Hermes was outside the city walls now. He was not attacked by any monsters on his way to the city luckily, but that would definitely change the moment he entered the city. Well the fact that there wasn't much distance he had to cross to reach the city walls also helped, and he had a mount too.
What could he do now?
He had reached the city gates but…
He couldn't go live in the outskirts with other people because his flaw would make it dangerous for everyone else living there. He couldn't bear the thought of someone innocent dying because of him. He wished he were like those cold hearted people in the books he read but he just couldn't do it.
When he was younger, he was terrified of hell. The concept of eternal punishment made him scared to be a bad person. As he grew up he realised he had never done a good deed with genuineness. He was a fake good person. He had only done good deeds just to go to heaven and not end up in hell. He wasn't religious anymore but he still didn't like being a bad person.
He wasn't kind by any measure but he wasn't evil either. He was just… himself. He was simply selfish. Just because it didn't make him feel good he didn't want to do it.
Could he go to the Bright Castle?
There he would have to pay 1 soul shard a week as rent but it would be worth it since he was paying for safety and comfort. The people working under Gunlaug weren't good people but they were aware of their jobs. Yes, it was their job to protect the inhabitants of the Bright Castle because they were getting paid for it.
They knew that they could die at any time but still chose to do it. For some soul shards, they were willing to even risk their lives.
Hermes wouldn't feel guilty if any of them died. It was just like when you saw on the news that a specific number of people had died in a war.
Maybe you felt some form of loss but ultimately you went on with your lives. Because it didn't concern you. He was like that too. He simply didn't care as long as it had nothing to do with him.
But that also meant going out risking his life at least four times a month. Could he do that? He wasn't confident in himself. But I would have to do that. There was no other way. He couldn't be like Sunny who could just live in the middle of the city. He couldn't blend in with the shadows to disappear. His flaw made him a target like a mutela but instead of bulls chasing him it was monsters.
He made his choice without deliberating any further.
He had to get to the Bright Castle. For that he needed a soul shard. He needed to kill one monster inside the Dark City.
Fuck.
Let's get into the city first.
He started his climb.
Well the Turd did, he was simply holding on for his dear life. The wall was a tall thing to scale. It was tall enough that the Dark Sea couldn't flood the city.
It took the death noodle quite a while to climb. It used its special body anatomy, more specifically its scutes and muscular coordination to wedge itself against small irregularities and finally made it to the top.
After making it to the top he dismissed the Turd.
He couldn't let anyone see his echo. Actually he couldn't even let anyone see his memory either.
He was stupid yes but he wasn't STUPID stupid.
He wasn't strong enough to protect his possessions. He was simply too weak. And he was alone.
Yes there may be some people he had met at the academy but would they help him? If they knew he had an Awakened Demon as an echo?
Or if they knew he had an Ascended Tier II memory? Sure they may keep him alive so he can continue glazing them but they would demand his possessions.
They could make all sorts of excuses, "You're not good enough to utilise this weapon to its full capacity. Maybe you should lend it to me? I'll return it to you I promise."
That promise was as true as when your mother asked to keep the money you got from your uncles or grandparents so you don't lose it. You would never see it again.
Hermes was a pessimist. He always saw the worst in everyone else because he had been through it. He had witnessed the extent people would go to firsthand. The boundless malice in human hearts had no end.
Hermes crouched and looked at the city to try and memorise the best route to the Bright Castle. He wanted to be in the castle before nighttime. He could see all sorts of figures moving around the city. Some big, some small. But they all had one thing in common.
They were of the Fallen rank.
This realisation caused Hermes to truly feel his helplessness. He could die out there. He wouldn't but he could.
Calm down. So what? You have an Awakened Demon as an echo. If you're truly in a pinch just summon it. Use it as a distraction and run away. If you can't defeat an enemy with your sorcery just use the damn memory. So what if someone demands your possessions? Just give them. It's not worth dying over.
He felt guilty when he remembered his promise with Master Jet but that was only worth it if he was alive. If he lost her memory and made it back? He would simply make her an even better one!
Yes! You can do this!
Hermes felt his nerves calm down.
He began his descent alone.