Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 16: The Worst Situation

“The Seymour Worm at test site 327 died of unnatural causes.”

“Who’s in charge of Noer?”

“Troy Fenrir’s Steel Wolf Mercenary Regiment.”

“Show the images from the bugs.”

“Eighty-three minutes ago, there were two records of two effective attacks, one physical and one mental spell suspected to be bewitchment. None of them died.”

“Let Troy report the reason. After determining the attack, release Pandorater at the test site in Noer.”

The tin badge on Fenrir’s chest suddenly vibrated up and down like a living creature. He skillfully removed it and turned on the message from the Guild Headquarters on the back. He was instantly shocked.

Out of boredom, Thorne was directing a surveillance bug to do a figure-eight dance in the air. Fenrir’s movement wasn’t small, causing him to become distracted and the figure-eight dance suddenly dispersed.

“What’s the matter?” Thorne yawned.

“Retreat!” Fenrir didn’t answer his question but looked at the crystal flakes in his pocket and crushed them, then ordered angrily, “Everyone, retreat immediately!”

“The Seymour Worm is dead.” Fenrir grabbed the back of Thorne’s collar and rushed towards the still black shadow in the forest. “Damn it!”

“Impossible! My bug just confirmed ten minutes ago that it was still alive! The two kids who came into contact with it recently have already run away, and no one has touched it again. Even if I missed it, it’s impossible to kill it this quietly… Ow, take it easy—” Thorne’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he was strangled by his collar.

“Headquarters won’t make a mistake. Its vital signs have disappeared.” Fenrir stepped on the branches and hurried forward, squeezing out his words one by one through gritted teeth. “They want us to confirm the cause of death immediately, and then start remedial procedures.”

“Wait, wait. Is the remedial procedure the legendary…”

“It’s because a legendary fool attacked it!”

They weren’t far from the huge worm. There were still icicles and broken corpses left at the scene. The trees staggered after being crushed by the worm while the sun exposed the bare ground, revealing a deep cold and the smell of blood that permeated the air.

Fenrir made an extremely ugly face. Without even taking a breath, he threw Thorne to the side and took out an identification crystal and stabbed it directly into the body of the huge worm. The worm lay there quietly. All the eyeballs that had surfaced during the battle sank into its body at this moment. The originally slimy black skin had lost its water and color, leaving behind a fragile figure that was like pudding.

“Someone did this on purpose. It’s ‘sweet dreams’.” Fenrir squinted his eyes at the muddy crystal. “It stands to reason that the worm can drink ten full barrels of wine. I don’t know why this one…” He pulled out the crystal and carefully observed the lines on it. “…Its magic power is severely exhausted.”

“Sweet dreams?”

“A demon toxin that has just become popular recently. The price is quite high. It’s not difficult to buy, but we can’t trace its source.”

“Even if someone did this on purpose, there’s no need to start the program—”

“It’s useless. Hurry up and leave this damn place quickly. The others in the group should have successfully retreated.” Fenrir took a deep breath and smiled wryly. “We can’t determine the motive of the murderer. It’s just a few hundred Black Chapter reserves. Headquarters won’t mind.”

“You mean…”

“I mean, this place is going to be wiped out. Remember to get your bugs back.”

Meanwhile…

“…Escape with that person? You’d better cure your idealism quickly,” Ann remarked indifferently. There was no resonance at all. “People who live in peaceful areas are sentimental. When someone puts a knife to your throat or your wife’s, you’re probably not in the mood to consider whether that person is innocent or not.”

Oliver chuckled but didn’t respond. He stretched out and laid on the grass. The summer sky was amazingly blue. Fatigue distracted his mind as he unconsciously stretched out his hand towards the dark blue, but before Oliver could straighten his arm, he was directly pinned back by another arm.

Nemo was still fast asleep and had thrown his arm around Oliver’s neck with considerable strength. Oliver’s throat was numb from the blow and he almost coughed. He moved out helplessly and suddenly felt a slight vibration.

He was puzzled for a few seconds. Although “being hugged unconsciously by someone in his sleep” sounded exciting, he didn’t think he would feel moved because he was slammed on the neck by a man. Suddenly, he found that the whole world was shaking slightly, and he hurriedly got up. Ann had already assumed a vigilant posture, ready to fight at any moment.

Nemo frowned slightly because his arm was lifted, muttered a few words in an unclear manner, and then snored slightly.

At the same time, the tremors became more obvious.

“An earthquake?” Oliver asked loudly amidst the increasing clear cracking sound of the ground shaking.

“I don’t know!” Ann yelled back. “There shouldn’t be an earthquake. I haven’t encountered this situation before!”

The gray parrot suddenly used magic to split the vines apart, as if its state of helplessness just now didn’t exist. It flew around them, fluttering its wings excitedly: “Finally!” it screamed. “The smell of the same kind. The smell of the same kind—ow!”

With three living things around him making noise, even the dead would rise. Nemo got up groggily and looked at the bird that was acting crazy in the air.

“What’s going on?” he asked in a low voice.

Nemo’s brain was still in a chaotic state after just waking up. His hair was messy as he didn’t have time to tidy it up. His slightly long hair was resting on his shoulders in a scattered manner, rubbing against his neck, giving him a slight itch. He almost thought he was dreaming. All of this was a ridiculous and long dream. Geographically, there shouldn’t be any earthquakes in Noer, so this was completely unrealistic.

Seeing that the man was about to lie down again, Oliver hurriedly went over and grabbed him by the collar.

“…What are you doing?” Nemo said, slightly annoyed.

“Now is not the time to take a nap.” Ann looked around. “Thank him because you need to get on your feet now!”

“It’s coming!” The gray parrot was still wailing, as if its secret crush was about to come over. “It’s coming—!”

Nemo rubbed his eyes and immediately woke up. No longer muddled, he soon found that the culprit had appeared. A scarlet column of gas spewed out from the worm, but it didn’t spread out naturally like ordinary gas and instead split up like octopus tentacles and rushed to the ground. The vibration gradually became slower as the gas continued to spew, which didn’t reassure them much.

“What is that?” Nemo stared at the pillar of gas. There was no doubt that it was rushing in their direction.

“Pandorater, the Beauty of the Abyss.” The parrot’s unpleasant voice was full of longing. “So they dance like that… Ho, ho.”

The other three couldn’t understand and didn’t intend to understand its aesthetic at all. They couldn’t even distinguish between an arm or a leg on that thing.

“What will it do?” Ann stared warily at the gas column.

“How would I know?!” The parrot rolled its eyes. “Not all superior demons know each other. Would you know what a beautiful girl walking down the street wants to do?”

“But I can at least understand her expression,” Ann gritted her teeth and replied.

They didn’t care whether it was the parrot’s dream lover or not. The humans present had more important concerns… Although no one wanted to believe it, there was some truth in what the parrot said. The thing that was about to collide with them was a superior demon.

“Well, she doesn’t look very happy,” the parrot whispered. “It must be you humans who made her unhappy.”

“I have read in a book that the body of a superior demon shouldn’t be able to leave the Abyss—” Nemo frowned, trying to recall more details from the autobiography of a clergyman he had once read.

“Yes, well, to put it in a way you can understand; that thing is at most, one of her arms,” the parrot said. “What a pity…”

Nemo didn’t feel much loss at all. He turned his head to ask Ann what to do next, but found that the remaining two were sweating and their faces were horribly pale.

“Are you alright?” He swallowed his original question back and replaced it with a different one.

“Don’t you feel it?” Oliver shifted his position to make himself stand more firmly. “…The sense of oppression.”

Ann’s situation seemed slightly better than Oliver’s as she nodded silently in agreement.

Nemo closed his eyes and felt hard. “No.” He shook his head in frustration and looked at Oliver. “Is it uncomfortable? Do you want me to help you?”

Oliver smiled and waved his hand, indicating that he could still stand while Ann glanced at Nemo, giving him a deep look.

“I heard about it once,” she said in a hoarse voice. “I always thought it was fake… But…”

“When I was drinking, I heard mercenaries mention that a demon warlock was mixed in a Black Chapter test once, and she scared off the Seymour Worm… But that was nearly a hundred years ago.”

“Scared off?”

“Yes. I was also very curious. Demon warlocks are not the peace-loving types, so I inquired more about it. The result I found was… The Black Chapter is a means used by countries to maintain stability, and they will not allow the existence of someone too powerful and aggressive to exist.”

“Aren’t there many solutions? For example, don’t give that person a black badge, or wait for him to join the Black Chapter before rescinding…” Nemo suddenly had a bad feeling.

“You two deserve to be comrades. Two idealistic fools of the same mold.” Ann grinned weakly. “It’s a night long dream*, and the guys above understand that better than anyone else. The Seymour Worm is the Black Chapter’s ceiling, which refers to more than just its strength… Maybe we shouldn’t have resisted it at all.”

*(夜长梦多) Idiom referring to letting something prolonged could make the situation change unfavorably. || The context here is that if a power could defeat the Seymour Worm, then it’s too unstable in strength and needs to be wiped out (thus the idiom) before it becomes uncontrollable.

“You think too much,” the parrot interjected disdainfully. “That worm is still very healthy. It’s no different from cutting your finger with a knife. Fuck, I hate this way of speaking in metaphors in order to make you understand. I’m becoming a god damn poet; in short, it has enough magic for it to recover three to four times over when it’s on the verge of death, and the taste was particularly quite rich.”

“You killed it?!” Nemo strangled the bird’s neck and shook it a few times.

“Bah, no!” the parrot roared, looking like it wanted to spit in Nemo’s face. “Don’t you think I didn’t want to? Do you think I could eat something like that with my size? I can only take in a few mouthfuls of magic from it. It still has a lot left. It’s alive and well—!”

Before it finished screaming, the shadow of the worm in the distance shattered like foam as red mist rolled over.

“…Well, now it’s dead.” The gray parrot added bitterly, “I didn’t do it though.”

“In other words, you’re saying they will bring in a more powerful demon than the Seymour Worm to get rid of the ‘instability factor’, right?” Oliver concluded as he pointed to the red mist that had touched the edge of the grass. “Basically, to eliminate us?”

The mist was like a scarlet tide, pouring into the forest. It seemed difficult to tell whether it was a gas or a liquid being so close to it. It swept the shrubs and tree trunks, though the plants seemed to be unaffected by it. At the edge of the red mist, more than a dozen people and several animals were rushing in their direction.

A deer that was seemingly injured was running slower, got one of its hind legs caught in the mist. The mist that touched the fresh flesh suddenly came to life and enveloped the deer—

Tearing it to pieces.

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Kinky Thoughts:

They really can’t catch a break.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 15: The Last Lesson

The gray parrot was tied into a spindle by the vines and looked pitiful. It seemed to have suffered a major blow. After all, no one would think that normal vines could trap an intermediate demon. It swayed around without saying a word while staring at them.

“An expert?” Nemo hung the gray parrot firmly on the top of his staff and rubbed the vine debris still stuck to the palm of his hands onto his clothes as he tried to continue the conversation.

Ann, who silently witnessed the whole process of Nemo tying up the gray parrot, was momentarily stunned. “Oh… Oh, I mean you need to ask an experienced cleric. Demon worshippers only know about the demons that have served them. You’ll also run into those who will try to steal other people’s demons. Your demon is relatively rare, so it may cause trouble.” She glanced at the gray parrot, which exuded a lifeless aura. “Besides, I have never heard of a contracted demon who can attack its own master*.”

*Clarity: This is not to be confused with when one first summons the demon to be contracted. They can still attack and test their summoner before a contract is formed, like in the (supposed) case of the deadwood jellyfish.

Only God knows if the contract between them was still valid. Nemo wiped his face.

“Won’t the clergy just kill me?” he asked cautiously.

“Hailam has a confessional church,” Ann said. “The most wildly spread religion in Alban is the old sect of the Laddism Church, and they are the most hostile to demons. The Woden Sect is more popular in Garland, and they will give demon worshippers a chance to repent. After all, some people do not voluntarily cooperate with demons.”

‘Like me,’ Nemo thought bitterly.

“If things go well today, you can choose a mission near Hailam tomorrow. Hailam is the capital, so getting there is easy, but you have to note that the first task is also part of the test. If you fail, you’ll need to take the test again next quarter.”

“What?!” Nemo called out, while Oliver buried his face in his palm.

“My suggestion is to choose a simple one, and I’ll help.” Ann stopped in an area with relatively open grass and arched her shoulders. “Let’s take a break here.”

Her words were like a curse of gravity. Before she even finished speaking, Nemo and Oliver collapsed on the ground together. The deformed staff was casually inserted into the ground with the gray parrot still tied up in a ball, dangling from it, like a cocoon hanging from branches in the summer. The backpack was also thrown on the ground by him, and the area where his backpack had been had long been soaked with sweat.

Ann opened her backpack and took out a few pieces of dried bread wrapped in leaves. Long and slender fingers crossed the air, then several water balls condensed in front of her. She dipped the dry bread into the water, and the place wet by it showed some brown.

“Have something to eat,” she said as she turned her head to hand it to Nemo, but found that the other party had already fallen asleep.

Nemo fell on the grass and was sleeping soundly. His short ponytail was scattered, and medium length black hair stuck to his cheek, revealing a soft image belonging to a scholar.

“Let him sleep for a while,” Oliver said softly. He moved his body and naturally brushed away the hair that was stuck on Nemo’s face with his hands.

“You’re not sleeping?” Ann blinked and stuffed the bread into her mouth.

“I’m used to getting up early in the morning. After all, at home…” Oliver was stunned and didn’t continue. The word “home” had become like a fishbone that was stuck in his throat. It started to hurt faintly every time it was mentioned. He always carelessly forgot that… He no longer had a home.

He gave Ann a reluctant smile before burying his head in the bread.

“I’m sorry,” Ann murmured. “The taste must be very uncomfortable.”

