Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 191: Lock of Pain

After hastily stuffing the dry cakes, the team that was promoted to the Sea Scorpion level set out dejectedly.

With the lesson of those corpses before, Nemo didn’t dare use the dark shadow to explore anymore. He didn’t really want to think about what he would touch.

Thus, he directed the black shadows to gather into a ball, thought for a few seconds, and then split them into a black sphere the size of a human head. The black ball bounced on the ground, and four small feet were made on either side of the ball. They struggled for a moment, successfully landed on all fours, then scattered in all directions, running awkwardly in various paths. Although they looked a little funny, they weren’t slow in speed.

Nemo decided this was a better way to explore the path.

After all, the walking corpses and arrays were all original traps that had long existed in the tomb. The first obstacle Medes added himself to was the seal of corpses at the main entrance to the tomb. Unlike the rumored omni-scientist, Mr. Medes, who had turned into a necromancer, had undoubtedly become a gloomy person.

Now that they had entered the interior of the tomb, Nemo didn’t want to rely on his own strength and take the darkness in front of him lightly. He still had companions to take care of and countless blood-stained biographical stories were repeated in his mind—even the strong would die from a small mistake. Unlike himself, everyone’s life was just like this, so it was always good to be careful.

“Nemo, since you can sense Medes’ position, can you open a rift?” Oliver clenched his Rest in Peace carefully, constantly remaining vigilant.

“Not a good idea,” Nemo whispered. “If the other party considers the possibility of being probed, it’s likely that they have prepared other means in advance. Under this premise, if I open a rift to some dangerous place… Not only will we not be able to get through, but it’ll also cause Medes displeasure. At least for now, we’re acting in a disciplined manner and we’re not a ‘despicable intruder’.”

“Sure enough, it’s not that easy.” Oliver breathed a sigh and used his bone sword to cut off the poisonous spear that shot out diagonally.

Unlike the rough exterior of the tomb, the veteran soldiers were all well aware of the dangers inside. Except for Jesse, no one seemed to want to slack off. Ann cautiously grabbed her hunting spear that would flash sparks of thunder and lightning from time to time on the dark metal. The knight commander held his metal bow, an arrow on the string, and would occasionally warn them of possible traps.

Only Jesse carried the half-bald gray parrot while still maintaining the posture as if he was visiting a museum.

The black dumplings made by Nemo quickly moved their feet as they chirped and ran around. The dumplings actively triggered the physical traps in advance or huddled into a pile in front of a curse array that was leaking magic, desperately prompting their owner to stay away.

Tumbleweed’s advancing speed was reduced by two-thirds after leaving the lobby at the entrance of the tomb.

Fortunately, the cautious advance had increased the safety factor, and no one was injured.

Under the guidance of the group of black shadows, although they lacked a map, things like getting lost didn’t happen, but there were also disadvantages too. Everyone knew how far away their destination was if they went in a straight line, but they had no idea how many detours they needed to take to get there. The only comfort was that they didn’t run into many terrifying-looking bones this time.

After moving forward cautiously for about four hours, weird things began to appear.

First there was a grotesque skeleton.

Its appearance wasn’t much different from the skeletons that were scattered outside the tomb, but it had a lot of things on it, such as a white lace apron and a blond wig. The blond wig was wavy and curly, and they even spotted the white glue that was fixing the wig to the bones.

The apron skeleton was just holding a metal bucket in one hand and grabbing a wet cloth in the other, looking at them in silence.

“…” It might be an illusion, but Nemo felt he could read a little disdain from the black holes in its eyes.

The skeleton looked at them for a while, clicked its chin a few times, and even shook its head quite humanely. It no longer paid attention to Tumbleweed and squatted down neatly and began to clean the moldy walls.

“Can puppetry do this?” Oliver asked stiffly.

“It should be possible, but I have never seen such a boring caster,” Jesse responded with interest. He approached the skeleton and lifted the corner of its lace apron. “This fabric is quite old, and there are a lot of traces of cleaning. I think they—”

The skeleton who was cleaning stood up and pulled the corner of its apron out of Jesse’s hands viciously—

Then slapped the blond young man directly in the face.

The slap caught Jesse off guard. He turned his head and looked at the… angry skeleton strangely. It tightened the hem of its apron, stood up a little coy, then raised its chin, and even lifted its blond wig vigorously.

“It hit you.” Nemo pointed this out dryly, trying to suppress the shock in his tone.

“Hey, it has no murderous intent or hostility. I’m not paranoid to the extent that I would be defensive at all times.” Jesse stepped away from the skeleton unhappily. “Besides, it has no combat power, so it can’t hurt me at all—Adri!”

The knight commander stretched his face tightly as always, but there was a rare smile at the corner of his mouth.

“I have to put this account in Mr. Medes’ name.” Jesse rubbed his face pitifully, even though there was no red mark left on his fair skin. “Anyway, it should have been free to move around for a long time, and now its only acting on a pre-set spell, not controlled by Mr. Medes himself. What kind of puppetry has he set up? It’s really excessive.”

Oliver’s expression was a little distorted, and he seemed unsure whether to laugh out loud, but Nemo’s dark shadow dumplings helped him solve this problem. A black dumpling rushed out of the shadows and crashed into Oliver’s arms. It grasped the seams of his armor with its four little feet, shivering and yipping sharply.

“There’s a problem over there.” Nemo approached Oliver, and without changing his expression, tore the dumpling off Oliver’s chest and placed it on the stone road.

The black shadow dumpling rolled a few times, then stepped on all fours, slowly leading everyone along its path.

It turned out that this “problem” was a lot more troublesome than they thought.

“What the hell is this?” This time it was Ann’s voice.

When she first saw the scene in front of her, she almost poked it directly with her spear.

Unlike the quiet corpses that were glued to the gate, the giant thing in front of them was slowly wriggling. A dull, drum-like heartbeat came from the pile of flesh—some pink was revealed under the smooth grayish-black flesh and many blood-red eyeballs were embedded in it, spinning irregularly. It blocked the entire tomb passage. Slug-like fat tentacles protruded from the flesh and explored slowly and indiscriminately the rough rock wall, making an unpleasant sticky sound.

“It’s not a demon.” Nemo looked away in pain, staring at Oliver’s side face, trying to divert his attention.

“…Are you sure?” Ann coughed dryly. “There is nothing more in line with a demon’s description than this thing.”

Her voice wasn’t small. The mass of flesh seemed to be frightened as all its eyes looked at Ann. The visual effect was so shocking that it made the female warrior utter a cry and instinctively take two steps back.

“The Lock of Pain.” The smile on the former knight’s long face disappeared.

Nemo suddenly pulled his gaze away from Oliver’s face. “The Lock of Pain?! But the way it looks…”

“It’s really not like an ordinary Lock of Pain, but it is.” Adrian approached the huge mass of flesh that blocked the entire tomb, staring at the eyes that blinked in turn.

Nemo knew about the Lock of Pain.

Not to mention the Abyssal Church’s library, even ordinary biographies had mentioned this thing. They were more common in ancient tombs. They were monstrous creatures bred specifically for the purpose of guarding tombs in ancient times.

Thousands of years ago, in order to prevent the internal structure of the tomb from being leaked, nobles would seal the craftsmen directly into the tomb. At first, some people planned to apply puppetry in advance to let the corpses of these craftsmen act as some kind of guard. Unfortunately, the effect could only last a decade at most, and the spell cast couldn’t be handed over to others. When the caster died, these corpses would collapse into ordinary bones.

But this couldn’t stop the desire of the nobles and the royal family to guard their resting place. The Gatekeepers took over the commission and developed a creature called the “Lock of Pain”. Their vitality was extremely tenacious, and they could live in the dark for a long time. Their food source was also very singular…

The pain and despair of creatures.

The craftsmen who were sealed in the tomb would slowly die of hunger and thirst, and the pain generated in between was enough to keep the Lock of Pain alive for nearly a thousand years.

They were supposed to be about the size of humans, and then gradually shrank as their energy disappeared, until some unsuspecting tomb robbers passed by—at which point, they would swarm up, imprison them in flesh and blood, and deliberately prolong the process of their death in order to extract more pain.

A normal Lock of Pain should never grow so large unless……

“Someone has been feeding it continuously for many years,” The knight was silent for a while before he whispered confidently. “…It can continue to live safely if fed with a live person.”

“But there’s only one normal life reaction here.” Oliver had a suspicion that made his heart clench.

“In other words… Medes is using his own pain to raise this thing, and then using it to guard the door?” The lightning flickered at Ann’s fingertips, and the gray tentacles that were about to move were mercilessly repelled.

“So we really can’t move forward like this.” Nemo sighed. “It doesn’t seem to be hungry, so it won’t attack us, but if we insist on moving forward, I think it’ll still be happy to get itself some more reserved food with different flavors. There’s no other option. Maybe I’ll have to slightly injure it to drive it away—”

This thing was basically unintelligent, and even putting out his aura wouldn’t do much good.

“Wait.” Adrian grabbed Nemo’s right arm before he could lift it.

Nemo looked at Adrian in surprise. After all, the former knight commander had never liked physical contact with people. “Mr. Cross?”

“There’s a solution to the Lock of Pain,” Adrian said softly. “Considering their later descendants, the nobles would make a set of questions in advance… If the visitor is caught, they will first be asked these questions.”

“I know, three questions, right? But if this was set by Medes, no one would know his answer.”

“If he really doesn’t want to see anyone at all, he wouldn’t choose the Lock of Pain.” The knight’s voice became flat. “I have been to many tombs when I was still performing missions for the church. More murderous guardian monsters, difficult-to-unlock death curses, highly poisonous carnivorous plants… In any case, there are more lethal options than the Lock of Pain.”

“How rare.” Jesse was still stroking his cheek aggrievedly. “Why do you suddenly care about this? Mr. Light didn’t intend to burn it to ashes, although I don’t think it’s a big deal to kill it.”

“Mr. Medes didn’t set any extra death traps, but he made this… thing.”

Arian Cross stretched out a hand and stroked the monster’s sticky skin. The slug-like tentacles immediately wrapped around his arm and countless red eyes on its flesh turned frantically.

“And I’m familiar with this pain. This can be regarded as some form of expression. Mr. Medes is rejecting his enemies and… calling for help from his visitors.” The former knight pulled the corners of his mouth. “The Lock of Pain will not judge based on how accurate the vocabulary of the answer is. As long as the meaning is correct, it will move out of the way. Since we’re here to ask him questions, it’s more polite to ring the doorbell than kick down the door.”

Expose all your pain, let it fill the dark tomb, and muddy the air…

But truly desperate people rarely express their pain to the outside world.

Nemo scratched his head. He couldn’t feel the category of “pain”, but Adrian looked like he had it all figured out, so he stepped aside obediently. Oliver raised his bone sword. “If something goes wrong, I’ll cut these things immediately. Please proceed, Mr. Cross.”

Ann raised her arms and leaned against the wall; her eyebrows were raised high.

“Visitor… are you in pain at this moment?” There was a thin and hoarse voice from the flesh, as if several babies were whispering together.

“Yes.” Adrian’s answer without hesitation.

The piece of flesh stopped squirming when it heard the words, and the tentacles that were wrapping the knight’s long arm no longer climbed along it.

“How painful is it?”

“Maybe it’s the same as yours.”

“Why is it painful?”

“For the same reason,” Adrian Cross’ voice became low. “I recognize your form, born in the Lock of Pain from ‘betrayal’. Although I didn’t betray, considering your situation, Mr. Medes… My answer is probably the same as yours.”

“…Because of my fault, my friend suffered and was eventually swallowed up by despair.”

Oliver held his breath and stared at the tentacles surrounding the knight’s long arm, but the moment Adrian finished speaking, it fell softly, as if it had lost all its strength…

The Lock of Pain began to squirm, and it spread out its bloated body evenly, giving way to a narrow passage.

---

The author has something to say:

Jesse suffered a big loss.

Jesse: …The gaming experience is extremely poor.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 190: Definition of Truth

For a while, no one said a word. Only the sound of water droplets dripping down the stalactites was left in the empty cave.

Ann unbearably extinguished most of the ball of light, letting the exaggerated double doors plunge into darkness in order to maintain the mental health of her teammates. Unfortunately, after knowing what the darkness covered up, the faces of most of the people present didn’t look much better.

“I want to rest for a while,” Nemo said gloomily, moving away from the door extremely firmly. “This thing… I just touched it with the dark shadow several times, I need to collect myself.”

“Mr. Dylan.” Oliver opened his mouth politely. Even under the weak lighting, his face was still alarmingly blue. “Can you please take care of this thing?”

“Why me!” Jesse shouted immediately, taking a step back towards Adrian.

“You look the most composed.”

“No, this is what I look like when I’m scared out of my mind,” Jesse replied immediately.

“I remember when you introduced yourself, you said you were a ‘thief’.” Oliver stared at Jesse’s face, determined not to look at the mass of corpses melting behind him. “Now it’s time for you to do your job.”

“…I have to say that your reasoning surprises me. Regiment leader, you can obviously do it yourself as well!”

“I can’t control my strength. I hope we can push the door in politely rather than completely destroy it. Mr. Cross cannot use magic, and Ann can be regarded as our employer. You are the only one left.”

Jesse instantly turned his gaze to Bagelmaurus, who was standing on Ann’s shoulder. The gray parrot suddenly raised its head valiantly. “In the end, it’s up to me. It’s just a pool of rotten meat. Tsk, tsk. You’re all so fragile—”

The gray parrot fluttered its wings, opened its mouth wide, and spewed a dark flame into the pile of corpses glued to the door.

But the flame didn’t have any effect. Not even a black beetle was burned. A scorching golden light suddenly lit up from the cave—a beam of golden light projected from the crack of the door, knocked the gray parrot into the air, and blasted it onto the rock wall opposite of the gate.

Half of the gray parrot’s feathers were gone as it slid out of the pothole created by the blast of light and fell softly to the ground.

“It’s a resistance spell to abyssal magic.” Nemo glanced at the gory door with reluctance. “The exact principle…Uh, I don’t want to probe, but it looks like a conversion and rebound.”

“It seems that this gentleman not only doesn’t welcome surface visitors, but he’s also unwelcoming to all living things.” Ann approached Bagelmaurus and picked up the dizzy demon in her hand. The poor parrot didn’t seem to have recovered yet. It hummed weakly, and the feathers on its body began to recover on its own.

“Mr. Dylan?” Oliver’s expression twitched a few times, and he asked politely again.

“Oh, there is really nothing I can do about you guys. I didn’t want to use this trick,” sighed Jesse, raising his right hand…

Oliver and Nemo looked at the hand nervously.

However, there was no complicated magic array or spectacular mantra that lit up. The pale hand just leaned into his collar and took out two high-level charm scrolls in a thin copper tube.

Oliver: “……”

“What with your expression? These two little things cost me ten gold coins! That’s all my private money.”

“I… I thought you…”

“Why should I work hard for things that can be solved with money?” Jesse curled his lips and unscrewed one of them gracefully. After the paper roll was ignited by magic, it quietly floated like a feather over the mass of corpses and stuck to it unmoving.

In the next second, black vines with a scarlet shimmer ejected from the center of the paper roll. They quickly covered the entire mass of corpses, forming a huge net that tightly bound them. The dark vines were lined with white and dark red, causing the atmosphere of the cave to suddenly become eerie.

When the vines were no longer active, Jesse unscrewed the second copper tube.

This was followed by a blazing fire.

The white flames burned rapidly along the vines, and the sparks of the fire sputtered as if they were shards of gold. The dark vine network turned into a burning web of fire, and the corpses quickly became scorched black before they fragmented into crumbs that fell loosely to the ground. The outside of the flame wasn’t scorching and didn’t give off a lot of heat to the user and his companions. The temperature outside of the fire net was warm and pleasant.

But the smell in the air was another matter.

The special smell of burnt meat instantly filled the cave. Except for Jesse and the dazed gray parrot, the faces of everyone in Tumbleweed began to turn green.

“You did it on purpose,” Nemo complained weakly, and simply stopped breathing. The others didn’t feel much better. Ann directly pulled off a piece of cloth linen from her leather armor, drenched it with liquor, and tightly covered her nose with it.

“I remember you’re not afraid of the smell, Your Highness.” Jesse put away the copper tube with a smile. Before his voice fell, the large corpses glued to the door collapsed with the remnants of the vines, turning into black residues on the ground.

“I’m not afraid of the smell.” Ann didn’t bother to care about how she was addressed. The drenched fabric muffled her voice. “…But I still want to eat more barbeque in this life.”

