Reon turned toward the soft voice behind him.
To his surprise, i Lin stood there.
He hadn’t expected her to co back.
The mont she saw Reon burning hundreds of corpses, she imdiately realized he had killed them all—and fled without once looking back.
Reon hadn’t followed—he understood. She was probably terrified of him now.
And yet, here she was, standing before him again.
With hesitant steps, she approached and bowed deeply.
"Thank you... for saving all of us. I’m truly grateful. I... I don’t know how I’ll ever repay such a debt."
"It’s fine," Reon said calmly. "I didn’t do it so you’d owe . I did it for my own peace of mind."
"I know Brother Xue killed all those bandits... and I’m sorry for running away back then," she said softly, lifting her gaze. "It’s just... I rembered sothing from my past."
Reon’s expression softened as he watched her.
’I see... it must’ve reminded her of how her parents died,’
Then—
An unexpected question.
"Will Brother Xue kill too?"
Reon blinked, startled. "Huh? What are you even talking about?"
"I an... I betrayed you, didn’t I? Back there in the forest. If you’re going to punish soone, then... please, spare my brother. I’ll accept the consequences alone."
Her voice trembled, but her eyes didn’t waver. That shocked Reon more than anything.
"Ah—!"
He flicked her forehead lightly, and she flinched, holding her head.
"You’re pretty bold, aren’t you? Saying things like that so casually, kid," Reon said with a faint smile.
"Geez... don’t call a kid. I’m fourteen—I’m not a kid anymore," she huffed, pouting.
"That’s the age of soone who’s still a kid." he replied with a chuckle..
She crossed her arms. "Geez... My friends were already getting married at that age. And here you’re telling I am a kid. Also, you’re a Cultivator, aren’t you? I can tell."
"Well, yeah, I am. So what about it?" Reon replied.
"My mom used to say that Cultivators are the scariest people in the world... scarier than bandits. They’d destroy villages—even kingdoms—over the smallest mistake."
She looked down, voice trembling.
"And I... I did worse. I betrayed you. I’m sure you want to kill right now. So... I thought maybe, if I didn’t offer myself willingly, you’d take your anger out on everyone else."
Reon let out a low laugh. "Hahaha..."
She looked up, confused.
"W-Why are you laughing?"
"No, nothing," Reon said, shaking his head slightly.
’Well, she’s not wrong... In this world, so cultivators—no, most of them—are like that.’
’They just wear different masks. Righteous, demonic... In the end, they’re the sa. One acts in shadows, the other in broad daylight.’
He t her gaze with a smirk.
"I know cultivators can be scary and do things like you said. But honestly... as a cultivator, I just can’t bring myself to hurt soone as cute as you."
"W-What? C-Cute?" i Lin’s cheeks turned pink.
"So... how about I just forgive you?" Reon said, gently patting her head.
She lowered her gaze, then shook her head softly.
"No... I can’t accept that. Even if you’re willing to forgive , I can’t forgive myself."
"Even if you were pretending back in the forest... you still got hit on the head because of ."
"But what you did in the forest was to protect yourself and your brother," Reon said.
"Still, I did it, didn’t I? I have to take responsibility for that," she said firmly.
Reon t her determined gaze; she was completely serious.
’Hmm... quite stubborn.’
’Maybe it was her first ti deceiving soone—that’s why she’s acting this way.’
’Not quite what I expected from her character in the novel. There, she was like an emotionless doll—no matter how hard Fae’s party tried to help her forget her past.’
’Looks like I’ve managed to change that much, at least. But now what...?’
Reon tilted his head.
"Then tell —what do you want to do to forgive yourself, aside from dying?"
"Hmm... how about this?" she said, thinking aloud. "Let be your servant. I’ll do your chores—clean your house, wash your clothes, cook your als—for a few years. Free of charge. To make up for what I did."
Reon raised an eyebrow. "A servant, huh? I’m not really fond of that idea."
"Why? Is it because you hate ... or because I’m not worthy to serve you?" she asked quietly.
Reon paused for a mont, then let out a quiet sigh.
"Alright... if that’s what you want, you can serve ."
"Yes!" i Lin bead with joy.
As he looked at her her happy face, Reon thought inwardly:
’She has exceptional talent—on par with the female leads. In the novel, she never received proper guidance as an adventurer.’
’Neither Fae nor the rest of her party knew anything about cultivation. And yet, she still beca the Queen of Assassins.’
’But if I can guide her properly through cultivation under a sect like the Supre Dao Sect, her potential will be limitless. Not only that, I could also build a strong connection with her—the future Queen of Assassins.’
’Sorry, Fae, but I’m taking your precious fourth party mber.’
"But not as my servant," Reon added, his voice calm. "I’ll treat you as my junior sister. I’ll teach you how to cultivate properly... and I’ll even pay you, so you can support your brother."
"Huh? Then how is that even a punishnt? I can’t even repay you like this—if anything, I’ll end up owing you even more!"
i Lin said, a teasing glint in her eyes. "Wait—don’t tell ... does Brother Xue want sothing else from ?"
She leaned in slightly, feigning innocence.
"Like... if Brother Xue wants, I wouldn’t mind. You did save and my brother, after all. Please... be gentle, okay?"
Reon gave her a blank look.
’Is she really a child...?’
"Ah—!" he flicked her forehead again.
"Shut up, kid."
"Geez! I told you, I’m not a kid!" she pouted.
"Fine. Then repay when you’ve grown stronger," Reon said.
i Lin paused, her voice softening.
"But... can I really do that? I’m just a low-born girl from a remote village. I don’t think I have the talent for cultivation."
Reon’s gaze softened as he replied,
"What are you saying? You have the talent to beco an Immortal Fairy."
Her eyes sparkled.
"Really? Then—when I beco an Immortal Fairy, I’ll repay Brother Xue by becoming his queen! That’s a promise!"
Reon chuckled.
"Hoho... quite the dream. You’ll have to work very hard for that."
"I will! I’ll give it my all!" she declared with a bright smile.
’Kids really are adorable,’ Reon thought to himself.
Little did Reon know that this little adorable kid would one day beco the legendary Immortal Assassin Queen.
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