“If they didn’t insist that I maliciously murdered him, I would be willing to be arrested,” Oliver said without looking at Ann. “I am indeed a murderer.”

“How idealistic.” Ann smiled bitterly. “If you ask me, it’s fortunate that you didn’t foolishly throw yourself into their net. If anyone finds out about your strength, you won’t be safe in prison.”

Oliver stopped chewing, frowned slightly, and showed a polite expression of inquiry.

“They cuff a cursed collar on you and throw you to the front lines of the battlefield. Trust me,” Ann said. “Even if you can survive, you won’t be ‘you’ anymore. That kind of place is hell, which is why I can’t really figure it out. The world is so chaotic. How could your father bear to give up on such a talent like this?”

“I chose the path myself,” Oliver said as he looked down at his hands. His palms were covered with thick calluses from his daily manual labor, and his fingers were slender and powerful, but they were not the hands of a warrior.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Oliver said. “Didn’t I mention it before? Except for the last… I have never seen my father use a spell once.”

“Hmm.”

“That was my last lesson. I was about fourteen or fifteen at that time, and my father said he wanted to teach me something new,” he said. “He took me to a cave on the edge of Frontier Forest, our secret base, and then kicked out a man in front of me. The man had a strong body odor and weighed more than 300 kilograms. I still remember the smell. My father threw a sword at me and told me to kill him. The man cried and begged for mercy, even peeing in his pants.”

The female warrior finished chewing on the piece of bread and brushed the crumbs off her hands. “What happened next?”

“My father said the man had killed his wife with his own hands and turned her body into a potion. According to Alban’s law, this was worthy of the death penalty.”

“Did you do it?” Ann took out a water bag and took a few sips.

“I didn’t dare. It was the first time I’ve seen someone that scared. It was like… Like a whining animal. He said all kinds of flattery to a fifteen-year-old kid and desperately stressed that he was innocent. It was his wife who attacked him, and he just responded in self-defense.”

“I couldn’t do it because he was still alive… I can’t describe the feeling. I was hesitant for a while when suddenly a little girl rushed in with a tracking spell on her. She started crying and begging us not to kill her father, screaming that her mother was the bad one. I immediately dropped my sword and had no idea what to think. After all, my father had never lied to me before, and I couldn’t understand what he was thinking at that time.”

Ann held her cheeks with her hands and raised her brows.

“After a while, several soldiers came in. One came to protect the girl and the other inquired what was going on. The soldier said the man had controlled his wife and daughter using abyssal magic for a long time. His wife was finally able to break free and wanted to take her daughter away. Their whereabouts are currently unknown. He wanted information about the man’s wife, claiming that he could not be convicted if the body was not found. I thought this crazy lesson was about to end, but when they were about to leave, my father picked up the sword and killed the man with his backhand. A sword was thrust into his chest and blood spurted everywhere. You know what, though? For a moment, I thought my father was awesome. He killed a bastard that couldn’t be punished by the law.”

“The soldier who went to check the man’s heartbeat suddenly shouted, pointing out a witch’s emblem that slowly appeared on the neck of his corpse. You should know… Eastern Witches like to deceive men. When their daughter reaches the right age, they will pretend to die and escape, putting the blame on the husband, so that the child can accumulate enough pain to become a new witch. In other words, the man didn’t lie. He was innocent from the beginning, but…”

“It’s not supposed to appear that quickly.” Ann curled her lips. “Your dad wasn’t taken away?”

“No.” Oliver lowered his head so that Ann couldn’t see his expression clearly. “I was scared to death. Suddenly, the soldiers and the little girl disappeared, leaving only the corpse staring at me from behind. My father then asked me do you know what ‘to kill’ means?”

“’This is just one person. If you want, I can teach you how to kill thousands in one breath, but do you really understand what that means?’ he said at that time.”

Yes, he remembered every detail. At that time, he was just a teenager and was a little complacent about his strength. He often couldn’t help but fantasize about resisting thousands of troops in a heroic war and becoming a hero who was qualified to meet the king.

But it all ended in that dark cave.

“Ollie, you have to know that reality will not give you time to investigate the innocence of each enemy. Girls will not come, soldiers will not come, and emblems will not be discovered. Many times, when you kill a person, you kill part of the truth in this world.” His father’s tone in his memory was cold. “Telling yourself that they deserve to die is the easiest way. If you can’t fool yourself in this way, then try to emphasize how miserable you are—ah, a tragic existence is the most effective self-anesthesia. Of course, if you don’t have a tragic past, then you can preach that you had no malice. Remember, this is a common practice among cowards.”

“Killing itself is never worthy of praise. It should be your last resort, not a tool to show off your strength, and unfortunately, when you find out that you’re wrong, you just have to bear this mistake for the rest of your life. There is no escape. All you can do is take responsibility.”

“And to make matters worse, actions borne of goodwill may not necessarily lead to the ideal ending. The flowers and glory that idlers extol may never appear, and you may be faced with animosity, stupidity, or indifference. At this time, you hold the power to make them surrender. Can you control yourself?”

“If you pick up the sword, then this is all you’re destined to experience. Everyone likes to say that there is a price for doing evil. Let me tell you now that there’s also a price for doing good. Those who can understand this pain are qualified to be called ‘heroes’. I don’t want you to accept all the silly songs and then be disappointed with reality.”

“Answer me now. Ollie, do you want to pick up this sword?”

He raised his sword, which was still stained with the man’s blood.

“So how did you answer?” Ann’s question pulled Oliver out of his memories.

“I said I couldn’t imagine it,” Oliver replied calmly, “so I gave up.”

“Because of fear?”

“No, because I know how selfish and ignorant I am. I can only work slowly by protecting the people around me… I don’t think this requires the power to kill thousands in an instant.”

“It’s hard to say. What if you have to make enemies with the majority of people for the sake of the one you love?

Oliver thought for a moment. “…I’ll run away with that person. We’ll escape together.”

Thinking about it carefully, that should be the only time he saw his father look so serious. Before they left the cave, he had asked his father a question.

“So, all this is fake?” He looked at the disappearing body of the man on the rock.

“No, it used to be true. I just adjusted the scenes a little faster.” There was no smile on Piper Ramon’s face. “I’m glad you didn’t do it, Ollie. You’re not like me.”

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 14: Gold Pendant

It wasn’t easy to run through the intertwining woods. Seemingly dense places could be full of rotting leaves and curly roots, not to mention the annoying vine-like cobwebs. Ann ran steadily ahead, while Oliver struggled to follow because his body hadn’t recovered. After Nemo tripped over a tree root for the fifth time, his enthusiasm for fleeing for his life was mostly gone. If it weren’t for his resilient body that was fused with demon flesh, he would have sprained his ankle ten times over by now.

Nemo deeply suspected that he was not of the same species as the other two. Those two were seemingly born with more than a pair of eyes, as they could see through the thick moss and dead leaves and avoid all the pitfalls.

Nemo gritted his teeth and tried to get up and continue running, but his ankles were tangled by a slender vine, and he couldn’t break free for a moment. He looked back subconsciously; the Seymour Worm was still frozen quietly in place, looking like a bulging black abscess from a distance.

“Hey, you two!” The staff was stained with worm mucus and was covered in dirt and grass clippings that were glued to it. He was currently using it as a walking stick. “Wait for me—”

Oliver stopped first. He held onto the trunk of a tree and panted for a while. His injured left leg wasn’t fully recovered, and the wound had started to slightly bleed. Due to his smooth movements these past few days, Nemo thought Ann had used some powerful healing technique.

“Did you fall?” Oliver had no intention of caring about his own legs. He gently stretched out his hand towards Nemo.

The corners of Nemo’s mouth twitched. He didn’t have any clean habit of hating touching other people, but at this moment, he had a weird feeling. Oliver was deliberately increasing the number of physical contact with him. The last time he felt this atmosphere was when he saw the little boys in the orphanage rushing to tease the neighbor’s guard dog.

But when his gaze glanced towards Oliver’s bleeding left leg to the gentle emerald eyes, Nemo couldn’t help but soften his heart and thought about what they’d been through these past few days. Besides, he wasn’t a noble lady, and between the two of them, there was no need to show off. He obediently stretched out his dirty hands, stood firm against Oliver, and then poked those annoying vines with his staff.

As soon as Nemo shook off the last piece of vine from his ankle, he looked up and saw Ann’s complex eyes.

Oh, how embarrassing. These days, he urgently needed the book titled “Three Hundred Ways to Resolve Embarrassment”. Why couldn’t he have bothered to open it because the cover of that book was too ugly?

“Miss Savage, we…” He subconsciously wanted to apologize to the oppressive feeling but swallowed his words. Although he didn’t know what he had done, the fact that they were still alive was a victory, so he had nothing to apologize for. He didn’t think Ann would really care about their lives. “We managed to escape with those who were supposed to be ‘dead’.”

Ann pursed her lips into a tight thin line, causing Nemo to shrink his head back for fear of a temporary breach of contract due to anger by the female warrior, who would suddenly decide to take the three thousand gold coins.

But she didn’t.

Ann took a deep breath and slowly spat out some words. The volume was so low that it seemed like an inaudible whisper.

“Thank you.” Although her voice was small, the tone was serious.

Nemo inserted a finger into his ear and dug into it, suspecting that something was wrong with his hearing. Oliver was one step faster.

“Why?” Oliver asked. The soft expression on his face was fading, apparently still concerned about Ann’s behavior.

“I don’t know why.” Ann raised her voice. Nemo felt there was a bit of carelessness as he detected traces of sadness on her face that she didn’t have time to cover up. “Well done, but I don’t think I’m wrong. Next, we have to go together. Someone has to say it, assuming you’re still willing to go with me.”

Does this mean she’s letting them go?

Oliver turned his head and cast an inquiring look, and Nemo nodded slightly.

“We survived, so the agreement is still valid.” Oliver smiled at Ann.

“Then follow me. It’s just afternoon, and we still have the night to pass.” Ann turned around decisively and didn’t continue the topic.

“Say, Sav… Ann.” Nemo hesitated for a moment, but still spoke up. “I don’t mean to blame you, but just now, you did make a mistake.”

Ann turned her head and stared sharply at him with those amber eyes. In the dim forest, her eyes looked close to golden, like the eyes of a beast.

“That… uh,” Nemo stumbled awkwardly and found that he didn’t know the name of the dead young man. This made his momentum wilt as soon as it rose. “If he hadn’t rushed out at that time, I… I might have escaped with you. I hope you know this.”

Nemo didn’t think he was a saint, let alone a hero. His life was so ordinary that almost all the blood he had seen came from books. He didn’t know why he was saying this, and he didn’t even think it was about righteousness, but the young man had died so easily; the people he was protecting were busy fleeing and didn’t even know what he had done. Even one of the witnesses commented that it was “meaningless”. This recognition made him a little sad.

It wasn’t out of pity or survivor’s guilt. He simply felt that he should tell her that the deceased young man was worthy.

“Meaningless things are meaningless,” Ann said quietly as she turned around and moved onwards. “I won’t change my point of view. What you think is your business.”

“I—” Nemo wanted to speak but was stopped by Oliver with one hand. He shook his head slightly at Nemo.

“How much do you know about the demon’s tavern in Noer?” Oliver followed Ann’s footsteps and returned to his usual tone.

“You’re talking about ‘Dawn’, right? There is such a place. Demon worshippers are generally not welcome in taverns—to be more precise, they’re not welcome anywhere.” Ann kicked away the withered grass in front of her. “The owner is quite interesting. Few people dare to declare their neutrality in front of the church these days. Over time, all demon worshippers have gathered there. We’ve been betting when it’ll end.”

“Then what?” Nemo couldn’t help but interject.

“Then, as you can see, it still remained booming for so many years. Perhaps the owner has some background.” Ann shrugged. “Why? Are you starting to be interested in your compatriots?”

Nemo imagined a tavern full of Judes and felt a bit sick from the bottom of his heart. “No. Just asking.” The word “compatriots” made him feel nauseous.

“I suspect that what the parrot said has some truth. It’s always good to be clear,” Oliver said slowly. “In case the Knights of Judgement come to our door one day, we can’t be unprepared.”

“How rare that you know of this.” Ann glanced at Oliver in surprise. “Speaking of which, where’s the parrot?”

Nemo hurriedly looked around. Not to mention the parrot, he didn’t even find ordinary bird hair. He was stunned for a moment and hesitated for a second about whether he should feel relieved or worried. Bagelmaurus had never been away for too long before, and he had grown accustomed to its sarcasm that would buzz around him from time to time.

“Don’t worry too much.” Ann smiled. “It knows where you are and will always find you.”

“But in case it’s killed…”

“Oh, that would be a problem, but I don’t think so.” Ann paused. “You have no idea what you did, right? Judging from your performance just now, there’s nothing in this forest that can hurt it.”

As she said this, she looked directly into the young man’s silver eyes, but she didn’t find anything other than surprise. There was no fear, no joy, not even cautious expectations. This made her unexpectedly anxious.

“Do you know how to control a Seymour Worm? If it’s mercenaries from Horizon, then at least three would be required. A mage to maintain the magic formation, while the other is responsible for long-range spells, and the warrior must be equipped with a blunt weapon with a first-level shock spell. It takes at least five hours to draw the restraint array, and at least two hundred kilograms of freshwater elephant meat must be prepared to lead it to the center. It should be noted that Horizon is currently the number one mercenary group.” There was a certain complex emotion in Ann’s tone. 

“Ramon’s abilities are still within my understanding. As for you… I didn’t notice any fluctuations in your abilities at that time. You didn’t cast any spells, and even if the parrot is a top intermediate demon, this is too exaggerated.”

As she was talking, she fumbled with her waist bag for a while before something metallic flashed between the cracks of her clenched fist. Ann threw the thing in her hands at Nemo, who subconsciously caught it with both hands and lowered his head to look…

A familiar pendant was shining with the unique luster of gold in his palm.