Nemo moved quickly at this moment. After commanding the black shadow to pull the door open, he quickly put another black shadow on top of the small mound of corpse residue so that everyone wouldn’t step on the filth as they entered the passage.

The world inside the door was much better than the outside; it was dry and clean, without the slightest sign of cobwebs, moss, or dust. Someone was cleaning up here from time to time, as Nemo could find traces of living people in the dark tomb.

As long as there wasn’t any exaggerated design of revulsion, the rest of the way was considered good. After entering the relatively wide tomb, they were even able to stop and rest freely for a while. Except for Jesse, no one wanted to touch the food that was originally intended for barbeque.

In this way, the five of them nestled in the corner of the tomb, looking at the stone carvings reflected by the ball of light while gnawing on dried cakes stained with water. Although Ann used dozens of cleansing spells, the unbearable smell seemed to stick to her nasal cavity.

It wasn’t someone who broke the silence this time.

As soon as Nemo took a bite of the dry cake, the black badge on his chest trembled like crazy. He unluckily almost choked on the piece of cake, and after coughing frantically, Nemo took off the black badge on his chest.

It wasn’t just his badge but everyone else’s as well.

“What’s going on?” Nemo suspiciously summoned the light screen but failed to find any notice.

“The problem is with the black badge itself.” Jesse carefully buttered the dry cake. Apart from the knight commander, who only had a ring, he was the only one who didn’t take off his black badge. “Look at the front of it, dear Mr. Light.”

Nemo gulped, easily swallowing the food stuck in his throat. Unlike humans, if he really wanted to observe something carefully, he didn’t need too much light.

The snake head on the black badge disappeared without a trace, replaced by a strange five-eyed creature.

Nemo wiped his face fiercely, Oliver, who was sitting next to him, sighed, and a wail-like grunt escaped from Ann’s throat.

“Sea Scorpion level.” Adrian didn’t seem so surprised. “It seems we’ve been upgraded.”

“Adri, you see. They still fantasize about hiding. How cute.” Jesse scratched his chin. “Your Royal Highness, do you still have liquor? Would you like everyone to make a toast for this glorious upgrade?”

Ann decisively flipped him off.

“Is it because of the task of meeting Delia?” There was some tension in Oliver’s voice. “If the Alban royal family and a high-level member of the guild exchange information, they may be eyeing us. Do we have to make some preparations early—”

“No, no, I signed the most advanced confidentiality agreement,” The female warrior quickly denied. “As long as you pay enough money, no one will know who took on the task except for you and me. Such tasks will not be included in the scope of the investigation, I promise.”

“It should be Godwin Lopez’s report,” Adrian said calmly. “According to the Pope’s handling method, it’s normal for us to become sea scorpions. It’s good. If Mr. Ramon’s true behavior had been noticed by the guild, we would have risen all the way to the top at once.”

Mr. Ramon squeezed the cake in his hand melancholically. His eyes were blank, while his lover leaned his head on his shoulder in a daze.

Probably sensing the relief of the group, a dried-up snake leapt out of some corner and bounced straight at Jesse’s face. Adrian flipped his hand casually and caught the daring snake, flinging it unceremoniously to another corner.

“I’m so touched.” Jesse emotionally picked up the buttered cake that had a few bites on it and stuffed it under the knight’s nose. “Please accept my love, Adri.”

The knight commander indifferently pushed Jesse and his buttery “love” aside.

“Admit it, you like me a little.” While the other three were still worried about the sea scorpion rank, Jesse was extremely generous to provoke other topics. “How does that poem go… ‘My charming knight, you will shield me from all storms and hardships.’”

“No,” Adrian replied softly.

“…I’m going to cry,” Jesse sighed sadly while licking the butter on the cake.

“Speaking of hardships… Dylan, I have something to ask you.” Nemo raised his head from Oliver’s shoulders. His tone suddenly hardened a lot.

“What? Do you want to stand in my way? That’s not good. My heart is set on Adri now—”

“No, about what happened back then.” Nemo gritted his teeth. “Medes’ possible testimony is one thing. Mr. Magical Diviner, maybe you can deduce a thing or two?”

He heavily emphasized the words “Magical Diviner”. Ann raised her eyebrows curiously, and Oliver’s body suddenly tightened.

“I don’t know what’s going on in the Abyss.” Jesse put away his laughing expression and stared straight at Nemo with his beautiful blue eyes. “Don’t talk about the bottom of the Abyss, even in the shallows, I don’t know anything about it. Those are not in my… calculation range.”

The two looked at each other in silence for a few seconds.

“As for what happened back then…” Finding that Nemo had no intention of speaking, the blond young man stretched out his waist and continued blandly, “I think it’s better for you to ask Medes.”

“Why?”

“It’s very simple, I can tell you who ate what at what time, what they did, and even who they killed. These are simple enough that even unintentional civilians passing by could access this level of information—if you only want to define ‘facts’ and ‘actions’.”

Nemo pursed his lips tightly.

“Just like the fact that Ulysses wiped out the entire generation of the expedition force.” Jesse’s voice was still smiling, but his icy-blue eyes showed a little coldness in the dark. “But I think what you want is motivation, emotion, and reason. Just like the snake just now, or a little earlier, those crawling beetles. Everyone knows what they did, but do you know what they were thinking at that time?”

“……No.”

“Mm-hmm, me too.”

Jesse showed a big smile.

“But I can tell you—as a bonus piece of information—what Medes knows should be enough to satisfy your curiosity.”

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 189: Tomb

Delia sat obediently in the armchair. Her knees were together, and the heaves in her chest were small. She firmly covered her eyes with an eye mask decorated with fine gems, trying to adapt to her new vision, constructed by magic.

It felt very strange—whether it was communicating with that weird spider with her thoughts or familiarizing herself with the extremely dim, slightly bloody new world in front of her.

She had thought that Marshal Gallagher wouldn’t be so quick to take care of her and would instead directly establish a fake adult heir. When he attacked the prince, he would let the heir “die unexpectedly”, aggravating the prince’s crime. Then Marshal Gallagher would “reluctantly” support the only remaining underage princess more naturally.

The Emperor had also considered the possibility of the prince murdering him, and he would certainly leave Gallagher some information or props that could solve the succession problem. Although she was in a delicate position, she wasn’t really an important key figure. Her life or death would only affect the intensity of the war but won’t make it disappear.

An underage princess; a disposable, expensive doll.

But Gallagher still sent someone over, and not simply a lowly Black Chapter.

As far as the current situation was concerned, this spider, who called itself “Cat Whiskers”, was definitely some kind of intermediate demon. Although it wasn’t uncommon for demon worshipers that could make use of intermediate demons, they weren’t so easy to talk to regarding cooperation. One of the people there also looked quite a bit like the royal family, and even had a similarity to her deceased mother…

But what exactly did her mother’s face look like? Her memory was a bit blurred.

“Delia… Ah, you covered your eyes. You are such a good girl.”

Delia turned her head subconsciously.

Prince Eldric entered the lounge and calmly sat on the sofa provided to guests. He looked like he had just come from a certain battlefield, and his whole body showed a pale sense of slackness.

“Uncle,” she responded indifferently, without any emotion in her voice. Her slender hands under the layers of lace tightened.

“You didn’t eat anything? Is it not to your liking? Don’t be capricious.” Eldric shook his head and smiled. “Still bothered about Annabelle?”

Delia didn’t say a word.

“She has never used her heart for you. You know this very well. Her last wish was my mistake because I didn’t think about it thoroughly. You’re just an innocent and good girl. You shouldn’t have witnessed such a miserable scene.”

Delia twitched the corners of her mouth, barely showing a smile.

Her mother, Annabelle, was cold and reticent, which didn’t change because the other party was her own daughter. In Delia’s memory, even if her mother was alone with her, she rarely smiled, let alone telling her a few warm bedtime stories. Compared to Annabelle, who was dressed in black all year round, her nursemaid was more like her biological mother.

Annabelle Alastair was a lonely princess that didn’t seem to know how to love her children. Because of her special royal bloodline, she kept that honorable surname, but it only brought her a golden cage, not happiness.

But this cold mother cared about Delia in her own weird way, or more precisely, she quietly cared about Delia.

When she was just sensible, her mother taught her magic; a spell that shouldn’t have been mastered by a princess of Alban.

Illusion removal.

Immediately, her mother gave her many fairytale books. Since the two of them didn’t have the slightest sense of closeness, onlookers always thought it was some kind of less-than-intentional perfunctory way of life. Other noble women, even if they wanted to send away the daughters they didn’t like, would still gift them exquisite candy snacks or beautiful jewelry and clothing. Annabelle always sent books, and only books.

Her mother had always been far from her, but when Delia first tried to cast the illusion removal on those books, she got a long letter—the fairytales on the pages were broken, and difficult textbooks on magic were revealed.

Those ink characters were written between brand-new characters, and the fonts were corrected and beautiful.

Her mother seriously wrote down a set of instructions. The emotions between the lines were a bit stiff, neither enthusiastic nor warm, but she expressed it awkwardly, telling her only daughter in a neutral tone.

[Don’t get too close to me in front of outsiders. Get closer to Eldric Alastair. Rely on him as much as possible.]

[Be sure to learn this as soon as possible. There will be no other letters before you learn this book. When you learn it, put it on the bookshelf at the top of your room. I will check the number of books on the shelf everyday.]

[If you have anything you want to say to me, you can write it on the back cover. Remember to use the ink I gave you.]

[After finishing school, I will find time to test you. If you do well, I will give you a new one.]

The theology that the princess needed to study was incredibly boring, but in order to communicate more with her mother, Delia hungrily studied.

The first was a simple healing spell, and then a more complex attack spell.

Literature, mathematics, music theory, astronomy.

Philosophy, war studies, politics.

At first it was printed fonts, but then it was replaced by serious and familiar handwriting. Her mother carefully disassembled the boring knowledge for her, trying to make them more interesting. Annabelle Alastair burned with talent, showing everything before her eyes.

Delia could feel that her mother had been preparing for this moment long ago.

She was growing up, becoming as cold and quiet as her mother. She approached Eldric obediently, at first simply to follow her mother’s instructions, but later because she knew the fate that was waiting ahead.

Eldrick didn’t doubt this—who would doubt a little girl who had followed him since she was eight years old?

[According to Ettram’s character, even if he dies of illness, he would die on the throne. And if Ettram persists on the throne for too long, Eldric will definitely take action. In this case, I will be killed by Eldric, and you need to prepare for this—please write an analysis on this, based on your observation and understanding of them. Tell me why there would be such a development. Then in the second case, please make an assertion on the possible subsequent development.] Her mother once wrote her something like this.

Her extremely cold mother.

[Also, no matter what happens in the future, I hope you will live, Delia.]

[I think I still love you, my child.]

Yes, she had analyzed the current situation. Only a few years ago, she wiped tears from her eyes in the shadow of the magical lamp, writing down the reasons for the current situation as well as all possible future situations.

Eldric often had an overly idealistic view of things, and when that ideal was inconsistent with reality, it was easy for him to blame others for his mistakes. He thought he had the qualifications of an emperor, but his head wasn’t very flexible… and he liked to be immersed in his “helplessness” and “compassion”.

She stared at the blood relative through the demon’s vision. Her face was numb and calm.

“Alright, don’t be upset. Have something to eat. After all, she’s still your mother and you have the right to be angry with me,” Eldric said loudly. “Alban is pretty good compared to Willard’s successor, who will kill all his siblings. My Delia, little sweetheart, uncle wouldn’t do such a terrible thing.”

He was reveling in some kind of self-righteous affection.

In front of the prince, Princess Delia was just an empty-headed, mute little girl. He didn’t have much vigilance against her, and even out of some fantastical psychology, Eldric was willing to brag in front of her or complain about the current situation.

Mistresses would leak secrets, and subordinates might be placed by others. Only this dull niece would never have the power to betray him.

Delia thought in silence that if he really had even a half-hearted affection for her, he wouldn’t make such a request next, but she was quite sure Edric would ask. He always did.

“But depending on the current situation, I have to help you terminate your marriage contract with Godwin Lopez. Even if he has some ability, a wild dog is still only a wild dog. He doesn’t love you. I believe I can feel it. He doesn’t even want to take a look at you, Delia. Don’t worry about this kind of man. Uncle will find you a better one. Believe me, this is for your own good.”

“Yes, uncle,” she said, carefully closing her sleeves to cover Cat Whiskers, who was crawling on her arm.

Her tone was obedient and cold.

And her other existing blood relative wasn’t doing well either.

Since Ann confessed her identity, the entire Tumbleweed had been silent. No one wanted to quip bad jokes about the royal family. Under this awkward atmosphere, Oliver’s entire person started doubting his life. He was the first to enter the tomb, and his movements were particularly decisive, as if the cold darkness would calm him down.

Before the other four had time to react, the leader of Tumbleweed disappeared at the entrance of the tomb.

Then there was a tragic “Ah!” from below.

Nemo’s whole body shook. Dark shadows suddenly covered the four walls of the corridor of the tomb. Immediately, his expression relaxed a little. Oliver was pulled by the dark shadows by his collar; by the doorway of the tomb was a trap.

“There are metal spikes under it,” Oliver said with a flat face. “Thanks, Nemo.”

“But you’re not hurt,” Ann said dryly. The bizarre awkwardness put a damper on her sense of humor.

“Yes, I reacted, but I came face to face with a corpse below.” In the light cast by an illumination spell, Oliver shook visibly to the naked eye. “It was crawling with bugs. Thankfully, it didn’t smell like anything. Ugh, my god, ugh…”

He retched a few times against the wall of the tomb, and Nemo hurriedly helped soothe him.

Ann smiled helplessly and climbed down the entrance of the cave quickly. After a while, her voice came from the bottom of the cave. “It looks like it has been dead for about four months. It should be a tomb robber. In this position… Well, an inexperienced tomb robber.”

“No way, captain.” Jesse said meaningfully. “Maybe you’re more suitable for the title ‘princess’.”

“…I’ll throw you down there.” Oliver wiped his mouth and snorted weakly.

Jesse raised his eyebrows quite unexpectedly at his soaring courage.

“I’m not surprised by anything anymore,” Oliver solemnly announced. “It’s better to say, I’m curious about what else can really surprise me, but Nemo, do you want to consider the position of leader of Tumbleweed? I’m beginning to feel that my qualifications can’t hold this position.”

“I like the deputy leader position better.” Nemo smiled for a long time. “And this place has been sealed for more than two years. That body couldn’t be from the last few months.”

“What do you mean?” Ann climbed up from the mouth of the trap door. She seemed to have noticed Nemo’s attitude change and spoke positively.

Nemo’s body stiffened for a few seconds, and he pointed to the filamentous moss on the inside of the door. “The hibernating moss at the entrance of the cave grows very slowly. When Ollie opened the door just now, he tore them apart… If this gentleman had come here within half a year, it would not have grown like this.”

“Well, that’s interesting. It may be that the owner of the tomb has released quite a few embalming spells, or a powerful anticorrosive array is still in operation.”

“It may also have been laid by Mr. Medes,” the knight commander added calmly. The effect of the age-reduction potion had long since disappeared, and he had regained the sharp temperament that he couldn’t hide at the beginning.

“Mm-hmm.” Ann nodded. “But choosing a tomb like this and not even cleaning it up, Mr. Medes must like visitors very much.”

“…But if Nemo’s inference is right, wouldn’t he have been here for more than two years?” Oliver averted his gaze away from the dark tomb trap, not bothering to hide the surprise in his tone.

“Well, necromancers are weird guys.” Jesse shrugged. “Of course, this one is no exception.”

“Let me walk in front.” Nemo dragged Oliver back. “The things here can’t hurt me.”

“But……”

“This is the fastest way.”

Nemo took a few steps forward, leaving everyone with a heroic back. The gray parrot didn’t have the slightest awe of human royalty and was particularly comfortable with this awkwardness. It hesitated for a few seconds, then resolutely chose to perch on Ann’s shoulder, abandoning its nominal owner.

Unfortunately, Mr. Demon King only lasted for more than an hour.

A short spear carrying armor-breaking magic was crushed by him barehanded, and the corrosive liquid was waved away by the shadow shield. Nemo kept commanding the dark shadows repeatedly, and they obediently swallowed the poisonous mist that spewed out of a bone shell. Even in the face of several bifurcated passages, the scattered black shadows were able to accurately find the most correct path.

However, Nemo’s weakness was also equally stark.

After the dark shadow explored the way again, his reaction was the same as Oliver’s—he held on to the wall and began to retch violently.

This time, Oliver patted him on the back. “What’s the matter?”

