Chapter 143: A Vacation in a New World

  Where exactly was Alex?

  To be ho, even Alex himself didn’t know.

  All he knew was... this pce was incredibly remote.

  “Snowing again, huh?”

  Looking at the blizzard raging outside the window, Alex frowned. After leaving the northern capital, he had ventured into the forest with Ikaros and found this wooden . Judging by its appeara was likely used by a hunter as a resting spot while hunting in the mountains. However, the heavy snow had sealed off the mountains, preventing the hunter from returning, which worked out perfectly for Alex and Ikaros to stay temporarily.

  Alex had no iion of living in a city. He could easily guess that the Holy Temple robably in a frenzy trying to find him. He wasn’t ied in dealing with them further. While the flict with the Holy Temple had been ued, it had achieved Alex’s goal of creating a rift between them. Moving forward, the Holy Temple would have to think twice before approag him for anything.

  Avoiding the Holy Temple wasn’t Alex’s only . He wasn’t naive—he khat after making such a big se, not only would the Holy Temple be searg for him, but those cultists likely wouldn’t let him off the hook either. Whether they attacked him disguised as members of the Holy Temple or tried to recruit him, Alex had no iion of eainiher possibility.

  As for the Mage Tower—recalling Rex’s previous warning, Alex assumed that the prophestruust have foreseen something. Since he was advised to stay away temporarily, Alex decided to heed the advice.

  Still…

  “I’m going to get something to eat.”

  Looking at the raging storm outside, Alex frowned and stood up. The moment he moved, Ikaros, who had been sitting beside him, quickly grabbed his sleeve, looking up at him like an abandoned puppy.

  “Sigh…”

  Seeing Ikaros’s expression, Alex sighed and reached out to gently pat her head. Ever sihe s binding her had been severed, Ikaros had been inseparable from Alex. She eve right o him, as if terrified he would abandon her. Alex had reassured her tless times, but Ikaros still couldn’t seem to escape the shadow of her past trauma.

  Damn it, killing that woman still feels like I let her off too easily.

  Looking at Ikaros’s pitiful face, Alex gritted his teeth. He had initially po deal with Brandt as well, but with the Goddess of Order intervening, his hands were tied. If the Goddess had supported Brandt and ie, Alex would have had no qualms about taking direct a. However, since she had clearly sided with him—fisg Brandt’s on and stripping him of his power—Alex couldn’t push things further.

  Thus, he chose to leave rather thae the situation. After all, the Goddess of Order’s interventio a true deity was watg him, and without a soul stone powerful enough to tend with divine forces, Alex knew when to back off.

  Still... seeing his panion in such a miserable state annoyed him. If that scumbag dared to cause trouble again, even diviervention wouldn’t stop Alex from killing him.

  Alex had also asked Ikaros if there was a way to restore her s, but she couldn’t recall any specific method. She only had a vague sehat such a way existed but couldn’t remember the details. With no other options, Alex could only wait.

  Cursing Brandt in his heart, Alex took out a pot from his ste space, melted some snow, and began cooking instant noodles. Thankfully, he still had supplies left over from his time in the Edge of Tomorrow world, enough to stave off hunger for now.

  While Alex prepared the meal, Ikaros pyed with a small earby. The cat’s presence had been a blessing, helping Ikaros recover some of her spirit. Without it, she might have fallen deeper into despair.

  The timing is just abht.

  As he stirred the noodles, Alex opehe Dimensional Codex. Bringing Ikaros into the wilderness wasn’t just for the sery. Whether it was the Holy Temple, cultists, or something else, there were plenty of ways for them to locate him in this world. As a mage, Alex khat magic offered many tools for trag people. Even divination could pinpoint his general location and send others to hunt him down.

  For this reason, Alex didn’t pn to stay in this world for long. The cooldown for the world dungeon was almost over, so he had retreated to this secluded forest. Ohe cooldown ended, he would take Ikaros and leave for another world—a "vacation," so to speak.

  He just wasn’t sure what kind of world awaited them . The Zerg homeworld mission was still unresolved, and Hinamizawa wasn’t an option. Hopefully, the dungeon would yield some progress.

  “I’m sorry... Master.”

  “Hmm?”

  As Alex pondered his move in the new world, he suddenly heard Ikaros’s voice by his side. Turning his head, he saw the little angel looking at him uneasily.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Um…”Hearing Alex’s question, Ikaros bit her lip and lowered her head.

  “I… I’m really sorry. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have had to…”

  Ikaros was filled with regret. As an artificial angel, she was supposed to fwlessly execute her master’s ands. Yet now, she felt like nothing more than a burden to Alex. The thought that Alex had directly frohe Holy Temple’s powerful forces just to protect her made her deeply uneasy.

  Her education had always emphasized that artificial angels existed solely to serve their masters, and masters bore no obligations toward them. But now, her master had not only goo such lengths for her but had also retreated to this remote wildero avoid further flict. This made Ikaros feel an overwhelming sense of shame and sadness.

  If she were still in Synapse, causing such trouble would have been enough for her to be deemed defective and discarded. But here, her master showed no iion of abandoning her. While this brought her some relief, it also magnified her guilt.

  “This isn’t your fault, Ikaros.”

  Alex didn’t fully uand what was going through Ikaros’s mind, but her expression gave him some clues. He reached out aly patted her head, giving her a warm smile.

  “To be ho, if anyone’s at fault, it’s me. I should’ve been the one proteg you…”

  “No, Master! That’s not how it works. We artificial angels exist to serve our masters. You shouldn’t have to…”

  Ikaros’s eyes widened as she tried tue, but Alex raised his hand, cutting her off.

  “Listen, Ikaros, I don’t know how things worked in Synapse, but here, let me tell you something: you’ve helped me more than you realize. There are things you’re skilled at that I’m not, and the reverse is also true. You’ve pleted your tasks, but I, as your master, failed to protect you properly. If anything, I’m the one who should be apologizing.”

  “You don’t o apologize to me, Master!”

  Ikaros jumped to her feet, looking anxious.

  “It’s my fault…”

  “Enough,” Alex interrupted gently. “There’s no point in arguing about this now. But Ikaros, there’s something I want you to know.”

  As he spoke, Alex pced his hands on her shoulders, log eyes with her sapphire-blue gaze.

  “You don’t o worry about me abandoning you. I would never do that. You’re my panion, and you’ve helped me in so many ways. If anything, I’m the one who worries you might leave me. pared to you, I’ve fallen short in so many ways. Ikaros, you won’t leave me, will you?”

  “…”

  Hearing his words, Ikaros stared at Alex, her eyes wide. After a moment, her lips curled into a soft smile.

  “Of course not, Master. I will always stay by your side.”

  Ikaros’s voice was firm and unwavering.

  “Good.”

  Hearing her response, Alex smiled as well.

  “The’s get ready to explore the new world together.”

  “Yes, Master!”

  (Chapter End)

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