“I bought it from Oni. This thing is very important to you, right? After all, it’s a rare style that’s only available in the capital of Alban. Generally, I don’t investigate the origins of my teammates. I know it’s not polite.” Ann stretched out her hand and rubbed her forehead. “But now I have to. I’m using this to buy a question from you. How much do you know about your life?”

Nemo didn’t say much. He carefully pulled out the picture hidden on his body, gently embedded it back into the picture frame of the pendant, and then showed it generously.

“That’s all I know,” he said.

Ann approached closer to look while Oliver struggled for a few seconds, but he was unable to restrain his curiosity and eventually leaned in.

It was a portrait of a girl painted with delicate brushstrokes. Unfortunately, whether it was because the picture was too old or poorly kept, the pigment had faded. The young girl in the painting wouldn’t be considered a top beauty, but she was still considered beautiful and lovely. She didn’t pose in the popular demure that’s common when posing for pictures, but instead made a funny face. Her hair looked like silk, was slightly curled, and the color of her eyes was indistinguishable from cyan or green.

“I don’t know if this is my mother, grandmother, or some other female relative,” Nemo said. “This was the only thing on my body when I was discovered.”

“Why don’t I remember this?” Oliver stared at it in surprise.

“Because Patrick had a hard time pulling it out of my throat,” Nemo replied bitterly.

Ann studied the small picture for a while but found no clues.

“I’ve never seen such a person,” she said, somewhat frustrated. “Have you tried to find her?”

“No,” Nemo replied decisively. “I said I don’t remember what happened before. If I’m lucky, perhaps one day I will be able to meet her naturally. It’s fine if we don’t meet either. I still have my relatives. Yes, I do cherish it, because… it proves that I may not have been abandoned.”

No one would put such a valuable thing on an abandoned child. It proved that, at least at a certain moment, he was loved by his true family; at least he believed so.

Ann picked up the pendant and flipped it over and found a line of small print on the inside of the case.

“The flame will never die.” She struggled to recognize the handwriting. “The signature… No, the signature is too worn out.”

“I couldn’t find the source of that sentence,” Nemo said. “Look, that’s all I know. The amount of information was a bit small… Did you want some change? It’s fine to count it as arrears in addition to the staff.” He stared at the pendant eagerly.

Ann shook her head with a smile and returned the pendant. “Forget it,” she said. “Put it away.”

“Don’t you want to ask anything else?” Nemo didn’t want to feel like he owed her too much. He could still talk about his experience in recent years.

“No, since you—”

Before she could finish, a black light suddenly appeared. Ann fiercely blocked them from it.

The gray parrot was flying towards them happily, with spells and incantations everywhere, fluttering as if it had drunk too much wine. It approached Nemo. He thought it was going to stop on his shoulder again, so he didn’t move. Unexpectedly, the bird stretched out its claws and scratched his shoulder, causing a gaping hole to open up. It used its hard beak to stab into the flesh as blood overflowed.

Nemo was more experienced this time. He directly grabbed the gray parrot’s body and threw it hard. The parrot slammed into the ground with an unnaturally long purplish-black tongue still sticking out of its mouth.

“It’s still not working.” It lay on the ground and spoke aggrievedly before slowly retracting its tongue. “I still can’t get it back… I’m obviously full! Do I have to eat a superior—”

Nemo put his pendant away carefully, leaving the wound alone. It quickly healed under the watchful eyes of Oliver and Ann, leaving behind only bloodstains that had penetrated his clothes.

“Now I’m positive.” Ann sighed fiercely. “I’m afraid an ordinary demon worshiper won’t suffice… You need an expert.”

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 13: Principles

Nemo froze, as if he had been licked by a huge, barbed tongue. He could clearly hear the worms’ continuous angry hissing. Disgusting green mucus poured over from behind, reaching the soles of his shoes. This time, Oliver slashed it hard and had obviously angered it.

Nemo didn’t have the courage to look back at all.

At this time, the difference between a civilian and a soldier was starkly revealed. Ann didn’t pause at all as she kept carrying the man who was taller and bigger than her, which was an undoubtedly extremely difficult task. She adjusted her posture, lowered her center of gravity, and instantly prepared to retreat.

“Follow me.” She charged forward hurriedly. Oliver struggled a few times, as if he wanted to jump off, causing Ann to smack him hard on the back of his head. “This thing is very stupid. It will take the lead in attacking larger targets. As long as it runs to a crowded place, I can escape.”

“…But it’ll attack other people.” Nemo put down his just raised foot that had stepped into mucus, causing him to involuntarily shiver.

“I don’t want to have a moral debate with you now. Those people are dead. If you have an idea, just say it. If you don’t, then listen to my instructions.” Ann’s amber eyes were fixed on the worm that was still roaring and struggling. “You can choose to die senselessly, like that fool just now.”

Run away. His desire for survival whispered into his ears. Run away. It’s not wrong to want to live. Ann’s thinking wasn’t wrong. They had no other choice. Even if those people were still alive, they would eventually be eaten by the worm. Even if they survived, the test was far from over.

He didn’t know anything. Ann was more experienced and determined than he was. Yes, he didn’t know anything…

He closed his eyes in pain, as his instinct and conscience were about to tear his soul apart. His lungs were still aching, and his heart was beating vigorously. Every inch of his body was fiercely refusing to die while death was roaring behind him, trying to turn him into a rotten corpse.

“No,” he said with difficulty.

Ann looked at him blankly.

“No.” As if he was trying to convince himself, he raised his voice and repeated, no longer suppressing the trembling in his voice.

“I see,” Ann said, before she turned around and left quickly, but she couldn’t move far. While Oliver was knocked out, he wasn’t completely unconscious. He gathered some strength and broke free from her. He was exhausted and knelt down when he fell to the ground.

“We disagree.” Oliver staggered to his feet. “Miss Savage, you go. If I can survive, at least I’ll find…” Nemo seemed to know what he was going to say, glared at him, causing Oliver to quickly change his words. “…We’ll find you and fulfill the agreement.”

Ann glanced at the hilt of the sword that had happened to fall at her feet and bit her lip. Her expression was a little pale.

“Thank you for your care these days.” Oliver lowered his head.

The Seymour Worm finally shook off its ice casing, shattering it with its body. Ann didn’t respond or move. She just stood and stared at them coldly.

“Oh?” The gray parrot fluttered its wing and said calmly, “Seymour Worms taste great! I used to run to the shallows to eat a few. Since you have taken my power, you can’t be afraid of my snacks—”

“What do I need to do?” Without mocking or taunting, Nemo asked the question very seriously. He clenched the metal staff tightly and didn’t even realize that he had slightly deformed it.

“Just be hostile to it!” the gray parrot said. “I’m really surprised. Before, you didn’t have the slightest sense of confrontation in your barren head.”

Even if the worm laid flat and let them attack it, Nemo didn’t think he could cause any substantial damage. He took a deep breath, raised his staff at the worm, and thought how crazy he was. The worm ran over, as if it hadn’t even seen him.

A hand pressed on his back.

“What I’m going to say may be presumptuous,” Oliver whispered. “I trust you, Nemo. It’s not some hot-blooded pretty talk. Just this morning, the oppression you gave me was much stronger than this thing.”

Nemo panted in a panic, suddenly realizing that this was the first time Oliver had called his name. He squeezed out a little sobriety from the crazy fragments of his mind.

If Bagelmaurus’ power could return after his death, there would be no need for the gray parrot to protect him from Ann. In other words, the parrot wouldn’t lie to him and let him die in vain. It now looked like an old god and its words seemed to ring true that this thing wasn’t something to be afraid of. Yes, he must be capable of defeating it, as long as he—

Unfortunately, his eyes hurt when he stared at it. The Seymour Worm was still roaring forward and was about to collide with them. The front of his staff was close enough to touch its skin, and its teeth almost pierced his jaw.

Please, just disappear.

Nemo gritted his teeth, but kept his eyes open and was ready to pay for his foolish persistence.

But neither the cold sucking sensation nor the pain of teeth piercing his skin appeared. The worm stopped and even closed its round mouth. Several pale orbs appeared on its black skin, and its crossed-shaped pupils opened, staring straight at the prey that was too small for it.

Nemo tried to accumulate momentum by staring at it at first, but he soon found that there were too many eyes on this thing, and he didn’t know which one to look at. The Seymour Worm just kept staring at him and did nothing else. After the tension dissipated, Nemo even tried to take two steps back, and the cross-shaped pupils followed his movements.

One minute.

It stared at him.

Five minutes.

It stared at him seriously, causing Nemo to feel a bit awkward.

“I said…” As soon as he opened his mouth, the Seymour Worm roared. Nemo quickly closed his mouth, but it was still roaring intermittently with a much sharper cry.

Nemo turned around tentatively for a few seconds. The worm seemed to be stuck to the ground, as there was no sound of its body twisting. The red silk cage disappeared when the worm was frozen, and the people in the distance had already ran away. Nemo rubbed his chin and announced with some joy, “…I think we can run away now!”

He even turned around and forcibly gave Oliver, who was completely stunned, a high-five.

Ann opened her mouth and said nothing. She still didn’t show any emotions, but silently pointed them in a direction. After the three of them ran for a while, Nemo turned around to confirm. The Seymour Worm was still motionless, as if it was thinking about some difficult life problem. There was no doubt that he had succeeded.

“What’s going on?!” Thorne almost put his face into the light screen. “What did the black-haired kid do—”

Fenrir came out of nowhere and stared at the worm on the screen. “It noticed something. What are the origins of that young man?”

“Nemo Light.” Thorne snapped his fingers and a wanted warrant appeared in his hand. “He’s not a vagrant… Let’s see. Orphan. Used to work in the library at Roadside Town of Alban. He was charged with using demons to attack the village and murdered Piper Ramon together with Oliver Ramon. Wait, Savage picked two freshly baked wanted criminals?”

“Is he a demon worshipper? Where’s his demon?”

“It seems to be this gray parrot.” Throne pulled another light screen closer. “This is the first time I have seen this kind of breed. Logically speaking, the closer the appearance is to a normal animal, the lower its strength should be. Being able to suppress the Seymour Worm, it can’t be an ordinary demon. I say Fenrir, could it be…”

“No. Light doesn’t look like he has any deformations. I have seen a demon warlock fight against a Seymour Worm. After its opponent released their hostility, it ran away. This one didn’t escape. That bird is probably a type of intermediate demon.”

“I haven’t seen a demon warlock before.” Thorne muttered in a low voice, sounding a bit sad.

“Believe me, you don’t want to see one.” Fenrir narrowed his eyes and looked at the black-haired young man who was busy running away on the light screen. “In every sense, they’re all pure lunatics.”

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound under the tree, causing Fenrir to glance down. The giant snake that had been trying to attack them had finally given up. It slithered down the tree in frustration and quickly confronted a passing short-legged rabbit.

It raised its upper body and hissed, frightening the rabbit, causing it to tremble on the spot while it made soft wailing sounds.

That worm was startled. No, it shouldn’t be possible. Fenrir shook his head abruptly, as if to throw that absurd thought out of his mind.

“That Ramon isn’t bad either.” Thorne was still talking. “He can still stand after releasing so much power. If it weren’t for his sword breaking—”

“Thorne. Have the bugs go over and inspect his sword,” Fenrir said suddenly.

It was difficult since there was ice debris that was mixed with dust and mucus that was ejected by the worm. It was hard to find the metal fragments. It was like they were looking for a needle in a haystack. Fortunately, they were lucky. The hilt of the sword wasn’t submerged by the green mucus, allowing the bugs to send back a clear image.

“…Looking at the fracture, the sword’s body was probably turned into powder,” Thorne said. “What a shame. Had it been a better-quality sword, maybe it could have been more useful.”

“No.” Fenrir frowned. “You’re not a swordsman, Thorne, so you don’t understand. The destruction of the sword by the power itself is completely different from its inability to withstand the power.”

“What do you mean?”

“The former is more common. If the move is destructive, the sword can be easily damaged. The power is first stimulated, and then the sword’s body is destroyed from the outside… This is usually the case.”

“Isn’t that the case here?”

The handle of the sword was stained with some metal dust, which glowed beautifully in the sun. Fenrir retreated from the light screen. His expression became more cautious and serious. Thorne knew very well that once their leader showed this expression, something bad would happen.

“Ramon’s situation is the other kind. The swordsman’s strength was so great that the material collapsed from the inside because it couldn’t bear it. The move that he made only represented the limit of the material itself could withstand. Oliver Ramon isn’t weak because he swallowed back a part of his power that he had not successfully exerted. Do you know what this means?”

Thorne spread his hands and shrugged. He wasn’t a warrior, so it was difficult for him to understand such a complex explanation.

Fenrir sighed, reliving a long-lost feeling. He was past the age where he would be shaken by the excellence of others, but the fact that he had to say it made him feel a subtle sense of frustration.

“Putting aside his combat abilities and only considering in terms of strength—as long as Oliver Ramon’s sword was not made of papier-mâché, then his power exceeds mine.”

“I know Ann Savage’s style. She purposefully looked for these two young wanted criminals to cooperate. They haven’t had time to be wooed by other Black Chapters, so they don’t have any strange ambitions. The two of them are a bit powerful themselves, and they don’t look like the aggressive types. If I wanted to act alone, I would definitely form a Black Chapter team of this type.”

“A bit of strength… Ha. I think she should have discovered it by now. This time, she picked up two monsters.”

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Some clarity. In the original, the author uses demon (恶魔) to describe basically all monsters from the Abyss (which is the demonic realm of this world where monsters reside). I use demons and monsters interchangeably to make a distinction in my translations, as demons are closely related to things of demonic nature or higher ranking (like Bagelmaurus), while monsters are more general (like the deadwood jellyfish and the Seymour Worm). But just know that whatever term is used, it’s referring to a monster from the Abyss, unless otherwise stated.

