Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 96: Acid

Nemo’s movements stopped instantly. If he was honest, this thing in his hand was scary enough. The hollow structure was like a dead vine and at the top of the staff the bone ball that was floating on now seemed to have…

“Isn’t there supposed to be a luminous crystal ball here?” Nemo said bitterly as he poked the floating bone ball. “The top of this staff is a bit…”

“That’s because I removed the lampshade.” Ann’s face was full of pride and satisfaction. “You don’t need a staff, and a real staff isn’t cheap. It’s a waste to buy one only to disassemble it.”

“It doesn’t look bad,” Jesse commented impartially, “and it’s very suitable for you.”

Nemo leaned into his sturdy metal staff. As the metal hit the stone surface, it made a dull thump. Now he only had one wish… He hoped that black was the original color of the metal. If the paint falls off when he’s casting a spell, it would be too inexplicable.

He was unaccustomed to holding a staff, so he tried to make his walking posture while holding a staff not too strange. When Nemo raised his head, he bumped into Oliver’s line of sight. Oliver looked at him very solemnly with those emerald eyes, just like when they first met.

“What?” Nemo widened his eyes. “Do I look like a demon warlock? If I didn’t have this black badge, the effect would probably look better…”

“No.” Oliver shook his head. “I think it suits you very well.” Nemo now showed a bit of his edge to him, and his temperament was closer to the state he was in when he defeated Witherspoon that night. The previous linen robe was neat but ordinary, and his short ponytail had hidden his sharpness. Now that it was unsheathed, the shuddering aura vaguely appeared again.

They weren’t currently on the streets right now, so Nemo hadn’t shown his “deformity” yet. When he really reveals it, if he maintained his demon’s pupils, the aura would be more obvious.

“It’s really good.” Oliver concluded sincerely.

Nemo’s unspoken threatening joke got stuck in his throat. He closed his mouth and a slightly embarrassed smile appeared on his face. The sense of solemnity had just suddenly melted away.

“…For the time being, captain, don’t talk to him.” Ann patted Oliver on the shoulder. “You have too good of an effect on him just now! Nemo, just act with Jesse before you sneak in to brew up your frustration.”

“But…”

“No buts! Geez, your tone needs to be harsher. Pump out your chest, raise your chin, and act more arrogant. I told you to look arrogant, not pretend like you didn’t get enough sleep,” Ann yelled bitterly. “Hm, can you imagine the type of person who you hate the most?”

Nemo thought seriously for a moment. “A person who borrows books and bookmarks them by folding the corners of the pages.”

“…I can’t do this anymore,” Ann said melancholically. “It’s because I don’t have enough experience.”

“Just keep silent as much as possible and nod and shake your head instead of normal communication. Look directly into the other person’s eye when speaking,” Adrian suddenly said. “If you can do it, please try not to show too much emotion, Mr. Light.”

“Expression management is still necessary,” Ann muttered in a low voice.

“Nemo’s not that type of person. He’s not good at acting either, so it takes a lot of effort for him.” Oliver shook his head amusingly. He took out a small cloth bag from the pile of parcels on the fuller goat and threw it to Nemo. “Try this?”

“What is this?” Nemo caught it with one hand.

“Sandpoint plums, one of the preserved fruits Lisa gave,” Oliver said. “This… She told me to soak in water and drink it, saying it was a good way to relieve the summer heat.”

“So what?”

“Try one,” Oliver coughed. “It should help keep you silent.”

Nemo opened the cloth bag. Inside was a pea-sized red and black fruit with wrinkles unique to dehydration. He picked up one, filled with confidence in his new lover, and stuffed it into his mouth.

His expression successfully disappeared, replaced by a perfect gloom.

“Wow.” Ann walked forward curiously, threw one in her mouth and even chewed it boldly before she spat it out. Her face became wrinkled and deformed.

“What the hell—” Her eyes were full of tears from the taste. “I’ve never eaten anything so sour!”

“That’s why you have to soak it in water,” Oliver said cautiously. “…It’s also very suitable for expression management.”

Nemo maintained a gloomy face and continued to hold in the terrible dried fruit. He carefully tied the bag to his belt, retreated to the corner of the store, and made a “come over” gesture to Oliver. The expression on his face became more complicated. Even the two veteran warriors who had a wealth of experience in observing gestures and words couldn’t tell whether Nemo wanted to praise him or beat him.

“I… I just think that explaining it to you first would destroy its effect.” Oliver, who had always been calm, looked a little guilty at this moment. It seemed he had to overcome the urge to take a few steps back. He hesitated for a few seconds before walking over to the dark corner where Nemo was. “Sorry, you—”

Before he could finish speaking, Nemo grabbed him by the collar and kissed him without delay. Unlike Oliver’s kiss that only touched the corner of his mouth, Nemo’s kiss was deep and thorough. This was a real kiss. Although his kiss was a bit sluggish, it was still firm and rough, with some traces—or rather, a lot of bad intentions.

Oliver instantly stiffened in place. It seemed as if he had looked at the legendary Cockatrice and was petrified. His face flushed instantly, and he forgot how to breathe or even blink.

After a few seconds, Nemo took a somewhat restrained step back and wiped his mouth. Oliver seemed to have finally reacted, and his expression became a little subtly distorted.

“Expression management, Ollie.” He bitterly spat out the sour dried fruit and said, with an awkward voice, “…Have a good experience.”

“I don’t know whether to cheer or applaud,” Ann muttered. “Does he think ‘public’ means he just needs to avoid us? Rather… Did he think that we couldn’t see them from here?”

Adrian didn’t seem to want to comment on this.

“Oh what a perfect revenge,” Jesse said, with the standard smile of a person watching an exciting scene. “I’m almost starting to sympathize with Mr. Ramon.”

In the time that followed, Oliver seemed to have calmed down, except he consciously maintained a three-step distance from Nemo. He would show thoughtful expressions from time to time. When they rendezvoused with Duran Virgil again in the hall that night, their leader almost signed “Oliver Lopez” on the baggage claim voucher.

As soon as he saw Duran Virgil, Nemo consciously stuffed a sandpoint plum into his mouth. He felt the vigorous and sharp sour taste instantly and had to clench his “staff”. His expression turned sour and unpredictable.

“We can get to Roscoe by midnight tonight.” Virgil carefully analyzed Nemo’s new outfit, and his attitude became more serious. “I set up a fixed teleportation array near the main church of the Abyssal Church. Demon warlocks and demon worshipers usually act in the middle of the night, so we can get in tonight.”

“Are you in a hurry?” Oliver finally got focused. “The course of action, the general plan, including information related to the catacombs—isn’t it better for us to check first?”

“I don’t have much time, so I may not be able to explain them all, but I can assure you that Mr. Light will never encounter any danger.” The dark-skinned man frowned. “Or… Do you have any arrangements related to the church?”

“Demon information,” Nemo tried to speak, but his tongue slid over the sandpoint plum, causing his entire body to tremble.

“I’ll help.” Virgil agreed. “I know where their library is.”

“Do you really only need Mr. Light to assist?” Adrian asked cautiously. “If you can, I hope you can tell us something. I can tell just by looking at the things you’re equipped with that you’re a real exorcist.”

“Yes, Mr. Light is an important member of our team after all,” Jesse said with a smile. “Our leader cannot be rest assured that he’s handing him over to a ‘real exorcist’.”

“…Indeed. If something happens, I hope you can help us stall for time.”

“If?” Ann raised her brows. “Didn’t you say that our team won’t encounter any danger?”

“He’s a demon worshiper, and he could escape by pretending to be an ordinary person at a critical time. I’ll fight with my life to ensure his safety.” Virgil’s expression was solemn. “In case… Uh, it’s hard for me to explain. Anyway, it’s almost impossible. Even if there’s a problem at that time, you’ll notice it earlier than me. In short, just wait for us outside. I’ll finish my business within three days.”

“So you are not going to tell us the full story?” Ann concluded.

“I’m sorry.” Virgil bowed deeply to them, with bitterness in his voice. “I understand your concerns, but I have my reasons… I’m really sorry.”

“Nemo…” Oliver turned to Nemo’s direction, with a hint of subtleness in his voice. “Is this okay?”

“No problem,” Nemo said with difficulty as he almost swallowed the plum. “…I can accept this risk.”

“Thank you.” Virgil’s attitude was very solemn.

He couldn’t mention the full details as he had to conceal his identity as a demon warlock to the team. The tall painter sighed in his heart. What he was doing was already immoral, so any more concealment would be too much. However, like the word “in case”, the chance of something going wrong was truly close to zero. Even if it took a long time before finding the right team, and the date was still early so there was still time…

The day of sacrifice was still far away. Aurorae shouldn’t show up this early, and the Knights of Silence from the Abyssal Church wouldn’t gather this soon.

He hoped that Mr. Light was courageous enough and wouldn’t get cold feet. Virgil was a little worried. He didn’t want to use Abyssal magic to control anyone’s will, but this team was really his last hope. The turn of events happened too suddenly, and if he wanted to catch up, he didn’t have the time to prepare his partner in advance. Originally, finding a neutral demon worshiper from the Black Chapter was a matter of luck. Even if he still had a few days left, it was impossible for him to bet his next hope on his own shitty luck.

If the situation changes, he thought he could still break his bottom line of “not controlling others”, but he would indeed do his best to protect the demon worshiper who seemed a bit incomprehensible and would offer everything he had to apologize.

Virgil adjusted the wrapping bands on his lower shoulder and showed a wry smile.

After this mission was over, “living” wasn’t important to him anymore.

---

The author has something to say:

Well, it’s like this… If you run into this unlucky team, the “in case” will always happen.

In fact, Mr. Virgil lost a lot.

————Everyone’s heart————

Virgil: (Tragically) Ah, I dragged this demon worshiper down, so I have to ensure his safety whatever the cost. My god, I’m such an immoral person.

Nemo: …Please don’t let the paint fall off the staff. Please don’t let the paint fall off the staff…

Oliver: The sandpoint plum is really sour, but… Uh… Uh… Uh—

Ann: I’m starting to get tired.

Adrian: I’m starting to get tired.

Jesse: This melon is so delicious.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Nemo’s most hated type of person: A person who borrows books and bookmarks them by folding the corners of the pages. So cute!

Their first deep kiss probably didn’t go as Oliver imagined it.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 95: Disguise

Duran Virgil sat still on the floor. The miscellaneous things he was carrying behind him fell to the ground. After a series of noises and collisions, things finally calmed down. He stretched out his waist and took out a small drawing board from his pockets that had a thick parchment paper that was well glued to it, making it light and convenient. The man hastily supported the drawing board on his knees with his left hand, took out a piece of charcoal with his right, and began to paint the lively scene in the branch hall.

The team called Tumbleweed was greener than he thought.

He subconsciously thought the captain of the team would be older, like Savage or Cross. When he thought about it carefully, Oliver Ramon was just an ordinary fugitive from a small town on the border, and he didn’t have much appeal or leadership. On the other hand, as far as the tasks his team had completed, they weren’t as eye-catching at first glance, but the ending of the mission regarding Adrian Cross was truly crazy. It proved that they had the ability to infiltrate the Garland dungeon and were good at escaping.

Their search mission in Vincent Town seemed successful as well. It looked as if they had been toeing the minimum standard required for each month to take on a single task, and they had no ambition of further expanding this. Savage’s strength and low profile were well-known in the industry, and no matter how strong Adrian Cross was before, he couldn’t make a splash now that he had lost his powers. Although Jesse Dylan’s reputation wasn’t good, he had never gained any notoriety with regards to money.

There was also a demon worshiper among them. In terms of acceptance of faith, he couldn’t find a more suitable team.

Virgil thought casually as he took out a piece of stale bread and began to rub the forked part on the parchment.

He needed to be careful. Virgil sighed. He had to stay away from Adrian Cross to prevent his deformation from being noticed. In case his identity was revealed, he didn’t know whether the team was willing to take on his task.

However, Duran Virgil’s concerns had become a reality.

To Nemo’s surprise, after being told of the client’s situation, Oliver didn’t show a particularly surprised look. Their leader only slightly raised his brows.

“Well, Mr. Virgil doesn’t look like a mage.” Oliver thought with a calm expression. “I wonder if he would mind telling us his purpose for entering the burial chambers of the Abyssal Church.”

“…You’re thinking about picking it up?” Nemo didn’t hide the changes in his voice. “Ordinary clients will be safer.”

Oliver glanced at him deeply, with a complicated expression. “Of course we need to talk to Ann and the others first. Mr. Cross should be able to give us some suggestions.”

‘Oliver probably didn’t have a reaction,’  Nemo thought firmly. He himself had no problem pretending to be a demon warlock, but dealing with a real demon warlock was a different matter. It would be better to take on an ordinary task from an ordinary person as it was the right way to act as cautiously as possible. Maybe the other two could express their views on this…

Ann Savage laughed for three whole minutes. Her voice was loud and unceremonious.

“Oh, isn’t this just great.” Ann had finally gotten her fill of laughter as she beat her chest to calm down. “God, we should take a picture of his face. Nemo, what are you nervous about?”

“Bagelmaurus has been with me all this time, and it’s also because of me that we need to find information from the Abyssal Church,” Nemo said dryly, turning his face away from embarrassment. “In general, I don’t want to cause everyone too much trouble—”

“Since that gentleman himself is a demon warlock, he should have a good understanding of the Abyssal Church. Things will be easier to do if we do it this way.” Adrian didn’t seem to protest the idea, but his expression was equally subtle. “Personally, since I have discovered that a demon warlock is in disguise, I hope to figure out what his purpose is. After all, it’s tantamount to a superior demon who’s about to appear.”

“That’s right.” Ann wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. “Nemo, a demon warlock, isn’t a superior demon. If necessary, you can directly suppress him. And no matter what you exposed at that time, it’s absolutely impossible for a demon warlock to snitch to the other surface sects. Have you ever thought of suppressing him?”

Nemo laughed dryly, scratched his head, and responded to the question with silence.

“Looking at Mr. Virgil’s attitude, he seems to want to keep a low profile.” Oliver hurriedly shifted the attention away from him. “It’s fine to just look at the contents of the mission. At least we don’t need to kill anyone.” The task of killing the believers of the Abyssal Church was still fresh in his memory.

“I am in favor of taking this task,” the knight commander sighed, “but let me be frank; this is for a personal reason. I can still follow and monitor Mr. Light, but this one… Now that I know about him, I can’t act as if I’m not aware of him.”

“I also agree,” Ann said very excitedly while patting Nemo on the back. “You have to get along well with the client, Nemo—”

“Shouldn’t we ask for Dylan’s opinion?” Nemo tried to deflect, “or wait, there may be a safer…”

“Are you still nervous? ……Wow, you’re still nervous?” Ann blocked her mouth with her hands. “Pffft… Sorry, I need to laugh a little more.”

“Alright,” Oliver said decisively with a scowl on his face, and grabbed the parchment roll that appeared out of nowhere. “Let’s go meet the client.”

Duran Virgil was still sitting where they had left him. As soon as they entered the hall, Nemo gave the other members a general description of the client’s situation. The reactions of the two veterans didn’t bring much peace of mind.

“This degree of deformation is quite small.” Adrian nodded. “He shouldn’t be the type who’s too crazy.”

