Chapter 00014: Terminal Illness
# Terminal Illness
Chapter 14
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 14: Terminal Illness
Early the next morning, Li Chengxi opened the shutter door of the shop and sat behind the cash register.
Maybe it was because he had woken up during the night, but his head felt a little hazy.
After ringing up a few kids who came by in the morning to buy bread and milk, Li Chengxi flipped open his laptop to check what was happening in the game.
In the game, dawn hadn’t quite broken yet, but to his surprise, he found that Viola was already awake.
He looked around a bit and soon saw Viola—in her pajamas, no less—sitting at a table with a few Royal Guards, working through stacks of documents.
Rubbing his throbbing temples, Li Chengxi muttered to himself:
“Come to think of it, I should probably tell her about that ledger I found last night...”
He plugged in his headset, ready to issue a “Divine Oracle,” but just then the office door in the game scene was suddenly flung open.
A Royal Guard with green hair rushed in, hurriedly speaking to Viola with a nervous expression.
Don’t be surprised about the green hair.
Although Li Chengxi had selected the fantasy script when he started this game, fantasy worlds differ from one another.
The style of Viola’s world definitely wasn’t Western fantasy—it felt more like a Japanese anime-inspired fantasy setting, where NPCs had all kinds of wildly colorful hair: blue, green, purple, pink, white—you name it.
But setting that aside for now—
Since he hadn’t clicked on Viola to bring up her character illustration on screen, Li Chengxi couldn’t hear what they were saying.
He could only see Viola bolt out of the room without even changing clothes right after listening to the green-haired knight.
But the other knights around her desperately tried to stop her—some grabbed her legs, others her waist.
Clearly, they didn’t want her to leave.
What in the world was going on?
– – – – – – – – –
Demon Lord Calendar year 648.
April 3rd, early morning.
Because the Lord had decided to hand over all internal affairs of the Leon Territory for Viola to manage, Her Highness was already up before dawn, working in the office with her Royal Guards to go through a backlog of paperwork.
To be honest, there wasn't much point to this anymore, since most of the documents were meant for the capital, and the capital had already fallen.
Perhaps, Viola was burying herself in this work to avoid thinking about the fact that her father and older brother had already perished in battle.
So, she was extremely serious about it.
“Your Highness, today’s offering to the Lord consists of creamy stew and roast quail.”
“Oh? Sounds delicious. But remember, don’t include the wine again. It seems our Lord isn’t very interested in our wine.”
Just last evening during the Evening Prayer, Viola had offered a meal again, but they’d soon discovered that the wine had been returned untouched.
“Maybe there’s better wine in the Divine Realm?”
“Of course.”
While flipping through documents, Viola replied:
“The fact that our Lord accepts the food we offer is already a form of acknowledgment. The Divine Realm has more exquisite delicacies than we can imagine.”
“By the way, Your Highness, did you notice the dishware that was returned from our Lord? It had a very lovely scent… Could it be the perfume of one of the maids who serve Him?”
The knight to the side looked dreamy-eyed:
“It smelled amazing. Better than any perfume.”
Of course, they didn’t know that scent was actually dish soap...
“Our Lord always sends the tableware back. Perhaps He’s mindful of our finances—such mercy.”
Even among nobles, silver tableware was considered a family heirloom.
If they had to use a new set every time they offered a meal, the Leon Territory would run out soon enough.
“Precisely because our Lord is so merciful, we mustn't take it for granted. We should remain grateful at heart. As His servants in the mortal realm, we must carry out His will.”
Before Viola could finish her devout praise, urgent knocking came from the doorway.
After getting permission, the green-haired knight, Shelly, rushed into the office.
“What’s the matter? Where’s Zola? She’s late today.”
“Y-Your Highness!”
Shelly was panting heavily as she said:
“Captain Zola… she’s dying!”
“What?!”
Viola slammed her hands on the table and stood up in shock:
“What happened? Speak clearly!”
“Captain Zola hasn’t been feeling well these last few days. Last night it got worse, and she’s been coughing nonstop. We called a doctor, and he said it’s a severe lung disease. There’s no hope!”
The moment she heard this, Viola felt like a bomb had gone off inside her head.
There was a loud ringing in her ears as dizziness struck, and she had to clutch the table edge to avoid falling.
Zola wasn’t just the captain of Viola’s Royal Guards, she had grown up alongside Viola since they were children.
She was the person Viola trusted the most—dearest friend and closest companion.
After escaping to the momentary safety of the Leon Territory through so many hardships, and even gaining the notice of the Demon God, things had finally seemed to improve.
But now, a calamity struck out of nowhere.
“Where is Zola?! I must see her!”
“No!”
Shelly immediately blocked the door:
“The doctor said it’s contagious! She has to be quarantined—”
Before she could finish, Viola broke down emotionally and shouted:
“You want me to just stand by and watch as Zola dies alone?! No way!”
“Please, Your Highness! Calm down!”
The other knights who had been sorting documents rushed over.
They hugged Viola tightly—her legs and waist—to stop her from leaving at all costs.
If the disease truly was contagious and ended up infecting Viola, they would be finished.
She was the last direct bloodline of the Avarus Demon Kingdom’s royal family.
To the Royal Guards who had sworn their loyalty to the royals, her safety was non-negotiable.
While restraining Viola, one of them quickly turned to Shelly and asked:
“The doctor—was there really no way?”
Shelly was already crying, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed:
“There’s no way! The doctor said unless a miracle happens, Captain Zola is doomed!”
A miracle, by definition, is a rare event.
But that word made Viola freeze mid-struggle.
“A miracle…! That’s it! Take Zola to the Chapel at once! Our Lord must be able to save her!”
– – – – – – – – –
Outside the screen, Li Chengxi watched in confusion as Viola argued and wrestled with her Royal Guards for a bit, then suddenly broke away and bolted out of the room.
Was the stronghold under attack? Is that why she was in such a panic?
He moved his mouse and shifted the camera to scan the roads outside Leon Stronghold.
“Nothing... What are they rushing around for?”
The display showed it was 8:30 AM in real time, which was 4:30 AM in the game.
The sky was barely light—still that pale pre-dawn white.
It wasn't even time for Morning Prayer yet.
Maybe the Lord of the Territory had pulled another stupid stunt?
He moved the camera again and focused on the Lord’s villa.
Perhaps having drunk too much last night, the Lord was lying flat on his back in bed, snoring like a pig.
Didn’t look like someone who had stirred up trouble overnight.
He checked around again, then turned the camera back to the castle.
This time, he saw a few Royal Guards carrying a stretcher.
Viola had apparently been asked to stay well ahead of them, walking quickly but maintaining distance.
Lying on the stretcher was a pixelated figure with black hair.
Li Chengxi clicked on her, and her portrait popped up in the lower-left corner of the screen: Zola, Captain of the Royal Guard.
She had soft, shiny black hair and an elegant, big-sisterly presence.
A female knight, and memorable to Li Chengxi especially because her chest size had been clearly larger than Viola’s by at least two cup sizes.
He vividly remembered that just last night, Zola had knelt with Viola for evening prayer at the Chapel.
How had things deteriorated so quickly overnight that now she had to be carried on a stretcher?
Could it be that the Lord had poisoned her quietly, trying to eliminate those close to Viola one by one?
The thought alone made Li Chengxi want to slam a virtual fist down and flatten the Lord’s villa into dust.
(End of Chapter)