Xianyu glanced at Lan, then quickly looked away.
Lan let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.
After ascending to become an Aeon, he had completely lost his ability to empathize with others. He could no longer experience human joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness.
Someone who could stir an Aeon's emotions...
There had only been Xianyu.
But at this moment, there was one more.
Keeping his expression impassive, Lan looked at the Current Marshal, whose eyes glistened with tears.
Hua forced an utterly strained smile, one she had never shown anyone before.
"Now you know why, don't you?"
This is bad, Guan Liang thought, hastily looking toward Daiyang and Chenzhen.
Neither of them had known the actual date of Xianyu's death. Now that they knew the truth, the tears they had barely managed to stop began falling again.
The leader the generals had been searching for, on his birthday...
On the day countless subsidiary planets had set off fireworks to celebrate his birthday...
Had left all alone.
What, exactly, had happened before that?
Yes, if it were the Marshal, he would surely have made time and found some way to reach the Luofu to attend the Crown Princess's coming-of-age ceremony.
What could possibly have happened to make him pursue death at any cost?
And what about them? What had they been doing?
They had gathered on the Luofu, spending Strales freely and reveling in their joy, unaware that their beloved leader... had left them.
Daiyang and Chenzhen stared intently at Xianyu's back.
Xianyu had no attention to spare for anyone else.
Looking at the tears poised to fall from Hua's eyes, he felt a little guilty and could not bear the sight.
If Marty was the child he worried about most, then Hua was the child he owed the most.