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You Are Pathetic

Leaving the banquet hall, Liana walked fast.

She didn't know where she was going as her mind was in a mess, but one thing was sure.

She couldn't speak to Orion now.

The words Jordan said to her made a huge impact. She understood that she had been very cruel towards Orion today.

But what could she do ?

It was the only means to make the nobles forget about Orion.

She wanted to show all of them that they were no closer like before.

"Lia!"

As she walked in a hallway, Orion's voice rang out.

There was no one around, so Orion felt more at ease about speaking to her.

Liana stopped her steps, biting her lips as she spoke.

"What is it, Lord Hero ?"

"...!"

Orion was stunned. He thought that it was because there were other people around, that she behaved like that.

"L-Lia, why ? Did I do something that offended you ?"

Orion stuttered as he spoke.

Liana could feel his sadness and she felt very guilty. But it couldn't change now. She had to totally cut off her friendship with Orion so it would be more realistic for the others.

She wanted to tell him why, but her parents forbade her. It was a state matter and the nobles would be less wary if even Orion wasn't aware of it.

"L-Lord Hero, please refrain from calling me like that from now on. I'm still the princess of the Solaria Empire."

Her voice was cold, which shocked Orion.

"You are a Hero b-but..."

Liana took a deep breath and continued.

"But I must devote my time to the most important heroes."

"…"

"I thought that your unique ability might be something in-interesting..."

"!"

Orion was speechless. She was indirectly saying that he was not important and that she befriended him just for his unique ability.

Drip_ Drip_ Drip_ Drip_

Soon tears came out of his eyes. The month he passed with her felt like a joke now. He felt a staggering pain in his chest.

Thud!

Losing strength in his legs, his knees hit the ground.

"Then I will leave."

Liana didn't even turn around and left.

'Was I just used ? Why ? Because I had a unique ability ?'

Thoughts entered his mind one after another and it was painful.

"Ah...ah...ah...ah"

His breathing was ragged.

If he knew that it was going to happen, he would never have become her friend. He felt more pain than when he was shot before.

He cherished the moments that much with her.

Clomp_

As he was looking at the ground in tears, footsteps resonated.

Soon a shadow covered him.

"Pathetic."

"...!"

This word again, but at that moment, it felt like something pierced his chest.

"You are pathetic, Orion."

Orion slowly looked up and froze.

"Ry-Ryan...?"

Ryan Stewart was Orion's classmate. Orion was a bit scared of him because he never showed his true thoughts outside.

He was one of the strongest 'heroes' but never fought seriously for some reason. So he was rather invisible compared to Austin, Andrew or Jordan.

But in three years, Ryan never talked to Orion, which was shocking now that he was talking to him.

Ryan grabbed Orion's shirt and lifted him up.

"Arrgh! Wh-what...?"

Orion tried to shake off the hand but Ryan was far stronger than him.

Bam!

"Cough!"

Ryan smashed Orion on the wall.

Crack!

A web-like c***k formed behind Orion, but Ryan merely smiled.

Orion had chills seeing the deformed smile of Ryan.

"Wh-what do you...arrgh!"

"Shhhh…"

Ryan strengthened his grip on Orion's shirt, choking him.

Putting his finger on his lips, he smiled again.

"You are so useless that even the princess left you, huh?"

"...!"

"Well, it was already a miracle that someone like her was around you for a month."

Orion stopped struggling, which widened Ryan's smile.

"You thought that Austin, Elena, Aura and the others cared about you ?"

Ryan whispered to Orion in a low voice.

"Tsk.Tsk.Tsk"

He shook his head before adding.

"They are just hypocrites, Orion. They just wanted to feel better because of their uselessness during the incident. Remember ? When you were toyed by that guy. Ah~ That expression on your face when he broke your ring! Wonderful!"

"Ah..."

Erasing his ecstatic smile, he smirked.

"Understood Orion ? You were used by them."

"...!"

Orion opened his eyes wide at his words.

Ryan had an excited face now. He was enjoying Orion's reactions.

Then he brought his mouth near Orion's ear.

"Like you were used by Liana Solaria."

Tears again flowed out of Orion's eyes.

"Ahahaha! You are amazing! Orion!"

Thud!

Ryan laughed and released Orion.

Glancing at Orion's broken expression one last time, he left with a big smile on his face.

After a few minutes, without budging, Orion finally stood up slowly.

"Arrh...!"

He let out a pained groan. Touching the back of his head, he felt a warm liquid.

He looked at his hand and saw fresh blood.

Ryan slammed him very strongly against the wall after all.

Orion was not in a mood to worry about that, so he slowly staggered toward his room.

Unfortunately, by chasing Liana he found himself in a different section of the palace. But he still walked aimlessly ahead without caring.

"The Emperor agreed to a truce between Solaria and Lunarstella."

"It's preposterous! They are a bunch of heretics!"

Orion stopped in his tracks, as he heard two people talking behind a door.

"Calm down. They will come to our territory in a few months. We have enough time to destroy this farce of truce."

"What do you plan, Salazar ?"

"I will send assassins to kill their envoys, then we just have to wait until the two empires explode."

Orion gasped at their words.

The Emperor said to them that he planned to make a truce with the Lunarstella Empire to facilitate their war against Ankouna, but these two people were talking about destroying that.

'I have to inform Lia...! The emperor quickly.'

Thinking that he turned around but he didn't even know where he was. He just had a hunch that it was the quarter of important people seeing the extravagant hallway.

"Oh ? We have a little rat there."

"!"