Chapter 96: Advertisement Campaign [4]

Looking at her laugh, I couldn’t help but pause, the image of her fake-laughing to persuade me to abandon her overlapping with this genuine laughter.

I really should just put aside that Dreg Realm experience like her, pretend it was all a dream.

Snapping me back to reality, Lily added.

"Me paying for the meal counts as a favor."

"..."

As Lily walked ahead of me, leading the way to the restaurant, Carissa caught up to me and said.

"You’re really the annoying one, you know."

Mimicking my serious voice back then in that portal cave, Carissa continued with a grin.

" ’Nothing...we’re dead’ and ’Congrats on your death.’ "

"..."

She wasn’t...acting like our times in the Dreg Realm didn’t exist?

What!?

My head spinning, I almost lost them in the crowd of people on the streets, barely managing to catch up to Carissa before getting lost.

...

...

...

As the elevator door opened, revealing the luxurious top-floor restaurant with a crimson-red carpet as the floor and golden chairs, a waiter was already waiting for us.

Leading us to a table by the window, the waiter smiled and handed us the menus; however, Lily simply said.

"One of everything."

"...Yes, Ma’am."

Glancing out the floor-to-ceiling windows beside me, I admired Vael City for a moment, nostalgically recalling my first sight of the city back in my old apartment that I had been dragged out of.

Speaking of...my father hadn’t contacted me once since the letter.

I really wondered what was going on with Ash’s family.

Snapping me back to reality, Lily suddenly asked.

"So you two know each other?"

Nodding my head, I answered.

"We fought together in the virtual reality exam."

"The one where I ranked first?"

"...there is only one."

Suddenly looking at me, Carissa questioned.

"Are you serious about not joining a guild?"

After pausing for a moment, I answered.

"I’m interested in mercenary work..."

Unsurprised, Lily simply nodded her head.

"I’d be surprised if he lasted a week in a guild."

Carissa looked at the two of us with utter shock.

"Isn’t the whole point of going to a hero academy to join a guild!?"

I had been like that once, thinking the only path after high school was university.

Then I died. Just like that... I died when I hadn’t even started living yet.

I had never gotten to do the things I dreamed of because I had dedicated everything to studying in high school just to get into a top university.

So now, it all just...seemed insignificant.

I had already died once with regrets, after all. There was no way I was going to do it a second time.

Looking at Carissa, I asked.

"Haven’t you ever wanted to travel, adventure the world alone, or explore? Why lock yourself up in a guild?"

Carissa’s answer was instant.

"Because I have to grow stronger so I can tear apart the Dreg Realm."

Ah...right. Her brother.

I wondered for a moment...when had my intent shifted?

Sure, I still cared immensely about being strong and trained for countless hours without sleeping...but a part of me wanted to, as childish as it sounded, have fun.

As tens of different food plates came out, I made sure to try everything, my taste buds overwhelmed by all sorts of spices and flavors.

Sure, there was normal food like french fries and grilled chicken...but as I learned from Lily, mana even played a part in the cuisine in this world.

Animals like cows were raised and plants were grown in areas with high concentrations of mana, so when eaten, the food would supply you with just enough mana to reach your mana capacity cap, adding a feeling of saturation when you ate.

Additionally, there were some...interesting dishes made from Dreg Beasts that had been thoroughly cooked to remove any bacteria.

After about another thirty minutes, Lily paid the bill, and the three of us left the restaurant.

"I have some work to do. I’m heading back to the lab."

Leaving Carissa and me behind, Lily headed back toward the massive skyscraper in the distance.

Scanning me up and down, Carissa curiously asked after a moment.

"Why are you wearing your academy uniform?"

Shrugging my shoulders, I answered.

"It’s all I have."

"...you really have to buy some clothes."

The two of us headed to the nearest train station in silence and got onto the mana train, easily finding two open seats.

As we sat side-by-side on the nearly empty train, the views of the capital city in the windows behind us, Carissa suddenly asked.

"Do you remember paragliding?"

As I nodded my head, Carissa continued, turning around to look out the train’s windows.

"Have you ever thought about doing it here?"

Recalling the adrenaline flooding through my body as we prayed that no Dreg Demon would notice us as we flew through the sky, open to any attack, I instinctively shook my head.

Carissa smiled and gazed out the window.

"Yeah, I’m not good with heights."

Seeing her happily admire the view, I paused before saying.

"Don’t do anything rash to save him."

Perhaps, in the past, Carissa would have yelled at me and told me to mind my own business, but now, she simply nodded her head.

"I’m too weak."

After a short moment of silence, she added.

"Only you and I know he’s alive."

"..."

Carissa knew that if she told her family her brother was alive, an expedition team would be dispatched to the Dreg Realm immediately.

But...it was highly likely this team would fail and die.

The Dreg Demons, after our escape, had probably tightened security, and they had definitely set a trap for anyone trying to find Carissa’s brother.

Every second she wasn’t training was a second wasted now. What if she was too late to the Dreg Realm, and he had died because she hadn’t spent enough time training?

I knew exactly how it felt.

Thus, the words subconsciously left my mouth.

"You’ll save him."