Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

Chapter 344: When did I become so cruel...

'Wait, what did I do?'

Adrian stood frozen, staring at Aria's back as her cold words echoed in his mind. He couldn't shake off the shock of her sudden shift in mood.

'Wait...'

'I did something...'

But as the silence stretched, something clicked in his mind—he remembered their promise. They had promised each other to face everything together, without hiding anything from them.

Adrian sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Right. We promised not to hide things... Sorry."

Lessy and Tessa exchanged amused glances before letting out quiet chuckles. The tension lightened just a bit, and Adrian shifted awkwardly, feeling their eyes on him.

Lessy stepped forward, a playful smirk on her face. "Well, since you seem so lost, let me explain." She glanced at Tessa before turning back to Adrian. "Aria contacted us about a week ago and told us about your 'unlucky' day. You know, when things went downhill for you?"

Adrian raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Wait, you mean when—"

"Yup," Tessa cut in, grinning. "She told us everything that happened that day. After that, we kept an eye on you."

"For a few days, we noticed something," Lessy continued, her voice dropping slightly. "People were tailing you."

Adrian's eyes 'widened' in 'surprise'. "Tailing me?"

Lessy nodded. "We caught one of them, and guess what? Turns out they were making deals with that guy." She pointed to Gaston's unconscious form on the ground.

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Tessa chimed in, "So we infiltrated their group and decided to save you, just in case things went south."

Adrian blinked, digesting the information. "You... did?"

"Yeah," Lessy said, her grin widening. "But it looks like you already knew what was going to happen. Still, we decided to help anyway. Couldn't let you have all the fun, right?"

Adrian let out a low chuckle, the pieces finally falling into place. Although he knew they left many important parts behind, he decided not to ask any further.

"So you were watching me the whole time?"

'Damn, I acted really cringe just now...'

"More or less," Tessa replied, crossing her arms with a mischievous smile. "And let me tell you, it was quite the show. I liked the part where you called him a third-rate villain. Although we might be too old to call friends, you can call us Aunty and Uncle."

Adrian stood there, hesitating for a moment. The idea of calling them "Aunty" and "Uncle" felt... odd. But Lessy and Tessa's expectant looks, paired with Aria's subtle glance, left him with little choice. He sighed, feeling both embarrassed and grateful.

"Thank you… Aunt Lessy, Uncle Lenny," Adrian said, his voice laced with reluctant sincerity.

Lessy beamed, clearly pleased with his words, while Tessa stifled a laugh, nudging her partner. "See, told you he'd do it."

Adrian quickly turned his attention to Aria, who, upon noticing him move toward her, turned away again.

She clearly wasn't letting him off that easily. But Adrian wasn't about to stop. He stepped forward without hesitation, closing the distance between them. Gently, he took her hand, feeling the warmth of her touch as he spoke softly, "I'm sorry, Aria. I just didn't want to worry you or put you in danger."

Aria froze for a moment, her back still facing him. But then, slowly, she turned to face him, her eyes meeting his, softened by his apology. "You idiot..." she murmured, her voice low. "Promise me you'll never do that again."

Adrian's lips curled into a gentle smile, and he nodded. "I promise."

They stood there for a moment, lost in each other's gaze, the tension finally melting away as a shared understanding passed between them. Adrian found himself going for a makeup reward. Aria also closed her eyes.

"COUGH!"

"!"

Both of them froze on the spot.

Tessa smirked, arms crossed. "You guys go ahead, don't mind us. We'll just watch. It's always interesting to watch young couples."

"Ahe, cough..."

Adrian coughed awkwardly, stepping back, while Aria flushed, quickly hiding behind him to avoid the couple's teasing gaze. The embarrassment hung in the air like an awkward fog.

Clearing his throat, Adrian looked at the couple. "So... what are we going to do about all this?"

Tessa and Lenny exchanged a glance before Tessa shrugged nonchalantly. "That's up to you. We left everyone alive, though."

Adrian nodded, appreciating their discretion. "Then, we'll hand them over to the authorities, I'm sure they have a lot of things to get from them," he said firmly, his mind already running through the logistics. Besides, he might know more than these dark mercenaries knew about their organization.

"But we need to make that guy confess his crimes and sins in front of TWAO first," Adrian added pointing at Gaston.

Lenny raised an eyebrow. "TWAO? You mean The World Awakeners Organization?"

"Yeah." Adrian glanced down at Gaston, who was still unconscious. "Since he is a guild-affiliated Awakener, it will be best to give him to TWAO. Besides, I am an acquaintance with the Branch Leader. She can take care of this case smoothly and without any issues."

"That's a good decision." Lessy and Tessa supported his idea.

"But I thought you were planning to kill them all. Or at least similar." Tessa muttered her finger on her chin.

"Haha, what do you mean, me, kill? I'm too soft for that." Adrian waved his hand, laughing.

'Damn, she's sharp!'

Though, in his mind, he was amazed by how she was spot on.

'Or, I was just too easy to read.'

Yeah, this was more like the case.

'But then again, I really wanted to beat Gaston a few more times... I wasted a lot of money on that poison after all... Not to mention the fact about venting all the anger inside me...'

Adrian's internal conflict about Gaston lingered for a moment as he glanced at the unconscious man a few meters away. He sighed inwardly, balancing his moral compass against his desire for retribution and revenge. Tessa's spot on comment was still lingering in his thoughts, making him feel more self-conscious than he'd like to admit.

'When did I become so cruel...'

Aria, sensing his hesitation, gently squeezed his hand, grounding him. "You did enough," she whispered softly, her voice full of warmth. "Let TWAO deal with him and the others."

Adrian nodded, his resolve firming up again. "You're right. Let them handle it. There's no point in getting my hands dirtier than they already are."

Lenny smirked and gave him a light pat on the shoulder. "That's the spirit, kid. Don't worry, you'll have plenty of chances to smash some heads another day."

Tessa chuckled, clearly enjoying the banter, while Aria simply rolled her eyes at their playfullness. Adrian sighed again, but this time, there was a faint smile on his lips.

"Alright, let's wrap this up then."