Chapter 253 Sudden Proposal [1]

Chapter 253 Sudden Proposal [1]

253 Sudden Proposal [1]

As if the very air had been sucked from the air around me, I found myself unable to breathe as I stared at the thin thread that hung over the gigantic hand in the sky.

It loomed over the dark sky, spreading its threads all over the entire city of Bremmer.

The magnitude of the hand was hard to describe, and seeing the countless strings that were connected to it made me lose all sense of focus.

It made me feel insignificant.

It felt as if my every movement, along with those of every citizen in the city, was being manipulated by the colossal hand looming in the sky.

Like the marionettes in the wooden stalls by the streets.

"....."

My eyes started to sting as I suddenly forgot to blink.

I just stared at the gigantic hand without saying a single word.

<nulli>'Where is everybody? Why is no one noticing the massive hand?'

A magnitude of questions flooded my mind as I found myself unable to detach my gaze from the massive hand that loomed over the sky.

It felt oppressive, and despite my best attempts, I was still being affected by it.

The back of my shirt kept getting pulled, and for a moment, I almost felt myself moving in a way I didn't intend.

But it was just a feeling...

Blink.

By the time I blinked, everything was gone.

As if nothing had ever been present, moonlight cast a dim glow over the streets beneath.

"..."

In the silence that took over the space, my breath evened out and the hair at the back of my arm settled.

I didn't notice any notification pop up in front of me, but that was understandable. I had undergone far worse in the past.

....But just because I had experienced worse, it didn't mean that was completely immune to the emotion.

<nulli>'Given that I didn't see anything pop up, reaching the next level will be very difficult.'

I didn't think the first leaf would help me in this regard either.

From the moment I reached level three for Fear, it became incredibly hard to level it up.

Regarding Sandness... I was no longer capable of gaining anything from there.

It became obvious to me that I could no longer rely on the leaves past level 4.

....To reach level five, I needed something more.

But what exactly?

"....."

I lowered my head to stare at the child beneath me.

Bending over I checked for his pulse.

"He's still alive."

My gaze then fell on his blood-stained hands. I wasn't sure where they came from, but when I looked towards the distance, I could more or less tell I would be able to find them if I looked.

"....I wonder if there's any saving for him."

I pressed my hand against the child's forehead and prepared to check if he had been affected by some sort of Emotive Magic, but stopped just when I was about to.

<nulli>'It's risky.'

For now, I still didn't know if the one responsible for this was aware of who I was.

Was the person I had seen back in the theater the faceless man, or someone else? I thought long and hard about this question, but I still wasn't sure.

But if there was one thing that I was sure about, it was that I was being tracked through my scent.

Otherwise, something would've already happened by now.

Especially since I 'belong' to the organization that he has created.

Or was there a reason why they still didn't directly do something to me? Some sort of thing that was preventing them from doing so?

I wasn't sure.

But these were only hypotheses.

...I was still unsure of this fact.

But it wasn't as though I couldn't confirm this hypothesis.

Seeing how adamant the guards were about not letting me in, I could only give up and turn away.

It was either something internal or something else.

But it was clear that I was currently not welcome.

"It can't be that she's holding a grudge against me for being late?"

It was possible, but at the same time, I didn't want to believe this. She was the one who requested me after all.

....And I did tell her that I was going to be a little bit busy so she should be understanding.

"Hmm, I guess I'll check it out tomorrow."

I ruffled my hair and prepared to leave when I suddenly overheard a few voices from a group of actors who were making their way into the building.

"Did you hear? Apparently, they finally found the actor for the play that's going to be played in the summit."

"Oh? I actually did see him. He was so handsome."

"Yes, right? The moment I looked at his face, I almost lost my breath. I can't believe someone like that actually exists. And his acting... wow, it was insane. I would even say even better than its predecessors."

"I can't believe I've never heard of someone like him before. I would've been their number one fan."

"Eh...?"

The discussion took me aback as my steps came to a sudden halt.

<nulli>'Someone is playing in the play? ...and their acting is better than the predecessor?'

All of a sudden a lot of things started to make sense, and I found myself bitterly smiling at the reality.

<nulli>'No wonder she didn't want to meet me.'

It wasn't because she was busy, but because she found someone else to play the role.

Someone who was apparently better than me at acting.

It was a little odd that things turned out this way and I was a little bummed out, but what else could I do about it?

In the end, I decided to leave and focus on other things.

Or at least, that was what I Initially planned on doing.

"What are you doing here?"

Turning my head, a familiar lock of red hair appeared. Wearing a straw hat, and light clothes, Aoife appeared not far from where I was.

I was a little surprised by her appearance.

"That's what I'd like to ask."

"Um, ehm..."

Aoife fiddled with her hat before taking it off.

"....I heard they were going to do a tryout of the play and I wanted to watch it. I never really got to see the play in person since I was acting, but why are you here? Shouldn't you be doing the play?"

"About that..."

I scratched the side of my face before telling her what happened.

Aoife's widened the moment I told her what happened.

"Are you serious?"

She didn't seem to believe my words, but when I insisted, she had no choice but to believe me.

"That's..."

Her expression betrayed her shock. In the end, alternating her gaze between me and the guards, she beckoned with her hand.

"Follow me. I can get you in."

"No, it's fine. Since they chose someone else, we can—"

"Aren't you just a little bit curious?"

"About?"

"The actor that replaced you?"

"....."

I wasn't going to lie, but I was indeed a little curious.

And as if Aoife could read my thoughts, she beckoned once more with her hand.

"Since you're curious, you can follow me. I too am curious about this. Something just doesn't add up."

***

More soon.