Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 259: Collapsed Chessboard

Different.

Oliver’s eyes were firmly locked on the phantom in front of him.

If the one on the opposite side was the “Nemo” he knew, he would definitely not be able to suppress the boiling feelings at this moment. The Nemo Light he was familiar with wasn’t very good at hiding his emotions, and even being “expressionless” he had to rely on the sandpoint plums for help.

This thought flashed through his mind, but in the next second, Oliver dismissed it.

Today’s self wasn’t much different from the Nemo in front of him.

Oliver pursed his lips and moved a few steps forward. The Rest in Peace in his left hand wasn’t lowered, and the tip of the sword was still pointed upwards vigilantly.

At that moment, the two of them were only one step away from each other.

Restlessness, panic, anxiety, as well as eagerness, desire, and longing. All kinds of turbulent feelings were forcibly pressed into his heart, and at first glance, the two of them were even calm.

Like the calm before the storm.

Nemo’s illusion sat on Ulysses’ huge skull, moving naturally without the slightest stiffness. Using the power of the magic array, the skull slowly floated up and down in the air, and the orange light jumped on the surface of the bones.

The floating skull made him two heads taller than Oliver. The Demon King lowered his gaze slightly. His non-human cruciform pupils contracted slightly, staring at the summoner in front of him.

“I hope to be able to make a deal with you,” Oliver repeated, without using honorifics.

Nemo didn’t answer; he just looked at Oliver seriously, without blinking.

“Can you tell, Dylan? Is that Nemo, or…” Ann carefully crossed the lines of the hot charcoal-burning magic formation and leaned beside the white behemoth.

“Can’t.” Jesse didn’t hesitate for a second. “If the Pillar of the World wants to pretend to be ‘Nemo Light’, I can’t tell the difference. This is a purely spiritual thing. Psychopathic humans pretending to be normal are hard to distinguish at first glance. It takes a long time through observation.”

The white behemoth shook one ear in the direction of Telaranea. “Not to mention the Pillar of the World, even if Telaranea pretends to be ‘in love’ with a person, normal humans can’t tell.”

Ann anxiously looked at the center of the formation while gripping the hunting spear in her hand.

The Pillar of the World knew everything about Nemo Light, and no matter what the “Nemo” in front of them did, they all had reasons to doubt him. There had never been a magic of “I know this is him” in the world, nor had anyone had 100% accurate intuition.

In this matter, Oliver couldn’t make any mistakes—not to mention mistakes, he couldn’t even make a small gaffe.

He was negotiating with the world itself.

The dark clouds in the sky tumbled and were illuminated by the light of the magic array. The woods behind him continued to make a loud noise of tree trunks cracking. There was no trace of that weird watery smell. The air was getting hotter and brighter, and it was difficult to tell whether it was the effect of the magic array or if flames were really burning.

Everything around him seemed to be the end of the world, and the aura of destruction in the air was so strong that he couldn’t breathe. The suffocating effect was exacerbated by sweat coming out of his pores and sticking his tight clothing to his skin.

Taking into account the identities of the two people at the center of the magic array and everyone present, this may be a major event that should be recorded in the annals of human history, but Ann didn’t have much realism. Excessive familiarity and companionship stripped away those unimportant parts, leaving only a pair of sad lovers.

Ann didn’t succeed in feeling fear; she was just a little faintly sad.

“…What is the content of the transaction?” Seeing that Oliver hadn’t continued for a long time, the phantom cooperated and accepted the conversation.

Just like the countless conversations they have had.

“There was a knight’s oath between us.” Oliver cleared his throat.

The array became brighter. There was a starry sky above their heads, but the surroundings were like day.

“Yes. Later, you went out of my sphere of influence, and it’s no longer effective.” The Demon King’s tone was peaceful, sounding like he was just stating the facts, without any emotions.

“I want to restore it in a more equal form.” There was an imperceptible tremor in Oliver’s tone.

Nemo opened his mouth and didn’t speak.

“I have introduced a new power system to this world. This new information, as well as the developments and changes it will bring, I believe they have certain value to you.”

Oliver’s voice was not drowned out by the huge wind in the surrounding forest, serious and calm.

He placed his clenched right hand in the position of his heart, lowered his head, and saluted earnestly.

“…I promise not to hurt you and do my best to protect you and stop any fatal injuries that come from this world at you,” he said clearly.

“In exchange, you have to promise me—don’t destroy the surface before it destroys itself.”

Nemo didn’t move. He just bent his eyes and showed a little smile at the corner of his mouth. There was no despair or sadness floating on the surface of those silver eyes. On the contrary, his gaze was so soft that Oliver couldn’t bear to doubt it.

But he must continue until the moment of certainty.

“To exchange one’s intelligence and loyalty for the smoothness of the world…… A very good proposal.”

Nemo’s voice was gentle and relaxed.

“…It’s just that I noticed that the surrounding array is not related to transactions. I’m a little curious, Ollie. If I refuse, what are you going to do?”

Oliver closed his eyes.

“I will use that magic array to trap you and close this place. I will stay by your side, as your jailer in this life, until the current surface civilization disappears. I know that destruction is your freedom… but I have my position and I’m really sorry.”

This time, Oliver couldn’t help smiling a little sad.

“If you don’t want to wait or sleep and still insist on choosing destruction… I promised you once. You should remember the answer,” he added softly, without concealing anything.

Nemo just looked at him.

Please.

He had given all the options and was just waiting for the other party to speak again.

……Please.

Staring at the inhuman pupils, Oliver couldn’t help repeating in his heart, and finally couldn’t hold back his tears. His expression remained calm, and he didn’t tremble or choke, but tears kept sliding down his face. He didn’t intend to show any weakness at all. This was supposed to be a serious negotiation. He just…

The phantom didn’t answer immediately.

The Demon King’s illusion lowered his head slightly, leaned down, and printed a kiss on his forehead that wasn’t warm, but felt like a breeze.

“On one side is freedom and strength, on the other is a long wait without any benefit. I have no reason to refuse.”

The smile of “Nemo” in front of him was even more obvious.

The Demon King stretched out his immaterial right hand and stroked Oliver’s cheek vaguely. Countless dark formations suddenly piled up in the air. They instantly overflowed between heaven and earth, but they weren’t murderous in aura.

The person in front of him was filled with tears.

The filaments of gray mist then rose, entwined with black shadows, replicating the exact same magic formations. They split the darkness in droves, like fluorescent jellyfish floating in the night sky. The illusory and delicate beauty was unreal enough that it was breathtaking.

Although he couldn’t understand the meaning of those formations, Oliver could vaguely perceive their effects by instinct.

It was undoubtedly a contract, a promise, stronger and more stable than their nonsense knight’s oath at the beginning.

He lightly pressed the shadow of Nemo’s outstretched right hand with his left hand, holding the sword, and closed his eyes.

The wind stopped at that moment.

Within more than ten kilometers of the surrounding area, the broken leaves and branches that were swept into the sky by the wind fell back to the ground. The magic array that was dazzling enough to make people’s eyes tingle subsided slightly, and the surrounding scene was restored from the doomsday fire to a reversed desolate dusk.

The human he loved really struggled to the end.

Nemo didn’t withdraw the hand. He could feel Oliver’s body temperature.

The windows full of gray soil were wiped clean, and sunlight shot into the darkness. “Nemo Light” would no longer panic and be negative because of the unknown, and it was difficult to let his emotions get out of control, but he did feel that the moment the body temperature touched his fingertips, his body’s heartbeat in the distant Abyss was undoubtedly half a beat faster.

His lover really didn’t let him down.

He wanted to say believe me, I still love you now. He wanted to say that there was no need for a new power system, but “Oliver Ramon” himself was enough to bring too much new information that he couldn’t analyze.

But at the moment, anything said would easily arouse suspicion. He had to give his best, with the gentlest movements, and kissed the other on the forehead.

Just as if they had “really” met for the first time.

The deal proposed by Oliver, whether it was the rational Ulysses or himself, who loved Ollie deeply, was difficult to find a reason to refuse.

Then his Hero, after ensuring that the world would not be destroyed, would never give up…

“This is the first part of the contract.”

Sure enough, Oliver spoke again, with a hoarse tone in his voice.

“Now that you agree, please allow me to continue.”

Nemo retracted his right hand and looked at the familiar emerald eyes.

“The next thing I want to ask is a question that is so small to the world that it is not even worth mentioning. It itself cannot bring you any specific benefits. It is just very common among humans…”

Oliver’s voice really began to tremble this time because of tension, and he got tragically tongue-tied.

In the previous knight’s oath, the newborn God, his lover, had always straightened his back and performed appropriate etiquette to the utmost. Although Nemo could recognize the tension in that voice, he had to admit that Oliver had concealed it well.

But right now, Oliver in front of him was a little nervous that he couldn’t hide it.

Nemo pondered for a moment, jumped off the floating skull, stood in front of Oliver in a phantom state, and changed his gaze to meet his eye level.

‘Maybe this will make the other party feel better,’ Nemo thought to himself.

