Limitless Summoner: Rise of the Soul God-Chapter 86: Starting over

"Hey! Here take a bite of this. Tastes pretty damn good." Ethan tossed a fruit that looked like an apple but was completely purple inside.

Lia stole a glance at Ethan as he casually leaned against the tree, chewing on his fruit without a care in the world. He had this reckless confidence, this way of acting like nothing could truly break him. Even when he was half-dead, bleeding, or barely standing, he never let himself falter.

She admired that.

Maybe more than she should.

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She quickly looked down, her fingers tightening around the half-eaten fruit in her hands. Ethan didn’t notice her staring. He never did. Not that she wanted him to. Right? She took another bite, but the sweet taste had nothing on the strange fluttering in her chest.

"Something wrong?" Ethan’s voice cut through the quiet.

Lia tensed. "Huh? N-no. Why?"

Ethan raised an eyebrow at her stammer, his sharp eyes flickering with amusement. "You’re acting weird."

"I—! I am not." Too quick. Too defensive.

Ethan’s smirk widened. "Uh-huh. Sure."

Lia’s face burned. She hated that he could read her so easily. She dropped her gaze to her lap, her fingers picking at the hem of her sleeve. She wasn’t bold like other girls. She wasn’t strong or beautiful or cunning. She was just… Lia.

And Ethan? He wasn’t a noble prince or a charming hero, but to her, he was everything. A master who never treated her like a servant. A protector who never asked for anything in return.

And the one person who made her feel safe, even in a world that was anything but.

She wanted to tell him. But what if he laughed? What if he pushed her away? So she swallowed the words, just like always, and forced a small smile.

Ethan shrugged. "Well, enjoy the free time while you can. We’ve got a long day ahead tomorrow. We have been hunting nearby for several days now and I think we have pretty much cleared all the beasts."

Lia nodded, hiding the sting in her chest. Maybe one day, she’d tell him. But not today.

"You still look weird." Ethan gave her another once over before continuing, "Grug and Snarl have hit level 10 already. The others are still at level 5. This is going slower than I expected."

It has been almost a week now since they arrived at this place, a small run down town nestled between two dangerous territories. It was the kind of place where no one asked where you came from and no one cared where you were headed to. A perfect place to start over.

While they were able to freely stay here for a bit, they also did not feel safe in such a place. Besides, there was no point in staying at a random place like this. They needed to go to a proper city if they wanted more resources.

Ethan exhaled, stretching his legs out in front of him as he continued, "I need to find stronger prey if I want to evolve anytime soon. If my summons aren’t all at level twenty-five, I’m stuck. If only that damn beast nest was not in the opposite direction…"

The beast nest whose location he had on hand was practically in the other side of Nessleson’s territory. Going there again would mean crossing the area and potentially risking everything he had worked so hard to accomplish.

As it was getting dark outside, Ethan stood up to return back to the inn. He wanted to take the good night’s rest before they started the long trip tomorrow to who knows where.

Lia followed suit, dusting off her skirt as she walked beside him. The dimly lit streets of the run-down town stretched ahead of them. The two of them walked in silence and by the time they reached the inn, the air had turned colder, and the streets had emptied out.

Their room was nothing special—small, dusty, and just barely clean enough to be tolerable. Ethan dropped onto the bed immediately, stretching with a groan. "Tomorrow, we need to figure out where we’re going next," he said, eyes closed.

I’ll follow you," Lia said quietly. "No matter what you decide."

Ethan paused, his gaze flickering toward her. Then he smirked. "Yeah, yeah. I’d be lost without you."

Lia looked away, her cheeks warming. She knew he did not mean it but her heart still fluttered anyway. She sat down on the other side of the small, creaky bed, pulling her knees to her chest.

Ethan was already half-asleep, his breathing slowing. Lia watched him for a moment, her fingers gripping the fabric of her skirt. She wanted to tell him. To say, "You don’t have to carry everything alone." To reach out and touch his hand, just once.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she sighed softly, pulling the thin blanket over herself. Tomorrow, they’d be back on the road. More danger, more battles, more running. She quietly prayed to her gods for everything to go well, even if that meant only he survived.