Chapter 131: Dawn: Dark Deal [VIP]
"Threat? I'll kill you first and then read your memory to find him!"
Edmund sneered disdainfully.
Kalil bent down and said respectfully and calmly, "My life is tied to a lit candle. If I die, the candle will go out immediately."
"All right!"
Edmund narrowed his eyes fiercely and said, "I'll agree to your request only after they've killed all the disobedient creatures."
"Then it's too late."
Kalil said, "The candle is only half the length of your little finger and will soon go out. Once the candle goes out, His Highness will immediately commit suicide by taking poison."
"you--"
"Your Highness acknowledges your strength. However, the Grand Temple is under the power of the Divine Tower, and you cannot use your abilities to forcibly search for him. Moreover, Your Highness has prepared the best and fastest-acting poison for today. Even if you were standing at his doorstep right now, you wouldn't be able to stop him from drinking it and ending his life!"
Kelly added.
"...Even though he was sick and confined to bed, Yaris was still the most formidable enemy."
Edmund complained, raising his hand: "Lock these people up and don't kill any of them."
"ha!"
The army responded in unison.
Edmund looked at Kelly again. "Now, take me to see Yaris immediately! If anyone makes any suspicious moves along the way, everyone in Denos will die!"
"plz follow me."
Kelly turned around firmly and took "Edmund" to the depths of the Great Temple.
…
"Edmund" followed Kelly, walked through three long corridors, passed through a secret door, and entered a secret corridor.
In an instant, the world became quiet, and the killing, blood, screams and shrieks outside seemed to be lies.
Edmund looked around and saw crimson brocade hanging on both sides of the corridor, and the air was filled with the sweet and elegant fragrance unique to Bisarua.
"Is this the place?"
Kelly didn't answer.
He walked calmly to the end of the corridor and knocked on the door.
Creak——
The door opened, and several young men came out, saying respectfully, "Your Highness is waiting for you inside."
“It’s here!”
Edmund grinned, walked quickly into the room, and went straight to the big bed with a luxurious canopy and curtains drawn on all sides.
"Yaris, I finally—"
"Just a moment please."
From behind the curtain came a gentle voice that was enough to freeze everyone.
"Kellyll, open the curtain."
"yes."
Kelly stared at "Edmund" nervously, holding on to the rope faithfully.
Crash——
The curtain slowly opened.
The person behind the curtain looked at "Edmund" quietly, his eyes calm and his smile gentle. "Edmund, or rather—His Majesty the Dragon Emperor of the Human Empire, we have finally officially met."
"you--"
"Are you surprised?"
"Yes, I was surprised."
Edmund's voice trembled with excitement. "Why are you waiting for me here? I know you're not someone who would be moved by superficial promises like the throne or power."
"Well, you're quite right."
Yaris leaned weakly against the cushions, his dark eyes as deep as a night lake staring at Edmund quietly: "Waiting for you here is the only option I have after eliminating all other options."
"What did you say?"
"You've always wanted to know the secrets of the divine tower. You've wanted to enter the ninth floor to see what's hidden inside. You've wanted to possess power comparable to that of the gods, haven't you? And what you're most eager to know right now is—why, even though the divine tower is nearby, I refuse to enter and even refuse to use my divine power to defeat you."
"Yes, I don't understand... Denos has already fallen and you are about to be captured, but your expression... is as if I am the loser of this battle and I am about to be captured..."
"Edmund" blurted out.
At this moment, He didn't even understand what He was saying.
"Want to know the answer?"
Yaris looked at "Edmund" tenderly.
"I……"
"I'll give you the answer."
“Uh, uh, uh…”
Edmund's voice involuntarily became hoarse, as if all his strength was sealed in an instant.
"The answer is this—you are a fool who knows nothing about truth. You are a stupid beast. You think you are gradually achieving your goal, but in fact, you have always been a pawn of the gods against me."
"Gods? Against me?"
"Edmund" opened his eyes wide, and the black pupils wrapped in the deep blue irises continued to expand, as if they were about to turn into black holes that swallowed everything.
"What nonsense are you talking about! Aren't you the favorite of the gods? How could you——"
"You don't believe it?"
"I'm going to read your memory right now to make sure you're bluffing or lying again!"
Edmund stepped forward.
"Your Highness—"
Rush forward.
“Stop!”
Yaris gave the order again, and his voice not only made the servants stop their movements, but also made them stand still.
"I don't know who you made a deal with, nor do I know what you are trying to say, and why you are so sure that you won't be told. The world you see is not the real world, and what you desire is not in me. If you follow the instructions of the one you made a deal with, go to the world!"
