Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 66: The Insider

“How’s the task going?”

“Which one? The one to gather the bones of the Bluebirds or the one that Nemo Light chose.”

“You know which one I’m talking about. Don’t talk nonsense.”

“How much ambition do you expect people from a small town to have? I don’t think Light will join you—oh sorry, sorry, join us. There’s something wrong with Light’s head, and his teammates are crazy enough to leave no doubt. Personally, I think they’re pretty good that way.”

“It’s been a long time since a demon warlock with an unknown power has appeared. If he’s really just an ordinary person, you can handle him. Dylan, you’ve never failed.”

The sun had set. Jesse Dylan was standing alone in the ruins of Vincent Town. This should’ve been the living room of some family. An exquisite vase shattered to pieces under his feet. The flowers and fruits crumbled to dust. Ants had already begun gathering on the broken peels. A small religious portrait fell not far away, and the frame that was decorated with gold powder was covered with sludge. The woman in the painting had her eyes closed tightly and the corners of her mouth were plastered with a compassionate smile. This was probably the god in the imagination of the townspeople of Vincent Town.

The blond young man casually kicked the fragments of the vase with the tips of his boots while the crystal glowed softly in the night.

“Who said I failed?” Jesse replied with a smile.

“Your task is to bring Nemo Light back. It’s okay to use force. However, I’m not seeing any signs of success, my deputy captain.” The other party’s tone was laced with sarcasm.

“Signs.” Jesse’s smile grew brighter. “Do you want to talk to me about ‘signs’? …Maybe you’re misunderstanding this. My mission isn’t to ‘bring Nemo Light back’.” He tucked back a strand of his long hair behind his ears. “And I don’t like being referred to as ‘yours’.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Do you really think there is something wrong with my head? If it was just a demon warlock, I wouldn’t do such a bothersome thing. If I’m guessing correctly, you should be on the tenth floor of the elf tomb right now. Am I right, Mr. Captain?”

“Why are you divining this… Ugh—!” A scream came from the communication crystal. Even though it was distorted a bit under the influence of magic, the pain and panic remained undiminished. “……Motherfucker…… You have long……”

“Yes, you’ll all die there. Don’t bother struggling,” Jesse said happily. “For a sea scorpion team, this is a less annoying ending.”

“…Why did you…”

“I’m just your hired thug, not your guide. I said I don’t like doing bothersome things, and you are part of this bothersome thing. Alas, did you know? You have to sincerely prepare the ingredients before cooking. We could be regarded as having a good time together, but now it’s time to clean up the unwanted scraps.”

“…Dylan… I will never let this go…”

“Your voice is too low. I can’t hear it,” Jesse said sweetly. “By the way, I hope you don’t forget that you chose the task of the tomb yourself. This was the fate you chose.”  

There was another miserable wail that was desperate and agonizing, unlike a voice that a human could make. The communication crystal struggled, then flickered a few times before it finally darkened.

“Demon warlock?” Jesse shook his head before clenching his fingers, turning the crystal into powder between them. He blew on his palms and muttered in a low voice, “This title… is a bit too much for Mr. Demon King.”  

In the tomb of the high elves, on the tenth floor underground.

A heavily armed warrior leaned down. His armor made a loud rubbing sound that made the white tin emblem on his chest reflect delicate light in the faint lighting in the tomb. The scene in front of him was extremely miserable. Human limbs with bite marks were scattered all over the ground, and the smell of blood in the air was so thick that it made people nauseous. Internal organs bathed the walls, exuding the unique smell of fresh viscera. The warrior almost stepped on a rolling eyeball with one of his feet. He couldn’t tell the number of people that made up all these remains that were still warm.

The most complete corpse was leaning against the blood-stained black and red wall with eyes wide open. Anger was mixed with horror, and it completely solidified on half of the corpse’s face that was still intact. His hands were gnawed, leaving only bones left, and the communication crystal that had long been extinguished fell nearby. Except for the bumps and cracks, there were even scratches and toothmarks on the crystal.

“Heart-eating rats. I’m afraid it’s the kind that has lived for a long time.” The solider picked up the corpse and examined it carefully. He even took it close and sniffed it without frowning. “It’s a team of sea scorpion rank from the Black Chapter. Their combat effectiveness isn’t bad. Commander, let the mage open the way here.”

“Or we can go another way.” The young man known as the “commander” replied. His voice was low and gentle. “According to the current structure of the tomb, the High Elves wouldn’t raise this kind of thing near the room where the relics are kept. Once a tomb with this kind of structure ages, the aura of the holy sword will overflow. That’s the sword that has cut off two generations of Demon Kings… If the heart-eating rats are scared away, they won’t be able to defend themselves.”

“So we…?”

“Don’t go this way yet,” the young man ordered decisively. His face was illuminated by magic stone lamps on both sides of the tomb.

Godwin Lopez, the captain of the Horizon Mercenary Group, was a very handsome young man. He fitted all the people’s imaginations of what a hero should look like. Even in this dimly lit underground, his blond hair still had a clean and warm luster. Godwin’s eyes were emerald, giving him a firm and sharp gaze.

His gaze swept across the decimated bodies on the ground and stayed for a few seconds on the black badge with a sea scorpion imprinted on it that was covered in blood and pieces of flesh.

Horizon had once tried to recruit Ann Savage, but the female warrior politely declined and never met the captain of Horizon. If she did, when she first met the two most wanted criminals in Roadside Town, she would discover a certain fact…

Godwin Lopez bore an almost identical look to Oliver Ramon, especially those emerald eyes that were practically the same.

The owner of the other pair of emerald eyes, a snake-rank Black Chapter, was now surrounded by Bluebirds at the entrance to the Holy Land, advertising his newly acquired weapon.

Before Nemo could figure out how to explain the sword in Oliver’s hand, a figure rushed out. Melody Delaney didn’t stay in Vincent Town. At this moment, most of her body had turned back into a human with a pair of bird claws that were exposed under her skirt. She rushed up unsteadily and gave Nemo a big hug.

“Thank you,” she murmured. “Thank you very much.”

Like the townspeople of Vincent Town, the eyes of the Bluebirds weren’t so friendly. They turned their eyes away one after another, but at least they didn’t directly attack the excited black-haired girl. Pasotalo stood behind Pasototu; his eyes were staring at the hilt of Oliver’s bone sword.

“This… Uh…” Nemo didn’t know how to explain it to him.

“No need to explain,” the leader of the Bluebird said solemnly. “That is our most powerful priest, and I can recognize her aura. There was no resentment in it, which meant she gave it to you voluntarily. On behalf of my tribe, I thank you. You gave her a chance to sleep peacefully. Even if we are temporarily unable to accept the group of… people in Vincent Town, Lavinia has saved the entire tribe, which is an indisputable fact.”

The girl finally let go of Nemo, who felt relieved. “Then Vincent Town…?”

“I don’t know,” Pasototu spoke up. Melody retreated to his side. “What happened in the past will not disappear, but… How can we put it? Not everyone is guilty. At least now we have the possibility of talking. Melody is still practicing. She has mastered a little of her transformation skills.” He lowered his head and gently rubbed his lover’s cheek with his beak. “She will be a great translator.”

They needed time, and fortunately, they still have that time.

“This is for you.” Melody took out the book that he was very familiar with. “I… I have nothing else to give. You should be a little interested in it since you took it in the first place.”

It was the fairy tale book, but it looked thoroughly cleaned. Although it was still a little dirty, at least it wouldn’t make people uncomfortable anymore. The bloodstains were gone, and all the uneven water stains on the paper had disappeared. The broken corners of the pages were carefully smoothed out, making it look like a completely ordinary book.

“Isn’t this something very important to you…” Nemo subconsciously picked it up. Truthfully, he didn’t care too much about the book, but he felt it was inappropriate to say it now.

“This is the song I wrote for Pasototu.” Melody smiled. “Most of them are… A little sad, but now we don’t need them anymore. He once tried to sing it, but when he did, we felt like we were being watched… Now we know where the source came from.”

She let out a soft sigh and looked in the direction of the Holy Land.

“It’s not that important. It’s just a small memorabilia. Music scores have magic, so it might be able to help you. Don’t refuse, okay?”

Nemo took the fairytale book. He hadn’t had any intention of refusing since she took the words out of his mouth.

“Do you two need to spend the night here?” Pasotalo inquired, though his tone was unenthusiastic.

“No, thank you. If we can, we hope to get back to Vincent Town as soon as possible…” Nemo suddenly realized something and frowned. “Wait, why is Lavinia a ‘priest’ but Jesse Dylan is a ‘God’s envoy’?”

“The ‘priest’ prays to God, while the ‘envoy’ conveys God’s will,” the leader of the Bluebird was silent for a moment, before he slowly explained. “Clairvoyance is a terrible skill, and very few people have that talent. Legends have it that Lavinia sacrificed most of her clairvoyance to obtain such a prophecy. And your friend… He understands our sacrificial language and has a very terrible clairvoyant talent. According to our customs, we must recognize him.”

Nemo frowned and translated this passage to Oliver, who also fell into deep contemplation. Neither of them were in the mood to correct the wrong statement of “friend”. Due to Lavinia’s prophecy being overturned, Jesse Dylan’s joke at the beginning didn’t seem like much of a joke anymore…

“I told those little birds that you guys are destined to end this fucking situation.” That was what he said at the time, but none of them took it seriously.

“…I think,” Nemo swallowed. The feeling of being manipulated made him shudder. “We’d better get rid of him quickly.”

Unfortunately, reality always told them otherwise. Just like when they first brought them here, the Bluebirds grabbed them and transported them deep into the night and sent them back to a quieter town than before. Ann wasn’t difficult to find. A small flicker of lightning sparked over a half-ruined home.

Adrian Cross was lying on the sofa that had collapsed, sleeping uneasily. His wounds seemed to have been simply treated. Ann lit an oil lamp and had her arms crossed, frowning tightly. The only good news was that Jesse Dylan wasn’t at the scene.

“We…”

“I have something to say,” the female warrior took the lead. “Oliver, do you want to consider disbanding the team?”

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 65: The Dust Settles

Nemo sat firmly on the ground, allowing his robe to be covered with ashes and dust. The strong smell of blood and burnt flesh was still floating nearby. The dark shadow had slowly shrunk and melted in the sun. The edges of the space cracks slowly squeezed against each other, gradually recovering under the constraints of the law and making an unpleasant clicking sound.

Oliver lowered his right hand and this time there was no terrible wound on his arm. The silver sword flickered with more dazzling light under the sun, then slowly turned into dust and drifted off in the wind. He looked at the metal dust in his palm in silence, sighed slightly, and moved his gaze to Lavinia on the other side of the crack.

The singing continued. The God of Vincent Town gradually dissipated in reality, and at the same time, the divine light faded in the shocked eyes of the townspeople. Their wholehearted faith had lost its direction. The God they believed in had stripped away their rigid dogma and fictional hatred. At that moment, they were weak, ordinary, and free.

People who always claimed to be loved by “God” were always hesitant in the face of that true love. They looked at the familiar scenery around them in confusion and subconsciously wanted to follow their leader. Tig Lorenzo stood silently in place, with a beautiful blue feather showing from one side of his sleeve.

In the endless emptiness and fear, the townspeople could no longer muster the strength to bear their arms again. The warm melody was like a strange visitor, with a happy smile on his face, of reunion after a long separation. He opened his arms to them calmly, unalert, and unprepared. They didn’t know this man, but he could insert a sharp blade straight into their beating hearts.

The icicles and ice walls that ran through countless buildings began to collapse.

Pasotolu crossed the ice wall and let out a loud cry. People turned their unaccustomed faces and listened blankly to the voice that had never appeared in their minds before.

The Bluebirds did not defy their young leader this time. They spread their wings in silence and flew away from the crowd. Even the hotblooded young Grace Bluebirds, who had lost faith in their God and envoy, could no longer attack in this gentle melody that seemed to sap all their fighting spirit.

The center of the former battlefield was suddenly emptied, and only a few figures remained.

Melody Delaney, one of those few remaining—the group’s original mission goal—was healed by Nemo’s Abyssal magic. She stood up staggeringly to the song at this moment. She didn’t look at her father, who was sitting dozens of steps away, or Fritz, who was quietly guarding her, nor her lover. She stood straight up, as if struggling with some invisible force, and then everything in the illusion reappeared again.

Her head and neck, her shoulders, her curly black hair, beautiful teeth, and blue eyes reappeared again. Most of Melody Delaney’s body was still a bird, but her head, neck, and shoulders had been restored to their human appearance. She looked like a beautiful enchantress from myths.

There was no anger or sadness on her face. Her expression was closer to blankness. Those blue eyes were burning with terrible brilliance. Melody turned to the townspeople with difficulty and spread her wings.

“Look at me,” she said.

“You understand, don’t you? It’s okay. Don’t be afraid,” she repeated hoarsely. A pair of wings lost their feathers and turned into white arms. “…Don’t be afraid, okay?”

The Bluebird army had completely withdrawn from the battlefield. Pasotolu landed gently beside her. The tense atmosphere in the crowd gradually eased, and some people looked away, while others sat down dejectedly. Some began to embrace their families and sobbed in low voices. Some still stared at the familiar yet unfamiliar girl in front of them, who used to be the most beautiful girl in town. This time, there was no sword facing the daughter of the Delaney family.

She slowly put away her arms, bit her lips, and slowly buried her face in the thick blue plumage of her lover’s chest.

Since they met this girl in the wild, she would only cry quietly or sob in a low voice like her mother. At this moment, in the midst of countless gazes, she cried loudly without hesitation. The cry did not originate from sadness. It replaced the gradually weakening song of grievances but was full of relief.

It’s over, Nemo thought. This time it may really be over.

The cracks in space were almost closed. The singing got weaker. Lavinia lowered her head and made a farewell gesture to the town that she saw for the first and last time.

Nemo struggled to get up and brushed off the dust on his body vigorously. He was about to open his mouth to greet Oliver when the confession slammed into his head and caused his throat to close up. While he was thinking about how to deal with this problem in the future, a blue belt of light wrapped around his waist.

“Wait—”

The unnatural crack finally closed, and he and Oliver were pulled into the gap by the belt of light before it sealed shut. They were both pulled back to the side that belonged to the Bluebird’s Holy Land. The movement of the light belt gently put them on the ground.

To avoid an awkward confrontation with each other, Nemo quickly turned his attention to Lavinia. “You…”

Before he finished speaking, he knew the reason…

The luster on Lavinia’s feathers was fading, and her breathing became haggard. The song seemed to completely consume what little time she had left. She tried her best to open her eyes as she stared earnestly at the two humans in front of her.

“Thank you,” she said slowly. Her tone was relaxed and peaceful. “Mr. Dylan’s remuneration has been negotiated from the beginning, but you did not make any request… I don’t have much time, so make a wish. As long as I can grant it, it’ll be done.”

Nemo quickly translated these words to Oliver while he stared solemnly at the tip of his dirty boots.

“Do you have anything you want?” Oliver asked softly.

“No,” Nemo replied almost immediately. “There’s retribution to pay for selling the bones of someone’s family.”

“I can give you my strength.” Lavinia didn’t seem surprised to hear the two’s response. “Although there’s not much left, it may be able to help.”

