Chapter 8: Goodbye, Shirley

Under the gazes of those three, especially after what Kiro said, Rod’s premonition grew stronger. He thought to himself, “Oh no.” Others might not dare say anything, but as for Kiro, perhaps he already knew…
Suddenly, Rod remembered something crucial—Kiro was a recruit from the Porter family. With the Porter family’s powerful information network, he might already know a lot! His heart skipped a beat, and his expression turned grim.
“Brother, what’s wrong?” The unusual atmosphere even caught Tru and the others’ attention. Looking at Rod, Tru asked doubtfully, his face filled with excitement and anticipation for the outcome.
“You guys go to Camp No. 19 this afternoon and see Skola and Keroth. Have them arrange things for you!” Rod, pulled back to reality by Tru’s words, thought for a moment before speaking hastily.
Hearing Rod’s reply, the others showed slight smiles, especially Tru and the others, who were extremely excited. They knew all too well what the Reaper Scythe Squad was like in Iron Bar Town—they were incredibly famous, with their strength and abilities widely recognized. They were the most respected and formidable team, and people believed no problem could be solved with them around. Their fame even overshadowed that of the three god-tier warriors! Moreover, they knew this reputation would soon spread across the entire continent, becoming well-known everywhere. In a few years, they might even become a pivotal force in the continent.
Joining them was an honor, an opportunity, and a guarantee for them. After fighting for over ten days, the defense of Iron Bar Town had suffered heavy losses, except for the Reaper Scythe Squad, which had fought the hardest and suffered the least. Everyone understood why so many wanted to join them. Now, joining them meant that although they would face intense battles ahead, their lives would be better protected.
“Great, Brother Brado. Thank you! We’ll go see Brother Skola and Brother Keroth this afternoon! We’re leaving now—won’t disturb you any longer!” Having gotten what they wanted, the three said goodbye to Kiro and the others and left eagerly.
With their departure, only Rod and Kiro remained. The atmosphere became somewhat strange.

“If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving first. Just go there this afternoon and say it was my suggestion!” Perhaps it was this atmosphere that made Rod feel uncomfortable, so after staying silent for a moment, he said those words to the group before planning to leave.
“Got it!” Kiro replied briefly after a pause, without delving further into it. Watching Rod walk away, feeling him get farther and farther away, his expression grew somewhat complex.
Taking a deep breath and frowning, he hesitated for a moment before saying, “Let’s go back too! A night of fighting has left us tired.”
“He looks like someone!” After a long while, Thiel spoke up, saying something that made both Kiro and Wiski’s expressions change instantly!
Once again, the atmosphere fell silent, filled with a strange sense of confusion among the three. Kiro and Wiski were certainly aware of this as well, but neither of them wanted to bring up the topic. They didn’t expect Thiel to bring it up so directly.
“Let’s act like we don’t know about this. We’ll talk about it later. Don’t tell anyone else!” After pondering for a while, Kiro said in a low voice, looking at Thiel.
“You should know how serious the consequences would be if this got out. No matter who he is or what’s going on, let’s act like we don’t know. We’ll discuss the rest later!” Kiro continued, frowning even more.
“I don’t need you to tell me who he is. I know who he is. I think some people need to be reminded of the choices they made back then. You know that, right?” With a faint smirk, Thiel said those words coldly before staring at Kiro for a moment before walking straight into the tent.
“I’m leaving too!” Wiski said before heading inside, leaving Kiro standing alone.
“Is it you, Brado? Who exactly are you? Anyway, I don’t want to see that scene again! I hope I won’t have to make choices I don’t want to make!” With a sigh, he looked up at the sky. The harsh light made him frown. After another sigh, he headed inside the tent as well.
Of course, Rod didn’t hear what the others said. Otherwise, even if Rod were stupid, he would realize that his identity had been suspected by them, even exposed. In that case, Rod wouldn’t even know what choice to make or what to do.