“…”
Edmund's eyes widened.
"So, let's make a deal."
Yaris's face was pale, but his tone was firm: "I will become your prisoner and go with you to the capital. You must spare Denos and everyone in Denos, evacuate Denos, and kill the informer."
"How do you know—"
"It's all just a coincidence, isn't it?"
Yaris smiled slightly: "Although part of this was intentionally caused by me."
"--you!"
"Edmund" stared at Jarris intently, as if today was the first day he met this high priest and holy duke who was known for his weakness, beauty, arrogance, willfulness, and scheming.
"I don't have much time left. Those people out there are still young. They have a long, long life ahead of them and many things to accomplish. I want to use my life in exchange for theirs."
"I do not understand."
Edmund hesitated and said, "What exactly do you mean by gods, chess pieces, and true darkness?"
"If you want to know the answer, stop the slaughter and looting, kill the informer, and withdraw the army from Denos as soon as possible."
Yaris smiled at Edmund and said, "Don't try to threaten me or play tricks on me. Even at this point, I still have the absolute initiative and advantage. I became your captive because I volunteered to be your captive, not because you have the ability to make me your captive."
“…”
"Perhaps, you wish me to end my life now?"
Yaris raised his left hand and touched his lips with the beautifully carved ring of the goddess of love: "There is venom hidden in this ring. Just lick it lightly-"
"Stop! Stop now!"
Edmund said sharply, "You can't commit suicide! You absolutely can't commit suicide!"
"Because you want to capture me alive?"
Yaris smiled sarcastically: "As expected, both you and the person you made a deal with are extremely afraid of my death."
“…”
"Order your soldiers to lay down their weapons! Especially those lizard monsters! These blasphemous creatures must be removed from Denos before tomorrow's sun sets!"
Yaris snapped.
“…”
Edmund's eyeballs trembled violently.
Then he walked out of the room.
"Your Highness—"
Kelly and others quickly gathered around Yaris: "You..."
"Don't worry, He will do exactly what I say...Dinos, Dinos will be able to..."
Yaris said breathlessly, the previous confrontation almost exhausted all his physical strength.
"Give me some water..."
"yes."
Kelly took the warm water from his companion and carefully brought it to Yaris's mouth.
"Just now……"
"It was very dangerous just now, but I won the bet..."
Yaris drank a few sips of water with a straw and said slowly: "Dinos was successfully saved, and a new round of battle is about to begin. Kelly, you..."
"We will follow you every step of the way!"
…
…
"His Majesty!"
Richard walked quickly to Xiao Yun with several young men dressed as court attendants.
"Something happened to Denos, didn't it?"
Xiao Yun blurted out.
"How could you..."
"I've been feeling uneasy since yesterday morning. I felt like something extremely important to me was being forcibly taken away. I tried to contact my brother through the mage, but..."
Xiao Yun sighed in distress: "My brother unilaterally cut off contact with me."
"I'm so sorry..."
"So what happened to Denos?"
Xiao Yun asked hurriedly.
"Dinos..."
Richard lowered his head, not knowing how to start.
The palace attendant standing behind him silently untied the package tied to his chest and took out a box: "This memory crystal was given to us by His Highness to be sent out of the city before the fall of Denos..."
"What did you say!"
A strong light flashed in Xiao Yun's eyes: "Dinos has fallen...Dinos..."
"His Majesty!"
"His Highness has put everything he wants to say to you into the memory crystal. You...you..."
Having said this, the attendant was already choking with sobs.
Xiao Yun did not make things difficult for the servant. He took the box tremblingly, opened it, and with his hands, he took out the black memory crystal that sparkled like stars, and read the message that Yaris left for him with his mind.
[…Brother, when you receive the news of the fall of Denos, do not feel regretful or angry about it, and do not think that you have fallen into the enemy's scheme, because the whole thing was actually my scheme.
He broke into Denos to capture me. It seemed like a great victory, but in fact it would become a turning point in the public opinion of the civil war.
From now on, no matter how he tries to whitewash the situation, the followers of the Twin Gods will fight them to the death, and no neighboring country will consider cooperating with Edmund.
In the short term, you don't have to worry about my safety.
As long as He still wanted to rule this country as Edmund, He could not harm me. He even begged me to cooperate with Him in public and show goodwill and harmony, in order to offset the huge public opinion storm caused by the massacre of Denos and dispel the hatred of the Twin Gods believers throughout the Western Continent.
