Volume 4, Chapter 79 – A Journey in the Snow and Wind

The light slipped through the window, illuminating the mottled walls and ceiling.

This was an ordinary civilian house. The wall near the stove was scorched black from long-term smoke, and the other walls were dotted with gray or black spots—traces left by wiping sweaty and muddy hands. They weren’t conspicuous on their own, but without regular cleaning, they would gather more and more dust in the dark and damp environment, eventually breeding mold.

Under such conditions where the owner rarely tidied up, the room naturally had a smell like a dead rat and rotting food scraps in a corner. In addition, there was the stale body odor of a man and the musty smell of a quilt. If an ordinary person were not mentally prepared, they would surely gag the moment they stepped inside.

And in this filthy room, a man was struggling on a messy bed. His breathing was rapid, as if he were fighting a demon. His legs kicked randomly, and his hands waved about. A few seconds later, he suddenly let out a terrified cry and shot up from the bed.

“Argh!!!”

And then, because he was too tall, the man with choppy blue hair and sharp eyes slammed his head into the ceiling, making the whole room tremble.

“Ugh… a dream.”

Although his head had hit the wall hard, Clark didn’t care. As if waking from a dream, he held his head with his right hand and slowly sat back on the bed, his eyes staring into the void. After a long while, he smacked his lips and returned to reality.

Then, he quickly noticed that the light in the room was too bright. The room he had rented only had candlelight; it couldn’t be this bright. He turned his head and looked down at the street through the glass window, his pupils instantly shrinking.

It was snowing.

The rooftops and streets were dyed white by the heavy snow. The vast white world was exactly the same as his dream just now, except that before he had been living in a luxurious palace, and now he was holed up in a cheap and hidden inn.

Nearly a month had passed since he had arrived in Blossom, and it had even been snowing for several days. Yet he still hadn’t finished his preliminary preparations. According to his original plan, he should have already taken Veronica and fled to the border of Silvar by now. But now, he hadn’t even figured out the changing of the guard schedule in the Royal Castle, and was at a loss as to how to proceed.

A hundred years ago, the defense of the Imperial Guard was not this tight at all. It was all because of that elf named Erin Slate that they had become so disciplined. Clark cursed in his heart. Although she, like him, was an exile, she had chosen to become a running dog of the royal family. It was despicable.

That being said, it was a fact that it was difficult to sneak into the Royal Castle. Even after squatting for nearly a month, he couldn’t figure out the pattern of their guard changes, as if their schedule changed with Erin Slate’s mood.

Not only that, but there were other difficulties in his way. If it were just the unpredictable guard changes, he could at least, based on his past experience, sneak into the castle by hiding in the supply carts that transported ingredients in the early morning. However, the recent coup by the Northern Prince, Aldrich, had made all the inspections much stricter. If he tried to sneak in by hiding in a cart, the probing rapiers would surely poke him full of holes. In addition, with the [Citadel of Silence] that prohibited all magic, the entire Royal Castle was like an iron bucket in his eyes. It was impossible to get in by normal means.

These past few days, he had thought more than once that if Aldrich had told him about the coup in advance, or if he had found him beforehand and said he could help, he might have been able to sneak into the castle during the chaos, find where Veronica was being held, and take her away.

However, there were no “ifs” in life. He had already missed the best opportunity. And because of the Darkborn that had suddenly appeared in the capital a few days ago, the alert level had been raised even higher. It was possible that he would not have a chance to sneak in until the end of this year.

Dammit.

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Clark cursed in his heart. He actually had something close to a trump card, which was also his biggest asset for this trip. But unless it was absolutely necessary, he did not want to use such a heaven-offending, shameful method. The crimes committed by Yelido should be borne by him and his running dogs. The common people were innocent. He did not hate the ordinary elves living in Blossom and was unwilling to use that trump card.

The reason that demon had appeared in the Royal Castle was to force him into a corner. He had met with that female demon, who had almost lost half her life, a few days ago. He understood what the Darkborn were thinking. But now he had not yet been discovered by Yelido. He still had a chance. He was unwilling to be played in the palm of their hands like this.

I’ll continue to observe the situation with the Imperial Guard today. As long as I observe long enough, I’ll figure out their schedule sooner or later.

At this thought, Clark stood up and got dressed—a few simple and dirty single-layered clothes. Such attire was not enough to withstand the severe winter of Blossom, but he had experienced colder environments in his battles with various monsters. A few degrees below zero was not enough to make him shiver.

