Chapter 32: The Cup of Strange Fragrance (Part 2)
The capital of the Kingdom of Latia, the embassy of the Sazam Empire.
“Hmm…”
On the luxurious big bed, slightly messy sheets were crookedly covering two naked figures, and scattered on the ground were women's clothing sets made of high-quality fabrics and several men's tights.
Carina Nefanat seemed to feel the sunlight shining on her face. She slowly opened her eyes and sat up on the bed. Luo Hou, the Blood-Blocking Knife, who was lying next to her, was immediately awakened by her movement. He tightened his arms around her waist and gave her a questioning look.
"Awake? Good morning, Rahu. How are you feeling?"
Covering her exposed chest with one hand and tidying her messy hair with the other, Karina smiled and turned her head to look at the tall golden-eyed warrior leaning beside her.
“…”
The Star Vein known as Rahu said nothing, only nodding slightly but forcefully. Within his icy eyes, a flicker of warmth lingered.
Karina didn't ask any further questions, but just turned her head and looked around slowly.
"How luxurious! It's worthy of being the embassy of Sazam, the first empire of the Eastern Continent. In comparison, Sylvia is shabby, not even having its own embassy. After all, to the outside world, it's just an autonomous region under Sazam. Ah~ That being said──"
She complained softly, but Karina stopped talking before she could finish her words.
Although she ruled over a dominion, the responsibility she bore was not that of a "lord" but that of a "king."
In other words, he paid the price of a king, but received only the reward of a lord - no, perhaps not even the level of a lord.
The reason lies half in the land of Sylvia and half in Carina herself.
She became the ruler of this land in order to atone for her sins, which was the most gentle yet cruel punishment given to her by King Sazam.
A hand gently pressed on the back of Carina's hand, interrupting her thoughts.
Turning around, she found Luo Hou staring at her, and then shook his head gently, as if to say "don't think about it" again.
"Ah, sorry, sorry. People tend to be sentimental in the morning. I don't have time for that."
She laughed, stretched hard, and jumped off the bed - then suddenly staggered and sat down on the ground. Her face turned red and she coughed a few times. With a bit of shyness, she glared at Luo Hou.
"I told you to take it easy, but I'm going to participate in the competition. Seriously—whether they're humans or weapons, males have a very low sexual tolerance limit."
Luo Hou didn't say anything, but just walked forward and gently supported her, and gently helped her to the bathroom.
“Huh—”
After splashing some cold water on her face to drive away the sleepiness, Karina looked at the Star Vein Seed standing behind her in the mirror.
"Rahou, what do you think our chances of winning are?"
"..." Luo Hou was silent for nearly a minute, then slowly spoke, his voice low and mellow, yet icy cold:
“…30%.”
Thirty percent?
Karina closed her eyes and let the water droplets hanging on her eyelashes drip gently.
"30%, much better than expected. Let's give it a try."
Rahu nodded.
Looking at the taciturn warrior, Karina suddenly seemed to remember something, turned around and hugged his neck with a smile.
"Will Luo Hou be unhappy if I help me grab another Star Vein?"
Luo Hou nodded again.
"Really? I can't tell at all."
The white-haired and golden-eyed Star Vein didn't say anything, but just stretched out his big hand and gently patted her back.
"Alright," Galina let go of Rahu with a wry smile. "Thank you for coaxing me. You were sent by King Sazam to monitor me. I'm already very grateful for doing this. ...That's why I need...a weapon that truly belongs to me. ...I'm sorry, Rahu."
Luo Hou stared at her for a long time, then his lips opened and closed slightly, and he finally uttered a word slowly.
"……you."
You are the one I am loyal to. However, I cannot let you know now, otherwise your situation will become even more dangerous. King Sazam may use even more extreme methods to torture you.
Karina had already walked away to change her clothes. She did not hear Luo Hou's murmurs, and she also deliberately ignored the gaze that was fixed on her.
Luo Hou lowered his eyes and bit his lower lip lightly.
Be patient. --Be patient again.
As long as they get Xia's blood, she and he will be able to gain true freedom.
At the same time, in the capital of the Kingdom of Latia, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Heyang.
The second prince, Redis, walked into the lounge, rubbed his brows, and drank the black tea brought by the maid in one gulp.
"Royal brother, how is the situation?"
Rui walked forward and sat down on the sofa opposite him.
"The leader of the Jafa Order is more cunning than we thought. It seems that the dens they take down are only meant to paralyze our abandoned ones."
