I Am Tired Of Being A Hero-Chapter 53: The Neighbors

Arlen made his way to the living room, "Ash..." His face brightened up when he saw the black and, but the white cat leaped away, rushing into the kitchen.

Arlen sighed, "It really does not like me. Alright, good night, Ravi."

"I can take care of the person making you sad." The words left his mouth before he could control it.

Eh? What did he just say? Ravi, the number one ranking Sentinel, just offered to handle an assassination job for someone else. It shocked him, the realization that he didn’t care whether the person was good or bad, an innocent or a villain, just for hurting Arlen, wanted to deal with the person. He could be discreet about it.

Arlen was staring at him in shock and he swallowed. This was Arlen, their first meeting, why everyone watched, he had hurried out to take care of the old woman that had fallen. He bit his tongue, he had been too hasty, but it was the only way he knew how to comfort him.

"Excuse me, take care?" His tone was curious and his brows furrowed for a second before it relaxed. Then Arlen smiled widely, it was that kind of dazzling smile that made one a little dizzy, it was as if the sadness in his brows had never really existed.

Take care of his problems for him. Arlen had a lot of friends but he had never had someone offer to fight for him, with him, sure but not for him and the reason was just that the other person had made him sad. How had Ravi noticed that he was feeling sad right now?

It was just, why did he feel that when Ravi had said take care, he meant to kill? He looked at him.

Ravi’s face was slightly lowered and his posture seemed as awkward as usual but when he looked a bit closer, his long fingers at his side were trembling, his eyes slanted upwards, as if closely watching his expression. It made his brows appear particularly deep, his face carried a hardness that distorted the delicateness of his features.

This person was a soldier. That thought came to his mind again,

He was just twenty-five years old and his mannerisms were like those uncles of his that had lived all their lives on the battlefield with monsters from the Nest.

Special Forces? Arlen, your bad habit is coming out again. He cautioned himself and looked at Ravi whose gaze was still completely fixed on him.

The man in front of him wore an ordinary white top and black tracksuit that accentuated his slender waist. He had a charming and delicate facial structure like someone who had walked out of a painting. A pair of slightly raised eyebrows, thin, long, and slightly curled hazel eyes, a straight nose, and a pair of red-tinted lips that made his face appear even more vivid.

Arlen rarely paid attention to the appearance of others but he couldn’t help looking at Ravi any chance that he got.

The youth was truly beautiful, no wonder he grew those bangs and long beard, this kind of appearance.

"Captain. I meant." He swallowed, "Feel better soon."

Arlen’s fingers twitched. His words were like a feather falling on the water’s surface, light but causing a ripple. Just like three days ago when everyone had gone home but Ravi had stayed back, coming to give him a can of juice, awkwardly consoling him by telling him to blame fate instead.

It was like someone giving you a hot roasted potato on a very cold winter night; Arleb had always been the one consoling and comforting others so it was a surprise for someone to do the same to him. Especially someone who was clearly not used to it, awkwardly trying to make him feel better. He felt deeply touched.

It was as if there was a sudden wind in the air and in his heart, all his irritability and pain instantly disappeared. Why should he dwell on the past, when the present is far, far sweeter? He smiled.

"I would take you on that, Someday. ravi"

Ravi blinked, that was not what he was expecting, "Ah! You would take me up on it."

"Of course, are you trying to run away? Wait a moment, say it here. Say you owe Arlen Sinclair a favour," Arleb hurriedly took out his phone and held it up to his lips.

How did it come to this?

"Captain?"

"You are trying to dine and dash, aren’t you? Trusting man is a sad..."

"I owe Arlen Sinclair a favour." Ravi hurriedly spoke into the phone before touching his cheeks, they felt a little hot,

Arlen put the phone away and enjoyed that expression that looked like he had been bullied. He chuckled slowly, "I had a lot of fun today, Ravi, thank you. And the food, so delicious. Thank you." His tone got more serious, "I would not try and convince you to move away from here, but if anything happens. Call me. I saved my number as your emergency contact, don’t worry about me getting hurt, I am much stronger than I look. Call me alright, I will text you when I get home. Take care of yourself."

He was leaving. Ravi swallowed.

"Okay."

"Bye. Good night." Arlen waved and left through the gate.

It was silent and Ravi felt as if this place had grown a bit darker, like the sun who visited, just left. He pursued his lips and sighed, he needed some wine.

The child. Put the child to sleep and drink. He had work tomorrow. He did not want to be late. What are they now?

He took his phone.

"Are you friends if you exchange numbers with your boss?"

’Friendship in the workplace between a boss and subordinate is not possible. Here are the thirty reasons why?’

Ravi rubbed his head. All the results amounted to answers like that. They were not friends? He looked at his phone where his only emergency contact was stored as Arlen. Not friends? Why?

Arlen did not know the stories that were dancing in Ravi’s head right now. He walked out through the gate and looked back with concern in his eyes. The two-story building had no light outside, it looked lonely. He should come back tomorrow after work, and escort Ravi back home.

"There should be no problem this night." He said out loud. He heard something and cocked his head. It should be his imagination.

Activating the energy source in his boots, he took to the sky and vanished.

***

"That voice." There was a hint of fear in the youth’s voice as he scrambled from the gap between the two people that he had fallen on, "That sounds like Anouk Sinclair. Don’t tell me, that straight arrow followed us here."

"That is not Anouk, that is Arlen, his younger brother. To think his younger brother is in this town I chose after considerable efforts." The second voice was as gentle as a warm breeze. The man was helped up by the first youth and he clutched his wooden walking stick.

"No. No. No. We agreed to start over here. That madman destroyed everything we worked for five years. The entire Axum, he just destroyed it like it is nothing. My lab, my plants." She flipped her green hair as she gritted her teeth with hatred, "Whatever that is going on between the two of you, it ended in the capitol, it ended with Axum. No, No, No." A vine appeared from nowhere, gently lifting her up.

"The Leader, sorry, I mean Malik. Malik, you know Anouk Sinclair, how? What is going on between the two of you?" His eyes were wide with the greed of gossip.

Malik carefully dusted his brown monk-like robes even though there was no hint of dirt on them, he cocked his head to the direction of Sage’s voice. What was going on between him and Anouk, his eyes blinked behind the blindfold, as if pampering or indulging. After a gentle sigh, a happy tone sounded in the quiet night, "I would say, an obsessive need to see him cry."

"Malik, you are blind."

"I know."

"Oh! I understand what you mean, you mean that you are going to get revenge on him, torture so badly for Axum that he would wish for death instead." Sage nodded, looking at Malik with a hint of admiration and awe, "As expected of you, you are amazing."

Lana watched him incredulously and spat out, "Fool!"

"Hey!"

Malik rubbed his forehead, "Don’t fight. There should be a two-storey building in light yellow paint. Can you see it?"

"Yes."

"Okay, the code number is 640909." Malik recited it from memory.

"It is not working," Lana said with an icy frown.

"Not working?"

"There has been no light for twenty years, how would the code work without electricity?" She asked, she raised her fingers and thousands of vines appeared, crawling through the huge gate. She snapped her fingers and the vines moved, ripping the gate from the wall.

"Problem solved."

"You are so violent, Lana."

"At least I can get the job done."

This time, Malik did not bother to tell them to stop, and casually strolled into the home that was the source of all his nightmares growing up. They should be able to lay low here for a month or two, the arsonist would keep the town police busy while they settle in.