Chapter 72 - The Cruelty of the World We Live In
Rygar walked through the streets of Voltand, his eyes scanning every detail around him. He told himself to stay alert, to observe, to read the signs of the environment. After all, he didn't want to miss a fateful encounter due to a lack of attention—that would be quite embarrassing. But after fifteen minutes of wandering aimlessly, he sighed.
It was a stupid idea.
Thinking that simply walking around would make some puzzle piece fall into place or reveal a new path in fate—maybe the Human God was just a fraud? After all, even without being able to see the future, he could have predicted that I would go to Brighstone.
He should have known better. Shaking his head in frustration, he decided it was time to return to the Adventurers' Guild. Eris's identification should be ready by now, and he wanted to congratulate her.
It was at that moment, as he turned to leave, that he bumped into something.
Or rather, someone.
The light impact was followed by a small thud on the ground. When Rygar looked down, he saw a little girl sitting on the floor, blinking up at him in surprise. She appeared to be around three years old, with reddish-brown, messy, and tangled hair, and large, vibrant green eyes. Her clothes caught his attention: a makeshift dress, clearly patched together from a much larger garment. But more than that, since he had his Magic Eye activated, he could see—this child had quite a lot of mana... What was she, three or four years old at most? Yet her mana was three times greater than the normal amount for someone her age.
For a moment, Rygar froze. Something struck him in a strange way, like a light tingling at the back of his neck, a sense of recognition where there should be none. He looked into the girl's eyes, and in that green depth, he saw something unusual. There was intelligence there—far beyond what one would expect from a child so young. It was as if she was evaluating him, trying to understand him, just as he was studying her. And then, something deeper emerged—an inexplicable, almost instinctive connection that made his skin prickle slightly.
Before he could react, the little girl quickly got to her feet, her gaze determined and her voice firm for someone so small.
"Big brother! Can you help me?"
The attempt to sound mature, mixed with her childish tone and serious expression, was something Rygar found incredibly cute. He crouched down to her level, his eyes still analyzing every feature of the little stranger.