“I… I touched something disgusting. No, my dark shadow touched… Forget it. It’s almost the same,” Nemo panted as he wiped the cold sweat from his head. “We ran into the real entrance of the tomb, God…” As soon as he finished sighing, he paused strangely.

“In short, it’s very disgusting.” Nemo repeatedly emphasized with a pale face. “You have to be mentally prepared.”

Apart for the corpse at the beginning, they didn’t encounter any other dead bodies along the way. The four people behind Nemo were as relaxed as a tour group being led to visit a museum filled with traps. Now it seemed that this kind of ease was going to end here.

When they reached the end of the cave, except for Jesse’s meaningful “oh”, the expressions of the others were more or less twitching…

The real entrance to the tomb appeared in front of them. The cave became extremely wide. Lifelike dragon stone sculptures rested on both sides of the entrance. The tomb’s door was equally as tall and amazing and carried elaborate carvings.

But that wasn’t the point.

Now everyone in Tumbleweed knew exactly where the body that should have been in the tomb originally came from.

Under the brilliance of light, the magnificent giant gate was covered with a thick layer of flesh-red things. They didn’t squirm, exuded a faint fishy smell, and many weird-looking black beetles stuck to them. They didn’t know if they were dead or alive.

Ann swallowed, waved her arm, and more balls of light used for lighting flew into the air, illuminating the entire gate…

The corpses were wearing different styles of clothes that showed a certain semi-melted state, and they were glued together to form a terrifying seal of flesh and blood. The door of the tomb was sealed tightly by death.

“… It seems that Mr. Medes really doesn’t like visitors.” The female warrior slowly squeezed the words out of her mouth, and finally retched.

---

The author has something to say:

When I wrote “cover Cat Whiskers who was crawling on her arm”, I always felt that something was wrong, and I couldn’t tell what was wrong (……

————

Gay friend: What’s so surprising for two years? If it weren’t for the need to go out and buy things, I could do it too!

Me: …

Me: There is no internet in the tomb. Tell me, can you do it without internet?

Gay friend: …Damn it, I can’t be a necromancer anymore!

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 188: Enmity and Vengeance

Oliver’s mind was blank.

Although he and Nemo did expect that Ann was related to the royal family and might have some knowledge of the hidden story, they didn’t expect that Ann would directly open up like this—or in such a capacity.

The Nightingales of Alban, the twin princesses; two weak and beautiful little girls. Andrea Alastair’s unfortunate and short life had always been a favorite subject of the bards. After listening to it for a long time, Oliver had subconsciously regarded the name as something from another world. On the other hand, except for attending the grand sacrifices of the Laddism Church, the princesses of Alban rarely appeared in front of the common people. When they did appear, they always looked weak and pure.

Ann didn’t have the slightest sense of “weak and pure” qualities from head to toe, but according to her statement just now, the tragic character Andrea Alastair was indeed still alive. The veteran Black Chapter Ann Savage of Tumbleweed was the princess who had died prematurely…

Oliver stood still in confusion, a little unable to grasp which thing he should be shocked about first. To be honest, with Nemo’s speculation, he had a premonition of the truth of his mother’s death. There had never been a trace of “mother” in his life, let alone any deep feelings he had for her. Because of the fact that Ann confided, Oliver would not lose his mind because of anger.

It was Ann herself who gave him the greater impact.

He thought there wouldn’t be a person like that in Tumbleweed. Although Ann had always laughed off some of his less-than-reasonable knowledge reserves, Oliver had a hunch that Ann wasn’t just a simple Black Chapter. However, the leader of Tumbleweed never thought that the female warrior who was more meticulous than anyone else and had been struggling in the Black Chapter industry for nearly 20 years would be born from a royal family.

Oliver swallowed, trying to drive his attention away from this terrible discovery. “About the death of my mother… How much do you know?”

From the bottom of his heart, he hoped that this was just another bad joke by the female warrior; a lame joke that tried to liven up the atmosphere.

“At that time, I was too young to get too much information.” Unfortunately, Ann’s face was flat, and her tone was serious. There was no intention of joking at all. “I only know one thing—the Emperor once made it clear that if your father was ‘stuck’ on an unknown wandering dancer, he wouldn’t mind letting your mother disappear. I have met your father, Oliver. He’s a very warm and kind person. I originally had the opportunity to tell him what the Emperor thought. I originally…”

Ann pulled the corners of her mouth rigidly, swallowing the second half of her sentence and looking at the tip of his boots. “I’ve paid attention to this matter since then. The Emperor was in a good mood after he found out about your mother’s death, until someone told him ‘Flint found out about Miss Ramon and knew it was under your instigation’.”

Then she smiled weakly and raised her eyes again. “After that, Flint disappeared and rumors about him began to spread all over the palace. That’s all I could come into contact with at the time, but it was enough to explain a lot of things. Regardless of the reason, it’s true that the Emperor intended to kill your mother.”

“…My mother died from the Trent Plague.” Oliver was silent for a long time before he finally spoke.

Ann opened her eyes wide in surprise. “But you—”

After wheeling through the identities of the other members of Tumbleweed in his head, Oliver barely calmed down. He took his eyes off the top of the scar on Ann’s face and turned to Nemo. Unlike him, Nemo’s face wasn’t confused but sadder and more torn.

The great Demon King quickly felt his gaze and took over in a dry voice. “This is why I mentioned Balthazar Medes just now. Oliver and I just want to talk to you about this, Ann. Based on my findings, I’m very sure Oliver’s mother died of the Trent Plague, and about this matter, Mr. Medes must have known—he met Flint before her death.”

“In other words,” noticing Nemo’s condition wasn’t in a good state, Oliver took the opportunity to answer the question, “Regarding Delia’s situation, Mr. Medes may have a solution. After all, no matter what, I was supposed to be sick and I’m still alive.”

Ann stared at Oliver’s eyes tightly and spoke again after a while with a few more imperceptible tremors in her voice. “If I understand you correctly…”

“Your father may have killed my mother, but it was your father who did it. My enemy isn’t you, much less Delia… Sampson Alastair is dead, and I can’t rush off and dig him up now.” Oliver tugged harshly at the corners of his mouth. “Of course, I couldn’t possibly say I don’t care about this at all, but one size doesn’t fit all. Whoever you are, Ann, you are our benefactor and our friend. I’m certainly willing to help a friend.”

Nemo, who was next to him, seemed to fall into an unhappy contemplation. Oliver patted him on the shoulder.

“Speaking of which, Trent Plague is a disease that’s a curse of the Abyss. Do you have any thoughts on this?” Oliver interrupted Nemo’s thoughts with a question.

Those emerald eyes immediately looked over, and Nemo knew his subtext. He fished himself out of a certain cold fact and struggled to return to reality.

“Her physique is not as strong as yours, and her strength is far worse than yours,” Nemo explained obediently. “Although I don’t know the details, according to the theory of the Abyssal Church… If you want to remove the curse, you must first liberate the curse from your heart. Even if I have a way, she is likely to be killed by the curse before my power can suppress it.”

“So how about we go see Medes first?” Oliver didn’t take away the hand that patted Nemo on the shoulder, and even added a bit more force. “Ann, Nemo and I will go there first. With your identity… Uh, we need time to digest it.”

Ann nodded very understandingly.

“What’s wrong with you?” Oliver grabbed Nemo’s wrist and pulled his soulful lover between two lush clusters of yellow roses.

“I remember her brother.” Nemo’s voice was very low. He reached out a hand and held his forehead as he wilted. “Abbas Alastair, the deputy commander of the Tin Soldier. A respectable person. If Ann is really… Ollie, I killed her brother with my own hands.”

“Nemo……”

“I remember it very clearly. I can’t forget it. The claws crossed his arteries, and the hot blood spurted out as it touched his flesh. I remember all the details, except why. I don’t remember why… Ollie, she confessed to you, but I’m still keeping this from her.”

Oliver fell silent. He opened his arms and gave the other man a solid hug. Nemo returned his hug and squeezed the lover in front of him tightly, so hard that Oliver could feel the crushing pain in his chest.

But he didn’t make a sound because of it.

“Have you thought about it, Nemo?” Feeling the rapid ups and downs of Nemo’s chest, Oliver’s voice was very soft.

“Nn. As she said, no matter what the reason is, the dead are gone. The murderer is me, and I’m equally sure of this.”

“I respect your decision. When this mission is over, let’s take time to talk to Ann, okay? The situation is messy enough now, and she needs to stay calm more than anyone else.” A soft kiss fell on his ear, causing Nemo’s heart to sink for a moment. The long-suppressed anxiety and worries swarmed over him, and he could barely breathe.

In case he really killed Abbas out of malice and destroyed the Tin Soldier…

“…I know. When this matter is over, I’ll tell her the truth.” He heard himself reply.

“Hey, Nemo. Look at me.” Oliver held his lover’s face towards him. “I promise to bear it with you, and I promise that if something goes wrong, I will kill you. Don’t forget this. Medes must know something. He had contact with my father after the expedition, and perhaps he also knew the truth about the bottom of the Abyss. Don’t rush to deny yourself, okay?”

Nemo tightened his arms around his lover in despair as he breathed hard. The long-suppressed darkness spread to the bottom of his heart, and he almost began to feel exhausted by it.

“Of course, it’s normal for you to doubt yourself. I can fully understand, but you also have to remember, even if you don’t believe in yourself—before there’s conclusive evidence, before the facts are clear, I believe in you.”

The mood of half hope and half despair almost tore Nemo apart. He knew very well in his heart—whether it was screaming, roaring, or tears, nothing could change the past that had long been a foregone conclusion. It was like a relaxing time that couldn’t erase the dark icebergs under the sea. Their answer existed exactly somewhere, and he still owned such a piece of driftwood, and this was the only piece he had.

How fortunate he was.

“…” Nemo quietly buried his face in Oliver’s expensive silk scarf and took a deep breath. When he spoke again, his voice calmed down a lot. “Thank you. Sorry, Ollie. What Ann said… shouldn’t be good for you either.”

“It seems that there is a lot of bad blood between us and Ann.” Oliver smiled wearily. “And my dad cut off your head—first, let’s go to Medes and get more information.”

“Speaking of this, there’s something I have to tell you.”

“Hm?”

“I left Cat Whiskers to Delia. She should be able to see things normally with it now, and she can also use it to contact us. Eldric won’t find out.”

“Cat Whiskers?”

“That spider.”

“……”

“I know what you are worried about. It’s fine. Vance won’t notice me immediately. When the time comes, I can catch an ordinary, lower-level demon in an emergency. The question is how to explain its origin and ability to everyone—”

“I can explain its origin and ability to you, but why name it ‘Cat Whiskers’…?”

“…Uh, at least for me, when I see a cat, I usually don’t notice its whiskers at first glance,” Nemo whispered. “This name sounds lucky.”

“……”

After the knight commander and Jesse returned to the team, Oliver briefly introduced the status of the next task. Except for Jesse’s exaggerated salute and beginning to call Ann “Her Royal Highness” in a slick manner, nothing else had changed much. Nemo became more silent than before, but fortunately, no one had time to be suspicious of this…

Without unnecessary delay, Tumbleweed went to the barren mountains on the border of Alban, near the tomb dominated by Medes.

The sun was about to set. The wandering skeletons seemed to notice the smell of living creatures and approached unsteadily, but they didn’t attack. They just pushed them out with their teeth and claws. Even if they were broken with weapons, the dead bones still staggered and reformed again.

“Abyssal magic?” Oliver looked at Nemo.

“No.” Nemo shook his head firmly. “Surface magic.”

“It’s a puppetry spell,” Jesse said lightly. “These things are no different from those metal toys. They just use ready-made materials.”

Tumbleweed didn’t dare to use too destructive actions for fear that Medes would misinterpret their intentions. They just fought with these bones for a whole night, but Mr. Medes still didn’t intend to show up. Oliver could feel a life that wasn’t strong nor weak, that was motionless in the depths of the ancient tomb.

Since the owner didn’t want to come out, they could only choose to go in and visit.

“Are you ready?” Throwing aside a skull that clicked and closed its mouth, Oliver pressed his hand on the heavy stone gate of the tomb. “I’m going to open it.”

As soon as his voice fell, the two stone gates made a dull rubbing sound. The gate of the tomb, which seemed to have been dusty for a long time, was slowly pushed open, and the air with the smell of decay came to his face.

What awaited them was an endless darkness heading underground.

On the other side, Marshal Gallagher was in a good mood. He wasn’t distressed by the appearance of the “Emperor” in person at the capital ball.

“Our Royal Highness. Tsk, tsk. He could only play such tricks.” Gallagher inserted a silver fork into a small piece of fruit, then gracefully dipped it in the sugar dish. “He doesn’t know what the Emperor has left us… Well, how is ‘that matter’ going?”

“Still looking.”

“Better hurry up.” The marshal put down his fork and wiped the corners of his mouth with a delicate handkerchief. “This is the third town we occupied. With such a big movement, there should be a lot of displaced people coming here to take advantage of the chaos—”

“Among them, there must be a woman who meets the requirement in appearance. It’s time for us to create a ‘Royal Highness’.”

---

The author has something to say:

The true source of inspiration for Cat Whiskers… I remember seeing the news that scientists used cat whiskers to make crystals (…)

————

Today, I found a slightly embarrassing rear-end accident. Godwin’s sword name collided with the sword name in another Demon King theme novel “Violet and the Bird of Thorns“._(:””∠)_

“Breaking Dawn” and “Breaking Dawn Blade” are just the names of the swords, and the sword masters are also older brothers of the gong. Although the story structure, setting, and origin of the sword are all completely different, I can’t pretend that I didn’t see it. Although it’s just a small detail, it’s just…uh.

[I have contacted the author, Tang Jiuqing, in a private message to explain the situation, who said she didn’t mind at all, so I would like to say thank you here.]

This name has nothing to do with the main plot, but it does have related echoes and designs, so it will not be modified for the time being. I’m here to tell you about it. _(:з”∠)_

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Apparently, Godwin’s sword has the same name as a different work by Tang Jiuqing. I haven’t had the chance to read any of her works yet, but I believe one of her more well-known works is Qing Jin Jiu, which I have heard great things about.

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 187: The Necromancer

After giving the awakened soldiers a confusion spell that was enough to disrupt their memories. The three of them quickly left the princess’s lounge, and Ann finally had the opportunity to ask her question. “Balthazar Medes, the necromancer of the Tin Soldiers? Nemo, don’t tell me you’re bullshitting.”

“I’m not,” Nemo whispered.

Balthazar Medes’ initial position in the Tin Soldier Mercenary Regiment wasn’t as a necromancer, but as an omni-scientist who knew everything—golems, herbs, and cures for all kinds of incurable diseases. He knew it all.

The happy Mr. Medes had a great enthusiasm for the world. Although his combat abilities weren’t worth mentioning, he could be regarded as the soul of the Tin Soldier. In addition to being the consultant of the mercenary group, he could almost be said to be the third in command of the Tin Soldier.

In the biographies of the Tin Soldier, this gentleman always had an upright, cheerful, and overly enthusiastic image. Medes provided Captain Flint with countless useful pieces of information and helped the Tin Soldier through one difficulty after another.

Unlike Talbott Vance, who politely refused to participate in the expedition, Medes happened to be seriously injured and had a hard time recovering when the Tin Soldier joined the expedition. Considering the danger of the Abyss, Mr. Medes was explicitly forbidden by Flint from joining the mission and had to obediently stay on the surface to recuperate.

But except for Flint himself, his comrades never returned.

In Telaranea’s records, this person had come to Flint’s city with injuries during Sonia’s illness. Although there was no further evidence, Nemo didn’t think that Mr. Medes happened to be there for sightseeing.

With the limited time they had now, he didn’t tell Oliver all these details.

Flint had no medical or healing cultivation, but Oliver survived. This former omni-scientist had to have played a big role in it—he didn’t deceive Delia; someone did recover from the Trent Plague. Oliver was the case that successfully survived.

And Nemo had a hunch that Ann knew something about Oliver’s mother.

As for Nemo’s unwillingness to immediately put forward the reason for this person, in addition to the lack of hard information, there was another point—after the death of Sonia, Balthazar Medes’ temperament changed drastically. He locked himself in a remote ancient tomb and never saw anyone again. Later, someone occasionally witnessed a figure similar to Medes in the barren mountains, and the appearance of “that thing” was no longer human.

It was a skeleton with bloodshot eyes wearing the standard robe of a Tin Soldier.

Since Medes entered the tomb, skeletons have risen from the soil and begun to wander around it, changing the rumor that a Tin Soldiers member had become a necromancer.

