Oliver solemnly twisted one of the rings and put it on the ring finger of his left hand.
As a famous jewelry family, the Tristan family was truly good at their craftsmanship. It was just that Oliver has lost a lot of weight during this time, and the ring was a little loose. The one belonging to Nemo was carefully put into the gold pendant by him and hung on his chest.
The Demon Kingâs phantom stood in front of him, and the translucent shadow glowed dimly.
Like a dream.
Oliver walked forward and kissed the phantom like a dragonfly.
A year ago today, his father hadnât died. At this time, he would get up early, try the soup for breakfast, and help the kitchen prepare the ingredients for the next day. The businessman who came to deliver fresh meat and fruits would arrive soon, and his father was definitely still in bedâ At that time, he was like a pocket watch, like clockwork, he lined up every day, and his life was crammed with trivial chores.
And now, he stepped on a magic array that could imprison the will of the world and successfully proposed to his lover who was above everything.
Maybe the alarm clock would go off in the next second, and he would sit up in bed in a daze, boil milk, and peel carrots and potatoes for soup.
Oliver looked at his left hand with the ring, and the black gem on the ring gleamed dully.
âBut if, and I mean if, youâre forcing yourself to do so, remember, my thoughts have not changedâ Just because I love you doesnât mean you have to reciprocate that love, Nemo.â
His right hand squeezed the ring on his finger, and the metal had already been warmed by his body heat.
âThe fact that you are still here is enough to stop my suffering⊠I donât know how to say it clearly, uh, all your memories should be restored, right?â
There was a gap of countless time between them.
As if by a miracle, the dragon really fell in love with the mayfly. It was all too good to be true, too good to be flustered. With the ring already on his hand, Oliver was instead not quite sureâŠ
Yes, his love for Nemo had never been shaken. It was just that he wasnât that special, and the feelings they once had were thick and smooth, not as sharp as a knifeâs edge.
If Nemo just retained relatively weak feelings, trying to make his small self feel better⊠This thought was like a piece of ice sliding into his stomach. He couldnât wait to vomit it out and stomp it to pieces, regardless of the sweet reality that could be embraced.
But he couldnât do it.
He wanted to be the chains that held the world together, but he didnât want to lock everything up greedily and indulge in the illusion of self-deception.
He still wanted to walk truly side by side with the one he loved.
âIâve been chasing your back, and now I finally touch it.â Oliver swallowed. Ecstasy and anxiety intermingled. His head ached as if it had been split open, and countless thoughts of rapid movement almost drove him crazy.
âIf you only have a good impression of me, I will pursue you again. With the person I am now, I will start over from the first step. So, if youâŠâ
Nemo stretched out his right hand and let it stay in the air.
Oliver looked at the hand suspiciously for a while, hesitated for a few seconds, and put his left hand on it.
The humanoid Demon King bent down and left a kiss on the ring.
âI understand your concerns, Ollie. Feelings are indeed unfamiliar to me. Strictly speaking, I have only obtained it for less than twenty years, but you made a mistakeâ As far as I have observed over the years, even a smart child canât see the world in the eyes of an old man, right?â
His Demon King exuded faint power. It felt very strange. Oliver shook his headâ The creature in front of him was clearly a sweat-inducing powerhouse, but it was also the Nemo he was familiar with.
âKnowledge is not equivalent to wisdom. Gentleness has nothing to do with whether you are smart or not. I am still learning how to use my feelings, and my experience isnât much richer than yours. Well, to be honest, Iâm not sure if Iâm loving you in the same wayâ The same way you love me.â
Those non-human eyes looked over, and the voice was full of comfort and calmness.
âListen, Oliver Ramon. As the Pillar of the World, you are the most unpredictable creature I have ever seen. I canât guess what you think, and I am happy to chase those brand-new intelligence and thrills.â
Oliverâs hands were a little tense and stiff.
âAs Nemo Light, I used to think that I needed to do what the story said, persevere with the purpose of love itself, and spend time with you⊠But now, I think I made a mistake. That isnât a certain âtaskâ that I need to stick to. I donât love you continuously.â
âIf you define âloveâ as a feeling that makes your heart beat faster and makes life itself more interesting, or as instinctive expectation, closeness, and trustâ Then I am falling in love with you again each and every day.â
The phantom took two steps forward and made a hugging gesture.
âLove is not my purpose. You are my purpose. Put on your ring. Itâs not the end, but just the beginning, Oliver Ramon.â
From this angle, Oliver couldnât see Nemoâs face clearly. He opened his mouth before he had time to express any emotionâŠ
The warm exhalation blew into his right ear, and Oliver could feel a burst of heat exploding on his face.
âWhatâs more, in a certain way, you still have a long way to go.â His Demon King approached his ears and muttered mischievously.
ââŠOne day you will regret this statement, Your Majesty.â Oliver rubbed his ears, and his voice finally was relieved of its weight and relaxed.
âI look forward to it.â Nemo let go of that illusory hug.
Oliver finally took his right hand away from the ring. The arm wrapped in armor had nowhere to exert force, and he twisted his face fiercely. After repeatedly confirming that this wasnât a dream, the leader of Tumbleweed waved to his companions with complicated expressions not far away.
âItâs okay,â he shouted, not trying to hide the joy in his voice.
The gray parrot rushed over first.
Bagelmaurus didnât fly. It flapped its wrings while it stumbled and trotted close, and finally stop in front of Nemo.
âAre you really not Ulysses?â The gray parrotâs voice was extremely serious.
âIâm not.â Nemo squatted down and poked its head symbolically with his hand, and the gray parrotâs hair exploded a little in an instant.
