After cooking, Tevanny and Risk prepared all the food on the dining table. They made Grasswood's signature soy sauce chicken soup, which has a strong cumin flavor. They had also prepared rice for Rhino. Elisia immediately approached Tevanny to ask about Christ, but the woman asked Elisia to sit down.

Everyone had gathered, including Dao, who could only watch them, to had lunch together on a sunny afternoon. Elisia's mind was still describing Christ and his problems. Tevanny saw Elisia, who looked unusual, rarely smiled and was gloomy.

“Elisia, is something wrong?” Tevanny asked.

Risk just realized that Elisia had come home and approached her. “What about your date? Was that boy bothering you?”

Elisia shook her head. “Not, he was not. But, not good.”

Everyone felt Elisia's sadness after hearing their little girl's answer. All eyes were on Elisia.

“Is Elisia okay? If that youth hurts you, Dao will repay him,” Dao asked.

“You were dating with a guy? Who was he?” Rhino asked curiously.

Elisia looked at Tevanny with a gloomy face. “Tevanny, do you know how Christian Lao's life is?”

“Christian Lao?” Tevanny thought. “Oh.., that eighteen-year-old boy who often works in many places? Did you go for a date with him?”

“Yes, i did. Do you know what happened to him?”

Tevanny was silent for a moment with her head lowered. Their gaze turned to Tevanny and waited for an answer. Tevanny raised her head, made her serious face visible to everyone.

“Christian Lao was the first son of Drake Lao and Lanny Chen. Mister Lao was a famous bandit leader from the outskirts of Lung country who moved to Grasswood. His men often bully the people here until became poor. One day, there was a battle between bandits that caused Mister Lao die.”

“Die? Then what about Christ?” Elisia cut in the curious.

“Christ, who was twelve years old, saved his mother and hid in the basement of his house. Until things were safe, he was out. He took his mother away from home and found a new place to live in the middle of Grasswood village.”

“Does he still live there?” Elisia was getting more and more curious.

“According to some residents, they are no longer live there because Christian's mother has died. Christ lives alone by working. Until he reached the age of 18, the villagers still trusted him to work even though some people still have traumatic feelings from what happened 5 years ago.”

Elisia understood why people treated Christ so badly. The girl became sorry for the person she love living in prolonged mental suffering. She turned to Risk with a slightly gloomy look.

“So, is Christ living alone now?” Dao asked.

“Yes, but fortunately, Mr. Pata often sends food to him,” Tevanny replied.

Everyone continued their lunch, which had delayed because of the story about Christ. Elisia had no appetite hearing that sad story. She felt guilty for not defending Christ earlier. When she was about to bribe food, a message appeared in front of her.

“Achievement unlocked: First Love”

“Reward : ATK +20 and Def +25”

.

After eating lunch, Elisia walked into the room to sit down while thinking about something to help Christ. She had to make sure that Christ had no more suffering in his life. Elisia wrote some notes to help her figure out the right way. His neat writing ability surprised the girl.

- Take him on their odyssey.

- Give him something like an amulet or heirloom to protect him.

- Dating him one more time while teaching the people who bothered Christ a lesson.

In a thoughtful mood, a knock on the door startled Elisia. Elisia glanced, it was Risk. The man entered the room and saw Elisia's activities. He smiled slightly at the table full of papers.

“Elisia, what are you writing?” Risk asked.

“I am thinking of a way to free Christ from the suffering of his life. I don't want to see him sacrifice for people who even hate him,” Elisia said while writing.

Risk walked over to Elisia and grabbed the girl's shoulders. His head drew closer until Risk's breath tickled Elisia's ears.

“Elisia, you think too much! He must be a strong teenager. He can definitely get through all the hardships of life,” Risk compained.

Elisia turned around quickly. “You don't understand, Risk! I've seen how the teens here treat Christ. He must could not and pretended to be strong. We can't let it go.”

