Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 36: The Old Prophecy

Ann didn’t answer. As if she hadn’t heard what he said, she walked straight to the corner of the abandoned house and opened the rotted cellar door.

“Go down,” she said. “Let’s go.”

After that, she jumped down first, and the remaining three men looked at each other. Adrian was the second to go. The chain didn’t seem to cause him much trouble. His movements were neat, and his landing sounded light and steady. Nemo looked into the cellar and could see only darkness. Oliver hesitated for a moment before grabbing the edge of the cellar with both hands, then cautiously let go.

The first thing Oliver did after landing was cast an illumination spell. Soft light instantly lit up the cellar, which looked even more dilapidated than the room above. Nemo secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then followed Oliver’s movement and tried to touch the ground in a safe position. As a result, he completely underestimated his brand-new grip strength, causing the rotten wooden board to collapse into pieces between his fingers, and he fell on his back in disgrace.

Fortunately, the ground in the cellar was composed of soft soil. Nemo sniffed the strong odor that filled his nostrils and sneezed fiercely. This time, Oliver quickly stretched out his hand to help Nemo get rid of the mud and dry moss on the ground, along with a few mouse bones.

“There’s a sewer connected here.” Ann kicked open a crumbling stone wall. “They are probably busy blocking the wall at the moment. The sewer is safe for the time being. They won’t send too many people here in the beginning.”

Nemo had to agree with her assessment. He was almost suffocated by the smell in the air. Except for mice and cockroaches, no creature would take this kind of place as their first choice. He had already begun to miss the clean and comfortable room at the inn they stayed at.

“Let’s untie Mr. Cross’ chains first,” Oliver suggested. “He agreed to help us complete the task. I believe he will not break his promise.”

“…Are you still thinking about the mission?” Ann cried in disbelief. “Do you know what’s going on now?”

“Well, things have already reached this point, so we might as well see it to the end.” Through the collapsed stone wall, they were advancing along a dark underground river. Every time he retracted his foot, there would be an unpleasant sticky feeling. Nemo didn’t want to know what he had stepped on, so he had to distract himself by adding topics. “How did it go on your end?”

“Mrs. Edwards may… know.” Oliver’s eyes quickly scanned Adrian. “I don’t think she seems to be controlled by that…”

“Telaranea.” Adrian helped him by completing his sentence.

Ann stopped, while Oliver and Nemo looked at the former Knight Commander at the same time.

“I thought you knew who your enemies were,” Adrian sighed. “My mistake.”

“Since you know the identity of the superior demon, how can you still… Er, be in this situation?” Nemo chose his words cautiously, trying to save his image—provided he had any image of Adrian Cross.

“Telaranea is good at illusions.” Adrian wasn’t as reluctant to explain things as Ann, or to ignore objectionable questions. He simply answered Nemo.

“Fabricated illusions don’t make people see things they don’t want to see.” Ann joined the conversation with a bit of mischievousness, not intending to hide her desire to make Adrian stumble. “In other words, for the lovely citizens, they want you to be the wicked man more than Cahill Edwards.”

“That’s true.” Adrian’s expression was calm, and he even nodded. “I’m not surprised.”

“Then to continue the topic just now,” the other party’s calm attitude made the female warrior’s tone a little frustrated, “I don’t want you to have any strange expectations of me. Even if the world ends, that has nothing to do with me. I’m not interested in some prophecy. Why am I following these two boys? Because it’s my problem this time. Otherwise, I would have tied them up and hung them at the door of the church to apologize. I’m well aware of my own conscience, but at least I have face. “

Oliver and Nemo silently distanced themselves from her and fell behind Adrian.

“…But I’m curious. Isn’t the person in the prophecy already determined?” Ann rolled her eyes as the two of them retreated.

“I am not that person,” Adrian said in a deep voice, “and neither is Godwin Lopez.”

“Oh? Your evaluation of the leader of Horizon is so low?” Ann crossed her arms. “What are you trying to say? Is Oliver—yes, the boy who just talked to you—a possibility?”

“His talent is just as good as Lopez’s.”

“They said Lopez,” Nemo caught a certain key word and couldn’t help whispering to Oliver. “The leader of Horizon is Lopez? Does he have anything to do with Flint Lopez, the leader of the Tin Soldiers—”

“I’m more curious about the prophecy than this… How come I feel like I’m the only one who hasn’t heard of it?”

“You haven’t heard of it?!” Nemo raised his tone in surprise causing Ann and Adrian to stop talking and cast them a complicated glance. “…Sorry, sorry. You guys continue.”

“Actually, I can’t remember too much.” Nemo lowered his voice again and explained to Oliver, whose expression was blank. “I just remember that it’s not very clear.”

“It’s not very clear…”

Perhaps it was because he couldn’t stand the casual attitude the two people had towards the prophecy that Adrian’s brow furrowed. As soon as he was about to speak, a female voice sounded first.

“Born from death and betrayal, stepping over the bones of loved ones, shattering curses and embracing the Abyss.”

“A knight who follows the king’s guidance and is blessed by God. He follows the stars and comes like winter.”

“His sword will bring the real end.”

Ann cleared her throat. “…Just a few words. Honestly, I don’t think it looks like human text. If I were the Pope, I would hope that the prophet could pinpoint the location of such a man’s birth, or better yet, which street.”

“…No, I mean,” Oliver looked a little tangled. “What is this prophecy about? It sounds a little, uh, negative.”

“Who knows. The popular saying now is ‘the most promising swordsman, who has the best chance of leveling the Abyss, the true savior’…. And so on.”

“I think Mr. Cross is quite in line with it,” Nemo whispered, “especially the line ‘comes like winter.’”

The mentioned Knight Commander glanced at him coldly.

“Are you sure it’s leveling the Abyss and not the surface?” Oliver also muttered back in a low voice. “Doesn’t the person in the prophecy sound a little too miserable?”

This time, Adrian coughed heavily a few times.

“Anyway, it’s definitely not me, Mr. Cross.” Oliver quickly explained. “I had a very happy childhood. I never met a king, let alone a knight. I don’t even have any faith!”

Nemo nodded sympathetically. As far as their current experience was concerned, not to mention being blessed by God, it was more in line with being rejected by God.

“I just compared the strengths of you and Lopez. Objectively speaking, it’s a possibility,” Adrian responded expressionlessly. “Lopez hasn’t been officially recognized yet, and I don’t think he will be either. That’s all.”

As soon as his voice fell, the unbearable rancid smell in the air suddenly became intense. Ann’s hunting spear instantly covered the array in an instant. She stabbed Adrian with a spear, causing the latter’s chains to burst into several sections. A swollen corpse fluttered into the air. It shook a few times, and just as it was about to adjust its movements, it was severely strangled by the white chain. Adrian grabbed the newly broken silver chain and turned it into a deadly weapon.

He clenched the chain and tightened his arm, almost twisting off the corpse’s head. The floating corpse opened its mouth full of carrion and let out an angry roar. It then turned its neck for half a full turn before it stretched out its head and tried to bite Adrian. Ann used her spear to stab at the floating corpse’s head and shattered it with lightning, causing the swollen body to limply fall back into the sewage. It left behind black and green brain matter with a scorching smell.

The difference between soldiers and ordinary people was cruelly revealed. At the end of all this, Oliver had just put on his fighting posture, while Nemo had just finished sneezing for a second time, trying to resist the urge to retch from the stench that had almost solidified.

Adrian silently withdrew his gaze and put away the chain in his hand, but Ann didn’t put down her hunting spear, so he sighed and threw the chain into the thick sewage. When she saw this, Ann then put away her spear.

“I hope you can understand,” she said coldly. “Just in case.”

“I promised the young man,” Adrian said, expertly moving his joints that were stiffened by being bound for too long. “I won’t lie.”

Nemo, on the other hand, had finally managed to calm down. He almost began to doubt that those two had real noses. He wanted to share this conjecture with Oliver, but found that Oliver was staring at his hands. The illumination spell was still maintained, but it had dimmed a lot. Oliver was distracted.

Nemo swallows back his joke. Oliver’s face was a little pale, and his other hand that wasn’t holding the illumination spell clenched into a fist, and Nemo knew that this wasn’t because of the rancid smell or due to fear.

“Ollie?” he asked worriedly.

Oliver reluctantly smiled, and the light in his illumination spell slowly recovered. “I’m fine,” he replied gently, but he turned his face away.

“Ann, how long do we need to stay here?” Oliver asked loudly in Ann’s direction.

“At least for tonight. If it goes well, tomorrow afternoon—”

“If possible, can I ask that you not take action right away?”

Ann let out a long, interested “oh?”. She stopped and looked at Oliver up and down.

“You don’t have a sword,” she concluded. “I probably know what you’re thinking, but it’s not a good idea to force yourself.”

“I know,” Oliver said, taking a few quick steps and walking to the front of the line with Adrian.

“You can put away the shield.” The female warrior leaned close to Nemo and patted him on the shoulder abruptly. The latter was literally startled before a light noise of something breaking in the dark sounded. “Oh, well. It’s okay to keep supporting him. You can keep practicing your control of it since you want to protect him so much.”

At this distance, Oliver couldn’t hear what the two of them were talking about, but at the moment when the floating corpse attacked, the dark shadow behind him trembled. He was instantly aware that it wasn’t just pure darkness cast by the sewer tunnel, and there was only one person who could control the Shadow Shield.

And this realization made his heart ache…

Something was roaring in a low voice in front of him. He carefully controlled his power, copied Adrian’s actions, and attacked the source of the sound—

A little stronger. He took a deep breath. The cold air condensed into a thin layer of ice on the surface of the sewage.

He needed to become stronger.

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The author has something to say:

Personally, I firmly believe that if you like a person, you will want to become better for that person XD

So Oliver has completely planted it……

Nemo: Tentatively on the verge of falling down.jpg

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Kinky Thoughts:

There’s nothing wrong with growing stronger to protect the one you love~

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 35: Commitment

“Anyway, shouldn’t we get out of here first?” Nemo made a very realistic suggestion. “They aren’t just ringing the bell for us, right?”

Ann finally recovered a little from her trance. With a pale face, she strode to Adrian and yanked his collar open.

Nemo: “…” Ann did a much better job than he did.

Adrian’s front lapel was torn apart, revealing an array under his clavicle. It seemed that it had just been branded as the wound was still festering. There was a faint silver light coming from his flesh. Ann put her finger on the wound unceremoniously, and the silver thread of light floated out of the pus and blood, circled around her finger twice, and finally shot away in a different direction.

“It’s the Holy Church Tracking Seal,” she explained. “I added a little interference.”

“Why betray?” There was no swing in Adrian’s tone. “This is not something you can learn by stealing.”

“Do I look like those two stupid boys?” She gave a huff. “With one line, you want to figure out which side I belong to? No way.”

“You act with a superior demon.” The former Knight Commander said slowly. His tone lacked emotion, so it was difficult to guess his thoughts through his words alone.

“More like a possible ‘superior demon’. I don’t want to discuss this issue with you now,” Ann added impatiently. She raised the back of her knife horizontally and went straight to the back of Adrian’s neck, but—

“Wait!” Oliver suddenly said. “How long do we have… I mean, how long can we safely stay here?”

“Half an hour at most.” Ann’s palm stopped at the back of Adrian’s neck.

“Give me fifteen minutes.” Oliver walked forward, still holding the amulet of holy light in his hand. “Ann, can you put up a shield outside with Nemo?”

“He’s not going to come with us,” Oliver spoke quickly.

“He’s just an ordinary person now, so if we knock him out, he’ll be good.”

“We must answer his questions first.” Although Oliver had no confidence in fighting, he grew up near the entrance of the Abyss. He had been in contact with countless fighters who stayed at his inn since he was a child. He knew very well that Adrian Cross didn’t intend to cooperate. The once famous Knight Commander was obviously very clear about his situation. He stood indifferently in place, not even bothering to struggle, but his eyes did not show the slightest hint of weakness. Even if he was chained and was abandoned by his faith, he still stood tall, like a soldier.

Considering the worst-case scenario, Oliver wasn’t sure if they could parry his ambition to die.

Ann frowned. She glanced at the amulet in Oliver’s hand, pondered for a moment, and then grabbed the back of Nemo’s robe. “Follow me out and listen to my instructions,” she said succinctly. Nemo hadn’t even had time to resist. He waved his arms in vain and was pulled out of the door like a sack, leaving only Oliver and Adrian left in the abandoned house.

Soon, even the moonlight flowing into the room through the window disappeared. As the two people outside the house moved their hands, the dark shadow barrier erected by Nemo on the outside obscured all light sources.

“We don’t intend to use you.” Oliver stretched out his other hand and the Amulet of Holy Light floated between the gap in his hands, emitting a dazzling brilliance that once again illuminated the dark room that was full of traces of decay. “On the other hand, Nemo is indeed very likely to be a superior demon, at least a demon warlock. I do not deny this.”

“Kane’s Angel.” Adrian didn’t seem to say anything more.

Oliver naturally knew what “Kane’s Angel” meant. Although he was still young at the time of the incident, it was appalling enough to be regarded as a good conversational topic.

For those who tried to summon superior demons, there had always been only one way of dealing with them, regardless of whether they were successful or not. The summoner and the beneficiary of the wish would be executed. Demon warlocks would say superior demons were always good at disguising themselves, so no one could tell whether the summoner had failed or not.

In the Town of Kane, a team of Knights of Judgement encountered the youngest summoner ever; a thin boy, dressed in dirty clothes that was the wrong size. His eyes were full of tears. It was said that when he was found, he was shivering in the corner, holding a piece of moldy bread in his hand. The child insisted that he didn’t know anything but sent a signal into the Abyss according to a stranger’s request, but the Abyss didn’t respond to him. His wish was equally simple and direct; he just wanted to find his parents, who had abandoned him.