On the same note, black badge/seal (黑章) is also used to describe the organization they are trying to join, but I’ve made distinctions with it. When it’s translated as badge, it refers to the badge that you get for passing the test, while the Black Chapter is the organization itself of all people who have black badges. This is to make the translation smoother.

Also, there are tiers establishing the power ranks among the demons/monsters:

1. Superior/top-level
2. Intermediate/mid-level
3. Subordinate/low-level

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 12: Genius and Monster

“Why does it have to be us?” The red-haired young man fiddled with the tin badge on his chest as he sat carelessly on a branch of a tree. Dozens of palm-sized light screens floated in midair in front of him, and countless images of living or dead people flickered on them. “Hey, Fenrir. I’m talking to you. Only a third-rate mercenary group like yours would be able to stand it.”

The man who had just preached the rules frowned. “Stop complaining, Thorne. It’s just once a season. Chalk it up to bad luck.”

One of the light screens suddenly went out causing Thorne to click his tongue.

“That Savage killed another surveillance bug. Speaking of, I heard an interesting rumor. It’s said that Horizon invited her last year?”

“That’s right.” Fenrir didn’t seem to want to say more.

“Come on, I’m going to be bored to death. Aren’t you old acquaintances? If you join Horizon, you can get official status directly from the king. Isn’t this the ultimate goal of the black badges? Why doesn’t she want to?”

“I don’t know,” Fenrir said coldly. “We don’t know each other well. I just happened to preside over several tests when she took them.”

“Could she be that kind of—” After confirming that the light screens returned to normal, Thorne made a bad gesture. “The kind of person who pits newcomers for fun? She’s taken more than 20 tests. It doesn’t make sense.”

“There are some people who don’t like big organizations.” Fenrir looked around vigilantly. “Shut up.”

“You’re protecting her—ack.” Thorne asked, “Do you have a crush on her?”

“No.” Fenrir drew out his scimitar and forced back the giant snake that was about to bite him. “I just know she’s not that kind of person.”

He remembered it clearly.

Ann Savage was only fourteen years old when she took the test for the first time, and she was among a group of teenagers. It wasn’t uncommon for children of this age to take the test. Most likely, they came from a town that had suffered a disaster. Young Fenrir didn’t care about her at that time. He oversaw inspector work, like Thorne now.

Back then, he thought the group of children would be the first victims.

However, the maroon-haired girl was undoubtedly a genius, with first-class combat awareness and magical abilities. It was more than enough to survive at this level. It was a pity that Ann Savage wanted more than just to survive. She led the children to form a team to resist the attack of demons, and she actually did an outstanding job. Naturally, countless calls for help rushed to her, and her team kept growing. The time for the end of the test was getting closer, and everything seemed to be going well.

Fenrir still remembered the scene at that time.

The organizers of the test weren’t fools and naturally expected this kind of cooperation. An overcrowded group had attracted the previously released Seymour Worm. Its huge body trampled over the hopeful people, leaving behind a mixture of only bones and flesh.

Only Ann Savage survived.

When she tested for the second time, she began to consciously control the number of rescues, but she misjudged the degree of the worm’s hunger. The third time, she went directly to attack the worm. The bloody lesson proved that it was really prepared by the test organizer. The real strength ceiling, the strength of the Seymour Worm, was considered to be the top among intermediate demons. Even for a group of experienced high-level mercenaries, they must work closely together with sufficient weapons to kill it.

But she had no expensive weapons, no teammates with the same heart, and so there always remained only one person standing.

The fourth time, the fifth time… Until now… Eighteen years later, she appeared here again, but…

“Her two teammates’ looks are good, very handsome*.” Thorne was still observing Savage’s group with interest. “But they don’t look like warriors at all. Can she really bear those two burdens?”

*[xiao bai lian] (小白脸) It’s a specific term used to refer to men who rely on women for financial support (AKA a gigolo) or men who are very handsome and fair-skinned. || In this context, he’s referring to both, as they looked handsome and daintily, but are also dependent on Ann for support.

“If it’s you, would you be able to protect two ordinary people in a place like this?” Fenrir glared menacingly. “I’m going to start reconsidering your application to join the group.”

Thorne quickly shut his mouth. Less than five seconds later, he forgot all about it and started broadcasting in real time again, causing Fenrir to sigh.

“It seems like a ‘hero’ has appeared again in this issue, ah!” he said in an amusing tone, not taking it seriously at all. “There are still a lot of people gathered, and they’re heading to Savage’s side. This will be a good show to watch.”

Nemo hadn’t had the chance to talk to Oliver about his thoughts. He was indeed worried about the abnormalities in himself, but it wasn’t easy to open up. They needed a suitable time and place where they could discuss things tactfully and seriously as two adults. He didn’t want his state to affect their plans, if being part of the Black Chapter was part of it.

Ann had no intention of being their companion, but it would be different if Oliver left because of this. No matter how he looked at it, he was the worse one off; a demon worshipper wasn’t welcome anywhere, and his knowledge of the outside world only came from books. What was more, Oliver’s own crime was still unexplained. He was ultimately the one who had implicated them both.

Fortunately, Oliver had just declared solemnly, “I’ll never leave you behind.” He himself didn’t want to be left behind, so he regretted his questioning words just now.

However, he didn’t expect Oliver to be so… direct. He showed a nervous smile, as he tried to draw his hand away but found that it was gripped tightly.

“Thank you.” Nemo stopped trying to struggle. “I really didn’t feel offended. It’s natural for people to have doubts in this case. I’m the one who should apologize… Uh, hand… Oliver, your hand.”

Oliver solemnly released his hands, and then stared at them as if he had achieved something major.

“I won’t leave.” He seemed to have made some determination. “At least I won’t leave until you figure out what’s wrong with you.”

“My goodness.” Ann couldn’t bear it. “Do you want me to help you get a room?”

“Is this a proposal?” The grey parrot said. “My limited knowledge of humans tells me that this is. Are you getting married?”

Nemo coughed heavily. “We’re not—”

His words were interrupted by screams not far away, followed by the sounds of chaotic footsteps that were getting closer. Ann frowned and made a gesture to be silent, then quickly pasted herself against the cold and wet stone wall.

“There’s a place to hide over there!” The voice coming from outside sounded very young. “Hurry up—Hurry up. This way. Keep up!”

“Shit,” Ann cursed unceremoniously. “Trouble is coming.”

She rushed out, holding her hunting spear. Nemo and Oliver glanced at each other and followed cautiously.

“Disband your team immediately.” As soon as they left the gap, they saw Ann pointing a hunting spear at a young man who was casting his gaze down, looking dumbfounded. “Or stay away from here.”

“I can’t!” exclaimed the young man. “They’re all injured and can’t continue the test alone. If we leave them alone, they will most likely die—”

“Then maybe a few lucky ones will survive.” Ann’s icy tone reappeared, causing Nemo to swallow hard. “You have too many people. If this continues, the Seymour worm will kill everyone.”

“You don’t know that. I have bought information. The monsters they prepare are different every time—”

“Unfortunately, I know,” she whispered. “Dissolve or leave. It’s up to you to choose which one.”

Nemo glanced at the team behind the young man and found that the young mother they had seen before was still alive. The child was still firmly tied to her chest, but she herself looked pale, with blood stains on one sleeve, and she looked a little out of it.

Ann and the young man were still talking when a scorpion-tailed wolf took the opportunity to jump out of the forest and charge at the crowd. The wounded screamed and scattered like frightened sheep and rushed towards their saviors. The young mother reacted slowly and even turned around subconsciously…

Nemo found that the previous agreement he had made with Oliver was useless, because at that moment, they both rushed out together. Advancing against the flow of people was quite difficult as Nemo was bumped into several times by the desperately wounded and was almost knocked to the ground, causing the grey parrot to hurriedly fly away from his shoulder. Oliver didn’t dare to draw his sword in such a densely packed crowd, so the two could only push forward with their physical advantage, eventually catching up, only to find that the words “catching up” weren’t accurate, as they found the scorpion-tailed wolf’s intention wasn’t to attack them but was also running for its life.

“Bastard!” Ann shouted into the crowd, desperately pushing away the people who were rushing up. At this moment, the young man had already been squeezed out and panicked. “Spread out!”

Yelling at a time like this was never useful. Ann propped her hunting spear on the ground, jumped beautifully into the air, and rushed towards the two idiots that were at the forefront.

The ground rumbled and shook, and the sound of broken tree trunks could be heard. A monster nearly ten meters high poked out of the soil. It was so huge that Nemo and Oliver could only see the front; a large round mouth was embedded in its black slimy skin, surrounded by sharp teeth.

At this moment, the scorpion-tailed wolf and the mother fled together, leaving only the two of them standing stupidly on the front line.

Oliver reacted faster and drew his sword. In the next second, huge icicles exploded from the monster’s mouth. Unfortunately, the thing was too big, and the damage Oliver did only further aggravated it. The monster shook its tail angrily and let out a low roar. Its breath was like a hurricane and the smell almost made Nemo vomit.

“Run away!” Nemo shouted unequivocally. “We can’t do this shit—”

However, things didn’t go in the direction that they had hoped. A red thread of light pierced out from the ground, surrounding them and the people that were huddled behind them, creating a cube-shaped cage out of thin air.

“Don’t touch anything!” Ann shouted sharply behind them. “There’s still time—come here!”

The Seymour Worm didn’t care what it ate for its meal. It moved towards the crowd without hesitation. Although today’s pre-meal exercise was unsatisfactory, the meal in front of it now was quite rich.

No one cared about face at this time. Nemo and Oliver turned around and ran away when someone passed by them.

The young man who was arguing with Ann had rushed out of the crowd with a broken iron sword in his hand. He rushed towards the monster clumsily and attacked, only to have the tip of his iron sword slide off the monster’s slimy skin.

“You can’t deal with it!” Ann, who had stopped not far behind, shouted.

“I know,” the young man retorted. “It was my misjudgment that hurt them—and you. The least I can do is something—”

Before he could finish, he disappeared. The monster’s skin seemed to have turned into water, and the young man fell into it, like falling into a lake. In a few seconds, there was minced meat and bone residue left. There was no miracle, no heroic scene, not even a scream. He didn’t even get five seconds.

On the other side, people were still running in all directions. Some of them slammed into those strange red filaments and were directly cut into pieces, some of them collapsed on the ground, staring blankly at the Seymour Worm that was squirming towards them. 

Behind was death and ahead was hell. Without prior warning, everything was happening so fast that nothing made sense. The usual tough and enthusiastic ordinary life was like crumbled biscuits left on a table. With a gentle brush, it disappeared completely.

Twenty-six times. If Ann had experienced such a scene more than twenty times, then witnessing a person’s death wouldn’t faze her any longer. Why does a civilized world allow this kind of thing to happen? Nemo ran frantically. His lungs were aching sharply like they had been stabbed with two hot knives as vague thoughts floated around in his mind.

Was this monster prepared in advance? Why did they do this kind of thing?

The screaming was about to pierce his eardrum.

“Sorry,” Oliver suddenly said, slowing down. “I may have to violate the agreement.”

“Oh? There are still those who want to play the hero.” Thorne enlarged the light screens where the Seymour Worm was located and commented without emotion. “It seems that they are really not Ann Savage’s pets.”

Fenrir didn’t say a word.

“Don’t look like that. It’s not like I like watching this kind of stuff. One had just obviously died, so why not learn a lesson from it…” He couldn’t continue.

The image on the light screen had turned snow-white.

The near ten-meter worm was sealed by thick frost, and the silky cage melted and disappeared. The people around didn’t stop to wonder what happened but rushed over the corpses on the ground and fled frantically for their lives. Oliver’s new sword shattered into dust without suspense as he propped his hands on the ground, panting with difficulty.

“Let’s go—!” Ann’s voice was a little hoarse. She rushed over to carry Oliver. “We need to seize this opportunity. Hurry up!”

“What are you talking about? Isn’t it already—” Nemo tried to catch his breath. “Didn’t Oliver—”

Behind him came the sound of ice cracking accompanied by an extremely angry and deafening roar.

---

The author has something to say:

—Everyone’s Heart—

Oliver, who finished holding Nemo’s hand: I have overcome my instinctive fear! ε-(°ω° ; )

Nemo: !?!?……???

Ann: Gay.

Parrot: Gay.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Gay.

First step: holding hands. Check.

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 11: The Causal Relationship Between Danger and Fear

They didn’t run into other candidates again. In their field of vision were just endless trees, and beneath their feet, they had stepped on countless ferns, dead leaves, and slimy mushrooms. Time seemed to reverse, going back to a few days ago. They wondered if it was because Ann had chosen a safe route, as they were not harassed by any dangerous monsters along the way.

A few hours later, Ann, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped. It was about noon. The bright sunlight had turned the stone walls in front of them white. Looking up from where they were, they could see a small cliff above. Countless wide gaps stood upright at the bottom of it. It couldn’t be called a cave as it could barely accommodate a few people.

Ann poked her hunting spear inward, causing the purplish-white lightning to reflect on the moist stone wall. Although they didn’t find any creatures in the gap, they could smell the scent of burnt hair coming out of it.

“A stronghold.” Ann announced this happily, as if she had completely forgotten the unpleasantness just now. Unfortunately, her teammates were still affected by the impact, and they didn’t respond to her. The female warrior raised an eyebrow at the awkward silence. Without making a comment, she began to draw a simple spell on the ground at the entrance of the cave.

The gray parrot got out of Nemo’s backpack and stood on his shoulder as it combed its feathers. Oliver leaned against the stone wall, resting his hand on the scabbard, and stared thoughtfully at Nemo’s face, causing the latter to feel itchy from his gaze.

“Do you have something you want to say to me?” Nemo finally couldn’t bear it anymore. This time he felt, “Oh my god, I have something to tell you. I’m suffocating from it” was written all over Oliver’s face.

