Volume 4, Chapter 95 – A Century-Long End Point

His plan to meet with Veronica was to be carried out behind Yelido’s back. If he were to admit here that the Eldest Princess had brought him to the Holy Tree, it would be pushing the trouble onto her. Although she was his enemy’s daughter, he now understood that this father and daughter were two different people. The Eldest Princess had shown him kindness; they had to be viewed separately.

“Hmph.” Yelido snorted at Clark’s answer. “You flew here from the desolate land all by yourself? Do you take all the royalty to be as gullible as Veronica?”

Clark’s eyes instantly sharpened.

“I have never deceived Veronica!”

“You know better than anyone whether you’ve played any tricks! A hundred years have passed, yet you still dare to come to Blossom. Do you really think I wouldn’t dare to kill you just because she threatened me with her life?!”

“Veronica has already made it very clear. You were just wishfully thinking that she would be with you. The person she loves is me!”

“Wishful thinking?”

Unable to contain his anger, Yelido was in front of him in an instant. He grabbed him by the collar, his fiery red eyes staring daggers at him.

“If not for you, she and I could have been happy together! And what can you give her? You coward, you don’t even have the courage to duel me, yet now you’re claiming you haven’t deceived her?! It is because of you that she has become what she is today!”

Faced with the accusation, Clark laughed in anger. Although there was a huge gap between them in both strength and status, he did not grovel. His death today was already a foregone conclusion. He might as well say what needed to be said.

He unceremoniously pushed Yelido away with both hands, the force so great that it even tore his own collar.

“Because of me? What a joke! The reason she is like this is because of you! It was you who imprisoned her! My family could have lived a life envied by all! It was your appearance, your wishful thinking and selfishness that destroyed everything! And now you’re trying to shift the blame to others? How shameless!”

“I did not accept your duel back then, but that was because I was looking for a new shelter for her! It was impossible for me to make it back in the time you had set! Even when we were in exile, she still saw you as her older brother! And how have you responded to her now! You are the root of all evil, Yelido!”

“Heh heh.”

Yelido was stunned for a moment, then quickly sneered. He did not accept his explanation. If he had really been unable to accept his duel because he was short on time, then he should have explained all of this when Fia had brought him and Anastasia back to the Royal Castle. But he had not done so.

A golden spear with the same glow as the Holy Tree appeared in his hand, his naturally authoritative face filled with a cold intent.

“I have not killed you for only one question. Why did you dare to come here?”

“To save Veronica.”

Without responding with words, Yelido, under the moonlight, just narrowed his eyes, as if to search for a clue in Clark’s azure eyes, his gaze fixed on him. Just as he had said, the reason he had not killed him under the Holy Tree was, one, because he was unwilling to mix private and public affairs, and two, because he had to know his purpose for coming here. He did not understand why he had dared to come back.

In his mind, Clark was already a dead man. He had no noble status and could not have obtained so many life-extending magic potions. Yet now, although he was very different from before, he was standing before him, alive.

Whether it was the scar on his face or the lean muscles of his bare arms, they all told of the great changes that had happened to this man. The sharp aura in his eyes was as if he had experienced countless life and death battles. Even in the face of him, the king who could kill him at any moment, he did not show the slightest fear. This made him feel some confusion and bewilderment, because this did not overlap with the cowardly Clark in his impression.

He tried to find a flaw in his eyes, but Clark just lowered his body slightly and drew his long saber a part of the way from its sheath, maintaining a posture where he could fight at any moment. This was clearly a characteristic of a man who had battle engraved in his muscles.

Could it be that the truth was as he had said, that he had come for Veronica? But the strength of a mid-Sixth-Rank, even without comparing it to his own, could be subdued by the Imperial Guard of the Royal Castle alone. To come and rescue her alone was a foolish act of a moth flying into a flame. Besides, how could there be a person who would not give up on something they could not have even after a hundred years?

No…

Yelido quickly negated himself.

Because he himself was that person who would not give up on something he could not have even after a hundred years. The fact was that even now, he still held out hope for Veronica, thinking that she would have a change of heart. He couldn’t help but think, if his and Clark’s positions were switched, with his concern for her, he would also have definitely chosen to come to this dangerous Elf Royal Castle, because in this matter, there was no room for cowardice.