The leader of the group at that time was soft-hearted. He relented, possibly weakened by the child’s tears, or shaken by his tragic situation. Instead of ordering an attack, he decided to judge it as a false alarm. The Knights of Judgement put away their silver swords, mounted their horses, and left the beautiful and peaceful town.

Half a day later, more than 5,000 people died in a sea of fire. The Town of Kane completely disappeared from Garland’s territory.

After a month, the Knights of Judgement, who paid a huge cost, finally eliminated the superior demon, who was particularly aggressive. The leader of the group at that time embraced the thin corpse in his arms, stood in front of the statue of Zenni in the Church of Penitence, and went on a hunger strike.

Since then, whether it was an old man who was dying, a pregnant woman who was about to give birth, or an innocent child, no one was spared under the sword of the Knights of Judgement.

This was why Oliver knew exactly what the other party wanted to express.

“I know,” he responded calmly. “I don’t think my approach is ‘right’. I won’t say that I have known him for a long time. Of course, he may have been acting all this time—”

“…But I don’t mind.” Oliver concluded earnestly, while Adrian’s eyes became even colder.

“He saved a lot of people and saved me more than once,” Oliver continued. “Nemo did use his powers, but he used them to save lives. Even if it’s all an act, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Mr. Cross, Nemo Light isn’t a fool. He knows what his power means.”

“You’re not qualified to represent the minds of others.”

“Yes, that’s true, but I’m also not qualified to judge him on behalf of others. I understand your honor and responsibility. You have your position, and I’m just a little person with no ambition in this world. I hope you don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to convince you.”

He folded his hands, crossed his fingers, and wrapped the amulet of holy light in his palm. A pale flame ignited instantly. Its light was no longer soft and became extremely scorching. The ground under their feet disappeared, and there was only a piece of pure white in their field of vision except for each other.

“After what happened just now, I also know what my power means. You’re an expert, Mr. Cross. Tell me, can this destroy the flesh left on the surface by a superior demon?”

Adrian Cross looked at him deeply and was silent for a moment.

“Yes.”

“I still don’t know how to control it very well,” Oliver said slowly. “If one day I find out that everything is a lie and he really intends to attack innocent people, I will personally kill him, even if it costs me my life. But until then, I’ll stand by his side and move forward with him. I know that this sounds a little arrogant, but I’ll work hard to uphold this.”

“If it’s you, you should be able to tell if I’m lying.”

There was a cracking sound. The shadow shield erected by Nemo was shattered by the overflowing light. Oliver released his hand, and the Amulet of Holy Light fell to the ground with a soft clang. As the dark shadows dissipated, the remaining silver brilliance gradually extinguished, and the bright moonlight once again illuminated the uneven ground.

“You don’t need to trust him, nor do you need to trust my judgment. It’s enough to believe in this promise. You have an acquaintance who wants to see you. Before you meet, I hope we can cooperate for a short time. If you insist on leaving later, I will not stop you.”

Adrian fell into a long silence. He stared into Oliver’s eyes, and Oliver did not avoid his gaze. He stared back at the dark brown eyes calmly and stubbornly, even though the momentum baptized by blood and fire made his feet feel a little weak.

“Fine,” Adrian finally spoke again. “But I hope you know, I didn’t ask for help and I don’t like talks about self-redemption. I will go with you.”

“That kid is making a lot of noise. We should be able to go in soon.” Ann pressed on her shoulders and cracked her neck. “Are you addicted to squatting in a corner? Tell me, Nemo, are they done talking? …Hey, what’s wrong with you?”

The black-haired young man squatted outside the window with his back against the wall. His arms were around his knees and his face was buried between them.

“Has he taken care of Cross?”

“Everything should be fine.” Nemo raised his head with a calm expression on his face.

Ann walked up to him and looked at him up and down. “Do you have something to say to me?” she asked with certainty.

“Ann, you knew that Adrian Cross would recognize me,” Nemo said softly but affirmatively. “You knew this long ago.”

“If he can’t even do that, then those old coots in the Holy Church should start lining up to jump off the bell tower.” Ann stretched out a hand towards him. “If Cross couldn’t accept you at all, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to sacrifice my teammates to get involved in his shit. Are you really okay? Well, I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have let you eavesdrop, but look, I have to stand out and cover for both of you. Did Oliver say something he shouldn’t have?”

“No.” Nemo smiled, startling Ann. She had never seen Nemo Light show such a relieved expression. “On the contrary, I can finally get a good night’s sleep.”

He didn’t think that the power in his body was a blessing, nor did he think it was some kind of sin. What it brought him wasn’t joy and fulfillment, but a terrible emptiness. It was like stepping on cracked ice, shrouded by the fear of falling at any moment. He couldn’t find the focus point, and he didn’t dare to take a step forward, let alone find the truth underneath the ice. Nemo never wanted to imagine what was waiting for him. The power was too great and could make him lose himself, and if that moment ever came, nothing could hold him back.

He had originally thought so, but now he had a small foothold and a pair of hands that could hold him.

Nemo stood up briskly and walked into the house, leaving behind a very confused Ann. The female warrior shrugged her shoulders and followed closely behind.

Everything in the room was the same as when they had left. The two people in the room didn’t move a single step. Nemo straightened the neckline of his gray robe, leaned over to Oliver, and looked at the Amulet of Holy Light in his hand with interest. Oliver turned away a little uneasily; his eyes were wandering from guilt.

Adrian still had that cold face and his attitude didn’t improve at all. It was just that when Ann approached, he took the initiative to open his mouth and say something at a volume that was so loud, everyone could hear it.

“Then, this lady who doesn’t want to reveal her origins.” He asked slowly, “Why are you following them?”

“None of your fucking bus—”

“Is it because of the prophecy?”

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The author has something to say:

Nemo: (Boulder falling off his chest)

Oliver: (Crazily guilty)

Ann: ??? I can’t keep up with the thinking of young people.

Adrian: Indifferent.jpg

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Kinky Thoughts:

Does this count as a confession of sorts?

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 34: Disrupted Plans

It seemed that Mr. Cross had no intention of confiding from the bottom of his heart before his death. Nemo coughed lightly, searching for words that could lead to a breakthrough. As a result, before he could determine where the particular illusory breakthrough was, the former Knight Commander opened his mouth again and sealed said breakthrough tightly.

“I also have a question to ask. Which one are you in the Abyss?” Adrian Cross’ tone was still damn calm, like he was talking about the weather.

Nemo shuddered. The person in the cell wasn’t clearly visible, but his momentum was already suppressed. The sense of oppression didn’t come from power, but the bloody spirit of war on the battlefield.

“What?” he laughed dryly.

“You’re also a superior demon, aren’t you?”

Besides the fact that he wasn’t sure, even if he was, he didn’t have a fluorescent sign hanging above him. Weren’t superior demons supposed to be difficult to distinguish? Nemo moved back and began to contemplate the possibility that Adrian Cross himself was also a superior demon.

“I’m not your kind.” As if he was reading Nemo’s thoughts, the man in the cell added.

For a moment, the atmosphere was even more awkward.

“But you…”

“The demon I know will never expose his identity to humans, and you yourself can get out of the deep cell. You don’t sound like a demon warlock.”

Nemo wiped his face hard. Just great. He hadn’t even said a word, yet the other party had already turned him upside down. Thinking from another perspective, if he were to be executed, and his nemesis came to greet him in person… The fact that Cross didn’t spit on him showed that he was extremely self-restrained.

It was impossible to talk like this.

Nemo sighed and crouched down, hugging his head, trying to come up with a few solutions before time ran out. The two cells behind him were restless. The rag-like thing continued to shout passages that he didn’t know whether they were verses or scriptures, while the woman scratched the stone slab with her six hands. Her long nails made harsh squeaking noises as they scratched across the surface. Then there was Adrian Cross, who kept quiet in front of him, seemingly to have lost interest in him.

Time passed mercilessly, and the magic array behind him became hotter, but he still had no idea how to proceed. In such a quiet environment—wait, quiet?

The shouting and noise had suddenly stopped, giving Nemo a bad premonition. In the next second, his premonition came true. A large hand as thin as a mummified corpse leaned out of the darkness above his head and went straight to Nemo, casting an unpleasant silver light on him. Nemo crawled up and stuck to the steep stone wall. It was so close that the hand got caught, leaving deep scratches on the stone wall.

“What the hell is this?!” Nemo exclaimed subconsciously.

“It’s to prevent someone from using Garland’s biggest dungeon as their own backyard,” the commander explained indifferently.

Seeing that the hand was about to grab him again, Nemo hastily acted. He rushed to Adrian Cross’ cell, pulled the railing apart and quickly squeezed in. Then he turned around and quickly straightened the bent railing again.

His actions soon paid off. The hand seemed to have lost its target. It groped around for a moment before slowly retracting into the darkness. Fortunately, the cell for sacrifices was big enough to hold them both. Nemo sat down slowly against the wall and let out a sigh of relief.

“Is this interesting to you?” Adrian asked, his tone having become colder. “Please go back. You won’t get anything from me.”

Although his tone was still polite, there was no doubt that his attitude was as if he was facing an enemy. At this moment, the formation on Nemo’s back became increasingly hot, indicating that there wasn’t much time left.

Nemo took a deep breath. He had an idea that might be a little bad, or rather, particularly bad.

He stood up slowly and dusted off the dirt on his body, then walked straight to Adrian Cross. In the darkness, he could only faintly see the outline of the other party. The knight was taller than he was, and although he had been imprisoned in the dark dungeon for nearly half a year, his physique still looked quite good. The chains on his body reflected a little white light of the emblem that was enough to bind him.

Nemo grabbed Adrian Cross by the collar and almost lifted him up.

“Okay, let’s stop playing around.” Nemo desperately recalled Ann’s tone when they first met, trying to make himself sound colder. “If I killed the sacrifices, guess what they would think?”

Adrian did not answer. Nemo was sure he could speak, but the former commander was like a closed mussel shell that refused to open up.

“I really don’t like that guy. He even made Witherspoon trouble me just because I stepped into his territory and he thought it would be more interesting.” Nemo apologized desperately in his heart, trying to keep his voice steady. The darkness really helped him cover his horse’s feet*. “Can’t you cooperate and have some fun with me? Do you really think that ridiculous seal can save your life?”

*Reference to exposed the horse’s feet (露出马脚 ) It’s a metaphor for revealing the hidden truth/inadvertently leaking out information. || In this context, he’s saying the darkness is helping him cover it up, so it won’t reveal (his facial expressions) that he’s putting on an act.

“Save my life?” The person being pulled on finally opened his mouth, showing a sneer. “That’s probably the only thing your rotten head can think of.”

“Actually, I’m quite interested in seeing the person who’s so desperate and worthless that he made a deal with a bastard from the holy church.”

“As I said, you can’t get anything from me,” Adrian said quietly. “Do you want to do it? Go ahead.” There was even a smile in his voice.

“…I have a clear conscience.”

This is it.

The white light on the magic array suddenly lit up, and the scenery in front of him quickly changed from a dungeon where he couldn’t even see his fingers to an abandoned house. Nemo felt like he was stepping on air with one foot, which directly caused him to land hard on his ass. He let out a hiss. Oliver was standing in front of him, holding an amulet in his hand that was still emitting a warm white light, and Ann was leaning against the wall, crossing her arms, looking relieved.

“Ow. Ollie, lend me a hand.” Nemo collapsed on the ground and didn’t want to stand up by himself. “That Adrian Cross is too difficult to deal with, but I can be sure that he’s really innocent. We have to find a way to help him… Hand?”

Oliver didn’t pull him up but looked behind him stiffly. Ann ran her hands through her hair, pulling it back hard.

“Tell me.” There was a trace of despair in her calm tone. “The one behind you is not who I think it is.”

Nemo gulped with difficulty and slowly turned his head. The moonlight in the abandoned house was bright, and this time he could clearly see the figure.

A strange young man was standing behind him. Perhaps because he was prepared to be a sacrifice, he didn’t have long hair or a messy beard. Adrian Cross looked about thirty years old, with short dark brown hair, clean shaven, had deep facial features, and a bit of a melancholic temperament. His good appearance immediately made people think of the word “knight”. He was still wearing the high-necked monk’s uniform of the Laddism Church, but there was a hole on his chest where the holy emblem should be. It seemed to have been roughly torn off.

He did have some shortcomings; he felt too cold, especially at this moment. Adrian’s dark brown eyes were firmly attached to Nemo. Nemo turned his head numbly and stood up, feeling that winter had arrived early. If there was substance in his gaze, his back would be full of marks left by ice skates by now.

“…I’m very sorry for just now.” He exhausted his last remaining courage for the day and stepped forward to help the other party tidy up his messy collar, desperately trying to confirm there were no hard feelings. “M… Mr. Cross.”

After that, he took three steps back and slipped behind Oliver.

“You’re up, pure humans,” he muttered while pushing against Oliver’s back. “The evil demon has been slain.”

Oliver pointed to Ann wordlessly. The female warrior was facing the wall at this moment, punching it weakly with her fist.

“The task at the beginning was very simple,” she said blankly to the wall. “Forge a document, take advantage of the festival to sneak him out for a walk for a meet and greet, and then complete the task! Why do you always make things difficult? …What went wrong in my life?”

“Ann, I’m sorry. I’m not—” As soon as Nemo wanted to apologize, he was stopped by a weak gesture from the female warrior.

