Rose was intently looking at her pondering young master. The battle was already over and Yeshua was currently leaving.
"What? I know my handsome visage is very tempting but can you stop looking?" Michael said after he saw Rose looking at him. His voice was so annoying that Rose wanted to curse him. But the little rabbit was more interested in something else.
"Young master, that handsome boy is already leaving! Are we not going to kidnap him, then force him to tell us his secret and if he doesn't tell us, we will torture him until he tells the truth, then feed his corpse to the dogs?!" This little rabbit's excited voice was filled with bloody malevolence as her eyes cutely narrow into slits.
"What are you saying?! Where did you learn something like that? Are we the villains of some story that we will do something like that?!" Michael could not believe how this lovely girl could say those bloody things. But he still loved this Rose!
"Oh? So, we're not going to do that? That's boring. I thought we're going to be the bad guys." Rose disappointedly said while pouting cutely.
"Why are we the bad guys?"
"Well, you look like one, young master!"
"…"
Michael could not counter that so he pretended to get serious.
"Ahem, that young man is interesting. His strength and abilities are very strong for a new Alterer especially that last attack. But every Alterer has their secrets and someone's secret doesn't mean that it's effective to others. I don't want to waste my time on this young man for now. He's only at stage one of level one. Maybe if we meet him again and he's strong enough."
For Michael, Yeshua was only a weak Alterer. Despite Yeshua's peculiar strength, it was not enough to make Michael put his entire attention to him especially when his mind was on something else.
"Eh, then, what is young master thinking a while ago?"
"Well, I'm thinking about Damian. I'm more interested in his involvement in this. He is Grey's master so it means he's the one who wants the nefarious blood herb. Why does he need it? Who is the one he's going to use that herb to? It seems I have to pay attention to him."
Michael and Rose then left the forest only leaving the people burying Grey.
…
"Boss!"
When he reached his shack, Yeshua heard Bobo's anxious voice.
Bobo was waiting for Yeshua since a while ago. When they separated during the afternoon, Bobo said that he wanted to go with him but Yeshua told him that he would deal with the gang alone. Yeshua did not want to put Bobo in danger if something untoward happened during his meeting with Grey.
Though he wanted to insist, Bobo still chose to believe Yeshua. He also knew that if Yeshua had some way to deal with the gang leader he would just drag Yeshua down. So, Bobo chose to wait but he was still worried for his friend.
Though he saw Yeshua wearing torn clothes, Bobo was relieved that he was safe.
Yeshua was almost recovered now since he consumed a healing medicine on his way home. He bought that healing medicine in preparation for his fight with Grey. It was good that most of his wounds were healed when he used Blood Rage or that medicine would not be enough to heal him.
"Hey, Bobo. Have you eaten?" Yeshua said to Bobo casually as if nothing dangerous happened to him.
"Oh, Boss, now that you asked, actually I haven't… Wait! Boss, let's not talk about food! I'm really worried for you, you know!"
"Damn, Fatty. You're worried but you were distracted when you heard food! I even saw you drool!" Yeshua mocked his friend humorously.
"No, Boss! I'm not distracted. I'm really worried! I thought that the gang already chopped your limbs or let a beast maul your body. I even thought that they already threw your corpse into the creek! I thought of checking the creek if I would see your corpse there! I'm so anxious that I can't eat!"
Yeshua looked at Bobo like he wanted to beat him and turn him into a ham.
(Anxious, my ass! What's with your imagination?! Do you want me dead so much? Are you really my friend?! Or maybe you're actually the true villain who will evilly laugh at the climax of the story?!)
Though he doubted the 'loyalty' of his only friend Yeshua still calmed Bobo's worry. "It's alright now. I already dealt with the gang. They will not bother me anymore."
After hearing that, Bobo was shocked since he could not believe it. "Really, Boss? They really let you go? How did you convince their leader? Is he actually a good person different from the rumors?"