How did Oliver plan to confirm it?

During the days at the bottom of the Abyss, Nemo deduced the game between life and death over and over again, thinking about how the other party would restrain himself and how to deal with the current confusing situation, but he really hadn’t thought about this—with subtle expectations, intentionally or unintentionally, Nemo avoided thinking about it.

The serious and calm Oliver was gradually disappearing, replaced by his familiar appearance.

Through a bit of youthfulness and helplessness that belonged to young people alone, Oliver Ramon, the son of the innkeeper, was standing in front of him.

Surrounded by twisted trees, he was imprisoned in the formation with a chilling aura. Ulysses’ skull was tilted to one side, still exuding a faint aura of the Abyss, but Oliver’s eyes slipped to his companion, with a little emptiness and embarrassment.

Nemo couldn’t help raising his eyebrows.

As if doing a mental workout, his new knight thrust the Rest in Peace into the mud beside him and exhaled deeply—

Oliver knelt down a little awkwardly, and finally opened his right hand that he had been holding tightly.

Two rings were lying quietly in his sweaty palms because of tension.

“A… Just a simple question.”

His Hero’s voice changed a little bit because of tension, and his beautiful emerald eyes flickered slightly in the chilling light of the magic array, full of expectation and desire.

“Nemo,” Oliver called softly. His eyes fixed straight on his face, as if he didn’t intend to let go of any details.

“Are you willing to live with me and accompany me until the end of your life… Uh, I mean, will you be willing to ma—marry… me.”

Oliver’s voice got stuck again.

And Oliver’s companions, no, his own companions have expressed their opinions on this.

Nemo was pretty sure he heard the huge beast that had Jesse’s aura sputter, followed by a long snort of laughter.

Adrian Cross, for his part, gulped, only to remember to sigh a few seconds later.

“I have thought about 10,000 reasons why he didn’t take the initiative to tell us the plan,” Ann yelled loudly. “I never thought the reason would be so… personal.”

“Ramon is crazy—!!!” The gray parrot let out a scream directly and fell from the branch to the ground.

It was indeed a valid question.

The Pillar of the World had never been proposed before, and no expedition member would make such a dangerous move at the bottom of the Abyss. If it were Ulysses, he would not know how to react. And if it was him—even in denial—the first look would be enough to reveal everything.

Without bright sunshine, flowers or cheers, without warm hugs and kisses, naturally, there would be no blessings from the crowd.

He was a life completely different from any creature on the surface. He was once extremely cold and terrifying. There may be nothing more dangerous in this world than him—and in most cases, love didn’t mean eternity. Perhaps one day, he would turn back into a complete “deadly danger”. Oliver Ramon knew this well.

At present, he was unable to leave the bottom of the Abyss. The next expedition would come. The Demon King named Nemo Light, was still the “enemy” of the entire surface. Oliver Ramon should also know this well.

But his Hero still asked that question. Solemnly and firmly, with reckless courage.

What an ordinary and crazy question. Paying tribute to this crazy love, maybe he should give an equally crazy answer.

Nemo withdrew his attention from his surroundings and focused it all on Oliver.

In the hellish sight, his Mr. Hero was half kneeling in front of him, picking his lines carefully, trying to get rid of his stutters. Oliver seemed to have forgotten to observe his reaction for a few seconds and looked like he was almost going to pass out from shame.

“I can’t take this ring now. You’re absolutely right, it can’t bring me exact benefits by itself,” Nemo said softly. He no longer suppressed his emotions, showing a bright smile.

“…But I’m willing.”

Oliver was still half kneeling. His face was mixed with bewilderment and ecstasy, like a traveler about to die of thirst in the desert falling into a clear river. He seemed to try to stand up, but his soft ankles and knees were fixed to the ground.

“Nemo.”

“Yes.”

“……Nemo.”

“Yes.”

“Nemo.” The depression between his brows was finally swept away, and Oliver’s voice no longer trembled but was full of joy and trance. This time he no longer stammered, and his words were extremely smooth.

“You don’t need to put it on now,” he said.

“…I’ll come and put it on for you myself.”

The author has something to say:

Oliver overtakes Jesse by a goal—

I won’t be a boyfriend in the future, but a fiancé!!!

————

Ollie didn’t say it for a reason and if he did, it might go something like this:

Everyone: It’s much easier to agree to the knight’s oath, and the world is safe. Next, you should test carefully, this way and that, and then this way and that… Through various details, determine whether it is Ulysses or Nemo who intends to observe you.

Ollie: I’m going to ask for a marriage.

Everyone: …

Kinky Thoughts:

KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 258: Crazy Summoning

The Border Forest between Alban and Garland was deep, close to the area of the Ash Mountains.

The sun had already set, and the trees were soaked in the aura of the Abyss, slightly distorted and dark. In the blur of the night, the weird tree shadows were like ghosts in legends, which would sway from time to time. The gray-red moss engulfed fallen stones, and the sticky vines snaked down from the branches, swinging ominously in the night wind.

The air was filled with a weird watery smell, which smelled like wet stones on the riverbed.

Under the shade of dense leaves, when it reached the ground, there was hardly much moonlight left. A pair or several eyes reflecting green light quickly crossed the darkness, and a small body rustled through the bushes—Several animals were fleeing there quickly for some reason.

In the opposite direction from where the creatures fled, there was a clearing with sparse trees.

At this moment, there was a hazy glimmer of light, but the light was extremely cold, and it had nothing to do with “hope” and “peace of mind”.

“The magic formation over there is unqualified, so it should be redrawn.” Telaranea knocked on the bucket with a silver spoon in his hand, with a hint of command in his tone.

Ann gritted her teeth, clenched the handle of the bucket in her hand, and squeezed it so hard that it started to crack.

“It’s the fifteenth time,” she whispered annoyingly. “This lawn is about to be rubbed bald by me.”

“Your mind is not calm. You’re distracted, aren’t you? The lines of the magic array never lie.” Telaranea responded unceremoniously. “Even if you dig all the way to the skin of the Pillar of the World, I will not allow this quality of magic array to take effect under my nose.”

The Queen of Alban looked around, and after confirming that her nagging knight wasn’t present, she decisively grimaced at the Sage of the Abyss.

“…Okay, the sixteenth time.” The soles of her boots rubbed the painted lines, and Ann sighed. She used a weird silver spoon to scoop up the silver-gleaming liquid in the bucket and redrew it.

“Ramon, your painting is crooked—Take a step back to the position of the tree behind you.” The white behemoth floated in the sky, flicking its tail while glancing with blue eyes at the people below who were trying to draw a complex array.

Eventually, the huge array gradually took shape.

One set at a time, complicated and beautiful, like the dazzling embroidery on a noblewoman’s dress.

And in the middle of that large array, there was a smaller and more exquisite set of magic arrays embedded.

Unlike the complex array on the periphery, the small array was made of metal condensation. The smooth and uniform metal filaments were wrapped around the rune-carved magic stone, which was as beautiful as a work of art. In this way, they overlapped each other to form a more complex three-dimensional structure, which looked like a magnificent hollowed-out altar from a glance.

The Demon King’s skull was placed safely on it, and the surface was painted with black lines full of large and small runes. If you only look at the silver metal altar and the pale skull, this scene had a kind of distorted and cold beauty.

The aura belonged to the magic of the Abyss wandered near the altar, so strong that it was uncomfortable.

Jesse was able to roughly calculate the approximate effect of the “altar”. If they only wanted to summon the Demon King’s consciousness to this point, the peripheral magic array didn’t need to be painted so large.

If it hadn’t been for Oliver Ramon’s explicit rejection of Telaranea’s proposal, Jesse would have been convinced that Mr. Ramon was about to imprison the Demon King’s consciousness and then take the opportunity to kill the body of the Pillar of the World.

As for now…

Jesse smacked his lips, licked the fur around his mouth, and decided to look at his most powerful dependent…

Adrian seemed to have made up his mind not to ask anything. He just drew the formation quietly. Even if Jesse looked hard at it with the eyes of finding fault, he couldn’t pick out anything wrong.

‘Forget it,’ the God of the surface thought seriously. This terrible array had consumed them for four days and nights, and now it was about to be completed. No matter what Ramon’s idea was, he would be able to see the results soon.

The moment the formation was completed, the chill and murderous aura instantly swayed away.

As an exhausted human, Ann dropped the spoon and sat down paralyzed against the tree. Bagelmaurus flew to Ann’s side, pulled a small bag from her waist bag, and pecked at the nuts on its own.

The huge magic array glowed with a soft orange light, illuminating the nearby large, twisted, and terrifying woods from the bottom up. The scene looked like an upside-down dusk.

Spectacular but ominous.

Oliver walked to Ann’s side, took out some fruit from the place where the luggage was piled up, and slowly chewed it. He was still wearing the black armor without a cloak—the armor had obviously been well repaired and cleaned just right. There were no traces from the previous battle on it.

The Rest in Peace was inserted into the white ukulele and was carried on the back of their leader.

“The formation is complete.” Ann chewed on jerky and raised her eyebrows at Oliver.

