LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Is This Really an Eight-Year-Old?
Just as Steven had predicted, once Irene understood the significance of their actions and broke out of the village with him and Gladiia, the horde of terrifying fish creatures began shifting their pursuit toward them.
Throughout the escape, Steven's behavior was unusually composed, which puzzled Irene as she cleared the path. If it were any other prisoner, such a chaotic moment would be the perfect opportunity to escape. Yet, Steven seemed entirely indifferent to the idea.
From his demeanor, he didn't look like a fugitive at all. Instead, he resembled a carefree nobleman out for a leisurely stroll. To Irene, she felt less like an Inquisitor and more like a free bodyguard ensuring his safety.
"Hey! Haven't you stared enough? We're still in danger! Could you please take this seriously for once?"
Irene, growing increasingly annoyed by Steven's fixation on the lantern in her hand, turned around and shouted at him. The overwhelming presence of the terrifying fish creatures surging behind them made it impossible for her to slow down. Fortunately, Steven didn't need her assistance to keep up. She didn't have to waste any effort worrying about him running off.
As for the white-haired Aegir girl Steven had been taking such good care of, she was even more astonishing. Despite her seemingly delicate appearance, once she started running, it felt like she could take off into the sky if she weren't mindful of Steven ahead of her.
How could these two people be so bizarre? Their personalities and physical capabilities were monstrous!
"I wasn't staring at you. Why so defensive? Or are you Inquisitors so attached to your lanterns that they feel like part of your body? Is glancing at it invading your privacy or something?"
Steven, as carefree as ever, shifted his gaze from the lantern in Irene's hand. Sure, the girl was quite cute, but compared to women, Steven found the lantern far more intriguing.
After studying it for so long, he couldn't see any difference between her lantern and an ordinary one. How could she and that High Inquisitor repel the monsters with just this thing?
If only his torch could achieve the same effect.
After all, his torch merely limited the generation of monsters, but in this world, the creatures clearly didn't just spawn out of thin air like in Minecraft. Steven doubted his torch would be particularly effective here.
That made him even more envious of the lantern's capabilities. If possible, Steven wanted Irene to share the crafting recipe for it.
"Is now really the time to be studying this? Do you realize what will happen if I run out of energy and can't keep using the lantern? Those fish will catch up to us, and we'll face a horrible end!"
If there were more time, Irene would have loved to crack open Steven's head and see what on earth was inside.
"What? This thing consumes energy?"
Steven's curiosity visibly waned. If the light wasn't perpetual, it was far less appealing.
"Is that really the point here?"
Irene was on the verge of passing out from frustration, her breaths coming faster and heavier. If someone offered her blood pressure medication right now, it would work wonders.
"What else? You act like you're scared of those fish behind us. I'm not afraid. Are you?"
Even without any armor on, Steven seemed completely unconcerned about the wave of creatures chasing them.
Trash mobs, no matter how many, were still just trash mobs. The only question was how much time it would take to clear them.
"Dada, I'm not afraid either."
Even Gladiia, running alongside Steven with a cheerful grin, chimed in at just the right moment. Her playful expression made her look like a mischievous child following Steven's lead.
"Good girl, but saying that might make Auntie feel awkward…"
Steven patted Gladiia's head and shielded her behind him. It was one thing for him to tease Irene, but if Gladiia joined in, Irene might snap and retaliate.
"A-Auntie?"
Irene stumbled mid-run, clearly more shaken by this single word than anything else that had happened.
"She's just a kid. Don't take it seriously. You're really going to argue with a child?"
Steven couldn't help but laugh as he spoke, feeling like he was being incredibly cheeky.
Expressionless, Irene glanced back at Gladiia. The girl's towering height forced Irene to tilt her head up just to see her face.
This... this is supposed to be a kid?
"Why are you staring at her? Mentally, she's eight years old. Technically, no problem, right?"
Steven shielded Gladiia behind him like a protective mother hen. His words might even have been overestimating her—whether her mental age truly reached eight was up for debate.
Irene clenched her fists tightly. For the first time in her life, she felt an overwhelming urge to irrationally pummel someone. The feeling grew stronger with each passing second.
"Fine. Since you think the monsters behind us aren't a threat, if we don't manage to meet up with the Penal Battalion soon, you two should go ahead. I'll stay behind to cover you."
Suppressing her impulses with sheer willpower, Irene quickly regained her composure. While she wasn't afraid of the terrifying fish creatures either, the problem lay in the unknown duration of her lantern's power.
As Steven had pointed out, she wasn't scared of fighting these creatures. However, engaging them would undoubtedly delay their escape—a delay the monsters were likely counting on.
Moreover, the Penal Battalion unit meant to rendezvous with her and her superior was nowhere to be seen. This unsettling fact weighed heavily on Irene, raising concerns about potential complications.
Whatever the case, if these creatures were truly after Steven and his companion, she couldn't let their plan succeed.
"Huh? Aren't I technically a suspect? You're just going to let me go?"
Steven was surprised by her decision. He had assumed she was the rigid, by-the-book type, but her reasonableness caught him off guard.
His impression of the Inquisition improved yet again, and he waited for her response with genuine curiosity.
"The true enemies of the Inquisition are the Church of the Deep and the forces behind them. Stopping their schemes is my duty."
Irene paused, her reluctance evident, but she eventually added an explanation.
"And... you're strange, but at least on the surface, you don't seem like a bad person. I trust my judgment."
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