“That’s my kind of type,” Ann whistled. “Nice figure.”

Nemo completely abandoned the last glimmer of hope. He took a few deep breaths and followed Oliver’s steps, trying to mask his expression so it wouldn’t come off as too suspicious.

“I remember. Isn’t there another one?” Duran Virgil put away the painting he was working on and stood up. His movements were so fast that he was almost dragged back to the floor by the overly heavy package behind him. “Oh… Sorry, I got a little too excited.”

“In the toilet,” Ann lied without hesitation. “Just forget about him.”

“Let me introduce myself again. My name is Duran Virgil. I’m a painter and also a part-time exorcist. I have no fixed beliefs.” He bowed slightly. Nemo, who was staring at him closely, bowed stiffly in return, then straightened up quickly like a spring.

“An exorcist?” The female warrior raised her brows and pulled the back collar of Nemo’s robe. “So Mr. Part-Time Exorcist, what do you want us to do for you?” She emphasized the word ‘exorcist’.

Adrian frowned but didn’t say anything. He looked solemnly at the messy gadgets on Virgil’s belt.

“I need to enter the catacombs of the Abyssal Church. I think you already know this.” Virgil’s tone became serious. “I won’t ask you to take risks… Don’t you have a demon worshiper? I need Mr. Light to go with me. Sneaking into the catacombs requires at least two people but other demon worshipers weren’t willing to take the job.”

“Can’t an ordinary human do it?” Oliver asked.

“Not possible. If there’s no demonic aura on your body, you’ll never be able to mix in with the Abyssal Church.” Duran shook his head with a wry smile on his resolute face. “I know what you want to ask… In a sense, I’m indeed a demon worshiper.”

“An exorcist who has a demonic contract?” Ann said with interest. “It sounds like there’s more to this than you let on.”

“Sort of,” Virgil said, replacing his wry smile with a normal one. “In short, thank you for taking on my task… God, you don’t know how important this is to me. Please rest assured, I will definitely guarantee the safety of Mr. Light!”

Nemo tried to pull up the corners of his mouth but failed to put on a smile, so he continued to remain expressionless.

“Speaking of which, Mr. Light, where’s your demon?” Virgil patted his head. “According to the information provided, it says it’s a parrot. Can I see it?”

“The parrot lost its temper and had run away for a few days now.” As soon as Nemo was about to answer, Oliver quickly stepped in. “It had caused us quite a bit of a headache.”

“…That’s a bit difficult. If a demon worshiper doesn’t use his demon…”

“Just pretend he’s a demon warlock,” Ann said meaningfully. “Can the Abyssal Church tell?”

“Theoretically, no.” Virgil shook his head. “But it’s dangerous! Without a demon, demon worshipers can’t use abyssal magic. If Mr. Light needs to cast spells…”

“Oh, that shouldn’t be a problem.” A new voice chimed in. “Mr. Light has a great staff that he can use to cast abyssal magic. You can be rest assured.”

Jesse walked over slowly while playing with a few pieces of parchment paper in his hand. There was a little contract-like writing from the gaps between the pieces of paper. “I’m back from the toilet.” He purposefully lengthened his voice and glanced at Ann with his beautiful eyes, only to be met with an eye roll.

“…If you say so,” the tall, dark-skinned man hesitated for a moment before nodding. “We shouldn’t be there for long.”

“We need a little time to prepare.” Nemo took a deep breath and finally managed to keep his voice calm. “When do you want to leave?”

“The sooner the better. Let me see… How about eight tonight?”

“Alright,” Oliver said. He stepped forward, briefly shook hands with Duran Virgil, and handed him the task paper. “Let’s meet here at eight tonight.”

“I have to prepare well too.” Virgil smiled. He carefully stuffed the task paper into a smaller package, and then waved his hand boldly. “Then see you tonight?”

He didn’t linger around and walked out of the branch hall, lugging the big bag on his back.

“Where’s my so-called staff, Mr. Dylan?” Making sure that Virgil’s figure disappeared from the door, Nemo slowly grabbed Jesse’s collar. “If I had it, it would be here from the start!”

“Don’t you have that bone spur from the arthropod lizard?” The blond young man smiled brightly. “Just find a staff and replace the magic stone. In theory, it could be used as a medium to allow a certain limit of ‘surface magic’ to pass through and be converted.”

“That’s a good idea,” Ann mused. “By the way, you need to change your outfit, Nemo. Currently you look like everything except a mage.”

“…” Nemo pulled his coarse cloth robe embarrassingly.

“Well,” Oliver murmured, “Ann, can you please go with Mr. Cross to prepare the staff? Nemo and I will go buy some clothes that are more ‘mage-like’.”

“What about me?” Jesse shouted. “Mr. Captain, you can’t be so cruel to your new member!””

“The fuller goat needs to be taken care of.”

“I can take it and go with you! Tell me truthfully, do you really know what a senior mage should wear?”

“I know—”

“No, you’ll miss some details!”

“…Take him with you, Oliver,” Ann coughed. “He’s right.”

Two hours later.

“Interesting. Why are you holding the goat here?” Ann stopped outside the clothing store. She was holding a slender package, and Adrian was walking next to her, holding his stomach as if he had eaten something bad.

Oliver, who was next to the fuller goat, also had a bad look on his face.

“Because Mr. Dylan claimed that Nemo and I have ‘no aesthetics’, ‘poor taste’, ‘like a country mage dug out of a swamp’.” Their captain gritted his teeth and said, “He was making too much noise, so I couldn’t bear it.”

“I’m only telling the truth,” Jesse said lazily. “That kind of taste is simply a crime. The Abyssal Church will sentence Mr. Light just by the way he’s dressed.”

“If you don’t shut up,” Nemo’s voice came from the store with the same gritted teeth, “I’m really going to beat you, Mr. Dylan.”

As he was talking, Nemo stepped out.

‘Okay.’ Oliver thought, ‘They really did have bad taste.’ Nemo now looked like a full-fledged evil mage. Not to mention how gorgeous the clothing was, the style of the black robe was simple. It was only decorated with simple silver runes where it was necessary, and it was adorned with a neatly styled hood. It was extremely different from what they had previously selected.

Nemo’s original temperament was soft, but now it was twisted into gloominess by this outfit. With the hood, he no longer had a neat short ponytail, but had simply let his hair loose. The ends of his hair hung down along his shoulders and were slightly raised. The carefree feeling he had exuded completely disappeared, turning into a faint aura of danger.

“Mr. Light is too sturdy for a mage.” Jesse cleared his throat. “People would think he’s an agile warrior if he wore clothes that fit too well. His previous hairstyle was bad too, just like from–ahem.” He stopped just in time under Nemo’s cold stare.

“Well done. Keep that look in your eyes Nemo.” Ann clapped her hands and threw the slender package over. “It’s similar. Try this.”

Nemo opened the package.

Inside was a strange-looking staff, about twice the length of a normal cane. The bone spur of the arthropod lizard was ground into a yellow-white bone ball and was embedded into the top of the long staff. The body of the staff was heavy metal and didn’t have a luster. The black metal was carved with delicate and strange patterns, which didn’t look like any rune of magic.

“This is?” Nemo tried to make a few gestures.

“A pole from a lamppost,” Ann cheerfully said. “I told you, our team is underfunded.”

The knight commander beside her finally moved to bury his head in his hands.

---

The author has something to say:

Nemo finally has a weapon. Now everyone has a weapon.

——————

Nemo: …This is different from what was agreed.

It’s a pity that there is no ultimate artifact for Nemo…

This is the lamppost that’s about to become a legend!（×

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Kinky Thought:

LMAO. Which poor lamppost did they tear down to make Nemo that staff?

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 94: Designated Tasks

The procedures were more cumbersome than they thought. Oliver signed parchment after parchment of sheepskin until his face went completely blank. Jesse left the hall with another serious-looking staff member, presumably to deal with the remnants of his previous team. Ann was still waiting around at first, but later she felt bored…

“I’m going to see what Cross is doing.” She yawned and casually waved her hand at Nemo. The female warrior walked to the corridor on the side of the hall without looking back. Her figure was quickly enveloped by the flow of adventurers that were coming and going.

Oliver was still working hard, signing all the agreements in front of him while Nemo was standing in the middle of the hall of the Mercenary Guild branch. Suddenly, he felt a little uncomfortable.

Unlike when he first thought he was a demon worshiper or a demon warlock, now he could clearly realize his inhumanity. Since he compromised with the idea that “he was a superior demon”, he had been able to do more things. This strange sense of division had become more obvious. Nemo stared at Oliver’s right hand that was holding the quill pen for a while and decided to find something else to distract him.

He tapped at the black badge on his chest with his fingers and tried to release a little magic. The magical light screen unfolded instantly in front of Nemo’s eyes, causing Nemo, who had never succeeded before, to take a step back so excitedly that he almost collided with an adventurer who was passing behind him.

After he hurriedly apologized, Nemo began to carefully check their team information.

The Mercenary Guild was quite efficient. The name of their team had already been changed to “Tumbleweed”. The appearance and information of everyone in the team were displayed in detail, and even their wanted level was clearly marked.

Ollie and himself still had the original “dangerous” rating, while Ann had the lowest level of “anomaly”. It could be because of the apostasy that the knight commander’s wanted level was “criminal”, which was higher than “dangerous”. Jesse was also “criminal”, but his level didn’t show the reason why. He had no idea what their newest member, with unknown intention, had done.

He then grimaced at the section of the team member’s race. They were labeled as a “pure human team”; at least the Mercenary Guild hadn’t noticed their abnormality yet.

However, there was a small question mark behind his name, and he wasn’t the only one who had this mark. Jesse Dylan’s name also had one as well.

“Jesse Dylan’s information… Is this what you meant by business you had?” In the corridor not far away, Ann shook her completely deflated coin pouch, showing a regretful expression. “Now that those boys aren’t here, we can have a ‘real’ talk, Cross.”

“He uses the Laddism Church’s ‘spiritual sacrifice’,” Adrian Cross had a serious expression, “but he doesn’t look like he’s part of the Choir. I’m sure you know—”

“The people in the Choir are all incurably blind,” Ann replied casually. “If it’s just this though, you shouldn’t react this strongly.”

“He’s also behind the blooming of the Earthsea Orchids.” The knight frowned. “I originally thought he might be a demon warlock or a superior demon that’s involved with the Laddism Church, but now it doesn’t look like it.”

“Oh?” Ann raised an eyebrow. “Tell me.”

“It’s not unusual for them to use a human body as a medium to perform a certain degree of surface magic. Even if it’s ‘spiritual sacrifice’, there’s a possibility of using stones as a magic source to muddle through it.” Adrian rubbed his chin. “However, I tried it again in Caleb and I’m positive that he didn’t use other means.”

“I’m not going to ask how he revitalized the Earthsea Orchids.” Ann stared thoughtfully at the position of Adrian’s chest, which should have been where the Laddism Church emblem was. “Not to mention skills, it takes a lot of power to do that kind of thing. In other words…”

“Whether it’s stimulating the Earthsea Orchids or supporting my battles with his magic, the level of surface magic he possesses exceeds the limit that could be disguised. If you forcibly use abyssal magic to transform, the human body that’s the medium will collapse.” Adrian shook his head. “Dylan shouldn’t be related to the Abyss.”

“Knowing the esoteric spells of the Laddism Church, possessing powers beyond imagination, and also having the talent for divination, I must admit this is indeed serious business.” The female warrior leaned casually against the wall. “So you think he’s part of the Laddism Church? That kid, Dylan, is a self-proclaimed atheist. Even if a person from the church lies, they wouldn’t say such blasphemous things.”

“There is more than one person who knows such esoteric spells.” Adrian stared at the amber eyes of the female warrior. “In the Garland dungeon, the teleportation array that got Mr. Light and me out—even if there was an external spell involved, there are not many Laddism teleportation techniques that could avoid the Wall of Sighs.”

“But you didn’t check on me.” Ann didn’t avoid the other’s gaze. The corners of her mouth slightly tugged. “Is it because my power ‘didn’t pose a threat’?”

“Because no matter how much you pretend, deep down, you are still afraid of Mr. Light. I can see it.” Adrian raised his arms. “But Jesse Dylan isn’t.”

“Perhaps because of his prophetic talent, he knows that Nemo won’t hurt him.”

“What if it’s not? Judging by your actions, I’m afraid you don’t really think Mr. Light might hurt you,” Adrian sighed. “Miss Savage, I can feel that you’re not malicious, and I’ll never use any means to spy on your privacy, but Mr. Dylan is different…”

“He’s definitely related to the Laddism Church, but I can’t find what the connection is.”

“If you need more funds, I am also willing to contribute a bit.” The female warrior shrugged. “Nemo and Oliver are in good condition now, so we need to keep an eye on Dylan. Even if the world is going to be destroyed, at least don’t let it be ruined under the instigation of a fool. As for me…”

She paused. “I didn’t mean to hide it from you, but now, since it won’t have an impact on us in the future—I quite like the current situation, so please understand. I can only assure you of one thing. I didn’t betray the Laddism Church, because I have never truly believed in it.”

Adrian Cross’s pupils tightened for a moment. He pondered for a while, then looked at the person in front of him in disbelief.

“You see, it’s easy to guess.” Ann took a deep breath in. “Since you can guess it, don’t pursue it, alright?”

“You…”

“It’s all in the past.”

In the hall on the other side, Oliver finally finished signing the frighteningly thick roll of paper. He moved his wrists with a bitter face, turned around slowly, and then found that there was only one member of the team left.

“Ollie,” Nemo was manipulating the task light screen, “someone had designated us.”

“What?”

“Did you mark the task ‘Requesting an escort into the catacombs under the Abyssal Church’?”

“Yeah, I did…”

“The client appointed us.” Nemo pointed to the task light screen in front of him with a serious expression. “Are you sure this is okay?”

“Let’s discuss it together when Ann and the others come back.” Oliver leaned on Nemo from behind and rested his chin on Nemo’s shoulder. “Let me see… Duran Virgil. What exactly does he like about us?”

“We don’t even have a flashy name.” Nemo smiled as he enlarged the content of the task. “Maybe Mr. Virgil really doesn’t want to attract attention.”

“Yes,” a low but cheerful voice joined in. “Are you from Tumbleweed? There are portraits in the team introduction.”

Nemo turned his head stiffly.

A tall man with brown skin was standing a few steps away from them. He was about half a head taller than them. He had very warm, light brown eyes, and his hair was grayish brown, like tree bark. The person who supposedly was Duran Vergil was looking at them with a beaming smile, revealing a neat row of pristine white teeth.

He wasn’t dressed like a warrior. Rather, he was wearing a thick cloth robe that had a belt around it, and there were small objects pinned to his belt. There were several oversized packages hanging on his back, plus a wooden easel that was tied with leather rope. He carried so many things on his back that he looked like a ladybug with bulging wings. Although there were a lot of strange things piled up on his body, there was a peculiar smell on the man, and he was covered everywhere with colorful paint stains that had dried out.

He looked more like a painter than an adventurer.

“Duran Vergil.” The uninvited guest nodded, his smile becoming more enthusiastic. “What a coincidence, everyone! This must be a destined meeting! ……No kidding, I just saw that your team just registered here, and I happened to be nearby. I think you look quite suitable, so I came to have a look.”

