Volume 4, Chapter 86 – The Eve of Chaos

Blossom.

An unremarkable, slightly dilapidated street.

Just like the past few days, the streets and rooftops were covered in a blanket of white snow. A sparse number of horses and pedestrians walked on the streets, the white mist from their breaths reinforcing the concept of “cold.” Even just looking at it, one could feel the biting winter chill.

“Cough, cough.”

Curled up on an old sofa by the stove, Clark coughed like a seriously ill patient. Chiharu, sitting opposite him, frowned but was helpless. She could only smack her lips and continue to hang the washed, wet clothes on the back of a chair, relying on the heat from the stove to dry them—the autumn and winter seasons in Blossom were like this. If wet clothes were hung outside, they would freeze into a solid block in a short while. She had experienced the feeling of going out with wet wolf ears; the sub-zero temperatures had almost frozen them off.

“Cough, cough, cough, cough.”

Clark continued to cough. Chiharu’s frown deepened. She felt as if a family member had a terminal illness and was constantly crying out in pain, yet she could do nothing but watch. She didn’t want to stand by idly, but she could only stand by idly. Her heart felt as if it were being roasted on a red-hot iron plate.

Finally unable to bear his constant coughing, she steeled herself, took out a pill from the wooden tube she carried with her, stood up, and handed it to him along with a cup of water.

“Take it.”

“Th… thank you…”

Clark raised his head with difficulty, his expression filled with gratitude and urgency. These pills could alleviate his pain and revitalize his body, which was like a broken-down machine. However, they were not without a price. They would accelerate the aging of his body, equivalent to expending future life to mend the present. It was for this reason that Chiharu strictly managed his use of them. In fact, if not for her restraint, he might have already completely overdrawn his life force and would not be alive now.

Watching him, his hands trembling like a drug addict in withdrawal, quickly pop the pill into his mouth, Chiharu let out a long sigh.

“Is the day almost here?”

“…What day?”

Without looking at her, Clark, who had just drunk the water, just closed his eyes and lay back down, feeling the bitter pill dissolve in his stomach, the comfortable sensation of mana re-moisturizing his body.

Chiharu’s previously swaying wolf tail suddenly stopped. She raised her eyebrows, a hint of anger in her expression.

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“What do you mean, ‘what day’? Don’t you still not trust me? Do you think I’ll talk?”

She was asking about the time Clark and Fia had discussed for fetching Veronica.

Ever since he had returned from the Eldest Princess’s a few days ago, the once-unkempt Clark with his decadent eyes had become a different person. Not only had he shaved his stubble, but his clothes were also finally decent. If the former Clark could be described as a drunkard who drank all day, then the current him was a young merchant who had to meet with important guests every day. What was more convincing was that he used to go to the Royal Castle gate every day to check on the situation with the Imperial Guard, but now he didn’t go out at all. Besides the princess having promised him that she would get Veronica out, Chiharu could think of no other possibility.

It was just that when she asked him about it, he was always vague, with a look that pleaded with her not to ask any further, which was infuriating.

“Hah…” Clark let out a long breath. The man who had been sickly a moment ago was now full of life. He tensed his abdomen and shot up from the sofa. “I will tell you the answer in the future. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but that the situation is special.”

“What’s so special about you?”

Without answering her, Clark just looked at the floor. He suddenly said with a serious expression.

“Chiharu, if I die, I hope you will, as Veronica promised me, find another person you like. The lifespan of a werewolf, although not as long as an elf’s, is longer than mine. You still have a lot of time. You shouldn’t waste it on me.”

“Oh, is this a last will and testament? The princess is willing to help you. What else are you not at ease about?” Chiharu snorted on the surface, but the hand that was hanging the clothes trembled. She gave a light huff and said brazenly, “So you’ve had a change of heart and have accepted me?”

“Tsk.”

Clark clicked his tongue. Because Chiharu was facing the stove to dry the clothes, and he had been lying with his head facing the stove, when he got up, the two of them were facing away from each other. Although he couldn’t see her expression, this actually emboldened him. He rubbed his hands together gently, still looking at the floor.

