A Girl Who Feels Insecure

Caroso looked at Nimel's tears, his brow furrowing even deeper.

He wanted to say, "Hold them back. The Kolia family has no need for tears."

But for some reason, Caroso's feelings were complicated at that moment. Even without the Netizens' prompts, he did not want to say something like that.

Caroso did not understand why Nimel was crying. He had merely told her what he thought.

"Brother." Nimel bit her lip. "You don't need to compensate me..."

After following Caroso for so long, what Nimel wanted more than money or a comfortable life was simply respect.

She had once been a glamorous daughter of a Marquis, the Marquis's only beloved child.

Before her family had been dragged into the war, she had also lived a life of luxury.

After her family was destroyed and she came to the Kolia family, even though her food, clothing, and daily necessities were much the same as before, she had never received the respect she deserved.

In her memories, Caroso had never truly looked at her. She seemed to be nothing more than a handy tool for him.

She knew that was also His Grace the Duke's assessment of her.

That was why His Grace the Duke had been willing to adopt her.

No matter what grievances she suffered in the past, she had to endure them alone and keep them bottled up. Even if she cried, she could not let anyone see it.

But now...

Brother explained it to me. He cares about what I think.

Actually, it doesn't matter if Father doesn't value me. It doesn't matter if Father punishes me. As long as Brother cares about what I've done...

[Hug her.]

[Quick, hug her, hug her!]

[Wipe her tears!]

[Comfort her already!]

Caroso looked at the comments with a baffled expression.

Clearly, he did not know how to comfort someone, much less what "comforting" even meant.

Osiris had said that the men of the Kolia family were steel. Steel did not need tears or grievances.

So naturally, no one had ever comforted Caroso either.

[Looks like he doesn't know how?]

[This... he's such a straight man of steel!]

[Come on, I'll teach you!]

Caroso gently pulled Nimel into his arms and lightly patted her back. "Don't cry. I know you've suffered many grievances. From now on... if I do anything, I'll try to explain it to you."

Nimel nodded vigorously.

"Alright, you're exhausted too. Get some rest first." Caroso released Nimel. "I have more important things to do."

"Brother, do you need help?" Nimel took the initiative to ask.

"No. You can't participate in what comes next." Even while comforting someone, Caroso's tone did not change, and his face remained as expressionless as ever.

"Oh..." Nimel looked disappointed.

I finally took the initiative for once...

Wait, something I can't participate in?

Could it be that Brother came this time because he no longer wants me, which is why he has become so gentle?

The thought sent a cold shiver through Nimel.

She suddenly remembered that on the day her mother sent her away, her mother had also been unusually kind. Even her always-strict father had rare moments of gentleness.

Brother treated everything as a tool. It only depended on whether it was useful. When dealing with outsiders, or people unrelated to him, Caroso could be perfectly polite as well.

Feeling Caroso's rare gentleness, Nimel could not help associating it with politeness.

Am I going to be abandoned again?

"Bro..."

"I'll leave first. Rest well. You can get a proper night's sleep today. No need to meditate. Tomorrow, you'll welcome a new life." After saying that, Caroso left Nimel's room without looking back.

"A proper night's sleep, no meditation, a new life..." Nimel watched Caroso's retreating back and instinctively hugged her knees.

Am I really going to be abandoned?

Thinking of that, Nimel began to tremble.

The Netizens had no idea Nimel lacked such a sense of security.

After Caroso returned to his workroom, the Netizens' enthusiasm had yet to fade.

At that moment, the Pandora's Eye he had asked for was already sitting before him.

[I'm swooning, I'm swooning!]

[Could gentle Boss Caro maybe change his expression?]

[Boss Caro, you need to feel things with your heart. You can't make us teach you everything!]

[Don't you think this will bring the two of you much closer?]

"I think she might not be used to me being like this." Caroso frowned thoughtfully.

[Hahaha, it's all in your head!]

[Nimel is very happy. She finally heard your explanation.]

[Whatever you do, don't have that kind of 'Why would I, Caroso, ever need to explain myself to others?' mindset.]

Caroso felt that the people before him did not seem to understand his sister particularly well.

But since this was the benefit they wanted, he would simply do as they asked.

Nimel crying was strange...

As for what Nimel might think, Caroso had not put much thought into that.

"Alright, I've fulfilled your request. Can you tell me now why Nimel became the God of Wisdom?" Caroso said. "Can you explain that?"

"According to you, I become an emperor in the future and walk the path toward godhood."

"And by then, Nimel has already become a god."

"If a god wants to stop me, I'm afraid it would be difficult for me to resist. So what exactly is this betrayal you speak of? Why wasn't I killed by a god, only to be killed by the so-called Utopia and rebel army instead?"

[Actually, Nimel doesn't have much plot relevance in this game, so we don't know why she left you.]

[We went through many things and were always resisting you. Then, during one main storyline, we encountered the Church of the God of Wisdom. Nimel said she was the only god walking the world, but her power was far too weak for a god, and her ritual of ascension was missing many steps.]

[We had to help Nimel find some things before she could become a true god. Nimel never made clear what exactly she needed, only forming a partnership with us.]

[Right. Many story characters never joined Utopia at all. We can only use them as playable characters.]

[We don't know when she became a god. We only know that she gained some of a god's abilities.]

[She resisted you alongside us. You had a conversation that went like this: she said, 'Stop,' and you said, 'You're not qualified to stop me. Even if you were the true God of Wisdom, as long as you stand in my way, there is only one road left for you: death.']

[Damn, that CG just came back to me. Boss Caro was unbelievably cool. He used an equipment card to summon a legendary magic sword and stop an aircraft carrier. The carrier was full of experts, and we were on it too.]

[If Teresa hadn't come to save us, we would've been done for.]

[Nimel wasn't strong enough to kill you, so many forces joined together to kill you.]

"Hmm... the information you can provide is too limited..." Caroso let out a long breath. He did not pursue the matter of his future death or Nimel's betrayal. "Alright, let's discuss our cooperation going forward."

"I need better cards, so I'll show you my sincerity in this partnership."

"The card you taught me to make gave me a new idea. I can make it for you to see."

[Don't mess around. Your materials are consumables, while ours never run out. Let us do it instead.]

[Oh? Boss Caro wants to teach us how to make cards?]

[An NPC teaching me card crafting is... pretty novel.]

"Based on this card, I should be able to make a better one." Caroso said, "You are different from me. You don't have Pandora's Eye, but don't worry. Even if I use Pandora's Eye, I'll find suitable substitutes for you."

[Pandora's Eye? I have one.]

[Me too.]

[I have it on both my main and alt accounts. Isn't it a first top-up reward?]

Caroso: ???

Isn't this my family's heirloom?

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