Mystic Eyes of Death Perception from Zero

As they approached the appa stall, the little girl immediately ran over joyfully and threw herself into her mother's arms, "Papa~! Mama~!"

"Thank goodness! You're safe!"

The little girl's mother was a very beautiful woman. She had just informed her husband that their daughter was missing.

"Benefactor! Not only did you take care of my business, but you also helped me find my daughter. This lady is with you too, right? Thank you both so much! If there's ever anything you need, just let me know!"

"No problem," Graham glanced at Emilia, as if to say, "See? I wasn't lying to you..."

Emilia's face turned red. After all, she had misunderstood him, and now she felt a bit embarrassed.

But she also breathed a sigh of relief. The lost child had returned home, and now she could continue with her own mission.

Just as she was about to apologize, she heard Graham ask the appa stall owner, "Now that you mention it, I do have a question for you. Do you happen to know a petite, cute girl with golden hair and red eyes?"

"Huh?" Emilia was taken aback.

"Haha, benefactor, you've come to the right person. Although it's a bit awkward to say, since you're my benefactor, I'll tell you."

The stall owner laughed heartily, then lowered his voice and said, "That girl's name is Felt. Judging by your description, she probably stole something from you, right? All I can tell you is to head to Old Man Rom's loot house in the slums. You might find what you're looking for there!"

"Thank you!" replied Graham.

"Don't mention it. Compared to that, you brought my lost daughter back to me. That's a debt I can never repay."

The stall owner was a straightforward man, and his eyes were filled with gratitude as he looked at Graham.

"No problem. I'll take my leave now!" Graham nodded, accepting the gratitude, then turned to the silver haired half-elf beauty.

"Well then, miss, I have some business to attend to, so I won't keep you. Farewell!"

"Um, I'm sorry. I misunderstood you earlier..." Emilia nodded, then scratched her cheek, looking genuinely embarrassed.

"It's fine. How could I stay mad at someone as cute as you? You're forgiven!"

"Thank you..." Emilia glanced up at him, hesitating as if she wanted to say something.

"Just say it. Weren't you so confident earlier?" Graham smiled, mimicking her earlier tone, "I warn you, don't get any funny ideas, or I won't be nice to you!"

Hearing this, Emilia pouted adorably, "Really, you're making fun of me now..."

"Haha, just teasing. I'm Graham. May I ask your name, miss?"

"My name is Emilia..." The girl hesitated before saying her name, secretly observing him.

His eyes showed no trace of fear or disgust, only kindness. That was why Emilia felt comfortable telling him her name.

"Um, if it's not too much to ask, could you tell me why you're looking for that golden-haired girl?" Emilia continued.

"To take her to see some goldfish, of course." said Graham jokingly.

"Ugh~! Graham-san!" Hearing this, Emilia glared at him unhappily, stomping her foot in frustration.

Seeing Emilia's flustered reaction, Graham burst into laughter, "Alright, I'm just kidding. Actually, she stole my coin pouch, and I'm trying to find her."

"What a coincidence... She stole something very important from me too..." The silver haired half-elf girl spoke with determination, "It's something extremely important, and I must get it back!"

"Then let's look for her together. As you just heard, that girl named Felt stores her stolen goods at 'Old Man Rom's loot house'. If we go there, we should be able to find her," Graham smiled faintly.

Emilia's face lit up with surprise, but then she lowered her shoulders, nervously gauging his reaction, "Really? But... is that okay? Don't you think my appearance is... strange?"

"Hmm, you are strange."

"Ah... I knew it," Emilia grew even more dejected. Graham must also be bothered by her silver hair and half-elf heritage, just like everyone else.

"The strangest thing about you is that Emilia-san is way more beautiful than anyone else here. You're a total super beauty!"

Emilia stared at him intently, her tone unusually serious, "Stop joking, Graham-san. Don't you know? I... I have silver hair, and I'm a half-elf!"

"I know. I heard the Witch of Envy, Satella, also had beautiful silver hair and was a half-elf. But so what? The Witch of Envy disappeared 400 years ago. You're just Emilia, aren't you?"

"Graham-san..."

Emilia stared at him in shock, then suddenly took a deep breath, turned around, and crouched down, covering her ears as if she didn't want to hear anymore.

Having been mocked and insulted with the name of the Witch of Envy for so long, Emilia was actually overjoyed to finally meet someone who accepted her for who she was. But now, she didn't know how to express these feelings.

"Hey, what's wrong, Emilia-san?"

"H-how can I stay indifferent after hearing something like that?" Emilia reasoned...

"Hey~!" Just as Graham was about to approach her, a cute white cat with a small bag suddenly popped out of Emilia's hair, spun around in the air, and then lightly punched Graham with its fluffy paw.

"You're... a spirit?" Graham was surprised. This was his first time seeing a Great Spirit.

"That's right~! I'm Puck, this child's father~! Sorry, my kid can be a bit stubborn." the spirit cat introduced.

"Stubborn?" Graham glanced at Emilia, who was still crouching with her head in her hands, her face flushed, and nodded, "Yeah, I can see that."

"Ugh~! Puck, what are you saying? Graham-san, don't listen to him..." Blushing, Emilia stood up and continued, "Anyway, since we have the same goal, working together will make things easier. Let's go!"

"Oh? So Emilia trusts me now? Just a moment ago, you thought I had ulterior motives."

Graham teased her with a smirk, while Puck quickly climbed onto his shoulder and whispered, "As you can see, this kid is quite stubborn. It's really a headache when I'm not around."

"It was a misunderstanding earlier, Graham-san! Anyone who can get along so well with spirits can't be a bad person. Anyway, it's getting dark. Let's hurry!"

"Alright. Since you say so, let's get moving!"

As he spoke, Graham grabbed Puck and started tickling him.

Truth be told, Graham loved cats, and now was the perfect chance to indulge in some cat cuddling.

"Ahahaha~!"

Puck laughed uncontrollably, then quickly scurried back into Emilia's hands saying, "Then I'll leave my kid in your care, young man."

Graham smiled knowingly, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of her."

Emilia however, wasn't having it.

"Puck, Graham-san, what are you two talking about? I-I can take care of myself..."

Her voice grew weaker as she spoke, clearly trying to sound tough but failing.

Graham and Puck exchanged glances, nodded in unison, and then high-fived as if sealing a pact.

Protecting a kind and beautiful girl like Emilia? Graham was more than willing.

And don't underestimate this seemingly harmless little cat named Puck.

Its true identity was far from simple...

...

{T/N: Called it... Bro's an irredeemable simp lol...}