“……Suitable?” Nemo looked up and down at the person in front of him. He vaguely felt something was wrong as the man didn’t seem quite like an ordinary human, but as for what he felt was off, he couldn’t tell at the moment.

“Yes, I think my judgment on people is very accurate. You don’t seem to be the bad-hearted type. Believe me, there are a lot of good things in the catacombs of the Abyssal Church. If the Black Chapter I’m cooperating with decides to take something away… Oh, it’ll become troublesome.”

“Why don’t you find mercenaries?” Oliver asked cautiously.

“No money,” Virgil said emphatically. Oliver’s face twitched, and Nemo suspected that it was a repressed sympathetic expression.

“Of course, you can discuss with your teammates first—boys, where is your captain?” Virgil scratched his crisp short hair. “I want to meet him.”

“…It’s me,” Oliver said slightly dryly as he raised his head unaccustomed. “Do you have anything to ask?”

Virgil was silent for a little more than ten seconds before he said, “Oh, sorry. I didn’t look closely. I thought… It seems you may be more reassuring than I thought.”

Oliver wiped his face. “Thank you for your… compliment.”

“I’m sorry,” Virgil said. He stretched out a hand, looking like he was about to pat Oliver on the shoulder.

Nemo quickly reached out his hand and grabbed the other person’s wrist, causing Virgil to be taken aback. He turned his head sideways and cast a questioning glance at the expressionless black-haired young man. The latter stared at him without saying a word.

“Nemo?” Oliver immediately noticed the other party’s abnormality. “Well, Mr. Virgil, I’ll go and discuss it with my teammates first… Can you wait a while for us here?”

“Of course.” The tall man shrugged and tugged at the rope of the package. “I’ll sit over there for a bit. These things are very heavy.”

Oliver strode towards the corridor where Ann and Adrian were. After making sure that the distance was far enough, he whispered carefully. “What’s wrong with you just now?”

Nemo breathed out slowly and pursed his lips as he looked back again. Their client, Duran Virgil, was honestly sitting down on the floor and stretching out his waist, which looked extremely normal…

But he wasn’t “normal”.

After perceiving a sense of discordance, Nemo tentatively explored it. He then immediately knew why Mr. Virgil was carrying so many things on his back. Those packages that were surprisingly large and seemed to be dragging on the ground were just a disguise. They were hiding the deformation that was behind him. Although it looked like wings at first glance, it wasn’t wings. Duran Virgil had a pair of huge and standard human hand bones that were attached to his back. They protruded from his skin and overlapped with each other and clung to the man’s back like wings.

“That’s a demon warlock, Ollie.” He hesitated for a few seconds, and then confirmed Virgil’s aura again. “I… There shouldn’t be an error in my judgment. Duran Virgil is a real demon warlock.”

---

The author has something to say:

Took the name of a team that has no pursuit → Client: I like friends who have no pursuits.

————————

Nemo: Fuck, it’s a demon warlock! Super dangerous. Everyone should be careful.

The rest of the teammates: (Stop talking)

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 93: The Weakly Team’s Name

Nadine didn’t open her eyes when she first woke up. She could feel the soft bed under her body. The friction of the fabric that was several times stronger than before caused her traces of pain. Her throat was dry and numb, and there was still the salty smell of blood on her tongue. A smell mixed with boiled peaches, sun-dried sheets, fresh juice from plant cuts, and unknown flower fragrances rushed through her nostrils.

She was still alive.

Nadine turned her eyes and finally managed to open them. The sunlight made her burst into tears. Lisa was sitting in a chair by the bed and looked at her with burning eyes.

“Nadine,” the innkeeper’s voice changed from its previous loudness to an extremely soft tone. “Don’t worry. You’re at my place… Do you want water?”

Nadine nodded. She tried to raise her hand and was startled by the sight of the young skin on it. The joy of surviving had never hit her heart so hard. She trembled as she painted the Eastern Witch’s magic array in the air… Nothing happened. There were no traces of the touch of being bound by an invisible root system left.

She was relieved.

Nadine half sat up, holding the cup of water handed over by Lisa. She swallowed the warm honey water in small sips and tasted the saltiness from her tears.

“Mr. Ramon, where are they?” After trying to calm her breath, she finally managed to squeeze out her first sentence.

“They left this morning. I wrapped a lot of thank you gifts for them.” Lisa wiped her face with a handkerchief soaked in hot water. Her eyes were still a little swollen. “Horizon also left early this morning. They told Howard that ‘the witch to be exterminated no longer exists’. That bastard thought he had to pay in full, so he almost peed his pants.”

Nadine smiled with difficulty. “I am indeed no longer a witch.”

“I don’t know much about these things,” Lisa’s voice was hoarse from crying, “but when they spoke, everyone thought Ms. Nadine… Uh, you, who had passed away.”

Nadine was still staring at her skinny hands. She slowly raised her right hand, touched her cheek and lips. Her lips were no longer shriveled like dried up fruit peels, and her teeth were healthy and strong.

She hadn’t felt this way for too long. Although she was still weak, everything was full of hope and vitality.

“…That’s right. There really won’t be a memory witch here any longer.” Nadine’s tone was slow. She wasn’t used to the overly clear scenery in front of her, and her head no longer felt groggy. “It’s time for us to bury ‘her’.”

“What are you going to do in the future?” Lisa picked up the bowl of soft-boiled sugar peaches. She carefully blew the heat from the bowl, scooped up a spoonful of pulp, and delivered it to Nadine’s mouth. “Come, have something to eat.”

“Continue to be a doctor.” Nadine chewed carefully. She wasn’t used to a mouth full of teeth, so she almost bit her tongue. After swallowing the pulp, she smiled at her best friend. “…But I can only be an ordinary doctor who collects money for dispensing medicine.”

“…It feels really good to be cured,” she said softly, rubbing the wrinkle-free skin on the back of her hand.

“What about the Howard family?”

“I’ll charge them a little more in the future.” Nadine smiled and shook her head. She thought it was a pity that she couldn’t thank Lopez’s son, who had already left Caleb Village. Nadine sighed and turned her face in the direction of her friend. “I have to thank you, Li—”

Nadine suddenly saw the flowers in the vase at the head of the bed. Their sudden appearance startled Nadine, and her words got stuck in her throat.

“This.” Lisa obviously noticed the focus of her friend’s gaze. “This is the Earthsea Orchid you planted in the backyard. They suddenly bloomed… Really, they are blooming everywhere at this moment. Everyone believes that this was caused by the death of ‘Ms. Nadine’, but we all know that it’s not like that.”

“Why…?”

“I don’t know, and I’m not interested.” Lisa picked up the flower, causing the liquid golden petals to hang down beside the stamen. She compared the flower to her friend’s face. “I can’t explain miracles… You have to get better soon. These definitely match you.”

“I will.” Nadine stared at the Earthsea Orchid, and her eyes swelled again. However, for someone who had completely lost her powers, this wouldn’t bring much useful information. Nadine lowered her shoulders and decided to think of something else for the time being. “…Lisa?”

“Hm?”

“Have you seen my cat?”

In the desert.

“Are you sure about this?” Nemo said to the orange cat that was sitting on the back of White II who was still disguised as a fuller goat and was standing motionlessly in the desert. The real fuller goat was wheezing forward with several more packs of preserved fruit that Lisa had given them on its back. “Won’t you go and say goodbye to her?”

“She’s not alone anymore, so there’s no need,” the orange cat said in the same unpleasant voice as always. “I have to take care of my group.”

“Generally speaking, it may be that it’s afraid that it won’t be able to leave,” Ann said. “Just like Debby, didn’t she pretend to be chatting with you this morning without a care in the world? As a result, when you left, I saw her cry like a slime.”

The cat exploded at her. Nemo cautiously stopped touching the cat’s hand.

“You can go and see her occasionally,” Oliver said solemnly to the orange cat. “She will be happy.”

“I will consider it. Thank you.” The orange cat raised its head. “I will send you here. There is a transit station in front of you.”

It jumped off the back of the sheep neatly and returned to its original shape. The section of the bone spur that it had gnawed off was very dazzling. Nemo scratched his head and took out the bone from his pocket.

“Don’t move. I’ll connect it for you—”

“No need.” The yellowish arthropod lizard flicked its tongue. “A gift for you.”

“Uh, I understand your intention, but I can’t use it…”

“No. Your power purity is too high, so you may be targeted.” The huge arthropod lizard said this in a firm tone as it blinked with its four eyes. “You can use it as a medium to conceal your attributes.”

“…Then, thank you.”

Nemo was stunned for a few seconds before thanking it. The leader of the arthropod lizard took the opportunity to run a few steps away and slipped out of his reach. Seeing this, White II hurriedly followed, and also changed back to its appearance of a lizard. It hesitated in place for a while, took two steps, and arched towards Oliver’s hand.

The restored White II was much shorter than Caramel. After rubbing Oliver, it grabbed the tail of the leader of its tribe and formed a forward formation unique to the arthropod lizard. However, it would always looked back from time to time and hissed at its leader, who was advancing in front of it.

“I kind of understand that cat’s mood.” Oliver looked a little lost. “I don’t like saying goodbye either.”

“We can also come and see them when we have time,” Nemo stuffed the bone spur back into his pocket and rubbed the back of Oliver’s head. “Besides, we’ll have plenty of time in the future.”

The branch of the Mercenary Guild was closer than they thought. Although it was small in scale, it was directly opposite of the teleportation array, so it was easy to find.

While Nemo’s own mood couldn’t be any lower, at this moment, there was a temporary member who seemed to be soaring.

“Mr. Ramon—” Jesse’s sweet smile successfully gave the other members a thick layer of goosebumps. “Mr. Ramon, look, now you know the identity of Mr. Light… and you’ve even become lovers! My prophecy was correct. I also didn’t cause any trouble either, so now it’s time to fulfill your promise!”

“I won’t break my promise,” Oliver said very bitterly. His face was full of regret. His hand on the reception desk trembled, as if his whole being was resisting this fact. “Hello… We want, um, to go through a transfer procedure.”

“Who’s the transfer procedure for?” The tone of the young man at the reception desk was polite and smooth and didn’t seem affected at all by the state of the captain of the Black Chapter that was in front of him.

“Me,” Jesse said beamingly as he threw the black badge with the sea scorpion onto the wooden platform. “Come now, dear sir.”

The young receptionist glanced at the sea scorpion on the black badge, and his smile froze for a second, but he managed to keep it together. The receptionist picked up the black badge with his white-gloved hand and carefully placed it on the magic array.

“Your… Original team…”

“Hmm?” Jesse raised his eyebrows.

“They… were all killed in the mission of the elf tomb some time ago. How sad. Then, according to the rules, all the money in their team’s account will go to you, Mr. Dylan,” the receptionist said cautiously. “Do you want to go through the formalities now?”

“Wait a bit for me to join the team first.” Jesse shrugged indifferently, not seeming to be affected by the news about his previous team. “We weren’t that close.”

When he said this, Nemo suddenly felt a prick in his heart while Ann frowned. She walked to Oliver’s side and lowered her voice. “That guy’s a prophet. Isn’t he like some kind of ‘black widow’ who… finds a team that’s about to die, then joins them to collect their inheritance? There have been such types in the Black Chapter before—”

“…We need to have money first,” Oliver responded in an equally low voice. “Speaking of this, Ann… Even though we didn’t earn much from the last task, can Nemo and I get some money…”

Nemo, who was standing beside him, immediately pricked up his ears.

“I’m sorry, captain. At least one thousand has to be saved for the team’s funds to withstand unexpected situations, and the deposit for the first task was only that much. The title of the Edwards estate has not been cleared yet and we’ve spent a lot afterwards… In short, we still have to save, so there’s no personal income to speak of.”

“But I just saw you stuffing money to Mr. Cross,” Oliver solemnly stated.

“That was for his application, and Mr. Cross claims to have some serious business to do.”

“Me too…” Nemo whispered.

“What kind of business? Buying gifts for your boyfriend? Young man, it’s not good to go into too much debt.”

“…Please treat it as if I didn’t say anything.” Nemo briefly thought about the possibility of doing odd jobs for a few seconds while Oliver showed the same thoughtful expression a few steps away.

“Mr. Ramon?” The receptionist raised his voice. “Please come over.”

“Sign? Wait a minute, I’ll—” Oliver raised his head.

“No.” The young receptionist shook his head. “After Mr. Dylan joined, your team is now five people. At present, it has met the minimum standard for a medium-sized team, so you will need an official name.”

Adrian Cross had disappeared with the money, and except for the happy new member, the other three fell into silence.

“…To be honest, I have never considered this,” Oliver said dryly. “Do you have any ideas?”

“No,” Nemo replied flatly. “I thought we wouldn’t be able to get this far—”

Within seconds, Ann was determined to ignore the identity of the black-haired young man. She slapped him on the back of the head with a loud pop. “Hey, pay attention to what you’re saying!”

“Do you want me to help?” Jesse leaned closer with a grin on his face and was pushed away by the expressionless Nemo.

“No.” Oliver smoothly rejected it. “Uh… Ann, can you provide any reference?”

“Well, the famous ones are… ‘Tin Soldiers’ and ‘Horizon’. We also met the ‘Steel Wolves’. It’s basically along these lines, so just make one up. I’ve been here before. Let me think… How about ‘Shadow Snake’, or ‘Burning Rune’…”

“…A little more ordinary?”

“No. The name is the face of the team, and everyone wants their team to sound strong.” Ann glanced at Nemo. “…Forget it, it doesn’t matter if we don’t have something with too much emphasis.”

“How about,” Nemo took an uneasy step back, “we draw lots or just throw something…”

“In case you hit a bald pedestrian,” Jesse shrewdly kept his distance, “is this team going to be called the ‘Bald’. If this is how you want to persuade me to leave, I have to say that I’m a little shaken.”

“……”

“I don’t really want a name that is too threatening… Considering our situation, the lower the sense of existence, the better.” Oliver scratched his head hard. “Let me think about it, uh—”

A small commotion sounded at the door.

A huge tumbleweed slammed into the door and blocked the entrance tightly. The staff at the door cursed and blasted it away with a fierce magic array. It seemed that this kind of thing was a common occurrence.

“How about this?” Oliver pointed to the mass outside the door. “Tumbleweed.”

“…If you look at it from the perspective of ‘although it’s still alive, it looks like it’s dead’, I think it’s pretty appropriate,” Nemo added solemnly.

“I have no issue,” Jesse straightforwardly said. “’Where it rolls is where it goes’ seems to be a very suitable line for this team at the moment.”

Then his voice became smaller under Oliver’s deep glare.

“Since everyone has no opinion, let’s just do this.” Oliver shook his head. “I don’t think Mr. Cross cares about this.”

He picked up the pen and casually filled in the name of the harmless team that would become the “most disastrous team” in the future, “Tumbleweed”. After filling out the form, he thought to himself, ‘Good. This looks pretty safe.’

The only Tumbleweed member who was missing during the naming ceremony was staring at a task window and pulling out his wallet.

“I know it’s not much,” Adrian sighed, “so I don’t have any special requirements.”

“I just need any information on Jesse Dylan.”

---

The author has something to say:

People: “The Tin Soldiers are here—!”

