Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 97: Giant Python

Myss sank deep into the hotel sofa.

This hotel had been arranged by Lady Mag.

A fireplace crackled in the hearth, making the air feel as warm as an embrace. The sofa was as soft as a cloud, and the fabric was comfortable velvet. Myss wished he had no bones, so that he could melt into it more perfectly.

“If you dare lie to your cheap cousin, you might as well tell that whole family the truth.”

Compared to attending the Karns family dinner, Myss would much rather lie here and idle away.

That whole nest of humans surnamed Karns seemed to have fairly high status. They should have some brains. Since his nominal cousin was this perceptive, his nominal grandfather presumably wouldn’t be too bad either.

“No. If Mag hadn’t taken the initiative to intrude into the Sea of Concepts, I wouldn’t even have told her. The more people know, the more variables there are. V.O.R definitely has eyes here.”

Salaar was busy cutting fabric with scissors. The blades smoothly parted the satin, making soft rustling sounds. Several needles floated beside him, hurriedly threading themselves.

Myss was too lazy to argue with him about this. He flipped himself over, turning his back toward Salaar. His braid slid down along the curve of the sofa, the end sweeping the carpet comfortably.

At this moment, there were only him and Salaar in the room. The Dragon Fae considered himself half a native of the capital and had taken Kalen to buy clothes and jewelry. Fork and Knife were lying together on the soft cushion of the sofa armrest, sleeping soundly.

Myss blinked. His vision was sometimes clear and sometimes blurry. The burgundy velvet melted before his eyes, and his breathing grew slow and deep…

“All right, get up.”

Salaar’s wicked hands reached over and shook Myss’s arm.

“No.” Myss hugged a cushion tightly and said drowsily.

“Get up and try on the clothes.” Salaar grabbed Myss by the back of his collar and directly lifted him into a sitting posture. “I need to see if anything needs altering.”

“Why not let the priest buy them together? Why do you have to make them yourself?” Myss complained as he turned around.

“There isn’t much time. If we buy at the last minute, we can only buy ready-made clothes. With Kendrick’s personality, he would definitely like something custom-made.” Salaar explained solemnly.

Myss didn’t believe him.

Would someone like Kendrick really go out of his way to wear matching outfits with his “lover”?

Salaar had made him a small navy-blue cape, paired with a white shirt and a garnet bow tie. His trousers were also gray-black with a layer of blue to them.

There were no exaggerated ruffles or complicated embroidery. Salaar had even specially left a small pocket for the pocket watch where Tass resided.

Salaar himself wore a long navy-blue formal coat, also paired with a white shirt and garnet bow tie. The brooch Myss had given him was openly pinned to his chest, as if it had been born to be an accessory for this outfit.

The two sets of clothes were low-key, dignified, and tasteful, with almost exactly the same style.

Myss lazily stood up, dissolved the magic fabric on his body, and let Salaar dress him.

One had to say, the Great Hero’s tailoring was frighteningly precise. Myss practically suspected this outfit had also been made with magic.

Salaar understood his measurements far too well. The fabric gently rubbed against his body, and the garnet bow tie tightened with a rustle. The slight sense of suffocation sobered Myss for an instant.

“Not bad.”

Salaar cleared his throat and admired the result of his design.

After looking for a while, he felt it still wasn’t enough. “I’ll comb your hair. The ribbon isn’t tied straight enough.”

Myss gave a drowsy “mm” and fell back onto the sofa.

Salaar loosened his hair and gently combed it with a brush. The air was warm, and the comb teeth brushed over his scalp with neither too much nor too little force. In his daze, Myss had the feeling of being licked by a giant beast.

During the more than three hundred years inside the seal, Salaar hadn’t even bothered to take care of his own hair, let alone be close to other humans. When this guy had still been in the human world, had he ever treated other humans with such care?

This feeling was too comfortable, so comfortable that for an instant, Myss doubted whether Salaar truly longed for his death.

However, that thread of suspicion was quickly swallowed by his sleepiness and left no trace.

Before falling asleep, Myss turned his body and exposed half his face. In this posture, he could smell Salaar’s scent and see Salaar’s figure.

This way, when he closed his eyes, he could imprison the warmth of this moment, along with Salaar himself, behind his eyelids.

