26. A Coward's Trust (Minor Revision)

The Traveler glanced downward and saw a woman in an apron hurrying up the stairs, clearly drawn by Nana’s crying.

The Traveler had no desire to become a spectacle, so he immediately said, "Let's go inside first. We shouldn't disturb the business."

He tried to pull away again, but Nana still wouldn't let go. Aether simply hooked his arm around her and lifted her up with a clean, decisive motion.

Nana let out a startled gasp, her crying stopping reflexively. As the realization of what she had just done dawned on her, her face flushed a deep red. However, she didn't loosen her grip; instead, she buried her face in silence and held on even tighter.

The Traveler carried her into the room, while Paimon stopped at the threshold to greet the maid who had just rushed up. "U-um, hello! I’m Paimon, Nana’s good friend. The Traveler and I have returned, but Nana is a bit emotional. We’re so sorry for interrupting your work."

Hailie let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "Oh! I see! That’s wonderful! Miss Nana has missed you all so much these past few days! Please, chat amongst yourselves, I’ll go get you something to eat."

Paimon’s eyes lit up. "Oh, yes please! Thank you so much!"

Inside the room, Aether placed Nana on a stool. This time, she let go of him obediently, though, whether by accident or design, her fingers remained hooked onto the corner of his scarf.

Aether cast a subconscious glance at her. With her eyes red-rimmed and damp, she looked at him with a delicate, hesitant expression—like a camellia flower glistening in the rain. Her bright, watery eyes were as pitiful and moving as a cat looking up at its owner.

What harm could a little kitten possibly intend? A little kitten was merely looking to vent its temper. He had, indeed, been away for quite a while.

Aether’s irritation and restlessness gradually dissipated, replaced by understanding and sympathy. He sighed inwardly, sat down beside her, and let her keep holding his scarf. He reached for the tea tray, opened three cups, and poured water for them, placing one in front of her as a silent gesture of apology.

Paimon flew inside and closed the door behind her. She fluttered over to Nana, looking relieved. "Oh, thank goodness, Nana! You’ve finally stopped crying. You scared us to death just now! Why were you crying so hard? Did someone bully you?"

Nana’s lashes were still wet, her eyes rimmed with red. She glared at the Traveler, then at Paimon, accusing them with a sense of grievance, "Who else could it be?! Isn't it you two?!"

These words were meant to be an argumentative accusation, but the soft, nasal tone betrayed a lack of real conviction, turning the outburst into a coquettish, petulant demand for comfort.

If there had been a man present who understood the nuances of such things, he would have showered the beauty with sweet words to turn her anger into joy, perhaps even leading to a moment of intimacy. Unfortunately, the room contained only a child-like sprite, an oblivious and stoic youth, and the only adult—who, while truly wanting to be angry, lacked the authority or heart to press charges. Consequently, no one realized the subtle, ambiguous atmosphere unfolding.

"Eh???" The little sprite was horrified, flying back two steps in shock. "Us? What did we do? How could we bully you, Nana? Don't go wrongly accusing good people!"

The youth beside her nodded vigorously in agreement. "Exactly!"

"You still have the nerve to say that!" Recalling the anxiety of the past few days, Nana’s anger—which had begun to fade—surged again. She gritted her teeth. "You two jerks! Do you really think there was nothing wrong with what you did?!"

She stared at them in disbelief, her eyes wide as she looked from one to the other, meeting two pairs of innocent eyes.

Nana, who had already stopped crying, couldn't help but shed tears again. She pounded the table in frustration. "Do you have any idea how terrified I was when I woke up and found myself all alone?! Had I been trafficked? Did I go missing? Was I kidnapped? What happened to me?!

"Waaa... I was scared to death! We had agreed to travel together, so why did you suddenly leave me behind?! Waaah..."

She wept like a flower in the rain, breathless, leaving the Traveler and Paimon feeling deeply guilty. But who could have predicted that the Traveler, who had traversed thousands of mountains and rivers, would actually get lost?

