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

Ruby shuddered, angrily grabbing Shiloh's cheeks and forcefully pulling them apart, snarling, "What 'Star Slave'? Can't you use a little more polite language? I'm telling you, are you really a nobleman?!"

Shiloh blinked, looked at Ruby who had returned to her normal interaction, smiled happily, and, not to be outdone, moved her hand down from Ruby's slender waist, then grabbed and kneaded her round breasts, breaking free from her grasp.

"Now, let's get to know each other again. My name is Shilo Wells. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ruby."

Silo smiled, took two steps back, extended his hand to Ruby, and said.

Ruby clutched her lower back, looked at Sidlow's hand in front of her, and after a moment of silence, slowly reached out and shook his hand.

"My name is Ruby... nice to meet you."

Without being explicitly stated, the meaning behind this handshake was understood by both of them.

Ruby turned to the side, her violet eyes filled with a shy mist, her honey-colored skin flushed red, making Xiluo want to bite down on it and leave teeth marks, as if to declare his ownership.

After calming Ruby down, Shiloh thought for a moment and decided to tell her some things.

Ruby, do you believe in fate?

"Ok?"

Ruby was pulled to sit down on the long stone slab by Shiloh, and after hearing his words, she turned her head to look at him with some confusion.

Ruby initially thought that Shiloh was going to take the opportunity to say some nonsensical sweet nothings, but seeing the serious expression on his face, it didn't seem like he was just chatting casually.

Seeing this, Ruby rested her chin on her hand and began to think seriously.

Fate...?

Ruby murmured to herself, then suddenly remembered her tragic childhood memories, and her pretty face twisted involuntarily.

Seeing Ruby's changing expression, a hint of pity flashed in Shiloh's eyes, and she reached out to gently pat the other's back.

Feeling the warm force coming from behind, Ruby's muscles gradually relaxed, and her mind slowly calmed down.

Logically speaking, Ruby should have cried all her tears over the years, and all that remains when she recalls what happened back then is a deep-seated murderous intent.

But under Shiloh's silent comfort, Ruby felt a long-lost urge to shed tears.

Taking a deep breath and suppressing the urge to cry, Ruby whispered, "If there really is a destiny, I want to know why it took my family's lives."

Silo stroked Ruby's soft white hair, and after organizing his thoughts, said, "Fate does exist."

Ruby looked at Shiloh with some surprise upon hearing this.

Although Ruby had heard some stories about some of the big things Shilo had done recently during her journey to the capital, she hadn't witnessed them herself, and the veracity of the stories from the locals was questionable, so Ruby didn't particularly believe what Shilo said.

"How to say?"

Ruby was curious about what kind of explanation Shiloh would give.

Xiluo closed his eyes, constantly sensing the blessing [Moon Reflected in Water] left by the Moon Goddess within him.

What Shiloh is about to say may touch upon the realm of the "unspeakable," so he must keep a close eye on any unusual movements of the Blessing and stop speaking immediately if anything seems amiss.

Actually, we would never have met.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Or rather, I should have died in my own fiefdom a month ago."

Upon hearing this, Ruby's heart skipped a beat. She stared in disbelief at Shiloh, who had spoken these words, and a sudden surge of panic and unease welled up within her.

"Are you out of your mind? Why are you cursing yourself to die?"

Ruby gritted her teeth and stood up, her breathing unsteady. She quickly slapped her mouth three times, spat three times, and said, "The filth is dead."

Seeing the girl's somewhat flustered expression, Xi Luo laughed and said, "What's the point of taking pictures of yourself? You should be taking pictures of me, shouldn't you?"

"...That makes sense."

Seeing Shiloh's nonchalant expression, Ruby's eyes flashed coldly, and she raised her hand and approached him with a sneer.

"Alright, alright, stop fooling around, we're talking about serious matters."

Shiloh grasped Ruby's hand and said helplessly, "I'm not cursing myself to die, I just want to tell you that fate is a possibility."

Afterwards, Shiloh concealed his exploits of taking down Cecilia and the others, only telling Ruby that someone had tried to frame him and that he had killed them in return, leaving Ruby stunned.

Then, under Shiloh's questioning, Ruby told him all about her past experiences.

"Look, don't you find it strange?"