"What good person, he almost mauled me to death. Anyway, let's go inside the house first. I'll tell you what happened."
The two young men entered the house, and then Yeshua started to tell Bobo what happened to him. He told Bobo that he was already an Alterer and how it happened. Then, he talked about his fight with the leader and what occurred afterward.
Of course, he did not mention that he was kidnapped by a lunatic genome scholar and was nearly turned into a monster. He did not tell any information that had something to do with the mysterious shard. It was not because he did not trust his only friend. Yeshua knew that the shard had a complicated origin.
Yeshua read Wendel's logs and found out that he stole the mysterious shard from his former organization. With the mysteriousness of the shard, he thought that maybe that organization was not simple. It was better if he was the only one who knew anything about it. In that way, it would be easy to hide his possession of the shard.
Yeshua just told Bobo that when he was delivering the package he encountered an old man who suddenly knocked him out. Then, when he woke up, he found himself in a house alone where he got some money. Using that money and what he saved he was able to buy a genome potion.
Bobo was shocked by everything he heard from Yeshua especially his fight with the gang leader but afterward, he looked at him with worry and dread.
"B-boss, that old man, did he do something untoward to you? Maybe when you're unconscious, he actually…"
"Stop! What are you saying? Nothing happened like that."
"Are you sure, Boss? When you woke up, did you feel your backside hurting?"
"If you don't stop, your backside will be hurting when I kick you!"
Bobo pouted in confusion and continued to mumble. "But you found some money in the house, maybe that's his payment for…"
Yeshua was looking annoyingly at Bobo. This fatty actually focused on wrong things! Well, it was his fault that he told a story with a lot of suggestive details.
But afterward, Bobo forgot about it and said excitedly. "But Boss, I'm really happy that you're an Alterer now! You already started to fulfill your dream. I'm very happy for you, Boss!"
Seeing his good friend's genuine happiness for him also made Yeshua happy. It was true that he was on the path of his dreams despite the hardships he experienced.
Yeshua smiled widely showing his happiness.
"Boss, you've really changed."
But that statement froze Yeshua's joyful smile.
(This Bobo… Did he find out that I'm not the true Yeshua? Is this the power of the true villain?!)
Yeshua looked at Bobo who was looking at him. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you had this gloominess before. I understand that since I know what happened to you. But now I feel you're different. You're not gloomy anymore. You're smiling and laughing now. You also talk a lot and even joke around."
(Yeah, right. Yeshua was a gloomy person. But even though our soul fused, it's not like I can act that gloominess, right? Though I accepted that I am Yeshua, I still have a different personality and naturally acted on it. I took for granted that Bobo might notice it.)
Yeshua smiled sheepishly at Bobo. "Well, I just thought that life is really harsh. But still, there are things that can bring us joy. We just have to find those things that will make us happy."
Although Yeshua was trying to weasel his way out of his awkward situation, he also believed in the things that he said. In this path that he chose to pursue, he would look for things that would give him happiness. Life was indeed harsh but Yeshua would still strive to live and not give up.
"Well, Boss. I think that it's better that you're like that now. I really want you to stop being gloomy. Haha, Boss. Maybe becoming an Alterer really changed you. I'm really happy for you, Boss!"
Yeshua was relieved that Bobo accepted all his excuses. This fatty was simpleminded but a genuine friend.
The two talked some more, then Bobo went home after a while. Yeshua was left alone in his shack as he thought of his plan for tomorrow.
"I need to start my cultivation starting tomorrow. I'll go to the Red Wood Forest to hunt and fight spirit beasts. A bloody battle is the best way to increase an Alterer's strength as the potential of the soul is being squeezed out due to battle pressure.
"I have to strengthen myself as much as possible before trouble finds me. Argh! This world is really dangerous! Can't I just leisurely get strong and live a happy life with my wives?"
Yeshua then lied down on his bed trying to dream about his future wives. Tonight, he would just rest his tired body.