Since then, like Vance Talbott, no one has seen this other Tin Soldier in public.

“Ann, Ollie and I need to have a good talk with you guys about this—” Nemo poked Oliver’s waist.

“We’ll talk about it later.” Ann forcefully blocked Nemo’s words back, and the female warrior pulled her face and gritted her teeth. “First of all, I want to tell you two something very important. Listen, it’s very important. Especially for you, Oliver.”

She stared at the void in front of her for a while and sighed fiercely. “Contact Dylan and Cross first. Anyway, Cross roughly knows. Dylan… Whatever, he will know sooner or later.”

They had never seen Ann show such a serious expression. Nemo swallowed, quickly used the communication crystal, and then froze next to Oliver like a statue, waiting for Ann’s next sentence.

“Oliver Ramon. Now I’m pretty sure that I do want to help Delia escape from here, so it’s time for me to tell you the truth… I don’t want to be the kind of scumbag who confides in the truth after using my companions. The Alastair family is your enemy, and its descendants are the enemies you want to save. Flint didn’t reveal his identity to you, and I doubt he’d want you to know, but since it has come to this—”

Ann closed her eyes and took a long breath. She opened them a few seconds later and looked directly into Oliver’s eyes firmly.

“Your mother, Sonia Ramon, was killed by the design of the late emperor, Sampson Alastair. My father killed your mother—yes, as an exile, I gave up my original name. That name was Andrea Alastair.”

“Even you, Nemo, can stop doing this. Now answer me, leader of Tumbleweed. Do you want to continue this mission?”

When Delia met with the three of them, Rosa Earley was waiting impatiently.

The nobleman named Andre was indeed handsome and had a certain charm and dangerous element to him, but after all, he was only a stranger. Since the other party wasn’t willing to be punctual, there was no need to waste too much time for him. It was still early before the dance was over.

The roses were in full bloom, and her silent sister had recently fallen ill. Before looking for her next goal, she might be able to pick a bunch of beautiful flowers and let Delia, who was too busy to go out, smell the refreshing fragrance. After making a decision readily, Rosa tightened her gloves and began to pick roses carefully…

“Good evening,” a nice voice sounded behind her. Rosa turned her head, and her eyes widened. She was still holding a freshly picked yellow rose in her hand.

“You are the one just now…” Rosa carefully picked up the yellow rose. “What’s your name again?”

“Adri,” the visitor said.

It was a young man who looked a few years older than her. He wasn’t short either. Though he was already a young man, his face still held the softness of his teenage years. Unfortunately, that man’s expression was too rigid, and the softness was quickly worn away by the seriousness on his face.

“Hello, Adri.” His face remained expressionless, but this type of young man made her feel good, so Rosa gave a sweet smile. “What’s the matter?”

“Lord Andre has something to do temporarily, so he can’t come to the appointment. He asked me to bring a message—‘I’m very sorry, I shouldn’t have let such a lovely lady wait so long.’”

“It’s fine. I had guessed that was the case.” Rosa curled her lips and made a grimace. “Well, I’m sure I can find a more handsome partner! …What else can I do for you, Adri?”

The handsome young man was still standing in front of her, and his dark brown eyes reminded her of the dead woods of a winter’s night.

“If you are not in a hurry,” the young man who called himself Adri said politely, “can you help me find someone?”

Rosa raised her beautifully shaped eyebrows.

“The blond man who accosted you just now looked very depressed after he was rejected by you. He must have gone to some corner to pout. Now all my companions are missing and only you seem to have seen him. Lord Andre has given me a death order that I must find him as soon as possible… He couldn’t have gone far and should still be somewhere in the garden.”

“Of course, I can help.” Rosa burst out laughing. “Oh, that face is indeed unforgettable, but few girls are willing to dance with men who are more beautiful than themselves. I was shocked by his face at that time, so I was a little unscrupulous. I should also apologize. What’s his name?”

“Jesse.” Adrian smiled reluctantly, inwardly unable to voice how unhappy he really was.

The knight commander thought that Mr. Dylan was going to be a shameful person, but he didn’t expect that as soon as the other three left, he would come up with an extremely childish idea…

“Let’s play hide and seek, Adri.” Jesse’s enthusiasm had never been higher. “What a beautiful garden!”

“Mr. Dylan, I took an age-reduction potion, not a wisdom-reduction potion,” Adrian responded quietly.

“…You’re really not romantic at all.”

“I’ve always been like this.”

“Okay, fine. At any rate, we have an agreement in place—I’ll hide. You go to our Miss Rosa and ask her to help you find me. Miss Rosa is a girl with a fiery disposition. She won’t refuse.”

“Reason?”

“I have been hit by an unprecedented great blow, and I need to find a quiet place to cry alone for a while.” Jesse quickly understood what the other party meant.

“Tell me where you plan to hide, I can control the time.”

“…That’s where romance comes in, Adri. I won’t tell you, but as an excellent diviner, I can assure you that you will find me at the right time.”

It was a pity that the former Chief Justice of the Knights of Judgment couldn’t understand this “romance” at all.

Rosa picked up the hem of the red dress and walked with him around the rose bushes in the garden. Adrian even took a few uncontrollable glances at the huge garbage bins, feeling an urge to peer inside.

The two just walked all the way to the garden center.

“Wow,” Rosa sighed, her eyes fixed on the man who was enjoying flowers not far away. The man looked to be in his thirties, was handsome, and had a bit of a wild appearance. “Adri, Adri. Sorry, I saw a very appetizing target—I’m afraid I can’t continue to help you.”

The young girl stuffed the yellow rose into Adrian’s hand. “When you see Mr. Jesse in a while, give him this flower and tell him I really didn’t mean it… Ah, he’s leaving. I’ll go first. See you later!”

The girl in the red dress ran away from him like a whirlwind, and came next to the man not far away, with a bright smile on her face.

“I have delayed you for a long time. Thank you very much.” Adrian responded politely, although he didn’t think Miss Rosa still had the mind to listen to him.

Since she had a clear target, Rosa most likely wouldn’t see Delia for a while, so the three of them should be safe.

He looked down at the yellow rose in his hand, and the corner of his eyes caught a glimpse of gold between the branches of a shrub.

The knight commander shook his head and was about to peel away the branch when a white hand stretched out from the bushes next to him and dragged him in. In the bushes was a tall tree that was trimmed just right. When Adrian reacted, his back was close to the trunk, and he was firmly pressed against it by Jesse.

“Shh, they haven’t gone far yet.” The blond young man’s face was very close. “They are very likely to get married in the future, so don’t disturb the future little couple, Adri.”

“Let me go.” Adrian frowned.

“No,” Jesse said with a smile.

“How old are you?”

“You really don’t understand emotions, do you? The bushes in the garden; what a beautiful place. Look at you. You really look like a young nobleman who snuck out to have fun—I like the way you are now. Of course, you were also very good before…”

Adrian rolled his eyes.

“Enough,” he whispered coldly. “We are here to do business, Dylan. I can’t say when Miss Savage will contact us, so we have to wait quietly. This is the flower that Rosa gave you. The girl feels guilty, even though I don’t believe you’re really hurt—I promised her anyway.”

“I am doing business.” The ambiguous smile on Jesse’s face became more obvious. He took the yellow rose with one hand, glanced at it, and then put it in his chest pocket indifferently. “Don’t worry, all three of them are busy, and it won’t be over for a while. The opportunity is rare. Why don’t we…?”

Screw the rare opportunity. Adrian looked at the other person’s smiling face vigilantly. Jesse Dylan was indeed a guy who would seize every opportunity to indulge in pleasure. On that night in the prayer room, he had fully understood the man’s bad taste.

Although the last experience was completely unrelated to the concept of “pain”, or rather even the opposite of it, he didn’t want to give the man a second chance.

“Don’t be nervous. Take it easy. I’ll only use my hands.”

“No.”

“How cold.” Jesse buried his face into the socket of Adrian’s neck and let out a low laugh. Now Adrian discovered that he disliked the feeling of being subjected to others. After a while, Dylan raised his arm and stretched out his hand. Adrian tightened his muscles and stared at the hand tightly, intending to teach this ungrateful guy a good lesson…

But the hand just stopped at the top of his head, rubbed it lightly, and then poked the short dark brown bangs.

The relatively taller Jesse Dylan lowered his head slightly and imprinted a light kiss on his forehead.

“Okay.” Jesse had a smile that he couldn’t understand, and his tone was soft and pleasant. “Now we can wait for news from Miss Savage. Don’t look like that—what? Were you looking forward to something else?”

“……Why?”

“Because you finally found me,” Jesse whistled softly. “This is a reward, Adri. I told you, right? I like the way you are now. It makes me feel… very nostalgic.”

The indifference that Adrian had always hung on his face gradually disappeared. The moment the other party’s warm palm touched his forehead, Jesse Dylan momentarily became a little strange, but there was a weird sense of familiarity in that strangeness. The former knight commander pursed his lips and looked suspiciously at the icy-blue eyes.

Very beautiful, deep blue, like a frozen lake.

‘……It can’t be,’ he thought. After all, he had given up chasing that illusion nine years ago.

“Oh, it’s communication from Miss Savage.” Jesse took out the communication crystal disguised as a decoration and dragged Adrian back to reality. “Business is here, Adri. Hey, Adri, are you listening?”

“Nn.”

And when the tumbleweed was about to gather, there was a dead silence in the princess’s lounge.

The Black Chapters left, and the guards continued their duty in a daze. For the guards, everything felt like just a stupor for a few seconds. Fortunately, the princess was still sitting in front of them. Everyone was only trying to make a living, so no one would want to raise a fuss over such a small anomaly when everything was calm.

Delia sat quietly in her armchair, like a life-size exquisite doll. Her eyes were still tightly closed, but this time, the young princess noticed something strange.

Something was crawling on her arm, and there was a slight itch. Then something entered her mind, very faintly, but she could vaguely distinguish its content.

[To help… Help you…] It wasn’t exact words, but just a very vague ray of emotion.

[Who is it?] The princess didn’t make a sound, but she thought it in her heart. Maybe it was just that she had been in the dark for too long and her brain had started creating hallucinations.

Next, she “saw” it. In those closed eyes, she began to “see” everything around her, except for a little unpleasant dark red. Everything was becoming clearer.

[……Who is it?] Her heart was beating wildly. This was undoubtedly some kind of advance spell. The caster definitely possessed a top-notch concealment ability as it failed to trigger the alarm on her magic jewelry. [Tell me, who are you?]

[No… I don’t know… I want to help you see…] The wisp of thought was a little hesitant. [I… I’m probably a spider?]

Delia trembled for a while, but she stabilized her emotions and tried not to let the guards at the door notice anything strange.

[What should I call you, Mr. Spider… or Miss?]

[Cat Whiskers.] This time, that thought was very smooth.

[My master gave me the name, Cat Whiskers.]

---

The author has something to say:

A brand new demon is born!

Never before seen, has aura concealment skill level SSS and is a weird spider-type demon. The Demon King will name it what?

Nemo: Cat… Cat Whiskers (whispered).

Ollie: …I think White II is more domineering than this.

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Kinky Thoughts:

Nemo and Ollie really need better naming conventions, but somehow it really suits Nemo’s personality to name it something like that.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 186: Source of Infection

Trent Plague.

Telaranea must’ve shared part of the information with its other flesh in advance before it arrived at the Withered Castle. Nemo saw Sonia Ramon’s name in the research project on the Trent Plague, but the file was marked “under investigation”.

As for the Trent Plague itself, the investigation of the Sage of the Abyss was probably clearer than anyone else’s…

This kind of plague appeared about eight hundred years ago, and as soon as it emerged, it swallowed nearly one-tenth of the human population in one fell swoop. If no means were taken, depending on the individual’s physique, the patient would die within three or four days, or seven or eight days at the latest.

The healing magic of eight hundred years ago was still imperfect. The top healers of various kingdoms worked hard to find the source of this ferocious plague—the blood-red Croydon Blood Tree, a plant that originally grew in the depths of the Abyss.

Because of the mysterious and strong odor of the tree trunk and leaves, they were brought to the surface by humans on the expedition. The expeditionary force at that time brought up a few saplings and planted them carefully. The Croydon Blood Tree was competitive by nature. As long as the light wasn’t strong and the conditions were suitable, the roots and branches could survive. Its fragrance was non-toxic and harmless, and the smell was as wonderful as a dream.

The smell of the branches was particularly strong, while the leaves had a lighter scent. People ground the bark and tree trunks into powder, boiled the leaves with grease, held the wonderful fragrance in their hands, and then sold the prepared incense powder and balsam all over the world.

No one could resist such a wonderful aroma, and croyden incense was in short supply for a while. A fresh twig was almost more valuable than the same amount of gold, and planting the Croydon Blood Tree had become a trend in small circles.

That was until it bore fruit.

More than 20 years after the first Croydon Blood Trees were brought to the surface, they bore fruit without blooming. The lower part of the Abyss was pitch black, dangerous and chaotic, and it was difficult to observe the motionless plants in the darkness accurately. The people chasing the fragrance failed to find its flowers and never thought that this kind of tree could bear fruit.

The tragedy began with the merchant family who originally planted the Croyden Blood Tree.

The maid who took care of the trees took off the strange fruit. The thing was the size of an egg, squirming slightly, with an unpleasant pink-brown soft skin. The surface of the fruit was covered with dark holes and didn’t emit any aroma.

The merchant, Mr. Trent, picked up the sticky and weird fruit, observed it carefully for a few minutes, and then lost interest. He asked the maid to keep it safe and drove to the city by himself to attend an important meeting of the Chamber of Commerce to which he belonged.

Then his eyes began to feel uncomfortable, as if they had sand tossed into them. He closed his eyes tightly, cursing the servant for not cleaning the carriage in a bad temper while wiping away the steady stream of tears from the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief. Fortunately, after a long day, when Mr. Trent checked into the inn in the city, his eye pain was cured. Thus, he participated in the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce according to the arrangement, and then went to the best tavern in the city to have fun.

Then he fell ill.

First, his limbs were weak, and he was unable to walk. Following that was a terrifying high fever, accompanied by disordered thinking and gibberish. Within a day or two, Mr. Trent couldn’t even make a sound, but he opened his eyes wide without blinking. The Trent family called the best healers for him, but the healers were also helpless.

In the last few days, his breathing was extremely difficult, and his entire expression was haggard. Mr. Trent completely lost all reaction to the outside world, was completely incontinent, and soon died. The Trent family were enlightened businessmen, so their family was willing to donate the body to the healers to study, trying to figure out the cause of this strange disease.

But the healers only found the cause of Mr. Trent’s death—the patient’s brain had rotted into a pool of muddy mucus.

Mr. Trent wasn’t the first victim. Soon, a large number of patients appeared in the city. People first had pain in their eyes, which would soon heal itself, and they would continue to move around in good health for a day and a night. After that, death would quickly wave its sickle.

The weird plague that quickly swept across the surface was officially named Trent Plague. After a lot of sacrifices, the healers finally discovered the source of this plague.

The fruit of the Croyden Blood Tree was the source of infection. When a creature stares at it for more than six seconds, there was a high probability that it would be infected by the curse and the infected person wouldn’t get sick immediately. They often feel discomfort in their eyes—that was, the curse was transforming their eyes.

The day and night after the pain disappeared was the contagious period. During the infectious period, anyone who looked directly at the patient’s eyes for more than six seconds was at risk of being infected. After a day and a night, the patient’s brain would begin to rot, and they would quickly fall ill and die. It was safe to look at the person during the attack. This strange way of infection was only discovered by plague masks. The masks of the plague healers had thick cleansing magic crystals, so almost no healers who wore them fell ill. The infection rate of those who wore glasses was also very low.

In addition, mothers who were sick while giving birth to a child would also pass it on to the child, who would quickly die from the Trent Plague. Besides this, there was no other form of transmission of this vicious disease.

With the route of infection known, there were many ways to fight the plague. Following the idea that scarcity led to things becoming more valuable, the planting of the Croyden Blood Trees wasn’t common. Although many businessmen tried to hide them, they were caught by specially trained wolfhounds. All the Croyden Blood Trees on the surface were destroyed, leaving only some old and dry trunks and leaves circulating on the black market. The few fruits were taken away by sworn scientific institutions for research purposes, which meant the Alban royal family shouldn’t have owned one.

However, hundreds of years had passed, and times had changed, including the things that “should have been”. Nemo sighed.

“Ollie, do you remember when I asked you about Trent Plague… When we were in the confinement room of Clementine Academy.”

“Yes.” Oliver was following after he calmed down as the three of them headed in the direction of Princess Delia’s lounge.