People: “Here comes Horizon—!”

People: “The Steel Wolves are coming—!”

People: “The Snake Shadows are here—!”

People: “Tumbleweed is coming… Errrrrrrrr, common!”

They already lost their momentum at the starting line (X

---

Kinky Thoughts:

God Nemo and Oliver are so cute. Oliver begging Mommy Ann for some money to buy his new boyfriend gifts, while Nemo is thinking of a side hustle to do the same.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 92: Coercion

There were indeed various strange religions on the surface, and there were also many sects that believed in certain weird, strange evil gods. Nemo wasn’t very interested in demons before. Due to the special object that the Abyssal Church worships, Nemo had avoided books relating to them. Oliver had heard a little about them, but his understanding was shallow at best.

There were many religions that preached doomsday and destruction, and the Abyssal Church was one of the most successful. Unlike other cults that accepted devotees to form small, concentrated circles, they generously opened their arms and sheltered all humans who were involved with demons.

This was equivalent to standing up and directly fighting against the other normal religions on the surface.

But they succeeded. It wasn’t because of how reasonable the teachings of the Abyssal Church were, or because they were truly blessed by the Demon King. Superior demons didn’t want their prepared flesh to be hunted down daily, so while they had little interest in human religion, they didn’t hesitate to support them occasionally.

The number of demon warlocks was small, but the quality was amazing. Not only that, the large number of demon worshipers also had lots of backbone, so the Abyssal Church was able to gain a foothold in this way. In the past few hundred years, it had even achieved a level of rivalry to that of the Laddism Church.

“…What is Bagelmaurus doing in that kind of place?” Seeing Nemo’s face blank, Oliver decidedly took over the conversation. “A superior demon wouldn’t seek the protection of the Abyssal Church.”

“This kind of information is indispensable in the Abyss,” Adrian explained. “Superior demons prefer the ‘Butchers’, while powerful intermediate demons are very popular in the Abyssal Church. According to Mr. Light’s previous statement, Bagelmaurus’ body is a superior demon. Even if the power of its flesh on the surface is only intermediate, it will get very generous treatment in the Abyssal Church. If it’s lucky enough, they may even have the means to restore it.”

“Seems like it has a bit of brain left.” Jesse shrugged. “Except for the fact that it ran away, this decision is quite wise.”

“The main purpose is to find information. Nemo can take time to talk to the parrot.” Ann glanced at Nemo, who didn’t seem to have a reaction yet. “Task. Choose a task first, so that next month’s quota can be settled.”

“Wait.” Nemo seemed to have finally digested the current situation. “Since a superior demon will not patronize the Abyssal Church casually, can I only go as a demon warlock? But the way I look…”

“You’re forgetting who you are again,” Ann sighed. “It shouldn’t be difficult for a superior demon… If White II can do it, you can learn from it.”

Nemo thought for a few seconds, then he solemnly stretched out his right hand and stared at it until his face flushed.

“…What are you doing?” Oliver found that he couldn’t concentrate on looking at the task list, so he couldn’t help asking.

“Mimicry,” Nemo said very seriously, but his hand was still a normal hand, and it looked unchanged. “But it wasn’t successful.”

“I won’t ask what you wanted to transform to,” Oliver coughed dryly, “But… the fuller goat… Forget about that, okay?”

Nemo withdrew his hand bitterly. “I have to find a way to make myself look like a demon warlock.”

“It’s not a good idea to grow goat hooves. You’ll look stupid,” Ann said. “After all, it’s a deformation… Well, Nemo, can you change your eyes back to the appearance of a demon?”

“What?” Nemo shook his hand and raised his brows.

“Didn’t you notice?” The female warrior raised her arms. “When you were seen by Nadine, your pupils became the same as those of the Seymour Worm.”

Nemo pressed his temple, but he didn’t feel that he had undergone any incredible changes, so he had to hold his breath and concentrate, desperately recalling how he felt at that time.

“Is that so?” He raised his head, the pupils of his eyes slowly cracking.

Oliver drew out his sword almost at the same second, and a white barrier with a slight blue sheen filled the entire room in an instant. The temperature of the room suddenly dropped a few degrees. Nemo looked at his new boyfriend incomprehensibly, trying to express his doubts in his expression.

“Suppress the aura, Nemo—” Oliver suddenly propped the scabbard on the ground to support his slightly shaking body. “Lopez is also at the inn!”

Ann’s face had turned white as a sheet of paper. She gritted her teeth and plunged her spear into the floor, but she still slid down along the spear until her body fell flat on the ground. Jesse seemed to have expected this as he calmly sat down on one leg and supported his cheek with one hand. Adrian had the worst reaction. He could barely stand as blood gushed from the corners of his nose and mouth.

“But I don’t know how to suppress it right now… Sorry, Mr. Cross.” Nemo was stunned by the sudden burst of blood and his tone became more flustered. “Wait a minute. I’ll think of a way—”

Oliver threw away the scabbard with a clang and stepped forward with great strides. He grabbed Nemo’s shirt and decisively pulled him in and kissed the corner of Nemo’s lips.

The method turned out to be very effective. Nemo’s demon pupils and aura were scared away. He froze in shock, as if Oliver had stabbed him with a sword instead of giving him a kiss.

The former Chief Justice finally found his breath. He wiped the blood off his face with the back of his hand and sighed. Jesse blew out a few whistles as he watched the scene unfold and even wanted to applaud.

“…You didn’t do this at Nadine’s that time.” Ann stood up, propped up by her spear, as she said dryly. Her voice was still a little weak. “This is much more powerful than Pandorater. As expected from a fully complete superior.”

“That should just be the tip of the iceberg that leaked out.” Adrian showed a wry smile on his blood-stained face. “After all, Mr. Light isn’t consciously manipulating it.”

If Mr. Light intended, he could even kill them unsuspectingly with just his sense of oppression alone. Adrian wiped the newly oozing bloodshot corners of his mouth with his thumb. His heart was mixed. He had never had such thoughts before, but in just a few seconds, at the moment when his back was instantly soaked in cold sweat; the thought that could be considered cowardice flashed through his mind…

Fortunately, Nemo Light wasn’t their enemy.

“You have to control it; you can’t take Mr. Ramon with you.” Jesse didn’t bother standing up. He looked at Nemo, whose ears were completely flushed, with interest. “But I have to say that the effect is good. Although the ‘deformation’ isn’t obvious, it just looked like a demon warlock.”

At the same time, Godwin Lopez stopped the movement of his hands.

For a moment, a ridiculously powerful aura swept across him like a storm. Even if it wasn’t malicious, the degree of strength could only be described as “impossible”. It had such amazing deterrent power that even the commander of Horizon, who had ample experience on the battlefield, had a moment where his knees went soft. Fortunately, that moment was too short. It wasn’t even longer than half a second, like a nightmare that suddenly passed through reality, leaving a cold and piercing illusion.

The holy sword suddenly vibrated violently.

It wasn’t his illusion. It definitely had the aura of a superior demon. Godwin frowned and took the sword from its scabbard. The beautiful brilliance of his Breaking Dawn was different from the previous warmth it had. It wasn’t mixed with a little ominous blood color.

However, the aura disappeared completely. Godwin tried his best to explore the radius of dozens of miles and even used magic arrays, but he found nothing.

However, Godwin had discovered something else.

“Come in.” He said it in the direction of the room’s door. “The door is unlocked.”

“Mission report, commander.” Debby Light handed a stack of parchment paper over with both hands. “Just the conclusion and your signature—what are you going to do with it?”

“Deal with it according to the suspension of the mission and classify it into the file where the mission target disappeared halfway.” Godwin put away his sword and flipped through the report. “It’s well written, but not objective enough. There’s a lot of avoidance about Nemo Light and Oliver Ramon. Don’t let personal affairs interfere with work, Debby.”

They did enough detective work before executing the mission. The strongest nearby was just a group of intermediate demons called arthropod lizards. For the time being, they nest in the middle of the desert, and they didn’t need to make a special trip to clean them up. Caleb Village was such a small and remote place that it was difficult to even find a low-level demon.

Then there was only one possible source of it.

“Nemo Light… I remember he’s a demon worshiper?”

“Yes.” The young female mage lowered her head slightly. “His medium is a parrot-shaped demon. It seems that its strength is comparable to an intermediate.”

“But during their escape from Hailam, some people said that he called himself a ‘demon warlock’.” Godwin’s tone was flat. “I don’t like to judge by rumors and speculation alone. There’s currently no evidence in this regard. Debby, you are a very important member of Horizon—tell me, is he?”

“To be precise, I don’t know, but personally I don’t think so.” Debby bit her lip, but her tone was sincere. “As I said, commander, if you need it, I’ll stake my reputation to guarantee his character.”

“I see, don’t be nervous,” Godwin said calmly, his emerald eyes sweeping the report page again. “I have no right and no intention of restricting your meetings with your loved ones, Debby.”

The aura of the superior demon wasn’t hostile, which was interesting. Godwin narrowed his eyes slightly.

Debby looked relieved. Although their mage was smart and powerful, she was still young and emotional. Nemo Light didn’t seem to have any deformation of a demon warlock, but if the source of the aura was from him…

A superior demon had always been able to easily obtain the memories of the host, and Debby never seemed to have considered the possibility that her brother might no longer be “him”. However, this was only a guess. Godwin put the report on the table and rubbed his forehead with his hand.

He had no evidence.

“I will supplement the report. You don’t need to rewrite it.” Godwin’s expression was calm. “Go and rest.”

After the door of the room closed, the leader of Horizon thought for a moment and added a few words at the end of the mission report.

[There are doubts about the identity of the members of the Black Chapter team, so it’s recommended to evaluate again. Communicative feedback: friendly.]

His pen paused before he crossed out “friendly” and changed it to “attitude unclear”.

In a room not far away.

The Black Chapter team tossed around the theme of “How to pretend normally without revealing their teammate” all afternoon, completely forgetting about the task selection. After the oppressive storm, the remaining few had a new understanding of what a “complete superior demon” was. In order to express respect for the human side, Nemo gained the right to sleep on the sofa that night.

Ann was given the only bed, and Adrian Cross laid down on the floor very calmly. Jesse was almost driven out of the room by everyone. After he repeatedly promised that he would personally apply the mute array, they reluctantly drew a place for him on the floor by the window.

Nemo opened his eyes and stared steadily at the ceiling in the dark. He now knew how to control his aura while maintaining his demon’s pupils, but he was afraid that he would forget the essentials of control when he woke up, so he had to practice before going to bed.

A hand lightly patted his arm in the dark, almost causing him to let go of all the aura of a superior demon again.

“Hey,” Oliver whispered as he lay on the edge of the sofa. “What happened today… Sorry.”

“For what?”

“I kissed you without permission.”

“Come on. We’re not thirteen years old.” Nemo rolled over and faced him, trying to maintain the demon form of his pupils. “You’re not afraid.”

“…I forgot to be afraid at that moment,” Oliver muttered in a low voice. He widened his eyes slightly under the moonlight. “And you were panicking.”

“Mr. Cross looked like he was going to spray out all his blood,” Nemo protested. “I was afraid I would really hurt him.”

“So what? Do you want me to be afraid of you?”

Nemo stared into the pleasant emerald eyes in front of him and could feel the corners of his mouth curling up uncontrollably. “Then prove it, Mr. Ramon.”

Unwilling to be outdone, he patted the sofa and shrank his body inward. “There’s room for two here.”

Oliver squeezed in gracefully. He wrapped one arm around Nemo as if it was natural and pressed his forehead against Nemo’s collarbone without a single hesitation. After finding a relatively comfortable position, he indistinctly whispered something, and quickly fell asleep.

The warm breath sprayed on his chest, and Nemo knew that Oliver wasn’t faking his calmness. This time, he confidently ran his fingers through the soft light brown hair, lowered his head, and smelled the scent of Oliver’s hair. Oliver’s weight and body temperature were real, and it pulled him into a daze.

Nemo couldn’t sleep that night.

The night was thick and then slowly faded. Sparse birdsong sounded outside the window, signifying a new day was coming. The sofa wasn’t large, and it was crowded for two people to sleep on, but Oliver slept comfortably without turning much.

As he slept, the other person on the sofa kept staring silently at him with his soft gaze without ever looking away.

---

The author has something to say:

Gray parrot: Life’s too suffocating. I’m going to feel what it’s like to be everyone’s father.

Nemo: ???

---

Kinky Thoughts:

I’m getting diabetes from all this sugar.

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 91: The Whereabouts of the Gray Parrot

Caleb Village was in turmoil.

No one knew why flowers had suddenly appeared, but they were beautiful. The vines took root at the center of the witch’s residence and covered the shrub walls around the village, spreading out around the sand of the village within a single breath. Like miniature fireworks, countless flowers exploded under the golden light of dawn.

A flower that was once lost in history had been reborn.

However, the female innkeeper who named her inn after it didn’t look at them at all. She quietly stayed by her best friend’s side. The witch’s residence experienced a boon of visitors that kept pouring in, and it made the Black Chapters reconsider their options for places to rest. Nemo had an armful of fruits and vegetables. Before he had the chance to set them down, a teleportation spell was stuffed into his fingers.

Ann took a deep breath and made a painful expression before she ignited the teleportation parchment.

When they came back to their senses, they had already returned to the room at the inn. Nemo stood on the bed with a serious expression and a bag full of small potatoes in his arms.

“Ann,” Nemo said, opening his mouth dryly as he jumped awkwardly off the bed, leaving behind two dirty footprints on the sheets. “Don’t do that so suddenly next time, alright?”

Now he had to wash these sheets before they checked out.

“Sorry.” The female warrior shrugged. “But it’s always good to keep a low profile. We don’t have time to delay.”

Lisa bowed to them hurriedly and stood up firmly. The innkeeper carefully picked up her sleeping friend and quickly rushed out of the Black Chapters’ room. In the next moment, only five people were left in the large, spacious room that didn’t seem to be as crowded as before.

Adrian was expressionless. He leaned back quietly in the corner of the room, as if he was lost in thought. Debby and Oliver were still standing in the same place with their eyes focused on the bag of potatoes Nemo was holding and, at the same time, turned to look at Nemo’s face.

Nemo slowly hugged the unlucky bag tightly and looked back suspiciously.

“Don’t worry, Nemo. I didn’t expose all your embarrassing secrets to your boyfriend,” Debby said briskly. “Although I would definitely do it if I had plenty of time, we just talked amicably for a bit, right Oliver?” She patted Oliver on the shoulder a little reluctantly, putting in all her strength.

“…Right.” Oliver’s expression showed a bit of helplessness. It took a lot of effort for him to suppress the urge to look at the ceiling.

Nemo was about to put the bag on the wooden table when his hands trembled uncontrollably a few times, causing a few small potatoes to roll out. It’s over. He thought numbly, and he accidentally squeezed a small potato, turning it into mashed potatoes.

The female warrior sighed and turned over the spell book that seemed to have traces of being gnawed on by a goat and dropped it on the floor. The former knight commander raised his head very slowly, and there were traces of disbelief in his eyes.

“I’m still shocked, Oliver,” Ann picked up the spell book as she said in a heavy emotional tone. “Obviously, with such an innocent face, I’d move quite quickly. They all said that I was ‘crazy’ before, but compared to you… How can I put this…? I’m as harmless as a twelve-year-old incense maker.”