Knock, knock.

Just as he was about to leave, a knock suddenly came from the door. His spirits lifted, and he subconsciously picked up the slender weapon by his bed. Years of being a fugitive had taught him the habit of waking up at the slightest sound. He squinted his eyes and stared at the crack in the door for a good while. It wasn’t until the person outside made a sound that the vigilance in his eyes slowly receded.

“It’s me.”

It was Chiharu.

Clark breathed a sigh of relief and put down his long saber.

“Come in. The door’s not locked.”

Along with the cold wind that poured into the room, a werewolf woman with gray wolf ears and messy gray hair stepped in. She first frowned at the foul smell in the room, then quickly walked in and opened all the windows to let the air circulate.

“With the windows closed so tightly, are you trying to suffocate yourself in this broken inn?”

“…”

He did not answer with words. He just stepped aside and watched her bustle about, helping him tidy up his clothes and bedding.

Ever since he and Chiharu had that one night, he had found it difficult to find an excuse to get rid of her, and she had stayed by his side brazenly. So many years had passed, and he had grown accustomed to her helping him with his daily chores. But now that he was near Veronica, the long-buried sense of guilt rose from the bottom of his heart again. He did not know how to face Veronica, nor how he should face Chiharu after he had brought her out. If Veronica disliked her, could he drive her away? The answer was unknown.

He could only try his best not to do anything that would let Veronica down. Except for that one night, he had never had any physical intimacy with her. And to prevent that from happening again, he would deliberately get two rooms when they stayed at an inn. If she insisted on sleeping in his room, he would rather sleep on the street. Of course, these things could not change the unease in his heart.

As if she felt that the silent atmosphere was too awkward, Chiharu, who was making the bed, said casually.

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“That Eldest Princess really has some ability. These past few days, I’ve seen the Holy Tree bud little by little with my own eyes. Now it no longer has that withered and desolate look. It’s completely changed.”

Clark frowned slightly.

“Don’t mention her to me.”

“Don’t you care about Ana? If the princess lives a good life, Ana can also enjoy it. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed Ana’s attitude towards the princess. An ordinary subordinate would not make their own father kneel down and apologize to their superior. It’s about time you let go of the past. The princess doesn’t even remember who you are, yet you still cling to it. In the end, it was Yelido’s mistake. Ana was right about one thing. No one is born into this world willingly. She didn’t want to be born into such a family either.”

“Who would hate to be born into the royal family? Not to mention that Yelido dotes on her in every way.”

At the mention of Anastasia, the impatience on Clark’s face grew even stronger. He recalled what he had done in the carriage—he clearly knew that without the princess, he and his daughter would have frozen to death in the Land of Exile. Yet not only did he not thank her, but he had even cursed her. He was not acting like a man at all, and it was deeply shameful.

At that time, I should have apologized to Anastasia first. To bring an outside woman before her, I have let both her and her mother down. But the fact is, I messed everything up, just because I couldn’t control my emotions. How pathetic.

With this thought in his heart, his hatred for Yelido did not support him to soften his words. He turned his head away.

“Ana is an adult. She has her own life. I have wronged her, and I will not interfere in her life anymore. But to ask me to like Yelido’s daughter out of association is absolutely impossible. I have already apologized to her. I will not concede any more.”

“I’m not asking you to like her. I’m just asking you to face some things. I know you have your principles, otherwise you wouldn’t have made no move until now. But there is a better way to solve this. Since the princess has forgotten the past, maybe if you just plead with her, she will help you get Veronica out. She is not an unreasonable person. Otherwise, she would not have promised me back then that she would pretend not to have met us. Maybe she also feels in her heart that her father did something wrong.”

“You want me to beg her?”

Chiharu, who had finished making the bed, turned around and sat on it. She looked at his angry, wide-eyed expression and brazenly crossed one leg.

“Hmph. If you can’t bring yourself to do it, I can beg her for you.”

“No. I won’t allow it.”

“Are you ordering me? You treat me like a strange woman, yet now you’re ordering me? Or do you see me as your property?”

As if to provoke him, she straightened her back and grabbed his collar. As a werewolf woman, she was tall, so even when she was pulling his collar, his waist did not have to bend too much.

However, this did not change his frown of displeasure. He tried to push her hand away and warned in a deep voice.

“Don’t go too far.”

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“Then how long are you going to drag this out? Even with life-extending magic potions, you don’t have long to live. Sneaking into the Royal Castle is a distant dream. I don’t want to wait until you’re dead and I still can’t have any offspring.”