“This is really unnecessary.” Nemo quickly waved his hand. “We… Don’t seem to be very short of it. You don’t have to bear that kind of pain.” He didn’t particularly want to know his future.

The dying Bluebird let out a soft chuckle. “Well then,” she closed her eyes, “if you don’t have a wish, I can only prepare a gift without your approval.”

The forged God solemnly gathered her winged arms while her wings behind her waist hung low, wrapping the bones belonging to the “human” under the tree. It was like she was embracing it and about to enter into her upcoming dream.

“May you… keep moving forward and never get lost.”

She didn’t bid them farewell.

Blue flames began to ignite from the trunk of the tree. The giant Bluebird that was burning remained motionless, without the slightest painful struggle. The center of the flame was so bright that the outline of the tree bird was quickly overwhelmed by brilliance. Although they were inside a mountain, tiny flakes of snow flickered in the air. It wasn’t ashes but the gradually fading debris of light.

The flame grew larger and rose higher, but there was no sense of burning aggression. In just a few seconds, it reflected the dark space and made it seem as if it was day. Blue feathers swirled above the skeleton as if they had regained life. After it was extinguished, the tree bird and the human skeleton completely disappeared, leaving only a snow-white powder in their original place.

The “God” and her only believer left peacefully.

Something was lying quietly on top of the thick dust. Nemo took the lead in approaching it. He reached out his hand before he drew it back with uncertainty. This was a gift from Lavinia to Oliver.

A bone sword, with a simple shape and a clean line, was half buried in the delicate dust. Its blade was snow-white and dense, making it look very sharp. The hilt of the sword was slightly rough, without any decoration, so one couldn’t possibly call it “gorgeous”.

Lavinia had left behind a piece of her bone.

The two of them were silent for a moment. No one was in the mood to mind the subtle and awkward atmosphere between the two of them. Oliver took a few steps forward cautiously. Instead of grabbing the sword, he bowed and made a solemn salute. He then cautiously stretched out his hand, causing the bone sword to float out of the dust and gently roll into the palm of his hand.

It was slightly shorter than the silver sword from the church. Oliver waved it gently a few times before slowly putting it into the scabbard that originally belonged to the silver sword.

“Thank you very much,” he said clearly in the dim silence.

“…What do we do now?” Lavinia had died in front of them, but Nemo unexpectedly didn’t feel much sadness. At this time, the air in the Holy Land was clean and crisp, as if it had been purified. All this was more like the last note of a good song than a parting. She wasn’t sad, and he couldn’t feel pity for her without her authorization.

“Well, let’s go out and see what’s going on with the Bluebirds. Fortunately, you’re here, so at least we can communicate with them. Then we have to find Ann and Mr. Cross.” Oliver tried to relax his tone, but he failed miserably.

“Oh.” Nemo responded somewhat sheepishly. “Yes… Yes, good idea.”

Oliver looked at him helplessly. The latter’s gaze struggled for a while before finally ending up falling on the rough hilt of his bone sword. “Ollie, I think it needs a name. It deserves a name.”

Although he knew that Nemo was trying to change the subject, Oliver didn’t intend to point this out. “Yes, I think so too.”

“That mission… I mean, the tomb exploration mission that Horizon participated in. What was the name of that holy sword again…?” Nemo tried to come up with another topic but got awkwardly stuck.

“I don’t know.” Oliver responded lightly. With Lavinia’s departure, the floating insect incantations in the corridor of the holy land had disappeared. They skillfully followed the path they had traversed before to the exit. “But I have an idea of what I want to name this one.”

“What?”

“…Rest in Peace,” Oliver said. “I want to call it ‘Rest in Peace’.”

Meanwhile, in Vincent Town…

Ann Savage saw that her companions were pulled into the crack and let go of the parrot discontentedly. The incident happened so quickly that she didn’t even have time to respond. The gray parrot let out a squawk and swooped towards the female warrior angrily, only to be met by the tip of her spear.

Unable to vent, it could only tear at the sheepskin bag behind the fuller goat with its claws. The latter paid no mind as it was too busy gnawing on grass by a crooked fence that probably belonged to someone’s garden.

What Ann was worried about at this moment wasn’t Bagelmaurus’ mental health, nor Oliver and Nemo; Lavinia shouldn’t treat them badly. Rather, something more dangerous was approaching at this very moment. Jesse Dylan was carrying the unconscious Knight Commander who was covered in blood on his back. He was marching towards them depressingly. His steps were weak, and his pretty face was extremely pale.

“What did you do to him?” Ann didn’t bother hiding her vigilance.

“How rude. We destroyed the Nightmare Praise, or rather the stone that activated it. You do realize that that’s a living nightmare in it of itself! It can’t just be destroyed by stepping on it with your shoes and rubbing it a few times with the soles of your boots,” Jesse Dylan cried with grief. “Anyways, when dear Adri wakes up, he can tell you himself. Then you can make up for the damage you have done to my heart—”

By their side, the people of Vincent Town were slowly dispersing. Most of the buildings were damaged by icicles, and the original warm town looked desolated. Fortunately, Nemo’s Abyssal healing magic worked well. At least there were only the ruins of buildings but no casualties or wounded.

The female warrior looked around, trying to ignore the beautiful man who was still talking in front of her.

“…Anyway,” she didn’t know how long he had been babbling for until Dylan finally began to make his closing statement, “It’s better for us to find Mr. Ramon soon. You see, as far as the result is concerned…”

“Vincent Town is considered ‘destroyed’.” He shrugged. “Believe me, it won’t go back to the way it was before.”

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The author has something to say:

Oliver finally has a serious weapon—

And Nemo finally became the only member of the team without weapons.

Nemo: … (Picks up the gray parrot)

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Kinky Thoughts:

Who needs weapons when you’ve got the Bagelmaurus laser? Ann might abandon her spear…

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 64: The Last Song

Oliver didn’t lie to him. There was really nothing more distracting than this.

Since those subtle cracks began to open, Nemo didn’t dare to move at will. It wasn’t because of fear of failure in casting his spell, but because the hostility was too strong. It didn’t matter. He could still handle it. It was the price he had personally chosen. Compared to the chill caused by the surging disgust, another thing was even more serious…

He knew this feeling well; being attacked, hated, and begged.

There was only a vague impression in his mind. The sky was getting a little darker than it was now, and the attack became more real. The quivering shadow was naked, and various armors emitted a faint halo in the dimmed light. Countless languages and spells converged in the dark, like a storm without stopping. Although the memory was vague, the instinctive reaction that it brought made Nemo feel a cold chill behind his back. He subconsciously wanted to attack the source of hostility, and the sense of attack seemed to originate from instinct as he felt accustomed to it.

He was frightened by this impulse and almost stopped everything in his hand unsteadily. The fear and hostility of the townspeople didn’t stop, so Nemo had to harden his resolve and reluctantly continue, while desperately trying to empty his mind.

“You bastard son of reptiles and demons, go to hell—” an elderly man with bad legs collapsed on the ground, cursing him angrily.

Perhaps he had come from there.

“Traitor to mankind. Despicable monster!” A voice that belonged to a woman screamed.

There were a handful of humans present.

“Mom, I’m scared. Make it stop—” This time it was the voice of a child crying.

I’m really sorry. Nemo cried and shook his arm slightly.

“…I like you.” His friend had suddenly appeared in front of him. Oliver’s tone was solemn. “Perhaps more than anyone in the world.”

“……Huh?” Nemo finally raised his head. This time, his mind was truly blank. They were in the midst of a battlefield full of smoke, but those noisy and annoying sounds seemed to disappear in an instant. With what he had just heard, he logically couldn’t comprehend that what was said was a word of comfort from a friend.

Nemo stared at him in shock. Oliver didn’t intend for it to be a joke at all. Rather, if Oliver were to make such a joke given the current situation, he would be the first to beat him to a pulp.

He raised his voice in confusion. “What?”

“Help distract you.” Oliver held his shoulders firmly, with a bit of relief in his tone. “Of course, this is the truth. You don’t need to answer me, at least not now or ever. Well, are you distracted?”

He was more than distracted. Nemo stared at those beautiful emerald eyes and almost forgot the next step of the plan. He tried to distinguish his mood. It wasn’t pure joy or the unique warmth of being loved. Too many things were mixed together, and he couldn’t figure any of them out.

This wasn’t the first time he’d heard a confession. There was no aristocracy in Roadside Town. No one would write hymns to their sweethearts. The words people used to confess were direct and few. His last confessor also said something similar, and at the time, she had a sweet smile, and her eyes were shining, and her face was flushed with tension.

Nemo readily agreed to her without any hesitation, because this was what he should do. As long as they didn’t hate each other or even appreciate them just a bit, people would naturally try. He was just one of many mortals, and he didn’t dislike the girl.

Now that he thought about it, the last relationship had ended so quickly. Perhaps she discovered something; for example, he didn’t really “understand”.

Nemo exhaled and finally pulled a thread out of the tumultuous emotions in his heart. It was the strongest and heaviest; he was panicking. He didn’t want to answer with a gentle “yes” anymore, and then watch as those beautiful emerald eyes slowly cooled down for the time that followed.

“I can’t really answer you now, Ollie,” he responded very carefully, as if a louder voice would scare Oliver away. “But I will give you an answer, okay?”

The cracks in the air were no longer closing. They had returned to their normal state, like a flower shattered in the wind. Countless clear icicles penetrated the houses around them and stretched out into the dark and depressing sky. The ashes and black shadows were still floating around, creating a scene that looked extremely close to a standard nightmare. The battlefield never left people with too much breathing room.

Oliver smiled. He didn’t show the slightest disappointment. There was even a trace of joy on his face. “Of course.”

“…You believe me?” Nemo gritted his teeth, but this time, he had to spend more effort concentrating on his energy.

“I do,” Oliver repeated without hesitation.

“Then use your greatest power to attack me,” Nemo whispered. “There is only one step left. I can’t do it alone. Please, Ollie.”

Oliver’s hands let go of his shoulders. He silently drew out the silver sword, with the tip pointed obliquely to the ground, while keeping his expression calm.

“The reason?”

“We’re just outsiders. I can’t love these people or these birds. I can’t convey non-existent feelings, and I don’t think they will let go of the past. ‘Being able to hear pain’ can’t solve the fundamental problem.”

“You’re right.”

“But there’s someone who loves Vincent Town and the Bluebird Tribe at the same time.”

“…I understand.” Oliver nodded. The blade of the silver sword was particularly dazzling under the dim sky.

He didn’t say any more. He never seemed to be indecisive at such a moment. Oliver walked away without hesitation and stopped dozens of steps away from Nemo. Not far away, the Bluebirds whose wounds healed found that the dark shadows and cracks didn’t seem to contain hostility. They refocused their aim at the scattered crowd, and started chanting their spells, lighting up the sky.

“Do it.” Nemo opened his hands. His throat was tense and dry. He was still uncertain at first, but this was indeed the most reasonable thing to do. He had done countless things beyond the limitations of humans and felt uneasy and afraid of them, but some people didn’t care.

Oliver didn’t care.

Nemo suddenly realized what the other person’s feelings meant. His fear of his own strange power dissipated a little. Maybe it didn’t matter if he forgot human norms. Maybe he could push the limits even further, and that person might… There might be a little possibility that he really wouldn’t run away.

After the panic, it was followed by a sad sense of security. Oliver raised his sword and he stretched out his hand. At this moment, he was full of thorny confidence. This reality would develop as he wished, at least in these few seconds, he didn’t need to bow his head to it anymore.

The sword gathered wind, sweeping ice debris around, causing the ground to shake and the soil to surge like waves. Nemo straightened his arms and folded his hands. The small cracks were connected end-to-end, forming a distinct cross in the air. They kept twisting and squirming and began to gather. Just as they were about to blend together, the wind from the sword arrived.

The cross-shaped crack instantly turned into a huge gap, making a tooth-aching shattering sound. The space was cut open then cracked around like broken glass. It seemed that there was a strong explosion and the wind squeezed around the gap at the center. The townspeople fell to the ground while the Bluebirds fell from the sky.

The scene on the other side of the crack was shockingly peaceful.

Gentle blue firelight illuminated the white bones of deformed birds. Lavinia raised her head extremely slowly, staring at the nightmare that was all too clear.

The movements of the Bluebirds completely froze.

Nemo breathed a sigh of relief, and he sat on the ground unobtrusively. The string that had been stretched out in his mind had finally relaxed. The screams of the townspeople and Tig’s shouting were mixed in his ears, but he didn’t bother to distinguish the contents any longer.

“Make yourself at home,” he said wearily to the “God” of Vincent Town.

Not far away, Tig Lorenzo stood in confusion. The Bluebirds had stopped attacking. The holy scriptures in his hand were burning and began to break free like a living creature. He looked at what was exposed in the crack in horror. Its eyes gave him the creeps.

There was no hatred in it; rather it was so gentle that people’s hearts started throbbing. With a powerful and coercive force, it swept the battlefield like a blizzard.

‘Everything is out of control,’ he thought. He trembled and took out his communication crystal. Although it was just a simple action, he almost dropped it.

“Nightmare Praise,” the burly young man murmured. “Start it quickly—”

The communication crystal lit up, which meant that the other party could hear his instructions. However, nothing happened. After a few seconds, the crystal went out again.

“Nemo Light is a bit tougher than I thought,” Jesse sighed as he stepped his boots on the fragile crystal, creating a cracking sound underneath his foot. “I underestimated him.”

Adrian Cross was still sleeping next to the array, and in front of the blond young man, several townspeople were firmly tied and strung up in the air by a light chain to a height where their feet couldn’t even touch the ground. The light chain also sealed their mouths, so they could only make angry muffled screams.

“I really can’t figure out why some people don’t take the easy road.” He walked up to one of the townspeople with his mouth curled. Apparently in a bad mood, he took out a dagger and threw it at random towards the horrified gaze of the group of townspeople. “My dear Morning Star is like this. Even that demon among demons is like this. If they didn’t do anything, no one would accuse them. It’s all their fault for being idiots anyway. Why worry about a group of fools who don’t understand anything?”

The dagger he tossed left a clear blood mark on the arm of one of the townspeople in front of him. Blood instantly spread along the folds of his clothes, causing the man to let out a restrained scream.

“Let’s talk.” The smile on Jesse Dylan’s face disappeared for a few seconds. “Let me tell you your original destiny. You were supposed to go on living in peace for a week. Of course this shit won’t be happening now. Melody Delaney was supposed to die in the wild as a deformed monster, and Pasotolu would still be imprisoned. The next Black Chapters will come and kill the Bluebirds, which will then retaliate and kill you… Ah, sorry, your wife and children will turn into ashes. Finally, Tig Lorenzo will activate the Nightmare Praise.”

“And you’re all destined to fight to the bitter end.” He then laughed maliciously again and threw out another dagger.

“In the end, you’ll all become a sad news story. Another town on the border, destroyed by monsters. In fact, I don’t think that’s a bad ending.”

He held a dagger to the throat of the man in front of him. “What do you think?”

The man’s eyes glazed over, and he screamed frantically.

