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Pacing through the crowd, Paimon finally couldn't hold back any longer: "You're saying that person on stage, the one called the 'Hat Guy', is really that easygoing?"
The scholar turned toward Paimon and nodded emphatically: "Yes, absolutely. He is quite easygoing, though usually reserved and keeps to himself. Most people simply haven't interacted with him enough to know."
Paimon blinked in disbelief: "Easygoing? Reserved? Are you sure?"
The scholar nodded even harder this time: "I'm very certain. If you've ever dealt with him, you'd know—he rarely speaks first, but if there's a question, he'll answer it, and if help is needed, he provides it."
"No… It's exactly because we've known him before… what on earth happened?!"
Paimon felt her world tilting. Not just her—Lumine and Victor Wang were also struggling to grasp the changes in The Wanderer.
Just then, the opening ceremony ended, and Paimon seized the moment: "As special guest commentators, it's our duty to find out why each participant joined, right? Especially 'The Wanderer'!"
His eyes, sensing his name being mentioned, opened slowly, and he looked toward them with a confused gaze.
Paimon panicked slightly and dodged his stare: "We should treat all participants equally! The reasons for the others are just as important!"
Lumine chuckled: "Paimon, you changed your tone fast."
"What do you mean, I changed? I just mean we should ask the ones we know first, like Tighnari, Cyno, or Arataki Itto, so that when we get to him, it'll make sense," Paimon hurriedly explained. "Come on, let's go!"
…
"Tighnari was nominated by the scholars of the Akademiya to compete. He also has an upcoming ecology lecture in Sumeru City next month and hopes to use the tournament's popularity to promote it, so he didn't refuse."
"Cyno is after the limited-edition Genius Invokation TCGcard from the prizes, which isn't surprising at all."
"Kaveh wants the prize money to buy a new house so he can move out from under Alhaitham's roof. Also, his father once participated in the academy tournament but didn't win, so this is him helping fulfill that dream."
"Faruzan has two reasons: to secure research funds and to attract new students who just enrolled to become her disciples."
"Layla was nominated by scholars of the Rtawahist Darshan. She participates because she doesn't want to disappoint their expectations."
Paimon summarized meticulously, and Victor Wang said calmly: "That just leaves 'The Wanderer.' How will Paimon handle this?"
Lumine added: "Go ahead, Paimon!"
"I'll go! I'm not scared of him!" Paimon clenched her fists for courage and flew toward The Wanderer, keeping her distance. She took a deep breath, stomped her foot, and called out: "Hey! You three, at least come with me!"
The Wanderer was standing alone, eyes closed, seemingly meditating. The tournament was about to start, and no one would disturb him… except for Victor Wang, Lumine, and Paimon.
Sensing someone approaching, he opened his eyes.
"Uh… you…"
"Call me The Wanderer from now on. This is the only name I use, given to me here in Sumeru."
"Alright, then, participant The Wanderer, why did you join the academy tournament?" Paimon asked seriously, emphasizing: "Remember, we're the special guest commentators this time, so please answer honestly."
"This concerns an agreement I made with Lesser Lord Kusanali. Simply put, I joined as a participant to monitor the tournament and prevent any accidents," he answered.
Paimon was surprised: "You mean there's a chance of danger during the tournament?"
"According to the agreement, I cannot disclose more specific details. But you needn't worry too much. Whether the uncertainties count as danger is hard to define, and I am here to watch over it."
Lumine spoke up: "Is it because of the Diadem of Knowledge?"
Paimon tilted her head: "The Diadem of Knowledge? What do you mean?"
Lumine glanced at him: "During the prize announcement, I thought I saw someone's residual consciousness inside the Diadem…"
The Wanderer neither confirmed nor denied it: "You may investigate, but I cannot reveal anything."
"You can trust us—we'll look into it!" Paimon blurted, realizing too late that he was merely stating facts, not mocking her. Her confidence immediately wavered. "By the way… you really… sound a lot friendlier now?"
"People change. I am no exception," he said.
"It's hard to imagine what the old 'The Balladeer' went through to become who he is now…" Paimon admitted honestly, then quickly covered her mouth. Surprisingly, The Wanderer didn't react in the way she expected.
"If you're set on asking…"
He continued, addressing Victor Wang, Lumine, and Paimon's gaze with a slow, deliberate tone:
"I asked Lesser Lord Kusanali to help me locate the descendants of the Raiden Gokaden, and I spent some time visiting each of them to apologize. They all said they didn't know me…"
"I told them everything I had done and gave them the right to revenge me. They said it had been too long, so it was forgiven…
Other than me, there seems to be no one left who still cares.
That means I can never be truly forgiven, not by anyone, nor by myself. I cannot let go of the past, so I must keep all my dark memories and emotions inside me forever.
When I returned, I thought long and hard. I wanted to carry that weight and start over here in Sumeru.
I wanted to see what kind of life I could live if I had the chance to do it all again.
So, 'The Balladeer' became 'The Wanderer' again.
Only… this body now carries a heart woven from guilt. Every beat reminds me that all of this is false. The real me will never have this future."
Hearing this, Paimon was even more confused.
"…Are you okay?"
"I am okay."
"…You're serious?"
"I am serious."
This feels so weird… so unnatural… the change is too extreme…
The Wanderer smiled meaningfully and squinted, asking gently: "Then, tell me, what should I do?"
Sensing something off, Paimon quickly surrendered: "Uh… this is fine the way it is!"
Once they moved away from him, she fumed: "He's pretending! There's no way he's really this friendly! When he asked me back there, I already felt it… if I'd pushed further, he would have revealed his true self!"
Victor Wang said calmly: "Let him pretend. Right now, we have more important matters."
"Right. We need to find the host, Karina. Lesser Lord Kusanali told us to come and check in with her. The tournament is about to start, so let's hurry!" Lumine reminded.
Paimon huffed in frustration: "Fine, fine, I'll let it slide… but I will figure out his secret eventually!"
The three of them quickened their pace toward the main arena. Though curiosity and uncertainty lingered, they all understood—some truths could wait for now.
The clamor of the tournament drew nearer, and the air buzzed with tension and excitement. Their gaze, however, quietly fixed on the six representatives on stage—especially the mysterious, inscrutable The Wanderer.
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