“I was not mature enough in the past, always living in hatred, only thinking about getting Veronica out of the palace. The result is that after a hundred years, I’m still in this pathetic state, ignoring the people around me. I’ve thought it through these past few days. It’s not right for us to keep dragging this on, and I don’t have the courage or the face to drive you away. If not for you, Chiharu, I would have probably died in some unknown corner long ago. I would not have been able to see Veronica without you. So… although I’m saying this very late, and I haven’t asked for her opinion, I can only make this choice. Chiharu, will you marry—”

“Hmph.”

Before he could finish his sentence, Chiharu snorted impolitely. Of course, she wanted him to finish the sentence, but she also knew that he couldn’t. Who knew if Veronica could accept her? Once this sentence was said, there was no turning back. Then Clark would be caught in the middle, a man torn between two women.

She had seen clearly how much he was obsessed with Veronica. Instead of making everyone unhappy in the end, it was better for her to take a step back. It didn’t matter if she didn’t have this title. As long as she knew in her heart that she had already gotten what she wanted, she would be content. Although this was not a monogamous world, for her, an ordinary beast-kin, to compete with an elf royal, she knew without even thinking that she would lose.

For this reason, she answered in a very impolite tone.

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“You should say these things after Veronica comes back, to save a lot of trouble. I hate indecisive scenes.”

“Even if Veronica is unwilling, I will persuade her. This is what I owe you.”

What a fool.

Although she said this in her heart, her eyes, which were looking at the fire, quietly welled up with crystalline tears. In order not to let him notice, she did not wipe them away, but continued to pretend to be tough.

“I never said you had to repay me. Besides, what I hope is that you like me as a person, not that you have to acknowledge me because you feel you owe me. If it’s the latter, then there’s no need.”

“Chiharu, you don’t have to think for me. This is what you deserve. I can’t repay the debt I owe you even if I die—”

Creak.

Before he could finish, the door suddenly opened. The two people sitting on the sofa and the stool immediately stood up and looked over. However, they found that there was nothing at the door. It seemed that just a gust of wind and snow had pushed the door open.

What bad timing.

Clark cursed in his heart. He got up from the sofa to close the door, but just as his hand was on the doorknob, a tall figure appeared at the entrance, and his vision suddenly darkened.

“Who?!”

Almost instantly, Clark took a step back and entered a combat stance. However, when he saw who it was, the hand on the hilt of his sword relaxed a little. Although the other party was not to be trusted, she was his acquaintance.

Clark frowned.

“What are you doing here?”

“I figured you’d be needing me, so I came over.”

Without waiting for him to step aside, the newcomer squeezed into the room from between him and the door. If Fia were here, she would surely have recognized this alluring, tall woman. This demon with black dragon wings and long, flowing crimson hair was the same Darkborn who had been monitoring her to no avail and had been beaten half to death by her.

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Helian, and also Herian, who had been by Prince Schain’s side, playing the role of his confidant.

The reason Erin Slate and Colita had not found him among the bodies of the failed coup was because that Herian had been her in disguise.

As if she were walking in her own home, Helian sat down on the back of the sofa as soon as she entered. Although she was a demon as tall as Clark, about one meter eighty, she did not make the single sofa tip over when she sat on its back, which gave one a strong sense of dissonance.

“What are you doing here? You are not welcome here. Get out!”

Revealing her hostility without reservation, Chiharu’s wolf ears shot up. Her hands were already on the two short swords slung diagonally across her back, ready to strike at any moment.

But an opponent of her level could not pose any threat to Helian. If she wanted to, she could kill her in front of Clark at any time. Dressed like a succubus, Helian covered her mouth and laughed.

“Hehehe, little sister Chiharu, don’t be so anxious. Hear me out first. The Sovereign’s avatar in Silvar has been retrieved. He can leave at any time. At that time, I will also go to the southern continent with him. Then, even if you want to find me, it will be difficult for me to respond. The opportunity is right before you. You have also tried the thing I gave you. You both know how effective it is. If you don’t use it now, you’ll never have the chance to use it again after I leave.”

As she spoke, Helian, who was swinging her slender legs gently, turned her gaze to Clark, her charming, deep purple eyes filled with a smile.

“Even I have difficulty using magic in the [Citadel of Silence] in the Royal Castle, let alone you, Clark, and little sister Chiharu here. Besides using the thing I gave you, I can’t think of any other way for you to rescue your beloved. Admittedly, some people will die in the process, but that should be counted on the Elf King’s head. If not for him snatching your wife, you would not have been forced to this point. You are truly in love. The Elf King has no right to interfere, does he? Besides, these elves are in league with him. They deserve to die. Isn’t it much better to think of it this way?”