“It’s not your fault.” She stared stubbornly at the broken brick on the wall, refusing to turn her gaze away. “Abyssal magic can’t interfere with the magic array from the Laddism Church. It’s my fault… What’s wrong with the magic array I drew? Fuck, it has never had a problem before!”

“If you look at it optimistically, at least we got him out.” Oliver tried to adjust the atmosphere.

“You know what? If we had followed the normal process to break him out and bring him back, it would have been a trivial matter if we were found out. Like bread crumbs sticking to their clothes, they would easily just brush it off and wouldn’t bother with us. But now… Now we’ve got shit stuck on their pants—”

“We’re not going to send him back, are we?” Nemo whispered..

“Well, ideally no. If we can get a hold of Cahill and gather sufficient evidence—capture the target, find the evidence, and buy some time, everyone will be happy in the end.”

“That sounds good.”

“There’s still a week left before the festival, and we can’t even get ahold of our own asses, and you expect to pull the wool from directly under their eyes?!” Ann tugged at her hair. “They’ll kill us! This is equivalent to slapping the Laddism Church in the face in front of everyone my friends…”

“What should we do now?” Oliver asked cautiously.

“I don’t know. Don’t ask me,” Ann replied exasperatedly.

“Allow me to interrupt.” Nemo cleared his throat. “The movement outside shouldn’t be something, uh… Like a special evening clock?”

“It’s an alarm.” Adrian spoke coldly, causing the three of them to turn to him at the same time.

“The highest alarm. It means that a sacrifice has escaped from the dungeon.”

On top of the belltower of the Church of Penitence, the giant golden bell made a dull and rapid sound. The scarlet array representing the warning signal turned slowly, reddening the night sky above the church. The angel statue at the top of the church showed a strange ferocity under the red light, and a figure was mingling on it. The blonde young man, who looked overly beautiful, put his legs on a pair of marbled wings and leaned his head on the cold arms of another statue.

He hummed a minor tune, stuffed a jam-coated dessert into his mouth, and then dipped his fingertips in the remaining jam, using them to put a set of pupils on the statue’s blank eyes. The young blond man was amused by his own work for a few seconds, and finally put down his other hand. The somewhat distorted miniature magic array slowly faded in the night sky; its style was exactly the same as the one Ann had drawn.

“The sky will fall, and the Abyss will rise.” He tried to hum, then raised his eyes to look at the pupils covered in jam on the statue with a serious conversational posture. “That’s a good description. I like the word fall, baby. The sky is falling, so where did the Morning Star go?”

With that, he titled his eyes at the knights who were leaving the Church of Penitence in an orderly manner. He stretched, revealing a black badge on his chest…

There was a five-eyed sea scorpion carved on it.

---

The author has something to say:

The five people in the team have finally shown their faces! Although the last one will not officially appear until the next story…

In fact, the security of the dungeon is very tight. Even if Ann had the internal spells of the Laddism Church, it was theoretically impossible to take Adrian out. Her original plan was to go the normal way and use deception and fake documents to get the Knight Commander out.

So it’s not that the dungeon security is too weak, it’s just that the last friend is too strong…

It will be mentioned later, but in order to explain everyone’s (possible) doubts, I want to mention it first~

—Useless little knowledge—

The Opabinia sea scorpion really has five eyes, and it is a Cambrian creature that did exist.

……The appearance of ancient creatures and underwater creatures is really cool and very much in line with my personal imagination of demons. XD

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 33: In the Dungeon

Nemo walked through the streets in the afternoon while wearing the holy shackles and ignoring all the curious stares. Ann had reinstalled the holy shackles on him again, but this time there was a trace of blackness wrapped around the white light chain.

“You have to control it.” After a brief exchange of information, Ann patted Nemo on the shoulder. “Imagine yourself holding a pudding. Don’t break it. It’s long past the arranged time, so we have to give the Church of Penitence a good reason. Even if Oliver has his charm technique, it’s best not to leave any omission on your side.”

However, “holding a pudding” was not a simple task. Nemo had to stop every three steps he took, making sure that the holy shackles were still completely wrapped around his wrists. Oliver followed him with a bitter look on his face.

“You’re not really turning me in.” Nemo’s soles rubbed against the road, moving very slowly. “Relax.”

“They won’t go soft on you.” Oliver sighed. “That’s the dungeon of the Heretical Judgement Hall.”

“So, I should just stay back and say nothing?” Nemo laughed dryly. “There’s no other way. It’s a superior demon attack and a blessing festival sacrifice. ‘Cahill’ really doesn’t want us to continue. Since he’s putting in this much effort, there’s definitely a secret to this matter.”

“I’ve been thinking…” Oliver touched his chin. “Why did he ask another superior demon? He should know that his identity has been exposed. It was late at night, so he must have ways to hide from Mrs. Edwards, assuming she really doesn’t know the truth. Humans would rarely help out for nothing in return, and superior demons aren’t that kind either.”

“After all, he was the only one who had the motive to attack us. If it wasn’t for me suddenly… Er, something went wrong, Witherspoon would’ve killed us. I’m a bit reluctant to say that it might’ve been a test.” Nemo was distracted and almost caused the light chain to snap off, scaring him so he immediately stopped and adjusted his strength.

“What if he knew in advance that you might have a ‘problem’?”

Nemo frowned.

“He might know something about you,” Oliver said. “Otherwise, this approach is too odd.”

“I don’t think he’ll be kind enough to tell us.” Nemo let out a sigh. “Let’s figure out the matter with Cross first. Take it step by step.”

When they finally moved to the stone steps of the Church of Penitence, Oliver walked even slower than Nemo.

“Sorry,” he said in a solemn tone as he looked directly into Nemo’s silver eyes. “I assure you, I’ll never do this kind of thing.”

“I know.” Nemo grinned and the black air on the light chain rolled even more violently. Holding a pudding for a long time was extremely technical, and he couldn’t hold it for much longer. “Let’s go.”

The two of them quickly messed up their clothes, making it seem like they had been fighting. Oliver grabbed Nemo’s collar and dragged him all the way up the stone steps. “Guards—!”

Alarmed by the holy shackles, the soldiers in the church moved quickly. They hastily blocked the stone steps in formation, and in less than five minutes, the fat bishop appeared in front of them again. Fortunately, this time, the fake Cahill wasn’t there.

“What’s the matter, my child?” The bishop still had a smile on his face, but that was only directed at Oliver. He just glanced at Nemo quickly, and then put his scepter against Nemo’s throat.

“My friend… He doesn’t want to give up his hands.” Oliver looked at the scepter a little nervously. “He almost broke free of your spell, and I wanted to inform you about it.”

“Why must it be hands!” Nemo yelled cooperatively. The dissatisfaction in his tone was almost overflowing that Oliver seriously suspected that he was voicing it from the bottom of his heart. “Why not the toes? …Half the sole of a foot? Even if it has to be the hands, one should suffice, right? I didn’t do it voluntarily!” He tossed and turned so much that the light chain was almost broken by the black air.

The bishop didn’t answer but raised his chin. Then Oliver held his breath for an instant. One of the soldiers drew his sword and pierced Nemo directly in the back. Blood quickly splattered, dyeing the white stone steps dark red.

“Don’t worry, my child.” As if perceiving Oliver’s stiffness, the bishop explained gently, “We won’t execute your friend so hastily. If you have something to say to him, there’s still time.”

“We’re just… a little late.” Oliver didn’t move. He clenched his fist under his sleeves, trying his best to suppress the unhappiness in his voice. “And like he said, he didn’t voluntarily—”

“Unfortunately, your friend is no longer a pure human being. My child, he can even resist the holy shackles. Look at those dirty shadows. He has been eroded too deeply.” The bishop’s voice became softer, almost soothing. “I can understand your mood. It’s normal to be sad. You have to know that that thing is no longer your friend. Its screams and pleas are to shake you, so you must not be blinded by it.”

“…I know.” Oliver squeezed an answer through his clenched teeth. When Nemo was picked up by the soldiers and dragged into the church—that bastard even took the time to give him a wink. “What will happen to him? Will he be put on trial, or…?”

“Judgment is reserved for mankind, thus the blood of demons need not to be judged,” the bishop replied. “According to procedure, he needs to be purified in the dungeon and publicly executed three days later.”

“Can I go to the dungeon to see him?”

“I’m sorry, my child. I’m really sorry, but you have to know that your sacrifice today will never be forgotten. You protected the city with your selflessness and piety. What is your name…?”

Oliver took a deep breath and tried to ignore the lurching of his stomach. He raised his eyes, and the emerald color was replaced by dazzling gold. “You should know. It’s Owen Roma from Knott Lang of Lower Town. Can you give me an amulet of holy light, your lordship? I don’t want to see such a tragedy happen again.”

“Of course, dear Owen.”

Nemo wasn’t bothered by the wound on his chest. He was sure that it had already completely healed by now. Fortunately, the bloody clothes helped him cover it up, so the guards who escorted him didn’t notice. He didn’t even feel much pain, but Oliver’s face was pale. He hoped this didn’t leave Oliver with some lasting psychological scars.

He tried to look feeble and peeped through his hair. The guards walking in front fiddled with a mechanism that made the magnificent statue of Zenni move backwards, revealing a wide passage leading underground. Although it was daytime, torches were still burning on both sides of the passage. Two old clergymen followed him closely while chanting prayers. He had to admit that after mixing it with the sounds of the torches, it made their hypnotic effect absolutely first-class. The steps seemed endless and almost made Nemo fall asleep.

What kind of appeal does this damn place have? He thought in a daze. He should persuade Oliver when he returns.

When he arrived at the Wall of Sighs, Nemo had to admit that it was much more spectacular than he thought, and at the same time disgusting. The huge gray wall had a strange sense of transparency with countless faces flowing on it, murmuring vaguely. The ceiling of the underground hall was extremely high, but it filled the entire space. If it wasn’t placed underground, it could probably reach the height of the Church of Penitence.

“Guilty—” As soon as Nemo approached, the faces screamed. “The smell of killing, the smell of blood! Guilty—Guilty—”

It was so noisy that it gave Nemo a headache, so he couldn’t hold himself back and quietly flipped his middle finger at them. The faces suddenly screamed more fiercely.

However, the elderly clergymen didn’t react in any special way. They cut down using the palms of their hands and pressed on the Wall of Sighs at the same time while they recited a mantra. The “wound” that they made overflowed with brilliance, and the faces were stirred into a ball, reluctantly giving way to a gap just enough for two people to pass at the same time.

The tallest guard grabbed Nemo’s collar and dragged him mercilessly into the wall. The thickness of the Wall of Sighs deserved its reputation. They walked more than ten steps before they fully passed through the narrow gap.

Nemo gasped at the sight in front of him.

He was greeted with a snow-white judgment seat that floated above a huge pit. At the bottom was the brilliance of a magic array that flickered constantly. The downward darkness seemed endless, as far as the eye could see, and there were dense spell arrays embedded in the stone walls of the pit that were like lines on a snail’s shell.

This was quite different from the dungeon he had imagined.

“The sinner has been accepted.” A cold female voice exploded in Nemo’s ears. Nemo subconsciously wanted to look back but found at some point he had been bound by metal. Those things were like insect feet, binding his limbs firmly together. Human-like metal arms encircled his neck.

It’s a puppet. He panted with difficulty.

“No trigger status arrays were found.”

“No surface magic props were found.”

“No abyssal magic props were found.”

“No special potions were found.”

“The sinner has been polluted by the Abyss and is an immediate threat. He’ll be taken and purified soon.”

What followed was a rapid fall. Nemo’s eyes were sore from the wind. As he continued falling, the surroundings became darker and darker. When he firmly believed that he was going to puke unceremoniously, the puppet’s speed finally slowed down. At that moment, Nemo could see the bottom of the pit. There was a huge holy emblem that emitted a soft white light. He raised his head, and the distant inquisition trial looked like a white pea.

The girl-like puppet hands were still wrapped around him before he was stuffed into a narrow empty cell. As soon as Nemo gained a foothold, there was a click behind him. The light of the magic array lit up, causing the falling prison railings to be covered with runes. He couldn’t tell whether to say the shapes were beautiful or weird. The puppet vibrated its mechanical wings and smashed Nemo in the head with a shining ball of holy water.

It was an incredible purification. Nemo wiped his face stiffly. He could feel the magic array behind him faintly heating up under contact with the holy water.

After confirming the puppet had left, Nemo, who was completely soaked, turned around. The cell was horribly narrow and smelled like oily decay. He couldn’t lie or sit down, as if he was locked in a standing coffin. The area was amazingly dark, and only the shimmers from the magic array provided a little illumination. He took a deep breath, subconsciously; this feeling of being immersed in the darkness was inexplicably familiar.

The surroundings were very quiet. There were no strange cries or painful chanting. He couldn’t even hear the sound of breathing. Nemo stretched out his hand and carefully touched the railing in front of him. The patterned runes instantly made a hissing sound, like water dripping into hot oil.

It was a bit hot, but it wasn’t unbearable.

He carefully adjusted his posture, held the stout metal railing, and pulled them apart. The hissing sound became louder, and the sound of metal bending was particularly loud in the silence. Nemo almost stopped his movement guiltily. However, given the time limit, he gritted his teeth and continued. Within a few minutes, Nemo had liberated himself from the coffin-like cell.

He thought for a moment in silence, then broke down two more railings to use as a tool to advance to the bottom. Ann repeatedly warned him that rash use of abyssal magic might trigger an alarm, so he could only solve his problem using brute force.

There was no turning back now. Nemo inserted the two sections of the railing into the stone wall in turns as he carefully navigated towards the bottom.

