<h4>Chapter 4: Deceiveing Looks</h4>


    Liam was particrly annoyed today. Ignoring the youngdy he had to babysit in the mission, the backwater vige at the very fringe of the empire was already bothersome enough.


    However, the most infuriating of them all, he had to search for the missing pet spirit beast of the youngdy.


    <i>Just kill me already,</i> he thought and bit his tongue. He had to be careful about what he wished for. The simple mission already turned out to be quite difficult. If it were to take a bad turn, nobody would know he died here.


    <i>Probably not,</i> he supposed. Considering how youngdy Kiara came from a prominent house if she were to fall here, some investigation would be made.


    "Liam," called Youngdy Kiara, a tinge of worry in her tone, "did you find Little Cupcake?"


    <i>Well, there she was.</i> Liam groaned inwardly and looked up at the young girl of herte teens. She was a fair girl with a picturesque oval face and blonde hair—the very type of girl youngds would fight for. Unfortunately, her personality was shitty.


    "Liam?" Kiara asked again, a little irritated that he didn''t answer promptly.


    "Apologies," he said, "I didn''t even find the trails of where the little bunny ran off to."


    Kiara''s face darkened immediately. "My poor Cupcake," she cried out, clutching her chest. "She spent the entire night alone. I can''t imagine how scared she is."


    "I can," Liam mumbled, too low for her to hear. <i>It is probably in the belly of some wild beasts. </i>


    Of course, he couldn''t admit that to her. Not yet. He needed to spend a few more days in the vige, solving their problems, and only then could he break the news to the dispirited youngdy. Until then, he would act like he was concerned for that bunny and search for her, even if it was dead and digested already.


    <i>If this wasn''t babysitting, what was?</i>


    It took some effort for him to lift the youngdy''s spirit, as they crept back to the vige they were to protect. <i>And we''re doing so fucking fine a job of it! Only half a dozen people died just yet.</i>


    Before they even reached the vicinity of the vige, he found a few worried nces their way. Among them was the youngd of the vige chief, and a couple of others who awakened sses rted tobat. Of course, they would be only a little better than a disaster if they faced the threat of tainted beasts.


    They came flocking towards them as they entered the vige. Thed gave Kiara a good, appreciating look—as her figure was a sight for sore eyes—and turned towards Liam.


    "Master Adventurer," the youngd of no more than fifteen asked, "what did you find about the beast tide?"


    <i>Of course, they think we''re working out their problem,</i> Liam thought, <i>not looking for a stupid rabbit. </i>


    Liam should be ashamed of himself. Maybe a couple of years ago, but not anymore.


    "I did find a couple of dire wolves not far from here," Liam said, "I did end them, however, I also found a pack of them deeper that I didn''t engage."


    "Why?" It was Kiara who asked.


    Liam wanted to re at her, but he stopped himself. The mission was already proving tough; antagonising her would only make it difficult for him and these poor vigers.


    "You cannot find Little Cupcake," Kiara said, ring up at him. "Nor you can do what we came here to do. I don''t know why Professor June paired me with you."


    Liam gritted his teeth. He was prepared to give a sharp retort, but he controlled himself, dragging himself far away from her.


    The vigers came after him, led by the vige chief''s son, as they already knew better than to provoke the youngdy. While Liam looked like just the person you could trouble with everything.


    "Master Adventurer?"


    Liam stopped and red at the boy. Thed didn''t deserve it, but Liam just had it for the day. He hadn''t slept more than four hours for thest two weeks, always on the move, alert, and working. "What is it?"


    "W-what are we to do?" thed stuttered, unable to meet his eyes even though he was barely three or four years older than the boy. "I mean, how should we prepare?"


    Liam didn''t answer immediately. He eyed Kiaraing from behind and met thed''s gaze. "The tainted creatures attack mostly at nighttime. Keep on watch in the surroundings non-stop. No cking, put more men on it if you can. I''ll join after getting my fill. As for themon vigers, I think your father knows how to deal with them better than I do."


    With that, he dismissed them and crept towards his humble lodging. Kiara joined shortly, her look pensive, throwing nces in his direction frequently, as if she wanted something.


    Liam didn''t bother with her until his stomach was full of whatever the vigers made for him. When he was done, he found the youngdy at the table, still ying with her food, in no mood to eat. <i>She really must love that stupid bunny. </i>


    But if she loved it so much, why didn''t she bother bonding it? Then they wouldn''t have to face this problem today.


    "UMM, Miss Kiara," he called after standing before her for a couple of seconds. He let out heavy breaths through his nostrils and said the words that needed to be said, even though he didn''t like expressing them. "I know you''d like someone more reliable to be paired up with you, but that ship had sailed long ago. At least, not until the academy sent more rankers if they even sent any. But until then, we''re all this vige has. How about we work through our differences and settle the mission. We can also search for your spirit beast together in the meantime?"


    Well, what else did you expect? Liam berating her? No, there was no way in hell that would work out. At least, not between amon fellow, and a youngdy of a renowned noble house. All he could manage was negotiating with her, putting his everything and hope.


    Kiara said nothing for a long while. Atst, when she spoke, she almost tore up. "She''s noting back, is she?"


    "It hasn''t been a full day," Liam said, not looking at her face. "There''s still a chance—"


    "Do you think I''m stupid?" she whimpered, clutching her palms to her face. "Of course, you think I''m stupid. A pampered girl who knew nothing about the world. Perhaps you''re right. Cupcake, I should have bonded you when I had the chance. I''m sorry, I''m so sorry."


    "Why didn''t you?" Liam asked. "If you don''t mind me asking."


    But the girl was already not hearing him, bursting into tearspletely before the vigers.


    "I''m sorry," she cried, "I didn''t mean what I said. I know it''s my blunder that Cupcake is lost."


    <i>Well, what do you know, even a pompous noble could surprise you at times. </i>


    ***


    Warden''s eyes narrowed, palms sped in the hilt of [The Divider], his eyes boring into the dire wolf, as the thick dark purple power oozed into his de.


    However, he didn''t even have to lift his weapon, as an animal several times smaller than the wolf crashed into the predator, hurtling it backwards. The little bunny didn''t let go after that, it chased after the wolf and rammed its whole body into its head, ripping out the painful groan of the bigger animal. Blood already oozing out of the poor dire wolf.


    "Alright, you have done enough," Warden told the bunny. "Don''t get any more bloody, or I won''t let you stay near me."


    The rabbit stopped and looked at him, tilting its head intelligently. It gave the pitiful creature onest look and leapt off from on top of it.


    <strong>[Inferior Grade energy harvested.]</strong>


    Warden had seen too much of the bunny''s swagger to be surprised by its behaviour. He let out a breath and plunged his de into the head of the wolf. It died rtively easily after the bunny wrecked it.


    He cut open its head to bring out the small gem, only to find the glutton bunny lunging up in the air, discovering the beast''s core.


    "Here you go." he tossed the small gem as the bunny gulped it, leaping in the air.


    It had already eaten the other beast cores he had with him. Warden was unaware if it were natural for spirit beasts to be this greedy after beast cores, but since he wasn''t losing much he didn''t bother educating it.


    The little bunny was all he had close to apanion in thisnd.