“You got together.” Rather than a question, Adrian said it with affirmation.

“Yes, although it was only a few hours ago,” Nemo’s face stiffened as he braced himself for the storm. “We won’t do anything excessive in public. I promise.”

“I have witnessed history!” Ann excitedly jabbed Adrian with her elbow.

Adrian took a deep breath and turned towards the corner of the wall, hiding his face from everyone.

“…Sorry, I didn’t know you hadn’t made it public yet.” Debby shrank her neck. “Uh… I’ll go back to the team to report first. Nemo, don’t leave quietly while I’m away.”

She quickly slipped out of the room and considerately closed the door.

As Debby left, the air in the room suddenly became thick. Adrian’s back was straight, but he was still resolutely facing the corner. Ann’s gaze swept back and forth between the two of them, and her expression became more meaningful.

“Where’s Dylan?” Oliver took the lead in bravely breaking the silence. “Didn’t you bring him here with you?”

“Oh, him. He can always find us by himself. I almost suspect he had set a hidden tracking array on us,” Ann said indifferently. “Compared to this, you two in the end…”

“Where’s Bagelmaurus?” Nemo had a bad feeling about what she was going to say next, and quickly interrupted Ann. “Is it with Dylan?”

But the gray parrot wasn’t by his side when Jesse Dylan brought those flowers back to life. Since knowing Nemo’s identity, Bagelmaurus had never acted alone, although it would subconsciously interject from time to time. After thinking about it for a moment, Nemo couldn’t help but frown slightly.

“Who knows. It’ll run back by itself in due time. It’s quite similar to Dylan in that regard. This isn’t the first time it disappeared.” Ann raised her brows. “My dear Mr. Light, why are you trying to skirt around the issue? I just want to know what happened between the two of you—”

The door suddenly slammed open, causing the blood vessels in Ann’s forehead to pop.

“You just left me behind like that!” the blond young man complained loudly. “That’s too cruel! I’m also a reserve teammate—huh? What’s wrong with this atmosphere?”

“Nothing,” Nemo immediately said. He quickly turned his face away, trying to hide the nervousness in his eyes. He didn’t know if Jesse Dylan knew he had found out who was behind the awakening of the seeds, and he wasn’t good at hiding these things. It was a bit odd. Even if Nemo didn’t know how he did it, he could clearly perceive that Jesse wasn’t a “threat” to him in the face of Bagelmaurus or even Oliver.

When he looked at Jesse, it felt as if he was exploring a piece of air. He couldn’t feel anything. Bagelmaurus seemed to have mentioned something similar before. Perhaps the other party was using some means to hide his strength, or Nemo wasn’t strong enough to see through him. This made his thoughts uncertain.

Jesse didn’t seem to care about Nemo’s reaction. He glanced at the knight commander, who was still facing the wall, tied up his blond hair neatly, and threw it behind his shoulders, accentuating every single movement with grievance. “Now can we leave? Do you really want to have a loving bonfire with Horizon?”

“Bagelmaurus didn’t come with you?” Ann spoke the words that were in Nemo’s thoughts.

Jesse instantly showed a painful expression.

“…What’s with that face? Did it run into Lopez?” Ann made a gesture of cutting across her neck. “Then it can only be said that its luck was poor. Are there any traces left?”

“No,” Jesse said sadly. “It flew away.”

“What?” Nemo finally turned his face.

“Literally, it just flew away.” The blond young man’s expression was melancholic. “I tried to persuade it to talk to you, but alas, it… escaped very decisively. Mr. Light, I don’t think you’re the type who’ll abuse birds, right?”

“…” Nemo wiped his face fiercely. “I don’t think so.”

He felt a little guilty about the scene of Ann choking the bird’s neck in Vincent Town.

“If it’s as Ms. Savage said just now, the demon can always find you.” Adrian finally turned around with a twitch on his face. “Then you should be able to track it too. You can try it, Mr. Light.”

Nemo closed his eyes doubtfully. He thought he would get nothing, but he didn’t expect to sense anything. It was like a soft noise in the corner of a dark room, or like a mosquito landing on one’s skin…

“Probably… Uh, eight o’clock, about a few hundred kilometers away. I’m not very…”

“Roscoe.” Adrian concluded.

“Roscoe?”

“If Bagelmaurus has been with you since it came to the surface, then it should not have developed its own ‘circle of communication’.” Adrian pondered for a few seconds. “Mr. Ramon, can you please check the Black Chapter task list?”

Oliver pulled out the task list.

“See if there is any mission about the Abyssal Church.” Adrian seemed to have calmed down. “Of course, this is my personal suggestion. It should have gone that way, assuming Mr. Light intends to find it.”

“Of course. Even if its strength is only intermediate, it’s not good to leave it alone… If Bagelmaurus really wants to leave that badly, then we need to talk about it before,” Nemo quickly said. He stepped to Oliver’s side, intending to lean in front of the task table to take a closer look.

As a result, he was mercilessly dragged by Ann, who pulled at his collar.

“Don’t choose,” Ann said vigilantly. “Don’t.”

“There are a few, but there are more… Well, not appropriate.” Oliver tried his best to be as tactful as possible.

“Isn’t this interesting? This guy is asking for an escort to the tombs of the church. He promises that he’s only there to look and not take anything.” The female warrior casually glanced at the task list and pointed to one of them.

“Isn’t it suspicious?” There seemed to be a shadow cast upon Oliver for task selection, as he was rarely indecisive.

“It’s better than this pile of things like ‘hanging pagans’.”

“If you’re just looking for a parrot, you don’t need to take on a task.” Jesse raised an eyebrow. “I’m afraid these two little guys don’t know about the Abyssal Church yet. Isn’t that right?”

“It’s not just for that purpose,” Adrian said slowly as he glared at the blond young man. “There is a lot of unique demon intelligence from the Abyssal Church… At the very least, the information from the Laddism Church cannot explain this current situation. I’m very concerned about the identity of Mr. Light.”

The former knight commander spoke truthfully. “I don’t think the two of you will give up on digging deeper into this, right?”

Nemo nodded quickly as Oliver was still looking through the tasks in the task list in fear.

“That’s true.” Ann touched her chin. “If there’s more information to be found… it’s probably the only place I can think of. Hey, it seems feasible. After all, we really do have a, ahem, complete superior demon.”

“…The Abyssal Church?” Nemo finally couldn’t help asking.

“Mm-hmm.” Jesse smiled strangely, as if he was trying his best to hold back this smile. “You can think of it as a refuge for demon worshipers and demon warlocks… It’s the most prominent anomaly of religions on the surface.”

“They believe in the Demon King at the bottom of the Abyss.”

---

The author has something to say:

Ann: Actually, I just want to ask you two who’s the top. (x

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Oh Ann, can’t you already tell?

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 90: Anomalies

Nemo got tragically tongue-tied.

The next step should be to answer affectionately with a “yes”. He should be able to do it, but it seemed as if a cat had caught his tongue. Nemo groaned awkwardly for a while, but still couldn’t successfully say a word.

The blankness on Oliver’s face lasted for more than ten seconds, and then was gradually replaced by a smile that was growing bigger. Those emerald eyes bent slightly because of the smile, glistening with pure and joyful light. He raised his brows and held out his warm hand to press on Nemo’s head.

The hand rubbed hard, and Nemo could feel his sandy hair being completely messed up.

“It seems that you’re not going to object,” Oliver’s tone was lighthearted. Since they embarked on their journey, Nemo had never heard the other party speak in such a relaxed tone. “Then the decision’s final.”

“……Okay.” Nemo finally managed to squeeze out a response. He suddenly felt guilty and didn’t dare look at Oliver’s smile.

This was faster and simpler than he thought. There were no strange signs in the air, and there were no extra colors in his world that didn’t exist before. As the sun rose, the brilliance of the sunrise filled the room, giving a calm and warm feeling. Oliver was still Oliver, and there wasn’t any dazzling light that encircled him.

This is it?

Although he took the steps first by himself, after his momentum was overwhelmed by Oliver, Nemo became a bit restrained. Normally he wouldn’t hesitate to give Oliver a hug to celebrate their success, but at this moment, the soles of his boots seemed to be stuck to the floor by an invisible glue, preventing him from moving an inch.

Is this a good or a bad sign?

Nemo thought hard. The “ease” in his previous relationship had long disappeared. There weren’t any books or knowledge that could explain his current state, which only made him more nervous.

Oliver saw that Nemo’s gaze became more erratic and his brows rose even higher. He shook his head amusingly and decisively hugged the stiff person in front of him. Nemo instantly froze up like a statue.

“Hey, it’s not like we’re getting married tomorrow,” Oliver whispered softly into Nemo’s ear, causing the edge of that ear to instantly redden. “…We’ll take our time.”

“You don’t seem nervous at all,” Nemo murmured, as he almost ferociously surrounded Oliver’s back. “It’s not fair.”

“I’m just pretending,” Oliver responded quickly. “In fact, I’m so nervous right now that I’m about to throw up.”

Nemo tugged at the shirt on Oliver’s back. He had to admit that he really liked this hug… Even though they were both dirty and exhausted and there wasn’t a single romantic element right now, this hug made him forget all those annoying things in an instant, just like the warm and lazy sunshine of autumn.

He narrowed his eyes, let out a tiny sigh, and finally found a little sense of reality about their relationship—but was quickly brought back to attention by the sound of the door being pounded on.

“…Why are you locking the kitchen?” Debby yelled discontentedly. “Even if I’m with Horizon… No way, Nemo?!”

Nemo let go of Oliver embarrassingly and coughed. He walked to the door with his head drooping and quickly opened it.

“Nadine is asleep. Lisa is with her,” Debby spurted out quickly as she stepped into the kitchen and swept her widened eyes across the kitchen. “You two didn’t prepare anything?”

“Nadine got rid of all her things.” Facing Debby this time, Oliver didn’t seem as uncomfortable as he had been. He put his hand on Nemo’s shoulder and said, “Let’s go get something for her in a bit.”

Debby stared at the hand suspiciously, then scanned Nemo’s still blushing ears. She gave a long “un”.

“Big brother.” There was a bit of seriousness in the girl’s voice. “Do you… have something to say to your dear sister?”

“Ah, right.” Nemo grimaced and rigidly put an arm on Oliver’s shoulder and patted it. “Let me re-introduce again. This is Oliver Ramon, my… uh… boyfriend.”

Debby’s expression froze and was mixed with a “sure enough” and “how’s this possible”.

She seemed to want to grab her rod for a moment as she held her hands and listlessly grabbed the empty air a few times. Finally, she decided on her course of action. She struggled to raise her head, as if trying to make herself look taller, then stretched out her hands and grabbed the front of Nemo’s robe.

“Before you… You didn’t do anything but read in your spare time. I was afraid that you would go stupid from it,” she said bitterly. “From the age of eight until I left, I’ve been working hard with all of them to arrange an encounter for you with all the beautiful girls in town…”

“But it turns out… you like men!” She looked as if she was about to cry. “If you had said it earlier, you two might have—”

“I just found out…” Nemo replied with a lack of confidence.

“…You go buy some food, Nemo.” Debby suddenly spoke resolutely. She let go of her hand and moved her gaze to Oliver. “Lisa doesn’t seem willing to leave Nadine, but Nadine has to replenish her energy.”

“Debby?”

“Go ahead, Nemo,” Oliver’s voice had hints of laughter. “I won’t suddenly disappear. It seems this lady wants to talk to me alone.”

“Go quickly!” Debby abruptly pushed Nemo on the back and out of the kitchen, then closed the door fiercely and locked it.

Oliver almost chuckled at the thought that these two siblings were exactly the same. However, when Debby turned around, the smile on her face had almost disappeared. The girl didn’t seem to have the relaxed expression she had just now. She stared at the ground and sighed softly.

“It’s hard for Nemo to really ‘like’ someone.” She slowed down her voice. “If you’re in such a relationship… He must really care about you. He never hides anything from the people he cares about.”

Oliver stared at the little girl in front of him solemnly. “Do you have something to tell me?”

“Yes,” Debby said dryly, as if she had put on her professional mercenary posture. “I know he has an unclear relationship with a demon. Don’t be nervous. I won’t tell our commander… Nemo can’t lie, as his small movements give him away almost instantly. When he told me about ‘recovering his memories’ before, there’s no doubt that he lied. There wasn’t a need for him to hide anything from me, so if he did it deliberately, there’s only one possibility.”

She nodded at the white tin badge on her chest. “He’s in a precarious position, and he’s afraid that it’ll bring difficulties for me. There are only a few hostile races that the surface won’t accommodate, so it’s not difficult to guess.”

“Thank you,” Oliver said solemnly as he put away his smile. “Thank you for not reporting it.”

“After all, I don’t have conclusive evidence, and of course, I won’t deliberately look for it. Nemo is still the same. I don’t think he’ll do anything that’ll make people angry or resentful.” Debby played with the curly hair that fell on her cheek. “…And I have… considered this possibility from much earlier on.”

She raised her eyes. “Mr. Ramon, if you really like him. I hope you know… my brother, he’s a bit special. He’s always a bit slow to feelings, and his cognition is also subtly delayed from ordinary people.”

“I get it,” Oliver nodded slightly. “I don’t care.”

“No, I don’t think you understand.” Debby shook her head.

At the same time, Nemo walked to the front yard with fluttering steps while carrying his coin pouch.

He was still lost in thought about the incredible scenario that he had “started a new relationship with a man”, when he almost ran into Ann. The female warrior was putting the knight commander’s long arm around her shoulder with one hand while steadily trying to help him up.

“Watch where you’re going, kid.” There were hints of teasing in her tone. “You guys look alright. Is everything finished? Sorry, I saw Cross fall down, so I went to help him.”

“Godwin is gone, and Nadine is still resting. I’m going to buy her something to eat.”

“Well done. Seeing as how Lopez didn’t take out his sword, I knew you guys did it.”

“Where’s Dylan?” Nemo looked around and didn’t find a golden head.

“In a stupor outside. He should have been hit by a stun spell,” Ann snorted and made a brief “heh”. “It’s good for him to bask in the sun for a while.”

“You can let me go, Ms. Savage.” Adrian’s voice didn’t sound good. His complexion was pale, and there were many abrasions on his face. There were also obvious bloodstains on the corners of his mouth. “I just need a bit of rest.”

“Rightttt, after I had to burn three pages of healing spells.” The female warrior frowned. “What the hell are you and Dylan messing around with?”

“I’ll explain when I get the chance.”

“Anyway, I’ll find a place to drop off our knight commander first.” Ann waved her hand. “You go and come back quickly.”

Although it was obvious Debby wouldn’t really do anything to Oliver, Nemo quickly bought food that was soft to eat, which was suitable for a patient, and rushed back to the witch’s residence. When he was about to open the door to the front yard, a strange aura came from the backyard. It was extremely weak, as if it would disappear at any moment, and felt special, like a strand of gold thread mixed in with coarse linen clothing. At the moment when his movements paused, it suddenly weakened, as if it had noticed something.

Nemo didn’t hesitate. He decisively dropped the bag of small potatoes in his arms and then buried his head down, pretending he was picking them up. While trying to “pick up” the potatoes, he scoured all over the ground to find the source.

