Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 193: The Purpose of the Expedition

As if he wanted to touch Oliver, Medes stretched out his hand with only bones left, but as soon as he leaned out a little bit, he took it back as if it was burning with fire. He stood quietly in place, not saying a word to the cracking sound caused by the rapid expansion of the Lock of Pain.

“Mr. Medes,” Oliver called softly, with some soothing meaning in his tone.

“Of course I can tell you.” Medes finally spoke again, though the volume was extremely low. “You have the right to know this.”

Although the necromancer had no body, Medes felt as if he had suddenly rapidly aged. “…But since you want to ask this, that is to say, Flint… he… didn’t want to tell you?”

The bone hand grasped the hem of the robe, and there was a bit more despair in the voice of the Necromancer who foresaw the answer. “Flint, is he okay?”

“My father passed away not long ago.” Oliver lowered his head. “In order to protect our town, he forcibly transferred a demon summoning ritual.”

“…Was he killed by the demon?” Medes tore the edges of the robe with bone fingers carved with black charms, as if he wanted to tear his soul apart.

“No. After the transfer ceremony, he asked me to kill him in order to send the demon directly back to the Abyss… So I killed my father, Mr. Medes.”

Medes stopped tearing the corners of his robe, he stretched out his bony hand and patted Oliver’s head cautiously—the movement was so light, as if Oliver was a fragile item that would dissipate from a touch. Their similar heights made this behavior look a little weird, but Oliver didn’t avoid it. He looked straight into the empty red eyes.

“That is indeed the Flint I know. A pure idiot.” Medes gritted his teeth as he spoke; his voice ringing out from his hollow chest. “God, he wasn’t even fifty years old yet. How can he just be like this…”

Medes shook his head. He retracted his hand, took two steps back, and sat on the edge of the stone bed, burying the fleshless skull in his palm.

“It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault—if it weren’t for me, he would still be able to deal with summoning demons.”

He was shaking badly, and there was a low whine in his throat. Compared to humans, it was more like a wounded beast whimpering.

“So, Oliver… You have an Albanian accent. If I’m not mistaken, did you embark on the path of a Black Chapter because you escaped after killing your father? It’s impossible for Flint to raise a deviant child.”

‘No,’ Oliver thought to himself and glanced at Nemo a few steps away. ‘He may already be the most deviant human in the world.’

“Partially,” Oliver replied sincerely. “As for the other part, my lover is a superior demon, and I don’t want to be separated from him.”

There was no expression on Medes’ skull. He remained motionless, sighed for a long time, and looked at Ann. “Is that so.”

The female warrior rolled her eyes very shamelessly, patted Nemo on the shoulder, and pushed him a step forward. “…I have had enough. That boy likes this. This!”

The necromancer let out a few hoarse and unpleasant chuckles.

“In terms of the strange taste of choosing lovers, you are indeed like Flint,” he said as he glanced at Nemo faintly.

“If this is your choice, and you firmly believe that this is your happiness, I’m not going to judge this time, kid. Now, since you want to know about the past and information about the Trent Plague, I can provide them to you all at once.”

Medes made a gesture, and the illuminated bones wandering above the room flipped at the same time. The mercury-like contents finally poured out. They fell to the ground and turned into fine silver smoke, instantly filling the entire room.

It was Medes’ memory, overflowing with happiness, pain, and guilt. He copied and extracted them as the only light source at the bottom of the tomb.

Unlike in the confinement room of Clementine Academy, everyone didn’t need to touch any figures and was directly wrapped in memories. But Medes’ figure did not disappear. He stood beside them, pointing to the phantoms twisting around.

“This was the first time I had heard of your mother.” Medes’ bony hands formed a complex pattern in the air, and the surrounding images began to become clear…

“I’m in love, friends!” The young man opened his arms and gestured a V toward the sky. Vitality and joy made his smile sparkle. He had just rushed into the tavern from the outside, and there were still a lot of fine grass leaves stuck to his armor.

The Sword of Ruinous Fire was hanging safely on his belt, and a little light of fire drifted around.

