Chapter 675 The Price Of Standing Tall

Liam walked through the crowd.

The moment the villagers saw him approaching, they instinctively moved aside.

A path opened before him.

Nobody had to tell them to move.

They simply did.

People stepped backward, giving Liam enough space to pass while their eyes followed him with admiration. Some were still cheering, while others had tears in their eyes. A few clasped their hands together as though they were looking at someone who had performed a miracle before them.

Liam didn’t say anything.

He simply walked.

His steps were slow, but they remained steady.

That was the impressive part.

Anyone looking carefully could tell that he was exhausted. His pale face had not completely recovered, and his breathing was slightly heavier than normal. His body felt like it was carrying a weight several times greater than itself.

But he never stumbled.

Not once.

He never leaned against anything.

He never asked anyone for help.

He simply kept moving.

Behind him, Irina followed quietly.

Her eyes remained on his back.

A small smile appeared on her lips.

Liam could be an asshole most of the time.

There was really no other way to describe him.

He was arrogant when he wanted to be, shameless when it suited him, annoyingly confident, and sometimes possessed an incredible talent for saying exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time.

But when it actually mattered...

Irina’s smile became slightly warmer.

He always stood strong.

No matter how bad the situation became.

No matter how much pain he was in.

No matter how frightened the people around him were.

Liam always seemed to find a way to stand between them and whatever threatened them.

Even now.

He had just performed some mysterious forbidden ritual that had nearly drained him completely, yet he had walked out of that house looking like he had simply finished another ordinary task.

He hadn’t complained.

He hadn’t asked for praise.

He hadn’t even stopped to accept the villagers’ gratitude.

He simply kept walking.

Irina knew better.

She could see the truth in the subtle movements of his shoulders.

He was barely holding himself together.

Yet somehow, Liam still managed to maintain that irritatingly confident posture.

The two of them continued forward.

Eventually, they turned onto another path between several houses.

The moment they disappeared from the main street, the villagers could no longer see them.

The gap closed almost immediately.

The crowd that had separated to allow Liam through quickly gathered together again.

But this time, their attention wasn’t on Liam.

It was on Leo and his mother.

The villagers surrounded them.

Several people immediately began asking questions.

"How did he do it?"

"What happened inside?"

"What did he use?"

"Was it magic?"

"Did he speak to the soul?"

"Tell us everything!"

Leo’s mother looked overwhelmed by the sudden attention.

She still held her son tightly against her.

Leo, meanwhile, looked around at all the excited faces with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

He clearly had no idea why everyone was so excited to see him.

His mother tried to answer everyone, but the questions came too quickly.

"He was lying there..."

"Was he breathing?"

"Did Liam use some kind of spell?"

"What happened to the thing that took him?"

"Did you see it?"

The woman opened her mouth several times but struggled to respond.

"I... I don’t know."

Her eyes moved toward the road where Liam had disappeared.

"I don’t know what he did."

She hugged Leo tighter.

"But he saved my son."

That single sentence silenced several people.

Then the cheering began again.

Meanwhile, Liam was already far away from the crowd.

He took another turn.

Then another.

Once he was certain nobody could see him anymore, the confident expression disappeared from his face.

Liam sighed.

A long, exhausted sigh.

"Finally."

His shoulders dropped.

The strength holding his body upright seemed to vanish instantly.

His eyes closed.

His knees weakened.

Then his entire body fell forward.

There was no attempt to catch himself.

No warning.

He simply went limp.

Irina’s eyes widened.

She had been expecting this.

Even so, seeing it happen still startled her.

"Liam!"

Her body blurred.

In less than a heartbeat, she crossed the distance between them.

She appeared directly in front of him just as his body fell forward.

His head landed against her chest.

Irina immediately wrapped both arms around him.

She held him tightly, making sure his body didn’t hit the ground.

"It’s okay," she whispered.

Her voice was softer than usual.

"It’s okay."

Liam didn’t respond.

His body was completely limp.

Irina carefully adjusted her grip, supporting his weight against herself.

"You can sleep now."

She looked down at his exhausted face.

For once, there was no teasing in her expression.

No irritation

Only concern.

"You don’t have to pretend anymore."

Liam’s breathing remained slow.

Irina gently brushed a strand of hair away from his forehead.

"You did enough."

Then she carried him away.

The village slowly disappeared behind them.

*****

Liam opened his eyes.

He immediately regretted it.

His head was ringing.

Not a little.

It felt as though someone had taken a hammer and repeatedly struck the inside of his skull.

Liam’s vision blurred.

He instinctively grabbed his head.