“How much do you remember before we met?” After hesitating for a moment, Oliver finally asked, in a serious tone.

“What?” Nemo looked back in confusion. “You have to ask a specifically—”

“Our first encounter.”

Nemo frowned. This topic wasn’t a pleasant one. He didn’t sense any hostility or disgust in Oliver’s questioning, but the faint doubt made him a little flustered. “I don’t remember. Not many people remember what happened when they were only six years old.”

“You grew up here, didn’t you?”

Ann stopped the movement of her hands and glanced at Nemo.

“I really don’t remember, okay?” Nemo scratched the back of his head irritably, almost causing the short ponytail to come loose. “I remember hearing someone talking. There were stars in the sky, and I ran over to the voice and saw you. I don’t remember anything before that. What are you trying to say? Do you think I shouldn’t be afraid of this place, or are you thinking ‘it’s impossible for a child to survive in the Frontier Forest’?” At the end, his tone was inexplicably aggressive.

“…Sorry, I didn’t mean that. You seem to know nothing about it. I just can’t figure it out.”

In fact, Oliver knew that this was not what he wanted to ask. He had seen too many people after working at the inn for so many years. There were monsters wearing human skin, and there were also people who looked like monsters. Oliver prided himself on having a somewhat discerning eye. He was vaguely aware of the source of the discordance…

People’s real fears always came from instincts that couldn’t be guided or destroyed. Mice that had never seen cats also knew how to run away frantically when they encountered one in the wild. That was something that was engraved in their bones. Fear wasn’t taught. All people could do was learn how to deal with it, understand it, or ignore it.

But Nemo was different.

Oliver didn’t think Nemo himself was aware of this. He fled because everyone would flee, and he was afraid because everyone should be afraid. That discordance was like a seasoned actor performing a repertoire onstage; the feelings were real and infectious, but ultimately lacked something crucial.

This was even true when he faced death. This person seemed like he had given up, but what if that wasn’t actually “giving up”?

However, he couldn’t ask this question that he didn’t even know the answer to.

Oliver had many friends, many of whom were likable or had unflattering personalities. After dealing with people for so long, he knew that it was impossible for a person to agree with all the opinions of his friends, so he once thought that he could naturally ignore those negative factors and become good friends, or even comrades in arms, with Nemo. They were able to discuss future plans together and support each other through these dark times. Even if they part ways because of something in the future, they could occasionally talk to each other or get together in small groups. According to Nemo’s character, they should have easily developed into this kind of relationship.

But every time he tried to do this, a weird sense of self-loathing vigilance would always suddenly appear, like a cold hand holding his heart. He didn’t like this feeling at all.

Oliver didn’t think that this kind of warning from his subconscious mind would just come out of nowhere. If they were still in town, it would be enough to maintain a good relationship. Now that he had lived precariously, there were many things that could kill him. If he let go and let himself be affected by this subtle fear, the situation would only get worse.

He stared at the silver eyes solemnly. Nemo wasn’t looking directly at him. He stared at the corners of his clothes, as if he was infinitely interested in the stitches on them.

Oliver suddenly had a weird feeling; perhaps Nemo was ignorant of his “incongruity”.

Oliver never thought that he was a very courageous person. He considered himself to be only moderately brave. But at this moment, he couldn’t help but stretch out his hand, ignoring the increasing colic in his stomach that was becoming more obvious because of a sense of crisis, and finally succeeded in grabbing the other party’s hand.

Nemo hated being asked about his past.

He really only remembered the touch of his skin rubbing against the gravel, the stars in the dark, and perhaps faint singing. There were at least a dozen species in the Frontier Forest that could make people forget themselves, like dementia. Forgetting wasn’t surprising in and of itself, but the fact still remained; a child had survived in the Frontier Forest.

Old Patrick Light didn’t seem to care as he happily adopted him. Every year, poor people or prostitutes would throw babies that couldn’t be raised into the Frontier Forest, so it wasn’t impossible to occasionally find a survivor. “This guy is really lucky.” The old man would assert and firmly believe it.

He gave the child, who knew nothing, a name and taught him carefully.

“Fire.” He pointed to the beating flame on the candle. “You can’t touch it, or you’ll get hurt.”

The young Nemo stared at the fire as if he didn’t understand it. It just so happened at this time, a child on the other side overturned a bowl of soup, which made the old man get up to grab a rag and candy. Nemo took the opportunity to put his finger into the flame.

‘Very warm,’ he thought.

The girl who was next to him mimicked his actions and put her finger to the flame as well. She burst into tears, startling Nemo, who quickly withdrew his hand. The blisters on the girl’s fingers didn’t disappear for several days.

Nemo couldn’t help but try again when no one was watching. This time he felt the severe pain of being burned by the flames, and he got a blister on his fingers for several days. After that, he learned his trade and tried to avoid all the dangers that the old man had warned about. He didn’t even have to experiment on himself. Every day, he would witness other children giving live demonstrations of being injured.

“You shouldn’t get close to dangerous things. If you feel scared, you have to run away quickly.” Old Patrick concluded telling tonight’s horror story to the audience of trembling children.

“What is fear?” Nemo raised his hand to ask elegantly.

The old man mysteriously took out a huge dead spider with an exaggerated expression. “Look at this—”

The children’s screams became louder, while Nemo took the dead spider and subconsciously stuffed it into his mouth.

The old man hurriedly took the spider back. For a while after that, Old Patrick seemed to have found an interesting topic. He would change his appearance to scare the kid who hadn’t even learned his words well, but this was a kid who had survived in the Frontier Forest. He was seemingly born without the feeling of fear.

Until one day…

Old Patrick took the children to the edge of the forest to pick berries, but unfortunately they met a mutant spider-dog. The thing slid out of the shrub like a ghost and poked its sharp forefoot at one of the children. The old man didn’t hesitate to turn around and block it, and he was severely cut on the side of his neck.

Blood flowed instantly.

Nemo looked at the flowing blood and found that he seemed to understand what “fear” was for the first time. The old man might die, and he suddenly developed an awareness that shouldn’t belong to someone of his age, along with the realization that there was nothing he could do about it.

This fact made his feet soft, and he felt suffocation in his chest. He rushed forward to press on the wound, trying to stop the steady gush of blood, but to no avail. The other children had already howled into a ball, and finally he couldn’t help but start to shed tears. The old man breathed out, patting him on the head, and made a feeble grimace.

‘You shouldn’t get close to dangerous things.’ Nemo thought. ‘Then he should be afraid of those dangerous things.’

Old Patrick discovered that Nemo Light had become “normal” since he was injured. He began to be afraid of monsters, sharp objects, and the night. Even ghost stories scared him, leaving behind an unfulfilled feeling.

Since then, he really seemed to be no different from others, but Nemo himself knew very well that the order of his cognition had not changed. He needed to know what was dangerous first, and then fear it. He even became a librarian for this purpose.

For some reason, he lacked the ability to automatically recognize danger. He had long attributed this to simple dullness. The flame he first felt was like a thorn that he couldn’t pull out of his memories. He finally managed to wrap his cognition tightly and firmly, but it always stabbed him when he wasn’t paying attention; reminding him that there might be abnormalities behind his lost memory.

But he obviously didn’t care.

Nemo stared at the corner of Oliver’s clothes, trying to drive the candle out of his mind. Oliver’s question ignited it again, and it became bright, with a disgusting ugly face and a voice that sounded a lot like the gray parrot.

“You’re not normal,” it said.

At the next moment, his hand was held by a cold hand, and Nemo, who was contemplating, almost exploded.

“If it makes you unhappy, I am very sorry,” Oliver said, his voice was firm and his emerald eyes gleamed slightly. “I know my recent actions may be a bit weird… Yes, there are indeed strange things that you’ve experienced.”

His palms were still a little sweaty, but his hands were stable and didn’t tremble.

“In any case, I won’t be scared of you because of it.” Oliver said with great emphasis.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

So many mysteries surrounding Nemo.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 10: Common Sense of Life and Death

There was nothing worth mentioning inside the building. The lobby wasn’t big and was filled with long wooden tables that were full of messy scratches and suspicious stains. There wasn’t even a single seat for guests to sit down. As for the tin-badge mercenaries, the leader nodded at the employees and left directly through the back door without staying long. There were only the shuffling footsteps of the applicants in the room, occasionally mixed with a few coughs. No one talked or asked questions. It seemed that everyone knew what was waiting ahead of them. The air was much thicker and colder than it was on the street.

People queued up for their certification test. The line was moving so quickly that Nemo suspected the staff behind the reception desk didn’t verify the identities of the participants at all.

This was completely different from what he imagined. The test should be more intense and formal, and the atmosphere should be tense rather than lifeless.

“Ann Savage.” The person in front got their certificate and quickly left through the back door. It was their turn in less than ten minutes. The receptionist was a thin, red-haired young man with a soft voice. It was difficult to tell whether he wanted to talk or was simply talking to himself. “Well… This is the twenty-sixth time. One hundred gold coins.”

Nemo decided not to think too deeply about the meaning behind this number.

“Nemo Light. One gold coin. Someone had already paid for it,” The receptionist glanced up at him hastily as he said in the same feeble voice. “Looks correct. Take it.”

The receptionist seemed to hate touching others. He threw a small piece of metal with a sling at the table and waved it weakly. The object that had just been covered by fabric was exposed, showing a black round badge that didn’t look exquisite. It had a simple owl relief cast on the front.

“Thank you for choosing Garland, and I wish you all the best.” He buried his head and muttered without emotion. Nemo almost didn’t hear what he had said.

“Is this really a formal test?” Nemo twisted the dice-sized metal cube that looked cheap. There were a few simple charms painted on it, which made it look more like a trinket sold to children in the market.

“Refugees have no records,” Ann said dryly. “Most people make one up. The name of an exile doesn’t represent anything. Official residents who turned into criminals are better verified, if this is what you’re asking.”

“But he didn’t explain the content of the test,” Nemo said. “What do we need to do? Fight with monsters, or…?” He swallowed the words “each other” as it made his stomach roll.

“It’s the same every time, so it’s pointless to explain. You’ll know then.”

Nemo curled his lips, feeling an itching sensation on the back of his neck as if someone was staring at him. He turned his head sensitively, just in time to see Oliver turn his face away.

‘Just my imagination,’ he thought.

After a few steps, he reached the back door that led into a courtyard that was equally mediocre. Most of the people who just came in seemed to be gone. There were two mercenaries holding their palms against the soil. Under their hands was a magic array that exuded a soft silver light. The space above the magic array was cut into a square hole, just enough for one person to pass through. The scenery on the other side of the entrance was clearly visible; a familiar green, accompanied by the pleasant sounds of singing birds.

The people who were taking the test walked in slowly. Nemo suddenly had an ominous premonition, and this premonition became a reality when he passed through the “door”. He was greeted by the gray-white ridges of the Ash Mountain Range.

They had returned to the shithole Frontier Forest. Looking at the distance from the mountains, they should be in the hinterland of the forest, as they could see trees with trunks that were amazingly thick, and the bark was covered with dense dark red moss. The singing of birds was strangely hoarse. The air was humid and didn’t have a fresh scent but was mixed with a faint rancid smell.

The only thing that made people feel at ease was that the mercenaries followed them at the end and entered this area with them. One of the mercenaries leaned down and opened a box in his hand. Countless beetle-sized insects rushed into the sky and scattered in all directions. The man, who had earlier nodded to the employees, stretched out his hand and briefly drew a spell on his chest, then cleared his throat loudly.

His actions were quite unnecessary. Nemo looked around for a while before changing the hand that was holding his staff. The people who participated in the test were horribly quiet, as if they were some new species of humanoid plants.

“The boundary is a circle, and this is the center. When approaching the boundary, the warning pendant will heat up. If you cross the boundary at all, it will melt away.” The man’s voice was exceptionally loud. He shook the sling in his hand, causing the gray metal block to vibrate with the rope. “If you’re still alive by tomorrow morning, and the warning pendant is still there, you’ll pass.”

“We’ll be monitoring your actions, so don’t dream of doing things you shouldn’t,” he added, gesturing to his companions, apparently not intending to allow time for questions. The mercenaries nodded to each other, scattered in all directions, and were quickly swallowed up by the dense shrubs and trees.

The humanoid plants that had just stood still finally came to life again. People gathered in groups of three to five and whispered to each other before dispersing. The mother holding her child was particularly eye-catching. She tied her child to her chest with a cloth belt before quickly moving into the woods.

“That’s it?” Nemo hung the sling around his neck and let the metal cling to the skin of his chest.

“Yes, that’s it.” Ann chuckled lightly, clenching her hunting spear. “The Black Chapter doesn’t keep idlers.”

As soon as her voice fell, a male scream came from not far away. Whether it was disturbed by the scream or had gotten its fill of sleep, the parrot finally woke up. It poked its head out from Nemo’s backpack and shook it vigorously.

“Wow,” it said in surprise, “there are quite a lot of demons here. What’s the matter with you? Are you planning to commit suicide while I’m not paying attention? Don’t act like this.”

Its contractor gave it a painful look. He didn’t know whether it was out of disgust or anger because he hadn’t gotten enough sleep and he wasn’t in a mood to respond to it.

“Come with me and find a safe stronghold first,” Ann said. “Don’t touch anything, you two.”

Nemo silently took back his hand that was poking at the moss. The feeling of being watched came again. He frowned, and this time, he directly met Oliver’s gaze. He looked at the other party suspiciously, a little uncertain whether he should ask. After all, that expression looked like he had constipation. If he really had stomach problems and was embarrassed to talk about it, it would be rude to ask directly in front of a woman.

Oliver quickly turned his gaze away again.