Oliver swallowed laboriously as he realized it was his young father. Perceiving Oliver’s abnormality in an instant, Nemo stretched out a hand and grabbed his lover’s hand vigorously.

“How many times is this now?” A brown-haired mage sitting at the table propped his forehead with both hands, with a slightly helpless smile on his face.

Nemo’s mood suddenly became heavy—the deputy commander of the Tin Soldier Mercenary Regiment, Abbas Alastair.

Ann, who was standing not far from them, didn’t say a word.

“The one hundred and forty-ninth time. Come on, captain, if you work hard to lose your love, you will soon be able to usher in the 150^th this spring.” Balthazar Medes, who still had his flesh, was covering his face with a book. “Who is it this time? The youngest daughter of the tavern owner? The incense girl in the shop? Or a peasant girl selling potatoes? Abbas, you have to tell him—this man has no idea what true love is. Someone has to tell him that one-sided compliments behind people’s backs don’t work.”

“Flint is just livening the atmosphere. Don’t take it seriously.” The second prince of Alban looked rather bemused.

“How can you say that to my deputy commander?” Flint yelled in discontent. “Well, I was just praising their beauty in that way before. After all, lovely girls are the most precious treasures in this world. You have to admit that.”

“Yes, yes.” Abbas humored him as he added some milk to his hot tea. “Would you like some tea?”

“I’m really in love this time,” Flint announced solemnly.

“You said that last time, and the time before last, and the time before last. Your ‘love’ is to send a flower to someone, dance, and then say goodbye happily.” Medes coughed hard and dryly.

“This time it’s different.” Flint grimaced and raised his middle finger at Medes. “My angel is a wandering dancer. God, she’s so cute. She even kissed me! Yes, I have a hunch that I will definitely marry her!”

“Oh,” Abbas replied calmly.

“Oh,” Medes snorted.

Oliver stared at this strange father. Although the father in his memory was equally as cheerful, he was always missing something compared to the “Flint Lopez” in Medes’ memory.

“The captain isn’t a frivolous person, Oliver. He respects every woman he meets. The Tin Soldiers have always been on the front lines of all kinds of danger, and now it seems that they are praising a lovely girl to enliven the atmosphere. You can see this more thoroughly than me.”

Medes, who had now become dead bones, spoke as he stared sadly at the long-gone past.

“…We didn’t take it seriously at the time, but he was indeed serious. We didn’t see Sonia Ramon then, but since then, they have been communicating by letter, or using a communication crystal from time to time.”

“To be honest, we still didn’t think the two of them would make it. Flint was a hero all over the world, and Miss Ramon was just an ordinary wandering dancer. I personally even suspected that her motives were impure.”

The necromancer lowered his head, sighed, and used his fingers to make a few virtual strokes in the mist.

The scene becomes a room at night.

“Balthazar, I won’t take you on the expedition. The list has been handed in, and your name is not on it.” There was no smile on Flint’s face. He read Medes’ name very seriously, and he paused.

“Captain!”

“I know you are unwilling, but the bottom of the Abyss is really dangerous. Your physical condition doesn’t allow it. This is an order.”

The young Medes slammed on the table. The double crutches leaning on the edge of the table fell crookedly to the ground with an unpleasant crisp sound.

Flint looked at his comrades-in-arms quietly, showing a little sadness. “And I have a bad feeling, Balthazar. In case we don’t come back…”

“Shut up.” In the memory, Medes’ voice became a little angrier. “Don’t say such things!”

“I know, just in case.” Flint smiled reluctantly. “Don’t get angry. Don’t get angry. It’ll only hurt your body.”

“Even if Ulysses killed all four generations of the expeditionary army, we still have the best elf archer, the most powerful dragon warrior… We have you. Captain, if the Tin Soldier can’t kill it, I can’t imagine who else can defeat it,” Medes murmured. “His Majesty, who is so shrewd and cautious, is willing to let Abbas go with you, so everyone should be fine.”

“But I occasionally think about some strange questions.” Flint picked up Medes’ crutches and gently put them back in place. “Balthazar, you know a lot of strange knowledge, right? Do you think our expedition behavior… is considered an invasion?”

“…What nonsense are you talking about?”

