You've found the Gusha-hime Knight, so put your hair up in a bun!

Watching the little guy's cheerful figure, smiles appeared on the faces of Shiloh and Ruby without prior arrangement.

Chapter 143 Fate's Malice Towards Ruby (Four chapters tomorrow)

"Please sit down, Miss Ruby."

While Xiaohua was in the kitchen preparing food, Xiluo pulled out a chair and gestured to her.

Knowing that the other party meant no harm, Ruby relaxed a lot, nodded, and sat down.

"Let me make it clear beforehand, I'm not suspecting you, just checking necessary information... May I ask who you are? What is your purpose in coming to the capital?"

Silo sat in the high seat, a smile on his face, but he exuded a subtle but powerful aura.

There were no questions that Ruby couldn't answer, so she didn't hesitate and said, "I'm an adventurer. I came to the capital to find a better job, and... to investigate something."

"Oh? What is it? Perhaps I can help you."

"No need for you to worry about this. I think I can handle it myself."

Ruby politely declined Shiloh's offer.

Xi Luo nodded and did not press the matter further, as the other party was still being too wary.

“In the next couple of days, I plan to take Xiaohua away to live in the welfare home under my name. The environment there is better than here, and it is also safer.”

"Eh?"

Ruby was taken aback. She could naturally understand the implication that she would no longer be able to visit him freely.

"However, the security here isn't too bad, and I come here often..."

"But you can't protect her every second, can you? Besides, regarding security... nobody knows when an accident might happen, right?"

Upon hearing this, Ruby shuddered instantly, a chill running down her spine as she looked at Shiloh. The enigmatic smile on Shiloh's face gave Ruby the feeling that he knew something.

However, these words also touched a raw nerve in Ruby's heart, causing her hands, which were resting on her thighs, to clench unconsciously, and her breathing to become labored.

"However, Miss Ruby, you don't need to worry too much. Just let me know if you want to visit Little Flower."

Ruby looked up in surprise and found that Shilo had pushed his terminal towards her, which displayed a friend request card from a social networking app.

After hesitating for a moment, Ruby, concerned for Xiaohua, urged her to take out her communicator and scan the business card on it.

The name that popped up was "Loxi," simply reversed.

Putting away his terminal, Xi Luo said meaningfully, "Speaking of which, from the moment we met until now, you seem to have completely disregarded my name."

Oh no.

Ruby's heart skipped a beat, but she remained calm and answered flawlessly, "The situation was too chaotic at the time, and my mind didn't quite catch up. Please forgive my rudeness."

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief after realizing that Shiloh didn't seem to have any major doubts about the answer.

No, I absolutely can't let him know that Aaron and I are on the same team.

She was present the night Xiluo returned to the capital. The Third Prince had provoked her to such an extent that she probably felt some aversion towards him and Aaron beside him.

If this gets out, I might not be able to visit Xiaohua anymore.

After a brief moment of thought, a resolute look appeared in Ruby's eyes. Then, she swiped her finger under the table on her adventurer ID card, thus separating herself from Aaron's adventure team.

"By the way, may I see your adventurer's card?"

really.

Ruby felt a slight sense of relief. Just as she had expected, this extremely cautious man would never miss any opportunity to investigate suspects.

"of course can."

Ruby, having completely erased the team information, handed over her business card without any hesitation. She even had the leisure to pick up the teacup next to her and take a sip of the sweet tea inside.

After a brief inspection, a hint of a smile appeared in Xi Luo's dark eyes.

The team left without hesitation, showing no regret whatsoever.

It seems that Ruby and Aaron do not yet have the deep camaraderie they had in the later parts of the original work.

Yale yale

It seems like it's time to head back to the capital.

After I pushed the business card back, Xiaohua happened to come out with food, smiling, and dinner began.

Shiloh's elegant and witty manner quickly enlivened the atmosphere at the table.

Even Ruby, who has a rather gloomy and aloof personality, showed a natural smile.

After dinner, Xiaohua went to her room to pack her things, while Xiluo stood up, looked out the window at the moonlight, and tapped her fingertips rhythmically on the back of her hand, as if waiting for something.

Ruby, whose background is connected to the gods, has been burdened with a heavy and cruel fate since birth.

The god watching over her was not a benevolent one; the fate He brought repeatedly pushed the girl towards a lonely end.

Everything she cared about would perish one by one under the influence of fate.

After receiving the blessing of the moon goddess, Shiro also devoured the authority of the tyrannical chosen god, and his body was tainted with a considerable amount of divinity. He also had an indescribable perception of this kind of fate.

This is why Shiloh chose to come here today.

What are you looking at?

At dinner, Shiloh's elegance and wit, unlike anyone Ruby had ever met before, made the girl lower her guard and relax considerably.

Following Shiloh's gaze upwards, a bright, clear moon hanging high in the sky came into view, causing Ruby's eyes to relax slightly.

But then, Ruby's expression froze, and her violet eyes widened suddenly!

"Be careful!!"

Click—!

As Ruby shouted, the bright moon suddenly changed color, covered with a distorted, disgusting, and mottled light!

Immediately afterwards, all the windows of the wooden house shattered under the invisible impact!

"This is... a magic circle?!"

Ruby, who had swiftly pulled Shiloh behind cover, stared in shock at the dim, variegated light that enveloped the room, and exclaimed in disbelief.

"It's not a magic circle, it's a [field]."

"what?!"

Ruby turned her head sharply, staring incredulously at Shiloh's calm expression, feeling her temples throbbing.

