to let our guard down around any glamorous person in [Hive]. We can certainly dress Yukinoshita up beautifully and send her to the Tsukiyama mansion as a bride, but who can guarantee that she won’t become a breeding ground for tentacles the moment we leave? Besides, she’s not a native of this place, and none of us are qualified to make decisions for her.”

"Touma, you too. Christmas, which is today, will settle everything. Whether you continue to live in the past as a spiritual mistress, or simply drive into the church, snatch her away, and run away, think about it yourself. Men are actually quite perverse. The more you agonize over this, the more accomplished the person involved will feel. Don't worry about running away; you know that's just a piece of cake for me."

“Men are all pretty perverted—I agree with that.” Touma suddenly turned around, stood up and walked to the right, came to Shinonome, squatted down, and looked her in the eye. “Do you know why Charlotte is annoyed by you? Because you’ve done it again. Yes, you give people options, but you always leave them with no options, because you give too few options, none of which are the ones the customer likes.”

"..." The believer carefully examined the girl in front of her, and seeing that there were no tear stains at the corners of her eyes, she felt slightly strange. "What happened to you just now?"

"I bit my tongue while talking, it hurts so much."

Touma slightly stuck out the tip of his tongue, and Nobunaga noticed a faint tooth mark on the pale red tip of his tongue.

"Then, please forget what I just said and let's continue discussing Ms. Yukinoshita's marriage."

"No way, every word you just said was fished out of a vinegar jar, and I'm going to remember them for the rest of my life."

"That's not a good idea, Touma. Even rabbits don't eat the grass near their burrows."

"It's only 700 kilometers to your territory, does that mean your defense perimeter covers the entire European continent?"

"Please include the Far East as well; I love those countries with a long history and rich culture."