We were just a mistake.

Clark really wanted to say that, but he couldn’t. He subconsciously felt that he had no right to say it. Unless he had decisively abandoned her after that one-night stand, the word “mistake” would be like a joke. After all, it was because he had tacitly allowed her to follow him that she was able to sit before him now.

She did not continue to give him a hard time. She gradually let go of his collar, her tone softening, her gaze shifting to the side.

“If Veronica doesn’t like me, I will choose to leave even without you saying so. Werewolf women are never indecisive. I just want a result. You have no need to feel guilty. I was the one who took advantage of you back then. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here today. If it’s not suitable, we’ll just part ways. I will help you get her out until I get an answer. As for what happens after, we’ll talk about it then.”

Clark lowered his head and was silent for a long time.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Instead of an apology, I’d rather you take some practical action. If it were a man of our wolf tribe, he would now be saying, ‘I will persuade Veronica to let you stay by my side.’ The people of the outside world are so indecisive, even getting married takes half a day.”

At this, Chiharu glanced at him again.

She actually had one more thing to say. The reason she had decided to sneak out of the village back then was because of this devotion of his. This was one of the things she liked about him—although she had destroyed it with her own despicable means.

She let out a helpless sigh and stood up from the bed.

“What do you want to eat? Before I came in, I think I heard you call out Veronica’s name. Were you having that dream in the snow again?”

“I—”

Tap, tap.

He had just opened his mouth when they suddenly heard footsteps outside the door. Although they were staying at an inn, this was not an ordinary inn. As he had the Sinner’s Mark on his face, if he were noticed, he would soon be reported by the elves. So they could only, through the introduction of people from the black market, stay in a residential house that also served as an inn. The conditions were poor, but the privacy was good. There were not many people living in the entire building.

It was for this reason that the footsteps sounded extremely piercing. The two of them unconsciously reached for their weapons, their eyes fixed on the door. Chiharu’s wolf ears even stood up straight.

As the footsteps stopped in front of their door, their vigilance reached its peak. Clark was even already gathering mana in his long saber, ready to attack at any moment.

And then, the door clicked open. The other party opened it. As the wind and snow poured into the room, three figures appeared before them.

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Although all three of them were wearing hoods and thick cloaks, some of their physical features had already told Clark their identities. Two of them were his acquaintances, elves with pointed ears—the black-haired, red-eyed Eldest Princess, and the golden-haired, blue-eyed guard with a mithril rapier at her waist, Anastasia.

How could the Eldest Princess be here?

As this question rose in his heart, his vigilance also lessened a little. Although he knew Anastasia didn’t see him as her father, seeing his daughter appear before him, he still subconsciously relaxed his guard.

He gradually relaxed his grip on his long saber. As the wind that poured into the room was exceptionally dry, he had to keep blinking to confirm their appearances, until Fia raised her hand to signal Anastasia to close the door and took off her hood, revealing the exquisite smile underneath.

“Long time no see, Clark.”

“…”

Although they were the same red eyes as Yelido’s, Clark couldn’t help but be moved by this absolute beauty. In his memory, Veronica, as a royal, also had the same beautiful, ruby-like eyes as Fia. Through her appearance, he seemed to see Veronica herself. The only difference was that Veronica’s smile was more innocent, while Fia’s seemed to be hiding something.

He understood that she had not just come to greet him. Especially the human woman beside her, she made him feel fear. He lowered his body slightly, maintaining a posture where he could attack at any moment.

“What are you here for? To take me before Yelido for a reward?”

“If I wanted to capture you, I would not have come personally. I just wanted to catch up, and also to offer a suggestion to resolve past grievances.”

“Grievances—”

Was she trying to aid a tyrant, to get rid of him for Yelido?

Clark drew his long saber a little, but Chiharu grabbed his hand before he could make a move. Unlike his suspicion, she asked Fia in a friendly, probing tone.

“…Your Highness doesn’t intend to do anything to us, right?”

“I did indeed promise you that I would turn a blind eye and not get involved in the past. But I have thought about it for a long time and feel that some mistakes are better corrected early. It is most appropriate for me to cut them off. It is time to give both sides a clean slate. Besides the three of us on this trip, no one else knows my whereabouts. You can rest assured.”

Fia’s gaze bypassed Chiharu and fell on the grim-faced Clark.

“If you don’t want to die with regrets, then follow me outside. I don’t want to talk in a place like this dog kennel.”