Tonight the Central Capital was not calm. The entire city guards were dispatched to look for Her Royal Highness, who has stepped forward to resist the monsterâs attack and protect the people.
So the Empressâs chamber was extraordinarily quiet.
Naiya lay on the bed, all the wounds on her body had healed, and her white skin was as tender as a newborn baby. Sheâs breathing very evenly, and it seems like she has a good dream.
Lucius pulled a chair and sat on the side of Naiyaâs bed. He put his hand on his chin and looked at Naiyaâs peaceful sleeping face.
Lucius carefully examinedâŠ
He has been here for more than ten minutes, and his thoughts have gradually drifted away.
âOooh, wow! BrotherâŠthose dogs are so scary! They keep running after me!â
âOh⊠itâs so dark at night, Iâm scared to sleep alone⊠brotherâŠâ
âMy brother lied, honey is not tasty, and the sting of bees hurts⊠oohâŠâ
âIdiotâŠâ
This was the biggest impression Lucius has of his sister. No matter what she encounters, she was stupid and has no determination. But when sheâs afraid⊠when sheâs hurt, she just knows to go into his armsâŠ
And so does Naiya.
Lucius spread out his white fingers and squeezed them. How long has it been since he experienced that feeling? The feelings of being depended.
As Naiya wrapped her arms around him and cried bitterly in his arms, Lucius really felt a little bad.
Whatâs worse was that a small figure has suddenly broken into his heart, which initially only had one person inside. That small figure is now occupying a small place. Although insignificant, it was too much for Lucius to accept.
âŠâŠ.
âLord Summoner, you seem to be worried about something?â
Xerathâs figure appeared beside Lucius, only smaller. A light blue shimmering light emanated from the arcane creatureâs body, illuminating the spot where Lucius was sitting.
Lucius didnât look back at it but just kept looking at Naiya, âStill the same question, Xerath, do you think I would like someone?â
Xerath didnât leave Lucius. He had been hovering around since Lucius entered the Central Capital. He was like a nuclear bomb cupped in Luciusâs hand. The moment there was any crisis that Lucius couldnât solve, this nuclear bomb could activate at any time and blow up the entire Central Capital into the sky.
ââŠâŠâ
It was the second time that Xerath was silent before Luciusâs question.
Xerath was a master among all the masters of arcane and magic. There was almost no knowledge of magic and arcane that he could not understand. But for human feelingsâŠ
As a great magician who has been cultivated to be refined and detached from the human body. How would Xerath know?
Xerath had been only interested in training and never thought of anything else.
âLord Summoner, you are the most indescribable existence among the dozen masters I served.â
Indescribable? That was not a good name.
âIs that so? And just how indescribable am I in the eyes of my familiars?â
Tonight, thereâs nothing else to do but wait for the dawn. So, Lucius has time to chat with Xerath.
âWith all due respect, when I first met you, you were naive.â The conversation between a being who had lived for thousands of years and Lucius has no concealment at all.
Lucius did not refute. Xerath was telling the truth.
âBut at the same time, you are scary.â
âI am indeed terrifying among the humans.â Lucius didnât deny it either.
âNo, I have served several lords who were more brutal than you my lord. They do almost all kinds of evil shit, relying on my power to plunder money and treasures, forcing other opposite sexes to mate with them, and forcing people to submit. And if they are even slightly dissatisfied, it will end in death.â Xerath recalled.
âI donât seem to be different from themâŠâ
Lucius can be sure that he had definitely killed a hundred times more people than the so-called brutal masters that Xerath spoke of!
âYou are fundamentally different from them! They do this to satisfy themself. Money, sex, power⊠they are after all of these, but you⊠What did you get? Money, beauty, or power? No, none of them! It is true that you are a wicked man, the most wicked man in the world, whose sins are so great that they cannot be forgiven, but all these sins that you carry are entirely for another person.â
Xerath seemed to pour out what had been buried in his heart for a long time and felt very happy.
âThatâs why I think Lord Summoner is very naive!â
Look out for yourself, or heaven and earth will combine to destroy youâŠ. isnât it?
âThis is also where Lord Summoner is terrifying.â After Xerath faintly swept a glance at Naiya, who was lying on the bed. âYou have no complaints about what you did, and as always, people who donât give a damn about anything but their obsession are terrifying.â
âJust like you?â Lucius glanced at the human who has ascended into a pure mass of arcane spirit, Xerath. The mundane world does not interest Xerath. Such terrifying power can only be obtained through a single-minded obsession to magic and arcane!
âYesâŠâ Xerath nodded, seeming to find his own shadow in Lucius. âIf I am not wrong, Lord Summoner, you do everything without regarding the feelings in your heart, you do whatever it takes to accomplish your purposeâŠâ
Collect despair points⊠and thenâŠ
Lucius clutched the pendant hanging around his neck.
âIf I remember correctly, Lord Summoner was only twenty years old this year, right? At this age, itâs only natural that someone would have a person of the opposite sex in mind.â
âDamn it, youâre just a super high-school-level magician, donât talk to me in that tone.â
In fact, this is not what Lucius really thought.
âYouâre right.â Lucius stretched out his hand and gently stroked Naiyaâs forehead, feeling the soft touch coming from his hand. His eyes became milder, âI really do have a feeling for my subordinate.â
When was that? When Naiya hugged him and cried? That inexplicable feeling of affection grew in Luciusâs heart.
âBut you would give this up, superfluous feelings for the sake of accomplishing your goals, wouldnât you?â
Xerath spoke in a deep voice about what Lucius would choose.
âNot bad my subordinate, you know me well.â
Naiya is just a pawn on Luciusâs chessboard. Sooner or later, he is going to use and discard his most important pawn.
Without Naiya, he will lose this game.
Lucius canât afford this!
Canât afford it at all.
âDo you know the principle of equivalence?â Lucius stroked Naiyaâs forehead while speaking to Xerath.
âThe introductory law of alchemy.â
Of course, Xerath knew it.
âTo get something, you must give up something.â
Luciusâs other hand clutched the pendant hanging on his chest, the one that holds his sisterâs ashes. He stopped stroking Naiyaâs forehead and leaned back in his chair.
âI have killed billions of people, even obliterated myself, my goal has never changed! This time is the same.â
âThatâs a heavy price to pay.â Xerath whispered.
âNo, compared to the reward, these prices are nothing.â
Lucius squeezed the pendant tightly and replied to Xerath.
So, this is what makes people who donât give a damn. Theyâre terrifying. They will stop at nothing for their purposes.
Xerath sighed and disappeared in front of Luciusâs faceâŠ
âŠâŠ
After Xerath disappeared, Lucius stood up. He bit his finger with his small fangs and touched Naiyaâs pale lips.
A little blood with golden brilliance overflowed from it, dripping down from corners of her mouth and into it.
âThirty million, thirty million peopleâs lives will be exchanged for your life in three days. Your Majesty, donât let me down when the time comes.â