Nemo shrugged inexplicably and followed Ann. It seemed that there were many experienced participants. There were a few people who were moving in the same direction as they were, only a dozen steps apart. He finally had a real sense that this was a test at this moment, which could be a good sign that the recent unpredictable, crazy days were heading back on the right track. After surviving this test, everything would return to common sense…

Nemo’s eyes suddenly widened.

The two people walking in front of them suddenly kneeled to the ground, and then fell heavily into the grass. Blood and brain matter splashed everywhere, and a strong smell of blood quickly spread. The two older-looking men instantly fell to the ground and remained motionless, while the young boy walking with them didn’t seem to react. He looked around blankly and tried to pull his partner lying next to him up, but didn’t get any response. The young boy collapsed as he stumbled towards Ann, screaming for help uncontrollably.

Nemo stared at Ann’s back. The female soldier didn’t say a word or move as she let the young boy run towards her. When he was about a few steps away from Ann, his body shook abruptly and then fell softly. His head disappeared and his entire tongue was exposed in the air, leaving behind a wound that was bubbling with blood.

With a slight thump, a living person had died right in front of them.

This was completely different from Old Ramon at that time. Nemo suddenly felt his stomach churning. If it weren’t for its emptiness, he would have turned his head and puked all over Oliver. Oliver turned pale and looked uncomfortable.

“Let’s go,” Ann said briefly. At the same time, the two men not far away also stood up silently. “It’s full and won’t attack again.”

Nemo stared at Ann in disbelief. Her tone seemed to be describing a freshly fed dog in her yard, as if she had just lost some dogfood instead of a person. For the first time in these days, he realized he had been living in another world; this world was heavy with death.

A little less than an hour ago, he privately thought that she was a gentle but inexpressive person, but people’s eyes didn’t lie. She didn’t really care.

“We just…” Oliver swallowed. “We could’ve saved him…”

“Not necessary,” Ann responded calmly. Her mood seemed to have turned sour. “Fighting that thing is thankless. It didn’t attack us, so it’s the most reasonable thing to walk away when it’s full.”

“But that’s…” Oliver seemed to be hit harder by what had just happened.

Ann turned around and walked a few steps forward. She herself was very tall, so she didn’t lose much momentum when she stood in front of Oliver, who was almost 6 feet tall.  

“Can you save him?” she asked coldly.

“I don’t know.”

“Compassion is the most useless thing here. That kid just now didn’t want your sympathy. He wanted you to risk your life to save him. You said you don’t know, then were you hoping that I would step up to save him?”

“Listen, little boy.” She grabbed Oliver’s collar. “It seems you have made a mistake. First, compassion without the premise of strength will make you die faster. Second, I think my life is much more valuable than that of a stranger. I don’t owe you anything. I have no obligation to respond to any of your expectations. This is common sense.”

“You listen too.” Ann gave Nemo a side glance, causing him to subconsciously shrink his neck. “It’s understandable that young people have heroic fantasies, but you better remember for me, if you make a mistake, it’s not my style to sacrifice my life to wipe your ass.”

After that, she waved her hunting spear casually, and a strange tentacle broke off beside Oliver, spouting sticky purple mucus.

Nemo didn’t dare look at the boy’s corpse. He was so thin that he wasn’t sure if he was even an adult. The joy of returning to the world of common sense disappeared at this very moment.

While Ann didn’t ask him, he felt a terrible sense of powerlessness. Can he save the child? Will he die like this—quietly, without a grave or tombstone, and the first feeling of those who knew him was relief? He began to vomit in another sense.

Ann was right. He did make a mistake. The survival and death that he believed were justified did not exist here.

“Oliver.” He approached the dejected, brown-haired young man. “Are we friends?”

Oliver raised his head and looked at him with a complicated expression for a while. “…Probably.”

“What she said is reasonable, but I still can’t accept it.” Nemo’s voice trembled with hints of spinelessness, but his tone was firm. “If I accidently rush out and cause trouble, don’t save me.”

Oliver gave him a knowing look and was silent for a moment before he finally sighed.

“Then I have the same request,” he responded hoarsely, kicking the turf on the ground uncomfortably.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Ann just tells it like it is.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 9: At Sunrise

Nemo had never taken any tests other than an interview in his life. Unfortunately, Miss Savage was experienced in combat and had no interest in explaining the current situation. As soon as Nemo washed the mud and grime that he had saved up for the past few days, he couldn’t wait to run out to clear up some questions, but he only found a young girl with freckles on her face.

“Ann’s out. Dinner is in the room over there.” The girl pursed her lips into a thin straight line and stared at the ground while she carried a basket of bread in her arm.

Nemo tried to maintain a kind smile, implying that she should say more. It was a pity that the girl had turned away as soon as she finished speaking, bringing a breeze full of “I’m in a bad mood”.”

Nemo gave a slight shrug in the dim corridor, reconfirmed the objects in his lower waist bag, and walked from the corridor to the simple restaurant. Oliver was already sitting at the table. His short light brown hair was still dripping with water, and the light from the fire blurred his small wounds. He looked a bit like the Oliver Ramon that he would meet in town.

He was stuffing his mouth with pumpkin soup. The dark bags under his eyes were still obvious. Nemo didn’t say anything and pulled out the chair opposite of him. The feet of the chair rubbed against the rotten, decayed wooden floor, causing a sound that could make people jolt.

“Ann’s out.” That was the only thing Nemo could come up with to say as he stirred the soup that was in front of him. After eating dry and stale bread for days, the traces in the soup stirred by the spoon were full of artistic flavor in his eyes.

“I know.” Oliver raised his eyes. “What do you think?”

“Of what?” Although the pumpkin soup was cold, the delicate taste almost made Nemo cry, causing him to be a little distracted.

“The matter of the black badge, what are your plans for the future? She just wants to join only in name. What about you?” Oliver still had the spoon in his mouth.

“…To be honest, I have no idea, but I don’t want to act alone. The price of trusting the wrong person now isn’t simply losing your wallet; it may be your life. At any rate, the two of us know each other well. It’s good to find a few reliable people to do simple tasks together.”

Oliver didn’t respond. He looked at the drops of soup stains left by the pumpkin soup on the table.

Nemo sighed. “If you want to find something related to your father…”

“It’s not this.” Oliver quickly denied. “I mean, don’t you have anything you want to do? My problem has been solved for the time being. I just need to accept it.” He paused. “But your situation…”

“I know.” When it came to this topic, Nemo slumped his shoulders listlessly. “Only the church knows about this kind of thing. Even if Garland’s attitude towards demons is more relaxed, those bishops definitely aren’t willing to counsel a demon worshipper; at least not for free. This problem can’t be solved at all.”

Oliver was shocked for a few seconds by Nemo’s straightforward, conceding attitude. “No, I mean, maybe we can get in touch with other demon worshippers.”

This time it was Nemo who was shocked by Oliver’s amazing adaptability. Demon worshippers never had a good reputation. Most people like to use the shorter term “cultist” to refer to them. In Alban, it was a popular trope used to scare children.

“You also saw what happened just now. If it weren’t for his demon’s sudden convulsion, we would’ve become gold coins in his pocket. Are you sure when even Ann can’t deal with him alone?” What was more, the guy had a hooligan look with slanted eyebrows and mousey eyes. He didn’t look like a knowledgeable and powerful character at all.

“If it’s just for information, it should be fine,” Oliver said. “I heard people mention that Noer seems to have a neutral tavern… I can’t remember the name. We can ask Ann tomorrow.”

Nemo nodded, though truthfully, he had no hope. The gray parrot wasn’t unbearable. Its presence had not been demanding on his quality of life, and the weight of the pumpkin soup in his heart at this moment was much heavier than that unsolved mystery.

The next morning, Nemo was woken up by Ann.

During the few days they spent in the forest, he had hardly closed his eyes. Although his strengthened body could bear it, his spirit was extremely exhausted. He finally was able to touch normal pillows and a bed that even if they weren’t soft or comfortable, he still slept like a baby.

Ann almost shouted Nemo’s full name, but even the gray parrot showed no signs of opening its eyes. The female warrior gritted her teeth, grabbed his ankle, and dragged Nemo off the bed.

“It’s not dawn yet.” Nemo glanced at the window from the gap in his eyelids, trying to climb back to the warm bed.

“Alright then, please continue sleeping until the last minute before the registration deadline and then go register comfortably in front of countless eyes of bounty hunters. They’ll definitely give you a standing ovation,” Ann snorted.

Nemo instantly stood up. “…I’m sorry!”

However, the situation didn’t seem to be as bad as Ann said.

The registration office was a low-rise structure that seemed out of place for its purpose.There were still scattered stars hanging in the sky at this time. The gray parrot was still sleeping in Nemo’s backpack. There were many people who stopped by the building in small groups; almost all were dressed as civilians, ranging from young to old. There were even mothers carrying their babies.

“These are all the people who are going to take the test?” Oliver stared at a mother who was bowing her head to coax her child. He was unable to see her expression clearly.

“They’re refugees. I estimate that they won’t be able to survive,” Ann responded lightly. She crossed her arms and looked towards the end of the road.

Soon they knew what Ann was waiting for. A two-wheeled carriage passed through the morning fog that was filled with miscellaneous weapons. The coachman parked his cart on the side of the road and quickly got down to business.

Ann wrapped a cloak around her leather armor and strode forward. “Ann Savage,” she said loudly, “Number eleven.”

The fat coachman sniffled as he plucked out a long cloth bag from the pile of weapons. “Here.” He handed it forward impatiently.

Ann took out a few gold coins and put them on the messy shelf, then picked up the cloth bag and left, removing the dirty cloth as she walked away. When she came back to them, the contents of the package had been completely exposed.

“It’s not a good sword, so make do with it. I’ll discuss the cost when you make money,” she said, throwing the sword at Oliver. Although she said that, Nemo was sure that this sword was better than the others in the cart. The blades on those swords were covered in dirt, while this one had at least a clean leather scabbard.

While Ann had a tough attitude and a ruthless approach, her heart was in the right place. Before Nemo could finish his thought, he was almost hit by a metal rod that Ann threw over.

“What is this thing?” The stick was more than half a person’s length and was heavy. There was hardly any workmanship, and the top had a roughly inlaid yellow stone. The stone had no signs of grinding marks, which made Nemo suspect that this was what it originally looked like when it was quarried.

“A staff,” Ann said. “You’re a mage, theoretically.”

Nemo stared at the black metal rod in horror. “But I can’t use—”

“Yes, I know. That’s why it’s iron. That way, you have a way to attack someone by surprise.” Ann made a waving gesture, looking very satisfied with her creativity.

“……”

Oliver, somewhat unaccustomed to hanging a sword around his belt, leaned over and patted Nemo on the shoulder with understanding.

Gradually, more carts came, offering more types of things to buy. At first it was only weapons, then some had medicine and simple scrolls. The asking price wasn’t very high, and the quality was awfully poor. Judging from the gaps and patches on the clothes of the refugees, there was no market for high-end goods here.

Ann ignored the new carts. She grabbed the clothes of the two people beside her and dragged them to the corner of the street. The sky was getting brighter, and the morning fog had gradually dissipated. The figures at the end of the stone road became clearer.

A group of people approached as they were talking and laughing. The vendors, who had just been busy quickly setting up their carriages, tore off a teleportation rune and quickly disappeared, leaving only pieces of fine garbage behind. The refugees spontaneously retreated with their purchased goods in their arms, not saying a word.

“Remember,” Ann whispered in their ears, “white tin badges. They are regular mercenaries. Don’t provoke them. Your black badge level is low compared to theirs. If you don’t cause trouble, they won’t take the initiative to attack you.”

The sky was now completely bright, and the red light of the rising sun broke through the sky curtain.

“Let’s go.” Oliver nudged Nemo’s arm. “Ann said that she had already helped fill in our information, but the certification has to be done in person—”

“The sun’s out,” Nemo said blankly, looking at the bright sun in the distance.

Oliver suddenly noticed something.

In the past few short days, Nemo Light seemed to have an indifferent attitude towards everything, which had nothing to do with the word positivity. He was the embodiment of what it meant to “live in the present” and leave the troubles for tomorrow. If Oliver was being honest, he didn’t appreciate this kind of character. He didn’t like how the other party didn’t seem to care about dying at any moment. He had seen his pain, fear, and exhaustion, but it was mixed with an indescribable inconsistency.

This sense of inconsistency made him instinctively want to keep a distance, but Nemo was undoubtedly a kind person in the traditional sense, as he really did save his life. It wasn’t acceptable for him to alienate Nemo just because of some non-existent thing. Oliver determined that this was all due to the paranoia caused by his recent emotional outburst.

While he had obviously made up his mind, the feeling that had disappeared for a while had now resurfaced.

When Nemo looked back at him, Oliver recalled a certain moment many years ago with instant clarity. It was the first time that they met when Nemo was peeping at him.

His back burst into hot sweat and then quickly became cold. His heart was beating so fast that it made him uncomfortable. The sound of blood flowing seemed to be magnified countless times, and dark spots appeared in his field of vision before he was about to faint. He tried to adjust his breathing, trying to resist this strange and ominous feeling. At that time, he was still young and had no concept of this kind of feeling. Now, he knew how to describe it—

Instinctive fear.

It was as if some huge alien was standing behind his head and had entrenched its sharp nails directly against his scalp, which could pierce his head like berries. The sense of oppression almost grounded his whole body into meat purée.

The feeling was fleeting, but it stuck to him for hours.

“You see, even if we encounter such shit, the sunrise is still very beautiful,” Nemo said with emotion, showing off a big smile. “I can’t remember the last time I saw a sunrise. Let’s go. Aren’t we going to get our certification?”

Oliver smiled stiffly, holding his other arm in his hand, and he could feel his body trembling uncontrollably.

“Are you nervous?” Nemo blinked curiously. “I don’t think you need to worry. If anyone fails this test first, that person will probably be me.”

Oliver took a deep inhale, looked directly into Nemo’s eyes, and tried to keep his voice steady. “Stop joking around. Ann is waiting for us inside.”

