Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 101: Shameless

Cluelessness wasn’t necessarily a disadvantage. Knowing less could prevent overthinking, shortening eventual shock.

Liam experienced that advantage right now. Unlike Joel and the audience, he couldn’t consider the many implications of Melissa’s gesture, allowing him to recover earlier than everyone else.

"Senior Sister, does your ankle still hurt?" Liam asked.

Melissa avoided Liam’s gaze, keeping her head down but also shaking it to provide an answer.

The reassuring answer deepened Liam’s confusion, but the hand on his elbow rekindled bashful sensations he was familiar with, distracting him and making him divert his gaze.

Joel watched everything unfold, feeling as if he was intruding on something private, but also experiencing undeniable amusement.

The matter was far more complicated than it looked, but Joel had already warned Melissa back then. He had also publicly taken Liam’s side, so it was too late to escape the problems that might follow.

"Senior Brother Simon is currently in seclusion to attempt the breakthrough," Joel revealed, remaining vague, wanting Liam to find answers by himself. "He is a rooting expert and a core disciple, and he is stronger than I am."

Liam looked at Joel, dots connecting in his mind, only for Melissa’s grip on his elbow to tighten, claiming his attention. Melissa also lifted her face to throw an emotionless glance at Joel, bringing a second hand to Liam’s arm to reaffirm her stance.

"I understand," Joel nodded, smiling. "Junior Brother, Junior Sister, I enjoyed this reunion, but I’ll leave you be now. I’m not so shameless as to get in the way of you lovebirds."

’Lovebirds? The animal?’ Liam thought, so lost he almost missed Joel’s bow and departure.

Still, instead of Joel’s distancing figure or confusing words, Liam focused on his previous statement. He had enough clues to understand that topic now.

"Is Senior Brother Simon your lover?" Liam asked, obviously reaching wrong conclusions.

Melissa’s face immediately snapped at Liam, shaking left and right, almost in panic, which her wide eyes seemed to confirm.

"H-he-!" Melissa cried, eager to clarify her situation, taking a few seconds to calm herself and lower her voice. "He just l-likes me."

And, to Melissa’s surprise, Liam delivered words she had never expected him to say.

"Obviously," Liam said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "You are beautiful."

Of course, Liam hadn’t meant anything deeper. That simply was a factual truth. The way he saw it, Melissa was undeniably beautiful, so it was normal for everyone to like her.

Still, despite that obvious truth, Liam experienced something unexpected.

’Why am I feeling shy?’ Liam wondered, tilting his head in confusion.

As for Melissa, those genuine words had a far greater impact than she could have ever predicted.

Liam hadn’t been the only one afflicted by sticky memories. Melissa shared that condition, except she knew exactly what it meant.

The image of Liam’s magnetic smile after the face-off with the snake had been stuck in Melissa’s head. That wasn’t the only related memory, but it was emblematic of what Melissa might have done if the bats hadn’t interrupted her.

Leaving the seclusion had worsened that condition, almost turning it into proper longing. Melissa wanted to see Liam, but she also needed to fix an issue first.

Melissa’s current appearance was for that exact reason. Liam had seemed unable to see her as a woman, so she had done her best to leave her shabbiness behind, showing him her best looks.

The strategy had somewhat worked, but Melissa now had to face the undeniable truth. She couldn’t hide behind that trivial issue anymore. After dodging men’s unwanted attention all her life, she had finally fallen for one.

Realistically, the outcome wasn’t surprising. Melissa owed Liam her life, and twice at that. He had shielded her in the face of certain death, using his own body to protect her.

Moreover, Liam escaped all of Melissa’s biases. He truly seemed the real exception among men, the only one she could fully trust and feel comfortable with, maybe even comfortable enough to offer him her heart.

Still, that trust led to understanding. Melisa knew that Liam was unique in more ways than one. He was both smart and simple-minded, kind and ruthless. His permissiveness came from honesty and cluelessness, which Melissa couldn’t exploit.

It was exactly because Melissa liked Liam that she had to be honest and warn him properly.

"He might get jealous of you," Melissa added, lowering her head.

Melissa knew she was being selfish. She was basically imposing herself on Liam.

Yet, those desires had to take the backseat before the possibility of endangering Liam. Melissa would even accept if he decided to cut ties with her. After all, her seemingly one-sided feelings weren’t worth a core disciple’s enmity.

And, surprisingly, Liam understood, not everything, especially not Melissa’s feelings, but enough.

In a way, Melissa was doing what Liam had done with Adrian, Cyrus, and, to some extent, Lucy. She was trying to push him away to protect him from threats she had no power over.

Of course, Liam also saw the contradiction between Melissa’s words and actions. The attempt to push him away didn’t make much sense when she was clinging to him.

"If you know that," Liam uttered, nodding at the hands on his elbow, "Why this?"

Melissa caught Liam’s nod with the corner of her eye and lifted her head. Her embarrassment made her hesitate. However, if her plan had been to back down, she wouldn’t have followed after Liam in the first place.

"I-I," Melissa stammered, taking a deep breath to avoid doing that again. "I want this."

And, there, in Melissa’s resolute but vulnerable, beautiful eyes, Liam saw himself. Obviously, nothing romantic crossed his mind, but he related to that desire.

The safer choice for Liam would be to cut ties. He had partially done that with Lucy to spare her from the dangers he could attract, so he could do the same for himself.

But there was more to life than safety, and Melissa embodied that. Despite the danger to her and those close to her, she was willing to pursue her desires.

Liam didn’t ask what those words meant, neither to Melissa nor to himself. That wasn’t the point anymore. Only what he wanted mattered, and he felt the strange unwillingness to cut away Melissa as clear as day.

So, Liam’s face grew cold as his gaze went to the upper areas of the mountain, to the third plateau where the core disciples resided, his mind exploring a single doubt.

’Can I kill a rooting expert?’ Liam wondered, recalling Joel’s mention of the possible breakthrough. ’Can I kill a branching expert?’

The branching stage came after the rooting stage, and Liam guessed it was the same as the Elders’, the same as the ruins’ snake. Three months ago, the answer would have been clear, but Liam wasn’t too sure now.

’With everything I have in my cave and that crazy martial art ...’ Liam calculated. ’I might be able to kill a rooting expert, but the snake ...’

Of course, nothing had happened yet. Liam was merely planning ahead in case the core disciple’s jealousy turned into enmity.

’Am I being reckless?’ Liam considered. ’But over what? I have never talked with Senior Brother Simon, and, if being alone is still the best option, have I truly achieved anything?’

There was also another issue. Many had seen Liam carry Melissa three months ago. Chances were the ship had already sailed. It was only a matter of watching where it led now, which didn’t really change Liam’s mind.

Liam was already learning to defy the odds. A single core disciple as a new potential enemy hardly affected his plans.

So, an answer for Melissa arrived, rewarding her vulnerability, albeit not in the way she expected.

"I don’t mind this," Liam admitted, expressing his unclear feelings in the best way he could. "But I’ve been having strange thoughts ever since the mission, so you shouldn’t stay too close."

Melissa had given Liam the benefit of the doubt because she understood that he often didn’t mean what most would misunderstand. However, that last statement was different, making Melissa extremely embarrassed, but also creating hope.

Still, before Melissa could think of a way to make Liam understand the reason for his strange thoughts, he resumed walking, escorting her toward the Alchemical Hall.

And there, during that simple stroll, Melissa discovered her unexpected shameless vein since she clung even closer to Liam’s arm, going against his warning on purpose.

Sadly, the drama didn’t end there since reaching the open cave put Liam before a familiar face. Lucy stood at its end, and she turned just in time to watch the two walk in.