“Then what do you want? Save him from this village?”

Elisia looked at the note on the paper. “What do you think if we take him on our odyssey? Maybe we can find a friendlier place for him.”

“I don't think that's a good idea, Elisia. Our wanderings will become increasingly difficult, and we will try not to involve ordinary people. You alone are enough,” Risk divulged.

“Then what can we do? Maybe we should see him this afternoon.”

Elisia leaned back in the chair as she continued to think about Christ. Risk felt that his disciple think too much about other people, contrary to him who is indifferent to other people. He left Elisia to look for Upgrade, who had almost spent his time making tools. There was a knock on the door, and the man he was looking for came out.

“What's the matter, Risk?” Upgrade asked.

“There's something I want to talk about.”

...

Unknowingly, Elisia fell asleep on the chair. The girl looked at the window. It seemed that she was getting late. Quickly, Elisia walked out to look for Christ. The people in the house shouted at Elisia to come back because it was getting late, but the girl ignored everything.

Elisia ran towards the village, which was getting dark. Lighting with torches and oil lamps welcomed her running in search of the person she loved. Arriving at the fountain, Elisia turned to three paths, the right leading to the flower garden, the left to the archery area, and the straight unknown. Elisia took the straight path and tried to believe that Christ lived there.

While running, Elisia bumped into someone and fell to the ground. She held her aching hip and tried to look at the person she hit. His hand reached out towards her, and his face came into view from the light of the torch. Elisia smiled at him.

“Christ!” Elisia grabbed the hand and immediately hugged it.

Christ was shocked. “What are you doing here? It's dangerous for a girl to walk alone at this time of night!”

Elisia let go of the hug. “I miss you, Christ!”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“I miss you too, but I told you not to see me again. You can get in trouble.”

“Let it go. I already know your background, and now I want to meet to discuss something,” Elisia said.

Christ pulled Elisia's hand into an alley. The girl wondered where the teenager had taken her. They arrived at a small hut in the alley. Christ opened the door and ushered Elisia into the dark room. Christ followed, then closed the door.

“Christ, is this your house?” Elisia asked, who couldn't see anything.

“My second home. My real house is in the middle of the fields.” Christ lit the oil lamp. “Okay, what do you want to say?”

It amazed Elisia to see all the scribbles on the papers on the table. The images like a self-defense move. Elisia felt that Christ was learning something alone.

“Did you draw all this?” Elisia ensured.

“Yes, for study. As you already know, I've often mistreated by teenagers here. So, I learned martial arts so they wouldn't bother me anymore,” Christ explained.

Elisia looked at the scribbles, making her remember the movements in Hex Aegis. She held the pendulum and summoned [Hex Aegis] here. The book fell from the ceiling of the house and hit the table. The girl turned to the page corresponding to the scribble.

Christ was curious about the book Elisia was reading. He looked at it, but didn't see any writers. But, he continued pay attention to Elisia, who understood the contents of the book. After reading for a while, Elisia found something.

“If I see this move, Risk can help you practice this move,” Elisia said.

“Risk?”

“The one who allowed you to go with me to the village this afternoon.”

“Oh, that person. Does he want to teach me this?” Christ confirmed.

“He definitely will. I will persuade him,” Elisia replied.

Christ smiled. “Thank you. What did you want to say?”

“Oh, like I said earlier, I already know your past from Miss Tevanny. I didn't expect you to have such a sad story. I would like to offer you to come with us on an odyssey. We will take you from this village so that you can be free from suffering.”

“Come with you? Free from suffering?”

“Yes. I can't stand to see you suffer here. You're getting unpleasant treatment from this village teenager. I just want to help you,” Elisia divulged.

Christ looked down, then walked over to the photo-lined wall. He fumbled for a photo that wasn't very clear in lighting. Elisia came closer and looked at the photos. There was a woman who seemed to be Christ's mother, Lanny Chen. The girl heard sobs from Christ.

