Chapter 35

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Episode 6 - Recovery [1]

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Clementine took Adel to one of her favorite places, where she often goes alone to eat.

The food was quite different from what people usually eat.

There were different dishes that she had never seen or tasted before.

Flavors that melted in her mouth every time she tasted them.

And a dozen of them she hadn’t tried yet.

Clementine walked down a quiet alley, turned a few times, and finally stopped.

In front of her was a hidden restaurant in the city, one where almost no one was.

It was strange, considering that the food there was really delicious.

She soon opened the door and a bell rang.

The interior was filled with bamboo tables and chairs; Japanese-style lamps hung from the ceiling.

There were about ten people in total, and many of them were seated at private tables.

These private tables were meant to prevent people from being secretly observed.

Of course, for someone who had awakened, spying was no problem.

In any case, Clementine sat Adel down at a private table.

’I really don’t know what I’ll do if someone sees me holding a child’s hand.’

She made sure no one recognized her, but she still took several detours before finally arriving at this restaurant.

She felt nervous that someone might have seen her, but that wasn’t the case.

’Ugh, I feel like my heart is going to explode.’

Soon, a waitress arrived and easily recognized Clementine as a regular customer.

"Miss. Clementine, I heard about yesterday’s attacks by the villains. Are you okay?"

Clementine smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I’m fine, don’t worry, Cloe."

Meanwhile, Adel "watched" in silence without saying a word. Then, Cloe finally noticed him.

"Kyaa! How cute and tiny. Is he a relative of yours, Miss Clementine?"

Clementine was startled by Cloe’s exclamation, but quickly recovered and nodded.

"Ah, uh... Yes, he’s my... younger brother."

The waitress looked at Clementine in confusion and asked.

"But his eye and hair color are different from yours, Miss Clementine."

Clementine quickly thought of an excuse.

Clementine’s hair was pale pink, and her eyes were a deep red.

But Adel’s hair was as white as moonlight, and her eyes were a deep gold with a slight hint of red around her semi-inverted pupils.

Clementine knew that, but she’d forgotten because she was so nervous.

’What should I say? Shit, I screwed up... Ah, wait, maybe this will work.’

She quickly offered her excuse.

"Y-yeah, well, he’s the son of one of my father’s other wives, and he inherited his mother’s features."

Clementine laughed awkwardly; the excuse seemed to work, and Chloe nodded.

"Oh, so that’s the case. I see. Then, what will Miss Clementine and her brother order...?"

Clementine hurried to invent a name and said,

"Abel... His name is Abel Lunovar."

The waitress nodded.

"Okay, then, Miss Clementine and young Master Abel. I’ll come as soon as you ring the bell."

Clementine already knew this, and the waitress had explained it to her before.

But since there was someone new, the waitress’s habit made her explain it again.

Clementine and Adel nodded, and the waitress left.

At that moment, the silence between them grew deeper.

At the same time, the doorbell rang twice.

Clementine, lost in her thoughts, didn’t notice, and Adel, unable to use his senses, didn’t even know if anyone had come in.

In any case, Clementine briefly looked at Adel and thought.

’Ugh, this is uncomfortable...’

It was the first time I had experienced something like this, filled with strange emotions, sensations, and thoughts that wouldn’t stop.

And, somehow, being with Adel made her feel nervous and conflicted.

I developed a nervous and conflicted personality whenever I was with him.

’Damn you, it’s all your fault.’

She complained mentally, but outwardly she wore an expression of embarrassment, discomfort, and so on.

At that moment, her thoughts were still in chaos when Adel’s voice snapped her out of them.

"You’re not reading the menu."

Clementine felt embarrassed when she realized she wasn’t reading the restaurant menu.

He quickly grabbed the menu and read everything to Adel, including the descriptions.

After a while, Adel nodded and lost herself in her thoughts.

Meanwhile, Clementine glanced up briefly, then covered her face with the menu and thought.

’Ugh, stop being silly, Clementine. You were never like this. Act like you normally do.’

She took several deep breaths and finally managed to calm her thoughts.

Then she looked at Adel and asked.

"Are you done?"

Her voice was the same as always. Adel nodded and said:

"Oh, yes, then I’ll order..."

Adel smiled and started to say what she wanted. However, Clementine saw her smile, and her thoughts wavered.