He had succeeded.

Jesse Dylan, who should’ve been unconscious, was standing in the empty backyard looking perfectly normal. His brilliant blond hair was in perfect condition. Jesse was still tossing the seeds in his hand as he muttered something to himself, as if he was chatting with it.

“They really succeeded,” he whispered to the seeds. “Things are getting more and more interesting.”

The beautiful blond young man raised his head, as if he was glancing at the distant desert in front of him. Nemo knew very well that, under the machinations of the orange cat, the seeds of the Earthsea Orchid should have already withered. It was the king of the arthropod lizards, so it shouldn’t have an issue with dealing with a dying seed.

“I don’t hate tragedies.” Jesse curled his lips. “It makes a good story to work hard 10,000 times only to fail, but how can I put it…”

“Paying tributes to fools who worked in vain is fine on occasion,” he said as he tossed the seeds into the sand at random.

He then stretched and calmly walked to the back door of the house.

Just as the door closed, something arched out of the sand. A trace of green covered the golden colored dirt, then more green started appearing. The seeds that should have been dead drilled out of the sand, and the brocade-like greenery quickly spread. The long-disappeared plants grew frantically as their vines became thicker, visibly to the naked eye. Then golden buds popped out.

Nemo picked up the last little potato and straightened his waist.

The backyard had become a sea of flowers.

The appearance of the flowers was puzzling. They didn’t seem to have an exact shape, and they looked more like a ball of molten gold. Liquid flowers fully bloomed in the air, causing petals to be scattered like droplets of rain, revealing a sharp and aggressive beauty in the soft morning light. Even with the flowers blooming, their growth didn’t stagnate. The green vines covered the entire sand and climbed up the house, spreading in all directions.

There were faint cries that came from the villagers in the distance.

Nemo wasn’t the only one who discovered someone’s “little action”. Adrian Cross was leaning against the wall of a corridor. There was still an unnatural spell fluctuation on the knight commander. In front of him, a bloody tracking array was gradually dissipating.

Nemo took a deep breath and decided to keep this to himself. Since Jesse Dylan was determined to join the team, they still had time.

Except for Nadine and Lisa, the other two people in the home were unaware of what was happening outside.

“I remember very clearly, even if I was young at that time.” Debby’s voice sank a bit. “Nemo wasn’t that old then… Our brother, Joshua Light, had died. He wasn’t careful enough when climbing a tree, and he fell and hit his head on a stone.”

“We were all very sad. Don’t look at me like this. Even at that age, I knew what sadness was at the time. We took out almost all the money we had and managed to give Joshua a decent funeral, but big brother, he…”

“Couldn’t accept it?”

“No, on the contrary. He never cried at that time, and he didn’t look sad at all.”

Oliver looked at Debby in silence, who pursed her lips.

“He then dug up Joshua’s body the next day and put it on the dining table. It was quite hot at that time, you know…” She shivered. “Old Patrick almost beat him. We buried it again that afternoon, but that night, he went and dug up the body again and carried it to Joshua’s bed.”

“He seems to be born with a lack of… Uh, common sense. He has been working hard since then. I can see it.” Debby took a deep breath and lowered her head towards Oliver. “Nemo should be much better now, but perhaps on some occasions in the future, he will still act similarly to this. If you really like him, please… be patient with him.”

“Please, Mr. Ramon.”

She thought it was okay to tell him this. She had omitted some irrelevant details, as they would be too absurd to put into words and she didn’t need to say them either.

“Joshua is ‘dead’.” The Old Patrick in her memory spat at Nemo. “He’s dead! No more! Stop digging him up. He won’t—”

The young Debby clung to her ragged stuffed rabbit in her arms, surrounded by the strong odor of a corpse.

“But his appearance is just changing.” Nemo, who was young at the time, stubbornly argued back. “He’s just resting. When he… adapts a little bit, he’ll move again!”

Old Patrick almost fainted from extreme anger. “Who told you this?”

“Because that’s what I am,” the black-haired child whispered. “Aren’t I?”

---

Kinky Thoughts:

This marks the end of the 4^th arc. Some questions answered, more questions arise.

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 89: Horizon’s Invitation

Countering magic took much longer than they thought.

Nemo only felt that he was performing an unusually detailed surgery, and it didn’t take too much power to wither the nodes. The magic passed through the bones in his hand, condensed into a very fine bundle, and swam with the slightly trembling roots. In his eyes, the ugly root system had gotten closer and became clearer.

The squirming roots almost covered Nadine’s thin body. Nemo didn’t dare move a step, patiently withering them one by one. He could feel sweat oozing out of his forehead and sliding down along with his eyebrows. This seemed to be an endless job, and just looking at it made people discouraged. Fortunately, Oliver couldn’t see the roots.

Nadine was still bleeding slowly. She was barely hanging on to what little life she had with the residual magic she had left. Oliver was holding her hands and gently transferring his magic as he carefully adjusted it as the roots were absorbed. It wasn’t an easy job. The amount of root system extraction would only get bigger, and fatigue would become more imminent. The two of them tightened their nerves, making sure nothing could go wrong for even a slight second. This was a struggle with no end in sight. After all, no one knew what kind of reaction would happen once the root system left.

They could only continue to concentrate as seven hours passed.

There was a loud noise of spells colliding on the other side of the house, signifying the only possibility; Godwin was approaching and Adrian and Jesse were delaying him.

“Lopez is here!” Ann, who was in charge of keeping watch on the roof, confirmed their guess. “He’s not alone…” She hesitated for a while before changing the subject. “Cross can delay him for the time being. Come on you two. Hold on. If Cross can’t hold him off, I’ll go support him.”

Most of the hanging roots had shriveled and withered, leaving only the thickest roots left that continuously drew strength. Nadine had lost too much blood. She was on the verge of death, and no more life could be drawn from her. The root system seemed to be keenly aware of this, and it instead tried to drain all the remaining energy that was still supporting her body.

Ten, five, three, and finally the last one. The root system’s extraction speed became more frantic.

Nemo could see very clearly. Sweat had slipped onto Oliver’s eyelashes, but he didn’t even dare blink. Lisa stood aside stubbornly but didn’t retreat to rest despite the hours that had passed. She clung to the small wooden comb that she had just used to comb Nadine’s hair. The teeth of the comb jabbed into the flesh of her palm, drawing blood that dripped into the sand, but she seemed completely oblivious to it.

Nadine’s hand moved suddenly. She opened her mouth slightly and let out a sharp dying gasp.

“Stop… You gave it your all,” she said softly, her tone sighing.

“But…” Oliver’s voice had doubts, but his huge magic output wasn’t chaotic. A large torrent of power rushed through the root system without any fluctuations.

“…This will only lead to your death, Mr. Ramon.” Nadine’s hand shook a little. “It’s almost over, I know. You’ve opened your spirit to me. Once I…”

She didn’t go on, but both of them understood.

No one expected that the process would take this long. She was in a dying state for seven hours, and the end had to be accompanied by a great burst of energy. They didn’t know if they could keep up. If something went wrong, they may or may not be able to save Nadine in time, but the root system would take notice of this, so they wouldn’t have a second chance.

At that moment, she was like a person that was about to drown. When the most painful moment came, she could be desperate and grab onto her rescuer and drag the other party into the water together. Oliver was transferring his magic into her, and his spirit was open; that was to say—his lifespan was within Nadine’s reach.

It was as if a glass of water appeared in front of the person who was about to die from thirst or a fire in front of a freezing person. Her will had been consumed all night, and her desire to survive on the verge of death would become stronger and would be difficult to restrain.

Nadine herself was aware of this.

“As I said, you don’t owe me anything, Mr. Lop… Ramon.”

“I’m helping you because I believe in you.” Oliver didn’t withdraw his hands. There was even a smile on his face. “It has nothing to do with what my father did. Ms. Nadine, I trust you. If you stop because of ‘possible danger’…”

He quickly glanced in Nemo’s direction. “…Then this kind of trust is meaningless.”

“You are such a cruel person.” Nadine murmured.

“That’s right,” Oliver replied gently. “I’ll say it again. I trust you, Ms. Nadine.”

The witch raised her head extremely slowly. Her sandy golden eyes appeared from the drooping skin that looked calm and sad.

The root system suddenly swelled, and then shrank quickly. Nemo took a breath. The black spell thread was quickly tightened, and at the same moment, Oliver suddenly increased his magic output. The sky above their heads made a series of explosions, then suddenly all the roots withered and slowly faded away. Nemo suddenly cast his gaze on the witch in the rocking chair…

The air around Nadine’s body was twisting, and she seemed to be cauterized by a transparent flame. Oliver subconsciously let go of her hand, took a few steps back and stared at the thin figure.

The witch didn’t utter any sound, and she didn’t move. Nadine lay there quietly, like the ashes of firewood after the last trace of spark had been extinguished. Her eyes were closed tightly, and her chest didn’t move up and down.

Oliver wanted to touch her but was held back by Nemo.

“She doesn’t seem to be in a conscious state. It’s safer if I do it,” Nemo said calmly before wiping the sweat from his face and stretching out his right hand towards the rocking chair.

But he didn’t touch the “skin” of a living creature.

Although it looked like skin, it cracked and collapsed under his touch, scattering into gray powder. Nemo felt a chill in his back and increased the strength of his touch as he tried to stimulate a healing spell.

He caught sight of something under the thick layer of ashes.

The witch moved a little, and ashes began to fall all over her body. Her wrinkled skin cracked and turned into dust that fell off along with her gray hair. The scene was quite terrifying.

A little gold was exposed in the gap between the dust and ashes.

Most of the dust and ash on Nadine’s body fell off, revealing something like a mummy or an anorexic patient that was on the verge of death. The witch’s pale skin stretched over the skeleton and blood vessels that entangled her bones like worms. Her eyeballs were extraordinarily protruding, and attached to her scalp was soft golden hair. She looked weak and creepy.

But it wasn’t the body of an old woman.

“I held back,” she said. Her voice was extremely soft, and that pleasant sound of her no longer seemed inconsistent at this moment. “…I held back.”

“I didn’t kill you…” Tears slid down the eye sockets of the “skeleton”. “I’m so glad.”

Nadine was so weak that her eyes closed slightly after speaking. Nemo hurriedly grabbed her hand, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

“She’s fine,” he said, with lingering fear. “Just…very weak and needs to rest.”

Lisa fell flat on her ass. She unconsciously grabbed the sand with her injured hand. Her expression was mixed with crying and laughter, and finally the mixed emotions turned into a difficult choke. The orange cat slipped to the rocking chair and rubbed the witch’s thin ankles skillfully, making purring sounds.

Oliver also breathed a sigh of relief. He shook in place a few times and almost collapsed. Thankfully, Nemo quickly held him up.

“Ollie.” Taking advantage of the numbness of his brain and the eruption of emotions, Nemo took a few deep breaths, intending to explain clearly in one breath. “Listen, I—”

“You did this?” A somewhat familiar voice sounded, directly interrupting Nemo’s muttered words.

The two raised their heads and saw Godwin Lopez with crossed arms held against his chest, looking at Nadine, who was no longer the old woman in the rocking chair. They couldn’t see any joy or anger in his expression. “Her power response disappeared.”

Nemo immediately looked at the roof, and the figure of the female warrior was gone. Ann wouldn’t attack without leaving a signal, so the situation may not be as bad as they thought. Oliver, who was beside him, grabbed the hilt of the Rest in Peace and stood listlessly.

“Yes.” Oliver raised his emerald eyes, which were the same as the other party. “Ms. Nadine is no longer part of the root system, which means she’s no longer an Eastern Witch.”

Godwin raised his brows, and he strode to the witch. The tail of the orange cat, which was still dawdling at the witch’s feet, quickly drooped down, and it hurriedly ran away and hid quietly behind Oliver.

Oliver clenched the hilt of the sword, while Nemo hid his hand behind his back, causing the shadow to flow quickly between his fingers.

However, Godwin didn’t draw his sword. He didn’t even seem interested in Nadine, who was in front of him. Two magic arrays formed in the air, then dazzling translucent lines directly filled the entire backyard, extending into the sky above their heads.

“The power of abyssal magic is not worth mentioning, but the control accuracy is very good.” After analyzing the lines, he glanced at Nemo. “As for surface magic… Well, it’s interesting.”

He put away the arrays and walked in front of Oliver. Nemo arched slightly, ready to cast a defensive spell. If something were to happen, he didn’t mind revealing his true identity.

At the same time, the familiar scream of a girl came from far to near. “Commander, wait a minute—”

“Oliver Ramon.” Godwin’s voice was steady. “Follow me and join Horizon.”

Debby tripped under her feet, causing her whole body to fall flat on the ground. The dark shadows between Nemo’s fingers trembled and almost dissipated.

“……What?” Oliver expressed his doubts bluntly.

“I investigated,” Godwin said in a deep voice. “From the Black Chapter exam to all the tasks you had taken over, your team had not experienced a single casualty. Vincent Town had the most negative comments, but I’ve asked someone to investigate it and found that you definitely helped calm a small-scale war.”

“It’s impossible for a person with this style of behavior to conspire with others to kill his father because he ‘wants property’,” Godwin said indifferently. There was nothing resembling softness in his expression. “If you join Horizon, I can assign someone to help you investigate what happened that day. Your strength is very strong, so you should use it on the right path.” He glanced at the bone sword in Oliver’s hand.

“I don’t think I have deviated from the right path.” Oliver felt no joy from being praised.

“Nemo Light, Adrian Cross, Jesse Dylan,” Godwin named them one by one. “The first two are involved with demons, and the latter is famous for his coldness and bloodlust. Even if you haven’t deviated now, it’s not wise to walk toeing such a line.”

“I’ve been an adult for a while now, Mr. Lopez.” Oliver twitched the corners of his mouth. “I can make my own judgment.”

“I am providing you with an opportunity to get out of the Black Chapter.” Godwin didn’t seem surprised by Oliver’s response. “You can live as a legal citizen and serve your country and for justice—If you’re worried about your companions, I believe Ms. Savage will be a good leader.”

Nemo subconsciously held his breath; he turned his face to look at Oliver.

“I am very grateful for your proposal, Mr. Lopez, but I don’t quite agree with Horizon’s style.” Without hesitation, Oliver shook his head seriously. He accentuated the word “Lopez”. “To say the least, I have no dissatisfaction with the status quo. I’m just a small person, and the word ’righteousness’ is too heavy… I prefer to help those around me first before I think about such heavy burdens.”

This time, Godwin stared at him for a long time before he said, “Don’t you have the pride of a swordsman?”

“No,” Oliver said, smiling.

Nemo desperately suppressed his chuckle.

Godwin seemed disgusted by this answer as he frowned. “I respect your decision, Mr. Ramon.” His voice was cold, and he also accentuated “Ramon”. “Then that’s it. My mission is over. According to regulations, I won’t do anything to Ms. Nadine. Since there isn’t any substantial ‘hostile’ behavior, I won’t deal with you this time.”

“…But this may not necessarily be the case the next time we meet.”

“Commander…” Debby got up from the ground and patted the soil off her robe. “Can I stay here for a while?”

