Chapter 226 - 225: I Will Always Be By Your Side (2)

Chapter 226: Chapter 225: I Will Always Be By Your Side (2)

At this point in his story, Lloyd set down his knife and fork, having just finished his lunch.

Across from him, Elolo patted her chest repeatedly and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Phew... That scared me to death! I almost thought they were both killed..."

Lloyd just smiled without saying a word.

A look of longing then appeared on Elolo’s face, and she whispered softly,

"I want to be the happiest girl in the world, too..."

Lloyd pretended not to hear and changed the subject.

"Alright, now that we’ve eaten, shall we go check out the aquarium nearby?"

"Okay! Wherever you want to go, Lord Uther, I’ll go with you."

Elolo smiled sweetly again.

And so, the two of them made their way from the aquarium to the shopping district. After buying a few souvenirs that caught Elolo’s eye, they ended up at the top of an ancient clock tower.

Legend had it this was the city’s very first clock tower, one that had held the title of "tallest building" for several years. If you climbed to the top at dusk, you could witness a magnificent, golden-gilded sunset and truly understand how the Radiant City got its name.

It was dusk now, and Lloyd and Elolo had just reached the top. Not far from them was the large, ancient bell.

"So beautiful..." Elolo murmured in heartfelt admiration, gazing at the radiant city before her.

’So beautiful...’ Lloyd thought, his eyes on Elolo as she shimmered in the sunset’s glow.

"Doesn’t it ring anymore?"

Elolo turned back to look at the large bell and asked.

"No, its heart was removed."

Lloyd answered casually, then subconsciously took Elolo’s hand and continued,

"Alright, let’s go get some dinner. There’s a good place nearby..."

"Okay."

Elolo nodded, but her feet didn’t move. She seemed reluctant to leave the beautiful sunset.

"What’s wrong?" Lloyd asked. "We’ll have plenty of chances to see it in the future, right?"

But Elolo lowered her head and said abruptly,

"I’m sorry..."

"Huh?"

"I should... go back..."

As she spoke, Elolo raised her head again, a sad yet beautiful smile on her face. Her gaze toward Lloyd was filled with reluctance and longing.

Lloyd thought she was just being willful and replied helplessly,

"Well, you’ve really given me a problem. There’s no way I can send you back..."

"AHEM, AHEM..."

A dry cough suddenly sounded from beside them.

Turning his head, he saw that the place where the large bell had been was suddenly replaced by a familiar antique shop, blocking the way down. The ever-lazy clerk stood at the door, shrugging at Lloyd.

Lloyd seemed to realize something. He quickly pulled Elolo toward the spiral staircase on the other side, still comforting her.

"Don’t be afraid of him. Let’s go, quickly."

But they had barely taken two steps when a Hunter in a Saint’s Grace Court uniform, wearing a colorful clown mask, ascended the spiral staircase and blocked Lloyd’s path.

When Lloyd saw the mask, his heart skipped a beat.

During a chat with Captain Fox, he had heard that the masks of the Saint’s Hunters were not chosen randomly. Each squad had a unified style, and the clown-style masks were the most special of all, as only their Chief Judge was allowed to wear them.

However, a regular Chief Judge was only allowed to wear a black and white clown mask. Only the Grand Judge could wear a colorful one.

"What... what do you want?"

Lloyd took two steps back, shielding Elolo behind him.

"By order of the Saint, I am here to stop your dangerous conduct."

The person replied coldly, her voice sounding like that of an older woman.

"Are you kidding me?" Lloyd said, glancing back at Elolo.

At some point, her small hand had slipped out of his grasp...

"But I was just..."

Before Lloyd could say more, he saw his Big Brother emerge from the stairwell blocked by the antique shop.

He first glanced at the Hunter in the colorful clown mask and cursed her bluntly.

"You damn woman, I’m warning you, don’t spout nonsense!"

Then he turned back to Lloyd, shrugged, and said in an exasperated tone,

"Little bro, I never thought you’d use the tricks I taught you to pick up a girl so far out of your league."

"You guys..."

As soon as Lloyd opened his mouth, he suddenly felt someone gently wrap their arms around his waist from behind, pressing their face against his back, trying to comfort him with their tenderness.

He quickly glanced back.

It wasn’t Elolo...

"I clearly just rescued her from such a dangerous place, I just..."

While Lloyd was still speaking, Elolo suddenly stood on tiptoe and silenced him with a kiss from her delicate, pink lips.

But it was just a fleeting kiss, and she quickly pulled away.

"I’m sorry, Lord Uther. I don’t belong here. I have my own mission, so I can’t stay forever... But just as I promised you before, I will always be by your side..."

"Don’t worry about me, and don’t be sad for me. I’ll be fine. Nothing will happen to me."

"If you’re that sad, you’ll make me cry, you know?"

Tears shimmered in Elolo’s eyes, threatening to spill over.

But she stubbornly rubbed her eyes and didn’t let them fall.

She just hugged Lloyd tightly and then said in a tiny voice,

"Because of our meeting today, I’m already the happiest girl in the world. So... don’t be sad, okay?"

Then she stood on tiptoe again and whispered in his ear,

"From now on, I’ll be waiting for you... every night."

With that, she finally steeled her resolve, left Lloyd’s embrace, and walked toward the antique shop.

The tears finally burst forth, streaming down her pretty face, unstoppable no matter how hard she tried.

The heart-shaped balloon tied to her wrist also broke its string at this moment, quietly disappearing into the dusky sky.

She didn’t dare to look back, not even once, as if afraid she would regret it. She fled quickly into the antique shop that had suddenly appeared.

The clerk, Big Brother, and even the Saint’s Hunter all bowed slightly and respectfully to her.

Only after she had taken refuge inside the antique shop did Elolo suddenly turn around. But she didn’t look back at Lloyd outside the door. Instead, she faced the direction of the Central District, through the walls.

"Let me have him, okay?" she suddenly asked the empty air.

There was no response. Or rather, no one could have heard a response.

But Elolo wore a defiant expression and said to herself,

"He was the one who woke me up. He was the one who gave me human warmth, not you in your high-and-mighty position... So I won’t give up. Even though you are powerful and beautiful, I will absolutely not give up!"

As she spoke, she clenched her cute little fists and declared, as if announcing war,

"After all, I can be a Saint, too."

But this bold proclamation lasted less than two seconds before she quickly fled to the second floor of the antique shop, as if afraid of being held accountable.

When she passed through the room on the second floor and arrived at the second-floor garden of the Dream Theater, she found dozens of Attendants arranged in an arc, bowing to her.

The one in the very center, the same Attendant who had received Lloyd, said respectfully,

"Your presence is a great honor to us, but... this must be a one-time exception."

Elolo didn’t seem surprised by this and just asked calmly,

"Am I... not welcome here?"

"For the time being, yes. But I believe that in the near future, we will welcome your visit."

After speaking, the Attendant took a step to the side, revealing a wooden door behind him.

Elolo didn’t say anything more. She just shook her head, silently walked to the door, and went through.

The next second, she instantly crossed the vast distance of Space and arrived in the City of Joy.

Before her was a lavish and magnificent golden hall. At its highest point sat a wide, high-backed chair.

At her feet, a straight red carpet led directly to the chair.

On her left and right, two rows of members of the Joyful Sect knelt neatly, welcoming her return.

Joyful music drifted through the air, as if for some kind of celebration.

An old man in magnificent, noble attire came before Elolo, holding a tray high with both hands and presenting it to her.

On it was an exquisite, if slightly ostentatious, formal hat.

Elolo picked up the hat, placed it on her head, then reached up to pinch the brim, carefully adjusting it.