Chapter 973: Stepping Forward

Chapter 973: Stepping Forward

In the end, the two of them were just sitting on the couch. Vivian, tired from crying, leaned her head on Nathan’s shoulder.

Nathan didn’t know what to say. This was the first time he saw Vivian emotionally break down. Normally, Vivian would have a confident smile on her face.

The trauma left behind by the bloody banquet was indeed much more serious than he originally thought. Evelyn and Bella didn’t show much reaction, but the effect might be more serious than they currently showed. Or they were just using revenge as a distraction.

Nevertheless, the decision to kill them was final. While Nathan indeed wanted to go for revenge, his real objective was actually the alien. He tagged along so that he could find the trace of aliens and learn more about the alien world’s situation.

If they could somehow achieve peace or something, it would have been good.

Vivian, with eyes half closed, asked, “Are you sure I can’t convince you not to go?”

“Yes. I have already made a decision.” Nathan nodded.

“…” Vivian paused for a moment before asking, “If I tell you I’ll follow you there, what will you do?”

“If you are with me, I will feel much more assured.” Nathan smiled. “I don’t think both of them will mind your presence. So, I will just hold your hand and lower my head together.”

Vivian smiled wryly. “Senior Evelyn might look composed on the outside as if nothing could affect her, but she is actually much more expressive, you know? It’s just she doesn’t express it through her emotion.

“When I was learning from her, she took care of everything just to let me have an easier time.

“Unlike her, Senior Bella was more vocal about her emotions. They’re both good people. I’m glad that they’re fine now. I thought they were dead.”

“…” Nathan nodded in understanding. They made it as if they were dead, according to their story, so everyone would be shaken if they found out Evelyn and Bella were still alive.

“I bet Melissa doesn’t know about it yet…” Vivian sighed. “I’m sorry for showing such a side. I don’t know if I have the face to be your teacher anymore.”

Nathan couldn’t say the words he wanted to say, since he didn’t want to take advantage of her vulnerability.

Vivian just closed her eyes as if understanding what kind of person he was. “Nathan…”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for being with me here. I’m glad that you enrolled in the Frexia Academy. I’m not talking about the research or anything… I just want to thank you for being yourself.”

Nathan smiled. The feelings were mutual. The reason Nathan could achieve this level so fast was due to Vivian. If he hadn’t met her, he wouldn’t have become her student, and his path might be different.

If she didn’t strengthen his body, he would probably require more time to take care of his body’s condition to absorb all kinds of cores.

After all, he came to this world just 9 months ago.

“Should I call it fate?” Nathan’s question said everything about their encounter.

“Fate, huh?” Vivian closed her eyes. “I don’t know much about fate, and I couldn’t care less about this one word. However, I know that the beginning and the end are always connected to each other.

“Today is the end of the past, as well as the new beginning of the future. I refuse to become a coward anymore. I won’t run away anymore. From today onward, I will fight.”

“If you want to fight, then fight. This time, you are not alone, you are not powerless. If it’s not enough, we’re humans. We will always use our wisdom to overcome the challenge.” Nathan nodded.

Vivian asked, “Can I… meet Senior Evelyn and Bella?”

“I don’t know, but I can ask.” Nathan paused for a moment. “Though, if you want to meet them, I don’t think your current appearance is suitable. You need to get a proper sleep first and eat well or else they might end up worrying about you.”

“You are probably right… Do you mind… staying here for a bit?”

Nathan wanted to tell her it was fine, but he soon noticed that her breathing had softened. It looked like she had already fallen asleep.

Just looking at her current appearance, she truly didn’t look like a teacher. Nathan couldn’t help but look up, muttering inwardly, “Jeez… This is hard. There might be a time that I won’t be able to look at her as my teacher anymore…”

Little did he know, the feelings might be mutual.

Vivian’s heart felt at peace. It might be because of all those outbursts from earlier that he was hallucinating or dreaming.

“You need to get out of here, Vivian!” Her father waved her hand, seeing his own daughter crying and trying to reach out to him, only to be dragged by a few soldiers away from the battlefield.

“Mother! Father!” Vivian screamed.

Her father simply smiled at her before leaping into the air. She didn’t understand it before, but her mother was still in the castle.

As a husband, as a father, and as a lord, he had a duty to do. He would fight to the death to find his wife, he had to protect his daughter to the very end, and he shall protect everything dear to him.

He simply leaped back to the castle, facing numerous aliens. “Don’t even think about stepping on this land, you bastards!”

That was the last time she saw his father. Later, she found out that her mother and father fought together to their last breath, but their bodies were never recovered.

Then another figure appeared. It was a kind old elf who introduced her to the warmth of a family one more time.

However, he, too, ended in a tragic fate. When she finally buried her feelings and isolated herself from the outside world, Nathan appeared.

If the others had always been standing in front of her, Nathan was different. She thought, this time, it was her time to walk in the front, protecting him. But without her realizing it, Nathan had already been beside her.

“Humans are greedy, annoying, lowly, depraved… They are a being who would do everything just for their own sake. Yet, amidst all that negativity, humans are still the most resilient. They have the strength to go back up no matter how many times they fall.”

She couldn’t afford to give up. It was time for her to rise one more time and walk forward. This was not the end of her journey.

Tears fell from her eyes in the middle of her sleep, but they were the last tears she shed before walking toward her future.