Chapter 123
Livia's eyes blinked. The mask of a smile vanished, replaced by an expression of bewilderment. Her two red eyes sank deeper into thought.
They say that if coincidences pile up, they become destiny. A male with black hair is possible. It's surprising, but not astonishing, for him to also have amber eyes.
But for that Male to also be a Manifestor? Could this truly be called a coincidence?
*...No way.*
Her red eyes blinked repeatedly, as if comparing her childhood memories with the reality before her. Her first love from childhood and the Man in front of her gradually overlapped. But she hadn't yet found certainty.
No, I still don't know.
Honestly, the situation was absurd. The boy she knew had been taken by the Knights at age 10, for nothing less than execution. Even if he had somehow escaped... for him to have survived until now was an overly optimistic assumption.
His face would have been known everywhere by then, so how could a mere 10-year-old child have possibly survived until now? And why was he with the Knight Order, of all things? It was incomprehensible to her.
From the start, she was rather ignorant of news from outside. Since she usually stayed within the Hideout, she rarely heard outside news. Not being close with Sephiroth also meant she rarely received information about Yor.
Because of this, the current situation was all the more confusing. Therefore, she decided to get one more clue to confirm her suspicions.
She couldn't remember the child's face from her youth, but she clearly remembered where the mark had appeared. That day remained a vivid shock to Livia.
*...I just need to check his collarbone.*
Because of this, she decided to act aggressively. It would be strange to suddenly stop fighting and ask a male to show his collarbone.
*Clack-crack!* Again, she used *Creation/Generation* to create sparks in her hand. Her unique *Flame Magic* had been honed since her childhood entry into Lemegeton. While its specialty was burning and melting, it wasn't as if it couldn't be used in other ways.
If she drastically lowered the power and maximized the range, burning only clothes was entirely possible. And so, she did.
“Sorry... this might sting a little.”
Whoosh! Like scattering grains of sand, countless sparks enveloped him. Instantly, a massive wall of sparks appeared before the male. A woman's shout was heard from afar, perhaps from one of the male's companions.
“Yor!”
Perhaps that was the Man's name, Yor. Livia quietly stored that name in a corner of her memory.
Soon, countless sparks covered him. Yor seemed to dodge and deflect the sparks, but it was impossible to avoid every single drop of the fiery rain. The sparks, fluttering like ash, landed on his clothes, burning holes through them.
Sizzle! Through the torn clothes, a glimpse of a sensual physique and a dark red mark visible near his collarbone were revealed.
“Oh...?”
Seeing it, Livia tilted her head again. Her eyes, which held a faint hope, gradually turned to certainty.
*Could it really be?*
Her hand began to tremble slightly.
+
[Wow, hot!]
[Ooh-la-la ooh-la-la]
[Yeah, Chaerin, forget about *Hunting*! Show us more of this, damn it!]
[I was just wondering what to *get my pleasure from* today, and you've given us such a treat haha]
[She burned just his clothes perfectly lol]
[Burn more, please!]
Meanwhile, on the Knight Order's side, Chaerin, who had accidentally <F1>Capture/Detect</F1>ed the scene, was currently receiving enthusiastic responses from her Viewers. It was because, for the first time in a while, a scene that stimulated the <F1>Lower Body</F1> had been <F1>Capture/Detect</F1>ed on her stream. <F1>Are they truly a group obsessed with 'Men'?</F1> Such a minor exposure was eliciting a significant reaction.
Of course, Chaerin wasn't pleased with the reaction. If it had been before, she would have liked it just the same. But Chaerin, who had already done “that kind of thing,” was subtly reluctant for anyone to see her body.
Ugh, why are only his clothes burning again! I told him to get something more durable. I'll cover the *Stream Screen* for now!
Therefore, Chaerin temporarily switched the stream window. Instead of the Branch Leader and Yor's duel, the fierce battle on the Knight Order's side came into view. *Were these truly high-level Knights?* The battle scenes were indeed vivid and cool.
Yeah, this is it! *Everyone* likes these fierce battles, right?
Boring! Boring! Boring! Boring! lol We don't give a damn about this crap, so hurry up and film Yor, you b*tch! I wanted Yor's clothes to burn, but it seems you wanted your stream to burn lol I'm out. I'm out.