Myss let out a low, sleepy murmur and sank into sleep.

……

Serpentia, a certain secret room.

“Salutations to Mr. Tenney, and salutations to all the ordinary.”

Kai removed his hat, pressed it to his chest, and solemnly bowed toward the communication magic device.

“This Divine Realm also involved Kendrick Karns and that slave named Myss. Your report is very valuable, Mr. Kai. This is their fourth time intervening in a Divine Realm.”

An androgynous voice came from the communication magic device. One could tell at once that it had been processed through magic.

“We lost one Divine Blood Puppet. Jocelyn’s memory was interfered with, and she lost the memories related to the battle.”

Kai’s expression relaxed slightly. “Ah, so a Divine Blood Puppet was wasted just like that? Those things are very expensive. Help me tell Jocelyn to mourn it, and while you’re at it, tell her not to get any ideas about mine.”

Then he paused. “As far as I know, those two seem to be attending the Karns family dinner. I’m guessing they want the Karns family to cancel the assassination… How does the higher-up plan to handle this?”

“According to the report, those two may be Divine Attendants of an unknown god. Before the investigation is clear, we’ll temporarily refrain from acting.”

Kai smiled helplessly. “Before the apocalypse, all sorts of demons and monsters really are crawling out.”

“However, ‘That One’ believes the god behind them may not necessarily be the one we are wary of. So far, they are not enemies of the Stargazers Society.”

“The one you should convince is Jocelyn, not me. I’m not the one who lost my Divine Blood Puppet.” Kai shrugged. “What other instructions does ‘That One’ have? Say them all at once.”

“They have noticed your existence. Starting today, you are to be transferred out of the Aufon Kingdom and make a trip to the Crimson Marsh in Mondicia.”

“All right, all right. Looks like my comfortable days are over,” Kai said unhappily.

“Don’t take that attitude. This is a crucial mission. According to That One, Mondicia still has surviving records of the ‘Celestial Canopy.’”

“I understand.” Kai’s relaxed demeanor instantly vanished, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness.

The next night, Karns Manor.

Salaar jumped down from the carriage first. Immediately afterward, he turned and helped the listless Myss down.

The two were wearing the formal outfit sets specially made by Salaar. They also had a few gemstone accessories personally chosen by Tass, which were currently fashionable in the capital. Salaar had an extra pair of garnet earrings on his ears, while Myss had a single lapis-lazuli ear cuff on his ear, matching quite well with his formalwear.

The last to get off the carriage was Father Kalen. He still wore plain priestly robes, only symbolically pinning on a brooch inlaid with an aquamarine gemstone.

Rather than decoration, that thing looked more like a backup hiding place provided for Tass.

“To think Magnolia actually spoke up for you. Don’t tell me you caught some weakness of hers?”

A hostile voice shot over.

Myss unhappily raised his eyes and looked toward the owner of the voice.

That person also had black hair and blue eyes. His features were decent enough, but when combined together, they somehow felt inexplicably awkward.

He appeared to be under thirty. There was the greenish shadow of physical weakness beneath his eyes, and his mouth sprayed the stink of alcohol. Even the high-grade perfume on his body couldn’t cover that smell.

Behind him stood two tall and burly male servants. The servants were quite sturdy, which only made him, their master, look like an over-pickled radish.

“My former employer, Owen.”

Tass poked his head out of the pocket watch on Myss’s chest and introduced him with deep feeling. Before Owen noticed him, the Dragon Fae zipped his head back in.

Oh, it was that “Good-for-Nothing” who wanted Salaar dead.

Seeing him in the flesh, the man was pathetically weak, completely unqualified to complete with him for Salaar’s life. Owen’s Magibase was a fat groundhog, peeking around at Owen’s feet.

Myss wrinkled his nose and looked away, thoroughly uninterested.

“Good evening, dear Cousin Owen.”

Salaar bared his teeth and forcefully wrapped an arm around Myss’s shoulders. “Yes, Cousin Mag was willing to vouch for me. After all, like eyesight, wisdom isn’t something everyone possesses.”

Owen: “…”

Owen: “Even if you can deceive Mag, you won’t fool Grandfather. You piece of trash who ruined the family’s reputation, I’ll kill you sooner or later.”