Then, the answer was already very clear.

In fact, when he had been wondering why Clark had dared to return to Blossom, dared to appear before him, he had already vaguely had the result in his heart—there was nothing in the entire elf race that was worth his attachment. Besides coming to find Veronica, who was imprisoned in the Royal Castle and could not go out as she pleased, there could be no other option.

It was precisely because he had subconsciously guessed this answer long ago that he had, at this critical moment after the disaster, put aside public affairs and brought this man he looked down on to this place.

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Although his opponent was the Clark he had always looked down on and hated, their shared persistence made the contempt in Yelido’s eyes lessen a little. He stood firm, holding his long spear, and asked in an unprecedentedly serious tone.

“You still haven’t given up on Veronica?”

“If not for her, I would not have struggled to survive until today.”

“…”

Yelido was silent for a moment. He took two steps back, the long spear in his hand pointing at the high-spirited Clark, whose eyes were burning with battle intent. And correspondingly, his own eyes were also filled with resentment and hostility for the man before him.

There was no need to say what needed to be done.

The duel that could not be completed a hundred years ago would be continued at this moment. This was both for their own dignity, and for what they had been chasing for a hundred years.

As if to give a signal for the two of them, the full moon that was emitting a bright, cold light was suddenly covered by a dark cloud. At the same time, large snowflakes like goose feathers began to fall from the sky again.

And then, the two of them, at the same time, rushed towards each other.

The earth exploded one after another, and the sound of weapons clashing violently was also incessant. In order to pursue the ultimate attack speed, neither of them chose to chant magic, but relied purely on non-chanted Martial Skills combined with physical strength and reaction speed to fight. The bright light of sparks frequently illuminated the lightless snowy night. When the battle reached its most intense moment, the two’s reaction speed could no longer keep up with the other’s attack speed; they could only rely on instinct to evade and counterattack.

The sound of weapons tearing through clothes and the sight of blood falling on the snow followed.

Clark’s guess had not been wrong. Yelido had consumed a large amount of mana to suppress the Holy Tree, and because of the tree’s disappearance, had lost its blessing. Under these two negative effects, his strength was greatly reduced compared to usual. Especially the disappearance of the blessings, which made it difficult for him to adapt for a moment. And this had given Clark an opportunity. He was not destined to lose.

The strength of a Sixth-Rank was not much in front of Fia, but among ordinary people, he was already at the top. In order to seek strength, he had fought high-rank monsters countless times. His fighting skills had been engraved in his instincts. As long as it was not an attack on a vital point, it didn’t matter if he didn’t evade. And in return, he would surely bite off a piece of his opponent’s flesh.

As a result, the battle soon became a fight between two maddened lions.

They met attack with attack, without regard for the consequences.

If their own vital points were to be attacked, then they would use the same means to fight back, forcing the other to retract their attack. Otherwise, they would both be injured. Even the gladiators in the arena would not choose this kind of fighting style that was infinitely close to mutual destruction.

“Hah!”

Flicking away Clark’s long saber with the butt of his spear, Yelido seized the opening on his chest and, using the pommel as a point, thrust it forcefully at his chest.

However, what Yelido had not expected was that at the last possible moment, Clark had once again brought the deflected long saber horizontally in front of him. Under his skillful control, as his body bent backwards, the spear deviated from its trajectory and stabbed diagonally upwards along the blade of the saber.

Then, the crouching and passive Clark’s hands lit up with a gray flame. Yelido had seen this terrifying magic in the previous battle. If not for the fact that his long spear was not a real object, but was condensed from an enchanted blade, his weapon would have been destroyed by that one strike.

He could not let him use it.

[Dragon’s Power].

A layer of black mist wrapped around the golden long spear. Then, the force in his hands suddenly rose by several levels. The original thrust was changed to a downward pressure. The sudden and fierce force made Clark’s whole body tremble, and he almost failed to catch it. However, if he could not catch this strike, his head would be snapped off along with his chest. He could only give up on using magic and instead grit his teeth and, in the disadvantageous posture of being bent over, endure this strike.