“I know.” Oliver finished eating his fruit as the gray mist swept over, and the seed dissipated directly into the air.

“Don’t be too brave, Captain. If you’re nervous, we all understand.” Ann grinned weakly. “…After all, no one knows what will happen next.”

At this point, the consciousness of the Pillar of the World was very likely to appear, but no one knew whether it would be the “Ulysses” who didn’t have feelings or the “Nemo” they once knew.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about asking about the details of Oliver’s plan, but every time she saw him carefully pondering the array that could theoretically imprison his lover, she couldn’t ask. Oliver never hesitated to ask for help. Since he didn’t ask for help, the members of Tumbleweed tacitly remained silent about it.

The curious Jesse tried to ask. Oliver was just taken aback, and he didn’t seem to have any intention of concealing it, but he seemed a little embarrassed.

Unfortunately, before he could speak, the behemoth retreated unnaturally. Adrian sighed, grabbed its furry tail, and dragged Jesse out of the room.

Since Oliver didn’t say a word, there must be a reason for his silence. Naturally, they could question him and make him reveal his plan, but in this torturous moment, a little trust may make their leader feel better.

It was estimated that Adrian Cross had the same idea.

Now, the answer they were waiting for was coming soon.

“Do you remember Karapan from the Mooney Sect?” Ann tried to suppress the tension in her voice and asked casually.

Unlike the last time he parted from Nemo, Oliver didn’t soulfully squeeze the communication crystal. The current Oliver Ramon looked calm and reliable. His worry and nervousness were hidden in the depths of his eyes, but Ann was still keenly aware of them, and decided to change the subject.

“Remember. He’s the man who survived the expedition with my dad on the last reconnaissance team.” Oliver nodded and cast his gaze in the direction of the alter.

“The other day, Mr. Mad Dog gave me a heads up. The old man Karapan is actively promoting the next expedition.” Ann took a sip of the wine in the jug and wiped her mouth. “What an acute man.”

“Alban has weaponized bone jade in large quantities, and Willard’s condition is estimated to be similar.” Oliver tugged at the corner of his mouth. “It’s not too urgent to ensure energy consumption beyond weapons.”

Those emerald eyes kept looking at the Demon King’s skull not far away.

“I have read before that the so-called ‘eighteenth generation’ Demon King Ulysses was killed, but it was only sixty-five years after the ‘seventeenth generation’… And in the early literature, the difference between the two generations of demons can be hundreds of years, or even thousands. The interval between expeditions has been getting shorter.”

“This time it’s only less than 30 years apart. The Pillar of the World doesn’t have it easy.” Ann smiled dryly. “Oliver, if you need me to find a way to postpone the expedition—”

“No need, this is just right.” Oliver let out a long sigh, his tone serious.

He stood up, glanced at the position of the moon, and then pulled the Rest in Peace from the ukulele and held it tight in his left hand.

Oliver was undoubtedly right-handed, so this action caused Ann to raise her eyebrows even higher.

“Time’s up, Ann,” their leader said softly.

“I… It’s time to fulfill my promise.”

The moon traveled to the right place, and the brilliance of the magic array was in full swing.

Telaranea sat on a branch of the tree closest to the formation and pointed his finger at the head of the gray parrot hiding among the leaves not far away.

The Sage of the Abyss eagerly glanced back and forth between Oliver and the skull, his whole face full of curiosity.

Jesse dropped to the ground and glanced at the huge skull. He hesitated for several seconds about whether to create a protective cover and finally gave up bitterly. The white beast wrapped its tail around the ankle of Adrian Cross, who was standing next to it, ready to withdraw when the situation turned wrong.

Ann was still leaning against the tree, watching Oliver Ramon, who was advancing towards the center of the magic array.

The pale skeleton helmet and the white ukulele were all carried by him on his back, and under the orange light, there was a strange sense of harmony.

After Oliver walked into the formation, he released his power unreservedly.

The night sky, which was originally clear, was suddenly overcast, and the fluctuation of the power of the magic array rolled up the wind. Several people seemed to be standing in the calm eye of a tornado, and the forest behind them swayed in the violent wind and was blown upside down.

The excessive concentration of power began to make the air sticky and scorching. They kept twisting, and even the scenery behind the air began to tremble together. The air current enveloped the gravel. Fine sand and grass leaves slowly rose and rushed in the direction of the sky.

Accompanied by the orange light of the magic array, some kind of invisible flame seemed to be ignited in the forest. The earth rumbled, as if it would crack in the next second.

For an instant, Ann was in a daze. A little less than a year ago, the young man in front of her could still be beaten to the ground by her.

But now he was walking towards the Demon King’s bones, and the aura he released was so powerful that it was unimaginable and incomprehensible.

It was just that there wasn’t much sense of oppression. If Jesse Dylan’s power was like a tsunami that slammed down onto one’s head, Oliver’s power was comparable to a warm and calm ocean.

Before she could figure out whether she should be more scared or calm, Oliver stopped in front of the Demon King’s skull.

He was only a few steps away from it.

The brilliance of the magic array began to become dazzling. The altar built from the metal magic arrays in the middle of the huge magic array was as dazzling as the sun.

“Now,” Telaranea shouted. “Throw up the things that belong to ‘Nemo Light’!”

“But Light doesn’t have much possession,” the gray parrot next to Telaranea muttered, shrinking its neck. “Things that belong entirely to him… If we’re talking about clothes and equipment, they basically all fell to the bottom of the Abyss last time.”

“Didn’t the Demon King give Mr. Ramon a gold pendant? The Demon King has worn it for so long, and the remaining mana on it should be enough.”

Telaranea snorted softly.

“Although, as a trigger prop, it will be destroyed, I think Mr. Ramon should be able to handle it. After all, the information that is about to be received over there is more significant—Wait, what is he doing? There is only one chance!”

Oliver in front of the altar didn’t put the gold pendant on the altar, burning with black flames.

He took out an ordinary book from his pocket, which looked plain and old, with magic fluctuations that were weak enough to be almost negligible.

Although it could be used in theory…

Telaranea narrowed his eyes.

At this distance, as a superior demon, he could see clearly. It wasn’t an ancient, mysterious book, nor was it a rare and precious prop. A simple and rough fairytale with a terribly cheesy title that looked old and broken.

“The Melody of Love”. He hadn’t heard of this story before. Most likely, it was made by someone in a small town.

Would the Pillar of the World really not regard this thing as a provocation?

But the fairy tale had been swallowed up by the dim flame burning in the skull and turned into fine ashes.

The metal array that built the altar began to rotate frantically, and then melted into a hot metal-like liquid, penetrating into the Demon King’s skull floating in the air, leaving only a faint orange halo in the end.

Oliver stared at the hollow alter of the skull orbiting in front of him. The remnant pages of the fairytale burned until only a little bit was left, falling at a very slow speed next to the pale bones.

Will you understand, Nemo?

Because of this extremely ordinary book, they officially set foot on the battlefield for the first time.

It was also the first time he confessed to the Demon King.

[…Do you believe me?] Before the end of that little war, Nemo asked him this.

[Of course.]

[Then use your greatest power to attack me.] His Demon King requested.

Oliver could feel a little moist liquid across his cheeks, and although the dark clouds above his head twisted uncomfortably, he was pretty sure it wasn’t rain.

“Do you believe me?” He asked in a low voice, wiped his face, and threw the question back. “Sorry, I… You once died holding that pendant, Nemo, I can’t do it.”

They cherished it beyond measure, but it ultimately carried with it an air of concealment and regret.

Oliver took a deep breath again; he licked his lips and raised his voice.

“I know your true body, the Pillar of the World that’s sleeping underground. I know your only name is Nemo Light. I have the mark that bears your scent and have presented it.”

The brilliance surrounding the skull became brighter, and the dark clouds over the formation tumbled violently, as if the sky was about to be torn apart.

“I am here to summon you.”

Oliver spoke very clearly. The movement of the tip of his sword tracing the runes was smooth to the extreme, without a single pause.

A vague black shadow gushed from the huge skull, slowly changing shape.

“As a person who knows the truth of the world, I hereby summon.”

Oliver repeated.

The strain of pain nearly suffocated him as he stared intently at the black shadows surging from the skull; his heart crumpled into a ball; his lungs twisted together by unseen hands; and the strain of pain nearly suffocated him.

Whether it was Ulysses or Nemo, for different purposes, their consciousness would choose the same appearance.

The half-length black hair was tied behind his head into a short, messy ponytail. The skin was pale, with delicate facial features that were just right, and the silver eyes were like a white moon hanging in the sky.

This was the face that he was extremely familiar with.

The consciousness without entity condensed into a phantom—His “lover” sat on the skull floating in the air, and through the translucent figure, he could faintly see the light of the magic array.

“Nemo Light” in front of him smiled faintly, his eyes with the gentleness he was familiar with.

Oliver choked.

He had calmly calculated countless possibilities. Although he knew intellectually that this might be the disguise of “Ulysses”, he was almost defeated by the nostalgic figure in front of him. Before Oliver realized it, his feet took a half-step forward without authorization. His arms were about to move, eager for a hug.

