Yue nodded and fiddled with the bracelets, her voice becoming slower.
"My father found the remaining parts. It's a divine rank artifact..."
She wanted to say more, but didn't know where to start. The moment she mentioned her father, memories of the difficult time came rushing back, making her vision blurry. She hadn't shown her emotions so openly since her father passed, so why did she have to embarrass herself in front of Kyle?
Kyle did not really care about the divine artifact. Not this one, or maybe he would not even in the future because the one that ate his soul was enough to give him a big aversion toward divine rank artifacts. But he noticed that the corner of Yue's eyes turned red when she mentioned her father.
'Don't tell me...?'
He quietly pulled his chair next to her and surprised her by suddenly putting his arm around her and gently rubbing her back.
"I know it's hard, but it'll get better."
Once again, he realized he wasn't good with words, especially when it came to comforting others. However, the woman next to him found comfort in just the few words he managed to say, and she buried her face in his shoulder.
Once again, he realized he wasn't good with words, especially when it came to comforting others. However, the woman next to him found comfort in just the few words he managed to say, and she buried her face in his shoulder.
On the table, Bia silently bit into another piece of meat that was put there by the old dwarf woman a while ago and watched as Kyle effortlessly secured his future wife. The phoenix had an uneasy feeling that the duo had forgotten about her presence. She clicked her tongue lightly but still didn't stop munching on her food. After all, wasting was a big no-no.
After Yue calmed down, they continued their meal, but Kyle noticed that she kept trying to say something, only to stop in the middle as if something was holding her back. He even asked her what happened, and she did open her mouth to speak, but then closed it again with furrowed brows.
However, before he could learn more, something buzzed in Kyle's mind space. He grabbed the little crystal that one of the tower's guardians had thrown to him before leaving to check on the planet's core.
In an instant, a serene voice resonated from the crystal, and Kyle's expression turned grim as Lie, the divine rank guardian, informed him that there was something wrong with the planet's air. That's why her efforts to rebuild the planet's shield were failing.
In the end, Lie told him to find Yon, the old dwarf, as quickly as possible because he knows a lot about this types of issues and can help solve it. If they don't act soon, the air that has already affected the monsters on the planet will start affecting the land and plant life too.
Kyle's expression turned serious as he closed the communication crystal. He looked at Yue, but she had already gotten up to leave. Kyle stood up too, and Bia, who had finished eating, quickly climbed onto his shoulder so she wouldn't be left behind. Kyle generously paid the old dwarf couple and they swiftly left the place.
Once they were in the air, Yue looked at him and smiled. Today was one of the best and most peaceful moments she had experienced in a long time.
"I need to head back to the elven Kingdom too. So, take care of yourself and Bia, alright?"
Kyle closed the gap between them and let out a sigh before softly kissing the strands of her flowing honey-colored hair.
"Let's continue where we left off once everything calms down. I mean, you wouldn't run away with me because we're not that close... yet."
The elf stared at him, dazed, too surprised to even react. So, he could even do that out of nowhere? She watched as Kyle backed away and stared at her with a soft expression.
"Okay, bye... take care of yourself too."
Yue watched as he left with the phoenix on his shoulder, heading in the opposite direction, probably to find Yon. After Kyle left, she clenched her fists tightly, feeling a prickling pain throughout her body. It wasn't because of anything else but because of the bracelets on her wrists.
"So, I can't talk about it with anyone else? That's not fair at all..."
She let out a sad smile and gazed into the distance where Kyle had gone.
"I hope everything gets better, just like you said."
Yue shook her head and headed in the opposite direction towards the elven Kingdom. She had been away from the Kingdom for too long without telling anyone the reason.
Honestly, she didn't feel bad about it, but the older elves were definitely going to ask her a lot of questions to make her realize how irresponsible she had been. Just thinking about it gave her a headache.
....
Kyle stopped after floating a long way from the place. He rubbed his fingers.
"Her hair smelled nice, a lot better than all the different scents that always overwhelm my nose because of the divine scent perception skill. I think I'm becoming more sensitive to smells."
Bia pawed his shoulder with a loud sound.
-"Hey, did you forget there's a kid around you? I remember you always calling me a kid, and now tsk tsk, you're doing everything in front of me."
Kyle rolled his eyes at her words.
"You think I didn't notice how eagerly you were staring at us? But don't worry, next time I'll make sure to put a barrier around you to block your vision."
Bia suddenly looked at him with a hint of suspicion.
-"Umm, Kyle, I could be wrong, but I feel like I'm more sensitive to divine energy. It seemed like you used it on Yue when you touched her hair. What did you do? Or am I mistaken?"
Kyle raised his eyebrow, surprised that she noticed.
"Nothing, I just noticed something off about her behavior. It seemed like she wanted to speak but couldn't. So, I placed something on her, but don't worry, it's not dangerous and won't affect her at all. I'll remove it as soon as the uneasy feeling I am having goes away."
He took out his communication crystal to contact Han. It's a good thing he took the old man's communication crystal coordinates before the latter left with the tower's guardians.