“Now I probably know what’s going on.” They nestled behind a thick carved stone pillar and watched the patrolling soldiers pass by. Nemo whispered softly and glanced at Ann, who was walking not far ahead. “Your mother died of illness when she was five months pregnant with you. It was either an ordinary illness or the Trent Plague.”

“But you just said that it can be transmitted through childbirth…” Oliver was startled for a few seconds and frowned.

“Yes.” Nemo sighed. “That means Uncle Ramon, no, Flint not only saved you when you were just five months old, he somehow suppressed the Trent Plague in some way to keep you alive.”

“…How do you know?”

“The Withered Castle. Telaranea told me.” Nemo grabbed Oliver’s arm and wrapped it around him. “I wasn’t absolutely sure of the situation before, so I didn’t want to tell you a subjective guess… but now it’s different. Now everything is linked up. According to Telaranea’s research data, there should be three places where the pathogenic fruit still exists on the surface—Clementine Academy, the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild, and another research facility of the Gatekeepers. There’s a research sample in these places, but there’s no recent record of theft. No matter which institution it is, there was no reason to use it to attack your mother.”

Oliver didn’t stop moving, but his brows frowned tighter. “You mean…”

“Your mother was sick, but it didn’t spread. It’s exactly the same as Delia’s situation now.” Nemo brushed away a strand of black hair that fell in front of him. “Do you remember when your father suddenly cut off contact with his brother? Our speculation at that time should have been correct. This matter is indeed related to the Alban royal family.”

“The royal family used the fruit to make my mother sick to kill her, and my father discovered this. In order to not complicate things with his younger brother, Emanuel, he cut off contact with him and disappeared. He loves my mother so much, so how could he give up—no, Nemo. If the original royal family really had this idea, why did they use this… roundabout way?” Oliver tried his best to keep his voice calm.

“In order to get rid of suspicion and ensure the success of the murder.”

Nemo grabbed his lover’s hand placatingly. “After all, even for Telaranea, who’s fanatic about seeking knowledge, it was only recently that it realized the Alban royal family might have this disease-causing fruit. Although Flint was powerful at that time, he was only a mercenary with a civilian background. He couldn’t expose this kind of secret.”

“Your father is well connected and powerful. He must have had many enemies. Your mother was pregnant with you at that time. Flint would do his best to take care of her, right? Ordinary poisoning and accidents would be difficult to succeed. Even if other pathogenic substances were used, your father could save her as long as there’s time, but the Trent Plague is different. It had disappeared from the world for too long… Before your father finds out what Sonia had, she was likely to…”

Oliver was silent for a long time. Their movement speed slowed down and they almost completely lost Ann, who was walking in front.

“Why?” After a long time, Oliver said blankly. “Flint Lopez, this person, should never have done anything detrimental to the interests of the royal family. Why did the Alban royal family attack my mother?”

His father has never mentioned his mother’s affairs… Was this to allow him to grow up carefree and not let his childhood be overshadowed by “revenge” and “hatred”?

“This is what we have to determine.” Nemo sighed. “Only this, I can’t figure out now, but I think we have an entry point.”

“What are you two muttering back there?” Ann, who was running at the front intently, turned her head and asked them humorously. “We’re running out of time, boys.”

“Coming!” Nemo raised his voice, then lowered it back. “Ann must be in contact with the royal family… When she finishes talking to Her Royal Highness Delia, I think we can have a good talk with her.”

Delia Alastair was sitting in the wide lounge. Her eyes were still tightly closed, and she was slowly touching the delicate brace that was clinging to her legs with her hands.

Her limbs were soft, and she was no longer able to walk on her own strength. The young princess sat motionless with a cold face. All kinds of easy-to-eat diced fruits and snacks were neatly placed on the table, all within her reach, but Delia ignored them indifferently.

She knew that the room was full of soldiers guarding her, and countless eyes were locked on her, which made her nauseous.

But she couldn’t spread this terrible plague. Now, in order to suppress the disease entrenched in her heart, she had to take a special potion nine times a day. She had to be dragged up and fed three times in the early hours of the morning to barely maintain this current state and not die immediately.

She could only open her eyes and look at the world again when the sun was about to set and her garden was empty.

But today was different. The door was gently opened, and the guards were talking to the people outside. In an instant, a dozen guards fell to the ground together, and the sound of their armor touching each other resounded through the room.

“Well done, Nemo. Don’t worry, heartbeat-level surveillance spells aren’t easy to cast, and using them on soldiers would make people suspicious. One Rosa is enough for Eldric to worry about.”

The door sounded as if it was closed, making a soft squeak before a clicking sound was heard. Then the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees out of thin air.

“You can open your eyes, Your Royal Highness Delia. We know your physical condition. It doesn’t matter.”

The young princess opened her eyes with a small slit and then squinted because she was not used to the light. She saw a flashing wall of ice in front of her. The ice wall was flat and transparent, with three figures standing behind it.

She opened her mouth but couldn’t make a sound, so she could only smile palely.

“A silence curse. Why am I not surprised?” Ann said angrily as she lifted the curse.

Delia then turned her attention to Ann.

She was startled, but the shock quickly disappeared. Delia didn’t ask for help. She sat quietly in an armchair; the metal brackets on her legs gleamed in the swaying candlelight.

“Everyone, what can I do for you?” She stared at Ann’s face, and there was even a little vigilance in her voice.

“I only have one question.” Ann didn’t answer directly but continued to ask questions in a disguised voice. “Do you want to leave here?”

“No,” Delia replied firmly, showing an increasingly cold smile. “Since you know my physical condition, why do you ask such stupid questions?”

Nemo looked at the petite girl sitting in the armchair in surprise. Delia’s eyes were very similar to Ann’s, both of which were clear amber.

“What if you didn’t have the Trent Plague?”

“I don’t want to make meaningless assumptions. Now I have to drink medicine nine times a day to survive. That’s the medicine that is only available here. Which side are you from? Salter’s? Salter should be in the army now. Does he want to get me out of the way first… Unfortunately, he’s a step too late.”

Delia’s hands were trembling slightly, and her heart was beating extremely fast. These details couldn’t be concealed from Nemo’s probing, but her face still remained extremely calm, and she didn’t talk like a sixteen-year-old child.

“To be honest, whether Eldric sits on the throne has nothing to do with me. You just need to give me a ‘yes’ or ‘no’, Delia.” Ann clenched her fist tightly.

“Unfortunately, whether he can sit on the throne is related to me,” Delia said unceremoniously. “Well, I don’t think my dear uncle would play such boring tricks. Mercenaries won’t take this kind of job… Black Chapters, right? Since you said, ‘Whether Eldric sits on the throne’, I assume you already know the truth about the emperor.”

This little girl was talking to them.

“Only the Salter family will know this. Although I don’t know why your focus is so strange, I want to answer you—don’t worry, I have my own plans. Tell Gallagher that now is not the time.”

“Delia, you…”

“How can Marshal Gallagher believe you?” Oliver stretched out an arm and crossed in front of Ann. The female warrior took a deep breath and nodded at him in silence. “You are too young. To be honest, your ideas are probably not mature enough.”

“Is there anything unusual at Clementine Academy recently? If you ask me, Old Salter should have locked down Clementine Academy and taken the heirs of the nobles as hostages while Marshal Gallagher is preparing his army. He will use the pretext of wiping out bandits to control several towns first. With the time bought by Old Salter, there will be no other nobles who will intervene in this matter for the time being.”

Delia grimaced and tapped her slender fingers on the wooden armrest. “Look at Eldric’s haste. He must be racing against time. Just watch. After today’s ball, he’ll soon have the ‘Emperor’ order additional troops to Marshal Gallagher’s side. Just convey these words and my physical condition to Marshal Gallagher as they are and ask him to respect my opinion.”

She had guessed almost everything.

“…Who taught you this?” Ann couldn’t help but speak. The princess of Alban didn’t have the opportunity to come into contact with the strategies of the upper echelons.

“My mother,” Delia said softly. “She is a genius, no, she used to be a genius. Aren’t you curious about why I don’t want to leave? This disease is one of the reasons, but the other… If my dear uncle really sits on the throne, I will do my best to make him sit very uneasily.”

Ann looked at her strange niece in silence, and her eyes became a little red.

The princess’ pale cheeks were flushed with anger. “So please, go back.”

“Balthazar Medes,” Nemo said suddenly. “At present, the Trent Plague isn’t incurable. This person has been studying it. He successfully found a solution more than 20 years ago, and there have been cases where people have successfully survived. He should have made more progress now. If we could cure your illness, would you like to come with us?”

This time Ann and Oliver looked at Nemo together.

They had never heard Nemo mention the name, but they all knew who it belonged to.

At that time, two members of the Tin Soldier Mercenary Regiment didn’t participate in the expedition. One of whom was Flint’s mentor, Talbott Vance, and the other was Balthazar Medes. Nemo’s expression was calm, and his tone of voice was serious, not at all like he was lying.

“If you can come up with conclusive evidence, I will go to Salter.” The princess straightened her back. “You should go. Someone will come to deliver medicine soon. Before you leave, remember to clean up this mess.”

She pointed to the guards who had collapsed on the ground and then closed her eyes.

Ann didn’t leave immediately.

“Although this question may be a bit rude, please tell me.” She asked bitterly, “Her Highness Annabelle, was she… in pain in the end? Because you look very…” Very angry.

“She drank poisonous tea. According to Alban’s tradition, she has the right to have a wish before she dies, and she did have a wish.”

“She said, ‘Call my daughter and let her witness my death with her own eyes.”

“’Let her see for herself the end of those who have lost themselves.”

---

The author has something to say:

Trent Plague, a plague that’s very friendly to social fear (x

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 185: Trent Plague

Nemo frowned; he was focusing most of his attention on the free-moving corpse, so he didn’t pay much attention to the young princess.

His gaze crossed the shoulders of the emperor’s corpse, and Nemo saw the appearance of Princess Delia for the first time. Delia had maroon hair that was very similar to Ann’s, braided into fine braids, and was decorated with fine gems and pearls. Her appearance was quite outstanding, revealing the unique beauty of a young girl, like a soft and delicate flower bud.

Unfortunately, the beautiful princess’ face was not naturally white. There was no emotion on her face, and her eyes were indeed closed as Oliver said.

Nemo cautiously released a probe to sense the situation of the young princess. After half a minute, he subconsciously inhaled deeply.

“Well?” Oliver hurriedly asked in a low voice.

“I was exploring the emperor’s condition just now. He only has a thin layer of magic fluctuation on him, but what’s interesting is that there’s an aura of a living person on the ceiling. It has been deliberately concealed.”

Nemo pointed to the chandelier above the emperor with certainty. “The prince is probably worried people would sense magic if it was too powerful, so the corpse is manually manipulated by someone. The magic fluctuations I feel should be magic threads. There’s more than one person above. If I’m right, it’s most likely they are ventriloquists.”

“Like a puppet manipulated by strings?” Oliver hitched his breath.

“Like a puppet.” Nemo made a sour face. He looked at the “free-moving” emperor and only felt a chill down his spine.

“…What about Princess Delia?”

“She has the smell of a curse from the Abyss.” Noticing the eyes of others, Nemo approached Oliver and licked his earlobe that had the shimmering peridot earring with the tip of his tongue, then lowered his voice. “I can probably tell you what the curse is, but this is something… I think it’s better to talk about it together when Ann and the others are present.”

Oliver rubbed his flushed earlobe, and his expression became serious.

“Yes, I think I know how the prince is controlling Princess Delia.” Nemo sighed softly. “Unless the princess herself doesn’t want to live, then this would save Ann some time.”

Due to the emperor’s “weak health”, the speech didn’t last long. Princess Delia was still young and was led directly from behind the high platform by Prince Eldric to the corridor on the outside of the hall, without saying a word the entire time.

When the members of the royal family finally left, the atmosphere in the hall was suddenly lively. Nemo and Oliver nodded to each other and walked in the opposite direction, trying to blend into the crowd as naturally as possible, while looking for the overly lively Miss Rosa.

However, Oliver was pulled back before he even took two steps.

A pudgy noblewoman blocked his path. “Hi sweetheart. Do you have time to talk?”

For the first time in his life, Oliver was called “sweetheart”, which only made him shiver from head to toe.

“I saw him first.” Another younger girl came up. “Oh, my god, his face really looks like Godwin Lopez, even more so up close. My, I can’t see how our Lord William still has such thoughts about Mr. Lopez.”

This kind of behavior wasn’t uncommon. Many young leaders who were in their prime had high social status, but some were born as civilians and had no noble family to support them from behind. Some nobles would choose lovers who look similar to them to seek stimulation. In this way, Oliver’s and Adrian’s fake lover identities became more credible. However…

The corners of Oliver’s mouth twitched as he frantically apologized to the poor Duke Williams and his cousin in his heart.

“Ladies, ladies.” After calming down his emotions, Oliver forced a polite smile. He pressed down with both hands, intending to ask the excited girls to calm down. “Not to be disrespectful, but I… I’m more interested in men.”

Many younger girls sighed behind their fans and dispersed bitterly, but the slightly older ladies were still looking at him with interest. To make matters worse, as soon as this declaration came out, many men turned their heads with interest.

Oliver: “……”

He really wanted to say that he already had a lover, but unfortunately, he had to maintain his identity as the duke’s lover, so such a statement would inevitably be suspicious, so the words that were at the tip of his tongue were forcefully swallowed back. The leader of Tumbleweed, seeing that he was about to be trapped by another person who came forward to strike up a conversation, turned his head helplessly, trying to use his eyes to ask his lover for help.

It was a pity that his sight was completely blocked by a stout back, as a tall gentleman was in between the two of them, blocking his view and talking to Nemo.

Ten minutes ago.

Since stepping onto the steps of the castle, Nemo had maintained an expressionless state, exuding a cold aura without a care in the world. He may even have overstepped and physically lowered the surrounding temperature, but this trick was indeed effective—although the Mighty Demon King was still handsome, his entire person was quite gloomy and chilly. The ball time was limited, and he didn’t seem to have a good nominal background, so most men and women who were purely looking for fun didn’t prefer this kind of hard-to-chew bone. They liked obedient lovers who would look at people’s faces.

At present, only a few younger, rebellious girls secretly cast shy glances.

The young girls preferred men who had a mysterious temperament, but unfortunately, they were watched by their relatives, so none of them dared come up and strike up a conversation. Nemo’s face was tense, but his mood was much lighter. He took a small plate and wandered around the buffet table looking for Rosa Earley. As well as…

The little cherry pies were delightful. He had tasted some and wanted to get one for Ollie. Seeing this kind of milk pudding for the first time, he tasted a little and took one for Ollie as well. Nemo exuded cold air as he carefully selected snacks for Oliver.

The light cast by the large chandelier was suddenly blocked, and it seemed that a wall was erected beside him. Nemo carefully put a small piece of raspberry egg roll on his plate and turned to look.

A tall man dressed formally to the point of being out of place was standing beside him. The man had a fierce face and a sacred emblem of the Laddism Church on his left chest. Nemo momentarily felt weak in his heart and his face could barely remain calm.

“I have been watching you for a while now.” That man was more than two meters tall and had a sturdy figure. He most likely wasn’t an ordinary noble. “You don’t seem to be interested in women. Would you like to have a drink together?”

Nemo shook his head stiffly.

“Don’t be afraid.” The tall man smiled shyly. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m a Knight of Judgment from the Laddism Church, so I won’t do anything improper to you. I rarely do such things, but it’s just you have a certain quality in you…”

When he was probing the royal family earlier, he couldn’t completely restrain his aura. This gentleman most likely noticed the aura of the Abyss, but he couldn’t tell exactly what he had detected and then misunderstood that feeling and headed in a wonderfully different direction.

“No, I’m not afraid of you.” Nemo coughed dryly, trying to make him sound more different. “I like men with green eyes, so you’re not my type.”

He paused and showed a slightly embarrassed smile. “This isn’t an excuse. I believe in your identity and… I believe you’ll be an excellent Knight of Judgment.”

Nemo patted the man’s sturdy arm and walked away. He managed to catch a glimpse of a flaming skirt out of the corner of his eyes, and the owner of the red skirt was very much in line with Rosa Earley’s appearance.

However, as soon as he passed the tall Knight of Judgment, he saw the slightly horrified face of his lover.

Oliver made a “help” gesture and then turned his head to continue to deal with the swarming men and women. Nemo laughed for a bit and couldn’t help shaking his head. He then separated the crowd forcefully and walked forward nonchalantly, seemingly grabbing Oliver’s fluffy scarf on his chest. “Lord Andre told us to go see the ‘Rose’. We have to go.”