Paimon fiddled with her fingers, too ashamed to look at her. "Well... we didn't exactly 'suddenly' leave you behind, did we? We arranged for someone to help look after you..."

Nana exploded with rage, her eyes shooting fire at Paimon. "And you expected me to trust that?!"

"..." Paimon guiltily flew back a few meters, pressing herself against the wall. The Traveler, also feeling guilty, quietly tried to minimize his own presence, hoping no one would notice him.

The Traveler was not a man of many words; he preferred to settle arguments with his sword. But when faced with a girl he couldn't fight, who would want to stand in the line of fire?

After her angry outburst, the room fell silent. With no one responding, Nana felt a flicker of insecurity. Tears welled up again, and she sobbed as she vented her grievances, "When I woke up, there wasn't a single familiar face around. There was just some person who claimed to be your friend and said he was here to look after me at your request. Waaa... how could I possibly believe that?

"Just because he says he's your friend, he's your friend? Just because he says it's your commission, it's your commission? What if he was lying to me? You’re the 'protagonist'! How could you not have a few enemies?

"Waaa, my fear didn't matter! I’m weak and powerless. If people give me face, I’m a person; if they don't, I’m just a ceramic vase! They could shatter me at any moment! How could I take that risk? Even if they had some hidden agenda, I... I couldn't resist! I had to pretend to believe him while living in constant fear every day, terrified that one day he’d drop the act and come after me!

"What kind of emergency could you possibly have had?! You couldn't even wait for me to wake up? You had to rush off in such a hurry? Waaa... I prayed every single day, praying for you to come and save me! But you jerk, you just wouldn't come! You wouldn't come! You jerk! You jerk!"

She had originally intended to play the victim to earn sympathy and make up for her boldness in yelling at Paimon. But as she spoke, her anger mounted, and she couldn't help but start hitting the Traveler, crying as she struck him.

*(Ahhhhh! Why did I get into this situation! Even if I transmigrated, shouldn't they have found a player of this game? I’m not a Genshin player! Why me?!)*

Aether: "..."

Aether felt both guilty and awkward. Even with his strong empathy, as a "strong" individual, he found it difficult to truly resonate with the genuinely weak. Even when facing the unknown "god" who had separated him from his sister—a clearly superior "power"—his response was not fear or panic, but rage. He chose to investigate, resist, and find his sister, even at the cost of his own power. At the root of it all, he possessed the heart of the "strong."

Thus, he could understand Nana’s anger and her feeling of walking on thin ice, but he could not feel it himself.

At this moment, he couldn't hide, but he couldn't just stand there either. Aether awkwardly raised an arm to shield his face, letting her strike him while he offered a low, apologetic plea, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It was thoughtless of me. It's my fault. I apologize, okay? Please don't be angry anymore. I promise it won't happen again..."

—After all, her hits didn't hurt at all. At worst, it was embarrassing, but there was no one else here to see it. And the cracks in their trust needed to be mended in time, or she would truly drift away from him.

Leaving someone behind before they woke up was indeed a dishonorable thing to do. Yet, because of that, he had been able to see Nana’s true choice. This was a real world, after all; even he couldn't predict every emergency or explain everything to her in advance. If she had panicked and started spouting nonsense at the first sign of trouble, he might have been betrayed.

The good news was that the result of this test wasn't bad. Nana was timid, but she dared to throw a tantrum at him. While it was true that even a rabbit bites when pushed into a corner, from another perspective, wasn't this a form of "trust"? She trusted that even if she were rude and offended him, she wouldn't be easily "shattered." And for the sensitive and overthinking Miss Nana, if she had already betrayed him, would she still have the courage to do this?

She still trusted him, which proved that she hadn't been harboring any defensive secrets.

So, taking this beating was well worth it.

*(Hello there, partner.)*