Chapter 37: A Mired Person's Self-Salvation
After dispelling the "Cinder Ella" magic state, what finally appeared before Liam was a very delicate girlish face.
Pallum height.
She was half a head shorter than him. Her appearance was that of a petite, little-sister-type girl, her light brown short hair falling naturally by her ears.
She wore a grayish-brown cloak, short boots paired with black over-the-knee socks.
Especially the young woman's brown eyes, glistening with a watery mist – if one didn't know better, it was highly possible to be deceived by her appearance.
It couldn't quite be said to be at the level of "no woman in the heart, drawing the sword naturally divine." (Meme: Focus on craft, achieve mastery.)
Even witnessing Lili's humble posture, Liam's calm eyes still showed no ripples. He just recalled her earlier explanation.
"The working principle of poison."
So, the words exchanged during their previous encounter had made Lili, deeply mired in the Soma Familia swamp, make a choice contrary to the original plot?
Analyzing it from another angle, Blue Butterfly scale powder.
Was indeed a poison she could currently collect. Obtained from the Dungeon, she wouldn't have to worry about the Soma Familia tracing its source.
"."
He didn't press further about the reason Lili was here. If anything was surprising, it was that he hadn't expected his intuition to be so accurate!
A Pallum adventurer with relatively suspicious behavior, a particularly strong "thief-like" aura about her – and after a simple probe, it turned out to really be Lili.
"If you're collecting Blue Butterfly scale powder, feel free."
The fear revealed deep in her eyes, the instinctive trembling of her body – these couldn't be faked.
Liam reckoned that even if the original plot had been maintained, Lili wouldn't have targeted him for theft.
This, in various degrees, was also the most profound warning for her. After all, he could even see through her Cinder Ella magic.
Although it was Liam guessing based on intuition.
Giving a warning didn't mean he would lower his guard against Lili. He put away the two Mithril short swords and the dropped materials.
He paid no attention to the young woman's actions.
Just as he brushed past her, Lili, recovering from the suffocating sense of oppression, clenched her fists, clutching the fabric of her grayish-brown cloak.
Her heart was hesitating at this moment.
The plan was to use the Soma Familia members' dependence on divine wine, prepare wine and meat to go with it when they were ready to drink, and mix in the scale powder.
As long as the process was a bit more careful, there shouldn't be any accidents.
The final step in executing the plan was how to bypass the Familia captain, Zanis Lustra, and meet the Familia's god, Soma.
Then submit a request to the god to leave the Familia!
Captain Zanis, as a Level 2 adventurer – in her memory, he had never touched the divine wine, only using it to control the Familia.
His suspicious nature meant he would absolutely not touch food from an unknown source. Therefore, she needed a helper with sufficient strength, at least an adventurer who could stall for time…
And her own experiences made Lili harbor an equal malice towards all adventurers, which ultimately led to her never settling on a collaborator among adventurers.
Now, a choice was laid before her. Liam, whom she had met a total of three times, possessed strength and methods that completely overturned her understanding.
Even the extreme method of using poison was something this guy had told her about!
Although her heart hesitated, Lili still lifted her delicate face, still retaining its childishness, even if only as a listener for negative emotions.
"Can we talk?"
"I don't have any ill intentions towards you, nor would I be stupid enough to... offend an adventurer in Orario who can see through my magic."
The young woman stubbornly lifted her face, her attitude earnest as she made her request.
Liam paused his steps; his stamina was also about to reach its limit. He turned his head, his calm eyes looking at Lili, and nodded lightly.
"Okay."
As for the content of their chat, it generally didn't exceed Liam's expectations. It was nothing more than her experiences in the Soma Familia.
Her parents were obsessed with divine wine to the point of derangement.
They had always been neglectful of Lili since she was young. She began begging for a living at the age of three. After becoming a member of the Soma Familia.
She was also treated as an object of exploitation by other members.
Including her escape as an act of resistance, the final result was that the flower shop merchant couple who took her in had their shop smashed by Soma Familia members.
And the perspective Lili presented, of course, omitted her actions of using magic to steal from innocent adventurers.
If she laid everything bare, absolutely no adventurer would be willing to cooperate with her!
Distrustful of adventurers, she didn't even reveal her plan in the end. Looking at Liam, whose expression remained as usual.
Lili's forced smile carried a clear hint of self-mockery. "This is my past."
"Thank you very much for the method you told me. When I was hired by an adventurer yesterday, I discovered that the rare species Blue Butterflies here..."
"There are many of them, so that's why I came here."
Using the angle of a disadvantaged person to gain sympathy – this was an instinct honed through her childhood begging experiences. The young woman's eyes held a glimmer of hope.
She didn't state her request, yet her entire narrative was from the perspective of someone craving help.
Setting aside her attitude for a moment, being in a mire and proactively wanting to change one's destiny, and putting in effort for that choice.
Liam expressed his respect and blessings.
It was just regarding Lili's vagueness about her past actions, his fingers tapped lightly on his scabbard, his tone pointedly reminding her.
"Are you omitting some content?"
"."
Those eyes, as calm as an ancient well, especially when they made eye contact, Lili always had a feeling, as if everything she had ever done…
Could not be hidden from Liam.
The "I look pitiable" expression on her youthful face quickly dissipated, replaced by Lili's true face from the depths of her heart.
Her extreme disgust for adventurers hadn't disappeared due to her contact with Liam. When she lifted her cold eyes again.
The emotion in their depths was faintly on the verge of collapse.
"You know everything, is there still a need to ask?"
"Of course."
Liam didn't offer any evaluation, merely put away the bento box in front of him. After his stamina gradually recovered, he would continue searching for Dungeon monsters.
Strive to max out all aspects of his ability scores during this period!
Becoming an all-around stats monster, relying on the great feat of a "new adventurer single-handedly fighting a swarm of rare Blue Butterfly monsters."
After updating his status, he would then elevate his own adventurer level.
As for now?
This brief interlude with Lili, who didn't even have the courage to face her不堪 (unbearable/sordid) past directly – he didn't think her personality would change in any way.
Selectively blurring past mistakes.
Escapism was human nature. His gaze fell on the young woman leaning against the wall in silence. Consider this stating his position before leaving.
"The hardships you've experienced are not a reason to harm other innocent people."
"I know the ultimate purpose of you specifically saying these things, but I won't provide you with any help at present." Speaking up to this point.
Liam chuckled lightly, his tone calm, giving Lili a final ultimatum.
"Because I cannot be sure..."
"Whether in your eyes, I am a fat sheep that can be slaughtered at will. At the very least, come find me when you've made a true resolution."
What he referred to here, of course, was offering sufficient remuneration. He had only met Lili by chance and had no emotional attachment; naturally, they had to talk price.
According to the meaning of his words, he couldn't possibly help her for free just because she was pitiful, right?
That made no sense!
Considering that Zanis Lustra, the captain of the Soma Familia, was only a Level 2 adventurer, if the reward was suitable.
Liam felt that from a collaborator's perspective, it seemed feasible.
After all, once these two Mithril short swords were returned, the next thing to consider would be how to upgrade his weapons.
At the very least, the quantity couldn't be reduced.
"."
"The hardships you've experienced are not a reason to harm other innocent people."
Watching Liam leave, Lili, leaning against the cold wall, felt as if all her strength had been completely drained away at this moment.
This sentence echoed in her mind.
Complex emotions flooded the young woman's heart. Her mind constantly replayed the images of the adventurers, furious and desperate after she had stolen their weapons.
So…
A person like her, did she really deserve to be helped by others?
(End of this chapter)