Janus-Faced

"Prison Star Calendar"

"May 7th, 187"

"1:15 AM"

"Confession of Death Countdown: 27 days remaining"

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"You're saying that Banning turned a bandit against his own and set a trap to capture them all at once?"

In the woods, Avril found it hard to believe what Village Chief Woodall had said.

If Tyler was truly that capable, how did he end up in such a dire situation when Luca Village was raided?

(Or could it be... that he learned from his experience in Luca Village and grew stronger? But isn't that too fast? It's only been two days...)

Regardless, Avril found it difficult to believe the chief's words, as they seemed to defy common sense. However, for some reason, she couldn't help but harbor a faint hope for Banning deep in her heart.

"Anyway, let's wait and see. There should be a result soon... I hope."

Woodall sighed. He had just been through the commotion with the villagers, and now he was being questioned by Avril, leaving him feeling unsure. Looking back, he didn't know why he had been so easily persuaded by Banning. The young man seemed to possess an inexplicable charm.

However, there was one thing the village chief firmly believed: without Banning's help, Ira Village would have been in trouble by now.

When Woodall rescued Banning yesterday, he had thought, "If I were ten years younger, I would lead a group to eradicate the Crimson Cloud Bandits." But after seeing the burly figure of the bandit (Igor), Woodall lost all his courage—ordinary people like them were like chickens waiting to be slaughtered in front of the bandits. If it weren't for Banning's warning tonight, Woodall might be begging the bandits for his life right now.

"Village Chief! There seems to be a fire at the foot of the mountain!"

Avril's voice pulled the village chief out of his thoughts. Following the direction she pointed, he saw a faint light source, like a torch, approaching from the mountain.

"It's Banning! It's him! He promised me that he would light a torch as a signal!"

The flickering light of the torch became the village chief's salvation. He quickly headed towards the location of the torch, with Avril following closely.

"Banning!"

"Mr. Village Chief, is everyone alright?"

The village chief was very excited, while Banning remained calm and composed. The two of them standing together created a stark contrast.

"Everyone... should be fine, I guess. What about the bandits? Did you really manage to solve the problem?"

"Yes, their leader is dead, and the rest have retreated."

As Banning spoke, he looked around and found it strange that only the village chief was present.

"Mr. Village Chief, where are the others?"

"Uh... Well, it's a long story. Oh, right, Avril was with me too."

"Avril?"

Banning didn't see Avril. The village chief looked back and realized that Avril had disappeared at some point.

"That's strange. She was with me just a moment ago... Oh no, could Avril have gotten lost in the mountains?!"

Before the village chief could finish speaking, Banning had already started running. Although there were no monsters lurking in the nearby forest, even a pack of wild dogs could pose a lethal threat to ordinary people.

"Avril! Avril, where are you?!"

Banning had lost his previous composure and called out desperately. Then, as he rounded a thick tree, Banning found Avril standing behind it.

To be more precise, Avril was hiding behind the tree. Although her body was concealed by the trunk, more than half of her head was exposed. Her brown, fluffy hair swayed gently in the wind, making it difficult for Banning not to notice her. Avril's appearance didn't seem like she was lost; instead, it seemed more like she was hiding from Banning.

Banning: "Huh? Avril?"

Avril: "Uh... umm..."

The sturdy tree: "...?"

Indeed, Avril wasn't lost. She just didn't know how to face Banning, so she hid when she was halfway with the village chief.

"Avril, there you are."

"Yeah... right..."

"I'm glad you're okay."

Banning didn't ask Avril why she made such a strange move. Instead, he simply turned his head and shouted to the village chief, "Village Chief! No need to search anymore! Avril is here!" Then, he waved the torch to guide the village chief to their location.

(Silly Nissen: Tyler, you big dummy! Why did-o you call the village chief over?! You should seize this great-o opportunity! This is the perfect-o scenario called "The Hero who Saved-o the Village and the Ambiguously Related-o Girl Spending Time Alone in the Midnight-o Forest"!)

The stupid loli described the scene as if it needed a warning like "Minors, please watch under the supervision of your parents."

(Tyler: Your description is quite accurate, but let's not delve into it next time.)

(Silly Nissen: Wasn't I right-o, though? With just a little more effort-o, you could have won Avril's heart!)

(Tyler: You're overthinking it; it's not that simple.)

After a brief silence, Avril posed a question to Banning before the village chief arrived.

"The bandits... have they been repelled?"

"Yes, they won't be returning."

"Did you accomplish this alone...?"

"No, the village chief provided me with significant assistance, and there was also an inside agent within the bandits who played a crucial role."

"Oh... I see..."

Avril's expression hadn't seemed particularly happy earlier, and now, after hearing Tyler's response, she appeared somewhat irritated, reminiscent of a puppy that hadn't been taken for a walk in days and had grown temperamental.

Then, the inopportune arrival of the village chief finally occurred.

"Avril, there you are. I'm glad you're unharmed," the village chief confirmed Avril's safety before quickly addressing Banning. "Banning, everyone fled into the mountains out of fear. Can you help me find and bring them back?"

"Of course."

"I'll help too!"

"Then Avril, you can join Banning."

The village chief's arrangement seemed to redeem his previous misstep. However, to his surprise, Avril refused.

"Um... I'd rather stay with the village chief. My physical abilities aren't the best, and I'm afraid I'd slow Banning down."

For a moment, the atmosphere was as awkward as if a cross-dressing streamer had forgotten to lock the door, and his parents and visiting teacher had entered the room together.

The stupid loli screamed in Tyler's mind, urging him to quickly say something to win Avril over. But Tyler simply nodded and departed on his own.

This infuriated Silly Nissen, who shouted incoherent phrases such as "Where is the head-patting squad?" and "Someone, help me move the Civil Affairs Bureau over here!"

Meanwhile, watching Banning's retreating figure, Avril felt her heart tighten.

In truth, she had been worried about Banning. However, upon learning that he had successfully repelled the bandits and had time to notify the village chief, her emotions shifted subtly.

(Why did you only inform the village chief but not me...?)

Unwarranted expectations lingered in Avril's heart. She knew she shouldn't have such thoughts, but still felt a sense of loss.

(So, I'm not as important to you as I thought... You didn't even spare me a moment's notice...)

(The grilled meat you specially gave me at the barbecue party... Was it just to repay a favor...?)

Minor emotional ripples gradually transformed into a whirlpool of self-doubt, as the young girl's feelings drifted and tossed in the pitch-black night.