The darkness was too thick. The flow of time became unpredictable. It could have been an hour later, or maybe even a day, when he finally stepped on the huge holy emblem, completely out of breath. The three corners of the holy emblem pointed to three cells. These should be the holding areas for the sacrifices. The dim light revealed faint outlines of them, which were much larger than ordinary cells.

The answer was at hand. Nemo took a deep breath and walked towards a dark cell, guided by a glimmer of light.

“Help me.” From the railing came a soft female voice. It was weak and sweet. “Help me, kind sir.”

Three pairs of snow-white arms protruded from the railing. The skin on them was glowing, but the length was unnatural. Nemo was still five to six steps away from the cell, but they were about to entangle him.

Nemo swallowed his spit. He was quite sure that this was not Adrian Cross. He quickly took a few steps back and changed direction.

There was no sound coming from the next cell. When Nemo moved closer, he peeped inward and used the light from the holy emblem to scan the cell.

A group of half-human-tall, rag-like things slammed into the railing and then screamed because they were burned by the runes. “The sky will fall, and the Abyss will rise!” He—or she—laughed in an old and coarse voice. “The sky will fall, and the Abyss will rise—”

Then it should be the last cell.

“Adrian Cross?” He squatted in front of the railing and asked softly. The figure of the other party was hidden in darkness, so he couldn’t see it clearly.

“You are?”

The other party responded to him politely, with a calm tone and a low, pleasant voice. It was as if they had met each other on a sunny street.

“My name is Nemo Light.” Nemo came closer unconsciously. “I… Well, we have something we want to ask you.”

“Ask away, Mr. Light.” The other party didn’t question his identity or intention, and his tone didn’t sound half as eager.

“We know that Cahill Edwards is now a superior demon,” Nemo whispered. “We know you’re not lying. Can you tell me what happened…?”

“No comment.” The other party was silent for a moment before he responded softly.  

---

The author has something to say:

Mr. Former Knight Commander: …Why should I confide my past to a suspicious person who appeared in a suspicious place?

Nemo: … (At this moment was eager to acquire Oliver’s communication skills.)

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 32: Bad News

Oliver washed quickly. He didn’t seem to have any desire to chat as he climbed straight into bed and wrapped himself into a cocoon with the blanket and turned his back to Nemo.

Nemo had lost his only nightgown, so he had to wear his daytime clothes. He moved back to the bed, drenched. There was still a hole left by Witherspoon’s giant sword on his bed. As soon as he tried to lie down, it made a sharp, unpleasant creak.

The sharp noise echoed in the quiet room with an inexplicable sense of embarrassment. Nemo crossed his fingers, laid on his back like a corpse, not daring to move again. However, his endurance was limited. It didn’t feel good to lie on broken wood, so when he tried to turn over, the noise cut through the silence again.

“…Come here. We can squeeze in together,” Oliver said, with his back to him.

Nemo grabbed his pillow and turned over and sat up. He hesitantly said, “But you know, I…”

“We can’t sleep like this, or do you honestly think that I’m too scared to sleep?”

After that, he moved to the side of the bed, leaving a space barely enough for one person. Nemo put his pillow down and laid down carefully. He turned to the edge of the bed, and the extra soft mattress quickly occupied his mind.

“Are you really not afraid?” He turned his back to Oliver and muttered vaguely.

“Afraid,” Oliver replied simply. “I’m afraid you’ll keep thinking about it. Do you remember ‘Dirty Jack’?”

“The lunatic who hacked his wife and children to death?”

“That’s the kind of person that makes me really scared. Now, go to sleep.”

“You’re right.” Nemo yawned. “Compared to him, I’m very… Upstanding.”

His breathing became softer and he soon fell asleep.

Oliver rolled over carefully. One side of the mattress was sunken because of the other person’s weight, which was something that he wasn’t used to. He had never slept in the same bed with anyone since he could form memories. The other person also had some wet, black hair scattered on the pillow, revealing one side of his neck. He could touch it with his hand.

This person had just split the sky, but now he was sleeping in front of him in an ordinary manner, making a small snoring sound.

Oliver quietly stretched out his fingers and dried the other person’s hair. Nemo, who was no longer bothered by the humidity, smacked his lips with satisfaction, turned over, and arched into the soft pillow. Oliver slowed down his breathing for an instant, afraid that his breath would spray on Nemo’s face. His calmed heartbeat began to accelerate uncontrollably again. His gaze slid from Nemo’s eyes to his lips, and he couldn’t help but recall how he felt when they covered his wound for a few seconds.

He quietly propped up, approached carefully, and gently kissed Nemo’s forehead.

“Good night,” Oliver whispered.

Nemo slept well. In fact, he was counting on himself to have another dream. It was best if he could have an encyclopedia about his life in his dream, but when he opened his eyes again, it was already daytime and the light was shining brightly. Oliver had already changed his clothes and he was looking through the books in the room while sitting on a chair as he ate some fruit.

Nemo looked to the side expectantly. His bed still showed a miserable gap, and wood chips were scattered on the floor next to him.

“Don’t look. It wasn’t a dream.” Oliver mercilessly delivered the final blow. He raised his hand and threw a fruit to Nemo. Nemo hurriedly tried to catch it, but it still hit him directly in the nose.

“Are you trying to kill me?” He covered his nose and complained bitterly.

“Then I’ll throw the Zenni statue. Maybe that’ll be more effective,” Oliver said thoughtfully. “Okay, sorry. You better get up quickly. Ann had just tried to break in. “

As soon as he finished, a hurried knock on the door immediately sounded.

“We have business!” Ann roared angrily outside the door. “I don’t care what Nemo Light is. If he dares sleep until noon, I’ll fucking hang him on the ceiling—”

Nemo jumped from the bed, stumbled to the door, and quickly opened it. “I’m awake, sir!”

Ann bared her teeth at him.

“Bad news this morning.” She scratched her maroon hair that was shorter than Oliver’s, looking a bit agitated. “The sacrifice for the blessing festival has been set.”

“What is that?” Nemo asked cautiously.

“A holiday of the Laddism Church. They need to let the big wigs smoke a few unlucky people to ‘dedicate’ to God.” Ann didn’t bother to hide her sarcasm. “Guess who it is this time… Forget it. Guess my ass. That guy Cross was chosen as a sacrifice—hell, I should’ve known!”

“Is this why you were in a hurry before?” Oliver threw a fruit to Ann, who caught it without even looking.

“That’s right. The entire Heilem will become a festival. It’s a good opportunity this time of year. Now it looks like it’s not just us who’s considering this matter. The fake Cahill must’ve thought of this as well, so he’s trying to get rid of Cross. Things are getting troublesome. Let’s go and refund the deposit. Wait until the next quarter to retake the test…”

“So, they’re going to execute a person who’s innocent?” Oliver put down the book.

“Cross has the demon seal. Do you know how many people the old sect executed just for the word ‘blasphemy’?” Ann tugged at the corners of her mouth.

“But the deal may not be voluntary. Didn’t he lose his powers? We’re just quitting?” Nemo frowned.

“What else? The guards of the sacrifices of the inquisitions are a lot heavier. There will be a lot more trouble if we continue to go deeper. To say the least, even if we can bring him out, Mrs. Edwards still doesn’t know if he’s under the control of a demon. Adrian Cross is dead,” she concluded bitterly as she bit into her fruit.

“We may be one of the few people who know that he’s not lying,” Oliver said slowly. “I… I don’t really want to give up now. In my opinion, even if we don’t take the plunge, it’s still good to try and figure out the truth within the limits of our abilities.”

“I agree.” Nemo raised his hand. “I suggest asking Cross in person, that is, if it can be done.”

“I wanted to ask before, what’s wrong with you two?”

“He may be innocent. I don’t want to turn a blind eye… Besides, we have nothing else to do now. Ann, is there really nothing we can do?” Oliver’s voice was very sincere. “This isn’t a requirement. After all, you’re the most experienced of us. If there’s really no way, we won’t force it.”

“My opinion is very simple. The only person who knew the truth at the beginning didn’t turn a blind eye for fear of trouble.” Nemo stood up and pulled the folds of his robe tighter. “I think that’s a good feeling. If possible, I’d like to share it with Mr. Cross.”

The female warrior fell silent and began to pace the room repeatedly. Her expression was uncertain. When Nemo began to formally consider the lunch menu, she finally stopped.

“That’s it.” She took a deep breath. “I’m going to visit Mrs. Edwards to see if I can get more information. Oliver, Nemo, are you sure you want to go through this muddy water?”

“Yes.”

“That’s right.”

“Well, there’s no way to approach the sacrifice.” She raised her eyes. “Unless you’re imprisoned in the depths of the dungeon. Going by yesterday’s script, Oliver, go and report Nemo.”

“…What?” Oliver blurted out.

“Cross has been imprisoned for less than a year. He’s a human who has lost his powers. They will not lock him in too deep. Originally, we could reach him by pretending to be guards, but the sacrifice is different. They are locked at the bottom. Places close to the bottom are generally reserved for things like demon warlocks and, if any, more powerful demon worshipers. Tell me now, do you still want to go through with it?”

“I… Well, is there a way to come out again?” Nemo pinched the fruit as he asked, almost turning it into jam.

“Yes, but it’ll be painful,” Ann said, “and Cross may not be willing to talk to you.”

“How painful?”

“Sorry, I don’t have experience as a demon warlock or a superior demon, so I don’t know, but we can try it first. If you can stand it, we’ll talk about the next step.”

“Try it?” Nemo looked at Oliver with a little uncertainty. “There’s nothing wrong with me.”

“If Nemo agrees, then I have nothing to add.” Oliver stared at the stone in his hand. “After all, he seems to be the more unfortunate one.”

“Okay.” Ann nodded. “I thought I was crazy, but you two boys take the cake. Nemo, come here and take off your shirt.”

Nemo stopped in place awkwardly and blinked.

“…Or do you want to stay in the dungeon for the rest of your life? I need to create a unique refuge array from the Laddism Church. It’ll really hurt at first. After all, the magic of the holy church has always been aimed at the Abyss.”

“You… You’re a woman. This is a bit…”

“I’m only interested in older men.” Ann took out a pen for drawing magic arrays and then pulled out a small bottle of silver ink from her innermost pocket. “Cut the shy shit. Where did you come up with so much nonsense? Hurry up and take it off.”

“I’ll go talk to the people at the inn about compensation for the bed.” Oliver got up uneasily and left the room quickly.

Ann raised an eyebrow high as she looked at his back and let out a meaningful snort.

However, Nemo didn’t feel any pain. It was true he felt something, but it was only a little itch. In order to not make Ann’s doubts worse, he didn’t share this discovery. Ann drew an extremely complex magic array behind him, which took a full two hours. The slender lines were like molten silver. The magic array flowed on the skin of his back, like it was a living thing.

After drawing the final mantra, Ann put away her pen and sighed bitterly at the flowing brilliance, while Oliver watched with a wooden face. He took care of the issue with the innkeeper in less than fifteen minutes and went back to the room to watch. The rest of the time, his gaze changed from discomfort to amazement and finally to sympathy.

After all, the drawing of the magic array didn’t allow too much jitter. Nemo took root on the floor like a mushroom, looking numb for hours.

“When you enter the dungeon, they will wash you with holy water… Uh, it’ll be poured all over you. The mana inside should be enough to trigger it. You have one night, Nemo, then it’ll send you out at midnight. As a special magic array of the Laddism Church, it will not trigger the alarms in the dungeon.”

“Oliver, after you send Nemo over, meet me at Edward’s home. Remember to ask the bishop for a holy light talisman. If you’ve done a good job informing, he won’t be stingy. We must ensure that the Wall of Sighs is open at midnight. Nemo can’t get out with just the magic array alone.”

“Now go. If Adrian Cross is indeed guilty, your debt will be doubled.”

---

The author has something to say:

—Age setting—

Ann is thirty-two years old, and the remaining two are twenty-three. Forget about the parrot. It’s destined to be a single parrot anyway.

Ann: There’s an urgent need for a steady friend of the same age to share the feeling of tiredness.

Adrian Cross: ……

Ann will not have any emotional entanglements with anyone on the team. She is their reliable companion, and her CP is still waiting for her in the future main plot…

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Step 3: Return kiss. Check.

Oliver is so cute. I’m loving all this subtle action between the two of them.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 31: The Aftermath of the Battle

Nemo wished this was a continuation of that strange dream and that they were still lying in bed at the inn, and what they had just experienced was some wonderful illusion. Even he felt it was like a dream. He wasn’t controlled by some unknown will. In those short ten minutes, he really knew what he was doing and what he could do. It was like floating from the muddy bottom of the water to the surface. All the puzzles in his life were answered in an instant.

Then he woke up, leaving only vague fragments in his mind. This made him hold his chest, uneasy and angry, anxiously trying to hit the ground. What followed was panic and blankness. Nemo had read countless biographies of adventurers and countless legends about war and magic, but no book had recorded anything remotely close to the spatial magic he had just cast. If this was just a trick that wasn’t worth mentioning, he wouldn’t need to convince himself.

It was no longer a matter of “origin”. He couldn’t even be sure if he was still human. Nemo subconsciously touched his waist, only feeling the damaged fabric. His wallet should still be in the room at the inn. The gold pendant wasn’t on him at this moment.

He needed it now more than ever before, as if it was his last lifeline that maintained his cognition that “he’s human”.

Oliver now had a good reason to leave. There was little hope of successfully completing the mission. The team would not last long. His companions didn’t even know what was going on with Nemo himself. It was estimated that only God would know what he was. Nemo sighed heavily. He knew very well that there was no point in entangling himself, so he hesitated for a moment and opened his mouth.

