Chapter 452: A Sudden Visitor
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 452: A Sudden Visitor
"I can't help but feel Miss Lin has misunderstood something..."
A bewildered Muen walked out of the cathedral, those bizarre words Lin had blurted out still echoing in his mind.
He truly had no idea how she’d come up with such nonsensical ideas—something about yuri and cuckoldry? I’m a practitioner of pure love... No, wait, I’m the NTR God of War. I’m always the one doing the cuckolding, alright?
Still, on second thought, it was for the best. At least Lin hadn't discovered the truth and chopped him into pieces before tying him to a stake to be burned alive. A little misunderstanding was a small price to pay.
Muen shook his head, tossing those thoughts to the back of his mind.
It was nearly noon, and the cathedral was filled with the hurried footsteps of clergy and nuns. The aftermath of the previous incident seemed to be ongoing; the entire Church was exceptionally busy, and Liya had been nowhere to be found since early morning.
Muen stepped through the cathedral’s main gates.
The warm sunlight of early spring and a breeze carrying the floral scents unique to the south swept over him, making every pore on his body relax involuntarily.
Muen instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sudden glare. However, before his eyes could adjust to the stinging brightness, a captivating sight seized his entire field of vision.
Bathed in the pure radiance that enveloped the world, a beautiful figure stood at the edge of a cliff. The breeze caught the corners of her clothes and the hem of her skirt, making her look like a goddess of beauty rising from the depths of the sea. In that instant, she eclipsed the spring radiance of the Holy City.
When she lightly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked back with a radiant smile, even the most timid coward would find the courage to die for her.
"Is something wrong?"
Tilting her head as she watched her dazed lover, Anna’s eyes curved into beautiful crescent moons.
"You’re so beautiful I’ve gone dumber than usual," Muen replied.
Muen flashed a smile even more brilliant than the sunlight, causing the hearts of several nearby young nuns to flutter. He walked to Anna’s side and habitually wrapped his arm around her slender, willow-like waist.
"Waiting for me?"
"Who knows?"
Anna leaned her head gently against Muen’s shoulder, her smile tender and bright. "Perhaps if you had stayed in that room with that nun named Lin a little longer, you would have found out whether I was waiting for you or not."
"Ahem... nothing happened between us. This time, I’m serious."
Muen gave a dry cough and rubbed his nose awkwardly. He then pulled the girl closer and pressed a light kiss to her forehead, soothing the Senior’s rare display of pettiness.
"Jealous?"
"Didn't I finish all the jealousy I had last night? Do you think it wasn't enough?" Anna blinked.
"Ahem, let’s set that aside for now... Where are we headed next?" Muen coughed again, quickly changing the subject.
"There’s a meeting starting soon."
"A meeting?"
Muen paused, suddenly remembering the documents he had seen in Liya’s room. "The one organized by the Church? The meeting between the various anti-Evil God organizations?"
"Yes. I am currently the Acting Sword Bearer of the Silence Bureau. I came to the Holy City specifically to attend this meeting."
"And also to announce your identity to the various factions, I assume."
Muen sighed. "Senior, you’ve only been with the Silence Bureau for a few months at most, and now you’re already the acting head. That promotion speed is truly enviable."
"Saying things like that is a good way to get punched, Lord Campbell, heir to a Dukedom from birth."
Anna blinked mischievously, but then her tone turned somewhat melancholy. She rested her chin on her hand, exuding a beauty full of sorrowful grace. "I wanted to take it slow too, but unfortunately... time waits for no one."
"Hmm?"
Muen froze and stopped walking. He asked hesitantly, "Is the old gentleman..."
"Don't worry, the old man’s body is holding up for now. It’s just that as the future Sword Bearer, I need to get used to everything the role entails starting now. After all, there won't be anyone to teach me what to do later on."
"...I see."
Muen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That makes sense. Then, as the future Duke, I should probably get used to everything a Duke does in advance. How about I go find out exactly how many manors my old man owns? I could give you one or two when the time comes."
"Forget it," Anna said, giving him a flirtatious roll of her eyes. She joked, "I don't want to see a junior with a broken leg in the future."
"Don't worry, I run fast."
"Is that so? You look pretty drained to me. Your legs look a bit weak even now while you're walking. Do you need me to stew some soup to nourish you? It’s a new recipe I learned."
"Drained? Who’s drained? That’s not what you were saying when you were begging for mercy last night! But I am looking forward to soup personally made by my Senior."
They bantered and played as they walked, and the number of pedestrians gradually thinned.
Muen looked up and saw a mansion-style building situated at the end of the street.
Looks like we’ve arrived... I really wish this road was longer.
Muen sighed with a hint of regret, but then he heard a crisp, childish voice:
"Sir, would you like to buy a bouquet of flowers?"
A young girl in simple clothes, her hair in two braided pigtails, held a basket filled with beautiful fresh flowers. She was staring up at Muen with wide, watery eyes, full of expectation.
From Muen’s dress and manner, she could tell he was a "big client." She plucked up her courage and lifted the flower basket. "They were just picked this morning. Please take a look, they’re very beautiful and would suit this pretty lady perfectly."