Furthermore, given the Demon Prince's greed, he will definitely find ways to circumvent His surveillance and contact me after his birth. I can take this opportunity to figure out the Demon Prince's true nature, his weaknesses, and how to destroy him.]
“Brother, you…”
(Are you ready to throw yourself at the tiger's door? You're certainly smarter and calmer than anyone else, and you never do anything you're unsure of. But I still, I still can't help but worry... I'm worried that you'll fall into His hands and meet with an accident...)
Xiao Yun trembled as he continued to read Yaris's thoughts.
[…I know you are always full of curiosity and questions about everything around you, including me. You want to enter the ninth floor of the God Tower, to find out what kind of inseparable bond exists between you and me, and to know the whole truth of the world.
In fact, it’s not that you can’t remember your past, but - on the first day you came back to me, I put a seal on you. Only in this way could I protect you.
After I die, the seal will automatically lift. You only need to follow the instructions on the seal to safely enter the ninth floor of the Tower of God and recover your lost memories and all the truths I have been hiding from you.
(All directly… all directly… “Our past”, “an inseparable bond”, “the first day you returned to my side”… could it be that…)
Xiao Yun trembled slightly, and every cell in his body was screaming wildly.
(…I originally thought that Jarris was unwilling to face the fact that he had lost his half-brother, Lucien. Even after discovering that I wasn't the original Lucien, he still treated me as Lucien. As long as I sincerely treated him as my brother, he would treat me as the original Lucien, and we would live together forever…But these words, these words…could it be that he not only…but, even very likely…)
[…Don’t blame Lance or anyone in Denos. They have tried their best to help me face the fear of death and annihilation. The development of things to this point is the arrangement of the gods and the unstoppable fate.
The crystal that received my message after the fall of Denos was also arranged by me.
Denos is too weak and too small. Even if you could receive the news at the same time that Denos was attacked by the army, you still wouldn't be able to rush back to rescue it. You might also become anxious and uneasy after learning about Denos's fall, losing your rationality and normal judgment, and falling into the various ambushes and traps He had arranged on the road to Denos.
[…In the short term, He will not dare to harm me because He wants something from me. In the long term, He still has the ultimate trump card given by the gods called "Demon's Sleep".
Once "Magic Sleep" is activated, my body will fall into a state of absolute sleep in a very short period of time, and a hard barrier will form on the surface of my body. No known worldly power can break the barrier and harm me.
The "Demon Sleep" state can only last for two years at most. During these two years, my body will be absolutely safe, even if He takes me back to His lair.
I almost forgot to mention that there are two letters in the compartment of the box, one for Alfonso and the other for Kairusha. Remember to give them to them.
Also, when we arrive in Magha, please tell Marina I'm sorry.
At the age of ten, she followed her brother to become my knight. While other girls learned to dance, sing, and flirt with men, she was surrounded by armor and weapons in the barracks. Because of me, she had no choice but to embark on a life that was unconventional...
I've been nagging you for so long, you must be getting tired of it. Actually, I don't want to be so long-winded, but I'm afraid there won't be a next time, or that the next time we meet, I won't be able to think clearly and talk to you out of my own will...
Finally—you once told me that no matter where I went, you would chase me. As long as I waited for you, I would definitely wait for you. Does that promise still count now?
Because I honestly believe this sentence.
I want to wait for you, forever and ever, for a hundred years, a thousand years, ten thousand years...]
(Don’t make promises to me easily, because I will simply believe them and wait for a hundred years, a thousand years, or even ten thousand years.)
"you……"
Xiao Yun clenched the message crystal tightly in anger and annoyance.
"He is so willful and... and..."
While complaining, Xiao Yun couldn't help but see Yaris's face in front of his eyes.
His long black hair shone, and a gentle smile hung on his pale face. He introduced himself with a somewhat self-deprecating tone: "I'm Yaris, a terrible guy who is arrogant, willful, extremely self-centered, and controlling, and who likes to control their fate."
…
…
At the same time, in the city of Dinos.
The killing stopped before sunset yesterday.
After a night of settling down, Denos was still immersed in suffocating silence.
All those who had lived on this land for a long time, regardless of age or gender, including priests and novices, were driven out of their homes and gathered in squares of all sizes, surrounded by royal knights walking around.
After being disarmed, the "rebels" were confined to the large square in front of the Great Temple, and were patrolled and guarded by lizard monsters over three meters tall.
Most of them were wounded, but they were only given the simplest and roughest bandages. The rich smell of blood aroused the appetite of the lizard monsters, and they surrounded them, sticking out their forked tongues.
"Come on! Come and eat!"
Lance, who lost an arm, challenged unwillingly.