But Oliver’s answer was completely beyond his expectations. His attitude didn’t seem to be hypocritical as his emerald eyes didn’t turn away. He even dared to reach out and touch him. The panic instantly faded, part of it turned into ecstasy, and Nemo only felt that his feet were grounded again.

So when Nemo waited for Oliver to withdraw his hand, he quickly stepped forward and gave him a strong hug. “I love you¹ so much.” He was so excited that he referred to Oliver honorifically¹. He couldn’t help but put his chin on Oliver’s shoulder and patted him on the back. “I promise I’ll never hurt you. Oh God, Ollie, I–”

¹He’s using [nin] (您) which is the honorific form of [ni] (你)) which means you.

He had no words and didn’t know how to describe or express his mood at the moment. Oliver’s back seemed to stiffen, but Nemo didn’t care. He probably couldn’t get used to it right away.

“You wanted me to see this?” A somewhat low female voice suddenly sounded. “Bagelmaurus, I need an explanation.”

The female warrior crossed her arms and looked over where they were with great interest.

“It was indeed a superior demon! I would never mistake it,” the gray parrot yelled. It flew close to the two of them with a little hesitation. “Don’t you humans like to let corpses rot in places that no one cares about? I didn’t know they would still be alive. Hey, idiots. Where’s that black-armored guy just now?”

Good question. Nemo slowly loosened his hold on Oliver, who was as stiff as a stone statue, and carefully pulled on his nightgown to cover himself up so he wouldn’t look indecent in front of a lady.

“I am…” he pretended to cough a few times and decided not to care about how the gray parrot addressed him. “We defeated him, sort of. Bagelmaurus, why did you call her over? Didn’t I tell you to run away?”

“She wanted to come,” the gray parrot shouted, landing on Nemo’s shoulder. “I’m just following and taking a look.”

“It was serious enough this time for the two of you to die ten times over. Superior demons don’t have the habit of standing still and admiring corpses.” Ann approached and frowned at the scarlet icicles in the desert. “Even if I wanted to escape, I have to confirm the characteristics of my opponent. You know, your body can reveal many things.” She raised her hand and waved a teleportation parchment at them that was full of runes.

“It does look serious, but you’re not seriously injured.” After extinguishing the magic array, her sharp gaze swept across the two of them. “What happened?”

When she said this, it was unknown whether it was coincidental, but her eyes stopped on Nemo.

Nemo turned his gaze away, causing his head to ache. He didn’t mean to hide it, but he really didn’t know how to describe what had happened just now.

“He saved me. That’s all I’ll say,” Oliver spoke. He put his hand on Nemo’s shoulder, and his finger exerted a slight force. “It’s best for him to tell you the rest.”

Nemo instantly understood what the other party meant; this was to leave the decision on whether he wanted to reveal the truth up to him. Perhaps concealment would be more beneficial. Ann had a poor friendship with them and could leave at any time. Without the guidance of an experienced female warrior, the two of them could only bump into each other like headless flies.

“Well,” Nemo stood straight up, “Ann, I may not be human. This possibility is quite high. And it’s not the kind like a demon warlock either. I might—” he paused, struggling. It seemed like if he didn’t say it, it wouldn’t come true. “I may be a superior demon.”

The female warrior didn’t respond, but simply narrowed her eyes.

“I don’t want to keep it from you since it’s not fair to you.” Nemo licked his chapped lips and tasted the saltiness of blood on them. “I split a crack of space in the sky and then threw the superior demon in, assuming that it was a superior demon. I seem to know him.”

“It sounds like spatial magic.” Ann pondered for a moment. “And what does it mean that you seem to know him?”

“It’s not ordinary spatial magic. I knew what was over there. Ann, I threw him back into the Abyss.” Nemo shook his head. “When I did that, I knew who he was, but not now. I can’t remember very clearly.”

“Impossible.” The parrot flew off Nemo’s shoulder. “No one can connect to the Abyss from the surface. If you are a superior demon, I would be able to recognize you.”

“Do you know Witherspoon and Telaranea from the Gravity Maze?” Nemo asked.

“I know of the Gravity Maze,” the gray parrot said. “It’s close to the bottom of the Abyss. An annoying place. I’ve never met Witherspoon, so I don’t know him. I haven’t heard of any race called this. I know Telaranea. He’s quite famous in the Abyss.”

“I said that he’s a little guy with a personality problem.” Nemo smiled briefly. “I think only your kind can say that.”

The gray parrot looked at Nemo steadily and stopped making a sound.

“But you don’t remember it yourself,” Ann said. There was no emotion in her voice. “You don’t remember anything.”

“Yes.”

“I see.” Ann nodded. “Then when we go to the dungeon, you’ll still have to stay outside and watch the wind.”

Nemo raised his head abruptly.

“Thank you for your trust. Your choice is right. If I had noticed this by myself,” after a few seconds of icy pause, Ann continued quietly, “I’ll definitely kill you.”

Nemo shivered. Although he had prepared for the worst, he couldn’t help but look at the female warrior in shock.

“I’m not a believer in Zenni, but I am a human. I hope you can understand this. Don’t look like that. I won’t turn you in, even though I really wanted to.” Ann shrugged.

“It’s just a guess,” Nemo quickly defended himself. “It’s just a possibility. Not 100%—”

“Enough.” Oliver patted him on the back. “Let’s go back first.”

“Maybe Cahill did a good thing.” Ann handed the slowly burning teleportation paper to the two of them, looking as she usually did. “The superior demon who took you away was very careful. The most common teleportation paper was used in your room. It seems that he wanted to kill us quietly.” As soon as she finished speaking, they returned to the familiar room at the inn. The parrot fell to the floor, its eyes wide open, as it stood dumbfounded in a strange posture.

“You guys rest first. We can talk about it in detail tomorrow morning. The other party is very cautious, so they won’t attack us again so soon.” Ann smiled reluctantly at them and then left the room, not forgetting to close the door.

The heavy wooden door closed behind her. The corridor in front of her was dark. The female warrior leaned against the door and slowly slid to the ground. She buried her face in her hands, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

“He believes me,” she whispered to herself. “He believes in me, I know. Am I doing the right thing, brother?”

However, the darkness did not respond to her.

“Do you need to change rooms?” After there were only the two of them left in the room, Nemo spoke carefully. “I can understand. I won’t mind, really.”

“No.” Oliver simply refused. He pulled out the nightgown prepared by the inn from the cupboard, took off his blood-stained top, and exposed his muscular upper body. “You go wash, or should I go first?”

“You go first.” Oliver behaved so naturally that it left Nemo tongue-tied.

Oliver nodded and stepped into the bathroom first. After a while, the sound of water could be heard.

Nemo’s nightgown was full of blood and sand. He didn’t want to stain the clean sheets, so he sat down on the floor. Bagelmaurus was still lying on its side on the ground. If it hadn’t been for its breathing, Nemo would’ve thought it was dead.

He poked the stiff gray parrot with his hand. “You said you know Telaranea. Who is he?”

“We call him the Sage of the Abyss,” the gray parrot explained weakly. “No one knows how long he has lived. He’s the only polymer in the Abyss.”

“Polymer?”

“Our race has names, but we also have our own names, just like you humans, but he doesn’t. His name is the name of the race. There is only one Telaranea in the entire Abyss. He has been staying in the corners of the Abyss, so no one has ever seen his body. He only relies on his eyeballs to communicate with us. His eyeballs crawls everywhere in the Abyss, so he knows basically everything except the bottom of the Abyss. Rather than a sage, he’s more like a voyeur.”

“……”

“Being a polymer is why he’s famous. You see, even if the flesh is separated like mine, the soul can only be in one of them. He’s different. His eyeballs share a will, but they can act separately, so he can possess multiple targets at the same time. Damn, it’s really enviable.”

“Is he strong?”

“I don’t know. He usually doesn’t participate in fights. Almost the entire Abyss feels that there is a problem with his character. I don’t admit that you are my kind. If you really have another piece of flesh in your body, I’ll definitely find out. Besides, there’s no such thing as losing your memory. Our true consciousness is in the body, so it’s impossible to be affected by the flesh on the surface. My judgment is not wrong.”

“You previously stated that no one can connect the Abyss to the surface.” Nemo looked unsteadily at the ceiling. “Perhaps it’s just that you don’t know.” Great. Even a superior demon doesn’t know what he is.

The candlelight cast a long shadow on the statue of Zenni in the room.

Nemo tried to grab the remaining fragments of consciousness, hoping to find more clues. The moment he split space, he knew exactly who he was, and he knew the answer, but now, he could only grasp a trace of the emotion at that time.

He didn’t mention it to anyone, because that emotion made him feel bad. He had envisioned many absurd possibilities, from a superior demon in the Abyss to some unknown monster, from a harmless ordinary person to a ghost. He could have been prominent, or he could have been born in nothingness, just like a meaningless speck of dust.

No matter what the answer was, he shouldn’t have that emotion…

It was like the joy of childlike simplicity that was close to happiness.

---

The author has something to say:

—Discovered that a teammate/self may be a superior demon—

Parrot: I’m not going to admit it! I’ll repeat it again. I won’t admit it!

Nemo: Who am I? Where am I? Friends, don’t leave me behind—

Oliver: (Being impacted by his own orientation)

Ann: Am I an accomplice in concealing the scourge? Is this a betrayal to mankind? I’ll never pick up teammates in strange places again!

…The whole team isn’t mistaken, except for the last point, which is really gratifying.

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Kinky Thoughts:

Oliver reaching enlightenment. Who needs the church when you have Nemo?

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 30: King’s Landing

The black-armored warrior’s right arm didn’t shed much blood. He froze in place like a stone statue as an uncomfortable red light lit up in the gap in his helmet.

“Wait, I remember your smell,” Nemo said, taking two steps closer. From this distance, Oliver could see his eyes clearly. The silver-gray eyes glowed pale in the dark night, and the light was like a full moon covered by the clouds, similar to a pearly ghost. His pupils were no longer the normal circle of human standards but split into four directions and became cross-shaped, which were unique to demons. “You live near the Gravity Maze. Let me think… Witherspoon?”

Witherspoon, the black-armored warrior, took a small step back without saying a word.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to speak; he actually wanted to scream. Oliver Ramon was just a human. Naturally, he couldn’t understand the fear engraved in the souls of demons—if they really have souls.

Even if the Demon King of each generation were different, when they unreservedly showed their hostility, a superior demon would never get it wrong. It wasn’t just a simple sense of oppression, but the heavy terror brought on by the natural course of nature. That cold sense of horror gnawed at his nerves, biting his flesh that was attached to this human body. His tongue became numb from fear, and his mind seemed to be frozen. He even forgot how to breathe. He instinctively wanted to escape, but he didn’t want to expose his back to his opponent. He was like a young bird trying its best to fluff up its feathers in front of a predator. Witherspoon stood there, awkwardly inching back, even though he subconsciously knew that it was just a futile struggle.

This was clearly impossible. Everyone knew that that monster couldn’t leave the bottom of the Abyss.

“A suggestion.” Nemo raised his hand in a brisk tone, as if he was discussing the dinner menu with the black-armored warrior. “Don’t get too close to Telaranea. That little guy has a problem with his personality.”

Witherspoon and Oliver stared at the hand.

However, Nemo didn’t attack. He made a simple gesture; he raised his hand slightly to the sky, with little movement. It was like he was repelling mosquitoes rather than casting a spell. There was no chanting, no complex magic arrays, not even any dazzling brilliance.

Suddenly, the sky cracked.

It may not be accurate to say that it cracked—the space was torn apart, as if the sky above them was like a painting on the side of an eggshell. At this moment, the fragile shell cracked, creating a gap, revealing the hell on the other side. Inside the crack, fire burned in the dark, and from time to time, huge creatures wandered by the gap, or peeped out from it with weird eyes.

“It’s time to go home,” Nemo announced. There was no condescending sarcasm or cold anger in his tone. “It’s only fair; this is self-defense after all. Get a good night’s sleep, Witherspoon. It’ll be good for you.”

From about ten steps away from them, he flashed like a ghost in front of the black-armored warrior, stretched out his hand, and pushed down on the opponent’s breastplate. The air suddenly twisted into wave-like ripples, accompanied by a shrill roar. Witherspoon instantly shot away as dark shadows unceremoniously caught him. This time, the dark shadow no longer appeared out of thin air. The huge crack was like a hideous fresh wound, and its edges dripped with dark and sticky shadows. They swallowed Witherspoon’s figure like a creature, then flowed back into the crack.

Everything was calm again.

The terrifying crack in space was still wide open. There was a low and strange hissing that came faintly from it. The fire was burning among the stars, and ashes fell from the sky like snow on a winter’s night. Nemo retracted his hand and looked down at Oliver, who was lying on the side.

Oliver Ramon knew he was about to die.

In the battle just now, Oliver’s arms became completely mangled. His flesh and bones were mixed together. In addition to the unstoppable flow of blood that was dripping down his arms, blood also gushed from the wound in his abdomen. There was a deep bruise on his forehead, and the blood made his handsome face a bit more tarry.

Oliver grasped the air with difficulty.

He was facing a huge crack; a burning crack that was embedded in the dark night sky. The ashes floated towards his eyes but did not melt like real snow. They blurred his vision, and everything in front of him seemed like a dream.

Nemo stopped in front of him and leaned down slightly. With his back to the firelight, Oliver couldn’t see Nemo’s expression clearly. He could only see the flickering of non-human eyes. He didn’t restrain his momentum. Oliver couldn’t help coughing a few times. His throat was full of the sweet smell of blood, and the oppression he felt was like a mountain crushing him.