Of course, the viewer reaction wasn't very good. But Chaerin didn't care and diligently filmed the Knights fighting. After all, viewers were creatures of adaptation; if she kept showing this, they would eventually quiet down.
Meanwhile, Chaerin kept glancing at Yor. She had expected a fierce battle, but the atmosphere felt strange, especially around the Branch Leader, who had introduced herself as Livia.
The smile she had worn consistently had vanished somewhere, replaced by a somewhat wistful expression. Livia murmured.
“Yor... Yes, that was your name. Hmm, now that I think about it, I believe that was your name.”
“Why are you suddenly calling out someone else's name? It's creepy.”
“Yor. It's me, Livia! Don't you remember? No, you don't?”
Livia exclaimed, as if happily meeting an old *friend*.
But Yor merely tilted his head, puzzled.
He had never had an *acquaintance* with such a strange personality.
No, to begin with, he had lived only in the <F1>forest</F1> until now, so he didn't have many <F1>acquaintances</F1> at all. Fortunately, Livia quickly provided the answer.
The <F1>Orphanage</F1>! We grew up in the same <F1>Orphanage</F1>! How much I used to stick by your side back then! Ah.
At those words, a memory finally regenerated in his mind. From the now faint memories of the *Orphanage*, there was one child who had particularly followed him around. Now that he thought about it, he remembered that child also had white hair.
He remembered her as a cute child with a smiling face.
Wait, just a moment...
As he thought that far, Yor's expression was tinged with surprise.
That child was you, back then?
At his words, Livia happily nodded. A mix of emotions — delight, longing, joy — welled up within her. She spoke with an utterly excited face.
I thought you were dead, of course. I thought about you so much.
Livia continued, speaking innocently.
“Come with me. I won't lean on you like before, and I can protect you now! I'll introduce you to a nice *House*. Let's play pranks and have fun together like we used to, okay?”
At first glance, it almost sounded like something said to a beloved partner. Her expression was indeed not much different. But Yor couldn't help but feel burdened by it.
“...Hmm, I don't know.”
It might sound a bit unseemly to say this, but... To be honest, he didn't remember her very well. From the start, his childhood memories were largely taken over by the *Demon's Blood*. He had been on the verge of execution at age 10, then chased by Knights; could he really have childhood memories left in his head?
It was merely a matter of thinking, “*There were times like that in the past...*” and indulging in nostalgia. He had never been consumed by it.
That might be a bit difficult.
In short, her proposal was nothing but troublesome. The group Lemegeton was one thing, and the woman in front of him was also a burden.
He hadn't even known that the child from the <F1>Orphanage</F1> would become an <F1>Important Figure</F1> like a Branch Leader. Now that he saw her, her personality seemed a bit twisted. <F1>How on earth did they raise that child?</F1>
I think I'm more comfortable here than with Lemegeton.
As Yor said that, Livia's face instantly hardened.
Why?
The corners of her mouth, which had been smiling brightly, instantly dropped. Her emotionless eyes stared silently at Yor. It was an expression even the Lemegeton *Follower*s who usually worked with her had never seen. But Yor, on the contrary, thought that look suited her. Livia continued.
“No, now that I think about it, why are you with the Knight Order? They tried to capture you for execution, didn't they? Why, then?” “Thinking about that is a bit annoying... but it's not bad right now. And if I had to say, I'm an *Adventurer*.”
He felt a slightly strange sensation, wondering why he was having this conversation in the middle of a battle. Still, this situation wasn't bad. Even if he didn't remember her well, he was curious about the well-being of the children he had lived with. He also wanted to hear how she ended up joining Lemegeton. But it seemed something he said had struck a nerve with her.
“...An *Adventurer*?”
At that single word, Livia's brow furrowed. Instantly, a deep sense of disgust filled her eyes.
Clack! Crack! Sparks flared. Brilliant, firework-like flames danced in her hands.
“No... anything else, maybe, but not an *Adventurer*. Absolutely not.”
Immediately after, her *Magic* surrounded them from all sides, as if to ensure he couldn't escape anywhere. Yor frowned at the brilliant light spreading everywhere.
“Ugh...!”
Watching him, Livia spoke.
“I'll have to take you by force. Come with me. You'll realize that this place is much better than being an *Adventurer*.”
Immediately after, she lunged at Yor.