"Strange," Rui rubbed his chin and shook his head. "Logically, once the solution to the Moon Poison was announced, there shouldn't be any reason for them to easily gain the devoutness of their followers. Why are they still so stubborn?"
"Can your mind be any simpler, brother Rui?"
Redis glanced at Rui coldly and moved his neck.
"You still think this is just a cult? Even a fool can guess that they are criminals operating under the guise of religion."
Rui didn't have time to think about Redis's sarcasm, he just frowned and asked:
"So, my royal brother, you mean that besides the leader, Hort, there are other people behind the Jafa Divine Group?"
"We still haven't figured out their purpose yet. Even I'm struggling with whether it's better to let them lead to the mastermind, or to catch them all right away to avoid any major incidents."
"At least we should stop them from winning the tournament. It shouldn't be that easy for them to succeed with my brother here."
Rui's words were not flattery. Rui was an eighth-level Holy Spirit Warrior, while Redis was already a third-level Warrior Emperor. In addition, his weapon was also of the top-grade Yeyue type, so his chances of getting a place in the competition were quite high.
Redis nodded to acknowledge Rui's point of view, then glanced at his younger brother, the third prince Rui, and sneered.
"Recently, there have been rumors of a Red Moon Priestess in the Sazam Empire. It was you who did it again, wasn't it?"
“──!!”
Rui's face suddenly turned ugly, but Redis did not give him a chance to explain and continued to speak.
"You're right to use public opinion to confuse the public. But the frequency is too high. If I can find out, then others might also find that the source of the information comes from you. If so, you will immediately be suspected of using the Red Moon Miko's gimmick to do something. - Or, you are directly related to the Red Moon Miko."
Rui's entire body trembled slightly at Redis's words. He suppressed the turbulent waves in his heart and asked in a voice as calm as possible:
"Brother, how much do you know?"
"I know everything I need to know, including that your friend is the Red Moon Priestess, and most of what Xiaochen experienced when he came from that world to this one."
Rui should have been filled with murderous intent, but after hearing a certain name, his arrogance was inexplicably extinguished.
"...'Xiao Chen'?"
"Ah, yes. She and I have a history, long before you two met. Otherwise, do you think, with my personality, I would let such a good handle go unused? I don't need to tell you how much information the Red Moon Priestess can bring. With your pig brain, you can at least come up with dozens of things, right?"
Rui sat back on the sofa somewhat dejectedly.
The lounge was quiet for a while, and then a male voice that sounded a little weak was heard slowly.
"Brother Emperor, I actually planned to usurp the throne."
"Yeah, I know."
Rui suddenly looked up at Redis.
"Are you kidding me? You're going to let me bribe your subordinates and control so many of your vital forces? They've definitely provided me with countless intelligence about you."
"They're just kidding you." Redis rolled his eyes at Rui amusedly. "I told them, whether you want intelligence or some small benefit, I'll give it to you. But if you really have the guts to act, I'll let you fall down from the peak of your life when you think you've succeeded."
"……ha."
Rui lowered his head, pulled his hair and smiled bitterly.
"As expected of you, my royal brother. From the time I was born till now, I still can't even crawl out of your shadow."
"Although my father wasn't very capable as a father and husband, he was very far-sighted as a king. He chose me as the crown prince instead of you, not just because of your mother—I was born to be king."
As Redis spoke, he tapped the table lightly with his fingertips.
"Because of this, I lost my first and last chance at love. What's even more ridiculous is that I was completely unaware of it when I lost it. By the time I fully realized it and regretted it, it was already too late."
Rui frowned:
"...Brother Emperor, are you talking about Beichen?"
"I know what you're thinking. You want to usurp the throne, most likely to kill that old man and seek justice for our mother."
“…”
"That's not necessary, Ruy."
Redis turned his head and stared at Rui calmly.
"Even if you kill him, the hatred in my heart will indeed decrease, but it will not disappear. I will still hate you."
"Royal brother..."
"But no matter how much I hate you, you are my brother after all. It is normal for an older brother to tolerate his younger brother's mischief."
Rui twitched his lips: Prank! He called the plan he had painstakingly planned for so long a prank!
However, Redis misunderstood Rui's expression. He thought Rui was confused and angry, so he started to explain for the first time.
"I won't give up my position as Crown Prince. I've lost so much to succeed as a leader. If I give it up, everything I've done will be meaningless. It's also because of this that I lost the woman I wanted. That's why I'm pushing myself to change. I don't want to lose even the last bit of family affection in this world. That's all."
He squinted his eyes and continued tapping his fingers on the table.
"Make peace, Ruy."
Rui was stunned, and then, slowly, a bright smile appeared on his face.