But even so, Rod was frowning and walking aimlessly with his head down, having forgotten his original plans, wandering around the camp like a lonely spirit. Kiro’s words, Visky’s gaze, and Ser’s thoughtful expression—all of their actions made him very uneasy, especially Kiro and Visky. He knew exactly what kind of people they were; after spending so much time with them, he had more or less figured out their personalities and temperaments. Today, they were acting strangely, and that remark seemed like both a warning to him and a reminder. Skora had once told him that his disguise couldn’t hide him from experts. Could it be that all three of them were experts in this field? Yet how could they suspect him so quickly? He thought he had been very careful in his actions all this time, making it impossible for anyone to uncover his identity—especially since he had only met these people once from afar and never even spoken to them. How could his identity be exposed? This left Rod utterly puzzled. If Nightingale had figured out his identity, it could be understood, after all, they had spent time together and fought side by side. But them… With a sigh, Rod frowned, unable to figure out why. “Hey, famous guy, what are you doing here?” A voice beside him interrupted his thoughts. Frowning, he thought today wasn’t a good day—everyone kept interrupting his train of thought. Earlier it was at the entrance of Camp 14, where several new members were taken in for no reason. Now it was here, by the training ground! It was only then that Rod realized he had unconsciously arrived by the training ground. Looking up, he saw a bright-eyed girl standing in front of him, smiling at him with a dazzling smile. “Why are you here?” Instinctively, Rod walked over and asked her. “If you can come, can’t I?” The girl tilted her head, thought for a moment, then retorted. Seeing Rod’s flustered expression, she giggled again. Her clear laughter and charming smile left Rod without any temper. “If you’re not afraid of being captured by bad guys again, go ahead. See if you’re still that lucky next time!” Rod rolled his eyes and smiled bitterly. Wasn’t this Shirley standing in front of him? This girl really didn’t learn from her mistakes; the previous incident didn’t seem to have taught her anything.

“Who are you trying to scare? It’s broad daylight—do you think everyone’s as despicable as you think? I guess only you would do such a thing!” Picked at her sore spot, Shirley became upset and pouted in complaint.
“Enough, I don’t want to argue with you. If you have nothing to do, go back. This isn’t a place for little girls like you. It’s dangerous—head back to the capital right away! I have things to do, so I’m leaving!” Rod, tired of arguing with her, planned to leave.
He had to admit the girl was pretty—small, cute, and lively. But Rod wasn’t in the mood to appreciate her now. Besides, at least for now, he had no interest in women. It wasn’t that he wasn’t a man; it was just that he was too naive, making it impossible for him to think in those terms. He was annoyed and had no desire to pay attention further.
“Oh, now you’re a busy person! You don’t even have time for us little girls! By the way, I forgot to tell you—I saw the guy who escaped last time. I followed him here. I don’t know what he’s doing, but he sneaked into this forest. How about you come with me? Maybe it’ll give you another chance to be a hero and save a beauty! Who knows? You might even get something in return—what a win-win!” With a charming smile, Shirley stepped closer to Rod and spoke in a suggestive tone.
“Is that guy back?” Rod frowned in confusion. Truly, trouble never stays away—here he was again. Sneaking into this forest—what evil was he up to? Rod couldn’t help but wonder.
“I’m not interested. Just giving you something in return is enough. You didn’t even appreciate it when I saved you. Do you think this is from a story? Giving something in return? You naive kid, poisoned by those silly ideas!” Rod said indifferently, rolling his eyes. He wasn’t going to think that way. Only such naive girls would believe in things like giving something in return.
“You… Hmph, you’re a scoundrel! Whatever. You must come with me today. Otherwise, I’ll go in alone. If anything happens to me, how will your conscience feel? An innocent girl, a beautiful and sweet girl, poisoned by a pervert in a forest—if you can stand it, stay here!”
Flushed from Rod’s words and remembering that day, Shirley said angrily, her face red. Then, right in front of Rod, she headed toward the forest.