With what little strength he had left, Oliver thought dimly he could try to move like Witherspoon and try to escape or ask for help… or for mercy.

Nemo just stared at him, doing nothing and saying nothing, as if he was in a state of contemplation.

Oliver’s consciousness began to blur. He raised his head slightly and looked at the familiar companion in front of him and the gorgeous blazing fire behind him. He subconsciously decided how he would use his last bit of strength—to give Nemo a smile.

The next moment, a pair of warm hands held his face.

Nemo half knelt down beside Oliver and supported his head with both hands. He leaned forward and imprinted his lips on the wound on Oliver’s forehead. The black shadow dripping from the cracks gathered from all sides, spreading across Oliver’s deformed arms and flowing over the wound in his abdomen. It felt light and cold, not soft, like the pain of a razor rubbing against his skin.

The broken bones in the area where the dark shadows crawled past returned to their place. New skin grew, and all the hideous wounds closed. His intact skin came into contact with the moist air, and the sense of being alive returned to Oliver again. He found that he had the strength to move, but he didn’t want to move at this moment.

“You didn’t run away.” Nemo stood up and wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand. “…Thank you.”

Oliver was finally able to see the other person’s expression clearly. It was the person he knew. The face of Nemo, which was mixed with calmness, relief, and a little joy. Oliver stretched out his right hand, which was no longer bleeding and had fully healed, and stroked Nemo’s cheek as if to confirm something. The unique warmth of life came to his fingertips, and he unconsciously raised the corners of his mouth into a more obvious arc.

“You’re welcome.” His voice was clear, even if the terrifying sense of oppression was still crushing his brain. “It’s me who should be thanking you.”

Nemo was taken back for a moment, then gave him a smile back.

Oliver suddenly felt his heart skip a beat. He couldn’t tell what it meant. His brain was screaming danger, and instinctive fear made all his hair stand up. Anxiety and tension pierced his back like steel needles, but he couldn’t remove his gaze.

The ashes continued to fall like snowflakes, accumulating a thin layer of gray on the sand. The flames on the other side of the crack were so ominous, but they filled his vision with light, and everything was shining brightly…

Just like a summer day a few years ago.

“You rejected Susanna?!” The father, in his memory, shouted at him. “God, Oliver, how could you break a lady’s heart like this?”

“She’s indeed a lovely girl, but…”

“You dare say but? God, what did I teach you? Euphemism, Ollie. You have to be euphemistic, not ‘I don’t have any feelings for you’!”

“There are many lovely people in the world, dad. It’s impossible for me to be attracted to everyone. You haven’t told me anything about mother yet… But you’re telling me how to fall in love with someone? Stop saying crappy lines like ‘she’s the most beautiful woman in the world’ and ‘she’ll make your world lose its color and your food lose its taste’—I can’t understand that kind of feeling.”

Piper strained his face. He put back the shoe he had just grabbed in his hand, and his expression became serious.

“Then listen up.” He sighed and looked away. “She may not be good or beautiful. You may have a lot of quarrels and frictions and even feel disappointed in each other from time to time, but there will be a moment when the scenery that person gives you will be unparalleled. You’ll know that you’ll never see anything more beautiful than that in your life.”

“Love does not necessarily mean total acceptance or self-sacrifice, Ollie, but it will make you want to live more.”

Is that so?

Oliver lowered his arm.

At that moment, he was blindly convinced that he would never be able to see such a beautiful and shuddering scene for the rest of his life. He could still feel the warmth left by Nemo’s hand, and that warmth made him… want to live for a moment longer.

Nemo remained half-kneeling when he suddenly shook his body and gasped in pain. The cross-shaped pupils began to shrink, returning to their normal human appearance, and the slightly flickering silver light went out. The cracks in space that stretched across the starry sky closed abruptly, and nothing could prove it ever existed except for the pile of ashes.

“Oliver, I…” he panted laboriously, inserting his finger into the blood-soaked sand.

“You…” Oliver was still in a daze. Too many emotions were mixed, and he didn’t know what to do with them. “Are you good?”

“I’m not good. I’m particularly bad!” cried Nemo. “Did you see what I just did? Does this look good to you?”

“You remember?”

“Remember! …Part of it.” Nemo muttered in a low voice. “It was like a dream. I could understand everything in my dream, and when I woke up, that feeling was completely gone.”

“But I do remember what I said and what I did… Now I can even do this.” Nemo stretched out his hand and black flames ignited on his fingertips, making his face paler.

“At least now we can all be sure of one thing. Oliver, I don’t seem to be human, and maybe I’m the kind of dangerous…” Nemo couldn’t find a suitable term that wouldn’t make him uncomfortable, so he had stopped mid sentence awkwardly.

“Oh.” Oliver lay solemnly on the ground and stretched out his hand. “Anyway, do me a favor first and give me a hand. I’m a mess now and I’m not in the mood to stand up by myself.”

Nemo’s sadness was completely stirred up. He rolled his eyes and pulled Oliver from the sand dune.

“Come on.” Nemo lowered his head with courage akin to dying generously*. “Say it.”

*Comes from: It’s easy to die generously, but difficult to die gracefully (慷慨赴死易，从容就义难). A generous death refers to passionately or impulsively, while a graceful death refers to calculated or meticulously planned.

“Say what?” Oliver raised his eyebrows.

“…Don’t you have any feelings? Just say what you want. Otherwise, I… uh, I will think we can still act together in the future.”

“Okay?” Oliver said absent-mindedly, brushing the ashes off of Nemo’s black hair. “I promised you before, didn’t I? I won’t be afraid of you because you’re ‘whatever-it-is’. That’s still valid now.”

Perhaps it was too effective. Oliver stared at the ash on his knuckles.

Not only did he not want to escape, but he wanted to go on longer with Nemo. The sense of oppression had long since disappeared, but his heartbeat did not slow down. In contrast, it became even more rapid. Something was wrong. Oliver rubbed off the ash from his hand and sighed secretly in his heart—I must be crazy.

---

The author has something to say:

Oliver: Super fierce, it’s hard not to be moved.

Nemo: ??? Wait a minute.

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Kinky Thoughts:

Second step, kiss. Check.

This chapter is EVERYTHING. We’re making some progress, people. Are these two not the cutest couple ever?

This is the last of the free chapters on jjwxc. If you’ve been enjoying the novel so far and are able to, please consider supporting the author by buying the raws. You can use Google Chrome with their auto translate and this guide on how to buy novels on jjwxc. Remember, only with your (financial) support can artists continue to produce more great works.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 29: Failed

“…The report is above. Regarding the matter mentioned earlier, I asked Witherspoon.”

“That fool with only muscles in his head?”

“Oh, dear Vance, don’t say that. Your ‘brains’ are basically pieces of meat.”

“You made a deal with him.”

“Yes, the reward is one of my eyeballs; voluntary dedication, full of strength, and a good taste.”

“Why bother to go through so much trouble, Telaranea? You might as well just let them kill you. Even if Edwards’ body is destroyed, you’ll only lose an eyeball at most. We all know you’re never short of those.”

“It really doesn’t matter, but my contract with Cahill Edwards hasn’t been completed yet. I just got the ‘deposit’. His knowledge is unique, and I don’t want anyone to hinder me from getting it.”

“If I remember correctly, Witherspoon is not much better than you.”

“I don’t like fighting, and he’s an expert.”

“…And a very good test product, right? Telaranea, I warned you.” Vance’s tone became cold. “Compatriots are not your toys.”

“This is a deal of his own volition. You have no right to interfere.”

Having said that, Telaranea terminated the call in a good mood. The communication crystal disappeared into the air along the sound isolation array on the wall. He sat down in the wheelchair and adjusted his expression to just the right softness, as the sound of footsteps outside the door became clearer. Then someone gently knocked on the door.

“Mother.” He grabbed a book casually and opened a few pages before setting it down on his knee. “It’s so late. What can I do for you?”

“I saw that the light in your room was still on,” Mrs. Edwards’ voice sounded from behind the door. “Rest early, son.”

“Don’t worry, mother,” he said. “You need to rest more. The tranquility of night helps me think.”

“…Good night, son.” After a moment of silence, the old woman said softly at the door, “I love you, always.”

“I love you too. Good night.”

At this moment, there was no “tranquility of night” in the desert not far from Hailam.

It happened so suddenly that Nemo and Oliver were completely unprepared for battle. Oliver was better. At least he was still wearing daytime clothes, and his shoes were still on his feet. Nemo was wearing a nightgown and was barefooted on the sand. The gravel on the ground made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

But now was not the time to worry about his feet.

Oliver was awakened by the toss and subconsciously raised his hand against the blow. He fully woke up from the pain eroded by magic. His hands were empty, and he had to use his own flesh to endure the huge pool of magic. Thankfully, his attack seemed to be effective, as the black-armored warrior was buried completely in ice.

However, the dark figure broke through the ice easily and used the giant sword  to slash the icicles like a hot knife cutting butter. The gray parrot was flung into the sky by an icicle that had drilled out of the sand, waking it up.

“What’s going on—!”

No one bothered to explain to it. The smell of danger was stronger than any disaster they had encountered before, and the opponent had a clear intention of killing them. Oliver didn’t care about the wound that had opened back up. The blood had dyed his bandages black and red. He frantically erected an ice wall in front of the black-armored warrior, while Nemo desperately tried to recall magic… But to no avail.

The black-armored warrior walked slowly. There was no doubt that he was heading straight towards them. It looked as if his back had eyes, as icicles that were hurled towards him from a tricky angle were turned into soap bubbles as he broke them with just one swing of his sword. Although he was dressed in heavy black armor, his movements were strangely light as he gracefully navigated through the icicles. He bent over, dodged sideways, turned his metal-covered neck, as if he was moving to the beat of drums that they couldn’t hear, like he was doing some weird ancient dance.

Oliver gritted his teeth. His left arm was covered in scars again as it hung softly. He raised his right arm and continued his futile resistance. Nemo was sweating profusely, and was finally able to summon a little dark shadow, which the opponent tore to pieces. The gray parrot screamed and wanted to launch an escape spell, but was instantly sealed into a magic array and couldn’t move.

They tried their best, but their opponent acted as if he was taking a stroll through a garden.

“When he came to ask me, I thought I could meet some interesting opponents.” The black-armored warrior split the last erected ice wall in half. Oliver’s right arm drooped as blood kept flowing continuously. All he could do now was move his shoulders.

Even if he was given a good sword now, he would no longer be able to hold it.

Nemo clenched his fists tightly. He didn’t need to be an expert to know that if things continued on like this, Oliver would truly lose the use of his arms. He tried to use his trembling hands to direct the shadow to attack the black-armored warrior who was close at hand, but the shadow trembled more severely than he did. It swayed indiscriminately, which couldn’t be considered an “attack” at all. Even if he was lucky enough to connect with the warrior’s armor, it was easily brushed off in the next second, drifting away like dust.

“…As a result, you’re only two children who have never been on a battlefield,” he said casually as he stabbed the sword at the parrot lying in the sand. “Is this all you can do?”

Nemo’s heartbeat had never pounded as fast before. His heart was on the brink of exploding. For the first time, despair had grabbed him so earnestly. Nemo stretched out his hand again and the black shadow shot out and dragged the parrot who was right under the sword towards him. Nemo didn’t dare to hesitate. He stretched out his hand and tore apart the restraint array, just like he had torn the lightning cage that night. The black-armored warrior stopped moving and watched with interest.

“Don’t think I’ll be grateful. My strength is only enough for me to—”

“Go!” Nemo whispered as his lips trembled.

The gray parrot was stunned.

“Go quickly. I beg you—go back to Hailam and tell Ann to escape.”

After that, he opened his hands, creating a black shadow barrier that separated the black armored warrior from them, but at this moment, it could only serve to blind his vision. The gray parrot glanced at Nemo deeply, and its figure disappeared in black light. Almost at the same time, their enemy leisurely passed through the barrier.

“Abyssal magic immunity? How rare.” He shook his head at the residual light left by the parrot. “But it’s nothing more than that.”

Everything happened so fast.

By the time Nemo reacted, he had already collided into a huge rock and broke it to pieces, as if he was flying into a cobweb. Several stone pillars passed through his torso until he was finally nailed firmly to a rock. He trembled and lowered his head. His entire chest was pierced through; his ribs had been shattered, not to mention his fragile organs like his heart and lungs. He could feel the rapid blood loss as his vision quickly blurred.

It may be because the pain had already exceeded the threshold, as he no longer felt pain. It just felt terribly cold.

‘Finally.’ Nemo thought blankly. ‘Finally, the moment has come.’

He never thought the end would be so quick. Nemo tried to breathe, but his lungs were already crushed by a stone pillar. His heart no longer existed, let alone beating. Perhaps this was already the world after death, and he had already become a ghost that hadn’t had time to leave his body yet.

The black-armored warrior turned around, empty-handed, looking at the figure that was coming towards him from behind. Oliver was pierced through the abdomen by the giant sword. His body reclined against a sand dune. It was unknown if he was still alive or dead.

‘It’s over,’ Nemo thought slowly.

Suddenly, bloody icicles shot out of the sand and scattered into countless tiny ice needles, piercing the gaps in the armor of the warrior. Bright red blood oozed from the gaps in the armor and dripped onto the sand, which greedily sucked it up.

“He’s dead.” The black-armored warrior lowered his head. His tone wasn’t very pleasant. “Even if it’s a demon warlock, it’s impossible to survive with a shattered heart. Your friend is dead.” He announced it coldly.

Oliver didn’t answer.

He was facing the huge rock and saw it clearly. Nemo’s entire body was nailed to the rock, like some strange specimen on display. His blood left conspicuous marks all over it.