“In order to prepare for the expedition, I collected a lot of information,” Flint sighed fiercely. “The scope of the Abyss has never expanded, and the Demon King has never been to the surface, but the expedition on the surface has lasted for thousands of years. There is no indication that the demons are destroying the surface at its behest.”

“The damage caused by subordinate and intermediate demons is no different from that of surface beasts. Most of them have no brains and rarely act together. Except for the different power systems, they are no different from ordinary animals. Needless to say, the superior demons must find collaborators on the surface, and their actions seem to be very self-contained. Compared with the joint destruction of mankind, they are more like exploring and enjoying in their own way. It is human beings themselves who established the Abyssal Church, and the guardian who maintains the balance of power is a superior demon ‘Aurorae’… All in all, their behavior seems to be unaffected by this so-called ‘Demon King’.”

“But for a period of time after the Demon King is defeated, the Abyss will be closed, and the actions of all demons on the surface will be slow for a period of time. This—this is to protect mankind.” Medes’ tone rarely stumbled.

“That’s just a few short years, so it’s okay to fool ordinary people. In fact, people have long been accustomed to dealing with subordinate and intermediate demons. On the other hand, although the closure of the Abyss will weaken the superior demons, compared to the power gap with humans, this weakening is almost negligible.”

“What are you trying to say, captain?”

“I rummaged through all the history and found only one motivation—to obtain bone jade. Kill the Demon King and get the valuable resources at the bottom of the Abyss.”

Flint Lopez began to pace up and down the room. “Let me make an analogy, Balthazar. It’s just like a few Garlanders killed someone in Alban. Alban will directly declare war on Garland. We’ll lead an army into Garland, execute their royal family, bring back the wealth accumulated by the Garland royal family for many years, and declare this to be ‘justice’.”

“But we have to go, Captain. Alban needs bone jade more than ever, and Willard’s research on weapons is far ahead of us. If they cannot obtain enough bone jade to deter them, Alban will lose the war. This is not the time to care about the Demon King’s mood. After all, the Demon King is just a monster…”

“I understand.” Flint smiled and shook his head. “I’ll go. But… Balthazar, just because the opponent is stronger than us, doesn’t mean that it’s justified to attack them. I don’t like this idea very much.”

“You’re human.” Medes looked at his leader seriously. “Whether it’s justice or not, you have your position, captain. At least now, you are carrying the fate of this country.”

“…I know.”

“Well, what were you going to ask me for?”

“If I don’t come back, can you transfer my share of the property to Sonia?”

“Captain…”

“I proposed to her yesterday, and she agreed.”

“At this time?!”

“We’re both conscious of each other and don’t want to leave regrets.”

“…Okay, I understand.”

Nemo’s palms were cold and full of sweat. Oliver held his lover’s hand with his backhand, trying to help the other party regain some temperature with his warm palm.

“Flint is such a weirdo,” the necromancer said lightly. “The expedition had lasted for thousands of years, and the surface had already widely accepted this concept, but he was still thinking about this kind of problem before he left. At that time, I was almost disgusted with Sonia Ramon, and I admit that this was my prejudice. Because she was really… Sorry, her status was much too low compared to the captain. I assumed her goal was to steal his property.”

“Anyone with some common sense knows that as long as the leader of the group can survive, he will inevitably marry the daughter of a nobleman… or even a woman of the princess level. When did you ever hear that the Hero marrying a migrant?”

“And he survived,” Oliver whispered.

“Yes.” Medes nodded.

The smoke surged, and the figure of the young version of Medes reappeared. This time, his complexion looked a lot better, and his double crutches were replaced with a cane.

But his eyes were terribly swollen, his face had a full beard, and he didn’t seem to have taken care of himself seriously for many days. Medes’ hand clenched the communication crystal carved with the Tin Soldier emblem, and he looked blankly at the blue sky outside the window, completely ignoring the messy room full of garbage around him.

The crystal began to flicker, he muttered in his throat, and eagerly turned on the communication.

“Balthazar.”

“Captain…” Medes responded with a desperate desire.