A pure contest of strength.

As his posture made it impossible for him to exert his strength, Clark’s arms and thighs trembled violently. Even though the veins on his arms were bulging, and his face was flushed with exertion and covered in sweat, he still could not change the fate of his arms being slowly pushed down.

“Even without my blessings, you are no match for me! I am the one who is qualified to protect Veronica!”

Just as Yelido had said, even without his blessings, he was in the upper hand in this battle. A comparison of the wounds on their bodies would show that Clark was covered in cuts from the long spear, and the blood that flowed out had soaked through his thin clothes, while although he was also covered in wounds, most of them were very shallow.

“I will take back what is mine!”

As if he were pronouncing his death sentence, the force in Yelido’s hands increased by another point. Clark was like a teetering suspension bridge, his arms pushed to a position where they were about to be pressed against his chest.

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“In—your—dreams!”

Clark’s eyes widened. As if he had been enraged by him, he gritted his teeth, and the gray flame that Yelido had seen before rose from his entire body. It was just that this time, the flame did not fly out from his body, but instead, as if it were using him as fuel, clung to his skin and burned fiercely.

Then, he was like a different person. A powerful aura emanated from him. And the long spear that had been slowly moving down was now slowly and steadily pushed back by him. Even the surrounding snowflakes were disturbed by his aura and danced wildly.

Astonishing power.

What did he do?

“Hah—ah!”

While Yelido was in a state of surprise and doubt, Clark finally rose up and pushed him away. He straightened his back and, like a person who had almost been drowned, panted heavily. Although his clothes were tattered, and the snow was covered in his blood, the eyes under his messy blue hair were still bright and full of hatred.

Like a wild beast.

In an instant, the Clark in his vision disappeared.

The vigilance in his heart rose to its peak. Yelido used all his strength to sense the changes around him. And then, he caught the sound of wind from his right and subconsciously blocked with his long spear.

With a loud clang, he felt his body suddenly lighten. Then, the scenery in his vision began to spin rapidly, and his brain was filled with a wave of dizziness.

Was I sent flying?

He instantly realized his situation. His heart sank, and he tried his best to remain calm. In this state, he no longer had the certainty of victory against Clark, and even had only a sixty percent chance of winning. These strange gray flames had greatly enhanced his physical ability, to the point where a Sixth-Rank Clark could keep up with his Seventh-Rank self.

In the past hundred-plus years, this man had not wasted his time.

A pity that compared to him, he was still far too weak.

Steeling himself, Yelido quickly got up from the snow with the help of [Flight]—for Clark not to have pursued him at this time was a huge mistake. As he was feeling glad for this in his mind, he found that Clark was kneeling on one knee in the snow and coughing violently. He looked like an old man with a lung disease, his life about to come to an end. If not for the long saber supporting his body, he would have surely fallen backwards.

No wonder he hadn’t pursued him. He had already lost his fighting ability.

It must have been a side effect of that gray flame just now. Yelido already had the answer in his heart. Putting aside the intense consumption of the previous battle and the blood he had lost, first of all, a spell that could raise a person’s combat power from the Sixth to the Seventh Rank would have a huge side effect. This was the rule of magic. The greater the increase in power, the greater the price.

This battle was already over.

The tension that had just risen in Yelido slowly subsided. He raised his long spear and, with a crunching sound of snow, came before Clark.

He did not pull him up, but placed the tip of his spear on the shoulder of the still-coughing man.

This was a duel.

Since he had come here, it meant that he was prepared. For this man who had snatched his fiancée and had destroyed his long-held dream, he had already given him enough of a chance.

Yelido said coldly.

“You lose.”

“Hmph. It’s just that you were lucky to be born into the royal family. Cough… if our positions were switched, you… would be no match for me… cough, cough, cough.”

Clark seemed to want to raise his sword and stand up, but his body would not allow him to. Large mouthfuls of blood were coming out of his mouth, dyeing the snow a striking red.

Yelido answered calmly.

