Captain – Chapter 697 – The Dark Sea Flows Backward

Amidst the dying candlelight, shadows fell.

It was naturally the Nethergate Dagger.

Indeed, at the moment the black blade separated from that person, Roy had not gripped tightly this object that might represent the future and hope, but let it fall freely.

It landed lightly between the two, soundlessly striking the substantial yet lightless ground.

As if it were merely a weed, completely worthless.

She still gazed at that direction, looking at the man who stood in place with his smile unchanged yet gradually losing life force, about to be swallowed by darkness. For a moment she felt rather bewildered and lost.

Not knowing what to think or what to do.

Because this parting, which was not desolate and even seemed somewhat plain, was like a black needle to the girl, piercing through twenty years of pursuit like a bubble.

This kind of reality had an unimaginable impact on her mind.

Though this occurred in reality, it felt more illusory than when she first entered that great dream.

Whether it was because her thinking was too rapid after awakening, or because this strange land pitied the girl, time seemed to freeze at this moment, and the scene she witnessed became inexplicably fixed.

Thus she had time to look and think.

The scene that fell into her eyes was quite tragic and beautiful, with the mournful grandeur of a hero’s final curtain.

The dying candle remained still, its faint light slanting to illuminate half the throne and part of that person’s profile. When he had pushed away both her and the blade, his hands had already dropped back to his sides, with only that worn cloak still not completely settled due to residual wind.

In the darkness, one could vaguely see that warm smile and eyes that had lost their luster.

But what was most shocking was not the visible scene.

Rather, it was the hollow in the man’s chest that had nearly merged with the shadows and was hard to distinguish, along with the life force that couldn’t be seen yet was scattering and flowing away like an elusive spring breeze.

Reаԁ οո ΚatRеаԁinɡCafе

Roy was different from ordinary people and could “see” that life force, making her feel even more sorrowful.

Yet though trapped in this emotion she thought would never occupy her body and mind, the girl continued thinking incessantly, pondering his words and this trap.

Whether she wanted to dilute her helplessness or had “scented” the strange aspects within.

She indeed had many things she couldn’t understand.

Actually, no matter how one looked at it, this trap was imperfect, not even qualifying as ordinary, because it was meaningless—she had still obtained the black blade in the end.

Her father hadn’t been able to persuade her to leave either, and as the loser of that struggle for the world, he should have ceased to exist long ago. What happened now was merely delaying the boundary.

If this outcome was inevitable, if the dying person must inevitably depart and the Nethergate Dagger must fall into her hands, then what exactly was the devil plotting by setting this trap?

Was he plotting for a miracle to occur, for her to be obediently persuaded away? Or was it just to make her suffer and rage?

No matter which it was, none of it made sense.

In other words, such crude design didn’t match the devil’s consistent pursuit of aesthetics.

Then it naturally wasn’t the truth—she must have missed something.

What exactly was it?

Upon knowing—no, she should say upon accepting the true outcome, Roy instead calmed down and began rapidly working backward, trying to sort through the spider-web-like complex information.

Because there were too few clues, the process was difficult, but she still reached some conclusions.

From the devil’s behavioral patterns and past schemes, to that absurd and meaningless choice that was impossible to understand, to Mango’s recent strange behavior…

Finally, settling on the word “bait” that the man had mentioned moments ago.

Dimly, the fog obscuring her eyes seemed to thin considerably, yet the girl still couldn’t be certain.

Read oո КatRеαⅾiոgСаfe

Because speculation could only be speculation, and what she’d obtained wasn’t compelling enough.

Whether it was her father or it, from current appearances, she had no qualification to decide, not even to influence their fates, so choice was naturally out of the question.

However, just when Roy thought she couldn’t get an answer and everything would end in ambiguity, she suddenly believed it—believed that her deduction was the truth.

Not arbitrarily reaching a conclusion, but…

The facts she wanted had arrived.

After looking for so long and thinking for so long, the completely calmed girl suddenly realized that the time she was in wasn’t seemingly frozen, but had truly stopped flowing.

The candlelight didn’t dim, and life force still remained because of this.

As for the instigator…

“Meow.”

A comforting cat’s call suddenly came from behind.

It didn’t surprise Roy further, but instead brought her back to her senses. After a moment, she truly understood.

Yes, the truth should be like this, but how could I decide your futures?

Just as the girl’s gaze trembled slightly, thinking about this matter and unwilling to turn around because she didn’t know how to face it, the visitor seemed to read her thoughts and called out softly again.

“Meow.”

Saying she could indeed decide, because it liked her—wasn’t that reason enough?

“What kind of reason is that?”

Rеаԁ οn ΚαtReαԁіngСafе

Hearing this, Roy took a deep breath, turned around, and said in annoyance.

She suddenly felt very irritated, thinking this kind of trap-breaking and those choices were truly troublesome to the extreme.

Because even though she finally knew what kind of choice her ancestor had prepared for her…

This simply couldn’t be chosen at all.

What met her eyes was naturally that gray-white form, only unlike usual times when it curled into a fur ball, it sat upright in front of her, tilting its small head to look at her, just like when they first met.

Facing the girl’s seemingly angry words that actually concealed sorrow and bewilderment, the Siamese cat that had quietly appeared didn’t speak, still watching her silently.

And just like when it leaped through the doorway and looked back at Caine, its usually waveless blue eyes were now so warm, undisguisedly warm.

As if encouraging the girl before it, and like a confirmation of those words that she could choose.

Seeing this, Roy was silent for a long time, finally showing a rare trace of grievance.

“I can’t do it, Mango.”

She rarely said such things, and even more rarely thought so.

Even when facing Old Calendar specters, even when about to face the most remarkable king of the old world, she dared to raise her blade without retreating, but this matter was different.

This choice question—she truly couldn’t give an answer.

It wasn’t until recently that Roy had come to understand the truth, discovering that the devil’s intention was like this—so simple and clear, yet the most difficult problem in the world.

That choice question was not a fork in the road symbolizing staying or leaving, nor was it making her choose between her father and the black blade, because those were the same thing.

That bastard… was making her choose whether the people behind her lived or whether Mango stayed.

Though it was called staying or leaving, what difference was there between departure and death?

Rеаԁ оn КαtRеаⅾiոɡCаfе

Both meant no longer caring about or being able to manage worldly affairs, forever abandoning her here.

This was the perfect open trap.

“Meow.”

Looking at the captain whose expression seemed somewhat forlorn, the cat tilted its head back and called out matter-of-factly, saying it knew that in this regard, you were far inferior to Edward.

So then, Mango would choose for you.

As the soft call fell, without opportunity for objection or possibility of prevention, the dark sea that had been silent as a dead place in the past gradually began to surge with invisible waves.

Thus the death intent born from that dagger, lingering throughout the boundless space and becoming the foundation of this strange land, gradually faded away—or rather, was evolving toward another extreme.

As if everything here was coming to life, bursting with vigorous vitality.

And the frozen time seemed to flow backward.

Those life forces that had scattered from within that legend of old days flowed back along their original path.

And in this world, what seemed to be born from nothing but was actually the life force and fate that had been stolen from those living beings and souls, all began to flow ceaselessly from this moment.

They would return to the places they belonged.

And in the girl’s eyes, the cat at this moment no longer seemed like the ball of tangled thread she had glimpsed at the shore’s gate or felt in daily life.

Because those silk threads symbolizing fate were dispersing, gradually unable to conceal the radiance.

Among those countless flowing fates was equally a sun.

Blazing and leaping, burning everything.