Chapter 29 - Small talk with Noelle

You defeated [Isaiah - Lvl - 1] Experience gained.

When the infamous translucent screen appeared before my eyes, I confess I was surprised. I didn't expect to gain experience for taking the life of another human being. However, somewhere inside me, there was a sense that this could happen.

Honestly, he was only at level 1; his experience was completely insignificant to me at that moment. Well, anyway, it's not like I took his life just to gain experience. I'll consider it just a bonus. For now, I had other matters to focus on.

As my scythe stained the grass with the blood of the man I had just slain, I noticed the heavy gazes staring at me. Among the countless emotions present there, fear stood out. It was the first time I had taken the life of another human being, and honestly, I expected to feel a whirlwind of emotions. However, to my surprise, a strange calm enveloped me, a calm I did not expect to find after doing something so extreme.

Of course, I can't deny that the heavy gazes that hit me didn't bother me. However, instead of feeling guilt, a sense of indifference settled within me. In my mind, the fact that he had tried to kill me justified my action in return.

With these thoughts, my scythe disappeared from my hand as if by magic, but no one seemed more interested in it. Everyone was simply staring at me, and as soon as I met their gazes, they quickly looked away. Everyone, except Leo. He was openly staring at me with an unfriendly expression. However, my response to being looked at in this way was just to smile.

I probably seem like a psychopath acting like this, but honestly, I don't care. I've died once because they thought it would be easy to kill me. This time, it's better to show them what happens if they try something similar again. With that in mind, I turned and began to walk nonchalantly towards the bus.

As I advanced, people seemed to move away, and when I entered the bus, everyone looked away. As I headed towards the back of the vehicle, a thought occurred to me: how would Ellen react to all this? Would she be afraid? Would she ignore me like the others? However, to my surprise, when I reached her, her reaction was completely different.

"Welcome back, are you done?" Ellen greeted me with her characteristic face, without any trace of fear. It was simply the Ellen I knew.

"What's up?" She noticed my intense gaze and asked.

"Oh... it's nothing. It's just that I thought you would ignore me like the others, since... well, I just decapitated someone"

Listening to my words, Ellen looked outside, where the man's body still lay, and then turned her gaze back to me.

"I honestly don't care. Noelle is the most important thing to me. I would do the same if it meant protecting her. Besides, have you forgotten what my rune is?" Ellen replied with a confident smile on her face.

In response to her smile, I returned the gesture and sat down next to Ellen. We didn't exchange many words after that. Interestingly, Noelle continued to sleep, despite all the commotion I caused. Maybe she woke up and pretended to be sleeping, but that didn't bother me.

In the few moments we interacted, Noelle seemed to develop a certain attachment to me, which wasn't necessarily bad, but I confess I was a little worried if she would be scared of me. However, I was relieved to see that this didn't seem to be the case.

***

Since the incident with that guy, a few hours have passed. Most of that time, I spent inside the bus, chatting with Ellen and Noelle. Leo and the others would occasionally step out to level up, while Ellen and I also went out to search for food. Moreover, a few other passengers started to show some courage, and occasionally, a new person would join Leo's group.

Since I killed the Foggy Goblin, my level hasn't increased even once. I pondered why that might be, and one theory that occurred to me was the possibility that, from level 20 or 21 onwards, the amount of experience needed to level up doubled or something. However, it was just speculation, as I wasn't sure of the exact mechanics behind the progression system.

Anyway, as I observed the sky, the same phenomenon was happening: the bright sun was gradually being shrouded in a crimson hue. Everyone was tense; the night before, several people had died, so fear hung over everyone, making them worried about who would be next.

Interestingly, at some point, it was decided that when the sun was tinged red, it would be considered night. That didn't make much sense, as we typically associate night with the absence of sunlight, but here, who cared about logic?.

"It doesn't seem like we have much time left" commented Ellen beside me, with Noelle also present, practically holding hands with Ellen.

"I guess not. It's ironic to think of this as something positive. In the end, it seems like we only manage to consistently level up during these events" I commented, letting out a sarcastic laugh.

Ellen didn't meet my gaze after my remark, and I also found the idea absurd. We barely had a first night and almost died; in fact, some people weren't as lucky. There's no "Continue" here when you die; death is the end, it's always been like that. Well, at least in the common reality, but here, even though I have this peculiar ability to resurrect, still, I really don't like the idea of dying.

Although I haven't experienced the agonizing pain of being stabbed in the heart again, since I barely felt anything, the sensation upon waking up is too disturbing. Frankly, I'd prefer to avoid going through that too many times. If I start to find this experience normal, I fear I can no longer consider myself truly human.

"You're not alone..." commented Ellen, leaving me surprised.

When I glanced at her, I noticed a sad smile on her face too. To be honest, I've been thinking the same thing. All I want is to protect my sister, and that will become harder if we don't level up, especially now that the monsters seem to be appearing with higher levels. Probably everyone else thinks the same way," Ellen replied, turning her gaze to Noelle, who also looked at Ellen with her large round eyes, blinking in doubt.

The three of us returned to the bus after that and used the remaining time to rest while discussing some approaches. Well, it wasn't exactly an elaborate strategy, but we decided to stick to what worked before, after all, there was no reason to change something that had already proven effective.

While pondering over this, Noelle, who had been quiet until then, tugged at the hem of my shirt. When I turned my gaze to her, her large golden-orange eyes stared intensely at me. There was something so penetrating in her gaze that it seemed capable of sucking my soul.

"Noelle, are you alright? What happened?"

Things between me and Noelle were still somewhat strange. We weren't entirely indifferent to each other, but we also didn't exchange many words. In fact, Noelle rarely spoke. According to Ellen, she was quite shy, but when she got close to someone, she became surprisingly chatty.

"... Do you think the sister and brother will do it again?" Noelle asked. I don't know why, but at that moment, I had an irresistible urge to pinch her cheeks.

Moreover, she was probably suggesting that we go out to fight there. Despite her quietness, Noelle was quite perceptive. She probably had understood that the red sun was a bad sign.

"Don't worry" I replied, placing my hand on her head and a smile spread across my face. "You saw, didn't you? Your sister and I are pretty strong, so we'll deal with the bad monsters and we'll be back by your side soon"

Upon hearing my words, Noelle fell silent for a moment before finally responding.

"Do you promise?" Noelle asked, her large golden-orange eyes fixed on me.

Upon hearing Noelle's words, I was a bit surprised. It was something I hadn't considered before, but it made sense. Noelle was probably scared. I was so busy thinking about myself that I hadn't stopped to consider how others were feeling. That was typical of me, but now I realized that Noelle was clearly afraid. She didn't want to worry her sister Ellen, and that's why she had kept her fears to herself. With a confident smile on my face, I replied.

"Of course, I promise" I responded, giving Noelle a gentle look, who responded with a radiant smile.