Shiloh spread his hands and said, "According to you, everyone who comes into contact with you will have an accident, so why is it that only Aaron has been able to team up with you safely for so long?"

Ruby frowned slightly, somewhat hesitant: "That's true, but there are many factors involved, and it can't be simply generalized..."

There was nothing else he could do, so he could only offer his explanation selectively: “I know it’s hard for you to believe right now, but I want to say that you don’t need to believe in fate, you just need to believe in me.”

"Well?"

Ruby looked up, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Believe me, your fate is intertwined with Aaron's. And the suffering you have endured must be some unknown price to pay... I can't say too much about the specifics."

With her hands on Ruby's shoulders, Shiloh said earnestly, "And I am here to sever the original fate that bound you."

Ruby found it strange, but although Shiloh was usually frivolous and dissolute, he shouldn't lie when he was serious.

Ruby nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."

The answer was very simple, but the determination in Ruby's eyes told Shiloh that she believed in herself.

However, if this view is accepted, then things become complicated.

Ruby leaned on Shiloh's shoulder, clutching his clothes, and murmured, "Over the years, every time I've advanced a rank, my talent for shadow elements has increased dramatically... This is the only thing I can't understand. But if it's a gift from the [Unknowable Being], then it seems to make sense..."

Unease gradually gathered in her eyes. Such an existence was too far away and too mysterious and eerie. Ruby was afraid that her "fate" would bring disaster to someone.

Chapter 169 Ruby (Two Chapters Combined)

"Wait a minute, but since you can foresee these fates, does that mean—"

Ruby frowned slightly, a hint of worry in her eyes.

If what Shiloh said earlier is true, then it means that the other party is closer to those indescribable things.

Xi Luo fell silent for a moment. Although his memories from his past life told him that this was a real world consistent with the game world he had created, upon closer reflection, he still felt a sense of incongruity.

It's not the jarring feeling about whether this world is real or not, but rather about other things...

On that night when memories were unlocked, the scenes I saw in a daze resurfaced in my mind.

Xi Luo's memory of that period was very vague. She only vaguely remembered a faint fragrance like that of begonias and a pair of flawless, black-stockinged legs that she could hold and play with for a lifetime.

Who is that?

unknown.

Even if Shiloh thought it was his own hallucination, no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't possibly suppress it to this extent, or even conjure up such a vivid and beautiful woman out of thin air.

Things beyond her control made Shiloh feel down, but her intuition told her that the other person meant no harm and was trustworthy.

This feeling came out of nowhere, but it made Shilo feel at ease.

"Heh, maybe."

Shiloh smiled noncommittally, put his arm around Ruby's shoulder, looked earnestly into her eyes, and said, "I'm asking you, do you want to change your future destiny?"

Ruby stared blankly at Shiloh, then nodded and said, "If such a fate were real, I would never allow it to continue."

The thought that her sister and others were dying because of her fate caused Ruby immense pain, as if a piece of her heart had been ripped out.

Regardless of what purpose those unspeakable beings might have for her, Ruby would rather commit suicide as long as they continue to harm others.

"Alright, in that case, come with me."

After saying that, Shiloh took Ruby's hand and pulled her towards the cave entrance.

Ruby was stunned. After quickly catching up with Shiloh, she asked in confusion, "Where are we going? We haven't done the mission yet."

"That kind of thing doesn't matter anymore. This time, the demonic energy infection was caused by someone summoning an abyss crystal deep in the forest. This is just a smokescreen to attract attention. Those people have other real purposes."

Seeing how certain Shiro was, Ruby could only tell herself to believe him.

Moreover, when Ruby was recounting her past experiences, she could sense that apart from feeling tenderness, Shilo showed no surprise whatsoever.

There is only one explanation for this situation: Shiloh already knew about his past, which aligns with his claim of "knowing his fate." Therefore, Ruby became even more convinced of his statement.

"So where are we going next? Is it to change our fate?"

Shiloh nodded, turned to look at Ruby's pretty face, and smiled, "Next, let's go to your house."

"...Huh?"

Ruby froze on the spot.

Clang!

Some time has passed since the mission began, and the forest floor is now littered with the corpses of all kinds of magical beasts.

A demonized boar king charged, but Aaron blocked it with his sword. The hard, sharp blade collided with the huge tusks, sparks flying.