You can’t show it. He repeated it frantically in his heart. You can’t show it, Oliver Ramon.

It hurts to express fear wantonly before confirming the truth.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

It seems there’s more to Nemo than meets the eye.

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 8: Noer’s City Wall

Ann did change her mind. Instead of bringing them immediately to Noer, she coldly asked Oliver to start training.

“It will be troublesome if you hurt others,” she pointed out mercilessly. “You must learn the method to control it. Please practice until you remember. I’ll take you in on the last day. There won’t be a backup plan, so I hope you can show some sincerity.”

‘She’s indeed being sincere,’ Nemo thought. When the female warrior first said this, the tip of her spear was still buzzing with sparks, ready to string them up at any moment, but her attitude towards them did change. Although the coldness didn’t decrease, Nemo could feel a subtle sense of equality that didn’t exist before.

Ann spent a lot of time fighting against Oliver with a murderous aura. It could be said that her method was effective. Oliver was at first unsteady, but eventually he was able to put up some resistance after only half a day.

On the other hand, Nemo’s job was to sit next to the gray parrot and eat nuts.

It wasn’t like he didn’t try. The dark shadow barrier that day seemed to be like a dream. Before he could taste the joy of being able to use magic, due to his panic, he had reverted back to the usual state where he couldn’t even cast a simple illumination spell. Nemo even asked Ann to give him a solid beating, which only resulted in him being pummeled to the point where he puked up all his lunch and was left only with abdominal pain and a wounded self-esteem.

Nemo chewed on the nuts gloomily as he looked at Oliver, who was holding a wooden stick as he managed to hold on a bit longer against the lightning this time, feeling that his last trace of confidence was about to be swept away by the wind.

“At least you’re very resilient when it comes to fighting.” The parrot swallowed the seeds in Nemo’s hand in one bite, then tried to say a few unpleasant words. “If you were an ordinary person, you would probably be half disabled by now, seeing as how you were beaten to death by her so many times.”

Perhaps it was the influence of the contract, but Nemo found it difficult for him to hate this gray parrot from the bottom of his heart. Still, despite trying his best, he couldn’t squeeze out much goodwill for it either. It was just that in this current hot battlefield, as the only living things who were idle, it was hard for them not to make a sound to try and regain a little sense of existence.

“I tried my best,” Nemo said lightly, with a mouthful of nuts. “I have repeated it a thousand times that that spell will definitely appear in my nightmares.”

“What you did yesterday was quite similar.” The parrot squatted on a pile of shells. “Remember how it felt at that time!”

Nemo opened the palm of his right hand and stretched it out to the front with great care as he chanted the familiar mantra in his mouth. Unfortunately, even when his face turned purple from suffocation, the scenery in front of him was still clear, bright, and lovely. He took a big inhale and stood up with a sigh. Then he walked to the nearest cluster of icicles and broke off a piece and bit into it.

The two people who were fighting stopped and turned to look at Nemo. Their concentrated expressions and the glisten of the sweat on their faces made him feel guilty. Nemo quickly waved his hand. “You guys continue. It’s too hot, so I couldn’t resist trying…”

The maker of the icicles, Oliver, chuckled. He threw down the wooden stick in his hand and also broke off a small piece of ice, ignoring the bloodstains on his hand. “You’re right,” he said, with gasps in his voice, as if he had just been fished out of water. “That’s why I chose ice in the first place.”

Ann stared at them. The words that filled her eyes almost overflowed.

“Almost.” Not to be outdone, she also broke off a block of ice and took a few bites. “I’ll take you two over the wall after dark today. Registration for the black badge test will start tomorrow morning, so we have to get in tonight.”

“Can’t we follow you into the city normally?” Nemo was a little surprised.

“Noer’s soldiers will not give you trouble in principle.” Ann threw away the ice piece and wiped her mouth. “Most of our businesses have agreements with the gatekeepers. They don’t have the right to deal with you, but it’s another matter if they sell the news to others. That business is easy and profitable. Most bounty hunters will not catch strong prey. There’s no shortage of villains in this world, so I don’t bother wasting my time on it.”

The two of them had already changed into the clothes they had obtained previously. Combined with their sloppy appearance, created from spending two days in the forest, they looked like two Garland civilians. Oliver looked more haggard as the continuous high-intensity fighting had left him with countless wounds and bruises. Nemo wasn’t sure if he was trying to avoid certain emotional problems as there were heavy dark bags under his eyes. Most likely, he hadn’t slept properly after his fever had subsided.

Nemo licked the crushed nuts stuck between his teeth, and after recalling the smiling face of this person for a few seconds, he suddenly felt strange in his heart.

When Nemo stood under the city wall, he stopped all his superfluous thoughts. At that moment, the sun had just set, but the air was still warm and humid. The smell of food and cooking smoke wafted from the wall. Nemo looked up at the top of the city wall, causing his neck to become sore. Noer’s just a small town, but why is the city wall so high?

“How do we get up?” He subconsciously touched the stone tiles on the wall, hoping to trigger a secret switch from somewhere.

“We only have fifteen minutes while the gatekeepers change shifts,” Ann said. “I’ll go up first and throw down a rope so you guys can climb up. Any other questions?”

“No, but you—” Oliver obviously had the same question. He even tried to step against the wall with his feet, watching the soles of his shoes slide down the rough masonry.

A real smile appeared in Ann’s eyes. She didn’t say anything and instead wrapped a few hemp ropes around her palm and then cracked her fingers. In the next second, she grabbed the wall dexterously, like a wild mountain goat, as if an invisible handle suddenly appeared on it. The female warrior’s physique and petite size were completely irrelative. At this moment, she quickly scaled the wall as if freed from gravity, taking less than a minute.

Ann turned her head for a while, then hung the rope down. “Come on, boys.” She lowered her voice and whistled happily.

Nemo swallowed hard as he thought about the height of the city wall.

“I’ll go first.” Sensing his fears, Oliver stepped forward, though his voice had a slight tremor. He tentatively tugged at the rope, stepped on the wall again with his feet, and climbed up a few steps.

However, at this moment, the wall didn’t show the friendly attitude it had just now. As if it had turned into butter, Oliver’s sole slipped again and his whole body swayed in mid-air, almost slamming himself against the wall head-on.

Ann wiped her face speechlessly.

Oliver let go of the rope decisively and slid back to the ground, leaving behind blood marks on the hemp rope. He looked at the swinging rope, picked up a thick branch casually from the ground, and swung it down in the direction of the wall. The training in the past few days paid off. Skewed ice marks on the wall began to appear as icicles protruded horizontally on the edge. Oliver took a deep breath, grabbed the hemp rope again, and cautiously stepped on the tip of the icicles and climbed up the wall.

Nemo’s eyes darkened. His new friend had just amicably helped him increase the difficulty. He had only climbed short ladders from the library before. In front of him now was a flat stone and brick wall with hideous icicles and a thin rope dangling between. This could be considered hell mode. He held his breath and grabbed the rope tremblingly, trying to imitate Oliver by stepping on the icicle while climbing up. As a result, as soon as he stepped on the second one, his wrist began to lose strength and he fell firmly from a height of more than a meter high.

Fortunately, his body was extremely durable now. Nemo gritted his teeth and grabbed the rope again.

“Such a pity.” The gray parrot flapped its wings proudly beside his head, not letting go of any opportunity to mock him. “If you had even a little talent like the size of a pea, you can just directly fly up!”

Nemo rolled his eyes and climbed up with difficulty again, leaving no strength to refute. He suspected that even if he stepped in the right place every step of the way, his physical strength would not be enough to complete the journey.

Ann gave a loud tsk. “Oliver, hold on to the rope,” she instructed in a low voice.

Oliver blinked his green eyes in confusion, and subconsciously obeyed. Immediately, Nemo watched as he was pulled to the other side of the wall by Ann, who had disappeared from the top of the wall. He was jerked up so fast that he almost hit a thick icicle.

The worst thing was that when he made it over the wall, he was dragged directly to the other side by the rope. As soon as he realized that he was free falling, he had already landed on his ass on top of a haystack. Oliver was sitting not far from him, in shock.

Ann landed gracefully in a neat semi-kneeling posture.

“Alright,” she said. “This yard belongs to my acquaintance. We can take a break here. Wait—”

She abruptly stopped the conversation and drew her hunting spear from behind.

“Jude.” Ann pulled out a fake smile. “Nice to see you.”

She lengthened each syllable, turning the greeting into more of a curse. Nemo turned his head with difficulty and finally saw who she was greeting. It was a horse-faced man who looked to be in his 40’s or 50’s, wearing leather armor, similar to Ann’s style, with a dirty beard on his face and long curly hair that was tangled into a ball. At this moment, he grinned, showing a row of brown teeth.

What was most eye-catching was the thing on his shoulder. The size and color of the sack looked very uncomfortable, like a swollen corpse of some hairless animal. Its limbs were very similar to the feet of a gecko. Several of them couldn’t be seen as they firmly grasped the man. Nemo couldn’t tell where the head was. There were a few dark, eye-like things that were exposed on the man’s shoulders, which were opening and closing one by one.

“Miss Savage.” Nemo asked, at the lowest volume he could muster, “Would you care to introduce?”

“My colleague, your kind,” Ann sneered. “Jude Major, a demon worshiper. To be more precise, a hyena who comes to steal food.”

“Don’t be so mean,” the man said with a lax smile. “I’m just here to try my luck. If you want someone to blame, blame it on my dear Oni’s loose mouth. Coming from Roadside Town at this time, it’s not difficult to guess what your interests are… God, my luck is truly great.”

The thing on his shoulder squirmed in response. Its eyes-like things open and close faster. Nemo suddenly felt that the gray parrot was very pleasing to his eyes now.

“Sorry, baby.” Jude blew a kiss. “I have been very short of money recently.”

He didn’t give Ann time to react and raised his hand as a black light hit Nemo’s chest. The gray parrot rushed out and swallowed the light in one bite.

“Bah!” it commented. “Inferior goods. I’m going to get diarrhea.”

Jude narrowed his eyes, but his hands didn’t slow at all. He drew out a machete to block Ann’s spear while the monster on his shoulder spewed out a large amount of yellow fog from the areas where it was opening and closing.

Now that Nemo could see clearly, those things weren’t eyes at all but a bunch of black holes that were opening and closing.

Ann quickly stepped back a few steps and then retreated to the two of them, avoiding touching the yellow mist.

“You should know that your fighting style has no advantage over me.” Jude himself seemed to be completely unaffected by the yellow mist. His tone was brisk and cheerful. “Let’s be sensible, pretty. It’s not too late to find a team of garbage to make up the numbers.”

“Nemo,” Ann said in a deep voice as her eyes remained fixated in Jude’s direction. “Can you cast that spell now? Just ten seconds. As long as we stop the fog, we have a chance of winning.”

“I… can’t.” Nemo looked at the monster. He had a strange feeling that the thing seemed to be watching him, even though he didn’t know where that thing’s eyes were.

Ann didn’t say a word. She glanced at Oliver and fell into contemplation while maintaining a defensive posture. Even though he acted unforgiving, Jude looked a bit scared. He paced up and down, standing near the edge of Ann’s attack range, like a mangy wolf considering how to deal with a hedgehog.

Nemo’s gaze moved to the monster on Jude’s shoulder. As long as that thing was dealt with, Ann had a way to deal with Jude. He thought all he needed to do was get rid of that…

Unexpected mutant.

The monster on Jude’s shoulder suddenly fell to the ground, as if it had become a real sack. It remained motionless with all its black holes closed, looking like a corpse. Its master was bewildered.

“Tam!” Jude sent the machete forward, as he said in a flustered voice. “Get up for me!”

The monster, which Nemo didn’t know if it was a subordinate or intermediate level demon, was still lying on the ground, dutifully acting like a corpse.

Ann didn’t miss this opportunity. Before Jude finished speaking, she rushed out like a leopard. She cautiously kept her distance as she sent a ray of lightning towards her opponent while he was distracted.

It was aimed right towards his heart. The leather armor on Jude’s left shoulder was scorched by lightning, revealing bloodied red flesh. The man let out a hoarse and ugly wail, followed by a series of vague swears. He didn’t curse much as he responded when Ann was about to deliver her second blow. He decisively took out a piece of parchment and tore it up. Suddenly, he and the monster disappeared from sight.

“Short-distance teleportation. If you can’t beat them, run. It’s… very Jude,” Ann muttered in disgust. “Speaking of which, what happened to his demon just now?” She raised her voice as she arched an eyebrow towards Nemo and the gray parrot who was perched on his shoulder.

“I don’t know.” Nemo said honestly.

“It’s just pretending to be dead.” The gray parrot replied almost at the same time. “Just now, this kid was probably hostile to that piece of garbage, and it discovered this. Isn’t this a common situation to play dead?”

“That’s true. Noble demon warlocks can naturally suppress inferior demons. Is this what you’re trying to say?” Ann sighed. “Forget it. Just treat this as if he was unlucky. That guy’s luck has always been bad.”

Jude Major panted as he carried his demon back to the Dawn Tavern. When he entered, he slammed it on the table. “Vance! Vance!” he roared, “Come and take a look for me! Also, bring a bottle of medicine! Damn it. That bitch—”

“Brother, what’s the matter?” The man at the table next to him stretched out his head curiously, and a bunch of grape-like eyes floated over with his movements.

“Bad luck. Who knows what’s going on.” Jude sank into the chair, causing the wooden chair to make an unbearable creaking sound. “Can you imagine that my contract was broken? Damn, this kind of inferior good is really unreliable.”

“It’s not that your contract was broken.” The drinker at the next table shrugged and said, “…Man, your demon is really dead.”

The man called Vance finally arrived. He gently set the bottle of medicine beside Jude.