“That is indeed so. But to be born into the royal family was not my wish. If you have someone to blame, then blame the god who let you be born as a human.” As if he had taken pity on his broken appearance, Yelido looked up and no longer looked at him. “I will take good care of Veronica. Without you, she will be very happy—it’s over.”

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As his words fell, the blade of his spear swept towards Clark’s neck.

And then, a cold magic light shot at him from the edge of the arena. Subconsciously, Yelido twisted his head to avoid the magic, and then an ice cone grazed his forehead.

“Clark!”

The person who had attacked the king soon revealed their identity.

A woman with long golden hair, dressed in a magnificent long skirt, her skin so fair it was as if she had albinism, and even her eyes were a pinkish-red.

Hearing this woman’s voice, both men present were stunned. However, the expressions on their faces were completely opposite. Yelido’s face was filled with annoyance, while Clark’s was one of pleasant surprise.

Clark tried to stand up to confirm Veronica’s position, while Yelido, with a speed that was impossible to see, once again swept the blade of his spear towards Clark’s neck.

“Yelido, stop!”

What followed was another ice cone. However, this time, it did not shoot at Yelido himself, but straight at the blade of his spear, in an attempt to stop it from advancing. At the same time, Veronica used [Spatial Hand] to drag the kneeling Clark towards her, to prevent him from being beheaded.

The spear blade, of course, missed its mark. Veronica, who looked as if she had just recovered from a serious illness, finally appeared before Yelido. As she was not used to exercise, she was panting even after just using a few simple spells. As if she did not see Clark, she threw herself at Yelido, who was advancing towards him.

“Yelido, your duel is already over! Didn’t you say you would let him go?! Why are you trying to kill him now? He doesn’t have long to live! I only see you as my older brother! This is all a misunderstanding!”

“Get out of the way.”

In the face of her pleading, Yelido just spat out a cold word. He had not been this angry before. Although Clark had ruined his marriage with her, he had, in the end, been defeated by him. But her appearance, especially after a hundred years, for her to still stand on Clark’s side, and even to attack him to save him, was as if to say that he was not even as good as a man who had lost a duel. It made him both angry and disheartened.

Facing the ashen-faced Yelido, Veronica pleaded bitterly. She grabbed his hands, as if she thought that would make him stop.

“Yelido, let him go…”

“Get out of the way!” His voice was now clearly angry. He forcefully shook her hands off, took a step towards Clark, and roared in fury. “If you are still a man, then don’t let a woman stand in front of you!”

“Veronica… don’t beg him…”

However, she continued to plead. As she was too emotional, her whole body was trembling, and her speech became incoherent.

“Yelido, Yelido! If you let him go, the grudge between us will be written off! I will forget him and be with you!… Dofi, that’s right, there’s still Dofi! I will love her properly and no longer neglect her! I will be like a mother—”

“Get lost!”

At the mention of Fia, especially seeing her in this groveling state, using her as a bargaining chip, the anger in Yelido’s heart had reached an unbearable point. He didn’t understand why he had paid so much, had been so considerate of her, yet in the end, she still wanted to be with this human who had nothing. And now she was even willing to be with him to save this man’s life.

Yes, this was indeed what he had dreamed of. But just because he had dreamed of it did not mean it could be used as a bargaining chip. He was not a fool. He knew that it was a false thing. Her heart would always be with this man named Clark. Even if she became his wife in name, her heart would never be with him.

And now she was ridiculously using “loving Dofi properly” as a bargaining chip to exchange for this man’s life. She had neglected her for nearly a hundred years. What right did she have to use this as a bargaining chip? Even if this was his younger sister, the person he had pursued for hundreds of years, he was deeply ashamed of her shameless words!

Burning with anger, Yelido unceremoniously threw her to the side. He pointed his long spear at Clark and said in a mocking tone.

“Well done, to make her willing to pay so much for you. What did you give her?” he sneered. “But it all ends today!”

“No!”

In the time he was speaking, Veronica had once again appeared between them. However, this time, she knelt directly in front of him. If he were to thrust his spear, the first thing it would pierce would be her chest.

