Pretending not to care

That day was something he had never imagined. Living alone in this world, it turned out, was only temporary. The closer he got to a settlement, the more people he found who considered him a friend. Honestly, he was experiencing this warmth for the first time and felt happy with these friendships. However, everything changed once his true identity was revealed.

The people who were once good friends—were they still the same now? No, they already saw him as different. That's what was on the red-eyed man's mind. This friendship could turn into enmity forever. The situation had changed drastically, and sometimes he wondered if every time he made friends, they would also become his enemies one day.

Senior Uru, seeing him sacrifice a part of his memories, was unbelievable to him.

Why go to all that trouble? Just for him?Who was he anyway?Just a friend, right?

He had been thrown far out of the urban area and was now at the distant border, far from the back gate of Mageia City. His heart was pounding so fast he thought he would die after being thrown so far, but he didn't. He was still alive, without even a single scratch.

As far as his eyes could see, it was just a forest. There was, however, a path that led directly to the back gate. The forest wasn't as vast as the one where Uru, the Elf, lived, but this forest had more river paths that flowed directly to the ocean or a small lake.

"Even though it's not as vast as the forest near the city, this one is quite dense. And I have to go back and meet Princess Melissa at the palace."

He immediately got up and began to walk cautiously, afraid that there might be soldiers on patrol. No other animals were visible besides the flying and ground insects he saw throughout his journey. Mahendra felt he didn't need to worry about anything here. As long as it was safe, he wanted to speed up his pace.

"I need to be fast. After I get the information, I have to leave the city, and then... where do I go?"

Suddenly, he felt stuck. He had a reason to go to the city. However, after learning the whereabouts of the Wandering King, he was confused about how to get there.

"It's so difficult to live alone," Mahendra muttered.

The same sounds returned. It felt like the bushes behind him were moving rhythmically. Sometimes they would move when Mahendra walked, but they would stop when he looked back at the source of the sound. His heart was never at peace; the beat grew faster because of his deep worry.

"Who's there?!" Mahendra shouted, taking a vigilant stance.

There was no answer. Mahendra resumed his steps, and the sound grew louder. He quickly turned his head, his sharp gaze fixed on the bushes again. Something white was faintly visible there.

"Come out!"

The wind blew, revealing long, flowing hair. A pair of smooth legs emerged hesitantly. Finally, she revealed herself, wearing a spotless white dress. The forest, full of dirt, hadn't stained it at all.

"Why is she here?"

It was just a girl. The girl in white who had saved him.

"Hey, I owe you a favor, but following me like this will bring bad consequences for you," Mahendra said.

The girl just stood there silently. Her face looked anxious, and she even bit her lip, confused. It seemed like she was avoiding eye contact and glancing around as if she were looking for something.

Mahendra took a step closer to her and said, "Don't follow me anymore. I'll repay my debt to you someday."

He then turned and continued his journey. But who knew that this girl was so stubborn? After dozens of steps, she was still following him from behind. Mahendra tried to ignore her, although he eventually couldn't take it anymore.
Mahendra stopped walking and once again looked back, seeing the girl still trying to hide behind the trees even though her dress and hair were so clearly visible.

"Does she think I'm blind? Or is she just stupid?"

A sigh escaped the man's mouth. He occasionally clicked his tongue in frustration. This time, he ignored her again, continuing on his journey, but the girl still followed him quietly. Her footsteps even became less audible as she hoped not to be noticed by Mahendra, but unfortunately, it didn't work.

"Hey! Don't follow me! You!" Mahendra pointed at her with a sharp look and shouted again, "It's better if you stay here!" He then sped up his pace.

As time went on, the sun grew hotter, making him a little tired and sweaty. His stamina had been drained quite a bit after the ancient spell had been out of control for the past few days. All the while, the girl with the golden crystal eyes was still following him.

"I already told you never to follow me." After Mahendra said this and took a few more steps, the girl was no longer visible.

"Strange."

Feeling a little worried, Mahendra turned around and found her catching fish in a small, well-hidden lake. If he hadn't turned back, he might not have noticed the place. Mahendra then sighed, relieved that the girl was, in fact, fine.

"It's good that she's not following me anymore."

That's what Mahendra thought at first. Yes, Mahendra thought the girl was no longer following him, and she truly wasn't. But strangely, Mahendra felt uneasy because this was unusual.

"Is she really okay?" Anxiety and guilt piled up in his heart. Mahendra couldn't believe the girl would give up so easily.

After thinking silently for a while, Mahendra decided to go back and look for her. He quickened his pace toward the small lake again, but before he got there, a white shadow appeared from above.

"Why is she up there now?" Mahendra looked up, staring in surprise at the person climbing a tree, her right hand reaching for a red fruit.

"Come down. Why are you climbing a tree? Are you hungry?" Mahendra asked. A moment later, his own stomach rumbled loudly.

This girl's strange behavior was endless. Mahendra looked at her from below and felt it was so ridiculous. He thought, "Why am I even caring about her?"

As he tried to ignore the girl again, an unwanted event now happened to her. After picking a few fruits from up there and slowly climbing down, the tip of her toe scraped against a tree branch, causing her to lose her balance and fall freely.As soon as he realized what was happening, Mahendra quickly caught her with both hands. The girl with the golden eyes fell into his embrace.
Amidst the silence of the forest, no one was around them, and even the insects had moved away as if they understood the awkward situation. The two of them stared at each other. There was no conversation, no other movement, or anything they were thinking about.

Not long after, Mahendra came to his senses. He slowly put the girl down and continued his journey back to the city. Meanwhile, the girl was still following him from behind, and Mahendra just sighed when he realized it.
He thought to himself, "The more I forbid her, the more stubborn she gets. This girl is truly troublesome."

When they arrived near the back gate, it turned out to be heavily guarded by two soldiers. He briefly considered fighting them because he had no other choice, but suddenly, the girl dragged him into the city. The two of them passed right by without being stopped by the two soldiers.

"What did you do?" Mahendra asked.

The girl just laughed a little without explaining. It seemed that Mahendra started to realize after entering the Mageia City that perhaps their presence was invisible to people.