“Well, I understand.” Jesse nodded as if he really understood and moved the dagger away. “Fools also have their helplessness. I’m not afraid that you will misunderstand… After all, I really don’t care about your life and death, but selling favors always makes me happy.”

The dark clouds began to fade, and the sun peered out again. A dazzling red light lit up in the direction of the center of town.

“Oh.” The blond young man put away his dagger and raised his arms. “The show has begun.”

Nemo thought Lavinia would give orders to the Bluebirds, or at least explain a few words, but she said nothing. She quietly closed her wings, causing a bundle of blue light to fall and rolled up the book before the human bones. The book emitted a red light similar to the light wall. It floated gently, passing through the broken space, and flew to the middle of the battlefield. The silk of light continued to extend in the air, catching the holy scripture that broke free from the arms of the burly young man. It gently dragged the books against the sparks, combining them together.

Then, the silk of light suddenly tightened, and in the red light, pages among pages scattered. The sacrificial text of the Bluebirds broke free from the book and turned into sporadic light and dust. She used her gentle magic to completely unfold the book—it wasn’t a shield nor a weapon.

Nemo now knew what was written in it.

The phantom appeared around everyone, gradually became clear and then began to move. They were a bit vague, but they had an unquestionable sense of authenticity.

It was countless pages of memories. Since one of them had been replaced, the initial scene started abruptly.

The phantoms showed Bluebirds gathered in the forest. One of them slowly stepped out of the team with hesitation. It turned around and faced its former compatriots face-to-face. Then two Bluebirds stepped out of their respective ranks. One of them didn’t have white eyes, but it was starry-eyed.

The townspeople may not understand the language of the Bluebirds, but they could see what was happening as shown by the phantoms. The Bluebird that was starry-eyed spread its wings, causing a dazzling white light to flash. Part of its body began to distort painfully. Its dark beak shrank inwards towards its head and turned into snow-white teeth. The blue feathers fell off in pieces, and in their place, dark hair appeared on the gradually smooth head. The bare wings were twisted, and a palm and five fingers appeared at the top.

They let out hoarse shrieks and twisted on the land, eventually turning into humans.

The one who stepped out first seemed to be the leader. He had transformed into a tall, young human. He pulled out the prepared linen and hastily covered his naked body. After the cloth was taken away, the cover of the “holy scriptures” was exposed on the ground.

He bowed deeply to the Bluebird who performed the operation.

Commotion rose throughout the townspeople. Nemo understood the reason for their confusion. He had seen this young man. It was the portrait of the same young man that hung on the wall of the mayor’s house. He was the very first mayor of Vincent Town.

The long-dead phantom spoke slowly. His voice was dry, and his tone was slow and strange.

“Lavinia,” he said foppishly, as if he was desperately trying to recall vocabulary. “Lavinia… Goodbye.”

The burning ashes of the pages of the book slowly fell, entering the conclusion of the scene, exposing the bone mound in the crack in front of the sleeping deformed tree bird.

“A human businessman came into contact with us today and everyone performed well.”

“Those kids learn very quickly.”

“We tricked a group of hunters. They really believed us!”

“We’re now registered by Willard! Our town has a name…”

“……”

The youth had now become a middle-aged person.

“I have written a lot of songs for you. Human songs also have merits. I have already written a full book. It’s a pity that I can’t hear your voice. If…”

“Isn’t this a beautiful cover? I know you like things that are red. I didn’t finish it when I left. It’s better now than what you saw at the beginning. I wrote your name on it… Do you mind?”

“It’s a pity that I can’t sing well. Otherwise, I can sing it to you.”

The middle-aged person gradually turned old.

“Lavinia, the weather is nice outside today.”

“Lavinia, can you dream?”

“Lavinia, I’m too old… I don’t want to change back. If you can wake up one day, can you recognize me?”

“……”

This time, he was so weak he couldn’t even move.

“…Everyone is doing well. Vincent Town is a happy place, and there’s nothing for me to worry about.”

This was the last page of the diary.

In the gradually dissipating ashes, the God of Vincent Town raised her head and began to sing.

It wasn’t the Bluebird’s language because Nemo failed to hear any special meaning, but he noticed that a lot of the melodies had obvious human characteristics mixed in. Despite its nonsensicalness, it was truly beautiful…

And very, very gentle.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

I’m crying. Their holy scripture; it’s a tale as old as time between two lovers!

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 63: Curse from the Abyss

Tig Lorenzo was in an erratic state at the moment, and it wasn’t the good kind.

It was difficult to assess his current mood. His heart seemed to stop beating and the warm blood in his veins turned into scorching molten iron. Cold sweat had completely soaked his clothing, wetting his entire back as it continued to seep out of his pores. There was no expression on the burly young man’s face, as he had even forgotten how to move the muscles on it.

The cage was perfectly finished. It was strong enough to overdraw all the magic in the holy scriptures and encircled as few houses as possible. He had considered its shape, position, and even the curvature of the dome carefully and had practiced it countless times in his mind.

He had wanted to do this long ago.

Tig was sure that when he took his father’s place, it would be the first thing he would do; eradicate the scourge next to Vincent Town and completely get rid of the unpredictable curse of deformation. He honestly couldn’t comprehend why a group of monsters who didn’t seem to have a good brain could live freely near them for so many generations.

Perhaps it was a common problem of the older generation. Old people were always too cautious, holding every chip in their hands tightly and dreading taking the slightest risk. And the townspeople were too stupid. They were indifferent to the living environment of their children and only wanted to keep their lives unchanged. They religiously believed in their gods, but in the face of monsters, most could only insult and spurn, but few dared grab a sword.

Some even forgot their hatred.

They had hunted many things, from things as small as ordinary hares, as large as steel-thorn porcupines, or as odd as scorpion-tailed wolves. Those were completely normal, but among those countless prey, only the Bluebirds continued to haunt them. Not only did they bite back when they were hunted, but they even counterattacked afterwards. Although it was an inflexible attack that didn’t know how to adapt on behalf of the stupid “pride” that he despised, Vincent Town still suffered from the loss of property and the lives of several innocent people.

In recent years, they had become more difficult to capture. The money they got was completely disproportionate to the price they paid. Then the terrifying curse of deformation began to appear. Why did they continue to let that group of dangerous things live?

When Tig Lorenzo planned all this, he even had some kind of heroic tragedy set in his heart. It didn’t matter if people didn’t understand as long as the results were achieved. His care and sacrifice would be seen. He didn’t need to announce the plan in advance and faced endless debate and persuasion from the town. Doing it like this may cause a little confusion at first, but he only needed to guide the townspeople reasonably, leading to a great and beautiful battle.

But everything right now was more like a farce than a “great and beautiful battle”.

On both sides of the ice wall, the screams of pain, cries for help, and shrieks of agony didn’t disappear. The separated sides began to huddle together. The Bluebirds stubbornly attacked the red wall of light, leaving behind patches of blood while the ordinary townspeople hugged their loved ones trembling in fear. They seemed to finally react to their current predicament. The wounded man who was injured by the Bluebird covered his wounds dully and made a low groan. There was no bleeding from the wound. Rather, the area was completely disintegrated, and his limbs had already turned into ashes that no healer in the world could possibly regenerate.

The Black Chapter that had just suspended the scuffle climbed to the top of the ice wall. His short light brown hair was slightly blowing in the wind, and he turned his face to Tig, shouting clearly.

“Remove this thing!” Oliver shouted loudly. “Stabilize the townspeople and then remove it! You have an opportunity. There’s still a chance to talk—”

“What do you want?” Tig roared back with some collapse. “Why do you want to intervene in our war? We’re about to win! You two god damn bastards! We could’ve won!”

The burly young man gasped violently. His eyes gradually brightened, as if he was convinced by his own words. He ignored Oliver’s request and turned his head to the townspeople outside the cage.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” he shouted in a hoarse voice. “Take up arms and protect your compatriots! The spells from those monsters can’t attack the outside, but we can still attack—”

These words ignited the hope of the people in the cage. They let go of their voices and began to shout for help from the townspeople. Nothing could make people more nervous than the cry of a child. Under the blood and ashes, people had no time to consider reason. With a sudden sense of mission, the townspeople who were still free quickly dispersed. When they returned to the area, they had a variety of weapons in their hands, from sturdy bows and spears to dulled blades and rusty swords.

They began to gather on the side of the Bluebirds army.

Nemo had not climbed the ice wall yet. He was in the midst of the Bluebird army at that moment. The appearance of a human caused him a lot of trouble as he had to parry off many Bluebirds with the shadow before he finally squeezed in front of Pasotolu.

“Why are you here?” He asked anxiously. “Where’s Melody?”

“She… She’s fine.” Pasotolu’s tone had hints of sadness. “I had to prove to the tribe that I haven’t ‘mutinied’. I tried my best. We talked about it beforehand, and they were committed to following the old rules. It’s just that this time they planned to destroy all the buildings so the group of humans would be expelled.”

He looked at Nemo sadly with only his left eye. “This is a trap, isn’t it? In fact, they had insisted on spreading out and attacking indiscriminately at the beginning if it wasn’t for me…”

The Bluebird lowered his head and didn’t continue. He realized what this barrier meant when he saw the people holding weapons approaching from the other side. Once everything was completely turned to ash on their side of the cage by the Bluebirds magic, despair began to spread.

The Bluebirds abandoned the sturdy wall of light and began to attack the ice wall. 

Oliver reinforced the broken layers, trying to keep the townspeople on the other side from being exposed to direct attacks. Nemo could see his hesitation. They could indeed destroy the ice wall, but what would happen after?

They weren’t idealists. No one knew if the Bluebirds would start to retaliate frantically. They couldn’t predict what kind of position they would take to exact their vengeance, and everything at present proved that most of the Bluebirds’ views were from the war faction. Nemo nervously sucked in the muddy air filled with ashes, and the beating of his heart began to make his chest ache. Can this really be stopped?

Whether Tig successfully wiped out the Bluebirds or Pasotolu successfully escaped, the next step would only lead to crazier revenge.

Are they really preventing the prophecy or just facilitating it?

The townspeople outside the cage hesitated, and finally someone began to attack. An arrow that was shot into the cage and was intercepted by the black shadow. Unfortunately, the black shadow moved too fast and cut the arrow in half, so the front end still pierced the Bluebird’s wing. Nemo looked at the source of the arrow; Isaac Delaney took out another arrow and put it firmly on the bowstring.

With a successful example, the crowd seemed to be greatly encouraged. Spells and sharp blades began to pour into the cage. Nemo quickly commanded the shadow and stopped most of the attacks, but he couldn’t defend against magic and blades at the same time.

“It’s abyssal magic. That’s a demon worshiper who deserves to die!” Tig commanded the crowd. “He’s with them. There’s no need to give him mercy—”

The crowd finally began to boil. The weather was clear and the buildings in Vincent Town still had that lovely tone that made people happy. The air was as warm and humid as it had always been, but it was now splintered by countless murderous intentions.

Perhaps it’s time, Nemo thought blankly. They’ve reached the point of “no other solution”. These people weren’t strong. He and Oliver could defeat everyone and forcibly suppress them. They could forcibly stop this small war that was about to get out of control, but as for the aftermath…

It shouldn’t be like this. He raised his head with an increasingly murderous intent and looked at Oliver’s back. The other party was still trying to reinforce the ice wall to protect the people on the other side. Oliver was still insistent, believing that they could find a better solution than the one Jesse Dylan suggested.

Think. Nemo bit his lip fiercely. He should know the answer.

A few steps away from Nemo, Fritz was holding a bow and arrow. Nemo could clearly see his hands shaking from a distance. The young hunter avoided Nemo’s eyes. Amidst the wails for help and crying of his compatriots, he finally raised his bow when suddenly a blue figure crossed through the crowd from above and stumbled towards the cage.

The Bluebird made intermittent and meaningless chirps. While Nemo couldn’t tell by its appearance, he recognized the clumsy posture and meaningless cries.

Unfortunately, Melody didn’t rush into the cage as successfully as the girl with long braids. A few arrows had pierced deeply into her back. She fell a few steps away from the cage as blood began to seep into the soil. Isaac Delaney’s eyes were firm, and he didn’t intend to stop attacking.

She gasped with difficulty. She hadn’t had time to learn the funeral rites of the Bluebird and could only stretch her forelimbs to the cage like a human, making a weak “silent” chirp with her mouth. After finding that she could not drag this strange and heavy body, she raised her head and looked imploringly at her former compatriots around her.

And her compatriots responded by raising their swords to her, with only one exception.

“……Melody?” Fritz’s voice trembled, and he stared into her eyes. “Melody?”

“What nonsense are you talking about—” Isaac roared angrily, and then his voice choked. The dying bluebird nodded very slowly.

Fritz half knelt down and gently placed his weapon on the blood-soaked ground.

“I was right,” he said softly, showing a stiff and ugly smile. “It is you.”

He was as abnormal as she was. This cognition had never been so clear—he also fell in love with a Bluebird.

Huge wings began to spread out behind the hunter, causing the crowd to scream in fear and disperse around him as if they were avoiding a corpse that died from a plague. Fritz Berman’s transformation was much faster than Melody’s. After a while, there were no traces of a human appearance left.

He stayed quietly where he was, guarding his beloved.

The young people who rushed forward; there were a few familiar faces that Nemo guessed were Fritz’s friends, also began to show blue feathers on their arms.

“Calm down!” After a long silence, Tig’s voice sounded again. This time there was a noticeable cry in his voice. “The curse is spreading! As long as these things are still alive, we will all be infected—”

[We will always love our relatives, our friends, and our lovers.]

“A war cannot be without sacrifices!” He roared as he quietly hid his left arm, which was almost completely transformed into a wing.

With fear of monsters, the people were no longer cautious. Everything was now beyond common sense. It plunged the townspeople into madness.

At this moment, the red wall of light suddenly turned into a spot of light that Nemo completely destroyed, shattering the light film. He stood up and made up his mind. He was just about to turn to greet Oliver, who was already staring at him.

But he wasn’t met with an overwhelming attack.

“You have a way, right?” Countless icicles rose and stirred the battlefield into a pot of porridge. Oliver jumped over sharply from the top of the wall, giving Nemo a wink while activating the communication crystal.

“I need a little time. Just a little is enough,” Nemo said quickly.

“I know—Ms. Savage, it’s time to join us,” he shouted loudly while erecting a solid ice wall near Pasotolu. “Let’s make some trouble!”

The freed Bluebirds didn’t fly away immediately. They tried to attack the crowd angrily, but their action was interrupted by icicles that poked out from various angles, so they couldn’t complete their spellcasting. Ann tore off her cloak and jumped on top of the fuller goat. This time, she didn’t use her lightning spell. She grabbed Bagelmaurus and squeezed its neck, causing the latter to spew out a dark beam of light from its mouth.

“Abyssal magic.” She stood next to Tig Lorenzo and whistled at the attacking Bluebirds. “I’m not guaranteeing what will happen after being hit by it…”

“You demon…” the gray parrot scolded weakly, but before it could finish, its neck was squeezed again. The beam of light with a strong evil aura broke through the air, giving off another demonstration.

“I’m honored to be praised by a demon.” Ann smiled. “Don’t be capricious. This is teamwork.”

