Chapter 257: Chapter 257- Nox

The bar was quiet, with only a few patrons scattered in the dim light. The door creaked open, and Luke walked in, spotting Julian and Kevin at a corner table. He approached with a slightly awkward wave.

"Hey, sorry I’m late," Luke said, pulling out a chair.

Julian didn’t even look up from his drink. "You’re late."

Kevin, however, squinted at Luke’s face. "Whoa, what happened to your face?"

Luke sighed dramatically, slumping into his seat. "I was the victim of a sudden... unprovoked attack."

Julian took a slow sip of his drink, his expression unchanging. "At this point, I’m starting to feel secondhand pity for you."

"Ah, shut up," Luke grumbled, though there was no real heat in it. He then noticed Kevin properly. "Hey, by the way, it’s rare to see you here, Kevin. Any news? Have you found Nia?"

Kevin’s usual cheerful demeanor dimmed slightly. He shook his head, a trace of sadness in his eyes, but his voice held its characteristic optimism. "Not yet. But it’s okay. I’m sure I’ll find her one of these days."

Luke, relieved to see Kevin hadn’t lost hope, gave him an encouraging nod. "Yeah, you will, man. Good luck."

With that settled, Luke finally turned his attention back to Julian, leaning forward conspiratorially. "So, the thing I meant to tell you about... I just remembered what it was."

Julian set his glass down with a soft clink, fixing Luke with a deadpan stare. "No one forgets something that important. You’re an idiot."

Luke just laughed it off, rubbing the back of his neck. "Haha, well, it’s because I didn’t think it was that serious in the first place."

The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of his drink. The waitress carefully set the glass on the table with a quiet, "Here you are."

"Thanks!" Luke said, offering the waitress a grateful and charming smile as she left.

Luke took a quick gulp of his drink before leaning in. "Yeah, so, someone’s been asking around for you."

Julian’s brow furrowed slightly. "For me?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I asked what his business with you was, but he wasn’t exactly chatty. Pretty tight-lipped, actually."

Julian was silent for a moment, processing this. "A name?" he asked, his tone flat.

"Nox," Luke replied, watching Julian’s face closely. "You know him?"

A flicker of recognition, brief and unreadable, passed through Julian’s eyes before they returned to their usual calm. "Oh. That guy."

"Oho? So you do know him!" Luke leaned forward, his curiosity piqued. "Why was he looking for you like he was hunting a bounty? And he wasn’t alone—had a whole crew with him. They were keeping to themselves in Wolftown, though. No trouble."

Julian swirled the ice in his glass, his expression dismissive. "He’s just an old... acquaintance. It’s not important."

"Not important? He looked like he wanted to have a very ’important’ conversation with your face," Luke pressed, not buying it for a second.

Julian finally met Luke’s gaze, a silent warning in his eyes. "I said, it’s not important. Don’t worry about it."

The finality in his tone was a clear sign the conversation was over. Luke held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright. Your business is your business." But the look of concern didn’t leave his eyes. He knew Julian well enough to know that when he dismissed something this firmly, it was usually anything but "not important."

Luke, sensing the conversation about Nox had hit a wall, quickly shifted gears. He nudged Kevin with his elbow, a playful grin spreading across his face. "So, what about you two? Were you guys in the middle of talking about something heavy too? It’s pretty rare to see just the two of you together." He then added with a teasing lilt, "For a while, I even thought Julian here had a grudge against you, Kevin."

Kevin’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. He turned his entire body towards Julian, leaning in uncomfortably close. "Heeeh?! Is that true, Julian? Do you... hate me?"

Julian’s face remained impassive, but he raised a hand and firmly pushed Kevin’s face away, creating some personal space. "You’re noisy. And don’t get so close."

Undeterred and with a dramatically wounded expression, Kevin pouted. "But why? Aren’t we comrades who fought side by side? We shared the same battlefield!"

Julian simply let out a quiet "Tch" and took another sip of his drink, pointedly ignoring Kevin’s plea.

Luke, now genuinely curious, leaned closer to Julian. "Okay, seriously though. Why do you dislike Kevin so much?"

Julian didn’t even look at Kevin, who was listening intently. "He’s too loud," Julian stated flatly. "He sticks his nose into other people’s business too easily. He’s naive and gets taken advantage of. And his stubborn ’kindness’ is what led him to release that creature, which could very well become a threat to all of humanity one day."

Each word felt like a sharp dagger to Kevin’s chest. His shoulders slumped, and his usual bright aura visibly dimmed.

"Whoa," Luke whistled, a bit taken aback by Julian’s bluntness. He then tried to lighten the mood with a joke. "Damn, that’s harsh. If what you’re saying is true, then the world’s just getting crazier because of guys like him, huh?"

Luke’s well-intentioned but poorly executed joke was the final blow. Kevin let out a quiet whimper and dramatically laid his forehead on the table, as if he’d been knocked out.

"Hey! Kevin, hang in there, man!" Luke said, patting his back apologetically. "I didn’t mean it like that!"

Just as Kevin seemed utterly defeated, Julian spoke again, his tone still calm but with a slight nuance. "Well... however foolish his methods, he also carries the burden of his own actions. That sense of responsibility... is his one redeeming quality."

Those words were like a healing spell. Kevin’s head shot up from the table, his eyes sparkling with renewed life. With tears of joy practically forming in his eyes, he lunged at Julian, wrapping him in a tight hug.

"Haha, JULIAN! So you don’t actually hate me after all!"

Julian’s body instantly stiffened in disgust. He struggled violently, trying to pry the overly emotional Kevin off of him. "LET GO OF ME! YOU’RE DISGUSTING!"