At this moment, her face was already covered in tears, the pleading and humble expression in her eyes as if she were not the queen of a country, but a common slave beggar, begging for food. Because she was too emotional and afraid, she even had difficulty speaking, her pale lips trembling, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

But even if she couldn’t speak, he knew what she wanted to say—nothing more than to plead for Clark.

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Yelido’s hand on the long spear turned pale. Because he was too angry, he didn’t even notice his nails digging into his palm. He stared at her, kneeling before him, without a trace of a princess’s dignity.

Suddenly, he felt that she was very strange. The Veronica he liked would not show such an expression. His Veronica was always pure and considerate, like a young girl with no worries. Not this improper woman who would raise a blade against him for a stranger, let alone kneel on the ground, begging for mercy like a country bumpkin, wagging her tail.

The Veronica he liked was already dead. Only he was still holding on to the naive fantasy of the past, or rather, a beautiful dream. Perhaps he had noticed this long ago, but was just unwilling to admit it. Whether it was her not saying a word to him when he went to see her, or her turning a blind eye to Dofi, or even her suddenly summoning him to see her a few days ago, only to hope that he would allow her to search for Clark’s tracks, even promising that if he agreed, she would be willing to call him brother and sister again. As early as when these things had happened, he had already felt it.

—He would never be able to make her have a change of heart in this lifetime, nor would she ever see him as a lover, because this was no longer the younger sister he had known and loved.

Her standing in front of him for Clark now was the strongest proof. For the past hundred years, he had been a clown immersed in his own world. The real Veronica was already dead.

With this epiphany, Yelido’s shoulders began to tremble. His legs, as if they could no longer support his body, took two steps back, and his face also aged rapidly. He looked past her to the still coughing up blood Clark behind her and said, as if mocking himself.

“Heh heh… I originally thought that if you died, Veronica would have a change of heart and come back to my side. Now it seems I was wrong… My Veronica is dead. She has left me forever… The only person worthy of my love in the end is Dofi. Only Dofi cares about me. You are all outsiders…”

His crazed appearance made Veronica feel afraid, but she still mustered her courage and said with a trembling voice.

“In that case, you should let go—”

“Ah… since that’s the case… since that’s the case! Then I’ll send you two bastards to be together forever!”

As his words fell, his eyes instantly became fierce. He sent out his long spear without mercy. Without giving any time to react, the golden spear tip, in an instant, pierced through the chests of both Veronica and Clark.

“Father!”

As if he hadn’t heard Fia’s cry from behind him, Yelido, under their incredulous stares, quickly pulled out the blood-stained long spear. Then, he stood firm with extreme calmness and, as if he were looking down on strangers, threw two bottles of high-grade magic potion in front of them.

“You are already dead. There is no place for you in Silvar. Never appear before me again. Your names do not exist in my memory!”

After speaking quickly in a low voice, he, as if he had never known them, left the snowfield without any hesitation.

“…”

Fia, who was still in the snowfield, subconsciously glanced at them. Although the two of them had been pierced through the chest by his spear, two bottles of high-grade magic potion were more than enough to treat a non-fatal piercing wound.

As if he had sensed her gaze, Clark cast a look of release and gratitude at her, but she did not accept it. This ending was not arranged by her, so it could not be said to be all her credit.

It was time to go.

She sighed quietly. Although it was very different from what she had expected, this twisted past had finally come to an end. Without Veronica, she hoped that mothers like Yulisha could seize this opportunity and become the new queen.

With this prayer in her heart, Fia took the hand of the somewhat worried-looking Claire.

“Let’s go too.”

“Aren’t you going to talk to her a little more?”

The “her” here should be referring to Veronica. Fia gave a wry smile and shook her head.

“No. I have almost no memory of her. Mothers like Yulisha are my mothers. By the way, I haven’t introduced you to them yet. They will surely be angry with me later.”

“Meeting the parents…”

“You’d better be prepared, Claire.”

Smiling gently, Fia was the first to take a step.

There were still many, many things waiting for her in Silvar. The Eldest Princess of the kingdom, who bore the name Dofilia, could not stop for this.