â⊠I was the âtenth generationâ Demon King who stuffed you with a piece of my flesh, the three-eyed corpse dragon, Zilagrugo. Sorry, Bagelmaruusâ but I guess weâre even when you attacked me for the first time,â Nemo said half-jokingly.
âItâs not even!â the gray parrot yelled, immediately tossing away its fear. âLater, I made a great contribution, you canât just forget it! You have to⊠You have toââ
It turned its head and thought for a while. âYou have to buy me everything I want to eat and want, and then continue to call me Lord Bagemaurus.â
Nemo smiled and sighed, while Oliver stared at him tightly, without looking away, as if staring at a shooting star that would only appear every thousands of years, or a wisp of light smoke that could be blown away at any time.
âAre you sure there is no problem, Oliver?â
Ann was the second to approach, and her expression when she looked at Nemo was a little stiff. âIsnât it a bitâŠtoo hasty?â
âNo.â Oliver didnât feel unhappy because of this problem.
Ann Savage was willing to get close, and with this alone, even if her questioning was a bit rude, he wouldnât care.
âAfter the knightâs oath is completed, whether the Pillar of the World wants to study me or orders me to accompany him, I will not refuseâ He has no reason to pretend to be Nemo Light anymore.â
Oliver rubbed the ring on the ring finger of his left hand.
âSince the effect of a marriage-like contract already exists, only a rational Pillar of the World wouldnât bother agreeing to a âworthlessâ human ritual. Unless he can understand another layer of meaning in itâ That layer of emotional meaning that has nothing to do with profits.â
âŠAnd Ulysses would never tease himself so naturally, but it wasnât convenient to say it as a reason.
âOkay,â Ann teased, but didnât manage to laugh. She looked at Nemo in silence.
âAnnâŠâ Nemo stood upright in place; his expression serious.
âI donât want to talk to you nowâ Donât be quick to apologize. I donât plan to forgive you on the spot.â Ann raised her face with the same fearless demeanor. âWhen Oliver pulls you up from below, I have to punch you firmly before we can have a formal chat.â
The muscles of her face twitched a little, as if she couldnât decide what kind of expression to put on.
ââŠMake sure I beat you up before your wedding, okay? I still want to go to the wedding for a drink.â
âSince Mr. Ramon is so sure, I am willing to accept his judgment.â Adrianâs voice was as calm as ever.
The former Knight of Judgment looked at Nemo as sharply as when they first met, but his eyes were missing the chill that couldnât be dissipated at the beginning.
Jesse didnât say a word. The white behemoth looked at Oliverâs left hand, glanced at the translucent Demon King phantom again, and then turned his gaze back to Oliverâs face again.
Finally, he grunted twice, stuck out his tongue, and licked Adrian Crossâ face who was beside him.
The eyes of those icy-blue beasts were full of superiority.
Oliver: ââŠâŠâ
âAlthough the atmosphere makes people want to open a bottle of champagne.â
Ann said dryly, grabbing the dishonest pink tongue and flicking it back into the beastâs long mouth.
âBut Oliver, what are you going to do next? Itâs not easy to fish up the Demon King, right? Are you going to move and live at the bottom of the Abyss?â
She breathed hard. âAnd I have to remind you both that the next expedition is already in preparation, so you donât have much time.â
âI know.â Oliver glared at Jesse and nodded. âI have a plan on how to bring Nemo up.â
âStop that for a second, will you? Given that weâre not engaged to you, we canât read the meaning behind your dedicated eyes. Explain.â The Queen of Alban clicked her tongue a few times. âDoes⊠it have something to do with that letter you had the Mercenary Guild collect on your behalf?â
âItâs not something that can be made clear in a few sentences.â Oliver smiled a little shyly. âFirst of allâŠâ
But a slightly cold and familiar voice interjected.
âIâm very sorry. I think before you start to explain in detail, I have a question to ask. According to Mr. Dylan, if the Pillar of the World is not sleeping, it should know what is happening in the Abyss.â
Telaranea, who had been silent all this time, finally approached, and he looked at Nemo expressionlessly. The early morning sky began to brighten as the real sun was rising covering the starry sky with its faint morning light.
âMr. Light.â The tone of the Sage of the Abyss remained indifferent. âWhere is Aurorae?â
At this moment, in the territory of Praedo, the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild.
Old John walked to the front desk early, his waist straight, and his walking posture was even a bit deliberately ostentatious.
Five days passed, and his pain became lighter, and finally disappeared completely today. He couldnât wait to finish his final work and rushed to let the therapist do a final appraisal.
âLetters to Tumbleweed, letters to TumbleweedâŠLet me seeâŠâ he muttered, bending down calmly and burying himself in the hill of envelopes. âOuch.â
As Oliver Ramon said, a large thick envelope was sent to the front desk. Old John repeatedly confirmed that the name of Tumbleweed was indeed marked on it.
It was just a matter of updating the team information, a job as easy as can be. Old John gripped the letter opener familiarly and opened the sturdy envelope. He took out the paper stuffed inside. In addition to all kinds of documents, there was also a few record crystals in the envelope.
There were not many people in Tumbleweed, and one died a few days ago. Where did they get so much information to update?
Old John picked up the top piece of paper.
Then the small letter opener fell to the ground making a soft clatter.
He quickly flipped through the contentsâ Tumbleweed wanted to update one personâs information and the rest of the documents were all supporting this. In order to prove its credibility, there was even a signature from the commander of Horizon, Godwin Lopez.
ââŠUpdate information. The file of the leader of the Black Chapter team Tumbleweed has been changedââ
He rushed with small steps to the area responsible for information management, no longer worrying about the cumbersome procedures that should have been carried out. In the surprised gaze of the staff, Old John raised his voice that was trembling.
ââFrom Oliver Ramon, corrected to Oliver Lopez!â