Oliver forced himself to stop where he was, straightened his back, and kept his expression calm.

He couldn’t let himself judge rashly—now he was still sitting on the side of the chessboard, and his opponent had survived for hundreds of millions of years and possessed terrible knowledge and wisdom.

“Nemo Light, I believe you can perceive that now I have the ability to fight you.”

Oliver’s voice was clear and bright, and the volume was loud enough to ensure that his companions not far away could hear it clearly.

“In order to keep my promise to you, in order to protect my cherished companions and family, I am standing here now. But I don’t long for war.”

He raised the Rest in Peace in his left hand, and the magic power around him gathered smoothly.

“…If possible, I hope to make a transaction with you.”

The author has something to say:

Meet and provoke!!!

————————

The scene is probably like this:

Nemo: (*/ω＼*)

Oliver: (Tragic)

Nemo: (*/ω＼*)/

Kinky Thoughts:

Ahhh so good! Every arc built up to this finale. For those who forgot, the fairytale book was from the Bluebirds arc.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 257: Unknown Date

Old John had worked in the Mercenary Guild Registration Office for thirty years.

Strictly speaking, he wasn’t yet fifty years old yet, but he didn’t have much ambition and revealed a lazy aura comparable to that of an old man. The veteran mercenaries who usually came and went directly used “Old John”.

The Mercenary Guild had always been very friendly to old employees. With the ability to recite all the weird regulations, Old John could still sit in this small management room for more than a decade.

The treatment wasn’t much, but it was enough to feed a family.

He had no magical talents, and his body was too weak to do any work that required physical strength. Old John wasn’t very dissatisfied with the status quo. Even if he earned less, he could at least enjoy the leisure. He liked teaching youngsters and those under him could usually deal with most situations, while the more uncommon things required him to go out in person.

‘What a shame,’ he thought to himself, pushing an unopened thick envelope aside.

It was an invitation letter from the faculty of Clementine Academy.

To be honest, Old John was excited to go, but he simply couldn’t go. His waist problems worsened rapidly as he got older and couldn’t bear to spend a lot of money on continuous treatment. He couldn’t stand for more than two hours without the cushion embroidered with a magic array.

Not to mention being an ancient Elven language professor who needed to do fieldwork.

Old John adjusted the cushion behind his lower waist, changed to a more comfortable posture, and sighed regretfully.

It was just a mundane story.

There were few jobs that could be selected, and within a few years of entering this business, Old John settled down early. Since he had a lot of free time, he had developed his interests a little. This weak registration manager often had nothing to do, so he would go to the library of the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild. He would try to learn and translate some ancient elven language with his amazing memory.

Over the years, Old John had really made a name for himself.

In the past few years, he had even successfully cracked a few chapters of fragments that few people understood. Clementine Academy paid him a lot of gold coins for this, and he used them to give his family a bright house that wouldn’t leak on rainy days.

There was even a small garden where he could grow some mint that he liked.

That was enough. Even if he couldn’t be a professor, he could at least make a little more money doing this.

He originally planned to throw away the letter, but since the incident happened yesterday, he couldn’t help hesitating again.

Old John took a sip of his mint tea, squinted his eyes in the afternoon sun, and pondered the abnormality of yesterday afternoon…

At that time, as usual, he was writing a report while slowly pouring mint tea for himself. The daily reports were the same as always, so he hardly needed to use his brain and he almost fell asleep with a pen in his hand.

There was no precursor.

Like silk across the skin, a faint warm current suddenly flowed through his limbs and bones. It felt very wonderful, like he had hazily chosen something, but it wasn’t like he had made any great decision.

It was like seeing a beautiful sunset on the way home. Before the consciousness reacted, the body subconsciously raised its head to look. Comfortable and natural, almost instinctive.

The feeling only stayed for a few seconds. Immediately, he found that the pain in his waist was slowly disappearing.

The effect was very similar to the feeling of seeing a therapist before, but the duration was a bit subtle and long.

The therapists were very consistent in their views on his waist. The bones in his waist were naturally weak and could only be strengthened for a while with a strengthening spell, but it always had a time limit. While his disease wasn’t fatal, it also couldn’t be cured.

But this time, it stopped for a whole day. Old John sat on the magic cushion, anxiously waiting for the pain to hit. The anxiety made him upset that he hadn’t even read a single document.

Something was wrong.

Old John finally took a deep breath, saved up the courage to stand up, and took an action that he hadn’t dared to do for more than ten years.

He wriggled his ass.

This courage was accompanied by a knock on the door. Lena, who was supposed to be in charge of reception at the front desk, was stunned at the door, staring blankly at her boss, who was making indecent gestures.

Old John coughed embarrassedly. “…I have repeated it many times, Lena. Remember to knock.”

The young girl twisted her hands uncomfortably. “Sir, there’s a situation outside that needs you to deal with.”

“What’s the situation?” Old John put a kind smile on his face, pretending that nothing had happened a few minutes ago.

“A Black Chapter team that was broken up not long ago has come in for the replacement formalities. They’re asking to register a new member. Uh, that new member is a special situation and needs your signature. And, and…”

The receptionist swallowed and finally remembered the point of the matter. A fine sweat appeared on her forehead, and her face began to turn pale.

“The Queen of Alban is in that team.”

“……”

Old John suddenly forgot the issue of his waist. He jumped up like a rabbit and rushed out of the room.

Fortunately, the situation wasn’t as serious as he thought.

There were no groups of guards, maids on call, and naturally, there was no new queen dressed up.

There were only four young people in the private reception room of the Mercenary Guild headquarters, and another receptionist on duty who was talking to one of them. Old John nervously turned his gaze to the only female figure…

The Queen of Alban was dressed in a valiant manner, still wearing her old leather armor, and a thin scarf used to cover her appearance was pulled to her chin. A gray parrot was resting on her wrist armor, and she was talking to it.

Ann Savage.

No, it should be said that it was Andrea Alastair.

Old John wiped the sweat from his head. Since the other party didn’t visit with great fanfare, naturally she didn’t intend to attract too much attention. According to the process, it was indeed up to him if he wanted to receive them.

“Good afternoon, everyone.” With decades of experience, Old John pulled out a perfect smile. “Excuse me…”

“I was notified a week ago that Tumbleweed’s name was removed.”

The young man who was talking to the receptionist stood up, took the initiative to walk up to Old John, and stretched out a friendly hand.

“Oliver Ramon, the leader of Tumbleweed. Let’s do a new full registration this time—I want to get that name back. Sorry to trouble you. This requirement is not illegal, is it? “

“Of course, of course,” Old John said in a daze.

For some reason, he had an inexplicable intimacy with the young man in front of him. If it weren’t for knowing that the badge he was wearing was resistant to charm spells, he would’ve thought it was the effect of charm.

“Currently, there is no Black Chapter team that claims the name of Tumbleweed. As long as you go through the formalities, you can use it again immediately. But, um… Mr. Ramon, I noticed that Miss Savage is also on your team.”

Old John coughed dryly.

“You, do you really plan to continue to be a Black Chapter? Not to be rude, but you can…”

“Let me pardon them.” Ann took over the conversation with a big grin and narrowed her eyes. The gray parrot flew up from her wrist and rested on her shoulder.

Old John shook his hand and took out his handkerchief, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“I originally planned to do that, but unfortunately, our leader doesn’t have this idea now. As a member of Tumbleweed, I decided to obey the instructions of our leader.” The queen, dressed as a female warrior, curled her lips, but there wasn’t much dissatisfaction on her face.

‘Damn,’ Old John muttered in his heart. This situation was really tricky—it was as incomprehensible as a beggar picking up a bag of gold, taking it back to use as a stool while he continued to eat stale bread.

“That’s it.” Oliver Ramon nodded.

“Uh, it’s not impossible… What about the new team member you want to register? You know, I have to understand the situation of the new member as it involves the new rating of Tumbleweed.”

Old John beat his waist habitually and took out a stack of information from the cupboard near the entrance.

“The signatures of you and the new member are necessary. If the new member has been in another team before—”

“The new member is here.” The blond young man who had been gnawing on fruit in the corner approached. He threw away the seed and grabbed the gray parrot that stopped on the shoulder of the female warrior. “It may not be able to sign well, but a pawprint is also valid, right?”

Caught in the hand of the beautiful young man, the parrot instantly became stiff and began to pretend to be dead.

“…” Old John didn’t know how to answer for a while.

If these people came to the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild to pick a fight, this gesture was too serious.

“If you want that name, as long as you spend a little money, we can keep it for you.”

Facing Ramon’s gentle emerald eyes, Old John found that he couldn’t even make his tone tougher. At the moment, his tone was more like an exhortation than an explanation.

“Registering pets is different. Although it’s not that no one has ever done this… But whether it’s a hazard rating, task assignment, or tax payment, the number of members is a very important indicator. You have to pay one more person, and you have to take more risks for nothing. To be honest, even if this parrot is a transformed dragon, I personally suggest that you continue to keep its pet status.”