"Yes, okay, my royal brother."
At the same time, in an A-class suite at the unified accommodation point of Lingwu Division for the martial arts competition.
"Development completed."
Atlas took a small glass from the bottles and jars on the table.
"A universal libido suppressant."
Yagad, who was guarding the door, walked forward, took the glass and smelled it.
"That's a good idea. Since there's no way to counteract the effects of the drug, why not just suppress the body's reaction from the root? — Are you sure it's harmless?"
"confirm."
Yagard nodded and walked towards the bathroom with the glass. Atlas wanted to follow him, but was stopped by Yagard with a stern look.
"Miss Beichen is in a state of heightened sexual desire right now. Are you sure you won't do anything when facing her?"
Atlas tilted his head and thought for a moment before answering honestly:
"The conclusion is variable, I can't be sure."
"Then don't follow."
"...Are you sure?"
Rarely, Atlas took the initiative to ask a question.
Yagard turned his head and nodded expressionlessly to the possessed Moon Messenger in front of him.
"Yes. I have no desire."
"You are human."
"You are right, Possessed Moon Envoy. All humans have desires. But before I became a human, I was her knight. Unless it is her wish, I will not have any thoughts of straying from the path."
He turned away at Atlas's puzzled look.
"All the good and evil, all the vulgar desires and lofty ideals... none of them have anything to do with me. Everything is for the sake of the miko."
“…”
The bathroom door opened, and Beichen was soaking in ice-cold water in her pajamas, but her skin still had a faint pink hue. Seeing Yagard coming in with a cup, she smiled at him gratefully.
"Have you made the potion to cure it? Atlas is truly amazing."
"Yes. Please drink, Miss Beichen. Xiangying and the Twin Claws have been rioting outside for a long time. They seem very worried about you."
Beichen twisted his mouth corner in amusement.
"You're too nervous. Even if I don't kick them out, they won't do anything unless I want them to."
"But aphrodisiacs can disrupt people's rationality, and the boundaries of 'you don't want to' become very unclear."
"No." Beichen reached out and stirred the water in the bathtub. "Look, although my body is uncomfortable with the heat, my mind is clear."
“…”
Yagard was stunned for a moment, then the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"It was my fault. I was so confused that I forgot what you had been through. Yes, your sanity is not so easily destroyed."
"Right, right?" Beichen smiled proudly, then took the cup and drank it all.
"Being able to endure physical torture—that's my strongest point!—if one day my heart can become just as indestructible, then I'll be fulfilled, right?"
Yagad shook his head seriously.
"I'm enough for a heartless person. Just stay the way you are. You have many reliable companions around you. If you don't show weakness to them, they'll be very sad."
“…Huh.”
Beichen looked at the man squatting in front of him with some surprise.
"You know everything, even that you have no heart, so why don't you try to change yourself? Don't you want to be a real human being?"
"In no mood."
Yagad answered quickly.
"I have no interest in becoming human, nor do I wish to change myself. Of course, since you've given me your orders, I will do my best to obey. But I feel that the way I am now is the most helpful to you."
“…”
Not knowing how to refute, Beichen sighed somewhat exhaustedly.
Forget it. This is the way of survival that Agard has decided for herself. As long as she doesn't continue to hurt others, it's not good to say too much. She has no right to intervene and change other people's thoughts - even if the other party claims to be her knight.
She stood up from the bathtub with the help of Yagad.
"The inhibitory potion will soon take effect. You'll get sick if you continue like this. I'll change the water to hot water. Once the aphrodisiac wears off, please bathe again immediately."
"good."
Beichen smiled brightly at Yagard with gratitude and trust.
"We're going to have to deal with a lot of messes next. If there's anything I haven't thought of carefully, I'd like to ask you to remind me more often, okay?"
"certainly."
The knight quickly changed the water for her and then respectfully left the bathroom.
“──”
Beichen took a deep breath, sat on the edge of the bathtub, and clenched his fists tightly.
Thanks to this aphrodisiac, I recalled some not-so-good memories.
But—it doesn't matter. Those waiting outside now are all trustworthy people, so… surprisingly, even when I think about it, it doesn't seem scary anymore.
Her body had returned to normal temperature. She shook her head, shook off the water droplets from her hair, and then slapped her face hard with her hands.
“Cheer up, cheer up!!”
He encouraged himself quietly, then slid into the water tank and felt the pleasure of his pores dilating in the hot water.
"It's time to consider the next question. Su Mo... How did he drug me, and why did he do that?"
Playing with the warm water, Beichen murmured the question that puzzled him the most.
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