Chapter 266: Igor’s Unspoken Troubles

"Lilica’s new husband... was that guy."

"What!?"

Wait... This is brutal.

Had Igor’s own older brother actually taken his wife away from him? And the little girl Ignis had been carrying earlier... Was she the child Ignis had with Igor’s former wife?

That’s rough. That’s really, really rough!

Qiu Nuoya couldn’t think of anything to say. He struggled to find some way to comfort Igor, but nothing came to mind.

And to think Ignis had stolen his younger brother’s wife, yet behaved so casually about the whole thing. Qiu Nuoya couldn’t help feeling that there was something deeply wrong with that.

Still, Igor had continued adventuring while leaving his family behind, whereas Ignis had given up adventuring entirely and found steady employment for the sake of his family. When comparing the two brothers, Qiu Nuoya couldn’t deny that there were things worth considering.

A husband who sent money home but never returned, and a husband who stayed by his wife’s side through thick and thin.

From a wife’s perspective, perhaps choosing the more dependable man was the sensible thing to do. It was a practical decision, after all...

"I’m still trying to make sense of everything myself, so I can’t really talk about it any more than that..."

"That’s okay! Really, it’s fine! Take your time. If you feel like talking about it later, just tell me then. For now, you should get some rest, Igor!"

"Yeah... You’re right. By the way, where are you guys staying? Warren and Xiao Tao aren’t here either. Is it just the two of you?"

Igor glanced around as he spoke. Qiu Nuoya realized that there were things he needed to report to Igor as well, so they decided to move somewhere quieter and talk.

They found a small café near the central square and settled into a corner table. There, Qiu Nuoya recounted everything that had happened at the royal castle.

When he reached the part about Warren being identified as the Hero, Igor was just as stunned. He could only mutter, "Seriously?" before falling silent.

Well, of course. It was a shocking revelation.

"So, that’s how things stand. Warren and Xiao Tao weren’t granted permission to leave the castle, so they’re staying behind today."

"But you were allowed to go out, Nuoya."

"Huh? I’m just an ordinary citizen. Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, I was nothing more than an ordinary adventurer again."

"But you’re someone who was reincarnated from another world, aren’t you?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"Do you really think the royal family would leave someone that special alone?"

For some reason, Igor seemed determined to press the point. Viktor, who had been sipping his tea with a relaxed expression until then, furrowed his brows.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Viktor had never been happy about Qiu Nuoya getting dragged into troublesome affairs like these. In the current situation, he probably saw a perfect opportunity to leave all those troublesome responsibilities to Warren and Xiao Tao instead. That was likely why Igor’s persistent questioning, as though something were obviously wrong, had put him in such a bad mood.

As for Qiu Nuoya, he wasn’t particularly happy about dumping all the trouble on Warren and Xiao Tao either. However, Igor should have understood by now that Qiu Nuoya had no desire to be placed on a pedestal as some kind of saint or Hero. That was why Igor’s insistence struck him as a little strange.

Until now, even after learning that Qiu Nuoya was from another world, Igor had never treated him differently or looked at him through some strange preconceived notion. His attitude had always been simple: Qiu Nuoya was Qiu Nuoya, and he was free to live however he wanted.

Qiu Nuoya had been deeply grateful for that easygoing acceptance, which had helped him through many difficult situations.

So why was Igor suddenly acting so differently?

"I’ve heard that everyone reincarnated from another world possesses some kind of special power."

That was probably true. Qiu Nuoya himself had been granted special abilities, and the same was true of Xiao Tao and Shangguan Wan’er, who had also come to this world from another one. Mr. Xiao Tao had probably received similar abilities as well. By coming to this world, they had been given extraordinary powers by some vaguely defined being known as a god.

Qiu Nuoya had no idea whether there was any particular reason for granting them such abilities. Still, he suspected that people who arrived in this world from other worlds went on to start something new and, in doing so, helped bring new life and activity to this world.

"You should have known that from the moment you met Nuoya, shouldn’t you? He demonstrated my remarkable abilities from the very beginning. Yet you never questioned him about them until now. Why bring this up all of a sudden?"

"I only found out that Nuoya was from another world quite recently. Maybe you knew everything all along, but I knew nothing. All I knew was what was happening around me. I don’t know anything beyond that. How much do you know, and what exactly do you know? What am I supposed to do from now on?"

"Huh? Igor, what on earth are you talking about? Your words are all over the place. I have absolutely no idea what you’re trying to say."

Viktor furrowed his brows even more deeply.

Qiu Nuoya was just as confused. He couldn’t understand what Igor was getting at and found himself at a complete loss.

"Igor, did something happen after all? If something’s troubling you, I’ll listen."

At Qiu Nuoya’s words, Igor opened his mouth as though he were about to say something. In the end, however, he swallowed his words and remained silent.

As the silence dragged on, Qiu Nuoya and Viktor exchanged glances.

There was clearly something wrong with Igor today. But if he refused to explain what was bothering him, they had no way of understanding why he was saying these things, let alone figuring out how to help him.