“No, Bagelmaurus is our companion.” Oliver Ramon sounded very serious.

The gray parrot maintained a stiff posture and let out an excited untimely cry.

“If you insist.” The other party’s tone was very firm, and Old John didn’t plan to say anything more.

After preparing the documents and pen and paper, he glanced at Ann carefully again. “If you have other needs…”

“Don’t mind me. Please treat me as if I don’t exist.” Ann waved her hand quite casually.

“Thank you.” Oliver nodded solemnly and took the pen from Old John.

He didn’t hesitate and signed his name beautifully. The gray parrot inserted one foot into the ink bottle and trotted merrily over the parchment paper. Had Oliver not held it down in time, it looked like it wanted to run a few more pawprints excitedly.

“Then, then I will retire first. These materials only need to be stamped with a spell mark, and the procedures will be completed soon. It’s almost lunch time now. If you are hungry, there will be a reception to greet you later.”

“Is there anything else we need to do?” Oliver scratched his hair.

“No, but…”

“Then I won’t bother you.” Oliver Ramon smiled and shook his head.

“Okay, Mr. Ramon.” Old John felt a little bit of indescribable regret, but he could only put on a standard smile again. “If you are going on a mission next, we can also provide—”

Oliver paused for a few seconds as he straightened his sword.

“No, it’s just a personal matter,” he said softly. “I have an appointment to go to.”

“Ah, excuse me.”

“It’s okay, sir. By the way, I do have something to ask you.”

“Please speak.”

“In five days, a letter may be sent here. If it does appear, then please modify the relevant information of Tumbleweed according to the information.”

“Okay, please leave it to us. Is it just five days? If it doesn’t arrive…”

“It will come,” The leader of Tumbleweed said resolutely.

Oliver Ramon’s smile was a bit complicated and shouldn’t belong to someone of his age. Old John couldn’t help sighing, but he held back politely.

“…I believe it will come.” As he watched the group leave the room, he heard the young man repeat in a low voice.

Five days.

The members of Tumbleweed disappeared from view, and Old John squeezed his sweaty handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his face again.

It was pretty good. If his waist still didn’t hurt after five days, he would go to the therapist to check on it. If everything went well, then he could finish this matter and go to Clementine Academy and give it a try.

The bottom of the Abyss was trembling violently.

The young Pandorater had attached herself to a corpse and looked blearily at the humanoid Demon King in front of her.

[You… You are…]

“Be prepared. You, first find a safe place to hide for a while. The wind will become strong in a bit,” Nemo replied.

Pandorater silently shrank into the hard shell behind the corpse of a superior demon, poked out a little limb of mist, and continued to observe carefully.

After recovering from a period of weakness, the Lord Demon King’s behavior made her incomprehensible.

The Demon King first restored the illusion of a human town and then lay on the roof of one of them, smiling at the false sky above his head. He continued chatting with her about the surface and seemed to be in an unusually good mood.

Everything went smoothly.

She thought it would be the same today, but she didn’t expect that as soon as she circled around, the bottom of the Abyss would shake.

The slightly small human figure floated in the air, and countless dark shadows revolved around him at extreme speed. More and more dark shadows rose out of the Demon King’s grave at the bottom of the Abyss, gradually becoming viscous, like a liquid.

After the number of dark shadows was enough to cover half of the sky, countless shimmering white bones broke through the sand and flew towards the illusory blue sky, rushing towards the sun.

Following the Demon King’s gestures, they flew and reorganized in the illusory sun. The humanoid Demon King controlled them easily, as if he was conducting an orchestra.

Eventually, it took on a definite shape.

Under the head-on blow of the too powerful demon pressure, the little Pandorater shrank herself into a ball and squeezed back into the demon’s skeleton. She barely recognized the appearance of the newborn monster…

Humans called them “dragons”, but this was too different from the dragons she knew.

The dark scales flickered like obsidian, had three pairs of eyes as white as moonlight, and the Demon King’s unique cross-shaped pupils. A huge dragon-like creature took shape in the air, and just a little murderous aura leaked from that creature made her almost subconsciously cut off her limbs and flee for her life.

The movement of “Nemo Light” didn’t stop.

The appearance of the brand-new creature became clearer…

Two pairs of huge wings spread out in the air, covering the bright sunlight. The dark green feathers emitted fluorescence on the edges of the wings, as beautiful as the embedded dark blue stones. It hung down its neck gracefully, and the dark shadow brushed its scales like an electric current for a long time.

‘It’s not a dragon,’ she thought, but she didn’t know what it was.

“Black may be more appropriate,” the Demon King murmured, showing a smile.

The aura emitted by the huge creature at this moment was no different from that of the Demon King.

It was just that it didn’t seem to be conscious—after being created, it laid down around the fantasy town, with its long-forked tail surrounding it, and closed its eyes.

In this way, it fell asleep in a guarding position.

Pandorater tried hard to pull herself out of the demon’s skeleton and timidly leaned over again.

[What is this?] Although the aura had calmed down, she was still a little frightened.

“Sorry, the movement was a bit loud just now. Are you not hurt?” The Demon King patted her misty limbs.

“…This is a preventive measure,” he added after withdrawing his hand.

[Prevention? To prevent what?]

“Prevent me from being locked up and never coming back.” The Demon King’s smile made her even more confused. “There has to be a guard here. It’s clear to me now that only instinctive puppets work well.”

“In two days, the surface will try to summon my consciousness—if they don’t do it now. So whether it’s to negotiate or to kill me more safely, Oliver Ramon’s most logical next action will only be this.”

[That—isn’t that a bad thing? Why are you laughing? Don’t respond to them! If you have any information to bring to the surface, I can go to other superior demons—if they have flesh on the surface, I will ask them to spread the word.]

“Good girl.” The Demon King’s smile became more prominent. “But no need. There’s no point in having messages brought out by others. Rather, it would be more suspicious to entrust others with the message instead.”

[The surface is very dangerous. You clearly know that they might hurt you…] She held back for a long time and could only say this.

But it was useless. Pandorater was furious—the Demon King had undoubtedly thought about this for a long time. He even specifically created a powerful puppet to guard the bottom of the Abyss.

[Don’t go.] The young demon kept repeating.

“Don’t worry. It’s just that, in theory, I have to consider the worst possibility,” the humanoid Demon King said. “…But I know Ollie.”

He sat down near the claws of that strange and beautiful creature, leaned on the smooth scales, and continued to look at the sky.

“This is a date.”

The author has something to say:

Ollie: Will it be the cold Pillar of the World or Nemo?

Nemo: Is Ollie planning to simply kill me, or did he want to talk?

The date is thrilling and exciting (×

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 256: The Queen’s Preparation

Ann woke up early before the sun rose.

Nearly a week had passed since Oliver, Jesse, and Adrian left for the desert of Garland. After walking on a bloody path for many years, Ann wouldn’t be sad because “only she was left behind.”

But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t worry.

Before leaving, Oliver said goodbye to her very solemnly. Ann never liked too serious partings— As if they might never meet again.

“Promise me to come back soon,” she responded half-jokingly.

But Oliver Ramon didn’t answer.

……Brat.

Ann opened the window, looked out at the city shrouded in mist and shadow, and held down the corner of her forehead. The cold wind in the early morning grazed her skin, completely dispelling her only trace of drowsiness. Ann shivered in the slightly chilly autumn breeze, and directly opened the wardrobe, pushed away the palace attire that seemed too cumbersome, and changed into the casual clothes she had brought.

After washing, she habitually wiped the hunting spear that was resting at the head of the bed. She hesitated for a moment and, in the end, didn’t bring it.

It was time to start a new day. She hoped today wouldn’t be the end of the world.

She was a little hungry and knew that as long as she gave an order, a servant would bring a delicate and delicious breakfast.

The bread was snow-white and soft, and the scrambled eggs had just the right amount of fat. The soup wasn’t too hot, and the vegetables and meat cooked in it were so extremely tender that they didn’t need to be chewed and could easily slide down her throat.

But at this moment, she missed the smell of burning dry grass and pine branches, the crackling flames dripping with animal fat, and the half-cooked, half-burnt, tough and chewy meat of wild animals.

……And the two brats she picked up from the forest casually.

They used to grimace at breakfast, pitifully gnawing at the fishy animal meat, trying to stuff it into their stomachs.

That was not too long ago—three ordinary little people struggling to survive in the woods in the early morning.

Ann smiled bitterly and opened the bedroom door.

It was just that nostalgia was useless, and since she learned the identity of Jesse Dylan, she had no interest in praying at all. No matter what the result was on Oliver’s side, as a member of Tumbleweed, there were still things that only she could do.

Ann walked to the room where the documents were processed, sat down skillfully, and dipped the tip of her pen in ink.

Originally, the things she had to do piled up into a mountain—from learning to process various documents to clearing up the hidden injuries caused by Alban’s internal struggle for power over the years. From when she opened her eyes until they were closed, she was as busy as a gyroscope.

After learning the truth about the world, her task not only didn’t ease, but became more onerous.

