Chapter 215 : Chapter 215 The Evil Magician is Going to Eat People!
"Brother Mu, can you carry Little Herta on your back?"
"I can."
The youth squatted down, supported the girl's slender legs with both hands, and picked up the petite and exquisite girl on his back, walking toward home at a leisurely pace.
Leaning on the youth's back, Little Herta gently pressed her cheek against his shirt.
A faint scent of soap lingered at the tip of her nose, and the unpleasant emotions in her heart dissipated bit by bit, leaving only tranquility.
"What did those people say to you?" Mu asked softly.
"...They said they knew my mom and dad, and that the world becoming like this is all because of my family."
Little Herta's eyes were clouded with confusion, her spirits low.
She didn't know what the world looked like a long, long time ago; her parents had never told her.
She had only seen sporadic records in old books at home saying that the world over a hundred years ago wasn't like this.
Back then, there were no man-eating monsters, and no Virtual Substance Lifeforms that shouldn't exist would suddenly rush out of the mist; people didn't have to live in constant fear.
She had lived in Fog City for as long as she had Remembrance and had basically never seen the Virtual Substance Lifeforms mentioned in the records.
Her parents were always secretive about what her grandfather and the others, as well as her great-grandfather, had done to cause the world to become like this.
"So, they bullied you for that reason?" Mu's expression didn't look right.
"Little Herta doesn't know..."
"It's not the first time, is it? Why didn't you tell me?"
In Mu's indignant tone, there was an undisguised heartache.
Some time ago, when he went to find or wait for Little Herta after school, she always had a frowning, contemplative look whenever she hadn't seen him yet.
At that time, he just thought Little Herta had encountered a difficult problem in her studies, so he didn't think much of it.
Thinking about it now, her distress was indeed distress, but it wasn't about knowledge at all; it was because of experiences he didn't know about.
"Mom said that when she was studying abroad in the Xia Nation, she really liked a local saying: 'Take a step back, and the sea and sky will broaden.'"
"For many unpleasant conflicts, just taking a step back is enough. Brother Mu is from the Xia Nation, so you should know this saying, right?"
Mu looked helpless: "There is such a saying, but your mother didn't tell you there's a second half: 'Endure for a moment, and the more you think about it, the angrier you get.'"
"There are some things that are unnecessary and not worth your forbearance; your concessions will only fuel those people's arrogance."
"In their eyes, constant concession is a sign of acquiescence and weakness, and it will only make them bully you even more."
"The Xia Nation emphasizes reciprocity, but if others are impolite to you, there's no need to be courteous to them."
"Whatever attitude others have toward you, you should return it in kind. Many times, appropriate assertiveness is actually a form of self-protection."
Listening quietly to Mu's words, Little Herta hugged his neck tightly, sniffed the scent of soap he emitted, and then rested her chin on his shoulder.
"...Mm, Little Herta understands."
Her soft voice carried a hint of dependence.
"Next time you encounter those pestering guys, find me immediately, okay?"
"I know, Brother Mu. Little Herta wants to hear you say something."
"What?"
"Remember that story about the Young Magician? The protagonist has a line. Why don't you guess which one I want to hear, Brother Mu?"
A sweet smile rippled across the girl's face, her soft, sweet voice drifting into the youth's ears.
Mu tightened his hold on the legs in his arms, thought for a moment, turned to look at the small head resting on his shoulder, and said solemnly:
"As long as you call me in your heart, no matter when it is, I will appear by your side."
"Then it's a promise. This is the second promise between Brother Mu and Little Herta." Little Herta's eyes curved into crescents as she laughed happily.
She wasn't the girl in the story burdened with the mission of saving the world, but she had her own unique Young Magician.
"Shall we pinky swear?" Mu said softly.
"I want to~~ But Brother Mu can't spare a hand right now. Let's wait until we get home... Never mind, Little Herta will get down and walk. It's tiring to carry me all the time."
"It's fine, you're very light."