Elisia was sad to see the teenager cry. “Forgive me. I spoke too fast, that I don't understand your feelings.”

Christ wiped away the tears. “It doesn’t matter. I know your intentions are very good, but I can't. This is the place that makes me live. I feel better since being here, especially after the death of my father and mother.”

Elisia looked down sadly at the answer. In her heart, Elisia couldn't force Christ to leave. However, Elisia also couldn't bear it if the evil teenagers bothered her again.

Christ suddenly hugged Elisia. Christ's warm body touched Elisia's body, making her comfortable. The girl could feel Christ's heartbeat, which was rather fast. She closed her eyes and longed to sleep in his arms.

Suddenly, the sound of the bell startled them. Elisia got up from the hug and looked around. Christ immediately got up, then took the oil lamp. He ran out of the house, followed by Elisia.

“Christ, what happened?!” Elisia asked panickly.

Christ glanced back and stopped. “Elisia, stay here! I will handle it!”

"But, I want to help-“ Elisia's words interrupted because Christ ran away. Elisia ran back to the house.

The girl ran down a rather quiet village street. She passed several people until collided with someone. When she saw his face in the light of the oil lamp, Elisia got up and took the man's hand.

“Hey, Elisia! What happened?!” the man asked in shock.

“Risk, we have to help Christ!” Elisia kept pulling Risk's hand.

With a stronger force, Risk grabbed Elisia's hand and calmed her down. The girl took a deep breath. After that, Elisia wasn't restless anymore.

“Elisia, tell me what is happening!” Risk asked while holding her arms and looking at her face.

“I don't know, but Christ ran just now. I think he's headed for the flower garden,” Elisia answered.

“Fine, then we'll check over there.” They walked towards the flower garden with Elisia's lead.

Arriving at the flower garden, Elisia and Risk saw a light from the middle of the garden. They immediately approached the source of the light. When they arrived, they were surprised because there was a fire in a small building there. They also saw Christ carrying a bucket of water to put out the growing fire.

Elisia approached him. “Christ, what’s happening?!"

Christ stopped short of breath. “My house… on fire!”

Risk went in front of them. He closed his eyes and silent. Elisia and Christ could feel the power emanating from Risk. The heat from the fire touched Risk's aura. After opening his eyes, Risk raised his hand forward quickly. The fire gone.

Christ ran and approached the burnt house. Elisia wanted to chase after him, but held back by Risk. The man shook his head with serious face. A few minutes later, Christ came out carrying a book that had been burned. His face looked sad in the light of the oil lamp.

“Mom..., forgive me....”

Elisia approached the very sad Christ. Elisia looked at the book the teenager brought. It was the last notebook her mother had given to him.

[Memories Photo Album]

“Christ, be patient!” Elisia comforted the teenager.

Risk observed the charred house. Something was bothering him. Elisia hugged Christ, who was still crying. She would let the teenager spend the sadness on the girl's body until he satisfied.

“Please, Stop the crying! We can help solve your problem,” Elisia comforted him. But, Christ was still crying.

In his observations, Risk smelled kerosene around the house. Also, he found an arrow that was almost burnt out. He took it to Elisia to find out who it belonged to.

“I found this arrow behind this house. Do you know whose it is?” Risk asked.

Christ was suprised and saw the arrow. He squinted his eyes to see clearly, plus the light from the oil lamp. Elisia also looked at the arrow with [Six Sense]. Even though she could only see the stats of the thing, but maybe Elisia could find its owner.

[Composite Arrow]

[ATK : 450]

[Toughness : medium]

[Friction : low]

[Movement : fast]

.

These arrows had good specifications and different types. The owner had experienced in using a bow and hated Christ. Risk also saw an arrow that looked different from the tip that fire had destroyed. After seeing it, Christ was immediately wide-eyed.

“Now I know who set this house on fire,” Christ declared.