Salaar looked surprised. “Wouldn’t the longer I live, the more it proves your incompetence? Then I guess I’ll live to a hundred.”

Owen’s face, which had already been reddish, swelled to the color of pig liver. He glared viciously at Salaar. Then his gaze shifted, and his eyes lit up.

“Long time no see, Peyton!” he deliberately shouted very loudly.

Myss subconsciously turned his head and saw a figure approaching on foot.

Peyton… Peyton… It sounded a little familiar. He seemed to be this shell of Salaar’s older brother by the same father and mother.

Tonight, the moonlight was bright, and many magic streetlights had been installed near the manor. Under the bright illumination, Myss saw him unusually clearly.

This Peyton was similar in height to “Kendrick,” and their appearances were five or six parts similar.

But his features were more mature and gentler. His remaining left eye was like a dark-blue deep pool, and that air of compassion was a little like the “Saint Salaar” imagined by humans in religious paintings.

Peyton’s right eye wore an eyepatch made of black cloth. The eyepatch was embroidered with the divine emblem of the Church of Cadence. It looked like a four-petaled flower, or like two human eyes crossing in a cross shape while sharing one pupil.

He wore a monk’s robe similar to Father Kalen’s. That black robe was even longer than Kalen’s, almost hanging down to his ankles. The robe was quite old, and the cuffs had slight fraying, but it had been washed clean and gave off a faint scent of soap.

Myss swept his gaze over him, and his brows slightly twitched.

Peyton’s Magibase was an exceptionally powerful giant python, a full either meters long.

It slowly slithered beside Peyton, its body as thick as a plate and full of a sense of power, making Fork in his pocket look like a thin bean sprout.

No wonder Kendrick had grown so jealous that he attacked this older brother. Peyton’s Magibase was astonishingly large, and could even compare with Roman after he became the “Prisoner of Dreams.” He might very well be a magical genius too.

In short, he looked like the antithesis of “Kendrick Karns.”

Hearing Owen’s greeting, Peyton smiled faintly and nodded toward Owen. “Long time no see, Owen.”

Then he turned his head slightly and looked at Salaar, who had raised his brows. “Long time no see, Kendrick.”

Peyton’s voice was steady and unruffled, as if the two blood relatives were equally close to him, and equally distant.

“Honestly, you walked over again.” Owen’s tone carried exaggerated enthusiasm. “How far is that church of yours? Hiring a carriage isn’t expensive.”

“And Father, don’t stand at the door. Come in and have some tea.”

He placed one arm around Peyton’s neck and waved one hand toward Father Kalen, pretending that Salaar and Myss not far away were only two clumps of air.

Salaar didn’t mind at all. He tilted his head toward the brightly lit manor. “Let’s get going too.”

“…Pay more attention to that Peyton.”

Myss hissed, “His Magibase is an enormous python. I suspect he’s a genius.”

Seeing that Salaar had no particular reaction, he couldn’t help adding, “Why aren’t you surprised at all?”

“I’m guessing Kendrick’s mother wouldn’t drink Divine Blood for no reason. Either Peyton, her eldest son, was extremely mediocre and made her uneasy, or Peyton was unusually outstanding and made her believe she was special, special enough to give birth to a true Child of Divine Blood.”

“Judging from Peyton’s bearing just now, he’s definitely not useless.”

“That’s right. Things are more or less as you guessed. Peyton is indeed a genius, but he’s wholeheartedly devoted to god and unwilling to follow the path of an Archmage, angering your grandfather quite badly.”

Seeing that no one was around, the Dragon Fae poked his head out of the pocket watch again and shared the gossip with great relish.

“If Peyton had been willing to walk the path of magic, combined with the support of the Karns family, he should have become the proud disciple of an Archmage by now.”

“With such good talent, did the Church of Cadence not value him?” Salaar asked curiously.

Tass: “The Church of Cadence couldn’t do anything either. Peyton himself chose the path of ascetic practice, staying far from power, so his ceiling is just that.”

At this point, the Dragon Fae couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. “How very much in the spirit of Saint Salaar, ahaha.”

