David was a bit surprised by Emily’s words—especially seeing her tear-filled eyes and hands still carrying grocery bags.
He noticed she was still trembling, so he reached out his hand.
"Let me carry that for you," David said with a gentle smile.
Emily, still in shock from the revelation that Nathan was alive, handed him the plastic grocery bag.
"Let’s walk as we talk..." David added.
"I’ll walk you home."
He smiled kindly, though deep inside, he was still puzzled about how Nathan could be alive.
’If he entered the Tower, there must’ve been some kind of unknown anomaly,’ he thought.
"Mrs. Emily, how do you know Nathan’s still alive?" David asked as they walked.
Emily wiped her tears, took a deep breath, then smiled.
"He called me... but the call suddenly cut off," she said.
He cleared his throat and asked,
"Nathan... where is he now?"
"He’s inside the Tower," Emily replied with a soft smile.
David’s steps came to a halt.
"...Why?" Emily asked.
The Tower? Inside the Tower? That’s impossible. There’s no phone signal in there. How could that be?
David’s thoughts started questioning everything he knew.
If a call could reach from inside the Tower....
Then maybe someone else could too
Meanwhile, inside the Tower,
Lilith and Nathan had moved to sit under the Prunus Vitalis tree.
Nathan was silently grateful that his underwear and jogger pants were still in good enough condition
to cover his Private Blade,
which had thankfully softened—
especially after hearing his mother’s voice for the first time in months.
"How do you feel? Are you happy you got to talk to your mother?"
Lilith asked as she played with her hair,
twirling her dark strands around a pale finger—
dark as a night in a blackout-stricken country ruled by a dictator.
Nathan sat down, looking down at the ground.
"I don’t know. I feel... all over the place," he answered quietly.
then shifted into a motherly tone.
She stopped twirling her own hair and reached toward Nathan’s head—
her milky-white hand gently caressing his hair.
"Don’t think too much.
At least your mom knows you’re alive,"
she said softly with a smile.
Nathan nodded faintly.
"Mm..." his voice unsure.
Lilith chuckled softly.
Nathan reflexively turned toward her.
"What are you laughing at? What’s funny?" he asked.
"Well... actually..." Lilith drew out her voice dramatically.
"Actually what?" Nathan frowned.
Her voice played with pitch.
She leaned her face closer to his.
"Is what?" Nathan asked, annoyed.
"...It’s a prank! Ahahaha!"
Lilith burst into giggles.
Nathan clenched his fists.
"FUCK YOU! WHAT THE FUCK? A PRANK?!"
He grabbed Lilith by the shoulders.
"Bitch, why would you do that?! Huh?! This is way too far—"
But then he looked at her face—
"I lied. That really was your mom. I was just joking... My son..." she whispered as a quiet tear slid down her cheek.
The transition from "prank" to tears...
It felt like being shoved off a cliff—only to land in a pillow made of warm, wet emotions.
He didn’t know whether to yell, laugh... or hug this emotionally deranged tower goddess.
Nathan slowly released her shoulders.
"Tsk... You’re such a damn weirdo," he muttered firmly.
David kept walking beside Emily, but his thoughts had started to drift.
If a signal can penetrate from inside the Tower... then something no one knows about must’ve been done by him.
Still, he didn’t jump to any conclusions.
As a SSS Ranked Hunter, David was too meticulous to believe in coincidences.
But... one part of his mind remained curious.
"Mrs. Emily... may I ask you something?"
"Can I see Nathan’s call history?"
Emily hesitated for a moment. But eventually, she pulled out her phone. Her hand was still trembling a little.
David looked at the screen.
His eyes widened slightly.
There it was—thousands of incoming calls to the contact labeled "Nathan."
Yet—only one call had a recorded duration.
"...This..." David could barely speak.
Emily gave a faint smile, though her eyes were still puffy. "That was the only one that actually connected..."
David covered his mouth. He didn’t want to appear too reactive. But deep down—he was genuinely glad.
"By the way, why didn’t Nathan pick up the phone before?" David asked.
"I don’t know. I didn’t get a chance to ask him earlier," Emily replied.
Just as I suspected... maybe he found some strange way to reach the outside world.
He tightened his grip on the shopping bag in his hand.
"I’ll help search for Nathan inside the Tower," he said quietly.
Emily turned to him. "Why are you out here this late, David? Where do you live?"
David gave a faint smile.
"I move around a lot... I just don’t like staying in one place too long."
A few minutes later, they arrived in front of the house.
The door opened. A young girl stepped out—Nathan’s little sister. Long hair, innocent face, wearing a loose hoodie.
Her eyes instantly widened the moment she saw David.
"...Who..." she murmured, but didn’t dare to speak up.
Nathan was still sitting there, annoyed—but then Lilith the Milky Mommy suddenly made a move.
Lilith wrapped her arms around Nathan, quietly sobbing. Her body was warm, her chest trembling gently with every sniffle.
Nathan stayed silent.
His hands just hung loosely at his sides, his chin resting on the shoulder of this half-divine woman.
Unfortunately, the cooldown effect had ended.
His Private Blade... began to rise again.
She leaned back a little... then smiled softly.
"Rest your head on my lap, Nathan."
Without further explanation, Lilith sat down on the root of a Prunus Vitalis tree.
Nathan blinked, confused.
"Come on, dear..." she said with a voice that was... oddly sweet.
And then—without warning—she yanked his head down until it landed on her lap.
"Aww... what the—" Nathan’s eyes went wide.
Lilith lowered the part of her dress covering her right breast. A soft, milky colored mounds, glowing like an ancient temple statue too sacred to paint.
Nathan’s jaw dropped.
"Come now, sweetie... suckle."