She had to be prepared to “leave the castle at any time and act with the team”, and every day she had to act as if it could potentially be the last.

The matter of Oliver and Nemo must not be leaked. However, Tumbleweed had lost a member of its team, and it hadn’t responded to the request from the Mercenary Guild headquarters to go through relevant procedures. They were already violating the rules, and the protection granted by the Mercenary Guild would inevitably weaken a lot.

On the other hand, Lord Zenni made a lot of trouble with the task of guarding the reconnaissance team. The Pope of the Laddism Church knew their strength status and wouldn’t rush to pursue it. Both the Mooney Sect and the one-eye dwarves had to give their statements.

While looking for the dizzyingly difficult method, Ann quickly wrote a letter, ignoring her rumbling stomach.

At the end of the day, it was up to fate. She dipped the nib of the pen in the ink bottle and raised the corner of her mouth helplessly.

She was neither a god nor a Hero. Although she had good talents, she was far from the top of the world, but now, at a time when the world was likely to be destroyed, she took up a weapon she had never thought of.

Secular kingship.

…A ridiculous but effective weapon.

“Breakfast.” When the sun rose, her knight arrived on time. “The Mad Dog of the Wasteland”, Gallagher Salter, looked quite uncomfortable. The smell of his perfume was a lot lighter, but it was mixed with a little bit…

“Baked meatloaf.”

He said with a flat face. The muscles on his face twitched. The marshal wore gloves as he handed over the greasy food wrapped in a paper bag with both hands through his handkerchief. The roasted meatloaf exuded the aroma of grease and coarse pepper that seemed to make Gallagher want to faint just from the smell of the oil.

“Your servant mentioned that you haven’t had a good meal recently—maybe you are not used to this? After all, the royal kitchen can’t make those… Uh, those…”

“Thanks, Salter.” Ann accepted it without restraint and took a large bite, making her voice muffled. “I feel much better.”

Her eyes were still staring at the documents in her hand; her brows were tightly locked, and her usual air of freedom disappeared without a trace.

“The death of Mr. Light is sad. If there is anything I can do…” Gallagher said cautiously.

“I’ve worked you hard recently.” Ann stuffed the baked meatloaf into her mouth and changed the subject. “I don’t really want to talk about this for the time being, Salter… Next month.”

Although it was early in the morning, her smile had a bit of weariness to it.

“If we have the opportunity next month, we can go out for a drink and have a good chat about it.”

If the world is still there next month.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Gallagher looked at Ann, who had stuffed the meatloaf into her stomach within a few bites, and there were still crumbly bits that were stuck in her mouth. He couldn’t help but hand over a clean handkerchief. “In addition, I saw Her Royal Highness Delia just now. Her condition seemed to be a bit bad.”

He looked a little hesitant.

“I can help you with some chores about repairs or castle arrangements. Maybe you can take some time to talk to her.”

“I can probably guess what’s wrong.”

Ann wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and sighed. Unlike Gallagher, Delia currently had no responsibility on her shoulders, so she told her the truth herself. She originally expected the little princess who grew up in the bird cage to let go of her baggage as soon as possible and enjoy her life.

But Delia’s situation was more serious than she thought. Not only did she not mean to enjoy life, but she also ran to ask Oliver, hoping to find out why he didn’t accept the proposal of the Sage of the Abyss.

Very unlike a child.

When she came back, there was confusion on her face, and Ann thought in a daze that she had seen her deceased father—It was the same expression—cold annoyance belonged to the late emperor.

With all these years of experience, Ann could guess what Delia was worrying about, and at the same time, she knew that it wasn’t a problem that she could solve by herself—it was better to say that it was because she herself couldn’t solve it.

“Speaking of this, Salter. I have two things to ask you.” Ann put the quill pen into her hand.

“Please speak, Your Majesty.”

“First, go find Telaranea and tell him that I’m willing to open the bottom floor of the royal library to him for a week,” she said calmly. “The price is that he has to have a good chat with my lovely niece. I believe he can understand.”

“Yes.”

“Second, after you tell him all this, go to Delia and ask her to see the progress of Telaranea’s research. Just say I’m too busy to get away. I believe she can understand too.”

“As you order.”

The breakfast was very exquisite, but Delia didn’t touch a single bite. She stared coldly at the plate containing the soup. The creamy soup gradually cooled and no longer looked so delicious.

Since the day she asked Oliver Ramon why he didn’t accept the proposal of the Sage of the Abyss to kill the body of the Pillar of the World, Cat Whiskers began to lose their temper.

The spider curled itself into a ball and didn’t want to spread its legs and feet no matter how she poked it. Even if she communicated with her thoughts, all Delia could get was anger and grievance.

The little princess carefully packed it in a small silk bag and carried it close to her body. But these days, Cat Whiskers didn’t have any intention of paying any attention to her.

But she didn’t want to apologize for it either.

According to old habits, she took a walk in the corridor. In the past, Cat Whiskers would climb down her arms, put up two front feet on the windowsill with the best sunlight, and stretch its body. But it remained motionless as usual today, and it didn’t mean to climb out of the silk bag.

Delia wasn’t in the mood.

Not long ago, after the maid brought breakfast into the room, she had even lost her appetite.

Pushing away the already cold cream soup in front of her, taking away the teacup, the little princess took out the curled Cat Whiskers and put it on the saucer—The demon just shrank there and pretended to be dead. Even if she couldn’t see its expression clearly, Delia could feel its resentment.

“I know, you probably want an apology.”

She hissed from between her teeth, “But I…”

Delia cautiously stretched out her hand and poked the spider. Cat Whiskers still didn’t respond.

“You are my only friend,” Delia said in a hoarse voice. “Remember Rosa? My half-sister… Rosa is a naive girl. She is very nice, but there is nothing to talk about between us. I can’t understand her world, and she doesn’t understand me at all.”

“She smiled at me, and I protected her. That’s enough, but we can’t be friends.”

“I originally thought it didn’t matter. Naïve people will always die if there’s no one to protect them. No one was willing to protect me before, but I’m not qualified to be a naïve person.”

“Then Ann appeared.” She said with clenched teeth, her voice beginning to tremble a little.

“I thank her, and I thank everyone in Tumbleweed. But I have already become like this. I can’t change it back. Can’t you understand that?”

Cat Whiskers lay quietly on its back. Its eyeballs quietly turned around.

“Those fairy tales that my mother gave me… Those fairy tales that record spells and power, the stories they write will always be the advent of heroes, the salvation of princesses, and all imperfections are all made up. That was all a lie. My hero finally arrived, but the first sixteen years of my life can’t be repeated.”

The spider hesitated for a while, its feet trembled, but it still didn’t move.

“I’m a terrible person, I know!” Delia wiped her eyes fiercely. “Ann is the only family I have. She’s a great person. I should trust her. I should love her unreservedly and accept her love openly.”

“But I can’t do it. At least now, I can’t do it… All we have is blood, and she doesn’t understand my nature at all. Cat Whiskers, even if I have the time to do it all over again, I will ask Oliver Ramon the same question. I am such a person. Do you understand?”

“Even if I tell Ann this, she will tell me it’s okay. She can only tell me it’s okay. In her eyes, I am an unfortunate child. What else can she say?”

“But I know. I alone know that there is no difference between Eldric and I—No, no difference between my grandfather and I. Sampson, who abandoned her, to press on. I will never be able to become a carefree person with unconditional trust in others.”

“I can’t be Oliver Ramon, I can’t be Nemo Light, I can’t even be Gallagher Salter. I can’t be her companion. It will only make her more disappointed; can you understand…”

“You can always hear my thoughts. You know how cruel I am, but you didn’t leave me before… Please, talk to me, okay?”

Cat Whiskers rolled slightly, still looking in a bad mood. It chose a compromise—it burrowed into the ribbon, fastened the mouth of the bag, and floated with the bag to Delia’s knee.

Then continue to pretend to play dead.

Delia blew her nose and sighed.

Delia’s eyes were still slightly red until the sun had gone most of the way across the sky. Following Ann’s orders, she went to check on Telaranea’s progress.

In that room, the Sage of the Abyss was at work. The Demon King’s skull was placed on a stone platform in the middle of the room, surrounded by dense and complex runes. The ground not far away was full of bottles and jars, one of which smelled like fresh blood.

The body used by Telaranea—The handsome red-haired young man pushed up his glasses and nodded at her. The calculation in his hand didn’t stop.

“The progress is placed on the round table to your left.” The demon’s voice had a cheerful tone. “There are not many conclusions, so feel free to look at it… In case she is dissatisfied, keep this in mind. I told Savage I couldn’t devote my full attention to this job right now.”

“Even if you know what this job means?” Delia’s voice is still a little hoarse.

“If your throat is uncomfortable, you can take some potion and drink it. To the right, on the third shelf, at the bottom. Do you see it? That bottle of light blue potion that smells like mint.”

Delia picked up her skirt and carefully held the crystal bottle in her hand to look carefully.

