【Interstellar Contract Magician】Ruyuanke

Chapter 336 [Empire] Whose girl is it that can make him so obsessed

“Why…” I murmured softly, but my eyes were still fixed on the distant sky ahead.

From the very beginning, this time travel should have been about being an independent individual, an outsider in a new world, free to live freely, do what I wanted, and live like a free person. But reality seemed to have given me countless "tracks."

I used to be like a helpless floating object, floating on the edge of this world, lonely but contented.

But gradually, my surroundings became no longer peaceful.

I began to come into contact with their world and enter their circle, and could no longer live simply in my own little world as before.

Why can't I live like a normal person?

These questions kept swirling in my mind, and my heart grew heavier. Freedom seemed ever more distant. Those so-called challenges and responsibilities should have been nothing to me, but now, every choice I made pushed freedom further away. Nightingale was right; true strength lies in remaining calm and rational in difficult situations. But who can truly understand this dilemma?

I pursed my lips and looked down at the backpack in my hands. Its vitality, its growth, are all closely related to me.

"What do I really want?" I asked myself silently.

Looking up, I saw the distant sky gradually becoming clearer, the blue sky was as clear as a mirror, and the air became particularly fresh. Suddenly, I smiled, although with a hint of bitterness: "Perhaps, I just forgot my original intention and my original goal."

I lowered my head, watching the blurry road beneath my feet, my mind a whirl of thoughts. I don't know when those questions started becoming so entangled. Is all this really worth it?

For what? For those scattered memories? For the lingering emotions of the original owner? I've asked myself countless times, whose dream is it that would make me so obsessed with pursuing these memories that don't belong to me, abandoning everything to search for something that's long since lost? What does that past, that "father" who abandoned his wife and children, truly mean to me?

I once thought that if I found these fragments, I would be able to solve all the mysteries; I once thought that if I uncovered the past, I would be able to see the road ahead clearly.

But now, all I can feel is confusion and guilt.

Was my decision truly worth it? For a father whose whereabouts are long gone, for a past filled with regret, I gave up my love, abandoned my familiar planet, and left my home to come to this unfamiliar empire, searching for a father who had abandoned his original owner without a care. Why? Was it for a shred of pity? To make up for the original owner's regrets? None of these questions can give me a direct answer. Instead, they fill me with regret every late night, every moment of solitude.

What have I gained and lost from these pursuits?

I clutched the object tightly in my hand, my fingertips numb, and my heart was in chaos. I didn't dare to think about it, didn't dare to recall it, didn't dare to face that image, that male orc with gray-blue ears, who had once smiled at me so warmly and firmly.

But I left him quietly with something I couldn't explain. I left the person who should have stood by me, given me strength and warmth, and the person who once held me close and comforted me.

I once threw myself into this strange starry sky, and all my purposes seemed to be just to escape that relationship and that person.

I don't want to recall those warm times, because they would only make me more painful, and even make me doubt why I made such a choice. He with the gray-blue animal ears once gave me the most beautiful feelings, but I forgot it, turned my back on him, and even forgot how to go back.

Nightingale observed me, who was somewhat dazed, for a long time before interrupting me: "Who are you thinking of?"

I froze for a moment, the nightingale's voice like a hook, jerking me back to reality from my chaotic thoughts. He leaned against the wall, his arms folded across his chest, his gaze fixed on my face. That look, with its indifference and yet its penetrating gaze, left me momentarily bewildered.

"Who do you think of?" he asked again, his tone calm, but like a blunt knife.

I didn't answer immediately, but lowered my head, my eyes wandering to a corner of the ground, trying to use silence to cover up the turmoil in my heart. But his eyes were like a needle, piercing my nerves, making me feel that there was no point in escaping.

"...No one." I pursed my lips and squeezed out these two words in a weak voice.

Nightingale chuckled, clearly unimpressed by my answer. He leaned in slightly, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of meaningful sarcasm, "No one? That expression just now didn't seem like you were thinking of 'no one'. Tell me, who are you thinking about?"