“Balthazar, help me.” Flint didn’t bring the good news he wanted. For example, telling him that the destruction of the Tin Soldier was just a nightmare. For example, telling him that everyone just played a bad prank on the unflattering Balthazar Medes.

Flint sounded helpless and desperate.

Their leader was always full of courage and could face any difficulty with a smile. But the sound coming from the crystal was almost as fragile as the crystal itself.

“Captain… Flint, you said…” Medes forced himself to calm down, and he directly bit his lower lip, causing blood to spill.

“Sonia’s situation is very bad.” Flint’s voice trembled a little. “It’s the Trent Plague, Balthazar. It’s the Trent Plague… I’m going to lose her, right?”

“I’ll be there soon. There will always be a way.”

Medes repeated numbly, eagerly sweeping the messy pile of books on the table with his hands, and then scratched his dirty hair.

“…There will always be a way, believe me.”

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The author has something to say:

Ann: I want to write “I’m not interested in the Lopez family” on my face.

Ann: Or write “This is our captain’s lover” on Nemo’s face.

Ann: …Or write “I’m gay” on Oliver’s face and let them guess.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 192: Waking Up

The ancient royal family and nobles always stored some treasures in their graves. In case their descendants fell, using the passcodes passed down, useless descendants at any rate could take some of this treasure from the graves of their ancestors and exchange it for money.

However, considering that passing down from generation to generation would lead to a loss of information, in order to prevent the descendants of the tomb owner from being killed by mistake, the Lock of Pain would accept vague answers of likeness. Although Nemo didn’t know how Adrian did it, their knight commander did get the correct answer…

Seeing that the group had no intention of moving forward, the Lock of Pain flattened itself into a palm-sized thick layer and quietly pressed itself into the cold and hard tunnel of the tomb. Sticky chunks of flesh covered the delicate reliefs on the walls of the tomb tunnel, and several crimson eyeballs were still staring at Adrian.

It was now that the narrow passage suddenly became a lot wider.

“Mr. Cross, how did you know the answer?” Oliver asked directly.

“Speculation,” the knight commander said softly. “If the information you provided wasn’t wrong, then Medes came here alone after the death of Sonia Ramon and sealed himself in the tomb. Coupled with the attributes of this Lock of Pain, I thought it was worth a try.”

“I haven’t heard anything about those old men from the Laddism Church digging up people’s graves. Where did you get the information on the Lock of Pain?” Ann used her fingers to quickly wipe away the pieces of flesh stuck on the wall.

“Given your previous identity, it’s normal you wouldn’t have access to it.”

Adrian lowered his gaze. “Once upon a time, it was popular for the low-level church to breed modified Lock of Pains and make folk monks carry them for penance. It’s more sensitive to human pain than any living thing, and some people call it ‘The Priest of Penance Who Doesn’t Speak’.”

“However, this method belongs to the folk sect that was deviant. Once the Lock of Pain grows too large, it becomes dangerous to humans. After the current Pope took office, this practice was expressly banned. Nowadays, this form of practice probably exists only in remote areas. I have dealt with many tragedies caused by the Lock of Pain getting out of control.”

Nemo didn’t care much about the source of information. “In other words, Medes ‘betrayed’ Oliver’s father or mother?”

“At least Mr. Medes himself thinks so and suffers greatly for it.” The knight commander led the way through the corridor covered with remnants of the Lock of Pain. The sole of his hard boots crushed sticky pieces of flesh. “It seems that he doesn’t mind talking to visitors who ‘understand his pain’.”

Fortunately, Tumbleweed had members that could detect traces of life, which saved them a lot of time in their exploration—Medes didn’t lock himself in the main tomb of this ancient tomb. The necromancer obviously didn’t want to disturb the rest of the original owner of the tomb, so he chose a dark and narrow room from the bottom of the main tomb.

When Nemo stood in front of the narrow door, he even doubted his judgment for a moment.

“Mr. Medes, we want to talk to you.” Oliver tried to push the stone door open.

Dark light blue flames jumped on the stone platform protruding from the wall. Skeletons dressed in simple clothes wandered in silence, performing their duties while tacitly ignoring them. Oliver’s voice echoed in the dim corridor. Mixed with the click of bones colliding, the atmosphere became a little gloomy.