Since both leaders on either side were well protected, both sides could only start attacking each other. Their attempts didn’t last long though. Just as the Bluebirds and the townspeople were about to become entangled, strange dense dark clouds obscured the sky. Day seemed to transform into night in an instant, and the unnatural change slowed down the rhythm of the fighting as everyone’s attention was diverted.

Countless small cracks appeared in the air like solidified marks left after chopping something.

There was a chilling firelight in them as dark shadows continued to gush out from the cracks. They crawled along the ground like living creatures, flowing past the dying Melody Delaney and those who were wounded; entangling every life that possessed a beating heart.

Nemo stretched out his right arm firmly, trying to empty his mind. Countless fragments of memories poured through them, from Melody’s war gestures to the wailing of the Bluebird messengers, and finally fixated on the half-finished fairytale.

Love could indeed lift Lavinia’s “curse”, but the real story that had developed to the present was missing a vital part.

He pulled the corners of his mouth up, showing a difficult but heartfelt smile. If they wanted to deny their human identity, there was nothing better to divert their attention than a “real ‘curse’ brought on by an evil mage”.

Dark shadows surged, and fear and murderous intent entangled with each other, creating a scene like hell on earth.

“I ‘curse’ you,” he whispered. “I ‘curse’ you… You can hear me.”

Oliver recognized the abyssal magic in front of him. It had pulled him back from the edge of death in the battle against Witherspoon, and on the way to Vincent, those dark shadows had crept timidly around his bloody blisters on the soles of his feet.

Nemo was treating them, but perhaps it wasn’t a simple treatment. The dark shadow had also entangled Oliver himself, but he remained unscathed.

Oliver suddenly realized something. He turned his head to look at the black-haired young man in the middle of the shadow vortex. Nemo’s face was pale, and his eyes looked distracted. The golden-red cracks started spreading out slowly.

Then he heard it.

The melody that hovered over the battlefield was full of anger, sadness, and despair and brought painful stimulation like a dagger stabbing into one’s skull. The brain trembled against the impact and the nerves ached numbly, like being immersed in ice water. Then the sad and beautiful, graceful tune almost suffocated him. He was not the only one who was shocked. The townspeople of Vincent Town stopped moving almost at the same time. The Bluebirds, whose wounds had healed, all flew up, instinctively staying away from the cracks.

“Make it stop—!” A scream cried out from a woman who was tearing at her hair. The knife in her hand slipped away. “Make it stop, please!”

“You demon—”

People began to wail. They seemed to be unable to bear the emotion caused by these “emotionless monsters” and quickly lost the strength to attack their hostile target. They desperately swarmed in the opposite direction of Nemo, fleeing staggeringly, as if that would weaken the knife-like melody.

Nemo stood motionless among the ashes, like a statue. He pursed his lips tightly, with no expression on his face covered with sweat, letting the despair and murderous intent of the townspeople pour out. It was so thick at the moment that even Oliver felt his hair stand up. Countless small cracks still floated around Nemo, but they trembled slightly at the moment, showing no signs of closing.

Oliver pondered for a moment and took a deep breath. He straightened his dusty lapel and stepped over the shadows and ashes.

“Well done.” He stood still in front of Nemo, staring closely at his face. “Is this what you keep hearing?”

“Yes,” Nemo replied perfunctorily, as he stared at the ground. “Don’t talk to me yet. I’m trying to keep myself distracted…”

They didn’t need Adrian’s combat experience to feel the thick hostility. The cracks began to shake more…

This wasn’t an imitation of humans at all. Nemo Light would really suffer because of this great hostility, but a soul that suffers couldn’t be a piece of nothingness. He really liked this person standing in front of him—or whatever he may be. It didn’t matter anymore, because Oliver stood in the swirling shadows, but could no longer feel the slightest bit of instinctive fear of the unknown.

If the other party needed a little fire now, then he might be able to say it. Oliver thought that this feeling was different from the “deep love” he had imagined. It was too soft, too quiet, and not qualified to become a shield against the world. But even if it was just a subtle and wavering light full of many questions, at least it had always been real and had never been extinguished since the day it was ignited. It may be able to create a bit of breathing room in this airtight malice.

“Then this may help.” Oliver stretched out his hands and put them directly on Nemo’s shoulders. “Listen, although I don’t know if this is qualified to be called love, and I still have many questions that I haven’t thought about clearly, you have to know—”

“I like you very much, perhaps more than anyone in the world.”

---

Kinky Thoughts:

All I can say is: KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 62: Derailed Battle

“Oops.” Jesse raised his eyebrows at the dark communication crystal in his hand. “Has Mr. Ramon always been so rude?”

Jesse had no intention of resisting. Adrian grabbed his wrist and unceremoniously snatched the crystal out of Jesse’s hand. The beautiful blond young man turned his head with a sweet smile on his face. He was just about to speak…

“Why did you guide them?” Adrian neatly blocked those words that were about to be spoken.

The smile on Jesse’s face faded a bit. He dug into his ears with a finger and raised his voice. “What?”

“Don’t play dumb.” The former Knight Commander shook his head. His scorching eyes were glaring at Jesse. “When we were in the dungeon, I didn’t feel quite right. Although I can’t understand the sacrificial text… If the holy land is truly important to the Bluebird, you must inform them of outsiders in advance when you take them to ‘visit’. However, you just took us there directly. If I’m not mistaken, there’s only one possibility. Before you even spoke to Mr. Ramon, you had already applied for permission from Pasotalo using written text.”

Jesse’s eyebrows raised even higher, almost disappearing from behind his light golden bangs.

“You wanted them to see Lavinia. You deliberately let Light see that book. Am I wrong? Although I don’t know what your purpose is, you let us know the truth, and shortly after we connected with the mayor, the mayor’s son declared war… Although I don’t know if this is what the mayor wants, fear of us spreading rumors is just one of the reasons.”

“A man who’s too keen is unpopular,” Jesse said, giving a loud tut.

“There are not so many ‘coincidences’ in the world,” Adrian said coldly, staring sharply at the icy blue eyes opposite of him. “Even though I can’t guess your purpose… Your suggestion just now is very practical. You knew he would likely agree, as long as Mr. Light is vulnerable,” he paused for a moment, “or arrogant.”

“Can’t I have no purpose?” Jesse spread out his hands. “You’re such a blockhead.”

“I told you don’t play dumb. All this is too well prepared. You want us to get involved in this mess in Vincent Town, don’t you? This is simply too much for the purpose of poaching.”

Jesse Dylan smiled. It’s just that this time, his eyes held no laughter, and he didn’t bother to hide it.

“I need to know what kind of person Nemo Light is.” His tone was still frivolous. “Of course, it’s not a big deal, but I’m very curious.”

“Curious enough to cause a war?” Adrian snorted and gave a rare mocking laugh. “Even if there’s nothing wrong with Mr. Light, this war will likely distort him. He was just a civilian before, Dylan.”

“…That’s the most interesting part.” The smile on the corner of the blond young man’s mouth became more prominent. He murmured at a low volume, as if he was talking to himself. “A civilian.”

“Now I have one question left. What made you decide to teleport to me? …Is it because of this?” Adrian turned his head and looked at the magic array radiating ominous power not far away. It looked ordinary, and even the mantra was painted crookedly and twisted, full of traces of alteration. It was mixed in with the neat general defense array, like an ugly scar.

A dark red stone mixed with white dots lay quietly in the heart of the formation without any strange light or repressive powers. It was like a child accidently kicking an ordinary stone into a magic array. A fat flying insect staggered into the range of the magic array, and with a wisp of smoke, it turned into nothingness. There wasn’t even ash left.

“Supposed you really contributed to all this,” Adrian took a few steps back, turned around, and smoothly took off the bow on his back. Within the next second, the tip of the arrow had already locked onto Jesse Dylan’s head. “Then you couldn’t have expected his refusal.”

“What do you think I’m planning to do?” Jesse stared at the tip of the arrow with a grin. His eyes were now truly laughing. “Trigger the formation in advance to destroy the Bluebird race, or destroy the formation so it can blow up half the town? Oh, you’re too much.” He licked the corner of his mouth. “…Sure enough, you’re more suitable.”

“What?”

“The object of my love at first sight.”

The corners of Adrian’s mouth twitched, but the hand holding the bow remained motionless.

“I really can’t disarm this magic array, but if I’m not mistaken… The former ‘Luminous Morning Star’ could do it.”

“I used to be able to, but now I don’t have the power.”

“That’s not a big deal. I can solve this small problem.” Jesse happily leaned in closer, almost pricking his eyes on the tip of the arrow. “You should be able to tell if I’m lying, no? As long as you’re willing to beg me—”

“Okay,” Adrian was very straightforward and didn’t hesitate for even half a second. “I’m begging you.”

“…Don’t you have any self-esteem?”

“Is self-esteem more important than other people’s lives?”

“You make people so unfulfilled like this¹! It’s no fun at all. Bah, fine…” Jesse sighed loudly as he stood there angrily for a while. Then he took out a dagger and quickly cut the index finger of his right hand. “Don’t be nervous, baby. You should know this magic. Now pull down your collar. Don’t move around. The first time might hurt a bit¹.”

¹Note: He’s purposefully speaking like this as they’re innuendos and have double meanings.

Adrian took a deep breath. The blood vessels on his forehead bulged angrily. Jesse used his blood-stained fingers to draw a magic array on the back of his neck. Adrian’s expression had never turned serious this quickly when he felt the movements.

“You…” He didn’t use honorifics.

“Don’t look like that. I already said that you should know this magic.”

“The ‘Choir’s Spiritual Sacrifice’.” The Knight Commander turned around. His collar opened further, and his brows frowned. “Since time is limited, I won’t ask about anything else… Are you sure you can handle it? I have no magic left at all now, so it’ll directly draw your powers. If your magic isn’t enough, not only will you not be able to destroy the array, but you’ll also likely die from exhaustion.”

“I know. Did you suddenly think that I’m pretty kind and brave now?”

“No. You’re not the type to sacrifice yourself for this kind of thing, which means your strength is not much different from mine before,” Adrian said deeply. “Who the hell are you?”

“A civilian.” Jesse revealed a row of neat and beautiful teeth. “Go, my Morning Star.”

Adrian stretched out his hands and a dazzling white light shone again between his slender fingers. He was silent for a moment, then raised his head and gave a meaningful look to the grinning Jesse Dylan.

The next moment, a complicated magic array lit up directly under his feet. Adrian stepped on the magic array in the air and jumped higher and higher. The rotating white array made tiny air bursts under his feet. Eventually, he was suspended high above the ugly array. He drew his bow back to the furthest it could go, but there was no arrow on the bowstring. The bowstring trembled as a pure white light arrow blasted down to the magic array below.

The stone in the center of the formation finally reacted. It trembled like a living thing, and liquid bubbles appeared on the dry and cracked land. The lines of the magic array became like punctured blood vessels spewing out endless dark and vicious liquids. Rather than spreading out, the liquid shot into the sky, like a reversed rainstorm.

The bone jade stone was fighting back.

The former Knight Commander didn’t hesitate. White light arrows continued to accurately hit the sharp and ominous black liquid shuttles. The warm and dazzling light pressed slowly and firmly towards the array, without missing a single spot. At the same time, Adrian continuously shot arrows as his hand kept moving. One after another, white arrows rained down, creating white arrays that bombarded the stone.

Finally, there was a soft sound. The stone seemed to have weathered and been scattered into dark red fine sand.

The roughly drawn array was completely destroyed.

Adrian didn’t delay for even a second. He stepped on the magic array, descending from the air, and knelt on the ground on his softened knees. He seemed to want to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, blood spurted out.

“I told you,” Jesse Dylan didn’t look any different, but his face was a little pale. “It will hurt for the first time. After all, with your former strength, you wouldn’t have to use the Choir’s Spiritual Sacrifice.”

“…Ah, fine.” Jesse took a step forward and hugged the other person. The object of his sigh didn’t answer back. Adrian lowered his head and slumped his body. It’s been too long since he carried magic that his body fell into serious disarray. He then lost consciousness. “Don’t faint like this or I’ll be bored to death by myself.”

While muttering to himself, he took out the communication crystal from Adrian’s pocket. The transparent crystal was stained with blood at the moment.

“Darlings! …Hey, don’t cut off yet. I have important things to say.” Adrian’s head was resting on his shoulder. The blond young man remained motionless, allowing his high-end clothing to be soaked in blood. He glanced at the destroyed array. “You don’t have to worry about that stupid array.”

This time he didn’t wait for Oliver to respond before he cut off the call.

‘Sure enough, it’s more interesting to be rude,’  Jesse thought seriously. He put the unconscious Adrian on the edge of the formation and stretched his body.

“…What does he mean?” Nemo asked with a stern face.

“They should’ve taken care of it… Well, you know,” Oliver responded unsurely. “Mr. Cross won’t let him talk nonsense.”

“Are you still in the mood to discuss other things?” The mayor’s son said coldly as he clutched a small dark red stone. The translucent black shield was holding Oliver and Nemo inside.

“Well, let’s get back to the topic. I suggest you immediately retreat.” Oliver raised his hands, indicating that his attention had turned back to the present. “There’s still time to recover. Surrender before the Bluebird attacks. Neither side is rational right now—”

Although they had never participated in a war before, Nemo knew what would happen. If Jesse Dylan’s information was correct and the Bluebird had abandoned their creed, then the Bluebirds’ army may arrive at any moment. It was impossible to start a battle with one side scattered, but—

“Not rational?” The burly young man raised his voice. The townspeople surrounded them, listening in with some boredom and curiosity. They didn’t seem to be at all phased by the word “war” that came out of the youth’s mouth.

“The people around you don’t know yet, right?” Nemo muttered. “So it’s obvious that you’re not rational.”

“Tig, what are you doing? Where’s your father?” Their old acquaintance Fritz showed up. Behind the young hunter, a woman in a cloak was holding a fuller goat and quietly gestured to them. Nemo probed and found a squashed gray parrot in the gap between the big and small bags. Bagelmaurus was trying its best to hide.

“Father is not well.” Seeing his friend, Tig’s face loosened a little. “Fritz, my friend, we need your strength. Together, let’s kill those hateful monsters.”

“No!” Fritz shouted in surprise. “Why are you talking crazy all of a sudden? Didn’t you say a few days ago that it’s best to ease the tension?”

“I have set up a bone jade stone. I’ve already made up my mind.”

“But they didn’t!” Fritz waved to the crowd. “Stop it! I have to see the mayor. There’s only been a small fuss these past few months. The Bluebird’s punctuality has given us time to prepare, evacuate, and fight in a dignified manner! Are you really crazy enough to use the bone jade stone? What the hell are you thinking? God, I should have stopped you when you messed with that magic array… If the Bluebirds knew—”

Tig grabbed Fritz’s collar.

“You don’t understand anything at all. I don’t have time to convince everyone!” He roared. “I know you didn’t take the array seriously. No one did. I have suggested it to my father countless times, and he always refuses. I thought…” He gritted his teeth and swallowed the words that seemed to be stuck in his throat. “Now I understand… I’m protecting you, Fritz! Are you willing to let Melody be taken from you—”

“Melody is our friend. She’s not someone’s personal property.” The young hunter batted Tig’s hand away. “You know, don’t you? The mayor has told you? If you still have any respect for her, don’t shout here.”