That was the code word they had agreed on in advance when they “found Rosa”.

After escaping from the sweet and greasy mist of different perfumes, Oliver breathed a sigh of relief. “You saved my life. They didn’t want to let me go… God, I’m almost starting to feel sorry for Godwin. Do you know how many men came to strike up a conversation just now?”

“You’re welcome.” Nemo stuffed the small plate full of snacks into Oliver’s arms. His facial muscles had stiffened after all this time, and he couldn’t resist rubbing his palms together like a sea otter. “They won’t succeed anyway… Whether it’s Godwin or you.”

“Hey, I quite like your style of speaking.” Oliver stuffed the raspberry egg roll into his mouth and held it like a cigarette. “Tell me more.”

“Maybe if we get the chance to do more, but now, let’s go find Ann.” Nemo neatly broke off the half of the egg roll that was dangling outside Oliver’s mouth and ate it. “When our great leader sacrificed himself to change the density of all the people in the hall, I was able to confirm it. Rosa was not in the hall. I saw her running towards the garden.”

“Ann should be in the garden corridor, right?”

However, things didn’t go as smoothly as they thought.

“Hey, Ann… Lord Andre, what are you doing?”

Jesse was standing in the corner of the marble flower bed, with a slightly weird smirk on his face. The former knight commander was two steps away from him. His body exuded the aroma of unfriendliness, and his face was extremely ugly. Oliver recalled his own tragic experience for a few seconds and decided to cast a very sympathetic look at the knight commander. At any rate, he knew that the group of people were coming for his “Godwin-like face”, while Adrian Cross was the real deal.

Ann was also there, but she wasn’t alone. A girl in a red dress was standing in front of her with her cheeks flushed and her eyes glowing.

That girl was none other than Miss Rosa.

“There you are,” Ann said, turning her head to the two people who had just arrived. Her voice changed a little bit because of embarrassment.

“Andre, are these people your friends?” Rosa took Ann’s arm very naturally, causing her to shrink quietly.

“Yes. These are my uncle’s lovers, and I brought them out to relax.” Ann smiled as she spoke. “They are all just country bumpkins who have no common sense. Now I must tell them how to enjoy this occasion.”

She grabbed the girl’s hand and kissed the girl’s fingers familiarly. “Dear Rosa, would you go to the Rose Fountain and wait for me for a while? When I have arranged the things here, I will go to you… Twenty minutes, no, fifteen minutes.”

Rosa waved her hand generously, lifted her skirt, and ran towards the garden lightly and happily.

“…” Nemo and Oliver looked at Ann with complicated eyes.

“I won’t keep the appointment! Alas, when this is over, I have to send her some gifts and a letter of apology.” Ann gritted her teeth, and her pitch became higher. “I didn’t expect this. She just rushed out suddenly. Come now, let’s get down to business. Now that I’ve taken care of Miss Rosa to an area that we know well, I can stabilize her for about fifteen minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes is not enough time to talk to Delia.” Jesse still had a subtle smile on his face as he spoke meaningfully. “Little girls nowadays are very talkative.”

“Still minding what happened just now? Dylan, I don’t have time to worry about your massive ego.” Ann rolled her eyes. “Let’s get down to business. As I said before, one of you has to attract Rosa’s attention. Taking this opportunity, the rest of you will follow me and take care of the guards and possible surveillance around Delia.”

“I’ll go attract her attention.” Nemo looked at Jesse in shock as he rarely took the lead.

“Hey, didn’t you get rejected?” Ann bared her teeth unceremoniously. “I heard it. She said, ‘I don’t like men who are prettier than me, nor do I like men who please men at first glance.’ …Mr. Dylan, people need to learn that moderation is important.”

“I want to be shameless. I’ll definitely be able to hold her back this time. Of course, no spells are required,” Jesse said with an oath, grabbing Adrian’s arm with one hand. “But Adri has to come with me.”

“Whatever, but if you can’t delay and cause the mission to fail, how about I confiscate all your property?”

“Deal,” Jesse replied confidently.

“There are also letters of apology and gifts afterwards. You pay for them. Even if you want to take the emotional route, don’t go too far. Don’t let her really be moved.”

“I have my own discretion.”

“…Although I doubt that, fine.”

“Then Ollie and I will go to see Delia with you,” Nemo said solemnly. “Ann, there is something you need to know in advance.”

“Tell me,” Ann exhaled slowly, leaning on the edge of the white flower bed full of yellow roses; her gaze sharp. Most people were gathered in the halls and gardens, while the corridors at this moment were dim and empty.

“It’s better for Dylan and Mr. Cross to listen to it too.” Nemo cleared his throat. “Princess Delia has the Trent Plague.”

Ann’s expression froze visibly to the naked eye. “Are you sure?”

“I have obtained all the information about this condition at Clementine Academy. Its curse characteristics are very obvious, and I am absolutely certain. Prince Eldric must have used drugs to suppress the spread of the disease, but this also means… If someone wants to take the princess away, without the royal medicine, the princess will die of a rapidly deteriorating condition, and it’s likely to bring the epidemic to the outside world.”

Ann’s expression was grim for a moment, and she even let out a lot of murderous energy in an instant. When she calmed down, there was only a touch of anger and sadness left on her face.

“No wonder she kept her eyes closed,” she said bitterly. “Good girl.”

“Does anyone mind explaining?” Oliver scratched his head. “To be honest, I don’t know much about this—Trent Plague had disappeared for a long time, and everyone has only passed down the scariest part, and there is no story about the eyes.”

“In the beginning, the explanation given to the people by various countries was ‘drinking contaminated water with demon’s blood’.” Adrian, who was much younger, suddenly spoke. His voice was softer and clearer than that of the knight commander, who was ten years older, but the calmness in his tone remained unchanged. “I think both of you know that this isn’t the case.”

“Nn.” Nemo nodded as he put his hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “The source of the Trent Plague is not a demon’s blood but the fruit of some kind of abyssal plant.”

“And… it’s a curse-like disease that is transmitted by ‘looking at each other’ and ‘childbirth’, which has nothing to do with water.”

---

The author has something to say:

Ann: …Uh, do you four need to reflect on why that little girl is entangled with me? (Pain)

The rest of the four: ………….

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 184: Eyes Closed

The female warrior, who had always been frugal, paid the price this time.

Nemo twisted the fabric on his clothes and decided not to estimate its cost. He had more important things to do at the moment…

“Don’t move, Ollie.” Nemo muttered nervously. The slender silky shadow holding a delicate peridot earring was gesticulating on Oliver’s earlobe. The long needles behind the earrings have been removed and replaced by vine glue that could easily stick to the skin.

Although they could just pierce their ear temporarily for the ear piercing and could later heal it using magic, Nemo decided to choose a relatively painless way.

Oliver didn’t dare to move, and even stopped breathing. Nemo was so close that Oliver could even see his eyelashes clearly. The earring studs stained with vine glue brought a touch of coolness to his earlobes, but Oliver’s focus was completely elsewhere.

Taking into account Nemo’s relatively introverted personality and the identity of a “superior demon”, Ann prepared a long uniform with black as the main tone for the color. His short ponytail was draped down, and there weren’t too many complicated accessories on the outfit. At the moment, Nemo was expressionless because of tension and had an aloof temperament. The female warrior had many years of experience in the Black Chapter business, so the match was just right. If Oliver didn’t know who Nemo was beforehand, he probably wouldn’t have recognized him.

What was truly ridiculous was that this dress really gave Nemo a bit more of the legendary “Demon King” aura.

“It’s done. It’s sticking very firmly,” Nemo said, blowing the earlobes in front of him. The warm breath instantly wrapped around Oliver’s ear. “It matches your eyes very well, Ollie. It just looks a bit… Uh.”

Nemo smiled indifferently, and the cold feeling disappeared in an instant. He leaned forward and pecked the tip of Oliver’s nose. “Take a look for yourself.”

Oliver twisted his neck uncomfortably. The soft scarf and clusters of lace made his neck itchy.

Then he was silent in front of the mirror.

Unlike Nemo’s relatively simple style, what he had on was a flashy grayish-green uniform. The long, loose cuffs covered the scars on his wrist, and probably because of the shape, his originally strong and sturdy body looked a bit thin. The bangs that were scattered on his forehead were combed up and fixed with fragrant hairspray that gave off a smoky aroma. In addition to the complicated decorations on his cuffs and necklines, as well as the peridot earrings shimmering on his ears, Oliver at this moment looked a bit like… a frivolous guy.

“It looks good, really. Trust me. Except…” Nemo commented in a low voice.

“…Except it doesn’t look like a good thing,” Oliver added bitterly, posing in a few exaggerated aristocratic poses. “I think I can go directly to the streets now and easily play the role of an asshole who robs a flower girl.”

“Isn’t Jesse more suitable for that kind of thing?” Nemo fiddled with the jeweled collar of Oliver’s neckline, a little dissatisfied, and corrected its position.

“Maybe his face is too unconvincing. That guy… Ahem, he doesn’t look like a tough type.” Oliver picked up the thin gloves and put them on carefully, using them to cover the thick calluses and small scars on his hands.

After thinking about Jesse’s identity for a few seconds, Oliver smiled bitterly and shook his head. He sprayed himself with perfume jerkily, causing him to spray too much, unsuspectingly. The greasy sweet fragrance exploded, making the two sneeze loudly together.

“Too bad you can’t bring weapons to the ball.” Nemo held his breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ll let Bagelmaurus bring everyone’s weapons and stand near the castle. We found a place to board the goat, so we shouldn’t have to come back here again… Don’t forget not to bring anything.”

“Are you okay with it?”

“What?”

“Expression management.” Oliver cocked the corner of his mouth, stretched out his gloved fingers, and brushed the smile from the corner of Nemo’s mouth. “We have run out of sandpoint plums. Do you want to buy something else instead?”

“If you mean be ‘expressionless’, then no problem.” As long as he recalled the Withered Castle, Nemo could instantly erase all the smiles on his face—but this he wouldn’t say aloud. Even though the Withered Castle had been destroyed, its shadow had not dissipated.

Nemo didn’t deliberately ask about Oliver’s recovery. He didn’t want to make the other party anxious about it. He could only set aside as much time as possible to stay with his lover so that the darkness could fade faster.

They were uncharacteristically silent on the subject. Tacitly and unspoken.

“Then there’s no problem, Your Icy Majesty.” Oliver stood up and joked. He put down the brightly colored perfume bottle in his hand, and the thick glass bottle collided gently with the wooden table. Then he made a clumsy aristocratic salute.

“Fuck you.” Nemo smiled helplessly. “By that account, should I take you captive?”

“Then I have to leave a note and tell them not to let the hero come to save me.”

The two joked as they walked to the entrance of the agreed-upon restaurant, waiting for the carriage that they had arranged in advance to meet with the rest of their companions.

Jesse was one step ahead. The gray parrot, who could not participate in the ball, was grumbling as it parked itself on an iron pole where a sign was hung.

Jesse’s style had not changed much. Nemo seriously suspected that Ann didn’t even bother to care about him. The blond young man was still the same, except for carefully braiding his long hair in a relatively casual style and there was a sapphire-studded hairband that he used to tie up his hair. He didn’t look much different from before. The slightly higher-grade outfit made him look a little less sleek and a little more innocent.

“Where are Mr. Cross and Ann?” Nemo wasn’t used to having his hair loose.

“They’re still preparing.” Jesse looked up and down Nemo’s outfit, then swept his gaze to Oliver. “My, my—these outfits really suit you two. I don’t know how many ladies will have their hearts broken by you tonight.”

As soon as Nemo was about to leave, two strange figures leaned over.

Ann didn’t put on too much strange makeup. The female warrior’s maroon hair was originally a bit shorter than Oliver’s. She carelessly exposed the scar above her eyebrow, tucked her chest, and covered her overly feminine waist with a dark red robe. Coupled with boots that had a high heel to them—except for the slightly delicate facial features—she undoubtedly looked like a valiant young man.

Even so, her height wasn’t much different from that of Nemo’s, who was 1.8 meters tall.

“Don’t look. This isn’t the first time I have done this. There have been such situations before. Many tasks are in places where it’s difficult for women to mix in.” Ann raised her eyebrows. Originally, her voice was neutral, but now that she lowered it a bit, it was difficult for others to recognize whether the owner of the voice was a man or woman. “Remember, start calling me Andre now.”

“Wow.” Oliver didn’t skimp on his admiration. “Wait, then behind you…”

That wasn’t the Adrian Cross they knew.

To be precise, it was “not quite” the knight commander they knew. The Mr. Cross they were used to was a calm man in his thirties, while the person who followed Ann looked to be in his twenties. But even if his face was a little more youthful and his head shrank a bit, the young man’s facial features still bear the shadow of Adrian Cross.

“Age-reduction potion?” Nemo was the first to react.

Adrian, who was a lot younger, nodded quietly. The former knight commander’s original 1.85 meter height became 1.8 meters, and his physique shrank a little.

The age-reduction potion sounded magical, but in fact it had no exact medical use and its effects was extremely limited. The price was outrageously expensive, and it had been popular among the nobles for a long time, so that ordinary people usually couldn’t touch it.

It could make the user’s appearance ten years younger, but the effect would only last for a day and a night, and the user’s physical strength and physique would not return to their former appearance. There were also many restrictions on this luxury potion. Only people over 30 could use it. If they wanted to rely on this potion to restore their appearance to a teenager, it would create a larger physique gap that would often cause irreversible damage to their body.

Such a tragedy had happened before in the high society of Alban. A sixteen-year-old boy stole his mother’s potion out of curiosity and wanted to play a prank. However, the physical gap between a sixteen-year-old and a six-year-old was so great that his bones were directly shattered to pieces, and he almost died.

“I’m about to turn thirty-one soon.” As if seeing Nemo’s worries, Adrian replied lightly. “This thing can’t hurt me.”

“Our Lord William likes young men between the ages of eighteen and twenty, but considering the quality of your faces, this hurdle could be muddled through. But to take into account Cross’ appearance and physique, this aesthetic span is a bit too suspicious.” Ann spread out her hands. “And there are many nobles who can recognize Cross’ face, so we have to be careful.”

“Well done, Miss Savage.” Jesse rubbed his hands. “Adri, why don’t we—”

“We should get going.” To dilute the solemn temperament of the knight commander, he was dressed similarly to Ann. It could be said that he was the most complicated of the five present. Adrian ignored Jesse and lifted his finger in a certain direction. “It’s that carriage, right?”

There weren’t many obstacles to admission. After stepping off the carriage modestly, Ann shrugged off the invitation with a flourish. She puffed her chest, raised her chin slightly, and calmly led the four of them into the main entrance.

Then, at the gate, they met an Albanian nobleman who came forward to talk.

“William’s nephew? It’s a pleasure to meet you. William has never come to such an occasion before. So he’s finally willing to change his mind?”

“Yes, uncle has been traveling abroad. As for coming here… this is an important ball, isn’t it? After all, it is rare to see your lordship come as well. Of course, there’s also another reason.” Ann took a glass of wine from the tray held by an attendant and shook the glass very vigorously. “Uncle’s pets are too lonely, so I just took them for an outing. You know, my uncle also hopes to connect more with Alban.”

The implication was to give these tired lovers to interested noblemen and pull some strings. The Alban nobleman on the opposite side nodded knowingly.

“Time flies so fast,” he sighed. “It’s been more than 20 years since William was here…”

“Are you referring to the fact that uncle stole three lace aprons from the maid?” Ann blinked her eyes and naturally took over the conversation. “My mother still teases him to this day for that matter.”

“Oh, how is her health?”

“Very good. Thank you for your concern… You four, although I promised my uncle to help take care of you, doesn’t mean I need to teach you how to walk. You are free to move.”

Ann winked her left eye and made a “dismiss” gesture with her hand behind her back. She herself stood casually and politely talking to the nobles one after another.

“Then follow the plan. Let’s split up first. We must find the ‘mobile alarm’ Rosa.” Nemo strained his face very hard and lowered his voice. “The members of the royal family will appear in a while, and Delia will only return to the lounge until it’s over. We’ll have to find someone to meet up with Ann then, and the sooner we can determine Rosa’s movements, the better.”

“Okay, you be careful too.” Oliver nodded. “There will definitely be people from Laddism Church here.”

“I know… Shhh, it’s starting.”

The dead emperor appeared on a high platform on the side of the wide hall, under a gorgeous chandelier. The bright, warm lights filled the air, casting them upon the emperor’s face, which looked a little pale, but his actions were natural. The goal of Tumbleweed’s trip—the young princess Delia followed him quietly, while Prince Eldric stood very close to her.

