When the Cinder Ella disguise faded, the face that appeared before Liang Yue was that of a delicate young girl.
She was of the Pallum race, half a head shorter than him, with a petite, little-sister-like figure.
Light brown short hair framed her ears naturally, and she wore a gray-brown cloak, short boots, and black over-the-knee socks.
Those brown eyes, shimmering faintly with moisture—if one didn't know better, they might easily be fooled by her appearance.
Liang Yue was hardly at the level of "with no woman in the heart, the sword naturally sharpens,"
but even as he looked upon this pitiful stance, his gaze remained calm, merely recalling her earlier explanation.
"The workings of poison."
So, those words from their first meeting had led Lili, mired in the swamp of the Soma Familia,
to make a choice opposite to the original story?
From another perspective, Blue Butterfly powder was indeed
the most accessible poison she could collect right now—
and since it came from the Dungeon, there was no risk of the Soma Familia tracing it back to her.
…
He didn't press further.
Her presence here wasn't all that surprising—what was surprising was how accurate his hunch had been.
A small adventurer with suspicious movements and a strong "thief vibe,"
and after a simple test, she really was Lili.
"If you're here to collect Blue Butterfly powder, then go ahead."
The fear in her eyes and the way her body trembled—those were things you couldn't fake.
Liang Yue figured that even if events had followed the original plot,
Lili wouldn't have targeted him for theft,
and this would serve as a strong enough warning in itself—
after all, he had seen through her Cinder Ella disguise with ease.
Even if that had been pure intuition.
Warning her didn't mean he would drop his guard.
He sheathed his two mithril shortswords, stowed away the monster drops,
and paid no mind to what she was doing as he passed by.
From the suffocating pressure, Lili slowly returned to herself.
Her hands clenched tightly, gripping the fabric of her cloak.
Right now, she was hesitating.
Her plan was to take advantage of the Soma Familia members' dependence on Soma's divine wine—
mixing the powder into the food and drink served alongside the wine.
If she was careful, nothing should go wrong.
The final stage of the plan was to bypass the Familia's captain, Zanis Lustra,
and gain an audience with Soma himself to request withdrawal from the Familia.
Zanis, a Level 2 adventurer, had never once touched the divine wine himself—
he only used it to control the Familia.
With his suspicious nature, he would never eat or drink anything of dubious origin.
This meant she needed someone strong enough to hold him off,
at least long enough for her to reach Soma.
But her past experiences had left her deeply distrustful of adventurers,
and so she had never decided on a partner.
Now, the choice was standing right in front of her.
They'd only met three times, but Liang Yue's skill had utterly overturned her understanding.
Even the extreme method of using poison—
that had been his suggestion.
Though hesitant, she lifted her youthful, delicate face,
her voice steady despite the emotion beneath it.
"Can we talk?
I don't have any bad intentions toward you,
and I'm not stupid enough to provoke an adventurer in Orario who can see through my magic."
Her tone was earnest.
Liang Yue paused, his stamina nearly spent.
Turning to meet her gaze, he gave a small nod.
"…Sure."
——
As for the conversation,
it was exactly what Liang Yue expected—
her experiences in the Soma Familia.
Her parents had become so obsessed with divine wine they'd lost their sanity,
neglecting her completely since she was three.
She survived by begging,
and after joining the Soma Familia, she was treated as a tool to be exploited.
Even when she tried to resist by escaping,
the flower shop couple who had taken her in
had their store smashed up by Soma's people.
Of course, in her version of events,
she omitted the fact that she had used her magic to steal from innocent adventurers.
Telling the whole truth would ensure that no adventurer would agree to work with her.
Even now, her distrust of adventurers remained.
By the end, she hadn't even told him her plan—
only looked at him with the same impassive expression she always had.
Her smile held a trace of self-mockery.
"That's my past.
Thank you for telling me about this method.
Yesterday, when I was hired by an adventurer, I noticed the rare Blue Butterflies here—
there were a lot of them. That's why I came."
It was instinct from her childhood of begging—
using the image of a weak victim to gain sympathy.
Her eyes held a hopeful gleam,
the entire conversation framed from the perspective of one seeking help.
Regardless of her attitude,
Liang Yue could respect someone who, while in the swamp,
actively sought to change their fate and worked toward that choice.
But when it came to the parts she was glossing over…
his fingers lightly tapped the scabbard,
his tone carrying a pointed reminder.
"…Leaving out some details, aren't you?"
Her heart skipped a beat.
Those unfathomable eyes—
whenever they met hers, she felt as though nothing she had done could be hidden from him.
The pitiful mask vanished from her face,
replaced by her true self—
someone who still held deep hatred for adventurers,
unchanged even after meeting Liang Yue.
Her gaze was cold,
on the verge of breaking.
"You already know.
Do you even need to ask?"
"Of course."
Liang Yue didn't comment further.
He simply packed away his lunchbox,
waiting for his stamina to return so he could continue hunting in the Dungeon,
pushing all his stats to the limit.
The plan was to become a complete stat monster—
and when the feat of "a rookie adventurer single-handedly defeating a swarm of rare Blue Butterflies"
was recorded in his Falna,
he would then raise his adventurer level.
As for now…
This brief encounter with Lili didn't change his view—
someone who couldn't even face her own ugly past wouldn't change her nature.
To gloss over her crimes and escape—
that was human nature.
Glancing at the silent girl leaning against the wall,
he spoke one last time before leaving, making his stance clear.
"The hardships you've suffered are not an excuse to harm the innocent.
I know what you're really aiming for,
but I'm not going to help you—not right now."
Then, with a faint smile, he gave his final word.
"Because I can't be sure…
whether, in your eyes, I'm just another fat sheep to be slaughtered.
At the very least, come back when you've made the proper resolve."
The implication was clear—
bring proper payment.
They were strangers; he wouldn't help her just because she looked pitiful.
That would make no sense.
If the payment was right,
and considering that Soma Familia's captain Zanis Lustra was only Level 2,
Liang Yue felt that cooperating might not be impossible.
After all, once these two mithril shortswords were returned,
he would have to think about upgrading his equipment—
and not lowering his weapon count.
…
"The hardships you've suffered are not an excuse to harm the innocent."
Watching Liang Yue leave,
Lili felt the strength drain from her body entirely.
Those words echoed in her mind,
and memories rose of the adventurers she had stolen from—
the anger, the despair in their eyes.
So…
someone like her—
did she really have the right to be helped by anyone?
---
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