“I won’t be stupid enough to poison you here,” Telaranea snorted. “Back to the topic just now… Yes, of course I know what this job means. I think you also know that the ground under our feet may crack at any time, and everyone will die together.”

This time, Delia held back her question as she took the vial and poured herself a little sip of the potion. It was cold in her mouth and a bit bitter, but it worked quickly.

“But I promised someone I would wait for him at the entrance of the Abyss. Now he hasn’t come out yet, causing me to waste a body guarding the place. There’s no suitable research equipment in that shitty place, and there are fewer bodies that can be used, so of course the efficiency of my research will be a lot slower.”

Telaranea finished writing on one piece of paper and changed to another. His tone was flat, and he didn’t raise his head.

“Well, don’t hold back, Your Royal Highness. I know what you want to ask—In that case, why should I waste time waiting for him? ‘There is no contract for this kind of thing, and the Sage of the Abyss isn’t the sentimental type.’ …I have lived a long time, so it’s quite simple to see through your thoughts.”

Delia lowered her head and looked through the progress report sullenly. She took another sip of the light blue potion in the cup without saying a word.

“There is no need to be embarrassed. I know this idea very well. To tell you the truth, we’re very similar in some ways—results take precedence over everything, and if necessary, we can abandon anything, including ourselves.”

Telaranea put down the pen and changed to another one. He picked up a jar of blood on the ground and began to smear the magic array around the huge skull.

“…I don’t like this,” Delia finally said. “Being able to trust others is a great ability, and I have lost it. You said we are very similar, but you’re still waiting for your… friend, aren’t you? You trust him.”

“Nature may be changed, but it cannot be completely erased.”

The painting technique of the Sage of the Abyss was very smooth.

“I’m not going to comfort you. To be honest, I don’t even think there’s anything wrong with this. What, are you thinking that there’s such a thing as right and wrong with someone’s ‘character’? If all humans acted in accordance with the most ‘ideal’ character and behavior, then at least for me, humans would be less valuable to observe.”

Then, the demon paused for a few seconds.

“I don’t trust Aurorae,” he said. “I’m just like you, I don’t trust anyone. It’s just that he needs me. If he comes back from the Abyss, he must need treatment. If I’m not there… he will disappear.”

“And the probability of him coming back doesn’t seem to be zero, so I must be there.”

Delia’s breathing stopped for a few seconds.

“So, Your Highness. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter if you continue to live like this. If results come first, you must mind ‘trust’ and ‘love’. Then, when considering the result of ‘what you want’, also consider the result of the wants of ‘those who care’ when considering the outcome. Isn’t this enough?”

Delia put away the report. She took a breath and bowed slightly.

“Thank you, I think I can think about it in a different direction,” she said.

“Also, you don’t seem like a very talkative person, Mr. Sage. I also hope you can… thank Ann for me,” Delia added after a few seconds.

“…I won’t apologize because I don’t think I did anything wrong.”

Delia poked the small silk cloth bag hanging on her chest and whispered. Cat Whiskers in the bag moved.

“But I promise, Cat Whiskers, I will consider your mood next time.”

The spider poked its head out of the mouth of the bag, laid back on her shoulder, and bit her gently to vent its anger. A little emotion took the initiative to pass into her mind, still with anger, but Delia showed a smile.

She rubbed the dark spider and walked to the door.

Ann breathed a sigh of relief outside the door of the research room.

“All this time, and you still care about a little girl’s mood,” Bagelmaurus muttered discontentedly. “Ramon hasn’t come back yet. Why isn’t he back?”

“It’s not just Delia, I also care about Alban’s future. Okay, okay, take your beak away—I know, if there is a future. After all, when Oliver comes back, I will probably have to leave here, and I may not be able to…”

Ann stopped talking, looked out the window, and then squinted hard.

A white behemoth was flying in the direction of the castle, and Jesse Dylan was about to land at the entrance of the royal city.

“They’ve come back—”

Before she finished shouting a word, Bagelmaurus screamed and flew out of the window. Thinking of the flying spells forbidden in the castle, Ann, who had already climbed to the window, cursed, and honestly rushed out of the castle from the steps.

Then she bumped head-on into Oliver Ramon, who was about to enter the door.

Seeing that the other party’s limbs were intact and his head was still on his neck, Ann didn’t care too much, and directly gave the leader of her team a big hug.

“Asshole.” She gritted her teeth, took a step back, and punched him in the shoulder without any hesitation. “What took you so long to get back?”

Oliver smiled a little embarrassingly.

“Sorry.” He scratched his head.

“Well, let’s see. I’ve put off all the protests of the Moonies and the one-eye dwarves.” She breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes were a little red. “But on the side of the Mercenary Guild, we have to solve it quickly… I will sign the document and forgive the three of you. At least in this way, the regulations on the Black Chapters—”

“Thank you for your hard work, Ann.” Oliver smiled a little bigger. “But I don’t want to dissolve Tumbleweed.”

Ann raised her eyebrows.

“This is one of the reasons I came to you,” Oliver said, holding out a hand. “Uh, are you free recently? We need to go to the Mercenary Guild and get Tumbleweed’s name back.”

“Of course I’m free. I’ve been desperately squeezing out my free time.” Ann rubbed her chin. “It’s just you have to explain it well, Captain.”

“Considering that you can’t pull Nemo to the surface for the time being, what are you going to do about the fifth member…? Oh, wait, I’m going to speak to Salter and take my spear. The goat and horse are in the yard. Someone will bring them later. We can talk while we walk.”

She shrugged and showed a bright smile.

“I have a hunch that this mission will be quite amazing.”

The author has something to say:

Tumbleweed is gathering!!! Still missing Nemo (.

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Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 255: The Annoying Believer

Adrian was the first to come around. He took a step back and ended the bloody kiss—or rather bite.

“Mr. Ramon.” He bent down and stretched out a hand frankly. His normally light-colored lips were still tinged with a bit of blood.

Oliver spat out a few more bits of sand, his eyes still a little confused, as if he had just woken up from a long sleep. Although he cleared his throat vigorously, his throat still sounded like sandpaper. “It seems that I am still alive.”

He didn’t hold the hand but fell back into the sand and looked at the sky.

Then slowly showed a smile.

“Is this within your plan?” Jesse snorted.

“How could it be. I thought I was dead,” Oliver muttered. “I just, uh… tried my best and just succeeded.”

But his plan did have another ending in mind.

Oliver continued to stare at the sky, holding a handful of sand in his hand. The delicate grains of sand kept passing between his fingers, eventually only leaving a little bit behind.

Then he put his clenched fist to his lips and kissed gently.

Oliver had a very deep impression of the great desert near Hailem—This was the first time in his memory that he was dying.

It was also the place where he fell in love with Nemo, or rather, the place where he fell in love with the Pillar of the World itself.

The legendary Demon King, a terrifying behemoth curled up on the ground. The life that propped up the surface kissed his forehead here, pulling him back from the edge of death.

For the Pillar of the World, it may have been just a whim, but from that moment on, the world he saw would never go back to the past. The object of his heart was not only Nemo Light, who was a “human” from the beginning. He loved his lover and the huge unknown behind him.

He never doubted this.

It was like Oliver was willing to blindly believe that, at least here, he was immortal. Just as he was willing to rely on intuition to persist, the Nemo Light he knew was still waiting for him in the depths of the Abyss.

It wasn’t a prayer, but just a persistence in his foolish love.

If he was unlucky and couldn’t match against the Pillar of the World in the end and perished here, then it was also the most suitable place… This was the grave that he planned for himself.

The weather was clear, and although the nearby desert was messed up by them, it was quiet and peaceful at the moment.

The world still went on, and for most people, this was just an extremely ordinary day in their lives.

That’s great.

Oliver took a deep breath. His throat was still aching, and building this circuit had exhausted his last ounce of strength. Although he could barely act, he didn’t want to go anywhere now.

The newborn God was found persistently paralyzed in place, pretending to be a sun-dried jellyfish. Jesse shook his head and walked forward, no longer hiding his complicated expression.

“Drawing power within safe limits, creating entirely new energy circuits right under the noses of the Pillars of the World, and to top it off, you’re actually pretending to be a human with common sense in front of me.”

He squeezed those words out with difficulty, but the smirk on his face almost fell off.

“Telaranea is 10,000 times more disciplined than you—how do you feel now, huh?”

“Not much has changed. I just feel that I’ll die from exhaustion in the next second,” Oliver responded drowsily. “I succeeded, didn’t I?”

“Yes, according to human standards, you are fully qualified to be called a ‘God’.”

Oliver didn’t respond.

At the moment he heard “yes”, he fell asleep, with traces of a smile left at the corner of his mouth.

Jesse took a breath and cracked his wrists hard.

Lord Zenni never liked surprises, let alone fear—Jesse seemed to want to grab this ungrateful guy and wake him up. It was best to shake out all the subsequent plans the other party had.

Unfortunately, his two ill-intentioned hands that had just stretched out were pushed away by Adrian.

“Mr. Ramon hasn’t slept for nearly a week. Let him sleep. Since he can fall asleep safely, he must be very confident in his next plan.”