The emperor didn’t look like a dead man at all.

“Thank you all for coming here.” The corpse opened his mouth. His voice was steady and clear. “Recently, there have been some ridiculous rumors circulating outside. I think it’s time for me to come out and meet everyone again—”

“Notice it?” During the emperor’s incessant speech, Nemo pressed his lips vaguely close to Oliver’s ears, and his eyes scanned the surroundings cautiously. “He has no heartbeat.”

“I smell the smell of a corpse.” Oliver was also flirtatiously close. His voice was so low that others couldn’t hear. “Ann’s information is correct, but what I care more about is something else…”

“What?”

“It’s said that Delia Alastair has always been healthy.”

“That’s right, her heartbeat is quite normal.”

“I know. I’m just curious why she hasn’t opened her eyes for so long—it must be five or six minutes by now.”

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The author has something to say:

Running the main line makes me happy XD This chapter is the home of the Tumbleweed Cowherd Group (×

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Kinky Thoughts:

Oh no. They’re leaving the goat behind?! It’s an honorary member!!!

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 183: The Royal Ball

Clementine was undoubtedly a transportation hub, and there were countless teleportation arrays that passed through it.

After leaving the surroundings of Doru, the capital, Ann quickly found the location of Tumbleweed. She carelessly pushed the decayed wooden door in front of her, but the wooden door immediately fell forward and hit the ground with a loud bang.

The gray parrot exploded into a ball of feathers in an instant, which even startled Ann herself. The reactions of some of the people behind the door weren’t much better. Except for Jesse, who was extremely calm, Oliver, who wasn’t used to detecting his surroundings, even drew his Rest in Peace, while Nemo, who was half-asleep, solemnly raised his right hand.

Adrian calmly put down the teacup in his hand.

Tumbleweed was realistically nesting in a small inn on the border of Clementine. A few pieces of debris occasionally fell from the ceiling, but it was better to have a ceiling than to sleep at the bottom of a bridge. Oliver tapped into the money from Tumbleweed’s team account and bought the largest bedroom in a small inn.

The second before the female warrior entered the room in an extremely heroic way, Nemo was curled up on the sofa, taking a nap in the evening sun. Oliver leaned to one side and played with his lover’s black hair with his fingers.

Jesse was sitting with his legs up at the tea table, happily drinking tea with the knight commander.

“Here.” After the small chaos subsided, Jesse proudly handed Ann a specialty of Clementine Cathedral—there was only one cookie left in the snack box.

When Nemo came to his senses, he couldn’t hold back rolling his eyes. Ann should have had the whole box, but it was late in the evening when the female warrior arrived in Clementine, so Jesse kept stealing a piece of it until he reached the bottom of the box.

Ann glanced at the only remaining cookie in the box buried in crumbs with disgust. Then she looked at Jesse, who still had stains of crumbs around the corners of his mouth, with even more disgust.

“Even if I have no problems with leftovers,” she hissed. “I’d rather not have yours. I refuse.”

“Oh.” Jesse nodded blankly, then threw the last piece into his mouth happily.

“I want to talk about that mission, Ann.” Oliver cleared his throat. “Mr. Cross explained a little, and I can probably understand why you want to name us through the guild, but I can’t figure it out at all.”

“Thanks, Cross.” Ann nodded at the knight commander and slammed herself onto the other couch while spreading her limbs like a panther. “Tell me, Oliver. What are your questions?”

“Why are you going to see Delia Alastair? It’s okay if you don’t want to say it, but I hope I can learn more. Mr. Dylan gave you a prophecy…” Oliver frowned and paused for a moment. “Gallagher Salter will win, and Alban will usher in its first queen. This doesn’t sound like a terrible disaster.”

After asking, Oliver stared straight into Ann’s amber eyes. Considering Nemo’s identity and the true credibility of Dylan’s prophecy, he didn’t intend to disclose the queen’s name now.

“I have a bit of a bad fate with the Alastair family.” Ann looked up at the dilapidated ceiling and flickered through the topic lightly. “Do you think everything will be fine when that little girl is put on the throne? No, she won’t be able to sit on it. The old codgers won’t accept a queen. They will force her to find a man to become regent. She’s lucky. Maybe she’ll marry a guy with a conscience who’s willing to keep her alive and lock her up. If she’s unlucky, she’ll be quietly killed after a few children, and her husband will be able to take the throne openly. To the old guys, as long as the blood of the Alastair family can continue, others… Whoever has the biggest fist would be the one to speak.”

Hearing this, Ann seemed to be convinced that the queen in Jesse’s prophecy was Delia. Oliver and Nemo exchanged glances, then licked their dry lips. “You want to see Her Royal Highness Delia… Do you want to get her out?”

“Not necessarily, I just want to confirm her situation. Salter is going to launch a rebellion, and the only royal blood that can be used at that time is Delia. I don’t think Prince Eldric is stupid enough that he wouldn’t see this. Right now, he has to cherish his reputation and won’t give up that weight easily, but it’s possible to control her in some ways. I have to confirm that.”

Oliver stared at the female warrior in leather armor in silence.

“If she doesn’t want to leave, then let her be in this matter. She’s old enough to choose her own life, and I won’t interfere.” Ann smiled coldly, rubbing the muddy spots of the leather armor with her fingers.

“But if she wants to leave, I… will die for it.”

Is Ann Savage really Andrea Alastair? Nemo also looked at Ann quietly.

He did have this notion, but it was also possible that Ann was just simply acting at the behest of the surviving princess. She would use uncommon combat spells and had a surprisingly strong survival instinct. Compared to a princess, she was more like a soldier.

According to the records of the Abyssal Church, most of the female members of the Alban royal family were extremely delicate, and at most they could only master some special techniques of the Laddism Church. It was impossible for them to come into contact with combat spells. Princess Andrea was only eleven when she “died”. Except for the small number of ritual spells, as well as conventional painting, music, and etiquette classes, the young princess should know nothing else.

Ann was definitely hiding something, Nemo thought, but it didn’t matter. In a sense, the female warrior saved his and Oliver’s lives, so he definitely didn’t want to draw a line cautiously at this time.

“Don’t worry, I know your inconvenience, Nemo. If I really want to get her out, I will do it myself and will not drag you down.” It seemed that Nemo’s eyes were misunderstood. Ann pulled the corners of her mouth. “You just need to help me see her.”

“If you hadn’t helped us in the first place,” Nemo sighed, “Oliver and I would have been packed off to Alban’s army by bounty hunters. Oliver would have been sent to jail, and I… In my dazed state at the time, would probably be executed outright.” At that time, most of his abilities hadn’t awakened yet, and “this body” was still able to be destroyed.

“So there is nothing inconvenient. I’m always happy to help.” Nemo’s tone was very serious.

Ann bit her lower lip and smiled gratefully at him.

“I think so too, but as the leader of Tumbleweed, I have one condition.” Oliver took the conversation.

For a while, the room was very quiet.

“When you were away, I spent a lot of money in our public accounts,” Oliver continued cautiously. “You… Don’t be angry.”

Ann slapped Oliver on the head. “Okay, okay. I was originally afraid that you would mess around without planning, waste all the money, and drag down the entire team. Let me make it clear. With you as the leader… I can rest assured.”

“Where there’s excitement, there’s me,” Jesse put down the snack box and announced happily. “Don’t exclude me from such a fun thing.”

Adrian simply nodded and didn’t speak.

“Thank you,” Ann said with a serious expression and lowered her head sincerely. “Then let me talk about the information I got.”

“The Alban Royal Family will hold a big ball the day after tomorrow. It’s said that all members of the royal family will be present at that time—this ‘all’ includes Ettram and Delia.”

“Wait. Stop.” Nemo hurriedly interrupted. His expression was a little frightened. “Didn’t Ettram just pass away?”

“Though dead, there are many ways to use a corpse.” Ann waved her hand casually. “Only a few people know about Ettram’s death. Yes, I have my channels—in short, most people don’t know about it yet, and Eldric absolutely blocked the news.”

“Why?”

“In order to label the Salters as rebels,” The female warrior sneered, baring her teeth. “The corpse can last for a few months at most. If Gallagher doesn’t act, Eldric can take the opportunity to completely reshuffle the forces in the palace, and once Gallagher moves his hand… The emperor would still be ‘alive’, while he’d be labeled as a pure rebel, which would be more convenient to deal with. According to the style of the Mad Dog Marshal, he will definitely act.”

After spouting out all the information in a single breath, Ann picked up the teapot and poured herself a few sips of herbal tea while wiping her mouth with her sleeve.

“But these have nothing to do with us. As long as we get into the ball, we can take this opportunity to get in touch with Delia.”

“But if you really take Delia away,” Nemo raised his hand again, “if Gallagher has no royal blood to support, wouldn’t it be a loss?”

“Who knows?” Ann said indifferently. “If he dares to rebel, he must have the confidence to rebel. The first thing he could do is denounce the illegitimate son of the first emperor, and it’s also fine to pull a little bit of royal blood from his own family tree. In short, as long as he successfully kills Eldric, he has room to maneuver. Anyway, according to his style, this war will not last long. It makes no difference.”

The female warrior didn’t mean to intervene in this struggle at all. It might be that he thought too much. Nemo simply shook his head.

“Get into the ball…” Oliver frowned. “To infiltrate the palace ball isn’t something that could be easily done.”

“It’s not difficult.” Ann showed a mischievous smile. “Everyone’s faces are qualified, especially when disguised as an aristocrat’s lover. Cross needs some attention, but you three are ready-made pure faces.”

The expressions of Oliver and Nemo became quite complicated in an instant, while Jesse tucked back his hair with the words “thanks for the compliment” written all over his face.

“Anyway, I have a way. I can take care of it. There’s nothing wrong with you guys keeping it that way.” The female warrior patted her chest. “I just need to take care of Cross, and the rest will be easy.”

“But what if…” As soon as Oliver opened his mouth, Nemo forcibly covered it.

“Just do it. Please, Ann,” Nemo said solemnly, pressing Oliver’s mouth tightly to prevent any bad negative prophecies from leaking out of it.

Ann’s movements were very fast.

Tumbleweed arrived near Doru, the capital of Alban, the next day. The female warrior planned a hidden route in advance. They didn’t teleport directly to Doru but were stationed in a town near it.

“Delia will be guarded by a lot of soldiers that night, but that’s not the point. The guards guarding her are very easy to handle. The problem is this girl.” Ann picked up a color portrait and tapped her fingers. “Rosa, the illegitimate daughter of Duke Earley, Delia’s half-sister. This girl is a real socialite, simple and lively and very sticky to her sister. At that time, she’ll probably be running around Delia, and we can’t predict her actions at all. Prince Eldric gave them countless pieces of magic jewelry and most likely intends to use that girl as a mobile alarm.”

“Nothing should happen just talking to Delia, but this girl… Using any form of spell on her may arouse Eldric’s vigilance, so I need you to do whatever you can to keep her under control the natural way if she plans to run towards Delia. What’s with that look on your face, Oliver? I’m not asking you guys to be horny and seduce her. She’s just a very talkative girl. Just chat with her. Speak bullshit, pretend to be mysterious. You both can improvise. In short, hold her off and give us time to take care of the guards and get to Delia alone.”

“I… We’ll try our best.”

“You guys just have to remember this information. It’s not much. It’s the identity we are using to infiltrate. I have already changed their guest list.”

“When did you change it?!”

“Don’t worry about that. Anyway, the four of you have to enter as the lovers of Duke William Helms.”

“Duke William Helms? And who is this Andre Helms?” Nemo turned page after page of the parchment in his hand.

“That duke is from Garland and is a distant relative of the Alban royal family. That guy usually likes to travel and never participates in public activities of high society. God knows where he’s gone now. The royal family would usually symbolically send him an invitation to give him some face.”

Ann shook the parchment in her hand indifferently and replied without thinking.

“There’s no such person as ‘Andre’. I made up a distant relative of the duke. Alban’s aristocrats don’t know much about Garland, so it won’t be easily revealed… Hey, you don’t think that someone will buy an absurd thing like ‘the Duke didn’t come but sent just a few lovers to eat and drink for free’? There must be at least a nominal ‘nobleman’.”

“But where are we going to find such a—”

“Oh, that.” Ann scratched her ears. “I’ll do it.”

“…Andre is a male name.”

“I know.”

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The author has something to say:

I don’t know where this passerby duke is, but he’s unaware of the biggest situation that would be the peak of his life.

Passerby Duke: ?????

————

Actually, thinking about it, Nemo and Ollie weren’t so unlucky either.

If they hadn’t met Ann in the first place, or if Nemo had let the gray parrot kill Ann, the two protagonists would really be GG.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 182: Outside the Birdcage

That was what children were like. The female warrior lowered her gaze and poured the last wine into her throat. She rarely remembered that time anymore—naive and stupid, she mistakenly thought that simple combat power could represent all ages.

She didn’t think much at the beginning. She glanced at the shabby and dilapidated daily necessities in the house and the dry straw in the corner, and subconsciously decided that this was the home of a refugee. She would take a few sips and then salute the empty room. Yes, as long as she added a little real warmth to her empty stomach, she really didn’t need to eat too much.

After the salute, Ann made a simple prayer and shakily picked up the heavy ladle.

The thick soup was stirred, and the corpse of a black flying insect floated to the top of the noodle soup. A feeling of nausea rushed to her throat again, and Ann forcefully pressed it down. The soup was boiling, and she squeezed the limited knowledge from her mind and told herself repeatedly—as long as the soup was boiling, there shouldn’t be any big problems if she ate it.

The soup tasted bad. It was thick and close to brown in the light of the fire, with a weird fishy smell, and it tasted almost salty. Something like a bean slid across Ann’s tongue, and she didn’t even dare chew it, for fear that she would spit it out because she couldn’t stand the smell. It seemed as if there were plant tubers added to it, as her throat felt it was about to be crushed to bits.

But Ann still resisted the discomfort and finished drinking a spoonful. Then she carefully put down the heavy metal soup spoon, and the emptiness and colic in her stomach disappeared, replaced by a slightly bitter satisfaction.

Ann didn’t know what time it was in the early hours of the morning. Most of the windows in the slums had been extinguished. Not far away came the crying of children, the screams of women, and the curses of men. She had never been awake at this time, let alone exposed to such sounds. The young princess clung to her arms tightly, shaking like she was standing barefoot in the snow. She had to find a place to take a nap—Ann could sense her abnormality, and the wound bitten by the insects must have worsened as the pain became unbearable. Her breathing was fast and rapid, and the temperature around her was incredibly cold.

Ann thought groggily that she was probably suffering from a fever.

Then another sense of numbness hit her.

Things in her field of vision began to appear unnaturally heavy, and the strength of her limbs was slowly sapping away. Ann hurriedly pinched herself violently. From her blurred vision, she could see blood dripping down as the skin she was pinching was inadvertently split open.

But she couldn’t feel the pain.

Something was wrong. Something was wrong, but the darkness couldn’t be denied as it engulfed her slowly and her thinking paused. Ann moved step by step to the straw pile and used the last of her strength to bury herself in it.

……

She didn’t know how long it was until she finally woke up again. The first thing she felt was rope on her wrists.

She was tied up.

Her eyes were blindfolded by a strip of cloth, and in the darkness, great fear hit her. Ann wanted to scream, but then found that her mouth had been gagged by a cloth and she could only make vague whines from her throat. All she knew was that she was curled up, and the skin on her left arm was touching a slightly curved border of her prison cell. It felt like wet wood.

The smell of alcohol and mildew burrowed into her nose together. If she hadn’t made a mistake in judgment, this should be a wine barrel. She didn’t know who had tied her up firmly and stuffed her into this barrel. The barrel was bumping, so she should be in a carriage that was moving at the moment.

Don’t panic. Don’t panic. The young princess desperately slowed down her breathing and strengthened her spirit so that she would not go into shock again because of fear. She still had a sense of smell and hearing, so she had to figure out her current situation…

Because no one would come to save her.

There wouldn’t be any Knights of Judgment arriving on a white horse and cut down the wicked man. There were no servants to help her loosen the rough hemp rope, wipe the dirt off her face with a hot towel, and rub away her bruises. There weren’t any maids to prepare desserts cut into small pieces for her, warm goat milk, and give warm, soft hugs.

No one would come.

The conventional tracking spells were destroyed with confidence by Ann herself, and the clothes embroidered with the locating array and the marked jewelry were all thrown away into the woods next to the church. No one knew she was here, and even she didn’t know where she was.

