Infinite Evolution: My Idle Evolution System - Chapter 268

Chapter 268: A Code of Conduct [Bonus Chapter 2/7]
“You seem quite unbothered about the whole ordeal,” Cassius said. “Is there a reason for that?”

Question marks floated above Yuna’s neutral expression. “Why would I be bothered about something that can’t be changed? Although I don’t recall what my mother looked like or how she spoke, I have… these and these to remember her by,” she fondly motioned to her horns and her scales. “And for me, that’s enough. At least until I become strong enough to want more.”

“By the way, she’s not dead, you know,” she added.

“I see…” Cassius said. “And you aren’t the least bit angry with her for leaving you behind?”

If being honest with himself, he was mad when his mother vanished. And even if she had turned out to be alive, the him at that time wanted nothing to do with her.

To the old him, she was dead.

It was only after the Great Sage informed him of the truth that he truly stopped hating his mother. None of it was her fault, after all, so what point was there in blaming her?

However, seeing Yuna right now made him further reconsider his past stance. Perhaps he had been too childish.

“Hate her?” Yuna asked, confused. “Why would I hate her? I know she did what she did for the sake of me and Father.”

‘Same as me…’ Cassius thought, then asked, “What do you mean? Can you elaborate?”

Yuna followed him around a corner and through a hallway leading out of the massive Eastern Fortress. She emotionlessly stared at her companion, saying, “Though I don’t know much, I learned something from one of Mother’s disguised Yokai attendants who was once stationed in the Mistalore Kingdom. The Yokai lady told me that my mother had been called back to her family somewhere else in the Azure Archipelago.

This event occurred a few weeks before I was born, which meant that she had taken a risk by putting off the return request from her family. If she had stalled any longer, then her very powerful family would’ve sent what the Yokai attendant called ‘Yokai Inquisitors.'”

“Seems a tad bit extreme, but alright,” said Cassius as he boarded a fancy carriage along with the 12th Princess. “It still surprises me that we have transportation like this one in such a dark and bleak world. But getting back to the previous subject: Why had your mother not simply taken you with her? To her offshore family, I mean?”

“That’s because her family is also xenophobic against other races,” Yuna said. “If my mother’s parents discovered her illicit relationship with a human during her ‘Coming of Age Trial,’ then she would’ve surely been severely punished, and I…”

“You wouldn’t be here right now, would you?” Cassius said with a small chuckle. “It’s a bit ironic, isn’t it? That your mother—descended from a family of xenophobic Yokai—eloped with the King of a country known for its xenophobia. This story has to be traded around a campfire one day.”

Yuna’s cheeks puffed a little. “It’s not funny,” she said, punching him in the arm. “You’re not funny. You’re just a bad man.”

Cassius smirked. “If I’m so bad, then why are you walking so close to me?” he asked, amused. “Are you looking to become bad with me~?”

Smoke seeped out of Yuna’s ears as she bit her lower lip and silently punched him in the same spot over and over again. “Y… You’re just a jerk,” she grumbled cutely. “No girl will ever want you.”

Oof!

Cassius felt that one right in the feels, causing a stream of blood to trickle down his lips. “You really know how to deal critical damage to a poor lad, don’t you…?”

“You’re neither poor nor hurt, you jerk,” Yuna said, irritated. “Just an idiot is all you are.”

“An idiot —and— a jerk,” Cassius said matter-of-factly, seemingly proud of the fact. “Don’t replace one of my titles with another one. Keep them both. Or, even better, combine them! How does Idiot-Jerk soun—”

*Pow!*

Yuna unleashed a K.O. blow on Cassius, yet it merely blew a bit of wind behind him. Her displeasure quickly morphed into surprise.

This entire time—while hitting him—she had been gradually increasing her power output to gauge his limits. And by accident, she unleashed her full strength with the last strike.

Yet… the target of her mock fury was left uninjured—not even the least bit fazed.

“???” Cassius wondered what was going on in the princess’s head; she appeared rather shocked.

That was when he realized it, prompting him to lean against the side of the carriage and say, “Ahhh, so painful, the hurts, so hurts…—”

*Pow!*

Another full-power punch landed square on the same spot as before.

‘Such accuracy… Neat…’

“I know you’re faking it, you idiot bastard,” Yuna said, turning as red as a beet, both from embarrassment and anger. “How’d you become so strong, so fast!? What method did you use!??”

Cassius rubbed the side of his arm, feigning a look of pain, and said seriously, “I killed things, obviously. Why? How did you become so much stronger? The 3rd Stage of the 3rd Class Slayer Realm—impressive.”

He nodded in appreciation while staring at her System tag. Of course, he received a few hits for that as well.

‘Damn,’ Cassius thought. ‘It’s always the pretty, quiet types that get the most violent. If she were stronger than I, then I’d certainly be in for a realm of hurt right about now… Luckily, it’s in my code of conduct not to allow anyone to surpass me.’

Never could trust anybody these days. One day, he could go lax in his pursuit of Character Development and get lapped by a lass, and then bam! The lass reveals herself to be a Dimension-Devouring Serpent!

And whaddya know? You’re now a foot in her stomach instead of the other way around.

‘Definitely not for me,’ Cassius thought, his eyes curiously perusing Yuna’s system interface. ‘To advance by so much so shortly after breaking through to the 3rd Class Slayer Rank… Hmm, on top of her extraordinarily high talent, she must’ve expended a great deal of effort to accomplish this.’