No response came from the stone door.

“His reaction is too quiet.” Nemo probed carefully. “Mr. Medes seemed… motionless, and the magic fluctuations emitted are very gentle.”

“Which means our necromancer is sleeping?” Ann sneezed in the muddy and cold air and rubbed her nose.

“This door is unlocked.” Jesse knocked on the thick slate casually. “Look, Mr. Ramon, this is what I should be doing as my job.”

“Mr. Medes, there is a young girl who is suffering from the Trent Plague. We know that you have dealt with this disease.” Oliver hesitated for a moment and decided not to reveal his identity first. “Can you hear me, Mr. Medes?”

However, only silence answered him.

“Jesse is right, this door is unlocked, and it doesn’t look like a trap.” Nemo took a deep breath. “Ollie, he still doesn’t seem to be awake… I’m going in.”

Nemo commanded the black shadow to go into the gap in the stone gate. With a loud sound of stone rubbing, the stone gate slowly slid open. To his surprise, there was a little dim light through the door, as if someone had put a pale candle in a dark room that was about to go out.

“I’ll explore first.” This time, Nemo’s voice revealed an unquestionable taste, and Oliver nodded calmly.

Trying to ignore his heartbeat, Nemo gritted his teeth, grabbed the staff with both hands, and cautiously squeezed into the small room.

Then he shivered in place.

The interior of the stone chamber exudes a strong sense of incongruity…

This room was about 50 square meters in size. Two-thirds of the place was a normal masonry floor, while the farthest third from the door was filled with a rectangular pit, which was densely packed with countless bones.

The part on the floor was much more normal. There was a simple stone bed and a stone table that could be used as a desk. Thick parchment paper was still piled on the stone platform, white quill pens were looming in the shadows, and a weird fishy smell emerged from the long-dried ink bottle.

Adjacent to the stone platform, two small bedside cabinets made of dead bones lay quietly by the bed, one of which had a rough brown clay vase on it, and the flowers inside had already dried up. A coat rack made of branches stood quietly by the white bone pit, and about three dark long robes of indistinguishable styles were loose on it.

In the part of the “normal room”, there were three things that emitted a strong abnormal aura.

The light object here wasn’t a magic lamp, but a skull slowly floating in the air. The skull had no jaw and hung upside down in the air. Its cranial cavity was filled with liquid silver light. It floated like a ghost over the room, and the “light” that one couldn’t distinguish whether it was liquid or solid shook slowly inside of the skull, but it didn’t leak or drip from the eye holes.

This luminous substance was a bit subtly familiar. It was very similar to the books that recorded thoughts in the confinement room of Clementine Academy.

Another unexplainable thing was two dark stone cylinders. Nemo could smell a strange aroma floating inside—it gave off the smell of something pickling, but from time to time, it made the sound of water being stirred, and there was even a slight pulsation.

He decided not to think about the contents for the time being.

The last one was Medes himself.

Perhaps it wasn’t accurate to say “himself”. The thing lying on the stone bed didn’t resemble a normal human. The skeleton was scattered on the stone bed, and there was a ghastly incantation written all over the pale bones. There was a faint red light in the hollow eyes of the skull, and it seemed like it was breathing.

The remaining four members of Tumbleweed slowly stretched their heads into the room. Nemo quickly made a gesture to ask his companions to retract their heads. The room was really weird, so he decided to wake up Medes first to determine the other party’s situation.

“Mr. Medes.” Nemo stretched out his hand hesitantly and lightly poked the skull’s humerus.

The skeletons on the stone bed trembled slightly, but the bones didn’t have any intention of gathering.

“Hello, Mr. Medes.” Nemo raised his voice.

Finally, the skull with blood-red light in its eyes turned around. The red light inside was still weakly flickering. Its lower jaw opened slightly and spat out a sentence.

“…Five more minutes…” The necromancer of the Tin Soldier responded vaguely.

Nemo: “……”

He took a deep breath and simply tapped on the humerus that he had just poked. “Mr. Medes, we have something important to talk to you about.”