The crowd seemed to realize something was wrong, and a slight commotion began to stir.

“…You’re still treating me like a fool. You all are.” Tig took two steps back. His voice was disappointed and sad. “Do you really think I’m doing this on a whim? We have known each other for many years, but you think of me like those evil Black Chapters… Did you think I didn’t expect the Bluebirds to attack in advance?”

“Do you know how long I have been preparing for this? It makes no difference if it’s one day earlier or one day later.” He gripped the holy scriptures tightly with one hand and made a gesture with the other. “Fritz, you’ll thank me. After talking so much, the time should almost be up. As for you…” He looked at Oliver and Nemo coldly. “Feel how it is to die by the hands of those monsters.”

Huge shadows approached silently. The Bluebird’s wings obscured the sky. The armor on their bodies flickered in the brilliance of the setting sun with a mysterious beauty, but no one was in the mood to appreciate it at this moment. The townspeople of Vincent Town gathered all in one place, which was quite conspicuous and everyone was keenly aware of it.

The crowd was in violent commotion as figures pushed each other, creating a chaotic mess like a pan full of hot oil that was splashed with cold water.

“Don’t panic! It’s all planned!” Tig’s voice was amplified by a magic array. “Retreat behind me. Hurry up!”

The Bluebirds began to dive, and the glow of their spell fell mercilessly.

Nemo took in a deep breath. He understood why there was no obvious damage during their months of fighting because the Bluebirds didn’t leave any traces in their wake. A blue beam of light enveloped a hut on the edge of town, turning it into ash in an instant, then was submerged by a crazy growth of vegetation all around. It looked like it had fallen into an invisible swamp and had never existed in the first place.

The Bluebirds rushed forward when suddenly—

Tig waved his holy scriptus and the four corners of the scripture burst into an overwhelming arc of light. This time, the light film was not as simple as covering a room. The entire huge army of Bluebirds was completely sealed inside. They angrily attacked the thick wall of light when…

“Sister!” a little boy inadvertently got trapped inside the light film. The wall only allowed things in but not out. The grass that he used to blow soap bubbles fell to the ground, and he looked a little dazed with his nose flattened on the light film. “Wait for me—”

The girl with long braids, who was a few steps away, covered her mouth and let out a suppressed scream.

It seemed that the panicked people weren’t as adaptive as the young leader had thought. About one-tenth of them didn’t react in time and were locked in the light film with the Bluebirds. At this point, Nemo had to admit that Tig’s plan did have merits. According to the Bluebird’s attack method, concentration could reduce damage more than dispersion. If people had calmly executed his orders, he could indeed control most of the Bluebird’s troops cleanly.

It was a shame that reality often didn’t obey a person’s imagination.

Tig himself looked momentarily flustered before he regained his previous composure—if one were to ignore his slightly trembling lower lip and the cold sweat on the corner of his forehead.

“Don’t panic. Those monsters are finished! They never split up!” He announced loudly, then ordered, “Help me translate. Don’t hurt the people inside so you can die decently. They have no way out. If they dare make a move, I’ll skin them alive.”

“Nemo,” Oliver’s expression became serious as he put one hand on the black barrier. “Get rid of this thing.”

The two of them had never been leaders, but they knew better than anyone what an ordinary person’s thoughts were. Some were stupid and rash, but some showed a little bravery…

The girl with long braids was the first to rush back.

She ran into the huge red prison like a sacrifice and passed through the thick film of light and hugged the little boy. She held him tightly in her arms, with her back facing the chaotic Bluebirds army. She was the first, then a second, and then a third.

Countless.

Within a few minutes, a third of the crowd had rushed back.

“Come back to me!” Tig roared, with a hint of panic in his voice for the first time. “Come to your senses. That’s an acceptable—”

That’s an acceptable sacrifice. Nemo helped him finish his sentence in his heart.

The young leader had made a small mistake—just a small, unplanned mistake. Everything he had planned had gone 90% correctly, but was now about to collapse. The Bluebirds struggled frantically in the cage. The glow of magic flashed like lightning. A beam of blue light passed across a man’s body, turning his limbs into ash that scattered in the wind. People’s screams were mixed with the wailing of the Bluebirds, giving them a common ground; they were all trying to squeeze out, regardless of the cost.

Some people found knives from nearby houses, and some were casting simple offensive spells. Two sides crowded together in the cage and maintained a state of confrontation. Nemo trembled and exhaled, and for the third time, slammed his black barrier against the cage, penetrating it.

The countless screams and wailing around instantly became clearer.

“Oliver, hurry.” Now, the battle between the two sides was still in a tentative stage, and there were no casualties yet, but if there was another trigger…

“—Tell those monsters, if they don’t stop, I’ll activate the Nightmare Praise—” Tig announced righteously. His voice no longer held the kind of cold confidence it once held as it was full of shakiness. He held the holy scriptures firmly, refusing to let go. A faint spark began to appear in the corner of the scripture.

The town wasn’t big. Half of its population had already rushed back, but if the cage was removed, the Bluebirds who had suffered a big loss, would disperse. There was no second chance. He still had the opportunity, as long as they could be deterred…

He could still win.

Unfortunately, this statement proved counterproductive. Once the principle was broken, no one would believe that the threat would stop at just a “threat”. The people may not know what Nightmare Praise meant, but the Bluebirds understood war language.

After a moment of silence, the Bluebird army, which barely maintained their formation, suddenly collapsed. Nemo caught sight of the commander’s position at a glance. The Bluebird, blind in its right eye, was standing there, chirping loudly. Pasotolu tried in vain to stabilize the chaotic army.

The next moment, ice layers rose from the soil. It no longer had the aggregation of sharp spikes but a regular smooth surface. It bypassed each pair of entangled humans and birds, completely separating them.

In the cage, a twisted and exquisite ice wall appeared.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 61: The So-Called Salvation

Everything happened too suddenly.

When the rain of spears fell, Oliver struggled, subconsciously wanting to draw his sword to stop it, but before he had touched the hilt of the sword, the two bluebirds had already fallen to the ground. He watched them gush out blood in front of him, turning into ashes. The once beautiful creature left nothing—not even a feather, except for a dark bloodstain.

Just a few seconds ago, Oliver could see their slightly opened beaks, but only a desperate silence followed.

He turned his gaze to the mayor’s son. The expression of the big young man was still calm, but his face had become almost as pale as his hat. He slowly made a gesture on the cover of the holy scripture, and the red light film gradually became transparent. The only remaining Bluebird stood in a pile of ashes. There were no tears, no sounds, and no expression on his feather-covered face. He stood there, letting the spear that penetrated his body release warm blood, as if he had lost even the feeling of pain.

He raised his pair of wings on his arms very slowly and gestured weakly.

“Good.” The girl translated dryly. Her voice was flat without any fluctuation. “That’s what it says.”

The Bluebird didn’t pull out the spear. He struggled for a long time before he barely managed to take off, leaving behind a string of scarlet blood beads in the air. The weather was good enough today that his blue figure should have blended into the sky gracefully and perfectly, but the black spear that penetrated his arm caused him to fly askew.

Although the sun was very bright, Oliver suddenly felt cold. He moved his fingers away from the hilt of his sword and shrank his body to ensure that the black shadow was actually covering him. He suddenly noticed that the shadow itself was quivering.

He quickly turned his head. Nemo wasn’t looking at him. He wasn’t even looking anywhere. The black-haired young man clutched his ears tightly. His face was expressionless, and his eyes were looking at a certain point in the void. The fingers of his hands were wrapped with a lot of shaking small shadows, which helped him block every gap to avoid sound that might drill into his ears.

Oliver stretched out his hand and gently grabbed Nemo’s forearms. “He’s gone,” he mouthed the words slowly to Nemo.

Nemo finally let go of his hands and the dark shadows disintegrated under the sun. He was still staring at an unknown corner, as if desperately trying to stabilize his emotions.

“You can’t hear them, can you?” Nemo said, in a very soft voice. “I really envy you, Ollie.”

The “silent” screams and wails.

Nemo didn’t dare look at Oliver. He was afraid that he couldn’t hold in his out-of-control emotions. The Bluebird’s melody was shocking. He had felt the warmth and love of it before and had learned the melody of anger and hatred. However, this was the first time he heard despair and agony. Putting it into perspective, he felt better being nailed into that stone boulder by Witherspoon. The melody made everything wet and cold, like a rotting coffin, cold and rancid overnight tea, or thick dust inside ruins.  

It reminded him of the last moments of Old Patrick. The moment the hand of a loved one became cold and stiff in his hand, it was like emptiness, as if the ground had disappeared.

Those who couldn’t hear it just looked at the sad singer and remained unmoved. In each other’s eyes, they considered them to be the coldest creatures alive.

“Gather everyone immediately.” The mayor’s son straightened his hat and didn’t look at the blood stains left on the ground anymore. “I have something very important to say.”

Nemo danced his fingers, and the black shadow circled and folded according to his intention. It covered him and Oliver, completely shrouding their breath and sense of existence. He maintained a curled posture for a long time, but his legs and feet didn’t feel numb. He could no longer tell whether it was uncomfortable or if his limbs had turned to stone.

The white-clothed soldiers dispersed with serious expressions. The mayor’s son, Tig, sat down slowly, not caring that his white clothes were soiled by the dust on the threshold. He stared at the pool of blood for a while, his expression a little dazed, as if he had realized what he had done. For a long time, he turned his eyes stiffly, opened the holy scriptures, and silently recited the words.

His voice was very low, but Nemo could hear it very clearly.

“…We will always love our relatives, our friends, and our lovers. We will always guard them…”

The mayor’s son recited the two sentences on the back cover of the holy scriptures repeatedly, as if they were spells that could dissipate the smell of blood.

Nemo leaned in Oliver’s direction unconsciously. The other party’s body temperature poured into him. It was probably the only thing that made him feel warm at this moment. Oliver stretched out an arm quietly and half encircled it around his shoulder.

“If you can,” Oliver whispered, “I hope I can hear it too.”

They leaned quietly together and watched the people in religious uniforms gradually gather in the courtyard. The sun moved to the west and gradually turned golden red. The two maintained a tacit silence until the communication crystal glowed through the fabric.

Oliver took it out of the pocket on his chest, and Nemo was relieved to find something to divert his attention. ‘It’s probably Ann,’ he thought silently, hoping that she was okay.

“It’s me.” The voice of the Knight Commander came from the crystal.

They exchanged unexpected glances and then stared at the exquisite crystal together.

“How is your side?”

“The mayor’s son declared war on the Bluebirds. This time, it might not be a minor squabble… They killed the Bluebird messengers.”

“Sure enough… I know why they didn’t chase us.” Adrian’s voice dropped a little. “There is a bone jade stone in this town.”

“What is that?”

“Weapons.” The former Knight Commander explained succinctly, “Bone jade comes from the bottom of the abyss and is usually possessed by the royal family. The accompanying stones around them are only ores radiated by their magic. There have been many on the black market, but their power is limited, so generally they turn a blind eye to them.”

“What does it have to do with whether they chase us or not?”

“As long as they are used properly, they can transform ordinary surface magic into abyssal magic. I also found a magic array that’s active… Mr. Ramon, have you heard of ‘Nightmare Praise’?”

“……No.”

Adrian let out a sigh on the other side of the crystal. “It can… It directly puts the enemy to a sleep of death without destroying the body. It’s an indiscriminate attack spell with medium range.”

“Indiscriminate attack?” Before Oliver spoke, Nemo interrupted. “They are going to directly attack the Bluebird tribe?”

“I’m afraid so. After all, it is not suitable for use on the battlefield.”

“But the mayor just said he didn’t want to fight the Bluebird—”

“This is definitely not on a whim.” Adrian’s tone was calm. “The magic array had just been completed today. There are many traces of older changes. It can be seen that whoever made this had hesitated for a long time. It makes sense. If the tribe is destroyed, Vincent Town can directly sell the corpses and won’t need to worry about us ‘spreading rumors’.”

“Mr. Cross, can you destroy it?” Oliver said, as he let go of Nemo’s shoulders.

“If I still have my powers I can. I’m afraid no one can do it now. It has been activated, and it is quite unstable. Only the caster can lift it.”

“We’ll notify Jesse. They won’t fight until noon tomorrow, so we still have time,” Oliver said quickly.

“Time to stop them?” Adrian paused. “Mr. Ramon, to be honest, I don’t think they’ll stop.”

“You stay at the magic array. I… I’ll think of a way.” Oliver gritted his teeth and said, “There’s always a way.”

Adrian let out a very light sigh, and then his voice hitched a little. “Jesse Dylan?!”

“Hi darling,” a lazy voice came from the crystal. “I bear unfortunate news. I was driven out by the birds. Thank you for your communication crystal. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know where to find you.”

“What’s going on?” Oliver, who was about to terminate the call, brought the crystal closer to him again.

“Since the messengers are dead, the younger ones are in a fury,” Jesse said casually, as if he was discussing the weather. “You see, they even kicked me out! I knew I shouldn’t have returned the book. I was caught when I came out of the holy land.”

He chuckled for a while, as if this was an extremely funny joke.

“So I only have one piece of information left—” Jesse dragged on. “They don’t seem to plan to attack at the agreed time. After all, Vincent broke the rules first. Tell me, Mr. Ramon. Those idiots don’t really think that the Bluebirds will keep to tradition in this case now, right?”

He didn’t think so. Nemo turned his head speechlessly—

The residents gathered in front of the house in town in a bustling manner. All of them wore white uniforms and crowded together like a flock of confused pigeons. They had to be careful and hide in an inconspicuous corner. 

“Praise Lavinia.” The mayor’s son’s back straightened at this moment. His voice was loud under the magic array. “With God’s blessing, we are gathered here…”

“I have an idea.” Jesse seemed to have snatched the communication crystal from Adrian. With the sound of the mayor’s son’s speech in the background, his voice was full of smiles. “Given the circumstances, we don’t have much time now. Mr. Ramon, plans are never as quick as changes, right?”

“Get to the point,” Oliver replied back with extreme difficulty through gritted teeth.

“Before the Bluebirds attack, just remove the enchantment on Vincent Town! If it’s just destroying a blessing, we have a great candidate. No one is more suitable for this job than a demon warlock. Only half the people needed to be sacrificed to ensure that the other half would survive. This is more cost-effective than total destruction, isn’t it? After those idiots turn back into Bluebirds, they probably can’t even stand up.”

Oliver slowly turned his gaze to Nemo, who was staring at the crystal solemnly.

“I saw a… Uh, rough but powerful array here. If I’m guessing this correctly, this is the prelude to their extermination. No one will blame you, dear Nemo. You’re much stronger than they are, so naturally you have the power to decide what ‘justice’ is.”

Nemo closed his eyes.

In the darkness, the slender flow of magic was pulled out of people’s bodies, enveloping the entire town like a spider web. The silver mantra threads with faint golden light looked fragile and beautiful… As if they would break with a flick of the hand.

