Chapter 10 Departure (1/2)

Rhode sighed when he looked at the girl in front of him.

”Lize, the person you're supposed to worry about is yourself. You've not gotten even a little rest since last night.”

Hearing the word 'last night,' she shivered as if she had once again recalled that incident. Nevertheless, she still stubbornly bit her lips and shook her head.

”No... I...”

Slap!!

Lize hadn't finished speaking when Rhode suddenly raised his hand and slapped her face.

What the heck?!

Holding her red cheeks, Lize stared wide-eyed at Rhode in disbelief and shock. But the young man just watched her.

”I know how you feel.” He said expressionlessly.

Hearing him speak with a quiet and indifferent tone, anger immediately out-broke from her heart. She put down her hand and clenched her fist. Just as she was about to flare up in anger, Rhode's next sentence completely drenched her from head to toe.

”You feel that you're guilty to have survived just because you were born different. As a mixed race—or should I say, angel—that kind of thinking does not seem to be correct though.”

”!!”

Lize was completely stunned. She gasped in shock and took a few steps backward until her back was against a tree. But even so, she chose not to say anything for a while.

How did he find out?!

No, that's impossible.

I've never told him before—even in my mercenary group, the people who knew about my race were only a few...

”How do you...”

”Your eyes.”

Rhode pointed out his finger to his eyes.

”Your irises exudes a golden light—a clear sign of a 'messenger,' and also a special trait unique only to angels. However, you are different from the pure-blooded angels... The reason why the golden light is slightly dimmer is because of your mixed human blood, right?”

The girl did not speak.

Although there was no answer, Rhode had confirmed that he hit the mark. The girl standing in front of him was indeed a half-angel. In fact, he had already observed Lize for a while.

As a top player, in his long-term game career, Rhode had long familiarized himself with the existing equipment and used it to determine the opponent's attributes. This allowed him to develop the most appropriate tactics in the boss battle in the shortest possible time and also enables him to make preemptive strikes in PvP battles. It could be said keen observation skills were mandatory to all of the senior players.

When he was rescued, he began to consciously observe her and soon became aware of her true identity. Although she was a half-angel, the angel's powerful healing ability and the ability to resist injury did not disappear, which was one of the main reasons why Lize could survive after being thrown out from the floating ship.

Lize must've been aware of this; that was why she was so depressed.

”That was why I said I know how you feel.”

Rhodes shrugged his shoulders.

”You know the reason why you survived. It was not because of luck, but because of the difference between you and the others. That is why you cannot accept it... If you could, you'd rather wish that you were just an ordinary human and died together with your comrades.”

”....”

Lize lowered her head, her hands clutching her skirt.

”But that is not something you can decide.”

Looking at her slightly trembling shoulders, Rhode's tone soothed.

”You cannot decide your own birth, neither can you stop the things that had already happened. It is all beyond your limit. Don't regret something that you can't control.”

”Then...”

Lize finally spoke.

”...What should I do?”

”This is your path. You should decide it yourself.”

Hearing this sentence, Lize was silent for a moment, then she looked up.

”I understand. Thank you, Mr. Rhode.”

”You are welcome.”

”...However, that slap was really painful ...”

Although there was some 'violence' in the process, in the end, Lize had finally let go of the shadow of her self-blame and the pain of losing her comrades. On the next day when the sun rose, Lize had completely moved on from, her face replaced with her usual warm smile. This caught Matt by surprise, who did not know what happened. He constantly shifted his gaze between the two of them, and then finally turned his direction towards Rhode, smiling wryly at him. As for its meaning, no one really knew.

However, before the fat merchant could finish satiating his curiosity, Rhode's words immediately made his heart sink into the abyss.