“Don’t look for me. Go to Flint for outside affairs of the group. I’m sleeping again…” As soon as Medes spoke this time, he woke up. The bones scattered on the stone bed flew up on their own and formed a complete skeleton, and the red light in the eye sockets of the skull flared up…

Balthazar Medes woke up.

“Oh, visitors.” After waking up, his voice became a lot more hollow. “What can I do for you?”

“There’s a young girl who has the Trent Plague, and her condition is currently suppressed. We learned that you had treated a similar case, so we came here…”

“Well, thank you for coming here. Hm, let me get dressed first.” Medes opened his jawbone with a click and interrupted Nemo, but it didn’t sound like he was angry. “I don’t like talking to people naked.”

Nemo turned around speechlessly.

Three minutes later.

“As you can see, there are no chairs for guests and no tea.” Medes put on his robe, and the badge engraved with the Tin Soldier’s mark flickered on it. “Sit over there, young man. Your companions can also come in and sit down—since you’re able to come here, I won’t do anything to you.”

He coughed dryly and raised his frame. “But you must be prepared to be disappointed. I do have some research on the Trent Plague, but I never found a cure. To be honest, young man… If I’m not wrong, the most I can do is suppress its onset.”

“How do you know that…” Nemo’s eyes kept floating in the direction of the white bone pit as his companions squeezed in one by one, like groundhogs squeezing out of a cave. Perceiving that all of Tumbleweed had crowded into the room, Nemo subconsciously turned his gaze to Oliver.

Oliver stood in the shadow and smiled at him.

“Because I am a genius and have never stopped studying it,” Medes answered Nemo’s question in a rambling manner, sounding quite proud. “Okay, don’t look at that pile of bones. That’s the funerary corpse I collected from the main tomb. It’s not fresh—if that’s what you’re worried about. Now tell me the situation of that little girl and let me see what I can do.”

Before Nemo could speak, Ann spoke up first. “She said she needs to drink a potion nine times a day to survive, and the onset of the Trent Plague is fixed at the stage of infection.”

“…If it’s a cure you want, there’s nothing I can do to help her. Granted, my research is in a different direction. If you have the formula of the medicine in your hand, I can reduce the number of potions to three times or less, so that the little girl will suffer less.” Medes tapped his skull with his knuckle. “Trent Plague is a terrible thing. Once it infects, no one can escape.”

“Someone once escaped.” Oliver spoke calmly in the corner.

“That’s mostly a rumor.” Medes waved his hand impatiently. “Since the first year of this disease, there have been so many scammers who have been deceiving others under the guise of healing.”

“No, I meant myself. I was a patient.” Oliver took a step forward.

Medes turned his gaze in Oliver’s direction for the first time, and the silver skull leaned close to Oliver, illuminating his face.

Then he was silent for a long time. After a long period of silence, the red light started dimming in the hollow eyes of the dead bones. “Your name?”

“Oliver Ramon,” Oliver sighed as he pulled Jesse, who was standing in front of him, away. He stood in front of the necromancer and performed a standard battle salute.

“…Or Oliver Lopez. The only child of Flint Lopez and Sonia Ramon. Mr. Medes, I’m sorry we didn’t explain all our intentions from the beginning. Besides the information about the Trent Plague, if possible, I want to know what happened that year.”

Medes didn’t answer him.

The languor, flair, and lack of tone of the necromancer vanished in a flash, and he just stared at Oliver. No emotion could be seen on the face that had long been devoid of flesh.

At the same time, there was a loud noise not far above their heads, and Nemo hurriedly launched a probe.

The size of the Lock of Pain skyrocketed three times more than when they first met, directly filling half of the corridor and causing the sound of cracking in the solid wall.

“Praise Zenni,” Medes muttered. His voice was choking, but the bones that had lost their flesh failed to shed tears.

“…How completely wrong I was in the first place, captain.”

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The author has something to say:

Members of Flint’s Tin Soldier: Looks cool, but actually is very normal.

Members of Oliver’s Tumbleweed: Looks normal, but actually… (……

——

Jesse: Mr. Medes, what’s up? (×

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

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.

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

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.”

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

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.]

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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.”

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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.”

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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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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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