"Ah..."

He sat up slowly.

The room around him shifted.

For several seconds, he couldn’t focus on anything.

The ceiling seemed to move.

The walls seemed to tilt.

Liam closed his eyes again and waited.

Fortunately, the pain began disappearing almost as quickly as it had arrived.

The ringing faded.

His vision stabilized.

He slowly opened his eyes.

"That was unpleasant."

He looked around.

He was lying on a bed.

The room was quiet.

Sunlight entered through the window.

Liam frowned.

He didn’t remember coming here.

He also didn’t know how long he had been unconscious.

He looked toward the door.

Then another problem announced itself.

His stomach growled.

Loudly.

Very loudly.

Liam froze.

The sound echoed through the room.

He stared down at his stomach.

A second growl followed.

His expression changed.

"Food."

His stomach apparently agreed.

Liam immediately became more alert.

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood.

His body felt much better.

The weakness was still there, but the overwhelming exhaustion from earlier had disappeared.

His skin no longer felt cold.

His lips weren’t cracked anymore.

His breathing was normal.

Liam stretched his arms.

Then he activated his Aether Sight.

His vision passed through the wall.

He checked the room next door.

Nobody.

Good.

He moved his gaze farther.

And then he saw her.

Irina.

She was standing in the sitting room.

But she wasn’t alone.

At least, not technically.

Surrounding her were mountains.

Actual mountains.

Mountains of gifts.

Food was stacked everywhere.

Rice.

Bread.

Fruits.

Snacks.

Dried meat.

Various sweets.

Clothing.

Shoes.

Small containers.

Jewelry.

Decorative objects.

Various valuables.

It looked as though an entire village had collectively emptied their homes and brought everything they possessed into the room.

Liam stared.

His stomach growled again.

His eyes immediately locked onto the food.

The rest of the valuables ceased to matter.

"Food."

That was the only thing his brain cared about.

He walked toward the door.

His hand reached for the handle.

He opened it.

The moment the door moved, Irina turned her head.

She had heard it.

She had apparently been waiting for him to wake up.

Her eyes immediately landed on him.

Relief washed over her face.

Liam looked completely different from earlier.

The deathly pallor was gone.

His skin had regained its healthy color.

His lips no longer looked cracked.

His eyes had regained their usual sharpness.

And most importantly...

That arrogant expression was back.

That annoyingly confident, slightly cocky look that Irina had become so familiar with.

He looked like Liam again.

Irina released a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding.

"You finally woke up."

Liam didn’t answer.

His eyes were still fixed on something else.

The food.

His expression suddenly brightened.

He rubbed his hands together.

"Food."

Irina blinked.

Liam immediately moved toward the table.

He practically leapt over and sat down.

He grabbed a plate.

Then another.

He spotted a large serving of rice.

His eyes lit up.

"At least they have rice here."

He scooped some onto his plate.

Then he started eating.

Immediately.

No hesitation.

No manners.

No greeting.

No acknowledgment of the woman standing a few meters away.

He simply dug into the rice.

Liam took one bite.

His eyes widened.

He chewed.

Then swallowed.

"Damn."

He took another bite.

"This is good."

Another.

Then another.

His appetite had returned with terrifying force.

Whatever energy he had lost during the ritual seemed determined to be recovered through sheer consumption.

Irina stared at him.

She had been worried about him.

She had watched him collapse.

She had carried him back.

She had spent time wondering whether he would wake up.

She had watched his pale face and cracked lips while he slept.

And now...

He was sitting at the table eating rice like nothing had happened.

Worse...

He hadn’t even acknowledged that she was there.

Irina’s eyebrow twitched.

She folded her arms.

She stared at him.

Liam continued eating.

One bite.

Then another.

He finally reached for some meat.

Irina waited.

Nothing.

She waited a little longer.

Still nothing.

Her expression slowly became flat.

"Well..."

She looked at him eating.

"What else did I expect?"

Liam didn’t hear her.

Or perhaps he simply didn’t care.

Either possibility was equally annoying.

Irina sighed.

"After all..."

She watched him shovel another mouthful of rice into his mouth.

"...you’re still an asshole."

Liam finally glanced at her.

His cheeks were slightly full.

He stared at her for two seconds.

Then looked back at his food.

Irina’s eye twitched.

She almost laughed.

Almost.

But she refused to give him the satisfaction.

Instead, she simply stood there and watched the man who had apparently returned from the brink of death do the most Liam thing imaginable.

Eat.

And eat.

And eat.

For now, that was enough.

Because Liam was alive.

And he was himself again.