“Clark won’t listen to the words of something like you, let alone be bewitched by you to harm the innocent!”

With the sharp sound of a weapon being unsheathed, Chiharu suddenly drew her weapons from her back. The two short swords, like venomous fangs, lunged at Helian. However, she, who was sitting on the back of the sofa, disappeared without any warning. The two short swords missed their mark and plunged into the wooden board.

Subconsciously, Chiharu put force into the swords, trying to pull them out to pursue, but a cold thing soon rested on her face. The coldness and immense pressure it emitted forced her to stop. She felt as if she were carrying a thousand-pound weight. Not only was it difficult to breathe, but her whole body was also squeezed by the immense pressure to the point where she couldn’t even bend her fingers.

However, what was resting on her face was just Helian’s slender, succubus-like tail. The Helian from just now had, as if she had used [Teleport], appeared behind her in the blink of an eye.

Taking advantage of the fact that she did not dare to move, Helian’s cold fingers gently stroked her chin, her movements and the curve of her hand as if she were appraising a slave, giving her not a shred of dignity.

“No wonder you can’t get Clark’s heart. He likes a delicate and weak princess like Veronica. How can a beast-kin like you, who is both rude and doesn’t take good care of your skin, get his heart? If you can’t control your mouth, you can’t control your life. Remember that.”

Helian slowly withdrew her flexible tail, then gently pushed her back with her right hand. Although it didn’t look like she had used much force, Chiharu was thrown forward several stumbles and fell into the sofa. If she hadn’t been a beast-kin with a strong body, she would have surely been sent flying.

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“Chiharu!” Clark immediately ran over from the door, his azure eyes filled with hostility as he looked at her. “What do you think you’re doing!”

“Oh? This reaction, could it be that you’ve accepted this beast-kin?” Helian covered her mouth unhurriedly, a look of surprise on her face. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t know your relationship had changed. Humans are indeed creatures that change on a whim. Compared to you, we demons are even considered faithful.”

She waved her hand and said with a smile.

“I just came to kindly inform you that I will be leaving at any time. If you don’t use the thing I gave you now, you will never have the chance to use it again. Time waits for no man. I am only willing to help you because the Eldest Princess is our common enemy. I would be very happy to add a little fun to her peaceful life. After this is over, it will be good for both of us, won’t it?”

“You…”

As if he were struggling with whether to agree to her, Clark’s brow furrowed tightly. Chiharu at the side had an anxious look on her face.

“Don’t listen to her! Don’t forget what we saw on that plain! If you create an abyss in Blossom, half the city’s people will be displaced!”

“Anyway, those people are your enemies. It doesn’t matter if they die. Don’t forget that if you go out now, those people will still, because of the Sinner’s Mark on your face, inform Yelido of your whereabouts. I think they would be very happy to receive a reward from him. Everything you do is for Veronica. By the way, I can add another condition. If you let the abyss affect the Holy Tree, I will personally make the decision to change you and Veronica into one of our dragon-type great demons. Then you will no longer have to worry about your lifespan.”

“No longer have to worry about my lifespan? Are you serious?”

Seeing that the long-hesitant Clark had been intrigued by her, the smile on Helian’s face grew much wider. She could almost see him taking the bait.

“That’s right. The lifespan of our dragon-type great demons is over a thousand years, even longer than elves. A Sixth-Rank practitioner is not something you can find anywhere. You have made a great contribution to our experiment. The Sovereign will appreciate you. How about it? You just have to maximize the Seed of Hope that creates the abyss, and you can get both Veronica and a long lifespan.”

“I have a question. Why don’t you use this thing called the Seed of Hope yourself?”

Helian’s eyebrows rose slightly.

“The aura of the Darkborn in me is too obvious. I will be discovered the moment I get close to the princess. But you are different. You are human. But you can rest assured. After you have used the Seed of Hope, I will support you—also to see the panicked look on the princess’s face. The time for the Seed of Hope’s power to be maximized is at the new moon, that is, in two days. Don’t miss it. I’m counting on you.”

Ignoring Chiharu’s warning gaze, Helian walked to Clark’s side. She smiled and, like a superior, lightly patted his shoulder. Then, without waiting for his reply, she walked out the door with elegant steps.