“You’re saving them. Don’t hesitate. As long as you’re willing to do it, we can give Lavinia an answer today. Besides, the Bluebirds won’t kill all of them. They will always leave a few—”

Nemo took a deep breath and raised his eyes. In front of the mayor’s house. Young parents hugged their children and looked in the direction of the house on tiptoe. The girl with long braids who gave them direction was holding her younger siblings. One of the boys was holding a straw stalk used to blow soap bubbles. People listened quietly to the words of the burly young man without fanatical cheers or applause. They even looked numb and dazed, as if they seemed to have grown accustomed to this kind of conflict.

“…You look up to me.” Nemo was silent for a while before replying slowly. “But I’m just a mortal.”

“But you can indeed destroy the enchantment, right?”

“I won’t do that,” Nemo said. His stomach was colic from uncertainty and tension that he even forgot how to breathe. “They will die, and those who survive will lose everything. I have no right…”

“I have no right to decide whether the lives of others should be sacrificed, Dylan.”

“You know,” Jesse Dylan’s tone was rarely serious, “none of them may survive because of your indecision.”

“That’s their choice.” Nemo raised his voice. His internal organs shrank into a ball and waves of nausea hit his throat. Nemo clenched his fists and pressed them down. “As long as one person wants to stop, we’ll help. They haven’t tried it, so we have no choice.”

The fate of the Bluebirds should not be a multiple-choice question in his own hands. Although he could not predict the future, heavy uncertainty squeezed his nerves. If he was as powerful as Jesse Dylan claimed, then there must be another solution.

It was impossible for a demon warlock to maintain a human form. It was impossible for humans to fall in love with monsters. Lavinia couldn’t wake up… The Bluebirds wouldn’t get a happy ending. They had seen too many impossibilities, but the world was far crazier than they imagined, and it was filled with tiny miracles. A more appropriate answer must be somewhere. He just hadn’t found it yet.

At least this time, he didn’t want to give up.

Oliver grabbed the communication crystal and decisively cut off the line. Perhaps Oliver would not agree with his dangerous persistence, so Nemo subconsciously avoided his gaze. As a result, his face was forcibly held by Oliver, who twisted it to face him.

Those emerald eyes looked at him directly and warmly. There was no disgust or disappointment on Oliver’s face. On the contrary, there was even a smile on the corners of his lips.

“I agree. We’re not going to ‘save’ them,” Oliver whispered solemnly. His voice was firm and clear. “We’re going to ‘help’.”

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 60: Prelude to War

“Lavinia is just a legend.” The mayor’s expression was calm, but his pale face and large beads of sweat on his forehead betrayed his emotions. “The past is the past, and you know it doesn’t make sense.” His hand slowly reached into his pocket. His fingers moved slightly, as if trying to draw a magic array. The next moment, they were entangled by small dark shadows and could no longer move.

Nemo put down the hand that was performing the operation and gently put the ancient book on the snow-white dining table.

“We just really want to talk to you,” he said sincerely. “Lavinia exists. She’s still alive. To be honest, the attitude of the Grace Bluebirds is not good, we…”

“Of course I know the attitude of the Bluebirds.” Seeing that his last resort was blocked, the mayor simply stopped trying to delay time. “I don’t want to fight them, but I can’t control everyone! Do you know how much a fresh corpse of an adult Bluebird is worth? I stopped… I stopped those kids. But to them, the Bluebirds are just monsters that will attack villages and humans, and they are valuable.”

“The holy scriptures require the execution of those who fall in love with the bluebird.” Adrian interjected in a low voice, “Mrs. Delaney mentioned it.”

“To protect them!” The mayor said sharply. “As long as one person changes back completely, then his relatives, lovers, and friends are at risk of being affected… It will spread like an infectious disease! If you really have any conscience, look at the people outside. They are different from the first generation, and they have no willpower to control their minds. They may never be able to become human again. Our knowledge, language, skills, everything will no longer exist. I don’t know what your purpose is, but if this is a trial—”

He raised his voice. “I don’t have anything to repent for.”

“I understand.” Adrian responded calmly. He walked to the table and picked up the ancient book. “So do you know the doomsday predicted by Lavinia?”

“What doomsday?” The mayor’s expression loosened for a moment. “There is no such prophecy.”

“No more questions, Mr. Ramon.” The former Knight Commander sighed. “The magic of the Bluebird tribe has grown enough to protect themselves, and they no longer need the protection of these people. And these people… seem unwilling to return to a world where they are ‘flawed’. There’s only one possibility.”

Then he raised his eyes. “Which side will move their hand first?”

“They made the first mistake. They killed a poor kid that had just gone hunting for rock horned deer. They thought he was a poacher,” the mayor said, gritting his teeth. “Yes, they don’t need our protection anymore! Our mission was completed long ago, and our children are free.”

Nemo could probably guess the follow-up to this story.

The brave Bluebirds successfully integrated into the human race, and they guarded the tribe. It was not until more than decades later that the tribe successfully stabilized and no longer needed any protection from the outside.

Lavinia’s plan was successful.

After that, perhaps some Bluebirds may have returned to their homes, while some… As far as the current situation was concerned, most of them were deaf, so they were willing to continue to live as humans. They may have had true human friends, human lovers, and they had become truly human beings.

There was no earth-shattering conspiracy, and there were no vicious means. They just walked on different roads, drifting away, until that innocent hunter died.

“We protected them, but they’re guarded against us. It’s better if both sides break off,” the mayor said. “Now my townspeople are happy. They can go to other towns to visit relatives and friends on weekends, live carefree, and don’t need to worry about others coveting their bodies. I don’t want them to live in fear. Is this a mistake?”

“What about Melody Delaney’s fear?” Nemo murmured.

“What kind of ‘normal person’ would fall in love with monsters of another race? They made the wrong choice, and naturally must bear the consequences.”

“You haven’t given them a choice.”

“…This is my responsibility as a leader, and I need to judge which ones are ‘right’! Only a small number of people need to be sacrificed to allow more people to live peacefully.” The mayor’s face and neck flushed again. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeves, and then waved vigorously in the direction of the picture frames on the wall. “This is true for every generation. It’s a matter of natural justice!”

“I can see that you are living comfortably and peacefully now.” Ann wrinkled her nose, and her tone was full of sarcasm. “The heavily armed gentlemen outside may just be posing to entertain the girls.”

“I will convince my son that this has nothing to do with you. The worst that will happen will only be a small conflict, which has happened many times in recent months. Believe me, no one wants a real war—young people are hot-blooded, and the scene will eventually calm down.”

After that, he raised his head, as if he was about to become a martyr. “I have nothing else to say. If you have other purposes…”

“Father! I confirmed that it’s indeed—” A sullen cry interrupted all this. Mr. Bull, who had just gone on a rampage, stormed into the room. He was stunned for a few seconds. His eyes swept over Oliver’s hand that was on the hilt of his sword and the dark shadow that shook slightly between Nemo’s fingers.

“Guards!” The big, bull-like young man roared simply.

Ann rolled her eyes. Lightning suddenly appeared and she broke through the window. Glass shattered everywhere as lightning forced the soldiers in the courtyard back a few steps.

“It’s time to escape!” she shouted. “Let’s go, boys!”

Adrian propped his hand on the window frame and jumped out quickly. Oliver followed closely behind while Nemo climbed the half-human-tall windowsill in disgrace. If it weren’t for his special physique, his palms would’ve been covered in glass debris. A guard almost grabbed his robe, but Nemo sent him flying with the dark shadows.

“Don’t chase!” The mayor grabbed the holy scriptures on the dining table and pressed them hard to his chest. He took a deep breath and gave clear instructions to the believers. “That swordsman is too powerful. Don’t aggravate them further.”

“What happened?” The youth wasn’t in the mood to ask questions.

“They know about it… The thing I just told you today.”

“Why aren’t we chasing them! In that case, they’ll just run away—”

“That swordsman’s power is stronger than the holy scriptures. No matter how many people go, they will die. If they really leave here, we can only be vigilant and pray to Lavinia—”

“Lavinia? Are you still treating me as a believer?” The young man’s voice was suddenly full of pain. “She’s just a false god that you fabricated to control everyone’s thoughts! I have always believed so firmly all these years…”

He couldn’t talk anymore; his face was as pale as the ashes of firewood. When he spoke again, the mayor’s son changed the subject.

“Father, I have confirmed that it is indeed jade bone ores. We can use it to catch all those stupid birds. If we sell a large number of Bluebird corpses, even if the group of Black Chapters advertise that Vincent Town is full of Bluebirds, no one will believe it.”

“I told you, Tig! Return that thing! Don’t mention this again. I told you the truth to make you stop. You should grow up. This position will be yours in the future—”

“Now is a great opportunity. We  have always known where the lair of those stupid things are!” The burly young man roared irritably, interrupting the mayor’s words. “Lavinia hates monsters. Isn’t this what you have been preaching? Why don’t you understand! Similar kind? They destroyed our houses, killed our livestock, and robbed our people—so what about the same kind? What good is it for us to protect those ungrateful beasts?”

“We’re already human,” he continued. “I don’t want to see my friends suffer from loss anymore. Fritz is my friend, and Mr. and Mrs. Delaney are your friends. Since you know about Melody’s situation, they must have confessed to you. How could you look them directly in the eye? Their pain stems from your stubborn ‘tradition’. I don’t want this.”

The young man clenched his fists. “This matter must end.”

The mayor blinked, and he suddenly felt dizzy. A dark blue aura bound him, and the familiar living room in front of him was shaking, as he started seeing doubles. “Tig, you…”

“You need to sleep, and when you get up, I will take care of everything.” Tig stated matter-of-factly. “I am different from you—I will bring you a rich life without hidden dangers.”

“They didn’t chase us.” After they ran far away, Ann was the first to slow down. “That old man still has eyes, knowing they wouldn’t stand a chance against Oliver.”

“But I don’t think he’ll let us go so easily.” Nemo gasped habitually. After taking a few deep breaths, he found that his lungs didn’t have the usual burning pain he would get after running wildly. He calmed down embarrassingly.

Oliver didn’t join the conversation. Without hesitation, he took out the communication crystal and directly contacted Jesse Dylan.

“How’s it going?” A pleasant but irritating voice came from the crystal. “Are you still having fun?”

“Their mayor knows the truth.” Oliver ignored him and got straight to the point. “But he has no plans to change his mind.”

“Lavinia is a powerful priest or did you think her prophecies are on the same level as dreams? You thought you could change destiny by just talking… Oh, are you reading too many heroic stories? Darling—”

Oliver shivered at the other end of the line. He tried to maintain his composure. “What about your side?”

“Of course, Pasotalo would not be stupid enough to make the truth public. At this moment, they are planning to declare war on Vincent Town again. I guess he’s planning to suppress this matter and make up a separate identity for Miss Delaney.” This time Jesse’s answer was accompanied by a chewing sound. “Believe me, if those birds knew the truth, their hatred would grow stronger. Of course, you don’t have to be too nervous. It’s just a provocative group fight. Who knows how many times they have rubbed against each other in the past few months? Well, you happened to declare war and then ran off, which should keep them busy for a short time.”

“Why don’t you take him to meet Lavinia?” Nemo asked hurriedly. “She can persuade him. They can talk directly—”

“Do you think I haven’t tried it?” Jesse sneered. “He refused.”

“Why?!”

“Because Lavinia ‘can’t wake up’.”

“But she obviously—”

“Don’t you think it’s funny? No one could hear her cries, yet they were so close—they think it’s impossible for her to wake up, so they don’t even want to go to the Holy Land with me to take a look. Those stubborn guys said they didn’t want to disturb the bones of their loved ones. It’s a shame I can’t surprise them—no Bluebirds have died naturally in recent years.”

Nemo opened his mouth but did not succeed in squeezing out a suitable response. He sighed in a low voice and stepped aside.

“Thank you for your information.” Oliver terminated the call.

“What are your plans, captain?” Ann yawned. “We’re currently not very popular tourists.”

“Go and have a look.” Oliver thought for a moment. “Nemo is right, I don’t think they will let us go so easily… But they’re not doing anything right now. I have a bad feeling.”

“I also care about this a bit.” Adrian spoke suddenly. He adjusted the collar of his monk’s uniform. “I want to act alone for a while. Is that alright, Mr. Ramon?”

“I also think it’s better for us to spread out.” Ann took out a communication crystal from her pocket and shook it. “Bagelmaurus and I are going to visit Fritz. That young man has good character. We have to get our luggage back.”

“Why me?!” Bagelmaurus shouted discontentedly.

“You and Cross can work together then.”

“I… Can’t I stay with the garbage?” The gray parrot shrank its neck and grasped the fabric on Nemo’s shoulders tightly. Nemo glared coldly at it as he peeled off its claws one by one.

“Our combat power can’t be too concentrated. It’s a bit wasteful when dealing with just ordinary townspeople,” Ann said. “Then it’s settled! Cross will go do what he cares about. Oliver and Nemo have more than enough power to deal with the militia. They’re more suitable for spying on the negotiations—and I, I care more about our belongings. Bagelmaurus, you’re an important combat force, so I’m counting on you.”

The gray parrot suddenly spread its wings with vigor and flew to Ann’s shoulders. Ann turned her head; her expression had a distorted smirk.

“Contact each other through the communication crystal.” Oliver nodded. “…Everyone, be safe.”

The shadows of the three bluebirds passed over their heads.

The negotiation site wasn’t difficult to find. The Bluebirds liked to hover for a while before landing. Oliver and Nemo hid in the shadows, peering at the place that they had just escaped from. The Bluebirds landed in front of the mayor’s house. The broken glass and wood fragments in the yard hadn’t even been cleaned up yet.

The mayor didn’t go out.

The mayor’s son had a white pointed hat on his head and was wearing a religious robe with not a trace of wrinkles. He held his chest upright and pursed his lips tightly. A girl with the same numb expression stood by his side. Her face was unnaturally sallow in contrast to her white robe.

The bluebirds slowly moved forward, and the first one began to make gestures like war words.

“Tomorrow at twelve noon, we will come to fight. Your witch has confused the blood of our leader, and you have to pay the price.” The sallow-faced girl translated coldly.

“Oh.” The mayor’s son didn’t respond. He closed his eyes and exhaled. Then he waved his right hand.

The same red light film that attacked them last time lit up, firmly wrapping the three Bluebirds inside. Before the Bluebirds could react, countless pointed spears pierced in from the outside, poking two of them into a sieve. They fluttered their wings helplessly, slowly sliding down the inner walls of the light film; blood dripping all over the ground.

They twitched as their eyes were filled with hatred. Cyan fire suddenly ignited, and they burned their bodies into ashes. The gray powder was scattered on the ground like snowflakes that were gradually dyed dark by their blood.

The leading Bluebird was only hit by a spear. He opened his mouth to let out a roar of grief and anger that couldn’t be heard in human ears. Nemo immediately covered his ears as he heard the depressing and heartbreaking melody.

“We welcome your crusade, messenger of evil,” the mayor’s son, Tig, said coldly. “If we can, we hope to completely destroy you all… Translate that.”

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 59: Holy Scriptures

When they left the tribe again, the leader, Pasotalo, didn’t appear.