The streetlights on both sides lit up one after another, casting a warm yellow glow on the two of them, stretching the shadows of the youth and the girl very long.
The evening breeze blew gently with a chill. Little Herta instinctively shrank onto Mu's back, her cheek pressed against the crook of his neck.
Her warm breath brushed against the youth's neck, tickling his heart, and his pace slowed down unconsciously.
At this sight, the Herta from the future couldn't help but feel a sense of confusion.
The Absolute Truth of Life Species completely failed to explain certain coincidences between Mu and Qi Zhimu.
"...Brother Mu... Could he be your creation?..."
In the next second, the youth carrying the girl home, along with the surrounding scenery, shattered into countless tiny points of light that floated and swirled.
When the light points finished recombining, the scene before her eyes had changed into another form.
The midsummer evening breeze, carrying the fragrance of plants, gently brushed through the courtyard, bringing coolness to the girl sitting on the swing.
"Let's play role-playing hide-and-seek, Brother Mu!"
"Playing as who?" Mu steadied the swaying swing.
"I'm a little girl about to enter the deep mountains and step onto the wrong path. Brother Mu is a terrifying magician who pretends to like eating people and wants to catch and eat me."
"...This doesn't really sound like hide-and-seek. Why the sudden urge to play this?"
"Well... I want to experience the feeling described in the story. Let's play, let's play, just once, okay?"
"Alright." Faced with the girl's expectant gaze, Mu couldn't refuse.
The girl thought she had hidden very well; for several minutes, Mu couldn't find her.
Little did she know, the youth was letting her win on purpose.
He even thought about using the excuse of not being able to find her to admit defeat at an appropriate time.
But unexpectedly, thinking he really couldn't find her, the girl peeked out and bumped right into Mu's line of sight.
If he pretended not to see her at this point, the act of letting her win would be too obvious.
Mu could only quickly chase after the girl and say the lines from the story.
"Don't run! Delicious human, obediently become a meal on my plate, jie-jie-jie-jie-jie..."
To go along with this role-play, Mu deliberately lowered his voice, adopting the dangerous manner of a man-eating magician.
With a sprint, his body completely loomed over Little Herta. He wrapped his hands around the girl's slender shoulders and lowered his head close to her cheek.
"I've finally caught you. Now then, this one shall begin the feast..."
Little Herta pressed her hands against Mu's chest, making a symbolic push and struggle, her voice carrying a feigned panic.
"The evil magician is going to eat me! Someone save me..."
While the girl was wriggling in Mu's arms, her heel accidentally tripped on a raised patch of turf in the courtyard, and she instantly lost her balance.
"Ah—"
Little Herta let out a short cry of surprise, her body leaning straight forward.
Mu didn't react in time and was tackled onto the lawn by the girl.
The cicadas' chirping faded.
The sound of the wind stopped.
Two pairs of soft lips pressed together without a single gap.
The wind blew the girl's smooth hair, and a few strands gently brushed past the youth's face, carrying the pleasant fragrance of purple lilies.
Mu's eyes widened, and his face no longer held its usual calm and unruffled composure.
The sensation from his lips was soft and sweet. The girl's unique warmth and breath occupied all his senses at this moment.
Little Herta, lying on top of him, was also frozen in thought, her purple eyes wide and round.
Her thick, curled eyelashes trembled slightly. At such close proximity, she could clearly see the reflection of Mu's astonishment in his eyes.
Thump, thump, thump.
Intense heartbeats resonated between their closely pressed chests.
In the quiet summer night, it was unclear whose rhythm faltered first; heartbeats grew faster and faster, almost bursting through their chests.
The two of them remained in that intimate posture, completely dazed for several seconds.
After a long while, Little Herta finally seemed to wake from a dream and hurriedly scrambled up from Mu.
"S-Sorry..."
The girl's hands twisted uneasily on her hem, her fair earlobes and neck covered in a crimson flush that looked ready to bleed.
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