Chapter 88: You just admitted you actually are part of one of them
Massive damage had struck the western district. That left the residents and refugees who’d been in the western area with no choice but to camp out in tents for the following day.
Luckily, since the buildings there had actually been constructed with the expectation that they’d be destroyed sooner or later, they wouldn’t have to wait tens of days for repairs. They’d only need to wait one or two days before the repairs were successfully completed.
Given the situation, the refugees, of course, would pitch in to help speed the repairs along.
That evening, the rain had let up, leaving receding puddles across the now-bustling streets. The sky was still somewhat overcast, but the sun shone brightly, making that cloudy sky look genuinely beautiful, golden light reflecting off the clouds.
Birds chirped overhead, keeping pace with the small children playing around the park, right near a fountain carved with a dove statue.
The park itself was apparently called Dove Park, thanks to the sheer number of doves that stopped by to feed or simply perch around the area.
So, the park was practically a magnet for children wanting to play, elderly folks enjoying their twilight years, and a handful of young couples who’d decided to make it their spot for romance.
"Mister White! Mister White! Is it true elephants are really that huge? Where’d you ever see one?!"
A cluster of small children surrounded a man with long white hair. His handsome, friendly face made him an instant favorite among the kids.
Of course, that was Eiros, in his White Swan form.
He smiled wide in front of the children, radiating a remarkable warmth and friendliness.
"Of course, I wouldn’t lie about that. Unfortunately, elephants live somewhere very, very, very far away."
"Aww.... why’s that? Can’t I go there?"
Eiros shook his head with an amused smile. "That’s impossible. That place is incredibly far, you’d probably need an alien spaceship just to get there."
Considering that elephants were an extinct species in this world, leaving behind only monstrous elephants that had long since lost any resemblance to their original form.
That meant elephants, and a handful of similar creatures, had essentially never been seen in this world at all—they only existed as legends recorded in books.
"In that case! Mister White Swan! Since you’re a wanderer who follows the wind, have you ever visited the Sea of Demons?! They say there’s a ton of scary demons out there!"
The children each shivered with fear as they talked about something none of them had ever actually seen with their own eyes.
Eiros gave an awkward smile at that question. Because, even though he called himself a wanderer as part of this identity, he’d genuinely never explored this world at all.
For now, all he knew was the Academy and Clathria! Beyond that, he only knew the names of places, nothing more!
Even so, he smiled.
"Of course, why wouldn’t I have?" He lied through his teeth, but thanks to White Swan’s personality, he spoke like someone who’d genuinely spent his whole life adventuring. "The Sea of Demons—sure, it’s terrifying, but it’s also a genuinely beautiful place, being so close to the ocean and all."
Hearing that, the kids got genuinely excited. Eiros spent a fair amount of time chatting with them.
Right now, he wasn’t using his Eiros form to meet with Erness. That was because, after everything he’d done to help defend this fortress, Bell had apparently asked to meet with him, telling him to wait here.
So, that’s exactly what Eiros was doing. He’d initially panicked a little when the curious kids swarmed him, but luckily, he handled it well thanks to his friendly wanderer persona.
He was honestly a little surprised at just how skilled White Swan was at this sort of thing. Right then, he finally spotted someone approaching.
Eiros’s face turned genuinely awkward as he forced a thin smile, looking at Bell.
’....She must be absolutely exhausted.’
Watching how messy her hair looked, her clothes, and her eyes, red from going a full twenty-four hours without sleep.
"You’re here," Bell greeted him, sounding utterly drained. "You’re not gonna get mad that I don’t look pretty right now, are you?"
Seeing the faint smirk on Bell’s face, Eiros immediately shook his head and laughed. "Why would I be mad? Even looking this worn out, you’re still beautiful."
Bell clicked her tongue hearing that.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I figured with that pretty face of yours, you’d want to protect your reputation and keep your distance from a woman."