’Ahhh! Who cares? It’s just too cute.’

She had a strange obsession with anything cute.

Ever since she was a child, the first time she saw a stuffed animal, she fell so deeply in love with it that, even today, she sleeps with a bunch of stuffed animals.

Of course, she hid them so Adel wouldn’t find out.

Her breathing was ragged as she suppressed her strange desires. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Here you go, enjoy."

After a while, the waitress brought everything the two had ordered.

Meanwhile, on the other side of where they were sitting.

Two girls were secretly watching them, trying to confirm their suspicions.

Rinna, wearing sunglasses and a hat, sipped her fruit drink through a straw and looked in the direction of the pair.

There was a boy around 8 years old who looked strangely like Adel.

Of course, Rinna had never seen Adel’s face, so she had only imagined it.

But that hair color was exactly the same.

’It’s definitely Adel... but why does he look like a boy? Why is Miss Clementine with him? And above all, how cute! I’ve never seen anything so sweet.’

Rinna was lost in thought; meanwhile, Diana, at another table.

She was also disguised as Rinna, trying to go unnoticed.

"Oh, cute."

That was all she said.

Both girls secretly watched until the pair finally left the restaurant.

***

Somewhere on the continent.

"Cough...!!!"

The body of a woman with no limbs fell heavily to the ground.

Little blood flowed from her body; she had almost none left, and her body burned with pain and extreme exhaustion.

She appeared in a room where only one person was present.

A short man, about 5 feet 3 inches tall, looked at the woman on the ground; then, instantly, he burst into a mocking laugh.

"Look at this, it’s quite a spectacle. Now, who are you going to call a midget, you damn crazy woman?"

The short man was her partner on missions.

He looked at her briefly, then took a chair, placed it in front of her, sat down, and looked down at her.

"Wow, you’re really hurt. Who did this to you?"

The woman, named Amanda, coughed up blood and said:

"Little... Adel..."

The man’s eyes widened.

"What? Did that kid do this to you? Ha, unbelievable, it looks like he was really going to kill you. Now you realize he wasn’t joking when he told you he’d kill you someday."

He remained silent for a few seconds while watching Amanda’s expression; his expression turned playful.

"If it weren’t for that collar I gave you, which you barely accepted, you wouldn’t be here. Ugh, anyway, regenerating your limbs is going to be a headache and... mhm."

The man looked at Amanda more closely, and his expression was quite a sight.

"Pfft... ha, ha, ha... Not only did he leave you like this, but he also completely destroyed your Circulation Channel. Anyway, I didn’t know he was that strong."

The man muttered in disbelief upon learning that Adel was strong enough to nearly kill Amanda.

Still, his expression didn’t change much, but he continued to mock this woman who always called him a dwarf.

"Ah, damn it, you’re always causing me trouble. Maybe you’re the weakest of them all, since you specialize in torture; even so..."

Amanda, however, interrupted him.

"It’s not... Cough...!!! Torture, it’s a game."

The man clicked his tongue.

"Tsk, you crazy woman. I don’t even know how you’re still alive with so little intelligence."

This wasn’t the first time Amanda had been seriously injured.

She had been injured more than a dozen times.

And the reason.

"You’re as fucking stupid as a five-year-old, provoking enemies and putting yourself in danger on a whim."

The man not only vented his frustration, but also continued to mock her.

Then, the man stood up and reached out his hand toward Amanda.

Instantly, Amanda’s body floated in the air and fell onto a metal table.

Then, the man searched for syringes containing red liquid.

They were none other than Adel’s blood.

Naturally, as part of the group responsible for extracting Adel’s blood, the man had about a liter on hand.

He injected the blood into the woman’s body.

Soon, her body had fully regenerated; the Circulation Channels had regenerated, and the Power of Chaos began to flow through her body once more.

Amanda stood up abruptly, but said nothing.

When the man saw her, he sighed and said:

"You’re not allowed to leave right now, unless ’he’ gives us a new mission."

He made sure to say it in a stern tone.

If she didn’t obey, she would be severely punished.

Amanda, however, said nothing; she simply nodded and stood still.

Then, a smile formed on her face. Seeing this, the man clicked his tongue countless times.

’Here we go again, damn it.’