Tears gushed out of her eyes uncontrollably, and she couldn’t stop it. Remorse began to spread uncontrollably in her heart. The light and dry nightgown, the soft and fragrant bed, the thin feather quilt as light as a cloud. Why did she leave there?

But now she didn’t even dare to cry loudly.

“…Are we really going to do this?” A man with a thin voice spoke outside the wine barrel. “To be honest, man, I still think it’s better to hand this chick in directly. Everyone in Doru is going crazy! If it weren’t for our brother, who had already arranged the gatekeeper and got out in time, we would probably be held down by the Knights of Judgment right now. They are serious. Listen, serious!”

“That’s why I said you’re brainless, dumbass.” Another hoarse voice refuted. “Fine, what are you going to do, huh? Run to the emperor, kneel down, and say, ‘Your Majesty, I’m a human trafficker in the slums and I accidentally picked up your lovely little daughter. Can you reward me with a bag of gold coins?’…He’ll give you gold one second and your head will roll on the floor the next.”

“I—we’ll just tell him the truth. At any rate, it’s a meritorious service. It is the princess, after all. If we slip away quietly like this, in case someone finds out…”

“Uh-huh. Tell him the beautiful truth. Tell him that we just want to use that pot of soup to catch a few little rats in the slums, wash them, and sell them. The princess just accidentally broke in and drank it herself. Thanks to that damn pot of soup, His Majesty will be very pleased and appreciative of our cause. You think that’ll be the case? Buying and selling little rats is a capital crime if you’re not careful. Do you have no memory in that head of yours?”

“……Tsk.”

“Didn’t we talk about this? It’s a chance given by Zenni! The idiot guarding the door probably thought we were just making regular ‘deliveries’ and no one could imagine that what we have is the princess. The usual rule is to give it back to the ‘old skunk’. Someone must be willing to buy her. A decent person to buy her will claim the credit, or simply sell her to another—we take the money and wipe our hands clean of this mess. Even if we get less, it’s better to give that responsibility to someone else than take the credit ourselves. If she changes hands a few too many times and they want to trouble us, we’ll already be long gone—I think Willard is a good place to go.”

“Will the old skunk believe it? That old bastard is more suspicious than a fox.”

“I’ve seen it. The one on that chick’s left arm is indeed a royal emblem. We don’t have the ability to forge that thing. And she’s so delicate. How can there be such a coincidence in this world? The old skunk is paranoid, but he’s not stupid.”

“What if the buyer doesn’t take credit and uses her for something else? The big boys in Willard would be happy to have a toy with the last name of Alastair, which is a bit…”

“What does that have to do with us? Who knows whose hand she’ll fall into as long as they are willing to stuff enough gold to the old skunk.”

“Oh, you’re more of a scumbag than me! Tsk, tsk. It seems that I still have something to learn, but keep your voice down, in case she hears you…”

“Oh, oh, oh. I made that soup. She’s just a chick, so it’s enough to knock her out for four days and nights. Don’t worry. If you shove her under the old skunk’s nose, she may not even wake up.”

Although the lingua franca of the two had strong accents, Ann understood most of what they were saying.

……She must escape.

These two people sound like repeat offenders of child trafficking in the slums. They weren’t refugees who were emboldened by a moment of evil. Her body was gradually weakening, and Ann didn’t think they would be kind enough to keep her in a state full of strength. Right now, the other party wasn’t expecting her to wake up early, so she only had one chance. The young princess trembled and thought.

There was only one fact in her favor—it was estimated that they didn’t want her to die halfway due to the infection. Those insect bites and abrasions seemed to have been treated, and the fever-like lethargy no longer filled her head.

Her magic was definitely stronger than these two, but they were two adults who had an advantage in physical strength. On the other hand, Ann didn’t know if they had a portable magic array on them. Once she failed to escape, the vigilance of those two would assuredly increase.

To make matters worse, there may be more than two enemies.

Ann’s hands and feet were cold, and her heart had never jumped so fast. She desperately suppressed her sobbing voice and listened carefully to the movement outside.

There were sounds of scraping, panting, and horse hooves hitting the dirt. She could do this. Ann caught a glimmer of clarity in the endless panic and fear. This wasn’t her. She wasn’t here. It was just a dream; an adventure story told by her brother.

She must believe so.

The trembling gradually stopped, and the heartbeat that seemed to shatter her eardrum calmed down a little, then the sound became clearer…

There were indeed two enemies.

Ann subconsciously wanted to burn the rope with lightning, but was afraid that the smell of burning hemp rope and smoke from fire would be noticed by the two men in front of the carriage, so she took another action; one she had heard Abbas spoke about…

Ann put her wrist close to her mouth, put her thumb into the cloth that was gagging it, and pulled it out hard. With her unremitting efforts, the cloth strip slid down her chin and landed on her neck.

Then there was the hemp rope on her wrist. She sent the rope to her mouth and bit hard. As the hemp rope was bitten away strand by strand, Ann twisted her wrist fiercely. Her skin was scratched and the blood soaked the hemp rope, but she still struggled mechanically.

This pain wasn’t hers. These tears didn’t belong to her. These were all hallucinations.

The hemp rope wasn’t strong enough to prevent necrosis in her hands. After a long struggle, her hands were finally free. Ann quickly untied the rope on her ankle, then adjusted her posture, patiently waited for the right opportunity amidst the sharp pain.

She wasn’t here. Don’t think about failure. This was just an escape game. A test.

She wasn’t here, so she should pretend this was all fake.

“I’m going to take a nap in the back,” the man with the thin voice said. “I’m so sleepy. Call me when the sun rises, and we’ll change shifts at that time.”

“Alright, you can sleep first.”

Something rubbed over. Ann held her breath as she struggled to pick the most destructive spell from her brain.

“Ugh, these last two days have been a fucking joke…” the man muttered from a short distance away. His clothes made a rustling sound. Within ten minutes, Ann could hear the sound of snoring.

Now.

The lightning split the barrel and slashed straight at the sleeping man. The advanced spell of the Alban Royal Family was amazingly powerful. Although an eleven-year-old girl couldn’t exert all its effects, it directly split the man lying on the carriage into two pieces and roasted him into a crisp…

Along with the carriage.

The horses neighed in shock, and the carriage, which wasn’t strong, suddenly fell apart. Ann fell to the ground fiercely along with the broken barrel, which almost knocked her unconscious. The pain in her back was so severe that she wanted to stay still and just pass out—but no.

She couldn’t.

Ann staggered to her feet and forced herself to look at another enemy. The man with a low voice had dodged quickly, and only one of his arms was hurt. The man’s left arm was hanging limply on his shoulder.

This opponent was extremely tall, and Ann couldn’t help but take a few steps back. Trembling, she stepped over the charred corpse of her other enemy and instinctively ran.

Unfortunately, before she ran a few steps, a spell hit her back, causing the slender girl to be knocked down.

“Fuck, fuck!” The man picked up Ann like a chicken and dragged her closer. He cursed shrilly and raised his hand to deliver an unforgiving slap.

Ann was hit directly in the eye, causing her ears to buzz and warm liquid to ooze down her nose. Her left tooth was loosened, and her mouth tasted blood as the left side of her face swelled.

Tears kept flowing despite her eyes being dry and in pain.

Seeing that Ann hadn’t lost consciousness, the man kicked her in the abdomen again, causing her to curl up into a shrimp on the ground. She closed her eyes tightly and spit out a little thin liquid in her mouth.

Did she lose?

…But she couldn’t lose.

It may be because he was afraid that kicking the slender little girl directly would cause serious injury, so he stopped, cursed a few more times, and leaned down to lift her up.

Now.

In severe pain and dizziness, Ann drained the last of her strength and bit at the man’s throat. She gritted her teeth numbly and tore off a large piece of flesh, causing warm blood to spray all over her face.

The man didn’t seem to react for a while. He screamed as he touched the wound on his neck with his movable right hand. Ann faintly grabbed the man’s ankle, and lightning lit up again. Unfortunately, the last blow almost exhausted her strength, and the faint lightning only paralyzed her enemy for a moment.

But a moment was enough.

She didn’t bother to pick up stones or a broken branch. Ann buried her head without hesitation and continued to bite the man’s neck. Blood continued to splatter out as the man’s limbs twitched, and finally he stopped struggling.

It was the first time in her life that she killed someone.

The Princess of Alban stood alone in the wilderness in the early hours of the morning. Her teeth were stuffed with disgusting pieces of flesh, and the pain burned her nerves. The linen robe was soaked in blood and became cold. She finally dared to open her throat and cry loudly.

The horses of the carriage had already run out of sight, leaving only two corpses in place. Ann tried hard not to look at the two hideous-looking male corpses. She staggered to the ruins of the carriage and began to rummage for food and usable tools, maintaining a blank state in her mind.

She wanted to go home. It was time for this wayward escape to end. She wanted to go home.

If she was thirsty, she would use a condensation spell to get some water to drink. If she was hungry, she would eat some grass roots. If she was lucky, she could use the lightning spell to kill some mice, rabbits, or fish. She followed the road in the wilderness and hid in the grass when she saw people passing by. After seven days and nights, Ann finally touched a vibrant town again.

She was now thinner and dirtier. People would only think she was a little beggar from nowhere, and no one would be interested in giving her a second glance.

There was a branch of the Mercenary Guild here. As long as she walked in and revealed the royal emblem on her left arm, she could go home…

All this would finally come to an end.

She no longer needed to chew on the half-baked internal organs of mice or the grass roots that would get stuck between her teeth with every bite. The wounds were still faintly painful, but she didn’t have to worry about them anymore. She could finally…

“Funeral? Hasn’t the princess been found yet? Why are they having a funeral?” Two mercenaries were chatting at the door. Ann instinctively hid herself behind a few sacks of garbage and listened carefully.

“Hey, maybe the Laddism Church found her. It’s not like those guys would report to us. It’s said that Her Highness Andrea was seriously ill when she was found and died within two days. Poor Her Highness. What will the other nightingale do—”

But she was right here. Ann’s eyes widened in shock.

“New job.” A third mercenary joined them. The wolf’s head on the white tin badge gleamed. “See for yourself. This is a secret job. The emperor directly assigned our mercenary group, the Steel Wolf, to pick up the dirty work this time.”

“I was just talking about it just now…” Putting the parchment roll in his hand, the mercenary’s voice trembled a little.

“Well, that’s what it says.”

“That’s because she’s not found.”

“Hmm.”

“But no matter what, it’s still his own…”

“Let me put it this way. It’s okay to if it’s just three or four days, but any more than seven is enough to do a lot of things. Undetectable mind control, or undetectable surveillance spells. That could be done within seven days. I personally think it may be… for this consideration. In case the child is taken away and given such a thing, and then sent back to the palace, they can’t deal with it at this stage.”

“Even if Willard has been restless, this is too…”

“So the emperor, uh—I mean that lord, didn’t ask the Knights of Judgment, but asked us to do this. Just do what’s asked from above. You know, even without one, there’s still one left.”

“The funeral has been officially held, and the rest are imposters. Once she is found again, she’s to be killed on the spot. No further report is needed. The Knights of Judgment don’t have time for such ‘frivolous things’, so they left it to us to defend the ‘family reputation’. Ugh…”

“I hope that little girl is really dead. It’s easier to die.”

Since that day, her life had turned into a nightmare—a nightmare initiated by her and completed by her father.

That was the third time Ann was disappointed—or rather, despaired—about her father.

Now that she thought about it, it was nothing more than giving up an insignificant little girl for the security of the royal family’s information. She didn’t hate her father from the bottom of her heart. What made her truly despair was that her biological father wasn’t even willing to try a little harder.

There were many solutions. She could be brought back and raised alone until a countermeasure was found. Even if she was locked up in another city until she grew up with no contact with important people, now it seemed that the emperor who managed everything day by day was too lazy to bother about it.

The Alastair family didn’t need a princess without “value”, and her father didn’t need a disobedient daughter.

After that, Ann did two things.

She stole a knife and got a bottle of liquor. She abruptly cut off a piece of flesh from her left arm and dug out the exquisite and beautiful emblem. Then, in order to save her life from all the chaos, she cut herself in the face and created an ugly scar.

If this life hadn’t been hard enough, Ann would’ve died at the age of eleven. Since that day, the young princess had no longer trusted others. She lived like a wild cat in the corner of the town, making a living by stealing and hunting small animals.

But winter was coming soon.

Fortunately, before that, she found a great target—a stupid nun in her thirties.

She had no name, so people simply called her “sister”. Ann heard the neighbors talking about the silly-looking woman. The nun didn’t come from any regular church. At most, she was a folk practitioner. Even her clothes were sewn by herself. Although she had a slight intellectual defect, the nun’s baking skills were first class.

She used this skill to earn herself a substantial amount of money. She didn’t marry, but cheerfully picked up dozens of abandoned children to raise. Every day she would put cookies that weren’t perfect in shape in the yard, and when the children were tired of playing, they would eat them as snacks.

Those cookies became an excellent target.

As the weather got colder, she could only catch fewer animals and take more cookies. She wasn’t sure if she was hallucinating, but the number of cookies the nun put out was also increasing. She even put down a few fruits on occasion. In the end, there was even a shabby thick dress hung in the yard, as if the nun had seemingly forgotten it.

And when Ann carefully grabbed that dress in the middle of the night, the door in the backyard suddenly opened.

“Come in and warm up.” The nun had a childish smile on her face, as if she had succeeded in a prank. “It’s snowing too much outside, little girl.”

She should run away, Ann thought, but she didn’t move. The children in the nun’s yard hadn’t changed. Ann had been observing. She knew that the children were doing well, but…

“Don’t be afraid.” The nun stretched out a hand and didn’t approach her rashly. “Look at you. Your clothes are frozen… At least come in and take a hot bath. What’s your name?”

“Ann.”

“Do you have a last name? If you are separated from your parents, I can contact them. Oh, other relatives are okay. Do you have any other relatives, little girl?”

“…There is no last name, only Ann.”

“Poor little one. Come in and get some warmth.”

Ann approached cautiously as electric light flashed between her fingers. The nun moved closer and hugged her fiercely, not caring about the icy mud or dirt at all. The woman’s body was clean and warm, with the sweetness of milk and butter.

“Why are you out there alone on a cold day, ugh.”

Ann thought of many reasons. It involved war, the royal family, pride and folly, conspiracy and death, but in the end, she trembled and spit out a simple sentence that belonged to a child.

“…My parents…” Her lips trembled. “They don’t want me anymore.”

That was the last time she shed tears wantonly.

“Then I’ll give you a name.” The nun rubbed her dirty hair. “You look like a little savage… just Savage. Ann Savage. Would you like to stay here?”

Ann nodded.

The rest of the story was simple. The children raised by the nuns were all undocumented refugees. They were lucky enough to have a home, but they were unable to get a decent job when they grew up. They weren’t allowed to do formal business, and places that were more formal wouldn’t hire refugees. Those that did, offered salaries that were pitiful.

They couldn’t always rely on the kindness of the nuns to survive, but after leaving, they were destined to be displaced again.

“I will teach you spells.” Ann made up her mind and announced it to her fellow residents. “Let’s go take the Black Chapter test. It’s a little more dangerous, but we can earn a lot. All we have to do is pass the test and then do the easier task! So many children pass every year, and I have investigated their strength. As long as we’re careful, we’ll definitely be fine.”

That was the second fatal mistake she made.

Waiting for her was the Seymour Worm and the result of being the lone survivor.

Ann Savage became a Black Chapter but never returned to that warm little courtyard. She knew that the nun was waiting for them—waiting for the return of the children she had raised. But she couldn’t bring anyone back, so she didn’t dare go back.

More than 20 years later, Ann would ask people to find out how the nun was doing and would send a large sum of money to the nun when the seasons changed. The money allowed her to raise more displaced children, and to live a carefree life, doing what she loved to do, without overworking.

Now it was time to send money again.

Ann put down the empty wine glass again and grabbed the gray parrot in front of her. “Let’s go.”

“We’re finally going back to the team? Ouch, I’ll die—”

“Nn.” Ann tugged at the corners of her mouth. “But I have to send some money first. After all, I’m about to lose my pension.”

“What money? To whom? What’s the matter? Is this a transfer of property? Are you going to betray us?”

“…Oh, you got me.” Ann flicked the parrot’s head.

“It’s not the first day you met me. Don’t you know how bad I am?”

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The author has something to say:

Ann participated in the Black Chapter test. See Chapter 12 for details and pull out a long-standing flag XD.

This is the past of the big sister!

The next step is to go back to Nemo and Ollie (*/ωω*)

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Kinky Thoughts:

Why is everyone’s past so painful?

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