“Huh, who is?!” Elisia was curious.

“You remember the teenager who mocked me at the archery? One of them is a young archer, Brando,” Christ explained, “I'm sure he must be the culprit.”

“If you look at the arrows, they look different from ordinary arrows,” Risk added.

“You are right. It's a special arrow,” Elisia approved.

“I already guessed.” Christ gripped the arrow until it shattered. “I have to meet him!”

Elisia held Christ's body. “No, Christ! Don’t do anything that might harm anyone!”

“Elisia’s right. We will take you to Tevanny's house to examine your body,” Risk continued.

Christ sighed until his body went limp. He smiled and nodded. Elisia and Risk took Christ to Tevanny's house. Along the way, everyone looked at Christ with cynical and curious eyes. Elisia could sense that the story was right.

After arriving at Tevanny's house, everyone who felt anxious immediately approached Elisia. They hugged and stroked the girl's head.

“Elisia, are you okay?” Tevanny asked anxiously.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” Elisia replied, “But not to Christ.”

Tevanny glanced at Christ. “Christ, what are you doing here?”

Just wanted to answer, Risk covered Christ's mouth. “Long story short, someone burned his house. Elisia and I have checked the cause of the fire.”

Everyone surprised and approached Christ, including Upgrade, who was drinking coffee earlier. Tevanny noticed Christ's clothes were full of burnt stains, plus he was carrying a book.

“Christ, are you okay?” Tevanny asked.

“I'm fine. Thank you for worrying about me,” Christ answered.

“I'm not worried about you. I just feel sorry for you because your house is on fire,” Tevanny replied.

Elisia approached Tevanny and whispered something. She shocked, then asked Christ to sit in the dining room. Dao handed Christ a glass of water. Then, everyone noticed Christ. Tevanny stood to the right of the teenager.

“I think I know the root of the problem,” Tevanny told.

“Does it have anything to do with the story five years ago?” Elisia ensured.

Tevanny nodded. “Brando's father, the teenager here, was a fighter. He died while trying to protect the village from a bandit war. He became the target of an attack from Mr. Lao, who did not realize where his attack was headed. He died right in front of Brando.”

“So Brando was seeking revenge on Christ for his father's death?” Risk clarified

“The child was wrong. He shouldn't be so angry that want to take a revenge. After all, Christ's father didn't do it on purpose,” Rhino defended.

“But, all of that has been a traumatic tragedy for the villagers of Grasswood. In the end, it was Christ who became the target of humiliation in this village,” Tevanny continued.

Elisia cradled Christ's left shoulder. She grabbed Christ's arm, making everyone look at them. Christ tried to let go of the grip, but couldn't. Things got worse after seeing Elisia close her eyes. However, everyone's response was normal.

"Don't worry. You can stay here for a while, until this problem is over,” Tevanny said as comforting Christ.

“Yeah, your breath here is our breath too. Never hesitate to ask for help,” Rhino continued.

“I hate to say this, but if you weren't a teenager who made Elisia happy and found out a lot about you, I would never have allowed you to be in front of me,” Risk said sarcastically.

Christ smiled, seeing the positive response from Elisia's friends. “Thank you, heroes! I owe you.”

“Don't owe Dao, because Dao doesn't understand currency,” Dao answered.

Everyone laughed at the funny Dao reply. The behavior of his friends surprised the robot man. In fact, Upgrade also laughed softly when he heard the robot he design made a joke.

Christ noticed Elisia, who was still leaning on her left arm. The teenager felt lucky to have met Elisia, who was kind-hearted and willing to help anyone, with any background. Christ also saw the faces of Elisia's friends who looked strong. It made him remember something.

“Mr. Risk, I have something to tell you,” Christ said as turned to Risk.

“Please don't call me mister!" Risk annoyed, “Say what you want!”

“Elisia said that you taught Elisia to become good fighter. Will you accept me as your new disciple?”

“What?”