Meeting

"Wow, this Bakery is still open?" Yago looked at the familiar Bakery with a touch of nostalgia. The baker Bakery was still wearing his familiar greasy apron.

Was it the same day he met Annie? Memories flashed through Yago's mind as he walked into the Bakery.

However, the baker clearly didn't recognize Yago's identity. Yago bought two loaves of bread and also slipped some extra money under the bag, since he had "snatched" quite a few loaves of bread from here years ago.

"Uh..." Yago took a bite of bread, chewed a couple of times, and immediately frowned. It was quite an achievement for the owner to make bread taste so nostalgic and as bad as he remembered it over the years.

Yago promptly threw the bread into the trash can, and now no stray dogs came out to take it away. (See Chapter 72 for related details)

Over the next period of time, Yago visited several shops he used to frequent as a child, leaving behind a considerable amount of money, which could be seen as compensation for his less-than-ideal behavior as a child.

In particular, there was Maddie-na Dessert Shop, which had been of great concern to Yago. Maddie-na had taken good care of Yago when he was young, and Yago himself had recovered from his petty theft by working at Maddie-na's dessert shop.

However, it seems that Ms. Maddie-na is not home today, so Yago can only regretfully leave behind a considerable sum of money as a way of repaying Ms. Maddie-na for her care back then.

After leaving the dessert shop, Yago headed towards his final destination, a faint sense of tension rising within him, causing a bead of sweat to form on Yago palms.

On the edge of the Liberio Internment Zone, the environment remains as harsh as it was back then. The Marley factory recklessly discharges wastewater into the Eldians settlement, and the air is filled with a foul chemical odor.

What the Eldians in the Internment Zone couldn't understand was that, as Honorary Marleyan, Leonhardt didn't choose to go to the area with the best environment. Instead, he stubbornly stayed here and refused to move. When asked why, the usually taciturn man simply said, "I'm waiting here for my daughter to come back!"

The three wooden stakes in front of the low house had cracked in several places due to wind and sun exposure, and the ropes wrapped around them had long since rotted away.

Inside the house, if Annie were here, he would be very surprised. His once robust and strong father had become ordinary and decadent, with a slightly protruding belly replacing his former strong muscles, but the sharp light in his eyes still remained.

Sitting opposite Mr. Leonhardt was a man of similar age, but his occasional coughs indicated that he was not in good health, and the red Armband on his arm proved that this man was also Honorary Marleyan.

"Leonhardt, try to think positively. Our children are gone. They... Ah, I shouldn't have sent Bertholdt to be a soldier too. He, my child, he was only seventeen... cough cough cough." The man sitting opposite Mr. Leonhardt was filled with anguish. From his words, his identity was quite clear: Bertholdt's father, Mr. Hoover.

Seeing Mr. Hoover's pained expression, Mr. Leonhardt's dark face remained unchanged. He said firmly, "No, Annie will absolutely not be in any danger. She will definitely come back. That's our promise!"

Although his tone was very firm, his pupils were still trembling slightly, clearly indicating that his heart was not at peace.

After chatting for a long time, Mr. Leonhardt got up to see Mr. Hoover off. As he watched Mr. Hoover leave, his previously straight back suddenly bent. "Annie, you promised your father you'd come back safely..."

The sadness in Mr. Leonhardt's eyes was no longer hidden; he was now simply a father praying for his daughter's safety.

Just as Mr. Leonhardt was about to go home, he noticed someone walking straight towards him.

Mr. Leonhardt straightened his back again and stared at the figure.

A well-fitting black Trench Coat, a tall and upright figure, handsome and youthful features—most importantly, this Black Hair youth didn't have the Eldians Armband on his arm. Was he a young Marley?

Leonhardt was puzzled. He didn't recognize the young man, but his face seemed somewhat familiar. However, Mr. Leonhardt couldn't recall where he had seen this young man before.

Yago, carrying the gift, approached Mr. Leonhardt, silently reciting his prepared lines, "Mr. Leonhardt, hello, I'm Annie's boyfriend. Do you remember me? I'm Yago... Mr. Leonhardt..."

Finally, under Mr. Leonhardt's gaze, Yago walked up to him. Due to his height, Mr. Leonhardt had to look up at Yago.

The sharp gaze made Yago tense instantly. Yago opened his mouth and said, "Uh, Mr. Annie, I'm Leon... Wait! No, I'm Mr. Annie, no! I'm your boyfriend!"

As soon as Yago opened his mouth, Yago said the wrong thing, and immediately panicked, babbling incoherently.

But Mr. Leonhardt, recognizing Annie's name, trembled instantly. He grabbed Yago by the collar, pulled Yago's face close to his, and demanded urgently, "Kid! What are you saying? You know Annie?! What else do you know?! Tell me!"

Yago blinked, his expression somewhat blank, and after a long pause, he stammered, "Mr. Leonhardt, I'm Yago, do you remember me?"

Suddenly, Mr. Leonhardt's eyes widened. He released Yago's collar and stared at the strangely familiar face. He recalled the Black Hair boy who was always with his daughter in his memory. Comparing his face to the Black Hair youth in front of him, the resemblance was striking!

But Leonhardt clearly remembered that the boy named Yago died. He watched as the Marleyan dragged his body away in a trailer, along with the bodies of several Eldia children. How could this be?

On the simple wooden table sat an open bottle of Wine and a few simple dishes, but the two men sitting opposite each other remained quietly in place.

The two stared at each other, the atmosphere awkward and strange.

After a long while, Mr. Leonhardt finally picked up the bottle, poured wine into two glasses, and asked casually, "So, is Annie safe now? Is it alright for her to stay alone in Texi Province?"

Yago took the glass of wine from Mr. Leonhardt and said with a smile, "No, I'm Annie's boyfriend. I definitely won't let anything happen to Annie. The purpose of my visit here is..."

Before he could finish speaking, crack! The wooden cup suddenly shattered in Mr. Leonhardt's hand. Hearing the word "boyfriend," Mr. Leonhardt instinctively tightened his grip, then looked up at the dumbfounded Yago. Pretending nothing was wrong, Mr. Leonhardt said, "Oh, it's nothing. This cup gets brittle over time. It's alright, let's continue."

But Yago sensed something was wrong, because he could feel a faint killing intent in the air.