Chapter 103: Who Was That Adult? |
By the harbor, several shirtless dockworkers with sun-darkened skin rested against piles of wooden crates, wiping away sweat while staring toward the bustling temporary medical district.
“Do you think the Holy Knight inside would recognize that adult wearing metal armor flying in the sky?”
One of the shirtless porters, broad and muscular and also the tallest among them, asked curiously.
A slightly shorter companion beside him rolled his eyes and impatiently replied:
“How would I know? If you’re curious, go ask yourself!”
The burly porter was immediately speechless.
“I want to ask, but do you think I’d even get the chance?”
As large numbers of recovered patients continuously poured out from the temporary medical facilities, conversations like these rapidly spread through the city streets and alleys.
“Hey, brother, you just came out from there. Didn’t anyone ask the Holy Knight who that adult in armor was?”
The recovered man looked confused.
“Ask? Ask what?”
“Ask who saved you all! That adult wearing the shining armor!”
The grocery shop owner grew somewhat anxious. Could this guy seriously not understand human language?
“Huh?”
“What do you mean ‘huh’? Don’t tell me you didn’t even ask who saved you?”
The questioner suddenly felt the other party might not be a good person, perhaps someone too lazy to even ask who his benefactor was.
“No!”
The recovered man finally reacted and hurriedly explained:
“I suddenly felt completely fine, and then the Holy Knight told us to line up for examinations. I was so happy at the time that I didn’t know anything else!”
Filled with suspicion, the grocery shop owner described the scene he had witnessed to the recovered man.
“What? You mean that adult wearing metal armor saved us?”
Those affected by the death energy had naturally all gathered near the harbor, and almost nobody had failed to see the armored figure display his divine might.
“Th-this… I didn’t see anything inside the warehouse!”
“I never saw the gray mist you talked about. It was like everything became fine in the blink of an eye.”
“Hiss… Could it have been stopped time?!”
An adventurer who had been curiously listening to their conversation suddenly interrupted.
As a loyal listener, he often heard bards singing various stories of “epic legends“ in taverns, so he had heard countless unbelievably cool transcendent abilities before.
The people around him also felt his explanation made a great deal of sense.
“Could that adult be a Legendary figure?!”
“It has to be! Wasn’t that road leading to heaven last night even more shocking than the stories told by bards?!”
“Only Legendary figures could display such magnificent scenes!”
***
Inside the spatial rift.
“Tsk tsk! Did I show off a little too much just now?”
Kyle proudly stroked his smooth chin.
“Stop getting carried away. Let me out already—I want to see Dean!”
Caitlin impatiently interrupted his self-congratulation and forcefully shoved him.
“Alright, alright. Look at how undignified you’re acting. Alvaro, let her out.”
“Yes, Master.”
Alvaro’s thoughts shifted, and Caitlin silently appeared among the crowd without attracting anyone’s notice.
Caitlin had already changed into ordinary adventurer clothing and rushed into the medical station like a gust of wind.
Is she really that impatient…?
Kyle pouted.
At this moment, because large numbers of people were flooding in, personnel control within the medical facilities had already relaxed considerably.
Of course, even if the rules had still been strict, they would not have been able to stop a determined Caitlin.
She immediately spotted Dean standing near the warehouse entrance, taking care of little Cab while waiting for O’Brien.
Caitlin circled behind him and suddenly reached out to smack the back of his head.
“You brat! We haven’t seen each other for just a few months, and you’ve already become this capable! You even have a child now!”
The speed at which Caitlin’s expression changed almost caused Kyle, who was still inside the spatial rift, to lose his balance.
No? ! Aren’t those my lines?!
Dean staggered and nearly fell over.
That familiar sensation was far too familiar, making Dean instantly forget the pain as he excitedly turned around.
“Big Sister!”
Dean tightly hugged Caitlin, his heart overflowing with longing.
This was the first time he had been separated from Caitlin for so long.
Caitlin lightly patted his back before pushing him away. In a crowded place like this, she did not want people staring at them—especially not her younger brother with his voyeuristic tendencies.
“What happened to this little guy?”
Looking at the bewildered Cab, Caitlin crouched down, took out a handkerchief, and gently wiped away the tears on the little one’s face.
Seeing Caitlin’s beautiful and warm smile, little Cab’s face instantly flushed bright red. He shyly lowered his head, his tiny hands nervously clutching the corner of his clothes.
Dean quickly explained Cab’s background and the unfortunate death of his older brother to Caitlin.
“So that’s how it is?”
Caitlin lovingly patted Cab’s head again and softly sighed inwardly.
If they had arrived just a little earlier, perhaps this child’s older brother would not have died.
“What do you plan to do with this child?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to ask Teacher. If possible, I want him to stay by my side.”
Dean felt there was a deep connection between himself and Cab, and the child’s resilience and purity had deeply moved him.
“I have no objections, but you must take care of this child yourself.”
O’Brien transmitted his voice to the two of them.
Naturally, he had immediately noticed Caitlin’s arrival, further confirming that Kyle had already taken action earlier.
“There’s no problem anymore. The people behind don’t need examinations anymore. You may all leave on your own.”
O’Brien’s voice echoed throughout the entire area.
He had already examined a small portion of the crowd and found no remaining traces of death energy, so there was no need to waste further effort.
“Come with me.”
O’Brien transmitted his voice once more before disappearing from everyone’s sight.
Caitlin grabbed Dean and Cab, then also vanished like a blurred shadow.
The Holy Knight’s sudden departure caused a small commotion and wave of discussion among the crowd, but it was quickly replaced by the joy of recovery and healing.
Only a few people who had been closely paying attention to Dean’s movements noticed his sudden disappearance.
“Supervisor! Something happened! The Dean brothers you told us to keep an eye on disappeared! He seemed to vanish together with the Holy Knight! And there was also a female adventurer who suddenly appeared and disappeared along with them and the child!”
An employee of the Artisans’ Association rushed into Supervisor Fuke’s temporary office.
“What? Little Brother Dean and the Holy Knight both disappeared?!”
“Yes.”
“Th-this… this, let’s go notify the President.”
***
On an unguarded cliff near the harbor, O’Brien and the others appeared one after another.
Experiencing such ultra-high-speed movement for the first time, Cab only felt dizzy and pale-faced, completely unable to understand what had just happened.
Caitlin picked him up.
“Tsk tsk, you didn’t even think about hiding things from the child, huh?”
Space rippled slightly, and Kyle and Alvaro also appeared there.
“Stop talking nonsense.”
Ignoring his teasing, O’Brien stepped forward and placed his hand atop Cab’s head. Holy light quickly caused the child to fall deeply asleep.
A sweet smile slowly appeared on his lips; clearly, he was having a beautiful dream.