Bell walked off, but close enough that Eiros understood it as a sign to follow. He gave the kids a quick goodbye, then hurried after Bell.
"No way, I’m a free spirit, there’s no way I’d let myself get tied down by something like that."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, someone’s genuinely free while someone else here genuinely isn’t."
Eiros’s smile froze in place, and he laughed awkwardly, realizing he might’ve just touched a nerve with Bell.
"I didn’t mean to offend you, Miss Bell."
But Bell just ignored him as she walked into the Traveler’s Restaurant with Eiros. They grabbed a random table and chairs, sitting across from each other, and ordered drinks.
"Let’s cut the small talk—mind telling me who you actually are now?"
"Eh, right...?"
"You seem to understand pretty clearly that there’s some kind of hidden threat in this world. You know about ’them,’ about Black Genesis, and even about the Corruption Seed itself."
Bell drew a breath, glancing around for a moment, speaking in a low voice, making sure only Eiros could hear her.
"Honestly, that’s information most people at the Radiant tier don’t even know about. But you, someone who’s only at Awakened, somehow knows all of it. Frankly, that’s genuinely suspicious. So, I figured, you’re probably tied to some kind of group. Maybe a disciple of a Tower Keeper, or you’re part of some specific organization?"
Hearing all of that, Eiros unexpectedly found himself in a genuinely tricky spot. His lips twitched as he felt the urge to say he wasn’t affiliated with anyone at all.
That might’ve sounded good, but afterward, Bell would probably try to dig up his trail. That wouldn’t work out well, since White Swan had no trail whatsoever, and that alone would only make everything look even more complicated and suspicious.
So, Eiros held his breath for a moment, letting the air settle, then let out a small laugh.
"...If I told you who I really am, I wouldn’t exactly be fit for a secret organization...."
Bell laughed hearing that. "You just admitted you actually are part of one of them."
Eiros let out a relieved sigh and shrugged.
"Anything else you need to ask, Miss Bell? Sure, I’m a free spirit, but that doesn’t mean I’m not busy."
"Tsk. What kind of ’busy’ does a free spirit even have?" She rolled her eyes, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
But Eiros just smiled, showing no intention of arguing back. His gaze then landed on a box Bell had been holding this whole time.
"Duke Everhart wanted you to have this. It’s a reward for your contribution, not much, but enough for you to live comfortably as a wanderer for a few months."
Eiros blinked, pulling the box toward him and opening it. He immediately found several coins, this world’s currency—not a huge amount, honestly just enough to get by for a few days.
But Bell hadn’t been wrong either, since there was also a black card infused with Soul Essence.
That was a credit card, a payment method reserved exclusively for nobility.
"...Isn’t this a bit excessive?"
Eiros recalled that he hadn’t really done all that much. His contribution wasn’t any different from the other Awakened fighters, so did he really deserve something like this?
But Bell apparently thought otherwise. "You really are a dumb swan."
She pressed her fingers to her temples, then looked at Eiros sharply. "Someone from a certain organization came to help us out—don’t go thinking that puts us in your debt, okay? Get home safe. We don’t owe you anything."
’Ah.’
Bell took her freshly arrived drink, then walked off right away, trailed by a cluster of whispers swirling around her.
Eiros himself just stood there, frozen in front of that unexpected windfall, then gave a helpless smile.
’Well, thanks...?’
He could only hope this lie wouldn’t come back to bite him.
Either way, now that this whole matter was settled, he genuinely needed to go find Erness, who’d been looking for him.
Right... Erness had already come looking for him several times. But Eiros, in his White Swan form, had chosen to play dumb whenever he happened to cross paths with her.
This form was his other identity—no one was allowed to recognize him as Eiros underneath it.
Sure, he might get found out eventually, thanks to Remnant of Red Light. But at least, not right now.
Eiros let out a small sigh as he stepped out of the restaurant.
Time to get some proper answers out of Erness.
***