“Whatever you want. Remember to meet at the inn at noon.” Godwin didn’t dawdle, he turned around and swiftly left.

“Are you sure?” Seeing Debby walking in his direction, Nemo put away the shadow between his fingers. “He may really be able to clear your charges.”

“When the situation stabilizes, we can try to do it ourselves.” Oliver shrugged. “I have a hunch that my cousin and I are not in tune… After all, I still don’t know what this so-called ‘swordsman’s pride’ is.”

This time, Nemo didn’t hold back his laughter. To his surprise, Debby didn’t come to talk to him first but instead ran to Nadine and used magic to levitate the rocking chair.

“I’ll come talk to you later, Nemo,” Debby solemnly said. “I’ll help settle Ms. Nadine first.”

“Okay, let’s go get her something to eat.” Nemo nodded and grabbed Oliver again. “Ann must have gone to Adrian’s side. Listening to Godwin’s tone, it shouldn’t have been a big deal.”

However, Nadine had thoroughly cleaned everything so neatly that there wasn’t even a single slice of bread left in the home. A few minutes later, Nemo closed the last cabinet with a stern face.

“Speaking of… What did you want to tell me just now?” In the gradually whitening sky, everything in the kitchen progressively became clear. Oliver, who was resting against the wall, turned around. He had just washed off the sweat and dirt from his face and was showing an anxious look.

Nemo’s movements froze. He walked to the door of the kitchen numbly, slammed the door and locked it, then cleared his throat unnaturally. Seeing his movements made Oliver, who was still leaning against the wall, straighten up his back instantly. He was now more nervous than when he was facing Godwin.

“Ollie.”

Nemo took a deep breath. His heart pattered and his fingertips became numb, as if they had been shocked with electricity. Does a confession feel like this? Compared to when Oliver did it so calmly, he was in much worse shape. After adjusting his emotions for a few seconds, Nemo stepped in front of Oliver and tried to frantically sort out all the relevant knowledge in his mind. He tried his best to make himself look calm, but based on Oliver’s expression, he wasn’t successful in doing so.

“I really have something to tell you.”

He straightened out his left arm and wrapped it around the right side of Oliver’s neck while using his other hand to support him from behind. Nemo couldn’t control his strength well and accidently cracked several of the ceramic tiles on the wall.

“…You were saying?” Oliver listened to the clattering of the broken tiles as he responded with great difficulty.

“I’ve clearly thought about it and… I like you.” Nemo solemnly grabbed Oliver’s front lapel with his right hand, and his voice started becoming erratic due to the tension. “Ollie, would you like to be my girlfriend?”

“…” Oliver was silent for a long time before he put his hand on the other party’s hand that was holding his front lapel.

“That may be difficult,” he replied blankly, as he was still dazed from the shock of the question. “How about being your boyfriend instead?”

---

The author has something to say:

These two fight as if they’re flirting, and flirt as if they’re fighting…

Nemo now has the illusion that he’s a gong, so we can let him keep dreaming a bit longer.

———

Gray parrot: Young man, do you desire great power?

Nemo: No thanks.

Godwin: Young man, don’t you have the pride of a swordsman?

Oliver: Nope! (Heartily)

…They really are a match made in heaven…

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Nemo confesses!!! Kyaaaaa~~~

While the confessions are more direct and there are no sweet eccentric words or poems, given that they both grew up in basically a small village with minimal schooling, they most likely aren’t well versed in romanticism. Still, I’m dying from the cuteness of these two. Sometimes the direct approach is the best!

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 88: The End of the Mission

Jesse Dylan stepped on the creaking sand and stared at the scene not far away. Oliver and Nemo had already taken Nadine to the backyard of the house, along with her rocking chair. The witch, Nadine, was too weak and crying seemed to have exhausted what little physical strength she had left, so they didn’t dare risk letting her walk by herself.

The two placed the witch on the edge of the field of Earthsea Orchids on a relatively gentle slope.

Lisa took out a small wooden comb and whispered something while taking care of her best friend’s hair. Oliver was holding the witch’s hands, as if he was estimating the strength he needed, while Nemo stood beside him, watching him quietly.

How interesting. Jesse leaned against the trunk of a tree and continued to toss the seeds of the Earthsea Orchid up and down. He had seen that kind of look too many times…

The demon was moved.

It should be full of uncertain and ignorant feelings. As an outsider, he could see more clearly and precisely because he knew exactly what Nemo Light was. Jesse thought from the bottom of his heart that the situation was quite funny, hilarious even. No matter what Nemo did to himself in the first place, the effect was thorough. He seemed to recognize himself as a human in his heart, and didn’t exude any distortion and deadness, or a stench of conspiracy.

It was a pity that he didn’t know what happened in the Abyss, Jesse pondered with regret.

Theoretically, it was impossible for any “sane” life to be born at the bottom of the Abyss. In order to make up for the gap in cognition, he tried to go to the bottom of the Abyss in person. According to his survey results, the life that settled there was divided into two types…

Those who had no wisdom and only had survival instinct. Or… by human standards, lunatics.

Or as his Morning Star had said, Nemo used some means to seal his cognition, but he knew better than anyone that Nemo would never be able to completely erase those memories. The creature known as “Nemo Light” was too powerful to surpass his own instincts. His memories couldn’t be sealed in the darkness forever. Sooner or later, they would reappear at some point.

Looking at what he was doing now; the feelings that he was experiencing were fragile and boring, like a petal floating in a puddle after the rain. What awaited it was a tsunami that was destined to come.

What would happen then?

But no matter which direction this farce was going in, he was about to get a front row seat, Jesse thought happily as he poked the gray parrot in his pocket.

“You can’t hide like this for the rest of your life,” he suggested casually. “How about apologizing? He might forgive you—believe me, even if you shrink yourself like this, Mr. Light won’t really forget you.”

“No!” The gray parrot cried with difficulty.

“He won’t kill you.” Jesse yawned in the thickening night. “Look at him. Maybe if you cry bitterly enough, Mr. Light will give you some fresh berries.”

“I’m also a superior demon,” Bagelmaurus insisted. “I… I’m just like him! It’s just that I’m incomplete on the surface. Even if I can’t beat him now, at least I still have my self-esteem…”

“Superior demon?” Jesse smiled briefly. “Whatever you say, you cute little thing.”

“…Do you think he won’t kill me?” The gray parrot was silent for a moment, then asked tentatively.

“Yes. I think my assessment of people is very accurate.” Maybe just not right now, but Jesse didn’t plan to say the latter half of the sentence.

The gray parrot was silent. It blinked at Nemo from a dozen steps away, and Jesse could feel its gathered courage. Bagelmaurus struggled to get out of his pocket because it was much too narrow for it. Rather than apologizing, it didn’t take one step closer to Nemo. It flapped its wings and rushed into the night sky and was quickly engulfed by the darkness.

“Oh,” Jesse sighed, “It seems I’m in trouble.”

However, he wasn’t alone for too long. After Oliver entered his state and began practicing countering the magic with his sword, Adrian Cross came over.

“Are you looking for me?” Jesse stood up straight in an instant, making his voice sound full of joy.

“Yes.”

“How strange.”

“I want you to go with me and guard the outside.” Adrian stared straight into his eyes. “After all, we don’t know how long the countering process will take, and Mr. Lopez may arrive before it’s finished.”

“That’s Godwin Lopez!” Jesse shouted. “Look at me. Do I look like someone who’s used to fighting head-on? You can’t do this to me—”

“If trouble arises, Ms. Savage can’t match him,” the knight commander explained calmly. “I checked the Horizon’s missions; Lopez should have acquired the holy sword in the tombs. My previous magic affinities are the same as it, so I’ll take less damage.”

“Listen to what you’re actually saying; your ‘previous’ magic affinities? It’s not that I look down on you, but in such a state you can’t even successfully delay me for more than a second…” Jesse said as he raised his brows higher. “Oh, I see—did you want to do another ‘spiritual sacrifice’?”

“Yes,” Adrian admitted straightforwardly. “I have seen your strength. You have the power, and I have the means to stall Lopez. Mr. Dylan, you really want to join this team, don’t you?”

“I don’t think you care about me—even though I really want to think so.” Jesse covered his chest exaggeratedly. “Well, it’s true, our captain is set on this, but I think… You have your own thoughts as well?”

Adrian stared at the seemingly distraught blond young man and didn’t answer. His expression was enough to answer Jesse’s question.

“No problem, I’ll go with you. This is a sacrifice for love,” Jesse announced, “but if you want to use this to find my connection with the Laddism Church, I have to warn you… You’ll be quite disappointed.”

Nemo had no time to worry about the two people not far away at that moment. The orange cat was pulling hard on his trousers as it kept shivering. Nemo could even feel the vibration that came from it. He sighed and picked up the cat, immediately causing the latter to become stiff as a corpse in his arms.

He didn’t disturb Oliver, who was busy concentrating. Nemo bypassed the small house, went through the garden, and stepped onto the stone road in front of the courtyard. Compared with the lively towns, people in these small villages had earlier rest times. The street was pitch black, and there was only a drunkard in ragged clothes that staggered against the wall, burping out booze.

Nemo waited patiently for the drunk man to walk by before putting the cat on the ground.

“I need the withering spell now.” He stared at the cat that was shaking like a sieve and recalled what the gray parrot had said. “Are you afraid of me… Is it because of ‘class suppression’?”

“I don’t know,” the orange cat said. “Maybe.”

“……Sorry,” Nemo said dryly. “It’s not on purpose.”

“Don’t apologize.” The orange cat lifted its mimicry, and the huge arthropod lizard reappeared. “You hide well. Being strong isn’t a mistake.”

It turned its head and bit off a short bone spur on the bone shell with a click. The yellowish bone spur lay on the slate and looked a bit like a broken fang. Then it immediately changed back to the appearance of a cat, licking a wound on its abdomen where the location of the bone spur broke.

“It’s the medium,” it said. “Our spells… Have the same system. They can be converted by this medium.”

“Be careful not to touch her with it.” It stopped licking before adding, “Please… Don’t mention its origin.”

“You don’t want her to know who you are?”

“Not now,” The chubby cat lowered its head. “Not yet.”

“Ok.” Nemo grabbed the yellowish bone with one hand and pressed on the wet skin that had the wound licked by the cat. The wound on the orange cat’s abdomen disappeared instantly. “I won’t say it, and Ollie is not one to take the initiative to bring it up… I have only one question to ask.”

“Please.” The orange cat raised its fluffy tail and headed back towards the house.

“You are helping Nadine find the seeds for the Earthsea Orchids, right? But I can feel that there are traces of withering magic on that piece of sand.” Nemo asked softly. His gaze followed the cat’s tail back and forth. “Why? Why kill the hard-to-find seeds?”

“She wants to complete the agreement.” The cat stopped. “Until then, she will insist on living. Those seeds… I let them wither, but I don’t regret it.”

“Which is why she can’t know about me.” It let out a small sigh. “She’s smart and most likely will figure things out.”

Nemo clenched the bone spurs in his hand and didn’t ask any more questions. He didn’t know what happened between Nadine and the arthropod lizard. He only knew one thing—the “monster” who had grown up quietly in a warm house might have had more love than she thought.

When he returned to the backyard, Oliver had already stopped his practice. He hung his hands and held the Rest in Peace firmly.

“We can start.” His voice trembled nervously. “Nemo, are you ready over there?”

“Ready.” Nemo took a breath. “If something goes wrong, I will treat her immediately.”

“Pardon us,” Oliver bowed slightly to the witch on the rocking chair. He drew out his sword and created a deep wound on the witch’s thin right arm. A lot of blood gushed out immediately. Lisa let out a suppressed cry, but she immediately covered her mouth and stared firmly at the flowing blood.

The witch’s face paled quickly, and her throat made a gurgling sound.

“Are you here?” Oliver’s voice was a little subdued, but the nervous tremor disappeared.

“Here.” Nemo raised his head.

Even in the dim night, the slowly appearing monstrosity was still very dazzling. It squirmed hideously, emitting the smell of death. The flesh-and-blood root system slowly spread out and leaned towards the increasingly weak witch in the rocking chair.

“You can do it.” Nemo adjusted his breathing. The sight of the phantom root system penetrating into the skin made him so unhappy that he almost crushed the bone spurs in his hand.

The long “funeral” officially began.

Earthsea Orchid Inn.

Godwin Lopez put the holy sword in the scabbard and ended his morning’s exercise. Before leaving, he finally confirmed the contract. Generally, they should be stored in the hands of the client. However, if the executor of the task was too strong or too despicable, in order to prevent the client from reneging, they would occasionally be kept by the party performing the task.

A small task without difficulty.

He did have some regret. Strictly speaking, Godwin didn’t think the witch Nadine was a threat. From time to time, he would confirm the status of her position using the tracking spell he cast on her. She didn’t run around, nor was she acting out due to her death throes and vented indiscriminately with her magic. From this perspective, she was much more respectable than other non-humans he had dealt with.

Unfortunately, rules were rules. Godwin sighed and looked out the window at the still dark sky. Regret belonged to regret. He didn’t take time to think and wasn’t tangled. After a moment of contemplation, he adjusted the position of his lower shoulder armor. He wanted to be perfunctory, even if the enemy was already dying.

Then he opened the door of the room and was met with an uninvited guest that was guarding the door.

“Can you take me with you, commander?” The dark circles under Debby Light’s eyes were obvious. She raised her head stubbornly, and her voice was very firm. “I won’t cause you trouble… I… I want to witness it with my own eyes.”

Godwin never said much. She knew exactly what her commander was doing. Debby closed her eyes and tried to keep her breathing from being too short. She could talk to the witch, which may seem hypocritical and useless, but at least she would have time to apologize.

“Yes.” Godwin nodded calmly. “Then you will write the task report.”

“Yes, commander.”

As the sun was about to rise, the night had begun to become thin and transparent. The two walked along the road to the witch’s residence with their surroundings peaceful and quiet. However, Godwin suddenly stopped, causing Debby, who was in a daze, to pass by him a few steps before she reacted.

“Something’s not right.” The commander of Horizon frowned. He had already drawn out the holy sword that had been sleeping in a grave for a long time.

The body of the holy sword at dawn was illuminated with beautiful shimmers, just like its name, Breaking Dawn. Its light was like the true brilliance of dawn, bright and warm, with a faint solemn aura.

It wasn’t hostility, but the force was too strange. It seemed that an invisible dark cloud was enveloping the witch’s residence, and it was impossible for the witch Nadine to create such a thick and mysterious gathering of power. Someone was intervening. Godwin narrowed his eyes. If he guessed correctly, in this palm-sized village, the only people who could intervene are…

“It seems that your concern is right. Mr. Lopez is very dedicated.” The excessively beautiful blond young man patted his hands. He stood out with his light-colored clothing compared to others, which made the black badge on his chest quite dazzling. “Truly deserving to be my sweetheart, Adri.”

The other was wearing the uniform of a monk from the Laddism Church. There were ugly stitching marks on his left chest where the holy emblem was originally. He didn’t wear a black badge, but—Godwin’s gaze swept across the opponent’s hand holding a metal bow, and the man’s left thumb undoubtedly had a black badge on the ring of his left thumb.

“Jesse Dylan,” Godwin said calmly, without putting away his sword. “…And Adrian Cross. I don’t think the two of you came for a simple greeting.”