Myss: “…”

Saint Salaar absolutely didn’t have the spirit of deliberately suffering when there was no need to suffer. That kid dared to sing songs before thinking through the melody, and when he saw delicious food, he would absolutely go back for seconds. Give the hero so much as a pole, and he would climb faster than anyone.

Myss was bored listening, so he turned to look at this manor, which could be considered luxurious.

This place was nearly as large as the United Library. It had broad courtyards filled with carefully trimmed flowers, plants, and hedges. The murmuring sound of fountains refreshed the spirit.

Every few steps, there were lamps equipped with lighting magic devices. The lighting was arranged perfectly, making the entire space bright and lively without seeming empty at all.

Owen dragged Peyton ahead in large strides, and their figures were already smaller than thumbs. Father Kalen, however, slowed his steps, eventually returning to their side.

“I did a divination. On my side, there’s nothing ominous tonight.”

He said somewhat apologetically, “But judging from the current situation… I’m an outsider, so this result probably has limited reference value.”

Facts proved that Father Kalen was right.

The moment the group entered the main entrance, Father Kalen was invited away by a maid, who said that non-family members had special arrangements. Salaar was also taken away by a male servant, supposedly to “verify his identity” and see whether there was any possibility of someone impersonating him.

Myss was nominally Salaar’s lover and counted as half a “family member,” so he remained in the entrance hall to wait for Salaar’s return.

At this moment, his gaze was firmly attracted by the enormous portrait of Salaar in the entrance hall.

Unlike the processed portraits in the United Library, this painting was closer to the Salaar in Myss’s memories. The painter’s technique was excellent. That face was practically exactly the same as the one in Myss’s impression.

…Only, it lacked a little vitality.

Even the gloomy and dejected Salaar doll from the Sea of Concepts hadn’t looked this lifeless. Could it be that Salaar had eaten something bad on the day this portrait was painted? Myss thought seriously.

“Good evening, darling.” A woman’s voice came from behind him.

Myss turned his head. Oh, the familiar black hair and blue eyes again. Another Karns.

“Queenie.”

The woman wore a beautiful lapis-lazuli mermaid dress, her long curly hair lazily scattered. “Gray hair and red eyes. Kendrick’s taste is indeed particular… You must be Kendrick’s lover, that ‘Myss’?”

Myss reluctantly gave an “mm” and immediately turned his head, continuing to admire the enormous portrait of Salaar.

Judging by her name, she wasn’t one of the people who wanted to kill Salaar, so he had no interest at all.

Honestly, Myss didn’t want to communicate with these humans who had Salaar’s eyes. For some reason, he always felt that they had stolen Salaar’s eye color, and that thought made him rather unhappy.

“You like this painting?” Queenie didn’t let him go.

Myss didn’t turn around. “No.”

“You’re quite direct.” Queenie’s voice gained a few hints of amusement. “Very few guests dare to say they don’t like this painting in front of us. If other Karns were here, they would definitely be offended by you.”

“As it happens, I don’t like this painting much either… Why don’t you like it?”

Only then did Myss turn his head and glance at Queenie again.

“Because he looks like he has no vitality at all,” he muttered softly.

“An interesting perspective.”

Queenie tapped her chin with her fingertips. “I simply feel this painting is cold, like it was never finished. If the real Salaar was like this, then he must have lived in great pain.”

“Pain.” This word stabbed Myss.

…If that was the case, he should love this painting tremendously.

Yet when he saw that corpse-like Salaar, Myss couldn’t squeeze out even the slightest joy.

In Myss’s imagination, even if Salaar were in overwhelming agony, that person should carry a twisted smile, like he had at the end of his life in the seal.

Something was wrong. Myss thought until his head grew dizzy. Perhaps the temperature in the entrance hall was a little high, steaming him muddleheaded.

“How long does checking his identity take?” He moved his gaze away from that damned painting and spoke stiffly. “Salaar has already been gone for thirteen minutes and fourteen… fifteen seconds.”

“Family tradition, darling.” Queenie’s eyes crinkled. “Especially for ‘Kendrick Karns.’ He has been away from home for far too long. However…”

Before she finished speaking, a man’s scream abruptly exploded from not far away.

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The author has something to say:

The long-awaited couple’s outfits make their debut! [OK] [cat paw]

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