Nemo could probably determine the tribe’s attitude towards Jesse Dylan. Compared to the relatively civilized residents of Vincent Town outside, the primitive Bluebirds no longer identify with their gods, especially the younger ones. Under the improved illusion array, year by year, the lives of the Bluebirds were no longer full of tension like their ancestors, and Lavinia’s prophecy of destruction two hundred years ago had long lost its deterrent power.

They didn’t need God.

The so-called divine envoys were more like relics of the past than envoys who actually had power. They were willing to respect him and show a certain degree of obedience, but he was just a symbol of a small privilege, which wasn’t worth mentioning in the face of their growing hatred. In other words, they were willing to give Jesse Dylan a little bit of face—but only just a little.

The older Bluebirds were still afraid of “God”, but most of them had lost the right to speak. The two forces clashed with each other within the tribe, and at present, the advantage of the war faction was particularly obvious. After all, there was nothing in the world more acute than the hatred of young people.

Oliver reluctantly left Jesse Dylan a small communication crystal. Although their leader tried his best to hide it, Nemo still noticed the regretful expression that was like throwing gold coins directly into a trashcan. When Oliver did that, Jesse was comfortably lying in the tree hole, looking leisurely as if he was on vacation. He was casually flipping through a book while yawning, but the book looked surprisingly familiar…

“You took it out?” Nemo almost choked on his own spit.

“She didn’t stop me.” Jesse threw the book over, and Nemo hurriedly stretched out his hands to catch it, for fear that the ancient book, which was very valuable at a glance, would hit the hard slated floor.

The ancient book was heavy and thick, and the pages were already slightly yellow. Its spine was embedded with a circle of finely polished ore in which the light flowed with the change of angle. The edge of the book cover was wrapped in fine embroidery. The silk thread had not faded due to the passage of time, and the powerful magic array was perfectly integrated into the embroidery pattern. It was closer to a work of art than a book.

There was no title on the cover of the book; only a line of small characters was printed in the blank space. Written in a lingua franca, the handwriting was clumsy and immature, which was usually seen in workbooks where children learn to write from an early age—

[To Lavinia, my faith.]

Nemo wiped his hands on the hem of his robe and carefully opened the book cover, but was immediately disappointed. It was full of the sacrificial language of the Bluebirds, so he didn’t recognize a single word. He had to carefully close the book and put it in a cleaner corner of the stone platform.

“You see, it’s not a big deal. There are no Bluebird fairies and the like… I can’t go with you, so I need something to do to pass the time.”

In fact, Nemo was grateful for this. At least this meant that Jesse Dylan would no longer come out of any nooks and crannies when they were unsuspecting and completely disturb their thoughts. One Bagelmaurus was noisy enough, but it could only make people’s ears hurt at most, while Mr. Dylan’s nonsense could be considered torture to the soul.

There weren’t any Bluebirds that kindly escorted them back this time. Although the group set off when the sun rose, they managed to reach the edge of Vincent Town at noon. They crossed the dry and cracked riverbed and bypassed the muddy puddles full of duckweed and insect larvae. When they saw the first human-style building in the distance, it was already close to noon, and everyone immediately stopped tacitly.

Nemo still remembered the appearance of the Delaney couple, as well as the face of the young hunter, but he didn’t know if he could face them calmly now.

The closest house to them was ordinary and not that conspicuous. It had a thatched roof and dilapidated chimneys. Two children were playing in the yard. Their hands and faces were covered with mud marks, and the sound of laughter clearly pierced their ears. Another child sat on a tree trunk, blowing soap bubbles with hay stems. A girl with long braids that reached her knees came out the door with a large clump of dark green vines in her arms. She carefully aired them on the rough wooden fence.

A quiet and peaceful life.

‘And none of them are humans,’ Nemo thought in a daze. The image of Melody struggling on the ground appeared in his mind again. The girl may no longer be able to pluck the strings of the lute again.

“Are we still going to Delaney’s house?” He shook his head like Oliver as he tried to get rid of the messy thoughts in his mind by speaking.

“…Let’s not go yet.” Oliver also looked a little absent-minded. “First go to their mayor or religious leader… Or whatever.”

Fortunately, the mayor and religious leader positions in Vincent Town seemed to be held by the same person. The girl with long braids enthusiastically pointed the way to them. After a day, they returned to Vincent Town again. This time, Nemo couldn’t help but glance at everyone passing by him—those with hunched backs or straight backs, those covered in satin or plain clothes, those with smiling faces or unhappy faces. They were seriously living in a dream that was as fragile as a soap bubble.

But compared to the last time they passed by, the street was a little different. There were a lot more serious faces. The hot and humid wind had an unpleasant smell of fire and medicine. By the time they reached the mayor’s house, the smell of gunpowder was at its peak. Several heavily armed militiamen stood in the courtyard. They wore snow-white robes, and the white clothes were dyed with strange dark blue patterns indicative of religious clothing.  

Even if they saw the mayor, what were they going to say? Nemo took a deep breath, as if a piece of lead had fallen into his stomach.

Immediately, a violent quarrel reached his ears. After an angry roar, a young man rushed out of the house in a whirlwind. He was too fast and surprisingly big. If Oliver’s quick hands hadn’t pulled him back, Nemo would’ve been hit by this bull-like gentlemen.

The young man stopped, snorted angrily at them, and slammed the door behind him. As soon as Nemo felt that this person looked a bit familiar, Bagelmaurus spoke…

“Idiot! Fiend! Shithead!” it yelled on Nemo’s shoulder, deliberately lowering the tone, dutifully acting like a real gray parrot. “Idiot! Fiend! Shithead!” it repeated happily, as if expecting the other party wouldn’t take action.

It was the young man who attacked the gray parrot with an arrow last time, Fritz’s friend. He frowned tightly and spat at Nemo’s feet.

Nemo had to carefully remove his boots—he only had one pair of deerskin boots on him, so Oliver had to dry them after washing them. He made a bitter grimace towards the back of the figure. Oliver looked inexplicably angry. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door of the mayor’s house with a sullen face.

The person who opened the door was a middle-aged man, probably around fifty years old. He had a weird pointed round hat on his head, a round silver badge hanging on his chest, and a bearded face that was tighter than Oliver’s. Nemo glanced over Oliver’s shoulder, and there was still angry blood color on the man’s neck that hadn’t faded.

“The Black Chapters that the Delaney family commissioned?” He glanced at Oliver’s chest and turned around after receiving a positive answer and gave way to the door. “Come in.”

The mayor’s house wasn’t much more spacious than the Delaney’s. The main color of the living room was a rare white, and metal products glittered with soft silver light. There were five paintings hanging on one of the walls, four of which had the eccentric pointed hat on them, and below the painting was a cube-shaped box covered with white cloth with dark blue embroidery.

“I think you have seen those birds.” As the mayor of the town, or the religious leader, his attitude was much better than that of Mr. Delaney. “Sit down… Don’t be surprised. My son told me that his friend Fritz went to the forest with you, so I had surmised it.”

After that, the mayor waved his hand: “Honey water or tea?”

“No, thank you,” Oliver said, shaking his head.”Actually, we’re here this time to… Uh…”

It was one of the rare times when Oliver was tongue-tied. Nemo fully understood this. At any rate, they have the rank of a snake in the Black Chapter, and what they were about to say was extremely absurd. It was especially difficult to talk about this kind of thing face-to-face. If it was Nemo in Oliver’s place, he would prefer to write to the mayor while ten miles away.

“…I want to talk to you about the Bluebirds.” Oliver turned awkwardly. “Yes, we have seen them.”

Hearing the reference to “them”, the mayor raised his eyebrows and glanced at him quite unexpectedly.

“You’re back, intact.” He murmured and sighed. “Compared to the Delaney family, you chose to see me first. Yes, I know. If you go to Delaney’s house first, Isaac will definitely follow, so let’s talk about it, my child.”

He raised his eyes and stared at them frankly with his light blue eyes. “How much do you know?”

Oliver raised his head in surprise. His voice was trembling a little due to the tension. “The people in Vincent Town are… Right?”

“Their chief told you?”

“No. He doesn’t seem to know, but he should know now.”

“Oh,” the mayor said, his body relaxing. His tone was calm. “I have heard people say that there are many capable people in the Black Chapter. You really do have some skills. Thank you for telling me, my child.”

“You always knew?” Nemo interjected. “Since you always knew, why—”

“I also learned from the previous group.” The mayor sighed lightly. “This matter is a grudge between us and the Grace Bluebirds, and it has nothing to do with you. I would like to thank you for coming to me sincerely.”

He paced slowly to the portrait and uncovered the white cloth with his back to them. He bent his back slightly, as if he had taken something out. The next moment, the living room was closed by a red light film.

“You may be kind people.” The mayor turned around, holding a thick book firmly in his right hand, with sadness in his eyes. “But I can only let you die here. I’m very sorry.”

Nemo’s eyes widened. Like two peas in a pod, he had just seen this book not long ago; it was the same one in the hands of Jesse Dylan. It was almost exactly the same as the book next to the skeleton in the Holy Land.

The same spine, the same embroidery, the same warm and surging power.

“Why?” Oliver moved his gaze away from the book and stretched out his hand to stop Ann, who was about to draw out her spear. “At least let us know.”

“I must protect my townspeople.” The mayor drew a magic array in the air, and the red light film completely separated him from them. “Even if we are like this now, our flesh, blood, and bones can still be used as materials… Vincent Town is different from their tribe. I can’t take the risk of this leaking. It’s hard for me to persuade people to move away, and as long as you say one word, as long as a malicious person tries…”

“I’m sorry,” he said sadly. “I’m really sorry.”

“I’m sorry too,” Oliver responded. He drew out his silver sword, and with one swing he slashed the film of light.

The sound of broken glass resounded through the room. The red translucent light film turned into fragments and shattered to the ground, disappearing quickly without a trace like snowflakes falling on the skin. Oliver walked up to the stunned mayor, took the book out of his hand, and then handed it to Nemo—his actions were smooth, in one single go, with a faint sense of oppression.

“Confirm, Nemo.” Oliver scratched his nose. “Is this the same as the one Jesse Dylan had?”

Nemo flicked his fingers across the gorgeous book cover, which was indeed very similar. Even the naive handwriting and text content on the book cover were exactly the same, but this time, after he opened the cover, what caught his eye was a lingua franca with beautiful handwriting. The paper also looked newer than the one Jesse had.

He dipped his thumb in some viscous powder on the spine of the book and stretched out the tip of his tongue and licked it.

“The book cover is the same.” He nodded. “But the inner page has been reinstalled, and the time difference is quite long.”

“Wow.” Ann sighed in surprise.

“…Don’t look like that. It was my previous job.” Nemo muttered, turning the inner page, which was full of long-winded dogma. He frowned slightly and turned impatiently to the end. On the back cover, the naïve handwriting appeared again.

[We will always love our relatives, our friends, and our lovers.]

[We will always guard them.]

“…Is this your ‘holy scriptures’?” Nemo closed the book and raised his eyes.

The mayor nodded slightly; his face paled. This book was obviously the source of his magic. At that moment, he lost his only weapon and had to stay in place dejectedly.

“We won’t do anything to you, sir.” Oliver simply put away the sword. It slipped neatly into his scabbard. “At least I can understand your concerns, and if you can, I hope you can tell us the details.”

He paused.

“We have an agreement with Lavinia,” Oliver said slowly, “and I think she deserves the truth.”

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 58: Blood Blessing

The entire stone room was illuminated by a long-standing lamp on the stone wall. The blue flame was very faint, not much brighter than moonlight. The pale trunk of the tree stood among the white bones and remnant feathers and fused to the Bluebird at the top, which looked thin and lifeless. She could barely keep her eyelids open, and her breathing was almost undetectable. A few strands of large feathers fell to the ground, falling between two Bluebird skulls that were close to each other. In this patch of blue and white, only two things were particularly conscious; a neatly dressed human skeleton leaning on the tree trunk, in a posture as if it was taking a serene nap.

A particularly eye-catching thick leather book lay quietly near the hands of the skeleton. The spine of the book was embedded with lots of precious ores, shining with a warm and dark red luster in the dimness.

“…Lavinia.” Nemo moved his gaze away from the unusually dazzling book and repeated the name in a murmur. “Is this your own translation on a whim? Don’t make such a joke, Dylan.”

“Oh, of course not.” Jesse shouted. “How dare I? It’s not that you don’t know what this name means—yes, it’s the Lavinia you’re thinking of.”

The “God” of Vincent Town.

But she was obviously not a real God, as Nemo could vaguely perceive this. She was too weak, fragile, like a crystal statue full of cracks that could turn into small fragments once touched.

“Do you know how much these are worth?” Jesse raised his chin towards the bones that were scattered all over the ground. “I finally got to this place that day. To tell you the truth, I’d almost lost my life—and then she conjured a forest ballad. Oh, that emotion was really tragic. It was so miserable that I couldn’t stand it and offered my help.”

He rubbed the weird neck ornament on his chest with his slender and beautiful fingers. “This trinket allows me to understand their words. It’s a pity that she’s dying and there’s no way to use it to give each of you a ‘revelation’. Otherwise, I would have brought you to her early this morning.”

Nemo ignored Jesse, who sighed loudly. He exchanged glances with Oliver and cautiously approached the alienlike tree bird. His movements were so light that he didn’t step on even a single bone. Lavinia’s eyes had no pupils, and it was difficult to find her actual line of sight from just starlight.

“You… Hello.” Nemo stood about five to six steps away from the trunk so that the weak Bluebird wouldn’t bow her head too much. At this distance, the appearance of the skeleton became clearer. It wasn’t bones that belonged to a young man. A few strands of gray hair were scattered on the exquisite embroidery. The book became more eye-catching from this distance. Even though Nemo hadn’t received any systematic magic education, he could still feel the warm waves it emitted.

Lavinia let out a difficult gasp and then made a sound. It didn’t seem like she had spoken for a long time. The sound was beautiful, a bit like the petals that had been deliberately dried by the sun; coarse and fragile, with a faint aura of death.

“Guests who can convey their thoughts…” she said softly. The iambic tone was slightly different from the Bluebird language that Nemo had heard. “Bless you.”

“…Best wishes to you too, Lavinia.” Nemo didn’t know what to say for a moment. The presence and breathing of the beautiful and strange creature in front of him was enough to make him forget his belly full of problems.

“I know your intention.” Lavinia took the lead in speaking. He didn’t know whether it was because of the current environment or not, but her voice was particularly ethereal. “This… Jesse Dylan is not lying. The residents of Vincent Town are indeed my compatriots.”

“Do you know what’s going on outside?”

“Yes, but I just woke up. In your words… It should be regarded as a terminal lucidity*.” She sounded calm, as if she didn’t seem to care about her imminent death.

*An unexpected return of mental clarity and memory, or suddenly regained consciousness, occurs in the time shortly before death in patients suffering from severe psychiatric or neurological disorders.

“You—”

“I am not a God. I am just an ordinary priest.” Those beautiful eyes turned to Nemo with aphasia*. “Perhaps it was the true God who wanted me to witness my own stupidity. I personally contributed to my prophecy.”

*Language disorder caused by damage in a specific area of the brain that controls language expression and comprehension. It leaves a person unable to communicate effectively with others.