Can someone survive after so much blood loss? …Rather, can a human really shed that much blood?

He didn’t want to think about it now.

Nemo could always survive. They were able to survive the jaws of the ratliff wolfhound, pass through the Frontier Forest safely, and even faced a superior demon and countless hoards of demons. Nemo Light could always survive, even if he struggled and was terrified.

The giant sword penetrated Oliver’s abdomen. He could feel the burning pain of his gastric acid eroding the inside of his body. He needed a lot of optimism and hoped, even in this moment, that this person would still miraculously survive this disaster. Maybe Nemo just needed a little more time.

All the bones in his lower arms were broken, but Oliver still squeezed the last trace of strength from his muscles to raise his arm. Red icicles swarmed the black-armored warrior like a blood-red sea descending from the sky, trying to stop the enemy’s footsteps.

“Amazing power, but unfortunately, you don’t have enough experience.” Their enemy finally turned his head around. The black-armored warrior suddenly pulled out his giant sword, and the blood from the blade left a trail of residual light that glowed in the night. “I’m very happy to have met you, young warrior. Although it’s a pity that you can’t fight freely, you’ll definitely become a big threat if I leave you alone.”

He lifted the big sword, pointing the tip before thrusting it straight at Oliver’s head. The latter’s eyes didn’t even blink. His emerald eyes flashed slightly, looking directly at his impending death. The icicles did not stop for a moment, as they continuously bombard his target. The sand under Oliver’s arms had already been blackened by the overflowing blood.

The tip of the giant sword quickly pierced something heavy, but it didn’t stab its target. It should have shattered Oliver’s head like a watermelon, ending tonight’s boring battle, but Oliver still lay in place, but the giant sword had disappeared, along with the entire right arm of the black-armored warrior.

Oliver leaned against the sand dune and gasped. He opened his eyes wide and looked at the person who did all this to the enemy—

Nemo was walking towards them. He somehow broke free from the deadly stone pillar. There was a terrible, gaping, bloody hole in his torso that one could see the scenery behind him through, but it was healing rapidly, as if it wasn’t the flesh of a human, but an illusionary mist composed of colorful spells.

The familiar sense of horror suddenly hit and flooded Oliver like a tide. It was clearer than ever before, and now he could almost instinctively assert that this person was definitely not a human, but something other than human.

His enemy obviously had similar thoughts as well. The black-armored warrior slowly took a step back; he had never retreated since he had appeared in front of them.

When Nemo was still a dozen steps away from them, the bloody gaping hole had finally closed completely. His linen nightgown had already been ruined by the stone pillars and was in tatters, soaked in blood, and was almost completely black in the dim night. At this time, pieces of healed skin were exposed on the broken fabric, and the sense of disharmony became more intense.

He stopped, looked up, and scratched his head in the familiar movement that Oliver was used to.

“Um, I don’t like interfering with other people’s actions.” His voice was the same as usual, “but Oliver is my friend. Can you please stay away from him?”

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Kinky Thoughts:

“Friend”. Nemo’s so cute.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 28: Fallen Star

Nemo knew very well that at this moment they should stay collected and accept the conversation calmly, but thinking about it was much easier than actually doing it. He simmered for a long time before finally hardening his heart and letting out an “Mm”.

The superior demon in human skin smiled even more brightly.

“Are these Mr. Edwards’ friends?” The chubby bishop looked like a kind-hearted old man. When he smiled, his face looked ruddy and cheerful.

“We happened to meet before,” the demon said, turning his gaze away from Nemo. “Then I won’t bother your lordship. I’ll consider what you said.”

The bishop nodded in satisfaction, “May the glory of Zenni shine on you forever, dear Mr. Edwards. Both of you, please come with me.”

The demon accepted the blessing calmly, with a smile on his face. The bishop stepped into the room first. Oliver took in a breath and followed in, and just as Nemo was about to follow up, the voice of “Cahill” sounded from behind him…

“Don’t be like a stranger,” he said softly. “If you want to know more, just ask me.”

He stared at Nemo. For a few seconds, his right eye wasn’t an ordinary eyeball. Countless pupil-like things flowed onto the red eyeball, squeezing and fusing with each other. Nemo almost threw up at the sight. He turned his head and rushed into the room, slammed the door, and put his back against it, as if the thin wooden door could resist the power of a superior demon.

It’s just a piece of flesh from a superior demon. He made every effort to console himself in his heart. Cahill, like Bagelmaurus, was just a piece of flesh. He shouldn’t give in to despair. When he calmed down and raised his head, he found that the bishop and Oliver were staring at him together.

“Your friend… His mind is really not stable.” The room was divided into two parts by a gleaming silver railing. The bishop opened a small metal door and sat on a leather chair opposite the railing. Behind him was a spacious window, and the afterglow of the setting sun added a golden outline to the fat old man, which made him look sacred.

When the old man snapped his fingers, suddenly the other side of the railing, the ceiling, the ground, and the surrounding wall, including the wooden door they had just passed through, were all sealed tightly by a thin silver fence. The two were instantly locked in a silver cage.

“Don’t be nervous, my children,” the bishop comforted them as he saw their shocked faces. “This is a fixed procedure, which can save us a lot of trouble. Your friend may experience a bit of pain. Now come, my child. Sit down first.” He turned his head to Oliver.

Before Oliver had time to ask what “a bit of pain” meant, the wall on one side slowly slid open, revealing a huge sacred emblem. The center of the triangle made of three feathers was no longer empty but filled with a complex magic array with silver wires as the stroke. A white light the size of a nail cover was embedded in the middle of the magic array, and it shone with a silver shimmer under its effects.

Nemo naturally noticed it, but he didn’t suffer any form of pain. He stared at the bright white dot and stretched out his hand as if possessed.

Even with the light at his back, Oliver could see the bishop frowning. He quickly activated the charm technique. Thank God. The bishop’s brows drooped, and his expression turned blank.

“Don’t touch it yet!” After confirming that there wasn’t a problem, Oliver immediately warned.

Nemo recovered instantly. He stared at the dot with some wonderment for a while, then retracted his hand and turned his gaze back to the bishop.

“Please… Um, please tell us everything you know about Adrian Cross.” Although the charm technique was successfully enacted, there was still discomfort in Oliver’s voice.

“He’s a dirty traitor. A hateful heretic,” the bishop said in a voice without any emotion. “A man who does whatever it takes for his status.”

“What do you mean?”

“Adrian Cross and Mr. Edwards are friends who grew up together,” the bishop said. “I have to admit that he’s a genius that has been hard to ignore since he was a child. At that time, his Holiness even praised him as the ‘Glorious Divine Grace’ and the ‘Bright Morning Star’. We trusted him, taught him, loved him from the bottom of our hearts, and firmly believed that he was the miraculous person referred to in the prophecy. But in the end, he ruined everything!”

Even if he was in the state of enchantment, the bishop’s breathing still became rapid.

“He lost all his magic after the Battle of Kandal. If you ask me, he definitely did something incredibly blasphemous. I have never heard of anyone’s divine grace that can completely disappear, but this was the case. That old man Mercer still trusted him and didn’t throw him out! He even allowed the heretic to stay and work as an inquisitor, which was absolutely ludicrous.”

“Heresy is heresy. He couldn’t even live in peace for two years. He must’ve found that he couldn’t regain his strength and couldn’t stand his low status, so he wanted to find other shortcuts to climb up. That heretic actually falsely accused his best friend, our hero, Mr. Edwards, of being a superior demon! Oh, Zenni is just. Of course, he wouldn’t let that damn bastard succeed. Mr. Edwards’ innocence is impeccable. How ironic that it was him who we found the demon’s seal on.” 

“Mr. Edwards even came forward to intercede for him, but the heretic didn’t appreciate it at all. He resolutely did not take back his lies and refused to mention a word about the seal. He probably still fantasized about the one day when his luck would turn. Personally, I sincerely hope that he dies in the dungeon. Of course, Zenni has his own arrangements. There will be no filth left under Zenni’s glory.”

The bishop’s anger almost overshadowed the calming effect of the charm technique, but Nemo couldn’t help being taken aback. Judging by the bishop’s words, Mr. Cross seemed to be quite different from the Knights of Judgement that Ann described. There was quite a considerable gap.

“Is… there anything else?” Oliver tried his best to keep his voice steady.

“Except for the fact that he’ll rot in the dungeon? Nothing else.” The bishop’s tone was mixed with hatred from someone who had been betrayed.

They got less information than they thought. Nemo sighed silently and nudged his elbow towards Oliver. “Ask him what this thing is… I don’t feel uncomfortable now, but if we don’t figure it out, I might get exposed after we lift the spell.”

“What is that?” Oliver pointed to the huge holy emblem.

“A skull fragment from the previous Demon King, Ulysses.” The old man’s tone returned to its monotonous nature. “Before it was lost, His Holiness, the Pope, had removed a piece. It’s a very effective weapon against demons, and even if a higher-level demon is present, it’ll feel uncomfortable after being provoked. It’s a pity that the skull has been lost for so long, and its residual powers are getting thinner by the day. Now, it can only suppress a demon warlock at best.”

Nemo glanced at the small bone fragment again only to feel that his hands were deathly itchy. He obeyed his heart and stretched out his hand across the silver railing and poked it carefully.

Facts had proven that there was a reason why some things shouldn’t be touched indiscriminately. It seemed as if a sharp ice pick had broken through his skull and pierced the back of his head abruptly. Nemo hugged his head and hissed coldly while Oliver glared at him disapprovingly.

“What are you going to do with us?” he asked.

“Put on holy shackles for the black-haired child and begin to prepare for the ceremony. He has one night to spend with his family and loved ones. I will invite dignitaries to sacrifice him to Zenni at sunrise tomorrow.”

Nemo rubbed his forehead, and as soon as he was about to stand up, Oliver pressed his head down again.

“What are you doing?” he asked discontentedly.

Oliver didn’t answer him. “What are the holy shackles?” He returned to his usual cautious style, and the questions he asked flowed out more smoothly. “What effects does it have?”

“The sacred restraint given to us by Zenni can prevent sinners from casting spells. If it isn’t lifted by someone recognized by the holy church within a time limit, its brilliance will burn the body of the sinner.”

“What the hell—!” Nemo squatted on the ground and shouted. “Isn’t Ann overestimating us? Is this really okay?”

“Are there any restrictions on use?” Oliver asked.

“It is only effective on demons and humans below the strength of a demon warlock.”

“…Still! What if I’m really just a demon worshiper—”

“I can persuade him and make him think that he has already put on the holy shackles on you, but I can’t charm everyone in the church at the same time… There are too many loopholes. Nemo, you decide. Do you trust Ann?” Oliver’s tone was extremely serious. “I have no right to choose for you.”

Nemo hugged his head and took a few deep breaths.

“Let’s do it.” He gritted his teeth. “This is nothing compared to Pandorater.”

Oliver nodded. He called the bishop to the railing and patted the old man on the arm.

The old man glanced at Nemo, who was squatting on the ground, and his expression became more natural.

“I understand the specific situation, there is indeed room for redemption.” He assumed a posture as if he had been talking freely with them all this time. He made a motion, and the massive holy emblem was once again hidden in the wall. “What a lucky child. God will definitely smile on you.”

Nemo laughed dryly.

“Come, stretch out your hand.” The old man smiled. “It’s just a small restraint. Don’t worry, but please remember, please be sure to return here before sunrise tomorrow, otherwise it will cost you your life. You won’t turn your back on God, will you?”

Nemo took a deep breath and stretched out his hands. Dazzling light gushed from the old man’s fingertips, twisting into two thin glowing chains that wrapped around his arms tightly. The silver fence slowly disappeared, and the bishop even took a few steps forward and gave Nemo a hug. “May Zenni’s glory last forever.”

“…May Zenni completely ignore me.” When they walked out of the church, Nemo said with bitterness as he scratched the chain on his arms.

Ann was leaning on a marble statue of an angel. Its wings blocked most of the female warrior’s figure, so they almost didn’t notice her.

She raised an eyebrow at the shackle of light on Nemo’s arms. “How surprising. You two are quite obedient.”

Nemo rolled his eyes at her. “You’d better tell me that you have a way to fix this thing.” He waved his arms pitifully. “I don’t want to go back to that damn place anymore.”

Ann smiled slightly. She recited an incantation in a low voice and then easily tore the shackles apart. The shackles of light turned into spots and slowly dissipated in the air. “Look, Nemo. If I really wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t use such a roundabout way.”

Oliver pursed his lips and gave her a thoughtful look.

“Curious as to why I know how to lift the shackles?” Ann obviously knew what Oliver’s eyes were thinking. “Don’t worry about it. It’s all in the past.”

“You’re not a Laddist, are you?”

“It’s a long story.” Ann cleared her throat, “…So I decided not to talk about it.”

“But—”

“If there ever comes an appropriate time, I won’t hide it from the two of you—Nemo!” Her joking words suddenly turned to a shout.

Nemo fell over silently. Oliver reacted quickly. He grabbed the back of Nemo’s neck without letting him bump his head into the base of the marble statue. He tried to wake Nemo, but the black-haired young man closed his eyes and breathed gently, as if he had fallen into a deep slumber.

“The holy shackles shouldn’t have any effect,” Ann whispered. “Take him back to the inn first.”

Nemo had a dream.

It was dark at first, but then he heard someone singing. Although he wanted quietness at the moment, he decided to endure it for the sake of the beautiful singing. The singer was a young man with icy hands that had sweat all over them. For some reason, at this moment, he was holding the man’s hand and moving forward in the darkness.

