Social Death
In a flash, Fors recognized the person and shouted, "Stop! Stop!"
He's my friend!
At the same time, Lorry lightly tapped the ground with his feet, grabbed Fors's arm, and nimbly leaped to the side, avoiding the sudden attacker.
Then, Fors's voice rang out.
stop?
With a slight flick of his wrist, he retrieved the Serrated Dagger that had been launched.
Friends? Fors wasn't kidnapped? How could she be friends with that Thief? Am I hallucinating? Hugh's mind was filled with similar thoughts.
Then----
She didn't have time to stop and crashed straight into the wall.
"Bang!"
Hehehe, great idea, deserves a reward!
Hearing this dull, unfiltered sound, Lorry laughed irresponsibly, earning a disapproving glare from Fors beside him.
She pulled her arm away from Lorry's and stepped forward to help her friend up with concern. "Hugh, are you alright?"
"What did you say? Your voice was too soft for me to hear. Were you asking if I'm alright?" Hugh shook his head vigorously twice and said loudly, "I'm fine!"
Lorry pursed his lips tightly, expressionless, trying hard to avoid looking at the other person's swollen forehead, lest he burst out laughing again.
One hour later.
Inside a private room at the Savani Restaurant in the West Borough.
The three people finished reconciling the accounts.
Hugh remained silent for a full five minutes, like a wax figure, before finally speaking in a low voice:
--
"So, you sold me that treacherous, Mystical Item? You recognized it back then, which is why you didn't harm me?"
"One reason, I suppose." Lorry used a knife to cut the potato pancake into eight neat pieces, then forked the nearest piece and put it in his mouth to chew slowly.
"It has a unique flavor; you should try it."
He gentlemanly pushed the plate of Lenburg -style potato pancakes forward a short distance, then corrected Hugh's Error: "First of all, I didn't cheat you."
If it weren't for its unique Bird's Beak appearance, it definitely wouldn't be priced this high—you should already have a deep understanding of its power.
If you mind—okay.
"Fors ' sake, I can buy it back at the original price."
Upon hearing this, Fors couldn't help but cover her mouth and burst out laughing; Hugh, standing beside her, stared blankly, a hint of annoyance appearing in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Lorry asked curiously.
"She was short of money recently, so she sold it—for £600," Fors replied with a smile, on behalf of her friend.
She suddenly remembered something and thought to herself, "No wonder the name Baron Percival sounded familiar when I first heard it; it turns out he's the baron that Hugh asked Miss Audrey to inquire about."
"And the person who commissioned the mission was Raven, no, Lorry."
"Well, there's nothing I can do about it then." Lorry shrugged helplessly.
He continued his previous answer, "Besides, I don't want to fight an Beyonder whose strength is unknown, so I have no choice but to feign strength in the hope of scaring you away."
Huff—exhale forcefully.
So he was faking it; he wasn't Mid-Sequence Beyonder!
At this moment, Fors glared at Hugh with annoyance. "Hugh, you're too reckless!"
"I'm not you, how could I be so easily kidnapped by bad guys?"
"Madam, if I understand correctly, you're subtly implying that the other party is simple-minded? Hmm—acting without understanding the situation certainly shows a lack of common sense—" Lorry glanced at them discreetly.
Fors said helplessly, "Besides, I left you Note on the door saying I was going out to dinner with a friend tonight. Didn't you see it?"
"No." Hugh pursed her lips slightly. "I saw you before I even got to my doorstep, and I was worried you might be in danger—"
As soon as she finished speaking, Fors paused slightly, then her tone softened. "It's okay, I'm not blaming you. It's just that you can't be so impulsive anymore, especially when I'm not around, understand? Hugh—"
"Otherwise, you'll suffer sooner or later."
Their relationship is indeed very good, just like described in the Original Novel.
However, I can shatter this beautiful moment with a single sentence: simply ask Fors if she needs to bring back some food for her underage daughter.
Come to think of it, I always thought the first Tarot Club member I met was Fors —but it turned out to be Hugh; her disguise fooled me.
Lost in thought, Lorry couldn't help but shift his gaze downwards.
Then he noticed a pair of Knight boots swaying slightly. This gaze quickly alerted the "Arbiter," earning him an annoyed snort.
"Let's eat, I'm starving," Fors said, trying to smooth things over.
After the meal.
The three, feeling stuffed, decided to take a carriage ride for a short distance.
Then I walked home.
During this time, Lorry asked Fors to borrow some books about the Spirit World, which Fors readily agreed to, and then they engaged in casual conversation.
Before long, the three of them returned to Fors and Hugh's residence.
After declining the invitation to come in, Lorry waited by the flower bed outside the door.
A few minutes later, Fors came out carrying the "Shadow Ring" and "Travels in the Spirit World". After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Lorry took his leave.
Fors stood outside the door for a moment, then turned and went back to his residence.
Clatter
The door closed.
Hugh leaned back on the Sofa, holding a leather bag filled with cold water to his forehead, staring unfriendly at Fors who had just entered the room.
"What's wrong?" Fors asked somewhat guiltily, feeling the gaze directed at her.
Hugh sniffed and said in a deep voice, "Fors, something's wrong with you. You're definitely hiding something from me."
"Cough, I didn't—even if I was hiding something, it was because I needed to keep it a secret and didn't want you to worry—" Fors weakly to herself.
She was torn about whether to tell Hugh about her past experiences to avoid him making unfounded assumptions. Just as she was hesitating, she suddenly heard Hugh's voice. "I don't like him."
"Huh?" Fors was a little confused.
She asked instinctively, "Why?"
Hugh took a deep breath and said seriously, "Before I came to Backlund, I encountered Beyonder on this Pathway. They always habitually took pleasure in harming others."
"But don't you also hate those Gang?" Fors retorted habitually. "Luo—cough, he didn't harm any innocent people."
"How do you know you don't?" Hugh retorted.
"And you actually wanted to invite him in for tea?"
"----This is necessary etiquette; he just treated us to a lavish meal in Lenburg —and you ate your fill too," Fors said weakly, her voice trailing off. "Besides, he didn't even come in—"
Hugh sighed and said earnestly, "Fors, don't be fooled by his playboy looks."
"I've heard of many similar cases where they specifically target single women, gaining their trust through various means in the early stages."
"But once they've succeeded, they'll kick them aside without any mercy."
Be careful!
"This kind of playboy might not just be after your body, but also your money."
That's because you don't know what we've been through—if it weren't for him, I might already be in the land of Steam gods by now—
Also, why did Hugh put money last when he spoke about it?