“What is going on in Vincent Town? If you don’t mind…” Nemo hesitated for a bit, but still asked.

“That was the blood blessing I personally completed. They… They used to be the most fearless warriors, isolating us from dangerous humans.” She let out a soft sigh.

It was supposed to be a story of love and sacrifice.

More than two hundred years ago, the Grace Bluebirds were almost wiped out by humans due to overhunting. A team migrated to Willard and set up a smaller living space, as their numbers had dropped to almost one-third of the initial population. The priests at that time made a terrible prophecy; the tribe would be extinct within two hundred years.

No matter how they grew and struggled, there was no bright future for them. Grace Bluebirds were too rare, and their bodies could be used as material by many races. Under such a prophecy, the whole tribe fell into silent despair.

Then a warrior and his friends stood up.

They were once the most vulnerable of the tribe. They were born with defects and were unable to hear the language of their peers. Usually, they could only communicate with the priests using sacrificial language. At that moment, the most silent of them stepped forward, followed by some more able-bodied members. The Bluebirds, who loved their compatriots deeply, made a request to the priests.

They would be sacrifices as long as the people they love could live.

The priests were moved, and they jointly agreed to a rather extreme plan. The Bluebirds who stood up would become their enemies. They would learn everything about the outside world and use the enemy’s knowledge to protect the tribe. There was a powerful priest that could help them achieve this.

The blessing was implanted within their bloodline and was passed down from generation to generation, resulting in an extremely high price that was paid. The brave Bluebirds had to learn everything from scratch and stepped into the raging unknown. The priest named Lavinia was distorted by this blessing that defied natural law. She was destined to use her own life force to accomplish it, and then fell into a statuesque drowsiness and came to an end.

“That’s the last thing I remember… I was awakened by a song.” Her eyes were moist and desperate after narrating plainly. “It was so weak, but it was so noisy—the arrival of Mr. Dylan let me know the situation. In the end, we couldn’t escape the fate that was arranged by the Gods.”

The starry eyes were finally filled with tears.

“…And I am the culprit. So, I ask you—please assist Mr. Dylan, you can take anything from me.”

Nemo conveyed Lavinia’s meaning in a depressed mood. Even Ann couldn’t afford to joke. The unknown two hundred years in Vincent Town was like a poisonous cloud that blocked out all the sun. Oliver bowed to the lonely and weak Bluebird and agreed to her request.

“We promise Mr. Dylan, since he didn’t really lie…” Oliver paused for a moment, waiting for Nemo to convey the statement to Lavinia. “Then we will try our best to help.”

She closed her eyes full of tears wearily. At the same time, the incantations at the door spread obediently, giving way to a spacious passage. When the team left the darkness, Nemo finally looked back at the human skeleton. He wanted to ask questions about it, but it was inappropriate given the atmosphere, so he held back his tongue.

“Dylan can agree to the next three-day deadline, which means that he can stabilize the Bluebird for at least two days.” Oliver slowed down and walked side by side with Nemo. “I kind of want to go back to Vincent Town to have a look.”

“I agree.” Nemo rubbed his face fiercely, as if this would wipe away the anxiety and depression. “This situation is a bit inexplicable.”

“…You look like you’re in a bad mood.” Oliver said tentatively.

“I hate this.” Nemo shook his head. Both sides of the cold stone walls slid back and forth in his vision, looking more like a nightmare than ever before. “I can’t tell… But… Oh, don’t worry. It must be that that place was too depressing just now.”

He couldn’t express his exact feelings. Nemo had read enough books. The tragedies in those books would always have a clear attribution; there must be a person who was wantonly evil and caused countless sacrifices for their selfish desire. On the other hand, there would always be mistakes and there would always be steps that weren’t perfect. Only by mixing these things together could one get a reassuring “reasonable” tragedy.

But now, the attribution was vague.

“I’m taking this.” Jesse said casually, after confirming that Nemo was the last to walk out of the area. He picked up the book next to the human skeleton and waved it casually towards Lavinia. “Of course, I’ll give it back to you.”

“Why are you lying?” This meeting seemed to have exhausted her strength. Lavinia sucked in her breath with great difficulty. At this time, her volume wasn’t as good as an ordinary thrush. “You can obviously hear us… And you can understand what we’re saying.”

None of Jesse Dylan’s words were true.

She still remembered the scene when this man appeared in front of her. He didn’t make the slightest effort, but the flying incantation insects trembled all over the wall and tried to stay away from him. This strange human came in so directly and didn’t even bother looking at the scattered Bluebird bones.

“Beautiful lady.” His thoughts came into her mind clearly. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

Lavinia couldn’t tell the beauty or ugliness of humans or their expression. She even forgot how to answer at that moment. She shrank back for a long time. This blond human felt like a highly poisonous reptile, or a thorn entangled in her internal organs.

“You look very troubled,” seeing that she didn’t answer, the young blond man added. “Oh, I’m really not malicious. You see, I’m your last chance.”

She finally compromised.

Lavinia was strong enough to recognize that even if she was weak to this point, she could tell this person was stronger than herself. She couldn’t estimate how strong he was. The former priest wasn’t desperate enough to trust a stranger so casually, but she definitely didn’t want to anger the person in front of her.

“…They won’t believe that truth.” Jesse flipped through the ancient book full of magic and answered her question mutteringly, even with a bit of complaint in his tone. “And it’s more interesting, isn’t it?”

The scaly, weird neck ornament reflected soft light on his neck. Lavinia knew it was only the “key to the door” here, but besides that, it was nothing special.

The so-called “revelation” that made people understand sacrificial text had never existed since the beginning.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

I have a hunch on what Jesse could be…

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 57: The Place Where the False God Sleeps

At that moment, a huge emptiness enveloped him. Nemo didn’t care to pay attention to Oliver’s reaction. His eyes quickly returned to the two Bluebirds. His world was pierced by a huge hole at this moment, and he felt shaken no less than after the battle with Witherspoon.

In Nemo’s consistent cognition, those anomalies were at most parasitic vines that entangled a tree trunk. They sucked on the happiness he had preset for himself and twisted the tree trunk that represented common sense, but the tree was still firmly rooted in the soil, even if it was destined to decay slowly.

Now it was shaking dangerously.

Melody Delaney was just an ordinary girl who grew up in a remote village. Even if her appearance and talents weren’t ordinary, she wasn’t prominent enough to be praised by an entire country. She lived step by step, just like him.

So how did she do it?

Naturally, there were also on-and-off lovers in Roadside Town, but they were all understandable, standard relationships. People appreciated each other, ran with each other, joined hands after success, and separated after failure. Of course, during this period, there was no lack of greasy sweetness, scolding, or indifference. Nemo never believed in descriptions such as fate or love at first sight. Those romantic stories only appeared on paper or in rumors.

As an ordinary townsperson in Roadside Town, Nemo Light would be destined to form a family at the right age with a girl who was average to raise the future generation. He would grow old, living the average monotonous life* until he became a tombstone on the edge of the Frontier Forest, just like most people in this world. He had been so convinced for so many years. Even now, he still thought that there would come a day when the dust settled, and he’d eventually return to “normal” and continue to live an ordinary life.

*Fuel, rice, cooking oil, and salt (柴米油盐) Idiom describing the daily necessities of life.

But now, he wasn’t so sure.

The two Bluebirds were embracing each other quietly, as if all other things in the world had lost their value. It wasn’t the greasy hug that he was used to, and there wasn’t even a sweet atmosphere, but in just a few seconds, they seemed to be the masters of this space, radiating trembling strength and will. It wasn’t like what a three-month weak relationship should look like.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t been “in love”, but compared with the ones in front of him, his former “love” may be closer to a mixture of respect, pity, and habit, and there was something very critical missing.

Nemo knew that he should be relieved at this time and wished for the lovers to reunite from the bottom of his heart, but at this moment, it seemed that someone had put a piece of ice against his heart. It didn’t feel painful, but it made his blood cold and his chest felt like a stone.

“…I admit that she’s Melody Delaney,” Pasototu’s father said gloomily. “You’ve won.”

“We didn’t want to ‘defeat’ you,” Nemo responded instinctively. “I think you can let go of your son. Miss Delaney can’t go anywhere like this.”

“They both have to stay here until I figure things out.” The chief rejected the proposal almost immediately.

“But you know, she’s a Bluebird.”

“So what?” A new voice joined them. Jesse Dylan once again showed off his outstanding eavesdropping skills. They didn’t know when he was standing behind them. The young blond man leaned his back against the wall on the other side of the tunnel, with a ridiculous nightcap on his head. As he spoke, he used his fingertips to draw the text of the Bluebirds at high speed in the air.

“That means the people in Vincent Town may all be—”

“Humans sometimes sell other humans as commodities, whether they are dead or alive, whether whole or just a piece. Just because they’re the same kind doesn’t prove anything.” Jesse yawned. “Do you think when Mr. Pasotalo talks about this, the group of birds outside would immediately let go of their hatred and rejoice?”

“…I’ll consider this.” The chief, Pasotalo, nodded at Nemo, but his attitude wasn’t sincere. He waved his hand and the railing bent by Melody became straight again. He even added a few more magic arrays himself, then he waved a large section of golden handwriting at Jesse in the humid air with neat and fierce movements.

After that, he and his entourage all left the tunnel, unexpectedly leaving no one to guard them.

“I don’t understand,” the gray parrot took the opportunity to interrupt. “This Delaney can’t go home, and you don’t seem to plan to kill that male bird. Why are you worrying about the issues here? Just slip away. You’re not even the same kind as them, so why bother with a group of foreigners.”

“They still owe me!” Jesse pulled off the nightcap on his head and cleared his throat solemnly. “If it weren’t for me, they wouldn’t have a clue about such a big connection.”

The gray parrot’s attitude immediately softened a bit. “But their task isn’t successful…”

“I didn’t plan to break my promise,” Oliver sighed and stared at Nemo’s back. Nemo was still staring at the two Bluebirds in a daze. Although he didn’t understand Pasotalo’s words, with Nemo’s responses, he could surmise what he was saying.

“The first day has passed. The time you gave me was three days, and now there are two days left. Well, I really didn’t lie, Mr. Ramon. You might as well just agree now.”

“I don’t want to draw conclusions based on insufficient understanding,” Oliver responded politely and distantly.

“Isn’t it all obvious now? Or do you think the war should happen naturally if the people in Vincent Town aren’t Bluebirds?”

“If the people in Vincent Town are really humans, their hatred should not be decided by an outsider who knows nothing. At least both sides are making sober decisions.” Oliver pondered for a moment. “If that’s the case, we have no position to stop anything. We can only reduce the casualties… So if you lie, I won’t promise you to ‘stop’ the war.”

“Oh, what a surprise. I thought you belonged to the ‘war is evil’ faction. You’re much colder than I thought, Mr. Ramon.”

“Because I’m neither fair nor mature. I’m also not qualified. If we take a step back, even if our strength can solve the temporary problem, it will continue after we leave… right?”

“How can you be so stubborn!” Jesse cried. “I only care about how many of them survive. I don’t want to listen to the development after a happy ending!”

“…But you said ‘stop’ at the beginning.” Nemo finally turned his head, frowning slightly. “If you really don’t care, you don’t need us. You’re strong, aren’t you? As long as you stun a few and take them away from here, even if the Bluebirds and humans were to kill each other to the point that there’s no one left, your deal is complete, right?”

He walked straight to Jesse, accompanied by an inexplicable foul mood. “Dylan, what do you want from us? Is your goal me? I don’t like being played around like this. If your goal is indeed me, I don’t want you to involve Ollie and the others.”

It was the familiar terrifying aura again, but this time, Oliver didn’t feel any part of his internal organs churning because of fear. He raised his eyebrows and finally retracted his gaze from those silver eyes and turned to Jesse.

“No, don’t get me wrong. I just thought he would agree!” The blond young man’s tone was full of frustration. “Who knew that each of you were more inhumane than the other. Fine, let me explain. You will know when you see my trading partner. If I really do that, I’ll definitely be punished—”

“Are you really afraid of retribution?” Ann interjected lukewarmly.

“…A veritable curse.” Jesse immediately changed his words. “Oh, so strict. Please follow me.”

He leaned sideways and titled forward slightly, making a “please” gesture to the end of the dark tunnel.

Ann was the first to step forward and lead the way. Oliver and Nemo followed. This time, the Knight Commander was last. He stopped and looked at Jesse Dylan’s smile that seemed to be tattooed on his face. He moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, said nothing.

The tunnel didn’t lead underground but slowly rose. They didn’t know how long they had been walking. The boring stone walls kept repeating, and everything became more like a repetitious nightmare. Just when Nemo’s sharp mood was about to be rounded by surging boredom, Jesse stepped forward and walked in front.

There were many moving light bands in the air, like a flying footless centipede. Nemo narrowed his eyes and took a closer look for a while before he could distinguish the bodies of those things. Countless incantations wandered in the dark tunnel. As they approached, they suddenly stopped. The incantations’ soft bodies stretched like a sharp arrow. Jesse knocked on the metal scale-like neck ornament on his neck, and they calmed down and began to swim softly again.

At the end, there were more flying insects of these incantations. The group almost struggled to walk through all the incantations that condensed into a ball. Fortunately, this torture didn’t last long. After passing through the last spell barrier, their eyes suddenly widened.

This seemed to be the interior of a certain mountain. A towering cone space, surrounded by countless fine statues, was all lifelike Bluebirds. There were no traces of weathering or corrosion. The bones of countless Bluebirds scattered on the ground were carved with dense incantation lines, in which dark blue brilliance surged like mercury. They flowed and gathered in the middle of a magic array.

It was difficult to put into words to describe what was in the middle.

It was the largest Bluebird they had ever seen. His… or her eyes were tightly shut, and the huge wings on the back of her waist hung weakly on both sides of her body. The body showed no signs of decay. The place under the abdomen that should have been legs turned into a pale and thick trunk, and there were even branches growing out without leaves.

A Bluebird, or a giant tree that was too weird for the eyes.

“What is that thing?” Nemo swallowed with difficulty. He was completely stunned and forgot about his previous entanglement.

“That’s my trading partner. Since Mr. Light can understand the Bluebird’s language, it would be nice for you to meet.” Jesse curled his lips. “In the words of those little birds, she is the ‘Spirit of Purity’… I know the name is a mouthful, and I can help you translate it into the lingua franca.”

Then he paused for a while, as if a comedian was waiting to shake off his proudest joke. As if alarmed by their voices, the huge Bluebird slowly opened her eyes. Those eyes were incredibly beautiful. Unlike the darkness of ordinary Bluebirds, her eyes were deep blue, with a glimmer of light, like the starry sky on a summer’s night.

“…You can call her ‘Lavinia’.”

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The author has something to say:

Oliver is supposed to be in the neutral good camp. He’s not the type who will rush into the center of the battlefield for no apparent reason and hold up the banner of love and peace.

An atypical brave man.

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Kinky Thoughts:

Just a note on the lingua franca, the language spoken by the characters in this novel has not been established (so far anyway). Since it’s set in a fictional world, the language they are speaking is considered the lingua franca, or a common language (think about it as how English is usually the common language between foreigners).

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