“I would like to follow you and step through the ruins and smoke—” The young man hummed, “Sandra, Sandra. The dew on the tombstone gleamed… Forget it, forget it. This isn’t very auspicious.”

“You can shut up now.” Nemo suggested it amicably. The voice was not like his. The tone was wonderful, although the content was in a lingua franca*, it was by no means a human voice.

*A language or dialect systematically used to make communication possible between groups of people who do not share a native language or dialect (AKA a common language).

“It’s too quiet here,” the young man replied. “It’s so quiet that people panic.”

Nemo was silent for a long time, then tentatively opened his mouth. “Aren’t you afraid?”

“My lover and companions are still waiting for me. I’m so happy. I’ll definitely survive! Hey, let me tell you. My fiancée, she’s…”

“Enough, shut up.” Nemo heard himself interrupt the young man. “You’ve already said it like nineteen times!”

“We can just round it up.” The young man’s voice sounded a bit aggrieved.

“It’s not far away.” Nemo digressed. “Human, do you really have the confidence to kill the Demon King?”

“Maybe,” the young man replied, without the joy in his voice. “To be honest, since I got here, I’ve been thinking—”

“…You answer my question first.”

“If everyone does their best… Yes.”

“Then I have a request,” Nemo heard himself say. “Cut off his head and take it out of the Abyss, so that the Abyss can sleep longer, which is exactly what you want.”

“But according to legend, once its corpse touches the ground, it will…”

“That’s because the previous fighters were too useless.” The mystical voice continued, “Your magic is amazing. As long as you keep wrapping its head with pure magic, its head will not be swallowed by the Abyss. Your power should be enough.”

“But you… You’re just a wanderer, right? Aren’t demons your kind? Why are you telling me this?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“…I see the lights from my team! Thank you very much, kind wanderer.” The young man cheered, “God, I don’t know how to express my gratitude, so I’ll give you this. If you have the opportunity to go to the surface, you can find me with this, and we can talk about it then.”

He stuffed something into the palm of Nemo’s hand.

“After all, it’s a life-saving grace… My name is Flint Lopez, and I sincerely look forward to seeing you again. Do you have any wishes? If I can do it—”

“I want to take a look at the surface. Just one look is enough. Unfortunately, that’s not something you can do, human.”

Nemo jumped out of bed, not because of the dream, but because of a biting coldness. He found himself lying on the soft bed of the inn. It was dark. Oliver was lying on his bed, sleeping soundly.

He grabbed Oliver, who was still asleep, and rolled onto the ground. A giant sword swept across the place where Oliver had just been lying, then pierced through the mattress and plunged into the ground.

“Superb alertness.” A low voice came from the darkness. “Why bother… You could have died peacefully.”

The light of teleportation magic lit up, and they were no longer surrounded by the setting of the comfortable inn, but a vast desert. A tall man stood in front of them. His whole body was wrapped in dark armor. He casually threw the gray parrot, who was still talking in its sleep, into the cold sand and raised his giant sword again…

“Farewell, boys.”

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 27: Charm

“No matter what the reason is, it’s your sin to cooperate with a superior demon, my child.” The monk still had a soft voice, and the genuine concern in his words made Nemo feel a little creepy. “You have to repent so God can forgive you. Do you know what happens to the usual demon warlocks? You still have a chance to live cleanly, for which I’m sincerely happy.”

Nemo took a step back. No, this person is not like Old Patrick at all.

“I’m the one who was attacked.” He lowered his voice. “I don’t think I have committed any crimes.”

“But you have a choice, don’t you? If you were really attacked for no reason, you have many ways to preserve your spirituality as a human. You can cut your own throat with a dagger. You can bite off your tongue. You can let the despicable demon have no time to make a deal and die gloriously for God. Of course, I’m not condemning you, my child. People have always had times where they are confused. Look, aren’t you coming before me now?”

“But I’m not loyal to your—” Before he could make his position clear, Ann covered his mouth.

“May the glory of Zenni last forever,” Ann said solemnly. She let go of Nemo and wiped her hands on his robe. “Thank you again, speaker of divine grace. He’s just a little shocked. We’ll persuade him.”

Oliver also nodded with a flat face. He firmly grabbed the twisting gray parrot and left the perfume shop with Ann. The shop door closed automatically behind him, and the bell on the door made a pleasant sound. The monk made a prayer gesture on his left chest, picked up the soft cloth, and continued to wipe the delicate glass vial.

“…What he meant just now is that it was better for me to commit suicide immediately when I was attacked by Bagelmaurus?” After confirming that they had gone far enough, Nemo inquired in surprise.

“He really thinks so. I know that the Laddism Church* has little influence in Roadside Town… This is already the softest stance of the Wodenist Sect. If it was an older sect, they wouldn’t even ask for the reason. It’ll be the most ‘glorious’ just to kill you directly.” Ann made an ugly face. “You’d better be mentally prepared. At least independent monks are civilians who practice voluntarily, unlike the Knights of Judgement, who have been brainwashed since childhood. Cross is the Chief Justice. You can imagine it for yourself.”

*Clarity: I originally thought that Laddism and Wodenism were different religions, but it seems like the case is that Laddism is the main religion of humans and Wodenism is a denomination of it (akin to Christianity & Catholicism). Note too that any translation of holy church is also a reference to Laddism.

Nemo refused to imagine.

“But he did come up with a good idea,” Ann said.

“What idea? Wait, let me declare first—I love my hands and don’t want to dedicate them to any gods.”

“You see, the people in the Church of Penitence must know something about Cross,” she said, “and we have Oliver.”

“Me?” Oliver, who was fighting with the gray parrot, raised his head in confusion allowing the gray parrot to pounce on his head. “How can I help?”

However, Ann didn’t tell him until they had found a good place to stay. Even though she got Mrs. Edwards’ deposit, she didn’t enjoy it lavishly. The inn they stayed at was probably the cheapest grade, but Nemo and Oliver thought it was more exquisite and tidier than any rooms they had ever seen.

The sheets and pillows had the scent of sunlight and had been folded up neatly. Fresh fruits were stacked on the wooden trays that still had drops of water on them. Fresh flowers were placed in vases near their beds.There were no remnants of suspicious hair on the floor or even dust. In front was a huge bay window composed of oak and marble, and the greenery outside the window left a blurred reflection on the smooth marble surface. There was even a small altar on the table with a statue of Zenni, the God of the Laddism Church, who had long curly hair and a beard, with the unique majesty of an old man.

Nemo fully demonstrated his adventurous spirit. He sat down by the bay window, leaning on the soft cushion, unwilling to move any longer. Oliver showed a regretful look as he sat down on the edge of the bed and was startled by how soft and sunken the mattress was.

“Charm.” Ann pulled over a chair and sat down with her legs crossed. “This could work.”

“What?” Nemo straightened up. “Who? Oliver?” He failed to contain the gloating in his voice.

Oliver frowned, seemingly not liking the idea.

“Don’t think too deeply about it.” Ann grabbed a fruit and bit into it inarticulately. “Young men, I won’t ask what messes you two have seen, but in short, charm is not what you’re thinking it is.”

The two looked away at the same time.

“’Alita on the Bridge’ is a masterpiece,” Nemo protested in a low voice.

“The author must not have known much about magic,” Ann said. “Come, let me show you—”

She swallowed the fruit she was chewing on, rubbed her hands together, and walked up to Oliver.

“Look me in the eye,” she requested.

Nemo could see clearly from his angle. Ann’s iris lit up instantly, emitting a golden shimmer. Oliver blinked and looked at her puzzled. “Then what?”

A knock on the door interrupted them. Ann smiled slightly before opening the door. A maid dressed in a long black dress walked into the room with a clay pot full of fresh milk.

“Madam…” As soon as she opened her mouth, she gazed into Ann’s eyes, which were still twinkling. She stared at them in a daze, and the smile on her face gradually turned into a natural look.

“Sweety, how old are you this year?”

“Nineteen years old,” the maid replied mechanically in a calm voice.

“Where are you from?”

“Kenyatta in Garland. My mother is Albanian, and our family moved from…”

“Enough.” Ann smoothed out the young girl’s curly blonde hair before the glimmer in her eyes dimmed. The young maid didn’t seem to notice what had just happened. She blinked and placed the clay pot next to the fruit tray, then she bowed slightly and left the room.

“That’s it.” Ann poured herself a glass of milk. “This is charm.”

“But Oliver wasn’t affected.”

“That’s right. It can only dominate people who have a lower level of magic than themselves and are mentally unsuspecting,” Ann said. “Oliver’s magic level is higher than mine, so it doesn’t work on him. The lower the target’s magic level is, the better the charm effect, and the less likely it will be discovered. Lifting it is also easy. Just a touch on the object affected by the charm. My magic may not be able to overwhelm a leader of the Laddism Church, so only Oliver can do it.” There didn’t seem to be any remorse in her tone.

“…But the other party is a confessor of the holy church. Would he be that unprepared?” Oliver asked uneasily.

“When important information is transmitted, it’ll be mixed with hints of spells to resist charm, but I don’t think anyone will spend this kind of effort on gossip. Besides, the magical level of the Laddism Church has always been high, and their will is very firm. They generally have no trouble in this regard.”

“Wow. Dear Oliver, you’re going to charm the old men of the holy church!” Nemo cleared his throat and recited his speech like a bard. “May the glory of Zenni shine on you, and I’ll write a hymn for you—”

Oliver grabbed the pillow on the bed and threw it at Nemo’s face.

“Fine.” He covered his face and let out a sigh through his fingers. “Teach me.”

Oliver learned very quickly. In less than five minutes, he began to look at Nemo with gleaming golden eyes. “Frog dance around the room,” he whispered solemnly.

Nemo dug his ear in. “Your eyes look beautiful, Ollie. It’s worth ten laps,” he said sincerely, “but I’m very tired today, so I can’t jump.”

Oliver shifted to a different target in disappointment. “Bagelmaurus, get out.”

The gray parrot looked into Oliver’s eyes in a daze and rolled obediently on the table. The lively smile on Ann’s face disappeared. She stared at Nemo, who was about to hit Oliver with a pillow and held her breath.

Nemo Light wasn’t on guard. He didn’t even show a second of confusion, which only meant one thing. His magic level was much higher than the monstrous power of Oliver’s Ramon. Bagelmaurus, who should have been the source of his power, wasn’t as strong as Oliver, so this didn’t make any sense.

Was the monk’s conclusion correct?

She took a deep breath, squeezing almost all of the air from her lungs, hoping that her decision was correct. Ann closed her eyes and prayed for a few seconds, hoping that her soft heart would not lead to a terrible disaster from the Abyss.

The process of practicing charm was simple and enjoyable, but when they arrived at the Church of Penitence at dusk, Oliver’s and Nemo’s faces were as stiff as stone slabs.

“Can’t we do it tomorrow…? I think I should practice some more.” Oliver’s eyes were soulless.

“You’re proficient enough.” Ann ruthlessly rejected his request.

“…Will we be recognized? Even though we have black badges, the warrant wasn’t revoked, right?” Nemo rubbed his face.

“The holy church in the capital of Garland will not care about some third-rate wanted criminals on the border.”

“Will I really not be killed on the spot? In case… I mean, in case—”

“You just went to a consult today, remember? This is not a butcher shop in the market. They won’t chop off your hands with machetes. They will do a bunch of things first before that.” Ann grinned. “I don’t know which bishop you’ll meet, but a bishop’s magic level is similar to mine at best. Even if Oliver drinks too much, his monstrous magic won’t let the other party discover his charm! Hell, do you want me to say it any more clearly—” It didn’t feel good to admit that she wasn’t as good as the younger generation.

However, the two younger generations still looked worried.

“I’ll wait for you outside. I’ve been in this business for so long that they may recognize me. Now go in!” Ann pushed the two from behind.

The two swallowed their saliva together and staggered to the door. They opened the door in a heavy mood and squeezed into the huge church through the gap in the door. As a result, even the two who had no faith were so shocked by the solemn scenery in front of them that they almost forgot to breathe. The afterglow of the setting sun passed through the stained glass, casting countless light marks on the wooden floor. In the middle of the wall facing them hung the emblem of the Laddism Church; three white feathers connected end to end, forming a beautiful triangle. The huge statue of Zenni was much more exquisite than the one in their room. The statue spread its upper arms and posed as if it was hugging a visitor.

Several priests were wiping rows of benches. They looked up at the two of them when they heard their movements.

Nemo said “uh” a few times, but he didn’t succeed in squeezing out a word. Oliver was the first to calm down. “Please… Excuse us. Is the bishop here?”

“The two of you are…?”

“My friend was attacked by a demon. We need to confess to the bishop, uh, repent,” Oliver narrated the prepared remarks. “I have to make sure he is not too severely corrupted by the demons.”

Although Nemo, who was looking around, didn’t look unusual, the pious priests accepted this unconvincing statement. One of them politely led the two to a corridor on the left side of the church and told them to wait in front of a wooden door.

“The bishop is receiving guests at this moment. Please wait here for a bit,” the priest said as he made a ritualistic salute.

The corridors were bright and clean, the floors were spotless, and the wooden doors were decorated with beautiful reliefs. Without the blood, screams, and pine oil torches in the dark, Nemo breathed a sigh of relief.

But he wasn’t able to relax for very long.

There were footsteps and conversations at the end of the corridor, mixed with a strange but frighteningly familiar noise, like wooden wheels rolling across the smooth floor.

Nemo turned his head abruptly. The old man, who looked like a bishop, was walking towards them, but he wasn’t alone. Cahill Edwards was sitting in his wheelchair with a gentle smile on his face.

“What a coincidence.” He nodded to them. “We meet again.”

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