"What a sweet talker."
Anna smiled, then glanced sideways at Muen.
"Do I look like the kind of person who needs to be stared at before I’ll give flowers to a beautiful girl?"
Muen shrugged jokingly and pulled out a few bills, handing them to the little girl. "I’ll take them all."
The little girl’s eyes widened. The "pocket change" in Muen’s hand was already more than she earned in half a month of selling flowers; it was worth far more than the contents of the basket.
"Go buy some candy with the rest," Muen said, patting the girl’s head.
"Thank you, Big Brother! You and Big Sister really are a perfect match!"
The girl offered a few polite compliments and then scurried away with her empty basket, disappearing in a flash.
Muen couldn't help but smile. Holding the bouquet of vibrant flowers, he prepared to present them to Anna, who suited them so well.
But the moment Muen turned around, his movements stiffened slightly.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the street corner.
In the gentle breeze, rows of equally delicate and beautiful flowers swayed along the sides of the road. A faint floral scent filled his nostrils—a scent that had remained unchanged since the moment he stepped out of the cathedral.
Muen felt a flicker of doubt.
This was the Holy City. Under the grace of Emiel, the Goddess of Life, this city was filled with unparalleled vitality. Beautiful flowers were everywhere, and the city didn't even forbid passersby from picking them. As long as one wasn't so wicked as to pull them out by the roots, the same beautiful flowers would bloom again the next day.
Therefore, in this city, ordinary flowers had absolutely no market value, except for the rare and precious species in the Holy Garden planted by the bishops themselves.
And yet, someone was selling them, and he had bought them.
A sudden chill surfaced in his palm.
Just as Muen realized something was wrong, a hair-raising rustling sound erupted. The bouquet in his hand, wrapped in simple paper, suddenly came to life.
Blood-red venomous snakes flicked their tongues, slithering and coiling up the flower stems.
Muen’s pupils constricted. He threw the bouquet aside and grabbed Anna’s hand, pulling her back rapidly.
"Senior, get back! Something’s wrong!"
But Anna didn't move an inch.
Muen frowned and looked up, only to see Anna staring at him expressionlessly. Her jewel-like eyes had somehow become devoid of emotion. Her lips moved, her voice icy to the core:
"You... why did you throw away my flowers?"
A sudden chill nearly pierced his skin. The whistling of the wind pained his eardrums as a frenzied long whip swept out from the shadows. The slender body of the whip carried a terrifying force, like the tail-swipe of a giant python.
The killing intent was palpable.
In an instant, a warm date had turned into a cold assassination plot.
Visible, terrifying mana coated the whip, and the crimson snakes shot toward Muen like lightning, their dripping venom capable of corroding the ground.
Muen’s hands were already behind his back, gripping the hilt of his pure white blade.
The veins on the back of his hand bulged, yet Elizabeth did not leave her sheath.
Reflected in Muen’s eyes was that expressionless face, staring at him as if at a mortal enemy. Yet, whether it was her aura or her appearance, she was undoubtedly the real Anna. As if to confirm something, a pitch-black flame ignited deep within his pupils.
"An illusion?" he murmured with uncertainty.
Even with his Black Flame Vision, nothing changed. However, beneath this seemingly real world, there appeared to be a faint, void-like projection, hidden deeper like a curtain.
Muen stared fixedly at that phantom behind the reality. It was so ethereal it felt like a hallucination, yet the killing intent before him was tangibly close.
He couldn't be sure; it was only a guess. If he was wrong, he was facing certain death.
But Muen suppressed his instinct to counterattack, allowing the lethal strikes to close in on his vitals.
And then... a moment before death arrived... everything came to a screeching halt.
It was as if a movie had been paused. The scene before Muen’s eyes froze into a black-and-white photograph.
An old, low sigh echoed in his ear.
"What did you discover?"
"A shadow of something, but it wasn't clear." Muen scrutinized the Anna who still looked perfectly real.
"...Weren't you afraid you’d guessed wrong?"
"I wouldn't be wrong, because Senior would never hurt me."
"...Naive."
The voice paused for a moment before directly cursing, "And stupid. To act on emotion at a time like this... shouldn't the correct course of action be to ensure your own safety first, then determine the situation?"
Hearing this, Muen’s expression grew colder, and his tone turned unfriendly. "I don't know which old gentleman is playing a joke on me, but this is the Holy City. Taking a joke too far isn't very wise."
"...Sigh."
After a silence, there was another heavy sigh.
Muen felt a brief moment of mental trance. Then, warm sunlight spilled down, hitting his shoulders and dispelling the previous chill.
The world regained its color, but the scenery had changed.
He was now standing in an unfamiliar courtyard. Not far away was the mansion he had seen earlier. Anna was leaning against a wall, waving at him gently, the smile in her eyes familiar and tender.
The flowers and the little girl were nowhere to be seen. In their place were two elderly men, covered in wrinkles and white hair, looking extremely aged.
"Hello, Muen Campbell."
One of the old men tipped his hat in greeting.
"I am Huogu Slaverch, the current leader of the Illusion School at the Tower of Origins. And... I am also Ellag’s teacher."