"To be precise, it's a counterfeit [field] created using some kind of technology, similar to a magic scroll. However, only black magicians would be capable of researching this technology."

After Shiloh finished explaining, Ruby's heaving chest finally slowed her breathing.

"Can't you finish your sentence in one go?! You scared me to death..."

Ruby clenched her little fists and glared at Shiloh through gritted teeth.

If it were a transcendent being of the [Erosion Realm] level who came, then we would truly be doomed.

Chapter 144 The Determination to Protect Xi Luo (8k, four chapters combined)

Shiloh shrugged, then looked at the outer barrier, thinking to himself, "So this is what they call the malice of fate..."

This malice does not directly cause harm, but rather guides the fate lines on each person's body, weaving them together to a predetermined outcome.

Without a doubt, Shiloh knew that this attack by the dark sorcerer was definitely connected to the dark sorcerer in Clorenza.

Moreover, it is highly likely that they are cooperating with the mastermind behind the scenes.

They are essentially the black gloves of the mastermind, doing things for him that he can't do himself using his own power.

"Hey? Big brother, Ruby sister, what are you doing hiding here?"

At that moment, a crisp sound rang out, causing Ruby's expression to change drastically. She hurriedly looked back and shouted, "Quick, hide—!"

sieve!

A bright purple light flashed, Ruby's pupils contracted, and her blood seemed to freeze at that moment.

She seemed to see the scene of her younger sister's untimely death.

But just as Ruby's muscles stiffened and she was gripped by immense despair, the person next to her acted before her thoughts could even register it.

Pfft—!

The sound of blood and flesh splattering rang out, followed by a series of rolling sounds and furniture overturning.

"Ahem—Mr. Roche!"

As the smoke and dust dissipated, Ruby covered her mouth and nose, glanced at the window obscured by the smoke and dust, gritted her teeth, and flashed away like a shadow, finding the two people huddled behind the wardrobe in the next moment.

Ruby was delighted to see the unharmed little flower in Shiloh's arms, but before she could speak, the sight of Shiloh's pierced shoulder made her heart clench.

You're injured!

Ruby quickly moved closer and then took out a bottle of healing potion from her personal space, intending to drip it onto Shiloh's shoulder.

Is there any way to temporarily conceal our whereabouts?

Despite the pain in his shoulder, Shiloh looked calmly at Ruby and said, "Just now, you must be a superhuman proficient in shadow magic, right?"

Ruby nodded, then closed her eyes and opened her hands. Shadows bloomed from her palms like a curtain, quietly enveloping the three of them.

Sylvie sensed her surroundings and said, "Just as I suspected, he needs to know our location in order to launch an attack... Little Flower, are you scared?"

Xi Luo could clearly feel the little girl trembling in his arms, but upon hearing Xi Luo's question, Xiao Hua immediately shook her head, raised her eyes to suppress her fear, and said encouragingly, "Xiao Hua, don't be afraid!"

"Good boy."

Xi Luo rubbed Xiao Hua's head, looked at Ruby who was applying medicine to him, and said, "Although it is a counterfeit [Field], the enemy's level is definitely not low if they can use this kind of item, and it may even be [Star Rank]."

Ruby frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Although he was among the best in his class, it was still a bit of a stretch for him to advance beyond his current level at the [Void Realm] level.

You might not even be able to beat someone in a head-on fight, let alone someone who specializes in using underhanded tactics.

"Damn it... I'll draw their fire later, you find a chance to take Xiaohua away."

Ruby clenched her fists; this time, she had to protect everything.

Just as Ruby's eyes showed determination and she was about to get up, her arm was pulled by Shiloh, and she fell into his arms.

Besides the warm and unique scent, Ruby also had the lingering smell of blood from the hole in Shiloh's shoulder.

"I'm injured right now, and it would be risky to run with Xiaohua. Besides, I'm not proficient in movement techniques."

Xiluo spoke with a serious expression, but in his heart he was thinking about how to find the scoundrel outside and then kill him.

This kind of dark magic was of course no match for Shiloh; the hole in his shoulder was simply a deliberate injury.

Even with the little flower as a strategy tool, this slow, gradual approach is still too inefficient.

Shiloh has always been efficient, and the current timeline has changed, with Aaron arriving in the capital earlier.

If intervention is not carried out efficiently, there's no telling what might happen that's beyond our control.

If you want to quickly enhance your relationship, going through various dangers and hardships together is the best choice—this is the so-called suspension bridge effect.

Regardless of your feelings at this moment, as long as you strike while the iron is hot, love will inevitably develop even if you're not in love.

So rather than finding the rat outside, what Shiloh needs to think about is how to evoke a surge of emotions in Ruby.

The answer is actually quite simple: to protect her and the things she cherishes with her own life.

A girl like Ruby, who suffered psychological trauma from a tragic childhood and thus closed herself off, appearing cold and aloof, actually craves warmth and protection the most.

"What...what are you doing?"

Ruby, who was being held tightly by Shiloh, felt a little dizzy and didn't hear what he was saying.

This was the second time she had been in such close contact with a man, and both times it was Shiloh.

Upon hearing this, Xi Luo murmured, "Didn't you hear me? I meant..."

Seemingly to make sure Ruby heard him clearly, Shiloh slowly leaned down, close to her delicate little ear, and whispered, "Let me distract her, and you can take Little Flower away while you're at it."

As she spoke, her warm breath tinged Ruby's honey-colored ears with a lovely blush, and her deep, magnetic voice drifted into her ears, each word making the girl's heart flutter.

咚咚

咚咚