“If you want, of course I can say hello. Good morning, dear Mr. Lopez! I like your hair color. Would you like to leave me a communication crystal—” The leader of Horizon pointed the tip of his sword at Jesse, and the second half of the blond young man’s words were quickly swallowed back into his throat.

“If you can, I hope you can wait.” Adrian ignored the aggrieved Jesse and lowered his head blankly. “Just wait a bit, please.”

“Cross.” Godwin showed a standard smile, but there was no smile in his eyes. “Of course, I won’t accept all rumors. To be honest, I used to admire you, and until recently, I believed you had your difficulties. But…”

He opened his legs and made a standard offensive posture.

“…It’s a fact that you colluded with a superior demon, and it’s also a fact that you’re blocking my mission.” Godwin lowered his voice and said, “Sorry, I can’t agree to an enemy’s request.”

Orange light suddenly burst through the air, causing Adrian to turn his body sideways as the blow flashed across. The milky white glow wrapped around the metal bow, and he swung it out like a sword.

“I have no intention of being your enemy,” Adrian said as he gritted his teeth.

“Your power has been restored. Is this also part of the deal with the demon?” Godwin didn’t try to hide the irony in his voice. The holy sword slashed the metal bow and cut a piece of it off. “It seems that Zenni is a bit too tolerant.”

Jesse, on the other hand, yelled very unobtrusively as he rushed towards the female mage who hadn’t reacted behind Godwin, and successfully dragged her away. Debby reacted after a full three seconds, and took a bite of the blond young man’s arm that was wrapped around her neck, and quickly broke free.

She didn’t hesitate. As a qualified mercenary, Debby was sullen and pointed her rod steadily at Jesse. The latter immediately raised his arms and made a gesture of surrender.

“I don’t want to have a fallout with your brother,” he muttered. “Can’t you pretend you didn’t see anything?”

“…Nemo’s also involved?” Debby’s staff shook.

“Yes, you should know better than me. Do you think he will leave this kind of thing alone?”

“He won’t, but he obviously doesn’t have the power…”

“Oh, it’s not convenient for me to say.” Jesse raised his hands higher. “Anyway, I surrender. Will you let me go? Can you go help your commander—”

Debby gave him an incredulous look. “Isn’t that your companion?”

“It depends on how you define ‘companion’.” The blond young man shrugged.

Debby rolled her eyes before she attacked the opponent with a stun spell. The beautiful blond young man fell to the ground like a sack. She then snorted with disdain and turned to assist her commander.

If Nemo is really involved… Debby thought. She clenched her fists, causing her round nails to almost pierce her palm. She… She had to stop him as soon as possible. If Godwin formally defines them as enemies, her brother would likely be killed.

However, when she regained her attention and raised her head, Debby found that the problem wasn’t so imminent.

It wasn’t without reason that Adrian Cross and Godwin Lopez were listed as candidates for the prophecy. The former Chief Justice had managed to delay her commander, and they… Seemed evenly matched.

She took a few deep breaths and made up her mind to start casting her auxiliary spells, but her head suddenly stopped moving.

“The locator mark has disappeared.” Godwin frowned tightly. “You… Killed Nadine?”

“I don’t know,” Adrian replied simply, “but one thing is certain, your mission is over.”

Ten minutes ago.

“Stop it.” Nadine’s voice became weak and hoarse, while Lisa’s eyes were flushed, and tears were about to fall. “You have tried your best.”

“But……”

“…This will only lead to your death, Mr. Ramon.”

---

The author has something to say:

The gray parrot! Finally! Ran away from home—!

It didn’t want to live such a suffocating life. Let’s go on a trip.

————

Nemo: There seems to be something missing. What is it?

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 87: Bouquet and Water Source

In the faint candlelight, Nadine put the medicine bottle full of liquid on the tea table and carefully turned the label in the same direction. Her fingertips trembled with her age, and she almost dropped the envelope of her will that she was holding. The long wooden workbench was wiped clean, and the bookshelf was covered with cloth to prevent dust from falling.

The flowers in the vase had been taken away, and the water had been emptied. Everything was tidied up properly. Not one thing was missed that would be rotting in some corner before the possible new owner of this home steps in.

This wasn’t the first time she had made this kind of preparation. Before Nadine decided to leave Caleb Village and embark on her final journey, she made a very similar arrangement, except this time she would not return from the journey.

The pudding given by the Black Chapter became her last supper. Her tongue couldn’t taste much anymore, but she still insisted on eating it. After dinner, the witch hesitated for a moment, washed and dried the rough glass bottle, and carefully placed it in the vase. The napkin was neatly folded on the side of the dining table, and the tablecloth was repeatedly smoothed out without any traces of wrinkles.

‘Everything’s perfect,’ she thought wearily while moving her increasingly uncontrolled body to the rocking chair as she let fear and emptiness bite her back.

There was a brass candle holder on the small table next to the rocking chair, and the candle inside was about to burn out. ‘It’s okay,’ she thought slowly, and turned her head to look out the window. The moonlight was bright and shining clearly over the bare sand in the backyard.

The miracle didn’t happen as there didn’t seem to be any life fluctuations that came from there.

Her cat came out of the shadow of the table. The round orange cat meowed and jumped onto her knees skillfully, then laid down while making a loud purring sound.

“I have found a new home for you,” she murmured, gently stroking the soft fur on the cat’s back with her thin hands. “Lisa has always liked cats; she’ll treat you well… I will leave all my money to you.”

The huge room was immersed in candlelight, and the creaking sound of the rocking chair slowly moving was audible.

There was nothing to do, and there was nothing she could do. Out of some kind of complicated emotion that couldn’t be named, Nadine suddenly wanted to cry, but she failed to shed tears.

“I should have died a long time ago.” As usual, she began to babble to her only audience, the cat. “I delayed for a long time, but this delay was meaningless…”

The Earthsea Orchids didn’t bloom, so she would leave the world with an unfinished agreement.

When she left Caleb, she wanted to travel around before she died and also to conceal the fact of her rapid aging. Nadine didn’t deceive her best friend. She did go to all the places they had planned, starting from dawn until the setting of dusk*, non-stop.

*By light of the stars and moons (披星戴月) Idiom referring working hard from morning until dusk.

Naturally, she had discovered the truth behind the agreement. “The Disappearance of the Earthsea Orchid” could always be found in larger libraries. Lisa’s mind was very easy to guess. Every time she thought of the other party’s trick, Nadine couldn’t help but raise the corners of her mouth. She, of course, wouldn’t give up on this joke-like agreement. She was going back to Caleb Village after all, and at that time, she still hoped to complete it.

Nadine stroked her cat in silence. Its hot abdomen covered her skinny knees, and it was heavy and soft. If she was honest, her return trip started earlier than she thought. It was because she was growing old too fast.

“I picked you up a few years ago, right?” She coughed a few times and pinched the cat’s ears. Caramel turned its head away and licked her fingertips. “You said you’re a good cat, so what are you doing running around in the desert?”

It should’ve been six years ago, when her journey had just ended. Nadine found that her teeth were beginning to loosen, her bones were becoming extremely fragile, and she was at risk of breaking her limbs if she fell. Her magic, which was not complete, began to decline rapidly, and the world in front of her became blurrier.

Her body was no longer suitable for traveling, so she chose to return to her home; to the grave she had decided in advance. Crossing the desert was her last adventure, and this adventure may have become her last memory that could be written into a letter. However, she unexpectedly didn’t encounter anything worth mentioning—except for a group of half-dead arthropod lizards.

In the middle of the desert six years ago, a group of arthropod lizards were biting each other’s tails, moving with difficulty on the hot sand that was almost scorching. Nadine knew that it was her natural enemy, so she subconsciously planned to stay away from them.

The arthropod lizards probably also smelled her, but they didn’t have any intention of approaching her or asking for help. The leader—who should have been the leader from first glance—hesitated for a moment, bit its tail, and fed its blood to the cubs in the team. The purple-black liquid fell on the hot sand, making a harsh hissing sound.

Nadine stopped.

The smell of blood reminded her of the ordinary girl that lay on the fence railing many years ago and the gift she received for the first time—the ugly wildflowers.

She hesitated in place for a few minutes, and finally walked over. The arthropod lizards stared at her in silence, motionless.

“Don’t touch me,” she said softly. “You happen to be you, and I happen to be me—I understand. Listen, I have no hostility.”

The witch raised her hand, and green vines drilled into the sand.

Plants knew how to find water sources better than any living thing. Soon there was a hint of water in the hot and dry air. The vines gradually opened the sand pit and built a root system, drawing in water from the ground. Specks of light began to appear in the pit, gradually being filled with more water. The arthropod lizards, which were like dead corpses, started to stir. Their neat line slowly spread out, and the lizards surrounded the puddle, sticking out their slender tongues to lick at the hard-earned water.

The biggest lizard’s tail was still dripping in blood. It approached her, hissing its tongue, with an eagerness in its four eyes.

“Well, I really want to touch you,” she said, pulling a smile on her wrinkled face, “but you’ll make me wither.”

It seemed to understand her words and immediately took a few steps back cautiously.

Nadine sighed and tightened the scarf around her neck. She turned around and continued to move towards her goal…

“Goodbye,” she said to it, casually waving her cane. “…No, I don’t think we’ll meet again.”

In her last adventure, there were no terrifying monsters that appeared, nor did she encounter any beautiful illusions like mirages. There was just this one small episode. She then successfully took over her house as a “grandmother” and quietly waited for her death.

It was the cat that ran to her by itself.

At that time, Nadine was looking for traces of the Earthsea Orchid in the desert ruins on the outskirts of the village. It wilted and ran in front of her with a hoarse and pitiful cry. At that time, it was covered with sand and gravel, as if it had just emerged from a pile of ruins. She looked at its hind feet dripping with blood and decided to take it back.

After that, she had a patient and obedient listener and a new friend.

“Do you think those lizards are still alive?” She was so old now that it was strenuous to recall her memories. “If they know how to protect that water source, they should be fine.”

The cat arched into her palm with its wet and cold nose. Nadine sighed slightly. The candle was about to burn out when the flame began to shake violently.

There was a knock on the door suddenly.

‘Perhaps Lopez changed his mind,’ she thought numbly. Her blood suddenly ran cold due to fear, but it didn’t matter. She was prepared.

“The door is unlocked,” she struggled to say aloud. “Come in.”

In a daze, she really thought it was Godwin Lopez who had come early, but when she turned her gaze, she found it was a young man in a simple shirt. Nadine realized that something was off.

“Mr. Ramon,” she said, failing to get up from the rocking chair. “What are you doing here?”

“…We have an idea, Ms. Nadine.” The young man wearing the black badge squatted down slightly in front of the rocking chair and held her thin hands. “We may be able to break the root system and remove your power.”

Nemo was right behind Oliver, so he could see very clearly. A hint of light flashed in the eyes of the old woman, and then it quickly went out, like the flickering candle beside her.

“I don’t want you to become enemies with Horizon,” she said softly. “It’ll be a similar sentence for you. You’re too young for this to be worth it.”

“If you lose your powers… According to the law, they don’t need to proceed against you anymore.” The female warrior had her arms crossed, but her voice was gentle. “Strictly speaking, this is not ‘going against Horizon’.”

“We just happened to find a way and there’s not much cost to it,” Oliver said patiently. “I don’t want to lie to you. The success rate is less than half, but at least it’s a way. We decided to fake your death in order to fool the root system.”

“I’m not the first person that wants to escape the curse of this race.” Nadine shook her head. “No one can see the roots.”

“I can.” Nemo found that his voice was unexpectedly calm. “I think you have noticed… I am indeed a ‘bigshot’. I can see it.”

Nadine was silent for a few seconds as she looked up and down at Nemo for a moment.

“…I can probably guess what you’re thinking,” the witch said with a trembling voice, “But… please go back.”

“Can I ask the reason?” Oliver’s expression had not changed, and his voice remained patient.

“I finally made my peace,” the witch said, with great difficulty. “I don’t want to see hope. I don’t want to embrace that idea of ‘I could have lived’ anymore. Thank you for your kindness. Considering the trouble that could arise, just let me…”

“Will you give it a try?” An equally trembling voice sounded. “Nadine, please.”

The witch, Nadine, shivered suddenly. She tremblingly took out her glasses and tried several times to put them on the bridge of her nose.

Lisa went around her back and gently put her arms around her neck. The female innkeeper buried her face in the thin shoulders of the “old woman” and tears slid into the witch’s collar.

“You liar,” she said hoarsely. “…You liar, Nadine. You always like to lie to me.”

The witch’s whole body shook like a dead leaf in the wind. She trembled so badly that she couldn’t even formulate complete words.

“You have always been my dream,” Lisa said softly. “Beautiful, amazing, and perfect, unlike the people in this world. Look at me… A serious illness, a war; I could easily die from them. But I’m still alive… I’m still alive, so you must be able to find a way to survive. “

Nadine tried several times and finally grabbed her best friend’s arm. “…Don’t say that.”

“I know I’ve been like this all my life, but you…” The female innkeeper raised her voice, “I believe that you, who I know dearly, clearly loves ‘living’ more than anyone I’ve ever met… Do you really want to leave? You promised me you wouldn’t forget me! How can you go first…?”

At the end, she almost broke down in tears. “Now someone is reaching out again. Can you… try to grab onto it?”

“…I didn’t lie to you.” The witch tightened her grip. “Those letters are all true. I have really seen them… I have seen so many things.”

There was choking in Nadine’s voice.

“I have indeed seen a dragon fall, and a mountain range that hangs upside down. It’s all true.” She finally began to cry. “But believe me, Lisa, you are the most special one. I’m sorry, I’m really scared.”

Muddy tears fell down her wrinkles.

“I want to live,” she said as her sobs became more obvious. Her composure finally cracked, and a trace of youth came out from the old skin. “Of course, I want to live, but it took me a long time to muster the courage to face this… If it fails… What should I do…”

“Shhh,” Lisa wiped away her tears and kissed the slightly withered white hair. “I’m here. It doesn’t matter if it fails. Even if…” She shivered, but her voice remained firm. “Even if Horizon comes, I will be there in your last moments. You don’t need to face this alone.”

[Would you like to be friends with me? . . . . . . . . Can I still come to see you?]

That “ordinary” girl truly never left her again. Perhaps she was far inferior to Lisa in keeping her promises.

Her life may have ended once, many years ago, when she closed herself off and made up her mind to cut gerbils for fun alone. Her world changed from a room without light to a yard full of sunshine, and she decided to stop there. Then a hand grabbed her and pulled her out of that narrow yard.

Would there be a miracle this time? If the “most special person” was here, did she have a chance to see a completely different world? Perhaps… Nadine clenched the warm arm and thought in a daze… Maybe it was her turn to ask the questions this time.

“Can I try?”

“Of course.”

“Even now?”

“Even now.” Lisa rubbed her eyes hard, showing a reluctant smile. “You are still… good-looking and amazing. You can do anything. Have you forgotten?”

“Then… Sorry, I… I still want to give it a try.” Nadine turned to Oliver’s direction. She was still holding Lisa’s arm tightly, and her voice was trembling badly. “Please help me, Mr. Ramon.”

“I don’t want to die.”

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