I frowned, a mixture of impatience and guilt rising within me. Nightingale's gaze was too sharp, and my defenses were almost completely broken before him. He seemed to see through my every thought, but instead of exposing it directly, he used this method to force me to speak.

"You don't understand," I finally whispered, trying to end the subject.

"I don't understand?" Nightingale raised an eyebrow, a faint smile on his lips, "Maybe. But the way you look, it's obvious that there is an answer. Is it a relative? Is it a friend? Or -" He paused, his tone adding a hint of teasing, "Lover?"

My breathing suddenly hitched, and I raised my head and glared at him: "Shut up."

"Oh, it seems I guessed it right." Nightingale ignored my warning and took a step closer with interest, staring at me with inquiring eyes. "So, what kind of person is it that makes you look like this—guilty, regretful, and even a little bit... reluctant?"

"Enough." I said coldly, trying to use my tone to distance myself from him, but the shame of being exposed in my heart made it impossible for me to continue pretending.

Nightingale stared at me for a few seconds, then suddenly shrugged and took a step back. "Okay, I won't ask anymore. But judging from your expression, this person is very important to you. So important that you still don't dare to face your feelings for him."

His tone was not sarcastic, but rather surprisingly calm. This calmness was more piercing than his ridicule, because it struck at the most vulnerable corner of my heart.

I gritted my teeth, lowered my eyes again, and said in a voice so low that it was almost inaudible: "...He is very good. It's just that I don't deserve him."

Nightingale was stunned, seemingly a little surprised by this. He was silent for a moment before speaking, "Unworthy? Why do you say that? Listen, kid, running away is not the solution to the problem."

I looked up at him with a complicated look in my eyes: "You don't understand."

"Whose girl could be so captivated by a little brat like you?" he continued teasingly. I deliberately put on an ambiguous expression: "Who says it has to be a girl..." I saw his fleeting twisted expression with satisfaction.

Nightingale paused, his eyes swept over me, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as if he hadn't expected me to respond in this way. At that moment, I clearly saw the twisted expression that flashed across his face, as if he had been suddenly pricked by something, and he subconsciously frowned.

"You..." He stopped, as if trying to sort himself out, "How dare you, little brat, make such a joke?" His words were filled with a hint of disbelief, mixed with an uncontrollable contempt.

I shrugged innocently, with a slightly provocative smile on my lips: "Why, Nightingale, do you think I am only interested in girls? You have misjudged me."

His eyes became more complicated, as if he was caught in an inexplicable tangle, but soon he returned to normal and sneered: "You kid, you are really good at teasing people. But I don't want to hear this." He glared at me with a slight warning and waved his hand lightly, as if he wanted to pass over the topic easily.

But I could tell he wasn't completely relaxed. A subtle flicker of emotion flickered in his eyes, as if some long-buried emotion was slowly surfacing.

I didn't intend to continue provoking him; after all, I'd already gotten enough "revenge." I felt a sense of pride, but also a bit of reluctance. After all, Nightingale always had a way of suppressing others with his words; not everyone dared to play these games with him.

"Okay, stop pretending to be an honest man," I slowly retracted my gaze and gave him a teasing look, "There are some things you can't think I can't see."

The corners of Nightingale's mouth twitched slightly, as if he was trying to suppress an outburst of emotion. However, he finally just smiled and said, "You're really getting more and more naughty." His voice was a little low, but he didn't go into the topic any further.

He paused for a moment, his eyes suddenly sharpening. "However, since you're interested in teasing me, don't forget to find someone who can beat me. Otherwise, even if you have the courage to joke, you have to be careful of the consequences."

I raised an eyebrow, but I knew in my heart that although his words were threatening, they did not completely threaten me.

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in doing this kind of thing." I shrugged my shoulders with a relaxed tone, but deep down I had an inexplicable expectation: one day, maybe I can really treat this confident guy as a true friend, rather than an indifferent collaborator who always keeps a distance.

Nightingale nodded and turned to leave. "Alright, stop playing tricks. You know what you should do."

I nodded slightly, watching his back disappear into the corner, a complex mix of emotions welling up in my heart. Who on earth could be so captivated by this aloof man who always considered himself "detached"?