Adrian put Oliver’s arm around his neck and carefully pulled him out of the sand. He glanced at his eyes and retracted his hand. Jesse, who was full of dissatisfaction, shook his head helplessly.

“…Now we must get out of here quickly. The movement made by you two isn’t small. Compared to the Pillar of the World, Garland’s defenders will arrive sooner.”

Jesse let out a loud “tsk”.

He stretched out his hand, patted Adrian’s face ambiguously, and tied the cloak wrapped around his body back to the opponent’s armor. Then the beautiful blond young man took a few steps back and turned into a huge white beast again.

The blood had long since disappeared, and Jesse lowered his body slightly, shaking his fur uncomfortably, throwing the last bit of sand and dust away.

He glared at Oliver, who was sleeping, and got down reluctantly.

“Try not to be conspicuous, okay? In Ramon’s condition, we’ll have to deal specifically with teleportation checks. Come up, I’ll take you straight back to Alban,” Jesse said impatiently. “Hold on to yourselves. I don’t want to bother taking care of you two while we move forward.”

Adrian gently placed Oliver on the back of the behemoth and cast a fixation spell—the sleeping leader of Tumbleweed was almost submerged by the soft long fur.

Then he hesitated for a few seconds and jumped up again. It was just that the former knight commander didn’t apply any spells to himself but firmly hugged Jesse’s neck.

Powerful magic waves exploded under the claws of the behemoth, and a soft white light shot straight into the sky.

When the defenders who reacted finally arrived nearby, only gravel and sand were left in the empty desert, as well as the remnants of palpitating spells. They found nothing else.

Jesse’s progress was much smoother than that of the teleportation array, and the speed was just as fast.

Although he said that he didn’t want to bother, Adrian still noticed the invisible protective cover around the behemoth—It was to resist the strong wind that was too cold in the sky, and he didn’t think Jesse Dylan himself would care about it.

Adrian Cross has never looked down at the surface at this height.

The dark green forest was like moss on stone, and the river was too thin to see clearly. The sparse village was no bigger than a button, and the tiny houses were like brown sugar sprinkled on a clean tablecloth.

This was the world he vowed to guard.

Adrian subconsciously clenched the long soft fur in his hand. Even in the cold air at high altitude, the faint warm fragrance still existed. Wrapped in the aroma and warm body temperature, he raised his head and looked at the clear sky.

Adrian wasn’t completely unaffected. The second he noticed that the darkness swallowed the sky, out of the instinct of a warrior, he immediately made a defensive posture, but wonderfully, when those twisted thin limbs wrapped around the bloody beast not far away, he couldn’t feel any fear.

On the contrary, he had never felt so relieved.

The cruel God he believed in slept there, twisting, floating, and slowly stretching his body in a world he couldn’t see.

Just as the falling snow finally reached the ground, night finally fell, and the tired traveler closed his eyes and breathed long and evenly. The world was as cruel as he had imagined, but there was indeed a trace of gentleness.

‘He should be afraid,’ Adrian thought to himself, but his fear seemed to have been exhausted with his recent death.

For himself as a human, it was indeed a “monster”—without a doubt, a monster.

…But that’s about it.

The cold, capricious, but occasionally tender-hearted miracle finally let go of the hazy fog, revealing its true face. The world was no longer a misty mirage, only a solid wall and a fortress full of order.

There was also a liberating calm.

“Jesse, in your opinion, what is our fate?” Adrian took the initiative to speak. “Mr. Ramon was considered a human before, but you can’t seem to be able to accurately predict his actions.”

“Although Light’s existence made all this difficult to infer, at the beginning, when I first observed the son of Flint Lopez, our Mr. Ramon was destined not to live long—the powerless Lopez was seriously injured by a demon and Ramon would follow his instructions to kill him and was therefore designated as a murderer.”

“In my initial calculations, Oliver Ramon should have fled alone and soon died quickly from his naivete. Unfortunately, Bagelmaurus, who possessed the power of the Demon King, and Nemo Light himself weren’t within the scope of my predictions.”

“Ann Savage will spend this life in hiding and die alone. Her brother, Prince Eldric, was supposed to inherit the throne of Alban.”

The behemoth snorted.

“And you, you should have died a long time ago.”

“I know.”

They were a team that shouldn’t exist.

“As for now… peace from the Pillar of the World is a big premise and until the thoughts of the Pillar of the World is determined, I can’t calculate anything.” When he spoke, the behemoth’s ears drooped a little.

Adrian rubbed the warm fur under his palm. “I can understand.”

“…Don’t worry,” he added, after a pause.

He didn’t know if it was because of the wind or something else as Jesse gently twitched his ears. The speed of the behemoth’s advance slowed down and then slowly stopped in mid-air.

A slightly tingling stream of heat suddenly surged in my heart. The power flowed to his eyes. With his strong willpower as a knight commander, he endured the urge to reach out and rub his eyes…

Adrian blinked hard, and it took a while before he regained his vision.

In his sight, the advancing behemoth skimmed countless thin limbs. The indescribable creature was entrenched in the sky with unparalleled clarity. It was sweat-inducing, spectacular, treacherous, and deceptively grotesque in its beauty.

Manipulating his power a little jerkily, Adrian retracted the heat flow. The appearance of the monster immediately disappeared, and the clear blue sky returned again in his view.

But Jesse made a point of showing this to him, probably not to pick this time now to teach him how to use his power. Adrian thought for a moment and decided to keep the power within his eyes for now. He retracted his gaze from the monster covering the sky and looked at the beast.

“Hey, Adri.”

It was a familiar flirtatious tone, but the owner of the voice’s furry head was facing straight ahead without turning around. “Do you like me a little bit today?”

The familiar question, but the questioner was no longer the beautiful and illusory young human being. After a long time, Jesse Dylan asked the question again—the weird and magnificent life above his head was seeking answers from him through the mouth of a beast.

“Maybe,” Adrian replied, magnanimously facing the sense of prying eyes that wrapped around him.

His God was silent for a long time.

“Nn.” Finally, Jesse turned his head slightly. “Well, I may well fail again. At this point in time, I can’t think of anything else that could sway you for the moment.”

The icy blue pupils of the beast flickered slightly, as if the sky was the only thing in the world. Under the huge monster, this somewhat untimely thought crossed Adrian’s mind.

“Shaken?” He repeated.

“Yes,” Jesse admitted. “So I need to tell you my decision.”

“Nn.”

“I don’t think this is the end. If the world isn’t destroyed, I am willing to take a little time to observe you and act with you. I’m quite bored anyway.”

Adrian didn’t answer but listened patiently.

“…After all, I gave you my heart.”

The spindle-shaped pupils of the beast shrank, and the behemoth emphasized it. Translucent limbs brushed Adrian’s monk’s uniform, dancing like weeping willows and dead branches.

“Unfortunately, Adrian Cross. Before I die, you cannot age or die. We have a long time… If you eventually become boring, I will kill you and get my power back. If you don’t want to continue, I can also help you end your life.”

Jesse Dylan’s tone became extremely familiar, as relaxed as discussing dinner recipes.

“You’re human after all. As time goes by, sooner or later you will see all this clearly, and eventually you will be disappointed or tired. Until then, I will stay by your side—I want to witness that moment.”

“Nn.”

“…And promise me that you won’t die easily. I don’t want to say it a third time.”

“Okay.”

“What are you laughing at? I’m not going to hide it from you now. I have no love for you in the human sense. I hope you won’t misunderstand—”

“Maybe.”

The annoying believer replied so.

Jesse turned his head a little sulkily and rushed towards Alban’s royal city. Behind him, the half-asleep Oliver smacked his lips, covered his ears with the white fur, and decided to continue sleeping for a while.

Unfortunately, Oliver couldn’t sleep peacefully for long. The tremor of the giant beast landing had just passed, and before he could regain his senses, a pair of claws stepped on his face.

“Ramon is dead! I can’t feel his breath! My god, Ramon is dead—” the gray parrot squawked in horror, stepping on his face pathetically.

“What to do!”

It planted its ass on Oliver’s face.

“…Hey, there’s still breath.” A few seconds later, the demon moved its ass away suspiciously. Bagelmaurus lowered its head and saw a pair of green eyes full of helplessness. “Why? What’s going on? I can’t perceive you anymore!”

Oliver sighed, grabbed the gray parrot on his face, and jumped off Jesse’s back.

Then he raised his head and looked at the magnificent royal palace in front of him.

“Jesse. If your date with Mr. Cross is over, I think we can officially start—”

Wiping the remaining blood stains on the Rest in Peace, Oliver’s tone wasn’t brisk, but there was no longer confusion in it.

“Next, let’s visit the Pillar of the World.”

The author has something to say:

Nemo: Come, please be sure to come.

The side CP is one goal ahead again. Oliver, come on, keep up—

————

Jesse: Something is wrong with this human being.

Jesse: Let me see.

Jesse: Let me see…

Jesse: ……

Jesse: I really don’t believe it! He will be shaken!

Jesse: …Forget it, it’s faster for me to shake him myself (?

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