Chapter 103: 102 A man of virtue understands
Under Merica’s desperate intervention, Magre narrowly avoided the fate of being buried alive.
Of course, Shane didn’t actually intend to bury someone to death, he just wanted to uphold his reputation as someone who follows through on his words. He planned to bury the nouveau riche young master so that only his head remained above ground, breathing. If he was lucky, someone would find him the next day, and if not, he might end up as a midnight snack for some passing demon—fate would decide.
Now, with Merica’s fierce opposition, Shane wasn’t insistent and readily gave up on the idea of burying the man.
However, if not burying, perhaps hanging him would be fine?
“Let our dear young master enjoy a wonderful night right here, shall we?”
Shane stood under a tree, contentedly dusting his hands off while he was completely engrossed in his masterpiece.
“Is… is this really okay?”
It was Merica who, looking at the scene in front of her, didn’t quite know what to say.
Upon closer inspection, Magre was tied up thoroughly and hanging from a tree, swinging like a caterpillar.
He still hadn’t woken up, his head drooping and his face twisted in pain, unsure if he was having a nightmare or if he felt like he was living through one.
“Don’t worry, there’s already been a patrol around here, no demons in sight. Having him hang here, if he still gets eaten, then it’s as though even the gods think it’s time for him to check out,” Shane said nonchalantly. “You don’t need to worry about facing trouble tomorrow. He didn’t learn his lesson himself and dared to take advantage of you when you were alone. If Tielle hears about this, he’s likely to lose not just his limbs.”
So, when Magre finally came to, he would just have to swallow this bitter pill, and he definitely wouldn’t dare cause any more trouble.
But, surely this playboy young master would hate him now, wouldn’t he?
Merica, unaware of what Shane was thinking, tilted her head in curiosity.
“Limbs?” Merica asked, puzzled. “Aren’t there only four limbs? Do humans have a fifth limb too?”
“Uh…” Shane was suddenly at a loss for words.
Seeing Merica’s innocently confused face, Shane could only silently exclaim.
(“To still encounter such an angelically pure girl in this era, this truly is the Otherworld!”)
If this were his past life, within minutes, there would be vulgar women and aggressive drivers coming at you full throttle, running you over until the wheels hit your face.
Thinking this, Shane couldn’t help but pat Merica’s slender and soft shoulder.
“Please, always retain such an unpolluted pure heart, my Elf Lady,” Shane said, moved by the sentiment.
Merica, however, was meek and demure.
“I… I am not a lady… nor am I yours…”
As Merica spoke weakly, her pretty face also turned a slight red.
Her delicate appearance made Shane once again silently exclaim, “Angel.”
Speaking of which, as an elf, Merica truly had an off-the-charts level of beauty, slightly outshining her teammates Vivian and Lu Muya. Only Tielle, who always hid her face under her hood, remained an unknown in the comparison.
With beauty like Merica’s, Shane always felt that even in his previous life, those stars constantly hailed as goddesses couldn’t compare, let alone within this world. To his knowledge, only Laischa and Lasha might rival her.
The only one who could firmly surpass Merica was probably Nien, right?
But that wasn’t because Merica lacked anything; it was just that the Goddess was too extraordinary. Even Shane, who had “seen many things,” was stunned the first time he saw her and didn’t even know how long he had been dazed until he became somewhat accustomed and able to carry a conversation. That showed the immense level of the Goddess’s beauty.
Shane thought that if there was ever a term for “perfection” in this world, Nien would unquestionably be its epitome.
As for Merica, her attractiveness was explosively high as well, and she was without a trace of makeup, which still managed to make Shane a bit envious.
Ahem, not in a lustful way, but envious… well, let’s not explain that, all gentlemen understand.
Unfortunately, since joining the team, except for his relations with Vivian and Tielle, interactions between Shane and both Lu Muya and Merica had been limited to mere nods of acquaintance. The two young ladies had always been guarded around him, ensuring that he had little emotional connection with them.
Shane had also decided during their first mission together that both parties should come together amicably and part the same way, without any unnecessary complications.
“Alright, let’s head back,” Shane suppressed all kinds of wild thoughts in his heart, relaxed his expression, shrugged casually, and spoke to Merica, “That’s it for tonight. Watch out for yourself in the future, this is twice now, don’t let yourself be left alone again.”
Having said that, Shane turned and left.
Watching this scene, Merica was also slightly taken aback, somewhat surprised and caught off guard.
Clearly, Shane’s decisive action to leave her behind was something Merica hadn’t anticipated either.
To tell the truth, Merica still harbored a tinge of wariness towards Shane.
As an elf, she knew very well that her lineage alone brought a great deal of attention, consequently leading to numerous troubles.
Elves of Elf Clan origin commonly shared this problem, as they were constantly coveted by others for their looks, talents, and heritage. Adding to that, there are only females within the Elf Clan who naturally came into being without males. Thus, purity is greatly valued and even regarded as a defensive instinct. Therefore, an elf would typically hold an excessive guard against males of other races.
However, the wariness Merica felt towards Shane wasn’t due to any of that.
As mentioned before, the main reason Merica was cautious around Shane was that she felt an inexplicable affinity for him.
It was impossible for her, an elf who values purity, to feel a sense of closeness upon meeting him, a definitively unknown male, for the first time.
Basically, apart from members of the Divine Race who are the creators, it was unheard of for elves to feel a sense of affinity towards anyone without reason.
If Shane knew about this, he would undoubtedly have another round of mockery.
“This ‘free pass’ setting is all too common.”
But that’s in novels, not reality.
In reality, how could one not be frightened by such strange feelings?
At least, Merica was frightened.
Because of this, she was wary of Shane, making sure to keep her distance from him.
On the other hand, Shane seemed to not cling to Merica, and once he saw through her wariness towards him and fully understood her reasons, he quite straightforwardly maintained their distance, leaving a huge gap in their relationship, with very little communication between them.
If things kept going this way, would they end up, as Shane said, parting amicably in the end?
At this thought, Merica felt a pang of guilt.
No, it would be more accurate to say she felt ashamed.
Because when she thought about parting ways amicably in the end, she had secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Even though he hadn’t done anything, and had even helped her…
Merica called out towards Shane’s retreating back.
“Please at least accept my gratitude!”