“Yes, it’s dead. Probably was frightened to death,” he said in a gentle and elegant tone. “It’s common for this species to have the same courage as a hamster.”

Then he showed a very decent smile.

“…So, which demon warlock did you meet? Are you interested in exchanging information?”

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Mountain goats can really scale heights.

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 7: Father

“What are you talking about?” Oliver asked blankly. He just woke up, and his brain buzzed like a honeycomb, feeling pain as it overflowed from every bone in his seams. The misty dizziness disappeared as he shook his head, and Nemo’s voice sounded a lot clearer.

“I just said that Miss Savage gave us a proposal.” Nemo sat beside him. He was a little blue, while the gray parrot sat on his head. “She suggested that we mix into Noer and then qualify for a black badge.”

“It turns out that you humans call ‘I’ll kill you if you don’t do this’ a ‘suggestion’?” The gray parrot jumped a few times. “I’ve learned something new.”

“Black badge?” Oliver turned his head and looked at the female warrior who was maintaining her weapon, “But we don’t—”

“I’m not interested in whether you’re innocent or not. I’m pretty sure my conscience is not worth three thousand gold coins. It’s just a transaction.” Ann rubbed her cloth on her hunting spear harshly. “Noer’s black badge certification has three days left. That’s why I rushed back to check on this matter. It doesn’t matter if you disagree. Regardless, I’ll get it.”

“But…”

“Do you prefer I exchange your heads for gold coins?” The corners of Ann’s mouth turned up, but there was no smile in her amber eyes. “Look, I think this deal is very good. With me, you’re guaranteed to pass. What you have to do is very simple. Form a team and let me join it.”

“You should already belong to a team though,” Oliver coughed a few times, but his throat was still dry and itchy.

“Yes, it’s a pity that everyone’s dead. I have to find a new team to register with. That’s the rule,” Ann said. Her face didn’t look sad.

“Why did you choose us?” Oliver stared at the heavy hunting spear with fear. “…Uh, I mean, it sounds really good. I’m just a little curious.”

“I don’t like to act with others. I tried a team of refugees, and they either died too quickly or disbanded too soon. The criminal team lasted longer, but it was a pity that most of them were unpleasant scums,” Ann explained calmly. “You don’t look like the kind of trash who likes to cause trouble. There are many people at the ‘dangerous’ level who are more or less capable. It should be okay to do some low-level tasks and I can live in peace for a while. I’m betting three thousand gold coins on my intuition.”

“I think it’s okay.” Nemo moved in Oliver’s direction, muttering in a very spineless voice. “If you can live for one more day, it counts as another day.”

“I have no problem,” Oliver responded in a low voice. “With three thousand gold coins on the line, it’s better to promise before she changes her mind.”

“What the hell is a black badge?” The gray parrot squeezed between them; its ass almost hitting Nemo in the face.

“Second-class citizen or cannon fodder.” Nemo grabbed the bouncing bird and put it on the ground. “Choose one that you can understand.”

Although the black badges were given out under the Mercenary Guild, which should sound appealing, they were essentially cannon fodder. There were many small countries on the mainland constantly at war. With the laws of each country being different, it directly led to criminals and refugees fleeing everywhere; the former to evade legal sanctions, the latter to beg for food. If they were inattentive, they would eventually become the former.

Once people cross the border, official negotiations became extremely troublesome. The current president of the Mercenary Guild, Pollock, was a good example. Before he was president, he secretly raised intermediate-level demons in the capital of Alban, and his wanted level soared to ‘outlaw’ after he was discovered. Seeing that things weren’t going well, Pollack quickly absconded to Willard, the enemy country of Alban. Unexpectedly, in the days that followed, he became prosperous and climbed the social ladder, eventually becoming an extremely wealthy man.

Alban persistently tried to extradite people back, resulting in raising tensions between the two countries to the point that they almost extended their front lines.

After Pollack became president of the Mercenary Guild, he created a system where refugees and criminals could pass the Mercenary Guild’s test and obtain a black badge that could be used in lieu of one’s identification documents from the country where they were originally from. It was just that what they could do was tightly restricted. Most jobs were either troublesome or dangerous, which legal citizens would be unwilling to deal with, and the taxes and commissions for them were surprisingly high.

Black households without identity certificates could hardly live a normal life, so even if the jobs were terrible, a considerable number of new black badges were born every year. In fact, even without Ann’s “suggestion”, they would’ve embarked on this path sooner or later, unless they really wanted to break the jar and become actual villains in exile.

“We agree,” Oliver said. “What do we need to do now?”

Ann tapped her chin with her fingers, then whistled, causing the white horse to run over. She took a sword from a leather bag hanging from the saddle and handed it to Oliver.

“This kid said it was you who cut down the wolfhound. Have a look.” She clenched her spear. “If you make any superfluous moves, I won’t mind stringing you up and dragging you to Noer.”

Oliver licked his chapped lips. “Actually, I don’t know what happened last night.”

He really had no impression.

“Oh, where did you get so much shit!” When it saw the opportunity to prove that it was telling the truth, the gray parrot became excited. “Just cut! Why don’t I help you brew your emotions—”

Before Oliver could say a word, a hapless spider-dog appeared out of thin air. The spider-dog kicked its eight legs angrily, trying to bite Oliver’s face. Oliver only felt the tips of his hair stand up, and without a second thought, he raised the hand that was holding the sword.

However, this was just an ordinary sword.

The spider-dog grabbed his right arm and opened its mouth again to bite. Oliver panicked as he was quite sure he was about to lose his right arm, so he hurriedly made up for the blow with his left arm, sweeping the spider-dog onto the ground as he gasped for breath.

Ann didn’t say a word as she stood by, watching with interest.

How did he swing the sword last night? Oliver desperately recalled how he felt at the time. He gritted his teeth and stabbed the spider-dog again. As a result, he almost stabbed himself.

Before the sword would pierce, countless icicles formed, stretching frantically forward along the tip of the sword. The spider-dog was directly blasted into the soil, but the icicles did not stop there. It exploded as soon as it touched the ground, bursting into a huge, hideous, transparent ice flower. The sharp petals had icy thorns pointing in all directions, with the shortest one being more than one meter long.

These cold thorns had no self-awareness. Oliver’s failure to stab the spider-dog almost made him poke one of his eyes out on one of the sharp icy thorns. Oliver took a few steps back and almost tripped over some weeds behind him as he leaned back. Nemo quickly rushed up and supported him.

The moment the icicle burst open, the sword was shattered into several pieces, leaving behind the hilt that was frozen in ice. The fine ice chips drifted into the air, causing the temperature to drop a few degrees in the sultry summer.

“Although the style was a bit different, the wolfhound was basically finished like this,” the gray parrot explained affectionately to Ann. “You see, I’m an honest demon. I’m just here for the view!”

“Three thousand gold coins…” Ann stared at the huge pile of ice spikes with an ugly expression on her face. “How cheap.”

Nemo was holding Oliver from behind, and when he first touched him, Oliver’s short light brown hair buried into his face. His nose was sore from being hit, and he wasn’t sure if he was bleeding. Fortunately, the medicine Ann gave had a good effect. Oliver was no longer burning up like a human charcoal. He quickly stood up before Nemo couldn’t support him any longer and coughed a few times.

“Thank you.” He turned around. His face wasn’t shocked but was frowning slightly.

Nemo rubbed his nose, trying to conceal his somewhat stiff expression of shock. “Oliver, you—”

“I changed my mind.” Before he could utter half the sentence, Nemo was cut off neatly by a low female voice.

Nemo turned his head abruptly; his movements were so large that he almost twisted his neck. At this moment, he wholeheartedly hoped that this sentence was not what he thought it meant.

“Take it easy.” The female warrior’s expression was serious. Her tone wasn’t as relaxed as before. “I’m not going to kill you. Now it seems that I’ve missed my best chance.”

Nemo found that his arm was grabbed by Oliver and was pulled behind him. Whether it was intentional or not, it made him a little inexplicably angry that he slapped Oliver’s hand away and instead stood in front of him.

Ann sighed. “Sit down, you two. We need to have a good talk.”

Nemo and Oliver looked at the hunting spear in the female warrior’s hand at the same time, without moving a step.

Ann didn’t say anything. She thrust the spear hard into the ground and took the lead to sit down. “That brown-haired kid, Oliver Ramon, right? You have a bit of foundation, but your movements are too rusty. I’m really curious. Even a blind man won’t miss this talent. What was your teacher thinking? For Alban to let go of this kind of talent… If he knew about this, the bishop in your area would probably pull his hair out.”

“I gave up very early.” Oliver thought for a moment, while still standing. “Because I… Don’t like it very much. My father also said it’s not a big deal. If I didn’t want to learn, I didn’t have to. That was all.”

“No big deal? I have been in this business for nearly 20 years. To be honest, I haven’t seen many at this level.” Ann raised her voice. “Forget about the demon-boy. Abyssal magic is as indistinguishable as wild mushrooms. I can’t judge it well, but you’re a purebred human, right?”

For a moment, Nemo felt that he had been classified as a parrot hybrid.

“Yes,” Oliver answered with incomparable firmness. “Is there a problem?”

“It seems that you two have no idea about the world outside of Roadside Town,” Ann said. Her face didn’t look good. “You’ve been living a good life safely and steadily, no? I’m really curious if your teacher is someone who has seen the world. It’s impossible for you to be so leisurely—”

“His father… There are no problems with his teacher’s character.” Nemo interrupted the female warrior’s words, and the inexplicable unhappiness became more apparent, as real as the melting ice on his skin. “You’re right. I was the one who implicated this guy. He could have lived a leisurely life, but it’s not because of anyone’s ‘educational mistake’.”

Ann turned her sharp gaze to him causing her nose to flutter quickly. When she spoke again, her voice was calm. “Your teacher is your father? Interesting. Now that I’m interested, tell me what you did last night,” she said. “I’m familiar with that expression. It looks like two groundhogs whose holes have been trampled on, confusing and scaring them to death.”

It’s a pity that Ann Savage’s nearly two decades of experience did not help her much in putting together their somewhat faltering narratives.

“I can probably guess what happened to your father.” Ann rubbed her lower lip. “If he wasn’t the one who summoned the deadwood jellyfish, he must have forcibly transferred the summoning ceremony to himself. I have seen this kind of deadly, completely laborious, and thankless practice.”

“What do you mean?” Oliver had already sat down honestly during his narration, only leaving Nemo, who was still standing stubbornly.

“For higher-level demons, the first thing they do after being summoned is to attack the summoner.” Ann said. “In simple terms, creatures with brains are reluctant to do the biddings of others. They need to confirm the strength of their future master. If the summoner is too weak, it means that they probably won’t get many benefits. If the summoner is killed, the demon can be free to eat and play to their delight before returning to the Abyss.”

She glanced at Oliver. “A powerful person can’t summon a deadwood jellyfish. If I guess correctly, the summoner was probably eaten to the point where there was only residue left. Your father probably forcibly transferred the summoning ceremony while the monster wasn’t completely free yet… Most likely to protect the town.”

“But he…”

“The next part is where I can’t figure it out,” Ann said, leaving no time for Oliver to ask questions. “The key point is that, according to records, only demon warlocks are capable of forcibly transferring rituals. Was there anything abnormal about your father?”

“I swear not. My father has absolutely no abnormalities.”

“Then there is only one possibility left,” Ann said. “A superior demon who obtained a human body can do it too.”

“Impossible!” Before Oliver could respond, someone screamed for him. The gray parrot swaggered over, its tone full of confidence. “I’ve seen that man. It’s impossible for him to be a superior demon! If he was, I would definitely detect—”

“You are?” Ann raised her beautifully shaped eyebrows at it. “What do you mean you can detect and suppress it?”

“Bah,” the gray parrot shot back contemptuously. “We rely on the aura of our peers! If we don’t want low-level garbage to find out, there are ways, but you can’t hide it from a demon on the same level.”

Ann took a deep look at it, then poked it firmly and slowly with her hand. The gray parrot exploded with anger and plunged into the shrub next to it, very unlike a parrot.

“Where were we?” She frowned. “Oh yes, Oliver, did your father use magic in front of you?”

“He did, but only once,” Oliver said. “It was a very ordinary illusion. I don’t think that can be used as a reference.”

Oliver didn’t seem to be shaken by Ann’s statement. Nemo suspected that he didn’t intend to believe this statement at all in the first place, and he could relate to this sentiment. The only thing Old Ramon might harm are mosquitoes passing through Roadside Town with his own hands. Even the raw meat at the inn was already prepared; it was purchased from the local butcher. Their share of shock in the past two days had long been overdrawn, and they didn’t need more additional blows.

“Alright.” Ann noticed their unhappiness. She raised her hands and made a gesture of conceding defeat. “Then skip this question. After the ceremony is transferred, the demon will also shift their target, which is probably why your father wanted you to kill him.”

Oliver raised his head abruptly.

“Assuming that you are telling the truth and he was really about to die when you met, then the transfer ceremony can only buy the army some time. He probably came up with this kind of plan if he was taking the monster out of town at that time.” She sighed. “If the summoner is killed by a third party during this confrontation, it’ll be deemed as a summoning failure. According to nature’s law, the monster will be sent back to the abyss immediately.”

“I can’t think of any other reason than to protect the town.” Ann shrugged. “I apologize for what I just said. If you didn’t lie, then Mr. Ramon is not an ignorant man and I don’t judge this kind of behavior. At least for me, I’ll never do this kind of thing for irrelevant people… And let my loved ones suffer like this.”

“I can be sure of one thing, boy. Knowing the rules behind demon summoning and being able to perform the transfer ceremony with your own hands… Your father is definitely not an ordinary person. If you have the heart, you can try to find—”

“Thank you very much for your explanation.” Oliver said as he stood up and shook his feet. He gave a non-standard salute to the female warrior. “Really… Thank you very much.”

“But no, I don’t want to know his past. It’s already enough.”

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