After killing the Winged Lion, Evelyn flew into the sky, heading to her organization.
But when she was above the lake, she suddenly stopped flying.
That lake was not an ordinary lake.
It was a special lake because it was the place where she had a good time with Ren.
'Ren…'
As she was looking at the lake, several memories popped up in her mind.
"Here, take it." Ren gave her the grilled fish as he smiled.
"Thank you." She took the grilled fish before finally consuming it.
Another memory appeared.
"You are so bad with direction, Ren." Evelyn said as she smiled.
"I'm not bad with direction. I just want to test your memory." Ren denied shamelessly.
"Hehe." She giggled.
Another memory emerged.
"Just take a bath. Don't worry. I will protect you from magical beasts and bad people. With me here, you are safe from everything." Ren said confidently before finally walking toward a big stone and sitting on it, protecting her from magical beasts and bad people.
Another memory arose.
Ren threw her clothes toward her and spoke, "Don't make a sound and hide in the water."
Shortly after that, the Winged Lion's voice rang out. "Human, are you done playing hide and seek now?"
The more Evelyn remembered Ren, the sadder she got.
Even though they only spent six days together, but it was an unforgettable memory for her because they were always together after he saved her from her senior sister and the others.
'Goodbye, Ren. I will remember you forever.'
She took one last look at the lake before she left.
As Evelyn flew toward the place where her organization was located, tears brimmed her eyes.
Her tears slowly turned into snowflakes before finally flying away in the wind.
At the same time, Ren was rushing to the lake using the Lightning Movement skill.
The duo did not notice it when they crossed paths because Evelyn was in the sky while Ren was on the ground.
"I will kill the Winged Lion quickly. After that, I will look for Evelyn." Ren mused.
To his surprise, he saw the Winged Lion's corpse shortly after that.
'Hmm?'
He rushed toward the Winged Lion's corpse because he wanted to make sure it was really the Winged Lion that chased him two days ago.
'It's really him!'
Ren noticed the Winged Lion's identity from the scar on its face.
'But who killed it? Was it Evelyn? Or was he killed by another magical beast?'
Countless questions popped up in his mind.
'Because he is already dead, then I will look for Evelyn now.'
He turned around and rushed to the cave they used for shelter two days ago.
However, he did not see Evelyn in the cave.
He also saw no signs of anyone using the cave last night.
'Did she not sleep in this cave last night?'
He left the cave to look for her.
He went to the lakes, waterfalls, rivers, caves, and cliffs.
He went to many places yet he did not find her.
'Has she returned to her organization?'
Ren stopped looking for her when the sun was setting.
The following morning, Ren looked for Evelyn after breakfast.
Like yesterday, he did not find her.
After moving from one place to another for six hours, he stopped looking for her and assumed that she had returned to her organization.
'Well, it can't be helped. I will just go to Nightshire City now.'
He had no idea where her organization was located, so he decided to go to Nightshire City.
'Nightshire City, I'm coming.'
He used the Lightning Movement skill to reach Nightshire City faster.
The moon set and the sun rose.
The next day at 08:00 am, Ren finally reached Nightshire City.
Nightshire City was a small city with 200,000 population.
It was a city built amidst the lush grass of the meadow and was truly a classic display of wonder.
Its beauty was matched by the backdrop of two waterfalls which had helped shape the city into what it was today.
Many troops guarded the city in turn and four towers were built to help the troops stake out around the city.
Ren was thrilled when he saw Nightshire City because he almost lost his life during his journey to Nightshire City.
'I hope I can live in this city without a problem.'
With a smile on his face, he walked toward the gate.
Like the others, Ren lined up to enter Nightshire City.
Even though Nightshire City was a small city, they could not enter and leave the city as they pleased.
The city guards would ask the visitors several questions and whether they could enter the city or not depended on their answers or their purpose of visit.
"You can enter." The red-haired city guard said, "Next."
"Tell me your name, city of origin, purpose of arrival, and how long you will stay in our city." the red-haired city guard said to the next visitor.
"I'm Hayden Armstrong from Herora City. I'm coming for business, sending fruit to my business partner." The blue-haired man responded, "I will be staying in Nightshire City for a week."
After one of the city guards checked the carriage, the red-haired man allowed him to enter.
"You can enter. Next." The red-haired man said, "Tell me your name, city of origin, purpose of arrival, and how long you will stay in our city."
"I'm Ren Starfall from Verneau Town. The purp-" before Ren had finished his words, all visitors looked at him.
Some of them even surrounded him, including the city guards.
"Verneau Town?"
"Young man, I heard your town was attacked by countless magical beasts. Is that true?"
"Young man, did you come to Nightshire City because you lost your hometown?"
"What a pitiful young man!"
"Young man, I express my condolences for the disaster that befell your hometown."
"Young man, are you alone? Where is your family?"
"Young man, did you come to Nightshire City alone?"
"Are there any other survivors from your town besides you?"
Not only did they suddenly surround him, but they also asked many questions at once, putting Ren in a difficult situation.
Upon seeing Ren's expression, one of the city guards spoke, "Alright, everyone. Stop it. You make him feel uncomfortable, you know?"
Everyone instantly stopped throwing questions at Ren.
"Mm?" Ren turned his head to look at the owner of the voice because that person could make everyone silent instantly.
'Is he a high-ranking troop?'
Ren saw a mature man with blue hair and brown eyes walking toward him.
A friendly aura emitted from the mature man's body, causing many people to like him immediately.
The name of the mature man was Noah Reid, a captain in Nightshire City.
"Captain Noah…"
"Captain Noah…"
"Captain Noah…"
One by one, they opened a path for him, allowing him to walk toward Ren easily.
"You said your name was Ren, right?" Captain Noah said, "Did you come to our city because you lost your hometown?"
"Yes." Ren gave an honest answer, "As everyone knew, countless magical beasts attacked my hometown several days ago, causing us to lose our houses and a place to live."
He then continued, "I came to Nightshire City because this city is the closest to my hometown."
"Does that mean you want to try your luck in our city?" Captain Noah threw another question at Ren.
"Yes." Ren responded.
"Where is your family?" Captain Noah asked curiously.
"I have no family." Ren told them that he was an orphan before the magical beasts attacked his hometown. "I've never met my mother since I was a baby and my father passed away last year."
Everyone suddenly felt sorry for him.
Ren was still young, yet he had lost everything, including his family and hometown.
Captain Noah felt bad for making Ren remember his late father. "Alright. You can enter now."
"Thank you." Ren answered.
Right after Ren entered the gate, Captain Noah shouted, "Young man, life is indeed cruel, but as long as you don't give up, happiness will come to you."
Ren smiled as he nodded his head.
'Ren, I'm already in Nightshire City. This will be the beginning of our adventure.'