Aaron used all his strength to stop the charging boar king, drawing gasps from the onlookers.

Although he's a bit of a clown when it comes to matters of the heart, there's no denying that Aaron is incredibly powerful...

The adventurers nearby sighed, noting that the surrounding monsters had been mostly cleared out. They casually leaned on their weapons and carefully observed Aaron's battle, trying to learn something from it.

Aaron, who was seething with anger, acted more ruthlessly and brutally than usual, as if he wanted to release his rage in this way.

After forcing the boar king to stop, Aaron snorted coldly, his arm muscles bulging, and roared, "Hah—!!!"

And just like that, Aaron, who was wrestling with the wild boar king, actually managed to push his opponent backward with brute force!

The wild boar king's hard hooves plowed four deep grooves into the ground. Its berserk, blood-red eyes stared in disbelief at the tiny human before it, seemingly unable to comprehend why the other was stronger than itself.

However, the beast, after being corrupted, was extremely ferocious. In a short while, its surprise turned into rage and ferocity. With a deafening roar from its foul-smelling mouth, a terrifying sound wave swept out. But Aaron, who was directly in front of it, remained as still as a rock!

A ruthless glint appeared in Aaron's eyes as he relentlessly applied pressure to the blade. With a "crack," a crack appeared in the boar king's tusks; he was actually trying to cut off those hard tusks!

But just as the blade embedded itself in the fang, Aaron's expression changed, his pupils contracted, and a sharp, piercing pain suddenly rose from his heart, as if it were tearing him apart!

The intense pain momentarily drained Aaron's strength. His extensive combat experience made him realize the danger immediately, but just as he was about to take action, the boar king, now free of its restraining force, roared and charged forward. Its sharp tusks broke through the sword's defense and slammed into Aaron, lifting him up into the air!

This sudden turn of events stunned everyone present for a moment, but they quickly reacted, their expressions changing drastically as they drew their weapons and attacked the boar king.

Although this wild boar king was terrifying in strength, this berserk monster was not very intelligent, and it was easily dealt with after finding its weakness.

When the group found Aaron, they were shocked by his horrific condition.

"Oh my god, one of my kidneys is completely ruptured! Is there anyone who knows how to heal it?"

"I'll do it."

A thin man emerged from behind the crowd, a vibrant green healing spell emanating from his hand, and began to heal Aaron's injuries.

Seeing the wounds on the other man's body gradually healing, the thin man shook his head and said, "Does anyone want to take him to the hospital? My healing magic can only heal his wounds, but only superficially. To heal completely, he needs to go to the hospital for treatment."

The group scratched their heads, looked at each other, and then thought that they could perhaps gain a favor along the way, so they nodded in agreement.

"Hey, remember to wait for us at the victory celebration party tonight."

"Understood, you won't be shortchanged on your drinks."

Watching Aaron walk away, someone suddenly couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Hey, what are you laughing at?"

"No, no, no, think about it. Aaron usually acts all high and mighty in the Adventurers' Guild. He just acts all high and mighty because he's in a team with so many powerful and beautiful superhumans."

After all that, it turns out his team members really were just team members. Not only did he get rejected after a one-sided crush, but now, because of his boasting, he even lost a kidney. I reckon even if it gets repaired, his manhood will probably be unusable.

As he said this, the adventurer couldn't hide the schadenfreude on his face.

Upon hearing his words, many people smiled in response.

Adventurers are not a monolithic group. Although it is customary to hold a celebration banquet after completing a mission together, and even people who don't like each other can drink peacefully at the banquet, the grudges between them will not disappear.

Aaron's assertive personality wasn't exactly friendly; it was just that people who disliked him usually didn't dare say anything because of his strength and power. But today, he had two amusing incidents happening to him in a row, so it would be a waste not to have some fun with him.

"It's rare for someone like Aaron to fail... By the way, did you notice what happened to him just now?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other and then shook their heads.

"You can't tell, but judging from his expression at that moment, it seemed like he was in great pain."

Everyone scratched their heads, completely baffled.

While Aaron was being carried back to the capital on someone else's back, a ferocious rage appeared on his unconscious face. Even in his unconscious state, his teeth were grinding together, and a little blood was even oozing from his gums.