The lizard monster was enraged by his behavior and tried to—
clang!
A crisp sound was heard, and the lizard monster was bounced away by the invisible wall.
"Ha! Haha!"
The Dark Night Mentor sneered three times, then passed by the wailing lizard monster and emphasized in a deep, dark voice, "No looting, no eating captives!"
“Woo woo—”
The lizard monster knelt on the ground, whimpering unwillingly.
The Dark Night Mentor walked up to Lance with a cane and threw out a large bag of powder: "This is hemostatic powder."
"I will not accept gifts from a traitor!"
"It's Her Royal Highness's wish."
The Dark Night Mentor said coldly, "He wants you to live."
"I--"
"According to the agreement, they will leave Denos before dawn, and you will be free after they leave."
After saying that, the "Dark Night Mentor" turned and left.
Lance thought for a moment, picked up the powder bags on the ground and distributed them to the seriously injured soldiers.
…
After separating from Lance, the "Dark Night Mentor" walked into the depths of the Grand Temple with a cane.
"His Majesty--"
"What is it?"
"Edmund" looked at "Dark Night Mentor" with a lack of interest.
"Those people outside..."
"What do you want?"
"I want to pick a few people to experiment with."
The "Dark Night Mentor" raised his head and looked at "Edmund" with his wrinkled face.
"Aren't you afraid of angering Her Royal Highness the Princess?"
"As long as we abide by the agreement and completely evacuate Denos by dawn tomorrow, Her Royal Highness will not care about these details."
The Dark Night Mentor said flatteringly.
"Well, actually, I also want to end this terrible military operation as soon as possible."
Edmund said with a wry smile.
"Your Majesty, what do you mean? Do you mean—"
"You don't need to know what happened!"
"Edmund" raised his voice and scolded "Dark Night Mentor" harshly.
The "Dark Night Mentor" lowered his head meekly, a sinister smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.
…
…
Night gradually falls.
Denos was eerily quiet.
Thick clouds hung over Denos, as if the city were in mourning.
The residents of Denos gathered in the square were hungry and thirsty, and many of them were injured, but they still stubbornly stared at everyone who passed by with angry eyes.
The soldiers were stung by the hatred as strong as a volcano hidden behind the silence, and they did not even dare to make eye contact with the residents when patrolling the square.
Everyone unconsciously looked up at the Great Temple, at the only window that was still lit in the silent complex of buildings.
…
"Your Highness—"
The attendant entered the room and reported, "The message crystal has been successfully delivered to His Majesty."
"Just as I expected."
Yaris closed his eyes, as if he was asleep.
"According to the information sent back by the magician, His Majesty, after receiving the message crystal, stated that he would definitely save Your Highness, no matter the cost or the consequences."
"oh."
Yaris opened his eyes: "Doesn't he know——"
"Your Majesty is heading back with his army and will arrive in Denos the day after tomorrow."
"It's too late... it's too late after all..."
"His Majesty says he doesn't care!"
"And this happened to be one of His plans."
Yaris's face grew paler.
"—I'm glad you realize that."
"Edmund"'s voice sounded leisurely.
He walked slowly into the bedroom and stood before Yaris. "I know you are a delicate person, so I have specially prepared a wider and more stable carriage for you. You can complete the journey from Denos to the capital as comfortably as lying in bed."
"Then what?"
"I have arranged the most comfortable accommodation for you in the palace. Aside from your lack of freedom, not being able to go out or see guests, you still enjoy all the privileges you can."
"Privilege?"
Yaris closed his eyes and smiled slightly. "Since I still enjoy privileges, every corner of my room must conform to my aesthetic tastes and habits. The servants who take care of me must all be elderly people who have been with me for at least five years. I also need at least five experienced doctors, three professional masseuses, a band that is good at playing various kinds of music, a chef, and a perfumer..."
"All you want will be satisfied."
"Why?"
"The more you want, the more it shows that you don't want to die yet and don't intend to give up your luxurious and comfortable life."
"Ah...you are so naive..."
A mysterious smile appeared on Yaris's lips.
With the help of his servant, he drank a glass of water and said sarcastically: "Since yesterday, you have been circling around the tower. You wanted to enter the tower, but in the end you couldn't even enter the first floor of the tower."
"good."
Edmund looked at Yaris darkly. "Edmund's mother and your father are siblings from the same mother. Yet, as your cousin, he can't even enter the first five floors, which are open to everyone! What's going on? Are you secretly interfering? What exactly is the operating mechanism of the Divine Tower? And where is the ninth floor?!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
